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diff --git a/9170-h/9170-h.htm b/9170-h/9170-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4efd45e --- /dev/null +++ b/9170-h/9170-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,69916 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" +"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Three Cities, by Émile Zola</title> + +<style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + +body { margin-left: 20%; + margin-right: 20%; + text-align: justify; } + +h1, h2, h3, h4, h5 {text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: +normal; line-height: 1.5; margin-top: .5em; margin-bottom: .5em;} + +h1 {font-size: 300%; + margin-top: 0.6em; + margin-bottom: 0.6em; + letter-spacing: 0.12em; + word-spacing: 0.2em; + text-indent: 0em;} +h2 {font-size: 150%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 1em;} +h3 {font-size: 130%; margin-top: 1em;} +h4 {font-size: 120%;} +h5 {font-size: 110%;} + +.no-break {page-break-before: avoid;} /* for epubs */ + +div.chapter {page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em;} + +hr {width: 80%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em;} + +p {text-indent: 1em; + margin-top: 0.25em; + margin-bottom: 0.25em; } + +pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +a:link {color:blue; text-decoration:none} +a:visited {color:blue; text-decoration:none} +a:hover {color:red} + +</style> +</head> +<body> + +<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete, by Émile Zola</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and +most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms +of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online +at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you +are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the +country where you are located before using this eBook. +</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete<br /> + Lourdes, Rome and Paris</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Émile Zola</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 10, 2003 [eBook #9170]<br /> +[Most recently updated: March 9, 2022]</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Dagny and David Widger</div> +<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE CITIES TRILOGY ***</div> + +<h1>THE THREE CITIES</h1> + +<h2 class="no-break">LOURDES, ROME, PARIS</h2> + +<h2 class="no-break">By Émile Zola</h2> + +<h3>Translated By Ernest A. Vizetelly</h3> + +<hr /> + + +<h2>CONTENTS</h2> + +<table summary="" style=""> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#book01"><b>LOURDES</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#pref01">PREFACE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol01"><b>THE FIRST DAY</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap01">I. PILGRIMS AND PATIENTS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap02">II. PIERRE AND MARIE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap03">III. POITIERS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap04">IV. MIRACLES</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap05">V. BERNADETTE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol02"><b>THE SECOND DAY</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap06">I. THE TRAIN ARRIVES</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap07">II. HOSPITAL AND GROTTO</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap08">III. FOUNTAIN AND PISCINA</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap09">IV. VERIFICATION</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap10">V. BERNADETTE’S TRIALS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol03"><b>THE THIRD DAY</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap11">I. BED AND BOARD</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap12">II. THE “ORDINARY.”</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap13">III. THE NIGHT PROCESSION</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap14">IV. THE VIGIL</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap15">V. THE TWO VICTIMS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol04"><b>THE FOURTH DAY</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap16">I. THE BITTERNESS OP DEATH</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap17">II. THE SERVICE AT THE GROTTO</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap18">III. MARIE’S CURE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap19">IV. TRIUMPH—DESPAIR</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap20">V. CRADLE AND GRAVE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol05"><b>THE FIFTH DAY</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap21">I. EGOTISM AND LOVE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap22">II. PLEASANT HOURS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap23">III. DEPARTURE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap24">IV. MARIE’S VOW</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap25">V. THE DEATH OP BERNADETTE—THE NEW RELIGION</a><br /><br /></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#book02"><b>ROME</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#pref02">PREFACE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol06"><b>PART I.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap26">I.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap27">II.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap28">III.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol07"><b>PART II.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap29">IV.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap30">V.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap31">VI.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol08"><b>PART III.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap32">VII.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap33">VIII.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap34">IX.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol09"><b>PART IV.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap35">X.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap36">XI.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap37">XII.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap38">XIII.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol10"><b>PART V.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap39">XIV.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap40">XV.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap41">XVI.</a><br /><br /></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#book03"><b>PARIS</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol11"><b>BOOK I.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#pref03">TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap42">I. THE PRIEST AND THE POOR</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap43">II. WEALTH AND WORLDLINESS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap44">III. RANTERS AND RULERS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap45">IV. SOCIAL SIDELIGHTS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap46">V. FROM RELIGION TO ANARCHY</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol12"><b>BOOK II.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap47">I. REVOLUTIONISTS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap48">II. A HOME OF INDUSTRY</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap49">III. PENURY AND TOIL</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap50">IV. CULTURE AND HOPE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap51">V. PROBLEMS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol13"><b>BOOK III.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap52">I. THE RIVALS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap53">II. SPIRIT AND FLESH</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap54">III. PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap55">IV. THE MAN HUNT</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap56">V. THE GAME OF POLITICS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol14"><b>BOOK IV.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap57">I. PIERRE AND MARIE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap58">II. TOWARDS LIFE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap59">III. THE DAWN OF LOVE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap60">IV. TRIAL AND SENTENCE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap61">V. SACRIFICE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#vol15"><b>BOOK V.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap62">I. THE GUILLOTINE</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap63">II. IN VANITY FAIR</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap64">III. THE GOAL OF LABOUR</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap65">IV. THE CRISIS</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap66">V. LIFE’S WORK AND PROMISE</a></td> +</tr> + +</table> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="pref01"></a> + PREFACE + </h2> + <p> + BEFORE perusing this work, it is as well that the reader should understand + M. Zola’s aim in writing it, and his views—as distinct from those of + his characters—upon Lourdes, its Grotto, and its cures. A short time + before the book appeared M. Zola was interviewed upon the subject by his + friend and biographer, Mr. Robert H. Sherard, to whom he spoke as follows: + </p> + <p> + “‘Lourdes’ came to be written by mere accident. In 1891 I happened to be + travelling for my pleasure, with my wife, in the Basque country and by the + Pyrenees, and being in the neighbourhood of Lourdes, included it in my + tour. I spent fifteen days there, and was greatly struck by what I saw, + and it then occurred to me that there was material here for just the sort + of novel that I like to write—a novel in which great masses of men + can be shown in motion—<i>un grand mouvement de foule</i>—a + novel the subject of which stirred up my philosophical ideas. + </p> + <p> + “It was too late then to study the question, for I had visited Lourdes + late in September, and so had missed seeing the best pilgrimage, which + takes place in August, under the direction of the Pères de la Miséricorde, + of the Rue de l’Assomption in Paris—the National Pilgrimage, as it + is called. These Fathers are very active, enterprising men, and have made + a great success of this annual national pilgrimage. Under their direction + thirty thousand pilgrims are transported to Lourdes, including over a + thousand sick persons. + </p> + <p> + “So in the following year I went in August, and saw a national pilgrimage, + and followed it during the three days which it lasts, in addition to the + two days given to travelling. After its departure, I stayed on ten or + twelve days, working up the subject in every detail. My book is the story + of such a national pilgrimage, and is, accordingly, the story of five + days. It is divided into five parts, each of which parts is limited to one + day. + </p> + <p> + “There are from ninety to one hundred characters in the story: sick + persons, pilgrims, priests, nuns, hospitallers, nurses, and peasants; and + the book shows Lourdes under every aspect. There are the piscinas, the + processions, the Grotto, the churches at night, the people in the streets. + It is, in one word, Lourdes in its entirety. In this canvas is worked out + a very delicate central intrigue, as in ‘Dr. Pascal,’ and around this are + many little stories or subsidiary plots. There is the story of the sick + person who gets well, of the sick person who is not cured, and so on. The + philosophical idea which pervades the whole book is the idea of human + suffering, the exhibition of the desperate and despairing sufferers who, + abandoned by science and by man, address themselves to a higher Power in + the hope of relief; as where parents have a dearly loved daughter dying of + consumption, who has been given up, and for whom nothing remains but + death. A sudden hope, however, breaks in upon them: ‘supposing that after + all there should be a Power greater than that of man, higher than that of + science.’ They will haste to try this last chance of safety. It is the + instinctive hankering after the lie which creates human credulity. + </p> + <p> + “I will admit that I came across some instances of real cure. Many cases + of nervous disorders have undoubtedly been cured, and there have also been + other cures which may, perhaps be attributed to errors of diagnosis on the + part of doctors who attended the patients so cured. Often a patient is + described by his doctor as suffering from consumption. He goes to Lourdes, + and is cured. However, the probability is that the doctor made a mistake. + In my own case I was at one time suffering from a violent pain in my + chest, which presented all the symptoms of <i>angina pectoris</i>, a + mortal malady. It was nothing of the sort. Indigestion, doubtless, and, as + such, curable. Remember that most of the sick persons who go to Lourdes + come from the country, and that the country doctors are not usually men of + either great skill or great experience. But all doctors mistake symptoms. + Put three doctors together to discuss a case, and in nine cases out of ten + they will disagree in their diagnosis. Look at the quantities of tumours, + swellings, and sores, which cannot be properly classified. These cures are + based on the ignorance of the medical profession. The sick pretend, + believe, that they suffer from such and such a desperate malady, whereas + it is from some other malady that they are suffering. And so the legend + forms itself. And, of course, there must be cures out of so large a number + of cases. Nature often cures without medical aid. Certainly, many of the + workings of Nature are wonderful, but they are not supernatural. The + Lourdes miracles can neither be proved nor denied. The miracle is based on + human ignorance. And so the doctor who lives at Lourdes, and who is + commissioned to register the cures and to tabulate the miracles, has a + very careless time of it. A person comes, and gets cured. He has but to + get three doctors together to examine the case. They will disagree as to + what was the disease from which the patient suffered, and the only + explanation left which will be acceptable to the public, with its + hankering after the lie, is that a miracle has been vouchsafed. + </p> + <p> + “I interviewed a number of people at Lourdes, and could not find one who + would declare that he had witnessed a miracle. All the cases which I + describe in my book are real cases, in which I have only changed the names + of the persons concerned. In none of these instances was I able to + discover any real proof for or against the miraculous nature of the cure. + Thus, in the case of Clementine Trouve, who figures in my story as Sophie—the + patient who, after suffering for a long time from a horrid open sore on + her foot, was suddenly cured, according to current report, by bathing her + foot in the piscina, where the bandages fell off, and her foot was + entirely restored to a healthy condition—I investigated that case + thoroughly. I was told that there were three or four ladies living in + Lourdes who could guarantee the facts as stated by little Clementine. I + looked up those ladies. The first said No, she could not vouch for + anything. She had seen nothing. I had better consult somebody else. The + next answered in the same way, and nowhere was I able to find any + corroboration of the girl’s story. Yet the little girl did not look like a + liar, and I believe that she was fully convinced of the miraculous nature + of her cure. It is the facts themselves which lie. + </p> + <p> + “Lourdes, the Grotto, the cures, the miracles, are, indeed, the creation + of that need of the Lie, that necessity for credulity, which is a + characteristic of human nature. At first, when little Bernadette came with + her strange story of what she had witnessed, everybody was against her. + The Prefect of the Department, the Bishop, the clergy, objected to her + story. But Lourdes grew up in spite of all opposition, just as the + Christian religion did, because suffering humanity in its despair must + cling to something, must have some hope; and, on the other hand, because + humanity thirsts after illusions. In a word, it is the story of the + foundation of all religions.” + </p> + <p> + To the foregoing account of “Lourdes” as supplied by its author, it may be + added that the present translation, first made from early proofs of the + French original whilst the latter was being completed, has for the + purposes of this new American edition been carefully and extensively + revised by Mr. E. A. Vizetelly,—M. Zola’s representative for all + English-speaking countries. “Lourdes” forms the first volume of the + “Trilogy of the Three Cities,” the second being “Rome,” and the third + “Paris.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="book01"></a> + LOURDES + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol01"></a> + THE FIRST DAY + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap01"></a> + I. PILGRIMS AND PATIENTS + </h2> + <p> + THE pilgrims and patients, closely packed on the hard seats of a + third-class carriage, were just finishing the “Ave maris Stella,” which + they had begun to chant on leaving the terminus of the Orleans line, when + Marie, slightly raised on her couch of misery and restless with feverish + impatience, caught sight of the Paris fortifications through the window of + the moving train. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, the fortifications!” she exclaimed, in a tone which was joyous + despite her suffering. “Here we are, out of Paris; we are off at last!” + </p> + <p> + Her delight drew a smile from her father, M. de Guersaint, who sat in + front of her, whilst Abbé Pierre Froment, who was looking at her with + fraternal affection, was so carried away by his compassionate anxiety as + to say aloud: “And now we are in for it till to-morrow morning. We shall + only reach Lourdes at three-forty. We have more than two-and-twenty hours’ + journey before us.” + </p> + <p> + It was half-past five, the sun had risen, radiant in the pure sky of a + delightful morning. It was a Friday, the 19th of August. On the horizon, + however, some small, heavy clouds already presaged a terrible day of + stormy heat. And the oblique sunrays were enfilading the compartments of + the railway carriage, filling them with dancing, golden dust. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, two-and-twenty hours,” murmured Marie, relapsing into a state of + anguish. “<i>Mon Dieu</i>! what a long time we must still wait!” + </p> + <p> + Then her father helped her to lie down again in the narrow box, a kind of + wooden gutter, in which she had been living for seven years past. Making + an exception in her favour, the railway officials had consented to take as + luggage the two pairs of wheels which could be removed from the box, or + fitted to it whenever it became necessary to transport her from place to + place. Packed between the sides of this movable coffin, she occupied the + room of three passengers on the carriage seat; and for a moment she lay + there with eyes closed. Although she was three-and-twenty; her ashen, + emaciated face was still delicately infantile, charming despite + everything, in the midst of her marvellous fair hair, the hair of a queen, + which illness had respected. Clad with the utmost simplicity in a gown of + thin woollen stuff, she wore, hanging from her neck, the card bearing her + name and number, which entitled her to <i>hospitalisation</i>, or free + treatment. She herself had insisted on making the journey in this humble + fashion, not wishing to be a source of expense to her relatives, who + little by little had fallen into very straitened circumstances. And thus + it was that she found herself in a third-class carriage of the “white + train,” the train which carried the greatest sufferers, the most woeful of + the fourteen trains going to Lourdes that day, the one in which, in + addition to five hundred healthy pilgrims, nearly three hundred + unfortunate wretches, weak to the point of exhaustion, racked by + suffering, were heaped together, and borne at express speed from one to + the other end of France. + </p> + <p> + Sorry that he had saddened her, Pierre continued to gaze at her with the + air of a compassionate elder brother. He had just completed his thirtieth + year, and was pale and slight, with a broad forehead. After busying + himself with all the arrangements for the journey, he had been desirous of + accompanying her, and, having obtained admission among the Hospitallers of + Our Lady of Salvation as an auxiliary member, wore on his cassock the red, + orange-tipped cross of a bearer. M. de Guersaint on his side had simply + pinned the little scarlet cross of the pilgrimage on his grey cloth + jacket. The idea of travelling appeared to delight him; although he was + over fifty he still looked young, and, with his eyes ever wandering over + the landscape, he seemed unable to keep his head still—a bird-like + head it was, with an expression of good nature and absent-mindedness. + </p> + <p> + However, in spite of the violent shaking of the train, which constantly + drew sighs from Marie, Sister Hyacinthe had risen to her feet in the + adjoining compartment. She noticed that the sun’s rays were streaming in + the girl’s face. + </p> + <p> + “Pull down the blind, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she said to Pierre. “Come, come, + we must install ourselves properly, and set our little household in + order.” + </p> + <p> + Clad in the black robe of a Sister of the Assumption, enlivened by a white + coif, a white wimple, and a large white apron, Sister Hyacinthe smiled, + the picture of courageous activity. Her youth bloomed upon her small, + fresh lips, and in the depths of her beautiful blue eyes, whose expression + was ever gentle. She was not pretty, perhaps, still she was charming, + slender, and tall, the bib of her apron covering her flat chest like that + of a young man; one of good heart, displaying a snowy complexion, and + overflowing with health, gaiety, and innocence. + </p> + <p> + “But this sun is already roasting us,” said she; “pray pull down your + blind as well, madame.” + </p> + <p> + Seated in the corner, near the Sister, was Madame de Jonquière, who had + kept her little bag on her lap. She slowly pulled down the blind. Dark, + and well built, she was still nice-looking, although she had a daughter, + Raymonde, who was four-and-twenty, and whom for motives of propriety she + had placed in the charge of two lady-hospitallers, Madame Désagneaux and + Madame Volmar, in a first-class carriage. For her part, directress as she + was of a ward of the Hospital of Our Lady of Dolours at Lourdes, she did + not quit her patients; and outside, swinging against the door of her + compartment, was the regulation placard bearing under her own name those + of the two Sisters of the Assumption who accompanied her. The widow of a + ruined man, she lived with her daughter on the scanty income of four or + five thousand francs a year, at the rear of a courtyard in the Rue + Vanneau. But her charity was inexhaustible, and she gave all her time to + the work of the Hospitality of Our Lady of Salvation, an institution whose + red cross she wore on her gown of carmelite poplin, and whose aims she + furthered with the most active zeal. Of a somewhat proud disposition, fond + of being flattered and loved, she took great delight in this annual + journey, from which both her heart and her passion derived contentment. + </p> + <p> + “You are right, Sister,” she said, “we will organise matters. I really + don’t know why I am encumbering myself with this bag.” + </p> + <p> + And thereupon she placed it under the seat, near her. + </p> + <p> + “Wait a moment,” resumed Sister Hyacinthe; “you have the water-can between + your legs—it is in your way.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, it isn’t, I assure you. Let it be. It must always be somewhere.” + </p> + <p> + Then they both set their house in order as they expressed it, so that for + a day and a night they might live with their patients as comfortably as + possible. The worry was that they had not been able to take Marie into + their compartment, as she wished to have Pierre and her father near her; + however neighbourly intercourse was easy enough over the low partition. + Moreover the whole carriage, with its five compartments of ten seats each, + formed but one moving chamber, a common room as it were which the eye took + in at a glance from end to end. Between its wooden walls, bare and yellow, + under its white-painted panelled roof, it showed like a hospital ward, + with all the disorder and promiscuous jumbling together of an improvised + ambulance. Basins, brooms, and sponges lay about, half-hidden by the + seats. Then, as the train only carried such luggage as the pilgrims could + take with them, there were valises, deal boxes, bonnet boxes, and bags, a + wretched pile of poor worn-out things mended with bits of string, heaped + up a little bit everywhere; and overhead the litter began again, what with + articles of clothing, parcels, and baskets hanging from brass pegs and + swinging to and fro without a pause. + </p> + <p> + Amidst all this frippery the more afflicted patients, stretched on their + narrow mattresses, which took up the room of several passengers, were + shaken, carried along by the rumbling gyrations of the wheels; whilst + those who were able to remain seated, leaned against the partitions, their + faces pale, their heads resting upon pillows. According to the regulations + there should have been one lady-hospitaller to each compartment. However, + at the other end of the carriage there was but a second Sister of the + Assumption, Sister Claire des Anges. Some of the pilgrims who were in good + health were already getting up, eating and drinking. One compartment was + entirely occupied by women, ten pilgrims closely pressed together, young + ones and old ones, all sadly, pitifully ugly. And as nobody dared to open + the windows on account of the consumptives in the carriage, the heat was + soon felt and an unbearable odour arose, set free as it were by the + jolting of the train as it went its way at express speed. + </p> + <p> + They had said their chaplets at Juvisy; and six o’clock was striking, and + they were rushing like a hurricane past the station of Bretigny, when + Sister Hyacinthe stood up. It was she who directed the pious exercises, + which most of the pilgrims followed from small, blue-covered books. + </p> + <p> + “The Angelus, my children,” said she with a pleasant smile, a maternal air + which her great youth rendered very charming and sweet. + </p> + <p> + Then the “Aves” again followed one another, and were drawing to an end + when Pierre and Marie began to feel interested in two women who occupied + the other corner seats of their compartment. One of them, she who sat at + Marie’s feet, was a blonde of slender build and <i>bourgeoise</i> + appearance, some thirty and odd years of age, and faded before she had + grown old. She shrank back, scarcely occupying any room, wearing a dark + dress, and showing colourless hair, and a long grief-stricken face which + expressed unlimited self-abandonment, infinite sadness. The woman in front + of her, she who sat on the same seat as Pierre, was of the same age, but + belonged to the working classes. She wore a black cap and displayed a face + ravaged by wretchedness and anxiety, whilst on her lap she held a little + girl of seven, who was so pale, so wasted by illness, that she scarcely + seemed four. With her nose contracted, her eyelids lowered and showing + blue in her waxen face, the child was unable to speak, unable to give + utterance to more than a low plaint, a gentle moan, which rent the heart + of her mother, leaning over her, each time that she heard it. + </p> + <p> + “Would she eat a few grapes?” timidly asked the lady, who had hitherto + preserved silence. “I have some in my basket.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, madame,” replied the woman, “she only takes milk, and + sometimes not even that willingly. I took care to bring a bottleful with + me.” + </p> + <p> + Then, giving way to the desire which possesses the wretched to confide + their woes to others, she began to relate her story. Her name was Vincent, + and her husband, a gilder by trade, had been carried off by consumption. + Left alone with her little Rose, who was the passion of her heart, she had + worked by day and night at her calling as a dressmaker in order to bring + the child up. But disease had come, and for fourteen months now she had + had her in her arms like that, growing more and more woeful and wasted + until reduced almost to nothingness. She, the mother, who never went to + mass, entered a church, impelled by despair to pray for her daughter’s + cure; and there she had heard a voice which had told her to take the + little one to Lourdes, where the Blessed Virgin would have pity on her. + Acquainted with nobody, not knowing even how the pilgrimages were + organised, she had had but one idea—to work, save up the money + necessary for the journey, take a ticket, and start off with the thirty + sous remaining to her, destitute of all supplies save a bottle of milk for + the child, not having even thought of purchasing a crust of bread for + herself. + </p> + <p> + “What is the poor little thing suffering from?” resumed the lady. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it must be consumption of the bowels, madame! But the doctors have + names they give it. At first she only had slight pains in the stomach. + Then her stomach began to swell and she suffered, oh, so dreadfully! it + made one cry to see her. Her stomach has gone down now, only she’s worn + out; she has got so thin that she has no legs left her, and she’s wasting + away with continual sweating.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Rose, raising her eyelids, began to moan, her mother leant over + her, distracted and turning pale. “What is the matter, my jewel, my + treasure?” she asked. “Are you thirsty?” + </p> + <p> + But the little girl was already closing her dim eyes of a hazy sky-blue + hue, and did not even answer, but relapsed into her torpor, quite white in + the white frock she wore—a last coquetry on the part of her mother, + who had gone to this useless expense in the hope that the Virgin would be + more compassionate and gentle to a little sufferer who was well dressed, + so immaculately white. + </p> + <p> + There was an interval of silence, and then Madame Vincent inquired: “And + you, madame, it’s for yourself no doubt that you are going to Lourdes? One + can see very well that you are ill.” + </p> + <p> + But the lady, with a frightened look, shrank woefully into her corner, + murmuring: “No, no, I am not ill. Would to God that I were! I should + suffer less.” + </p> + <p> + Her name was Madame Maze, and her heart was full of an incurable grief. + After a love marriage to a big, gay fellow with ripe, red lips, she had + found herself deserted at the end of a twelvemonth’s honeymoon. Ever + travelling, following the profession of a jeweller’s bagman, her husband, + who earned a deal of money, would disappear for six months at a stretch, + deceive her from one frontier to the other of France, at times even + carrying creatures about with him. And she worshipped him; she suffered so + frightfully from it all that she had sought a remedy in religion, and had + at last made up her mind to repair to Lourdes, in order to pray the Virgin + to restore her husband to her and make him amend his ways. + </p> + <p> + Although Madame Vincent did not understand the other’s words, she realised + that she was a prey to great mental affliction, and they continued looking + at one another, the mother, whom the sight of her dying daughter was + killing, and the abandoned wife, whom her passion cast into throes of + death-like agony. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre, who, like Marie, had been listening to the conversation, + now intervened. He was astonished that the dressmaker had not sought free + treatment for her little patient. The Association of Our Lady of Salvation + had been founded by the Augustine Fathers of the Assumption after the + Franco-German war, with the object of contributing to the salvation of + France and the defence of the Church by prayer in common and the practice + of charity; and it was this association which had promoted the great + pilgrimage movement, in particular initiating and unremittingly extending + the national pilgrimage which every year, towards the close of August, set + out for Lourdes. An elaborate organisation had been gradually perfected, + donations of considerable amounts were collected in all parts of the + world, sufferers were enrolled in every parish, and agreements were signed + with the railway companies, to say nothing of the active help of the + Little Sisters of the Assumption and the establishment of the Hospitality + of Our Lady of Salvation, a widespread brotherhood of the benevolent, in + which one beheld men and women, mostly belonging to society, who, under + the orders of the pilgrimage managers, nursed the sick, helped to + transport them, and watched over the observance of good discipline. A + written request was needed for the sufferers to obtain hospitalisation, + which dispensed them from making the smallest payment in respect either of + their journey or their sojourn; they were fetched from their homes and + conveyed back thither; and they simply had to provide a few provisions for + the road. By far the greater number were recommended by priests or + benevolent persons, who superintended the inquiries concerning them and + obtained the needful papers, such as doctors’ certificates and + certificates of birth. And, these matters being settled, the sick ones had + nothing further to trouble about, they became but so much suffering flesh, + food for miracles, in the hands of the hospitallers of either sex. + </p> + <p> + “But you need only have applied to your parish priest, madame,” Pierre + explained. “This poor child is deserving of all sympathy. She would have + been immediately admitted.” + </p> + <p> + “I did not know it, monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + “Then how did you manage?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Monsieur l’Abbé, I went to take a ticket at a place which one of my + neighbours, who reads the newspapers, told me about.” + </p> + <p> + She was referring to the tickets, at greatly reduced rates, which were + issued to the pilgrims possessed of means. And Marie, listening to her, + felt great pity for her, and also some shame; for she who was not entirely + destitute of resources had succeeded in obtaining <i>hospitalisation</i>, + thanks to Pierre, whereas that mother and her sorry child, after + exhausting their scanty savings, remained without a copper. + </p> + <p> + However, a more violent jolt of the carriage drew a cry of pain from the + girl. “Oh, father,” she said, “pray raise me a little! I can’t stay on my + back any longer.” + </p> + <p> + When M. de Guersaint had helped her into a sitting posture, she gave a + deep sigh of relief. They were now at Etampes, after a run of an hour and + a half from Paris, and what with the increased warmth of the sun, the + dust, and the noise, weariness was becoming apparent already. Madame de + Jonquière had got up to speak a few words of kindly encouragement to Marie + over the partition; and Sister Hyacinthe moreover again rose, and gaily + clapped her hands that she might be heard and obeyed from one to the other + end of the carriage. + </p> + <p> + “Come, come!” said she, “we mustn’t think of our little troubles. Let us + pray and sing, and the Blessed Virgin will be with us.” + </p> + <p> + She herself then began the rosary according to the rite of Our Lady of + Lourdes, and all the patients and pilgrims followed her. This was the + first chaplet—the five joyful mysteries, the Annunciation, the + Visitation, the Nativity, the Purification, and Jesus found in the Temple. + Then they all began to chant the canticle: “Let us contemplate the + heavenly Archangel!” Their voices were lost amid the loud rumbling of the + wheels; you heard but the muffled surging of that human wave, stifling + within the closed carriage which rolled on and on without a pause. + </p> + <p> + Although M. de Guersaint was a worshipper, he could never follow a hymn to + the end. He got up, sat down again, and finished by resting his elbow on + the partition and conversing in an undertone with a patient who sat + against this same partition in the next compartment. The patient in + question was a thick-set man of fifty, with a good-natured face and a + large head, completely bald. His name was Sabathier, and for fifteen years + he had been stricken with ataxia. He only suffered pain by fits and + starts, but he had quite lost the use of his legs, which his wife, who + accompanied him, moved for him as though they had been dead legs, whenever + they became too heavy, weighty like bars of lead. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, monsieur,” he said, “such as you see me, I was formerly fifth-class + professor at the Lycée Charlemagne. At first I thought that it was mere + sciatica, but afterwards I was seized with sharp, lightning-like pains, + red-hot sword thrusts, you know, in the muscles. For nearly ten years the + disease kept on mastering me more and more. I consulted all the doctors, + tried every imaginable mineral spring, and now I suffer less, but I can no + longer move from my seat. And then, after long living without a thought of + religion, I was led back to God by the idea that I was too wretched, and + that Our Lady of Lourdes could not do otherwise than take pity on me.” + </p> + <p> + Feeling interested, Pierre in his turn had leant over the partition and + was listening. + </p> + <p> + “Is it not so, Monsieur l’Abbé?” continued M. Sabathier. “Is not suffering + the best awakener of souls? This is the seventh year that I am going to + Lourdes without despairing of cure. This year the Blessed Virgin will cure + me, I feel sure of it. Yes, I expect to be able to walk about again; I now + live solely in that hope.” + </p> + <p> + M. Sabathier paused, he wished his wife to push his legs a little more to + the left; and Pierre looked at him, astonished to find such obstinate + faith in a man of intellect, in one of those university professors who, as + a rule, are such Voltairians. How could the belief in miracles have + germinated and taken root in this man’s brain? As he himself said, great + suffering alone explained this need of illusion, this blossoming of + eternal and consolatory hope. + </p> + <p> + “And my wife and I,” resumed the ex-professor, “are dressed, you see, as + poor folks, for I wished to go as a mere pauper this year, and applied for + <i>hospitalisation</i> in a spirit of humility in order that the Blessed + Virgin might include me among the wretched, her children—only, as I + did not wish to take the place of a real pauper, I gave fifty francs to + the Hospitalite, and this, as you are aware, gives one the right to have a + patient of one’s own in the pilgrimage. I even know my patient. He was + introduced to me at the railway station. He is suffering from + tuberculosis, it appears, and seemed to me very low, very low.” + </p> + <p> + A fresh interval of silence ensued. “Well,” said M. Sabathier at last, + “may the Blessed Virgin save him also, she who can do everything. I shall + be so happy; she will have loaded me with favours.” + </p> + <p> + Then the three men, isolating themselves from the others, went on + conversing together, at first on medical subjects, and at last diverging + into a discussion on romanesque architecture, <i>à propos</i> of a steeple + which they had perceived on a hillside, and which every pilgrim had + saluted with a sign of the cross. Swayed once more by the habits of + cultivated intellect, the young priest and his two companions forgot + themselves together in the midst of their fellow-passengers, all those + poor, suffering, simple-minded folk, whom wretchedness stupefied. Another + hour went by, two more canticles had just been sung, and the stations of + Toury and Les Aubrais had been left behind, when, at Beaugency, they at + last ceased their chat, on hearing Sister Hyacinthe clap her hands and + intonate in her fresh, sonorous voice: + </p> + <p> + “<i>Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo</i>.” + </p> + <p> + And then the chant went on; all voices became mingled in that ever-surging + wave of prayer which stilled pain, excited hope, and little by little + penetrated the entire being, harassed by the haunting thought of the grace + and cure which one and all were going to seek so far away. + </p> + <p> + However, as Pierre sat down again, he saw that Marie was very pale, and + had her eyes closed. By the painful contraction of her features he could + tell that she was not asleep. “Are you in great suffering?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, I suffer dreadfully. I shall never last to the end. It is this + incessant jolting.” + </p> + <p> + She moaned, raised her eyelids, and, half-fainting, remained in a sitting + posture, her eyes turned on the other sufferers. In the adjoining + compartment, La Grivotte, hitherto stretched out, scarce breathing, like a + corpse, had just raised herself up in front of M. Sabathier. She was a + tall, slip-shod, singular-looking creature of over thirty, with a round, + ravaged face, which her frizzy hair and flaming eyes rendered almost + pretty. She had reached the third stage of phthisis. + </p> + <p> + “Eh, mademoiselle,” she said, addressing herself in a hoarse, indistinct + voice to Marie, “how nice it would be if we could only doze off a little. + But it can’t be managed; all these wheels keep on whirling round and round + in one’s head.” + </p> + <p> + Then, although it fatigued her to speak, she obstinately went on talking, + volunteering particulars about herself. She was a mattress-maker, and with + one of her aunts had long gone from yard to yard at Bercy to comb and sew + up mattresses. And, indeed, it was to the pestilential wool which she had + combed in her youth that she ascribed her malady. For five years she had + been making the round of the hospitals of Paris, and she spoke familiarly + of all the great doctors. It was the Sisters of Charity, at the + Lariboisiere hospital, who, finding that she had a passion for religious + ceremonies, had completed her conversion, and convinced her that the + Virgin awaited her at Lourdes to cure her. + </p> + <p> + “I certainly need it,” said she. “The doctors say that I have one lung + done for, and that the other one is scarcely any better. There are great + big holes you know. At first I only felt bad between the shoulders and + spat up some froth. But then I got thin, and became a dreadful sight. And + now I’m always in a sweat, and cough till I think I’m going to bring my + heart up. And I can no longer spit. And I haven’t the strength to stand, + you see. I can’t eat.” + </p> + <p> + A stifling sensation made her pause, and she became livid. + </p> + <p> + “All the same I prefer being in my skin instead of in that of the Brother + in the compartment behind you. He has the same complaint as I have, but he + is in a worse state that I am.” + </p> + <p> + She was mistaken. In the farther compartment, beyond Marie, there was + indeed a young missionary, Brother Isidore, who was lying on a mattress + and could not be seen, since he was unable to raise even a finger. But he + was not suffering from phthisis. He was dying of inflammation of the + liver, contracted in Senegal. Very long and lank, he had a yellow face, + with skin as dry and lifeless as parchment. The abscess which had formed + in his liver had ended by breaking out externally, and amidst the + continuous shivering of fever, vomiting, and delirium, suppuration was + exhausting him. His eyes alone were still alive, eyes full of + unextinguishable love, whose flame lighted up his expiring face, a peasant + face such as painters have given to the crucified Christ, common, but + rendered sublime at moments by its expression of faith and passion. He was + a Breton, the last puny child of an over-numerous family, and had left his + little share of land to his elder brothers. One of his sisters, Marthe, + older than himself by a couple of years, accompanied him. She had been in + service in Paris, an insignificant maid-of-all-work, but withal so devoted + to her brother that she had left her situation to follow him, subsisting + scantily on her petty savings. + </p> + <p> + “I was lying on the platform,” resumed La Grivotte, “when he was put in + the carriage. There were four men carrying him—” + </p> + <p> + But she was unable to speak any further, for just then an attack of + coughing shook her and threw her back upon the seat. She was suffocating, + and the red flush on her cheek-bones turned blue. Sister Hyacinthe, + however, immediately raised her head and wiped her lips with a linen + cloth, which became spotted with blood. At the same time Madame de + Jonquière gave her attention to a patient in front of her, who had just + fainted. She was called Madame Vetu, and was the wife of a petty + clockmaker of the Mouffetard district, who had not been able to shut up + his shop in order to accompany her to Lourdes. And to make sure that she + would be cared for she had sought and obtained <i>hospitalisation</i>. The + fear of death was bringing her back to religion, although she had not set + foot in church since her first communion. She knew that she was lost, that + a cancer in the chest was eating into her; and she already had the + haggard, orange-hued mark of the cancerous patient. Since the beginning of + the journey she had not spoken a word, but, suffering terribly, had + remained with her lips tightly closed. Then all at once, she had swooned + away after an attack of vomiting. + </p> + <p> + “It is unbearable!” murmured Madame de Jonquière, who herself felt faint; + “we must let in a little fresh air.” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe was just then laying La Grivotte to rest on her pillows, + “Certainly,” said she, “we will open the window for a few moments. But not + on this side, for I am afraid we might have a fresh fit of coughing. Open + the window on your side, madame.” + </p> + <p> + The heat was still increasing, and the occupants of the carriage were + stifling in that heavy evil-smelling atmosphere. The pure air which came + in when the window was opened brought relief however. For a moment there + were other duties to be attended to, a clearance and cleansing. The Sister + emptied the basins out of the window, whilst the lady-hospitaller wiped + the shaking floor with a sponge. Next, things had to be set in order; and + then came a fresh anxiety, for the fourth patient, a slender girl whose + face was entirely covered by a black fichu, and who had not yet moved, was + saying that she felt hungry. + </p> + <p> + With quiet devotion Madame de Jonquière immediately tendered her services. + “Don’t you trouble, Sister,” she said, “I will cut her bread into little + bits for her.” + </p> + <p> + Marie, with the need she felt of diverting her mind from her own + sufferings, had already begun to take an interest in that motionless + sufferer whose countenance was so thickly veiled, for she not unnaturally + suspected that it was a case of some distressing facial sore. She had + merely been told that the patient was a servant, which was true, but it + happened that the poor creature, a native of Picardy, named Elise Rouquet, + had been obliged to leave her situation, and seek a home with a sister who + ill-treated her, for no hospital would take her in. Extremely devout, she + had for many months been possessed by an ardent desire to go to Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + While Marie, with dread in her heart, waited for the fichu to be moved + aside, Madame de Jonquière, having cut some bread into small pieces, + inquired maternally: “Are they small enough? Can you put them into your + mouth?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon a hoarse voice growled confused words under the black fichu: + “Yes, yes, madame.” And at last the veil fell and Marie shuddered with + horror. + </p> + <p> + It was a case of lupus which had preyed upon the unhappy woman’s nose and + mouth. Ulceration had spread, and was hourly spreading—in short, all + the hideous peculiarities of this terrible disease were in full process of + development, almost obliterating the traces of what once were pleasing + womanly lineaments. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, look, Pierre!” Marie murmured, trembling. The priest in his turn + shuddered as he beheld Elise Rouquet cautiously slipping the tiny pieces + of bread into her poor shapeless mouth. Everyone in the carriage had + turned pale at sight of the awful apparition. And the same thought + ascended from all those hope-inflated souls. Ah! Blessed Virgin, Powerful + Virgin, what a miracle indeed if such an ill were cured! + </p> + <p> + “We must not think of ourselves, my children, if we wish to get well,” + resumed Sister Hyacinthe, who still retained her encouraging smile. + </p> + <p> + And then she made them say the second chaplet, the five sorrowful + mysteries: Jesus in the Garden of Olives, Jesus scourged, Jesus crowned + with thorns, Jesus carrying the cross, and Jesus crucified. Afterwards + came the canticle: “In thy help, Virgin, do I put my trust.” + </p> + <p> + They had just passed through Blois; for three long hours they had been + rolling onward; and Marie, who had averted her eyes from Elise Rouquet, + now turned them upon a man who occupied a corner seat in the compartment + on her left, that in which Brother Isidore was lying. She had noticed this + man several times already. Poorly clad in an old black frock-coat, he + looked still young, although his sparse beard was already turning grey; + and, short and emaciated, he seemed to experience great suffering, his + fleshless, livid face being covered with sweat. However, he remained + motionless, ensconced in his corner, speaking to nobody, but staring + straight before him with dilated eyes. And all at once Marie noticed that + his eyelids were falling, and that he was fainting away. + </p> + <p> + She thereupon drew Sister’s Hyacinthe’s attention to him: “Look, Sister! + One would think that that gentleman is dangerously ill.” + </p> + <p> + “Which one, my dear child?” + </p> + <p> + “That one, over there, with his head thrown back.” + </p> + <p> + General excitement followed, all the healthy pilgrims rose up to look, and + it occurred to Madame de Jonquière to call to Marthe, Brother Isidore’s + sister, and tell her to tap the man’s hands. + </p> + <p> + “Question him,” she added; “ask what ails him.” + </p> + <p> + Marthe drew near, shook the man, and questioned him. + </p> + <p> + But instead of an answer only a rattle came from his throat, and his eyes + remained closed. + </p> + <p> + Then a frightened voice was heard saying, “I think he is going to die.” + </p> + <p> + The dread increased, words flew about, advice was tendered from one to the + other end of the carriage. Nobody knew the man. He had certainly not + obtained <i>hospitalisation</i>, for no white card was hanging from his + neck. Somebody related, however, that he had seen him arrive, dragging + himself along, but three minutes or so before the train started; and that + he had remained quite motionless, scarce breathing, ever since he had + flung himself with an air of intense weariness into that corner, where he + was now apparently dying. His ticket was at last seen protruding from + under the band of an old silk hat which was hung from a peg near him. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, he is breathing again now!” Sister Hyacinthe suddenly exclaimed. “Ask + him his name.” + </p> + <p> + However, on being again questioned by Marthe, the man merely gave vent to + a low plaint, an exclamation scarcely articulated, “Oh, how I suffer!” + </p> + <p> + And thenceforward that was the only answer that could be obtained from + him. With reference to everything that they wished to know, who he was, + whence he came, what his illness was, what could be done for him, he gave + no information, but still and ever continued moaning, “Oh, how I suffer—how + I suffer!” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe grew restless with impatience. Ah, if she had only been + in the same compartment with him! And she resolved that she would change + her seat at the first station they should stop at. Only there would be no + stoppage for a long time. The position was becoming terrible, the more so + as the man’s head again fell back. + </p> + <p> + “He is dying, he is dying!” repeated the frightened voice. + </p> + <p> + What was to be done, <i>mon Dieu</i>? The Sister was aware that one of the + Fathers of the Assumption, Father Massias, was in the train with the Holy + Oils, ready to administer extreme unction to the dying; for every year + some of the patients passed away during the journey. But she did not dare + to have recourse to the alarm signal. Moreover, in the <i>cantine</i> van + where Sister Saint François officiated, there was a doctor with a little + medicine chest. If the sufferer should survive until they reached + Poitiers, where there would be half an hour’s stoppage, all possible help + might be given to him. + </p> + <p> + But on the other hand he might suddenly expire. However, they ended by + becoming somewhat calmer. The man, though still unconscious, began to + breathe in a more regular manner, and seemed to fall asleep. + </p> + <p> + “To think of it, to die before getting there,” murmured Marie with a + shudder, “to die in sight of the promised land!” And as her father sought + to reassure her she added: “I am suffering—I am suffering dreadfully + myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Have confidence,” said Pierre; “the Blessed Virgin is watching over you.” + </p> + <p> + She could no longer remain seated, and it became necessary to replace her + in a recumbent position in her narrow coffin. Her father and the priest + had to take every precaution in doing so, for the slightest hurt drew a + moan from her. And she lay there breathless, like one dead, her face + contracted by suffering, and surrounded by her regal fair hair. They had + now been rolling on, ever rolling on for nearly four hours. And if the + carriage was so greatly shaken, with an unbearable spreading tendency, it + was from its position at the rear part of the train. The coupling irons + shrieked, the wheels growled furiously; and as it was necessary to leave + the windows partially open, the dust came in, acrid and burning; but it + was especially the heat which grew terrible, a devouring, stormy heat + falling from a tawny sky which large hanging clouds had slowly covered. + The hot carriages, those rolling boxes where the pilgrims ate and drank, + where the sick lay in a vitiated atmosphere, amid dizzying moans, prayers, + and hymns, became like so many furnaces. + </p> + <p> + And Marie was not the only one whose condition had been aggravated; others + also were suffering from the journey. Resting in the lap of her despairing + mother, who gazed at her with large, tear-blurred eyes, little Rose had + ceased to stir, and had grown so pale that Madame Maze had twice leant + forward to feel her hands, fearful lest she should find them cold. At each + moment also Madame Sabathier had to move her husband’s legs, for their + weight was so great, said he, that it seemed as if his hips were being + torn from him. Brother Isidore too had just begun to cry out, emerging + from his wonted torpor; and his sister had only been able to assuage his + sufferings by raising him, and clasping him in her arms. La Grivotte + seemed to be asleep, but a continuous hiccoughing shook her, and a tiny + streamlet of blood dribbled from her mouth. Madame Vetu had again vomited, + Elise Rouquet no longer thought of hiding the frightful sore open on her + face. And from the man yonder, breathing hard, there still came a + lugubrious rattle, as though he were at every moment on the point of + expiring. In vain did Madame de Jonquière and Sister Hyacinthe lavish + their attentions on the patients, they could but slightly assuage so much + suffering. At times it all seemed like an evil dream—that carriage + of wretchedness and pain, hurried along at express speed, with a + continuous shaking and jolting which made everything hanging from the pegs—the + old clothes, the worn-out baskets mended with bits of string—swing + to and fro incessantly. And in the compartment at the far end, the ten + female pilgrims, some old, some young, and all pitifully ugly, sang on + without a pause in cracked voices, shrill and dreary. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre began to think of the other carriages of the train, that white + train which conveyed most, if not all, of the more seriously afflicted + patients; these carriages were rolling along, all displaying similar + scenes of suffering among the three hundred sick and five hundred healthy + pilgrims crowded within them. And afterwards he thought of the other + trains which were leaving Paris that day, the grey train and the blue + train* which had preceded the white one, the green train, the yellow + train, the pink train, the orange train which were following it. From hour + to hour trains set out from one to the other end of France. And he + thought, too, of those which that same morning had started from Orleans, + Le Mans, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Marseilles, and Carcassonne. Coming from all + parts, trains were rushing across that land of France at the same hour, + all directing their course yonder towards the holy Grotto, bringing thirty + thousand patients and pilgrims to the Virgin’s feet. And he reflected that + other days of the year witnessed a like rush of human beings, that not a + week went by without Lourdes beholding the arrival of some pilgrimage; + that it was not merely France which set out on the march, but all Europe, + the whole world; that in certain years of great religious fervour there + had been three hundred thousand, and even five hundred thousand, pilgrims + and patients streaming to the spot. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Different-coloured tickets are issued for these trains; it is for + this reason that they are called the white, blue, and grey trains, + etc.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre fancied that he could hear those flying trains, those trains from + everywhere, all converging towards the same rocky cavity where the tapers + were blazing. They all rumbled loudly amid the cries of pain and snatches + of hymns wafted from their carriages. They were the rolling hospitals of + disease at its last stage, of human suffering rushing to the hope of cure, + furiously seeking consolation between attacks of increased severity, with + the ever-present threat of death—death hastened, supervening under + awful conditions, amidst the mob-like scramble. They rolled on, they + rolled on again and again, they rolled on without a pause, carrying the + wretchedness of the world on its way to the divine illusion, the health of + the infirm, the consolation of the afflicted. + </p> + <p> + And immense pity overflowed from Pierre’s heart, human compassion for all + the suffering and all the tears that consumed weak and naked men. He was + sad unto death and ardent charity burnt within him, the unextinguishable + flame as it were of his fraternal feelings towards all things and beings. + </p> + <p> + When they left the station of Saint Pierre des Corps at half-past ten, + Sister Hyacinthe gave the signal, and they recited the third chaplet, the + five glorious mysteries, the Resurrection of Our Lord, the Ascension of + Our Lord, the Mission of the Holy Ghost, the Assumption of the Most + Blessed Virgin, the Crowning of the Most Blessed Virgin. And afterwards + they sang the canticle of Bernadette, that long, long chant, composed of + six times ten couplets, to which the ever recurring Angelic Salutation + serves as a refrain—a prolonged lullaby slowly besetting one until + it ends by penetrating one’s entire being, transporting one into ecstatic + sleep, in delicious expectancy of a miracle. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap02"></a> + II. PIERRE AND MARIE + </h2> + <p> + THE green landscapes of Poitou were now defiling before them, and Abbé + Pierre Froment, gazing out of the window, watched the trees fly away till, + little by little, he ceased to distinguish them. A steeple appeared and + then vanished, and all the pilgrims crossed themselves. They would not + reach Poitiers until twelve-thirty-five, and the train was still rolling + on amid the growing weariness of that oppressive, stormy day. Falling into + a deep reverie, the young priest no longer heard the words of the + canticle, which sounded in his ears merely like a slow, wavy lullaby. + </p> + <p> + Forgetfulness of the present had come upon him, an awakening of the past + filled his whole being. He was reascending the stream of memory, + reascending it to its source. He again beheld the house at Neuilly, where + he had been born and where he still lived, that home of peace and toil, + with its garden planted with a few fine trees, and parted by a quickset + hedge and palisade from the garden of the neighbouring house, which was + similar to his own. He was again three, perhaps four, years old, and round + a table, shaded by the big horse-chestnut tree he once more beheld his + father, his mother, and his elder brother at <i>déjeuner</i>. To his + father, Michel Froment, he could give no distinct lineaments; he pictured + him but faintly, vaguely, renowned as an illustrious chemist, bearing the + title of Member of the Institute, and leading a cloistered life in the + laboratory which he had installed in that secluded, deserted suburb. + However he could plainly see his first brother Guillaume, then fourteen + years of age, whom some holiday had brought from college that morning, and + then and even more vividly his mother, so gentle and so quiet, with eyes + so full of active kindliness. Later on he learnt what anguish had racked + that religious soul, that believing woman who, from esteem and gratitude, + had resignedly accepted marriage with an unbeliever, her senior by fifteen + years, to whom her relatives were indebted for great services. He, Pierre, + the tardy offspring of this union, born when his father was already near + his fiftieth year, had only known his mother as a respectful, conquered + woman in the presence of her husband, whom she had learnt to love + passionately, with the frightful torment of knowing, however, that he was + doomed to perdition. And, all at once, another memory flashed upon the + young priest, the terrible memory of the day when his father had died, + killed in his laboratory by an accident, the explosion of a retort. He, + Pierre, had then been five years old, and he remembered the slightest + incidents—his mother’s cry when she had found the shattered body + among the remnants of the chemical appliances, then her terror, her sobs, + her prayers at the idea that God had slain the unbeliever, damned him for + evermore. Not daring to burn his books and papers, she had contented + herself with locking up the laboratory, which henceforth nobody entered. + And from that moment, haunted by a vision of hell, she had had but one + idea, to possess herself of her second son, who was still so young, to + give him a strictly religious training, and through him to ransom her + husband—secure his forgiveness from God. Guillaume, her elder boy, + had already ceased to belong to her, having grown up at college, where he + had been won over by the ideas of the century; but she resolved that the + other, the younger one, should not leave the house, but should have a + priest as tutor; and her secret dream, her consuming hope, was that she + might some day see him a priest himself, saying his first mass and + solacing souls whom the thought of eternity tortured. + </p> + <p> + Then between green, leafy boughs, flecked with sunlight, another figure + rose vividly before Pierre’s eyes. He suddenly beheld Marie de Guersaint + as he had seen her one morning through a gap in the hedge dividing the two + gardens. M. de Guersaint, who belonged to the petty Norman <i>noblesse</i>, + was a combination of architect and inventor; and he was at that time busy + with a scheme of model dwellings for the poor, to which churches and + schools were to be attached; an affair of considerable magnitude, planned + none too well, however, and in which, with his customary impetuosity, the + lack of foresight of an imperfect artist, he was risking the three hundred + thousand francs that he possessed. A similarity of religious faith had + drawn Madame de Guersaint and Madame Froment together; but the former was + altogether a superior woman, perspicuous and rigid, with an iron hand + which alone prevented her household from gliding to a catastrophe; and she + was bringing up her two daughters, Blanche and Marie, in principles of + narrow piety, the elder one already being as grave as herself, whilst the + younger, albeit very devout, was still fond of play, with an intensity of + life within her which found vent in gay peals of sonorous laughter. From + their early childhood Pierre and Marie played together, the hedge was ever + being crossed, the two families constantly mingled. And on that clear + sunshiny morning, when he pictured her parting the leafy branches she was + already ten years old. He, who was sixteen, was to enter the seminary on + the following Tuesday. Never had she seemed to him so pretty. Her hair, of + a pure golden hue, was so long that when it was let down it sufficed to + clothe her. Well did he remember her face as it had been, with round + cheeks, blue eyes, red mouth, and skin of dazzling, snowy whiteness. She + was indeed as gay and brilliant as the sun itself, a transplendency. Yet + there were tears at the corners of her eyes, for she was aware of his + coming departure. They sat down together at the far end of the garden, in + the shadow cast by the hedge. Their hands mingled, and their hearts were + very heavy. They had, however, never exchanged any vows amid their + pastimes, for their innocence was absolute. But now, on the eve of + separation, their mutual tenderness rose to their lips, and they spoke + without knowing, swore that they would ever think of one another, and find + one another again, some day, even as one meets in heaven to be very, very + happy. Then, without understanding how it happened, they clasped each + other tightly, to the point of suffocation, and kissed each other’s face, + weeping, the while, hot tears. And it was that delightful memory which + Pierre had ever carried with him, which he felt alive within him still, + after so many years, and after so many painful renunciations. + </p> + <p> + Just then a more violent shock roused him from his reverie. He turned his + eyes upon the carriage and vaguely espied the suffering beings it + contained—Madame Maze motionless, overwhelmed with grief; little + Rose gently moaning in her mother’s lap; La Grivotte, whom a hoarse cough + was choking. For a moment Sister Hyacinthe’s gay face shone out amidst the + whiteness of her coif and wimple, dominating all the others. The painful + journey was continuing, with a ray of divine hope still and ever shining + yonder. Then everything slowly vanished from Pierre’s eyes as a fresh wave + of memory brought the past back from afar; and nothing of the present + remained save the lulling hymn, the indistinct voices of dreamland, + emerging from the invisible. + </p> + <p> + Henceforth he was at the seminary. The classrooms, the recreation ground + with its trees, rose up clearly before him. But all at once he only + beheld, as in a mirror, the youthful face which had then been his, and he + contemplated it and scrutinised it, as though it had been the face of a + stranger. Tall and slender, he had an elongated visage, with an unusually + developed forehead, lofty and straight like a tower; whilst his jaws + tapered, ending in a small refined chin. He seemed, in fact, to be all + brains; his mouth, rather large, alone retained an expression of + tenderness. Indeed, when his usually serious face relaxed, his mouth and + eyes acquired an exceedingly soft expression, betokening an unsatisfied, + hungry desire to love, devote oneself, and live. But immediately + afterwards, the look of intellectual passion would come back again, that + intellectuality which had ever consumed him with an anxiety to understand + and know. And it was with surprise that he now recalled those years of + seminary life. How was it that he had so long been able to accept the rude + discipline of blind faith, of obedient belief in everything without the + slightest examination? It had been required of him that he should + absolutely surrender his reasoning faculties, and he had striven to do so, + had succeeded indeed in stifling his torturing need of truth. Doubtless he + had been softened, weakened by his mother’s tears, had been possessed by + the sole desire to afford her the great happiness she dreamt of. Yet now + he remembered certain quiverings of revolt; he found in the depths of his + mind the memory of nights which he had spent in weeping without knowing + why, nights peopled with vague images, nights through which galloped the + free, virile life of the world, when Marie’s face incessantly returned to + him, such as he had seen it one morning, dazzling and bathed in tears, + while she embraced him with her whole soul. And that alone now remained; + his years of religious study with their monotonous lessons, their ever + similar exercises and ceremonies, had flown away into the same haze, into + a vague half-light, full of mortal silence. + </p> + <p> + Then, just as the train had passed though a station at full speed, with + the sudden uproar of its rush there arose within him a succession of + confused visions. He had noticed a large deserted enclosure, and fancied + that he could see himself within it at twenty years of age. His reverie + was wandering. An indisposition of rather long duration had, however, at + one time interrupted his studies, and led to his being sent into the + country. He had remained for a long time without seeing Marie; during his + vacations spent at Neuilly he had twice failed to meet her, for she was + almost always travelling. He knew that she was very ill, in consequence of + a fall from a horse when she was thirteen, a critical moment in a girl’s + life; and her despairing mother, perplexed by the contradictory advice of + medical men, was taking her each year to a different watering-place. Then + he learnt the startling news of the sudden tragical death of that mother, + who was so severe and yet so useful to her kin. She had been carried off + in five days by inflammation of the lungs, which she had contracted one + evening whilst she was out walking at La Bourboule, through having taken + off her mantle to place it round the shoulders of Marie, who had been + conveyed thither for treatment. It had been necessary that the father + should at once start off to fetch his daughter, who was mad with grief, + and the corpse of his wife, who had been so suddenly torn from him. And + unhappily, after losing her, the affairs of the family went from bad to + worse in the hands of this architect, who, without counting, flung his + fortune into the yawning gulf of his unsuccessful enterprises. Marie no + longer stirred from her couch; only Blanche remained to manage the + household, and she had matters of her own to attend to, being busy with + the last examinations which she had to pass, the diplomas which she was + obstinately intent on securing, foreseeing as she did that she would + someday have to earn her bread. + </p> + <p> + All at once, from amidst this mass of confused, half-forgotten incidents, + Pierre was conscious of the rise of a vivid vision. Ill-health, he + remembered, had again compelled him to take a holiday. He had just + completed his twenty-fourth year, he was greatly behindhand, having so far + only secured the four minor orders; but on his return a sub-deaconship + would be conferred on him, and an inviolable vow would bind him for + evermore. And the Guersaints’ little garden at Neuilly, whither he had + formerly so often gone to play, again distinctly appeared before him. + Marie’s couch had been rolled under the tall trees at the far end of the + garden near the hedge, they were alone together in the sad peacefulness of + an autumnal afternoon, and he saw Marie, clad in deep mourning for her + mother and reclining there with legs inert; whilst he, also clad in black, + in a cassock already, sat near her on an iron garden chair. For five years + she had been suffering. She was now eighteen, paler and thinner than + formerly, but still adorable with her regal golden hair, which illness + respected. He believed from what he had heard that she was destined to + remain infirm, condemned never to become a woman, stricken even in her + sex. The doctors, who failed to agree respecting her case, had abandoned + her. Doubtless it was she who told him these things that dreary afternoon, + whilst the yellow withered leaves rained upon them. However, he could not + remember the words that they had spoken; her pale smile, her young face, + still so charming though already dimmed by regretfulness for life, alone + remained present with him. But he realised that she had evoked the far-off + day of their parting, on that same spot, behind the hedge flecked with + sunlight; and all that was already as though dead—their tears, their + embrace, their promise to find one another some day with a certainty of + happiness. For although they had found one another again, what availed it, + since she was but a corpse, and he was about to bid farewell to the life + of the world? As the doctors condemned her, as she would never be woman, + nor wife, nor mother, he, on his side, might well renounce manhood, and + annihilate himself, dedicate himself to God, to whom his mother gave him. + And he still felt within him the soft bitterness of that last interview: + Marie smiling painfully at memory of their childish play and prattle, and + speaking to him of the happiness which he would assuredly find in the + service of God; so penetrated indeed with emotion at this thought, that + she had made him promise that he would let her hear him say his first + mass. + </p> + <p> + But the train was passing the station of Sainte-Maure, and just then a + sudden uproar momentarily brought Pierre’s attention back to the carriage + and its occupants. He fancied that there had been some fresh seizure or + swooning, but the suffering faces that he beheld were still the same, ever + contracted by the same expression of anxious waiting for the divine + succour which was so slow in coming. M. Sabathier was vainly striving to + get his legs into a comfortable position, whilst Brother Isidore raised a + feeble continuous moan like a dying child, and Madame Vetu, a prey to + terrible agony, devoured by her disease, sat motionless, and kept her lips + tightly closed, her face distorted, haggard, and almost black. The noise + which Pierre had heard had been occasioned by Madame de Jonquière, who + whilst cleansing a basin had dropped the large zinc water-can. And, + despite their torment, this had made the patients laugh, like the simple + souls they were, rendered puerile by suffering. However, Sister Hyacinthe, + who rightly called them her children, children whom she governed with a + word, at once set them saying the chaplet again, pending the Angelus, + which would only be said at Chatellerault, in accordance with the + predetermined programme. And thereupon the “Aves” followed one after the + other, spreading into a confused murmuring and mumbling amidst the + rattling of the coupling irons and noisy growling of the wheels. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had meantime relapsed into his reverie, and beheld himself as he + had been at six-and-twenty, when ordained a priest. Tardy scruples had + come to him a few days before his ordination, a semi-consciousness that he + was binding himself without having clearly questioned his heart and mind. + But he had avoided doing so, living in the dizzy bewilderment of his + decision, fancying that he had lopped off all human ties and feelings with + a voluntary hatchet-stroke. His flesh had surely died with his childhood’s + innocent romance, that white-skinned girl with golden hair, whom now he + never beheld otherwise than stretched upon her couch of suffering, her + flesh as lifeless as his own. And he had afterwards made the sacrifice of + his mind, which he then fancied even an easier one, hoping as he did that + determination would suffice to prevent him from thinking. Besides, it was + too late, he could not recoil at the last moment, and if when he + pronounced the last solemn vow he felt a secret terror, an indeterminate + but immense regret agitating him, he forgot everything, saving a divine + reward for his efforts on the day when he afforded his mother the great + and long-expected joy of hearing him say his first mass. + </p> + <p> + He could still see the poor woman in the little church of Neuilly, which + she herself had selected, the church where the funeral service for his + father had been celebrated; he saw her on that cold November morning, + kneeling almost alone in the dark little chapel, her hands hiding her face + as she continued weeping whilst he raised the Host. It was there that she + had tasted her last happiness, for she led a sad and lonely life, no + longer seeing her elder son, who had gone away, swayed by other ideas than + her own, bent on breaking off all family intercourse since his brother + intended to enter the Church. It was said that Guillaume, a chemist of + great talent, like his father, but at the same time a Bohemian, addicted + to revolutionary dreams, was living in a little house in the suburbs, + where he devoted himself to the dangerous study of explosive substances; + and folks added that he was living with a woman who had come no one knew + whence. This it was which had severed the last tie between himself and his + mother, all piety and propriety. For three years Pierre had not once seen + Guillaume, whom in his childhood he had worshipped as a kind, merry, and + fatherly big brother. + </p> + <p> + But there came an awful pang to his heart—he once more beheld his + mother lying dead. This again was a thunderbolt, an illness of scarce + three days’ duration, a sudden passing away, as in the case of Madame de + Guersaint. One evening, after a wild hunt for the doctor, he had found her + motionless and quite white. She had died during his absence; and his lips + had ever retained the icy thrill of the last kiss that he had given her. + Of everything else—the vigil, the preparations, the funeral—he + remembered nothing. All that had become lost in the black night of his + stupor and grief, grief so extreme that he had almost died of it—seized + with shivering on his return from the cemetery, struck down by a fever + which during three weeks had kept him delirious, hovering between life and + death. His brother had come and nursed him and had then attended to + pecuniary matters, dividing the little inheritance, leaving him the house + and a modest income and taking his own share in money. And as soon as + Guillaume had found him out of danger he had gone off again, once more + vanishing into the unknown. But then through what a long convalescence he, + Pierre, had passed, buried as it were in that deserted house. He had done + nothing to detain Guillaume, for he realised that there was an abyss + between them. At first the solitude had brought him suffering, but + afterwards it had grown very pleasant, whether in the deep silence of the + rooms which the rare noises of the street did not disturb, or under the + screening, shady foliage of the little garden, where he could spend whole + days without seeing a soul. His favourite place of refuge, however, was + the old laboratory, his father’s cabinet, which his mother for twenty + years had kept carefully locked up, as though to immure within it all the + incredulity and damnation of the past. And despite the gentleness, the + respectful submissiveness which she had shown in former times, she would + perhaps have some day ended by destroying all her husband’s books and + papers, had not death so suddenly surprised her. Pierre, however, had once + more had the windows opened, the writing-table and the bookcase dusted; + and, installed in the large leather arm-chair, he now spent delicious + hours there, regenerated as it were by his illness, brought back to his + youthful days again, deriving a wondrous intellectual delight from the + perusal of the books which he came upon. + </p> + <p> + The only person whom he remembered having received during those two months + of slow recovery was Doctor Chassaigne, an old friend of his father, a + medical man of real merit, who, with the one ambition of curing disease, + modestly confined himself to the <i>rôle</i> of the practitioner. It was + in vain that the doctor had sought to save Madame Froment, but he + flattered himself that he had extricated the young priest from grievous + danger; and he came to see him from time to time, to chat with him and + cheer him, talking with him of his father, the great chemist, of whom he + recounted many a charming anecdote, many a particular, still glowing with + the flame of ardent friendship. Little by little, amidst the weak languor + of convalescence, the son had thus beheld an embodiment of charming + simplicity, affection, and good nature rising up before him. It was his + father such as he had really been, not the man of stern science whom he + had pictured whilst listening to his mother. Certainly she had never + taught him aught but respect for that dear memory; but had not her husband + been the unbeliever, the man who denied, and made the angels weep, the + artisan of impiety who sought to change the world that God had made? And + so he had long remained a gloomy vision, a spectre of damnation prowling + about the house, whereas now he became the house’s very light, clear and + gay, a worker consumed by a longing for truth, who had never desired + anything but the love and happiness of all. For his part, Doctor + Chassaigne, a Pyrenean by birth, born in a far-off secluded village where + folks still believed in sorceresses, inclined rather towards religion, + although he had not set his foot inside a church during the forty years he + had been living in Paris. However, his conviction was absolute: if there + were a heaven somewhere, Michel Froment was assuredly there, and not + merely there, but seated upon a throne on the Divinity’s right hand. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre, in a few minutes, again lived through the frightful torment + which, during two long months, had ravaged him. It was not that he had + found controversial works of an anti-religious character in the bookcase, + or that his father, whose papers he sorted, had ever gone beyond his + technical studies as a <i>savant</i>. But little by little, despite + himself, the light of science dawned upon him, an <i>ensemble</i> of + proven phenomena, which demolished dogmas and left within him nothing of + the things which as a priest he should have believed. It seemed, in fact, + as though illness had renewed him, as though he were again beginning to + live and learn amidst the physical pleasantness of convalescence, that + still subsisting weakness which lent penetrating lucidity to his brain. At + the seminary, by the advice of his masters, he had always kept the spirit + of inquiry, his thirst for knowledge, in check. Much of that which was + taught him there had surprised him; however, he had succeeded in making + the sacrifice of his mind required of his piety. But now, all the + laboriously raised scaffolding of dogmas was swept away in a revolt of + that sovereign mind which clamoured for its rights, and which he could no + longer silence. Truth was bubbling up and overflowing in such an + irresistible stream that he realised he would never succeed in lodging + error in his brain again. It was indeed the total and irreparable ruin of + faith. Although he had been able to kill his flesh by renouncing the + romance of his youth, although he felt that he had altogether mastered + carnal passion, he now knew that it would be impossible for him to make + the sacrifice of his intelligence. And he was not mistaken; it was indeed + his father again springing to life in the depths of his being, and at last + obtaining the mastery in that dual heredity in which, during so many + years, his mother had dominated. The upper part of his face, his straight, + towering brow, seemed to have risen yet higher, whilst the lower part, the + small chin, the affectionate mouth, were becoming less distinct. However, + he suffered; at certain twilight hours when his kindliness, his need of + love awoke, he felt distracted with grief at no longer believing, + distracted with desire to believe again; and it was necessary that the + lighted lamp should be brought in, that he should see clearly around him + and within him, before he could recover the energy and calmness of reason, + the strength of martyrdom, the determination to sacrifice everything to + the peace of his conscience. + </p> + <p> + Then came the crisis. He was a priest and he no longer believed. This had + suddenly dawned before him like a bottomless abyss. It was the end of his + life, the collapse of everything. What should he do? Did not simple + rectitude require that he should throw off the cassock and return to the + world? But he had seen some renegade priests and had despised them. A + married priest with whom he was acquainted filled him with disgust. All + this, no doubt, was but a survival of his long religious training. He + retained the notion that a priest cannot, must not, weaken; the idea that + when one has dedicated oneself to God one cannot take possession of + oneself again. Possibly, also, he felt that he was too plainly branded, + too different from other men already, to prove otherwise than awkward and + unwelcome among them. Since he had been cut off from them he would remain + apart in his grievous pride; And, after days of anguish, days of struggle + incessantly renewed, in which his thirst for happiness warred with the + energies of his returning health, he took the heroic resolution to remain + a priest, and an honest one. He would find the strength necessary for such + abnegation. Since he had conquered the flesh, albeit unable to conquer the + brain, he felt sure of keeping his vow of chastity, and that would be + unshakable; therein lay the pure, upright life which he was absolutely + certain of living. What mattered the rest if he alone suffered, if nobody + in the world suspected that his heart was reduced to ashes, that nothing + remained of his faith, that he was agonising amidst fearful falsehood? His + rectitude would prove a firm prop; he would follow his priestly calling + like an honest man, without breaking any of the vows he had taken; he + would, in due accordance with the rites, discharge his duties as a + minister of the Divinity, whom he would praise and glorify at the altar, + and distribute as the Bread of Life to the faithful. Who, then, would dare + to impute his loss of faith to him as a crime, even if this great + misfortune should some day become known? And what more could be asked of + him than lifelong devotion to his vow, regard for his ministry, and the + practice of every charity without the hope of any future reward? In this + wise he ended by calming himself, still upright, still bearing his head + erect, with the desolate grandeur of the priest who himself no longer + believes, but continues watching over the faith of others. And he + certainly was not alone; he felt that he had many brothers, priests with + ravaged minds, who had sunk into incredulity, and who yet, like soldiers + without a fatherland, remained at the altar, and, despite, everything, + found the courage to make the divine illusion shine forth above the + kneeling crowds. + </p> + <p> + On recovering his health Pierre had immediately resumed his service at the + little church of Neuilly. He said his mass there every morning. But he had + resolved to refuse any appointment, any preferment. Months and years went + by, and he obstinately insisted on remaining the least known and the most + humble of those priests who are tolerated in a parish, who appear and + disappear after discharging their duty. The acceptance of any appointment + would have seemed to him an aggravation of his falsehood, a theft from + those who were more deserving than himself. And he had to resist frequent + offers, for it was impossible for his merits to remain unnoticed. Indeed, + his obstinate modesty provoked astonishment at the archbishop’s palace, + where there was a desire to utilise the power which could be divined in + him. Now and again, it is true, he bitterly regretted that he was not + useful, that he did not co-operate in some great work, in furthering the + purification of the world, the salvation and happiness of all, in + accordance with his own ardent, torturing desire. Fortunately his time was + nearly all his own, and to console himself he gave rein to his passion for + work by devouring every volume in his father’s bookcase, and then again + resuming and considering his studies, feverishly preoccupied with regard + to the history of nations, full of a desire to explore the depths of the + social and religious crisis so that he might ascertain whether it were + really beyond remedy. + </p> + <p> + It was at this time, whilst rummaging one morning in one of the large + drawers in the lower part of the bookcase, that he discovered quite a + collection of papers respecting the apparitions of Lourdes. It was a very + complete set of documents, comprising detailed notes of the + interrogatories to which Bernadette had been subjected, copies of numerous + official documents, and police and medical reports, in addition to many + private and confidential letters of the greatest interest. This discovery + had surprised Pierre, and he had questioned, Doctor Chassaigne concerning + it. The latter thereupon remembered that his friend, Michel Froment, had + at one time passionately devoted himself to the study of Bernadette’s + case; and he himself, a native of the village near Lourdes, had procured + for the chemist a portion of the documents in the collection. Pierre, in + his turn, then became impassioned, and for a whole month continued + studying the affair, powerfully attracted by the visionary’s pure, upright + nature, but indignant with all that had subsequently sprouted up—the + barbarous fetishism, the painful superstitions, and the triumphant simony. + In the access of unbelief which had come upon him, this story of Lourdes + was certainly of a nature to complete the collapse of his faith. However, + it had also excited his curiosity, and he would have liked to investigate + it, to establish beyond dispute what scientific truth might be in it, and + render pure Christianity the service of ridding it of this scoria, this + fairy tale, all touching and childish as it was. But he had been obliged + to relinquish his studies, shrinking from the necessity of making a + journey to the Grotto, and finding that it would be extremely difficult to + obtain the information which he still needed; and of it all there at last + only remained within him a tender feeling for Bernadette, of whom he could + not think without a sensation of delightful charm and infinite pity. + </p> + <p> + The days went by, and Pierre led a more and more lonely life. Doctor + Chassaigne had just left for the Pyrenees in a state of mortal anxiety. + Abandoning his patients, he had set out for Cauterets with his ailing + wife, who was sinking more and more each day, to the infinite distress of + both his charming daughter and himself. From that moment the little house + at Neuilly fell into deathlike silence and emptiness. Pierre had no other + distraction than that of occasionally going to see the Guersaints, who had + long since left the neighbouring house, but whom he had found again in a + small lodging in a wretched tenement of the district. And the memory of + his first visit to them there was yet so fresh within him, that he felt a + pang at his heart as he recalled his emotion at sight of the hapless + Marie. + </p> + <p> + That pang roused him from his reverie, and on looking round he perceived + Marie stretched on the seat, even as he had found her on the day which he + recalled, already imprisoned in that gutter-like box, that coffin to which + wheels were adapted when she was taken out-of-doors for an airing. She, + formerly so brimful of life, ever astir and laughing, was dying of + inaction and immobility in that box. Of her old-time beauty she had + retained nothing save her hair, which clad her as with a royal mantle, and + she was so emaciated that she seemed to have grown smaller again, to have + become once more a child. And what was most distressing was the expression + on her pale face, the blank, frigid stare of her eyes which did not see, + the ever haunting absent look, as of one whom suffering overwhelmed. + However, she noticed that Pierre was gazing at her, and at once desired to + smile at him; but irresistible moans escaped her, and when she did at last + smile, it was like a poor smitten creature who is convinced that she will + expire before the miracle takes place. He was overcome by it, and, amidst + all the sufferings with which the carriage abounded, hers were now the + only ones that he beheld and heard, as though one and all were summed up + in her, in the long and terrible agony of her beauty, gaiety, and youth. + </p> + <p> + Then by degrees, without taking his eyes from Marie, he again reverted to + former days, again lived those hours, fraught with a mournful and bitter + charm, which he had often spent beside her, when he called at the sorry + lodging to keep her company. M. de Guersaint had finally ruined himself by + trying to improve the artistic quality of the religious prints so widely + sold in France, the faulty execution of which quite irritated him. His + last resources had been swallowed up in the failure of a colour-printing + firm; and, heedless as he was, deficient in foresight, ever trusting in + Providence, his childish mind continually swayed by illusions, he did not + notice the awful pecuniary embarrassment of the household; but applied + himself to the study of aerial navigation, without even realising what + prodigious activity his elder daughter, Blanche, was forced to display, in + order to earn the living of her two children, as she was wont to call her + father and her sister. It was Blanche who, by running about Paris in the + dust or the mud from morning to evening in order to give French or music + lessons, contrived to provide the money necessary for the unremitting + attentions which Marie required. And Marie often experienced attacks of + despair—bursting into tears and accusing herself of being the + primary cause of their ruin, as for years and years now it had been + necessary to pay for medical attendance and for taking her to almost every + imaginable spring—La Bourboule, Aix, Lamalou, Amelie-les-Bains, and + others. And the outcome of ten years of varied diagnosis and treatment was + that the doctors had now abandoned her. Some thought her illness to be due + to the rupture of certain ligaments, others believed in the presence of a + tumour, others again to paralysis due to injury to the spinal cord, and as + she, with maidenly revolt, refused to undergo any examination, and they + did not even dare to address precise questions to her, they each contented + themselves with their several opinions and declared that she was beyond + cure. Moreover, she now solely relied upon the divine help, having grown + rigidly pious since she had been suffering, and finding her only relief in + her ardent faith. Every morning she herself read the holy offices, for to + her great sorrow she was unable to go to church. Her inert limbs indeed + seemed quite lifeless, and she had sunk into a condition of extreme + weakness, to such a point, in fact, that on certain days it became + necessary for her sister to place her food in her mouth. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was thinking of this when all at once he recalled an evening he had + spent with her. The lamp had not yet been lighted, he was seated beside + her in the growing obscurity, and she suddenly told him that she wished to + go to Lourdes, feeling certain that she would return cured. He had + experienced an uncomfortable sensation on hearing her speak in this + fashion, and quite forgetting himself had exclaimed that it was folly to + believe in such childishness. He had hitherto made it a rule never to + converse with her on religious matters, having not only refused to be her + confessor, but even to advise her with regard to the petty uncertainties + of her pietism. In this respect he was influenced by feelings of mingled + shame and compassion; to lie to her of all people would have made him + suffer, and, moreover, he would have deemed himself a criminal had he even + by a breath sullied that fervent pure faith which lent her such strength + against pain. And so, regretting that he had not been able to restrain his + exclamation, he remained sorely embarrassed, when all at once he felt the + girl’s cold hand take hold of his own. And then, emboldened by the + darkness, she ventured in a gentle, faltering voice, to tell him that she + already knew his secret, his misfortune, that wretchedness, so fearful for + a priest, of being unable to believe. + </p> + <p> + Despite himself he had revealed everything during their chats together, + and she, with the delicate intuition of a friend, had been able to read + his conscience. She felt terribly distressed on his account; she deemed + him, with that mortal moral malady, to be more deserving of pity than + herself. And then as he, thunderstruck, was still unable to find an + answer, acknowledging the truth of her words by his very silence, she + again began to speak to him of Lourdes, adding in a low whisper that she + wished to confide him as well as herself to the protection of the Blessed + Virgin, whom she entreated to restore him to faith. And from that evening + forward she did not cease speaking on the subject, repeating again and + again, that if she went to Lourdes she would be surely cured. But she was + prevented from making the journey by lack of means and she did not even + dare to speak to her sister of the pecuniary question. So two months went + by, and day by day she grew weaker, exhausted by her longing dreams, her + eyes ever turned towards the flashing light of the miraculous Grotto far + away. Pierre then experienced many painful days. He had at first told + Marie that he would not accompany her. But his decision was somewhat + shaken by the thought that if he made up his mind to go, he might profit + by the journey to continue his inquiries with regard to Bernadette, whose + charming image lingered in his heart. And at last he even felt penetrated + by a delightful feeling, an unacknowledged hope, the hope that Marie was + perhaps right, that the Virgin might take pity on him and restore to him + his former blind faith, the faith of the child who loves and does not + question. Oh! to believe, to believe with his whole soul, to plunge into + faith for ever! Doubtless there was no other possible happiness. He longed + for faith with all the joyousness of his youth, with all the love that he + had felt for his mother, with all his burning desire to escape from the + torment of understanding and knowing, and to slumber forever in the depths + of divine ignorance. It was cowardly, and yet so delightful; to exist no + more, to become a mere thing in the hands of the Divinity. And thus he was + at last possessed by a desire to make the supreme experiment. + </p> + <p> + A week later the journey to Lourdes was decided upon. Pierre, however, had + insisted on a final consultation of medical men in order to ascertain if + it were really possible for Marie to travel; and this again was a scene + which rose up before him, with certain incidents which he ever beheld + whilst others were already fading from his mind. Two of the doctors who + had formerly attended the patient, and one of whom believed in the rupture + of certain ligaments, whilst the other asserted the case to be one of + medullary paralysis, had ended by agreeing that this paralysis existed, + and that there was also, possibly, some ligamentary injury. In their + opinion all the symptoms pointed to this diagnosis, and the nature of the + case seemed to them so evident that they did not hesitate to give + certificates, each his own, agreeing almost word for word with one + another, and so positive in character as to leave no room for doubt. + Moreover, they thought that the journey was practicable, though it would + certainly prove an exceedingly painful one. Pierre thereupon resolved to + risk it, for he had found the doctors very prudent, and very desirous to + arrive at the truth; and he retained but a confused recollection of the + third medical man who had been called in, a distant cousin of his named De + Beauclair, who was young, extremely intelligent, but little known as yet, + and said by some to be rather strange in his theories. This doctor, after + looking at Marie for a long time, had asked somewhat anxiously about her + parents, and had seemed greatly interested by what was told him of M. de + Guersaint, this architect and inventor with a weak and exuberant mind. + Then he had desired to measure the sufferer’s visual field, and by a + slight discreet touch had ascertained the locality of the pain, which, + under certain pressure, seemed to ascend like a heavy shifting mass + towards the breast. He did not appear to attach importance to the + paralysis of the legs; but on a direct question being put to him he + exclaimed that the girl ought to be taken to Lourdes and that she would + assuredly be cured there, if she herself were convinced of it. Faith + sufficed, said he, with a smile; two pious lady patients of his, whom he + had sent thither during the preceding year, had returned in radiant + health. He even predicted how the miracle would come about; it would be + like a lightning stroke, an awakening, an exaltation of the entire being, + whilst the evil, that horrid, diabolical weight which stifled the poor + girl would once more ascend and fly away as though emerging by her mouth. + But at the same time he flatly declined to give a certificate. He had + failed to agree with his two <i>confrères</i>, who treated him coldly, as + though they considered him a wild, adventurous young fellow. Pierre + confusedly remembered some shreds of the discussion which had begun again + in his presence, some little part of the diagnosis framed by Beauclair. + First, a dislocation of the organ, with a slight laceration of the + ligaments, resulting from the patient’s fall from her horse; then a slow + healing, everything returning to its place, followed by consecutive + nervous symptoms, so that the sufferer was now simply beset by her + original fright, her attention fixed on the injured part, arrested there + amidst increasing pain, incapable of acquiring fresh notions unless it + were under the lash of some violent emotion. Moreover, he also admitted + the probability of accidents due to nutrition, as yet unexplained, and on + the course and importance of which he himself would not venture to give an + opinion. However, the idea that Marie <i>dreamt</i> her disease, that the + fearful sufferings torturing her came from an injury long since healed, + appeared such a paradox to Pierre when he gazed at her and saw her in such + agony, her limbs already stretched out lifeless on her bed of misery, that + he did not even pause to consider it; but at that moment felt simply happy + in the thought that all three doctors agreed in authorising the journey to + Lourdes. To him it was sufficient that she <i>might</i> be cured, and to + attain that result he would have followed her to the end of the world. + </p> + <p> + Ah! those last days of Paris, amid what a scramble they were spent! The + national pilgrimage was about to start, and in order to avoid heavy + expenses, it had occurred to him to obtain <i>hospitalisation</i> for + Marie. Then he had been obliged to run about in order to obtain his own + admission, as a helper, into the Hospitality of Our Lady of Salvation. M. + de Guersaint was delighted with the prospect of the journey, for he was + fond of nature, and ardently desired to become acquainted with the + Pyrenees. Moreover, he did not allow anything to worry him, but was + perfectly willing that the young priest should pay his railway fare, and + provide for him at the hotel yonder as for a child; and his daughter + Blanche, having slipped a twenty-franc piece into his hand at the last + moment, he had even thought himself rich again. That poor brave Blanche + had a little hidden store of her own, savings to the amount of fifty + francs, which it had been absolutely necessary to accept, for she became + quite angry in her determination to contribute towards her sister’s cure, + unable as she was to form one of the party, owing to the lessons which she + had to give in Paris, whose hard pavements she must continue pacing, + whilst her dear ones were kneeling yonder, amidst the enchantments of the + Grotto. And so the others had started on, and were now rolling, ever + rolling along. + </p> + <p> + As they passed the station of Chatellerault a sudden burst of voices made + Pierre start, and drove away the torpor into which his reverie had plunged + him. What was the matter? Were they reaching Poitiers? But it was only + half-past twelve o’clock, and it was simply Sister Hyacinthe who had + roused him, by making her patients and pilgrims say the Angelus, the three + “Aves” thrice repeated. Then the voices burst forth, and the sound of a + fresh canticle arose, and continued like a lamentation. Fully five and + twenty minutes must elapse before they would reach Poitiers, where it + seemed as if the half-hour’s stoppage would bring relief to every + suffering! They were all so uncomfortable, so roughly shaken in that + malodorous, burning carriage! Such wretchedness was beyond endurance. Big + tears coursed down the cheeks of Madame Vincent, a muttered oath escaped + M. Sabathier usually so resigned, and Brother Isidore, La Grivotte, and + Madame Vetu seemed to have become inanimate, mere waifs carried along by a + torrent. Moreover, Marie no longer answered, but had closed her eyes and + would not open them, pursued as she was by the horrible vision of Elise + Rouquet’s face, that face with its gaping cavities which seemed to her to + be the image of death. And whilst the train increased its speed, bearing + all this human despair onward, under the heavy sky, athwart the burning + plains, there was yet another scare in the carriage. The strange man had + apparently ceased to breathe, and a voice cried out that he was expiring. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap03"></a> + III. POITIERS + </h2> + <p> + AS soon as the train arrived at Poitiers, Sister Hyacinthe alighted in all + haste, amidst the crowd of porters opening the carriage doors, and of + pilgrims darting forward to reach the platform. “Wait a moment, wait a + moment,” she repeated, “let me pass first. I wish to see if all is over.” + </p> + <p> + Then, having entered the other compartment, she raised the strange man’s + head, and seeing him so pale, with such blank eyes, she did at first think + him already dead. At last, however, she detected a faint breathing. “No, + no,” she then exclaimed, “he still breathes. Quick! there is no time to be + lost.” And, perceiving the other Sister, she added: “Sister Claire des + Anges, will you go and fetch Father Massias, who must be in the third or + fourth carriage of the train? Tell him that we have a patient in very + great danger here, and ask him to bring the Holy Oils at once.” + </p> + <p> + Without answering, the other Sister at once plunged into the midst of the + scramble. She was small, slender, and gentle, with a meditative air and + mysterious eyes, but withal extremely active. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was standing in the other compartment watching the scene, now + ventured to make a suggestion: “And would it not be as well to fetch the + doctor?” said he. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I was thinking of it,” replied Sister Hyacinthe, “and, Monsieur + l’Abbé, it would be very kind of you to go for him yourself.” + </p> + <p> + It so happened that Pierre intended going to the cantine carriage to fetch + some broth for Marie. Now that she was no longer being jolted she felt + somewhat relieved, and had opened her eyes, and caused her father to raise + her to a sitting posture. Keenly thirsting for fresh air, she would have + much liked them to carry her out on to the platform for a moment, but she + felt that it would be asking too much, that it would be too troublesome a + task to place her inside the carriage again. So M. de Guersaint remained + by himself on the platform, near the open door, smoking a cigarette, + whilst Pierre hastened to the cantine van, where he knew he would find the + doctor on duty, with his travelling pharmacy. + </p> + <p> + Some other patients, whom one could not think of removing, also remained + in the carriage. Amongst them was La Grivotte, who was stifling and almost + delirious, in such a state indeed as to detain Madame de Jonquière, who + had arranged to meet her daughter Raymonde, with Madame Volmar and Madame + Désagneaux, in the refreshment-room, in order that they might all four + lunch together. But that unfortunate creature seemed on the point of + expiring, so how could she leave her all alone, on the hard seat of that + carriage? On his side, M. Sabathier, likewise riveted to his seat, was + waiting for his wife, who had gone to fetch a bunch of grapes for him; + whilst Marthe had remained with her brother the missionary, whose faint + moan never ceased. The others, those who were able to walk, had hustled + one another in their haste to alight, all eager as they were to escape for + a moment from that cage of wretchedness where their limbs had been quite + numbed by the seven hours’ journey which they had so far gone. Madame Maze + had at once drawn apart, straying with melancholy face to the far end of + the platform, where she found herself all alone; Madame Vetu, stupefied by + her sufferings, had found sufficient strength to take a few steps, and sit + down on a bench, in the full sunlight, where she did not even feel the + burning heat; whilst Elise Rouquet, who had had the decency to cover her + face with a black wrap, and was consumed by a desire for fresh water, went + hither and thither in search of a drinking fountain. And meantime Madame + Vincent, walking slowly, carried her little Rose about in her arms, trying + to smile at her, and to cheer her by showing her some gaudily coloured + picture bills, which the child gravely gazed at, but did not see. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had the greatest possible difficulty in making his way through the + crowd inundating the platform. No effort of imagination could enable one + to picture the living torrent of ailing and healthy beings which the train + had here set down—a mob of more than a thousand persons just + emerging from suffocation, and bustling, hurrying hither and thither. Each + carriage had contributed its share of wretchedness, like some hospital + ward suddenly evacuated; and it was now possible to form an idea of the + frightful amount of suffering which this terrible white train carried + along with it, this train which disseminated a legend of horror + wheresoever it passed. Some infirm sufferers were dragging themselves + about, others were being carried, and many remained in a heap on the + platform. There were sudden pushes, violent calls, innumerable displays of + distracted eagerness to reach the refreshment-room and the <i>buvette</i>. + Each and all made haste, going wheresoever their wants called them. This + stoppage of half an hour’s duration, the only stoppage there would be + before reaching Lourdes, was, after all, such a short one. And the only + gay note, amidst all the black cassocks and the threadbare garments of the + poor, never of any precise shade of colour, was supplied by the smiling + whiteness of the Little Sisters of the Assumption, all bright and active + in their snowy coifs, wimples, and aprons. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre at last reached the cantine van near the middle of the train, + he found it already besieged. There was here a petroleum stove, with a + small supply of cooking utensils. The broth prepared from concentrated + meat-extract was being warmed in wrought-iron pans, whilst the preserved + milk in tins was diluted and supplied as occasion required. There were + some other provisions, such as biscuits, fruit, and chocolate, on a few + shelves. But Sister Saint-François, to whom the service was entrusted, a + short, stout woman of five-and-forty, with a good-natured fresh-coloured + face, was somewhat losing her head in the presence of all the hands so + eagerly stretched towards her. Whilst continuing her distribution, she + lent ear to Pierre, as he called the doctor, who with his travelling + pharmacy occupied another corner of the van. Then, when the young priest + began to explain matters, speaking of the poor unknown man who was dying, + a sudden desire came to her to go and see him, and she summoned another + Sister to take her place. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I wished to ask you, Sister, for some broth for a passenger who is + ill,” said Pierre, at that moment turning towards her. + </p> + <p> + “Very well, Monsieur l’Abbé, I will bring some. Go on in front.” + </p> + <p> + The doctor and the abbé went off in all haste, rapidly questioning and + answering one another, whilst behind them followed Sister Saint-François, + carrying the bowl of broth with all possible caution amidst the jostling + of the crowd. The doctor was a dark-complexioned man of eight-and-twenty, + robust and extremely handsome, with the head of a young Roman emperor, + such as may still be occasionally met with in the sunburnt land of + Provence. As soon as Sister Hyacinthe caught sight of him, she raised an + exclamation of surprise: “What! Monsieur Ferrand, is it you?” Indeed, they + both seemed amazed at meeting in this manner. + </p> + <p> + It is, however, the courageous mission of the Sisters of the Assumption to + tend the ailing poor, those who lie in agony in their humble garrets, and + cannot pay for nursing; and thus these good women spend their lives among + the wretched, installing themselves beside the sufferer’s pallet in his + tiny lodging, and ministering to every want, attending alike to cooking + and cleaning, and living there as servants and relatives, until either + cure or death supervenes. And it was in this wise that Sister Hyacinthe, + young as she was, with her milky face, and her blue eyes which ever + laughed, had installed herself one day in the abode of this young fellow, + Ferrand, then a medical student, prostrated by typhoid fever, and so + desperately poor that he lived in a kind of loft reached by a ladder, in + the Rue du Four. And from that moment she had not stirred from his side, + but had remained with him until she cured him, with the passion of one who + lived only for others, one who when an infant had been found in a church + porch, and who had no other family than that of those who suffered, to + whom she devoted herself with all her ardently affectionate nature. And + what a delightful month, what exquisite comradeship, fraught with the pure + fraternity of suffering, had followed! When he called her “Sister,” it was + really to a sister that he was speaking. And she was a mother also, a + mother who helped him to rise, and who put him to bed as though he were + her child, without aught springing up between them save supreme pity, the + divine, gentle compassion of charity. She ever showed herself gay, + sexless, devoid of any instinct excepting that which prompted her to + assuage and to console. And he worshipped her, venerated her, and had + retained of her the most chaste and passionate of recollections. + </p> + <p> + “O Sister Hyacinthe!” he murmured in delight. + </p> + <p> + Chance alone had brought them face to face again, for Ferrand was not a + believer, and if he found himself in that train it was simply because he + had at the last moment consented to take the place of a friend who was + suddenly prevented from coming. For nearly a twelvemonth he had been a + house-surgeon at the Hospital of La Pitie. However, this journey to + Lourdes, in such peculiar circumstances, greatly interested him. + </p> + <p> + The joy of the meeting was making them forget the ailing stranger. And so + the Sister resumed: “You see, Monsieur Ferrand, it is for this man that we + want you. At one moment we thought him dead. Ever since we passed Amboise + he has been filling us with fear, and I have just sent for the Holy Oils. + Do you find him so very low? Could you not revive him a little?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor was already examining the man, and thereupon the sufferers who + had remained in the carriage became greatly interested and began to look. + Marie, to whom Sister Saint-François had given the bowl of broth, was + holding it with such an unsteady hand that Pierre had to take it from her, + and endeavour to make her drink; but she could not swallow, and she left + the broth scarce tasted, fixing her eyes upon the man waiting to see what + would happen like one whose own existence is at stake. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me,” again asked Sister Hyacinthe, “how do you find him? What is his + illness?” + </p> + <p> + “What is his illness!” muttered Ferrand; “he has every illness.” + </p> + <p> + Then, drawing a little phial from his pocket, he endeavoured to introduce + a few drops of the contents between the sufferer’s clenched teeth. The man + heaved a sigh, raised his eyelids and let them fall again; that was all, + he gave no other sign of life. + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe, usually so calm and composed, so little accustomed to + despair, became impatient. + </p> + <p> + “But it is terrible,” said she, “and Sister Claire des Anges does not come + back! Yet I told her plainly enough where she would find Father Massias’s + carriage. <i>Mon Dieu!</i> what will become of us?” + </p> + <p> + Sister Saint-François, seeing that she could render no help, was now about + to return to the cantine van. Before doing so, however, she inquired if + the man were not simply dying of hunger; for such cases presented + themselves, and indeed she had only come to the compartment with the view + of offering some of her provisions. At last, as she went off, she promised + that she would make Sister Claire des Anges hasten her return should she + happen to meet her; and she had not gone twenty yards when she turned + round and waved her arm to call attention to her colleague, who with + discreet short steps was coming back alone. + </p> + <p> + Leaning out of the window, Sister Hyacinthe kept on calling to her, “Make + haste, make haste! Well, and where is Father Massias?” + </p> + <p> + “He isn’t there.” + </p> + <p> + “What! not there?” + </p> + <p> + “No. I went as fast as I could, but with all these people about it was not + possible to get there quickly. When I reached the carriage Father Massias + had already alighted, and gone out of the station, no doubt.” + </p> + <p> + She thereupon explained, that according to what she had heard, Father + Massias and the priest of Sainte-Radegonde had some appointment together. + In other years the national pilgrimage halted at Poitiers for + four-and-twenty hours, and after those who were ill had been placed in the + town hospital the others went in procession to Sainte-Radegonde.* That + year, however, there was some obstacle to this course being followed, so + the train was going straight on to Lourdes; and Father Massias was + certainly with his friend the priest, talking with him on some matter of + importance. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The church of Sainte-Radegonde, built by the saint of that name + in the sixth century, is famous throughout Poitou. In the crypt + between the tombs of Ste. Agnes and St. Disciole is that of Ste. + Radegonde herself, but it now only contains some particles of her + remains, as the greater portion was burnt by the Huguenots in + 1562. On a previous occasion (1412) the tomb had been violated by + Jean, Duc de Berry, who wished to remove both the saint’s head + and her two rings. Whilst he was making the attempt, however, the + skeleton is said to have withdrawn its hand so that he might not + possess himself of the rings. A greater curiosity which the church + contains is a footprint on a stone slab, said to have been left + by Christ when He appeared to Ste. Radegonde in her cell. This + attracts pilgrims from many parts.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “They promised to tell him and send him here with the Holy Oils as soon as + they found him,” added Sister Claire. + </p> + <p> + However, this was quite a disaster for Sister Hyacinthe. Since Science was + powerless, perhaps the Holy Oils would have brought the sufferer some + relief. She had often seen that happen. + </p> + <p> + “O Sister, Sister, how worried I am!” she said to her companion. “Do you + know, I wish you would go back and watch for Father Massias and bring him + to me as soon as you see him. It would be so kind of you to do so!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Sister,” compliantly answered Sister Claire des Anges, and off she + went again with that grave, mysterious air of hers, wending her way + through the crowd like a gliding shadow. + </p> + <p> + Ferrand, meantime, was still looking at the man, sorely distressed at his + inability to please Sister Hyacinthe by reviving him. And as he made a + gesture expressive of his powerlessness she again raised her voice + entreatingly: “Stay with me, Monsieur Ferrand, pray stay,” she said. “Wait + till Father Massias comes—I shall be a little more at ease with you + here.” + </p> + <p> + He remained and helped her to raise the man, who was slipping down upon + the seat. Then, taking a linen cloth, she wiped the poor fellow’s face + which a dense perspiration was continually covering. And the spell of + waiting continued amid the uneasiness of the patients who had remained in + the carriage, and the curiosity of the folks who had begun to assemble on + the platform in front of the compartment. + </p> + <p> + All at once however a girl hastily pushed the crowd aside, and, mounting + on the footboard, addressed herself to Madame de Jonquière: “What is the + matter, mamma?” she said. “They are waiting for you in the + refreshment-room.” + </p> + <p> + It was Raymonde de Jonquière, who, already somewhat ripe for her + four-and-twenty years, was remarkably like her mother, being very dark, + with a pronounced nose, large mouth, and full, pleasant-looking face. + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear, you can see for yourself. I can’t leave this poor woman,” + replied the lady-hospitaller; and thereupon she pointed to La Grivotte, + who had been attacked by a fit of coughing which shook her frightfully. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, how annoying, mamma!” retorted Raymonde, “Madame Désagneaux and + Madame Volmar were looking forward with so much pleasure to this little + lunch together.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, it can’t be helped, my dear. At all events, you can begin without + waiting for me. Tell the ladies that I will come and join them as soon as + I can.” Then, an idea occurring to her, Madame de Jonquière added: “Wait a + moment, the doctor is here. I will try to get him to take charge of my + patient. Go back, I will follow you. As you can guess, I am dying of + hunger.” + </p> + <p> + Raymonde briskly returned to the refreshment-room whilst her mother begged + Ferrand to come into her compartment to see if he could do something to + relieve La Grivotte. At Marthe’s request he had already examined Brother + Isidore, whose moaning never ceased; and with a sorrowful gesture he had + again confessed his powerlessness. However, he hastened to comply with + Madame de Jonquière’s appeal, and raised the consumptive woman to a + sitting posture in the hope of thus stopping her cough, which indeed + gradually ceased. And then he helped the lady-hospitaller to make her + swallow a spoonful of some soothing draught. The doctor’s presence in the + carriage was still causing a stir among the ailing ones. M. Sabathier, who + was slowly eating the grapes which his wife had been to fetch him, did + not, however, question Ferrand, for he knew full well what his answer + would be, and was weary, as he expressed it, of consulting all the princes + of science; nevertheless he felt comforted as it were at seeing him set + that poor consumptive woman on her feet again. And even Marie watched all + that the doctor did with increasing interest, though not daring to call + him herself, certain as she also was that he could do nothing for her. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, the crush on the platform was increasing. Only a quarter of an + hour now remained to the pilgrims. Madame Vetu, whose eyes were open but + who saw nothing, sat like an insensible being in the broad sunlight, in + the hope possibly that the scorching heat would deaden her pains; whilst + up and down, in front of her, went Madame Vincent ever with the same + sleep-inducing step and ever carrying her little Rose, her poor ailing + birdie, whose weight was so trifling that she scarcely felt her in her + arms. Many people meantime were hastening to the water tap in order to + fill their pitchers, cans, and bottles. Madame Maze, who was of refined + tastes and careful of her person, thought of going to wash her hands + there; but just as she arrived she found Elise Rouquet drinking, and she + recoiled at sight of that disease-smitten face, so terribly disfigured and + robbed of nearly all semblance of humanity. And all the others likewise + shuddered, likewise hesitated to fill their bottles, pitchers, and cans at + the tap from which she had drunk. + </p> + <p> + A large number of pilgrims had now begun to eat whilst pacing the + platform. You could hear the rhythmical taps of the crutches carried by a + woman who incessantly wended her way through the groups. On the ground, a + legless cripple was painfully dragging herself about in search of nobody + knew what. Others, seated there in heaps, no longer stirred. All these + sufferers, momentarily unpacked as it were, these patients of a travelling + hospital emptied for a brief half-hour, were taking the air amidst the + bewilderment and agitation of the healthy passengers; and the whole throng + had a frightfully woeful, poverty-stricken appearance in the broad + noontide light. + </p> + <p> + Pierre no longer stirred from the side of Marie, for M. de Guersaint had + disappeared, attracted by a verdant patch of landscape which could be seen + at the far end of the station. And, feeling anxious about her, since she + had not been able to finish her broth, the young priest with a smiling air + tried to tempt her palate by offering to go and buy her a peach; but she + refused it; she was suffering too much, she cared for nothing. She was + gazing at him with her large, woeful eyes, on the one hand impatient at + this stoppage which delayed her chance of cure, and on the other terrified + at the thought of again being jolted along that hard and endless railroad. + </p> + <p> + Just then a stout gentleman whose full beard was turning grey, and who had + a broad, fatherly kind of face, drew near and touched Pierre’s arm: + “Excuse me, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said he, “but is it not in this carriage + that there is a poor man dying?” + </p> + <p> + And on the priest returning an affirmative answer, the gentleman became + quite affable and familiar. + </p> + <p> + “My name is Vigneron,” he said; “I am the head clerk at the Ministry of + Finances, and applied for leave in order that I might help my wife to take + our son Gustave to Lourdes. The dear lad places all his hope in the + Blessed Virgin, to whom we pray morning and evening on his behalf. We are + in a second-class compartment of the carriage just in front of yours.” + </p> + <p> + Then, turning round, he summoned his party with a wave of the hand. “Come, + come!” said he, “it is here. The unfortunate man is indeed in the last + throes.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Vigneron was a little woman with the correct bearing of a + respectable <i>bourgeoise</i>, but her long, livid face denoted + impoverished blood, terrible evidence of which was furnished by her son + Gustave. The latter, who was fifteen years of age, looked scarcely ten. + Twisted out of shape, he was a mere skeleton, with his right leg so + wasted, so reduced, that he had to walk with a crutch. He had a small, + thin face, somewhat awry, in which one saw little excepting his eyes, + clear eyes, sparkling with intelligence, sharpened as it were by + suffering, and doubtless well able to dive into the human soul. + </p> + <p> + An old puffy-faced lady followed the others, dragging her legs along with + difficulty; and M. Vigneron, remembering that he had forgotten her, + stepped back towards Pierre so that he might complete the introduction. + “That lady,” said he, “is Madame Chaise, my wife’s eldest sister. She also + wished to accompany Gustave, whom she is very fond of.” And then, leaning + forward, he added in a whisper, with a confidential air: “She is the widow + of Chaise, the silk merchant, you know, who left such an immense fortune. + She is suffering from a heart complaint which causes her much anxiety.” + </p> + <p> + The whole family, grouped together, then gazed with lively curiosity at + what was taking place in the railway carriage. People were incessantly + flocking to the spot; and so that the lad might be the better able to see, + his father took him up in his arms for a moment whilst his aunt held the + crutch, and his mother on her side raised herself on tip-toe. + </p> + <p> + The scene in the carriage was still the same; the strange man was still + stiffly seated in his corner, his head resting against the hard wood. He + was livid, his eyes were closed, and his mouth was twisted by suffering; + and every now and then Sister Hyacinthe with her linen cloth wiped away + the cold sweat which was constantly covering his face. She no longer + spoke, no longer evinced any impatience, but had recovered her serenity + and relied on Heaven. From time to time she would simply glance towards + the platform to see if Father Massias were coming. + </p> + <p> + “Look at him, Gustave,” said M. Vigneron to his son; “he must be + consumptive.” + </p> + <p> + The lad, whom scrofula was eating away, whose hip was attacked by an + abscess, and in whom there were already signs of necrosis of the + vertebrae, seemed to take a passionate interest in the agony he thus + beheld. It did not frighten him, he smiled at it with a smile of infinite + sadness. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how dreadful!” muttered Madame Chaise, who, living in continual + terror of a sudden attack which would carry her off, turned pale with the + fear of death. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! well,” replied M. Vigneron, philosophically, “it will come to each of + us in turn. We are all mortal.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, a painful, mocking expression came over Gustave’s smile, as + though he had heard other words than those—perchance an unconscious + wish, the hope that the old aunt might die before he himself did, that he + would inherit the promised half-million of francs, and then not long + encumber his family. + </p> + <p> + “Put the boy down now,” said Madame Vigneron to her husband. “You are + tiring him, holding him by the legs like that.” + </p> + <p> + Then both she and Madame Chaise bestirred themselves in order that the lad + might not be shaken. The poor darling was so much in need of care and + attention. At each moment they feared that they might lose him. Even his + father was of opinion that they had better put him in the train again at + once. And as the two women went off with the child, the old gentleman once + more turned towards Pierre, and with evident emotion exclaimed: “Ah! + Monsieur l’Abbé, if God should take him from us, the light of our life + would be extinguished—I don’t speak of his aunt’s fortune, which + would go to other nephews. But it would be unnatural, would it not, that + he should go off before her, especially as she is so ill? However, we are + all in the hands of Providence, and place our reliance in the Blessed + Virgin, who will assuredly perform a miracle.” + </p> + <p> + Just then Madame de Jonquière, having been reassured by Doctor Ferrand, + was able to leave La Grivotte. Before going off, however, she took care to + say to Pierre: “I am dying of hunger and am going to the refreshment-room + for a moment. But if my patient should begin coughing again, pray come and + fetch me.” + </p> + <p> + When, after great difficulty, she had managed to cross the platform and + reach the refreshment-room, she found herself in the midst of another + scramble. The better-circumstanced pilgrims had taken the tables by + assault, and a great many priests were to be seen hastily lunching amidst + all the clatter of knives, forks, and crockery. The three or four waiters + were not able to attend to all the requirements, especially as they were + hampered in their movements by the crowd purchasing fruit, bread, and cold + meat at the counter. It was at a little table at the far end of the room + that Raymonde was lunching with Madame Désagneaux and Madame Volmar. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! here you are at last, mamma!” the girl exclaimed, as Madame de + Jonquière approached. “I was just going back to fetch you. You certainly + ought to be allowed time to eat!” + </p> + <p> + She was laughing, with a very animated expression on her face, quite + delighted as she was with the adventures of the journey and this + indifferent scrambling meal. “There,” said she, “I have kept you some + trout with green sauce, and there’s a cutlet also waiting for you. We have + already got to the artichokes.” + </p> + <p> + Then everything became charming. The gaiety prevailing in that little + corner rejoiced the sight. + </p> + <p> + Young Madame Désagneaux was particularly adorable. A delicate blonde, with + wild, wavy, yellow hair, a round, dimpled, milky face, a gay, laughing + disposition, and a remarkably good heart, she had made a rich marriage, + and for three years past had been wont to leave her husband at Trouville + in the fine August weather, in order to accompany the national pilgrimage + as a lady-hospitaller. This was her great passion, an access of quivering + pity, a longing desire to place herself unreservedly at the disposal of + the sick for five days, a real debauch of devotion from which she returned + tired to death but full of intense delight. Her only regret was that she + as yet had no children, and with comical passion, she occasionally + expressed a regret that she had missed her true vocation, that of a sister + of charity. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear,” she hastily said to Raymonde, “don’t pity your mother for + being so much taken up with her patients. She, at all events, has + something to occupy her.” And addressing herself to Madame de Jonquière, + she added: “If you only knew how long we find the time in our fine + first-class carriage. We cannot even occupy ourselves with a little + needlework, as it is forbidden. I asked for a place with the patients, but + all were already distributed, so that my only resource will be to try to + sleep tonight.” + </p> + <p> + She began to laugh, and then resumed: “Yes, Madame Volmar, we will try to + sleep, won’t we, since talking seems to tire you?” Madame Volmar, who + looked over thirty, was very dark, with a long face and delicate but drawn + features. Her magnificent eyes shone out like brasiers, though every now + and then a cloud seemed to veil and extinguish them. At the first glance + she did not appear beautiful, but as you gazed at her she became more and + more perturbing, till she conquered you and inspired you with passionate + admiration. It should be said though that she shrank from all + self-assertion, comporting herself with much modesty, ever keeping in the + background, striving to hide her lustre, invariably clad in black and + unadorned by a single jewel, although she was the wife of a Parisian + diamond-merchant. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! for my part,” she murmured, “as long as I am not hustled too much I + am well pleased.” + </p> + <p> + She had been to Lourdes as an auxiliary lady-helper already on two + occasions, though but little had been seen of her there—at the + hospital of Our Lady of Dolours—as, on arriving, she had been + overcome by such great fatigue that she had been forced, she said, to keep + her room. + </p> + <p> + However, Madame de Jonquière, who managed the ward, treated her with + good-natured tolerance. “Ah! my poor friends,” said she, “there will be + plenty of time for you to exert yourselves. Get to sleep if you can, and + your turn will come when I can no longer keep up.” Then addressing her + daughter, she resumed: “And you would do well, darling, not to excite + yourself too much if you wish to keep your head clear.” + </p> + <p> + Raymonde smiled and gave her mother a reproachful glance: “Mamma, mamma, + why do you say that? Am I not sensible?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + Doubtless she was not boasting, for, despite her youthful, thoughtless + air, the air of one who simply feels happy in living, there appeared in + her grey eyes an expression of firm resolution, a resolution to shape her + life for herself. + </p> + <p> + “It is true,” the mother confessed with a little confusion, “this little + girl is at times more sensible than I am myself. Come, pass me the cutlet—it + is welcome, I assure you. Lord! how hungry I was!” + </p> + <p> + The meal continued, enlivened by the constant laughter of Madame + Désagneaux and Raymonde. The latter was very animated, and her face, which + was already growing somewhat yellow through long pining for a suitor, + again assumed the rosy bloom of twenty. They had to eat very fast, for + only ten minutes now remained to them. On all sides one heard the growing + tumult of customers who feared that they would not have time to take their + coffee. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, Pierre made his appearance; a fit of stifling had + again come over La Grivotte; and Madame de Jonquière hastily finished her + artichoke and returned to her compartment, after kissing her daughter, who + wished her “good-night” in a facetious way. The priest, however, had made + a movement of surprise on perceiving Madame Volmar with the red cross of + the lady-hospitallers on her black bodice. He knew her, for he still + called at long intervals on old Madame Volmar, the diamond-merchant’s + mother, who had been one of his own mother’s friends. She was the most + terrible woman in the world, religious beyond all reason, so harsh and + stern, moreover, as to close the very window shutters in order to prevent + her daughter-in-law from looking into the street. And he knew the young + woman’s story, how she had been imprisoned on the very morrow of her + marriage, shut up between her mother-in-law, who tyrannised over her, and + her husband, a repulsively ugly monster who went so far as to beat her, + mad as he was with jealousy, although he himself kept mistresses. The + unhappy woman was not allowed out of the house excepting it were to go to + mass. And one day, at La Trinité, Pierre had surprised her secret, on + seeing her behind the church exchanging a few hasty words with a + well-groomed, distinguished-looking man. + </p> + <p> + The priest’s sudden appearance in the refreshment-room had somewhat + disconcerted Madame Volmar. + </p> + <p> + “What an unexpected meeting, Monsieur l’Abbé!” she said, offering him her + long, warm hand. “What a long time it is since I last saw you!” And + thereupon she explained that this was the third year she had gone to + Lourdes, her mother-in-law having required her to join the Association of + Our Lady of Salvation. “It is surprising that you did not see her at the + station when we started,” she added. “She sees me into the train and comes + to meet me on my return.” + </p> + <p> + This was said in an apparently simple way, but with such a subtle touch of + irony that Pierre fancied he could guess the truth. He knew that she + really had no religious principles at all, and that she merely followed + the rites and ceremonies of the Church in order that she might now and + again obtain an hour’s freedom; and all at once he intuitively realised + that someone must be waiting for her yonder, that it was for the purpose + of meeting him that she was thus hastening to Lourdes with her shrinking + yet ardent air and flaming eyes, which she so prudently shrouded with a + veil of lifeless indifference. + </p> + <p> + “For my part,” he answered, “I am accompanying a friend of my childhood, a + poor girl who is very ill indeed. I must ask your help for her; you shall + nurse her.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon she faintly blushed, and he no longer doubted the truth of his + surmise. However, Raymonde was just then settling the bill with the easy + assurance of a girl who is expert in figures; and immediately afterwards + Madame Désagneaux led Madame Volmar away. The waiters were now growing + more distracted and the tables were fast being vacated; for, on hearing a + bell ring, everybody had begun to rush towards the door. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, on his side, was hastening back to his carriage, when he was + stopped by an old priest. “Ah! Monsieur le Curé,” he said, “I saw you just + before we started, but I was unable to get near enough to shake hands with + you.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he offered his hand to his brother ecclesiastic, who was looking + and smiling at him in a kindly way. The Abbé Judaine was the parish priest + of Saligny, a little village in the department of the Oise. Tall and + sturdy, he had a broad pink face, around which clustered a mass of white, + curly hair, and it could be divined by his appearance that he was a worthy + man whom neither the flesh nor the spirit had ever tormented. He believed + indeed firmly and absolutely, with a tranquil godliness, never having + known a struggle, endowed as he was with the ready faith of a child who is + unacquainted with human passions. And ever since the Virgin at Lourdes had + cured him of a disease of the eyes, by a famous miracle which folks still + talked about, his belief had become yet more absolute and tender, as + though impregnated with divine gratitude. + </p> + <p> + “I am pleased that you are with us, my friend,” he gently said; “for there + is much in these pilgrimages for young priests to profit by. I am told + that some of them at times experience a feeling of rebellion. Well, you + will see all these poor people praying,—it is a sight which will + make you weep. How can one do otherwise than place oneself in God’s hands, + on seeing so much suffering cured or consoled?” + </p> + <p> + The old priest himself was accompanying a patient; and he pointed to a + first-class compartment, at the door of which hung a placard bearing the + inscription: “M. l’Abbé Judaine, Reserved.” Then lowering his voice, he + said: “It is Madame Dieulafay, you know, the great banker’s wife. Their + château, a royal domain, is in my parish, and when they learned that the + Blessed Virgin had vouchsafed me such an undeserved favour, they begged me + to intercede for their poor sufferer. I have already said several masses, + and most sincerely pray for her. There, you see her yonder on the ground. + She insisted on being taken out of the carriage, in spite of all the + trouble which one will have to place her in it again.” + </p> + <p> + On a shady part of the platform, in a kind of long box, there was, as the + old priest said, a woman whose beautiful, perfectly oval face, lighted up + by splendid eyes, denoted no greater age than six-and-twenty. She was + suffering from a frightful disease. The disappearance from her system of + the calcareous salts had led to a softening of the osseous framework, the + slow destruction of her bones. Three years previously, after the advent of + a stillborn child, she had felt vague pains in the spinal column. And + then, little by little, her bones had rarefied and lost shape, the + vertebrae had sunk, the bones of the pelvis had flattened, and those of + the arms and legs had contracted. Thus shrunken, melting away as it were, + she had become a mere human remnant, a nameless, fluid thing, which could + not be set erect, but had to be carried hither and thither with infinite + care, for fear lest she should vanish between one’s fingers. Her face, a + motionless face, on which sat a stupefied imbecile expression, still + retained its beauty of outline, and yet it was impossible to gaze at this + wretched shred of a woman without feeling a heart-pang, the keener on + account of all the luxury surrounding her; for not only was the box in + which she lay lined with blue quilted silk, but she was covered with + valuable lace, and a cap of rare valenciennes was set upon her head, her + wealth thus being proclaimed, displayed, in the midst of her awful agony. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! how pitiable it is,” resumed the Abbé Judaine in an undertone. “To + think that she is so young, so pretty, possessed of millions of money! And + if you knew how dearly loved she was, with what adoration she is still + surrounded. That tall gentleman near her is her husband, that elegantly + dressed lady is her sister, Madame Jousseur.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre remembered having often noticed in the newspapers the name of + Madame Jousseur, wife of a diplomatist, and a conspicuous member of the + higher spheres of Catholic society in Paris. People had even circulated a + story of some great passion which she had fought against and vanquished. + She also was very prettily dressed, with marvellously tasteful simplicity, + and she ministered to the wants of her sorry sister with an air of perfect + devotion. As for the unhappy woman’s husband, who at the age of + five-and-thirty had inherited his father’s colossal business, he was a + clear-complexioned, well-groomed, handsome man, clad in a closely buttoned + frock-coat. His eyes, however, were full of tears, for he adored his wife, + and had left his business in order to take her to Lourdes, placing his + last hope in this appeal to the mercy of Heaven. + </p> + <p> + Ever since the morning, Pierre had beheld many frightful sufferings in + that woeful white train. But none had so distressed his soul as did that + wretched female skeleton, slowly liquefying in the midst of its lace and + its millions. “The unhappy woman!” he murmured with a shudder. + </p> + <p> + The Abbé Judaine, however, made a gesture of serene hope. “The Blessed + Virgin will cure her,” said he; “I have prayed to her so much.” + </p> + <p> + Just then a bell again pealed, and this time it was really the signal for + starting. Only two minutes remained. There was a last rush, and folks + hurried back towards the train carrying eatables wrapped in paper, and + bottles and cans which they had filled with water. Several of them quite + lost their heads, and in their inability to find their carriages, ran + distractedly from one to the other end of the train; whilst some of the + infirm ones dragged themselves about amidst the precipitate tapping of + crutches, and others, only able to walk with difficulty, strove to hasten + their steps whilst leaning on the arms of some of the lady-hospitallers. + It was only with infinite difficulty that four men managed to replace + Madame Dieulafay in her first-class compartment. The Vignerons, who were + content with second-class accommodation, had already reinstalled + themselves in their quarters amidst an extraordinary heap of baskets, + boxes, and valises which scarcely allowed little Gustave enough room to + stretch his poor puny limbs—the limbs as it were of a deformed + insect. And then all the women appeared again: Madame Maze gliding along + in silence; Madame Vincent raising her dear little girl in her + outstretched arms and dreading lest she should hear her cry out; Madame + Vetu, whom it had been necessary to push into the train, after rousing her + from her stupefying torment; and Elise Rouquet, who was quite drenched + through her obstinacy in endeavouring to drink from the tap, and was still + wiping her monstrous face. Whilst each returned to her place and the + carriage filled once more, Marie listened to her father, who had come back + delighted with his stroll to a pointsman’s little house beyond the + station, whence a really pleasant stretch of landscape could be discerned. + </p> + <p> + “Shall we lay you down again at once?” asked Pierre, sorely distressed by + the pained expression on Marie’s face. + </p> + <p> + “Oh no, no, by-and-by!” she replied. “I shall have plenty of time to hear + those wheels roaring in my head as though they were grinding my bones.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Ferrand seemed on the point of returning to the cantine van, + Sister Hyacinthe begged him to take another look at the strange man before + he went off. She was still waiting for Father Massias, astonished at the + inexplicable delay in his arrival, but not yet without hope, as Sister + Claire des Anges had not returned. + </p> + <p> + “Pray, Monsieur Ferrand,” said she, “tell me if this unfortunate man is in + any immediate danger.” + </p> + <p> + The young doctor again looked at the sufferer, felt him, and listened to + his breathing. Then with a gesture of discouragement he answered in a low + voice, “I feel convinced that you will not get him to Lourdes alive.” + </p> + <p> + Every head was still anxiously stretched forward. If they had only known + the man’s name, the place he had come from, who he was! But it was + impossible to extract a word from this unhappy stranger, who was about to + die there, in that carriage, without anybody being able to give his face a + name! + </p> + <p> + It suddenly occurred to Sister Hyacinthe to have him searched. Under the + circumstances there could certainly be no harm in such a course. “Feel in + his pockets, Monsieur Ferrand,” she said. + </p> + <p> + The doctor thereupon searched the man in a gentle, cautious way, but the + only things that he found in his pockets were a chaplet, a knife, and + three sous. And nothing more was ever learnt of the man. + </p> + <p> + At that moment, however, a voice announced that Sister Claire des Anges + was at last coming back with Father Massias. All this while the latter had + simply been chatting with the priest of Sainte-Radegonde in one of the + waiting-rooms. Keen emotion attended his arrival; for a moment all seemed + saved. But the train was about to start, the porters were already closing + the carriage doors, and it was necessary that extreme unction should be + administered in all haste in order to avoid too long a delay. + </p> + <p> + “This way, reverend Father!” exclaimed Sister Hyacinthe; “yes, yes, pray + come in; our unfortunate patient is here.” + </p> + <p> + Father Massias, who was five years older than Pierre, whose fellow-student + however he had been at the seminary, had a tall, spare figure with an + ascetic countenance, framed round with a light-coloured beard and vividly + lighted up by burning eyes, He was neither the priest harassed by doubt, + nor the priest with childlike faith, but an apostle carried away by his + passion, ever ready to fight and vanquish for the pure glory of the + Blessed Virgin. In his black cloak with its large hood, and his + broad-brimmed flossy hat, he shone resplendently with the perpetual ardour + of battle. + </p> + <p> + He immediately took from his pocket the silver case containing the Holy + Oils, and the ceremony began whilst the last carriage doors were being + slammed and belated pilgrims were rushing back to the train; the + station-master, meantime, anxiously glancing at the clock, and realising + that it would be necessary for him to grant a few minutes’ grace. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Credo in unum Deum</i>,” hastily murmured the Father. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Amen</i>,” replied Sister Hyacinthe and the other occupants of the + carriage. + </p> + <p> + Those who had been able to do so, had knelt upon the seats, whilst the + others joined their hands, or repeatedly made the sign of the cross; and + when the murmured prayers were followed by the Litanies of the ritual, + every voice rose, an ardent desire for the remission of the man’s sins and + for his physical and spiritual cure winging its flight heavenward with + each successive <i>Kyrie eleison</i>. Might his whole life, of which they + knew nought, be forgiven him; might he enter, stranger though he was, in + triumph into the Kingdom of God! + </p> + <p> + “<i>Christe, exaudi nos</i>.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix</i>.” + </p> + <p> + Father Massias had pulled out the silver needle from which hung a drop of + Holy Oil. In the midst of such a scramble, with the whole train waiting—many + people now thrusting their heads out of the carriage windows in surprise + at the delay in starting—he could not think of following the usual + practice, of anointing in turn all the organs of the senses, those portals + of the soul which give admittance to evil. + </p> + <p> + He must content himself, as the rules authorised him to do in pressing + cases, with one anointment; and this he made upon the man’s lips, those + livid parted lips from between which only a faint breath escaped, whilst + the rest of his face, with its lowered eyelids, already seemed indistinct, + again merged into the dust of the earth. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Per istam sanctam unctionem</i>,” said the Father, “<i>et suam + piissimam misericordiam indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid per visum, + auditum, odoratum, gustum, tactum, deliquisti</i>.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Through this holy unction and His most tender mercy may the + Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed by thy sight, + hearing, etc. +</pre> + <p> + The remainder of the ceremony was lost amid the hurry and scramble of the + departure. Father Massias scarcely had time to wipe off the oil with the + little piece of cotton-wool which Sister Hyacinthe held in readiness, + before he had to leave the compartment and get into his own as fast as + possible, setting the case containing the Holy Oils in order as he did so, + whilst the pilgrims finished repeating the final prayer. + </p> + <p> + “We cannot wait any longer! It is impossible!” repeated the station-master + as he bustled about. “Come, come, make haste everybody!” + </p> + <p> + At last then they were about to resume their journey. Everybody sat down, + returned to his or her corner again. Madame de Jonquière, however, had + changed her place, in order to be nearer La Grivotte, whose condition + still worried her, and she was now seated in front of M. Sabathier, who + remained waiting with silent resignation. Moreover, Sister Hyacinthe had + not returned to her compartment, having decided to remain near the unknown + man so that she might watch over him and help him. By following this + course, too, she was able to minister to Brother Isidore, whose sufferings + his sister Marthe was at a loss to assuage. And Marie, turning pale, felt + the jolting of the train in her ailing flesh, even before it had resumed + its journey under the heavy sun, rolling onward once more with its load of + sufferers stifling in the pestilential atmosphere of the over-heated + carriages. + </p> + <p> + At last a loud whistle resounded, the engine puffed, and Sister Hyacinthe + rose up to say: The <i>Magnificat</i>, my children! + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap04"></a> + IV. MIRACLES + </h2> + <p> + JUST as the train was beginning to move, the door of the compartment in + which Pierre and Marie found themselves was opened and a porter pushed a + girl of fourteen inside, saying: “There’s a seat here—make haste!” + </p> + <p> + The others were already pulling long faces and were about to protest, when + Sister Hyacinthe exclaimed: “What, is it you, Sophie? So you are going + back to see the Blessed Virgin who cured you last year!” + </p> + <p> + And at the same time Madame de Jonquière remarked: “Ah! Sophie, my little + friend, I am very pleased to see that you are grateful.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes, Sister; why, yes, madame,” answered the girl, in a pretty way. + </p> + <p> + The carriage door had already been closed again, so that it was necessary + that they should accept the presence of this new pilgrim who had fallen + from heaven as it were at the very moment when the train, which she had + almost missed, was starting off again. She was a slender damsel and would + not take up much room. Moreover these ladies knew her, and all the + patients had turned their eyes upon her on hearing that the Blessed Virgin + had been pleased to cure her. They had now got beyond the station, the + engine was still puffing, whilst the wheels increased their speed, and + Sister Hyacinthe, clapping her hands, repeated: “Come, come, my children, + the <i>Magnificat</i>.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst the joyful chant arose amidst the jolting of the train, Pierre + gazed at Sophie. She was evidently a young peasant girl, the daughter of + some poor husbandman of the vicinity of Poitiers, petted by her parents, + treated in fact like a young lady since she had become the subject of a + miracle, one of the elect, whom the priests of the district flocked to + see. She wore a straw hat with pink ribbons, and a grey woollen dress + trimmed with a flounce. Her round face although not pretty was a very + pleasant one, with a beautifully fresh complexion and clear, intelligent + eyes which lent her a smiling, modest air. + </p> + <p> + When the <i>Magnificat</i> had been sung, Pierre was unable to resist his + desire to question Sophie. A child of her age, with so candid an air, so + utterly unlike a liar, greatly interested him. + </p> + <p> + “And so you nearly missed the train, my child?” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I should have been much ashamed if I had, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she replied. + “I had been at the station since twelve o’clock. And all at once I saw his + reverence, the priest of Sainte-Radegonde, who knows me well and who + called me to him, to kiss me and tell me that it was very good of me to go + back to Lourdes. But it seems the train was starting and I only just had + time to run on to the platform. Oh! I ran so fast!” + </p> + <p> + She paused, laughing, still slightly out of breath, but already repenting + that she had been so giddy. + </p> + <p> + “And what is your name, my child?” asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Sophie Couteau, Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + “You do not belong to the town of Poitiers?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh no! certainly not. We belong to Vivonne, which is seven kilometres + away. My father and mother have a little land there, and things would not + be so bad if there were not eight children at home—I am the fifth,—fortunately + the four older ones are beginning to work.” + </p> + <p> + “And you, my child, what do you do?” + </p> + <p> + “I, Monsieur l’Abbé! Oh! I am no great help. Since last year, when I came + home cured, I have not been left quiet a single day, for, as you can + understand, so many people have come to see me, and then too I have been + taken to Monseigneur’s,* and to the convents and all manner of other + places. And before all that I was a long time ill. I could not walk + without a stick, and each step I took made me cry out, so dreadfully did + my foot hurt me.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Bishop’s residence. +</pre> + <p> + “So it was of some injury to the foot that the Blessed Virgin cured you?” + </p> + <p> + Sophie did not have time to reply, for Sister Hyacinthe, who was + listening, intervened: “Of caries of the bones of the left heel, which had + been going on for three years,” said she. “The foot was swollen and quite + deformed, and there were fistulas giving egress to continual suppuration.” + </p> + <p> + On hearing this, all the sufferers in the carriage became intensely + interested. They no longer took their eyes off this little girl on whom a + miracle had been performed, but scanned her from head to foot as though + seeking for some sign of the prodigy. Those who were able to stand rose up + in order that they might the better see her, and the others, the infirm + ones, stretched on their mattresses, strove to raise themselves and turn + their heads. Amidst the suffering which had again come upon them on + leaving Poitiers, the terror which filled them at the thought that they + must continue rolling onward for another fifteen hours, the sudden advent + of this child, favoured by Heaven, was like a divine relief, a ray of hope + whence they would derive sufficient strength to accomplish the remainder + of their terrible journey. The moaning had abated somewhat already, and + every face was turned towards the girl with an ardent desire to believe. + </p> + <p> + This was especially the case with Marie, who, already reviving, joined her + trembling hands, and in a gentle supplicating voice said to Pierre, + “Question her, pray question her, ask her to tell us everything—cured, + O God! cured of such a terrible complaint!” + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière, who was quite affected, had leant over the partition + to kiss the girl. “Certainly,” said she, “our little friend will tell you + all about it. Won’t you, my darling? You will tell us what the Blessed + Virgin did for you?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, certainly! madame—as much as you like,” answered Sophie with her + smiling, modest air, her eyes gleaming with intelligence. Indeed, she + wished to begin at once, and raised her right hand with a pretty gesture, + as a sign to everybody to be attentive. Plainly enough, she had already + acquired the habit of speaking in public. + </p> + <p> + She could not be seen, however, from some parts of the carriage, and an + idea came to Sister Hyacinthe, who said: “Get up on the seat, Sophie, and + speak loudly, on account of the noise which the train makes.” + </p> + <p> + This amused the girl, and before beginning she needed time to become + serious again. “Well, it was like this,” said she; “my foot was past cure, + I couldn’t even go to church any more, and it had to be kept bandaged, + because there was always a lot of nasty matter coming from it. Monsieur + Rivoire, the doctor, who had made a cut in it, so as to see inside it, + said that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the bone; and that, + sure enough, would have made me lame for life. But when I got to Lourdes + and had prayed a great deal to the Blessed Virgin, I went to dip my foot + in the water, wishing so much that I might be cured that I did not even + take the time to pull the bandage off. And everything remained in the + water, there was no longer anything the matter with my foot when I took it + out.” + </p> + <p> + A murmur of mingled surprise, wonder, and desire arose and spread among + those who heard this marvellous tale, so sweet and soothing to all who + were in despair. But the little one had not yet finished. She had simply + paused. And now, making a fresh gesture, holding her arms somewhat apart, + she concluded: “When I got back to Vivonne and Monsieur Rivoire saw my + foot again, he said: ‘Whether it be God or the Devil who has cured this + child, it is all the same to me; but in all truth she <i>is</i> cured.’” + </p> + <p> + This time a burst of laughter rang out. The girl spoke in too recitative a + way, having repeated her story so many times already that she knew it by + heart. The doctor’s remark was sure to produce an effect, and she herself + laughed at it in advance, certain as she was that the others would laugh + also. However, she still retained her candid, touching air. + </p> + <p> + But she had evidently forgotten some particular, for Sister Hyacinthe, a + glance from whom had foreshadowed the doctor’s jest, now softly prompted + her “And what was it you said to Madame la Comtesse, the superintendent of + your ward, Sophie?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes. I hadn’t brought many bandages for my foot with me, and I said + to her, ‘It was very kind of the Blessed Virgin to cure me the first day, + as I should have run out of linen on the morrow.’” + </p> + <p> + This provoked a fresh outburst of delight. They all thought her so nice, + to have been cured like that! And in reply to a question from Madame de + Jonquière, she also had to tell the story of her boots, a pair of + beautiful new boots which Madame la Comtesse had given her, and in which + she had run, jumped, and danced about, full of childish delight. Boots! + think of it, she who for three years had not even been able to wear a + slipper. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who had become grave, waxing pale with the secret uneasiness which + was penetrating him, continued to look at her. And he also asked her other + questions. She was certainly not lying, and he merely suspected a slow + distortion of the actual truth, an easily explained embellishment of the + real facts amidst all the joy she felt at being cured and becoming an + important little personage. Who now knew if the cicatrisation of her + injuries, effected, so it was asserted, completely, instantaneously, in a + few seconds, had not in reality been the work of days? Where were the + witnesses? + </p> + <p> + Just then Madame de Jonquière began to relate that she had been at the + hospital at the time referred to. “Sophie was not in my ward,” said she, + “but I had met her walking lame that very morning—” + </p> + <p> + Pierre hastily interrupted the lady-hospitaller. “Ah! you saw her foot + before and after the immersion?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no! I don’t think that anybody was able to see it, for it was bound + round with bandages. She told you that the bandages had fallen into the + piscina.” And, turning towards the child, Madame de Jonquière added, “But + she will show you her foot—won’t you, Sophie? Undo your shoe.” + </p> + <p> + The girl took off her shoe, and pulled down her stocking, with a + promptness and ease of manner which showed how thoroughly accustomed she + had become to it all. And she not only stretched out her foot, which was + very clean and very white, carefully tended indeed, with well-cut, pink + nails, but complacently turned it so that the young priest might examine + it at his ease. Just below the ankle there was a long scar, whose whity + seam, plainly defined, testified to the gravity of the complaint from + which the girl had suffered. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! take hold of the heel, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she. “Press it as hard + as you like. I no longer feel any pain at all.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre made a gesture from which it might have been thought that he was + delighted with the power exercised by the Blessed Virgin. But he was still + tortured by doubt. What unknown force had acted in this case? Or rather + what faulty medical diagnosis, what assemblage of errors and + exaggerations, had ended in this fine tale? + </p> + <p> + All the patients, however, wished to see the miraculous foot, that outward + and visible sign of the divine cure which each of them was going in search + of. And it was Marie, sitting up in her box, and already feeling less + pain, who touched it first. Then Madame Maze, quite roused from her + melancholy, passed it on to Madame Vincent, who would have kissed it for + the hope which it restored to her. M. Sabathier had listened to all the + explanations with a beatific air; Madame Vetu, La Grivotte, and even + Brother Isidore opened their eyes, and evinced signs of interest; whilst + the face of Elise Rouquet had assumed an extraordinary expression, + transfigured by faith, almost beatified. If a sore had thus disappeared, + might not her own sore close and disappear, her face retaining no trace of + it save a slight scar, and again becoming such a face as other people had? + Sophie, who was still standing, had to hold on to one of the iron rails, + and place her foot on the partition, now on the right, now on the left. + And she did not weary of it all, but felt exceedingly happy and proud at + the many exclamations which were raised, the quivering admiration and + religious respect which were bestowed on that little piece of her person, + that little foot which had now, so to say, become sacred. + </p> + <p> + “One must possess great faith, no doubt,” said Marie, thinking aloud. “One + must have a pure unspotted soul.” And, addressing herself to M. de + Guersaint, she added: “Father, I feel that I should get well if I were ten + years old, if I had the unspotted soul of a little girl.” + </p> + <p> + “But you are ten years old, my darling! Is it not so, Pierre? A little + girl of ten years old could not have a more spotless soul.” + </p> + <p> + Possessed of a mind prone to chimeras, M. de Guersaint was fond of hearing + tales of miracles. As for the young priest, profoundly affected by the + ardent purity which the young girl evinced, he no longer sought to discuss + the question, but let her surrender herself to the consoling illusions + which Sophie’s tale had wafted through the carriage. + </p> + <p> + The temperature had become yet more oppressive since their departure from + Poitiers, a storm was rising in the coppery sky, and it seemed as though + the train were rushing through a furnace. The villages passed, mournful + and solitary under the burning sun. At Couhe-Verac they had again said + their chaplets, and sung another canticle. At present, however, there was + some slight abatement of the religious exercises. Sister Hyacinthe, who + had not yet been able to lunch, ventured to eat a roll and some fruit in + all haste, whilst still ministering to the strange man whose faint, + painful breathing seemed to have become more regular. And it was only on + passing Ruffec at three o’clock that they said the vespers of the Blessed + Virgin. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix</i>.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi</i>.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, + That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.” + </pre> + <p> + As they were finishing, M. Sabathier, who had watched little Sophie while + she put on her shoe and stocking, turned towards M. de Guersaint. + </p> + <p> + “This child’s case is interesting, no doubt,” he remarked. “But it is a + mere nothing, monsieur, for there have been far more marvellous cures than + that. Do you know the story of Pierre de Rudder, a Belgian working-man?” + </p> + <p> + Everybody had again begun to listen. + </p> + <p> + “This man,” continued M. Sabathier, “had his leg broken by the fall of a + tree. Eight years afterwards the two fragments of the bone had not yet + joined together again—the two ends could be seen in the depths of a + sore which was continually suppurating; and the leg hung down quite limp, + swaying in all directions. Well, it was sufficient for this man to drink a + glassful of the miraculous water, and his leg was made whole again. He was + able to walk without crutches, and the doctor said to him: ‘Your leg is + like that of a new-born child.’ Yes, indeed, a perfectly new leg.” + </p> + <p> + Nobody spoke, but the listeners exchanged glances of ecstasy. + </p> + <p> + “And, by the way,” resumed M. Sabathier, “it is like the story of Louis + Bouriette, a quarryman, one of the first of the Lourdes miracles. Do you + know it? Bouriette had been injured by an explosion during some blasting + operations. The sight of his right eye was altogether destroyed, and he + was even threatened with the loss of the left one. Well, one day he sent + his daughter to fetch a bottleful of the muddy water of the source, which + then scarcely bubbled up to the surface. He washed his eye with this muddy + liquid, and prayed fervently. And, all at once, he raised a cry, for he + could see, monsieur, see as well as you and I. The doctor who was + attending him drew up a detailed narrative of the case, and there cannot + be the slightest doubt about its truth.” + </p> + <p> + “It is marvellous,” murmured M. de Guersaint in his delight. + </p> + <p> + “Would you like another example, monsieur? I can give you a famous one, + that of François Macary, the carpenter of Lavaur. During eighteen years he + had suffered from a deep varicose ulcer, with considerable enlargement of + the tissues in the mesial part of the left leg. He had reached such a + point that he could no longer move, and science decreed that he would + forever remain infirm. Well, one evening he shuts himself up with a bottle + of Lourdes water. He takes off his bandages, washes both his legs, and + drinks what little water then remains in the bottle. Then he goes to bed + and falls asleep; and when he awakes, he feels his legs and looks at them. + There is nothing left; the varicose enlargement, the ulcers, have all + disappeared. The skin of his knee, monsieur, had become as smooth, as + fresh as it had been when he was twenty.” + </p> + <p> + This time there was an explosion of surprise and admiration. The patients + and the pilgrims were entering into the enchanted land of miracles, where + impossibilities are accomplished at each bend of the pathways, where one + marches on at ease from prodigy to prodigy. And each had his or her story + to tell, burning with a desire to contribute a fresh proof, to fortify + faith and hope by yet another example. + </p> + <p> + That silent creature, Madame Maze, was so transported that she spoke the + first. “I have a friend,” said she, “who knew the Widow Rizan, that lady + whose cure also created so great a stir. For four-and-twenty years her + left side had been entirely paralysed. Her stomach was unable to retain + any solid food, and she had become an inert bag of bones which had to be + turned over in bed, The friction of the sheets, too, had ended by rubbing + her skin away in parts. Well, she was so low one evening that the doctor + announced that she would die during the night. An hour later, however, she + emerged from her torpor and asked her daughter in a faint voice to go and + fetch her a glass of Lourdes water from a neighbour’s. But she was only + able to obtain this glass of water on the following morning; and she cried + out to her daughter: ‘Oh! it is life that I am drinking—rub my face + with it, rub my arm and my leg, rub my whole body with it!’ And when her + daughter obeyed her, she gradually saw the huge swelling subside, and the + paralysed, tumefied limbs recover their natural suppleness and appearance. + Nor was that all, for Madame Rizan cried out that she was cured and felt + hungry, and wanted bread and meat—she who had eaten none for + four-and-twenty years! And she got out of bed and dressed herself, whilst + her daughter, who was so overpowered that the neighbours thought she had + become an orphan, replied to them: ‘No, no, mamma isn’t dead, she has come + to life again!’” + </p> + <p> + This narrative had brought tears to Madame Vincent’s eyes. Ah! if she had + only been able to see her little Rose recover like that, eat with a good + appetite, and run about again! At the same time, another case, which she + had been told of in Paris and which had greatly influenced her in deciding + to take her ailing child to Lourdes, returned to her memory. + </p> + <p> + “And I, too,” said she, “know the story of a girl who was paralysed. Her + name was Lucie Druon, and she was an inmate of an orphan asylum. She was + quite young and could not even kneel down. Her limbs were bent like hoops. + Her right leg, the shorter of the two, had ended by becoming twisted round + the left one; and when any of the other girls carried her about you saw + her feet hanging down quite limp, like dead ones. Please notice that she + did not even go to Lourdes. She simply performed a novena; but she fasted + during the nine days, and her desire to be cured was so great that she + spent her nights in prayer. At last, on the ninth day, whilst she was + drinking a little Lourdes water, she felt a violent commotion in her legs. + She picked herself up, fell down, picked herself up again and walked. All + her little companions, who were astonished, almost frightened at the + sight, began to cry out ‘Lucie can walk! Lucie can walk!’ It was quite + true. In a few seconds her legs had become straight and strong and + healthy. She crossed the courtyard and was able to climb up the steps of + the chapel, where the whole sisterhood, transported with gratitude, + chanted the <i>Magnificat</i>. Ah! the dear child, how happy, how happy + she must have been!” + </p> + <p> + As Madame Vincent finished, two tears fell from her cheeks on to the pale + face of her little girl, whom she kissed distractedly. + </p> + <p> + The general interest was still increasing, becoming quite impassioned. The + rapturous joy born of these beautiful stories, in which Heaven invariably + triumphed over human reality, transported these childlike souls to such a + point that those who were suffering the most grievously sat up in their + turn, and recovered the power of speech. And with the narratives of one + and all was blended a thought of the sufferer’s own ailment, a belief that + he or she would also be cured, since a malady of the same description had + vanished like an evil dream beneath the breath of the Divinity. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” stammered Madame Vetu, her articulation hindered by her sufferings, + “there was another one, Antoinette Thardivail, whose stomach was being + eaten away like mine. You would have said that dogs were devouring it, and + sometimes there was a swelling in it as big as a child’s head. Tumours + indeed were ever forming in it, like fowl’s eggs, so that for eight months + she brought up blood. And she also was at the point of death, with nothing + but her skin left on her bones, and dying of hunger, when she drank some + water of Lourdes and had the pit of her stomach washed with it. Three + minutes afterwards, her doctor, who on the previous day had left her + almost in the last throes, scarce breathing, found her up and sitting by + the fireside, eating a tender chicken’s wing with a good appetite. She had + no more tumours, she laughed as she had laughed when she was twenty, and + her face had regained the brilliancy of youth. Ah! to be able to eat what + one likes, to become young again, to cease suffering!” + </p> + <p> + “And the cure of Sister Julienne!” then exclaimed La Grivotte, raising + herself on one of her elbows, her eyes glittering with fever. “In her case + it commenced with a bad cold as it did with me, and then she began to spit + blood. And every six months she fell ill again and had to take to her bed. + The last time everybody said that she wouldn’t leave it alive. The doctors + had vainly tried every remedy, iodine, blistering, and cauterising. In + fact, hers was a real case of phthisis, certified by half a dozen medical + men. Well, she comes to Lourdes, and Heaven alone knows amidst what awful + suffering—she was so bad, indeed, that at Toulouse they thought for + a moment that she was about to die! The Sisters had to carry her in their + arms, and on reaching the piscina the lady-hospitallers wouldn’t bathe + her. She was dead, they said. No matter! she was undressed at last, and + plunged into the water, quite unconscious and covered with perspiration. + And when they took her out she was so pale that they laid her on the + ground, thinking that it was certainly all over with her at last. But, all + at once, colour came back to her cheeks, her eyes opened, and she drew a + long breath. She was cured; she dressed herself without any help and made + a good meal after she had been to the Grotto to thank the Blessed Virgin. + There! there’s no gainsaying it, that was a real case of phthisis, + completely cured as though by medicine!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Brother Isidore in his turn wished to speak; but he was unable + to do so at any length, and could only with difficulty manage to say to + his sister: “Marthe, tell them the story of Sister Dorothée which the + priest of Saint-Sauveur related to us.” + </p> + <p> + “Sister Dorothée,” began the peasant girl in an awkward way, “felt her leg + quite numbed when she got up one morning, and from that time she lost the + use of it, for it got as cold and as heavy as a stone. Besides which she + felt a great pain in the back. The doctors couldn’t understand it. She saw + half a dozen of them, who pricked her with pins and burnt her skin with a + lot of drugs. But it was just as if they had sung to her. Sister Dorothée + had well understood that only the Blessed Virgin could find the right + remedy for her, and so she went off to Lourdes, and had herself dipped in + the piscina. She thought at first that the water was going to kill her, + for it was so bitterly cold. But by-and-by it became so soft that she + fancied it was warm, as nice as milk. She had never felt so nice before, + it seemed to her as if her veins were opening and the water were flowing + into them. As you will understand, life was returning into her body since + the Blessed Virgin was concerning herself in the case. She no longer had + anything the matter with her when she came out, but walked about, ate the + whole of a pigeon for her dinner, and slept all night long like the happy + woman she was. Glory to the Blessed Virgin, eternal gratitude to the most + Powerful Mother and her Divine Son!” + </p> + <p> + Elise Rouquet would also have liked to bring forward a miracle which she + was acquainted with. Only she spoke with so much difficulty owing to the + deformity of her mouth, that she had not yet been able to secure a turn. + Just then, however, there was a pause, and drawing the wrap, which + concealed the horror of her sore, slightly on one side, she profited by + the opportunity to begin. + </p> + <p> + “For my part, I wasn’t told anything about a great illness, but it was a + very funny case at all events,” she said. “It was about a woman, Célestine + Dubois, as she was called, who had run a needle right into her hand while + she was washing. It stopped there for seven years, for no doctor was able + to take it out. Her hand shrivelled up, and she could no longer open it. + Well, she got to Lourdes, and dipped her hand into the piscina. But as + soon as she did so she began to shriek, and took it out again. Then they + caught hold of her and put her hand into the water by force, and kept it + there while she continued sobbing, with her face covered with sweat. Three + times did they plunge her hand into the piscina, and each time they saw + the needle moving along, till it came out by the tip of the thumb. She + shrieked, of course, because the needle was moving though her flesh just + as though somebody had been pushing it to drive it out. And after that + Célestine never suffered again, and only a little scar could be seen on + her hand as a mark of what the Blessed Virgin had done.” + </p> + <p> + This anecdote produced a greater effect than even the miraculous cures of + the most fearful illnesses. A needle which moved as though somebody were + pushing it! This peopled the Invisible, showed each sufferer his Guardian + Angel standing behind him, only awaiting the orders of Heaven in order to + render him assistance. And besides, how pretty and childlike the story was—this + needle which came out in the miraculous water after obstinately refusing + to stir during seven long years. Exclamations of delight resounded from + all the pleased listeners; they smiled and laughed with satisfaction, + radiant at finding that nothing was beyond the power of Heaven, and that + if it were Heaven’s pleasure they themselves would all become healthy, + young, and superb. It was sufficient that one should fervently believe and + pray in order that nature might be confounded and that the Incredible + might come to pass. Apart from that there was merely a question of good + luck, since Heaven seemed to make a selection of those sufferers who + should be cured. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how beautiful it is, father,” murmured Marie, who, revived by the + passionate interest which she took in the momentous subject, had so far + contented herself with listening, dumb with amazement as it were. “Do you + remember,” she continued, “what you yourself told me of that poor woman, + Joachine Dehaut, who came from Belgium and made her way right across + France with her twisted leg eaten away by an ulcer, the awful smell of + which drove everybody away from her? First of all the ulcer was healed; + you could press her knee and she felt nothing, only a slight redness + remained to mark where it had been. And then came the turn of the + dislocation. She shrieked while she was in the water, it seemed to her as + if somebody were breaking her bones, pulling her leg away from her; and, + at the same time, she and the woman who was bathing her, saw her deformed + foot rise and extend into its natural shape with the regular movement of a + clock hand. Her leg also straightened itself, the muscles extended, the + knee replaced itself in its proper position, all amidst such acute pain + that Joachine ended by fainting. But as soon as she recovered + consciousness, she darted off, erect and agile, to carry her crutches to + the Grotto.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint in his turn was laughing with wonderment, waving his hand + to confirm this story, which had been told him by a Father of the + Assumption. He could have related a score of similar instances, said he, + each more touching, more extraordinary than the other. He even invoked + Pierre’s testimony, and the young priest, who was unable to believe, + contented himself with nodding his head. At first, unwilling as he was to + afflict Marie, he had striven to divert his thoughts by gazing though the + carriage window at the fields, trees, and houses which defiled before his + eyes. They had just passed Angoulême, and meadows stretched out, and lines + of poplar trees fled away amidst the continuous fanning of the air, which + the velocity of the train occasioned. + </p> + <p> + They were late, no doubt, for they were hastening onward at full speed, + thundering along under the stormy sky, through the fiery atmosphere, + devouring kilometre after kilometre in swift succession. However, despite + himself, Pierre heard snatches of the various narratives, and grew + interested in these extravagant stories, which the rough jolting of the + wheels accompanied like a lullaby, as though the engine had been turned + loose and were wildly bearing them away to the divine land of dreams, They + were rolling, still rolling along, and Pierre at last ceased to gaze at + the landscape, and surrendered himself to the heavy, sleep-inviting + atmosphere of the carriage, where ecstasy was growing and spreading, + carrying everyone far from the world of reality across which they were so + rapidly rushing, The sight of Marie’s face with its brightened look filled + the young priest with sincere joy, and he let her retain his hand, which + she had taken in order to acquaint him, by the pressure of her fingers, + with all the confidence which was reviving in her soul. And why should he + have saddened her by his doubts, since he was so desirous of her cure? So + he continued clasping her small, moist hand, feeling infinite affection + for her, a dolorous brotherly love which distracted him, and made him + anxious to believe in the pity of the spheres, in a superior kindness + which tempered suffering to those who were plunged in despair, “Oh!” she + repeated, “how beautiful it is, Pierre! How beautiful it is! And what + glory it will be if the Blessed Virgin deigns to disturb herself for me! + Do you really think me worthy of such a favour?” + </p> + <p> + “Assuredly I do,” he exclaimed; “you are the best and the purest, with a + spotless soul as your father said; there are not enough good angels in + Paradise to form your escort.” + </p> + <p> + But the narratives were not yet finished. Sister Hyacinthe and Madame de + Jonquière were now enumerating all the miracles with which they were + acquainted, the long, long series of miracles which for more than thirty + years had been flowering at Lourdes, like the uninterrupted budding of the + roses on the Mystical Rose-tree. They could be counted by thousands, they + put forth fresh shoots every year with prodigious verdancy of sap, + becoming brighter and brighter each successive season. And the sufferers + who listened to these marvellous stories with increasing feverishness were + like little children who, after hearing one fine fairy tale, ask for + another, and another, and yet another. Oh! that they might have more and + more of those stories in which evil reality was flouted, in which unjust + nature was cuffed and slapped, in which the Divinity intervened as the + supreme healer, He who laughs at science and distributes happiness + according to His own good pleasure. + </p> + <p> + First of all there were the deaf and the dumb who suddenly heard and + spoke; such as Aurélie Bruneau, who was incurably deaf, with the drums of + both ears broken, and yet was suddenly enraptured by the celestial music + of a harmonium; such also as Louise Pourchet, who on her side had been + dumb for five-and-twenty years, and yet, whilst praying in the Grotto, + suddenly exclaimed, “Hail, Mary, full of grace!” And there were others and + yet others who were completely cured by merely letting a few drops of + water fall into their ears or upon their tongues. Then came the procession + of the blind: Father Hermann, who felt the Blessed Virgin’s gentle hand + removing the veil which covered his eyes; Mademoiselle de Pontbriant, who + was threatened with a total loss of sight, but after a simple prayer was + enabled to see better than she had ever seen before; then a child twelve + years old whose corneas resembled marbles, but who, in three seconds, + became possessed of clear, deep eyes, bright with an angelic smile. + However, there was especially an abundance of paralytics, of lame people + suddenly enabled to walk upright, of sufferers for long years powerless to + stir from their beds of misery and to whom the voice said: “Arise and + walk!” Delannoy,* afflicted with ataxia, vainly cauterised and burnt, + fifteen times an inmate of the Paris hospitals, whence he had emerged with + the concurring diagnosis of twelve doctors, feels a strange force raising + him up as the Blessed Sacrament goes by, and he begins to follow it, his + legs strong and healthy once more. Marie Louise Delpon, a girl of + fourteen, suffering from paralysis which had stiffened her legs, drawn + back her hands, and twisted her mouth on one side, sees her limbs loosen + and the distortion of her mouth disappear as though an invisible hand were + severing the fearful bonds which had deformed her. Marie Vachier, riveted + to her arm-chair during seventeen years by paraplegia, not only runs and + flies on emerging from the piscina, but finds no trace even of the sores + with which her long-enforced immobility had covered her body. And Georges + Hanquet, attacked by softening of the spinal marrow, passes without + transition from agony to perfect health; while Léonie Charton, likewise + afflicted with softening of the medulla, and whose vertebrae bulge out to + a considerable extent, feels her hump melting away as though by + enchantment, and her legs rise and straighten, renovated and vigorous. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This was one of the most notorious of the recorded cases and had + a very strange sequel subsequent to the first publication of this + work. Pierre Delannoy had been employed as a ward-assistant in one + of the large Paris hospitals from 1877 to 1881, when he came to + the conclusion that the life of an in-patient was far preferable + to the one he was leading. He, therefore, resolved to pass the + rest of his days inside different hospitals in the capacity of + invalid. He started by feigning locomotor ataxia, and for six + years deceived the highest medical experts in Paris, so curiously + did he appear to suffer. He stayed in turn in all the hospitals in + the city, being treated with every care and consideration, until + at last he met with a doctor who insisted on cauterisation and + other disagreeable remedies. Delannoy thereupon opined that the + time to be cured had arrived, and cured he became, and was + discharged. He next appeared at Lourdes, supported by crutches, + and presenting every symptom of being hopelessly crippled. With + other infirm and decrepid people he was dipped in the piscina and + so efficacious did this treatment prove that he came out another + man, threw his crutches to the ground and walked, as an onlooker + expressed it, “like a rural postman.” All Lourdes rang with the + fame of the miracle, and the Church, after starring Delannoy + round the country as a specimen of what could be done at the holy + spring, placed him in charge of a home for invalids. But this was + too much like hard work, and he soon decamped with all the money + he could lay his hands on. Returning to Paris he was admitted to + the Hospital of Ste. Anne as suffering from mental debility, but + this did not prevent him from running off one night with about + $300 belonging to a dispenser. The police were put on his track + and arrested him in May, 1895, when he tried to pass himself off + as a lunatic; but he had become by this time too well known, and + was indicted in due course. At his trial he energetically denied + that he had ever shammed, but the Court would not believe him, + and sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment with hard labour. + —Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Then came all sorts of ailments. First those brought about by scrofula—a + great many more legs long incapable of service and made anew. There was + Margaret Gehier, who had suffered from coxalgia for seven-and-twenty + years, whose hip was devoured by the disease, whose left knee was + anchylosed, and who yet was suddenly able to fall upon her knees to thank + the Blessed Virgin for healing her. There was also Philomène Simonneau, + the young Vendéenne, whose left leg was perforated by three horrible sores + in the depths of which her carious bones were visible, and whose bones, + whose flesh, and whose skin were all formed afresh. + </p> + <p> + Next came the dropsical ones: Madame Ancelin, the swelling of whose feet, + hands, and entire body subsided without anyone being able to tell whither + all the water had gone; Mademoiselle Montagnon, from whom, on various + occasions, nearly twenty quarts of water had been drawn, and who, on again + swelling, was entirely rid of the fluid by the application of a bandage + which had been dipped in the miraculous source. And, in her case also, + none of the water could be found, either in her bed or on the floor. In + the same way, not a complaint of the stomach resisted, all disappeared + with the first glass of water. There was Marie Souchet, who vomited black + blood, who had wasted to a skeleton, and who devoured her food and + recovered her flesh in two days’ time! There was Marie Jarlaud, who had + burnt herself internally through drinking a glass of a metallic solution + used for cleansing and brightening kitchen utensils, and who felt the + tumour which had resulted from her injuries melt rapidly away. Moreover, + every tumour disappeared in this fashion, in the piscina, without leaving + the slightest trace behind. But that which caused yet greater wonderment + was the manner in which ulcers, cancers, all sorts of horrible, visible + sores were cicatrised as by a breath from on high. A Jew, an actor, whose + hand was devoured by an ulcer, merely had to dip it in the water and he + was cured. A very wealthy young foreigner, who had a wen as large as a + hen’s egg, on his right wrist, <i>beheld</i> it dissolve. Rose Duval, who, + as a result of a white tumour, had a hole in her left elbow, large enough + to accommodate a walnut, was able to watch and follow the prompt action of + the new flesh in filling up this cavity! The Widow Fromond, with a lip + half decoyed by a cancerous formation, merely had to apply the miraculous + water to it as a lotion, and not even a red mark remained. Marie Moreau, + who experienced fearful sufferings from a cancer in the breast, fell + asleep, after laying on it a linen cloth soaked in some water of Lourdes, + and when she awoke, two hours later, the pain had disappeared, and her + flesh was once more smooth and pink and fresh. + </p> + <p> + At last Sister Hyacinthe began to speak of the immediate and complete + cures of phthisis, and this was the triumph, the healing of that terrible + disease which ravages humanity, which unbelievers defied the Blessed + Virgin to cure, but which she did cure, it was said, by merely raising her + little finger. A hundred instances, more extraordinary one than the other, + pressed forward for citation. + </p> + <p> + Marguerite Coupel, who had suffered from phthisis for three years, and the + upper part of whose lungs is destroyed by tuberculosis, rises up and goes + off, radiant with health. Madame de la Rivière, who spits blood, who is + ever covered with a cold perspiration, whose nails have already acquired a + violet tinge, who is indeed on the point of drawing her last breath, + requires but a spoonful of the water to be administered to her between her + teeth, and lo! the rattles cease, she sits up, makes the responses to the + litanies, and asks for some broth. Julie Jadot requires four spoonfuls; + but then she could no longer hold up her head, she was of such a delicate + constitution that disease had reduced her to nothing; and yet, in a few + days, she becomes quite fat. Anna Catry, who is in the most advanced stage + of the malady, with her left lung half destroyed by a cavity, is plunged + five times into the cold water, contrary to all the dictates of prudence, + and she is cured, her lung is healthy once more. Another consumptive girl, + condemned by fifteen doctors, has asked nothing, has simply fallen on her + knees in the Grotto, by chance as it were, and is afterwards quite + surprised at having been cured <i>au passage</i>, through the lucky + circumstance of having been there, no doubt, at the hour when the Blessed + Virgin, moved to pity, allows miracles to fall from her invisible hands. + </p> + <p> + Miracles and yet more miracles! They rained down like the flowers of + dreams from a clear and balmy sky. Some of them were touching, some of + them were childish. An old woman, who, having her hand anchylosed, had + been incapable of moving it for thirty years, washes it in the water and + is at once able to make the sign of the Cross. Sister Sophie, who barked + like a dog, plunges into the piscina and emerges from it with a clear, + pure voice, chanting a canticle. Mustapha, a Turk, invokes the White Lady + and recovers the use of his right eye by applying a compress to it. An + officer of Turcos was protected at Sedan; a cuirassier of Reichsoffen + would have died, pierced in the heart by a bullet, if this bullet after + passing though his pocket-book had not stayed its flight on reaching a + little picture of Our Lady of Lourdes! And, as with the men and women, so + did the children, the poor, suffering little ones, find mercy; a paralytic + boy of five rose and walked after being held for five minutes under the + icy jet of the spring; another one, fifteen years of age, who, lying in + bed, could only raise an inarticulate cry, sprang out of the piscina, + shouting that he was cured; another one, but two years old, a poor tiny + fellow who had never been able to walk, remained for a quarter of an hour + in the cold water and then, invigorated and smiling, took his first steps + like a little man! And for all of them, the little ones as well as the + adults, the pain was acute whilst the miracle was being accomplished; for + the work of repair could not be effected without causing an extraordinary + shock to the whole human organism; the bones grew again, new flesh was + formed, and the disease, driven away, made its escape in a final + convulsion. But how great was the feeling of comfort which followed! The + doctors could not believe their eyes, their astonishment burst forth at + each fresh cure, when they saw the patients whom they had despaired of run + and jump and eat with ravenous appetites. All these chosen ones, these + women cured of their ailments, walked a couple of miles, sat down to roast + fowl, and slept the soundest of sleeps for a dozen hours. Moreover, there + was no convalescence, it was a sudden leap from the death throes to + complete health. Limbs were renovated, sores were filled up, organs were + reformed in their entirety, plumpness returned to the emaciated, all with + the velocity of a lightning flash! Science was completely baffled. Not + even the most simple precautions were taken, women were bathed at all + times and seasons, perspiring consumptives were plunged into the icy + water, sores were left to their putrefaction without any thought of + employing antiseptics. And then what canticles of joy, what shouts of + gratitude and love arose at each fresh miracle! The favoured one falls + upon her knees, all who are present weep, conversions are effected, + Protestants and Jews alike embrace Catholicism—other miracles these, + miracles of faith, at which Heaven triumphs. And when the favoured one, + chosen for the miracle, returns to her village, all the inhabitants crowd + to meet her, whilst the bells peal merrily; and when she is seen springing + lightly from the vehicle which has brought her home, shouts and sobs of + joy burst forth and all intonate the <i>Magnificat</i>: Glory to the + Blessed Virgin! Gratitude and love for ever! + </p> + <p> + Indeed, that which was more particularly evolved from the realisation of + all these hopes, from the celebration of all these ardent thanksgivings, + was gratitude—gratitude to the Mother most pure and most admirable. + She was the great passion of every soul, she, the Virgin most powerful, + the Virgin most merciful, the Mirror of Justice, the Seat of Wisdom.* All + hands were stretched towards her, Mystical Rose in the dim light of the + chapels, Tower of Ivory on the horizon of dreamland, Gate of Heaven + leading into the Infinite. Each day at early dawn she shone forth, bright + Morning Star, gay with juvenescent hope. And was she not also the Health + of the weak, the Refuge of sinners, the Comforter of the afflicted? France + had ever been her well-loved country, she was adored there with an ardent + worship, the worship of her womanhood and her motherhood, the soaring of a + divine affection; and it was particularly in France that it pleased her to + show herself to little shepherdesses. She was so good to the little and + the humble; she continually occupied herself with them; and if she was + appealed to so willingly it was because she was known to be the + intermediary of love betwixt Earth and Heaven. Every evening she wept + tears of gold at the feet of her divine Son to obtain favours from Him, + and these favours were the miracles which He permitted her to work,—these + beautiful, flower-like miracles, as sweet-scented as the roses of + Paradise, so prodigiously splendid and fragrant. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * For the information of Protestant and other non-Catholic readers + it may be mentioned that all the titles enumerated in this passage + are taken from the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + But the train was still rolling, rolling onward. They had just passed + Contras, it was six o’clock, and Sister Hyacinthe, rising to her, feet, + clapped her hands together and once again repeated: “The Angelus, my + children!” + </p> + <p> + Never had “Aves” impregnated with greater faith, inflamed with a more + fervent desire to be heard by Heaven, winged their flight on high. And + Pierre suddenly understood everything, clearly realised the meaning of all + these pilgrimages, of all these trains rolling along through every country + of the civilised world, of all these eager crowds, hastening towards + Lourdes, which blazed over yonder like the abode of salvation for body and + for mind. Ah! the poor wretches whom, ever since morning, he had heard + groaning with pain, the poor wretches who exposed their sorry carcasses to + the fatigues of such a journey! They were all condemned, abandoned by + science, weary of consulting doctors, of having tried the torturing + effects of futile remedies. And how well one could understand that, + burning with a desire to preserve their lives, unable to resign themselves + to the injustice and indifference of Nature, they should dream of a + superhuman power, of an almighty Divinity who, in their favour, would + perchance annul the established laws, alter the course of the planets, and + reconsider His creation! For if the world failed them, did not the + Divinity remain to them? In their cases reality was too abominable, and an + immense need of illusion and falsehood sprang up within them. Oh! to + believe that there is a supreme Justiciar somewhere, one who rights the + apparent wrongs of things and beings; to believe that there is a Redeemer, + a consoler who is the real master, who can carry the torrents back to + their source, who can restore youth to the aged, and life to the dead! And + when you are covered with sores, when your limbs are twisted, when your + stomach is swollen by tumours, when your lungs are destroyed by disease, + to be able to say that all this is of no consequence, that everything may + disappear and be renewed at a sign from the Blessed Virgin, that it is + sufficient that you should pray to her, touch her heart, and obtain the + favour of being chosen by her. And then what a heavenly fount of hope + appeared with the prodigious flow of those beautiful stories of cure, + those adorable fairy tales which lulled and intoxicated the feverish + imaginations of the sick and the infirm. Since little Sophie Couteau, with + her white, sound foot, had climbed into that carriage, opening to the gaze + of those within it the limitless heavens of the Divine and the + Supernatural, how well one could understand the breath of resurrection + that was passing over the world, slowly raising those who despaired the + most from their beds of misery, and making their eyes shine since life was + itself a possibility for them, and they were, perhaps, about to begin it + afresh. + </p> + <p> + Yes, ’twas indeed that. If that woeful train was rolling, rolling on, if + that carriage was full, if the other carriages were full also, if France + and the world, from the uttermost limits of the earth, were crossed by + similar trains, if crowds of three hundred thousand believers, bringing + thousands of sick along with them, were ever setting out, from one end of + the year to the other, it was because the Grotto yonder was shining forth + in its glory like a beacon of hope and illusion, like a sign of the revolt + and triumph of the Impossible over inexorable materiality. Never had a + more impassionating romance been devised to exalt the souls of men above + the stern laws of life. To dream that dream, this was the great, the + ineffable happiness. If the Fathers of the Assumption had seen the success + of their pilgrimages increase and spread from year to year, it was because + they sold to all the flocking peoples the bread of consolation and + illusion, the delicious bread of hope, for which suffering humanity ever + hungers with a hunger that nothing will ever appease. And it was not + merely the physical sores which cried aloud for cure, the whole of man’s + moral and intellectual being likewise shrieked forth its wretchedness, + with an insatiable yearning for happiness. To be happy, to place the + certainty of life in faith, to lean till death should come upon that one + strong staff of travel—such was the desire exhaled by every breast, + the desire which made every moral grief bend the knee, imploring a + continuance of grace, the conversion of dear ones, the spiritual salvation + of self and those one loved. The mighty cry spread from pole to pole, + ascended and filled all the regions of space: To be happy, happy for + evermore, both in life and in death! + </p> + <p> + And Pierre saw the suffering beings around him lose all perception of the + jolting and recover their strength as league by league they drew nearer to + the miracle. Even Madame Maze grew talkative, certain as she felt that the + Blessed Virgin would restore her husband to her. With a smile on her face + Madame Vincent gently rocked her little Rose in her arms, thinking that + she was not nearly so ill as those all but lifeless children who, after + being plunged in the icy water, sprang out and played. M. Sabathier jested + with M. de Guersaint, and explained to him that, next October, when he had + recovered the use of his legs, he should go on a trip to Rome—a + journey which he had been postponing for fifteen years and more. Madame + Vetu, quite calmed, feeling nothing but a slight twinge in the stomach, + imagined that she was hungry, and asked Madame de Jonquière to let her dip + some strips of bread in a glass of milk; whilst Elise Rouquet, forgetting + her sores, ate some grapes, with face uncovered. And in La Grivotte who + was sitting up and Brother Isidore who had ceased moaning, all those fine + stories had left a pleasant fever, to such a point that, impatient to be + cured, they grew anxious to know the time. For a minute also the man, the + strange man, resuscitated. Whilst Sister Hyacinthe was again wiping the + cold sweat from his brow, he raised his eyelids, and a smile momentarily + brightened his pallid countenance. Yet once again he, also, had hoped. + </p> + <p> + Marie was still holding Pierre’s fingers in her own small, warm hand. It + was seven o’clock, they were not due at Bordeaux till half-past seven; and + the belated train was quickening its pace yet more and more, rushing along + with wild speed in order to make up for the minutes it had lost. The storm + had ended by coming down, and now a gentle light of infinite purity fell + from the vast clear heavens. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how beautiful it is, Pierre—how beautiful it is!” Marie again + repeated, pressing his hand with tender affection. And leaning towards + him, she added in an undertone: “I beheld the Blessed Virgin a little + while ago, Pierre, and it was your cure that I implored and shall obtain.” + </p> + <p> + The priest, who understood her meaning, was thrown into confusion by the + divine light which gleamed in her eyes as she fixed them on his own. She + had forgotten her own sufferings; that which she had asked for was his + conversion; and that prayer of faith, emanating, pure and candid, from + that dear, suffering creature, upset his soul. Yet why should he not + believe some day? He himself had been distracted by all those + extraordinary narratives. The stifling heat of the carriage had made him + dizzy, the sight of all the woe heaped up there caused his heart to bleed + with pity. And contagion was doing its work; he no longer knew where the + real and the possible ceased, he lacked the power to disentangle such a + mass of stupefying facts, to explain such as admitted of explanation and + reject the others. At one moment, indeed, as a hymn once more resounded + and carried him off with its stubborn importunate rhythm, he ceased to be + master of himself, and imagined that he was at last beginning to believe + amidst the hallucinatory vertigo which reigned in that travelling + hospital, rolling, ever rolling onward at full speed. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap05"></a> + V. BERNADETTE + </h2> + <p> + THE train left Bordeaux after a stoppage of a few minutes, during which + those who had not dined hastened to purchase some provisions. Moreover, + the ailing ones were constantly drinking milk, and asking for biscuits, + like little children. And, as soon as they were off again, Sister + Hyacinthe clapped her hands, and exclaimed: “Come, let us make haste; the + evening prayer.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, during a quarter of an hour came a confused murmuring, made up + of “Paters” and “Aves,” self-examinations, acts of contrition, and vows of + trustful reliance in God, the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints, with + thanksgiving for protection and preservation that day, and, at last, a + prayer for the living and for the faithful departed. + </p> + <p> + “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.” + </p> + <p> + It was ten minutes past eight o’clock, the shades of night were already + bedimming the landscape—a vast plain which the evening mist seemed + to prolong into the infinite, and where, far away, bright dots of light + shone out from the windows of lonely, scattered houses. In the carriage, + the lights of the lamps were flickering, casting a subdued yellow glow on + the luggage and the pilgrims, who were sorely shaken by the spreading + tendency of the train’s motion. + </p> + <p> + “You know, my children,” resumed Sister Hyacinthe, who had remained + standing, “I shall order silence when we get to Lamothe, in about an + hour’s time. So you have an hour to amuse yourselves, but you must be + reasonable and not excite yourselves too much. And when we have passed + Lamothe, you hear me, there must not be another word, another sound, you + must all go to sleep.” + </p> + <p> + This made them laugh. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! but it is the rule, you know,” added the Sister, “and surely you have + too much sense not to obey me.” + </p> + <p> + Since the morning they had punctually fulfilled the programme of religious + exercises specified for each successive hour. And now that all the prayers + had been said, the beads told, the hymns chanted, the day’s duties were + over, and a brief interval for recreation was allowed before sleeping. + They were, however, at a loss as to what they should do. + </p> + <p> + “Sister,” suddenly said Marie, “if you would allow Monsieur l’Abbé to read + to us—he reads extremely well,—and as it happens I have a + little book with me—a history of Bernadette which is so interesting—” + </p> + <p> + The others did nor let her finish, but with the suddenly awakened desire + of children to whom a beautiful story has been promised, loudly exclaimed: + “Oh! yes, Sister. Oh! yes, Sister—” + </p> + <p> + “Of course I will allow it,” replied Sister Hyacinthe, “since it is a + question of reading something instructive and edifying.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was obliged to consent. But to be able to read the book he wished + to be under the lamp, and it was necessary that he should change seats + with M. de Guersaint, whom the promise of a story had delighted as much as + it did the ailing ones. And when the young priest, after changing seats + and declaring that he would be able to see well enough, at last opened the + little book, a quiver of curiosity sped from one end of the carriage to + the other, and every head was stretched out, lending ear with rapt + attention. Fortunately, Pierre had a clear, powerful voice and made + himself distinctly heard above the wheels, which, now that the train + travelled across a vast level plain, gave out but a subdued, rumbling + sound. + </p> + <p> + Before beginning, however, the young priest had examined the book. It was + one of those little works of propaganda issued from the Catholic + printing-presses and circulated in profusion throughout all Christendom. + Badly printed, on wretched paper, it was adorned on its blue cover with a + little wood-cut of Our Lady of Lourdes, a naive design alike stiff and + awkward. The book itself was short, and half an hour would certainly + suffice to read it from cover to cover without hurrying. + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, in his fine, clear voice, with its penetrating, musical + tones, he began his perusal as follows:— + </p> + <p> + “It happened at Lourdes, a little town near the Pyrenees, on a Thursday, + February 11, 1858. The weather was cold, and somewhat cloudy, and in the + humble home of a poor but honest miller named François Soubirous there was + no wood to cook the dinner. The miller’s wife, Louise, said to her younger + daughter Marie, ‘Go and gather some wood on the bank of the Gave or on the + common-land.’ The Gave is a torrent which passes through Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + “Marie had an elder sister, named Bernadette, who had lately arrived from + the country, where some worthy villagers had employed her as a + shepherdess. She was a slender, delicate, extremely innocent child, and + knew nothing except her rosary. Louise Soubirous hesitated to send her out + with her sister, on account of the cold, but at last, yielding to the + entreaties of Marie and a young girl of the neighbourhood called Jeanne + Abadie, she consented to let her go. + </p> + <p> + “Following the bank of the torrent and gathering stray fragments of dead + wood, the three maidens at last found themselves in front of the Grotto, + hollowed out in a huge mass of rock which the people of the district + called Massabielle.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had reached this point and was turning the page when he suddenly + paused and let the little book fall on his knees. The childish character + of the narrative, its ready-made, empty phraseology, filled him with + impatience. He himself possessed quite a collection of documents + concerning this extraordinary story, had passionately studied even its + most trifling details, and in the depths of his heart retained a feeling + of tender affection and infinite pity for Bernadette. He had just + reflected, too, that on the very next day he would be able to begin that + decisive inquiry which he had formerly dreamt of making at Lourdes. In + fact, this was one of the reasons which had induced him to accompany Marie + on her journey. And he was now conscious of an awakening of all his + curiosity respecting the Visionary, whom he loved because he felt that she + had been a girl of candid soul, truthful and ill-fated, though at the same + time he would much have liked to analyse and explain her case. Assuredly, + she had not lied, she had indeed beheld a vision and heard voices, like + Joan of Arc; and like Joan of Arc also, she was now, in the opinion of the + devout, accomplishing the deliverance of France—from sin if not from + invaders. Pierre wondered what force could have produced her—her and + her work. How was it that the visionary faculty had become developed in + that lowly girl, so distracting believing souls as to bring about a + renewal of the miracles of primitive times, as to found almost a new + religion in the midst of a Holy City, built at an outlay of millions, and + ever invaded by crowds of worshippers more numerous and more exalted in + mind than had ever been known since the days of the Crusades? + </p> + <p> + And so, ceasing to read the book, Pierre began to tell his companions all + that he knew, all that he had divined and reconstructed of that story + which is yet so obscure despite the vast rivers of ink which it has + already caused to flow. He knew the country and its manners and customs, + through his long conversations with his friend Doctor Chassaigne. And he + was endowed with charming fluency of language, an emotional power of + exquisite purity, many remarkable gifts well fitting him to be a pulpit + orator, which he never made use of, although he had known them to be + within him ever since his seminary days. When the occupants of the + carriage perceived that he knew the story, far better and in far greater + detail than it appeared in Marie’s little book, and that he related it + also in such a gentle yet passionate way, there came an increase of + attention, and all those afflicted souls hungering for happiness went + forth towards him. First came the story of Bernadette’s childhood at + Bartres, where she had grown up in the abode of her foster-mother, Madame + Lagues, who, having lost an infant of her own, had rendered those poor + folks, the Soubirouses, the service of suckling and keeping their child + for them. Bartres, a village of four hundred souls, at a league or so from + Lourdes, lay as it were in a desert oasis, sequestered amidst greenery, + and far from any frequented highway. The road dips down, the few houses + are scattered over grassland, divided by hedges and planted with walnut + and chestnut trees, whilst the clear rivulets, which are never silent, + follow the sloping banks beside the pathways, and nothing rises on high + save the small ancient romanesque church, which is perched on a hillock, + covered with graves. Wooded slopes undulate upon all sides. Bartres lies + in a hollow amidst grass of delicious freshness, grass of intense + greenness, which is ever moist at the roots, thanks to the eternal + subterraneous expanse of water which is fed by the mountain torrents. And + Bernadette, who, since becoming a big girl, had paid for her keep by + tending lambs, was wont to take them with her, season after season, + through all the greenery where she never met a soul. It was only now and + then, from the summit of some slope, that she saw the far-away mountains, + the Pic du Midi, the Pic de Viscos, those masses which rose up, bright or + gloomy, according to the weather, and which stretched away to other peaks, + lightly and faintly coloured, vaguely and confusedly outlined, like + apparitions seen in dreams. + </p> + <p> + Then came the home of the Lagueses, where her cradle was still preserved, + a solitary, silent house, the last of the village. A meadow planted with + pear and apple trees, and only separated from the open country by a narrow + stream which one could jump across, stretched out in front of the house. + Inside the latter, a low and damp abode, there were, on either side of the + wooden stairway leading to the loft, but two spacious rooms, flagged with + stones, and each containing four or five beds. The girls, who slept + together, fell asleep at even, gazing at the fine pictures affixed to the + walls, whilst the big clock in its pinewood case gravely struck the hours + in the midst of the deep silence. + </p> + <p> + Ah! those years at Bartres; in what sweet peacefulness did Bernadette live + them! Yet she grew up very thin, always in bad health, suffering from a + nervous asthma which stifled her in the least veering of the wind; and on + attaining her twelfth year she could neither read nor write, nor speak + otherwise than in dialect, having remained quite infantile, behindhand in + mind as in body. She was a very good little girl, very gentle and well + behaved, and but little different from other children, except that instead + of talking she preferred to listen. Limited as was her intelligence, she + often evinced much natural common-sense, and at times was prompt in her <i>réparties</i>, + with a kind of simple gaiety which made one smile. It was only with + infinite trouble that she was taught her rosary, and when she knew it she + seemed bent on carrying her knowledge no further, but repeated it all day + long, so that whenever you met her with her lambs, she invariably had her + chaplet between her fingers, diligently telling each successive “Pater” + and “Ave.” For long, long hours she lived like this on the grassy slopes + of the hills, hidden away and haunted as it were amidst the mysteries of + the foliage, seeing nought of the world save the crests of the distant + mountains, which, for an instant, every now and then, would soar aloft in + the radiant light, as ethereal as the peaks of dreamland. + </p> + <p> + Days followed days, and Bernadette roamed, dreaming her one narrow dream, + repeating the sole prayer she knew, which gave her amidst her solitude, so + fresh and naïvely infantile, no other companion and friend than the + Blessed Virgin. But what pleasant evenings she spent in the winter-time in + the room on the left, where a fire was kept burning! Her foster-mother had + a brother, a priest, who occasionally read some marvellous stories to them—stories + of saints, prodigious adventures of a kind to make one tremble with + mingled fear and joy, in which Paradise appeared upon earth, whilst the + heavens opened and a glimpse was caught of the splendour of the angels. + The books he brought with him were often full of pictures—God the + Father enthroned amidst His glory; Jesus, so gentle and so handsome with + His beaming face; the Blessed Virgin, who recurred again and again, + radiant with splendour, clad now in white, now in azure, now in gold, and + ever so amiable that Bernadette would see her again in her dreams. But the + book which was read more than all others was the Bible, an old Bible which + had been in the family for more than a hundred years, and which time and + usage had turned yellow. Each winter evening Bernadette’s foster-father, + the only member of the household who had learnt to read, would take a pin, + pass it at random between the leaves of the book, open the latter, and + then start reading from the top of the right-hand page, amidst the deep + attention of both the women and the children, who ended by knowing the + book by heart, and could have continued reciting it without a single + mistake. + </p> + <p> + However, Bernadette, for her part, preferred the religious works in which + the Blessed Virgin constantly appeared with her engaging smile. True, one + reading of a different character amused her, that of the marvellous story + of the Four Brothers Aymon. On the yellow paper cover of the little book, + which had doubtless fallen from the bale of some peddler who had lost his + way in that remote region, there was a naive cut showing the four doughty + knights, Renaud and his brothers, all mounted on Bayard, their famous + battle charger, that princely present made to them by the fairy Orlanda. + And inside were narratives of bloody fights, of the building and besieging + of fortresses, of the terrible swordthrusts exchanged by Roland and + Renaud, who was at last about to free the Holy Land, without mentioning + the tales of Maugis the Magician and his marvellous enchantments, and the + Princess Clarisse, the King of Aquitaine’s sister, who was more lovely + than sunlight. Her imagination fired by such stories as these, Bernadette + often found it difficult to get to sleep; and this was especially the case + on the evenings when the books were left aside, and some person of the + company related a tale of witchcraft. The girl was very superstitious, and + after sundown could never be prevailed upon to pass near a tower in the + vicinity, which was said to be haunted by the fiend. For that matter, all + the folks of the region were superstitious, devout, and simple-minded, the + whole countryside being peopled, so to say, with mysteries—trees + which sang, stones from which blood flowed, cross-roads where it was + necessary to say three “Paters” and three “Aves,” if you did not wish to + meet the seven-horned beast who carried maidens off to perdition. And what + a wealth of terrifying stories there was! Hundreds of stories, so that + there was no finishing on the evenings when somebody started them. First + came the wehrwolf adventures, the tales of the unhappy men whom the demon + forced to enter into the bodies of dogs, the great white dogs of the + mountains. If you fire a gun at the dog and a single shot should strike + him, the man will be delivered; but if the shot should fall on the dog’s + shadow, the man will immediately die. Then came the endless procession of + sorcerers and sorceresses. In one of these tales Bernadette evinced a + passionate interest; it was the story of a clerk of the tribunal of + Lourdes who, wishing to see the devil, was conducted by a witch into an + untilled field at midnight on Good Friday. The devil arrived clad in + magnificent scarlet garments, and at once proposed to the clerk that he + should buy his soul, an offer which the clerk pretended to accept. It so + happened that the devil was carrying under his arm a register in which + different persons of the town, who had already sold themselves, had signed + their names. However, the clerk, who was a cunning fellow, pulled out of + his pocket a pretended bottle of ink, which in reality contained holy + water, and with this he sprinkled the devil, who raised frightful shrieks, + whilst the clerk took to flight, carrying the register off with him. Then + began a wild, mad race, which might last throughout the night, over the + mountains, through the valleys, across the forests and the torrents. “Give + me back my register!” shouted the fiend. “No, you sha’n’t have it!” + replied the clerk. And again and again it began afresh: “Give me back my + register!”—“No, you sha’n’t have it’!” And at last, finding himself + out of breath, near the point of succumbing, the clerk, who had his plan, + threw himself into the cemetery, which was consecrated ground, and was + there able to deride the devil at his ease, waving the register which he + had purloined so as to save the souls of all the unhappy people who had + signed their names in it. On the evening when this story was told, + Bernadette, before surrendering herself to sleep, would mentally repeat + her rosary, delighted with the thought that hell should have been baffled, + though she trembled at the idea that it would surely return to prowl + around her, as soon as the lamp should have been put out. + </p> + <p> + Throughout one winter, the long evenings were spent in the church. Abbé + Ader, the village priest, had authorised it, and many families came, in + order to economise oil and candles. Moreover, they felt less cold when + gathered together in this fashion. The Bible was read, and prayers were + repeated, whilst the children ended by falling asleep. Bernadette alone + struggled on to the finish, so pleased she was at being there, in that + narrow nave whose slender nervures were coloured blue and red. At the + farther end was the altar, also painted and gilded, with its twisted + columns and its screens on which appeared the Virgin and Ste. Anne, and + the beheading of St. John the Baptist—the whole of a gaudy and + somewhat barbaric splendour. And as sleepiness grew upon her, the child + must have often seen a mystical vision as it were of those crudely + coloured designs rising before her—have seen the blood flowing from + St. John’s severed head, have seen the aureolas shining, the Virgin ever + returning and gazing at her with her blue, living eyes, and looking as + though she were on the point of opening her vermilion lips in order to + speak to her. For some months Bernadette spent her evenings in this wise, + half asleep in front of that sumptuous, vaguely defined altar, in the + incipiency of a divine dream which she carried away with her, and finished + in bed, slumbering peacefully under the watchful care of her guardian + angel. + </p> + <p> + And it was also in that old church, so humble yet so impregnated with + ardent faith, that Bernadette began to learn her catechism. She would soon + be fourteen now, and must think of her first communion. Her foster-mother, + who had the reputation of being avaricious, did not send her to school, + but employed her in or about the house from morning till evening. M. + Barbet, the schoolmaster, never saw her at his classes, though one day, + when he gave the catechism lesson, in the place of Abbé Ader who was + indisposed, he remarked her on account of her piety and modesty. The + village priest was very fond of Bernadette and often spoke of her to the + schoolmaster, saying that he could never look at her without thinking of + the children of La Salette, since they must have been good, candid, and + pious as she was, for the Blessed Virgin to have appeared to them.* On + another occasion whilst the two men were walking one morning near the + village, and saw Bernadette disappear with her little flock under some + spreading trees in the distance, the Abbé repeatedly turned round to look + for her, and again remarked “I cannot account for it, but every time I + meet that child it seems to me as if I saw Mélanie, the young shepherdess, + little Maximin’s companion.” He was certainly beset by this singular idea, + which became, so to say, a prediction. Moreover, had he not one day after + catechism, or one evening, when the villagers were gathered in the church, + related that marvellous story which was already twelve years old, that + story of the Lady in the dazzling robes who walked upon the grass without + even making it bend, the Blessed Virgin who showed herself to Mélanie and + Maximin on the banks of a stream in the mountains, and confided to them a + great secret and announced the anger of her Son? Ever since that day a + source had sprung up from the tears which she had shed, a source which + cured all ailments, whilst the secret, inscribed on parchment fastened + with three seals, slumbered at Rome! And Bernadette, no doubt, with her + dreamy, silent air, had listened passionately to that wonderful tale and + carried it off with her into the desert of foliage where she spent her + days, so that she might live it over again as she walked along behind her + lambs with her rosary, slipping bead by bead between her slender fingers. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * It was on September 19, 1846, that the Virgin is said to have + appeared in the ravine of La Sezia, adjacent to the valley of La + Salette, between Corps and Eutraigues, in the department of the + Isère. The visionaries were Mélanie Mathieu, a girl of fourteen, + and Maximin Giraud, a boy of twelve. The local clergy speedily + endorsed the story of the miracle, and thousands of people still + go every year in pilgrimage to a church overlooking the valley, + and bathe and drink at a so-called miraculous source. Two priests + of Grenoble, however, Abbé Deleon and Abbé Cartellier, accused a + Mlle. de Lamerliere of having concocted the miracle, and when she + took proceedings against them for libel she lost her case.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Thus her childhood ran its course at Bartres. That which delighted one in + this Bernadette, so poor-blooded, so slight of build, was her ecstatic + eyes, beautiful visionary eyes, from which dreams soared aloft like birds + winging their flight in a pure limpid sky. Her mouth was large, with lips + somewhat thick, expressive of kindliness; her square-shaped head had a + straight brow, and was covered with thick black hair, whilst her face + would have seemed rather common but for its charming expression of gentle + obstinacy. Those who did not gaze into her eyes, however, gave her no + thought. To them she was but an ordinary child, a poor thing of the roads, + a girl of reluctant growth, timidly humble in her ways. Assuredly it was + in her glance that Abbé Ader had with agitation detected the stifling + ailment which filled her puny, girlish form with suffering—that + ailment born of the greeny solitude in which she had grown up, the + gentleness of her bleating lambs, the Angelic Salutation which she had + carried with her, hither and thither, under the sky, repeating and + repeating it to the point of hallucination, the prodigious stories, too, + which she had heard folks tell at her foster-mother’s, the long evenings + spent before the living altar-screens in the church, and all the + atmosphere of primitive faith which she had breathed in that far-away + rural region, hemmed in by mountains. + </p> + <p> + At last, on one seventh of January, Bernadette had just reached her + fourteenth birthday, when her parents, finding that she learnt nothing at + Bartres, resolved to bring her back to Lourdes for good, in order that she + might diligently study her catechism, and in this wise seriously prepare + herself for her first communion. And so it happened that she had already + been at Lourdes some fifteen or twenty days, when on February 11, a + Thursday, cold and somewhat cloudy— + </p> + <p> + But Pierre could carry his narrative no further, for Sister Hyacinthe had + risen to her feet and was vigorously clapping her hands. “My children,” + she exclaimed, “it is past nine o’clock. Silence! silence!” + </p> + <p> + The train had indeed just passed Lamothe, and was rolling with a dull + rumble across a sea of darkness—the endless plains of the Landes + which the night submerged. For ten minutes already not a sound ought to + have been heard in the carriage, one and all ought to have been sleeping + or suffering uncomplainingly. However, a mutiny broke out. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Sister!” exclaimed Marie, whose eyes were sparkling, “allow us just + another short quarter of an hour! We have got to the most interesting + part.” + </p> + <p> + Ten, twenty voices took up the cry: “Oh yes, Sister, please do let us have + another short quarter of an hour!” + </p> + <p> + They all wished to hear the continuation, burning with as much curiosity + as though they had not known the story, so captivated were they by the + touches of compassionate human feeling which Pierre introduced into his + narrative. Their glances never left him, all their heads were stretched + towards him, fantastically illumined by the flickering light of the lamps. + And it was not only the sick who displayed this interest; the ten women + occupying the compartment at the far end of the carriage had also become + impassioned, and, happy at not missing a single word, turned their poor + ugly faces now beautified by naive faith. + </p> + <p> + “No, I cannot!” Sister Hyacinthe at first declared; “the rules are very + strict—you must be silent.” + </p> + <p> + However, she weakened, she herself feeling so interested in the tale that + she could detect her heart beating under her stomacher. Then Marie again + repeated her request in an entreating tone; whilst her father, M. de + Guersaint, who had listened like one hugely amused, declared that they + would all fall ill if the story were not continued. And thereupon, seeing + Madame de Jonquière smile with an indulgent air, Sister Hyacinthe ended by + consenting. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then,” said she, “I will allow you another short quarter of an + hour; but only a short quarter of an hour, mind. That is understood, is it + not? For I should otherwise be in fault.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had waited quietly without attempting to intervene. And he resumed + his narrative in the same penetrating voice as before, a voice in which + his own doubts were softened by pity for those who suffer and who hope. + </p> + <p> + The scene of the story was now transferred to Lourdes, to the Rue des + Petits Fossés, a narrow, tortuous, mournful street taking a downward + course between humble houses and roughly plastered dead walls. The + Soubirous family occupied a single room on the ground floor of one of + these sorry habitations, a room at the end of a dark passage, in which + seven persons were huddled together, the father, the mother, and five + children. You could scarcely see in the chamber; from the tiny, damp inner + courtyard of the house there came but a greenish light. And in that room + they slept, all of a heap; and there also they ate, when they had bread. + For some time past, the father, a miller by trade, could only with + difficulty obtain work as a journeyman. And it was from that dark hole, + that lowly wretchedness, that Bernadette, the elder girl, with Marie, her + sister, and Jeanne, a little friend of the neighbourhood, went out to pick + up dead wood, on the cold February Thursday already spoken of. + </p> + <p> + Then the beautiful tale was unfolded at length; how the three girls + followed the bank of the Gave from the other side of the castle, and how + they ended by finding themselves on the Ile du Chalet in front of the rock + of Massabielle, from which they were only separated by the narrow stream + diverted from the Gave, and used for working the mill of Savy. It was a + wild spot, whither the common herdsman often brought the pigs of the + neighbourhood, which, when showers suddenly came on, would take shelter + under this rock of Massabielle, at whose base there was a kind of grotto + of no great depth, blocked at the entrance by eglantine and brambles. The + girls found dead wood very scarce that day, but at last on seeing on the + other side of the stream quite a gleaning of branches deposited there by + the torrent, Marie and Jeanne crossed over through the water; whilst + Bernadette, more delicate than they were, a trifle young-ladyfied, + perhaps, remained on the bank lamenting, and not daring to wet her feet. + She was suffering slightly from humour in the head, and her mother had + expressly bidden her to wrap herself in her <i>capulet</i>,* a large white + <i>capulet</i> which contrasted vividly with her old black woollen dress. + When she found that her companions would not help her, she resignedly made + up her mind to take off her <i>sabots</i>, and pull down her stockings. It + was then about noon, the three strokes of the Angelus rang out from the + parish church, rising into the broad calm winter sky, which was somewhat + veiled by fine fleecy clouds. And it was then that a great agitation arose + within her, resounding in her ears with such a tempestuous roar that she + fancied a hurricane had descended from the mountains, and was passing over + her. But she looked at the trees and was stupefied, for not a leaf was + stirring. Then she thought that she had been mistaken, and was about to + pick up her <i>sabots</i>, when again the great gust swept through her; + but, this time, the disturbance in her ears reached her eyes, she no + longer saw the trees, but was dazzled by a whiteness, a kind of bright + light which seemed to her to settle itself against the rock, in a narrow, + lofty slit above the Grotto, not unlike an ogival window of a cathedral. + In her fright she fell upon her knees. What could it be, <i>mon Dieu</i>? + Sometimes, during bad weather, when her asthma oppressed her more than + usual, she spent very bad nights, incessantly dreaming dreams which were + often painful, and whose stifling effect she retained on awaking, even + when she had ceased to remember anything. Flames would surround her, the + sun would flash before her face. Had she dreamt in that fashion during the + previous night? Was this the continuation of some forgotten dream? + However, little by little a form became outlined, she believed that she + could distinguish a figure which the vivid light rendered intensely white. + In her fear lest it should be the devil, for her mind was haunted by tales + of witchcraft, she began to tell her beads. And when the light had slowly + faded away, and she had crossed the canal and joined Marie and Jeanne, she + was surprised to find that neither of them had seen anything whilst they + were picking up the wood in front of the Grotto. On their way back to + Lourdes the three girls talked together. So she, Bernadette, had seen + something then? What was it? At first, feeling uneasy, and somewhat + ashamed, she would not answer; but at last she said that she had seen + something white. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This is a kind of hood, more generally known among the Bearnese + peasantry as a <i>sarot</i>. Whilst forming a coif it also completely + covers the back and shoulders.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + From this the rumours started and grew. The Soubirouses, on being made + acquainted with the circumstance, evinced much displeasure at such + childish nonsense, and told their daughter that she was not to return to + the rock of Massabielle. All the children of the neighbourhood, however, + were already repeating the tale, and when Sunday came the parents had to + give way, and allow Bernadette to betake herself to the Grotto with a + bottle of holy water to ascertain if it were really the devil whom one had + to deal with. She then again beheld the light, the figure became more + clearly defined, and smiled upon her, evincing no fear whatever of the + holy water. And, on the ensuing Thursday, she once more returned to the + spot accompanied by several persons, and then for the first time the + radiant lady assumed sufficient corporality to speak, and say to her: “Do + me the kindness to come here for fifteen days.” + </p> + <p> + Thus, little by little, the lady had assumed a precise appearance. The + something clad in white had become indeed a lady more beautiful than a + queen, of a kind such as is only seen in pictures. At first, in presence + of the questions with which all the neighbours plied her from morning till + evening, Bernadette had hesitated, disturbed, perhaps, by scruples of + conscience. But then, as though prompted by the very interrogatories to + which she was subjected, she seemed to perceive the figure which she had + beheld, more plainly, so that it definitely assumed life, with lines and + hues from which the child, in her after-descriptions, never departed. The + lady’s eyes were blue and very mild, her mouth was rosy and smiling, the + oval of her face expressed both the grace of youth and of maternity. Below + the veil covering her head and falling to her heels, only a glimpse was + caught of her admirable fair hair, which was slightly curled. Her robe, + which was of dazzling whiteness, must have been of some material unknown + on earth, some material woven of the sun’s rays. Her sash, of the same hue + as the heavens, was fastened loosely about her, its long ends streaming + downwards, with the light airiness of morning. Her chaplet, wound about + her right arm, had beads of a milky whiteness, whilst the links and the + cross were of gold. And on her bare feet, on her adorable feet of virgin + snow, flowered two golden roses, the mystic roses of this divine mother’s + immaculate flesh. + </p> + <p> + Where was it that Bernadette had seen this Blessed Virgin, of such + traditionally simple composition, unadorned by a single jewel, having but + the primitive grace imagined by the painters of a people in its childhood? + In which illustrated book belonging to her foster-mother’s brother, the + good priest, who read such attractive stories, had she beheld this Virgin? + Or in what picture, or what statuette, or what stained-glass window of the + painted and gilded church where she had spent so many evenings whilst + growing up? And whence, above all things, had come those golden roses + poised on the Virgin’s feet, that piously imagined florescence of woman’s + flesh—from what romance of chivalry, from what story told after + catechism by the Abbé Ader, from what unconscious dream indulged in under + the shady foliage of Bartres, whilst ever and ever repeating that haunting + Angelic Salutation? + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s voice had acquired a yet more feeling tone, for if he did not say + all these things to the simple-minded folks who were listening to him, + still the human explanation of all these prodigies which the feeling of + doubt in the depths of his being strove to supply, imparted to his + narrative a quiver of sympathetic, fraternal love. He loved Bernadette the + better for the great charm of her hallucination—that lady of such + gracious access, such perfect amiability, such politeness in appearing and + disappearing so appropriately. At first the great light would show itself, + then the vision took form, came and went, leant forward, moved about, + floating imperceptibly, with ethereal lightness; and when it vanished the + glow lingered for yet another moment, and then disappeared like a star + fading away. No lady in this world could have such a white and rosy face, + with a beauty so akin to that of the Virgins on the picture-cards given to + children at their first communions. And it was strange that the eglantine + of the Grotto did not even hurt her adorable bare feet blooming with + golden flowers. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, at once proceeded to recount the other apparitions. The + fourth and fifth occurred on the Friday and the Saturday; but the Lady, + who shone so brightly and who had not yet told her name, contented herself + on these occasions with smiling and saluting without pronouncing a word. + On the Sunday, however, she wept, and said to Bernadette, “Pray for + sinners.” On the Monday, to the child’s great grief, she did not appear, + wishing, no doubt, to try her. But on the Tuesday she confided to her a + secret which concerned her (the girl) alone, a secret which she was never + to divulge*; and then she at last told her what mission it was that she + entrusted to her: “Go and tell the priests,” she said, “that they must + build a chapel here.” On the Wednesday she frequently murmured the word + “Penitence! penitence! penitence!” which the child repeated, afterwards + kissing the earth. On the Thursday the Lady said to her: “Go, and drink, + and wash at the spring, and eat of the grass that is beside it,” words + which the Visionary ended by understanding, when in the depths of the + Grotto a source suddenly sprang up beneath her fingers. And this was the + miracle of the enchanted fountain. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * In a like way, it will be remembered, the apparition at La + Salette confided a secret to Mélanie and Maximin (see <i>ante</i>, + note). There can be little doubt that Bernadette was acquainted + with the story of the miracle of La Salette.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Then the second week ran its course. The lady did not appear on the + Friday, but was punctual on the five following days, repeating her + commands and gazing with a smile at the humble girl whom she had chosen to + do her bidding, and who, on her side, duly told her beads at each + apparition, kissed the earth, and repaired on her knees to the source, + there to drink and wash. At last, on Thursday, March 4, the last day of + these mystical assignations, the Lady requested more pressingly than + before that a chapel might be erected in order that the nations might come + thither in procession from all parts of the earth. So far, however, in + reply to all Bernadette’s appeals, she had refused to say who she was; and + it was only three weeks later, on Thursday, March 25, that, joining her + hands together, and raising her eyes to Heaven, she said: “I am the + Immaculate Conception.” On two other occasions, at somewhat long + intervals, April 7 and July 16, she again appeared: the first time to + perform the miracle of the lighted taper, that taper above which the + child, plunged in ecstasy, for a long time unconsciously left her hand, + without burning it; and the second time to bid Bernadette farewell, to + favour her with a last smile, and a last inclination of the head full of + charming politeness. This made eighteen apparitions all told; and never + again did the Lady show herself. + </p> + <p> + Whilst Pierre went on with his beautiful, marvellous story, so soothing to + the wretched, he evoked for himself a vision of that pitiable, lovable + Bernadette, whose sufferings had flowered so wonderfully. As a doctor had + roughly expressed it, this girl of fourteen, at a critical period of her + life, already ravaged, too, by asthma, was, after all, simply an + exceptional victim of hysteria, afflicted with a degenerate heredity and + lapsing into infancy. If there were no violent crises in her case, if + there were no stiffening of the muscles during her attacks, if she + retained a precise recollection of her dreams, the reason was that her + case was peculiar to herself, and she added, so to say, a new and very + curious form to all the forms of hysteria known at the time. Miracles only + begin when things cannot be explained; and science, so far, knows and can + explain so little, so infinitely do the phenomena of disease vary + according to the nature of the patient! But how many shepherdesses there + had been before Bernadette who had seen the Virgin in a similar way, + amidst all the same childish nonsense! Was it not always the same story, + the Lady clad in light, the secret confided, the spring bursting forth, + the mission which had to be fulfilled, the miracles whose enchantments + would convert the masses? And was not the personal appearance of the + Virgin always in accordance with a poor child’s dreams—akin to some + coloured figure in a missal, an ideal compounded of traditional beauty, + gentleness, and politeness. And the same dreams showed themselves in the + naïveté of the means which were to be employed and of the object which was + to be attained—the deliverance of nations, the building of churches, + the processional pilgrimages of the faithful! Then, too, all the words + which fell from Heaven resembled one another, calls for penitence, + promises of help; and in this respect, in Bernadette’s case the only new + feature was that most extraordinary declaration: “I am the Immaculate + Conception,” which burst forth—very usefully—as the + recognition by the Blessed Virgin herself of the dogma promulgated by the + Court of Rome but three years previously! It was not the Immaculate Virgin + who appeared: no, it was the Immaculate Conception, the abstraction + itself, the thing, the dogma, so that one might well ask oneself if really + the Virgin had spoken in such a fashion. As for the other words, it was + possible that Bernadette had heard them somewhere and stored them up in + some unconscious nook of her memory. But these—“I am the Immaculate + Conception”—whence had they come as though expressly to fortify a + dogma—still bitterly discussed—with such prodigious support as + the direct testimony of the Mother conceived without sin? At this thought, + Pierre, who was convinced of Bernadette’s absolute good faith, who refused + to believe that she had been the instrument of a fraud, began to waver, + deeply agitated, feeling his belief in truth totter within him. + </p> + <p> + The apparitions, however, had caused intense emotion at Lourdes; crowds + flocked to the spot, miracles began, and those inevitable persecutions + broke out which ensure the triumph of new religions. Abbé Peyramale, the + parish priest of Lourdes, an extremely honest man, with an upright, + vigorous mind, was able in all truth to declare that he did not know this + child, that she had not yet been seen at catechism. Where was the + pressure, then, where the lesson learnt by heart? There was nothing but + those years of childhood spent at Bartres, the first teachings of Abbé + Ader, conversations possibly, religious ceremonies in honour of the + recently proclaimed dogma, or simply the gift of one of those + commemorative medals which had been scattered in profusion. Never did Abbé + Ader reappear upon the scene, he who had predicted the mission of the + future Visionary. He was destined to remain apart from Bernadette and her + future career, he who, the first, had seen her little soul blossom in his + pious hands. And yet all the unknown forces that had sprung from that + sequestered village, from that nook of greenery where superstition and + poverty of intelligence prevailed, were still making themselves felt, + disturbing the brains of men, disseminating the contagion of the + mysterious. It was remembered that a shepherd of Argelès, speaking of the + rock of Massabielle, had prophesied that great things would take place + there. Other children, moreover, now fell in ecstasy with their eyes + dilated and their limbs quivering with convulsions, but these only saw the + devil. A whirlwind of madness seemed to be passing over the region. An old + lady of Lourdes declared that Bernadette was simply a witch and that she + had herself seen the toad’s foot in her eye. But for the others, for the + thousands of pilgrims who hastened to the spot, she was a saint, and they + kissed her garments. Sobs burst forth and frenzy seemed to seize upon the + souls of the beholders, when she fell upon her knees before the Grotto, a + lighted taper in her right hand, whilst with the left she told the beads + of her rosary. She became very pale and quite beautiful, transfigured, so + to say. Her features gently ascended in her face, lengthened into an + expression of extraordinary beatitude, whilst her eyes filled with light, + and her lips parted as though she were speaking words which could not be + heard. And it was quite certain that she had no will of her own left her, + penetrated as she was by a dream, possessed by it to such a point in the + confined, exclusive sphere in which she lived, that she continued dreaming + it even when awake, and thus accepted it as the only indisputable reality, + prepared to testify to it even at the cost of her blood, repeating it over + and over again, obstinately, stubbornly clinging to it, and never varying + in the details she gave. She did not lie, for she did not know, could not + and would not desire anything apart from it. + </p> + <p> + Forgetful of the flight of time, Pierre was now sketching a charming + picture of old Lourdes, that pious little town, slumbering at the foot of + the Pyrenees. The castle, perched on a rock at the point of intersection + of the seven valleys of Lavedan, had formerly been the key of the mountain + districts. But, in Bernadette’s time, it had become a mere dismantled, + ruined pile, at the entrance of a road leading nowhere. Modern life found + its march stayed by a formidable rampart of lofty, snow-capped peaks, and + only the trans-Pyrenean railway—had it been constructed—could + have established an active circulation of social life in that sequestered + nook where human existence stagnated like dead water. Forgotten, + therefore, Lourdes remained slumbering, happy and sluggish amidst its + old-time peacefulness, with its narrow, pebble-paved streets and its bleak + houses with dressings of marble. The old roofs were still all massed on + the eastern side of the castle; the Rue de la Grotte, then called the Rue + du Bois, was but a deserted and often impassable road; no houses stretched + down to the Gave as now, and the scum-laden waters rolled through a + perfect solitude of pollard willows and tall grass. On week-days but few + people passed across the Place du Marcadal, such as housewives hastening + on errands, and petty cits airing their leisure hours; and you had to wait + till Sundays or fair days to find the inhabitants rigged out in their best + clothes and assembled on the Champ Commun, in company with the crowd of + graziers who had come down from the distant tablelands with their cattle. + During the season when people resort to the Pyrenean-waters, the passage + of the visitors to Cauterets and Bagnères also brought some animation; <i>diligences</i> + passed through the town twice a day, but they came from Pau by a wretched + road, and had to ford the Lapaca, which often overflowed its banks. Then + climbing the steep ascent of the Rue Basse, they skirted the terrace of + the church, which was shaded by large elms. And what soft peacefulness + prevailed in and around that old semi-Spanish church, full of ancient + carvings, columns, screens, and statues, peopled with visionary patches of + gilding and painted flesh, which time had mellowed and which you faintly + discerned as by the light of mystical lamps! The whole population came + there to worship, to fill their eyes with the dream of the mysterious. + There were no unbelievers, the inhabitants of Lourdes were a people of + primitive faith; each corporation marched behind the banner of its saint, + brotherhoods of all kinds united the entire town, on festival mornings, in + one large Christian family. And, as with some exquisite flower that has + grown in the soil of its choice, great purity of life reigned there. There + was not even a resort of debauchery for young men to wreck their lives, + and the girls, one and all, grew up with the perfume and beauty of + innocence, under the eyes of the Blessed Virgin, Tower of Ivory and Seat + of Wisdom. + </p> + <p> + And how well one could understand that Bernadette, born in that holy soil, + should flower in it, like one of nature’s roses budding in the wayside + bushes! She was indeed the very florescence of that region of ancient + belief and rectitude; she would certainly not have sprouted elsewhere; she + could only appear and develop there, amidst that belated race, amidst the + slumberous peacefulness of a childlike people, under the moral discipline + of religion. And what intense love at once burst forth all around her! + What blind confidence was displayed in her mission, what immense + consolation and hope came to human hearts on the very morrow of the first + miracles! A long cry of relief had greeted the cure of old Bourriette + recovering his sight, and of little Justin Bouhohorts coming to life again + in the icy water of the spring. At last, then, the Blessed Virgin was + intervening in favour of those who despaired, forcing that unkind mother, + Nature, to be just and charitable. This was divine omnipotence returning + to reign on earth, sweeping the laws of the world aside in order to work + the happiness of the suffering and the poor. The miracles multiplied, + blazed forth, from day to day more and more extraordinary, like + unimpeachable proof of Bernadette’s veracity. And she was, indeed, the + rose of the divine garden, whose deeds shed perfume, the rose who beholds + all the other flowers of grace and salvation spring into being around her. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had reached this point of his story, and was again enumerating the + miracles, on the point of recounting the prodigious triumph of the Grotto, + when Sister Hyacinthe, awaking with a start from the ecstasy into which + the narrative had plunged her, hastily rose to her feet. “Really, really,” + said she, “there is no sense in it. It will soon be eleven o’clock.” + </p> + <p> + This was true. They had left Morceux behind them, and would now soon be at + Mont de Marsan. So Sister Hyacinthe clapped her hands once more, and + added: “Silence, my children, silence!” + </p> + <p> + This time they did not dare to rebel, for they felt she was in the right; + they were unreasonable. But how greatly they regretted not hearing the + continuation, how vexed they were that the story should cease when only + half told! The ten women in the farther compartment even let a murmur of + disappointment escape them; whilst the sick, their faces still + outstretched, their dilated eyes gazing upon the light of hope, seemed to + be yet listening. Those miracles which ever and ever returned to their + minds and filled them with unlimited, haunting, supernatural joy. + </p> + <p> + “And don’t let me hear anyone breathe, even,” added Sister Hyacinthe + gaily, “or otherwise I shall impose penance on you.” + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière laughed good-naturedly. “You must obey, my children,” + she said; “be good and get to sleep, so that you may have strength to pray + at the Grotto to-morrow with all your hearts.” + </p> + <p> + Then silence fell, nobody spoke any further; and the only sounds were + those of the rumbling of the wheels and the jolting of the train as it was + carried along at full speed through the black night. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, was unable to sleep. Beside him, M. de Guersaint was + already snoring lightly, looking very happy despite the hardness of his + seat. For a time the young priest saw Marie’s eyes wide open, still full + of all the radiance of the marvels that he had related. For a long while + she kept them ardently fixed upon his own, but at last closed them, and + then he knew not whether she was sleeping, or with eyelids simply closed + was living the everlasting miracle over again. Some of the sufferers were + dreaming aloud, giving vent to bursts of laughter which unconscious moans + interrupted. Perhaps they beheld the Archangels opening their flesh to + wrest their diseases from them. Others, restless with insomnia, turned + over and over, stifling their sobs and gazing fixedly into the darkness. + And, with a shudder born of all the mystery he had evoked, Pierre, + distracted, no longer master of himself in that delirious sphere of + fraternal suffering, ended by hating his very mind, and, drawn into close + communion with all those humble folks, sought to believe like them. What + could be the use of that physiological inquiry into Bernadette’s case, so + full of gaps and intricacies? Why should he not accept her as a messenger + from the spheres beyond, as one of the elect chosen for the divine + mystery? Doctors were but ignorant men with rough and brutal hands, and it + would be so delightful to fall asleep in childlike faith, in the enchanted + gardens of the impossible. And for a moment indeed he surrendered himself, + experiencing a delightful feeling of comfort, no longer seeking to explain + anything, but accepting the Visionary with her sumptuous <i>cortège</i> of + miracles, and relying on God to think and determine for him. Then he + looked out through the window, which they did not dare to open on account + of the consumptive patients, and beheld the immeasurable night which + enwrapped the country across which the train was fleeing. The storm must + have burst forth there; the sky was now of an admirable nocturnal purity, + as though cleansed by the masses of fallen water. Large stars shone out in + the dark velvet, alone illumining, with their mysterious gleams, the + silent, refreshed fields, which incessantly displayed only the black + solitude of slumber. And across the Landes, through the valleys, between + the hills, that carriage of wretchedness and suffering rolled on and on, + over-heated, pestilential, rueful, and wailing, amidst the serenity of the + august night, so lovely and so mild. + </p> + <p> + They had passed Riscle at one in the morning. Between the jolting, the + painful, the hallucinatory silence still continued. At two o’clock, as + they reached Vic-de-Bigorre, low moans were heard; the bad state of the + line, with the unbearable spreading tendency of the train’s motion, was + sorely shaking the patients. It was only at Tarbes, at half-past two, that + silence was at length broken, and that morning prayers were said, though + black night still reigned around them. There came first the “Pater,” and + then the “Ave,” the “Credo,” and the supplication to God to grant them the + happiness of a glorious day. + </p> + <p> + “O God, vouchsafe me sufficient strength that I may avoid all that is + evil, do all that is good, and suffer uncomplainingly every pain.” + </p> + <p> + And now there was to be no further stoppage until they reached Lourdes. + Barely three more quarters of an hour, and Lourdes, with all its vast + hopes, would blaze forth in the midst of that night, so long and cruel. + Their painful awakening was enfevered by the thought; a final agitation + arose amidst the morning discomfort, as the abominable sufferings began + afresh. + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe, however, was especially anxious about the strange man, + whose sweat-covered face she had been continually wiping. He had so far + managed to keep alive, she watching him without a pause, never having once + closed her eyes, but unremittingly listening to his faint breathing with + the stubborn desire to take him to the holy Grotto before he died. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, she felt frightened; and addressing Madame de + Jonquière, she hastily exclaimed, “Pray pass me the vinegar bottle at once—I + can no longer hear him breathe.” + </p> + <p> + For an instant, indeed, the man’s faint breathing had ceased. His eyes + were still closed, his lips parted; he could not have been paler, he had + an ashen hue, and was cold. And the carriage was rolling along with its + ceaseless rattle of coupling-irons; the speed of the train seemed even to + have increased. + </p> + <p> + “I will rub his temples,” resumed Sister Hyacinthe. “Help me, do!” + </p> + <p> + But, at a more violent jolt of the train, the man suddenly fell from the + seat, face downward. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! <i>mon Dieu</i>, help me, pick him up!” + </p> + <p> + They picked him up, and found him dead. And they had to seat him in his + corner again, with his back resting against the woodwork. He remained + there erect, his torso stiffened, and his head wagging slightly at each + successive jolt. Thus the train continued carrying him along, with the + same thundering noise of wheels, while the engine, well pleased, no doubt, + to be reaching its destination, began whistling shrilly, giving vent to + quite a flourish of delirious joy as it sped through the calm night. + </p> + <p> + And then came the last and seemingly endless half-hour of the journey, in + company with that wretched corpse. Two big tears had rolled down Sister + Hyacinthe’s cheeks, and with her hands joined she had begun to pray. The + whole carriage shuddered with terror at sight of that terrible companion + who was being taken, too late alas! to the Blessed Virgin. + </p> + <p> + Hope, however, proved stronger than sorrow or pain, and although all the + sufferings there assembled awoke and grew again, irritated by overwhelming + weariness, a song of joy nevertheless proclaimed the sufferers’ triumphal + entry into the Land of Miracles. Amidst the tears which their pains drew + from them, the exasperated and howling sick began to chant the “Ave maris + Stella” with a growing clamour in which lamentation finally turned into + cries of hope. + </p> + <p> + Marie had again taken Pierre’s hand between her little feverish fingers. + “Oh, <i>mon Dieu!</i>” said she, “to think that poor man is dead, and I + feared so much that it was I who would die before arriving. And we are + there—there at last!” + </p> + <p> + The priest was trembling with intense emotion. “It means that you are to + be cured, Marie,” he replied, “and that I myself shall be cured if you + pray for me—” + </p> + <p> + The engine was now whistling in a yet louder key in the depths of the + bluish darkness. They were nearing their destination. The lights of + Lourdes already shone out on the horizon. Then the whole train again sang + a canticle—the rhymed story of Bernadette, that endless ballad of + six times ten couplets, in which the Angelic Salutation ever returns as a + refrain, all besetting and distracting, opening to the human mind the + portals of the heaven of ecstasy:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “It was the hour for ev’ning pray’r; + Soft bells chimed on the chilly air. + Ave, ave, ave Maria! + + “The maid stood on the torrent’s bank, + A breeze arose, then swiftly sank. + Ave, ave, ave Maria! + + “And she beheld, e’en as it fell, + The Virgin on Massabielle. + Ave, ave, ave Maria! + + “All white appeared the Lady chaste, + A zone of Heaven round her waist. + Ave, ave, ave Maria! + + “Two golden roses, pure and sweet, + Bloomed brightly on her naked feet. + Ave, ave, ave Maria! + + “Upon her arm, so white and round, + Her chaplet’s milky pearls were wound. + Ave, ave, ave Maria! + + “The maiden prayed till, from her eyes, + The vision sped to Paradise. + Ave, ave, ave Maria!” + </pre> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol02"></a> + THE SECOND DAY + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap06"></a> + I. THE TRAIN ARRIVES + </h2> + <p> + IT was twenty minutes past three by the clock of the Lourdes railway + station, the dial of which was illumined by a reflector. Under the + slanting roof sheltering the platform, a hundred yards or so in length, + some shadowy forms went to and fro, resignedly waiting. Only a red signal + light peeped out of the black countryside, far away. + </p> + <p> + Two of the promenaders suddenly halted. The taller of them, a Father of + the Assumption, none other indeed than the Reverend Father Fourcade, + director of the national pilgrimage, who had reached Lourdes on the + previous day, was a man of sixty, looking superb in his black cloak with + its large hood. His fine head, with its clear, domineering eyes and thick + grizzly beard, was the head of a general whom an intelligent determination + to conquer inflames. In consequence, however, of a sudden attack of gout + he slightly dragged one of his legs, and was leaning on the shoulder of + his companion, Dr. Bonamy, the practitioner attached to the Miracle + Verification Office, a short, thick-set man, with a square-shaped, + clean-shaven face, which had dull, blurred eyes and a tranquil cast of + features. + </p> + <p> + Father Fourcade had stopped to question the station-master whom he + perceived running out of his office. “Will the white train be very late, + monsieur?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, your reverence. It hasn’t lost more than ten minutes; it will be here + at the half-hour. It’s the Bayonne train which worries me; it ought to + have passed through already.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he ran off to give an order; but soon came back again, his + slim, nervous figure displaying marked signs of agitation. He lived, + indeed, in a state of high fever throughout the period of the great + pilgrimages. Apart from the usual service, he that day expected eighteen + trains, containing more than fifteen thousand passengers. The grey and the + blue trains which had started from Paris the first had already arrived at + the regulation hour. But the delay in the arrival of the white train was + very troublesome, the more so as the Bayonne express—which passed + over the same rails—had not yet been signalled. It was easy to + understand, therefore, what incessant watchfulness was necessary, not a + second passing without the entire staff of the station being called upon + to exercise its vigilance. + </p> + <p> + “In ten minutes, then?” repeated Father Fourcade. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, in ten minutes, unless I’m obliged to close the line!” cried the + station-master as he hastened into the telegraph office. + </p> + <p> + Father Fourcade and the doctor slowly resumed their promenade. The thing + which astonished them was that no serious accident had ever happened in + the midst of such a fearful scramble. In past times, especially, the most + terrible disorder had prevailed. Father Fourcade complacently recalled the + first pilgrimage which he had organised and led, in 1875; the terrible + endless journey without pillows or mattresses, the patients exhausted, + half dead, with no means of reviving them at hand; and then the arrival at + Lourdes, the train evacuated in confusion, no <i>matériel</i> in + readiness, no straps, nor stretchers, nor carts. But now there was a + powerful organisation; a hospital awaited the sick, who were no longer + reduced to lying upon straw in sheds. What a shock for those unhappy ones! + What force of will in the man of faith who led them to the scene of + miracles! The reverend Father smiled gently at the thought of the work + which he had accomplished. + </p> + <p> + Then, still leaning on the doctor’s shoulder, he began to question him: + “How many pilgrims did you have last year?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “About two hundred thousand. That is still the average. In the year of the + Coronation of the Virgin the figure rose to five hundred thousand. But to + bring that about an exceptional occasion was needed with a great effort of + propaganda. Such vast masses cannot be collected together every day.” + </p> + <p> + A pause followed, and then Father Fourcade murmured: “No doubt. Still the + blessing of Heaven attends our endeavours; our work thrives more and more. + We have collected more than two hundred thousand francs in donations for + this journey, and God will be with us, there will be many cures for you to + proclaim to-morrow, I am sure of it.” Then, breaking off, he inquired: + “Has not Father Dargeles come here?” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Bonamy waved his hand as though to say that he did not know. Father + Dargeles was the editor of the “Journal de la Grotte.” He belonged to the + Order of the Fathers of the Immaculate Conception whom the Bishop had + installed at Lourdes and who were the absolute masters there; though, when + the Fathers of the Assumption came to the town with the national + pilgrimage from Paris, which crowds of faithful Catholics from Cambrai, + Arras, Chartres, Troyes, Rheims, Sens, Orleans, Blois, and Poitiers + joined, they evinced a kind of affectation in disappearing from the scene. + Their omnipotence was no longer felt either at the Grotto or at the + Basilica; they seemed to surrender every key together with every + responsibility. Their superior, Father Capdebarthe, a tall, peasant-like + man, with a knotty frame, a big head which looked as if it had been + fashioned with a bill-hook, and a worn face which retained a ruddy + mournful reflection of the soil, did not even show himself. Of the whole + community you only saw little, insinuating Father Dargeles; but he was met + everywhere, incessantly on the look-out for paragraphs for his newspaper. + At the same time, however, although the Fathers of the Immaculate + Conception disappeared in this fashion, it could be divined that they were + behind the vast stage, like a hidden sovereign power, coining money and + toiling without a pause to increase the triumphant prosperity of their + business. Indeed, they turned even their humility to account. + </p> + <p> + “It’s true that we have had to get up early—two in the morning,” + resumed Father Fourcade gaily. “But I wished to be here. What would my + poor children have said, indeed, if I had not come?” + </p> + <p> + He was alluding to the sick pilgrims, those who were so much flesh for + miracle-working; and it was a fact that he had never missed coming to the + station, no matter what the hour, to meet that woeful white train, that + train which brought such grievous suffering with it. + </p> + <p> + “Five-and-twenty minutes past three—only another five minutes now,” + exclaimed Dr. Bonamy repressing a yawn as he glanced at the clock; for, + despite his obsequious air, he was at bottom very much annoyed at having + had to get out of bed so early. However, he continued his slow promenade + with Father Fourcade along that platform which resembled a covered walk, + pacing up and down in the dense night which the gas jets here and there + illumined with patches of yellow light. Little parties, dimly outlined, + composed of priests and gentlemen in frock-coats, with a solitary officer + of dragoons, went to and fro incessantly, talking together the while in + discreet murmuring tones. Other people, seated on benches, ranged along + the station wall, were also chatting or putting their patience to proof + with their glances wandering away into the black stretch of country before + them. The doorways of the offices and waiting-rooms, which were + brilliantly lighted, looked like great holes in the darkness, and all was + flaring in the refreshment-room, where you could see the marble tables and + the counter laden with bottles and glasses and baskets of bread and fruit. + </p> + <p> + On the right hand, beyond the roofing of the platform, there was a + confused swarming of people. There was here a goods gate, by which the + sick were taken out of the station, and a mass of stretchers, litters, and + hand-carts, with piles of pillows and mattresses, obstructed the broad + walk. Three parties of bearers were also assembled here, persons of + well-nigh every class, but more particularly young men of good society, + all wearing red, orange-tipped crosses and straps of yellow leather. Many + of them, too, had adopted the Bearnese cap, the convenient head-gear of + the region; and a few, clad as though they were bound on some distant + expedition, displayed wonderful gaiters reaching to their knees. Some were + smoking, whilst others, installed in their little vehicles, slept or read + newspapers by the light of the neighbouring gas jets. One group, standing + apart, were discussing some service question. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, however, one and all began to salute. A paternal-looking man, + with a heavy but good-natured face, lighted by large blue eyes, like those + of a credulous child, was approaching. It was Baron Suire, the President + of the Hospitality of Our Lady of Salvation. He possessed a great fortune + and occupied a high position at Toulouse. + </p> + <p> + “Where is Berthaud?” he inquired of one bearer after another, with a busy + air. “Where is Berthaud? I must speak to him.” + </p> + <p> + The others answered, volunteering contradictory information. Berthaud was + their superintendent, and whilst some said that they had seen him with the + Reverend Father Fourcade, others affirmed that he must be in the courtyard + of the station inspecting the ambulance vehicles. And they thereupon + offered to go and fetch him. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, thank you,” replied the Baron. “I shall manage to find him + myself.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst this was happening, Berthaud, who had just seated himself on a + bench at the other end of the station, was talking with his young friend, + Gérard de Peyrelongue, by way of occupation pending the arrival of the + train. The superintendent of the bearers was a man of forty, with a broad, + regular-featured, handsome face and carefully trimmed whiskers of a + lawyer-like pattern. Belonging to a militant Legitimist family and holding + extremely reactionary opinions, he had been Procureur de la Republique + (public prosecutor) in a town of the south of France from the time of the + parliamentary revolution of the twenty-fourth of May* until that of the + decree of the Religious Communities,** when he had resigned his post in a + blusterous fashion, by addressing an insulting letter to the Minister of + Justice. And he had never since laid down his arms, but had joined the + Hospitality of Our Lady of Salvation as a sort of protest, repairing year + after year to Lourdes in order to “demonstrate”; convinced as he was that + the pilgrimages were both disagreeable and hurtful to the Republic, and + that God alone could re-establish the Monarchy by one of those miracles + which He worked so lavishly at the Grotto. Despite all this, however, + Berthaud possessed no small amount of good sense, and being of a gay + disposition, displayed a kind of jovial charity towards the poor sufferers + whose transport he had to provide for during the three days that the + national pilgrimage remained at Lourdes. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The parliamentary revolution of May, 1873, by which M. Thiers + was overthrown and Marshal MacMahon installed in his place with + the object of restoring the Monarchy in France.—Trans. + + ** M. Grevy’s decree by which the Jesuits were expelled.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “And so, my dear Gérard,” he said to the young man seated beside him, + “your marriage is really to come off this year?” + </p> + <p> + “Why yes, if I can find such a wife as I want,” replied the other. “Come, + cousin, give me some good advice.” + </p> + <p> + Gérard de Peyrelongue, a short, thin, carroty young man, with a pronounced + nose and prominent cheek-bones, belonged to Tarbes, where his father and + mother had lately died, leaving him at the utmost some seven or eight + thousand francs a year. Extremely ambitious, he had been unable to find + such a wife as he desired in his native province—a well-connected + young woman capable of helping him to push both forward and upward in the + world; and so he had joined the Hospitality, and betook himself every + summer to Lourdes, in the vague hope that amidst the mass of believers, + the torrent of devout mammas and daughters which flowed thither, he might + find the family whose help he needed to enable him to make his way in this + terrestrial sphere. However, he remained in perplexity, for if, on the one + hand, he already had several young ladies in view, on the other, none of + them completely satisfied him. + </p> + <p> + “Eh, cousin? You will advise me, won’t you?” he said to Berthaud. “You are + a man of experience. There is Mademoiselle Lemercier who comes here with + her aunt. She is very rich; according to what is said she has over a + million francs. But she doesn’t belong to our set, and besides I think her + a bit of a madcap.” + </p> + <p> + Berthaud nodded. “I told you so; if I were you I should choose little + Raymonde, Mademoiselle de Jonquière.” + </p> + <p> + “But she hasn’t a copper!” + </p> + <p> + “That’s true—she has barely enough to pay for her board. But she is + fairly good-looking, she has been well brought up, and she has no + extravagant tastes. That is the really important point, for what is the + use of marrying a rich girl if she squanders the dowry she brings you? + Besides, I know Madame and Mademoiselle de Jonquière very well, I meet + them all through the winter in the most influential drawing-rooms of + Paris. And, finally, don’t forget the girl’s uncle, the diplomatist, who + has had the painful courage to remain in the service of the Republic. He + will be able to do whatever he pleases for his niece’s husband.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment Gérard seemed shaken, and then he relapsed into perplexity. + “But she hasn’t a copper,” he said, “no, not a copper. It’s too stiff. I + am quite willing to think it over, but it really frightens me too much.” + </p> + <p> + This time Berthaud burst into a frank laugh. “Come, you are ambitious, so + you must be daring. I tell you that it means the secretaryship of an + embassy before two years are over. By the way, Madame and Mademoiselle de + Jonquière are in the white train which we are waiting for. Make up your + mind and pay your court at once.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no! Later on. I want to think it over.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment they were interrupted, for Baron Suire, who had already + once gone by without perceiving them, so completely did the darkness + enshroud them in that retired corner, had just recognised the ex-public + prosecutor’s good-natured laugh. And, thereupon, with the volubility of a + man whose head is easily unhinged, he gave him several orders respecting + the vehicles and the transport service, deploring the circumstance that it + would be impossible to conduct the patients to the Grotto immediately on + their arrival, as it was yet so extremely early. It had therefore been + decided that they should in the first instance be taken to the Hospital of + Our Lady of Dolours, where they would be able to rest awhile after their + trying journey. + </p> + <p> + Whilst the Baron and the superintendent were thus settling what measures + should be adopted, Gérard shook hands with a priest who had sat down + beside him. This was the Abbé des Hermoises, who was barely + eight-and-thirty years of age and had a superb head—such a head as + one might expect to find on the shoulders of a worldly priest. With his + hair well combed, and his person perfumed, he was not unnaturally a great + favourite among women. Very amiable and distinguished in his manners, he + did not come to Lourdes in any official capacity, but simply for his + pleasure, as so many other people did; and the bright, sparkling smile of + a sceptic above all idolatry gleamed in the depths of his fine eyes. He + certainly believed, and bowed to superior decisions; but the Church—the + Holy See—had not pronounced itself with regard to the miracles; and + he seemed quite ready to dispute their authenticity. Having lived at + Tarbes he was already acquainted with Gérard. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” he said to him, “how impressive it is—isn’t it?—this + waiting for the trains in the middle of the night! I have come to meet a + lady—one of my former Paris penitents—but I don’t know what + train she will come by. Still, as you see, I stop on, for it all interests + me so much.” + </p> + <p> + Then another priest, an old country priest, having come to sit down on the + same bench, the Abbé considerately began talking to him, speaking of the + beauty of the Lourdes district and of the theatrical effect which would + take place by-and-by when the sun rose and the mountains appeared. + </p> + <p> + However, there was again a sudden alert, and the station-master ran along + shouting orders. Removing his hand from Dr. Bonamy’s shoulder, Father + Fourcade, despite his gouty leg, hastily drew near. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it’s that Bayonne express which is so late,” answered the + station-master in reply to the questions addressed to him. “I should like + some information about it; I’m not at ease.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment the telegraph bells rang out and a porter rushed away into + the darkness swinging a lantern, whilst a distant signal began to work. + Thereupon the station-master resumed: “Ah! this time it’s the white train. + Let us hope we shall have time to get the sick people out before the + express passes.” + </p> + <p> + He started off once more and disappeared. Berthaud meanwhile called to + Gérard, who was at the head of a squad of bearers, and they both made + haste to join their men, into whom Baron Suire was already instilling + activity. The bearers flocked to the spot from all sides, and setting + themselves in motion began dragging their little vehicles across the lines + to the platform at which the white train would come in—an unroofed + platform plunged in darkness. A mass of pillows, mattresses, stretchers, + and litters was soon waiting there, whilst Father Fourcade, Dr. Bonamy, + the priests, the gentlemen, and the officer of dragoons in their turn + crossed over in order to witness the removal of the ailing pilgrims. All + that they could as yet see, far away in the depths of the black country, + was the lantern in front of the engine, looking like a red star which grew + larger and larger. Strident whistles pierced the night, then suddenly + ceased, and you only heard the panting of the steam and the dull roar of + the wheels gradually slackening their speed. Then the canticle became + distinctly audible, the song of Bernadette with the ever-recurring “Aves” + of its refrain, which the whole train was chanting in chorus. And at last + this train of suffering and faith, this moaning, singing train, thus + making its entry into Lourdes, drew up in the station. + </p> + <p> + The carriage doors were at once opened, the whole throng of healthy + pilgrims, and of ailing ones able to walk, alighted, and streamed over the + platform. The few gas lamps cast but a feeble light on the crowd of + poverty-stricken beings clad in faded garments, and encumbered with all + sorts of parcels, baskets, valises, and boxes. And amidst all the jostling + of this scared flock, which did not know in which direction to turn to + find its way out of the station, loud exclamations were heard, the shouts + of people calling relatives whom they had lost, mingled with the embraces + of others whom relatives or friends had come to meet. One woman declared + with beatifical satisfaction, “I have slept well.” A priest went off + carrying his travelling-bag, after wishing a crippled lady “good luck!” + Most of them had the bewildered, weary, yet joyous appearance of people + whom an excursion train sets down at some unknown station. And such became + the scramble and the confusion in the darkness, that they did not hear the + railway <i>employés</i> who grew quite hoarse through shouting, “This way! + this way!” in their eagerness to clear the platform as soon as possible. + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe had nimbly alighted from her compartment, leaving the + dead man in the charge of Sister Claire des Anges; and, losing her head + somewhat, she ran off to the cantine van in the idea that Ferrand would be + able to help her. Fortunately she found Father Fourcade in front of the + van and acquainted him with the fatality in a low voice. Repressing a + gesture of annoyance, he thereupon called Baron Suire, who was passing, + and began whispering in his ear. The muttering lasted for a few seconds, + and then the Baron rushed off, and clove his way through the crowd with + two bearers carrying a covered litter. In this the man was removed from + the carriage as though he were a patient who had simply fainted, the mob + of pilgrims paying no further attention to him amidst all the emotion of + their arrival. Preceded by the Baron, the bearers carried the corpse into + a goods office, where they provisionally lodged it behind some barrels; + one of them, a fair-haired little fellow, a general’s son, remaining to + watch over it. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, after begging Ferrand and Sister Saint-François to go and wait + for her in the courtyard of the station, near the reserved vehicle which + was to take them to the Hospital of Our Lady of Dolours, Sister Hyacinthe + returned to the railway carriage and talked of helping her patients to + alight before going away. But Marie would not let her touch her. “No, no!” + said the girl, “do not trouble about me, Sister. I shall remain here the + last. My father and Abbé Froment have gone to the van to fetch the wheels; + I am waiting for their return; they know how to fix them, and they will + take me away all right, you may be sure of it.” + </p> + <p> + In the same way M. Sabathier and Brother Isidore did not desire to be + moved until the crowd had decreased. Madame de Jonquière, who had taken + charge of La Grivotte, also promised to see to Madame Vetu’s removal in an + ambulance vehicle. And thereupon Sister Hyacinthe decided that she would + go off at once so as to get everything ready at the hospital. Moreover, + she took with her both little Sophie Couteau and Elise Rouquet, whose face + she very carefully wrapped up. Madame Maze preceded them, while Madame + Vincent, carrying her little girl, who was unconscious and quite white, + struggled through the crowd, possessed by the fixed idea of running off as + soon as possible and depositing the child in the Grotto at the feet of the + Blessed Virgin. + </p> + <p> + The mob was now pressing towards the doorway by which passengers left the + station, and to facilitate the egress of all these people it at last + became necessary to open the luggage gates. The <i>employés</i>, at a loss + how to take the tickets, held out their caps, which a downpour of the + little cards speedily filled. And in the courtyard, a large square + courtyard, skirted on three sides by the low buildings of the station, the + most extraordinary uproar prevailed amongst all the vehicles of divers + kinds which were there jumbled together. The hotel omnibuses, backed + against the curb of the footway, displayed the most sacred names on their + large boards—Jesus and Mary, St. Michel, the Rosary, and the Sacred + Heart. Then there were ambulance vehicles, landaus, cabriolets, brakes, + and little donkey carts, all entangled together, with their drivers + shouting, swearing, and cracking their whips—the tumult being + apparently increased by the obscurity in which the lanterns set brilliant + patches of light. + </p> + <p> + Rain had fallen heavily a few hours previously. Liquid mud splashed up + under the hoofs of the horses; the foot passengers sank into it to their + ankles. M. Vigneron, whom Madame Vigneron and Madame Chaise were following + in a state of distraction, raised Gustave, in order to place him in the + omnibus from the Hotel of the Apparitions, after which he himself and the + ladies climbed into the vehicle. Madame Maze, shuddering slightly, like a + delicate tabby who fears to dirty the tips of her paws, made a sign to the + driver of an old brougham, got into it, and quickly drove away, after + giving as address the Convent of the Blue Sisters. And at last Sister + Hyacinthe was able to install herself with Elise Rouquet and Sophie + Couteau in a large <i>char-a-bancs</i>, in which Ferrand and Sisters + Saint-François and Claire des Anges were already seated. The drivers + whipped up their spirited little horses, and the vehicles went off at a + breakneck pace, amidst the shouts of those left behind, and the splashing + of the mire. + </p> + <p> + In presence of that rushing torrent, Madame Vincent, with her dear little + burden in her arms, hesitated to cross over. Bursts of laughter rang out + around her every now and then. Oh! what a filthy mess! And at sight of all + the mud, the women caught up their skirts before attempting to pass + through it. At last, when the courtyard had somewhat emptied, Madame + Vincent herself ventured on her way, all terror lest the mire should make + her fall in that black darkness. Then, on reaching a downhill road, she + noticed there a number of women of the locality who were on the watch, + offering furnished rooms, bed and board, according to the state of the + pilgrim’s purse. + </p> + <p> + “Which is the way to the Grotto, madame, if you please?” asked Madame + Vincent, addressing one old woman of the party. + </p> + <p> + Instead of answering the question, however, the other offered her a cheap + room. “You won’t find anything in the hotels,” said she, “for they are all + full. Perhaps you will be able to eat there, but you certainly won’t find + a closet even to sleep in.” + </p> + <p> + Eat, sleep, indeed! Had Madame Vincent any thought of such things; she who + had left Paris with thirty sous in her pocket, all that remained to her + after the expenses she had been put to! + </p> + <p> + “The way to the Grotto, if you please, madame?” she repeated. + </p> + <p> + Among the women who were thus touting for lodgers, there was a tall, + well-built girl, dressed like a superior servant, and looking very clean, + with carefully tended hands. She glanced at Madame Vincent and slightly + shrugged her shoulders. And then, seeing a broad-chested priest with a red + face go by, she rushed after him, offered him a furnished room, and + continued following him, whispering in his ear. + </p> + <p> + Another girl, however, at last took pity on Madame Vincent and said to + her: “Here, go down this road, and when you get to the bottom, turn to the + right and you will reach the Grotto.” + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, the confusion inside the station continued. The healthy + pilgrims, and those of the sick who retained the use of their legs could + go off, thus, in some measure, clearing the platform; but the others, the + more grievously stricken sufferers whom it was difficult to get out of the + carriages and remove to the hospital, remained waiting. The bearers seemed + to become quite bewildered, rushing madly hither and thither with their + litters and vehicles, not knowing at what end to set about the profusion + of work which lay before them. + </p> + <p> + As Berthaud, followed by Gérard, went along the platform, gesticulating, + he noticed two ladies and a girl who were standing under a gas jet and to + all appearance waiting. In the girl he recognised Raymonde, and with a + sign of the hand he at once stopped his companion. “Ah! mademoiselle,” + said he, “how pleased I am to see you! Is Madame de Jonquière quite well? + You have made a good journey, I hope?” Then, without a pause, he added: + “This is my friend, Monsieur Gérard de Peyrelongue.” + </p> + <p> + Raymonde gazed fixedly at the young man with her clear, smiling eyes. “Oh! + I already have the pleasure of being slightly acquainted with this + gentleman,” she said. “We have previously met one another at Lourdes.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Gérard, who thought that his cousin Berthaud was conducting + matters too quickly, and was quite resolved that he would not enter into + any hasty engagement, contented himself with bowing in a ceremonious way. + </p> + <p> + “We are waiting for mamma,” resumed Raymonde. “She is extremely busy; she + has to see after some pilgrims who are very ill.” + </p> + <p> + At this, little Madame Désagneaux, with her pretty, light wavy-haired + head, began to say that it served Madame de Jonquière right for refusing + her services. She herself was stamping with impatience, eager to join in + the work and make herself useful, whilst Madame Volmar, silent, shrinking + back as though taking no interest in it at all, seemed simply desirous of + penetrating the darkness, as though, indeed, she were seeking somebody + with those magnificent eyes of hers, usually bedimmed, but now shining out + like brasiers. + </p> + <p> + Just then, however, they were all pushed back. Madame Dieulafay was being + removed from her first-class compartment, and Madame Désagneaux could not + restrain an exclamation of pity. “Ah! the poor woman!” + </p> + <p> + There could in fact be no more distressing sight than this young woman, + encompassed by luxury, covered with lace in her species of coffin, so + wasted that she seemed to be a mere human shred, deposited on that + platform till it could be taken away. Her husband and her sister, both + very elegant and very sad, remained standing near her, whilst a + man-servant and maid ran off with the valises to ascertain if the carriage + which had been ordered by telegram was in the courtyard. Abbé Judaine also + helped the sufferer; and when two men at last took her up he bent over her + and wished her <i>au revoir</i>, adding some kind words which she did not + seem to hear. Then as he watched her removal, he resumed, addressing + himself to Berthaud, whom he knew: “Ah! the poor people, if they could + only purchase their dear sufferer’s cure. I told them that prayer was the + most precious thing in the Blessed Virgin’s eyes, and I hope that I have + myself prayed fervently enough to obtain the compassion of Heaven. + Nevertheless, they have brought a magnificent gift, a golden lantern for + the Basilica, a perfect marvel, adorned with precious stones. May the + Immaculate Virgin deign to smile upon it!” + </p> + <p> + In this way a great many offerings were brought by the pilgrims. Some huge + bouquets of flowers had just gone by, together with a kind of triple crown + of roses, mounted on a wooden stand. And the old priest explained that + before leaving the station he wished to secure a banner, the gift of the + beautiful Madame Jousseur, Madame Dieulafay’s sister. + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière was at last approaching, however, and on perceiving + Berthaud and Gérard she exclaimed: “Pray do go to that carriage, gentlemen—that + one, there! We want some men very badly. There are three or four sick + persons to be taken out. I am in despair; I can do nothing myself.” + </p> + <p> + Gérard ran off after bowing to Raymonde, whilst Berthaud advised Madame de + Jonquière to leave the station with her daughter and those ladies instead + of remaining on the platform. Her presence was in nowise necessary, he + said; he would undertake everything, and within three quarters of an hour + she would find her patients in her ward at the hospital. She ended by + giving way, and took a conveyance in company with Raymonde and Madame + Désagneaux. As for Madame Volmar, she had at the last moment disappeared, + as though seized with a sudden fit of impatience. The others fancied that + they had seen her approach a strange gentleman, with the object no doubt + of making some inquiry of him. However, they would of course find her at + the hospital. + </p> + <p> + Berthaud joined Gérard again just as the young man, assisted by two + fellow-bearers, was endeavouring to remove M. Sabathier from the carriage. + It was a difficult task, for he was very stout and very heavy, and they + began to think that he would never pass through the doorway of the + compartment. However, as he had been got in they ought to be able to get + him out; and indeed when two other bearers had entered the carriage from + the other side, they were at last able to deposit him on the platform. + </p> + <p> + The dawn was now appearing, a faint pale dawn; and the platform presented + the woeful appearance of an improvised hospital. La Grivotte, who had lost + consciousness, lay there on a mattress pending her removal in a litter; + whilst Madame Vetu had been seated against a lamp-post, suffering so + severely from another attack of her ailment that they scarcely dared to + touch her. Some hospitallers, whose hands were gloved, were with + difficulty wheeling their little vehicles in which were poor, + sordid-looking women with old baskets at their feet. Others, with + stretchers on which lay the stiffened, woeful bodies of silent sufferers, + whose eyes gleamed with anguish, found themselves unable to pass; but some + of the infirm pilgrims, some unfortunate cripples, contrived to slip + through the ranks, among them a young priest who was lame, and a little + humpbacked boy, one of whose legs had been amputated, and who, looking + like a gnome, managed to drag himself with his crutches from group to + group. Then there was quite a block around a man who was bent in half, + twisted by paralysis to such a point that he had to be carried on a chair + with his head and feet hanging downward. It seemed as though hours would + be required to clear the platform. + </p> + <p> + The dismay therefore reached a climax when the station-master suddenly + rushed up shouting: “The Bayonne express is signalled. Make haste! make + haste! You have only three minutes left!” + </p> + <p> + Father Fourcade, who had remained in the midst of the throng, leaning on + Doctor Bonamy’s arm, and gaily encouraging the more stricken of the + sufferers, beckoned to Berthaud and said to him: “Finish taking them out + of the train; you will be able to clear the platform afterwards!” + </p> + <p> + The advice was very sensible, and in accordance with it they finished + placing the sufferers on the platform. In Madame de Jonquière’s carriage + Marie now alone remained, waiting patiently. M. de Guersaint and Pierre + had at last returned to her, bringing the two pairs of wheels by means of + which the box in which she lay was rolled about. And with Gérard’s + assistance Pierre in all haste removed the girl from the train. She was as + light as a poor shivering bird, and it was only the box that gave them any + trouble. However, they soon placed it on the wheels and made the latter + fast, and then Pierre might have rolled Marie away had it not been for the + crowd which hampered him. + </p> + <p> + “Make haste! make haste!” furiously repeated the station-master. + </p> + <p> + He himself lent a hand, taking hold of a sick man by the feet in order to + remove him from the compartment more speedily. And he also pushed the + little hand-carts back, so as to clear the edge of the platform. In a + second-class carriage, however, there still remained one woman who had + just been overpowered by a terrible nervous attack. She was howling and + struggling, and it was impossible to think of touching her at that moment. + But on the other hand the express, signalled by the incessant tinkling of + the electric bells, was now fast approaching, and they had to close the + door and in all haste shunt the train to the siding where it would remain + for three days, until in fact it was required to convey its load of sick + and healthy passengers back to Paris. As it went off to the siding the + crowd still heard the cries of the suffering woman, whom it had been + necessary to leave in it, in charge of a Sister, cries which grew weaker + and weaker, like those of a strengthless child whom one at last succeeds + in consoling. + </p> + <p> + “Good Lord!” muttered the station-master; “it was high time!” + </p> + <p> + In fact the Bayonne express was now coming along at full speed, and the + next moment it rushed like a crash of thunder past that woeful platform + littered with all the grievous wretchedness of a hospital hastily + evacuated. The litters and little handcarts were shaken, but there was no + accident, for the porters were on the watch, and pushed back the + bewildered flock which was still jostling and struggling in its eagerness + to get away. As soon as the express had passed, however, circulation was + re-established, and the bearers were at last able to complete the removal + of the sick with prudent deliberation. + </p> + <p> + Little by little the daylight was increasing—a clear dawn it was, + whitening the heavens whose reflection illumined the earth, which was + still black. One began to distinguish things and people clearly. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, by-and-by!” Marie repeated to Pierre, as he endeavoured to roll her + away. “Let us wait till some part of the crowd has gone.” + </p> + <p> + Then, looking around, she began to feel interested in a man of military + bearing, apparently some sixty years of age, who was walking about among + the sick pilgrims. With a square-shaped head and white bushy hair, he + would still have looked sturdy if he had not dragged his left foot, + throwing it inward at each step he took. With the left hand, too, he leant + heavily on a thick walking-stick. When M. Sabathier, who had visited + Lourdes for six years past, perceived him, he became quite gay. “Ah!” said + he, “it is you, Commander!” + </p> + <p> + Commander was perhaps the old man’s name. But as he was decorated with a + broad red riband, he was possibly called Commander on account of his + decoration, albeit the latter was that of a mere chevalier. Nobody exactly + knew his story. No doubt he had relatives and children of his own + somewhere, but these matters remained vague and mysterious. For the last + three years he had been employed at the railway station as a + superintendent in the goods department, a simple occupation, a little + berth which had been given him by favour and which enabled him to live in + perfect happiness. A first stroke of apoplexy at fifty-five years of age + had been followed by a second one three years later, which had left him + slightly paralysed in the left side. And now he was awaiting the third + stroke with an air of perfect tranquillity. As he himself put it, he was + at the disposal of death, which might come for him that night, the next + day, or possibly that very moment. All Lourdes knew him on account of the + habit, the mania he had, at pilgrimage time, of coming to witness the + arrival of the trains, dragging his foot along and leaning upon his stick, + whilst expressing his astonishment and reproaching the ailing ones for + their intense desire to be made whole and sound again. + </p> + <p> + This was the third year that he had seen M. Sabathier arrive, and all his + anger fell upon him. “What! you have come back <i>again</i>!” he + exclaimed. “Well, you <i>must</i> be desirous of living this hateful life! + But <i>sacrebleu</i>! go and die quietly in your bed at home. Isn’t that + the best thing that can happen to anyone?” + </p> + <p> + M. Sabathier evinced no anger, but laughed, exhausted though he was by the + handling to which he had been subjected during his removal from the + carriage. “No, no,” said he, “I prefer to be cured.” + </p> + <p> + “To be cured, to be cured! That’s what they all ask for. They travel + hundreds of leagues and arrive in fragments, howling with pain, and all + this to be cured—to go through every worry and every suffering + again. Come, monsieur, you would be nicely caught if, at your age and with + your dilapidated old body, your Blessed Virgin should be pleased to + restore the use of your legs to you. What would you do with them, <i>mon + Dieu?</i> What pleasure would you find in prolonging the abomination of + old age for a few years more? It’s much better to die at once, while you + are like that! Death is happiness!” + </p> + <p> + He spoke in this fashion, not as a believer who aspires to the delicious + reward of eternal life, but as a weary man who expects to fall into + nihility, to enjoy the great everlasting peace of being no more. + </p> + <p> + Whilst M. Sabathier was gaily shrugging his shoulders as though he had a + child to deal with, Abbé Judaine, who had at last secured his banner, came + by and stopped for a moment in order that he might gently scold the + Commander, with whom he also was well acquainted. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t blaspheme, my dear friend,” he said. “It is an offence against God + to refuse life and to treat health with contempt. If you yourself had + listened to me, you would have asked the Blessed Virgin to cure your leg + before now.” + </p> + <p> + At this the Commander became angry. “My leg! The Virgin can do nothing to + it! I’m quite at my ease. May death come and may it all be over forever! + When the time comes to die you turn your face to the wall and you die—it’s + simple enough.” + </p> + <p> + The old priest interrupted him, however. Pointing to Marie, who was lying + on her box listening to them, he exclaimed: “You tell all our sick to go + home and die—even mademoiselle, eh? She who is full of youth and + wishes to live.” + </p> + <p> + Marie’s eyes were wide open, burning with the ardent desire which she felt + to <i>be</i>, to enjoy her share of the vast world; and the Commander, who + had drawn near, gazed upon her, suddenly seized with deep emotion which + made his voice tremble. “If mademoiselle gets well,” he said, “I will wish + her another miracle, that she be happy.” + </p> + <p> + Then he went off, dragging his foot and tapping the flagstones with the + ferrule of his stout stick as he continued wending his way, like an angry + philosopher among the suffering pilgrims. + </p> + <p> + Little by little, the platform was at last cleared. Madame Vetu and La + Grivotte were carried away, and Gérard removed M. Sabathier in a little + cart, whilst Baron Suire and Berthaud already began giving orders for the + green train, which would be the next one to arrive. Of all the ailing + pilgrims the only one now remaining at the station was Marie, of whom + Pierre jealously took charge. He had already dragged her into the + courtyard when he noticed that M. de Guersaint had disappeared; but a + moment later he perceived him conversing with the Abbé des Hermoises, + whose acquaintance he had just made. Their admiration of the beauties of + nature had brought them together. The daylight had now appeared, and the + surrounding mountains displayed themselves in all their majesty. + </p> + <p> + “What a lovely country, monsieur!” exclaimed M. de Guersaint. “I have been + wishing to see the Cirque de Gavarnie for thirty years past. But it is + some distance away and the trip must be an expensive one, so that I fear I + shall not be able to make it.” + </p> + <p> + “You are mistaken, monsieur,” said the Abbé; “nothing is more easily + managed. By making up a party the expense becomes very slight. And as it + happens, I wish to return there this year, so that if you would like to + join us—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, certainly, monsieur. We will speak of it again. A thousand thanks,” + replied M. de Guersaint. + </p> + <p> + His daughter was now calling him, however, and he joined her after taking + leave of the Abbé in a very cordial manner. Pierre had decided that he + would drag Marie to the hospital so as to spare her the pain of + transference to another vehicle. But as the omnibuses, landaus, and other + conveyances were already coming back, again filling the courtyard in + readiness for the arrival of the next train, the young priest had some + difficulty in reaching the road with the little chariot whose low wheels + sank deeply in the mud. Some police agents charged with maintaining order + were cursing that fearful mire which splashed their boots; and indeed it + was only the touts, the young and old women who had rooms to let, who + laughed at the puddles, which they crossed and crossed again in every + direction, pursuing the last pilgrims that emerged from the station. + </p> + <p> + When the little car had begun to roll more easily over the sloping road + Marie suddenly inquired of M. de Guersaint, who was walking near her: + “What day of the week is it, father?” + </p> + <p> + “Saturday, my darling.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes, Saturday, the day of the Blessed Virgin. Is it to-day that she + will cure me?” + </p> + <p> + Then she began thinking again; while, at some distance behind her, two + bearers came furtively down the road, with a covered stretcher in which + lay the corpse of the man who had died in the train. They had gone to take + it from behind the barrels in the goods office, and were now conveying it + to a secret spot of which Father Fourcade had told them. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap07"></a> + II. HOSPITAL AND GROTTO + </h2> + <p> + BUILT, so far as it extends, by a charitable Canon, and left unfinished + through lack of money, the Hospital of Our Lady of Dolours is a vast pile, + four storeys high, and consequently far too lofty, since it is difficult + to carry the sufferers to the topmost wards. As a rule the building is + occupied by a hundred infirm and aged paupers; but at the season of the + national pilgrimage these old folks are for three days sheltered + elsewhere, and the hospital is let to the Fathers of the Assumption, who + at times lodge in it as many as five and six hundred patients. Still, + however closely packed they may be, the accommodation never suffices, so + that the three or four hundred remaining sufferers have to be distributed + between the Hospital of Salvation and the town hospital, the men being + sent to the former and the women to the latter institution. + </p> + <p> + That morning at sunrise great confusion prevailed in the sand-covered + courtyard of Our Lady of Dolours, at the door of which a couple of priests + were mounting guard. The temporary staff, with its formidable supply of + registers, cards, and printed formulas, had installed itself in one of the + ground-floor rooms on the previous day. The managers were desirous of + greatly improving upon the organisation of the preceding year. The lower + wards were this time to be reserved to the most helpless sufferers; and in + order to prevent a repetition of the cases of mistaken identity which had + occurred in the past, very great care was to be taken in filling in and + distributing the admission cards, each of which bore the name of a ward + and the number of a bed. It became difficult, however, to act in + accordance with these good intentions in presence of the torrent of ailing + beings which the white train had brought to Lourdes, and the new + formalities so complicated matters that the patients had to be deposited + in the courtyard as they arrived, to wait there until it became possible + to admit them in something like an orderly manner. It was the scene + witnessed at the railway station all over again, the same woeful camping + in the open, whilst the bearers and the young seminarists who acted as the + secretary’s assistants ran hither and thither in bewilderment. + </p> + <p> + “We have been over-ambitious, we wanted to do things too well!” exclaimed + Baron Suire in despair. + </p> + <p> + There was much truth in his remark, for never had a greater number of + useless precautions been taken, and they now discovered that, by some + inexplicable error, they had allotted not the lower—but the + higher-placed wards to the patients whom it was most difficult to move. It + was impossible to begin the classification afresh, however, and so as in + former years things must be allowed to take their course, in a haphazard + way. The distribution of the cards began, a young priest at the same time + entering each patient’s name and address in a register. Moreover, all the + <i>hospitalisation</i> cards bearing the patients’ names and numbers had + to be produced, so that the names of the wards and the numbers of the beds + might be added to them; and all these formalities greatly protracted the + <i>défile</i>. + </p> + <p> + Then there was an endless coming and going from the top to the bottom of + the building, and from one to the other end of each of its four floors. M. + Sabathier was one of the first to secure admittance, being placed in a + ground-floor room which was known as the Family Ward. Sick men were there + allowed to have their wives with them; but to the other wards of the + hospital only women were admitted. Brother Isidore, it is true, was + accompanied by his sister; however, by a special favour it was agreed that + they should be considered as conjoints, and the missionary was accordingly + placed in the bed next to that allotted to M. Sabathier. The chapel, still + littered with plaster and with its unfinished windows boarded up, was + close at hand. There were also various wards in an unfinished state; still + these were filled with mattresses, on which sufferers were rapidly placed. + All those who could walk, however, were already besieging the refectory, a + long gallery whose broad windows looked into an inner courtyard; and the + Saint-Frai Sisters, who managed the hospital at other times, and had + remained to attend to the cooking, began to distribute bowls of coffee and + chocolate among the poor women whom the terrible journey had exhausted. + </p> + <p> + “Rest yourselves and try to gain a little strength,” repeated Baron Suire, + who was ever on the move, showing himself here, there, and everywhere in + rapid succession. “You have three good hours before you, it is not yet + five, and their reverences have given orders that you are not to be taken + to the Grotto until eight o’clock, so as to avoid any excessive fatigue.” + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, up above on the second floor, Madame de Jonquière had been one + of the first to take possession of the Sainte-Honorine Ward of which she + was the superintendent. She had been obliged to leave her daughter + Raymonde downstairs, for the regulations did not allow young girls to + enter the wards, where they might have witnessed sights that were scarcely + proper or else too horrible for such eyes as theirs. Raymonde had + therefore remained in the refectory as a helper; however, little Madame + Désagneaux, being a lady-hospitaller, had not left the superintendent, and + was already asking her for orders, in her delight that she should at last + be able to render some assistance. + </p> + <p> + “Are all these beds properly made, madame?” she inquired; “perhaps I had + better make them afresh with Sister Hyacinthe.” + </p> + <p> + The ward, whose walls were painted a light yellow, and whose few windows + admitted but little light from an inner yard, contained fifteen beds, + standing in two rows against the walls. + </p> + <p> + “We will see by-and-by,” replied Madame de Jonquière with an absorbed air. + She was busy counting the beds and examining the long narrow apartment. + And this accomplished she added in an undertone: “I shall never have room + enough. They say that I must accommodate twenty-three patients. We shall + have to put some mattresses down.” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe, who had followed the ladies after leaving Sister + Saint-François and Sister Claire des Anges in a small adjoining apartment + which was being transformed into a linen-room, then began to lift up the + coverlets and examine the bedding. And she promptly reassured Madame + Désagneaux with regard to her surmises. “Oh! the beds are properly made,” + she said; “everything is very clean too. One can see that the Saint-Frai + Sisters have attended to things themselves. The reserve mattresses are in + the next room, however, and if madame will lend me a hand we can place + some of them between the beds at once. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, certainly!” exclaimed young Madame Désagneaux, quite excited by the + idea of carrying mattresses about with her weak slender arms. + </p> + <p> + It became necessary for Madame de Jonquière to calm her. “By-and-by,” said + the lady-superintendent; “there is no hurry. Let us wait till our patients + arrive. I don’t much like this ward, it is so difficult to air. Last year + I had the Sainte-Rosalie Ward on the first floor. However, we will + organise matters, all the same.” + </p> + <p> + Some other lady-hospitallers were now arriving, quite a hiveful of busy + bees, all eager to start on their work. The confusion which so often arose + was, in fact, increased by the excessive number of nurses, women of the + aristocracy and upper-middle class, with whose fervent zeal some little + vanity was blended. There were more than two hundred of them, and as each + had to make a donation on joining the Hospitality of Our Lady of + Salvation, the managers did not dare to refuse any applicants, for fear + lest they might check the flow of alms-giving. Thus the number of + lady-hospitallers increased year by year. Fortunately there were among + them some who cared for nothing beyond the privilege of wearing the red + cloth cross, and who started off on excursions as soon as they reached + Lourdes. Still it must be acknowledged that those who devoted themselves + were really deserving, for they underwent five days of awful fatigue, + sleeping scarcely a couple of hours each night, and living in the midst of + the most terrible and repulsive spectacles. They witnessed the death + agonies, dressed the pestilential sores, cleaned up, changed linen, turned + the sufferers over in their beds, went through a sickening and + overwhelming labour to which they were in no wise accustomed. And thus + they emerged from it aching all over, tired to death, with feverish eyes + flaming with the joy of the charity which so excited them. + </p> + <p> + “And Madame Volmar?” suddenly asked Madame Désagneaux. “I thought we + should find her here.” + </p> + <p> + This was apparently a subject which Madame de Jonquière did not care to + have discussed; for, as though she were aware of the truth and wished to + bury it in silence, with the indulgence of a woman who compassionates + human wretchedness, she promptly retorted: “Madame Volmar isn’t strong, + she must have gone to the hotel to rest. We must let her sleep.” + </p> + <p> + Then she apportioned the beds among the ladies present, allotting two to + each of them; and this done they all finished taking possession of the + place, hastening up and down and backwards and forwards in order to + ascertain where the offices, the linen-room, and the kitchens were + situated. + </p> + <p> + “And the dispensary?” then asked one of the ladies. + </p> + <p> + But there was no dispensary. There was no medical staff even. What would + have been the use of any?—since the patients were those whom science + had given up, despairing creatures who had come to beg of God the cure + which powerless men were unable to promise them. Logically enough, all + treatment was suspended during the pilgrimage. If a patient seemed likely + to die, extreme unction was administered. The only medical man about the + place was the young doctor who had come by the white train with his little + medicine chest; and his intervention was limited to an endeavour to + assuage the sufferings of those patients who chanced to ask for him during + an attack. + </p> + <p> + As it happened, Sister Hyacinthe was just bringing Ferrand, whom Sister + Saint-François had kept with her in a closet near the linen-room which he + proposed to make his quarters. “Madame,” said he to Madame de Jonquière, + “I am entirely at your disposal. In case of need you will only have to + ring for me.” + </p> + <p> + She barely listened to him, however, engaged as she was in a quarrel with + a young priest belonging to the management with reference to a deficiency + of certain utensils. “Certainly, monsieur, if we should need a soothing + draught,” she answered, and then, reverting to her discussion, she went + on: “Well, Monsieur l’Abbé, you must certainly get me four or five more. + How can we possibly manage with so few? Things are bad enough as it is.” + </p> + <p> + Ferrand looked and listened, quite bewildered by the extraordinary + behaviour of the people amongst whom he had been thrown by chance since + the previous day. He who did not believe, who was only present out of + friendship and charity, was amazed at this extraordinary scramble of + wretchedness and suffering rushing towards the hope of happiness. And, as + a medical man of the new school, he was altogether upset by the careless + neglect of precautions, the contempt which was shown for the most simple + teachings of science, in the certainty which was apparently felt that, if + Heaven should so will it, cure would supervene, sudden and resounding, + like a lie given to the very laws of nature. But if this were the case, + what was the use of that last concession to human prejudices—why + engage a doctor for the journey if none were wanted? At this thought the + young man returned to his little room, experiencing a vague feeling of + shame as he realised that his presence was useless, and even a trifle + ridiculous. + </p> + <p> + “Get some opium pills ready all the same,” said Sister Hyacinthe, as she + went back with him as far as the linen-room. “You will be asked for some, + for I feel anxious about some of the patients.” + </p> + <p> + While speaking she looked at him with her large blue eyes, so gentle and + so kind, and ever lighted by a divine smile. The constant exercise which + she gave herself brought the rosy flush of her quick blood to her skin all + dazzling with youthfulness. And like a good friend who was willing that he + should share the work to which she gave her heart, she added: “Besides, if + I should need somebody to get a patient in or out of bed, you will help + me, won’t you?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, at the idea that he might be of use to her, he was pleased that + he had come and was there. In his mind’s eye, he again beheld her at his + bedside, at the time when he had so narrowly escaped death, nursing him + with fraternal hands, with the smiling, compassionate grace of a sexless + angel, in whom there was something more than a comrade, something of a + woman left. However, the thought never occurred to him that there was + religion, belief, behind her. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I will help you as much as you like, Sister,” he replied. “I belong + to you, I shall be so happy to serve you. You know very well what a debt + of gratitude I have to pay you.” + </p> + <p> + In a pretty way she raised her finger to her lips so as to silence him. + Nobody owed her anything. She was merely the servant of the ailing and the + poor. + </p> + <p> + At this moment a first patient was making her entry into the + Sainte-Honorine Ward. It was Marie, lying in her wooden box, which Pierre, + with Gérard’s assistance, had just brought up-stairs. The last to start + from the railway station, she had secured admission before the others, + thanks to the endless complications which, after keeping them all in + suspense, now freed them according to the chance distribution of the + admission cards. M. de Guersaint had quitted his daughter at the hospital + door by her own desire; for, fearing the hotels would be very full, she + had wished him to secure two rooms for himself and Pierre at once. Then, + on reaching the ward, she felt so weary that, after venting her chagrin at + not being immediately taken to the Grotto, she consented to be laid on a + bed for a short time. + </p> + <p> + “Come, my child,” repeated Madame de Jonquière, “you have three hours + before you. We will put you to bed. It will ease you to take you out of + that case.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon the lady-superintendent raised her by the shoulders, whilst + Sister Hyacinthe held her feet. The bed was in the central part of the + ward, near a window. For a moment the poor girl remained on it with her + eyes closed, as though exhausted by being moved about so much. Then it + became necessary that Pierre should be readmitted, for she grew very + fidgety, saying that there were things which she must explain to him. + </p> + <p> + “Pray don’t go away, my friend,” she exclaimed when he approached her. + “Take the case out on to the landing, but stay there, because I want to be + taken down as soon as I can get permission.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you feel more comfortable now?” asked the young priest. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, no doubt—but I really don’t know. I so much want to be taken + yonder to the Blessed Virgin’s feet.” + </p> + <p> + However, when Pierre had removed the case, the successive arrivals of the + other patients supplied her with some little diversion. Madame Vetu, whom + two bearers had brought up-stairs, holding her under the arms, was laid, + fully dressed, on the next bed, where she remained motionless, scarce + breathing, with her heavy, yellow, cancerous mask. None of the patients, + it should be mentioned, were divested of their clothes, they were simply + stretched out on the beds, and advised to go to sleep if they could manage + to do so. Those whose complaints were less grievous contented themselves + with sitting down on their mattresses, chatting together, and putting the + things they had brought with them in order. For instance, Elise Rouquet, + who was also near Marie, on the other side of the latter’s bed, opened her + basket to take a clean fichu out of it, and seemed sorely annoyed at + having no hand-glass with her. In less than ten minutes all the beds were + occupied, so that when La Grivotte appeared, half carried by Sister + Hyacinthe and Sister Claire des Anges, it became necessary to place some + mattresses on the floor. + </p> + <p> + “Here! here is one,” exclaimed Madame Désagneaux; “she will be very well + here, out of the draught from the door.” + </p> + <p> + Seven other mattresses were soon added in a line, occupying the space + between the rows of beds, so that it became difficult to move about. One + had to be very careful, and follow narrow pathways which had been left + between the beds and the mattresses. Each of the patients had retained + possession of her parcel, or box, or bag, and round about the improvised + shakedowns were piles of poor old things, sorry remnants of garments, + straying among the sheets and the coverlets. You might have thought + yourself in some woeful infirmary, hastily organised after some great + catastrophe, some conflagration or earthquake which had thrown hundreds of + wounded and penniless beings into the streets. + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière made her way from one to the other end of the ward, + ever and ever repeating, “Come, my children, don’t excite yourselves; try + to sleep a little.” + </p> + <p> + However, she did not succeed in calming them, and indeed, she herself, + like the other lady-hospitallers under her orders, increased the general + fever by her own bewilderment. The linen of several patients had to be + changed, and there were other needs to be attended to. One woman, + suffering from an ulcer in the leg, began moaning so dreadfully that + Madame Désagneaux undertook to dress her sore afresh; but she was not + skilful, and despite all her passionate courage she almost fainted, so + greatly was she distressed by the unbearable odour. Those patients who + were in better health asked for broth, bowlfuls of which began to + circulate amidst the calls, the answers, and the contradictory orders + which nobody executed. And meanwhile, let loose amidst this frightful + scramble, little Sophie Couteau, who remained with the Sisters, and was + very gay, imagined that it was playtime, and ran, and jumped, and hopped + in turn, called and petted first by one and then by another, dear as she + was to all alike for the miraculous hope which she brought them. + </p> + <p> + However, amidst this agitation, the hours went by. Seven o’clock had just + struck when Abbé Judaine came in. He was the chaplain of the + Sainte-Honorine Ward, and only the difficulty of finding an unoccupied + altar at which he might say his mass had delayed his arrival. As soon as + he appeared, a cry of impatience arose from every bed. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Monsieur le Curé, let us start, let us start at once!” + </p> + <p> + An ardent desire, which each passing minute heightened and irritated, was + upbuoying them, like a more and more devouring thirst, which only the + waters of the miraculous fountain could appease. And more fervently than + any of the others, La Grivotte, sitting up on her mattress, and joining + her hands, begged and begged that she might be taken to the Grotto. Was + there not a beginning of the miracle in this—in this awakening of + her will power, this feverish desire for cure which enabled her to set + herself erect? Inert and fainting on her arrival, she was now seated, + turning her dark glances in all directions, waiting and watching for the + happy moment when she would be removed. And colour also was returning to + her livid face. She was already resuscitating. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Monsieur le Curé, pray do tell them to take me—I feel that I + shall be cured,” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + With a loving, fatherly smile on his good-natured face, Abbé Judaine + listened to them all, and allayed their impatience with kind words. They + would soon set out; but they must be reasonable, and allow sufficient time + for things to be organised; and besides, the Blessed Virgin did not like + to have violence done her; she bided her time, and distributed her divine + favours among those who behaved themselves the best. + </p> + <p> + As he paused before Marie’s bed and beheld her, stammering entreaties with + joined hands, he again paused. “And you, too, my daughter, you are in a + hurry?” he said. “Be easy, there is grace enough in heaven for you all.” + </p> + <p> + “I am dying of love, Father,” she murmured in reply. “My heart is so + swollen with prayers, it stifles me—” + </p> + <p> + He was greatly touched by the passion of this poor emaciated child, so + harshly stricken in her youth and beauty, and wishing to appease her, he + called her attention to Madame Vetu, who did not move, though with her + eyes wide open she stared at all who passed. + </p> + <p> + “Look at madame, how quiet she is!” he said. “She is meditating, and she + does right to place herself in God’s hands, like a little child.” + </p> + <p> + However, in a scarcely audible voice, a mere breath, Madame Vetu + stammered: “Oh! I am suffering, I am suffering.” + </p> + <p> + At last, at a quarter to eight o’clock, Madame de Jonquière warned her + charges that they would do well to prepare themselves. She herself, + assisted by Sister Hyacinthe and Madame Désagneaux, buttoned several + dresses, and put shoes on impotent feet. It was a real toilette, for they + all desired to appear to the greatest advantage before the Blessed Virgin. + A large number had sufficient sense of delicacy to wash their hands. + Others unpacked their parcels, and put on clean linen. On her side, Elise + Rouquet had ended by discovering a little pocket-glass in the hands of a + woman near her, a huge, dropsical creature, who was very coquettish; and + having borrowed it, she leant it against the bolster, and then, with + infinite care, began to fasten her fichu as elegantly as possible about + her head, in order to hide her distorted features. Meanwhile, erect in + front of her, little Sophie watched her with an air of profound interest. + </p> + <p> + It was Abbé Judaine who gave the signal for starting on the journey to the + Grotto. He wished, he said, to accompany his dear suffering daughters + thither, whilst the lady-hospitallers and the Sisters remained in the + ward, so as to put things in some little order again. Then the ward was at + once emptied, the patients being carried down-stairs amidst renewed + tumult. And Pierre, having replaced Marie’s box upon its wheels, took the + first place in the <i>cortège</i>, which was formed of a score of little + handcarts, bath-chairs, and litters. The other wards, however, were also + emptying, the courtyard became crowded, and the <i>défile</i> was + organised in haphazard fashion. There was soon an interminable train + descending the rather steep slope of the Avenue de la Grotte, so that + Pierre was already reaching the Plateau de la Merlasse when the last + stretchers were barely leaving the precincts of the hospital. + </p> + <p> + It was eight o’clock, and the sun, already high, a triumphant August sun, + was flaming in the great sky, which was beautifully clear. It seemed as if + the blue of the atmosphere, cleansed by the storm of the previous night, + were quite new, fresh with youth. And the frightful <i>défile</i>, a + perfect “Cour des Miracles” of human woe, rolled along the sloping + pavement amid all the brilliancy of that radiant morning. There was no end + to the train of abominations; it appeared to grow longer and longer. No + order was observed, ailments of all kinds were jumbled together; it seemed + like the clearing of some inferno where the most monstrous maladies, the + rare and awful cases which provoke a shudder, had been gathered together. + Eczema, roseola, elephantiasis, presented a long array of doleful victims. + Well-nigh vanished diseases reappeared; one old woman was affected with + leprosy, another was, covered with impetiginous lichen like a tree which + has rotted in the shade. Then came the dropsical ones, inflated like + wine-skins; and beside some stretchers there dangled hands twisted by + rheumatism, while from others protruded feet swollen by œdema beyond all + recognition, looking, in fact, like bags full of rags. One woman, + suffering from hydrocephalus, sat in a little cart, the dolorous motions + of her head bespeaking her grievous malady. A tall girl afflicted with + chorea—St. Vitus’s dance—was dancing with every limb, without + a pause, the left side of her face being continually distorted by sudden, + convulsive grimaces. A younger one, who followed, gave vent to a bark, a + kind of plaintive animal cry, each time that the tic douloureux which was + torturing her twisted her mouth and her right cheek, which she seemed to + throw forward. Next came the consumptives, trembling with fever, exhausted + by dysentery, wasted to skeletons, with livid skins, recalling the colour + of that earth in which they would soon be laid to rest; and there was one + among them who was quite white, with flaming eyes, who looked indeed like + a death’s head in which a torch had been lighted. Then every deformity of + the contractions followed in succession—twisted trunks, twisted + arms, necks askew, all the distortions of poor creatures whom nature had + warped and broken; and among these was one whose right hand was thrust + back behind her ribs whilst her head fell to the left resting fixedly upon + her shoulder. Afterwards came poor rachitic girls displaying waxen + complexions and slender necks eaten away by sores, and yellow-faced women + in the painful stupor which falls on those whose bosoms are devoured by + cancers; whilst others, lying down with their mournful eyes gazing + heavenwards, seemed to be listening to the throbs of the tumours which + obstructed their organs. And still more and more went by; there was always + something more frightful to come; this woman following that other one + increased the general shudder of horror. From the neck of a girl of twenty + who had a crushed, flattened head like a toad’s, there hung so large a + goitre that it fell even to her waist like the bib of an apron. A blind + woman walked along, her head erect, her face pale like marble, displaying + the acute inflammation of her poor, ulcerated eyes. An aged woman stricken + with imbecility, afflicted with dreadful facial disfigurements, laughed + aloud with a terrifying laugh. And all at once an epileptic was seized + with convulsions, and began foaming on her stretcher, without, however, + causing any stoppage of the procession, which never slackened its march, + lashed onward as it was by the blizzard of feverish passion which impelled + it towards the Grotto. + </p> + <p> + The bearers, the priests, and the ailing ones themselves had just + intonated a canticle, the song of Bernadette, and all rolled along amid + the besetting “Aves,” so that the little carts, the litters, and the + pedestrians descended the sloping road like a swollen and overflowing + torrent of roaring water. At the corner of the Rue Saint-Joseph, near the + Plateau de la Merlasse, a family of excursionists, who had come from + Cauterets or Bagnères, stood at the edge of the footway, overcome with + profound astonishment. These people were evidently well-to-do <i>bourgeois</i>, + the father and mother very correct in appearance and demeanour, while + their two big girls, attired in light-coloured dresses, had the smiling + faces of happy creatures who are amusing themselves. But their first + feeling of surprise was soon followed by terror, a growing terror, as if + they beheld the opening of some pesthouse of ancient times, some hospital + of the legendary ages, evacuated after a great epidemic. The two girls + became quite pale, while the father and the mother felt icy cold in + presence of that endless <i>défile</i> of so many horrors, the + pestilential emanations of which were blown full in their faces. O God! to + think that such hideousness, such filth, such suffering, should exist! Was + it possible—under that magnificently radiant sun, under those broad + heavens so full of light and joy whither the freshness of the Gave’s + waters ascended, and the breeze of morning wafted the pure perfumes of the + mountains! + </p> + <p> + When Pierre, at the head of the <i>cortège</i>, reached the Plateau de la + Merlasse, he found himself immersed in that clear sunlight, that fresh and + balmy air. He turned round and smiled affectionately at Marie; and as they + came out on the Place du Rosaire in the morning splendour, they were both + enchanted with the lovely panorama which spread around them. + </p> + <p> + In front, on the east, was Old Lourdes, lying in a broad fold of the + ground beyond a rock. The sun was rising behind the distant mountains, and + its oblique rays clearly outlined the dark lilac mass of that solitary + rock, which was crowned by the tower and crumbling walls of the ancient + castle, once the redoubtable key of the seven valleys. Through the + dancing, golden dust you discerned little of the ruined pile except some + stately outlines, some huge blocks of building which looked as though + reared by Cyclopean hands; and beyond the rock you but vaguely + distinguished the discoloured, intermingled house-roofs of the old town. + Nearer in than the castle, however, the new town—the rich and noisy + city which had sprung up in a few years as though by miracle—spread + out on either hand, displaying its hotels, its stylish shops, its + lodging-houses all with white fronts smiling amidst patches of greenery. + Then there was the Gave flowing along at the base of the rock, rolling + clamorous, clear waters, now blue and now green, now deep as they passed + under the old bridge, and now leaping as they careered under the new one, + which the Fathers of the Immaculate Conception had built in order to + connect the Grotto with the railway station and the recently opened + Boulevard. And as a background to this delightful picture, this fresh + water, this greenery, this gay, scattered, rejuvenated town, the little + and the big Gers arose, two huge ridges of bare rock and low herbage, + which, in the projected shade that bathed them, assumed delicate tints of + pale mauve and green, fading softly into pink. + </p> + <p> + Then, upon the north, on the right bank of the Gave, beyond the hills + followed by the railway line, the heights of La Buala ascended, their + wooded slopes radiant in the morning light. On that side lay Bartres. More + to the left arose the Serre de Julos, dominated by the Miramont. Other + crests, far off, faded away into the ether. And in the foreground, rising + in tiers among the grassy valleys beyond the Gave, a number of convents, + which seemed to have sprung up in this region of prodigies like early + vegetation, imparted some measure of life to the landscape. First, there + was an Orphan Asylum founded by the Sisters of Nevers, whose vast + buildings shone brightly in the sunlight. Next came the Carmelite convent, + on the highway to Pau, just in front of the Grotto; and then that of the + Assumptionists higher up, skirting the road to Poueyferre; whilst the + Dominicans showed but a corner of their roofs, sequestered in the far-away + solitude. And at last appeared the establishment of the Sisters of the + Immaculate Conception, those who were called the Blue Sisters, and who had + founded at the far end of the valley a home where they received well-to-do + lady pilgrims, desirous of solitude, as boarders. + </p> + <p> + At that early hour all the bells of these convents were pealing joyfully + in the crystalline atmosphere, whilst the bells of other convents, on the + other, the southern horizon, answered them with the same silvery strains + of joy. The bell of the nunnery of Sainte Clarissa, near the old bridge, + rang a scale of gay, clear notes, which one might have fancied to be the + chirruping of a bird. And on this side of the town, also, there were + valleys that dipped down between the ridges, and mountains that upreared + their bare sides, a commingling of smiling and of agitated nature, an + endless surging of heights amongst which you noticed those of Visens, + whose slopes the sunlight tinged ornately with soft blue and carmine of a + rippling, moire-like effect. + </p> + <p> + However, when Marie and Pierre turned their eyes to the west, they were + quite dazzled. The sun rays were here streaming on the large and the + little Bêout with their cupolas of unequal height. And on this side the + background was one of gold and purple, a dazzling mountain on whose sides + one could only discern the road which snaked between the trees on its way + to the Calvary above. And here, too, against the sunlit background, + radiant like an aureola, stood out the three superposed churches which at + the voice of Bernadette had sprung from the rock to the glory of the + Blessed Virgin. First of all, down below, came the church of the Rosary, + squat, circular, and half cut out of the rock, at the farther end of an + esplanade on either side of which, like two huge arms, were colossal + gradient ways ascending gently to the Crypt church. Vast labour had been + expended here, a quarryful of stones had been cut and set in position, + there were arches as lofty as naves supporting the gigantic terraced + avenues which had been constructed so that the processions might roll + along in all their pomp, and the little conveyances containing sick + children might ascend without hindrance to the divine presence. Then came + the Crypt, the subterranean church within the rock, with only its low door + visible above the church of the Rosary, whose paved roof, with its vast + promenade, formed a continuation of the terraced inclines. And at last, + from the summit sprang the Basilica, somewhat slender and frail, recalling + some finely chased jewel of the Renascence, and looking very new and very + white—like a prayer, a spotless dove, soaring aloft from the rocks + of Massabielle. The spire, which appeared the more delicate and slight + when compared with the gigantic inclines below, seemed like the little + vertical flame of a taper set in the midst of the vast landscape, those + endless waves of valleys and mountains. By the side, too, of the dense + greenery of the Calvary hill, it looked fragile and candid, like childish + faith; and at sight of it you instinctively thought of the little white + arm, the little thin hand of the puny girl, who had here pointed to Heaven + in the crisis of her human sufferings. You could not see the Grotto, the + entrance of which was on the left, at the base of the rock. Beyond the + Basilica, the only buildings which caught the eye were the heavy square + pile where the Fathers of the Immaculate Conception had their abode, and + the episcopal palace, standing much farther away, in a spreading, wooded + valley. And the three churches were flaming in the morning glow, and the + rain of gold scattered by the sun rays was sweeping the whole countryside, + whilst the flying peals of the bells seemed to be the very vibration of + the light, the musical awakening of the lovely day that was now beginning. + </p> + <p> + Whilst crossing the Place du Rosaire, Pierre and Marie glanced at the + Esplanade, the public walk with its long central lawn skirted by broad + parallel paths and extending as far as the new bridge. Here, with face + turned towards the Basilica, was the great crowned statue of the Virgin. + All the sufferers crossed themselves as they went by. And still + passionately chanting its canticle, the fearful <i>cortège</i> rolled on, + through nature in festive array. Under the dazzling sky, past the + mountains of gold and purple, amidst the centenarian trees, symbolical of + health, the running waters whose freshness was eternal, that <i>cortège</i> + still and ever marched on with its sufferers, whom nature, if not God, had + condemned, those who were afflicted with skin diseases, those whose flesh + was eaten away, those who were dropsical and inflated like wine-skins, and + those whom rheumatism and paralysis had twisted into postures of agony. + And the victims of hydrocephalus followed, with the dancers of St. Vitus, + the consumptives, the rickety, the epileptic, the cancerous, the goitrous, + the blind, the mad, and the idiotic. “Ave, ave, ave, Maria!” they sang; + and the stubborn plaint acquired increased volume, as nearer and nearer to + the Grotto it bore that abominable torrent of human wretchedness and pain, + amidst all the fright and horror of the passers-by, who stopped short, + unable to stir, their hearts frozen as this nightmare swept before their + eyes. + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Marie were the first to pass under the lofty arcade of one of + the terraced inclines. And then, as they followed the quay of the Gave, + they all at once came upon the Grotto. And Marie, whom Pierre wheeled as + near to the railing as possible, was only able to raise herself in her + little conveyance, and murmur: “O most Blessed Virgin, Virgin most loved!” + </p> + <p> + She had seen neither the entrances to the piscinas nor the twelve-piped + fountain, which she had just passed; nor did she distinguish any better + the shop on her left hand where crucifixes, chaplets, statuettes, + pictures, and other religious articles were sold, or the stone pulpit on + her right which Father Massias already occupied. Her eyes were dazzled by + the splendour of the Grotto; it seemed to her as if a hundred thousand + tapers were burning there behind the railing, filling the low entrance + with the glow of a furnace and illuminating, as with star rays, the statue + of the Virgin, which stood, higher up, at the edge of a narrow ogive-like + cavity. And for her, apart from that glorious apparition, nothing existed + there, neither the crutches with which a part of the vault had been + covered, nor the piles of bouquets fading away amidst the ivy and the + eglantine, nor even the altar placed in the centre near a little portable + organ over which a cover had been thrown. However, as she raised her eyes + above the rock, she once more beheld the slender white Basilica profiled + against the sky, its slight, tapering spire soaring into the azure of the + Infinite like a prayer. + </p> + <p> + “O Virgin most powerful—Queen of the Virgins—Holy Virgin of + Virgins!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had now succeeded in wheeling Marie’s box to the front rank, beyond + the numerous oak benches which were set out here in the open air as in the + nave of a church. Nearly all these benches were already occupied by those + sufferers who could sit down, while the vacant spaces were soon filled + with litters and little vehicles whose wheels became entangled together, + and on whose close-packed mattresses and pillows all sorts of diseases + were gathered pell-mell. Immediately on arriving, the young priest had + recognised the Vignerons seated with their sorry child Gustave in the + middle of a bench, and now, on the flagstones, he caught sight of the + lace-trimmed bed of Madame Dieulafay, beside whom her husband and sister + knelt in prayer. Moreover, all the patients of Madame de Jonquière’s + carriage took up position here—M. Sabathier and Brother Isidore side + by side, Madame Vetu reclining hopelessly in a conveyance, Elise Rouquet + seated, La Grivotte excited and raising herself on her clenched hands. + Pierre also again perceived Madame Maze, standing somewhat apart from the + others, and humbling herself in prayer; whilst Madame Vincent, who had + fallen on her knees, still holding her little Rose in her arms, presented + the child to the Virgin with ardent entreaty, the distracted gesture of a + mother soliciting compassion from the mother of divine grace. And around + this reserved space was the ever-growing throng of pilgrims, the pressing, + jostling mob which gradually stretched to the parapet overlooking the + Gave. + </p> + <p> + “O Virgin most merciful,” continued Marie in an undertone, “Virgin most + faithful, Virgin conceived without sin!” + </p> + <p> + Then, almost fainting, she spoke no more, but with her lips still moving, + as though in silent prayer, gazed distractedly at Pierre. He thought that + she wished to speak to him and leant forward: “Shall I remain here at your + disposal to take you to the piscina by-and-by?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + But as soon as she understood him she shook her head. And then in a + feverish way she said: “No, no, I don’t want to be bathed this morning. It + seems to me that one must be truly worthy, truly pure, truly holy before + seeking the miracle! I want to spend the whole morning in imploring it + with joined hands; I want to pray, to pray with all my strength and all my + soul—” She was stifling, and paused. Then she added: “Don’t come to + take me back to the hospital till eleven o’clock. I will not let them take + me from here till then.” + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre did not go away, but remained near her. For a moment, he + even fell upon his knees; he also would have liked to pray with the same + burning faith, to beg of God the cure of that poor sick child, whom he + loved with such fraternal affection. But since he had reached the Grotto + he had felt a singular sensation invading him, a covert revolt, as it + were, which hampered the pious flight of his prayer. He wished to believe; + he had spent the whole night hoping that belief would once more blossom in + his soul, like some lovely flower of innocence and candour, as soon as he + should have knelt upon the soil of that land of miracle. And yet he only + experienced discomfort and anxiety in presence of the theatrical scene + before him, that pale stiff statue in the false light of the tapers, with + the chaplet shop full of jostling customers on the one hand, and the large + stone pulpit whence a Father of the Assumption was shouting “Aves” on the + other. Had his soul become utterly withered then? Could no divine dew + again impregnate it with innocence, render it like the souls of little + children, who at the slightest caressing touch of the sacred legend give + themselves to it entirely? + </p> + <p> + Then, while his thoughts were still wandering, he recognised Father + Massias in the ecclesiastic who occupied the pulpit. He had formerly known + him, and was quite stirred by his sombre ardour, by the sight of his thin + face and sparkling eyes, by the eloquence which poured from his large + mouth as he offered violence to Heaven to compel it to descend upon earth. + And whilst he thus examined Father Massias, astonished at feeling himself + so unlike the preacher, he caught sight of Father Fourcade, who, at the + foot of the pulpit, was deep in conference with Baron Suire. The latter + seemed much perplexed by something which Father Fourcade said to him; + however he ended by approving it with a complaisant nod. Then, as Abbé + Judaine was also standing there, Father Fourcade likewise spoke to him for + a moment, and a scared expression came over the Abbé’s broad, fatherly + face while he listened; nevertheless, like the Baron, he at last bowed + assent. + </p> + <p> + Then, all at once, Father Fourcade appeared in the pulpit, erect, drawing + up his lofty figure which his attack of gout had slightly bent; and he had + not wished that Father Massias, his well-loved brother, whom he preferred + above all others, should altogether go down the narrow stairway, for he + had kept him upon one of the steps, and was leaning on his shoulder. And + in a full, grave voice, with an air of sovereign authority which caused + perfect silence to reign around, he spoke as follows: + </p> + <p> + “My dear brethren, my dear sisters, I ask your forgiveness for + interrupting your prayers, but I have a communication to make to you, and + I have to ask the help of all your faithful souls. We had a very sad + accident to deplore this morning, one of our brethren died in one of the + trains by which you came to Lourdes, died just as he was about to set foot + in the promised land.” + </p> + <p> + A brief pause followed and Father Fourcade seemed to become yet taller, + his handsome face beaming with fervour, amidst his long, streaming, royal + beard. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my dear brethren, my dear sisters,” he resumed, “in spite of + everything, the idea has come to me that we ought not to despair. Who + knows if God Almighty did not will that death in order that He might prove + His Omnipotence to the world? It is as though a voice were speaking to me, + urging me to ascend this pulpit and ask your prayers for this man, this + man who is no more, but whose life is nevertheless in the hands of the + most Blessed Virgin who can still implore her Divine Son in his favour. + Yes, the man is here, I have caused his body to be brought hither, and it + depends on you, perhaps, whether a brilliant miracle shall dazzle the + universe, if you pray with sufficient ardour to touch the compassion of + Heaven. We will plunge the man’s body into the piscina and we will entreat + the Lord, the master of the world, to resuscitate him, to give unto us + this extraordinary sign of His sovereign beneficence!” + </p> + <p> + An icy thrill, wafted from the Invisible, passed through the listeners. + They had all become pale, and though the lips of none of them had opened, + it seemed as if a murmur sped through their ranks amidst a shudder. + </p> + <p> + “But with what ardour must we not pray!” violently resumed Father + Fourcade, exalted by genuine faith. “It is your souls, your whole souls, + that I ask of you, my dear brothers, my dear sisters, it is a prayer in + which you must put your hearts, your blood, your very life with whatever + may be most noble and loving in it! Pray with all your strength, pray till + you no longer know who you are, or where you are; pray as one loves, pray + as one dies, for that which we are about to ask is so precious, so rare, + so astounding a grace that only the energy of our worship can induce God + to answer us. And in order that our prayers may be the more efficacious, + in order that they may have time to spread and ascend to the feet of the + Eternal Father, we will not lower the body into the piscina until four + o’clock this afternoon. And now my dear brethren, now my dear sisters, + pray, pray to the most Blessed Virgin, the Queen of the Angels, the + Comforter of the Afflicted!” + </p> + <p> + Then he himself, distracted by emotion, resumed the recital of the rosary, + whilst near him Father Massias burst into sobs. And thereupon the great + anxious silence was broken, contagion seized upon the throng, it was + transported and gave vent to shouts, tears, and confused stammered + entreaties. It was as though a breath of delirium were sweeping by, + reducing men’s wills to naught, and turning all these beings into one + being, exasperated with love and seized with a mad desire for the + impossible prodigy. + </p> + <p> + And for a moment Pierre had thought that the ground was giving way beneath + him, that he was about to fall and faint. But with difficulty he managed + to rise from his knees and slowly walked away. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap08"></a> + III. FOUNTAIN AND PISCINA + </h2> + <p> + As Pierre went off, ill at ease, mastered by invincible repugnance, + unwilling to remain there any longer, he caught sight of M. de Guersaint, + kneeling near the Grotto, with the absorbed air of one who is praying with + his whole soul. The young priest had not seen him since the morning, and + did not know whether he had managed to secure a couple of rooms in one or + other of the hotels, so that his first impulse was to go and join him. + Then, however, he hesitated, unwilling to disturb his meditations, for he + was doubtless praying for his daughter, whom he fondly loved, in spite of + the constant absent-mindedness of his volatile brain. Accordingly, the + young priest passed on, and took his way under the trees. Nine o’clock was + now striking, he had a couple of hours before him. + </p> + <p> + By dint of money, the wild bank where swine had formerly pastured had been + transformed into a superb avenue skirting the Gave. It had been necessary + to put back the river’s bed in order to gain ground, and lay out a + monumental quay bordered by a broad footway, and protected by a parapet. + Some two or three hundred yards farther on, a hill brought the avenue to + an end, and it thus resembled an enclosed promenade, provided with + benches, and shaded by magnificent trees. Nobody passed along, however; + merely the overflow of the crowd had settled there, and solitary spots + still abounded between the grassy wall limiting the promenade on the + south, and the extensive fields spreading out northward beyond the Gave, + as far as the wooded slopes which the white-walled convents brightened. + Under the foliage, on the margin of the running water, one could enjoy + delightful freshness, even during the burning days of August. + </p> + <p> + Thus Pierre, like a man at last awakening from a painful dream, soon found + rest of mind again. He had questioned himself in the acute anxiety which + he felt with regard to his sensations. Had he not reached Lourdes that + morning possessed by a genuine desire to believe, an idea that he was + indeed again beginning to believe even as he had done in the docile days + of childhood when his mother had made him join his hands, and taught him + to fear God? Yet as soon as he had found himself at the Grotto, the + idolatry of the worship, the violence of the display of faith, the + onslaught upon human reason which he witnessed, had so disturbed him that + he had almost fainted. What would become of him then? Could he not even + try to contend against his doubts by examining things and convincing + himself of their truth, thus turning his journey to profit? At all events, + he had made a bad beginning, which left him sorely agitated, and he indeed + needed the environment of those fine trees, that limpid, rushing water, + that calm, cool avenue, to recover from the shock. + </p> + <p> + Still pondering, he was approaching the end of the pathway, when he most + unexpectedly met a forgotten friend. He had, for a few seconds, been + looking at a tall old gentleman who was coming towards him, dressed in a + tightly buttoned frock-coat and broad-brimmed hat; and he had tried to + remember where it was that he had previously beheld that pale face, with + eagle nose, and black and penetrating eyes. These he had seen before, he + felt sure of it; but the promenader’s long white beard and long curly + white hair perplexed him. However, the other halted, also looking + extremely astonished, though he promptly exclaimed, “What, Pierre? Is it + you, at Lourdes?” + </p> + <p> + Then all at once the young priest recognised Doctor Chassaigne, his + father’s old friend, his own friend, the man who had cured and consoled + him in the terrible physical and mental crisis which had come upon him + after his mother’s death. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear doctor, how pleased I am to see you!” he replied. + </p> + <p> + They embraced with deep emotion. And now, in presence of that snowy hair + and snowy beard, that slow walk, that sorrowful demeanour, Pierre + remembered with what unrelenting ferocity misfortune had fallen on that + unhappy man and aged him. But a few years had gone by, and now, when they + met again, he was bowed down by destiny. + </p> + <p> + “You did not know, I suppose, that I had remained at Lourdes?” said the + doctor. “It’s true that I no longer write to anybody; in fact, I am no + longer among the living. I live in the land of the dead.” Tears were + gathering in his eyes, and emotion made his voice falter as he resumed: + “There! come and sit down on that bench yonder; it will please me to live + the old days afresh with you, just for a moment.” + </p> + <p> + In his turn the young priest felt his sobs choking him. He could only + murmur: “Ah! my dear doctor, my old friend, I can truly tell you that I + pitied you with my whole heart, my whole soul.” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Chassaigne’s story was one of disaster, the shipwreck of a life. He + and his daughter Marguerite, a tall and lovable girl of twenty, had gone + to Cauterets with Madame Chassaigne, the model wife and mother, whose + state of health had made them somewhat anxious. A fortnight had elapsed + and she seemed much better, and was already planning several pleasure + trips, when one morning she was found dead in her bed. Her husband and + daughter were overwhelmed, stupefied by this sudden blow, this cruel + treachery of death. The doctor, who belonged to Bartres, had a family + vault in the Lourdes cemetery, a vault constructed at his own expense, and + in which his father and mother already rested. He desired, therefore, that + his wife should be interred there, in a compartment adjoining that in + which he expected soon to lie himself. And after the burial he had + lingered for a week at Lourdes, when Marguerite, who was with him, was + seized with a great shivering, and, taking to her bed one evening, died + two days afterwards without her distracted father being able to form any + exact notion of the illness which had carried her off. And thus it was not + himself, but his daughter, lately radiant with beauty and health, in the + very flower of her youth, who was laid in the vacant compartment by the + mother’s side. The man who had been so happy, so worshipped by his two + helpmates, whose heart had been kept so warm by the love of two dear + creatures all his own, was now nothing more than an old, miserable, + stammering, lost being, who shivered in his icy solitude. All the joy of + his life had departed; he envied the men who broke stones upon the + highways when he saw their barefooted wives and daughters bring them their + dinners at noontide. And he had refused to leave Lourdes, he had + relinquished everything, his studies, his practice in Paris, in order that + he might live near the tomb in which his wife and his daughter slept the + eternal sleep. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, my old friend,” repeated Pierre, “how I pitied you! How frightful + must have been your grief! But why did you not rely a little on those who + love you? Why did you shut yourself up here with your sorrow?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor made a gesture which embraced the horizon. “I could not go + away, they are here and keep me with them. It is all over, I am merely + waiting till my time comes to join them again.” + </p> + <p> + Then silence fell. Birds were fluttering among the shrubs on the bank + behind them, and in front they heard the loud murmur of the Gave. The sun + rays were falling more heavily in a slow, golden dust, upon the hillsides; + but on that retired bench under the beautiful trees, the coolness was + still delightful. And although the crowd was but a couple of hundred yards + distant, they were, so to say, in a desert, for nobody tore himself away + from the Grotto to stray as far as the spot which they had chosen. + </p> + <p> + They talked together for a long time, and Pierre related under what + circumstances he had reached Lourdes that morning with M. de Guersaint and + his daughter, all three forming part of the national pilgrimage. Then all + at once he gave a start of astonishment and exclaimed: “What! doctor, so + you now believe that miracles are possible? You, good heavens! whom I knew + as an unbeliever, or at least as one altogether indifferent to these + matters?” + </p> + <p> + He was gazing at M. Chassaigne quite stupefied by something which he had + just heard him say of the Grotto and Bernadette. It was amazing, coming + from a man with so strong a mind, a <i>savant</i> of such intelligence, + whose powerful analytical faculties he had formerly so much admired! How + was it that a lofty, clear mind, nourished by experience and method, had + become so changed as to acknowledge the miraculous cures effected by that + divine fountain which the Blessed Virgin had caused to spurt forth under + the pressure of a child’s fingers? + </p> + <p> + “But just think a little, my dear doctor,” he resumed. “It was you + yourself who supplied my father with memoranda about Bernadette, your + little fellow-villager as you used to call her; and it was you, too, who + spoke to me at such length about her, when, later on, I took a momentary + interest in her story. In your eyes she was simply an ailing child, prone + to hallucinations, infantile, but self-conscious of her acts, deficient of + will-power. Recollect our chats together, my doubts, and the healthy + reason which you again enabled me, to acquire!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was feeling very moved, for was not this the strangest of + adventures? He a priest, who in a spirit of resignation had formerly + endeavoured to believe, had ended by completely losing all faith through + intercourse with this same doctor, who was then an unbeliever, but whom he + now found converted, conquered by the supernatural, whilst he himself was + racked by the torture of no longer believing. + </p> + <p> + “You who would only rely on accurate facts,” he said, “you who based + everything on observation! Do you renounce science then?” + </p> + <p> + Chassaigne, hitherto quiet, with a sorrowful smile playing on his lips, + now made a violent gesture expressive of sovereign contempt. “Science + indeed!” he exclaimed. “Do I know anything? Can I accomplish anything? You + asked me just now what malady it was that killed my poor Marguerite. But I + do not know! I, whom people think so learned, so well armed against death, + I understood nothing of it, and I could do nothing—not even prolong + my daughter’s life for a single hour! And my wife, whom I found in bed + already cold, when on the previous evening she had lain down in much + better health and quite gay—was I even capable of foreseeing what + ought to have been done in her case? No, no! for me at all events, science + has become bankrupt. I wish to know nothing; I am but a fool and a poor + old man!” + </p> + <p> + He spoke like this in a furious revolt against all his past life of pride + and happiness. Then, having become calm again, he added: “And now I only + feel a frightful remorse. Yes, a remorse which haunts me, which ever + brings me here, prowling around the people who are praying. It is remorse + for not having in the first instance come and humbled myself at that + Grotto, bringing my two dear ones with me. They would have knelt there + like those women whom you see, I should have knelt beside them, and + perhaps the Blessed Virgin would have cured and preserved them. But, fool + that I was, I only knew how to lose them! It is my fault.” + </p> + <p> + Tears were now streaming from his eyes. “I remember,” he continued, “that + in my childhood at Bartres, my mother, a peasant woman, made me join my + hands and implore God’s help each morning. The prayer she taught me came + back to my mind, word for word, when I again found myself alone, as weak, + as lost, as a little child. What would you have, my friend? I joined my + hands as in my younger days, I felt too wretched, too forsaken, I had too + keen a need of a superhuman help, of a divine power which should think and + determine for me, which should lull me and carry me on with its eternal + prescience. How great at first was the confusion, the aberration of my + poor brain, under the frightful, heavy blow which fell upon it! I spent a + score of nights without being able to sleep, thinking that I should surely + go mad. All sorts of ideas warred within me; I passed through periods of + revolt when I shook my fist at Heaven, and then I lapsed into humility, + entreating God to take me in my turn. And it was at last a conviction that + there must be justice, a conviction that there must be love, which calmed + me by restoring me my faith. You knew my daughter, so tall and strong, so + beautiful, so brimful of life. Would it not be the most monstrous + injustice if for her, who did not know life, there should be nothing + beyond the tomb? She will live again, I am absolutely convinced of it, for + I still hear her at times, she tells me that we shall meet, that we shall + see one another again. Oh! the dear beings whom one has lost, my dear + daughter, my dear wife, to see them once more, to live with them + elsewhere, that is the one hope, the one consolation for all the sorrows + of this world! I have given myself to God, since God alone can restore + them to me!” + </p> + <p> + He was shaking with a slight tremor, like the weak old man he had become; + and Pierre was at last able to understand and explain the conversion of + this <i>savant</i>, this man of intellect who, growing old, had reverted + to belief under the influence of sentiment. First of all, and this he had + previously suspected, he discovered a kind of atavism of faith in this + Pyrenean, this son of peasant mountaineers, who had been brought up in + belief of the legend, and whom the legend had again mastered even when + fifty years, of positive study had rolled over it. Then, too, there was + human weariness; this man, to whom science had not brought happiness, + revolted against science on the day when it seemed to him shallow, + powerless to prevent him from shedding tears. And finally there was + discouragement, a doubt of all things, ending in a need of certainty on + the part of one whom age had softened, and who felt happy at being able to + fall asleep in credulity. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not protest, however; he did not jeer, for his heart was rent + at sight of this tall, stricken old man, with his woeful senility. Is it + not indeed pitiful to see the strongest, the clearest-minded become mere + children again under such blows of fate? “Ah!” he faintly sighed, “if I + could only suffer enough to be able to silence my reason, and kneel yonder + and believe in all those fine stories.” + </p> + <p> + The pale smile, which at times still passed over Doctor Chassaigne’s lips, + reappeared on them. “You mean the miracles?” said he. “You are a priest, + my child, and I know what your misfortune is. The miracles seem impossible + to you. But what do you know of them? Admit that you know nothing, and + that what to our senses seems impossible is every minute taking place. And + now we have been talking together for a long time, and eleven o’clock will + soon strike, so that you must return to the Grotto. However, I shall + expect you, at half-past three, when I will take you to the Medical + Verification Office, where I hope I shall be able to show you some + surprising things. Don’t forget, at half-past three.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he sent him off, and remained on the bench alone. The heat had + yet increased, and the distant hills were burning in the furnace-like glow + of the sun. However, he lingered there forgetfully, dreaming in the greeny + half-light amidst the foliage, and listening to the continuous murmur of + the Gave, as if a voice, a dear voice from the realms beyond, were + speaking to him. + </p> + <p> + Pierre meantime hastened back to Marie. He was able to join her without + much difficulty, for the crowd was thinning, a good many people having + already gone off to <i>déjeuner</i>. And on arriving he perceived the + girl’s father, who was quietly seated beside her, and who at once wished + to explain to him the reason of his long absence. For more than a couple + of hours that morning he had scoured Lourdes in all directions, applying + at twenty hotels in turn without being able to find the smallest closet + where they might sleep. Even the servants’ rooms were let and you could + not have even secured a mattress on which to stretch yourself in some + passage. However, all at once, just as he was despairing, he had + discovered two rooms, small ones, it is true, and just under the roof, but + in a very good hotel, that of the Apparitions, one of the best patronised + in the town. The persons who had retained these rooms had just telegraphed + that the patient whom they had meant to bring with them was dead. Briefly, + it was a piece of rare good luck, and seemed to make M. de Guersaint quite + gay. + </p> + <p> + Eleven o’clock was now striking and the woeful procession of sufferers + started off again through the sunlit streets and squares. When it reached + the hospital Marie begged her father and Pierre to go to the hotel, lunch + and rest there awhile, and return to fetch her at two o’clock, when the + patients would again be conducted to the Grotto. But when, after lunching, + the two men went up to the rooms which they were to occupy at the Hotel of + the Apparitions, M. de Guersaint, overcome by fatigue, fell so soundly + asleep that Pierre had not the heart to awaken him. What would have been + the use of it? His presence was not indispensable. And so the young priest + returned to the hospital alone. Then the <i>cortège</i> again descended + the Avenue de la Grotte, again wended its way over the Plateau de la + Merlasse, again crossed the Place du Rosaire, past an ever-growing crowd + which shuddered and crossed itself amid all the joyousness of that + splendid August day. It was now the most glorious hour of a lovely + afternoon. + </p> + <p> + When Marie was again installed in front of the Grotto she inquired if her + father were coming. “Yes,” answered Pierre; “he is only taking a little + rest.” + </p> + <p> + She waved her hand as though to say that he was acting rightly, and then + in a sorely troubled voice she added: “Listen, Pierre; don’t take me to + the piscina for another hour. I am not yet in a state to find favour from + Heaven, I wish to pray, to keep on praying.” + </p> + <p> + After evincing such an ardent desire to come to Lourdes, terror was + agitating her now that the moment for attempting the miracle was at hand. + In fact, she began to relate that she had been unable to eat anything, and + a girl who overheard her at once approached saying: “If you feel too weak, + my dear young lady, remember we have some broth here.” + </p> + <p> + Marie looked at her and recognised Raymonde. Several young girls were in + this wise employed at the Grotto to distribute cups of broth and milk + among the sufferers. Some of them, indeed, in previous years had displayed + so much coquetry in the matter of silk, aprons trimmed with lace, that a + uniform apron, of modest linen, with a small check pattern, blue and + white, had been imposed on them. Nevertheless, in spite of this enforced + simplicity, Raymonde, thanks to her freshness and her active, + good-natured, housewifely air, had succeeded in making herself look quite + charming. + </p> + <p> + “You will remember, won’t you?” she added; “you have only to make me a + sign and I will serve you.” + </p> + <p> + Marie thanked her, saying, however, that she felt sure she would not be + able to take anything; and then, turning towards the young priest, she + resumed: “One hour—you must allow me one more hour, my friend.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre wished at any rate to remain near her, but the entire space was + reserved to the sufferers, the bearers not being allowed there. So he had + to retire, and, caught in the rolling waves of the crowd, he found himself + carried towards the piscinas, where he came upon an extraordinary + spectacle which stayed his steps. In front of the low buildings where the + baths were, three by three, six for the women and three for the men, he + perceived under the trees a long stretch of ground enclosed by a rope + fastened to the tree-trunks; and here, various sufferers, some sitting in + their bath-chairs and others lying on the mattresses of their litters, + were drawn up in line, waiting to be bathed, whilst outside the rope, a + huge, excited throng was ever pressing and surging. A Capuchin, erect in + the centre of the reserved space, was at that moment conducting the + prayers. “Aves” followed one after the other, repeated by the crowd in a + loud confused murmur. Then, all at once, as Madame Vincent, who, pale with + agony, had long been waiting, was admitted to the baths, carrying her dear + burden, her little girl who looked like a waxen image of the child Christ, + the Capuchin let himself fall upon his knees with his arms extended, and + cried aloud: “Lord, heal our sick!” He raised this cry a dozen, twenty + times, with a growing fury, and each time the crowd repeated it, growing + more and more excited at each shout, till it sobbed and kissed the ground + in a state of frenzy. It was like a hurricane of delirium rushing by and + laying every head in the dust. Pierre was utterly distracted by the sob of + suffering which arose from the very bowels of these poor folks—at + first a prayer, growing louder and louder, then bursting forth like a + demand in impatient, angry, deafening, obstinate accents, as though to + compel the help of Heaven. “Lord, heal our sick!”—“Lord, heal our + sick!” The shout soared on high incessantly. + </p> + <p> + An incident occurred, however; La Grivotte was weeping hot tears because + they would not bathe her. “They say that I’m a consumptive,” she + plaintively exclaimed, “and that they can’t dip consumptives in cold + water. Yet they dipped one this morning; I saw her. So why won’t they dip + me? I’ve been wearing myself out for the last half-hour in telling them + that they are only grieving the Blessed Virgin, for I am going to be + cured, I feel it, I am going to be cured!” + </p> + <p> + As she was beginning to cause a scandal, one of the chaplains of the + piscinas approached and endeavoured to calm her. They would see what they + could do for her, by-and-by, said he; they would consult the reverend + Fathers, and, if she were very good, perhaps they would bathe her all the + same. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the cry continued: “Lord, heal our sick! Lord, heal our sick!” + And Pierre, who had just perceived Madame Vetu, also waiting at the + piscina entry, could no longer turn his eyes away from her hope-tortured + face, whose eyes were fixed upon the doorway by which the happy ones, the + elect, emerged from the divine presence, cured of all their ailments. + However, a sudden increase of the crowd’s frenzy, a perfect rage of + entreaties, gave him such a shock as to draw tears from his eyes. Madame + Vincent was now coming out again, still carrying her little girl in her + arms, her wretched, her fondly loved little girl, who had been dipped in a + fainting state in the icy water, and whose little face, but imperfectly + wiped, was as pale as ever, and indeed even more woeful and lifeless. The + mother was sobbing, crucified by this long agony, reduced to despair by + the refusal of the Blessed Virgin, who had remained insensible to her + child’s sufferings. And yet when Madame Vetu in her turn entered, with the + eager passion of a dying woman about to drink the water of life, the + haunting, obstinate cry burst out again, without sign of discouragement or + lassitude: “Lord, heal our sick! Lord, heal our sick!” The Capuchin had + now fallen with his face to the ground, and the howling crowd, with arms + outstretched, devoured the soil with its kisses. + </p> + <p> + Pierre wished to join Madame Vincent to soothe her with a few kind, + encouraging words; however, a fresh string of pilgrims not only prevented + him from passing, but threw him towards the fountain which another throng + besieged. There was here quite a range of low buildings, a long stone wall + with carved coping, and it had been necessary for the people to form in + procession, although there were twelve taps from which the water fell into + a narrow basin. Many came hither to fill bottles, metal cans, and + stoneware pitchers. To prevent too great a waste of water, the tap only + acted when a knob was pressed with the hand. And thus many weak-handed + women lingered there a long time, the water dripping on their feet. Those + who had no cans to fill at least came to drink and wash their faces. + Pierre noticed one young man who drank seven small glassfuls of water, and + washed his eyes seven times without wiping them. Others were drinking out + of shells, tin goblets, and leather cups. And he was particularly + interested by the sight of Elise Rouquet, who, thinking it useless to go + to the piscinas to bathe the frightful sore which was eating away her + face, had contented herself with employing the water of the fountain as a + lotion, every two hours since her arrival that morning. She knelt down, + threw back her fichu, and for a long time applied a handkerchief to her + face—a handkerchief which she had soaked with the miraculous fluid + like a sponge; and the crowd around rushed upon the fountain in such fury + that folks no longer noticed her diseased face, but washed themselves and + drank from the same pipe at which she constantly moistened her + handkerchief. + </p> + <p> + Just then, however, Gérard, who passed by dragging M. Sabathier to the + piscinas, called to Pierre, whom he saw unoccupied, and asked him to come + and help him, for it would not be an easy task to move and bathe this + helpless victim of ataxia. And thus Pierre lingered with the sufferer in + the men’s piscina for nearly half an hour, whilst Gérard returned to the + Grotto to fetch another patient. These piscinas seemed to the young priest + to be very well arranged. They were divided into three compartments, three + baths separated by partitions, with steps leading into them. In order that + one might isolate the patient, a linen curtain hug before each entry, + which was reached through a kind of waiting-room having a paved floor, and + furnished with a bench and a couple of chairs. Here the patients undressed + and dressed themselves with an awkward haste, a nervous kind of shame. One + man, whom Pierre found there when he entered, was still naked, and wrapped + himself in the curtain before putting on a bandage with trembling hands. + Another one, a consumptive who was frightfully emaciated, sat shivering + and groaning, his livid skin mottled with violet marks. However, Pierre + became more interested in Brother Isidore, who was just being removed from + one of the baths. He had fainted away, and for a moment, indeed, it was + thought that he was dead. But at last he began moaning again, and one’s + heart filled with pity at sight of his long, lank frame, which suffering + had withered, and which, with his diseased hip, looked a human remnant on + exhibition. The two hospitallers who had been bathing him had the greatest + difficulty to put on his shirt, fearful as they were that if he were + suddenly shaken he might expire in their arms. + </p> + <p> + “You will help me, Monsieur l’Abbé, won’t you?” asked another hospitaller + as he began to undress M. Sabathier. + </p> + <p> + Pierre hastened to give his services, and found that the attendant, + discharging such humble duties, was none other than the Marquis de + Salmon-Roquebert whom M. de Guersaint had pointed out to him on the way + from the station to the hospital that morning. A man of forty, with a + large, aquiline, knightly nose set in a long face, the Marquis was the + last representative of one of the most ancient and illustrious families of + France. Possessing a large fortune, a regal mansion in the Rue de Lille at + Paris, and vast estates in Normandy, he came to Lourdes each year, for the + three days of the national pilgrimage, influenced solely by his benevolent + feelings, for he had no religious zeal and simply observed the rites of + the Church because it was customary for noblemen to do so. And he + obstinately declined any high functions. Resolved to remain a hospitaller, + he had that year assumed the duty of bathing the patients, exhausting the + strength of his arms, employing his fingers from morning till night in + handling rags and re-applying dressings to sores. + </p> + <p> + “Be careful,” he said to Pierre; “take off the stockings very slowly. Just + now, some flesh came away when they were taking off the things of that + poor fellow who is being dressed again, over yonder.” + </p> + <p> + Then, leaving M. Sabathier for a moment in order to put on the shoes of + the unhappy sufferer whom he alluded to, the Marquis found the left shoe + wet inside. Some matter had flowed into the fore part of it, and he had to + take the usual medical precautions before putting it on the patient’s + foot, a task which he performed with extreme care; and so as not to touch + the man’s leg, into which an ulcer was eating. + </p> + <p> + “And now,” he said to Pierre, as he returned to M. Sabathier, “pull down + the drawers at the same time I do, so that we may get them off at one + pull.” + </p> + <p> + In addition to the patients and the hospitallers selected for duty at the + piscinas, the only person in the little dressing-room was a chaplain who + kept on repeating “Paters” and “Aves,” for not even a momentary pause was + allowed in the prayers. Merely a loose curtain hung before the doorway + leading to the open space which the rope enclosed; and the ardent + clamorous entreaties of the throng were incessantly wafted into the room, + with the piercing shouts of the Capuchin, who ever repeated “Lord, heal + our sick! Lord, heal our sick!” A cold light fell from the high windows of + the building and constant dampness reigned there, with the mouldy smell + like that of a cellar dripping with water. + </p> + <p> + At last M. Sabathier was stripped, divested of all garments save a little + apron which had been fastened about his loins for decency’s sake. + </p> + <p> + “Pray don’t plunge me,” said he; “let me down into the water by degrees.” + </p> + <p> + In point of fact that cold water quite terrified him. He was still wont to + relate that he had experienced such a frightful chilling sensation on the + first occasion that he had sworn never to go in again. According to his + account, there could be no worse torture than that icy cold. And then too, + as he put it, the water was scarcely inviting; for, through fear lest the + output of the source should not suffice, the Fathers of the Grotto only + allowed the water of the baths to be changed twice a day. And nearly a + hundred patients being dipped in the same water, it can be imagined what a + terrible soup the latter at last became. All manner of things were found + in it, so that it was like a frightful <i>consommé</i> of all ailments, a + field of cultivation for every kind of poisonous germ, a quintessence of + the most dreaded contagious diseases; the miraculous feature of it all + being that men should emerge alive from their immersion in such filth. + </p> + <p> + “Gently, gently,” repeated M. Sabathier to Pierre and the Marquis, who had + taken hold of him under the hips in order to carry him to the bath. And he + gazed with childlike terror at that thick, livid water on which floated so + many greasy, nauseating patches of scum. However, his dread of the cold + was so great that he preferred the polluted baths of the afternoon, since + all the bodies that were dipped in the water during the early part of the + day ended by slightly warming it. + </p> + <p> + “We will let you slide down the steps,” exclaimed the Marquis in an + undertone; and then he instructed Pierre to hold the patient with all his + strength under the arm-pits. + </p> + <p> + “Have no fear,” replied the priest; “I will not let go.” + </p> + <p> + M. Sabathier was then slowly lowered. You could now only see his back, his + poor painful back which swayed and swelled, mottled by the rippling of a + shiver. And when they dipped him his head fell back in a spasm, a sound + like the cracking of bones was heard, and breathing hard, he almost + stifled. + </p> + <p> + The chaplain, standing beside the bath, had begun calling with renewed + fervour: “Lord, heal our sick! Lord, heal our sick!” + </p> + <p> + M. de Salmon-Roquebert repeated the cry, which the regulations required + the hospitallers to raise at each fresh immersion. Pierre, therefore, had + to imitate his companion, and his pitiful feelings at the sight of so much + suffering were so intense that he regained some little of his faith. It + was long indeed since he had prayed like this, devoutly wishing that there + might be a God in heaven, whose omnipotence could assuage the wretchedness + of humanity. At the end of three or four minutes, however, when with great + difficulty they drew M. Sabathier, livid and shivering, out of the bath, + the young priest fell into deeper, more despairing sorrow than ever at + beholding how downcast, how overwhelmed the sufferer was at having + experienced no relief. Again had he made a futile attempt; for the seventh + time the Blessed Virgin had not deigned to listen to his prayers. He + closed his eyes, from between the lids of which big tears began to roll + while they were dressing him again. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre recognised little Gustave Vigneron coming in, on his crutch, + to take his first bath. His relatives, his father, his mother, and his + aunt, Madame Chaise, all three of substantial appearance and exemplary + piety, had just fallen on their knees at the door. Whispers ran through + the crowd; it was said that the gentleman was a functionary of the + Ministry of Finances. However, while the child was beginning to undress, a + tumult arose, and Father Fourcade and Father Massias, suddenly arriving, + gave orders to suspend the immersions. The great miracle was about to be + attempted, the extraordinary favour which had been so ardently prayed for + since the morning—the restoration of the dead man to life. + </p> + <p> + The prayers were continuing outside, rising in a furious appeal which died + away in the sky of that warm summer afternoon. Two bearers came in with a + covered stretcher, which they deposited in the middle of the + dressing-room. Baron Suire, President of the Association, followed, + accompanied by Berthaud, one of its principal officers, for the affair was + causing a great stir among the whole staff, and before anything was done a + few words were exchanged in low voices between the gentlemen and the two + Fathers of the Assumption. Then the latter fell upon their knees, with + arms extended, and began to pray, their faces illumined, transfigured by + their burning desire to see God’s omnipotence displayed. + </p> + <p> + “Lord, hear us! Lord, grant our prayer!” + </p> + <p> + M. Sabathier had just been taken away, and the only patient now present + was little Gustave, who had remained on a chair, half-undressed and + forgotten. The curtains of the stretcher were raised, and the man’s corpse + appeared, already stiff, and seemingly reduced and shrunken, with large + eyes which had obstinately remained wide open. It was necessary, however, + to undress the body, which was still fully clad, and this terrible duty + made the bearers momentarily hesitate. Pierre noticed that the Marquis de + Salmon-Roquebert, who showed such devotion to the living, such freedom + from all repugnance whenever they were in question, had now drawn aside + and fallen on his knees, as though to avoid the necessity of touching that + lifeless corpse. And the young priest thereupon followed his example, and + knelt near him in order to keep countenance. + </p> + <p> + Father Massias meanwhile was gradually becoming excited, praying in so + loud a voice that it drowned that of his superior, Father Fourcade: “Lord, + restore our brother to us!” he cried. “Lord, do it for Thy glory!” + </p> + <p> + One of the hospitallers had already begun to pull at the man’s trousers, + but his legs were so stiff that the garment would not come off. In fact + the corpse ought to have been raised up; and the other hospitaller, who + was unbuttoning the dead man’s old frock coat, remarked in an undertone + that it would be best to cut everything away with a pair of scissors. + Otherwise there would be no end of the job. + </p> + <p> + Berthaud, however, rushed up to them, after rapidly consulting Baron + Suire. As a politician he secretly disapproved of Father Fourcade’s action + in making such an attempt, only they could not now do otherwise than carry + matters to an issue; for the crowd was waiting and had been entreating God + on the dead man’s behalf ever since the morning. The wisest course, + therefore, was to finish with the affair at once, showing as much respect + as possible for the remains of the deceased. In lieu, therefore, of + pulling the corpse about in order to strip it bare, Berthaud was of + opinion that it would be better to dip it in the piscina clad as it was. + Should the man resuscitate, it would be easy to procure fresh clothes for + him; and in the contrary event, no harm would have been done. This is what + he hastily said to the bearers; and forthwith he helped them to pass some + straps under the man’s hips and arms. + </p> + <p> + Father Fourcade had nodded his approval of this course, whilst Father + Massias prayed with increased fervour: “Breathe upon him, O Lord, and he + shall be born anew! Restore his soul to him, O, Lord, that he may glorify + Thee!” + </p> + <p> + Making an effort, the two hospitallers now raised the man by means of the + straps, carried him to the bath, and slowly lowered him into the water, at + each moment fearing that he would slip away from their hold. Pierre, + although overcome by horror, could not do otherwise than look at them, and + thus he distinctly beheld the immersion of this corpse in its sorry + garments, which on being wetted clung to the bones, outlining the + skeleton-like figure of the deceased, who floated like a man who has been + drowned. But the repulsive part of it all was, that in spite of the <i>rigor + mortis</i>, the head fell backward into the water, and was submerged by + it. In vain did the hospitallers try to raise it by pulling the shoulder + straps; as they made the attempt, the man almost sank to the bottom of the + bath. And how could he have recovered his breath when his mouth was full + of water, his staring eyes seemingly dying afresh, beneath that watery + veil? + </p> + <p> + Then, during the three long minutes allowed for the immersion, the two + Fathers of the Assumption and the chaplain, in a paroxysm of desire and + faith, strove to compel the intervention of Heaven, praying in such loud + voices that they seemed to choke. + </p> + <p> + “Do Thou but look on him, O Lord, and he will live again! Lord! may he + rise at Thy voice to convert the earth! Lord! Thou hast but one word to + say and all Thy people will acclaim Thee!” + </p> + <p> + At last, as though some vessel had broken in his throat, Father Massias + fell groaning and choking on his elbows, with only enough strength left + him to kiss the flagstones. And from without came the clamour of the + crowd, the ever-repeated cry, which the Capuchin was still leading: “Lord, + heal our sick! Lord, heal our sick!” This appeal seemed so singular at + that moment, that Pierre’s sufferings were increased. He could feel, too, + that the Marquis was shuddering beside him. And so the relief was general + when Berthaud, thoroughly annoyed with the whole business, curtly shouted + to the hospitallers: “Take him out! Take him out at once!” + </p> + <p> + The body was removed from the bath and laid on the stretcher, looking like + the corpse of a drowned man with its sorry garments clinging to its limbs. + The water was trickling from the hair, and rivulets began falling on + either side, spreading out in pools on the floor. And naturally, dead as + the man had been, dead he remained. + </p> + <p> + The others had all risen and stood looking at him amidst a distressing + silence. Then, as he was covered up and carried away, Father Fourcade + followed the bier leaning on the shoulder of Father Massias and dragging + his gouty leg, the painful weight of which he had momentarily forgotten. + But he was already recovering his strong serenity, and as a hush fell upon + the crowd outside, he could be heard saying: “My dear brothers, my dear + sisters, God has not been willing to restore him to us, doubtless because + in His infinite goodness He has desired to retain him among His elect.” + </p> + <p> + And that was all; there was no further question of the dead man. Patients + were again being brought into the dressing-room, the two other baths were + already occupied. And now little Gustave, who had watched that terrible + scene with his keen inquisitive eyes, evincing no sign of terror, finished + undressing himself. His wretched body, the body of a scrofulous child, + appeared with its prominent ribs and projecting spine, its limbs so thin + that they looked like mere walking-sticks. Especially was this the case as + regards the left one, which was withered, wasted to the bone; and he also + had two sores, one on the hip, and the other in the loins, the last a + terrible one, the skin being eaten away so that you distinctly saw the raw + flesh. Yet he smiled, rendered so precocious by his sufferings that, + although but fifteen years old and looking no more than ten, he seemed to + be endowed with the reason and philosophy of a grown man. + </p> + <p> + The Marquis de Salmon-Roquebert, who had taken him gently in his arms, + refused Pierre’s offer of service: “Thanks, but he weighs no more than a + bird. And don’t be frightened, my dear little fellow. I will do it + gently.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I am not afraid of cold water, monsieur,” replied the boy; “you may + duck me.” + </p> + <p> + Then he was lowered into the bath in which the dead man had been dipped. + Madame Vigneron and Madame Chaise, who were not allowed to enter, had + remained at the door on their knees, whilst the father, M. Vigneron, who + was admitted into the dressing-room, went on making the sign of the cross. + </p> + <p> + Finding that his services were no longer required, Pierre now departed. + The sudden idea that three o’clock must have long since struck and that + Marie must be waiting for him made him hasten his steps. However, whilst + he was endeavouring to pierce the crowd, he saw the girl arrive in her + little conveyance, dragged along by Gérard, who had not ceased + transporting sufferers to the piscina. She had become impatient, suddenly + filled with a conviction that she was at last in a frame of mind to find + grace. And at sight of Pierre she reproached him, saying, “What, my + friend, did you forget me?” + </p> + <p> + He could find no answer, but watched her as she was taken into the piscina + reserved for women, and then, in mortal sorrow, fell upon his knees. It + was there that he would wait for her, humbly kneeling, in order that he + might take her back to the Grotto, cured without doubt and singing a hymn + of praise. Since she was certain of it, would she not assuredly be cured? + However, it was in vain that he sought for words of prayer in the depths + of his distracted being. He was still under the blow of all the terrible + things that he had beheld, worn out with physical fatigue, his brain + depressed, no longer knowing what he saw or what he believed. His + desperate affection for Marie alone remained, making him long to humble + himself and supplicate, in the thought that when little ones really love + and entreat the powerful they end by obtaining favours. And at last he + caught himself repeating the prayers of the crowd, in a distressful voice + that came from the depths of his being “Lord, heal our sick! Lord, heal + our sick!” + </p> + <p> + Ten minutes, a quarter of an hour perhaps, went by. Then Marie reappeared + in her little conveyance. Her face was very pale and wore an expression of + despair. Her beautiful hair was fastened above her head in a heavy golden + coil which the water had not touched. And she was not cured. The stupor of + infinite discouragement hollowed and lengthened her face, and she averted + her eyes as though to avoid meeting those of the priest who thunderstruck, + chilled to the heart, at last made up his mind to grasp the handle of the + little vehicle, so as to take the girl back to the Grotto. + </p> + <p> + And meantime the cry of the faithful, who with open arms were kneeling + there and kissing the earth, again rose with a growing fury, excited by + the Capuchin’s shrill voice: “Lord, heal our sick! Heal our sick, O Lord!” + </p> + <p> + As Pierre was placing Marie in position again in front of the Grotto, an + attack of weakness came over her and she almost fainted. Gérard, who was + there, saw Raymonde quickly hurry to the spot with a cup of broth, and at + once they began zealously rivalling each other in their attentions to the + ailing girl. Raymonde, holding out the cup in a pretty way, and assuming + the coaxing airs of an expert nurse, especially insisted that Marie should + accept the bouillon; and Gérard, glancing at this portionless girl, could + not help finding her charming, already expert in the business of life, and + quite ready to manage a household with a firm hand without ceasing to be + amiable. Berthaud was no doubt right, this was the wife that he, Gérard, + needed. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle,” said he to Raymonde, “shall I raise the young lady a + little?” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, monsieur, I am quite strong enough. And besides I will give it + to her in spoonfuls; that will be the better way.” + </p> + <p> + Marie, however, obstinately preserving her fierce silence as she recovered + consciousness, refused the broth with a gesture. She wished to be left in + quietness, she did not want anybody to question her. And it was only when + the others had gone off smiling at one another, that she said to Pierre in + a husky voice: “Has not my father come then?” + </p> + <p> + After hesitating for a moment the priest was obliged to confess the truth. + “I left him sleeping and he cannot have woke up.” + </p> + <p> + Then Marie relapsed into her state of languid stupor and dismissed him in + his turn, with the gesture with which she declined all succour. She no + longer prayed, but remained quite motionless, gazing fixedly with her + large eyes at the marble Virgin, the white statue amidst the radiance of + the Grotto. And as four o’clock was now striking, Pierre with his heart + sore went off to the Verification Office, having suddenly remembered the + appointment given him by Doctor Chassaigne. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap09"></a> + IV. VERIFICATION + </h2> + <p> + THE doctor was waiting for the young priest outside the Verification + Office, in front of which a compact and feverish crowd of pilgrims was + assembled, waylaying and questioning the patients who went in, and + acclaiming them as they came out whenever the news spread of any miracle, + such as the restoration of some blind man’s sight, some deaf woman’s + hearing, or some paralytic’s power of motion. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had no little difficulty in making his way through the throng, but + at last he reached his friend. “Well,” he asked, “are we going to have a + miracle—a real, incontestable one I mean?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor smiled, indulgent despite his new faith. “Ah, well,” said he, + “a miracle is not worked to order. God intervenes when He pleases.” + </p> + <p> + Some hospitallers were mounting guard at the door, but they all knew M. + Chassaigne, and respectfully drew aside to let him enter with his + companion. The office where the cures were verified was very badly + installed in a wretched wooden shanty divided into two apartments, first a + narrow ante-chamber, and then a general meeting room which was by no means + so large as it should have been. However, there was a question of + providing the department with better accommodation the following year; + with which view some large premises, under one of the inclined ways of the + Rosary, were already being fitted up. + </p> + <p> + The only article of furniture in the antechamber was a wooden bench on + which Pierre perceived two female patients awaiting their turn in the + charge of a young hospitaller. But on entering the meeting room the number + of persons packed inside it quite surprised him, whilst the suffocating + heat within those wooden walls on which the sun was so fiercely playing, + almost scorched his face. It was a square bare room, painted a light + yellow, with the panes of its single window covered with whitening, so + that the pressing throng outside might see nothing of what went on within. + One dared not even open this window to admit a little fresh air, for it + was no sooner set ajar than a crowd of inquisitive heads peeped in. The + furniture was of a very rudimentary kind, consisting simply of two deal + tables of unequal height placed end to end and not even covered with a + cloth; together with a kind of big “canterbury” littered with untidy + papers, sets of documents, registers and pamphlets, and finally some + thirty rush-seated chairs placed here and there over the floor and a + couple of ragged arm-chairs usually reserved for the patients. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Bonamy at once hastened forward to greet Doctor Chassaigne, who was + one of the latest and most glorious conquests of the Grotto. He found a + chair for him and, bowing to Pierre’s cassock, also made the young priest + sit down. Then, in the tone of extreme politeness which was customary with + him, he exclaimed: “<i>Mon cher confrère</i>, you will kindly allow me to + continue. We were just examining mademoiselle.” + </p> + <p> + He referred to a deaf peasant girl of twenty, who was seated in one of the + arm-chairs. Instead of listening, however, Pierre, who was very weary, + still with a buzzing in his head, contented himself with gazing at the + scene, endeavouring to form some notion of the people assembled in the + room. There were some fifty altogether, many of them standing and leaning + against the walls. Half a dozen, however, were seated at the two tables, a + central position being occupied by the superintendent of the piscinas, who + was constantly consulting a thick register; whilst around him were a + Father of the Assumption and three young seminarists who acted as + secretaries, writing, searching for documents, passing them and + classifying them again after each examination. Pierre, however, took most + interest in a Father of the Immaculate Conception, Father Dargeles, who + had been pointed out to him that morning as being the editor of the + “Journal de la Grotte.” This ecclesiastic, whose thin little face, with + its blinking eyes, pointed nose, and delicate mouth was ever smiling, had + modestly seated himself at the end of the lower table where he + occasionally took notes for his newspaper. He alone, of the community to + which he belonged, showed himself during the three days of the national + pilgrimage. Behind him, however, one could divine the presence of all the + others, the slowly developed hidden power which organised everything and + raked in all the proceeds. + </p> + <p> + The onlookers consisted almost entirely of inquisitive people and + witnesses, including a score of doctors and a few priests. The medical + men, who had come from all parts, mostly preserved silence, only a few of + them occasionally venturing to ask a question; and every now and then they + would exchange oblique glances, more occupied apparently in watching one + another than in verifying the facts submitted to their examination. Who + could they be? Some names were mentioned, but they were quite unknown. + Only one had caused any stir, that of a celebrated doctor, professor at a + Catholic university. + </p> + <p> + That afternoon, however, Doctor Bonamy, who never sat down, busy as he was + conducting the proceedings and questioning the patients, reserved most of + his attentions for a short, fair-haired man, a writer of some talent who + contributed to one of the most widely read Paris newspapers, and who, in + the course of a holiday tour, had by chance reached Lourdes that morning. + Was not this an unbeliever whom it might be possible to convert, whose + influence it would be desirable to gain for advertisement’s sake? Such at + all events appeared to be M. Bonamy’s opinion, for he had compelled the + journalist to take the second arm-chair, and with an affectation of + smiling good-nature was treating him to a full performance, again and + again repeating that he and his patrons had nothing to hide, and that + everything took place in the most open manner. + </p> + <p> + “We only desire light,” he exclaimed. “We never cease to call for the + investigations of all willing men.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as the alleged cure of the deaf girl did not seem at all a promising + case, he addressed her somewhat roughly: “Come, come, my girl, this is + only a beginning. You must come back when there are more distinct signs of + improvement.” And turning to the journalist he added in an undertone: “If + we were to believe them they would all be healed. But the only cures we + accept are those which are thoroughly proven, which are as apparent as the + sun itself. Pray notice moreover that I say cures and not miracles; for we + doctors do not take upon ourselves to interpret and explain. We are simply + here to see if the patients, who submit themselves to our examination, + have really lost all symptoms of their ailments.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he struck an attitude. Doubtless he spoke like this in order + that his rectitude might not be called in question. Believing without + believing, he knew that science was yet so obscure, so full of surprises, + that what seemed impossible might always come to pass; and thus, in the + declining years of his life, he had contrived to secure an exceptional + position at the Grotto, a position which had both its inconveniences and + its advantages, but which, taken for all in all, was very comfortable and + pleasant. + </p> + <p> + And now, in reply to a question from the Paris journalist, he began to + explain his mode of proceeding. Each patient who accompanied the + pilgrimage arrived provided with papers, amongst which there was almost + always a certificate of the doctor who had been attending the case. At + times even there were certificates given by several doctors, hospital + bulletins and so forth—quite a record of the illness in its various + stages. And thus if a cure took place and the cured person came forward, + it was only necessary to consult his or her set of documents in order to + ascertain the nature of the ailment, and then examination would show if + that ailment had really disappeared. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was now listening. Since he had been there, seated and resting + himself, he had grown calmer, and his mind was clear once more. It was + only the heat which at present caused him any inconvenience. And thus, + interested as he was by Doctor Bonamy’s explanations, and desirous of + forming an opinion, he would have spoken out and questioned, had it not + been for his cloth which condemned him to remain in the background. He was + delighted, therefore, when the little fair-haired gentleman, the + influential writer, began to bring forward the objections which at once + occurred to him.* Was it not most unfortunate that one doctor should + diagnose the illness and that another one should verify the cure? In this + mode of proceeding there was certainly a source of frequent error. The + better plan would have been for a medical commission to examine all the + patients as soon as they arrived at Lourdes and draw up reports on every + case, to which reports the same commission would have referred whenever an + alleged cure was brought before it. Doctor Bonamy, however, did not fall + in with this suggestion. He replied, with some reason, that a commission + would never suffice for such gigantic labour. Just think of it! A thousand + patients to examine in a single morning! And how many different theories + there would be, how many contrary diagnoses, how many endless discussions, + all of a nature to increase the general uncertainty! The preliminary + examination of the patients, which was almost always impossible, would, + even if attempted, leave the door open for as many errors as the present + system. In practice, it was necessary to remain content with the + certificates delivered by the medical men who had been in attendance on + the patients, and these certificates accordingly acquired capital, + decisive importance. Doctor Bonamy ran through the documents lying on one + of the tables and gave the Paris journalist some of these certificates to + read. A great many of them unfortunately were very brief. Others, more + skilfully drawn up, clearly specified the nature of the complaint; and + some of the doctors’ signatures were even certified by the mayors of the + localities where they resided. Nevertheless doubts remained, innumerable + and not to be surmounted. Who were these doctors? Who could tell if they + possessed sufficient scientific authority to write as they did? With all + respect to the medical profession, were there not innumerable doctors + whose attainments were very limited? And, besides, might not these have + been influenced by circumstances that one knew nothing of, in some cases + by considerations of a personal character? One was tempted to ask for an + inquiry respecting each of these medical men. Since everything was based + on the documents supplied by the patients, these documents ought to have + been most carefully controlled; for there could be no proof of any miracle + if the absolute certainty of the alleged ailments had not been + demonstrated by stringent examination. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The reader will doubtless have understood that the Parisian + journalist is none other than M. Zola himself—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Very red and covered with perspiration, Doctor Bonamy waved his arms. “But + that is the course we follow, that is the course we follow!” said he. “As + soon as it seems to us that a case of cure cannot be explained by natural + means, we institute a minute inquiry, we request the person who has been + cured to return here for further examination. And as you can see, we + surround ourselves with all means of enlightenment. These gentlemen here, + who are listening to us, are nearly every one of them doctors who have + come from all parts of France. We always entreat them to express their + doubts if they feel any, to discuss the cases with us, and a very detailed + report of each discussion is drawn up. You hear me, gentlemen; by all + means protest if anything occurs here of a nature to offend your sense of + truth.” + </p> + <p> + Not one of the onlookers spoke. Most of the doctors present were + undoubtedly Catholics, and naturally enough they merely bowed. As for the + others, the unbelievers, the <i>savants</i> pure and simple, they looked + on and evinced some interest in certain phenomena, but considerations of + courtesy deterred them from entering into discussions which they knew + would have been useless. When as men of sense their discomfort became too + great, and they felt themselves growing angry, they simply left the room. + </p> + <p> + As nobody breathed a word, Doctor Bonamy became quite triumphant, and on + the journalist asking him if he were all alone to accomplish so much work, + he replied: “Yes, all alone; but my functions as doctor of the Grotto are + not so complicated as you may think, for, I repeat it, they simply consist + in verifying cures whenever any take place.” However, he corrected + himself, and added with a smile: “All! I was forgetting, I am not quite + alone, I have Raboin, who helps me to keep things a little bit in order + here.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he pointed to a stout, grey-haired man of forty, with a heavy + face and bull-dog jaw. Raboin was an ardent believer, one of those excited + beings who did not allow the miracles to be called in question. And thus + he often suffered from his duties at the Verification Office, where he was + ever ready to growl with anger when anybody disputed a prodigy. The appeal + to the doctors had made him quite lose his temper, and his superior had to + calm him. + </p> + <p> + “Come, Raboin, my friend, be quiet!” said Doctor Bonamy. “All sincere + opinions are entitled to a hearing.” + </p> + <p> + However, the <i>défile</i> of patients was resumed. A man was now brought + in whose trunk was so covered with eczema that when he took off his shirt + a kind of grey flour fell from his skin. He was not cured, but simply + declared that he came to Lourdes every year, and always went away feeling + relieved. Then came a lady, a countess, who was fearfully emaciated, and + whose story was an extraordinary one. Cured of tuberculosis by the Blessed + Virgin, a first time, seven years previously, she had subsequently given + birth to four children, and had then again fallen into consumption. At + present she was a morphinomaniac, but her first bath had already relieved + her so much, that she proposed taking part in the torchlight procession + that same evening with the twenty-seven members of her family whom she had + brought with her to Lourdes. Then there was a woman afflicted with nervous + aphonia, who after months of absolute dumbness had just recovered her + voice at the moment when the Blessed Sacrament went by at the head of the + four o’clock procession. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” declared Doctor Bonamy, affecting the graciousness of a <i>savant</i> + of extremely liberal views, “as you are aware, we do not draw any + conclusions when a nervous affection is in question. Still you will kindly + observe that this woman was treated at the Salpêtrière for six months, and + that she had to come here to find her tongue suddenly loosened.” + </p> + <p> + Despite all these fine words he displayed some little impatience, for he + would have greatly liked to show the gentleman from Paris one of those + remarkable instances of cure which occasionally presented themselves + during the four o’clock procession—that being the moment of grace + and exaltation when the Blessed Virgin interceded for those whom she had + chosen. But on this particular afternoon there had apparently been none. + The cures which had so far passed before them were doubtful ones, + deficient in interest. Meanwhile, out-of-doors, you could hear the + stamping and roaring of the crowd, goaded into a frenzy by repeated hymns, + enfevered by its earnest desire for the Divine interposition, and growing + more and more enervated by the delay. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, a smiling, modest-looking young girl, whose clear + eyes sparkled with intelligence, entered the office. “Ah!” exclaimed + Doctor Bonamy joyously, “here is our little friend Sophie. A remarkable + cure, gentlemen, which took place at the same season last year, and the + results of which I will ask permission to show you.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had immediately recognized Sophie Couteau, the <i>miraculée</i> who + had got into the train at Poitiers. And he now witnessed a repetition of + the scene which had already been enacted in his presence. Doctor Bonamy + began giving detailed explanations to the little fair-haired gentleman, + who displayed great attention. The case, said the doctor, had been one of + caries of the bones of the left heel, with a commencement of necrosis + necessitating excision; and yet the frightful, suppurating sore had been + healed in a minute at the first immersion in the piscina. + </p> + <p> + “Tell the gentlemen how it happened, Sophie,” he added. + </p> + <p> + The little girl made her usual pretty gesture as a sign to everybody to be + attentive. And then she began: “Well, it was like this; my foot was past + cure, I couldn’t even go to church any more, and it had to be kept + bandaged because there was always a lot of matter coming from it. Monsieur + Rivoire, the doctor, who had made a cut in it so as to see inside it, said + that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the bone; and that, sure + enough, would have made me lame for life. But when I got to Lourdes, and + had prayed a great deal to the Blessed Virgin, I went to dip my foot in + the water, wishing so much that I might be cured, that I did not even take + the time to pull the bandages off. And everything remained in the water; + there was no longer anything the matter with my foot when I took it out.” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Bonamy listened, and punctuated each word with an approving nod. + “And what did your doctor say, Sophie?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “When I got back to Vivonne, and Monsieur Rivoire saw my foot again, he + said: ‘Whether it be God or the Devil who has cured this child, it is all + the same to me; but in all truth, she is cured.’” + </p> + <p> + A burst of laughter rang out. The doctor’s remark was sure to produce an + effect. + </p> + <p> + “And what was it, Sophie, that you said to Madame la Comtesse, the + superintendent of your ward?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes! I hadn’t brought many bandages for my foot with me, and I said + to her, ‘It was very kind of the Blessed Virgin to cure me the first day, + as I should have run out of linen on the morrow.’” + </p> + <p> + Then there was fresh laughter, a general display of satisfaction at seeing + her look so pretty, telling her story, which she now knew by heart, in too + recitative a manner, but, nevertheless, remaining very touching and + truthful in appearance. + </p> + <p> + “Take off your shoe, Sophie,” now said Doctor Bonamy; “show your foot to + these gentlemen. Let them feel it. Nobody must retain any doubt.” + </p> + <p> + The little foot promptly appeared, very white, very clean, carefully + tended indeed, with its scar just below the ankle, a long scar, whose + whity seam testified to the gravity of the complaint. Some of the medical + men had drawn near, and looked on in silence. Others, whose opinions, no + doubt, were already formed, did not disturb themselves, though one of + them, with an air of extreme politeness, inquired why the Blessed Virgin + had not made a new foot while she was about it, for this would assuredly + have given her no more trouble. Doctor Bonamy, however, quickly replied, + that if the Blessed Virgin had left a scar, it was certainly in order that + a trace, a proof of the miracle, might remain. Then he entered into + technical particulars, demonstrating that a fragment of bone and flesh + must have been instantly formed, and this, of course, could not be + explained in any natural way. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mon Dieu</i>!” interrupted the little fair-haired gentleman, “there is + no need of any such complicated affair. Let me merely see a finger cut + with a penknife, let me see it dipped in the water, and let it come out + with the cut cicatrised. The miracle will be quite as great, and I shall + bow to it respectfully.” Then he added: “If I possessed a source which + could thus close up sores and wounds, I would turn the world topsy-turvy. + I do not know exactly how I should manage it, but at all events I would + summon the nations, and the nations would come. I should cause the + miracles to be verified in such an indisputable manner, that I should be + the master of the earth. Just think what an extraordinary power it would + be—a divine power. But it would be necessary that not a doubt should + remain, the truth would have to be as patent, as apparent as the sun + itself. The whole world would behold it and believe!” + </p> + <p> + Then he began discussing various methods of control with the doctor. He + had admitted that, owing to the great number of patients, it would be + difficult, if not impossible, to examine them all on their arrival. Only, + why didn’t they organise a special ward at the hospital, a ward which + would be reserved for cases of visible sores? They would have thirty such + cases all told, which might be subjected to the preliminary examination of + a committee. Authentic reports would be drawn up, and the sores might even + be photographed. Then, if a case of cure should present itself, the + commission would merely have to authenticate it by a fresh report. And in + all this there would be no question of any internal complaint, the + diagnostication of which is difficult, and liable to be controverted. + There would be visible evidence of the ailment, and cure could be proved. + </p> + <p> + Somewhat embarrassed, Doctor Bonamy replied: “No doubt, no doubt; all we + ask for is enlightenment. The difficulty would be in forming the committee + you speak of. If you only knew how little medical men agree! However, + there is certainly an idea in what you say.” + </p> + <p> + Fortunately a fresh patient now came to his assistance. Whilst little + Sophie Couteau, already forgotten, was putting on, her shoes again, Elise + Rouquet appeared, and, removing her wrap, displayed her diseased face to + view. She related that she had been bathing it with her handkerchief ever + since the morning, and it seemed to her that her sore, previously so fresh + and raw, was already beginning to dry and grow paler in colour. This was + true; Pierre noticed, with great surprise, that the aspect of the sore was + now less horrible. This supplied fresh food for the discussion on visible + sores, for the little fair-haired gentleman clung obstinately to his idea + of organising a special ward. Indeed, said he, if the condition of this + girl had been verified that morning, and she should be cured, what a + triumph it would have been for the Grotto, which could have claimed to + have healed a lupus! It would then have no longer been possible to deny + that miracles were worked. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Chassaigne had so far kept in the background, motionless and + silent, as though he desired that the facts alone should exercise their + influence on Pierre. But he now leant forward and said to him in an + undertone: “Visible sores, visible sores indeed! That gentleman can have + no idea that our most learned medical men suspect many of these sores to + be of nervous origin. Yes, we are discovering that complaints of this kind + are often simply due to bad nutrition of the skin. These questions of + nutrition are still so imperfectly studied and understood! And some + medical men are also beginning to prove that the faith which heals can + even cure sores, certain forms of lupus among others. And so I would ask + what certainty that gentleman would obtain with his ward for visible + sores? There would simply be a little more confusion and passion in + arguing the eternal question. No, no! Science is vain, it is a sea of + uncertainty.” + </p> + <p> + He smiled sorrowfully whilst Doctor Bonamy, after advising Elise Rouquet + to continue using the water as lotion and to return each day for further + examination, repeated with his prudent, affable air: “At all events, + gentlemen, there are signs of improvement in this case—that is + beyond doubt.” + </p> + <p> + But all at once the office was fairly turned topsy-turvy by the arrival of + La Grivotte, who swept in like a whirlwind, almost dancing with delight + and shouting in a full voice: “I am cured! I am cured!” + </p> + <p> + And forthwith she began to relate that they had first of all refused to + bathe her, and that she had been obliged to insist and beg and sob in + order to prevail upon them to do so, after receiving Father Fourcade’s + express permission. And then it had all happened as she had previously + said it would. She had not been immersed in the icy water for three + minutes—all perspiring as she was with her consumptive rattle—before + she had felt strength returning to her like a whipstroke lashing her whole + body. And now a flaming excitement possessed her; radiant, stamping her + feet, she was unable to keep still. + </p> + <p> + “I am cured, my good gentlemen, I am cured!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at her, this time quite stupefied. Was this the same girl + whom, on the previous night, he had seen lying on the carriage seat, + annihilated, coughing and spitting blood, with her face of ashen hue? He + could not recognise her as she now stood there, erect and slender, her + cheeks rosy, her eyes sparkling, upbuoyed by a determination to live, a + joy in living already. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” declared Doctor Bonamy, “the case appears to me to be a very + interesting one. We will see.” + </p> + <p> + Then he asked for the documents concerning La Grivotte. But they could not + be found among all the papers heaped together on the tables. The young + seminarists who acted as secretaries began turning everything over; and + the superintendent of the piscinas who sat in their midst himself had to + get up to see if these documents were in the “canterbury.” At last, when + he had sat down again, he found them under the register which lay open + before him. Among them were three medical certificates which he read + aloud. All three of them agreed in stating that the case was one of + advanced phthisis, complicated by nervous incidents which invested it with + a peculiar character. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Bonamy wagged his head as though to say that such an <i>ensemble</i> + of testimony could leave no room for doubt. Forthwith, he subjected the + patient to a prolonged auscultation. And he murmured: “I hear nothing—I + hear nothing.” Then, correcting himself, he added: “At least I hear + scarcely anything.” + </p> + <p> + Finally he turned towards the five-and-twenty or thirty doctors who were + assembled there in silence. “Will some of you gentlemen,” he asked, + “kindly lend me the help of your science? We are here to study and discuss + these questions.” + </p> + <p> + At first nobody stirred. Then there was one who ventured to come forward + and, in his turn subject the patient to auscultation. But instead of + declaring himself, he continued reflecting, shaking his head anxiously. At + last he stammered that in his opinion one must await further developments. + Another doctor, however, at once took his place, and this one expressed a + decided opinion. He could hear nothing at all, that woman could never have + suffered from phthisis. Then others followed him; in fact, with the + exception of five or six whose smiling faces remained impenetrable, they + all joined the <i>défile</i>. And the confusion now attained its apogee; + for each gave an opinion sensibly differing from that of his colleagues, + so that a general uproar arose and one could no longer hear oneself speak. + Father Dargeles alone retained the calmness of perfect serenity, for he + had scented one of those cases which impassion people and redound to the + glory of Our Lady of Lourdes. He was already taking notes on a corner of + the table. + </p> + <p> + Thanks to all the noise of the discussion, Pierre and Doctor Chassaigne, + seated at some distance from the others, were now able to talk together + without being heard. “Oh! those piscinas!” said the young priest, “I have + just seen them. To think that the water should be so seldom changed! What + filth it is, what a soup of microbes! What a terrible blow for the + present-day mania, that rage for antiseptic precautions! How is it that + some pestilence does not carry off all these poor people? The opponents of + the microbe theory must be having a good laugh—” + </p> + <p> + M. Chassaigne stopped him. “No, no, my child,” said he. “The baths may be + scarcely clean, but they offer no danger. Please notice that the + temperature of the water never rises above fifty degrees, and that + seventy-seven are necessary for the cultivation of germs.* Besides, + scarcely any contagious diseases come to Lourdes, neither cholera, nor + typhus, nor variola, nor measles, nor scarlatina. We only see certain + organic affections here, paralysis, scrofula, tumours, ulcers and + abscesses, cancers and phthisis; and the latter cannot be transmitted by + the water of the baths. The old sores which are bathed have nothing to + fear, and offer no risk of contagion. I can assure you that on this point + there is even no necessity for the Blessed Virgin to intervene.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The above are Fahrenheit degrees.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “Then, in that case, doctor,” rejoined Pierre, “when you were practising, + you would have dipped all your patients in icy water—women at no + matter what season, rheumatic patients, people suffering from diseases of + the heart, consumptives, and so on? For instance, that unhappy girl, half + dead, and covered with sweat—would you have bathed her?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly not! There are heroic methods of treatment to which, in + practice, one does not dare to have recourse. An icy bath may undoubtedly + kill a consumptive; but do we know, whether, in certain circumstances, it + might not save her? I, who have ended by admitting that a supernatural + power is at work here, I willingly admit that some cures must take place + under natural conditions, thanks to that immersion in cold water which + seems to us idiotic and barbarous. Ah! the things we don’t know, the + things we don’t know!” + </p> + <p> + He was relapsing into his anger, his hatred of science, which he scorned + since it had left him scared and powerless beside the deathbed of his wife + and his daughter. “You ask for certainties,” he resumed, “but assuredly it + is not medicine which will give you them. Listen for a moment to those + gentlemen and you will be edified. Is it not beautiful, all that confusion + in which so many opinions clash together? Certainly there are ailments + with which one is thoroughly acquainted, even to the most minute details + of their evolution; there are remedies also, the effects of which have + been studied with the most scrupulous care; but the thing that one does + not know, that one cannot know, is the relation of the remedy to the + ailment, for there are as many cases as there may be patients, each liable + to variation, so that experimentation begins afresh every time. This is + why the practice of medicine remains an art, for there can be no + experimental finality in it. Cure always depends on chance, on some + fortunate circumstance, on some bright idea of the doctor’s. And so you + will understand that all the people who come and discuss here make me + laugh when they talk about the absolute laws of science. Where are those + laws in medicine? I should like to have them shown to me.” + </p> + <p> + He did not wish to say any more, but his passion carried him away, so he + went on: “I told you that I had become a believer—nevertheless, to + speak the truth, I understand very well why this worthy Doctor Bonamy is + so little affected, and why he continues calling upon doctors in all parts + of the world to come and study his miracles. The more doctors that might + come, the less likelihood there would be of the truth being established in + the inevitable battle between contradictory diagnoses and methods of + treatment. If men cannot agree about a visible sore, they surely cannot do + so about an internal lesion the existence of which will be admitted by + some, and denied by others. And why then should not everything become a + miracle? For, after all, whether the action comes from nature or from some + unknown power, medical men are, as a rule, none the less astonished when + an illness terminates in a manner which they have not foreseen. No doubt, + too, things are very badly organised here. Those certificates from doctors + whom nobody knows have no real value. All documents ought to be + stringently inquired into. But even admitting any absolute scientific + strictness, you must be very simple, my dear child, if you imagine that a + positive conviction would be arrived at, absolute for one and all. Error + is implanted in man, and there is no more difficult task than that of + demonstrating to universal satisfaction the most insignificant truth.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had now begun to understand what was taking place at Lourdes, the + extraordinary spectacle which the world had been witnessing for years, + amidst the reverent admiration of some and the insulting laughter of + others. Forces as yet but imperfectly studied, of which one was even + ignorant, were certainly at work—auto-suggestion, long prepared + disturbance of the nerves; inspiriting influence of the journey, the + prayers, and the hymns; and especially the healing breath, the unknown + force which was evolved from the multitude, in the acute crisis of faith. + Thus it seemed to him anything but intelligent to believe in trickery. The + facts were both of a much more lofty and much more simple nature. There + was no occasion for the Fathers of the Grotto to descend to falsehood; it + was sufficient that they should help in creating confusion, that they + should utilise the universal ignorance. It might even be admitted that + everybody acted in good faith—the doctors void of genius who + delivered the certificates, the consoled patients who believed themselves + cured, and the impassioned witnesses who swore that they had beheld what + they described. And from all this was evolved the obvious impossibility of + proving whether there was a miracle or not. And such being the case, did + not the miracle naturally become a reality for the greater number, for all + those who suffered and who had need of hope? + </p> + <p> + Then, as Doctor Bonamy, who had noticed that they were chatting apart, + came up to them, Pierre ventured to inquire: “What is about the proportion + of the cures to the number of cases?” + </p> + <p> + “About ten per cent.,” answered the doctor; and reading in the young + priest’s eyes the words that he could not utter, he added in a very + cordial way: “Oh! there would be many more, they would all be cured if we + chose to listen to them. But it is as well to say it, I am only here to + keep an eye on the miracles, like a policeman as it were. My only + functions are to check excessive zeal, and to prevent holy things from + being made ridiculous. In one word, this office is simply an office where + a <i>visa</i> is given when the cures have been verified and seem real + ones.” + </p> + <p> + He was interrupted, however, by a low growl. Raboin was growing angry: + “The cures verified, the cures verified,” he muttered. “What is the use of + that? There is no pause in the working of the miracles. What is the use of + verifying them so far as believers are concerned? <i>They</i> merely have + to bow down and believe. And what is the use, too, as regards the + unbelievers? <i>They</i> will never be convinced. The work we do here is + so much foolishness.” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Bonamy severely ordered him to hold his tongue. “You are a rebel, + Raboin,” said he; “I shall tell Father Capdebarthe that I won’t have you + here any longer since you pass your time in sowing disobedience.” + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, there was truth in what had just been said by this man, who + so promptly showed his teeth, eager to bite whenever his faith was + assailed; and Pierre looked at him with sympathy. All the work of the + Verification Office—work anything but well performed—was + indeed useless, for it wounded the feelings of the pious, and failed to + satisfy the incredulous. Besides, can a miracle be proved? No, you must + believe in it! When God is pleased to intervene, it is not for man to try + to understand. In the ages of real belief, Science did not make any + meddlesome attempt to explain the nature of the Divinity. And why should + it come and interfere here? By doing so, it simply hampered faith and + diminished its own prestige. No, no, there must be no Science, you must + throw yourself upon the ground, kiss it, and believe. Or else you must + take yourself off. No compromise was possible. If examination once began + it must go on, and must, fatally, conduct to doubt. + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s greatest sufferings, however, came from the extraordinary + conversations which he heard around him. There were some believers present + who spoke of the miracles with the most amazing ease and tranquillity. The + most stupefying stories left their serenity entire. Another miracle, and + yet another! And with smiles on their faces, their reason never + protesting, they went on relating such imaginings as could only have come + from diseased brains. They were evidently living in such a state of + visionary fever that nothing henceforth could astonish them. And not only + did Pierre notice this among folks of simple, childish minds, illiterate, + hallucinated creatures like Raboin, but also among the men of intellect, + the men with cultivated brains, the <i>savants</i> like Doctor Bonamy and + others. It was incredible. And thus Pierre felt a growing discomfort + arising within him, a covert anger which would doubtless end by bursting + forth. His reason was struggling, like that of some poor wretch who after + being flung into a river, feels the waters seize him from all sides and + stifle him; and he reflected that the minds which, like Doctor + Chassaigne’s, sink at last into blind belief, must pass though this same + discomfort and struggle before the final shipwreck. + </p> + <p> + He glanced at his old friend and saw how sorrowful he looked, struck down + by destiny, as weak as a crying child, and henceforth quite alone in life. + Nevertheless, he was unable to check the cry of protest which rose to his + lips: “No, no, if we do not know everything, even if we shall never know + everything, there is no reason why we should leave off learning. It is + wrong that the Unknown should profit by man’s debility and ignorance. On + the contrary, the eternal hope should be that the things which now seem + inexplicable will some day be explained; and we cannot, under healthy + conditions, have any other ideal than this march towards the discovery of + the Unknown, this victory slowly achieved by reason amidst all the + miseries both of the flesh and of the mind. Ah! reason—it is my + reason which makes me suffer, and it is from my reason too that I await + all my strength. When reason dies, the whole being perishes. And I feel + but an ardent thirst to satisfy my reason more and more, even though I may + lose all happiness in doing so.” + </p> + <p> + Tears were appearing in Doctor Chassaigne’s eyes; doubtless the memory of + his dear dead ones had again flashed upon him. And, in his turn, he + murmured: “Reason, reason, yes, certainly it is a thing to be very proud + of; it embodies the very dignity of life. But there is love, which is + life’s omnipotence, the one blessing to be won again when you have lost + it.” + </p> + <p> + His voice sank in a stifled sob; and as in a mechanical way he began to + finger the sets of documents lying on the table, he espied among them one + whose cover bore the name of Marie de Guersaint in large letters. He + opened it and read the certificates of the two doctors who had inferred + that the case was one of paralysis of the marrow. “Come, my child,” he + then resumed, “I know that you feel warm affection for Mademoiselle de + Guersaint. What should you say if she were cured here? There are here some + certificates, bearing honourable names, and you know that paralysis of + this nature is virtually incurable. Well, if this young person should all + at once run and jump about as I have seen so many others do, would you not + feel very happy, would you not at last acknowledge the intervention of a + supernatural power?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was about to reply, when he suddenly remembered his cousin + Beauclair’s expression of opinion, the prediction that the miracle would + come about like a lightning stroke, an awakening, an exaltation of the + whole being; and he felt his discomfort increase and contented himself + with replying: “Yes, indeed, I should be very happy. And you are right; + there is doubtless only a determination to secure happiness in all the + agitation one beholds here.” + </p> + <p> + However, he could remain in that office no longer. The heat was becoming + so great that perspiration streamed down the faces of those present. + Doctor Bonamy had begun to dictate a report of the examination of La + Grivotte to one of the seminarists, while Father Dargeles, watchful with + regard to the phraseology employed, occasionally rose and whispered some + verbal alteration in the writer’s ear. Meantime, the tumult around them + was continuing; the discussion among the medical men had taken another + turn and now bore on certain technical points of no significance with + regard to the case in question. You could no longer breathe within those + wooden walls, nausea was upsetting every heart and every head. The little + fair-haired gentleman, the influential writer from Paris, had already gone + away, quite vexed at not having seen a real miracle. + </p> + <p> + Pierre thereupon said to Doctor Chassaigne, “Let us go; I shall be taken + ill if I stay here any longer.” + </p> + <p> + They left the office at the same time as La Grivotte, who was at last + being dismissed. And as soon as they reached the door they found + themselves caught in a torrential, surging, jostling crowd, which was + eager to behold the girl so miraculously healed; for the report of the + miracle must have already spread, and one and all were struggling to see + the chosen one, question her, and touch her. And she, with her empurpled + cheeks, her flaming eyes, her dancing gait, could do nothing but repeat, + “I am cured, I am cured!” + </p> + <p> + Shouts drowned her voice, she herself was submerged, carried off amidst + the eddies of the throng. For a moment one lost sight of her as though she + had sunk in those tumultuous waters; then she suddenly reappeared close to + Pierre and the doctor, who endeavoured to extricate her from the crush. + They had just perceived the Commander, one of whose manias was to come + down to the piscinas and the Grotto in order to vent his anger there. With + his frock-coat tightly girding him in military fashion, he was, as usual, + leaning on his silver-knobbed walking-stick, slightly dragging his left + leg, which his second attack of paralysis had stiffened. And his face + reddened and his eyes flashed with anger when La Grivotte, pushing him + aside in order that she might pass, repeated amidst the wild enthusiasm of + the crowd, “I am cured, I am cured!” + </p> + <p> + “Well!” he cried, seized with sudden fury, “so much the worse for you, my + girl!” + </p> + <p> + Exclamations arose, folks began to laugh, for he was well known, and his + maniacal passion for death was forgiven him. However, when he began + stammering confused words, saying that it was pitiful to desire life when + one was possessed of neither beauty nor fortune, and that this girl ought + to have preferred to die at once rather than suffer again, people began to + growl around him, and Abbé Judaine, who was passing, had to extricate him + from his trouble. The priest drew him away. “Be quiet, my friend, be + quiet,” he said. “It is scandalous. Why do you rebel like this against the + goodness of God who occasionally shows His compassion for our sufferings + by alleviating them? I tell you again that you yourself ought to fall on + your knees and beg Him to restore to you the use of your leg and let you + live another ten years.” + </p> + <p> + The Commander almost choked with anger. “What!” he replied, “ask to live + for another ten years, when my finest day will be the day I die! Show + myself as spiritless, as cowardly as the thousands of patients whom I see + pass along here, full of a base terror of death, shrieking aloud their + weakness, their passion to remain alive! Ah! no, I should feel too much + contempt for myself. I want to die!—to die at once! It will be so + delightful to be no more.” + </p> + <p> + He was at last out of the scramble of the pilgrims, and again found + himself near Doctor Chassaigne and Pierre on the bank of the Gave. And he + addressed himself to the doctor, whom he often met: “Didn’t they try to + restore a dead man to life just now?” he asked; “I was told of it—it + almost suffocated me. Eh, doctor? You understand? That man was happy + enough to be dead, and they dared to dip him in their water in the + criminal hope to make him alive again! But suppose they had succeeded, + suppose their water had animated that poor devil once more—for one + never knows what may happen in this funny world—don’t you think that + the man would have had a perfect right to spit his anger in the face of + those corpse-menders? Had he asked them to awaken him? How did they know + if he were not well pleased at being dead? Folks ought to be consulted at + any rate. Just picture them playing the same vile trick on me when I at + last fall into the great deep sleep. Ah! I would give them a nice + reception. ‘Meddle with what concerns you,’ I should say, and you may be + sure I should make all haste to die again!” + </p> + <p> + He looked so singular in the fit of rage which had come over him that Abbé + Judaine and the doctor could not help smiling. Pierre, however, remained + grave, chilled by the great quiver which swept by. Were not those words he + had just heard the despairing imprecations of Lazarus? He had often + imagined Lazarus emerging from the tomb and crying aloud: “Why hast Thou + again awakened me to this abominable life, O Lord? I was sleeping the + eternal, dreamless sleep so deeply; I was at last enjoying such sweet + repose amidst the delights of nihility! I had known every wretchedness and + every dolour, treachery, vain hope, defeat, sickness; as one of the living + I had paid my frightful debt to suffering, for I was born without knowing + why, and I lived without knowing how; and now, behold, O Lord, Thou + requirest me to pay my debt yet again; Thou condemnest me to serve my term + of punishment afresh! Have I then been guilty of some inexpiable + transgression that thou shouldst inflict such cruel chastisement upon me? + Alas! to live again, to feel oneself die a little in one’s flesh each day, + to have no intelligence save such as is required in order to doubt; no + will, save such as one must have to be unable; no tenderness, save such as + is needed to weep over one’s own sorrows. Yet it was passed, I had crossed + the terrifying threshold of death, I had known that second which is so + horrible that it sufficeth to poison the whole of life. I had felt the + sweat of agony cover me with moisture, the blood flow back from my limbs, + my breath forsake me, flee away in a last gasp. And Thou ordainest that I + should know this distress a second time, that I should die twice, that my + human misery should exceed that of all mankind. Then may it be even now, O + Lord! Yes, I entreat Thee, do also this great miracle; may I once more lay + myself down in this grave, and again fall asleep without suffering from + the interruption of my eternal slumber. Have mercy upon me, and forbear + from inflicting on me the torture of living yet again; that torture which + is so frightful that Thou hast never inflicted it on any being. I have + always loved Thee and served Thee; and I beseech Thee do not make of me + the greatest example of Thy wrath, a cause of terror unto all generations. + But show unto me Thy gentleness and loving kindness, O Lord! restore unto + me the slumber I have earned, and let me sleep once more amid the delights + of Thy nihility.” + </p> + <p> + While Pierre was pondering in this wise, Abbé Judaine had led the + Commander away, at last managing to calm him; and now the young priest + shook hands with Doctor Chassaigne, recollecting that it was past five + o’clock, and that Marie must be waiting for him. On his way back to the + Grotto, however, he encountered the Abbé des Hermoises deep in + conversation with M. de Guersaint, who had only just left his room at the + hotel, and was quite enlivened by his good nap. He and his companion were + admiring the extraordinary beauty which the fervour of faith imparted to + some women’s countenances, and they also spoke of their projected trip to + the Cirque de Gavarnie. + </p> + <p> + On learning, however, that Marie had taken a first bath with no effect, M. + de Guersaint at once followed Pierre. They found the poor girl still in + the same painful stupor, with her eyes still fixed on the Blessed Virgin + who had not deigned to hear her. She did not answer the loving words which + her father addressed to her, but simply glanced at him with her large + distressful eyes, and then again turned them upon the marble statue which + looked so white amid the radiance of the tapers. And whilst Pierre stood + waiting to take her back to the hospital, M. de Guersaint devoutly fell + upon his knees. At first he prayed with passionate ardour for his + daughter’s cure, and then he solicited, on his own behalf, the favour of + finding some wealthy person who would provide him with the million francs + that he needed for his studies on aerial navigation. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap10"></a> + V. BERNADETTE’S TRIALS + </h2> + <p> + ABOUT eleven o’clock that night, leaving M. de Guersaint in his room at + the Hotel of the Apparitions, it occurred to Pierre to return for a moment + to the Hospital of Our Lady of Dolours before going to bed himself. He had + left Marie in such a despairing state, so fiercely silent, that he was + full of anxiety about her. And when he had asked for Madame de Jonquière + at the door of the Sainte-Honorine Ward he became yet more anxious, for + the news was by no means good. The young girl, said the superintendent, + had not even opened her mouth. She would answer nobody, and had even + refused to eat. Madame de Jonquière, insisted therefore that Pierre should + come in. True, the presence of men was forbidden in the women’s wards at + night-time, but then a priest is not a man. + </p> + <p> + “She only cares for you and will only listen to you,” said the worthy + lady. “Pray come in and sit down near her till Abbé Judaine arrives. He + will come at about one in the morning to administer the communion to our + more afflicted sufferers, those who cannot move and who have to eat at + daybreak. You will be able to assist him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre thereupon followed Madame de Jonquière, who installed him at the + head of Marie’s bed. “My dear child,” she said to the girl, “I have + brought you somebody who is very fond of you. You will be able to chat + with him, and you will be reasonable now, won’t you?” + </p> + <p> + Marie, however, on recognising Pierre, gazed at him with an air of + exasperated suffering, a black, stern expression of revolt. + </p> + <p> + “Would you like him to read something to you,” resumed Madame de + Jonquière, “something that would ease and console you as he did in the + train? No? It wouldn’t interest you, you don’t care for it? Well, we will + see by-and-by. I will leave him with you, and I am sure you will be quite + reasonable again in a few minutes.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre then began speaking to her in a low voice, saying all the kind + consoling things that his heart could think of, and entreating her not to + allow herself to sink into such despair. If the Blessed Virgin had not + cured her on the first day, it was because she reserved her for some + conspicuous miracle. But he spoke in vain. Marie had turned her head away, + and did not even seem to listen as she lay there with a bitter expression + on her mouth and a gleam of irritation in her eyes, which wandered away + into space. Accordingly he ceased speaking and began to gaze at the ward + around him. + </p> + <p> + The spectacle was a frightful one. Never before had such a nausea of pity + and terror affected his heart. They had long since dined, nevertheless + plates of food which had been brought up from the kitchens still lay about + the beds; and all through the night there were some who ate whilst others + continued restlessly moaning, asking to be turned over or helped out of + bed. As the hours went by a kind of vague delirium seemed to come upon + almost all of them. Very few were able to sleep quietly. Some had been + undressed and were lying between the sheets, but the greater number were + simply stretched out on the beds, it being so difficult to get their + clothes off that they did not even change their linen during the five days + of the pilgrimage. In the semi-obscurity, moreover, the obstruction of the + ward seemed to have increased. To the fifteen beds ranged along the walls + and the seven mattresses filling the central space, some fresh pallets had + been added, and on all sides there was a confused litter of ragged + garments, old baskets, boxes, and valises. Indeed, you no longer knew + where to step. Two smoky lanterns shed but a dim light upon this + encampment of dying women, in which a sickly smell prevailed; for, instead + of any freshness, merely the heavy heat of the August night came in + through the two windows which had been left ajar. Nightmare-like shadows + and cries sped to and fro, peopling the inferno, amidst the nocturnal + agony of so much accumulated suffering. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre recognised Raymonde, who, her duties over, had come to + kiss her mother, before going to sleep in one of the garrets reserved to + the Sisters of the hospital. For her own part, Madame de Jonquière, taking + her functions to heart, did not close her eyes during the three nights + spent at Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + She certainly had an arm-chair in which to rest herself, but she never sat + down in it for a moment with out being disturbed. It must be admitted that + she was bravely seconded by little Madame Désagneaux, who displayed such + enthusiastic zeal that Sister Hyacinthe asked her, with a smile: “Why + don’t you take the vows?” whereupon she responded, with an air of scared + surprise: “Oh! I can’t, I’m married, you know, and I’m very fond of my + husband.” As for Madame Volmar, she had not even shown herself; but it was + alleged that Madame de Jonquière had sent her to bed on hearing her + complain of a frightful headache. And this had put Madame Désagneaux in + quite a temper; for, as she sensibly enough remarked, a person had no + business to offer to nurse the sick when the slightest exertion exhausted + her. She herself, however, at last began to feel her legs and arms aching, + though she would not admit it, but hastened to every patient whom she + heard calling, ever ready as she was to lend a helping hand. In Paris she + would have rung for a servant rather than have moved a candlestick + herself; but here she was ever coming and going, bringing and emptying + basins, and passing her arms around patients to hold them up, whilst + Madame de Jonquière slipped pillows behind them. However, shortly after + eleven o’clock, she was all at once overpowered. Having imprudently + stretched herself in the armchair for a moment’s rest, she there fell + soundly asleep, her pretty head sinking on one of her shoulders amidst her + lovely, wavy fair hair, which was all in disorder. And from that moment + neither moan nor call, indeed no sound whatever, could waken her. + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière, however, had softly approached the young priest + again. “I had an idea,” said she in a low voice, “of sending for Monsieur + Ferrand, the house-surgeon, you know, who accompanies us. He would have + given the poor girl something to calm her. Only he is busy downstairs + trying to relieve Brother Isidore, in the Family Ward. Besides, as you + know, we are not supposed to give medical attendance here; our work + consists in placing our dear sick ones in the hands of the Blessed + Virgin.” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe, who had made up her mind to spend the night with the + superintendent, now drew, near. “I have just come from the Family Ward,” + she said; “I went to take Monsieur Sabathier some oranges which I had + promised him, and I saw Monsieur Ferrand, who had just succeeded in + reviving Brother Isidore. Would you like me to go down and fetch him?” + </p> + <p> + But Pierre declined the offer. “No, no,” he replied, “Marie will be + sensible. I will read her a few consoling pages by-and-by, and then she + will rest.” + </p> + <p> + For the moment, however, the girl still remained obstinately silent. One + of the two lanterns was hanging from the wall close by, and Pierre could + distinctly see her thin face, rigid and motionless like stone. Then, + farther away, in the adjoining bed, he perceived Elise Rouquet, who was + sound asleep and no longer wore her fichu, but openly displayed her face, + the ulcerations of which still continued to grow paler. And on the young + priest’s left hand was Madame Vetu, now greatly weakened, in a hopeless + state, unable to doze off for a moment, shaken as she was by a continuous + rattle. He said a few kind words to her, for which she thanked him with a + nod; and, gathering her remaining strength together, she was at last able + to say: “There were several cures to-day; I was very pleased to hear of + them.” + </p> + <p> + On a mattress at the foot of her bed was La Grivotte, who in a fever of + extraordinary activity kept on sitting up to repeat her favourite phrase: + “I am cured, I am cured!” And she went on to relate that she had eaten + half a fowl for dinner, she who had been unable to eat for long months + past. Then, too, she had followed the torchlight procession on foot during + nearly a couple of hours, and she would certainly have danced till + daybreak had the Blessed Virgin only been pleased to give a ball. And once + more she repeated: “I am cured, yes, cured, quite cured!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Madame Vetu found enough strength to say with childlike serenity + and perfect, gladsome abnegation: “The Blessed Virgin did well to cure her + since she is poor. I am better pleased than if it had been myself, for I + have my little shop to depend upon and can wait. We each have our turn, + each our turn.” + </p> + <p> + One and all displayed a like charity, a like pleasure that others should + have been cured. Seldom, indeed, was any jealousy shown; they surrendered + themselves to a kind of epidemical beatitude, to a contagious hope that + they would all be cured whenever it should so please the Blessed Virgin. + And it was necessary that she should not be offended by any undue + impatience; for assuredly she had her reasons and knew right well why she + began by healing some rather than others. Thus with the fraternity born of + common suffering and hope, the most grievously afflicted patients prayed + for the cure of their neighbours. None of them ever despaired, each fresh + miracle was the promise of another one, of the one which would be worked + on themselves. Their faith remained unshakable. A story was told of a + paralytic woman, some farm servant, who with extraordinary strength of + will had contrived to take a few steps at the Grotto, and who while being + conveyed back to the hospital had asked to be set down that she might + return to the Grotto on foot. But she had gone only half the distance when + she had staggered, panting and livid; and on being brought to the hospital + on a stretcher, she had died there, cured, however, said her neighbours in + the ward. Each, indeed, had her turn; the Blessed Virgin forgot none of + her dear daughters unless it were her design to grant some chosen one + immediate admission into Paradise. + </p> + <p> + All at once, at the moment when Pierre was leaning towards her, again + offering to read to her, Marie burst into furious sobs. Letting her head + fall upon her friend’s shoulder, she vented all her rebellion in a low, + terrible voice, amidst the vague shadows of that awful room. She had + experienced what seldom happened to her, a collapse of faith, a sudden + loss of courage, all the rage of the suffering being who can no longer + wait. Such was her despair, indeed, that she even became sacrilegious. + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” she stammered, “the Virgin is cruel; she is unjust, for she did + not cure me just now. Yet I felt so certain that she would grant my + prayer, I had prayed to her so fervently. I shall never be cured, now that + the first day is past. It was a Saturday, and I was convinced that I + should be cured on a Saturday. I did not want to speak—and oh! + prevent me, for my heart is too full, and I might say more than I ought to + do.” + </p> + <p> + With fraternal hands he had quickly taken hold of her head, and he was + endeavouring to stifle the cry of her rebellion. “Be quiet, Marie, I + entreat you! It would never do for anyone to hear you—you so pious! + Do you want to scandalise every soul?” + </p> + <p> + But in spite of her efforts she was unable to keep silence. “I should + stifle, I must speak out,” she said. “I no longer love her, no longer + believe in her. The tales which are related here are all falsehoods; there + is <i>nothing</i>, she does not even exist, since she does not hear when + one speaks to her, and sobs. If you only knew all that I said to her! Oh! + I want to go away at once. Take me away, carry me away in your arms, so + that I may go and die in the street, where the passers-by, at least, will + take pity on my sufferings!” + </p> + <p> + She was growing weak again, and had once more fallen on her back, + stammering, talking childishly. “Besides, nobody loves me,” she said. “My + father was not even there. And you, my friend, forsook me. When I saw that + it was another who was taking me to the piscinas, I began to feel a chill. + Yes, that chill of doubt which I often felt in Paris. And that is at least + certain, I doubted—perhaps, indeed, that is why she did not cure me. + I cannot have prayed well enough, I am not pious enough, no doubt.” + </p> + <p> + She was no longer blaspheming, but seeking for excuses to explain the + non-intervention of Heaven. However, her face retained an angry expression + amidst this struggle which she was waging with the Supreme Power, that + Power which she had loved so well and entreated so fervently, but which + had not obeyed her. When, on rare occasions, a fit of rage of this + description broke out in the ward, and the sufferers, lying on their beds, + rebelled against their fate, sobbing and lamenting, and at times even + swearing, the lady-hospitallers and the Sisters, somewhat shocked, would + content themselves with simply closing the bed-curtains. Grace had + departed, one must await its return. And at last, sometimes after long + hours, the rebellious complaints would die away, and peace would reign + again amidst the deep, woeful silence. + </p> + <p> + “Calm yourself, calm yourself, I implore you,” Pierre gently repeated to + Marie, seeing that a fresh attack was coming upon her, an attack of doubt + in herself, of fear that she was unworthy of the divine assistance. + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe, moreover, had again drawn near. “You will not be able to + take the sacrament by-and-by, my dear child,” said she, “if you continue + in such a state. Come, since we have given Monsieur l’Abbé permission to + read to you, why don’t you let him do so?” + </p> + <p> + Marie made a feeble gesture as though to say that she consented, and + Pierre at once took out of the valise at the foot of her bed, the little + blue-covered book in which the story of Bernadette was so naïvely related. + As on the previous night, however, when the train was rolling on, he did + not confine himself to the bald phraseology of the book, but began + improvising, relating all manner of details in his own fashion, in order + to charm the simple folks who listened to him. Nevertheless, with his + reasoning, analytical proclivities, he could not prevent himself from + secretly re-establishing the real facts, imparting, for himself alone, a + human character to this legend, whose wealth of prodigies contributed so + greatly to the cure of those that suffered. Women were soon sitting up on + all the surrounding beds. They wished to hear the continuation of the + story, for the thought of the sacrament which they were passionately + awaiting had prevented almost all of them from getting to sleep. And + seated there, in the pale light of the lantern hanging from the wall above + him, Pierre little by little raised his voice, so that he might be heard + by the whole ward. + </p> + <p> + “The persecutions began with the very first miracles. Called a liar and a + lunatic, Bernadette was threatened with imprisonment. Abbé Peyramale, the + parish priest of Lourdes, and Monseigneur Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, like + the rest of the clergy, refrained from all intervention, waiting the + course of events with the greatest prudence; whilst the civil authorities, + the Prefect, the Public Prosecutor, the Mayor, and the Commissary of + Police, indulged in excessive anti-religious zeal.” + </p> + <p> + Continuing his perusal in this fashion, Pierre saw the real story rise up + before him with invincible force. His mind travelled a short distance + backward and he beheld Bernadette at the time of the first apparitions, so + candid, so charming in her ignorance and good faith, amidst all her + sufferings. And she was truly the visionary, the saint, her face assuming + an expression of superhuman beauty during her crises of ecstasy. Her brow + beamed, her features seemed to ascend, her eyes were bathed with light, + whilst her parted lips burnt with divine love. And then her whole person + became majestic; it was in a slow, stately way that she made the sign of + the cross, with gestures which seemed to embrace the whole horizon. The + neighbouring valleys, the villages, the towns, spoke of Bernadette alone. + Although the Lady had not yet told her name, she was recognised, and + people said, “It is she, the Blessed Virgin.” On the first market-day, so + many people flocked into Lourdes that the town quite overflowed. All + wished to see the blessed child whom the Queen of the Angels had chosen, + and who became so beautiful when the heavens opened to her enraptured + gaze. The crowd on the banks of the Gave grew larger each morning, and + thousands of people ended by installing themselves there, jostling one + another that they might lose nothing of the spectacle! As soon as + Bernadette appeared, a murmur of fervour spread: “Here is the saint, the + saint, the saint!” Folks rushed forward to kiss her garments. She was a + Messiah, the eternal Messiah whom the nations await, and the need of whom + is ever arising from generation to generation. And, moreover, it was ever + the same adventure beginning afresh: an apparition of the Virgin to a + shepherdess; a voice exhorting the world to penitence; a spring gushing + forth; and miracles astonishing and enrapturing the crowds that hastened + to the spot in larger and larger numbers. + </p> + <p> + Ah! those first miracles of Lourdes, what a spring-tide flowering of + consolation and hope they brought to the hearts of the wretched, upon whom + poverty and sickness were preying! Old Bourriette’s restored eyesight, + little Bouhohort’s resuscitation in the icy water, the deaf recovering + their hearing, the lame suddenly enabled to walk, and so many other cases, + Blaise Maumus, Bernade Soubies,* Auguste Bordes, Blaisette Soupenne, + Benoite Cazeaux, in turn cured of the most dreadful ailments, became the + subject of endless conversations, and fanned the illusions of all those + who suffered either in their hearts or their flesh. On Thursday, March + 4th, the last day of the fifteen visits solicited by the Virgin, there + were more than twenty thousand persons assembled before the Grotto. + Everybody, indeed, had come down from the mountains. And this immense + throng found at the Grotto the divine food that it hungered for, a feast + of the Marvellous, a sufficient meed of the Impossible to content its + belief in a superior Power, which deigned to bestow some attention upon + poor folks, and to intervene in the wretched affairs of this lower world, + in order to re-establish some measure of justice and kindness. It was + indeed the cry of heavenly charity bursting forth, the invisible helping + hand stretched out at last to dress the eternal sores of humanity. Ah! + that dream in which each successive generation sought refuge, with what + indestructible energy did it not arise among the disinherited ones of this + world as soon as it found a favourable spot, prepared by circumstances! + And for centuries, perhaps, circumstances had never so combined to kindle + the mystical fire of faith as they did at Lourdes. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I give this name as written by M. Zola; but in other works on + Lourdes I find it given as “Bernarde Loubie—a bed-ridden old + woman, cured of a paralytic affection by drinking the water of + the Grotto.”—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + A new religion was about to be founded, and persecutions at once began, + for religions only spring up amidst vexations and rebellions. And even as + it was long ago at Jerusalem, when the tidings of miracles spread, the + civil authorities—the Public Prosecutor, the Justice of the Peace, + the Mayor, and particularly the Prefect of Tarbes—were all roused + and began to bestir themselves. The Prefect was a sincere Catholic, a + worshipper, a man of perfect honour, but he also had the firm mind of a + public functionary, was a passionate defender of order, and a declared + adversary of fanaticism which gives birth to disorder and religious + perversion. Under his orders at Lourdes there was a Commissary of Police, + a man of great intelligence and shrewdness, who had hitherto discharged + his functions in a very proper way, and who, legitimately enough, beheld + in this affair of the apparitions an opportunity to put his gift of + sagacious skill to the proof. So the struggle began, and it was this + Commissary who, on the first Sunday in Lent, at the time of the first + apparitions, summoned Bernadette to his office in order that he might + question her. He showed himself affectionate, then angry, then + threatening, but all in vain; the answers which the girl gave him were + ever the same. The story which she related, with its slowly accumulated + details, had little by little irrevocably implanted itself in her + infantile mind. And it was no lie on the part of this poor suffering + creature, this exceptional victim of hysteria, but an unconscious + haunting, a radical lack of will-power to free herself from her original + hallucination. She knew not how to exert any such will, she could not, she + would not exert it. Ah! the poor child, the dear child, so amiable and so + gentle, so incapable of any evil thought, from that time forward lost to + life, crucified by her fixed idea, whence one could only have extricated + her by changing her environment, by restoring her to the open air, in some + land of daylight and human affection. But she was the chosen one, she had + beheld the Virgin, she would suffer from it her whole life long and die + from it at last! + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who knew Bernadette so well, and who felt a fraternal pity for her + memory, the fervent compassion with which one regards a human saint, a + simple, upright, charming creature tortured by her faith, allowed his + emotion to appear in his moist eyes and trembling voice. And a pause in + his narrative ensued. Marie, who had hitherto been lying there quite + stiff, with a hard expression of revolt still upon her face, opened her + clenched hands and made a vague gesture of pity. “Ah,” she murmured, “the + poor child, all alone to contend against those magistrates, and so + innocent, so proud, so unshakable in her championship of the truth!” + </p> + <p> + The same compassionate sympathy was arising from all the beds in the ward. + That hospital inferno with its nocturnal wretchedness, its pestilential + atmosphere, its pallets of anguish heaped together, its weary + lady-hospitallers and Sisters flitting phantom-like hither and thither, + now seemed to be illumined by a ray of divine charity. Was not the eternal + illusion of happiness rising once more amidst tears and unconscious + falsehoods? Poor, poor Bernadette! All waxed indignant at the thought of + the persecutions which she had endured in defence of her faith. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre, resuming his story, related all that the child had had to + suffer. After being questioned by the Commissary she had to appear before + the judges of the local tribunal. The entire magistracy pursued her, and + endeavoured to wring a retractation from her. But the obstinacy of her + dream was stronger than the common sense of all the civil authorities put + together. Two doctors who were sent by the Prefect to make a careful + examination of the girl came, as all doctors would have done, to the + honest opinion that it was a case of nervous trouble, of which the asthma + was a sure sign, and which, in certain circumstances, might have induced + visions. This nearly led to her removal and confinement in a hospital at + Tarbes. But public exasperation was feared. A bishop had fallen on his + knees before her. Some ladies had sought to buy favours from her for gold. + Moreover she had found a refuge with the Sisters of Nevers, who tended the + aged in the town asylum, and there she made her first communion, and was + with difficulty taught to read and write. As the Blessed Virgin seemed to + have chosen her solely to work the happiness of others, and she herself + had not been cured, it was very sensibly decided to take her to the baths + of Cauterets, which were so near at hand. However, they did her no good. + And no sooner had she returned to Lourdes than the torture of being + questioned and adored by a whole people began afresh, became aggravated, + and filled her more and more with horror of the world. Her life was over + already; she would be a playful child no more; she could never be a young + girl dreaming of a husband, a young wife kissing the cheeks of sturdy + children. She had beheld the Virgin, she was the chosen one, the martyr. + If the Virgin, said believers, had confided three secrets to her, + investing her with a triple armour as it were, it was simply in order to + sustain her in her appointed course. + </p> + <p> + The clergy had for a long time remained aloof, on its own side full of + doubt and anxiety. Abbé Peyramale, the parish priest of Lourdes, was a man + of somewhat blunt ways, but full of infinite kindness, rectitude, and + energy whenever he found himself in what he thought the right path. On the + first occasion when Bernadette visited him, he received this child who had + been brought up at Bartres and had not yet been seen at Catechism, almost + as sternly as the Commissary of Police had done; in fact, he refused to + believe her story, and with some irony told her to entreat the Lady to + begin by making the briars blossom beneath her feet, which, by the way, + the Lady never did. And if the Abbé ended by taking the child under his + protection like a good pastor who defends his flock, it was simply through + the advent of persecution and the talk of imprisoning this puny child, + whose clear eyes shone so frankly, and who clung with such modest, gentle + stubbornness to her original tale. Besides, why should he have continued + denying the miracle after merely doubting it like a prudent priest who had + no desire to see religion mixed up in any suspicious affair? Holy Writ is + full of prodigies, all dogma is based on the mysterious; and that being + so, there was nothing to prevent him, a priest, from believing that the + Virgin had really entrusted Bernadette with a pious message for him, an + injunction to build a church whither the faithful would repair in + procession. Thus it was that he began loving and defending Bernadette for + her charm’s sake, whilst still refraining from active interference, + awaiting as he did the decision of his Bishop. + </p> + <p> + This Bishop, Monseigneur Laurence, seemed to have shut himself up in his + episcopal residence at Tarbes, locking himself within it and preserving + absolute silence as though there were nothing occurring at Lourdes of a + nature to interest him. He had given strict instructions to his clergy, + and so far not a priest had appeared among the vast crowds of people who + spent their days before the Grotto. He waited, and even allowed the + Prefect to state in his administrative circulars that the civil and the + religious authorities were acting in concert. In reality, he cannot have + believed in the apparitions of the Grotto of Massabielle, which he + doubtless considered to be the mere hallucinations of a sick child. This + affair, which was revolutionising the region, was of sufficient importance + for him to have studied it day by day, and the manner in which he + disregarded it for so long a time shows how little inclined he was to + admit the truth of the alleged miracles, and how greatly he desired to + avoid compromising the Church in a matter which seemed destined to end + badly. With all his piety, Monseigneur Laurence had a cool, practical + intellect, which enabled him to govern his diocese with great good sense. + Impatient and ardent people nicknamed him Saint Thomas at the time, on + account of the manner in which his doubts persisted until events at last + forced his hand. Indeed, he turned a deaf ear to all the stories that were + being related, firmly resolved as he was that he would only listen to them + if it should appear certain that religion had nothing to lose. + </p> + <p> + However, the persecutions were about to become more pronounced. The + Minister of Worship in Paris, who had been informed of what was going on, + required that a stop should be put to all disorders, and so the Prefect + caused the approaches to the Grotto to be occupied by the military. The + Grotto had already been decorated with vases of flowers offered by the + zeal of the faithful and the gratitude of sufferers who had been healed. + Money, moreover, was thrown into it; gifts to the Blessed Virgin abounded. + Rudimentary improvements, too, were carried out in a spontaneous way; some + quarrymen cut a kind of reservoir to receive the miraculous water, and + others removed the large blocks of stone, and traced a path in the + hillside. However, in presence of the swelling torrents of people, the + Prefect, after renouncing his idea of arresting Bernadette, took the + serious resolution of preventing all access to the Grotto by placing a + strong palisade in front of it. Some regrettable incidents had lately + occurred; various children pretended that they had seen the devil, some of + them being guilty of simulation in this respect, whilst others had given + way to real attacks of hysteria, in the contagious nervous unhinging which + was so prevalent. But what a terrible business did the removal of the + offerings from the Grotto prove! It was only towards evening that the + Commissary was able to find a girl willing to let him have a cart on hire, + and two hours later this girl fell from a loft and broke one of her ribs. + Likewise, a man who had lent an axe had one of his feet crushed on the + morrow by the fall of a block of stone.* It was in the midst of jeers and + hisses that the Commissary carried off the pots of flowers, the tapers + which he found burning, the coppers and the silver hearts which lay upon + the sand. People clenched their fists, and covertly called him “thief” and + “murderer.” Then the posts for the palisades were planted in the ground, + and the rails were nailed to the crossbars, no little labour being + performed to shut off the Mystery, in order to bar access to the Unknown, + and put the miracles in prison. And the civil authorities were simple + enough to imagine that it was all over, that those few bits of boarding + would suffice to stay the poor people who hungered for illusion and hope. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Both of these accidents were interpreted as miracles.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + But as soon as the new religion was proscribed, forbidden by the law as an + offence, it began to burn with an inextinguishable flame in the depths of + every soul. Believers came to the river bank in far greater numbers, fell + upon their knees at a short distance from the Grotto, and sobbed aloud as + they gazed at the forbidden heaven. And the sick, the poor ailing folks, + who were forbidden to seek cure, rushed on the Grotto despite all + prohibitions, slipped in whenever they could find an aperture or climbed + over the palings when their strength enabled them to do so, in the one + ardent desire to steal a little of the water. What! there was a prodigious + water in that Grotto, which restored the sight to the blind, which set the + infirm erect upon their legs again, which instantaneously healed all + ailments; and there were officials cruel enough to put that water under + lock and key so that it might not cure any more poor people! Why, it was + monstrous! And a cry of hatred arose from all the humble ones, all the + disinherited ones who had as much need of the Marvellous as of bread to + live! In accordance with a municipal decree, the names of all delinquents + were to be taken by the police, and thus one soon beheld a woeful <i>défile</i> + of old women and lame men summoned before the Justice of the Peace for the + sole offence of taking a little water from the fount of life! They + stammered and entreated, at their wit’s end when a fine was imposed upon + them. And, outside, the crowd was growling; rageful unpopularity was + gathering around those magistrates who treated human wretchedness so + harshly, those pitiless masters who after taking all the wealth of the + world, would not even leave to the poor their dream of the realms beyond, + their belief that a beneficent superior power took a maternal interest in + them, and was ready to endow them with peace of soul and health of body. + One day a whole band of poverty-stricken and ailing folks went to the + Mayor, knelt down in his courtyard, and implored him with sobs to allow + the Grotto to be reopened; and the words they spoke were so pitiful that + all who heard them wept. A mother showed her child who was half-dead; + would they let the little one die like that in her arms when there was a + source yonder which had saved the children of other mothers? A blind man + called attention to his dim eyes; a pale, scrofulous youth displayed the + sores on his legs; a paralytic woman sought to join her woeful twisted + hands: did the authorities wish to see them all perish, did they refuse + them the last divine chance of life, condemned and abandoned as they were + by the science of man? And equally great was the distress of the + believers, of those who were convinced that a corner of heaven had opened + amidst the night of their mournful existences, and who were indignant that + they should be deprived of the chimerical delight, the supreme relief for + their human and social sufferings, which they found in the belief that the + Blessed Virgin had indeed come down from heaven to bring them the + priceless balm of her intervention. However, the Mayor was unable to + promise anything, and the crowd withdrew weeping, ready for rebellion, as + though under the blow of some great act of injustice, an act of idiotic + cruelty towards the humble and the simple for which Heaven would assuredly + take vengeance. + </p> + <p> + The struggle went on for several months; and it was an extraordinary + spectacle which those sensible men—the Minister, the Prefect, and + the Commissary of Police—presented, all animated with the best + intentions and contending against the ever-swelling crowd of despairing + ones, who would not allow the doors of dreamland to be closed upon them, + who would not be shut off from the mystic glimpse of future happiness in + which they found consolation for their present wretchedness. The + authorities required order, the respect of a discreet religion, the + triumph of reason; whereas the need of happiness carried the people off + into an enthusiastic desire for cure both in this world and in the next. + Oh! to cease suffering, to secure equality in the comforts of life; to + march on under the protection of a just and beneficent Mother, to die only + to awaken in heaven! And necessarily the burning desire of the multitude, + the holy madness of the universal joy, was destined to sweep aside the + rigid, morose conceptions of a well-regulated society in which the + ever-recurring epidemical attacks of religious hallucination are condemned + as prejudicial to good order and healthiness of mind. + </p> + <p> + The Sainte-Honorine Ward, on hearing the story, likewise revolted. Pierre + again had to pause, for many were the stifled exclamations in which the + Commissary of Police was likened to Satan and Herod. La Grivotte had sat + up on her mattress, stammering: “Ah! the monsters! To behave like that to + the Blessed Virgin who has cured me!” + </p> + <p> + And even Madame Vetu—once more penetrated by a ray of hope amidst + the covert certainty she felt that she was going to die—grew angry + at the idea that the Grotto would not have existed had the Prefect won the + day. “There would have been no pilgrimages,” she said, “we should not be + here, hundreds of us would not be cured every year.” + </p> + <p> + A fit of stifling came over her, however, and Sister Hyacinthe had to + raise her to a sitting posture. Madame de Jonquière was profiting by the + interruption to attend to a young woman afflicted with a spinal complaint, + whilst two other women, unable to remain on their beds, so unbearable was + the heat, prowled about with short, silent steps, looking quite white in + the misty darkness. And from the far end of the ward, where all was black, + there resounded a noise of painful breathing, which had been going on + without a pause, accompanying Pierre’s narrative like a rattle. Elise + Rouquet alone was sleeping peacefully, still stretched upon her back, and + displaying her disfigured countenance, which was slowly drying. + </p> + <p> + Midnight had struck a quarter of an hour previously, and Abbé Judaine + might arrive at any moment for the communion. Grace was now again + descending into Marie’s heart, and she was convinced that if the Blessed + Virgin had refused to cure her it was, indeed, her own fault in having + doubted when she entered the piscina. And she, therefore, repented of her + rebellion as of a crime. Could she ever be forgiven? Her pale face sank + down among her beautiful fair hair, her eyes filled with tears, and she + looked at Pierre with an expression of anguish. “Oh! how wicked I was, my + friend,” she said. “It was through hearing you relate how that Prefect and + those magistrates sinned through pride, that I understood my + transgression. One must believe, my friend; there is no happiness outside + faith and love.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Pierre wished to break off at the point which he had reached, + they all began protesting and calling for the continuation of his + narrative, so that he had to promise to go on to the triumph of the + Grotto. + </p> + <p> + Its entrance remained barred by the palisade, and you had to come secretly + at night if you wished to pray and carry off a stolen bottle of water. + Still, the fear of rioting increased, for it was rumoured that whole + villages intended to come down from the hills in order to deliver God, as + they naïvely expressed it. It was a <i>levée en masse</i> of the humble, a + rush of those who hungered for the miraculous, so irresistible in its + impetuosity that mere common sense, mere considerations of public order + were to be swept away like chaff. And it was Monseigneur Laurence, in his + episcopal residence at Tarbes, who was first forced to surrender. All his + prudence, all his doubts were outflanked by the popular outburst. For five + long months he had been able to remain aloof, preventing his clergy from + following the faithful to the Grotto, and defending the Church against the + tornado of superstition which had been let loose. But what was the use of + struggling any longer? He felt the wretchedness of the suffering people + committed to his care to be so great that he resigned himself to granting + them the idolatrous religion for which he realised them to be eager. Some + prudence remaining to him, however, he contented himself in the first + instance with drawing up an <i>ordonnance</i>, appointing a commission of + inquiry, which was to investigate the question; this implied the + acceptance of the miracles after a period of longer or shorter duration. + If Monseigneur Laurence was the man of healthy culture and cool reason + that he is pictured to have been, how great must have been his anguish on + the morning when he signed that <i>ordonnance</i>! He must have knelt in + his oratory, and have begged the Sovereign Master of the world to dictate + his conduct to him. He did not believe in the apparitions; he had a + loftier, more intellectual idea of the manifestations of the Divinity. + Only would he not be showing true pity and mercy in silencing the scruples + of his reason, the noble prejudices of his faith, in presence of the + necessity of granting that bread of falsehood which poor humanity requires + in order to be happy? Doubtless, he begged the pardon of Heaven for + allowing it to be mixed up in what he regarded as childish pastime, for + exposing it to ridicule in connection with an affair in which there was + only sickliness and dementia. But his flock suffered so much, hungered so + ravenously for the marvellous, for fairy stories with which to lull the + pains of life. And thus, in tears, the Bishop at last sacrificed his + respect for the dignity of Providence to his sensitive pastoral charity + for the woeful human flock. + </p> + <p> + Then the Emperor in his turn gave way. He was at Biarritz at the time, and + was kept regularly informed of everything connected with this affair of + the apparitions, with which the entire Parisian press was also occupying + itself, for the persecutions would not have been complete if the pens of + Voltairean newspaper-men had not meddled in them. And whilst his Minister, + his Prefect, and his Commissary of Police were fighting for common sense + and public order, the Emperor preserved his wonted silence—the deep + silence of a day-dreamer which nobody ever penetrated. Petitions arrived + day by day, yet he held his tongue. Bishops came, great personages, great + ladies of his circle watched and drew him on one side, and still he held + his tongue. A truceless warfare was being waged around him: on one side + the believers and the men of fanciful minds whom the Mysterious strongly + interested; on the other the unbelievers and the statesmen who distrusted + the disturbances of the imagination;—and still and ever he held his + tongue. Then, all at once, with the sudden decision of a naturally timid + man, he spoke out. The rumour spread that he had yielded to the entreaties + of his wife Eugénie. No doubt she did intervene, but the Emperor was more + deeply influenced by a revival of his old humanitarian dreams, his genuine + compassion for the disinherited.* Like the Bishop, he did not wish to + close the portals of illusion to the wretched by upholding the unpopular + decree which forbade despairing sufferers to go and drink life at the holy + source. So he sent a telegram, a curt order to remove the palisade, so as + to allow everybody free access to the Grotto. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I think this view of the matter the right one, for, as all who + know the history of the Second Empire are aware, it was about + this time that the Emperor began taking great interest in the + erection of model dwellings for the working classes, and the + plantation and transformation of the sandy wastes of the + Landes.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Then came a shout of joy and triumph. The decree annulling the previous + one was read at Lourdes to the sound of drum and trumpet. The Commissary + of Police had to come in person to superintend the removal of the + palisade. He was afterwards transferred elsewhere like the Prefect.* + People flocked to Lourdes from all parts, the new <i>cultus</i> was + organised at the Grotto, and a cry of joy ascended: God had won the + victory! God?—alas, no! It was human wretchedness which had won the + battle, human wretchedness with its eternal need of falsehood, its hunger + for the marvellous, its everlasting hope akin to that of some condemned + man who, for salvation’s sake, surrenders himself into the hands of an + invisible Omnipotence, mightier than nature, and alone capable, should it + be willing, of annulling nature’s laws. And that which had also conquered + was the sovereign compassion of those pastors, the merciful Bishop and + merciful Emperor who allowed those big sick children to retain the fetich + which consoled some of them and at times even cured others. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Prefect was transferred to Grenoble, and curiously enough his + new jurisdiction extended over the hills and valleys of La + Salette, whither pilgrims likewise flocked to drink, pray, and + wash themselves at a miraculous fountain. Warned by experience, + however, Baron Massy (such was the Prefect’s name) was careful to + avoid any further interference in religious matters.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + In the middle of November the episcopal commission came to Lourdes to + prosecute the inquiry which had been entrusted to it. It questioned + Bernadette yet once again, and studied a large number of miracles. + However, in order that the evidence might be absolute, it only registered + some thirty cases of cure. And Monseigneur Laurence declared himself + convinced. Nevertheless, he gave a final proof of his prudence, by + continuing to wait another three years before declaring in a pastoral + letter that the Blessed Virgin had in truth appeared at the Grotto of + Massabielle and that numerous miracles had subsequently taken place there. + Meantime, he had purchased the Grotto itself, with all the land around it, + from the municipality of Lourdes, on behalf of his see. Work was then + begun, modestly at first, but soon on a larger and larger scale as money + began to flow in from all parts of Christendom. The Grotto was cleared and + enclosed with an iron railing. The Gave was thrown back into a new bed, so + as to allow of spacious approaches to the shrine, with lawns, paths, and + walks. At last, too, the church which the Virgin had asked for, the + Basilica, began to rise on the summit of the rock itself. From the very + first stroke of the pick, Abbé Peyramale, the parish priest of Lourdes, + went on directing everything with even excessive zeal, for the struggle + had made him the most ardent and most sincere of all believers in the work + that was to be accomplished. With his somewhat rough but truly fatherly + nature, he had begun to adore Bernadette, making her mission his own, and + devoting himself, soul and body, to realising the orders which he had + received from Heaven through her innocent mouth. And he exhausted himself + in mighty efforts; he wished everything to be very beautiful and very + grand, worthy of the Queen of the Angels who had deigned to visit this + mountain nook. The first religious ceremony did not take place till six + years after the apparitions. A marble statue of the Virgin was installed + with great pomp on the very spot where she had appeared. It was a + magnificent day, all Lourdes was gay with flags, and every bell rang + joyously. Five years later, in 1869, the first mass was celebrated in the + crypt of the Basilica, whose spire was not yet finished. Meantime, gifts + flowed in without a pause, a river of gold was streaming towards the + Grotto, a whole town was about to spring up from the soil. It was the new + religion completing its foundations. The desire to be healed did heal; the + thirst for a miracle worked the miracle. A Deity of pity and hope was + evolved from man’s sufferings, from that longing for falsehood and relief + which, in every age of humanity, has created the marvellous palaces of the + realms beyond, where an almighty Power renders justice and distributes + eternal happiness. + </p> + <p> + And thus the ailing ones of the Sainte-Honorine Ward only beheld in the + victory of the Grotto the triumph of their hopes of cure. Along the rows + of beds there was a quiver of joy when, with his heart stirred by all + those poor faces turned towards him, eager for certainty, Pierre repeated: + “God had conquered. Since that day the miracles have never ceased, and it + is the most humble who are the most frequently relieved.” + </p> + <p> + Then he laid down the little book. Abbé Judaine was coming in, and the + Sacrament was about to be administered. Marie, however, again penetrated + by the fever of faith, her hands burning, leant towards Pierre. “Oh, my + friend!” said she, “I pray you hear me confess my fault and absolve me. I + have blasphemed, and have been guilty of mortal sin. If you do not succour + me, I shall be unable to receive the Blessed Sacrament, and yet I so + greatly need to be consoled and strengthened.” + </p> + <p> + The young priest refused her request with a wave of the hand. He had never + been willing to act as confessor to this friend, the only woman he had + loved in the healthy, smiling days of youth. However, she insisted. “I beg + you to do so,” said she; “you will help to work the miracle of my cure.” + </p> + <p> + Then he gave way and received the avowal of her fault, that impious + rebellion induced by suffering, that rebellion against the Virgin who had + remained deaf to her prayers. And afterwards he granted her absolution in + the sacramental form. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Abbé Judaine had already deposited the ciborium on a little + table, between two lighted tapers, which looked like woeful stars in the + semi-obscurity of the ward. Madame de Jonquière had just decided to open + one of the windows quite wide, for the odour emanating from all the + suffering bodies and heaped-up rags had become unbearable. But no air came + in from the narrow courtyard into which the window opened; though black + with night, it seemed like a well of fire. Having offered to act as + server, Pierre repeated the “Confiteor.” Then, after responding with the + “Misereatur” and the “Indulgentiam,” the chaplain, who wore his alb, + raised the pyx, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins + of the world.” All the women who, writhing in agony, were impatiently + awaiting the communion, like dying creatures who await life from some + fresh medicine which is a long time coming, thereupon thrice repeated, in + all humility, and with lips almost closed: “Lord, I am not worthy that + Thou shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word and my soul shall + be healed.” + </p> + <p> + Abbé Judaine had begun to make the round of those woeful beds, accompanied + by Pierre, and followed by Madame de Jonquière and Sister Hyacinthe, each + of whom carried one of the lighted tapers. The Sister designated those who + were to communicate; and, murmuring the customary Latin words, the priest + leant forward and placed the Host somewhat at random on the sufferer’s + tongue. Almost all were waiting for him with widely opened, glittering + eyes, amidst the disorder of that hastily pitched camp. Two were found to + be sound asleep, however, and had to be awakened. Several were moaning + without being conscious of it, and continued moaning even after they had + received the sacrament. At the far end of the ward, the rattle of the poor + creature who could not be seen still resounded. And nothing could have + been more mournful than the appearance of that little <i>cortège</i> in + the semi-darkness, amidst which the yellow flames of the tapers gleamed + like stars. + </p> + <p> + But Marie’s face, to which an expression of ecstasy had returned, was like + a divine apparition. Although La Grivotte was hungering for the bread of + life, they had refused her the sacrament on this occasion, as it was to be + administered to her in the morning at the Rosary; Madame Vetu, however, + had received the Host on her black tongue in a hiccough. And now Marie was + lying there under the pale light of the tapers, looking so beautiful + amidst her fair hair, with her eyes dilated and her features transfigured + by faith, that everyone admired her. She received the sacrament with + rapture; Heaven visibly descended into her poor, youthful frame, reduced + to such physical wretchedness. And, clasping Pierre’s hand, she detained + him for a moment, saying: “Oh! she will heal me, my friend, she has just + promised me that she will do so. Go and take some rest. I shall sleep so + soundly now!” + </p> + <p> + As he withdrew in company with Abbé Judaine, Pierre caught sight of little + Madame Désagneaux stretched out in the arm-chair in which weariness had + overpowered her. Nothing could awaken her. It was now half-past one in the + morning; and Madame de Jonquière and her assistant, Sister Hyacinthe, were + still going backwards and forwards, turning the patients over, cleansing + them, and dressing their sores. However, the ward was becoming more + peaceful, its heavy darkness had grown less oppressive since Bernadette + with her charm had passed through it. The visionary’s little shadow was + now flitting in triumph from bed to bed, completing its work, bringing a + little of heaven to each of the despairing ones, each of the disinherited + ones of this world; and as they all at last sank to sleep they could see + the little shepherdess, so young, so ill herself, leaning over them and + kissing them with a kindly smile. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol03"></a> + THE THIRD DAY + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap11"></a> + I. BED AND BOARD + </h2> + <p> + AT seven o’clock on the morning of that fine, bright, warm August Sunday, + M. de Guersaint was already up and dressed in one of the two little rooms + which he had fortunately been able to secure on the third floor of the + Hotel of the Apparitions. He had gone to bed at eleven o’clock the night + before and had awoke feeling quite fresh and gay. As soon as he was + dressed he entered the adjoining room which Pierre occupied; but the young + priest, who had not returned to the hotel until past one in the morning, + with his blood heated by insomnia, had been unable to doze off until + daybreak and was now still slumbering. His cassock flung across a chair, + his other garments scattered here and there, testified to his great + weariness and agitation of mind. + </p> + <p> + “Come, come, you lazybones!” cried M. de Guersaint gaily; “can’t you hear + the bells ringing?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre awoke with a start, quite surprised to find himself in that little + hotel room into which the sunlight was streaming. All the joyous peals of + the bells, the music of the chiming, happy town, moreover, came in through + the window which he had left open. + </p> + <p> + “We shall never have time to get to the hospital before eight o’clock to + fetch Marie,” resumed M. de Guersaint, “for we must have some breakfast, + eh?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course, make haste and order two cups of chocolate. I will get up at + once, I sha’n’t be long,” replied Pierre. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the fatigue which had already stiffened his joints, he sprang + out of bed as soon as he was alone, and made all haste with his toilet. + However, he still had his head in the washing basin, ducking it in the + fresh, cool water, when M. de Guersaint, who was unable to remain alone, + came back again. “I’ve given the order,” said he; “they will bring it up. + Ah! what a curious place this hotel is! You have of course seen the + landlord, Master Majesté, clad in white from head to foot and looking so + dignified in his office. The place is crammed, it appears; they have never + had so many people before. So it is no wonder that there should be such a + fearful noise. I was wakened up three times during the night. People kept + on talking in the room next to mine. And you, did you sleep well?” + </p> + <p> + “No, indeed,” answered Pierre; “I was tired to death, but I couldn’t close + my eyes. No doubt it was the uproar you speak of that prevented me.” + </p> + <p> + In his turn he then began to talk of the thin partitions, and the manner + in which the house had been crammed with people until it seemed as though + the floors and the walls would collapse with the strain. The place had + been shaking all night long; every now and then people suddenly rushed + along the passages, heavy footfalls resounded, gruff voices ascended + nobody knew whence; without speaking of all the moaning and coughing, the + frightful coughing which seemed to re-echo from every wall. Throughout the + night people evidently came in and went out, got up and lay down again, + paying no attention to time in the disorder in which they lived, amid + shocks of passion which made them hurry to their devotional exercises as + to pleasure parties. + </p> + <p> + “And Marie, how was she when you left her last night?” M. de Guersaint + suddenly inquired. + </p> + <p> + “A great deal better,” replied Pierre; “she had an attack of extreme + discouragement, but all her courage and faith returned to her at last.” + </p> + <p> + A pause followed; and then the girl’s father resumed with his tranquil + optimism: “Oh! I am not anxious. Things will go on all right, you’ll see. + For my own part, I am delighted. I had asked the Virgin to grant me her + protection in my affairs—you know, my great invention of navigable + balloons. Well, suppose I told you that she has already shown me her + favour? Yes, indeed yesterday evening while I was talking with Abbé des + Hermoises, he told me that at Toulouse he would no doubt be able to find a + person to finance me—one of his friends, in fact, who is extremely + wealthy and takes great interest in mechanics! And in this I at once saw + the hand of God!” M. de Guersaint began laughing with his childish laugh, + and then he added: “That Abbé des Hermoises is a charming man. I shall see + this afternoon if there is any means of my accompanying him on an + excursion to the Cirque de Gavarnie at small cost.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who wished to pay everything, the hotel bill and all the rest, at + once encouraged him in this idea. “Of course,” said he, “you ought not to + miss this opportunity to visit the mountains, since you have so great a + wish to do so. Your daughter will be very happy to know that you are + pleased.” + </p> + <p> + Their talk, however, was now interrupted by a servant girl bringing the + two cups of chocolate with a couple of rolls on a metal tray covered with + a napkin. She left the door open as she entered the room, so that a + glimpse was obtained of some portion of the passage. “Ah! they are already + doing my neighbour’s room!” exclaimed M. de Guersaint. “He is a married + man, isn’t he? His wife is with him?” + </p> + <p> + The servant looked astonished. “Oh, no,” she replied, “he is quite alone!” + </p> + <p> + “Quite alone? Why, I heard people talking in his room this morning.” + </p> + <p> + “You must be mistaken, monsieur,” said the servant; “he has just gone out + after giving orders that his room was to be tidied up at once.” And then, + while taking the cups of chocolate off the tray and placing them on the + table, she continued: “Oh! he is a very respectable gentleman. Last year + he was able to have one of the pavilions which Monsieur Majesté lets out + to visitors, in the lane by the side of the hotel; but this year he + applied too late and had to content himself with that room, which greatly + worried him, for it isn’t a large one, though there is a big cupboard in + it. As he doesn’t care to eat with everybody, he takes his meals there, + and he orders good wine and the best of everything, I can tell you.” + </p> + <p> + “That explains it all!” replied M. de Guersaint gaily; “he dined too well + last night, and I must have heard him talking in his sleep.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had been listening somewhat inquisitively to all this chatter. “And + on this side, my side,” said he, “isn’t there a gentleman with two ladies, + and a little boy who walks about with a crutch?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Monsieur l’Abbé, I know them. The aunt, Madame Chaise, took one of + the two rooms for herself; and Monsieur and Madame Vigneron with their son + Gustave have had to content themselves with the other one. This is the + second year they have come to Lourdes. They are very respectable people + too.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre nodded. During the night he had fancied he could recognise the + voice of M. Vigneron, whom the heat doubtless had incommoded. However, the + servant was now thoroughly started, and she began to enumerate the other + persons whose rooms were reached by the same passage; on the left hand + there was a priest, then a mother with three daughters, and then an old + married couple; whilst on the right lodged another gentleman who was all + alone, a young lady, too, who was unaccompanied, and then a family party + which included five young children. The hotel was crowded to its garrets. + The servants had had to give up their rooms the previous evening and lie + in a heap in the washhouse. During the night, also, some camp bedsteads + had even been set up on the landings; and one honourable ecclesiastic, for + lack of other accommodation, had been obliged to sleep on a + billiard-table. + </p> + <p> + When the girl had retired and the two men had drunk their chocolate, M. de + Guersaint went back into his own room to wash his hands again, for he was + very careful of his person; and Pierre, who remained alone, felt attracted + by the gay sunlight, and stepped for a moment on to the narrow balcony + outside his window. Each of the third-floor rooms on this side of the + hotel was provided with a similar balcony, having a carved-wood + balustrade. However, the young priest’s surprise was very great, for he + had scarcely stepped outside when he suddenly saw a woman protrude her + head over the balcony next to him—that of the room occupied by the + gentleman whom M. de Guersaint and the servant had been speaking of. + </p> + <p> + And this woman he had recognised: it was Madame Volmar. There was no + mistaking her long face with its delicate drawn features, its magnificent + large eyes, those brasiers over which a veil, a dimming <i>moire</i>, + seemed to pass at times. She gave a start of terror on perceiving him. And + he, extremely ill at ease, grieved that he should have frightened her, + made all haste to withdraw into his apartment. A sudden light had dawned + upon him, and he now understood and could picture everything. So this was + why she had not been seen at the hospital, where little Madame Désagneaux + was always asking for her. Standing motionless, his heart upset, Pierre + fell into a deep reverie, reflecting on the life led by this woman whom he + knew, that torturing conjugal life in Paris between a fierce mother-in-law + and an unworthy husband, and then those three days of complete liberty + spent at Lourdes, that brief bonfire of passion to which she had hastened + under the sacrilegious pretext of serving the divinity. Tears whose cause + he could not even explain, tears that ascended from the very depths of his + being, from his own voluntary chastity, welled into his eyes amidst the + feeling of intense sorrow which came over him. + </p> + <p> + “Well, are you ready?” joyously called M. de Guersaint as he came back, + with his grey jacket buttoned up and his hands gloved. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, let us go,” replied Pierre, turning aside and pretending to + look for his hat so that he might wipe his eyes. + </p> + <p> + Then they went out, and on crossing the threshold heard on their left hand + an unctuous voice which they recognised; it was that of M. Vigneron, who + was loudly repeating the morning prayers. A moment afterwards came a + meeting which interested them. They were walking down the passage when + they were passed by a middle-aged, thick-set, sturdy-looking gentleman, + wearing carefully trimmed whiskers. He bent his back and passed so rapidly + that they were unable to distinguish his features, but they noticed that + he was carrying a carefully made parcel. And immediately afterwards he + slipped a key into the lock of the room adjoining M. de Guersaint’s, and + opening the door disappeared noiselessly, like a shadow. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint had glanced round: “Ah! my neighbour,” said he; “he has + been to market and has brought back some delicacies, no doubt!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre pretended not to hear, for his companion was so light-minded that + he did not care to trust him with a secret which was not his own. Besides, + a feeling of uneasiness was returning to him, a kind of chaste terror at + the thought that the world and the flesh were there taking their revenge, + amidst all the mystical enthusiasm which he could feel around him. + </p> + <p> + They reached the hospital just as the patients were being brought out to + be carried to the Grotto; and they found that Marie had slept well and was + very gay. She kissed her father and scolded him when she learnt that he + had not yet decided on his trip to Gavarnie. She should really be + displeased with him, she said, if he did not go. Still with the same + restful, smiling expression, she added that she did not expect to be cured + that day; and then, assuming an air of mystery, she begged Pierre to + obtain permission for her to spend the following night before the Grotto. + This was a favour which all the sufferers ardently coveted, but which only + a few favoured ones with difficulty secured. After protesting, anxious as + he felt with regard to the effect which a night spent in the open air + might have upon her health, the young priest, seeing how unhappy she had + suddenly become, at last promised that he would make the application. + Doubtless she imagined that she would only obtain a hearing from the + Virgin when they were alone together in the slumbering peacefulness of the + night. That morning, indeed, she felt so lost among the innumerable + patients who were heaped together in front of the Grotto, that already at + ten o’clock she asked to be taken back to the hospital, complaining that + the bright light tired her eyes. And when her father and the priest had + again installed her in the Sainte-Honorine Ward, she gave them their + liberty for the remainder of the day. “No, don’t come to fetch me,” she + said, “I shall not go back to the Grotto this afternoon—it would be + useless. But you will come for me this evening at nine o’clock, won’t you, + Pierre? It is agreed, you have given me your word.” + </p> + <p> + He repeated that he would endeavour to secure the requisite permission, + and that, if necessary, he would apply to Father Fourcade in person. + </p> + <p> + “Then, till this evening, darling,” said M. de Guersaint, kissing his + daughter. And he and Pierre went off together, leaving her lying on her + bed, with an absorbed expression on her features, as her large, smiling + eyes wandered away into space. + </p> + <p> + It was barely half-past ten when they got back to the Hotel of the + Apparitions; but M. de Guersaint, whom the fine weather delighted, talked + of having <i>déjeuner</i> at once, so that he might the sooner start upon + a ramble through Lourdes. First of all, however, he wished to go up to his + room, and Pierre following him, they encountered quite a drama on their + way. The door of the room occupied by the Vignerons was wide open, and + little Gustave could be seen lying on the sofa which served as his bed. He + was livid; a moment previously he had suddenly fainted, and this had made + the father and mother imagine that the end had come. Madame Vigneron was + crouching on a chair, still stupefied by her fright, whilst M. Vigneron + rushed about the room, thrusting everything aside in order that he might + prepare a glass of sugared-water, to which he added a few drops of some + elixir. This draught, he exclaimed, would set the lad right again. But all + the same, it was incomprehensible. The boy was still strong, and to think + that he should have fainted like that, and have turned as white as a + chicken! Speaking in this wise, M. Vigneron glanced at Madame Chaise, the + aunt, who was standing in front of the sofa, looking in good health that + morning; and his hands shook yet more violently at the covert idea that if + that stupid attack had carried off his son, they would no longer have + inherited the aunt’s fortune. He was quite beside himself at this thought, + and eagerly opening the boy’s mouth he compelled him to swallow the entire + contents of the glass. Then, however, when he heard Gustave sigh, and saw + him open his eyes again, his fatherly good-nature reappeared, and he shed + tears, and called the lad his dear little fellow. But on Madame Chaise + drawing near to offer some assistance, Gustave repulsed her with a sudden + gesture of hatred, as though he understood how this woman’s money + unconsciously perverted his parents, who, after all, were worthy folks. + Greatly offended, the old lady turned on her heel, and seated herself in a + corner, whilst the father and mother, at last freed from their anxiety, + returned thanks to the Blessed Virgin for having preserved their darling, + who smiled at them with his intelligent and infinitely sorrowful smile, + knowing and understanding everything as he did, and no longer having any + taste for life, although he was not fifteen. + </p> + <p> + “Can we be of any help to you?” asked Pierre in an obliging way. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I thank you, gentlemen,” replied M. Vigneron, coming for a moment + into the passage. “But oh! we did have a fright! Think of it, an only son, + who is so dear to us too.” + </p> + <p> + All around them the approach of the <i>déjeuner</i> hour was now throwing + the house into commotion. Every door was banging, and the passages and the + staircase resounded with the constant pitter-patter of feet. Three big + girls passed by, raising a current of air with the sweep of their skirts. + Some little children were crying in a neighbouring room. Then there were + old people who seemed quite scared, and distracted priests who, forgetting + their calling, caught up their cassocks with both hands, so that they + might run the faster to the dining-room. From the top to the bottom of the + house one could feel the floors shaking under the excessive weight of all + the people who were packed inside the hotel. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I hope that it is all over now, and that the Blessed Virgin will cure + him,” repeated M. Vigneron, before allowing his neighbours to retire. “We + are going down-stairs, for I must confess that all this has made me feel + faint. I need something to eat, I am terribly hungry.” + </p> + <p> + When Pierre and M. de Guersaint at last left their rooms, and went + down-stairs, they found to their annoyance that there was not the smallest + table-corner vacant in the large dining-room. A most extraordinary mob had + assembled there, and the few seats that were still unoccupied were + reserved. A waiter informed them that the room never emptied between ten + and one o’clock, such was the rush of appetite, sharpened by the keen + mountain air. So they had to resign themselves to wait, requesting the + waiter to warn them as soon as there should be a couple of vacant places. + Then, scarcely knowing what to do with themselves, they went to walk about + the hotel porch, whence there was a view of the street, along which the + townsfolk, in their Sunday best, streamed without a pause. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, the landlord of the Hotel of the Apparitions, Master + Majesté in person, appeared before them, clad in white from head to foot; + and with a great show of politeness he inquired if the gentlemen would + like to wait in the drawing-room. He was a stout man of five-and-forty, + and strove to bear the burden of his name in a right royal fashion. Bald + and clean-shaven, with round blue eyes in a waxy face, displaying three + superposed chins, he always deported himself with much dignity. He had + come from Nevers with the Sisters who managed the orphan asylum, and was + married to a dusky little woman, a native of Lourdes. In less than fifteen + years they had made their hotel one of the most substantial and best + patronised establishments in the town. Of recent times, moreover, they had + started a business in religious articles, installed in a large shop on the + left of the hotel porch and managed by a young niece under Madame + Majesté’s Supervision. + </p> + <p> + “You can wait in the drawing-room, gentlemen,” again suggested the + hotel-keeper whom Pierre’s cassock rendered very attentive. + </p> + <p> + They replied, however, that they preferred to walk about and wait in the + open air. And thereupon Majesté would not leave them, but deigned to chat + with them for a moment as he was wont to do with those of his customers + whom he desired to honour. The conversation turned at first on the + procession which would take place that night and which promised to be a + superb spectacle as the weather was so fine. There were more than fifty + thousand strangers gathered together in Lourdes that day, for visitors had + come in from all the neighbouring bathing stations. This explained the + crush at the <i>table d’hôte</i>. Possibly the town would run short of + bread as had been the case the previous year. + </p> + <p> + “You saw what a scramble there is,” concluded Majesté, “we really don’t + know how to manage. It isn’t my fault, I assure you, if you are kept + waiting for a short time.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment, however, a postman arrived with a large batch of + newspapers and letters which he deposited on a table in the office. He had + kept one letter in his hand and inquired of the landlord, “Have you a + Madame Maze here?” + </p> + <p> + “Madame Maze, Madame Maze,” repeated the hotel-keeper. “No, no, certainly + not.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had heard both question and answer, and drawing near he exclaimed, + “I know of a Madame Maze who must be lodging with the Sisters of the + Immaculate Conception, the Blue Sisters as people call them here, I + think.” + </p> + <p> + The postman thanked him for the information and went off, but a somewhat + bitter smile had risen to Majesté’s lips. “The Blue Sisters,” he muttered, + “ah! the Blue Sisters.” Then, darting a side glance at Pierre’s cassock, + he stopped short, as though he feared that he might say too much. Yet his + heart was overflowing; he would have greatly liked to ease his feelings, + and this young priest from Paris, who looked so liberal-minded, could not + be one of the “band” as he called all those who discharged functions at + the Grotto and coined money out of Our Lady of Lourdes. Accordingly, + little by little, he ventured to speak out. + </p> + <p> + “I am a good Christian, I assure you, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said he. “In fact + we are all good Christians here. And I am a regular worshipper and take + the sacrament every Easter. But, really, I must say that members of a + religious community ought not to keep hotels. No, no, it isn’t right!” + </p> + <p> + And thereupon he vented all the spite of a tradesman in presence of what + he considered to be disloyal competition. Ought not those Blue Sisters, + those Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, to have confined themselves to + their real functions, the manufacture of wafers for sacramental purposes, + and the repairing and washing of church linen? Instead of that, however, + they had transformed their convent into a vast hostelry, where ladies who + came to Lourdes unaccompanied found separate rooms, and were able to take + their meals either in privacy or in a general dining-room. Everything was + certainly very clean, very well organised and very inexpensive, thanks to + the thousand advantages which the Sisters enjoyed; in fact, no hotel at + Lourdes did so much business. “But all the same,” continued Majesté, “I + ask you if it is proper. To think of nuns selling victuals! Besides, I + must tell you that the lady superior is really a clever woman, and as soon + as she saw the stream of fortune rolling in, she wanted to keep it all for + her own community and resolutely parted with the Fathers of the Grotto who + wanted to lay their hands on it. Yes, Monsieur l’Abbé, she even went to + Rome and gained her cause there, so that now she pockets all the money + that her bills bring in. Think of it, nuns, yes nuns, <i>mon Dieu</i>! + letting furnished rooms and keeping a <i>table d’hôte</i>!” + </p> + <p> + He raised his arms to heaven, he was stifling with envy and vexation. + </p> + <p> + “But as your house is crammed,” Pierre gently objected, “as you no longer + have either a bed or a plate at anybody’s disposal, where would you put + any additional visitors who might arrive here?” + </p> + <p> + Majesté at once began protesting. “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé!” said he, “one can + see very well that you don’t know the place. It’s quite true that there is + work for all of us, and that nobody has reason to complain during the + national pilgrimage. But that only lasts four or five days, and in + ordinary times the custom we secure isn’t nearly so great. For myself, + thank Heaven, I am always satisfied. My house is well known, it occupies + the same rank as the Hotel of the Grotto, where two landlords have already + made their fortunes. But no matter, it is vexing to see those Blue Sisters + taking all the cream of the custom, for instance the ladies of the <i>bourgeoisie</i> + who spend a fortnight and three weeks here at a stretch; and that, too, + just in the quiet season, when there are not many people here. You + understand, don’t you? There are people of position who dislike uproar; + they go by themselves to the Grotto, and pray there all day long, for days + together, and pay good prices for their accommodation without any + higgling.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Majesté, whom Pierre and M. de Guersaint had not noticed leaning + over an account-book in which she was adding up some figures, thereupon + intervened in a shrill voice: “We had a customer like that, gentlemen, who + stayed here for two months last year. She went to the Grotto, came back, + went there again, took her meals, and went to bed. And never did we have a + word of complaint from her; she was always smiling, as though to say that + she found everything very nice. She paid her bill, too, without even + looking at it. Ah! one regrets people of that kind.” + </p> + <p> + Short, thin, very dark, and dressed in black, with a little white collar, + Madame Majesté had risen to her feet; and she now began to solicit custom: + “If you would like to buy a few little souvenirs of Lourdes before you + leave, gentlemen, I hope that you will not forget us. We have a shop close + by, where you will find an assortment of all the articles that are most in + request. As a rule, the persons who stay here are kind enough not to deal + elsewhere.” + </p> + <p> + However, Majesté was again wagging his head, with the air of a good + Christian saddened by the scandals of the time. “Certainly,” said he, “I + don’t want to show any disrespect to the reverend Fathers, but it must in + all truth be admitted that they are too greedy. You must have seen the + shop which they have set up near the Grotto, that shop which is always + crowded, and where tapers and articles of piety are sold. A bishop + declared that it was shameful, and that the buyers and sellers ought to be + driven out of the temple afresh. It is said, too, that the Fathers run + that big shop yonder, just across the street, which supplies all the petty + dealers in the town. And, according to the reports which circulate, they + have a finger in all the trade in religious articles, and levy a + percentage on the millions of chaplets, statuettes, and medals which are + sold every year at Lourdes.” + </p> + <p> + Majesté had now lowered his voice, for his accusations were becoming + precise, and he ended by trembling somewhat at his imprudence in talking + so confidentially to strangers. However, the expression of Pierre’s + gentle, attentive face reassured him; and so he continued with the passion + of a wounded rival, resolved to go on to the very end: “I am willing to + admit that there is some exaggeration in all this. But all the same, it + does religion no good for people to see the reverend Fathers keeping shops + like us tradesmen. For my part, of course, I don’t go and ask for a share + of the money which they make by their masses, or a percentage on the + presents which they receive, so why should they start selling what I sell? + Our business was a poor one last year owing to them. There are already too + many of us; nowadays everyone at Lourdes sells ‘religious articles,’ to + such an extent, in fact, that there will soon be no butchers or wine + merchants left—nothing but bread to eat and water to drink. Ah! + Monsieur l’Abbé, it is no doubt nice to have the Blessed Virgin with us, + but things are none the less very bad at times.” + </p> + <p> + A person staying at the hotel at that moment disturbed him, but he + returned just as a young girl came in search of Madame Majesté. The + damsel, who evidently belonged to Lourdes, was very pretty, small but + plump, with beautiful black hair, and a round face full of bright gaiety. + </p> + <p> + “That is our niece Apolline,” resumed Majesté. “She has been keeping our + shop for two years past. She is the daughter of one of my wife’s brothers, + who is in poor circumstances. She was keeping sheep at Ossun, in the + neighbourhood of Bartres, when we were struck by her intelligence and nice + looks and decided to bring her here; and we don’t repent having done so, + for she has a great deal of merit, and has become a very good saleswoman.” + </p> + <p> + A point to which he omitted to refer, was that there were rumours current + of somewhat flighty conduct on Mademoiselle Apolline’s part. But she + undoubtedly had her value: she attracted customers by the power, possibly, + of her large black eyes, which smiled so readily. During his sojourn at + Lourdes the previous year, Gérard de Peyrelongue had scarcely stirred from + the shop she managed, and doubtless it was only the matrimonial ideas now + flitting through his head that prevented him from returning thither. It + seemed as though the Abbé des Hermoises had taken his place, for this + gallant ecclesiastic brought a great many ladies to make purchases at the + repository. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you are speaking of Apolline,” said Madame Majesté, at that moment + coming back from the shop. “Have you noticed one thing about her, + gentlemen—her extraordinary likeness to Bernadette? There, on the + wall yonder, is a photograph of Bernadette when she was eighteen years + old.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre and M. de Guersaint drew near to examine the portrait, whilst + Majesté exclaimed: “Bernadette, yes, certainly—she was rather like + Apolline, but not nearly so nice; she looked so sad and poor.” + </p> + <p> + He would doubtless have gone on chattering, but just then the waiter + appeared and announced that there was at last a little table vacant. M. de + Guersaint had twice gone to glance inside the dining-room, for he was + eager to have his <i>déjeuner</i> and spend the remainder of that fine + Sunday out-of-doors. So he now hastened away, without paying any further + attention to Majesté, who remarked, with an amiable smile, that the + gentlemen had not had so very long to wait after all. + </p> + <p> + To reach the table mentioned by the waiter, the architect and Pierre had + to cross the dining-room from end to end. It was a long apartment, painted + a light oak colour, an oily yellow, which was already peeling away in + places and soiled with stains in others. You realised that rapid wear and + tear went on here amidst the continual scramble of the big eaters who sat + down at table. The only ornaments were a gilt zinc clock and a couple of + meagre candelabra on the mantelpiece. Guipure curtains, moreover, hung at + the five large windows looking on to the street, which was flooded with + sunshine; some of the fierce arrow-like rays penetrating into the room + although the blinds had been lowered. And, in the middle of the apartment, + some forty persons were packed together at the <i>table d’hôte</i>, which + was scarcely eleven yards in length and did not supply proper + accommodation for more than thirty people; whilst at the little tables + standing against the walls upon either side another forty persons sat + close together, hustled by the three waiters each time that they went by. + You had scarcely reached the threshold before you were deafened by the + extraordinary uproar, the noise of voices and the clatter of forks and + plates; and it seemed, too, as if you were entering a damp oven, for a + warm, steamy mist, laden with a suffocating smell of victuals, assailed + the face. + </p> + <p> + Pierre at first failed to distinguish anything, but, when he was installed + at the little table—a garden-table which had been brought indoors + for the occasion, and on which there was scarcely room for two covers—he + felt quite upset, almost sick, in fact, at the sight presented by the <i>table + d’hôte</i>, which his glance now enfiladed from end to end. People had + been eating at it for an hour already, two sets of customers had followed + one upon the other, and the covers were strewn about in higgledy-piggledy + fashion. On the cloth were numerous stains of wine and sauce, while there + was no symmetry even in the arrangement of the glass fruit-stands, which + formed the only decorations of the table. And one’s astonishment increased + at sight of the motley mob which was collected there—huge priests, + scraggy girls, mothers overflowing with superfluous fat, gentlemen with + red faces, and families ranged in rows and displaying all the pitiable, + increasing ugliness of successive generations. All these people were + perspiring, greedily swallowing, seated slantwise, lacking room to move + their arms, and unable even to use their hands deftly. And amidst this + display of appetite, increased tenfold by fatigue, and of eager haste to + fill one’s stomach in order to return to the Grotto more quickly, there + was a corpulent ecclesiastic who in no wise hurried, but ate of every dish + with prudent slowness, crunching his food with a ceaseless, dignified + movement of the jaws. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Fichtre</i>!” exclaimed M. de Guersaint, “it is by no means cool in + here. All the same, I shall be glad of something to eat, for I’ve felt a + sinking in the stomach ever since I have been at Lourdes. And you—are + you hungry?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, I shall eat,” replied Pierre, though, truth to tell, he felt + quite upset. + </p> + <p> + The <i>menu</i> was a copious one. There was salmon, an omelet, mutton + cutlets with mashed potatoes, stewed kidneys, cauliflowers, cold meats, + and apricot tarts—everything cooked too much, and swimming in sauce + which, but for its grittiness, would have been flavourless. However, there + was some fairly fine fruit on the glass stands, particularly some peaches. + And, besides, the people did not seem at all difficult to please; they + apparently had no palates, for there was no sign of nausea. Hemmed in + between an old priest and a dirty, full-bearded man, a girl of delicate + build, who looked very pretty with her soft eyes and silken skin, was + eating some kidneys with an expression of absolute beatitude, although the + so-called “sauce” in which they swam was simply greyish water. + </p> + <p> + “Hum!” resumed even M. de Guersaint, “this salmon is not so bad. Add a + little salt to it and you will find it all right.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre made up his mind to eat, for after all he must take sustenance for + strength’s sake. At a little table close by, however, he had just caught + sight of Madame Vigneron and Madame Chaise, who sat face to face, + apparently waiting. And indeed, M. Vigneron and his son Gustave soon + appeared, the latter still pale, and leaning more heavily than usual on + his crutch. “Sit down next to your aunt,” said his father; “I will take + the chair beside your mother.” But just then he perceived his two + neighbours, and stepping up to them, he added: “Oh! he is now all right + again. I have been rubbing him with some eau-de-Cologne, and by-and-by he + will be able to take his bath at the piscina.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon M. Vigneron sat down and began to devour. But what an awful + fright he had had! He again began talking of it aloud, despite himself, so + intense had been his terror at the thought that the lad might go off + before his aunt. The latter related that whilst she was kneeling at the + Grotto the day before, she had experienced a sudden feeling of relief; in + fact, she flattered herself that she was cured of her heart complaint, and + began giving precise particulars, to which her brother-in-law listened + with dilated eyes, full of involuntary anxiety. Most certainly he was a + good-natured man, he had never desired anybody’s death; only he felt + indignant at the idea that the Virgin might cure this old woman, and + forget his son, who was so young. Talking and eating, he had got to the + cutlets, and was swallowing the mashed potatoes by the forkful, when he + fancied he could detect that Madame Chaise was sulking with her nephew. + “Gustave,” he suddenly inquired, “have you asked your aunt’s forgiveness?” + The lad, quite astonished, began staring at his father with his large + clear eyes. “Yes,” added M. Vigneron, “you behaved very badly, you pushed + her back just now when she wanted to help you to sit up.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Chaise said nothing, but waited with a dignified air, whilst + Gustave, who, without any show of appetite, was finishing the <i>noix</i> + of his cutlet, which had been cut into small pieces, remained with his + eyes lowered on his plate, this time obstinately refusing to make the + sorry show of affection which was demanded of him. + </p> + <p> + “Come, Gustave,” resumed his father, “be a good boy. You know how kind + your aunt is, and all that she intends to do for you.” + </p> + <p> + But no, he would not yield. At that moment, indeed, he really hated that + woman, who did not die quickly enough, who polluted the affection of his + parents, to such a point that when he saw them surround him with + attentions he no longer knew whether it were himself or the inheritance + which his life represented that they wished to save. However, Madame + Vigneron, so dignified in her demeanour, came to her husband’s help. “You + really grieve me, Gustave,” said she; “ask your aunt’s forgiveness, or you + will make me quite angry with you.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he gave way. What was the use of resisting? Was it not better + that his parents should obtain that money? Would he not himself die later + on, so as to suit the family convenience? He was aware of all that; he + understood everything, even when not a word was spoken. So keen was the + sense of hearing with which suffering had endowed him, that he even heard + the others’ thoughts. + </p> + <p> + “I beg your pardon, aunt,” he said, “for not having behaved well to you + just now.” + </p> + <p> + Then two big tears rolled from his eyes, whilst he smiled with the air of + a tender-hearted man who has seen too much of life and can no longer be + deceived by anything. Madame Chaise at once kissed him and told him that + she was not at all angry. And the Vignerons’ delight in living was + displayed in all candour. + </p> + <p> + “If the kidneys are not up to much,” M. de Guersaint now said to Pierre, + “here at all events are some cauliflowers with a good flavour.” + </p> + <p> + The formidable mastication was still going on around them. Pierre had + never seen such an amount of eating, amidst such perspiration, in an + atmosphere as stifling as that of a washhouse full of hot steam. The odour + of the victuals seemed to thicken into a kind of smoke. You had to shout + to make yourself heard, for everybody was talking in loud tones, and the + scared waiters raised a fearful clatter in changing the plates and forks; + not to mention the noise of all the jaw-crunching, a mill-like grinding + which was distinctly audible. What most hurt the feelings of the young + priest, however, was the extraordinary promiscuity of the <i>table d’hôte</i>, + at which men and women, young girls and ecclesiastics, were packed + together in chance order, and satisfied their hunger like a pack of hounds + snapping at offal in all haste. Baskets of bread went round and were + promptly emptied. And there was a perfect massacre of cold meats, all the + remnants of the victuals of the day before, leg of mutton, veal, and ham, + encompassed by a fallen mass of transparent jelly which quivered like soft + glue. They had all eaten too much already, but these viands seemed to whet + their appetites afresh, as though the idea had come to them that nothing + whatever ought to be left. The fat priest in the middle of the table, who + had shown himself such a capital knife-and-fork, was now lingering over + the fruit, having just got to his third peach, a huge one, which he slowly + peeled and swallowed in slices with an air of compunction. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, the whole room was thrown into agitation. A waiter + had come in and begun distributing the letters which Madame Majesté had + finished sorting. “Hallo!” exclaimed M. Vigneron; “a letter for me! This + is surprising—I did not give my address to anybody.” Then, at a + sudden recollection, he added, “Yes I did, though; this must have come + from Sauvageot, who is filling my place at the Ministry.” He opened the + letter, his hands began to tremble, and suddenly he raised a cry: “The + chief clerk is dead!” + </p> + <p> + Deeply agitated, Madame Vigneron was also unable to bridle her tongue: + “Then you will have the appointment!” + </p> + <p> + This was the secret dream in which they had so long and so fondly + indulged: the chief clerk’s death, in order that he, Vigneron, assistant + chief clerk for ten years past, might at last rise to the supreme post, + the bureaucratic marshalship. And so great was his delight that he cast + aside all restraint. “Ah! the Blessed Virgin is certainly protecting me, + my dear. Only this morning I again prayed to her for a rise, and, you see, + she grants my prayer!” + </p> + <p> + However, finding Madame Chaise’s eyes fixed upon his own, and seeing + Gustave smile, he realised that he ought not to exult in this fashion. + Each member of the family no doubt thought of his or her interests and + prayed to the Blessed Virgin for such personal favours as might be + desired. And so, again putting on his good-natured air, he resumed: “I + mean that the Blessed Virgin takes an interest in every one of us and will + send us all home well satisfied. Ah! the poor chief, I’m sorry for him. I + shall have to send my card to his widow.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of all his efforts he could not restrain his exultation, and no + longer doubted that his most secret desires, those which he did not even + confess to himself, would soon be gratified. And so all honour was done to + the apricot tarts, even Gustave being allowed to eat a portion of one. + </p> + <p> + “It is surprising,” now remarked M. de Guersaint, who had just ordered a + cup of coffee; “it is surprising that one doesn’t see more sick people + here. All these folks seem to me to have first-rate appetites.” + </p> + <p> + After a close inspection, however, in addition to Gustave, who ate no more + than a little chicken, he ended by finding a man with a goitre seated at + the <i>table d’hôte</i> between two women, one of whom certainly suffered + from cancer. Farther on, too, there was a girl so thin and pale that she + must surely be a consumptive. And still farther away there was a female + idiot who had made her entry leaning on two relatives, and with + expressionless eyes and lifeless features was now carrying her food to her + mouth with a spoon, and slobbering over her napkin. Perhaps there were yet + other ailing ones present who could not be distinguished among all those + noisy appetites, ailing ones whom the journey had braced, and who were + eating as they had not eaten for a long time past. The apricot tarts, the + cheese, the fruits were all engulfed amidst the increasing disorder of the + table, where at last there only remained the stains of all the wine and + sauce which had been spilt upon the cloth. + </p> + <p> + It was nearly noon. “We will go back to the Grotto at once, eh?” said M. + Vigneron. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, “To the Grotto! To the Grotto!” were well-nigh the only words you + now heard. The full mouths were eagerly masticating and swallowing, in + order that they might repeat prayers and hymns again with all speed. + “Well, as we have the whole afternoon before us,” declared M. de + Guersaint, “I suggest that we should visit the town a little. I want to + see also if I can get a conveyance for my excursion, as my daughter so + particularly wishes me to make it.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was stifling, was glad indeed to leave the dining-room. In the + porch he was able to breathe again, though even there he found a torrent + of customers, new arrivals who were waiting for places. No sooner did one + of the little tables become vacant than its possession was eagerly + contested, whilst the smallest gap at the <i>table d’hôte</i> was + instantly filled up. In this wise the assault would continue for more than + another hour, and again would the different courses of the <i>menu</i> + appear in procession, to be engulfed amidst the crunching of jaws, the + stifling heat, and the growing nausea. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap12"></a> + II. THE “ORDINARY.” + </h2> + <p> + WHEN Pierre and M. de Guersaint got outside they began walking slowly + amidst the ever-growing stream of the Sundayfied crowd. The sky was a + bright blue, the sun warmed the whole town, and there was a festive gaiety + in the atmosphere, the keen delight that attends those great fairs which + bring entire communities into the open air. When they had descended the + crowded footway of the Avenue de la Grotte, and had reached the corner of + the Plateau de la Merlasse, they found their way barred by a throng which + was flowing backward amidst a block of vehicles and stamping of horses. + “There is no hurry, however,” remarked M. de Guersaint. “My idea is to go + as far as the Place du Marcadal in the old town; for the servant girl at + the hotel told me of a hairdresser there whose brother lets out + conveyances cheaply. Do you mind going so far?” + </p> + <p> + “I?” replied Pierre. “Go wherever you like, I’ll follow you.” + </p> + <p> + “All right—and I’ll profit by the opportunity to have a shave.” + </p> + <p> + They were nearing the Place du Rosaire, and found themselves in front of + the lawns stretching to the Gave, when an encounter again stopped them. + Mesdames Désagneaux and Raymonde de Jonquière were here, chatting gaily + with Gérard de Peyrelongue. Both women wore light-coloured gowns, seaside + dresses as it were, and their white silk parasols shone in the bright + sunlight. They imparted, so to say, a pretty note to the scene—a + touch of society chatter blended with the fresh laughter of youth. + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” Madame Désagneaux was saying, “we certainly can’t go and visit + your ‘ordinary’ like that—at the very moment when all your comrades + are eating.” + </p> + <p> + Gérard, however, with a very gallant air, insisted on their accompanying + him, turning more particularly towards Raymonde, whose somewhat massive + face was that day brightened by the radiant charm of health. + </p> + <p> + “But it is a very curious sight, I assure you,” said the young man, “and + you would be very respectfully received. Trust yourself to me, + mademoiselle. Besides, we should certainly find M. Berthaud there, and he + would be delighted to do you the honours.” + </p> + <p> + Raymonde smiled, her clear eyes plainly saying that she was quite + agreeable. And just then, as Pierre and M. de Guersaint drew near in order + to present their respects to the ladies, they were made acquainted with + the question under discussion. The “ordinary” was a kind of restaurant or + <i>table d’hôte</i> which the members of the Hospitality of Our Lady of + Salvation—the bearers, the hospitallers of the Grotto, the piscinas, + and the hospitals—had established among themselves with the view of + taking their meals together at small cost. Many of them were not rich, for + they were recruited among all classes; however, they had contrived to + secure three good meals for the daily payment of three francs apiece. And + in fact they soon had provisions to spare and distributed them among the + poor. Everything was in their own management; they purchased their own + supplies, recruited a cook and a few waiters, and did not disdain to lend + a hand themselves, in order that everything might be comfortable and + orderly. + </p> + <p> + “It must be very interesting,” said M, de Guersaint, when these + explanations had been given him. “Let us go and see it, if we are not in + the way.” + </p> + <p> + Little Madame Désagneaux thereupon gave her consent. “Well, if we are + going in a party,” said she, “I am quite willing. But when this gentleman + first proposed to take Raymonde and me, I was afraid that it might not be + quite proper.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as she began to laugh, the others followed her example. She had + accepted M. de Guersaint’s arm, and Pierre walked beside her on the other + hand, experiencing a sudden feeling of sympathy for this gay little woman, + who was so full of life and so charming with her fair frizzy hair and + creamy complexion. + </p> + <p> + Behind them came Raymonde, leaning upon Gérard’s arm and talking to him in + the calm, staid voice of a young lady who holds the best principles + despite her air of heedless youth. And since here was the husband whom she + had so often dreamt of, she resolved that she would this time secure him, + make him beyond all question her own. She intoxicated him with the perfume + of health and youth which she diffused, and at the same time astonished + him by her knowledge of housewifely duties and of the manner in which + money may be economised even in the most trifling matters; for having + questioned him with regard to the purchases which he and his comrades made + for their “ordinary,” she proceeded to show him that they might have + reduced their expenditure still further. + </p> + <p> + Meantime M. de Guersaint and Madame Désagneaux were also chatting + together: “You must be fearfully tired, madame,” said the architect. + </p> + <p> + But with a gesture of revolt, and an exclamation of genuine anger, she + replied: “Oh no, indeed! Last night, it is true, fatigue quite overcame me + at the hospital; I sat down and dozed off, and Madame de Jonquière and the + other ladies were good enough to let me sleep on.” At this the others + again began to laugh; but still with the same angry air she continued: + “And so I slept like a log until this morning. It was disgraceful, + especially as I had sworn that I would remain up all night.” Then, + merriment gaining upon her in her turn, she suddenly burst into a sonorous + laugh, displaying her beautiful white teeth. “Ah! a pretty nurse I am, and + no mistake! It was poor Madame de Jonquière who had to remain on her legs + all the time. I tried to coax her to come out with us just now. But she + preferred to take a little rest.” + </p> + <p> + Raymonde, who overheard these words, thereupon raised her voice to say: + “Yes, indeed, my poor mamma could no longer keep on her feet. It was I who + compelled her to lie down, telling her that she could go to sleep without + any uneasiness, for we should get on all right without her—” + </p> + <p> + So saying, the girl gave Gérard a laughing glance. He even fancied that he + could detect a faint squeeze of the fresh round arm which was resting on + his own, as though, indeed, she had wished to express her happiness at + being alone with him so that they might settle their own affairs without + any interference. This quite delighted him; and he began to explain that + if he had not had <i>déjeuner</i> with his comrades that day, it was + because some friends had invited him to join them at the railway-station + refreshment-room at ten o’clock, and had not given him his liberty until + after the departure of the eleven-thirty train. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! the rascals!” he suddenly resumed. “Do you hear them, mademoiselle?” + </p> + <p> + The little party was now nearing its destination, and the uproarious + laughter and chatter of youth rang out from a clump of trees which + concealed the old zinc and plaster building in which the “ordinary” was + installed. Gérard began by taking the visitors into the kitchen, a very + spacious apartment, well fitted up, and containing a huge range and an + immense table, to say nothing of numerous gigantic cauldrons. Here, + moreover, the young man called the attention of his companions to the + circumstance that the cook, a fat, jovial-looking man, had the red cross + pinned on his white jacket, being himself a member of the pilgrimage. + Then, pushing open a door, Gérard invited his friends to enter the common + room. + </p> + <p> + It was a long apartment containing two rows of plain deal tables; and the + only other articles of furniture were numerous rush-seated tavern chairs, + with an additional table which served as a sideboard. The whitewashed + walls and the flooring of shiny, red tiles looked, however, extremely + clean amidst this intentional bareness, which was similar to that of a + monkish refectory. But, the feature of the place which more particularly + struck you, as you crossed the threshold, was the childish gaiety which + reigned there; for, packed together at the tables, were a hundred and + fifty hospitallers of all ages, eating with splendid appetites, laughing, + applauding, and singing, with their mouths full. A wondrous fraternity + united these men, who had flocked to Lourdes from every province of + France, and who belonged to all classes, and represented every degree of + fortune. Many of them knew nothing of one another, save that they met here + and elbowed one another during three days every year, living together like + brothers, and then going off and remaining in absolute ignorance of each + other during the rest of the twelvemonth. Nothing could be more charming, + however, than to meet again at the next pilgrimage, united in the same + charitable work, and to spend a few days of hard labour and boyish delight + in common once more; for it all became, as it were, an “outing” of a + number of big fellows, let loose under a lovely sky, and well pleased to + be able to enjoy themselves and laugh together. And even the frugality of + the table, with the pride of managing things themselves, of eating the + provisions which they had purchased and cooked, added to the general good + humour. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” explained Gérard, “we are not at all inclined to be sad, + although we have so much hard work to get through. The Hospitality numbers + more than three hundred members, but there are only about one hundred and + fifty here at a time, for we have had to organise two successive services, + so that there may always be some of us on duty at the Grotto and the + hospitals.” + </p> + <p> + The sight of the little party of visitors assembled on the threshold of + the room seemed to have increased the general delight; and Berthaud, the + superintendent of the bearers, who was lunching at the head of one of the + tables, gallantly rose up to receive the ladies. + </p> + <p> + “But it smells very nice,” exclaimed Madame Désagneaux in her giddy way. + “Won’t you invite us to come and taste your cookery to-morrow?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! we can’t ask ladies,” replied Berthaud, laughing. “But if you + gentlemen would like to join us to-morrow we should be extremely pleased + to entertain you.” + </p> + <p> + He had at once noticed the good understanding which prevailed between + Gérard and Raymonde, and seemed delighted at it, for he greatly wished his + cousin to make this match. He laughed pleasantly, at the enthusiastic + gaiety which the young girl displayed as she began to question him. “Is + not that the Marquis de Salmon-Roquebert,” she asked, “who is sitting over + yonder between those two young men who look like shop assistants?” + </p> + <p> + “They are, in fact, the sons of a small stationer at Tarbes,” replied + Berthaud; “and that is really the Marquis, your neighbour of the Rue de + Lille, the owner of that magnificent mansion, one of the richest and most + noble men of title in France. You see how he is enjoying our mutton stew!” + </p> + <p> + It was true, the millionaire Marquis seemed delighted to be able to board + himself for his three francs a day, and to sit down at table in genuine + democratic fashion by the side of petty <i>bourgeois</i> and workmen who + would not have dared to accost him in the street. Was not that chance + table symbolical of social communion, effected by the joint practice of + charity? For his part, the Marquis was the more hungry that day, as he had + bathed over sixty patients, sufferers from all the most abominable + diseases of unhappy humanity, at the piscinas that morning. And the scene + around him seemed like a realisation of the evangelical commonalty; but + doubtless it was so charming and so gay simply because its duration was + limited to three days. + </p> + <p> + Although M. de Guersaint had but lately risen from table, his curiosity + prompted him to taste the mutton stew, and he pronounced it perfect. + Meantime, Pierre caught sight of Baron Suire, the director of the + Hospitality, walking about between the rows of tables with an air of some + importance, as though he had allotted himself the task of keeping an eye + on everything, even on the manner in which his staff fed itself. The young + priest thereupon remembered the ardent desire which Marie had expressed to + spend the night in front of the Grotto, and it occurred to him that the + Baron might be willing to give the necessary authorisation. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” replied the director, who had become quite grave whilst + listening to Pierre, “we do sometimes allow it; but it is always a very + delicate matter! You assure me at all events that this young person is not + consumptive? Well, well, since you say that she so much desires it I will + mention the matter to Father Fourcade and warn Madame de Jonquière, so + that she may let you take the young lady away.” + </p> + <p> + He was in reality a very good-natured fellow, albeit so fond of assuming + the air of an indispensable man weighed down by the heaviest + responsibilities. In his turn he now detained the visitors, and gave them + full particulars concerning the organisation of the Hospitality. Its + members said prayers together every morning. Two board meetings were held + each day, and were attended by all the heads of departments, as well as by + the reverend Fathers and some of the chaplains. All the hospitallers took + the Sacrament as frequently as possible. And, moreover, there were many + complicated tasks to be attended to, a prodigious rotation of duties, + quite a little world to be governed with a firm hand. The Baron spoke like + a general who each year gains a great victory over the spirit of the age; + and, sending Berthaud back to finish his <i>déjeuner</i>, he insisted on + escorting the ladies into the little sanded courtyard, which was shaded by + some fine trees. + </p> + <p> + “It is very interesting, very interesting,” repeated Madame Désagneaux. + “We are greatly obliged to you for your kindness, monsieur.” + </p> + <p> + “Don’t mention it, don’t mention it, madame,” answered the Baron. “It is I + who am pleased at having had an opportunity to show you my little army.” + </p> + <p> + So far Gérard had not quitted Raymonde’s side; but M. de Guersaint and + Pierre were already exchanging glances suggestive of leave-taking, in + order that they might repair by themselves to the Place du Marcadal, when + Madame Désagneaux suddenly remembered that a friend had requested her to + send her a bottle of Lourdes water. And she thereupon asked Gérard how she + was to execute this commission. The young man began to laugh. “Will you + again accept me as a guide?” said he. “And by the way, if these gentlemen + like to come as well, I will show you the place where the bottles are + filled, corked, packed in cases, and then sent off. It is a curious + sight.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint immediately consented; and all five of them set out again, + Madame Désagneaux still between the architect and the priest, whilst + Raymonde and Gérard brought up the rear. The crowd in the burning sunlight + was increasing; the Place du Rosaire was now overflowing with an idle + sauntering mob resembling some concourse of sight-seers on a day of public + rejoicing. + </p> + <p> + The bottling and packing shops were situated under one of the arches on + the left-hand side of the Place. They formed a suite of three apartments + of very simple aspect. In the first one the bottles were filled in the + most ordinary of fashions. A little green-painted zinc barrel, not unlike + a watering-cask, was dragged by a man from the Grotto, and the + light-coloured bottles were then simply filled at its tap, one by one; the + blouse-clad workman entrusted with the duty exercising no particular + watchfulness to prevent the water from overflowing. In fact there was + quite a puddle of it upon the ground. There were no labels on the bottles; + the little leaden capsules placed over the corks alone bore an + inscription, and they were coated with a kind of ceruse, doubtless to + ensure preservation. Then came two other rooms which formed regular + packing shops, with carpenters’ benches, tools, and heaps of shavings. The + boxes, most frequently made for one bottle or for two, were put together + with great care, and the bottles were deposited inside them, on beds of + fine wood parings. The scene reminded one in some degree of the packing + halls for flowers at Nice and for preserved fruits at Grasse. + </p> + <p> + Gérard went on giving explanations with a quiet, satisfied air. “The + water,” he said, “really comes from the Grotto, as you can yourselves see, + so that all the foolish jokes which one hears really have no basis. And + everything is perfectly simple, natural, and goes on in the broad + daylight. I would also point out to you that the Fathers don’t sell the + water as they are accused of doing. For instance, a bottle of water here + costs twenty centimes,* which is only the price of the bottle itself. If + you wish to have it sent to anybody you naturally have to pay for the + packing and the carriage, and then it costs you one franc and seventy + centimes.** However, you are perfectly at liberty to go to the source and + fill the flasks and cans and other receptacles that you may choose to + bring with you.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Four cents, U.S.A. + + ** About 32 cents, U.S.A. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre reflected that the profits of the reverend Fathers in this respect + could not be very large ones, for their gains were limited to what they + made by manufacturing the boxes and supplying the bottles, which latter, + purchased by the thousand, certainly did not cost them so much as twenty + centimes apiece. However, Raymonde and Madame Désagneaux, as well as M. de + Guersaint, who had such a lively imagination, experienced deep + disappointment at sight of the little green barrel, the capsules, sticky + with ceruse, and the piles of shavings lying around the benches. They had + doubtless imagined all sorts of ceremonies, the observance of certain + rites in bottling the miraculous water, priests in vestments pronouncing + blessings, and choir-boys singing hymns of praise in pure crystalline + voices. For his part, Pierre, in presence of all this vulgar bottling and + packing, ended by thinking of the active power of faith. When one of those + bottles reaches some far-away sick-room, and is unpacked there, and the + sufferer falls upon his knees, and so excites himself by contemplating and + drinking the pure water that he actually brings about the cure of his + ailment, there must truly be a most extraordinary plunge into all-powerful + illusion. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed Gérard as they came out, “would you like to see the + storehouse where the tapers are kept, before going to the offices? It is + only a couple of steps away.” + </p> + <p> + And then, not even waiting for their answer, he led them to the opposite + side of the Place du Rosaire. His one desire was to amuse Raymonde, but, + in point of fact, the aspect of the place where the tapers were stored was + even less entertaining than that of the packing-rooms which they had just + left. This storehouse, a kind of deep vault under one of the right-hand + arches of the Place, was divided by timber into a number of spacious + compartments, in which lay an extraordinary collection of tapers, + classified according to size. The overplus of all the tapers offered to + the Grotto was deposited here; and such was the number of these + superfluous candles that the little conveyances stationed near the Grotto + railing, ready to receive the pilgrims’ offerings, had to be brought to + the storehouse several times a day in order to be emptied there, after + which they were returned to the Grotto, and were promptly filled again. In + theory, each taper that was offered ought to have been burnt at the feet + of the Virgin’s statue; but so great was the number of these offerings, + that, although a couple of hundred tapers of all sizes were kept burning + by day and night, it was impossible to exhaust the supply, which went on + increasing and increasing. There was a rumour that the Fathers could not + even find room to store all this wax, but had to sell it over and over + again; and, indeed, certain friends of the Grotto confessed, with a touch + of pride, that the profit on the tapers alone would have sufficed to + defray all the expenses of the business. + </p> + <p> + The quantity of these votive candles quite stupefied Raymonde and Madame + Désagneaux. How many, how many there were! The smaller ones, costing from + fifty centimes to a franc apiece, were piled up in fabulous numbers. M. de + Guersaint, desirous of getting at the exact figures, quite lost himself in + the puzzling calculation he attempted. As for Pierre, it was in silence + that he gazed upon this mass of wax, destined to be burnt in open daylight + to the glory of God; and although he was by no means a rigid utilitarian, + and could well understand that some apparent acts of extravagance yield an + illusive enjoyment and satisfaction which provide humanity with as much + sustenance as bread, he could not, on the other hand, refrain from + reflecting on the many benefits which might have been conferred on the + poor and the ailing with the money represented by all that wax, which + would fly away in smoke. + </p> + <p> + “But come, what about that bottle which I am to send off?” abruptly asked + Madame Désagneaux. + </p> + <p> + “We will go to the office,” replied Gérard. “In five minutes everything + will be settled.” + </p> + <p> + They had to cross the Place du Rosaire once more and ascend the stone + stairway leading to the Basilica. The office was up above, on the left + hand, at the corner of the path leading to the Calvary. The building was a + paltry one, a hut of lath and plaster which the wind and the rain had + reduced to a state of ruin. On a board outside was the inscription: “Apply + here with reference to Masses, Offerings, and Brotherhoods. Forwarding + office for Lourdes water. Subscriptions to the ‘Annals of O. L. of + Lourdes.’” How many millions of people must have already passed through + this wretched shanty, which seemed to date from the innocent days when the + foundations of the adjacent Basilica had scarcely been laid! + </p> + <p> + The whole party went in, eager to see what might be inside. But they + simply found a wicket at which Madame Désagneaux had to stop in order to + give her friend’s name and address; and when she had paid one franc and + seventy centimes, a small printed receipt was handed her, such as you + receive on registering luggage at a railway station. + </p> + <p> + As soon as they were outside again Gérard pointed to a large building + standing two or three hundred yards away, and resumed: “There, that is + where the Fathers reside.” + </p> + <p> + “But we see nothing of them,” remarked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + This observation so astonished the young man that he remained for a moment + without replying. “It’s true,” he at last said, “we do not see them, but + then they give up the custody of everything—the Grotto and all the + rest—to the Fathers of the Assumption during the national + pilgrimage.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at the building which had been pointed out to him, and + noticed that it was a massive stone pile resembling a fortress. The + windows were closed, and the whole edifice looked lifeless. Yet everything + at Lourdes came from it, and to it also everything returned. It seemed, in + fact, to the young priest that he could hear the silent, formidable + rake-stroke which extended over the entire valley, which caught hold of + all who had come to the spot, and placed both the gold and the blood of + the throng in the clutches of those reverend Fathers! However, Gérard just + then resumed in a low voice “But come, they do show themselves, for here + is the reverend superior, Father Capdebarthe himself.” + </p> + <p> + An ecclesiastic was indeed just passing, a man with the appearance of a + peasant, a knotty frame, and a large head which looked as though carved + with a billhook. His opaque eyes were quite expressionless, and his face, + with its worn features, had retained a loamy tint, a gloomy, russet + reflection of the earth. Monseigneur Laurence had really made a politic + selection in confiding the organisation and management of the Grotto to + those Garaison missionaries, who were so tenacious and covetous, for the + most part sons of mountain peasants and passionately attached to the soil. + </p> + <p> + However, the little party now slowly retraced its steps by way of the + Plateau de la Merlasse, the broad boulevard which skirts the inclined way + on the left hand and leads to the Avenue de la Grotte. It was already past + one o’clock, but people were still eating their <i>déjeuners</i> from one + to the other end of the overflowing town. Many of the fifty thousand + pilgrims and sight-seers collected within it had not yet been able to sit + down and eat; and Pierre, who had left the <i>table d’hôte</i> still + crowded, who had just seen the hospitallers squeezing together so gaily at + the “ordinary,” found more and more tables at each step he took. On all + sides people were eating, eating without a pause. Hereabouts, however, in + the open air, on either side of the broad road, the hungry ones were + humble folk who had rushed upon the tables set up on either footway—tables + formed of a couple of long boards, flanked by two forms, and shaded from + the sun by narrow linen awnings. Broth and coffee were sold at these + places at a penny a cup. The little loaves heaped up in high baskets also + cost a penny apiece. Hanging from the poles which upheld the awnings were + sausages, chitterlings, and hams. Some of the open-air <i>restaurateurs</i> + were frying potatoes, and others were concocting more or less savoury + messes of inferior meat and onions. A pungent smoke, a violent odour, + arose into the sunlight, mingling with the dust which was raised by the + continuous tramp of the promenaders. Rows of people, moreover, were + waiting at each cantine, so that each time a party rose from table fresh + customers took possession of the benches ranged beside the + oilcloth-covered planks, which were so narrow that there was scarcely room + for two bowls of soup to be placed side by side. And one and all made + haste, and devoured with the ravenous hunger born of their fatigue, that + insatiable appetite which so often follows upon great moral shocks. In + fact, when the mind had exhausted itself in prayer, when everything + physical had been forgotten amidst the mental flight into the legendary + heavens, the human animal suddenly appeared, again asserted itself, and + began to gorge. Moreover, under that dazzling Sunday sky, the scene was + like that of a fair-field with all the gluttony of a merrymaking + community, a display of the delight which they felt in living, despite the + multiplicity of their abominable ailments and the dearth of the miracles + they hoped for. + </p> + <p> + “They eat, they amuse themselves; what else can one expect?” remarked + Gérard, guessing the thoughts of his amiable companions. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! poor people!” murmured Pierre, “they have a perfect right to do so.” + </p> + <p> + He was greatly touched to see human nature reassert itself in this + fashion. However, when they had got to the lower part of the boulevard + near the Grotto, his feelings were hurt at sight of the desperate + eagerness displayed by the female vendors of tapers and bouquets, who with + the rough fierceness of conquerors assailed the passers-by in bands. They + were mostly young women, with bare heads, or with kerchiefs tied over + their hair, and they displayed extraordinary effrontery. Even the old ones + were scarcely more discreet. With parcels of tapers under their arms, they + brandished the one which they offered for sale and even thrust it into the + hand of the promenader. “Monsieur,” “madame,” they called, “buy a taper, + buy a taper, it will bring you luck!” One gentleman, who was surrounded + and shaken by three of the youngest of these harpies, almost lost the + skirts of his frock-coat in attempting to escape their clutches. Then the + scene began afresh with the bouquets—large round bouquets they were, + carelessly fastened together and looking like cabbages. “A bouquet, + madame!” was the cry. “A bouquet for the Blessed Virgin!” If the lady + escaped, she heard muttered insults behind her. Trafficking, impudent + trafficking, pursued the pilgrims to the very outskirts of the Grotto. + Trade was not merely triumphantly installed in every one of the shops, + standing close together and transforming each street into a bazaar, but it + overran the footways and barred the road with hand-carts full of chaplets, + medals, statuettes, and religious prints. On all sides people were buying + almost to the same extent as they ate, in order that they might take away + with them some souvenir of this holy Kermesse. And the bright gay note of + this commercial eagerness, this scramble of hawkers, was supplied by the + urchins who rushed about through the crowd, crying the “Journal de la + Grotte.” Their sharp, shrill voices pierced the ear: “The ‘Journal de la + Grotte,’ this morning’s number, two sous, the ‘Journal de la Grotte.’” + </p> + <p> + Amidst the continual pushing which accompanied the eddying of the + ever-moving crowd, Gérard’s little party became separated. He and Raymonde + remained behind the others. They had begun talking together in low tones, + with an air of smiling intimacy, lost and isolated as they were in the + dense crowd. And Madame Désagneaux at last had to stop, look back, and + call to them: “Come on, or we shall lose one another!” + </p> + <p> + As they drew near, Pierre heard the girl exclaim: “Mamma is so very busy; + speak to her before we leave.” And Gérard thereupon replied: “It is + understood. You have made me very happy, mademoiselle.” + </p> + <p> + Thus the husband had been secured, the marriage decided upon, during this + charming promenade among the sights of Lourdes. Raymonde had completed her + conquest, and Gérard had at last taken a resolution, realising how gay and + sensible she was, as she walked beside him leaning on his arm. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint, however, had raised his eyes, and was heard inquiring: + “Are not those people up there, on that balcony, the rich folk who made + the journey in the same train as ourselves?—You know whom I mean, + that lady who is so very ill, and whose husband and sister accompany her?” + </p> + <p> + He was alluding to the Dieulafays; and they indeed were the persons whom + he now saw on the balcony of a suite of rooms which they had rented in a + new house overlooking the lawns of the Rosary. They here occupied a + first-floor, furnished with all the luxury that Lourdes could provide, + carpets, hangings, mirrors, and many other things, without mentioning a + staff of servants despatched beforehand from Paris. As the weather was so + fine that afternoon, the large armchair on which lay the poor ailing woman + had been rolled on to the balcony. You could see her there, clad in a lace + <i>peignoir</i>. Her husband, always correctly attired in a black + frock-coat, stood beside her on her right hand, whilst her sister, in a + delightful pale mauve gown, sat on her left smiling and leaning over every + now and then so as to speak to her, but apparently receiving no reply. + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” declared little Madame Désagneaux, “I have often heard people speak + of Madame Jousseur, that lady in mauve. She is the wife of a diplomatist + who neglects her, it seems, in spite of her great beauty; and last year + there was a deal of talk about her fancy for a young colonel who is well + known in Parisian society. It is said, however, in Catholic <i>salons</i> + that her religious principles enabled her to conquer it.” + </p> + <p> + They all five remained there, looking up at the balcony. “To think,” + resumed Madame Désagneaux, “that her sister, poor woman, was once her + living portrait.” And, indeed, there was an expression of greater + kindliness and more gentle gaiety on Madame Dieulafay’s face. And now you + see her—no different from a dead woman except that she is above + instead of under ground—with her flesh wasted away, reduced to a + livid, boneless thing which they scarcely dare to move. Ah! the unhappy + woman! + </p> + <p> + Raymonde thereupon assured the others that Madame Dieulafay, who had been + married scarcely two years previously, had brought all the jewellery given + her on the occasion of her wedding to offer it as a gift to Our Lady of + Lourdes; and Gérard confirmed this assertion, saying that the jewellery + had been handed over to the treasurer of the Basilica that very morning + with a golden lantern studded with gems and a large sum of money destined + for the relief of the poor. However, the Blessed Virgin could not have + been touched as yet, for the sufferer’s condition seemed, if anything, to + be worse. + </p> + <p> + From that moment Pierre no longer beheld aught save that young woman on + that handsome balcony, that woeful, wealthy creature lying there high + above the merrymaking throng, the Lourdes mob which was feasting and + laughing in the Sunday sunshine. The two dear ones who were so tenderly + watching over her—her sister who had forsaken her society triumphs, + her husband who had forgotten his financial business, his millions + dispersed throughout the world—increased, by their irreproachable + demeanour, the woefulness of the group which they thus formed high above + all other heads, and face to face with the lovely valley. For Pierre they + alone remained; and they were exceedingly wealthy and exceedingly + wretched. + </p> + <p> + However, lingering in this wise on the footway with their eyes upturned, + the five promenaders narrowly escaped being knocked down and run over, for + at every moment fresh vehicles were coming up, for the most part landaus + drawn by four horses, which were driven at a fast trot, and whose bells + jingled merrily. The occupants of these carriages were tourists, visitors + to the waters of Pau, Bareges, and Cauterets, whom curiosity had attracted + to Lourdes, and who were delighted with the fine weather and quite + inspirited by their rapid drive across the mountains. They would remain at + Lourdes only a few hours; after hastening to the Grotto and the Basilica + in seaside costumes, they would start off again, laughing, and well + pleased at having seen it all. In this wise families in light attire, + bands of young women with bright parasols, darted hither and thither among + the grey, neutral-tinted crowd of pilgrims, imparting to it, in a yet more + pronounced manner, the aspect of a fair-day mob, amidst which folks of + good society deign to come and amuse themselves. + </p> + <p> + All at once Madame Désagneaux raised a cry “What, is it you, Berthe?” And + thereupon she embraced a tall, charming brunette who had just alighted + from a landau with three other young women, the whole party smiling and + animated. Everyone began talking at once, and all sorts of merry + exclamations rang out, in the delight they felt at meeting in this + fashion. “Oh! we are at Cauterets, my dear,” said the tall brunette. “And + as everybody comes here, we decided to come all four together. And your + husband, is he here with you?” + </p> + <p> + Madame Désagneaux began protesting: “Of course not,” said she. “He is at + Trouville, as you ought to know. I shall start to join him on Thursday.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, of course,” resumed the tall brunette, who, like her friend, + seemed to be an amiable, giddy creature, “I was forgetting; you are here + with the pilgrimage.” + </p> + <p> + Then Madame Désagneaux offered to guide her friends, promising to show + them everything of interest in less than a couple of hours; and turning to + Raymonde, who stood by, smiling, she added “Come with us, my dear; your + mother won’t be anxious.” + </p> + <p> + The ladies and Pierre and M. de Guersaint thereupon exchanged bows: and + Gérard also took leave, tenderly pressing Raymonde’s hand, with his eyes + fixed on hers, as though to pledge himself definitively. The women swiftly + departed, directing their steps towards the Grotto, and when Gérard also + had gone off, returning to his duties, M. de Guersaint said to Pierre: + “And the hairdresser on the Place du Marcadal, I really must go and see + him. You will come with me, won’t you?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course I will go wherever you like. I am quite at your disposal as + Marie does not need us.” + </p> + <p> + Following the pathways between the large lawns which stretch out in front + of the Rosary, they reached the new bridge, where they had another + encounter, this time with Abbé des Hermoises, who was acting as guide to + two young married ladies who had arrived that morning from Tarbes. Walking + between them with the gallant air of a society priest, he was showing them + Lourdes and explaining it to them, keeping them well away, however, from + its more repugnant features, its poor and its ailing folk, its odour of + low misery, which, it must be admitted, had well-nigh disappeared that + fine, sunshiny day. At the first word which M. de Guersaint addressed to + him with respect to the hiring of a vehicle for the trip to Gavarnie, the + Abbé was seized with a dread lest he should be obliged to leave his pretty + lady-visitors: “As you please, my dear sir,” he replied. “Kindly attend to + the matter, and—you are quite right, make the cheapest arrangements + possible, for I shall have two ecclesiastics of small means with me. There + will be four of us. Let me know at the hotel this evening at what hour we + shall start.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he again joined his lady-friends, and led them towards the + Grotto, following the shady path which skirts the Gave, a cool, + sequestered path well suited for lovers’ walks. + </p> + <p> + Feeling somewhat tired, Pierre had remained apart from the others, leaning + against the parapet of the new bridge. And now for the first time he was + struck by the prodigious number of priests among the crowd. He saw all + varieties of them swarming across the bridge: priests of correct mien who + had come with the pilgrimage and who could be recognised by their air of + assurance and their clean cassocks; poor village priests who were far more + timid and badly clothed, and who, after making sacrifices in order that + they might indulge in the journey, would return home quite scared and, + finally, there was the whole crowd of unattached ecclesiastics who had + come nobody knew whence, and who enjoyed such absolute liberty that it was + difficult to be sure whether they had even said their mass that morning. + They doubtless found this liberty very agreeable; and thus the greater + number of them, like Abbé des Hermoises, had simply come on a holiday + excursion, free from all duties, and happy at being able to live like + ordinary men, lost, unnoticed as they were in the multitude around them. + And from the young, carefully groomed and perfumed priest, to the old one + in a dirty cassock and shoes down at heel, the entire species had its + representative in the throng—there were corpulent ones, others but + moderately fat, thin ones, tall ones and short ones, some whom faith had + brought and whom ardour was consuming, some also who simply plied their + calling like worthy men, and some, moreover, who were fond of intriguing, + and who were only present in order that they might help the good cause. + However, Pierre was quite surprised to see such a stream of priests pass + before him, each with his special passion, and one and all hurrying to the + Grotto as one hurries to a duty, a belief, a pleasure, or a task. He + noticed one among the number, a very short, slim, dark man with a + pronounced Italian accent, whose glittering eyes seemed to be taking a + plan of Lourdes, who looked, indeed, like one of those spies who come and + peer around with a view to conquest; and then he observed another one, an + enormous fellow with a paternal air, who was breathing hard through + inordinate eating, and who paused in front of a poor sick woman, and ended + by slipping a five-franc piece into her hand. + </p> + <p> + Just then, however, M. de Guersaint returned: “We merely have to go down + the boulevard and the Rue Basse,” said he. + </p> + <p> + Pierre followed him without answering. He had just felt his cassock on his + shoulders for the first time that afternoon, for never had it seemed so + light to him as whilst he was walking about amidst the scramble of the + pilgrimage. The young fellow was now living in a state of mingled + unconsciousness and dizziness, ever hoping that faith would fall upon him + like a lightning flash, in spite of all the vague uneasiness which was + growing within him at sight of the things which he beheld. However, the + spectacle of that ever-swelling stream of priests no longer wounded his + heart; fraternal feelings towards these unknown colleagues had returned to + him; how many of them there must be who believed no more than he did + himself, and yet, like himself, honestly fulfilled their mission as guides + and consolers! + </p> + <p> + “This boulevard is a new one, you know,” said M. de Guersaint, all at once + raising his voice. “The number of houses built during the last twenty + years is almost beyond belief. There is quite a new town here.” + </p> + <p> + The Lapaca flowed along behind the buildings on their right and, their + curiosity inducing them to turn into a narrow lane, they came upon some + strange old structures on the margin of the narrow stream. Several ancient + mills here displayed their wheels; among them one which Monseigneur + Laurence had given to Bernadette’s parents after the apparitions. + Tourists, moreover, were here shown the pretended abode of Bernadette, a + hovel whither the Soubirous family had removed on leaving the Rue des + Petits Fossés, and in which the young girl, as she was already boarding + with the Sisters of Nevers, can have but seldom slept. At last, by way of + the Rue Basse, Pierre and his companion reached the Place du Marcadal. + </p> + <p> + This was a long, triangular, open space, the most animated and luxurious + of the squares of the old town, the one where the cafés, the chemists, all + the finest shops were situated. And, among the latter, one showed + conspicuously, coloured as it was a lively green, adorned with lofty + mirrors, and surmounted by a broad board bearing in gilt letters the + inscription: “Cazaban, Hairdresser”. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint and Pierre went in, but there was nobody in the salon and + they had to wait. A terrible clatter of forks resounded from the adjoining + room, an ordinary dining-room transformed into a <i>table d’hôte</i>, in + which some twenty people were having <i>déjeuner</i> although it was + already two o’clock. The afternoon was progressing, and yet people were + still eating from one to the other end of Lourdes. Like every other + householder in the town, whatever his religious convictions might be, + Cazaban, in the pilgrimage season, let his bedrooms, surrendered his + dining-room, end sought refuge in his cellar, where, heaped up with his + family, he ate and slept, although this unventilated hole was no more than + three yards square. However, the passion for trading and moneymaking + carried all before it; at pilgrimage time the whole population disappeared + like that of a conquered city, surrendering even the beds of its women and + its children to the pilgrims, seating them at its tables, and supplying + them with food. + </p> + <p> + “Is there nobody here?” called M. de Guersaint after waiting a moment. + </p> + <p> + At last a little man made his appearance, Cazaban himself, a type of the + knotty but active Pyrenean, with a long face, prominent cheek-bones, and a + sunburned complexion spotted here and there with red. His big, glittering + eyes never remained still; and the whole of his spare little figure + quivered with incessant exuberance of speech and gesture. + </p> + <p> + “For you, monsieur—a shave, eh?” said he. “I must beg your pardon + for keeping you waiting; but my assistant has gone out, and I was in there + with my boarders. If you will kindly sit down, I will attend to you at + once.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, deigning to operate in person, Cazaban began to stir up the + lather and strop the razor. He had glanced rather nervously, however, at + the cassock worn by Pierre, who without a word had seated himself in a + corner and taken up a newspaper in the perusal of which he appeared to be + absorbed. + </p> + <p> + A short interval of silence followed; but it was fraught with suffering + for Cazaban, and whilst lathering his customer’s chin he began to chatter: + “My boarders lingered this morning such a long time at the Grotto, + monsieur, that they have scarcely sat down to <i>déjeuner</i>. You can + hear them, eh? I was staying with them out of politeness. However, I owe + myself to my customers as well, do I not? One must try to please + everybody.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint, who also was fond of a chat, thereupon began to question + him: “You lodge some of the pilgrims, I suppose?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! we all lodge some of them, monsieur; it is necessary for the town,” + replied the barber. + </p> + <p> + “And you accompany them to the Grotto?” + </p> + <p> + At this, however, Cazaban revolted, and, holding up his razor, he answered + with an air of dignity “Never, monsieur, never! For five years past I have + not been in that new town which they are building.” + </p> + <p> + He was still seeking to restrain himself, and again glanced at Pierre, + whose face was hidden by the newspaper. The sight of the red cross pinned + on M. de Guersaint’s jacket was also calculated to render him prudent; + nevertheless his tongue won the victory. “Well, monsieur, opinions are + free, are they not?” said he. “I respect yours, but for my part I don’t + believe in all that phantasmagoria! Oh I’ve never concealed it! I was + already a republican and a freethinker in the days of the Empire. There + were barely four men of those views in the whole town at that time. Oh! + I’m proud of it.” + </p> + <p> + He had begun to shave M. de Guersaint’s left cheek and was quite + triumphant. From that moment a stream of words poured forth from his + mouth, a stream which seemed to be inexhaustible. To begin with, he + brought the same charges as Majesté against the Fathers of the Grotto. He + reproached them for their dealings in tapers, chaplets, prints, and + crucifixes, for the disloyal manner in which they competed with those who + sold those articles as well as with the hotel and lodging-house keepers. + And he was also wrathful with the Blue Sisters of the Immaculate + Conception, for had they not robbed him of two tenants, two old ladies, + who spent three weeks at Lourdes each year? Moreover you could divine + within him all the slowly accumulated, overflowing spite with which the + old town regarded the new town—that town which had sprung up so + quickly on the other side of the castle, that rich city with houses as big + as palaces, whither flowed all the life, all the luxury, all the money of + Lourdes, so that it was incessantly growing larger and wealthier, whilst + its elder sister, the poor, antique town of the mountains, with its + narrow, grass-grown, deserted streets, seemed near the point of death. + Nevertheless the struggle still continued; the old town seemed determined + not to die, and, by lodging pilgrims and opening shops on her side, + endeavoured to compel her ungrateful junior to grant her a share of the + spoils. But custom only flowed to the shops which were near the Grotto, + and only the poorer pilgrims were willing to lodge so far away; so that + the unequal conditions of the struggle intensified the rupture and turned + the high town and the low town into two irreconcilable enemies, who preyed + upon one another amidst continual intrigues. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, no! They certainly won’t see me at their Grotto,” resumed Cazaban, + with his rageful air. “What an abusive use they make of that Grotto of + theirs! They serve it up in every fashion! To think of such idolatry, such + gross superstition in the nineteenth century! Just ask them if they have + cured a single sufferer belonging to the town during the last twenty + years! Yet there are plenty of infirm people crawling about our streets. + It was our folk that benefited by the first miracles; but it would seem + that the miraculous water has long lost all its power, so far as we are + concerned. We are too near it; people have to come from a long distance if + they want it to act on them. It’s really all too stupid; why, I wouldn’t + go there even if I were offered a hundred francs!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s immobility was doubtless irritating the barber. He had now begun + to shave M. de Guersaint’s right cheek; and was inveighing against the + Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, whose greed for gain was the one + cause of all the misunderstanding. These Fathers who were at home there, + since they had purchased from the Municipality the land on which they + desired to build, did not even carry out the stipulations of the contract + they had signed, for there were two clauses in it forbidding all trading, + such as the sale of the water and of religious articles. Innumerable + actions might have been brought against them. But they snapped their + fingers, and felt themselves so powerful that they no longer allowed a + single offering to go to the parish, but arranged matters so that the + whole harvest of money should be garnered by the Grotto and the Basilica. + </p> + <p> + And, all at once, Cazaban candidly exclaimed: “If they were only + reasonable, if they would only share with us!” Then, when M. de Guersaint + had washed his face, and reseated himself, the hairdresser resumed: “And + if I were to tell you, monsieur, what they have done with our poor town! + Forty years ago all the young girls here conducted themselves properly, I + assure you. I remember that in my young days when a young man was wicked + he generally had to go elsewhere. But times have changed, our manners are + no longer the same. Nowadays nearly all the girls content themselves with + selling candles and nosegays; and you must have seen them catching hold of + the passers-by and thrusting their goods into their hands! It is really + shameful to see so many bold girls about! They make a lot of money, + acquire lazy habits, and, instead of working during the winter, simply + wait for the return of the pilgrimage season. And I assure you that the + young men don’t need to go elsewhere nowadays. No, indeed! And add to all + this the suspicious floating element which swells the population as soon + as the first fine weather sets in—the coachmen, the hawkers, the + cantine keepers, all the low-class, wandering folk reeking with grossness + and vice—and you can form an idea of the honest new town which they + have given us with the crowds that come to their Grotto and their + Basilica!” + </p> + <p> + Greatly struck by these remarks, Pierre had let his newspaper fall and + begun to listen. It was now, for the first time, that he fully realised + the difference between the two Lourdes—old Lourdes so honest and so + pious in its tranquil solitude, and new Lourdes corrupted, demoralised by + the circulation of so much money, by such a great enforced increase of + wealth, by the ever-growing torrent of strangers sweeping through it, by + the fatal rotting influence of the conflux of thousands of people, the + contagion of evil examples. And what a terrible result it seemed when one + thought of Bernadette, the pure, candid girl kneeling before the wild + primitive grotto, when one thought of all the naive faith, all the fervent + purity of those who had first begun the work! Had they desired that the + whole countryside should be poisoned in this wise by lucre and human + filth? Yet it had sufficed that the nations should flock there for a + pestilence to break out. + </p> + <p> + Seeing that Pierre was listening, Cazaban made a final threatening gesture + as though to sweep away all this poisonous superstition. Then, relapsing + into silence, he finished cutting M. de Guersaint’s hair. + </p> + <p> + “There you are, monsieur!” + </p> + <p> + The architect rose, and it was only now that he began to speak of the + conveyance which he wished to hire. At first the hairdresser declined to + enter into the matter, pretending that they must apply to his brother at + the Champ Commun; but at last he consented to take the order. A pair-horse + landau for Gavarnie was priced at fifty francs. However, he was so pleased + at having talked so much, and so flattered at hearing himself called an + honest man, that he eventually agreed to charge only forty francs. There + were four persons in the party, so this would make ten francs apiece. And + it was agreed that they should start off at about two in the morning, so + that they might get back to Lourdes at a tolerably early hour on the + Monday evening. + </p> + <p> + “The landau will be outside the Hotel of the Apparitions at the appointed + time,” repeated Cazaban in his emphatic way. “You may rely on me, + monsieur.” + </p> + <p> + Then he began to listen. The clatter of crockery did not cease in the + adjoining room. People were still eating there with that impulsive + voracity which had spread from one to the other end of Lourdes. And all at + once a voice was heard calling for more bread. + </p> + <p> + “Excuse me,” hastily resumed Cazaban, “my boarders want me.” And thereupon + he rushed away, his hands still greasy through fingering the comb. + </p> + <p> + The door remained open for a second, and on the walls of the dining-room + Pierre espied various religious prints, and notably a view of the Grotto, + which surprised him; in all probability, however, the hairdresser only + hung these engravings there during the pilgrimage season by way of + pleasing his boarders. + </p> + <p> + It was now nearly three o’clock. When the young priest and M. de Guersaint + got outside they were astonished at the loud pealing of bells which was + flying through the air. The parish church had responded to the first + stroke of vespers chiming at the Basilica; and now all the convents, one + after another, were contributing to the swelling peals. The crystalline + notes of the bell of the Carmelites mingled with the grave notes of the + bell of the Immaculate Conception; and all the joyous bells of the Sisters + of Nevers and the Dominicans were jingling together. In this wise, from + morning till evening on fine days of festivity, the chimes winged their + flight above the house-roofs of Lourdes. And nothing could have been gayer + than that sonorous melody resounding in the broad blue heavens above the + gluttonous town, which had at last lunched, and was now comfortably + digesting as it strolled about in the sunlight. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap13"></a> + III. THE NIGHT PROCESSION + </h2> + <p> + AS soon as night had fallen Marie, still lying on her bed at the Hospital + of Our Lady of Dolours, became extremely impatient, for she had learnt + from Madame de Jonquière that Baron Suire had obtained from Father + Fourcade the necessary permission for her to spend the night in front of + the Grotto. Thus she kept on questioning Sister Hyacinthe, asking her: + “Pray, Sister, is it not yet nine o’clock?” + </p> + <p> + “No, my child, it is scarcely half-past eight,” was the reply. “Here is a + nice woollen shawl for you to wrap round you at daybreak, for the Gave is + close by, and the mornings are very fresh, you know, in these mountainous + parts.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! but the nights are so lovely, Sister, and besides, I sleep so little + here!” replied Marie; “I cannot be worse off out-of-doors. <i>Mon Dieu</i>, + how happy I am; how delightful it will be to spend the whole night with + the Blessed Virgin!” + </p> + <p> + The entire ward was jealous of her; for to remain in prayer before the + Grotto all night long was the most ineffable of joys, the supreme + beatitude. It was said that in the deep peacefulness of night the chosen + ones undoubtedly beheld the Virgin, but powerful protection was needed to + obtain such a favour as had been granted to Marie; for nowadays the + reverend Fathers scarcely liked to grant it, as several sufferers had died + during the long vigil, falling asleep, as it were, in the midst of their + ecstasy. + </p> + <p> + “You will take the Sacrament at the Grotto tomorrow morning, before you + are brought back here, won’t you, my child?” resumed Sister Hyacinthe. + </p> + <p> + However, nine o’clock at last struck, and, Pierre not arriving, the girl + wondered whether he, usually so punctual, could have forgotten her? The + others were now talking to her of the night procession, which she would + see from beginning to end if she only started at once. The ceremonies + concluded with a procession every night, but the Sunday one was always the + finest, and that evening, it was said, would be remarkably splendid, such, + indeed, as was seldom seen. Nearly thirty thousand pilgrims would take + part in it, each carrying a lighted taper: the nocturnal marvels of the + sky would be revealed; the stars would descend upon earth. At this thought + the sufferers began to bewail their fate; what a wretched lot was theirs, + to be tied to their beds, unable to see any of those wonders. + </p> + <p> + At last Madame de Jonquière approached Marie’s bed. “My dear girl,” said + she, “here is your father with Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + Radiant with delight, the girl at once forgot her weary waiting. “Oh! pray + let us make haste, Pierre,” she exclaimed; “pray let us make haste!” + </p> + <p> + They carried her down the stairs, and the young priest harnessed himself + to the little car, which gently rolled along, under the star-studded + heavens, whilst M. de Guersaint walked beside it. The night was moonless, + but extremely beautiful; the vault above looked like deep blue velvet, + spangled with diamonds, and the atmosphere was exquisitely mild and pure, + fragrant with the perfumes from the mountains. Many pilgrims were hurrying + along the street, all bending their steps towards the Grotto, but they + formed a discreet, pensive crowd, with naught of the fair-field, lounging + character of the daytime throng. And, as soon as the Plateau de la + Merlasse was reached, the darkness spread out, you entered into a great + lake of shadows formed by the stretching lawns and lofty trees, and saw + nothing rising on high save the black, tapering spire of the Basilica. + </p> + <p> + Pierre grew rather anxious on finding that the crowd became more and more + compact as he advanced. Already on reaching the Place du Rosaire it was + difficult to take another forward step. “There is no hope of getting to + the Grotto yet awhile,” he said. “The best course would be to turn into + one of the pathways behind the pilgrims’ shelter-house and wait there.” + </p> + <p> + Marie, however, greatly desired to see the procession start. “Oh! pray try + to go as far as the Gave,” said she. “I shall then see everything from a + distance; I don’t want to go near.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint, who was equally inquisitive, seconded this proposal. + “Don’t be uneasy,” he said to Pierre. “I am here behind, and will take + care to let nobody jostle her.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had to begin pulling the little vehicle again. It took him a + quarter of an hour to pass under one of the arches of the inclined way on + the left hand, so great was the crush of pilgrims at that point. Then, + taking a somewhat oblique course, he ended by reaching the quay beside the + Gave, where there were only some spectators standing on the sidewalk, so + that he was able to advance another fifty yards. At last he halted, and + backed the little car against the quay parapet, in full view of the + Grotto. “Will you be all right here?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, thank you. Only you must sit me up; I shall then be able to see + much better.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint raised her into a sitting posture, and then for his part + climbed upon the stonework running from one to the other end of the quay. + A mob of inquisitive people had already scaled it in part, like + sight-seers waiting for a display of fireworks; and they were all raising + themselves on tiptoe, and craning their necks to get a better view. Pierre + himself at last grew interested, although there was, so far, little to + see. + </p> + <p> + Some thirty thousand people were assembled, and, every moment there were + fresh arrivals. All carried candles, the lower parts of which were wrapped + in white paper, on which a picture of Our Lady of Lourdes was printed in + blue ink. However, these candles were not yet lighted, and the only + illumination that you perceived above the billowy sea of heads was the + bright, forge-like glow of the taper-lighted Grotto. A great buzzing + arose, whiffs of human breath blew hither and thither, and these alone + enabled you to realise that thousands of serried, stifling creatures were + gathered together in the black depths, like a living sea that was ever + eddying and spreading. There were even people hidden away under the trees + beyond the Grotto, in distant recesses of the darkness of which one had no + suspicion. + </p> + <p> + At last a few tapers began to shine forth here and there, like sudden + sparks of light spangling the obscurity at random. Their number rapidly + increased, eyots of stars were formed, whilst at other points there were + meteoric trails, milky ways, so to say, flowing midst the constellations. + The thirty thousand tapers were being lighted one by one, their beams + gradually increasing in number till they obscured the bright glow of the + Grotto and spread, from one to the other end of the promenade, the small + yellow flames of a gigantic brasier. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how beautiful it is, Pierre!” murmured Marie; “it is like the + resurrection of the humble, the bright awakening of the souls of the + poor.” + </p> + <p> + “It is superb, superb!” repeated M. de Guersaint, with impassioned + artistic satisfaction. “Do you see those two trails of light yonder, which + intersect one another and form a cross?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s feelings, however, had been touched by what Marie had just said. + He was reflecting upon her words. There was truth in them. Taken singly, + those slender flames, those mere specks of light, were modest and + unobtrusive, like the lowly; it was only their great number that supplied + the effulgence, the sun-like resplendency. Fresh ones were continually + appearing, farther and farther away, like waifs and strays. “Ah!” murmured + the young priest, “do you see that one which has just begun to flicker, + all by itself, far away—do you see it, Marie? Do you see how it + floats and slowly approaches until it is merged in the great lake of + light?” + </p> + <p> + In the vicinity of the Grotto one could see now as clearly as in the + daytime. The trees, illumined from below, were intensely green, like the + painted trees in stage scenery. Above the moving brasier were some + motionless banners, whose embroidered saints and silken cords showed with + vivid distinctness. And the great reflection ascended to the rock, even to + the Basilica, whose spire now shone out, quite white, against the black + sky; whilst the hillsides across the Gave were likewise brightened, and + displayed the pale fronts of their convents amidst their sombre foliage. + </p> + <p> + There came yet another moment of uncertainty. The flaming lake, in which + each burning wick was like a little wave, rolled its starry sparkling as + though it were about to burst from its bed and flow away in a river. Then + the banners began to oscillate, and soon a regular motion set in. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! so they won’t pass this way!” exclaimed M. de Guersaint in a tone of + disappointment. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who had informed himself on the matter, thereupon explained that + the procession would first of all ascend the serpentine road—constructed + at great cost up the hillside—and that it would afterwards pass + behind the Basilica, descend by the inclined way on the right hand, and + then spread out through the gardens. + </p> + <p> + “Look!” said he; “you can see the foremost tapers ascending amidst the + greenery.” + </p> + <p> + Then came an enchanting spectacle. Little flickering lights detached + themselves from the great bed of fire, and began gently rising, without it + being possible for one to tell at that distance what connected them with + the earth. They moved upward, looking in the darkness like golden + particles of the sun. And soon they formed an oblique streak, a streak + which suddenly twisted, then extended again until it curved once more. At + last the whole hillside was streaked by a flaming zigzag, resembling those + lightning flashes which you see falling from black skies in cheap + engravings. But, unlike the lightning, the luminous trail did not fade + away; the little lights still went onward in the same slow, gentle, + gliding manner. Only for a moment, at rare intervals, was there a sudden + eclipse; the procession, no doubt, was then passing behind some clump of + trees. But, farther on, the tapers beamed forth afresh, rising heavenward + by an intricate path, which incessantly diverged and then started upward + again. At last, however, the time came when the lights no longer ascended, + for they had reached the summit of the hill and had begun to disappear at + the last turn of the road. + </p> + <p> + Exclamations were rising from the crowd. “They are passing behind the + Basilica,” said one. “Oh! it will take them twenty minutes before they + begin coming down on the other side,” remarked another. “Yes, madame,” + said a third, “there are thirty thousand of them, and an hour will go by + before the last of them leaves the Grotto.” + </p> + <p> + Ever since the start a sound of chanting had risen above the low rumbling + of the crowd. The hymn of Bernadette was being sung, those sixty couplets + between which the Angelic Salutation, with its all-besetting rhythm, was + ever returning as a refrain. When the sixty couplets were finished they + were sung again; and that lullaby of “Ave, ave, ave Maria!” came back + incessantly, stupefying the mind, and gradually transporting those + thousands of beings into a kind of wide-awake dream, with a vision of + Paradise before their eyes. And, indeed, at night-time when they were + asleep, their beds would rock to the eternal tune, which they still and + ever continued singing. + </p> + <p> + “Are we going to stop here?” asked M. de Guersaint, who speedily got tired + of remaining in any one spot. “We see nothing but the same thing over and + over again.” + </p> + <p> + Marie, who had informed herself by listening to what was said in the + crowd, thereupon exclaimed: “You were quite right, Pierre; it would be + much better to go back yonder under the trees. I so much wish to see + everything.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, certainly; we will seek a spot whence you may see it all,” replied + the priest. “The only difficulty lies in getting away from here.” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, they were now inclosed within the mob of sight-seers; and, in + order to secure a passage, Pierre with stubborn perseverance had to keep + on begging a little room for a suffering girl. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint meantime brought up the rear, screening the little + conveyance so that it might not be upset by the jostling; whilst Marie + turned her head, still endeavouring to see the sheet of flame spread out + before the Grotto, that lake of little sparkling waves which never seemed + to diminish, although the procession continued to flow from it without a + pause. + </p> + <p> + At last they all three found themselves out of the crowd, near one of the + arches, on a deserted spot where they were able to breathe for a moment. + They now heard nothing but the distant canticle with its besetting + refrain, and they only saw the reflection of the tapers, hovering like a + luminous cloud in the neighbourhood of the Basilica. + </p> + <p> + “The best plan would be to climb to the Calvary,” said M. de Guersaint. + “The servant at the hotel told me so this morning. From up there, it + seems, the scene is fairy-like.” + </p> + <p> + But they could not think of making the ascent. Pierre at once enumerated + the difficulties. “How could we hoist ourselves to such a height with + Marie’s conveyance?” he asked. “Besides, we should have to come down + again, and that would be dangerous work in the darkness amidst all the + scrambling.” + </p> + <p> + Marie herself preferred to remain under the trees in the gardens, where it + was very mild. So they started off, and reached the esplanade in front of + the great crowned statue of the Virgin. It was illuminated by means of + blue and yellow globes which encompassed it with a gaudy splendour; and + despite all his piety M. de Guersaint could not help finding these + decorations in execrable taste. + </p> + <p> + “There!” exclaimed Marie, “a good place would be near those shrubs + yonder.” + </p> + <p> + She was pointing to a shrubbery near the pilgrims’ shelter-house; and the + spot was indeed an excellent one for their purpose, as it enabled them to + see the procession come down by the gradient way on the left, and watch it + as it passed between the lawns to the new bridge and back again. Moreover, + a delightful freshness prevailed there by reason of the vicinity of the + Gave. There was nobody there as yet, and one could enjoy deep peacefulness + in the dense shade which fell from the big plane-trees bordering the path. + </p> + <p> + In his impatience to see the first tapers reappear as soon as they should + have passed behind the Basilica, M. de Guersaint had risen on tiptoe. “I + see nothing as yet,” he muttered, “so whatever the regulations may be I + shall sit on the grass for a moment. I’ve no strength left in my legs.” + Then, growing anxious about his daughter, he inquired: “Shall I cover you + up? It is very cool here.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no! I’m not cold, father!” answered Marie; “I feel so happy. It is + long since I breathed such sweet air. There must be some roses about—can’t + you smell that delicious perfume?” And turning to Pierre she asked: “Where + are the roses, my friend? Can you see them?” + </p> + <p> + When M. de Guersaint had seated himself on the grass near the little + vehicle, it occurred to Pierre to see if there was not some bed of roses + near at hand. But is was in vain that he explored the dark lawns; he could + only distinguish sundry clumps of evergreens. And, as he passed in front + of the pilgrims’ shelter-house on his way back, curiosity prompted him to + enter it. + </p> + <p> + This building formed a long and lofty hall, lighted by large windows upon + two sides. With bare walls and a stone pavement, it contained no other + furniture than a number of benches, which stood here and there in + haphazard fashion. There was neither table nor shelf, so that the homeless + pilgrims who had sought refuge there had piled up their baskets, parcels, + and valises in the window embrasures. Moreover, the place was apparently + empty; the poor folk that it sheltered had no doubt joined the procession. + Nevertheless, although the door stood wide open, an almost unbearable + smell reigned inside. The very walls seemed impregnated with an odour of + poverty, and in spite of the bright sunshine which had prevailed during + the day, the flagstones were quite damp, soiled and soaked with + expectorations, spilt wine, and grease. This mess had been made by the + poorer pilgrims, who with their dirty skins and wretched rags lived in the + hall, eating and sleeping in heaps on the benches. Pierre speedily came to + the conclusion that the pleasant smell of roses must emanate from some + other spot; still, he was making the round of the hall, which was lighted + by four smoky lanterns, and which he believed to be altogether unoccupied, + when, against the left-hand wall, he was surprised to espy the vague + figure of a woman in black, with what seemed to be a white parcel lying on + her lap. She was all alone in that solitude, and did not stir; however, + her eyes were wide open. + </p> + <p> + He drew near and recognised Madame Vincent. She addressed him in a deep, + broken voice: “Rose has suffered so dreadfully to-day! Since daybreak she + has not ceased moaning. And so, as she fell asleep a couple of hours ago, + I haven’t dared to stir for fear lest she should awake and suffer again.” + </p> + <p> + Thus the poor woman remained motionless, martyr-mother that she was, + having for long months held her daughter in her arms in this fashion, in + the stubborn hope of curing her. In her arms, too, she had brought her to + Lourdes; in her arms she had carried her to the Grotto; in her arms she + had rocked her to sleep, having neither a room of her own, nor even a + hospital bed at her disposal. + </p> + <p> + “Isn’t the poor little thing any better?” asked Pierre, whose heart ached + at the sight. + </p> + <p> + “No, Monsieur l’Abbé; no, I think not.” + </p> + <p> + “But you are very badly off here on this bench. You should have made an + application to the pilgrimage managers instead of remaining like this, in + the street, as it were. Some accommodation would have been found for your + little girl, at any rate; that’s certain.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! what would have been the use of it, Monsieur l’Abbé? She is all right + on my lap. And besides, should I have been allowed to stay with her? No, + no, I prefer to have her on my knees; it seems to me that it will end by + curing her.” Two big tears rolled down the poor woman’s motionless cheeks, + and in her stifled voice she continued: “I am not penniless. I had thirty + sous when I left Paris, and I still have ten left. All I need is a little + bread, and she, poor darling, can no longer drink any milk even. I have + enough to last me till we go back, and if she gets well again, oh! we + shall be rich, rich, rich!” + </p> + <p> + She had leant forward while speaking, and by the flickering light of a + lantern near by, gazed at Rose, who was breathing faintly, with parted + lips. “You see how soundly she is sleeping,” resumed the unhappy mother. + “Surely the Blessed Virgin will take pity on her and cure her, won’t she, + Monsieur l’Abbé? We only have one day left; still, I don’t despair; and I + shall again pray all night long without moving from here. She will be + cured to-morrow; we must live till then.” + </p> + <p> + Infinite pity was filling the heart of Pierre, who, fearing that he also + might weep, now went away. “Yes, yes, my poor woman, we must hope, still + hope,” said he, as he left her there among the scattered benches, in that + deserted, malodorous hall, so motionless in her painful maternal passion + as to hold her own breath, fearful lest the heaving of her bosom should + awaken the poor little sufferer. And in deepest grief, with closed lips, + she prayed ardently. + </p> + <p> + On Pierre returning to Marie’s side, the girl inquired of him: “Well, and + those roses? Are there any near here?” + </p> + <p> + He did not wish to sadden her by telling her what he had seen, so he + simply answered: “No, I have searched the lawns; there are none.” + </p> + <p> + “How singular!” she rejoined, in a thoughtful way. “The perfume is both so + sweet and penetrating. You can smell it, can’t you? At this moment it is + wonderfully strong, as though all the roses of Paradise were flowering + around us in the darkness.” + </p> + <p> + A low exclamation from her father interrupted her. M. de Guersaint had + risen to his feet again on seeing some specks of light shine out above the + gradient ways on the left side of the Basilica. “At last! Here they come!” + said he. + </p> + <p> + It was indeed the head of the procession again appearing; and at once the + specks of light began to swarm and extend in long, wavering double files. + The darkness submerged everything except these luminous points, which + seemed to be at a great elevation, and to emerge, as it were, from the + black depths of the Unknown. And at the same time the everlasting canticle + was again heard, but so lightly, for the procession was far away, that it + seemed as yet merely like the rustle of a coming storm, stirring the + leaves of the trees. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I said so,” muttered M. de Guersaint; “one ought to be at the Calvary + to see everything.” With the obstinacy of a child he kept on returning to + his first idea, again and again complaining that they had chosen “the + worst possible place.” + </p> + <p> + “But why don’t you go up to the Calvary, papa?” at last said Marie. “There + is still time. Pierre will stay here with me.” And with a mournful laugh + she added: “Go; you know very well that nobody will run away with me.” + </p> + <p> + He at first refused to act upon the suggestion, but, unable to resist his + desire, he all at once fell in with it. And he had to hasten his steps, + crossing the lawns at a run. “Don’t move,” he called; “wait for me under + the trees. I will tell you of all that I may see up there.” + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre and Marie remained alone in that dim, solitary nook, whence + came such a perfume of roses, albeit no roses could be found. And they did + not speak, but in silence watched the procession, which was now coming + down from the hill with a gentle, continuous, gliding motion. + </p> + <p> + A double file of quivering stars leapt into view on the left-hand side of + the Basilica, and then followed the monumental, gradient way, whose curve + is gradually described. At that distance you were still unable to see the + pilgrims themselves, and you beheld simply those well-disciplined + travelling lights tracing geometrical lines amidst the darkness. Under the + deep blue heavens, even the buildings at first remained vague, forming but + blacker patches against the sky. Little by little, however, as the number + of candles increased, the principal architectural lines—the tapering + spire of the Basilica, the cyclopean arches of the gradient ways, the + heavy, squat façade of the Rosary—became more distinctly visible. + And with that ceaseless torrent of bright sparks, flowing slowly downward + with the stubborn persistence of a stream which has overflowed its banks + and can be stopped by nothing, there came as it were an aurora, a growing, + invading mass of light, which would at last spread its glory over the + whole horizon. + </p> + <p> + “Look, look, Pierre!” cried Marie, in an access of childish joy. “There is + no end of them; fresh ones are ever shining out.” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, the sudden appearances of the little lights continued with + mechanical regularity, as though some inexhaustible celestial source were + pouring forth all those solar specks. The head of the procession had just + reached the gardens, near the crowned statue of the Virgin, so that as yet + the double file of flames merely outlined the curves of the Rosary and the + broad inclined way. However, the approach of the multitude was foretokened + by the perturbation of the atmosphere, by the gusts of human breath coming + from afar; and particularly did the voices swell, the canticle of + Bernadette surging with the clamour of a rising tide, through which, with + rhythmical persistence, the refrain of “Ave, ave, ave Maria!” rolled ever + in a louder key. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, that refrain!” muttered Pierre; “it penetrates one’s very skin. It + seems to me as though my whole body were at last singing it.” + </p> + <p> + Again did Marie give vent to that childish laugh of hers. “It is true,” + said she; “it follows me about everywhere. I heard it the other night + whilst I was asleep. And now it is again taking possession of me, rocking + me, wafting me above the ground.” Then she broke off to say: “Here they + come, just across the lawn, in front of us.” + </p> + <p> + The procession had entered one of the long, straight paths; and then, + turning round the lawn by way of the Breton’s Cross, it came back by a + parallel path. It took more than a quarter of an hour to execute this + movement, during which the double file of tapers resembled two long + parallel streams of flame. That which ever excited one’s admiration was + the ceaseless march of this serpent of fire, whose golden coils crept so + gently over the black earth, winding, stretching into the far distance, + without the immense body ever seeming to end. There must have been some + jostling and scrambling every now and then, for some of the luminous lines + shook and bent as though they were about to break; but order was soon + re-established, and then the slow, regular, gliding movement set in + afresh. There now seemed to be fewer stars in the heavens; it was as + though a milky way had fallen from on high, rolling its glittering dust of + worlds, and transferring the revolutions of the planets from the empyrean + to earth. A bluish light streamed all around; there was naught but heaven + left; the buildings and the trees assumed a visionary aspect in the + mysterious glow of those thousands of tapers, whose number still and ever + increased. + </p> + <p> + A faint sigh of admiration came from Marie. She was at a loss for words, + and could only repeat “How beautiful it is! <i>Mon Dieu</i>! how beautiful + it is! Look, Pierre, is it not beautiful?” + </p> + <p> + However, since the procession had been going by at so short a distance + from them it had ceased to be a rhythmic march of stars which no human + hand appeared to guide, for amidst the stream of light they could + distinguish the figures of the pilgrims carrying the tapers, and at times + even recognise them as they passed. First they espied La Grivotte, who, + exaggerating her cure, and repeating that she had never felt in better + health, had insisted upon taking part in the ceremony despite the lateness + of the hour; and she still retained her excited demeanour, her dancing + gait in that cool night air, which often made her shiver. Then the + Vignerons appeared; the father at the head of the party, raising his taper + on high, and followed by Madame Vigneron and Madame Chaise, who dragged + their weary legs; whilst little Gustave, quite worn out, kept on tapping + the sanded path with his crutch, his right hand covered meantime with all + the wax that had dripped upon it. Every sufferer who could walk was there, + among others Elise Rouquet, who, with her bare red face, passed by like + some apparition from among the damned. Others were laughing; Sophie + Couteau, the little girl who had been miraculously healed the previous + year, was quite forgetting herself, playing with her taper as though it + were a switch. Heads followed heads without a pause, heads of women + especially, more often with sordid, common features, but at times wearing + an exalted expression, which you saw for a second ere it vanished amidst + the fantastic illumination. And there was no end to that terrible march + past; fresh pilgrims were ever appearing. Among them Pierre and Marie + noticed yet another little black shadowy figure, gliding along in a + discreet, humble way; it was Madame Maze, whom they would not have + recognised if she had not for a moment raised her pale face, down which + the tears were streaming. + </p> + <p> + “Look!” exclaimed Pierre; “the first tapers in the procession are reaching + the Place du Rosaire, and I am sure that half of the pilgrims are still in + front of the Grotto.” + </p> + <p> + Marie had raised her eyes. Up yonder, on the left-hand side of the + Basilica, she could see other lights incessantly appearing with that + mechanical kind of movement which seemed as though it would never cease. + “Ah!” she said, “how many, how many distressed souls there are! For each + of those little flames is a suffering soul seeking deliverance, is it + not?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had to lean over in order to hear her, for since the procession had + been streaming by, so near to them, they had been deafened by the sound of + the endless canticle, the hymn of Bernadette. The voices of the pilgrims + rang out more loudly than ever amidst the increasing vertigo; the couplets + became jumbled together—each batch of processionists chanted a + different one with the ecstatic voices of beings possessed, who can no + longer hear themselves. There was a huge indistinct clamour, the + distracted clamour of a multitude intoxicated by its ardent faith. And + meantime the refrain of “Ave, ave, ave Maria!” was ever returning, rising, + with its frantic, importunate rhythm, above everything else. + </p> + <p> + All at once Pierre and Marie, to their great surprise, saw M. de Guersaint + before them again. “Ah! my children,” he said, “I did not want to linger + too long up there, I cut through the procession twice in order to get back + to you. But what a sight, what a sight it is! It is certainly the first + beautiful thing that I have seen since I have been here!” Thereupon he + began to describe the procession as he had beheld it from the Calvary + height. “Imagine,” said he, “another heaven, a heaven down below + reflecting that above, a heaven entirely filled by a single immense + constellation. The swarming stars seem to be lost, to lie in dim faraway + depths; and the trail of fire is in form like a monstrance—yes, a + real monstrance, the base of which is outlined by the inclined ways, the + stem by the two parallel paths, and the Host by the round lawn which + crowns them. It is a monstrance of burning gold, shining out in the depths + of the darkness with a perpetual sparkle of moving stars. Nothing else + seems to exist; it is gigantic, paramount. I really never saw anything so + extraordinary before!” + </p> + <p> + He was waving his arms, beside himself, overflowing with the emotion of an + artist. + </p> + <p> + “Father dear,” said Marie, tenderly, “since you have come back you ought + to go to bed. It is nearly eleven o’clock, and you know that you have to + start at two in the morning.” Then, to render him compliant, she added: “I + am so pleased that you are going to make that excursion! Only, come back + early to-morrow evening, because you’ll see, you’ll see—” She + stopped short, not daring to express her conviction that she would be + cured. + </p> + <p> + “You are right; I will go to bed,” replied M. de Guersaint, quite calmed. + “Since Pierre will be with you I sha’n’t feel anxious.” + </p> + <p> + “But I don’t wish Pierre to pass the night out here. He will join you + by-and-by after he has taken me to the Grotto. I sha’n’t have any further + need of anybody; the first bearer who passes can take me back to the + hospital to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had not interrupted her, and now he simply said: “No, no, Marie, I + shall stay. Like you, I shall spend the night at the Grotto.” + </p> + <p> + She opened her mouth to insist and express her displeasure. But he had + spoken those words so gently, and she had detected in them such a dolorous + thirst for happiness, that, stirred to the depths of her soul, she stayed + her tongue. + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, my children,” replied her father, “settle the matter between + you. I know that you are both very sensible. And now good-night, and don’t + be at all uneasy about me.” + </p> + <p> + He gave his daughter a long, loving kiss, pressed the young priest’s + hands, and then went off, disappearing among the serried ranks of the + procession, which he once more had to cross. + </p> + <p> + Then they remained alone in their dark, solitary nook under the spreading + trees, she still sitting up in her box, and he kneeling on the grass, with + his elbow resting on one of the wheels. And it was truly sweet to linger + there while the tapers continued marching past, and, after a turning + movement, assembled on the Place du Rosaire. What delighted Pierre was + that nothing of all the daytime junketing remained. It seemed as though a + purifying breeze had come down from the mountains, sweeping away all the + odour of strong meats, the greedy Sunday delights, the scorching, + pestilential, fair-field dust which, at an earlier hour, had hovered above + the town. Overhead there was now only the vast sky, studded with pure + stars, and the freshness of the Gave was delicious, whilst the wandering + breezes were laden with the perfumes of wild flowers. The mysterious + Infinite spread far around in the sovereign peacefulness of night, and + nothing of materiality remained save those little candle-flames which the + young priest’s companion had compared to suffering souls seeking + deliverance. All was now exquisitely restful, instinct with unlimited + hope. Since Pierre had been there all the heart-rending memories of the + afternoon, of the voracious appetites, the impudent simony, and the + poisoning of the old town, had gradually left him, allowing him to savour + the divine refreshment of that beautiful night, in which his whole being + was steeped as in some revivifying water. + </p> + <p> + A feeling of infinite sweetness had likewise come over Marie, who + murmured: “Ah! how happy Blanche would be to see all these marvels.” + </p> + <p> + She was thinking of her sister, who had been left in Paris to all the + worries of her hard profession as a teacher forced to run hither and + thither giving lessons. And that simple mention of her sister, of whom + Marie had not spoken since her arrival at Lourdes, but whose figure now + unexpectedly arose in her mind’s eye, sufficed to evoke a vision of all + the past. + </p> + <p> + Then, without exchanging a word, Marie and Pierre lived their childhood’s + days afresh, playing together once more in the neighbouring gardens parted + by the quickset hedge. But separation came on the day when he entered the + seminary and when she kissed him on the cheeks, vowing that she would + never forget him. Years went by, and they found themselves forever parted: + he a priest, she prostrated by illness, no longer with any hope of ever + being a woman. That was their whole story—an ardent affection of + which they had long been ignorant, then absolute severance, as though they + were dead, albeit they lived side by side. They again beheld the sorry + lodging whence they had started to come to Lourdes after so much battling, + so much discussion—his doubts and her passionate faith, which last + had conquered. And it seemed to them truly delightful to find themselves + once more quite alone together, in that dark nook on that lovely night, + when there were as many stars upon earth as there were in heaven. + </p> + <p> + Marie had hitherto retained the soul of a child, a spotless soul, as her + father said, good and pure among the purest. Stricken low in her + thirteenth year, she had grown no older in mind. Although she was now + three-and-twenty, she was still a child, a child of thirteen, who had + retired within herself, absorbed in the bitter catastrophe which had + annihilated her. You could tell this by the frigidity of her glance, by + her absent expression, by the haunted air she ever wore, unable as she was + to bestow a thought on anything but her calamity. And never was woman’s + soul more pure and candid, arrested as it had been in its development. She + had had no other romance in life save that tearful farewell to her friend, + which for ten long years had sufficed to fill her heart. During the + endless days which she had spent on her couch of wretchedness, she had + never gone beyond this dream—that if she had grown up in health, he + doubtless would not have become a priest, in order to live near her. She + never read any novels. The pious works which she was allowed to peruse + maintained her in the excitement of a superhuman love. Even the rumours of + everyday life died away at the door of the room where she lived in + seclusion; and, in past years, when she had been taken from one to the + other end of France, from one inland spa to another, she had passed + through the crowds like a somnambulist who neither sees nor hears + anything, possessed, as she was, by the idea of the calamity that had + befallen her, the bond which made her a sexless thing. Hence her purity + and childishness; hence she was but an adorable daughter of suffering, + who, despite the growth of her sorry flesh, harboured nothing in her heart + save that distant awakening of passion, the unconscious love of her + thirteenth year. + </p> + <p> + Her hand sought Pierre’s in the darkness, and when she found it, coming to + meet her own, she, for a long time, continued pressing it. Ah! how sweet + it was! Never before, indeed, had they tasted such pure and perfect joy in + being together, far from the world, amidst the sovereign enchantment of + darkness and mystery. Around them nothing subsisted, save the revolving + stars. The lulling hymns were like the very vertigo that bore them away. + And she knew right well that after spending a night of rapture at the + Grotto, she would, on the morrow, be cured. Of this she was, indeed, + absolutely convinced; she would prevail upon the Blessed Virgin to listen + to her; she would soften her, as soon as she should be alone, imploring + her face to face. And she well understood what Pierre had wished to say a + short time previously, when expressing his desire to spend the whole night + outside the Grotto, like herself. Was it not that he intended to make a + supreme effort to believe, that he meant to fall upon his knees like a + little child, and beg the all-powerful Mother to restore his lost faith? + Without need of any further exchange of words, their clasped hands + repeated all those things. They mutually promised that they would pray for + each other, and so absorbed in each other did they become that they forgot + themselves, with such an ardent desire for one another’s cure and + happiness, that for a moment they attained to the depths of the love which + offers itself in sacrifice. It was divine enjoyment. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” murmured Pierre, “how beautiful is this blue night, this infinite + darkness, which has swept away all the hideousness of things and beings, + this deep, fresh peacefulness, in which I myself should like to bury my + doubts!” + </p> + <p> + His voice died away, and Marie, in her turn, said in a very low voice: + “And the roses, the perfume of the roses? Can’t you smell them, my friend? + Where can they be since you could not see them?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, I smell them, but there are none,” he replied. “I should + certainly have seen them, for I hunted everywhere.” + </p> + <p> + “How can you say that there are no roses when they perfume the air around + us, when we are steeped in their aroma? Why, there are moments when the + scent is so powerful that I almost faint with delight in inhaling it! They + must certainly be here, innumerable, under our very feet.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” said Pierre, “I swear to you I hunted everywhere, and there are + no roses. They must be invisible, or they may be the very grass we tread + and the spreading trees that are around us; their perfume may come from + the soil itself, from the torrent which flows along close by, from the + woods and the mountains that rise yonder.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment they remained silent. Then, in an undertone, she resumed: + “How sweet they smell, Pierre! And it seems to me that even our clasped + hands form a bouquet.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, they smell delightfully sweet; but it is from you, Marie, that the + perfume now ascends, as though the roses were budding from your hair.” + </p> + <p> + Then they ceased speaking. The procession was still gliding along, and at + the corner of the Basilica bright sparks were still appearing, flashing + suddenly from out of the obscurity, as though spurting from some invisible + source. The vast train of little flames, marching in double file, threw a + riband of light across the darkness. But the great sight was now on the + Place du Rosaire, where the head of the procession, still continuing its + measured evolutions, was revolving and revolving in a circle which ever + grew smaller, with a stubborn whirl which increased the dizziness of the + weary pilgrims and the violence of their chants. And soon the circle + formed a nucleus, the nucleus of a nebula, so to say, around which the + endless riband of fire began to coil itself. And the brasier grew larger + and larger—there was first a pool, then a lake of light. The whole + vast Place du Rosaire changed at last into a burning ocean, rolling its + little sparkling wavelets with the dizzy motion of a whirlpool that never + rested. A reflection like that of dawn whitened the Basilica; while the + rest of the horizon faded into deep obscurity, amidst which you only saw a + few stray tapers journeying alone, like glowworms seeking their way with + the help of their little lights. However, a straggling rear-guard of the + procession must have climbed the Calvary height, for up there, against the + sky, some moving stars could also be seen. Eventually the moment came when + the last tapers appeared down below, marched round the lawns, flowed away, + and were merged in the sea of flame. Thirty thousand tapers were burning + there, still and ever revolving, quickening their sparkles under the vast + calm heavens where the planets had grown pale. A luminous glow ascended in + company with the strains of the canticle which never ceased. And the roar + of voices incessantly repeating the refrain of “Ave, ave, ave Maria!” was + like the very crackling of those hearts of fire which were burning away in + prayers in order that souls might be saved. + </p> + <p> + The candles had just been extinguished, one by one, and the night was + falling again, paramount, densely black, and extremely mild, when Pierre + and Marie perceived that they were still there, hand in hand, hidden away + among the trees. In the dim streets of Lourdes, far off, there were now + only some stray, lost pilgrims inquiring their way, in order that they + might get to bed. Through the darkness there swept a rustling sound—the + rustling of those who prowl and fall asleep when days of festivity draw to + a close. But the young priest and the girl lingered in their nook + forgetfully, never stirring, but tasting delicious happiness amidst the + perfume of the invisible roses. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap14"></a> + IV. THE VIGIL + </h2> + <p> + WHEN Pierre dragged Marie in her box to the front of the Grotto, and + placed her as near as possible to the railing, it was past midnight, and + about a hundred persons were still there, some seated on the benches, but + the greater number kneeling as though prostrated in prayer. The Grotto + shone from afar, with its multitude of lighted tapers, similar to the + illumination round a coffin, though all that you could distinguish was a + star-like blaze, from the midst of which, with visionary whiteness, + emerged the statue of the Virgin in its niche. The hanging foliage assumed + an emerald sheen, the hundreds of crutches covering the vault resembled an + inextricable network of dead wood on the point of reflowering. And the + darkness was rendered more dense by so great a brightness, the + surroundings became lost in a deep shadow in which nothing, neither walls + nor trees, remained; whilst all alone ascended the angry and continuous + murmur of the Gave, rolling along beneath the gloomy, boundless sky, now + heavy with a gathering storm. + </p> + <p> + “Are you comfortable, Marie?” gently inquired Pierre. “Don’t you feel + chilly?” + </p> + <p> + She had just shivered. But it was only at a breath from the other world, + which had seemed to her to come from the Grotto. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I am so comfortable! Only place the shawl over my knees. And—thank + you, Pierre—don’t be anxious about me. I no longer require anyone + now that I am with her.” + </p> + <p> + Her voice died away, she was already falling into an ecstasy, her hands + clasped, her eyes raised towards the white statue, in a beatific + transfiguration of the whole of her poor suffering face. + </p> + <p> + Yet Pierre remained a few minutes longer beside her. He would have liked + to wrap her in the shawl, for he perceived the trembling of her little + wasted hands. But he feared to annoy her, so confined himself to tucking + her in like a child; whilst she, slightly raised, with her elbows on the + edges of her box, and her eyes fixed on the Grotto, no longer beheld him. + </p> + <p> + A bench stood near, and he had just seated himself upon it, intending to + collect his thoughts, when his glance fell upon a woman kneeling in the + gloom. Dressed in black, she was so slim, so discreet, so unobtrusive, so + wrapt in darkness, that at first he had not noticed her. After a while, + however, he recognised her as Madame Maze. The thought of the letter which + she had received during the day then recurred to him. And the sight of her + filled him with pity; he could feel for the forlornness of this solitary + woman, who had no physical sore to heal, but only implored the Blessed + Virgin to relieve her heart-pain by converting her inconstant husband. The + letter had no doubt been some harsh reply, for, with bowed head, she + seemed almost annihilated, filled with the humility of some poor beaten + creature. It was only at night-time that she readily forgot herself there, + happy at disappearing, at being able to weep, suffer martyrdom, and + implore the return of the lost caresses, for hours together, without + anyone suspecting her grievous secret. Her lips did not even move; it was + her wounded heart which prayed, which desperately begged for its share of + love and happiness. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that inextinguishable thirst for happiness which brought them all + there, wounded either in body or in spirit; Pierre also felt it parching + his throat, in an ardent desire to be quenched. He longed to cast himself + upon his knees, to beg the divine aid with the same humble faith as that + woman. But his limbs were as though tied; he could not find the words he + wanted, and it was a relief when he at last felt someone touch him on the + arm. “Come with me, Monsieur l’Abbé, if you do not know the Grotto,” said + a voice. “I will find you a place. It is so pleasant there at this time!” + </p> + <p> + He raised his head, and recognised Baron Suire, the director of the + Hospitality of Our Lady of Salvation. This benevolent and simple man no + doubt felt some affection for him. He therefore accepted his offer, and + followed him into the Grotto, which was quite empty. The Baron had a key, + with which he locked the railing behind them. + </p> + <p> + “You see, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said he, “this is the time when one can really + be comfortable here. For my part, whenever I come to spend a few days at + Lourdes, I seldom retire to rest before daybreak, as I have fallen into + the habit of finishing my night here. The place is deserted, one is quite + alone, and is it not pleasant? How well one feels oneself to be in the + abode of the Blessed Virgin!” + </p> + <p> + He smiled with a kindly air, doing the honours of the Grotto like an old + frequenter of the place, somewhat enfeebled by age, but full of genuine + affection for this delightful nook. Moreover, in spite of his great piety, + he was in no way ill at ease there, but talked on and explained matters + with the familiarity of a man who felt himself to be the friend of Heaven. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you are looking at the tapers,” he said. “There are about two hundred + of them which burn together night and day; and they end by making the + place warm. It is even warm here in winter.” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, Pierre was beginning to feel incommoded by the warm odour of the + wax. Dazzled by the brilliant light into which he was penetrating, he + gazed at the large, central, pyramidal holder, all bristling with little + tapers, and resembling a luminous clipped yew glistening with stars. In + the background, a straight holder, on a level with the ground, upheld the + large tapers, which, like the pipes of an organ, formed a row of uneven + height, some of them being as large as a man’s thigh. And yet other + holders, resembling massive candelabra, stood here and there on the + jutting parts of the rock. The vault of the Grotto sank towards the left, + where the stone seemed baked and blackened by the eternal flames which had + been heating it for years. And the wax was perpetually dripping like fine + snow; the trays of the holders were smothered with it, whitened by its + ever-thickening dust. In fact, it coated the whole rock, which had become + quite greasy to the touch; and to such a degree did it cover the ground + that accidents had occurred, and it had been necessary to spread some mats + about to prevent persons from slipping. + </p> + <p> + “You see those large ones there,” obligingly continued Baron Suire. “They + are the most expensive and cost sixty francs apiece; they will continue + burning for a month. The smallest ones, which cost but five sous each, + only last three hours. Oh! we don’t husband them; we never run short. Look + here! Here are two more hampers full, which there has not yet been time to + remove to the storehouse.” + </p> + <p> + Then he pointed to the furniture, which comprised a harmonium covered with + a cloth, a substantial dresser with several large drawers in which the + sacred vestments were kept, some benches and chairs reserved for the + privileged few who were admitted during the ceremonies, and finally a very + handsome movable altar, which was adorned with engraved silver plates, the + gift of a great lady, and—for fear of injury from dampness—was + only brought out on the occasions of remunerative pilgrimages. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was disturbed by all this well-meant chatter. His religious emotion + lost some of its charm. In spite of his lack of faith, he had, on + entering, experienced a feeling of agitation, a heaving of the soul, as + though the mystery were about to be revealed to him. It was at the same + time both an anxious and a delicious feeling. And he beheld things which + deeply stirred him: bunches of flowers, lying in a heap at the Virgin’s + feet, with the votive offerings of children—little faded shoes, a + tiny iron corselet, and a doll-like crutch which almost seemed to be a + toy. Beneath the natural ogival cavity in which the apparition had + appeared, at the spot where the pilgrims rubbed the chaplets and medals + they wished to consecrate, the rock was quite worn away and polished. + Millions of ardent lips had pressed kisses on the wall with such intensity + of love that the stone was as though calcined, streaked with black veins, + shining like marble. + </p> + <p> + However, he stopped short at last opposite a cavity in which lay a + considerable pile of letters and papers of every description. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I was forgetting,” hastily resumed Baron Suire; “this is the most + interesting part of it. These are the letters which the faithful throw + into the Grotto through the railing every day. We gather them up and place + them there; and in the winter I amuse myself by glancing through them. You + see, we cannot burn them without opening them, for they often contain + money—francs, half-francs, and especially postage-stamps.” + </p> + <p> + He stirred up the letters, and, selecting a few at random, showed the + addresses, and opened them to read. Nearly all of them were letters from + illiterate persons, with the superscription, “To Our Lady of Lourdes,” + scrawled on the envelopes in big, irregular handwriting. Many of them + contained requests or thanks, incorrectly worded and wondrously spelt; and + nothing was more affecting than the nature of some of the petitions: a + little brother to be saved, a lawsuit to be gained, a lover to be + preserved, a marriage to be effected. Other letters, however, were angry + ones, taking the Blessed Virgin to task for not having had the politeness + to acknowledge a former communication by granting the writer’s prayers. + Then there were still others, written in a finer hand, with carefully + worded phrases containing confessions and fervent entreaties; and these + were from women who confided to the Queen of Heaven things which they + dared not even say to a priest in the shadow of the confessional. Finally, + one envelope, selected at random, merely contained a photograph; a young + girl had sent her portrait to Our Lady of Lourdes, with this dedication: + “To my good Mother.” In short, they every day received the correspondence + of a most powerful Queen, to whom both prayers and secrets were addressed, + and who was expected to reply with favours and kindnesses of every kind. + The franc and half-franc pieces were simple tokens of love to propitiate + her; while, as for the postage-stamps, these could only be sent for + convenience’ sake, in lieu of coined money; unless, indeed, they were sent + guilelessly, as in the case of a peasant woman who had added a postscript + to her letter to say that she enclosed a stamp for the reply. + </p> + <p> + “I can assure you,” concluded the Baron, “that there are some very nice + ones among them, much less foolish than you might imagine. During a period + of three years I constantly found some very interesting letters from a + lady who did nothing without relating it to the Blessed Virgin. She was a + married woman, and entertained a most dangerous passion for a friend of + her husband’s. Well, Monsieur l’Abbé, she overcame it; the Blessed Virgin + answered her by sending her an armour for her chastity, an all-divine + power to resist the promptings of her heart.” Then he broke off to say: + “But come and seat yourself here, Monsieur l’Abbé. You will see how + comfortable you will be.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre went and placed himself beside him on a bench on the left hand, at + the spot where the rock sloped down. This was a deliciously reposeful + corner, and neither the one nor the other spoke; a profound silence had + ensued, when, behind him, Pierre heard an indistinct murmur, a light + crystalline voice, which seemed to come from the Invisible. He gave a + start, which Baron Suire understood. + </p> + <p> + “That is the spring which you hear,” said he; “it is there, underground, + below this grating. Would you like to see it?” + </p> + <p> + And without waiting for Pierre’s reply, he at once bent down to open one + of the iron plates protecting the spring, mentioning that it was thus + closed up in order to prevent freethinkers from throwing poison into it. + For a moment this extraordinary idea quite amazed the priest; but he ended + by attributing it entirely to the Baron, who was, indeed, very childish. + The latter, meantime, was vainly struggling with the padlock, which opened + by a combination of letters, and refused to yield to his endeavours. “It + is singular,” he muttered; “the word is <i>Rome</i>, and I am positive + that it hasn’t been changed. The damp destroys everything. Every two years + or so we are obliged to replace those crutches up there, otherwise they + would all rot away. Be good enough to bring me a taper.” + </p> + <p> + By the light of the candle which Pierre then took from one of the holders, + he at last succeeded in unfastening the brass padlock, which was covered + with <i>vert-de-gris</i>. Then, the plate having been raised, the spring + appeared to view. Upon a bed of muddy gravel, in a fissure of the rock, + there was a limpid stream, quite tranquil, but seemingly spreading over a + rather large surface. The Baron explained that it had been necessary to + conduct it to the fountains through pipes coated with cement; and he even + admitted that, behind the piscinas, a large cistern had been dug in which + the water was collected during the night, as otherwise the small output of + the source would not suffice for the daily requirements. + </p> + <p> + “Will you taste it?” he suddenly asked. “It is much better here, fresh + from the earth.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not answer; he was gazing at that tranquil, innocent water, + which assumed a moire-like golden sheen in the dancing light of the taper. + The falling drops of wax now and again ruffled its surface. And, as he + gazed at it, the young priest pondered upon all the mystery it brought + with it from the distant mountain slopes. + </p> + <p> + “Come, drink some!” said the Baron, who had already dipped and filled a + glass which was kept there handy. The priest had no choice but to empty + it; it was good pure, water, fresh and transparent, like that which flows + from all the lofty uplands of the Pyrenees. + </p> + <p> + After refastening the padlock, they both returned to the bench. Now and + again Pierre could still hear the spring flowing behind him, with a music + resembling the gentle warble of some unseen bird. And now the Baron again + raised his voice, giving him the history of the Grotto at all times and + seasons, in a pathetic babble, replete with puerile details. + </p> + <p> + The summer was the roughest season, for then came the great itinerant + pilgrimage crowds, with the uproarious fervour of thousands of eager + beings, all praying and vociferating together. But with the autumn came + the rain, those diluvial rains which beat against the Grotto entrance for + days together; and with them arrived the pilgrims from remote countries, + small, silent, and ecstatic bands of Indians, Malays, and even Chinese, + who fell upon their knees in the mud at the sign from the missionaries + accompanying them. Of all the old provinces of France, it was Brittany + that sent the most devout pilgrims, whole parishes arriving together, the + men as numerous as the women, and all displaying a pious deportment, a + simple and unostentatious faith, such as might edify the world. Then came + the winter, December with its terrible cold, its dense snow-drifts + blocking the mountain ways. But even then families put up at the hotels, + and, despite everything, faithful worshippers—all those who, fleeing + the noise of the world, wished to speak to the Virgin in the tender + intimacy of solitude—still came every morning to the Grotto. Among + them were some whom no one knew, who appeared directly they felt certain + they would be alone there to kneel and love like jealous lovers; and who + departed, frightened away by the first suspicion of a crowd. And how warm + and pleasant the place was throughout the foul winter weather! In spite of + rain and wind and snow, the Grotto still continued flaring. Even during + nights of howling tempest, when not a soul was there, it lighted up the + empty darkness, blazing like a brasier of love that nothing could + extinguish. The Baron related that, at the time of the heavy snowfall of + the previous winter, he had spent whole afternoons there, on the bench + where they were then seated. A gentle warmth prevailed, although the spot + faced the north and was never reached by a ray of sunshine. No doubt the + circumstance of the burning tapers continually heating the rock explained + this generous warmth; but might one not also believe in some charming + kindness on the part of the Virgin, who endowed the spot with perpetual + springtide? And the little birds were well aware of it; when the snow on + the ground froze their feet, all the finches of the neighbourhood sought + shelter there, fluttering about in the ivy around the holy statue. At + length came the awakening of the real spring: the Gave, swollen with + melted snow, and rolling on with a voice of thunder: the trees, under the + action of their sap, arraying themselves in a mantle of greenery, whilst + the crowds, once more returning, noisily invaded the sparkling Grotto, + whence they drove the little birds of heaven. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” repeated Baron Suire, in a declining voice, “I spent some most + delightful winter days here all alone. I saw no one but a woman, who leant + against the railing to avoid kneeling in the snow. She was quite young, + twenty-five perhaps, and very pretty—dark, with magnificent blue + eyes. She never spoke, and did not even seem to pray, but remained there + for hours together, looking intensely sad. I do not know who she was, nor + have I ever seen her since.” + </p> + <p> + He ceased speaking; and when, a couple of minutes later, Pierre, surprised + at his silence, looked at him, he perceived that he had fallen asleep. + With his hands clasped upon his belly, his chin resting on his chest, he + slept as peacefully as a child, a smile hovering the while about his + mouth. Doubtless, when he said that he spent the night there, he meant + that he came thither to indulge in the early nap of a happy old man, whose + dreams are of the angels. And now Pierre tasted all the charms of the + solitude. It was indeed true that a feeling of peacefulness and comfort + permeated the soul in this rocky nook. It was occasioned by the somewhat + stifling fumes of the burning wax, by the transplendent ecstasy into which + one sank amidst the glare of the tapers. The young priest could no longer + distinctly see the crutches on the roof, the votive offerings hanging from + the sides, the altar of engraved silver, and the harmonium in its wrapper, + for a slow intoxication seemed to be stealing over him, a gradual + prostration of his whole being. And he particularly experienced the divine + sensation of having left the living world, of having attained to the far + realms of the marvellous and the superhuman, as though that simple iron + railing yonder had become the very barrier of the Infinite. + </p> + <p> + However, a slight noise on his left again disturbed him. It was the spring + flowing, ever flowing on, with its bird-like warble. Ah! how he would have + liked to fall upon his knees and believe in the miracle, to acquire a + certain conviction that that divine water had gushed from the rock solely + for the healing of suffering humanity. Had he not come there to prostrate + himself and implore the Virgin to restore the faith of his childhood? Why, + then, did he not pray, why did he not beseech her to bring him back to + grace? His feeling of suffocation increased, the burning tapers dazzled + him almost to the point of giddiness. And, all at once, the recollection + came to him that for two days past, amidst the great freedom which priests + enjoyed at Lourdes, he had neglected to say his mass. He was in a state of + sin, and perhaps it was the weight of this transgression which was + oppressing his heart. He suffered so much that he was at last compelled to + rise from his seat and walk away. He gently closed the gate behind him, + leaving Baron Suire still asleep on the bench. Marie, he found, had not + stirred, but was still raised on her elbows, with her ecstatic eyes + uplifted towards the figure of the Virgin. + </p> + <p> + “How are you, Marie?” asked Pierre. “Don’t you feel cold?” + </p> + <p> + She did not reply. He felt her hands and found them warm and soft, albeit + slightly trembling. “It is not the cold which makes you tremble, is it, + Marie?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + In a voice as gentle as a zephyr she replied: “No, no! let me be; I am so + happy! I shall see her, I feel it. Ah! what joy!” + </p> + <p> + So, after slightly pulling up her shawl, he went forth into the night, a + prey to indescribable agitation. Beyond the bright glow of the Grotto was + a night as black as ink, a region of darkness, into which he plunged at + random. Then, as his eyes became accustomed to this gloom, he found + himself near the Gave, and skirted it, following a path shaded by tall + trees, where he again came upon a refreshing obscurity. This shade and + coolness, both so soothing, now brought him relief. And his only surprise + was that he had not fallen on his knees in the Grotto, and prayed, even as + Marie was praying, with all the power of his soul. What could be the + obstacle within him? Whence came the irresistible revolt which prevented + him from surrendering himself to faith even when his overtaxed, tortured + being longed to yield? He understood well enough that it was his reason + alone which protested, and the time had come when he would gladly have + killed that voracious reason, which was devouring his life and preventing + him from enjoying the happiness allowed to the ignorant and the simple. + Perhaps, had he beheld a miracle, he might have acquired enough strength + of will to believe. For instance, would he not have bowed himself down, + vanquished at last, if Marie had suddenly risen up and walked before him. + The scene which he conjured up of Marie saved, Marie cured, affected him + so deeply that he stopped short, his trembling arms uplifted towards the + star-spangled vault of heaven. What a lovely night it was!—so deep + and mysterious, so airy and fragrant; and what joy rained down at the hope + that eternal health might be restored, that eternal love might ever + revive, even as spring returns! Then he continued his walk, following the + path to the end. But his doubts were again coming back to him; when you + need a miracle to gain belief, it means that you are incapable of + believing. There is no need for the Almighty to prove His existence. + Pierre also felt uneasy at the thought that, so long as he had not + discharged his priestly duties by saying his mass, his prayers would not + be answered. Why did he not go at once to the church of the Rosary, whose + altars, from midnight till noon, are placed at the disposal of the priests + who come from a distance? Thus thinking, he descended by another path, + again finding himself beneath the trees, near the leafy spot whence he and + Marie had watched the procession of tapers. Not a light now remained, + there was but a boundless expanse of gloom. + </p> + <p> + Here Pierre experienced a fresh attack of faintness, and as though to gain + time, he turned mechanically into the pilgrims’ shelter-house. Its door + had remained wide open; still this failed to sufficiently ventilate the + spacious hall, which was now full of people. On the very threshold Pierre + felt oppressed by the stifling heat emanating from the multitude of + bodies, the dense pestilential smell of human breath and perspiration. The + smoking lanterns gave out so bad a light that he had to pick his way with + extreme care in order to avoid treading upon outstretched limbs; for the + overcrowding was extraordinary, and many persons, unable to find room on + the benches, had stretched themselves on the pavement, on the damp stone + slabs fouled by all the refuse of the day. And on all sides indescribable + promiscuousness prevailed: prostrated by overpowering weariness, men, + women, and priests were lying there, pell-mell, at random, open-mouthed + and utterly exhausted. A large number were snoring, seated on the slabs, + with their backs against the walls and their heads drooping on their + chests. Others had slipped down, with limbs intermingled, and one young + girl lay prostrate across an old country priest, who in his calm, + childlike slumber was smiling at the angels. It was like a cattle-shed + sheltering poor wanderers of the roads, all those who were homeless on + that beautiful holiday night, and who had dropped in there and fallen + fraternally asleep. Still, there were some who found no repose in their + feverish excitement, but turned and twisted, or rose up to finish eating + the food which remained in their baskets. Others could be seen lying + perfectly motionless, their eyes wide open and fixed upon the gloom. The + cries of dreamers, the wailing of sufferers, arose amidst general snoring. + And pity came to the heart, a pity full of anguish, at sight of this flock + of wretches lying there in heaps in loathsome rags, whilst their poor + spotless souls no doubt were far away in the blue realm of some mystical + dream. Pierre was on the point of withdrawing, feeling sick at heart, when + a low continuous moan attracted his attention. He looked, and recognised + Madame Vincent, on the same spot and in the same position as before, still + nursing little Rose upon her lap. “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé,” the poor woman + murmured, “you hear her; she woke up nearly an hour ago, and has been + sobbing ever since. Yet I assure you I have not moved even a finger, I + felt so happy at seeing her sleep.” + </p> + <p> + The priest bent down, examining the little one, who had not even the + strength to raise her eyelids. A plaintive cry no stronger than a breath + was coming from her lips; and she was so white that he shuddered, for he + felt that death was hovering near. + </p> + <p> + “Dear me! what shall I do?” continued the poor mother, utterly worn out. + “This cannot last; I can no longer bear to hear her cry. And if you knew + all that I have been saying to her: ‘My jewel, my treasure, my angel, I + beseech you cry no more. Be good; the Blessed Virgin will cure you!’ And + yet she still cries on.” + </p> + <p> + With these words the poor creature burst out sobbing, her big tears + falling on the face of the child, whose rattle still continued. “Had it + been daylight,” she resumed, “I would long ago have left this hall, the + more especially as she disturbs the others. There is an old lady yonder + who has already complained. But I fear it may be chilly outside; and + besides, where could I go in the middle of the night? Ah! Blessed Virgin, + Blessed Virgin, take pity upon us!” + </p> + <p> + Overcome by emotion, Pierre kissed the child’s fair head, and then + hastened away to avoid bursting into tears like the sorrowing mother. And + he went straight to the Rosary, as though he were determined to conquer + death. + </p> + <p> + He had already beheld the Rosary in broad daylight, and had been + displeased by the aspect of this church, which the architect, fettered by + the rockbound site, had been obliged to make circular and low, so that it + seemed crushed beneath its great cupola, which square pillars supported. + The worst was that, despite its archaic Byzantine style, it altogether + lacked any religious appearance, and suggested neither mystery nor + meditation. Indeed, with the glaring light admitted by the cupola and the + broad glazed doors it was more like some brand-new corn-market. And then, + too, it was not yet completed: the decorations were lacking, the bare + walls against which the altars stood had no other embellishment than some + artificial roses of coloured paper and a few insignificant votive + offerings; and this bareness heightened the resemblance to some vast + public hall. Moreover, in time of rain the paved floor became as muddy as + that of a general waiting-room at a railway station. The high altar was a + temporary structure of painted wood. Innumerable rows of benches filled + the central rotunda, benches free to the public, on which people could + come and rest at all hours, for night and day alike the Rosary remained + open to the swarming pilgrims. Like the shelter-house, it was a cow-shed + in which the Almighty received the poor ones of the earth. + </p> + <p> + On entering, Pierre felt himself to be in some common hall trod by the + footsteps of an ever-changing crowd. But the brilliant sunlight no longer + streamed on the pallid walls, the tapers burning at every altar simply + gleamed like stars amidst the uncertain gloom which filled the building. A + solemn high mass had been celebrated at midnight with extraordinary pomp, + amidst all the splendour of candles, chants, golden vestments, and + swinging, steaming censers; but of all this glorious display there now + remained only the regulation number of tapers necessary for the + celebration of the masses at each of the fifteen altars ranged around the + edifice. These masses began at midnight and did not cease till noon. + Nearly four hundred were said during those twelve hours at the Rosary + alone. Taking the whole of Lourdes, where there were altogether some fifty + altars, more than two thousand masses were celebrated daily. And so great + was the abundance of priests, that many had extreme difficulty in + fulfilling their duties, having to wait for hours together before they + could find an altar unoccupied. What particularly struck Pierre that + evening, was the sight of all the altars besieged by rows of priests + patiently awaiting their turn in the dim light at the foot of the steps; + whilst the officiating minister galloped through the Latin phrases, + hastily punctuating them with the prescribed signs of the cross. And the + weariness of all the waiting ones was so great, that most of them were + seated on the flagstones, some even dozing on the altar steps in heaps, + quite overpowered, relying on the beadle to come and rouse them. + </p> + <p> + For a moment Pierre walked about undecided. Was he going to wait like the + others? However, the scene determined him against doing so. At every + altar, at every mass, a crowd of pilgrims was gathered, communicating in + all haste with a sort of voracious fervour. Each pyx was filled and + emptied incessantly; the priests’ hands grew tired in thus distributing + the bread of life; and Pierre’s surprise increased at the sight. Never + before had he beheld a corner of this earth so watered by the divine + blood, whence faith took wing in such a flight of souls. It was like a + return to the heroic days of the Church, when all nations prostrated + themselves beneath the same blast of credulity in their terrified + ignorance which led them to place their hope of eternal happiness in an + Almighty God. He could fancy himself carried back some eight or nine + centuries, to the time of great public piety, when people believed in the + approaching end of the world; and this he could fancy the more readily as + the crowd of simple folk, the whole host that had attended high mass, was + still seated on the benches, as much at ease in God’s house as at home. + Many had no place of refuge. Was not the church their home, the asylum + where consolation awaited them both by day and by night? Those who knew + not where to sleep, who had not found room even at the shelter place, came + to the Rosary, where sometimes they succeeded in finding a vacant seat on + a bench, at others sufficient space to lie down on the flagstones. And + others who had beds awaiting them lingered there for the joy of passing a + whole night in that divine abode, so full of beautiful dreams. Until + daylight the concourse and promiscuity were extraordinary; every row of + benches was occupied, sleeping persons were scattered in every corner and + behind every pillar; men, women, children were leaning against each other, + their heads on one another’s shoulders, their breath mingling in calm + unconsciousness. It was the break-up of a religious gathering overwhelmed + by sleep, a church transformed into a chance hospital, its doors wide open + to the lovely August night, giving access to all who were wandering in the + darkness, the good and the bad, the weary and the lost. And all over the + place, from each of the fifteen altars, the bells announcing the elevation + of the Host incessantly sounded, whilst from among the mob of sleepers + bands of believers now and again arose, went and received the sacrament, + and then returned to mingle once more with the nameless, shepherdless + flock which the semi-obscurity enveloped like a veil. + </p> + <p> + With an air of restless indecision, Pierre was still wandering through the + shadowy groups, when an old priest, seated on the step of an altar, + beckoned to him. For two hours he had been waiting there, and now that his + turn was at length arriving he felt so faint that he feared he might not + have strength to say the whole of his mass, and preferred, therefore, to + surrender his place to another. No doubt the sight of Pierre, wandering so + distressfully in the gloom, had moved him. He pointed the vestry out to + him, waited until he returned with chasuble and chalice, and then went off + and fell into a sound sleep on one of the neighbouring benches. Pierre + thereupon said his mass in the same way as he said it at Paris, like a + worthy man fulfilling a professional duty. He outwardly maintained an air + of sincere faith. But, contrary to what he had expected from the two + feverish days through which he had just gone, from the extraordinary and + agitating surroundings amidst which he had spent the last few hours, + nothing moved him nor touched his heart. He had hoped that a great + commotion would overpower him at the moment of the communion, when the + divine mystery is accomplished; that he would find himself in view of + Paradise, steeped in grace, in the very presence of the Almighty; but + there was no manifestation, his chilled heart did not even throb, he went + on to the end pronouncing the usual words, making the regulation gestures, + with the mechanical accuracy of the profession. In spite of his effort to + be fervent, one single idea kept obstinately returning to his mind—that + the vestry was far too small, since such an enormous number of masses had + to be said. How could the sacristans manage to distribute the holy + vestments and the cloths? It puzzled him, and engaged his thoughts with + absurd persistency. + </p> + <p> + At length, to his surprise, he once more found himself outside. Again he + wandered through the night, a night which seemed to him utterly void, + darker and stiller than before. The town was lifeless, not a light was + gleaming. There only remained the growl of the Gave, which his accustomed + ears no longer heard. And suddenly, similar to a miraculous apparition, + the Grotto blazed before him, illumining the darkness with its everlasting + brasier, which burnt with a flame of inextinguishable love. He had + returned thither unconsciously, attracted no doubt by thoughts of Marie. + Three o’clock was about to strike, the benches before the Grotto were + emptying, and only some twenty persons remained there, dark, indistinct + forms, kneeling in slumberous ecstasy, wrapped in divine torpor. It seemed + as though the night in progressing had increased the gloom, and imparted a + remote visionary aspect to the Grotto. All faded away amidst delicious + lassitude, sleep reigned supreme over the dim, far-spreading country side; + whilst the voice of the invisible waters seemed to be merely the breathing + of this pure slumber, upon which the Blessed Virgin, all white with her + aureola of tapers, was smiling. And among the few unconscious women was + Madame Maze, still kneeling, with clasped hands and bowed head, but so + indistinct that she seemed to have melted away amidst her ardent prayer. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, had immediately gone up to Marie. He was shivering, and + fancied that she must be chilled by the early morning air. “I beseech you, + Marie, cover yourself up,” said he. “Do you want to suffer still more?” + And thereupon he drew up the shawl which had slipped off her, and + endeavoured to fasten it about her neck. “You are cold, Marie,” he added; + “your hands are like ice.” + </p> + <p> + She did not answer, she was still in the same attitude as when he had left + her a couple of hours previously. With her elbows resting on the edges of + her box, she kept herself raised, her soul still lifted towards the + Blessed Virgin and her face transfigured, beaming with a celestial joy. + Her lips moved, though no sound came from them. Perhaps she was still + carrying on some mysterious conversation in the world of enchantments, + dreaming wide awake, as she had been doing ever since he had placed her + there. He spoke to her again, but still she answered not. At last, + however, of her own accord, she murmured in a far-away voice: “Oh! I am so + happy, Pierre! I have seen her; I prayed to her for you, and she smiled at + me, slightly nodding her head to let me know that she heard me and would + grant my prayers. And though she did not speak to me, Pierre, I understood + what she wished me to know. ‘Tis to-day, at four o’clock in the afternoon, + when the Blessed Sacrament passes by, that I shall be cured!” + </p> + <p> + He listened to her in deep agitation. Had she been sleeping with her eyes + wide open? Was it in a dream that she had seen the marble figure of the + Blessed Virgin bend its head and smile? A great tremor passed through him + at the thought that this poor child had prayed for him. And he walked up + to the railing, and dropped upon his knees, stammering: “O Marie! O + Marie!” without knowing whether this heart-cry were intended for the + Virgin or for the beloved friend of his childhood. And he remained there, + utterly overwhelmed, waiting for grace to come to him. + </p> + <p> + Endless minutes went by. This was indeed the superhuman effort, the + waiting for the miracle which he had come to seek for himself, the sudden + revelation, the thunderclap which was to sweep away his unbelief and + restore him, rejuvenated and triumphant, to the faith of the + simple-minded. He surrendered himself, he wished that some mighty power + might ravage his being and transform it. But, even as before whilst saying + his mass, he heard naught within him but an endless silence, felt nothing + but a boundless vacuum. There was no divine intervention, his despairing + heart almost seemed to cease beating. And although he strove to pray, to + fix his mind wholly upon that powerful Virgin, so compassionate to poor + humanity, his thoughts none the less wandered, won back by the outside + world, and again turning to puerile trifles. Within the Grotto, on the + other side of the railing, he had once more caught sight of Baron Suire, + still asleep, still continuing his pleasant nap with his hands clasped in + front of him. Other things also attracted his attention: the flowers + deposited at the feet of the Virgin, the letters cast there as though into + a heavenly letter-box, the delicate lace-like work of wax which remained + erect around the flames of the larger tapers, looking like some rich + silver ornamentation. Then, without any apparent reason, his thoughts flew + away to the days of his childhood, and his brother Guillaume’s face rose + before him with extreme distinctness. He had not seen him since their + mother’s death. He merely knew that he led a very secluded life, occupying + himself with scientific matters, in a little house in which he had buried + himself with a mistress and two big dogs; and he would have known nothing + more about him, but for having recently read his name in a newspaper in + connection with some revolutionary attempt. It was stated that he was + passionately devoting himself to the study of explosives, and in constant + intercourse with the leaders of the most advanced parties. Why, however, + should Guillaume appear to him in this wise, in this ecstatic spot, amidst + the mystical light of the tapers,—appear to him, moreover, such as + he had formerly known him, so good, affectionate, and brotherly, + overflowing with charity for every affliction! The thought haunted him for + a moment, and filled him with painful regret for that brotherliness now + dead and gone. Then, with hardly a moment’s pause, his mind reverted to + himself, and he realised that he might stubbornly remain there for hours + without regaining faith. Nevertheless, he felt a sort of tremor pass + through him, a final hope, a feeling that if the Blessed Virgin should + perform the great miracle of curing Marie, he would at last believe. It + was like a final delay which he allowed himself, an appointment with Faith + for that very day, at four o’clock in the afternoon, when, according to + what the girl had told him, the Blessed Sacrament would pass by. And at + this thought his anguish at once ceased, he remained kneeling, worn out + with fatigue and overcome by invincible drowsiness. + </p> + <p> + The hours passed by, the resplendent illumination of the Grotto was still + projected into the night, its reflection stretching to the neighbouring + hillsides and whitening the walls of the convents there. However, Pierre + noticed it grow paler and paler, which surprised him, and he roused + himself, feeling thoroughly chilled; it was the day breaking, beneath a + leaden sky overcast with clouds. He perceived that one of those storms, so + sudden in mountainous regions, was rapidly rising from the south. The + thunder could already be heard rumbling in the distance, whilst gusts of + wind swept along the roads. Perhaps he also had been sleeping, for he no + longer beheld Baron Suire, whose departure he did not remember having + witnessed. There were scarcely ten persons left before the Grotto, though + among them he again recognised Madame Maze with her face hidden in her + hands. However, when she noticed that it was daylight and that she could + be seen, she rose up, and vanished at a turn of the narrow path leading to + the convent of the Blue Sisters. + </p> + <p> + Feeling anxious, Pierre went up to Marie to tell her she must not remain + there any longer, unless she wished to get wet through. “I will take you + back to the hospital,” said he. + </p> + <p> + She refused and then entreated: “No, no! I am waiting for mass; I promised + to communicate here. Don’t trouble about me, return to the hotel at once, + and go to bed, I implore you. You know very well that covered vehicles are + sent here for the sick whenever it rains.” + </p> + <p> + And she persisted in refusing to leave, whilst on his side he kept on + repeating that he did not wish to go to bed. A mass, it should be + mentioned, was said at the Grotto early every morning, and it was a divine + joy for the pilgrims to be able to communicate, amidst the glory of the + rising sun, after a long night of ecstasy. And now, just as some large + drops of rain were beginning to fall, there came the priest, wearing a + chasuble and accompanied by two acolytes, one of whom, in order to protect + the chalice, held a large white silk umbrella, embroidered with gold, over + him. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, after pushing Marie’s little conveyance close to the railing, so + that the girl might be sheltered by the overhanging rock, under which the + few other worshippers had also sought refuge, had just seen her receive + the sacrament with ardent fervour, when his attention was attracted by a + pitiful spectacle which quite wrung his heart. + </p> + <p> + Beneath a dense, heavy deluge of rain, he caught sight of Madame Vincent, + still with that precious, woeful burden, her little Rose, whom with + outstretched arms she was offering to the Blessed Virgin. Unable to stay + any longer at the shelter-house owing to the complaints caused by the + child’s constant moaning, she had carried her off into the night, and + during two hours had roamed about in the darkness, lost, distracted, + bearing this poor flesh of her flesh, which she pressed to her bosom, + unable to give it any relief. She knew not what road she had taken, + beneath what trees she had strayed, so absorbed had she been in her revolt + against the unjust sufferings which had so sorely stricken this poor + little being, so feeble and so pure, and as yet quite incapable of sin. + Was it not abominable that the grip of disease should for weeks have been + incessantly torturing her child, whose cry she knew not how to quiet? She + carried her about, rocking her in her arms as she went wildly along the + paths, obstinately hoping that she would at last get her to sleep, and so + hush that wail which was rending her heart. And suddenly, utterly + worn-out, sharing each of her daughter’s death pangs, she found herself + opposite the Grotto, at the feet of the miracle-working Virgin, she who + forgave and who healed. + </p> + <p> + “O Virgin, Mother most admirable, heal her! O Virgin, Mother of Divine + Grace, heal her!” + </p> + <p> + She had fallen on her knees, and with quivering, outstretched arms was + still offering her expiring daughter, in a paroxysm of hope and desire + which seemed to raise her from the ground. And the rain, which she never + noticed, beat down behind her with the fury of an escaped torrent, whilst + violent claps of thunder shook the mountains. For one moment she thought + her prayer was granted, for Rose had slightly shivered as though visited + by the archangel, her face becoming quite white, her eyes and mouth + opening wide; and with one last little gasp she ceased to cry. + </p> + <p> + “O Virgin, Mother of Our Redeemer, heal her! O Virgin, All-powerful + Mother, heal her!” + </p> + <p> + But the poor woman felt her child become even lighter in her extended + arms. And now she became afraid at no longer hearing her moan, at seeing + her so white, with staring eyes and open mouth, without a sign of life. + How was it that she did not smile if she were cured? Suddenly a loud + heart-rending cry rang out, the cry of the mother, surpassing even the din + of the thunder in the storm, whose violence was increasing. Her child was + dead. And she rose up erect, turned her back on that deaf Virgin who let + little children die, and started off like a madwoman beneath the lashing + downpour, going straight before her without knowing whither, and still and + ever carrying and nursing that poor little body which she had held in her + arms during so many days and nights. A thunderbolt fell, shivering one of + the neighbouring trees, as though with the stroke of a giant axe, amidst a + great crash of twisted and broken branches. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had rushed after Madame Vincent, eager to guide and help her. But + he was unable to follow her, for he at once lost sight of her behind the + blurring curtain of rain. When he returned, the mass was drawing to an + end, and, as soon as the rain fell less violently, the officiating priest + went off under the white silk umbrella embroidered with gold. Meantime a + kind of omnibus awaited the few patients to take them back to the + hospital. + </p> + <p> + Marie pressed Pierre’s hands. “Oh! how happy I am!” she said. “Do not come + for me before three o’clock this afternoon.” + </p> + <p> + On being left amidst the rain, which had now become an obstinate fine + drizzle, Pierre re-entered the Grotto and seated himself on the bench near + the spring. He would not go to bed, for in spite of his weariness he + dreaded sleep in the state of nervous excitement in which he had been + plunged ever since the day before. Little Rose’s death had increased his + fever; he could not banish from his mind the thought of that heart-broken + mother, wandering along the muddy paths with the dead body of her child. + What could be the reasons which influenced the Virgin? He was amazed that + she could make a choice. Divine Mother as she was, he wondered how her + heart could decide upon healing only ten out of a hundred sufferers—that + ten per cent. of miracles which Doctor Bonamy had proved by statistics. + He, Pierre, had already asked himself the day before which ones he would + have chosen had he possessed the power of saving ten. A terrible power in + all truth, a formidable selection, which he would never have had the + courage to make. Why this one, and not that other? Where was the justice, + where the compassion? To be all-powerful and heal every one of them, was + not that the desire which rose from each heart? And the Virgin seemed to + him to be cruel, badly informed, as harsh and indifferent as even + impassible nature, distributing life and death at random, or in accordance + with laws which mankind knew nothing of. + </p> + <p> + The rain was at last leaving off, and Pierre had been there a couple of + hours when he felt that his feet were damp. He looked down, and was + greatly surprised, for the spring was overflowing through the gratings. + The soil of the Grotto was already covered; whilst outside a sheet of + water was flowing under the benches, as far as the parapet against the + Gave. The late storms had swollen the waters in the neighbourhood. Pierre + thereupon reflected that this spring, in spite of its miraculous origin, + was subject to the laws that governed other springs, for it certainly + communicated with some natural reservoirs, wherein the rain penetrated and + accumulated. And then, to keep his ankles dry, he left the place. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap15"></a> + V. THE TWO VICTIMS + </h2> + <p> + PIERRE walked along thirsting for fresh air, his head so heavy that he + took off his hat to relieve his burning brow. Despite all the fatigue of + that terrible night of vigil, he did not think of sleeping. He was kept + erect by that rebellion of his whole being which he could not quiet. Eight + o’clock was striking, and he walked at random under the glorious morning + sun, now shining forth in a spotless sky, which the storm seemed to have + cleansed of all the Sunday dust. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, he raised his head, anxious to know where he was; + and he was quite astonished, for he found that he had already covered a + deal of ground, and was now below the station, near the municipal + hospital. He was hesitating at a point where the road forked, not knowing + which direction to take, when a friendly hand was laid on his shoulder, + and a voice inquired: “Where are you going at this early hour?” + </p> + <p> + It was Doctor Chassaigne who addressed him, drawing up his lofty figure, + clad in black from head to foot. “Have you lost yourself?” he added; “do + you want to know your way?” + </p> + <p> + “No, thanks, no,” replied Pierre, somewhat disturbed. “I spent the night + at the Grotto with that young patient to whom I am so much attached, and + my heart was so upset that I have been walking about in the hope it would + do me good, before returning to the hotel to take a little sleep.” + </p> + <p> + The doctor continued looking at him, clearly detecting the frightful + struggle which was raging within him, the despair which he felt at being + unable to sink asleep in faith, the suffering which the futility of all + his efforts brought him. “Ah, my poor child!” murmured M. Chassaigne; and + in a fatherly way he added: “Well, since you are walking, suppose we take + a walk together? I was just going down yonder, to the bank of the Gave. + Come along, and on our way back you will see what a lovely view we shall + have.” + </p> + <p> + For his part, the doctor took a walk of a couple of hours’ duration each + morning, ever alone, seeking, as it were, to tire and exhaust his grief. + First of all, as soon as he had risen, he repaired to the cemetery, and + knelt on the tomb of his wife and daughter, which, at all seasons, he + decked with flowers. And afterwards he would roam along the roads, with + tearful eyes, never returning home until fatigue compelled him. + </p> + <p> + With a wave of the hand, Pierre accepted his proposal, and in perfect + silence they went, side by side, down the sloping road. They remained for + a long time without speaking; the doctor seemed more overcome than was his + wont that morning; it was as though his chat with his dear lost ones had + made his heart bleed yet more copiously. He walked along with his head + bowed; his face, round which his white hair streamed, was very pale, and + tears still blurred his eyes. And yet it was so pleasant, so warm in the + sunlight on that lovely morning. The road now followed the Gave on its + right bank, on the other side of the new town; and you could see the + gardens, the inclined ways, and the Basilica. And, all at once, the Grotto + appeared, with the everlasting flare of its tapers, now paling in the + broad light. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Chassaigne, who had turned his head, made the sign of the cross, + which Pierre did not at first understand. And when, in his turn, he had + perceived the Grotto, he glanced in surprise at his old friend, and once + more relapsed into the astonishment which had come over him a couple of + days previously on finding this man of science, this whilom atheist and + materialist, so overwhelmed by grief that he was now a believer, longing + for the one delight of meeting his dear ones in another life. His heart + had swept his reason away; old and lonely as he was, it was only the + illusion that he would live once more in Paradise, where loving souls meet + again, that prolonged his life on earth. This thought increased the young + priest’s discomfort. Must he also wait until he had grown old and endured + equal sufferings in order to find a refuge in faith? + </p> + <p> + Still walking beside the Gave, leaving the town farther and farther behind + them, they were lulled as it were by the noise of those clear waters + rolling over the pebbles between banks shaded by trees. And they still + remained silent, walking on with an equal step, each, on his own side, + absorbed in his sorrows. + </p> + <p> + “And Bernadette,” Pierre suddenly inquired; “did you know her?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor raised his head. “Bernadette? Yes, yes,” said he. “I saw her + once—afterwards.” He relapsed into silence for a moment, and then + began chatting: “In 1858, you know, at the time of the apparitions, I was + thirty years of age. I was in Paris, still young in my profession, and + opposed to all supernatural notions, so that I had no idea of returning to + my native mountains to see a girl suffering from hallucinations. Five or + six years later, however, some time about 1864, I passed through Lourdes, + and was inquisitive enough to pay Bernadette a visit. She was then still + at the asylum with the Sisters of Nevers.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre remembered that one of the reasons of his journey had been his + desire to complete his inquiry respecting Bernadette. And who could tell + if grace might not come to him from that humble, lovable girl, on the day + when he should be convinced that she had indeed fulfilled a mission of + divine love and forgiveness? For this consummation to ensue it would + perhaps suffice that he should know her better and learn to feel that she + was really the saint, the chosen one, as others believed her to have been. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me about her, I pray you,” he said; “tell me all you know of her.” + </p> + <p> + A faint smile curved the doctor’s lips. He understood, and would have + greatly liked to calm and comfort the young priest whose soul was so + grievously tortured by doubt. “Oh! willingly, my poor child!” he answered. + “I should be so happy to help you on the path to light. You do well to + love Bernadette—that may save you; for since all those old-time + things I have deeply reflected on her case, and I declare to you that I + never met a more charming creature, or one with a better heart.” + </p> + <p> + Then, to the slow rhythm of their footsteps along the well-kept, sunlit + road, in the delightful freshness of morning, the doctor began to relate + his visit to Bernadette in 1864. She had then just attained her twentieth + birthday, the apparitions had taken place six years previously, and she + had astonished him by her candid and sensible air, her perfect modesty. + The Sisters of Nevers, who had taught her to read, kept her with them at + the asylum in order to shield her from public inquisitiveness. She found + an occupation there, helping them in sundry petty duties; but she was very + often taken ill, and would spend weeks at a time in her bed. The doctor + had been particularly struck by her beautiful eyes, pure, candid, and + frank, like those of a child. The rest of her face, said he, had become + somewhat spoilt; her complexion was losing its clearness, her features had + grown less delicate, and her general appearance was that of an ordinary + servant-girl, short, puny, and unobtrusive. Her piety was still keen, but + she had not seemed to him to be the ecstatical, excitable creature that + many might have supposed; indeed, she appeared to have a rather positive + mind which did not indulge in flights of fancy; and she invariably had + some little piece of needlework, some knitting, some embroidery in her + hand. In a word, she appeared to have entered the common path, and in + nowise resembled the intensely passionate female worshippers of the + Christ. She had no further visions, and never of her own accord spoke of + the eighteen apparitions which had decided her life. To learn anything it + was necessary to interrogate her, to address precise questions to her. + These she would briefly answer, and then seek to change the conversation, + as though she did not like to talk of such mysterious things. If wishing + to probe the matter further, you asked her the nature of the three secrets + which the Virgin had confided to her, she would remain silent, simply + averting her eyes. And it was impossible to make her contradict herself; + the particulars she gave invariably agreed with her original narrative, + and, indeed, she always seemed to repeat the same words, with the same + inflections of the voice. + </p> + <p> + “I had her in hand during the whole of one afternoon,” continued Doctor + Chassaigne, “and there was not the variation of a syllable in her story. + It was disconcerting. Still, I am prepared to swear that she was not + lying, that she never lied, that she was altogether incapable of + falsehood.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre boldly ventured to discuss this point. “But won’t you admit, + doctor, the possibility of some disorder of the will?” he asked. “Has it + not been proved, is it not admitted nowadays, that when certain degenerate + creatures with childish minds fall into an hallucination, a fancy of some + kind or other, they are often unable to free themselves from it, + especially when they remain in the same environment in which the + phenomenon occurred? Cloistered, living alone with her fixed idea, + Bernadette, naturally enough, obstinately clung to it.” + </p> + <p> + The doctor’s faint smile returned to his lips, and vaguely waving his arm, + he replied: “Ah! my child, you ask me too much. You know very well that I + am now only a poor old man, who prides himself but little on his science, + and no longer claims to be able to explain anything. However, I do of + course know of that famous medical-school example of the young girl who + allowed herself to waste away with hunger at home, because she imagined + that she was suffering from a serious complaint of the digestive organs, + but who nevertheless began to eat when she was taken elsewhere. However, + that is but one circumstance, and there are so many contradictory cases.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment they became silent, and only the rhythmical sound of their + steps was heard along the road. Then the doctor resumed: “Moreover, it is + quite true that Bernadette shunned the world, and was only happy in her + solitary corner. She was never known to have a single intimate female + friend, any particular human love for anybody. She was kind and gentle + towards all, but it was only for children that she showed any lively + affection. And as, after all, the medical man is not quite dead within me, + I will confess to you that I have sometimes wondered if she remained as + pure in mind, as, most undoubtedly, she did remain in body. However, I + think it quite possible, given her sluggish, poor-blooded temperament, not + to speak of the innocent sphere in which she grew up, first Bartres, and + then the convent. Still, a doubt came to me when I heard of the tender + interest which she took in the orphan asylum built by the Sisters of + Nevers, farther along this very road. Poor little girls are received into + it, and shielded from the perils of the highways. And if Bernadette wished + it to be extremely large, so as to lodge all the little lambs in danger, + was it not because she herself remembered having roamed the roads with + bare feet, and still trembled at the idea of what might have become of her + but for the help of the Blessed Virgin?” + </p> + <p> + Then, resuming his narrative, he went on telling Pierre of the crowds that + flocked to see Bernadette and pay her reverence in her asylum at Lourdes. + This had proved a source of considerable fatigue to her. Not a day went by + without a stream of visitors appearing before her. They came from all + parts of France, some even from abroad; and it soon proved necessary to + refuse the applications of those who were actuated by mere + inquisitiveness, and to grant admittance only to the genuine believers, + the members of the clergy, and the people of mark on whom the doors could + not well have been shut. A Sister was always present to protect Bernadette + against the excessive indiscretion of some of her visitors, for questions + literally rained upon her, and she often grew faint through having to + repeat her story so many times. Ladies of high position fell on their + knees, kissed her gown, and would have liked to carry a piece of it away + as a relic. She also had to defend her chaplet, which in their excitement + they all begged her to sell to them for a fabulous amount. One day a + certain marchioness endeavoured to secure it by giving her another one + which she had brought with her—a chaplet with a golden cross and + beads of real pearls. Many hoped that she would consent to work a miracle + in their presence; children were brought to her in order that she might + lay her hands upon them; she was also consulted in cases of illness, and + attempts were made to purchase her influence with the Virgin. Large sums + were offered to her. At the slightest sign, the slightest expression of a + desire to be a queen, decked with jewels and crowned with gold, she would + have been overwhelmed with regal presents. And while the humble remained + on their knees on her threshold, the great ones of the earth pressed round + her, and would have counted it a glory to act as her escort. It was even + related that one among them, the handsomest and wealthiest of princes, + came one clear sunny April day to ask her hand in marriage. + </p> + <p> + “But what always struck and displeased me,” said Pierre, “was her + departure from Lourdes when she was two-and-twenty, her sudden + disappearance and sequestration in the convent of Saint Gildard at Nevers, + whence she never emerged. Didn’t that give a semblance of truth to those + spurious rumours of insanity which were circulated? Didn’t it help people + to suppose that she was being shut up, whisked away for fear of some + indiscretion on her part, some naive remark or other which might have + revealed the secret of a prolonged fraud? Indeed, to speak plainly, I will + confess to you that for my own part I still believe that she was spirited + away.” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Chassaigne gently shook his head. “No, no,” said he, “there was no + story prepared in advance in this affair, no big melodrama secretly staged + and afterwards performed by more or less unconscious actors. The + developments came of themselves, by the sole force of circumstances; and + they were always very intricate, very difficult to analyse. Moreover, it + is certain that it was Bernadette herself who wished to leave Lourdes. + Those incessant visits wearied her, she felt ill at ease amidst all that + noisy worship. All that <i>she</i> desired was a dim nook where she might + live in peace, and so fierce was she at times in her disinterestedness, + that when money was handed to her, even with the pious intent of having a + mass said or a taper burnt, she would fling it upon the floor. She never + accepted anything for herself or for her family, which remained in + poverty. And with such pride as she possessed, such natural simplicity, + such a desire to remain in the background, one can very well understand + that she should have wished to disappear and cloister herself in some + lonely spot so as to prepare herself to make a good death. Her work was + accomplished; she had initiated this great movement scarcely knowing how + or why; and she could really be of no further utility. Others were about + to conduct matters to an issue and insure the triumph of the Grotto.” + </p> + <p> + “Let us admit, then, that she went off of her own accord,” said Pierre; + “still, what a relief it must have been for the people you speak of, who + thenceforth became the real masters, whilst millions of money were raining + down on Lourdes from the whole world.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! certainly; I don’t pretend that any attempt was made to detain her + here!” exclaimed the doctor. “Frankly, I even believe that she was in some + degree urged into the course she took. She ended by becoming somewhat of + an incumbrance. It was not that any annoying revelations were feared from + her; but remember that with her extreme timidity and frequent illnesses + she was scarcely ornamental. Besides, however small the room which she + took up at Lourdes, however obedient she showed herself, she was none the + less a power, and attracted the multitude, which made her, so to say, a + competitor of the Grotto. For the Grotto to remain alone, resplendent in + its glory, it was advisable that Bernadette should withdraw into the + background, become as it were a simple legend. Such, indeed, must have + been the reasons which induced Monseigneur Laurence, the Bishop of Tarbes, + to hasten her departure. The only mistake that was made was in saying that + it was a question of screening her from the enterprises of the world, as + though it were feared that she might fall into the sin of pride, by + growing vain of the saintly fame with which the whole of Christendom + re-echoed. And this was doing her a grave injury, for she was as incapable + of pride as she was of falsehood. Never, indeed, was there a more candid + or more modest child.” + </p> + <p> + The doctor was growing impassioned, excited. But all at once he became + calm again, and a pale smile returned to his lips. “‘Tis true,” said he, + “I love her; the more I have thought of her, the more have I learned to + love her. But you must not think, Pierre, that I am completely brutified + by belief. If I nowadays acknowledge the existence of an unseen power, if + I feel a need of believing in another, better, and more just life, I + nevertheless know right well that there are men remaining in this world of + ours; and at times, even when they wear the cowl or the cassock, the work + they do is vile.” + </p> + <p> + There came another interval of silence. Each was continuing his dream + apart from the other. Then the doctor resumed: “I will tell you of a fancy + which has often haunted me. Suppose we admit that Bernadette was not the + shy, simple child we knew her to be; let us endow her with a spirit of + intrigue and domination, transform her into a conqueress, a leader of + nations, and try to picture what, in that case, would have happened. It is + evident that the Grotto would be hers, the Basilica also. We should see + her lording it at all the ceremonies, under a dais, with a gold mitre on + her head. She would distribute the miracles; with a sovereign gesture her + little hand would lead the multitudes to heaven. All the lustre and glory + would come from her, she being the saint, the chosen one, the only one + that had been privileged to see the Divinity face to face. And indeed + nothing would seem more just, for she would triumph after toiling, enjoy + the fruit of her labour in all glory. But you see, as it happens, she is + defrauded, robbed. The marvellous harvests sown by her are reaped by + others. During the twelve years which she lived at Saint Gildard, kneeling + in the gloom, Lourdes was full of victors, priests in golden vestments + chanting thanksgivings, and blessing churches and monuments erected at a + cost of millions. She alone did not behold the triumph of the new faith, + whose author she had been. You say that she dreamt it all. Well, at all + events, what a beautiful dream it was, a dream which has stirred the whole + world, and from which she, dear girl, never awakened!” + </p> + <p> + They halted and sat down for a moment on a rock beside the road, before + returning to the town. In front of them the Gave, deep at this point of + its course, was rolling blue waters tinged with dark moire-like + reflections, whilst, farther on, rushing hurriedly over a bed of large + stones, the stream became so much foam, a white froth, light like snow. + Amidst the gold raining from the sun, a fresh breeze came down from the + mountains. + </p> + <p> + Whilst listening to that story of how Bernadette had been exploited and + suppressed, Pierre had simply found in it all a fresh motive for revolt; + and, with his eyes fixed on the ground, he began to think of the injustice + of nature, of that law which wills that the strong should devour the weak. + Then, all at once raising his head, he inquired: “And did you also know + Abbé Peyramale?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor’s eyes brightened once more, and he eagerly replied: “Certainly + I did! He was an upright, energetic man, a saint, an apostle. He and + Bernadette were the great makers of Our Lady of Lourdes. Like her, he + endured frightful sufferings, and, like her, he died from them. Those who + do not know his story can know nothing, understand nothing, of the drama + enacted here.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he related that story at length. Abbé Peyramale was the parish + priest of Lourdes at the time of the apparitions. A native of the region, + tall, broad-shouldered, with a powerful leonine head, he was extremely + intelligent, very honest and goodhearted, though at times violent and + domineering. He seemed built for combat. An enemy of all pious + exaggerations, discharging the duties of his ministry in a broad, liberal + spirit, he regarded the apparitions with distrust when he first heard of + them, refused to believe in Bernadette’s stories, questioned her, and + demanded proofs. It was only at a later stage, when the blast of faith + became irresistible, upsetting the most rebellious minds and mastering the + multitude, that he ended, in his turn, by bowing his head; and when he was + finally conquered, it was more particularly by his love for the humble and + the oppressed which he could not restrain when he beheld Bernadette + threatened with imprisonment. The civil authorities were persecuting one + of his flock; at this his shepherd’s heart awoke, and, in her defence, he + gave full reign to his ardent passion for justice. Moreover, the charm + which the child diffused had worked upon him; he felt her to be so candid, + so truthful, that he began to place a blind faith in her and love her even + as everybody else loved her. Moreover, why should he have curtly dismissed + all questions of miracles, when miracles abound in the pages of Holy Writ? + It was not for a minister of religion, whatever his prudence, to set + himself up as a sceptic when entire populations were falling on their + knees and the Church seemed to be on the eve of another great triumph. + Then, too, he had the nature of one who leads men, who stirs up crowds, + who builds, and in this affair he had really found his vocation, the vast + field in which he might exercise his energy, the great cause to which he + might wholly devote himself with all his passionate ardour and + determination to succeed. + </p> + <p> + From that moment, then, Abbé Peyramale had but one thought, to execute the + orders which the Virgin had commissioned Bernadette to transmit to him. He + caused improvements to be carried out at the Grotto. A railing was placed + in front of it; pipes were laid for the conveyance of the water from the + source, and a variety of work was accomplished in order to clear the + approaches. However, the Virgin had particularly requested that a chapel + might be built; and he wished to have a church, quite a triumphal + Basilica. He pictured everything on a grand scale, and, full of confidence + in the enthusiastic help of Christendom, he worried the architects, + requiring them to design real palaces worthy of the Queen of Heaven. As a + matter of fact, offerings already abounded, gold poured from the most + distant dioceses, a rain of gold destined to increase and never end. Then + came his happy years: he was to be met among the workmen at all hours, + instilling activity into them like the jovial, good-natured fellow he was, + constantly on the point of taking a pick or trowel in hand himself, such + was his eagerness to behold the realisation of his dream. But days of + trial were in store for him: he fell ill, and lay in danger of death on + the fourth of April, 1864, when the first procession started from his + parish church to the Grotto, a procession of sixty thousand pilgrims, + which wound along the streets amidst an immense concourse of spectators. + </p> + <p> + On the day when Abbé Peyramale rose from his bed, saved, a first time, + from death, he found himself despoiled. To second him in his heavy task, + Monseigneur Laurence, the Bishop, had already given him as assistant a + former episcopal secretary, Father Sempé, whom he had appointed warden of + the Missionaries of Geraison, a community founded by himself. Father Sempé + was a sly, spare little man, to all appearance most disinterested and + humble, but in reality consumed by all the thirst of ambition. At the + outset he kept in his place, serving the parish priest of Lourdes like a + faithful subordinate, attending to matters of all kinds in order to + lighten the other’s work, and acquiring information on every possible + subject in his desire to render himself indispensable. He must soon have + realised what a rich farm the Grotto was destined to become, and what a + colossal revenue might be derived from it, if only a little skill were + exercised. And thenceforth he no longer stirred from the episcopal + residence, but ended by acquiring great influence over the calm, practical + Bishop, who was in great need of money for the charities of his diocese. + And thus it was that during Abbé Peyramale’s illness Father Sempé + succeeded in effecting a separation between the parish of Lourdes and the + domain of the Grotto, which last he was commissioned to manage at the head + of a few Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, over whom the Bishop placed + him as Father Superior. + </p> + <p> + The struggle soon began, one of those covert, desperate, mortal struggles + which are waged under the cloak of ecclesiastical discipline. There was a + pretext for rupture all ready, a field of battle on which the longer purse + would necessarily end by conquering. It was proposed to build a new parish + church, larger and more worthy of Lourdes than the old one already in + existence, which was admitted to have become too small since the faithful + had been flocking into the town in larger and larger numbers. Moreover, it + was an old idea of Abbé Peyramale, who desired to carry out the Virgin’s + orders with all possible precision. Speaking of the Grotto, she had said + that people would go “thither in procession”; and the Abbé had always seen + the pilgrims start in procession from the town, whither they were expected + to return in the same fashion, as indeed had been the practice on the + first occasions after the apparitions. A central point, a rallying spot, + was therefore required, and the Abbé’s dream was to erect a magnificent + church, a cathedral of gigantic proportions, which would accommodate a + vast multitude. Builder as he was by temperament, impassioned artisan + working for the glory of Heaven, he already pictured this cathedral + springing from the soil, and rearing its clanging belfry in the sunlight. + And it was also his own house that he wished to build, the edifice which + would be his act of faith and adoration, the temple where he would be the + pontiff, and triumph in company with the sweet memory of Bernadette, in + full view of the spot of which both he and she had been so cruelly + dispossessed. Naturally enough, bitterly as he felt that act of + spoliation, the building of this new parish church was in some degree his + revenge, his share of all the glory, besides being a task which would + enable him to utilise both his militant activity and the fever that had + been consuming him ever since he had ceased going to the Grotto, by reason + of his soreness of heart. + </p> + <p> + At the outset of the new enterprise there was again a flash of enthusiasm. + At the prospect of seeing all the life and all the money flow into the new + city which was springing from the ground around the Basilica, the old + town, which felt itself thrust upon one side, espoused the cause of its + priest. The municipal council voted a sum of one hundred thousand francs, + which, unfortunately, was not to be paid until the new church should be + roofed in. Abbé Peyramale had already accepted the plans of his architect—plans + which, he had insisted, should be on a grand scale—and had also + treated with a contractor of Chartres, who engaged to complete the church + in three or four years if the promised supplies of funds should be + regularly forthcoming. The Abbé believed that offerings would assuredly + continue raining down from all parts, and so he launched into this big + enterprise without any anxiety, overflowing with a careless bravery, and + fully expecting that Heaven would not abandon him on the road. He even + fancied that he could rely upon the support of Monseigneur Jourdan, who + had now succeeded Monseigneur Laurence as Bishop of Tarbes, for this + prelate, after blessing the foundation-stone of the new church, had + delivered an address in which he admitted that the enterprise was + necessary and meritorious. And it seemed, too, as though Father Sempé, + with his customary humility, had bowed to the inevitable and accepted this + vexatious competition, which would compel him to relinquish a share of the + plunder; for he now pretended to devote himself entirely to the management + of the Grotto, and even allowed a collection-box for contributions to the + building of the new parish church to be placed inside the Basilica. + </p> + <p> + Then, however, the secret, rageful struggle began afresh. Abbé Peyramale, + who was a wretched manager, exulted on seeing his new church so rapidly + take shape. The work was being carried on at a fast pace, and he troubled + about nothing else, being still under the delusion that the Blessed Virgin + would find whatever money might be needed. Thus he was quite stupefied + when he at last perceived that the offerings were falling off, that the + money of the faithful no longer reached him, as though, indeed, someone + had secretly diverted its flow. And eventually the day came when he was + unable to make the stipulated payments. In all this there had been so much + skilfully combined strangulation, of which he only became aware later on. + Father Sempé, however, had once more prevailed on the Bishop to grant his + favour exclusively to the Grotto. There was even a talk of some + confidential circulars distributed through the various dioceses, so that + the many sums of money offered by the faithful should no longer be sent to + the parish. The voracious, insatiable Grotto was bent upon securing + everything, and to such a point were things carried that five hundred + franc notes slipped into the collection-box at the Basilica were kept + back; the box was rifled and the parish robbed. Abbé Peyramale, however, + in his passion for the rising church, his child, continued fighting most + desperately, ready if need were to give his blood. He had at first treated + with the contractor in the name of the vestry; then, when he was at a loss + how to pay, he treated in his own name. His life was bound up in the + enterprise, he wore himself out in the heroic efforts which he made. Of + the four hundred thousand francs that he had promised, he had only been + able to pay two hundred thousand; and the municipal council still + obstinately refused to hand over the hundred thousand francs which it had + voted, until the new church should be covered in. This was acting against + the town’s real interests. However, it was said that Father Sempé was + trying to bring influence to bear on the contractor. And, all at once, the + work was stopped. + </p> + <p> + From that moment the death agony began. Wounded in the heart, the Abbé + Peyramale, the broad-shouldered mountaineer with the leonine face, + staggered and fell like an oak struck down by a thunderbolt. He took to + his bed, and never left it alive. Strange stories circulated: it was said + that Father Sempé had sought to secure admission to the parsonage under + some pious pretext, but in reality to see if his much-dreaded adversary + were really mortally stricken; and it was added, that it had been + necessary to drive him from the sick-room, where his presence was an + outrageous scandal. Then, when the unhappy priest, vanquished and steeped + in bitterness, was dead, Father Sempé was seen triumphing at the funeral, + from which the others had not dared to keep him away. It was affirmed that + he openly displayed his abominable delight, that his face was radiant that + day with the joy of victory. He was at last rid of the only man who had + been an obstacle to his designs, whose legitimate authority he had feared. + He would no longer be forced to share anything with anybody now that both + the founders of Our Lady of Lourdes had been suppressed—Bernadette + placed in a convent, and Abbé Peyramale lowered into the ground. The + Grotto was now his own property, the alms would come to him alone, and he + could do what he pleased with the eight hundred thousand francs* or so + which were at his disposal every year. He would complete the gigantic + works destined to make the Basilica a self-supporting centre, and assist + in embellishing the new town in order to increase the isolation of the old + one and seclude it behind its rock, like an insignificant parish submerged + beneath the splendour of its all-powerful neighbour. All the money, all + the sovereignty, would be his; he henceforth would reign. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * About 145,000 dollars. +</pre> + <p> + However, although the works had been stopped, and the new parish church + was slumbering inside its wooden fence, it was none the less more than + half built. The vaulted aisles were already erected. And the imperfect + pile remained there like a threat, for the town might some day attempt to + finish it. Like Abbé Peyramale, therefore, it must be killed for good, + turned into an irreparable ruin. The secret labour therefore continued, a + work of refined cruelty and slow destruction. To begin with, the new + parish priest, a simple-minded creature, was cowed to such a point that he + no longer opened the envelopes containing remittances for the parish; all + the registered letters were at once taken to the Fathers. Then the site + selected for the new parish church was criticised, and the diocesan + architect was induced to draw up a report stating that the old church was + still in good condition and of ample size for the requirements of the + community. Moreover, influence was brought to bear on the Bishop, and + representations were made to him respecting the annoying features of the + pecuniary difficulties which had arisen with the contractor. With a little + imagination poor Peyramale was transformed into a violent, obstinate + madman, through whose undisciplined zeal the Church had almost been + compromised. And, at last, the Bishop, forgetting that he himself had + blessed the foundation-stone, issued a pastoral letter laying the + unfinished church under interdict, and prohibiting all religious services + in it. This was the supreme blow. Endless lawsuits had already begun; the + contractor, who had only received two hundred thousand francs for the five + hundred thousand francs’ worth of work which had been executed, had taken + proceedings against Abbé Peyramale’s heir-at-law, the vestry, and the + town, for the last still refused to pay over the amount which it had + voted. At first the Prefect’s Council declared itself incompetent to deal + with the case, and when it was sent back to it by the Council of State, it + rendered a judgment by which the town was condemned to pay the hundred + thousand francs and the heir-at-law to finish the church. At the same time + the vestry was put out of court. However, there was a fresh appeal to the + Council of State, which quashed this judgment, and condemned the vestry, + and, in default, the heir-at-law, to pay the contractor. Neither party + being solvent, matters remained in this position. The lawsuits had lasted + fifteen years. The town had now resignedly paid over the hundred thousand + francs, and only two hundred thousand remained owing to the contractor. + However, the costs and the accumulated interest had so increased the + amount of indebtedness that it had risen to six hundred thousand francs; + and as, on the other hand, it was estimated that four hundred thousand + francs would be required to finish the church, a million was needed to + save this young ruin from certain destruction. The Fathers of the Grotto + were thenceforth able to sleep in peace; they had assassinated the poor + church; it was as dead as Abbé Peyramale himself. + </p> + <p> + The bells of the Basilica rang out triumphantly, and Father Sempé reigned + as a victor at the conclusion of that great struggle, that dagger warfare + in which not only a man but stones also had been done to death in the + shrouding gloom of intriguing sacristies. And old Lourdes, obstinate and + unintelligent, paid a hard penalty for its mistake in not giving more + support to its minister, who had died struggling, killed by his love for + his parish, for now the new town did not cease to grow and prosper at the + expense of the old one. All the wealth flowed to the former: the Fathers + of the Grotto coined money, financed hotels and candle shops, and sold the + water of the source, although a clause of their agreement with the + municipality expressly prohibited them from carrying on any commercial + pursuits. + </p> + <p> + The whole region began to rot and fester; the triumph of the Grotto had + brought about such a passion for lucre, such a burning, feverish desire to + possess and enjoy, that extraordinary perversion set in, growing worse and + worse each day, and changing Bernadette’s peaceful Bethlehem into a + perfect Sodom or Gomorrah. Father Sempé had ensured the triumph of his + Divinity by spreading human abominations all around and wrecking thousands + of souls. Gigantic buildings rose from the ground, five or six millions of + francs had already been expended, everything being sacrificed to the stern + determination to leave the poor parish out in the cold and keep the entire + plunder for self and friends. Those costly, colossal gradient ways had + only been erected in order to avoid compliance with the Virgin’s express + desire that the faithful should come to the Grotto in procession. For to + go down from the Basilica by the incline on the left, and climb up to it + again by the incline on the right, could certainly not be called going to + the Grotto in procession: it was simply so much revolving in a circle. + However, the Fathers cared little about that; they had succeeded in + compelling people to start from their premises and return to them, in + order that they might be the sole proprietors of the affair, the opulent + farmers who garnered the whole harvest. Abbé Peyramale lay buried in the + crypt of his unfinished, ruined church, and Bernadette, who had long since + dragged out her life of suffering in the depths of a convent far away, was + now likewise sleeping the eternal sleep under a flagstone in a chapel. + </p> + <p> + Deep silence fell when Doctor Chassaigne had finished this long narrative. + Then, with a painful effort, he rose to his feet again: “It will soon be + ten o’clock, my dear child,” said he, “and I want you to take a little + rest. Let us go back.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre followed him without speaking; and they retraced their steps toward + the town at a more rapid pace. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,” resumed the doctor, “there were great iniquities and great + sufferings in it all. But what else could you expect? Man spoils and + corrupts the most beautiful things. And you cannot yet understand all the + woeful sadness of the things of which I have been talking to you. You must + see them, lay your hand on them. Would you like me to show you + Bernadette’s room and Abbé Peyramale’s unfinished church this evening?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I should indeed,” replied Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I will meet you in front of the Basilica after the four-o’clock + procession, and you can come with me.” + </p> + <p> + Then they spoke no further, each becoming absorbed in his reverie once + more. + </p> + <p> + The Gave, now upon their right hand, was flowing through a deep gorge, a + kind of cleft into which it plunged, vanishing from sight among the + bushes. But at intervals a clear stretch of it, looking like unburnished + silver, would appear to view; and, farther on, after a sudden turn in the + road, they found it flowing in increased volume across a plain, where it + spread at times into glassy sheets which must often have changed their + beds, for the gravelly soil was ravined on all sides. The sun was now + becoming very hot, and was already high in the heavens, whose limpid azure + assumed a deeper tinge above the vast circle of mountains. + </p> + <p> + And it was at this turn of the road that Lourdes, still some distance + away, reappeared to the eyes of Pierre and Doctor Chassaigne. In the + splendid morning atmosphere, amid a flying dust of gold and purple rays, + the town shone whitely on the horizon, its houses and monuments becoming + more and more distinct at each step which brought them nearer. And the + doctor, still silent, at last waved his arm with a broad, mournful gesture + in order to call his companion’s attention to this growing town, as though + to a proof of all that he had been telling him. There, indeed, rising up + in the dazzling daylight, was the evidence which confirmed his words. + </p> + <p> + The flare of the Grotto, fainter now that the sun was shining, could + already be espied amidst the greenery. And soon afterwards the gigantic + monumental works spread out: the quay with its freestone parapet skirting + the Gave, whose course had been diverted; the new bridge connecting the + new gardens with the recently opened boulevard; the colossal gradient + ways, the massive church of the Rosary, and, finally, the slim, tapering + Basilica, rising above all else with graceful pride. Of the new town + spread all around the monuments, the wealthy city which had sprung, as + though by enchantment, from the ancient impoverished soil, the great + convents and the great hotels, you could, at this distance, merely + distinguish a swarming of white façades and a scintillation of new slates; + whilst, in confusion, far away, beyond the rocky mass on which the + crumbling castle walls were profiled against the sky, appeared the humble + roofs of the old town, a jumble of little time-worn roofs, pressing + timorously against one another. And as a background to this vision of the + life of yesterday and to-day, the little and the big Gers rose up beneath + the splendour of the everlasting sun, and barred the horizon with their + bare slopes, which the oblique rays were tingeing with streaks of pink and + yellow. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Chassaigne insisted on accompanying Pierre to the Hotel of the + Apparitions, and only parted from him at its door, after reminding him of + their appointment for the afternoon. It was not yet eleven o’clock. + Pierre, whom fatigue had suddenly mastered, forced himself to eat before + going to bed, for he realised that want of food was one of the chief + causes of the weakness which had come over him. He fortunately found a + vacant seat at the <i>table d’hôte</i>, and made some kind of a <i>déjeuner</i>, + half asleep all the time, and scarcely knowing what was served to him. + Then he went up-stairs and flung himself on his bed, after taking care to + tell the servant to awake him at three o’clock. + </p> + <p> + However, on lying down, the fever that consumed him at first prevented him + from closing his eyes. A pair of gloves, forgotten in the next room, had + reminded him of M. de Guersaint, who had left for Gavarnie before + daybreak, and would only return in the evening. What a delightful gift was + thoughtlessness, thought Pierre. For his own part, with his limbs worn out + by weariness and his mind distracted, he was sad unto death. Everything + seemed to conspire against his willing desire to regain the faith of his + childhood. The tale of Abbé Peyramale’s tragic adventures had simply + aggravated the feeling of revolt which the story of Bernadette, chosen and + martyred, had implanted in his breast. And thus he asked himself whether + his search after the truth, instead of restoring his faith, would not + rather lead him to yet greater hatred of ignorance and credulity, and to + the bitter conviction that man is indeed all alone in the world, with + naught to guide him save his reason. + </p> + <p> + At last he fell asleep, but visions continued hovering around him in his + painful slumber. He beheld Lourdes, contaminated by Mammon, turned into a + spot of abomination and perdition, transformed into a huge bazaar, where + everything was sold, masses and souls alike! He beheld also Abbé + Peyramale, dead and slumbering under the ruins of his church, among the + nettles which ingratitude had sown there. And he only grew calm again, + only tasted the delights of forgetfulness when a last pale, woeful vision + had faded from his gaze—a vision of Bernadette upon her knees in a + gloomy corner at Nevers, dreaming of her far-away work, which she was + never, never to behold. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol04"></a> + THE FOURTH DAY + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap16"></a> + I. THE BITTERNESS OP DEATH + </h2> + <p> + AT the Hospital of Our Lady of Dolours, that morning, Marie remained + seated on her bed, propped up by pillows. Having spent the whole night at + the Grotto, she had refused to let them take her back there. And, as + Madame de Jonquière approached her, to raise one of the pillows which was + slipping from its place, she asked: “What day is it, madame?” + </p> + <p> + “Monday, my dear child.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! true. One so soon loses count of time. And, besides, I am so happy! + It is to-day that the Blessed Virgin will cure me!” + </p> + <p> + She smiled divinely, with the air of a day-dreamer, her eyes gazing into + vacancy, her thoughts so far away, so absorbed in her one fixed idea, that + she beheld nothing save the certainty of her hope. Round about her, the + Sainte-Honorine Ward was now quite deserted, all the patients, excepting + Madame Vetu, who lay at the last extremity in the next bed, having already + started for the Grotto. But Marie did not even notice her neighbour; she + was delighted with the sudden stillness which had fallen. One of the + windows overlooking the courtyard had been opened, and the glorious + morning sunshine entered in one broad beam, whose golden dust was dancing + over her bed and streaming upon her pale hands. It was indeed pleasant to + find this room, so dismal at nighttime with its many beds of sickness, its + unhealthy atmosphere, and its nightmare groans, thus suddenly filled with + sunlight, purified by the morning air, and wrapped in such delicious + silence! “Why don’t you try to sleep a little?” maternally inquired Madame + de Jonquière. “You must be quite worn out by your vigil.” + </p> + <p> + Marie, who felt so light and cheerful that she no longer experienced any + pain, seemed surprised. + </p> + <p> + “But I am not at all tired, and I don’t feel a bit sleepy. Go to sleep? + Oh! no, that would be too sad. I should no longer know that I was going to + be cured!” + </p> + <p> + At this the superintendent laughed. “Then why didn’t you let them take you + to the Grotto?” she asked. “You won’t know what to do with yourself all + alone here.” + </p> + <p> + “I am not alone, madame, I am with her,” replied Marie; and thereupon, her + vision returning to her, she clasped her hands in ecstasy. “Last night, + you know, I saw her bend her head towards me and smile. I quite understood + her, I could hear her voice, although she never opened her lips. When the + Blessed Sacrament passes at four o’clock I shall be cured.” + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière tried to calm her, feeling rather anxious at the + species of somnambulism in which she beheld her. However, the sick girl + went on: “No, no, I am no worse, I am waiting. Only, you must surely see, + madame, that there is no need for me to go to the Grotto this morning, + since the appointment which she gave me is for four o’clock.” And then the + girl added in a lower tone: “Pierre will come for me at half-past three. + At four o’clock I shall be cured.” + </p> + <p> + The sunbeam slowly made its way up her bare arms, which were now almost + transparent, so wasted had they become through illness; whilst her + glorious fair hair, which had fallen over her shoulders, seemed like the + very effulgence of the great luminary enveloping her. The trill of a bird + came in from the courtyard, and quite enlivened the tremulous silence of + the ward. Some child who could not be seen must also have been playing + close by, for now and again a soft laugh could be heard ascending in the + warm air which was so delightfully calm. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Madame de Jonquière by way of conclusion, “don’t sleep then, + as you don’t wish to. But keep quite quiet, and it will rest you all the + same.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Madame Vetu was expiring in the adjoining bed. They had not dared + to take her to the Grotto, for fear they should see her die on the way. + For some little time she had lain there with her eyes closed; and Sister + Hyacinthe, who was watching, had beckoned to Madame Désagneaux in order to + acquaint her with the bad opinion she had formed of the case. Both of them + were now leaning over the dying woman, observing her with increasing + anxiety. The mask upon her face had turned more yellow than ever, and now + looked like a coating of mud; her eyes too had become more sunken, her + lips seemed to have grown thinner, and the death rattle had begun, a slow, + pestilential wheezing, polluted by the cancer which was finishing its + destructive work. All at once she raised her eyelids, and was seized with + fear on beholding those two faces bent over her own. Could her death be + near, that they should thus be gazing at her? Immense sadness showed + itself in her eyes, a despairing regret of life. It was not a vehement + revolt, for she no longer had the strength to struggle; but what a + frightful fate it was to have left her shop, her surroundings, and her + husband, merely to come and die so far away; to have braved the abominable + torture of such a journey, to have prayed both day and night, and then, + instead of having her prayer granted, to die when others recovered! + </p> + <p> + However, she could do no more than murmur “Oh! how I suffer; oh! how I + suffer. Do something, anything, to relieve this pain, I beseech you.” + </p> + <p> + Little Madame Désagneaux, with her pretty milk-white face showing amidst + her mass of fair, frizzy hair, was quite upset. She was not used to + deathbed scenes, she would have given half her heart, as she expressed it, + to see that poor woman recover. And she rose up and began to question + Sister Hyacinthe, who was also in tears but already resigned, knowing as + she did that salvation was assured when one died well. Could nothing + really be done, however? Could not something be tried to ease the dying + woman? Abbé Judaine had come and administered the last sacrament to her a + couple of hours earlier that very morning. She now only had Heaven to look + to; it was her only hope, for she had long since given up expecting aid + from the skill of man. + </p> + <p> + “No, no! we must do something,” exclaimed Madame Désagneaux. And thereupon + she went and fetched Madame de Jonquière from beside Marie’s bed. “Look + how this poor creature is suffering, madame!” she exclaimed. “Sister + Hyacinthe says that she can only last a few hours longer. But we cannot + leave her moaning like this. There are things which give relief. Why not + call that young doctor who is here?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course we will,” replied the superintendent. “We will send for him at + once.” + </p> + <p> + They seldom thought of the doctor in the wards. It only occurred to the + ladies to send for him when a case was at its very worst, when one of + their patients was howling with pain. Sister Hyacinthe, who herself felt + surprised at not having thought of Ferrand, whom she believed to be in an + adjoining room, inquired if she should fetch him. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” was the reply. “Bring him as quickly as possible.” + </p> + <p> + When the Sister had gone off, Madame de Jonquière made Madame Désagneaux + help her in slightly raising the dying woman’s head, thinking that this + might relieve her. The two ladies happened to be alone there that morning, + all the other lady-hospitallers having gone to their devotions or their + private affairs. However, from the end of the large deserted ward, where, + amidst the warm quiver of the sunlight such sweet tranquillity prevailed, + there still came at intervals the light laughter of the unseen child. + </p> + <p> + “Can it be Sophie who is making such a noise?” suddenly asked the + lady-superintendent, whose nerves were somewhat upset by all the worry of + the death which she foresaw. Then quickly walking to the end of the ward, + she found that it was indeed Sophie Couteau—the young girl so + miraculously healed the previous year—who, seated on the floor + behind a bed, had been amusing herself, despite her fourteen years, in + making a doll out of a few rags. She was now talking to it, so happy, so + absorbed in her play, that she laughed quite heartily. “Hold yourself up, + mademoiselle,” said she. “Dance the polka, that I may see how you can do + it! One! two! dance, turn, kiss the one you like best!” + </p> + <p> + Madame de Jonquière, however, was now coming up. “Little girl,” she said, + “we have one of our patients here in great pain, and not expected to + recover. You must not laugh so loud.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! madame, I didn’t know,” replied Sophie, rising up, and becoming quite + serious, although still holding the doll in her hand. “Is she going to + die, madame?” + </p> + <p> + “I fear so, my poor child.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Sophie became quite silent. She followed the superintendent, and + seated herself on an adjoining bed; whence, without the slightest sign of + fear, but with her large eyes burning with curiosity, she began to watch + Madame Vetu’s death agony. In her nervous state, Madame Désagneaux was + growing impatient at the delay in the doctor’s arrival; whilst Marie, + still enraptured, and resplendent in the sunlight, seemed unconscious of + what was taking place about her, wrapt as she was in delightful expectancy + of the miracle. + </p> + <p> + Not having found Ferrand in the small apartment near the linen-room which + he usually occupied, Sister Hyacinthe was now searching for him all over + the building. During the past two days the young doctor had become more + bewildered than ever in that extraordinary hospital, where his assistance + was only sought for the relief of death pangs. The small medicine-chest + which he had brought with him proved quite useless; for there could be no + thought of trying any course of treatment, as the sick were not there to + be doctored, but simply to be cured by the lightning stroke of a miracle. + And so he mainly confined himself to administering a few opium pills, in + order to deaden the severer sufferings. He had been fairly amazed when + accompanying Doctor Bonamy on a round through the wards. It had resolved + itself into a mere stroll, the doctor, who had only come out of curiosity, + taking no interest in the patients, whom he neither questioned nor + examined. He solely concerned himself with the pretended cases of cure, + stopping opposite those women whom he recognised from having seen them at + his office where the miracles were verified. One of them had suffered from + three complaints, only one of which the Blessed Virgin had so far deigned + to cure; but great hopes were entertained respecting the other two. + Sometimes, when a wretched woman, who the day before had claimed to be + cured, was questioned with reference to her health, she would reply that + her pains had returned to her. However, this never disturbed the doctor’s + serenity; ever conciliatory, the good man declared that Heaven would + surely complete what Heaven had begun. Whenever there was an improvement + in health, he would ask if it were not something to be thankful for. And, + indeed, his constant saying was: “There’s an improvement already; be + patient!” What he most dreaded were the importunities of the + lady-superintendents, who all wished to detain him to show him sundry + extraordinary cases. Each prided herself on having the most serious + illnesses, the most frightful, exceptional cases in her ward; so that she + was eager to have them medically authenticated, in order that she might + share in the triumph should cure supervene. One caught the doctor by the + arm and assured him that she felt confident she had a leper in her charge; + another entreated him to come and look at a young girl whose back, she + said, was covered with fish’s scales; whilst a third, whispering in his + ear, gave him some terrible details about a married lady of the best + society. He hastened away, however, refusing to see even one of them, or + else simply promising to come back later on when he was not so busy. As he + himself said, if he listened to all those ladies, the day would pass in + useless consultations. However, he at last suddenly stopped opposite one + of the miraculously cured inmates, and, beckoning Ferrand to his side, + exclaimed: “Ah! now here is an interesting cure!” and Ferrand, utterly + bewildered, had to listen to him whilst he described all the features of + the illness, which had totally disappeared at the first immersion in the + piscina. + </p> + <p> + At last Sister Hyacinthe, still wandering about, encountered Abbé Judaine, + who informed her that the young doctor had just been summoned to the + Family Ward. It was the fourth time he had gone thither to attend to + Brother Isidore, whose sufferings were as acute as ever, and whom he could + only fill with opium. In his agony, the Brother merely asked to be soothed + a little, in order that he might gather together sufficient strength to + return to the Grotto in the afternoon, as he had not been able to do so in + the morning. However, his pains increased, and at last he swooned away. + </p> + <p> + When the Sister entered the ward she found the doctor seated at the + missionary’s bedside. “Monsieur Ferrand,” she said, “come up-stairs with + me to the Sainte-Honorine Ward at once. We have a patient there at the + point of death.” + </p> + <p> + He smiled at her; indeed, he never beheld her without feeling brighter and + comforted. “I will come with you, Sister,” he replied. “But you’ll wait a + minute, won’t you? I must try to restore this poor man.” + </p> + <p> + She waited patiently and made herself useful. The Family Ward, situated on + the ground-floor, was also full of sunshine and fresh air which entered + through three large windows opening on to a narrow strip of garden. In + addition to Brother Isidore, only Monsieur Sabathier had remained in bed + that morning, with the view of obtaining a little rest; whilst Madame + Sabathier, taking advantage of the opportunity, had gone to purchase a few + medals and pictures, which she intended for presents. Comfortably seated + on his bed, his back supported by some pillows, the ex-professor was + rolling the beads of a chaplet between his fingers. He was no longer + praying, however, but merely continuing the operation in a mechanical + manner, his eyes, meantime, fixed upon his neighbour, whose attack he was + following with painful interest. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Sister,” said he to Sister Hyacinthe, who had drawn near, “that poor + Brother fills me with admiration. Yesterday I doubted the Blessed Virgin + for a moment, seeing that she did not deign to hear me, though I have been + coming here for seven years past; but the example set me by that poor + martyr, so resigned amidst his torments, has quite shamed me for my want + of faith. You can have no idea how grievously he suffers, and you should + see him at the Grotto, with his eyes glowing with divine hope! It is + really sublime! I only know of one picture at the Louvre—a picture + by some unknown Italian master—in which there is the head of a monk + beatified by a similar faith.” + </p> + <p> + The man of intellect, the ex-university-professor, reared on literature + and art, was reappearing in this poor old fellow, whose life had been + blasted, and who had desired to become a free patient, one of the poor of + the earth, in order to move the pity of Heaven. He again began thinking of + his own case, and with tenacious hopefulness, which the futility of seven + journeys to Lourdes had failed to destroy, he added: “Well, I still have + this afternoon, since we sha’n’t leave till to-morrow. The water is + certainly very cold, but I shall let them dip me a last time; and all the + morning I have been praying and asking pardon for my revolt of yesterday. + When the Blessed Virgin chooses to cure one of her children, it only takes + her a second to do so; is that not so, Sister? May her will be done, and + blessed be her name!” + </p> + <p> + Passing the beads of the chaplet more slowly between his fingers, he again + began saying his “Aves” and “Paters,” whilst his eyelids drooped on his + flabby face, to which a childish expression had been returning during the + many years that he had been virtually cut off from the world. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Ferrand had signalled to Brother Isidore’s sister, Marthe, to + come to him. She had been standing at the foot of the bed with her arms + hanging down beside her, showing the tearless resignation of a poor, + narrow-minded girl whilst she watched that dying man whom she worshipped. + She was no more than a faithful dog; she had accompanied her brother and + spent her scanty savings, without being of any use save to watch him + suffer. Accordingly, when the doctor told her to take the invalid in her + arms and raise him up a little, she felt quite happy at being of some + service at last. Her heavy, freckled, mournful face actually grew bright. + </p> + <p> + “Hold him,” said the doctor, “whilst I try to give him this.” + </p> + <p> + When she had raised him, Ferrand, with the aid of a small spoon, succeeded + in introducing a few drops of liquid between his set teeth. Almost + immediately the sick man opened his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. He was + calmer already; the opium was taking effect and dulling the pain which he + felt burning his right side, as though a red-hot iron were being applied + to it. However, he remained so weak that, when he wished to speak, it + became necessary to place one’s ear close to his mouth in order to catch + what he said. With a slight sign he had begged Ferrand to bend over him. + “You are the doctor, monsieur, are you not?” he faltered. “Give me + sufficient strength that I may go once more to the Grotto, this afternoon. + I am certain that, if I am able to go, the Blessed Virgin will cure me.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, of course you shall go,” replied the young man. “Don’t you feel ever + so much better?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! ever so much better—no! I know very well what my condition is, + because I saw many of our Brothers die, out there in Senegal. When the + liver is attacked and the abscess has worked its way outside, it means the + end. Sweating, fever, and delirium follow. But the Blessed Virgin will + touch the sore with her little finger and it will be healed. Oh! I implore + you all, take me to the Grotto, even if I should be unconscious!” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe had also approached, and leant over him. “Be easy, dear + Brother,” said she. “You shall go to the Grotto after <i>déjeuner</i>, and + we will all pray for you.” + </p> + <p> + At length, in despair at these delays and extremely anxious about Madame + Vetu, she was able to get Ferrand away. Still, the Brother’s state filled + her with pity; and, as they ascended the stairs, she questioned the + doctor, asking him if there were really no more hope. The other made a + gesture expressive of absolute hopelessness. It was madness to come to + Lourdes when one was in such a condition. However, he hastened to add, + with a smile: “I beg your pardon, Sister. You know that I am unfortunate + enough not to be a believer.” + </p> + <p> + But she smiled in her turn, like an indulgent friend who tolerates the + shortcomings of those she loves. “Oh! that doesn’t matter,” she replied. + “I know you; you’re all the same a good fellow. Besides, we see so many + people, we go amongst such pagans that it would be difficult to shock us.” + </p> + <p> + Up above, in the Sainte-Honorine Ward, they found Madame Vetu still + moaning, a prey to most intolerable suffering. Madame de Jonquière and + Madame Désagneaux had remained beside the bed, their faces turning pale, + their hearts distracted by that death-cry, which never ceased. And when + they consulted Ferrand in a whisper, he merely replied, with a slight + shrug of the shoulders, that she was a lost woman, that it was only a + question of hours, perhaps merely of minutes. All he could do was to + stupefy her also, in order to ease the atrocious death agony which he + foresaw. She was watching him, still conscious, and also very obedient, + never refusing the medicine offered her. Like the others, she now had but + one ardent desire—to go back to the Grotto—and she gave + expression to it in the stammering accents of a child who fears that its + prayer may not be granted: “To the Grotto—will you? To the Grotto!” + </p> + <p> + “You shall be taken there by-and-by, I promise you,” said Sister + Hyacinthe. “But you must be good. Try to sleep a little to gain some + strength.” + </p> + <p> + The sick woman appeared to sink into a doze, and Madame de Jonquière then + thought that she might take Madame Désagneaux with her to the other end of + the ward to count the linen, a troublesome business, in which they became + quite bewildered, as some of the articles were missing. Meantime Sophie, + seated on the bed opposite Madame Vetu, had not stirred. She had laid her + doll on her lap, and was waiting for the lady’s death, since they had told + her that she was about to die. Sister Hyacinthe, moreover, had remained + beside the dying woman, and, unwilling to waste her time, had taken a + needle and cotton to mend some patient’s bodice which had a hole in the + sleeve. + </p> + <p> + “You’ll stay a little while with us, won’t you?” she asked Ferrand. + </p> + <p> + The latter, who was still watching Madame Vetu, replied: “Yes, yes. She + may go off at any moment. I fear hemorrhage.” Then, catching sight of + Marie on the neighbouring bed, he added in a lower voice: “How is she? Has + she experienced any relief?” + </p> + <p> + “No, not yet. Ah, dear child! we all pray for her very sincerely. She is + so young, so sweet, and so sorely afflicted. Just look at her now! Isn’t + she pretty? One might think her a saint amid all this sunshine, with her + large, ecstatic eyes, and her golden hair shining like an aureola!” + </p> + <p> + Ferrand watched Marie for a moment with interest. Her absent air, her + indifference to all about her, the ardent faith, the internal joy which so + completely absorbed her, surprised him. “She will recover,” he murmured, + as though giving utterance to a prognostic. “She will recover.” + </p> + <p> + Then he rejoined Sister Hyacinthe, who had seated herself in the embrasure + of the lofty window, which stood wide open, admitting the warm air of the + courtyard. The sun was now creeping round, and only a narrow golden ray + fell upon her white coif and wimple. Ferrand stood opposite to her, + leaning against the window bar and watching her while she sewed. “Do you + know, Sister,” said he, “this journey to Lourdes, which I undertook to + oblige a friend, will be one of the few delights of my life.” + </p> + <p> + She did not understand him, but innocently asked: “Why so?” + </p> + <p> + “Because I have found you again, because I am here with you, assisting you + in your admirable work. And if you only knew how grateful I am to you, + what sincere affection and reverence I feel for you!” + </p> + <p> + She raised her head to look him straight in the face, and began jesting + without the least constraint. She was really delicious, with her pure + lily-white complexion, her small laughing mouth, and adorable blue eyes + which ever smiled. And you could realise that she had grown up in all + innocence and devotion, slender and supple, with all the appearance of a + girl hardly in her teens. + </p> + <p> + “What! You are so fond of me as all that!” she exclaimed. “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “Why I’m fond of you? Because you are the best, the most consoling, the + most sisterly of beings. You are the sweetest memory in my life, the + memory I evoke whenever I need to be encouraged and sustained. Do you no + longer remember the month we spent together, in my poor room, when I was + so ill and you so affectionately nursed me?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course, of course I remember it! Why, I never had so good a patient as + you. You took all I offered you; and when I tucked you in, after changing + your linen, you remained as still as a little child.” + </p> + <p> + So speaking, she continued looking at him, smiling ingenuously the while. + He was very handsome and robust, in the very prime of youth, with a rather + pronounced nose, superb eyes, and red lips showing under his black + moustache. But she seemed to be simply pleased at seeing him there before + her moved almost to tears. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Sister, I should have died if it hadn’t been for you,” he said. “It + was through having you that I was cured.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as they gazed at one another, with tender gaiety of heart, the + memory of that adorable month recurred to them. They no longer heard + Madame Vetu’s death moans, nor beheld the ward littered with beds, and, + with all its disorder, resembling some infirmary improvised after a public + catastrophe. They once more found themselves in a small attic at the top + of a dingy house in old Paris, where air and light only reached them + through a tiny window opening on to a sea of roofs. And how charming it + was to be alone there together—he who had been prostrated by fever, + she who had appeared there like a good angel, who had quietly come from + her convent like a comrade who fears nothing! It was thus that she nursed + women, children, and men, as chance ordained, feeling perfectly happy so + long as she had something to do, some sufferer to relieve. She never + displayed any consciousness of her sex; and he, on his side, never seemed + to have suspected that she might be a woman, except it were for the + extreme softness of her hands, the caressing accents of her voice, the + beneficent gentleness of her manner; and yet all the tender love of a + mother, all the affection of a sister, radiated from her person. During + three weeks, as she had said, she had nursed him like a child, helping him + in and out of bed, and rendering him every necessary attention, without + the slightest embarrassment or repugnance, the holy purity born of + suffering and charity shielding them both the while. They were indeed far + removed from the frailties of life. And when he became convalescent, what + a happy existence began, how joyously they laughed, like two old friends! + She still watched over him, scolding him and gently slapping his arms when + he persisted in keeping them uncovered. He would watch her standing at the + basin, washing him a shirt in order to save him the trifling expense of + employing a laundress. No one ever came up there; they were quite alone, + thousands of miles away from the world, delighted with this solitude, in + which their youth displayed such fraternal gaiety. + </p> + <p> + “Do you remember, Sister, the morning when I was first able to walk + about?” asked Ferrand. “You helped me to get up, and supported me whilst I + awkwardly stumbled about, no longer knowing how to use my legs. We did + laugh so.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, you were saved, and I was very pleased.” + </p> + <p> + “And the day when you brought me some cherries—I can see it all + again: myself reclining on my pillows, and you seated at the edge of the + bed, with the cherries lying between us in a large piece of white paper. I + refused to touch them unless you ate some with me. And then we took them + in turn, one at a time, until the paper was emptied; and they were very + nice.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, very nice. It was the same with the currant syrup: you would + only drink it when I took some also.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon they laughed yet louder; these recollections quite delighted + them. But a painful sigh from Madame Vetu brought them back to the + present. Ferrand leant over and cast a glance at the sick woman, who had + not stirred. The ward was still full of a quivering peacefulness, which + was only broken by the clear voice of Madame Désagneaux counting the + linen. Stifling with emotion, the young man resumed in a lower tone: “Ah! + Sister, were I to live a hundred years, to know every joy, every pleasure, + I should never love another woman as I love you!” + </p> + <p> + Then Sister Hyacinthe, without, however, showing any confusion, bowed her + head and resumed her sewing. An almost imperceptible blush tinged her + lily-white skin with pink. + </p> + <p> + “I also love you well, Monsieur Ferrand,” she said, “but you must not make + me vain. I only did for you what I do for so many others. It is my + business, you see. And there was really only one pleasant thing about it + all, that the Almighty cured you.” + </p> + <p> + They were now again interrupted. La Grivotte and Elise Rouquet had + returned from the Grotto before the others. La Grivotte at once squatted + down on her mattress on the floor, at the foot of Madame Vetu’s bed, and, + taking a piece of bread from her pocket, proceeded to devour it. Ferrand, + since the day before, had felt some interest in this consumptive patient, + who was traversing such a curious phase of agitation, a prey to an + inordinate appetite and a feverish need of motion. For the moment, + however, Elise Rouquet’s case interested him still more; for it had now + become evident that the lupus, the sore which was eating away her face, + was showing signs of cure. She had continued bathing her face at the + miraculous fountain, and had just come from the Verification Office, where + Doctor Bonamy had triumphed. Ferrand, quite surprised, went and examined + the sore, which, although still far from healed, was already paler in + colour and slightly desiccated, displaying all the symptoms of gradual + cure. And the case seemed to him so curious, that he resolved to make some + notes upon it for one of his old masters at the medical college, who was + studying the nervous origin of certain skin diseases due to faulty + nutrition. + </p> + <p> + “Have you felt any pricking sensation?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Not at all, monsieur,” she replied. “I bathe my face and tell my beads + with my whole soul, and that is all.” + </p> + <p> + La Grivotte, who was vain and jealous, and ever since the day before had + been going in triumph among the crowds, thereupon called to the doctor. “I + say, monsieur, I am cured, cured, cured completely!” + </p> + <p> + He waved his hand to her in a friendly way, but refused to examine her. “I + know, my girl. There is nothing more the matter with you.” + </p> + <p> + Just then Sister Hyacinthe called to him. She had put her sewing down on + seeing Madame Vetu raise herself in a frightful fit of nausea. In spite of + her haste, however, she was too late with the basin; the sick woman had + brought up another discharge of black matter, similar to soot; but, this + time, some blood was mixed with it, little specks of violet-coloured + blood. It was the hemorrhage coming, the near end which Ferrand had been + dreading. + </p> + <p> + “Send for the superintendent,” he said in a low voice, seating himself at + the bedside. + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe ran for Madame de Jonquière. The linen having been + counted, she found her deep in conversation with her daughter Raymonde, at + some distance from Madame Désagneaux, who was washing her hands. + </p> + <p> + Raymonde had just escaped for a few minutes from the refectory, where she + was on duty. This was the roughest of her labours. The long narrow room, + with its double row of greasy tables, its sickening smell of food and + misery, quite disgusted her. And taking advantage of the half-hour still + remaining before the return of the patients, she had hurried up-stairs, + where, out of breath, with a rosy face and shining eyes, she had thrown + her arms around her mother’s neck. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! mamma,” she cried, “what happiness! It’s settled!” + </p> + <p> + Amazed, her head buzzing, busy with the superintendence of her ward, + Madame de Jonquière did not understand. “What’s settled, my child?” she + asked. + </p> + <p> + Then Raymonde lowered her voice, and, with a faint blush, replied: “My + marriage!” + </p> + <p> + It was now the mother’s turn to rejoice. Lively satisfaction appeared upon + her face, the fat face of a ripe, handsome, and still agreeable woman. She + at once beheld in her mind’s eye their little lodging in the Rue Vaneau, + where, since her husband’s death, she had reared her daughter with great + difficulty upon the few thousand francs he had left her. This marriage, + however, meant a return to life, to society, the good old times come back + once more. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my child, how happy you make me!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + But a feeling of uneasiness suddenly restrained her. God was her witness + that for three years past she had been coming to Lourdes through pure + motives of charity, for the one great joy of nursing His beloved invalids. + Perhaps, had she closely examined her conscience, she might, behind her + devotion, have found some trace of her fondness for authority, which + rendered her present managerial duties extremely pleasant to her. However, + the hope of finding a husband for her daughter among the suitable young + men who swarmed at the Grotto was certainly her last thought. It was a + thought which came to her, of course, but merely as something that was + possible, though she never mentioned it. However, her happiness, wrung an + avowal from her: + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my child, your success doesn’t surprise me. I prayed to the Blessed + Virgin for it this morning.” + </p> + <p> + Then she wished to be quite sure, and asked for further information. + Raymonde had not yet told her of her long walk leaning on Gérard’s arm the + day before, for she did not wish to speak of such things until she was + triumphant, certain of having at last secured a husband. And now it was + indeed settled, as she had exclaimed so gaily: that very morning she had + again seen the young man at the Grotto, and he had formally become engaged + to her. M. Berthaud would undoubtedly ask for her hand on his cousin’s + behalf before they took their departure from Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” declared Madame de Jonquière, who was now convinced, smiling, and + delighted at heart, “I hope you will be happy, since you are so sensible + and do not need my aid to bring your affairs to a successful issue. Kiss + me.” + </p> + <p> + It was at this moment that Sister Hyacinthe arrived to announce Madame + Vetu’s imminent death. Raymonde at once ran off. And Madame Désagneaux, + who was wiping her hands, began to complain of the lady-assistants, who + had all disappeared precisely on the morning when they were most wanted. + “For instance,” said she, “there’s Madame Volmar. I should like to know + where she can have got to. She has not been seen, even for an hour, ever + since our arrival.” + </p> + <p> + “Pray leave Madame Volmar alone!” replied Madame de Jonquière with some + asperity. “I have already told you that she is ill.” + </p> + <p> + They both hastened to Madame Vetu. Ferrand stood there waiting; and Sister + Hyacinthe having asked him if there were indeed nothing to be done, he + shook his head. The dying woman, relieved by her first emesis, now lay + inert, with closed eyes. But, a second time, the frightful nausea returned + to her, and she brought up another discharge of black matter mingled with + violet-coloured blood. Then she had another short interval of calm, during + which she noticed La Grivotte, who was greedily devouring her hunk of + bread on the mattress on the floor. + </p> + <p> + “She is cured, isn’t she?” the poor woman asked, feeling that she herself + was dying. + </p> + <p> + La Grivotte heard her, and exclaimed triumphantly: “Oh, yes, madame, + cured, cured, cured completely!” + </p> + <p> + For a moment Madame Vetu seemed overcome by a miserable feeling of grief, + the revolt of one who will not succumb while others continue to live. But + almost immediately she became resigned, and they heard her add very + faintly, “It is the young ones who ought to remain.” + </p> + <p> + Then her eyes, which remained wide open, looked round, as though bidding + farewell to all those persons, whom she seemed surprised to see about her. + She attempted to smile as she encountered the eager gaze of curiosity + which little Sophie Couteau still fixed upon her: the charming child had + come to kiss her that very morning, in her bed. Elise Rouquet, who + troubled herself about nobody, was meantime holding her hand-glass, + absorbed in the contemplation of her face, which seemed to her to be + growing beautiful, now that the sore was healing. But what especially + charmed the dying woman was the sight of Marie, so lovely in her ecstasy. + She watched her for a long time, constantly attracted towards her, as + towards a vision of light and joy. Perhaps she fancied that she already + beheld one of the saints of Paradise amid the glory of the sun. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, however, the fits of vomiting returned, and now she solely + brought up blood, vitiated blood, the colour of claret. The rush was so + great that it bespattered the sheet, and ran all over the bed. In vain did + Madame de Jonquière and Madame Désagneaux bring cloths; they were both + very pale and scarce able to remain standing. Ferrand, knowing how + powerless he was, had withdrawn to the window, to the very spot where he + had so lately experienced such delicious emotion; and with an instinctive + movement, of which she was surely unconscious, Sister Hyacinthe had + likewise returned to that happy window, as though to be near him. + </p> + <p> + “Really, can you do nothing?” she inquired. + </p> + <p> + “No, nothing! She will go off like that, in the same way as a lamp that + has burnt out.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Vetu, who was now utterly exhausted, with a thin red stream still + flowing from her mouth, looked fixedly at Madame de Jonquière whilst + faintly moving her lips. The lady-superintendent thereupon bent over her + and heard these slowly uttered words: + </p> + <p> + “About my husband, madame—the shop is in the Rue Mouffetard—oh! + it’s quite a tiny one, not far from the Gobelins.—He’s a clockmaker, + he is; he couldn’t come with me, of course, having to attend to the + business; and he will be very much put out when he finds I don’t come + back.—Yes, I cleaned the jewelry and did the errands—” Then + her voice grew fainter, her words disjointed by the death rattle, which + began. “Therefore, madame, I beg you will write to him, because I haven’t + done so, and now here’s the end.—Tell him my body had better remain + here at Lourdes, on account of the expense.—And he must marry again; + it’s necessary for one in trade—his cousin—tell him his cousin—” + </p> + <p> + The rest became a confused murmur. Her weakness was too great, her breath + was halting. Yet her eyes continued open and full of life, amid her pale, + yellow, waxy mask. And those eyes seemed to fix themselves despairingly on + the past, on all that which soon would be no more: the little clockmaker’s + shop hidden away in a populous neighbourhood; the gentle humdrum + existence, with a toiling husband who was ever bending over his watches; + the great pleasures of Sunday, such as watching children fly their kites + upon the fortifications. And at last these staring eyes gazed vainly into + the frightful night which was gathering. + </p> + <p> + A last time did Madame de Jonquière lean over her, seeing that her lips + were again moving. There came but a faint breath, a voice from far away, + which distantly murmured in an accent of intense grief: “She did not cure + me.” + </p> + <p> + And then Madame Vetu expired, very gently. + </p> + <p> + As though this were all that she had been waiting for, little Sophie + Couteau jumped from the bed quite satisfied, and went off to play with her + doll again at the far end of the ward. Neither La Grivotte, who was + finishing her bread, nor Elise Rouquet, busy with her mirror, noticed the + catastrophe. However, amidst the cold breath which seemingly swept by, + while Madame de Jonquière and Madame Désagneaux—the latter of whom + was unaccustomed to the sight of death—were whispering together in + agitation, Marie emerged from the expectant rapture in which the + continuous, unspoken prayer of her whole being had plunged her so long. + And when she understood what had happened, a feeling of sisterly + compassion—the compassion of a suffering companion, on her side + certain of cure—brought tears to her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! the poor woman!” she murmured; “to think that she has died so far + from home, in such loneliness, at the hour when others are being born + anew!” + </p> + <p> + Ferrand, who, in spite of professional indifference, had also been stirred + by the scene, stepped forward to verify the death; and it was on a sign + from him that Sister Hyacinthe turned up the sheet, and threw it over the + dead woman’s face, for there could be no question of removing the corpse + at that moment. The patients were now returning from the Grotto in bands, + and the ward, hitherto so calm, so full of sunshine, was again filling + with the tumult of wretchedness and pain—deep coughing and feeble + shuffling, mingled with a noisome smell—a pitiful display, in fact, + of well-nigh every human infirmity. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap17"></a> + II. THE SERVICE AT THE GROTTO + </h2> + <p> + ON that day, Monday, the crowd at the Grotto, was enormous. It was the + last day that the national pilgrimage would spend at Lourdes, and Father + Fourcade, in his morning address, had said that it would be necessary to + make a supreme effort of fervour and faith to obtain from Heaven all that + it might be willing to grant in the way of grace and prodigious cure. So, + from two o’clock in the afternoon, twenty thousand pilgrims were assembled + there, feverish, and agitated by the most ardent hopes. From minute to + minute the throng continued increasing, to such a point, indeed, that + Baron Suire became alarmed, and came out of the Grotto to say to Berthaud: + “My friend, we shall be overwhelmed, that’s certain. Double your squads, + bring your men closer together.” + </p> + <p> + The Hospitality of Our Lady of Salvation was alone entrusted with the task + of keeping order, for there were neither guardians nor policemen, of any + sort present; and it was for this reason that the President of the + Association was so alarmed. However, Berthaud, under grave circumstances, + was a leader whose words commanded attention, and who was endowed with + energy that could be relied on. + </p> + <p> + “Be easy,” said he; “I will be answerable for everything. I shall not move + from here until the four-o’clock procession has passed by.” + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, he signalled to Gérard to approach. + </p> + <p> + “Give your men the strictest instructions,” he said to him. “Only those + persons who have cards should be allowed to pass. And place your men + nearer each other; tell them to hold the cord tight.” + </p> + <p> + Yonder, beneath the ivy which draped the rock, the Grotto opened, with the + eternal flaring of its candles. From a distance it looked rather squat and + misshapen, a very narrow and modest aperture for the breath of the + Infinite which issued from it, turning all faces pale and bowing every + head. The statue of the Virgin had become a mere white spot, which seemed + to move amid the quiver of the atmosphere, heated by the small yellow + flames. To see everything it was necessary to raise oneself; for the + silver altar, the harmonium divested of its housing, the heap of bouquets + flung there, and the votive offerings streaking the smoky walls were + scarcely distinguishable from behind the railing. And the day was lovely; + never yet had a purer sky expanded above the immense crowd; the softness + of the breeze in particular seemed delicious after the storm of the night, + which had brought down the over-oppressive heat of the two first days. + </p> + <p> + Gérard had to fight his way with his elbows in order to repeat the orders + to his men. The crowd had already begun pushing. “Two more men here!” he + called. “Come, four together, if necessary, and hold the rope well!” + </p> + <p> + The general impulse was instinctive and invincible; the twenty thousand + persons assembled there were drawn towards the Grotto by an irresistible + attraction, in which burning curiosity mingled with the thirst for + mystery. All eyes converged, every mouth, hand, and body was borne towards + the pale glitter of the candles and the white moving speck of the marble + Virgin. And, in order that the large space reserved to the sick, in front + of the railings, might not be invaded by the swelling mob, it had been + necessary to inclose it with a stout rope which the bearers at intervals + of two or three yards grasped with both hands. Their orders were to let + nobody pass excepting the sick provided with hospital cards and the few + persons to whom special authorisations had been granted. They limited + themselves, therefore, to raising the cords and then letting them fall + behind the chosen ones, without heeding the supplications of the others. + In fact they even showed themselves somewhat rough, taking a certain + pleasure in exercising the authority with which they were invested for a + day. In truth, however, they were very much pushed about, and had to + support each other and resist with all the strength of their loins to + avoid being swept away. + </p> + <p> + While the benches before the Grotto and the vast reserved space were + filling with sick people, handcarts, and stretchers, the crowd, the + immense crowd, swayed about on the outskirts. Starting from the Place du + Rosaire, it extended to the bottom of the promenade along the Gave, where + the pavement throughout its entire length was black with people, so dense + a human sea that all circulation was prevented. On the parapet was an + interminable line of women—most of them seated, but some few + standing so as to see the better—and almost all carrying silk + parasols, which, with holiday-like gaiety, shimmered in the sunlight. The + managers had wished to keep a path open in order that the sick might be + brought along; but it was ever being invaded and obstructed, so that the + carts and stretchers remained on the road, submerged and lost until a + bearer freed them. Nevertheless, the great tramping was that of a docile + flock, an innocent, lamb-like crowd; and it was only the involuntary + pushing, the blind rolling towards the light of the candles that had to be + contended against. No accident had ever happened there, notwithstanding + the excitement, which gradually increased and threw the people into the + unruly delirium of faith. + </p> + <p> + However, Baron Suire again forced his way through the throng. “Berthaud! + Berthaud!” he called, “see that the <i>défile</i> is conducted less + rapidly. There are women and children stifling.” + </p> + <p> + This time Berthaud gave a sign of impatience. “Ah! hang it, I can’t be + everywhere! Close the gate for a moment if it’s necessary.” + </p> + <p> + It was a question of the march through the Grotto which went on throughout + the afternoon. The faithful were permitted to enter by the door on the + left, and made their exit by that on the right. + </p> + <p> + “Close the gate!” exclaimed the Baron. “But that would be worse; they + would all get crushed against it!” + </p> + <p> + As it happened Gérard was there, thoughtlessly talking for an instant with + Raymonde, who was standing on the other side of the cord, holding a bowl + of milk which she was about to carry to a paralysed old woman; and + Berthaud ordered the young fellow to post two men at the entrance gate of + the iron railing, with instructions only to allow the pilgrims to enter by + tens. When Gérard had executed this order, and returned, he found Berthaud + laughing and joking with Raymonde. She went off on her errand, however, + and the two men stood watching her while she made the paralysed woman + drink. + </p> + <p> + “She is charming, and it’s settled, eh?” said Berthaud. “You are going to + marry her, aren’t you?” + </p> + <p> + “I shall ask her mother to-night. I rely upon you to accompany me.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, certainly. You know what I told you. Nothing could be more sensible. + The uncle will find you a berth before six months are over.” + </p> + <p> + A push of the crowd separated them, and Berthaud went off to make sure + whether the march through the Grotto was now being accomplished in a + methodical manner, without any crushing. For hours the same unbroken tide + rolled in—women, men, and children from all parts of the world, all + who chose, all who passed that way. As a result, the crowd was singularly + mixed: there were beggars in rags beside neat <i>bourgeois</i>, peasants + of either sex, well dressed ladies, servants with bare hair, young girls + with bare feet, and others with pomatumed hair and foreheads bound with + ribbons. Admission was free; the mystery was open to all, to unbelievers + as well as to the faithful, to those who were solely influenced by + curiosity as well as to those who entered with their hearts faint with + love. And it was a sight to see them, all almost equally affected by the + tepid odour of the wax, half stifling in the heavy tabernacle air which + gathered beneath the rocky vault, and lowering their eyes for fear of + slipping on the gratings. Many stood there bewildered, not even bowing, + examining the things around with the covert uneasiness of indifferent + folks astray amidst the redoubtable mysteries of a sanctuary. But the + devout crossed themselves, threw letters, deposited candles and bouquets, + kissed the rock below the Virgin’s statue, or else rubbed their chaplets, + medals, and other small objects of piety against it, as the contact + sufficed to bless them. And the <i>défile</i> continued, continued without + end during days and months as it had done for years; and it seemed as if + the whole world, all the miseries and sufferings of humanity, came in turn + and passed in the same hypnotic, contagious kind of round, through that + rocky nook, ever in search of happiness. + </p> + <p> + When Berthaud had satisfied himself that everything was working well, he + walked about like a mere spectator, superintending his men. Only one + matter remained to trouble him: the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, + during which such frenzy burst forth that accidents were always to be + feared. + </p> + <p> + This last day seemed likely to be a very fervent one, for he already felt + a tremor of exalted faith rising among the crowd. The treatment needed for + miraculous care was drawing to an end; there had been the fever of the + journey, the besetting influence of the same endlessly repeated hymns, and + the stubborn continuation of the same religious exercises; and ever and + ever the conversation had been turned on miracles, and the mind fixed on + the divine illumination of the Grotto. Many, not having slept for three + nights, had reached a state of hallucination, and walked about in a + rageful dream. No repose was granted them, the continual prayers were like + whips lashing their souls. The appeals to the Blessed Virgin never ceased; + priest followed priest in the pulpit, proclaiming the universal dolour and + directing the despairing supplications of the throng, during the whole + time that the sick remained with hands clasped and eyes raised to heaven + before the pale, smiling, marble statue. + </p> + <p> + At that moment the white stone pulpit against the rock on the right of the + Grotto was occupied by a priest from Toulouse, whom Berthaud knew, and to + whom he listened for a moment with an air of approval. He was a stout man + with an unctuous diction, famous for his rhetorical successes. However, + all eloquence here consisted in displaying the strength of one’s lungs in + a violent delivery of the phrase or cry which the whole crowd had to + repeat; for the addresses were nothing more than so much vociferation + interspersed with “Ayes” and “Paters.” + </p> + <p> + The priest, who had just finished the Rosary, strove to increase his + stature by stretching his short legs, whilst shouting the first appeal of + the litanies which he improvised, and led in his own way, according to the + inspiration which possessed him. + </p> + <p> + “Mary, we love thee!” he called. + </p> + <p> + And thereupon the crowd repeated in a lower, confused, and broken tone: + “Mary, we love thee!” + </p> + <p> + From that moment there was no stopping. The voice of the priest rang out + at full swing, and the voices of the crowd responded in a dolorous murmur: + </p> + <p> + “Mary, thou art our only hope!” + </p> + <p> + “Mary, thou art our only hope!” + </p> + <p> + “Pure Virgin, make us purer, among the pure!” + </p> + <p> + “Pure Virgin, make us purer, among the pure!” + </p> + <p> + “Powerful Virgin, save our sick!” + </p> + <p> + “Powerful Virgin, save our sick!” + </p> + <p> + Often, when the priest’s imagination failed him, or he wished to thrust a + cry home with greater force, he would repeat it thrice; while the docile + crowd would do the same, quivering under the enervating effect of the + persistent lamentation, which increased the fever. + </p> + <p> + The litanies continued, and Berthaud went back towards the Grotto. Those + who defiled through it beheld an extraordinary sight when they turned and + faced the sick. The whole of the large space between the cords was + occupied by the thousand or twelve hundred patients whom the national + pilgrimage had brought with it; and beneath the vast, spotless sky on that + radiant day there was the most heart-rending jumble of sufferers that one + could behold. The three hospitals of Lourdes had emptied their chambers of + horror. To begin with, those who were still able to remain seated had been + piled upon the benches. Many of them, however, were propped up with + cushions, whilst others kept shoulder to shoulder, the strong ones + supporting the weak. Then, in front of the benches, before the Grotto + itself, were the more grievously afflicted sufferers lying at full length; + the flagstones disappearing from view beneath this woeful assemblage, + which was like a large, stagnant pool of horror. There was an + indescribable block of vehicles, stretchers, and mattresses. Some of the + invalids in little boxes not unlike coffins had raised themselves up and + showed above the others, but the majority lay almost on a level with the + ground. There were some lying fully dressed on the check-patterned ticks + of mattresses; whilst others had been brought with their bedding, so that + only their heads and pale hands were seen outside the sheets. Few of these + pallets were clean. Some pillows of dazzling whiteness, which by a last + feeling of coquetry had been trimmed with embroidery, alone shone out + among all the filthy wretchedness of all the rest—a fearful + collection of rags, worn-out blankets, and linen splashed with stains. And + all were pushed, squeezed, piled up by chance as they came, women, men, + children, and priests, people in nightgowns beside people who were fully + attired being jumbled together in the blinding light of day. + </p> + <p> + And all forms of disease were there, the whole frightful procession which, + twice a day, left the hospitals to wend its way through horrified Lourdes. + There were the heads eaten away by eczema, the foreheads crowned with + roseola, and the noses and mouths which elephantiasis had transformed into + shapeless snouts. Next, the dropsical ones, swollen out like leathern + bottles; the rheumatic ones with twisted hands and swollen feet, like bags + stuffed full of rags; and a sufferer from hydrocephalus, whose huge and + weighty skull fell backwards. Then the consumptive ones, with livid skins, + trembling with fever, exhausted by dysentery, wasted to skeletons. Then + the deformities, the contractions, the twisted trunks, the twisted arms, + the necks all awry; all the poor broken, pounded creatures, motionless in + their tragic, marionette-like postures. Then the poor rachitic girls + displaying their waxen complexions and slender necks eaten into by sores; + the yellow-faced, besotted-looking women in the painful stupor which falls + on unfortunate creatures devoured by cancer; and the others who turned + pale, and dared not move, fearing as they did the shock of the tumours + whose weighty pain was stifling them. On the benches sat bewildered deaf + women, who heard nothing, but sang on all the same, and blind ones with + heads erect, who remained for hours turned toward the statue of the Virgin + which they could not see. And there was also the woman stricken with + imbecility, whose nose was eaten away, and who laughed with a terrifying + laugh, displaying the black, empty cavern of her mouth; and then the + epileptic woman, whom a recent attack had left as pale as death, with + froth still at the corners of her lips. + </p> + <p> + But sickness and suffering were no longer of consequence, since they were + all there, seated or stretched with their eyes upon the Grotto. The poor, + fleshless, earthy-looking faces became transfigured, and began to glow + with hope. Anchylosed hands were joined, heavy eyelids found the strength + to rise, exhausted voices revived as the priest shouted the appeals. At + first there was nothing but indistinct stuttering, similar to slight puffs + of air rising, here and there above the multitude. Then the cry ascended + and spread through the crowd itself from one to the other end of the + immense square. + </p> + <p> + “Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us!” cried the priest in his + thundering voice. + </p> + <p> + And the sick and the pilgrims repeated louder and louder: “Mary, conceived + without sin, pray for us!” + </p> + <p> + Then the flow of the litany set in, and continued with increasing speed: + </p> + <p> + “Most pure Mother, most chaste Mother, thy children are at thy feet!” + </p> + <p> + “Most pure Mother, most chaste Mother, thy children are at thy feet!” + </p> + <p> + “Queen of the Angels, say but a word, and our sick shall be healed!” + </p> + <p> + “Queen of the Angels, say but a word, and our sick shall be healed!” + </p> + <p> + In the second row of sufferers, near the pulpit, was M. Sabathier, who had + asked to be brought there early, wishing to choose his place like an old + <i>habitué</i> who knew the cosy corners. Moreover, it seemed to him that + it was of paramount importance that he should be as near as possible, + under the very eyes of the Virgin, as though she required to see her + faithful in order not to forget them. However, for the seven years that he + had been coming there he had nursed this one hope of being some day + noticed by her, of touching her, and of obtaining his cure, if not by + selection, at least by seniority. This merely needed patience on his part + without the firmness of his faith being in the least shaken by his way of + thinking. Only, like a poor, resigned man just a little weary of being + always put off, he sometimes allowed himself diversions. For instance, he + had obtained permission to keep his wife near him, seated on a camp-stool, + and he liked to talk to her, and acquaint her with his reflections. + </p> + <p> + “Raise me a little, my dear,” said he. “I am slipping. I am very + uncomfortable.” + </p> + <p> + Attired in trousers and a coarse woollen jacket, he was sitting upon his + mattress, with his back leaning against a tilted chair. + </p> + <p> + “Are you better?” asked his wife, when she had raised him. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” he answered; and then began to take an interest in Brother + Isidore, whom they had succeeded in bringing in spite of everything, and + who was lying upon a neighbouring mattress, with a sheet drawn up to his + chin, and nothing protruding but his wasted hands, which lay clasped upon + the blanket. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! the poor man,” said M. Sabathier. “It’s very imprudent, but the + Blessed Virgin is so powerful when she chooses!” + </p> + <p> + He took up his chaplet again, but once more broke off from his devotions + on perceiving Madame Maze, who had just glided into the reserved space—so + slender and unobtrusive that she had doubtless slipped under the ropes + without being noticed. She had seated herself at the end of a bench and, + very quiet and motionless, did not occupy more room there than a child. + And her long face, with its weary features, the face of a woman of + two-and-thirty faded before her time, wore an expression of unlimited + sadness, infinite abandonment. + </p> + <p> + “And so,” resumed M. Sabathier in a low voice, again addressing his wife + after attracting her attention by a slight movement of the chin, “it’s for + the conversion of her husband that this lady prays. You came across her + this morning in a shop, didn’t you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” replied Madame Sabathier. “And, besides, I had some talk about + her with another lady who knows her. Her husband is a + commercial-traveller. He leaves her for six months at a time, and goes + about with other people. Oh! he’s a very gay fellow, it seems, very nice, + and he doesn’t let her want for money; only she adores him, she cannot + accustom herself to his neglect, and comes to pray the Blessed Virgin to + give him back to her. At this moment, it appears, he is close by, at + Luchon, with two ladies—two sisters.” + </p> + <p> + M. Sabathier signed to his wife to stop. He was now looking at the Grotto, + again becoming a man of intellect, a professor whom questions of art had + formerly impassioned. “You see, my dear,” he said, “they have spoilt the + Grotto by endeavouring to make it too beautiful. I am certain it looked + much better in its original wildness. It has lost its characteristic + features—and what a frightful shop they have stuck there, on the + left!” + </p> + <p> + However, he now experienced sudden remorse for his thoughtlessness. Whilst + he was chatting away, might not the Blessed Virgin be noticing one of his + neighbours, more fervent, more sedate than himself? Feeling anxious on the + point, he reverted to his customary modesty and patience, and with dull, + expressionless eyes again began waiting for the good pleasure of Heaven. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, the sound of a fresh voice helped to bring him back to this + annihilation, in which nothing was left of the cultured reasoner that he + had formerly been. It was another preacher who had just entered the + pulpit, a Capuchin this time, whose guttural call, persistently repeated, + sent a tremor through the crowd. + </p> + <p> + “Holy Virgin of virgins, be blessed!” + </p> + <p> + “Holy Virgin of virgins, be blessed!” + </p> + <p> + “Holy Virgin of virgins, turn not thy face from thy children!” + </p> + <p> + “Holy Virgin of virgins, turn not thy face from thy children!” + </p> + <p> + “Holy Virgin of virgins, breathe upon our sores, and our sores shall + heal!” + </p> + <p> + “Holy Virgin of virgins, breathe upon our sores, and our sores shall + heal!” + </p> + <p> + At the end of the first bench, skirting the central path, which was + becoming crowded, the Vigneron family had succeeded in finding room for + themselves. They were all there: little Gustave, seated in a sinking + posture, with his crutch between his legs; his mother, beside him, + following the prayers like a punctilious <i>bourgeoise</i>; his aunt, + Madame Chaise, on the other side, so inconvenienced by the crowd that she + was stifling; and M. Vigneron, who remained silent and, for a moment, had + been examining Madame Chaise attentively. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter with you, my dear?” he inquired. “Do you feel unwell?” + </p> + <p> + She was breathing with difficulty. “Well, I don’t know,” she answered; + “but I can’t feel my limbs, and my breath fails me.” + </p> + <p> + At that very moment the thought had occurred to him that all the + agitation, fever, and scramble of a pilgrimage could not be very good for + heart-disease. Of course he did not desire anybody’s death, he had never + asked the Blessed Virgin for any such thing. If his prayer for advancement + had already been granted through the sudden death of his chief, it must + certainly be because Heaven had already ordained the latter’s death. And, + in the same way, if Madame Chaise should die first, leaving her fortune to + Gustave, he would only have to bow before the will of God, which generally + requires that the aged should go off before the young. Nevertheless, his + hope unconsciously became so keen that he could not help exchanging a + glance with his wife, to whom had come the same involuntary thought. + </p> + <p> + “Gustave, draw back,” he exclaimed; “you are inconveniencing your aunt.” + And then, as Raymonde passed, he asked; “Do you happen to have a glass of + water, mademoiselle? One of our relatives here is losing consciousness.” + </p> + <p> + But Madame Chaise refused the offer with a gesture. She was getting + better, recovering her breath with an effort. “No, I want nothing, thank + you,” she gasped. “There, I’m better—still, I really thought this + time that I should stifle!” + </p> + <p> + Her fright left her trembling, with haggard eyes in her pale face. She + again joined her hands, and begged the Blessed Virgin to save her from + other attacks and cure her; while the Vignerons, man and wife, honest folk + both of them, reverted to the covert prayer for happiness that they had + come to offer up at Lourdes: a pleasant old age, deservedly gained by + twenty years of honesty, with a respectable fortune which in later years + they would go and enjoy in the country, cultivating flowers. On the other + hand, little Gustave, who had seen and noted everything with his bright + eyes and intelligence sharpened by suffering, was not praying, but smiling + at space, with his vague enigmatical smile. What could be the use of his + praying? He knew that the Blessed Virgin would not cure him, and that he + would die. + </p> + <p> + However, M. Vigneron could not remain long without busying himself about + his neighbours. Madame Dieulafay, who had come late, had been deposited in + the crowded central pathway; and he marvelled at the luxury about the + young woman, that sort of coffin quilted with white silk, in which she was + lying, attired in a pink dressing-gown trimmed with Valenciennes lace. The + husband in a frock-coat, and the sister in a black gown of simple but + marvellous elegance, were standing by; while Abbé Judaine, kneeling near + the sufferer, finished offering up a fervent prayer. + </p> + <p> + When the priest had risen, M. Vigneron made him a little room on the bench + beside him; and he then took the liberty of questioning him. “Well, + Monsieur le Curé, does that poor young woman feel a little better?” + </p> + <p> + Abbé Judaine made a gesture of infinite sadness. + </p> + <p> + “Alas! no. I was full of so much hope! It was I who persuaded the family + to come. Two years ago the Blessed Virgin showed me such extraordinary + grace by curing my poor lost eyes, that I hoped to obtain another favour + from her. However, I will not despair. We still have until to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + M. Vigneron again looked towards Madame Dieulafay and examined her face, + still of a perfect oval and with admirable eyes; but it was + expressionless, with ashen hue, similar to a mask of death, amidst the + lace. “It’s really very sad,” he murmured. + </p> + <p> + “And if you had seen her last summer!” resumed the priest. “They have + their country seat at Saligny, my parish, and I often dined with them. I + cannot help feeling sad when I look at her elder sister, Madame Jousseur, + that lady in black who stands there, for she bears a strong resemblance to + her; and the poor sufferer was even prettier, one of the beauties of + Paris. And now compare them together—observe that brilliancy, that + sovereign grace, beside that poor, pitiful creature—it oppresses + one’s heart—ah! what a frightful lesson!” + </p> + <p> + He became silent for an instant. Saintly man that he was naturally, + altogether devoid of passions, with no keen intelligence to disturb him in + his faith, he displayed a naive admiration for beauty, wealth, and power, + which he had never envied. Nevertheless, he ventured to express a doubt, a + scruple, which troubled his usual serenity. “For my part, I should have + liked her to come here with more simplicity, without all that surrounding + of luxury, because the Blessed Virgin prefers the humble—But I + understand very well that there are certain social exigencies. And, then, + her husband and sister love her so! Remember that he has forsaken his + business and she her pleasures in order to come here with her; and so + overcome are they at the idea of losing her that their eyes are never dry, + they always have that bewildered look which you can notice. So they must + be excused for trying to procure her the comfort of looking beautiful + until the last hour.” + </p> + <p> + M. Vigneron nodded his head approvingly. Ah! it was certainly not the + wealthy who had the most luck at the Grotto! Servants, country folk, poor + beggars, were cured, while ladies returned home with their ailments + unrelieved, notwithstanding their gifts and the big candles they had + burnt. And, in spite of himself, Vigneron then looked at Madame Chaise, + who, having recovered from her attack, was now reposing with a comfortable + air. + </p> + <p> + But a tremor passed through the crowd and Abbé Judaine spoke again: “Here + is Father Massias coming towards the pulpit. He is a saint; listen to + him.” + </p> + <p> + They knew him, and were aware that he could not make his appearance + without every soul being stirred by sudden hope, for it was reported that + the miracles were often brought to pass by his great fervour. His voice, + full of tenderness and strength, was said to be appreciated by the Virgin. + </p> + <p> + All heads were therefore uplifted and the emotion yet further increased + when Father Fourcade was seen coming to the foot of the pulpit, leaning on + the shoulder of his well-beloved brother, the preferred of all; and he + stayed there, so that he also might hear him. His gouty foot had been + paining him more acutely since the morning, so that it required great + courage on his part to remain thus standing and smiling. The increasing + exaltation of the crowd made him happy, however; he foresaw prodigies and + dazzling cures which would redound to the glory of Mary and Jesus. + </p> + <p> + Having ascended the pulpit, Father Massias did not at once speak. He + seemed, very tall, thin, and pale, with an ascetic face, elongated the + more by his discoloured beard. His eyes sparkled, and his large eloquent + mouth protruded passionately. + </p> + <p> + “Lord, save us, for we perish!” he suddenly cried; and in a fever, which + increased minute by minute, the transported crowd repeated: “Lord, save + us, for we perish!” + </p> + <p> + Then he opened his arms and again launched forth his flaming cry, as if he + had torn it from his glowing heart: “Lord, if it be Thy will, Thou canst + heal me!” + </p> + <p> + “Lord, if it be Thy will, Thou canst heal me!” + </p> + <p> + “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only + say the word, and I shall be healed!” + </p> + <p> + “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only + say the word, and I shall be healed!” + </p> + <p> + Marthe, Brother Isidore’s sister, had now begun to talk in a whisper to + Madame Sabathier, near whom she had at last seated herself. They had + formed an acquaintance at the hospital; and, drawn together by so much + suffering, the servant had familiarly confided to the <i>bourgeoise</i> + how anxious she felt about her brother; for she could plainly see that he + had very little breath left in him. The Blessed Virgin must be quick + indeed if she desired to save him. It was already a miracle that they had + been able to bring him alive as far as the Grotto. + </p> + <p> + In her resignation, poor, simple creature that she was, she did not weep; + but her heart was so swollen that her infrequent words came faintly from + her lips. Then a flood of past memories suddenly returned to her; and with + her utterance thickened by prolonged silence, she began to relieve her + heart: “We were fourteen at home, at Saint Jacut, near Vannes. He, big as + he was, has always been delicate, and that was why he remained with our + priest, who ended by placing him among the Christian Brothers. The elder + ones took over the property, and, for my part, I preferred going out to + service. Yes, it was a lady who took me with her to Paris, five years ago + already. Ah! what a lot of trouble there is in life! Everyone has so much + trouble!” + </p> + <p> + “You are quite right, my girl,” replied Madame Sabathier, looking the + while at her husband, who was devoutly repeating each of Father Massias’s + appeals. + </p> + <p> + “And then,” continued Marthe, “there I learned last month that Isidore, + who had returned from a hot climate where he had been on a mission, had + brought a bad sickness back with him. And, when I ran to see him, he told + me he should die if he did not leave for Lourdes, but that he couldn’t + make the journey, because he had nobody to accompany him. Then, as I had + eighty francs saved up, I gave up my place, and we set out together. You + see, madame, if I am so fond of him, it’s because he used to bring me + gooseberries from the parsonage, whereas all the others beat me.” + </p> + <p> + She relapsed into silence for a moment, her countenance swollen by grief, + and her poor eyes so scorched by watching that no tears could come from + them. Then she began to stutter disjointed words: “Look at him, madame. It + fills one with pity. Ah! my God, his poor cheeks, his poor chin, his poor + face—” + </p> + <p> + It was, in fact, a lamentable spectacle. Madame Sabathier’s heart was + quite upset when she observed Brother Isidore so yellow, cadaverous, + steeped in a cold sweat of agony. Above the sheet he still only showed his + clasped hands and his face encircled with long scanty hair; but if those + wax-like hands seemed lifeless, if there was not a feature of that + long-suffering face that stirred, its eyes were still alive, + inextinguishable eyes of love, whose flame sufficed to illumine the whole + of his expiring visage—the visage of a Christ upon the cross. And + never had the contrast been so clearly marked between his low forehead and + unintelligent, loutish, peasant air, and the divine splendour which came + from his poor human mask, ravaged and sanctified by suffering, sublime at + this last hour in the passionate radiance of his faith. His flesh had + melted, as it were; he was no longer a breath, nothing but a look, a + light. + </p> + <p> + Since he had been set down there his eyes had not strayed from the statue + of the Virgin. Nothing else existed around him. He did not see the + enormous multitude, he did not even hear the wild cries of the priests, + the incessant cries which shook this quivering crowd. His eyes alone + remained to him, his eyes burning with infinite tenderness, and they were + fixed upon the Virgin, never more to turn from her. They drank her in, + even unto death; they made a last effort of will to disappear, die out in + her. For an instant, however, his mouth half opened and his drawn visage + relaxed as an expression of celestial beatitude came over it. Then nothing + more stirred, his eyes remained wide open, still obstinately fixed upon + the white statue. + </p> + <p> + A few seconds elapsed. Marthe had felt a cold breath, chilling the roots + of her hair. “I say, madame, look!” she stammered. + </p> + <p> + Madame Sabathier, who felt anxious, pretended that she did not understand. + “What is it, my girl?” + </p> + <p> + “My brother! look! He no longer moves. He opened his mouth, and has not + stirred since.” Then they both shuddered, feeling certain he was dead. He + had, indeed, just passed away, without a rattle, without a breath, as if + life had escaped in his glance, through his large, loving eyes, ravenous + with passion. He had expired gazing upon the Virgin, and nothing could + have been so sweet; and he still continued to gaze upon her with his dead + eyes, as though with ineffable delight. + </p> + <p> + “Try to close his eyes,” murmured Madame Sabathier. “We shall soon know + then.” + </p> + <p> + Marthe had already risen, and, leaning forward, so as not to be observed, + she endeavoured to close the eyes with a trembling finger. But each time + they reopened, and again looked at the Virgin with invincible obstinacy. + He was dead, and Marthe had to leave his eyes wide open, steeped in + unbounded ecstasy. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it’s finished, it’s quite finished, madame!” she stuttered. + </p> + <p> + Two tears then burst from her heavy eyelids and ran down her cheeks; while + Madame Sabathier caught hold of her hand to keep her quiet. There had been + whisperings, and uneasiness was already spreading. But what course could + be adopted? It was impossible to carry off the corpse amidst such a mob, + during the prayers, without incurring the risk of creating a disastrous + effect. The best plan would be to leave it there, pending a favourable + moment. The poor fellow scandalised no one, he did not seem any more dead + now than he had seemed ten minutes previously, and everybody would think + that his flaming eyes were still alive, ardently appealing to the divine + compassion of the Blessed Virgin. + </p> + <p> + Only a few persons among those around knew the truth. M. Sabathier, quite + scared, had made a questioning sign to his wife, and on being answered by + a prolonged affirmative nod, he had returned to his prayers without any + rebellion, though he could not help turning pale at the thought of the + mysterious almighty power which sent death when life was asked for. The + Vignerons, who were very much interested, leaned forward, and whispered as + though in presence of some street accident, one of those petty incidents + which in Paris the father sometimes related on returning home from the + Ministry, and which sufficed to occupy them all, throughout the evening. + Madame Jousseur, for her part, had simply turned round and whispered a + word or two in M. Dieulafay’s ear, and then they had both reverted to the + heart-rending contemplation of their own dear invalid; whilst Abbé + Judaine, informed by M. Vigneron, knelt down, and in a low, agitated voice + recited the prayers for the dead. Was he not a Saint, that missionary who + had returned from a deadly climate, with a mortal wound in his side, to + die there, beneath the smiling gaze of the Blessed Virgin? And Madame + Maze, who also knew what had happened, suddenly felt a taste for death, + and resolved that she would implore Heaven to suppress her also, in + unobtrusive fashion, if it would not listen to her prayer and give her + back her husband. + </p> + <p> + But the cry of Father Massias rose into a still higher key, burst forth + with a strength of terrible despair, with a rending like that of a sob: + “Jesus, son of David, I am perishing, save me!” + </p> + <p> + And the crowd sobbed after him in unison “Jesus, son of David, I am + perishing, save me!” + </p> + <p> + Then, in quick succession, and in higher and higher keys, the appeals went + on proclaiming the intolerable misery of the world: + </p> + <p> + “Jesus, son of David, take pity on Thy sick children!” + </p> + <p> + “Jesus, son of David, take pity on Thy sick children!” + </p> + <p> + “Jesus, son of David, come, heal them, that they may live!” + </p> + <p> + “Jesus, son of David, come, heal them, that they may live!” + </p> + <p> + It was delirium. At the foot of the pulpit Father Fourcade, succumbing to + the extraordinary passion which overflowed from all hearts, had likewise + raised his arms, and was shouting the appeals in his thundering voice as + though to compel the intervention of Heaven. And the exaltation was still + increasing beneath this blast of desire, whose powerful breath bowed every + head in turn, spreading even to the young women who, in a spirit of mere + curiosity, sat watching the scene from the parapet of the Gave; for these + also turned pale under their sunshades. + </p> + <p> + Miserable humanity was clamouring from the depths of its abyss of + suffering, and the clamour swept along, sending a shudder down every + spine, for one and all were plunged in agony, refusing to die, longing to + compel God to grant them eternal life. Ah! life, life! that was what all + those unfortunates, who had come so far, amid so many obstacles, wanted—that + was the one boon they asked for in their wild desire to live it over + again, to live it always! O Lord, whatever our misery, whatever the + torment of our life may be, cure us, grant that we may begin to live again + and suffer once more what we have suffered already. However unhappy we may + be, to be is what we wish. It is not heaven that we ask Thee for, it is + earth; and grant that we may leave it at the latest possible moment, never + leave it, indeed, if such be Thy good pleasure. And even when we no longer + implore a physical cure, but a moral favour, it is still happiness that we + ask Thee for; happiness, the thirst for which alone consumes us. O Lord, + grant that we may be happy and healthy; let us live, ay, let us live + forever! + </p> + <p> + This wild cry, the cry of man’s furious desire for life, came in broken + accents, mingled with tears, from every breast. + </p> + <p> + “O Lord, son of David, heal our sick!” + </p> + <p> + “O Lord, son of David, heal our sick!” + </p> + <p> + Berthaud had twice been obliged to dash forward to prevent the cords from + giving way under the unconscious pressure of the crowd. Baron Suire, in + despair, kept on making signs, begging someone to come to his assistance; + for the Grotto was now invaded, and the march past had become the mere + trampling of a flock rushing to its passion. In vain did Gérard again + leave Raymonde and post himself at the entrance gate of the iron railing, + so as to carry out the orders, which were to admit the pilgrims by tens. + He was hustled and swept aside, while with feverish excitement everybody + rushed in, passing like a torrent between the flaring candles, throwing + bouquets and letters to the Virgin, and kissing the rock, which the + pressure of millions of inflamed lips had polished. It was faith run wild, + the great power that nothing henceforth could stop. + </p> + <p> + And now, whilst Gérard stood there, hemmed in against the iron railing, he + heard two countrywomen, whom the advance was bearing onward, raise loud + exclamations at sight of the sufferers lying on the stretchers before + them. One of them was so greatly impressed by the pallid face of Brother + Isidore, whose large dilated eyes were still fixed on the statue of the + Virgin, that she crossed herself, and, overcome by devout admiration, + murmured: “Oh! look at that one; see how he is praying with his whole + heart, and how he gazes on Our Lady of Lourdes!” + </p> + <p> + The other peasant woman thereupon replied “Oh! she will certainly cure + him, he is so beautiful!” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, as the dead man lay there, his eyes still fixedly staring whilst + he continued his prayer of love and faith, his appearance touched every + heart. No one in that endless, streaming throng could behold him without + feeling edified. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap18"></a> + III. MARIE’S CURE + </h2> + <p> + IT was good Abbé Judaine who was to carry the Blessed Sacrament in the + four-o’clock procession. Since the Blessed Virgin had cured him of a + disease of the eyes, a miracle with which the Catholic press still + resounded, he had become one of the glories of Lourdes, was given the + first place, and honoured with all sorts of attentions. + </p> + <p> + At half-past three he rose, wishing to leave the Grotto, but the + extraordinary concourse of people quite frightened him, and he feared he + would be late if he did not succeed in getting out of it. Fortunately help + came to him in the person of Berthaud. “Monsieur le Curé,” exclaimed the + superintendent of the bearers, “don’t attempt to pass out by way of the + Rosary; you would never arrive in time. The best course is to ascend by + the winding paths—and come! follow me; I will go before you.” + </p> + <p> + By means of his elbows, he thereupon parted the dense throng and opened a + path for the priest, who overwhelmed him with thanks. “You are too kind. + It’s my fault; I had forgotten myself. But, good heavens! how shall we + manage to pass with the procession presently?” + </p> + <p> + This procession was Berthaud’s remaining anxiety. Even on ordinary days it + provoked wild excitement, which forced him to take special measures; and + what would now happen, as it wended its way through this dense multitude + of thirty thousand persons, consumed by such a fever of faith, already on + the verge of divine frenzy? Accordingly, in a sensible way, he took + advantage of this opportunity to give Abbé Judaine the best advice. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur le Curé, pray impress upon your colleagues of the clergy + that they must not leave any space between their ranks; they should come + on slowly, one close behind the other. And, above all, the banners should + be firmly grasped, so that they may not be overthrown. As for yourself, + Monsieur le Curé, see that the canopy-bearers are strong, tighten the + cloth around the monstrance, and don’t be afraid to carry it in both hands + with all your strength.” + </p> + <p> + A little frightened by this advice, the priest went on expressing his + thanks. “Of course, of course; you are very good,” said he. “Ah! monsieur, + how much I am indebted to you for having helped me to escape from all + those people!” + </p> + <p> + Then, free at last, he hastened towards the Basilica by the narrow + serpentine path which climbs the hill; while his companion again plunged + into the mob, to return to his post of inspection. + </p> + <p> + At that same moment Pierre, who was bringing Marie to the Grotto in her + little cart, encountered on the other side, that of the Place du Rosaire, + the impenetrable wall formed by the crowd. The servant at the hotel had + awakened him at three o’clock, so that he might go and fetch the young + girl at the hospital. There seemed to be no hurry; they apparently had + plenty of time to reach the Grotto before the procession. However, that + immense throng, that resisting, living wall, through which he did not know + how to break, began to cause him some uneasiness. He would never succeed + in passing with the little car if the people did not evince some + obligingness. “Come, ladies, come!” he appealed. “I beg of you! You see, + it’s for a patient!” + </p> + <p> + The ladies, hypnotised as they were by the spectacle of the Grotto + sparkling in the distance, and standing on tiptoe so as to lose nothing of + the sight, did not move, however. Besides, the clamour of the litanies was + so loud at this moment that they did not even hear the young priest’s + entreaties. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre began again: “Pray stand on one side, gentlemen; allow me to + pass. A little room for a sick person. Come, please, listen to what I am + saying!” + </p> + <p> + But the men, beside themselves, in a blind, deaf rapture, would stir no + more than the women. + </p> + <p> + Marie, however, smiled serenely, as if ignorant of the impediments, and + convinced that nothing in the world could prevent her from going to her + cure. However, when Pierre had found an aperture, and begun to work his + way through the moving mass, the situation became more serious. From all + parts the swelling human waves beat against the frail chariot, and at + times threatened to submerge it. At each step it became necessary to stop, + wait, and again entreat the people. Pierre had never before felt such an + anxious sensation in a crowd. True, it was not a threatening mob, it was + as innocent as a flock of sheep; but he found a troubling thrill in its + midst, a peculiar atmosphere that upset him. And, in spite of his + affection for the humble, the ugliness of the features around him, the + common, sweating faces, the evil breath, and the old clothes, smelling of + poverty, made him suffer even to nausea. + </p> + <p> + “Now, ladies, now, gentlemen, it’s for a patient,” he repeated. “A little + room, I beg of you!” + </p> + <p> + Buffeted about in this vast ocean, the little vehicle continued to advance + by fits and starts, taking long minutes to get over a few yards of ground. + At one moment you might have thought it swamped, for no sign of it could + be detected. Then, however, it reappeared near the piscinas. Tender + sympathy had at length been awakened for this sick girl, so wasted by + suffering, but still so beautiful. When people had been compelled to give + way before the priest’s stubborn pushing, they turned round, but did not + dare to get angry, for pity penetrated them at sight of that thin, + suffering face, shining out amidst a halo of fair hair. Words of + compassion and admiration were heard on all sides: “Ah, the poor child!”—“Was + it not cruel to be infirm at her age?”—“Might the Blessed Virgin be + merciful to her!” Others, however, expressed surprise, struck as they were + by the ecstasy in which they saw her, with her clear eyes open to the + spheres beyond, where she had placed her hope. She beheld Heaven, she + would assuredly be cured. And thus the little car left, as it were, a + feeling of wonder and fraternal charity behind it, as it made its way with + so much difficulty through that human ocean. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, was in despair and at the end of his strength, when some + of the stretcher-bearers came to his aid by forming a path for the passage + of the procession—a path which Berthaud had ordered them to keep + clear by means of cords, which they were to hold at intervals of a couple + of yards. From that moment the young priest was able to drag Marie along + in a fairly easy manner, and at last place her within the reserved space, + where he halted, facing the Grotto on the left side. You could no longer + move in this reserved space, where the crowd seemed to increase every + minute. And, quite exhausted by the painful journey he had just + accomplished, Pierre reflected what a prodigious concourse of people there + was; it had seemed to him as if he were in the midst of an ocean, whose + waves he had heard heaving around him without a pause. + </p> + <p> + Since leaving the hospital Marie had not opened her lips. He now realised, + however, that she wished to speak to him, and accordingly bent over her. + “And my father,” she inquired, “is he here? Hasn’t he returned from his + excursion?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had to answer that M. de Guersaint had not returned, and that he + had doubtless been delayed against his will. And thereupon she merely + added with a smile: “Ah I poor father, won’t he be pleased when he finds + me cured!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at her with tender admiration. He did not remember having + ever seen her looking so adorable since the slow wasting of sickness had + begun. Her hair, which alone disease had respected, clothed her in gold. + Her thin, delicate face had assumed a dreamy expression, her eyes + wandering away to the haunting thought of her sufferings, her features + motionless, as if she had fallen asleep in a fixed thought until the + expected shock of happiness should waken her. She was absent from herself, + ready, however, to return to consciousness whenever God might will it. + And, indeed, this delicious infantile creature, this little girl of + three-and-twenty, still a child as when an accident had struck her, + delaying her growth, preventing her from becoming a woman, was at last + ready to receive the visit of the angel, the miraculous shock which would + draw her out of her torpor and set her upright once more. Her morning + ecstasy continued; she had clasped her hands, and a leap of her whole + being had ravished her from earth as soon as she had perceived the image + of the Blessed Virgin yonder. And now she prayed and offered herself + divinely. + </p> + <p> + It was an hour of great mental trouble for Pierre. He felt that the drama + of his priestly life was about to be enacted, and that if he did not + recover faith in this crisis, it would never return to him. And he was + without bad thoughts, without resistance, hoping with fervour, he also, + that they might both be healed! Oh! that he might be convinced by her + cure, that he might believe like her, that they might be saved together! + He wished to pray, ardently, as she herself did. But in spite of himself + he was preoccupied by the crowd, that limitless crowd, among which he + found it so difficult to drown himself, disappear, become nothing more + than a leaf in the forest, lost amidst the rustle of all the leaves. He + could not prevent himself from analysing and judging it. He knew that for + four days past it had been undergoing all the training of suggestion; + there had been the fever of the long journey, the excitement of the new + landscapes, the days spent before the splendour of the Grotto, the + sleepless nights, and all the exasperating suffering, ravenous for + illusion. Then, again, there had been the all-besetting prayers, those + hymns, those litanies, which agitated it without a pause. Another priest + had followed Father Massias in the pulpit, a little thin, dark Abbé, whom + Pierre heard hurling appeals to the Virgin and Jesus in a lashing voice + which resounded like a whip. Father Massias and Father Fourcade had + remained at the foot of the pulpit, and were now directing the cries of + the crowd, whose lamentations rose in louder and louder tones beneath the + limpid sunlight. The general exaltation had yet increased; it was the hour + when the violence done to Heaven at last produced the miracles. + </p> + <p> + All at once a paralytic rose up and walked towards the Grotto, holding his + crutch in the air; and this crutch, waving like a flag above the swaying + heads, wrung loud applause from the faithful. They were all on the + look-out for prodigies, they awaited them with the certainty that they + would take place, innumerable and wonderful. Some eyes seemed to behold + them, and feverish voices pointed them out. Another woman had been cured! + Another! Yet another! A deaf person had heard, a mute had spoken, a + consumptive had revived! What, a consumptive? Certainly, that was a daily + occurrence! Surprise was no longer possible; you might have certified that + an amputated leg was growing again without astonishing anyone. + Miracle-working became the actual state of nature, the usual thing, quite + commonplace, such was its abundance. The most incredible stories seemed + quite simple to those overheated imaginations, given what they expected + from the Blessed Virgin. And you should have heard the tales that went + about, the quiet affirmations, the expressions of absolute certainty which + were exchanged whenever a delirious patient cried out that she was cured. + Another! Yet another! However, a piteous voice would at times exclaim: + “Ah! she’s cured; that one; she’s lucky, she is!” + </p> + <p> + Already, at the Verification Office, Pierre had suffered from this + credulity of the folk among whom he lived. But here it surpassed + everything he could have imagined; and he was exasperated by the + extravagant things he heard people say in such a placid fashion, with the + open smiles of children. Accordingly he tried to absorb himself in his + thoughts and listen to nothing. “O God!” he prayed, “grant that my reason + may be annihilated, that I may no longer desire to understand, that I may + accept the unreal and impossible.” For a moment he thought the spirit of + inquiry dead within him, and allowed the cry of supplication to carry him + away: “Lord, heal our sick! Lord, heal our sick!” He repeated this appeal + with all his charity, clasped his hands, and gazed fixedly at the statue + of the Virgin, until he became quite giddy, and imagined that the figure + moved. Why should he not return to a state of childhood like the others, + since happiness lay in ignorance and falsehood? Contagion would surely end + by acting; he would become nothing more than a grain of sand among + innumerable other grains, one of the humblest among the humble ones under + the millstone, who trouble not about the power that crushes them. But just + at that second, when he hoped that he had killed the old man in him, that + he had annihilated himself along with his will and intelligence, the + stubborn work of thought, incessant and invincible, began afresh in the + depths of his brain. Little by little, notwithstanding his efforts to the + contrary, he returned to his inquiries, doubted, and sought the truth. + What was the unknown force thrown off by this crowd, the vital fluid + powerful enough to work the few cures that really occurred? There was here + a phenomenon that no physiologist had yet studied. Ought one to believe + that a multitude became a single being, as it were, able to increase the + power of auto-suggestion tenfold upon itself? Might one admit that, under + certain circumstances of extreme exaltation, a multitude became an agent + of sovereign will compelling the obedience of matter? That would have + explained how sudden cure fell at times upon the most sincerely excited of + the throng. The breaths of all of them united in one breath, and the power + that acted was a power of consolation, hope, and life. + </p> + <p> + This thought, the outcome of his human charity, filled Pierre with + emotion. For another moment he was able to regain possession of himself, + and prayed for the cure of all, deeply touched by the belief that he + himself might in some degree contribute towards the cure of Marie. But all + at once, without knowing what transition of ideas led to it, a + recollection returned to him of the medical consultation which he had + insisted upon prior to the young girl’s departure for Lourdes. The scene + rose before him with extraordinary clearness and precision; he saw the + room with its grey, blue-flowered wall-paper, and he heard the three + doctors discuss and decide. The two who had given certificates + diagnosticating paralysis of the marrow spoke discreetly, slowly, like + esteemed, well-known, perfectly honourable practitioners; but Pierre still + heard the warm, vivacious voice of his cousin Beauclair, the third doctor, + a young man of vast and daring intelligence, who was treated coldly by his + colleagues as being of an adventurous turn of mind. And at this supreme + moment Pierre was surprised to find in his memory things which he did not + know were there; but it was only an instance of that singular phenomenon + by which it sometimes happens that words scarce listened to, words but + imperfectly heard, words stored away in the brain almost in spite of self, + will awaken, burst forth, and impose themselves on the mind after they + have long been forgotten. And thus it now seemed to him that the very + approach of the miracle was bringing him a vision of the conditions under + which—according to Beauclair’s predictions—the miracle would + be accomplished. + </p> + <p> + In vain did Pierre endeavour to drive away this recollection by praying + with an increase of fervour. The scene again appeared to him, and the old + words rang out, filling his ears like a trumpet-blast. He was now again in + the dining-room, where Beauclair and he had shut themselves up after the + departure of the two others, and Beauclair recapitulated the history of + the malady: the fall from a horse at the age of fourteen; the dislocation + and displacement of the organ, with doubtless a slight laceration of the + ligaments, whence the weight which the sufferer had felt, and the weakness + of the legs leading to paralysis. Then, a slow healing of the disorder, + everything returning to its place of itself, but without the pain ceasing. + In fact this big, nervous child, whose mind had been so grievously + impressed by her accident, was unable to forget it; her attention remained + fixed on the part where she suffered, and she could not divert it, so + that, even after cure, her sufferings had continued—a neuropathic + state, a consecutive nervous exhaustion, doubtless aggravated by accidents + due to faulty nutrition as yet imperfectly understood. And further, + Beauclair easily explained the contrary and erroneous diagnosis of the + numerous doctors who had attended her, and who, as she would not submit to + examination, had groped in the dark, some believing in a tumour, and the + others, the more numerous, convinced of some lesion of the marrow. He + alone, after inquiring into the girl’s parentage, had just begun to + suspect a simple state of auto-suggestion, in which she had obstinately + remained ever since the first violent shock of pain; and among the reasons + which he gave for this belief were the contraction of her visual field, + the fixity of her eyes, the absorbed, inattentive expression of her face, + and above all the nature of the pain she felt, which, leaving the organ, + had borne to the left, where it continued in the form of a crushing, + intolerable weight, which sometimes rose to the breast in frightful fits + of stifling. A sudden determination to throw off the false notion she had + formed of her complaint, the will to rise, breathe freely, and suffer no + more, could alone place her on her feet again, cured, transfigured, + beneath the lash of some intense emotion. + </p> + <p> + A last time did Pierre endeavour to see and hear no more, for he felt that + the irreparable ruin of all belief in the miraculous was in him. And, in + spite of his efforts, in spite of the ardour with which he began to cry, + “Jesus, son of David, heal our sick!” he still saw, he still heard + Beauclair telling him, in his calm, smiling manner how the miracle would + take place, like a lightning flash, at the moment of extreme emotion, + under the decisive circumstance which would complete the loosening of the + muscles. The patient would rise and walk in a wild transport of joy, her + legs would all at once be light again, relieved of the weight which had so + long made them like lead, as though this weight had melted, fallen to the + ground. But above all, the weight which bore upon the lower part of the + trunk, which rose, ravaged the breast, and strangled the throat, would + this time depart in a prodigious soaring flight, a tempest blast bearing + all the evil away with it. And was it not thus that, in the Middle Ages, + possessed women had by the mouth cast up the Devil, by whom their flesh + had so long been tortured? And Beauclair had added that Marie would at + last become a woman, that in that moment of supreme joy she would cease to + be a child, that although seemingly worn out by her prolonged dream of + suffering, she would all at once be restored to resplendent health, with + beaming face, and eyes full of life. + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at her, and his trouble increased still more on seeing her + so wretched in her little cart, so distractedly imploring health, her + whole being soaring towards Our Lady of Lourdes, who gave life. Ah! might + she be saved, at the cost even of his own damnation! But she was too ill; + science lied like faith; he could not believe that this child, whose limbs + had been dead for so many years, would indeed return to life. And, in the + bewildered doubt into which he again relapsed, his bleeding heart + clamoured yet more loudly, ever and ever repeating with the delirious + crowd: “Lord, son of David, heal our sick!—Lord, son of David, heal + our sick!” + </p> + <p> + At that moment a tumult arose agitating one and all. People shuddered, + faces were turned and raised. It was the cross of the four-o’clock + procession, a little behind time that day, appearing from beneath one of + the arches of the monumental gradient way. There was such applause and + such violent, instinctive pushing that Berthaud, waving his arms, + commanded the bearers to thrust the crowd back by pulling strongly on the + cords. Overpowered for a moment, the bearers had to throw themselves + backward with sore hands; however, they ended by somewhat enlarging the + reserved path, along which the procession was then able to slowly wend its + way. At the head came a superb beadle, all blue and gold, followed by the + processional cross, a tall cross shining like a star. Then followed the + delegations of the different pilgrimages with their banners, standards of + velvet and satin, embroidered with metal and bright silk, adorned with + painted figures, and bearing the names of towns: Versailles, Rheims, + Orleans, Poitiers, and Toulouse. One, which was quite white, magnificently + rich, displayed in red letters the inscription “Association of Catholic + Working Men’s Clubs.” Then came the clergy, two or three hundred priests + in simple cassocks, about a hundred in surplices, and some fifty clothed + in golden chasubles, effulgent like stars. They all carried lighted + candles, and sang the “Laudate Sion Salvatorem” in full voices. And then + the canopy appeared in royal pomp, a canopy of purple silk, braided with + gold, and upheld by four ecclesiastics, who, it could be seen, had been + selected from among the most robust. Beneath it, between two other priests + who assisted him, was Abbé Judaine, vigorously clasping the Blessed + Sacrament with both hands, as Berthaud had recommended him to do; and the + somewhat uneasy glances that he cast on the encroaching crowd right and + left showed how anxious he was that no injury should befall the heavy + divine monstrance, whose weight was already straining his wrists. When the + slanting sun fell upon him in front, the monstrance itself looked like + another sun. Choir-boys meantime were swinging censers in the blinding + glow which gave splendour to the entire procession; and, finally, in the + rear, there was a confused mass of pilgrims, a flock-like tramping of + believers and sightseers all aflame, hurrying along, and blocking the + track with their ever-rolling waves. + </p> + <p> + Father Massias had returned to the pulpit a moment previously; and this + time he had devised another pious exercise. After the burning cries of + faith, hope, and love that he threw forth, he all at once commanded + absolute silence, in order that one and all might, with closed lips, speak + to God in secret for a few minutes. These sudden spells of silence falling + upon the vast crowd, these minutes of mute prayer, in which all souls + unbosomed their secrets, were deeply, wonderfully impressive. Their + solemnity became formidable; you heard desire, the immense desire for + life, winging its flight on high. Then Father Massias invited the sick + alone to speak, to implore God to grant them what they asked of His + almighty power. And, in response, came a pitiful lamentation, hundreds of + tremulous, broken voices rising amidst a concert of sobs. “Lord Jesus, if + it please Thee, Thou canst cure me!”—“Lord Jesus take pity on Thy + child, who is dying of love!”—“Lord Jesus, grant that I may see, + grant that I may hear, grant that I may walk!” And, all at once, the + shrill voice of a little girl, light and vivacious as the notes of a + flute, rose above the universal sob, repeating in the distance: “Save the + others, save the others, Lord Jesus!” Tears streamed from every eye; these + supplications upset all hearts, threw the hardest into the frenzy of + charity, into a sublime disorder which would have impelled them to open + their breasts with both hands, if by doing so they could have given their + neighbours their health and youth. And then Father Massias, not letting + this enthusiasm abate, resumed his cries, and again lashed the delirious + crowd with them; while Father Fourcade himself sobbed on one of the steps + of the pulpit, raising his streaming face to heaven as though to command + God to descend on earth. + </p> + <p> + But the procession had arrived; the delegations, the priests, had ranged + themselves on the right and left; and, when the canopy entered the space + reserved to the sick in front of the Grotto, when the sufferers perceived + Jesus the Host, the Blessed Sacrament, shining like a sun, in the hands of + Abbé Judaine, it became impossible to direct the prayers, all voices + mingled together, and all will was borne away by vertigo. The cries, + calls, entreaties broke, lapsing into groans. Human forms rose from + pallets of suffering; trembling arms were stretched forth; clenched hands + seemingly desired to clutch at the miracle on the way. “Lord Jesus, save + us, for we perish!”—“Lord Jesus, we worship Thee; heal us!”—“Lord + Jesus, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God; heal us!” Thrice + did the despairing, exasperated voices give vent to the supreme + lamentation in a clamour which rushed up to Heaven; and the tears + redoubled, flooding all the burning faces which desire transformed. At one + moment, the delirium became so great, the instinctive leap toward the + Blessed Sacrament seemed so irresistible, that Berthaud placed the bearers + who were there in a chain about it. This was the extreme protective + manœuvre, a hedge of bearers drawn up on either side of the canopy, each + placing an arm firmly round his neighbour’s neck, so as to establish a + sort of living wall. Not the smallest aperture was left in it; nothing + whatever could pass. Still, these human barriers staggered under the + pressure of the unfortunate creatures who hungered for life, who wished to + touch, to kiss Jesus; and, oscillating and recoiling, the bearers were at + last thrust against the canopy they were defending, and the canopy itself + began swaying among the crowd, ever in danger of being swept away like + some holy bark in peril of being wrecked. + </p> + <p> + Then, at the very climax of this holy frenzy, the miracles began amidst + supplications and sobs, as when the heavens open during a storm, and a + thunderbolt falls on earth. A paralytic woman rose and cast aside her + crutches. There was a piercing yell, and another woman appeared erect on + her mattress, wrapped in a white blanket as in a winding sheet; and people + said it was a half-dead consumptive who had thus been resuscitated. Then + grace fell upon two others in quick succession: a blind woman suddenly + perceived the Grotto in a flame; a dumb woman fell on both her knees, + thanking the Blessed Virgin in a loud, clear voice. And all in a like way + prostrated themselves at the feet of Our Lady of Lourdes, distracted with + joy and gratitude. + </p> + <p> + But Pierre had not taken his eyes off Marie, and he was overcome with + tender emotion at what he saw. The sufferer’s eyes were still + expressionless, but they had dilated, while her poor, pale face, with its + heavy mask, was contracted as if she were suffering frightfully. She did + not speak in her despair; she undoubtedly thought that she was again in + the clutches of her ailment. But all at once, when the Blessed Sacrament + passed by, and she saw the star-like monstrance sparkling in the sun, a + sensation of dizziness came over her. She imagined herself struck by + lightning. Her eyes caught fire from the glare which flashed upon her, and + at last regained their flame of life, shining out like stars. And under + the influence of a wave of blood her face became animated, suffused with + colour, beaming with a smile of joy and health. And, suddenly, Pierre saw + her rise, stand upright in her little car, staggering, stuttering, and + finding in her mind only these caressing words: “Oh, my friend! Oh, my + friend!” + </p> + <p> + He hurriedly drew near in order to support her. But she drove him back + with a gesture. She was regaining strength, looking so touching, so + beautiful, in the little black woollen gown and slippers which she always + wore; tall and slender, too, and crowned as with a halo of gold by her + beautiful flaxen hair, which was covered with a simple piece of lace. The + whole of her virgin form was quivering as if some powerful fermentation + had regenerated her. First of all, it was her legs that were relieved of + the chains that bound them; and then, while she felt the spirit of life—the + life of woman, wife, and mother—within her, there came a final + agony, an enormous weight that rose to her very throat. Only, this time, + it did not linger there, did not stifle her, but burst from her open + mouth, and flew away in a cry of sublime joy. + </p> + <p> + “I am cured!—I am cured!” + </p> + <p> + Then there was an extraordinary sight. The blanket lay at her feet, she + was triumphant, she had a superb, glowing face. And her cry of cure had + resounded with such rapturous delight that the entire crowd was distracted + by it. She had become the sole point of interest, the others saw none but + her, erect, grown so radiant and so divine. + </p> + <p> + “I am cured!—I am cured!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, at the violent shock his heart had received, had begun to weep. + Indeed, tears glistened again in every eye. Amidst exclamations of + gratitude and praise, frantic enthusiasm passed from one to another, + throwing the thousands of pilgrims who pressed forward to see into a state + of violent emotion. Applause broke out, a fury of applause, whose thunder + rolled from one to the other end of the valley. + </p> + <p> + However, Father Fourcade began waving his arms, and Father Massias was at + last able to make himself heard from the pulpit: “God has visited us, my + dear brothers, my dear sisters!” said he. “<i>Magnificat anima mea Dominum</i>, + My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my + Saviour.” + </p> + <p> + And then all the voices, the thousands of voices, began the chant of + adoration and gratitude. The procession found itself at a stand-still. + Abbé Judaine had been able to reach the Grotto with the monstrance, but he + patiently remained there before giving the Benediction. The canopy was + awaiting him outside the railings, surrounded by priests in surplices and + chasubles, all a glitter of white and gold in the rays of the setting sun. + </p> + <p> + Marie, however, had knelt down, sobbing; and, whilst the canticle lasted, + a burning prayer of faith and love ascended from her whole being. But the + crowd wanted to see her walk, delighted women called to her, a group + surrounded her, and swept her towards the Verification Office, so that the + miracle might be proved true, as patent as the very light of the sun. Her + box was forgotten, Pierre followed her, while she, stammering and + hesitating, she who for seven years had not used her legs, advanced with + adorable awkwardness, the uneasy, charming gait of a little child making + its first steps; and it was so affecting, so delicious, that the young + priest thought of nothing but the immense happiness of seeing her thus + return to her childhood. Ah! the dear friend of infancy, the dear + tenderness of long ago, so she would at last be the beautiful and charming + woman that she had promised to be as a young girl when, in the little + garden at Neuilly, she had looked so gay and pretty beneath the tall trees + flecked with sunlight! + </p> + <p> + The crowd continued to applaud her furiously, a huge wave of people + accompanied her; and all remained awaiting her egress, swarming in a fever + before the door, when she had entered the office, whither Pierre only was + admitted with her. + </p> + <p> + That particular afternoon there were few people at the Verification + Office. The small square room, with its hot wooden walls and rudimentary + furniture, its rush-bottomed chairs, and its two tables of unequal height, + contained, apart from the usual staff only some five or six doctors, + seated and silent. At the tables were the inspector of the piscinas and + two young Abbés making entries in the registers, and consulting the sets + of documents; while Father Dargeles, at one end, wrote a paragraph for his + newspaper. And, as it happened, Doctor Bonamy was just then examining + Elise Rouquet, who, for the third time, had come to have the increasing + cicatrisation of her sore certified. + </p> + <p> + “Anyhow, gentlemen,” exclaimed the doctor, “have you ever seen a lupus + heal in this way so rapidly? I am aware that a new work has appeared on + faith healing in which it is stated that certain sores may have a nervous + origin. Only that is by no means proved in the case of lupus, and I defy a + committee of doctors to assemble and explain mademoiselle’s cure by + ordinary means.” + </p> + <p> + He paused, and turning towards Father Dargeles, inquired: “Have you noted, + Father, that the suppuration has completely disappeared, and that the skin + is resuming its natural colour?” + </p> + <p> + However, he did not wait for the reply, for just then Marie entered, + followed by Pierre; and by her beaming radiance he immediately guessed + what good-fortune was befalling him. She looked superb, admirably fitted + to transport and convert the multitude. He therefore promptly dismissed + Elise Rouquet, inquired the new arrival’s name, and asked one of the young + priests to look for her papers. Then, as she slightly staggered, he wished + to seat her in the arm-chair. + </p> + <p> + “Oh no! oh no!” she exclaimed. “I am so happy to be able to use my legs!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, with a glance, had sought for Doctor Chassaigne, whom he was sorry + not to see there. He remained on one side, waiting while they rummaged in + the untidy drawers without being able to place their hands on the required + papers. “Let’s see,” repeated Dr. Bonamy; “Marie de Guersaint, Marie de + Guersaint. I have certainly seen that name before.” + </p> + <p> + At last Raboin discovered the documents classified under a wrong letter; + and when the doctor had perused the two medical certificates he became + quite enthusiastic. “Here is something very interesting, gentlemen,” said + he. “I beg you to listen attentively. This young lady, whom you see + standing here, was afflicted with a very serious lesion of the marrow. + And, if one had the least doubt of it, these two certificates would + suffice to convince the most incredulous, for they are signed by two + doctors of the Paris faculty, whose names are well known to us all.” + </p> + <p> + Then he passed the certificates to the doctors present, who read them, + wagging their heads the while. It was beyond dispute; the medical men who + had drawn up these documents enjoyed the reputation of being honest and + clever practitioners. + </p> + <p> + “Well, gentlemen, if the diagnosis is not disputed—and it cannot be + when a patient brings us documents of this value—we will now see + what change has taken place in the young lady’s condition.” + </p> + <p> + However, before questioning her he turned towards Pierre. “Monsieur + l’Abbé,” said he, “you came from Paris with Mademoiselle de Guersaint, I + think. Did you converse with the doctors before your departure?” + </p> + <p> + The priest shuddered amidst all his great delight. + </p> + <p> + “I was present at the consultation, monsieur,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + And again the scene rose up before him. He once more saw the two doctors, + so serious and rational, and he once more saw Beauclair smiling, while his + colleagues drew up their certificates, which were identical. And was he, + Pierre, to reduce these certificates to nothing, reveal the other + diagnosis, the one that allowed of the cure being explained + scientifically? The miracle had been predicted, shattered beforehand. + </p> + <p> + “You will observe, gentlemen,” now resumed Dr. Bonamy, “that the presence + of the Abbé gives these proofs additional weight. However, mademoiselle + will now tell us exactly what she felt.” + </p> + <p> + He had leant over Father Dargeles’s shoulder to impress upon him that he + must not forget to make Pierre play the part of a witness in the + narrative. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mon Dieu</i>! gentlemen, how can I tell you?” exclaimed Marie in a + halting voice, broken by her surging happiness. “Since yesterday I had + felt certain that I should be cured. And yet, a little while ago, when the + pins and needles seized me in the legs again, I was afraid it might only + be another attack. For an instant I doubted. Then the feeling stopped. But + it began again as soon as I recommenced praying. Oh! I prayed, I prayed + with all my soul! I ended by surrendering myself like a child. ‘Blessed + Virgin, Our Lady of Lourdes, do with me as thou wilt,’ I said. But the + feeling did not cease, it seemed as if my blood were boiling; a voice + cried to me: ‘Rise! Rise!’ And I felt the miracle fall on me in a cracking + of all my bones, of all my flesh, as if I had been struck by lightning.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, very pale, listened to her. Beauclair had positively told him that + the cure would come like a lightning flash, that under the influence of + extreme excitement a sudden awakening of will so long somnolent would take + place within her. + </p> + <p> + “It was my legs which the Holy Virgin first of all delivered,” she + continued. “I could well feel that the iron bands which bound them were + gliding along my skin like broken chains. Then the weight which still + suffocated me, there, in the left side, began to ascend; and I thought I + was going to die, it hurt me so. But it passed my chest, it passed my + throat, and I felt it there in my mouth, and spat it out violently. It was + all over, I no longer had any pain, it had flown away!” + </p> + <p> + She had made a gesture expressive of the motion of a night bird beating + its wings, and, lapsing into silence, stood smiling at Pierre, who was + bewildered. Beauclair had told him all that beforehand, using almost the + same words and the same imagery. Point by point, his prognostics were + realised, there was nothing more in the case than natural phenomena, which + had been foreseen. + </p> + <p> + Raboin, however, had followed Marie’s narrative with dilated eyes and the + passion of a pietist of limited intelligence, ever haunted by the idea of + hell. “It was the devil,” he cried; “it was the devil that she spat out!” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Bonamy, who was more wary, made him hold his tongue. And turning + towards the doctors he said: “Gentlemen, you know that we always avoid + pronouncing the big word of miracle here. Only here is a fact, and I am + curious to know how any of you can explain it by natural means. Seven + years ago this young lady was struck with serious paralysis, evidently due + to a lesion of the marrow. And that cannot be denied; the certificates are + there, irrefutable. She could no longer walk, she could no longer make a + movement without a cry of pain, she had reached that extreme state of + exhaustion which precedes but by little an unfortunate issue. All at once, + however, here she rises, walks, laughs, and beams on us. The paralysis has + completely disappeared, no pain remains, she is as well as you and I. + Come, gentlemen, approach, examine her, and tell me what has happened.” + </p> + <p> + He triumphed. Not one of the doctors spoke. Two, who were doubtless true + Catholics, had shown their approval of his speech by their vigorous nods, + while the others remained motionless, with a constrained air, not caring + to mix themselves up in the business. However, a little thin man, whose + eyes shone behind the glasses he was wearing, ended by rising to take a + closer look at Marie. He caught hold of her hand, examined the pupils of + her eyes, and merely seemed preoccupied by the air of transfiguration + which she wore. Then, in a very courteous manner, without even showing a + desire to discuss the matter, he came back and sat down again. + </p> + <p> + “The case is beyond science, that is all I can assume,” concluded Doctor + Bonamy, victoriously. “I will add that we have no convalescence here; + health is at once restored, full, entire. Observe the young lady. Her eyes + are bright, her colour is rosy, her physiognomy has recovered its lively + gaiety. Without doubt, the healing of the tissues will proceed somewhat + slowly, but one can already say that mademoiselle has been born again. Is + it not so, Monsieur l’Abbé, you who have seen her so frequently; you no + longer recognise her, eh?” + </p> + <p> + “That’s true, that’s true,” stammered Pierre. + </p> + <p> + And, in fact, she already appeared strong to him, her cheeks full and + fresh, gaily blooming. But Beauclair had also foreseen this sudden joyful + change, this straightening and resplendency of her invalid frame, when + life should re-enter it, with the will to be cured and be happy. Once + again, however, had Doctor Bonamy leant over Father Dargeles, who was + finishing his note, a brief but fairly complete account of the affair. + They exchanged a few words in low tones, consulting together, and the + doctor ended by saying: “You have witnessed these marvels, Monsieur + l’Abbé, so you will not refuse to sign the careful report which the + reverend Father has drawn up for publication in the ‘Journal de la + Grotte.’” + </p> + <p> + He—Pierre—sign that page of error and falsehood! A revolt + roused him, and he was on the point of shouting out the truth. But he felt + the weight of his cassock on his shoulders; and, above all, Marie’s divine + joy filled his heart. He was penetrated with deep happiness at seeing her + saved. Since they had ceased questioning her she had come and leant on his + arm, and remained smiling at him with eyes full of enthusiasm. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, my, friend, thank the Blessed Virgin!” she murmured in a low voice. + “She has been so good to me; I am now so well, so beautiful, so young! And + how pleased my father, my poor father, will be!” + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre signed. Everything was collapsing within him, but it was + enough that she should be saved; he would have thought it sacrilegious to + interfere with the faith of that child, the great pure faith which had + healed her. + </p> + <p> + When Marie reappeared outside the office, the applause began afresh, the + crowd clapped their hands. It now seemed that the miracle was official. + However, certain charitable persons, fearing that she might again fatigue + herself and again require her little car, which she had abandoned before + the Grotto, had brought it to the office, and when she found it there she + felt deeply moved. Ah! that box in which she had lived so many years, that + rolling coffin in which she had sometimes imagined herself buried alive, + how many tears, how much despair, how many bad days it had witnessed! And, + all at once, the idea occurred to her that it had so long been linked with + her sufferings, it ought also to share her triumph. It was a sudden + inspiration, a kind of holy folly, that made her seize the handle. + </p> + <p> + At that moment the procession passed by, returning from the Grotto, where + Abbé Judaine had pronounced the Benediction. And thereupon Marie, dragging + the little car, placed herself behind the canopy. And, in her slippers, + her head covered with a strip of lace, her bosom heaving, her face erect, + glowing, and superb, she walked on behind the clergy, dragging after her + that car of misery, that rolling coffin, in which she had endured so much + agony. And the crowd which acclaimed her, the frantic crowd, followed in + her wake. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap19"></a> + IV. TRIUMPH—DESPAIR + </h2> + <p> + PIERRE also had followed Marie, and like her was behind the canopy, + carried along as it were by the blast of glory which made her drag her + little car along in triumph. Every moment, however, there was so much + tempestuous pushing that the young priest would assuredly have fallen if a + rough hand had not upheld him. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t be alarmed,” said a voice; “give me your arm, otherwise you won’t + be able to remain on your feet.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre turned round, and was surprised to recognise Father Massias, who + had left Father Fourcade in the pulpit in order to accompany the + procession. An extraordinary fever was sustaining him, throwing him + forward, as solid as a rock, with eyes glowing like live coals, and an + excited face covered with perspiration. + </p> + <p> + “Take care, then!” he again exclaimed; “give me your arm.” + </p> + <p> + A fresh human wave had almost swept them away. And Pierre now yielded to + the support of this terrible enthusiast, whom he remembered as a + fellow-student at the seminary. What a singular meeting it was, and how + greatly he would have liked to possess that violent faith, that mad faith, + which was making Massias pant, with his throat full of sobs, whilst he + continued giving vent to the ardent entreaty “Lord Jesus, heal our sick! + Lord Jesus, heal our sick!” + </p> + <p> + There was no cessation of this cry behind the canopy, where there was + always a crier whose duty it was to accord no respite to the slow clemency + of Heaven. At times a thick voice full of anguish, and at others a shrill + and piercing voice, would arise. The Father’s, which was an imperious one, + was now at last breaking through sheer emotion. + </p> + <p> + “Lord Jesus, heal our sick! Lord Jesus, heal our sick!” + </p> + <p> + The rumour of Marie’s wondrous cure, of the miracle whose fame would + speedily fill all Christendom, had already spread from one to the other + end of Lourdes; and from this had come the increased vertigo of the + multitude, the attack of contagious delirium which now caused it to whirl + and rush toward the Blessed Sacrament like the resistless flux of a rising + tide. One and all yielded to the desire of beholding the Sacrament and + touching it, of being cured and becoming happy. The Divinity was passing; + and now it was not merely a question of ailing beings glowing with a + desire for life, but a longing for happiness which consumed all present + and raised them up with bleeding, open hearts and eager hands. + </p> + <p> + Berthaud, who feared the excesses of this religious adoration, had decided + to accompany his men. He commanded them, carefully watching over the + double chain of bearers beside the canopy in order that it might not be + broken. + </p> + <p> + “Close your ranks—closer—closer!” he called, “and keep your + arms firmly linked!” + </p> + <p> + These young men, chosen from among the most vigorous of the bearers, had + an extremely difficult duty to discharge. The wall which they formed, + shoulder to shoulder, with arms linked at the waist and the neck, kept on + giving way under the involuntary assaults of the throng. Nobody, + certainly, fancied that he was pushing, but there was constant eddying, + and deep waves of people rolled towards the procession from afar and + threatened to submerge it. + </p> + <p> + When the canopy had reached the middle of the Place du Rosaire, Abbé + Judaine really thought that he would be unable to go any farther. Numerous + conflicting currents had set in over the vast expanse, and were whirling, + assailing him from all sides, so that he had to halt under the swaying + canopy, which shook like a sail in a sudden squall on the open sea. He + held the Blessed Sacrament aloft with his numbed hands, each moment + fearing that a final push would throw him over; for he fully realised that + the golden monstrance, radiant like a sun, was the one passion of all that + multitude, the Divinity they demanded to kiss, in order that they might + lose themselves in it, even though they should annihilate it in doing so. + Accordingly, while standing there, the priest anxiously turned his eyes on + Berthaud. + </p> + <p> + “Let nobody pass!” called the latter to the bearers—“nobody! The + orders are precise; you hear me?” + </p> + <p> + Voices, however, were rising in supplication on all sides, wretched beings + were sobbing with arms outstretched and lips protruding, in the wild + desire that they might be allowed to approach and kneel at the priest’s + feet. What divine grace it would be to be thrown upon the ground and + trampled under foot by the whole procession!* An infirm old man displayed + his withered hand in the conviction that it would be made sound again were + he only allowed to touch the monstrance. A dumb woman wildly pushed her + way through the throng with her broad shoulders, in order that she might + loosen her tongue by a kiss. Others were shouting, imploring, and even + clenching their fists in their rage with those cruel men who denied cure + to their bodily sufferings and their mental wretchedness. The orders to + keep them back were rigidly enforced, however, for the most serious + accidents were feared. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * One is here irresistibly reminded of the car of Juggernaut, and + of the Hindoo fanatics throwing themselves beneath its wheels + in the belief that they would thus obtain an entrance into + Paradise.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “Nobody, nobody!” repeated Berthaud; “let nobody whatever pass!” + </p> + <p> + There was a woman there, however, who touched every heart with compassion. + Clad in wretched garments, bareheaded, her face wet with tears, she was + holding in her arms a little boy of ten years or so, whose limp, paralysed + legs hung down inertly. The lad’s weight was too great for one so weak as + herself, still she did not seem to feel it. She had brought the boy there, + and was now entreating the bearers with an invincible obstinacy which + neither words nor hustling could conquer. + </p> + <p> + At last, as Abbé Judaine, who felt deeply moved, beckoned to her to + approach, two of the bearers, in deference to his compassion, drew apart, + despite all the danger of opening a breach, and the woman then rushed + forward with her burden, and fell in a heap before the priest. For a + moment he rested the foot of the monstrance on the child’s head, and the + mother herself pressed her eager, longing lips to it; and, as they started + off again, she wished to remain behind the canopy, and followed the + procession, with streaming hair and panting breast, staggering the while + under the heavy burden, which was fast exhausting her strength. + </p> + <p> + They managed, with great difficulty, to cross the remainder of the Place + du Rosaire, and then the ascent began, the glorious ascent by way of the + monumental incline; whilst upon high, on the fringe of heaven, the + Basilica reared its slim spire, whence pealing bells were winging their + flight, sounding the triumphs of Our Lady of Lourdes. And now it was + towards an apotheosis that the canopy slowly climbed, towards the lofty + portal of the high-perched sanctuary which stood open, face to face with + the Infinite, high above the huge multitude whose waves continued soaring + across the valley’s squares and avenues. Preceding the processional cross, + the magnificent beadle, all blue and silver, was already rearing the level + of the Rosary cupola, the spacious esplanade formed by the roof of the + lower church, across which the pilgrimage deputations began to wind, with + their bright-coloured silk and velvet banners waving in the ruddy glow of + the sunset. Then came the clergy, the priests in snowy surplices, and the + priests in golden chasubles, likewise shining out like a procession of + stars. And the censers swung, and the canopy continued climbing, without + anything of its bearers being seen, so that it seemed as though a + mysterious power, some troop of invisible angels, were carrying it off in + this glorious ascension towards the open portal of heaven. + </p> + <p> + A sound of chanting had burst forth; the voices in the procession no + longer called for the healing of the sick, now that the <i>cortège</i> had + extricated itself from amidst the crowd. The miracle had been worked, and + they were celebrating it with the full power of their lungs, amidst the + pealing of the bells and the quivering gaiety of the atmosphere. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Magnificat anima mea Dominum</i>”—they began. “My soul doth + magnify the Lord.” + </p> + <p> + ‘Twas the song of gratitude, already chanted at the Grotto, and again + springing from every heart: “<i>Et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo + salutari meo</i>.” “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime it was with increasing, overflowing joy that Marie took part in + that radiant ascent, by the colossal gradient way, towards the glowing + Basilica. It seemed to her, as she continued climbing, that she was + growing stronger and stronger, that her legs, so long lifeless, became + firmer at each step. The little car which she victoriously dragged behind + her was like the earthly tenement of her illness, the <i>inferno</i> + whence the Blessed Virgin had extricated her, and although its handle was + making her hands sore, she nevertheless wished to pull it up yonder with + her, in order that she might cast it at last at the feet of the Almighty. + No obstacle could stay her course, she laughed through the big tears which + were falling on her cheeks, her bosom was swelling, her demeanour becoming + warlike. One of her slippers had become unfastened, and the strip of lace + had fallen from her head to her shoulders. Nevertheless, with her lovely + fair hair crowning her like a helmet and her face beaming brightly, she + still marched on and on with such an awakening of will and strength that, + behind her, you could hear her car leap and rattle over the rough slope of + the flagstones, as though it had been a mere toy. + </p> + <p> + Near Marie was Pierre, still leaning on the arm of Father Massias, who had + not relinquished his hold. Lost amidst the far-spreading emotion, the + young priest was unable to reflect. Moreover his companion’s sonorous + voice quite deafened him. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles</i>.” “He hath put down + the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.” + </p> + <p> + On Pierre’s other side, the right, Berthaud, who no longer had any cause + for anxiety, was now also following the canopy. He had given his bearers + orders to break their chain, and was gazing with an expression of delight + on the human sea through which the procession had lately passed. The + higher they ascended the incline, the more did the Place du Rosaire and the avenues + and paths of the gardens expand below them, black with the swarming + multitude. It was a bird’s-eye view of a whole nation, an ant-hill which + ever increased in size, spreading farther and farther away. “Look!” + Berthaud at last exclaimed to Pierre. “How vast and how beautiful it is! + Ah! well, the year won’t have been a bad one after all.” + </p> + <p> + Looking upon Lourdes as a centre of propaganda, where his political + rancour found satisfaction, he always rejoiced when there was a numerous + pilgrimage, as in his mind it was bound to prove unpleasant to the + Government. Ah! thought he, if they had only been able to bring the + working classes of the towns thither, and create a Catholic democracy. + “Last year we scarcely reached the figure of two hundred thousand + pilgrims,” he continued, “but we shall exceed it this year, I hope.” And + then, with the gay air of the jolly fellow that he was, despite his + sectarian passions, he added: “Well, ‘pon my word, I was really pleased + just now when there was such a crush. Things are looking up, I thought, + things are looking up.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, was not listening to him; his mind had been struck by the + grandeur of the spectacle. That multitude, which spread out more and more + as the procession rose higher and higher above it, that magnificent valley + which was hollowed out below and ever became more and more extensive, + displaying afar off its gorgeous horizon of mountains, filled him with + quivering admiration. His mental trouble was increased by it all, and + seeking Marie’s glance, he waved his arm to draw her attention to the vast + circular expanse of country. And his gesture deceived her, for in the + purely spiritual excitement that possessed her she did not behold the + material spectacle he pointed at, but thought that he was calling earth to + witness the prodigious favours which the Blessed Virgin had heaped upon + them both; for she imagined that he had had his share of the miracle, and + that in the stroke of grace which had set her erect with her flesh healed, + he, so near to her that their hearts mingled, had felt himself enveloped + and raised by the same divine power, his soul saved from doubt, conquered + by faith once more. How could he have witnessed her wondrous cure, indeed, + without being convinced? Moreover, she had prayed so fervently for him + outside the Grotto on the previous night. And now, therefore, to her + excessive delight, she espied him transfigured like herself, weeping and + laughing, restored to God again. And this lent increased force to her + blissful fever; she dragged her little car along with unwearying hands, + and—as though it were their double cross, her own redemption and her + friend’s redemption which she was carrying up that incline with its + resounding flagstones—she would have liked to drag it yet farther, + for leagues and leagues, ever higher and higher, to the most inaccessible + summits, to the transplendent threshold of Paradise itself. + </p> + <p> + “O Pierre, Pierre!” she stammered, “how sweet it is that this great + happiness should have fallen on us together—yes, together! I prayed + for it so fervently, and she granted my prayer, and saved you even in + saving me. Yes, I felt your soul mingling with my own. Tell me that our + mutual prayers have been granted, tell me that I have won your salvation + even as you have won mine!” + </p> + <p> + He understood her mistake and shuddered. + </p> + <p> + “If you only knew,” she continued, “how great would have been my grief had + I thus ascended into light alone. Oh! to be chosen without you, to soar + yonder without you! But with you, Pierre, it is rapturous delight! We have + been saved together, we shall be happy forever! I feel all needful + strength for happiness, yes, strength enough to raise the world!” + </p> + <p> + And in spite of everything, he was obliged to answer her and lie, + revolting at the idea of spoiling, dimming that great and pure felicity. + “Yes, yes, be happy, Marie,” he said, “for I am very happy myself, and all + our sufferings are redeemed.” + </p> + <p> + But even while he spoke he felt a deep rending within him, as though a + brutal hatchet-stroke were parting them forever. Amidst their common + sufferings, she had hitherto remained the little friend of childhood’s + days, the first artlessly loved woman, whom he knew to be still his own, + since she could belong to none. But now she was cured, and he remained + alone in his hell, repeating to himself that she would never more be his! + This sudden thought so upset him that he averted his eyes, in despair at + reaping such suffering from the prodigious felicity with which she + exulted. + </p> + <p> + However the chant went on, and Father Massias, hearing nothing and seeing + nothing, absorbed as he was in his glowing gratitude to God, shouted the + final verse in a thundering voice: “<i>Sicut locutus est ad patres + nostros, Abraham, et semini ejus in saecula</i>.” “As He spake to our + fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever!” + </p> + <p> + Yet another incline had to be climbed, yet another effort had to be made + up that rough acclivity, with its large slippery flagstones. And the + procession rose yet higher, and the ascent still went on in the full, + bright light. There came a last turn, and the wheels of Marie’s car grated + against a granite curb. Then, still higher, still and ever higher, did it + roll until it finally reached what seemed to be the very fringe of heaven. + </p> + <p> + And all at once the canopy appeared on the summit of the gigantic inclined + ways, on the stone balcony overlooking the stretch of country outside the + portal of the Basilica. Abbé Judaine stepped forward holding the Blessed + Sacrament aloft with both hands. Marie, who had pulled her car up the + balcony steps, was near him, her heart beating from her exertion, her face + all aglow amidst the gold of her loosened hair. Then all the clergy, the + snowy surplices, and the dazzling chasubles ranged themselves behind, + whilst the banners waved like bunting decking the white balustrades. And a + solemn minute followed. + </p> + <p> + From on high there could have been no grander spectacle. First, + immediately below, there was the multitude, the human sea with its dark + waves, its heaving billows, now for a moment stilled, amidst which you + only distinguished the small pale specks of the faces uplifted towards the + Basilica, in expectation of the Benediction; and as far as the eye could + reach, from the place du Rosaire to the Gave, along the paths and avenues + and across the open spaces, even to the old town in the distance; those + little pale faces multiplied and multiplied, all with lips parted, and + eyes fixed upon the august heaven was about to open to their gaze. + </p> + <p> + Then the vast amphitheatre of slopes and hills and mountains surged aloft, + ascended upon all sides, crests following crests, until they faded away in + the far blue atmosphere. The numerous convents among the trees on the + first of the northern slopes, beyond the torrent—those of the + Carmelites, the Dominicans, the Assumptionists, and the Sisters of Nevers—were + coloured by a rosy reflection from the fire-like glow of the sunset. Then + wooded masses rose one above the other, until they reached the heights of + Le Buala, which were surmounted by the Serre de Julos, in its turn capped + by the Miramont. + </p> + <p> + Deep valleys opened on the south, narrow gorges between piles of gigantic + rocks whose bases were already steeped in lakes of bluish shadow, whilst + the summits sparkled with the smiling farewell of the sun. The hills of + Visens upon this side were empurpled, and shewed like a promontory of + coral, in front of the stagnant lake of the ether, which was bright with a + sapphire-like transparency. But, on the east, in front of you, the horizon + again spread out to the very point of intersection of the seven valleys. + The castle which had formerly guarded them still stood with its keep, its + lofty walls, its black outlines—the outlines of a fierce fortress of + feudal time,—upon the rock whose base was watered by the Gave; and + upon this side of the stern old pile was the new town, looking quite gay + amidst its gardens, with its swarm of white house-fronts, its large + hotels, its lodging-houses, and its fine shops, whose windows were glowing + like live embers; whilst, behind the castle, the discoloured roofs of old + Lourdes spread out in confusion, in a ruddy light which hovered over them + like a cloud of dust. At this late hour, when the declining luminary was + sinking in royal splendour behind the little Gers and the big Gers, those + two huge ridges of bare rock, spotted with patches of short herbage, + formed nothing but a neutral, somewhat violet, background, as though, + indeed, they were two curtains of sober hue drawn across the margin of the + horizon. + </p> + <p> + And higher and still higher, in front of this immensity, did Abbé Judaine + with both hands raise the Blessed Sacrament. He moved it slowly from one + to the other horizon, causing it to describe a huge sign of the cross + against the vault of heaven. He saluted the convents, the heights of Le + Buala, the Serre de Julos, and the Miramont, upon his left; he saluted the + huge fallen rocks of the dim valleys, and the empurpled hills of Visens, + on his right; he saluted the new and the old town, the castle bathed by + the Gave, the big and the little Gers, already drowsy, in front of him; + and he saluted the woods, the torrents, the mountains, the faint chains + linking the distant peaks, the whole earth, even beyond the visible + horizon: Peace upon earth, hope and consolation to mankind! The multitude + below had quivered beneath that great sign of the cross which enveloped + it. It seemed as though a divine breath were passing, rolling those + billows of little pale faces which were as numerous as the waves of an + ocean. A loud murmur of adoration ascended; all those parted lips + proclaimed the glory of God when, in the rays of the setting sun, the + illumined monstrance again shone forth like another sun, a sun of pure + gold, describing the sign of the cross in streaks of flame upon the + threshold of the Infinite. + </p> + <p> + The banners, the clergy, with Abbé Judaine under the canopy, were already + returning to the Basilica, when Marie, who was also entering it, still + dragging her car by the handle, was stopped by two ladies, who kissed her, + weeping. They were Madame de Jonquière and her daughter Raymonde, who had + come thither to witness the Benediction, and had been told of the miracle. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear child, what happiness!” repeated the lady-hospitaller; “and + how proud I am to have you in my ward! It is so precious a favour for all + of us that the Blessed Virgin should have been pleased to select you.” + </p> + <p> + Raymonde, meanwhile, had kept one of the young girl’s hands in her own. + “Will you allow me to call you my friend, mademoiselle?” said she. “I felt + so much pity for you, and I am now so pleased to see you walking, so + strong and beautiful already. Let me kiss you again. It will bring me + happiness.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, thank you with all my heart,” Marie stammered amidst her + rapture. “I am so happy, so very happy!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! we will not leave you,” resumed Madame de Jonquière. “You hear me, + Raymonde? We must follow her, and kneel beside her, and we will take her + back after the ceremony.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon the two ladies joined the <i>cortège</i>, and, following the + canopy, walked beside Pierre and Father Massias, between the rows of + chairs which the deputations already occupied, to the very centre of the + choir. The banners alone were allowed on either side of the high altar; + but Marie advanced to its steps, still dragging her car, whose wheels + resounded over the flagstones. She had at last brought it to the spot + whither the sacred madness of her desire had longingly impelled her to + drag it. She had brought it, indeed, woeful, wretched-looking as it was, + into the splendour of God’s house, so that it might there testify to the + truth of the miracle. The threshold had scarcely been crossed when the + organs burst into a hymn of triumph, the sonorous acclamation of a happy + people, from amidst which there soon arose a celestial, angelic voice, of + joyful shrillness and crystalline purity. Abbé Judaine had placed the + Blessed Sacrament upon the altar, and the crowd was streaming into the + nave, each taking a seat, installing him or herself in a corner, pending + the commencement of the ceremony. Marie had at once fallen on her knees + between Madame de Jonquière and Raymonde, whose eyes were moist with + tender emotion; whilst Father Massias, exhausted by the extraordinary + tension of the nerves which had been sustaining him ever since his + departure from the Grotto, had sunk upon the ground, sobbing, with his + head between his hands. Behind him Pierre and Berthaud remained standing, + the latter still busy with his superintendence, his eyes ever on the + watch, seeing that good order was preserved even during the most violent + outbursts of emotion. + </p> + <p> + Then, amidst all his mental confusion, increased by the deafening strains + of the organ, Pierre raised his head and examined the interior of the + Basilica. The nave was narrow and lofty, and streaked with bright colours, + which numerous windows flooded with light. There were scarcely any aisles; + they were reduced to the proportions of a mere passage running between the + side-chapels and the clustering columns, and this circumstance seemed to + increase the slim loftiness of the nave, the soaring of the stonework in + perpendicular lines of infantile, graceful slenderness. A gilded railing, + as transparent as lace, closed the choir, where the high altar, of white + marble richly sculptured, arose in all its lavish chasteness. But the + feature of the building which astonished you was the mass of extraordinary + ornamentation which transformed the whole of it into an overflowing + exhibition of embroidery and jewellery. What with all the banners and + votive offerings, the perfect river of gifts which had flowed into it and + remained clinging to its walls in a stream of gold and silver, velvet and + silk, covering it from top to bottom, it was, so to say, the ever-glowing + sanctuary of gratitude, whose thousand rich adornments seemed to be + chanting a perpetual canticle of faith and thankfulness. + </p> + <p> + The banners, in particular, abounded, as innumerable as the leaves of + trees. Some thirty hung from the vaulted roof, whilst others were + suspended, like pictures, between the little columns around the triforium. + And others, again, displayed themselves on the walls, waved in the depths + of the side-chapels, and encompassed the choir with a heaven of silk, + satin, and velvet. You could count them by hundreds, and your eyes grew + weary of admiring them. Many of them were quite celebrated, so renowned + for their skilful workmanship that talented embroideresses took the + trouble to come to Lourdes on purpose to examine them. Among these were + the banner of our Lady of Fourvières, bearing the arms of the city of + Lyons; the banner of Alsace, of black velvet embroidered with gold; the + banner of Lorraine, on which you beheld the Virgin casting her cloak + around two children; and the white and blue banner of Brittany, on which + bled the sacred heart of Jesus in the midst of a halo. All empires and + kingdoms of the earth were represented; the most distant lands—Canada, + Brazil, Chili, Haiti—here had their flags, which, in all piety, were + being offered as a tribute of homage to the Queen of Heaven. + </p> + <p> + Then, after the banners, there were other marvels, the thousands and + thousands of gold and silver hearts which were hanging everywhere, + glittering on the walls like stars in the heavens. Some were grouped + together in the form of mystical roses, others described festoons and + garlands, others, again, climbed up the pillars, surrounded the windows, + and constellated the deep, dim chapels. Below the triforium somebody had + had the ingenious idea of employing these hearts to trace in tall letters + the various words which the Blessed Virgin had addressed to Bernadette; + and thus, around the nave, there extended a long frieze of words, the + delight of the infantile minds which busied themselves with spelling them. + It was a swarming, a prodigious resplendency of hearts, whose infinite + number deeply impressed you when you thought of all the hands, trembling + with gratitude, which had offered them. Moreover, the adornments comprised + many other votive offerings, and some of quite an unexpected description. + There were bridal wreaths and crosses of honour, jewels and photographs, + chaplets, and even spurs, in glass cases or frames. There were also the + epaulets and swords of officers, together with a superb sabre, left there + in memory of a miraculous conversion. + </p> + <p> + But all this was not sufficient; other riches, riches of every kind, shone + out on all sides—marble statues, diadems enriched with brilliants, a + marvellous carpet designed at Blois and embroidered by ladies of all parts + of France, and a golden palm with ornaments of enamel, the gift of the + sovereign pontiff. The lamps suspended from the vaulted roof, some of them + of massive gold and the most delicate workmanship, were also gifts. They + were too numerous to be counted, they studded the nave with stars of great + price. Immediately in front of the tabernacle there was one, a masterpiece + of chasing, offered by Ireland. Others—one from Lille, one from + Valence, one from Macao in far-off China—were veritable jewels, + sparkling with precious stones. And how great was the resplendency when + the choir’s score of chandeliers was illumined, when the hundreds of lamps + and the hundreds of candles burned all together, at the great evening + ceremonies! The whole church then became a conflagration, the thousands of + gold and silver hearts reflecting all the little flames with thousands of + fiery scintillations. It was like a huge and wondrous brasier; the walls + streamed with live flakes of light; you seemed to be entering into the + blinding glory of Paradise itself; whilst on all sides the innumerable + banners spread out their silk, their satin, and their velvet, embroidered + with sanguifluous sacred hearts, victorious saints, and Virgins whose + kindly smiles engendered miracles. + </p> + <p> + Ah! how many ceremonies had already displayed their pomp in that Basilica! + Worship, prayer, chanting, never ceased there. From one end of the year to + the other incense smoked, organs roared, and kneeling multitudes prayed + there with their whole souls. Masses, vespers, sermons, were continually + following one upon another; day by day the religious exercises began + afresh, and each festival of the Church was celebrated with unparalleled + magnificence. The least noteworthy anniversary supplied a pretext for + pompous solemnities. Each pilgrimage was granted its share of the dazzling + resplendency. It was necessary that those suffering ones and those humble + ones who had come from such long distances should be sent home consoled + and enraptured, carrying with them a vision of Paradise espied through its + opening portals. They beheld the luxurious surroundings of the Divinity, + and would forever remain enraptured by the sight. In the depths of bare, + wretched rooms, indeed, by the side of humble pallets of suffering + throughout all Christendom, a vision of the Basilica with its blazing + riches continually arose like a vision of fortune itself, like a vision of + the wealth of that life to be, into which the poor would surely some day + enter after their long, long misery in this terrestrial sphere. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, felt no delight; no consolation, no hope, came to him as + he gazed upon all the splendour. His frightful feeling of discomfort was + increasing, all was becoming black within him, with that blackness of the + tempest which gathers when men’s thoughts and feelings pant and shriek. He + had felt immense desolation rising in his soul ever since Marie, crying + that she was healed, had risen from her little car and walked along with + such strength and fulness of life. Yet he loved her like a passionately + attached brother, and had experienced unlimited happiness on seeing that + she no longer suffered. Why, therefore, should her felicity bring him such + agony? He could now no longer gaze at her, kneeling there, radiant amidst + her tears, with beauty recovered and increased, without his poor heart + bleeding as from some mortal wound. Still he wished to remain there, and + so, averting his eyes, he tried to interest himself in Father Massias, who + was still shaking with violent sobbing on the flagstones, and whose + prostration and annihilation, amidst the consuming illusion of divine + love, he sorely envied. For a moment, moreover, he questioned Berthaud, + feigning to admire some banner and requesting information respecting it. + </p> + <p> + “Which one?” asked the superintendent of the bearers; “that lace banner + over there?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, that one on the left.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it is a banner offered by Le Puy. The arms are those of Le Puy and + Lourdes linked together by the Rosary. The lace is so fine that if you + crumpled the banner up, you could hold it in the hollow of your hand.” + </p> + <p> + However, Abbé Judaine was now stepping forward; the ceremony was about to + begin. Again did the organs resound, and again was a canticle chanted, + whilst, on the altar, the Blessed Sacrament looked like the sovereign + planet amidst the scintillations of the gold and silver hearts, as + innumerable as stars. And then Pierre lacked the strength to remain there + any longer. Since Marie had Madame de Jonquière and Raymonde with her, and + they would accompany her back, he might surely go off by himself, vanish + into some shadowy corner, and there, at last, vent his grief. In a few + words he excused himself, giving his appointment with Doctor Chassaigne as + a pretext for his departure. However, another fear suddenly came to him, + that of being unable to leave the building, so densely did the serried + throng of believers bar the open doorway. But immediately afterwards he + had an inspiration, and, crossing the sacristy, descended into the crypt + by the narrow interior stairway. + </p> + <p> + Deep silence and sepulchral gloom suddenly succeeded to the joyous chants + and prodigious radiance of the Basilica above. Cut in the rock, the crypt + formed two narrow passages, parted by a massive block of stone which + upheld the nave, and conducting to a subterranean chapel under the apse, + where some little lamps remained burning both day and night. A dim forest + of pillars rose up there, a mystic terror reigned in that semi-obscurity + where the mystery ever quivered. The chapel walls remained bare, like the + very stones of the tomb, in which all men must some day sleep the last + sleep. And along the passages, against their sides, covered from top to + bottom with marble votive offerings, you only saw a double row of + confessionals; for it was here, in the lifeless tranquillity of the bowels + of the earth, that sins were confessed; and there were priests, speaking + all languages, to absolve the sinners who came thither from the four + corners of the world. + </p> + <p> + At that hour, however, when the multitude was thronging the Basilica + above, the crypt had become quite deserted. Not a soul, save Pierre’s, + throbbed there ever so faintly; and he, amidst that deep silence, that + darkness, that coolness of the grave, fell upon his knees. It was not, + however, through any need of prayer and worship, but because his whole + being was giving way beneath his crushing mental torment. He felt a + torturing longing to be able to see clearly within himself. Ah! why could + he not plunge even more deeply into the heart of things, reflect, + understand, and at last calm himself. + </p> + <p> + And it was a fearful agony that he experienced. He tried to remember all + the minutes that had gone by since Marie, suddenly springing from her + pallet of wretchedness, had raised her cry of resurrection. Why had he + even then, despite his fraternal joy in seeing her erect, felt such an + awful sensation of discomfort, as though, indeed, the greatest of all + possible misfortunes had fallen upon him? Was he jealous of the divine + grace? Did he suffer because the Virgin, whilst healing her, had forgotten + him, whose soul was so afflicted? He remembered how he had granted himself + a last delay, fixed a supreme appointment with Faith for the moment when + the Blessed Sacrament should pass by, were Marie only cured; and she was + cured, and still he did not believe, and henceforth there was no hope, for + never, never would he be able to believe. Therein lay the bare, bleeding + sore. The truth burst upon him with blinding cruelty and certainty—she + was saved, he was lost. That pretended miracle which had restored her to + life had, in him, completed the ruin of all belief in the supernatural. + That which he had, for a moment, dreamed of seeking, and perhaps finding, + at Lourdes,—naive faith, the happy faith of a little child,—was + no longer possible, would never bloom again after that collapse of the + miraculous, that cure which Beauclair had foretold, and which had + afterwards come to pass, exactly as had been predicted. Jealous! No—he + was not jealous; but he was ravaged, full of mortal sadness at thus + remaining all alone in the icy desert of his intelligence, regretting the + illusion, the lie, the divine love of the simpleminded, for which + henceforth there was no room in his heart. + </p> + <p> + A flood of bitterness stifled him, and tears started from his eyes. He had + slipped on to the flagstones, prostrated by his anguish. And, by degrees, + he remembered the whole delightful story, from the day when Marie, + guessing how he was tortured by doubt, had become so passionately eager + for his conversion, taking hold of his hand in the gloom, retaining it in + her own, and stammering that she would pray for him—oh! pray for him + with her whole soul. She forgot herself, she entreated the Blessed Virgin + to save her friend rather than herself if there were but one grace that + she could obtain from her Divine Son. Then came another memory, the memory + of the delightful hours which they had spent together amid the dense + darkness of the trees during the night procession. There, again, they had + prayed for one another, mingled one in the other with so ardent a desire + for mutual happiness that, for a moment, they had attained to the very + depths of the love which gives and immolates itself. And now their long, + tear-drenched tenderness, their pure idyl of suffering, was ending in this + brutal separation; she on her side saved, radiant amidst the hosannas of + the triumphant Basilica; and he lost, sobbing with wretchedness, bowed + down in the depths of the dark crypt in an icy, grave-like solitude. It + was as though he had just lost her again, and this time forever and + forever. + </p> + <p> + All at once Pierre felt the sharp stab which this thought dealt his heart. + He at last understood his pain—a sudden light illumined the terrible + crisis of woe amidst which he was struggling. He had lost Marie for the + first time on the day when he had become a priest, saying to himself that + he might well renounce his manhood since she, stricken in her sex by + incurable illness, would never be a woman. But behold! she <i>was</i> + cured. Behold! she <i>had</i> become a woman. She had all at once appeared + to him very strong, very beautiful, living, and desirable. He, who was + dead, however, could not become a man again. Never more would he be able + to raise the tombstone which crushed and imprisoned his flesh. She fled + away alone, leaving him in the cold grave. The whole wide world was + opening before her with smiling happiness, with the love which laughs in + the sunlit paths, with the husband, with children, no doubt. Whereas he, + buried, as it were to his shoulders, had naught of his body free, save his + brain, and that remained free, no doubt, in order that he might suffer the + more. She had still been his so long as she had not belonged to another; + and if he had been enduring such agony during the past hour, it was only + through this final rending which, this time, parted her from him forever + and forever. + </p> + <p> + Then rage shook Pierre from head to foot. He was tempted to return to the + Basilica, and cry the truth aloud to Marie. The miracle was a lie! The + helpful beneficence of an all-powerful Divinity was but so much illusion! + Nature alone had acted, life had conquered once again. And he would have + given proofs: he would have shown how life, the only sovereign, worked for + health amid all the sufferings of this terrestrial sphere. And then they + would have gone off together; they would have fled far, far away, that + they might be happy. But a sudden terror took possession of him. What! lay + hands upon that little spotless soul, kill all belief in it, fill it with + the ruins which worked such havoc in his own soul? It all at once occurred + to him that this would be odious sacrilege. He would afterwards become + horrified with himself, he would look upon himself as her murderer were he + some day to realise that he was unable to give her a happiness equal to + that which she would have lost. Perhaps, too, she would not believe him. + And, moreover, would she ever consent to marry a priest who had broken his + vows? She who would always retain the sweet and never-to be-forgotten + memory of how she had been healed in ecstasy! His design then appeared to + him insane, monstrous, polluting. And his revolt rapidly subsided, until + he only retained a feeling of infinite weariness, a sensation of a + burning, incurable wound—the wound of his poor, bruised, lacerated + heart. + </p> + <p> + Then, however, amidst his abandonment, the void in which he was whirling, + a supreme struggle began, filling him again with agony. What should he do? + His sufferings made a coward of him, and he would have liked to flee, so + that he might never see Marie again. For he understood very well that he + would now have to lie to her, since she thought that he was saved like + herself, converted, healed in soul, even as she had been healed in body. + She had told him of her joy while dragging her car up the colossal + gradient way. Oh! to have had that great happiness together, together; to + have felt their hearts melt and mingle one in the other! And even then he + had already lied, as he would always be obliged to lie in order that he + might not spoil her pure and blissful illusion. He let the last throbbings + of his veins subside, and vowed that he would find sufficient strength for + the sublime charity of feigning peacefulness of soul, the rapture of one + who is redeemed. For he wished her to be wholly happy—without a + regret, without a doubt—in the full serenity of faith, convinced + that the blessed Virgin had indeed given her consent to their purely + mystical union. What did his torments matter? Later on, perhaps, he might + recover possession of himself. Amidst his desolate solitude of mind would + there not always be a little joy to sustain him, all that joy whose + consoling falsity he would leave to her? + </p> + <p> + Several minutes again elapsed, and Pierre, still overwhelmed, remained on + the flagstones, seeking to calm his fever. He no longer thought, he no + longer lived; he was a prey to that prostration of the entire being which + follows upon great crises. But, all at once, he fancied he could hear a + sound of footsteps, and thereupon he painfully rose to his feet, and + feigned to be reading the inscriptions graven in the marble votive slabs + along the walls. He had been mistaken—nobody was there; + nevertheless, seeking to divert his mind, he continued perusing the + inscriptions, at first in a mechanical kind of way, and then, little by + little, feeling a fresh emotion steal over him. + </p> + <p> + The sight was almost beyond imagination. Faith, love, and gratitude + displayed themselves in a hundred, a thousand ways on these marble slabs + with gilded lettering. Some of the inscriptions were so artless as to + provoke a smile. A colonel had sent a sculptured representation of his + foot with the words: “Thou hast preserved it; grant that it may serve + Thee.” Farther on you read the line: “May Her protection extend to the + glass trade.” And then, by the frankness of certain expressions of thanks, + you realised of what a strange character the appeals had been. “To Mary + the Immaculate,” ran one inscription, “from a father of a family, in + recognition of health restored, a lawsuit won, and advancement gained.” + However, the memory of these instances faded away amidst the chorus of + soaring, fervent cries. There was the cry of the lovers: “Paul and Anna + entreat Our Lady of Lourdes to bless their union.” There was the cry of + the mothers in various forms: “Gratitude to Mary, who has thrice healed my + child.”—“Gratitude to Mary for the birth of Antoinette, whom I + dedicate, like myself and all my kin, to Her.”—“P. D., three years + old, has been preserved to the love of his parents.” And then came the cry + of the wives, the cry, too, of the sick restored to health, and of the + souls restored to happiness: “Protect my husband; grant that my husband + may enjoy good health.”—“I was crippled in both legs, and now I am + healed.”—“We came, and now we hope.”—“I prayed, I wept, and + She heard me.” And there were yet other cries, cries whose veiled glow + conjured up thoughts of long romances: “Thou didst join us together; + protect us, we pray Thee.”—“To Mary, for the greatest of all + blessings.” And the same cries, the same words—gratitude, + thankfulness, homage, acknowledgment,—occurred again and again, ever + with the same passionate fervour. All! those hundreds, those thousands of + cries which were forever graven on that marble, and from the depths of the + crypt rose clamorously to the Virgin, proclaiming the everlasting devotion + of the unhappy beings whom she had succoured. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not weary of reading them, albeit his mouth was bitter and + increasing desolation was filling him. So it was only he who had no + succour to hope for! When so many sufferers were listened to, he alone had + been unable to make himself heard! And he now began to think of the + extraordinary number of prayers which must be said at Lourdes from one end + of the year to the other. He tried to cast them up; those said during the + days spent at the Grotto and during the nights spent at the Rosary, those + said at the ceremonies at the Basilica, and those said at the sunlight and + the starlight processions. But this continual entreaty of every second was + beyond computation. It seemed as if the faithful were determined to weary + the ears of the Divinity, determined to extort favours and forgiveness by + the very multitude, the vast multitude of their prayers. The priests said + that it was necessary to offer to God the acts of expiation which the sins + of France required, and that when the number of these acts of expiation + should be large enough, God would smite France no more. What a harsh + belief in the necessity of chastisement! What a ferocious idea born of the + gloomiest pessimism! How evil life must be if it were indeed necessary + that such imploring cries, such cries of physical and moral wretchedness, + should ever and ever ascend to Heaven! + </p> + <p> + In the midst of all his sadness, Pierre felt deep compassion penetrate his + heart. He was upset by the thought that mankind should be so wretched, + reduced to such a state of woe, so bare, so weak, so utterly forsaken, + that it renounced its own reason to place the one sole possibility of + happiness in the hallucinatory intoxication of dreams. Tears once more + filled his eyes; he wept for himself and for others, for all the poor + tortured beings who feel a need of stupefying and numbing their pains in + order to escape from the realities of the world. He again seemed to hear + the swarming, kneeling crowd of the Grotto, raising the glowing entreaty + of its prayer to Heaven, the multitude of twenty and thirty thousand souls + from whose midst ascended such a fervour of desire that you seemed to see + it smoking in the sunlight like incense. Then another form of the + exaltation of faith glowed, beneath the crypt, in the Church of the + Rosary, where nights were spent in a paradise of rapture, amidst the + silent delights of the communion, the mute appeals in which the whole + being pines, burns, and soars aloft. And as though the cries raised before + the Grotto and the perpetual adoration of the Rosary were not sufficient, + that clamour of ardent entreaty burst forth afresh on the walls of the + crypt around him; and here it was eternised in marble, here it would + continue shrieking the sufferings of humanity even into the far-away ages. + It was the marble, it was the walls themselves praying, seized by that + shudder of universal woe which penetrated even the world’s stones. And, at + last, the prayers ascended yet higher, still higher, soared aloft from the + radiant Basilica, which was humming and buzzing above him, full as it now + was of a frantic multitude, whose mighty voice, bursting into a canticle + of hope, he fancied he could hear through the flagstones of the nave. And + it finally seemed to him that he was being whirled away, transported, as + though he were indeed amidst the very vibrations of that huge wave of + prayer, which, starting from the dust of the earth, ascended the tier of + superposed churches, spreading from tabernacle to tabernacle, and filling + even the walls with such pity that they sobbed aloud, and that the supreme + cry of wretchedness pierced its way into heaven with the white spire, the + lofty golden cross, above the steeple. O Almighty God, O Divinity, Helpful + Power, whoever, whatever Thou mayst be, take pity upon poor mankind and + make human suffering cease! + </p> + <p> + All at once Pierre was dazzled. He had followed the left-hand passage, and + was coming out into broad daylight, above the inclined ways, and two + affectionate arms at once caught hold of him and clasped him. It was + Doctor Chassaigne, whose appointment he had forgotten, and who had been + waiting there to take him to visit Bernadette’s room and Abbé Peyramale’s + church. “Oh! what joy must be yours, my child!” exclaimed the good old + man. “I have just learnt the great news, the extraordinary favour which + Our Lady of Lourdes has granted to your young friend. Recollect what I + told you the day before yesterday. I am now at ease—you are saved!” + </p> + <p> + A last bitterness came to the young priest who was very pale. However, he + was able to smile, and he gently answered: “Yes, we are saved, we are very + happy.” + </p> + <p> + It was the lie beginning; the divine illusion which in a spirit of charity + he wished to give to others. + </p> + <p> + And then one more spectacle met Pierre’s eyes. The principal door of the + Basilica stood wide open, and a red sheet of light from the setting sun + was enfilading the nave from one to the other end. Everything was flaring + with the splendour of a conflagration—the gilt railings of the + choir, the votive offerings of gold and silver, the lamps enriched with + precious stones, the banners with their bright embroideries, and the + swinging censers, which seemed like flying jewels. And yonder, in the + depths of this burning splendour, amidst the snowy surplices and the + golden chasubles, he recognised Marie, with hair unbound, hair of gold + like all else, enveloping her in a golden mantle. And the organs burst + into a hymn of triumph; and the delirious people acclaimed God; and Abbé + Judaine, who had again just taken the Blessed Sacrament from off the + altar, raised it aloft and presented it to their gaze for the last time; + and radiantly magnificent it shone out like a glory amidst the streaming + gold of the Basilica, whose prodigious triumph all the bells proclaimed in + clanging, flying peals. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap20"></a> + V. CRADLE AND GRAVE + </h2> + <p> + IMMEDIATELY afterwards, as they descended the steps, Doctor Chassaigne + said to Pierre: “You have just seen the triumph; I will now show you two + great injustices.” + </p> + <p> + And he conducted him into the Rue des Petits-Fossés to visit Bernadette’s + room, that low, dark chamber whence she set out on the day the Blessed + Virgin appeared to her. + </p> + <p> + The Rue des Petits-Fossés starts from the former Rue des Bois, now the Rue + de la Grotte, and crosses the Rue du Tribunal. It is a winding lane, + slightly sloping and very gloomy. The passers-by are few; it is skirted by + long walls, wretched-looking houses, with mournful façades in which never + a window opens. All its gaiety consists in an occasional tree in a + courtyard. + </p> + <p> + “Here we are,” at last said the doctor. + </p> + <p> + At the part where he had halted, the street contracted, becoming very + narrow, and the house faced the high, grey wall of a barn. Raising their + heads, both men looked up at the little dwelling, which seemed quite + lifeless, with its narrow casements and its coarse, violet pargeting, + displaying the shameful ugliness of poverty. The entrance passage down + below was quite black; an old light iron gate was all that closed it; and + there was a step to mount, which in rainy weather was immersed in the + water of the gutter. + </p> + <p> + “Go in, my friend, go in,” said the doctor. “You have only to push the + gate.” + </p> + <p> + The passage was long, and Pierre kept on feeling the damp wall with his + hand, for fear of making a false step. It seemed to him as if he were + descending into a cellar, in deep obscurity, and he could feel a slippery + soil impregnated with water beneath his feet. Then at the end, in + obedience to the doctor’s direction, he turned to the right. + </p> + <p> + “Stoop, or you may hurt yourself,” said M. Chassaigne; “the door is very + low. There, here we are.” + </p> + <p> + The door of the room, like the gate in the street, stood wide open, as if + the place had been carelessly abandoned; and Pierre, who had stopped in + the middle of the chamber, hesitating, his eyes still full of the bright + daylight outside, could distinguish absolutely nothing. He had fallen into + complete darkness, and felt an icy chill about the shoulders similar to + the sensation that might be caused by a wet towel. + </p> + <p> + But, little by little, his eyes became accustomed to the dimness. Two + windows of unequal size opened on to a narrow, interior courtyard, where + only a greenish light descended, as at the bottom of a well; and to read + there, in the middle of the day, it would be necessary to have a candle. + Measuring about fifteen feet by twelve, the room was flagged with large + uneven stones; while the principal beam and the rafters of the roof, which + were visible, had darkened with time and assumed a dirty, sooty hue. + Opposite the door was the chimney, a miserable plaster chimney, with a + mantelpiece formed of a rotten old plank. There was a sink between this + chimney and one of the windows. The walls, with their decaying, + damp-stained plaster falling off by bits, were full of cracks, and turning + a dirty black like the ceiling. There was no longer any furniture there; + the room seemed abandoned; you could only catch a glimpse of some + confused, strange objects, unrecognisable in the heavy obscurity that hung + about the corners. + </p> + <p> + After a spell of silence, the doctor exclaimed “Yes, this is the room; all + came from here. Nothing has been changed, with the exception that the + furniture has gone. I have tried to picture how it was placed: the beds + certainly stood against this wall, opposite the windows; there must have + been three of them at least, for the Soubirouses were seven—the + father, mother, two boys, and three girls. Think of that! Three beds + filling this room! Seven persons living in this small space! All of them + buried alive, without air, without light, almost without bread! What + frightful misery! What lowly, pity-awaking poverty!” + </p> + <p> + But he was interrupted. A shadowy form, which Pierre at first took for an + old woman, entered. It was a priest, however, the curate of the parish, + who now occupied the house. He was acquainted with the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “I heard your voice, Monsieur Chassaigne, and came down,” said he. “So + there you are, showing the room again?” + </p> + <p> + “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbé; I took the liberty. It does not inconvenience + you?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! not at all, not at all! Come as often as you please, and bring other + people.” + </p> + <p> + He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by + this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must + sometimes plague you?” + </p> + <p> + The curate in his turn seemed surprised. “Indeed, no! Nobody comes. You + see the place is scarcely known. Every one remains over there at the + Grotto. I leave the door open so as not to be worried. But days and days + often pass without my hearing even the sound of a mouse.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s eyes were becoming more and more accustomed to the obscurity; and + among the vague, perplexing objects which filled the corners, he ended by + distinguishing some old barrels, remnants of fowl cages, and broken tools, + a lot of rubbish such as is swept away and thrown to the bottom of + cellars. Hanging from the rafters, moreover, were some provisions, a salad + basket full of eggs, and several bunches of big pink onions. + </p> + <p> + “And, from what I see,” resumed Pierre, with a slight shudder, “you have + thought that you might make use of the room?” + </p> + <p> + The curate was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “Of course, that’s it,” + said he. “What can one do? The house is so small, I have so little space. + And then you can’t imagine how damp it is here; it is altogether + impossible to occupy the room. And so, <i>mon Dieu</i>, little by little + all this has accumulated here by itself, contrary to one’s own desire.” + </p> + <p> + “It has become a lumber-room,” concluded Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Oh no! hardly that. An unoccupied room, and yet in truth, if you insist + on it, it is a lumber-room!” + </p> + <p> + His uneasiness was increasing, mingled with a little shame. Doctor + Chassaigne remained silent and did not interfere; but he smiled, and was + visibly delighted at his companion’s revolt against human ingratitude. + Pierre, unable to restrain himself, now continued: “You must excuse me, + Monsieur l’Abbé, if I insist. But just reflect that you owe everything to + Bernadette; but for her Lourdes would still be one of the least known + towns of France. And really it seems to me that out of mere gratitude the + parish ought to have transformed this wretched room into a chapel.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! a chapel!” interrupted the curate. “It is only a question of a human + creature: the Church could not make her an object of worship.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, we won’t say a chapel, then; but at all events there ought to be + some lights and flowers—bouquets of roses constantly renewed by the + piety of the inhabitants and the pilgrims. In a word, I should like some + little show of affection—a touching souvenir, a picture of + Bernadette—something that would delicately indicate that she + deserves to have a place in all hearts. This forgetfulness and desertion + are shocking. It is monstrous that so much dirt should have been allowed + to accumulate!” + </p> + <p> + The curate, a poor, thoughtless, nervous man, at once adopted Pierre’s + views: “In reality, you are a thousand times right,” said he; “but I + myself have no power, I can do nothing. Whenever they ask me for the room, + to set it to rights, I will give it up and remove my barrels, although I + really don’t know where else to put them. Only, I repeat, it does not + depend on me. I can do nothing, nothing at all!” Then, under the pretext + that he had to go out, he hastened to take leave and run away again, + saying to Doctor Chassaigne: “Remain, remain as long as you please; you + are never in my way.” + </p> + <p> + When the doctor once more found himself alone with Pierre he caught hold + of both his hands with effusive delight. “Ah, my dear child,” said he, + “how pleased you have made me! How admirably you expressed to him all that + has been boiling in my own heart so long! Like you, I thought of bringing + some roses here every morning. I should have simply had the room cleaned, + and would have contented myself with placing two large bunches of roses on + the mantelpiece; for you know that I have long felt deep affection for + Bernadette, and it seemed to me that those roses would be like the very + flowering and perfume of her memory. Only—only—” and so saying + he made a despairing gesture, “only courage failed me. Yes, I say courage, + no one having yet dared to declare himself openly against the Fathers of + the Grotto. One hesitates and recoils in the fear of stirring up a + religious scandal. Fancy what a deplorable racket all this would create. + And so those who are as indignant as I am are reduced to the necessity of + holding their tongues—preferring a continuance of silence to + anything else.” Then, by way of conclusion, he added: “The ingratitude and + rapacity of man, my dear child, are sad things to see. Each time I come + into this dim wretchedness, my heart swells and I cannot restrain my + tears.” + </p> + <p> + He ceased speaking, and neither of them said another word, both being + overcome by the extreme melancholy which the surroundings fostered. They + were steeped in gloom. The dampness made them shudder as they stood there + amidst the dilapidated walls and the dust of the old rubbish piled upon + either side. And the idea returned to them that without Bernadette none of + the prodigies which had made Lourdes a town unique in the world would have + existed. It was at her voice that the miraculous spring had gushed forth, + that the Grotto, bright with candles, had opened. Immense works were + executed, new churches rose from the ground, giant-like causeways led up + to God. An entire new city was built, as if by enchantment, with gardens, + walks, quays, bridges, shops, and hotels. And people from the uttermost + parts of the earth flocked thither in crowds, and the rain of millions + fell with such force and so abundantly that the young city seemed likely + to increase indefinitely—to fill the whole valley, from one to the + other end of the mountains. If Bernadette had been suppressed none of + those things would have existed, the extraordinary story would have + relapsed into nothingness, old unknown Lourdes would still have been + plunged in the sleep of ages at the foot of its castle. Bernadette was the + sole labourer and creatress; and yet this room, whence she had set out on + the day she beheld the Virgin, this cradle, indeed, of the miracle and of + all the marvellous fortune of the town, was disdained, left a prey to + vermin, good only for a lumber-room, where onions and empty barrels were + put away. + </p> + <p> + Then the other side of the question vividly appeared in Pierre’s mind, and + he again seemed to see the triumph which he had just witnessed, the + exaltation of the Grotto and Basilica, while Marie, dragging her little + car, ascended behind the Blessed Sacrament, amidst the clamour of the + multitude. But the Grotto especially shone out before him. It was no + longer the wild, rocky cavity before which the child had formerly knelt on + the deserted bank of the torrent; it was a chapel, transformed and + enriched, a chapel illumined by a vast number of candles, where nations + marched past in procession. All the noise, all the brightness, all the + adoration, all the money, burst forth there in a splendour of constant + victory. Here, at the cradle, in this dark, icy hole, there was not a + soul, not a taper, not a hymn, not a flower. Of the infrequent visitors + who came thither, none knelt or prayed. All that a few tender-hearted + pilgrims had done in their desire to carry away a souvenir had been to + reduce to dust, between their fingers, the half-rotten plank serving as a + mantelshelf. The clergy ignored the existence of this spot of misery, + which the processions ought to have visited as they might visit a station + of glory. It was there that the poor child had begun her dream, one cold + night, lying in bed between her two sisters, and seized with a fit of her + ailment while the whole family was fast asleep. It was thence, too, that + she had set out, unconsciously carrying along with her that dream, which + was again to be born within her in the broad daylight and to flower so + prettily in a vision such as those of the legends. And no one now followed + in her footsteps. The manger was forgotten, and left in darkness—that + manger where had germed the little humble seed which over yonder was now + yielding such prodigious harvests, reaped by the workmen of the last hour + amidst the sovereign pomp of ceremonies. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, whom the great human emotion of the story moved to tears, at last + summed up his thoughts in three words, saying in a low voice, “It is + Bethlehem.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” remarked Doctor Chassaigne, in his turn, “it is the wretched + lodging, the chance refuge, where new religions are born of suffering and + pity. And at times I ask myself if all is not better thus: if it is not + better that this room should remain in its actual state of wretchedness + and abandonment. It seems to me that Bernadette has nothing to lose by it, + for I love her all the more when I come to spend an hour here.” + </p> + <p> + He again became silent, and then made a gesture of revolt: “But no, no! I + cannot forgive it—this ingratitude sets me beside myself. I told you + I was convinced that Bernadette had freely gone to cloister herself at + Nevers. But although no one smuggled her away, what a relief it was for + those whom she had begun to inconvenience here! And they are the same men, + so anxious to be the absolute masters, who at the present time endeavour + by all possible means to wrap her memory in silence. Ah! my dear child, if + I were to tell you all!” + </p> + <p> + Little by little he spoke out and relieved himself. Those Fathers of the + Grotto, who showed such greed in trading on the work of Bernadette, + dreaded her still more now that she was dead than they had done whilst she + was alive. So long as she had lived, their great terror had assuredly been + that she might return to Lourdes to claim a portion of the spoil; and her + humility alone reassured them, for she was in nowise of a domineering + disposition, and had herself chosen the dim abode of renunciation where + she was destined to pass away. But at present their fears had increased at + the idea that a will other than theirs might bring the relics of the + visionary back to Lourdes; that, thought had, indeed, occurred to the + municipal council immediately after her death; the town had wished to + raise a tomb, and there had been talk of opening a subscription. The + Sisters of Nevers, however, formally refused to give up the body, which + they said belonged to them. Everyone felt that the Sisters were acting + under the influence of the Fathers, who were very uneasy, and + energetically bestirred themselves to prevent by all means in their power + the return of those venerated ashes, in whose presence at Lourdes they + foresaw a possible competition with the Grotto itself. Could they have + imagined some such threatening occurrence as this—a monumental tomb + in the cemetery, pilgrims proceeding thither in procession, the sick + feverishly kissing the marble, and miracles being worked there amidst a + holy fervour? This would have been disastrous rivalry, a certain + displacement of all the present devotion and prodigies. And the great, the + sole fear, still and ever returned to them, that of having to divide the + spoils, of seeing the money go elsewhere should the town, now taught by + experience, know how to turn the tomb to account. + </p> + <p> + The Fathers were even credited with a scheme of profound craftiness. They + were supposed to have the secret idea of reserving Bernadette’s remains + for themselves; the Sisters of Nevers having simply undertaken to keep it + for them within the peaceful precincts of their chapel. Only, they were + waiting, and would not bring it back until the affluence of the pilgrims + should decrease. What was the use of a solemn return at present, when + crowds flocked to the place without interruption and in increasing + numbers? Whereas, when the extraordinary success of Our Lady of Lourdes + should decline, like everything else in this world, one could imagine what + a reawakening of faith would attend the solemn, resounding ceremony at + which Christendom would behold the relics of the chosen one take + possession of the soil whence she had made so many marvels spring. And the + miracles would then begin again on the marble of her tomb before the + Grotto or in the choir of the Basilica. + </p> + <p> + “You may search,” continued Doctor Chassaigne, “but you won’t find a + single official picture of Bernadette at Lourdes. Her portrait is sold, + but it is hung no where, in no sanctuary. It is systematic forgetfulness, + the same sentiment of covert uneasiness as that which has wrought silence + and abandonment in this sad chamber where we are. In the same way as they + are afraid of worship at her tomb, so are they afraid of crowds coming and + kneeling here, should two candles burn or a couple of bouquets of roses + bloom upon this chimney. And if a paralytic woman were to rise shouting + that she was cured, what a scandal would arise, how disturbed would be + those good traders of the Grotto on seeing their monopoly seriously + threatened! They are the masters, and the masters they intend to remain; + they will not part with any portion of the magnificent farm that they have + acquired and are working. Nevertheless they tremble—yes, they + tremble at the memory of the workers of the first hour, of that little + girl who is still so great in death, and for whose huge inheritance they + burn with such greed that after having sent her to live at Nevers, they + dare not even bring back her corpse, but leave it imprisoned beneath the + flagstones of a convent!” + </p> + <p> + Ah! how wretched was the fate of that poor creature, who had been cut off + from among the living, and whose corpse in its turn was condemned to + exile! And how Pierre pitied her, that daughter of misery, who seemed to + have been chosen only that she might suffer in her life and in her death! + Even admitting that an unique, persistent will had not compelled her to + disappear, still guarding her even in her tomb, what a strange succession + of circumstances there had been—how it seemed as if someone, uneasy + at the idea of the immense power she might grasp, had jealously sought to + keep her out of the way! In Pierre’s eyes she remained the chosen one, the + martyr; and if he could no longer believe, if the history of this + unfortunate girl sufficed to complete within him the ruin of his faith, it + none the less upset him in all his brotherly love for mankind by revealing + a new religion to him, the only one which might still fill his heart, the + religion of life, of human sorrow. + </p> + <p> + Just then, before leaving the room, Doctor Chassaigne exclaimed: “And it’s + here that one must believe, my dear child. Do you see this obscure hole, + do you think of the resplendent Grotto, of the triumphant Basilica, of the + town built, of the world created, the crowds that flock to Lourdes! And if + Bernadette was only hallucinated, only an idiot, would not the outcome be + more astonishing, more inexplicable still? What! An idiot’s dream would + have sufficed to stir up nations like this! No! no! The Divine breath + which alone can explain prodigies passed here.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was on the point of hastily replying “Yes!” It was true, a breath + had passed there, the sob of sorrow, the inextinguishable yearning towards + the Infinite of hope. If the dream of a suffering child had sufficed to + attract multitudes, to bring about a rain of millions and raise a new city + from the soil, was it not because this dream in a measure appeased the + hunger of poor mankind, its insatiable need of being deceived and + consoled? She had once more opened the Unknown, doubtless at a favourable + moment both socially and historically; and the crowds had rushed towards + it. Oh! to take refuge in mystery, when reality is so hard, to abandon + oneself to the miraculous, since cruel nature seems merely one long + injustice! But although you may organise the Unknown, reduce it to dogmas, + make revealed religions of it, there is never anything at the bottom of it + beyond the appeal of suffering, the cry of life, demanding health, joy, + and fraternal happiness, and ready to accept them in another world if they + cannot be obtained on earth. What use is it to believe in dogmas? Does it + not suffice to weep and love? + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, did not discuss the question. He withheld the answer that + was on his lips, convinced, moreover, that the eternal need of the + supernatural would cause eternal faith to abide among sorrowing mankind. + The miraculous, which could not be verified, must be a food necessary to + human despair. Besides, had he not vowed in all charity that he would not + wound anyone with his doubts? + </p> + <p> + “What a prodigy, isn’t it?” repeated the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” Pierre ended by answering. “The whole human drama has been + played, all the unknown forces have acted in this poor room, so damp and + dark.” + </p> + <p> + They remained there a few minutes more in silence; they walked round the + walls, raised their eyes toward the smoky ceiling, and cast a final glance + at the narrow, greenish yard. Truly it was a heart-rending sight, this + poverty of the cobweb level, with its dirty old barrels, its worn-out + tools, its refuse of all kinds rotting in the corners in heaps. And + without adding a word they at last slowly retired, feeling extremely sad. + </p> + <p> + It was only in the street that Doctor Chassaigne seemed to awaken. He gave + a slight shudder and hastened his steps, saying: “It is not finished, my + dear child; follow me. We are now going to look at the other great + iniquity.” He referred to Abbé Peyramale and his church. + </p> + <p> + They crossed the Place du Porche and turned into the Rue Saint Pierre; a + few minutes would suffice them. But their conversation had again fallen on + the Fathers of the Grotto, on the terrible, merciless war waged by Father + Sempé against the former Curé of Lourdes. The latter had been vanquished, + and had died in consequence, overcome by feelings of frightful bitterness; + and, after thus killing him by grief, they had completed the destruction + of his church, which he had left unfinished, without a roof, open to the + wind and to the rain. With what a glorious dream had that monumental + edifice filled the last year of the Curé’s life! Since he had been + dispossessed of the Grotto, driven from the work of Our Lady of Lourdes, + of which he, with Bernadette, had been the first artisan, his church had + become his revenge, his protestation, his own share of the glory, the + House of the Lord where he would triumph in his sacred vestments, and + whence he would conduct endless processions in compliance with the formal + desire of the Blessed Virgin. Man of authority and domination as he was at + bottom, a pastor of the multitude, a builder of temples, he experienced a + restless delight in hurrying on the work, with the lack of foresight of an + eager man who did not allow indebtedness to trouble him, but was perfectly + contented so long as he always had a swarm of workmen busy on the + scaffoldings. And thus he saw his church rise up, and pictured it + finished, one bright summer morning, all new in the rising sun. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that vision constantly evoked gave him courage for the struggle, + amidst the underhand, murderous designs by which he felt himself to be + enveloped. His church, towering above the vast square, at last rose in all + its colossal majesty. He had decided that it should be in the Romanesque + style, very large, very simple, its nave nearly three hundred feet long, + its steeple four hundred and sixty feet high. It shone out resplendently + in the clear sunlight, freed on the previous day of the last scaffolding, + and looking quite smart in its newness, with its broad courses of stone + disposed with perfect regularity. And, in thought, he sauntered around it, + charmed with its nudity, its stupendous candour, its chasteness recalling + that of a virgin child, for there was not a piece of sculpture, not an + ornament that would have uselessly loaded it. The roofs of the nave, + transept, and apse were of equal height above the entablature, which was + decorated with simple mouldings. In the same way the apertures in the + aisles and nave had no other adornments than archivaults with mouldings, + rising above the piers. He stopped in thought before the great coloured + glass windows of the transept, whose roses were sparkling; and passing + round the building he skirted the semicircular apse against which stood + the vestry building with its two rows of little windows; and then he + returned, never tiring of his contemplation of that regal ordonnance, + those great lines standing out against the blue sky, those superposed + roofs, that enormous mass of stone, whose solidity promised to defy + centuries. But, when he closed his eyes he, above all else, conjured up, + with rapturous pride, a vision of the façade and steeple; down below, the + three portals, the roofs of the two lateral ones forming terraces, while + from the central one, in the very middle of the façade, the steeple boldly + sprang. Here again columns resting on piers supported archivaults with + simple mouldings. Against the gable, at a point where there was a + pinnacle, and between the two lofty windows lighting the nave, was a + statue of Our Lady of Lourdes under a canopy. Up above, were other bays + with freshly painted luffer-boards. Buttresses started from the ground at + the four corners of the steeple-base, becoming less and less massive from + storey to storey, till they reached the spire, a bold, tapering spire in + stone, flanked by four turrets and adorned with pinnacles, and soaring + upward till it vanished in the sky. And to the parish priest of Lourdes it + seemed as if it were his own fervent soul which had grown and flown aloft + with this spire, to testify to his faith throughout the ages, there on + high, quite close to God. + </p> + <p> + At other times another vision delighted him still more. He thought he + could see the inside of his church on the day of the first solemn mass he + would perform there. The coloured windows threw flashes of fire brilliant + like precious stones; the twelve chapels, the aisles, were beaming with + lighted candles. And he was at the high altar of marble and gold; and the + fourteen columns of the nave in single blocks of Pyrenean marble, + magnificent marble purchased with money that had come from the four + corners of Christendom, rose up supporting the vaulted roof, while the + sonorous voices of the organs filled the whole building with a hymn of + joy. A multitude of the faithful was gathered there, kneeling on the flags + in front of the choir, which was screened by ironwork as delicate as lace, + and covered with admirably carved wood. The pulpit, the regal present of a + great lady, was a marvel of art cut in massive oak. The baptismal fonts + had been hewn out of hard stone by an artist of great talent. Pictures by + masters ornamented the walls. Crosses, pyxes, precious monstrances, sacred + vestments, similar to suns, were piled up in the vestry cupboards. And + what a dream it was to be the pontiff of such a temple, to reign there + after having erected it with passion, to bless the crowds who hastened to + it from the entire earth, while the flying peals from the steeple told the + Grotto and Basilica that they had over there, in old Lourdes, a rival, a + victorious sister, in whose great nave God triumphed also! + </p> + <p> + After following the Rue Saint Pierre for a moment, Doctor Chassaigne and + his companion turned into the little Rue de Langelle. + </p> + <p> + “We are coming to it,” said the doctor. But though Pierre looked around + him he could see no church. There were merely some wretched hovels, a + whole district of poverty, littered with foul buildings. At length, + however, at the bottom of a blind alley, he perceived a remnant of the + half-rotten palings which still surrounded the vast square site bordered + by the Rue Saint Pierre, the Rue de Bagnères, the Rue de Langelle, and the + Rue des Jardins. + </p> + <p> + “We must turn to the left,” continued the doctor, who had entered a narrow + passage among the rubbish. “Here we are!” + </p> + <p> + And the ruin suddenly appeared amidst the ugliness and wretchedness that + masked it. + </p> + <p> + The whole great carcase of the nave and the aisles, the transept and the + apse was standing. The walls rose on all sides to the point where the + vaulting would have begun. You entered as into a real church, you could + walk about at ease, identifying all the usual parts of an edifice of this + description. Only when you raised your eyes you saw the sky; the roofs + were wanting, the rain could fall and the wind blow there freely. Some + fifteen years previously the works had been abandoned, and things had + remained in the same state as the last workman had left them. What struck + you first of all were the ten pillars of the nave and the four pillars of + the choir, those magnificent columns of Pyrenean marble, each of a single + block, which had been covered with a casing of planks in order to protect + them from damage. The bases and capitals were still in the rough, awaiting + the sculptors. And these isolated columns, thus cased in wood, had a + mournful aspect indeed. Moreover, a dismal sensation filled you at sight + of the whole gaping enclosure, where grass had sprung up all over the + ravaged, bumpy soil of the aisles and the nave, a thick cemetery grass, + through which the women of the neighbourhood had ended by making paths. + They came in to spread out their washing there. And even now a collection + of poor people’s washing—thick sheets, shirts in shreds, and babies’ + swaddling clothes—was fast drying in the last rays of the sun, which + glided in through the broad, empty bays. + </p> + <p> + Slowly, without speaking, Pierre and Doctor Chassaigne walked round the + inside of the church. The ten chapels of the aisles formed a species of + compartments full of rubbish and remnants. The ground of the choir had + been cemented, doubtless to protect the crypt below against infiltrations; + but unfortunately the vaults must be sinking; there was a hollow there + which the storm of the previous night had transformed into a little lake. + However, it was these portions of the transept and the apse which had the + least suffered. Not a stone had moved; the great central rose windows + above the triforium seemed to be awaiting their coloured glass, while some + thick planks, forgotten atop of the walls of the apse, might have made + anyone think that the workmen would begin covering it the next day. But, + when Pierre and the doctor had retraced their steps, and went out to look + at the façade, the lamentable woefulness of the young ruin was displayed + to their gaze. On this side, indeed, the works had not been carried + forward to anything like the same extent: the porch with its three portals + alone was built, and fifteen years of abandonment had sufficed for the + winter weather to eat into the sculptures, the small columns and the + archivaults, with a really singular destructive effect, as though the + stones, deeply penetrated, destroyed, had melted away beneath tears. The + heart grieved at the sight of the decay which had attacked the work before + it was even finished. Not yet to be, and nevertheless to crumble away in + this fashion under the sky! To be arrested in one’s colossal growth, and + simply strew the weeds with ruins! + </p> + <p> + They returned to the nave, and were overcome by the frightful sadness + which this assassination of a monument provoked. The spacious plot of + waste ground inside was littered with the remains of scaffoldings, which + had been pulled down when half rotten, in fear lest their fall might crush + people; and everywhere amidst the tall grass were boards, put-logs, moulds + for arches, mingled with bundles of old cord eaten away by damp. There was + also the long narrow carcase of a crane rising up like a gibbet. + Spade-handles, pieces of broken wheelbarrows, and heaps of greenish + bricks, speckled with moss and wild convolvuli in bloom, were still lying + among the forgotten materials. In the beds of nettles you here and there + distinguished the rails of a little railway laid down for the trucks, one + of which was lying overturned in a corner. But the saddest sight in all + this death of things was certainly the portable engine which had remained + in the shed that sheltered it. For fifteen years it had been standing + there cold and lifeless. A part of the roof of the shed had ended by + falling in upon it, and now the rain drenched it at every shower. A bit of + the leather harness by which the crane was worked hung down, and seemed to + bind the engine like a thread of some gigantic spider’s web. And its + metal-work, its steel and copper, was also decaying, as if rusted by + lichens, covered with the vegetation of old age, whose yellowish patches + made it look like a very ancient, grass-grown machine which the winters + had preyed upon. This lifeless engine, this cold engine with its empty + firebox and its silent boiler, was like the very soul of the departed + labour vainly awaiting the advent of some great charitable heart, whose + coming through the eglantine and the brambles would awaken this sleeping + church in the wood from its heavy slumber of ruin. + </p> + <p> + At last Doctor Chassaigne spoke: “Ah!” he said, “when one thinks that + fifty thousand francs would have sufficed to prevent such a disaster! With + fifty thousand francs the roof could have been put on, the heavy work + would have been saved, and one could have waited patiently. But they + wanted to kill the work just as they had killed the man.” With a gesture + he designated the Fathers of the Grotto, whom he avoided naming. “And to + think,” he continued, “that their annual receipts are eight hundred + thousand francs. However, they prefer to send presents to Rome to + propitiate powerful friends there.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of himself, he was again opening hostilities against the + adversaries of Curé Peyramale. The whole story caused a holy anger of + justice to haunt him. Face to face with those lamentable ruins, he + returned to the facts—the enthusiastic Curé starting on the building + of his beloved church, and getting deeper and deeper into debt, whilst + Father Sempé, ever on the lookout, took advantage of each of his mistakes, + discrediting him with the Bishop, arresting the flow of offerings, and + finally stopping the works. Then, after the conquered man was dead, had + come interminable lawsuits, lawsuits lasting fifteen years, which gave the + winters time to devour the building. And now it was in such a woeful + state, and the debt had risen to such an enormous figure, that all seemed + over. The slow death, the death of the stones, was becoming irrevocable. + The portable engine beneath its tumbling shed would fall to pieces, + pounded by the rain and eaten away by the moss. + </p> + <p> + “I know very well that they chant victory,” resumed the doctor; “that they + alone remain. It is just what they wanted—to be the absolute + masters, to have all the power, all the money for themselves alone. I may + tell you that their terror of competition has even made them intrigue + against the religious Orders that have attempted to come to Lourdes. + Jesuits, Dominicans, Benedictines, Capuchins, and Carmelites have made + applications at various times, and the Fathers of the Grotto have always + succeeded in keeping them away. They only tolerate the female Orders, and + will only have one flock. And the town belongs to them; they have opened + shop there, and sell God there wholesale and retail!” + </p> + <p> + Walking slowly, he had while speaking returned to the middle of the nave, + amidst the ruins, and with a sweeping wave of the arm he pointed to all + the devastation surrounding him. “Look at this sadness, this frightful + wretchedness! Over yonder the Rosary and Basilica cost them three millions + of francs.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * About 580,000 dollars. +</pre> + <p> + Then, as in Bernadette’s cold, dark room, Pierre saw the Basilica rise + before him, radiant in its triumph. It was not here that you found the + realisation of the dream of Curé Peyramale, officiating and blessing + kneeling multitudes while the organs resounded joyfully. The Basilica, + over yonder, appeared, vibrating with the pealing of its bells, clamorous + with the superhuman joy of an accomplished miracle, all sparkling with its + countless lights, its banners, its lamps, its hearts of silver and gold, + its clergy attired in gold, and its monstrance akin to a golden star. It + flamed in the setting sun, it touched the heavens with its spire, amidst + the soaring of the milliards of prayers which caused its walls to quiver. + Here, however, was the church that had died before being born, the church + placed under interdict by a mandamus of the Bishop, the church falling + into dust, and open to the four winds of heaven. Each storm carried away a + little more of the stones, big flies buzzed all alone among the nettles + which had invaded the nave; and there were no other devotees than the poor + women of the neighbourhood, who came thither to turn their sorry linen, + spread upon the grass. + </p> + <p> + It seemed amidst the mournful silence as though a low voice were sobbing, + perhaps the voice of the marble columns weeping over their useless beauty + under their wooden shirts. At times birds would fly across the deserted + apse uttering a shrill cry. Bands of enormous rats which had taken refuge + under bits of the lowered scaffoldings would fight, and bite, and bound + out of their holes in a gallop of terror. And nothing could have been more + heart-rending than the sight of this pre-determined ruin, face to face + with its triumphant rival, the Basilica, which beamed with gold. + </p> + <p> + Again Doctor Chassaigne curtly said, “Come.” + </p> + <p> + They left the church, and following the left aisle, reached a door, + roughly fashioned out of a few planks nailed together; and, when they had + passed down a half-demolished wooden staircase, the steps of which shook + beneath their feet, they found themselves in the crypt. + </p> + <p> + It was a low vault, with squat arches, on exactly the same plan as the + choir. The thick, stunted columns, left in the rough, also awaited their + sculptors. Materials were lying about, pieces of wood were rotting on the + beaten ground, the whole vast hall was white with plaster in the + abandonment in which unfinished buildings are left. At the far end, three + bays, formerly glazed, but in which not a pane of glass remained, threw a + clear, cold light upon the desolate bareness of the walls. + </p> + <p> + And there, in the middle, lay Curé Peyramale’s corpse. Some pious friends + had conceived the touching idea of thus burying him in the crypt of his + unfinished church. The tomb stood on a broad step and was all marble. The + inscriptions, in letters of gold, expressed the feelings of the + subscribers, the cry of truth and reparation that came from the monument + itself. You read on the face: “This tomb has been erected by the aid of + pious offerings from the entire universe to the blessed memory of the + great servant of Our Lady of Lourdes.” On the right side were these words + from a Brief of Pope Pius IX.: “You have entirely devoted yourself to + erecting a temple to the Mother of God.” And on the left were these words + from the New Testament: “Happy are they who suffer persecution for + justice’ sake.” Did not these inscriptions embody the true plaint, the + legitimate hope of the vanquished man who had fought so long in the sole + desire of strictly executing the commands of the Virgin as transmitted to + him by Bernadette? She, Our Lady of Lourdes, was there personified by a + slender statuette, standing above the commemorative inscription, against + the naked wall whose only decorations were a few bead wreaths hanging from + nails. And before the tomb, as before the Grotto, were five or six benches + in rows, for the faithful who desired to sit down. + </p> + <p> + But with another gesture of sorrowful compassion, Doctor Chassaigne had + silently pointed out to Pierre a huge damp spot which was turning the wall + at the far end quite green. Pierre remembered the little lake which he had + noticed up above on the cracked cement flooring of the choir—quite a + quantity of water left by the storm of the previous night. Infiltration + had evidently commenced, a perfect stream ran down, invading the crypt, + whenever there was heavy rain. And they both felt a pang at their hearts + when they perceived that the water was trickling along the vaulted roof in + narrow threads, and thence falling in large, regular rhythmical drops upon + the tomb. The doctor could not restrain a groan. “Now it rains,” he said; + “it rains on him!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre remained motionless, in a kind of awe. In the presence of that + falling water, at the thought of the blasts which must rush at winter time + through the glassless windows, that corpse appeared to him both woeful and + tragic. It acquired a fierce grandeur, lying there alone in its splendid + marble tomb, amidst all the rubbish, at the bottom of the crumbling ruins + of its own church. It was the solitary guardian, the dead sleeper and + dreamer watching over the empty spaces, open to all the birds of night. It + was the mute, obstinate, eternal protest, and it was expectation also. + Curé Peyramale, stretched in his coffin, having all eternity before him to + acquire patience, there, without weariness, awaited the workmen who would + perhaps return thither some fine April morning. If they should take ten + years to do so, he would be there, and if it should take them a century, + he would be there still. He was waiting for the rotten scaffoldings up + above, among the grass of the nave, to be resuscitated like the dead, and + by the force of some miracle to stand upright once more, along the walls. + He was waiting, too, for the moss-covered engine to become all at once + burning hot, recover its breath, and raise the timbers for the roof. His + beloved enterprise, his gigantic building, was crumbling about his head, + and yet with joined hands and closed eyes he was watching over its ruins, + watching and waiting too. + </p> + <p> + In a low voice, the doctor finished the cruel story, telling how, after + persecuting Curé Peyramale and his work, they persecuted his tomb. There + had formerly been a bust of the Curé there, and pious hands had kept a + little lamp burning before it. But a woman had one day fallen with her + face to the earth, saying that she had perceived the soul of the deceased, + and thereupon the Fathers of the Grotto were in a flutter. Were miracles + about to take place there? The sick already passed entire days there, + seated on the benches before the tomb. Others knelt down, kissed the + marble, and prayed to be cured. And at this a feeling of terror arose: + supposing they should be cured, supposing the Grotto should find a + competitor in this martyr, lying all alone, amidst the old tools left + there by the masons! The Bishop of Tarbes, informed and influenced, + thereupon published the mandamus which placed the church under interdict, + forbidding all worship there and all pilgrimages and processions to the + tomb of the former priest of Lourdes. As in the case of Bernadette, his + memory was proscribed, his portrait could be found, officially, nowhere. + In the same manner as they had shown themselves merciless against the + living man, so did the Fathers prove merciless to his memory. They pursued + him even in his tomb. They alone, again nowadays, prevented the works of + the church from being proceeded with, by raising continual obstacles, and + absolutely refusing to share their rich harvest of alms. And they seemed + to be waiting for the winter rains to fall and complete the work of + destruction, for the vaulted roof of the crypt, the walls, the whole + gigantic pile to crumble down upon the tomb of the martyr, upon the body + of the defeated man, so that he might be buried beneath them and at last + pounded to dust! + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” murmured the doctor, “I, who knew him so valiant, so enthusiastic in + all noble labour! Now, you see it, it rains, it rains on him!” + </p> + <p> + Painfully, he set himself on his knees and found relief in a long prayer. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who could not pray, remained standing. Compassionate sorrow was + overflowing from his heart. He listened to the heavy drops from the roof + as one by one they broke on the tomb with a slow rhythmical pit-a-pat, + which seemed to be numbering the seconds of eternity, amidst the profound + silence. And he reflected on the eternal misery of this world, on the + choice which suffering makes in always falling on the best. The two great + makers of Our Lady of Lourdes, Bernadette and Curé Peyramale, rose up in + the flesh again before him, like woeful victims, tortured during their + lives and exiled after their deaths. That alone, indeed, would have + completed within him the destruction of his faith; for the Bernadette, + whom he had just found at the end of his researches, was but a human + sister, loaded with every dolour. But none the less he preserved a tender + brotherly veneration for her, and two tears slowly trickled down his + cheeks. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol05"></a> + THE FIFTH DAY + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap21"></a> + I. EGOTISM AND LOVE + </h2> + <p> + AGAIN that night Pierre, at the Hotel of the Apparitions, was unable to + obtain a wink of sleep. After calling at the hospital to inquire after + Marie, who, since her return from the procession, had been soundly + enjoying the delicious, restoring sleep of a child, he had gone to bed + himself feeling anxious at the prolonged absence of M. de Guersaint. He + had expected him at latest at dinner-time, but probably some mischance had + detained him at Gavarnie; and he thought how disappointed Marie would be + if her father were not there to embrace her the first thing in the + morning. With a man like M. de Guersaint, so pleasantly heedless and so + hare-brained, everything was possible, every fear might be realised. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps this anxiety had at first sufficed to keep Pierre awake in spite + of his great fatigue; but afterwards the nocturnal noises of the hotel had + really assumed unbearable proportions. The morrow, Tuesday, was the day of + departure, the last day which the national pilgrimage would spend at + Lourdes, and the pilgrims no doubt were making the most of their time, + coming from the Grotto and returning thither in the middle of the night, + endeavouring as it were to force the grace of Heaven by their commotion, + and apparently never feeling the slightest need of repose. The doors + slammed, the floors shook, the entire building vibrated beneath the + disorderly gallop of a crowd. Never before had the walls reverberated with + such obstinate coughs, such thick, husky voices. Thus Pierre, a prey to + insomnia, tossed about on his bed and continually rose up, beset with the + idea that the noise he heard must have been made by M. de Guersaint who + had returned. For some minutes he would listen feverishly; but he could + only hear the extraordinary sounds of the passage, amid which he could + distinguish nothing precisely. Was it the priest, the mother and her three + daughters, or the old married couple on his left, who were fighting with + the furniture? or was it rather the larger family, or the single + gentleman, or the young single woman on his right, whom some + incomprehensible occurrences were leading into adventures? At one moment + he jumped from his bed, wishing to explore his absent friend’s empty room, + as he felt certain that some deeds of violence were taking place in it. + But although he listened very attentively when he got there, the only + sound he could distinguish was the tender caressing murmur of two voices. + Then a sudden recollection of Madame Volmar came to him, and he returned + shuddering to bed. + </p> + <p> + At length, when it was broad daylight and Pierre had just fallen asleep, a + loud knocking at his door awoke him with a start. This time there could be + no mistake, a loud voice broken by sobs was calling “Monsieur l’Abbé! + Monsieur l’Abbé! for Heaven’s sake wake up!” + </p> + <p> + Surely it must be M. de Guersaint who had been brought back dead, at + least. Quite scared, Pierre ran and opened the door, in his night-shirt, + and found himself in the presence of his neighbour, M. Vigneron. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! for Heaven’s sake, Monsieur l’Abbé, dress yourself at once!” + exclaimed the assistant head-clerk. “Your holy ministry is required.” And + he began to relate that he had just got up to see the time by his watch on + the mantelpiece, when he had heard some most frightful sighs issuing from + the adjoining room, where Madame Chaise slept. She had left the + communicating door open in order to be more with them, as she pleasantly + expressed it. Accordingly he had hastened in, and flung the shutters open + so as to admit both light and air. “And what a sight, Monsieur l’Abbé!” he + continued. “Our poor aunt lying on her bed, nearly purple in the face + already, her mouth wide open in a vain effort to breathe, and her hands + fumbling with the sheet. It’s her heart complaint, you know. Come, come at + once, Monsieur l’Abbé, and help her, I implore you!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, utterly bewildered, could find neither his breeches nor his + cassock. “Of course, of course I’ll come with you,” said he. “But I have + not what is necessary for administering the last sacraments.” + </p> + <p> + M. Vigneron had assisted him to dress, and was now stooping down looking + for his slippers. “Never mind,” he said, “the mere sight of you will + assist her in her last moments, if Heaven has this affliction in store for + us. Here! put these on your feet, and follow me at once—oh! at + once!” + </p> + <p> + He went off like a gust of wind and plunged into the adjoining room. All + the doors remained wide open. The young priest, who followed him, noticed + nothing in the first room, which was in an incredible state of disorder, + beyond the half-naked figure of little Gustave, who sat on the sofa + serving him as a bed, motionless, very pale, forgotten, and shivering amid + this drama of inexorable death. Open bags littered the floor, the greasy + remains of supper soiled the table, the parents’ bed seemed devastated by + the catastrophe, its coverlets torn off and lying on the floor. And almost + immediately afterwards he caught sight of the mother, who had hastily + enveloped herself in an old yellow dressing-gown, standing with a + terrified look in the inner room. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my love, well, my love?” repeated M. Vigneron, in stammering + accents. + </p> + <p> + With a wave of her hand and without uttering a word Madame Vigneron drew + their attention to Madame Chaise, who lay motionless, with her head sunk + in the pillow and her hands stiffened and twisted. She was blue in the + face, and her mouth gaped, as though with the last great gasp that had + come from her. + </p> + <p> + Pierre bent over her. Then in a low voice he said: “She is dead!” + </p> + <p> + Dead! The word rang through the room where a heavy silence reigned, and + the husband and wife looked at each other in amazement, bewilderment. So + it was over? The aunt had died before Gustave, and the youngster inherited + her five hundred thousand francs. How many times had they dwelt on that + dream; whose sudden realisation dumfounded them? How many times had + despair overcome them when they feared that the poor child might depart + before her? Dead! Good heavens! was it their fault? Had they really prayed + to the Blessed Virgin for this? She had shown herself so good to them that + they trembled at the thought that they had not been able to express a wish + without its being granted. In the death of the chief clerk, so suddenly + carried off so that they might have his place, they had already recognised + the powerful hand of Our Lady of Lourdes. Had she again loaded them with + favours, listening even to the unconscious dreams of their desire? Yet + they had never desired anyone’s death; they were worthy people incapable + of any bad action, loving their relations, fulfilling their religious + duties, going to confession, partaking of the communion like other people + without any ostentation. Whenever they thought of those five hundred + thousand francs, of their son who might be the first to go, and of the + annoyance it would be to them to see another and far less worthy nephew + inherit that fortune, it was merely in the innermost recesses of their + hearts, in short, quite innocently and naturally. Certainly they <i>had</i> + thought of it when they were at the Grotto, but was not the Blessed Virgin + wisdom itself? Did she not know far better than ourselves what she ought + to do for the happiness of both the living and the dead? + </p> + <p> + Then Madame Vigneron in all sincerity burst into tears and wept for the + sister whom she loved so much. “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé,” she said, “I saw her + expire; she passed away before my eyes. What a misfortune that you were + not here sooner to receive her soul! She died without a priest; your + presence would have consoled her so much.” + </p> + <p> + A prey also to emotion, his eyes full of tears, Vigneron sought to console + his wife. “Your sister was a saint,” said he; “she communicated again + yesterday morning, and you need have no anxiety concerning her; her soul + has gone straight to heaven. No doubt, if Monsieur l’Abbé had been here in + time she would have been glad to see him. But what would you? Death was + quicker. I went at once, and really there is nothing for us to reproach + ourselves with.” + </p> + <p> + Then, turning towards the priest, he added “Monsieur l’Abbé, it was her + excessive piety which certainly hastened her end. Yesterday, at the + Grotto, she had a bad attack, which was a warning. And in spite of her + fatigue she obstinately followed the procession afterwards. I thought then + that she could not last long. Yet, out of delicacy, one did not like to + say anything to her, for fear of frightening her.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre gently knelt down and said the customary prayers, with that human + emotion which was his nearest approach to faith in the presence of eternal + life and eternal death, both so pitiful. Then, as he remained kneeling a + little longer, he overheard snatches of the conversation around him. + </p> + <p> + Little Gustave, forgotten on his couch amid the disorder of the other + room, must have lost patience, for he had begun to cry and call out, + “Mamma! mamma! mamma!” + </p> + <p> + At length Madame Vigneron went to quiet him, and it occurred to her to + carry him in her arms to kiss his poor aunt for the last time. But at + first he struggled and refused, crying so much that M. Vigneron was + obliged to interfere and try to make him ashamed of himself. What! he who + was never frightened of anything! who bore suffering with the courage of a + grown-up man! And to think it was a question of kissing his poor aunt, who + had always been so kind, whose last thought must most certainly have been + for him! + </p> + <p> + “Give him to me,” said he to his wife; “he’s going to be good.” + </p> + <p> + Gustave ended by clinging to his father’s neck. He came shivering in his + night-shirt, displaying his wretched little body devoured by scrofula. It + seemed indeed as though the miraculous water of the piscinas, far from + curing him, had freshened the sore on his back; whilst his scraggy leg + hung down inertly like a dry stick. + </p> + <p> + “Kiss her,” resumed M. Vigneron. + </p> + <p> + The child leant forward and kissed his aunt on the forehead. It was not + death which upset him and caused him to struggle. Since he had been in the + room he had been looking at the dead woman with an air of quiet curiosity. + He did not love her, he had suffered on her account so long. He had the + ideas and feelings of a man, and the weight of them was stifling him as, + like his complaint, they developed and became more acute. He felt full + well that he was too little, that children ought not to understand what + only concerns their elders. + </p> + <p> + However, his father, seating himself out of the way, kept him on his knee, + whilst his mother closed the window and lit the two candles on the + mantelpiece. “Ah! my poor dear,” murmured M. Vigneron, feeling that he + must say something, “it’s a cruel loss for all of us. Our trip is now + completely spoilt; this is our last day, for we start this afternoon. And + the Blessed Virgin, too, was showing herself so kind to us.” + </p> + <p> + However, seeing his son’s surprised look, a look of infinite sadness and + reproach, he hastened to add: “Yes, of course, I know that she hasn’t yet + quite cured you. But we must not despair of her kindness. She loves us so + well, she shows us so many favours that she will certainly end by curing + you, since that is now the only favour that remains for her to grant us.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Vigneron, who was listening, drew near and said: “How happy we + should have been to have returned to Paris all three hale and hearty! + Nothing is ever perfect!” + </p> + <p> + “I say!” suddenly observed Monsieur Vigneron, “I sha’n’t be able to leave + with you this afternoon, on account of the formalities which have to be + gone through. I hope that my return ticket will still be available + to-morrow!” + </p> + <p> + They were both getting over the frightful shock, feeling a sense of relief + in spite of their affection for Madame Chaise; and, in fact, they were + already forgetting her, anxious above all things to leave Lourdes as soon + as possible, as though the principal object of their journey had been + attained. A decorous, unavowed delight was slowly penetrating them. + </p> + <p> + “When I get back to Paris there will be so much for me to do,” continued + M. Vigneron. “I, who now only long for repose! All the same I shall remain + my three years at the Ministry, until I can retire, especially now that I + am certain of the retiring pension of chief clerk. But afterwards—oh! + afterwards I certainly hope to enjoy life a bit. Since this money has come + to us I shall purchase the estate of Les Billottes, that superb property + down at my native place which I have always been dreaming of. And I + promise you that I sha’n’t find time hanging heavy on my hands in the + midst of my horses, my dogs, and my flowers!” + </p> + <p> + Little Gustave was still on his father’s knee, his night-shirt tucked up, + his whole wretched misshapen body shivering, and displaying the + scragginess of a slowly dying child. When he perceived that his father, + now full of his dream of an opulent life, no longer seemed to notice that + he was there, he gave one of his enigmatical smiles, in which melancholy + was tinged with malice. “But what about me, father?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + M. Vigneron started, like one aroused from sleep, and did not at first + seem to understand. “You, little one? You’ll be with us, of course!” + </p> + <p> + But Gustave gave him a long, straight look, without ceasing to smile with + his artful, though woeful lips. “Oh! do you think so?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Of course I think so! You’ll be with us, and it will be very nice to be + with us.” + </p> + <p> + Uneasy, stammering, unable to find the proper words, M. Vigneron felt a + chill come over him when his son shrugged his skinny shoulders with an air + of philosophical disdain and answered: “Oh, no! I shall be dead.” + </p> + <p> + And then the terrified father was suddenly able to detect in the child’s + deep glance the glance of a man who was very aged, very knowing in all + things, acquainted with all the abominations of life through having gone + through them. What especially alarmed him was the abrupt conviction that + this child had always seen into the innermost recesses of his heart, even + farther than the things he dared to acknowledge to himself. He could + recall that when the little sufferer had been but a baby in his cradle his + eyes would frequently be fixed upon his own—and even then those eyes + had been rendered so sharp by suffering, endowed, too, with such an + extraordinary power of divination, that they had seemed able to dive into + the unconscious thoughts buried in the depths of his brain. And by a + singular counter-effect all the things that he had never owned to himself + he now found in his child’s eyes—he beheld them, read them there, + against his will. The story of his cupidity lay unfolded before him, his + anger at having such a sorry son, his anguish at the idea that Madame + Chaise’s fortune depended upon such a fragile existence, his eager desire + that she might make haste and die whilst the youngster was still there, in + order that he might finger the legacy. It was simply a question of days, + this duel as to which should go off first. And then, at the end, it still + meant death—the youngster must in his turn disappear, whilst he, the + father, alone pocketed the cash, and lived joyfully to a good old age. And + these frightful things shone forth so clearly from the keen, melancholy, + smiling eyes of the poor condemned child, passed from son to father with + such evident distinctness, that for a moment it seemed to them that they + were shouting them aloud. + </p> + <p> + However, M. Vigneron struggled against it all, and, averting his head, + began energetically protesting: “How! You’ll be dead? What an idea! It’s + absurd to have such ideas as that!” + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Madame Vigneron was sobbing. “You wicked child,” she gasped; + “how can you make us so unhappy, when we already have such a cruel loss to + deplore?” + </p> + <p> + Gustave had to kiss them, and to promise them that he would live for their + sakes. Yet he did not cease smiling, conscious as he was that a lie is + necessary when one does not wish to be too miserable, and quite prepared, + moreover, to leave his parents happy behind him, since even the Blessed + Virgin herself was powerless to grant him in this world the little happy + lot to which each creature should be born. + </p> + <p> + His mother took him back to bed, and Pierre at length rose up, just as M. + Vigneron had finished arranging the chamber of death in a suitable manner. + “You’ll excuse me, won’t you, Monsieur l’Abbé?” said he, accompanying the + young priest to the door. “I’m not quite myself. Well, it’s an unpleasant + time to go through. I must get over it somehow, however.” + </p> + <p> + When Pierre got into the passage he stopped for a moment, listening to a + sound of voices which was ascending the stairs. He had just been thinking + of M. de Guersaint again, and imagined that he could recognise his voice. + However, whilst he stood there waiting, an incident occurred which caused + him intense discomfort. The door of the room next to M. de Guersaint’s + softly opened and a woman, clad in black, slipped into the passage. As she + turned, she found herself face to face with Pierre, in such a fashion that + it was impossible for them to pretend not to recognise each other. + </p> + <p> + The woman was Madame Volmar. Six o’clock had not yet struck, and she was + going off, hoping that nobody would notice her, with the intention of + showing herself at the hospital, and there spending this last morning, in + order, in some measure, to justify her journey to Lourdes. When she + perceived Pierre, she began to tremble, and, at first, could only stammer: + “Oh, Monsieur l’Abbé, Monsieur l’Abbé!” + </p> + <p> + Then, noticing that the priest had left his door wide open, she seemed to + give way to the fever consuming her, to a need of speaking out, explaining + things and justifying herself. With her face suffused by a rush of blood + she entered the young man’s room, whither he had to follow her, greatly + disturbed by this strange adventure. And, as he still left the door open, + it was she who, in her desire to confide her sorrow and her sin to him, + begged that he would close it. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I pray you, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she, “do not judge me too + harshly.” + </p> + <p> + He made a gesture as though to reply that he did not allow himself the + right to pass judgment upon her. + </p> + <p> + “But yes, but yes,” she responded; “I know very well that you are + acquainted with my misfortune. You saw me once in Paris behind the church + of La Trinité, and the other day you recognised me on the balcony here! + You were aware that I was there—in that room. But if you only knew—ah, + if you only knew!” + </p> + <p> + Her lips were quivering, and tears were welling into her eyes. As he + looked at her he was surprised by the extraordinary beauty transfiguring + her face. This woman, invariably clad in black, extremely simple, with + never a jewel, now appeared to him in all the brilliancy of her passion; + no longer drawing back into the gloom, no longer seeking to bedim the + lustre of her eyes, as was her wont. She, who at first sight did not seem + pretty, but too dark and slender, with drawn features, a large mouth and + long nose, assumed, as he now examined her, a troubling charm, a powerful, + irresistible beauty. Her eyes especially—her large, magnificent + eyes, whose brasiers she usually sought to cover with a veil of + indifference—were flaring like torches; and he understood that she + should be loved, adored, to madness. + </p> + <p> + “If you only knew, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she continued. “If I were only to + tell you all that I have suffered. Doubtless you have suspected something + of it, since you are acquainted with my mother-in-law and my husband. On + the few occasions when you have called on us you cannot but have + understood some of the abominable things which go on in my home, though I + have always striven to appear happy in my silent little corner. But to + live like that for ten years, to have no existence—never to love, + never to be loved—no, no, it was beyond my power!” + </p> + <p> + And then she related the whole painful story: her marriage with the + diamond merchant, a disastrous, though it seemed an advantageous one; her + mother-in-law, with the stern soul of a jailer or an executioner, and her + husband, a monster of physical ugliness and mental villainy. They + imprisoned her, they did not even allow her to look out of a window. They + had beaten her, they had pitilessly assailed her in her tastes, her + inclinations, in all her feminine weaknesses. She knew that her husband + wandered in his affections, and yet if she smiled to a relative, if she + had a flower in her corsage on some rare day of gaiety, he would tear it + from her, enter into the most jealous rage, and seize and bruise her + wrists whilst shouting the most fearful threats. For years and years she + had lived in that hell, hoping, hoping still, having within her such a + power of life, such an ardent need of affection, that she continued + waiting for happiness, ever thinking, at the faintest breath, that it was + about to enter. + </p> + <p> + “I swear to you, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she, “that I could not do + otherwise than I have done. I was too unhappy: my whole being longed for + someone who would care for me. And when my friend the first time told me + that he loved me it was all over—I was his forever. Ah! to be loved, + to be spoken to gently, to have someone near you who is always solicitous + and amiable; to know that in absence he thinks of you, that there is a + heart somewhere in which you live... Ah! if it be a crime, Monsieur + l’Abbé, I cannot, cannot feel remorse for it. I will not even say that I + was urged to it; I simply say that it came to me as naturally as my + breath, because it was as necessary to my life!” + </p> + <p> + She had carried her hand to her lips as though to throw a kiss to the + world, and Pierre felt deeply disturbed in presence of this lovely woman, + who personified all the ardour of human passion, and at the same time a + feeling of deep pity began to arise within him. + </p> + <p> + “Poor woman!” he murmured. + </p> + <p> + “It is not to the priest that I am confessing,” she resumed; “it is to the + man that I am speaking, to a man by whom I should greatly like to be + understood. No, I am not a believer: religion has not sufficed me. It is + said that some women find contentment in it, a firm protection even + against all transgressions. But I have ever felt cold in church, weary + unto death. Oh! I know very well that it is wrong to feign piety, to + mingle religion with my heart affairs. But what would you? I am forced to + it. If you saw me in Paris behind La Trinité it was because that church is + the only place to which I am allowed to go alone; and if you find me here + at Lourdes it is because, in the whole long year, I have but these three + days of happiness and freedom.” + </p> + <p> + Again she began to tremble. Hot tears were coursing down her cheeks. A + vision of it all arose in Pierre’s mind, and, distracted by the thought of + the ardent earthly love which possessed this unhappy creature, he again + murmured: “Poor woman!” + </p> + <p> + “And, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she continued, “think of the hell to which I am + about to return! For weeks and months I live my life of martyrdom without + complaint. Another year, another year must go by without a day, an hour of + happiness! Ah! I am indeed very unhappy, Monsieur l’Abbé, yet do you not + think all the same that I am a good woman?” + </p> + <p> + He had been deeply moved by her sincere display of mingled grief and + passion. He felt in her the breath of universal desire—a sovereign + flame. And his compassion overflowed from his heart, and his words were + words of pardon. “Madame,” he said, “I pity you and respect you + infinitely.” + </p> + <p> + Then she spoke no further, but looked at him with her large tear-blurred + eyes. And suddenly catching hold of both his hands, she grasped them + tightly with her burning fingers. And then she went off, vanishing down + the passage as light, as ethereal, as a shadow. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre suffered from her presence in that room even more acutely + after she had departed. He opened the window wide that the fresh air might + carry off the breath of passion which she had left there. Already on the + Sunday when he had seen her on the balcony he had been seized with terror + at the thought that she personified the revenge of the world and the flesh + amidst all the mystical exaltation of immaculate Lourdes. And now his + terror was returning to him. Love seemed stronger than faith, and perhaps + it was only love that was divine. To love, to belong to one another, to + create and continue life—was not that the one sole object of nature + outside of all social and religious policies? For a moment he was + conscious of the abyss before him: his chastity was his last prop, the + very dignity of his spoilt life; and he realised that, if after yielding + to his reason he also yielded to his flesh, he would be utterly lost. All + his pride of purity, all his strength which he had placed in professional + rectitude, thereupon returned to him, and he again vowed that he would + never be a man, since he had voluntarily cut himself off from among men. + </p> + <p> + Seven o’clock was striking, and Pierre did not go back to bed, but began + to wash himself, thoroughly enjoying the cool water, which ended by + calming his fever. As he finished dressing, the anxious thought of M. de + Guersaint recurred to him on hearing a sound of footsteps in the passage. + These steps stopped outside his room and someone knocked. With a feeling + of relief he went to open the door, but on doing so exclaimed in great + surprise “What, it’s you! How is it that you’re already up, running about + to see people?” + </p> + <p> + Marie stood on the threshold smiling, whilst behind her was Sister + Hyacinthe, who had come with her, and who also was smiling, with her + lovely, candid eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my friend,” said the girl, “I could not remain in bed. I sprang out + directly I saw the sunshine. I had such a longing to walk, to run and jump + about like a child, and I begged and implored so much that Sister was good + enough to come with me. I think I should have got out through the window + if the door had been closed against me.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre ushered them in, and an indescribable emotion oppressed him as he + heard her jest so gaily and saw her move about so freely with such grace + and liveliness. She, good heavens! she whom he had seen for years with + lifeless legs and colourless face! Since he had left her the day before at + the Basilica she had blossomed into full youth and beauty. One night had + sufficed for him to find again, developed it is true, the sweet creature + whom he had loved so tenderly, the superb, radiant child whom he had + embraced so wildly in the by-gone days behind the flowering hedge, beneath + the sun-flecked trees. + </p> + <p> + “How tall and lovely you are, Marie!” said he, in spite of himself. + </p> + <p> + Then Sister Hyacinthe interposed: “Hasn’t the Blessed Virgin done things + well, Monsieur l’Abbé? When she takes us in hand, you see, she turns us + out as fresh as roses and smelling quite as sweet.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” resumed Marie, “I’m so happy; I feel quite strong and well and + spotless, as though I had just been born!” + </p> + <p> + All this was very delicious to Pierre. It seemed to him that the + atmosphere was now truly purified of Madame Volmar’s presence. Marie + filled the room with her candour, with the perfume and brightness of her + innocent youth. And yet the joy he felt at the sight of pure beauty and + life reflowering was not exempt from sadness. For, after all, the revolt + which he had felt in the crypt, the wound of his wrecked life, must + forever leave him a bleeding heart. As he gazed upon all that resuscitated + grace, as the woman he loved thus reappeared before him in the flower of + her youth, he could not but remember that she would never be his, that he + belonged no longer to the world, but to the grave. However, he no longer + lamented; he experienced a boundless melancholy—a sensation of utter + nothingness as he told himself that he was dead, that this dawn of beauty + was rising on the tomb in which his manhood slept. It was renunciation, + accepted, resolved upon amidst all the desolate grandeur attaching to + those lives which are led contrary to nature’s law. Then, like the other + woman, the impassioned one, Marie took hold of Pierre’s hands. But hers + were so soft, so fresh, so soothing! She looked at him with so little + confusion and a great longing which she dared not express. After a while, + however, she summoned up her courage and said: “Will you kiss me, Pierre? + It would please me so much.” + </p> + <p> + He shuddered, his heart crushed by this last torture. Ah! the kisses of + other days—those kisses which had ever lingered on his lips! Never + since had he kissed her, and to-day she was like a sister flinging her + arms around his neck. She kissed him with a loud smack on both his cheeks, + and offering her own, insisted on his doing likewise to her. So twice, in + his turn, he embraced her. + </p> + <p> + “I, too, Marie,” said he, “am pleased, very pleased, I assure you.” And + then, overcome by emotion, his courage exhausted, whilst at the same time + filled with delight and bitterness, he burst into sobs, weeping with his + face buried in his hands, like a child seeking to hide its tears. + </p> + <p> + “Come, come, we must not give way,” said Sister Hyacinthe, gaily. + “Monsieur l’Abbé would feel too proud if he fancied that we had merely + come on his account. M. de Guersaint is about, isn’t he?” + </p> + <p> + Marie raised a cry of deep affection. “Ah! my dear father! After all, it’s + he who’ll be most pleased!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre had to relate that M. de Guersaint had not returned from + his excursion to Gavarnie. His increasing anxiety showed itself while he + spoke, although he sought to explain his friend’s absence, surmising all + sorts of obstacles and unforeseen complications. Marie, however, did not + seem afraid, but again laughed, saying that her father never could be + punctual. Still she was extremely eager for him to see her walking, to + find her on her legs again, resuscitated, in the fresh blossoming of her + youth. + </p> + <p> + All at once Sister Hyacinthe, who had gone to lean over the balcony, + returned to the room, saying “Here he comes! He’s down below, just + alighting from his carriage.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” cried Marie, with the eager playfulness of a school-girl, “let’s + give him a surprise. Yes, we must hide, and when he’s here we’ll show + ourselves all of a sudden.” + </p> + <p> + With these words, she hastily dragged Sister Hyacinthe into the adjoining + room. + </p> + <p> + Almost immediately afterwards, M. de Guersaint entered like a whirlwind + from the passage, the door communicating with which had been quickly + opened by Pierre, and, shaking the young priest’s hand, the belated + excursionist exclaimed: “Here I am at last! Ah! my friend, you can’t have + known what to think since four o’clock yesterday, when you expected me + back, eh? But you have no idea of the adventures we have had. To begin + with, one of the wheels of our landau came off just as we reached + Gavarnie; then, yesterday evening—though we managed to start off + again—a frightful storm detained us all night long at Saint-Sauveur. + I wasn’t able to sleep a wink.” Then, breaking off, he inquired, “And you, + are you all right?” + </p> + <p> + “I wasn’t able to sleep either,” said the priest; “they made such a noise + in the hotel.” + </p> + <p> + But M. de Guersaint had already started off again: “All the same, it was + delightful. I must tell you; you can’t imagine it. I was with three + delightful churchmen. Abbé des Hermoises is certainly the most charming + man I know. Oh! we did laugh—we did laugh!” + </p> + <p> + Then he again stopped, to inquire, “And how’s my daughter?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon a clear laugh behind him caused him to turn round, and he + remained with his mouth wide open. Marie was there, and was walking, with + a look of rapturous delight upon her face, which was beaming with health. + He had never for a moment doubted the miracle, and was not in the least + surprised that it had taken place, for he had returned with the conviction + that everything would end well, and that he would surely find her cured. + But what so utterly astounded him was the prodigious spectacle which he + had not foreseen: his daughter, looking so beautiful, so divine, in her + little black gown!—his daughter, who had not even brought a hat with + her, and merely had a piece of lace tied over her lovely fair hair!—his + daughter, full of life, blooming, triumphant, similar to all the daughters + of all the fathers whom he had envied for so many years! + </p> + <p> + “O my child! O my child!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + And, as she had flown into his arms, he pressed her to his heart, and then + they fell upon their knees together. Everything disappeared from before + them in a radiant effusion of faith and love. This heedless, hare-brained + man, who fell asleep instead of accompanying his daughter to the Grotto, + who went off to Gavarnie on the day the Blessed Virgin was to cure her, + overflowed with such paternal affection, with such Christian faith so + exalted by thankfulness, that for a moment he appeared sublime. + </p> + <p> + “O Jesus! O Mary! let me thank you for having restored my child to me! O + my child, we shall never have breath enough, soul enough, to render thanks + to Mary and Jesus for the great happiness they have vouchsafed us! O my + child, whom they have resuscitated, O my child, whom they have made so + beautiful again, take my heart to offer it to them with your own! I am + yours, I am theirs eternally, O my beloved child, my adored child!” + </p> + <p> + Kneeling before the open window they both, with uplifted eyes, gazed + ardently on heaven. The daughter had rested her head on her father’s + shoulder; whilst he had passed an arm round her waist. They had become + one. Tears slowly trickled down their enraptured faces, which were smiling + with superhuman felicity, whilst they stammered together disconnected + expressions of gratitude. + </p> + <p> + “O Jesus, we give Thee thanks! O Holy Mother of Jesus, we give thee + thanks! We love you, we adore you both. You have rejuvenated the best + blood in our veins; it is yours, it circulates only for you. O + All-powerful Mother, O Divine and Well-beloved Son, behold a daughter and + a father who bless you, who prostrate themselves with joy at your feet.” + </p> + <p> + So affecting was this mingling of two beings, happy at last after so many + dark days, this happiness, which could but stammer as though still tinged + with suffering, that Pierre was again moved to tears. But this time they + were soothing tears which relieved his heart. Ah! poor pitiable humanity! + how pleasant it was to see it somewhat consoled and enraptured! and what + did it matter, after all, if its great joys of a few seconds’ duration + sprang from the eternal illusion! Was not the whole of humanity, pitiable + humanity, saved by love, personified by that poor childish man who + suddenly became sublime because he found his daughter resuscitated? + </p> + <p> + Standing a little aside, Sister Hyacinthe was also weeping, her heart very + full, full of human emotion which she had never before experienced, she + who had known no other parents than the Almighty and the Blessed Virgin. + Silence had now fallen in this room full of so much tearful fraternity. + And it was she who spoke the first, when the father and the daughter, + overcome with emotion, at length rose up. + </p> + <p> + “Now, mademoiselle,” she said, “we must be quick and get back to the + hospital.” + </p> + <p> + But they all protested. M. de Guersaint wished to keep his daughter with + him, and Marie’s eyes expressed an eager desire, a longing to enjoy life, + to walk and ramble through the whole vast world. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no, no!” said the father, “I won’t give her back to you. We’ll each + have a cup of milk, for I’m dying of thirst; then we’ll go out and walk + about. Yes, yes, both of us! She shall take my arm, like a little woman!” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe laughed again. “Very well!” said she, “I’ll leave her + with you, and tell the ladies that you’ve stolen her from me. But for my + own part I must be off. You’ve no idea what an amount of work we have to + get through at the hospital if we are to be ready in time to leave: there + are all the patients and things to be seen to; and all is in the greatest + confusion!” + </p> + <p> + “So to-day’s really Tuesday, and we leave this afternoon?” asked Monsieur + de Guersaint, already absent-minded again. + </p> + <p> + “Of course we do, and don’t forget! The white train starts at 3.40. And if + you’re sensible you’ll bring your daughter back early so that she may have + a little rest.” + </p> + <p> + Marie walked with the Sister to the door, saying “Be easy, I will be very + good. Besides, I want to go back to the Grotto, to thank the Blessed + Virgin once more.” + </p> + <p> + When they found themselves all three alone in the little room full of + sunshine, it was delicious. Pierre called the servant and told her to + bring them some milk, some chocolate, and cakes, in fact the nicest things + he could think of. And although Marie had already broken her fast, she ate + again, so great an appetite had come upon her since the night before. They + drew the table to the window and made quite a feast amidst the keen air + from the mountains, whilst the hundred bells of Lourdes, proclaimed with + flying peals the glory of that radiant day. They chattered and laughed, + and the young woman told her father the story of the miracle, with all the + oft-repeated details. She related, too, how she had left her box at the + Basilica, and how she had slept twelve hours without stirring. Then M. de + Guersaint on his side wished to relate his excursion, but got mixed and + kept coming back to the miracle. Finally, it appeared that the Cirque de + Gavarnie was something colossal. Only, when you looked at it from a + distance it seemed small, for you lost all sense of proportion. The + gigantic snow-covered tiers of cliffs, the topmost ridge standing out + against the sky with the outlines of some cyclopean fortress with razed + keep and jagged ramparts, the great cascade, whose ceaseless jet seemed so + slow when in reality it must have rushed down with a noise like thunder, + the whole immensity, the forests on right and left, the torrents and the + landslips, looked as though they might have been held in the palm of one’s + hand, when one gazed upon them from the village market-place. And what had + impressed him most, what he repeatedly alluded to, were the strange + figures described by the snow, which had remained up there amongst the + rocks. Amongst others was a huge crucifix, a white cross, several thousand + yards in length, which you might have thought had been thrown across the + amphitheatre from one end to the other. + </p> + <p> + However, all at once M. de Guersaint broke off to inquire: “By the way, + what’s happening at our neighbour’s? As I came up-stairs a little while + ago I met Monsieur Vigneron running about like a madman; and, through the + open doorway of their room, I fancied I saw Madame Vigneron looking very + red. Has their son Gustave had another attack?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had quite forgotten Madame Chaise lying dead on the other side of + the partition. He seemed to feel a cold breath pass over him. “No, no,” he + answered, “the child is all right.” And he said no more, preferring to + remain silent. Why spoil this happy hour of new life and reconquered youth + by mingling with it the image of death? However, from that moment he + himself could not cease thinking of the proximity of nothingness. And he + thought, too, of that other room where Madame Volmar’s friend was now + alone, stifling his sobs with his lips pressed upon a pair of gloves which + he had stolen from her. All the sounds of the hotel were now becoming + audible again—the coughs, the sighs, the indistinct voices, the + continual slamming of doors, the creaking of the floors beneath the great + accumulation of travellers, and all the stir in the passages, along which + flying skirts were sweeping, and families galloping distractedly amidst + the hurry-scurry of departure. + </p> + <p> + “On my word! you’ll do yourself an injury,” all at once cried Monsieur de + Guersaint, on seeing his daughter take up another cake. + </p> + <p> + Marie was quite merry too. But at a sudden thought tears came into her + eyes, and she exclaimed: “Ah! how glad I am! but also how sorry when I + think that everybody is not as pleased as myself.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap22"></a> + II. PLEASANT HOURS + </h2> + <p> + IT was eight o’clock, and Marie was so impatient that she could not keep + still, but continued going to the window, as if she wished to inhale all + the air of the vast, expanse and the immense sky. Ah! what a pleasure to + be able to run about the streets, across the squares, to go everywhere as + far as she might wish. And to show how strong she was, to have the pride + of walking leagues in the presence of everyone, now that the Blessed + Virgin had cured her! It was an irresistible impulsion, a flight of her + entire being, her blood, and her heart. + </p> + <p> + However, just as she was setting out she made up her mind that her first + visit with her father ought to be to the Grotto, where both of them had to + thank Our Lady of Lourdes. Then they would be free; they would have two + long hours before them, and might walk wherever they chose, before she + returned to lunch and pack up her few things at the hospital. + </p> + <p> + “Well, is everyone ready?” repeated M. de Guersaint. “Shall we make a + move?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre took his hat, and all three went down-stairs, talking very loud and + laughing on the staircase, like boisterous school-boys going for their + holidays. They had almost reached the street, when at the doorway Madame + Majesté rushed forward. She had evidently been waiting for them to go out. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! mademoiselle; ah! gentlemen, allow me to congratulate you,” she said. + “We have heard of the extraordinary favour that has been granted you; we + are so happy, so much flattered, when the Blessed Virgin is pleased to + select one of our customers!” + </p> + <p> + Her dry, harsh face was melting with amiability, and she observed the + miraculously healed girl with the fondest of eyes. Then she impulsively + called her husband, who was passing: “Look, my dear! It’s mademoiselle; + it’s mademoiselle.” + </p> + <p> + Majesté’s clean-shaven face, puffed out with yellow fat, assumed a happy + and grateful expression. “Really, mademoiselle, I cannot tell you how + honoured we feel,” said he. “We shall never forget that your papa put up + at our place. It has already excited the envy of many people.” + </p> + <p> + While he spoke Madame Majesté stopped the other travellers who were going + out, and with a sign summoned the families already seated in the + dining-room; indeed, she would have called in the whole street if they had + given her time, to show that she had in her house the miracle at which all + Lourdes had been marvelling since the previous day. People ended by + collecting there, a crowd gathered little by little, while she whispered + in the ear of each “Look! that’s she; the young party, you know, the young + party who—” + </p> + <p> + But all at once she exclaimed: “I’ll go and fetch Apolline from the shop; + I must show mademoiselle to Apolline.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, however, Majesté, in a very dignified way, restrained her. + “No,” he said, “leave Apolline; she has three ladies to serve already. + Mademoiselle and these gentlemen will certainly not leave Lourdes without + making a few purchases. The little souvenirs that one carries away with + one are so pleasant to look at later on! And our customers make a point of + never buying elsewhere than here, in the shop which we have annexed to the + hotel.” + </p> + <p> + “I have already offered my services,” added Madame Majesté, “and I renew + them. Apolline will be so happy to show mademoiselle all our prettiest + articles, at prices, too, which are incredibly low! Oh! there are some + delightful things, delightful!” + </p> + <p> + Marie was becoming impatient at being detained in this manner, and Pierre + was suffering from the increasing curiosity which they were arousing. As + for M. de Guersaint, he enjoyed this popularity and triumph of his + daughter immensely, and promised to return. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” said he, “we will purchase a few little knick-knacks. Some + souvenirs for ourselves, and some presents that we shall have to make, but + later on, when we come back.” + </p> + <p> + At last they escaped and descended the Avenue de la Grotte. The weather + was again superb after the storms of the two preceding nights. Cooled by + the rain, the morning air was delicious amidst the gaiety which the bright + sun shed around. A busy crowd, well pleased with life, was already + hurrying along the pavements. And what pleasure it all was for Marie, to + whom everything seemed new, charming, inappreciable! In the morning she + had had to allow Raymonde to lend her a pair of boots, for she had taken + good care not to put any in her portmanteau, superstitiously fearing that + they might bring her bad luck. However, Raymonde’s boots fitted her + admirably, and she listened with childish delight to the little heels + tapping merrily on the flagstones. And she did not remember having ever + seen houses so white, trees so green, and passers-by so happy. All her + senses seemed holiday-making, endowed with a marvellously delicate + sensibility; she heard music, smelt distant perfumes, savoured the air + greedily, as though it were some delicious fruit. But what she considered, + above all, so nice, so charming, was to walk along in this wise on her + father’s arm. She had never done so before, although she had felt the + desire for years, as for one of those impossible pleasures with which + people occupy their minds when invalided. And now her dream was realised + and her heart beat with joy. She pressed against her father, and strove to + walk very upright and look very handsome, so as to do him honour. And he + was quite proud, as happy as she was, showing, exhibiting her, overcome + with joy at the thought that she belonged to him, that she was his blood, + his flesh, his daughter, henceforth beaming with youth and health. + </p> + <p> + As they were all three crossing the Plateau de la Merlasse, already + obstructed by a band of candle and bouquet sellers running after the + pilgrims, M. de Guersaint exclaimed, “We are surely not going to the + Grotto empty-handed!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was walking on the other side of Marie, himself brightened by + her merry humour, thereupon stopped, and they were at once surrounded by a + crowd of female hawkers, who with eager fingers thrust their goods into + their faces. “My beautiful young lady! My good gentleman! Buy of me, of + me, of me!” Such was the onslaught that it became necessary to struggle in + order to extricate oneself. M. de Guersaint ended by purchasing the + largest nosegay he could see—a bouquet of white marguerites, as + round and hard as a cabbage—from a handsome, fair-haired, well + developed girl of twenty, who was extremely bold both in look and manner. + It only cost twenty sous, and he insisted on paying for it out of his own + little purse, somewhat abashed meantime by the girl’s unblushing + effrontery. Then Pierre in his turn settled for the three candles which + Marie had taken from an old woman, candles at two francs each, a very + reasonable price, as she repeatedly said. And on being paid, the old + creature, who had an angular face, covetous eyes, and a nose like the beak + of a bird of prey, returned profuse and mellifluous thanks: “May Our Lady + of Lourdes bless you, my beautiful young lady! May she cure you of your + complaints, you and yours!” This enlivened them again, and they set out + once more, all three laughing, amused like children at the idea that the + good woman’s wish had already been accomplished. + </p> + <p> + At the Grotto Marie wished to file off at once, in order to offer the + bouquet and candles herself before even kneeling down. There were not many + people there as yet, and having gone to the end of the line their turn + came after waiting some three or four minutes. And with what enraptured + glances did she then examine everything—the altar of engraved + silver, the harmonium-organ, the votive offerings, the candle-holders, + streaming with wax blazing in broad daylight. She was now inside that + Grotto which she had hitherto only seen from her box of misery; she + breathed there as in Paradise itself, steeped rapturously in a pleasant + warmth and odour, which slightly oppressed her. When she had placed the + tapers at the bottom of the large basket, and had raised herself on tiptoe + to fix the bouquet on one of the spears of the iron railing, she imprinted + a long kiss upon the rock, below the statue of the Blessed Virgin, at the + very spot, indeed, which millions of lips had already polished. And the + stone received a kiss of love in which she put forth all the strength of + her gratitude, a kiss with which her heart melted. + </p> + <p> + When she was once more outside, Marie prostrated and humbled herself in an + almost endless act of thanksgiving. Her father also had knelt down near + her, and mingled the fervour of his gratitude with hers. But he could not + remain doing the same thing for long. Little by little he became uneasy, + and ended by bending down to his daughter’s ear to tell her that he had a + call to make which he had previously forgotten. Assuredly the best course + would be for her to remain where she was, praying, and waiting for him. + While she completed her devotions he would hurry along and get his + troublesome errand over; and then they might walk about at ease + wheresoever they liked. She did not understand him, did not even hear him, + but simply nodded her head, promising that she would not move, and then + such tender faith again took possession of her that her eyes, fixed on the + white statue of the Virgin, filled with tears. + </p> + <p> + When M. de Guersaint had joined Pierre, who had remained a short distance + off, he gave him the following explanation. “My dear fellow,” he said, + “it’s a matter of conscience; I formally promised the coachman who drove + us to Gavarnie that I would see his master and tell him the real cause of + our delay. You know whom I mean—the hairdresser on the Place du + Marcadal. And, besides, I want to get shaved.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who felt uneasy at this proposal, had to give way in face of the + promise that they would be back within a quarter of an hour. Only, as the + distance seemed long, he on his side insisted on taking a trap which was + standing at the bottom of the Plateau de la Merlasse. It was a sort of + greenish cabriolet, and its driver, a fat fellow of about thirty, with the + usual Basque cap on his head, was smoking a cigarette whilst waiting to be + hired. Perched sideways on the seat with his knees wide apart, he drove + them on with the tranquil indifference of a well-fed man who considers + himself the master of the street. + </p> + <p> + “We will keep you,” said Pierre as he alighted, when they had reached the + Place du Marcadal. + </p> + <p> + “Very well, very well, Monsieur l’Abbé! I’ll wait for you!” And then, + leaving his lean horse in the hot sun, the driver went to chat and laugh + with a strong, dishevelled servant-girl who was washing a dog in the basin + of the neighbouring fountain. + </p> + <p> + Cazaban, as it happened, was just then on the threshold of his shop, the + lofty windows and pale green painting of which enlivened the dull Place, + which was so deserted on week-days. When he was not pressed with work he + delighted to parade in this manner, standing between his two windows, + which pots of pomatum and bottles of perfumery decorated with bright + shades of colour. + </p> + <p> + He at once recognised the gentlemen. “Very flattered, very much honoured. + Pray walk in, I beg of you,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Then, at the first words which M. de Guersaint said to him to excuse the + man who had driven him to Gavarnie, he showed himself well disposed. Of + course it was not the man’s fault; he could not prevent wheels coming to + pieces, or storms falling. So long as the travellers did not complain all + was well. + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” thereupon exclaimed M. de Guersaint, “it’s a magnificent country, + never to be forgotten.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, monsieur, as our neighbourhood pleases you, you must come and see + us again; we don’t ask anything better,” said Cazaban; and, on the + architect seating himself in one of the arm-chairs and asking to be + shaved, he began to bustle about. + </p> + <p> + His assistant was still absent, running errands for the pilgrims whom he + lodged, a whole family, who were taking a case of chaplets, plaster + Virgins, and framed engravings away with them. You heard a confused + tramping of feet and violent bursts of conversation coming from the first + floor, all the helter-skelter of people whom the approaching departure and + the packing of purchases lying hither and thither drove almost crazy. In + the adjoining dining-room, the door of which had remained open, two + children were draining the dregs of some cups of chocolate which stood + about amidst the disorder of the breakfast service. The whole of the house + had been let, entirely given over, and now had come the last hours of this + invasion which compelled the hairdresser and his wife to seek refuge in + the narrow cellar, where they slept on a small camp-bed. + </p> + <p> + While Cazaban was rubbing M. de Guersaint’s cheeks with soap-suds, the + architect questioned him. “Well, are you satisfied with the season?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly, monsieur, I can’t complain. As you hear, my travellers are + leaving to-day, but I am expecting others to-morrow morning; barely + sufficient time for a sweep out. It will be the same up to October.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Pierre remained standing, walking about the shop and looking at + the walls with an air of impatience, he turned round politely and said: + “Pray be seated, Monsieur l’Abbé; take a newspaper. It will not be long.” + </p> + <p> + The priest having thanked him with a nod, and refusing to sit down, the + hairdresser, whose tongue was ever itching to talk, continued: “Oh! as for + myself, I am always busy, my house is renowned for the cleanliness of the + beds and the excellence of the fare. Only the town is not satisfied. Ah, + no! I may even say that I have never known so much discontent here.” + </p> + <p> + He became silent for a moment, and shaved his customer’s left cheek; then + again pausing in his work he suddenly declared with a cry, wrung from him + by conviction, “The Fathers of the Grotto are playing with fire, monsieur, + that is all I have to say.” + </p> + <p> + From that moment, however, the vent-plug was withdrawn, and he talked and + talked and talked again. His big eyes rolled in his long face with + prominent cheek-bones and sunburnt complexion sprinkled with red, while + the whole of his nervous little body continued on the jump, agitated by + his growing exuberance of speech and gesture. He returned to his former + indictment, and enumerated all the many grievances that the old town had + against the Fathers. The hotel-keepers complained; the dealers in + religious fancy articles did not take half the amount they ought to have + realised; and, finally, the new town monopolised both the pilgrims and the + cash; there was now no possibility for anyone but the keepers of the + lodging-houses, hotels, and shops open in the neighbourhood of the Grotto + to make any money whatever. It was a merciless struggle, a deadly + hostility increasing from day to day, the old city losing a little of its + life each season, and assuredly destined to disappear,—to be choked, + assassinated, by the young town. Ah! their dirty Grotto! He would rather + have his feet cut off than tread there. Wasn’t it heart-rending, that + knick-knack shop which they had stuck beside it? A shameful thing, at + which a bishop had shown himself so indignant that it was said he had + written to the Pope! He, Cazaban, who flattered himself with being a + freethinker and a Republican of the old days, who already under the Empire + had voted for the Opposition candidates, assuredly had the right to + declare that he did not believe in their dirty Grotto, and that he did not + care a fig for it! + </p> + <p> + “Look here, monsieur,” he continued; “I am going to tell you a fact. My + brother belongs to the municipal council, and it’s through him that I know + it. I must tell you first of all that we now have a Republican municipal + council, which is much worried by the demoralisation of the town. You can + no longer go out at night without meeting girls in the streets—you + know, those candle hawkers! They gad about with the drivers who come here + when the season commences, and swell the suspicious floating population + which comes no one knows whence. And I must also explain to you the + position of the Fathers towards the town. When they purchased the land at + the Grotto they signed an agreement by which they undertook not to engage + in any business there. Well, they have opened a shop in spite of their + signature. Is not that an unfair rivalry, unworthy of honest people? So + the new council decided on sending them a deputation to insist on the + agreement being respected, and enjoining them to close their shop at once. + What do you think they answered, monsieur? Oh! what they have replied + twenty times before, what they will always answer, when they are reminded + of their engagements: ‘Very well, we consent to keep them, but we are + masters at our own place, and we’ll close the Grotto!’” + </p> + <p> + He raised himself up, his razor in the air, and, repeating his words, his + eyes dilated by the enormity of the thing, he said, “‘We’ll close the + Grotto.’” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was continuing his slow walk, suddenly stopped and said in his + face, “Well! the municipal council had only to answer, ‘Close it.’” + </p> + <p> + At this Cazaban almost choked; the blood rushed to his face, he was beside + himself, and stammered out “Close the Grotto?—Close the Grotto?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly! As the Grotto irritates you and rends your heart; as it’s a + cause of continual warfare, injustice, and corruption. Everything would be + over, we should hear no more about it. That would really be a capital + solution, and if the council had the power it would render you a service + by forcing the Fathers to carry out their threat.” + </p> + <p> + As Pierre went on speaking, Cazaban’s anger subsided. He became very calm + and somewhat pale, and in the depths of his big eyes the priest detected + an expression of increasing uneasiness. Had he not gone too far in his + passion against the Fathers? Many ecclesiastics did not like them; perhaps + this young priest was simply at Lourdes for the purpose of stirring-up an + agitation against them. Then who knows?—it might possibly result in + the Grotto being closed later on. But it was by the Grotto that they all + lived. If the old city screeched with rage at only picking up the crumbs, + it was well pleased to secure even that windfall; and the freethinkers + themselves, who coined money with the pilgrims, like everyone else, held + their tongues, ill at ease, and even frightened, when they found people + too much of their opinion with regard to the objectionable features of new + Lourdes. It was necessary to be prudent. + </p> + <p> + Cazaban thereupon returned to M. de Guersaint, whose other cheek he began + shaving, murmuring the while in an off-hand manner: “Oh! what I say about + the Grotto is not because it troubles me much in reality, and, besides, + everyone must live.” + </p> + <p> + In the dining-room, the children, amidst deafening shouts, had just broken + one of the bowls, and Pierre, glancing through the open doorway, again + noticed the engravings of religious subjects and the plaster Virgin with + which the hairdresser had ornamented the apartment in order to please his + lodgers. And just then, too, a voice shouted from the first floor that the + trunk was ready, and that they would be much obliged if the assistant + would cord it as soon as he returned. + </p> + <p> + However, Cazaban, in the presence of these two gentlemen whom, as a matter + of fact, he did not know, remained suspicious and uneasy, his brain + haunted by all sorts of disquieting suppositions. He was in despair at the + idea of having to let them go away without learning anything about them, + especially after having exposed himself. If he had only been able to + withdraw the more rabid of his biting remarks about the Fathers. + Accordingly, when M. de Guersaint rose to wash his chin, he yielded to a + desire to renew the conversation. + </p> + <p> + “Have you heard talk of yesterday’s miracle? The town is quite upside down + with it; more than twenty people have already given me an account of what + occurred. Yes, it seems they obtained an extraordinary miracle, a + paralytic young lady got up and dragged her invalid carriage as far as the + choir of the Basilica.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint, who was about to sit down after wiping himself, gave a + complacent laugh. “That young lady is my daughter,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, under this sudden and fortunate flash of enlightenment, Cazaban + became all smiles. He felt reassured, and combed M. de Guersaint’s hair + with a masterly touch, amid a returning exuberance of speech and gesture. + “Ah! monsieur, I congratulate you, I am flattered at having you in my + hands. Since the young lady your daughter is cured, your father’s heart is + at ease. Am I not right?” + </p> + <p> + And he also found a few pleasant words for Pierre. Then, when he had + decided to let them go, he looked at the priest with an air of conviction, + and remarked, like a sensible man, desirous of coming to a conclusion on + the subject of miracles: “There are some, Monsieur l’Abbé, which are good + fortunes for everybody. From time to time we require one of that + description.” + </p> + <p> + Outside, M. de Guersaint had to go and fetch the coachman, who was still + laughing with the servant-girl, while her dog, dripping with water, was + shaking itself in the sun. In five minutes the trap brought them back to + the bottom of the Plateau de la Merlasse. The trip had taken a good + half-hour. Pierre wanted to keep the conveyance, with the idea of showing + Marie the town without giving her too much fatigue. So, while the father + ran to the Grotto to fetch his daughter, he waited there beneath the + trees. + </p> + <p> + The coachman at once engaged in conversation with the priest. He had lit + another cigarette and showed himself very familiar. He came from a village + in the environs of Toulouse, and did not complain, for he earned good + round sums each day at Lourdes. You fed well there, said he, you amused + yourself, it was what you might call a good neighbourhood. He said these + things with the <i>abandon</i> of a man who was not troubled with + religious scruples, but yet did not forget the respect which he owed to an + ecclesiastic. + </p> + <p> + At last, from the top of his box, where he remained half lying down, + dangling one of his legs, he allowed this remark to fall slowly from his + lips: “Ah! yes, Monsieur l’Abbé, Lourdes has caught on well, but the + question is whether it will all last long!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was very much struck by the remark, was pondering on its + involuntary profundity, when M. de Guersaint reappeared, bringing Marie + with him. He had found her kneeling on the same spot, in the same act of + faith and thankfulness, at the feet of the Blessed Virgin; and it seemed + as if she had brought all the brilliant light of the Grotto away in her + eyes, so vividly did they sparkle with divine joy at her cure. She would + not entertain a proposal to keep the trap. No, no! she preferred to go on + foot; she did not care about seeing the town, so long as she might for + another hour continue walking on her father’s arm through the gardens, the + streets, the squares, anywhere they pleased! And, when Pierre had paid the + driver, it was she who turned into a path of the Esplanade garden, + delighted at being able to saunter in this wise beside the turf and the + flower beds, under the great trees. The grass, the leaves, the shady + solitary walks where you heard the everlasting rippling of the Gave, were + so sweet and fresh! But afterwards she wished to return by way of the + streets, among the crowd, that she might find the agitation, noise, and + life, the need of which possessed her whole being. + </p> + <p> + In the Rue St. Joseph, on perceiving the panorama, where the former Grotto + was depicted, with Bernadette kneeling down before it on the day of the + miracle of the candle, the idea occurred to Pierre to go in. Marie became + as happy as a child; and even M. de Guersaint was full of innocent + delight, especially when he noticed that among the batch of pilgrims who + dived at the same time as themselves into the depths of the obscure + corridor, several recognised in his daughter the girl so miraculously + healed the day before, who was already famous, and whose name flew from + mouth to mouth. Up above, on the circular platform, when they came out + into the diffuse light, filtering through a vellum, there was a sort of + ovation around Marie; soft whispers, beatifical glances, a rapture of + delight in seeing, following, and touching her. Now glory had come, she + would be loved in that way wherever she went, and it was not until the + showman who gave the explanations had placed himself at the head of the + little party of visitors, and begun to walk round, relating the incident + depicted on the huge circular canvas, nearly five hundred feet in length, + that she was in some measure forgotten. The painting represented the + seventeenth apparition of the Blessed Virgin to Bernadette, on the day + when, kneeling before the Grotto during her vision, she had heedlessly + left her hand on the flame of the candle without burning it. The whole of + the old primitive landscape of the Grotto was shown, the whole scene was + set out with all its historical personages: the doctor verifying the + miracle watch in hand, the Mayor, the Commissary of Police, and the Public + Prosecutor, whose names the showman gave out, amidst the amazement of the + public following him. + </p> + <p> + Then, by an unconscious transition of ideas, Pierre recalled the remark + which the driver of the cabriolet had made a short time previously: + “Lourdes has caught on well, but the question is whether it will all last + long.” That, in fact, was the question. How many venerated sanctuaries had + thus been built already, at the bidding of innocent chosen children, to + whom the Blessed Virgin had shown herself! It was always the same story + beginning afresh: an apparition; a persecuted shepherdess, who was called + a liar; next the covert propulsion of human misery hungering after + illusion; then propaganda, and the triumph of the sanctuary shining like a + star; and afterwards decline, and oblivion, when the ecstatic dream of + another visionary gave birth to another sanctuary elsewhere. It seemed as + if the power of illusion wore away; that it was necessary in the course of + centuries to displace it, set it amidst new scenery, under fresh + circumstances, in order to renew its force. La Salette had dethroned the + old wooden and stone Virgins that had healed; Lourdes had just dethroned + La Salette, pending the time when it would be dethroned itself by Our Lady + of to-morrow, she who will show her sweet, consoling features to some pure + child as yet unborn. Only, if Lourdes had met with such rapid, such + prodigious fortune, it assuredly owed it to the little sincere soul, the + delightful charm of Bernadette. Here there was no deceit, no falsehood, + merely the blossoming of suffering, a delicate sick child who brought to + the afflicted multitude her dream of justice and equality in the + miraculous. She was merely eternal hope, eternal consolation. Besides, all + historical and social circumstances seem to have combined to increase the + need of this mystical flight at the close of a terrible century of + positivist inquiry; and that was perhaps the reason why Lourdes would + still long endure in its triumph, before becoming a mere legend, one of + those dead religions whose powerful perfume has evaporated. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that ancient Lourdes, that city of peace and belief, the only possible + cradle where the legend could come into being, how easily Pierre conjured + it up before him, whilst walking round the vast canvas of the Panorama! + That canvas said everything; it was the best lesson of things that could + be seen. The monotonous explanations of the showman were not heard; the + landscape spoke for itself. First of all there was the Grotto, the rocky + hollow beside the Gave, a savage spot suitable for reverie—bushy + slopes and heaps of fallen stone, without a path among them; and nothing + yet in the way of ornamentation—no monumental quay, no garden paths + winding among trimly cut shrubs; no Grotto set in order, deformed, + enclosed with iron railings; above all, no shop for the sale of religious + articles, that simony shop which was the scandal of all pious souls. The + Virgin could not have selected a more solitary and charming nook wherein + to show herself to the chosen one of her heart, the poor young girl who + came thither still possessed by the dream of her painful nights, even + whilst gathering dead wood. And on the opposite side of the Gave, behind + the rock of the castle, was old Lourdes, confident and asleep. Another age + was then conjured up; a small town, with narrow pebble-paved streets, + black houses with marble dressings, and an antique, semi-Spanish church, + full of old carvings, and peopled with visions of gold and painted flesh. + Communication with other places was only kept up by the Bagnères and + Cauterets <i>diligences</i>, which twice a day forded the Lapaca to climb + the steep causeway of the Rue Basse. The spirit of the century had not + breathed on those peaceful roofs sheltering a belated population which had + remained childish, enclosed within the narrow limits of strict religious + discipline. There was no debauchery; a slow antique commerce sufficed for + daily life, a poor life whose hardships were the safeguards of morality. + And Pierre had never better understood how Bernadette, born in that land + of faith and honesty, had flowered like a natural rose, budding on the + briars of the road. + </p> + <p> + “It’s all the same very curious,” observed M. de Guersaint when they found + themselves in the street again. “I’m not at all sorry I saw it.” + </p> + <p> + Marie was also laughing with pleasure. “One would almost think oneself + there. Isn’t it so, father? At times it seems as if the people were going + to move. And how charming Bernadette looks on her knees, in ecstasy, while + the candle flame licks her fingers without burning them.” + </p> + <p> + “Let us see,” said the architect; “we have only an hour left, so we must + think of making our purchases, if we wish to buy anything. Shall we take a + look at the shops? We certainly promised Majesté to give him the + preference; but that does not prevent us from making a few inquiries. Eh! + Pierre, what do you say?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! certainly, as you like,” answered the priest. “Besides, it will give + us a walk.” + </p> + <p> + And he thereupon followed the young girl and her father, who returned to + the Plateau de la Merlasse. Since he had quitted the Panorama he felt as + though he no longer knew where he was. It seemed to him as if he had all + at once been transported from one to another town, parted by centuries. He + had left the solitude, the slumbering peacefulness of old Lourdes, which + the dead light of the vellum had increased, to fall at last into new + Lourdes, sparkling with brightness and noisy with the crowd. Ten o’clock + had just struck, and extraordinary animation reigned on the footways, + where before breakfast an entire people was hastening to complete its + purchases, so that it might have nothing but its departure to think of + afterwards. The thousands of pilgrims of the national pilgrimage streamed + along the thoroughfares and besieged the shops in a final scramble. You + would have taken the cries, the jostling, and the sudden rushes for those + at some fair just breaking up amidst a ceaseless roll of vehicles. Many, + providing themselves with provisions for the journey, cleared the open-air + stalls where bread and slices of sausages and ham were sold. Others + purchased fruit and wine; baskets were filled with bottles and greasy + parcels until they almost burst. A hawker who was wheeling some cheeses + about on a small truck saw his goods carried off as if swept away by the + wind. But what the crowd more particularly purchased were religious + articles, and those hawkers whose barrows were loaded with statuettes and + sacred engravings were reaping golden gains. The customers at the shops + stood in strings on the pavement; the women were belted with immense + chaplets, had Blessed Virgins tucked under their arms, and were provided + with cans which they meant to fill at the miraculous spring. Carried in + the hand or slung from the shoulder, some of them quite plain and others + daubed over with a Lady of Lourdes in blue paint, these cans held from one + to ten quarts apiece; and, shining with all the brightness of new tin, + clashing, too, at times with the sharp jingle of stew-pans, they added a + gay note to the aspect of the noisy multitude. And the fever of dealing, + the pleasure of spending one’s money, of returning home with one’s pockets + crammed with photographs and medals, lit up all faces with a holiday + expression, transforming the radiant gathering into a fair-field crowd + with appetites either beyond control or satisfied. + </p> + <p> + On the Plateau de la Merlasse, M. de Guersaint for a moment felt tempted + to enter one of the finest and most patronised shops, on the board over + which were these words in large letters: “Soubirous, Brother of + Bernadette.” + </p> + <p> + “Eh! what if we were to make our purchases there? It would be more + appropriate, more interesting to remember.” + </p> + <p> + However, he passed on, repeating that they must see everything first of + all. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had looked at the shop kept by Bernadette’s brother with a heavy + heart. It grieved him to find the brother selling the Blessed Virgin whom + the sister had beheld. However, it was necessary to live, and he had + reason to believe that, beside the triumphant Basilica resplendent with + gold, the visionary’s relatives were not making a fortune, the competition + being so terrible. If on the one hand the pilgrims left millions behind + them at Lourdes, on the other there were more than two hundred dealers in + religious articles, to say nothing of the hotel and lodging-house keepers, + to whom the largest part of the spoils fell; and thus the gain, so eagerly + disputed, ended by being moderate enough after all. Along the Plateau on + the right and left of the repository kept by Bernadette’s brother, other + shops appeared, an uninterrupted row of them, pressing one against the + other, each occupying a division of a long wooden structure, a sort of + gallery erected by the town, which derived from it some sixty thousand + francs a year. It formed a regular bazaar of open stalls, encroaching on + the pavements so as to tempt people to stop as they passed along. For more + than three hundred yards no other trade was plied: a river of chaplets, + medals, and statuettes streamed without end behind the windows; and in + enormous letters on the boards above appeared the venerated names of Saint + Roch, Saint Joseph, Jerusalem, The Immaculate Virgin, The Sacred Heart of + Mary, all the names in Paradise that were most likely to touch and attract + customers. + </p> + <p> + “Really,” said M. de Guersaint, “I think it’s the same thing all over the + place. Let us go anywhere.” He himself had had enough of it, this + interminable display was quite exhausting him. + </p> + <p> + “But as you promised to make the purchases at Majesté’s,” said Marie, who + was not, in the least tired, “the best thing will be to go back.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s it; let’s return to Majesté’s place.” + </p> + <p> + But the rows of shops began again in the Avenue de la Grotte. They swarmed + on both sides; and among them here were jewellers, drapers, and + umbrella-makers, who also dealt in religious articles. There was even a + confectioner who sold boxes of pastilles <i>à l’eau de Lourdes</i>, with a + figure of the Virgin on the cover. A photographer’s windows were crammed + with views of the Grotto and the Basilica, and portraits of Bishops and + reverend Fathers of all Orders, mixed up with views of famous sites in the + neighbouring mountains. A bookseller displayed the last Catholic + publications, volumes bearing devout titles, and among them the + innumerable works published on Lourdes during the last twenty years, some + of which had had a wonderful success, which was still fresh in memory. In + this broad, populous thoroughfare the crowd streamed along in more open + order; their cans jingled, everyone was in high spirits, amid the bright + sunrays which enfiladed the road from one end to the other. And it seemed + as if there would never be a finish to the statuettes, the medals, and the + chaplets; one display followed another; and, indeed, there were miles of + them running through the streets of the entire town, which was ever the + same bazaar selling the same articles. + </p> + <p> + In front of the Hotel of the Apparitions M. de Guersaint again hesitated. + “Then it’s decided, we are going to make our purchases there?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” said Marie. “See what a beautiful shop it is!” + </p> + <p> + And she was the first to enter the establishment, which was, in fact, one + of the largest in the street, occupying the ground-floor of the hotel on + the left hand. M. de Guersaint and Pierre followed her. + </p> + <p> + Apolline, the niece of the Majestés, who was in charge of the place, was + standing on a stool, taking some holy-water vases from a top shelf to show + them to a young man, an elegant bearer, wearing beautiful yellow gaiters. + She was laughing with the cooing sound of a dove, and looked charming with + her thick black hair and her superb eyes, set in a somewhat square face, + which had a straight forehead, chubby cheeks, and full red lips. Jumping + lightly to the ground, she exclaimed: “Then you don’t think that this + pattern would please madame, your aunt?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” answered the bearer, as he went off. “Obtain the other pattern. + I shall not leave until to-morrow, and will come back.” + </p> + <p> + When Apolline learnt that Marie was the young person visited by the + miracle of whom Madame Majesté had been talking ever since the previous + day, she became extremely attentive. She looked at her with her merry + smile, in which there was a dash of surprise and covert incredulity. + However, like the clever saleswoman that she was, she was profuse in + complimentary remarks. “Ah, mademoiselle, I shall be so happy to sell to + you! Your miracle is so beautiful! Look, the whole shop is at your + disposal. We have the largest choice.” + </p> + <p> + Marie was ill at ease. “Thank you,” she replied, “you are very good. But + we have only come to buy a few small things.” + </p> + <p> + “If you will allow us,” said M. de Guersaint, “we will choose ourselves.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well. That’s it, monsieur. Afterwards we will see!” + </p> + <p> + And as some other customers now came in, Apolline forgot them, returned to + her duties as a pretty saleswoman, with caressing words and seductive + glances, especially for the gentlemen, whom she never allowed to leave + until they had their pockets full of purchases. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint had only two francs left of the louis which Blanche, his + eldest daughter, had slipped into his hand when he was leaving, as + pocket-money; and so he did not dare to make any large selection. But + Pierre declared that they would cause him great pain if they did not allow + him to offer them the few things which they would like to take away with + them from Lourdes. It was therefore understood that they would first of + all choose a present for Blanche, and then Marie and her father should + select the souvenirs that pleased them best. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t let us hurry,” repeated M. de Guersaint, who had become very gay. + “Come, Marie, have a good look. What would be most likely to please + Blanche?” + </p> + <p> + All three looked, searched, and rummaged. But their indecision increased + as they went from one object to another. With its counters, show-cases, + and nests of drawers, furnishing it from top to bottom, the spacious shop + was a sea of endless billows, overflowing with all the religious + knick-knacks imaginable. There were the chaplets: skeins of chaplets + hanging along the walls, and heaps of chaplets lying in the drawers, from + humble ones costing twenty sous a dozen, to those of sweet-scented wood, + agate, and lapis-lazuli, with chains of gold or silver; and some of them, + of immense length, made to go twice round the neck or waist, had carved + beads, as large as walnuts, separated by death’s-heads. Then there were + the medals: a shower of medals, boxes full of medals, of all sizes, of all + metals, the cheapest and the most precious. They bore different + inscriptions, they represented the Basilica, the Grotto, or the Immaculate + Conception; they were engraved, <i>repoussées</i>, or enamelled, executed + with care, or made by the gross, according to the price. And next there + were the Blessed Virgins, great and small, in zinc, wood, ivory, and + especially plaster; some entirely white, others tinted in bright colours, + in accordance with the description given by Bernadette; the amiable and + smiling face, the extremely long veil, the blue sash, and the golden roses + on the feet, there being, however, some slight modification in each model + so as to guarantee the copyright. And there was another flood of other + religious objects: a hundred varieties of scapularies, a thousand + different sorts of sacred pictures: fine engravings, large + chromo-lithographs in glaring colours, submerged beneath a mass of smaller + pictures, which were coloured, gilded, varnished, decorated with bouquets + of flowers, and bordered with lace paper. And there was also jewellery: + rings, brooches, and bracelets, loaded with stars and crosses, and + ornamented with saintly figures. Finally, there was the Paris article, + which rose above and submerged all the rest: pencil-holders, purses, + cigar-holders, paperweights, paper-knives, even snuff-boxes; and + innumerable other objects on which the Basilica, Grotto, and Blessed + Virgin ever and ever appeared, reproduced in every way, by every process + that is known. Heaped together pell-mell in one of the cases reserved to + articles at fifty centimes apiece were napkin-rings, egg-cups, and wooden + pipes, on which was carved the beaming apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + Little by little, M. de Guersaint, with the annoyance of a man who prides + himself on being an artist, became disgusted and quite sad. “But all this + is frightful, frightful!” he repeated at every new article he took up to + look at. + </p> + <p> + Then he relieved himself by reminding Pierre of the ruinous attempt which + he had made to improve the artistic quality of religious prints. The + remains of his fortune had been lost in that attempt, and the thought made + him all the more angry, in presence of the wretched productions with which + the shop was crammed. Had anyone ever seen things of such idiotic, + pretentious, and complicated ugliness! The vulgarity of the ideas and the + silliness of the expressions portrayed rivalled the commonplace character + of the composition. You were reminded of fashion-plates, the covers of + boxes of sweets, and the wax dolls’ heads that revolve in hairdressers’ + windows; it was an art abounding in false prettiness, painfully childish, + with no really human touch in it, no tone, and no sincerity. And the + architect, who was wound up, could not stop, but went on to express his + disgust with the buildings of new Lourdes, the pitiable disfigurement of + the Grotto, the colossal monstrosity of the inclined ways, the disastrous + lack of symmetry in the church of the Rosary and the Basilica, the former + looking too heavy, like a corn market, whilst the latter had an anaemical + structural leanness with no kind of style but the mongrel. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! one must really be very fond of God,” he at last concluded, “to have + courage enough to come and adore Him amidst such horrors! They have failed + in everything, spoilt everything, as though out of pleasure. Not one of + them has experienced that moment of true feeling, of real naturalness and + sincere faith, which gives birth to masterpieces. They are all clever + people, but all plagiarists; not one has given his mind and being to the + undertaking. And what must they not require to inspire them, since they + have failed to produce anything grand even in this land of miracles?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not reply, but he was very much struck by these reflections, + which at last gave him an explanation of a feeling of discomfort that he + had experienced ever since his arrival at Lourdes. This discomfort arose + from the difference between the modern surroundings and the faith of past + ages which it sought to resuscitate. He thought of the old cathedrals + where quivered that faith of nations; he pictured the former attributes of + worship—the images, the goldsmith’s work, the saints in wood and + stone—all of admirable power and beauty of expression. The fact was + that in those ancient times the workmen had been true believers, had given + their whole souls and bodies and all the candour of their feelings to + their productions, just as M. de Guersaint said. But nowadays architects + built churches with the same practical tranquillity that they erected + five-storey houses, just as the religious articles, the chaplets, the + medals, and the statuettes were manufactured by the gross in the populous + quarters of Paris by merrymaking workmen who did not even follow their + religion. And thus what slopwork, what toymakers’, ironmongers’ stuff it + all was! of a prettiness fit to make you cry, a silly sentimentality fit + to make your heart turn with disgust! Lourdes was inundated, devastated, + disfigured by it all to such a point as to quite upset persons with any + delicacy of taste who happened to stray through its streets. It clashed + jarringly with the attempted resuscitation of the legends, ceremonies, and + processions of dead ages; and all at once it occurred to Pierre that the + social and historical condemnation of Lourdes lay in this, that faith is + forever dead among a people when it no longer introduces it into the + churches it builds or the chaplets it manufactures. + </p> + <p> + However, Marie had continued examining the shelves with the impatience of + a child, hesitating, and finding nothing which seemed to her worthy of the + great dream of ecstasy which she would ever keep within her. + </p> + <p> + “Father,” she said, “it is getting late; you must take me back to the + hospital; and to make up my mind, look, I will give Blanche this medal + with the silver chain. After all it’s the most simple and prettiest thing + here. She will wear it; it will make her a little piece of jewellery. As + for myself, I will take this statuette of Our Lady of Lourdes, this small + one, which is rather prettily painted. I shall place it in my room and + surround it with fresh flowers. It will be very nice, will it not?” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint approved of her idea, and then busied himself with his own + choice. “O dear! oh dear! how embarrassed I am!” said he. + </p> + <p> + He was examining some ivory-handled penholders capped with pea-like balls, + in which were microscopic photographs, and while bringing one of the + little holes to his eye to look in it he raised an exclamation of mingled + surprise and pleasure. “Hallo! here’s the Cirque de Gavarnie! Ah! it’s + prodigious; everything is there; how can that colossal panorama have been + got into so small a space? Come, I’ll take this penholder; it’s curious, + and will remind me of my excursion.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had simply chosen a portrait of Bernadette, the large photograph + which represents her on her knees in a black gown, with a handkerchief + tied over her hair, and which is said to be the only one in existence + taken from life. He hastened to pay, and they were all three on the point + of leaving when Madame Majesté entered, protested, and positively insisted + on making Marie a little present, saying that it would bring her + establishment good-fortune. “I beg of you, mademoiselle, take a + scapulary,” said she. “Look among those there. The Blessed Virgin who + chose you will repay me in good luck.” + </p> + <p> + She raised her voice and made so much fuss that the purchasers filling the + shop were interested, and began gazing at the girl with envious eyes. It + was popularity bursting out again around her, a popularity which ended + even by reaching the street when the landlady went to the threshold of the + shop, making signs to the tradespeople opposite and putting all the + neighbourhood in a flutter. + </p> + <p> + “Let us go,” repeated Marie, feeling more and more uncomfortable. + </p> + <p> + But her father, on noticing a priest come in, detained her. “Ah! Monsieur + l’Abbé des Hermoises!” + </p> + <p> + It was in fact the handsome Abbé, clad in a cassock of fine cloth emitting + a pleasant odour, and with an expression of soft gaiety on his + fresh-coloured face. He had not noticed his companion of the previous day, + but had gone straight to Apolline and taken her on one side. And Pierre + overheard him saying in a subdued tone: “Why didn’t you bring me my + three-dozen chaplets this morning?” + </p> + <p> + Apolline again began laughing with the cooing notes of a dove, and looked + at him sideways, roguishly, without answering. + </p> + <p> + “They are for my little penitents at Toulouse. I wanted to place them at + the bottom of my trunk; and you offered to help me pack my linen.” + </p> + <p> + She continued laughing, and her pretty eyes sparkled. + </p> + <p> + “However, I shall not leave before to-morrow. Bring them me to-night, will + you not? When you are at liberty. It’s at the end of the street, at + Duchêne’s.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, with a slight movement of her red lips, and in a somewhat + bantering way, which left him in doubt as to whether she would keep her + promise, she replied: “Certainly, Monsieur l’Abbé, I will go.” + </p> + <p> + They were now interrupted by M. de Guersaint, who came forward to shake + the priest’s hand. And the two men at once began talking again of the + Cirque de Gavarnie: they had had a delightful trip, a most pleasant time, + which they would never forget. Then they enjoyed a laugh at the expense of + their two companions, ecclesiastics of slender means, good-natured + fellows, who had much amused them. And the architect ended by reminding + his new friend that he had kindly promised to induce a personage at + Toulouse, who was ten times a millionaire, to interest himself in his + studies on navigable balloons. “A first advance of a hundred thousand + francs would be sufficient,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “You can rely on me,” answered Abbé des Hermoises. “You will not have + prayed to the Blessed Virgin in vain.” + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre, who had kept Bernadette’s portrait in his hand, had just + then been struck by the extraordinary likeness between Apolline and the + visionary. It was the same rather massive face, the same full thick mouth, + and the same magnificent eyes; and he recollected that Madame Majesté had + already pointed out to him this striking resemblance, which was all the + more peculiar as Apolline had passed through a similar poverty-stricken + childhood at Bartres before her aunt had taken her with her to assist in + keeping the shop. Bernadette! Apolline! What a strange association, what + an unexpected reincarnation at thirty years’ distance! And, all at once, + with this Apolline, who was so flightily merry and careless, and in regard + to whom there were so many odd rumours, new Lourdes rose before his eyes: + the coachmen, the candle-girls, the persons who let rooms and waylaid + tenants at the railway station, the hundreds of furnished houses with + discreet little lodgings, the crowd of free priests, the lady + hospitallers, and the simple passers-by, who came there to satisfy their + appetites. Then, too, there was the trading mania excited by the shower of + millions, the entire town given up to lucre, the shops transforming the + streets into bazaars which devoured one another, the hotels living + gluttonously on the pilgrims, even to the Blue Sisters who kept a <i>table + d’hôte</i>, and the Fathers of the Grotto who coined money with their God! + What a sad and frightful course of events, the vision of pure Bernadette + inflaming multitudes, making them rush to the illusion of happiness, + bringing a river of gold to the town, and from that moment rotting + everything. The breath of superstition had sufficed to make humanity flock + thither, to attract abundance of money, and to corrupt this honest corner + of the earth forever. Where the candid lily had formerly bloomed there now + grew the carnal rose, in the new loam of cupidity and enjoyment. Bethlehem + had become Sodom since an innocent child had seen the Virgin. + </p> + <p> + “Eh? What did I tell you?” exclaimed Madame Majesté, perceiving that + Pierre was comparing her niece with the portrait. “Apolline is Bernadette + all over!” + </p> + <p> + The young girl approached with her amiable smile, flattered at first by + the comparison. + </p> + <p> + “Let’s see, let’s see!” said Abbé des Hermoises, with an air of lively + interest. + </p> + <p> + He took the photograph in his turn, compared it with the girl, and then + exclaimed in amazement: “It’s wonderful; the same features. I had not + noticed it before. Really I’m delighted—” + </p> + <p> + “Still I fancy she had a larger nose,” Apolline ended by remarking. + </p> + <p> + The Abbé then raised an exclamation of irresistible admiration: “Oh! you + are prettier, much prettier, that’s evident. But that does not matter, + anyone would take you for two sisters.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre could not refrain from laughing, he thought the remark so peculiar. + Ah! poor Bernadette was absolutely dead, and she had no sister. She could + not have been born again; it would have been impossible for her to exist + in the region of crowded life and passion which she had made. + </p> + <p> + At length Marie went off leaning on her father’s arm, and it was agreed + that they would both call and fetch her at the hospital to go to the + station together. More than fifty people were awaiting her in the street + in a state of ecstasy. They bowed to her and followed her; and one woman + even made her infirm child, whom she was bringing back from the Grotto, + touch her gown. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap23"></a> + III. DEPARTURE + </h2> + <p> + At half-past two o’clock the white train, which was to leave Lourdes at + three-forty, was already in the station, alongside the second platform. + For three days it had been waiting on a siding, in the same state as when + it had come from Paris, and since it had been run into the station again + white flags had been waving from the foremost and hindmost of its + carriages, by way of preventing any mistakes on the part of the pilgrims, + whose entraining was usually a very long and troublesome affair. Moreover, + all the fourteen trains of the pilgrimage were timed to leave that day. + The green train had started off at ten o’clock, followed by the pink and + the yellow trains, and the others—the orange, the grey, and the blue—would + start in turn after the white train had taken its departure. It was, + indeed, another terrible day’s work for the station staff, amidst a tumult + and a scramble which altogether distracted them. + </p> + <p> + However, the departure of the white train was always the event of the day + which provoked most interest and emotion, for it took away with it all the + more afflicted patients, amongst whom were naturally those loved by the + Virgin and chosen by her for the miraculous cures. Accordingly, a large, + serried crowd was collected under the roofing of the spacious platform, a + hundred yards in length, where all the benches were already covered with + waiting pilgrims and their parcels. In the refreshment-room, at one end of + the buildings, men were drinking beer and women ordering lemonade at the + little tables which had been taken by assault, whilst at the other end + bearers stood on guard at the goods entrance so as to keep the way clear + for the speedy passage of the patients, who would soon be arriving. And + all along the broad platform there was incessant coming and going, poor + people rushing hither and thither in bewilderment, priests trotting along + to render assistance, gentlemen in frock-coats looking on with quiet + inquisitiveness: indeed, all the jumbling and jostling of the most mixed, + most variegated throng ever elbowed in a railway station. + </p> + <p> + At three o’clock, however, the sick had not yet reached the station, and + Baron Suire was in despair, his anxiety arising from the dearth of horses, + for a number of unexpected tourists had arrived at Lourdes that morning + and hired conveyances for Bareges, Cauterets, and Gavarnie. At last, + however, the Baron espied Berthaud and Gérard arriving in all haste, after + scouring the town; and when he had rushed up to them they soon pacified + him by announcing that things were going splendidly. They had been able to + procure the needful animals, and the removal of the patients from the + hospital was now being carried out under the most favorable circumstances. + Squads of bearers with their stretchers and little carts were already in + the station yard, watching for the arrival of the vans, breaks, and other + vehicles which had been recruited. A reserve supply of mattresses and + cushions was, moreover, heaped up beside a lamp-post. Nevertheless, just + as the first patients arrived, Baron Suire again lost his head, whilst + Berthaud and Gérard hastened to the platform from which the train would + start. There they began to superintend matters, and gave orders amidst an + increasing scramble. + </p> + <p> + Father Fourcade was on this platform, walking up and down alongside the + train, on Father Massias’s arm. Seeing Doctor Bonamy approach, he stopped + short to speak to him: “Ah, doctor,” said he, “I am pleased to see you. + Father Massias, who is about to leave us, was again telling me just now of + the extraordinary favor granted by the Blessed Virgin to that interesting + young person, Mademoiselle Marie de Guersaint. There has not been such a + brilliant miracle for years! It is signal good-fortune for us—a + blessing which should render our labours fruitful. All Christendom will be + illumined, comforted, enriched by it.” + </p> + <p> + He was radiant with pleasure, and forthwith the doctor with his + clean-shaven face, heavy, peaceful features, and usually tired eyes, also + began to exult: “Yes, your reverence, it is prodigious, prodigious! I + shall write a pamphlet about it. Never was cure produced by supernatural + means in a more authentic manner. Ah! what a stir it will create!” + </p> + <p> + Then, as they had begun walking to and fro again, all three together, he + noticed that Father Fourcade was dragging his leg with increased + difficulty, leaning heavily the while on his companion’s arm. “Is your + attack of gout worse, your reverence?” he inquired. “You seem to be + suffering a great deal.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! don’t speak of it; I wasn’t able to close my eyes all night! It is + very annoying that this attack should have come on me the very day of my + arrival here! It might as well have waited. But there is nothing to be + done, so don’t let us talk of it any more. I am, at all events, very + pleased with this year’s result.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes, yes indeed,” in his turn said Father Massias, in a voice which + quivered with fervour; “we may all feel proud, and go away with our hearts + full of enthusiasm and gratitude. How many prodigies there have been, in + addition to the healing of that young woman you spoke of! There is no + counting all the miracles: deaf women and dumb women have recovered their + faculties, faces disfigured by sores have become as smooth as the hand, + moribund consumptives have come to life again and eaten and danced! It is + not a train of sufferers, but a train of resurrection, a train of glory, + that I am about to take back to Paris!” + </p> + <p> + He had ceased to see the ailing creatures around him, and in the blindness + of his faith was soaring triumphantly. + </p> + <p> + Then, alongside the carriages, whose compartments were beginning to fill, + they all three continued their slow saunter, smiling at the pilgrims who + bowed to them, and at times again stopping to address a kind word to some + mournful woman who, pale and shivering, passed by upon a stretcher. They + boldly declared that she was looking much better, and would assuredly soon + get well. + </p> + <p> + However, the station-master, who was incessantly bustling about, passed + by, calling in a shrill voice: “Don’t block up the platform, please; don’t + block up the platform!” And on Berthaud pointing out to him that it was, + at all events, necessary to deposit the stretchers on the platform before + hoisting the patients into the carriages, he became quite angry: “But, + come, come; is it reasonable?” he asked. “Look at that little hand-cart + which has been left on the rails over yonder. I expect the train to + Toulouse in a few minutes. Do you want your people to be crushed to + death?” + </p> + <p> + Then he went off at a run to instruct some porters to keep the bewildered + flock of pilgrims away from the rails. Many of them, old and simple + people, did not even recognise the colour of their train, and this was the + reason why one and all wore cards of some particular hue hanging from + their necks, so that they might be led and entrained like marked cattle. + And what a constant state of excitement it was, with the starting of these + fourteen special trains, in addition to all the ordinary traffic, in which + no change had been made. + </p> + <p> + Pierre arrived, valise in hand, and found some difficulty in reaching the + platform. He was alone, for Marie had expressed an ardent desire to kneel + once more at the Grotto, so that her soul might burn with gratitude before + the Blessed Virgin until the last moment; and so he had left M. de + Guersaint to conduct her thither whilst he himself settled the hotel bill. + Moreover, he had made them promise that they would take a fly to the + station, and they would certainly arrive within a quarter of an hour. + Meantime, his idea was to seek their carriage, and there rid himself of + his valise. This, however, was not an easy task, and he only recognised + the carriage eventually by the placard which had been swinging from it in + the sunlight and the storms during the last three days—a square of + pasteboard bearing the names of Madame de Jonquière and Sisters Hyacinthe + and Claire des Anges. There could be no mistake, and Pierre again pictured + the compartments full of his travelling companions. Some cushions already + marked M. Sabathier’s corner, and on the seat where Marie had experienced + such suffering he still found some scratches caused by the ironwork of her + box. Then, having deposited his valise in his own place, he remained on + the platform waiting and looking around him, with a slight feeling of + surprise at not perceiving Doctor Chassaigne, who had promised to come and + embrace him before the train started. + </p> + <p> + Now that Marie was well again, Pierre had laid his bearer straps aside, + and merely wore the red cross of the pilgrimage on his cassock. The + station, of which he had caught but a glimpse, in the livid dawn amidst + the anguish of the terrible morning of their arrival, now surprised him by + its spacious platforms, its broad exits, and its clear gaiety. He could + not see the mountains, but some verdant slopes rose up on the other side, + in front of the waiting-rooms; and that afternoon the weather was + delightfully mild, the sky of a milky whiteness, with light fleecy clouds + veiling the sun, whence there fell a broad diffuse light, like a nacreous, + pearly dust: “maiden’s weather,” as country folk are wont to say. + </p> + <p> + The big clock had just struck three, and Pierre was looking at it when he + saw Madame Désagneaux and Madame Volmar arrive, followed by Madame de + Jonquière and her daughter. These ladies, who had driven from the hospital + in a landau, at once began looking for their carriage, and it was Raymonde + who first recognised the first-class compartment in which she had + travelled from Paris. “Mamma, mamma, here; here it is!” she called. “Stay + a little while with us; you have plenty of time to install yourself among + your patients, since they haven’t yet arrived.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre now again found himself face to face with Madame Volmar, and their + glances met. However, he gave no sign of recognition, and on her side + there was but a slight sudden drooping of the eyelids. She had again + assumed the air of a languid, indolent, black-robed woman, who modestly + shrinks back, well pleased to escape notice. Her brasier-like eyes no + longer glowed; it was only at long intervals that they kindled into a + spark beneath the veil of indifference, the moire-like shade, which dimmed + them. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it was a fearful sick headache!” she was repeating to Madame + Désagneaux. “And, you can see, I’ve hardly recovered the use of my poor + head yet. It’s the journey which brings it on. It’s the same thing every + year.” + </p> + <p> + However, Berthaud and Gérard, who had just perceived the ladies, were + hurrying up to them. That morning they had presented themselves at the + Hospital of Our Lady of Dolours, and Madame de Jonquière had received them + in a little office near the linen-room. Thereupon, apologising with + smiling affability for making his request amidst such a hurly-burly, + Berthaud had solicited the hand of Mademoiselle Raymonde for his cousin, + Gérard. They at once felt themselves at ease, the mother, with some show + of emotion, saying that Lourdes would bring the young couple good luck. + And so the marriage was arranged in a few words, amidst general + satisfaction. A meeting was even appointed for the fifteenth of September + at the Château of Berneville, near Caen, an estate belonging to Raymonde’s + uncle, the diplomatist, whom Berthaud knew, and to whom he promised to + introduce Gérard. Then Raymonde was summoned, and blushed with pleasure as + she placed her little hand in those of her betrothed. + </p> + <p> + Binding her now upon the platform, the latter began paying her every + attention, and asking, “Would you like some pillows for the night? Don’t + make any ceremony about it; I can give you plenty, both for yourself and + for these ladies who are accompanying you.” + </p> + <p> + However, Raymonde gaily refused the offer, “No, no,” said she, “we are not + so delicate. Keep them for the poor sufferers.” + </p> + <p> + All the ladies were now talking together. Madame de Jonquière declared + that she was so tired, so tired that she no longer felt alive; and yet she + displayed great happiness, her eyes smiling as she glanced at her daughter + and the young man she was engaged to. But neither Berthaud nor Gérard + could remain there; they had their duties to perform, and accordingly took + their leave, after reminding Madame de Jonquière and Raymonde of the + appointed meeting. It was understood, was it not, on September 15th, at + the Château of Berneville? Yes, yes, it was understood! And then came + fresh smiles and handshakes, whilst the eyes of the newly engaged couple—caressing, + delighted eyes—added all that they dared not say aloud in the midst + of such a throng. + </p> + <p> + “What!” exclaimed little Madame Désagneaux, “you will go to Berneville on + the 15th? But if we stay at Trouville till the 10th, as my husband wishes + to do, we will go to see you!” And then, turning towards Madame Volmar, + who stood there silent, she added, “You ought to come as well, my dear. It + would be so nice to meet there all together.” + </p> + <p> + But, with a slow wave of the hand and an air of weary indifference, Madame + Volmar answered, “Oh! my holiday is all over; I am going home.” + </p> + <p> + Just then her eyes again met those of Pierre, who had remained standing + near the party, and he fancied that she became confused, whilst an + expression of indescribable suffering passed over her lifeless face. + </p> + <p> + The Sisters of the Assumption were now arriving, and the ladies joined + them in front of the cantine van. Ferrand, who had come with the Sisters + from the hospital, got into the van, and then helped Sister Saint-François + to mount upon the somewhat high footboard. Then he remained standing on + the threshold of the van—transformed into a kitchen and containing + all sorts of supplies for the journey, such as bread, broth, milk, and + chocolate,—whilst Sister Hyacinthe and Sister Claire des Anges, who + were still on the platform, passed him his little medicine-chest and some + small articles of luggage. + </p> + <p> + “You are sure you have everything?” Sister Hyacinthe asked him. “All + right. Well, now you only have to go and lie down in your corner and get + to sleep, since you complain that your services are not utilised.” + </p> + <p> + Ferrand began to laugh softly. “I shall help Sister Saint-François,” said + he. “I shall light the oil-stove, wash the crockery, carry the cups of + broth and milk to the patients whenever we stop, according to the + time-table hanging yonder; and if, all the same, you <i>should</i> require + a doctor, you will please come to fetch me.” + </p> + <p> + Sister Hyacinthe had also begun to laugh. “But we no longer require a + doctor since all our patients are cured,” she replied; and, fixing her + eyes on his, with her calm, sisterly air, she added, “Good-bye, Monsieur + Ferrand.” + </p> + <p> + He smiled again, whilst a feeling of deep emotion brought moisture to his + eyes. The tremulous accents of his voice expressed his conviction that he + would never be able to forget this journey, his joy at having seen her + again, and the souvenir of divine and eternal affection which he was + taking away with him. “Good-bye, Sister,” said he. + </p> + <p> + Then Madame de Jonquière talked of going to her carriage with Sister + Claire des Anges and Sister Hyacinthe; but the latter assured her that + there was no hurry, since the sick pilgrims were as yet scarcely arriving. + She left her, therefore, taking the other Sister with her, and promising + to see to everything. Moreover, she even insisted on ridding the + superintendent of her little bag, saying that she would find it on her + seat when it was time for her to come. Thus the ladies continued walking + and chatting gaily on the broad platform, where the atmosphere was so + pleasant. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, his eyes fixed upon the big clock, watched the minutes + hasten by on the dial, and began to feel surprised at not seeing Marie + arrive with her father. It was to be hoped that M. de Guersaint would not + lose himself on the road! + </p> + <p> + The young priest was still watching, when, to his surprise, he caught + sight of M. Vigneron, in a state of perfect exasperation, pushing his wife + and little Gustave furiously before him. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Monsieur l’Abbé,” he exclaimed, “tell me where our carriage is! Help + me to put our luggage and this child in it. I am at my wit’s end! They + have made me altogether lose my temper.” + </p> + <p> + Then, on reaching the second-class compartment, he caught hold of Pierre’s + hands, just as the young man was about to place little Gustave inside, and + quite an outburst followed. “Could you believe it? They insist on my + starting. They tell me that my return-ticket will not be available if I + wait here till to-morrow. It was of no use my telling them about the + accident. As it is, it’s by no means pleasant to have to stay with that + corpse, watch over it, see it put in a coffin, and remove it to-morrow + within the regulation time. But they pretend that it doesn’t concern them, + that they already make large enough reductions on the pilgrimage tickets, + and that they can’t enter into any questions of people dying.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Vigneron stood all of a tremble listening to him, whilst Gustave, + forgotten, staggering on his crutch with fatigue, raised his poor, + inquisitive, suffering face. + </p> + <p> + “But at all events,” continued the irate father, “as I told them, it’s a + case of compulsion. What do they expect me to do with that corpse? I can’t + take it under my arm, and bring it them to-day, like an article of + luggage! I am therefore absolutely obliged to remain behind. But no! ah! + how many stupid and wicked people there are!” + </p> + <p> + “Have you spoken to the station-master?” asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “The station-master! Oh! he’s somewhere about, in the midst of the + scramble. They were never able to find him. How could you have anything + done properly in such a bear-garden? Still, I mean to rout him out, and + give him a bit of my mind!” + </p> + <p> + Then, perceiving his wife standing beside him motionless, glued as it were + to the platform, he cried: “What are you doing there? Get in, so that we + may pass you the youngster and the parcels!” + </p> + <p> + With these words he pushed her in, and threw the parcels after her, whilst + the young priest took Gustave in his arms. The poor little fellow, who was + as light as a bird, seemingly thinner than before, consumed by sores, and + so full of pain, raised a faint cry. “Oh, my dear child, have I hurt you?” + asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, Monsieur l’Abbé, but I’ve been moved about so much to-day, and + I’m very tired this afternoon.” As he spoke, he smiled with his usual + intelligent and mournful expression, and then, sinking back into his + corner, closed his eyes, exhausted, indeed done for, by this fearful trip + to Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + “As you can very well understand,” now resumed M. Vigneron, “it by no + means amuses me to stay here, kicking my heels, while my wife and my son + go back to Paris without me. They have to go, however, for life at the + hotel is no longer bearable; and besides, if I kept them with me, and the + railway people won’t listen to reason, I should have to pay three extra + fares. And to make matters worse, my wife hasn’t got much brains. I’m + afraid she won’t be able to manage things properly.” + </p> + <p> + Then, almost breathless, he overwhelmed Madame Vigneron with the most + minute instructions—what she was to do during the journey, how she + was to get back home on arriving in Paris, and what steps she was to take + if Gustave was to have another attack. Somewhat scared, she responded, in + all docility, to each recommendation: “Yes, yes, dear—of course, + dear, of course.” + </p> + <p> + But all at once her husband’s rage came back to him. “After all,” he + shouted, “what I want to know is whether my return ticket be good or not! + I must know for certain! They must find that station-master for me!” + </p> + <p> + He was already on the point of rushing away through the crowd, when he + noticed Gustave’s crutch lying on the platform. This was disastrous, and + he raised his eyes to heaven as though to call Providence to witness that + he would never be able to extricate himself from such awful complications. + And, throwing the crutch to his wife, he hurried off, distracted and + shouting, “There, take it! You forget everything!” + </p> + <p> + The sick pilgrims were now flocking into the station, and, as on the + occasion of their arrival, there was plenty of disorderly carting along + the platform and across the lines. All the abominable ailments, all the + sores, all the deformities, went past once more, neither their gravity nor + their number seeming to have decreased; for the few cures which had been + effected were but a faint inappreciable gleam of light amidst the general + mourning. They were taken back as they had come. The little carts, laden + with helpless old women with their bags at their feet, grated over the + rails. The stretchers on which you saw inflated bodies and pale faces with + glittering eyes, swayed amidst the jostling of the throng. There was wild + and senseless haste, indescribable confusion, questions, calls, sudden + running, all the whirling of a flock which cannot find the entrance to the + pen. And the bearers ended by losing their heads, no longer knowing which + direction to take amidst the warning cries of the porters, who at each + moment were frightening people, distracting them with anguish. “Take care, + take care over there! Make haste! No, no, don’t cross! The Toulouse train, + the Toulouse train!” + </p> + <p> + Retracing his steps, Pierre again perceived the ladies, Madame de + Jonquière and the others, still gaily chatting together. Lingering near + them, he listened to Berthaud, whom Father Fourcade had stopped, to + congratulate him on the good order which had been maintained throughout + the pilgrimage. The ex-public prosecutor was now bowing his thanks, + feeling quite flattered by this praise. “Is it not a lesson for their + Republic, your reverence?” he asked. “People get killed in Paris when such + crowds as these celebrate some bloody anniversary of their hateful + history. They ought to come and take a lesson here.” + </p> + <p> + He was delighted with the thought of being disagreeable to the Government + which had compelled him to resign. He was never so happy as when women + were just saved from being knocked over amidst the great concourse of + believers at Lourdes. However, he did not seem to be satisfied with the + results of the political propaganda which he came to further there, during + three days, every year. Fits of impatience came over him, things did not + move fast enough. When did Our Lady of Lourdes mean to bring back the + monarchy? + </p> + <p> + “You see, your reverence,” said he, “the only means, the real triumph, + would be to bring the working classes of the towns here <i>en masse</i>. I + shall cease dreaming, I shall devote myself to that entirely. Ah! if one + could only create a Catholic democracy!” + </p> + <p> + Father Fourcade had become very grave. His fine, intelligent eyes filled + with a dreamy expression, and wandered far away. How many times already + had he himself made the creation of that new people the object of his + efforts! But was not the breath of a new Messiah needed for the + accomplishment of such a task? “Yes, yes,” he murmured, “a Catholic + democracy; ah! the history of humanity would begin afresh!” + </p> + <p> + But Father Massias interrupted him in a passionate voice, saying that all + the nations of the earth would end by coming; whilst Doctor Bonamy, who + already detected a slight subsidence of fervour among the pilgrims, wagged + his head and expressed the opinion that the faithful ones of the Grotto + ought to increase their zeal. To his mind, success especially depended on + the greatest possible measure of publicity being given to the miracles. + And he assumed a radiant air and laughed complacently whilst pointing to + the tumultuous <i>défile</i> of the sick. “Look at them!” said he. “Don’t + they go off looking better? There are a great many who, although they + don’t appear to be cured, are nevertheless carrying the germs of cure away + with them; of that you may be certain! Ah! the good people; they do far + more than we do all together for the glory of Our Lady of Lourdes!” + </p> + <p> + However, he had to check himself, for Madame Dieulafay was passing before + them, in her box lined with quilted silk. She was deposited in front of + the door of the first-class carriage, in which a maid was already placing + the luggage. Pity came to all who beheld the unhappy woman, for she did + not seem to have awakened from her prostration during her three days’ + sojourn at Lourdes. What she had been when they had removed her from the + carriage on the morning of her arrival, that she also was now when the + bearers were about to place her inside it again—clad in lace, + covered with jewels, still with the lifeless, imbecile face of a mummy + slowly liquefying; and, indeed, one might have thought that she had become + yet more wasted, that she was being taken back diminished, shrunken more + and more to the proportions of a child, by the march of that horrible + disease which, after destroying her bones, was now dissolving the softened + fibres of her muscles. Inconsolable, bowed down by the loss of their last + hope, her husband and sister, their eyes red, were following her with Abbé + Judaine, even as one follows a corpse to the grave. + </p> + <p> + “No, no! not yet!” said the old priest to the bearers, in order to prevent + them from placing the box in the carriage. “She will have time enough to + roll along in there. Let her have the warmth of that lovely sky above her + till the last possible moment.” + </p> + <p> + Then, seeing Pierre near him, he drew him a few steps aside, and, in a + voice broken by grief, resumed: “Ah! I am indeed distressed. Again this + morning I had a hope. I had her taken to the Grotto, I said my mass for + her, and came back to pray till eleven o’clock. But nothing came of it; + the Blessed Virgin did not listen to me. Although she cured me, a poor, + useless old man like me, I could not obtain from her the cure of this + beautiful, young, and wealthy woman, whose life ought to be a continual <i>fête</i>. + Undoubtedly the Blessed Virgin knows what she ought to do better than + ourselves, and I bow and bless her name. Nevertheless, my soul is full of + frightful sadness.” + </p> + <p> + He did not tell everything; he did not confess the thought which was + upsetting him, simple, childish, worthy man that he was, whose life had + never been troubled by either passion or doubt. But his thought was that + those poor weeping people, the husband and the sister, had too many + millions, that the presents they had brought were too costly, that they + had given far too much money to the Basilica. A miracle is not to be + bought. The wealth of the world is a hindrance rather than an advantage + when you address yourself to God. Assuredly, if the Blessed Virgin had + turned a deaf ear to their entreaties, had shown them but a stern, cold + countenance, it was in order that she might the more attentively listen to + the weak voices of the lowly ones who had come to her with empty hands, + with no other wealth than their love, and these she had loaded with grace, + flooded with the glowing affection of her Divine Motherhood. And those + poor wealthy ones, who had not been heard, that sister and that husband, + both so wretched beside the sorry body they were taking away with them, + they themselves felt like pariahs among the throng of the humble who had + been consoled or healed; they seemed embarrassed by their very luxury, and + recoiled, awkward and ill at ease, covered with shame at the thought that + Our Lady of Lourdes had relieved beggars whilst never casting a glance + upon that beautiful and powerful lady agonising unto death amidst all her + lace! + </p> + <p> + All at once it occurred to Pierre that he might have missed seeing M. de + Guersaint and Marie arrive, and that they were perhaps already in the + carriage. He returned thither, but there was still only his valise on the + seat. Sister Hyacinthe and Sister Claire des Anges, however, had begun to + install themselves, pending the arrival of their charges, and as Gérard + just then brought up M. Sabathier in a little handcart, Pierre helped to + place him in the carriage, a laborious task which put both the young + priest and Gérard into a perspiration. The ex-professor, who looked + disconsolate though very calm, at once settled himself in his corner. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, gentlemen,” said he. “That’s over, thank goodness. And now + they’ll only have to take me out at Paris.” + </p> + <p> + After wrapping a rug round his legs, Madame Sabathier, who was also there, + got out of the carriage and remained standing near the open door. She was + talking to Pierre when all at once she broke off to say: “Ah! here’s + Madame Maze coming to take her seat. She confided in me the other day, you + know. She’s a very unhappy little woman.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in an obliging spirit, she called to her and offered to watch over + her things. But Madame Maze shook her head, laughed, and gesticulated as + though she were out of her senses. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I am not going,” said she. + </p> + <p> + “What! you are not going back?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I am not going—that is, I am, but not with you, not with + you!” + </p> + <p> + She wore such an extraordinary air, she looked so bright, that Pierre and + Madame Sabathier found it difficult to recognise her. Her fair, + prematurely faded face was radiant, she seemed to be ten years younger, + suddenly aroused from the infinite sadness into which desertion had + plunged her. And, at last, her joy overflowing, she raised a cry: “I am + going off with him! Yes, he has come to fetch me, he is taking me with + him. Yes, yes, we are going to Luchon together, together!” + </p> + <p> + Then, with a rapturous glance, she pointed out a dark, sturdy-looking + young man, with gay eyes and bright red lips, who was purchasing some + newspapers. “There! that’s my husband,” said she, “that handsome man who’s + laughing over there with the newspaper-girl. He turned up here early this + morning, and he’s carrying me off. We shall take the Toulouse train in a + couple of minutes. Ah! dear madame, I told you of all my worries, and you + can understand my happiness, can’t you?” + </p> + <p> + However, she could not remain silent, but again spoke of the frightful + letter which she had received on Sunday, a letter in which he had declared + to her that if she should take advantage of her sojourn at Lourdes to come + to Luchon after him, he would not open the door to her. And, think of it, + theirs had been a love match! But for ten years he had neglected her, + profiting by his continual journeys as a commercial traveller to take + friends about with him from one to the other end of France. Ah! that time + she had thought it all over, she had asked the Blessed Virgin to let her + die, for she knew that the faithless one was at that very moment at Luchon + with two friends. What was it then that had happened? A thunderbolt must + certainly have fallen from heaven. Those two friends must have received a + warning from on high—perhaps they had dreamt that they were already + condemned to everlasting punishment. At all events they had fled one + evening without a word of explanation, and he, unable to live alone, had + suddenly been seized with a desire to fetch his wife and keep her with him + for a week. Grace must have certainly fallen on him, though he did not say + it, for he was so kind and pleasant that she could not do otherwise than + believe in a real beginning of conversion. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! how grateful I am to the Blessed Virgin,” she continued; “she alone + can have acted, and I well understood her last evening. It seemed to me + that she made me a little sign just at the very moment when my husband was + making up his mind to come here to fetch me. I asked him at what time it + was that the idea occurred to him, and the hours fit in exactly. Ah! there + has been no greater miracle. The others make me smile with their mended + legs and their vanished sores. Blessed be Our Lady of Lourdes, who has + healed my heart!” + </p> + <p> + Just then the sturdy young man turned round, and she darted away to join + him, so full of delight that she forgot to bid the others good-bye. And it + was at this moment, amidst the growing crowd of patients whom the bearers + were bringing, that the Toulouse train at last came in. The tumult + increased, the confusion became extraordinary. Bells rang and signals + worked, whilst the station-master was seen rushing up, shouting with all + the strength of his lungs: “Be careful there! Clear the line at once!” + </p> + <p> + A railway <i>employé</i> had to rush from the platform to push a little + vehicle, which had been forgotten on the line, with an old woman in it, + out of harm’s way; however, yet another scared band of pilgrims ran across + when the steaming, growling engine was only thirty yards distant. Others, + losing their heads, would have been crushed by the wheels if porters had + not roughly caught them by the shoulders. Then, without having pounded + anybody, the train at last stopped alongside the mattresses, pillows, and + cushions lying hither and thither, and the bewildered, whirling groups of + people. The carriage doors opened and a torrent of travellers alighted, + whilst another torrent climbed in, these two obstinately contending + currents bringing the tumult to a climax. Faces, first wearing an + inquisitive expression, and then overcome by stupefaction at the + astonishing sight, showed themselves at the windows of the doors which + remained closed; and, among them, one especially noticed the faces of two + remarkably pretty girls, whose large candid eyes ended by expressing the + most dolorous compassion. + </p> + <p> + Followed by her husband, however, Madame Maze had climbed into one of the + carriages, feeling as happy and buoyant as if she were in her twentieth + year again, as on the already distant evening of her honeymoon journey. + And the doors having been slammed, the engine gave a loud whistle and + began to move, going off slowly and heavily between the throng, which, in + the rear of the train, flowed on to the lines again like an invading + torrent whose flood-gates have been swept away. + </p> + <p> + “Bar the platform!” shouted the station-master to his men. “Keep watch + when the engine comes up!” + </p> + <p> + The belated patients and pilgrims had arrived during this alert. La + Grivotte passed by with her feverish eyes and excited, dancing gait, + followed by Elise Rouquet and Sophie Couteau, who were very gay, and quite + out of breath through running. All three hastened to their carriage, where + Sister Hyacinthe scolded them. They had almost been left behind at the + Grotto, where, at times, the pilgrims lingered forgetfully, unable to tear + themselves away, still imploring and entreating the Blessed Virgin, when + the train was waiting for them at the railway-station. + </p> + <p> + All at once Pierre, who likewise was anxious, no longer knowing what to + think, perceived M. de Guersaint and Marie quietly talking with Abbé + Judaine on the covered platform. He hastened to join them, and told them + of his impatience. “What have you been doing?” he asked. “I was losing all + hope.” + </p> + <p> + “What have we been doing?” responded M. de Guersaint, with quiet + astonishment. “We were at the Grotto, as you know very well. There was a + priest there, preaching in a most remarkable manner, and we should still + be there if I hadn’t remembered that we had to leave. And we took a fly + here, as we promised you we would do.” + </p> + <p> + He broke off to look at the clock. “But hang it all!” he added, “there’s + no hurry. The train won’t start for another quarter of an hour.” + </p> + <p> + This was true. Then Marie, smiling with divine joy, exclaimed: “Oh! if you + only knew, Pierre, what happiness I have brought away from that last visit + to the Blessed Virgin. I saw her smile at me, I felt her giving me + strength to live. Really, that farewell was delightful, and you must not + scold us, Pierre.” + </p> + <p> + He himself had begun to smile, somewhat ill at ease, however, as he + thought of his nervous fidgeting. Had he, then, experienced so keen a + desire to get far away from Lourdes? Had he feared that the Grotto might + keep Marie, that she might never come away from it again? Now that she was + there beside him, he was astonished at having indulged such thoughts, and + felt himself to be very calm. + </p> + <p> + However, whilst he was advising them to go and take their seats in the + carriage, he recognised Doctor Chassaigne hastily approaching. “Ah! my + dear doctor,” he said, “I was waiting for you. I should have been sorry + indeed to have gone away without embracing you.” + </p> + <p> + But the old doctor, who was trembling with emotion, interrupted him. “Yes, + yes, I am late. But ten minutes ago, just as I arrived, I caught sight of + that eccentric fellow, the Commander, and had a talk with him over yonder. + He was sneering at the sight of your people taking the train again to go + and die at home, when, said he, they ought to have done so before coming + to Lourdes. Well, all at once, while he was talking like this, he fell on + the ground before me. It was his third attack of paralysis; the one he had + long been expecting.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! <i>mon Dieu</i>,” murmured Abbé Judaine, who heard the doctor, “he + was blaspheming. Heaven has punished him.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint and Marie were listening, greatly interested and deeply + moved. + </p> + <p> + “I had him carried yonder, into that shed,” continued the doctor. “It is + all over; I can do nothing. He will doubtless be dead before a quarter of + an hour has gone by. But I thought of a priest, and hastened up to you.” + </p> + <p> + Then, turning towards Abbé Judaine, M. Chassaigne added: “Come with me, + Monsieur le Curé; you know him. We cannot let a Christian depart + unsuccoured. Perhaps he will be moved, recognise his error, and become + reconciled with God.” + </p> + <p> + Abbé Judaine quickly followed the doctor, and in the rear went M. de + Guersaint, leading Marie and Pierre, whom the thought of this tragedy + impassioned. All five entered the goods shed, at twenty paces from the + crowd which was still bustling and buzzing, without a soul in it expecting + that there was a man dying so near by. + </p> + <p> + In a solitary corner of the shed, between two piles of sacks filled with + oats, lay the Commander, on a mattress borrowed from the Hospitality + reserve supply. He wore his everlasting frock-coat, with its buttonhole + decked with a broad red riband, and somebody who had taken the precaution + to pick up his silver-knobbed walking-stick had carefully placed it on the + ground beside the mattress. + </p> + <p> + Abbé Judaine at once leant over him. “You recognise us, you can hear us, + my poor friend, can’t you?” asked the priest. + </p> + <p> + Only the Commander’s eyes now appeared to be alive; but they <i>were</i> + alive, still glittering brightly with a stubborn flame of energy. The + attack had this time fallen on his right side, almost entirely depriving + him of the power of speech. He could only stammer a few words, by which he + succeeded in making them understand that he wished to die there, without + being moved or worried any further. He had no relative at Lourdes, where + nobody knew anything either of his former life or his family. For three + years he had lived there happily on the salary attached to his little post + at the station, and now he at last beheld his ardent, his only desire, + approaching fulfilment—the desire that he might depart and fall into + the eternal sleep. His eyes expressed the great joy he felt at being so + near his end. + </p> + <p> + “Have you any wish to make known to us?” resumed Abbé Judaine. “Cannot we + be useful to you in any way?” + </p> + <p> + No, no; his eyes replied that he was all right, well pleased. For three + years past he had never got up in the morning without hoping that by night + time he would be sleeping in the cemetery. Whenever he saw the sun shine + he was wont to say in an envious tone: “What a beautiful day for + departure!” And now that death was at last at hand, ready to deliver him + from his hateful existence, it was indeed welcome. + </p> + <p> + “I can do nothing, science is powerless. He is condemned,” said Doctor + Chassaigne in a low, bitter tone to the old priest, who begged him to + attempt some effort. + </p> + <p> + However, at that same moment it chanced that an aged woman, a pilgrim of + fourscore years, who had lost her way and knew not whither she was going, + entered the shed. Lame and humpbacked, reduced to the stature of + childhood’s days, afflicted with all the ailments of extreme old age, she + was dragging herself along with the assistance of a stick, and at her side + was slung a can full of Lourdes water, which she was taking away with her, + in the hope of yet prolonging her old age, in spite of all its frightful + decay. For a moment her senile, imbecile mind was quite scared. She stood + looking at that outstretched, stiffened man, who was dying. Then a gleam + of grandmotherly kindliness appeared in the depths of her dim, vague eyes; + and with the sisterly feelings of one who was very aged and suffered very + grievously she drew nearer, and, taking hold of her can with her hands, + which never ceased shaking, she offered it to the man. + </p> + <p> + To Abbé Judaine this seemed like a sudden flash of light, an inspiration + from on high. He, who had prayed so fervently and so often for the cure of + Madame Dieulafay without being heard by the Blessed Virgin, now glowed + with fresh faith in the conviction that if the Commander would only drink + that water he would be cured. + </p> + <p> + The old priest fell upon his knees beside the mattress. “O brother!” he + said, “it is God who has sent you this woman. Reconcile yourself with God, + drink and pray, whilst we ourselves implore the divine mercy with our + whole souls. God will prove His power to you; God will work the great + miracle of setting you erect once more, so that you may yet spend many + years upon this earth, loving Him and glorifying Him.” + </p> + <p> + No, no! the Commander’s sparkling eyes cried no! He, indeed, show himself + as cowardly as those flocks of pilgrims who came from afar, through so + many fatigues, in order to drag themselves on the ground and sob and beg + Heaven to let them live a month, a year, ten years longer! It was so + pleasant, so simple to die quietly in your bed. You turned your face to + the wall and you died. + </p> + <p> + “Drink, O my brother, I implore you!” continued the old priest. “It is + life that you will drink, it is strength and health, the very joy of + living. Drink that you may become young again, that you may begin a new + and pious life; drink that you may sing the praises of the Divine Mother, + who will have saved both your body and your soul. She is speaking to me, + your resurrection is certain.” + </p> + <p> + But no! but no! The eyes refused, repelled the offer of life with growing + obstinacy, and in their expression now appeared a covert fear of the + miraculous. The Commander did not believe; for three years he had been + shrugging his shoulders at the pretended cases of cure. But could one ever + tell in this strange world of ours? Such extraordinary things did + sometimes happen. And if by chance their water should really have a + supernatural power, and if by force they should make him drink some of it, + it would be terrible to have to live again—to endure once more the + punishment of a galley-slave existence, that abomination which Lazarus—the + pitiable object of the great miracle—had suffered twice. No, no, he + would not drink; he would not incur the fearful risk of resurrection. + </p> + <p> + “Drink, drink, my brother,” repeated Abbé Judaine, who was now in tears; + “do not harden your heart to refuse the favours of Heaven.” + </p> + <p> + And then a terrible thing was seen; this man, already half dead, raised + himself, shaking off the stifling bonds of paralysis, loosening for a + second his tied tongue, and stammering, growling in a hoarse voice: “No, + no, NO!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had to lead the stupefied old woman away and put her in the right + direction again. She had failed to understand that refusal of the water + which she herself was taking home with her like an inestimable treasure, + the very gift of God’s eternity to the poor who did not wish to die. Lame + of one leg, humpbacked, dragging the sorry remnants of her fourscore years + along by the assistance of her stick, she disappeared among the tramping + crowd, consumed by the passion of being, eager for space, air, sunshine, + and noise. + </p> + <p> + Marie and her father had shuddered in presence of that appetite for death, + that greedy hungering for the end which the Commander showed. Ah! to + sleep, to sleep without a dream, in the infinite darkness forever and ever—nothing + in the world could have seemed so sweet to him. He did not hope in a + better life; he had no desire to become happy, at last, in Paradise where + equality and justice would reign. His sole longing was for black night and + endless sleep, the joy of being no more, of never, never being again. And + Doctor Chassaigne also had shuddered, for he also nourished but one + thought, the thought of the happy moment when he would depart. But, in his + case, on the other side of this earthly existence he would find his dear + lost ones awaiting him, at the spot where eternal life began; and how icy + cold all would have seemed had he but for a single moment thought that he + might not meet them there. + </p> + <p> + Abbé Judaine painfully rose up. It had seemed to him that the Commander + was now fixing his bright eyes upon Marie. Deeply grieved that his + entreaties should have been of no avail, the priest wished to show the + dying man an example of that goodness of God which he repulsed. + </p> + <p> + “You recognise her, do you not?” he asked. “Yes, it is the young lady who + arrived here on Saturday so ill, with both legs paralysed. And you see her + now, so full of health, so strong, so beautiful. Heaven has taken pity on + her, and now she is reviving to youth, to the long life she was born to + live. Do you feel no regret in seeing her? Would you also like her to be + dead? would you have advised her not to drink the water?” + </p> + <p> + The Commander could not answer; but his eyes no longer strayed from + Marie’s young face, on which one read such great happiness at having + resuscitated, such vast hopes in countless morrows; and tears appeared in + those fixed eyes of his, gathered under their lids, and rolled down his + cheeks, which were already cold. He was certainly weeping for her; he must + have been thinking of that other miracle which he had wished her—that + if she should be cured, she might be happy. It was the tenderness of an + old man, who knows the miseries of this world, stirred to pity by the + thought of all the sorrows which awaited this young creature. Ah! poor + woman, how many times; perhaps, might she regret that she had not died in + her twentieth year! + </p> + <p> + Then the Commander’s eyes grew very dim, as though those last pitiful + tears had dissolved them. It was the end; coma was coming; the mind was + departing with the breath. He slightly turned, and died. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Chassaigne at once drew Marie aside. “The train’s starting,” he + said; “make haste, make haste!” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, the loud ringing of a bell was clearly resounding above the + growing tumult of the crowd. And the doctor, having requested two bearers + to watch the body, which would be removed later on when the train had + gone, desired to accompany his friends to their carriage. + </p> + <p> + They hastened their steps. Abbé Judaine, who was in despair, joined them + after saying a short prayer for the repose of that rebellious soul. + However, while Marie, followed by Pierre and M. de Guersaint, was running + along the platform, she was stopped once more, and this time by Doctor + Bonamy, who triumphantly presented her to Father Fourcade. “Here is + Mademoiselle de Guersaint, your reverence, the young lady who was healed + so marvellously yesterday.” + </p> + <p> + The radiant smile of a general who is reminded of his most decisive + victory appeared on Father Fourcade’s face. “I know, I know; I was there,” + he replied. “God has blessed you among all women, my dear daughter; go, + and cause His name to be worshipped.” + </p> + <p> + Then he congratulated M. de Guersaint, whose paternal pride savoured + divine enjoyment. It was the ovation beginning afresh—the concert of + loving words and enraptured glances which had followed the girl through + the streets of Lourdes that morning, and which again surrounded her at the + moment of departure. The bell might go on ringing; a circle of delighted + pilgrims still lingered around her; it seemed as if she were carrying away + in her person all the glory of the pilgrimage, the triumph of religion, + which would echo and echo to the four corners of the earth. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre was moved as he noticed the dolorous group which Madame + Jousseur and M. Dieulafay formed near by. Their eyes were fixed upon + Marie; like the others, they were astonished by the resurrection of this + beautiful girl, whom they had seen lying inert, emaciated, with ashen + face. Why should that child have been healed? Why not the young woman, the + dear woman, whom they were taking home in a dying state? Their confusion, + their sense of shame, seemed to increase; they drew back, uneasy, like + pariahs burdened with too much wealth; and it was a great relief for them + when, three bearers having with difficulty placed Madame Dieulafay in the + first-class compartment, they themselves were able to vanish into it in + company with Abbé Judaine. + </p> + <p> + The <i>employés</i> were already shouting, “Take your seats! take your + seats,” and Father Massias, the spiritual director of the train, had + returned to his compartment, leaving Father Fourcade on the platform + leaning on Doctor Bonamy’s shoulder. In all haste Gérard and Berthaud + again saluted the ladies, while Raymonde got in to join Madame Désagneaux + and Madame Volmar in their corner; and Madame de Jonquière at last ran off + to her carriage, which she reached at the same time as the Guersaints. + There was hustling, and shouting, and wild running from one to the other + end of the long train, to which the engine, a copper engine, glittering + like a star, had just been coupled. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was helping Marie into the carriage, when M. Vigneron, coming back + at a gallop, shouted to him: “It’ll be good to-morrow, it’ll be good + tomorrow!” Very red in the face, he showed and waved his ticket, and then + galloped off again to the compartment where his wife and son had their + seats, in order to announce the good news to them. + </p> + <p> + When Marie and her father were installed in their places, Pierre lingered + for another moment on the platform with Doctor Chassaigne, who embraced + him paternally. The young man wished to induce the doctor to return to + Paris and take some little interest in life again. But M. Chassaigne shook + his head. “No, no, my dear child,” he replied. “I shall remain here. They + are here, they keep me here.” He was speaking of his dear lost ones. Then, + very gently and lovingly, he said, “Farewell.” + </p> + <p> + “Not farewell, my dear doctor; till we meet again.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, farewell. The Commander was right, you know; nothing can be so + sweet as to die, but to die in order to live again.” + </p> + <p> + Baron Suire was now giving orders for the removal of the white flags on + the foremost and hindmost carriages of the train; the shouts of the + railway <i>employés</i> were ringing out in more and more imperious tones, + “Take your seats! take your seats!” and now came the supreme scramble, the + torrent of belated pilgrims rushing up distracted, breathless, and covered + with perspiration. Madame de Jonquière and Sister Hyacinthe were counting + their party in the carriage. La Grivotte, Elise Rouquet, and Sophie + Couteau were all three there. Madame Sabathier, too, had taken her seat in + front of her husband, who, with his eyes half closed, was patiently + awaiting the departure. However, a voice inquired, “And Madame Vincent, + isn’t she going back with us?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Sister Hyacinthe, who was leaning out of the window exchanging a + last smile with Ferrand, who stood at the door of the cantine van, + exclaimed: “Here she comes!” + </p> + <p> + Madame Vincent crossed the lines, rushed up, the last of all, breathless + and haggard. And at once, by an involuntary impulse, Pierre glanced at her + arms. They carried nothing now. + </p> + <p> + All the doors were being closed, slammed one after the other; the + carriages were full, and only the signal for departure was awaited. + Panting and smoking, the engine gave vent to a first loud whistle, shrill + and joyous; and at that moment the sun, hitherto veiled from sight, + dissipated the light cloudlets and made the whole train resplendent, + gilding the engine, which seemed on the point of starting for the + legendary Paradise. No bitterness, but a divine, infantile gaiety attended + the departure. All the sick appeared to be healed. Though most of them + were being taken away in the same condition as they had been brought, they + went off relieved and happy, at all events, for an hour. And not the + slightest jealousy tainted their brotherly and sisterly feelings; those + who were not cured waxed quite gay, triumphant at the cure of the others. + Their own turns would surely come; yesterday’s miracle was the formal + promise of to-morrow’s. Even after those three days of burning entreaty + their fever of desire remained within them; the faith of the forgotten + ones continued as keen as ever in the conviction that the Blessed Virgin + had simply deferred a cure for their souls’ benefit. Inextinguishable + love, invincible hope glowed within all those wretched ones thirsting for + life. And so a last outburst of joy, a turbulent display of happiness, + laughter and shouts, overflowed from all the crowded carriages. “Till next + year! We’ll come back, we’ll come back again!” was the cry; and then the + gay little Sisters of the Assumption clapped their hands, and the hymn of + gratitude, the “Magnificat,” began, sung by all the eight hundred + pilgrims: “<i>Magnificat anima mea Dominum</i>.” “My soul doth magnify the + Lord.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon the station-master, his mind at last at ease, his arms hanging + beside him, caused the signal to be given. The engine whistled once again + and then set out, rolling along in the dazzling sunlight as amidst a + glory. Although his leg was causing him great suffering, Father Fourcade + had remained on the platform, leaning upon Doctor Bonamy’s shoulder, and, + in spite of everything, saluting the departure of his dear children with a + smile. Berthaud, Gérard, and Baron Suire formed another group, and near + them were Doctor Chassaigne and M. Vigneron waving their handkerchiefs. + Heads were looking joyously out of the windows of the fleeing carriages, + whence other handkerchiefs were streaming in the current of air produced + by the motion of the train. Madame Vigneron compelled Gustave to show his + pale little face, and for a long time Raymonde’s small hand could be seen + waving good wishes; but Marie remained the last, looking back on Lourdes + as it grew smaller and smaller amidst the trees. + </p> + <p> + Across the bright countryside the train triumphantly disappeared, + resplendent, growling, chanting at the full pitch of its eight hundred + voices: “<i>Et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo</i>.” “And my + spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour!” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap24"></a> + IV. MARIE’S VOW + </h2> + <p> + ONCE more was the white train rolling, rolling towards Paris on its way + home; and the third-class carriage, where the shrill voices singing the + “Magnificat” at full pitch rose above the growling of the wheels, had + again become a common room, a travelling hospital ward, full of disorder, + littered like an improvised ambulance. Basins and brooms and sponges lay + about under the seats, which half concealed them. Articles of luggage, all + the wretched mass of poor worn-out things, were heaped together, a little + bit everywhere; and up above, the litter began again, what with the + parcels, the baskets, and the bags hanging from the brass pegs and + swinging to and fro without a moment’s rest. The same Sisters of the + Assumption and the same lady-hospitallers were there with their patients, + amidst the contingent of healthy pilgrims, who were already suffering from + the overpowering heat and unbearable odour. And at the far end there was + again the compartment full of women, the ten close-packed female pilgrims, + some young, some old, and all looking pitifully ugly as they violently + chanted the canticle in cracked and woeful voices. + </p> + <p> + “At what time shall we reach Paris?” M. de Guersaint inquired of Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “To-morrow at about two in the afternoon, I think,” the priest replied. + </p> + <p> + Since starting, Marie had been looking at the latter with an air of + anxious preoccupation, as though haunted by a sudden sorrow which she + could not reveal. However, she found her gay, healthful smile again to + say: “Twenty-two hours’ journey! Ah! it won’t be so long and trying as it + was coming.” + </p> + <p> + “Besides,” resumed her father, “we have left some of our people behind. We + have plenty of room now.” + </p> + <p> + In fact Madame Maze’s absence left a corner free at the end of the seat + which Marie, now sitting up like any other passenger, no longer encumbered + with her box. Moreover, little Sophie had this time been placed in the + next compartment, where there was neither Brother Isidore nor his sister + Marthe. The latter, it was said, had remained at Lourdes in service with a + pious lady. On the other side, Madame de Jonquière and Sister Hyacinthe + also had the benefit of a vacant seat, that of Madame Vetu; and it had + further occurred to them to get rid of Elise Rouquet by placing her with + Sophie, so that only La Grivotte and the Sabathier couple were with them + in their compartment. Thanks to these new arrangements, they were better + able to breathe, and perhaps they might manage to sleep a little. + </p> + <p> + The last verse of the “Magnificat” having been sung, the ladies finished + installing themselves as comfortably as possible by setting their little + household in order. One of the most important matters was to put the zinc + water-can, which interfered with their legs, out of the way. All the + blinds of the left-hand windows had been pulled down, for the oblique + sunrays were falling on the train, and had poured into it in sheets of + fire. The last storms, however, must have laid the dust, and the night + would certainly be cool. Moreover, there was less suffering: death had + carried off the most afflicted ones, and only stupefied ailments, numbed + by fatigue and lapsing into a slow torpor, remained. The overpowering + reaction which always follows great moral shocks was about to declare + itself. The souls had made the efforts required of them, the miracles had + been worked, and now the relaxing was beginning amidst a hebetude tinged + with profound relief. + </p> + <p> + Until they got to Tarbes they were all very much occupied in setting + things in order and making themselves comfortable. But as they left that + station Sister Hyacinthe rose up and clapped her hands. “My children,” + said she, “we must not forget the Blessed Virgin who has been so kind to + us. Let us begin the Rosary.” + </p> + <p> + Then the whole carriage repeated the first chaplet—the five joyful + mysteries, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the + Purification, and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. And afterwards they + intoned the canticle, “Let us contemplate the heavenly Archangel,” in such + loud voices that the peasants working in the fields raised their heads to + look at this singing train as it rushed past them at full speed. + </p> + <p> + Marie was at the window, gazing with admiration at the vast landscape and + the immense stretch of sky, which had gradually freed itself of its mist + and was now of a dazzling blue. It was the delicious close of a fine day. + However, she at last looked back into the carriage, and her eyes were + fixing themselves on Pierre with that mute sadness which had previously + dimmed them, when all at once a sound of furious sobbing burst forth in + front of her. The canticle was finished, and it was Madame Vincent who was + crying, stammering confused words, half-choked by her tears: “Ah, my poor + little one!” she gasped. “Ah, my jewel, my treasure, my life!” + </p> + <p> + She had previously remained in her corner, shrinking back into it as + though anxious to disappear. With a fierce face, her lips tightly set, and + her eyes closed, as though to isolate herself in the depths of her cruel + grief, she had hitherto not said a word. But, chancing to open her eyes, + she had espied the leathern window-strap hanging down beside the door, and + the sight of that strap, which her daughter had touched, almost played + with at one moment during the previous journey, had overwhelmed her with a + frantic despair which swept away her resolution to remain silent. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my poor little Rose,” she continued. “Her little hand touched that + strap, she turned it, and looked at it—ah, it was her last + plaything! And we were there both together then; she was still alive, I + still had her on my lap, in my arms. It was still so nice, so nice! But + now I no longer have her; I shall never, never have her again, my poor + little Rose, my poor little Rose!” + </p> + <p> + Distracted, sobbing bitterly, she looked at her knees and her arms, on + which nothing now rested, and which she was at a loss how to employ. She + had so long rocked her daughter on her knees, so long carried her in her + arms, that it now seemed to her as if some portion of her being had been + amputated, as if her body had been deprived of one of its functions, + leaving her diminished, unoccupied, distracted at being unable to fulfil + that function any more. Those useless arms and knees of hers quite + embarrassed her. + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Marie, who were deeply moved, had drawn near, uttering kind + words and striving to console the unhappy mother. And, little by little, + from the disconnected sentences which mingled with her sobs, they learned + what a Calvary she had ascended since her daughter’s death. On the morning + of the previous day, when she had carried the body off in her arms amidst + the storm, she must have long continued walking, blind and deaf to + everything, whilst the torrential rain beat down upon her. She no longer + remembered what squares she had crossed, what streets she had traversed, + as she roamed through that infamous Lourdes, that Lourdes which killed + little children, that Lourdes which she cursed. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I can’t remember, I can’t remember,” she faltered. “But some people + took me in, had pity upon me, some people whom I don’t know, but who live + somewhere. Ah! I can’t remember where, but it was somewhere high up, far + away, at the other end of the town. And they were certainly very poor + folk, for I can still see myself in a poor-looking room with my dear + little one who was quite cold, and whom they laid upon their bed.” + </p> + <p> + At this recollection a fresh attack of sobbing shook her, in fact almost + stifled her. + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” she at last resumed, “I would not part with her dear little body + by leaving it in that abominable town. And I can’t tell exactly how it + happened, but it must have been those poor people who took me with them. + We did a great deal of walking, oh! a great deal of walking; we saw all + those gentlemen of the pilgrimage and the railway. ‘What can it matter to + you?’ I repeated to them. ‘Let me take her back to Paris in my arms. I + brought her here like that when she was alive, I may surely take her back + dead? Nobody will notice anything, people will think that she is asleep.’” + </p> + <p> + “And all of them, all those officials, began shouting and driving me away + as though I were asking them to let me do something wicked. Then I ended + by telling them my mind. When people make so much fuss, and bring so many + agonising sick to a place like that, they surely ought to send the dead + ones home again, ought they not? And do you know how much money they ended + by asking of me at the station? Three hundred francs! Yes, it appears it + is the price! Three hundred francs, good Lord! of me, who came here with + thirty sous in my pocket and have only five left. Why, I don’t earn that + amount of money by six months’ sewing. They ought to have asked me for my + life; I would have given it so willingly. Three hundred francs! three + hundred francs for that poor little bird-like body, which it would have + consoled me so much to have brought away on my knees!” + </p> + <p> + Then she began stammering and complaining in a confused, husky voice: “Ah, + if you only knew how sensibly those poor people talked to me to induce me + to go back. A work-woman like myself, with work waiting, ought to return + to Paris, they said; and, besides, I couldn’t afford to sacrifice my + return ticket; I must take the three-forty train. And they told me, too, + that people are compelled to put up with things when they are not rich. + Only the rich can keep their dead, do what they like with them, eh? And I + can’t remember—no, again I can’t remember! I didn’t even know the + time; I should never have been able to find my way back to the station. + After the funeral over there, at a place where there were two trees, it + must have been those poor people who led me away, half out of my senses, + and brought me to the station, and pushed me into the carriage just at the + moment when the train was starting. But what a rending it was—as if + my heart had remained there underground, and it is frightful, that it is, + frightful, my God!” + </p> + <p> + “Poor woman!” murmured Marie. “Take courage, and pray to the Blessed + Virgin for the succour which she never refuses to the afflicted.” + </p> + <p> + But at this Madame Vincent shook with rage. “It isn’t true!” she cried. + “The Blessed Virgin doesn’t care a rap about me. She doesn’t tell the + truth! Why did she deceive me? I should never have gone to Lourdes if I + hadn’t heard that voice in a church. My little girl would still be alive, + and perhaps the doctors would have saved her. I, who would never set my + foot among the priests formerly! Ah! I was right! I was right! There’s no + Blessed Virgin at all!” + </p> + <p> + And in this wise, without resignation, without illusion, without hope, she + continued blaspheming with the coarse fury of a woman of the people, + shrieking the sufferings of her heart aloud in such rough fashion that + Sister Hyacinthe had to intervene: “Be quiet, you unhappy woman! It is God + who is making you suffer, to punish you.” + </p> + <p> + The scene had already lasted a long time, and as they passed Riscle at + full speed the Sister again clapped her hands and gave the signal for the + chanting of the “Laudate Mariam.” “Come, come, my children,” she + exclaimed, “all together, and with all your hearts: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “In heav’n, on earth, + All voices raise, + In concert sing + My Mother’s praise: + <i>Laudate, laudate, laudate Mariam</i>!” + </pre> + <p> + Madame Vincent, whose voice was drowned by this canticle of love, now only + sobbed, with her hands pressed to her face. Her revolt was over, she was + again strengthless, weak like a suffering woman whom grief and weariness + have stupefied. + </p> + <p> + After the canticle, fatigue fell more or less heavily upon all the + occupants of the carriage. Only Sister Hyacinthe, so quick and active, and + Sister Claire des Anges, so gentle, serious, and slight, retained, as on + their departure from Paris and during their sojourn at Lourdes, the + professional serenity of women accustomed to everything, amidst the bright + gaiety of their white coifs and wimples. Madame de Jonquière, who had + scarcely slept for five days past, had to make an effort to keep her poor + eyes open; and yet she was delighted with the journey, for her heart was + full of joy at having arranged her daughter’s marriage, and at bringing + back with her the greatest of all the miracles, a <i>miraculée</i> whom + everybody was talking of. She decided in her own mind that she would get + to sleep that night, however bad the jolting might be; though on the other + hand she could not shake off a covert fear with regard to La Grivotte, who + looked very strange, excited, and haggard, with dull eyes, and cheeks + glowing with patches of violet colour. Madame de Jonquière had tried a + dozen times to keep her from fidgeting, but had not been able to induce + her to remain still, with joined hands and closed eyes. Fortunately, the + other patients gave her no anxiety; most of them were either so relieved + or so weary that they were already dozing off. Elise Rouquet, however, had + bought herself a pocket mirror, a large round one, in which she did not + weary of contemplating herself, finding herself quite pretty, and + verifying from minute to minute the progress of her cure with a coquetry + which, now that her monstrous face was becoming human again, made her + purse her lips and try a variety of smiles. As for Sophie Couteau, she was + playing very prettily; for finding that nobody now asked to examine her + foot, she had taken off her shoe and stocking of her own accord, repeating + that she must surely have a pebble in one or the other of them; and as her + companions still paid no attention to that little foot which the Blessed + Virgin had been pleased to visit, she kept it in her hands, caressing it, + seemingly delighted to touch it and turn it into a plaything. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint had meantime risen from his seat, and, leaning on the low + partition between the compartments, he was glancing at M. Sabathier, when + all of a sudden Marie called: “Oh! father, father, look at this notch in + the seat; it was the ironwork of my box that made it!” + </p> + <p> + The discovery of this trace rendered her so happy that for a moment she + forgot the secret sorrow which she seemed anxious to keep to herself. And + in the same way as Madame Vincent had burst out sobbing on perceiving the + leather strap which her little girl had touched, so she burst into joy at + the sight of this scratch, which reminded her of her long martyrdom in + this same carriage, all the abomination which had now disappeared, + vanished like a nightmare. “To think that four days have scarcely gone + by,” she said; “I was lying there, I could not stir, and now, now I come + and go, and feel so comfortable!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre and M. de Guersaint were smiling at her; and M. Sabathier, who had + heard her, slowly said: “It is quite true. We leave a little of ourselves + in things, a little of our sufferings and our hopes, and when we find them + again they speak to us, and once more tell us the things which sadden us + or make us gay.” + </p> + <p> + He had remained in his corner silent, with an air of resignation, ever + since their departure from Lourdes. Even his wife whilst wrapping up his + legs had only been able to obtain sundry shakes of the head from him in + response to her inquiries whether he was suffering. In point of fact he + was not suffering, but extreme dejection was overcoming him. + </p> + <p> + “Thus for my own part,” he continued, “during our long journey from Paris + I tried to divert my thoughts by counting the bands in the roofing up + there. There were thirteen from the lamp to the door. Well, I have just + been counting them again, and naturally enough there are still thirteen. + It’s like that brass knob beside me. You can’t imagine what dreams I had + whilst I watched it shining at night-time when Monsieur l’Abbé was reading + the story of Bernadette to us. Yes, I saw myself cured; I was making that + journey to Rome which I have been talking of for twenty years past; I + walked and travelled the world—briefly, I had all manner of wild and + delightful dreams. And now here we are on our way back to Paris, and there + are thirteen bands across the roofing there, and the knob is still shining—all + of which tells me that I am again on the same seat, with my legs lifeless. + Well, well, it’s understood, I’m a poor, old, used-up animal, and such I + shall remain.” + </p> + <p> + Two big tears appeared in his eyes; he must have been passing through an + hour of frightful bitterness. However, he raised his big square head, with + its jaw typical of patient obstinacy, and added: “This is the seventh year + that I have been to Lourdes, and the Blessed Virgin has not listened to + me. No matter! It won’t prevent me from going back next year. Perhaps she + will at last deign to hear me.” + </p> + <p> + For his part he did not revolt. And Pierre, whilst chatting with him, was + stupefied to find persistent, tenacious credulity springing up once more, + in spite of everything, in the cultivated brain of this man of intellect. + What ardent desire of cure and life was it that had led to this refusal to + accept evidence, this determination to remain blind? He stubbornly clung + to the resolution to be saved when all human probabilities were against + him, when the experiment of the miracle itself had failed so many times + already; and he had reached such a point that he wished to explain his + fresh rebuff, urging moments of inattention at the Grotto, a lack of + sufficient contrition, and all sorts of little transgressions which must + have displeased the Blessed Virgin. Moreover, he was already deciding in + his mind that he would perform a novena somewhere next year, before again + repairing to Lourdes. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! by the way,” he resumed, “do you know of the good-luck which my + substitute has had? Yes, you must remember my telling you about that poor + fellow suffering from tuberculosis, for whom I paid fifty francs when I + obtained <i>hospitalisation</i> for myself. Well, he has been thoroughly + cured.” + </p> + <p> + “Really! And he was suffering from tuberculosis!” exclaimed M. de + Guersaint. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly, monsieur, perfectly cured I had seen him looking so low, so + yellow, so emaciated, when we started; but when he came to pay me a visit + at the hospital he was quite a new man; and, dear me, I gave him five + francs.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had to restrain a smile, for be had heard the story from Doctor + Chassaigne. This miraculously healed individual was a feigner, who had + eventually been recognised at the Medical Verification Office. It was, + apparently, the third year that he had presented himself there, the first + time alleging paralysis and the second time a tumour, both of which had + been as completely healed as his pretended tuberculosis. On each occasion + he obtained an outing, lodging and food, and returned home loaded with + alms. It appeared that he had formerly been a hospital nurse, and that he + transformed himself, “made-up” a face suited to his pretended ailment, in + such an extremely artistic manner that it was only by chance that Doctor + Bonamy had detected the imposition. Moreover, the Fathers had immediately + required that the incident should be kept secret. What was the use of + stirring up a scandal which would only have led to jocular remarks in the + newspapers? Whenever any fraudulent miracles of this kind were discovered, + the Fathers contented themselves with forcing the guilty parties to go + away. Moreover, these feigners were far from numerous, despite all that + was related of them in the amusing stories concocted by Voltairean + humourists. Apart from faith, human stupidity and ignorance, alas! were + quite sufficient to account for the miracles. + </p> + <p> + M. Sabathier, however, was greatly stirred by the idea that Heaven had + healed this man who had gone to Lourdes at his expense, whereas he himself + was returning home still helpless, still in the same woeful state. He + sighed, and, despite all his resignation, could not help saying, with a + touch of envy: “What would you, however? The Blessed Virgin must know very + well what she’s about. Neither you nor I can call her to account to us for + her actions. Whenever it may please her to cast her eyes on me she will + find me at her feet.” + </p> + <p> + After the “Angelus” when they got to Mont-de-Marsan, Sister Hyacinthe made + them repeat the second chaplet, the five sorrowful mysteries, Jesus in the + Garden of Olives, Jesus scourged, Jesus crowned with thorns, Jesus + carrying the cross, and Jesus crucified. Then they took dinner in the + carriage, for there would be no stopping until they reached Bordeaux, + where they would only arrive at eleven o’clock at night. All the pilgrims’ + baskets were crammed with provisions, to say nothing of the milk, broth, + chocolate, and fruit which Sister Saint-François had sent from the + cantine. Then, too, there was fraternal sharing: they sat with their food + on their laps and drew close together, every compartment becoming, as it + were, the scene of a picnic, to which each contributed his share. And they + had finished their meal and were packing up the remaining bread again when + the train passed Morceux. + </p> + <p> + “My children,” now said Sister Hyacinthe, rising up, “the evening prayer!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon came a confused murmuring made up of “Paters” and “Aves,” + self-examinations, acts of contrition and vows of trustful reliance in + God, the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints, with thanksgivings for that happy + day, and, at last, a prayer for the living and for the faithful departed. + </p> + <p> + “I warn you,” then resumed the Sister, “that when we get to Lamothe, at + ten o’clock, I shall order silence. However, I think you will all be very + good and won’t require any rocking to get to sleep.” + </p> + <p> + This made them laugh. It was now half-past eight o’clock, and the night + had slowly covered the country-side. The hills alone retained a vague + trace of the twilight’s farewell, whilst a dense sheet of darkness blotted + out all the low ground. Rushing on at full speed, the train entered an + immense plain, and then there was nothing but a sea of darkness, through + which they ever and ever rolled under a blackish sky, studded with stars. + </p> + <p> + For a moment or so Pierre had been astonished by the demeanour of La + Grivotte. While the other pilgrims and patients were already dozing off, + sinking down amidst the luggage, which the constant jolting shook, she had + risen to her feet and was clinging to the partition in a sudden spasm of + agony. And under the pale, yellow, dancing gleam of the lamp she once more + looked emaciated, with a livid, tortured face. + </p> + <p> + “Take care, madame, she will fall!” the priest called to Madame de + Jonquière, who, with eyelids lowered, was at last giving way to sleep. + </p> + <p> + She made all haste to intervene, but Sister Hyacinthe had turned more + quickly and caught La Grivotte in her arms. A frightful fit of coughing, + however, prostrated the unhappy creature upon the seat, and for five + minutes she continued stifling, shaken by such an attack that her poor + body seemed to be actually cracking and rending. Then a red thread oozed + from between her lips, and at last she spat up blood by the throatful. + </p> + <p> + “Good heavens! good heavens! it’s coming on her again!” repeated Madame de + Jonquière in despair. “I had a fear of it; I was not at ease, seeing her + looking so strange. Wait a moment; I will sit down beside her.” + </p> + <p> + But the Sister would not consent: “No, no, madame, sleep a little. I’ll + watch over her. You are not accustomed to it: you would end by making + yourself ill as well.” + </p> + <p> + Then she settled herself beside La Grivotte, made her rest her head + against her shoulder, and wiped the blood from her lips. The attack + subsided, but weakness was coming back, so extreme that the wretched woman + was scarcely able to stammer: “Oh, it is nothing, nothing at all; I am + cured, I am cured, completely cured!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was thoroughly upset: This sudden, overwhelming relapse had sent an + icy chill through the whole carriage. Many of the passengers raised + themselves up and looked at La Grivotte with terror in their eyes. Then + they dived down into their corners again, and nobody spoke, nobody stirred + any further. Pierre, for his part, reflected on the curious medical aspect + of this girl’s case. Her strength had come back to her over yonder. She + had displayed a ravenous appetite, she had walked long distances with a + dancing gait, her face quite radiant the while; and now she had spat + blood, her cough had broken out afresh, she again had the heavy ashen face + of one in the last agony. Her ailment had returned to her with brutal + force, victorious over everything. Was this, then, some special case of + phthisis complicated by neurosis? Or was it some other malady, some + unknown disease, quietly continuing its work in the midst of contradictory + diagnosis? The sea of error and ignorance, the darkness amidst which human + science is still struggling, again appeared to Pierre. And he once more + saw Doctor Chassaigne shrugging his shoulders with disdain, whilst Doctor + Bonamy, full of serenity, quietly continued his verification work, + absolutely convinced that nobody would be able to prove to him the + impossibility of his miracles any more than he himself could have proved + their possibility. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I am not frightened,” La Grivotte continued, stammering. “I am cured, + completely cured; they all told me so, over yonder.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime the carriage was rolling, rolling along, through the black night. + Each of its occupants was making preparations, stretching himself out in + order to sleep more comfortably. They compelled Madame Vincent to lie down + on the seat, and gave her a pillow on which to rest her poor pain-racked + head; and then, as docile as a child, quite stupefied, she fell asleep in + a nightmare-like torpor, with big, silent tears still flowing from her + closed eyes. Elise Rouquet, who had a whole seat to herself, was also + getting ready to lie down, but first of all she made quite an elaborate + toilet, tying the black wrap which had served to hide her sore about her + head, and then again peering into her glass to see if this headgear became + her, now that the swelling of her lip had subsided. And again did Pierre + feel astonished at sight of that sore, which was certainly healing, if not + already healed—that face, so lately a monster’s face, which one + could now look at without feeling horrified. The sea of incertitude + stretched before him once more. Was it even a real lupus? Might it not + rather be some unknown form of ulcer of hysterical origin? Or ought one to + admit that certain forms of lupus, as yet but imperfectly studied and + arising from faulty nutrition of the skin, might be benefited by a great + moral shock? At all events there here seemed to be a miracle, unless, + indeed, the sore should reappear again in three weeks’, three months’, or + three years’ time, like La Grivotte’s phthisis. + </p> + <p> + It was ten o’clock, and the people in the carriage were falling asleep + when they left Lamothe. Sister Hyacinthe, upon whose knees La Grivotte was + now drowsily resting her head, was unable to rise, and, for form’s sake, + merely said, “Silence, silence, my children!” in a low voice, which died + away amidst the growling rumble of the wheels. + </p> + <p> + However, something continued stirring in an adjoining compartment; she + heard a noise which irritated her nerves, and the cause of which she at + last fancied she could understand. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you keep on kicking the seat, Sophie?” she asked. “You must get to + sleep, my child.” + </p> + <p> + “I’m not kicking, Sister. It’s a key that was rolling about under my + foot.” + </p> + <p> + “A key!—how is that? Pass it to me.” + </p> + <p> + Then she examined it. A very old, poor-looking key it was—blackened, + worn away, and polished by long use, its ring bearing the mark of where it + had been broken and resoldered. However, they all searched their pockets, + and none of them, it seemed, had lost a key. + </p> + <p> + “I found it in the corner,” now resumed Sophie; “it must have belonged to + the man.” + </p> + <p> + “What man?” asked Sister Hyacinthe. + </p> + <p> + “The man who died there.” + </p> + <p> + They had already forgotten him. But it had surely been his, for Sister + Hyacinthe recollected that she had heard something fall while she was + wiping his forehead. And she turned the key over and continued looking at + it, as it lay in her hand, poor, ugly, wretched key that it was, no longer + of any use, never again to open the lock it belonged to—some unknown + lock, hidden far away in the depths of the world. For a moment she was + minded to put it in her pocket, as though by a kind of compassion for this + little bit of iron, so humble and so mysterious, since it was all that + remained of that unknown man. But then the pious thought came to her that + it is wrong to show attachment to any earthly thing; and, the window being + half-lowered, she threw out the key, which fell into the black night. + </p> + <p> + “You must not play any more, Sophie,” she resumed. “Come, come, my + children, silence!” + </p> + <p> + It was only after the brief stay at Bordeaux, however, at about half-past + eleven o’clock, that sleep came back again and overpowered all in the + carriage. Madame de Jonquière had been unable to contend against it any + longer, and her head was now resting against the partition, her face + wearing an expression of happiness amidst all her fatigue. The Sabathiers + were, in a like fashion, calmly sleeping; and not a sound now came from + the compartment which Sophie Couteau and Elise Rouquet occupied, stretched + in front of each other, on the seats. From time to time a low plaint would + rise, a strangled cry of grief or fright, escaping from the lips of Madame + Vincent, who, amidst her prostration, was being tortured by evil dreams. + Sister Hyacinthe was one of the very few who still had their eyes open, + anxious as she was respecting La Grivotte, who now lay quite motionless, + like a felled animal, breathing painfully, with a continuous wheezing + sound. From one to the other end of this travelling dormitory, shaken by + the rumbling of the train rolling on at full speed, the pilgrims and the + sick surrendered themselves to sleep, and limbs dangled and heads swayed + under the pale, dancing gleams from the lamps. At the far end, in the + compartment occupied by the ten female pilgrims, there was a woeful + jumbling of poor, ugly faces, old and young, and all open-mouthed, as + though sleep had suddenly fallen upon them at the moment they were + finishing some hymn. Great pity came to the heart at the sight of all + those mournful, weary beings, prostrated by five days of wild hope and + infinite ecstasy, and destined to awaken, on the very morrow, to the stern + realities of life. + </p> + <p> + And now Pierre once more felt himself to be alone with Marie. She had not + consented to stretch herself on the seat—she had been lying down too + long, she said, for seven years, alas! And in order that M. de Guersaint, + who on leaving Bordeaux had again fallen into his childlike slumber, might + be more at ease, Pierre came and sat down beside the girl. As the light of + the lamp annoyed her he drew the little screen, and they thus found + themselves in the shade, a soft and transparent shade. The train must now + have been crossing a plain, for it glided through the night as in an + endless flight, with a sound like the regular flapping of huge wings. + Through the window, which they had opened, a delicious coolness came from + the black fields, the fathomless fields, where not even any lonely little + village lights could be seen gleaming. For a moment Pierre had turned + towards Marie and had noticed that her eyes were closed. But he could + divine that she was not sleeping, that she was savouring the deep + peacefulness which prevailed around them amidst the thundering roar of + their rush through the darkness, and, like her, he closed his eyelids and + began dreaming. + </p> + <p> + Yet once again did the past arise before him: the little house at Neuilly, + the embrace which they had exchanged near the flowering hedge under the + trees flecked with sunlight. How far away all that already was, and with + what perfume had it not filled his life! Then bitter thoughts returned to + him at the memory of the day when he had become a priest. Since she would + never be a woman, he had consented to be a man no more; and that was to + prove their eternal misfortune, for ironical Nature was to make her a wife + and a mother after all. Had he only been able to retain his faith he might + have found eternal consolation in it. But all his attempts to regain it + had been in vain. He had gone to Lourdes, he had striven his utmost at the + Grotto, he had hoped for a moment that he would end by believing should + Marie be miraculously healed; but total and irremediable ruin had come + when the predicted cure had taken place even as science had foretold. And + their idyl, so pure and so painful, the long story of their affection + bathed in tears, likewise spread out before him. She, having penetrated + his sad secret, had come to Lourdes to pray to Heaven for the miracle of + his conversion. When they had remained alone under the trees amidst the + perfume of the invisible roses, during the night procession, they had + prayed one for the other, mingling one in the other, with an ardent desire + for their mutual happiness. Before the Grotto, too, she had entreated the + Blessed Virgin to forget her and to save him, if she could obtain but one + favour from her Divine Son. Then, healed, beside herself, transported with + love and gratitude, whirled with her little car up the inclined ways to + the Basilica, she had thought her prayers granted, and had cried aloud the + joy she felt that they should have both been saved, together, together! + Ah! that lie which he, prompted by affection and charity, had told, that + error in which he had from that moment suffered her to remain, with what a + weight did it oppress his heart! It was the heavy slab which walled him in + his voluntarily chosen sepulchre. He remembered the frightful attack of + grief which had almost killed him in the gloom of the crypt, his sobs, his + brutal revolt, his longing to keep her for himself alone, to possess her + since he knew her to be his own—all that rising passion of his + awakened manhood, which little by little had fallen asleep again, drowned + by the rushing river of his tears; and in order that he might not destroy + the divine illusion which possessed her, yielding to brotherly compassion, + he had taken that heroic vow to lie to her, that vow which now filled him + with such anguish. + </p> + <p> + Pierre shuddered amidst his reverie. Would he have the strength to keep + that vow forever? Had he not detected a feeling of impatience in his heart + even whilst he was waiting for her at the railway station, a jealous + longing to leave that Lourdes which she loved too well, in the vague hope + that she might again become his own, somewhere far away? If he had not + been a priest he would have married her. And what rapture, what felicity + would then have been his! He would have given himself wholly unto her, she + would have been wholly his own, and he and she would have lived again in + the dear child that would doubtless have been born to them. Ah! surely + that alone was divine, the life which is complete, the life which creates + life! And then his reverie strayed: he pictured himself married, and the + thought filled him with such delight that he asked why such a dream should + be unrealisable? She knew no more than a child of ten; he would educate + her, form her mind. She would then understand that this cure for which she + thought herself indebted to the Blessed Virgin, had in reality come to her + from the Only Mother, serene and impassive Nature. But even whilst he was + thus settling things in his mind, a kind of terror, born of his religious + education, arose within him. Could he tell if that human happiness with + which he desired to endow her would ever be worth as much as the holy + ignorance, the infantile candour in which she now lived? How bitterly he + would reproach himself afterwards if she should not be happy. Then, too, + what a drama it would all be; he to throw off the cassock, and marry this + girl healed by an alleged miracle—ravage her faith sufficiently to + induce her to consent to such sacrilege? Yet therein lay the brave course; + there lay reason, life, real manhood, real womanhood. Why, then, did he + not dare? Horrible sadness was breaking upon his reverie, he became + conscious of nothing beyond the sufferings of his poor heart. + </p> + <p> + The train was still rolling along with its great noise of flapping wings. + Beside Pierre and Marie, only Sister Hyacinthe was still awake amidst the + weary slumber of the carriage; and just then, Marie leant towards Pierre, + and softly said to him: “It’s strange, my friend; I am so sleepy, and yet + I can’t sleep.” Then, with a light laugh, she added: “I’ve got Paris in my + head!” + </p> + <p> + “How is that—Paris?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes. I’m thinking that it’s waiting for me, that I am about to + return to it—that Paris which I know nothing of, and where I shall + have to live!” + </p> + <p> + These words brought fresh anguish to Pierre’s heart. He had well foreseen + it; she could no longer belong to him, she would belong to others. If + Lourdes had restored her to him, Paris was about to take her from him + again. And he pictured this ignorant little being fatally acquiring all + the education of woman. That little spotless soul which had remained so + candid in the frame of a big girl of three-and-twenty, that soul which + illness had kept apart from others, far from life, far even from novels, + would soon ripen, now that it could fly freely once more. He beheld her, a + gay, healthy young girl, running everywhere, looking and learning, and, + some day, meeting the husband who would finish her education. + </p> + <p> + “And so,” said he, “you propose to amuse yourself in Paris?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! what are you saying, my friend? Are we rich enough to amuse + ourselves?” she replied. “No, I was thinking of my poor sister Blanche, + and wondering what I should be able to do in Paris to help her a little. + She is so good, she works so hard; I don’t wish that she should have to + continue earning all the money.” + </p> + <p> + And, after a fresh pause, as he, deeply moved, remained silent, she added: + “Formerly, before I suffered so dreadfully, I painted miniatures rather + nicely. You remember, don’t you, that I painted a portrait of papa which + was very like him, and which everybody praised. You will help me, won’t + you? You will find me customers?” + </p> + <p> + Then she began talking of the new life which she was about to live. She + wanted to arrange her room and hang it with cretonne, something pretty, + with a pattern of little blue flowers. She would buy it out of the first + money she could save. Blanche had spoken to her of the big shops where + things could be bought so cheaply. To go out with Blanche and run about a + little would be so amusing for her, who, confined to her bed since + childhood, had never seen anything. Then Pierre, who for a moment had been + calmer, again began to suffer, for he could divine all her glowing desire + to live, her ardour to see everything, know everything, and taste + everything. It was at last the awakening of the woman whom she was + destined to be, whom he had divined in childhood’s days—a dear + creature of gaiety and passion, with blooming lips, starry eyes, a milky + complexion, golden hair, all resplendent with the joy of being. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I shall work, I shall work,” she resumed; “but you are right, Pierre, + I shall also amuse myself, because it cannot be a sin to be gay, can it?” + </p> + <p> + “No, surely not, Marie.” + </p> + <p> + “On Sundays we will go into the country, oh very far away, into the woods + where there are beautiful trees. And we will sometimes go to the theatre, + too, if papa will take us. I have been told that there are many plays that + one may see. But, after all, it’s not all that. Provided I can go out and + walk in the streets and see things, I shall be so happy; I shall come home + so gay. It is so nice to live, is it not, Pierre?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, Marie, it is very nice.” + </p> + <p> + A chill like that of death was coming over him; his regret that he was no + longer a man was filling him with agony. But since she tempted him like + this with her irritating candour, why should he not confess to her the + truth which was ravaging his being? He would have won her, have conquered + her. Never had a more frightful struggle arisen between his heart and his + will. For a moment he was on the point of uttering irrevocable words. + </p> + <p> + But with the voice of a joyous child she was already resuming: “Oh! look + at poor papa; how pleased he must be to sleep so soundly!” + </p> + <p> + On the seat in front of them M. de Guersaint was indeed slumbering with a + comfortable expression on his face, as though he were in his bed, and had + no consciousness of the continual jolting of the train. This monotonous + rolling and heaving seemed, in fact, a lullaby rocking the whole carriage + to sleep. All surrendered themselves to it, sinking powerless on to the + piles of bags and parcels, many of which had also fallen; and the + rhythmical growling of the wheels never ceased in the unknown darkness + through which the train was still rolling. Now and again, as they passed + through a station or under a bridge, there would be a loud rush of wind, a + tempest would suddenly sweep by; and then the lulling, growling sound + would begin again, ever the same for hours together. + </p> + <p> + Marie gently took hold of Pierre’s hands; he and she were so lost, so + completely alone among all those prostrated beings, in the deep, rumbling + peacefulness of the train flying across the black night. And sadness, the + sadness which she had hitherto hidden, had again come back to her, casting + a shadow over her large blue eyes. + </p> + <p> + “You will often come with us, my good Pierre, won’t you?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + He had started on feeling her little hand pressing his own. His heart was + on his lips, he was making up his mind to speak. However, he once again + restrained himself and stammered: “I am not always at liberty, Marie; a + priest cannot go everywhere.” + </p> + <p> + “A priest?” she repeated. “Yes, yes, a priest. I understand.” + </p> + <p> + Then it was she who spoke, who confessed the mortal secret which had been + oppressing her heart ever since they had started. She leant nearer, and in + a lower voice resumed: “Listen, my good Pierre; I am fearfully sad. I may + look pleased, but there is death in my soul. You did not tell me the truth + yesterday.” + </p> + <p> + He became quite scared, but did not at first understand her. “I did not + tell you the truth—About what?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + A kind of shame restrained her, and she again hesitated at the moment of + descending into the depths of another conscience than her own. Then, like + a friend, a sister, she continued: “No, you let me believe that you had + been saved with me, and it was not true, Pierre, you have not found your + lost faith again.” + </p> + <p> + Good Lord! she knew. For him this was desolation, such a catastrophe that + he forgot his torments. And, at first, he obstinately clung to the + falsehood born of his fraternal charity. “But I assure you, Marie. How can + you have formed such a wicked idea?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! be quiet, my friend, for pity’s sake. It would grieve me too deeply + if you were to speak to me falsely again. It was yonder, at the station, + at the moment when we were starting, and that unhappy man had died. Good + Abbé Judaine had knelt down to pray for the repose of that rebellious + soul. And I divined everything, I understood everything when I saw that + you did not kneel as well, that prayer did not rise to your lips as to + his.” + </p> + <p> + “But, really, I assure you, Marie—” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, you did not pray for the dead; you no longer believe. And + besides, there is something else; something I can guess, something which + comes to me from you, a despair which you can’t hide from me, a melancholy + look which comes into your poor eyes directly they meet mine. The Blessed + Virgin did not grant my prayer, she did not restore your faith, and I am + very, very wretched.” + </p> + <p> + She was weeping, a hot tear fell upon the priest’s hand, which she was + still holding. It quite upset him, and he ceased struggling, confessing, + in his turn letting his tears flow, whilst, in a very low voice, he + stammered: “Ah! Marie, I am very wretched also. Oh! so very wretched.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment they remained silent, in their cruel grief at feeling that + the abyss which parts different beliefs was yawning between them. They + would never belong to one another again, and they were in despair at being + so utterly unable to bring themselves nearer to one another; but the + severance was henceforth definitive, since Heaven itself had been unable + to reconnect the bond. And thus, side by side, they wept over their + separation. + </p> + <p> + “I who prayed so fervently for your conversion,” she said in a dolorous + voice, “I who was so happy. It had seemed to me that your soul was + mingling with mine; and it was so delightful to have been saved together, + together. I felt such strength for life; oh, strength enough to raise the + world!” + </p> + <p> + He did not answer; his tears were still flowing, flowing without end. + </p> + <p> + “And to think,” she resumed, “that I was saved all alone; that this great + happiness fell upon me without you having any share in it. And to see you + so forsaken, so desolate, when I am loaded with grace and joy, rends my + heart. Ah! how severe the Blessed Virgin has been! Why did she not heal + your soul at the same time that she healed my body?” + </p> + <p> + The last opportunity was presenting itself; he ought to have illumined + this innocent creature’s mind with the light of reason, have explained the + miracle to her, in order that life, after accomplishing its healthful work + in her body, might complete its triumph by throwing them into one + another’s arms. He also was healed, his mind was healthy now, and it was + not for the loss of faith, but for the loss of herself, that he was + weeping. However, invincible compassion was taking possession of him + amidst all his grief. No, no, he would not trouble that dear soul; he + would not rob her of her belief, which some day might prove her only stay + amidst the sorrows of this world. One cannot yet require of children and + women the bitter heroism of reason. He had not the strength to do it; he + even thought that he had not the right. It would have seemed to him + violation, abominable murder. And he did not speak out, but his tears + flowed, hotter and hotter, in this immolation of his love, this despairing + sacrifice of his own happiness in order that she might remain candid and + ignorant and gay at heart. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Marie, how wretched I am! Nowhere on the roads, nowhere at the + galleys even, is there a man more wretched than myself! Oh, Marie, if you + only knew; if you only knew how wretched I am!” + </p> + <p> + She was distracted, and caught him in her trembling arms, wishing to + console him with a sisterly embrace. And at that moment the woman awaking + within her understood everything, and she herself sobbed with sorrow that + both human and divine will should thus part them. She had never yet + reflected on such things, but suddenly she caught a glimpse of life, with + its passions, its struggles, and its sufferings; and then, seeking for + what she might say to soothe in some degree that broken heart, she + stammered very faintly, distressed that she could find nothing sweet + enough, “I know, I know—” + </p> + <p> + Then the words it was needful she should speak came to her; and as though + that which she had to say ought only to be heard by the angels, she became + anxious and looked around her. But the slumber which reigned in the + carriage seemed more heavy even than before. Her father was still + sleeping, with the innocent look of a big child. Not one of the pilgrims, + not one of the ailing ones, had stirred amidst the rough rocking which + bore them onward. Even Sister Hyacinthe, giving way to her overpowering + weariness, had just closed her eyes, after drawing the lamp-screen in her + own compartment. And now there were only vague shadows there, ill-defined + bodies amidst nameless things, ghostly forms scarce visible, which a + tempest blast, a furious rush, was carrying on and on through the + darkness. And she likewise distrusted that black country-side whose + unknown depths went by on either side of the train without one even being + able to tell what forests, what rivers, what hills one was crossing. A + short time back some bright sparks of light had appeared, possibly the + lights of some distant forges, or the woeful lamps of workers or + sufferers. Now, however, the night again streamed deeply all around, the + obscure, infinite, nameless sea, farther and farther through which they + ever went, not knowing where they were. + </p> + <p> + Then, with a chaste confusion, blushing amidst her tears, Marie placed her + lips near Pierre’s ear. “Listen, my friend; there is a great secret + between the Blessed Virgin and myself. I had sworn that I would never tell + it to anybody. But you are too unhappy, you are suffering too bitterly; + she will forgive me; I will confide it to you.” + </p> + <p> + And in a faint breath she went on: “During that night of love, you know, + that night of burning ecstasy which I spent before the Grotto, I engaged + myself by a vow: I promised the Blessed Virgin the gift of my chastity if + she would but heal me.... She has healed me, and never—you hear me, + Pierre, never will I marry anybody.” + </p> + <p> + Ah! what unhoped-for sweetness! He thought that a balmy dew was falling on + his poor wounded heart. It was a divine enchantment, a delicious relief. + If she belonged to none other she would always be a little bit his own. + And how well she had known his torment and what it was needful she should + say in order that life might yet be possible for him. + </p> + <p> + In his turn he wished to find happy words and promise that he also would + ever be hers, ever love her as he had loved her since childhood, like the + dear creature she was, whose one kiss, long, long ago, had sufficed to + perfume his entire life. But she made him stop, already anxious, fearing + to spoil that pure moment. “No, no, my friend,” she murmured, “let us say + nothing more; it would be wrong, perhaps. I am very weary; I shall sleep + quietly now.” + </p> + <p> + And, with her head against his shoulder, she fell asleep at once, like a + sister who is all confidence. He for a moment kept himself awake in that + painful happiness of renunciation which they had just tasted together. It + was all over, quite over now; the sacrifice was consummated. He would live + a solitary life, apart from the life of other men. Never would he know + woman, never would any child be born to him. And there remained to him + only the consoling pride of that accepted and desired suicide, with the + desolate grandeur that attaches to lives which are beyond the pale of + nature. + </p> + <p> + But fatigue overpowered him also; his eyes closed, and in his turn he fell + asleep. And afterwards his head slipped down, and his cheek touched the + cheek of his dear friend, who was sleeping very gently with her brow + against his shoulder. Then their hair mingled. She had her golden hair, + her royal hair, half unbound, and it streamed over his face, and he + dreamed amidst its perfume. Doubtless the same blissful dream fell upon + them both, for their loving faces assumed the same expression of rapture; + they both seemed to be smiling to the angels. It was chaste and passionate + abandon, the innocence of chance slumber placing them in one another’s + arms, with warm, close lips so that their breath mingled, like the breath + of two babes lying in the same cradle. And such was their bridal night, + the consummation of the spiritual marriage in which they were to live, a + delicious annihilation born of extreme fatigue, with scarcely a fleeting + dream of mystical possession, amidst that carriage of wretchedness and + suffering, which still and ever rolled along through the dense night. + Hours and hours slipped by, the wheels growled, the bags and baskets swung + from the brass hooks, whilst from the piled-up, crushed bodies there only + arose a sense of terrible fatigue, the great physical exhaustion brought + back from the land of miracles when the overworked souls returned home. + </p> + <p> + At last, at five o’clock, whilst the sun was rising, there was a sudden + awakening, a resounding entry into a large station, with porters calling, + doors opening, and people scrambling together. They were at Poitiers, and + at once the whole carriage was on foot, amidst a chorus of laughter and + exclamations. Little Sophie Couteau alighted here, and was bidding + everybody farewell. She embraced all the ladies, even passing over the + partition to take leave of Sister Claire des Anges, whom nobody had seen + since the previous evening, for, silent and slight of build, with eyes + full of mystery, she had vanished into her corner. Then the child came + back again, took her little parcel, and showed herself particularly + amiable towards Sister Hyacinthe and Madame de Jonquière. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Au revoir</i>, Sister! <i>Au revoir</i>, madame! I thank you for all + your kindness.” + </p> + <p> + “You must come back again next year, my child.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I sha’n’t fail, Sister; it’s my duty.” + </p> + <p> + “And be good, my dear child, and take care of your health, so that the + Blessed Virgin may be proud of you.” + </p> + <p> + “To be sure, madame, she was so good to me, and it amuses me so much to go + to see her.” + </p> + <p> + When she was on the platform, all the pilgrims in the carriage leaned out, + and with happy faces watched her go off. + </p> + <p> + “Till next year!” they called to her; “till next year!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, thank you kindly. Till next year.” + </p> + <p> + The morning prayer was only to be said at Chatelherault. After the + stoppage at Poitiers, when the train was once more rolling on in the fresh + breeze of morning, M. de Guersaint gaily declared that he had slept + delightfully, in spite of the hardness of the seat. Madame de Jonquière + also congratulated herself on the good rest which she had had, and of + which she had been in so much need; though, at the same time, she was + somewhat annoyed at having left Sister Hyacinthe all alone to watch over + La Grivotte, who was now shivering with intense fever, again attacked by + her horrible cough. Meanwhile the other female pilgrims were tidying + themselves. The ten women at the far end were fastening their <i>fichus</i> + and tying their cap strings, with a kind of modest nervousness displayed + on their mournfully ugly faces. And Elise Rouquet, all attention, with her + face close to her pocket glass, did not cease examining her nose, mouth, + and cheeks, admiring herself with the thought that she was really and + truly becoming nice-looking. + </p> + <p> + And it was then that Pierre and Marie again experienced a feeling of deep + compassion on glancing at Madame Vincent, whom nothing had been able to + rouse from a state of torpor, neither the tumultuous stoppage at Poitiers, + nor the noise of voices which had continued ever since they had started + off again. Prostrate on the seat, she had not opened her eyes, but still + and ever slumbered, tortured by atrocious dreams. And, with big tears + still streaming from her closed eyes, she had caught hold of the pillow + which had been forced upon her, and was closely pressing it to her breast + in some nightmare born of her suffering. Her poor arms, which had so long + carried her dying daughter, her arms now unoccupied, forever empty, had + found this cushion whilst she slept, and had coiled around them, as around + a phantom, with a blind and frantic embrace. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, M. Sabathier had woke up feeling quite joyous. Whilst + his wife was pulling up his rug, carefully wrapping it round his lifeless + legs; he began to chat with sparkling eyes, once more basking in illusion. + He had dreamt of Lourdes, said he, and had seen the Blessed Virgin leaning + towards him with a smile of kindly promise. And then, although he had + before him both Madame Vincent, that mother whose daughter the Virgin had + allowed to die, and La Grivotte, the wretched woman whom she had healed + and who had so cruelly relapsed into her mortal disease, he nevertheless + rejoiced and made merry, repeating to M. de Guersaint, with an air of + perfect conviction: “Oh! I shall return home quite easy in mind, monsieur—I + shall be cured next year. Yes, yes, as that dear little girl said just + now: ‘Till next year, till next year!’” + </p> + <p> + It was indestructible illusion, victorious even over certainty, eternal + hope determined not to die, but shooting up with more life than ever, + after each defeat, upon the ruins of everything. + </p> + <p> + At Chatelherault, Sister Hyacinthe made them say the morning prayer, the + “Pater,” the “Ave,” the “Credo,” and an appeal to God begging Him for the + happiness of a glorious day: “O God, grant me sufficient strength that I + may avoid all that is evil, do all that is good, and suffer without + complaint every pain.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap25"></a> + V. THE DEATH OP BERNADETTE—THE NEW RELIGION + </h2> + <p> + AND the journey continued; the train rolled, still rolled along. At + Sainte-Maure the prayers of the mass were said, and at + Sainte-Pierre-des-Corps the “Credo” was chanted. However, the religious + exercises no longer proved so welcome; the pilgrims’ zeal was flagging + somewhat in the increasing fatigue of their return journey, after such + prolonged mental excitement. It occurred to Sister Hyacinthe that the + happiest way of entertaining these poor worn-out folks would be for + someone to read aloud; and she promised that she would allow Monsieur + l’Abbé to read them the finish of Bernadette’s life, some of the + marvellous episodes of which he had already on two occasions related to + them. However, they must wait until they arrived at Les Aubrais; there + would be nearly two hours between Les Aubrais and Etampes, ample time to + finish the story without being disturbed. + </p> + <p> + Then the various religious exercises followed one after the other, in a + monotonous repetition of the order which had been observed whilst they + crossed the same plains on their way to Lourdes. They again began the + Rosary at Amboise, where they said the first chaplet, the five joyful + mysteries; then, after singing the canticle, “O loving Mother, bless,” at + Blois, they recited the second chaplet, the five sorrowful mysteries, at + Beaugency. Some little fleecy clouds had veiled the sun since morning, and + the landscapes, very sweet and somewhat sad, flew by with a continuous + fan-like motion. The trees and houses on either side of the line + disappeared in the grey light with the fleetness of vague visions, whilst + the distant hills, enveloped in mist, vanished more slowly, with the + gentle rise and fall of a swelling sea. Between Beaugency and Les Aubrais + the train seemed to slacken speed, though it still kept up its rhythmical, + persistent rumbling, which the deafened pilgrims no longer even heard. + </p> + <p> + At length, when Les Aubrais had been left behind, they began to lunch in + the carriage. It was then a quarter to twelve, and when they had said the + “Angelus,” and the three “Aves” had been thrice repeated, Pierre took from + Marie’s bag the little book whose blue cover was ornamented with an + artless picture of Our Lady of Lourdes. Sister Hyacinthe clapped her hands + as a signal for silence, and amidst general wakefulness and ardent + curiosity like that of big children impassioned by the marvellous story, + the priest was able to begin reading in his fine, penetrating voice. Now + came the narrative of Bernadette’s sojourn at Nevers, and then her death + there. Pierre, however, as on the two previous occasions, soon ceased + following the exact text of the little book, and added charming anecdotes + of his own, both what he knew and what he could divine; and, for himself + alone, he again evolved the true story, the human, pitiful story, that + which none had ever told, but which he felt so deeply. + </p> + <p> + It was on the 8th July, 1866, that Bernadette left Lourdes. She went to + take the veil at Nevers, in the convent of Saint-Gildard, the chief + habitation of the Sisters on duty at the Asylum where she had learnt to + read and had been living for eight years. She was then twenty-two years of + age, and it was eight years since the Blessed Virgin had appeared to her. + And her farewells to the Grotto, to the Basilica, to the whole town which + she loved, were watered with tears. But she could no longer remain there, + owing to the continuous persecution of public curiosity, the visits, the + homage, and the adoration paid to her, from which, on account of her + delicate health, she suffered cruelly. Her sincere humility, her timid + love of shade and silence, had at last produced in her an ardent desire to + disappear, to hide her resounding glory—the glory of one whom heaven + had chosen and whom the world would not leave in peace—in the depth + of some unknown darkness; and she longed only for simple-mindedness, for a + quiet humdrum life devoted to prayer and petty daily occupations. Her + departure was therefore a relief both to her and to the Grotto, which she + was beginning to embarrass with her excessive innocence and burdensome + complaints. + </p> + <p> + At Nevers, Saint-Gildard ought to have proved a paradise. She there found + fresh air, sunshine, spacious apartments, and an extensive garden planted + with fine trees. Yet she did not enjoy peace,—that utter + forgetfulness of the world for which one flees to the far-away desert. + Scarcely twenty days after her arrival, she donned the garb of the Order + and assumed the name of Sister Marie-Bernard, for the time simply engaging + herself by partial vows. However, the world still flocked around her, the + persecution of the multitude began afresh. She was pursued even into the + cloister through an irresistible desire to obtain favours from her saintly + person. Ah! to see her, touch her, become lucky by gazing on her or + surreptitiously rubbing some medal against her dress. It was the credulous + passion of fetishism, a rush of believers pursuing this poor beatified + being in the desire which each felt to secure a share of hope and divine + illusion. She wept at it with very weariness, with impatient revolt, and + often repeated: “Why do they torment me like this? What more is there in + me than in others?” And at last she felt real grief at thus becoming “the + raree-show,” as she ended by calling herself with a sad, suffering smile. + She defended herself as far as she could, refusing to see anyone. Her + companions defended her also, and sometimes very sternly, showing her only + to such visitors as were authorised by the Bishop. The doors of the + Convent remained closed, and ecclesiastics almost alone succeeded in + effecting an entrance. Still, even this was too much for her desire for + solitude, and she often had to be obstinate, to request that the priests + who had called might be sent away, weary as she was of always telling the + same story, of ever answering the same questions. She was incensed, + wounded, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin herself. Still, she sometimes had + to yield, for the Bishop in person would bring great personages, + dignitaries, and prelates; and she would then appear with her grave air, + answering politely and as briefly as possible; only feeling at ease when + she was allowed to return to her shadowy corner. Never, indeed, had + distinction weighed more heavily on a mortal. One day, when she was asked + if she was not proud of the continual visits paid her by the Bishop, she + answered simply: “Monseigneur does not come to see me, he comes to show + me.” On another occasion some princes of the Church, great militant + Catholics, who wished to see her, were overcome with emotion and sobbed + before her; but, in her horror of being shown, in the vexation they caused + her simple mind, she left them without comprehending, merely feeling very + weary and very sad. + </p> + <p> + At length, however, she grew accustomed to Saint-Gildard, and spent a + peaceful existence there, engaged in avocations of which she became very + fond. She was so delicate, so frequently ill, that she was employed in the + infirmary. In addition to the little assistance she rendered there, she + worked with her needle, with which she became rather skilful, embroidering + albs and altar-cloths in a delicate manner. But at times she, would lose + all strength, and be unable to do even this light work. When she was not + confined to her bed she spent long days in an easy-chair, her only + diversion being to recite her rosary or to read some pious work. Now that + she had learnt to read, books interested her, especially the beautiful + stories of conversion, the delightful legends in which saints of both + sexes appear, and the splendid and terrible dramas in which the devil is + baffled and cast back into hell. But her great favourite, the book at + which she continually marvelled, was the Bible, that wonderful New + Testament of whose perpetual miracle she never wearied. She remembered the + Bible at Bartres, that old book which had been in the family a hundred + years, and whose pages had turned yellow; she could again see her + foster-father slip a pin between the leaves to open the book at random, + and then read aloud from the top of the right-hand page; and even at that + time she had already known those beautiful stories so well that she could + have continued repeating the narrative by heart, whatever might be the + passage at which the perusal had ceased. And now that she read the book + herself, she found in it a constant source of surprise, an ever-increasing + delight. The story of the Passion particularly upset her, as though it + were some extraordinary tragical event that had happened only the day + before. She sobbed with pity; it made her poor suffering body quiver for + hours. Mingled with her tears, perhaps, there was the unconscious dolour + of her own passion, the desolate Calvary which she also had been ascending + ever since her childhood. + </p> + <p> + When Bernadette was well and able to perform her duties in the infirmary, + she bustled about, filling the building with childish liveliness. Until + her death she remained an innocent, infantile being, fond of laughing, + romping, and play. She was very little, the smallest Sister of the + community, so that her companions always treated her somewhat like a + child. Her face grew long and hollow, and lost its bloom of youth; but she + retained the pure divine brightness of her eyes, the beautiful eyes of a + visionary, in which, as in a limpid sky, you detected the flight of her + dreams. As she grew older and her sufferings increased, she became + somewhat sour-tempered and violent, cross-grained, anxious, and at times + rough; little imperfections which after each attack filled her with + remorse. She would humble herself, think herself damned, and beg pardon of + everyone. But, more frequently, what a good little daughter of Providence + she was! She became lively, alert, quick at repartee, full of + mirth-provoking remarks, with a grace quite her own, which made her + beloved. In spite of her great devotion, although she spent days in + prayer, she was not at all bigoted or over-exacting with regard to others, + but tolerant and compassionate. In fact, no nun was ever so much a woman, + with distinct features, a decided personality, charming even in its + puerility. And this gift of childishness which she had retained, the + simple innocence of the child she still was, also made children love her, + as though they recognised in her one of themselves. They all ran to her, + jumped upon her lap, and passed their tiny arms round her neck, and the + garden would then fill with the noise of joyous games, races, and cries; + and it was not she who ran or cried the least, so happy was she at once + more feeling herself a poor unknown little girl as in the far-away days of + Bartres! Later on it was related that a mother had one day brought her + paralysed child to the convent for the saint to touch and cure it. The + woman sobbed so much that the Superior ended by consenting to make the + attempt. However, as Bernadette indignantly protested whenever she was + asked to perform a miracle, she was not forewarned, but simply called to + take the sick child to the infirmary. And she did so, and when she stood + the child on the ground it walked. It was cured. + </p> + <p> + Ah! how many times must Bartres and her free childhood spent watching her + lambs—the years passed among the hills, in the long grass, in the + leafy woods—have returned to her during the hours she gave to her + dreams when weary of praying for sinners! No one then fathomed her soul, + no one could say if involuntary regrets did not rend her wounded heart. + One day she spoke some words, which her historians have preserved, with + the view of making her passion more touching. Cloistered far away from her + mountains, confined to a bed of sickness, she exclaimed: “It seems to me + that I was made to live, to act, to be ever on the move, and yet the Lord + will have me remain motionless.” What a revelation, full of terrible + testimony and immense sadness! Why should the Lord wish that dear being, + all grace and gaiety, to remain motionless? Could she not have honoured + Him equally well by living the free, healthy life that she had been born + to live? And would she not have done more to increase the world’s + happiness and her own if, instead of praying for sinners, her constant + occupation, she had given her love to the husband who might have been + united to her and to the children who might have been born to her? She, so + gay and so active, would, on certain evenings, become extremely depressed. + She turned gloomy and remained wrapped in herself, as though overcome by + excess of pain. No doubt the cup was becoming too bitter. The thought of + her life’s perpetual renunciation was killing her. + </p> + <p> + Did Bernadette often think of Lourdes whilst she was at Saint-Gildard? + What knew she of the triumph of the Grotto, of the prodigies which were + daily transforming the land of miracles? These questions were never + thoroughly elucidated. Her companions were forbidden to talk to her of + such matters, which remained enveloped in absolute, continual silence. She + herself did not care to speak of them; she kept silent with regard to the + mysterious past, and evinced no desire to know the present, however + triumphant it might be. But all the same did not her heart, in + imagination, fly away to the enchanted country of her childhood, where + lived her kith and kin, where all her life-ties had been formed, where she + had left the most extraordinary dream that ever human being dreamt? Surely + she must have sometimes travelled the beautiful journey of memory, she + must have known the main features of the great events that had taken place + at Lourdes. What she most dreaded was to go there herself, and, she always + refused to do so, knowing full well that she could not remain + unrecognised, and fearful of meeting the crowds whose adoration awaited + her. What glory would have been hers had she been headstrong, ambitious, + domineering! She would have returned to the holy spot of her visions, have + worked miracles there, have become a priestess, a female pope, with the + infallibility and sovereignty of one of the elect, a friend of the Blessed + Virgin. But the Fathers never really feared this, although express orders + had been given to withdraw her from the world for her salvation’s sake. In + reality they were easy, for they knew her, so gentle and so humble in her + fear of becoming divine, in her ignorance of the colossal machine which + she had put in motion, and the working of which would have made her recoil + with affright had she understood it. No, no! that was no longer her land, + that place of crowds, of violence and trafficking. She would have suffered + too much there, she would have been out of her element, bewildered, + ashamed. And so, when pilgrims bound thither asked her with a smile, “Will + you come with us?” she shivered slightly, and then hastily replied, “No, + no! but how I should like to, were I a little bird!” + </p> + <p> + Her reverie alone was that little travelling bird, with rapid flight and + noiseless wings, which continually went on pilgrimage to the Grotto. In + her dreams, indeed, she must have continually lived at Lourdes, though in + the flesh she had not even gone there for either her father’s or her + mother’s funeral. Yet she loved her kin; she was anxious to procure work + for her relations who had remained poor, and she had insisted on seeing + her eldest brother, who, coming to Nevers to complain, had been refused + admission to the convent. However, he found her weary and resigned, and + she did not ask him a single question about New Lourdes, as though that + rising town were no longer her own. The year of the crowning of the + Virgin, a priest whom she had deputed to pray for her before the Grotto + came back and told her of the never-to-be forgotten wonders of the + ceremony, the hundred thousand pilgrims who had flocked to it, and the + five-and-thirty bishops in golden vestments who had assembled in the + resplendent Basilica. Whilst listening, she trembled with her customary + little quiver of desire and anxiety. And when the priest exclaimed, “Ah! + if you had only seen that pomp!” she answered: “Me! I was much better here + in my little corner in the infirmary.” They had robbed her of her glory; + her work shone forth resplendently amidst a continuous hosanna, and she + only tasted joy in forgetfulness, in the gloom of the cloister, where the + opulent farmers of the Grotto forgot her. It was never the re-echoing + solemnities that prompted her mysterious journeys; the little bird of her + soul only winged its lonesome flight to Lourdes on days of solitude, in + the peaceful hours when no one could there disturb its devotions. It was + before the wild primitive Grotto that she returned to kneel, amongst the + bushy eglantine, as in the days when the Gave was not walled in by a + monumental quay. And it was the old town that she visited at twilight, + when the cool, perfumed breezes came down from the mountains, the old + painted and gilded semi-Spanish church where she had made her first + communion, the old Asylum so full of suffering where during eight years + she had grown accustomed to solitude—all that poor, innocent old + town, whose every paving-stone awoke old affections in her memory’s + depths. + </p> + <p> + And did Bernadette ever extend the pilgrimage of her dreams as far as + Bartres? Probably, at times when she sat in her invalid-chair and let some + pious book slip from her tired hands, and closed her eyes, Bartres did + appear to her, lighting up the darkness of her view. The little antique + Romanesque church with sky-blue nave and blood-red altar screens stood + there amidst the tombs of the narrow cemetery. Then she would find herself + once more in the house of the Lagues, in the large room on the left, where + the fire was burning, and where, in winter-time, such wonderful stories + were told whilst the big clock gravely ticked the hours away. At times the + whole countryside spread out before her, meadows without end, giant + chestnut-trees beneath which you lost yourself, deserted table-lands + whence you descried the distant mountains, the Pic du Midi and the Pic de + Viscos soaring aloft as airy and as rose-coloured as dreams, in a paradise + such as the legends have depicted. And afterwards, afterwards came her + free childhood, when she scampered off whither she listed in the open air, + her lonely, dreamy thirteenth year, when with all the joy of living she + wandered through the immensity of nature. And now, too, perhaps, she again + beheld herself roaming in the tall grass among the hawthorn bushes beside + the streams on a warm sunny day in June. Did she not picture herself + grown, with a lover of her own age, whom she would have loved with all the + simplicity and affection of her heart? Ah! to be a child again, to be + free, unknown, happy once more, to love afresh, and to love differently! + The vision must have passed confusedly before her—a husband who + worshipped her, children gaily growing up around her, the life that + everybody led, the joys and sorrows that her own parents had known, and + which her children would have had to know in their turn. But little by + little all vanished, and she again found herself in her chair of + suffering, imprisoned between four cold walls, with no other desire than a + longing one for a speedy death, since she had been denied a share of the + poor common happiness of this world. + </p> + <p> + Bernadette’s ailments increased each year. It was, in fact, the + commencement of her passion, the passion of this new child-Messiah, who + had come to bring relief to the unhappy, to announce to mankind the + religion of divine justice and equality in the face of miracles which + flouted the laws of impassible nature. If she now rose it was only to drag + herself from chair to chair for a few days at a time, and then she would + have a relapse and be again forced to take to her bed. Her sufferings + became terrible. Her hereditary nervousness, her asthma, aggravated by + cloister life, had probably turned into phthisis. She coughed frightfully, + each fit rending her burning chest and leaving her half dead. To complete + her misery, caries of the right knee-cap supervened, a gnawing disease, + the shooting pains of which caused her to cry aloud. Her poor body, to + which dressings were continually being applied, became one great sore, + which was irritated by the warmth of her bed, by her prolonged sojourn + between sheets whose friction ended by breaking her skin. One and all + pitied her; those who beheld her martyrdom said that it was impossible to + suffer more, or with greater fortitude. She tried some of the Lourdes + water, but it brought her no relief. Lord, Almighty King, why cure others + and not cure her? To save her soul? Then dost Thou not save the souls of + the others? What an inexplicable selection! How absurd that in the eternal + evolution of worlds it should be necessary for this poor being to be + tortured! She sobbed, and again and again said in order to keep up her + courage: “Heaven is at the end, but how long the end is in coming!” There + was ever the idea that suffering is the test, that it is necessary to + suffer upon earth if one would triumph elsewhere, that suffering is + indispensable, enviable, and blessed. But is this not blasphemous, O Lord? + Hast Thou not created youth and joy? Is it Thy wish that Thy creatures + should enjoy neither the sun, nor the smiling Nature which Thou hast + created, nor the human affections with which Thou hast endowed their + flesh? She dreaded the feeling of revolt which maddened her at times, and + wished also to strengthen herself against the disease which made her + groan, and she crucified herself in thought, extending her arms so as to + form a cross and unite herself to Jesus, her limbs against His limbs, her + mouth against His mouth, streaming the while with blood like Him, and + steeped like Him in bitterness! Jesus died in three hours, but a longer + agony fell to her, who again brought redemption by pain, who died to give + others life. When her bones ached with agony she would sometimes utter + complaints, but she reproached herself immediately. “Oh! how I suffer, oh! + how I suffer! but what happiness it is to bear this pain!” There can be no + more frightful words, words pregnant with a blacker pessimism. Happy to + suffer, O Lord! but why, and to what unknown and senseless end? Where is + the reason in this useless cruelty, in this revolting glorification of + suffering, when from the whole of humanity there ascends but one desperate + longing for health and happiness? + </p> + <p> + In the midst of her frightful sufferings, however, Sister Marie-Bernard + took the final vows on September 22, 1878. Twenty years had gone by since + the Blessed Virgin had appeared to her, visiting her as the Angel had + visited the Virgin, choosing her as the Virgin had been chosen, amongst + the most lowly and the most candid, that she might hide within her the + secret of King Jesus. Such was the mystical explanation of that election + of suffering, the <i>raison d’être</i> of that being who was so harshly + separated from her fellows, weighed down by disease, transformed into the + pitiable field of every human affliction. She was the “garden inclosed”* + that brings such pleasure to the gaze of the Spouse. He had chosen her, + then buried her in the death of her hidden life. And even when the unhappy + creature staggered beneath the weight of her cross, her companions would + say to her: “Do you forget that the Blessed Virgin promised you that you + should be happy, not in this world, but in the next?” And with renewed + strength, and striking her forehead, she would answer: “Forget? no, no! it + is here!” She only recovered temporary energy by means of this illusion of + a paradise of glory, into which she would enter escorted by seraphims, to + be forever and ever happy. The three personal secrets which the Blessed + Virgin had confided to her, to arm her against evil, must have been + promises of beauty, felicity, and immortality in heaven. What monstrous + dupery if there were only the darkness of the earth beyond the grave, if + the Blessed Virgin of her dream were not there to meet her with the + prodigious guerdons she had promised! But Bernadette had not a doubt; she + willingly undertook all the little commissions with which her companions + naïvely entrusted her for Heaven: “Sister Marie-Bernard, you’ll say this, + you’ll say that, to the Almighty.” “Sister Marie-Bernard, you’ll kiss my + brother if you meet him in Paradise.” “Sister Marie-Bernard, give me a + little place beside you when I die.” And she obligingly answered each one: + “Have no fear, I will do it!” Ah! all-powerful illusion, delicious repose, + power ever reviving and consolatory! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Song of Solomon iv. 12. +</pre> + <p> + And then came the last agony, then came death. + </p> + <p> + On Friday, March 28, 1879, it was thought that she would not last the + night. She had a despairing longing for the tomb, in order that she might + suffer no more, and live again in heaven. And thus she obstinately refused + to receive extreme unction, saying that twice already it had cured her. + She wished, in short, that God would let her die, for it was more than she + could bear; it would have been unreasonable to require that she should + suffer longer. Yet she ended by consenting to receive the sacraments, and + her last agony was thereby prolonged for nearly three weeks. The priest + who attended her frequently said: “My daughter, you must make the + sacrifice of your life”; and one day, quite out of patience, she sharply + answered him: “But, Father, it is no sacrifice.” A terrible saying, that + also, for it implied disgust at <i>being</i>, furious contempt for + existence, and an immediate ending of her humanity, had she had the power + to suppress herself by a gesture. It is true that the poor girl had + nothing to regret, that she had been compelled to banish everything from + her life, health, joy, and love, so that she might leave it as one casts + off a soiled, worn, tattered garment. And she was right; she condemned her + useless, cruel life when she said: “My passion will finish only at my + death; it will not cease until I enter into eternity.” And this idea of + her passion pursued her, attaching her more closely to the cross with her + Divine Master. She had induced them to give her a large crucifix; she + pressed it vehemently against her poor maidenly breast, exclaiming that + she would like to thrust it into her bosom and leave it there. Towards the + end, her strength completely forsook her, and she could no longer grasp + the crucifix with her trembling hands. “Let it be tightly tied to me,” she + prayed, “that I may feel it until my last breath!” The Redeemer upon that + crucifix was the only spouse that she was destined to know; His bleeding + kiss was to be the only one bestowed upon her womanhood, diverted from + nature’s course. The nuns took cords, passed them under her aching back, + and fastened the crucifix so roughly to her bosom that it did indeed + penetrate it. + </p> + <p> + At last death took pity upon her. On Easter Monday she was seized with a + great fit of shivering. Hallucinations perturbed her, she trembled with + fright, she beheld the devil jeering and prowling around her. “Be off, be + off, Satan!” she gasped; “do not touch me, do not carry me away!” And + amidst her delirium she related that the fiend had sought to throw himself + upon her, that she had felt his mouth scorching her with all the flames of + hell. The devil in a life so pure, in a soul without sin! what for, O + Lord! and again I ask it, why this relentless suffering, intense to the + very last, why this nightmare-like ending, this death troubled with such + frightful fancies, after so beautiful a life of candour, purity, and + innocence? Could she not fall asleep serenely in the peacefulness of her + chaste soul? But doubtless so long as breath remained in her body it was + necessary to leave her the hatred and dread of life, which is the devil. + It was life which menaced her, and it was life which she cast out, in the + same way that she denied life when she reserved to the Celestial + Bridegroom her tortured, crucified womanhood. That dogma of the Immaculate + Conception, which her dream had come to strengthen, was a blow dealt by + the Church to woman, both wife and mother. To decree that woman is only + worthy of worship on condition that she be a virgin, to imagine that + virgin to be herself born without sin, is not this an insult to Nature, + the condemnation of life, the denial of womanhood, whose true greatness + consists in perpetuating life? “Be off, be off, Satan! let me die without + fulfilling Nature’s law.” And she drove the sunshine from the room and the + free air that entered by the window, the air that was sweet with the scent + of flowers, laden with all the floating germs which transmit love + throughout the whole vast world. + </p> + <p> + On the Wednesday after Easter (April 16th), the death agony commenced. It + is related that on the morning of that day one of Bernadette’s companions, + a nun attacked with a mortal illness and lying in the infirmary in an + adjoining bed, was suddenly healed upon drinking a glass of Lourdes water. + But she, the privileged one, had drunk of it in vain. God at last granted + her the signal favour which she desired by sending her into the good sound + sleep of the earth, in which there is no more suffering. She asked pardon + of everyone. Her passion was consummated; like the Saviour, she had the + nails and the crown of thorns, the scourged limbs, the pierced side. Like + Him she raised her eyes to heaven, extended her arms in the form of a + cross, and uttered a loud cry: “My God!” And, like Him, she said, towards + three o’clock: “I thirst.” She moistened her lips in the glass, then bowed + her head and expired. + </p> + <p> + Thus, very glorious and very holy, died the Visionary of Lourdes, + Bernadette Soubirous, Sister Marie-Bernard, one of the Sisters of Charity + of Nevers. During three days her body remained exposed to view, and vast + crowds passed before it; a whole people hastened to the convent, an + interminable procession of devotees hungering after hope, who rubbed + medals, chaplets, pictures, and missals against the dead woman’s dress, to + obtain from her one more favour, a fetish bringing happiness. Even in + death her dream of solitude was denied her: a mob of the wretched ones of + this world rushed to the spot, drinking in illusion around her coffin. And + it was noticed that her left eye, the eye which at the time of the + apparitions had been nearest to the Blessed Virgin, remained obstinately + open. Then a last miracle amazed the convent: the body underwent no + change, but was interred on the third day, still supple, warm, with red + lips, and a very white skin, rejuvenated as it were, and smelling sweet. + And to-day Bernadette Soubirous, exiled from Lourdes, obscurely sleeps her + last sleep at Saint Gildard, beneath a stone slab in a little chapel, + amidst the shade and silence of the old trees of the garden, whilst yonder + the Grotto shines resplendently in all its triumph. + </p> + <p> + Pierre ceased speaking; the beautiful, marvellous story was ended. And yet + the whole carriage was still listening, deeply impressed by that death, at + once so tragic and so touching. Compassionate tears fell from Marie’s + eyes, while the others, Elise Rouquet, La Grivotte herself, now calmer, + clasped their hands and prayed to her who was in heaven to intercede with + the Divinity to complete their cure. M. Sabathier made a big sign of the + cross, and then ate a cake which his wife had bought him at Poitiers. + </p> + <p> + M. de Guersaint, whom sad things always upset, had fallen asleep again in + the middle of the story. And there was only Madame Vincent, with her face + buried in her pillow, who had not stirred, like a deaf and blind creature, + determined to see and hear nothing more. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the train rolled, still rolled along. Madame de Jonquière, after + putting her head out of the window, informed them that they were + approaching Etampes. And, when they had left that station behind them, + Sister Hyacinthe gave the signal, and they recited the third chaplet of + the Rosary, the five glorious mysteries—the Resurrection of Our + Lord, the Ascension of Our Lord, the Mission of the Holy Ghost, the + Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin, and the Crowning of the Most + Blessed Virgin. And afterwards they sang the canticle: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “O Virgin, in thy help I put my trust.” + </pre> + <p> + Then Pierre fell into a deep reverie. His glance had turned towards the + now sunlit landscape, the continual flight of which seemed to lull his + thoughts. The noise of the wheels was making him dizzy, and he ended by no + longer recognising the familiar horizon of this vast suburban expanse with + which he had once been acquainted. They still had to pass Bretigny and + Juvisy, and then, in an hour and a half at the utmost, they would at last + be at Paris. So the great journey was finished! the inquiry, which he had + so much desired to make, the experiment which he had attempted with so + much passion, were over! He had wished to acquire certainty, to study + Bernadette’s case on the spot, and see if grace would not come back to him + in a lightning flash, restoring him his faith. And now he had settled the + point—Bernadette had dreamed through the continual torments of her + flesh, and he himself would never believe again. And this forced itself + upon his mind like a brutal fact: the simple faith of the child who kneels + and prays, the primitive faith of young people, bowed down by an awe born + of their ignorance, was dead. Though thousands of pilgrims might each year + go to Lourdes, the nations were no longer with them; this attempt to bring + about the resurrection of absolute faith, the faith of dead-and-gone + centuries, without revolt or examination, was fatally doomed to fail. + History never retraces its steps, humanity cannot return to childhood, + times have too much changed, too many new inspirations have sown new + harvests for the men of to-day to become once more like the men of olden + time. It was decisive; Lourdes was only an explainable accident, whose + reactionary violence was even a proof of the extreme agony in which belief + under the antique form of Catholicism was struggling. Never again, as in + the cathedrals of the twelfth century, would the entire nation kneel like + a docile flock in the hands of the Master. To blindly, obstinately cling + to the attempt to bring that to pass would mean to dash oneself against + the impossible, to rush, perhaps, towards great moral catastrophes. + </p> + <p> + And of his journey there already only remained to Pierre an immense + feeling of compassion. Ah! his heart was overflowing with pity; his poor + heart was returning wrung by all that he had seen. He recalled the words + of worthy Abbé Judaine; and he had seen those thousands of unhappy beings + praying, weeping, and imploring God to take pity on their suffering; and + he had wept with them, and felt within himself, like an open wound, a + sorrowful fraternal feeling for all their ailments. He could not think of + those poor people without burning with a desire to relieve them. If it + were true that the faith of the simple-minded no longer sufficed; if one + ran the risk of going astray in wishing to turn back, would it become + necessary to close the Grotto, to preach other efforts, other sufferings? + However, his compassion revolted at that thought. No, no! it would be a + crime to snatch their dream of Heaven from those poor creatures who + suffered either in body or in mind, and who only found relief in kneeling + yonder amidst the splendour of tapers and the soothing repetition of + hymns. He had not taken the murderous course of undeceiving Marie, but had + sacrificed himself in order to leave her the joy of her fancy, the divine + consolation of having been healed by the Virgin. Where was the man hard + enough, cruel enough, to prevent the lowly from believing, to rob them of + the consolation of the supernatural, the hope that God troubled Himself + about them, that He held a better life in His paradise in reserve for + them? All humanity was weeping, desperate with anguish, like some + despairing invalid, irrevocably condemned, and whom only a miracle could + save. He felt mankind to be unhappy indeed, and he shuddered with + fraternal affection in the presence of such pitiable humility, ignorance, + poverty in its rags, disease with its sores and evil odour, all the lowly + sufferers, in hospital, convent, and slums, amidst vermin and dirt, with + ugliness and imbecility written on their faces, an immense protest against + health, life, and Nature, in the triumphal name of justice, equality, and + benevolence. No, no! it would never do to drive the wretched to despair. + Lourdes must be tolerated, in the same way that you tolerate a falsehood + which makes life possible. And, as he had already said in Bernadette’s + chamber, she remained the martyr, she it was who revealed to him the only + religion which still filled his heart, the religion of human suffering. + Ah! to be good and kindly, to alleviate all ills, to lull pain, to sleep + in a dream, to lie even, so that no one might suffer any more! + </p> + <p> + The train passed at full speed through a village, and Pierre vaguely + caught sight of a church nestling amidst some large apple trees. All the + pilgrims in the carriage crossed themselves. But he was now becoming + uneasy, scruples were tingeing his reverie with anxiety. This religion of + human suffering, this redemption by pain, was not this yet another lure, a + continual aggravation of pain and misery? It is cowardly and dangerous to + allow superstition to live. To tolerate and accept it is to revive the + dark evil ages afresh. It weakens and stupefies; the sanctimoniousness + bequeathed by heredity produces humiliated, timorous generations, decadent + and docile nations, who are an easy prey to the powerful of the earth. + Whole nations are imposed upon, robbed, devoured, when they have devoted + the whole effort of their will to the mere conquest of a future existence. + Would it not, therefore, be better to cure humanity at once by boldly + closing the miraculous Grottos whither it goes to weep, and thus restore + to it the courage to live the real life, even in the midst of tears? And + it was the same prayer, that incessant flood of prayer which ascended from + Lourdes, the endless supplication in which he had been immersed and + softened: was it not after all but puerile lullaby, a debasement of all + one’s energies? It benumbed the will, one’s very being became dissolved in + it and acquired disgust for life and action. Of what use could it be to + will anything, do anything, when you totally resigned yourself to the + caprices of an unknown almighty power? And, in another respect, what a + strange thing was this mad desire for prodigies, this anxiety to drive the + Divinity to transgress the laws of Nature established by Himself in His + infinite wisdom! Therein evidently lay peril and unreasonableness; at the + risk even of losing illusion, that divine comforter, only the habit of + personal effort and the courage of truth should have been developed in + man, and especially in the child. + </p> + <p> + Then a great brightness arose in Pierre’s mind and dazzled him. It was + Reason, protesting against the glorification of the absurd and the + deposition of common-sense. Ah! reason, it was through her that he had + suffered, through her alone that he was happy. As he had told Doctor + Chassaigne, his one consuming longing was to satisfy reason ever more and + more, although it might cost him happiness to do so. It was reason, he now + well understood it, whose continual revolt at the Grotto, at the Basilica, + throughout entire Lourdes, had prevented him from believing. Unlike his + old friend—that stricken old man, who was afflicted with such + dolorous senility, who had fallen into second childhood since the + shipwreck of his affections,—he had been unable to kill reason and + humiliate and annihilate himself. Reason remained his sovereign mistress, + and she it was who buoyed him up even amidst the obscurities and failures + of science. Whenever he met with a thing which he could not understand, it + was she who whispered to him, “There is certainly a natural explanation + which escapes me.” He repeated that there could be no healthy ideal + outside the march towards the discovery of the unknown, the slow victory + of reason amidst all the wretchedness of body and mind. In the clashing of + the twofold heredity which he had derived from his father, all brain, and + his mother, all faith, he, a priest, found it possible to ravage his life + in order that he might keep his vows. He had acquired strength enough to + master his flesh, but he felt that his paternal heredity had now + definitely gained the upper hand, for henceforth the sacrifice of his + reason had become an impossibility; this he would not renounce and would + not master. No, no, even human suffering, the hallowed suffering of the + poor, ought not to prove an obstacle, enjoining the necessity of ignorance + and folly. Reason before all; in her alone lay salvation. If at Lourdes, + whilst bathed in tears, softened by the sight of so much affliction, he + had said that it was sufficient to weep and love, he had made a dangerous + mistake. Pity was but a convenient expedient. One must live, one must act; + reason must combat suffering, unless it be desired that the latter should + last forever. + </p> + <p> + However, as the train rolled on and the landscape flew by, a church once + more appeared, this time on the fringe of heaven, some votive chapel + perched upon a hill and surmounted by a lofty statue of the Virgin. And + once more all the pilgrims made the sign of the cross, and once more + Pierre’s reverie strayed, a fresh stream of reflections bringing his + anguish back to him. What was this imperious need of the things beyond, + which tortured suffering humanity? Whence came it? Why should equality and + justice be desired when they did not seem to exist in impassive nature? + Man had set them in the unknown spheres of the Mysterious, in the + supernatural realms of religious paradises, and there contented his ardent + thirst for them. That unquenchable thirst for happiness had ever consumed, + and would consume him always. If the Fathers of the Grotto drove such a + glorious trade, it was simply because they made motley out of what was + divine. That thirst for the Divine, which nothing had quenched through the + long, long ages, seemed to have returned with increased violence at the + close of our century of science. Lourdes was a resounding and undeniable + proof that man could never live without the dream of a Sovereign Divinity, + re-establishing equality and re-creating happiness by dint of miracles. + When man has reached the depths of life’s misfortunes, he returns to the + divine illusion, and the origin of all religions lies there. Man, weak and + bare, lacks the strength to live through his terrestrial misery without + the everlasting lie of a paradise. To-day, thought Pierre, the experiment + had been made; it seemed that science alone could not suffice, and that + one would be obliged to leave a door open on the Mysterious. + </p> + <p> + All at once in the depths of his deeply absorbed mind the words rang out, + A new religion! The door which must be left open on the Mysterious was + indeed a new religion. To subject mankind to brutal amputation, lop off + its dream, and forcibly deprive it of the Marvellous, which it needed to + live as much as it needed bread, would possibly kill it. Would it ever + have the philosophical courage to take life as it is, and live it for its + own sake, without any idea of future rewards and penalties? It certainly + seemed that centuries must elapse before the advent of a society wise + enough to lead a life of rectitude without the moral control of some + cultus and the consolation of superhuman equality and justice. Yes, a new + religion! The call burst forth, resounded within Pierre’s brain like the + call of the nations, the eager, despairing desire of the modern soul. The + consolation and hope which Catholicism had brought the world seemed + exhausted after eighteen hundred years full of so many tears, so much + blood, so much vain and barbarous agitation. It was an illusion departing, + and it was at least necessary that the illusion should be changed. If + mankind had long ago darted for refuge into the Christian paradise, it was + because that paradise then opened before it like a fresh hope. But now a + new religion, a new hope, a new paradise, yes, that was what the world + thirsted for, in the discomfort in which it was struggling. And Father + Fourcade, for his part, fully felt such to be the case; he had not meant + to imply anything else when he had given rein to his anxiety, entreating + that the people of the great towns, the dense mass of the humble which + forms the nation, might be brought to Lourdes. One hundred thousand, two + hundred thousand pilgrims at Lourdes each year, that was, after all, but a + grain of sand. It was the people, the whole people, that was required. But + the people has forever deserted the churches, it no longer puts any soul + in the Blessed Virgins which it manufactures, and nothing nowadays could + restore its lost faith. A Catholic democracy—yes, history would then + begin afresh; only were it possible to create a new Christian people, + would not the advent of a new Saviour, the mighty breath of a new Messiah, + have been needed for such a task? + </p> + <p> + However, the words still sounded, still rang out in Pierre’s mind with the + growing clamour of pealing bells. A new religion; a new religion. + Doubtless it must be a religion nearer to life, giving a larger place to + the things of the world, and taking the acquired truths into due account. + And, above all, it must be a religion which was not an appetite for death—Bernadette + living solely in order that she might die, Doctor Chassaigne aspiring to + the tomb as to the only happiness—for all that spiritualistic + abandonment was so much continuous disorganisation of the will to live. At + bottom of it was hatred to life, disgust with and cessation of action. + Every religion, it is true, is but a promise of immortality, an + embellishment of the spheres beyond, an enchanted garden to be entered on + the morrow of death. Could a new religion ever place such a garden of + eternal happiness on earth? Where was the formula, the dogma, that would + satisfy the hopes of the mankind of to-day? What belief should be sown to + blossom forth in a harvest of strength and peace? How could one fecundate + the universal doubt so that it should give birth to a new faith? and what + sort of illusion, what divine falsehood of any kind could be made to + germinate in the contemporary world, ravaged as it had been upon all + sides, broken up by a century of science? + </p> + <p> + At that moment, without any apparent transition, Pierre saw the face of + his brother Guillaume arise in the troublous depths of his mind. Still, he + was not surprised; some secret link must have brought that vision there. + Ah! how fond they had been of one another long ago, and what a good + brother that elder brother, so upright and gentle, had been! Henceforth, + also, the rupture was complete; Pierre no longer saw Guillaume, since the + latter had cloistered himself in his chemical studies, living like a + savage in a little suburban house, with a mistress and two big dogs. Then + Pierre’s reverie again diverged, and he thought of that trial in which + Guillaume had been mentioned, like one suspected of having compromising + friendships amongst the most violent revolutionaries. It was related, too, + that the young man had, after long researches, discovered the formula of a + terrible explosive, one pound of which would suffice to blow up a + cathedral. And Pierre then thought of those Anarchists who wished to renew + and save the world by destroying it. They were but dreamers, horrible + dreamers; yet dreamers in the same way as those innocent pilgrims whom he + had seen kneeling at the Grotto in an enraptured flock. If the Anarchists, + if the extreme Socialists, demanded with violence the equality of wealth, + the sharing of all the enjoyments of the world, the pilgrims on their side + demanded with tears equality of health and an equitable sharing of moral + and physical peace. The latter relied on miracles, the former appealed to + brute force. At bottom, however, it was but the same exasperated dream of + fraternity and justice, the eternal desire for happiness—neither + poor nor sick left, but bliss for one and all. And, in fact, had not the + primitive Christians been terrible revolutionaries for the pagan world, + which they threatened, and did, indeed, destroy? They who were persecuted, + whom the others sought to exterminate, are to-day inoffensive, because + they have become the Past. The frightful Future is ever the man who dreams + of a future society; even as to-day it is the madman so wildly bent on + social renovation that he harbours the great black dream of purifying + everything by the flame of conflagrations. This seemed monstrous to + Pierre. Yet, who could tell? Therein, perchance, lay the rejuvenated world + of to-morrow. + </p> + <p> + Astray, full of doubts, he nevertheless, in his horror of violence, made + common cause with old society now reduced to defend itself, unable though + he was to say whence would come the new Messiah of Gentleness, in whose + hands he would have liked to place poor ailing mankind. A new religion, + yes, a new religion. But it is not easy to invent one, and he knew not to + what conclusion to come between the ancient faith, which was dead, and the + young faith of to-morrow, as yet unborn. For his part, in his desolation, + he was only sure of keeping his vow, like an unbelieving priest watching + over the belief of others, chastely and honestly discharging his duties, + with the proud sadness that he had been unable to renounce his reason as + he had renounced his flesh. And for the rest, he would wait. + </p> + <p> + However, the train rolled on between large parks, and the engine gave a + prolonged whistle, a joyful flourish, which drew Pierre from his + reflections. The others were stirring, displaying emotion around him. The + train had just left Juvisy, and Paris was at last near at hand, within a + short half-hour’s journey. One and all were getting their things together: + the Sabathiers were remaking their little parcels, Elise Rouquet was + giving a last glance at her mirror. For a moment Madame de Jonquière again + became anxious concerning La Grivotte, and decided that as the girl was in + such a pitiful condition she would have her taken straight to a hospital + on arriving; whilst Marie endeavoured to rouse Madame Vincent from the + torpor in which she seemed determined to remain. M. de Guersaint, who had + been indulging in a little siesta, also had to be awakened. And at last, + when Sister Hyacinthe had clapped her hands, the whole carriage intonated + the “Te Deum,” the hymn of praise and thanksgiving. “<i>Te Deum, laudamus, + te Dominum confitemur</i>.” The voices rose amidst a last burst of + fervour. All those glowing souls returned thanks to God for the beautiful + journey, the marvellous favours that He had already bestowed on them, and + would bestow on them yet again. + </p> + <p> + At last came the fortifications. The two o’clock sun was slowly descending + the vast, pure heavens, so serenely warm. Distant smoke, a ruddy smoke, + was rising in light clouds above the immensity of Paris like the + scattered, flying breath of that toiling colossus. It was Paris in her + forge, Paris with her passions, her battles, her ever-growling thunder, + her ardent life ever engendering the life of to-morrow. And the white + train, the woeful train of every misery and every dolour, was returning + into it all at full speed, sounding in higher and higher strains the + piercing flourishes of its whistle-calls. The five hundred pilgrims, the + three hundred patients, were about to disappear in the vast city, fall + again upon the hard pavement of life after the prodigious dream in which + they had just indulged, until the day should come when their need of the + consolation of a fresh dream would irresistibly impel them to start once + more on the everlasting pilgrimage to mystery and forgetfulness. + </p> + <p> + Ah! unhappy mankind, poor ailing humanity, hungering for illusion, and in + the weariness of this waning century distracted and sore from having too + greedily acquired science; it fancies itself abandoned by the physicians + of both the mind and the body, and, in great danger of succumbing to + incurable disease, retraces its steps and asks the miracle of its cure of + the mystical Lourdes of a past forever dead! Yonder, however, Bernadette, + the new Messiah of suffering, so touching in her human reality, + constitutes the terrible lesson, the sacrifice cut off from the world, the + victim condemned to abandonment, solitude, and death, smitten with the + penalty of being neither woman, nor wife, nor mother, because she beheld + the Blessed Virgin. + </p> + <p> + THE END <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="book02"></a> + ROME + </h2> + <h3> + FROM “THE THREE CITIES” + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Émile Zola + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h3> + Translated By Ernest A. Vizetelly + </h3> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="pref02"></a> + PREFACE + </h2> + <p> + IN submitting to the English-speaking public this second volume of M. + Zola’s trilogy “Lourdes, Rome, Paris,” I have no prefatory remarks to + offer on behalf of the author, whose views on Rome, its past, present, and + future, will be found fully expounded in the following pages. That a book + of this character will, like its forerunner “Lourdes,” provoke + considerable controversy is certain, but comment or rejoinder may well be + postponed until that controversy has arisen. At present then I only desire + to say, that in spite of the great labour which I have bestowed on this + translation, I am sensible of its shortcomings, and in a work of such + length, such intricacy, and such a wide range of subject, it will not be + surprising if some slips are discovered. Any errors which may be pointed + out to me, however, shall be rectified in subsequent editions. I have + given, I think, the whole essence of M. Zola’s text; but he himself has + admitted to me that he has now and again allowed his pen to run away with + him, and thus whilst sacrificing nothing of his sense I have at times + abbreviated his phraseology so as slightly to condense the book. I may add + that there are no chapter headings in the original, and that the + circumstances under which the translation was made did not permit me to + supply any whilst it was passing through the press; however, as some + indication of the contents of the book—which treats of many more + things than are usually found in novels—may be a convenience to the + reader, I have prepared a table briefly epitomising the chief features of + each successive chapter. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + E. A. V. + + MERTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, + April, 1896. +</pre> + +<hr /> + +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + DETAILED CONTENTS + +PART I. I + “NEW ROME”—Abbé Froment in the Eternal City—His First Impressions—His + Book and the Rejuvenation of Christianity + + II + “BLACK MOUTH, RED SOUL”—The Boccaneras, their Mansion, Ancestors, + History, and Friends + + III + ROMANS OF THE CHURCH—Cardinals Boccanera and Sanguinetti—Abbés + Paparelli and Santobono—Don Vigilio—Monsignor Nani +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + CONTENTS TO PART II. IV + ROMANS OF NEW ITALY—The Pradas and the Saccos—The Corso and the Pincio + + V + THE BLOOD OF AUGUSTUS—The Palaces of the Caesars—The Capitol—The + Forum—The Appian Way—The Campagna—The Catacombs—St. Peter’s. + + VI + VENUS AND HERCULES—The Vatican—The Sixtine Chapel—Michael Angelo and + Raffaelle—Botticelli and Bernini—Gods and Goddesses—The Gardens—Leo + XIII—The Revolt of Passion +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + CONTENTS TO PART III. VII + PRINCE AND PONTIFF—The International Pilgrimage—The Papal Revenue—A + Function at St. Peter’s—The Pope-King—The Temporal Power + + VIII + THE POOR AND THE POPE—The Building Mania—The Financial Crash—The + Horrors of the Castle Fields—The Roman Workman—May Christ’s Vicar + Gamble?—Hopes and Fears of the Papacy + + IX + TITO’s WARNING—Aspects of Rome—The Via Giulia—The Tiber by Day—The + Gardens—The Villa Medici—-The Squares—The Fountains—Poussin and the + Campagna—The Campo Verano—The Trastevere—The “Palaces”—Aristocracy, + Middle Class, Democracy—The Tiber by Night +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + CONTENTS TO PART IV. X + FROM PILLAR TO POST—The Propaganda—The Index—Dominicans, Jesuits, + Franciscans—The Secular Clergy—Roman Worship—Freemasonry—Cardinal + Vicar and Cardinal Secretary—The Inquisition. + + XI + POISON!—Frascati—A Cardinal and his Creature—Albano, Castel Gandolfo, + Nemi—Across the Campagna—An Osteria—Destiny on the March + + XII + THE AGONY OF PASSION—A Roman Gala—The Buongiovannis—The Grey + World—The Triumph of Benedetta—King Humbert and Queen Margherita—The + Fig-tree of Judas + + XIII + DESTINY!—A Happy Morning—The Mid-day Meal—Dario and the Figs—Extreme + Unction—Benedetta’s Curse—The Lovers’ Death +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + CONTENTS TO PART V. XIV + SUBMISSION—The Vatican by Night—The Papal Anterooms—Some Great + Popes—His Holiness’s Bed-room—Pierre’s Reception—Papal Wrath—Pierre’s + Appeal—The Pope’s Policy—Dogma and Lourdes—Pierre Reprobates his Book + + XV + A HOUSE OF MOURNING—Lying in State—Mother and Son—Princess and + Work-girl—Nani the Jesuit—Rival Cardinals—The Pontiff of Destruction + + XVI + JUDGMENT—Pierre and Orlando—Italian Rome—Wanted, a Democracy—Italy + and France—The Rome of the Anarchists—The Agony of Guilt—A + Botticelli—The Papacy Condemned—The Coming Schism—The March of + Science—The Destruction of Rome—The Victory of Reason—Justice not + Charity—Departure—The March of Civilisation—One Fatherland for All + Mankind +</pre> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2>ROME</h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol06"></a> + PART I. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap26"></a> + I. + </h2> + <p> + THE train had been greatly delayed during the night between Pisa and + Civita Vecchia, and it was close upon nine o’clock in the morning when, + after a fatiguing journey of twenty-five hours’ duration, Abbé Pierre + Froment at last reached Rome. He had brought only a valise with him, and, + springing hastily out of the railway carriage amidst the scramble of the + arrival, he brushed the eager porters aside, intent on carrying his + trifling luggage himself, so anxious was he to reach his destination, to + be alone, and look around him. And almost immediately, on the Piazza dei + Cinquecento, in front of the railway station, he climbed into one of the + small open cabs ranged alongside the footwalk, and placed the valise near + him after giving the driver this address: + </p> + <p> + “Via Giulia, Palazzo Boccanera.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Boccanera mansion, Julia Street. +</pre> + <p> + It was a Monday, the 3rd of September, a beautifully bright and mild + morning, with a clear sky overhead. The cabby, a plump little man with + sparkling eyes and white teeth, smiled on realising by Pierre’s accent + that he had to deal with a French priest. Then he whipped up his lean + horse, and the vehicle started off at the rapid pace customary to the + clean and cheerful cabs of Rome. However, on reaching the Piazza delle + Terme, after skirting the greenery of a little public garden, the man + turned round, still smiling, and pointing to some ruins with his whip, + </p> + <p> + “The baths of Diocletian,” said he in broken French, like an obliging + driver who is anxious to court favour with foreigners in order to secure + their custom. + </p> + <p> + Then, at a fast trot, the vehicle descended the rapid slope of the Via + Nazionale, which dips down from the summit of the Viminalis,* where the + railway station is situated. And from that moment the driver scarcely + ceased turning round and pointing at the monuments with his whip. In this + broad new thoroughfare there were only buildings of recent erection. + Still, the wave of the cabman’s whip became more pronounced and his voice + rose to a higher key, with a somewhat ironical inflection, when he gave + the name of a huge and still chalky pile on his left, a gigantic erection + of stone, overladen with sculptured work-pediments and statues. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * One of the seven hills on which Rome is built. The other six + are the Capitoline, Aventine, Quirinal, Esquiline, Cœlian, + and Palatine. These names will perforce frequently occur in + the present narrative. +</pre> + <p> + “The National Bank!” he said. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, during the week which had followed his resolve to make + the journey, had spent wellnigh every day in studying Roman topography in + maps and books. Thus he could have directed his steps to any given spot + without inquiring his way, and he anticipated most of the driver’s + explanations. At the same time he was disconcerted by the sudden slopes, + the perpetually recurring hills, on which certain districts rose, house + above house, in terrace fashion. On his right-hand clumps of greenery were + now climbing a height, and above them stretched a long bare yellow + building of barrack or convent-like aspect. + </p> + <p> + “The Quirinal, the King’s palace,” said the driver. + </p> + <p> + Lower down, as the cab turned across a triangular square, Pierre, on + raising his eyes, was delighted to perceive a sort of aerial garden high + above him—a garden which was upheld by a lofty smooth wall, and + whence the elegant and vigorous silhouette of a parasol pine, many + centuries old, rose aloft into the limpid heavens. At this sight he + realised all the pride and grace of Rome. + </p> + <p> + “The Villa Aldobrandini,” the cabman called. + </p> + <p> + Then, yet lower down, there came a fleeting vision which decisively + impassioned Pierre. The street again made a sudden bend, and in one + corner, beyond a short dim alley, there was a blazing gap of light. On a + lower level appeared a white square, a well of sunshine, filled with a + blinding golden dust; and amidst all that morning glory there arose a + gigantic marble column, gilt from base to summit on the side which the sun + in rising had laved with its beams for wellnigh eighteen hundred years. + And Pierre was surprised when the cabman told him the name of the column, + for in his mind he had never pictured it soaring aloft in such a dazzling + cavity with shadows all around. It was the column of Trajan. + </p> + <p> + The Via Nazionale turned for the last time at the foot of the slope. And + then other names fell hastily from the driver’s lips as his horse went on + at a fast trot. There was the Palazzo Colonna, with its garden edged by + meagre cypresses; the Palazzo Torlonia, almost ripped open by recent + “improvements”; the Palazzo di Venezia, bare and fearsome, with its + crenelated walls, its stern and tragic appearance, that of some fortress + of the middle ages, forgotten there amidst the commonplace life of + nowadays. Pierre’s surprise increased at the unexpected aspect which + certain buildings and streets presented; and the keenest blow of all was + dealt him when the cabman with his whip triumphantly called his attention + to the Corso, a long narrow thoroughfare, about as broad as Fleet Street,* + white with sunshine on the left, and black with shadows on the right, + whilst at the far end the Piazza del Popolo (the Square of the People) + showed like a bright star. Was this, then, the heart of the city, the + vaunted promenade, the street brimful of life, whither flowed all the + blood of Rome? + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * M. Zola likens the Corso to the Rue St. Honoré in Paris, but + I have thought that an English comparison would be preferable + in the present version.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + However, the cab was already entering the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which + follows the Via Nazionale, these being the two piercings effected right + across the olden city from the railway station to the bridge of St. + Angelo. On the left-hand the rounded apsis of the Gesù church looked quite + golden in the morning brightness. Then, between the church and the heavy + Altieri palace which the “improvers” had not dared to demolish, the street + became narrower, and one entered into cold, damp shade. But a moment + afterwards, before the façade of the Gesù, when the square was reached, + the sun again appeared, dazzling, throwing golden sheets of light around; + whilst afar off at the end of the Via di Ara Coeli, steeped in shadow, a + glimpse could be caught of some sunlit palm-trees. + </p> + <p> + “That’s the Capitol yonder,” said the cabman. + </p> + <p> + The priest hastily leant to the left, but only espied the patch of + greenery at the end of the dim corridor-like street. The sudden + alternations of warm light and cold shade made him shiver. In front of the + Palazzo di Venezia, and in front of the Gesù, it had seemed to him as if + all the night of ancient times were falling icily upon his shoulders; but + at each fresh square, each broadening of the new thoroughfares, there came + a return to light, to the pleasant warmth and gaiety of life. The yellow + sunflashes, in falling from the house fronts, sharply outlined the + violescent shadows. Strips of sky, very blue and very benign, could be + perceived between the roofs. And it seemed to Pierre that the air he + breathed had a particular savour, which he could not yet quite define, but + it was like that of fruit, and increased the feverishness which had + possessed him ever since his arrival. + </p> + <p> + The Corso Vittorio Emanuele is, in spite of its irregularity, a very fine + modern thoroughfare; and for a time Pierre might have fancied himself in + any great city full of huge houses let out in flats. But when he passed + before the Cancelleria,* Bramante’s masterpiece, the typical monument of + the Roman Renascence, his astonishment came back to him and his mind + returned to the mansions which he had previously espied, those bare, huge, + heavy edifices, those vast cubes of stone-work resembling hospitals or + prisons. Never would he have imagined that the famous Roman “palaces” were + like that, destitute of all grace and fancy and external magnificence. + However, they were considered very fine and must be so; he would doubtless + end by understanding things, but for that he would require reflection.** + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Formerly the residence of the Papal Vice-Chancellors. + + ** It is as well to point out at once that a palazzo is not a + palace as we understand the term, but rather a mansion.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + All at once the cab turned out of the populous Corso Vittorio Emanuele + into a succession of winding alleys, through which it had difficulty in + making its way. Quietude and solitude now came back again; the olden city, + cold and somniferous, followed the new city with its bright sunshine and + its crowds. Pierre remembered the maps which he had consulted, and + realised that he was drawing near to the Via Giulia, and thereupon his + curiosity, which had been steadily increasing, augmented to such a point + that he suffered from it, full of despair at not seeing more and learning + more at once. In the feverish state in which he had found himself ever + since leaving the station, his astonishment at not finding things such as + he had expected, the many shocks that his imagination had received, + aggravated his passion beyond endurance, and brought him an acute desire + to satisfy himself immediately. Nine o’clock had struck but a few minutes + previously, he had the whole morning before him to repair to the Boccanera + palace, so why should he not at once drive to the classic spot, the summit + whence one perceives the whole of Rome spread out upon her seven hills? + And when once this thought had entered into his mind it tortured him until + he was at last compelled to yield to it. + </p> + <p> + The driver no longer turned his head, so that Pierre rose up to give him + this new address: “To San Pietro in Montorio!” + </p> + <p> + On hearing him the man at first looked astonished, unable to understand. + He indicated with his whip that San Pietro was yonder, far away. However, + as the priest insisted, he again smiled complacently, with a friendly nod + of his head. All right! For his own part he was quite willing. + </p> + <p> + The horse then went on at a more rapid pace through the maze of narrow + streets. One of these was pent between high walls, and the daylight + descended into it as into a deep trench. But at the end came a sudden + return to light, and the Tiber was crossed by the antique bridge of Sixtus + IV, right and left of which stretched the new quays, amidst the ravages + and fresh plaster-work of recent erections. On the other side of the river + the Trastevere district also was ripped open, and the vehicle ascended the + slope of the Janiculum by a broad thoroughfare where large slabs bore the + name of Garibaldi. For the last time the driver made a gesture of + good-natured pride as he named this triumphal route. + </p> + <p> + “Via Garibaldi!” + </p> + <p> + The horse had been obliged to slacken its pace, and Pierre, mastered by + childish impatience, turned round to look at the city as by degrees it + spread out and revealed itself behind him. The ascent was a long one; + fresh districts were ever rising up, even to the most distant hills. Then, + in the increasing emotion which made his heart beat, the young priest felt + that he was spoiling the contentment of his desire by thus gradually + satisfying it, slowly and but partially effecting his conquest of the + horizon. He wished to receive the shock full in the face, to behold all + Rome at one glance, to gather the holy city together, and embrace the + whole of it at one grasp. And thereupon he mustered sufficient strength of + mind to refrain from turning round any more, in spite of the impulses of + his whole being. + </p> + <p> + There is a spacious terrace on the summit of the incline. The church of + San Pietro in Montorio stands there, on the spot where, as some say, St. + Peter was crucified. The square is bare and brown, baked by the hot summer + suns; but a little further away in the rear, the clear and noisy waters of + the Acqua Paola fall bubbling from the three basins of a monumental + fountain amidst sempiternal freshness. And alongside the terrace parapet, + on the very crown of the Trastevere, there are always rows of tourists, + slim Englishmen and square-built Germans, agape with traditional + admiration, or consulting their guide-books in order to identify the + monuments. + </p> + <p> + Pierre sprang lightly from the cab, leaving his valise on the seat, and + making a sign to the driver, who went to join the row of waiting cabs, and + remained philosophically seated on his box in the full sunlight, his head + drooping like that of his horse, both resigning themselves to the + customary long stoppage. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Pierre, erect against the parapet, in his tight black cassock, + and with his bare feverish hands nervously clenched, was gazing before him + with all his eyes, with all his soul. Rome! Rome! the city of the Caesars, + the city of the Popes, the Eternal City which has twice conquered the + world, the predestined city of the glowing dream in which he had indulged + for months! At last it was before him, at last his eyes beheld it! During + the previous days some rainstorms had abated the intense August heat, and + on that lovely September morning the air had freshened under the pale blue + of the spotless far-spreading heavens. And the Rome that Pierre beheld was + a Rome steeped in mildness, a visionary Rome which seemed to evaporate in + the clear sunshine. A fine bluey haze, scarcely perceptible, as delicate + as gauze, hovered over the roofs of the low-lying districts; whilst the + vast Campagna, the distant hills, died away in a pale pink flush. At first + Pierre distinguished nothing, sought no particular edifice or spot, but + gave sight and soul alike to the whole of Rome, to the living colossus + spread out below him, on a soil compounded of the dust of generations. + Each century had renewed the city’s glory as with the sap of immortal + youth. And that which struck Pierre, that which made his heart leap within + him, was that he found Rome such as he had desired to find her, fresh and + youthful, with a volatile, almost incorporeal, gaiety of aspect, smiling + as at the hope of a new life in the pure dawn of a lovely day. + </p> + <p> + And standing motionless before the sublime vista, with his hands still + clenched and burning, Pierre in a few minutes again lived the last three + years of his life. Ah! what a terrible year had the first been, spent in + his little house at Neuilly, with doors and windows ever closed, burrowing + there like some wounded animal suffering unto death. He had come back from + Lourdes with his soul desolate, his heart bleeding, with nought but ashes + within him. Silence and darkness fell upon the ruins of his love and his + faith. Days and days went by, without a pulsation of his veins, without + the faintest gleam arising to brighten the gloom of his abandonment. His + life was a mechanical one; he awaited the necessary courage to resume the + tenor of existence in the name of sovereign reason, which had imposed upon + him the sacrifice of everything. Why was he not stronger, more resistant, + why did he not quietly adapt his life to his new opinions? As he was + unwilling to cast off his cassock, through fidelity to the love of one and + disgust of backsliding, why did he not seek occupation in some science + suited to a priest, such as astronomy or archaeology? The truth was that + something, doubtless his mother’s spirit, wept within him, an infinite, + distracted love which nothing had yet satisfied and which ever despaired + of attaining contentment. Therein lay the perpetual suffering of his + solitude: beneath the lofty dignity of reason regained, the wound still + lingered, raw and bleeding. + </p> + <p> + One autumn evening, however, under a dismal rainy sky, chance brought him + into relations with an old priest, Abbé Rose, who was curate at the church + of Ste. Marguerite, in the Faubourg St. Antoine. He went to see Abbé Rose + in the Rue de Charonne, where in the depths of a damp ground floor he had + transformed three rooms into an asylum for abandoned children, whom he + picked up in the neighbouring streets. And from that moment Pierre’s life + changed, a fresh and all-powerful source of interest had entered into it, + and by degrees he became the old priest’s passionate helper. It was a long + way from Neuilly to the Rue de Charonne, and at first he only made the + journey twice a week. But afterwards he bestirred himself every day, + leaving home in the morning and not returning until night. As the three + rooms no longer sufficed for the asylum, he rented the first floor of the + house, reserving for himself a chamber in which ultimately he often slept. + And all his modest income was expended there, in the prompt succouring of + poor children; and the old priest, delighted, touched to tears by the + young devoted help which had come to him from heaven, would often embrace + Pierre, weeping, and call him a child of God. + </p> + <p> + It was then that Pierre knew want and wretchedness—wicked, + abominable wretchedness; then that he lived amidst it for two long years. + The acquaintance began with the poor little beings whom he picked up on + the pavements, or whom kind-hearted neighbours brought to him now that the + asylum was known in the district—little boys, little girls, tiny + mites stranded on the streets whilst their fathers and mothers were + toiling, drinking, or dying. The father had often disappeared, the mother + had gone wrong, drunkenness and debauchery had followed slack times into + the home; and then the brood was swept into the gutter, and the younger + ones half perished of cold and hunger on the footways, whilst their elders + betook themselves to courses of vice and crime. One evening Pierre rescued + from the wheels of a stone-dray two little nippers, brothers, who could + not even give him an address, tell him whence they had come. On another + evening he returned to the asylum with a little girl in his arms, a + fair-haired little angel, barely three years old, whom he had found on a + bench, and who sobbed, saying that her mother had left her there. And by a + logical chain of circumstances, after dealing with the fleshless, pitiful + fledglings ousted from their nests, he came to deal with the parents, to + enter their hovels, penetrating each day further and further into a + hellish sphere, and ultimately acquiring knowledge of all its frightful + horror, his heart meantime bleeding, rent by terrified anguish and + impotent charity. + </p> + <p> + Oh! the grievous City of Misery, the bottomless abyss of human suffering + and degradation—how frightful were his journeys through it during + those two years which distracted his whole being! In that Ste. Marguerite + district of Paris, in the very heart of that Faubourg St. Antoine, so + active and so brave for work, however hard, he discovered no end of sordid + dwellings, whole lanes and alleys of hovels without light or air, + cellar-like in their dampness, and where a multitude of wretches wallowed + and suffered as from poison. All the way up the shaky staircases one’s + feet slipped upon filth. On every story there was the same destitution, + dirt, and promiscuity. Many windows were paneless, and in swept the wind + howling, and the rain pouring torrentially. Many of the inmates slept on + the bare tiled floors, never unclothing themselves. There was neither + furniture nor linen, the life led there was essentially an animal life, a + commingling of either sex and of every age—humanity lapsing into + animality through lack of even indispensable things, through indigence of + so complete a character that men, women, and children fought even with + tooth and nail for the very crumbs swept from the tables of the rich. And + the worst of it all was the degradation of the human being; this was no + case of the free naked savage, hunting and devouring his prey in the + primeval forests; here civilised man was found, sunk into brutishness, + with all the stigmas of his fall, debased, disfigured, and enfeebled, + amidst the luxury and refinement of that city of Paris which is one of the + queens of the world. + </p> + <p> + In every household Pierre heard the same story. There had been youth and + gaiety at the outset, brave acceptance of the law that one must work. Then + weariness had come; what was the use of always toiling if one were never + to get rich? And so, by way of snatching a share of happiness, the husband + turned to drink; the wife neglected her home, also drinking at times, and + letting the children grow up as they might. Sordid surroundings, + ignorance, and overcrowding did the rest. In the great majority of cases, + prolonged lack of work was mostly to blame; for this not only empties the + drawers of the savings hidden away in them, but exhausts human courage, + and tends to confirmed habits of idleness. During long weeks the workshops + empty, and the arms of the toilers lose strength. In all Paris, so + feverishly inclined to action, it is impossible to find the slightest + thing to do. And then the husband comes home in the evening with tearful + eyes, having vainly offered his arms everywhere, having failed even to get + a job at street-sweeping, for that employment is much sought after, and to + secure it one needs influence and protectors. Is it not monstrous to see a + man seeking work that he may eat, and finding no work and therefore no + food in this great city resplendent and resonant with wealth? The wife + does not eat, the children do not eat. And then comes black famine, + brutishness, and finally revolt and the snapping of all social ties under + the frightful injustice meted out to poor beings who by their weakness are + condemned to death. And the old workman, he whose limbs have been worn out + by half a century of hard toil, without possibility of saving a copper, on + what pallet of agony, in what dark hole must he not sink to die? Should he + then be finished off with a mallet, like a crippled beast of burden, on + the day when ceasing to work he also ceases to eat? Almost all pass away + in the hospitals, others disappear, unknown, swept off by the muddy flow + of the streets. One morning, on some rotten straw in a loathsome hovel, + Pierre found a poor devil who had died of hunger and had been forgotten + there for a week. The rats had devoured his face. + </p> + <p> + But it was particularly on an evening of the last winter that Pierre’s + heart had overflowed with pity. Awful in winter time are the sufferings of + the poor in their fireless hovels, where the snow penetrates by every + chink. The Seine rolls blocks of ice, the soil is frost-bound, in all + sorts of callings there is an enforced cessation of work. Bands of + urchins, barefooted, scarcely clad, hungry and racked by coughing, wander + about the ragpickers’ “rents” and are carried off by sudden hurricanes of + consumption. Pierre found families, women with five and six children, who + had not eaten for three days, and who huddled together in heaps to try to + keep themselves warm. And on that terrible evening, before anybody else, + he went down a dark passage and entered a room of terror, where he found + that a mother had just committed suicide with her five little ones—driven + to it by despair and hunger—a tragedy of misery which for a few + hours would make all Paris shudder! There was not an article of furniture + or linen left in the place; it had been necessary to sell everything bit + by bit to a neighbouring dealer. There was nothing but the stove where the + charcoal was still smoking and a half-emptied palliasse on which the + mother had fallen, suckling her last-born, a babe but three months old. + And a drop of blood had trickled from the nipple of her breast, towards + which the dead infant still protruded its eager lips. Two little girls, + three and five years old, two pretty little blondes, were also lying + there, sleeping the eternal sleep side by side; whilst of the two boys, + who were older, one had succumbed crouching against the wall with his head + between his hands, and the other had passed through the last throes on the + floor, struggling as though he had sought to crawl on his knees to the + window in order to open it. Some neighbours, hurrying in, told Pierre the + fearful commonplace story; slow ruin, the father unable to find work, + perchance taking to drink, the landlord weary of waiting, threatening the + family with expulsion, and the mother losing her head, thirsting for + death, and prevailing on her little ones to die with her, while her + husband, who had been out since the morning, was vainly scouring the + streets. Just as the Commissary of Police arrived to verify what had + happened, the poor devil returned, and when he had seen and understood + things, he fell to the ground like a stunned ox, and raised a prolonged, + plaintive howl, such a poignant cry of death that the whole terrified + street wept at it. + </p> + <p> + Both in his ears and in his heart Pierre carried away with him that + horrible cry, the plaint of a condemned race expiring amidst abandonment + and hunger; and that night he could neither eat nor sleep. Was it possible + that such abomination, such absolute destitution, such black misery + leading straight to death should exist in the heart of that great city of + Paris, brimful of wealth, intoxicated with enjoyment, flinging millions + out of the windows for mere pleasure? What! there should on one side be + such colossal fortunes, so many foolish fancies gratified, with lives + endowed with every happiness, whilst on the other was found inveterate + poverty, lack even of bread, absence of every hope, and mothers killing + themselves with their babes, to whom they had nought to offer but the + blood of their milkless breast! And a feeling of revolt stirred Pierre; he + was for a moment conscious of the derisive futility of charity. What + indeed was the use of doing that which he did—picking up the little + ones, succouring the parents, prolonging the sufferings of the aged? The + very foundations of the social edifice were rotten; all would soon + collapse amid mire and blood. A great act of justice alone could sweep the + old world away in order that the new world might be built. And at that + moment he realised so keenly how irreparable was the breach, how + irremediable the evil, how deathly the cancer of misery, that he + understood the actions of the violent, and was himself ready to accept the + devastating and purifying whirlwind, the regeneration of the world by + flame and steel, even as when in the dim ages Jehovah in His wrath sent + fire from heaven to cleanse the accursed cities of the plains. + </p> + <p> + However, on hearing him sob that evening, Abbé Rose came up to remonstrate + in fatherly fashion. The old priest was a saint, endowed with infinite + gentleness and infinite hope. Why despair indeed when one had the Gospel? + Did not the divine commandment, “Love one another,” suffice for the + salvation of the world? He, Abbé Rose, held violence in horror and was + wont to say that, however great the evil, it would soon be overcome if + humanity would but turn backward to the age of humility, simplicity, and + purity, when Christians lived together in innocent brotherhood. What a + delightful picture he drew of evangelical society, of whose second coming + he spoke with quiet gaiety as though it were to take place on the very + morrow! And Pierre, anxious to escape from his frightful recollections, + ended by smiling, by taking pleasure in Abbé Rose’s bright consoling tale. + They chatted until a late hour, and on the following days reverted to the + same subject of conversation, one which the old priest was very fond of, + ever supplying new particulars, and speaking of the approaching reign of + love and justice with the touching confidence of a good if simple man, who + is convinced that he will not die till he shall have seen the Deity + descend upon earth. + </p> + <p> + And now a fresh evolution took place in Pierre’s mind. The practice of + benevolence in that poor district had developed infinite compassion in his + breast, his heart failed him, distracted, rent by contemplation of the + misery which he despaired of healing. And in this awakening of his + feelings he often thought that his reason was giving way, he seemed to be + retracing his steps towards childhood, to that need of universal love + which his mother had implanted in him, and dreamt of chimerical solutions, + awaiting help from the unknown powers. Then his fears, his hatred of the + brutality of facts at last brought him an increasing desire to work + salvation by love. No time should be lost in seeking to avert the + frightful catastrophe which seemed inevitable, the fratricidal war of + classes which would sweep the old world away beneath the accumulation of + its crimes. Convinced that injustice had attained its apogee, that but + little time remained before the vengeful hour when the poor would compel + the rich to part with their possessions, he took pleasure in dreaming of a + peaceful solution, a kiss of peace exchanged by all men, a return to the + pure morals of the Gospel as it had been preached by Jesus. + </p> + <p> + Doubts tortured him at the outset. Could olden Catholicism be rejuvenated, + brought back to the youth and candour of primitive Christianity? He set + himself to study things, reading and questioning, and taking a more and + more passionate interest in that great problem of Catholic socialism which + had made no little noise for some years past. And quivering with pity for + the wretched, ready as he was for the miracle of fraternisation, he + gradually lost such scruples as intelligence might have prompted, and + persuaded himself that once again Christ would work the redemption of + suffering humanity. At last a precise idea took possession of him, a + conviction that Catholicism purified, brought back to its original state, + would prove the one pact, the supreme law that might save society by + averting the sanguinary crisis which threatened it. + </p> + <p> + When he had quitted Lourdes two years previously, revolted by all its + gross idolatry, his faith for ever dead, but his mind worried by the + everlasting need of the divine which tortures human creatures, a cry had + arisen within him from the deepest recesses of his being: “A new religion! + a new religion!” And it was this new religion, or rather this revived + religion which he now fancied he had discovered in his desire to work + social salvation—ensuring human happiness by means of the only moral + authority that was erect, the distant outcome of the most admirable + implement ever devised for the government of nations. + </p> + <p> + During the period of slow development through which Pierre passed, two + men, apart from Abbé Rose, exercised great influence on him. A benevolent + action brought him into intercourse with Monseigneur Bergerot, a bishop + whom the Pope had recently created a cardinal, in reward for a whole life + of charity, and this in spite of the covert opposition of the papal <i>curia</i> + which suspected the French prelate to be a man of open mind, governing his + diocese in paternal fashion. Pierre became more impassioned by his + intercourse with this apostle, this shepherd of souls, in whom he detected + one of the good simple leaders that he desired for the future community. + However, his apostolate was influenced even more decisively by meeting + Viscount Philibert de la Choue at the gatherings of certain workingmen’s + Catholic associations. A handsome man, with military manners, and a long + noble-looking face, spoilt by a small and broken nose which seemed to + presage the ultimate defeat of a badly balanced mind, the Viscount was one + of the most active agitators of Catholic socialism in France. He was the + possessor of vast estates, a vast fortune, though it was said that some + unsuccessful agricultural enterprises had already reduced his wealth by + nearly one-half. In the department where his property was situated he had + been at great pains to establish model farms, at which he had put his + ideas on Christian socialism into practice, but success did not seem to + follow him. However, it had all helped to secure his election as a deputy, + and he spoke in the Chamber, unfolding the programme of his party in long + and stirring speeches. + </p> + <p> + Unwearying in his ardour, he also led pilgrimages to Rome, presided over + meetings, and delivered lectures, devoting himself particularly to the + people, the conquest of whom, so he privately remarked, could alone ensure + the triumph of the Church. And thus he exercised considerable influence + over Pierre, who in him admired qualities which himself did not possess—an + organising spirit and a militant if somewhat blundering will, entirely + applied to the revival of Christian society in France. However, though the + young priest learnt a good deal by associating with him, he nevertheless + remained a sentimental dreamer, whose imagination, disdainful of political + requirements, straightway winged its flight to the future abode of + universal happiness; whereas the Viscount aspired to complete the downfall + of the liberal ideas of 1789 by utilising the disillusion and anger of the + democracy to work a return towards the past. + </p> + <p> + Pierre spent some delightful months. Never before had neophyte lived so + entirely for the happiness of others. He was all love, consumed by the + passion of his apostolate. The sight of the poor wretches whom he visited, + the men without work, the women, the children without bread, filled him + with a keener and keener conviction that a new religion must arise to put + an end to all the injustice which otherwise would bring the rebellious + world to a violent death. And he was resolved to employ all his strength + in effecting and hastening the intervention of the divine, the + resuscitation of primitive Christianity. His Catholic faith remained dead; + he still had no belief in dogmas, mysteries, and miracles; but a hope + sufficed him, the hope that the Church might still work good, by + connecting itself with the irresistible modern democratic movement, so as + to save the nations from the social catastrophe which impended. His soul + had grown calm since he had taken on himself the mission of replanting the + Gospel in the hearts of the hungry and growling people of the Faubourgs. + He was now leading an active life, and suffered less from the frightful + void which he had brought back from Lourdes; and as he no longer + questioned himself, the anguish of uncertainty no longer tortured him. It + was with the serenity which attends the simple accomplishment of duty that + he continued to say his mass. He even finished by thinking that the + mystery which he thus celebrated—indeed, that all the mysteries and + all the dogmas were but symbols—rites requisite for humanity in its + childhood, which would be got rid of later on, when enlarged, purified, + and instructed humanity should be able to support the brightness of naked + truth. + </p> + <p> + And in his zealous desire to be useful, his passion to proclaim his belief + aloud, Pierre one morning found himself at his table writing a book. This + had come about quite naturally; the book proceeded from him like a + heart-cry, without any literary idea having crossed his mind. One night, + whilst he lay awake, its title suddenly flashed before his eyes in the + darkness: “NEW ROME.” That expressed everything, for must not the new + redemption of the nations originate in eternal and holy Rome? The only + existing authority was found there; rejuvenescence could only spring from + the sacred soil where the old Catholic oak had grown. He wrote his book in + a couple of months, having unconsciously prepared himself for the work by + his studies in contemporary socialism during a year past. There was a + bubbling flow in his brain as in a poet’s; it seemed to him sometimes as + if he dreamt those pages, as if an internal distant voice dictated them to + him. + </p> + <p> + When he read passages written on the previous day to Viscount Philibert de + la Choue, the latter often expressed keen approval of them from a + practical point of view, saying that one must touch the people in order to + lead them, and that it would also be a good plan to compose pious and yet + amusing songs for singing in the workshops. As for Monseigneur Bergerot, + without examining the book from the dogmatic standpoint, he was deeply + touched by the glowing breath of charity which every page exhaled, and was + even guilty of the imprudence of writing an approving letter to the + author, which letter he authorised him to insert in his work by way of + preface. And yet now the Congregation of the Index Expurgatorius was about + to place this book, issued in the previous June, under interdict; and it + was to defend it that the young priest had hastened to Rome, inflamed by + the desire to make his ideas prevail, and resolved to plead his cause in + person before the Holy Father, having, he was convinced of it, simply + given expression to the pontiff’s views. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had not stirred whilst thus living his three last years afresh: he + still stood erect before the parapet, before Rome, which he had so often + dreamt of and had so keenly desired to see. There was a constant + succession of arriving and departing vehicles behind him; the slim + Englishmen and the heavy Germans passed away after bestowing on the + classic view the five minutes prescribed by their guidebooks; whilst the + driver and the horse of Pierre’s cab remained waiting complacently, each + with his head drooping under the bright sun, which was heating the valise + on the seat of the vehicle. And Pierre, in his black cassock, seemed to + have grown slimmer and elongated, very slight of build, as he stood there + motionless, absorbed in the sublime spectacle. He had lost flesh after his + journey to Lourdes, his features too had become less pronounced. Since his + mother’s part in his nature had regained ascendency, the broad, straight + forehead, the intellectual air which he owed to his father seemed to have + grown less conspicuous, while his kind and somewhat large mouth, and his + delicate chin, bespeaking infinite affection, dominated, revealing his + soul, which also glowed in the kindly sparkle of his eyes. + </p> + <p> + Ah! how tender and glowing were the eyes with which he gazed upon the Rome + of his book, the new Rome that he had dreamt of! If, first of all, the <i>ensemble</i> + had claimed his attention in the soft and somewhat veiled light of that + lovely morning, at present he could distinguish details, and let his + glance rest upon particular edifices. And it was with childish delight + that he identified them, having long studied them in maps and collections + of photographs. Beneath his feet, at the bottom of the Janiculum, + stretched the Trastevere district with its chaos of old ruddy houses, + whose sunburnt tiles hid the course of the Tiber. He was somewhat + surprised by the flattish aspect of everything as seen from the terraced + summit. It was as though a bird’s-eye view levelled the city, the famous + hills merely showing like bosses, swellings scarcely perceptible amidst + the spreading sea of house-fronts. Yonder, on the right, distinct against + the distant blue of the Alban mountains, was certainly the Aventine with + its three churches half-hidden by foliage; there, too, was the discrowned + Palatine, edged as with black fringe by a line of cypresses. In the rear, + the Cœlian hill faded away, showing only the trees of the Villa Mattei + paling in the golden sunshine. The slender spire and two little domes of + Sta. Maria Maggiore alone indicated the summit of the Esquiline, right in + front and far away at the other end of the city; whilst on the heights of + the neighbouring Viminal, Pierre only perceived a confused mass of whitish + blocks, steeped in light and streaked with fine brown lines—recent + erections, no doubt, which at that distance suggested an abandoned stone + quarry. He long sought the Capitol without being able to discover it; he + had to take his bearings, and ended by convincing himself that the square + tower, modestly lost among surrounding house-roofs, which he saw in front + of Sta. Maria Maggiore was its campanile. Next, on the left, came the + Quirinal, recognisable by the long façade of the royal palace, a barrack + or hospital-like façade, flat, crudely yellow in hue, and pierced by an + infinite number of regularly disposed windows. However, as Pierre was + completing the circuit, a sudden vision made him stop short. Without the + city, above the trees of the Botanical Garden, the dome of St. Peter’s + appeared to him. It seemed to be poised upon the greenery, and rose up + into the pure blue sky, sky-blue itself and so ethereal that it mingled + with the azure of the infinite. The stone lantern which surmounts it, + white and dazzling, looked as though it were suspended on high. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not weary, and his glances incessantly travelled from one end + of the horizon to the other. They lingered on the noble outlines, the + proud gracefulness of the town-sprinkled Sabine and Alban mountains, whose + girdle limited the expanse. The Roman Campagna spread out in far + stretches, bare and majestic, like a desert of death, with the glaucous + green of a stagnant sea; and he ended by distinguishing “the stern round + tower” of the tomb of Cecilia Metella, behind which a thin pale line + indicated the ancient Appian Way. Remnants of aqueducts strewed the short + herbage amidst the dust of the fallen worlds. And, bringing his glance + nearer in, the city again appeared with its jumble of edifices, on which + his eyes lighted at random. Close at hand, by its loggia turned towards + the river, he recognised the huge tawny cube of the Palazzo Farnese. The + low cupola, farther away and scarcely visible, was probably that of the + Pantheon. Then by sudden leaps came the freshly whitened walls of San + Paolo-fuori-le-Mura,* similar to those of some huge barn, and the statues + crowning San Giovanni in Laterano, delicate, scarcely as big as insects. + Next the swarming of domes, that of the Gesù, that of San Carlo, that of + St’. Andrea della Valle, that of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini; then a + number of other sites and edifices, all quivering with memories, the + castle of St’. Angelo with its glittering statue of the Destroying Angel, + the Villa Medici dominating the entire city, the terrace of the Pincio + with its marbles showing whitely among its scanty verdure; and the + thick-foliaged trees of the Villa Borghese, whose green crests bounded the + horizon. Vainly however did Pierre seek the Colosseum. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * St. Paul-beyond-the-walls. +</pre> + <p> + The north wind, which was blowing very mildly, had now begun to dissipate + the morning haze. Whole districts vigorously disentangled themselves, and + showed against the vaporous distance like promontories in a sunlit sea. + Here and there, in the indistinct swarming of houses, a strip of white + wall glittered, a row of window panes flared, or a garden supplied a black + splotch, of wondrous intensity of hue. And all the rest, the medley of + streets and squares, the endless blocks of buildings, scattered about on + either hand, mingled and grew indistinct in the living glory of the sun, + whilst long coils of white smoke, which had ascended from the roofs, + slowly traversed the pure sky. + </p> + <p> + Guided by a secret influence, however, Pierre soon ceased to take interest + in all but three points of the mighty panorama. That line of slender + cypresses which set a black fringe on the height of the Palatine yonder + filled him with emotion: beyond it he saw only a void: the palaces of the + Caesars had disappeared, had fallen, had been razed by time; and he evoked + their memory, he fancied he could see them rise like vague, trembling + phantoms of gold amidst the purple of that splendid morning. Then his + glances reverted to St. Peter’s, and there the dome yet soared aloft, + screening the Vatican which he knew was beside the colossus, clinging to + its flanks. And that dome, of the same colour as the heavens, appeared so + triumphant, so full of strength, so vast, that it seemed to him like a + giant king, dominating the whole city and seen from every spot throughout + eternity. Then he fixed his eyes on the height in front of him, on the + Quirinal, and there the King’s palace no longer appeared aught but a flat + low barracks bedaubed with yellow paint. + </p> + <p> + And for him all the secular history of Rome, with its constant convulsions + and successive resurrections, found embodiment in that symbolical + triangle, in those three summits gazing at one another across the Tiber. + Ancient Rome blossoming forth in a piling up of palaces and temples, the + monstrous florescence of imperial power and splendour; Papal Rome, + victorious in the middle ages, mistress of the world, bringing that + colossal church, symbolical of beauty regained, to weigh upon all + Christendom; and the Rome of to-day, which he knew nothing of, which he + had neglected, and whose royal palace, so bare and so cold, brought him + disparaging ideas—the idea of some out-of-place, bureaucratic + effort, some sacrilegious attempt at modernity in an exceptional city + which should have been left entirely to the dreams of the future. However, + he shook off the almost painful feelings which the importunate present + brought to him, and would not let his eyes rest on a pale new district, + quite a little town, in course of erection, no doubt, which he could + distinctly see near St. Peter’s on the margin of the river. He had dreamt + of his own new Rome, and still dreamt of it, even in front of the Palatine + whose edifices had crumbled in the dust of centuries, of the dome of St. + Peter’s whose huge shadow lulled the Vatican to sleep, of the Palace of + the Quirinal repaired and repainted, reigning in homely fashion over the + new districts which swarmed on every side, while with its ruddy roofs the + olden city, ripped up by improvements, coruscated beneath the bright + morning sun. + </p> + <p> + Again did the title of his book, “NEW ROME,” flare before Pierre’s eyes, + and another reverie carried him off; he lived his book afresh even as he + had just lived his life. He had written it amid a flow of enthusiasm, + utilising the <i>data</i> which he had accumulated at random; and its + division into three parts, past, present, and future, had at once forced + itself upon him. + </p> + <p> + The PAST was the extraordinary story of primitive Christianity, of the + slow evolution which had turned this Christianity into present-day + Catholicism. He showed that an economical question is invariably hidden + beneath each religious evolution, and that, upon the whole, the + everlasting evil, the everlasting struggle, has never been aught but one + between the rich and the poor. Among the Jews, when their nomadic life was + over, and they had conquered the land of Canaan, and ownership and + property came into being, a class warfare at once broke out. There were + rich, and there were poor; thence arose the social question. The + transition had been sudden, and the new state of things so rapidly went + from bad to worse that the poor suffered keenly, and protested with the + greater violence as they still remembered the golden age of the nomadic + life. Until the time of Jesus the prophets are but rebels who surge from + out the misery of the people, proclaim its sufferings, and vent their + wrath upon the rich, to whom they prophesy every evil in punishment for + their injustice and their harshness. Jesus Himself appears as the claimant + of the rights of the poor. The prophets, whether socialists or anarchists, + had preached social equality, and called for the destruction of the world + if it were unjust. Jesus likewise brings to the wretched hatred of the + rich. All His teaching threatens wealth and property; and if by the + Kingdom of Heaven which He promised one were to understand peace and + fraternity upon this earth, there would only be a question of returning to + a life of pastoral simplicity, to the dream of the Christian community, + such as after Him it would seem to have been realised by His disciples. + During the first three centuries each Church was an experiment in + communism, a real association whose members possessed all in common—wives + excepted. This is shown to us by the apologists and early fathers of the + Church. Christianity was then but the religion of the humble and the poor, + a form of democracy, of socialism struggling against Roman society. And + when the latter toppled over, rotted by money, it succumbed far more + beneath the results of frantic speculation, swindling banks, and financial + disasters, than beneath the onslaught of barbarian hordes and the + stealthy, termite-like working of the Christians. + </p> + <p> + The money question will always be found at the bottom of everything. And a + new proof of this was supplied when Christianity, at last triumphing by + virtue of historical, social, and human causes, was proclaimed a State + religion. To ensure itself complete victory it was forced to range itself + on the side of the rich and the powerful; and one should see by means of + what artfulness and sophistry the fathers of the Church succeeded in + discovering a defence of property and wealth in the Gospel of Jesus. All + this, however, was a vital political necessity for Christianity; it was + only at this price that it became Catholicism, the universal religion. + From that time forth the powerful machine, the weapon of conquest and + rule, was reared aloft: up above were the powerful and the wealthy, those + whose duty it was to share with the poor, but who did not do so; while + down below were the poor, the toilers, who were taught resignation and + obedience, and promised the kingdom of futurity, the divine and eternal + reward—an admirable monument which has lasted for ages, and which is + entirely based on the promise of life beyond life, on the inextinguishable + thirst for immortality and justice that consumes mankind. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had completed this first part of his book, this history of the + past, by a broad sketch of Catholicism until the present time. First + appeared St. Peter, ignorant and anxious, coming to Rome by an inspiration + of genius, there to fulfil the ancient oracles which had predicted the + eternity of the Capitol. Then came the first popes, mere heads of burial + associations, the slow rise of the all-powerful papacy ever struggling to + conquer the world, unremittingly seeking to realise its dream of universal + domination. At the time of the great popes of the middle ages it thought + for a moment that it had attained its goal, that it was the sovereign + master of the nations. Would not absolute truth and right consist in the + pope being both pontiff and ruler of the world, reigning over both the + souls and the bodies of all men, even like the Deity whose vicar he is? + This, the highest and mightiest of all ambitions, one, too, that is + perfectly logical, was attained by Augustus, emperor and pontiff, master + of all the known world; and it is the glorious figure of Augustus, ever + rising anew from among the ruins of ancient Rome, which has always haunted + the popes; it is his blood which has pulsated in their veins. + </p> + <p> + But power had become divided into two parts amidst the crumbling of the + Roman empire; it was necessary to content oneself with a share, and leave + temporal government to the emperor, retaining over him, however, the right + of coronation by divine grant. The people belonged to God, and in God’s + name the pope gave the people to the emperor, and could take it from him; + an unlimited power whose most terrible weapon was excommunication, a + superior sovereignty, which carried the papacy towards real and final + possession of the empire. Looking at things broadly, the everlasting + quarrel between the pope and the emperor was a quarrel for the people, the + inert mass of humble and suffering ones, the great silent multitude whose + irremediable wretchedness was only revealed by occasional covert growls. + It was disposed of, for its good, as one might dispose of a child. Yet the + Church really contributed to civilisation, rendered constant services to + humanity, diffused abundant alms. In the convents, at any rate, the old + dream of the Christian community was ever coming back: one-third of the + wealth accumulated for the purposes of worship, the adornment and + glorification of the shrine, one-third for the priests, and one-third for + the poor. Was not this a simplification of life, a means of rendering + existence possible to the faithful who had no earthly desires, pending the + marvellous contentment of heavenly life? Give us, then, the whole earth, + and we will divide terrestrial wealth into three such parts, and you shall + see what a golden age will reign amidst the resignation and the obedience + of all! + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre went on to show how the papacy was assailed by the + greatest dangers on emerging from its all-powerfulness of the middle ages. + It was almost swept away amidst the luxury and excesses of the Renascence, + the bubbling of living sap which then gushed from eternal nature, + downtrodden and regarded as dead for ages past. More threatening still + were the stealthy awakenings of the people, of the great silent multitude + whose tongue seemed to be loosening. The Reformation burst forth like the + protest of reason and justice, like a recall to the disregarded truths of + the Gospel; and to escape total annihilation Rome needed the stern defence + of the Inquisition, the slow stubborn labour of the Council of Trent, + which strengthened the dogmas and ensured the temporal power. And then the + papacy entered into two centuries of peace and effacement, for the strong + absolute monarchies which had divided Europe among themselves could do + without it, and had ceased to tremble at the harmless thunderbolts of + excommunication or to look on the pope as aught but a master of + ceremonies, controlling certain rites. The possession of the people was no + longer subject to the same rules. Allowing that the kings still held the + people from God, it was the pope’s duty to register the donation once for + all, without ever intervening, whatever the circumstances, in the + government of states. Never was Rome farther away from the realisation of + its ancient dream of universal dominion. And when the French Revolution + burst forth, it may well have been imagined that the proclamation of the + rights of man would kill that papacy to which the exercise of divine right + over the nations had been committed. And so how great at first was the + anxiety, the anger, the desperate resistance with which the Vatican + opposed the idea of freedom, the new <i>credo</i> of liberated reason, of + humanity regaining self-possession and control. It was the apparent <i>dénouement</i> + of the long struggle between the pope and the emperor for possession of + the people: the emperor vanished, and the people, henceforward free to + dispose of itself, claimed to escape from the pope—an unforeseen + solution, in which it seemed as though all the ancient scaffolding of the + Catholic world must fall to the very ground. + </p> + <p> + At this point Pierre concluded the first part of his book by contrasting + primitive Christianity with present-day Catholicism, which is the triumph + of the rich and the powerful. That Roman society which Jesus had come to + destroy in the name of the poor and humble, had not Catholic Rome steadily + continued rebuilding it through all the centuries, by its policy of + cupidity and pride? And what bitter irony it was to find, after eighteen + hundred years of the Gospel, that the world was again collapsing through + frantic speculation, rotten banks, financial disasters, and the frightful + injustice of a few men gorged with wealth whilst thousands of their + brothers were dying of hunger! The whole redemption of the wretched had to + be worked afresh. However, Pierre gave expression to all these terrible + things in words so softened by charity, so steeped in hope, that they lost + their revolutionary danger. Moreover, he nowhere attacked the dogmas. His + book, in its sentimental, somewhat poetic form, was but the cry of an + apostle glowing with love for his fellow-men. + </p> + <p> + Then came the second part of the work, the PRESENT, a study of Catholic + society as it now exists. Here Pierre had painted a frightful picture of + the misery of the poor, the misery of a great city, which he knew so well + and bled for, through having laid his hands upon its poisonous wounds. The + present-day injustice could no longer be tolerated, charity was becoming + powerless, and so frightful was the suffering that all hope was dying away + from the hearts of the people. And was it not the monstrous spectacle + presented by Christendom, whose abominations corrupted the people, and + maddened it with hatred and vengeance, that had largely destroyed its + faith? However, after this picture of rotting and crumbling society, + Pierre returned to history, to the period of the French Revolution, to the + mighty hope with which the idea of freedom had filled the world. The + middle classes, the great Liberal party, on attaining power had undertaken + to bring happiness to one and all. But after a century’s experience it + really seemed that liberty had failed to bring any happiness whatever to + the outcasts. In the political sphere illusions were departing. At all + events, if the reigning third estate declares itself satisfied, the fourth + estate, that of the toilers,* still suffers and continues to demand its + share of fortune. The working classes have been proclaimed free; political + equality has been granted them, but the gift has been valueless, for + economically they are still bound to servitude, and only enjoy, as they + did formerly, the liberty of dying of hunger. All the socialist + revendications have come from that; between labour and capital rests the + terrifying problem, the solution of which threatens to sweep away society. + When slavery disappeared from the olden world to be succeeded by salaried + employment the revolution was immense, and certainly the Christian + principle was one of the great factors in the destruction of slavery. + Nowadays, therefore, when the question is to replace salaried employment + by something else, possibly by the participation of the workman in the + profits of his work, why should not Christianity again seek a new + principle of action? The fatal and proximate accession of the democracy + means the beginning of another phase in human history, the creation of the + society of to-morrow. And Rome cannot keep away from the arena; the papacy + must take part in the quarrel if it does not desire to disappear from the + world like a piece of mechanism that has become altogether useless. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * In England we call the press the fourth estate, but in France + and elsewhere the term is applied to the working classes, and + in that sense must be taken here.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Hence it followed that Catholic socialism was legitimate. On every side + the socialist sects were battling with their various solutions for the + privilege of ensuring the happiness of the people, and the Church also + must offer her solution of the problem. Here it was that New Rome + appeared, that the evolution spread into a renewal of boundless hope. Most + certainly there was nothing contrary to democracy in the principles of the + Roman Catholic Church. Indeed she had only to return to the evangelical + traditions, to become once more the Church of the humble and the poor, to + re-establish the universal Christian community. She is undoubtedly of + democratic essence, and if she sided with the rich and the powerful when + Christianity became Catholicism, she only did so perforce, that she might + live by sacrificing some portion of her original purity; so that if to-day + she should abandon the condemned governing classes in order to make common + cause with the multitude of the wretched, she would simply be drawing + nearer to Christ, thereby securing a new lease of youth and purifying + herself of all the political compromises which she formerly was compelled + to accept. Without renouncing aught of her absolutism the Church has at + all times known how to bow to circumstances; but she reserves her perfect + sovereignty, simply tolerating that which she cannot prevent, and + patiently waiting, even through long centuries, for the time when she + shall again become the mistress of the world. + </p> + <p> + Might not that time come in the crisis which was now at hand? Once more, + all the powers are battling for possession of the people. Since the + people, thanks to liberty and education, has become strong, since it has + developed consciousness and will, and claimed its share of fortune, all + rulers have been seeking to attach it to themselves, to reign by it, and + even with it, should that be necessary. Socialism, therein lies the + future, the new instrument of government; and the kings tottering on their + thrones, the middle-class presidents of anxious republics, the ambitious + plotters who dream of power, all dabble in socialism! They all agree that + the capitalist organisation of the State is a return to pagan times, to + the olden slave-market; and they all talk of breaking for ever the iron + law by which the labour of human beings has become so much merchandise, + subject to supply and demand, with wages calculated on an estimate of what + is strictly necessary to keep a workman from dying of hunger. And, down in + the sphere below, the evil increases, the workmen agonise with hunger and + exasperation, while above them discussion still goes on, systems are + bandied about, and well-meaning persons exhaust themselves in attempting + to apply ridiculously inadequate remedies. There is much stir without any + progress, all the wild bewilderment which precedes great catastrophes. And + among the many, Catholic socialism, quite as ardent as Revolutionary + socialism, enters the lists and strives to conquer. + </p> + <p> + After these explanations Pierre gave an account of the long efforts made + by Catholic socialism throughout the Christian world. That which + particularly struck one in this connection was that the warfare became + keener and more victorious whenever it was waged in some land of + propaganda, as yet not completely conquered by Roman Catholicism. For + instance, in the countries where Protestantism confronted the latter, the + priests fought with wondrous passion, as for dear life itself, contending + with the schismatical clergy for possession of the people by dint of + daring, by unfolding the most audacious democratic theories. In Germany, + the classic land of socialism, Mgr. Ketteler was one of the first to speak + of adequately taxing the rich; and later he fomented a wide-spread + agitation which the clergy now directs by means of numerous associations + and newspapers. In Switzerland Mgr. Mermillod pleaded the cause of the + poor so loudly that the bishops there now almost make common cause with + the democratic socialists, whom they doubtless hope to convert when the + day for sharing arrives. In England, where socialism penetrates so very + slowly, Cardinal Manning achieved considerable success, stood by the + working classes on the occasion of a famous strike, and helped on a + popular movement, which was signalised by numerous conversions. But it was + particularly in the United States of America that Catholic socialism + proved triumphant, in a sphere of democracy where the bishops, like Mgr. + Ireland, were forced to set themselves at the head of the working-class + agitation. And there across the Atlantic a new Church seems to be + germinating, still in confusion but overflowing with sap, and upheld by + intense hope, as at the aurora of the rejuvenated Christianity of + to-morrow. + </p> + <p> + Passing thence to Austria and Belgium, both Catholic countries, one found + Catholic socialism mingling in the first instance with anti-semitism, + while in the second it had no precise sense. And all movement ceased and + disappeared when one came to Spain and Italy, those old lands of faith. + The former with its intractable bishops who contented themselves with + hurling excommunication at unbelievers as in the days of the Inquisition, + seemed to be abandoned to the violent theories of revolutionaries, whilst + Italy, immobilised in the traditional courses, remained without + possibility of initiative, reduced to silence and respect by the presence + of the Holy See. In France, however, the struggle remained keen, but it + was more particularly a struggle of ideas. On the whole, the war was there + being waged against the revolution, and to some it seemed as though it + would suffice to re-establish the old organisation of monarchical times in + order to revert to the golden age. It was thus that the question of + working-class corporations had become the one problem, the panacea for all + the ills of the toilers. But people were far from agreeing; some, those + Catholics who rejected State interference and favoured purely moral + action, desired that the corporations should be free; whilst others, the + young and impatient ones, bent on action, demanded that they should be + obligatory, each with capital of its own, and recognised and protected by + the State. + </p> + <p> + Viscount Philibert de la Choue had by pen and speech carried on a vigorous + campaign in favour of the obligatory corporations; and his great grief was + that he had so far failed to prevail on the Pope to say whether in his + opinion these corporations should be closed or open. According to the + Viscount, herein lay the fate of society, a peaceful solution of the + social question or the frightful catastrophe which must sweep everything + away. In reality, though he refused to own it, the Viscount had ended by + adopting State socialism. And, despite the lack of agreement, the + agitation remained very great; attempts, scarcely happy in their results, + were made; co-operative associations, companies for erecting workmen’s + dwellings, popular savings’ banks were started; many more or less + disguised efforts to revert to the old Christian community organisation + were tried; while day by day, amidst the prevailing confusion, in the + mental perturbation and political difficulties through which the country + passed, the militant Catholic party felt its hopes increasing, even to the + blind conviction of soon resuming sway over the whole world. + </p> + <p> + The second part of Pierre’s book concluded by a picture of the moral and + intellectual uneasiness amidst which the end of the century is struggling. + While the toiling multitude suffers from its hard lot and demands that in + any fresh division of wealth it shall be ensured at least its daily bread, + the <i>élite</i> is no better satisfied, but complains of the void induced + by the freeing of its reason and the enlargement of its intelligence. It + is the famous bankruptcy of rationalism, of positivism, of science itself + which is in question. Minds consumed by need of the absolute grow weary of + groping, weary of the delays of science which recognises only proven + truths; doubt tortures them, they need a complete and immediate synthesis + in order to sleep in peace; and they fall on their knees, overcome by the + roadside, distracted by the thought that science will never tell them all, + and preferring the Deity, the mystery revealed and affirmed by faith. Even + to-day, it must be admitted, science calms neither our thirst for justice, + our desire for safety, nor our everlasting idea of happiness after life in + an eternity of enjoyment. To one and all it only brings the austere duty + to live, to be a mere contributor in the universal toil; and how well one + can understand that hearts should revolt and sigh for the Christian + heaven, peopled with lovely angels, full of light and music and perfumes! + Ah! to embrace one’s dead, to tell oneself that one will meet them again, + that one will live with them once more in glorious immortality! And to + possess the certainty of sovereign equity to enable one to support the + abominations of terrestrial life! And in this wise to trample on the + frightful thought of annihilation, to escape the horror of the + disappearance of the <i>ego</i>, and to tranquillise oneself with that + unshakable faith which postpones until the portal of death be crossed the + solution of all the problems of destiny! This dream will be dreamt by the + nations for ages yet. And this it is which explains why, in these last + days of the century, excessive mental labour and the deep unrest of + humanity, pregnant with a new world, have awakened religious feeling, + anxious, tormented by thoughts of the ideal and the infinite, demanding a + moral law and an assurance of superior justice. Religions may disappear, + but religious feelings will always create new ones, even with the help of + science. A new religion! a new religion! Was it not the ancient + Catholicism, which in the soil of the present day, where all seemed + conducive to a miracle, was about to spring up afresh, throw out green + branches and blossom in a young yet mighty florescence? + </p> + <p> + At last, in the third part of his book and in the glowing language of an + apostle, Pierre depicted the FUTURE: Catholicism rejuvenated, and bringing + health and peace, the forgotten golden age of primitive Christianity, back + to expiring society. He began with an emotional and sparkling portrait of + Leo XIII, the ideal Pope, the Man of Destiny entrusted with the salvation + of the nations. He had conjured up a presentment of him and beheld him + thus in his feverish longing for the advent of a pastor who should put an + end to human misery. It was perhaps not a close likeness, but it was a + portrait of the needed saviour, with open heart and mind, and + inexhaustible benevolence, such as he had dreamed. At the same time he had + certainly searched documents, studied encyclical letters, based his sketch + upon facts: first Leo’s religious education at Rome, then his brief + nunciature at Brussels, and afterwards his long episcopate at Perugia. And + as soon as Leo became pope in the difficult situation bequeathed by Pius + IX, the duality of his nature appeared: on one hand was the firm guardian + of dogmas, on the other the supple politician resolved to carry + conciliation to its utmost limits. We see him flatly severing all + connection with modern philosophy, stepping backward beyond the Renascence + to the middle ages and reviving Christian philosophy, as expounded by “the + angelic doctor,” St. Thomas Aquinas, in Catholic schools. Then the dogmas + being in this wise sheltered, he adroitly maintains himself in equilibrium + by giving securities to every power, striving to utilise every + opportunity. He displays extraordinary activity, reconciles the Holy See + with Germany, draws nearer to Russia, contents Switzerland, asks the + friendship of Great Britain, and writes to the Emperor of China begging + him to protect the missionaries and Christians in his dominions. Later on, + too, he intervenes in France and acknowledges the legitimacy of the + Republic. + </p> + <p> + From the very outset an idea becomes apparent in all his actions, an idea + which will place him among the great papal politicians. It is moreover the + ancient idea of the papacy—the conquest of every soul, Rome capital + and mistress of the world. Thus Leo XIII has but one desire, one object, + that of unifying the Church, of drawing all the dissident communities to + it in order that it may be invincible in the coming social struggle. He + seeks to obtain recognition of the moral authority of the Vatican in + Russia; he dreams of disarming the Anglican Church and of drawing it into + a sort of fraternal truce; and he particularly seeks to come to an + understanding with the Schismatical Churches of the East, which he regards + as sisters, simply living apart, whose return his paternal heart entreats. + Would not Rome indeed dispose of victorious strength if she exercised + uncontested sway over all the Christians of the earth? + </p> + <p> + And here the social ideas of Leo XIII come in. Whilst yet Bishop of + Perugia he wrote a pastoral letter in which a vague humanitarian socialism + appeared. As soon, however, as he had assumed the triple crown his + opinions changed and he anathematised the revolutionaries whose audacity + was terrifying Italy. But almost at once he corrected himself, warned by + events and realising the great danger of leaving socialism in the hands of + the enemies of the Church. Then he listened to the bishops of the lands of + propaganda, ceased to intervene in the Irish quarrel, withdrew the + excommunications which he had launched against the American “knights of + labour,” and would not allow the bold works of Catholic socialist writers + to be placed in the Index. This evolution towards democracy may be traced + through his most famous encyclical letters: <i>Immortale Dei</i>, on the + constitution of States; <i>Libertas</i>, on human liberty; <i>Sapientoe</i>, + on the duties of Christian citizens; <i>Rerum novarum</i>, on the + condition of the working classes; and it is particularly this last which + would seem to have rejuvenated the Church. The Pope herein chronicles the + undeserved misery of the toilers, the undue length of the hours of labour, + the insufficiency of salaries. All men have the right to live, and all + contracts extorted by threats of starvation are unjust. Elsewhere he + declares that the workman must not be left defenceless in presence of a + system which converts the misery of the majority into the wealth of a few. + Compelled to deal vaguely with questions of organisation, he contents + himself with encouraging the corporative movement, placing it under State + patronage; and after thus contributing to restore the secular power, he + reinstates the Deity on the throne of sovereignty, and discerns the path + to salvation more particularly in moral measures, in the ancient respect + due to family ties and ownership. Nevertheless, was not the helpful hand + which the august Vicar of Christ thus publicly tendered to the poor and + the humble, the certain token of a new alliance, the announcement of a new + reign of Jesus upon earth? Thenceforward the people knew that it was not + abandoned. And from that moment too how glorious became Leo XIII, whose + sacerdotal jubilee and episcopal jubilee were celebrated by all + Christendom amidst the coming of a vast multitude, of endless offerings, + and of flattering letters from every sovereign! + </p> + <p> + Pierre next dealt with the question of the temporal power, and this he + thought he might treat freely. Naturally, he was not ignorant of the fact + that the Pope in his quarrel with Italy upheld the rights of the Church + over Rome as stubbornly as his predecessor; but he imagined that this was + merely a necessary conventional attitude, imposed by political + considerations, and destined to be abandoned when the times were ripe. For + his own part he was convinced that if the Pope had never appeared greater + than he did now, it was to the loss of the temporal power that he owed it; + for thence had come the great increase of his authority, the pure + splendour of moral omnipotence which he diffused. + </p> + <p> + What a long history of blunders and conflicts had been that of the + possession of the little kingdom of Rome during fifteen centuries! + Constantine quits Rome in the fourth century, only a few forgotten + functionaries remaining on the deserted Palatine, and the Pope naturally + rises to power, and the life of the city passes to the Lateran. However, + it is only four centuries later that Charlemagne recognises accomplished + facts and formally bestows the States of the Church upon the papacy. From + that time warfare between the spiritual power and the temporal powers has + never ceased; though often latent it has at times become acute, breaking + forth with blood and fire. And to-day, in the midst of Europe in arms, is + it not unreasonable to dream of the papacy ruling a strip of territory + where it would be exposed to every vexation, and where it could only + maintain itself by the help of a foreign army? What would become of it in + the general massacre which is apprehended? Is it not far more sheltered, + far more dignified, far more lofty when disentangled from all terrestrial + cares, reigning over the world of souls? + </p> + <p> + In the early times of the Church the papacy from being merely local, + merely Roman, gradually became catholicised, universalised, slowly + acquiring dominion over all Christendom. In the same way the Sacred + College, at first a continuation of the Roman Senate, acquired an + international character, and in our time has ended by becoming the most + cosmopolitan of assemblies, in which representatives of all the nations + have seats. And is it not evident that the Pope, thus leaning on the + cardinals, has become the one great international power which exercises + the greater authority since it is free from all monarchical interests, and + can speak not merely in the name of country but in that of humanity + itself? The solution so often sought amidst such long wars surely lies in + this: Either give the Pope the temporal sovereignty of the world, or leave + him only the spiritual sovereignty. Vicar of the Deity, absolute and + infallible sovereign by divine delegation, he can but remain in the + sanctuary if, ruler already of the human soul, he is not recognised by + every nation as the one master of the body also—the king of kings. + </p> + <p> + But what a strange affair was this new incursion of the papacy into the + field sown by the French Revolution, an incursion conducting it perhaps + towards the domination, which it has striven for with a will that has + upheld it for centuries! For now it stands alone before the people. The + kings are down. And as the people is henceforth free to give itself to + whomsoever it pleases, why should it not give itself to the Church? The + depreciation which the idea of liberty has certainly undergone renders + every hope permissible. The liberal party appears to be vanquished in the + sphere of economics. The toilers, dissatisfied with 1789 complain of the + aggravation of their misery, bestir themselves, seek happiness + despairingly. On the other hand the new <i>régimes</i> have increased the + international power of the Church; Catholic members are numerous in the + parliaments of the republics and the constitutional monarchies. All + circumstances seem therefore to favour this extraordinary return of + fortune, Catholicism reverting to the vigour of youth in its old age. Even + science, remember, is accused of bankruptcy, a charge which saves the <i>Syllabus</i> + from ridicule, troubles the minds of men, and throws the limitless sphere + of mystery and impossibility open once more. And then a prophecy is + recalled, a prediction that the papacy shall be mistress of the world on + the day when she marches at the head of the democracy after reuniting the + Schismatical Churches of the East to the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman + Church. And, in Pierre’s opinion, assuredly the times had come since Pope + Leo XIII, dismissing the great and the wealthy of the world, left the + kings driven from their thrones in exile to place himself like Jesus on + the side of the foodless toilers and the beggars of the high roads. Yet a + few more years, perhaps, of frightful misery, alarming confusion, fearful + social danger, and the people, the great silent multitude which others + have so far disposed of, will return to the cradle, to the unified Church + of Rome, in order to escape the destruction which threatens human society. + </p> + <p> + Pierre concluded his book with a passionate evocation of New Rome, the + spiritual Rome which would soon reign over the nations, reconciled and + fraternising as in another golden age. Herein he even saw the end of + superstitions. Without making a direct attack on dogma, he allowed himself + to dream of an enlargement of religious feeling, freed from rites, and + absorbed in the one satisfaction of human charity. And still smarting from + his journey to Lourdes, he felt the need of contenting his heart. Was not + that gross superstition of Lourdes the hateful symptom of the excessive + suffering of the times? On the day when the Gospel should be universally + diffused and practised, suffering ones would cease seeking an illusory + relief so far away, assured as they would be of finding assistance, + consolation, and cure in their homes amidst their brothers. At Lourdes + there was an iniquitous displacement of wealth, a spectacle so frightful + as to make one doubt of God, a perpetual conflict which would disappear in + the truly Christian society of to-morrow. Ah! that society, that Christian + community, all Pierre’s work ended in an ardent longing for its speedy + advent: Christianity becoming once more the religion of truth and justice + which it had been before it allowed itself to be conquered by the rich and + the powerful! The little ones and the poor ones reigning, sharing the + wealth of earth, and owing obedience to nought but the levelling law of + work! The Pope alone erect at the head of the federation of nations, + prince of peace, with the simple mission of supplying the moral rule, the + link of charity and love which was to unite all men! And would not this be + the speedy realisation of the promises of Christ? The times were near + accomplishment, secular and religious society would mingle so closely that + they would form but one; and it would be the age of triumph and happiness + predicted by all the prophets, no more struggles possible, no more + antagonism between the mind and the body, but a marvellous equilibrium + which would kill evil and set the kingdom of heaven upon earth. New Rome, + the centre of the world, bestowing on the world the new religion! + </p> + <p> + Pierre felt that tears were coming to his eyes, and with an unconscious + movement, never noticing how much he astonished the slim Englishmen and + thick-set Germans passing along the terrace, he opened his arms and + extended them towards the <i>real</i> Rome, steeped in such lovely + sunshine and stretched out at his feet. Would she prove responsive to his + dream? Would he, as he had written, find within her the remedy for our + impatience and our alarms? Could Catholicism be renewed, could it return + to the spirit of primitive Christianity, become the religion of the + democracy, the faith which the modern world, overturned and in danger of + perishing, awaits in order to be pacified and to live? + </p> + <p> + Pierre was full of generous passion, full of faith. He again beheld good + Abbé Rose weeping with emotion as he read his book. He heard Viscount + Philibert de la Choue telling him that such a book was worth an army. And + he particularly felt strong in the approval of Cardinal Bergerot, that + apostle of inexhaustible charity. Why should the Congregation of the Index + threaten his work with interdiction? Since he had been officiously advised + to go to Rome if he desired to defend himself, he had been turning this + question over in his mind without being able to discover which of his + pages were attacked. To him indeed they all seemed to glow with the purest + Christianity. However, he had arrived quivering with enthusiasm and + courage: he was all eagerness to kneel before the Pope, and place himself + under his august protection, assuring him that he had not written a line + without taking inspiration from his ideas, without desiring the triumph of + his policy. Was it possible that condemnation should be passed on a book + in which he imagined in all sincerity that he had exalted Leo XIII by + striving to help him in his work of Christian reunion and universal peace? + </p> + <p> + For a moment longer Pierre remained standing before the parapet. He had + been there for nearly an hour, unable to drink in enough of the grandeur + of Rome, which, given all the unknown things she hid from him, he would + have liked to possess at once. Oh! to seize hold of her, know her, + ascertain at once the true word which he had come to seek from her! This + again, like Lourdes, was an experiment, but a graver one, a decisive one, + whence he would emerge either strengthened or overcome for evermore. He no + longer sought the simple, perfect faith of the little child, but the + superior faith of the intellectual man, raising himself above rites and + symbols, working for the greatest happiness of humanity as based on its + need of certainty. His temples throbbed responsive to his heart. What + would be the answer of Rome? + </p> + <p> + The sunlight had increased and the higher districts now stood out more + vigorously against the fiery background. Far away the hills became gilded + and empurpled, whilst the nearer house-fronts grew very distinct and + bright with their thousands of windows sharply outlined. However, some + morning haze still hovered around; light veils seemed to rise from the + lower streets, blurring the summits for a moment, and then evaporating in + the ardent heavens where all was blue. For a moment Pierre fancied that + the Palatine had vanished, for he could scarcely see the dark fringe of + cypresses; it was as though the dust of its ruins concealed the hill. But + the Quirinal was even more obscured; the royal palace seemed to have faded + away in a fog, so paltry did it look with its low flat front, so vague in + the distance that he no longer distinguished it; whereas above the trees + on his left the dome of St. Peter’s had grown yet larger in the limpid + gold of the sunshine, and appeared to occupy the whole sky and dominate + the whole city! + </p> + <p> + Ah! the Rome of that first meeting, the Rome of early morning, whose new + districts he had not even noticed in the burning fever of his arrival—with + what boundless hopes did she not inspirit him, this Rome which he believed + he should find alive, such indeed as he had dreamed! And whilst he stood + there in his thin black cassock, thus gazing on her that lovely day, what + a shout of coming redemption seemed to arise from her house-roofs, what a + promise of universal peace seemed to issue from that sacred soil, twice + already Queen of the world! It was the third Rome, it was New Rome whose + maternal love was travelling across the frontiers to all the nations to + console them and reunite them in a common embrace. In the passionate + candour of his dream he beheld her, he heard her, rejuvenated, full of the + gentleness of childhood, soaring, as it were, amidst the morning freshness + into the vast pure heavens. + </p> + <p> + But at last Pierre tore himself away from the sublime spectacle. The + driver and the horse, their heads drooping under the broad sunlight, had + not stirred. On the seat the valise was almost burning, hot with rays of + the sun which was already heavy. And once more Pierre got into the vehicle + and gave this address: + </p> + <p> + “Via Giulia, Palazzo Boccanera.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap27"></a> + II. + </h2> + <p> + THE Via Giulia, which runs in a straight line over a distance of five + hundred yards from the Farnese palace to the church of St. John of the + Florentines, was at that hour steeped in bright sunlight, the glow + streaming from end to end and whitening the small square paving stones. + The street had no footways, and the cab rolled along it almost to the + farther extremity, passing the old grey sleepy and deserted residences + whose large windows were barred with iron, while their deep porches + revealed sombre courts resembling wells. Laid out by Pope Julius II, who + had dreamt of lining it with magnificent palaces, the street, then the + most regular and handsome in Rome, had served as Corso* in the sixteenth + century. One could tell that one was in a former luxurious district, which + had lapsed into silence, solitude, and abandonment, instinct with a kind + of religious gentleness and discretion. The old house-fronts followed one + after another, their shutters closed and their gratings occasionally + decked with climbing plants. At some doors cats were seated, and dim + shops, appropriated to humble trades, were installed in certain + dependencies. But little traffic was apparent. Pierre only noticed some + bare-headed women dragging children behind them, a hay cart drawn by a + mule, a superb monk draped in drugget, and a bicyclist speeding along + noiselessly, his machine sparkling in the sun. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Corso was so called on account of the horse races held in + it at carnival time.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + At last the driver turned and pointed to a large square building at the + corner of a lane running towards the Tiber. + </p> + <p> + “Palazzo Boccanera.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre raised his head and was pained by the severe aspect of the + structure, so bare and massive and blackened by age. Like its neighbours + the Farnese and Sacchetti palaces, it had been built by Antonio da + Sangallo in the early part of the sixteenth century, and, as with the + former of those residences, the tradition ran that in raising the pile the + architect had made use of stones pilfered from the Colosseum and the + Theatre of Marcellus. The vast, square-looking façade had three upper + stories, each with seven windows, and the first one very lofty and noble. + Down below, the only sign of decoration was that the high ground-floor + windows, barred with huge projecting gratings as though from fear of + siege, rested upon large consoles, and were crowned by attics which + smaller consoles supported. Above the monumental entrance, with folding + doors of bronze, there was a balcony in front of the central first-floor + window. And at the summit of the façade against the sky appeared a + sumptuous entablature, whose frieze displayed admirable grace and purity + of ornamentation. The frieze, the consoles, the attics, and the door-case + were of white marble, but marble whose surface had so crumbled and so + darkened that it now had the rough yellowish grain of stone. Right and + left of the entrance were two antique seats upheld by griffons also of + marble; and incrusted in the wall at one corner, a lovely Renascence + fountain, its source dried up, still lingered; and on it a cupid riding a + dolphin could with difficulty be distinguished, to such a degree had the + wear and tear of time eaten into the sculpture. + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s eyes, however, had been more particularly attracted by an + escutcheon carved above one of the ground-floor windows, the escutcheon of + the Boccaneras, a winged dragon venting flames, and underneath it he could + plainly read the motto which had remained intact: “<i>Bocca nera, Alma + rossa</i>” (black mouth, red soul). Above another window, as a pendant to + the escutcheon, there was one of those little shrines which are still + common in Rome, a satin-robed statuette of the Blessed Virgin, before + which a lantern burnt in the full daylight. + </p> + <p> + The cabman was about to drive through the dim and gaping porch, according + to custom, when the young priest, overcome by timidity, stopped him. “No, + no,” he said; “don’t go in, it’s useless.” + </p> + <p> + Then he alighted from the vehicle, paid the man, and, valise in hand, + found himself first under the vaulted roof, and then in the central court + without having met a living soul. + </p> + <p> + It was a square and fairly spacious court, surrounded by a porticus like a + cloister. Some remnants of statuary, marbles discovered in excavating, an + armless Apollo, and the trunk of a Venus, were ranged against the walls + under the dismal arcades; and some fine grass had sprouted between the + pebbles which paved the soil as with a black and white mosaic. It seemed + as if the sun-rays could never reach that paving, mouldy with damp. A + dimness and a silence instinct with departed grandeur and infinite + mournfulness reigned there. + </p> + <p> + Surprised by the emptiness of this silent mansion, Pierre continued + seeking somebody, a porter, a servant; and, fancying that he saw a shadow + flit by, he decided to pass through another arch which led to a little + garden fringing the Tiber. On this side the façade of the building was + quite plain, displaying nothing beyond its three rows of symmetrically + disposed windows. However, the abandonment reigning in the garden brought + Pierre yet a keener pang. In the centre some large box-plants were growing + in the basin of a fountain which had been filled up; while among the mass + of weeds, some orange-trees with golden, ripening fruit alone indicated + the tracery of the paths which they had once bordered. Between two huge + laurel-bushes, against the right-hand wall, there was a sarcophagus of the + second century—with fauns offering violence to nymphs, one of those + wild <i>baccanali</i>, those scenes of eager passion which Rome in its + decline was wont to depict on the tombs of its dead; and this marble + sarcophagus, crumbling with age and green with moisture, served as a tank + into which a streamlet of water fell from a large tragic mask incrusted in + the wall. Facing the Tiber there had formerly been a sort of colonnaded + loggia, a terrace whence a double flight of steps descended to the river. + For the construction of the new quays, however, the river bank was being + raised, and the terrace was already lower than the new ground level, and + stood there crumbling and useless amidst piles of rubbish and blocks of + stone, all the wretched chalky confusion of the improvements which were + ripping up and overturning the district. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, was suddenly convinced that he could see somebody + crossing the court. So he returned thither and found a woman somewhat + short of stature, who must have been nearly fifty, though as yet she had + not a white hair, but looked very bright and active. At sight of the + priest, however, an expression of distrust passed over her round face and + clear eyes. + </p> + <p> + Employing the few words of broken Italian which he knew, Pierre at once + sought to explain matters: “I am Abbé Pierre Froment, madame—” he + began. + </p> + <p> + However, she did not let him continue, but exclaimed in fluent French, + with the somewhat thick and lingering accent of the province of the + Ile-de-France: “Ah! yes, Monsieur l’Abbé, I know, I know—I was + expecting you, I received orders about you.” And then, as he gazed at her + in amazement, she added: “Oh! I’m a Frenchwoman! I’ve been here for five + and twenty years, but I haven’t yet been able to get used to their + horrible lingo!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre thereupon remembered that Viscount Philibert de la Choue had spoken + to him of this servant, one Victorine Bosquet, a native of Auneau in La + Beauce, who, when two and twenty, had gone to Rome with a consumptive + mistress. The latter’s sudden death had left her in as much terror and + bewilderment as if she had been alone in some land of savages; and so she + had gratefully devoted herself to the Countess Ernesta Brandini, a + Boccanera by birth, who had, so to say, picked her up in the streets. The + Countess had at first employed her as a nurse to her daughter Benedetta, + hoping in this way to teach the child some French; and Victorine—remaining + for some five and twenty years with the same family—had by degrees + raised herself to the position of housekeeper, whilst still remaining + virtually illiterate, so destitute indeed of any linguistic gift that she + could only jabber a little broken Italian, just sufficient for her needs + in her intercourse with the other servants. + </p> + <p> + “And is Monsieur le Vicomte quite well?” she resumed with frank + familiarity. “He is so very pleasant, and we are always so pleased to see + him. He stays here, you know, each time he comes to Rome. I know that the + Princess and the Contessina received a letter from him yesterday + announcing you.” + </p> + <p> + It was indeed Viscount Philibert de la Choue who had made all the + arrangements for Pierre’s sojourn in Rome. Of the ancient and once + vigorous race of the Boccaneras, there now only remained Cardinal Pio + Boccanera, the Princess his sister, an old maid who from respect was + called “Donna” Serafina, their niece Benedetta—whose mother Ernesta + had followed her husband, Count Brandini, to the tomb—and finally + their nephew, Prince Dario Boccanera, whose father, Prince Onofrio, was + likewise dead, and whose mother, a Montefiori, had married again. It so + chanced that the Viscount de la Choue was connected with the family, his + younger brother having married a Brandini, sister to Benedetta’s father; + and thus, with the courtesy rank of uncle, he had, in Count Brandini’s + time, frequently sojourned at the mansion in the Via Giulia. He had also + become attached to Benedetta, especially since the advent of a private + family drama, consequent upon an unhappy marriage which the young woman + had contracted, and which she had petitioned the Holy Father to annul. + Since Benedetta had left her husband to live with her aunt Serafina and + her uncle the Cardinal, M. de la Choue had often written to her and sent + her parcels of French books. Among others he had forwarded her a copy of + Pierre’s book, and the whole affair had originated in that wise. Several + letters on the subject had been exchanged when at last Benedetta sent word + that the work had been denounced to the Congregation of the Index, and + that it was advisable the author should at once repair to Rome, where she + graciously offered him the hospitality of the Boccanera mansion. + </p> + <p> + The Viscount was quite as much astonished as the young priest at these + tidings, and failed to understand why the book should be threatened at + all; however, he prevailed on Pierre to make the journey as a matter of + good policy, becoming himself impassioned for the achievement of a victory + which he counted in anticipation as his own. And so it was easy to + understand the bewildered condition of Pierre, on tumbling into this + unknown mansion, launched into an heroic adventure, the reasons and + circumstances of which were beyond him. + </p> + <p> + Victorine, however, suddenly resumed: “But I am leaving you here, Monsieur + l’Abbé. Let me conduct you to your rooms. Where is your luggage?” + </p> + <p> + Then, when he had shown her his valise which he had placed on the ground + beside him, and explained that having no more than a fortnight’s stay in + view he had contented himself with bringing a second cassock and some + linen, she seemed very much surprised. + </p> + <p> + “A fortnight! You only expect to remain here a fortnight? Well, well, + you’ll see.” + </p> + <p> + And then summoning a big devil of a lackey who had ended by making his + appearance, she said: “Take that up into the red room, Giacomo. Will you + kindly follow me, Monsieur l’Abbé?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre felt quite comforted and inspirited by thus unexpectedly meeting + such a lively, good-natured compatriot in this gloomy Roman “palace.” + Whilst crossing the court he listened to her as she related that the + Princess had gone out, and that the Contessina—as Benedetta from + motives of affection was still called in the house, despite her marriage—had + not yet shown herself that morning, being rather poorly. However, added + Victorine, she had her orders. + </p> + <p> + The staircase was in one corner of the court, under the porticus. It was a + monumental staircase with broad, low steps, the incline being so gentle + that a horse might easily have climbed it. The stone walls, however, were + quite bare, the landings empty and solemn, and a death-like mournfulness + fell from the lofty vault above. + </p> + <p> + As they reached the first floor, noticing Pierre’s emotion, Victorine + smiled. The mansion seemed to be uninhabited; not a sound came from its + closed chambers. Simply pointing to a large oaken door on the right-hand, + the housekeeper remarked: “The wing overlooking the court and the river is + occupied by his Eminence. But he doesn’t use a quarter of the rooms. All + the reception-rooms on the side of the street have been shut. How could + one keep up such a big place, and what, too, would be the use of it? We + should need somebody to lodge.” + </p> + <p> + With her lithe step she continued ascending the stairs. She had remained + essentially a foreigner, a Frenchwoman, too different from those among + whom she lived to be influenced by her environment. On reaching the second + floor she resumed: “There, on the left, are Donna Serafina’s rooms; those + of the Contessina are on the right. This is the only part of the house + where there’s a little warmth and life. Besides, it’s Monday to-day, the + Princess will be receiving visitors this evening. You’ll see.” + </p> + <p> + Then, opening a door, beyond which was a second and very narrow staircase, + she went on: “We others have our rooms on the third floor. I must ask + Monsieur l’Abbé to let me go up before him.” + </p> + <p> + The grand staircase ceased at the second floor, and Victorine explained + that the third story was reached exclusively by this servants’ staircase, + which led from the lane running down to the Tiber on one side of the + mansion. There was a small private entrance in this lane, which was very + convenient. + </p> + <p> + At last, reaching the third story, she hurried along a passage, again + calling Pierre’s attention to various doors. “These are the apartments of + Don Vigilio, his Eminence’s secretary. These are mine. And these will be + yours. Monsieur le Vicomte will never have any other rooms when he comes + to spend a few days in Rome. He says that he enjoys more liberty up here, + as he can come in and go out as he pleases. I gave him a key to the door + in the lane, and I’ll give you one too. And, besides, you’ll see what a + nice view there is from here!” + </p> + <p> + Whilst speaking she had gone in. The apartments comprised two rooms: a + somewhat spacious <i>salon</i>, with wall-paper of a large scroll pattern + on a red ground, and a bed-chamber, where the paper was of a flax grey, + studded with faded blue flowers. The sitting-room was in one corner of the + mansion overlooking the lane and the Tiber, and Victorine at once went to + the windows, one of which afforded a view over the distant lower part of + the river, while the other faced the Trastevere and the Janiculum across + the water. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes, it’s very pleasant!” said Pierre, who had followed and stood + beside her. + </p> + <p> + Giaccomo, who did not hurry, came in behind them with the valise. It was + now past eleven o’clock; and seeing that the young priest looked tired, + and realising that he must be hungry after such a journey, Victorine + offered to have some breakfast served at once in the sitting-room. He + would then have the afternoon to rest or go out, and would only meet the + ladies in the evening at dinner. At the mere suggestion of resting, + however, Pierre began to protest, declaring that he should certainly go + out, not wishing to lose an entire afternoon. The breakfast he readily + accepted, for he was indeed dying of hunger. + </p> + <p> + However, he had to wait another full half hour. Giaccomo, who served him + under Victorine’s orders, did everything in a most leisurely way. And + Victorine, lacking confidence in the man, remained with the young priest + to make sure that everything he might require was provided. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she, “what people! What a country! You can’t + have an idea of it. I should never get accustomed to it even if I were to + live here for a hundred years. Ah! if it were not for the Contessina, but + she’s so good and beautiful.” + </p> + <p> + Then, whilst placing a dish of figs on the table, she astonished Pierre by + adding that a city where nearly everybody was a priest could not possibly + be a good city. Thereupon the presence of this gay, active, unbelieving + servant in the queer old palace again scared him. + </p> + <p> + “What! you are not religious?” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, Monsieur l’Abbé, the priests don’t suit me,” said Victorine; “I + knew one in France when I was very little, and since I’ve been here I’ve + seen too many of them. It’s all over. Oh! I don’t say that on account of + his Eminence, who is a holy man worthy of all possible respect. And + besides, everybody in the house knows that I’ve nothing to reproach myself + with. So why not leave me alone, since I’m fond of my employers and attend + properly to my duties?” + </p> + <p> + She burst into a frank laugh. “Ah!” she resumed, “when I was told that + another priest was coming, just as if we hadn’t enough already, I couldn’t + help growling to myself. But you look like a good young man, Monsieur + l’Abbé, and I feel sure we shall get on well together.... I really don’t + know why I’m telling you all this—probably it’s because you’ve come + from yonder, and because the Contessina takes an interest in you. At all + events, you’ll excuse me, won’t you, Monsieur l’Abbé? And take my advice, + stay here and rest to-day; don’t be so foolish as to go running about + their tiring city. There’s nothing very amusing to be seen in it, whatever + they may say to the contrary.” + </p> + <p> + When Pierre found himself alone, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by all the + fatigue of his journey coupled with the fever of enthusiasm that had + consumed him during the morning. And as though dazed, intoxicated by the + hasty meal which he had just made—a couple of eggs and a cutlet—he + flung himself upon the bed with the idea of taking half an hour’s rest. He + did not fall asleep immediately, but for a time thought of those + Boccaneras, with whose history he was partly acquainted, and of whose life + in that deserted and silent palace, instinct with such dilapidated and + melancholy grandeur, he began to dream. But at last his ideas grew + confused, and by degrees he sunk into sleep amidst a crowd of shadowy + forms, some tragic and some sweet, with vague faces which gazed at him + with enigmatical eyes as they whirled before him in the depths of + dreamland. + </p> + <p> + The Boccaneras had supplied two popes to Rome, one in the thirteenth, the + other in the fifteenth century, and from those two favoured ones, those + all-powerful masters, the family had formerly derived its vast fortune—large + estates in the vicinity of Viterbo, several palaces in Rome, enough works + of art to fill numerous spacious galleries, and a pile of gold sufficient + to cram a cellar. The family passed as being the most pious of the Roman + <i>patriziato</i>, a family of burning faith whose sword had always been + at the service of the Church; but if it were the most believing family it + was also the most violent, the most disputatious, constantly at war, and + so fiercely savage that the anger of the Boccaneras had become proverbial. + And thence came their arms, the winged dragon spitting flames, and the + fierce, glowing motto, with its play on the name “<i>Bocca sera, Alma + rossa</i>” (black mouth, red soul), the mouth darkened by a roar, the soul + flaming like a brazier of faith and love. + </p> + <p> + Legends of endless passion, of terrible deeds of justice and vengeance + still circulated. There was the duel fought by Onfredo, the Boccanera by + whom the present palazzo had been built in the sixteenth century on the + site of the demolished antique residence of the family. Onfredo, learning + that his wife had allowed herself to be kissed on the lips by young Count + Costamagna, had caused the Count to be kidnapped one evening and brought + to the palazzo bound with cords. And there in one of the large halls, + before freeing him, he compelled him to confess himself to a monk. Then he + severed the cords with a stiletto, threw the lamps over and extinguished + them, calling to the Count to keep the stiletto and defend himself. During + more than an hour, in complete obscurity, in this hall full of furniture, + the two men sought one another, fled from one another, seized hold of one + another, and pierced one another with their blades. And when the doors + were broken down and the servants rushed in they found among the pools of + blood, among the overturned tables and broken seats, Costamagna with his + nose sliced off and his hips pierced with two and thirty wounds, whilst + Onfredo had lost two fingers of his right hand, and had both shoulders + riddled with holes! The wonder was that neither died of the encounter. + </p> + <p> + A century later, on that same bank of the Tiber, a daughter of the + Boccaneras, a girl barely sixteen years of age, the lovely and passionate + Cassia, filled all Rome with terror and admiration. She loved Flavio + Corradini, the scion of a rival and hated house, whose alliance her + father, Prince Boccanera, roughly rejected, and whom her elder brother, + Ercole, swore to slay should he ever surprise him with her. Nevertheless + the young man came to visit her in a boat, and she joined him by the + little staircase descending to the river. But one evening Ercole, who was + on the watch, sprang into the boat and planted his dagger full in Flavio’s + heart. Later on the subsequent incidents were unravelled; it was + understood that Cassia, wrathful and frantic with despair, unwilling to + survive her love and bent on wreaking justice, had thrown herself upon her + brother, had seized both murderer and victim with the same grasp whilst + overturning the boat; for when the three bodies were recovered Cassia + still retained her hold upon the two men, pressing their faces one against + the other with her bare arms, which had remained as white as snow. + </p> + <p> + But those were vanished times. Nowadays, if faith remained, blood violence + seemed to be departing from the Boccaneras. Their huge fortune also had + been lost in the slow decline which for a century past has been ruining + the Roman <i>patriziato</i>. It had been necessary to sell the estates; + the palace had emptied, gradually sinking to the mediocrity and bourgeois + life of the new times. For their part the Boccaneras obstinately declined + to contract any alien alliances, proud as they were of the purity of their + Roman blood. And poverty was as nothing to them; they found contentment in + their immense pride, and without a plaint sequestered themselves amidst + the silence and gloom in which their race was dwindling away. + </p> + <p> + Prince Ascanio, dead since 1848, had left four children by his wife, a + Corvisieri; first Pio, the Cardinal; then Serafina, who, in order to + remain with her brother, had not married; and finally Ernesta and Onofrio, + both of whom were deceased. As Ernesta had merely left a daughter, + Benedetta, behind her, it followed that the only male heir, the only + possible continuator of the family name was Onofrio’s son, young Prince + Dario, now some thirty years of age. Should he die without posterity, the + Boccaneras, once so full of life and whose deeds had filled Roman history + in papal times, must fatally disappear. + </p> + <p> + Dario and his cousin Benedetta had been drawn together by a deep, smiling, + natural passion ever since childhood. They seemed born one for the other; + they could not imagine that they had been brought into the world for any + other purpose than that of becoming husband and wife as soon as they + should be old enough to marry. When Prince Onofrio—an amiable man of + forty, very popular in Rome, where he spent his modest fortune as his + heart listed—espoused La Montefiori’s daughter, the little Marchesa + Flavia, whose superb beauty, suggestive of a youthful Juno, had maddened + him, he went to reside at the Villa Montefiori, the only property, indeed + the only belonging, that remained to the two ladies. It was in the + direction of St’. Agnese-fuori-le-Mura,* and there were vast grounds, a + perfect park in fact, planted with centenarian trees, among which the + villa, a somewhat sorry building of the seventeenth century, was falling + into ruins. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * St. Agnes-without-the-walls, N.E. of Rome. +</pre> + <p> + Unfavourable reports were circulated about the ladies, the mother having + almost lost caste since she had become a widow, and the girl having too + bold a beauty, too conquering an air. Thus the marriage had not met with + the approval of Serafina, who was very rigid, or of Onofrio’s elder + brother Pio, at that time merely a <i>Cameriere segreto</i> of the Holy + Father and a Canon of the Vatican basilica. Only Ernesta kept up a regular + intercourse with Onofrio, fond of him as she was by reason of his gaiety + of disposition; and thus, later on, her favourite diversion was to go each + week to the Villa Montefiori with her daughter Benedetta, there to spend + the day. And what a delightful day it always proved to Benedetta and + Dario, she ten years old and he fifteen, what a fraternal loving day in + that vast and almost abandoned garden with its parasol pines, its giant + box-plants, and its clumps of evergreen oaks, amidst which one lost + oneself as in a virgin forest. + </p> + <p> + The poor stifled soul of Ernesta was a soul of pain and passion. Born with + a mighty longing for life, she thirsted for the sun—for a free, + happy, active existence in the full daylight. She was noted for her large + limpid eyes and the charming oval of her gentle face. Extremely ignorant, + like all the daughters of the Roman nobility, having learnt the little she + knew in a convent of French nuns, she had grown up cloistered in the black + Boccanera palace, having no knowledge of the world than by those daily + drives to the Corso and the Pincio on which she accompanied her mother. + Eventually, when she was five and twenty, and was already weary and + desolate, she contracted the customary marriage of her caste, espousing + Count Brandini, the last-born of a very noble, very numerous and poor + family, who had to come and live in the Via Giulia mansion, where an + entire wing of the second floor was got ready for the young couple. And + nothing changed, Ernesta continued to live in the same cold gloom, in the + midst of the same dead past, the weight of which, like that of a + tombstone, she felt pressing more and more heavily upon her. + </p> + <p> + The marriage was, on either side, a very honourable one. Count Brandini + soon passed as being the most foolish and haughty man in Rome. A strict, + intolerant formalist in religious matters, he became quite triumphant + when, after innumerable intrigues, secret plottings which lasted ten long + years, he at last secured the appointment of grand equerry to the Holy + Father. With this appointment it seemed as if all the dismal majesty of + the Vatican entered his household. However, Ernesta found life still + bearable in the time of Pius IX—that is until the latter part of + 1870—for she might still venture to open the windows overlooking the + street, receive a few lady friends otherwise than in secrecy, and accept + invitations to festivities. But when the Italians had conquered Rome and + the Pope declared himself a prisoner, the mansion in the Via Giulia became + a sepulchre. The great doors were closed and bolted, even nailed together + in token of mourning; and during ten years the inmates only went out and + came in by the little staircase communicating with the lane. It was also + forbidden to open the window shutters of the façade. This was the sulking, + the protest of the black world, the mansion sinking into death-like + immobility, complete seclusion; no more receptions, barely a few shadows, + the intimates of Donna Serafina who on Monday evenings slipped in by the + little door in the lane which was scarcely set ajar. And during those ten + lugubrious years, overcome by secret despair, the young woman wept every + night, suffered untold agony at thus being buried alive. + </p> + <p> + Ernesta had given birth to her daughter Benedetta rather late in life, + when three and thirty years of age. At first the little one helped to + divert her mind. But afterwards her wonted existence, like a grinding + millstone, again seized hold of her, and she had to place the child in the + charge of the French nuns, by whom she herself had been educated, at the + convent of the Sacred Heart of La Trinita de’ Monti. When Benedetta left + the convent, grown up, nineteen years of age, she was able to speak and + write French, knew a little arithmetic and her catechism, and possessed a + few hazy notions of history. Then the life of the two women was resumed, + the life of a <i>gynoeceum</i>, suggestive of the Orient; never an + excursion with husband or father, but day after day spent in closed, + secluded rooms, with nought to cheer one but the sole, everlasting, + obligatory promenade, the daily drive to the Corso and the Pincio. + </p> + <p> + At home, absolute obedience was the rule; the tie of relationship + possessed an authority, a strength, which made both women bow to the will + of the Count, without possible thought of rebellion; and to the Count’s + will was added that of Donna Serafina and that of Cardinal Pio, both of + whom were stern defenders of the old-time customs. Since the Pope had + ceased to show himself in Rome, the post of grand equerry had left the + Count considerable leisure, for the number of equipages in the pontifical + stables had been very largely reduced; nevertheless, he was constant in + his attendance at the Vatican, where his duties were now a mere matter of + parade, and ever increased his devout zeal as a mark of protest against + the usurping monarchy installed at the Quirinal. However, Benedetta had + just attained her twentieth year, when one evening her father returned + coughing and shivering from some ceremony at St. Peter’s. A week later he + died, carried off by inflammation of the lungs. And despite their + mourning, the loss was secretly considered a deliverance by both women, + who now felt that they were free. + </p> + <p> + Thenceforward Ernesta had but one thought, that of saving her daughter + from that awful life of immurement and entombment. She herself had + sorrowed too deeply: it was no longer possible for her to remount the + current of existence; but she was unwilling that Benedetta should in her + turn lead a life contrary to nature, in a voluntary grave. Moreover, + similar lassitude and rebellion were showing themselves among other + patrician families, which, after the sulking of the first years, were + beginning to draw nearer to the Quirinal. Why indeed should the children, + eager for action, liberty, and sunlight, perpetually keep up the quarrel + of the fathers? And so, though no reconciliation could take place between + the black world and the white world,* intermediate tints were already + appearing, and some unexpected matrimonial alliances were contracted. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The “blacks” are the supporters of the papacy, the “whites” + those of the King of Italy.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Ernesta for her part was indifferent to the political question; she knew + next to nothing about it; but that which she passionately desired was that + her race might at last emerge from that hateful sepulchre, that black, + silent Boccanera mansion, where her woman’s joys had been frozen by so + long a death. She had suffered very grievously in her heart, as girl, as + lover, and as wife, and yielded to anger at the thought that her life + should have been so spoiled, so lost through idiotic resignation. Then, + too, her mind was greatly influenced by the choice of a new confessor at + this period; for she had remained very religious, practising all the rites + of the Church, and ever docile to the advice of her spiritual director. To + free herself the more, however, she now quitted the Jesuit father whom her + husband had chosen for her, and in his stead took Abbé Pisoni, the rector + of the little church of Sta. Brigida, on the Piazza Farnese, close by. He + was a man of fifty, very gentle, and very good-hearted, of a benevolence + seldom found in the Roman world; and archaeology, a passion for the old + stones of the past, had made him an ardent patriot. Humble though his + position was, folks whispered that he had on several occasions served as + an intermediary in delicate matters between the Vatican and the Quirinal. + And, becoming confessor not only of Ernesta but of Benedetta also, he was + fond of discoursing to them about the grandeur of Italian unity, the + triumphant sway that Italy would exercise when the Pope and the King + should agree together. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Benedetta and Dario loved as on the first day, patiently, with + the strong tranquil love of those who know that they belong to one + another. But it happened that Ernesta threw herself between them and + stubbornly opposed their marriage. No, no! her daughter must not espouse + that Dario, that cousin, the last of the name, who in his turn would + immure his wife in the black sepulchre of the Boccanera palace! Their + union would be a prolongation of entombment, an aggravation of ruin, a + repetition of the haughty wretchedness of the past, of the everlasting + peevish sulking which depressed and benumbed one! She was well acquainted + with the young man’s character; she knew that he was egotistical and weak, + incapable of thinking and acting, predestined to bury his race with a + smile on his lips, to let the last remnant of the house crumble about his + head without attempting the slightest effort to found a new family. And + that which she desired was fortune in another guise, a new birth for her + daughter with wealth and the florescence of life amid the victors and + powerful ones of to-morrow. + </p> + <p> + From that moment the mother did not cease her stubborn efforts to ensure + her daughter’s happiness despite herself. She told her of her tears, + entreated her not to renew her own deplorable career. Yet she would have + failed, such was the calm determination of the girl who had for ever given + her heart, if certain circumstances had not brought her into connection + with such a son-in-law as she dreamt of. At that very Villa Montefiori + where Benedetta and Dario had plighted their troth, she met Count Prada, + son of Orlando, one of the heroes of the reunion of Italy. Arriving in + Rome from Milan, with his father, when eighteen years of age, at the time + of the occupation of the city by the Italian Government, Prada had first + entered the Ministry of Finances as a mere clerk, whilst the old warrior, + his sire, created a senator, lived scantily on a petty income, the last + remnant of a fortune spent in his country’s service. The fine war-like + madness of the former comrade of Garibaldi had, however, in the son turned + into a fierce appetite for booty, so that the young man became one of the + real conquerors of Rome, one of those birds of prey that dismembered and + devoured the city. Engaged in vast speculations on land, already wealthy + according to popular report, he had—at the time of meeting Ernesta—just + become intimate with Prince Onofrio, whose head he had turned by + suggesting to him the idea of selling the far-spreading grounds of the + Villa Montefiori for the erection of a new suburban district on the site. + Others averred that he was the lover of the princess, the beautiful + Flavia, who, although nine years his senior, was still superb. And, truth + to tell, he was certainly a man of violent desires, with an eagerness to + rush on the spoils of conquest which rendered him utterly unscrupulous + with regard either to the wealth or to the wives of others. + </p> + <p> + From the first day that he beheld Benedetta he desired her. But she, at + any rate, could only become his by marriage. And he did not for a moment + hesitate, but broke off all connection with Flavia, eager as he was for + the pure virgin beauty, the patrician youth of the other. When he realised + that Ernesta, the mother, favoured him, he asked her daughter’s hand, + feeling certain of success. And the surprise was great, for he was some + fifteen years older than the girl. However, he was a count, he bore a name + which was already historical, he was piling up millions, he was regarded + with favour at the Quirinal, and none could tell to what heights he might + not attain. All Rome became impassioned. + </p> + <p> + Never afterwards was Benedetta able to explain to herself how it happened + that she had eventually consented. Six months sooner, six months later, + such a marriage would certainly have been impossible, given the fearful + scandal which it raised in the black world. A Boccanera, the last maiden + of that antique papal race, given to a Prada, to one of the despoilers of + the Church! Was it credible? In order that the wild project might prove + successful it had been necessary that it should be formed at a particular + brief moment—a moment when a supreme effort was being made to + conciliate the Vatican and the Quirinal. A report circulated that an + agreement was on the point of being arrived at, that the King consented to + recognise the Pope’s absolute sovereignty over the Leonine City,* and a + narrow band of territory extending to the sea. And if such were the case + would not the marriage of Benedetta and Prada become, so to say, a symbol + of union, of national reconciliation? That lovely girl, the pure lily of + the black world, was she not the acquiescent sacrifice, the pledge granted + to the whites? + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Vatican suburb of Rome, called the <i>Civitas Leonina</i>, + because Leo IV, to protect it from the Saracens and Arabs, + enclosed it with walls in the ninth century.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + For a fortnight nothing else was talked of; people discussed the question, + allowed their emotion rein, indulged in all sorts of hopes. The girl, for + her part, did not enter into the political reasons, but simply listened to + her heart, which she could not bestow since it was hers no more. From morn + till night, however, she had to encounter her mother’s prayers entreating + her not to refuse the fortune, the life which offered. And she was + particularly exercised by the counsels of her confessor, good Abbé Pisoni, + whose patriotic zeal now burst forth. He weighed upon her with all his + faith in the Christian destinies of Italy, and returned heartfelt thanks + to Providence for having chosen one of his penitents as the instrument for + hastening the reconciliation which would work God’s triumph throughout the + world. And her confessor’s influence was certainly one of the decisive + factors in shaping Benedetta’s decision, for she was very pious, very + devout, especially with regard to a certain Madonna whose image she went + to adore every Sunday at the little church on the Piazza Farnese. One + circumstance in particular struck her: Abbé Pisoni related that the flame + of the lamp before the image in question whitened each time that he + himself knelt there to beg the Virgin to incline his penitent to the + all-redeeming marriage. And thus superior forces intervened; and she + yielded in obedience to her mother, whom the Cardinal and Donna Serafina + had at first opposed, but whom they left free to act when the religious + question arose. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta had grown up in such absolute purity and ignorance, knowing + nothing of herself, so shut off from existence, that marriage with another + than Dario was to her simply the rupture of a long-kept promise of life in + common. It was not the violent wrenching of heart and flesh that it would + have been in the case of a woman who knew the facts of life. She wept a + good deal, and then in a day of self-surrender she married Prada, lacking + the strength to continue resisting everybody, and yielding to a union + which all Rome had conspired to bring about. + </p> + <p> + But the clap of thunder came on the very night of the nuptials. Was it + that Prada, the Piedmontese, the Italian of the North, the man of + conquest, displayed towards his bride the same brutality that he had shown + towards the city he had sacked? Or was it that the revelation of married + life filled Benedetta with repulsion since nothing in her own heart + responded to the passion of this man? On that point she never clearly + explained herself; but with violence she shut the door of her room, locked + it and bolted it, and refused to admit her husband. For a month Prada was + maddened by her scorn. He felt outraged; both his pride and his passion + bled; and he swore to master her, even as one masters a colt, with the + whip. But all his virile fury was impotent against the indomitable + determination which had sprung up one evening behind Benedetta’s small and + lovely brow. The spirit of the Boccaneras had awoke within her; nothing in + the world, not even the fear of death, would have induced her to become + her husband’s wife.* And then, love being at last revealed to her, there + came a return of her heart to Dario, a conviction that she must reserve + herself for him alone, since it was to him that she had promised herself. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Many readers will doubtless remember that the situation as + here described is somewhat akin to that of the earlier part + of M. George Ohnet’s <i>Ironmaster</i>, which, in its form as a + novel, I translated into English many years ago. However, + all resemblance between <i>Rome</i> and the <i>Ironmaster</i> is confined + to this one point.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Ever since that marriage, which he had borne like a bereavement, the young + man had been travelling in France. She did not hide the truth from him, + but wrote to him, again vowing that she would never be another’s. And + meantime her piety increased, her resolve to reserve herself for the lover + she had chosen mingled in her mind with constancy of religious faith. The + ardent heart of a great <i>amorosa</i> had ignited within her, she was + ready for martyrdom for faith’s sake. And when her despairing mother with + clasped hands entreated her to resign herself to her conjugal duties, she + replied that she owed no duties, since she had known nothing when she + married. Moreover, the times were changing; the attempts to reconcile the + Quirinal and the Vatican had failed, so completely, indeed, that the + newspapers of the rival parties had, with renewed violence, resumed their + campaign of mutual insult and outrage; and thus that triumphal marriage, + to which every one had contributed as to a pledge of peace, crumbled amid + the general smash-up, became but a ruin the more added to so many others. + </p> + <p> + Ernesta died of it. She had made a mistake. Her spoilt life—the life + of a joyless wife—had culminated in this supreme maternal error. And + the worst was that she alone had to bear all the responsibility of the + disaster, for both her brother, the Cardinal, and her sister, Donna + Serafina, overwhelmed her with reproaches. For consolation she had but the + despair of Abbé Pisoni, whose patriotic hopes had been destroyed, and who + was consumed with grief at having contributed to such a catastrophe. And + one morning Ernesta was found, icy white and cold, in her bed. Folks + talked of the rupture of a blood-vessel, but grief had been sufficient, + for she had suffered frightfully, secretly, without a plaint, as indeed + she had suffered all her life long. + </p> + <p> + At this time Benedetta had been married about a twelvemonth: still strong + in her resistance to her husband, but remaining under the conjugal roof in + order to spare her mother the terrible blow of a public scandal. However, + her aunt Serafina had brought influence to bear on her, by opening to her + the hope of a possible nullification of her marriage, should she throw + herself at the feet of the Holy Father and entreat his intervention. And + Serafina ended by persuading her of this, when, deferring to certain + advice, she removed her from the spiritual control of Abbé Pisoni, and + gave her the same confessor as herself. This was a Jesuit father named + Lorenza, a man scarce five and thirty, with bright eyes, grave and amiable + manners, and great persuasive powers. However, it was only on the morrow + of her mother’s death that Benedetta made up her mind, and returned to the + Palazzo Boccanera, to occupy the apartments where she had been born, and + where her mother had just passed away. + </p> + <p> + Immediately afterwards proceedings for annulling the marriage were + instituted, in the first instance, for inquiry, before the Cardinal Vicar + charged with the diocese of Rome. It was related that the Contessina had + only taken this step after a secret audience with his Holiness, who had + shown her the most encouraging sympathy. Count Prada at first spoke of + applying to the law courts to compel his wife to return to the conjugal + domicile; but, yielding to the entreaties of his old father Orlando, whom + the affair greatly grieved, he eventually consented to accept the + ecclesiastical jurisdiction. He was infuriated, however, to find that the + nullification of the marriage was solicited on the ground of its + non-consummation through <i>impotentia mariti</i>; this being one of the + most valid and decisive pleas on which the Church of Rome consents to part + those whom she has joined. And far more unhappy marriages than might be + imagined are severed on these grounds, though the world only gives + attention to those cases in which people of title or renown are concerned, + as it did, for instance, with the famous Martinez Campos suit. + </p> + <p> + In Benedetta’s case, her counsel, Consistorial-Advocate Morano, one of the + leading authorities of the Roman bar, simply neglected to mention, in his + memoir, that if she was still merely a wife in name, this was entirely due + to herself. In addition to the evidence of friends and servants, showing + on what terms the husband and wife had lived since their marriage, the + advocate produced a certificate of a medical character, showing that the + non-consummation of the union was certain. And the Cardinal Vicar, acting + as Bishop of Rome, had thereupon remitted the case to the Congregation of + the Council. This was a first success for Benedetta, and matters remained + in this position. She was waiting for the Congregation to deliver its + final pronouncement, hoping that the ecclesiastical dissolution of the + marriage would prove an irresistible argument in favour of the divorce + which she meant to solicit of the civil courts. And meantime, in the icy + rooms where her mother Ernesta, submissive and desolate, had lately died, + the Contessina resumed her girlish life, showing herself calm, yet very + firm in her passion, having vowed that she would belong to none but Dario, + and that she would not belong to him until the day when a priest should + have joined them together in God’s holy name. + </p> + <p> + As it happened, some six months previously, Dario also had taken up his + abode at the Boccanera palace in consequence of the death of his father + and the catastrophe which had ruined him. Prince Onofrio, after adopting + Prada’s advice and selling the Villa Montefiori to a financial company for + ten million <i>lire</i>,* had, instead of prudently keeping his money in + his pockets, succumbed to the fever of speculation which was consuming + Rome. He began to gamble, buying back his own land, and ending by losing + everything in the formidable <i>krach</i> which was swallowing up the + wealth of the entire city. Totally ruined, somewhat deeply in debt even, + the Prince nevertheless continued to promenade the Corso, like the + handsome, smiling, popular man he was, when he accidentally met his death + through falling from his horse; and four months later his widow, the ever + beautiful Flavia—who had managed to save a modern villa and a + personal income of forty thousand <i>lire</i>* from the disaster—was + remarried to a man of magnificent presence, her junior by some ten years. + This was a Swiss named Jules Laporte, originally a sergeant in the Papal + Swiss Guard, then a traveller for a shady business in “relics,” and + finally Marchese Montefiore, having secured that title in securing his + wife, thanks to a special brief of the Holy Father. Thus the Princess + Boccanera had again become the Marchioness Montefiori. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 400,000 pounds. + ** 1,800 pounds. +</pre> + <p> + It was then that Cardinal Boccanera, feeling greatly hurt, insisted on his + nephew Dario coming to live with him, in a small apartment on the first + floor of the palazzo. In the heart of that holy man, who seemed dead to + the world, there still lingered pride of name and lineage, with a feeling + of affection for his young, slightly built nephew, the last of the race, + the only one by whom the old stock might blossom anew. Moreover, he was + not opposed to Dario’s marriage with Benedetta, whom he also loved with a + paternal affection; and so proud was he of the family honour, and so + convinced of the young people’s pious rectitude that, in taking them to + live with him, he absolutely scorned the abominable rumours which Count + Prada’s friends in the white world had begun to circulate ever since the + two cousins had resided under the same roof. Donna Serafina guarded + Benedetta, as he, the Cardinal, guarded Dario, and in the silence and the + gloom of the vast deserted mansion, ensanguined of olden time by so many + tragic deeds of violence, there now only remained these four with their + restrained, stilled passions, last survivors of a crumbling world upon the + threshold of a new one. + </p> + <p> + When Abbé Pierre Froment all at once awoke from sleep, his head heavy with + painful dreams, he was worried to find that the daylight was already + waning. His watch, which he hastened to consult, pointed to six o’clock. + Intending to rest for an hour at the utmost, he had slept on for nearly + seven hours, overcome beyond power of resistance. And even on awaking he + remained on the bed, helpless, as though he were conquered before he had + fought. Why, he wondered, did he experience this prostration, this + unreasonable discouragement, this quiver of doubt which had come he knew + not whence during his sleep, and which was annihilating his youthful + enthusiasm of the morning? Had the Boccaneras any connection with this + sudden weakening of his powers? He had espied dim disquieting figures in + the black night of his dreams; and the anguish which they had brought him + continued, and he again evoked them, scared as he was at thus awaking in a + strange room, full of uneasiness in presence of the unknown. Things no + longer seemed natural to him. He could not understand why Benedetta should + have written to Viscount Philibert de la Choue to tell him that his, + Pierre’s, book had been denounced to the Congregation of the Index. What + interest too could she have had in his coming to Rome to defend himself; + and with what object had she carried her amiability so far as to desire + that he should take up his quarters in the mansion? Pierre’s stupefaction + indeed arose from his being there, on that bed in that strange room, in + that palace whose deep, death-like silence encompassed him. As he lay + there, his limbs still overpowered and his brain seemingly empty, a flash + of light suddenly came to him, and he realised that there must be certain + circumstances that he knew nothing of that, simple though things appeared, + they must really hide some complicated intrigue. However, it was only a + fugitive gleam of enlightenment; his suspicions faded; and he rose up + shaking himself and accusing the gloomy twilight of being the sole cause + of the shivering and the despondency of which he felt ashamed. + </p> + <p> + In order to bestir himself, Pierre began to examine the two rooms. They + were furnished simply, almost meagrely, in mahogany, there being scarcely + any two articles alike, though all dated from the beginning of the + century. Neither the bed nor the windows nor the doors had any hangings. + On the floor of bare tiles, coloured red and polished, there were merely + some little foot-mats in front of the various seats. And at sight of this + middle-class bareness and coldness Pierre ended by remembering a room + where he had slept in childhood—a room at Versailles, at the abode + of his grandmother, who had kept a little grocer’s shop there in the days + of Louis Philippe. However, he became interested in an old painting which + hung in the bed-room, on the wall facing the bed, amidst some childish and + valueless engravings. But partially discernible in the waning light, this + painting represented a woman seated on some projecting stone-work, on the + threshold of a great stern building, whence she seemed to have been driven + forth. The folding doors of bronze had for ever closed behind her, yet she + remained there in a mere drapery of white linen; whilst scattered articles + of clothing, thrown forth chance-wise with a violent hand, lay upon the + massive granite steps. Her feet were bare, her arms were bare, and her + hands, distorted by bitter agony, were pressed to her face—a face + which one saw not, veiled as it was by the tawny gold of her rippling, + streaming hair. What nameless grief, what fearful shame, what hateful + abandonment was thus being hidden by that rejected one, that lingering + victim of love, of whose unknown story one might for ever dream with + tortured heart? It could be divined that she was adorably young and + beautiful in her wretchedness, in the shred of linen draped about her + shoulders; but a mystery enveloped everything else—her passion, + possibly her misfortune, perhaps even her transgression—unless, + indeed, she were there merely as a symbol of all that shivers and that + weeps visageless before the ever closed portals of the unknown. For a long + time Pierre looked at her, and so intently that he at last imagined he + could distinguish her profile, divine in its purity and expression of + suffering. But this was only an illusion; the painting had greatly + suffered, blackened by time and neglect; and he asked himself whose work + it might be that it should move him so intensely. On the adjoining wall a + picture of a Madonna, a bad copy of an eighteenth-century painting, + irritated him by the banality of its smile. + </p> + <p> + Night was falling faster and faster, and, opening the sitting-room window, + Pierre leant out. On the other bank of the Tiber facing him arose the + Janiculum, the height whence he had gazed upon Rome that morning. But at + this dim hour Rome was no longer the city of youth and dreamland soaring + into the early sunshine. The night was raining down, grey and ashen; the + horizon was becoming blurred, vague, and mournful. Yonder, to the left, + beyond the sea of roofs, Pierre could still divine the presence of the + Palatine; and yonder, to the right, there still arose the Dome of St. + Peter’s, now grey like slate against the leaden sky; whilst behind him the + Quirinal, which he could not see, must also be fading away into the misty + night. A few minutes went by, and everything became yet more blurred; he + realised that Rome was fading, departing in its immensity of which he knew + nothing. Then his causeless doubt and disquietude again came on him so + painfully that he could no longer remain at the window. He closed it and + sat down, letting the darkness submerge him with its flood of infinite + sadness. And his despairing reverie only ceased when the door gently + opened and the glow of a lamp enlivened the room. + </p> + <p> + It was Victorine who came in quietly, bringing the light. “Ah! so you are + up, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she; “I came in at about four o’clock but I let + you sleep on. You have done quite right to take all the rest you + required.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as he complained of pains and shivering, she became anxious. “Don’t + go catching their nasty fevers,” she said. “It isn’t at all healthy near + their river, you know. Don Vigilio, his Eminence’s secretary, is always + having the fever, and I assure you that it isn’t pleasant.” + </p> + <p> + She accordingly advised him to remain upstairs and lie down again. She + would excuse his absence to the Princess and the Contessina. And he ended + by letting her do as she desired, for he was in no state to have any will + of his own. By her advice he dined, partaking of some soup, a wing of a + chicken, and some preserves, which Giaccomo, the big lackey, brought up to + him. And the food did him a great deal of good; he felt so restored that + he refused to go to bed, desiring, said he, to thank the ladies that very + evening for their kindly hospitality. As Donna Serafina received on + Mondays he would present himself before her. + </p> + <p> + “Very good,” said Victorine approvingly. “As you are all right again it + can do you no harm, it will even enliven you. The best thing will be for + Don Vigilio to come for you at nine o’clock and accompany you. Wait for + him here.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had just washed and put on the new cassock he had brought with him, + when, at nine o’clock precisely, he heard a discreet knock at his door. A + little priest came in, a man scarcely thirty years of age, but thin and + debile of build, with a long, seared, saffron-coloured face. For two years + past attacks of fever, coming on every day at the same hour, had been + consuming him. Nevertheless, whenever he forgot to control the black eyes + which lighted his yellow face, they shone out ardently with the glow of + his fiery soul. He bowed, and then in fluent French introduced himself in + this simple fashion: “Don Vigilio, Monsieur l’Abbé, who is entirely at + your service. If you are willing, we will go down.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre immediately followed him, expressing his thanks, and Don Vigilio, + relapsing into silence, answered his remarks with a smile. Having + descended the small staircase, they found themselves on the second floor, + on the spacious landing of the grand staircase. And Pierre was surprised + and saddened by the scanty illumination, which, as in some dingy + lodging-house, was limited to a few gas-jets, placed far apart, their + yellow splotches but faintly relieving the deep gloom of the lofty, + endless corridors. All was gigantic and funereal. Even on the landing, + where was the entrance to Donna Serafina’s apartments, facing those + occupied by her niece, nothing indicated that a reception was being held + that evening. The door remained closed, not a sound came from the rooms, a + death-like silence arose from the whole palace. And Don Vigilio did not + even ring, but, after a fresh bow, discreetly turned the door-handle. + </p> + <p> + A single petroleum lamp, placed on a table, lighted the ante-room, a large + apartment with bare fresco-painted walls, simulating hangings of red and + gold, draped regularly all around in the antique fashion. A few men’s + overcoats and two ladies’ mantles lay on the chairs, whilst a pier table + was littered with hats, and a servant sat there dozing, with his back to + the wall. + </p> + <p> + However, as Don Vigilio stepped aside to allow Pierre to enter a first + reception-room, hung with red <i>brocatelle</i>, a room but dimly lighted + and which he imagined to be empty, the young priest found himself face to + face with an apparition in black, a woman whose features he could not at + first distinguish. Fortunately he heard his companion say, with a low bow, + “Contessina, I have the honour to present to you Monsieur l’Abbé Pierre + Froment, who arrived from France this morning.” + </p> + <p> + Then, for a moment, Pierre remained alone with Benedetta in that deserted + <i>salon</i>, in the sleepy glimmer of two lace-veiled lamps. At present, + however, a sound of voices came from a room beyond, a larger apartment + whose doorway, with folding doors thrown wide open, described a + parallelogram of brighter light. + </p> + <p> + The young woman at once showed herself very affable, with perfect + simplicity of manner: “Ah! I am happy to see you, Monsieur l’Abbé. I was + afraid that your indisposition might be serious. You are quite recovered + now, are you not?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened to her, fascinated by her slow and rather thick voice, in + which restrained passion seemed to mingle with much prudent good sense. + And at last he saw her, with her hair so heavy and so dark, her skin so + white, the whiteness of ivory. She had a round face, with somewhat full + lips, a small refined nose, features as delicate as a child’s. But it was + especially her eyes that lived, immense eyes, whose infinite depths none + could fathom. Was she slumbering? Was she dreaming? Did her motionless + face conceal the ardent tension of a great saint and a great <i>amorosa</i>? + So white, so young, and so calm, her every movement was harmonious, her + appearance at once very staid, very noble, and very rhythmical. In her + ears she wore two large pearls of matchless purity, pearls which had come + from a famous necklace of her mother’s, known throughout Rome. + </p> + <p> + Pierre apologised and thanked her. “You see me in confusion, madame,” said + he; “I should have liked to express to you this morning my gratitude for + your great kindness.” + </p> + <p> + He had hesitated to call her madame, remembering the plea brought forward + in the suit for the dissolution of her marriage. But plainly enough + everybody must call her madame. Moreover, her face had retained its calm + and kindly expression. + </p> + <p> + “Consider yourself at home here, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she responded, wishing + to put him at his ease. “It is sufficient that our relative, Monsieur de + la Choue, should be fond of you, and take interest in your work. I have, + you know, much affection for him.” Then her voice faltered slightly, for + she realised that she ought to speak of the book, the one reason of + Pierre’s journey and her proffered hospitality. “Yes,” she added, “the + Viscount sent me your book. I read it and found it very beautiful. It + disturbed me. But I am only an ignoramus, and certainly failed to + understand everything in it. We must talk it over together; you will + explain your ideas to me, won’t you, Monsieur l’Abbé?” + </p> + <p> + In her large clear eyes, which did not know how to lie, Pierre then read + the surprise and emotion of a child’s soul when confronted by disquieting + and undreamt-of problems. So it was not she who had become impassioned and + had desired to have him near her that she might sustain him and assist his + victory. Once again, and this time very keenly, he suspected a secret + influence, a hidden hand which was directing everything towards some + unknown goal. However, he was charmed by so much simplicity and frankness + in so beautiful, young, and noble a creature; and he gave himself to her + after the exchange of those few words, and was about to tell her that she + might absolutely dispose of him, when he was interrupted by the advent of + another woman, whose tall, slight figure, also clad in black, stood out + strongly against the luminous background of the further reception-room as + seen through the open doorway. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Benedetta, have you sent Giaccomo up to see?” asked the newcomer. + “Don Vigilio has just come down and he is quite alone. It is improper.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, aunt. Monsieur l’Abbé is here,” was the reply of Benedetta, + hastening to introduce the young priest. “Monsieur l’Abbé Pierre Froment—The + Princess Boccanera.” + </p> + <p> + Ceremonious salutations were exchanged. The Princess must have been nearly + sixty, but she laced herself so tightly that from behind one might have + taken her for a young woman. This tight lacing, however, was her last + coquetry. Her hair, though still plentiful, was quite white, her eyebrows + alone remaining black in her long, wrinkled face, from which projected the + large obstinate nose of the family. She had never been beautiful, and had + remained a spinster, wounded to the heart by the selection of Count + Brandini, who had preferred her younger sister, Ernesta. From that moment + she had resolved to seek consolation and satisfaction in family pride + alone, the hereditary pride of the great name which she bore. The + Boccaneras had already supplied two Popes to the Church, and she hoped + that before she died her brother would become the third. She had + transformed herself into his housekeeper, as it were, remaining with him, + watching over him, and advising him, managing all the household affairs + herself, and accomplishing miracles in order to conceal the slow ruin + which was bringing the ceilings about their heads. If every Monday for + thirty years past she had continued receiving a few intimates, all of them + folks of the Vatican, it was from high political considerations, so that + her drawing-room might remain a meeting-place of the black world, a power + and a threat. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre divined by her greeting that she deemed him of little account, + petty foreign priest that he was, not even a prelate. This too again + surprised him, again brought the puzzling question to the fore: Why had he + been invited, what was expected of him in this society from which the + humble were usually excluded? Knowing the Princess to be austerely devout, + he at last fancied that she received him solely out of regard for her + kinsman, the Viscount, for in her turn she only found these words of + welcome: “We are so pleased to receive good news of Monsieur de la Choue! + He brought us such a beautiful pilgrimage two years ago.” + </p> + <p> + Passing the first through the doorway, she at last ushered the young + priest into the adjoining reception-room. It was a spacious square + apartment, hung with old yellow <i>brocatelle</i> of a flowery Louis XIV + pattern. The lofty ceiling was adorned with a very fine panelling, carved + and coloured, with gilded roses in each compartment. The furniture, + however, was of all sorts. There were some high mirrors, a couple of + superb gilded pier tables, and a few handsome seventeenth-century + arm-chairs; but all the rest was wretched. A heavy round table of + first-empire style, which had come nobody knew whence, caught the eye with + a medley of anomalous articles picked up at some bazaar, and a quantity of + cheap photographs littered the costly marble tops of the pier tables. No + interesting article of <i>virtu</i> was to be seen. The old paintings on + the walls were with two exceptions feebly executed. There was a delightful + example of an unknown primitive master, a fourteenth-century Visitation, + in which the Virgin had the stature and pure delicacy of a child of ten, + whilst the Archangel, huge and superb, inundated her with a stream of + dazzling, superhuman love; and in front of this hung an antique family + portrait, depicting a very beautiful young girl in a turban, who was + thought to be Cassia Boccanera, the <i>amorosa</i> and avengeress who had + flung herself into the Tiber with her brother Ercole and the corpse of her + lover, Flavio Corradini. Four lamps threw a broad, peaceful glow over the + faded room, and, like a melancholy sunset, tinged it with yellow. It + looked grave and bare, with not even a flower in a vase to brighten it. + </p> + <p> + In a few words Donna Serafina at once introduced Pierre to the company; + and in the silence, the pause which ensued in the conversation, he felt + that every eye was fixed upon him as upon a promised and expected + curiosity. There were altogether some ten persons present, among them + being Dario, who stood talking with little Princess Celia Buongiovanni, + whilst the elderly relative who had brought the latter sat whispering to a + prelate, Monsignor Nani, in a dim corner. Pierre, however, had been + particularly struck by the name of Consistorial-Advocate Morano, of whose + position in the house Viscount de la Choue had thought proper to inform + him in order to avert any unpleasant blunder. For thirty years past Morano + had been Donna Serafina’s <i>amico</i>. Their connection, formerly a + guilty one, for the advocate had wife and children of his own, had in + course of time, since he had been left a widower, become one of those <i>liaisons</i> + which tolerant people excuse and except. Both parties were extremely + devout and had certainly assured themselves of all needful “indulgences.” + And thus Morano was there in the seat which he had always taken for a + quarter of a century past, a seat beside the chimney-piece, though as yet + the winter fire had not been lighted, and when Donna Serafina had + discharged her duties as mistress of the house, she returned to her own + place in front of him, on the other side of the chimney. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre in his turn had seated himself near Don Vigilio, who, silent + and discreet, had already taken a chair, Dario resumed in a louder voice + the story which he had been relating to Celia. Dario was a handsome man, + of average height, slim and elegant. He wore a full beard, dark and + carefully tended, and had the long face and pronounced nose of the + Boccaneras, but the impoverishment of the family blood over a course of + centuries had attenuated, softened as it were, any sharpness or undue + prominence of feature. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! a beauty, an astounding beauty!” he repeated emphatically. + </p> + <p> + “Whose beauty?” asked Benedetta, approaching him. + </p> + <p> + Celia, who resembled the little Virgin of the primitive master hanging + above her head, began to laugh. “Oh! Dario’s speaking of a poor girl, a + work-girl whom he met to-day,” she explained. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Dario had to begin his narrative again. It appeared that while + passing along a narrow street near the Piazza Navona, he had perceived a + tall, shapely girl of twenty, who was weeping and sobbing violently, prone + upon a flight of steps. Touched particularly by her beauty, he had + approached her and learnt that she had been working in the house outside + which she was, a manufactory of wax beads, but that, slack times having + come, the workshops had closed and she did not dare to return home, so + fearful was the misery there. Amidst the downpour of her tears she raised + such beautiful eyes to his that he ended by drawing some money from his + pocket. But at this, crimson with confusion, she sprang to her feet, + hiding her hands in the folds of her skirt, and refusing to take anything. + She added, however, that he might follow her if it so pleased him, and + give the money to her mother. And then she hurried off towards the Ponte + St’. Angelo.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Bridge of St. Angelo. +</pre> + <p> + “Yes, she was a beauty, a perfect beauty,” repeated Dario with an air of + ecstasy. “Taller than I, and slim though sturdy, with the bosom of a + goddess. In fact, a real antique, a Venus of twenty, her chin rather bold, + her mouth and nose of perfect form, and her eyes wonderfully pure and + large! And she was bare-headed too, with nothing but a crown of heavy + black hair, and a dazzling face, gilded, so to say, by the sun.” + </p> + <p> + They had all begun to listen to him, enraptured, full of that passionate + admiration for beauty which, in spite of every change, Rome still retains + in her heart. + </p> + <p> + “Those beautiful girls of the people are becoming very rare,” remarked + Morano. “You might scour the Trastevere without finding any. However, this + proves that there is at least one of them left.” + </p> + <p> + “And what was your goddess’s name?” asked Benedetta, smiling, amused and + enraptured like the others. + </p> + <p> + “Pierina,” replied Dario, also with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + “And what did you do with her?” + </p> + <p> + At this question the young man’s excited face assumed an expression of + discomfort and fear, like the face of a child on suddenly encountering + some ugly creature amidst its play. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! don’t talk of it,” said he. “I felt very sorry afterwards. I saw such + misery—enough to make one ill.” + </p> + <p> + Yielding to his curiosity, it seemed, he had followed the girl across the + Ponte St’. Angelo into the new district which was being built over the + former castle meadows*; and there, on the first floor of an abandoned + house which was already falling into ruins, though the plaster was + scarcely dry, he had come upon a frightful spectacle which still stirred + his heart: a whole family, father and mother, children, and an infirm old + uncle, dying of hunger and rotting in filth! He selected the most + dignified words he could think of to describe the scene, waving his hand + the while with a gesture of fright, as if to ward off some horrible + vision. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The meadows around the Castle of St. Angelo. The district, now + covered with buildings, is quite flat and was formerly greatly + subject to floods. It is known as the Quartiere dei Prati.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “At last,” he concluded, “I ran away, and you may be sure that I shan’t go + back again.” + </p> + <p> + A general wagging of heads ensued in the cold, irksome silence which fell + upon the room. Then Morano summed up the matter in a few bitter words, in + which he accused the despoilers, the men of the Quirinal, of being the + sole cause of all the frightful misery of Rome. Were not people even + talking of the approaching nomination of Deputy Sacco as Minister of + Finances—Sacco, that intriguer who had engaged in all sorts of + underhand practices? His appointment would be the climax of impudence; + bankruptcy would speedily and infallibly ensue. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Benedetta, who had fixed her eyes on Pierre, with his book in her + mind, alone murmured: “Poor people, how very sad! But why not go back to + see them?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, out of his element and absent-minded during the earlier moments, + had been deeply stirred by the latter part of Dario’s narrative. His + thoughts reverted to his apostolate amidst the misery of Paris, and his + heart was touched with compassion at being confronted by the story of such + fearful sufferings on the very day of his arrival in Rome. Unwittingly, + impulsively, he raised his voice, and said aloud: “Oh! we will go to see + them together, madame; you will take me. These questions impassion me so + much.” + </p> + <p> + The attention of everybody was then again turned upon the young priest. + The others questioned him, and he realised that they were all anxious + about his first impressions, his opinion of their city and of themselves. + He must not judge Rome by mere outward appearances, they said. What effect + had the city produced on him? How had he found it, and what did he think + of it? Thereupon he politely apologised for his inability to answer them. + He had not yet gone out, said he, and had seen nothing. But this answer + was of no avail; they pressed him all the more keenly, and he fully + understood that their object was to gain him over to admiration and love. + They advised him, adjured him not to yield to any fatal disillusion, but + to persist and wait until Rome should have revealed to him her soul. + </p> + <p> + “How long do you expect to remain among us, Monsieur l’Abbé?” suddenly + inquired a courteous voice, with a clear but gentle ring. + </p> + <p> + It was Monsignor Nani, who, seated in the gloom, thus raised his voice for + the first time. On several occasions it had seemed to Pierre that the + prelate’s keen blue eyes were steadily fixed upon him, though all the + while he pretended to be attentively listening to the drawling chatter of + Celia’s aunt. And before replying Pierre glanced at him. In his + crimson-edged cassock, with a violet silk sash drawn tightly around his + waist, Nani still looked young, although he was over fifty. His hair had + remained blond, he had a straight refined nose, a mouth very firm yet very + delicate of contour, and beautifully white teeth. + </p> + <p> + “Why, a fortnight or perhaps three weeks, Monsignor,” replied Pierre. + </p> + <p> + The whole <i>salon</i> protested. What, three weeks! It was his pretension + to know Rome in three weeks! Why, six weeks, twelve months, ten years were + required! The first impression was always a disastrous one, and a long + sojourn was needed for a visitor to recover from it. + </p> + <p> + “Three weeks!” repeated Donna Serafina with her disdainful air. “Is it + possible for people to study one another and get fond of one another in + three weeks? Those who come back to us are those who have learned to know + us.” + </p> + <p> + Instead of launching into exclamations like the others, Nani had at first + contented himself with smiling, and gently waving his shapely hand, which + bespoke his aristocratic origin. Then, as Pierre modestly explained + himself, saying that he had come to Rome to attend to certain matters and + would leave again as soon as those matters should have been concluded, the + prelate, still smiling, summed up the argument with the remark: “Oh! + Monsieur l’Abbé will stay with us for more than three weeks; we shall have + the happiness of his presence here for a long time, I hope.” + </p> + <p> + These words, though spoken with quiet cordiality, strangely disturbed the + young priest. What was known, what was meant? He leant towards Don + Vigilio, who had remained near him, still and ever silent, and in a + whisper inquired: “Who is Monsignor Nani?” + </p> + <p> + The secretary, however, did not at once reply. His feverish face became + yet more livid. Then his ardent eyes glanced round to make sure that + nobody was watching him, and in a breath he responded: “He is the Assessor + of the Holy Office.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Otherwise the Inquisition. +</pre> + <p> + This information sufficed, for Pierre was not ignorant of the fact that + the assessor, who was present in silence at the meetings of the Holy + Office, waited upon his Holiness every Wednesday evening after the + sitting, to render him an account of the matters dealt with in the + afternoon. This weekly audience, this hour spent with the Pope in a + privacy which allowed of every subject being broached, gave the assessor + an exceptional position, one of considerable power. Moreover the office + led to the cardinalate; the only “rise” that could be given to the + assessor was his promotion to the Sacred College. + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Nani, who seemed so perfectly frank and amiable, continued to + look at the young priest with such an encouraging air that the latter felt + obliged to go and occupy the seat beside him, which Celia’s old aunt at + last vacated. After all, was there not an omen of victory in meeting, on + the very day of his arrival, a powerful prelate whose influence would + perhaps open every door to him? He therefore felt very touched when + Monsignor Nani, immediately after the first words, inquired in a tone of + deep interest, “And so, my dear child, you have published a book?” + </p> + <p> + After this, gradually mastered by his enthusiasm and forgetting where he + was, Pierre unbosomed himself, and recounted the birth and progress of his + burning love amidst the sick and the humble, gave voice to his dream of a + return to the olden Christian community, and triumphed with the + rejuvenescence of Catholicism, developing into the one religion of the + universal democracy. Little by little he again raised his voice, and + silence fell around him in the stern, antique reception-room, every one + lending ear to his words with increasing surprise, with a growing coldness + of which he remained unconscious. + </p> + <p> + At last Nani gently interrupted him, still wearing his perpetual smile, + the faint irony of which, however, had departed. “No doubt, no doubt, my + dear child,” he said, “it is very beautiful, oh! very beautiful, well + worthy of the pure and noble imagination of a Christian. But what do you + count on doing now?” + </p> + <p> + “I shall go straight to the Holy Father to defend myself,” answered + Pierre. + </p> + <p> + A light, restrained laugh went round, and Donna Serafina expressed the + general opinion by exclaiming: “The Holy Father isn’t seen as easily as + that.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, was quite impassioned. “Well, for my part,” he rejoined, + “I hope I shall see him. Have I not expressed his views? Have I not + defended his policy? Can he let my book be condemned when I believe that I + have taken inspiration from all that is best in him?” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt, no doubt,” Nani again hastily replied, as if he feared that the + others might be too brusque with the young enthusiast. “The Holy Father + has such a lofty mind. And of course it would be necessary to see him. + Only, my dear child, you must not excite yourself so much; reflect a + little; take your time.” And, turning to Benedetta, he added, “Of course + his Eminence has not seen Abbé Froment yet. It would be well, however, + that he should receive him to-morrow morning to guide him with his wise + counsel.” + </p> + <p> + Cardinal Boccanera never attended his sister’s Monday-evening receptions. + Still, he was always there in the spirit, like some absent sovereign + master. + </p> + <p> + “To tell the truth,” replied the Contessina, hesitating, “I fear that my + uncle does not share Monsieur l’Abbé’s views.” + </p> + <p> + Nani again smiled. “Exactly; he will tell him things which it is good he + should hear.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon it was at once settled with Don Vigilio that the latter would + put down the young priest’s name for an audience on the following morning + at ten o’clock. + </p> + <p> + However, at that moment a cardinal came in, clad in town costume—his + sash and his stockings red, but his simar black, with a red edging and red + buttons. It was Cardinal Sarno, a very old intimate of the Boccaneras; and + whilst he apologised for arriving so late, through press of work, the + company became silent and deferentially clustered round him. This was the + first cardinal Pierre had seen, and he felt greatly disappointed, for the + newcomer had none of the majesty, none of the fine port and presence to + which he had looked forward. On the contrary, he was short and somewhat + deformed, with the left shoulder higher than the right, and a worn, ashen + face with lifeless eyes. To Pierre he looked like some old clerk of + seventy, half stupefied by fifty years of office work, dulled and bent by + incessantly leaning over his writing desk ever since his youth. And indeed + that was Sarno’s story. The puny child of a petty middle-class family, he + had been educated at the Seminario Romano. Then later he had for ten years + professed Canon Law at that same seminary, afterwards becoming one of the + secretaries of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Finally, + five and twenty years ago, he had been created a cardinal, and the jubilee + of his cardinalate had recently been celebrated. Born in Rome, he had + always lived there; he was the perfect type of the prelate who, through + growing up in the shade of the Vatican, has become one of the masters of + the world. Although he had never occupied any diplomatic post, he had + rendered such important services to the Propaganda, by his methodical + habits of work, that he had become president of one of the two commissions + which furthered the interests of the Church in those vast countries of the + west which are not yet Catholic. And thus, in the depths of his dim eyes, + behind his low, dull-looking brow, the huge map of Christendom was stored + away. + </p> + <p> + Nani himself had risen, full of covert respect for the unobtrusive but + terrible man whose hand was everywhere, even in the most distant corners + of the earth, although he had never left his office. As Nani knew, despite + his apparent nullity, Sarno, with his slow, methodical, ably organised + work of conquest, possessed sufficient power to set empires in confusion. + </p> + <p> + “Has your Eminence recovered from that cold which distressed us so much?” + asked Nani. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I still cough. There is a most malignant passage at the offices. + I feel as cold as ice as soon as I leave my room.” + </p> + <p> + From that moment Pierre felt quite little, virtually lost. He was not even + introduced to the Cardinal. And yet he had to remain in the room for + nearly another hour, looking around and observing. That antiquated world + then seemed to him puerile, as though it had lapsed into a mournful second + childhood. Under all the apparent haughtiness and proud reserve he could + divine real timidity, unacknowledged distrust, born of great ignorance. If + the conversation did not become general, it was because nobody dared to + speak out frankly; and what he heard in the corners was simply so much + childish chatter, the petty gossip of the week, the trivial echoes of + sacristies and drawing-rooms. People saw but little of one another, and + the slightest incidents assumed huge proportions. At last Pierre ended by + feeling as though he were transported into some <i>salon</i> of the time + of Charles X, in one of the episcopal cities of the French provinces. No + refreshments were served. Celia’s old aunt secured possession of Cardinal + Sarno; but, instead of replying to her, he simply wagged his head from + time to time. Don Vigilio had not opened his mouth the whole evening. + However, a conversation in a very low tone was started by Nani and Morano, + to whom Donna Serafina listened, leaning forward and expressing her + approval by slowly nodding her head. They were doubtless speaking of the + dissolution of Benedetta’s marriage, for they glanced at the young woman + gravely from time to time. And in the centre of the spacious room, in the + sleepy glow of the lamps, there was only the young people, Benedetta, + Dario, and Celia who seemed to be at all alive, chattering in undertones + and occasionally repressing a burst of laughter. + </p> + <p> + All at once Pierre was struck by the great resemblance between Benedetta + and the portrait of Cassia hanging on the wall. Each displayed the same + delicate youth, the same passionate mouth, the same large, unfathomable + eyes, set in the same round, sensible, healthy-looking face. In each there + was certainly the same upright soul, the same heart of flame. Then a + recollection came to Pierre, that of a painting by Guido Reni, the + adorable, candid head of Beatrice Cenci, which, at that moment and to his + thinking, the portrait of Cassia closely resembled. This resemblance + stirred him and he glanced at Benedetta with anxious sympathy, as if all + the fierce fatality of race and country were about to fall on her. But no, + it could not be; she looked so calm, so resolute, and so patient! Besides, + ever since he had entered that room he had noticed none other than signs + of gay fraternal tenderness between her and Dario, especially on her side, + for her face ever retained the bright serenity of a love which may be + openly confessed. At one moment, it is true, Dario in a joking way had + caught hold of her hands and pressed them; but while he began to laugh + rather nervously, with a brighter gleam darting from his eyes, she on her + side, all composure, slowly freed her hands, as though theirs was but the + play of old and affectionate friends. She loved him, though, it was + visible, with her whole being and for her whole life. + </p> + <p> + At last when Dario, after stifling a slight yawn and glancing at his + watch, had slipped off to join some friends who were playing cards at a + lady’s house, Benedetta and Celia sat down together on a sofa near Pierre; + and the latter, without wishing to listen, overheard a few words of their + confidential chat. The little Princess was the eldest daughter of Prince + Matteo Buongiovanni, who was already the father of five children by an + English wife, a Mortimer, to whom he was indebted for a dowry of two + hundred thousand pounds. Indeed, the Buongiovannis were known as one of + the few patrician families of Rome that were still rich, still erect among + the ruins of the past, now crumbling on every side. They also numbered two + popes among their forerunners, yet this had not prevented Prince Matteo + from lending support to the Quirinal without quarrelling with the Vatican. + Son of an American woman, no longer having the pure Roman blood in his + veins, he was a more supple politician than other aristocrats, and was + also, folks said, extremely grasping, struggling to be one of the last to + retain the wealth and power of olden times, which he realised were + condemned to death. Yet it was in his family, renowned for its superb + pride and its continued magnificence, that a love romance had lately taken + birth, a romance which was the subject of endless gossip: Celia had + suddenly fallen in love with a young lieutenant to whom she had never + spoken; her love was reciprocated, and the passionate attachment of the + officer and the girl only found vent in the glances they exchanged on + meeting each day during the usual drive through the Corso. Nevertheless + Celia displayed a tenacious will, and after declaring to her father that + she would never take any other husband, she was waiting, firm and + resolute, in the certainty that she would ultimately secure the man of her + choice. The worst of the affair was that the lieutenant, Attilio Sacco, + happened to be the son of Deputy Sacco, a parvenu whom the black world + looked down upon, as upon one sold to the Quirinal and ready to undertake + the very dirtiest job. + </p> + <p> + “It was for me that Morano spoke just now,” Celia murmured in Benedetta’s + ear. “Yes, yes, when he spoke so harshly of Attilio’s father and that + ministerial appointment which people are talking about. He wanted to give + me a lesson.” + </p> + <p> + The two girls had sworn eternal affection in their school-days, and + Benedetta, the elder by five years, showed herself maternal. “And so,” she + said, “you’ve not become a whit more reasonable. You still think of that + young man?” + </p> + <p> + “What! are you going to grieve me too, dear?” replied Celia. “I love + Attilio and mean to have him. Yes, him and not another! I want him and + I’ll have him, because I love him and he loves me. It’s simple enough.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre glanced at her, thunderstruck. With her gentle virgin face she was + like a candid, budding lily. A brow and a nose of blossom-like purity; a + mouth all innocence with its lips closing over pearly teeth, and eyes like + spring water, clear and fathomless. And not a quiver passed over her + cheeks of satiny freshness, no sign, however faint, of anxiety or + inquisitiveness appeared in her candid glance. Did she think? Did she + know? Who could have answered? She was virginity personified with all its + redoubtable mystery. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear,” resumed Benedetta, “don’t begin my sad story over again. + One doesn’t succeed in marrying the Pope and the King.” + </p> + <p> + All tranquillity, Celia responded: “But you didn’t love Prada, whereas I + love Attilio. Life lies in that: one must love.” + </p> + <p> + These words, spoken so naturally by that ignorant child, disturbed Pierre + to such a point that he felt tears rising to his eyes. Love! yes, therein + lay the solution of every quarrel, the alliance between the nations, the + reign of peace and joy throughout the world! However, Donna Serafina had + now risen, shrewdly suspecting the nature of the conversation which was + impassioning the two girls. And she gave Don Vigilio a glance, which the + latter understood, for he came to tell Pierre in an undertone that it was + time to retire. Eleven o’clock was striking, and Celia went off with her + aunt. Advocate Morano, however, doubtless desired to retain Cardinal Sarno + and Nani for a few moments in order that they might privately discuss some + difficulty which had arisen in the divorce proceedings. On reaching the + outer reception-room, Benedetta, after kissing Celia on both cheeks, took + leave of Pierre with much good grace. + </p> + <p> + “In answering the Viscount to-morrow morning,” said she, “I shall tell him + how happy we are to have you with us, and for longer than you think. Don’t + forget to come down at ten o’clock to see my uncle, the Cardinal.” + </p> + <p> + Having climbed to the third floor again, Pierre and Don Vigilio, each + carrying a candlestick which the servant had handed to them, were about to + part for the night, when the former could not refrain from asking the + secretary a question which had been worrying him for hours: “Is Monsignor + Nani a very influential personage?” + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio again became quite scared, and simply replied by a gesture, + opening his arms as if to embrace the world. Then his eyes flashed, and in + his turn he seemed to yield to inquisitiveness. “You already knew him, + didn’t you?” he inquired. + </p> + <p> + “I? not at all!” + </p> + <p> + “Really! Well, he knows you very well. Last Monday I heard him speak of + you in such precise terms that he seemed to be acquainted with the + slightest particulars of your career and your character.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, I never even heard his name before.” + </p> + <p> + “Then he must have procured information.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Don Vigilio bowed and entered his room; whilst Pierre, surprised + to find his door open, saw Victorine come out with her calm active air. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé, I wanted to make sure that you had everything you + were likely to want. There are candles, water, sugar, and matches. And + what do you take in the morning, please? Coffee? No, a cup of milk with a + roll. Very good; at eight o’clock, eh? And now rest and sleep well. I was + awfully afraid of ghosts during the first nights I spent in this old + palace! But I never saw a trace of one. The fact is, when people are dead, + they are too well pleased, and don’t want to break their rest!” + </p> + <p> + Then off she went, and Pierre at last found himself alone, glad to be able + to shake off the strain imposed on him, to free himself from the + discomfort which he had felt in that reception-room, among those people + who in his mind still mingled and vanished like shadows in the sleepy glow + of the lamps. Ghosts, thought he, are the old dead ones of long ago whose + distressed spirits return to love and suffer in the breasts of the living + of to-day. And, despite his long afternoon rest, he had never felt so + weary, so desirous of slumber, confused and foggy as was his mind, full of + the fear that he had hitherto not understood things aright. When he began + to undress, his astonishment at being in that room returned to him with + such intensity that he almost fancied himself another person. What did all + those people think of his book? Why had he been brought to this cold + dwelling whose hostility he could divine? Was it for the purpose of + helping him or conquering him? And again in the yellow glimmer, the dismal + sunset of the drawing-room, he perceived Donna Serafina and Advocate + Morano on either side of the chimney-piece, whilst behind the calm yet + passionate visage of Benedetta appeared the smiling face of Monsignor + Nani, with cunning eyes and lips bespeaking indomitable energy. + </p> + <p> + He went to bed, but soon got up again, stifling, feeling such a need of + fresh, free air that he opened the window wide in order to lean out. But + the night was black as ink, the darkness had submerged the horizon. A mist + must have hidden the stars in the firmament; the vault above seemed opaque + and heavy like lead; and yonder in front the houses of the Trastevere had + long since been asleep. Not one of all their windows glittered; there was + but a single gaslight shining, all alone and far away, like a lost spark. + In vain did Pierre seek the Janiculum. In the depths of that ocean of + nihility all sunk and vanished, Rome’s four and twenty centuries, the + ancient Palatine and the modern Quirinal, even the giant dome of St. + Peter’s, blotted out from the sky by the flood of gloom. And below him he + could not see, he could not even hear the Tiber, the dead river flowing + past the dead city. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap28"></a> + III. + </h2> + <p> + AT a quarter to ten o’clock on the following morning Pierre came down to + the first floor of the mansion for his audience with Cardinal Boccanera. + He had awoke free of all fatigue and again full of courage and candid + enthusiasm; nothing remaining of his strange despondency of the previous + night, the doubts and suspicions which had then come over him. The morning + was so fine, the sky so pure and so bright, that his heart once more + palpitated with hope. + </p> + <p> + On the landing he found the folding doors of the first ante-room wide + open. While closing the gala saloons which overlooked the street, and + which were rotting with old age and neglect, the Cardinal still used the + reception-rooms of one of his grand-uncles, who in the eighteenth century + had risen to the same ecclesiastical dignity as himself. There was a suite + of four immense rooms, each sixteen feet high, with windows facing the + lane which sloped down towards the Tiber; and the sun never entered them, + shut off as it was by the black houses across the lane. Thus the + installation, in point of space, was in keeping with the display and pomp + of the old-time princely dignitaries of the Church. But no repairs were + ever made, no care was taken of anything, the hangings were frayed and + ragged, and dust preyed on the furniture, amidst an unconcern which seemed + to betoken some proud resolve to stay the course of time. + </p> + <p> + Pierre experienced a slight shock as he entered the first room, the + servants’ ante-chamber. Formerly two pontifical <i>gente d’armi</i> in + full uniform had always stood there amidst a stream of lackeys; and the + single servant now on duty seemed by his phantom-like appearance to + increase the melancholiness of the vast and gloomy hall. One was + particularly struck by an altar facing the windows, an altar with red + drapery surmounted by a <i>baldacchino</i> with red hangings, on which + appeared the escutcheon of the Boccaneras, the winged dragon spitting + flames with the device, <i>Bocca nera, Alma rossa</i>. And the + grand-uncle’s red hat, the old huge ceremonial hat, was also there, with + the two cushions of red silk, and the two antique parasols which were + taken in the coach each time his Eminence went out. And in the deep + silence it seemed as if one could almost hear the faint noise of the moths + preying for a century past upon all this dead splendour, which would have + fallen into dust at the slightest touch of a feather broom. + </p> + <p> + The second ante-room, that was formerly occupied by the secretary, was + also empty, and it was only in the third one, the <i>anticamera nobile</i>, + that Pierre found Don Vigilio. With his retinue reduced to what was + strictly necessary, the Cardinal had preferred to have his secretary near + him—at the door, so to say, of the old throne-room, where he gave + audience. And Don Vigilio, so thin and yellow, and quivering with fever, + sat there like one lost, at a small, common, black table covered with + papers. Raising his head from among a batch of documents, he recognised + Pierre, and in a low voice, a faint murmur amidst the silence, he said, + “His Eminence is engaged. Please wait.” + </p> + <p> + Then he again turned to his reading, doubtless to escape all attempts at + conversation. + </p> + <p> + Not daring to sit down, Pierre examined the apartment. It looked perhaps + yet more dilapidated than the others, with its hangings of green damask + worn by age and resembling the faded moss on ancient trees. The ceiling, + however, had remained superb. Within a frieze of gilded and coloured + ornaments was a fresco representing the Triumph of Amphitrite, the work of + one of Raffaelle’s pupils. And, according to antique usage, it was here + that the <i>berretta</i>, the red cap, was placed, on a credence, below a + large crucifix of ivory and ebony. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre grew used to the half-light, however, his attention was more + particularly attracted by a recently painted full-length portrait of the + Cardinal in ceremonial costume—cassock of red moire, rochet of lace, + and <i>cappa</i> thrown like a royal mantle over his shoulders. In these + vestments of the Church the tall old man of seventy retained the proud + bearing of a prince, clean shaven, but still boasting an abundance of + white hair which streamed in curls over his shoulders. He had the + commanding visage of the Boccaneras, a large nose and a large thin-lipped + mouth in a long face intersected by broad lines; and the eyes which + lighted his pale countenance were indeed the eyes of his race, very dark, + yet sparkling with ardent life under bushy brows which had remained quite + black. With laurels about his head he would have resembled a Roman + emperor, very handsome and master of the world, as though indeed the blood + of Augustus pulsated in his veins. + </p> + <p> + Pierre knew his story which this portrait recalled. Educated at the + College of the Nobles, Pio Boccanera had but once absented himself from + Rome, and that when very young, hardly a deacon, but nevertheless + appointed ablegate to convey a <i>berretta</i> to Paris. On his return his + ecclesiastical career had continued in sovereign fashion. Honours had + fallen on him naturally, as by right of birth. Ordained by Pius IX + himself, afterwards becoming a Canon of the Vatican Basilica, and <i>Cameriere + segreto</i>, he had risen to the post of Majordomo about the time of the + Italian occupation, and in 1874 had been created a Cardinal. For the last + four years, moreover, he had been Papal Chamberlain (<i>Camerlingo</i>), + and folks whispered that Leo XIII had appointed him to that post, even as + he himself had been appointed to it by Pius IX, in order to lessen his + chance of succeeding to the pontifical throne; for although the conclave + in choosing Leo had set aside the old tradition that the Camerlingo was + ineligible for the papacy, it was not probable that it would again dare to + infringe that rule. Moreover, people asserted that, even as had been the + case in the reign of Pius, there was a secret warfare between the Pope and + his Camerlingo, the latter remaining on one side, condemning the policy of + the Holy See, holding radically different opinions on all things, and + silently waiting for the death of Leo, which would place power in his + hands with the duty of summoning the conclave, and provisionally watching + over the affairs and interests of the Church until a new Pope should be + elected. Behind Cardinal Pio’s broad, stern brow, however, in the glow of + his dark eyes, might there not also be the ambition of actually rising to + the papacy, of repeating the career of Gioachino Pecci, Camerlingo and + then Pope, all tradition notwithstanding? With the pride of a Roman prince + Pio knew but Rome; he almost gloried in being totally ignorant of the + modern world; and verily he showed himself very pious, austerely + religious, with a full firm faith into which the faintest doubt could + never enter. + </p> + <p> + But a whisper drew Pierre from his reflections. Don Vigilio, in his + prudent way, invited him to sit down: “You may have to wait some time: + take a stool.” + </p> + <p> + Then he began to cover a large sheet of yellowish paper with fine writing, + while Pierre seated himself on one of the stools ranged alongside the wall + in front of the portrait. And again the young man fell into a reverie, + picturing in his mind a renewal of all the princely pomp of the old-time + cardinals in that antique room. To begin with, as soon as nominated, a + cardinal gave public festivities, which were sometimes very splendid. + During three days the reception-rooms remained wide open, all could enter, + and from room to room ushers repeated the names of those who came—patricians, + people of the middle class, poor folks, all Rome indeed, whom the new + cardinal received with sovereign kindliness, as a king might receive his + subjects. Then there was quite a princely retinue; some cardinals carried + five hundred people about with them, had no fewer than sixteen distinct + offices in their households, lived, in fact, amidst a perfect court. Even + when life subsequently became simplified, a cardinal, if he were a prince, + still had a right to a gala train of four coaches drawn by black horses. + Four servants preceded him in liveries, emblazoned with his arms, and + carried his hat, cushion, and parasols. He was also attended by a + secretary in a mantle of violet silk, a train-bearer in a gown of violet + woollen stuff, and a gentleman in waiting, wearing an Elizabethan style of + costume, and bearing the <i>berretta</i> with gloved hands. Although the + household had then become smaller, it still comprised an <i>auditore</i> + specially charged with the congregational work, a secretary employed + exclusively for correspondence, a chief usher who introduced visitors, a + gentleman in attendance for the carrying of the <i>berretta</i>, a + train-bearer, a chaplain, a majordomo and a <i>valet-de-chambre</i>, to + say nothing of a flock of underlings, lackeys, cooks, coachmen, grooms, + quite a population, which filled the vast mansions with bustle. And with + these attendants Pierre mentally sought to fill the three spacious + ante-rooms now so deserted; the stream of lackeys in blue liveries + broidered with emblazonry, the world of abbés and prelates in silk mantles + appeared before him, again setting magnificent and passionate life under + the lofty ceilings, illumining all the semi-gloom with resuscitated + splendour. + </p> + <p> + But nowadays—particularly since the Italian occupation of Rome—nearly + all the great fortunes of the Roman princes have been exhausted, and the + pomp of the great dignitaries of the Church has disappeared. The ruined + patricians have kept aloof from badly remunerated ecclesiastical offices + to which little renown attaches, and have left them to the ambition of the + petty <i>bourgeoisie</i>. Cardinal Boccanera, the last prince of ancient + nobility invested with the purple, received scarcely more than 30,000 <i>lire</i>* + a year to enable him to sustain his rank, that is 22,000 <i>lire</i>,** + the salary of his post as Camerlingo, and various small sums derived from + other functions. And he would never have made both ends meet had not Donna + Serafina helped him with the remnants of the former family fortune which + he had long previously surrendered to his sisters and his brother. Donna + Serafina and Benedetta lived apart, in their own rooms, having their own + table, servants, and personal expenses. The Cardinal only had his nephew + Dario with him, and he never gave a dinner or held a public reception. His + greatest source of expense was his carriage, the heavy pair-horse coach, + which ceremonial usage compelled him to retain, for a cardinal cannot go + on foot through the streets of Rome. However, his coachman, an old family + servant, spared him the necessity of keeping a groom by insisting on + taking entire charge of the carriage and the two black horses, which, like + himself, had grown old in the service of the Boccaneras. There were two + footmen, father and son, the latter born in the house. And the cook’s wife + assisted in the kitchen. However, yet greater reductions had been made in + the ante-rooms, where the staff, once so brilliant and numerous, was now + simply composed of two petty priests, Don Vigilio, who was at once + secretary, auditore, and majordomo, and Abbé Paparelli, who acted as + train-bearer, chaplain, and chief usher. There, where a crowd of salaried + people of all ranks had once moved to and fro, filling the vast halls with + bustle and colour, one now only beheld two little black cassocks gliding + noiselessly along, two unobtrusive shadows flitting about amidst the deep + gloom of the lifeless rooms. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 1,200 pounds. + + ** 880 pounds. +</pre> + <p> + And Pierre now fully understood the haughty unconcern of the Cardinal, who + suffered time to complete its work of destruction in that ancestral + mansion, to which he was powerless to restore the glorious life of former + times! Built for that shining life, for the sovereign display of a + sixteenth-century prince, it was now deserted and empty, crumbling about + the head of its last master, who had no servants left him to fill it, and + would not have known how to pay for the materials which repairs would have + necessitated. And so, since the modern world was hostile, since religion + was no longer sovereign, since men had changed, and one was drifting into + the unknown, amidst the hatred and indifference of new generations, why + not allow the old world to collapse in the stubborn, motionless pride born + of its ancient glory? Heroes alone died standing, without relinquishing + aught of their past, preserving the same faith until their final gasp, + beholding, with pain-fraught bravery and infinite sadness, the slow last + agony of their divinity. And the Cardinal’s tall figure, his pale, proud + face, so full of sovereign despair and courage, expressed that stubborn + determination to perish beneath the ruins of the old social edifice rather + than change a single one of its stones. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was roused by a rustling of furtive steps, a little mouse-like + trot, which made him raise his head. A door in the wall had just opened, + and to his surprise there stood before him an abbé of some forty years, + fat and short, looking like an old maid in a black skirt, a very old maid + in fact, so numerous were the wrinkles on his flabby face. It was Abbé + Paparelli, the train-bearer and usher, and on seeing Pierre he was about + to question him, when Don Vigilio explained matters. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! very good, very good, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment. His Eminence will + condescend to receive you, but you must wait, you must wait.” + </p> + <p> + Then, with his silent rolling walk, he returned to the second ante-room, + where he usually stationed himself. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not like his face—the face of an old female devotee, + whitened by celibacy, and ravaged by stern observance of the rites; and + so, as Don Vigilio—his head weary and his hands burning with fever—had + not resumed his work, the young man ventured to question him. Oh! Abbé + Paparelli, he was a man of the liveliest faith, who from simple humility + remained in a modest post in his Eminence’s service. On the other hand, + his Eminence was pleased to reward him for his devotion by occasionally + condescending to listen to his advice. + </p> + <p> + As Don Vigilio spoke, a faint gleam of irony, a kind of veiled anger + appeared in his ardent eyes. However, he continued to examine Pierre, and + gradually seemed reassured, appreciating the evident frankness of this + foreigner who could hardly belong to any clique. And so he ended by + departing somewhat from his continual sickly distrust, and even engaged in + a brief chat. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” he said, “there is a deal of work sometimes, and rather hard + work too. His Eminence belongs to several Congregations, the Consistorial, + the Holy Office, the Index, the Rites. And all the documents concerning + the business which falls to him come into my hands. I have to study each + affair, prepare a report on it, clear the way, so to say. Besides which + all the correspondence is carried on through me. Fortunately his Eminence + is a holy man, and intrigues neither for himself nor for others, and this + enables us to taste a little peace.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre took a keen interest in these particulars of the life led by a + prince of the Church. He learnt that the Cardinal rose at six o’clock, + summer and winter alike. He said his mass in his chapel, a little room + which simply contained an altar of painted wood, and which nobody but + himself ever entered. His private apartments were limited to three rooms—a + bed-room, dining-room, and study—all very modest and small, + contrived indeed by partitioning off portions of one large hall. And he + led a very retired life, exempt from all luxury, like one who is frugal + and poor. At eight in the morning he drank a cup of cold milk for his + breakfast. Then, when there were sittings of the Congregations to which he + belonged, he attended them; otherwise he remained at home and gave + audience. Dinner was served at one o’clock, and afterwards came the + siesta, lasting until five in summer and until four at other seasons—a + sacred moment when a servant would not have dared even to knock at the + door. On awaking, if it were fine, his Eminence drove out towards the + ancient Appian Way, returning at sunset when the <i>Ave Maria</i> began to + ring. And finally, after again giving audience between seven and nine, he + supped and retired into his room, where he worked all alone or went to + bed. The cardinals wait upon the Pope on fixed days, two or three times + each month, for purposes connected with their functions. For nearly a + year, however, the Camerlingo had not been received in private audience by + his Holiness, and this was a sign of disgrace, a proof of secret warfare, + of which the entire black world spoke in prudent whispers. + </p> + <p> + “His Eminence is sometimes a little rough,” continued Don Vigilio in a + soft voice. “But you should see him smile when his niece the Contessina, + of whom he is very fond, comes down to kiss him. If you have a good + reception, you know, you will owe it to the Contessina.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment the secretary was interrupted. A sound of voices came from + the second ante-room, and forthwith he rose to his feet, and bent very low + at sight of a stout man in a black cassock, red sash, and black hat, with + twisted cord of red and gold, whom Abbé Paparelli was ushering in with a + great display of deferential genuflections. Pierre also had risen at a + sign from Don Vigilio, who found time to whisper to him, “Cardinal + Sanguinetti, Prefect of the Congregation of the Index.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Abbé Paparelli was lavishing attentions on the prelate, repeating + with an expression of blissful satisfaction: “Your most reverend Eminence + was expected. I have orders to admit your most reverend Eminence at once. + His Eminence the Grand Penitentiary is already here.” + </p> + <p> + Sanguinetti, loud of voice and sonorous of tread, spoke out with sudden + familiarity, “Yes, yes, I know. A number of importunate people detained + me! One can never do as one desires. But I am here at last.” + </p> + <p> + He was a man of sixty, squat and fat, with a round and highly coloured + face distinguished by a huge nose, thick lips, and bright eyes which were + always on the move. But he more particularly struck one by his active, + almost turbulent, youthful vivacity, scarcely a white hair as yet showing + among his brown and carefully tended locks, which fell in curls about his + temples. Born at Viterbo, he had studied at the seminary there before + completing his education at the Universita Gregoriana in Rome. His + ecclesiastical appointments showed how rapidly he had made his way, how + supple was his mind: first of all secretary to the nunciature at Lisbon; + then created titular Bishop of Thebes, and entrusted with a delicate + mission in Brazil; on his return appointed nuncio first at Brussels and + next at Vienna; and finally raised to the cardinalate, to say nothing of + the fact that he had lately secured the suburban episcopal see of + Frascati.* Trained to business, having dealt with every nation in Europe, + he had nothing against him but his ambition, of which he made too open a + display, and his spirit of intrigue, which was ever restless. It was said + that he was now one of the irreconcilables who demanded that Italy should + surrender Rome, though formerly he had made advances to the Quirinal. In + his wild passion to become the next Pope he rushed from one opinion to the + other, giving himself no end of trouble to gain people from whom he + afterwards parted. He had twice already fallen out with Leo XIII, but had + deemed it politic to make his submission. In point of fact, given that he + was an almost openly declared candidate to the papacy, he was wearing + himself out by his perpetual efforts, dabbling in too many things, and + setting too many people agog. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Cardinals York and Howard were Bishops of Frascati.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre, however, had only seen in him the Prefect of the Congregation of + the Index; and the one idea which struck him was that this man would + decide the fate of his book. And so, when the Cardinal had disappeared and + Abbé Paparelli had returned to the second ante-room, he could not refrain + from asking Don Vigilio, “Are their Eminences Cardinal Sanguinetti and + Cardinal Boccanera very intimate, then?” + </p> + <p> + An irrepressible smile contracted the secretary’s lips, while his eyes + gleamed with an irony which he could no longer subdue: “Very intimate—oh! + no, no—they see one another when they can’t do otherwise.” + </p> + <p> + Then he explained that considerable deference was shown to Cardinal + Boccanera’s high birth, and that his colleagues often met at his + residence, when, as happened to be the case that morning, any grave affair + presented itself, requiring an interview apart from the usual official + meetings. Cardinal Sanguinetti, he added, was the son of a petty medical + man of Viterbo. “No, no,” he concluded, “their Eminences are not at all + intimate. It is difficult for men to agree when they have neither the same + ideas nor the same character, especially too when they are in each other’s + way.” + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio spoke these last words in a lower tone, as if talking to + himself and still retaining his sharp smile. But Pierre scarcely listened, + absorbed as he was in his own worries. “Perhaps they have met to discuss + some affair connected with the Index?” said he. + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio must have known the object of the meeting. However, he merely + replied that, if the Index had been in question, the meeting would have + taken place at the residence of the Prefect of that Congregation. + Thereupon Pierre, yielding to his impatience, was obliged to put a + straight question. “You know of my affair—the affair of my book,” he + said. “Well, as his Eminence is a member of the Congregation, and all the + documents pass through your hands, you might be able to give me some + useful information. I know nothing as yet and am so anxious to know!” + </p> + <p> + At this Don Vigilio relapsed into scared disquietude. He stammered, saying + that he had not seen any documents, which was true. “Nothing has yet + reached us,” he added; “I assure you I know nothing.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as the other persisted, he signed to him to keep quiet, and again + turned to his writing, glancing furtively towards the second ante-room as + if he believed that Abbé Paparelli was listening. He had certainly said + too much, he thought, and he made himself very small, crouching over the + table, and melting, fading away in his dim corner. + </p> + <p> + Pierre again fell into a reverie, a prey to all the mystery which + enveloped him—the sleepy, antique sadness of his surroundings. Long + minutes went by; it was nearly eleven when the sound of a door opening and + a buzz of voices roused him. Then he bowed respectfully to Cardinal + Sanguinetti, who went off accompanied by another cardinal, a very thin and + tall man, with a grey, bony, ascetic face. Neither of them, however, + seemed even to see the petty foreign priest who bent low as they went by. + They were chatting aloud in familiar fashion. + </p> + <p> + “Yes! the wind is falling; it is warmer than yesterday.” + </p> + <p> + “We shall certainly have the sirocco to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + Then solemn silence again fell on the large, dim room. Don Vigilio was + still writing, but his pen made no noise as it travelled over the stiff + yellow paper. However, the faint tinkle of a cracked bell was suddenly + heard, and Abbé Paparelli, after hastening into the throne-room for a + moment, returned to summon Pierre, whom he announced in a restrained + voice: “Monsieur l’Abbé Pierre Froment.” + </p> + <p> + The spacious throne-room was like the other apartments, a virtual ruin. + Under the fine ceiling of carved and gilded wood-work, the red + wall-hangings of <i>brocatelle</i>, with a large palm pattern, were + falling into tatters. A few holes had been patched, but long wear had + streaked the dark purple of the silk—once of dazzling magnificence—with + pale hues. The curiosity of the room was its old throne, an arm-chair + upholstered in red silk, on which the Holy Father had sat when visiting + Cardinal Pio’s grand-uncle. This chair was surmounted by a canopy, + likewise of red silk, under which hung the portrait of the reigning Pope. + And, according to custom, the chair was turned towards the wall, to show + that none might sit on it. The other furniture of the apartment was made + up of sofas, arm-chairs, and chairs, with a marvellous Louis Quatorze + table of gilded wood, having a top of mosaic-work representing the rape of + Europa. + </p> + <p> + But at first Pierre only saw Cardinal Boccanera standing by the table + which he used for writing. In his simple black cassock, with red edging + and red buttons, the Cardinal seemed to him yet taller and prouder than in + the portrait which showed him in ceremonial costume. There was the same + curly white hair, the same long, strongly marked face, with large nose and + thin lips, and the same ardent eyes, illumining the pale countenance from + under bushy brows which had remained black. But the portrait did not + express the lofty tranquil faith which shone in this handsome face, a + complete certainty of what truth was, and an absolute determination to + abide by it for ever. + </p> + <p> + Boccanera had not stirred, but with black, fixed glance remained watching + his visitor’s approach; and the young priest, acquainted with the usual + ceremonial, knelt and kissed the large ruby which the prelate wore on his + hand. However, the Cardinal immediately raised him. + </p> + <p> + “You are welcome here, my dear son. My niece spoke to me about you with so + much sympathy that I am happy to receive you.” With these words Pio seated + himself near the table, as yet not telling Pierre to take a chair, but + still examining him whilst speaking slowly and with studied politeness: + “You arrived yesterday morning, did you not, and were very tired?” + </p> + <p> + “Your Eminence is too kind—yes, I was worn out, as much through + emotion as fatigue. This journey is one of such gravity for me.” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal seemed indisposed to speak of serious matters so soon. “No + doubt; it is a long way from Paris to Rome,” he replied. “Nowadays the + journey may be accomplished with fair rapidity, but formerly how + interminable it was!” Then speaking yet more slowly: “I went to Paris once—oh! + a long time ago, nearly fifty years ago—and then for barely a week. + A large and handsome city; yes, yes, a great many people in the streets, + extremely well-bred people, a nation which has accomplished great and + admirable things. Even in these sad times one cannot forget that France + was the eldest daughter of the Church. But since that one journey I have + not left Rome—” + </p> + <p> + Then he made a gesture of quiet disdain, expressive of all he left unsaid. + What was the use of journeying to a land of doubt and rebellion? Did not + Rome suffice—Rome, which governed the world—the Eternal City + which, when the times should be accomplished, would become the capital of + the world once more? + </p> + <p> + Silently glancing at the Cardinal’s lofty stature, the stature of one of + the violent war-like princes of long ago, now reduced to wearing that + simple cassock, Pierre deemed him superb with his proud conviction that + Rome sufficed unto herself. But that stubborn resolve to remain in + ignorance, that determination to take no account of other nations + excepting to treat them as vassals, disquieted him when he reflected on + the motives that had brought him there. And as silence had again fallen he + thought it politic to approach the subject he had at heart by words of + homage. + </p> + <p> + “Before taking any other steps,” said he, “I desired to express my + profound respect for your Eminence; for in your Eminence I place my only + hope; and I beg your Eminence to be good enough to advise and guide me.” + </p> + <p> + With a wave of the hand Boccanera thereupon invited Pierre to take a chair + in front of him. “I certainly do not refuse you my counsel, my dear son,” + he replied. “I owe my counsel to every Christian who desires to do well. + But it would be wrong for you to rely on my influence. I have none. I live + entirely apart from others; I cannot and will not ask for anything. + However, this will not prevent us from chatting.” Then, approaching the + question in all frankness, without the slightest artifice, like one of + brave and absolute mind who fears no responsibility however great, he + continued: “You have written a book, have you not?—‘New Rome,’ I + believe—and you have come to defend this book which has been + denounced to the Congregation of the Index. For my own part I have not yet + read it. You will understand that I cannot read everything. I only see the + works that are sent to me by the Congregation which I have belonged to + since last year; and, besides, I often content myself with the reports + which my secretary draws up for me. However, my niece Benedetta has read + your book, and has told me that it is not lacking in interest. It first + astonished her somewhat, and then greatly moved her. So I promise you that + I will go through it and study the incriminated passages with the greatest + care.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre profited by the opportunity to begin pleading his cause. And it + occurred to him that it would be best to give his references at once. + “Your Eminence will realise how stupefied I was when I learnt that + proceedings were being taken against my book,” he said. “Monsieur le + Vicomte Philibert de la Choue, who is good enough to show me some + friendship, does not cease repeating that such a book is worth the best of + armies to the Holy See.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! De la Choue, De la Choue!” repeated the Cardinal with a pout of + good-natured disdain. “I know that De la Choue considers himself a good + Catholic. He is in a slight degree our relative, as you know. And when he + comes to Rome and stays here, I willingly see him, on condition however + that no mention is made of certain subjects on which it would be + impossible for us to agree. To tell the truth, the Catholicism preached by + De la Choue—worthy, clever man though he is—his Catholicism, I + say, with his corporations, his working-class clubs, his cleansed + democracy and his vague socialism, is after all merely so much + literature!” + </p> + <p> + This pronouncement struck Pierre, for he realised all the disdainful irony + contained in it—an irony which touched himself. And so he hastened + to name his other reference, whose authority he imagined to be above + discussion: “His Eminence Cardinal Bergerot has been kind enough to + signify his full approval of my book.” + </p> + <p> + At this Boccanera’s face suddenly changed. It no longer wore an expression + of derisive blame, tinged with the pity that is prompted by a child’s + ill-considered action fated to certain failure. A flash of anger now + lighted up the Cardinal’s dark eyes, and a pugnacious impulse hardened his + entire countenance. “In France,” he slowly resumed, “Cardinal Bergerot no + doubt has a reputation for great piety. We know little of him in Rome. + Personally, I have only seen him once, when he came to receive his hat. + And I would not therefore allow myself to judge him if his writings and + actions had not recently saddened my believing soul. Unhappily, I am not + the only one; you will find nobody here, of the Sacred College, who + approves of his doings.” Boccanera paused, then in a firm voice concluded: + “Cardinal Bergerot is a Revolutionary!” + </p> + <p> + This time Pierre’s surprise for a moment forced him to silence. A + Revolutionary—good heavens! a Revolutionary—that gentle pastor + of souls, whose charity was inexhaustible, whose one dream was that Jesus + might return to earth to ensure at last the reign of peace and justice! So + words did not have the same signification in all places; into what + religion had he now tumbled that the faith of the poor and the humble + should be looked upon as a mere insurrectional, condemnable passion? As + yet unable to understand things aright, Pierre nevertheless realised that + discussion would be both discourteous and futile, and his only remaining + desire was to give an account of his book, explain and vindicate it. But + at his first words the Cardinal interposed. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, my dear son. It would take us too long and I wish to read the + passages. Besides, there is an absolute rule. All books which meddle with + the faith are condemnable and pernicious. Does your book show perfect + respect for dogma?” + </p> + <p> + “I believe so, and I assure your Eminence that I have had no intention of + writing a work of negation.” + </p> + <p> + “Good: I may be on your side if that is true. Only, in the contrary case, + I have but one course to advise you, which is to withdraw your work, + condemn it, and destroy it without waiting until a decision of the Index + compels you to do so. Whosoever has given birth to scandal must stifle it + and expiate it, even if he have to cut into his own flesh. The only duties + of a priest are humility and obedience, the complete annihilation of self + before the sovereign will of the Church. And, besides, why write at all? + For there is already rebellion in expressing an opinion of one’s own. It + is always the temptation of the devil which puts a pen in an author’s + hand. Why, then, incur the risk of being for ever damned by yielding to + the pride of intelligence and domination? Your book again, my dear son—your + book is literature, literature!” + </p> + <p> + This expression again repeated was instinct with so much contempt that + Pierre realised all the wretchedness that would fall upon the poor pages + of his apostolate on meeting the eyes of this prince who had become a + saintly man. With increasing fear and admiration he listened to him, and + beheld him growing greater and greater. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! faith, my dear son, everything is in faith—perfect, + disinterested faith—which believes for the sole happiness of + believing! How restful it is to bow down before the mysteries without + seeking to penetrate them, full of the tranquil conviction that, in + accepting them, one possesses both the certain and the final! Is not the + highest intellectual satisfaction that which is derived from the victory + of the divine over the mind, which it disciplines, and contents so + completely that it knows desire no more? And apart from that perfect + equilibrium, that explanation of the unknown by the divine, no durable + peace is possible for man. If one desires that truth and justice should + reign upon earth, it is in God that one must place them. He that does not + believe is like a battlefield, the scene of every disaster. Faith alone + can tranquillise and deliver.” + </p> + <p> + For an instant Pierre remained silent before the great figure rising up in + front of him. At Lourdes he had only seen suffering humanity rushing + thither for health of the body and consolation of the soul; but here was + the intellectual believer, the mind that needs certainty, finding + satisfaction, tasting the supreme enjoyment of doubting no more. He had + never previously heard such a cry of joy at living in obedience without + anxiety as to the morrow of death. He knew that Boccanera’s youth had been + somewhat stormy, traversed by acute attacks of sensuality, a flaring of + the red blood of his ancestors; and he marvelled at the calm majesty which + faith had at last implanted in this descendant of so violent a race, who + had no passion remaining in him but that of pride. + </p> + <p> + “And yet,” Pierre at last ventured to say in a timid, gentle voice, “if + faith remains essential and immutable, forms change. From hour to hour + evolution goes on in all things—the world changes.” + </p> + <p> + “That is not true!” exclaimed the Cardinal, “the world does not change. It + continually tramps over the same ground, loses itself, strays into the + most abominable courses, and it continually has to be brought back into + the right path. That is the truth. In order that the promises of Christ + may be fulfilled, is it not necessary that the world should return to its + starting point, its original innocence? Is not the end of time fixed for + the day when men shall be in possession of the full truth of the Gospel? + Yes, truth is in the past, and it is always to the past that one must + cling if one would avoid the pitfalls which evil imaginations create. All + those fine novelties, those mirages of that famous so-called progress, are + simply traps and snares of the eternal tempter, causes of perdition and + death. Why seek any further, why constantly incur the risk of error, when + for eighteen hundred years the truth has been known? Truth! why it is in + Apostolic and Roman Catholicism as created by a long succession of + generations! What madness to desire to change it when so many lofty minds, + so many pious souls have made of it the most admirable of monuments, the + one instrument of order in this world, and of salvation in the next!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, whose heart had contracted, refrained from further protest, for he + could no longer doubt that he had before him an implacable adversary of + his most cherished ideas. Chilled by a covert fear, as though he felt a + faint breath, as of a distant wind from a land of ruins, pass over his + face, bringing with it the mortal cold of a sepulchre, he bowed + respectfully whilst the Cardinal, rising to his full height, continued in + his obstinate voice, resonant with proud courage: “And if Catholicism, as + its enemies pretend, be really stricken unto death, it must die standing + and in all its glorious integrality. You hear me, Monsieur l’Abbé—not + one concession, not one surrender, not a single act of cowardice! + Catholicism is such as it is, and cannot be otherwise. No modification of + the divine certainty, the entire truth, is possible. The removal of the + smallest stone from the edifice could only prove a cause of instability. + Is this not evident? You cannot save old houses by attacking them with the + pickaxe under pretence of decorating them. You only enlarge the fissures. + Even if it were true that Rome were on the eve of falling into dust, the + only result of all the repairing and patching would be to hasten the + catastrophe. And instead of a noble death, met unflinchingly, we should + then behold the basest of agonies, the death throes of a coward who + struggles and begs for mercy! For my part I wait. I am convinced that all + that people say is but so much horrible falsehood, that Catholicism has + never been firmer, that it imbibes eternity from the one and only source + of life. But should the heavens indeed fall, on that day I should be here, + amidst these old and crumbling walls, under these old ceilings whose beams + are being devoured by the worms, and it is here, erect, among the ruins, + that I should meet my end, repeating my <i>credo</i> for the last time.” + </p> + <p> + His final words fell more slowly, full of haughty sadness, whilst with a + sweeping gesture he waved his arms towards the old, silent, deserted + palace around him, whence life was withdrawing day by day. Had an + involuntary presentiment come to him, did the faint cold breath from the + ruins also fan his own cheeks? All the neglect into which the vast rooms + had fallen was explained by his words; and a superb, despondent grandeur + enveloped this prince and cardinal, this uncompromising Catholic who, + withdrawing into the dim half-light of the past, braved with a soldier’s + heart the inevitable downfall of the olden world. + </p> + <p> + Deeply impressed, Pierre was about to take his leave when, to his + surprise, a little door opened in the hangings. “What is it? Can’t I be + left in peace for a moment?” exclaimed Boccanera with sudden impatience. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, Abbé Paparelli, fat and sleek, glided into the room without + the faintest sign of emotion. And he whispered a few words in the ear of + the Cardinal, who, on seeing him, had become calm again. “What curate?” + asked Boccanera. “Oh! yes, Santobono, the curate of Frascati. I know—tell + him I cannot see him just now.” + </p> + <p> + Paparelli, however, again began whispering in his soft voice, though not + in so low a key as previously, for some of his words could be overheard. + The affair was urgent, the curate was compelled to return home, and had + only a word or two to say. And then, without awaiting consent, the + train-bearer ushered in the visitor, a <i>protégé</i> of his, whom he had + left just outside the little door. And for his own part he withdrew with + the tranquillity of a retainer who, whatever the modesty of his office, + knows himself to be all powerful. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was momentarily forgotten, looked at the visitor—a big + fellow of a priest, the son of a peasant evidently, and still near to the + soil. He had an ungainly, bony figure, huge feet and knotted hands, with a + seamy tanned face lighted by extremely keen black eyes. Five and forty and + still robust, his chin and cheeks bristling, and his cassock, overlarge, + hanging loosely about his big projecting bones, he suggested a bandit in + disguise. Still there was nothing base about him; the expression of his + face was proud. And in one hand he carried a small wicker basket carefully + covered over with fig-leaves. + </p> + <p> + Santobono at once bent his knees and kissed the Cardinal’s ring, but with + hasty unconcern, as though only some ordinary piece of civility were in + question. Then, with that commingling of respect and familiarity which the + little ones of the world often evince towards the great, he said, “I beg + your most reverend Eminence’s forgiveness for having insisted. But there + were people waiting, and I should not have been received if my old friend + Paparelli had not brought me by way of that door. Oh! I have a very great + service to ask of your Eminence, a real service of the heart. But first of + all may I be allowed to offer your Eminence a little present?” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal listened with a grave expression. He had been well acquainted + with Santobono in the years when he had spent the summer at Frascati, at a + princely residence which the Boccaneras had possessed there—a villa + rebuilt in the seventeenth century, surrounded by a wonderful park, whose + famous terrace overlooked the Campagna, stretching far and bare like the + sea. This villa, however, had since been sold, and on some vineyards, + which had fallen to Benedetta’s share, Count Prada, prior to the divorce + proceedings, had begun to erect quite a district of little pleasure + houses. In former times, when walking out, the Cardinal had condescended + to enter and rest in the dwelling of Santobono, who officiated at an + antique chapel dedicated to St. Mary of the Fields, without the town. The + priest had his home in a half-ruined building adjoining this chapel, and + the charm of the place was a walled garden which he cultivated himself + with the passion of a true peasant. + </p> + <p> + “As is my rule every year,” said he, placing his basket on the table, “I + wished that your Eminence might taste my figs. They are the first of the + season. I gathered them expressly this morning. You used to be so fond of + them, your Eminence, when you condescended to gather them from the tree + itself. You were good enough to tell me that there wasn’t another tree in + the world that produced such fine figs.” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal could not help smiling. He was indeed very fond of figs, and + Santobono spoke truly: his fig-tree was renowned throughout the district. + “Thank you, my dear Abbé,” said Boccanera, “you remember my little + failings. Well, and what can I do for you?” + </p> + <p> + Again he became grave, for, in former times, there had been unpleasant + discussions between him and the curate, a lack of agreement which had + angered him. Born at Nemi, in the core of a fierce district, Santobono + belonged to a violent family, and his eldest brother had died of a stab. + He himself had always professed ardently patriotic opinions. It was said + that he had all but taken up arms for Garibaldi; and, on the day when the + Italians had entered Rome, force had been needed to prevent him from + raising the flag of Italian unity above his roof. His passionate dream was + to behold Rome mistress of the world, when the Pope and the King should + have embraced and made cause together. Thus the Cardinal looked on him as + a dangerous revolutionary, a renegade who imperilled Catholicism. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! what your Eminence can do for me, what your Eminence can do if only + condescending and willing!” repeated Santobono in an ardent voice, + clasping his big knotty hands. And then, breaking off, he inquired, “Did + not his Eminence Cardinal Sanguinetti explain my affair to your most + reverend Eminence?” + </p> + <p> + “No, the Cardinal simply advised me of your visit, saying that you had + something to ask of me.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst speaking Boccanera’s face had clouded over, and it was with + increased sternness of manner that he again waited. He was aware that the + priest had become Sanguinetti’s “client” since the latter had been in the + habit of spending weeks together at his suburban see of Frascati. Walking + in the shadow of every cardinal who is a candidate to the papacy, there + are familiars of low degree who stake the ambition of their life on the + possibility of that cardinal’s election. If he becomes Pope some day, if + they themselves help him to the throne, they enter the great pontifical + family in his train. It was related that Sanguinetti had once already + extricated Santobono from a nasty difficulty: the priest having one day + caught a marauding urchin in the act of climbing his wall, had beaten the + little fellow with such severity that he had ultimately died of it. + However, to Santobono’s credit it must be added that his fanatical + devotion to the Cardinal was largely based upon the hope that he would + prove the Pope whom men awaited, the Pope who would make Italy the + sovereign nation of the world. + </p> + <p> + “Well, this is my misfortune,” he said. “Your Eminence knows my brother + Agostino, who was gardener at the villa for two years in your Eminence’s + time. He is certainly a very pleasant and gentle young fellow, of whom + nobody has ever complained. And so it is hard to understand how such an + accident can have happened to him, but it seems that he has killed a man + with a knife at Genzano, while walking in the street in the evening. I am + dreadfully distressed about it, and would willingly give two fingers of my + right hand to extricate him from prison. However, it occurred to me that + your Eminence would not refuse me a certificate stating that Agostino was + formerly in your Eminence’s service, and that your Eminence was always + well pleased with his quiet disposition.” + </p> + <p> + But the Cardinal flatly protested: “I was not at all pleased with + Agostino. He was wildly violent, and I had to dismiss him precisely + because he was always quarrelling with the other servants.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how grieved I am to hear your Eminence say that! So it is true, then, + my poor little Agostino’s disposition has really changed! Still there is + always a way out of a difficulty, is there not? You can still give me a + certificate, first arranging the wording of it. A certificate from your + Eminence would have such a favourable effect upon the law officers.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt,” replied Boccanera; “I can understand that, but I will give no + certificate.” + </p> + <p> + “What! does your most reverend Eminence refuse my prayer?” + </p> + <p> + “Absolutely! I know that you are a priest of perfect morality, that you + discharge the duties of your ministry with strict punctuality, and that + you would be deserving of high commendation were it not for your political + fancies. Only your fraternal affection is now leading you astray. I cannot + tell a lie to please you.” + </p> + <p> + Santobono gazed at him in real stupefaction, unable to understand that a + prince, an all-powerful cardinal, should be influenced by such petty + scruples, when the entire question was a mere knife thrust, the most + commonplace and frequent of incidents in the yet wild land of the old + Roman castles. + </p> + <p> + “A lie! a lie!” he muttered; “but surely it isn’t lying just to say what + is good of a man, leaving out all the rest, especially when a man has good + points as Agostino certainly has. In a certificate, too, everything + depends on the words one uses.” + </p> + <p> + He stubbornly clung to that idea; he could not conceive that a person + should refuse to soften the rigour of justice by an ingenious presentation + of the facts. However, on acquiring a certainty that he would obtain + nothing, he made a gesture of despair, his livid face assuming an + expression of violent rancour, whilst his black eyes flamed with + restrained passion. + </p> + <p> + “Well, well! each looks on truth in his own way,” he said. “I shall go + back to tell his Eminence Cardinal Sanguinetti. And I beg your Eminence + not to be displeased with me for having disturbed your Eminence to no + purpose. By the way, perhaps the figs are not yet quite ripe; but I will + take the liberty to bring another basketful towards the end of the season, + when they will be quite nice and sweet. A thousand thanks and a thousand + felicities to your most reverend Eminence.” + </p> + <p> + Santobono went off backwards, his big bony figure bending double with + repeated genuflections. Pierre, whom the scene had greatly interested, in + him beheld a specimen of the petty clergy of Rome and its environs, of + whom people had told him before his departure from Paris. This was not the + <i>scagnozzo</i>, the wretched famished priest whom some nasty affair + brings from the provinces, who seeks his daily bread on the pavements of + Rome; one of the herd of begowned beggars searching for a livelihood among + the crumbs of Church life, voraciously fighting for chance masses, and + mingling with the lowest orders in taverns of the worst repute. Nor was + this the country priest of distant parts, a man of crass ignorance and + superstition, a peasant among the peasants, treated as an equal by his + pious flock, which is careful not to mistake him for the Divinity, and + which, whilst kneeling in all humility before the parish saint, does not + bend before the man who from that saint derives his livelihood. At + Frascati the officiating minister of a little church may receive a stipend + of some nine hundred <i>lire</i> a year,* and he has only bread and meat + to buy if his garden yields him wine and fruit and vegetables. This one, + Santobono, was not without education; he knew a little theology and a + little history, especially the history of the past grandeur of Rome, which + had inflamed his patriotic heart with the mad dream that universal + domination would soon fall to the portion of renascent Rome, the capital + of united Italy. But what an insuperable distance still remained between + this petty Roman clergy, often very worthy and intelligent, and the high + clergy, the high dignitaries of the Vatican! Nobody that was not at least + a prelate seemed to count. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * About 36 pounds. One is reminded of Goldsmith’s line: “And + passing rich with forty pounds a year.”—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “A thousand thanks to your most reverend Eminence, and may success attend + all your Eminence’s desires.” + </p> + <p> + With these words Santobono finally disappeared, and the Cardinal returned + to Pierre, who also bowed preparatory to taking his leave. + </p> + <p> + “To sum up the matter, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said Boccanera, “the affair of + your book presents certain difficulties. As I have told you, I have no + precise information, I have seen no documents. But knowing that my niece + took an interest in you, I said a few words on the subject to Cardinal + Sanguinetti, the Prefect of the Index, who was here just now. And he knows + little more than I do, for nothing has yet left the Secretary’s hands. + Still he told me that the denunciation emanated from personages of rank + and influence, and applied to numerous pages of your work, in which it was + said there were passages of the most deplorable character as regards both + discipline and dogma.” + </p> + <p> + Greatly moved by the idea that he had hidden foes, secret adversaries who + pursued him in the dark, the young priest responded: “Oh! denounced, + denounced! If your Eminence only knew how that word pains my heart! And + denounced, too, for offences which were certainly involuntary, since my + one ardent desire was the triumph of the Church! All I can do, then, is to + fling myself at the feet of the Holy Father and entreat him to hear my + defence.” + </p> + <p> + Boccanera suddenly became very grave again. A stern look rested on his + lofty brow as he drew his haughty figure to its full height. “His + Holiness,” said he, “can do everything, even receive you, if such be his + good pleasure, and absolve you also. But listen to me. I again advise you + to withdraw your book yourself, to destroy it, simply and courageously, + before embarking in a struggle in which you will reap the shame of being + overwhelmed. Reflect on that.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, had no sooner spoken of the Pope than he had regretted + it, for he realised that an appeal to the sovereign authority was + calculated to wound the Cardinal’s feelings. Moreover, there was no + further room for doubt. Boccanera would be against his book, and the + utmost that he could hope for was to gain his neutrality by bringing + pressure to bear on him through those about him. At the same time he had + found the Cardinal very plain spoken, very frank, far removed from all the + secret intriguing in which the affair of his book was involved, as he now + began to realise; and so it was with deep respect and genuine admiration + for the prelate’s strong and lofty character that he took leave of him. + </p> + <p> + “I am infinitely obliged to your Eminence,” he said, “and I promise that I + will carefully reflect upon all that your Eminence has been kind enough to + say to me.” + </p> + <p> + On returning to the ante-room, Pierre there found five or six persons who + had arrived during his audience, and were now waiting. There was a bishop, + a domestic prelate, and two old ladies, and as he drew near to Don Vigilio + before retiring, he was surprised to find him conversing with a tall, fair + young fellow, a Frenchman, who, also in astonishment, exclaimed, “What! + are you here in Rome, Monsieur l’Abbé?” + </p> + <p> + For a moment Pierre had hesitated. “Ah! I must ask your pardon, Monsieur + Narcisse Habert,” he replied, “I did not at first recognise you! It was + the less excusable as I knew that you had been an <i>attaché</i> at our + embassy here ever since last year.” + </p> + <p> + Tall, slim, and elegant of appearance, Narcisse Habert had a clear + complexion, with eyes of a bluish, almost mauvish, hue, a fair frizzy + beard, and long curling fair hair cut short over the forehead in the + Florentine fashion. Of a wealthy family of militant Catholics, chiefly + members of the bar or bench, he had an uncle in the diplomatic profession, + and this had decided his own career. Moreover, a place at Rome was marked + out for him, for he there had powerful connections. He was a nephew by + marriage of Cardinal Sarno, whose sister had married another of his + uncles, a Paris notary; and he was also cousin german of Monsignor Gamba + del Zoppo, a <i>Cameriere segreto</i>, and son of one of his aunts, who + had married an Italian colonel. And in some measure for these reasons he + had been attached to the embassy to the Holy See, his superiors tolerating + his somewhat fantastic ways, his everlasting passion for art which sent + him wandering hither and thither through Rome. He was moreover very + amiable and extremely well-bred; and it occasionally happened, as was the + case that morning, that with his weary and somewhat mysterious air he came + to speak to one or another of the cardinals on some real matter of + business in the ambassador’s name. + </p> + <p> + So as to converse with Pierre at his ease, he drew him into the deep + embrasure of one of the windows. “Ah! my dear Abbé, how pleased I am to + see you!” said he. “You must remember what pleasant chats we had when we + met at Cardinal Bergerot’s! I told you about some paintings which you were + to see for your book, some miniatures of the fourteenth and fifteenth + centuries. And now, you know, I mean to take possession of you. I’ll show + you Rome as nobody else could show it to you. I’ve seen and explored + everything. Ah! there are treasures, such treasures! But in truth there is + only one supreme work; one always comes back to one’s particular passion. + The Botticelli in the Sixtine Chapel—ah, the Botticelli!” + </p> + <p> + His voice died away, and he made a faint gesture as if overcome by + admiration. Then Pierre had to promise that he would place himself in his + hands and accompany him to the Sixtine Chapel. “You know why I am here,” + at last said the young priest. “Proceedings have been taken against my + book; it has been denounced to the Congregation of the Index.” + </p> + <p> + “Your book! is it possible?” exclaimed Narcisse: “a book like that with + pages recalling the delightful St. Francis of Assisi!” And thereupon he + obligingly placed himself at Pierre’s disposal. “But our ambassador will + be very useful to you,” he said. “He is the best man in the world, of + charming affability, and full of the old French spirit. I will present you + to him this afternoon or to-morrow morning at the latest; and since you + desire an immediate audience with the Pope, he will endeavour to obtain + one for you. His position naturally designates him as your intermediary. + Still, I must confess that things are not always easily managed. Although + the Holy Father is very fond of him, there are times when his Excellency + fails, for the approaches are so extremely intricate.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had not thought of employing the ambassador’s good offices, for he + had naïvely imagined that an accused priest who came to defend himself + would find every door open. However, he was delighted with Narcisse’s + offer, and thanked him as warmly as if the audience were already obtained. + </p> + <p> + “Besides,” the young man continued, “if we encounter any difficulties I + have relatives at the Vatican, as you know. I don’t mean my uncle the + Cardinal, who would be of no use to us, for he never stirs out of his + office at the Propaganda, and will never apply for anything. But my + cousin, Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo, is very obliging, and he lives in + intimacy with the Pope, his duties requiring his constant attendance on + him. So, if necessary, I will take you to see him, and he will no doubt + find a means of procuring you an interview, though his extreme prudence + keeps him perpetually afraid of compromising himself. However, it’s + understood, you may rely on me in every respect.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear sir,” exclaimed Pierre, relieved and happy, “I heartily + accept your offer. You don’t know what balm your words have brought me; + for ever since my arrival everybody has been discouraging me, and you are + the first to restore my strength by looking at things in the true French + way.” + </p> + <p> + Then, lowering his voice, he told the <i>attaché</i> of his interview with + Cardinal Boccanera, of his conviction that the latter would not help him, + of the unfavourable information which had been given by Cardinal + Sanguinetti, and of the rivalry which he had divined between the two + prelates. Narcisse listened, smiling, and in his turn began to gossip + confidentially. The rivalry which Pierre had mentioned, the premature + contest for the tiara which Sanguinetti and Boccanera were waging, + impelled to it by a furious desire to become the next Pope, had for a long + time been revolutionising the black world. There was incredible intricacy + in the depths of the affair; none could exactly tell who was pulling the + strings, conducting the vast intrigue. As regards generalities it was + simply known that Boccanera represented absolutism—the Church freed + from all compromises with modern society, and waiting in immobility for + the Deity to triumph over Satan, for Rome to be restored to the Holy + Father, and for repentant Italy to perform penance for its sacrilege; + whereas Sanguinetti, extremely politic and supple, was reported to harbour + bold and novel ideas: permission to vote to be granted to all true + Catholics,* a majority to be gained by this means in the Legislature; + then, as a fatal corollary, the downfall of the House of Savoy, and the + proclamation of a kind of republican federation of all the former petty + States of Italy under the august protectorate of the Pope. On the whole, + the struggle was between these two antagonistic elements—the first + bent on upholding the Church by a rigorous maintenance of the old + traditions, and the other predicting the fall of the Church if it did not + follow the bent of the coming century. But all was steeped in so much + mystery that people ended by thinking that, if the present Pope should + live a few years longer, his successor would certainly be neither + Boccanera nor Sanguinetti. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Since the occupation of Rome by the Italian authorities, the + supporters of the Church, obedient to the prohibition of the + Vatican, have abstained from taking part in the political + elections, this being their protest against the new order of + things which they do not recognise. Various attempts have been + made, however, to induce the Pope to give them permission to + vote, many members of the Roman aristocracy considering the + present course impolitic and even harmful to the interests of + the Church.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + All at once Pierre interrupted Narcisse: “And Monsignor Nani, do you know + him? I spoke with him yesterday evening. And there he is coming in now!” + </p> + <p> + Nani was indeed just entering the ante-room with his usual smile on his + amiable pink face. His cassock of fine texture, and his sash of violet + silk shone with discreet soft luxury. And he showed himself very amiable + to Abbé Paparelli, who, accompanying him in all humility, begged him to be + kind enough to wait until his Eminence should be able to receive him. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Monsignor Nani,” muttered Narcisse, becoming serious, “he is a man + whom it is advisable to have for a friend.” + </p> + <p> + Then, knowing Nani’s history, he related it in an undertone. Born at + Venice, of a noble but ruined family which had produced heroes, Nani, + after first studying under the Jesuits, had come to Rome to perfect + himself in philosophy and theology at the Collegio Romano, which was then + also under Jesuit management. Ordained when three and twenty, he had at + once followed a nuncio to Bavaria as private secretary; and then had gone + as <i>auditore</i> to the nunciatures of Brussels and Paris, in which + latter city he had lived for five years. Everything seemed to predestine + him to diplomacy, his brilliant beginnings and his keen and + encyclopaedical intelligence; but all at once he had been recalled to + Rome, where he was soon afterwards appointed Assessor to the Holy Office. + It was asserted at the time that this was done by the Pope himself, who, + being well acquainted with Nani, and desirous of having a person he could + depend upon at the Holy Office, had given instructions for his recall, + saying that he could render far more services at Rome than abroad. Already + a domestic prelate, Nani had also lately become a Canon of St. Peter’s and + an apostolic prothonotary, with the prospect of obtaining a cardinal’s hat + whenever the Pope should find some other favourite who would please him + better as assessor. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Monsignor Nani!” continued Narcisse. “He’s a superior man, thoroughly + well acquainted with modern Europe, and at the same time a very saintly + priest, a sincere believer, absolutely devoted to the Church, with the + substantial faith of an intelligent politician—a belief different, + it is true, from the narrow gloomy theological faith which we know so well + in France. And this is one of the reasons why you will hardly understand + things here at first. The Roman prelates leave the Deity in the sanctuary + and reign in His name, convinced that Catholicism is the human expression + of the government of God, the only perfect and eternal government, beyond + the pales of which nothing but falsehood and social danger can be found. + While we in our country lag behind, furiously arguing whether there be a + God or not, they do not admit that God’s existence can be doubted, since + they themselves are his delegated ministers; and they entirely devote + themselves to playing their parts as ministers whom none can dispossess, + exercising their power for the greatest good of humanity, and devoting all + their intelligence, all their energy to maintaining themselves as the + accepted masters of the nations. As for Monsignor Nani, after being mixed + up in the politics of the whole world, he has for ten years been + discharging the most delicate functions in Rome, taking part in the most + varied and most important affairs. He sees all the foreigners who come to + Rome, knows everything, has a hand in everything. Add to this that he is + extremely discreet and amiable, with a modesty which seems perfect, though + none can tell whether, with his light silent footstep, he is not really + marching towards the highest ambition, the purple of sovereignty.” + </p> + <p> + “Another candidate for the tiara,” thought Pierre, who had listened + passionately; for this man Nani interested him, caused him an instinctive + disquietude, as though behind his pink and smiling face he could divine an + infinity of obscure things. At the same time, however, the young priest + but ill understood his friend, for he again felt bewildered by all this + strange Roman world, so different from what he had expected. + </p> + <p> + Nani had perceived the two young men and came towards them with his hand + cordially outstretched “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, I am happy to meet + you again. I won’t ask you if you have slept well, for people always sleep + well at Rome. Good-day, Monsieur Habert; your health has kept good I hope, + since I met you in front of Bernini’s Santa Teresa, which you admire so + much.* I see that you know one another. That is very nice. I must tell + you, Monsieur l’Abbé, that Monsieur Habert is a passionate lover of our + city; he will be able to show you all its finest sights.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The allusion is to a statue representing St. Theresa in ecstasy, + with the Angel of Death descending to transfix her with his dart. + It stands in a transept of Sta. Maria della Vittoria.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Then, in his affectionate way, he at once asked for information respecting + Pierre’s interview with the Cardinal. He listened attentively to the young + man’s narrative, nodding his head at certain passages, and occasionally + restraining his sharp smile. The Cardinal’s severity and Pierre’s + conviction that he would accord him no support did not at all astonish + Nani. It seemed as if he had expected that result. However, on hearing + that Cardinal Sanguinetti had been there that morning, and had pronounced + the affair of the book to be very serious, he appeared to lose his + self-control for a moment, for he spoke out with sudden vivacity: + </p> + <p> + “It can’t be helped, my dear child, my intervention came too late. + Directly I heard of the proceedings I went to his Eminence Cardinal + Sanguinetti to tell him that the result would be an immense advertisement + for your book. Was it sensible? What was the use of it? We know that you + are inclined to be carried away by your ideas, that you are an enthusiast, + and are prompt to do battle. So what advantage should we gain by + embarrassing ourselves with the revolt of a young priest who might wage + war against us with a book of which some thousands of copies have been + sold already? For my part I desired that nothing should be done. And I + must say that the Cardinal, who is a man of sense, was of the same mind. + He raised his arms to heaven, went into a passion, and exclaimed that he + was never consulted, that the blunder was already committed beyond recall, + and that it was impossible to prevent process from taking its course since + the matter had already been brought before the Congregation, in + consequence of denunciations from authoritative sources, based on the + gravest motives. Briefly, as he said, the blunder was committed, and I had + to think of something else.” + </p> + <p> + All at once Nani paused. He had just noticed that Pierre’s ardent eyes + were fixed upon his own, striving to penetrate his meaning. A faint flush + then heightened the pinkiness of his complexion, whilst in an easy way he + continued, unwilling to reveal how annoyed he was at having said too much: + “Yes, I thought of helping you with all the little influence I possess, in + order to extricate you from the worries in which this affair will + certainly land you.” + </p> + <p> + An impulse of revolt was stirring Pierre, who vaguely felt that he was + perhaps being made game of. Why should he not be free to declare his + faith, which was so pure, so free from personal considerations, so full of + glowing Christian charity? “Never,” said he, “will I withdraw; never will + I myself suppress my book, as I am advised to do. It would be an act of + cowardice and falsehood, for I regret nothing, I disown nothing. If I + believe that my book brings a little truth to light I cannot destroy it + without acting criminally both towards myself and towards others. No, + never! You hear me—never!” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. But almost immediately he resumed: “It is at the knees of + the Holy Father that I desire to make that declaration. He will understand + me, he will approve me.” + </p> + <p> + Nani no longer smiled; henceforth his face remained as it were closed. He + seemed to be studying the sudden violence of the young priest with + curiosity; then sought to calm him with his own tranquil kindliness. “No + doubt, no doubt,” said he. “There is certainly great sweetness in + obedience and humility. Still I can understand that, before anything else, + you should desire to speak to his Holiness. And afterwards you will see—is + that not so?—you will see—” + </p> + <p> + Then he evinced a lively interest in the suggested application for an + audience. He expressed keen regret that Pierre had not forwarded that + application from Paris, before even coming to Rome: in that course would + have rested the best chance of a favourable reply. Bother of any kind was + not liked at the Vatican, and if the news of the young priest’s presence + in Rome should only spread abroad, and the motives of his journey be + discussed, all would be lost. Then, on learning that Narcisse had offered + to present Pierre to the French ambassador, Nani seemed full of anxiety, + and deprecated any such proceeding: “No, no! don’t do that—it would + be most imprudent. In the first place you would run the risk of + embarrassing the ambassador, whose position is always delicate in affairs + of this kind. And then, too, if he failed—and my fear is that he + might fail—yes, if he failed it would be all over; you would no + longer have the slightest chance of obtaining an audience by any other + means. For the Vatican would not like to hurt the ambassador’s feelings by + yielding to other influence after resisting his.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre anxiously glanced at Narcisse, who wagged his head, embarrassed and + hesitating. “The fact is,” the <i>attaché</i> at last murmured, “we lately + solicited an audience for a high French personage and it was refused, + which was very unpleasant for us. Monsignor is right. We must keep our + ambassador in reserve, and only utilise him when we have exhausted all + other means.” Then, noticing Pierre’s disappointment, he added obligingly: + “Our first visit therefore shall be for my cousin at the Vatican.” + </p> + <p> + Nani, his attention again roused, looked at the young man in astonishment. + “At the Vatican? You have a cousin there?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes—Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo.” + </p> + <p> + “Gamba! Gamba! Yes, yes, excuse me, I remember now. Ah! so you thought of + Gamba to bring influence to bear on his Holiness? That’s an idea, no + doubt; one must see—one must see.” + </p> + <p> + He repeated these words again and again as if to secure time to see into + the matter himself, to weigh the pros and cons of the suggestion. + Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo was a worthy man who played no part at the Papal + Court, whose nullity indeed had become a byword at the Vatican. His + childish stories, however, amused the Pope, whom he greatly flattered, and + who was fond of leaning on his arm while walking in the gardens. It was + during these strolls that Gamba easily secured all sorts of little + favours. However, he was a remarkable poltroon, and had such an intense + fear of losing his influence that he never risked a request without having + convinced himself by long meditation that no possible harm could come to + him through it. + </p> + <p> + “Well, do you know, the idea is not a bad one,” Nani at last declared. + “Yes, yes, Gamba can secure the audience for you, if he is willing. I will + see him myself and explain the matter.” + </p> + <p> + At the same time Nani did not cease advising extreme caution. He even + ventured to say that it was necessary to be on one’s guard with the papal + <i>entourage</i>, for, alas! it was a fact his Holiness was so good, and + had such a blind faith in the goodness of others, that he had not always + chosen his familiars with the critical care which he ought to have + displayed. Thus one never knew to what sort of man one might be applying, + or in what trap one might be setting one’s foot. Nani even allowed it to + be understood that on no account ought any direct application to be made + to his Eminence the Secretary of State, for even his Eminence was not a + free agent, but found himself encompassed by intrigues of such intricacy + that his best intentions were paralysed. And as Nani went on discoursing + in this fashion, in a very gentle, extremely unctuous manner, the Vatican + appeared like some enchanted castle, guarded by jealous and treacherous + dragons—a castle where one must not take a step, pass through a + doorway, risk a limb, without having carefully assured oneself that one + would not leave one’s whole body there to be devoured. + </p> + <p> + Pierre continued listening, feeling colder and colder at heart, and again + sinking into uncertainty. “<i>Mon Dieu</i>!” he exclaimed, “I shall never + know how to act. You discourage me, Monsignor.” + </p> + <p> + At this Nani’s cordial smile reappeared. “I, my dear child? I should be + sorry to do so. I only want to repeat to you that you must wait and do + nothing. Avoid all feverishness especially. There is no hurry, I assure + you, for it was only yesterday that a <i>consultore</i> was chosen to + report upon your book, so you have a good full month before you. Avoid + everybody, live in such a way that people shall be virtually ignorant of + your existence, visit Rome in peace and quietness—that is the best + course you can adopt to forward your interests.” Then, taking one of the + priest’s hands between both his own, so aristocratic, soft, and plump, he + added: “You will understand that I have my reasons for speaking to you + like this. I should have offered my own services; I should have made it a + point of honour to take you straight to his Holiness, had I thought it + advisable. But I do not wish to mix myself up in the matter at this stage; + I realise only too well that at the present moment we should simply make + sad work of it. Later on—you hear me—later on, in the event of + nobody else succeeding, I myself will obtain you an audience; I formally + promise it. But meanwhile, I entreat you, refrain from using those words + ‘a new religion,’ which, unfortunately, occur in your book, and which I + heard you repeat again only last night. There can be no new religion, my + dear child; there is but one eternal religion, which is beyond all + surrender and compromise—the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman + religion. And at the same time leave your Paris friends to themselves. + Don’t rely too much on Cardinal Bergerot, whose lofty piety is not + sufficiently appreciated in Rome. I assure you that I am speaking to you + as a friend.” + </p> + <p> + Then, seeing how disabled Pierre appeared to be, half overcome already, no + longer knowing in what direction to begin his campaign, he again strove to + comfort him: “Come, come, things will right themselves; everything will + end for the best, both for the welfare of the Church and your own. And now + you must excuse me, I must leave you; I shall not be able to see his + Eminence to-day, for it is impossible for me to wait any longer.” + </p> + <p> + Abbé Paparelli, whom Pierre had noticed prowling around with his ears + cocked, now hastened forward and declared to Monsignor Nani that there + were only two persons to be received before him. But the prelate very + graciously replied that he would come back again at another time, for the + affair which he wished to lay before his Eminence was in no wise pressing. + Then he withdrew, courteously bowing to everybody. + </p> + <p> + Narcisse Habert’s turn came almost immediately afterwards. However, before + entering the throne-room he pressed Pierre’s hand, repeating, “So it is + understood. I will go to see my cousin at the Vatican to-morrow, and + directly I get a reply I will let you know. We shall meet again soon I + hope.” + </p> + <p> + It was now past twelve o’clock, and the only remaining visitor was one of + the two old ladies who seemed to have fallen asleep. At his little + secretarial table Don Vigilio still sat covering huge sheets of yellow + paper with fine handwriting, from which he only lifted his eyes at + intervals to glance about him distrustfully, and make sure that nothing + threatened him. + </p> + <p> + In the mournful silence which fell around, Pierre lingered for yet another + moment in the deep embrasure of the window. Ah! what anxiety consumed his + poor, tender, enthusiastic heart! On leaving Paris things had seemed so + simple, so natural to him! He was unjustly accused, and he started off to + defend himself, arrived and flung himself at the feet of the Holy Father, + who listened to him indulgently. Did not the Pope personify living + religion, intelligence to understand, justice based upon truth? And was he + not, before aught else, the Father, the delegate of divine forgiveness and + mercy, with arms outstretched towards all the children of the Church, even + the guilty ones? Was it not meet, then, that he should leave his door wide + open so that the humblest of his sons might freely enter to relate their + troubles, confess their transgressions, explain their conduct, imbibe + comfort from the source of eternal loving kindness? And yet on the very + first day of his, Pierre’s, arrival, the doors closed upon him with a + bang; he felt himself sinking into a hostile sphere, full of traps and + pitfalls. One and all cried out to him “Beware!” as if he were incurring + the greatest dangers in setting one foot before the other. His desire to + see the Pope became an extraordinary pretension, so difficult of + achievement that it set the interests and passions and influences of the + whole Vatican agog. And there was endless conflicting advice, + long-discussed manoeuvring, all the strategy of generals leading an army + to victory, and fresh complications ever arising in the midst of a dim + stealthy swarming of intrigues. Ah! good Lord! how different all this was + from the charitable reception that Pierre had anticipated: the pastor’s + house standing open beside the high road for the admission of all the + sheep of the flock, both those that were docile and those that had gone + astray. + </p> + <p> + That which began to frighten Pierre, however, was the evil, the + wickedness, which he could divine vaguely stirring in the gloom: Cardinal + Bergerot suspected, dubbed a Revolutionary, deemed so compromising that + he, Pierre, was advised not to mention his name again! The young priest + once more saw Cardinal Boccanera’s pout of disdain while speaking of his + colleague. And then Monsignor Nani had warned him not to repeat those + words “a new religion,” as if it were not clear to everybody that they + simply signified the return of Catholicism to the primitive purity of + Christianity! Was that one of the crimes denounced to the Congregation of + the Index? He had begun to suspect who his accusers were, and felt + alarmed, for he was now conscious of secret subterranean plotting, a great + stealthy effort to strike him down and suppress his work. All that + surrounded him became suspicious. If he listened to advice and temporised, + it was solely to follow the same politic course as his adversaries, to + learn to know them before acting. He would spend a few days in meditation, + in surveying and studying that black world of Rome which to him had proved + so unexpected. But, at the same time, in the revolt of his apostle-like + faith, he swore, even as he had said to Nani, that he would never yield, + never change either a page or a line of his book, but maintain it in its + integrity in the broad daylight as the unshakable testimony of his belief. + Even were the book condemned by the Index, he would not tender submission, + withdraw aught of it. And should it become necessary he would quit the + Church, he would go even as far as schism, continuing to preach the new + religion and writing a new book, <i>Real Rome</i>, such as he now vaguely + began to espy. + </p> + <p> + However, Don Vigilio had ceased writing, and gazed so fixedly at Pierre + that the latter at last stepped up to him politely in order to take leave. + And then the secretary, yielding, despite his fears, to a desire to + confide in him, murmured, “He came simply on your account, you know; he + wanted to ascertain the result of your interview with his Eminence.” + </p> + <p> + It was not necessary for Don Vigilio to mention Nani by name; Pierre + understood. “Really, do you think so?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! there is no doubt of it. And if you take my advice you will do what + he desires with a good grace, for it is absolutely certain that you will + do it later on.” + </p> + <p> + These words brought Pierre’s disquietude and exasperation to a climax. He + went off with a gesture of defiance. They would see if he would ever + yield. + </p> + <p> + The three ante-rooms which he again crossed appeared to him blacker, + emptier, more lifeless than ever. In the second one Abbé Paparelli saluted + him with a little silent bow; in the first the sleepy lackey did not even + seem to see him. A spider was weaving its web between the tassels of the + great red hat under the <i>baldacchino</i>. Would not the better course + have been to set the pick at work amongst all that rotting past, now + crumbling into dust, so that the sunlight might stream in freely and + restore to the purified soil the fruitfulness of youth? + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol07"></a> + PART II. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap29"></a> + IV. + </h2> + <p> + ON the afternoon of that same day Pierre, having leisure before him, at + once thought of beginning his peregrinations through Rome by a visit on + which he had set his heart. Almost immediately after the publication of + “New Rome” he had been deeply moved and interested by a letter addressed + to him from the Eternal City by old Count Orlando Prada, the hero of + Italian independence and reunion, who, although unacquainted with him, had + written spontaneously after a first hasty perusal of his book. And the + letter had been a flaming protest, a cry of the patriotic faith still + young in the heart of that aged man, who accused him of having forgotten + Italy and claimed Rome, the new Rome, for the country which was at last + free and united. Correspondence had ensued, and the priest, while clinging + to his dream of Neo-Catholicism saving the world, had from afar grown + attached to the man who wrote to him with such glowing love of country and + freedom. He had eventually informed him of his journey, and promised to + call upon him. But the hospitality which he had accepted at the Boccanera + mansion now seemed to him somewhat of an impediment; for after Benedetta’s + kindly, almost affectionate, greeting, he felt that he could not, on the + very first day and with out warning her, sally forth to visit the father + of the man from whom she had fled and from whom she now asked the Church + to part her for ever. Moreover, old Orlando was actually living with his + son in a little palazzo which the latter had erected at the farther end of + the Via Venti Settembre. + </p> + <p> + Before venturing on any step Pierre resolved to confide in the Contessina + herself; and this seemed the easier as Viscount Philibert de la Choue had + told him that the young woman still retained a filial feeling, mingled + with admiration, for the old hero. And indeed, at the very first words + which he uttered after lunch, Benedetta promptly retorted: “But go, + Monsieur l’Abbé, go at once! Old Orlando, you know, is one of our national + glories—you must not be surprised to hear me call him by his + Christian name. All Italy does so, from pure affection and gratitude. For + my part I grew up among people who hated him, who likened him to Satan. It + was only later that I learned to know him, and then I loved him, for he is + certainly the most just and gentle man in the world.” + </p> + <p> + She had begun to smile, but timid tears were moistening her eyes at the + recollection, no doubt, of the year of suffering she had spent in her + husband’s house, where her only peaceful hours had been those passed with + the old man. And in a lower and somewhat tremulous voice she added: “As + you are going to see him, tell him from me that I still love him, and, + whatever happens, shall never forget his goodness.” + </p> + <p> + So Pierre set out, and whilst he was driving in a cab towards the Via + Venti Settembre, he recalled to mind the heroic story of old Orlando’s + life which had been told him in Paris. It was like an epic poem, full of + faith, bravery, and the disinterestedness of another age. + </p> + <p> + Born of a noble house of Milan, Count Orlando Prada had learnt to hate the + foreigner at such an early age that, when scarcely fifteen, he already + formed part of a secret society, one of the ramifications of the antique + Carbonarism. This hatred of Austrian domination had been transmitted from + father to son through long years, from the olden days of revolt against + servitude, when the conspirators met by stealth in abandoned huts, deep in + the recesses of the forests; and it was rendered the keener by the eternal + dream of Italy delivered, restored to herself, transformed once more into + a great sovereign nation, the worthy daughter of those who had conquered + and ruled the world. Ah! that land of whilom glory, that unhappy, + dismembered, parcelled Italy, the prey of a crowd of petty tyrants, + constantly invaded and appropriated by neighbouring nations—how + superb and ardent was that dream to free her from such long opprobrium! To + defeat the foreigner, drive out the despots, awaken the people from the + base misery of slavery, to proclaim Italy free and Italy united—such + was the passion which then inflamed the young with inextinguishable + ardour, which made the youthful Orlando’s heart leap with enthusiasm. He + spent his early years consumed by holy indignation, proudly and + impatiently longing for an opportunity to give his blood for his country, + and to die for her if he could not deliver her. + </p> + <p> + Quivering under the yoke, wasting his time in sterile conspiracies, he was + living in retirement in the old family residence at Milan, when, shortly + after his marriage and his twenty-fifth birthday, tidings came to him of + the flight of Pius IX and the Revolution of Rome.* And at once he quitted + everything, wife and hearth, and hastened to Rome as if summoned thither + by the call of destiny. This was the first time that he set out scouring + the roads for the attainment of independence; and how frequently, yet + again and again, was he to start upon fresh campaigns, never wearying, + never disheartened! And now it was that he became acquainted with Mazzini, + and for a moment was inflamed with enthusiasm for that mystical unitarian + Republican. He himself indulged in an ardent dream of a Universal + Republic, adopted the Mazzinian device, “<i>Dio e popolo</i>” (God and the + people), and followed the procession which wended its way with great pomp + through insurrectionary Rome. The time was one of vast hopes, one when + people already felt a need of renovated religion, and looked to the coming + of a humanitarian Christ who would redeem the world yet once again. But + before long a man, a captain of the ancient days, Giuseppe Garibaldi, + whose epic glory was dawning, made Orlando entirely his own, transformed + him into a soldier whose sole cause was freedom and union. Orlando loved + Garibaldi as though the latter were a demi-god, fought beside him in + defence of Republican Rome, took part in the victory of Rieti over the + Neapolitans, and followed the stubborn patriot in his retreat when he + sought to succour Venice, compelled as he was to relinquish the Eternal + City to the French army of General Oudinot, who came thither to reinstate + Pius IX. And what an extraordinary and madly heroic adventure was that of + Garibaldi and Venice! Venice, which Manin, another great patriot, a + martyr, had again transformed into a republican city, and which for long + months had been resisting the Austrians! And Garibaldi starts with a + handful of men to deliver the city, charters thirteen fishing barks, loses + eight in a naval engagement, is compelled to return to the Roman shores, + and there in all wretchedness is bereft of his wife, Anita, whose eyes he + closes before returning to America, where, once before, he had awaited the + hour of insurrection. Ah! that land of Italy, which in those days rumbled + from end to end with the internal fire of patriotism, where men of faith + and courage arose in every city, where riots and insurrections burst forth + on all sides like eruptions—it continued, in spite of every check, + its invincible march to freedom! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * It was on November 24, 1848, that the Pope fled to Gaeta, + consequent upon the insurrection which had broken out nine + days previously.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Orlando returned to his young wife at Milan, and for two years lived + there, almost in concealment, devoured by impatience for the glorious + morrow which was so long in coming. Amidst his fever a gleam of happiness + softened his heart; a son, Luigi, was born to him, but the birth killed + the mother, and joy was turned into mourning. Then, unable to remain any + longer at Milan, where he was spied upon, tracked by the police, suffering + also too grievously from the foreign occupation, Orlando decided to + realise the little fortune remaining to him, and to withdraw to Turin, + where an aunt of his wife took charge of the child. Count di Cavour, like + a great statesman, was then already seeking to bring about independence, + preparing Piedmont for the decisive <i>rôle</i> which it was destined to + play. It was the time when King Victor Emmanuel evinced flattering + cordiality towards all the refugees who came to him from every part of + Italy, even those whom he knew to be Republicans, compromised and flying + the consequences of popular insurrection. The rough, shrewd House of Savoy + had long been dreaming of bringing about Italian unity to the profit of + the Piedmontese monarchy, and Orlando well knew under what master he was + taking service; but in him the Republican already went behind the patriot, + and indeed he had begun to question the possibility of a united Republican + Italy, placed under the protectorate of a liberal Pope, as Mazzini had at + one time dreamed. Was that not indeed a chimera beyond realisation which + would devour generation after generation if one obstinately continued to + pursue it? For his part, he did not wish to die without having slept in + Rome as one of the conquerors. Even if liberty was to be lost, he desired + to see his country united and erect, returning once more to life in the + full sunlight. And so it was with feverish happiness that he enlisted at + the outset of the war of 1859; and his heart palpitated with such force as + almost to rend his breast, when, after Magenta, he entered Milan with the + French army—Milan which he had quitted eight years previously, like + an exile, in despair. The treaty of Villafranca which followed Solferino + proved a bitter deception: Venetia was not secured, Venice remained + enthralled. Nevertheless the Milanese was conquered from the foe, and then + Tuscany and the duchies of Parma and Modena voted for annexation. So, at + all events, the nucleus of the Italian star was formed; the country had + begun to build itself up afresh around victorious Piedmont. + </p> + <p> + Then, in the following year, Orlando plunged into epopœia once more. + Garibaldi had returned from his two sojourns in America, with the halo of + a legend round him—paladin-like feats in the pampas of Uruguay, an + extraordinary passage from Canton to Lima—and he had returned to + take part in the war of 1859, forestalling the French army, overthrowing + an Austrian marshal, and entering Como, Bergamo, and Brescia. And now, all + at once, folks heard that he had landed at Marsala with only a thousand + men—the Thousand of Marsala, the ever illustrious handful of braves! + Orlando fought in the first rank, and Palermo after three days’ resistance + was carried. Becoming the dictator’s favourite lieutenant, he helped him + to organise a government, then crossed the straits with him, and was + beside him on the triumphal entry into Naples, whose king had fled. There + was mad audacity and valour at that time, an explosion of the inevitable; + and all sorts of supernatural stories were current—Garibaldi + invulnerable, protected better by his red shirt than by the strongest + armour, Garibaldi routing opposing armies like an archangel, by merely + brandishing his flaming sword! The Piedmontese on their side had defeated + General Lamoriciere at Castelfidardo, and were invading the States of the + Church. And Orlando was there when the dictator, abdicating power, signed + the decree which annexed the Two Sicilies to the Crown of Italy; even as + subsequently he took part in that forlorn attempt on Rome, when the + rageful cry was “Rome or Death!”—an attempt which came to a tragic + issue at Aspromonte, when the little army was dispersed by the Italian + troops, and Garibaldi, wounded, was taken prisoner, and sent back to the + solitude of his island of Caprera, where he became but a fisherman and a + tiller of the rocky soil.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * M. Zola’s brief but glowing account of Garibaldi’s glorious + achievements has stirred many memories in my mind. My uncle, + Frank Vizetelly, the war artist of the <i>Illustrated London + News</i>, whose bones lie bleaching somewhere in the Soudan, was + one of Garibaldi’s constant companions throughout the memorable + campaign of the Two Sicilies, and afterwards he went with him + to Caprera. Later, in 1870, my brother, Edward Vizetelly, acted + as orderly-officer to the general when he offered the help of + his sword to France.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Six years of waiting again went by, and Orlando still dwelt at Turin, even + after Florence had been chosen as the new capital. The Senate had + acclaimed Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy; and Italy was indeed almost + built, it lacked only Rome and Venice. But the great battles seemed all + over, the epic era was closed; Venice was to be won by defeat. Orlando + took part in the unlucky battle of Custozza, where he received two wounds, + full of furious grief at the thought that Austria should be triumphant. + But at that same moment the latter, defeated at Sadowa, relinquished + Venetia, and five months later Orlando satisfied his desire to be in + Venice participating in the joy of triumph, when Victor Emmanuel made his + entry amidst the frantic acclamations of the people. Rome alone remained + to be won, and wild impatience urged all Italy towards the city; but + friendly France had sworn to maintain the Pope, and this acted as a check. + Then, for the third time, Garibaldi dreamt of renewing the feats of the + old-world legends, and threw himself upon Rome like a soldier of fortune + illumined by patriotism and free from every tie. And for the third time + Orlando shared in that fine heroic madness destined to be vanquished at + Mentana by the Pontifical Zouaves supported by a small French corps. Again + wounded, he came back to Turin in almost a dying condition. But, though + his spirit quivered, he had to resign himself; the situation seemed to + have no outlet; only an upheaval of the nations could give Rome to Italy. + </p> + <p> + All at once the thunderclap of Sedan, of the downfall of France, resounded + through the world; and then the road to Rome lay open, and Orlando, having + returned to service in the regular army, was with the troops who took up + position in the Campagna to ensure the safety of the Holy See, as was said + in the letter which Victor Emmanuel wrote to Pius IX. There was, however, + but the shadow of an engagement: General Kanzler’s Pontifical Zouaves were + compelled to fall back, and Orlando was one of the first to enter the city + by the breach of the Porta Pia. Ah! that twentieth of September—that + day when he experienced the greatest happiness of his life—a day of + delirium, of complete triumph, which realised the dream of so many years + of terrible contest, the dream for which he had sacrificed rest and + fortune, and given both body and mind! + </p> + <p> + Then came more than ten happy years in conquered Rome—in Rome + adored, flattered, treated with all tenderness, like a woman in whom one + has placed one’s entire hope. From her he awaited so much national vigour, + such a marvellous resurrection of strength and glory for the endowment of + the young nation. Old Republican, old insurrectional soldier that he was, + he had been obliged to adhere to the monarchy, and accept a senatorship. + But then did not Garibaldi himself—Garibaldi his divinity—likewise + call upon the King and sit in parliament? Mazzini alone, rejecting all + compromises, was unwilling to rest content with a united and independent + Italy that was not Republican. Moreover, another consideration influenced + Orlando, the future of his son Luigi, who had attained his eighteenth + birthday shortly after the occupation of Rome. Though he, Orlando, could + manage with the crumbs which remained of the fortune he had expended in + his country’s service, he dreamt of a splendid destiny for the child of + his heart. Realising that the heroic age was over, he desired to make a + great politician of him, a great administrator, a man who should be useful + to the mighty nation of the morrow; and it was on this account that he had + not rejected royal favour, the reward of long devotion, desiring, as he + did, to be in a position to help, watch, and guide Luigi. Besides, was he + himself so old, so used-up, as to be unable to assist in organisation, + even as he had assisted in conquest? Struck by his son’s quick + intelligence in business matters, perhaps also instinctively divining that + the battle would now continue on financial and economic grounds, he + obtained him employment at the Ministry of Finances. And again he himself + lived on, dreaming, still enthusiastically believing in a splendid future, + overflowing with boundless hope, seeing Rome double her population, grow + and spread with a wild vegetation of new districts, and once more, in his + loving enraptured eyes, become the queen of the world. + </p> + <p> + But all at once came a thunderbolt. One morning, as he was going + downstairs, Orlando was stricken with paralysis. Both his legs suddenly + became lifeless, as heavy as lead. It was necessary to carry him up again, + and never since had he set foot on the street pavement. At that time he + had just completed his fifty-sixth year, and for fourteen years since he + had remained in his arm-chair, as motionless as stone, he who had so + impetuously trod every battlefield of Italy. It was a pitiful business, + the collapse of a hero. And worst of all, from that room where he was for + ever imprisoned, the old soldier beheld the slow crumbling of all his + hopes, and fell into dismal melancholy, full of unacknowledged fear for + the future. Now that the intoxication of action no longer dimmed his eyes, + now that he spent his long and empty days in thought, his vision became + clear. Italy, which he had desired to see so powerful, so triumphant in + her unity, was acting madly, rushing to ruin, possibly to bankruptcy. + Rome, which to him had ever been the one necessary capital, the city of + unparalleled glory, requisite for the sovereign people of to-morrow, + seemed unwilling to take upon herself the part of a great modern + metropolis; heavy as a corpse she weighed with all her centuries on the + bosom of the young nation. Moreover, his son Luigi distressed him. + Rebellious to all guidance, the young man had become one of the devouring + offsprings of conquest, eager to despoil that Italy, that Rome, which his + father seemed to have desired solely in order that he might pillage them + and batten on them. Orlando had vainly opposed Luigi’s departure from the + ministry, his participation in the frantic speculations on land and house + property to which the mad building of the new districts had given rise. + But at the same time he loved his son, and was reduced to silence, + especially now when everything had succeeded with Luigi, even his most + risky financial ventures, such as the transformation of the Villa + Montefiori into a perfect town—a colossal enterprise in which many + of great wealth had been ruined, but whence he himself had emerged with + millions. And it was in part for this reason that Orlando, sad and silent, + had obstinately restricted himself to one small room on the third floor of + the little palazzo erected by Luigi in the Via Venti Settembre—a + room where he lived cloistered with a single servant, subsisting on his + own scanty income, and accepting nothing but that modest hospitality from + his son. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre reached that new Via Venti Settembre* which climbs the side and + summit of the Viminal hill, he was struck by the heavy sumptuousness of + the new “palaces,” which betokened among the moderns the same taste for + the huge that marked the ancient Romans. In the warm afternoon glow, blent + of purple and old gold, the broad, triumphant thoroughfare, with its + endless rows of white house-fronts, bore witness to new Rome’s proud hope + of futurity and sovereign power. And Pierre fairly gasped when he beheld + the Palazzo delle Finanze, or Treasury, a gigantic erection, a cyclopean + cube with a profusion of columns, balconies, pediments, and sculptured + work, to which the building mania had given birth in a day of immoderate + pride. And on the other side of the street, a little higher up, before + reaching the Villa Bonaparte, stood Count Prada’s little palazzo. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The name—Twentieth September Street—was given to the + thoroughfare to commemorate the date of the occupation + of Rome by Victor Emmanuel’s army.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + After discharging his driver, Pierre for a moment remained somewhat + embarrassed. The door was open, and he entered the vestibule; but, as at + the mansion in the Via Giulia, no door porter or servant was to be seen. + So he had to make up his mind to ascend the monumental stairs, which with + their marble balustrades seemed to be copied, on a smaller scale, from + those of the Palazzo Boccanera. And there was much the same cold bareness, + tempered, however, by a carpet and red door-hangings, which contrasted + vividly with the white stucco of the walls. The reception-rooms, sixteen + feet high, were on the first floor, and as a door chanced to be ajar he + caught a glimpse of two <i>salons</i>, one following the other, and both + displaying quite modern richness, with a profusion of silk and velvet + hangings, gilt furniture, and lofty mirrors reflecting a pompous + assemblage of stands and tables. And still there was nobody, not a soul, + in that seemingly forsaken abode, which exhaled nought of woman’s + presence. Indeed Pierre was on the point of going down again to ring, when + a footman at last presented himself. + </p> + <p> + “Count Prada, if you please.” + </p> + <p> + The servant silently surveyed the little priest, and seemed to understand. + “The father or the son?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “The father, Count Orlando Prada.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! that’s on the third floor.” And he condescended to add: “The little + door on the right-hand side of the landing. Knock loudly if you wish to be + admitted.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre indeed had to knock twice, and then a little withered old man of + military appearance, a former soldier who had remained in the Count’s + service, opened the door and apologised for the delay by saying that he + had been attending to his master’s legs. Immediately afterwards he + announced the visitor, and the latter, after passing through a dim and + narrow ante-room, was lost in amazement on finding himself in a relatively + small chamber, extremely bare and bright, with wall-paper of a light hue + studded with tiny blue flowers. Behind a screen was an iron bedstead, the + soldier’s pallet, and there was no other furniture than the arm-chair in + which the cripple spent his days, with a table of black wood placed near + him, and covered with books and papers, and two old straw-seated chairs + which served for the accommodation of the infrequent visitors. A few + planks, fixed to one of the walls, did duty as book-shelves. However, the + broad, clear, curtainless window overlooked the most admirable panorama of + Rome that could be desired. + </p> + <p> + Then the room disappeared from before Pierre’s eyes, and with a sudden + shock of deep emotion he only beheld old Orlando, the old blanched lion, + still superb, broad, and tall. A forest of white hair crowned his powerful + head, with its thick mouth, fleshy broken nose, and large, sparkling, + black eyes. A long white beard streamed down with the vigour of youth, + curling like that of an ancient god. By that leonine muzzle one divined + what great passions had growled within; but all, carnal and intellectual + alike, had erupted in patriotism, in wild bravery, and riotous love of + independence. And the old stricken hero, his torso still erect, was fixed + there on his straw-seated arm-chair, with lifeless legs buried beneath a + black wrapper. Alone did his arms and hands live, and his face beam with + strength and intelligence. + </p> + <p> + Orlando turned towards his servant, and gently said to him: “You can go + away, Batista. Come back in a couple of hours.” Then, looking Pierre full + in the face, he exclaimed in a voice which was still sonorous despite his + seventy years: “So it’s you at last, my dear Monsieur Froment, and we + shall be able to chat at our ease. There, take that chair, and sit down in + front of me.” + </p> + <p> + He had noticed the glance of surprise which the young priest had cast upon + the bareness of the room, and he gaily added: “You will excuse me for + receiving you in my cell. Yes, I live here like a monk, like an old + invalided soldier, henceforth withdrawn from active life. My son long + begged me to take one of the fine rooms downstairs. But what would have + been the use of it? I have no needs, and I scarcely care for feather beds, + for my old bones are accustomed to the hard ground. And then too I have + such a fine view up here, all Rome presenting herself to me, now that I + can no longer go to her.” + </p> + <p> + With a wave of the hand towards the window he sought to hide the + embarrassment, the slight flush which came to him each time that he thus + excused his son; unwilling as he was to tell the true reason, the scruple + of probity which had made him obstinately cling to his bare pauper’s + lodging. + </p> + <p> + “But it is very nice, the view is superb!” declared Pierre, in order to + please him. “I am for my own part very glad to see you, very glad to be + able to grasp your valiant hands, which accomplished so many great + things.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando made a fresh gesture, as though to sweep the past away. “Pooh! + pooh! all that is dead and buried. Let us talk about you, my dear Monsieur + Froment, you who are young and represent the present; and especially about + your book, which represents the future! Ah! if you only knew how angry + your book, your ‘New Rome,’ made me first of all.” + </p> + <p> + He began to laugh, and took the book from off the table near him; then, + tapping on its cover with his big, broad hand, he continued: “No, you + cannot imagine with what starts of protest I read your book. The Pope, and + again the Pope, and always the Pope! New Rome to be created by the Pope + and for the Pope, to triumph thanks to the Pope, to be given to the Pope, + and to fuse its glory in the glory of the Pope! But what about us? What + about Italy? What about all the millions which we have spent in order to + make Rome a great capital? Ah! only a Frenchman, and a Frenchman of Paris, + could have written such a book! But let me tell you, my dear sir, if you + are ignorant of it, that Rome has become the capital of the kingdom of + Italy, that we here have King Humbert, and the Italian people, a whole + nation which must be taken into account, and which means to keep Rome—glorious, + resuscitated Rome—for itself!” + </p> + <p> + This juvenile ardour made Pierre laugh in turn. “Yes, yes,” said he, “you + wrote me that. Only what does it matter from my point of view? Italy is + but one nation, a part of humanity, and I desire concord and fraternity + among all the nations, mankind reconciled, believing, and happy. Of what + consequence, then, is any particular form of government, monarchy or + republic, of what consequence is any question of a united and independent + country, if all mankind forms but one free people subsisting on truth and + justice?” + </p> + <p> + To only one word of this enthusiastic outburst did Orlando pay attention. + In a lower tone, and with a dreamy air, he resumed: “Ah! a republic. In my + youth I ardently desired one. I fought for one; I conspired with Mazzini, + a saintly man, a believer, who was shattered by collision with the + absolute. And then, too, one had to bow to practical necessities; the most + obstinate ended by submitting. And nowadays would a republic save us? In + any case it would differ but little from our parliamentary monarchy. Just + think of what goes on in France! And so why risk a revolution which would + place power in the hands of the extreme revolutionists, the anarchists? We + fear all that, and this explains our resignation. I know very well that a + few think they can detect salvation in a republican federation, a + reconstitution of all the former little states in so many republics, over + which Rome would preside. The Vatican would gain largely by any such + transformation; still one cannot say that it endeavours to bring it about; + it simply regards the eventuality without disfavour. But it is a dream, a + dream!” + </p> + <p> + At this Orlando’s gaiety came back to him, with even a little gentle + irony: “You don’t know, I suppose, what it was that took my fancy in your + book—for, in spite of all my protests, I have read it twice. Well, + what pleased me was that Mazzini himself might almost have written it at + one time. Yes! I found all my youth again in your pages, all the wild hope + of my twenty-fifth year, the new religion of a humanitarian Christ, the + pacification of the world effected by the Gospel! Are you aware that, long + before your time, Mazzini desired the renovation of Christianity? He set + dogma and discipline on one side and only retained morals. And it was new + Rome, the Rome of the people, which he would have given as see to the + universal Church, in which all the churches of the past were to be fused—Rome, + the eternal and predestined city, the mother and queen, whose domination + was to arise anew to ensure the definitive happiness of mankind! Is it not + curious that all the present-day Neo-Catholicism, the vague, + spiritualistic awakening, the evolution towards communion and Christian + charity, with which some are making so much stir, should be simply a + return of the mystical and humanitarian ideas of 1848? Alas! I saw all + that, I believed and burned, and I know in what a fine mess those flights + into the azure of mystery landed us! So it cannot be helped, I lack + confidence.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Pierre on his side was growing impassioned and sought to reply, + he stopped him: “No, let me finish. I only want to convince you how + absolutely necessary it was that we should take Rome and make her the + capital of Italy. Without Rome new Italy could not have existed; Rome + represented the glory of ancient time; in her dust lay the sovereign power + which we wished to re-establish; she brought strength, beauty, eternity to + those who possessed her. Standing in the middle of our country, she was + its heart, and must assuredly become its life as soon as she should be + awakened from the long sleep of ruin. Ah! how we desired her, amidst + victory and amidst defeat, through years and years of frightful + impatience! For my part I loved her, and longed for her, far more than for + any woman, with my blood burning, and in despair that I should be growing + old. And when we possessed her, our folly was a desire to behold her huge, + magnificent, and commanding all at once, the equal of the other great + capitals of Europe—Berlin, Paris, and London. Look at her! she is + still my only love, my only consolation now that I am virtually dead, with + nothing alive in me but my eyes.” + </p> + <p> + With the same gesture as before, he directed Pierre’s attention to the + window. Under the glowing sky Rome stretched out in its immensity, + empurpled and gilded by the slanting sunrays. Across the horizon, far, far + away, the trees of the Janiculum stretched a green girdle, of a limpid + emerald hue, whilst the dome of St. Peter’s, more to the left, showed + palely blue, like a sapphire bedimmed by too bright a light. Then came the + low town, the old ruddy city, baked as it were by centuries of burning + summers, soft to the eye and beautiful with the deep life of the past, an + unbounded chaos of roofs, gables, towers, <i>campanili</i>, and cupolas. + But, in the foreground under the window, there was the new city—that + which had been building for the last five and twenty years—huge + blocks of masonry piled up side by side, still white with plaster, neither + the sun nor history having as yet robed them in purple. And in particular + the roofs of the colossal Palazzo delle Finanze had a disastrous effect, + spreading out like far, bare steppes of cruel hideousness. And it was upon + the desolation and abomination of all the newly erected piles that the + eyes of the old soldier of conquest at last rested. + </p> + <p> + Silence ensued. Pierre felt the faint chill of hidden, unacknowledged + sadness pass by, and courteously waited. + </p> + <p> + “I must beg your pardon for having interrupted you just now,” resumed + Orlando; “but it seems to me that we cannot talk about your book to any + good purpose until you have seen and studied Rome closely. You only + arrived yesterday, did you not? Well, stroll about the city, look at + things, question people, and I think that many of your ideas will change. + I shall particularly like to know your impression of the Vatican since you + have come here solely to see the Pope and defend your book against the + Index. Why should we discuss things to-day, if facts themselves are + calculated to bring you to other views, far more readily than the finest + speeches which I might make? It is understood, you will come to see me + again, and we shall then know what we are talking about, and, maybe, agree + together.” + </p> + <p> + “Why certainly, you are too kind,” replied Pierre. “I only came to-day to + express my gratitude to you for having read my book so attentively, and to + pay homage to one of the glories of Italy.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando was not listening, but remained for a moment absorbed in thought, + with his eyes still resting upon Rome. And overcome, despite himself, by + secret disquietude, he resumed in a low voice as though making an + involuntary confession: “We have gone too fast, no doubt. There were + expenses of undeniable utility—the roads, ports, and railways. And + it was necessary to arm the country also; I did not at first disapprove of + the heavy military burden. But since then how crushing has been the war + budget—a war which has never come, and the long wait for which has + ruined us. Ah! I have always been the friend of France. I only reproach + her with one thing, that she has failed to understand the position in + which we were placed, the vital reasons which compelled us to ally + ourselves with Germany. And then there are the thousand millions of <i>lire</i>* + swallowed up in Rome! That was the real madness; pride and enthusiasm led + us astray. Old and solitary as I’ve been for many years now, given to deep + reflection, I was one of the first to divine the pitfall, the frightful + financial crisis, the deficit which would bring about the collapse of the + nation. I shouted it from the housetops, to my son, to all who came near + me; but what was the use? They didn’t listen; they were mad, still buying + and selling and building, with no thought but for gambling booms and + bubbles. But you’ll see, you’ll see. And the worst is that we are not + situated as you are; we haven’t a reserve of men and money in a dense + peasant population, whose thrifty savings are always at hand to fill up + the gaps caused by big catastrophes. There is no social rise among our + people as yet; fresh men don’t spring up out of the lower classes to + reinvigorate the national blood, as they constantly do in your country. + And, besides, the people are poor; they have no stockings to empty. The + misery is frightful, I must admit it. Those who have any money prefer to + spend it in the towns in a petty way rather than to risk it in + agricultural or manufacturing enterprise. Factories are but slowly built, + and the land is almost everywhere tilled in the same primitive manner as + it was two thousand years ago. And then, too, take Rome—Rome, which + didn’t make Italy, but which Italy made its capital to satisfy an ardent, + overpowering desire—Rome, which is still but a splendid bit of + scenery, picturing the glory of the centuries, and which, apart from its + historical splendour, has only given us its degenerate papal population, + swollen with ignorance and pride! Ah! I loved Rome too well, and I still + love it too well to regret being now within its walls. But, good heavens! + what insanity its acquisition brought us, what piles of money it has cost + us, and how heavily and triumphantly it weighs us down! Look! look!” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 40,000,000 pounds. +</pre> + <p> + He waved his hand as he spoke towards the livid roofs of the Palazzo delle + Finanze, that vast and desolate steppe, as though he could see the harvest + of glory all stripped off and bankruptcy appear with its fearful, + threatening bareness. Restrained tears were dimming his eyes, and he + looked superbly pitiful with his expression of baffled hope and grievous + disquietude, with his huge white head, the muzzle of an old blanched lion + henceforth powerless and caged in that bare, bright room, whose + poverty-stricken aspect was instinct with so much pride that it seemed, as + it were, a protest against the monumental splendour of the whole + surrounding district! So those were the purposes to which the conquest had + been put! And to think that he was impotent, henceforth unable to give his + blood and his soul as he had done in the days gone by. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” he exclaimed in a final outburst; “one gave everything, heart + and brain, one’s whole life indeed, so long as it was a question of making + the country one and independent. But, now that the country is ours, just + try to stir up enthusiasm for the reorganisation of its finances! There’s + no ideality in that! And this explains why, whilst the old ones are dying + off, not a new man comes to the front among the young ones—” + </p> + <p> + All at once he stopped, looking somewhat embarrassed, yet smiling at his + feverishness. “Excuse me,” he said, “I’m off again, I’m incorrigible. But + it’s understood, we’ll leave that subject alone, and you’ll come back + here, and we’ll chat together when you’ve seen everything.” + </p> + <p> + From that moment he showed himself extremely pleasant, and it was apparent + to Pierre that he regretted having said so much, by the seductive + affability and growing affection which he now displayed. He begged the + young priest to prolong his sojourn, to abstain from all hasty judgments + on Rome, and to rest convinced that, at bottom, Italy still loved France. + And he was also very desirous that France should love Italy, and displayed + genuine anxiety at the thought that perhaps she loved her no more. As at + the Boccanera mansion, on the previous evening, Pierre realised that an + attempt was being made to persuade him to admiration and affection. Like a + susceptible woman with secret misgivings respecting the attractive power + of her beauty, Italy was all anxiety with regard to the opinion of her + visitors, and strove to win and retain their love. + </p> + <p> + However, Orlando again became impassioned when he learnt that Pierre was + staying at the Boccanera mansion, and he made a gesture of extreme + annoyance on hearing, at that very moment, a knock at the outer door. + “Come in!” he called; but at the same time he detained Pierre, saying, + “No, no, don’t go yet; I wish to know—” + </p> + <p> + But a lady came in—a woman of over forty, short and extremely plump, + and still attractive with her small features and pretty smile swamped in + fat. She was a blonde, with green, limpid eyes; and, fairly well dressed + in a sober, nicely fitting mignonette gown, she looked at once pleasant, + modest, and shrewd. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it’s you, Stefana,” said the old man, letting her kiss him. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, uncle, I was passing by and came up to see how you were getting on.” + </p> + <p> + The visitor was the Signora Sacco, niece of Prada and a Neapolitan by + birth, her mother having quitted Milan to marry a certain Pagani, a + Neapolitan banker, who had afterwards failed. Subsequent to that disaster + Stefana had married Sacco, then merely a petty post-office clerk. He, + later on, wishing to revive his father-in-law’s business, had launched + into all sorts of terrible, complicated, suspicious affairs, which by + unforeseen luck had ended in his election as a deputy. Since he had + arrived in Rome, to conquer the city in his turn, his wife had been + compelled to assist his devouring ambition by dressing well and opening a + <i>salon</i>; and, although she was still a little awkward, she rendered + him many real services, being very economical and prudent, a thorough good + housewife, with all the sterling, substantial qualities of Northern Italy + which she had inherited from her mother, and which showed conspicuously + beside the turbulence and carelessness of her husband, in whom flared + Southern Italy with its perpetual, rageful appetite. + </p> + <p> + Despite his contempt for Sacco, old Orlando had retained some affection + for his niece, in whose veins flowed blood similar to his own. He thanked + her for her kind inquiries, and then at once spoke of an announcement + which he had read in the morning papers, for he suspected that the deputy + had sent his wife to ascertain his opinion. + </p> + <p> + “Well, and that ministry?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + The Signora had seated herself and made no haste to reply, but glanced at + the newspapers strewn over the table. “Oh! nothing is settled yet,” she at + last responded; “the newspapers spoke out too soon. The Prime Minister + sent for Sacco, and they had a talk together. But Sacco hesitates a good + deal; he fears that he has no aptitude for the Department of Agriculture. + Ah! if it were only the Finances—However, in any case, he would not + have come to a decision without consulting you. What do you think of it, + uncle?” + </p> + <p> + He interrupted her with a violent wave of the hand: “No, no, I won’t mix + myself up in such matters!” + </p> + <p> + To him the rapid success of that adventurer Sacco, that schemer and + gambler who had always fished in troubled waters, was an abomination, the + beginning of the end. His son Luigi certainly distressed him; but it was + even worse to think that—whilst Luigi, with his great intelligence + and many remaining fine qualities, was nothing at all—Sacco, on the + other hand, Sacco, blunderhead and ever-famished battener that he was, had + not merely slipped into parliament, but was now, it seemed, on the point + of securing office! A little, swarthy, dry man he was, with big, round + eyes, projecting cheekbones, and prominent chin. Ever dancing and + chattering, he was gifted with a showy eloquence, all the force of which + lay in his voice—a voice which at will became admirably powerful or + gentle! And withal an insinuating man, profiting by every opportunity, + wheedling and commanding by turn. + </p> + <p> + “You hear, Stefana,” said Orlando; “tell your husband that the only advice + I have to give him is to return to his clerkship at the post-office, where + perhaps he may be of use.” + </p> + <p> + What particularly filled the old soldier with indignation and despair was + that such a man, a Sacco, should have fallen like a bandit on Rome—on + that Rome whose conquest had cost so many noble efforts. And in his turn + Sacco was conquering the city, was carrying it off from those who had won + it by such hard toil, and was simply using it to satisfy his wild passion + for power and its attendant enjoyments. Beneath his wheedling air there + was the determination to devour everything. After the victory, while the + spoil lay there, still warm, the wolves had come. It was the North that + had made Italy, whereas the South, eager for the quarry, simply rushed + upon the country, preyed upon it. And beneath the anger of the old + stricken hero of Italian unity there was indeed all the growing antagonism + of the North towards the South—the North industrious, economical, + shrewd in politics, enlightened, full of all the great modern ideas, and + the South ignorant and idle, bent on enjoying life immediately, amidst + childish disorder in action, and an empty show of fine sonorous words. + </p> + <p> + Stefana had begun to smile in a placid way while glancing at Pierre, who + had approached the window. “Oh, you say that, uncle,” she responded; “but + you love us well all the same, and more than once you have given me myself + some good advice, for which I’m very thankful to you. For instance, + there’s that affair of Attilio’s—” + </p> + <p> + She was alluding to her son, the lieutenant, and his love affair with + Celia, the little Princess Buongiovanni, of which all the drawing-rooms, + white and black alike, were talking. + </p> + <p> + “Attilio—that’s another matter!” exclaimed Orlando. “He and you are + both of the same blood as myself, and it’s wonderful how I see myself + again in that fine fellow. Yes, he is just the same as I was at his age, + good-looking and brave and enthusiastic! I’m paying myself compliments, + you see. But, really now, Attilio warms my heart, for he is the future, + and brings me back some hope. Well, and what about his affair?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it gives us a lot of worry, uncle. I spoke to you about it before, + but you shrugged your shoulders, saying that in matters of that kind all + that the parents had to do was to let the lovers settle their affairs + between them. Still, we don’t want everybody to repeat that we are urging + our son to get the little princess to elope with him, so that he may + afterwards marry her money and title.” + </p> + <p> + At this Orlando indulged in a frank outburst of gaiety: “That’s a fine + scruple! Was it your husband who instructed you to tell me of it? I know, + however, that he affects some delicacy in this matter. For my own part, I + believe myself to be as honest as he is, and I can only repeat that, if I + had a son like yours, so straightforward and good, and candidly loving, I + should let him marry whomsoever he pleased in his own way. The + Buongiovannis—good heavens! the Buongiovannis—why, despite all + their rank and lineage and the money they still possess, it will be a + great honour for them to have a handsome young man with a noble heart as + their son-in-law!” + </p> + <p> + Again did Stefana assume an expression of placid satisfaction. She had + certainly only come there for approval. “Very well, uncle,” she replied, + “I’ll repeat that to my husband, and he will pay great attention to it; + for if you are severe towards him he holds you in perfect veneration. And + as for that ministry—well, perhaps nothing will be done, Sacco will + decide according to circumstances.” + </p> + <p> + She rose and took her leave, kissing the old soldier very affectionately + as on her arrival. And she complimented him on his good looks, declaring + that she found him as handsome as ever, and making him smile by speaking + of a lady who was still madly in love with him. Then, after acknowledging + the young priest’s silent salutation by a slight bow, she went off, once + more wearing her modest and sensible air. + </p> + <p> + For a moment Orlando, with his eyes turned towards the door, remained + silent, again sad, reflecting no doubt on all the difficult, equivocal + present, so different from the glorious past. But all at once he turned to + Pierre, who was still waiting. “And so, my friend,” said he, “you are + staying at the Palazzo Boccanera? Ah! what a grievous misfortune there has + been on that side too!” + </p> + <p> + However, when the priest had told him of his conversation with Benedetta, + and of her message that she still loved him and would never forget his + goodness to her, no matter whatever happened, he appeared moved and his + voice trembled: “Yes, she has a good heart, she has no spite. But what + would you have? She did not love Luigi, and he was possibly violent. There + is no mystery about the matter now, and I can speak to you freely, since + to my great grief everybody knows what has happened.” + </p> + <p> + Then Orlando abandoned himself to his recollections, and related how keen + had been his delight on the eve of the marriage at the thought that so + lovely a creature would become his daughter, and set some youth and charm + around his invalid’s arm-chair. He had always worshipped beauty, and would + have had no other love than woman, if his country had not seized upon the + best part of him. And Benedetta on her side loved him, revered him, + constantly coming up to spend long hours with him, sharing his poor little + room, which at those times became resplendent with all the divine grace + that she brought with her. With her fresh breath near him, the pure scent + she diffused, the caressing womanly tenderness with which she surrounded + him, he lived anew. But, immediately afterwards, what a frightful drama + and how his heart had bled at his inability to reconcile the husband and + the wife! He could not possibly say that his son was in the wrong in + desiring to be the loved and accepted spouse. At first indeed he had hoped + to soften Benedetta, and throw her into Luigi’s arms. But when she had + confessed herself to him in tears, owning her old love for Dario, and her + horror of belonging to another, he realised that she would never yield. + And a whole year had then gone by; he had lived for a whole year + imprisoned in his arm-chair, with that poignant drama progressing beneath + him in those luxurious rooms whence no sound even reached his ears. How + many times had he not listened, striving to hear, fearing atrocious + quarrels, in despair at his inability to prove still useful by creating + happiness. He knew nothing by his son, who kept his own counsel; he only + learnt a few particulars from Benedetta at intervals when emotion left her + defenceless; and that marriage in which he had for a moment espied the + much-needed alliance between old and new Rome, that unconsummated marriage + filled him with despair, as if it were indeed the defeat of every hope, + the final collapse of the dream which had filled his life. And he himself + had ended by desiring the divorce, so unbearable had become the suffering + caused by such a situation. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my friend!” he said to Pierre; “never before did I so well understand + the fatality of certain antagonism, the possibility of working one’s own + misfortune and that of others, even when one has the most loving heart and + upright mind!” + </p> + <p> + But at that moment the door again opened, and this time, without knocking, + Count Luigi Prada came in. And after rapidly bowing to the visitor, who + had risen, he gently took hold of his father’s hands and felt them, as if + fearing that they might be too warm or too cold. + </p> + <p> + “I’ve just arrived from Frascati, where I had to sleep,” said he; “for the + interruption of all that building gives me a lot of worry. And I’m told + that you spent a bad night!” + </p> + <p> + “No, I assure you.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I knew you wouldn’t own it. But why will you persist in living up + here without any comfort? All this isn’t suited to your age. I should be + so pleased if you would accept a more comfortable room where you might + sleep better.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no—I know that you love me well, my dear Luigi. But let me do + as my old head tells me. That’s the only way to make me happy.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was much struck by the ardent affection which sparkled in the eyes + of the two men as they gazed at one another, face to face. This seemed to + him very touching and beautiful, knowing as he did how many contrary ideas + and actions, how many moral divergencies separated them. And he next took + an interest in comparing them physically. Count Luigi Prada, shorter, more + thick-set than his father, had, however, much the same strong energetic + head, crowned with coarse black hair, and the same frank but somewhat + stern eyes set in a face of clear complexion, barred by thick moustaches. + But his mouth differed—a sensual, voracious mouth it was, with + wolfish teeth—a mouth of prey made for nights of rapine, when the + only question is to bite, and tear, and devour others. And for this + reason, when some praised the frankness in his eyes, another would retort: + “Yes, but I don’t like his mouth.” His feet were large, his hands plump + and over-broad, but admirably cared for. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre marvelled at finding him such as he had anticipated. He knew + enough of his story to picture in him a hero’s son spoilt by conquest, + eagerly devouring the harvest garnered by his father’s glorious sword. And + he particularly studied how the father’s virtues had deflected and become + transformed into vices in the son—the most noble qualities being + perverted, heroic and disinterested energy lapsing into a ferocious + appetite for possession, the man of battle leading to the man of booty, + since the great gusts of enthusiasm no longer swept by, since men no + longer fought, since they remained there resting, pillaging, and devouring + amidst the heaped-up spoils. And the pity of it was that the old hero, the + paralytic, motionless father beheld it all—beheld the degeneration + of his son, the speculator and company promoter gorged with millions! + </p> + <p> + However, Orlando introduced Pierre. “This is Monsieur l’Abbé Pierre + Froment, whom I spoke to you about,” he said, “the author of the book + which I gave you to read.” + </p> + <p> + Luigi Prada showed himself very amiable, at once talking of home with an + intelligent passion like one who wished to make the city a great modern + capital. He had seen Paris transformed by the Second Empire; he had seen + Berlin enlarged and embellished after the German victories; and, according + to him, if Rome did not follow the movement, if it did not become the + inhabitable capital of a great people, it was threatened with prompt + death: either a crumbling museum or a renovated, resuscitated city—those + were the alternatives.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Personally I should have thought the example of Berlin a great + deterrent. The enlargement and embellishment of the Prussian + capital, after the war of 1870, was attended by far greater + roguery and wholesale swindling than even the previous + transformation of Paris. Thousands of people too were ruined, + and instead of an increase of prosperity the result was the + very reverse.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Greatly struck, almost gained over already, Pierre listened to this clever + man, charmed with his firm, clear mind. He knew how skilfully Prada had + manœuvred in the affair of the Villa Montefiori, enriching himself when + every one else was ruined, having doubtless foreseen the fatal catastrophe + even while the gambling passion was maddening the entire nation. However, + the young priest could already detect marks of weariness, precocious + wrinkles and a fall of the lips, on that determined, energetic face, as + though its possessor were growing tired of the continual struggle that he + had to carry on amidst surrounding downfalls, the shock of which + threatened to bring the most firmly established fortunes to the ground. It + was said that Prada had recently had grave cause for anxiety; and indeed + there was no longer any solidity to be found; everything might be swept + away by the financial crisis which day by day was becoming more and more + serious. In the case of Luigi, sturdy son though he was of Northern Italy, + a sort of degeneration had set in, a slow rot, caused by the softening, + perversive influence of Rome. He had there rushed upon the satisfaction of + every appetite, and prolonged enjoyment was exhausting him. This, indeed, + was one of the causes of the deep silent sadness of Orlando, who was + compelled to witness the swift deterioration of his conquering race, + whilst Sacco, the Italian of the South—served as it were by the + climate, accustomed to the voluptuous atmosphere, the life of those + sun-baked cities compounded of the dust of antiquity—bloomed there + like the natural vegetation of a soil saturated with the crimes of + history, and gradually grasped everything, both wealth and power. + </p> + <p> + As Orlando spoke of Stefana’s visit to his son, Sacco’s name was + mentioned. Then, without another word, the two men exchanged a smile. A + rumour was current that the Minister of Agriculture, lately deceased, + would perhaps not be replaced immediately, and that another minister would + take charge of the department pending the next session of the Chamber. + </p> + <p> + Next the Palazzo Boccanera was mentioned, and Pierre, his interest + awakened, became more attentive. “Ah!” exclaimed Count Luigi, turning to + him, “so you are staying in the Via Giulia? All the Rome of olden time + sleeps there in the silence of forgetfulness.” + </p> + <p> + With perfect ease he went on to speak of the Cardinal and even of + Benedetta—“the Countess,” as he called her. But, although he was + careful to let no sign of anger escape him, the young priest could divine + that he was secretly quivering, full of suffering and spite. In him the + enthusiastic energy of his father appeared in a baser, degenerate form. + Quitting the yet handsome Princess Flavia in his passion for Benedetta, + her divinely beautiful niece, he had resolved to make the latter his own + at any cost, determined to marry her, to struggle with her and overcome + her, although he knew that she loved him not, and that he would almost + certainly wreck his entire life. Rather than relinquish her, however, he + would have set Rome on fire. And thus his hopeless suffering was now great + indeed: this woman was but his wife in name, and so torturing was the + thought of her disdain, that at times, however calm his outward demeanour, + he was consumed by a jealous vindictive sensual madness that did not even + recoil from the idea of crime. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé is acquainted with the situation,” sadly murmured old + Orlando. + </p> + <p> + His son responded by a wave of the hand, as though to say that everybody + was acquainted with it. “Ah! father,” he added, “but for you I should + never have consented to take part in those proceedings for annulling the + marriage! The Countess would have found herself compelled to return here, + and would not nowadays be deriding us with her lover, that cousin of hers, + Dario!” + </p> + <p> + At this Orlando also waved his hand, as if in protest. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it’s a fact, father,” continued Luigi. “Why did she flee from here if + it wasn’t to go and live with her lover? And indeed, in my opinion, it’s + scandalous that a Cardinal’s palace should shelter such goings-on!” + </p> + <p> + This was the report which he spread abroad, the accusation which he + everywhere levelled against his wife, of publicly carrying on a shameless + <i>liaison</i>. In reality, however, he did not believe a word of it, + being too well acquainted with Benedetta’s firm rectitude, and her + determination to belong to none but the man she loved, and to him only in + marriage. However, in Prada’s eyes such accusations were not only fair + play but also very efficacious. + </p> + <p> + And now, although he turned pale with covert exasperation, and laughed a + hard, vindictive, cruel laugh, he went on to speak in a bantering tone of + the proceedings for annulling the marriage, and in particular of the plea + put forward by Benedetta’s advocate Morano. And at last his language + became so free that Orlando, with a glance towards the priest, gently + interposed: “Luigi! Luigi!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, you are right, father, I’ll say no more,” thereupon added the young + Count. “But it’s really abominable and ridiculous. Lisbeth, you know, is + highly amused at it.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando again looked displeased, for when visitors were present he did not + like his son to refer to the person whom he had just named. Lisbeth + Kauffmann, very blonde and pink and merry, was barely thirty years of age, + and belonged to the Roman foreign colony. For two years past she had been + a widow, her husband having died at Rome whither he had come to nurse a + complaint of the lungs. Thenceforward free, and sufficiently well off, she + had remained in the city by taste, having a marked predilection for art, + and painting a little, herself. In the Via Principe Amadeo, in the new + Viminal district, she had purchased a little palazzo, and transformed a + large apartment on its second floor into a studio hung with old stuffs, + and balmy in every season with the scent of flowers. The place was well + known to tolerant and intellectual society. Lisbeth was there found in + perpetual jubilation, clad in a long blouse, somewhat of a <i>gamine</i> + in her ways, trenchant too and often bold of speech, but nevertheless + capital company, and as yet compromised with nobody but Prada. Their <i>liaison</i> + had begun some four months after his wife had left him, and now Lisbeth + was near the time of becoming a mother. This she in no wise concealed, but + displayed such candid tranquillity and happiness that her numerous + acquaintances continued to visit her as if there were nothing in question, + so facile and free indeed is the life of the great cosmopolitan + continental cities. Under the circumstances which his wife’s suit had + created, Prada himself was not displeased at the turn which events had + taken with regard to Lisbeth, but none the less his incurable wound still + bled. + </p> + <p> + There could be no compensation for the bitterness of Benedetta’s disdain, + it was she for whom his heart burned, and he dreamt of one day wreaking on + her a tragic punishment. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, knowing nothing of Lisbeth, failed to understand the allusions of + Orlando and his son. But realising that there was some embarrassment + between them, he sought to take countenance by picking from off the + littered table a thick book which, to his surprise, he found to be a + French educational work, one of those manuals for the <i>baccalaureat</i>,* + containing a digest of the knowledge which the official programmes + require. It was but a humble, practical, elementary work, yet it + necessarily dealt with all the mathematical, physical, chemical, and + natural sciences, thus broadly outlining the intellectual conquests of the + century, the present phase of human knowledge. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The examination for the degree of bachelor, which degree is + the necessary passport to all the liberal professions in France. + M. Zola, by the way, failed to secure it, being ploughed for + “insufficiency in literature”!—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed Orlando, well pleased with the diversion, “you are looking + at the book of my old friend Théophile Morin. He was one of the thousand + of Marsala, you know, and helped us to conquer Sicily and Naples. A hero! + But for more than thirty years now he has been living in France again, + absorbed in the duties of his petty professorship, which hasn’t made him + at all rich. And so he lately published that book, which sells very well + in France it seems; and it occurred to him that he might increase his + modest profits on it by issuing translations, an Italian one among others. + He and I have remained brothers, and thinking that my influence would + prove decisive, he wishes to utilise it. But he is mistaken; I fear, alas! + that I shall be unable to get anybody to take up his book.” + </p> + <p> + At this Luigi Prada, who had again become very composed and amiable, + shrugged his shoulders slightly, full as he was of the scepticism of his + generation which desired to maintain things in their actual state so as to + derive the greatest profit from them. “What would be the good of it?” he + murmured; “there are too many books already!” + </p> + <p> + “No, no!” the old man passionately retorted, “there can never be too many + books! We still and ever require fresh ones! It’s by literature, not by + the sword, that mankind will overcome falsehood and injustice and attain + to the final peace of fraternity among the nations—Oh! you may + smile; I know that you call these ideas my fancies of ‘48, the fancies of + a greybeard, as people say in France. But it is none the less true that + Italy is doomed, if the problem be not attacked from down below, if the + people be not properly fashioned. And there is only one way to make a + nation, to create men, and that is to educate them, to develop by + educational means the immense lost force which now stagnates in ignorance + and idleness. Yes, yes, Italy is made, but let us make an Italian nation. + And give us more and more books, and let us ever go more and more forward + into science and into light, if we wish to live and to be healthy, good, + and strong!” + </p> + <p> + With his torso erect, with his powerful leonine muzzle flaming with the + white brightness of his beard and hair, old Orlando looked superb. And in + that simple, candid chamber, so touching with its intentional poverty, he + raised his cry of hope with such intensity of feverish faith, that before + the young priest’s eyes there arose another figure—that of Cardinal + Boccanera, erect and black save for his snow-white hair, and likewise + glowing with heroic beauty in his crumbling palace whose gilded ceilings + threatened to fall about his head! Ah! the magnificent stubborn men of the + past, the believers, the old men who still show themselves more virile, + more ardent than the young! Those two represented the opposite poles of + belief; they had not an idea, an affection in common, and in that ancient + city of Rome, where all was being blown away in dust, they alone seemed to + protest, indestructible, face to face like two parted brothers, standing + motionless on either horizon. And to have seen them thus, one after the + other, so great and grand, so lonely, so detached from ordinary life, was + to fill one’s day with a dream of eternity. + </p> + <p> + Luigi, however, had taken hold of the old man’s hands to calm him by an + affectionate filial clasp. “Yes, yes, you are right, father, always right, + and I’m a fool to contradict you. Now, pray don’t move about like that, + for you are uncovering yourself, and your legs will get cold again.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he knelt down and very carefully arranged the wrapper; and then + remaining on the floor like a child, albeit he was two and forty, he + raised his moist eyes, full of mute, entreating worship towards the old + man who, calmed and deeply moved, caressed his hair with a trembling + touch. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had been there for nearly two hours, when he at last took leave, + greatly struck and affected by all that he had seen and heard. And again + he had to promise that he would return and have a long chat with Orlando. + Once out of doors he walked along at random. It was barely four o’clock, + and it was his idea to ramble in this wise, without any predetermined + programme, through Rome at that delightful hour when the sun sinks in the + refreshed and far blue atmosphere. Almost immediately, however, he found + himself in the Via Nazionale, along which he had driven on arriving the + previous day. And he recognised the huge livid Banca d’Italia, the green + gardens climbing to the Quirinal, and the heaven-soaring pines of the + Villa Aldobrandini. Then, at the turn of the street, as he stopped short + in order that he might again contemplate the column of Trajan which now + rose up darkly from its low piazza, already full of twilight, he was + surprised to see a victoria suddenly pull up, and a young man courteously + beckon to him. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé Froment! Monsieur l’Abbé Froment!” + </p> + <p> + It was young Prince Dario Boccanera, on his way to his daily drive along + the Corso. He now virtually subsisted on the liberality of his uncle the + Cardinal, and was almost always short of money. But, like all the Romans, + he would, if necessary, have rather lived on bread and water than have + forgone his carriage, horse, and coachman. An equipage, indeed, is the one + indispensable luxury of Rome. + </p> + <p> + “If you will come with me, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment,” said the young + Prince, “I will show you the most interesting part of our city.” + </p> + <p> + He doubtless desired to please Benedetta, by behaving amiably towards her + protégé. Idle as he was, too, it seemed to him a pleasant occupation to + initiate that young priest, who was said to be so intelligent, into what + he deemed the inimitable side, the true florescence of Roman life. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was compelled to accept, although he would have preferred a + solitary stroll. Yet he was interested in this young man, the last born of + an exhausted race, who, while seemingly incapable of either thought or + action, was none the less very seductive with his high-born pride and + indolence. Far more a Roman than a patriot, Dario had never had the + faintest inclination to rally to the new order of things, being well + content to live apart and do nothing; and passionate though he was, he + indulged in no follies, being very practical and sensible at heart, as are + all his fellow-citizens, despite their apparent impetuosity. As soon as + his carriage, after crossing the Piazza di Venezia, entered the Corso, he + gave rein to his childish vanity, his desire to shine, his passion for + gay, happy life in the open under the lovely sky. All this, indeed, was + clearly expressed in the simple gesture which he made whilst exclaiming: + “The Corso!” + </p> + <p> + As on the previous day, Pierre was filled with astonishment. The long + narrow street again stretched before him as far as the white dazzling + Piazza del Popolo, the only difference being that the right-hand houses + were now steeped in sunshine, whilst those on the left were black with + shadow. What! was that the Corso then, that semi-obscure trench, close + pressed by high and heavy house-fronts, that mean roadway where three + vehicles could scarcely pass abreast, and which serried shops lined with + gaudy displays? There was neither space, nor far horizon, nor refreshing + greenery such as the fashionable drives of Paris could boast! Nothing but + jostling, crowding, and stifling on the little footways under the narrow + strip of sky. And although Dario named the pompous and historical palaces, + Bonaparte, Doria, Odescalchi, Sciarra, and Chigi; although he pointed out + the column of Marcus Aurelius on the Piazza Colonna, the most lively + square of the whole city with its everlasting throng of lounging, gazing, + chattering people; although, all the way to the Piazza del Popolo, he + never ceased calling attention to churches, houses, and side-streets, + notably the Via dei Condotti, at the far end of which the Trinity de’ + Monti, all golden in the glory of the sinking sun, appeared above that + famous flight of steps, the triumphal Scala di Spagna—Pierre still + and ever retained the impression of disillusion which the narrow, airless + thoroughfare had conveyed to him: the “palaces” looked to him like + mournful hospitals or barracks, the Piazza Colonna suffered terribly from + a lack of trees, and the Trinity de’ Monti alone took his fancy by its + distant radiance of fairyland. + </p> + <p> + But it was necessary to come back from the Piazza del Popolo to the Piazza + di Venezia, then return to the former square, and come back yet again, + following the entire Corso three and four times without wearying. The + delighted Dario showed himself and looked about him, exchanging + salutations. On either footway was a compact crowd of promenaders whose + eyes roamed over the equipages and whose hands could have shaken those of + the carriage folks. So great at last became the number of vehicles that + both lines were absolutely unbroken, crowded to such a point that the + coachmen could do no more than walk their horses. Perpetually going up and + coming down the Corso, people scrutinised and jostled one another. It was + open-air promiscuity, all Rome gathered together in the smallest possible + space, the folks who knew one another and who met here as in a friendly + drawing-room, and the folks belonging to adverse parties who did not speak + together but who elbowed each other, and whose glances penetrated to each + other’s soul. Then a revelation came to Pierre, and he suddenly understood + the Corso, the ancient custom, the passion and glory of the city. Its + pleasure lay precisely in the very narrowness of the street, in that + forced elbowing which facilitated not only desired meetings but the + satisfaction of curiosity, the display of vanity, and the garnering of + endless tittle-tattle. All Roman society met here each day, displayed + itself, spied on itself, offering itself in spectacle to its own eyes, + with such an indispensable need of thus beholding itself that the man of + birth who missed the Corso was like one out of his element, destitute of + newspapers, living like a savage. And withal the atmosphere was + delightfully balmy, and the narrow strip of sky between the heavy, rusty + mansions displayed an infinite azure purity. + </p> + <p> + Dario never ceased smiling, and slightly inclining his head while he + repeated to Pierre the names of princes and princesses, dukes and + duchesses—high-sounding names whose flourish had filled history, + whose sonorous syllables conjured up the shock of armour on the + battlefield and the splendour of papal pomp with robes of purple, tiaras + of gold, and sacred vestments sparkling with precious stones. And as + Pierre listened and looked he was pained to see merely some corpulent + ladies or undersized gentlemen, bloated or shrunken beings, whose + ill-looks seemed to be increased by their modern attire. However, a few + pretty women went by, particularly some young, silent girls with large, + clear eyes. And just as Dario had pointed out the Palazzo Buongiovanni, a + huge seventeenth-century façade, with windows encompassed by foliaged + ornamentation deplorably heavy in style, he added gaily: + </p> + <p> + “Ah! look—that’s Attilio there on the footway. Young Lieutenant + Sacco—you know, don’t you?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre signed that he understood. Standing there in uniform, Attilio, so + young, so energetic and brave of appearance, with a frank countenance + softly illumined by blue eyes like his mother’s, at once pleased the + priest. He seemed indeed the very personification of youth and love, with + all their enthusiastic, disinterested hope in the future. + </p> + <p> + “You’ll see by and by, when we pass the palace again,” said Dario. “He’ll + still be there and I’ll show you something.” + </p> + <p> + Then he began to talk gaily of the girls of Rome, the little princesses, + the little duchesses, so discreetly educated at the convent of the Sacred + Heart, quitting it for the most part so ignorant and then completing their + education beside their mothers, never going out but to accompany the + latter on the obligatory drive to the Corso, and living through endless + days, cloistered, imprisoned in the depths of sombre mansions. + Nevertheless what tempests raged in those mute souls to which none had + ever penetrated! what stealthy growth of will suddenly appeared from under + passive obedience, apparent unconsciousness of surroundings! How many + there were who stubbornly set their minds on carving out their lives for + themselves, on choosing the man who might please them, and securing him + despite the opposition of the entire world! And the lover was chosen there + from among the stream of young men promenading the Corso, the lover hooked + with a glance during the daily drive, those candid eyes speaking aloud and + sufficing for confession and the gift of all, whilst not a breath was + wafted from the lips so chastely closed. And afterwards there came love + letters, furtively exchanged in church, and the winning-over of maids to + facilitate stolen meetings, at first so innocent. In the end, a marriage + often resulted. + </p> + <p> + Celia, for her part, had determined to win Attilio on the very first day + when their eyes had met. And it was from a window of the Palazzo + Buongiovanni that she had perceived him one afternoon of mortal weariness. + He had just raised his head, and she had taken him for ever and given + herself to him with those large, pure eyes of hers as they rested on his + own. She was but an <i>amorosa</i>—nothing more; he pleased her; she + had set her heart on him—him and none other. She would have waited + twenty years for him, but she relied on winning him at once by quiet + stubbornness of will. People declared that the terrible fury of the + Prince, her father, had proved impotent against her respectful, obstinate + silence. He, man of mixed blood as he was, son of an American woman, and + husband of an English woman, laboured but to retain his own name and + fortune intact amidst the downfall of others; and it was rumoured that as + the result of a quarrel which he had picked with his wife, whom he accused + of not sufficiently watching over their daughter, the Princess had + revolted, full not only of the pride of a foreigner who had brought a huge + dowry in marriage, but also of such plain, frank egotism that she had + declared she no longer found time enough to attend to herself, let alone + another. Had she not already done enough in bearing him five children? She + thought so; and now she spent her time in worshipping herself, letting + Celia do as she listed, and taking no further interest in the household + through which swept stormy gusts. + </p> + <p> + However, the carriage was again about to pass the Buongiovanni mansion, + and Dario forewarned Pierre. “You see,” said he, “Attilio has come back. + And now look up at the third window on the first floor.” + </p> + <p> + It was at once rapid and charming. Pierre saw the curtain slightly drawn + aside and Celia’s gentle face appear. Closed, candid lily, she did not + smile, she did not move. Nothing could be read on those pure lips, or in + those clear but fathomless eyes of hers. Yet she was taking Attilio to + herself, and giving herself to him without reserve. And soon the curtain + fell once more. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, the little mask!” muttered Dario. “Can one ever tell what there is + behind so much innocence?” + </p> + <p> + As Pierre turned round he perceived Attilio, whose head was still raised, + and whose face was also motionless and pale, with closed mouth, and widely + opened eyes. And the young priest was deeply touched, for this was love, + absolute love in its sudden omnipotence, true love, eternal and + juvenescent, in which ambition and calculation played no part. + </p> + <p> + Then Dario ordered the coachman to drive up to the Pincio; for, before or + after the Corso, the round of the Pincio is obligatory on fine, clear + afternoons. First came the Piazza del Popolo, the most airy and regular + square of Rome, with its conjunction of thoroughfares, its churches and + fountains, its central obelisk, and its two clumps of trees facing one + another at either end of the small white paving-stones, betwixt the severe + and sun-gilt buildings. Then, turning to the right, the carriage began to + climb the inclined way to the Pincio—a magnificent winding ascent, + decorated with bas-reliefs, statues, and fountains—a kind of + apotheosis of marble, a commemoration of ancient Rome, rising amidst + greenery. Up above, however, Pierre found the garden small, little better + than a large square, with just the four necessary roadways to enable the + carriages to drive round and round as long as they pleased. An + uninterrupted line of busts of the great men of ancient and modern Italy + fringed these roadways. But what Pierre most admired was the trees—trees + of the most rare and varied kinds, chosen and tended with infinite care, + and nearly always evergreens, so that in winter and summer alike the spot + was adorned with lovely foliage of every imaginable shade of verdure. And + beside these trees, along the fine, breezy roadways, Dario’s victoria + began to turn, following the continuous, unwearying stream of the other + carriages. + </p> + <p> + Pierre remarked one young woman of modest demeanour and attractive + simplicity who sat alone in a dark-blue victoria, drawn by a well-groomed, + elegantly harnessed horse. She was very pretty, short, with chestnut hair, + a creamy complexion, and large gentle eyes. Quietly robed in dead-leaf + silk, she wore a large hat, which alone looked somewhat extravagant. And + seeing that Dario was staring at her, the priest inquired her name, + whereat the young Prince smiled. Oh! she was nobody, La Tonietta was the + name that people gave her; she was one of the few <i>demi-mondaines</i> + that Roman society talked of. Then, with the freeness and frankness which + his race displays in such matters, Dario added some particulars. La + Tonietta’s origin was obscure; some said that she was the daughter of an + innkeeper of Tivoli, and others that of a Neapolitan banker. At all + events, she was very intelligent, had educated herself, and knew + thoroughly well how to receive and entertain people at the little palazzo + in the Via dei Mille, which had been given to her by old Marquis Manfredi + now deceased. She made no scandalous show, had but one protector at a + time, and the princesses and duchesses who paid attention to her at the + Corso every afternoon, considered her nice-looking. One peculiarity had + made her somewhat notorious. There was some one whom she loved and from + whom she never accepted aught but a bouquet of white roses; and folks + would smile indulgently when at times for weeks together she was seen + driving round the Pincio with those pure, white bridal flowers on the + carriage seat. + </p> + <p> + Dario, however, suddenly paused in his explanations to address a + ceremonious bow to a lady who, accompanied by a gentleman, drove by in a + large landau. Then he simply said to the priest: “My mother.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre already knew of her. Viscount de la Choue had told him her story, + how, after Prince Onofrio Boccanera’s death, she had married again, + although she was already fifty; how at the Corso, just like some young + girl, she had hooked with her eyes a handsome man to her liking—one, + too, who was fifteen years her junior. And Pierre also knew who that man + was, a certain Jules Laporte, an ex-sergeant of the papal Swiss Guard, an + ex-traveller in relics, compromised in an extraordinary “false relic” + fraud; and he was further aware that Laporte’s wife had made a + fine-looking Marquis Montefiori of him, the last of the fortunate + adventurers of romance, triumphing as in the legendary lands where + shepherds are wedded to queens. + </p> + <p> + At the next turn, as the large landau again went by, Pierre looked at the + couple. The Marchioness was really wonderful, blooming with all the + classical Roman beauty, tall, opulent, and very dark, with the head of a + goddess and regular if somewhat massive features, nothing as yet betraying + her age except the down upon her upper lip. And the Marquis, the Romanised + Swiss of Geneva, really had a proud bearing, with his solid soldierly + figure and long wavy moustaches. People said that he was in no wise a fool + but, on the contrary, very gay and very supple, just the man to please + women. His wife so gloried in him that she dragged him about and displayed + him everywhere, having begun life afresh with him as if she were still but + twenty, spending on him the little fortune which she had saved from the + Villa Montefiori disaster, and so completely forgetting her son that she + only saw the latter now and again at the promenade and acknowledged his + bow like that of some chance acquaintance. + </p> + <p> + “Let us go to see the sun set behind St. Peter’s,” all at once said Dario, + conscientiously playing his part as a showman of curiosities. + </p> + <p> + The victoria thereupon returned to the terrace, where a military band was + now playing with a terrific blare of brass instruments. In order that + their occupants might hear the music, a large number of carriages had + already drawn up, and a growing crowd of loungers on foot had assembled + there. And from that beautiful terrace, so broad and lofty, one of the + most wonderful views of Rome was offered to the gaze. Beyond the Tiber, + beyond the pale chaos of the new district of the castle meadows,* and + between the greenery of Monte Mario and the Janiculum arose St. Peter’s. + Then on the left came all the olden city, an endless stretch of roofs, a + rolling sea of edifices as far as the eye could reach. But one’s glances + always came back to St. Peter’s, towering into the azure with pure and + sovereign grandeur. And, seen from the terrace, the slow sunsets in the + depths of the vast sky behind the colossus were sublime. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See <i>ante</i> note on castle meadows. +</pre> + <p> + Sometimes there are topplings of sanguineous clouds, battles of giants + hurling mountains at one another and succumbing beneath the monstrous + ruins of flaming cities. Sometimes only red streaks or fissures appear on + the surface of a sombre lake, as if a net of light has been flung to fish + the submerged orb from amidst the seaweed. Sometimes, too, there is a rosy + mist, a kind of delicate dust which falls, streaked with pearls by a + distant shower, whose curtain is drawn across the mystery of the horizon. + And sometimes there is a triumph, a <i>cortège</i> of gold and purple + chariots of cloud rolling along a highway of fire, galleys floating upon + an azure sea, fantastic and extravagant pomps slowly sinking into the less + and less fathomable abyss of the twilight. + </p> + <p> + But that night the sublime spectacle presented itself to Pierre with a + calm, blinding, desperate grandeur. At first, just above the dome of St. + Peter’s, the sun, descending in a spotless, deeply limpid sky, proved yet + so resplendent that one’s eyes could not face its brightness. And in this + resplendency the dome seemed to be incandescent, you would have said a + dome of liquid silver; whilst the surrounding districts, the house-roofs + of the Borgo, were as though changed into a lake of live embers. Then, as + the sun was by degrees inclined, it lost some of its blaze, and one could + look; and soon afterwards sinking with majestic slowness it disappeared + behind the dome, which showed forth darkly blue, while the orb, now + entirely hidden, set an aureola around it, a glory like a crown of flaming + rays. And then began the dream, the dazzling symbol, the singular + illumination of the row of windows beneath the cupola which were + transpierced by the light and looked like the ruddy mouths of furnaces, in + such wise that one might have imagined the dome to be poised upon a + brazier, isolated, in the air, as though raised and upheld by the violence + of the fire. It all lasted barely three minutes. Down below the jumbled + roofs of the Borgo became steeped in violet vapour, sank into increasing + gloom, whilst from the Janiculum to Monte Mario the horizon showed its + firm black line. And it was the sky then which became all purple and gold, + displaying the infinite placidity of a supernatural radiance above the + earth which faded into nihility. Finally the last window reflections were + extinguished, the glow of the heavens departed, and nothing remained but + the vague, fading roundness of the dome of St. Peter’s amidst the + all-invading night. + </p> + <p> + And, by some subtle connection of ideas, Pierre at that moment once again + saw rising before him the lofty, sad, declining figures of Cardinal + Boccanera and old Orlando. On the evening of that day when he had learnt + to know them, one after the other, both so great in the obstinacy of their + hope, they seemed to be there, erect on the horizon above their + annihilated city, on the fringe of the heavens which death apparently was + about to seize. Was everything then to crumble with them? was everything + to fade away and disappear in the falling night following upon + accomplished Time? + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap30"></a> + V. + </h2> + <p> + ON the following day Narcisse Habert came in great worry to tell Pierre + that Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo complained of being unwell, and asked for a + delay of two or three days before receiving the young priest and + considering the matter of his audience. Pierre was thus reduced to + inaction, for he dared not make any attempt elsewhere in view of seeing + the Pope. He had been so frightened by Nani and others that he feared he + might jeopardise everything by inconsiderate endeavours. And so he began + to visit Rome in order to occupy his leisure. + </p> + <p> + His first visit was for the ruins of the Palatine. Going out alone one + clear morning at eight o’clock, he presented himself at the entrance in + the Via San Teodoro, an iron gateway flanked by the lodges of the keepers. + One of the latter at once offered his services, and though Pierre would + have preferred to roam at will, following the bent of his dream, he + somehow did not like to refuse the offer of this man, who spoke French + very distinctly, and smiled in a very good-natured way. He was a squatly + built little man, a former soldier, some sixty years of age, and his + square-cut, ruddy face was barred by thick white moustaches. + </p> + <p> + “Then will you please follow me, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said he. “I can see + that you are French, Monsieur l’Abbé. I’m a Piedmontese myself, but I know + the French well enough; I was with them at Solferino. Yes, yes, whatever + people may say, one can’t forget old friendships. Here, this way, please, + to the right.” + </p> + <p> + Raising his eyes, Pierre had just perceived the line of cypresses edging + the plateau of the Palatine on the side of the Tiber; and in the delicate + blue atmosphere the intense greenery of these trees showed like a black + fringe. They alone attracted the eye; the slope, of a dusty, dirty grey, + stretched out bare and devastated, dotted by a few bushes, among which + peeped fragments of ancient walls. All was instinct with the ravaged, + leprous sadness of a spot handed over to excavation, and where only men of + learning could wax enthusiastic. + </p> + <p> + “The palaces of Tiberius, Caligula, and the Flavians are up above,” + resumed the guide. “We must keep then for the end and go round.” + Nevertheless he took a few steps to the left, and pausing before an + excavation, a sort of grotto in the hillside, exclaimed: “This is the + Lupercal den where the wolf suckled Romulus and Remus. Just here at the + entry used to stand the Ruminal fig-tree which sheltered the twins.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre could not restrain a smile, so convinced was the tone in which the + old soldier gave these explanations, proud as he was of all the ancient + glory, and wont to regard the wildest legends as indisputable facts. + However, when the worthy man pointed out some vestiges of Roma Quadrata—remnants + of walls which really seemed to date from the foundation of the city—Pierre + began to feel interested, and a first touch of emotion made his heart + beat. This emotion was certainly not due to any beauty of scene, for he + merely beheld a few courses of tufa blocks, placed one upon the other and + uncemented. But a past which had been dead for seven and twenty centuries + seemed to rise up before him, and those crumbling, blackened blocks, the + foundation of such a mighty eclipse of power and splendour, acquired + extraordinary majesty. + </p> + <p> + Continuing their inspection, they went on, skirting the hillside. The + outbuildings of the palaces must have descended to this point; fragments + of porticoes, fallen beams, columns and friezes set up afresh, edged the + rugged path which wound through wild weeds, suggesting a neglected + cemetery; and the guide repeated the words which he had used day by day + for ten years past, continuing to enunciate suppositions as facts, and + giving a name, a destination, a history, to every one of the fragments. + </p> + <p> + “The house of Augustus,” he said at last, pointing towards some masses of + earth and rubbish. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre, unable to distinguish anything, ventured to inquire: + “Where do you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said the man, “it seems that the walls were still to be seen at the + end of the last century. But it was entered from the other side, from the + Sacred Way. On this side there was a huge balcony which overlooked the + Circus Maximus so that one could view the sports. However, as you can see, + the greater part of the palace is still buried under that big garden up + above, the garden of the Villa Mills. When there’s money for fresh + excavations it will be found again, together with the temple of Apollo and + the shrine of Vesta which accompanied it.” + </p> + <p> + Turning to the left, he next entered the Stadium, the arena erected for + foot-racing, which stretched beside the palace of Augustus; and the + priest’s interest was now once more awakened. It was not that he found + himself in presence of well-preserved and monumental remains, for not a + column had remained erect, and only the right-hand walls were still + standing. But the entire plan of the building had been traced, with the + goals at either end, the porticus round the course, and the colossal + imperial tribune which, after being on the left, annexed to the house of + Augustus, had afterwards opened on the right, fitting into the palace of + Septimius Severus. And while Pierre looked on all the scattered remnants, + his guide went on chattering, furnishing the most copious and precise + information, and declaring that the gentlemen who directed the excavations + had mentally reconstructed the Stadium in each and every particular, and + were even preparing a most exact plan of it, showing all the columns in + their proper order and the statues in their niches, and even specifying + the divers sorts of marble which had covered the walls. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! the directors are quite at ease,” the old soldier eventually added + with an air of infinite satisfaction. “There will be nothing for the + Germans to pounce on here. They won’t be allowed to set things topsy-turvy + as they did at the Forum, where everybody’s at sea since they came along + with their wonderful science!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre—a Frenchman—smiled, and his interest increased when, by + broken steps and wooden bridges thrown over gaps, he followed the guide + into the great ruins of the palace of Severus. Rising on the southern + point of the Palatine, this palace had overlooked the Appian Way and the + Campagna as far as the eye could reach. Nowadays, almost the only remains + are the substructures, the subterranean halls contrived under the arches + of the terraces, by which the plateau of the hill was enlarged; and yet + these dismantled substructures suffice to give some idea of the triumphant + palace which they once upheld, so huge and powerful have they remained in + their indestructible massiveness. Near by arose the famous Septizonium, + the tower with the seven tiers of arcades, which only finally disappeared + in the sixteenth century. One of the palace terraces yet juts out upon + cyclopean arches and from it the view is splendid. But all the rest is a + commingling of massive yet crumbling walls, gaping depths whose ceilings + have fallen, endless corridors and vast halls of doubtful destination. + Well cared for by the new administration, swept and cleansed of weeds, the + ruins have lost their romantic wildness and assumed an aspect of bare and + mournful grandeur. However, flashes of living sunlight often gild the + ancient walls, penetrate by their breaches into the black halls, and + animate with their dazzlement the mute melancholy of all this dead + splendour now exhumed from the earth in which it slumbered for centuries. + Over the old ruddy masonry, stripped of its pompous marble covering, is + the purple mantle of the sunlight, draping the whole with imperial glory + once more. + </p> + <p> + For more than two hours already Pierre had been walking on, and yet he + still had to visit all the earlier palaces on the north and east of the + plateau. “We must go back,” said the guide, “the gardens of the Villa + Mills and the convent of San Bonaventura stop the way. We shall only be + able to pass on this side when the excavations have made a clearance. Ah! + Monsieur l’Abbé, if you had walked over the Palatine merely some fifty + years ago! I’ve seen some plans of that time. There were only some + vineyards and little gardens with hedges then, a real campagna, where not + a soul was to be met. And to think that all these palaces were sleeping + underneath!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre followed him, and after again passing the house of Augustus, they + ascended the slope and reached the vast Flavian palace,* still half buried + by the neighbouring villa, and composed of a great number of halls large + and small, on the nature of which scholars are still arguing. The aula + regia, or throne-room, the basilica, or hall of justice, the triclinium, + or dining-room, and the peristylium seem certainties; but for all the + rest, and especially the small chambers of the private part of the + structure, only more or less fanciful conjectures can be offered. + Moreover, not a wall is entire; merely foundations peep out of the ground, + mutilated bases describing the plan of the edifice. The only ruin + preserved, as if by miracle, is the house on a lower level which some + assert to have been that of Livia,* a house which seems very small beside + all the huge palaces, and where are three halls comparatively intact, with + mural paintings of mythological scenes, flowers, and fruits, still + wonderfully fresh. As for the palace of Tiberius, not one of its stones + can be seen; its remains lie buried beneath a lovely public garden; whilst + of the neighbouring palace of Caligula, overhanging the Forum, there are + only some huge substructures, akin to those of the house of Severus—buttresses, + lofty arcades, which upheld the palace, vast basements, so to say, where + the praetorians were posted and gorged themselves with continual + junketings. And thus this lofty plateau dominating the city merely offered + some scarcely recognisable vestiges to the view, stretches of grey, bare + soil turned up by the pick, and dotted with fragments of old walls; and it + needed a real effort of scholarly imagination to conjure up the ancient + imperial splendour which once had triumphed there. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Begun by Vespasian and finished by Domitian.—Trans. + + ** Others assert it to have been the house of Germanicus, + father of Caligula.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Nevertheless Pierre’s guide, with quiet conviction, persisted in his + explanations, pointing to empty space as though the edifices still rose + before him. “Here,” said he, “we are in the Area Palatina. Yonder, you + see, is the façade of Domitian’s palace, and there you have that of + Caligula’s palace, while on turning round the temple of Jupiter Stator is + in front of you. The Sacred Way came up as far as here, and passed under + the Porta Mugonia, one of the three gates of primitive Rome.” + </p> + <p> + He paused and pointed to the northwest portion of the height. “You will + have noticed,” he resumed, “that the Caesars didn’t build yonder. And that + was evidently because they had to respect some very ancient monuments + dating from before the foundation of the city and greatly venerated by the + people. There stood the temple of Victory built by Evander and his + Arcadians, the Lupercal grotto which I showed you, and the humble hut of + Romulus constructed of reeds and clay. Oh! everything has been found + again, Monsieur l’Abbé; and, in spite of all that the Germans say there + isn’t the slightest doubt of it.” + </p> + <p> + Then, quite abruptly, like a man suddenly remembering the most interesting + thing of all, he exclaimed: “Ah! to wind up we’ll just go to see the + subterranean gallery where Caligula was murdered.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon they descended into a long crypto-porticus, through the breaches + of which the sun now casts bright rays. Some ornaments of stucco and + fragments of mosaic-work are yet to be seen. Still the spot remains + mournful and desolate, well fitted for tragic horror. The old soldier’s + voice had become graver as he related how Caligula, on returning from the + Palatine games, had been minded to descend all alone into this gallery to + witness certain sacred dances which some youths from Asia were practising + there. And then it was that the gloom gave Cassius Chaereas, the chief of + the conspirators, an opportunity to deal him the first thrust in the + abdomen. Howling with pain, the emperor sought to flee; but the assassins, + his creatures, his dearest friends, rushed upon him, threw him down, and + dealt him blow after blow, whilst he, mad with rage and fright, filled the + dim, deaf gallery with the howling of a slaughtered beast. When he had + expired, silence fell once more, and the frightened murderers fled. + </p> + <p> + The classical visit to the Palatine was now over, and when Pierre came up + into the light again, he wished to rid himself of his guide and remain + alone in the pleasant, dreamy garden on the summit of the height. For + three hours he had been tramping about with the guide’s voice buzzing in + his ears. The worthy man was now talking of his friendship for France and + relating the battle of Magenta in great detail. He smiled as he took the + piece of silver which Pierre offered him, and then started on the battle + of Solferino. Indeed, it seemed impossible to stop him, when fortunately a + lady came up to ask for some information. And, thereupon, he went off with + her. “Good-evening, Monsieur l’Abbé,” he said; “you can go down by way of + Caligula’s palace.” + </p> + <p> + Delightful was Pierre’s relief when he was at last able to rest for a + moment on one of the marble seats in the garden. There were but few clumps + of trees, cypresses, box-trees, palms, and some fine evergreen oaks; but + the latter, sheltering the seat, cast a dark shade of exquisite freshness + around. The charm of the spot was also largely due to its dreamy solitude, + to the low rustle which seemed to come from that ancient soil saturated + with resounding history. Here formerly had been the pleasure grounds of + the Villa Farnese which still exists though greatly damaged, and the grace + of the Renascence seems to linger here, its breath passing caressingly + through the shiny foliage of the old evergreen oaks. You are, as it were, + enveloped by the soul of the past, an ethereal conglomeration of visions, + and overhead is wafted the straying breath of innumerable generations + buried beneath the sod. + </p> + <p> + After a time, however, Pierre could no longer remain seated, so powerful + was the attraction of Rome, scattered all around that august summit. So he + rose and approached the balustrade of a terrace; and beneath him appeared + the Forum, and beyond it the Capitoline hill. To the eye the latter now + only presented a commingling of grey buildings, lacking both grandeur and + beauty. On the summit one saw the rear of the Palace of the Senator, flat, + with little windows, and surmounted by a high, square campanile. The + large, bare, rusty-looking walls hid the church of Santa Maria in Ara + Coeli and the spot where the temple of Capitoline Jove had formerly stood, + radiant in all its royalty. On the left, some ugly houses rose + terrace-wise upon the slope of Monte Caprino, where goats were pastured in + the middle ages; while the few fine trees in the grounds of the Caffarelli + palace, the present German embassy, set some greenery above the ancient + Tarpeian rock now scarcely to be found, lost, hidden as it is, by buttress + walls. Yet this was the Mount of the Capitol, the most glorious of the + seven hills, with its citadel and its temple, the temple to which + universal dominion was promised, the St. Peter’s of pagan Rome; this + indeed was the hill—steep on the side of the Forum, and a precipice + on that of the Campus Martius—where the thunder of Jupiter fell, + where in the dimmest of the far-off ages the Asylum of Romulus rose with + its sacred oaks, a spot of infinite savage mystery. Here, later, were + preserved the public documents of Roman grandeur inscribed on tablets of + brass; hither climbed the heroes of the triumphs; and here the emperors + became gods, erect in statues of marble. And nowadays the eye inquires + wonderingly how so much history and so much glory can have had for their + scene so small a space, such a rugged, jumbled pile of paltry buildings, a + mole-hill, looking no bigger, no loftier than a hamlet perched between two + valleys. + </p> + <p> + Then another surprise for Pierre was the Forum, starting from the Capitol + and stretching out below the Palatine: a narrow square, close pressed by + the neighbouring hills, a hollow where Rome in growing had been compelled + to rear edifice close to edifice till all stifled for lack of breathing + space. It was necessary to dig very deep—some fifty feet—to + find the venerable republican soil, and now all you see is a long, clean, + livid trench, cleared of ivy and bramble, where the fragments of paving, + the bases of columns, and the piles of foundations appear like bits of + bone. Level with the ground the Basilica Julia, entirely mapped out, looks + like an architect’s ground plan. On that side the arch of Septimius + Severus alone rears itself aloft, virtually intact, whilst of the temple + of Vespasian only a few isolated columns remain still standing, as if by + miracle, amidst the general downfall, soaring with a proud elegance, with + sovereign audacity of equilibrium, so slender and so gilded, into the blue + heavens. The column of Phocas is also erect; and you see some portions of + the Rostra fitted together out of fragments discovered near by. But if the + eye seeks a sensation of extraordinary vastness, it must travel beyond the + three columns of the temple of Castor and Pollux, beyond the vestiges of + the house of the Vestals, beyond the temple of Faustina, in which the + Christian Church of San Lorenzo has so composedly installed itself, and + even beyond the round temple of Romulus, to light upon the Basilica of + Constantine with its three colossal, gaping archways. From the Palatine + they look like porches built for a nation of giants, so massive that a + fallen fragment resembles some huge rock hurled by a whirlwind from a + mountain summit. And there, in that illustrious, narrow, overflowing Forum + the history of the greatest of nations held for centuries, from the + legendary time of the Sabine women, reconciling their relatives and their + ravishers, to that of the proclamation of public liberty, so slowly wrung + from the patricians by the plebeians. Was not the Forum at once the + market, the exchange, the tribunal, the open-air hall of public meeting? + The Gracchi there defended the cause of the humble; Sylla there set up the + lists of those whom he proscribed; Cicero there spoke, and there, against + the rostra, his bleeding head was hung. Then, under the emperors, the old + renown was dimmed, the centuries buried the monuments and temples with + such piles of dust that all that the middle ages could do was to turn the + spot into a cattle market! Respect has come back once more, a respect + which violates tombs, which is full of feverish curiosity and science, + which is dissatisfied with mere hypotheses, which loses itself amidst this + historical soil where generations rise one above the other, and hesitates + between the fifteen or twenty restorations of the Forum that have been + planned on paper, each of them as plausible as the other. But to the mere + passer-by, who is not a professional scholar and has not recently + re-perused the history of Rome, the details have no significance. All he + sees on this searched and scoured spot is a city’s cemetery where old + exhumed stones are whitening, and whence rises the intense sadness that + envelops dead nations. Pierre, however, noting here and there fragments of + the Sacred Way, now turning, now running down, and now ascending with + their pavement of silex indented by the chariot-wheels, thought of the + triumphs, of the ascent of the triumpher, so sorely shaken as his chariot + jolted over that rough pavement of glory. + </p> + <p> + But the horizon expanded towards the southeast, and beyond the arches of + Titus and Constantine he perceived the Colosseum. Ah! that colossus, only + one-half or so of which has been destroyed by time as with the stroke of a + mighty scythe, it rises in its enormity and majesty like a stone lace-work + with hundreds of empty bays agape against the blue of heaven! There is a + world of halls, stairs, landings, and passages, a world where one loses + oneself amidst death-like silence and solitude. The furrowed tiers of + seats, eaten into by the atmosphere, are like shapeless steps leading down + into some old extinct crater, some natural circus excavated by the force + of the elements in indestructible rock. The hot suns of eighteen hundred + years have baked and scorched this ruin, which has reverted to a state of + nature, bare and golden-brown like a mountain-side, since it has been + stripped of its vegetation, the flora which once made it like a virgin + forest. And what an evocation when the mind sets flesh and blood and life + again on all that dead osseous framework, fills the circus with the 90,000 + spectators which it could hold, marshals the games and the combats of the + arena, gathers a whole civilisation together, from the emperor and the + dignitaries to the surging plebeian sea, all aglow with the agitation and + brilliancy of an impassioned people, assembled under the ruddy reflection + of the giant purple velum. And then, yet further, on the horizon, were + other cyclopean ruins, the baths of Caracalla, standing there like relics + of a race of giants long since vanished from the world: halls + extravagantly and inexplicably spacious and lofty; vestibules large enough + for an entire population; a <i>frigidarium</i> where five hundred people + could swim together; a <i>tepidarium</i> and a <i>calidarium</i>* on the + same proportions, born of a wild craving for the huge; and then the + terrific massiveness of the structures, the thickness of the piles of + brick-work, such as no feudal castle ever knew; and, in addition, the + general immensity which makes passing visitors look like lost ants; such + an extraordinary riot of the great and the mighty that one wonders for + what men, for what multitudes, this monstrous edifice was reared. To-day, + you would say a mass of rocks in the rough, thrown from some height for + building the abode of Titans. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Tepidarium, warm bath; calidarium, vapour bath.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + And as Pierre gazed, he became more and more immersed in the limitless + past which encompassed him. On all sides history rose up like a surging + sea. Those bluey plains on the north and west were ancient Etruria; those + jagged crests on the east were the Sabine Mountains; while southward, the + Alban Mountains and Latium spread out in the streaming gold of the + sunshine. Alba Longa was there, and so was Monte Cavo, with its crown of + old trees, and the convent which has taken the place of the ancient temple + of Jupiter. Then beyond the Forum, beyond the Capitol, the greater part of + Rome stretched out, whilst behind Pierre, on the margin of the Tiber, was + the Janiculum. And a voice seemed to come from the whole city, a voice + which told him of Rome’s eternal life, resplendent with past greatness. He + remembered just enough of what he had been taught at school to realise + where he was; he knew just what every one knows of Rome with no pretension + to scholarship, and it was more particularly his artistic temperament + which awoke within him and gathered warmth from the flame of memory. The + present had disappeared, and the ocean of the past was still rising, + buoying him up, carrying him away. + </p> + <p> + And then his mind involuntarily pictured a resurrection instinct with + life. The grey, dismal Palatine, razed like some accursed city, suddenly + became animated, peopled, crowned with palaces and temples. There had been + the cradle of the Eternal City, founded by Romulus on that summit + overlooking the Tiber. There assuredly the seven kings of its two and a + half centuries of monarchical rule had dwelt, enclosed within high, strong + walls, which had but three gateways. Then the five centuries of republican + sway spread out, the greatest, the most glorious of all the centuries, + those which brought the Italic peninsula and finally the known world under + Roman dominion. During those victorious years of social and war-like + struggle, Rome grew and peopled the seven hills, and the Palatine became + but a venerable cradle with legendary temples, and was even gradually + invaded by private residences. But at last Caesar, the incarnation of the + power of his race, after Gaul and after Pharsalia triumphed in the name of + the whole Roman people, having completed the colossal task by which the + five following centuries of imperialism were to profit, with a pompous + splendour and a rush of every appetite. And then Augustus could ascend to + power; glory had reached its climax; millions of gold were waiting to be + filched from the depths of the provinces; and the imperial gala was to + begin in the world’s capital, before the eyes of the dazzled and subjected + nations. Augustus had been born on the Palatine, and after Actium had + given him the empire, he set his pride in reigning from the summit of that + sacred mount, venerated by the people. He bought up private houses and + there built his palace with luxurious splendour: an atrium upheld by four + pilasters and eight columns; a peristylium encompassed by fifty-six Ionic + columns; private apartments all around, and all in marble; a profusion of + marble, brought at great cost from foreign lands, and of the brightest + hues, resplendent like gems. And he lodged himself with the gods, building + near his own abode a large temple of Apollo and a shrine of Vesta in order + to ensure himself divine and eternal sovereignty. And then the seed of the + imperial palaces was sown; they were to spring up, grow and swarm, and + cover the entire mount. + </p> + <p> + Ah! the all-powerfulness of Augustus, his four and forty years of total, + absolute, superhuman power, such as no despot has known even in his + dreams! He had taken to himself every title, united every magistracy in + his person. Imperator and consul, he commanded the armies and exercised + executive power; pro-consul, he was supreme in the provinces; perpetual + censor and princeps, he reigned over the senate; tribune, he was the + master of the people. And, formerly called Octavius, he had caused himself + to be declared Augustus, sacred, god among men, having his temples and his + priests, worshipped in his lifetime like a divinity deigning to visit the + earth. And finally he had resolved to be supreme pontiff, annexing + religious to civil power, and thus by a stroke of genius attaining to the + most complete dominion to which man can climb. As the supreme pontiff + could not reside in a private house, he declared his abode to be State + property. As the supreme pontiff could not leave the vicinity of the + temple of Vesta, he built a temple to that goddess near his own dwelling, + leaving the guardianship of the ancient altar below the Palatine to the + Vestal virgins. He spared no effort, for he well realised that human + omnipotence, the mastery of mankind and the world, lay in that reunion of + sovereignty, in being both king and priest, emperor and pope. All the sap + of a mighty race, all the victories achieved, and all the favours of + fortune yet to be garnered, blossomed forth in Augustus, in a unique + splendour which was never again to shed such brilliant radiance. He was + really the master of the world, amidst the conquered and pacified nations, + encompassed by immortal glory in literature and in art. In him would seem + to have been satisfied the old intense ambition of his people, the + ambition which it had pursued through centuries of patient conquest, to + become the people-king. The blood of Rome, the blood of Augustus, at last + coruscated in the sunlight, in the purple of empire. And the blood of + Augustus, of the divine, triumphant, absolute sovereign of bodies and + souls, of the man in whom seven centuries of national pride had + culminated, was to descend through the ages, through an innumerable + posterity with a heritage of boundless pride and ambition. For it was + fatal: the blood of Augustus was bound to spring into life once more and + pulsate in the veins of all the successive masters of Rome, ever haunting + them with the dream of ruling the whole world. And later on, after the + decline and fall, when power had once more become divided between the king + and the priest, the popes—their hearts burning with the red, + devouring blood of their great forerunner—had no other passion, no + other policy, through the centuries, than that of attaining to civil + dominion, to the totality of human power. + </p> + <p> + But Augustus being dead, his palace having been closed and consecrated, + Pierre saw that of Tiberius spring up from the soil. It had stood where + his feet now rested, where the beautiful evergreen oaks sheltered him. He + pictured it with courts, porticoes, and halls, both substantial and grand, + despite the gloomy bent of the emperor who betook himself far from Rome to + live amongst informers and debauchees, with his heart and brain poisoned + by power to the point of crime and most extraordinary insanity. Then the + palace of Caligula followed, an enlargement of that of Tiberius, with + arcades set up to increase its extent, and a bridge thrown over the Forum + to the Capitol, in order that the prince might go thither at his ease to + converse with Jove, whose son he claimed to be. And sovereignty also + rendered this one ferocious—a madman with omnipotence to do as he + listed! Then, after Claudius, Nero, not finding the Palatine large enough, + seized upon the delightful gardens climbing the Esquiline in order to set + up his Golden House, a dream of sumptuous immensity which he could not + complete and the ruins of which disappeared in the troubles following the + death of this monster whom pride demented. Next, in eighteen months, + Galba, Otho, and Vitellius fell one upon the other, in mire and in blood, + the purple converting them also into imbeciles and monsters, gorged like + unclean beasts at the trough of imperial enjoyment. And afterwards came + the Flavians, at first a respite, with commonsense and human kindness: + Vespasian; next Titus, who built but little on the Palatine; but then + Domitian, in whom the sombre madness of omnipotence burst forth anew + amidst a <i>régime</i> of fear and spying, idiotic atrocities and crimes, + debauchery contrary to nature, and building enterprises born of insane + vanity instinct with a desire to outvie the temples of the gods. The + palace of Domitian, parted by a lane from that of Tiberius, arose + colossal-like—a palace of fairyland. There was the hall of audience, + with its throne of gold, its sixteen columns of Phrygian and Numidian + marble and its eight niches containing colossal statues; there were the + hall of justice, the vast dining-room, the peristylium, the sleeping + apartments, where granite, porphyry, and alabaster overflowed, carved and + decorated by the most famous artists, and lavished on all sides in order + to dazzle the world. And finally, many years later, a last palace was + added to all the others—that of Septimius Severus: again a building + of pride, with arches supporting lofty halls, terraced storeys, towers + o’er-topping the roofs, a perfect Babylonian pile, rising up at the + extreme point of the mount in view of the Appian Way, so that the + emperor’s compatriots—those from the province of Africa, where he + was born—might, on reaching the horizon, marvel at his fortune and + worship him in his glory. + </p> + <p> + And now Pierre beheld all those palaces which he had conjured up around + him, resuscitated, resplendent in the full sunlight. They were as if + linked together, parted merely by the narrowest of passages. In order that + not an inch of that precious summit might be lost, they had sprouted + thickly like the monstrous florescence of strength, power, and unbridled + pride which satisfied itself at the cost of millions, bleeding the whole + world for the enjoyment of one man. And in truth there was but one palace + altogether, a palace enlarged as soon as one emperor died and was placed + among the deities, and another, shunning the consecrated pile where + possibly the shadow of death frightened him, experienced an imperious need + to build a house of his own and perpetuate in everlasting stone the memory + of his reign. All the emperors were seized with this building craze; it + was like a disease which the very throne seemed to carry from one occupant + to another with growing intensity, a consuming desire to excel all + predecessors by thicker and higher walls, by a more and more wonderful + profusion of marbles, columns, and statues. And among all these princes + there was the idea of a glorious survival, of leaving a testimony of their + greatness to dazzled and stupefied generations, of perpetuating themselves + by marvels which would not perish but for ever weigh heavily upon the + earth, when their own light ashes should long since have been swept away + by the winds. And thus the Palatine became but the venerable base of a + monstrous edifice, a thick vegetation of adjoining buildings, each new + pile being like a fresh eruption of feverish pride; while the whole, now + showing the snowy brightness of white marble and now the glowing hues of + coloured marble, ended by crowning Rome and the world with the most + extraordinary and most insolent abode of sovereignty—whether palace, + temple, basilica, or cathedral—that omnipotence and dominion have + ever reared under the heavens. + </p> + <p> + But death lurked beneath this excess of strength and glory. Seven hundred + and thirty years of monarchy and republic had sufficed to make Rome great; + and in five centuries of imperial sway the people-king was to be devoured + down to its last muscles. There was the immensity of the territory, the + more distant provinces gradually pillaged and exhausted; there was the + fisc consuming everything, digging the pit of fatal bankruptcy; and there + was the degeneration of the people, poisoned by the scenes of the circus + and the arena, fallen to the sloth and debauchery of their masters, the + Caesars, while mercenaries fought the foe and tilled the soil. Already at + the time of Constantine, Rome had a rival, Byzantium; disruption followed + with Honorius; and then some ten emperors sufficed for decomposition to be + complete, for the bones of the dying prey to be picked clean, the end + coming with Romulus Augustulus, the sorry creature whose name is, so to + say, a mockery of the whole glorious history, a buffet for both the + founder of Rome and the founder of the empire. + </p> + <p> + The palaces, the colossal assemblage of walls, storeys, terraces, and + gaping roofs, still remained on the deserted Palatine; many ornaments and + statues, however, had already been removed to Byzantium. And the empire, + having become Christian, had afterwards closed the temples and + extinguished the fire of Vesta, whilst yet respecting the ancient + Palladium. But in the fifth century the barbarians rush upon Rome, sack + and burn it, and carry the spoils spared by the flames away in their + chariots. As long as the city was dependent on Byzantium a custodian of + the imperial palaces remained there watching over the Palatine. Then all + fades and crumbles in the night of the middle ages. It would really seem + that the popes then slowly took the place of the Caesars, succeeding them + both in their abandoned marble halls and their ever-subsisting passion for + domination. Some of them assuredly dwelt in the palace of Septimius + Severus; a council of the Church was held in the Septizonium; and, later + on, Gelasius II was elected in a neighbouring monastery on the sacred + mount. It was as if Augustus were again rising from the tomb, once more + master of the world, with a Sacred College of Cardinals resuscitating the + Roman Senate. In the twelfth century the Septizonium belonged to some + Benedictine monks, and was sold by them to the powerful Frangipani family, + who fortified it as they had already fortified the Colosseum and the + arches of Constantine and Titus, thus forming a vast fortress round about + the venerable cradle of the city. And the violent deeds of civil war and + the ravages of invasion swept by like whirlwinds, throwing down the walls, + razing the palaces and towers. And afterwards successive generations + invaded the ruins, installed themselves in them by right of trover and + conquest, turned them into cellars, store-places for forage, and stables + for mules. Kitchen gardens were formed, vines were planted on the spots + where fallen soil had covered the mosaics of the imperial halls. All + around nettles and brambles grew up, and ivy preyed on the overturned + porticoes, till there came a day when the colossal assemblage of palaces + and temples, which marble was to have rendered eternal, seemed to dive + beneath the dust, to disappear under the surging soil and vegetation which + impassive Nature threw over it. And then, in the hot sunlight, among the + wild flowerets, only big, buzzing flies remained, whilst herds of goats + strayed in freedom through the throne-room of Domitian and the fallen + sanctuary of Apollo. + </p> + <p> + A great shudder passed through Pierre. To think of so much strength, + pride, and grandeur, and such rapid ruin—a world for ever swept + away! He wondered how entire palaces, yet peopled by admirable statuary, + could thus have been gradually buried without any one thinking of + protecting them. It was no sudden catastrophe which had swallowed up those + masterpieces, subsequently to be disinterred with exclamations of admiring + wonder; they had been drowned, as it were—caught progressively by + the legs, the waist, and the neck, till at last the head had sunk beneath + the rising tide. And how could one explain that generations had heedlessly + witnessed such things without thought of putting forth a helping hand? It + would seem as if, at a given moment, a black curtain were suddenly drawn + across the world, as if mankind began afresh, with a new and empty brain + which needed moulding and furnishing. Rome had become depopulated; men + ceased to repair the ruins left by fire and sword; the edifices which by + their very immensity had become useless were utterly neglected, allowed to + crumble and fall. And then, too, the new religion everywhere hunted down + the old one, stole its temples, overturned its gods. Earthly deposits + probably completed the disaster—there were, it is said, both + earthquakes and inundations—and the soil was ever rising, the + alluvia of the young Christian world buried the ancient pagan society. And + after the pillaging of the temples, the theft of the bronze roofs and + marble columns, the climax came with the filching of the stones torn from + the Colosseum and the Theatre of Marcellus, with the pounding of the + statuary and sculpture-work, thrown into kilns to procure the lime needed + for the new monuments of Catholic Rome. + </p> + <p> + It was nearly one o’clock, and Pierre awoke as from a dream. The sun-rays + were streaming in a golden rain between the shiny leaves of the ever-green + oaks above him, and down below Rome lay dozing, overcome by the great + heat. Then he made up his mind to leave the garden, and went stumbling + over the rough pavement of the Clivus Victoriae, his mind still haunted by + blinding visions. To complete his day, he had resolved to visit the old + Appian Way during the afternoon, and, unwilling to return to the Via + Giulia, he lunched at a suburban tavern, in a large, dim room, where, + alone with the buzzing flies, he lingered for more than two hours, + awaiting the sinking of the sun. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that Appian Way, that ancient queen of the high roads, crossing the + Campagna in a long straight line with rows of proud tombs on either hand—to + Pierre it seemed like a triumphant prolongation of the Palatine. He there + found the same passion for splendour and domination, the same craving to + eternise the memory of Roman greatness in marble and daylight. Oblivion + was vanquished; the dead refused to rest, and remained for ever erect + among the living, on either side of that road which was traversed by + multitudes from the entire world. The deified images of those who were now + but dust still gazed on the passers-by with empty eyes; the inscriptions + still spoke, proclaiming names and titles. In former times the rows of + sepulchres must have extended without interruption along all the straight, + level miles between the tomb of Cæcilia Metella and that of Casale + Rotondo, forming an elongated cemetery where the powerful and wealthy + competed as to who should leave the most colossal and lavishly decorated + mausoleum: such, indeed, was the craving for survival, the passion for + pompous immortality, the desire to deify death by lodging it in temples; + whereof the present-day monumental splendour of the Genoese Campo Santo + and the Roman Campo Verano is, so to say, a remote inheritance. And what a + vision it was to picture all the tremendous tombs on the right and left of + the glorious pavement which the legions trod on their return from the + conquest of the world! That tomb of Cæcilia Metella, with its bond-stones + so huge, its walls so thick that the middle ages transformed it into the + battlemented keep of a fortress! And then all the tombs which follow, the + modern structures erected in order that the marble fragments discovered + might be set in place, the old blocks of brick and concrete, despoiled of + their sculptured-work and rising up like seared rocks, yet still + suggesting their original shapes as shrines, <i>cippi</i>, and <i>sarcophagi</i>. + There is a wondrous succession of high reliefs figuring the dead in groups + of three and five; statues in which the dead live deified, erect; seats + contrived in niches in order that wayfarers may rest and bless the + hospitality of the dead; laudatory epitaphs celebrating the dead, both the + known and the unknown, the children of Sextius Pompeius Justus, the + departed Marcus Servilius Quartus, Hilarius Fuscus, Rabirius Hermodorus; + without counting the sepulchres venturously ascribed to Seneca and the + Horatii and Curiatii. And finally there is the most extraordinary and + gigantic of all the tombs, that known as Casale Rotondo, which is so large + that it has been possible to establish a farmhouse and an olive garden on + its substructures, which formerly upheld a double rotunda, adorned with + Corinthian pilasters, large candelabra, and scenic masks.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Some believe this tomb to have been that of Messalla Corvinus, + the historian and poet, a friend of Augustus and Horace; others + ascribe it to his son, Aurelius Messallinus Cotta.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre, having driven in a cab as far as the tomb of Cæcilia Metella, + continued his excursion on foot, going slowly towards Casale Rotondo. In + many places the old pavement appears—large blocks of basaltic lava, + worn into deep ruts that jolt the best-hung vehicles. Among the ruined + tombs on either hand run bands of grass, the neglected grass of + cemeteries, scorched by the summer suns and sprinkled with big violet + thistles and tall sulphur-wort. Parapets of dry stones, breast high, + enclose the russet roadsides, which resound with the crepitation of + grasshoppers; and, beyond, the Campagna stretches, vast and bare, as far + as the eye can see. A parasol pine, a eucalyptus, some olive or fig trees, + white with dust, alone rise up near the road at infrequent intervals. On + the left the ruddy arches of the Acqua Claudia show vigorously in the + meadows, and stretches of poorly cultivated land, vineyards, and little + farms, extend to the blue and lilac Sabine and Alban hills, where + Frascati, Rocca di Papa, and Albano set bright spots, which grow and + whiten as one gets nearer to them. Then, on the right, towards the sea, + the houseless, treeless plain grows and spreads with vast, broad ripples, + extraordinary ocean-like simplicity and grandeur, a long, straight line + alone parting it from the sky. At the height of summer all burns and + flares on this limitless prairie, then of a ruddy gold; but in September a + green tinge begins to suffuse the ocean of herbage, which dies away in the + pink and mauve and vivid blue of the fine sunsets. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre, quite alone and in a dreary mood, slowly paced the endless, + flat highway, that resurrection of the past which he had beheld on the + Palatine again confronted his mind’s eye. On either hand the tombs once + more rose up intact, with marble of dazzling whiteness. Had not the head + of a colossal statue been found, mingled with fragments of huge sphinxes, + at the foot of yonder vase-shaped mass of bricks? He seemed to see the + entire colossal statue standing again between the huge, crouching beasts. + Farther on a beautiful headless statue of a woman had been discovered in + the cella of a sepulchre, and he beheld it, again whole, with features + expressive of grace and strength smiling upon life. The inscriptions also + became perfect; he could read and understand them at a glance, as if + living among those dead ones of two thousand years ago. And the road, too, + became peopled: the chariots thundered, the armies tramped along, the + people of Rome jostled him with the feverish agitation of great + communities. It was a return of the times of the Flavians or the + Antonines, the palmy years of the empire, when the pomp of the Appian Way, + with its grand sepulchres, carved and adorned like temples, attained its + apogee. What a monumental Street of Death, what an approach to Rome, that + highway, straight as an arrow, where with the extraordinary pomp of their + pride, which had survived their dust, the great dead greeted the + traveller, ushered him into the presence of the living! He may well have + wondered among what sovereign people, what masters of the world, he was + about to find himself—a nation which had committed to its dead the + duty of telling strangers that it allowed nothing whatever to perish—that + its dead, like its city, remained eternal and glorious in monuments of + extraordinary vastness! To think of it—the foundations of a + fortress, and a tower sixty feet in diameter, that one woman might be laid + to rest! And then, far away, at the end of the superb, dazzling highway, + bordered with the marble of its funereal palaces, Pierre, turning round, + distinctly beheld the Palatine, with the marble of its imperial palaces—the + huge assemblage of palaces whose omnipotence had dominated the world! + </p> + <p> + But suddenly he started: two carabiniers had just appeared among the + ruins. The spot was not safe; the authorities watched over tourists even + in broad daylight. And later on came another meeting which caused him some + emotion. He perceived an ecclesiastic, a tall old man, in a black cassock, + edged and girt with red; and was surprised to recognise Cardinal + Boccanera, who had quitted the roadway, and was slowly strolling along the + band of grass, among the tall thistles and sulphur-wort. With his head + lowered and his feet brushing against the fragments of the tombs, the + Cardinal did not even see Pierre. The young priest courteously turned + aside, surprised to find him so far from home and alone. Then, on + perceiving a heavy coach, drawn by two black horses, behind a building, he + understood matters. A footman in black livery was waiting motionless + beside the carriage, and the coachman had not quitted his box. And Pierre + remembered that the Cardinals were not expected to walk in Rome, so that + they were compelled to drive into the country when they desired to take + exercise. But what haughty sadness, what solitary and, so to say, + ostracised grandeur there was about that tall, thoughtful old man, thus + forced to seek the desert, and wander among the tombs, in order to breathe + a little of the evening air! + </p> + <p> + Pierre had lingered there for long hours; the twilight was coming on, and + once again he witnessed a lovely sunset. On his left the Campagna became + blurred, and assumed a slaty hue, against which the yellowish arcades of + the aqueduct showed very plainly, while the Alban hills, far away, faded + into pink. Then, on the right, towards the sea, the planet sank among a + number of cloudlets, figuring an archipelago of gold in an ocean of dying + embers. And excepting the sapphire sky, studded with rubies, above the + endless line of the Campagna, which was likewise changed into a sparkling + lake, the dull green of the herbage turning to a liquid emerald tint, + there was nothing to be seen, neither a hillock nor a flock—nothing, + indeed, but Cardinal Boccanera’s black figure, erect among the tombs, and + looking, as it were, enlarged as it stood out against the last purple + flush of the sunset. + </p> + <p> + Early on the following morning Pierre, eager to see everything, returned + to the Appian Way in order to visit the catacomb of St. Calixtus, the most + extensive and remarkable of the old Christian cemeteries, and one, too, + where several of the early popes were buried. You ascend through a + scorched garden, past olives and cypresses, reach a shanty of boards and + plaster in which a little trade in “articles of piety” is carried on, and + there a modern and fairly easy flight of steps enables you to descend. + Pierre fortunately found there some French Trappists, who guard these + catacombs and show them to strangers. One brother was on the point of + going down with two French ladies, the mother and daughter, the former + still comely and the other radiant with youth. They stood there smiling, + though already slightly frightened, while the monk lighted some long, slim + candles. He was a man with a bossy brow, the large, massive jaw of an + obstinate believer and pale eyes bespeaking an ingenuous soul. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé,” he said to Pierre, “you’ve come just in time. If + the ladies are willing, you had better come with us; for three Brothers + are already below with people, and you would have a long time to wait. + This is the great season for visitors.” + </p> + <p> + The ladies politely nodded, and the Trappist handed a candle to the + priest. In all probability neither mother nor daughter was devout, for + both glanced askance at their new companion’s cassock, and suddenly became + serious. Then they all went down and found themselves in a narrow + subterranean corridor. “Take care, mesdames,” repeated the Trappist, + lighting the ground with his candle. “Walk slowly, for there are + projections and slopes.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in a shrill voice full of extraordinary conviction, he began his + explanations. Pierre had descended in silence, his heart beating with + emotion. Ah! how many times, indeed, in his innocent seminary days, had he + not dreamt of those catacombs of the early Christians, those asylums of + the primitive faith! Even recently, while writing his book, he had often + thought of them as of the most ancient and venerable remains of that + community of the lowly and simple, for the return of which he called. But + his brain was full of pages written by poets and great prose writers. He + had beheld the catacombs through the magnifying glass of those imaginative + authors, and had believed them to be vast, similar to subterranean cities, + with broad highways and spacious halls, fit for the accommodation of vast + crowds. And now how poor and humble the reality! + </p> + <p> + “Well, yes,” said the Trappist in reply to the ladies’ questions, “the + corridor is scarcely more than a yard in width; two persons could not pass + along side by side. How they dug it? Oh! it was simple enough. A family or + a burial association needed a place of sepulchre. Well, a first gallery + was excavated with pickaxes in soil of this description—granular + tufa, as it is called—a reddish substance, as you can see, both soft + and yet resistant, easy to work and at the same time waterproof. In a + word, just the substance that was needed, and one, too, that has preserved + the remains of the buried in a wonderful way.” He paused and brought the + flamelet of his candle near to the compartments excavated on either hand + of the passage. “Look,” he continued, “these are the <i>loculi</i>. Well, + a subterranean gallery was dug, and on both sides these compartments were + hollowed out, one above the other. The bodies of the dead were laid in + them, for the most part simply wrapped in shrouds. Then the aperture was + closed with tiles or marble slabs, carefully cemented. So, as you can see, + everything explains itself. If other families joined the first one, or the + burial association became more numerous, fresh galleries were added to + those already filled. Passages were excavated on either hand, in every + sense; and, indeed, a second and lower storey, at times even a third, was + dug out. And here, you see, we are in a gallery which is certainly + thirteen feet high. Now, you may wonder how they raised the bodies to + place them in the compartments of the top tier. Well, they did not raise + them to any such height; in all their work they kept on going lower and + lower, removing more and more of the soil as the compartments became + filled. And in this wise, in these catacombs of St. Calixtus, in less than + four centuries, the Christians excavated more than ten miles of galleries, + in which more than a million of their dead must have been laid to rest. + Now, there are dozens of catacombs; the environs of Rome are honeycombed + with them. Think of that, and perhaps you will be able to form some idea + of the vast number of people who were buried in this manner.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened, feeling greatly impressed. He had once visited a coal pit + in Belgium, and he here found the same narrow passages, the same heavy, + stifling atmosphere, the same nihility of darkness and silence. The + flamelets of the candles showed merely like stars in the deep gloom; they + shed no radiance around. And he at last understood the character of this + funereal, termite-like labour—these chance burrowings continued + according to requirements, without art, method, or symmetry. The rugged + soil was ever ascending and descending, the sides of the gallery snaked: + neither plumb-line nor square had been used. All this, indeed, had simply + been a work of charity and necessity, wrought by simple, willing + grave-diggers, illiterate craftsmen, with the clumsy handiwork of the + decline and fall. Proof thereof was furnished by the inscriptions and + emblems on the marble slabs. They reminded one of the childish drawings + which street urchins scrawl upon blank walls. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” the Trappist continued, “most frequently there is merely a + name; and sometimes there is no name, but simply the words <i>In Pace</i>. + At other times there is an emblem, the dove of purity, the palm of + martyrdom, or else the fish whose name in Greek is composed of five + letters which, as initials, signify: ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.’” + </p> + <p> + He again brought his candle near to the marble slabs, and the palm could + be distinguished: a central stroke, whence started a few oblique lines; + and then came the dove or the fish, roughly outlined, a zigzag indicating + a tail, two bars representing the bird’s feet, while a round point + simulated an eye. And the letters of the short inscriptions were all + askew, of various sizes, often quite misshapen, as in the coarse + handwriting of the ignorant and simple. + </p> + <p> + However, they reached a crypt, a sort of little hall, where the graves of + several popes had been found; among others that of Sixtus II, a holy + martyr, in whose honour there was a superbly engraved metrical inscription + set up by Pope Damasus. Then, in another hall, a family vault of much the + same size, decorated at a later stage, with naive mural paintings, the + spot where St. Cecilia’s body had been discovered was shown. And the + explanations continued. The Trappist dilated on the paintings, drawing + from them a confirmation of every dogma and belief, baptism, the + Eucharist, the resurrection, Lazarus arising from the tomb, Jonas cast up + by the whale, Daniel in the lions’ den, Moses drawing water from the rock, + and Christ—shown beardless, as was the practice in the early ages—accomplishing + His various miracles. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” repeated the Trappist, “all those things are shown there; and + remember that none of the paintings was specially prepared: they are + absolutely authentic.” + </p> + <p> + At a question from Pierre, whose astonishment was increasing, he admitted + that the catacombs had been mere cemeteries at the outset, when no + religious ceremonies had been celebrated in them. It was only later, in + the fourth century, when the martyrs were honoured, that the crypts were + utilised for worship. And in the same way they only became places of + refuge during the persecutions, when the Christians had to conceal the + entrances to them. Previously they had remained freely and legally open. + This was indeed their true history: cemeteries four centuries old becoming + places of asylum, ravaged at times during the persecutions; afterwards + held in veneration till the eighth century; then despoiled of their holy + relics, and subsequently blocked up and forgotten, so that they remained + buried during more than seven hundred years, people thinking of them so + little that at the time of the first searches in the fifteenth century + they were considered an extraordinary discovery—an intricate + historical problem—one, moreover, which only our own age has solved. + </p> + <p> + “Please stoop, mesdames,” resumed the Trappist. “In this compartment here + is a skeleton which has not been touched. It has been lying here for + sixteen or seventeen hundred years, and will show you how the bodies were + laid out. Savants say that it is the skeleton of a female, probably a + young girl. It was still quite perfect last spring; but the skull, as you + can see, is now split open. An American broke it with his walking stick to + make sure that it was genuine.” + </p> + <p> + The ladies leaned forward, and the flickering light illumined their pale + faces, expressive of mingled fright and compassion. Especially noticeable + was the pitiful, pain-fraught look which appeared on the countenance of + the daughter, so full of life with her red lips and large black eyes. Then + all relapsed into gloom, and the little candles were borne aloft and went + their way through the heavy darkness of the galleries. The visit lasted + another hour, for the Trappist did not spare a detail, fond as he was of + certain nooks and corners, and as zealous as if he desired to work the + redemption of his visitors. + </p> + <p> + While Pierre followed the others, a complete evolution took place within + him. As he looked about him, and formed a more and more complete idea of + his surroundings, his first stupefaction at finding the reality so + different from the embellished accounts of story-tellers and poets, his + disillusion at being plunged into such rudely excavated mole-burrows, gave + way to fraternal emotion. It was not that he thought of the fifteen + hundred martyrs whose sacred bones had rested there. But how humble, + resigned, yet full of hope had been those who had chosen such a place of + sepulchre! Those low, darksome galleries were but temporary + sleeping-places for the Christians. If they did not burn the bodies of + their dead, as the Pagans did, it was because, like the Jews, they + believed in the resurrection of the body; and it was that lovely idea of + sleep, of tranquil rest after a just life, whilst awaiting the celestial + reward, which imparted such intense peacefulness, such infinite charm, to + the black, subterranean city. Everything there spoke of calm and silent + night; everything there slumbered in rapturous quiescence, patient until + the far-off awakening. What could be more touching than those terra-cotta + tiles, those marble slabs, which bore not even a name—nothing but + the words <i>In Pace</i>—at peace. Ah! to be at peace—life’s + work at last accomplished; to sleep in peace, to hope in peace for the + advent of heaven! And the peacefulness seemed the more delightful as it + was enjoyed in such deep humility. Doubtless the diggers worked + chance-wise and clumsily; the craftsmen no longer knew how to engrave a + name or carve a palm or a dove. Art had vanished; but all the feebleness + and ignorance were instinct with the youth of a new humanity. Poor and + lowly and meek ones swarmed there, reposing beneath the soil, whilst up + above the sun continued its everlasting task. You found there charity and + fraternity and death; husband and wife often lying together with their + offspring at their feet; the great mass of the unknown submerging the + personage, the bishop, or the martyr; the most touching equality—that + springing from modesty—prevailing amidst all that dust, with + compartments ever similar and slabs destitute of ornament, so that rows + and rows of the sleepers mingled without distinctive sign. The + inscriptions seldom ventured on a word of praise, and then how prudent, + how delicate it was: the men were very worthy, very pious: the women very + gentle, very beautiful, very chaste. A perfume of infancy arose, unlimited + human affection spread: this was death as understood by the primitive + Christians—death which hid itself to await the resurrection, and + dreamt no more of the empire of the world! + </p> + <p> + And all at once before Pierre’s eyes arose a vision of the sumptuous tombs + of the Appian Way, displaying the domineering pride of a whole + civilisation in the sunlight—tombs of vast dimensions, with a + profusion of marbles, grandiloquent inscriptions, and masterpieces of + sculptured-work. Ah! what an extraordinary contrast between that pompous + avenue of death, conducting, like a highway of triumph, to the regal + Eternal City, when compared with the subterranean necropolis of the + Christians, that city of hidden death, so gentle, so beautiful, and so + chaste! Here only quiet slumber, desired and accepted night, resignation + and patience were to be found. Millions of human beings had here laid + themselves to rest in all humility, had slept for centuries, and would + still be sleeping here, lulled by the silence and the gloom, if the living + had not intruded on their desire to remain in oblivion so long as the + trumpets of the Judgment Day did not awaken them. Death had then spoken of + Life: nowhere had there been more intimate and touching life than in these + buried cities of the unknown, lowly dead. And a mighty breath had formerly + come from them—the breath of a new humanity destined to renew the + world. With the advent of meekness, contempt for the flesh, terror and + hatred of nature, relinquishment of terrestrial joys, and a passion for + death, which delivers and opens the portals of Paradise, another world had + begun. And the blood of Augustus, so proud of purpling in the sunlight, so + fired by the passion for sovereign dominion, seemed for a moment to + disappear, as if, indeed, the new world had sucked it up in the depths of + its gloomy sepulchres. + </p> + <p> + However, the Trappist insisted on showing the ladies the steps of + Diocletian, and began to tell them the legend. “Yes,” said he, “it was a + miracle. One day, under that emperor, some soldiers were pursuing several + Christians, who took refuge in these catacombs; and when the soldiers + followed them inside the steps suddenly gave way, and all the persecutors + were hurled to the bottom. The steps remain broken to this day. Come and + see them; they are close by.” + </p> + <p> + But the ladies were quite overcome, so affected by their prolonged sojourn + in the gloom and by the tales of death which the Trappist had poured into + their ears that they insisted on going up again. Moreover, the candles + were coming to an end. They were all dazzled when they found themselves + once more in the sunlight, outside the little hut where articles of piety + and souvenirs were sold. The girl bought a paper weight, a piece of marble + on which was engraved the fish symbolical of “Jesus Christ, Son of God, + Saviour of Mankind.” + </p> + <p> + On the afternoon of that same day Pierre decided to visit St. Peter’s. He + had as yet only driven across the superb piazza with its obelisk and twin + fountains, encircled by Bernini’s colonnades, those four rows of columns + and pilasters which form a girdle of monumental majesty. At the far end + rises the basilica, its façade making it look smaller and heavier than it + really is, but its sovereign dome nevertheless filling the heavens. + </p> + <p> + Pebbled, deserted inclines stretched out, and steps followed steps, worn + and white, under the burning sun; but at last Pierre reached the door and + went in. It was three o’clock. Broad sheets of light streamed in through + the high square windows, and some ceremony—the vesper service, no + doubt—was beginning in the Capella Clementina on the left. Pierre, + however, heard nothing; he was simply struck by the immensity of the + edifice, as with raised eyes he slowly walked along. At the entrance came + the giant basins for holy water with their boy-angels as chubby as Cupids; + then the nave, vaulted and decorated with sunken coffers; then the four + cyclopean buttress-piers upholding the dome, and then again the transepts + and apsis, each as large as one of our churches. And the proud pomp, the + dazzling, crushing splendour of everything, also astonished him: he + marvelled at the cupola, looking like a planet, resplendent with the gold + and bright colours of its mosaic-work, at the sumptuous <i>baldacchino</i> + of bronze, crowning the high altar raised above the very tomb of St. + Peter, and whence descend the double steps of the Confession, illumined by + seven and eighty lamps, which are always kept burning. And finally he was + lost in astonishment at the extraordinary profusion of marble, both white + and coloured. Oh! those polychromatic marbles, Bernini’s luxurious + passion! The splendid pavement reflecting the entire edifice, the facings + of the pilasters with their medallions of popes, the tiara and the keys + borne aloft by chubby angels, the walls covered with emblems, particularly + the dove of Innocent X, the niches with their colossal statues uncouth in + taste, the <i>loggie</i> and their balconies, the balustrade and double + steps of the Confession, the rich altars and yet richer tombs—all, + nave, aisles, transepts, and apsis, were in marble, resplendent with the + wealth of marble; not a nook small as the palm of one’s hand appearing but + it showed the insolent opulence of marble. And the basilica triumphed, + beyond discussion, recognised and admired by every one as the largest and + most splendid church in the whole world—the personification of + hugeness and magnificence combined. + </p> + <p> + Pierre still wandered on, gazing, overcome, as yet not distinguishing + details. He paused for a moment before the bronze statue of St. Peter, + seated in a stiff, hierarchical attitude on a marble pedestal. A few of + the faithful were there kissing the large toe of the Saint’s right foot. + Some of them carefully wiped it before applying their lips; others, with + no thought of cleanliness, kissed it, pressed their foreheads to it, and + then kissed it again. Next, Pierre turned into the transept on the left, + where stand the confessionals. Priests are ever stationed there, ready to + confess penitents in every language. Others wait, holding long staves, + with which they lightly tap the heads of kneeling sinners, who thereby + obtain thirty days’ indulgence. However, there were few people present, + and inside the small wooden boxes the priests occupied their leisure time + in reading and writing, as if they were at home. Then Pierre again found + himself before the Confession, and gazed with interest at the eighty + lamps, scintillating like stars. The high altar, at which the Pope alone + can officiate, seemed wrapped in the haughty melancholy of solitude under + its gigantic, flowery <i>baldacchino</i>, the casting and gilding of which + cost two and twenty thousand pounds. But suddenly Pierre remembered the + ceremony in the Capella Clementina, and felt astonished, for he could hear + nothing of it. As he drew near a faint breath, like the far-away piping of + a flute, was wafted to him. Then the volume of sound slowly increased, but + it was only on reaching the chapel that he recognised an organ peal. The + sunlight here filtered through red curtains drawn before the windows, and + thus the chapel glowed like a furnace whilst resounding with the grave + music. But in that huge pile all became so slight, so weak, that at sixty + paces neither voice nor organ could be distinguished. + </p> + <p> + On entering the basilica Pierre had fancied that it was quite empty and + lifeless. There were, however, some people there, but so few and far + between that their presence was not noticed. A few tourists wandered about + wearily, guide-book in hand. In the grand nave a painter with his easel + was taking a view, as in a public gallery. Then a French seminary went by, + conducted by a prelate who named and explained the tombs. But in all that + space these fifty or a hundred people looked merely like a few black ants + who had lost themselves and were vainly seeking their way. And Pierre + pictured himself in some gigantic gala hall or tremendous vestibule in an + immeasurable palace of reception. The broad sheets of sunlight streaming + through the lofty square windows of plain white glass illumined the church + with blending radiance. There was not a single stool or chair: nothing but + the superb, bare pavement, such as you might find in a museum, shining + mirror-like under the dancing shower of sunrays. Nor was there a single + corner for solitary reflection, a nook of gloom and mystery, where one + might kneel and pray. In lieu thereof the sumptuous, sovereign dazzlement + of broad daylight prevailed upon every side. And, on thus suddenly finding + himself in this deserted opera-house, all aglow with flaring gold and + purple, Pierre could but remember the quivering gloom of the Gothic + cathedrals of France, where dim crowds sob and supplicate amidst a forest + of pillars. In presence of all this ceremonial majesty—this huge, + empty pomp, which was all Body—he recalled with a pang the emaciate + architecture and statuary of the middle ages, which were all Soul. He + vainly sought for some poor, kneeling woman, some creature swayed by faith + or suffering, yielding in a modest half-light to thoughts of the unknown, + and with closed lips holding communion with the invisible. These he found + not: there was but the weary wandering of the tourists, and the bustle of + the prelates conducting the young priests to the obligatory stations; + while the vesper service continued in the left-hand chapel, nought of it + reaching the ears of the visitors save, perhaps, a confused vibration, as + of the peal of a bell penetrating from outside through the vaults above. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre then understood that this was the splendid skeleton of a + colossus whence life was departing. To fill it, to animate it with a soul, + all the gorgeous display of great religious ceremonies was needed; the + eighty thousand worshippers which it could hold, the great pontifical + pomps, the festivals of Christmas and Easter, the processions and <i>cortèges</i> + displaying all the luxury of the Church amidst operatic scenery and + appointments. And he tried to conjure up a picture of the past + magnificence—the basilica overflowing with an idolatrous multitude, + and the superhuman <i>cortège</i> passing along whilst every head was + lowered; the cross and the sword opening the march, the cardinals going + two by two, like twin divinities, in their rochets of lace and their + mantles and robes of red moire, which train-bearers held up behind them; + and at last, with Jove-like pomp, the Pope, carried on a stage draped with + red velvet, seated in an arm-chair of red velvet and gold, and dressed in + white velvet, with cope of gold, stole of gold, and tiara of gold. The + bearers of the <i>Sedia gestatoria</i>* shone bravely in red tunics + broidered with gold. Above the one and only Sovereign Pontiff of the world + the <i>flabelli</i> waved those huge fans of feathers which formerly were + waved before the idols of pagan Rome. And around the seat of triumph what + a dazzling, glorious court there was! The whole pontifical family, the + stream of assistant prelates, the patriarchs, the archbishops, and the + bishops, with vestments and mitres of gold, the <i>Camerieri segreti + partecipanti</i> in violet silk, the <i>Camerieri partecipanti</i> of the + cape and the sword in black velvet Renascence costumes, with ruffs and + golden chains, the whole innumerable ecclesiastical and laical suite, + which not even a hundred pages of the “Gerarchia” can completely + enumerate, the prothonotaries, the chaplains, the prelates of every class + and degree, without mentioning the military household, the gendarmes with + their busbies, the Palatine Guards in blue trousers and black tunics, the + Swiss Guards costumed in red, yellow, and black, with breastplates of + silver, suggesting the men at arms of some drama of the Romantic school, + and the Noble Guards, superb in their high boots, white pigskins, red + tunics, gold lace, epaulets, and helmets! However, since Rome had become + the capital of Italy the doors were no longer thrown wide open; on the + rare occasions when the Pope yet came down to officiate, to show himself + as the supreme representative of the Divinity on earth, the basilica was + filled with chosen ones. To enter it you needed a card of invitation. You + no longer saw the people—a throng of fifty, even eighty, thousand + Christians—flocking to the Church and swarming within it + promiscuously; there was but a select gathering, a congregation of friends + convened as for a private function. Even when, by dint of effort, + thousands were collected together there, they formed but a picked audience + invited to the performance of a monster concert. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The chair and stage are known by that name.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + And as Pierre strolled among the bright, crude marbles in that cold if + gorgeous museum, the feeling grew upon him that he was in some pagan + temple raised to the deity of Light and Pomp. The larger temples of + ancient Rome were certainly similar piles, upheld by the same precious + columns, with walls covered with the same polychromatic marbles and + vaulted ceilings having the same gilded panels. And his feeling was + destined to become yet more acute after his visits to the other basilicas, + which could but reveal the truth to him. First one found the Christian + Church quietly, audaciously quartering itself in a pagan church, as, for + instance, San Lorenzo in Miranda installed in the temple of Antoninus and + Faustina, and retaining the latter’s rare porticus in <i>cipollino</i> + marble and its handsome white marble entablature. Then there was the + Christian Church springing from the ruins of the destroyed pagan edifice, + as, for example, San Clemente, beneath which centuries of contrary beliefs + are stratified: a very ancient edifice of the time of the kings or the + republic, then another of the days of the empire identified as a temple of + Mithras, and next a basilica of the primitive faith. Then, too, there was + the Christian Church, typified by that of Saint Agnes-beyond-the-walls + which had been built on exactly the same pattern as the Roman secular + basilica—that Tribunal and Exchange which accompanied every Forum. + And, in particular, there was the Christian Church erected with material + stolen from the demolished pagan temples. To this testified the sixteen + superb columns of that same Saint Agnes, columns of various marbles + filched from various gods; the one and twenty columns of Santa Maria in + Trastevere, columns of all sorts of orders torn from a temple of Isis and + Serapis, who even now are represented on their capitals; also the six and + thirty white marble Ionic columns of Santa Maria Maggiore derived from the + temple of Juno Lucina; and the two and twenty columns of Santa Maria in + Ara Coeli, these varying in substance, size, and workmanship, and certain + of them said to have been stolen from Jove himself, from the famous temple + of Jupiter Capitolinus which rose upon the sacred summit. In addition, the + temples of the opulent Imperial period seemed to resuscitate in our times + at San Giovanni in Laterano and San Paolo-fuori-le-mura. Was not that + Basilica of San Giovanni—“the Mother and Head of all the churches of + the city and the earth”—like the abode of honour of some pagan + divinity whose splendid kingdom was of this world? It boasted five naves, + parted by four rows of columns; it was a profusion of bas-reliefs, + friezes, and entablatures, and its twelve colossal statues of the Apostles + looked like subordinate deities lining the approach to the master of the + gods! And did not San Paolo, lately completed, its new marbles shimmering + like mirrors, recall the abode of the Olympian immortals, typical temple + as it was with its majestic colonnade, its flat, gilt-panelled ceiling, + its marble pavement incomparably beautiful both in substance and + workmanship, its violet columns with white bases and capitals, and its + white entablature with violet frieze: everywhere, indeed, you found, the + mingling of those two colours so divinely carnal in their harmony. And + there, as at St. Peter’s, not one patch of gloom, not one nook of mystery + where one might peer into the invisible, could be found! And, withal, St. + Peter’s remained the monster, the colossus, larger than the largest of all + others, an extravagant testimony of what the mad passion for the huge can + achieve when human pride, by dint of spending millions, dreams of lodging + the divinity in an over-vast, over-opulent palace of stone, where in truth + that pride itself, and not the divinity, triumphs! + </p> + <p> + And to think that after long centuries that gala colossus had been the + outcome of the fervour of primitive faith! You found there a blossoming of + that ancient sap, peculiar to the soil of Rome, which in all ages has + thrown up preposterous edifices, of exaggerated hugeness and dazzling and + ruinous luxury. It would seem as if the absolute masters successively + ruling the city brought that passion for cyclopean building with them, + derived it from the soil in which they grew, for they transmitted it one + to the other, without a pause, from civilisation to civilisation, however + diverse and contrary their minds. It has all been, so to say, a continuous + blossoming of human vanity, a passionate desire to set one’s name on an + imperishable wall, and, after being master of the world, to leave behind + one an indestructible trace, a tangible proof of one’s passing glory, an + eternal edifice of bronze and marble fit to attest that glory until the + end of time. At the bottom the spirit of conquest, the proud ambition to + dominate the world, subsists; and when all has crumbled, and a new society + has sprung up from the ruins of its predecessor, men have erred in + imagining it to be cured of the sin of pride, steeped in humility once + more, for it has had the old blood in its veins, and has yielded to the + same insolent madness as its ancestors, a prey to all the violence of its + heredity directly it has become great and strong. Among the illustrious + popes there has not been one that did not seek to build, did not revert to + the traditions of the Caesars, eternising their reigns in stone and + raising temples for resting-places, so as to rank among the gods. Ever the + same passion for terrestrial immortality has burst forth: it has been a + battle as to who should leave the highest, most substantial, most gorgeous + monument; and so acute has been the disease that those who, for lack of + means and opportunity, have been unable to build, and have been forced to + content themselves with repairing, have, nevertheless, desired to bequeath + the memory of their modest achievements to subsequent generations by + commemorative marble slabs engraved with pompous inscriptions! These slabs + are to be seen on every side: not a wall has ever been strengthened but + some pope has stamped it with his arms, not a ruin has been restored, not + a palace repaired, not a fountain cleaned, but the reigning pope has + signed the work with his Roman and pagan title of “Pontifex Maximus.” It + is a haunting passion, a form of involuntary debauchery, the fated + florescence of that compost of ruins, that dust of edifices whence new + edifices are ever arising. And given the perversion with which the old + Roman soil almost immediately tarnished the doctrines of Jesus, that + resolute passion for domination and that desire for terrestrial glory + which wrought the triumph of Catholicism in scorn of the humble and pure, + the fraternal and simple ones of the primitive Church, one may well ask + whether Rome has ever been Christian at all! + </p> + <p> + And whilst Pierre was for the second time walking round the huge basilica, + admiring the tombs of the popes, truth, like a sudden illumination, burst + upon him and filled him with its glow. Ah! those tombs! Yonder in the full + sunlight, in the rosy Campagna, on either side of the Appian Way—that + triumphal approach to Rome, conducting the stranger to the august Palatine + with its crown of circling palaces—there arose the gigantic tombs of + the powerful and wealthy, tombs of unparalleled artistic splendour, + perpetuating in marble the pride and pomp of a strong race that had + mastered the world. Then, near at hand, beneath the sod, in the shrouding + night of wretched mole-holes, other tombs were hidden—the tombs of + the lowly, the poor, and the suffering—tombs destitute of art or + display, but whose very humility proclaimed that a breath of affection and + resignation had passed by, that One had come preaching love and + fraternity, the relinquishment of the wealth of the earth for the + everlasting joys of a future life, and committing to the soil the good + seed of His Gospel, sowing the new humanity which was to transform the + olden world. And, behold, from that seed, buried in the soil for + centuries, behold, from those humble, unobtrusive tombs, where martyrs + slept their last and gentle sleep whilst waiting for the glorious call, + yet other tombs had sprung, tombs as gigantic and as pompous as the + ancient, destroyed sepulchres of the idolaters, tombs uprearing their + marbles among a pagan-temple-like splendour, proclaiming the same + superhuman pride, the same mad passion for universal sovereignty. At the + time of the Renascence Rome became pagan once more; the old imperial blood + frothed up and swept Christianity away with the greatest onslaught ever + directed against it. Ah! those tombs of the popes at St. Peter’s, with + their impudent, insolent glorification of the departed, their sumptuous, + carnal hugeness, defying death and setting immortality upon this earth. + There are giant popes of bronze, allegorical figures and angels of + equivocal character wearing the beauty of lovely girls, of + passion-compelling women with the thighs and the breasts of pagan + goddesses! Paul III is seated on a high pedestal, Justice and Prudence are + almost prostrate at his feet. Urban VIII is between Prudence and Religion, + Innocent XI between Religion and Justice, Innocent XII between Justice and + Charity, Gregory XIII between Religion and Strength. Attended by Prudence + and Justice, Alexander VII appears kneeling, with Charity and Truth before + him, and a skeleton rises up displaying an empty hour-glass. Clement XIII, + also on his knees, triumphs above a monumental sarcophagus, against which + leans Religion bearing the Cross; while the Genius of Death, his elbow + resting on the right-hand corner, has two huge, superb lions, emblems of + omnipotence, beneath him. Bronze bespeaks the eternity of the figures, + white marble describes opulent flesh, and coloured marble winds around in + rich draperies, deifying the monuments under the bright, golden glow of + nave and aisles. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre passed from one tomb to the other on his way through the + magnificent, deserted, sunlit basilica. Yes, these tombs, so imperial in + their ostentation, were meet companions for those of the Appian Way. + Assuredly it was Rome, the soil of Rome, that soil where pride and + domination sprouted like the herbage of the fields that had transformed + the humble Christianity of primitive times, the religion of fraternity, + justice, and hope into what it now was: victorious Catholicism, allied to + the rich and powerful, a huge implement of government, prepared for the + conquest of every nation. The popes had awoke as Caesars. Remote heredity + had acted, the blood of Augustus had bubbled forth afresh, flowing through + their veins and firing their minds with immeasurable ambition. As yet none + but Augustus had held the empire of the world, had been both emperor and + pontiff, master of the body and the soul. And thence had come the eternal + dream of the popes in despair at only holding the spiritual power, and + obstinately refusing to yield in temporal matters, clinging for ever to + the ancient hope that their dream might at last be realised, and the + Vatican become another Palatine, whence they might reign with absolute + despotism over all the conquered nations. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap31"></a> + VI. + </h2> + <p> + PIERRE had been in Rome for a fortnight, and yet the affair of his book + was no nearer solution. He was still possessed by an ardent desire to see + the Pope, but could in no wise tell how to satisfy it, so frequent were + the delays and so greatly had he been frightened by Monsignor Nani’s + predictions of the dire consequences which might attend any imprudent + action. And so, foreseeing a prolonged sojourn, he at last betook himself + to the Vicariate in order that his “celebret” might be stamped, and + afterwards said his mass each morning at the Church of Santa Brigida, + where he received a kindly greeting from Abbé Pisoni, Benedetta’s former + confessor. + </p> + <p> + One Monday evening he resolved to repair early to Donna Serafina’s + customary reception in the hope of learning some news and expediting his + affairs. Perhaps Monsignor Nani would look in; perhaps he might be lucky + enough to come across some cardinal or domestic prelate willing to help + him. It was in vain that he had tried to extract any positive information + from Don Vigilio, for, after a short spell of affability and willingness, + Cardinal Pio’s secretary had relapsed into distrust and fear, and avoided + Pierre as if he were resolved not to meddle in a business which, all + considered, was decidedly suspicious and dangerous. Moreover, for a couple + of days past a violent attack of fever had compelled him to keep his room. + </p> + <p> + Thus the only person to whom Pierre could turn for comfort was Victorine + Bosquet, the old Beauceronne servant who had been promoted to the rank of + housekeeper, and who still retained a French heart after thirty years’ + residence in Rome. She often spoke to the young priest of Auneau, her + native place, as if she had left it only the previous day; but on that + particular Monday even she had lost her wonted gay vivacity, and when she + heard that he meant to go down in the evening to see the ladies she wagged + her head significantly. “Ah! you won’t find them very cheerful,” said she. + “My poor Benedetta is greatly worried. Her divorce suit is not progressing + at all well.” + </p> + <p> + All Rome, indeed, was again talking of this affair. An extraordinary + revival of tittle-tattle had set both white and black worlds agog. And so + there was no need for reticence on Victorine’s part, especially in + conversing with a compatriot. It appeared, then, that, in reply to + Advocate Morano’s memoir setting forth that the marriage had not been + consummated, there had come another memoir, a terrible one, emanating from + Monsignor Palma, a doctor in theology, whom the Congregation of the + Council had selected to defend the marriage. As a first point, Monsignor + Palma flatly disputed the alleged non-consummation, questioned the + certificate put forward on Benedetta’s behalf, and quoted instances + recorded in scientific text-books which showed how deceptive appearances + often were. He strongly insisted, moreover, on the narrative which Count + Prada supplied in another memoir, a narrative well calculated to inspire + doubt; and, further, he so turned and twisted the evidence of Benedetta’s + own maid as to make that evidence also serve against her. Finally he + argued in a decisive way that, even supposing the marriage had not been + consummated, this could only be ascribed to the resistance of the + Countess, who had thus set at defiance one of the elementary laws of + married life, which was that a wife owed obedience to her husband. + </p> + <p> + Next had come a fourth memoir, drawn up by the reporter of the + Congregation, who analysed and discussed the three others, and + subsequently the Congregation itself had dealt with the matter, opining in + favour of the dissolution of the marriage by a majority of one vote—such + a bare majority, indeed, that Monsignor Palma, exercising his rights, had + hastened to demand further inquiry, a course which brought the whole <i>procédure</i> + again into question, and rendered a fresh vote necessary. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! the poor Contessina!” exclaimed Victorine, “she’ll surely die of + grief, for, calm as she may seem, there’s an inward fire consuming her. It + seems that Monsignor Palma is the master of the situation, and can make + the affair drag on as long as he likes. And then a deal of money had + already been spent, and one will have to spend a lot more. Abbé Pisoni, + whom you know, was very badly inspired when he helped on that marriage; + and though I certainly don’t want to soil the memory of my good mistress, + Countess Ernesta, who was a real saint, it’s none the less true that she + wrecked her daughter’s life when she gave her to Count Prada.” + </p> + <p> + The housekeeper paused. Then, impelled by an instinctive sense of justice, + she resumed. “It’s only natural that Count Prada should be annoyed, for + he’s really being made a fool of. And, for my part, as there is no end to + all the fuss, and this divorce is so hard to obtain, I really don’t see + why the Contessina shouldn’t live with her Dario without troubling any + further. Haven’t they loved one another ever since they were children? + Aren’t they both young and handsome, and wouldn’t they be happy together, + whatever the world might say? Happiness, <i>mon Dieu</i>! one finds it so + seldom that one can’t afford to let it pass.” + </p> + <p> + Then, seeing how greatly surprised Pierre was at hearing such language, + she began to laugh with the quiet composure of one belonging to the humble + classes of France, whose only desire is a quiet and happy life, + irrespective of matrimonial ties. Next, in more discreet language, she + proceeded to lament another worry which had fallen on the household, + another result of the divorce affair. A rupture had come about between + Donna Serafina and Advocate Morano, who was very displeased with the ill + success of his memoir to the congregation, and accused Father Lorenza—the + confessor of the Boccanera ladies—of having urged them into a + deplorable lawsuit, whose only fruit could be a wretched scandal affecting + everybody. And so great had been Morano’s annoyance that he had not + returned to the Boccanera mansion, but had severed a connection of thirty + years’ standing, to the stupefaction of all the Roman drawing-rooms, which + altogether disapproved of his conduct. Donna Serafina was, for her part, + the more grieved as she suspected the advocate of having purposely picked + the quarrel in order to secure an excuse for leaving her; his real motive, + in her estimation, being a sudden, disgraceful passion for a young and + intriguing woman of the middle classes. + </p> + <p> + That Monday evening, when Pierre entered the drawing-room, hung with + yellow brocatelle of a flowery Louis XIV pattern, he at once realised that + melancholy reigned in the dim light radiating from the lace-veiled lamps. + Benedetta and Celia, seated on a sofa, were chatting with Dario, whilst + Cardinal Sarno, ensconced in an arm-chair, listened to the ceaseless + chatter of the old relative who conducted the little Princess to each + Monday gathering. And the only other person present was Donna Serafina, + seated all alone in her wonted place on the right-hand side of the + chimney-piece, and consumed with secret rage at seeing the chair on the + left-hand side unoccupied—that chair which Morano had always taken + during the thirty years that he had been faithful to her. Pierre noticed + with what anxious and then despairing eyes she observed his entrance, her + glance ever straying towards the door, as though she even yet hoped for + the fickle one’s return. Withal her bearing was erect and proud; she + seemed to be more tightly laced than ever; and there was all the wonted + haughtiness on her hard-featured face, with its jet-black eyebrows and + snowy hair. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had no sooner paid his respects to her than he allowed his own + worry to appear by inquiring whether they would not have the pleasure of + seeing Monsignor Nani that evening. Thereupon Donna Serafina could not + refrain from answering: “Oh! Monsignor Nani is forsaking us like the + others. People always take themselves off when they can be of service.” + </p> + <p> + She harboured a spite against the prelate for having done so little to + further the divorce in spite of his many promises. Beneath his outward + show of extreme willingness and caressing affability he doubtless + concealed some scheme of his own which he was tenaciously pursuing. + However, Donna Serafina promptly regretted the confession which anger had + wrung from her, and resumed: “After all, he will perhaps come. He is so + good-natured, and so fond of us.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of the vivacity of her temperament she really wished to act + diplomatically, so as to overcome the bad luck which had recently set in. + Her brother the Cardinal had told her how irritated he was by the attitude + of the Congregation of the Council; he had little doubt that the frigid + reception accorded to his niece’s suit had been due in part to the desire + of some of his brother cardinals to be disagreeable to him. Personally, he + desired the divorce, as it seemed to him the only means of ensuring the + perpetuation of the family; for Dario obstinately refused to marry any + other woman than his cousin. And thus there was an accumulation of + disasters; the Cardinal was wounded in his pride, his sister shared his + sufferings and on her own side was stricken in the heart, whilst both + lovers were plunged in despair at finding their hopes yet again deferred. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre approached the sofa where the young folks were chatting he found + that they were speaking of the catastrophe. “Why should you be so + despondent?” asked Celia in an undertone. “After all, there was a majority + of a vote in favour of annulling the marriage. Your suit hasn’t been + rejected; there is only a delay.” + </p> + <p> + But Benedetta shook her head. “No, no! If Monsignor Palma proves obstinate + his Holiness will never consent. It’s all over.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! if one were only rich, very rich!” murmured Dario, with such an air + of conviction that no one smiled. And, turning to his cousin, he added in + a whisper: “I must really have a talk with you. We cannot go on living + like this.” + </p> + <p> + In a breath she responded: “Yes, you are right. Come down to-morrow + evening at five. I will be here alone.” + </p> + <p> + Then dreariness set in; the evening seemed to have no end. Pierre was + greatly touched by the evident despair of Benedetta, who as a rule was so + calm and sensible. The deep eyes which illumined her pure, delicate, + infantile face were now blurred as by restrained tears. He had already + formed a sincere affection for her, pleased as he was with her equable if + somewhat indolent disposition, the semblance of discreet good sense with + which she veiled her soul of fire. That Monday even she certainly tried to + smile while listening to the pretty secrets confided to her by Celia, + whose love affairs were prospering far more than her own. There was only + one brief interval of general conversation, and that was brought about by + the little Princess’s aunt, who, suddenly raising her voice, began to + speak of the infamous manner in which the Italian newspapers referred to + the Holy Father. Never, indeed, had there been so much bad feeling between + the Vatican and the Quirinal. Cardinal Sarno felt so strongly on the + subject that he departed from his wonted silence to announce that on the + occasion of the sacrilegious festivities of the Twentieth of September, + celebrating the capture of Rome, the Pope intended to cast a fresh letter + of protest in the face of all the Christian powers, whose indifference + proved their complicity in the odious spoliation of the Church. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, indeed! what folly to try and marry the Pope and the King,” bitterly + exclaimed Donna Serafina, alluding to her niece’s deplorable marriage. + </p> + <p> + The old maid now seemed quite beside herself; it was already so late that + neither Monsignor Nani nor anybody else was expected. However, at the + unhoped-for sound of footsteps her eyes again brightened and turned + feverishly towards the door. But it was only to encounter a final + disappointment. The visitor proved to be Narcisse Habert, who stepped up + to her, apologising for making so late a call. It was Cardinal Sarno, his + uncle by marriage, who had introduced him into this exclusive <i>salon</i>, + where he had received a cordial reception on account of his religious + views, which were said to be most uncompromising. If, however, despite the + lateness of the hour, he had ventured to call there that evening, it was + solely on account of Pierre, whom he at once drew on one side. + </p> + <p> + “I felt sure I should find you here,” he said. “Just now I managed to see + my cousin, Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo, and I have some good news for you. + He will see us to-morrow at about eleven in his rooms at the Vatican.” + Then, lowering his voice: “I think he will endeavour to conduct you to the + Holy Father. Briefly, the audience seems to me assured.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was greatly delighted by this promised certainty, which came to him + so suddenly in that dreary drawing-room, where for a couple of hours he + had been gradually sinking into despair! So at last a solution was at + hand! + </p> + <p> + Meantime Narcisse, after shaking hands with Dario and bowing to Benedetta + and Celia, approached his uncle the Cardinal, who, having rid himself of + the old relation, made up his mind to talk. But his conversation was + confined to the state of his health, and the weather, and sundry + insignificant anecdotes which he had lately heard. Not a word escaped him + respecting the thousand complicated matters with which he dealt at the + Propaganda. It was as though, once outside his office, he plunged into the + commonplace and the unimportant by way of resting from the anxious task of + governing the world. And after he had spoken for a time every one got up, + and the visitors took leave. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t forget,” Narcisse repeated to Pierre, “you will find me at the + Sixtine Chapel to-morrow at ten. And I will show you the Botticellis + before we go to our appointment.” + </p> + <p> + At half-past nine on the following morning Pierre, who had come on foot, + was already on the spacious Piazza of St. Peter’s; and before turning to + the right, towards the bronze gate near one corner of Bernini’s colonnade, + he raised his eyes and lingered, gazing at the Vatican. Nothing to his + mind could be less monumental than the jumble of buildings which, without + semblance of architectural order or regularity of any kind, had grown up + in the shadow cast by the dome of the basilica. Roofs rose one above the + other and broad, flat walls stretched out chance-wise, just as wings and + storeys had been added. The only symmetry observable above the colonnade + was that of the three sides of the court of San Damaso, where the lofty + glass-work which now encloses the old <i>loggie</i> sparkled in the sun + between the ruddy columns and pilasters, suggesting, as it were, three + huge conservatories. + </p> + <p> + And this was the most beautiful palace in the world, the largest of all + palaces, comprising no fewer than eleven thousand apartments and + containing the most admirable masterpieces of human genius! But Pierre, + disillusioned as he was, had eyes only for the lofty façade on the right, + overlooking the piazza, for he knew that the second-floor windows there + were those of the Pope’s private apartments. And he contemplated those + windows for a long time, and remembered having been told that the fifth + one on the right was that of the Pope’s bed-room, and that a lamp could + always be seen burning there far into the night. + </p> + <p> + What was there, too, behind that gate of bronze which he saw before him—that + sacred portal by which all the kingdoms of the world communicated with the + kingdom of heaven, whose august vicar had secluded himself behind those + lofty, silent walls? From where he stood Pierre gazed on that gate with + its metal panels studded with large square-headed nails, and wondered what + it defended, what it concealed, what it shut off from the view, with its + stern, forbidding air, recalling that of the gate of some ancient + fortress. What kind of world would he find behind it, what treasures of + human charity jealously preserved in yonder gloom, what revivifying hope + for the new nations hungering for fraternity and justice? He took pleasure + in fancying, in picturing the one holy pastor of humanity, ever watching + in the depths of that closed palace, and, while the nations strayed into + hatred, preparing all for the final reign of Jesus, and at last + proclaiming the advent of that reign by transforming our democracies into + the one great Christian community promised by the Saviour. Assuredly the + world’s future was being prepared behind that bronze portal; assuredly it + was that future which would issue forth. + </p> + <p> + But all at once Pierre was amazed to find himself face to face with + Monsignor Nani, who had just left the Vatican on his way to the + neighbouring Palace of the Inquisition, where, as Assessor, he had his + residence. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsignor,” said Pierre, “I am very pleased. My friend Monsieur + Habert is going to present me to his cousin, Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo, + and I think I shall obtain the audience I so greatly desire.” + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Nani smiled with his usual amiable yet keen expression. “Yes, + yes, I know.” But, correcting himself as it were, he added: “I share your + satisfaction, my dear son. Only, you must be prudent.” And then, as if + fearing that the young priest might have understood by his first words + that he had just seen Monsignor Gamba, the most easily terrified prelate + of the whole prudent pontifical family, he related that he had been + running about since an early hour on behalf of two French ladies, who + likewise were dying of a desire to see the Pope. However, he greatly + feared that the help he was giving them would not prove successful. + </p> + <p> + “I will confess to you, Monsignor,” replied Pierre, “that I myself was + getting very discouraged. Yes, it is high time I should find a little + comfort, for my sojourn here is hardly calculated to brace my soul.” + </p> + <p> + He went on in this strain, allowing it to be seen that the sights of Rome + were finally destroying his faith. Such days as those which he had spent + on the Palatine and along the Appian Way, in the Catacombs and at St. + Peter’s, grievously disturbed him, spoilt his dream of Christianity + rejuvenated and triumphant. He emerged from them full of doubt and growing + lassitude, having already lost much of his usually rebellious enthusiasm. + </p> + <p> + Still smiling, Monsignor Nani listened and nodded approvingly. Yes, no + doubt that was the fatal result. He seemed to have foreseen it, and to be + well satisfied thereat. “At all events, my dear son,” said he, “everything + is going on well, since you are now certain that you will see his + Holiness.” + </p> + <p> + “That is true, Monsignor; I have placed my only hope in the very just and + perspicacious Leo XIII. He alone can judge me, since he alone can + recognise in my book his own ideas, which I think I have very faithfully + set forth. Ah! if he be willing he will, in Jesus’ name and by democracy + and science, save this old world of ours!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s enthusiasm was returning again, and Nani, smiling more and more + affably with his piercing eyes and thin lips, again expressed approval: + “Certainly; quite so, my dear son. You will speak to him, you will see.” + </p> + <p> + Then as they both raised their heads and looked towards the Vatican, Nani + carried his amiability so far as to undeceive Pierre with respect to the + Pope’s bed-room. No, the window where a light was seen every evening was + simply that of a landing where the gas was kept burning almost all night. + The window of his Holiness’s bed-chamber was the second one farther on. + Then both relapsed into silence, equally grave as they continued to gaze + at the façade. + </p> + <p> + “Well, till we meet again, my dear son,” said Nani at last. “You will tell + me of your interview, I hope.” + </p> + <p> + As soon as Pierre was alone he went in by the bronze portal, his heart + beating violently, as if he were entering some redoubtable sanctuary where + the future happiness of mankind was elaborated. A sentry was on duty + there, a Swiss guard, who walked slowly up and down in a grey-blue cloak, + below which one only caught a glimpse of his baggy red, black, and yellow + breeches; and it seemed as if this cloak of sober hue were purposely cast + over a disguise in order to conceal its strangeness, which had become + irksome. Then, on the right-hand, came the covered stairway conducting to + the Court of San Damaso; but to reach the Sixtine Chapel it was necessary + to follow a long gallery, with columns on either hand, and ascend the + royal staircase, the Scala Regia. And in this realm of the gigantic, where + every dimension is exaggerated and replete with overpowering majesty, + Pierre’s breath came short as he ascended the broad steps. + </p> + <p> + He was much surprised on entering the Sixtine Chapel, for it at first + seemed to him small, a sort of rectangular and lofty hall, with a delicate + screen of white marble separating the part where guests congregate on the + occasion of great ceremonies from the choir where the cardinals sit on + simple oaken benches, while the inferior prelates remain standing behind + them. On a low platform to the right of the soberly adorned altar is the + pontifical throne; while in the wall on the left opens the narrow singing + gallery with its balcony of marble. And for everything suddenly to spread + out and soar into the infinite one must raise one’s head, allow one’s eyes + to ascend from the huge fresco of the Last Judgment, occupying the whole + of the end wall, to the paintings which cover the vaulted ceiling down to + the cornice extending between the twelve windows of white glass, six on + either hand. + </p> + <p> + Fortunately there were only three or four quiet tourists there; and Pierre + at once perceived Narcisse Habert occupying one of the cardinals’ seats + above the steps where the train-bearers crouch. Motionless, and with his + head somewhat thrown back, the young man seemed to be in ecstasy. But it + was not the work of Michael Angelo that he thus contemplated. His eyes + never strayed from one of the earlier frescoes below the cornice; and on + recognising the priest he contented himself with murmuring: “Ah! my + friend, just look at the Botticelli.” Then, with dreamy eyes, he relapsed + into a state of rapture. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, for his part, had received a great shock both in heart and in + mind, overpowered as he was by the superhuman genius of Michael Angelo. + The rest vanished; there only remained, up yonder, as in a limitless + heaven, the extraordinary creations of the master’s art. That which at + first surprised one was that the painter should have been the sole artisan + of the mighty work. No marble cutters, no bronze workers, no gilders, no + one of another calling had intervened. The painter with his brush had + sufficed for all—for the pilasters, columns, and cornices of marble, + for the statues and the ornaments of bronze, for the <i>fleurons</i> and + roses of gold, for the whole of the wondrously rich decorative work which + surrounded the frescoes. And Pierre imagined Michael Angelo on the day + when the bare vault was handed over to him, covered with plaster, offering + only a flat white surface, hundreds of square yards to be adorned. And he + pictured him face to face with that huge white page, refusing all help, + driving all inquisitive folks away, jealously, violently shutting himself + up alone with his gigantic task, spending four and a half years in fierce + solitude, and day by day adding to his colossal work of creation. Ah! that + mighty work, a task to fill a whole lifetime, a task which he must have + begun with quiet confidence in his own will and power, drawing, as it + were, an entire world from his brain and flinging it there with the + ceaseless flow of creative virility in the full heyday of its omnipotence. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre was yet more overcome when he began to examine these + presentments of humanity, magnified as by the eyes of a visionary, + overflowing in mighty sympathetic pages of cyclopean symbolisation. Royal + grace and nobility, sovereign peacefulness and power—every beauty + shone out like natural florescence. And there was perfect science, the + most audacious foreshortening risked with the certainty of success—an + everlasting triumph of technique over the difficulty which an arched + surface presented. And, in particular, there was wonderful simplicity of + medium; matter was reduced almost to nothingness; a few colours were used + broadly without any studied search for effect or brilliancy. Yet that + sufficed, the blood seethed freely, the muscles projected, the figures + became animated and stood out of their frames with such energy and dash + that it seemed as if a flame were flashing by aloft, endowing all those + beings with superhuman and immortal life. Life, aye, it was life, which + burst forth and triumphed—mighty, swarming life, miraculous life, + the creation of one sole hand possessed of the supreme gift—simplicity + blended with power. + </p> + <p> + That a philosophical system, a record of the whole of human destiny, + should have been found therein, with the creation of the world, of man, + and of woman, the fall, the chastisement, then the redemption, and finally + God’s judgment on the last day—this was a matter on which Pierre was + unable to dwell, at this first visit, in the wondering stupor into which + the paintings threw him. But he could not help noticing how the human + body, its beauty, its power, and its grace were exalted! Ah! that regal + Jehovah, at once terrible and paternal, carried off amid the whirlwind of + his creation, his arms outstretched and giving birth to worlds! And that + superb and nobly outlined Adam, with extended hand, whom Jehovah, though + he touch him not, animates with his finger—a wondrous and admirable + gesture, leaving a sacred space between the finger of the Creator and that + of the created—a tiny space, in which, nevertheless, abides all the + infinite of the invisible and the mysterious. And then that powerful yet + adorable Eve, that Eve with the sturdy flanks fit for the bearing of + humanity, that Eve with the proud, tender grace of a woman bent on being + loved even to perdition, that Eve embodying the whole of woman with her + fecundity, her seductiveness, her empire! Moreover, even the decorative + figures of the pilasters at the corners of the frescoes celebrate the + triumph of the flesh: there are the twenty young men radiant in their + nakedness, with incomparable splendour of torso and of limb, and such + intensity of life that a craze for motion seems to carry them off, bend + them, throw them over in superb attitudes. And between the windows are the + giants, the prophets and the sibyls—man and woman deified, with + inordinate wealth of muscle and grandeur of intellectual expression. There + is Jeremiah with his elbow resting on his knee and his chin on his hand, + plunged as he is in reflection—in the very depths of his visions and + his dreams; there is the Sibylla Erithraea, so pure of profile, so young + despite the opulence of her form, and with one finger resting on the open + book of destiny; there is Isaiah with the thick lips of truth, virile and + haughty, his head half turned and his hand raised with a gesture of + command; there is the Sibylla Cumaea, terrifying with her science and her + old age, her wrinkled countenance, her vulture’s nose, her square + protruding chin; there is Jonah cast forth by the whale, and wondrously + foreshortened, his torso twisted, his arms bent, his head thrown back, and + his mouth agape and shouting: and there are the others, all of the same + full-blown, majestic family, reigning with the sovereignty of eternal + health and intelligence, and typifying the dream of a broader, loftier, + and indestructible humanity. Moreover, in the lunettes and the arches over + the windows other figures of grace, power, and beauty appear and throng, + the ancestors of the Christ, thoughtful mothers with lovely nude infants, + men with wondering eyes peering into the future, representatives of the + punished weary race longing for the promised Redeemer; while in the + pendentives of the four corners various biblical episodes, the victories + of Israel over the Spirit of Evil, spring into life. And finally there is + the gigantic fresco at the far end, the Last Judgment with its swarming + multitude, so numerous that days and days are needed to see each figure + aright, a distracted crowd, full of the hot breath of life, from the dead + rising in response to the furious trumpeting of the angels, from the + fearsome groups of the damned whom the demons fling into hell, even to + Jesus the justiciar, surrounded by the saints and apostles, and to the + radiant concourse of the blessed who ascend upheld by angels, whilst + higher and still higher other angels, bearing the instruments of the + Passion, triumph as in full glory. And yet, above this gigantic + composition, painted thirty years subsequently, in the full ripeness of + age, the ceiling retains its ethereality, its unquestionable superiority, + for on it the artist bestowed all his virgin power, his whole youth, the + first great flare of his genius. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre found but one word to express his feelings: Michael Angelo was + the monster dominating and crushing all others. Beneath his immense + achievement you had only to glance at the works of Perugino, Pinturicchio, + Roselli, Signorelli, and Botticelli, those earlier frescoes, admirable in + their way, which below the cornice spread out around the chapel. + </p> + <p> + Narcisse for his part had not raised his eyes to the overpowering + splendour of the ceiling. Wrapt in ecstasy, he did not allow his gaze to + stray from one of the three frescoes of Botticelli. “Ah! Botticelli,” he + at last murmured; “in him you have the elegance and the grace of the + mysterious; a profound feeling of sadness even in the midst of + voluptuousness, a divination of the whole modern soul, with the most + troublous charm that ever attended artist’s work.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre glanced at him in amazement, and then ventured to inquire: “You + come here to see the Botticellis?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, certainly,” the young man quietly replied; “I only come here for + him, and five hours every week I only look at his work. There, just study + that fresco, Moses and the daughters of Jethro. Isn’t it the most + penetrating work that human tenderness and melancholy have produced?” + </p> + <p> + Then, with a faint, devout quiver in his voice and the air of a priest + initiating another into the delightful but perturbing atmosphere of a + sanctuary, he went on repeating the praises of Botticelli’s art; his women + with long, sensual, yet candid faces, supple bearing, and rounded forms + showing from under light drapery; his young men, his angels of doubtful + sex, blending stateliness of muscle with infinite delicacy of outline; + next the mouths he painted, fleshy, fruit-like mouths, at times suggesting + irony, at others pain, and often so enigmatical with their sinuous curves + that one knew not whether the words they left unuttered were words of + purity or filth; then, too, the eyes which he bestowed on his figures, + eyes of languor and passion, of carnal or mystical rapture, their joy at + times so instinct with grief as they peer into the nihility of human + things that no eyes in the world could be more impenetrable. And finally + there were Botticelli’s hands, so carefully and delicately painted, so + full of life, wantoning so to say in a free atmosphere, now joining, + caressing, and even, as it were, speaking, the whole evincing such intense + solicitude for gracefulness that at times there seems to be undue + mannerism, though every hand has its particular expression, each varying + expression of the enjoyment or pain which the sense of touch can bring. + And yet there was nothing effeminate or false about the painter’s work: on + all sides a sort of virile pride was apparent, an atmosphere of superb + passionate motion, absolute concern for truth, direct study from life, + conscientiousness, veritable realism, corrected and elevated by a genial + strangeness of feeling and character that imparted a never-to-be-forgotten + charm even to ugliness itself. + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s stupefaction, however, increased as he listened to Narcisse, + whose somewhat studied elegance, whose curly hair cut in the Florentine + fashion, and whose blue, mauvish eyes paling with enthusiasm he now for + the first time remarked. “Botticelli,” he at last said, “was no doubt a + marvellous artist, only it seems to me that here, at any rate, Michael + Angelo—” + </p> + <p> + But Narcisse interrupted him almost with violence. “No! no! Don’t talk of + him! He spoilt everything, ruined everything! A man who harnessed himself + to his work like an ox, who laboured at his task like a navvy, at the rate + of so many square yards a day! And a man, too, with no sense of the + mysterious and the unknown, who saw everything so huge as to disgust one + with beauty, painting girls like the trunks of oak-trees, women like giant + butchers, with heaps and heaps of stupid flesh, and never a gleam of a + divine or infernal soul! He was a mason—a colossal mason, if you + like—but he was nothing more.” + </p> + <p> + Weary “modern” that Narcisse was, spoilt by the pursuit of the original + and the rare, he thus unconsciously gave rein to his fated hate of health + and power. That Michael Angelo who brought forth without an effort, who + had left behind him the most prodigious of all artistic creations, was the + enemy. And his crime precisely was that he had created life, produced life + in such excess that all the petty creations of others, even the most + delightful among them, vanished in presence of the overflowing torrent of + human beings flung there all alive in the sunlight. + </p> + <p> + “Well, for my part,” Pierre courageously declared, “I’m not of your + opinion. I now realise that life is everything in art; that real + immortality belongs only to those who create. The case of Michael Angelo + seems to me decisive, for he is the superhuman master, the monster who + overwhelms all others, precisely because he brought forth that magnificent + living flesh which offends your sense of delicacy. Those who are inclined + to the curious, those who have minds of a pretty turn, whose intellects + are ever seeking to penetrate things, may try to improve on the equivocal + and invisible, and set all the charm of art in some elaborate stroke or + symbolisation; but, none the less, Michael Angelo remains the + all-powerful, the maker of men, the master of clearness, simplicity, and + health.” + </p> + <p> + At this Narcisse smiled with indulgent and courteous disdain. And he + anticipated further argument by remarking: “It’s already eleven. My cousin + was to have sent a servant here as soon as he could receive us. I am + surprised to have seen nobody as yet. Shall we go up to see the <i>stanze</i> + of Raffaelle while we wait?” + </p> + <p> + Once in the rooms above, he showed himself perfect, both lucid in his + remarks and just in his appreciations, having recovered all his easy + intelligence as soon as he was no longer upset by his hatred of colossal + labour and cheerful decoration. + </p> + <p> + It was unfortunate that Pierre should have first visited the Sixtine + Chapel; for it was necessary he should forget what he had just seen and + accustom himself to what he now beheld in order to enjoy its pure beauty. + It was as if some potent wine had confused him, and prevented any + immediate relish of a lighter vintage of delicate fragrance. Admiration + did not here fall upon one with lightning speed; it was slowly, + irresistibly that one grew charmed. And the contrast was like that of + Racine beside Corneille, Lamartine beside Hugo, the eternal pair, the + masculine and feminine genius coupled through centuries of glory. With + Raffaelle it is nobility, grace, exquisiteness, and correctness of line, + and divineness of harmony that triumph. You do not find in him merely the + materialist symbolism so superbly thrown off by Michael Angelo; he + introduces psychological analysis of deep penetration into the painter’s + art. Man is shown more purified, idealised; one sees more of that which is + within him. And though one may be in presence of an artist of sentimental + bent, a feminine genius whose quiver of tenderness one can feel, it is + also certain that admirable firmness of workmanship confronts one, that + the whole is very strong and very great. Pierre gradually yielded to such + sovereign masterliness, such virile elegance, such a vision of supreme + beauty set in supreme perfection. But if the “Dispute on the Sacrament” + and the so-called “School of Athens,” both prior to the paintings of the + Sixtine Chapel, seemed to him to be Raffaelle’s masterpieces, he felt that + in the “Burning of the Borgo,” and particularly in the “Expulsion of + Heliodorus from the Temple,” and “Pope St. Leo staying Attila at the Gates + of Rome,” the artist had lost the flower of his divine grace, through the + deep impression which the overwhelming grandeur of Michael Angelo had + wrought upon him. How crushing indeed had been the blow when the Sixtine + Chapel was thrown open and the rivals entered! The creations of the + monster then appeared, and the greatest of the humanisers lost some of his + soul at sight of them, thenceforward unable to rid himself of their + influence. + </p> + <p> + From the <i>stanze</i> Narcisse took Pierre to the <i>loggie</i>, those + glazed galleries which are so high and so delicately decorated. But here + you only find work which pupils executed after designs left by Raffaelle + at his death. The fall was sudden and complete, and never had Pierre + better understood that genius is everything—that when it disappears + the school collapses. The man of genius sums up his period; at a given + hour he throws forth all the sap of the social soil, which afterwards + remains exhausted often for centuries. So Pierre became more particularly + interested in the fine view that the <i>loggie</i> afford, and all at once + he noticed that the papal apartments were in front of him, just across the + Court of San Damaso. This court, with its porticus, fountain, and white + pavement, had an aspect of empty, airy, sunlit solemnity which surprised + him. There was none of the gloom or pent-up religious mystery that he had + dreamt of with his mind full of the surroundings of the old northern + cathedrals. Right and left of the steps conducting to the rooms of the + Pope and the Cardinal Secretary of State four or five carriages were + ranged, the coachmen stiffly erect and the horses motionless in the + brilliant light; and nothing else peopled that vast square desert of a + court which, with its bareness gilded by the coruscations of its + glass-work and the ruddiness of its stones, suggested a pagan temple + dedicated to the sun. But what more particularly struck Pierre was the + splendid panorama of Rome, for he had not hitherto imagined that the Pope + from his windows could thus behold the entire city spread out before him + as if he merely had to stretch forth his hand to make it his own once + more. + </p> + <p> + While Pierre contemplated the scene a sound of voices caused him to turn; + and he perceived a servant in black livery who, after repeating a message + to Narcisse, was retiring with a deep bow. Looking much annoyed, the <i>attaché</i> + approached the young priest. “Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo,” said he, “has + sent word that he can’t see us this morning. Some unexpected duties + require his presence.” However, Narcisse’s embarrassment showed that he + did not believe in the excuse, but rather suspected some one of having so + terrified his cousin that the latter was afraid of compromising himself. + Obliging and courageous as Habert himself was, this made him indignant. + Still he smiled and resumed: “Listen, perhaps there’s a means of forcing + an entry. If your time is your own we can lunch together and then return + to visit the Museum of Antiquities. I shall certainly end by coming across + my cousin and we may, perhaps, be lucky enough to meet the Pope should he + go down to the gardens.” + </p> + <p> + At the news that his audience was yet again postponed Pierre had felt + keenly disappointed. However, as the whole day was at his disposal, he + willingly accepted the <i>attaché’s</i> offer. They lunched in front of + St. Peter’s, in a little restaurant of the Borgo, most of whose customers + were pilgrims, and the fare, as it happened, was far from good. Then at + about two o’clock they set off for the museum, skirting the basilica by + way of the Piazza della Sagrestia. It was a bright, deserted, burning + district; and again, but in a far greater degree, did the young priest + experience that sensation of bare, tawny, sun-baked majesty which had come + upon him while gazing into the Court of San Damaso. Then, as he passed the + apse of St. Peter’s, the enormity of the colossus was brought home to him + more strongly than ever: it rose like a giant bouquet of architecture + edged by empty expanses of pavement sprinkled with fine weeds. And in all + the silent immensity there were only two children playing in the shadow of + a wall. The old papal mint, the Zecca, now an Italian possession, and + guarded by soldiers of the royal army, is on the left of the passage + leading to the museums, while on the right, just in front, is one of the + entrances of honour to the Vatican where the papal Swiss Guard keeps watch + and ward; and this is the entrance by which, according to etiquette, the + pair-horse carriages convey the Pope’s visitors into the Court of San + Damaso. + </p> + <p> + Following the long lane which ascends between a wing of the palace and its + garden wall, Narcisse and Pierre at last reached the Museum of + Antiquities. Ah! what a museum it is, with galleries innumerable, a museum + compounded of three museums, the Pio-Clementino, Chiaramonti, and the + Braccio-Nuovo, and containing a whole world found beneath the soil, then + exhumed, and now glorified in full sunlight. For more than two hours + Pierre went from one hall to another, dazzled by the masterpieces, + bewildered by the accumulation of genius and beauty. It was not only the + celebrated examples of statuary, the Laocoon and the Apollo of the + cabinets of the Belvedere, the Meleager, or even the torso of Hercules—that + astonished him. He was yet more impressed by the <i>ensemble</i>, by the + innumerable quantities of Venuses, Bacchuses, and deified emperors and + empresses, by the whole superb growth of beautiful or August flesh + celebrating the immortality of life. Three days previously he had visited + the Museum of the Capitol, where he had admired the Venus, the Dying + Gaul,* the marvellous Centaurs of black marble, and the extraordinary + collection of busts, but here his admiration became intensified into + stupor by the inexhaustible wealth of the galleries. And, with more + curiosity for life than for art, perhaps, he again lingered before the + busts which so powerfully resuscitate the Rome of history—the Rome + which, whilst incapable of realising the ideal beauty of Greece, was + certainly well able to create life. The emperors, the philosophers, the + learned men, the poets are all there, and live such as they really were, + studied and portrayed in all scrupulousness with their deformities, their + blemishes, the slightest peculiarities of their features. And from this + extreme solicitude for truth springs a wonderful wealth of character and + an incomparable vision of the past. Nothing, indeed, could be loftier: the + very men live once more, and retrace the history of their city, that + history which has been so falsified that the teaching of it has caused + generations of school-boys to hold antiquity in horror. But on seeing the + men, how well one understands, how fully one can sympathise! And indeed + the smallest bits of marble, the maimed statues, the bas-reliefs in + fragments, even the isolated limbs—whether the divine arm of a nymph + or the sinewy, shaggy thigh of a satyr—evoke the splendour of a + civilisation full of light, grandeur, and strength. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Best known in England, through Byron’s lines, as the + Dying Gladiator, though that appellation is certainly + erroneous.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + At last Narcisse brought Pierre back into the Gallery of the Candelabra, + three hundred feet in length and full of fine examples of sculpture. + “Listen, my dear Abbé,” said he. “It is scarcely more than four o’clock, + and we will sit down here for a while, as I am told that the Holy Father + sometimes passes this way to go down to the gardens. It would be really + lucky if you could see him, perhaps even speak to him—who can tell? + At all events, it will rest you, for you must be tired out.” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse was known to all the attendants, and his relationship to + Monsignor Gamba gave him the run of almost the entire Vatican, where he + was fond of spending his leisure time. Finding two chairs, they sat down, + and the <i>attaché</i> again began to talk of art. + </p> + <p> + How astonishing had been the destiny of Rome, what a singular, borrowed + royalty had been hers! She seemed like a centre whither the whole world + converged, but where nothing grew from the soil itself, which from the + outset appeared to be stricken with sterility. The arts required to be + acclimatised there; it was necessary to transplant the genius of + neighbouring nations, which, once there, however, flourished + magnificently. Under the emperors, when Rome was the queen of the earth, + the beauty of her monuments and sculpture came to her from Greece. Later, + when Christianity arose in Rome, it there remained impregnated with + paganism; it was on another soil that it produced Gothic art, the + Christian Art <i>par excellence</i>. Later still, at the Renascence, it + was certainly at Rome that the age of Julius II and Leo X shone forth; but + the artists of Tuscany and Umbria prepared the evolution, brought it to + Rome that it might thence expand and soar. For the second time, indeed, + art came to Rome from without, and gave her the royalty of the world by + blossoming so triumphantly within her walls. Then occurred the + extraordinary awakening of antiquity, Apollo and Venus resuscitated + worshipped by the popes themselves, who from the time of Nicholas V dreamt + of making papal Rome the equal of the imperial city. After the precursors, + so sincere, tender, and strong in their art—Fra Angelico, Perugino, + Botticelli, and so many others—came the two sovereigns, Michael + Angelo and Raffaelle, the superhuman and the divine. Then the fall was + sudden, years elapsed before the advent of Caravaggio with power of colour + and modelling, all that the science of painting could achieve when bereft + of genius. And afterwards the decline continued until Bernini was reached—Bernini, + the real creator of the Rome of the present popes, the prodigal child who + at twenty could already show a galaxy of colossal marble wenches, the + universal architect who with fearful activity finished the façade, built + the colonnade, decorated the interior of St. Peter’s, and raised + fountains, churches, and palaces innumerable. And that was the end of all, + for since then Rome has little by little withdrawn from life, from the + modern world, as though she, who always lived on what she derived from + others, were dying of her inability to take anything more from them in + order to convert it to her own glory. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Bernini, that delightful Bernini!” continued Narcisse with his + rapturous air. “He is both powerful and exquisite, his verve always ready, + his ingenuity invariably awake, his fecundity full of grace and + magnificence. As for their Bramante with his masterpiece, that cold, + correct Cancelleria, we’ll dub him the Michael Angelo and Raffaelle of + architecture and say no more about it. But Bernini, that exquisite + Bernini, why, there is more delicacy and refinement in his pretended bad + taste than in all the hugeness and perfection of the others! Our own age + ought to recognise itself in his art, at once so varied and so deep, so + triumphant in its mannerisms, so full of a perturbing solicitude for the + artificial and so free from the baseness of reality. Just go to the Villa + Borghese to see the group of Apollo and Daphne which Bernini executed when + he was eighteen,* and in particular see his statue of Santa Teresa in + ecstasy at Santa Maria della Vittoria! Ah! that Santa Teresa! It is like + heaven opening, with the quiver that only a purely divine enjoyment can + set in woman’s flesh, the rapture of faith carried to the point of spasm, + the creature losing breath and dying of pleasure in the arms of the + Divinity! I have spent hours and hours before that work without exhausting + the infinite scope of its precious, burning symbolisation.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * There is also at the Villa Borghese Bernini’s <i>Anchises carried + by Aeneas</i>, which he sculptured when only sixteen. No doubt his + faults were many; but it was his misfortune to belong to a + decadent period.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Narcisse’s voice died away, and Pierre, no longer astonished at his + covert, unconscious hatred of health, simplicity, and strength, scarcely + listened to him. The young priest himself was again becoming absorbed in + the idea he had formed of pagan Rome resuscitating in Christian Rome and + turning it into Catholic Rome, the new political, sacerdotal, domineering + centre of earthly government. Apart from the primitive age of the + Catacombs, had Rome ever been Christian? The thoughts that had come to him + on the Palatine, in the Appian Way, and in St. Peter’s were gathering + confirmation. Genius that morning had brought him fresh proof. No doubt + the paganism which reappeared in the art of Michael Angelo and Raffaelle + was tempered, transformed by the Christian spirit. But did it not still + remain the basis? Had not the former master peered across Olympus when + snatching his great nudities from the terrible heavens of Jehovah? Did not + the ideal figures of Raffaelle reveal the superb, fascinating flesh of + Venus beneath the chaste veil of the Virgin? It seemed so to Pierre, and + some embarrassment mingled with his despondency, for all those beautiful + forms glorifying the ardent passions of life, were in opposition to his + dream of rejuvenated Christianity giving peace to the world and reviving + the simplicity and purity of the early ages. + </p> + <p> + All at once he was surprised to hear Narcisse, by what transition he could + not tell, speaking to him of the daily life of Leo XIII. “Yes, my dear + Abbé, at eighty-four* the Holy Father shows the activity of a young man + and leads a life of determination and hard work such as neither you nor I + would care for! At six o’clock he is already up, says his mass in his + private chapel, and drinks a little milk for breakfast. Then, from eight + o’clock till noon, there is a ceaseless procession of cardinals and + prelates, all the affairs of the congregations passing under his eyes, and + none could be more numerous or intricate. At noon the public and + collective audiences usually begin. At two he dines. Then comes the siesta + which he has well earned, or else a promenade in the gardens until six + o’clock. The private audiences then sometimes keep him for an hour or two. + He sups at nine and scarcely eats, lives on nothing, in fact, and is + always alone at his little table. What do you think, eh, of the etiquette + which compels him to such loneliness? There you have a man who for + eighteen years has never had a guest at his table, who day by day sits all + alone in his grandeur! And as soon as ten o’clock strikes, after saying + the Rosary with his familiars, he shuts himself up in his room. But, + although he may go to bed, he sleeps very little; he is frequently + troubled by insomnia, and gets up and sends for a secretary to dictate + memoranda or letters to him. When any interesting matter requires his + attention he gives himself up to it heart and soul, never letting it + escape his thoughts. And his life, his health, lies in all this. His mind + is always busy; his will and strength must always be exerting themselves. + You may know that he long cultivated Latin verse with affection; and I + believe that in his days of struggle he had a passion for journalism, + inspired the articles of the newspapers he subsidised, and even dictated + some of them when his most cherished ideas were in question.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The reader should remember that the period selected for this + narrative is the year 1894. Leo XIII was born in 1810.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Silence fell. At every moment Narcisse craned his neck to see if the + little papal <i>cortège</i> were not emerging from the Gallery of the + Tapestries to pass them on its way to the gardens. “You are perhaps + aware,” he resumed, “that his Holiness is brought down on a low chair + which is small enough to pass through every doorway. It’s quite a journey, + more than a mile, through the <i>loggie</i>, the <i>stanze</i> of + Raffaelle, the painting and sculpture galleries, not to mention the + numerous staircases, before he reaches the gardens, where a pair-horse + carriage awaits him. It’s quite fine this evening, so he will surely come. + We must have a little patience.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst Narcisse was giving these particulars Pierre again sank into a + reverie and saw the whole extraordinary history pass before him. First + came the worldly, ostentatious popes of the Renascence, those who + resuscitated antiquity with so much passion and dreamt of draping the Holy + See with the purple of empire once more. There was Paul II, the + magnificent Venetian who built the Palazzo di Venezia; Sixtus IV, to whom + one owes the Sixtine Chapel; and Julius II and Leo X, who made Rome a city + of theatrical pomp, prodigious festivities, tournaments, ballets, hunts, + masquerades, and banquets. At that time the papacy had just rediscovered + Olympus amidst the dust of buried ruins, and as though intoxicated by the + torrent of life which arose from the ancient soil, it founded the museums, + thus reviving the superb temples of the pagan age, and restoring them to + the cult of universal admiration. Never had the Church been in such peril + of death, for if the Christ was still honoured at St. Peter’s, Jupiter and + all the other gods and goddesses, with their beauteous, triumphant flesh, + were enthroned in the halls of the Vatican. Then, however, another vision + passed before Pierre, one of the modern popes prior to the Italian + occupation—notably Pius IX, who, whilst yet free, often went into + his good city of Rome. His huge red and gold coach was drawn by six + horses, surrounded by Swiss Guards and followed by Noble Guards; but now + and again he would alight in the Corso, and continue his promenade on + foot, and then the mounted men of the escort galloped forward to give + warning and stop the traffic. The carriages drew up, the gentlemen had to + alight and kneel on the pavement, whilst the ladies simply rose and + devoutly inclined their heads, as the Holy Father, attended by his Court, + slowly wended his way to the Piazza del Popolo, smiling and blessing at + every step. And now had come Leo XIII, the voluntary prisoner, shut up in + the Vatican for eighteen years, and he, behind the high, silent walls, in + the unknown sphere where each of his days flowed by so quietly, had + acquired a more exalted majesty, instinct with sacred and redoubtable + mysteriousness. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that Pope whom you no longer meet or see, that Pope hidden from the + common of mankind like some terrible divinity whom the priests alone dare + to approach! It is in that sumptuous Vatican which his forerunners of the + Renascence built and adorned for giant festivities that he has secluded + himself; it is there he lives, far from the crowd, in prison with the + handsome men and the lovely women of Michael Angelo and Raffaelle, with + the gods and goddesses of marble, with the whole of resplendent Olympus + celebrating around him the religion of life and light. With him the entire + Papacy is there steeped in paganism. What a spectacle when the slender, + weak old man, all soul, so purely white, passes along the galleries of the + Museum of Antiquities on his way to the gardens. Right and left the + statues behold him pass with all their bare flesh. There is Jupiter, there + is Apollo, there is Venus the <i>dominatrix</i>, there is Pan, the + universal god in whose laugh the joys of earth ring out. Nereids bathe in + transparent water. Bacchantes roll, unveiled, in the warm grass. Centaurs + gallop by carrying lovely girls, faint with rapture, on their steaming + haunches. Ariadne is surprised by Bacchus, Ganymede fondles the eagle, + Adonis fires youth and maiden with his flame. And on and on passes the + weak, white old man, swaying on his low chair, amidst that splendid + triumph, that display and glorification of the flesh, which shouts aloud + the omnipotence of Nature, of everlasting matter! Since they have found it + again, exhumed it, and honoured it, that it is which once more reigns + there imperishable; and in vain have they set vine leaves on the statues, + even as they have swathed the huge figures of Michael Angelo; sex still + flares on all sides, life overflows, its germs course in torrents through + the veins of the world. Near by, in that Vatican library of incomparable + wealth, where all human science lies slumbering, there lurks a yet more + terrible danger—the danger of an explosion which would sweep away + everything, Vatican and St. Peter’s also, if one day the books in their + turn were to awake and speak aloud as speak the beauty of Venus and the + manliness of Apollo. But the white, diaphanous old man seems neither to + see nor to hear, and the huge heads of Jupiter, the trunks of Hercules, + the equivocal statues of Antinous continue to watch him as he passes on! + </p> + <p> + However, Narcisse had become impatient, and, going in search of an + attendant, he learnt from him that his Holiness had already gone down. To + shorten the distance, indeed, the <i>cortège</i> often passes along a kind + of open gallery leading towards the Mint. “Well, let us go down as well,” + said Narcisse to Pierre; “I will try to show you the gardens.” + </p> + <p> + Down below, in the vestibule, a door of which opened on to a broad path, + he spoke to another attendant, a former pontifical soldier whom he + personally knew. The man at once let him pass with Pierre, but was unable + to tell him whether Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo had accompanied his Holiness + that day. + </p> + <p> + “No matter,” resumed Narcisse when he and his companion were alone in the + path; “I don’t despair of meeting him—and these, you see, are the + famous gardens of the Vatican.” + </p> + <p> + They are very extensive grounds, and the Pope can go quite two and a half + miles by passing along the paths of the wood, the vineyard, and the + kitchen garden. Occupying the plateau of the Vatican hill, which the + medieval wall of Leo IV still girdles, the gardens are separated from the + neighbouring valleys as by a fortified rampart. The wall formerly + stretched to the castle of Sant’ Angelo, thereby forming what was known as + the Leonine City. No inquisitive eyes can peer into the grounds excepting + from the dome of St. Peter’s, which casts its huge shadow over them during + the hot summer weather. They are, too, quite a little world, which each + pope has taken pleasure in embellishing. There is a large parterre with + lawns of geometrical patterns, planted with handsome palms and adorned + with lemon and orange trees in pots; there is a less formal, a shadier + garden, where, amidst deep plantations of yoke-elms, you find Giovanni + Vesanzio’s fountain, the Aquilone, and Pius IV’s old Casino; then, too, + there are the woods with their superb evergreen oaks, their thickets of + plane-trees, acacias, and pines, intersected by broad avenues, which are + delightfully pleasant for leisurely strolls; and finally, on turning to + the left, beyond other clumps of trees, come the kitchen garden and the + vineyard, the last well tended. + </p> + <p> + Whilst walking through the wood Narcisse told Pierre of the life led by + the Holy Father in these gardens. He strolls in them every second day when + the weather allows. Formerly the popes left the Vatican for the Quirinal, + which is cooler and healthier, as soon as May arrived; and spent the dog + days at Castle Gandolfo on the margins of the Lake of Albano. But nowadays + the only summer residence possessed by his Holiness is a virtually intact + tower of the old rampart of Leo IV. He here spends the hottest days, and + has even erected a sort of pavilion beside it for the accommodation of his + suite. Narcisse, like one at home, went in and secured permission for + Pierre to glance at the one room occupied by the Pope, a spacious round + chamber with semispherical ceiling, on which are painted the heavens with + symbolical figures of the constellations; one of the latter, the lion, + having two stars for eyes—stars which a system of lighting causes to + sparkle during the night. The walls of the tower are so thick that after + blocking up a window, a kind of room, for the accommodation of a couch, + has been contrived in the embrasure. Beside this couch the only furniture + is a large work-table, a dining-table with flaps, and a large regal + arm-chair, a mass of gilding, one of the gifts of the Pope’s episcopal + jubilee. And you dream of the days of solitude and perfect silence, spent + in that low donjon hall, where the coolness of a tomb prevails whilst the + heavy suns of August are scorching overpowered Rome. + </p> + <p> + An astronomical observatory has been installed in another tower, + surmounted by a little white cupola, which you espy amidst the greenery; + and under the trees there is also a Swiss chalet, where Leo XIII is fond + of resting. He sometimes goes on foot to the kitchen garden, and takes + much interest in the vineyard, visiting it to see if the grapes are + ripening and if the vintage will be a good one. What most astonished + Pierre, however, was to learn that the Holy Father had been very fond of + “sport” before age had weakened him. He was indeed passionately addicted + to bird snaring. Broad-meshed nets were hung on either side of a path on + the fringe of a plantation, and in the middle of the path were placed + cages containing the decoys, whose songs soon attracted all the birds of + the neighbourhood—red-breasts, white-throats, black-caps, + nightingales, fig-peckers of all sorts. And when a numerous company of + them was gathered together Leo XIII, seated out of sight and watching, + would suddenly clap his hands and startle the birds, which flew up and + were caught by the wings in the meshes of the nets. All that then remained + to be done was to take them out of the nets and stifle them by a touch of + the thumb. Roast fig-peckers are delicious.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Perhaps so; but what a delightful pastime for the Vicar of the + Divinity!—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + As Pierre came back through the wood he had another surprise. He suddenly + lighted on a “Grotto of Lourdes,” a miniature imitation of the original, + built of rocks and blocks of cement. And such was his emotion at the sight + that he could not conceal it. “It’s true, then!” said he. “I was told of + it, but I thought that the Holy Father was of loftier mind—free from + all such base superstitions!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” replied Narcisse, “I fancy that the grotto dates from Pius IX, who + evinced especial gratitude to our Lady of Lourdes. At all events, it must + be a gift, and Leo XIII simply keeps it in repair.” + </p> + <p> + For a few moments Pierre remained motionless and silent before that + imitation grotto, that childish plaything. Some zealously devout visitors + had left their visiting cards in the cracks of the cement-work! For his + part, he felt very sad, and followed his companion with bowed head, + lamenting the wretched idiocy of the world. Then, on emerging from the + wood, on again reaching the parterre, he raised his eyes. + </p> + <p> + Ah! how exquisite in spite of everything was that decline of a lovely day, + and what a victorious charm ascended from the soil in that part of the + gardens. There, in front of that bare, noble, burning parterre, far more + than under the languishing foliage of the wood or among the fruitful + vines, Pierre realised the strength of Nature. Above the grass growing + meagrely over the compartments of geometrical pattern which the pathways + traced there were barely a few low shrubs, dwarf roses, aloes, rare tufts + of withering flowers. Some green bushes still described the escutcheon of + Pius IX in accordance with the strange taste of former times. And amidst + the warm silence one only heard the faint crystalline murmur of the water + trickling from the basin of the central fountain. But all Rome, its ardent + heavens, sovereign grace, and conquering voluptuousness, seemed with their + own soul to animate this vast rectangular patch of decorative gardening, + this mosaic of verdure, which in its semi-abandonment and scorched decay + assumed an aspect of melancholy pride, instinct with the ever returning + quiver of a passion of fire that could not die. Some antique vases and + statues, whitely nude under the setting sun, skirted the parterres. And + above the aroma of eucalyptus and of pine, stronger even than that of the + ripening oranges, there rose the odour of the large, bitter box-shrubs, so + laden with pungent life that it disturbed one as one passed as if indeed + it were the very scent of the fecundity of that ancient soil saturated + with the dust of generations. + </p> + <p> + “It’s very strange that we have not met his Holiness,” exclaimed Narcisse. + “Perhaps his carriage took the other path through the wood while we were + in the tower.” + </p> + <p> + Then, reverting to Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo, the <i>attaché</i> explained + that the functions of <i>Copiere</i>, or papal cup-bearer, which his + cousin should have discharged as one of the four <i>Camerieri segreti + partecipanti</i> had become purely honorary since the dinners offered to + diplomatists or in honour of newly consecrated bishops had been given by + the Cardinal Secretary of State. Monsignor Gamba, whose cowardice and + nullity were legendary, seemed therefore to have no other <i>rôle</i> than + that of enlivening Leo XIII, whose favour he had won by his incessant + flattery and the anecdotes which he was ever relating about both the black + and the white worlds. Indeed this fat, amiable man, who could even be + obliging when his interests were not in question, was a perfect newspaper, + brimful of tittle-tattle, disdaining no item of gossip whatever, even if + it came from the kitchens. And thus he was quietly marching towards the + cardinalate, certain of obtaining the hat without other exertion than that + of bringing a budget of gossip to beguile the pleasant hours of the + promenade. And Heaven knew that he was always able to garner an abundant + harvest of news in that closed Vatican swarming with prelates of every + kind, in that womanless pontifical family of old begowned bachelors, all + secretly exercised by vast ambitions, covert and revolting rivalries, and + ferocious hatreds, which, it is said, are still sometimes carried as far + as the good old poison of ancient days. + </p> + <p> + All at once Narcisse stopped. “Ah!” he exclaimed, “I was certain of it. + There’s the Holy Father! But we are not in luck. He won’t even see us; he + is about to get into his carriage again.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke a carriage drew up at the verge of the wood, and a little <i>cortège</i> + emerging from a narrow path, went towards it. + </p> + <p> + Pierre felt as if he had received a great blow in the heart. Motionless + beside his companion, and half hidden by a lofty vase containing a + lemon-tree, it was only from a distance that he was able to see the white + old man, looking so frail and slender in the wavy folds of his white + cassock, and walking so very slowly with short, gliding steps. The young + priest could scarcely distinguish the emaciated face of old diaphanous + ivory, emphasised by a large nose which jutted out above thin lips. + However, the Pontiff’s black eyes were glittering with an inquisitive + smile, while his right ear was inclined towards Monsignor Gamba del Zoppo, + who was doubtless finishing some story at once rich and short, flowery and + dignified. And on the left walked a Noble Guard; and two other prelates + followed. + </p> + <p> + It was but a familiar apparition; Leo XIII was already climbing into the + closed carriage. And Pierre, in the midst of that large, odoriferous, + burning garden, again experienced the singular emotion which had come upon + him in the Gallery of the Candelabra while he was picturing the Pope on + his way between the Apollos and Venuses radiant in their triumphant + nudity. There, however, it was only pagan art which had celebrated the + eternity of life, the superb, almighty powers of Nature. But here he had + beheld the Pontiff steeped in Nature itself, in Nature clad in the most + lovely, most voluptuous, most passionate guise. Ah! that Pope, that old + man strolling with his Divinity of grief, humility, and renunciation along + the paths of those gardens of love, in the languid evenings of the hot + summer days, beneath the caressing scents of pine and eucalyptus, ripe + oranges, and tall, acrid box-shrubs! The whole atmosphere around him + proclaimed the powers of the great god Pan. How pleasant was the thought + of living there, amidst that magnificence of heaven and of earth, of + loving the beauty of woman and of rejoicing in the fruitfulness of all! + And suddenly the decisive truth burst forth that from a land of such joy + and light it was only possible for a temporal religion of conquest and + political domination to rise; not the mystical, pain-fraught religion of + the North—the religion of the soul! + </p> + <p> + However, Narcisse led the young priest away, telling him other anecdotes + as they went—anecdotes of the occasional <i>bonhomie</i> of Leo + XIII, who would stop to chat with the gardeners, and question them about + the health of the trees and the sale of the oranges. And he also mentioned + the Pope’s former passion for a pair of gazelles, sent him from Africa, + two graceful creatures which he had been fond of caressing, and at whose + death he had shed tears. But Pierre no longer listened. When they found + themselves on the Piazza of St. Peter’s, he turned round and gazed at the + Vatican once more. + </p> + <p> + His eyes had fallen on the gate of bronze, and he remembered having + wondered that morning what there might be behind these metal panels + ornamented with big nails. And he did not yet dare to answer the question, + and decide if the new nations thirsting for fraternity and justice would + really find there the religion necessary for the democracies of to-morrow; + for he had not been able to probe things, and only carried a first + impression away with him. But how keen it was, and how ill it boded for + his dreams! A gate of bronze! Yes, a hard, impregnable gate, so completely + shutting the Vatican off from the rest of the world that nothing new had + entered the palace for three hundred years. Behind that portal the old + centuries, as far as the sixteenth, remained immutable. Time seemed to + have stayed its course there for ever; nothing more stirred; the very + costumes of the Swiss Guards, the Noble Guards, and the prelates + themselves were unchanged; and you found yourself in the world of three + hundred years ago, with its etiquette, its costumes, and its ideas. That + the popes in a spirit of haughty protest should for five and twenty years + have voluntarily shut themselves up in their palace was already + regrettable; but this imprisonment of centuries within the past, within + the grooves of tradition, was far more serious and dangerous. It was all + Catholicism which was thus imprisoned, whose dogmas and sacerdotal + organisation were obstinately immobilised. Perhaps, in spite of its + apparent flexibility, Catholicism was really unable to yield in anything, + under peril of being swept away, and therein lay both its weakness and its + strength. And then what a terrible world was there, how great the pride + and ambition, how numerous the hatreds and rivalries! And how strange the + prison, how singular the company assembled behind the bars—the + Crucified by the side of Jupiter Capitolinus, all pagan antiquity + fraternising with the Apostles, all the splendours of the Renascence + surrounding the pastor of the Gospel who reigns in the name of the humble + and the poor! + </p> + <p> + The sun was sinking, the gentle, luscious sweetness of the Roman evenings + was falling from the limpid heavens, and after that splendid day spent + with Michael Angelo, Raffaelle, the ancients, and the Pope, in the finest + palace of the world, the young priest lingered, distracted, on the Piazza + of St. Peter’s. + </p> + <p> + “Well, you must excuse me, my dear Abbé,” concluded Narcisse. “But I will + now confess to you that I suspect my worthy cousin of a fear that he might + compromise himself by meddling in your affair. I shall certainly see him + again, but you will do well not to put too much reliance on him.” + </p> + <p> + It was nearly six o’clock when Pierre got back to the Boccanera mansion. + As a rule, he passed in all modesty down the lane, and entered by the + little side door, a key of which had been given him. But he had that + morning received a letter from M. de la Choue, and desired to communicate + it to Benedetta. So he ascended the grand staircase, and on reaching the + anteroom was surprised to find nobody there. As a rule, whenever the + man-servant went out Victorine installed herself in his place and busied + herself with some needlework. Her chair was there, and Pierre even noticed + some linen which she had left on a little table when probably summoned + elsewhere. Then, as the door of the first reception-room was ajar, he at + last ventured in. It was almost night there already, the twilight was + softly dying away, and all at once the young priest stopped short, fearing + to take another step, for, from the room beyond, the large yellow <i>salon</i>, + there came a murmur of feverish, distracted words, ardent entreaties, + fierce panting, a rustling and a shuffling of footsteps. And suddenly + Pierre no longer hesitated, urged on despite himself by the conviction + that the sounds he heard were those of a struggle, and that some one was + hard pressed. + </p> + <p> + And when he darted into the further room he was stupefied, for Dario was + there, no longer showing the degenerate elegance of the last scion of an + exhausted race, but maddened by the hot, frantic blood of the Boccaneras + which had bubbled up within him. He had clasped Benedetta by the shoulders + in a frenzy of passion and was scorching her face with his hot, entreating + words: “But since you say, my darling, that it is all over, that your + marriage will never be dissolved—oh! why should we be wretched for + ever! Love me as you do love me, and let me love you—let me love + you!” + </p> + <p> + But the Contessina, with an indescribable expression of tenderness and + suffering on her tearful face, repulsed him with her outstretched arms, + she likewise evincing a fierce energy as she repeated: “No, no; I love + you, but it must not, it must not be.” + </p> + <p> + At that moment, amidst the roar of his despair, Dario became conscious + that some one was entering the room. He turned and gazed at Pierre with an + expression of stupefied insanity, scarce able even to recognise him. Then + he carried his two hands to his face, to his bloodshot eyes and his cheeks + wet with scalding tears, and fled, heaving a terrible, pain-fraught sigh + in which baffled passion mingled with grief and repentance. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta seated herself, breathing hard, her strength and courage + wellnigh exhausted. But as Pierre, too much embarrassed to speak, turned + towards the door, she addressed him in a calmer voice: “No, no, Monsieur + l’Abbé, do not go away—sit down, I pray you; I should like to speak + to you for a moment.” + </p> + <p> + He thereupon thought it his duty to account for his sudden entrance, and + explained that he had found the door of the first <i>salon</i> ajar, and + that Victorine was not in the ante-room, though he had seen her work lying + on the table there. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” exclaimed the Contessina, “Victorine ought to have been there; I + saw her there but a short time ago. And when my poor Dario lost his head I + called her. Why did she not come?” Then, with sudden expansion, leaning + towards Pierre, she continued: “Listen, Monsieur l’Abbé, I will tell you + what happened, for I don’t want you to form too bad an opinion of my poor + Dario. It was all in some measure my fault. Last night he asked me for an + appointment here in order that we might have a quiet chat, and as I knew + that my aunt would be absent at this time to-day I told him to come. It + was only natural—wasn’t it?—that we should want to see one + another and come to an agreement after the grievous news that my marriage + will probably never be annulled. We suffer too much, and must form a + decision. And so when he came this evening we began to weep and embrace, + mingling our tears together. I kissed him again and again, telling him how + I adored him, how bitterly grieved I was at being the cause of his + sufferings, and how surely I should die of grief at seeing him so unhappy. + Ah! no doubt I did wrong; I ought not to have caught him to my heart and + embraced him as I did, for it maddened him, Monsieur l’Abbé; he lost his + head, and would have made me break my vow to the Blessed Virgin.” + </p> + <p> + She spoke these words in all tranquillity and simplicity, without sign of + embarrassment, like a young and beautiful woman who is at once sensible + and practical. Then she resumed: “Oh! I know my poor Dario well, but it + does not prevent me from loving him; perhaps, indeed, it only makes me + love him the more. He looks delicate, perhaps rather sickly, but in truth + he is a man of passion. Yes, the old blood of my people bubbles up in him. + I know something of it myself, for when I was a child I sometimes had fits + of angry passion which left me exhausted on the floor, and even now, when + the gusts arise within me, I have to fight against myself and torture + myself in order that I may not act madly. But my poor Dario does not know + how to suffer. He is like a child whose fancies must be gratified. And yet + at bottom he has a good deal of common sense; he waits for me because he + knows that the only real happiness lies with the woman who adores him.” + </p> + <p> + As Pierre listened he was able to form a more precise idea of the young + prince, of whose character he had hitherto had but a vague perception. + Whilst dying of love for his cousin, Dario had ever been a man of + pleasure. Though he was no doubt very amiable, the basis of his + temperament was none the less egotism. And, in particular, he was unable + to endure suffering; he loathed suffering, ugliness, and poverty, whether + they affected himself or others. Both his flesh and his soul required + gaiety, brilliancy, show, life in the full sunlight. And withal he was + exhausted, with no strength left him but for the idle life he led, so + incapable of thought and will that the idea of joining the new <i>régime</i> + had not even occurred to him. Yet he had all the unbounded pride of a + Roman; sagacity—a keen, practical perception of the real—was + mingled with his indolence; while his inveterate love of woman, more + frequently displayed in charm of manner, burst forth at times in attacks + of frantic sensuality. + </p> + <p> + “After all he is a man,” concluded Benedetta in a low voice, “and I must + not ask impossibilities of him.” Then, as Pierre gazed at her, his notions + of Italian jealousy quite upset, she exclaimed, aglow with passionate + adoration: “No, no. Situated as we are, I am not jealous. I know very well + that he will always return to me, and that he will be mine alone whenever + I please, whenever it may be possible.” + </p> + <p> + Silence followed; shadows were filling the room, the gilding of the large + pier tables faded away, and infinite melancholy fell from the lofty, dim + ceiling and the old hangings, yellow like autumn leaves. But soon, by some + chance play of the waning light, a painting stood out above the sofa on + which the Contessina was seated. It was the portrait of the beautiful + young girl with the turban—Cassia Boccanera the forerunner, the <i>amorosa</i> + and avengeress. Again was Pierre struck by the portrait’s resemblance to + Benedetta, and, thinking aloud, he resumed: “Passion always proves the + stronger; there invariably comes a moment when one succumbs—” + </p> + <p> + But Benedetta violently interrupted him: “I! I! Ah! you do not know me; I + would rather die!” And with extraordinary exaltation, all aglow with love, + as if her superstitious faith had fired her passion to ecstasy, she + continued: “I have vowed to the Madonna that I will belong to none but the + man I love, and to him only when he is my husband. And hitherto I have + kept that vow, at the cost of my happiness, and I will keep it still, even + if it cost me my life! Yes, we will die, my poor Dario and I, if it be + necessary; but the holy Virgin has my vow, and the angels shall not weep + in heaven!” + </p> + <p> + She was all in those words, her nature all simplicity, intricate, + inexplicable though it might seem. She was doubtless swayed by that idea + of human nobility which Christianity has set in renunciation and purity; a + protest, as it were, against eternal matter, against the forces of Nature, + the everlasting fruitfulness of life. But there was more than this; she + reserved herself, like a divine and priceless gift, to be bestowed on the + one being whom her heart had chosen, he who would be her lord and master + when God should have united them in marriage. For her everything lay in + the blessing of the priest, in the religious solemnisation of matrimony. + And thus one understood her long resistance to Prada, whom she did not + love, and her despairing, grievous resistance to Dario, whom she did love, + but who was not her husband. And how torturing it was for that soul of + fire to have to resist her love; how continual was the combat waged by + duty in the Virgin’s name against the wild, passionate blood of her race! + Ignorant, indolent though she might be, she was capable of great fidelity + of heart, and, moreover, she was not given to dreaming: love might have + its immaterial charms, but she desired it complete. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre looked at her in the dying twilight he seemed to see and + understand her for the first time. The duality of her nature appeared in + her somewhat full, fleshy lips, in her big black eyes, which suggested a + dark, tempestuous night illumined by flashes of lightning, and in the + calm, sensible expression of the rest of her gentle, infantile face. And, + withal, behind those eyes of flame, beneath that pure, candid skin, one + divined the internal tension of a superstitious, proud, and self-willed + woman, who was obstinately intent on reserving herself for her one love. + And Pierre could well understand that she should be adored, that she + should fill the life of the man she chose with passion, and that to his + own eyes she should appear like the younger sister of that lovely, tragic + Cassia who, unwilling to survive the blow that had rendered self-bestowal + impossible, had flung herself into the Tiber, dragging her brother Ercole + and the corpse of her lover Flavio with her. + </p> + <p> + However, with a gesture of kindly affection Benedetta caught hold of + Pierre’s hands. “You have been here a fortnight, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said + she, “and I have come to like you very much, for I feel you to be a + friend. If at first you do not understand us, at least pray do not judge + us too severely. Ignorant as I may be, I always strive to act for the + best, I assure you.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was greatly touched by her affectionate graciousness, and thanked + her whilst for a moment retaining her beautiful hands in his own, for he + also was becoming much attached to her. A fresh dream was carrying him + off, that of educating her, should he have the time, or, at all events, of + not returning home before winning her soul over to his own ideas of future + charity and fraternity. Did not that adorable, unoccupied, indolent, + ignorant creature, who only knew how to defend her love, personify the + Italy of yesterday? The Italy of yesterday, so lovely and so sleepy, + instinct with a dying grace, charming one even in her drowsiness, and + retaining so much mystery in the fathomless depths of her black, + passionate eyes! And what a <i>rôle</i> would be that of awakening her, + instructing her, winning her over to truth, making her the rejuvenated + Italy of to-morrow such as he had dreamt of! Even in that disastrous + marriage with Count Prada he tried to see merely a first attempt at + revival which had failed, the modern Italy of the North being over-hasty, + too brutal in its eagerness to love and transform that gentle, belated + Rome which was yet so superb and indolent. But might he not take up the + task? Had he not noticed that his book, after the astonishment of the + first perusal, had remained a source of interest and reflection with + Benedetta amidst the emptiness of her days given over to grief? What! was + it really possible that she might find some appeasement for her own + wretchedness by interesting herself in the humble, in the happiness of the + poor? Emotion already thrilled her at the idea, and he, quivering at the + thought of all the boundless love that was within her and that she might + bestow, vowed to himself that he would draw tears of pity from her eyes. + </p> + <p> + But the night had now almost completely fallen, and Benedetta rose to ask + for a lamp. Then, as Pierre was about to take leave, she detained him for + another moment in the gloom. He could no longer see her; he only heard her + grave voice: “You will not go away with too bad an opinion of us, will + you, Monsieur l’Abbé? We love one another, Dario and I, and that is no sin + when one behaves as one ought. Ah! yes, I love him, and have loved him for + years. I was barely thirteen, he was eighteen, and we already loved one + another wildly in those big gardens of the Villa Montefiori which are now + all broken up. Ah! what days we spent there, whole afternoons among the + trees, hours in secret hiding-places, where we kissed like little angels. + When the oranges ripened their perfume intoxicated us. And the large + box-plants, ah, <i>Dio!</i> how they enveloped us, how their strong, acrid + scent made our hearts beat! I can never smell then nowadays without + feeling faint!” + </p> + <p> + A man-servant brought in the lamp, and Pierre ascended to his room. But + when half-way up the little staircase he perceived Victorine, who started + slightly, as if she had posted herself there to watch his departure from + the <i>salon</i>. And now, as she followed him up, talking and seeking for + information, he suddenly realised what had happened. “Why did you not go + to your mistress instead of running off,” he asked, “when she called you, + while you were sewing in the ante-room?” + </p> + <p> + At first she tried to feign astonishment and reply that she had heard + nothing. But her good-natured, frank face did not know how to lie, and she + ended by confessing, with a gay, courageous air. “Well,” she said, “it + surely wasn’t for me to interfere between lovers! Besides, my poor little + Benedetta is simply torturing herself to death with those ideas of hers. + Why shouldn’t they be happy, since they love one another? Life isn’t so + amusing as some may think. And how bitterly one regrets not having seized + hold of happiness when the time for it has gone!” + </p> + <p> + Once alone in his room, Pierre suddenly staggered, quite overcome. The + great box-plants, the great box-plants with their acrid, perturbing + perfume! She, Benedetta, like himself, had quivered as she smelt them; and + he saw them once more in a vision of the pontifical gardens, the + voluptuous gardens of Rome, deserted, glowing under the August sun. And + now his whole day crystallised, assumed clear and full significance. It + spoke to him of the fruitful awakening, of the eternal protest of Nature + and life, Venus and Hercules, whom one may bury for centuries beneath the + soil, but who, nevertheless, one day arise from it, and though one may + seek to wall them up within the domineering, stubborn, immutable Vatican, + reign yet even there, and rule the whole, wide world with sovereign power! + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol08"></a> + PART III. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap32"></a> + VII. + </h2> + <p> + On the following day as Pierre, after a long ramble, once more found + himself in front of the Vatican, whither a harassing attraction ever led + him, he again encountered Monsignor Nani. It was a Wednesday evening, and + the Assessor of the Holy Office had just come from his weekly audience + with the Pope, whom he had acquainted with the proceedings of the + Congregation at its meeting that morning. “What a fortunate chance, my + dear sir,” said he; “I was thinking of you. Would you like to see his + Holiness in public while you are waiting for a private audience?” + </p> + <p> + Nani had put on his pleasant expression of smiling civility, beneath which + one would barely detect the faint irony of a superior man who knew + everything, prepared everything, and could do everything. + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes, Monsignor,” Pierre replied, somewhat astonished by the + abruptness of the offer. “Anything of a nature to divert one’s mind is + welcome when one loses one’s time in waiting.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, you are not losing your time,” replied the prelate. “You are + looking round you, reflecting, and enlightening yourself. Well, this is + the point. You are doubtless aware that the great international pilgrimage + of the Peter’s Pence Fund will arrive in Rome on Friday, and be received + on Saturday by his Holiness. On Sunday, moreover, the Holy Father will + celebrate mass at the Basilica. Well, I have a few cards left, and here + are some very good places for both ceremonies.” So saying he produced an + elegant little pocketbook bearing a gilt monogram and handed Pierre two + cards, one green and the other pink. “If you only knew how people fight + for them,” he resumed. “You remember that I told you of two French ladies + who are consumed by a desire to see his Holiness. Well, I did not like to + support their request for an audience in too pressing a way, and they have + had to content themselves with cards like these. The fact is, the Holy + Father is somewhat fatigued at the present time. I found him looking + yellow and feverish just now. But he has so much courage; he nowadays only + lives by force of soul.” Then Nani’s smile came back with its almost + imperceptible touch of derision as he resumed: “Impatient ones ought to + find a great example in him, my dear son. I heard that Monsignor Gamba del + Zoppo had been unable to help you. But you must not be too much distressed + on that account. This long delay is assuredly a grace of Providence in + order that you may instruct yourself and come to understand certain things + which you French priests do not, unfortunately, realise when you arrive in + Rome. And perhaps it will prevent you from making certain mistakes. Come, + calm yourself, and remember that the course of events is in the hands of + God, who, in His sovereign wisdom, fixes the hour for all things.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Nani offered Pierre his plump, supple, shapely hand, a hand soft + like a woman’s but with the grasp of a vice. And afterwards he climbed + into his carriage, which was waiting for him. + </p> + <p> + It so happened that the letter which Pierre had received from Viscount + Philibert de la Choue was a long cry of spite and despair in connection + with the great international pilgrimage of the Peter’s Pence Fund. The + Viscount wrote from his bed, to which he was confined by a very severe + attack of gout, and his grief at being unable to come to Rome was the + greater as the President of the Committee, who would naturally present the + pilgrims to the Pope, happened to be Baron de Fouras, one of his most + bitter adversaries of the old conservative, Catholic party. M. de la Choue + felt certain that the Baron would profit by his opportunity to win the + Pope over to the theory of free corporations; whereas he, the Viscount, + believed that the salvation of Catholicism and the world could only be + worked by a system in which the corporations should be closed and + obligatory. And so he urged Pierre to exert himself with such cardinals as + were favourable, to secure an audience with the Holy Father whatever the + obstacles, and to remain in Rome until he should have secured the + Pontiff’s approbation, which alone could decide the victory. The letter + further mentioned that the pilgrimage would be made up of a number of + groups headed by bishops and other ecclesiastical dignitaries, and would + comprise three thousand people from France, Belgium, Spain, Austria, and + even Germany. Two thousand of these would come from France alone. An + international committee had assembled in Paris to organise everything and + select the pilgrims, which last had proved a delicate task, as a + representative gathering had been desired, a commingling of members of the + aristocracy, sisterhood of middle-class ladies, and associations of the + working classes, among whom all social differences would be forgotten in + the union of a common faith. And the Viscount added that the pilgrimage + would bring the Pope a large sum of money, and had settled the date of its + arrival in the Eternal City in such wise that it would figure as a solemn + protest of the Catholic world against the festivities of September 20, by + which the Quirinal had just celebrated the anniversary of the occupation + of Rome. + </p> + <p> + The reception of the pilgrimage being fixed for noon, Pierre in all + simplicity thought that he would be sufficiently early if he reached St. + Peter’s at eleven. The function was to take place in the Hall of + Beatifications, which is a large and handsome apartment over the portico, + and has been arranged as a chapel since 1890. One of its windows opens on + to the central balcony, whence the popes formerly blessed the people, the + city, and the world. To reach the apartment you pass through two other + halls of audience, the Sala Regia and Sala Ducale, and when Pierre wished + to gain the place to which his green card entitled him he found both those + rooms so extremely crowded that he could only elbow his way forward with + the greatest difficulty. For an hour already the three or four thousand + people assembled there had been stifling, full of growing emotion and + feverishness. At last the young priest managed to reach the threshold of + the third hall, but was so discouraged at sight of the extraordinary + multitude of heads before him that he did not attempt to go any further. + </p> + <p> + The apartment, which he could survey at a glance by rising on tip-toe, + appeared to him to be very rich of aspect, with walls gilded and painted + under a severe and lofty ceiling. On a low platform, where the altar + usually stood, facing the entry, the pontifical throne had now been set: a + large arm-chair upholstered in red velvet with glittering golden back and + arms; whilst the hangings of the <i>baldacchino</i>, also of red velvet, + fell behind and spread out on either side like a pair of huge purple + wings. However, what more particularly interested Pierre was the wildly + passionate concourse of people whose hearts he could almost hear beating + and whose eyes sought to beguile their feverish impatience by + contemplating and adoring the empty throne. As if it had been some golden + monstrance which the Divinity in person would soon deign to occupy, that + throne dazzled them, disturbed them, filled them all with devout rapture. + Among the throng were workmen rigged out in their Sunday best, with clear + childish eyes and rough ecstatic faces; ladies of the upper classes + wearing black, as the regulations required, and looking intensely pale + from the sacred awe which mingled with their excessive desire; and + gentlemen in evening dress, who appeared quite glorious, inflated with the + conviction that they were saving both the Church and the nations. One + cluster of dress-coats assembled near the throne, was particularly + noticeable; it comprised the members of the International Committee, + headed by Baron de Fouras, a very tall, stout, fair man of fifty, who + bestirred and exerted himself and issued orders like some commander on the + morning of a decisive victory. Then, amidst the general mass of grey, + neutral hue, there gleamed the violet silk of some bishop’s cassock, for + each pastor had desired to remain with his flock; whilst members of + various religious orders, superiors in brown, black, and white habits, + rose up above all others with lofty bearded or shaven heads. Right and + left drooped banners which associations and congregations had brought to + present to the Pope. And the sea of pilgrims ever waved and surged with a + growing clamour: so much impatient love being exhaled by those perspiring + faces, burning eyes, and hungry mouths that the atmosphere, reeking with + the odour of the throng, seemed thickened and darkened. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, Pierre perceived Monsignor Nani standing near the + throne and beckoning him to approach; and although the young priest + replied by a modest gesture, implying that he preferred to remain where he + was, the prelate insisted and even sent an usher to make way for him. + Directly the usher had led him forward, Nani inquired: “Why did you not + come to take your place? Your card entitled you to be here, on the left of + the throne.” + </p> + <p> + “The truth is,” answered the priest, “I did not like to disturb so many + people. Besides, this is an undue honour for me.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no; I gave you that place in order that you should occupy it. I want + you to be in the first rank, so that you may see everything of the + ceremony.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre could not do otherwise than thank him. Then, on looking round, he + saw that several cardinals and many other prelates were likewise waiting + on either side of the throne. But it was in vain that he sought Cardinal + Boccanera, who only came to St. Peter’s and the Vatican on the days when + his functions required his presence there. However, he recognised Cardinal + Sanguinetti, who, broad and sturdy and red of face, was talking in a loud + voice to Baron de Fouras. And Nani, with his obliging air, stepped up + again to point out two other Eminences who were high and mighty personages—the + Cardinal Vicar, a short, fat man, with a feverish countenance scorched by + ambition, and the Cardinal Secretary, who was robust and bony, fashioned + as with a hatchet, suggesting a romantic type of Sicilian bandit, who, to + other courses, had preferred the discreet, smiling diplomacy of the + Church. A few steps further on, and quite alone, the Grand Penitentiary, + silent and seemingly suffering, showed his grey, lean, ascetic profile. + </p> + <p> + Noon had struck. There was a false alert, a burst of emotion, which swept + in like a wave from the other halls. But it was merely the ushers opening + a passage for the <i>cortège</i>. Then, all at once, acclamations arose in + the first hall, gathered volume, and drew nearer. This time it was the <i>cortège</i> + itself. First came a detachment of the Swiss Guard in undress, headed by a + sergeant; then a party of chair-bearers in red; and next the domestic + prelates, including the four <i>Camerieri segreti partecipanti</i>. And + finally, between two rows of Noble Guards, in semi-gala uniforms, walked + the Holy Father, alone, smiling a pale smile, and slowly blessing the + pilgrims on either hand. In his wake the clamour which had risen in the + other apartments swept into the Hall of Beatifications with the violence + of delirious love; and, under his slender, white, benedictive hand, all + those distracted creatures fell upon both knees, nought remaining but the + prostration of a devout multitude, overwhelmed, as it were, by the + apparition of its god. + </p> + <p> + Quivering, carried away, Pierre had knelt like the others. Ah! that + omnipotence, that irresistible contagion of faith, of the redoubtable + current from the spheres beyond, increased tenfold by a <i>scenario</i> + and a pomp of sovereign grandeur! Profound silence fell when Leo XIII was + seated on the throne surrounded by the cardinals and his court; and then + the ceremony proceeded according to rite and usage. First a bishop spoke, + kneeling and laying the homage of the faithful of all Christendom at his + Holiness’s feet. The President of the Committee, Baron de Fouras, + followed, remaining erect whilst he read a long address in which he + introduced the pilgrimage and explained its motive, investing it with all + the gravity of a political and religious protest. This stout man had a + shrill and piercing voice, and his words jarred like the grating of a + gimlet as he proclaimed the grief of the Catholic world at the spoliation + which the Holy See had endured for a quarter of a century, and the desire + of all the nations there represented by the pilgrims to console the + supreme and venerated Head of the Church by bringing him the offerings of + rich and poor, even to the mites of the humblest, in order that the Papacy + might retain the pride of independence and be able to treat its enemies + with contempt. And he also spoke of France, deplored her errors, predicted + her return to healthy traditions, and gave it to be understood that she + remained in spite of everything the most opulent and generous of the + Christian nations, the donor whose gold and presents flowed into Rome in a + never ending stream. At last Leo XIII arose to reply to the bishop and the + baron. His voice was full, with a strong nasal twang, and surprised one + coming from a man so slight of build. In a few sentences he expressed his + gratitude, saying how touched he was by the devotion of the nations to the + Holy See. Although the times might be bad, the final triumph could not be + delayed much longer. There were evident signs that mankind was returning + to faith, and that iniquity would soon cease under the universal dominion + of the Christ. As for France, was she not the eldest daughter of the + Church, and had she not given too many proofs of her affection for the + Holy See for the latter ever to cease loving her? Then, raising his arm, + he bestowed on all the pilgrims present, on the societies and enterprises + they represented, on their families and friends, on France, on all the + nations of the Catholic world, his apostolic benediction, in gratitude for + the precious help which they sent him. And whilst he was again seating + himself applause burst forth, frantic salvoes of applause lasting for ten + minutes and mingling with vivats and inarticulate cries—a + passionate, tempestuous outburst, which made the very building shake. + </p> + <p> + Amidst this blast of frantic adoration Pierre gazed at Leo XIII, now again + motionless on his throne. With the papal cap on his head and the red cape + edged with ermine about his shoulders, he retained in his long white + cassock the rigid, sacerdotal attitude of an idol venerated by two hundred + and fifty millions of Christians. Against the purple background of the + hangings of the <i>baldacchino</i>, between the wing-like drapery on + either side, enclosing, as it were, a brasier of glory, he assumed real + majesty of aspect. He was no longer the feeble old man with the slow, + jerky walk and the slender, scraggy neck of a poor ailing bird. The + simious ugliness of his face, the largeness of his nose, the long slit of + his mouth, the hugeness of his ears, the conflicting jumble of his + withered features disappeared. In that waxen countenance you only + distinguished the admirable, dark, deep eyes, beaming with eternal youth, + with extraordinary intelligence and penetration. And then there was a + resolute bracing of his entire person, a consciousness of the eternity + which he represented, a regal nobility, born of the very circumstance that + he was now but a mere breath, a soul set in so pellucid a body of ivory + that it became visible as though it were already freed from the bonds of + earth. And Pierre realised what such a man—the Sovereign Pontiff, + the king obeyed by two hundred and fifty millions of subjects—must + be for the devout and dolent creatures who came to adore him from so far, + and who fell at his feet awestruck by the splendour of the powers + incarnate in him. Behind him, amidst the purple of the hangings, what a + gleam was suddenly afforded of the spheres beyond, what an Infinite of + ideality and blinding glory! So many centuries of history from the Apostle + Peter downward, so much strength and genius, so many struggles and + triumphs to be summed up in one being, the Elect, the Unique, the + Superhuman! And what a miracle, incessantly renewed, was that of Heaven + deigning to descend into human flesh, of the Deity fixing His abode in His + chosen servant, whom He consecrated above and beyond all others, endowing + him with all power and all science! What sacred perturbation, what emotion + fraught with distracted love might one not feel at the thought of the + Deity being ever there in the depths of that man’s eyes, speaking with his + voice and emanating from his hand each time that he raised it to bless! + Could one imagine the exorbitant absoluteness of that sovereign who was + infallible, who disposed of the totality of authority in this world and of + salvation in the next! At all events, how well one understood that souls + consumed by a craving for faith should fly towards him, that those who at + last found the certainty they had so ardently sought should seek + annihilation in him, the consolation of self-bestowal and disappearance + within the Deity Himself. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, the ceremony was drawing to an end; Baron de Fouras was now + presenting the members of the committee and a few other persons of + importance. There was a slow procession with trembling genuflections and + much greedy kissing of the papal ring and slipper. Then the banners were + offered, and Pierre felt a pang on seeing that the finest and richest of + them was one of Lourdes, an offering no doubt from the Fathers of the + Immaculate Conception. On one side of the white, gold-bordered silk Our + Lady of Lourdes was painted, while on the other appeared a portrait of Leo + XIII. Pierre saw the Pope smile at the presentment of himself, and was + greatly grieved thereat, as though, indeed, his whole dream of an + intellectual, evangelical Pope, disentangled from all low superstition, + were crumbling away. And just then his eyes met those of Nani, who from + the outset had been watching him with the inquisitive air of a man who is + making an experiment. + </p> + <p> + “That banner is superb, isn’t it?” said Nani, drawing near. “How it must + please his Holiness to be so nicely painted in company with so pretty a + virgin.” And as the young priest, turning pale, did not reply, the prelate + added, with an air of devout enjoyment: “We are very fond of Lourdes in + Rome; that story of Bernadette is so delightful.” + </p> + <p> + However, the scene which followed was so extraordinary that for a long + time Pierre remained overcome by it. He had beheld never-to-be-forgotten + idolatry at Lourdes, incidents of naive faith and frantic religious + passion which yet made him quiver with alarm and grief. But the crowds + rushing on the grotto, the sick dying of divine love before the Virgin’s + statue, the multitudes delirious with the contagion of the miraculous—nothing + of all that gave an idea of the blast of madness which suddenly inflamed + the pilgrims at the feet of the Pope. Some bishops, superiors of religious + orders, and other delegates of various kinds had stepped forward to + deposit near the throne the offerings which they brought from the whole + Catholic world, the universal “collection” of St. Peter’s Pence. It was + the voluntary tribute of the nations to their sovereign: silver, gold, and + bank notes in purses, bags, and cases. Ladies came and fell on their knees + to offer silk and velvet alms-bags which they themselves had embroidered. + Others had caused the note cases which they tendered to be adorned with + the monogram of Leo XIII in diamonds. And at one moment the enthusiasm + became so intense that several women stripped themselves of their + adornments, flung their own purses on to the platform, and emptied their + pockets even to the very coppers they had about them. One lady, tall and + slender, very beautiful and very dark, wrenched her watch from about her + neck, pulled off her rings, and threw everything upon the carpet. Had it + been possible, they would have torn away their flesh to pluck out their + love-burnt hearts and fling them likewise to the demi-god. They would even + have flung themselves, have given themselves without reserve. It was a + rain of presents, an explosion of the passion which impels one to strip + oneself for the object of one’s cult, happy at having nothing of one’s own + that shall not belong to him. And meantime the clamour grew, vivats and + shrill cries of adoration arose amidst pushing and jostling of increased + violence, one and all yielding to the irresistible desire to kiss the + idol! + </p> + <p> + But a signal was given, and Leo XIII made haste to quit the throne and + take his place in the <i>cortège</i> in order to return to his apartments. + The Swiss Guards energetically thrust back the throng, seeking to open a + way through the three halls. But at sight of his Holiness’s departure a + lamentation of despair arose and spread, as if heaven had suddenly closed + again and shut out those who had not yet been able to approach. What a + frightful disappointment—to have beheld the living manifestation of + the Deity and to see it disappear before gaining salvation by just + touching it! So terrible became the scramble, so extraordinary the + confusion, that the Swiss Guards were swept away. And ladies were seen to + dart after the Pope, to drag themselves on all fours over the marble slabs + and kiss his footprints and lap up the dust of his steps! The tall dark + lady suddenly fell at the edge of the platform, raised a loud shriek, and + fainted; and two gentlemen of the committee had to hold her so that she + might not do herself an injury in the convulsions of the hysterical fit + which had come upon her. Another, a plump blonde, was wildly, desperately + kissing one of the golden arms of the throne-chair, on which the old man’s + poor, bony elbow had just rested. And others, on seeing her, came to + dispute possession, seized both arms, gilding and velvet, and pressed + their mouths to wood-work or upholstery, their bodies meanwhile shaking + with their sobs. Force had to be employed in order to drag them away. + </p> + <p> + When it was all over Pierre went off, emerging as it were from a painful + dream, sick at heart, and with his mind revolting. And again he + encountered Nani’s glance, which never left him. “It was a superb + ceremony, was it not?” said the prelate. “It consoles one for many + iniquities.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, no doubt; but what idolatry!” the young priest murmured despite + himself. + </p> + <p> + Nani, however, merely smiled, as if he had not heard the last word. At + that same moment the two French ladies whom he had provided with tickets + came up to thank him, and. Pierre was surprised to recognise the mother + and daughter whom he had met at the Catacombs. Charming, bright, and + healthy as they were, their enthusiasm was only for the spectacle: they + declared that they were well pleased at having seen it—that it was + really astonishing, unique. + </p> + <p> + As the crowd slowly withdrew Pierre all at once felt a tap on his + shoulder, and, on turning his head, perceived Narcisse Habert, who also + was very enthusiastic. “I made signs to you, my dear Abbé,” said he, “but + you didn’t see me. Ah! how superb was the expression of that dark woman + who fell rigid beside the platform with her arms outstretched. She + reminded me of a masterpiece of one of the primitives, Cimabue, Giotto, or + Fra Angelico. And the others, those who devoured the chair arms with their + kisses, what suavity, beauty, and love! I never miss these ceremonies: + there are always some fine scenes, perfect pictures, in which souls reveal + themselves.” + </p> + <p> + The long stream of pilgrims slowly descended the stairs, and Pierre, + followed by Nani and Narcisse, who had begun to chat, tried to bring the + ideas which were tumultuously throbbing in his brain into something like + order. There was certainly grandeur and beauty in that Pope who had shut + himself up in his Vatican, and who, the more he became a purely moral, + spiritual authority, freed from all terrestrial cares, had grown in the + adoration and awe of mankind. Such a flight into the ideal deeply stirred + Pierre, whose dream of rejuvenated Christianity rested on the idea of the + supreme Head of the Church exercising only a purified, spiritual + authority. He had just seen what an increase of majesty and power was in + that way gained by the Supreme Pontiff of the spheres beyond, at whose + feet the women fainted, and behind whom they beheld a vision of the Deity. + But at the same moment the pecuniary side of the question had risen before + him and spoilt his joy. If the enforced relinquishment of the temporal + power had exalted the Pope by freeing him from the worries of a petty + sovereignty which was ever threatened, the need of money still remained + like a chain about his feet tying him to earth. As he could not accept the + proffered subvention of the Italian Government,* there was certainly in + the Peter’s Pence a means of placing the Holy See above all material + cares, provided, however, that this Peter’s Pence were really the Catholic + <i>sou</i>, the mite of each believer, levied on his daily income and sent + direct to Rome. Such a voluntary tribute paid by the flock to its pastor + would, moreover, suffice for the wants of the Church if each of the + 250,000,000 of Catholics gave his or her <i>sou</i> every week. In this + wise the Pope, indebted to each and all of his children, would be indebted + to none in particular. A <i>sou</i> was so little and so easy to give, and + there was also something so touching about the idea. But, unhappily, + things were not worked in that way; the great majority of Catholics gave + nothing whatever, while the rich ones sent large sums from motives of + political passion; and a particular objection was that the gifts were + centralised in the hands of certain bishops and religious orders, so that + these became ostensibly the benefactors of the papacy, the indispensable + cashiers from whom it drew the sinews of life. The lowly and humble whose + mites filled the collection boxes were, so to say, suppressed, and the + Pope became dependent on the intermediaries, and was compelled to act + cautiously with them, listen to their remonstrances, and even at times + obey their passions, lest the stream of gifts should suddenly dry up. And + so, although he was disburdened of the dead weight of the temporal power, + he was not free; but remained the tributary of his clergy, with interests + and appetites around him which he must needs satisfy. And Pierre + remembered the “Grotto of Lourdes” in the Vatican gardens, and the banner + which he had just seen, and he knew that the Lourdes fathers levied + 200,000 francs a year on their receipts to send them as a present to the + Holy Father. Was not that the chief reason of their great power? He + quivered, and suddenly became conscious that, do what he might, he would + be defeated, and his book would be condemned. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 110,000 pounds per annum. It has never been accepted, and the + accumulations lapse to the Government every five years, and + cannot afterwards be recovered.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + At last, as he was coming out on to the Piazza of St. Peter’s, he heard + Narcisse asking Monsignor Nani: “Indeed! Do you really think that to-day’s + gifts exceeded that figure?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, more than three millions,* I’m convinced of it,” the prelate + replied. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * All the amounts given on this and the following pages are + calculated in francs. The reader will bear in mind that a + million francs is equivalent to 40,000 pounds.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + For a moment the three men halted under the right-hand colonnade and gazed + at the vast, sunlit piazza where the pilgrims were spreading out like + little black specks hurrying hither and thither—an ant-hill, as it + were, in revolution. + </p> + <p> + Three millions! The words had rung in Pierre’s ears. And, raising his + head, he gazed at the Vatican, all golden in the sunlight against the + expanse of blue sky, as if he wished to penetrate its walls and follow the + steps of Leo XIII returning to his apartments. He pictured him laden with + those millions, with his weak, slender arms pressed to his breast, + carrying the silver, the gold, the bank notes, and even the jewels which + the women had flung him. And almost unconsciously the young priest spoke + aloud: “What will he do with those millions? Where is he taking them?” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse and even Nani could not help being amused by this strangely + expressed curiosity. It was the young <i>attaché</i> who replied. “Why, + his Holiness is taking them to his room; or, at least, is having them + carried there before him. Didn’t you see two persons of his suite picking + up everything and filling their pockets? And now his Holiness has shut + himself up quite alone; and if you could see him you would find him + counting and recounting his treasure with cheerful care, ranging the rolls + of gold in good order, slipping the bank notes into envelopes in equal + quantities, and then putting everything away in hiding-places which are + only known to himself.” + </p> + <p> + While his companion was speaking Pierre again raised his eyes to the + windows of the Pope’s apartments, as if to follow the scene. Moreover, + Narcisse gave further explanations, asserting that the money was put away + in a certain article of furniture, standing against the right-hand wall in + the Holy Father’s bedroom. Some people, he added, also spoke of a writing + table or secrétaire with deep drawers; and others declared that the money + slumbered in some big padlocked trunks stored away in the depths of the + alcove, which was very roomy. Of course, on the left side of the passage + leading to the Archives there was a large room occupied by a general + cashier and a monumental safe; but the funds kept there were simply those + of the Patrimony of St. Peter, the administrative receipts of Rome; + whereas the Peter’s Pence money, the voluntary donations of Christendom, + remained in the hands of Leo XIII: he alone knew the exact amount of that + fund, and lived alone with its millions, which he disposed of like an + absolute master, rendering account to none. And such was his prudence that + he never left his room when the servants cleaned and set it in order. At + the utmost he would consent to remain on the threshold of the adjoining + apartment in order to escape the dust. And whenever he meant to absent + himself for a few hours, to go down into the gardens, for instance, he + double-locked the doors and carried the keys away with him, never + confiding them to another. + </p> + <p> + At this point Narcisse paused and, turning to Nani, inquired: “Is not that + so, Monsignor? These are things known to all Rome.” + </p> + <p> + The prelate, ever smiling and wagging his head without expressing either + approval or disapproval, had begun to study on Pierre’s face the effect of + these curious stories. “No doubt, no doubt,” he responded; “so many things + are said! I know nothing myself, but you seem to be certain of it all, + Monsieur Habert.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” resumed the other, “I don’t accuse his Holiness of sordid avarice, + such as is rumoured. Some fabulous stories are current, stories of coffers + full of gold in which the Holy Father is said to plunge his hands for + hours at a time; treasures which he has heaped up in corners for the sole + pleasure of counting them over and over again. Nevertheless, one may well + admit that his Holiness is somewhat fond of money for its own sake, for + the pleasure of handling it and setting it in order when he happens to be + alone—and after all that is a very excusable mania in an old man who + has no other pastime. But I must add that he is yet fonder of money for + the social power which it brings, the decisive help which it will give to + the Holy See in the future, if the latter desires to triumph.” + </p> + <p> + These words evoked the lofty figure of a wise and prudent Pope, conscious + of modern requirements, inclined to utilise the powers of the century in + order to conquer it, and for this reason venturing on business and + speculation. As it happened, the treasure bequeathed by Pius IX had nearly + been lost in a financial disaster, but ever since that time Leo XIII had + sought to repair the breach and make the treasure whole again, in order + that he might leave it to his successor intact and even enlarged. + Economical he certainly was, but he saved for the needs of the Church, + which, as he knew, increased day by day; and money was absolutely + necessary if Atheism was to be met and fought in the sphere of the + schools, institutions, and associations of all sorts. Without money, + indeed, the Church would become a vassal at the mercy of the civil powers, + the Kingdom of Italy and other Catholic states; and so, although he + liberally helped every enterprise which might contribute to the triumph of + the Faith, Leo XIII had a contempt for all expenditure without an object, + and treated himself and others with stern closeness. Personally, he had no + needs. At the outset of his pontificate he had set his small private + patrimony apart from the rich patrimony of St. Peter, refusing to take + aught from the latter for the purpose of assisting his relatives. Never + had pontiff displayed less nepotism: his three nephews and his two nieces + had remained poor—in fact, in great pecuniary embarrassment. Still + he listened neither to complaints nor accusations, but remained + inflexible, proudly resolved to bequeath the sinews of life, the + invincible weapon money, to the popes of future times, and therefore + vigorously defending the millions of the Holy See against the desperate + covetousness of one and all. + </p> + <p> + “But, after all, what are the receipts and expenses of the Holy See?” + inquired Pierre. + </p> + <p> + In all haste Nani again made his amiable, evasive gesture. “Oh! I am + altogether ignorant in such matters,” he replied. “Ask Monsieur Habert, + who is so well informed.” + </p> + <p> + “For my part,” responded the <i>attaché</i>, “I simply know what is known + to all the embassies here, the matters which are the subject of common + report. With respect to the receipts there is, first of all, the treasure + left by Pius IX, some twenty millions, invested in various ways and + formerly yielding about a million a year in interest. But, as I said + before, a disaster happened, and there must then have been a falling off + in the income. Still, nowadays it is reported that nearly all deficiencies + have been made good. Well, besides the regular income from the invested + money, a few hundred thousand francs are derived every year from + chancellery dues, patents of nobility, and all sorts of little fees paid + to the Congregations. However, as the annual expenses exceed seven + millions, it has been necessary to find quite six millions every year; and + certainly it is the Peter’s Pence Fund that has supplied, not the six + millions, perhaps, but three or four of them, and with these the Holy See + has speculated in the hope of doubling them and making both ends meet. It + would take me too long just now to relate the whole story of these + speculations, the first huge gains, then the catastrophe which almost + swept everything away, and finally the stubborn perseverance which is + gradually supplying all deficiencies. However, if you are anxious on the + subject, I will one day tell you all about it.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had listened with deep interest. “Six millions—even four!” he + exclaimed, “what does the Peter’s Pence Fund bring in, then?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I can only repeat that nobody has ever known the exact figures. In + former times the Catholic Press published lists giving the amounts of + different offerings, and in this way one could frame an approximate + estimate. But the practice must have been considered unadvisable, for no + documents nowadays appear, and it is absolutely impossible for people to + form any real idea of what the Pope receives. He alone knows the correct + amount, keeps the money, and disposes of it with absolute authority. Still + I believe that in good years the offerings have amounted to between four + and five millions. Originally France contributed one-half of the sum; but + nowadays it certainly gives much less. Then come Belgium and Austria, + England and Germany. As for Spain and Italy—oh! Italy—” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse paused and smiled at Monsignor Nani, who was wagging his head + with the air of a man delighted at learning some extremely curious things + of which he had previously had no idea. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, you may proceed, you may proceed, my dear son,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, Italy scarcely distinguishes itself. If the Pope had to + provide for his living out of the gifts of the Italian Catholics there + would soon be a famine at the Vatican. Far from helping him, indeed, the + Roman nobility has cost him dear; for one of the chief causes of his + pecuniary losses was his folly in lending money to the princes who + speculated. It is really only from France and England that rich people, + noblemen and so forth, have sent royal gifts to the imprisoned and + martyred Pontiff. Among others there was an English nobleman who came to + Rome every year with a large offering, the outcome of a vow which he had + made in the hope that Heaven would cure his unhappy idiot son. And, of + course, I don’t refer to the extraordinary harvest garnered during the + sacerdotal and the episcopal jubilees—the forty millions which then + fell at his Holiness’s feet.” + </p> + <p> + “And the expenses?” asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Well, as I told you, they amount to about seven millions. We may reckon + two of them for the pensions paid to former officials of the pontifical + government who were unwilling to take service under Italy; but I must add + that this source of expense is diminishing every year as people die off + and their pensions become extinguished. Then, broadly speaking, we may put + down one million for the Italian sees, another for the Secretariate and + the Nunciatures, and another for the Vatican. In this last sum I include + the expenses of the pontifical Court, the military establishment, the + museums, and the repair of the palace and the Basilica. Well, we have + reached five millions, and the two others may be set down for the various + subsidised enterprises, the Propaganda, and particularly the schools, + which Leo XIII, with great practical good sense, subsidises very + handsomely, for he is well aware that the battle and the triumph be in + that direction—among the children who will be men to-morrow, and who + will then defend their mother the Church, provided that they have been + inspired with horror for the abominable doctrines of the age.” + </p> + <p> + A spell of silence ensued, and the three men slowly paced the majestic + colonnade. The swarming crowd had gradually disappeared, leaving the + piazza empty, so that only the obelisk and the twin fountains now arose + from the burning desert of symmetrical paving; whilst on the entablature + of the porticus across the square a noble line of motionless statues stood + out in the bright sunlight. And Pierre, with his eyes still raised to the + Pope’s windows, again fancied that he could see Leo XIII amidst all the + streaming gold that had been spoken of, his whole, white, pure figure, his + poor, waxen, transparent form steeped amidst those millions which he hid + and counted and expended for the glory of God alone. “And so,” murmured + the young priest, “he has no anxiety, he is not in any pecuniary + embarrassment.” + </p> + <p> + “Pecuniary embarrassment!” exclaimed Monsignor Nani, his patience so + sorely tried by the remark that he could no longer retain his diplomatic + reserve. “Oh! my dear son! Why, when Cardinal Mocenni, the treasurer, goes + to his Holiness every month, his Holiness always gives him the sum he asks + for; he would give it, and be able to give it, however large it might be! + His Holiness has certainly had the wisdom to effect great economies; the + Treasure of St. Peter is larger than ever. Pecuniary embarrassment, + indeed! Why, if a misfortune should occur, and the Sovereign Pontiff were + to make a direct appeal to all his children, the Catholics of the entire + world, do you know that in that case a thousand millions would fall at his + feet just like the gold and the jewels which you saw raining on the steps + of his throne just now?” Then suddenly calming himself and recovering his + pleasant smile, Nani added: “At least, that is what I sometimes hear said; + for, personally, I know nothing, absolutely nothing; and it is fortunate + that Monsieur Habert should have been here to give you information. Ah! + Monsieur Habert, Monsieur Habert! Why, I fancied that you were always in + the skies absorbed in your passion for art, and far removed from all base + mundane interests! But you really understand these things like a banker or + a notary. Nothing escapes you, nothing. It is wonderful.” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse must have felt the sting of the prelate’s delicate sarcasm. At + bottom, beneath this make-believe Florentine all-angelicalness, with long + curly hair and mauve eyes which grew dim with rapture at sight of a + Botticelli, there was a thoroughly practical, business-like young man, who + took admirable care of his fortune and was even somewhat miserly. However, + he contented himself with lowering his eyelids and assuming a languorous + air. “Oh!” said he, “I’m all reverie; my soul is elsewhere.” + </p> + <p> + “At all events,” resumed Nani, turning towards Pierre, “I am very glad + that you were able to see such a beautiful spectacle. A few more such + opportunities and you will understand things far better than you would + from all the explanations in the world. Don’t miss the grand ceremony at + St. Peter’s to-morrow. It will be magnificent, and will give you food for + useful reflection; I’m sure of it. And now allow me to leave you, + delighted at seeing you in such a fit frame of mind.” + </p> + <p> + Darting a last glance at Pierre, Nani seemed to have observed with + pleasure the weariness and uncertainty which were paling his face. And + when the prelate had gone off, and Narcisse also had taken leave with a + gentle hand-shake, the young priest felt the ire of protest rising within + him. What fit frame of mind did Nani mean? Did that man hope to weary him + and drive him to despair by throwing him into collision with obstacles, so + that he might afterwards overcome him with perfect ease? For the second + time Pierre became suddenly and briefly conscious of the stealthy efforts + which were being made to invest and crush him. But, believing as he did in + his own strength of resistance, pride filled him with disdain. Again he + swore that he would never yield, never withdraw his book, no matter what + might happen. And then, before crossing the piazza, he once more raised + his eyes to the windows of the Vatican, all his impressions crystallising + in the thought of that much-needed money which like a last bond still + attached the Pope to earth. Its chief evil doubtless lay in the manner in + which it was provided; and if indeed the only question were to devise an + improved method of collection, his dream of a pope who should be all soul, + the bond of love, the spiritual leader of the world, would not be + seriously affected. At this thought, Pierre felt comforted and was + unwilling to look on things otherwise than hopefully, moved as he was by + the extraordinary scene which he had just beheld, that feeble old man + shining forth like the symbol of human deliverance, obeyed and venerated + by the multitudes, and alone among all men endowed with the moral + omnipotence that might at last set the reign of charity and peace on + earth. + </p> + <p> + For the ceremony on the following day, it was fortunate that Pierre held a + private ticket which admitted him to a reserved gallery, for the scramble + at the entrances to the Basilica proved terrible. The mass, which the Pope + was to celebrate in person, was fixed for ten o’clock, but people began to + pour into St. Peter’s four hours earlier, as soon, indeed, as the gates + had been thrown open. The three thousand members of the International + Pilgrimage were increased tenfold by the arrival of all the tourists in + Italy, who had hastened to Rome eager to witness one of those great + pontifical functions which nowadays are so rare. Moreover, the devotees + and partisans whom the Holy See numbered in Rome itself and in other great + cities of the kingdom, helped to swell the throng, all alacrity at the + prospect of a demonstration. Judging by the tickets distributed, there + would be a concourse of 40,000 people. And, indeed, at nine o’clock, when + Pierre crossed the piazza on his way to the Canons’ Entrance in the Via + Santa Marta, where the holders of pink tickets were admitted, he saw the + portico of the façade still thronged with people who were but slowly + gaining admittance, while several gentlemen in evening dress, members of + some Catholic association, bestirred themselves to maintain order with the + help of a detachment of Pontifical Guards. Nevertheless, violent quarrels + broke out in the crowd, and blows were exchanged amidst the involuntary + scramble. Some people were almost stifled, and two women were carried off + half crushed to death. + </p> + <p> + A disagreeable surprise met Pierre on his entry into the Basilica. The + huge edifice was draped; coverings of old red damask with bands of gold + swathed the columns and pilasters, seventy-five feet high; even the aisles + were hung with the same old and faded silk; and the shrouding of those + pompous marbles, of all the superb dazzling ornamentation of the church + bespoke a very singular taste, a tawdry affectation of pomposity, + extremely wretched in its effect. However, he was yet more amazed on + seeing that even the statue of St. Peter was clad, costumed like a living + pope in sumptuous pontifical vestments, with a tiara on its metal head. He + had never imagined that people could garment statues either for their + glory or for the pleasure of the eyes, and the result seemed to him + disastrous. + </p> + <p> + The Pope was to say mass at the papal altar of the Confession, the high + altar which stands under the dome. On a platform at the entrance of the + left-hand transept was the throne on which he would afterwards take his + place. Then, on either side of the nave, tribunes had been erected for the + choristers of the Sixtine Chapel, the Corps Diplomatique, the Knights of + Malta, the Roman nobility, and other guests of various kinds. And, + finally, in the centre, before the altar, there were three rows of benches + covered with red rugs, the first for the cardinals and the other two for + the bishops and the prelates of the pontifical court. All the rest of the + congregation was to remain standing. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that huge concert-audience, those thirty, forty thousand believers + from here, there, and everywhere, inflamed with curiosity, passion, or + faith, bestirring themselves, jostling one another, rising on tip-toe to + see the better! The clamour of a human sea arose, the crowd was as gay and + familiar as if it had found itself in some heavenly theatre where it was + allowable for one to chat aloud and recreate oneself with the spectacle of + religious pomp! At first Pierre was thunderstruck, he who only knew of + nervous, silent kneeling in the depths of dim cathedrals, who was not + accustomed to that religion of light, whose brilliancy transformed a + religious celebration into a morning festivity. Around him, in the same + tribune as himself, were gentlemen in dress-coats and ladies gowned in + black, carrying glasses as in an opera-house. There were German and + English women, and numerous Americans, all more or less charming, + displaying the grace of thoughtless, chirruping birds. In the tribune of + the Roman nobility on the left he recognised Benedetta and Donna Serafina, + and there the simplicity of the regulation attire for ladies was relieved + by large lace veils rivalling one another in richness and elegance. Then + on the right was the tribune of the Knights of Malta, where the Grand + Master stood amidst a group of commanders: while across the nave rose the + diplomatic tribune where Pierre perceived the ambassadors of all the + Catholic nations, resplendent in gala uniforms covered with gold lace. + However, the young priest’s eyes were ever returning to the crowd, the + great surging throng in which the three thousand pilgrims were lost amidst + the multitude of other spectators. And yet as the Basilica was so vast + that it could easily contain eighty thousand people, it did not seem to be + more than half full. People came and went along the aisles and took up + favourable positions without impediment. Some could be seen gesticulating, + and calls rang out above the ceaseless rumble of voices. From the lofty + windows of plain white glass fell broad sheets of sunlight, which set a + gory glow upon the faded damask hangings, and these cast a reflection as + of fire upon all the tumultuous, feverish, impatient faces. The multitude + of candles, and the seven-and-eighty lamps of the Confession paled to such + a degree that they seemed but glimmering night-lights in the blinding + radiance; and everything proclaimed the worldly gala of the imperial Deity + of Roman pomp. + </p> + <p> + All at once there came a premature shock of delight, a false alert. Cries + burst forth and circulated through the crowd: “Eccolo! eccolo! Here he + comes!” And then there was pushing and jostling, eddying which made the + human sea whirl and surge, all craning their necks, raising themselves to + their full height, darting forward in a frenzied desire to see the Holy + Father and the <i>cortège</i>. But only a detachment of Noble Guards + marched by and took up position right and left of the altar. A flattering + murmur accompanied them, their fine impassive bearing with its exaggerated + military stiffness, provoking the admiration of the throng. An American + woman declared that they were superb-looking fellows; and a Roman lady + gave an English friend some particulars about the select corps to which + they belonged. Formerly, said she, young men of the aristocracy had + greatly sought the honour of forming part of it, for the sake of wearing + its rich uniform and caracoling in front of the ladies. But recruiting was + now such a difficult matter that one had to content oneself with + good-looking young men of doubtful or ruined nobility, whose only care was + for the meagre “pay” which just enabled them to live. + </p> + <p> + When another quarter of an hour of chatting and scrutinising had elapsed, + the papal <i>cortège</i> at last made its appearance, and no sooner was it + seen than applause burst forth as in a theatre—furious applause it + was which rose and rolled along under the vaulted ceilings, suggesting the + acclamations which ring out when some popular, idolised actor makes his + entry on the stage. As in a theatre, too, everything had been very + skilfully contrived so as to produce all possible effect amidst the + magnificent scenery of the Basilica. The <i>cortège</i> was formed in the + wings, that is in the Cappella della Pieta, the first chapel of the right + aisle, and in order to reach it, the Holy Father, coming from his + apartments by the way of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, had been + stealthily carried behind the hangings of the aisle which served the + purpose of a drop-scene. Awaiting him in all readiness in the Cappella + della Pieta were the cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, the whole + pontifical prelacy, hierarchically classified and grouped. And then, as at + a signal from a ballet master, the <i>cortège</i> made its entry, reaching + the nave and ascending it in triumph from the closed Porta Santa to the + altar of the Confession. On either hand were the rows of spectators whose + applause at the sight of so much magnificence grew louder and louder as + their delirious enthusiasm increased. + </p> + <p> + It was the <i>cortège</i> of the olden solemnities, the cross and sword, + the Swiss Guard in full uniform, the valets in scarlet simars, the Knights + of the Cape and the Sword in Renascence costumes, the Canons in rochets of + lace, the superiors of the religious communities, the apostolic + prothonotaries, the archbishops, and bishops, all the pontifical prelates + in violet silk, the cardinals, each wearing the <i>cappa magna</i> and + draped in purple, walking solemnly two by two with long intervals between + each pair. Finally, around his Holiness were grouped the officers of the + military household, the chamber prelates, Monsignor the Majordomo, + Monsignor the Grand Chamberlain, and all the other high dignitaries of the + Vatican, with the Roman prince assistant of the throne, the traditional, + symbolical defender of the Church. And on the <i>sedia gestatoria</i>, + screened by the <i>flabelli</i> with their lofty triumphal fans of + feathers and carried on high by the bearers in red tunics broidered with + silk, sat the Pope, clad in the sacred vestments which he had assumed in + the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the amict, the alb, the stole, and + the white chasuble and white mitre enriched with gold, two gifts of + extraordinary sumptuousness that had come from France. And, as his + Holiness drew near, all hands were raised and clapped yet more loudly + amidst the waves of living sunlight which streamed from the lofty windows. + </p> + <p> + Then a new and different impression of Leo XIII came to Pierre. The Pope, + as he now beheld him, was no longer the familiar, tired, inquisitive old + man, leaning on the arm of a talkative prelate as he strolled through the + loveliest gardens in the world. He no longer recalled the Holy Father, in + red cape and papal cap, giving a paternal welcome to a pilgrimage which + brought him a fortune. He was here the Sovereign Pontiff, the all-powerful + Master whom Christendom adored. His slim waxen form seemed to have + stiffened within his white vestments, heavy with golden broidery, as in a + reliquary of precious metal; and he retained a rigid, haughty, hieratic + attitude, like that of some idol, gilded, withered for centuries past by + the smoke of sacrifices. Amidst the mournful stiffness of his face only + his eyes lived—eyes like black sparkling diamonds gazing afar, + beyond earth, into the infinite. He gave not a glance to the crowd, he + lowered his eyes neither to right nor to left, but remained soaring in the + heavens, ignoring all that took place at his feet. + </p> + <p> + And as that seemingly embalmed idol, deaf and blind, in spite of the + brilliancy of his eyes, was carried through the frantic multitude which it + appeared neither to hear nor to see, it assumed fearsome majesty, + disquieting grandeur, all the rigidity of dogma, all the immobility of + tradition exhumed with its <i>fascioe</i> which alone kept it erect. Still + Pierre fancied he could detect that the Pope was ill and weary, suffering + from the attack of fever which Nani had spoken of when glorifying the + courage of that old man of eighty-four, whom strength of soul alone now + kept alive. + </p> + <p> + The service began. Alighting from the <i>sedia gestatoria</i> before the + altar of the Confession, his Holiness slowly celebrated a low mass, + assisted by four prelates and the pro-prefect of the ceremonies. When the + time came for washing his fingers, Monsignor the Majordomo and Monsignor + the Grand Chamberlain, accompanied by two cardinals, poured the water on + his august hands; and shortly before the elevation of the host all the + prelates of the pontifical court, each holding a lighted taper, came and + knelt around the altar. There was a solemn moment, the forty thousand + believers there assembled shuddered as if they could feel the terrible yet + delicious blast of the invisible sweeping over them when during the + elevation the silver clarions sounded the famous chorus of angels which + invariably makes some women swoon. Almost immediately an aerial chant + descended from the cupola, from a lofty gallery where one hundred and + twenty choristers were concealed, and the enraptured multitude marvelled + as though the angels had indeed responded to the clarion call. The voices + descended, taking their flight under the vaulted ceilings with the airy + sweetness of celestial harps; then in suave harmony they died away, + reascended to the heavens as with a faint flapping of wings. And, after + the mass, his Holiness, still standing at the altar, in person started the + <i>Te Deum</i>, which the singers of the Sixtine Chapel and the other + choristers took up, each party chanting a verse alternately. But soon the + whole congregation joined them, forty thousand voices were raised, and a + hymn of joy and glory spread through the vast nave with incomparable + splendour of effect. And then the scene became one of extraordinary + magnificence: there was Bernini’s triumphal, flowery, gilded <i>baldacchino</i>, + surrounded by the whole pontifical court with the lighted tapers showing + like starry constellations, there was the Sovereign Pontiff in the centre, + radiant like a planet in his gold-broidered chasuble, there were the + benches crowded with cardinals in purple and archbishops and bishops in + violet silk, there were the tribunes glittering with official finery, the + gold lace of the diplomatists, the variegated uniforms of foreign + officers, and then there was the throng flowing and eddying on all sides, + rolling billows after billows of heads from the most distant depths of the + Basilica. And the hugeness of the temple increased one’s amazement; and + even the glorious hymn which the multitude repeated became colossal, + ascended like a tempest blast amidst the great marble tombs, the + superhuman statues and gigantic pillars, till it reached the vast vaulted + heavens of stone, and penetrated into the firmament of the cupola where + the Infinite seemed to open resplendent with the gold-work of the mosaics. + </p> + <p> + A long murmur of voices followed the <i>Te Deum</i>, whilst Leo XIII, + after donning the tiara in lieu of the mitre, and exchanging the chasuble + for the pontifical cope, went to occupy his throne on the platform at the + entry of the left transept. He thence dominated the whole assembly, + through which a quiver sped when after the prayers of the ritual, he once + more rose erect. Beneath the symbolic, triple crown, in the golden + sheathing of his cope, he seemed to have grown taller. Amidst sudden and + profound silence, which only feverish heart-beats interrupted, he raised + his arm with a very noble gesture and pronounced the papal benediction in + a slow, loud, full voice, which seemed, as it were, the very voice of the + Deity, so greatly did its power astonish one, coming from such waxen lips, + from such a bloodless, lifeless frame. And the effect was prodigious: as + soon as the <i>cortège</i> reformed to return whence it had come, applause + again burst forth, a frenzy of enthusiasm which the clapping of hands + could no longer content. Acclamations resounded and gradually gained upon + the whole multitude. They began among a group of ardent partisans + stationed near the statue of St. Peter: <i>“Evviva il Papa-Rè! evviva il + Papa-Rè</i>! Long live the Pope-King!” as the <i>cortège</i> went by the + shout rushed along like leaping fire, inflaming heart after heart, and at + last springing from every mouth in a thunderous protest against the theft + of the states of the Church. All the faith, all the love of those + believers, overexcited by the regal spectacle they had just beheld, + returned once more to the dream, to the rageful desire that the Pope + should be both King and Pontiff, master of men’s bodies as he was of their + souls—in one word, the absolute sovereign of the earth. Therein lay + the only truth, the only happiness, the only salvation! Let all be given + to him, both mankind and the world! “<i>Evviva il Papa-Rè! evviva il + Papa-Rè</i>! Long live the Pope-King!” + </p> + <p> + Ah! that cry, that cry of war which had caused so many errors and so much + bloodshed, that cry of self-abandonment and blindness which, realised, + would have brought back the old ages of suffering, it shocked Pierre, and + impelled him in all haste to quit the tribune where he was in order that + he might escape the contagion of idolatry. And while the <i>cortège</i> + still went its way and the deafening clamour of the crowd continued, he + for a moment followed the left aisle amidst the general scramble. This, + however, made him despair of reaching the street, and anxious to escape + the crush of the general departure, it occurred to him to profit by a door + which he saw open and which led him into a vestibule, whence ascended the + steps conducting to the dome. A sacristan standing in the doorway, both + bewildered and delighted at the demonstration, looked at him for a moment, + hesitating whether he should stop him or not. However, the sight of the + young priest’s cassock combined with his own emotion rendered the man + tolerant. Pierre was allowed to pass, and at once began to climb the + staircase as rapidly as he could, in order that he might flee farther and + farther away, ascend higher and yet higher into peace and silence. + </p> + <p> + And the silence suddenly became profound, the walls stifled the cry of the + multitude. The staircase was easy and light, with broad paved steps + turning within a sort of tower. When Pierre came out upon the roofs of + nave and aisles, he was delighted to find himself in the bright sunlight + and the pure keen air which blew there as in the open country. And it was + with astonishment that he gazed upon the huge expanse of lead, zinc, and + stone-work, a perfect aerial city living a life of its own under the blue + sky. He saw cupolas, spires, terraces, even houses and gardens, houses + bright with flowers, the residences of the workmen who live atop of the + Basilica, which is ever and ever requiring repair. A little population + here bestirs itself, labours, loves, eats, and sleeps. However, Pierre + desired to approach the balustrade so as to get a near view of the + colossal statues of the Saviour and the Apostles which surmount the façade + on the side of the piazza. These giants, some nineteen feet in height, are + constantly being mended; their arms, legs, and heads, into which the + atmosphere is ever eating, nowadays only hold together by the help of + cement, bars, and hooks. And having examined them, Pierre was leaning + forward to glance at the Vatican’s jumble of ruddy roofs, when it seemed + to him that the shout from which he had fled was rising from the piazza, + and thereupon, in all haste, he resumed his ascent within the pillar + conducting to the dome. There was first a staircase, and then came some + narrow, oblique passages, inclines intersected by a few steps, between the + inner and outer walls of the cupola. Yielding to curiosity, Pierre pushed + a door open, and suddenly found himself inside the Basilica again, at + nearly 200 feet from the ground. A narrow gallery there ran round the dome + just above the frieze, on which, in letters five feet high, appeared the + famous inscription: <i>Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram œdificabo + ecclesiam meam et tibi dabo claves regni cœlorum.</i>* And then, as + Pierre leant over to gaze into the fearful cavity beneath him and the wide + openings of nave, and aisles, and transepts, the cry, the delirious cry of + the multitude, yet clamorously swarming below, struck him full in the + face. He fled once more; but, higher up, yet a second time he pushed + another door open and found another gallery, one perched above the + windows, just where the splendid mosaics begin, and whence the crowd + seemed to him lost in the depths of a dizzy abyss, altar and <i>baldacchino</i> + alike looking no larger than toys. And yet the cry of idolatry and warfare + arose again, and smote him like the buffet of a tempest which gathers + increase of strength the farther it rushes. So to escape it he had to + climb higher still, even to the outer gallery which encircles the lantern, + hovering in the very heavens. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Thou art Peter (Petrus) and on that rock (Petram) will I build + my church, and to thee will I give the keys of the Kingdom of + Heaven. +</pre> + <p> + How delightful was the relief which that bath of air and sunlight at first + brought him! Above him now there only remained the ball of gilt copper + into which emperors and queens have ascended, as is testified by the + pompous inscriptions in the passages; a hollow ball it is, where the voice + crashes like thunder, where all the sounds of space reverberate. As he + emerged on the side of the apse, his eyes at first plunged into the papal + gardens, whose clumps of trees seemed mere bushes almost level with the + soil; and he could retrace his recent stroll among them, the broad <i>parterre</i> + looking like a faded Smyrna rug, the large wood showing the deep glaucous + greenery of a stagnant pool. Then there were the kitchen garden and the + vineyard easily identified and tended with care. The fountains, the + observatory, the casino, where the Pope spent the hot days of summer, + showed merely like little white spots in those undulating grounds, walled + in like any other estate, but with the fearsome rampart of the fourth Leo, + which yet retained its fortress-like aspect. However, Pierre took his way + round the narrow gallery and abruptly found himself in front of Rome, a + sudden and immense expanse, with the distant sea on the west, the + uninterrupted mountain chains on the east and the south, the Roman + Campagna stretching to the horizon like a bare and greenish desert, while + the city, the Eternal City, was spread out at his feet. Never before had + space impressed him so majestically. Rome was there, as a bird might see + it, within the glance, as distinct as some geographical plan executed in + relief. To think of it, such a past, such a history, so much grandeur, and + Rome so dwarfed and contracted by distance! Houses as lilliputian and as + pretty as toys; and the whole a mere mouldy speck upon the earth’s face! + What impassioned Pierre was that he could at a glance understand the + divisions of Rome: the antique city yonder with the Capitol, the Forum, + and the Palatine; the papal city in that Borgo which he overlooked, with + St. Peter’s and the Vatican gazing across the city of the middle ages—which + was huddled together in the right angle described by the yellow Tiber—towards + the modern city, the Quirinal of the Italian monarchy. And particularly + did he remark the chalky girdle with which the new districts encompassed + the ancient, central, sun-tanned quarters, thus symbolising an effort at + rejuvenescence, the old heart but slowly mended, whereas the outlying + limbs were renewed as if by miracle. + </p> + <p> + In that ardent noontide glow, however, Pierre no longer beheld the pure + ethereal Rome which had met his eyes on the morning of his arrival in the + delightfully soft radiance of the rising sun. That smiling, unobtrusive + city, half veiled by golden mist, immersed as it were in some dream of + childhood, now appeared to him flooded with a crude light, motionless, + hard of outline and silent like death. The distance was as if devoured by + too keen a flame, steeped in a luminous dust in which it crumbled. And + against that blurred background the whole city showed with violent + distinctness in great patches of light and shade, their tracery harshly + conspicuous. One might have fancied oneself above some very ancient, + abandoned stone quarry, which a few clumps of trees spotted with dark + green. Of the ancient city one could see the sunburnt tower of the + Capitol, the black cypresses of the Palatine, and the ruins of the palace + of Septimius Severus, suggesting the white osseous carcase of some fossil + monster, left there by a flood. In front, was enthroned the modern city + with the long, renovated buildings of the Quirinal, whose yellow walls + stood forth with wondrous crudity amidst the vigorous crests of the garden + trees. And to right and left on the Viminal, beyond the palace, the new + districts appeared like a city of chalk and plaster mottled by innumerable + windows as with a thousand touches of black ink. Then here and there were + the Pincio showing like a stagnant mere, the Villa Medici uprearing its + campanili, the castle of Sant’ Angelo brown like rust, the spire of Santa + Maria Maggiore aglow like a burning taper, the three churches of the + Aventine drowsy amidst verdure, the Palazzo Farnese with its summer-baked + tiles showing like old gold, the domes of the Gesù, of Sant’ Andrea della + Valle, of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, and yet other domes and other + domes, all in fusion, incandescent in the brazier of the heavens. And + Pierre again felt a heart-pang in presence of that harsh, stern Rome, so + different from the Rome of his dream, the Rome of rejuvenescence and hope, + which he had fancied he had found on his first morning, but which had now + faded away to give place to the immutable city of pride and domination, + stubborn under the sun even unto death. + </p> + <p> + And there on high, all alone with his thoughts, Pierre suddenly + understood. It was as if a dart of flaming light fell on him in that free, + unbounded expanse where he hovered. Had it come from the ceremony which he + had just beheld, from the frantic cry of servitude still ringing in his + ears? Had it come from the spectacle of that city beneath him, that city + which suggested an embalmed queen still reigning amidst the dust of her + tomb? He knew not; but doubtless both had acted as factors, and at all + events the light which fell upon his mind was complete: he felt that + Catholicism could not exist without the temporal power, that it must + fatally disappear whenever it should no longer be king over this earth. A + first reason of this lay in heredity, in the forces of history, the long + line of the heirs of the Caesars, the popes, the great pontiffs, in whose + veins the blood of Augustus, demanding the empire of the world, had never + ceased to flow. Though they might reside in the Vatican they had come from + the imperial abodes on the Palatine, from the palace of Septimius Severus, + and throughout the centuries their policy had ever pursued the dream of + Roman mastery, of all the nations vanquished, submissive, and obedient to + Rome. If its sovereignty were not universal, extending alike over bodies + and over souls, Catholicism would lose its <i>raison d’être</i>; for the + Church cannot recognise any empire or kingdom otherwise than politically—the + emperors and the kings being purely and simply so many temporary delegates + placed in charge of the nations pending the time when they shall be called + upon to relinquish their trust. All the nations, all humanity, and the + whole world belong to the Church to whom they have been given by God. And + if real and effective possession is not hers to-day, this is only because + she yields to force, compelled to face accomplished facts, but with the + formal reserve that she is in presence of guilty usurpation, that her + possessions are unjustly withheld from her, and that she awaits the + realisation of the promises of the Christ, who, when the time shall be + accomplished, will for ever restore to her both the earth and mankind. + Such is the real future city which time is to bring: Catholic Rome, + sovereign of the world once more. And Rome the city forms a substantial + part of the dream, Rome whose eternity has been predicted, Rome whose soil + has imparted to Catholicism the inextinguishable thirst of absolute power. + And thus the destiny of the papacy is linked to that of Rome, to such a + point indeed that a pope elsewhere than at Rome would no longer be a + Catholic pope. The thought of all this frightened Pierre; a great shudder + passed through him as he leant on the light iron balustrade, gazing down + into the abyss where the stern mournful city was even now crumbling away + under the fierce sun. + </p> + <p> + There was, however, evidence of the facts which had dawned on him. If Pius + IX and Leo XIII had resolved to imprison themselves in the Vatican, it was + because necessity bound them to Rome. A pope is not free to leave the + city, to be the head of the Church elsewhere; and in the same way a pope, + however well he may understand the modern world, has not the right to + relinquish the temporal power. This is an inalienable inheritance which he + must defend, and it is moreover a question of life, peremptory, above + discussion. And thus Leo XIII has retained the title of Master of the + temporal dominions of the Church, and this he has done the more readily + since as a cardinal—like all the members of the Sacred College when + elected—he swore that he would maintain those dominions intact. + Italy may hold Rome as her capital for another century or more, but the + coming popes will never cease to protest and claim their kingdom. If ever + an understanding should be arrived at, it must be based on the gift of a + strip of territory. Formerly, when rumours of reconciliation were current, + was it not said that the papacy exacted, as a formal condition, the + possession of at least the Leonine City with the neutralisation of a road + leading to the sea? Nothing is not enough, one cannot start from nothing + to attain to everything, whereas that Civitas Leonina, that bit of a city, + would already be a little royal ground, and it would then only be + necessary to conquer the rest, first Rome, next Italy, then the + neighbouring states, and at last the whole world. Never has the Church + despaired, even when, beaten and despoiled, she seemed to be at the last + gasp. Never will she abdicate, never will she renounce the promises of the + Christ, for she believes in a boundless future and declares herself to be + both indestructible and eternal. Grant her but a pebble on which to rest + her head, and she will hope to possess, first the field in which that + pebble lies, and then the empire in which the field is situated. If one + pope cannot achieve the recovery of the inheritance, another pope, ten, + twenty other popes will continue the work. The centuries do not count. And + this explains why an old man of eighty-four has undertaken colossal + enterprises whose achievement requires several lives, certain as he is + that his successors will take his place, and that the work will ever and + ever be carried forward and completed. + </p> + <p> + As these thoughts coursed through his mind, Pierre, overlooking that + ancient city of glory and domination, so stubbornly clinging to its + purple, realised that he was an imbecile with his dream of a purely + spiritual pope. The notion seemed to him so different from the reality, so + out of place, that he experienced a sort of shame-fraught despair. The new + pope, consonant to the teachings of the Gospel, such as a purely spiritual + pope reigning over souls alone, would be, was virtually beyond the ken of + a Roman prelate. At thought of that papal court congealed in ritual, + pride, and authority, Pierre suddenly understood what horror and + repugnance such a pastor would inspire. How great must be the astonishment + and contempt of the papal prelates for that singular notion of the + northern mind, a pope without dominions or subjects, military household or + royal honours, a pope who would be, as it were, a spirit, exercising + purely moral authority, dwelling in the depths of God’s temple, and + governing the world solely with gestures of benediction and deeds of + kindliness and love! All that was but a misty Gothic invention for this + Latin clergy, these priests of light and magnificence, who were certainly + pious and even superstitious, but who left the Deity well sheltered within + the tabernacle in order to govern in His name, according to what they + considered the interests of Heaven. Thence it arose that they employed + craft and artifice like mere politicians, and lived by dint of expedients + amidst the great battle of human appetites, marching with the prudent, + stealthy steps of diplomatists towards the final terrestrial victory of + the Christ, who, in the person of the Pope, was one day to reign over all + the nations. And how stupefied must a French prelate have been—a + prelate like Monseigneur Bergerot, that apostle of renunciation and + charity—when he lighted amidst that world of the Vatican! How + difficult must it have been for him to understand and focus things, and + afterwards how great his grief at finding himself unable to come to any + agreement with those men without country, without fatherland, those + “internationals,” who were ever poring over the maps of both hemispheres, + ever absorbed in schemes which were to bring them empire. Days and days + were necessary, one needed to live in Rome, and he, Pierre himself, had + only seen things clearly after a month’s sojourn, whilst labouring under + the violent shock of the royal pomp of St. Peter’s, and standing face to + face with the ancient city as it slumbered heavily in the sunlight and + dreamt its dream of eternity. + </p> + <p> + But on lowering his eyes to the piazza in front of the Basilica he + perceived the multitude, the 40,000 believers streaming over the pavement + like insects. And then he thought that he could hear the cry again rising: + “<i>Evviva il Papa-Rè! evviva il Papa-Rè</i>! Long live the Pope-King!” + Whilst ascending those endless staircases a moment previously it had + seemed to him as if the colossus of stone were quivering with the frantic + shout raised beneath its ceilings. And now that he had climbed even into + cloudland that shout apparently was traversing space. If the colossal pile + beneath him still vibrated with it, was it not as with a last rise of sap + within its ancient walls, a reinvigoration of that Catholic blood which + formerly had demanded that the pile should be a stupendous one, the + veritable king of temples, and which now was striving to reanimate it with + the powerful breath of life, and this at the very hour when death was + beginning to fall upon its over-vast, deserted nave and aisles? The crowd + was still streaming forth, filling the piazza, and Pierre’s heart was + wrung by frightful anguish, for that throng with its shout had just swept + his last hope away. On the previous afternoon, after the reception of the + pilgrimage, he had yet been able to deceive himself by overlooking the + necessity for money which bound the Pope to earth in order that he might + see nought but the feeble old man, all spirituality, resplendent like the + symbol of moral authority. But his faith in such a pastor of the Gospel, + free from all considerations of earthly wealth, and king of none other + than a heavenly kingdom, had fled. Not only did the Peter’s Pence impose + hard servitude upon Leo XIII but he was also the prisoner of papal + tradition—the eternal King of Rome, riveted to the soil of Rome, + unable either to quit the city or to renounce the temporal power. The + fatal end would be collapse on the spot, the dome of St. Peter’s falling + even as the temple of Olympian Jupiter had fallen, Catholicism strewing + the grass with its ruins whilst elsewhere schism burst forth: a new faith + for the new nations. Of this Pierre had a grandiose and tragical vision: + he beheld his dream destroyed, his book swept away amidst that cry which + spread around him as if flying to the four corners of the Catholic world “<i>Evviva + il Papa-Rè! evviva il Papa-Rè!</i> Long live the Pope-King!” But even in + that hour of the papacy’s passing triumph he already felt that the giant + of gold and marble on which he stood was oscillating, even as totter all + old and rotten societies. + </p> + <p> + At last he took his way down again, and a fresh shock of emotion came to + him as he reached the roofs, that sunlit expanse of lead and zinc, large + enough for the site of a town. Monsignor Nani was there, in company with + the two French ladies, the mother and the daughter, both looking very + happy and highly amused. No doubt the prelate had good-naturedly offered + to conduct them to the dome. However, as soon as he recognised the young + priest he went towards him: “Well, my dear son,” he inquired, “are you + pleased? Have you been impressed, edified?” As he spoke, his searching + eyes dived into Pierre’s soul, as if to ascertain the present result of + his experiments. Then, satisfied with what he detected, he began to laugh + softly: “Yes, yes, I see—come, you are a sensible fellow after all. + I begin to think that the unfortunate affair which brought you here will + have a happy ending.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap33"></a> + VIII. + </h2> + <p> + WHEN Pierre remained in the morning at the Boccanera mansion he often + spent some hours in the little neglected garden which had formerly ended + with a sort of colonnaded <i>loggia</i>, whence two flights of steps + descended to the Tiber. This garden was a delightful, solitary nook, + perfumed by the ripe fruit of the centenarian orange-trees, whose + symmetrical lines were the only indication of the former pathways, now + hidden beneath rank weeds. And Pierre also found there the acrid scent of + the large box-shrubs growing in the old central fountain basin, which had + been filled up with loose earth and rubbish. + </p> + <p> + On those luminous October mornings, full of such tender and penetrating + charm, the spot was one where all the joy of living might well be + savoured, but Pierre brought thither his northern dreaminess, his concern + for suffering, his steadfast feeling of compassion, which rendered yet + sweeter the caress of the sunlight pervading that atmosphere of love. He + seated himself against the right-hand wall on a fragment of a fallen + column over which a huge laurel cast a deep-black shadow, fresh and + aromatic. In the antique greenish sarcophagus beside him, on which fauns + offered violence to nymphs, the streamlet of water trickling from the mask + incrusted in the wall, set the unchanging music of its crystal note, + whilst he read the newspapers and the letters which he received, all the + communications of good Abbé Rose, who kept him informed of his mission + among the wretched ones of gloomy Paris, now already steeped in fog and + mud. + </p> + <p> + One morning however, Pierre unexpectedly found Benedetta seated on the + fallen column which he usually made his chair. She raised a light cry of + surprise on seeing him, and for a moment remained embarrassed, for she had + with her his book “New Rome,” which she had read once already, but had + then imperfectly understood. And overcoming her embarrassment she now + hastened to detain him, making him sit down beside her, and frankly owning + that she had come to the garden in order to be alone and apply herself to + an attentive study of the book, in the same way as some ignorant + school-girl. Then they began to chat like a pair of friends, and the young + priest spent a delightful hour. Although Benedetta did not speak of + herself, he realised that it was her grief alone which brought her nearer + to him, as if indeed her own sufferings enlarged her heart and made her + think of all who suffered in the world. Patrician as she was, regarding + social hierarchy as a divine law, she had never previously thought of such + things, and some pages of Pierre’s book greatly astonished her. What! one + ought to take interest in the lowly, realise that they had the same souls + and the same griefs as oneself, and seek in brotherly or sisterly fashion + to make them happy? She certainly sought to acquire such an interest, but + with no great success, for she secretly feared that it might lead her into + sin, as it could not be right to alter aught of the social system which + had been established by God and consecrated by the Church. Charitable she + undoubtedly was, wont to bestow small sums in alms, but she did not give + her heart, she felt no true sympathy for the humble, belonging as she did + to such a different race, which looked to a throne in heaven high above + the seats of all the plebeian elect. + </p> + <p> + She and Pierre, however, found themselves on other mornings side by side + in the shade of the laurels near the trickling, singing water; and he, + lacking occupation, weary of waiting for a solution which seemed to recede + day by day, fervently strove to animate this young and beautiful woman + with some of his own fraternal feelings. He was impassioned by the idea + that he was catechising Italy herself, the queen of beauty, who was still + slumbering in ignorance, but who would recover all her past glory if she + were to awake to the new times with soul enlarged, swelling with pity for + men and things. Reading good Abbé Rose’s letters to Benedetta, he made her + shudder at the frightful wail of wretchedness which ascends from all great + cities. With such deep tenderness in her eyes, with the happiness of love + reciprocated emanating from her whole being, why should she not recognise, + even as he did, that the law of love was the sole means of saving + suffering humanity, which, through hatred, incurred the danger of death? + And to please him she did try to believe in democracy, in the fraternal + remodelling of society, but among other nations only—not at Rome, + for an involuntary, gentle laugh came to her lips whenever his words + evoked the idea of the poor still remaining in the Trastevere district + fraternising with those who yet dwelt in the old princely palaces. No, no, + things had been as they were so long; they could not, must not, be + altered! And so, after all, Pierre’s pupil made little progress: she was, + in reality, simply touched by the wealth of ardent love which the young + priest had chastely transferred from one alone to the whole of human kind. + And between him and her, as those sunlit October mornings went by, a tie + of exquisite sweetness was formed; they came to love one another with + deep, pure, fraternal affection, amidst the great glowing passion which + consumed them both. + </p> + <p> + Then, one day, Benedetta, her elbow resting on the sarcophagus, spoke of + Dario, whose name she had hitherto refrained from mentioning. Ah! poor <i>amico</i>, + how circumspect and repentant he had shown himself since that fit of + brutal insanity! At first, to conceal his embarrassment, he had gone to + spend three days at Naples, and it was said that La Tonietta, the + sentimental <i>demi-mondaine</i>, had hastened to join him there, wildly + in love with him. Since his return to the mansion he had avoided all + private meetings with his cousin, and scarcely saw her except at the + Monday receptions, when he wore a submissive air, and with his eyes + silently entreated forgiveness. + </p> + <p> + “Yesterday, however,” continued Benedetta, “I met him on the staircase and + gave him my hand. He understood that I was no longer angry with him and + was very happy. What else could I have done? One must not be severe for + ever. Besides, I do not want things to go too far between him and that + woman. I want him to remember that I still love him, and am still waiting + for him. Oh! he is mine, mine alone. But alas! I cannot say the word: our + affairs are in such sorry plight.” + </p> + <p> + She paused, and two big tears welled into her eyes. The divorce + proceedings to which she alluded had now come to a standstill, fresh + obstacles ever arising to stay their course. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was much moved by her tears, for she seldom wept. She herself + sometimes confessed, with her calm smile, that she did not know how to + weep. But now her heart was melting, and for a moment she remained + overcome, leaning on the mossy, crumbling sarcophagus, whilst the clear + water falling from the gaping mouth of the tragic mask still sounded its + flutelike note. And a sudden thought of death came to the priest as he saw + her, so young and so radiant with beauty, half fainting beside that marble + resting-place where fauns were rushing upon nymphs in a frantic bacchanal + which proclaimed the omnipotence of love—that omnipotence which the + ancients were fond of symbolising on their tombs as a token of life’s + eternity. And meantime a faint, warm breeze passed through the sunlit, + silent garden, wafting hither and thither the penetrating scent of box and + orange. + </p> + <p> + “One has so much strength when one loves,” Pierre at last murmured. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, you are right,” she replied, already smiling again. “I am + childish. But it is the fault of your book. It is only when I suffer that + I properly understand it. But all the same I am making progress, am I not? + Since you desire it, let all the poor, all those who suffer, as I do, be + my brothers and sisters.” + </p> + <p> + Then for a while they resumed their chat. + </p> + <p> + On these occasions Benedetta was usually the first to return to the house, + and Pierre would linger alone under the laurels, vaguely dreaming of + sweet, sad things. Often did he think how hard life proved for poor + creatures whose only thirst was for happiness! + </p> + <p> + One Monday evening, at a quarter-past ten, only the young folks remained + in Donna Serafina’s reception-room. Monsignor Nani had merely put in an + appearance that night, and Cardinal Sarno had just gone off. + </p> + <p> + Even Donna Serafina, in her usual seat by the fireplace, seemed to have + withdrawn from the others, absorbed as she was in contemplation of the + chair which the absent Morano still stubbornly left unoccupied. Chatting + and laughing in front of the sofa on which sat Benedetta and Celia were + Dario, Pierre, and Narcisse Habert, the last of whom had begun to twit the + young Prince, having met him, so he asserted, a few days previously, in + the company of a very pretty girl. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! don’t deny it, my dear fellow,” continued Narcisse, “for she was + really superb. She was walking beside you, and you turned into a lane + together—the Borgo Angelico, I think.” + </p> + <p> + Dario listened smiling, quite at his ease and incapable of denying his + passionate predilection for beauty. “No doubt, no doubt; it was I, I don’t + deny it,” he responded. “Only the inferences you draw are not correct.” + And turning towards Benedetta, who, without a thought of jealous anxiety, + wore as gay a look as himself, as though delighted that he should have + enjoyed that passing pleasure of the eyes, he went on: “It was the girl, + you know, whom I found in tears six weeks ago. Yes, that bead-worker who + was sobbing because the workshop was shut up, and who rushed along, all + blushing, to conduct me to her parents when I offered her a bit of silver. + Pierina her name is, as you, perhaps, remember.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! yes, Pierina.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, since then I’ve met her in the street on four or five occasions. + And, to tell the truth, she is so very beautiful that I’ve stopped and + spoken to her. The other day, for instance, I walked with her as far as a + manufacturer’s. But she hasn’t yet found any work, and she began to cry, + and so, to console her a little, I kissed her. She was quite taken aback + at it, but she seemed very well pleased.” + </p> + <p> + At this all the others began to laugh. But suddenly Celia desisted and + said very gravely, “You know, Dario, she loves you; you must not be hard + on her.” + </p> + <p> + Dario, no doubt, was of Celia’s opinion, for he again looked at Benedetta, + but with a gay toss of the head, as if to say that, although the girl + might love him, he did not love her. A bead-worker indeed, a girl of the + lowest classes, pooh! She might be a Venus, but she could be nothing to + him. And he himself made merry over his romantic adventure, which Narcisse + sought to arrange in a kind of antique sonnet: A beautiful bead-worker + falling madly in love with a young prince, as fair as sunlight, who, + touched by her misfortune, hands her a silver crown; then the beautiful + bead-worker, quite overcome at finding him as charitable as handsome, + dreaming of him incessantly, and following him everywhere, chained to his + steps by a link of flame; and finally the beautiful bead-worker, who has + refused the silver crown, so entreating the handsome prince with her soft, + submissive eyes, that he at last deigns to grant her the alms of his + heart. This pastime greatly amused Benedetta; but Celia, with her angelic + face and the air of a little girl who ought to have been ignorant of + everything, remained very grave and repeated sadly, “Dario, Dario, she + loves you; you must not make her suffer.” + </p> + <p> + Then the Contessina, in her turn, was moved to pity. “And those poor folks + are not happy!” said she. + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” exclaimed the Prince, “it’s misery beyond belief. On the day she + took me to the Quartiere dei Prati* I was quite overcome; it was awful, + astonishingly awful!” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The district of the castle meadows—see <i>ante</i> note.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “But I remember that we promised to go to see the poor people,” resumed + Benedetta, “and we have done wrong in delaying our visit so long. For your + studies, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, you greatly desired to accompany us and + see the poor of Rome—was that not so?” + </p> + <p> + As she spoke she raised her eyes to Pierre, who for a moment had been + silent. He was much moved by her charitable thought, for he realised, by + the faint quiver of her voice, that she desired to appear a docile pupil, + progressing in affection for the lowly and the wretched. Moreover, his + passion for his apostolate had at once returned to him. “Oh!” said he, “I + shall not quit Rome without having seen those who suffer, those who lack + work and bread. Therein lies the malady which affects every nation; + salvation can only be attained by the healing of misery. When the roots of + the tree cannot find sustenance the tree dies.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” resumed the Contessina, “we will fix an appointment at once; you + shall come with us to the Quartiere dei Prati—Dario will take us + there.” + </p> + <p> + At this the Prince, who had listened to the priest with an air of + stupefaction, unable to understand the simile of the tree and its roots, + began to protest distressfully, “No, no, cousin, take Monsieur l’Abbé for + a stroll there if it amuses you. But I’ve been, and don’t want to go back. + Why, when I got home the last time I was so upset that I almost took to my + bed. No, no; such abominations are too awful—it isn’t possible.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment a voice, bitter with displeasure, arose from the chimney + corner. Donna Serafina was emerging from her long silence. “Dario is quite + right! Send your alms, my dear, and I will gladly add mine. There are + other places where you might take Monsieur l’Abbé, and which it would be + far more useful for him to see. With that idea of yours you would send him + away with a nice recollection of our city.” + </p> + <p> + Roman pride rang out amidst the old lady’s bad temper. Why, indeed, show + one’s sores to foreigners, whose visit is possibly prompted by hostile + curiosity? One always ought to look beautiful; Rome should not be shown + otherwise than in the garb of glory. + </p> + <p> + Narcisse, however, had taken possession of Pierre. “It’s true, my dear + Abbé,” said he; “I forgot to recommend that stroll to you. You really must + visit the new district built over the castle meadows. It’s typical, and + sums up all the others. And you won’t lose your time there, I’ll warrant + you, for nowhere can you learn more about the Rome of the present day. + It’s extraordinary, extraordinary!” Then, addressing Benedetta, he added, + “Is it decided? Shall we say to-morrow morning? You’ll find the Abbé and + me over there, for I want to explain matters to him beforehand, in order + that he may understand them. What do you say to ten o’clock?” + </p> + <p> + Before answering him the Contessina turned towards her aunt and + respectfully opposed her views. “But Monsieur l’Abbé, aunt, has met enough + beggars in our streets already, so he may well see everything. Besides, + judging by his book, he won’t see worse things than he has seen in Paris. + As he says in one passage, hunger is the same all the world over.” Then, + with her sensible air, she gently laid siege to Dario. “You know, Dario,” + said she, “you would please me very much by taking me there. We can go in + the carriage and join these gentlemen. It will be a very pleasant outing + for us. It is such a long time since we went out together.” + </p> + <p> + It was certainly that idea of going out with Dario, of having a pretext + for a complete reconciliation with him, that enchanted her; he himself + realised it, and, unable to escape, he tried to treat the matter as a + joke. “Ah! cousin,” he said, “it will be your fault; I shall have the + nightmare for a week. An excursion like that spoils all the enjoyment of + life for days and days.” + </p> + <p> + The mere thought made him quiver with revolt. However, laughter again rang + out around him, and, in spite of Donna Serafina’s mute disapproval, the + appointment was finally fixed for the following morning at ten o’clock. + Celia as she went off expressed deep regret that she could not form one of + the party; but, with the closed candour of a budding lily, she really took + interest in Pierina alone. As she reached the ante-room she whispered in + her friend’s ear: “Take a good look at that beauty, my dear, so as to tell + me whether she is so very beautiful—beautiful beyond compare.” + </p> + <p> + When Pierre met Narcisse near the Castle of Sant’ Angelo on the morrow, at + nine o’clock, he was surprised to find him again languid and enraptured, + plunged anew in artistic enthusiasm. At first not a word was said of the + excursion. Narcisse related that he had risen at sunrise in order that he + might spend an hour before Bernini’s “Santa Teresa.” It seemed that when + he did not see that statue for a week he suffered as acutely as if he were + parted from some cherished mistress. And his adoration varied with the + time of day, according to the light in which he beheld the figure: in the + morning, when the pale glow of dawn steeped it in whiteness, he worshipped + it with quite a mystical transport of the soul, whilst in the afternoon, + when the glow of the declining sun’s oblique rays seemed to permeate the + marble, his passion became as fiery red as the blood of martyrs. “Ah! my + friend,” said he with a weary air whilst his dreamy eyes faded to mauve, + “you have no idea how delightful and perturbing her awakening was this + morning—how languorously she opened her eyes, like a pure, candid + virgin, emerging from the embrace of the Divinity. One could die of + rapture at the sight!” + </p> + <p> + Then, growing calm again when he had taken a few steps, he resumed in the + voice of a practical man who does not lose his balance in the affairs of + life: “We’ll walk slowly towards the castle-fields district—the + buildings yonder; and on our way I’ll tell you what I know of the things + we shall see there. It was the maddest affair imaginable, one of those + delirious frenzies of speculation which have a splendour of their own, + just like the superb, monstrous masterpiece of a man of genius whose mind + is unhinged. I was told of it all by some relatives of mine, who took part + in the gambling, and, in point of fact, made a good deal of money by it.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, with the clearness and precision of a financier, employing + technical terms with perfect ease, he recounted the extraordinary + adventure. That all Italy, on the morrow of the occupation of Rome, should + have been delirious with enthusiasm at the thought of at last possessing + the ancient and glorious city, the eternal capital to which the empire of + the world had been promised, was but natural. It was, so to say, a + legitimate explosion of the delight and the hopes of a young nation + anxious to show its power. The question was to make Rome a modern capital + worthy of a great kingdom, and before aught else there were sanitary + requirements to be dealt with: the city needed to be cleansed of all the + filth which disgraced it. One cannot nowadays imagine in what abominable + putrescence the city of the popes, the <i>Roma sporca</i> which artists + regret, was then steeped: the vast majority of the houses lacked even the + most primitive arrangements, the public thoroughfares were used for all + purposes, noble ruins served as store-places for sewage, the princely + palaces were surrounded by filth, and the streets were perfect manure beds + which fostered frequent epidemics. Thus vast municipal works were + absolutely necessary, the question was one of health and life itself. And + in much the same way it was only right to think of building houses for the + newcomers, who would assuredly flock into the city. There had been a + precedent at Berlin, whose population, after the establishment of the + German empire, had suddenly increased by some hundreds of thousands. In + the same way the population of Rome would certainly be doubled, tripled, + quadrupled, for as the new centre of national life the city would + necessarily attract all the <i>vis viva</i> of the provinces. And at this + thought pride stepped in: the fallen government of the Vatican must be + shown what Italy was capable of achieving, what splendour she would bestow + on the new and third Rome, which, by the magnificence of its thoroughfares + and the multitude of its people, would far excel either the imperial or + the papal city. + </p> + <p> + True, during the early years some prudence was observed; wisely enough, + houses were only built in proportion as they were required. The population + had doubled at one bound, rising from two to four hundred thousand souls, + thanks to the arrival of the little world of employees and officials of + the public services—all those who live on the State or hope to live + on it, without mentioning the idlers and enjoyers of life whom a Court + always carries in its train. However, this influx of newcomers was a first + cause of intoxication, for every one imagined that the increase would + continue, and, in fact, become more and more rapid. And so the city of the + day before no longer seemed large enough; it was necessary to make + immediate preparations for the morrow’s need by enlarging Rome on all + sides. Folks talked, too, of the Paris of the second empire, which had + been so extended and transformed into a city of light and health. But + unfortunately on the banks of the Tiber there was neither any preconcerted + general plan nor any clear-seeing man, master of the situation, supported + by powerful financial organisations. And the work, begun by pride, + prompted by the ambition of surpassing the Rome of the Caesars and the + Popes, the determination to make the eternal, predestined city the queen + and centre of the world once more, was completed by speculation, one of + those extraordinary gambling frenzies, those tempests which arise, rage, + destroy, and carry everything away without premonitory warning or + possibility of arresting their course. All at once it was rumoured that + land bought at five francs the metre had been sold again for a hundred + francs the metre; and thereupon the fever arose—the fever of a + nation which is passionately fond of gambling. A flight of speculators + descending from North Italy swooped down upon Rome, the noblest and + easiest of preys. Those needy, famished mountaineers found spoils for + every appetite in that voluptuous South where life is so benign, and the + very delights of the climate helped to corrupt and hasten moral gangrene. + At first, too; it was merely necessary to stoop; money was to be found by + the shovelful among the rubbish of the first districts which were opened + up. People who were clever enough to scent the course which the new + thoroughfares would take and purchase buildings threatened with demolition + increased their capital tenfold in a couple of years. And after that the + contagion spread, infecting all classes—the princes, burgesses, + petty proprietors, even the shop-keepers, bakers, grocers, and + boot-makers; the delirium rising to such a pitch that a mere baker + subsequently failed for forty-five millions.* Nothing, indeed, was left + but rageful gambling, in which the stakes were millions, whilst the lands + and the houses became mere fictions, mere pretexts for stock-exchange + operations. And thus the old hereditary pride, which had dreamt of + transforming Rome into the capital of the world, was heated to madness by + the high fever of speculation—folks buying, and building, and + selling without limit, without a pause, even as one might throw shares + upon the market as fast and as long as presses can be found to print them. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 1,800,000 pounds. See <i>ante</i> note.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + No other city in course of evolution has ever furnished such a spectacle. + Nowadays, when one strives to penetrate things one is confounded. The + population had increased to five hundred thousand, and then seemingly + remained stationary; nevertheless, new districts continued to sprout up + more thickly than ever. Yet what folly it was not to wait for a further + influx of inhabitants! Why continue piling up accommodation for thousands + of families whose advent was uncertain? The only excuse lay in having + beforehand propounded the proposition that the third Rome, the triumphant + capital of Italy, could not count less than a million souls, and in + regarding that proposition as indisputable fact. The people had not come, + but they surely would come: no patriot could doubt it without being guilty + of treason. And so houses were built and built without a pause, for the + half-million citizens who were coming. There was no anxiety as to the date + of their arrival; it was sufficient that they should be expected. Inside + Rome the companies which had been formed in connection with the new + thoroughfares passing through the old, demolished, pestiferous districts, + certainly sold or let their house property, and thereby realised large + profits. But, as the craze increased, other companies were established for + the purpose of erecting yet more and more districts outside Rome—veritable + little towns, of which there was no need whatever. Beyond the Porta San + Giovanni and the Porta San Lorenzo, suburbs sprang up as by miracle. A + town was sketched out over the vast estate of the Villa Ludovisi, from the + Porta Pia to the Porta Salaria and even as far as Sant’ Agnese. And then + came an attempt to make quite a little city, with church, school, and + market, arise all at once on the fields of the Castle of Sant’ Angelo. And + it was no question of small dwellings for labourers, modest flats for + employees, and others of limited means; no, it was a question of colossal + mansions three and four storeys high, displaying uniform and endless + façades which made these new excentral quarters quite Babylonian, such + districts, indeed, as only capitals endowed with intense life, like Paris + and London, could contrive to populate. However, such were the monstrous + products of pride and gambling; and what a page of history, what a bitter + lesson now that Rome, financially ruined, is further disgraced by that + hideous girdle of empty, and, for the most part, uncompleted carcases, + whose ruins already strew the grassy streets! + </p> + <p> + The fatal collapse, the disaster proved a frightful one. Narcisse + explained its causes and recounted its phases so clearly that Pierre fully + understood. Naturally enough, numerous financial companies had sprouted + up: the Immobiliere, the Society d’Edilizia e Construzione, the Fondaria, + the Tiberiana, and the Esquilino. Nearly all of them built, erected huge + houses, entire streets of them, for purposes of sale; but they also + gambled in land, selling plots at large profit to petty speculators, who + also dreamt of making large profits amidst the continuous, fictitious rise + brought about by the growing fever of agiotage. And the worst was that the + petty speculators, the middle-class people, the inexperienced shop-keepers + without capital, were crazy enough to build in their turn by borrowing of + the banks or applying to the companies which had sold them the land for + sufficient cash to enable them to complete their structures. As a general + rule, to avoid the loss of everything, the companies were one day + compelled to take back both land and buildings, incomplete though the + latter might be, and from the congestion which resulted they were bound to + perish. If the expected million of people had arrived to occupy the + dwellings prepared for them the gains would have been fabulous, and in ten + years Rome might have become one of the most flourishing capitals of the + world. But the people did not come, and the dwellings remained empty. + Moreover, the buildings erected by the companies were too large and costly + for the average investor inclined to put his money into house property. + Heredity had acted, the builders had planned things on too huge a scale, + raising a series of magnificent piles whose purpose was to dwarf those of + all other ages; but, as it happened, they were fated to remain lifeless + and deserted, testifying with wondrous eloquence to the impotence of + pride. + </p> + <p> + So there was no private capital that dared or could take the place of that + of the companies. Elsewhere, in Paris for instance, new districts have + been erected and embellishments have been carried out with the capital of + the country—the money saved by dint of thrift. But in Rome all was + built on the credit system, either by means of bills of exchange at ninety + days, or—and this was chiefly the case—by borrowing money + abroad. The huge sum sunk in these enterprises is estimated at a milliard, + four-fifths of which was French money. The bankers did everything; the + French ones lent to the Italian bankers at 3 1-2 or 4 per cent.; and the + Italian bankers accommodated the speculators, the Roman builders, at 6, 7, + and even 8 per cent. And thus the disaster was great indeed when France, + learning of Italy’s alliance with Germany, withdrew her 800,000,000 francs + in less than two years. The Italian banks were drained of their specie, + and the land and building companies, being likewise compelled to reimburse + their loans, were compelled to apply to the banks of issue, those + privileged to issue notes. At the same time they intimidated the + Government, threatening to stop all work and throw 40,000 artisans and + labourers starving on the pavement of Rome if it did not compel the banks + of issue to lend them the five or six millions of paper which they needed. + And this the Government at last did, appalled by the possibility of + universal bankruptcy. Naturally, however, the five or six millions could + not be paid back at maturity, as the newly built houses found neither + purchasers nor tenants; and so the great fall began, and continued with a + rush, heaping ruin upon ruin. The petty speculators fell on the builders, + the builders on the land companies, the land companies on the banks of + issue, and the latter on the public credit, ruining the nation. And that + was how a mere municipal crisis became a frightful disaster: a whole + milliard sunk to no purpose, Rome disfigured, littered with the ruins of + the gaping and empty dwellings which had been prepared for the five or six + hundred thousand inhabitants for whom the city yet waits in vain! + </p> + <p> + Moreover, in the breeze of glory which swept by, the state itself took a + colossal view of things. It was a question of at once making Italy + triumphant and perfect, of accomplishing in five and twenty years what + other nations have required centuries to effect. So there was feverish + activity and a prodigious outlay on canals, ports, roads, railway lines, + and improvements in all the great cities. Directly after the alliance with + Germany, moreover, the military and naval estimates began to devour + millions to no purpose. And the ever growing financial requirements were + simply met by the issue of paper, by a fresh loan each succeeding year. In + Rome alone, too, the building of the Ministry of War cost ten millions, + that of the Ministry of Finances fifteen, whilst a hundred was spent on + the yet unfinished quays, and two hundred and fifty were sunk on works of + defence around the city. And all this was a flare of the old hereditary + pride, springing from that soil whose sap can only blossom in extravagant + projects; the determination to dazzle and conquer the world which comes as + soon as one has climbed to the Capitol, even though one’s feet rest amidst + the accumulated dust of all the forms of human power which have there + crumbled one above the other. + </p> + <p> + “And, my dear friend,” continued Narcisse, “if I could go into all the + stories that are current, that are whispered here and there, you would be + stupefied at the insanity which overcame the whole city amidst the + terrible fever to which the gambling passion gave rise. Folks of small + account, and fools and ignorant people were not the only ones to be + ruined; nearly all the Roman nobles lost their ancient fortunes, their + gold and their palaces and their galleries of masterpieces, which they + owed to the munificence of the popes. The colossal wealth which it had + taken centuries of nepotism to pile up in the hands of a few melted away + like wax, in less than ten years, in the levelling fire of modern + speculation.” Then, forgetting that he was speaking to a priest, he went + on to relate one of the whispered stories to which he had alluded: + “There’s our good friend Dario, Prince Boccanera, the last of the name, + reduced to live on the crumbs which fall to him from his uncle the + Cardinal, who has little beyond his stipend left him. Well, Dario would be + a rich man had it not been for that extraordinary affair of the Villa + Montefiori. You have heard of it, no doubt; how Prince Onofrio, Dario’s + father, speculated, sold the villa grounds for ten millions, then bought + them back and built on them, and how, at last, not only the ten millions + were lost, but also all that remained of the once colossal fortune of the + Boccaneras. What you haven’t been told, however, is the secret part which + Count Prada—our Contessina’s husband—played in the affair. He + was the lover of Princess Boccanera, the beautiful Flavia Montefiori, who + had brought the villa as dowry to the old Prince. She was a very fine + woman, much younger than her husband, and it is positively said that it + was through her that Prada mastered the Prince—for she held her old + doting husband at arm’s length whenever he hesitated to give a signature + or go farther into the affair of which he scented the danger. And in all + this Prada gained the millions which he now spends, while as for the + beautiful Flavia, you are aware, no doubt, that she saved a little fortune + from the wreck and bought herself a second and much younger husband, whom + she turned into a Marquis Montefiori. In the whole affair the only victim + is our good friend Dario, who is absolutely ruined, and wishes to marry + his cousin, who is as poor as himself. It’s true that she’s determined to + have him, and that it’s impossible for him not to reciprocate her love. + But for that he would have already married some American girl with a dowry + of millions, like so many of the ruined princes, on the verge of + starvation, have done; that is, unless the Cardinal and Donna Serafina had + opposed such a match, which would not have been surprising, proud and + stubborn as they are, anxious to preserve the purity of their old Roman + blood. However, let us hope that Dario and the exquisite Benedetta will + some day be happy together.” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse paused; but, after taking a few steps in silence, he added in a + lower tone: “I’ve a relative who picked up nearly three millions in that + Villa Montefiori affair. Ah! I regret that I wasn’t here in those heroic + days of speculation. It must have been very amusing; and what strokes + there were for a man of self-possession to make!” + </p> + <p> + However, all at once, as he raised his head, he saw before him the + Quartiere dei Prati—the new district of the castle fields; and his + face thereupon changed: he again became an artist, indignant with the + modern abominations with which old Rome had been disfigured. His eyes + paled, and a curl of his lips expressed the bitter disdain of a dreamer + whose passion for the vanished centuries was sorely hurt: “Look, look at + it all!” he exclaimed. “To think of it, in the city of Augustus, the city + of Leo X, the city of eternal power and eternal beauty!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre himself was thunderstruck. The meadows of the Castle of Sant’ + Angelo, dotted with a few poplar trees, had here formerly stretched + alongside the Tiber as far as the first slopes of Monte Mario, thus + supplying, to the satisfaction of artists, a foreground or greenery to the + Borgo and the dome of St. Peter’s. But now, amidst the white, leprous, + overturned plain, there stood a town of huge, massive houses, cubes of + stone-work, invariably the same, with broad streets intersecting one + another at right angles. From end to end similar façades appeared, + suggesting series of convents, barracks, or hospitals. Extraordinary and + painful was the impression produced by this town so suddenly immobilised + whilst in course of erection. It was as if on some accursed morning a + wicked magician had with one touch of his wand stopped the works and + emptied the noisy stone-yards, leaving the buildings in mournful + abandonment. Here on one side the soil had been banked up; there deep pits + dug for foundations had remained gaping, overrun with weeds. There were + houses whose halls scarcely rose above the level of the soil; others which + had been raised to a second or third floor; others, again, which had been + carried as high as was intended, and even roofed in, suggesting skeletons + or empty cages. Then there were houses finished excepting that their walls + had not been plastered, others which had been left without window frames, + shutters, or doors; others, again, which had their doors and shutters, but + were nailed up like coffins with not a soul inside them; and yet others + which were partly, and in a few cases fully, inhabited—animated by + the most unexpected of populations. And no words could describe the + fearful mournfulness of that City of the Sleeping Beauty, hushed into + mortal slumber before it had even lived, lying annihilated beneath the + heavy sun pending an awakening which, likely enough, would never come. + </p> + <p> + Following his companion, Pierre walked along the broad, deserted streets, + where all was still as in a cemetery. Not a vehicle nor a pedestrian + passed by. Some streets had no foot ways; weeds were covering the unpaved + roads, turning them once more into fields; and yet there were temporary + gas lamps, mere leaden pipes bound to poles, which had been there for + years. To avoid payment of the door and window tax, the house owners had + generally closed all apertures with planks; while some houses, of which + little had been built, were surrounded by high palings for fear lest their + cellars should become the dens of all the bandits of the district. But the + most painful sight of all was that of the young ruins, the proud, lofty + structures, which, although unfinished, were already cracking on all + sides, and required the support of an intricate arrangement of timbers to + prevent them from falling in dust upon the ground. A pang came to one’s + heart as though one was in a city which some scourge had depopulated—pestilence, + war, or bombardment, of which these gaping carcases seem to retain the + mark. Then at the thought that this was abortment, not death—that + destruction would complete its work before the dreamt-of, vainly awaited + denizens would bring life to the still-born houses, one’s melancholy + deepened to hopeless discouragement. And at each corner, moreover, there + was the frightful irony of the magnificent marble slabs which bore the + names of the streets, illustrious historical names, Gracchus, Scipio, + Pliny, Pompey, Julius Caesar, blazing forth on those unfinished, crumbling + walls like a buffet dealt by the Past to modern incompetency. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre was once more struck by this truth—that whosoever + possesses Rome is consumed by the building frenzy, the passion for marble, + the boastful desire to build and leave his monument of glory to future + generations. After the Caesars and the Popes had come the Italian + Government, which was no sooner master of the city than it wished to + reconstruct it, make it more splendid, more huge than it had ever been + before. It was the fatal suggestion of the soil itself—the blood of + Augustus rushing to the brain of these last-comers and urging them to a + mad desire to make the third Rome the queen of the earth. Thence had come + all the vast schemes such as the cyclopean quays and the mere ministries + struggling to outvie the Colosseum; and thence had come all the new + districts of gigantic houses which had sprouted like towns around the + ancient city. It was not only on the castle fields, but at the Porta San + Giovanni, the Porta San Lorenzo, the Villa Ludovisi, and on the heights of + the Viminal and the Esquiline that unfinished, empty districts were + already crumbling amidst the weeds of their deserted streets. After two + thousand years of prodigious fertility the soil really seemed to be + exhausted. Even as in very old fruit gardens newly planted plum and cherry + trees wither and die, so the new walls, no doubt, found no life in that + old dust of Rome, impoverished by the immemorial growth of so many + temples, circuses, arches, basilicas, and churches. And thus the modern + houses, which men had sought to render fruitful, the useless, over-huge + houses, swollen with hereditary ambition, had been unable to attain + maturity, and remained there sterile like dry bushes on a plot of land + exhausted by over-cultivation. And the frightful sadness that one felt + arose from the fact that so creative and great a past had culminated in + such present-day impotency—Rome, who had covered the world with + indestructible monuments, now so reduced that she could only generate + ruins. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, they’ll be finished some day!” said Pierre. + </p> + <p> + Narcisse gazed at him in astonishment: “For whom?” + </p> + <p> + That was the cruel question! Only by dint of patriotic enthusiasm on the + morrow of the conquest had one been able to indulge in the hope of a + mighty influx of population, and now singular blindness was needed for the + belief that such an influx would ever take place. The past experiments + seemed decisive; moreover, there was no reason why the population should + double: Rome offered neither the attraction of pleasure nor that of gain + to be amassed in commerce and industry for those she had not, nor of + intensity of social and intellectual life, since of this she seemed no + longer capable. In any case, years and years would be requisite. And, + meantime, how could one people those houses which were finished; and for + whom was one to finish those which had remained mere skeletons, falling to + pieces under sun and rain? Must they all remain there indefinitely, some + gaunt and open to every blast and others closed and silent like tombs, in + the wretched hideousness of their inutility and abandonment? What a + terrible proof of error they offered under the radiant sky! The new + masters of Rome had made a bad start, and even if they now knew what they + ought to have done would they have the courage to undo what they had done? + Since the milliard sunk there seemed to be definitely lost and wasted, one + actually hoped for the advent of a Nero, endowed with mighty, sovereign + will, who would take torch and pick and burn and raze everything in the + avenging name of reason and beauty. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” resumed Narcisse, “here are the Contessina and the Prince.” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta had told the coachman to pull up in one of the open spaces + intersecting the deserted streets, and now along the broad, quiet, grassy + road—well fitted for a lovers’ stroll—she was approaching on + Dario’s arm, both of them delighted with their outing, and no longer + thinking of the sad things which they had come to see. “What a nice day it + is!” the Contessina gaily exclaimed as she reached Pierre and Narcisse. + “How pleasant the sunshine is! It’s quite a treat to be able to walk about + a little as if one were in the country!” + </p> + <p> + Dario was the first to cease smiling at the blue sky, all the delight of + his stroll with his cousin on his arm suddenly departing. “My dear,” said + he, “we must go to see those people, since you are bent on it, though it + will certainly spoil our day. But first I must take my bearings. I’m not + particularly clever, you know, in finding my way in places where I don’t + care to go. Besides, this district is idiotic with all its dead streets + and dead houses, and never a face or a shop to serve as a reminder. Still + I think the place is over yonder. Follow me; at all events, we shall see.” + </p> + <p> + The four friends then wended their way towards the central part of the + district, the part facing the Tiber, where a small nucleus of a population + had collected. The landlords turned the few completed houses to the best + advantage they could, letting the rooms at very low rentals, and waiting + patiently enough for payment. Some needy employees, some poverty-stricken + families—had thus installed themselves there, and in the long run + contrived to pay a trifle for their accommodation. In consequence, + however, of the demolition of the ancient Ghetto and the opening of the + new streets by which air had been let into the Trastevere district, + perfect hordes of tatterdemalions, famished and homeless, and almost + without garments, had swooped upon the unfinished houses, filling them + with wretchedness and vermin; and it had been necessary to tolerate this + lawless occupation lest all the frightful misery should remain displayed + in the public thoroughfares. And so it was to those frightful tenants that + had fallen the huge four and five storeyed palaces, entered by monumental + doorways flanked by lofty statues and having carved balconies upheld by + caryatides all along their fronts. Each family had made its choice, often + closing the frameless windows with boards and the gaping doorways with + rags, and occupying now an entire princely flat and now a few small rooms, + according to its taste. Horrid-looking linen hung drying from the carved + balconies, foul stains already degraded the white walls, and from the + magnificent porches, intended for sumptuous equipages, there poured a + stream of filth which rotted in stagnant pools in the roads, where there + was neither pavement nor footpath. + </p> + <p> + On two occasions already Dario had caused his companions to retrace their + steps. He was losing his way and becoming more and more gloomy. “I ought + to have taken to the left,” said he, “but how is one to know amidst such a + set as that!” + </p> + <p> + Parties of verminous children were now to be seen rolling in the dust; + they were wondrously dirty, almost naked, with black skins and tangled + locks as coarse as horsehair. There were also women in sordid skirts and + with their loose jackets unhooked. Many stood talking together in yelping + voices, whilst others, seated on old chairs with their hands on their + knees, remained like that idle for hours. Not many men were met; but a few + lay on the scorched grass, sleeping heavily in the sunlight. However, the + stench was becoming unbearable—a stench of misery as when the human + animal eschews all cleanliness to wallow in filth. And matters were made + worse by the smell from a small, improvised market—the emanations of + the rotting fruit, cooked and sour vegetables, and stale fried fish which + a few poor women had set out on the ground amidst a throng of famished, + covetous children. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! well, my dear, I really don’t know where it is,” all at once + exclaimed the Prince, addressing his cousin. “Be reasonable; we’ve surely + seen enough; let’s go back to the carriage.” + </p> + <p> + He was really suffering, and, as Benedetta had said, he did not know how + to suffer. It seemed to him monstrous that one should sadden one’s life by + such an excursion as this. Life ought to be buoyant and benign under the + clear sky, brightened by pleasant sights, by dance and song. And he, with + his naive egotism, had a positive horror of ugliness, poverty, and + suffering, the sight of which caused him both mental and physical pain. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta shuddered even as he did, but in presence of Pierre she desired + to be brave. Glancing at him, and seeing how deeply interested and + compassionate he looked, she desired to persevere in her effort to + sympathise with the humble and the wretched. “No, no, Dario, we must stay. + These gentlemen wish to see everything—is it not so?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, the Rome of to-day is here,” exclaimed Pierre; “this tells one more + about it than all the promenades among the ruins and the monuments.” + </p> + <p> + “You exaggerate, my dear Abbé,” declared Narcisse. “Still, I will admit + that it is very interesting. Some of the old women are particularly + expressive.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment Benedetta, seeing a superbly beautiful girl in front of + her, could not restrain a cry of enraptured admiration: “<i>O che + bellezza!</i>” + </p> + <p> + And then Dario, having recognised the girl, exclaimed with the same + delight: “Why, it’s La Pierina; she’ll show us the way.” + </p> + <p> + The girl had been following the party for a moment already without daring + to approach. Her eyes, glittering with the joy of a loving slave, had at + first darted towards the Prince, and then had hastily scrutinised the + Contessina—not, however, with any show of jealous anger, but with an + expression of affectionate submission and resigned happiness at seeing + that she also was very beautiful. And the girl fully answered to the + Prince’s description of her—tall, sturdy, with the bust of a + goddess, a real antique, a Juno of twenty, her chin somewhat prominent, + her mouth and nose perfect in contour, her eyes large and full like a + heifer’s, and her whole face quite dazzling—gilded, so to say, by a + sunflash—beneath her casque of heavy jet-black hair. + </p> + <p> + “So you will show us the way?” said Benedetta, familiar and smiling, + already consoled for all the surrounding ugliness by the thought that + there should be such beautiful creatures in the world. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, signora, yes, at once!” And thereupon Pierina ran off before + them, her feet in shoes which at any rate had no holes, whilst the old + brown woollen dress which she wore appeared to have been recently washed + and mended. One seemed to divine in her a certain coquettish care, a + desire for cleanliness, which none of the others displayed; unless, + indeed, it were simply that her great beauty lent radiance to her humble + garments and made her appear a goddess. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Che bellezza! the bellezza!</i>” the Contessina repeated without + wearying. “That girl, Dario <i>mio</i>, is a real feast for the eyes!” + </p> + <p> + “I knew she would please you,” he quietly replied, flattered at having + discovered such a beauty, and no longer talking of departure, since he + could at last rest his eyes on something pleasant. + </p> + <p> + Behind them came Pierre, likewise full of admiration, whilst Narcisse + spoke to him of the scrupulosity of his own tastes, which were for the + rare and the subtle. “She’s beautiful, no doubt,” said he; “but at bottom + nothing can be more gross than the Roman style of beauty; there’s no soul, + none of the infinite in it. These girls simply have blood under their + skins without ever a glimpse of heaven.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Pierina had stopped, and with a wave of the hand directed + attention to her mother, who sat on a broken box beside the lofty doorway + of an unfinished mansion. She also must have once been very beautiful, but + at forty she was already a wreck, with dim eyes, drawn mouth, black teeth, + broadly wrinkled countenance, and huge fallen bosom. And she was also + fearfully dirty, her grey wavy hair dishevelled and her skirt and jacket + soiled and slit, revealing glimpses of grimy flesh. On her knees she held + a sleeping infant, her last-born, at whom she gazed like one overwhelmed + and courageless, like a beast of burden resigned to her fate. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Bene, bene,</i>” said she, raising her head, “it’s the gentleman who + came to give me a crown because he saw you crying. And he’s come back to + see us with some friends. Well, well, there are some good hearts in the + world after all.” + </p> + <p> + Then she related their story, but in a spiritless way, without seeking to + move her visitors. She was called Giacinta, it appeared, and had married a + mason, one Tomaso Gozzo, by whom she had had seven children, Pierina, then + Tito, a big fellow of eighteen, then four more girls, each at an interval + of two years, and finally the infant, a boy, whom she now had on her lap. + They had long lived in the Trastevere district, in an old house which had + lately been pulled down; and their existence seemed to have then been + shattered, for since they had taken refuge in the Quartiere dei Prati the + crisis in the building trade had reduced Tomaso and Tito to absolute + idleness, and the bead factory where Pierina had earned as much as + tenpence a day—just enough to prevent them from dying of hunger—had + closed its doors. At present not one of them had any work; they lived + purely by chance. + </p> + <p> + “If you like to go up,” the woman added, “you’ll find Tomaso there with + his brother Ambrogio, whom we’ve taken to live with us. They’ll know + better than I what to say to you. Tomaso is resting; but what else can he + do? It’s like Tito—he’s dozing over there.” + </p> + <p> + So saying she pointed towards the dry grass amidst which lay a tall young + fellow with a pronounced nose, hard mouth, and eyes as admirable as + Pierina’s. He had raised his head to glance suspiciously at the visitors, + a fierce frown gathering on his forehead when he remarked how rapturously + his sister contemplated the Prince. Then he let his head fall again, but + kept his eyes open, watching the pair stealthily. + </p> + <p> + “Take the lady and gentlemen upstairs, Pierina, since they would like to + see the place,” said the mother. + </p> + <p> + Other women had now drawn near, shuffling along with bare feet in old + shoes; bands of children, too, were swarming around; little girls but half + clad, amongst whom, no doubt, were Giacinta’s four. However, with their + black eyes under their tangled mops they were all so much alike that only + their mothers could identify them. And the whole resembled a teeming camp + of misery pitched on that spot of majestic disaster, that street of + palaces, unfinished yet already in ruins. + </p> + <p> + With a soft, loving smile, Benedetta turned to her cousin. “Don’t you come + up,” she gently said; “I don’t desire your death, Dario <i>mio</i>. It was + very good of you to come so far. Wait for me here in the pleasant + sunshine: Monsieur l’Abbé and Monsieur Habert will go up with me.” + </p> + <p> + Dario began to laugh, and willingly acquiesced. Then lighting a cigarette, + he walked slowly up and down, well pleased with the mildness of the + atmosphere. + </p> + <p> + La Pierina had already darted into the spacious porch whose lofty, vaulted + ceiling was adorned with coffers displaying a rosaceous pattern. However, + a veritable manure heap covered such marble slabs as had already been laid + in the vestibule, whilst the steps of the monumental stone staircase with + sculptured balustrade were already cracked and so grimy that they seemed + almost black. On all sides appeared the greasy stains of hands; the walls, + whilst awaiting the painter and gilder, had been smeared with repulsive + filth. + </p> + <p> + On reaching the spacious first-floor landing Pierina paused, and contented + herself with calling through a gaping portal which lacked both door and + framework: “Father, here’s a lady and two gentlemen to see you.” Then to + the Contessina she added: “It’s the third room at the end.” And forthwith + she herself rapidly descended the stairs, hastening back to her passion. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta and her companions passed through two large rooms, bossy with + plaster under foot and having frameless windows wide open upon space; and + at last they reached a third room, where the whole Gozzo family had + installed itself with the remnants it used as furniture. On the floor, + where the bare iron girders showed, no boards having been laid down, were + five or six leprous-looking palliasses. A long table, which was still + strong, occupied the centre of the room, and here and there were a few + old, damaged, straw-seated chairs mended with bits of rope. The great + business had been to close two of the three windows with boards, whilst + the third one and the door were screened with some old mattress ticking + studded with stains and holes. + </p> + <p> + Tomaso’s face expressed the surprise of a man who is unaccustomed to + visits of charity. Seated at the table, with his elbows resting on it and + his chin supported by his hands, he was taking repose, as his wife + Giacinta had said. He was a sturdy fellow of five and forty, bearded and + long-haired; and, in spite of all his misery and idleness, his large face + had remained as serene as that of a Roman senator. However, the sight of + the two foreigners—for such he at once judged Pierre and Narcisse to + be, made him rise to his feet with sudden distrust. But he smiled on + recognising Benedetta, and as she began to speak of Dario, and to explain + the charitable purpose of their visit, he interrupted her: “Yes, yes, I + know, Contessina. Oh! I well know who you are, for in my father’s time I + once walled up a window at the Palazzo Boccanera.” + </p> + <p> + Then he complaisantly allowed himself to be questioned, telling Pierre, + who was surprised, that although they were certainly not happy they would + have found life tolerable had they been able to work two days a week. And + one could divine that he was, at heart, fairly well content to go on short + commons, provided that he could live as he listed without fatigue. His + narrative and his manner suggested the familiar locksmith who, on being + summoned by a traveller to open his trunk, the key of which was lost, sent + word that he could not possibly disturb himself during the hour of the + siesta. In short, there was no rent to pay, as there were plenty of empty + mansions open to the poor, and a few coppers would have sufficed for food, + easily contented and sober as one was. + </p> + <p> + “But oh, sir,” Tomaso continued, “things were ever so much better under + the Pope. My father, a mason like myself, worked at the Vatican all his + life, and even now, when I myself get a job or two, it’s always there. We + were spoilt, you see, by those ten years of busy work, when we never left + our ladders and earned as much as we pleased. Of course, we fed ourselves + better, and bought ourselves clothes, and took such pleasure as we cared + for; so that it’s all the harder nowadays to have to stint ourselves. But + if you’d only come to see us in the Pope’s time! No taxes, everything to + be had for nothing, so to say—why, one merely had to let oneself + live.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment a growl arose from one of the palliasses lying in the shade + of the boarded windows, and the mason, in his slow, quiet way, resumed: + “It’s my brother Ambrogio, who isn’t of my opinion. + </p> + <p> + “He was with the Republicans in ‘49, when he was fourteen. But it doesn’t + matter; we took him with us when we heard that he was dying of hunger and + sickness in a cellar.” + </p> + <p> + The visitors could not help quivering with pity. Ambrogio was the elder by + some fifteen years; and now, though scarcely sixty, he was already a ruin, + consumed by fever, his legs so wasted that he spent his days on his + palliasse without ever going out. Shorter and slighter, but more turbulent + than his brother, he had been a carpenter by trade. And, despite his + physical decay, he retained an extraordinary head—the head of an + apostle and martyr, at once noble and tragic in its expression, and + encompassed by bristling snowy hair and beard. + </p> + <p> + “The Pope,” he growled; “I’ve never spoken badly of the Pope. Yet it’s his + fault if tyranny continues. He alone in ‘49 could have given us the + Republic, and then we shouldn’t have been as we are now.” + </p> + <p> + Ambrogio had known Mazzini, whose vague religiosity remained in him—the + dream of a Republican pope at last establishing the reign of liberty and + fraternity. But later on his passion for Garibaldi had disturbed these + views, and led him to regard the papacy as worthless, incapable of + achieving human freedom. And so, between the dream of his youth and the + stern experience of his life, he now hardly knew in which direction the + truth lay. Moreover, he had never acted save under the impulse of violent + emotion, but contented himself with fine words—vague, indeterminate + wishes. + </p> + <p> + “Brother Ambrogio,” replied Tomaso, all tranquillity, “the Pope is the + Pope, and wisdom lies in putting oneself on his side, because he will + always be the Pope—that is to say, the stronger. For my part, if we + had to vote to-morrow I’d vote for him.” + </p> + <p> + Calmed by the shrewd prudence characteristic of his race, the old + carpenter made no haste to reply. At last he said, “Well, as for me, + brother Tomaso, I should vote against him—always against him. And + you know very well that we should have the majority. The Pope-king indeed! + That’s all over. The very Borgo would revolt. Still, I won’t say that we + oughtn’t to come to an understanding with him, so that everybody’s + religion may be respected.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened, deeply interested, and at last ventured to ask: “Are + there many socialists among the Roman working classes?” + </p> + <p> + This time the answer came after a yet longer pause. “Socialists? Yes, + there are some, no doubt, but much fewer than in other places. All those + things are novelties which impatient fellows go in for without + understanding much about them. We old men, we were for liberty; we don’t + believe in fire and massacre.” + </p> + <p> + Then, fearing to say too much in presence of that lady and those + gentlemen, Ambrogio began to moan on his pallet, whilst the Contessina, + somewhat upset by the smell of the place, took her departure, after + telling the young priest that it would be best for them to leave their + alms with the wife downstairs. Meantime Tomaso resumed his seat at the + table, again letting his chin rest on his hands as he nodded to his + visitors, no more impressed by their departure than he had been by their + arrival: “To the pleasure of seeing you again, and am happy to have been + able to oblige you.” + </p> + <p> + On the threshold, however, Narcisse’s enthusiasm burst forth; he turned to + cast a final admiring glance at old Ambrogio’s head, “a perfect + masterpiece,” which he continued praising whilst he descended the stairs. + </p> + <p> + Down below Giacinta was still sitting on the broken box with her infant + across her lap, and a few steps away Pierina stood in front of Dario, + watching him with an enchanted air whilst he finished his cigarette. Tito, + lying low in the grass like an animal on the watch for prey, did not for a + moment cease to gaze at them. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, signora!” resumed the woman, in her resigned, doleful voice, “the + place is hardly inhabitable, as you must have seen. The only good thing is + that one gets plenty of room. But there are draughts enough to kill me, + and I’m always so afraid of the children falling down some of the holes.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon she related a story of a woman who had lost her life through + mistaking a window for a door one evening and falling headlong into the + street. Then, too, a little girl had broken both arms by tumbling from a + staircase which had no banisters. And you could die there without anybody + knowing how bad you were and coming to help you. Only the previous day the + corpse of an old man had been found lying on the plaster in a lonely room. + Starvation must have killed him quite a week previously, yet he would + still have been stretched there if the odour of his remains had not + attracted the attention of neighbours. + </p> + <p> + “If one only had something to eat things wouldn’t be so bad!” continued + Giacinta. “But it’s dreadful when there’s a baby to suckle and one gets no + food, for after a while one has no milk. This little fellow wants his + titty and gets angry with me because I can’t give him any. But it isn’t my + fault. He has sucked me till the blood came, and all I can do is to cry.” + </p> + <p> + As she spoke tears welled into her poor dim eyes. But all at once she flew + into a tantrum with Tito, who was still wallowing in the grass like an + animal instead of rising by way of civility towards those fine people, who + would surely leave her some alms. “Eh! Tito, you lazy fellow, can’t you + get up when people come to see you?” she called. + </p> + <p> + After some pretence of not hearing, the young fellow at last rose with an + air of great ill-humour; and Pierre, feeling interested in him, tried to + draw him out as he had done with the father and uncle upstairs. But Tito + only returned curt answers, as if both bored and suspicious. Since there + was no work to be had, said he, the only thing was to sleep. It was of no + use to get angry; that wouldn’t alter matters. So the best was to live as + one could without increasing one’s worry. As for socialists—well, + yes, perhaps there were a few, but he didn’t know any. And his weary, + indifferent manner made it quite clear that, if his father was for the + Pope and his uncle for the Republic, he himself was for nothing at all. In + this Pierre divined the end of a nation, or rather the slumber of a nation + in which democracy has not yet awakened. However, as the priest continued, + asking Tito his age, what school he had attended, and in what district he + had been born, the young man suddenly cut the questions short by pointing + with one finger to his breast and saying gravely, “<i>Io son’ Romano di + Roma</i>.” + </p> + <p> + And, indeed, did not that answer everything? “I am a Roman of Rome.” + Pierre smiled sadly and spoke no further. Never had he more fully realised + the pride of that race, the long-descending inheritance of glory which was + so heavy to bear. The sovereign vanity of the Caesars lived anew in that + degenerate young fellow who was scarcely able to read and write. + Starveling though he was, he knew his city, and could instinctively have + recounted the grand pages of its history. The names of the great emperors + and great popes were familiar to him. And why should men toil and moil + when they had been the masters of the world? Why not live nobly and idly + in the most beautiful of cities, under the most beautiful of skies? “<i>Io + son’ Romano di Roma</i>!” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta had slipped her alms into the mother’s hand, and Pierre and + Narcisse were following her example when Dario, who had already done so, + thought of Pierina. He did not like to offer her money, but a pretty, + fanciful idea occurred to him. Lightly touching his lips with his + finger-tips, he said, with a faint laugh, “For beauty!” + </p> + <p> + There was something really pretty and pleasing in the kiss thus wafted + with a slightly mocking laugh by that familiar, good-natured young Prince + who, as in some love story of the olden time, was touched by the beautiful + bead-worker’s mute adoration. Pierina flushed with pleasure, and, losing + her head, darted upon Dario’s hand and pressed her warm lips to it with + unthinking impulsiveness, in which there was as much divine gratitude as + tender passion. But Tito’s eyes flashed with anger at the sight, and, + brutally seizing his sister by the skirt, he threw her back, growling + between his teeth, “None of that, you know, or I’ll kill you, and him + too!” + </p> + <p> + It was high time for the visitors to depart, for other women, scenting the + presence of money, were now coming forward with outstretched hands, or + despatching tearful children in their stead. The whole wretched, abandoned + district was in a flutter, a distressful wail ascended from those lifeless + streets with high resounding names. But what was to be done? One could not + give to all. So the only course lay in flight—amidst deep sadness as + one realised how powerless was charity in presence of such appalling want. + </p> + <p> + When Benedetta and Dario had reached their carriage they hastened to take + their seats and nestle side by side, glad to escape from all such horrors. + Still the Contessina was well pleased with her bravery in the presence of + Pierre, whose hand she pressed with the emotion of a pupil touched by the + master’s lesson, after Narcisse had told her that he meant to take the + young priest to lunch at the little restaurant on the Piazza of St. + Peter’s whence one obtained such an interesting view of the Vatican. + </p> + <p> + “Try some of the light white wine of Genzano,” said Dario, who had become + quite gay again. “There’s nothing better to drive away the blues.” + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre’s curiosity was insatiable, and on the way he again + questioned Narcisse about the people of modern Rome, their life, habits, + and manners. There was little or no education, he learnt; no large + manufactures and no export trade existed. The men carried on the few + trades that were current, all consumption being virtually limited to the + city itself. Among the women there were bead-workers and embroiderers; and + the manufacture of religious articles, such as medals and chaplets, and of + certain popular jewellery had always occupied a fair number of hands. But + after marriage the women, invariably burdened with numerous offspring, + attempted little beyond household work. Briefly, the population took life + as it came, working just sufficiently to secure food, contenting itself + with vegetables, pastes, and scraggy mutton, without thought of rebellion + or ambition. The only vices were gambling and a partiality for the red and + white wines of the Roman province—wines which excited to quarrel and + murder, and on the evenings of feast days, when the taverns emptied, + strewed the streets with groaning men, slashed and stabbed with knives. + The girls, however, but seldom went wrong; one could count those who + allowed themselves to be seduced; and this arose from the great union + prevailing in each family, every member of which bowed submissively to the + father’s absolute authority. Moreover, the brothers watched over their + sisters even as Tito did over Pierina, guarding them fiercely for the sake + of the family honour. And amidst all this there was no real religion, but + simply a childish idolatry, all hearts going forth to Madonna and the + Saints, who alone were entreated and regarded as having being: for it + never occurred to anybody to think of God. + </p> + <p> + Thus the stagnation of the lower orders could easily be understood. Behind + them were the many centuries during which idleness had been encouraged, + vanity flattered, and nerveless life willingly accepted. When they were + neither masons, nor carpenters, nor bakers, they were servants serving the + priests, and more or less directly in the pay of the Vatican. Thence + sprang the two antagonistic parties, on the one hand the more numerous + party composed of the old Carbonari, Mazzinians, and Garibaldians, the <i>élite</i> + of the Trastevere; and on the other the “clients” of the Vatican, all who + lived on or by the Church and regretted the Pope-King. But, after all, the + antagonism was confined to opinions; there was no thought of making an + effort or incurring a risk. For that, some sudden flare of passion, strong + enough to overcome the sturdy calmness of the race, would have been + needed. But what would have been the use of it? The wretchedness had + lasted for so many centuries, the sky was so blue, the siesta preferable + to aught else during the hot hours! And only one thing seemed positive—that + the majority was certainly in favour of Rome remaining the capital of + Italy. Indeed, rebellion had almost broken out in the Leonine City when + the cession of the latter to the Holy See was rumoured. As for the + increase of want and poverty, this was largely due to the circumstance + that the Roman workman had really gained nothing by the many works carried + on in his city during fifteen years. First of all, over 40,000 + provincials, mostly from the North, more spirited and resistant than + himself, and working at cheaper rates, had invaded Rome; and when he, the + Roman, had secured his share of the labour, he had lived in better style, + without thought of economy; so that after the crisis, when the 40,000 men + from the provinces were sent home again, he had found himself once more in + a dead city where trade was always slack. And thus he had relapsed into + his antique indolence, at heart well pleased at no longer being hustled by + press of work, and again accommodating himself as best he could to his old + mistress, Want, empty in pocket yet always a <i>grand seigneur</i>. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre was struck by the great difference between the want and + wretchedness of Rome and Paris. In Rome the destitution was certainly more + complete, the food more loathsome, the dirt more repulsive. Yet at the + same time the Roman poor retained more ease of manner and more real + gaiety. The young priest thought of the fireless, breadless poor of Paris, + shivering in their hovels at winter time; and suddenly he understood. The + destitution of Rome did not know cold. What a sweet and eternal + consolation; a sun for ever bright, a sky for ever blue and benign out of + charity to the wretched! And what mattered the vileness of the dwelling if + one could sleep under the sky, fanned by the warm breeze! What mattered + even hunger if the family could await the windfall of chance in sunlit + streets or on the scorched grass! The climate induced sobriety; there was + no need of alcohol or red meat to enable one to face treacherous fogs. + Blissful idleness smiled on the golden evenings, poverty became like the + enjoyment of liberty in that delightful atmosphere where the happiness of + living seemed to be all sufficient. Narcisse told Pierre that at Naples, + in the narrow odoriferous streets of the port and Santa Lucia districts, + the people spent virtually their whole lives out-of-doors, gay, childish, + and ignorant, seeking nothing beyond the few pence that were needed to buy + food. And it was certainly the climate which fostered the prolonged + infancy of the nation, which explained why such a democracy did not awaken + to social ambition and consciousness of itself. No doubt the poor of + Naples and Rome suffered from want; but they did not know the rancour + which cruel winter implants in men’s hearts, the dark rancour which one + feels on shivering with cold while rich people are warming themselves + before blazing fires. They did not know the infuriated reveries in + snow-swept hovels, when the guttering dip burns low, the passionate need + which then comes upon one to wreak justice, to revolt, as from a sense of + duty, in order that one may save wife and children from consumption, in + order that they also may have a warm nest where life shall be a + possibility! Ah! the want that shivers with the bitter cold—therein + lies the excess of social injustice, the most terrible of schools, where + the poor learn to realise their sufferings, where they are roused to + indignation, and swear to make those sufferings cease, even if in doing so + they annihilate all olden society! + </p> + <p> + And in that same clemency of the southern heavens Pierre also found an + explanation of the life of St. Francis,* that divine mendicant of love who + roamed the high roads extolling the charms of poverty. Doubtless he was an + unconscious revolutionary, protesting against the overflowing luxury of + the Roman court by his return to the love of the humble, the simplicity of + the primitive Church. But such a revival of innocence and sobriety would + never have been possible in a northern land. The enchantment of Nature, + the frugality of a people whom the sunlight nourished, the benignity of + mendicancy on roads for ever warm, were needed to effect it. And yet how + was it possible that a St. Francis, glowing with brotherly love, could + have appeared in a land which nowadays so seldom practises charity, which + treats the lowly so harshly and contemptuously, and cannot even bestow + alms on its own Pope? Is it because ancient pride ends by hardening all + hearts, or because the experience of very old races leads finally to + egotism, that one now beholds Italy seemingly benumbed amidst dogmatic and + pompous Catholicism, whilst the return to the ideals of the Gospel, the + passionate interest in the poor and the suffering comes from the woeful + plains of the North, from the nations whose sunlight is so limited? Yes, + doubtless all that has much to do with the change, and the success of St. + Francis was in particular due to the circumstance that, after so gaily + espousing his lady, Poverty, he was able to lead her, bare-footed and + scarcely clad, during endless and delightful spring-tides, among + communities whom an ardent need of love and compassion then consumed. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the famous order of + mendicant friars.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + While conversing, Pierre and Narcisse had reached the Piazza of St. + Peter’s, and they sat down at one of the little tables skirting the + pavement outside the restaurant where they had lunched once before. The + linen was none too clean, but the view was splendid. The Basilica rose up + in front of them, and the Vatican on the right, above the majestic curve + of the colonnade. Just as the waiter was bringing the <i>hors-d’œuvre</i>, + some <i>finocchio</i>* and anchovies, the young priest, who had fixed his + eyes on the Vatican, raised an exclamation to attract Narcisse’s + attention: “Look, my friend, at that window, which I am told is the Holy + Father’s. Can’t you distinguish a pale figure standing there, quite + motionless?” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Fennel-root, eaten raw, a favourite “appetiser” in Rome during + the spring and autumn.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + The young man began to laugh. “Oh! well,” said he, “it must be the Holy + Father in person. You are so anxious to see him that your very anxiety + conjures him into your presence.” + </p> + <p> + “But I assure you,” repeated Pierre, “that he is over there behind the + window-pane. There is a white figure looking this way.” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse, who was very hungry, began to eat whilst still indulging in + banter. All at once, however, he exclaimed: “Well, my dear Abbé, as the + Pope is looking at us, this is the moment to speak of him. I promised to + tell you how he sunk several millions of St. Peter’s Patrimony in the + frightful financial crisis of which you have just seen the ruins; and, + indeed, your visit to the new district of the castle fields would not be + complete without this story by way of appendix.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, without losing a mouthful, Narcisse spoke at considerable + length. At the death of Pius IX the Patrimony of St. Peter, it seemed, had + exceeded twenty millions of francs. Cardinal Antonelli, who speculated, + and whose ventures were usually successful, had for a long time left a + part of this money with the Rothschilds and a part in the hands of + different nuncios, who turned it to profit abroad. After Antonelli’s + death, however, his successor, Cardinal Simeoni, withdrew the money from + the nuncios to invest it at Rome; and Leo XIII on his accession entrusted + the administration of the Patrimony to a commission of cardinals, of which + Monsignor Folchi was appointed secretary. This prelate, who for twelve + years played such an important <i>rôle</i>, was the son of an employee of + the Dataria, who, thanks to skilful financial operations, had left a + fortune of a million francs. Monsignor Folchi inherited his father’s + cleverness, and revealed himself to be a financier of the first rank in + such wise that the commission gradually relinquished its powers to him, + letting him act exactly as he pleased and contenting itself with approving + the reports which he laid before it at each meeting. The Patrimony, + however, yielded scarcely more than a million francs per annum, and, as + the expenditure amounted to seven millions, six had to be found. + Accordingly, from that other source of income, the Peter’s Pence, the Pope + annually gave three million francs to Monsignor Folchi, who, by skilful + speculations and investments, was able to double them every year, and thus + provide for all disbursements without ever breaking into the capital of + the Patrimony. In the earlier times he realised considerable profit by + gambling in land in and about Rome. He took shares also in many new + enterprises, speculated in mills, omnibuses, and water-services, without + mentioning all the gambling in which he participated with the Banca di + Roma, a Catholic institution. Wonderstruck by his skill, the Pope, who, on + his own side, had hitherto speculated through the medium of a confidential + employee named Sterbini, dismissed the latter, and entrusted Monsignor + Folchi with the duty of turning his money to profit in the same way as he + turned that of the Holy See. This was the climax of the prelate’s favour, + the apogee of his power. Bad days were dawning, things were tottering + already, and the great collapse was soon to come, sudden and swift like + lightning. One of Leo XIII’s practices was to lend large sums to the Roman + princes who, seized with the gambling frenzy, and mixed up in land and + building speculations, were at a loss for money. To guarantee the Pope’s + advances they deposited shares with him, and thus, when the downfall came, + he was left with heaps of worthless paper on his hands. Then another + disastrous affair was an attempt to found a house of credit in Paris in + view of working off the shares which could not be disposed of in Italy + among the French aristocracy and religious people. To egg these on it was + said that the Pope was interested in the venture; and the worst was that + he dropped three millions of francs in it.* The situation then became the + more critical as he had gradually risked all the money he disposed of in + the terrible agiotage going on in Rome, tempted thereto by the prospect of + huge profits and perhaps indulging in the hope that he might win back by + money the city which had been torn from him by force. His own + responsibility remained complete, for Monsignor Folchi never made an + important venture without consulting him; and he must have been therefore + the real artisan of the disaster, mastered by his passion for gain, his + desire to endow the Church with a huge capital, that great source of power + in modern times. As always happens, however, the prelate was the only + victim. He had become imperious and difficult to deal with; and was no + longer liked by the cardinals of the commission, who were merely called + together to approve such transactions as he chose to entrust to them. So, + when the crisis came, a plot was laid; the cardinals terrified the Pope by + telling him of all the evil rumours which were current, and then forced + Monsignor Folchi to render a full account of his speculations. The + situation proved to be very bad; it was no longer possible to avoid heavy + losses. And so Monsignor Folchi was disgraced, and since then has vainly + solicited an audience of Leo XIII, who has always refused to receive him, + as if determined to punish him for their common fault—that passion + for lucre which blinded them both. Very pious and submissive, however, + Monsignor Folchi has never complained, but has kept his secrets and bowed + to fate. Nobody can say exactly how many millions the Patrimony of St. + Peter lost when Rome was changed into a gambling-hell, but if some + prelates only admit ten, others go as far as thirty. The probability is + that the loss was about fifteen millions.** + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The allusion is evidently to the famous Union Générale, on + which the Pope bestowed his apostolic benediction, and with + which M. Zola deals at length in his novel <i>Money</i>. Certainly + a very brilliant idea was embodied in the Union Générale, that + of establishing a great international Catholic bank which + would destroy the Jewish financial autocracy throughout Europe, + and provide both the papacy and the Legitimist cause in several + countries with the sinews of war. But in the battle which + ensued the great Jew financial houses proved the stronger, and + the disaster which overtook the Catholic speculators was a + terrible one.—Trans. + + ** That is 600,000 pounds. +</pre> + <p> + Whilst Narcisse was giving this account he and Pierre had despatched their + cutlets and tomatoes, and the waiter was now serving them some fried + chicken. “At the present time,” said Narcisse by way of conclusion, “the + gap has been filled up; I told you of the large sums yielded by the + Peter’s Pence Fund, the amount of which is only known by the Pope, who + alone fixes its employment. And, by the way, he isn’t cured of + speculating: I know from a good source that he still gambles, though with + more prudence. Moreover, his confidential assistant is still a prelate. + And, when all is said, my dear Abbé, he’s in the right: a man must belong + to his times—dash it all!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had listened with growing surprise, in which terror and sadness + mingled. Doubtless such things were natural, even legitimate; yet he, in + his dream of a pastor of souls free from all terrestrial cares, had never + imagined that they existed. What! the Pope—the spiritual father of + the lowly and the suffering—had speculated in land and in stocks and + shares! He had gambled, placed funds in the hands of Jew bankers, + practised usury, extracted hard interest from money—he, the + successor of the Apostle, the Pontiff of Christ, the representative of + Jesus, of the Gospel, that divine friend of the poor! And, besides, what a + painful contrast: so many millions stored away in those rooms of the + Vatican, and so many millions working and fructifying, constantly being + diverted from one speculation to another in order that they might yield + the more gain; and then down below, near at hand, so much want and misery + in those abominable unfinished buildings of the new districts, so many + poor folks dying of hunger amidst filth, mothers without milk for their + babes, men reduced to idleness by lack of work, old ones at the last gasp + like beasts of burden who are pole-axed when they are of no more use! Ah! + God of Charity, God of Love, was it possible! The Church doubtless had + material wants; she could not live without money; prudence and policy had + dictated the thought of gaining for her such a treasure as would enable + her to fight her adversaries victoriously. But how grievously this wounded + one’s feelings, how it soiled the Church, how she descended from her + divine throne to become nothing but a party, a vast international + association organised for the purpose of conquering and possessing the + world! + </p> + <p> + And the more Pierre thought of the extraordinary adventure the greater was + his astonishment. Could a more unexpected, startling drama be imagined? + That Pope shutting himself up in his palace—a prison, no doubt, but + one whose hundred windows overlooked immensity; that Pope who, at all + hours of the day and night, in every season, could from his window see his + capital, the city which had been stolen from him, and the restitution of + which he never ceased to demand; that Pope who, day by day, beheld the + changes effected in the city—the opening of new streets, the + demolition of ancient districts, the sale of land, and the gradual + erection of new buildings which ended by forming a white girdle around the + old ruddy roofs; that Pope who, in presence of this daily spectacle, this + building frenzy, which he could follow from morn till eve, was himself + finally overcome by the gambling passion, and, secluded in his closed + chamber, began to speculate on the embellishments of his old capital, + seeking wealth in the spurt of work and trade brought about by that very + Italian Government which he reproached with spoliation; and finally that + Pope losing millions in a catastrophe which he ought to have desired, but + had been unable to foresee! No, never had dethroned monarch yielded to a + stranger idea, compromised himself in a more tragical venture, the result + of which fell upon him like divine punishment. And it was no mere king who + had done this, but the delegate of God, the man who, in the eyes of + idolatrous Christendom, was the living manifestation of the Deity! + </p> + <p> + Dessert had now been served—a goat’s cheese and some fruit—and + Narcisse was just finishing some grapes when, on raising his eyes, he in + turn exclaimed: “Well, you are quite right, my dear Abbé, I myself can see + a pale figure at the window of the Holy Father’s room.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who scarcely took his eyes from the window, answered slowly: “Yes, + yes, it went away, but has just come back, and stands there white and + motionless.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, after all, what would you have the Pope do?” resumed Narcisse with + his languid air. “He’s like everybody else; he looks out of the window + when he wants a little distraction, and certainly there’s plenty for him + to look at.” + </p> + <p> + The same idea had occurred to Pierre, and was filling him with emotion. + People talked of the Vatican being closed, and pictured a dark, gloomy + palace, encompassed by high walls, whereas this palace overlooked all + Rome, and the Pope from his window could see the world. Pierre himself had + viewed the panorama from the summit of the Janiculum, the <i>loggie</i> of + Raffaelle, and the dome of St. Peter’s, and so he well knew what it was + that Leo XIII was able to behold. In the centre of the vast desert of the + Campagna, bounded by the Sabine and Alban mountains, the seven illustrious + hills appeared to him with their trees and edifices. His eyes ranged also + over all the basilicas, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano, + the cradle of the papacy, San Paolo-fuori-le-Mura, Santa Croce in + Gerusalemme, Sant’ Agnese, and the others; they beheld, too, the domes of + the Gesù of Sant’ Andrea della Valle, San Carlo and San Giovanni dei + Fiorentini, and indeed all those four hundred churches of Rome which make + the city like a <i>campo santo</i> studded with crosses. And Leo XIII + could moreover see the famous monuments testifying to the pride of + successive centuries—the Castle of Sant’ Angelo, that imperial + mausoleum which was transformed into a papal fortress, the distant white + line of the tombs of the Appian Way, the scattered ruins of the baths of + Caracalla and the abode of Septimius Severus; and then, after the + innumerable columns, porticoes, and triumphal arches, there were the + palaces and villas of the sumptuous cardinals of the Renascence, the + Palazzo Farnese, the Palazzo Borghese, the Villa Medici, and others, + amidst a swarming of façades and roofs. But, in particular, just under his + window, on the left, the Pope was able to see the abominations of the + unfinished district of the castle fields. In the afternoon, when he + strolled through his gardens, bastioned by the wall of the fourth Leo like + the plateau of a citadel, his view stretched over the ravaged valley at + the foot of Monte Mario, where so many brick-works were established during + the building frenzy. The green slopes are still ripped up, yellow trenches + intersect them in all directions, and the closed works and factories have + become wretched ruins with lofty, black, and smokeless chimneys. And at + any other hour of the day Leo XIII could not approach his window without + beholding the abandoned houses for which all those brick-fields had + worked, those houses which had died before they even lived, and where + there was now nought but the swarming misery of Rome, rotting there like + some decomposition of olden society. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre more particularly thought of Leo XIII, forgetting the rest + of the city to let his thoughts dwell on the Palatine, now bereft of its + crown of palaces and rearing only its black cypresses towards the blue + heavens. Doubtless in his mind he rebuilt the palaces of the Caesars, + whilst before him rose great shadowy forms arrayed in purple, visions of + his real ancestors, those emperors and Supreme Pontiffs who alone could + tell him how one might reign over every nation and be the absolute master + of the world. Then, however, his glances strayed to the Quirinal, and + there he could contemplate the new and neighbouring royalty. How strange + the meeting of those two palaces, the Quirinal and the Vatican, which rise + up and gaze at one another across the Rome of the middle ages and the + Renascence, whose roofs, baked and gilded by the burning sun, are jumbled + in confusion alongside the Tiber. When the Pope and the King go to their + windows they can with a mere opera-glass see each other quite distinctly. + True, they are but specks in the boundless immensity, and what a gulf + there is between them—how many centuries of history, how many + generations that battled and suffered, how much departed greatness, and + how much new seed for the mysterious future! Still, they can see one + another, and they are yet waging the eternal fight, the fight as to which + of them—the pontiff and shepherd of the soul or the monarch and + master of the body—shall possess the people whose stream rolls + beneath them, and in the result remain the absolute sovereign. And Pierre + wondered also what might be the thoughts and dreams of Leo XIII behind + those window-panes where he still fancied he could distinguish his pale, + ghostly figure. On surveying new Rome, the ravaged olden districts and the + new ones laid waste by the blast of disaster, the Pope must certainly + rejoice at the colossal failure of the Italian Government. His city had + been stolen from him; the newcomers had virtually declared that they would + show him how a great capital was created, and their boast had ended in + that catastrophe—a multitude of hideous and useless buildings which + they did not even know how to finish! He, the Pope, could moreover only be + delighted with the terrible worries into which the usurping <i>régime</i> + had fallen, the political crisis, and the financial crisis, the whole + growing national unrest amidst which that <i>régime</i> seemed likely to + sink some day; and yet did not he himself possess a patriotic soul? was he + not a loving son of that Italy whose genius and ancient ambition coursed + in the blood of his veins? Ah! no, nothing against Italy; rather + everything that would enable her to become once more the mistress of the + world. And so, even amidst the joy of hope, he must have been grieved to + see her thus ruined, threatened with bankruptcy, displaying like a sore + that overturned, unfinished Rome which was a confession of her impotency. + But, on the other hand, if the House of Savoy were to be swept away, would + he not be there to take its place, and at last resume possession of his + capital, which, from his window, for fifteen years past, he had beheld in + the grip of masons and demolishers? And then he would again be the master + and reign over the world, enthroned in the predestined city to which + prophecy has ensured eternity and universal dominion. + </p> + <p> + But the horizon spread out, and Pierre wondered what Leo XIII beheld + beyond Rome, beyond the Campagna and the Sabine and Alban mountains. What + had he seen for eighteen years past from that window whence he obtained + his only view of the world? What echoes of modern society, its truths and + certainties, had reached his ears? From the heights of the Viminal, where + the railway terminus stands, the prolonged whistling of engines must have + occasionally been carried towards him, suggesting our scientific + civilisation, the nations brought nearer together, free humanity marching + on towards the future. Did he himself ever dream of liberty when, on + turning to the right, he pictured the sea over yonder, past the tombs of + the Appian Way? Had he ever desired to go off, quit Rome and her + traditions, and found the Papacy of the new democracies elsewhere? As he + was said to possess so clear and penetrating a mind he ought to have + understood and trembled at the far-away stir and noise that came from + certain lands of battle, from those United States of America, for + instance, where revolutionary bishops were conquering, winning over the + people. Were they working for him or for themselves? If he could not + follow them, if he remained stubborn within his Vatican, bound on every + side by dogma and tradition, might not rupture some day become + unavoidable? And, indeed, the fear of a blast of schism, coming from afar, + must have filled him with growing anguish. It was assuredly on that + account that he had practised the diplomacy of conciliation, seeking to + unite in his hands all the scattered forces of the Church, overlooking the + audacious proceedings of certain bishops as far as possible, and himself + striving to gain the support of the people by putting himself on its side + against the fallen monarchies. But would he ever go any farther? Shut up + in that Vatican, behind that bronze portal, was he not bound to the strict + formulas of Catholicism, chained to them by the force of centuries? There + obstinacy was fated; it was impossible for him to resign himself to that + which was his real and surpassing power, the purely spiritual power, the + moral authority which brought mankind to his feet, made thousands of + pilgrims kneel and women swoon. Departure from Rome and the renunciation + of the temporal power would not displace the centre of the Catholic world, + but would transform him, the head of the Catholic Church, into the head of + something else. And how anxious must have been his thoughts if the evening + breeze ever brought him a vague presentiment of that something else, a + fear of the new religion which was yet dimly, confusedly dawning amidst + the tramp of the nations on the march, and the sound of which must have + reached him at one and the same time from every point of the compass. + </p> + <p> + At this precise moment, however, Pierre felt that the white and motionless + shadow behind those windowpanes was held erect by pride, by the ever + present conviction of victory. If man could not achieve it, a miracle + would intervene. He, the Pope, was absolutely convinced that he or some + successor would recover possession of Rome. Had not the Church all + eternity before it? And, moreover, why should not the victor be himself? + Could not God accomplish the impossible? Why, if it so pleased God, on the + very morrow his city would be restored to him, in spite of all the + objections of human reason, all the apparent logic of facts. Ah! how he + would welcome the return of that prodigal daughter whose equivocal + adventures he had ever watched with tears bedewing his paternal eyes! He + would soon forget the excesses which he had beheld during eighteen years + at all hours and in all seasons. Perhaps he dreamt of what he would do + with those new districts with which the city had been soiled. Should they + be razed, or left as evidence of the insanity of the usurpers? At all + events, Rome would again become the august and lifeless city, disdainful + of such vain matters as material cleanliness and comfort, and shining + forth upon the world like a pure soul encompassed by the traditional glory + of the centuries. And his dream continued, picturing the course which + events would take on the very morrow, no doubt. Anything, even a republic + was preferable to that House of Savoy. Why not a federal republic, + reviving the old political divisions of Italy, restoring Rome to the + Church, and choosing him, the Pope, as the natural protector of the + country thus reorganised? But his eyes travelled beyond Rome and Italy, + and his dream expanded, embracing republican France, Spain which might + become republican again, Austria which would some day be won, and indeed + all the Catholic nations welded into the United States of Europe, and + fraternising in peace under his high presidency as Sovereign Pontiff. And + then would follow the supreme triumph, all the other churches at last + vanishing, and all the dissident communities coming to him as to the one + and only pastor, who would reign in the name of Jesus over the universal + democracy. + </p> + <p> + However, whilst Pierre was immersed in this dream which he attributed to + Leo XIII, he was all at once interrupted by Narcisse, who exclaimed: “Oh! + my dear Abbé, just look at those statues on the colonnade.” The young + fellow had ordered a cup of coffee and was languidly smoking a cigar, deep + once more in the subtle aesthetics which were his only preoccupation. + “They are rosy, are they not?” he continued; “rosy, with a touch of mauve, + as if the blue blood of angels circulated in their stone veins. It is the + sun of Rome which gives them that supra-terrestrial life; for they live, + my friend; I have seen them smile and hold out their arms to me during + certain fine sunsets. Ah! Rome, marvellous, delicious Rome! One could live + here as poor as Job, content with the very atmosphere, and in everlasting + delight at breathing it!” + </p> + <p> + This time Pierre could not help feeling surprised at Narcisse’s language, + for he remembered his incisive voice and clear, precise, financial acumen + when speaking of money matters. And, at this recollection, the young + priest’s mind reverted to the castle fields, and intense sadness filled + his heart as for the last time all the want and suffering rose before him. + Again he beheld the horrible filth which was tainting so many human + beings, that shocking proof of the abominable social injustice which + condemns the greater number to lead the joyless, breadless lives of + accursed beasts. And as his glance returned yet once more to the window of + the Vatican, and he fancied he could see a pale hand uplifted behind the + glass panes, he thought of that papal benediction which Leo XIII gave from + that height, over Rome, and over the plain and the hills, to the faithful + of all Christendom. And that papal benediction suddenly seemed to him a + mockery, destitute of all power, since throughout such a multitude of + centuries it had not once been able to stay a single one of the sufferings + of mankind, and could not even bring a little justice for those poor + wretches who were agonising yonder beneath the very window. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap34"></a> + IX. + </h2> + <p> + THAT evening at dusk, as Benedetta had sent Pierre word that she desired + to see him, he went down to her little <i>salon</i>, and there found her + chatting with Celia. + </p> + <p> + “I’ve seen your Pierina, you know,” exclaimed the latter, just as the + young priest came in. “And with Dario, too. Or rather, she must have been + watching for him; he found her waiting in a path on the Pincio and smiled + at her. I understood at once. What a beauty she is!” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm; but her lips twitched + somewhat painfully, for, however sensible she might be, this passion, + which she realised to be so naive and so strong, was beginning to make her + suffer. She certainly made allowances for Dario, but the girl was too much + in love with him, and she feared the consequences. Even in turning the + conversation she allowed the secret of her heart to escape her. “Pray sit + down, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she said, “we are talking scandal, you see. My + poor Dario is accused of making love to every pretty woman in Rome. People + say that it’s he who gives La Tonietta those white roses which she has + been exhibiting at the Corso every afternoon for a fortnight past.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s certain, my dear,” retorted Celia impetuously. “At first people + were in doubt, and talked of little Pontecorvo and Lieutenant Moretta. But + every one now knows that La Tonietta’s caprice is Dario. Besides, he + joined her in her box at the Costanzi the other evening.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre remembered that the young Prince had pointed out La Tonietta at the + Pincio one afternoon. She was one of the few <i>demi-mondaines</i> that + the higher-class society of Rome took an interest in. For a month or so + the rich Englishman to whom she owed her means had been absent, + travelling. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” resumed Benedetta, whose budding jealousy was entirely confined to + La Pierina, “so my poor Dario is ruining himself in white roses! Well, I + shall have to twit him about it. But one or another of these beauties will + end by robbing me of him if our affairs are not soon settled. Fortunately, + I have had some better news. Yes, my suit is to be taken in hand again, + and my aunt has gone out to-day on that very account.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Victorine came in with a lamp, and Celia rose to depart, + Benedetta turned towards Pierre, who also was rising from his chair: + “Please stay,” said she; “I wish to speak to you.” + </p> + <p> + However, Celia still lingered, interested by the mention of the divorce + suit, and eager to know if the cousins would soon be able to marry. And at + last throwing her arms round Benedetta, she kissed her passionately. “So + you are hopeful, my dear,” she exclaimed. “You think that the Holy Father + will give you back your liberty? Oh! I am so pleased; it will be so nice + for you to marry Dario! And I’m well pleased on my own account, for my + father and mother are beginning to yield. Only yesterday I said to them + with that quiet little air of mine, ‘I want Attilio, and you must give him + me.’ And then my father flew into a furious passion and upbraided me, and + shook his fist at me, saying that if he’d made my head as hard as his own + he would know how to break it. My mother was there quite silent and vexed, + and all at once he turned to her and said: ‘Here, give her that Attilio + she wants, and then perhaps we shall have some peace!’ Oh yes! I’m well + pleased, very well pleased indeed!” + </p> + <p> + As she spoke her pure virginal face beamed with so much innocent, + celestial joy that Pierre and Benedetta could not help laughing. And at + last she went off attended by a maid who had waited for her in the first + <i>salon</i>. + </p> + <p> + When they were alone Benedetta made the priest sit down again: “I have + been asked to give you some important advice, my friend,” she said. “It + seems that the news of your presence in Rome is spreading, and that bad + reports of you are circulated. Your book is said to be a fierce appeal to + schism, and you are spoken of as a mere ambitious, turbulent schismatic. + After publishing your book in Paris you have come to Rome, it is said, to + raise a fearful scandal over it in order to make it sell. Now, if you + still desire to see his Holiness, so as to plead your cause before him, + you are advised to make people forget you, to disappear altogether for a + fortnight or three weeks.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was stupefied. Why, they would end by maddening him with all the + obstacles they raised to exhaust his patience; they would actually implant + in him an idea of schism, of an avenging, liberating scandal! He wished to + protest and refuse the advice, but all at once he made a gesture of + weariness. What would be the good of it, especially with that young woman, + who was certainly sincere and affectionate. “Who asked you to give me this + advice?” he inquired. She did not answer, but smiled, and with sudden + intuition he resumed: “It was Monsignor Nani, was it not?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, still unwilling to give a direct reply, she began to praise the + prelate. He had at last consented to guide her in her divorce affair; and + Donna Serafina had gone to the Palace of the Inquisition that very + afternoon in order to acquaint him with the result of certain steps she + had taken. Father Lorenza, the confessor of both the Boccanera ladies, was + to be present at the interview, for the idea of the divorce was in reality + his own. He had urged the two women to it in his eagerness to sever the + bond which the patriotic priest Pisoni had tied full of such fine + illusions. Benedetta became quite animated as she explained the reasons of + her hopefulness. “Monsignor Nani can do everything,” she said, “and I am + very happy that my affair should be in his hands. You must be reasonable + also, my friend; do as you are requested. I’m sure you will some day be + well pleased at having taken this advice.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had bowed his head and remained thoughtful. There was nothing + unpleasant in the idea of remaining for a few more weeks in Rome, where + day by day his curiosity found so much fresh food. Of course, all these + delays were calculated to discourage him and bend his will. Yet what did + he fear, since he was still determined to relinquish nothing of his book, + and to see the Holy Father for the sole purpose of proclaiming his new + faith? Once more, in silence, he took that oath, then yielded to + Benedetta’s entreaties. And as he apologised for being a source of + embarrassment in the house she exclaimed: “No, no, I am delighted to have + you here. I fancy that your presence will bring us good fortune now that + luck seems to be changing in our favour.” + </p> + <p> + It was then agreed that he would no longer prowl around St. Peter’s and + the Vatican, where his constant presence must have attracted attention. He + even promised that he would virtually spend a week indoors, desirous as he + was of reperusing certain books, certain pages of Rome’s history. Then he + went on chatting for a moment, lulled by the peacefulness which reigned + around him, since the lamp had illumined the <i>salon</i> with its sleepy + radiance. Six o’clock had just struck, and outside all was dark. + </p> + <p> + “Wasn’t his Eminence indisposed to-day?” the young man asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied the Contessina. “But we are not anxious: it is only a + little fatigue. He sent Don Vigilio to tell me that he intended to shut + himself up in his room and dictate some letters. So there can be nothing + much the matter, you see.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell again. For a while not a sound came from the deserted street + or the old empty mansion, mute and dreamy like a tomb. But all at once the + soft somnolence, instinct with all the sweetness of a dream of hope, was + disturbed by a tempestuous entry, a whirl of skirts, a gasp of terror. It + was Victorine, who had gone off after bringing the lamp, but now returned, + scared and breathless: “Contessina! Contessina!” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta had risen, suddenly quite white and cold, as at the advent of a + blast of misfortune. “What, what is it? Why do you run and tremble?” she + asked. + </p> + <p> + “Dario, Monsieur Dario—down below. I went down to see if the lantern + in the porch were alight, as it is so often forgotten. And in the dark, in + the porch, I stumbled against Monsieur Dario. He is on the ground; he has + a knife-thrust somewhere.” + </p> + <p> + A cry leapt from the <i>amorosa’s</i> heart: “Dead!” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, wounded.” + </p> + <p> + But Benedetta did not hear; in a louder and louder voice she cried: “Dead! + dead!” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I tell you, he spoke to me. And for Heaven’s sake, be quiet. He + silenced me because he did not want any one to know; he told me to come + and fetch you—only you. However, as Monsieur l’Abbé is here, he had + better help us. We shall be none too many.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened, also quite aghast. And when Victorine wished to take the + lamp her trembling hand, with which she had no doubt felt the prostrate + body, was seen to be quite bloody. The sight filled Benedetta with so much + horror that she again began to moan wildly. + </p> + <p> + “Be quiet, be quiet!” repeated Victorine. “We ought not to make any noise + in going down. I shall take the lamp, because we must at all events be + able to see. Now, quick, quick!” + </p> + <p> + Across the porch, just at the entrance of the vestibule, Dario lay prone + upon the slabs, as if, after being stabbed in the street, he had only had + sufficient strength to take a few steps before falling. And he had just + fainted, and lay there with his face very pale, his lips compressed, and + his eyes closed. Benedetta, recovering the energy of her race amidst her + excessive grief, no longer lamented or cried out, but gazed at him with + wild, tearless, dilated eyes, as though unable to understand. The horror + of it all was the suddenness and mysteriousness of the catastrophe, the + why and wherefore of this murderous attempt amidst the silence of the old + deserted palace, black with the shades of night. The wound had as yet bled + but little, for only the Prince’s clothes were stained. + </p> + <p> + “Quick, quick!” repeated Victorine in an undertone after lowering the lamp + and moving it around. “The porter isn’t there—he’s always at the + carpenter’s next door—and you see that he hasn’t yet lighted the + lantern. Still he may come back at any moment. So the Abbé and I will + carry the Prince into his room at once.” She alone retained her head, like + a woman of well-balanced mind and quiet activity. The two others, whose + stupor continued, listened to her and obeyed her with the docility of + children. “Contessina,” she continued, “you must light us. Here, take the + lamp and lower it a little so that we may see the steps. You, Abbé, take + the feet; I’ll take hold of him under the armpits. And don’t be alarmed, + the poor dear fellow isn’t heavy.” + </p> + <p> + Ah! that ascent of the monumental staircase with its low steps and its + landings as spacious as guardrooms. They facilitated the cruel journey, + but how lugubrious looked the little <i>cortège</i> under the flickering + glimmer of the lamp which Benedetta held with arm outstretched, stiffened + by determination! And still not a sound came from the old lifeless + dwelling, nothing but the silent crumbling of the walls, the slow decay + which was making the ceilings crack. Victorine continued to whisper words + of advice whilst Pierre, afraid of slipping on the shiny slabs, put forth + an excess of strength which made his breath come short. Huge, wild shadows + danced over the big expanse of bare wall up to the very vaults decorated + with sunken panels. So endless seemed the ascent that at last a halt + became necessary; but the slow march was soon resumed. Fortunately Dario’s + apartments—bed-chamber, dressing-room, and sitting-room—were + on the first floor adjoining those of the Cardinal in the wing facing the + Tiber; so, on reaching the landing, they only had to walk softly along the + corridor, and at last, to their great relief, laid the wounded man upon + his bed. + </p> + <p> + Victorine vented her satisfaction in a light laugh. “That’s done,” said + she; “put the lamp on that table, Contessina. I’m sure nobody heard us. + It’s lucky that Donna Serafina should have gone out, and that his Eminence + should have shut himself up with Don Vigilio. I wrapped my skirt round + Monsieur Dario’s shoulders, you know, so I don’t think any blood fell on + the stairs. By and by, too, I’ll go down with a sponge and wipe the slabs + in the porch—” She stopped short, looked at Dario, and then quickly + added: “He’s breathing—now I’ll leave you both to watch over him + while I go for good Doctor Giordano, who saw you come into the world, + Contessina. He’s a man to be trusted.” + </p> + <p> + Alone with the unconscious sufferer in that dim chamber, which seemed to + quiver with the frightful horror that filled their hearts, Benedetta and + Pierre remained on either side of the bed, as yet unable to exchange a + word. The young woman first opened her arms and wrung her hands whilst + giving vent to a hollow moan, as if to relieve and exhale her grief; and + then, leaning forward, she watched for some sign of life on that pale face + whose eyes were closed. Dario was certainly breathing, but his respiration + was slow and very faint, and some time went by before a touch of colour + returned to his cheeks. At last, however, he opened his eyes, and then she + at once took hold of his hand and pressed it, instilling into the pressure + all the anguish of her heart. Great was her happiness on feeling that he + feebly returned the clasp. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me,” she said, “you can see me and hear me, can’t you? What has + happened, good God?” + </p> + <p> + He did not at first answer, being worried by the presence of Pierre. On + recognising the young priest, however, he seemed content that he should be + there, and then glanced apprehensively round the room to see if there were + anybody else. And at last he murmured: “No one saw me, no one knows?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no; be easy. We carried you up with Victorine without meeting a soul. + Aunt has just gone out, uncle is shut up in his rooms.” + </p> + <p> + At this Dario seemed relieved, and he even smiled. “I don’t want anybody + to know, it is so stupid,” he murmured. + </p> + <p> + “But in God’s name what has happened?” she again asked him. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I don’t know, I don’t know,” was his response, as he lowered his + eyelids with a weary air as if to escape the question. But he must have + realised that it was best for him to confess some portion of the truth at + once, for he resumed: “A man was hidden in the shadow of the porch—he + must have been waiting for me. And so, when I came in, he dug his knife + into my shoulder, there.” + </p> + <p> + Forthwith she again leant over him, quivering, and gazing into the depths + of his eyes: “But who was the man, who was he?” she asked. Then, as he, in + a yet more weary way, began to stammer that he didn’t know, that the man + had fled into the darkness before he could recognise him, she raised a + terrible cry: “It was Prada! it was Prada, confess it, I know it already!” + And, quite delirious, she went on: “I tell you that I know it! Ah! I would + not be his, and he is determined that we shall never belong to one + another. Rather than have that he will kill you on the day when I am free + to be your wife! Oh! I know him well; I shall never, never be happy. Yes, + I know it well, it was Prada, Prada!” + </p> + <p> + But sudden energy upbuoyed the wounded man, and he loyally protested: “No, + no, it was not Prada, nor was it any one working for him. That I swear to + you. I did not recognise the man, but it wasn’t Prada—no, no!” + </p> + <p> + There was such a ring of truth in Dario’s words that Benedetta must have + been convinced by them. But terror once more overpowered her, for the hand + she held was suddenly growing soft, moist, and powerless. Exhausted by his + effort, Dario had fallen back, again fainting, his face quite white and + his eyes closed. And it seemed to her that he was dying. Distracted by her + anguish, she felt him with trembling, groping hands: “Look, look, Monsieur + l’Abbé!” she exclaimed. “But he is dying, he is dying; he is already quite + cold. Ah! God of heaven, he is dying!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, terribly upset by her cries, sought to reassure her, saying: “He + spoke too much; he has lost consciousness, as he did before. But I assure + you that I can feel his heart beating. Here, put your hand here, + Contessina. For mercy’s sake don’t distress yourself like that; the doctor + will soon be here, and everything will be all right.” + </p> + <p> + But she did not listen to him, and all at once he was lost in amazement, + for she flung herself upon the body of the man she adored, caught it in a + frantic embrace, bathed it with tears and covered it with kisses whilst + stammering words of fire: “Ah! if I were to lose you, if I were to lose + you! And to think that I repulsed you, that I would not accept happiness + when it was yet possible! Yes, that idea of mine, that vow I made to the + Madonna! Yet how could she be offended by our happiness? And then, and + then, if she has deceived me, if she takes you from me, ah! then I can + have but one regret—that I did not damn myself with you—yes, + yes, damnation rather than that we should never, never be each other’s!” + </p> + <p> + Was this the woman who had shown herself so calm, so sensible, so patient + the better to ensure her happiness? Pierre was terrified, and no longer + recognised her. He had hitherto seen her so reserved, so modest, with a + childish charm that seemed to come from her very nature! But under the + threatening blow she feared, the terrible blood of the Boccaneras had + awoke within her with a long heredity of violence, pride, frantic and + exasperated longings. She wished for her share of life, her share of love! + And she moaned and she clamoured, as if death, in taking her lover from + her, were tearing away some of her own flesh. + </p> + <p> + “Calm yourself, I entreat you, madame,” repeated the priest. “He is alive, + his heart beats. You are doing yourself great harm.” + </p> + <p> + But she wished to die with her lover: “O my darling! if you must go, take + me, take me with you. I will lay myself on your heart, I will clasp you so + tightly with my arms that they shall be joined to yours, and then we must + needs be buried together. Yes, yes, we shall be dead, and we shall be + wedded all the same—wedded in death! I promised that I would belong + to none but you, and I will be yours in spite of everything, even in the + grave. O my darling, open your eyes, open your mouth, kiss me if you don’t + want me to die as soon as you are dead!” + </p> + <p> + A blaze of wild passion, full of blood and fire, had passed through that + mournful chamber with old, sleepy walls. But tears were now overcoming + Benedetta, and big gasping sobs at last threw her, blinded and + strengthless, on the edge of the bed. And fortunately an end was put to + the terrible scene by the arrival of the doctor whom Victorine had + fetched. + </p> + <p> + Doctor Giordano was a little old man of over sixty, with white curly hair, + and fresh-looking, clean-shaven countenance. By long practice among + Churchmen he had acquired the paternal appearance and manner of an amiable + prelate. And he was said to be a very worthy man, tending the poor for + nothing, and displaying ecclesiastical reserve and discretion in all + delicate cases. For thirty years past the whole Boccanera family, + children, women, and even the most eminent Cardinal himself, had in all + cases of sickness been placed in the hands of this prudent practitioner. + Lighted by Victorine and helped by Pierre, he undressed Dario, who was + roused from his swoon by pain; and after examining the wound he declared + with a smile that it was not at all dangerous. The young Prince would at + the utmost have to spend three weeks in bed, and no complications were to + be feared. Then, like all the doctors of Rome, enamoured of the fine + thrusts and cuts which day by day they have to dress among chance patients + of the lower classes, he complacently lingered over the wound, doubtless + regarding it as a clever piece of work, for he ended by saying to the + Prince in an undertone: “That’s what we call a warning. The man didn’t + want to kill, the blow was dealt downwards so that the knife might slip + through the flesh without touching the bone. Ah! a man really needs to be + skilful to deal such a stab; it was very neatly done.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” murmured Dario, “he spared me; had he chosen he could have + pierced me through.” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta did not hear. Since the doctor had declared the case to be free + from danger, and had explained that the fainting fits were due to nervous + shock, she had fallen in a chair, quite prostrated. Gradually, however, + some gentle tears coursed from her eyes, bringing relief after her + frightful despair, and then, rising to her feet, she came and kissed Dario + with mute and passionate delight. + </p> + <p> + “I say, my dear doctor,” resumed the Prince, “it’s useless for people to + know of this. It’s so ridiculous. Nobody has seen anything, it seems, + excepting Monsieur l’Abbé, whom I ask to keep the matter secret. And in + particular I don’t want anybody to alarm the Cardinal or my aunt, or + indeed any of our friends.” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Giordano indulged in one of his placid smiles. “<i>Bene, bene</i>,” + said he, “that’s natural; don’t worry yourself. We will say that you have + had a fall on the stairs and have dislocated your shoulder. And now that + the wound is dressed you must try to sleep, and don’t get feverish. I will + come back to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + That evening of excitement was followed by some very tranquil days, and a + new life began for Pierre, who at first remained indoors, reading and + writing, with no other recreation than that of spending his afternoons in + Dario’s room, where he was certain to find Benedetta. After a somewhat + intense fever lasting for eight and forty hours, cure took its usual + course, and the story of the dislocated shoulder was so generally + believed, that the Cardinal insisted on Donna Serafina departing from her + habits of strict economy, to have a second lantern lighted on the landing + in order that no such accident might occur again. And then the monotonous + peacefulness was only disturbed by a final incident, a threat of trouble, + as it were, with which Pierre found himself mixed up one evening when he + was lingering beside the convalescent patient. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta had absented herself for a few minutes, and as Victorine, who + had brought up some broth, was leaning towards the Prince to take the + empty cup from him, she said in a low voice: “There’s a girl, Monsieur, La + Pierina, who comes here every day, crying and asking for news of you. I + can’t get rid of her, she’s always prowling about the place, so I thought + it best to tell you of it.” + </p> + <p> + Unintentionally, Pierre heard her and understood everything. Dario, who + was looking at him, at once guessed his thoughts, and without answering + Victorine exclaimed: “Yes, Abbé, it was that brute Tito! How idiotic, eh?” + At the same time, although the young man protested that he had done + nothing whatever for the girl’s brother to give him such a “warning,” he + smiled in an embarrassed way, as if vexed and even somewhat ashamed of + being mixed up in an affair of the kind. And he was evidently relieved + when the priest promised that he would see the girl, should she come back, + and make her understand that she ought to remain at home. + </p> + <p> + “It was such a stupid affair!” the Prince repeated, with an exaggerated + show of anger. “Such things are not of our times.” + </p> + <p> + But all at once he ceased speaking, for Benedetta entered the room. She + sat down again beside her dear patient, and the sweet, peaceful evening + then took its course in the old sleepy chamber, the old, lifeless palace, + whence never a sound arose. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre began to go out again he at first merely took a brief airing + in the district. The Via Giulia interested him, for he knew how splendid + it had been in the time of Julius II, who had dreamt of lining it with + sumptuous palaces. Horse and foot races then took place there during the + carnival, the Palazzo Farnese being the starting-point, and the Piazza of + St. Peter’s the goal. Pierre had also lately read that a French + ambassador, D’Estrée, Marquis de Coure, had resided at the Palazzo + Sacchetti, and in 1638 had given some magnificent entertainments in honour + of the birth of the Dauphin,* when on three successive days there had been + racing from the Ponte Sisto to San Giovanni dei Fiorentini amidst an + extraordinary display of sumptuosity: the street being strewn with + flowers, and rich hangings adorning every window. On the second evening + there had been fireworks on the Tiber, with a machine representing the + ship Argo carrying Jason and his companions to the recovery of the Golden + Fleece; and, on another occasion, the Farnese fountain, the Mascherone, + had flowed with wine. Nowadays, however, all was changed. The street, + bright with sunshine or steeped in shadow according to the hour, was ever + silent and deserted. The heavy, ancient palatial houses, their old doors + studded with plates and nails, their windows barred with huge iron + gratings, always seemed to be asleep, whole storeys showing nothing but + closed shutters as if to keep out the daylight for evermore. Now and + again, when a door was open, you espied deep vaults, damp, cold courts, + green with mildew, and encompassed by colonnades like cloisters. Then, in + the outbuildings of the mansions, the low structures which had collected + more particularly on the side of the Tiber, various small silent shops had + installed themselves. There was a baker’s, a tailor’s, and a bookbinder’s, + some fruiterers’ shops with a few tomatoes and salad plants set out on + boards, and some wine-shops which claimed to sell the vintages of Frascati + and Genzano, but whose customers seemed to be dead. Midway along the + street was a modern prison, whose horrid yellow wall in no wise enlivened + the scene, whilst, overhead, a flight of telegraph wires stretched from + the arcades of the Farnese palace to the distant vista of trees beyond the + river. With its infrequent traffic the street, even in the daytime, was + like some sepulchral corridor where the past was crumbling into dust, and + when night fell its desolation quite appalled Pierre. You did not meet a + soul, you did not see a light in any window, and the glimmering gas lamps, + few and far between, seemed powerless to pierce the gloom. On either hand + the doors were barred and bolted, and not a sound, not a breath came from + within. Even when, after a long interval, you passed a lighted wine-shop, + behind whose panes of frosted glass a lamp gleamed dim and motionless, not + an exclamation, not a suspicion of a laugh ever reached your ear. There + was nothing alive save the two sentries placed outside the prison, one + before the entrance and the other at the corner of the right-hand lane, + and they remained erect and still, coagulated, as it were, in that dead + street. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Afterwards Louis XIV.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre’s interest, however, was not merely confined to the Via Giulia; it + extended to the whole district, once so fine and fashionable, but now + fallen into sad decay, far removed from modern life, and exhaling a faint + musty odour of monasticism. Towards San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, where the + new Corso Vittorio Emanuele has ripped up every olden district, the lofty + five-storeyed houses with their dazzling sculptured fronts contrasted + violently with the black sunken dwellings of the neighbouring lanes. In + the evening the globes of the electric lamps on the Corso shone out with + such dazzling whiteness that the gas lamps of the Via Giulia and other + streets looked like smoky lanterns. There were several old and famous + thoroughfares, the Via Banchi Vecchi, the Via del Pellegrino, the Via di + Monserrato, and an infinity of cross-streets which intersected and + connected the others, all going towards the Tiber, and for the most part + so narrow that vehicles scarcely had room to pass. And each street had its + church, a multitude of churches all more or less alike, highly decorated, + gilded, and painted, and open only at service time when they were full of + sunlight and incense. In the Via Giulia, in addition to San Giovanni dei + Fiorentini, San Biagio della Pagnotta, San Eligio degli Orefici, and three + or four others, there was the so-called Church of the Dead, Santa Maria + dell’ Orazione; and this church, which is at the lower end behind the + Farnese palace, was often visited by Pierre, who liked to dream there of + the wild life of Rome, and of the pious brothers of the Confraternita + della Morte, who officiate there, and whose mission is to search for and + bury such poor outcasts as die in the Campagna. One evening he was present + at the funeral of two unknown men, whose bodies, after remaining unburied + for quite a fortnight, had been discovered in a field near the Appian Way. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre’s favourite promenade soon became the new quay of the + Tiber beyond the Palazzo Boccanera. He had merely to take the narrow lane + skirting the mansion to reach a spot where he found much food for + reflection. Although the quay was not yet finished, the work seemed to be + quite abandoned. There were heaps of rubbish, blocks of stone, broken + fences, and dilapidated tool-sheds all around. To such a height had it + been necessary to carry the quay walls—designed to protect the city + from floods, for the river bed has been rising for centuries past—that + the old terrace of the Boccanera gardens, with its double flight of steps + to which pleasure boats had once been moored, now lay in a hollow, + threatened with annihilation whenever the works should be finished. But + nothing had yet been levelled; the soil, brought thither for making up the + bank, lay as it had fallen from the carts, and on all sides were pits and + mounds interspersed with the abandoned building materials. Wretched + urchins came to play there, workmen without work slept in the sunshine, + and women after washing ragged linen spread it out to dry upon the stones. + Nevertheless the spot proved a happy, peaceful refuge for Pierre, one + fruitful in inexhaustible reveries when for hours at a time he lingered + gazing at the river, the quays, and the city, stretching in front of him + and on either hand. + </p> + <p> + At eight in the morning the sun already gilded the vast opening. On + turning to the left he perceived the roofs of the Trastevere, of a misty, + bluish grey against the dazzling sky. Then, just beyond the apse of San + Giovanni, on the right, the river curved, and on its other bank the + poplars of the Ospedale di Santo Spirito formed a green curtain, while the + castle of Sant’ Angelo showed brightly in the distance. But Pierre’s eyes + dwelt more particularly on the bank just in front of him, for there he + found some lingering vestiges of old Rome. On that side indeed between the + Ponte Sisto and the Ponte Sant’ Angelo, the quays, which were to imprison + the river within high, white, fortress-like walls, had not yet been + raised, and the bank with its remnants of the old papal city conjured up + an extraordinary vision of the middle ages. The houses, descending to the + river brink, were cracked, scorched, rusted by innumerable burning + summers, like so many antique bronzes. Down below there were black vaults + into which the water flowed, piles upholding walls, and fragments of Roman + stone-work plunging into the river bed; then, rising from the shore, came + steep, broken stairways, green with moisture, tiers of terraces, storeys + with tiny windows pierced here and their in hap-hazard fashion, houses + perched atop of other houses, and the whole jumbled together with a + fantastic commingling of balconies and wooden galleries, footbridges + spanning courtyards, clumps of trees growing apparently on the very roofs, + and attics rising from amidst pinky tiles. The contents of a drain fell + noisily into the river from a worn and soiled gorge of stone; and wherever + the houses stood back and the bank appeared, it was covered with wild + vegetation, weeds, shrubs, and mantling ivy, which trailed like a kingly + robe of state. And in the glory of the sun the wretchedness and dirt + vanished, the crooked, jumbled houses seemed to be of gold, draped with + the purple of the red petticoats and the dazzling white of the shifts + which hung drying from their windows; while higher still, above the + district, the Janiculum rose into all the luminary’s dazzlement, uprearing + the slender profile of Sant’ Onofrio amidst cypresses and pines. + </p> + <p> + Leaning on the parapet of the quay wall, Pierre sadly gazed at the Tiber + for hours at a time. Nothing could convey an idea of the weariness of + those old waters, the mournful slowness of their flow along that + Babylonian trench where they were confined within huge, bare, livid + prison-like walls. In the sunlight their yellowness was gilded, and the + faint quiver of the current brought ripples of green and blue; but as soon + as the shade spread over it the stream became opaque like mud, so turbid + in its venerable old age that it no longer even gave back a reflection of + the houses lining it. And how desolate was its abandonment, what a stream + of silence and solitude it was! After the winter rains it might roll + furiously and threateningly, but during the long months of bright weather + it traversed Rome without a sound, and Pierre could remain there all day + long without seeing either a skiff or a sail. The two or three little + steam-boats which arrived from the coast, the few tartanes which brought + wine from Sicily, never came higher than the Aventine, beyond which there + was only a watery desert in which here and there, at long intervals, a + motionless angler let his line dangle. All that Pierre ever saw in the way + of shipping was a sort of ancient, covered pinnace, a rotting Noah’s ark, + moored on the right beside the old bank, and he fancied that it might be + used as a washhouse, though on no occasion did he see any one in it. And + on a neck of mud there also lay a stranded boat with one side broken in, a + lamentable symbol of the impossibility and the relinquishment of + navigation. Ah! that decay of the river, that decay of father Tiber, as + dead as the famous ruins whose dust he is weary of laving! And what an + evocation! all the centuries of history, so many things, so many men, that + those yellow waters have reflected till, full of lassitude and disgust, + they have grown heavy, silent and deserted, longing only for annihilation. + </p> + <p> + One morning on the river bank Pierre found La Pierina standing behind an + abandoned tool-shed. With her neck extended, she was looking fixedly at + the window of Dario’s room, at the corner of the quay and the lane. + Doubtless she had been frightened by Victorine’s severe reception, and had + not dared to return to the mansion; but some servant, possibly, had told + her which was the young Prince’s window, and so she now came to this spot, + where without wearying she waited for a glimpse of the man she loved, for + some sign of life and salvation, the mere hope of which made her heart + leap. Deeply touched by the way in which she hid herself, all humility and + quivering with adoration, the priest approached her, and instead of + scolding her and driving her away as he had been asked to do, spoke to her + in a gentle, cheerful manner, asking her for news of her people as though + nothing had happened, and at last contriving to mention Dario’s name in + order that she might understand that he would be up and about again within + a fortnight. On perceiving Pierre, La Pierina had started with timidity + and distrust as if anxious to flee; but when she understood him, tears of + happiness gushed from her eyes, and with a bright smile she kissed her + hand to him, calling: “<i>Grazie, grazie</i>, thanks, thanks!” And + thereupon she darted away, and he never saw her again. + </p> + <p> + On another morning at an early hour, as Pierre was going to say mass at + Santa Brigida on the Piazza Farnese, he was surprised to meet Benedetta + coming out of the church and carrying a small phial of oil. She evinced no + embarrassment, but frankly told him that every two or three days she went + thither to obtain from the beadle a few drops of the oil used for the lamp + that burnt before an antique wooden statue of the Madonna, in which she + had perfect confidence. She even confessed that she had never had + confidence in any other Madonna, having never obtained anything from any + other, though she had prayed to several of high repute, Madonnas of marble + and even of silver. And so her heart was full of ardent devotion for the + holy image which refused her nothing. And she declared in all simplicity, + as though the matter were quite natural and above discussion, that the few + drops of oil which she applied, morning and evening, to Dario’s wound, + were alone working his cure, so speedy a cure as to be quite miraculous. + Pierre, fairly aghast, distressed indeed to find such childish, + superstitious notions in one so full of sense and grace and passion, did + not even venture to smile. + </p> + <p> + In the evenings, when he came back from his strolls and spent an hour or + so in Dario’s room, he would for a time divert the patient by relating + what he had done and seen and thought of during the day. And when he again + ventured to stray beyond the district, and became enamoured of the lovely + gardens of Rome, which he visited as soon as they opened in the morning in + order that he might be virtually alone, he delighted the young prince and + Benedetta with his enthusiasm, his rapturous passion for the splendid + trees, the plashing water, and the spreading terraces whence the views + were so sublime. It was not the most extensive of these gardens which the + more deeply impressed his heart. In the grounds of the Villa Borghese, the + little Roman Bois de Boulogne, there were certainly some majestic clumps + of greenery, some regal avenues where carriages took a turn in the + afternoon before the obligatory drive to the Pincio; but Pierre was more + touched by the reserved garden of the villa—that villa dazzling with + marble and now containing one of the finest museums in the world. There + was a simple lawn of fine grass with a vast central basin surmounted by a + figure of Venus, nude and white; and antique fragments, vases, statues, + columns, and <i>sarcophagi</i> were ranged symmetrically all around the + deserted, sunlit yet melancholy, sward. On returning on one occasion to + the Pincio Pierre spent a delightful morning there, penetrated by the + charm of this little nook with its scanty evergreens, and its admirable + vista of all Rome and St. Peter’s rising up afar off in the soft limpid + radiance. At the Villa Albani and the Villa Pamphili he again came upon + superb parasol pines, tall, stately, and graceful, and powerful elm-trees + with twisted limbs and dusky foliage. In the Pamphili grounds, the + elm-trees steeped the paths in a delicious half-light, the lake with its + weeping willows and tufts of reeds had a dreamy aspect, while down below + the <i>parterre</i> displayed a fantastic floral mosaic bright with the + various hues of flowers and foliage. That which most particularly struck + Pierre, however, in this, the noblest, most spacious, and most carefully + tended garden of Rome, was the novel and unexpected view that he suddenly + obtained of St. Peter’s, whilst skirting a low wall: a view whose + symbolism for ever clung to him. Rome had completely vanished, and between + the slopes of Monte Mario and another wooded height which hid the city, + there only appeared the colossal dome which seemed to be poised on an + infinity of scattered blocks, now white, now red. These were the houses of + the Borgo, the jumbled piles of the Vatican and the Basilica which the + huge dome surmounted and annihilated, showing greyly blue in the light + blue of the heavens, whilst far away stretched a delicate, boundless vista + of the Campagna, likewise of a bluish tint. + </p> + <p> + It was, however, more particularly in the less sumptuous gardens, those of + a more homely grace, that Pierre realised that even things have souls. Ah! + that Villa Mattei on one side of the Cœlius with its terraced grounds, + its sloping alleys edged with laurel, aloe, and spindle tree, its + box-plants forming arbours, its oranges, its roses, and its fountains! + Pierre spent some delicious hours there, and only found a similar charm on + visiting the Aventine, where three churches are embowered in verdure. The + little garden of Santa Sabina, the birthplace of the Dominican order, is + closed on all sides and affords no view: it slumbers in quiescence, warm + and perfumed by its orange-trees, amongst which that planted by St. + Dominic stands huge and gnarled but still laden with ripe fruit. At the + adjoining Priorato, however, the garden, perched high above the Tiber, + overlooks a vast expanse, with the river and the buildings on either bank + as far as the summit of the Janiculum. And in these gardens of Rome Pierre + ever found the same clipped box-shrubs, the same eucalypti with white + trunks and pale leaves long like hair, the same ilex-trees squat and + dusky, the same giant pines, the same black cypresses, the same marbles + whitening amidst tufts of roses, and the same fountains gurgling under + mantling ivy. Never did he enjoy more gentle, sorrow-tinged delight than + at the Villa of Pope Julius, where all the life of a gay and sensual + period is suggested by the semi-circular porticus opening on the gardens, + a porticus decorated with paintings, golden trellis-work laden with + flowers, amidst which flutter flights of smiling Cupids. Then, on the + evening when he returned from the Farnesina, he declared that he had + brought all the dead soul of ancient Rome away with him, and it was not + the paintings executed after Raffaelle’s designs that had touched him, it + was rather the pretty hall on the river side decorated in soft blue and + pink and lilac, with an art devoid of genius yet so charming and so Roman; + and in particular it was the abandoned garden once stretching down to the + Tiber, and now shut off from it by the new quay, and presenting an aspect + of woeful desolation, ravaged, bossy and weedy like a cemetery, albeit the + golden fruit of orange and citron tree still ripened there. + </p> + <p> + And for the last time a shock came to Pierre’s heart on the lovely evening + when he visited the Villa Medici. There he was on French soil.* And again + what a marvellous garden he found with box-plants, and pines, and avenues + full of magnificence and charm! What a refuge for antique reverie was that + wood of ilex-trees, so old and so sombre, where the sun in declining cast + fiery gleams of red gold amidst the sheeny bronze of the foliage. You + ascend by endless steps, and from the crowning belvedere on high you + embrace all Rome at a glance as though by opening your arms you could + seize it in its entirety. From the villa’s dining-room, decorated with + portraits of all the artists who have successfully sojourned there, and + from the spacious peaceful library one beholds the same splendid, broad, + all-conquering panorama, a panorama of unlimited ambition, whose infinite + ought to set in the hearts of the young men dwelling there a determination + to subjugate the world. Pierre, who came thither opposed to the principle + of the “Prix de Rome,” that traditional, uniform education so dangerous + for originality, was for a moment charmed by the warm peacefulness, the + limpid solitude of the garden, and the sublime horizon where the wings of + genius seemed to flutter. Ah! how delightful, to be only twenty and to + live for three years amidst such infinite sweetness, encompassed by the + finest works of man; to say to oneself that one is as yet too young to + produce, and to reflect, and seek, and learn how to enjoy, suffer, and + love! But Pierre afterwards reflected that this was not a fit task for + youth, and that to appreciate the divine enjoyment of such a retreat, all + art and blue sky, ripe age was needed, age with victories already gained + and weariness following upon the accomplishment of work. He chatted with + some of the young pensioners, and remarked that if those who were inclined + to dreaminess and contemplation, like those who could merely claim + mediocrity, accommodated themselves to this life cloistered in the art of + the past, on the other hand artists of active bent and personal + temperament pined with impatience, their eyes ever turned towards Paris, + their souls eager to plunge into the furnace of battle and production. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Here is the French Academy, where winners of the “Prix de + Rome” in painting, sculpture, architecture, engraving, and + music are maintained by the French Government for three + years. The creation dates from Louis XIV.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + All those gardens of which Pierre spoke to Dario and Benedetta with so + much rapture, awoke within them the memory of the garden of the Villa + Montefiori, now a waste, but once so green, planted with the finest + orange-trees of Rome, a grove of centenarian orange-trees where they had + learnt to love one another. And the memory of their early love brought + thoughts of their present situation and their future prospects. To these + the conversation always reverted, and evening after evening Pierre + witnessed their delight, and heard them talk of coming happiness like + lovers transported to the seventh heaven. The suit for the dissolution of + Benedetta’s marriage was now assuming a more and more favourable aspect. + Guided by a powerful hand, Donna Serafina was apparently acting very + vigorously, for almost every day she had some further good news to report. + She was indeed anxious to finish the affair both for the continuity and + for the honour of the name, for on the one hand Dario refused to marry any + one but his cousin, and on the other this marriage would explain + everything and put an end to an intolerable situation. The scandalous + rumours which circulated both in the white and the black world quite + incensed her, and a victory was the more necessary as Leo XIII, already so + aged, might be snatched away at any moment, and in the Conclave which + would follow she desired that her brother’s name should shine forth with + untarnished, sovereign radiance. Never had the secret ambition of her + life, the hope that her race might give a third pope to the Church, filled + her with so much passion. It was as if she therein sought a consolation + for the harsh abandonment of Advocate Morano. Invariably clad in sombre + garb, ever active and slim, so tightly laced that from behind one might + have taken her for a young girl, she was so to say the black soul of that + old palace; and Pierre, who met her everywhere, prowling and inspecting + like a careful house-keeper, and jealously watching over her brother the + Cardinal, bowed to her in silence, chilled to the heart by the stern look + of her withered wrinkled face in which was set the large, opiniative nose + of her family. However she barely returned his bows, for she still + disdained that paltry foreign priest, and only tolerated him in order to + please Monsignor Nani and Viscount Philibert de la Choue. + </p> + <p> + A witness every evening of the anxious delight and impatience of Benedetta + and Dario, Pierre by degrees became almost as impassioned as themselves, + as desirous for an early solution. Benedetta’s suit was about to come + before the Congregation of the Council once more. Monsignor Palma, the + defender of the marriage, had demanded a supplementary inquiry after the + favourable decision arrived at in the first instance by a bare majority of + one vote—a majority which the Pope would certainly not have thought + sufficient had he been asked for his ratification. So the question now was + to gain votes among the ten cardinals who formed the Congregation, to + persuade and convince them, and if possible ensure an almost unanimous + pronouncement. The task was arduous, for, instead of facilitating matters, + Benedetta’s relationship to Cardinal Boccanera raised many difficulties, + owing to the intriguing spirit rife at the Vatican, the spite of rivals + who, by perpetuating the scandal, hoped to destroy Boccanera’s chance of + ever attaining to the papacy. Every afternoon, however, Donna Serafina + devoted herself to the task of winning votes under the direction of her + confessor, Father Lorenza, whom she saw daily at the Collegio Germanico, + now the last refuge of the Jesuits in Rome, for they have ceased to be + masters of the Gesù. The chief hope of success lay in Prada’s formal + declaration that he would not put in an appearance. The whole affair + wearied and irritated him; the imputations levelled against him as a man, + seemed to him supremely odious and ridiculous; and he no longer even took + the trouble to reply to the assignations which were sent to him. He acted + indeed as if he had never been married, though deep in his heart the wound + dealt to his passion and his pride still lingered, bleeding afresh + whenever one or another of the scandalous rumours in circulation reached + his ears. However, as their adversary desisted from all action, one can + understand that the hopes of Benedetta and Dario increased, the more so as + hardly an evening passed without Donna Serafina telling them that she + believed she had gained the support of another cardinal. + </p> + <p> + But the man who terrified them all was Monsignor Palma, whom the + Congregation had appointed to defend the sacred ties of matrimony. His + rights and privileges were almost unlimited, he could appeal yet again, + and in any case would make the affair drag on as long as it pleased him. + His first report, in reply to Morano’s memoir, had been a terrible blow, + and it was now said that a second one which he was preparing would prove + yet more pitiless, establishing as a fundamental principle of the Church + that it could not annul a marriage whose nonconsummation was purely and + simply due to the action of the wife in refusing obedience to her husband. + In presence of such energy and logic, it was unlikely that the cardinals, + even if sympathetic, would dare to advise the Holy Father to dissolve the + marriage. And so discouragement was once more overcoming Benedetta when + Donna Serafina, on returning from a visit to Monsignor Nani, calmed her + somewhat by telling her that a mutual friend had undertaken to deal with + Monsignor Palma. However, said she, even if they succeeded, it would + doubtless cost them a large sum. + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Palma, a theologist expert in all canonical affairs, and a + perfectly honest man in pecuniary matters, had met with a great misfortune + in his life. He had a niece, a poor and lovely girl, for whom, unhappily, + in his declining years he conceived an insensate passion, with the result + that to avoid a scandal he was compelled to marry her to a rascal who now + preyed upon her and even beat her. And the prelate was now passing through + a fearful crisis, weary of reducing himself to beggary, and indeed no + longer having the money necessary to extricate his nephew by marriage from + a very nasty predicament, the result of cheating at cards. So the idea was + to save the young man by a considerable pecuniary payment, and then to + procure him employment without asking aught of his uncle, who, as if + offering complicity, came in tears one evening, when night had fallen, to + thank Donna Serafina for her exceeding goodness. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was with Dario that evening when Benedetta entered the room, + laughing and joyfully clapping her bands. “It’s done, it’s done!” she + said, “he has just left aunt, and vowed eternal gratitude to her. He will + now be obliged to show himself amiable.” + </p> + <p> + However Dario distrustfully inquired: “But was he made to sign anything, + did he enter into a formal engagement?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no; how could one do that? It’s such a delicate matter,” replied + Benedetta. “But people say that he is a very honest man.” Nevertheless, in + spite of these words, she herself became uneasy. What if Monsignor Palma + should remain incorruptible in spite of the great service which had been + rendered him? Thenceforth this idea haunted them, and their suspense began + once more. + </p> + <p> + Dario, eager to divert his mind, was imprudent enough to get up before he + was perfectly cured, and, his wound reopening, he was obliged to take to + his bed again for a few days. Every evening, as previously, Pierre strove + to enliven him with an account of his strolls. The young priest was now + getting bolder, rambling in turn through all the districts of Rome, and + discovering the many “classical” curiosities catalogued in the + guide-books. One evening he spoke with a kind of affection of the + principal squares of the city which he had first thought commonplace, but + which now seemed to him very varied, each with original features of its + own. There was the noble Piazza del Popolo of such monumental symmetry and + so full of sunlight; there was the Piazza di Spagna, the lively + meeting-place of foreigners, with its double flight of a hundred and + thirty steps gilded by the sun; there was the vast Piazza Colonna, always + swarming with people, and the most Italian of all the Roman squares from + the presence of the idle, careless crowd which ever lounged round the + column of Marcus Aurelius as if waiting for fortune to fall from heaven; + there was also the long and regular Piazza Navona, deserted since the + market was no longer held there, and retaining a melancholy recollection + of its former bustling life; and there was the Campo dei Fiori, which was + invaded each morning by the tumultuous fruit and vegetable markets, quite + a plantation of huge umbrellas sheltering heaps of tomatoes, pimentoes, + and grapes amidst a noisy stream of dealers and housewives. Pierre’s great + surprise, however, was the Piazza del Campidoglio—the “Square of the + Capitol”—which to him suggested a summit, an open spot overlooking + the city and the world, but which he found to be small and square, and on + three sides enclosed by palaces, whilst on the fourth side the view was of + little extent.* There are no passers-by there; visitors usually come up by + a flight of steps bordered by a few palm-trees, only foreigners making use + of the winding carriage-ascent. The vehicles wait, and the tourists loiter + for a while with their eyes raised to the admirable equestrian statue of + Marcus Aurelius, in antique bronze, which occupies the centre of the + piazza. Towards four o’clock, when the sun gilds the left-hand palace, and + the slender statues of its entablature show vividly against the blue sky, + you might think yourself in some warm cosy square of a little provincial + town, what with the women of the neighbourhood who sit knitting under the + arcade, and the bands of ragged urchins who disport themselves on all + sides like school-boys in a playground. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Piazza del Campidoglio is really a depression between the + Capitolium proper and the northern height called the Arx. It is + supposed to have been the exact site of Romulus’s traditional + Asylum.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Then, on another evening Pierre told Benedetta and Dario of his admiration + for the Roman fountains, for in no other city of the world does water flow + so abundantly and magnificently in fountains of bronze and marble, from + the boat-shaped Fontana della Barcaccia on the Piazza di Spagna, the + Triton on the Piazza Barberini, and the Tortoises which give their name to + the Piazza delle Tartarughe, to the three fountains of the Piazza Navona + where Bernini’s vast central composition of rock and river-gods rises so + triumphantly, and to the colossal and pompous fountain of Trevi, where + King Neptune stands on high attended by lofty figures of Health and + Fruitfulness. And on yet another evening Pierre came home quite pleased, + relating that he had at last discovered why it was that the old streets + around the Capitol and along the Tiber seemed to him so strange: it was + because they had no footways, and pedestrians, instead of skirting the + walls, invariably took the middle of the road, leisurely wending their way + among the vehicles. Pierre was very fond of those old districts with their + winding lanes, their tiny squares so irregular in shape, and their huge + square mansions swamped by a multitudinous jumble of little houses. He + found a charm, too, in the district of the Esquiline, where, besides + innumerable flights of ascending steps, each of grey pebbles edged with + white stone, there were sudden sinuous slopes, tiers of terraces, + seminaries and convents, lifeless, with their windows ever closed, and + lofty, blank walls above which a superb palm-tree would now and again soar + into the spotless blue of the sky. And on yet another evening, having + strolled into the Campagna beside the Tiber and above the Ponte Molle, he + came back full of enthusiasm for a form of classical art which hitherto he + had scarcely appreciated. Along the river bank, however, he had found the + very scenery that Poussin so faithfully depicted: the sluggish, yellow + stream fringed with reeds; low riven cliffs, whose chalky whiteness showed + against the ruddy background of a far-stretching, undulating plain, + bounded by blue hills; a few spare trees with a ruined porticus opening on + to space atop of the bank, and a line of pale-hued sheep descending to + drink, whilst the shepherd, with an elbow resting on the trunk of an + ilex-tree, stood looking on. It was a special kind of beauty, broad and + ruddy, made up of nothing, sometimes simplified into a series of low, + horizontal lines, but ever ennobled by the great memories it evoked: the + Roman legions marching along the paved highways across the bare Campagna; + the long slumber of the middle ages; and then the awakening of antique + nature in the midst of Catholicism, whereby, for the second time, Rome + became ruler of the world. + </p> + <p> + One day when Pierre came back from seeing the great modern cemetery, the + Campo Verano, he found Celia, as well as Benedetta, by the side of Dario’s + bed. “What, Monsieur l’Abbé!” exclaimed the little Princess when she + learnt where he had been; “it amuses you to visit the dead?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh those Frenchmen,” remarked Dario, to whom the mere idea of a cemetery + was repulsive; “those Frenchmen seem to take a pleasure in making their + lives wretched with their partiality for gloomy scenes.” + </p> + <p> + “But there is no escaping the reality of death,” gently replied Pierre; + “the best course is to look it in the face.” + </p> + <p> + This made the Prince quite angry. “Reality, reality,” said he, “when + reality isn’t pleasant I don’t look at it; I try never to think of it + even.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of this rejoinder, Pierre, with his smiling, placid air, went on + enumerating the things which had struck him: first, the admirable manner + in which the cemetery was kept, then the festive appearance which it + derived from the bright autumn sun, and the wonderful profusion in which + marble was lavished in slabs, statues, and chapels. The ancient atavism + had surely been at work, the sumptuous mausoleums of the Appian Way had + here sprung up afresh, making death a pretext for the display of pomp and + pride. In the upper part of the cemetery the Roman nobility had a district + of its own, crowded with veritable temples, colossal statues, groups of + several figures; and if at times the taste shown in these monuments was + deplorable, it was none the less certain that millions had been expended + on them. One charming feature of the place, said Pierre, was that the + marbles, standing among yews and cypresses were remarkably well preserved, + white and spotless; for, if the summer sun slowly gilded them, there were + none of those stains of moss and rain which impart an aspect of melancholy + decay to the statues of northern climes. + </p> + <p> + Touched by the discomfort of Dario, Benedetta, hitherto silent, ended by + interrupting Pierre. “And was the hunt interesting?” she asked, turning to + Celia. + </p> + <p> + The little Princess had been taken by her mother to see a fox-hunt, and + had been speaking of it when the priest entered the room. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it was very interesting, my dear,” she replied; “the meet was at + noon near the tomb of Cæcilia Metella, where a buffet had been arranged + under a tent. And there was such a number of people—the foreign + colony, the young men of the embassies, and some officers, not to mention + ourselves—all the men in scarlet and a great many ladies in habits. + The ‘throw-off’ was at one o’clock, and the gallop lasted more than two + hours and a half, so that the fox had a very long run. I wasn’t able to + follow, but all the same I saw some extraordinary things—a great + wall which the whole hunt had to leap, and then ditches and hedges—a + mad race indeed in the rear of the hounds. There were two accidents, but + nothing serious; one gentleman, who was unseated, sprained his wrist + badly, and another broke his leg.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Roman Hunt, which counts about one hundred subscribers, + has flourished since 1840. There is a kennel of English + hounds, an English huntsman and whip, and a stable of + English hunters.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Dario had listened to Celia with passionate interest, for fox-hunting is + one of the great pleasures of Rome, and the Campagna, flat and yet + bristling with obstacles, is certainly well adapted to the sport. “Ah!” + said the young Prince in a despairing tone, “how idiotic it is to be + riveted to this room! I shall end by dying of <i>ennui</i>!” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta contented herself with smiling; neither reproach nor expression + of sadness came from her at this candid display of egotism. Her own + happiness at having him all to herself in the room where she nursed him + was great indeed; still her love, at once full of youth and good sense, + included a maternal element, and she well understood that he hardly amused + himself, deprived as he was of his customary pleasures and severed from + his friends, few of whom he was willing to receive, for he feared that + they might think the story of the dislocated shoulder suspicious. Of + course there were no more <i>fêtes</i>, no more evenings at the theatre, + no more flirtations. But above everything else Dario missed the Corso, and + suffered despairingly at no longer seeing or learning anything by watching + the procession of Roman society from four to five each afternoon. + Accordingly, as soon as an intimate called, there were endless questions: + Had the visitor seen so and so? Had such a one reappeared? How had a + certain friend’s love affair ended? Was any new adventure setting the city + agog? And so forth; all the petty frivolities, nine days’ wonders, and + puerile intrigues in which the young Prince had hitherto expended his + manly energy. + </p> + <p> + After a pause Celia, who was fond of coming to him with innocent gossip, + fixed her candid eyes on him—the fathomless eyes of an enigmatical + virgin, and resumed: “How long it takes to set a shoulder right!” + </p> + <p> + Had she, child as she was, with love her only business, divined the truth? + Dario in his embarrassment glanced at Benedetta, who still smiled. + However, the little Princess was already darting to another subject: “Ah! + you know, Dario, at the Corso yesterday I saw a lady—” Then she + stopped short, surprised and embarrassed that these words should have + escaped her. However, in all bravery she resumed like one who had been a + friend since childhood, sharing many a little love secret: “Yes, a very + pretty person whom you know. Well, she had a bouquet of white roses with + her all the same.” + </p> + <p> + At this Benedetta indulged in a burst of frank merriment, and Dario, still + looking at her, also laughed. She had twitted him during the early days + because no young woman ever sent to make inquiries about him. For his + part, he was not displeased with the rupture, for the continuance of the + connection might have proved embarrassing; and so, although his vanity may + have been slightly hurt, the news that he was already replaced in La + Tonietta’s affections was welcome rather than otherwise. “Ah!” he + contented himself with saying, “the absent are always in the wrong.” + </p> + <p> + “The man one loves is never absent,” declared Celia with her grave, candid + air. + </p> + <p> + However, Benedetta had stepped up to the bed to raise the young man’s + pillows: “Never mind, Dario <i>mio</i>,” said she, “all those things are + over; I mean to keep you, and you will only have me to love.” + </p> + <p> + He gave her a passionate glance and kissed her hair. She spoke the truth: + he had never loved any one but her, and she was not mistaken in her + anticipation of keeping him always to herself alone, as soon as they + should be wedded. To her great delight, since she had been nursing him he + had become quite childish again, such as he had been when she had learnt + to love him under the orange-trees of the Villa Montefiori. He retained a + sort of puerility, doubtless the outcome of impoverished blood, that + return to childhood which one remarks amongst very ancient races; and he + toyed on his bed with pictures, gazed for hours at photographs, which made + him laugh. Moreover, his inability to endure suffering had yet increased; + he wished Benedetta to be gay and sing, and amused her with his petty + egotism which led him to dream of a life of continual joy with her. Ah! + how pleasant it would be to live together and for ever in the sunlight, to + do nothing and care for nothing, and even if the world should crumble + somewhere to heed it not! + </p> + <p> + “One thing which greatly pleases me,” suddenly said the young Prince, “is + that Monsieur l’Abbé has ended by falling in love with Rome.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre admitted it with a good grace. + </p> + <p> + “We told you so,” remarked Benedetta. “A great deal of time is needed for + one to understand and love Rome. If you had only stayed here for a + fortnight you would have gone off with a deplorable idea of us, but now + that you have been here for two full months we are quite at ease, for you + will never think of us without affection.” + </p> + <p> + She looked exceedingly charming as she spoke these words, and Pierre again + bowed. However, he had already given thought to the phenomenon, and + fancied he could explain it. When a stranger comes to Rome he brings with + him a Rome of his own, a Rome such as he dreams of, so ennobled by + imagination that the real Rome proves a terrible disenchantment. And so it + is necessary to wait for habituation, for the mediocrity of the reality to + soften, and for the imagination to have time to kindle again, and only + behold things such as they are athwart the prodigious splendour of the + past. + </p> + <p> + However, Celia had risen and was taking leave. “Good-bye, dear,” she said; + “I hope the wedding will soon take place. You know, Dario, that I mean to + be betrothed before the end of the month. Oh yes, I intend to make my + father give a grand entertainment. And how nice it would be if the two + weddings could take place at the same time!” + </p> + <p> + Two days later, after a long ramble through the Trastevere district, + followed by a visit to the Palazzo Farnese, Pierre felt that he could at + last understand the terrible, melancholy truth about Rome. He had several + times already strolled through the Trastevere, attracted towards its + wretched denizens by his compassion for all who suffered. Ah! that + quagmire of wretchedness and ignorance! He knew of abominable nooks in the + faubourgs of Paris, frightful “rents” and “courts” where people rotted in + heaps, but there was nothing in France to equal the listless, filthy + stagnation of the Trastevere. On the brightest days a dank gloom chilled + the sinuous, cellar-like lanes, and the smell of rotting vegetables, rank + oil, and human animality brought on fits of nausea. Jumbled together in a + confusion which artists of romantic turn would admire, the antique, + irregular houses had black, gaping entrances diving below ground, outdoor + stairways conducting to upper floors, and wooden balconies which only a + miracle upheld. There were crumbling fronts, shored up with beams; sordid + lodgings whose filth and bareness could be seen through shattered windows; + and numerous petty shops, all the open-air cook-stalls of a lazy race + which never lighted a fire at home: you saw frying-shops with heaps of + polenta, and fish swimming in stinking oil, and dealers in cooked + vegetables displaying huge turnips, celery, cauliflowers, and spinach, all + cold and sticky. The butcher’s meat was black and clumsily cut up; the + necks of the animals bristled with bloody clots, as though the heads had + simply been torn away. The baker’s loaves, piled on planks, looked like + little round paving stones; at the beggarly greengrocers’ merely a few + pimentoes and fir-apples were shown under the strings of dry tomatoes + which festooned the doorways; and the only shops which were at all + attractive were those of the pork butchers with their salted provisions + and their cheese, whose pungent smell slightly attenuated the pestilential + reek of the gutters. Lottery offices, displaying lists of winning numbers, + alternated with wine-shops, of which latter there was a fresh one every + thirty yards with large inscriptions setting forth that the best wines of + Genzano, Marino, and Frascati were to be found within. And the whole + district teemed with ragged, grimy denizens, children half naked and + devoured by vermin, bare-headed, gesticulating and shouting women, whose + skirts were stiff with grease, old men who remained motionless on benches + amidst swarms of hungry flies; idleness and agitation appearing on all + sides, whilst cobblers sat on the sidewalks quietly plying their trade, + and little donkeys pulled carts hither and thither, and men drove turkeys + along, whip in hand, and hands of beggars rushed upon the few anxious + tourists who had timorously ventured into the district. At the door of a + little tailor’s shop an old house-pail dangled full of earth, in which a + succulent plant was flowering. And from every window and balcony, as from + the many cords which stretched across the street from house to house, all + the household washing hung like bunting, nameless drooping rags, the + symbolical banners of abominable misery. + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s fraternal, soul filled with pity at the sight. Ah! yes, it was + necessary to demolish all those pestilential districts where the populace + had wallowed for centuries as in a poisonous gaol! He was for demolition + and sanitary improvement, even if old Rome were killed and artists + scandalised. Doubtless the Trastevere was already greatly changed, pierced + with several new thoroughfares which let the sun stream in. And amidst the + <i>abattis</i> of rubbish and the spacious clearings, where nothing new + had yet been erected, the remaining portions of the old district seemed + even blacker and more loathsome. Some day, no doubt, it would all be + rebuilt, but how interesting was this phase of the city’s evolution: old + Rome expiring and new Rome just dawning amidst countless difficulties! To + appreciate the change it was necessary to have known the filthy Rome of + the past, swamped by sewage in every form. The recently levelled Ghetto + had, over a course of centuries, so rotted the soil on which it stood that + an awful pestilential odour yet arose from its bare site. It was only + fitting that it should long remain waste, so that it might dry and become + purified in the sun. In all the districts on either side of the Tiber + where extensive improvements have been undertaken you find the same + scenes. You follow some narrow, damp, evil-smelling street with black + house-fronts and overhanging roofs, and suddenly come upon a clearing as + in a forest of ancient leprous hovels. There are squares, broad footways; + lofty white carved buildings yet in the rough, littered with rubbish and + fenced off. On every side you find as it were a huge building yard, which + the financial crisis perpetuates; the city of to-morrow arrested in its + growth, stranded there in its monstrous, precocious, surprising infancy. + Nevertheless, therein lies good and healthful work, such as was and is + absolutely necessary if Rome is to become a great modern city, instead of + being left to rot, to dwindle into a mere ancient curiosity, a museum + show-piece. + </p> + <p> + That day, as Pierre went from the Trastevere to the Palazzo Farnese, where + he was expected, he chose a roundabout route, following the Via di + Pettinari and the Via dei Giubbonari, the former so dark and narrow with a + great hospital wall on one side and a row of wretched houses on the other, + and the latter animated by a constant stream of people and enlivened by + the jewellers’ windows, full of big gold chains, and the displays of the + drapers’ shops, where stuffs hung in bright red, blue, green, and yellow + lengths. And the popular district through which he had roamed and the + trading district which he was now crossing reminded him of the castle + fields with their mass of workpeople reduced to mendicity by lack of + employment and forced to camp in the superb, unfinished, abandoned + mansions. Ah! the poor, sad people, who were yet so childish, kept in the + ignorance and credulity of a savage race by centuries of theocracy, so + habituated to mental night and bodily suffering that even to-day they + remained apart from the social awakening, simply desirous of enjoying + their pride, indolence, and sunlight in peace! They seemed both blind and + deaf in their decadence, and whilst Rome was being overturned they + continued to lead the stagnant life of former times, realising nought but + the worries of the improvements, the demolition of the old favourite + districts, the consequent change in habits, and the rise in the cost of + food, as if indeed they would rather have gone without light, cleanliness, + and health, since these could only be secured by a great financial and + labour crisis. And yet, at bottom, it was solely for the people, the + populace, that Rome was being cleansed and rebuilt with the idea of making + it a great modern capital, for democracy lies at the end of these present + day transformations; it is the people who will inherit the cities whence + dirt and disease are being expelled, and where the law of labour will end + by prevailing and killing want. And so, though one may curse the dusting + and repairing of the ruins and the stripping of all the wild flora from + the Colosseum, though one may wax indignant at sight of the hideous + fortress like ramparts which imprison the Tiber, and bewail the old + romantic banks with their greenery and their antique dwellings dipping + into the stream, one must at the same time acknowledge that life springs + from death, and that to-morrow must perforce blossom in the dust of the + past. + </p> + <p> + While thinking of all these things Pierre had reached the deserted, + stern-looking Piazza Farnese, and for a moment he looked up at the bare + monumental façade of the heavy square Palazzo, its lofty entrance where + hung the tricolour, its rows of windows and its famous cornice sculptured + with such marvellous art. Then he went in. A friend of Narcisse Habert, + one of the <i>attachés</i> of the embassy to the King of Italy, was + waiting for him, having offered to show him over the huge pile, the finest + palace in Rome, which France had leased as a lodging for her ambassador.* + Ah! that colossal, sumptuous, deadly dwelling, with its vast court whose + porticus is so dark and damp, its giant staircase with low steps, its + endless corridors, its immense galleries and halls. All was sovereign pomp + blended with death. An icy, penetrating chill fell from the walls. With a + discreet smile the <i>attaché</i> owned that the embassy was frozen in + winter and baked in summer. The only part of the building which was at all + lively and pleasant was the first storey, overlooking the Tiber, which the + ambassador himself occupied. From the gallery there, containing the famous + frescoes of Annibale Caracci, one can see the Janiculum, the Corsini + gardens, and the Acqua Paola above San Pietro in Montorio. Then, after a + vast drawing-room comes the study, peaceful and pleasant, and enlivened by + sunshine. But the dining-room, the bed-chambers, and other apartments + occupied by the <i>personnel</i> look out on to the mournful gloom of a + side street. All these vast rooms, twenty and four-and-twenty feet high, + have admirable carved or painted ceilings, bare walls, a few of them + decorated with frescoes, and incongruous furniture, superb pier tables + mingling with modern <i>bric-à-brac</i>. And things become abominable when + you enter the gala reception-rooms overlooking the piazza, for there you + no longer find an article of furniture, no longer a hanging, nothing but + disaster, a series of magnificent deserted halls given over to rats and + spiders. The embassy occupies but one of them, where it heaps up its dusty + archives. Near by is a huge hall occupying the height of two floors, and + thus sixty feet in elevation. Reserved by the owner of the palace, the + ex-King of Naples, it has become a mere lumber-room where <i>maquettes</i>, + unfinished statues, and a very fine sarcophagus are stowed away amidst all + kinds of remnants. And this is but a part of the palace. The ground floor + is altogether uninhabited; the French “École de Rome” occupies a corner of + the second floor; while the embassy huddles in chilly fashion in the most + habitable corner of the first floor, compelled to abandon everything else + and lock the doors to spare itself the useless trouble of sweeping. No + doubt it is grand to live in the Palazzo Farnese, built by Pope Paul III + and for more than a century inhabited by cardinals; but how cruel the + discomfort and how frightful the melancholy of this huge ruin, + three-fourths of whose rooms are dead, useless, impossible, cut off from + life. And the evenings, oh! the evenings, when porch, court, stairs, and + corridors are invaded by dense gloom, against which a few smoky gas lamps + struggle in vain, when a long, long journey lies before one through the + lugubrious desert of stone, before one reaches the ambassador’s warm and + cheerful drawing-room! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The French have two embassies at Rome: one at the Palazzo + Farnese, to the Italian Court, and the other at the Palazzo + Rospigliosi, to the Vatican.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre came away quite aghast. And, as he walked along, the many other + grand palaces which he had seen during his strolls rose before him, one + and all of them stripped of their splendour, shorn of their princely + establishments, let out in uncomfortable flats! What could be done with + those grandiose galleries and halls now that no fortune could defray the + cost of the pompous life for which they had been built, or even feed the + retinue needed to keep them up? Few indeed were the nobles who, like + Prince Aldobrandini, with his numerous progeny, still occupied their + entire mansions. Almost all of them let the antique dwellings of their + forefathers to companies or individual tenants, reserving only a storey, + and at times a mere lodging in some dark corner, for themselves. The + Palazzo Chigi was let: the ground floor to bankers and the first floor to + the Austrian ambassador, while the Prince and his family divided the + second floor with a cardinal. The Palazzo Sciarra was let: the first floor + to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second to a senator, while the + Prince and his mother merely occupied the ground floor. The Palazzo + Barberini was let: its ground floor, first floor, and second floor to + various families, whilst the Prince found a refuge on the third floor in + the rooms which had been occupied by his ancestors’ lackeys. The Palazzo + Borghese was let: the ground floor to a dealer in antiquities, the first + floor to a Lodge of Freemasons, and the rest to various households, whilst + the Prince only retained the use of a small suite of apartments. And the + Palazzo Odescalchi, the Palazzo Colonna, the Palazzo Doria were let: their + Princes reduced to the position of needy landlords eager to derive as much + profit as possible from their property in order to make both ends meet. A + blast of ruin was sweeping over the Roman patriziato, the greatest + fortunes had crumbled in the financial crisis, very few remained wealthy, + and what a wealth it was, stagnant and dead, which neither commerce nor + industry could renew. The numerous princes who had tried speculation were + stripped of their fortunes. The others, terrified, called upon to pay + enormous taxes, amounting to nearly one-third of their incomes, could + henceforth only wait and behold their last stagnant millions dwindle away + till they were exhausted or distributed according to the succession laws. + Such wealth as remained to these nobles must perish, for, like everything + else, wealth perishes when it lacks a soil in which it may fructify. In + all this there was solely a question of time: eventual ruin was a foregone + and irremediable conclusion, of absolute, historical certainty. Those who + resigned themselves to the course of letting their deserted mansions still + struggled for life, seeking to accommodate themselves to present-day + exigencies; whilst death already dwelt among the others, those stubborn, + proud ones who immured themselves in the tombs of their race, like that + appalling Palazzo Boccanera, which was falling into dust amidst such + chilly gloom and silence, the latter only broken at long intervals when + the Cardinal’s old coach rumbled over the grassy court. + </p> + <p> + The point which most struck Pierre, however, was that his visits to the + Trastevere and the Palazzo Farnese shed light one on the other, and led + him to a conclusion which had never previously seemed so manifest. As yet + no “people,” and soon no aristocracy. He had found the people so wretched, + ignorant, and resigned in its long infancy induced by historic and + climatic causes that many years of instruction and culture were necessary + for it to become a strong, healthy, and laborious democracy, conscious of + both its rights and its duties. As for the aristocracy, it was dwindling + to death in its crumbling palaces, no longer aught than a finished, + degenerate race, with such an admixture also of American, Austrian, + Polish, and Spanish blood that pure Roman blood became a rare exception; + and, moreover, it had ceased to belong either to sword or gown, unwilling + to serve constitutional Italy and forsaking the Sacred College, where only + <i>parvenus</i> now donned the purple. And between the lowly and the + aristocracy there was as yet no firmly seated middle class, with the + vigour of fresh sap and sufficient knowledge, and good sense to act as the + transitional educator of the nation. The middle class was made up in part + of the old servants and clients of the princes, the farmers who rented + their lands, the stewards, notaries, and solicitors who managed their + fortunes; in part, too, of all the employees, the functionaries of every + rank and class, the deputies and senators, whom the new Government had + brought from the provinces; and, in particular, of the voracious hawks who + had swooped down upon Rome, the Pradas, the men of prey from all parts of + the kingdom, who with beak and talon devoured both people and aristocracy. + For whom, then, had one laboured? For whom had those gigantic works of new + Rome been undertaken? A shudder of fear sped by, a crack as of doom was + heard, arousing pitiful disquietude in every fraternal heart. Yes, a + threat of doom and annihilation: as yet no people, soon no aristocracy, + and only a ravenous middle class, quarrying, vulture-like, among the + ruins. + </p> + <p> + On the evening of that day, when all was dark, Pierre went to spend an + hour on the river quay beyond the Boccanera mansion. He was very fond of + meditating on that deserted spot in spite of the warnings of Victorine, + who asserted that it was not safe. And, indeed, on such inky nights as + that one, no cutthroat place ever presented a more tragic aspect. Not a + soul, not a passer-by; a dense gloom, a void in front and on either hand. + At a corner of the mansion, now steeped in darkness, there was a gas lamp + which stood in a hollow since the river margin had been banked up, and + this lamp cast an uncertain glimmer upon the quay, level with the latter’s + bossy soil. Thus long vague shadows stretched from the various materials, + piles of bricks and piles of stone, which were strewn around. On the right + a few lights shone upon the bridge near San Giovanni and in the windows of + the hospital of the Santo Spirito. On the left, amidst the dim recession + of the river, the distant districts were blotted out. Then yonder, across + the stream, was the Trastevere, the houses on the bank looking like vague, + pale phantoms, with infrequent window-panes showing a blurred yellow + glimmer, whilst on high only a dark band shadowed the Janiculum, near + whose summit the lamps of some promenade scintillated like a triangle of + stars. But it was the Tiber which impassioned Pierre; such was its + melancholy majesty during those nocturnal hours. Leaning over the parapet, + he watched it gliding between the new walls, which looked like those of + some black and monstrous prison built for a giant. So long as lights + gleamed in the windows of the houses opposite he saw the sluggish water + flow by, showing slow, moire-like ripples there where the quivering + reflections endowed it with a mysterious life. And he often mused on the + river’s famous past and evoked the legends which assert that fabulous + wealth lies buried in its muddy bed. At each fresh invasion of the + barbarians, and particularly when Rome was sacked, the treasures of + palaces and temples are said to have been cast into the water to prevent + them from falling into the hands of the conquerors. Might not those golden + bars trembling yonder in the glaucous stream be the branches of the famous + candelabrum which Titus brought from Jerusalem? Might not those pale + patches whose shape remained uncertain amidst the frequent eddies indicate + the white marble of statues and columns? And those deep moires glittering + with little flamelets, were they not promiscuous heaps of precious metal, + cups, vases, ornaments enriched with gems? What a dream was that of the + swarming riches espied athwart the old river’s bosom, of the hidden life + of the treasures which were said to have slumbered there for centuries; + and what a hope for the nation’s pride and enrichment centred in the + miraculous finds which might be made in the Tiber if one could some day + dry it up and search its bed, as had already been suggested! Therein, + perchance, lay Rome’s new fortune. + </p> + <p> + However, on that black night, whilst Pierre leant over the parapet, it was + stern reality alone which occupied his mind. He was still pursuing the + train of thought suggested by his visits to the Trastevere and the Farnese + palace, and in presence of that lifeless water was coming to the + conclusion that the selection of Rome for transformation into a modern + capital was the great misfortune to which the sufferings of young Italy + were due. He knew right well that the selection had been inevitable: Rome + being the queen of glory, the antique ruler of the world to whom eternity + had been promised, and without whom the national unity had always seemed + an impossibility. And so the problem was a terrible one, since without + Rome Italy could not exist, and with Rome it seemed difficult for it to + exist. Ah! that dead river, how it symbolised disaster! Not a boat upon + its surface, not a quiver of the commercial and industrial activity of + those waters which bear life to the very hearts of great modern cities! + There had been fine schemes, no doubt—Rome a seaport, gigantic + works, canalisation to enable vessels of heavy tonnage to come up to the + Aventine; but these were mere delusions; the authorities would scarcely be + able to clear the river mouth, which deposits were continually choking. + And there was that other cause of mortal languishment, the Campagna—the + desert of death which the dead river crossed and which girdled Rome with + sterility. There was talk of draining and planting it; much futile + discussion on the question whether it had been fertile in the days of the + old Romans; and even a few experiments were made; but, all the same, Rome + remained in the midst of a vast cemetery like a city of other times, for + ever separated from the modern world by that <i>lande</i> or moor where + the dust of centuries had accumulated. The geographical considerations + which once gave the city the empire of the world no longer exist. The + centre of civilisation has been displaced. The basin of the Mediterranean + has been divided among powerful nations. In Italy all roads now lead to + Milan, the city of industry and commerce, and Rome is but a town of + passage. And so the most valiant efforts have failed to rouse it from its + invincible slumber. The capital which the newcomers sought to improvise + with such extreme haste has remained unfinished, and has almost ruined the + nation. The Government, legislators, and functionaries only camp there, + fleeing directly the warm weather sets in so as to escape the pernicious + climate. The hotels and shops even put up their shutters, and the streets + and promenades become deserts, the city having failed to acquire any life + of its own, and relapsing into death as soon as the artificial life + instilled into it is withdrawn. So all remains in suspense in this purely + decorative capital, where only a fresh growth of men and money can finish + and people the huge useless piles of the new districts. If it be true that + to-morrow always blooms in the dust of the past, one ought to force + oneself to hope; but Pierre asked himself if the soil were not exhausted, + and since mere buildings could no longer grow on it, if it were not for + ever drained of the sap which makes a race healthy, a nation powerful. + </p> + <p> + As the night advanced the lights in the houses of the Trastevere went out + one by one: yet Pierre for a long time lingered on the quay, leaning over + the blackened river and yielding to hopelessness. There was now no + distance to the gloom; all had become dense; no longer did any reflections + set a moire-like, golden quiver in the water, or reveal beneath its + mystery-concealing current a fantastic, dancing vision of fabulous wealth. + Gone was the legend, gone the seven-branched golden candelabrum, gone the + golden vases, gone the golden jewellery, the whole dream of antique + treasure that had vanished into night, even like the antique glory of + Rome. Not a glimmer, nothing but slumber, disturbed solely by the heavy + fall of sewage from the drain on the right-hand, which could not be seen. + The very water had disappeared, and Pierre no longer espied its leaden + flow through the darkness, no longer had any perception of the sluggish + senility, the long-dating weariness, the intense sadness of that ancient + and glorious Tiber, whose waters now rolled nought but death. Only the + vast, opulent sky, the eternal, pompous sky displayed the dazzling life of + its milliards of planets above that river of darkness, bearing away the + ruins of wellnigh three thousand years. + </p> + <p> + Before returning to his own chamber that evening Pierre entered Dario’s + room, and found Victorine there preparing things for the night. And as + soon as she heard where he had been she raised her voice in protest: + “What! you have again been to the quay at this time of night, Monsieur + l’Abbé? You want to get a good knife thrust yourself, it seems. Well, for + my part, I certainly wouldn’t take the air at such a late hour in this + dangerous city.” Then, with her wonted familiarity, she turned and spoke + to the Prince, who was lying back in an arm-chair and smiling: “That girl, + La Pierina,” she said, “hasn’t been back here, but all the same I’ve + lately seen her prowling about among the building materials.” + </p> + <p> + Dario raised his hand to silence her, and, addressing Pierre, exclaimed: + “But you spoke to her, didn’t you? It’s becoming idiotic! Just fancy that + brute Tito coming back to dig his knife into my other shoulder—” + </p> + <p> + All at once he paused, for he had just perceived Benedetta standing there + and listening to him; she had slipped into the room a moment previously in + order to wish him good-night. At sight of her his embarrassment was great + indeed; he wished to speak, explain his words, and swear that he was + wholly innocent in the affair. But she, with a smiling face, contented + herself with saying, “I knew all about it, Dario <i>mio</i>. I am not so + foolish as not to have thought it all over and understood the truth. If I + ceased questioning you it was because I knew, and loved you all the same.” + </p> + <p> + The young woman looked very happy as she spoke, and for this she had good + cause, for that very evening she had learnt that Monsignor Palma had shown + himself grateful for the service rendered to his nephew by laying a fresh + and favourable memoir on the marriage affair before the Congregation of + the Council. He had been unwilling to recall his previous opinions so far + as to range himself completely on the Contessina’s side, but the + certificates of two doctors whom she had recently seen had enabled him to + conclude that her own declarations were accurate. And gliding over the + question of wifely obedience, on which he had previously laid stress, he + had skilfully set forth the reasons which made a dissolution of the + marriage desirable. No hope of reconciliation could be entertained, so it + was certain that both parties were constantly exposed to temptation and + sin. He discreetly alluded to the fact that the husband had already + succumbed to this danger, and praised the wife’s lofty morality and piety, + all the virtues which she displayed, and which guaranteed her veracity. + Then, without formulating any conclusion of his own, he left the decision + to the wisdom of the Congregation. And as he virtually repeated Advocate + Morano’s arguments, and Prada stubbornly refused to enter an appearance, + it now seemed certain that the Congregation would by a great majority + pronounce itself in favour of dissolution, a result which would enable the + Holy Father to act benevolently. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Dario <i>mio</i>!” said Benedetta, “we are at the end of our worries. + But what a lot of money, what a lot of money it all costs! Aunt says that + they will scarcely leave us water to drink.” + </p> + <p> + So speaking she laughed with the happy heedlessness of an impassioned <i>amorosa</i>. + It was not that the jurisdiction of the Congregations was in itself + ruinous; indeed, in principle, it was gratuitous. Still there were a + multitude of petty expenses, payments to subaltern employees, payments for + medical consultations and certificates, copies of documents, and the + memoirs and addresses of counsel. And although the votes of the cardinals + were certainly not bought direct, some of them ended by costing + considerable sums, for it often became necessary to win over dependants, + to induce quite a little world to bring influence to bear upon their + Eminences; without mentioning that large pecuniary gifts, when made with + tact, have a decisive effect in clearing away the greatest difficulties in + that sphere of the Vatican. And, briefly, Monsignor Palma’s nephew by + marriage had cost the Boccaneras a large sum. + </p> + <p> + “But it doesn’t matter, does it, Dario <i>mio</i>?” continued Benedetta. + “Since you are now cured, they must make haste to give us permission to + marry. That’s all we ask of them. And if they want more, well, I’ll give + them my pearls, which will be all I shall have left me.” + </p> + <p> + He also laughed, for money had never held any place in his life. He had + never had it at his pleasure, and simply hoped that he would always live + with his uncle the cardinal, who would certainly not leave him and his + young wife in the streets. Ruined as the family was, one or two hundred + thousand francs represented nothing to his mind, and he had heard that + certain dissolutions of marriage had cost as much as half a million. So, + by way of response, he could only find a jest: “Give them my ring as + well,” said he; “give them everything, my dear, and we shall still be + happy in this old palace even if we have to sell the furniture!” + </p> + <p> + His words filled her with enthusiasm; she took his head between both hands + and kissed him madly on the eyes in an extraordinary transport of passion. + Then, suddenly turning to Pierre, she said: “Oh! excuse me, Monsieur + l’Abbé. I was forgetting that I have a commission for you. Yes, Monsignor + Nani, who brought us that good news, bade me tell you that you are making + people forget you too much, and that you ought to set to work to defend + your book.” + </p> + <p> + The priest listened in astonishment; then replied: “But it was he who + advised me to disappear.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt—only it seems that the time has now come for you to see + people and plead your cause. And Monsignor Nani has been able to learn + that the reporter appointed to examine your book is Monsignor Fornaro, who + lives on the Piazza Navona.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s stupefaction was increasing, for a reporter’s name is never + divulged, but kept quite secret, in order to ensure a free exercise of + judgment. Was a new phase of his sojourn in Rome about to begin then? His + mind was all wonderment. However, he simply answered: “Very good, I will + set to work and see everybody.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol09"></a> + PART IV. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap35"></a> + X. + </h2> + <p> + IN his anxiety to bring things to a finish, Pierre wished to begin his + campaign on the very next day. But on whom should he first call if he were + to steer clear of blunders in that intricate and conceited ecclesiastical + world? The question greatly perplexed him; however, on opening his door + that morning he luckily perceived Don Vigilio in the passage, and with a + sudden inspiration asked him to step inside. He realised that this thin + little man with the saffron face, who always trembled with fever and + displayed such exaggerated, timorous discretion, was in reality well + informed, mixed up in everything. At one period it had seemed to Pierre + that the secretary purposely avoided him, doubtless for fear of + compromising himself; but recently Don Vigilio had proved less unsociable, + as though he were not far from sharing the impatience which must be + consuming the young Frenchman amidst his long enforced inactivity. And so, + on this occasion, he did not seek to avoid the chat on which Pierre was + bent. + </p> + <p> + “I must apologise,” said the latter, “for asking you in here when things + are in such disorder. But I have just received some more linen and some + winter clothing from Paris. I came, you know, with just a little valise, + meaning to stay for a fortnight, and yet I’ve now been here for nearly + three months, and am no more advanced than I was on the morning of my + arrival.” + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio nodded. “Yes, yes, I know,” said he. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre explained to him that Monsignor Nani had informed him, + through the Contessina, that he now ought to act and see everybody for the + defence of his book. But he was much embarrassed, as he did not know in + what order to make his visits so that they might benefit him. For + instance, ought he to call in the first place on Monsignor Fornaro, the <i>consultore</i> + selected to report on his book, and whose name had been given him? + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed Don Vigilio, quivering; “has Monsignor Nani gone as far as + that—given you the reporter’s name? That’s even more than I + expected.” Then, forgetting his prudence, yielding to his secret interest + in the affair, he resumed: “No, no; don’t begin with Monsignor Fornaro. + Your first visit should be a very humble one to the Prefect of the + Congregation of the Index—his Eminence Cardinal Sanguinetti; for he + would never forgive you for having offered your first homage to another + should he some day hear of it.” And, after a pause, Don Vigilio added, in + a low voice, amidst a faint, feverish shiver: “And he <i>would</i> hear of + it; everything becomes known.” + </p> + <p> + Again he hesitated, and then, as if yielding to sudden, sympathetic + courage, he took hold of the young Frenchman’s hands. “I swear to you, my + dear Monsieur Froment,” he said, “that I should be very happy to help you, + for you are a man of simple soul, and I really begin to feel worried for + you. But you must not ask me for impossibilities. Ah! if you only knew—if + I could only tell you of all the perils which surround us! However, I + think I can repeat to you that you must in no wise rely on my patron, his + Eminence Cardinal Boccanera. He has expressed absolute disapproval of your + book in my presence on several occasions. Only he is a saint, a most + worthy, honourable man; and, though he won’t defend you, he won’t attack + you—he will remain neutral out of regard for his niece, whom he + loves so dearly, and who protects you. So, when you see him, don’t plead + your cause; it would be of no avail, and might even irritate him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was not particularly distressed by this news, for at his first + interview with the Cardinal, and on the few subsequent occasions when he + had respectfully visited him, he had fully understood that his Eminence + would never be other than an adversary. “Well,” said he, “I will wait on + him to thank him for his neutrality.” + </p> + <p> + But at this all Don Vigilio’s terrors returned. “No, no, don’t do that; he + would perhaps realise that I have spoken to you, and then what a disaster—my + position would be compromised. I’ve said nothing, nothing! See the + cardinals to begin with, see all the cardinals. Let it be understood + between us that I’ve said nothing more.” And, on that occasion at any + rate, Don Vigilio would speak no further, but left the room shuddering and + darting fiery, suspicious glances on either side of the corridor. + </p> + <p> + Pierre at once went out to call on Cardinal Sanguinetti. It was ten + o’clock, and there was a chance that he might find him at home. This + cardinal resided on the first floor of a little palazzo in a dark, narrow + street near San Luigi dei Francesi.* There was here none of the giant ruin + full of princely and melancholy grandeur amidst which Cardinal Boccanera + so stubbornly remained. The old regulation gala suite of rooms had been + cut down just like the number of servants. There was no throne-room, no + red hat hanging under a <i>baldacchino</i>, no arm-chair turned to the + wall pending a visit from the Pope. A couple of apartments served as + ante-rooms, and then came a <i>salon</i> where the Cardinal received; and + there was no luxury, indeed scarcely any comfort; the furniture was of + mahogany, dating from the empire period, and the hangings and carpets were + dusty and faded by long use. Moreover, Pierre had to wait a long time for + admittance, and when a servant, leisurely putting on his jacket, at last + set the door ajar, it was only to say that his Eminence had been away at + Frascati since the previous day. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This is the French church of Rome, and is under the protection + of the French Government.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre then remembered that Cardinal Sanguinetti was one of the suburban + bishops. At his see of Frascati he had a villa where he occasionally spent + a few days whenever a desire for rest or some political motive impelled + him to do so. + </p> + <p> + “And will his Eminence soon return?” Pierre inquired. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! we don’t know. His Eminence is poorly, and expressly desired us to + send nobody to worry him.” + </p> + <p> + When Pierre reached the street again he felt quite bewildered by this + disappointment. At first he wondered whether he had not better call on + Monsignor Fornaro without more ado, but he recollected Don Vigilio’s + advice to see the cardinals first of all, and, an inspiration coming to + him, he resolved that his next visit should be for Cardinal Sarno, whose + acquaintance he had eventually made at Donna Serafina’s Mondays. In spite + of Cardinal Sarno’s voluntary self-effacement, people looked upon him as + one of the most powerful and redoubtable members of the Sacred College, + albeit his nephew Narcisse Habert declared that he knew no man who showed + more obtuseness in matters which did not pertain to his habitual + occupations. At all events, Pierre thought that the Cardinal, although not + a member of the Congregation of the Index, might well give him some good + advice, and possibly bring his great influence to bear on his colleagues. + </p> + <p> + The young man straightway betook himself to the Palace of the Propaganda, + where he knew he would find the Cardinal. This palace, which is seen from + the Piazza di Spagna, is a bare, massive corner pile between two streets. + And Pierre, hampered by his faulty Italian, quite lost himself in it, + climbing to floors whence he had to descend again, and finding himself in + a perfect labyrinth of stairs, passages, and halls. At last he luckily + came across the Cardinal’s secretary, an amiable young priest, whom he had + already seen at the Boccanera mansion. “Why, yes,” said the secretary, “I + think that his Eminence will receive you. You did well to come at this + hour, for he is always here of a morning. Kindly follow me, if you + please.” + </p> + <p> + Then came a fresh journey. Cardinal Sarno, long a Secretary of the + Propaganda, now presided over the commission which controlled the + organisation of worship in those countries of Europe, Africa, America, and + Oceanica where Catholicism had lately gained a footing; and he thus had a + private room of his own with special officers and assistants, reigning + there with the ultra-methodical habits of a functionary who had grown old + in his arm-chair, closely surrounded by nests of drawers, and knowing + nothing of the world save the usual sights of the street below his window. + </p> + <p> + The secretary left Pierre on a bench at the end of a dark passage, which + was lighted by gas even in full daylight. And quite a quarter of an hour + went by before he returned with his eager, affable air. “His Eminence is + conferring with some missionaries who are about to leave Rome,” he said; + “but it will soon be over, and he told me to take you to his room, where + you can wait for him.” + </p> + <p> + As soon as Pierre was alone in the Cardinal’s sanctum he examined it with + curiosity. Fairly spacious, but in no wise luxurious, it had green paper + on its walls, and its furniture was of black wood and green damask. From + two windows overlooking a narrow side street a mournful light reached the + dark wall-paper and faded carpets. There were a couple of pier tables and + a plain black writing-table, which stood near one window, its worn + mole-skin covering littered with all sorts of papers. Pierre drew near to + it for a moment, and glanced at the arm-chair with damaged, sunken seat, + the screen which sheltered it from draughts, and the old inkstand + splotched with ink. And then, in the lifeless and oppressive atmosphere, + the disquieting silence, which only the low rumbles from the street + disturbed, he began to grow impatient. + </p> + <p> + However, whilst he was softly walking up and down he suddenly espied a map + affixed to one wall, and the sight of it filled him with such absorbing + thoughts that he soon forgot everything else. It was a coloured map of the + world, the different tints indicating whether the territories belonged to + victorious Catholicism or whether Catholicism was still warring there + against unbelief; these last countries being classified as vicariates or + prefectures, according to the general principles of organisation. And the + whole was a graphic presentment of the long efforts of Catholicism in + striving for the universal dominion which it has sought so unremittingly + since its earliest hour. God has given the world to His Church, but it is + needful that she should secure possession of it since error so stubbornly + abides. From this has sprung the eternal battle, the fight which is + carried on, even in our days, to win nations over from other religions, as + it was in the days when the Apostles quitted Judaea to spread abroad the + tidings of the Gospel. During the middle ages the great task was to + organise conquered Europe, and this was too absorbing an enterprise to + allow of any attempt at reconciliation with the dissident churches of the + East. Then the Reformation burst forth, schism was added to schism, and + the Protestant half of Europe had to be reconquered as well as all the + orthodox East. + </p> + <p> + War-like ardour, however, awoke at the discovery of the New World. Rome + was ambitious of securing that other side of the earth, and missions were + organised for the subjection of races of which nobody had known anything + the day before, but which God had, nevertheless, given to His Church, like + all the others. And by degrees the two great divisions of Christianity + were formed, on one hand the Catholic nations, those where the faith + simply had to be kept up, and which the Secretariate of State installed at + the Vatican guided with sovereign authority, and on the other the + schismatical or pagan nations which were to be brought back to the fold or + converted, and over which the Congregation of the Propaganda sought to + reign. Then this Congregation had been obliged to divide itself into two + branches in order to facilitate its work—the Oriental branch, which + dealt with the dissident sects of the East, and the Latin branch, whose + authority extended over all the other lands of mission: the two forming a + vast organisation—a huge, strong, closely meshed net cast over the + whole world in order that not a single soul might escape. + </p> + <p> + It was in presence of that map that Pierre for the first time became + clearly conscious of the mechanism which for centuries had been working to + bring about the absorption of humanity. The Propaganda, richly dowered by + the popes, and disposing of a considerable revenue, appeared to him like a + separate force, a papacy within the papacy, and he well understood that + the Prefect of the Congregation should be called the “Red Pope,” for how + limitless were the powers of that man of conquest and domination, whose + hands stretched from one to the other end of the earth. Allowing that the + Cardinal Secretary held Europe, that diminutive portion of the globe, did + not he, the Prefect, hold all the rest—the infinity of space, the + distant countries as yet almost unknown? Besides, statistics showed that + Rome’s uncontested dominion was limited to 200 millions of Apostolic and + Roman Catholics; whereas the schismatics of the East and the Reformation, + if added together, already exceeded that number, and how small became the + minority of the true believers when, besides the schismatics, one brought + into line the 1000 millions of infidels who yet remained to be converted. + The figures struck Pierre with a force which made him shudder. What! there + were 5 million Jews, nearly 200 million Mahommedans, more than 700 million + Brahmanists and Buddhists, without counting another 100 million pagans of + divers creeds, the whole making 1000 millions, and against these the + Christians could marshal barely more than 400 millions, who were divided + among themselves, ever in conflict, one half with Rome and the other half + against her?* Was it possible that in 1800 years Christianity had not + proved victorious over even one-third of mankind, and that Rome, the + eternal and all-powerful, only counted a sixth part of the nations among + her subjects? Only one soul saved out of every six—how fearful was + the disproportion! However, the map spoke with brutal eloquence: the + red-tinted empire of Rome was but a speck when compared with the + yellow-hued empire of the other gods—the endless countries which the + Propaganda still had to conquer. And the question arose: How many + centuries must elapse before the promises of the Christ were realised, + before the whole world were gained to Christianity, before religious + society spread over secular society, and there remained but one kingdom + and one belief? And in presence of this question, in presence of the + prodigious labour yet to be accomplished, how great was one’s astonishment + when one thought of Rome’s tranquil serenity, her patient stubbornness, + which has never known doubt or weariness, her bishops and ministers + toiling without cessation in the conviction that she alone will some day + be the mistress of the world! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Some readers may question certain of the figures given by M. + Zola, but it must be remembered that all such calculations + (even those of the best “authorities”) are largely guesswork. + I myself think that there are more than 5 million Jews, and + more than 200 millions of Mahommedans, but I regard the alleged + number of Brahmanists and Buddhists as exaggerated. On the + other hand, some statistical tables specify 80 millions of + Confucianists, of whom M. Zola makes no separate mention. + However, as regards the number of Christians in the world, the + figures given above are, within a few millions, probably + accurate.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Narcisse had told Pierre how carefully the embassies at Rome watched the + doings of the Propaganda, for the missions were often the instruments of + one or another nation, and exercised decisive influence in far-away lands. + And so there was a continual struggle, in which the Congregation did all + it could to favour the missionaries of Italy and her allies. It had always + been jealous of its French rival, “L’Œuvre de la Propagation de la Foi,” + installed at Lyons, which is as wealthy in money as itself, and richer in + men of energy and courage. However, not content with levelling tribute on + this French association, the Propaganda thwarted it, sacrificed it on + every occasion when it had reason to think it might achieve a victory. Not + once or twice, but over and over again had the French missionaries, the + French orders, been driven from the scenes of their labours to make way + for Italians or Germans. And Pierre, standing in that mournful, dusty + room, which the sunlight never brightened, pictured the secret hot-bed of + political intrigue masked by the civilising ardour of faith. Again he + shuddered as one shudders when monstrous, terrifying things are brought + home to one. And might not the most sensible be overcome? Might not the + bravest be dismayed by the thought of that universal engine of conquest + and domination, which worked with the stubbornness of eternity, not merely + content with the gain of souls, but ever seeking to ensure its future + sovereignty over the whole of corporeal humanity, and—pending the + time when it might rule the nations itself—disposing of them, + handing them over to the charge of this or that temporary master, in + accordance with its good pleasure. And then, too, what a prodigious dream! + Rome smiling and tranquilly awaiting the day when she will have united + Christians, Mahommedans, Brahmanists, and Buddhists into one sole nation, + of whom she will be both the spiritual and the temporal queen! + </p> + <p> + However, a sound of coughing made Pierre turn, and he started on + perceiving Cardinal Sarno, whom he had not heard enter. Standing in front + of that map, he felt like one caught in the act of prying into a secret, + and a deep flush overspread his face. The Cardinal, however, after looking + at him fixedly with his dim eyes, went to his writing-table, and let + himself drop into the arm-chair without saying a word. With a gesture he + dispensed Pierre of the duty of kissing his ring. + </p> + <p> + “I desired to offer my homage to your Eminence,” said the young man. “Is + your Eminence unwell?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, it’s nothing but a dreadful cold which I can’t get rid of. And + then, too, I have so many things to attend to just now.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at the Cardinal as he appeared in the livid light from the + window, puny, lopsided, with the left shoulder higher than the right, and + not a sign of life on his worn and ashen countenance. The young priest was + reminded of one of his uncles, who, after thirty years spent in the + offices of a French public department, displayed the same lifeless glance, + parchment-like skin, and weary hebetation. Was it possible that this + withered old man, so lost in his black cassock with red edging, was really + one of the masters of the world, with the map of Christendom so deeply + stamped on his mind, albeit he had never left Rome, that the Prefect of + the Propaganda did not take a decision without asking his opinion? + </p> + <p> + “Sit down, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said the Cardinal. “So you have come to see + me—you have something to ask of me!” And, whilst disposing himself + to listen, he stretched out his thin bony hands to finger the documents + heaped up before him, glancing at each of them like some general, some + strategist, profoundly versed in the science of his profession, who, + although his army is far away, nevertheless directs it to victory from his + private room, never for a moment allowing it to escape his mind. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was somewhat embarrassed by such a plain enunciation of the + interested object of his visit; still, he decided to go to the point. + “Yes, indeed,” he answered, “it is a liberty I have taken to come and + appeal to your Eminence’s wisdom for advice. Your Eminence is aware that I + am in Rome for the purpose of defending a book of mine, and I should be + grateful if your Eminence would help and guide me.” Then he gave a brief + account of the present position of the affair, and began to plead his + cause; but as he continued speaking he noticed that the Cardinal gave him + very little attention, as though indeed he were thinking of something + else, and failed to understand. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,” the great man at last muttered, “you have written a book. There + was some question of it at Donna Serafina’s one evening. But a priest + ought not to write; it is a mistake for him to do so. What is the good of + it? And the Congregation of the Index must certainly be in the right if it + is prosecuting your book. At all events, what can I do? I don’t belong to + the Congregation, and I know nothing, nothing about the matter.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, pained at finding him so listless and indifferent, went on trying + to enlighten and move him. But he realised that this man’s mind, so + far-reaching and penetrating in the field in which it had worked for forty + years, closed up as soon as one sought to divert it from its specialty. It + was neither an inquisitive nor a supple mind. All trace of life faded from + the Cardinal’s eyes, and his entire countenance assumed an expression of + mournful imbecility. “I know nothing, nothing,” he repeated, “and I never + recommend anybody.” However, at last he made an effort: “But Nani is mixed + up in this,” said he. “What does Nani advise you to do?” + </p> + <p> + “Monsignor Nani has been kind enough to reveal to me that the reporter is + Monsignor Fornaro, and advises me to see him.” + </p> + <p> + At this Cardinal Sarno seemed surprised and somewhat roused. A little + light returned to his eyes. “Ah! really,” he rejoined, “ah! really—Well, + if Nani has done that he must have some idea. Go and see Monsignor + Fornaro.” Then, after rising and dismissing his visitor, who was compelled + to thank him, bowing deeply, he resumed his seat, and a moment later the + only sound in the lifeless room was that of his bony fingers turning over + the documents before him. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, in all docility, followed the advice given him, and immediately + betook himself to the Piazza Navona, where, however, he learnt from one of + Monsignor Fornaro’s servants that the prelate had just gone out, and that + to find him at home it was necessary to call in the morning at ten + o’clock. Accordingly it was only on the following day that Pierre was able + to obtain an interview. He had previously made inquiries and knew what was + necessary concerning Monsignor Fornaro. Born at Naples, he had there begun + his studies under the Barnabites, had finished them at the Seminario + Romano, and had subsequently, for many years, been a professor at the + University Gregoriana. Nowadays Consultor to several Congregations and a + Canon of Santa Maria Maggiore, he placed his immediate ambition in a + Canonry at St. Peter’s, and harboured the dream of some day becoming + Secretary of the Consistorial Congregation, a post conducting to the + cardinalate. A theologian of remarkable ability, Monsignor Fornaro + incurred no other reproach than that of occasionally sacrificing to + literature by contributing articles, which he carefully abstained from + signing, to certain religious reviews. He was also said to be very + worldly. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was received as soon as he had sent in his card, and perhaps he + would have fancied that his visit was expected had not an appearance of + sincere surprise, blended with a little anxiety, marked his reception. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment,” repeated the prelate, + looking at the card which he still held. “Kindly step in—I was about + to forbid my door, for I have some urgent work to attend to. But no + matter, sit down.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, remained standing, quite charmed by the blooming + appearance of this tall, strong, handsome man who, although five and forty + years of age, was quite fresh and rosy, with moist lips, caressing eyes, + and scarcely a grey hair among his curly locks. Nobody more fascinating + and decorative could be found among the whole Roman prelacy. Careful of + his person undoubtedly, and aiming at a simple elegance, he looked really + superb in his black cassock with violet collar. And around him the + spacious room where he received his visitors, gaily lighted as it was by + two large windows facing the Piazza Navona, and furnished with a taste + nowadays seldom met with among the Roman clergy, diffused a pleasant odour + and formed a setting instinct with kindly cheerfulness. + </p> + <p> + “Pray sit down, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment,” he resumed, “and tell me to what + I am indebted for the honour of your visit.” + </p> + <p> + He had already recovered his self-possession and assumed a <i>naïf</i>, + purely obliging air; and Pierre, though the question was only natural, and + he ought to have foreseen it, suddenly felt greatly embarrassed, more + embarrassed indeed than in Cardinal Sarno’s presence. Should he go to the + point at once, confess the delicate motive of his visit? A moment’s + reflection showed him that this would be the best and worthier course. + “Dear me, Monseigneur,” he replied, “I know very well that the step I have + taken in calling on you is not usually taken, but it has been advised me, + and it has seemed to me that among honest folks there can never be any + harm in seeking in all good faith to elucidate the truth.” + </p> + <p> + “What is it, what is it, then?” asked the prelate with an expression of + perfect candour, and still continuing to smile. + </p> + <p> + “Well, simply this. I have learnt that the Congregation of the Index has + handed you my book ‘New Rome,’ and appointed you to examine it; and I have + ventured to present myself before you in case you should have any + explanations to ask of me.” + </p> + <p> + But Monsignor Fornaro seemed unwilling to hear any more. He had carried + both hands to his head and drawn back, albeit still courteous. “No, no,” + said he, “don’t tell me that, don’t continue, you would grieve me + dreadfully. Let us say, if you like, that you have been deceived, for + nothing ought to be known, in fact nothing is known, either by others or + myself. I pray you, do not let us talk of such matters.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, had fortunately remarked what a decisive effect was + produced when he had occasion to mention the name of the Assessor of the + Holy Office. So it occurred to him to reply: “I most certainly do not + desire to give you the slightest cause for embarrassment, Monseigneur, and + I repeat to you that I would never have ventured to importune you if + Monsignor Nani himself had not acquainted me with your name and address.” + </p> + <p> + This time the effect was immediate, though Monsignor Fornaro, with that + easy grace which he introduced into all things, made some ceremony about + surrendering. He began by a demurrer, speaking archly with subtle shades + of expression. “What! is Monsignor Nani the tattler! But I shall scold + him, I shall get angry with him! And what does he know? He doesn’t belong + to the Congregation; he may have been led into error. You must tell him + that he has made a mistake, and that I have nothing at all to do with your + affair. That will teach him not to reveal needful secrets which everybody + respects!” Then, in a pleasant way, with winning glance and flowery lips, + he went on: “Come, since Monsignor Nani desires it, I am willing to chat + with you for a moment, my dear Monsieur Froment, but on condition that you + shall know nothing of my report or of what may have been said or done at + the Congregation.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre in his turn smiled, admiring how easy things became when forms were + respected and appearances saved. And once again he began to explain his + case, the profound astonishment into which the prosecution of his book had + thrown him, and his ignorance of the objections which were taken to it, + and for which he had vainly sought a cause. + </p> + <p> + “Really, really,” repeated the prelate, quite amazed at so much innocence. + “The Congregation is a tribunal, and can only act when a case is brought + before it. Proceedings have been taken against your book simply because it + has been denounced.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know, denounced.” + </p> + <p> + “Of course. Complaint was laid by three French bishops, whose names you + will allow me to keep secret, and it consequently became necessary for the + Congregation to examine the incriminated work.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at him quite scared. Denounced by three bishops? Why? With + what object? Then he thought of his protector. “But Cardinal Bergerot,” + said he, “wrote me a letter of approval, which I placed at the beginning + of my work as a preface. Ought not a guarantee like that to have been + sufficient for the French episcopacy?” + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Fornaro wagged his head in a knowing way before making up his + mind to reply: “Ah! yes, no doubt, his Eminence’s letter, a very beautiful + letter. I think, however, that it would have been much better if he had + not written it, both for himself and for you especially.” Then as the + priest, whose surprise was increasing, opened his mouth to urge him to + explain himself, he went on: “No, no, I know nothing, I say nothing. His + Eminence Cardinal Bergerot is a saintly man whom everybody venerates, and + if it were possible for him to sin it would only be through pure goodness + of heart.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. Pierre could divine that an abyss was opening, and dared not + insist. However, he at last resumed with some violence: “But, after all, + why should my book be prosecuted, and the books of others be left + untouched? I have no intention of acting as a denouncer myself, but how + many books there are to which Rome closes her eyes, and which are far more + dangerous than mine can be!” + </p> + <p> + This time Monsignor Fornaro seemed glad to be able to support Pierre’s + views. “You are right,” said he, “we cannot deal with every bad book, and + it greatly distresses us. But you must remember what an incalculable + number of works we should be compelled to read. And so we have to content + ourselves with condemning the worst <i>en bloc</i>.” + </p> + <p> + Then he complacently entered into explanations. In principle, no printer + ought to send any work to press without having previously submitted the + manuscript to the approval of the bishop of the diocese. Nowadays, + however, with the enormous output of the printing trade, one could + understand how terribly embarrassed the bishops would be if the printers + were suddenly to conform to the Church’s regulation. There was neither the + time nor the money, nor were there the men necessary for such colossal + labour. And so the Congregation of the Index condemned <i>en masse</i>, + without examination, all works of certain categories: first, books which + were dangerous for morals, all erotic writings, and all novels; next the + various bibles in the vulgar tongue, for the perusal of Holy Writ without + discretion was not allowable; then the books on magic and sorcery, and all + works on science, history, or philosophy that were in any way contrary to + dogma, as well as the writings of heresiarchs or mere ecclesiastics + discussing religion, which should never be discussed. All these were wise + laws made by different popes, and were set forth in the preface to the + catalogue of forbidden books which the Congregation published, and without + them this catalogue, to have been complete, would in itself have formed a + large library. On turning it over one found that the works singled out for + interdiction were chiefly those of priests, the task being so vast and + difficult that Rome’s concern extended but little beyond the observance of + good order within the Church. And Pierre and his book came within the + limit. + </p> + <p> + “You will understand,” continued Monsignor Fornaro, “that we have no + desire to advertise a heap of unwholesome writings by honouring them with + special condemnation. Their name is legion in every country, and we should + have neither enough paper nor enough ink to deal with them all. So we + content ourselves with condemning one from time to time, when it bears a + famous name and makes too much noise, or contains disquieting attacks on + the faith. This suffices to remind the world that we exist and defend + ourselves without abandoning aught of our rights or duties.” + </p> + <p> + “But my book, my book,” exclaimed Pierre, “why these proceedings against + my book?” + </p> + <p> + “I am explaining that to you as far as it is allowable for me to do, my + dear Monsieur Froment. You are a priest, your book is a success, you have + published a cheap edition of it which sells very readily; and I don’t + speak of its literary merit, which is remarkable, for it contains a breath + of real poetry which transported me, and on which I must really compliment + you. However, under the circumstances which I have enumerated, how could + we close our eyes to such a work as yours, in which the conclusion arrived + at is the annihilation of our holy religion and the destruction of Rome?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre remained open-mouthed, suffocating with surprise. “The destruction + of Rome!” he at last exclaimed; “but I desire to see Rome rejuvenated, + eternal, again the queen of the world.” And, once more mastered by his + glowing enthusiasm, he defended himself and confessed his faith: + Catholicism reverting to the principles and practices of the primitive + Church, drawing the blood of regeneration from the fraternal Christianity + of Jesus; the Pope, freed from all terrestrial royalty, governing the + whole of humanity with charity and love, and saving the world from the + frightful social cataclysm that threatens it by leading it to the real + Kingdom of God: the Christian communion of all nations united in one + nation only. “And can the Holy Father disavow me?” he continued. “Are not + these his secret ideas, which people are beginning to divine, and does not + my only offence lie in having expressed them perhaps too soon and too + freely? And if I were allowed to see him should I not at once obtain from + him an order to stop these proceedings?” + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Fornaro no longer spoke, but wagged his head without appearing + offended by the priest’s juvenile ardour. On the contrary, he smiled with + increasing amiability, as though highly amused by so much innocence and + imagination. At last he gaily responded, “Oh! speak on, speak on; it isn’t + I who will stop you. I’m forbidden to say anything. But the temporal + power, the temporal power.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, what of the temporal power?” asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + The prelate had again become silent, raising his amiable face to heaven + and waving his white hands with a pretty gesture. And when he once more + opened his mouth it was to say: “Then there’s your new religion—for + the expression occurs twice: the new religion, the new religion—ah, + <i>Dio</i>!” + </p> + <p> + Again he became restless, going off into an ecstasy of wonderment, at + sight of which Pierre impatiently exclaimed: “I do not know what your + report will be, Monseigneur, but I declare to you that I have had no + desire to attack dogma. And, candidly now, my whole book shows that I only + sought to write a work of pity and salvation. It is only justice that some + account should be taken of one’s intentions.” + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Fornaro had become very calm and paternal again. “Oh! + intentions! intentions!” he said as he rose to dismiss his visitor. “You + may be sure, my dear Monsieur Froment, that I feel much honoured by your + visit. Naturally I cannot tell you what my report will be; as it is, we + have talked too much about it, and, in fact, I ought to have refused to + listen to your defence. At the same time, you will always find me ready to + be of service to you in anything that does not go against my duty. But I + greatly fear that your book will be condemned.” And then, as Pierre again + started, he added: “Well, yes. It is facts that are judged, you know, not + intentions. So all defence is useless; the book is there, and we take it + such as it is. However much you may try to explain it, you cannot alter + it. And this is why the Congregation never calls the accused parties + before it, and never accepts from them aught but retraction pure and + simple. And, indeed, the wisest course would be for you to withdraw your + book and make your submission. No? You won’t? Ah! how young you are, my + friend!” + </p> + <p> + He laughed yet more loudly at the gesture of revolt, of indomitable pride + which had just escaped his young friend, as he called him. Then, on + reaching the door, he again threw off some of his reserve, and said in a + low voice, “Come, my dear Abbé, there is something I will do for you. I + will give you some good advice. At bottom, I myself am nothing. I deliver + my report, and it is printed, and the members of the Congregation read it, + but are quite free to pay no attention to it. However, the Secretary of + the Congregation, Father Dangelis, can accomplish everything, even + impossibilities. Go to see him; you will find him at the Dominican convent + behind the Piazza di Spagna. Don’t name me. And for the present good-bye, + my dear fellow, good-bye.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre once more found himself on the Piazza Navona, quite dazed, no + longer knowing what to believe or hope. A cowardly idea was coming over + him; why should he continue this struggle, in which his adversaries + remained unknown and indiscernible? Why carry obstinacy any further, why + linger any longer in that impassionating but deceptive Rome? He would flee + that very evening, return to Paris, disappear there, and forget his bitter + disillusion in the practice of humble charity. He was traversing one of + those hours of weakness when the long-dreamt-of task suddenly seems to be + an impossibility. However, amidst his great confusion he was nevertheless + walking on, going towards his destination. And when he found himself in + the Corso, then in the Via dei Condotti, and finally in the Piazza di + Spagna, he resolved that he would at any rate see Father Dangelis. The + Dominican convent is there, just below the Trinity de’ Monti. + </p> + <p> + Ah! those Dominicans! Pierre had never thought of them without a feeling + of respect with which mingled a little fear. What vigorous pillars of the + principle of authority and theocracy they had for centuries proved + themselves to be! To them the Church had been indebted for its greatest + measure of authority; they were the glorious soldiers of its triumph. + Whilst St. Francis won the souls of the humble over to Rome, St. Dominic, + on Rome’s behalf, subjected all the superior souls—those of the + intelligent and powerful. And this he did with passion, amidst a blaze of + faith and determination, making use of all possible means, preachings, + writings, and police and judicial pressure. Though he did not found the + Inquisition, its principles were his, and it was with fire and sword that + his fraternal, loving heart waged war on schism. Living like his monks, in + poverty, chastity, and obedience—the great virtues of those times of + pride and licentiousness—he went from city to city, exhorting the + impious, striving to bring them back to the Church and arraigning them + before the ecclesiastical courts when his preachings did not suffice. He + also laid siege to science, sought to make it his own, dreamt of defending + God with the weapons of reason and human knowledge like a true forerunner + of the angelic St. Thomas, that light of the middle ages, who joined the + Dominican order and set everything in his “Summa Theologiae,” psychology, + logic, policy, and morals. And thus it was that the Dominicans filled the + world, upholding the doctrines of Rome in the most famous pulpits of every + nation, and contending almost everywhere against the free sprit of the + Universities, like the vigilant guardians of dogma that they were, the + unwearying artisans of the fortunes of the popes, the most powerful + amongst all the artistic, scientific, and literary workers who raised the + huge edifice of Catholicism such as it exists to-day. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre, who could feel that this edifice was even now tottering, + though it had been built, people fancied, so substantially as to last + through all eternity, asked himself what could be the present use of the + Dominicans, those toilers of another age, whose police system and whose + tribunals had perished beneath universal execration, whose voices were no + longer listened to, whose books were but seldom read, and whose <i>rôle</i> + as <i>savants</i> and civilisers had come to an end in presence of + latter-day science, the truths of which were rending dogma on all sides. + Certainly the Dominicans still form an influential and prosperous order; + but how far one is from the times when their general reigned in Rome, + Master of the Holy Palace, with convents and schools, and subjects + throughout Europe! Of all their vast inheritance, so far as the Roman + curia is concerned, only a few posts now remain to them, and among others + the Secretaryship of the Congregation of the Index, a former dependency of + the Holy Office where they once despotically ruled. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was immediately ushered into the presence of Father Dangelis. The + convent parlour was vast, bare, and white, flooded with bright sunshine. + The only furniture was a table and some stools; and a large brass crucifix + hung from the wall. Near the table stood the Father, a very thin man of + about fifty, severely draped in his ample white habit and black mantle. + From his long ascetic face, with thin lips, thin nose, and pointed, + obstinate chin, his grey eyes shone out with a fixity that embarrassed + one. And, moreover, he showed himself very plain and simple of speech, and + frigidly polite in manner. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé Froment—the author of ‘New Rome,’ I suppose?” Then + seating himself on one stool and pointing to another, he added: “Pray + acquaint me with the object of your visit, Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre had to begin his explanation, his defence, all over + again; and the task soon became the more painful as his words fell from + his lips amidst death-like silence and frigidity. Father Dangelis did not + stir; with his hands crossed upon his knees he kept his sharp, penetrating + eyes fixed upon those of the priest. And when the latter had at last + ceased speaking, he slowly said: “I did not like to interrupt you, + Monsieur l’Abbé, but it was not for me to hear all this. Process against + your book has begun, and no power in the world can stay or impede its + course. I do not therefore realise what it is that you apparently expect + of me.” + </p> + <p> + In a quivering voice Pierre was bold enough to answer: “I look for some + kindness and justice.” + </p> + <p> + A pale smile, instinct with proud humility, arose to the Dominican’s lips. + “Be without fear,” he replied, “God has ever deigned to enlighten me in + the discharge of my modest duties. Personally, be it said, I have no + justice to render; I am but an employee whose duty is to classify matters + and draw up documents concerning them. Their Eminences, the members of the + Congregation, will alone pronounce judgment on your book. And assuredly + they will do so with the help of the Holy Spirit. You will only have to + bow to their sentence when it shall have been ratified by his Holiness.” + </p> + <p> + Then he broke off the interview by rising, and Pierre was obliged to do + the same. The Dominican’s words were virtually identical with those that + had fallen from Monsignor Fornaro, but they were spoken with cutting + frankness, a sort of tranquil bravery. On all sides Pierre came into + collision with the same anonymous force, the same powerful engine whose + component parts sought to ignore one another. For a long time yet, no + doubt, he would be sent from one to the other, without ever finding the + volitional element which reasoned and acted. And the only thing that he + could do was to bow to it all. + </p> + <p> + However, before going off, it occurred to him once more to mention the + name of Monsignor Nani, the powerful effect of which he had begun to + realise. “I ask your pardon,” he said, “for having disturbed you to no + purpose, but I simply deferred to the kind advice of Monsignor Nani, who + has condescended to show me some interest.” + </p> + <p> + The effect of these words was unexpected. Again did Father Dangelis’s thin + face brighten into a smile, but with a twist of the lips, sharp with + ironical contempt. He had become yet paler, and his keen intelligent eyes + were flaming. “Ah! it was Monsignor Nani who sent you!” he said. “Well, if + you think you need a protector, it is useless for you to apply to any + other than himself. He is all-powerful. Go to see him; go to see him!” + </p> + <p> + And that was the only encouragement Pierre derived from his visit: the + advice to go back to the man who had sent him. At this he felt that he was + losing ground, and he resolved to return home in order to reflect on + things and try to understand them before taking any further steps. The + idea of questioning Don Vigilio at once occurred to him, and that same + evening after supper he luckily met the secretary in the corridor, just + as, candle in hand, he was on his way to bed. + </p> + <p> + “I have so many things that I should like to say to you,” Pierre said to + him. “Can you kindly come to my rooms for a moment?” + </p> + <p> + But the other promptly silenced him with a gesture, and then whispered: + “Didn’t you see Abbé Paparelli on the first floor? He was following us, + I’m sure.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre often saw the train-bearer roaming about the house, and greatly + disliked his stealthy, prying ways. However, he had hitherto attached no + importance to him, and was therefore much surprised by Don Vigilio’s + question. The other, without awaiting his reply, had returned to the end + of the corridor, where for a long while he remained listening. Then he + came back on tip-toe, blew out his candle, and darted into Pierre’s + sitting-room. “There—that’s done,” he murmured directly the door was + shut. “But if it is all the same to you, we won’t stop in this + sitting-room. Let us go into your bed-room. Two walls are better than + one.” + </p> + <p> + When the lamp had been placed on the table and they found themselves + seated face to face in that bare, faded bed-chamber, Pierre noticed that + the secretary was suffering from a more violent attack of fever than + usual. His thin puny figure was shivering from head to foot, and his + ardent eyes had never before blazed so blackly in his ravaged, yellow + face. “Are you poorly?” asked Pierre. “I don’t want to tire you.” + </p> + <p> + “Poorly, yes, I am on fire—but I want to talk. I can’t bear it any + longer. One always has to relieve oneself some day or other.” + </p> + <p> + Was it his complaint that he desired to relieve; or was he anxious to + break his long silence in order that it might not stifle him? This at + first remained uncertain. He immediately asked for an account of the steps + that Pierre had lately taken, and became yet more restless when he heard + how the other had been received by Cardinal Sarno, Monsignor Fornaro, and + Father Dangelis. “Yes, that’s quite it,” he repeated, “nothing astonishes + me nowadays, and yet I feel indignant on your account. Yes, it doesn’t + concern me, but all the same it makes me ill, for it reminds me of all my + own troubles. You must not rely on Cardinal Sarno, remember, for he is + always elsewhere, with his mind far away, and has never helped anybody. + But that Fornaro, that Fornaro!” + </p> + <p> + “He seemed to me very amiable, even kindly disposed,” replied Pierre; “and + I really think that after our interview, he will considerably soften his + report.” + </p> + <p> + “He! Why, the gentler he was with you the more grievously he will saddle + you! He will devour you, fatten himself with such easy prey. Ah! you don’t + know him, <i>dilizioso</i> that he is, ever on the watch to rear his own + fortune on the troubles of poor devils whose defeat is bound to please the + powerful. I prefer the other one, Father Dangelis, a terrible man, no + doubt, but frank and brave and of superior mind. I must admit, however, + that he would burn you like a handful of straw if he were the master. And + ah! if I could tell you everything, if I could show you the frightful + under-side of this world of ours, the monstrous, ravenous ambition, the + abominable network of intrigues, venality, cowardice, treachery, and even + crime!” + </p> + <p> + On seeing Don Vigilio so excited, in such a blaze of spite, Pierre thought + of extracting from him some of the many items of information which he had + hitherto sought in vain. “Well, tell me merely what is the position of my + affair,” he responded. “When I questioned you on my arrival here you said + that nothing had yet reached Cardinal Boccanera. But all information must + now have been collected, and you must know of it. And, by the way, + Monsignor Fornaro told me that three French bishops had asked that my book + should be prosecuted. Three bishops, is it possible?” + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio shrugged his shoulders. “Ah!” said he, “yours is an innocent + soul! I’m surprised that there were <i>only</i> three! Yes, several + documents relating to your affair are in our hands; and, moreover, things + have turned out much as I suspected. The three bishops are first the + Bishop of Tarbes, who evidently carries out the vengeance of the Fathers + of Lourdes; and then the Bishops of Poitiers and Evreux, who are both + known as uncompromising Ultramontanists and passionate adversaries of + Cardinal Bergerot. The Cardinal, you know, is regarded with disfavour at + the Vatican, where his Gallican ideas and broad liberal mind provoke + perfect anger. And don’t seek for anything else. The whole affair lies in + that: an execution which the powerful Fathers of Lourdes demand of his + Holiness, and a desire to reach and strike Cardinal Bergerot through your + book, by means of the letter of approval which he imprudently wrote to you + and which you published by way of preface. For a long time past the + condemnations of the Index have largely been secret knock-down blows + levelled at Churchmen. Denunciation reigns supreme, and the law applied is + that of good pleasure. I could tell you some almost incredible things, how + perfectly innocent books have been selected among a hundred for the sole + object of killing an idea or a man; for the blow is almost always levelled + at some one behind the author, some one higher than he is. And there is + such a hot-bed of intrigue, such a source of abuses in this institution of + the Index, that it is tottering, and even among those who surround the + Pope it is felt that it must soon be freshly regulated if it is not to + fall into complete discredit. I well understand that the Church should + endeavour to retain universal power, and govern by every fit weapon, but + the weapons must be such as one can use without their injustice leading to + revolt, or their antique childishness provoking merriment!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened with dolorous astonishment in his heart. Since he had been + at Rome and had seen the Fathers of the Grotto saluted and feared there, + holding an authoritative position, thanks to the large alms which they + contributed to the Peter’s Pence, he had felt that they were behind the + proceedings instituted against him, and realised that he would have to pay + for a certain page of his book in which he had called attention to an + iniquitous displacement of fortune at Lourdes, a frightful spectacle which + made one doubt the very existence of the Divinity, a continual cause of + battle and conflict which would disappear in the truly Christian society + of to-morrow. And he could also now understand that his delight at the + loss of the temporal power must have caused a scandal, and especially that + the unfortunate expression “a new religion” had alone been sufficient to + arm <i>delatores</i> against him. But that which amazed and grieved him + was to learn that Cardinal Bergerot’s letter was looked upon as a crime, + and that his (Pierre’s) book was denounced and condemned in order that + adversaries who dared not attack the venerable pastor face to face might, + deal him a cowardly blow from behind. The thought of afflicting that + saintly man, of serving as the implement to strike him in his ardent + charity, cruelly grieved Pierre. And how bitter and disheartening it was + to find the most hideous questions of pride and money, ambition and + appetite, running riot with the most ferocious egotism, beneath the + quarrels of those leaders of the Church who ought only to have contended + together in love for the poor! + </p> + <p> + And then Pierre’s mind revolted against that supremely odious and idiotic + Index. He now understood how it worked, from the arrival of the + denunciations to the public posting of the titles of the condemned works. + He had just seen the Secretary of the Congregation, Father Dangelis, to + whom the denunciations came, and who then investigated the affair, + collecting all documents and information concerning it with the passion of + a cultivated authoritarian monk, who dreamt of ruling minds and + consciences as in the heroic days of the Inquisition. Then, too, Pierre + had visited one of the consultive prelates, Monsignor Fornaro, who was so + ambitious and affable, and so subtle a theologian that he would have + discovered attacks against the faith in a treatise on algebra, had his + interests required it. Next there were the infrequent meetings of the + cardinals, who at long intervals voted for the interdiction of some + hostile book, deeply regretting that they could not suppress them all; and + finally came the Pope, approving and signing the decrees, which was a mere + formality, for were not all books guilty? But what an extraordinary + wretched Bastille of the past was that aged Index, that senile institution + now sunk into second childhood. One realised that it must have been a + formidable power when books were rare and the Church had tribunals of + blood and fire to enforce her edicts. But books had so greatly multiplied, + the written, printed thoughts of mankind had swollen into such a deep + broad river, that they had swept all opposition away, and now the Index + was swamped and reduced to powerlessness, compelled more and more to limit + its field of action, to confine itself to the examination of the writings + of ecclesiastics, and even in this respect it was becoming corrupt, fouled + by the worst passions and changed into an instrument of intrigue, hatred, + and vengeance. Ah! that confession of decay, of paralysis which grew more + and more complete amidst the scornful indifference of the nations. To + think that Catholicism, the once glorious agent of civilisation, had come + to such a pass that it cast books into hell-fire by the heap; and what + books they were, almost the entire literature, history, philosophy, and + science of the past and the present! Few works, indeed, are published + nowadays that would not fall under the ban of the Church. If she seems to + close her eyes, it is in order to avoid the impossible task of hunting out + and destroying everything. Yet she stubbornly insists on retaining a + semblance of sovereign authority over human intelligence, just as some + very aged queen, dispossessed of her states and henceforth without judges + or executioners, might continue to deliver vain sentences to which only an + infinitesimal minority would pay heed. But imagine the Church momentarily + victorious, miraculously mastering the modern world, and ask yourself what + she, with her tribunals to condemn and her gendarmes to enforce, would do + with human thought. Imagine a strict application of the Index regulations: + no printer able to put anything whatever to press without the approval of + his bishop, and even then every book laid before the Congregation, the + past expunged, the present throttled, subjected to an intellectual Reign + of Terror! Would not the closing of every library perforce ensue, would + not the long heritage of written thought be cast into prison, would not + the future be barred, would not all progress, all conquest of knowledge, + be totally arrested? Rome herself is nowadays a terrible example of such a + disastrous experiment—Rome with her congealed soil, her dead sap, + killed by centuries of papal government, Rome which has become so barren + that not a man, not a work has sprung from her midst even after five and + twenty years of awakening and liberty! And who would accept such a state + of things, not among people of revolutionary mind, but among those of + religious mind that might possess any culture and breadth of view? Plainly + enough it was all mere childishness and absurdity. + </p> + <p> + Deep silence reigned, and Pierre, quite upset by his reflections, made a + gesture of despair whilst glancing at Don Vigilio, who sat speechless in + front of him. For a moment longer, amidst the death-like quiescence of + that old sleeping mansion, both continued silent, seated face to face in + the closed chamber which the lamp illumined with a peaceful glow. But at + last Don Vigilio leant forward, his eyes sparkling, and with a feverish + shiver murmured: “It is they, you know, always they, at the bottom of + everything.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who did not understand, felt astonished, indeed somewhat anxious + at such a strange remark coming without any apparent transition. “Who are + <i>they</i>?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “The Jesuits!” + </p> + <p> + In this reply the little, withered, yellow priest had set all the + concentrated rage of his exploding passion. Ah! so much the worse if he + had perpetrated a fresh act of folly. The cat was out of the bag at last! + Nevertheless, he cast a final suspicious glance around the walls. And then + he relieved his mind at length, with a flow of words which gushed forth + the more irresistibly since he had so long held them in check. “Ah! the + Jesuits, the Jesuits! You fancy that you know them, but you haven’t even + an idea of their abominable actions and incalculable power. They it is + whom one always comes upon, everywhere, in every circumstance. Remember <i>that</i> + whenever you fail to understand anything, if you wish to understand it. + Whenever grief or trouble comes upon you, whenever you suffer, whenever + you weep, say to yourself at once: ‘It is they; they are there!’ Why, for + all I know, there may be one of them under that bed, inside that cupboard. + Ah! the Jesuits, the Jesuits! They have devoured me, they are devouring me + still, they will leave nothing of me at last, neither flesh nor bone.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in a halting voice, he related the story of his life, beginning with + his youth, which had opened so hopefully. He belonged to the petty + provincial nobility, and had been dowered with a fairly large income, + besides a keen, supple intelligence, which looked smilingly towards the + future. Nowadays, he would assuredly have been a prelate, on the road to + high dignities, but he had been foolish enough to speak ill of the Jesuits + and to thwart them in two or three circumstances. And from that moment, if + he were to be believed, they had caused every imaginable misfortune to + rain upon him: his father and mother had died, his banker had robbed him + and fled, good positions had escaped him at the very moment when he was + about to occupy them, the most awful misadventures had pursued him amidst + the duties of his ministry to such a point indeed, that he had narrowly + escaped interdiction. It was only since Cardinal Boccanera, + compassionating his bad luck, had taken him into his house and attached + him to his person, that he had enjoyed a little repose. “Here I have a + refuge, an asylum,” he continued. “They execrate his Eminence, who has + never been on their side, but they haven’t yet dared to attack him or his + servants. Oh! I have no illusions, they will end by catching me again, all + the same. Perhaps they will even hear of our conversation this evening, + and make me pay dearly for it; for I do wrong to speak, I speak in spite + of myself. They have stolen all my happiness, and brought all possible + misfortune on me, everything that was possible, everything—you hear + me!” + </p> + <p> + Increasing discomfort was taking possession of Pierre, who, seeking to + relieve himself by a jest, exclaimed: “Come, come, at any rate it wasn’t + the Jesuits who gave you the fever.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, it was!” Don Vigilio violently declared. “I caught it on the + bank of the Tiber one evening, when I went to weep there in my grief at + having been driven from the little church where I officiated.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, hitherto, had never believed in the terrible legend of the + Jesuits. He belonged to a generation which laughed at the idea of + wehr-wolves, and considered the <i>bourgeois</i> fear of the famous black + men, who hid themselves in walls and terrorised families, to be a trifle + ridiculous. To him all such things seemed to be nursery tales, exaggerated + by religious and political passion. And so it was with amazement that he + examined Don Vigilio, suddenly fearing that he might have to deal with a + maniac. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless he could not help recalling the extraordinary story of the + Jesuits. If St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic are the very soul and + spirit of the middle ages, its masters and teachers, the former a living + expression of all the ardent, charitable faith of the humble, and the + other defending dogma and fixing doctrines for the intelligent and the + powerful, on the other hand Ignatius de Loyola appeared on the threshold + of modern times to save the tottering heritage by accommodating religion + to the new developments of society, thereby ensuring it the empire of the + world which was about to appear. + </p> + <p> + At the advent of the modern era it seemed as if the Deity were to be + vanquished in the uncompromising struggle with sin, for it was certain + that the old determination to suppress Nature, to kill the man within man, + with his appetites, passions, heart, and blood, could only result in a + disastrous defeat, in which, indeed, the Church found herself on the very + eve of sinking; and it was the Jesuits who came to extricate her from this + peril and reinvigorate her by deciding that it was she who now ought to go + to the world, since the world seemed unwilling to go any longer to her. + All lay in that; you find the Jesuits declaring that one can enter into + arrangements with heaven; they bend and adjust themselves to the customs, + prejudices, and even vices of the times; they smile, all condescension, + cast rigourism aside, and practice the diplomacy of amiability, ever ready + to turn the most awful abominations “to the greater glory of God.” That is + their motto, their battle-cry, and thence springs the moral principle + which many regard as their crime: that all means are good to attain one’s + end, especially when that end is the furtherance of the Deity’s interests + as represented by those of the Church. And what overwhelming success + attends the efforts of the Jesuits! they swarm and before long cover the + earth, on all sides becoming uncontested masters. They shrive kings, they + acquire immense wealth, they display such victorious power of invasion + that, however humbly they may set foot in any country, they soon wholly + possess it: souls, bodies, power, and fortune alike falling to them. And + they are particularly zealous in founding schools, they show themselves to + be incomparable moulders of the human brain, well understanding that power + always belongs to the morrow, to the generations which are growing up and + whose master one must be if one desire to reign eternally. So great is + their power, based on the necessity of compromise with sin, that, on the + morrow of the Council of Trent, they transform the very spirit of + Catholicism, penetrate it, identify it with themselves and become the + indispensable soldiers of the papacy which lives by them and for them. And + from that moment Rome is theirs, Rome where their general so long + commands, whence so long go forth the directions for the obscure tactics + which are blindly followed by their innumerable army, whose skilful + organisation covers the globe as with an iron network hidden by the velvet + of hands expert in dealing gently with poor suffering humanity. But, after + all, the most prodigious feature is the stupefying vitality of the Jesuits + who are incessantly tracked, condemned, executed, and yet still and ever + erect. As soon as their power asserts itself, their unpopularity begins + and gradually becomes universal. Hoots of execration arise around them, + abominable accusations, scandalous law cases in which they appear as + corruptors and felons. Pascal devotes them to public contempt, parliaments + condemn their books to be burnt, universities denounce their system of + morals and their teaching as poisonous. They foment such disturbances, + such struggles in every kingdom, that organised persecution sets in, and + they are soon driven from everywhere. During more than a century they + become wanderers, expelled, then recalled, passing and repassing + frontiers, leaving a country amidst cries of hatred to return to it as + soon as quiet has been restored. Finally, for supreme disaster, they are + suppressed by one pope, but another re-establishes them, and since then + they have been virtually tolerated everywhere. And in the diplomatic + self-effacement, the shade in which they have the prudence to sequester + themselves, they are none the less triumphant, quietly confident of their + victory like soldiers who have once and for ever subdued the earth. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was aware that, judging by mere appearances, the Jesuits were + nowadays dispossessed of all influence in Rome. They no longer officiated + at the Gesù, they no longer directed the Collegio Romano, where they + formerly fashioned so many souls; and with no abode of their own, reduced + to accept foreign hospitality, they had modestly sought a refuge at the + Collegio Germanico, where there is a little chapel. There they taught and + there they still confessed, but without the slightest bustle or display. + Was one to believe, however, that this effacement was but masterly + cunning, a feigned disappearance in order that they might really remain + secret, all-powerful masters, the hidden hand which directs and guides + everything? People certainly said that the proclamation of papal + Infallibility had been their work, a weapon with which they had armed + themselves whilst feigning to bestow it on the papacy, in readiness for + the coming decisive task which their genius foresaw in the approaching + social upheavals. And thus there might perhaps be some truth in what Don + Vigilio, with a shiver of mystery, related about their occult sovereignty, + a seizin, as it were, of the government of the Church, a royalty ignored + but nevertheless complete. + </p> + <p> + As this idea occurred to Pierre, a dim connection between certain of his + experiences arose in his mind and he all at once inquired: “Is Monsignor + Nani a Jesuit, then?” + </p> + <p> + These words seemed to revive all Don Vigilio’s anxious passion. He waved + his trembling hand, and replied: “He? Oh, he’s too clever, too skilful by + far to have taken the robe. But he comes from that Collegio Romano where + his generation grew up, and he there imbibed that Jesuit genius which + adapted itself so well to his own. Whilst fully realising the danger of + wearing an unpopular and embarrassing livery, and wishing to be free, he + is none the less a Jesuit in his flesh, in his bones, in his very soul. He + is evidently convinced that the Church can only triumph by utilising the + passions of mankind, and withal he is very fond of the Church, very pious + at bottom, a very good priest, serving God without weakness in gratitude + for the absolute power which God gives to His ministers. And besides, he + is so charming, incapable of any brutal action, full of the good breeding + of his noble Venetian ancestors, and deeply versed in knowledge of the + world, thanks to his experiences at the nunciatures of Paris, Vienna, and + other places, without mentioning that he knows everything that goes on by + reason of the delicate functions which he has discharged for ten years + past as Assessor of the Holy Office. Yes, he is powerful, all-powerful, + and in him you do not have the furtive Jesuit whose robe glides past + amidst suspicion, but the head, the brain, the leader whom no uniform + designates.” + </p> + <p> + This reply made Pierre grave, for he was quite willing to admit that an + opportunist code of morals, like that of the Jesuits, was inoculable and + now predominated throughout the Church. Indeed, the Jesuits might + disappear, but their doctrine would survive them, since it was the one + weapon of combat, the one system of strategy which might again place the + nations under the dominion of Rome. And in reality the struggle which + continued lay precisely in the attempts to accommodate religion to the + century, and the century to religion. Such being the case, Pierre realised + that such men as Monsignor Nani might acquire vast and even decisive + importance. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! if you knew, if you knew,” continued Don Vigilio, “he’s everywhere, + he has his hand in everything. For instance, nothing has ever happened + here, among the Boccaneras, but I’ve found him at the bottom of it, + tangling or untangling the threads according to necessities with which he + alone is acquainted.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in the unquenchable fever for confiding things which was now + consuming him, the secretary related how Monsignor Nani had most certainly + brought on Benedetta’s divorce case. The Jesuits, in spite of their + conciliatory spirit, have always taken up a hostile position with regard + to Italy, either because they do not despair of reconquering Rome, or + because they wait to treat in due season with the ultimate and real + victor, whether King or Pope. And so Nani, who had long been one of Donna + Serafina’s intimates, had helped to precipitate the rupture with Prada as + soon as Benedetta’s mother was dead. Again, it was he who, to prevent any + interference on the part of the patriotic Abbé Pisoni, the young woman’s + confessor and the artisan of her marriage, had urged her to take the same + spiritual director as her aunt, Father Lorenza, a handsome Jesuit with + clear and kindly eyes, whose confessional in the chapel of the Collegio + Germanico was incessantly besieged by penitents. And it seemed certain + that this manœuvre had brought about everything; what one cleric working + for Italy had done, was to be undone by another working against Italy. Why + was it, however, that Nani, after bringing about the rupture, had + momentarily ceased to show all interest in the affair to the point even of + jeopardising the suit for the dissolution of the marriage? And why was he + now again busying himself with it, setting Donna Serafina in action, + prompting her to buy Monsignor Palma’s support, and bringing his own + influence to bear on the cardinals of the Congregation? There was mystery + in all this, as there was in everything he did, for his schemes were + always complicated and distant in their effects. However, one might + suppose that he now wished to hasten the marriage of Benedetta and Dario, + in order to stop all the abominable rumours which were circulating in the + white world; unless, indeed, this divorce secured by pecuniary payments + and the pressure of notorious influences were an intentional scandal at + first spun out and now hastened, in order to harm Cardinal Boccanera, whom + the Jesuits might desire to brush aside in certain eventualities which + were possibly near at hand. + </p> + <p> + “To tell the truth, I rather incline to the latter view,” said Don + Vigilio, “the more so indeed as I learnt this evening that the Pope is not + well. With an old man of eighty-four the end may come at any moment, and + so the Pope can never catch cold but what the Sacred College and the + prelacies are all agog, stirred by sudden ambitious rivalries. Now, the + Jesuits have always opposed Cardinal Boccanera’s candidature. They ought + to be on his side, on account of his rank, and his uncompromising attitude + towards Italy, but the idea of giving themselves such a master disquiets + them, for they consider him unseasonably rough and stern, too violent in + his faith, which unbending as it is would prove dangerous in these + diplomatic times through which the Church is passing. And so I should in + no wise be astonished if there were an attempt to discredit him and render + his candidature impossible, by employing the most underhand and shameful + means.” + </p> + <p> + A little quiver of fear was coming over Pierre. The contagion of the + unknown, of the black intrigues plotted in the dark, was spreading amidst + the silence of the night in the depths of that palace, near that Tiber, in + that Rome so full of legendary tragedies. But all at once the young man’s + mind reverted to himself, to his own affair. “But what is my part in all + this?” he asked: “why does Monsignor Nani seem to take an interest in me? + Why is he mixed up in the proceedings against my book?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! one never knows, one never knows exactly!” replied Don Vigilio, + waving his arms. “One thing I can say, that he only knew of the affair + when the denunciations of the three bishops were already in the hands of + Father Dangelis; and I have also learnt that he then tried to stop the + proceedings, which he no doubt thought both useless and impolitic. But + when a matter is once before the Congregation it is almost impossible for + it to be withdrawn, and Monsignor Nani must also have come into collision + with Father Dangelis who, like a faithful Dominican, is the passionate + adversary of the Jesuits. It was then that he caused the Contessina to + write to Monsieur de la Choue, requesting him to tell you to hasten here + in order to defend yourself, and to arrange for your acceptance of + hospitality in this mansion, during your stay.” + </p> + <p> + This revelation brought Pierre’s emotion to a climax. “You are sure of + that?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! quite sure. I heard Nani speak of you one Monday, and some time ago I + told you that he seemed to know all about you, as if he had made most + minute inquiries. My belief is that he had already read your book, and was + extremely preoccupied about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think that he shares my ideas, then? Is he sincere, is he + defending himself while striving to defend me?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no, no, not at all. Your ideas, why he certainly hates them, and your + book and yourself as well. You have no idea what contempt for the weak, + what hatred of the poor, and love of authority and domination he conceals + under his caressing amiability. Lourdes he might abandon to you, though it + embodies a marvellous weapon of government; but he will never forgive you + for being on the side of the little ones of the world, and for pronouncing + against the temporal power. If you only heard with what gentle ferocity he + derides Monsieur de la Choue, whom he calls the weeping willow of + Neo-Catholicism!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre carried his hands to his temples and pressed his head despairingly. + “Then why, why, tell me I beg of you, why has he brought me here and kept + me here in this house at his disposal? Why has he promenaded me up and + down Rome for three long months, throwing me against obstacles and + wearying me, when it was so easy for him to let the Index condemn my book + if it embarrassed him? It’s true, of course, that things would not have + gone quietly, for I was disposed to refuse submission and openly confess + my new faith, even against the decisions of Rome.” + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio’s black eyes flared in his yellow face: “Perhaps it was that + which he wished to prevent. He knows you to be very intelligent and + enthusiastic, and I have often heard him say that intelligence and + enthusiasm should not be fought openly.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, had risen to his feet, and instead of listening, was + striding up and down the room as though carried away by the whirlwind of + his thoughts. “Come, come,” he said at last, “it is necessary that I + should know and understand things if I am to continue the struggle. You + must be kind enough to give me some detailed particulars about each of the + persons mixed up in my affair. Jesuits, Jesuits everywhere? <i>Mon Dieu</i>, + it may be so, you are perhaps right! But all the same you must point out + the different shades to me. Now, for instance, what of that Fornaro?” + </p> + <p> + “Monsignor Fornaro, oh! he’s whatever you like. Still he also was brought + up at the Collegio Romano, so you may be certain that he is a Jesuit, a + Jesuit by education, position, and ambition. He is longing to become a + cardinal, and if he some day becomes one, he’ll long to be the next pope. + Besides, you know, every one here is a candidate to the papacy as soon as + he enters the seminary.” + </p> + <p> + “And Cardinal Sanguinetti?” + </p> + <p> + “A Jesuit, a Jesuit! To speak plainly, he was one, then ceased to be one, + and is now undoubtedly one again. Sanguinetti has flirted with every + influence. It was long thought that he was in favour of conciliation + between the Holy See and Italy; but things drifted into a bad way, and he + violently took part against the usurpers. In the same style he has + frequently fallen out with Leo XIII and then made his peace. To-day at the + Vatican, he keeps on a footing of diplomatic reserve. Briefly he only has + one object, the tiara, and even shows it too plainly, which is a mistake, + for it uses up a candidate. Still, just at present the struggle seems to + be between him and Cardinal Boccanera. And that’s why he has gone over to + the Jesuits again, utilising their hatred of his rival, and anticipating + that they will be forced to support <i>him</i> in order to defeat the + other. But I doubt it, they are too shrewd, they will hesitate to + patronise a candidate who is already so compromised. He, blunder-head, + passionate and proud as he is, doubts nothing, and since you say that he + is now at Frascati, I’m certain that he made all haste to shut himself up + there with some grand strategical object in view, as soon as he heard of + the Pope’s illness.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, and the Pope himself, Leo XIII?” asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + This time Don Vigilio slightly hesitated, his eyes blinking. Then he said: + “Leo XIII? He is a Jesuit, a Jesuit! Oh! I know it is said that he sides + with the Dominicans, and this is in a measure true, for he fancies that he + is animated with their spirit and he has brought St. Thomas into favour + again, and has restored all the ecclesiastical teaching of doctrine. But + there is also the Jesuit, remember, who is one involuntarily and without + knowing it, and of this category the present Pope will prove the most + famous example. Study his acts, investigate his policy, and you will find + that everything in it emanates from the Jesuit spirit. The fact is that he + has unwittingly become impregnated with that spirit, and that all the + influence, directly or indirectly brought to bear on him comes from a + Jesuit centre. Ah! why don’t you believe me? I repeat that the Jesuits + have conquered and absorbed everything, that all Rome belongs to them from + the most insignificant cleric to his Holiness in person.” + </p> + <p> + Then he continued, replying to each fresh name that Pierre gave with the + same obstinate, maniacal cry: “Jesuit, Jesuit!” It seemed as if a + Churchman could be nothing else, as if each answer were a confirmation of + the proposition that the clergy must compound with the modern world if it + desired to preserve its Deity. The heroic age of Catholicism was + accomplished, henceforth it could only live by dint of diplomacy and + ruses, concessions and arrangements. “And that Paparelli, he’s a Jesuit + too, a Jesuit!” Don Vigilio went on, instinctively lowering his voice. + “Yes, the humble but terrible Jesuit, the Jesuit in his most abominable <i>rôle</i> + as a spy and a perverter! I could swear that he has merely been placed + here in order to keep watch on his Eminence! And you should see with what + supple talent and craft he has performed his task, to such a point indeed + that it is now he alone who wills and orders things. He opens the door to + whomsoever he pleases, uses his master like something belonging to him, + weighs on each of his resolutions, and holds him in his power by dint of + his stealthy unremitting efforts. Yes! it’s the lion conquered by the + insect; the infinitesimally small disposing of the infinitely great; the + train-bearer—whose proper part is to sit at his cardinal’s feet like + a faithful hound—in reality reigning over him, and impelling him in + whatsoever direction he chooses. Ah! the Jesuit! the Jesuit! Mistrust him + when you see him gliding by in his shabby old cassock, with the flabby + wrinkled face of a devout old maid. And make sure that he isn’t behind the + doors, or in the cupboards, or under the beds. Ah! I tell you that they’ll + devour you as they’ve devoured me; and they’ll give you the fever too, + perhaps even the plague if you are not careful!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre suddenly halted in front of his companion. He was losing all + assurance, both fear and rage were penetrating him. And, after all, why + not? These extraordinary stories must be true. “But in that case give me + some advice,” he exclaimed, “I asked you to come in here this evening + precisely because I no longer know what to do, and need to be set in the + right path—” Then he broke off and again paced to and fro, as if + urged into motion by his exploding passion. “Or rather no, tell me + nothing!” he abruptly resumed. “It’s all over; I prefer to go away. The + thought occurred to me before, but it was in a moment of cowardice and + with the idea of disappearing and of returning to live in peace in my + little nook: whereas now, if I go off, it will be as an avenger, a judge, + to cry aloud to all the world from Paris, to proclaim what I have seen in + Rome, what men have done there with the Christianity of Jesus, the Vatican + falling into dust, the corpse-like odour which comes from it, the idiotic + illusions of those who hope that they will one day see a renascence of the + modern soul arise from a sepulchre where the remnants of dead centuries + rot and slumber. Oh! I will not yield, I will not make my submission, I + will defend my book by a fresh one. And that book, I promise you, will + make some noise in the world, for it will sound the last agony of a dying + religion, which one must make all haste to bury lest its remains should + poison the nations!” + </p> + <p> + All this was beyond Don Vigilio’s mind. The Italian priest, with narrow + belief and ignorant terror of the new ideas, awoke within him. He clasped + his hands, affrighted. “Be quiet, be quiet! You are blaspheming! And, + besides, you cannot go off like that without again trying to see his + Holiness. He alone is sovereign. And I know that I shall surprise you; but + Father Dangelis has given you in jest the only good advice that can be + given: Go back to see Monsignor Nani, for he alone will open the door of + the Vatican for you.” + </p> + <p> + Again did Pierre give a start of anger: “What! It was with Monsignor Nani + that I began, from him that I set out; and I am to go back to him? What + game is that? Can I consent to be a shuttlecock sent flying hither and + thither by every battledore? People are having a game with me!” + </p> + <p> + Then, harassed and distracted, the young man fell on his chair in front of + Don Vigilio, who with his face drawn by his prolonged vigil, and his hands + still and ever faintly trembling, remained for some time silent. At last + he explained that he had another idea. He was slightly acquainted with the + Pope’s confessor, a Franciscan father, a man of great simplicity, to whom + he might recommend Pierre. This Franciscan, despite his self-effacement, + would perhaps prove of service to him. At all events he might be tried. + Then, once more, silence fell, and Pierre, whose dreamy eyes were turned + towards the wall, ended by distinguishing the old picture which had + touched him so deeply on the day of his arrival. In the pale glow of the + lamp it gradually showed forth and lived, like an incarnation of his own + case, his own futile despair before the sternly closed portal of truth and + justice. Ah! that outcast woman, that stubborn victim of love, weeping + amidst her streaming hair, her visage hidden whilst with pain and grief + she sank upon the steps of that palace whose door was so pitilessly shut—how + she resembled him! Draped with a mere strip of linen, she was shivering, + and amidst the overpowering distress of her abandonment she did not reveal + her secret, misfortune, or transgression, whichever it might be. But he, + behind her close-pressed hands, endowed her with a face akin to his own: + she became his sister, as were all the poor creatures without roof or + certainty who weep because they are naked and alone, and wear out their + strength in seeking to force the wicked thresholds of men. He could never + gaze at her without pitying her, and it stirred him so much that evening + to find her ever so unknown, nameless and visageless, yet steeped in the + most bitter tears, that he suddenly began to question his companion. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me,” said he, “do you know who painted that old picture? It stirs me + to the soul like a masterpiece.” + </p> + <p> + Stupefied by this unexpected question, the secretary raised his head and + looked, feeling yet more astonished when he had examined the blackened, + forsaken panel in its sorry frame. + </p> + <p> + “Where did it come from?” resumed Pierre; “why has it been stowed away in + this room?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” replied Don Vigilio, with a gesture of indifference, “it’s nothing. + There are heaps of valueless old paintings everywhere. That one, no doubt, + has always been here. But I don’t know; I never noticed it before.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst speaking he had at last risen to his feet, and this simple action + had brought on such a fit of shivering that he could scarcely take leave, + so violently did his teeth chatter with fever. “No, no, don’t show me + out,” he stammered, “keep the lamp here. And to conclude: the best course + is for you to leave yourself in the hands of Monsignor Nani, for he, at + all events, is a superior man. I told you on your arrival that, whether + you would or not, you would end by doing as he desired. And so what’s the + use of struggling? And mind, not a word of our conversation to-night; it + would mean my death.” + </p> + <p> + Then he noiselessly opened the doors, glanced distrustfully into the + darkness of the passage, and at last ventured out and disappeared, + regaining his own room with such soft steps that not the faintest footfall + was heard amidst the tomb-like slumber of the old mansion. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow, Pierre, again mastered by a desire to fight on to the very + end, got Don Vigilio to recommend him to the Pope’s confessor, the + Franciscan friar with whom the secretary was slightly acquainted. However, + this friar proved to be an extremely timid if worthy man, selected + precisely on account of his great modesty, simplicity, and absolute lack + of influence in order that he might not abuse his position with respect to + the Holy Father. And doubtless there was an affectation of humility on the + latter’s part in taking for confessor a member of the humblest of the + regular orders, a friend of the poor, a holy beggar of the roads. At the + same time the friar certainly enjoyed a reputation for oratory; and hidden + by a veil the Pope at times listened to his sermons; for although as + infallible Sovereign Pontiff Leo XIII could not receive lessons from any + priest, it was admitted that as a man he might reap profit by listening to + good discourse. Nevertheless apart from his natural eloquence, the worthy + friar was really a mere washer of souls, a confessor who listens and + absolves without even remembering the impurities which he removes in the + waters of penitence. And Pierre, finding him really so poor and such a + cipher, did not insist on an intervention which he realised would be + futile. + </p> + <p> + All that day the young priest was haunted by the figure of that ingenuous + lover of poverty, that delicious St. Francis, as Narcisse Habert was wont + to say. Pierre had often wondered how such an apostle, so gentle towards + both animate and inanimate creation, and so full of ardent charity for the + wretched, could have arisen in a country of egotism and enjoyment like + Italy, where the love of beauty alone has remained queen. Doubtless the + times have changed; yet what a strong sap of love must have been needed in + the old days, during the great sufferings of the middle ages, for such a + consoler of the humble to spring from the popular soil and preach the gift + of self to others, the renunciation of wealth, the horror of brutal force, + the equality and obedience which would ensure the peace of the world. St. + Francis trod the roads clad as one of the poorest, a rope girdling his + grey gown and his bare feet shod with sandals, and he carried with him + neither purse nor staff. And he and his brethren spoke aloud and freely, + with sovereign florescence of poetry and boldness of truth, attacking the + rich and the powerful, and daring even to denounce the priests of evil + life, the debauched, simoniacal, and perjured bishops. A long cry of + relief greeted the Franciscans, the people followed them in crowds—they + were the friends, the liberators of all the humble ones who suffered. And + thus, like revolutionaries, they at first so alarmed Rome, that the popes + hesitated to authorise their Order. When they at last gave way it was + assuredly with the hope of using this new force for their own profit, by + conquering the whole vague mass of the lowly whose covert threats have + ever growled through the ages, even in the most despotic times. And + thenceforward in the sons of St. Francis the Church possessed an ever + victorious army—a wandering army which spread over the roads, in the + villages and through the towns, penetrating to the firesides of artisan + and peasant, and gaining possession of all simple hearts. How great the + democratic power of such an Order which had sprung from the very entrails + of the people! And thence its rapid prosperity, its teeming growth in a + few years, friaries arising upon all sides, and the third Order* so + invading the secular population as to impregnate and absorb it. And that + there was here a genuine growth of the soil, a vigorous vegetation of the + plebeian stock was shown by an entire national art arising from it—the + precursors of the Renascence in painting and even Dante himself, the soul + of Italia’s genius. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Franciscans, like the Dominicans and others, admit, in + addition to the two Orders of friars and nuns, a third Order + comprising devout persons of either sex who have neither the + vocation nor the opportunity for cloistered life, but live in + the world, privately observing the chief principles of the + fraternity with which they are connected. In central and + southern Europe members of these third Orders are still + numerous.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + For some days now, in the Rome of the present time, Pierre had been coming + into contact with those great Orders of the past. The Franciscans and the + Dominicans were there face to face in their vast convents of prosperous + aspect. But it seemed as if the humility of the Franciscans had in the + long run deprived them of influence. Perhaps, too, their <i>rôle</i> as + friends and liberators of the people was ended since the people now + undertook to liberate itself. And so the only real remaining battle was + between the Dominicans and the Jesuits, both of whom still claimed to + mould the world according to their particular views. Warfare between them + was incessant, and Rome—the supreme power at the Vatican—was + ever the prize for which they contended. But, although the Dominicans had + St. Thomas on their side, they must have felt that their old dogmatic + science was crumbling, compelled as they were each day to surrender a + little ground to the Jesuits whose principles accorded better with the + spirit of the century. And, in addition to these, there were the + white-robed Carthusians, those very holy, pure, and silent meditators who + fled from the world into quiet cells and cloisters, those despairing and + consoled ones whose numbers may decrease but whose Order will live for + ever, even as grief and desire for solitude will live. And then there were + the Benedictines whose admirable rules have sanctified labour, passionate + toilers in literature and science, once powerful instruments of + civilisation, enlarging universal knowledge by their immense historical + and critical works. These Pierre loved, and with them would have sought a + refuge two centuries earlier, yet he was astonished to find them building + on the Aventine a huge dwelling, for which Leo XIII has already given + millions, as if the science of to-day and to-morrow were yet a field where + they might garner harvests. But <i>cui bono</i>, when the workmen have + changed, and dogmas are there to bar the road—dogmas which totter, + no doubt, but which believers may not fling aside in order to pass onward? + And finally came the swarm of less important Orders, hundreds in number; + there were the Carmelites, the Trappists, the Minims, the Barnabites, the + Lazzarists, the Eudists, the Mission Fathers, the Servites, the Brothers + of the Christian Doctrine; there were the Bernadines, the Augustinians, + the Theatines, the Observants, the Passionists, the Célestines, and the + Capuchins, without counting the corresponding Orders of women or the Poor + Clares, or the innumerable nuns like those of the Visitation and the + Calvary. Each community had its modest or sumptuous dwelling, certain + districts of Rome were entirely composed of convents, and behind the + silent lifeless façades all those people buzzed, intrigued, and waged the + everlasting warfare of rival interests and passions. The social evolution + which produced them had long since ceased, still they obstinately sought + to prolong their life, growing weaker and more useless day by day, + destined to a slow agony until the time shall come when the new + development of society will leave them neither foothold nor breathing + space. + </p> + <p> + And it was not only with the regulars that Pierre came in contact during + his peregrinations through Rome; indeed, he more particularly had to deal + with the secular clergy, and learnt to know them well. A hierarchical + system which was still vigorously enforced maintained them in various + ranks and classes. Up above, around the Pope, reigned the pontifical + family, the high and noble cardinals and prelates whose conceit was great + in spite of their apparent familiarity. Below them the parish clergy + formed a very worthy middle class of wise and moderate minds; and here + patriot priests were not rare. Moreover, the Italian occupation of a + quarter of a century, by installing in the city a world of functionaries + who saw everything that went on, had, curiously enough, greatly purified + the private life of the Roman priesthood, in which under the popes women, + beyond all question, played a supreme part. And finally one came to the + plebeian clergy whom Pierre studied with curiosity, a collection of + wretched, grimy, half-naked priests who like famished animals prowled + around in search of masses, and drifted into disreputable taverns in the + company of beggars and thieves. However, he was more interested by the + floating population of foreign priests from all parts of Christendom—the + adventurers, the ambitious ones, the believers, the madmen whom Rome + attracted just as a lamp at night time attracts the insects of the gloom. + Among these were men of every nationality, position, and age, all lashed + on by their appetites and scrambling from morn till eve around the + Vatican, in order to snap at the prey which they hoped to secure. He found + them everywhere, and told himself with some shame that he was one of them, + that the unit of his own personality served to increase the incredible + number of cassocks that one encountered in the streets. Ah! that ebb and + flow, that ceaseless tide of black gowns and frocks of every hue! With + their processions of students ever walking abroad, the seminaries of the + different nations would alone have sufficed to drape and decorate the + streets, for there were the French and the English all in black, the South + Americans in black with blue sashes, the North Americans in black with red + sashes, the Poles in black with green sashes, the Greeks in blue, the + Germans in red, the Scots in violet, the Romans in black or violet or + purple, the Bohemians with chocolate sashes, the Irish with red lappets, + the Spaniards with blue cords, to say nothing of all the others with + broidery and bindings and buttons in a hundred different styles. And in + addition there were the confraternities, the penitents, white, black, + blue, and grey, with sleeveless frocks and capes of different hue, grey, + blue, black, or white. And thus even nowadays Papal Rome at times seemed + to resuscitate, and one could realise how tenaciously and vivaciously she + struggled on in order that she might not disappear in the cosmopolitan + Rome of the new era. However, Pierre, whilst running about from one + prelate to another, frequenting priests and crossing churches, could not + accustom himself to the worship, the Roman piety which astonished him when + it did not wound him. One rainy Sunday morning, on entering Santa Maria + Maggiore, he fancied himself in some waiting-room, a very splendid one, no + doubt, but where God seemed to have no habitation. There was not a bench, + not a chair in the nave, across which people passed, as they might pass + through a railway station, wetting and soiling the precious mosaic + pavement with their muddy shoes; and tired women and children sat round + the bases of the columns, even as in railway stations one sees people + sitting and waiting for their trains during the great crushes of the + holiday season. And for this tramping throng of folks of small degree, who + had looked in <i>en passant</i>, a priest was saying a low mass in a side + chapel, before which a narrow file of standing people had gathered, + extending across the nave, and recalling the crowds which wait in front of + theatres for the opening of the doors. At the elevation of the host one + and all inclined themselves devoutly, but almost immediately afterwards + the gathering dispersed. And indeed why linger? The mass was said. Pierre + everywhere found the same form of attendance, peculiar to the countries of + the sun; the worshippers were in a hurry and only favoured the Deity with + short familiar visits, unless it were a question of some gala scene at San + Paolo or San Giovanni in Laterano or some other of the old basilicas. It + was only at the Gesù, on another Sunday morning, that the young priest + came upon a high-mass congregation, which reminded him of the devout + throngs of the North. Here there were benches and women seated, a worldly + warmth and cosiness under the luxurious, gilded, carved, and painted roof, + whose tawny splendour is very fine now that time has toned down the + eccentricities of the decoration. But how many of the churches were empty, + among them some of the most ancient and venerable, San Clemente, Sant’ + Agnese, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, where during the offices one saw but a + few believers of the neighbourhood. Four hundred churches were a good many + for even Rome to people; and, indeed, some were merely attended on fixed + ceremonial occasions, and a good many merely opened their doors once every + year—on the feast day, that is, of their patron saint. Some also + subsisted on the lucky possession of a fetish, an idol compassionate to + human sufferings. Santa Maria in Ara Coeli possessed the miraculous little + Jesus, the “Bambino,” who healed sick children, and Sant’ Agostino had the + “Madonna del Parto,” who grants a happy delivery to mothers. Then others + were renowned for the holy water of their fonts, the oil of their lamps, + the power of some wooden saint or marble virgin. Others again seemed + forsaken, given up to tourists and the perquisites of beadles, like mere + museums peopled with dead gods: Finally others disturbed one’s faith by + the suggestiveness of their aspects, as, for instance, that Santa Maria + Rotonda, which is located in the Pantheon, a circular hall recalling a + circus, where the Virgin remains the evident tenant of the Olympian + deities. + </p> + <p> + Pierre took no little interest in the churches of the poor districts, but + did not find there the keen faith and the throngs he had hoped for. One + afternoon, at Santa Maria in Trastevere, he heard the choir in full song, + but the church was quite empty, and the chant had a most lugubrious sound + in such a desert. Then, another day, on entering San Crisogono, he found + it draped, probably in readiness for some festival on the morrow. The + columns were cased with red damask, and between them were hangings and + curtains alternately yellow and blue, white and red; and the young man + fled from such a fearful decoration as gaudy as that of a fair booth. Ah! + how far he was from the cathedrals where in childhood he had believed and + prayed! On all sides he found the same type of church, the antique + basilica accommodated to the taste of eighteenth-century Rome. Though the + style of San Luigi dei Francesi is better, more soberly elegant, the only + thing that touched him even there was the thought of the heroic or saintly + Frenchmen, who sleep in foreign soil beneath the flags. And as he sought + for something Gothic, he ended by going to see Santa Maria sopra Minerva,* + which, he was told, was the only example of the Gothic style in Rome. Here + his stupefaction attained a climax at sight of the clustering columns + cased in stucco imitating marble, the ogives which dared not soar, the + rounded vaults condemned to the heavy majesty of the dome style. No, no, + thought he, the faith whose cooling cinders lingered there was no longer + that whose brazier had invaded and set all Christendom aglow! However, + Monsignor Fornaro whom he chanced to meet as he was leaving the church, + inveighed against the Gothic style as rank heresy. The first Christian + church, said the prelate, had been the basilica, which had sprung from the + temple, and it was blasphemy to assert that the Gothic cathedral was the + real Christian house of prayer, for Gothic embodied the hateful + Anglo-Saxon spirit, the rebellious genius of Luther. At this a passionate + reply rose to Pierre’s lips, but he said nothing for fear that he might + say too much. However, he asked himself whether in all this there was not + a decisive proof that Catholicism was the very vegetation of Rome, + Paganism modified by Christianity. Elsewhere Christianity has grown up in + quite a different spirit, to such a point that it has risen in rebellion + and schismatically turned against the mother-city. And the breach has ever + gone on widening, the dissemblance has become more and more marked; and + amidst the evolution of new societies, yet a fresh schism appears + inevitable and proximate in spite of all the despairing efforts to + maintain union. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * So called because it occupies the site of a temple to + Minerva.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + While Pierre thus visited the Roman churches, he also continued his + efforts to gain support in the matter of his book, his irritation tending + to such stubbornness, that if in the first instance he failed to obtain an + interview, he went back again and again to secure one, steadfastly keeping + his promise to call in turn upon each cardinal of the Congregation of the + Index. And as a cardinal may belong to several Congregations, it resulted + that he gradually found himself roaming through those former ministries of + the old pontifical government which, if less numerous than formerly, are + still very intricate institutions, each with its cardinal-prefect, its + cardinal-members, its consultative prelates, and its numerous employees. + Pierre repeatedly had to return to the Cancelleria, where the Congregation + of the Index meets, and lost himself in its world of staircases, + corridors, and halls. From the moment he passed under the porticus he was + overcome by the icy shiver which fell from the old walls, and was quite + unable to appreciate the bare, frigid beauty of the palace, Bramante’s + masterpiece though it be, so purely typical of the Roman Renascence. He + also knew the Propaganda where he had seen Cardinal Sarno; and, sent as he + was hither and thither, in his efforts to gain over influential prelates, + chance made him acquainted with the other Congregations, that of the + Bishops and Regulars, that of the Rites and that of the Council. He even + obtained a glimpse of the Consistorial, the Dataria,* and the sacred + Penitentiary. All these formed part of the administrative mechanism of the + Church under its several aspects—the government of the Catholic + world, the enlargement of the Church’s conquests, the administration of + its affairs in conquered countries, the decision of all questions touching + faith, morals, and individuals, the investigation and punishment of + offences, the grant of dispensations and the sale of favours. One can + scarcely imagine what a fearful number of affairs are each morning + submitted to the Vatican, questions of the greatest gravity, delicacy, and + intricacy, the solution of which gives rise to endless study and research. + It is necessary to reply to the innumerable visitors who flock to Rome + from all parts, and to the letters, the petitions, and the batches of + documents which are submitted and require to be distributed among the + various offices. And Pierre was struck by the deep and discreet silence in + which all this colossal labour was accomplished; not a sound reaching the + streets from the tribunals, parliaments, and factories for the manufacture + of saints and nobles, whose mechanism was so well greased, that in spite + of the rust of centuries and the deep and irremediable wear and tear, the + whole continued working without clank or creak to denote its presence + behind the walls. And did not that silence embody the whole policy of the + Church, which is to remain mute and await developments? Nevertheless what + a prodigious mechanism it was, antiquated no doubt, but still so powerful! + And amidst those Congregations how keenly Pierre felt himself to be in the + grip of the most absolute power ever devised for the domination of + mankind. However much he might notice signs of decay and coming ruin he + was none the less seized, crushed, and carried off by that huge engine + made up of vanity and venality, corruption and ambition, meanness and + greatness. And how far, too, he now was from the Rome that he had dreamt + of, and what anger at times filled him amidst his weariness, as he + persevered in his resolve to defend himself! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * It is from the Dataria that bulls, rescripts, letters of + appointment to benefices, and dispensations of marriage, + are issued, after the affixture of the date and formula + <i>Datum Romae</i>, “Given at Rome.”—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + All at once certain things which he had never understood were explained to + him. One day, when he returned to the Propaganda, Cardinal Sarno spoke to + him of Freemasonry with such icy rage that he was abruptly enlightened. + Freemasonry had hitherto made him smile; he had believed in it no more + than he had believed in the Jesuits. Indeed, he had looked upon the + ridiculous stories which were current—the stories of mysterious, + shadowy men who governed the world with secret incalculable power—as + mere childish legends. In particular he had been amazed by the blind + hatred which maddened certain people as soon as Freemasonry was mentioned. + However, a very distinguished and intelligent prelate had declared to him, + with an air of profound conviction, that at least on one occasion every + year each masonic Lodge was presided over by the Devil in person, + incarnate in a visible shape! And now, by Cardinal Sarno’s remarks, he + understood the rivalry, the furious struggle of the Roman Catholic Church + against that other Church, the Church of over the way.* Although the + former counted on her own triumph, she none the less felt that the other, + the Church of Freemasonry, was a competitor, a very ancient enemy, who + indeed claimed to be more ancient than herself, and whose victory always + remained a possibility. And the friction between them was largely due to + the circumstance that they both aimed at universal sovereignty, and had a + similar international organisation, a similar net thrown over the nations, + and in a like way mysteries, dogmas, and rites. It was deity against + deity, faith against faith, conquest against conquest: and so, like + competing tradesmen in the same street, they were a source of mutual + embarrassment, and one of them was bound to kill the other. But if Roman + Catholicism seemed to Pierre to be worn out and threatened with ruin, he + remained quite as sceptical with regard to the power of Freemasonry. He + had made inquiries as to the reality of that power in Rome, where both + Grand Master and Pope were enthroned, one in front of the other. He was + certainly told that the last Roman princes had thought themselves + compelled to become Freemasons in order to render their own difficult + position somewhat easier and facilitate the future of their sons. But was + this true? had they not simply yielded to the force of the present social + evolution? And would not Freemasonry eventually be submerged by its own + triumph—that of the ideas of justice, reason, and truth, which it + had defended through the dark and violent ages of history? It is a thing + which constantly happens; the victory of an idea kills the sect which has + propagated it, and renders the apparatus with which the members of the + sect surrounded themselves, in order to fire imaginations, both useless + and somewhat ridiculous. Carbonarism did not survive the conquest of the + political liberties which it demanded; and on the day when the Catholic + Church crumbles, having accomplished its work of civilisation, the other + Church, the Freemasons’ Church of across the road, will in a like way + disappear, its task of liberation ended. Nowadays the famous power of the + Lodges, hampered by traditions, weakened by a ceremonial which provokes + laughter, and reduced to a simple bond of brotherly agreement and mutual + assistance, would be but a sorry weapon of conquest for humanity, were it + not that the vigorous breath of science impels the nations onwards and + helps to destroy the old religions. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Some readers may think the above passages an exaggeration, but + such is not the case. The hatred with which the Catholic + priesthood, especially in Italy, Spain, and France, regards + Freemasonry is remarkable. At the moment of writing these lines + I have before me several French clerical newspapers, which + contain the most abusive articles levelled against President + Faure solely because he is a Freemason. One of these prints, a + leading journal of Lyons, tells the French President that he + cannot serve both God and the Devil; and that if he cannot give + up Freemasonry he would do well to cease desecrating the abode + of the Deity by his attendance at divine service.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + However, all Pierre’s journeyings and applications brought him no + certainty; and, while stubbornly clinging to Rome, intent on fighting to + the very end, like a soldier who will not believe in the possibility of + defeat, he remained as anxious as ever. He had seen all the cardinals + whose influence could be of use to him. He had seen the Cardinal Vicar, + entrusted with the diocese of Rome, who, like the man of letters he was, + had spoken to him of Horace, and, like a somewhat blundering politician, + had questioned him about France, the Republic, the Army, and the Navy + Estimates, without dealing in the slightest degree with the incriminated + book. He had also seen the Grand Penitentiary, that tall old man, with + fleshless, ascetic face, of whom he had previously caught a glimpse at the + Boccanera mansion, and from whom he now only drew a long and severe sermon + on the wickedness of young priests, whom the century had perverted and who + wrote most abominable books. Finally, at the Vatican, he had seen the + Cardinal Secretary, in some wise his Holiness’s Minister of Foreign + Affairs, the great power of the Holy See, whom he had hitherto been + prevented from approaching by terrifying warnings as to the possible + result of an unfavourable reception. However, whilst apologising for + calling at such a late stage, he had found himself in presence of a most + amiable man, whose somewhat rough appearance was softened by diplomatic + affability, and who, after making him sit down, questioned him with an air + of interest, listened to him, and even spoke some words of comfort. + Nevertheless, on again reaching the Piazza of St. Peter’s, Pierre well + understood that his affair had not made the slightest progress, and that + if he ever managed to force the Pope’s door, it would not be by way of the + Secretariate of State. And that evening he returned home quite exhausted + by so many visits, in such distraction at feeling that little by little he + had been wholly caught in that huge mechanism with its hundred wheels, + that he asked himself in terror what he should do on the morrow now that + there remained nothing for him to do—unless, indeed, it were to go + mad. + </p> + <p> + However, meeting Don Vigilio in a passage of the house, he again wished to + ask him for some good advice. But the secretary, who had a gleam of terror + in his eyes, silenced him, he knew not why, with an anxious gesture. And + then in a whisper, in Pierre’s ear, he said: “Have you seen Monsignor + Nani? No! Well, go to see him, go to see him. I repeat that you have + nothing else to do!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre yielded. And indeed why should he have resisted? Apart from the + motives of ardent charity which had brought him to Rome to defend his + book, was he not there for a self-educating, experimental purpose? It was + necessary that he should carry his attempts to the very end. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow, when he reached the colonnade of St. Peter’s, the hour was + so early that he had to wait there awhile. He had never better realised + the enormity of those four curving rows of columns, forming a forest of + gigantic stone trunks among which nobody ever promenades. In fact, the + spot is a grandiose and dreary desert, and one asks oneself the why and + wherefore of such a majestic porticus. Doubtless, however, it was for its + sole majesty, for the mere pomp of decoration, that this colonnade was + reared; and therein, again, one finds the whole Roman spirit. However, + Pierre at last turned into the Via di Sant’ Offizio, and passing the + sacristy of St. Peter’s, found himself before the Palace of the Holy + Office in a solitary silent district, which the footfall of pedestrians or + the rumble of wheels but seldom disturbs. The sun alone lives there, in + sheets of light which spread slowly over the small, white paving. You + divine the vicinity of the Basilica, for there is a smell as of incense, a + cloisteral quiescence as of the slumber of centuries. And at one corner + the Palace of the Holy Office rises up with heavy, disquieting bareness, + only a single row of windows piercing its lofty, yellow front. The wall + which skirts a side street looks yet more suspicious with its row of even + smaller casements, mere peep-holes with glaucous panes. In the bright + sunlight this huge cube of mud-coloured masonry ever seems asleep, + mysterious, and closed like a prison, with scarcely an aperture for + communication with the outer world. + </p> + <p> + Pierre shivered, but then smiled as at an act of childishness, for he + reflected that the Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition, nowadays the + Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, was no longer the institution it + had been, the purveyor of heretics for the stake, the occult tribunal + beyond appeal which had right of life and death over all mankind. True, it + still laboured in secrecy, meeting every Wednesday, and judging and + condemning without a sound issuing from within its walls. But on the other + hand if it still continued to strike at the crime of heresy, if it smote + men as well as their works, it no longer possessed either weapons or + dungeons, steel or fire to do its bidding, but was reduced to a mere <i>rôle</i> + of protest, unable to inflict aught but disciplinary penalties even upon + the ecclesiastics of its own Church. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre on entering was ushered into the reception-room of Monsignor + Nani who, as assessor, lived in the palace, he experienced an agreeable + surprise. The apartment faced the south, and was spacious and flooded with + sunshine. And stiff as was the furniture, dark as were the hangings, an + exquisite sweetness pervaded the room, as though a woman had lived in it + and accomplished the prodigy of imparting some of her own grace to all + those stern-looking things. There were no flowers, yet there was a + pleasant smell. A charm expanded and conquered every heart from the very + threshold. + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Nani at once came forward, with a smile on his rosy face, his + blue eyes keenly glittering, and his fine light hair powdered by age. With + hands outstretched, he exclaimed: “Ah! how kind of you to have come to see + me, my dear son! Come, sit down, let us have a friendly chat.” Then with + an extraordinary display of affection, he began to question Pierre: “How + are you getting on? Tell me all about it, exactly what you have done.” + </p> + <p> + Touched in spite of Don Vigilio’s revelations, won over by the sympathy + which he fancied he could detect, Pierre thereupon confessed himself, + relating his visits to Cardinal Sarno, Monsignor Fornaro and Father + Dangelis, his applications to all the influential cardinals, those of the + Index, the Grand Penitentiary, the Cardinal Vicar, and the Cardinal + Secretary; and dwelling on his endless journeys from door to door through + all the Congregations and all the clergy, that huge, active, silent + bee-hive amidst which he had wearied his feet, exhausted his limbs, and + bewildered his poor brain. And at each successive Station of this Calvary + of entreaty, Monsignor Nani, who seemed to listen with an air of rapture, + exclaimed: “But that’s very good, that’s capital! Oh! your affair is + progressing. Yes, yes, it’s progressing marvellously well.” + </p> + <p> + He was exultant, though he allowed no unseemly irony to appear, while his + pleasant, penetrating eyes fathomed the young priest, to ascertain if he + had been brought to the requisite degree of obedience. Had he been + sufficiently wearied, disillusioned and instructed in the reality of + things, for one to finish with him? Had three months’ sojourn in Rome + sufficed to turn the somewhat mad enthusiast of the first days into an + unimpassioned or at least resigned being? + </p> + <p> + However, all at once Monsignor Nani remarked: “But, my dear son, you tell + me nothing of his Eminence Cardinal Sanguinetti.” + </p> + <p> + “The fact is, Monseigneur, that his Eminence is at Frascati, so I have + been unable to see him.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon the prelate, as if once more postponing the <i>dénouement</i> + with the secret enjoyment of an artistic <i>diplomate</i>, began to + protest, raising his little plump hands with the anxious air of a man who + considers everything lost: “Oh! but you must see his Eminence; it is + absolutely necessary! Think of it! The Prefect of the Index! We can only + act after your visit to him, for as you have not seen <i>him</i> it is as + if you had seen nobody. Go, go to Frascati, my dear son.” + </p> + <p> + And thereupon Pierre could only bow and reply: “I will go, Monseigneur.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap36"></a> + XI. + </h2> + <p> + ALTHOUGH Pierre knew that he would be unable to see Cardinal Sanguinetti + before eleven o’clock, he nevertheless availed himself of an early train, + so that it was barely nine when he alighted at the little station of + Frascati. He had already visited the place during his enforced idleness, + when he had made the classical excursion to the Roman castles which extend + from Frascati to Rocco di Papa, and from Rocco di Papa to Monte Cavo, and + he was now delighted with the prospect of strolling for a couple of hours + along those first slopes of the Alban hills, where, amidst rushes, olives, + and vines, Frascati, like a promontory, overlooks the immense ruddy sea of + the Campagna even as far as Rome, which, six full leagues away, wears the + whitish aspect of a marble isle. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that charming Frascati, on its greeny knoll at the foot of the wooded + Tusculan heights, with its famous terrace whence one enjoys the finest + view in the world, its old patrician villas with proud and elegant + Renascence façades and magnificent parks, which, planted with cypress, + pine, and ilex, are for ever green! There was a sweetness, a delight, a + fascination about the spot, of which Pierre would have never wearied. And + for more than an hour he had wandered blissfully along roads edged with + ancient, knotty olive-trees, along dingle ways shaded by the spreading + foliage of neighbouring estates, and along perfumed paths, at each turn of + which the Campagna was seen stretching far away, when all at once he was + accosted by a person whom he was both surprised and annoyed to meet. He + had strolled down to some low ground near the railway station, some old + vineyards where a number of new houses had been built of recent years, and + suddenly saw a stylish pair-horse victoria, coming from the direction of + Rome, draw up close by, whilst its occupant called to him: “What! Monsieur + l’Abbé Froment, are you taking a walk here, at this early hour?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre recognised Count Luigi Prada, who alighted, shook hands + with him and began to walk beside him, whilst the empty carriage went on + in advance. And forthwith the Count explained his tastes: “I seldom take + the train,” he said, “I drive over. It gives my horses an outing. I have + interests over here as you may know, a big building enterprise which is + unfortunately not progressing very well. And so, although the season is + advanced, I’m obliged to come rather more frequently than I care to do.” + </p> + <p> + As Prada suggested, Pierre was acquainted with the story. The Boccaneras + had been obliged to sell a sumptuous villa which a cardinal of their + family had built at Frascati in accordance with the plans of Giacomo della + Porta, during the latter part of the sixteenth century: a regal + summer-residence it had been, finely wooded, with groves and basins and + cascades, and in particular a famous terrace projecting like a cape above + the Roman Campagna whose expanse stretches from the Sabine mountains to + the Mediterranean sands. Through the division of the property, Benedetta + had inherited from her mother some very extensive vineyards below + Frascati, and these she had brought as dowry to Prada at the very moment + when the building mania was extending from Rome into the provinces. And + thereupon Prada had conceived the idea of erecting on the spot a number of + middle-class villas like those which litter the suburbs of Paris. Few + purchasers, however, had come forward, the financial crash had supervened, + and he was now with difficulty liquidating this unlucky business, having + indemnified his wife at the time of their separation. + </p> + <p> + “And then,” he continued, addressing Pierre, “one can come and go as one + likes with a carriage, whereas, on taking the train, one is at the mercy + of the time table. This morning, for instance, I have appointments with + contractors, experts, and lawyers, and I have no notion how long they will + keep me. It’s a wonderful country, isn’t it? And we are quite right to be + proud of it in Rome. Although I may have some worries just now, I can + never set foot here without my heart beating with delight.” + </p> + <p> + A circumstance which he did not mention, was that his <i>amica</i>, + Lisbeth Kauffmann, had spent the summer in one of the newly erected + villas, where she had installed her studio and had been visited by all the + foreign colony, which tolerated her irregular position on account of her + gay spirits and artistic talent. Indeed, people had even ended by + accepting the outcome of her connection with Prada, and a fortnight + previously she had returned to Rome, and there given birth to a son—an + event which had again revived all the scandalous tittle-tattle respecting + Benedetta’s divorce suit. And Prada’s attachment to Frascati doubtless + sprang from the recollection of the happy hours he had spent there, and + the joyful pride with which the birth of the boy inspired him. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, for his part, felt ill at ease in the young Count’s presence, for + he had an instinctive hatred of money-mongers and men of prey. + Nevertheless, he desired to respond to his amiability, and so inquired + after his father, old Orlando, the hero of the Liberation. + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” replied Prada, “excepting for his legs he’s in wonderfully good + health. He’ll live a hundred years. Poor father! I should so much have + liked to install him in one of these little houses, last summer. But I + could not get him to consent; he’s determined not to leave Rome; he’s + afraid, perhaps, that it might be taken away from him during his absence.” + Then the young Count burst into a laugh, quite merry at the thought of + jeering at the heroic but no longer fashionable age of independence. And + afterwards he said, “My father was speaking of you again only yesterday, + Monsieur l’Abbé. He is astonished that he has not seen you lately.” + </p> + <p> + This distressed Pierre, for he had begun to regard Orlando with respectful + affection. Since his first visit, he had twice called on the old hero, but + the latter had refused to broach the subject of Rome so long as his young + friend should not have seen, felt, and understood everything. There would + be time for a talk later on, said he, when they were both in a position to + formulate their conclusions. + </p> + <p> + “Pray tell Count Orlando,” responded Pierre, “that I have not forgotten + him, and that, if I have deferred a fresh visit, it is because I desire to + satisfy him. However, I certainly will not leave Rome without going to + tell him how deeply his kind greeting has touched me.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst talking, the two men slowly followed the ascending road past the + newly erected villas, several of which were not yet finished. And when + Prada learned that the priest had come to call on Cardinal Sanguinetti, he + again laughed, with the laugh of a good-natured wolf, showing his white + fangs. “True,” he exclaimed, “the Cardinal has been here since the Pope + has been laid up. Ah! you’ll find him in a pretty fever.” + </p> + <p> + “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, because there’s bad news about the Holy Father this morning. When I + left Rome it was rumoured that he had spent a fearful night.” + </p> + <p> + So speaking, Prada halted at a bend of the road, not far from an antique + chapel, a little church of solitary, mournful grace of aspect, on the + verge of an olive grove. Beside it stood a ruinous building, the old + parsonage, no doubt, whence there suddenly emerged a tall, knotty priest + with coarse and earthy face, who, after roughly locking the door, went off + in the direction of the town. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” resumed the Count in a tone of raillery, “that fellow’s heart also + must be beating violently; he’s surely gone to your Cardinal in search of + news.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had looked at the priest. “I know him,” he replied; “I saw him, I + remember, on the day after my arrival at Cardinal Boccanera’s. He brought + the Cardinal a basket of figs and asked him for a certificate in favour of + his young brother, who had been sent to prison for some deed of violence—a + knife thrust if I recollect rightly. However, the Cardinal absolutely + refused him the certificate.” + </p> + <p> + “It’s the same man,” said Prada, “you may depend on it. He was often at + the Villa Boccanera formerly; for his young brother was gardener there. + But he’s now the client, the creature of Cardinal Sanguinetti. Santobono + his name is, and he’s a curious character, such as you wouldn’t find in + France, I fancy. He lives all alone in that falling hovel, and officiates + at that old chapel of St. Mary in the Fields, where people don’t go to + hear mass three times in a year. Yes, it’s a perfect sinecure, which with + its stipend of a thousand francs enables him to live there like a peasant + philosopher, cultivating the somewhat extensive garden whose big walls you + see yonder.” + </p> + <p> + The close to which he called attention stretched down the slope behind the + parsonage, without an aperture, like some savage place of refuge into + which not even the eye could penetrate. And all that could be seen above + the left-hand wall was a superb, gigantic fig-tree, whose big leaves + showed blackly against the clear sky. Prada had moved on again, and + continued to speak of Santobono, who evidently interested him. Fancy, a + patriot priest, a Garibaldian! Born at Nemi, in that yet savage nook among + the Alban hills, he belonged to the people and was still near to the soil. + However, he had studied, and knew sufficient history to realise the past + greatness of Rome, and dream of the re-establishment of Roman dominion as + represented by young Italy. And he had come to believe, with passionate + fervour, that only a great pope could realise his dream by seizing upon + power, and then conquering all the other nations. And what could be + easier, since the Pope commanded millions of Catholics? Did not half + Europe belong to him? France, Spain, and Austria would give way as soon as + they should see him powerful, dictating laws to the world. Germany and + Great Britain, indeed all the Protestant countries, would also inevitably + be conquered, for the papacy was the only dike that could be opposed to + error, which must some day fatally succumb in its efforts against such a + barrier. Politically, however, Santobono had declared himself for Germany, + for he considered that France needed to be crushed before she would throw + herself into the arms of the Holy Father. And thus contradictions and + fancies clashed in his foggy brain, whose burning ideas swiftly turned to + violence under the influence of primitive, racial fierceness. Briefly, the + priest was a barbarian upholder of the Gospel, a friend of the humble and + woeful, a sectarian of that school which is capable alike of great virtues + and great crimes. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” concluded Prada, “he is now devoted to Cardinal Sanguinetti because + he believes that the latter will prove the great pope of to-morrow, who is + to make Rome the one capital of the nations. At the same time he doubtless + harbours a lower personal ambition, that of attaining to a canonry or of + gaining assistance in the little worries of life, as when he wished to + extricate his brother from trouble. Here, you know, people stake their + luck on a cardinal just as they nurse a ‘trey’ in the lottery, and if + their cardinal proves the winning number and becomes pope they gain a + fortune. And that’s why you now see Santobono striding along yonder, all + anxiety to know if Leo XIII will die and Sanguinetti don the tiara.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think the Pope so very ill, then?” asked Pierre, both anxious and + interested. + </p> + <p> + The Count smiled and raised both arms: “Ah!” said he, “can one ever tell? + They all get ill when their interest lies that way. However, I believe + that the Pope is this time really indisposed; a complaint of the bowels, + it is said; and at his age, you know, the slightest indisposition may + prove fatal.” + </p> + <p> + The two men took a few steps in silence, then the priest again asked a + question: “Would Cardinal Sanguinetti have a great chance if the Holy See + were vacant?” + </p> + <p> + “A great chance! Ah! that’s another of those things which one never knows. + The truth is people class Sanguinetti among the acceptable candidates, and + if personal desire sufficed he would certainly be the next pope, for + ambition consumes him to the marrow, and he displays extraordinary passion + and determination in his efforts to succeed. But therein lies his very + weakness; he is using himself up, and he knows it. And so he must be + resolved to every step during the last days of battle. You may be quite + sure that if he has shut himself up here at this critical time, it is in + order that he may the better direct his operations from a distance, whilst + at the same time feigning a retreat, a disinterestedness which is bound to + have a good effect.” + </p> + <p> + Then Prada began to expatiate on Sanguinetti with no little complacency, + for he liked the man’s spirit of intrigue, his keen, conquering appetite, + his excessive, and even somewhat blundering activity. He had become + acquainted with him on his return from the nunciature at Vienna, when he + had already resolved to win the tiara. That ambition explained everything, + his quarrels and reconciliations with the reigning pope, his affection for + Germany, followed by a sudden evolution in the direction of France, his + varying attitude with regard to Italy, at first a desire for agreement, + and then absolute rejection of all compromises, a refusal to grant any + concession, so long as Rome should not be evacuated. This, indeed, seemed + to be Sanguinetti’s definite position; he made a show of disliking the + wavering sway of Leo XIII, and of retaining a fervent admiration for Pius + IX, the great, heroic pope of the days of resistance, whose goodness of + heart had proved no impediment to unshakable firmness. And all this was + equivalent to a promise that he, Sanguinetti, would again make kindliness + exempt from weakness, the rule of the Church, and would steer clear of the + dangerous compounding of politics. At bottom, however, politics were his + only dream, and he had even formulated a complete programme of intentional + vagueness, which his clients and creatures spread abroad with an air of + rapturous mystery. However, since a previous indisposition of the Pope’s, + during the spring, he had been living in mortal disquietude, for it had + then been rumoured that the Jesuits would resign themselves to support + Cardinal Pio Boccanera, although the latter scarcely favoured them. He was + rough and stern, no doubt, and his extreme bigotry might be a source of + danger in this tolerant age; but, on the other hand, was he not a + patrician, and would not his election imply that the papacy would never + cease to claim the temporal power? From that moment Boccanera had been the + one man whom Sanguinetti feared, for he beheld himself despoiled of his + prize, and spent his time in devising plans to rid himself of such a + powerful rival, repeating abominable stories of Cardinal Pio’s alleged + complaisance with regard to Benedetta and Dario, and incessantly + representing him as Antichrist, the man of sin, whose reign would + consummate the ruin of the papacy. Finally, to regain the support of the + Jesuits, Sanguinetti’s last idea was to repeat through his familiars that + for his part he would not merely maintain the principle of the temporal + power intact, but would even undertake to regain that power. And he had a + full plan on the subject, which folks confided to one another in whispers, + a plan which, in spite of its apparent concessions, would lead to the + overwhelming victory of the Church. It was to raise the prohibition which + prevented Catholics from voting or becoming candidates at the Italian + elections; to send a hundred, then two hundred, and then three hundred + deputies to the Chamber, and in that wise to overthrow the House of Savoy, + and establish a Federation of the Italian provinces, whereof the Holy + Father, once more placed in possession of Rome, would become the august + and sovereign President. + </p> + <p> + As Prada finished he again laughed, showing his white teeth—teeth + which would never readily relinquish the prey they held. “So you see,” he + added, “we need to defend ourselves, since it’s a question of turning us + out. Fortunately, there are some little obstacles in the way of that. + Nevertheless, such dreams naturally have great influence on excited minds, + such as that of Santobono, for instance. He’s a man whom one word from + Sanguinetti would lead far indeed. Ah! he has good legs. Look at him up + yonder, he has already reached the Cardinal’s little palace—that + white villa with the sculptured balconies.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre raised his eyes and perceived the episcopal residence, which was + one of the first houses of Frascati. Of modern construction and Renascence + style, it overlooked the immensity of the Roman Campagna. + </p> + <p> + It was now eleven o’clock, and as the young priest, before going up to pay + his own visit, bade the Count good-bye, the latter for a moment kept hold + of his hand. “Do you know,” said he, “it would be very kind of you to + lunch with me—will you? Come and join me at that restaurant yonder + with the pink front as soon as you are at liberty. I shall have settled my + own business in an hour’s time, and I shall be delighted to have your + company at table.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre began by declining, but he could offer no possible excuse, and at + last surrendered, won over, despite himself, by Prada’s real charm of + manner. When they had parted, the young priest only had to climb a street + in order to reach the Cardinal’s door. With his natural expansiveness and + craving for popularity, Sanguinetti was easy of access, and at Frascati in + particular his doors were flung open even to the most humble cassocks. So + Pierre was at once ushered in, a circumstance which somewhat surprised + him, for he remembered the bad humour of the servant whom he had seen on + calling at the Cardinal’s residence in Rome, when he had been advised to + forego the journey, as his Eminence did not like to be disturbed when he + was ill. However, nothing spoke of illness in that pleasant villa, flooded + with sunshine. True, the waiting-room, where he was momentarily left + alone, displayed neither luxury nor comfort; but it was brightened by the + finest light in the world, and overlooked that extraordinary Campagna, so + flat, so bare, and so unique in its beauty, for in front of it one ever + dreams and sees the past arise. And so, whilst waiting, Pierre stationed + himself at an open window, conducting on to a balcony, and his eyes roamed + over the endless sea of herbage to the far-away whiteness of Rome, above + which rose the dome of St. Peter’s, at that distance a mere sparkling + speck, barely as large as the nail of one’s little finger. + </p> + <p> + However, the young man had scarcely taken up this position when he was + surprised to hear some people talking, their words reaching him with great + distinctness. And on leaning forward he realised that his Eminence in + person was standing on another balcony close by, and conversing with a + priest, only a portion of whose cassock could be seen. Still, this + sufficed for Pierre to recognise Santobono. His first impulse, dictated by + natural discretion, was to withdraw from the window, but the words he next + heard riveted him to the spot. + </p> + <p> + “We shall know in a moment,” his Eminence was saying in his full voice. “I + sent Eufemio to Rome, for he is the only person in whom I’ve any + confidence. And see, there is the train bringing him back.” + </p> + <p> + A train, still as small as a plaything, could in fact be seen approaching + over the vast plain, and doubtless it was to watch for its arrival that + Sanguinetti had stationed himself on the balcony. And there he lingered, + with his eyes fixed on distant Rome. Then Santobono, in a passionate + voice, spoke some words which Pierre imperfectly understood, but the + Cardinal with clear articulation rejoined, “Yes, yes, my dear fellow, a + catastrophe would be a great misfortune. Ah! may his Holiness long be + preserved to us.” Then he paused, and as he was no hypocrite, gave full + expression to the thoughts which were in his mind: “At least, I hope that + he will be preserved just now, for the times are bad, and I am in + frightful anguish. The partisans of Antichrist have lately gained much + ground.” + </p> + <p> + A cry escaped Santobono: “Oh! your Eminence will act and triumph.” + </p> + <p> + “I, my dear fellow? What would you have me do? I am simply at the disposal + of my friends, those who are willing to believe in me, with the sole + object of ensuring the victory of the Holy See. It is they who ought to + act, it is they—each according to the measure of his means—who + ought to bar the road to the wicked in order that the righteous may + succeed. Ah! if Antichrist should reign—” + </p> + <p> + The recurrence of this word Antichrist greatly disturbed Pierre; but he + suddenly remembered what the Count had told him: Antichrist was Cardinal + Boccanera. + </p> + <p> + “Think of that, my dear fellow,” continued Sanguinetti. “Picture + Antichrist at the Vatican, consummating the ruin of religion by his + implacable pride, his iron will, his gloomy passion for nihility; for + there can be no doubt of it, he is the Beast of Death announced by the + prophecies, the Beast who will expose one and all to the danger of being + swallowed up with him in his furious rush into abysmal darkness. I know + him; he only dreams of obstinacy and destruction, he will seize the + pillars of the temple and shake them in order that he may sink beneath the + ruins, he and the whole Catholic world! In less than six months he will be + driven from Rome, at strife with all the nations, execrated by Italy, and + roaming the world like the phantom of the last pope!” + </p> + <p> + It was with a low growl, suggestive of a stifled oath, that Santobono + responded to this frightful prediction. But the train had now reached the + station, and among the few passengers who had alighted, Pierre could + distinguish a little Abbé, who was walking so fast that his cassock + flapped against his hips. It was Abbé Eufemio, the Cardinal’s secretary, + and when he had perceived his Eminence on the balcony he lost all + self-respect, and broke into a run, in order that he might the sooner + ascend the sloping street. “Ah! here’s Eufemio,” exclaimed the Cardinal, + quivering with anxiety. “We shall know now, we shall know now.” + </p> + <p> + The secretary had plunged into the doorway below, and he climbed the + stairs with such rapidity that almost immediately afterwards Pierre saw + him rush breathlessly across the waiting-room, and vanish into the + Cardinal’s sanctum. Sanguinetti had quitted the balcony to meet his + messenger, but soon afterwards he returned to it asking questions, venting + exclamations, raising, in fact, quite a tumult over the news which he had + received. “And so it’s really true, the night was a bad one. His Holiness + scarcely slept! Colic, you were told? But nothing could be worse at his + age; it might carry him off in a couple of hours. And the doctors, what do + they say?” + </p> + <p> + The answer did not reach Pierre, but he understood its purport as the + Cardinal in his naturally loud voice resumed: “Oh! the doctors never know. + Besides, when they refuse to speak death is never far off. <i>Dio</i>! + what a misfortune if the catastrophe cannot be deferred for a few days!” + </p> + <p> + Then he became silent, and Pierre realised that his eyes were once more + travelling towards Rome, gazing with ambitious anguish at the dome of St. + Peter’s, that little, sparkling speck above the vast, ruddy plain. What a + commotion, what agitation if the Pope were dead! And he wished that it had + merely been necessary for him to stretch forth his arm in order to take + and hold the Eternal City, the Holy City, which, yonder on the horizon, + occupied no more space than a heap of gravel cast there by a child’s + spade. And he was already dreaming of the coming Conclave, when the canopy + of each other cardinal would fall, and his own, motionless and sovereign, + would crown him with purple. + </p> + <p> + “But you are right, my friend!” he suddenly exclaimed, addressing + Santobono, “one must act, the salvation of the Church is at stake. And, + besides, it is impossible that Heaven should not be with us, since our + sole desire is its triumph. If necessary, at the supreme moment, Heaven + will know how to crush Antichrist.” + </p> + <p> + Then, for the first time, Pierre distinctly heard the voice of Santobono, + who, gruffly, with a sort of savage decision, responded: “Oh! if Heaven is + tardy it shall be helped.” + </p> + <p> + That was all; the young man heard nothing further save a confused murmur + of voices. The speakers quitted the balcony, and his spell of waiting + began afresh in the sunlit <i>salon</i> so peaceful and delightful in its + brightness. But all at once the door of his Eminence’s private room was + thrown wide open and a servant ushered him in; and he was surprised to + find the Cardinal alone, for he had not witnessed the departure of the two + priests, who had gone off by another door. The Cardinal, with his highly + coloured face, big nose, thick lips, square-set, vigorous figure, which + still looked young despite his sixty years, was standing near a window in + the bright golden light. He had put on the paternal smile with which he + greeted even the humblest from motives of good policy, and as soon as + Pierre had knelt and kissed his ring, he motioned him to a chair. “Sit + down, dear son, sit down. You have come of course about that unfortunate + affair of your book. I am very pleased indeed to be able to speak with you + about it.” + </p> + <p> + He himself then took a chair in front of that window overlooking Rome + whence he seemed unable to drag himself. And the young priest, whilst + apologising for coming to disturb his rest, perceived that he scarcely + listened, for his eyes again sought the prey which he so ardently coveted. + Yet the semblance of good-natured attention was perfect, and Pierre + marvelled at the force of will which this man must possess to appear so + calm, so interested in the affairs of others, when such a tempest was + raging in him. + </p> + <p> + “Your Eminence will, I hope, kindly forgive me,” continued the young + priest. + </p> + <p> + “But you have done right to come, since I am kept here by my failing + health,” said the Cardinal. “Besides, I am somewhat better, and it is only + natural that you should wish to give me some explanations and defend your + work and enlighten my judgment. In fact, I was astonished at not yet + having seen you, for I know that your faith in your cause is great and + that you spare no steps to convert your judges. So speak, my dear son, I + am listening and shall be pleased indeed if I can absolve you.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was caught by these kind words, and a hope returned to him, that of + winning the support of the all-powerful Prefect of the Index. He already + regarded this ex-nuncio—who at Brussels and Vienna had acquired the + worldly art of sending people away satisfied with indefinite promises + though he meant to grant them nothing—as a man of rare intelligence + and exquisite cordiality. And so once more he regained the fervour of his + apostolate to express his views respecting the future Rome, the Rome he + dreamt of, which was destined yet again to become the mistress of the + world if she would return to the Christianity of Jesus, to an ardent love + for the weak and the humble. + </p> + <p> + Sanguinetti smiled, wagged his head, and raised exclamations of rapture: + “Very good, very good indeed, perfect! Oh! I agree with you, dear son. One + cannot put things better. It is quite evident; all good minds must agree + with you.” And then, said he, the poetic side deeply touched him. Like Leo + XIII—and doubtless in a spirit of rivalry—he courted the + reputation of being a very distinguished Latinist, and professed a special + and boundless affection for Virgil. “I know, I know,” he exclaimed, “I + remember your page on the return of spring, which consoles the poor whom + winter has frozen. Oh! I read it three times over! And are you aware that + your writing is full of Latin turns of style. I noticed more than fifty + expressions which could be found in the ‘Bucolics.’ Your book is a charm, + a perfect charm!” + </p> + <p> + As he was no fool, and realised that the little priest before him was a + man of high intelligence, he ended by interesting himself, not in Pierre + personally, but in the profit which he might possibly derive from him. + Amidst his feverish intrigues, he unceasingly sought to utilise all the + qualities possessed by those whom God sent to him that might in any way be + conducive to his own triumph. So, for a moment, he turned away from Rome + and looked his companion in the face, listening to him and asking himself + in what way he might employ him—either at once in the crisis through + which he was passing, or later on when he should be pope. But the young + priest again made the mistake of attacking the temporal power, and of + employing that unfortunate expression, “a new religion.” Thereupon the + Cardinal stopped him with a gesture, still smiling, still retaining all + his amiability, although the resolution which he had long since formed + became from that moment definitive. “You are certainly in the right on + many points, my dear son,” he said, “and I often share your views—share + them completely. But come, you are doubtless not aware that I am the + protector of Lourdes here at Rome. And so, after the page which you have + written about the Grotto, how can I possibly pronounce in your favour and + against the Fathers?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was utterly overcome by this announcement, for he was indeed + unaware of the Cardinal’s position with respect to Lourdes, nobody having + taken the precaution to warn him. However, each of the Catholic + enterprises distributed throughout the world has a protector at Rome, a + cardinal who is designated by the Pope to represent it and, if need be, to + defend it. + </p> + <p> + “Those good Fathers!” Sanguinetti continued in a gentle voice, “you have + caused them great grief, and really our hands are tied, we cannot add to + their sorrow. If you only knew what a number of masses they send us! I + know more than one of our poor priests who would die of hunger if it were + not for them.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre could only bow beneath the blow. Once more he found himself in + presence of the pecuniary question, the necessity in which the Holy See is + placed to secure the revenue it requires one year with another. And thus + the Pope was ever in servitude, for if the loss of Rome had freed him of + the cares of state, his enforced gratitude for the alms he received still + riveted him to earth. So great, indeed, were the requirements, that money + was the ruler, the sovereign power, before which all bowed at the Court of + Rome. + </p> + <p> + And now Sanguinetti rose to dismiss his visitor. “You must not despair, + dear son,” he said effusively. “I have only my own vote, you know, and I + promise you that I will take into account the excellent explanations which + you have just given me. And who can tell? If God be with you, He will save + you even in spite of all!” This speech formed part of the Cardinal’s usual + tactics; for one of his principles was never to drive people to extremes + by sending them away hopeless. What good, indeed, would it do to tell this + one that the condemnation of his book was a foregone conclusion, and that + his only prudent course would be to disavow it? Only a savage like + Boccanera breathed anger upon fiery souls and plunged them into rebellion. + “You must hope, hope!” repeated Sanguinetti with a smile, as if implying a + multitude of fortunate things which he could not plainly express. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre, who was deeply touched, felt born anew. He even forgot + the conversation he had surprised, the Cardinal’s keen ambition and covert + rage with his redoubtable rival. Besides, might not intelligence take the + place of heart among the powerful? If this man should some day become + pope, and had understood him, might he not prove the pope who was awaited, + the pope who would accept the task of reorganising the Church of the + United States of Europe, and making it the spiritual sovereign of the + world? So he thanked him with emotion, bowed, and left him to his dream, + standing before that widely open window whence Rome appeared to him, + glittering like a jewel, even indeed as the tiara of gold and gems, in the + splendour of the autumn sun. + </p> + <p> + It was nearly one o’clock when Pierre and Count Prada were at last able to + sit down to <i>déjeuner</i> in the little restaurant where they had agreed + to meet. They had both been delayed by their affairs. However, the Count, + having settled some worrying matters to his own advantage, was very + lively, whilst the priest on his side was again hopeful, and yielded to + the delightful charm of that last fine day. And so the meal proved a very + pleasant one in the large, bright room, which, as usual at that season of + the year, was quite deserted. Pink and blue predominated in the + decoration, but Cupids fluttered on the ceiling, and landscapes, vaguely + recalling the Roman castles, adorned the walls. The things they ate were + fresh, and they drank the wine of Frascati, to which the soil imparts a + kind of burnt flavour as if the old volcanoes of the region had left some + little of their fire behind. + </p> + <p> + For a long while the conversation ranged over those wild and graceful + Alban hills, which, fortunately for the pleasure of the eye, overlook the + flat Roman Campagna. Pierre, who had made the customary carriage excursion + from Frascati to Nemi, still felt its charm and spoke of it in glowing + language. First came the lovely road from Frascati to Albano, ascending + and descending hillsides planted with reeds, vines, and olive-trees, + amongst which one obtained frequent glimpses of the Campagna’s wavy + immensity. On the right-hand the village of Rocca di Papa arose in + amphitheatrical fashion, showing whitely on a knoll below Monte Cavo, + which was crowned by lofty and ancient trees. And from this point of the + road, on looking back towards Frascati, one saw high up, on the verge of a + pine wood the ruins of Tusculum, large ruddy ruins, baked by centuries of + sunshine, and whence the boundless panorama must have been superb. Next + one passed through Marino, with its sloping streets, its large cathedral, + and its black decaying palace belonging to the Colonnas. Then, beyond a + wood of ilex-trees, the lake of Albano was skirted with scenery which has + no parallel in the world. In front, beyond the clear mirror of motionless + water, were the ruins of Alba Longa; on the left rose Monte Cavo with + Rocca di Papa and Palazzuolo; whilst on the right Castel Gandolfo + overlooked the lake as from the summit of a cliff. Down below in the + extinct crater, as in the depths of a gigantic cup of verdure, the lake + slept heavy and lifeless: a sheet of molten metal, which the sun on one + side streaked with gold, whilst the other was black with shade. And the + road then ascended all the way to Castel Gandolfo, which was perched on + its rock, like a white bird betwixt the lake and the sea. Ever refreshed + by breezes, even in the most burning hours of summer, the little place was + once famous for its papal villa, where Pius IX loved to spend hours of + indolence, and whither Leo XIII has never come. And next the road dipped + down, and the ilex-trees appeared again, ilex-trees famous for their size, + a double row of monsters with twisted limbs, two and three hundred years + old. Then one at last reached Albano, a small town less modernised and + less cleansed than Frascati, a patch of the old land which has retained + some of its ancient wildness; and afterwards there was Ariccia with the + Palazzo Chigi, and hills covered with forests and viaducts spanning + ravines which overflowed with foliage; and there was yet Genzano, and yet + Nemi, growing still wilder and more remote, lost in the midst of rocks and + trees. + </p> + <p> + Ah! how ineffaceable was the recollection which Pierre had retained of + Nemi, Nemi on the shore of its lake, Nemi so delicious and fascinating + from afar, conjuring up all the ancient legends of fairy towns springing + from amidst the greenery of mysterious waters, but so repulsively filthy + when one at last reaches it, crumbling on all sides but yet dominated by + the Orsini tower, as by the evil genius of the middle ages, which there + seems to perpetuate the ferocious habits, the violent passions, the knife + thrusts of the past! Thence came that Santobono whose brother had killed, + and who himself, with his eyes of crime glittering like live embers, + seemed to be consumed by a murderous flame. And the lake, that lake round + like an extinguished moon fallen into the depths of a former crater, a + deeper and less open cup than that of the lake of Albano, a cup rimmed + with trees of wondrous vigour and density! Pines, elms, and willows + descend to the very margin, with a green mass of tangled branches which + weigh each other down. This formidable fecundity springs from the vapour + which constantly arises from the water under the parching action of the + sun, whose rays accumulate in this hollow till it becomes like a furnace. + There is a warm, heavy dampness, the paths of the adjacent gardens grow + green with moss, and in the morning dense mists often fill the large cup + with white vapour, as with the steaming milk of some sorceress of + malevolent craft. And Pierre well remembered how uncomfortable he had felt + before that lake where ancient atrocities, a mysterious religion with + abominable rites, seemed to slumber amidst the superb scenery. He had seen + it at the approach of evening, looking, in the shade of its forest girdle, + like a plate of dull metal, black and silver, motionless by reason of its + weight. And that water, clear and yet so deep, that water deserted, + without a bark upon its surface, that water august, lifeless, and + sepulchral, had left him a feeling of inexpressible sadness, of mortal + melancholy, the hopelessness of great solitary passion, earth and water + alike swollen by the mute spasms of germs, troublous in their fecundity. + Ah! those black and plunging banks, and that black mournful lake prone at + the bottom!* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Some literary interest attaches to M. Zola’s account of Nemi, + whose praises have been sung by a hundred poets. It will be + observed that he makes no mention of Egeria. The religion + distinguished by abominable practices to which he alludes, + may perhaps be the worship of the Egyptian Diana, who had a + famous temple near Nemi, which was excavated by Lord Savile + some ten years ago, when all the smaller objects discovered + were presented to the town of Nottingham. At this temple, + according to some classical writers, the chief priest was + required to murder his predecessor, and there were other + abominable usages.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Count Prada began to laugh when Pierre told him of these impressions. + “Yes, yes,” said he, “it’s true, Nemi isn’t always gay. In dull weather I + have seen the lake looking like lead, and even the full sunshine scarcely + animates it. For my part, I know I should die of <i>ennui</i> if I had to + live face to face with that bare water. But it is admired by poets and + romantic women, those who adore great tragedies of passion.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as he and Pierre rose from the table to go and take coffee on the + terrace of the restaurant, the conversation changed: “Do you mean to + attend Prince Buongiovanni’s reception this evening?” the Count inquired. + “It will be a curious sight, especially for a foreigner, and I advise you + not to miss it.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I have an invitation,” Pierre replied. “A friend of mine, Monsieur + Narcisse Habert, an <i>attaché</i> at our embassy, procured it for me, and + I am going with him.” + </p> + <p> + That evening, indeed, there was to be a <i>fête</i> at the Palazzo + Buongiovanni on the Corso, one of the few galas that take place in Rome + each winter. People said that this one would surpass all others in + magnificence, for it was to be given in honour of the betrothal of little + Princess Celia. The Prince, her father, after boxing her ears, it was + rumoured, and narrowly escaping an attack of apoplexy as the result of a + frightful fit of anger, had, all at once, yielded to her quiet, gentle + stubbornness, and consented to her marriage with Lieutenant Attilio, the + son of Minister Sacco. And all the drawing-rooms of Rome, those of the + white world quite as much as those of the black, were thoroughly upset by + the tidings. + </p> + <p> + Count Prada made merry over the affair. “Ah! you’ll see a fine sight!” he + exclaimed. “Personally, I’m delighted with it all for the sake of my good + cousin Attilio, who is really a very nice and worthy fellow. And nothing + in the world would keep me from going to see my dear uncle Sacco make his + entry into the ancient <i>salons</i> of the Buongiovanni. It will be + something extraordinary and superb. He has at last become Minister of + Agriculture, you know. My father, who always takes things so seriously, + told me this morning that the affair so worried him he hadn’t closed his + eyes all night.” + </p> + <p> + The Count paused, but almost immediately added: “I say, it is half-past + two and you won’t have a train before five o’clock. Do you know what you + ought to do? Why, drive back to Rome with me in my carriage.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” rejoined Pierre, “I’m deeply obliged to you but I’m to dine with + my friend Narcisse this evening, and I mustn’t be late.” + </p> + <p> + “But you won’t be late—on the contrary! We shall start at three and + reach Rome before five o’clock. There can’t be a more pleasant promenade + when the light falls; and, come, I promise you a splendid sunset.” + </p> + <p> + He was so pressing that the young priest had to accept, quite subjugated + by so much amiability and good humour. They spent another half-hour very + pleasantly in chatting about Rome, Italy, and France. Then, for a moment, + they went up into Frascati where the Count wished to say a few words to a + contractor, and just as three o’clock was striking they started off, + seated side by side on the soft cushions and gently rocked by the motion + of the victoria as the two horses broke into a light trot. As Prada had + predicted, that return to Rome across the bare Campagna under the vast + limpid heavens at the close of such a mild autumn day proved most + delightful. First of all, however, the victoria had to descend the slopes + of Frascati between vineyards and olive-trees. The paved road snaked, and + was but little frequented; they merely saw a few peasants in old felt + hats, a white mule, and a cart drawn by a donkey, for it is only upon + Sundays that the <i>osterie</i> or wine-shops are filled and that artisans + in easy circumstances come to eat a dish of kid at the surrounding <i>bastides</i>. + However, at one turn of the road they passed a monumental fountain. Then a + flock of sheep momentarily barred the way before defiling past. And beyond + the gentle undulations of the ruddy Campagna Rome appeared amidst the + violet vapours of evening, sinking by degrees as the carriage itself + descended to a lower and lower level. There came a moment when the city + was a mere thin grey streak, speckled whitely here and there by a few + sunlit house-fronts. And then it seemed to plunge below the ground—to + be submerged by the swell of the far-spreading fields. + </p> + <p> + The victoria was now rolling over the plain, leaving the Alban hills + behind, whilst before it and on either hand came the expanse of meadows + and stubbles. And then it was that the Count, after leaning forward, + exclaimed: “Just look ahead, yonder, there’s our man of this morning, + Santobono in person—what a strapping fellow he is, and how fast he + walks! My horses can scarcely overtake him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre in his turn leant forward and likewise perceived the priest of St. + Mary in the Fields, looking tall and knotty, fashioned as it were with a + bill-hook. Robed in a long black cassock, he showed like a vigorous + splotch of ink amidst the bright sunshine streaming around him; and he was + walking on at such a fast, stern, regular pace that he suggested Destiny + on the march. Something, which could not be well distinguished, was + hanging from his right arm. + </p> + <p> + When the carriage had at last overtaken him Prada told the coachman to + slacken speed, and then entered into conversation. + </p> + <p> + “Good-day, Abbé; you are well, I hope?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Very well, Signor Conte, I thank you.” + </p> + <p> + “And where are you going so bravely?” + </p> + <p> + “Signor Conte, I am going to Rome.” + </p> + <p> + “What! to Rome, at this late hour?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I shall be there nearly as soon as yourself. The distance doesn’t + frighten me, and money’s quickly earned by walking.” + </p> + <p> + Scarcely turning his head to reply, stepping out beside the wheels, + Santobono did not miss a stride. And Prada, diverted by the meeting, + whispered to Pierre: “Wait a bit, he’ll amuse us.” Then he added aloud: + “Since you are going to Rome, Abbé, you had better get in here; there’s + room for you.” + </p> + <p> + Santobono required no pressing, but at once accepted the offer. + “Willingly; a thousand thanks,” he said. “It’s still better to save one’s + shoe leather.” + </p> + <p> + Then he got in and installed himself on the bracket-seat, declining with + abrupt humility the place which Pierre politely offered him beside the + Count. The young priest and the latter now saw that the object he was + carrying was a little basket of fresh figs, nicely arranged and covered + with leaves. + </p> + <p> + The horses set off again at a faster trot, and the carriage rolled on and + on over the superb, flat plain. “So you are going to Rome?” the Count + resumed in order to make Santobono talk. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” the other replied, “I am taking his Eminence Cardinal Boccanera + these few figs, the last of the season: a little present which I had + promised him.” He had placed the basket on his knees and was holding it + between his big knotty hands as if it were something rare and fragile. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! some of the famous figs of your garden,” said Prada. “It’s quite + true, they are like honey. But why don’t you rid yourself of them. You + surely don’t mean to keep them on your knees all the way to Rome. Give + them to me, I’ll put them in the hood.” + </p> + <p> + However, Santobono became quite agitated, and vigorously declined the + offer. “No, no, a thousand thanks! They don’t embarrass me in the least; + they are very well here; and in this way I shall be sure that no accident + will befall them.” + </p> + <p> + His passion for the fruit he grew quite amused Prada, who nudged Pierre, + and then inquired: “Is the Cardinal fond of your figs?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! his Eminence condescends to adore them. In former years, when he + spent the summer at the villa, he would never touch the figs from other + trees. And so, you see, knowing his tastes, it costs me very little to + gratify him.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst making this reply Santobono had shot such a keen glance in the + direction of Pierre that the Count felt it necessary to introduce them to + one another. This he did saying: “As it happens, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment + is stopping at the Palazzo Boccanera; he has been there for three months + or so.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I’m aware of it,” Santobono quietly replied; “I found Monsieur + l’Abbé with his Eminence one day when I took some figs to the Palazzo. + Those were less ripe, but these are perfect.” So speaking he gave the + little basket a complacent glance, and seemed to press it yet more closely + between his huge and hairy fingers. + </p> + <p> + Then came a spell of silence, whilst on either hand the Campagna spread + out as far as the eye could reach. All houses had long since disappeared; + there was not a wall, not a tree, nothing but the undulating expanse whose + sparse, short herbage was, with the approach of winter, beginning to turn + green once more. A tower, a half-fallen ruin which came into sight on the + left, rising in solitude into the limpid sky above the flat, boundless + line of the horizon, suddenly assumed extraordinary importance. Then, on + the right, the distant silhouettes of cattle and horses were seen in a + large enclosure with wooden rails. Urged on by the goad, oxen, still + yoked, were slowly coming back from ploughing; whilst a farmer, cantering + beside the ploughed land on a little sorrel nag, gave a final look round + for the night. Now and again the road became peopled. A <i>biroccino</i>, + an extremely light vehicle with two huge wheels and a small seat perched + upon the springs, whisked by like a gust of wind. From time to time also + the victoria passed a <i>carrotino</i>, one of the low carts in which + peasants, sheltered by a kind of bright-hued tent, bring the wine, + vegetables, and fruit of the castle-lands to Rome. The shrill tinkling of + horses’ bells was heard afar off as the animals followed the well-known + road of their own accord, their peasant drivers usually being sound + asleep. Women with bare, black hair, scarlet neckerchiefs, and skirts + caught up, were seen going home in groups of three and four. And then the + road again emptied, and the solitude became more and more complete, + without a wayfarer or an animal appearing for miles and miles, whilst + yonder, at the far end of the lifeless sea, so grandiose and mournful in + its monotony, the sun continued to descend from the infinite vault of + heaven. + </p> + <p> + “And the Pope, Abbé, is he dead?” Prada suddenly inquired. + </p> + <p> + Santobono did not even start. “I trust,” he replied in all simplicity, + “that his Holiness still has many long years to live for the triumph of + the Church.” + </p> + <p> + “So you had good news this morning when you called on your bishop, + Cardinal Sanguinetti?” + </p> + <p> + This time the priest was unable to restrain a slight start. Had he been + seen, then? In his haste he had failed to notice the two men following the + road behind him. However, he at once regained self-possession, and + replied: “Oh! one can never tell exactly whether news is good or bad. It + seems that his Holiness passed a somewhat painful night, but I devoutly + hope that the next will be a better one.” Then he seemed to meditate for a + moment, and added: “Moreover, if God should have deemed it time to call + his Holiness to Himself, He would not leave His flock without a shepherd. + He would have already chosen and designated the Sovereign Pontiff of + to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + This superb answer increased Prada’s gaiety. “You are really + extraordinary, Abbé,” he said. “So you think that popes are solely created + by the grace of the Divinity! The pope of to-morrow is chosen up in + heaven, eh, and simply waits? Well, I fancied that men had something to do + with the matter. But perhaps you already know which cardinal it is that + the divine favour has thus elected in advance?” + </p> + <p> + Then, like the unbeliever he was, he went on with his facile jests, which + left the priest unruffled. In fact, the latter also ended by laughing when + the Count, after alluding to the gambling passion which at each fresh + Conclave sets wellnigh the whole population of Rome betting for or against + this or that candidate, told him that he might easily make his fortune if + he were in the divine secret. Next the talk turned on the three white + cassocks of different sizes which are always kept in readiness in a + cupboard at the Vatican. Which of them would be required on this occasion?—the + short one, the long one, or the one of medium size? Each time that the + reigning pope falls somewhat seriously ill there is in this wise an + extraordinary outburst of emotion, a keen awakening of all ambitions and + intrigues, to such a point that not merely in the black world, but + throughout the city, people have no other subject of curiosity, + conversation, and occupation than that of discussing the relative claims + of the cardinals and predicting which of them will be elected. + </p> + <p> + “Come, come,” Prada resumed, “since you know the truth, I’m determined + that you shall tell me. Will it be Cardinal Moretta?” + </p> + <p> + Santobono, in spite of his evident desire to remain dignified and + disinterested, like a good, pious priest, was gradually growing + impassioned, yielding to the hidden fire which consumed him. And this + interrogatory finished him off; he could no longer restrain himself, but + replied: “Moretta! What an idea! Why, he is sold to all Europe!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, will it be Cardinal Bartolini?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! you can’t think that. Bartolini has used himself up in striving for + everything and getting nothing.” + </p> + <p> + “Will it be Cardinal Dozio, then?” + </p> + <p> + “Dozio, Dozio! Why, if Dozio were to win one might altogether despair of + our Holy Church, for no man can have a baser mind than he!” + </p> + <p> + Prada raised his hands, as if he had exhausted the serious candidates. In + order to increase the priest’s exasperation he maliciously refrained from + naming Cardinal Sanguinetti, who was certainly Santobono’s nominee. All at + once, however, he pretended to make a good guess, and gaily exclaimed: + “Ah! I have it; I know your man—Cardinal Boccanera!” + </p> + <p> + The blow struck Santobono full in the heart, wounding him both in his + rancour and his patriotic faith. His terrible mouth was already opening, + and he was about to shout “No! no!” with all his strength, but he managed + to restrain the cry, compelled as he was to silence by the present on his + knees—that little basket of figs which he pressed so convulsively + with both hands; and the effort which he was obliged to make left him + quivering to such a point that he had to wait some time before he could + reply in a calm voice: “His most reverend Eminence Cardinal Boccanera is a + saintly man, well worthy of the throne, and my only fear is that, with his + hatred of new Italy, he might bring us warfare.” + </p> + <p> + Prada, however, desired to enlarge the wound. “At all events,” said he, + “you accept him and love him too much not to rejoice over his chances of + success. And I really think that we have arrived at the truth, for + everybody is convinced that the Conclave’s choice cannot fall elsewhere. + Come, come; Boccanera is a very tall man, so it’s the long white cassock + which will be required.” + </p> + <p> + “The long cassock, the long cassock,” growled Santobono, despite himself; + “that’s all very well, but—” + </p> + <p> + Then he stopped short, and, again overcoming his passion, left his + sentence unfinished. Pierre, listening in silence, marvelled at the man’s + self-restraint, for he remembered the conversation which he had overheard + at Cardinal Sanguinetti’s. Those figs were evidently a mere pretext for + gaining admission to the Boccanera mansion, where some friend—Abbé + Paparelli, no doubt—could alone supply certain positive information + which was needed. But how great was the command which the hot-blooded + priest exercised over himself amidst the riotous impulses of his soul! + </p> + <p> + On either side of the road the Campagna still and ever spread its expanse + of verdure, and Prada, who had become grave and dreamy, gazed before him + without seeing anything. At last, however, he gave expression to his + thoughts. “You know, Abbé, what will be said if the Pope should die this + time. That sudden illness, those colics, those refusals to make any + information public, mean nothing good—Yes, yes, poison, just as for + the others!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre gave a start of stupefaction. The Pope poisoned! “What! Poison? + Again?” he exclaimed as he gazed at his companions with dilated eyes. + Poison at the end of the nineteenth century, as in the days of the + Borgias, as on the stage in a romanticist melodrama! To him the idea + appeared both monstrous and ridiculous. + </p> + <p> + Santobono, whose features had become motionless and impenetrable, made no + reply. But Prada nodded, and the conversation was henceforth confined to + him and the young priest. “Why, yes, poison,” he replied. “The fear of it + has remained very great in Rome. Whenever a death seems inexplicable, + either by reason of its suddenness or the tragic circumstances which + attend it, the unanimous thought is poison. And remark this: in no city, I + believe, are sudden deaths so frequent. The causes I don’t exactly know, + but some doctors put everything down to the fevers. Among the people, + however, the one thought is poison, poison with all its legends, poison + which kills like lightning and leaves no trace, the famous recipe + bequeathed from age to age, through the emperors and the popes, down to + these present times of middle-class democracy.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke he ended by smiling, for he was inclined to be somewhat + sceptical on the point, despite the covert terror with which he was + inspired by racial and educational causes. However, he quoted instances. + The Roman matrons had rid themselves of their husbands and lovers by + employing the venom of red toads. Locusta, in a more practical spirit, + sought poison in plants, one of which, probably aconite, she was wont to + boil. Then, long afterwards, came the age of the Borgias, and + subsequently, at Naples, La Toffana sold a famous water, doubtless some + preparation of arsenic, in phials decorated with a representation of St. + Nicholas of Bari. There were also extraordinary stories of pins, a prick + from which killed one like lightning, of cups of wine poisoned by the + infusion of rose petals, of woodcocks cut in half with prepared knives, + which poisoned but one-half of the bird, so that he who partook of that + half was killed. “I myself, in my younger days,” continued Prada, “had a + friend whose bride fell dead in church during the marriage service through + simply inhaling a bouquet of flowers. And so isn’t it possible that the + famous recipe may really have been handed down, and have remained known to + a few adepts?” + </p> + <p> + “But chemistry has made too much progress,” Pierre replied. “If mysterious + poisons were believed in by the ancients and remained undetected in their + time it was because there were no means of analysis. But the drug of the + Borgias would now lead the simpleton who might employ it straight to the + Assizes. Such stories are mere nonsense, and at the present day people + scarcely tolerate them in newspaper serials and shockers.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps so,” resumed the Count with his uneasy smile. “You are right, no + doubt—only go and tell that to your host, for instance, Cardinal + Boccanera, who last summer held in his arms an old and deeply-loved + friend, Monsignor Gallo, who died after a seizure of a couple of hours.” + </p> + <p> + “But apoplexy may kill one in two hours, and aneurism only takes two + minutes.” + </p> + <p> + “True, but ask the Cardinal what he thought of his friend’s prolonged + shudders, the leaden hue which overcame his face, the sinking of his eyes, + and the expression of terror which made him quite unrecognisable. The + Cardinal is convinced that Monsignor Gallo was poisoned, because he was + his dearest confidant, the counsellor to whom he always listened, and + whose wise advice was a guarantee of success.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s bewilderment was increasing, and, irritated by the impassibility + of Santobono, he addressed him direct. “It’s idiotic, it’s awful! Does + your reverence also believe in these frightful stories?” + </p> + <p> + But the priest of Frascati gave no sign. His thick, passionate lips + remained closed while his black glowing eyes never ceased to gaze at + Prada. The latter, moreover, was quoting other instances. There was the + case of Monsignor Nazzarelli, who had been found in bed, shrunken and + calcined like carbon. And there was that of Monsignor Brando, struck down + in his sacerdotal vestments at St. Peter’s itself, in the very sacristy, + during vespers! + </p> + <p> + “Ah! <i>Mon Dieu</i>!” sighed Pierre, “you will tell me so much that I + myself shall end by trembling, and sha’n’t dare to eat anything but boiled + eggs as long as I stay in this terrible Rome of yours.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment this whimsical reply enlivened both the Count and Pierre. But + it was quite true that their conversation showed Rome under a terrible + aspect, for it conjured up the Eternal City of Crime, the city of poison + and the knife, where for more than two thousand years, ever since the + raising of the first bit of wall, the lust of power, the frantic hunger + for possession and enjoyment, had armed men’s hands, ensanguined the + pavements, and cast victims into the river and the ground. Assassinations + and poisonings under the emperors, poisonings and assassinations under the + popes, ever did the same torrent of abominations strew that tragic soil + with death amidst the sovereign glory of the sun. + </p> + <p> + “All the same,” said the Count, “those who take precautions are perhaps + not ill advised. It is said that more than one cardinal shudders and + mistrusts people. One whom I know will never eat anything that has not + been bought and prepared by his own cook. And as for the Pope, if he is + anxious—” + </p> + <p> + Pierre again raised a cry of stupefaction. “What, the Pope himself! The + Pope afraid of being poisoned!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, my dear Abbé, people commonly assert it. There are certainly days + when he considers himself more menaced than anybody else. And are you not + aware of the old Roman view that a pope ought never to live till too great + an age, and that when he is so obstinate as not to die at the right time + he ought to be assisted? As soon as a pope begins to fall into second + childhood, and by reason of his senility becomes a source of + embarrassment, and possibly even danger, to the Church, his right place is + heaven. Moreover, matters are managed in a discreet manner; a slight cold + becomes a decent pretext to prevent him from tarrying any longer on the + throne of St. Peter.” + </p> + <p> + Prada then gave some curious details. One prelate, it was said, wishing to + dispel his Holiness’s fears, had devised an elaborate precautionary system + which, among other things, was to comprise a little padlocked vehicle, in + which the food destined for the frugal pontifical table was to be securely + placed before leaving the kitchen, so that it might not be tampered with + on its way to the Pope’s apartments. However, this project had not yet + been carried into effect. + </p> + <p> + “After all,” the Count concluded with a laugh, “every pope has to die some + day, especially when his death is needful for the welfare of the Church. + Isn’t that so, Abbé?” + </p> + <p> + Santobono, whom he addressed, had a moment previously lowered his eyes as + if to contemplate the little basket of figs which he held on his lap with + as much care as if it had been the Blessed Sacrament. On being questioned + in such a direct, sharp fashion he could not do otherwise than look up. + However, he did not depart from his prolonged silence, but limited his + answer to a slow nod. + </p> + <p> + “And it is God alone, and not poison, who causes one to die. Is that not + so, Abbé?” repeated Prada. “It is said that those were the last words of + poor Monsignor Gallo before he expired in the arms of his friend Cardinal + Boccanera.” + </p> + <p> + For the second time Santobono nodded without speaking. And then silence + fell, all three sinking into a dreamy mood. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, without a pause, the carriage rolled on across the immensity of + the Campagna. The road, straight as an arrow, seemed to extend into the + infinite. As the sun descended towards the horizon the play of light and + shade became more marked on the broad undulations of the ground which + stretched away, alternately of a pinky green and a violet grey, till they + reached the distant fringe of the sky. At the roadside on either hand + there were still and ever tall withered thistles and giant fennel with + yellow umbels. Then, after a time, came a team of four oxen, that had been + kept ploughing until late, and stood forth black and huge in the pale + atmosphere and mournful solitude. Farther on some flocks of sheep, whence + the breeze wafted a tallowy odour, set patches of brown amidst the + herbage, which once more was becoming verdant; whilst at intervals a dog + was heard to bark, his voice the only distinct sound amidst the low + quivering of that silent desert where the sovereign peacefulness of death + seemed to reign. But all at once a light melody arose and some larks flew + up, one of them soaring into the limpid golden heavens. And ahead, at the + far extremity of the pure sky, Rome, with her towers and domes, grew + larger and larger, like a city of white marble springing from a mirage + amidst the greenery of some enchanted garden. + </p> + <p> + “Matteo!” Prada called to his coachman, “pull up at the Osteria Romana.” + And to his companions he added: “Pray excuse me, but I want to see if I + can get some new-laid eggs for my father. He is so fond of them.” + </p> + <p> + A few minutes afterwards the carriage stopped. At the very edge of the + road stood a primitive sort of inn, bearing the proud and sonorous name of + “Antica Osteria Romana.” It had now become a mere house of call for + carters and chance sportsmen, who ventured to drink a flagon of white wine + whilst eating an omelet and a slice of ham. Occasionally, on Sundays, some + of the humble classes would walk over from Rome and make merry there; but + the week days often went by without a soul entering the place, such was + its isolation amidst the bare Campagna. + </p> + <p> + The Count was already springing from the carriage. “I shall only be a + minute,” said he as he turned away. + </p> + <p> + The <i>osteria</i> was a long, low pile with a ground floor and one upper + storey, the last being reached by an outdoor stairway built of large + blocks of stone which had been scorched by the hot suns. The entire place, + indeed, was corroded, tinged with the hue of old gold. On the ground floor + one found a common room, a cart-house, and a stable with adjoining sheds. + At one side, near a cluster of parasol pines—the only trees that + could grow in that ungrateful soil—there was an arbour of reeds + where five or six rough wooden tables were set out. And, as a background + to this sorry, mournful nook of life, there arose a fragment of an ancient + aqueduct whose arches, half fallen and opening on to space, alone + interrupted the flat line of the horizon. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, the Count retraced his steps, and, addressing + Santobono, exclaimed: “I say, Abbé, you’ll surely accept a glass of white + wine. I know that you are a bit of a vine grower, and they have a little + white wine here which you ought to make acquaintance with.” + </p> + <p> + Santobono again required no pressing, but quietly alighted. “Oh! I know + it,” said he; “it’s a wine from Marino; it’s grown in a lighter soil than + ours at Frascati.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as he would not relax his hold on his basket of figs, but even now + carried it along with him, the Count lost patience. “Come, you don’t want + that basket,” said he; “leave it in the carriage.” + </p> + <p> + The priest gave no reply, but walked ahead, whilst Pierre also made up his + mind to descend from the carriage in order to see what a suburban <i>osteria</i> + was like. Prada was known at this place, and an old woman, tall, withered, + but looking quite queenly in her wretched garments, had at once presented + herself. On the last occasion when the Count had called she had managed to + find half a dozen eggs. This time she said she would go to see, but could + promise nothing, for the hens laid here and there all over the place, and + she could never tell what eggs there might be. + </p> + <p> + “All right!” Prada answered, “go and look; and meantime we will have a <i>caraffa</i> + of white wine.” + </p> + <p> + The three men entered the common room, which was already quite dark. + Although the hot weather was now over, one heard the buzzing of + innumerable flies immediately one reached the threshold, and a pungent + odour of acidulous wine and rancid oil caught one at the throat. As soon + as their eyes became accustomed to the dimness they were able to + distinguish the spacious, blackened, malodorous chamber, whose only + furniture consisted of some roughly made tables and benches. It seemed to + be quite empty, so complete was the silence, apart from the buzz of the + flies. However, two men were seated there, two wayfarers who remained mute + and motionless before their untouched, brimming glasses. Moreover, on a + low chair near the door, in the little light which penetrated from + without, a thin, sallow girl, the daughter of the house, sat idle, + trembling with fever, her hands close pressed between her knees. + </p> + <p> + Realising that Pierre felt uncomfortable there, the Count proposed that + they should drink their wine outside. “We shall be better out of doors,” + said he, “it’s so very in mild this evening.” + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, whilst the mother looked for the eggs, and the father mended + a wheel in an adjacent shed, the daughter was obliged to get up shivering + to carry the flagon of wine and the three glasses to the arbour, where she + placed them on one of the tables. And, having pocketed the price of the + wine—threepence—in silence, she went back to her seat with a + sullen look, as if annoyed at having been compelled to make such a long + journey. Meanwhile the three men had sat down, and Prada gaily filled each + of the glasses, although Pierre declared that he was quite unable to drink + wine between his meals. “Pooh, pooh,” said the Count, “you can always + clink glasses with us. And now, Abbé, isn’t this little wine droll? Come, + here’s to the Pope’s better health, since he’s unwell!” + </p> + <p> + Santobono at one gulp emptied his glass and clacked his tongue. With + gentle, paternal care he had deposited his basket on the ground beside + him: and, taking off his hat, he drew a long breath. The evening was + really delightful. A superb sky of a soft golden hue stretched over that + endless sea of the Campagna which was soon to fall asleep with sovereign + quiescence. And the light breeze which went by amidst the deep silence + brought with it an exquisite odour of wild herbs and flowers. + </p> + <p> + “How pleasant it is!” muttered Pierre, affected by the surrounding charm. + “And what a desert for eternal rest, forgetfulness of all the world!” + </p> + <p> + Prada, who had emptied the flagon by filling Santobono’s glass a second + time, made no reply; he was silently amusing himself with an occurrence + which at first he was the only one to observe. However, with a merry + expression of complicity, he gave the young priest a wink, and then they + both watched the dramatic incidents of the affair. Some scraggy fowls were + wandering round them searching the yellow turf for grasshoppers; and one + of these birds, a little shiny black hen with an impudent manner, had + caught sight of the basket of figs and was boldly approaching it. When she + got near, however, she took fright, and retreated somewhat, with neck + stiffened and head turned, so as to cast suspicious glances at the basket + with her round sparkling eye. But at last covetousness gained the victory, + for she could see one of the figs between the leaves, and so she slowly + advanced, lifting her feet very high at each step; and, all at once, + stretching out her neck, she gave the fig a formidable peck, which ripped + it open and made the juice exude. + </p> + <p> + Prada, who felt as happy as a child, was then able to give vent to the + laughter which he had scarcely been able to restrain: “Look out, Abbé,” he + called, “mind your figs!” + </p> + <p> + At that very moment Santobono was finishing his second glass of wine with + his head thrown back and his eyes blissfully raised to heaven. He gave a + start, looked round, and on seeing the hen at once understood the + position. And then came a terrible outburst of anger, with sweeping + gestures and terrible invectives. But the hen, who was again pecking, + would not be denied; she dug her beak into the fig and carried it off, + flapping her wings, so quick and so comical that Prada, and Pierre as + well, laughed till tears came into their eyes, their merriment increasing + at sight of the impotent fury of Santobono, who, for a moment, pursued the + thief, threatening her with his fist. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said the Count, “that’s what comes of not leaving the basket in the + carriage. If I hadn’t warned you the hen would have eaten all the figs.” + </p> + <p> + The priest did not reply, but, growling out vague imprecations, placed the + basket on the table, where he raised the leaves and artistically + rearranged the fruit so as to fill up the void. Then, the harm having been + repaired as far as was possible, he at last calmed down. + </p> + <p> + It was now time for them to resume their journey, for the sun was sinking + towards the horizon, and night would soon fall. Thus the Count ended by + getting impatient. “Well, and those eggs?” he called. + </p> + <p> + Then, as the woman did not return, he went to seek her. He entered the + stable, and afterwards the cart-house, but she was neither here nor there. + Next he went towards the rear of the <i>osteria</i> in order to look in + the sheds. But all at once an unexpected spectacle made him stop short. + The little black hen was lying on the ground, dead, killed as by + lightning. She showed no sign of hurt; there was nothing but a little + streamlet of violet blood still trickling from her beak. Prada was at + first merely astonished. He stooped and touched the hen. She was still + warm and soft like a rag. Doubtless some apoplectic stroke had killed her. + But immediately afterwards he became fearfully pale; the truth appeared to + him, and turned him as cold as ice. In a moment he conjured up everything: + Leo XIII attacked by illness, Santobono hurrying to Cardinal Sanguinetti + for tidings, and then starting for Rome to present a basket of figs to + Cardinal Boccanera. And Prada also remembered the conversation in the + carriage: the possibility of the Pope’s demise, the candidates for the + tiara, the legendary stories of poison which still fostered terror in and + around the Vatican; and he once more saw the priest, with his little + basket on his knees, lavishing paternal attention on it, and he saw the + little black hen pecking at the fruit and fleeing with a fig on her beak. + And now that little black hen lay there, suddenly struck down, dead! + </p> + <p> + His conviction was immediate and absolute. But he did not have time to + decide what course he should take, for a voice behind him exclaimed: “Why, + it’s the little hen; what’s the matter with her?” + </p> + <p> + The voice was that of Pierre, who, letting Santobono climb into the + carriage alone, had in his turn come round to the rear of the house in + order to obtain a better view of the ruined aqueduct among the parasol + pines. + </p> + <p> + Prada, who shuddered as if he himself were the culprit, answered him with + a lie, a lie which he did not premeditate, but to which he was impelled by + a sort of instinct. “But she’s dead,” he said.... “Just fancy, there was a + fight. At the moment when I got here that other hen, which you see yonder, + sprang upon this one to get the fig, which she was still holding, and with + a thrust of the beak split her head open.... The blood’s flowing, as you + can see yourself.” + </p> + <p> + Why did he say these things? He himself was astonished at them whilst he + went on inventing them. Was it then that he wished to remain master of the + situation, keep the abominable secret entirely to himself, in order that + he might afterwards act in accordance with his own desires? Certainly his + feelings partook of shame and embarrassment in presence of that foreigner, + whilst his personal inclination for violence set some admiration amidst + the revolt of his conscience, and a covert desire arose within him to + examine the matter from the standpoint of his interests before he came to + a decision. But, on the other hand, he claimed to be a man of integrity, + and would assuredly not allow people to be poisoned. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was compassionately inclined towards all creation, looked at + the hen with the emotion which he always felt at the sudden severance of + life. However, he at once accepted Prada’s story. “Ah! those fowls!” said + he. “They treat one another with an idiotic ferocity which even men can + scarcely equal. I kept fowls at home at one time, and one of the hens no + sooner hurt her leg than all the others, on seeing the blood oozing, would + flock round and peck at the limb till they stripped it to the bone.” + </p> + <p> + Prada, however, did not listen, but at once went off; and it so happened + that the woman was, on her side, looking for him in order to hand him four + eggs which, after a deal of searching, she had discovered in odd corners + about the house. The Count made haste to pay for them, and called to + Pierre, who was lingering behind: “We must look sharp! We sha’n’t reach + Rome now until it is quite dark.” + </p> + <p> + They found Santobono quietly waiting in the carriage, where he had again + installed himself on the bracket with his spine resting against the + box-seat and his long legs drawn back under him, and he again had the + little basket of figs on his knees, and clasped it with his big knotty + hands as though it were something fragile and rare which the slightest + jolting might damage. His cassock showed like a huge blot, and in his + coarse ashen face, that of a peasant yet near to the wild soil and but + slightly polished by a few years of theological studies, his eyes alone + seemed to live, glowing with the dark flame of a devouring passion. On + seeing him seated there in such composure Prada could not restrain a + slight shudder. Then, as soon as the victoria was again rolling along the + road, he exclaimed: “Well, Abbé, that glass of wine will guarantee us + against the malaria. The Pope would soon be cured if he could imitate our + example.” + </p> + <p> + Santobono’s only reply was a growl. He was in no mood for conversation, + but wrapped himself in perfect silence, as in the night which was slowly + falling. And Prada in his turn ceased to speak, and, with his eyes still + fixed upon the other, reflected on the course that he should follow. + </p> + <p> + The road turned, and then the carriage rolled on and on over another + interminable straight highway with white paving, whose brilliancy made the + road look like a ribbon of snow stretching across the Campagna, where + delicate shadows were slowly falling. Gloom gathered in the hollows of the + broad undulations whence a tide of violet hue seemed to spread over the + short herbage until all mingled and the expanse became an indistinct swell + of neutral hue from one to the other horizon. And the solitude was now yet + more complete; a last indolent cart had gone by and a last tinkling of + horses’ bells had subsided in the distance. There was no longer a + passer-by, no longer a beast of the fields to be seen, colour and sound + died away, all forms of life sank into slumber, into the serene stillness + of nihility. Some fragments of an aqueduct were still to be seen at + intervals on the right hand, where they looked like portions of gigantic + millepeds severed by the scythe of time; next, on the left, came another + tower, whose dark and ruined pile barred the sky as with a huge black + stake; and then the remains of another aqueduct spanned the road, assuming + yet greater dimensions against the sunset glow. Ah! that unique hour, the + hour of twilight in the Campagna, when all is blotted out and simplified, + the hour of bare immensity, of the infinite in its simplest expression! + There is nothing, nothing all around you, but the flat line of the horizon + with the one splotch of an isolated tower, and yet that nothing is + instinct with sovereign majesty. + </p> + <p> + However, on the left, towards the sea, the sun was setting, descending in + the limpid sky like a globe of fire of blinding redness. It slowly plunged + beneath the horizon, and the only sign of cloud was some fiery vapour, as + if indeed the distant sea had seethed at contact with that royal and + flaming visit. And directly the sun had disappeared the heavens above it + purpled and became a lake of blood, whilst the Campagna turned to grey. At + the far end of the fading plain there remained only that purple lake whose + brasier slowly died out behind the black arches of the aqueduct, while in + the opposite direction the scattered arches remained bright and rosy + against a pewter-like sky. Then the fiery vapour was dissipated, and the + sunset ended by fading away. One by one the stars came out in the pacified + vault, now of an ashen blue, while the lights of Rome, still far away on + the verge of the horizon, scintillated like the lamps of light-houses. + </p> + <p> + And Prada, amidst the dreamy silence of his companions and the infinite + melancholy of the evening and the inexpressible distress which even he + experienced, continued to ask himself what course he should adopt. Again + and again he mentally repeated that he could not allow people to be + poisoned. The figs were certainly intended for Cardinal Boccanera, and on + the whole it mattered little to him whether there were a cardinal the more + or the fewer in the world. Moreover, it had always seemed to him best to + let Destiny follow its course; and, infidel that he was, he saw no harm in + one priest devouring another. Again, it might be dangerous for him to + intervene in that abominable affair, to mix himself up in the base, + fathomless intrigues of the black world. But on the other hand the + Cardinal was not the only person who lived in the Boccanera mansion, and + might not the figs go to others, might they not be eaten by people to whom + no harm was intended? This idea of a treacherous chance haunted him, and + in spite of every effort the figures of Benedetta and Dario rose up before + him, returned and imposed themselves on him though he again and again + sought to banish them from his mind. What if Benedetta, what if Dario + should partake of that fruit? For Benedetta he felt no fear, for he knew + that she and her aunt ate their meals by themselves, and that their + cuisine and the Cardinal’s had nothing in common. But Dario sat at his + uncle’s table every day, and for a moment Prada, pictured the young Prince + suddenly seized with a spasm, then falling, like poor Monsignor Gallo, + into the Cardinal’s arms with livid face and receding eyes, and dying + within two hours. + </p> + <p> + But no, no! That would be frightful, he could not suffer such an + abomination. And thereupon he made up his mind. He would wait till the + night had completely gathered round and would then simply take the basket + from Santobono’s lap and fling it into some dark hollow without saying a + word. The priest would understand him. The other one, the young Frenchman, + would perhaps not even notice the incident. Besides, that mattered little, + for he would not even attempt to explain his action. And he felt quite + calm again when the idea occurred to him to throw the basket away while + the carriage passed through the Porta Furba, a couple of miles or so + before reaching Rome. That would suit him exactly; in the darkness of the + gateway nothing whatever would be seen. + </p> + <p> + “We stopped too long at that <i>osteria</i>,” he suddenly exclaimed aloud, + turning towards Pierre. “We sha’n’t reach Rome much before six o’clock. + Still you will have time to dress and join your friend.” And then without + awaiting the young man’s reply he said to Santobono: “Your figs will + arrive very late, Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” answered the priest, “his Eminence receives until eight o’clock. + And, besides, the figs are not for this evening. People don’t eat figs in + the evening. They will be for to-morrow morning.” And thereupon he again + relapsed into silence. + </p> + <p> + “For to-morrow morning—yes, yes, no doubt,” repeated Prada. “And the + Cardinal will be able to thoroughly regale himself if nobody helps him to + eat the fruit.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre, without pausing to reflect, exclaimed: “He will no doubt + eat it by himself, for his nephew, Prince Dario, must have started to-day + for Naples on a little convalescence trip to rid himself of the effects of + the accident which laid him up during the last month.” Then, having got so + far, the young priest remembered to whom he was speaking, and abruptly + stopped short. + </p> + <p> + The Count noticed his embarrassment. “Oh! speak on, my dear Monsieur + Froment,” said he, “you don’t offend me. It’s an old affair now. So that + young man has left, you say?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, unless he has postponed his departure. However, I don’t expect to + find him at the palazzo when I get there.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment the only sound was that of the continuous rumble of the + wheels. Prada again felt worried, a prey to the discomfort of uncertainty. + Why should he mix himself up in the affair if Dario were really absent? + All the ideas which came to him tired his brain, and he ended by thinking + aloud: “If he has gone away it must be for propriety’s sake, so as to + avoid attending the Buongiovanni reception, for the Congregation of the + Council met this morning to give its decision in the suit which the + Countess has brought against me. Yes, I shall know by and by whether our + marriage is to be dissolved.” + </p> + <p> + It was in a somewhat hoarse voice that he spoke these words, and one could + realise that the old wound was again bleeding within him. Although Lisbeth + had borne him a son, the charge levelled against him in his wife’s + petition for divorce still filled him with blind fury each time that he + thought of it. And all at once he shuddered violently, as if an icy blast + had darted through his frame. Then, turning the conversation, he added: + “It’s not at all warm this evening. This is the dangerous hour of the + Roman climate, the twilight hour when it’s easy to catch a terrible fever + if one isn’t prudent. Here, pull the rug over your legs, wrap it round you + as carefully as you can.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as they drew near the Porta Furba, silence again fell, more + profound, like the slumber which was invincibly spreading over the + Campagna, now steeped in night. And at last, in the bright starlight, + appeared the gate, an arch of the Acqua Felice, under which the road + passed. From a distance, this fragment seemed to bar the way with its mass + of ancient half-fallen walls. But afterwards the gigantic arch where all + was black opened like a gaping porch. And the carriage passed under it in + darkness whilst the wheels rumbled with increased sonority. + </p> + <p> + When the victoria emerged on the other side, Santobono still had the + little basket of figs upon his knees and Prada looked at it, quite + overcome, asking himself what sudden paralysis of the hands had prevented + him from seizing it and throwing it into the darkness. Such had still been + his intention but a few seconds before they passed under the arch. He had + even given the basket a final glance in order that he might the better + realise what movements he should make. What had taken place within him + then? At present he was yielding to increasing irresolution, henceforth + incapable of decisive action, feeling a need of delay in order that he + might, before everything else, fully satisfy himself as to what was likely + to happen. And as Dario had doubtless gone away and the figs would + certainly not be eaten until the following morning, what reason was there + for him to hurry? He would know that evening if the Congregation of the + Council had annulled his marriage, he would know how far the so-called + “Justice of God” was venal and mendacious! Certainly he would suffer + nobody to be poisoned, not even Cardinal Boccanera, though the latter’s + life was of little account to him personally. But had not that little + basket, ever since leaving Frascati, been like Destiny on the march? And + was it not enjoyment, the enjoyment of omnipotence, to be able to say to + himself that he was the master who could stay that basket’s course, or + allow it to go onward and accomplish its deadly purpose? Moreover, he + yielded to the dimmest of mental struggles, ceasing to reason, unable to + raise his hand, and yet convinced that he would drop a warning note into + the letter-box at the palazzo before he went to bed, though at the same + time he felt happy in the thought that if his interest directed otherwise + he would not do so. + </p> + <p> + And the remainder of the journey was accomplished in silent weariness, + amidst the shiver of evening which seemed to have chilled all three men. + In vain did the Count endeavour to escape from the battle of his thoughts, + by reverting to the Buongiovanni reception, and giving particulars of the + splendours which would be witnessed at it: his words fell sparsely in an + embarrassed and absent-minded way. Then he sought to inspirit Pierre by + speaking to him of Cardinal Sanguinetti’s amiable manner and fair words, + but although the young priest was returning home well pleased with his + journey, in the idea that with a little help he might yet triumph, he + scarcely answered the Count, so wrapt he was in his reverie. And + Santobono, on his side, neither spoke nor moved. Black like the night + itself, he seemed to have vanished. However, the lights of Rome were + increasing in number, and houses again appeared on either hand, at first + at long intervals, and then in close succession. They were suburban + houses, and there were yet more fields of reeds, quickset hedges, + olive-trees overtopping long walls, and big gateways with vase-surmounted + pillars; but at last came the city with its rows of small grey houses, its + petty shops and its dingy taverns, whence at times came shouts and rumours + of battle. + </p> + <p> + Prada insisted on setting his companions down in the Via Giulia, at fifty + paces from the palazzo. “It doesn’t inconvenience me at all,” said he to + Pierre. “Besides, with the little time you have before you, it would never + do for you to go on foot.” + </p> + <p> + The Via Giulia was already steeped in slumber, and wore a melancholy + aspect of abandonment in the dreary light of the gas lamps standing on + either hand. And as soon as Santobono had alighted from the carriage, he + took himself off without waiting for Pierre, who, moreover, always went in + by the little door in the side lane. + </p> + <p> + “Good-bye, Abbé,” exclaimed Prada. + </p> + <p> + “Good-bye, Count, a thousand thanks,” was Santobono’s response. + </p> + <p> + Then the two others stood watching him as he went towards the Boccanera + mansion, whose old, monumental entrance, full of gloom, was still wide + open. For a moment they saw his tall, rugged figure erect against that + gloom. Then in he plunged, he and his little basket, bearing Destiny. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap37"></a> + XII. + </h2> + <p> + IT was ten o’clock when Pierre and Narcisse, after dining at the Caffe di + Roma, where they had long lingered chatting, at last walked down the Corso + towards the Palazzo Buongiovanni. They had the greatest difficulty to + reach its entrance, for carriages were coming up in serried files, and the + inquisitive crowd of on-lookers, who pressed even into the roadway, in + spite of the injunctions of the police, was growing so compact that even + the horses could no longer approach. The ten lofty windows on the first + floor of the long monumental façade shone with an intense white radiance, + the radiance of electric lamps, which illumined the street like sunshine, + spreading over the equipages aground in that human sea, whose billows of + eager, excited faces rolled to and fro amidst an extraordinary tumult. + </p> + <p> + And in all this there was not merely the usual curiosity to see uniforms + go by and ladies in rich attire alight from their carriages, for Pierre + soon gathered from what he heard that the crowd had come to witness the + arrival of the King and Queen, who had promised to appear at the ball + given by Prince Buongiovanni, in celebration of the betrothal of his + daughter Celia to Lieutenant Attilio Sacco, the son of one of his + Majesty’s ministers. Moreover, people were enraptured with this marriage, + the happy ending of a love story which had impassioned the whole city: to + begin with, love at first sight, with the suddenness of a lightning-flash, + and then stubborn fidelity triumphing over all obstacles, amidst romantic + circumstances whose story sped from lip to lip, moistening every eye and + stirring every heart. + </p> + <p> + It was this story that Narcisse had related at dessert to Pierre, who + already knew some portion of it. People asserted that if the Prince had + ended by yielding after a final terrible scene, it was only from fear of + seeing Celia elope from the palace with her lover. She did not threaten to + do so, but, amidst her virginal calmness, there was so much contempt for + everything foreign to her love, that her father felt her to be capable of + acting with the greatest folly in all ingenuousness. Only indifference was + manifested by the Prince’s wife, a phlegmatic and still beautiful + Englishwoman, who considered that she had done quite enough for the + household by bringing her husband a dowry of five millions, and bearing + him five children. The Prince, anxious and weak despite his violence, in + which one found a trace of the old Roman blood, already spoilt by mixture + with that of a foreign race, was nowadays ever influenced in his actions + by the fear that his house and fortune—which hitherto had remained + intact amidst the accumulated ruins of the <i>patriziato</i>—might + suddenly collapse. And in finally yielding to Celia, he must have been + guided by the idea of rallying to the new <i>régime</i> through his + daughter, so as to have one foot firmly set at the Quirinal, without + withdrawing the other from the Vatican. It was galling, no doubt; his + pride must have bled at the idea of allying his name with that of such low + folks as the Saccos. But then Sacco was a minister, and had sped so + quickly from success to success that it seemed likely he would rise yet + higher, and, after the portfolio of Agriculture, secure that of Finances, + which he had long coveted. And an alliance with Sacco meant the certain + favour of the King, an assured retreat in that direction should the papacy + some day collapse. Then, too, the Prince had made inquiries respecting the + son, and was somewhat disarmed by the good looks, bravery, and rectitude + of young Attilio, who represented the future, and possibly the glorious + Italy of to-morrow. He was a soldier, and could be helped forward to the + highest rank. And people spitefully added that the last reason which had + influenced the Prince, who was very avaricious, and greatly worried by the + thought that his fortune must be divided among his five children,* was + that an opportunity presented itself for him to bestow a ridiculously + small dowry on Celia. However, having consented to the marriage, he + resolved to give a splendid <i>fête</i>, such as was now seldom witnessed + in Rome, throwing his doors open to all the rival sections of society, + inviting the sovereigns, and setting the palazzo ablaze as in the grand + days of old. In doing this he would necessarily have to expend some of the + money to which he clung, but a boastful spirit incited him to show the + world that he at any rate had not been vanquished by the financial crisis, + and that the Buongiovannis had nothing to hide and nothing to blush for. + To tell the truth, some people asserted that this bravado had not + originated with himself, but had been instilled into him without his + knowledge by the quiet and innocent Celia, who wished to exhibit her + happiness to all applauding Rome. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The Italian succession law is similar to the French. Children + cannot be disinherited. All property is divided among them, + and thus the piling up of large hereditary fortunes is + prevented.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “Dear me!” said Narcisse, whom the throng prevented from advancing. “We + shall never get in. Why, they seem to have invited the whole city.” And + then, as Pierre seemed surprised to see a prelate drive up in his + carriage, the <i>attaché</i> added: “Oh! you will elbow more than one of + them upstairs. The cardinals won’t like to come on account of the presence + of the King and Queen, but the prelates are sure to be here. This, you + know, is a neutral drawing-room where the black and the white worlds can + fraternise. And then too, there are so few <i>fêtes</i> that people rush + on them.” + </p> + <p> + He went on to explain that there were two grand balls at Court every + winter, but that it was only under exceptional circumstances that the <i>patriziato</i> + gave similar <i>galas</i>. Two or three of the black <i>salons</i> were + opened once in a way towards the close of the Carnival, but little dances + among intimates replaced the pompous entertainments of former times. Some + princesses moreover merely had their day. And as for the few white <i>salons</i> + that existed, these likewise retained the same character of intimacy, more + or less mixed, for no lady had yet become the undisputed queen of the new + society. + </p> + <p> + “Well, here we are at last,” resumed Narcisse as they eventually climbed + the stairs. + </p> + <p> + “Let us keep together,” Pierre somewhat anxiously replied. “My only + acquaintance is with the <i>fiancée</i>, and I want you to introduce me.” + </p> + <p> + However, a considerable effort was needed even to climb the monumental + staircase, so great was the crush of arriving guests. Never, in the old + days of wax candles and oil lamps, had this staircase offered such a blaze + of light. Electric lamps, burning in clusters in superb bronze candelabra + on the landings, steeped everything in a white radiance. The cold stucco + of the walls was hidden by a series of lofty tapestries depicting the + story of Cupid and Psyche, marvels which had remained in the family since + the days of the Renascence. And a thick carpet covered the worn marble + steps, whilst clumps of evergreens and tall spreading palms decorated + every corner. An affluence of new blood warmed the antique mansion that + evening; there was a resurrection of life, so to say, as the women surged + up the staircase, smiling and perfumed, bare-shouldered, and sparkling + with diamonds. + </p> + <p> + At the entrance of the first reception-room Pierre at once perceived + Prince and Princess Buongiovanni, standing side by side and receiving + their guests. The Prince, a tall, slim man with fair complexion and hair + turning grey, had the pale northern eyes of his American mother in an + energetic face such as became a former captain of the popes. The Princess, + with small, delicate, and rounded features, looked barely thirty, though + she had really passed her fortieth year. And still pretty, displaying a + smiling serenity which nothing could disconcert, she purely and simply + basked in self-adoration. Her gown was of pink satin, and a marvellous + parure of large rubies set flamelets about her dainty neck and in her + fine, fair hair. Of her five children, her son, the eldest, was + travelling, and three of the girls, mere children, were still at school, + so that only Celia was present, Celia in a modest gown of white muslin, + fair like her mother, quite bewitching with her large innocent eyes and + her candid lips, and retaining to the very end of her love story the + semblance of a closed lily of impenetrable, virginal mysteriousness. The + Saccos had but just arrived, and Attilio, in his simple lieutenant’s + uniform, had remained near his betrothed, so naïvely and openly delighted + with his great happiness that his handsome face, with its caressing mouth + and brave eyes, was quite resplendent with youth and strength. Standing + there, near one another, in the triumph of their passion they appeared + like life’s very joy and health, like the personification of hope in the + morrow’s promises; and the entering guests who saw them could not refrain + from smiling and feeling moved, momentarily forgetting their loquacious + and malicious curiosity to give their hearts to those chosen ones of love + who looked so handsome and so enraptured. + </p> + <p> + Narcisse stepped forward in order to present Pierre, but Celia anticipated + him. Going to meet the young priest she led him to her father and mother, + saying: “Monsieur l’Abbé Pierre Froment, a friend of my dear Benedetta.” + Ceremonious salutations followed. Then the young girl, whose graciousness + greatly touched Pierre, said to him: “Benedetta is coming with her aunt + and Dario. She must be very happy this evening! And you will also see how + beautiful she will be.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Narcisse next began to congratulate her, but they could not + remain there, the throng was ever jostling them; and the Prince and + Princess, quite lost in the crush, had barely time to answer the many + salutations with amiable, continuous nods. And Celia, after conducting the + two friends to Attilio, was obliged to return to her parents so as to take + her place beside them as the little queen of the <i>fête</i>. + </p> + <p> + Narcisse was already slightly acquainted with Attilio, and so fresh + congratulations ensued. Then the two friends manœuvred to find a spot + where they might momentarily tarry and contemplate the spectacle which + this first <i>salon</i> presented. It was a vast hall, hung with green + velvet broidered with golden flowers, and contained a very remarkable + collection of weapons and armour, breast-plates, battle-axes, and swords, + almost all of which had belonged to the Buongiovannis of the fifteenth and + sixteenth centuries. And amidst those stern implements of war there was a + lovely sedan-chair of the last century, gilded and decorated with delicate + paintings. It was in this chair that the Prince’s great-grandmother, the + celebrated Bettina, whose beauty was historical, had usually been carried + to mass. On the walls, moreover, there were numerous historical paintings: + battles, peace congresses, and royal receptions in which the Buongiovannis + had taken part, without counting the many family portraits, tall and proud + figures of sea-captains, commanders in the field, great dignitaries of the + Church, prelates and cardinals, amongst whom, in the place of honour, + appeared the family pope, the white-robed Buongiovanni whose accession to + the pontifical throne had enriched a long line of descendants. And it was + among those armours, near that coquettish sedan, and below those antique + portraits, that the Saccos, husband and wife, had in their turn just + halted, at a few steps from the master and mistress of the house, in order + to secure their share of congratulations and bows. + </p> + <p> + “Look over there!” Narcisse whispered to Pierre, “those are the Saccos in + front of us, that dark little fellow and the lady in mauve silk.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre promptly recognised the bright face and pleasant smile of Stefana, + whom he had already met at old Orlando’s. But he was more interested in + her husband, a dark dry man, with big eyes, sallow complexion, prominent + chin, and vulturine nose. Like some gay Neapolitan “Pulcinello,” he was + dancing, shouting, and displaying such infectious good humour that it + spread to all around him. He possessed a wonderful gift of speech, with a + voice that was unrivalled as an instrument of fascination and conquest; + and on seeing how easily he ingratiated himself with the people in that + drawing-room, one could understand his lightning-like successes in the + political world. He had manoeuvered with rare skill in the matter of his + son’s marriage, affecting such exaggerated delicacy of feeling as to set + himself against the lovers, and declare that he would never consent to + their union, as he had no desire to be accused of stealing a dowry and a + title. As a matter of fact, he had only yielded after the Buongiovannis + had given their consent, and even then he had desired to take the opinion + of old Orlando, whose lofty integrity was proverbial. However, he knew + right well that he would secure the old hero’s approval in this particular + affair, for Orlando made no secret of his opinion that the Buongiovannis + ought to be glad to admit his grand-nephew into their family, as that + handsome young fellow, with brave and healthy heart, would help to + regenerate their impoverished blood. And throughout the whole affair, + Sacco had shrewdly availed himself of Orlando’s famous name, for ever + talking of the relationship between them, and displaying filial veneration + for this glorious founder of the country, as if indeed he had no suspicion + that the latter despised and execrated him and mourned his accession to + power in the conviction that he would lead Italy to shame and ruin. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” resumed Narcisse addressing Pierre, “he’s one of those supple, + practical men who care nothing for a smack in the face. It seems that + unscrupulous individuals like himself become necessary when states get + into trouble and have to pass through political, financial, and moral + crises. It is said that Sacco with his imperturbable assurance and + ingenious and resourceful mind has quite won the King’s favour. Just look + at him! Why, with that crowd of courtiers round him, one might think him + the master of this palace!” + </p> + <p> + And indeed the guests, after passing the Prince and Princess with a bow, + at once congregated around Sacco, for he represented power, emoluments, + pensions, and crosses; and if folks still smiled at seeing his dark, + turbulent, and scraggy figure amidst that framework of family portraits + which proclaimed the mighty ancestry of the Buongiovannis, they none the + less worshipped him as the personification of the new power, the + democratic force which was confusedly rising even from the old Roman soil + where the <i>patriziato</i> lay in ruins. + </p> + <p> + “What a crowd!” muttered Pierre. “Who are all these people?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” replied Narcisse, “it is a regular mixture. These people belong + neither to the black nor the white world; they form a grey world as it + were. The evolution was certain; a man like Cardinal Boccanera may retain + an uncompromising attitude, but a whole city, a nation can’t. The Pope + alone will always say no and remain immutable. But everything around him + progresses and undergoes transformation, so that in spite of all + resistance, Rome will become Italian in a few years’ time. Even now, + whenever a prince has two sons only one of them remains on the side of the + Vatican, the other goes over to the Quirinal. People must live, you see; + and the great families threatened with annihilation have not sufficient + heroism to carry obstinacy to the point of suicide. And I have already + told you that we are here on neutral ground, for Prince Buongiovanni was + one of the first to realise the necessity of conciliation. He feels that + his fortune is perishing, he does not care to risk it either in industry + or in speculation, and already sees it portioned out among his five + children, by whose descendants it will be yet further divided; and this is + why he prudently makes advances to the King without, however, breaking + with the Pope. In this <i>salon</i>, therefore, you see a perfect picture + of the <i>debâcle</i>, the confusion which reigns in the Prince’s ideas + and opinions.” Narcisse paused, and then began to name some of the persons + who were coming in. “There’s a general,” said he, “who has become very + popular since his last campaign in Africa. There will be a great many + military men here this evening, for all Attilio’s superiors have been + invited, so as to give the young man an <i>entourage</i> of glory. Ah! and + there’s the German ambassador. I fancy that nearly all the Corps + Diplomatique will come on account of their Majesties’ presence. But, by + way of contrast, just look at that stout fellow yonder. He’s a very + influential deputy, a <i>parvenu</i> of the new middle class. Thirty years + ago he was merely one of Prince Albertini’s farmers, one of those <i>mercanti + di campagna</i> who go about the environs of Rome in stout boots and a + soft felt hat. And now look at that prelate coming in—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I know him,” Pierre interrupted. “He’s Monsignor Fornaro.” + </p> + <p> + “Exactly, Monsignor Fornaro, a personage of some importance. You told me, + I remember, that he is the reporter of the Congregation in that affair of + your book. A most delightful man! Did you see how he bowed to the + Princess? And what a noble and graceful bearing he has in his little + mantle of violet silk!” + </p> + <p> + Then Narcisse went on enumerating the princes and princesses, the dukes + and duchesses, the politicians and functionaries, the diplomatists and + ministers, and the officers and well-to-do middle-class people, who of + themselves made up a most wonderful medley of guests, to say nothing of + the representatives of the various foreign colonies, English people, + Americans, Germans, Spaniards, and Russians, in a word, all ancient + Europe, and both Americas. And afterwards the young man reverted to the + Saccos, to the little Signora Sacco in particular, in order to tell Pierre + of the heroic efforts which she had made to open a <i>salon</i> for the + purpose of assisting her husband’s ambition. Gentle and modest as she + seemed, she was also very shrewd, endowed with genuine qualities, + Piedmontese patience and strength of resistance, orderly habits and + thriftiness. And thus it was she who re-established the equilibrium in + household affairs which her husband by his exuberance so often disturbed. + He was indeed greatly indebted to her, though nobody suspected it. At the + same time, however, she had so far failed in her attempts to establish a + white <i>salon</i> which should take the lead in influencing opinion. Only + the people of her own set visited her, not a single prince ever came, and + her Monday dances were the same as in a score of other middle-class homes, + having no brilliancy and no importance. In fact, the real white <i>salon</i>, + which should guide men and things and sway all Rome was still in + dreamland. + </p> + <p> + “Just notice her keen smile as she examines everything here,” resumed + Narcisse. “She’s teaching herself and forming plans, I’m sure of it. Now + that she is about to be connected with a princely family she probably + hopes to receive some of the best society.” + </p> + <p> + Large as was the room, the crowd in it had by this time grown so dense + that the two friends were pressed back to a wall, and felt almost stifled. + The <i>attaché</i> therefore decided to lead the priest elsewhere, and as + they walked along he gave him some particulars concerning the palace, + which was one of the most sumptuous in Rome, and renowned for the + magnificence of its reception-rooms. Dancing took place in the picture + gallery, a superb apartment more than sixty feet long, with eight windows + overlooking the Corso; while the buffet was installed in the Hall of the + Antiques, a marble hall, which among other precious things contained a + statue of Venus, rivalling the one at the Capitol. Then there was a suite + of marvellous <i>salons</i>, still resplendent with ancient luxury, hung + with the rarest stuffs, and retaining some unique specimens of old-time + furniture, on which covetous antiquaries kept their eyes fixed, whilst + waiting and hoping for the inevitable future ruin. And one of these + apartments, the little Saloon of the Mirrors, was particularly famous. Of + circular shape and Louis XV style, it was surrounded by mirrors in <i>rococo</i> + frames, extremely rich, and most exquisitely carved. + </p> + <p> + “You will see all that by and by,” continued Narcisse. “At present we had + better go in here if we want to breathe a little. It is here that the + arm-chairs from the adjacent gallery have been brought for the + accommodation of the ladies who desire to sit down and be seen and + admired.” + </p> + <p> + The apartment they entered was a spacious one, draped with the most superb + Genoese velvet, that antique <i>jardinière</i> velvet with pale satin + ground, and flowers once of dazzling brightness, whose greens and blues + and reds had now become exquisitely soft, with the subdued, faded tones of + old floral love-tokens. On the pier tables and in the cabinets all around + were some of the most precious curios in the palace, ivory caskets, gilt + and painted wood carvings, pieces of antique plate—briefly, a + collection of marvels. And several ladies, fleeing the crush, had already + taken refuge on the numerous seats, clustering in little groups, and + laughing and chatting with the few gentlemen who had discovered this + retreat of grace and <i>galanterie</i>. In the bright glow of the lamps + nothing could be more delightful than the sight of all those bare, sheeny + shoulders, and those supple necks, above whose napes were coiled tresses + of fair or raven hair. Bare arms emerged like living flowers of flesh from + amidst the mingling lace and silk of soft-hued bodices. The fans played + slowly, as if to heighten the fires of the precious stones, and at each + beat wafted around an <i>odore di femina</i> blended with a predominating + perfume of violets. + </p> + <p> + “Hallo!” exclaimed Narcisse, “there’s our good friend Monsignor Nani + bowing to the Austrian ambassadress.” + </p> + <p> + As soon as Nani perceived the young priest and his companion he came + towards them, and the trio then withdrew into the embrasure of a window in + order that they might chat for a moment at their ease. The prelate was + smiling like one enchanted with the beauty of the <i>fête</i>, but at the + same time he retained all the serenity of innocence, as if he had not even + noticed the exhibition of bare shoulders by which he was surrounded. “Ah, + my dear son!” he said to Pierre, “I am very pleased to see you! Well, and + what do you think of our Rome when she makes up her mind to give <i>fêtes</i>?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, it is superb, Monseigneur.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in an emotional manner, Nani spoke of Celia’s lofty piety; and, in + order to give the Vatican the credit of this sumptuous <i>gala</i>, + affected to regard the Prince and Princess as staunch adherents of the + Church, as if he were altogether unaware that the King and Queen were + presently coming. And afterwards he abruptly exclaimed: “I have been + thinking of you all day, my dear son. Yes, I heard that you had gone to + see his Eminence Cardinal Sanguinetti. Well, and how did he receive you?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! in a most paternal manner,” Pierre replied. “At first he made me + understand the embarrassment in which he was placed by his position as + protector of Lourdes; but just as I was going off he showed himself + charming, and promised me his help with a delicacy which deeply touched + me.” + </p> + <p> + “Did he indeed, my dear son? But it doesn’t surprise me, his Eminence is + so good-hearted!” + </p> + <p> + “And I must add, Monseigneur, that I came back with a light and hopeful + heart. It now seems to me as if my suit were half gained.” + </p> + <p> + “Naturally, I understand it,” replied Nani, who was still smiling with + that keen, intelligent smile of his, sharpened by a touch of almost + imperceptible irony. And after a short pause he added in a very simple + way: “The misfortune is that on the day before yesterday your book was + condemned by the Congregation of the Index, which was convoked by its + Secretary expressly for that purpose. And the judgment will be laid before + his Holiness, for him to sign it, on the day after to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at the prelate in bewilderment. Had the old mansion fallen + on his head he would not have felt more overcome. What! was it all over? + His journey to Rome, the experiment he had come to attempt there, had + resulted in that defeat, of which he was thus suddenly apprised amidst + that betrothal <i>fête</i>. And he had not even been able to defend + himself, he had sacrificed his time without finding any one to whom he + might speak, before whom he might plead his cause! Anger was rising within + him, and he could not prevent himself from muttering bitterly: “Ah! how I + have been duped! And that Cardinal who said to me only this morning: ‘If + God be with you he will save you in spite of everything.’ Yes, yes, I now + understand him; he was juggling with words, he only desired a disaster in + order that submission might lead me to Heaven! Submit, indeed, ah! I + cannot, I cannot yet! My heart is too full of indignation and grief.” + </p> + <p> + Nani examined and studied him with curiosity. “But my dear son,” he said, + “nothing is final so long as the Holy Father has not signed the judgment. + You have all to-morrow and even the morning of the day after before you. A + miracle is always possible.” Then, lowering his voice and drawing Pierre + on one side whilst Narcisse in an aesthetical spirit examined the ladies, + he added: “Listen, I have a communication to make to you in great secrecy. + Come and join me in the little Saloon of the Mirrors by and by, during the + Cotillon. We shall be able to talk there at our ease.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre nodded, and thereupon the prelate discreetly withdrew and + disappeared in the crowd. However, the young man’s ears were buzzing; he + could no longer hope; what indeed could he accomplish in one day since he + had lost three months without even being able to secure an audience with + the Pope? And his bewilderment increased as he suddenly heard Narcisse + speaking to him of art. “It’s astonishing how the feminine figure has + deteriorated in these dreadful democratic days. It’s all fat and horribly + common. Not one of those women yonder shows the Florentine contour, with + small bosom and slender, elegant neck. Ah! that one yonder isn’t so bad + perhaps, the fair one with her hair coiled up, whom Monsignor Fornaro has + just approached.” + </p> + <p> + For a few minutes indeed Monsignor Fornaro had been fluttering from beauty + to beauty, with an amiable air of conquest. He looked superb that evening + with his lofty decorative figure, blooming cheeks, and victorious + affability. No unpleasant scandal was associated with his name; he was + simply regarded as a prelate of gallant ways who took pleasure in the + society of ladies. And he paused and chatted, and leant over their bare + shoulders with laughing eyes and humid lips as if experiencing a sort of + devout rapture. However, on perceiving Narcisse whom he occasionally met, + he at once came forward and the <i>attaché</i> had to bow to him. “You + have been in good health I hope, Monseigneur, since I had the honour of + seeing you at the embassy.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! yes, I am very well, very well indeed. What a delightful <i>fête</i>, + is it not?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre also had bowed. This was the man whose report had brought about the + condemnation of his book; and it was with resentment that he recalled his + caressing air and charming greeting, instinct with such lying promise. + However, the prelate, who was very shrewd, must have guessed that the + young priest was already acquainted with the decision of the Congregation, + and have thought it more dignified to abstain from open recognition; for + on his side he merely nodded and smiled at him. “What a number of people!” + he went on, “and how many charming persons there are! It will soon be + impossible for one to move in this room.” + </p> + <p> + All the seats in fact were now occupied by ladies, and what with the + strong perfume of violets and the exhalations of warm necks and shoulders + the atmosphere was becoming most oppressive. The fans flapped more + briskly, and clear laughter rang out amidst a growing hubbub of + conversation in which the same words constantly recurred. Some news, + doubtless, had just arrived, some rumour was being whispered from group to + group, throwing them all into feverish excitement. As it happened, + Monsignor Fornaro, who was always well informed, desired to be the + proclaimer of this news, which nobody as yet had ventured to announce + aloud. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know what is exciting them all?” he inquired. + </p> + <p> + “Is it the Holy Father’s illness?” asked Pierre in his anxiety. “Is he + worse this evening?” + </p> + <p> + The prelate looked at him in astonishment, and then somewhat impatiently + replied: “Oh, no, no. His Holiness is much better, thank Heaven. A person + belonging to the Vatican was telling me just now that he was able to get + up this afternoon and receive his intimates as usual.” + </p> + <p> + “All the same, people have been alarmed,” interrupted Narcisse. “I must + confess that we did not feel easy at the embassy, for a Conclave at the + present time would be a great worry for France. She would exercise no + influence at it. It is a great mistake on the part of our Republican + Government to treat the Holy See as of no importance! However, can one + ever tell whether the Pope is ill or not? I know for a certainty that he + was nearly carried off last winter when nobody breathed a word about any + illness, whereas on the last occasion when the newspapers killed him and + talked about a dreadful attack of bronchitis, I myself saw him quite + strong and in the best of spirits! His reported illnesses are mere matters + of policy, I fancy.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * There is much truth in this; but the reader must not imagine + that the Pope is never ill. At his great age, indispositions + are only natural.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + With a hasty gesture, however, Monsignor Fornaro brushed this importunate + subject aside. “No, no,” said he, “people are tranquillised and no longer + talk of it. What excites all those ladies is that the Congregation of the + Council to-day voted the dissolution of the Prada marriage by a great + majority.” + </p> + <p> + Again did Pierre feel moved. However, not having had time to see any + members of the Boccanera family on his return from Frascati he feared that + the news might be false and said so. Thereupon the prelate gave his word + of honour that things were as he stated. “The news is certain,” he + declared. “I had it from a member of the Congregation.” And then, all at + once, he apologised and hurried off: “Excuse me but I see a lady whom I + had not yet caught sight of, and desire to pay my respects to her.” + </p> + <p> + He at once hastened to the lady in question, and, being unable to sit + down, inclined his lofty figure as if to envelop her with his gallant + courtesy; whilst she, young, fresh, and bare-shouldered, laughed with a + pearly laugh as his cape of violet silk lightly brushed her sheeny skin. + </p> + <p> + “You know that person, don’t you?” Narcisse inquired of Pierre. “No! + Really? Why, that is Count Prada’s <i>inamorata</i>, the charming Lisbeth + Kauffmann, by whom he has just had a son. It’s her first appearance in + society since that event. She’s a German, you know, and lost her husband + here. She paints a little; in fact, rather nicely. A great deal is + forgiven to the ladies of the foreign colony, and this one is particularly + popular on account of the very affable manner in which she receives people + at her little palazzo in the Via Principe Amedeo. As you may imagine, the + news of the dissolution of that marriage must amuse her!” + </p> + <p> + She looked really exquisite, that Lisbeth, very fair, rosy, and gay, with + satiny skin, soft blue eyes, and lips wreathed in an amiable smile, which + was renowned for its grace. And that evening, in her gown of white silk + spangled with gold, she showed herself so delighted with life, so securely + happy in the thought that she was free, that she loved and was loved in + return, that the whispered tidings, the malicious remarks exchanged behind + the fans of those around her, seemed to turn to her personal triumph. For + a moment all eyes had sought her, and people talked of the outcome of her + connection with Prada, the man whose manhood the Church solemnly denied by + its decision of that very day! And there came stifled laughter and + whispered jests, whilst she, radiant in her insolent serenity, accepted + with a rapturous air the gallantry of Monsignor Fornaro, who congratulated + her on a painting of the Virgin with the lily, which she had lately sent + to a fine-art show. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that matrimonial nullity suit, which for a year had supplied Rome with + scandal, what a final hubbub it occasioned as the tidings of its + termination burst forth amidst that ball! The black and white worlds had + long chosen it as a battlefield for the exchange of incredible slander, + endless gossip, the most nonsensical tittle-tattle. And now it was over; + the Vatican with imperturbable impudence had pronounced the marriage null + and void on the ground that the husband was no man, and all Rome would + laugh over the affair, with that free scepticism which it displayed as + soon as the pecuniary affairs of the Church came into question. The + incidents of the struggle were already common property: Prada’s feelings + revolting to such a point that he had withdrawn from the contest, the + Boccaneras moving heaven and earth in their feverish anxiety, the money + which they had distributed among the creatures of the various cardinals in + order to gain their influence, and the large sum which they had indirectly + paid for the second and favourable report of Monsignor Palma. People said + that, altogether, more than a hundred thousand francs had been expended, + but this was not thought over-much, as a well-known French countess had + been obliged to disburse nearly ten times that amount to secure the + dissolution of her marriage. But then the Holy Father’s need was so great! + And, moreover, nobody was angered by this venality; it merely gave rise to + malicious witticisms; and the fans continued waving in the increasing + heat, and the ladies quivered with contentment as the whispered + pleasantries took wing and fluttered over their bare shoulders. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how pleased the Contessina must be!” Pierre resumed. “I did not + understand what her little friend, Princess Celia, meant by saying when we + came in that she would be so happy and beautiful this evening. It is + doubtless on that account that she is coming here, after cloistering + herself all the time the affair lasted, as if she were in mourning.” + </p> + <p> + However, Lisbeth’s eyes had chanced to meet those of Narcisse, and as she + smiled at him he was, in his turn, obliged to pay his respects to her, + for, like everybody else of the foreign colony, he knew her through having + visited her studio. He was again returning to Pierre when a fresh outburst + of emotion stirred the diamond aigrettes and the flowers adorning the + ladies’ hair. People turned to see what was the matter, and again did the + hubbub increase. “Ah! it’s Count Prada in person!” murmured Narcisse, with + an admiring glance. “He has a fine bearing, whatever folks may say. Dress + him up in velvet and gold, and what a splendid, unscrupulous, + fifteenth-century adventurer he would make!” + </p> + <p> + Prada entered the room, looking quite gay, in fact, almost triumphant. And + above his large, white shirtfront, edged by the black of his coat, he + really had a commanding, predacious expression, with his frank, stern + eyes, and his energetic features barred by a large black moustache. Never + had a more rapturous smile of sensuality revealed the wolfish teeth of his + voracious mouth. With rapid glances he took stock of the women, dived into + their very souls. Then, on seeing Lisbeth, who looked so pink, and fair, + and girlish, his expression softened, and he frankly went up to her, + without troubling in the slightest degree about the ardent, inquisitive + eyes which were turned upon him. As soon as Monsignor Fornaro had made + room, he stooped and conversed with the young woman in a low tone. And she + no doubt confirmed the news which was circulating, for as he again drew + himself erect, he laughed a somewhat forced laugh, and made an involuntary + gesture. + </p> + <p> + However, he then caught sight of Pierre, and joined him in the embrasure + of the window; and when he had also shaken hands with Narcisse, he said to + the young priest with all his wonted <i>bravura</i>: “You recollect what I + told you as we were coming back from Frascati? Well, it’s done, it seems, + they’ve annulled my marriage. It’s such an impudent, such an imbecile + decision, that I still doubted it a moment ago!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! the news is certain,” Pierre made bold to reply. “It has just been + confirmed to us by Monsignor Fornaro, who had it from a member of the + Congregation. And it is said that the majority was very large.” + </p> + <p> + Prada again shook with laughter. “No, no,” said he, “such a farce is + beyond belief! It’s the finest smack given to justice and common-sense + that I know of. Ah! if the marriage can also be annulled by the civil + courts, and if my friend whom you see yonder be only willing, we shall + amuse ourselves in Rome! Yes, indeed, I’d marry her at Santa Maria + Maggiore with all possible pomp. And there’s a dear little being in the + world who would take part in the <i>fête</i> in his nurse’s arms!” + </p> + <p> + He laughed too loud as he spoke, alluded in too brutal a fashion to his + child, that living proof of his manhood. Was it suffering that made his + lips curve upwards and reveal his white teeth? It could be divined that he + was quivering, fighting against an awakening of covert, tumultuous + passion, which he would not acknowledge even to himself. + </p> + <p> + “And you, my dear Abbé?” he hastily resumed. “Do you know the other + report? Do you know that the Countess is coming here?” It was thus, by + force of habit, that he designated Benedetta, forgetting that she was no + longer his wife. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I have just been told so,” Pierre replied; and then he hesitated for + a moment before adding, with a desire to prevent any disagreeable + surprise: “And we shall no doubt see Prince Dario also, for he has not + started for Naples as I told you. Something prevented his departure at the + last moment, I believe. At least so I gathered from a servant.” + </p> + <p> + Prada no longer laughed. His face suddenly became grave, and he contented + himself with murmuring: “Ah! so the cousin is to be of the party. Well, we + shall see them, we shall see them both!” + </p> + <p> + Then, whilst the two friends went on chatting, he became silent, as if + serious considerations impelled him to reflect. And suddenly making a + gesture of apology he withdrew yet farther into the embrasure in which he + stood, pulled a note-book out of his pocket, and tore from it a leaf on + which, without modifying his handwriting otherwise than by slightly + enlarging it, he pencilled these four lines: “A legend avers that the fig + tree of Judas now grows at Frascati, and that its fruit is deadly for him + who may desire to become Pope. Eat not the poisoned figs, nor give them + either to your servants or your fowls.” Then he folded the paper, fastened + it with a postage stamp, and wrote on it the address: “To his most + Reverend and most Illustrious Eminence, Cardinal Boccanera.” And when he + had placed everything in his pocket again, he drew a long breath and once + more called back his laugh. + </p> + <p> + A kind of invincible discomfort, a far-away terror had momentarily frozen + him. Without being guided by any clear train of reasoning, he had felt the + need of protecting himself against any cowardly temptation, any possible + abomination. He could not have told what course of ideas had induced him + to write those four lines without a moment’s delay, on the very spot where + he stood, under penalty of contributing to a great catastrophe. But one + thought was firmly fixed in his brain, that on leaving the ball he would + go to the Via Giulia and throw that note into the letter-box at the + Palazzo Boccanera. And that decided, he was once more easy in mind. + </p> + <p> + “Why, what is the matter with you, my dear Abbé?” he inquired on again + joining in the conversation of the two friends. “You are quite gloomy.” + And on Pierre telling him of the bad news which he had received, the + condemnation of his book, and the single day which remained to him for + action if he did not wish his journey to Rome to result in defeat, he + began to protest as if he himself needed agitation and diversion in order + to continue hopeful and bear the ills of life. “Never mind, never mind, + don’t worry yourself,” said he, “one loses all one’s strength by worrying. + A day is a great deal, one can do ever so many things in a day. An hour, a + minute suffices for Destiny to intervene and turn defeat into victory!” He + grew feverish as he spoke, and all at once added, “Come, let’s go to the + ball-room. It seems that the scene there is something prodigious.” + </p> + <p> + Then he exchanged a last loving glance with Lisbeth whilst Pierre and + Narcisse followed him, the three of them extricating themselves from their + corner with the greatest difficulty, and then wending their way towards + the adjoining gallery through a sea of serried skirts, a billowy expanse + of necks and shoulders whence ascended the passion which makes life, the + odour alike of love and of death. + </p> + <p> + With its eight windows overlooking the Corso, their panes uncurtained and + throwing a blaze of light upon the houses across the road, the picture + gallery, sixty-five feet in length and more than thirty in breadth, spread + out with incomparable splendour. The illumination was dazzling. Clusters + of electric lamps had changed seven pairs of huge marble candelabra into + gigantic <i>torchères</i>, akin to constellations; and all along the + cornice up above, other lamps set in bright-hued floral glasses formed a + marvellous garland of flaming flowers: tulips, paeonies, and roses. The + antique red velvet worked with gold, which draped the walls, glowed like a + furnace fire. About the doors and windows there were hangings of old lace + broidered with flowers in coloured silk whose hues had the very intensity + of life. But the sight of sights beneath the sumptuous panelled ceiling + adorned with golden roses, the unique spectacle of a richness not to be + equalled, was the collection of masterpieces such as no museum could + excel. There were works of Raffaelle and Titian, Rembrandt and Rubens, + Velasquez and Ribera, famous works which in this unexpected illumination + suddenly showed forth, triumphant with youth regained, as if awakened to + the immortal life of genius. And, as their Majesties would not arrive + before midnight, the ball had just been opened, and flights of soft-hued + gowns were whirling in a waltz past all the pompous throng, the glittering + jewels and decorations, the gold-broidered uniforms and the + pearl-broidered robes, whilst silk and satin and velvet spread and + overflowed upon every side. + </p> + <p> + “It is prodigious, really!” declared Prada with his excited air; “let us + go this way and place ourselves in a window recess again. There is no + better spot for getting a good view without being too much jostled.” + </p> + <p> + They lost Narcisse somehow or other, and on reaching the desired recess + found themselves but two, Pierre and the Count. The orchestra, installed + on a little platform at the far end of the gallery, had just finished the + waltz, and the dancers, with an air of giddy rapture, were slowly walking + through the crowd when a fresh arrival caused every head to turn. Donna + Serafina, arrayed in a robe of purple silk as if she had worn the colours + of her brother the Cardinal, was making a royal entry on the arm of + Consistorial-Advocate Morano. And never before had she laced herself so + tightly, never had her waist looked so slim and girlish; and never had her + stern, wrinkled face, which her white hair scarcely softened, expressed + such stubborn and victorious domination. A discreet murmur of approval ran + round, a murmur of public relief as it were, for all Roman society had + condemned the unworthy conduct of Morano in severing a connection of + thirty years to which the drawing-rooms had grown as accustomed as if it + had been a legal marriage. The rupture had lasted for two months, to the + great scandal of Rome where the cult of long and faithful affections still + abides. And so the reconciliation touched every heart and was regarded as + one of the happiest consequences of the victory which the Boccaneras had + that day gained in the affair of Benedetta’s marriage. Morano repentant + and Donna Serafina reappearing on his arm, nothing could have been more + satisfactory; love had conquered, decorum was preserved and good order + re-established. + </p> + <p> + But there was a deeper sensation as soon as Benedetta and Dario were seen + to enter, side by side, behind the others. This tranquil indifference for + the ordinary forms of propriety, on the very day when the marriage with + Prada had been annulled, this victory of love, confessed and celebrated + before one and all, seemed so charming in its audacity, so full of the + bravery of youth and hope, that the pair were at once forgiven amidst a + murmur of universal admiration. And as in the case of Celia and Attilio, + all hearts flew to them, to their radiant beauty, to the wondrous + happiness that made their faces so resplendent. Dario, still pale after + his long convalescence, somewhat slight and delicate of build, with the + fine clear eyes of a big child, and the dark curly beard of a young god, + bore himself with a light pride, in which all the old princely blood of + the Boccaneras could be traced. And Benedetta, she so white under her + casque of jetty hair, she so calm and so sensible, wore her lovely smile, + that smile so seldom seen on her face but which was irresistibly + fascinating, transfiguring her, imparting the charm of a flower to her + somewhat full mouth, and filling the infinite of her dark and fathomless + eyes with a radiance as of heaven. And in this gay return of youth and + happiness, an exquisite instinct had prompted her to put on a white gown, + a plain girlish gown which symbolised her maidenhood, which told that she + had remained through all a pure untarnished lily for the husband of her + choice. And nothing of her form was to be seen, not a glimpse of bosom or + shoulder. It was as if the impenetrable, redoubtable mystery of love, the + sovereign beauty of woman slumbered there, all powerful, but veiled with + white. Again, not a jewel appeared on her fingers or in her ears. There + was simply a necklace falling about her <i>corsage</i>, but a necklace fit + for royalty, the famous pearl necklace of the Boccaneras, which she had + inherited from her mother, and which was known to all Rome—pearls of + fabulous size cast negligently about her neck, and sufficing, simply as + she was gowned, to make her queen of all. + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” murmured Pierre in ecstasy, “how happy and how beautiful she is!” + </p> + <p> + But he at once regretted that he had expressed his thoughts aloud, for + beside him he heard a low plaint, an involuntary growl which reminded him + of the Count’s presence. However, Prada promptly stifled this cry of + returning anguish, and found strength enough to affect a brutish gaiety: + “The devil!” said he, “they have plenty of impudence. I hope we shall see + them married and bedded at once!” Then regretting this coarse jest which + had been prompted by the revolt of passion, he sought to appear + indifferent: “She looks very nice this evening,” he said; “she has the + finest shoulders in the world, you know, and its a real success for her to + hide them and yet appear more beautiful than ever.” + </p> + <p> + He went on speaking, contriving to assume an easy tone, and giving various + little particulars about the Countess as he still obstinately called the + young woman. However, he had drawn rather further into the recess, for + fear, no doubt, that people might remark his pallor, and the painful + twitch which contracted his mouth. He was in no state to fight, to show + himself gay and insolent in presence of the joy which the lovers so openly + and naïvely expressed. And he was glad of the respite which the arrival of + the King and Queen at this moment offered him. “Ah! here are their + Majesties!” he exclaimed, turning towards the window. “Look at the + scramble in the street!” + </p> + <p> + Although the windows were closed, a tumult could be heard rising from the + footways. And Pierre on looking down saw, by the light of the electric + lamps, a sea of human heads pour over the road and encompass the + carriages. He had several times already seen the King during the latter’s + daily drives to the grounds of the Villa Borghese, whither he came like + any private gentleman—unguarded, unescorted, with merely an + aide-de-camp accompanying him in his victoria. At other times he drove a + light phaeton with only a footman in black livery to attend him. And on + one occasion Pierre had seen him with the Queen, the pair of them seated + side by side like worthy middle-class folks driving abroad for pleasure. + And, as the royal couple went by, the busy people in the streets and the + promenaders in the public gardens contented themselves with wafting them + an affectionate wave of the hand, the most expansive simply approaching to + smile at them, and no one importuning them with acclamations. Pierre, who + harboured the traditional idea of kings closely guarded and passing + processionally with all the accompaniment of military pomp, was therefore + greatly surprised and touched by the amiable <i>bonhomie</i> of this royal + pair, who went wherever they listed in full security amidst the smiling + affection of their people. Everybody, moreover, had told him of the King’s + kindliness and simplicity, his desire for peace, and his passion for + sport, solitude, and the open air, which, amidst the worries of power, + must often have made him dream of a life of freedom far from the imperious + duties of royalty for which he seemed unfitted.* But the Queen was yet + more tenderly loved. So naturally and serenely virtuous that she alone + remained ignorant of the scandals of Rome, she was also a woman of great + culture and great refinement, conversant with every field of literature, + and very happy in being so intelligent, so superior to those around her—a + pre-eminence which she realised and which she was fond of showing, but in + the most natural and most graceful of ways. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * King Humbert inherited these tastes from his father Victor + Emanuel, who was likewise a great sportsman and had a perfect + horror of court life, pageantry, and the exigencies of + politics.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Like Pierre, Prada had remained with his face to the window, and suddenly + pointing to the crowd he said: “Now that they have seen the Queen they + will go to bed well pleased. And there isn’t a single police agent there, + I’m sure. Ah! to be loved, to be loved!” Plainly enough his distress of + spirit was coming back, and so, turning towards the gallery again, he + tried to play the jester. “Attention, my dear Abbé, we mustn’t miss their + Majesties’ entry. That will be the finest part of the <i>fête</i>!” + </p> + <p> + A few minutes went by, and then, in the very midst of a polka, the + orchestra suddenly ceased playing. But a moment afterwards, with all the + blare of its brass instruments, it struck up the Royal March. The dancers + fled in confusion, the centre of the gallery was cleared, and the King and + Queen entered, escorted by the Prince and Princess Buongiovanni, who had + received them at the foot of the staircase. The King was in ordinary + evening dress, while the Queen wore a robe of straw-coloured satin, + covered with superb white lace; and under the diadem of brilliants which + encircled her beautiful fair hair, she looked still young, with a fresh + and rounded face, whose expression was all amiability, gentleness, and + wit. The music was still sounding with the enthusiastic violence of + welcome. Behind her father and mother, Celia appeared amidst the press of + people who were following to see the sight; and then came Attilio, the + Saccos, and various relatives and official personages. And, pending the + termination of the Royal March, only salutations, glances, and smiles were + exchanged amidst the sonorous music and dazzling light; whilst all the + guests crowded around on tip-toe, with outstretched necks and glittering + eyes—a rising tide of heads and shoulders, flashing with the fires + of precious stones. + </p> + <p> + At last the march ended and the presentations began. Their Majesties were + already acquainted with Celia, and congratulated her with quite + affectionate kindliness. However, Sacco, both as minister and father, was + particularly desirous of presenting his son Attilio. He bent his supple + spine, and summoned to his lips the fine words which were appropriate, in + such wise that he contrived to make the young man bow to the King in the + capacity of a lieutenant in his Majesty’s army, whilst his homage as a + handsome young man, so passionately loved by his betrothed was reserved + for Queen Margherita. Again did their Majesties show themselves very + gracious, even towards the Signora Sacco who, ever modest and prudent, had + remained in the background. And then occurred an incident that was + destined to give rise to endless gossip. Catching sight of Benedetta, whom + Count Prada had presented to her after his marriage, the Queen, who + greatly admired her beauty and charm of manner, addressed her a smile in + such wise that the young woman was compelled to approach. A conversation + of some minutes’ duration ensued, and the Contessina was favoured with + some extremely amiable expressions which were perfectly audible to all + around. Most certainly the Queen was ignorant of the event of the day, the + dissolution of Benedetta’s marriage with Prada, and her coming union with + Dario so publicly announced at this <i>gala</i>, which now seemed to have + been given to celebrate a double betrothal. Nevertheless that conversation + caused a deep impression; the guests talked of nothing but the compliments + which Benedetta had received from the most virtuous and intelligent of + queens, and her triumph was increased by it all, she became yet more + beautiful and more victorious amidst the happiness she felt at being at + last able to bestow herself on the spouse of her choice, that happiness + which made her look so radiant. + </p> + <p> + But, on the other hand, the torture which Prada experienced now became + intense. Whilst the sovereigns continued conversing, the Queen with the + ladies who came to pay her their respects, the King with the officers, + diplomatists, and other important personages who approached him, Prada saw + none but Benedetta—Benedetta congratulated, caressed, exalted by + affection and glory. Dario was near her, flushing with pleasure, radiant + like herself. It was for them that this ball had been given, for them that + the lamps shone out, for them that the music played, for them that the + most beautiful women of Rome had bared their bosoms and adorned them with + precious stones. It was for them that their Majesties had entered to the + strains of the Royal March, for them that the <i>fête</i> was becoming + like an apotheosis, for them that a fondly loved queen was smiling, + appearing at that betrothal <i>gala</i> like the good fairy of the nursery + tales, whose coming betokens life-long happiness. And for Prada, this + wondrously brilliant hour when good fortune and joyfulness attained their + apogee, was one of defeat. It was fraught with the victory of that woman + who had refused to be his wife in aught but name, and of that man who now + was about to take her from him: such a public, ostentatious, insulting + victory that it struck him like a buffet in the face. And not merely did + his pride and passion bleed for that: he felt that the triumph of the + Saccos dealt a blow to his fortune. Was it true, then, that the rough + conquerors of the North were bound to deteriorate in the delightful + climate of Rome, was that the reason why he already experienced such a + sensation of weariness and exhaustion? That very morning at Frascati in + connection with that disastrous building enterprise he had realised that + his millions were menaced, albeit he refused to admit that things were + going badly with him, as some people rumoured. And now, that evening, + amidst that <i>fête</i> he beheld the South victorious, Sacco winning the + day like one who feeds at his ease on the warm prey so gluttonously + pounced upon under the flaming sun. + </p> + <p> + And the thought of Sacco being a minister, an intimate of the King, + allying himself by marriage to one of the noblest families of the Roman + aristocracy, and already laying hands on the people and the national funds + with the prospect of some day becoming the master of Rome and Italy—that + thought again was a blow for the vanity of this man of prey, for the ever + voracious appetite of this enjoyer, who felt as if he were being pushed + away from table before the feast was over! All crumbled and escaped him, + Sacco stole his millions, and Benedetta tortured his flesh, stirring up + that awful wound of unsatisfied passion which never would be healed. + </p> + <p> + Again did Pierre hear that dull plaint, that involuntary despairing growl, + which had upset him once before. And he looked at the Count, and asked + him: “Are you suffering?” But on seeing how livid was the face of Prada, + who only retained his calmness by a superhuman effort, he regretted his + indiscreet question, which, moreover, remained unanswered. And then to put + the other more at ease, the young priest went on speaking, venting the + thoughts which the sight before him inspired: “Your father was right,” + said he, “we Frenchmen whose education is so full of the Catholic spirit, + even in these days of universal doubt, we never think of Rome otherwise + than as the old Rome of the popes. We scarcely know, we can scarcely + understand the great changes which, year by year, have brought about the + Italian Rome of the present day. Why, when I arrived here, the King and + his government and the young nation working to make a great capital for + itself, seemed to me of no account whatever! Yes, I dismissed all that, + thought nothing of it, in my dream of resuscitating a Christian and + evangelical Rome, which should assure the happiness of the world.” + </p> + <p> + He laughed as he spoke, pitying his own artlessness, and then pointed + towards the gallery where Prince Buongiovanni was bowing to the King + whilst the Princess listened to the gallant remarks of Sacco: a scene full + of symbolism, the old papal aristocracy struck down, the <i>parvenus</i> + accepted, the black and white worlds so mixed together that one and all + were little else than subjects, on the eve of forming but one united + nation. That conciliation between the Quirinal and the Vatican which in + principle was regarded as impossible, was it not in practice fatal, in + face of the evolution which went on day by day? People must go on living, + loving, and creating life throughout the ages. And the marriage of Attilio + and Celia would be the symbol of the needful union: youth and love + triumphing over ancient hatred, all quarrels forgotten as a handsome lad + goes by, wins a lovely girl, and carries her off in his arms in order that + the world may last. + </p> + <p> + “Look at them!” resumed Pierre, “how handsome and young and gay both the + <i>fiancés</i> are, all confidence in the future. Ah! I well understand + that your King should have come here to please his minister and win one of + the old Roman families over to his throne; it is good, brave, and fatherly + policy. But I like to think that he has also realised the touching + significance of that marriage—old Rome, in the person of that + candid, loving child giving herself to young Italy, that upright, + enthusiastic young man who wears his uniform so jauntily. And may their + nuptials be definitive and fruitful; from them and from all the others may + there arise the great nation which, now that I begin to know you, I trust + you will soon become!” + </p> + <p> + Amidst the tottering of his former dream of an evangelical and universal + Rome, Pierre expressed these good wishes for the Eternal City’s future + fortune with such keen and deep emotion that Prada could not help + replying: “I thank you; that wish of yours is in the heart of every good + Italian.” + </p> + <p> + But his voice quavered, for even whilst he was looking at Celia and + Attilio, who stood smiling and talking together, he saw Benedetta and + Dario approach them, wearing the same joyful expression of perfect + happiness. And when the two couples were united, so radiant and so + triumphant, so full of superb and happy life, he no longer had strength to + stay there, see them, and suffer. + </p> + <p> + “I am frightfully thirsty,” he hoarsely exclaimed. “Let’s go to the buffet + to drink something.” And, thereupon, in order to avoid notice, he so + manœuvred as to glide behind the throng, skirting the windows in the + direction of the entrance to the Hall of the Antiques, which was beyond + the gallery. + </p> + <p> + Whilst Pierre was following him they were parted by an eddy of the crowd, + and the young priest found himself carried towards the two loving couples + who still stood chatting together. And Celia, on recognising him, beckoned + to him in a friendly way. With her passionate cult for beauty, she was + enraptured with the appearance of Benedetta, before whom she joined her + little lily hands as before the image of the Madonna. “Oh! Monsieur + l’Abbé,” said she, “to please me now, do tell her how beautiful she is, + more beautiful than anything on earth, more beautiful than even the sun, + and the moon and stars. If you only knew, my dear, it makes me quiver to + see you so beautiful as that, as beautiful as happiness, as beautiful as + love itself!” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta began to laugh, while the two young men made merry. “But you are + as beautiful as I am, darling,” said the Contessina. “And if we are + beautiful it is because we are happy.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, happy,” Celia gently responded. “Do you remember the evening + when you told me that one didn’t succeed in marrying the Pope and the + King? But Attilio and I are marrying them, and yet we are very happy.” + </p> + <p> + “But we don’t marry them, Dario and I! On the contrary!” said Benedetta + gaily. “No matter; as you answered me that same evening, it is sufficient + that we should love one another, love saves the world.” + </p> + <p> + When Pierre at last succeeded in reaching the door of the Hall of the + Antiques, where the buffet was installed, he found Prada there, + motionless, gazing despite himself on the galling spectacle which he + desired to flee. A power stronger than his will had kept him there, + forcing him to turn round and look, and look again. And thus, with a + bleeding heart, he still lingered and witnessed the resumption of the + dancing, the first figure of a quadrille which the orchestra began to play + with a lively flourish of its brass instruments. Benedetta and Dario, + Celia and Attilio were <i>vis-à-vis</i>. And so charming and delightful + was the sight which the two couples presented dancing in the white blaze, + all youth and joy, that the King and Queen drew near to them and became + interested. And soon bravos of admiration rang out, while from every heart + spread a feeling of infinite tenderness. + </p> + <p> + “I’m dying of thirst, let’s go!” repeated Prada, at last managing to + wrench himself away from the torturing sight. + </p> + <p> + He called for some iced lemonade and drank the glassful at one draught, + gulping it down with the greedy eagerness of a man stricken with fever, + who will never more be able to quench the burning fire within him. + </p> + <p> + The Hall of the Antiques was a spacious room with mosaic pavement, and + decorations of stucco; and a famous collection of vases, bas-reliefs, and + statues, was disposed along its walls. The marbles predominated, but there + were a few bronzes, and among them a dying gladiator of extreme beauty. + The marvel however was the famous statue of Venus, a companion to that of + the Capitol, but with a more elegant and supple figure and with the left + arm falling loosely in a gesture of voluptuous surrender. That evening a + powerful electric reflector threw a dazzling light upon the statue, which, + in its divine and pure nudity, seemed to be endowed with superhuman, + immortal life. Against the end-wall was the buffet, a long table covered + with an embroidered cloth and laden with fruit, pastry, and cold meats. + Sheaves of flowers rose up amidst bottles of champagne, hot punch, and + iced <i>sorbetto</i>, and here and there were marshalled armies of + glasses, tea-cups, and broth-bowls, a perfect wealth of sparkling crystal, + porcelain, and silver. And a happy innovation had been to fill half of the + hall with rows of little tables, at which the guests, in lieu of being + obliged to refresh themselves standing, were able to sit down and order + what they desired as in a café. + </p> + <p> + At one of these little tables, Pierre perceived Narcisse seated near a + young woman, whom Prada, on approaching, recognised to be Lisbeth. “You + find me, you see, in delightful company,” gallantly exclaimed the <i>attaché</i>. + “As we lost one another, I could think of nothing better than of offering + madame my arm to bring her here.” + </p> + <p> + “It was, in fact, a good idea,” said Lisbeth with her pretty laugh, “for I + was feeling very thirsty.” + </p> + <p> + They had ordered some iced coffee, which they were slowly sipping out of + little silver-gilt spoons. + </p> + <p> + “I have a terrible thirst, too,” declared the Count, “and I can’t quench + it. You will allow us to join you, will you not, my dear sir? Some of that + coffee will perhaps calm me.” And then to Lisbeth he added, “Ah! my dear, + allow me to introduce to you Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, a young French + priest of great distinction.” + </p> + <p> + Then for a long time they all four remained seated at that table, chatting + and making merry over certain of the guests who went by. Prada, however, + in spite of his usual gallantry towards Lisbeth, frequently became + absent-minded; at times he quite forgot her, being again mastered by his + anguish, and, in spite of all his efforts, his eyes ever turned towards + the neighbouring gallery whence the sound of music and dancing reached + him. + </p> + <p> + “Why, what are you thinking of, <i>caro mio</i>?” Lisbeth asked in her + pretty way, on seeing him at one moment so pale and lost. “Are you + indisposed?” + </p> + <p> + He did not reply, however, but suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! look there, that’s + the real pair, there’s real love and happiness for you!” + </p> + <p> + With a jerk of the hand he designated Dario’s mother, the Marchioness + Montefiori and her second husband, Jules Laporte—that ex-sergeant of + the papal Swiss Guard, her junior by fifteen years, whom she had one day + hooked at the Corso with her eyes of fire, which yet had remained superb, + and whom she had afterwards triumphantly transformed into a Marquis + Montefiori in order to have him entirely to herself. Such was her passion + that she never relaxed her hold on him whether at ball or reception, but, + despite all usages, kept him beside her, and even made him escort her to + the buffet, so much did she delight in being able to exhibit him and say + that this handsome man was her own exclusive property. And standing there + side by side, the pair of them began to drink champagne and eat + sandwiches, she yet a marvel of massive beauty although she was over + fifty, and he with long wavy moustaches, and proud bearing, like a + fortunate adventurer whose jovial impudence pleased the ladies. + </p> + <p> + “You know that she had to extricate him from a nasty affair,” resumed the + Count in a lower tone. “Yes, he travelled in relics; he picked up a living + by supplying relics on commission to convents in France and Switzerland; + and he had launched quite a business in false relics with the help of some + Jews here who concocted little ancient reliquaries out of mutton bones, + with everything sealed and signed by the most genuine authorities. The + affair was hushed up, as three prelates were also compromised in it! Ah! + the happy man! Do you see how she devours him with her eyes? And he, doesn’t + he look quite a <i>grand seigneur</i> by the mere way in which he holds + that plate for her whilst she eats the breast of a fowl out of it!” + </p> + <p> + Then, in a rough way and with biting irony, he went on to speak of the <i>amours</i> + of Rome. The Roman women, said he, were ignorant, obstinate, and jealous. + When a woman had managed to win a man, she kept him for ever, he became + her property, and she disposed of him as she pleased. By way of proof, he + cited many interminable <i>liaisons</i>, such as that of Donna Serafina + and Morano which, in time became virtual marriages; and he sneered at such + a lack of fancy, such an excess of fidelity whose only ending, when it did + end, was some very disagreeable unpleasantness. + </p> + <p> + At this, Lisbeth interrupted him. “But what is the matter with you this + evening, my dear?” she asked with a laugh. “What you speak of is on the + contrary very nice and pretty! When a man and a woman love one another + they ought to do so for ever!” + </p> + <p> + She looked delightful as she spoke, with her fine wavy blonde hair and + delicate fair complexion; and Narcisse with a languorous expression in his + half-closed eyes compared her to a Botticelli which he had seen at + Florence. However, the night was now far advanced, and Pierre had once + more sunk into gloomy thoughtfulness when he heard a passing lady remark + that they had already begun to dance the Cotillon in the gallery; and + thereupon he suddenly remembered that Monsignor Nani had given him an + appointment in the little Saloon of the Mirrors. + </p> + <p> + “Are you leaving?” hastily inquired Prada on seeing him rise and bow to + Lisbeth. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, not yet,” Pierre answered. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! all right. Don’t go away without me. I want to walk a little, and + I’ll see you home. It’s agreed, eh? You will find me here.” + </p> + <p> + The young priest had to cross two rooms, one hung with yellow and the + other with blue, before he at last reached the mirrored <i>salon</i>. This + was really an exquisite example of the <i>rococo</i> style, a rotunda as + it were of pale mirrors framed with superb gilded carvings. Even the + ceiling was covered with mirrors disposed slantwise so that on every side + things multiplied, mingled, and appeared under all possible aspects. + Discreetly enough no electric lights had been placed in the room, the only + illumination being that of some pink tapers burning in a pair of + candelabra. The hangings and upholstery were of soft blue silk, and the + impression on entering was very sweet and charming, as if one had found + oneself in the abode of some fairy queen of the rills, a palace of limpid + water, illumined to its farthest depths by clusters of stars. + </p> + <p> + Pierre at once perceived Monsignor Nani, who was sitting on a low couch, + and, as the prelate had hoped, he was quite alone, for the Cotillon had + attracted almost everybody to the picture gallery. And the silence in the + little <i>salon</i> was nearly perfect, for at that distance the blare of + the orchestra subsided into a faint, flute-like murmur. The young priest + at once apologised to the prelate for having kept him waiting. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, my dear son,” said Nani, with his inexhaustible amiability. “I + was very comfortable in this retreat—when the press of the crowd + became over-threatening I took refuge here.” He did not speak of the King + and Queen, but he allowed it to be understood that he had politely avoided + their company. If he had come to the <i>fête</i> it was on account of his + sincere affection for Celia and also with a very delicate diplomatic + object, for the Church wished to avoid any appearance of having entirely + broken with the Buongiovanni family, that ancient house which was so + famous in the annals of the papacy. Doubtless the Vatican was unable to + subscribe to this marriage which seemed to unite old Rome with the young + Kingdom of Italy, but on the other hand it did not desire people to think + that it abandoned old and faithful supporters and took no interest in what + befell them. + </p> + <p> + “But come, my dear son,” the prelate resumed, “it is you who are now in + question. I told you that although the Congregation of the Index had + pronounced itself for the condemnation of your book, the sentence would + only be submitted to the Holy Father and signed by him on the day after + to-morrow. So you still have a whole day before you.” + </p> + <p> + At this Pierre could not refrain from a dolorous and vivacious + interruption. + </p> + <p> + “Alas! Monseigneur, what can I do?” said he; “I have thought it all over, + and I see no means, no opportunity of defending myself. How could I even + see his Holiness now that he is so ill?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! ill, ill!” muttered Nani with his shrewd expression. “His Holiness is + ever so much better, for this very day, like every other Wednesday, I had + the honour to be received by him. When his Holiness is a little tired and + people say that he is very ill, he often lets them do so, for it gives him + a rest and enables him to judge certain ambitions and manifestations of + impatience around him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, was too upset to listen attentively. “No, it’s all over,” + he continued, “I’m in despair. You spoke to me of the possibility of a + miracle, but I am no great believer in miracles. Since I am defeated here + at Rome, I shall go away, I shall return to Paris, and continue the + struggle there. Oh! I cannot resign myself, my hope in salvation by the + practice of love cannot die, and I shall answer my denouncers in a new + book, in which I shall tell in what new soil the new religion will grow + up!” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. Nani looked at him with his clear eyes in which intelligence + shone distinct and sharp like steel. And amidst the deep calm, the warm + heavy atmosphere of the little <i>salon</i>, whose mirrors were starred + with countless reflections of candles, a more sonorous burst of music was + suddenly wafted from the gallery, a rhythmical waltz melody, which slowly + expanded, then died away. + </p> + <p> + “My dear son,” said Nani, “anger is always harmful. You remember that on + your arrival here I promised that if your own efforts to obtain an + interview with the Holy Father should prove unavailing, I would myself + endeavour to secure an audience for you.” Then, seeing how agitated the + young priest was getting, he went on: “Listen to me and don’t excite + yourself. His Holiness, unfortunately, is not always prudently advised. + Around him are persons whose devotion, however great, is at times + deficient in intelligence. I told you that, and warned you against + inconsiderate applications. And this is why, already three weeks ago, I + myself handed your book to his Holiness in the hope that he would deign to + glance at it. I rightly suspected that it had not been allowed to reach + him. And this is what I am instructed to tell you: his Holiness, who has + had the great kindness to read your book, expressly desires to see you.” + </p> + <p> + A cry of joy and gratitude died away in Pierre’s throat: “Ah! Monseigneur. + Ah! Monseigneur!” + </p> + <p> + But Nani quickly silenced him and glanced around with an expression of + keen anxiety as if he feared that some one might hear them. “Hush! Hush!” + said he, “it is a secret. His Holiness wishes to see you privately, + without taking anybody else into his confidence. Listen attentively. It is + now two o’clock in the morning. Well, this very day, at nine in the + evening precisely, you must present yourself at the Vatican and at every + door ask for Signor Squadra. You will invariably be allowed to pass. + Signor Squadra will be waiting for you upstairs, and will introduce you. + And not a word, mind; not a soul must have the faintest suspicion of these + things.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s happiness and gratitude at last flowed forth. He had caught hold + of the prelate’s soft, plump hands, and stammered, “Ah! Monseigneur, how + can I express my gratitude to you? If you only knew how full my soul was + of night and rebellion since I realised that I had been a mere plaything + in the hands of those powerful cardinals. But you have saved me, and again + I feel sure that I shall win the victory, for I shall at last be able to + fling myself at the feet of his Holiness the father of all truth and all + justice. He can but absolve me, I who love him, I who admire him, I who + have never battled for aught but his own policy and most cherished ideas. + No, no, it is impossible; he will not sign that judgment; he will not + condemn my book!” + </p> + <p> + Releasing his hands, Nani sought to calm him with a fatherly gesture, + whilst retaining a faint smile of contempt for such a useless expenditure + of enthusiasm. At last he succeeded, and begged him to retire. The + orchestra was again playing more loudly in the distance. And when the + young priest at last withdrew, thanking him once more, he said very + simply, “Remember, my dear son, that only obedience is great.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, whose one desire now was to take himself off, found Prada almost + immediately afterwards in the first reception-room. Their Majesties had + just left the ball in grand ceremony, escorted to the threshold by the + Buongiovannis and the Saccos. And before departing the Queen had + maternally kissed Celia, whilst the King shook hands with Attilio—honours + instinct with a charming good nature which made the members of both + families quite radiant. However, a good many of the guests were following + the example of the sovereigns and disappearing in small batches. And the + Count, who seemed strangely nervous, and showed more sternness and + bitterness than ever, was, on his side, also eager to be gone. “Ah! it’s + you at last. I was waiting for you,” he said to Pierre. “Well, let’s get + off at once, eh? Your compatriot Monsieur Narcisse Habert asked me to tell + you not to look for him. The fact is, he has gone to see my friend Lisbeth + to her carriage. I myself want a breath of fresh air, a stroll, and so + I’ll go with you as far as the Via Giulia.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as they took their things from the cloak-room, he could not help + sneering and saying in his brutal way: “I saw your good friends go off, + all four together. It’s lucky that you prefer to go home on foot, for + there was no room for you in the carriage. What superb impudence it was on + the part of that Donna Serafina to drag herself here, at her age, with + that Morano of hers, so as to triumph over the return of the fickle one! + And the two others, the two young ones—ah! I confess that I can + hardly speak calmly of <i>them</i>, for in parading here together as they + did this evening, they have shown an impudence and a cruelty such as is + rarely seen!” Prada’s hands trembled, and he murmured: “A good journey, a + good journey to the young man, since he is going to Naples. Yes, I heard + Celia say that he was starting for Naples this evening at six o’clock. + Well, my wishes go with him; a good journey!” + </p> + <p> + The two men found the change delightful when they at last emerged from the + stifling heat of the reception-rooms into the lovely, cool, and limpid + night. It was a night illumined by a superb full moon, one of those + matchless Roman nights when the city slumbers in Elysian radiance, steeped + in a dream of the Infinite, under the vast vault of heaven. And they took + the most agreeable route, going down the Corso proper and then turning + into the Corso Vittorio Emanuele. + </p> + <p> + Prada had grown somewhat calmer, but remained full of irony. To divert his + mind, no doubt, he talked on in the most voluble manner, reverting to the + women of Rome and to that <i>fête</i> which he had at first found + splendid, but at which he now began to rail. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! of course they have very fine gowns,” said he, speaking of the women; + “but gowns which don’t fit them, gowns which are sent them from Paris, and + which, of course, they can’t try on. It’s just the same with their jewels; + they still have diamonds and pearls, in particular, which are very fine, + but they are so wretchedly, so heavily mounted that they look frightful. + And if you only knew how ignorant and frivolous these women are, despite + all their conceit! Everything is on the surface with them, even religion: + there’s nothing beneath. I looked at them eating at the buffet. Oh! they + at least have fine appetites. This evening some decorum was observed, + there wasn’t too much gorging. But at one of the Court balls you would see + a general pillage, the buffets besieged, and everything swallowed up + amidst a scramble of amazing voracity!” + </p> + <p> + To all this talk Pierre only returned monosyllabic responses. He was + wrapped in overflowing delight at the thought of that audience with the + Pope, which, unable as he was to confide in any one, he strove to arrange + and picture in his own mind, even in its pettiest details. And meantime + the footsteps of the two men rang out on the dry pavement of the clear, + broad, deserted thoroughfare, whose black shadows were sharply outlined by + the moonlight. + </p> + <p> + All at once Prada himself became silent. His loquacious <i>bravura</i> was + exhausted, the frightful struggle going on in his mind wholly possessed + and paralysed him. Twice already he had dipped his hand into his coat + pocket and felt the pencilled note whose four lines he mentally repeated: + “A legend avers that the fig-tree of Judas now grows at Frascati, and that + its fruit is deadly for him who may desire to become pope. Eat not the + poisoned figs, nor give them either to your servants or your fowls.” The + note was there; he could feel it; and if he had desired to accompany + Pierre, it was in order that he might drop it into the letter-box at the + Palazzo Boccanera. And he continued to step out briskly, so that within + another ten minutes that note would surely be in the box, for no power in + the world could prevent it, since such was his express determination. + Never would he commit such a crime as to allow people to be poisoned. + </p> + <p> + But he was suffering such abominable torture. That Benedetta and that + Dario had raised such a tempest of jealous hatred within him! For them he + forgot Lisbeth whom he loved, and even that flesh of his flesh, the child + of whom he was so proud. All sex as he was, eager to conquer and subdue, + he had never cared for facile loves. His passion was to overcome. And now + there was a woman in the world who defied him, a woman forsooth whom he + had bought, whom he had married, who had been handed over to him, but who + would never, never be his. Ah! in the old days, to subdue her, he would if + needful have fired Rome like a Nero; but now he asked himself what he + could possibly do to prevent her from belonging to another. That galling + thought made the blood gush from his gaping wound. How that woman and her + lover must deride him! And to think that they had sought to turn him to + ridicule by a baseless charge, an arrant lie which still and ever made him + smart, all proof of its falsity to the contrary. He, on his side, had + accused them in the past without much belief in what he said, but now the + charges he had imputed to them must come true, for they were free, freed + at all events of the religious bond, and that no doubt was their only + care. And then visions of their happiness passed before his eyes, + infuriating him. Ah! no, ah! no, it was impossible, he would rather + destroy the world! + </p> + <p> + Then, as he and Pierre turned out of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele to thread + the old narrow tortuous streets leading to the Via Giulia, he pictured + himself dropping the note into the letter-box at the palazzo. And next he + conjured up what would follow. The note would lie in the letter-box till + morning. At an early hour Don Vigilio, the secretary, who by the + Cardinal’s express orders kept the key of the box, would come down, find + the note, and hand it to his Eminence, who never allowed another to open + any communication addressed to him. And then the figs would be thrown + away, there would be no further possibility of crime, the black world + would in all prudence keep silent. But if the note should not be in the + letter-box, what would happen then? And admitting that supposition he + pictured the figs placed on the table at the one o’clock meal, in their + pretty little leaf-covered basket. Dario would be there as usual, alone + with his uncle, since he was not to leave for Naples till the evening. And + would both the uncle and the nephew eat the figs, or would only one of + them partake of the fruit, and which of them would that be? At this point + Prada’s clearness of vision failed him; again he conjured up Destiny on + the march, that Destiny which he had met on the road from Frascati, going + on towards its unknown goal, athwart all obstacles without possibility of + stoppage. Aye, the little basket of figs went ever on and on to accomplish + its fateful purpose, which no hand in the world had power enough to + prevent. + </p> + <p> + And at last, on either hand of Pierre and Prada, the Via Giulia stretched + away in a long line white with moonlight, and the priest emerged as if + from a dream at sight of the Palazzo Boccanera rising blackly under the + silver sky. Three o’clock struck at a neighbouring church. And he felt + himself quivering slightly as once again he heard near him the dolorous + moan of a lion wounded unto death, that low involuntary growl which the + Count, amidst the frightful struggle of his feelings, had for the third + time allowed to escape him. But immediately afterwards he burst into a + sneering laugh, and pressing the priest’s hands, exclaimed: “No, no, I am + not going farther. If I were seen here at this hour, people would think + that I had fallen in love with my wife again.” + </p> + <p> + And thereupon he lighted a cigar, and retraced his steps in the clear + night, without once looking round. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap38"></a> + XIII. + </h2> + <p> + WHEN Pierre awoke he was much surprised to hear eleven o’clock striking. + Fatigued as he was by that ball where he had lingered so long, he had + slept like a child in delightful peacefulness, and as soon as he opened + his eyes the radiant sunshine filled him with hope. His first thought was + that he would see the Pope that evening at nine o’clock. Ten more hours to + wait! What would he be able to do with himself during that lovely day, + whose radiant sky seemed to him of such happy augury? He rose and opened + the windows to admit the warm air which, as he had noticed on the day of + his arrival, had a savour of fruit and flowers, a blending, as it were, of + the perfume of rose and orange. Could this possibly be December? What a + delightful land, that the spring should seem to flower on the very + threshold of winter! Then, having dressed, he was leaning out of the + window to glance across the golden Tiber at the evergreen slopes of the + Janiculum, when he espied Benedetta seated in the abandoned garden of the + mansion. And thereupon, unable to keep still, full of a desire for life, + gaiety, and beauty, he went down to join her. + </p> + <p> + With radiant visage and outstretched hands, she at once vented the cry he + had expected: “Ah! my dear Abbé, how happy I am!” + </p> + <p> + They had often spent their mornings in that quiet, forsaken nook; but what + sad mornings those had been, hopeless as they both were! To-day, however, + the weed-grown paths, the box-plants growing in the old basin, the + orange-trees which alone marked the outline of the beds—all seemed + full of charm, instinct with a sweet and dreamy cosiness in which it was + very pleasant to lull one’s joy. And it was so warm, too, beside the big + laurel-bush, in the corner where the streamlet of water ever fell with + flute-like music from the gaping, tragic mask. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” repeated Benedetta, “how happy I am! I was stifling upstairs, and my + heart felt such a need of space, and air, and sunlight, that I came down + here!” + </p> + <p> + She was seated on the fallen column beside the old marble sarcophagus, and + desired the priest to place himself beside her. Never had he seen her + looking so beautiful, with her black hair encompassing her pure face, + which in the sunshine appeared pinky and delicate as a flower. Her large, + fathomless eyes showed in the light like braziers rolling gold, and her + childish mouth, all candour and good sense, laughed the laugh of one who + was at last free to love as her heart listed, without offending either God + or man. And, dreaming aloud, she built up plans for the future. “It’s all + simple enough,” said she; “I have already obtained a separation, and shall + easily get that changed into civil divorce now that the Church has + annulled my marriage. And I shall marry Dario next spring, perhaps sooner, + if the formalities can be hastened. He is going to Naples this evening + about the sale of some property which we still possess there, but which + must now be sold, for all this business has cost us a lot of money. Still, + that doesn’t matter since we now belong to one another. And when he comes + back in a few days, what a happy time we shall have! I could not sleep + when I got back from that splendid ball last night, for my head was so + full of plans—oh! splendid plans, as you shall see, for I mean to + keep you in Rome until our marriage.” + </p> + <p> + Like herself, Pierre began to laugh, so gained upon by this explosion of + youth and happiness that he had to make a great effort to refrain from + speaking of his own delight, his hopefulness at the thought of his coming + interview with the Pope. Of that, however, he had sworn to speak to + nobody. + </p> + <p> + Every now and again, amidst the quivering silence of the sunlit garden, + the cry of a bird persistently rang out; and Benedetta, raising her head + and looking at a cage hanging beside one of the first-floor windows, + jestingly exclaimed: “Yes, yes, Tata, make a good noise, show that you are + pleased, my dear. Everybody in the house must be pleased now.” Then, + turning towards Pierre, she added gaily: “You know Tata, don’t you? What! + No? Why, Tata is my uncle’s parrot. I gave her to him last spring; he’s + very fond of her, and lets her help herself out of his plate. And he + himself attends to her, puts her out and takes her in, and keeps her in + his dining-room, for fear lest she should take cold, as that is the only + room of his which is at all warm.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre in his turn looked up and saw the bird, one of those pretty little + parrots with soft, silky, dull-green plumage. It was hanging by the beak + from a bar of its cage, swinging itself and flapping its wings, all mirth + in the bright sunshine. + </p> + <p> + “Does the bird talk?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, she only screams,” replied Benedetta, laughing. “Still my uncle + pretends that he understands her.” And then the young woman abruptly + darted to another subject, as if this mention of her uncle the Cardinal + had made her think of the uncle by marriage whom she had in Paris. “I + suppose you have heard from Viscount de la Choue,” said she. “I had a + letter from him yesterday, in which he said how grieved he was that you + were unable to see the Holy Father, as he had counted on you for the + triumph of his ideas.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre indeed frequently heard from the Viscount, who was greatly + distressed by the importance which his adversary, Baron de Fouras, had + acquired since his success with the International Pilgrimage of the + Peter’s Pence. The old, uncompromising Catholic party would awaken, said + the Viscount, and all the conquests of Neo-Catholicism would be + threatened, if one could not obtain the Holy Father’s formal adhesion to + the proposed system of free guilds, in order to overcome the demand for + closed guilds which was brought forward by the Conservatives. And the + Viscount overwhelmed Pierre with injunctions, and sent him all sorts of + complicated plans in his eagerness to see him received at the Vatican. + “Yes, yes,” muttered the young priest in reply to Benedetta. “I had a + letter on Sunday, and found another waiting for me on my return from + Frascati yesterday. Ah! it would make me very happy to be able to send the + Viscount some good news.” Then again Pierre’s joy overflowed at the + thought that he would that evening see the Pope, and, on opening his + loving heart to the Pontiff, receive the supreme encouragement which would + strengthen him in his mission to work social salvation in the name of the + lowly and the poor. And he could not restrain himself any longer, but let + his secret escape him: “It’s settled, you know,” said he. “My audience is + for this evening.” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta did not understand at first. “What audience?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Monsignor Nani was good enough to tell me at the ball this morning, + that the Holy Father has read my book and desires to see me. I shall be + received this evening at nine o’clock.” + </p> + <p> + At this the Contessina flushed with pleasure, participating in the delight + of the young priest to whom she had grown much attached. And this success + of his, coming in the midst of her own felicity, acquired extraordinary + importance in her eyes as if it were an augury of complete success for one + and all. Superstitious as she was, she raised a cry of rapture and + excitement: “Ah! <i>Dio</i>, that will bring us good luck. How happy I am, + my friend, to see happiness coming to you at the same time as to me! You + cannot think how pleased I am! And all will go well now, it’s certain, for + a house where there is any one whom the Pope welcomes is blessed, the + thunder of Heaven falls on it no more!” + </p> + <p> + She laughed yet more loudly as she spoke, and clapped her hands with such + exuberant gaiety that Pierre became anxious. “Hush! hush!” said he, “it’s + a secret. Pray don’t mention it to any one, either your aunt or even his + Eminence. Monsignor Nani would be much annoyed.” + </p> + <p> + She thereupon promised to say nothing, and in a kindly voice spoke of Nani + as a benefactor, for was she not indebted to him for the dissolution of + her marriage? Then, with a fresh explosion of gaiety, she went on: “But + come, my friend, is not happiness the only good thing? You don’t ask me to + weep over the suffering poor to-day! Ah! the happiness of life, that’s + everything. People don’t suffer or feel cold or hungry when they are + happy.” + </p> + <p> + He looked at her in stupefaction at the idea of that strange solution of + the terrible question of human misery. And suddenly he realised that, with + that daughter of the sun who had inherited so many centuries of sovereign + aristocracy, all his endeavours at conversion were vain. He had wished to + bring her to a Christian love for the lowly and the wretched, win her over + to the new, enlightened, and compassionate Italy that he had dreamt of; + but if she had been moved by the sufferings of the multitude at the time + when she herself had suffered, when grievous wounds had made her own heart + bleed, she was no sooner healed than she proclaimed the doctrine of + universal felicity like a true daughter of a clime of burning summers, and + winters as mild as spring. “But everybody is not happy!” said he. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, they are!” she exclaimed. “You don’t know the poor! Give a girl + of the Trastevere the lad she loves, and she becomes as radiant as a + queen, and finds her dry bread quite sweet. The mothers who save a child + from sickness, the men who conquer in a battle, or who win at the lottery, + one and all in fact are like that, people only ask for good fortune and + pleasure. And despite all your striving to be just and to arrive at a more + even distribution of fortune, the only satisfied ones will be those whose + hearts sing—often without their knowing the cause—on a fine + sunny day like this.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre made a gesture of surrender, not wishing to sadden her by again + pleading the cause of all the poor ones who at that very moment were + somewhere agonising with physical or mental pain. But, all at once, + through the luminous mild atmosphere a shadow seemed to fall, tingeing joy + with sadness, the sunshine with despair. And the sight of the old + sarcophagus, with its bacchanal of satyrs and nymphs, brought back the + memory that death lurks even amidst the bliss of passion, the unsatiated + kisses of love. For a moment the clear song of the water sounded in + Pierre’s ears like a long-drawn sob, and all seemed to crumble in the + terrible shadow which had fallen from the invisible. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta, however, caught hold of his hands and roused him once more to + the delight of being there beside her. “Your pupil is rebellious, is she + not, my friend?” said she. “But what would you have? There are ideas which + can’t enter into our heads. No, you will never get those things into the + head of a Roman girl. So be content with loving us as we are, beautiful + with all our strength, as beautiful as we can be.” + </p> + <p> + She herself, in her resplendent happiness, looked at that moment so + beautiful that he trembled as in presence of a divinity whose + all-powerfulness swayed the world. “Yes, yes,” he stammered, “beauty, + beauty, still and ever sovereign. Ah! why can it not suffice to satisfy + the eternal longings of poor suffering men?” + </p> + <p> + “Never mind!” she gaily responded. “Do not distress yourself; it is + pleasant to live. And now let us go upstairs, my aunt must be waiting.” + </p> + <p> + The midday meal was served at one o’clock, and on the few occasions when + Pierre did not eat at one or another restaurant a cover was laid for him + at the ladies’ table in the little dining-room of the second floor, + overlooking the courtyard. At the same hour, in the sunlit dining-room of + the first floor, whose windows faced the Tiber, the Cardinal likewise sat + down to table, happy in the society of his nephew Dario, for his + secretary, Don Vigilio, who also was usually present, never opened his + mouth unless to reply to some question. And the two services were quite + distinct, each having its own kitchen and servants, the only thing at all + common to them both being a large room downstairs which served as a pantry + and store-place. + </p> + <p> + Although the second-floor dining-room was so gloomy, saddened by the + greeny half-light of the courtyard, the meal shared that day by the two + ladies and the young priest proved a very gay one. Even Donna Serafina, + usually so rigid, seemed to relax under the influence of great internal + felicity. She was no doubt still enjoying her triumph of the previous + evening, and it was she who first spoke of the ball and sung its praises, + though the presence of the King and Queen had much embarrassed her, said + she. According to her account, she had only avoided presentation by + skilful strategy; however she hoped that her well-known affection for + Celia, whose god-mother she was, would explain her presence in that + neutral mansion where Vatican and Quirinal had met. At the same time she + must have retained certain scruples, for she declared that directly after + dinner she was going to the Vatican to see the Cardinal Secretary, to whom + she desired to speak about an enterprise of which she was lady-patroness. + This visit would compensate for her attendance at the Buongiovanni + entertainment. And on the other hand never had Donna Serafina seemed so + zealous and hopeful of her brother’s speedy accession to the throne of St. + Peter: therein lay a supreme triumph, an elevation of her race, which her + pride deemed both needful and inevitable; and indeed during Leo XIII’s + last indisposition she had actually concerned herself about the trousseau + which would be needed and which would require to be marked with the new + Pontiff’s arms. + </p> + <p> + On her side, Benedetta was all gaiety during the repast, laughing at + everything, and speaking of Celia and Attilio with the passionate + affection of a woman whose own happiness delights in that of her friends. + Then, just as the dessert had been served, she turned to the servant with + an air of surprise: “Well, and the figs, Giacomo?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + Giacomo, slow and sleepy of notion, looked at her without understanding. + However, Victorine was crossing the room, and Benedetta’s next question + was for her: “Why are the figs not served, Victorine?” she inquired. + </p> + <p> + “What figs, Contessina?” + </p> + <p> + “Why the figs I saw in the pantry as I passed through it this morning on + my way to the garden. They were in a little basket and looked superb. I + was even astonished to see that there were still some fresh figs left at + this season. I’m very fond of them, and felt quite pleased at the thought + that I should eat some at dinner.” + </p> + <p> + Victorine began to laugh: “Ah! yes, Contessina, I understand,” she + replied. “They were some figs which that priest of Frascati, whom you know + very well, brought yesterday evening as a present for his Eminence. I was + there, and I heard him repeat three or four times that they were a + present, and were to be put on his Eminence’s table without a leaf being + touched. And so one did as he said.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, that’s nice,” retorted Benedetta with comical indignation. “What <i>gourmands</i> + my uncle and Dario are to regale themselves without us! They might have + given us a share!” + </p> + <p> + Donna Serafina thereupon intervened, and asked Victorine: “You are + speaking, are you not, of that priest who used to come to the villa at + Frascati?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, Abbé Santobono his name is, he officiates at the little church + of St. Mary in the Fields. He always asks for Abbé Paparelli when he + calls; I think they were at the seminary together. And it was Abbé + Paparelli who brought him to the pantry with his basket last night. To + tell the truth, the basket was forgotten there in spite of all the + injunctions, so that nobody would have eaten the figs to-day if Abbé + Paparelli hadn’t run down just now and carried them upstairs as piously as + if they were the Blessed Sacrament. It’s true though that his Eminence is + so fond of them.” + </p> + <p> + “My brother won’t do them much honour to-day,” remarked the Princess. “He + is slightly indisposed. He passed a bad night.” The repeated mention of + Abbé Paparelli had made the old lady somewhat thoughtful. She had regarded + the train-bearer with displeasure ever since she had noticed the + extraordinary influence he was gaining over the Cardinal, despite all his + apparent humility and self-effacement. He was but a servant and apparently + a very insignificant one, yet he governed, and she could feel that he + combated her own influence, often undoing things which she had done to + further her brother’s interests. Twice already, moreover, she had + suspected him of having urged the Cardinal to courses which she looked + upon as absolute blunders. But perhaps she was wrong; she did the + train-bearer the justice to admit that he had great merits and displayed + exemplary piety. + </p> + <p> + However, Benedetta went on laughing and jesting, and as Victorine had now + withdrawn, she called the man-servant: “Listen, Giacomo, I have a + commission for you.” Then she broke off to say to her aunt and Pierre: + “Pray let us assert our rights. I can see them at table almost underneath + us. Uncle is taking the leaves off the basket and serving himself with a + smile; then he passes the basket to Dario, who passes it on to Don + Vigilio. And all three of them eat and enjoy the figs. You can see them, + can’t you?” She herself could see them well. And it was her desire to be + near Dario, the constant flight of her thoughts to him that now made her + picture him at table with the others. Her heart was down below, and there + was nothing there that she could not see, and hear, and smell, with such + keenness of the senses did her love endow her. “Giacomo,” she resumed, + “you are to go down and tell his Eminence that we are longing to taste his + figs, and that it will be very kind of him if he will send us such as he + can spare.” + </p> + <p> + Again, however, did Donna Serafina intervene, recalling her wonted + severity of voice: “Giacomo, you will please stay here.” And to her niece + she added: “That’s enough childishness! I dislike such silly freaks.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! aunt,” Benedetta murmured. “But I’m so happy, it’s so long since I + laughed so good-heartedly.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had hitherto remained listening, enlivened by the sight of her + gaiety. But now, as a little chill fell, he raised his voice to say that + on the previous day he himself had been astonished to see the famous + fig-tree of Frascati still bearing fruit so late in the year. This was + doubtless due, however, to the tree’s position and the protection of a + high wall. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! so you saw the tree?” said Benedetta. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, and I even travelled with those figs which you would so much like to + taste.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, how was that?” + </p> + <p> + The young man already regretted the reply which had escaped him. However, + having gone so far, he preferred to say everything. “I met somebody at + Frascati who had come there in a carriage and who insisted on driving me + back to Rome,” said he. “On the way we picked up Abbé Santobono, who was + bravely making the journey on foot with his basket in his hand. And + afterwards we stopped at an <i>osteria</i>—” Then he went on to + describe the drive and relate his impressions whilst crossing the Campagna + amidst the falling twilight. But Benedetta gazed at him fixedly, aware as + she was of Prada’s frequent visits to the land and houses which he owned + at Frascati; and suddenly she murmured: “Somebody, somebody, it was the + Count, was it not?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, madame, the Count,” Pierre answered. “I saw him again last night; he + was overcome, and really deserves to be pitied.” + </p> + <p> + The two women took no offence at this charitable remark which fell from + the young priest with such deep and natural emotion, full as he was of + overflowing love and compassion for one and all. Donna Serafina remained + motionless as if she had not even heard him, and Benedetta made a gesture + which seemed to imply that she had neither pity nor hatred to express for + a man who had become a perfect stranger to her. However, she no longer + laughed, but, thinking of the little basket which had travelled in Prada’s + carriage, she said: “Ah! I don’t care for those figs at all now, I am even + glad that I haven’t eaten any of them.” + </p> + <p> + Immediately after the coffee Donna Serafina withdrew, saying that she was + at once going to the Vatican; and the others, being left to themselves, + lingered at table, again full of gaiety, and chatting like friends. The + priest, with his feverish impatience, once more referred to the audience + which he was to have that evening. It was now barely two o’clock, and he + had seven more hours to wait. How should he employ that endless afternoon? + Thereupon Benedetta good-naturedly made him a proposal. “I’ll tell you + what,” said she, “as we are all in such good spirits we mustn’t leave one + another. Dario has his victoria, you know. He must have finished lunch by + now, and I’ll ask him to take us for a long drive along the Tiber.” + </p> + <p> + This fine project so delighted her that she began to clap her hands; but + just then Don Vigilio appeared with a scared look on his face. “Isn’t the + Princess here?” he inquired. + </p> + <p> + “No, my aunt has gone out. What is the matter?” + </p> + <p> + “His Eminence sent me. The Prince has just felt unwell on rising from + table. Oh! it’s nothing—nothing serious, no doubt.” + </p> + <p> + Benedetta raised a cry of surprise rather than anxiety: “What, Dario! + Well, we’ll all go down. Come with me, Monsieur l’Abbé. He mustn’t get ill + if he is to take us for a drive!” Then, meeting Victorine on the stairs, + she bade her follow. “Dario isn’t well,” she said. “You may be wanted.” + </p> + <p> + They all four entered the spacious, antiquated, and simply furnished + bed-room where the young Prince had lately been laid up for a whole month. + It was reached by way of a small <i>salon</i>, and from an adjoining + dressing-room a passage conducted to the Cardinal’s apartments, the + relatively small dining-room, bed-room, and study, which had been devised + by subdividing one of the huge galleries of former days. In addition, the + passage gave access to his Eminence’s private chapel, a bare, uncarpeted, + chairless room, where there was nothing beyond the painted, wooden altar, + and the hard, cold tiles on which to kneel and pray. + </p> + <p> + On entering, Benedetta hastened to the bed where Dario was lying, still + fully dressed. Near him, in fatherly fashion, stood Cardinal Boccanera, + who, amidst his dawning anxiety, retained his proud and lofty bearing—the + calmness of a soul beyond reproach. “Why, what is the matter, Dario <i>mio</i>?” + asked the young woman. + </p> + <p> + He smiled, eager to reassure her. One only noticed that he was very pale, + with a look as of intoxication on his face. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it’s nothing, mere giddiness,” he replied. “It’s just as if I had + drunk too much. All at once things swam before my eyes, and I thought I + was going to fall. And then I only had time to come and fling myself on + the bed.” + </p> + <p> + Then he drew a long breath, as though talking exhausted him, and the + Cardinal in his turn gave some details. “We had just finished our meal,” + said he, “I was giving Don Vigilio some orders for this afternoon, and was + about to rise when I saw Dario get up and reel. He wouldn’t sit down + again, but came in here, staggering like a somnambulist, and fumbling at + the doors to open them. We followed him without understanding. And I + confess that I don’t yet comprehend it.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, the Cardinal punctuated his surprise by waving his arm towards + the rooms, through which a gust of misfortune seemed to have suddenly + swept. All the doors had remained wide open: the dressing-room could be + seen, and then the passage, at the end of which appeared the dining-room, + in a disorderly state, like an apartment suddenly vacated; the table still + laid, the napkins flung here and there, and the chairs pushed back. As + yet, however, there was no alarm. + </p> + <p> + Benedetta made the remark which is usually made in such cases: “I hope you + haven’t eaten anything which has disagreed with you.” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal, smiling, again waved his hand as if to attest the frugality + of his table. “Oh!” said he, “there were only some eggs, some lamb + cutlets, and a dish of sorrel—they couldn’t have overloaded his + stomach. I myself only drink water; he takes just a sip of white wine. No, + no, the food has nothing to do with it.” + </p> + <p> + “Besides, in that case his Eminence and I would also have felt + indisposed,” Don Vigilio made bold to remark. + </p> + <p> + Dario, after momentarily closing his eyes, opened them again, and once + more drew a long breath, whilst endeavouring to laugh. “Oh, it will be + nothing;” he said. “I feel more at ease already. I must get up and stir + myself.” + </p> + <p> + “In that case,” said Benedetta, “this is what I had thought of. You will + take Monsieur l’Abbé Froment and me for a long drive in the Campagna.” + </p> + <p> + “Willingly. It’s a nice idea. Victorine, help me.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst speaking he had raised himself by means of one arm; but, before the + servant could approach, a slight convulsion seized him, and he fell back + again as if overcome by a fainting fit. It was the Cardinal, still + standing by the bedside, who caught him in his arms, whilst the Contessina + this time lost her head: “<i>Dio, Dio</i>! It has come on him again. + Quick, quick, a doctor!” + </p> + <p> + “Shall I run for one?” asked Pierre, whom the scene was also beginning to + upset. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, not you; stay with me. Victorine will go at once. She knows the + address. Doctor Giordano, Victorine.” + </p> + <p> + The servant hurried away, and a heavy silence fell on the room where the + anxiety became more pronounced every moment. Benedetta, now quite pale, + had again approached the bed, whilst the Cardinal looked down at Dario, + whom he still held in his arms. And a terrible suspicion, vague, + indeterminate as yet, had just awoke in the old man’s mind: Dario’s face + seemed to him to be ashen, to wear that mask of terrified anguish which he + had already remarked on the countenance of his dearest friend, Monsignor + Gallo, when he had held him in his arms, in like manner, two hours before + his death. There was also the same swoon and the same sensation of + clasping a cold form whose heart ceases to beat. And above everything else + there was in Boccanera’s mind the same growing thought of poison, poison + coming one knew not whence or how, but mysteriously striking down those + around him with the suddenness of lightning. And for a long time he + remained with his head bent over the face of his nephew, that last scion + of his race, seeking, studying, and recognising the signs of the + mysterious, implacable disorder which once already had rent his heart + atwain. + </p> + <p> + But Benedetta addressed him in a low, entreating voice: “You will tire + yourself, uncle. Let me take him a little, I beg you. Have no fear, I’ll + hold him very gently, he will feel that it is I, and perhaps that will + rouse him.” + </p> + <p> + At last the Cardinal raised his head and looked at her, and allowed her to + take his place after kissing her with distracted passion, his eyes the + while full of tears—a sudden burst of emotion in which his great + love for the young woman melted the stern frigidity which he usually + affected. “Ah! my poor child, my poor child!” he stammered, trembling from + head to foot like an oak-tree about to fall. Immediately afterwards, + however, he mastered himself, and whilst Pierre and Don Vigilio, mute and + motionless, regretted that they could be of no help, he walked slowly to + and fro. Soon, moreover, that bed-chamber became too small for all the + thoughts revolving in his mind, and he strayed first into the + dressing-room and then down the passage as far as the dining-room. And + again and again he went to and fro, grave and impassible, his head low, + ever lost in the same gloomy reverie. What were the multitudinous thoughts + stirring in the brain of that believer, that haughty Prince who had given + himself to God and could do naught to stay inevitable Destiny? From time + to time he returned to the bedside, observed the progress of the disorder, + and then started off again at the same slow regular pace, disappearing and + reappearing, carried along as it were by the monotonous alternations of + forces which man cannot control. Possibly he was mistaken, possibly this + was some mere indisposition at which the doctor would smile. One must hope + and wait. And again he went off and again he came back; and amidst the + heavy silence nothing more clearly bespoke the torture of anxious fear + than the rhythmical footsteps of that tall old man who was thus awaiting + Destiny. + </p> + <p> + The door opened, and Victorine came in breathless. “I found the doctor, + here he is,” she gasped. + </p> + <p> + With his little pink face and white curls, his discreet paternal bearing + which gave him the air of an amiable prelate, Doctor Giordano came in + smiling; but on seeing that room and all the anxious people waiting in it, + he turned very grave, at once assuming the expression of profound respect + for all ecclesiastical secrets which he had acquired by long practice + among the clergy. And when he had glanced at the sufferer he let but a low + murmur escape him: “What, again! Is it beginning again!” + </p> + <p> + He was probably alluding to the knife thrust for which he had recently + tended Dario. Who could be thus relentlessly pursuing that poor and + inoffensive young prince? However no one heard the doctor unless it were + Benedetta, and she was so full of feverish impatience, so eager to be + tranquillised, that she did not listen but burst into fresh entreaties: + “Oh! doctor, pray look at him, examine him, tell us that it is nothing. It + can’t be anything serious, since he was so well and gay but a little while + ago. It’s nothing serious, is it?” + </p> + <p> + “You are right no doubt, Contessina, it can be nothing dangerous. We will + see.” + </p> + <p> + However, on turning round, Doctor Giordano perceived the Cardinal, who + with regular, thoughtful footsteps had come back from the dining-room to + place himself at the foot of the bed. And while bowing, the doctor + doubtless detected a gleam of mortal anxiety in the dark eyes fixed upon + his own, for he added nothing but began to examine Dario like a man who + realises that time is precious. And as his examination progressed the + affable optimism which usually appeared upon his countenance gave place to + ashen gravity, a covert terror which made his lips slightly tremble. It + was he who had attended Monsignor Gallo when the latter had been carried + off so mysteriously; it was he who for imperative reasons had then + delivered a certificate stating the cause of death to be infectious fever; + and doubtless he now found the same terrible symptoms as in that case, a + leaden hue overspreading the sufferer’s features, a stupor as of excessive + intoxication; and, old Roman practitioner that he was, accustomed to + sudden deaths, he realised that the <i>malaria</i> which kills was + passing, that <i>malaria</i> which science does not yet fully understand, + which may come from the putrescent exhalations of the Tiber unless it be + but a name for the ancient poison of the legends. + </p> + <p> + As the doctor raised his head his glance again encountered the black eyes + of the Cardinal, which never left him. “Signor Giordano,” said his + Eminence, “you are not over-anxious, I hope? It is only some case of + indigestion, is it not?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor again bowed. By the slight quiver of the Cardinal’s voice he + understood how acute was the anxiety of that powerful man, who once more + was stricken in his dearest affections. + </p> + <p> + “Your Eminence must be right,” he said, “there’s a bad digestion + certainly. Such accidents sometimes become dangerous when fever + supervenes. I need not tell your Eminence how thoroughly you may rely on + my prudence and zeal.” Then he broke off and added in a clear professional + voice: “We must lose no time; the Prince must be undressed. I should + prefer to remain alone with him for a moment.” + </p> + <p> + Whilst speaking in this way, however, Doctor Giordano detained Victorine, + who would be able to help him, said he; should he need any further + assistance he would take Giacomo. His evident desire was to get rid of the + members of the family in order that he might have more freedom of action. + And the Cardinal, who understood him, gently led Benedetta into the + dining-room, whither Pierre and Don Vigilio followed. + </p> + <p> + When the doors had been closed, the most mournful and oppressive silence + reigned in that dining-room, which the bright sun of winter filled with + such delightful warmth and radiance. The table was still laid, its cloth + strewn here and there with bread-crumbs; and a coffee cup had remained + half full. In the centre stood the basket of figs, whose covering of + leaves had been removed. However, only two or three of the figs were + missing. And in front of the window was Tata, the female parrot, who had + flown out of her cage and perched herself on her stand, where she + remained, dazzled and enraptured, amidst the dancing dust of a broad + yellow sunray. In her astonishment however, at seeing so many people + enter, she had ceased to scream and smooth her feathers, and had turned + her head the better to examine the newcomers with her round and + scrutinising eye. + </p> + <p> + The minutes went by slowly amidst all the feverish anxiety as to what + might be occurring in the neighbouring room. Don Vigilio had taken a + corner seat in silence, whilst Benedetta and Pierre, who had remained + standing, preserved similar muteness, and immobility. But the Cardinal had + reverted to that instinctive, lulling tramp by which he apparently hoped + to quiet his impatience and arrive the sooner at the explanation for which + he was groping through a tumultuous maze of ideas. And whilst his + rhythmical footsteps resounded with mechanical regularity, dark fury was + taking possession of his mind, exasperation at being unable to understand + the why and wherefore of that sickness. As he passed the table he had + twice glanced at the things lying on it in confusion, as if seeking some + explanation from them. Perhaps the harm had been done by that unfinished + coffee, or by that bread whose crumbs lay here and there, or by those + cutlets, a bone of which remained? Then as for the third time he passed + by, again glancing, his eyes fell upon the basket of figs, and at once he + stopped, as if beneath the shock of a revelation. An idea seized upon him + and mastered him, without any plan, however, occurring to him by which he + might change his sudden suspicion into certainty. For a moment he remained + puzzled with his eyes fixed upon the basket. Then he took a fig and + examined it, but, noticing nothing strange, was about to put it back when + Tata, the parrot, who was very fond of figs, raised a strident cry. And + this was like a ray of light; the means of changing suspicion into + certainty was found. + </p> + <p> + Slowly, with grave air and gloomy visage, the Cardinal carried the fig to + the parrot and gave it to her without hesitation or regret. She was a very + pretty bird, the only being of the lower order of creation to which he had + ever really been attached. Stretching out her supple, delicate form, whose + silken feathers of dull green here and there assumed a pinky tinge in the + sunlight, she took hold of the fig with her claws, then ripped it open + with her beak. But when she had raked it she ate but little, and let all + the rest fall upon the floor. Still grave and impassible, the Cardinal + looked at her and waited. Quite three minutes went by, and then feeling + reassured, he began to scratch the bird’s poll, whilst she, taking + pleasure in the caress, turned her neck and fixed her bright ruby eye upon + her master. But all at once she sank back without even a flap of the + wings, and fell like a bullet. She was dead, killed as by a thunderbolt. + </p> + <p> + Boccanera made but a gesture, raising both hands to heaven as if in horror + at what he now knew. Great God! such a terrible crime, and such a fearful + mistake, such an abominable trick of Destiny! No cry of grief came from + him, but the gloom upon his face grew black and fierce. Yet there was a + cry, a piercing cry from Benedetta, who like Pierre and Don Vigilio had + watched the Cardinal with an astonishment which had changed into terror: + “Poison! poison! Ah! Dario, my heart, my soul!” + </p> + <p> + But the Cardinal violently caught his niece by the wrist, whilst darting a + suspicious glance at the two petty priests, the secretary and the + foreigner, who were present: “Be quiet, be quiet!” said he. + </p> + <p> + She shook herself free, rebelling, frantic with rage and hatred: “Why + should I be quiet!” she cried. “It is Prada’s work, I shall denounce him, + he shall die as well! I tell you it is Prada, I know it, for yesterday + Abbé Froment came back with him from Frascati in his carriage with that + priest Santobono and that basket of figs! Yes, yes, I have witnesses, it + is Prada, Prada!” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, you are mad, be quiet!” said the Cardinal, who had again taken + hold of the young woman’s hands and sought to master her with all his + sovereign authority. He, who knew the influence which Cardinal Sanguinetti + exercised over Santobono’s excitable mind, had just understood the whole + affair; no direct complicity but covert propulsion, the animal excited and + then let loose upon the troublesome rival at the moment when the + pontifical throne seemed likely to be vacant. The probability, the + certainty of all this flashed upon Boccanera who, though some points + remained obscure, did not seek to penetrate them. It was not necessary + indeed that he should know every particular: the thing was as he said, + since it was bound to be so. “No, no, it was not Prada,” he exclaimed, + addressing Benedetta. “That man can bear me no personal grudge, and I + alone was aimed at, it was to me that those figs were given. Come, think + it out! Only an unforeseen indisposition prevented me from eating the + greater part of the fruit, for it is known that I am very fond of figs, + and while my poor Dario was tasting them, I jested and told him to leave + the finer ones for me to-morrow. Yes, the abominable blow was meant for + me, and it is on him that it has fallen by the most atrocious of chances, + the most monstrous of the follies of fate. Ah! Lord God, Lord God, have + you then forsaken us!” + </p> + <p> + Tears came into the old man’s eyes, whilst she still quivered and seemed + unconvinced: “But you have no enemies, uncle,” she said. “Why should that + Santobono try to take your life?” + </p> + <p> + For a moment he found no fitting reply. With supreme grandeur he had + already resolved to keep the truth secret. Then a recollection came to + him, and he resigned himself to the telling of a lie: “Santobono’s mind + has always been somewhat unhinged,” said he, “and I know that he has hated + me ever since I refused to help him to get a brother of his, one of our + former gardeners, out of prison. Deadly spite often has no more serious + cause. He must have thought that he had reason to be revenged on me.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Benedetta, exhausted, unable to argue any further, sank upon a + chair with a despairing gesture: “Ah! God, God! I no longer know—and + what matters it now that my Dario is in such danger? There’s only one + thing to be done, he must be saved. How long they are over what they are + doing in that room—why does not Victorine come for us!” + </p> + <p> + The silence again fell, full of terror. Without speaking the Cardinal took + the basket of figs from the table and carried it to a cupboard in which he + locked it. Then he put the key in his pocket. No doubt, when night had + fallen, he himself would throw the proofs of the crime into the Tiber. + However, on coming back from the cupboard he noticed the two priests, who + naturally had watched him; and with mingled grandeur and simplicity he + said to them: “Gentlemen, I need not ask you to be discreet. There are + scandals which we must spare the Church, which is not, cannot be guilty. + To deliver one of ourselves, even when he is a criminal, to the civil + tribunals, often means a blow for the whole Church, for men of evil mind + may lay hold of the affair and seek to impute the responsibility of the + crime even to the Church itself. We therefore have but to commit the + murderer to the hands of God, who will know more surely how to punish him. + Ah! for my part, whether I be struck in my own person or whether the blow + be directed against my family, my dearest affections, I declare in the + name of the Christ who died upon the cross, that I feel neither anger, nor + desire for vengeance, that I efface the murderer’s name from my memory and + bury his abominable act in the eternal silence of the grave.” + </p> + <p> + Tall as he was, he seemed of yet loftier stature whilst with hand upraised + he took that oath to leave his enemies to the justice of God alone; for he + did not refer merely to Santobono, but to Cardinal Sanguinetti, whose evil + influence he had divined. And amidst all the heroism of his pride, he was + rent by tragic dolour at thought of the dark battle which was waged around + the tiara, all the evil hatred and voracious appetite which stirred in the + depths of the gloom. Then, as Pierre and Don Vigilio bowed to him as a + sign that they would preserve silence, he almost choked with invincible + emotion, a sob of loving grief which he strove to keep down rising to his + throat, whilst he stammered: “Ah! my poor child, my poor child, the only + scion of our race, the only love and hope of my heart! Ah! to die, to die + like this!” + </p> + <p> + But Benedetta, again all violence, sprang up: “Die! Who, Dario? I won’t + have it! We’ll nurse him, we’ll go back to him. We will take him in our + arms and save him. Come, uncle, come at once! I won’t, I won’t, I won’t + have him die!” + </p> + <p> + She was going towards the door, and nothing would have prevented her from + re-entering the bed-room, when, as it happened, Victorine appeared with a + wild look on her face, for, despite her wonted serenity, all her courage + was now exhausted. “The doctor begs madame and his Eminence to come at + once, at once,” said she. + </p> + <p> + Stupefied by all these things, Pierre did not follow the others, but + lingered for a moment in the sunlit dining-room with Don Vigilio. What! + poison? Poison as in the time of the Borgias, elegantly hidden away, + served up with luscious fruit by a crafty traitor, whom one dared not even + denounce! And he recalled the conversation on his way back from Frascati, + and his Parisian scepticism with respect to those legendary drugs, which + to his mind had no place save in the fifth acts of melodramas. Yet those + abominable stories were true, those tales of poisoned knives and flowers, + of prelates and even dilatory popes being suppressed by a drop or a grain + of something administered to them in their morning chocolate. That + passionate tragical Santobono was really a poisoner, Pierre could no + longer doubt it, for a lurid light now illumined the whole of the previous + day: there were the words of ambition and menace which had been spoken by + Cardinal Sanguinetti, the eagerness to act in presence of the probable + death of the reigning pope, the suggestion of a crime for the sake of the + Church’s salvation, then that priest with his little basket of figs + encountered on the road, then that basket carried for hours so carefully, + so devoutly, on the priest’s knees, that basket which now haunted Pierre + like a nightmare, and whose colour, and odour, and shape he would ever + recall with a shudder. Aye, poison, poison, there was truth in it; it + existed and still circulated in the depths of the black world, amidst all + the ravenous, rival longings for conquest and sovereignty. + </p> + <p> + And all at once the figure of Prada likewise arose in Pierre’s mind. A + little while previously, when Benedetta had so violently accused the + Count, he, Pierre, had stepped forward to defend him and cry aloud what he + knew, whence the poison had come, and what hand had offered it. But a + sudden thought had made him shiver: though Prada had not devised the + crime, he had allowed it to be perpetrated. Another memory darted keen + like steel through the young priest’s mind—that of the little black + hen lying lifeless beside the shed, amidst the dismal surroundings of the + <i>osteria</i>, with a tiny streamlet of violet blood trickling from her + beak. And here again, Tata, the parrot, lay still soft and warm at the + foot of her stand, with her beak stained by oozing blood. Why had Prada + told that lie about a battle between two fowls? All the dim intricacy of + passion and contention bewildered Pierre, he could not thread his way + through it; nor was he better able to follow the frightful combat which + must have been waged in that man’s mind during the night of the ball. At + the same time he could not again picture him by his side during their + nocturnal walk towards the Boccanera mansion without shuddering, dimly + divining what a frightful decision had been taken before that mansion’s + door. Moreover, whatever the obscurities, whether Prada had expected that + the Cardinal alone would be killed, or had hoped that some chance stroke + of fate might avenge him on others, the terrible fact remained—he + had known, he had been able to stay Destiny on the march, but had allowed + it to go onward and blindly accomplish its work of death. + </p> + <p> + Turning his head Pierre perceived Don Vigilio still seated on the corner + chair whence he had not stirred, and looking so pale and haggard that + perhaps he also had swallowed some of the poison. “Do you feel unwell?” + the young priest asked. + </p> + <p> + At first the secretary could not reply, for terror had gripped him at the + throat. Then in a low voice he said: “No, no, I didn’t eat any. Ah, + Heaven, when I think that I so much wanted to taste them, and that merely + deference kept me back on seeing that his Eminence did not take any!” Don + Vigilio’s whole body shivered at the thought that his humility alone had + saved him; and on his face and his hands there remained the icy chill of + death which had fallen so near and grazed him as it passed. + </p> + <p> + Then twice he heaved a sigh, and with a gesture of affright sought to + brush the horrid thing away while murmuring: “Ah! Paparelli, Paparelli!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, deeply stirred, and knowing what he thought of the train-bearer, + tried to extract some information from him: “What do you mean?” he asked. + “Do you accuse him too? Do you think they urged him on, and that it was + they at bottom?” + </p> + <p> + The word Jesuits was not even spoken, but a big black shadow passed + athwart the gay sunlight of the dining-room, and for a moment seemed to + fill it with darkness. “They! ah yes!” exclaimed Don Vigilio, “they are + everywhere; it is always they! As soon as one weeps, as soon as one dies, + they are mixed up in it. And this is intended for me too; I am quite + surprised that I haven’t been carried off.” Then again he raised a dull + moan of fear, hatred, and anger: “Ah! Paparelli, Paparelli!” And he + refused to reply any further, but darted scared glances at the walls as if + from one or another of them he expected to see the train-bearer emerge, + with his wrinkled flabby face like that of an old maid, his furtive + mouse-like trot, and his mysterious, invading hands which had gone + expressly to bring the forgotten figs from the pantry and deposit them on + the table. + </p> + <p> + At last the two priests decided to return to the bedroom, where perhaps + they might be required; and Pierre on entering was overcome by the + heart-rending scene which the chamber now presented. Doctor Giordano, + suspecting poison, had for half an hour been trying the usual remedies, an + emetic and then magnesia. Just then, too, he had made Victorine whip some + whites of eggs in water. But the disorder was progressing with such + lightning-like rapidity that all succour was becoming futile. Undressed + and lying on his back, his bust propped up by pillows and his arms lying + outstretched over the sheets, Dario looked quite frightful in the sort of + painful intoxication which characterised that redoubtable and mysterious + disorder to which already Monsignor Gallo and others had succumbed. The + young man seemed to be stricken with a sort of dizzy stupor, his eyes + receded farther and farther into the depth of their dark sockets, whilst + his whole face became withered, aged as it were, and covered with an + earthy pallor. A moment previously he had closed his eyes, and the only + sign that he still lived was the heaving of his chest induced by painful + respiration. And leaning over his poor dying face stood Benedetta, sharing + his sufferings, and mastered by such impotent grief that she also was + unrecognisable, so white, so distracted by anguish, that it seemed as if + death were gradually taking her at the same time as it was taking him. + </p> + <p> + In the recess by the window whither Cardinal Boccanera had led Doctor + Giordano, a few words were exchanged in low tones. “He is lost, is he + not?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor made the despairing gesture of one who is vanquished: “Alas! + yes. I must warn your Eminence that in an hour all will be over.” + </p> + <p> + A short interval of silence followed. “And the same malady as Gallo, is it + not?” asked the Cardinal; and as the doctor trembling and averting his + eyes did not answer he added: “At all events of an infectious fever!” + </p> + <p> + Giordano well understood what the Cardinal thus asked of him: silence, the + crime for ever hidden away for the sake of the good renown of his mother, + the Church. And there could be no loftier, no more tragical grandeur than + that of this old man of seventy, still so erect and sovereign, who would + neither suffer a slur to be cast upon his spiritual family, nor consent to + his human family being dragged into the inevitable mire of a sensational + murder trial. No, no, there must be none of that, there must be silence, + the eternal silence in which all becomes forgotten. + </p> + <p> + At last the doctor bowed with his gentle air of discretion. “Evidently, of + an infectious fever as your Eminence so well says,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + Two big tears then again appeared in Boccanera’s eyes. Now that he had + screened the Deity from attack in the person of the Church, his heart as a + man again bled. He begged the doctor to make a supreme effort, to attempt + the impossible; but, pointing to the dying man with trembling hands, + Giordano shook his head. For his own father, his own mother he could have + done nothing. Death was there. So why weary, why torture a dying man, + whose sufferings he would only have increased? And then, as the Cardinal, + finding the end so near at hand, thought of his sister Serafina, and + lamented that she would not be able to kiss her nephew for the last time + if she lingered at the Vatican, the doctor offered to fetch her in his + carriage which was waiting below. It would not take him more than twenty + minutes, said he, and he would be back in time for the end, should he then + be needed. + </p> + <p> + Left to himself in the window recess the Cardinal remained there + motionless for another moment. With eyes blurred by tears, he gazed + towards heaven. And his quivering arms were suddenly raised in a gesture + of ardent entreaty. O God, since the science of man was so limited and + vain, since that doctor had gone off happy to escape the embarrassment of + his impotence, O God, why not a miracle which should proclaim the + splendour of Thy Almighty Power! A miracle, a miracle! that was what the + Cardinal asked from the depths of his believing soul, with the insistence, + the imperious entreaty of a Prince of the Earth, who deemed that he had + rendered considerable services to Heaven by dedicating his whole life to + the Church. And he asked for that miracle in order that his race might be + perpetuated, in order that its last male scion might not thus miserably + perish, but be able to marry that fondly loved cousin, who now stood there + all woe and tears. A miracle, a miracle for the sake of those two dear + children! A miracle which would endow the family with fresh life: a + miracle which would eternise the glorious name of Boccanera by enabling an + innumerable posterity of valiant ones and faithful ones to spring from + that young couple! + </p> + <p> + When the Cardinal returned to the centre of the room he seemed + transfigured. Faith had dried his eyes, his soul had become strong and + submissive, exempt from all human weakness. He had placed himself in the + hands of God, and had resolved that he himself would administer extreme + unction to Dario. With a gesture he summoned Don Vigilio and led him into + the little room which served as a chapel, and the key of which he always + carried. A cupboard had been contrived behind the altar of painted wood, + and the Cardinal went to it to take both stole and surplice. The coffer + containing the Holy Oils was likewise there, a very ancient silver coffer + bearing the Boccanera arms. And on Don Vigilio following the Cardinal back + into the bed-room they in turn pronounced the Latin words: + </p> + <p> + “<i>Pax huic domui</i>.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Et omnibus habitantibus in ea</i>.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * “Peace unto this house and unto all who dwell in it.”—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Death was coming so fast and threatening, that all the usual preparations + were perforce dispensed with. Neither the two lighted tapers, nor the + little table covered with white cloth had been provided. And, in the same + way, Don Vigilio the assistant, having failed to bring the Holy Water + basin and sprinkler, the Cardinal, as officiating priest, could merely + make the gesture of blessing the room and the dying man, whilst + pronouncing the words of the ritual: “<i>Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et + mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.</i>”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * “Sprinkle me, Lord, with hyssop, and purify me; wash me, and + make me whiter than snow.”—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Benedetta on seeing the Cardinal appear carrying the Holy Oils, had with a + long quiver fallen on her knees at the foot of the bed, whilst, somewhat + farther away, Pierre and Victorine likewise knelt, overcome by the + dolorous grandeur of the scene. And the dilated eyes of the Contessina, + whose face was pale as snow, never quitted her Dario, whom she no longer + recognised, so earthy was his face, its skin tanned and wrinkled like that + of an old man. And it was not for their marriage which he so much desired + that their uncle, the all-powerful Prince of the Church, was bringing the + Sacrament, but for the supreme rupture, the end of all pride, Death which + finishes off the haughtiest races, and sweeps them away, even as the wind + sweeps the dust of the roads. + </p> + <p> + It was needful that there should be no delay, so the Cardinal promptly + repeated the Credo in an undertone, “<i>Credo in unum Deum—</i>” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Amen</i>,” responded Don Vigilio, who, after the prayers of the + ritual, stammered the Litanies in order that Heaven might take pity on the + wretched man who was about to appear before God, if God by a prodigy did + not spare him. + </p> + <p> + Then, without taking time to wash his fingers, the Cardinal opened the + case containing the Holy Oils, and limiting himself to one anointment, as + is permissible in pressing cases, he deposited a single drop of the oil on + Dario’s parched mouth which was already withered by death. And in doing so + he repeated the words of the formula, his heart all aglow with faith as he + asked that the divine mercy might efface each and every sin that the young + man had committed by either of his five senses, those five portals by + which everlasting temptation assails the soul. And the Cardinal’s fervour + was also instinct with the hope that if God had smitten the poor sufferer + for his offences, perhaps He would make His indulgence entire and even + restore him to life as soon as He should have forgiven his sins. Life, O + Lord, life in order that the ancient line of the Boccaneras might yet + multiply and continue to serve Thee in battle and at the altar until the + end of time! + </p> + <p> + For a moment the Cardinal remained with quivering hands, gazing at the + mute face, the closed eyes of the dying man, and waiting for the miracle. + But no sign appeared, not the faintest glimmer brightened that haggard + countenance, nor did a sigh of relief come from the withered lips as Don + Vigilio wiped them with a little cotton wool. And the last prayer was + said, and whilst the frightful silence fell once more the Cardinal, + followed by his assistant, returned to the chapel. There they both knelt, + the Cardinal plunging into ardent prayer upon the bare tiles. With his + eyes raised to the brass crucifix upon the altar he saw nothing, heard + nothing, but gave himself wholly to his entreaties, supplicating God to + take him in place of his nephew, if a sacrifice were necessary, and yet + clinging to the hope that so long as Dario retained a breath of life and + he himself thus remained on his knees addressing the Deity, he might + succeed in pacifying the wrath of Heaven. He was both so humble and so + great. Would not accord surely be established between God and a Boccanera? + The old palace might have fallen to the ground, he himself would not even + have felt the toppling of its beams. + </p> + <p> + In the bed-room, however, nothing had yet stirred beneath the weight of + tragic majesty which the ceremony had left there. It was only now that + Dario raised his eyelids, and when on looking at his hands he saw them so + aged and wasted the depths of his eyes kindled with an expression of + immense regretfulness that life should be departing. Doubtless it was at + this moment of lucidity amidst the kind of intoxication with which the + poison overwhelmed him, that he for the first time realised his perilous + condition. Ah! to die, amidst such pain, such physical degradation, what a + revolting horror for that frivolous and egotistical man, that lover of + beauty, joy, and light, who knew not how to suffer! In him ferocious fate + chastised racial degeneracy with too heavy a hand. He became horrified + with himself, seized with childish despair and terror, which lent him + strength enough to sit up and gaze wildly about the room, in order to see + if every one had not abandoned him. And when his eyes lighted on Benedetta + still kneeling at the foot of the bed, a supreme impulse carried him + towards her, he stretched forth both arms as passionately as his strength + allowed and stammered her name: “O Benedetta, Benedetta!” + </p> + <p> + She, motionless in the stupor of her anxiety, had not taken her eyes from + his face. The horrible disorder which was carrying off her lover, seemed + also to possess and annihilate her more and more, even as he himself grew + weaker and weaker. Her features were assuming an immaterial whiteness; and + through the void of her clear eyeballs one began to espy her soul. + However, when she perceived him thus resuscitating and calling her with + arms outstretched, she in her turn arose and standing beside the bed made + answer: “I am coming, my Dario, here I am.” + </p> + <p> + And then Pierre and Victorine, still on their knees, beheld a sublime deed + of such extraordinary grandeur that they remained rooted to the floor, + spell-bound as in the presence of some supra-terrestrial spectacle in + which human beings may not intervene. Benedetta herself spoke and acted + like one freed from all social and conventional ties, already beyond life, + only seeing and addressing beings and things from a great distance, from + the depths of the unknown in which she was about to disappear. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my Dario, so an attempt has been made to part us! It was in order + that I might never belong to you—that we might never be happy, that + your death was resolved upon, and it was known that with your life my own + must cease! And it is that man who is killing you! Yes, he is your + murderer, even if the actual blow has been dealt by another. He is the + first cause—he who stole me from you when I was about to become + yours, he who ravaged our lives, and who breathed around us the hateful + poison which is killing us. Ah! how I hate him, how I hate him; how I + should like to crush him with my hate before I die with you!” + </p> + <p> + She did not raise her voice, but spoke those terrible words in a deep + murmur, simply and passionately. Prada was not even named, and she + scarcely turned towards Pierre—who knelt, paralysed, behind her—to + add with a commanding air: “You will see his father, I charge you to tell + him that I cursed his son! That kind-hearted hero loved me well—I + love him even now, and the words you will carry to him from me will rend + his heart. But I desire that he should know—he must know, for the + sake of truth and justice.” + </p> + <p> + Distracted by terror, sobbing amidst a last convulsion, Dario again + stretched forth his arms, feeling that she was no longer looking at him, + that her clear eyes were no longer fixed upon his own: “Benedetta, + Benedetta!” + </p> + <p> + “I am coming, I am coming, my Dario—I am here!” she responded, + drawing yet nearer to the bedside and almost touching him. “Ah!” she went + on, “that vow which I made to the Madonna to belong to none, not even you, + until God should allow it by the blessing of one of his priests! Ah! I set + a noble, a divine pride in remaining immaculate for him who should be the + one master of my soul and body. And that chastity which I was so proud of, + I defended it against the other as one defends oneself against a wolf, and + I defended it against you with tears for fear of sacrilege. And if you + only knew what terrible struggles I was forced to wage with myself, for I + loved you and longed to be yours, like a woman who accepts the whole of + love, the love that makes wife and mother! Ah! my vow to the Madonna—with + what difficulty did I keep it when the old blood of our race arose in me + like a tempest; and now what a disaster!” She drew yet nearer, and her low + voice became more ardent: “You remember that evening when you came back + with a knife-thrust in your shoulder. I thought you dead, and cried aloud + with rage at the idea of losing you like that. I insulted the Madonna and + regretted that I had not damned myself with you that we might die + together, so tightly clasped that we must needs be buried together also. + And to think that such a terrible warning was of no avail! I was blind and + foolish; and now you are again stricken, again being taken from my love. + Ah! my wretched pride, my idiotic dream!” + </p> + <p> + That which now rang out in her stifled voice was the anger of the + practical woman that she had ever been, all superstition notwithstanding. + Could the Madonna, who was so maternal, desire the woe of lovers? No, + assuredly not. Nor did the angels make the mere absence of a priest a + cause for weeping over the transports of true and mutual love. Was not + such love holy in itself, and did not the angels rather smile upon it and + burst into gladsome song! And ah! how one cheated oneself by not loving to + heart’s content under the sun, when the blood of life coursed through + one’s veins! + </p> + <p> + “Benedetta! Benedetta!” repeated the dying man, full of child-like terror + at thus going off all alone into the depths of the black and everlasting + night. + </p> + <p> + “Here I am, my Dario, I am coming!” + </p> + <p> + Then, as she fancied that the servant, albeit motionless, had stirred, as + if to rise and interfere, she added: “Leave me, leave me, Victorine, + nothing in the world can henceforth prevent it. A moment ago, when I was + on my knees, something roused me and urged me on. I know whither I am + going. And besides, did I not swear on the night of the knife thrust? Did + I not promise to belong to him alone, even in the earth if it were + necessary? I must embrace him, and he will carry me away! We shall be + dead, and we shall be wedded in spite of all, and for ever and for ever!” + </p> + <p> + She stepped back to the dying man, and touched him: “Here I am, my Dario, + here I am!” + </p> + <p> + Then came the apogee. Amidst growing exaltation, buoyed up by a blaze of + love, careless of glances, candid like a lily, she divested herself of her + garments and stood forth so white, that neither marble statue, nor dove, + nor snow itself was ever whiter. “Here I am, my Dario, here I am!” + </p> + <p> + Recoiling almost to the ground as at sight of an apparition, the glorious + flash of a holy vision, Pierre and Victorine gazed at her with dazzled + eyes. The servant had not stirred to prevent this extraordinary action, + seized as she was with that shrinking reverential terror which comes upon + one in presence of the wild, mad deeds of faith and passion. And the + priest, whose limbs were paralysed, felt that something so sublime was + passing that he could only quiver in distraction. And no thought of + impurity came to him on beholding that lily, snowy whiteness. All candour + and all nobility as she was, that virgin shocked him no more than some + sculptured masterpiece of genius. + </p> + <p> + “Here I am, my Dario, here I am.” + </p> + <p> + She had lain herself down beside the spouse whom she had chosen, she had + clasped the dying man whose arms only had enough strength left to fold + themselves around her. Death was stealing him from her, but she would go + with him; and again she murmured: “My Dario, here I am.” + </p> + <p> + And at that moment, against the wall at the head of the bed, Pierre + perceived the escutcheon of the Boccaneras, embroidered in gold and + coloured silks on a groundwork of violet velvet. There was the winged + dragon belching flames, there was the fierce and glowing motto “<i>Bocca + nera, Alma rossa</i>” (black mouth, red soul), the mouth darkened by a + roar, the soul flaming like a brazier of faith and love. And behold! all + that old race of passion and violence with its tragic legends had + reappeared, its blood bubbling up afresh to urge that last and adorable + daughter of the line to those terrifying and prodigious nuptials in death. + And to Pierre that escutcheon recalled another memory, that of the + portrait of Cassia Boccanera the <i>amorosa</i> and avengeress who had + flung herself into the Tiber with her brother Ercole and the corpse of her + lover Flavio. Was there not here even with Benedetta the same despairing + clasp seeking to vanquish death, the same savagery in hurling oneself into + the abyss with the corpse of the one’s only love? Benedetta and Cassia + were as sisters, Cassia, who lived anew in the old painting in the <i>salon</i> + overhead, Benedetta who was here dying of her lover’s death, as though she + were but the other’s spirit. Both had the same delicate childish features, + the same mouth of passion, the same large dreamy eyes set in the same + round, practical, and stubborn head. + </p> + <p> + “My Dario, here I am!” + </p> + <p> + For a second, which seemed an eternity, they clasped one another, she + neither repelled nor terrified by the disorder which made him so + unrecognisable, but displaying a delirious passion, a holy frenzy as if to + pass beyond life, to penetrate with him into the black Unknown. And + beneath the shock of the felicity at last offered to him he expired, with + his arms yet convulsively wound around her as though indeed to carry her + off. Then, whether from grief or from bliss amidst that embrace of death, + there came such a rush of blood to her heart that the organ burst: she + died on her lover’s neck, both tightly and for ever clasped in one + another’s arms. + </p> + <p> + There was a faint sigh. Victorine understood and drew near, while Pierre, + also erect, remained quivering with the tearful admiration of one who has + beheld the sublime. + </p> + <p> + “Look, look!” whispered the servant, “she no longer moves, she no longer + breathes. Ah! my poor child, my poor child, she is dead!” + </p> + <p> + Then the priest murmured: “Oh! God, how beautiful they are.” + </p> + <p> + It was true, never had loftier and more resplendent beauty appeared on the + faces of the dead. Dario’s countenance, so lately aged and earthen, had + assumed the pallor and nobility of marble, its features lengthened and + simplified as by a transport of ineffable joy. Benedetta remained very + grave, her lips curved by ardent determination, whilst her whole face was + expressive of dolorous yet infinite beatitude in a setting of infinite + whiteness. Their hair mingled, and their eyes, which had remained open, + continued gazing as into one another’s souls with eternal, caressing + sweetness. They were for ever linked, soaring into immortality amidst the + enchantment of their union, vanquishers of death, radiant with the + rapturous beauty of love, the conqueror, the immortal. + </p> + <p> + But Victorine’s sobs at last burst forth, mingled with such lamentations + that great confusion followed. Pierre, now quite beside himself, in some + measure failed to understand how it was that the room suddenly became + invaded by terrified people. The Cardinal and Don Vigilio, however, must + have hastened in from the chapel; and at the same moment, no doubt, Doctor + Giordano must have returned with Donna Serafina, for both were now there, + she stupefied by the blows which had thus fallen on the house in her + absence, whilst he, the doctor, displayed the perturbation and + astonishment which comes upon the oldest practitioners when facts seem to + give the lie to their experience. However, he sought an explanation of + Benedetta’s death, and hesitatingly ascribed it to aneurism, or possibly + embolism. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Victorine, like a servant whose grief makes her the equal of her + employers, boldly interrupted him: “Ah! Sir,” said she, “they loved each + other too fondly; did not that suffice for them to die together?” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Donna Serafina, after kissing the poor children on the brow, + desired to close their eyes; but she could not succeed in doing so, for + the lids lifted directly she removed her finger and once more the eyes + began to smile at one another, to exchange in all fixity their loving and + eternal glance. And then as she spoke of parting the bodies, Victorine + again protested: “Oh! madame, oh! madame,” she said, “you would have to + break their arms. Cannot you see that their fingers are almost dug into + one another’s shoulders? No, they can never be parted!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Cardinal Boccanera intervened. God had not granted the miracle; + and he, His minister, was livid, tearless, and full of icy despair. But he + waved his arm with a sovereign gesture of absolution and sanctification, + as if, Prince of the Church that he was, disposing of the will of Heaven, + he consented that the lovers should appear in that embrace before the + supreme tribunal. In presence of such wondrous love, indeed, profoundly + stirred by the sufferings of their lives and the beauty of their death, he + showed a broad and lofty contempt for mundane proprieties. “Leave them, + leave me, my sister,” said he, “do not disturb their slumber. Let their + eyes remain open since they desire to gaze on one another till the end of + time without ever wearying. And let them sleep in one another’s arms since + in their lives they did not sin, and only locked themselves in that + embrace in order that they might be laid together in the ground.” + </p> + <p> + And then, again becoming a Roman Prince whose proud blood was yet hot with + old-time deeds of battle and passion, he added: “Two Boccaneras may well + sleep like that; all Rome will admire them and weep for them. Leave them, + leave them together, my sister. God knows them and awaits them!” + </p> + <p> + All knelt, and the Cardinal himself repeated the prayers for the dead. + Night was coming, increasing gloom stole into the chamber, where two + burning tapers soon shone out like stars. + </p> + <p> + And then, without knowing how, Pierre again found himself in the little + deserted garden on the bank of the Tiber. Suffocating with fatigue and + grief, he must have come thither for fresh air. Darkness shrouded the + charming nook where the streamlet of water falling from the tragic mask + into the ancient sarcophagus ever sang its shrill and flute-like song; and + the laurel-bush which shaded it, and the bitter box-plants and the + orange-trees skirting the paths now formed but vague masses under the + blue-black sky. Ah! how gay and sweet had that melancholy garden been in + the morning, and what a desolate echo it retained of Benedetta’s winsome + laughter, all that fine delight in coming happiness which now lay prone + upstairs, steeped in the nothingness of things and beings! So dolorous was + the pang which came to Pierre’s heart that he burst into sobs, seated on + the same broken column where she had sat, and encompassed by the same + atmosphere that she had breathed, in which still lingered the perfume of + her presence. + </p> + <p> + But all at once a distant clock struck six, and the young priest started + on remembering that he was to be received by the Pope that very evening at + nine. Yet three more hours! He had not thought of that interview during + the terrifying catastrophe, and it seemed to him now as if months and + months had gone by, as if the appointment were some very old one which a + man is only able to keep after years of absence, when he has grown aged + and had his heart and brain modified by innumerable experiences. However, + he made an effort and rose to his feet. In three hours’ time he would go + to the Vatican and at last he would see the Pope. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol10"></a> + PART V. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap39"></a> + XIV. + </h2> + <p> + THAT evening, when Pierre emerged from the Borgo in front of the Vatican, + a sonorous stroke rang out from the clock amidst the deep silence of the + dark and sleepy district. It was only half-past eight, and being in + advance the young priest resolved to wait some twenty minutes in order to + reach the doors of the papal apartments precisely at nine, the hour fixed + for his audience. + </p> + <p> + This respite brought him some relief amidst the infinite emotion and grief + which gripped his heart. That tragic afternoon which he had spent in the + chamber of death, where Dario and Benedetta now slept the eternal sleep in + one another’s arms, had left him very weary. He was haunted by a wild, + dolorous vision of the two lovers, and involuntary sighs came from his + lips whilst tears continually moistened his eyes. He had been altogether + unable to eat that evening. Ah! how he would have liked to hide himself + and weep at his ease! His heart melted at each fresh thought. The pitiful + death of the lovers intensified the grievous feeling with which his book + was instinct, and impelled him to yet greater compassion, a perfect + anguish of charity for all who suffered in the world. And he was so + distracted by the thought of the many physical and moral sores of Paris + and of Rome, where he had beheld so much unjust and abominable suffering, + that at each step he took he feared lest he should burst into sobs with + arms upstretched towards the blackness of heaven. + </p> + <p> + In the hope of somewhat calming himself he began to walk slowly across the + Piazza of St. Peter’s, now all darkness and solitude. On arriving he had + fancied that he was losing himself in a murky sea, but by degrees his eyes + grew accustomed to the dimness. The vast expanse was only lighted by the + four candelabra at the corners of the obelisk and by infrequent lamps + skirting the buildings which run on either hand towards the Basilica. + Under the colonnade, too, other lamps threw yellow gleams across the + forest of pillars, showing up their stone trunks in fantastic fashion; + while on the piazza only the pale, ghostly obelisk was at all distinctly + visible. Pierre could scarcely perceive the dim, silent façade of St. + Peter’s; whilst of the dome he merely divined a gigantic, bluey roundness + faintly shadowed against the sky. In the obscurity he at first heard the + plashing of the fountains without being at all able to see them, but on + approaching he at last distinguished the slender phantoms of the ever + rising jets which fell again in spray. And above the vast square stretched + the vast and moonless sky of a deep velvety blue, where the stars were + large and radiant like carbuncles; Charles’s Wain, with golden wheels and + golden shaft tilted back as it were, over the roof of the Vatican, and + Orion, bedizened with the three bright stars of his belt, showing + magnificently above Rome, in the direction of the Via Giulia. + </p> + <p> + At last Pierre raised his eyes to the Vatican, but facing the piazza there + was here merely a confused jumble of walls, amidst which only two gleams + of light appeared on the floor of the papal apartments. The Court of San + Damaso was, however, lighted, for the conservatory-like glass-work of two + of its sides sparkled as with the reflection of gas lamps which could not + be seen. For a time there was not a sound or sign of movement, but at last + two persons crossed the expanse of the piazza, and then came a third who + in his turn disappeared, nothing remaining but a rhythmical far-away echo + of steps. The spot was indeed a perfect desert, there were neither + promenaders nor passers-by, nor was there even the shadow of a prowler in + the pillared forest of the colonnade, which was as empty as the wild + primeval forests of the world’s infancy. And what a solemn desert it was, + full of the silence of haughty desolation. Never had so vast and black a + presentment of slumber, so instinct with the sovereign nobility of death, + appeared to Pierre. + </p> + <p> + At ten minutes to nine he at last made up his mind and went towards the + bronze portal. Only one of the folding doors was now open at the end of + the right-hand porticus, where the increasing density of the gloom steeped + everything in night. Pierre remembered the instructions which Monsignor + Nani had given him; at each door that he reached he was to ask for Signor + Squadra without adding a word, and thereupon each door would open and he + would have nothing to do but to let himself be guided on. No one but the + prelate now knew that he was there, since Benedetta, the only being to + whom he had confided the secret, was dead. When he had crossed the + threshold of the bronze doors and found himself in presence of the + motionless, sleeping Swiss Guard, who was on duty there, he simply spoke + the words agreed upon: “Signor Squadra.” And as the Guard did not stir, + did not seek to bar his way, he passed on, turning into the vestibule of + the Scala Pia, the stone stairway which ascends to the Court of San + Damaso. And not a soul was to be seen: there was but the faint sound of + his own light footsteps and the sleepy glow of the gas jets whose light + was softly whitened by globes of frosted glass. Up above, on reaching the + courtyard he found it a solitude, whose slumber seemed sepulchral amidst + the mournful gleams of the gas lamps which cast a pallid reflection on the + lofty glass-work of the façades. And feeling somewhat nervous, affected by + the quiver which pervaded all that void and silence, Pierre hastened on, + turning to the right, towards the low flight of steps which leads to the + staircase of the Pope’s private apartments. + </p> + <p> + Here stood a superb gendarme in full uniform. “Signor Squadra,” said + Pierre, and without a word the gendarme pointed to the stairs. + </p> + <p> + The young man went up. It was a broad stairway, with low steps, balustrade + of white marble, and walls covered with yellowish stucco. The gas, burning + in globes of round glass, seemed to have been already turned down in a + spirit of prudent economy. And in the glimmering light nothing could have + been more mournfully solemn than that cold and pallid staircase. On each + landing there was a Swiss Guard, halbard in hand, and in the heavy slumber + spreading through the palace one only heard the regular monotonous + footsteps of these men, ever marching up and down, in order no doubt that + they might not succumb to the benumbing influence of their surroundings. + </p> + <p> + Amidst the invading dimness and the quivering silence the ascent of the + stairs seemed interminable to Pierre, who by the time he reached the + second-floor landing imagined that he had been climbing for ages. There, + outside the glass door of the Sala Clementina, only the right-hand half of + which was open, a last Swiss Guard stood watching. + </p> + <p> + “Signor Squadra,” Pierre said again, and the Guard drew back to let him + pass. + </p> + <p> + The Sala Clementina, spacious enough by daylight, seemed immense at that + nocturnal hour, in the twilight glimmer of its lamps. All the opulent + decorative-work, sculpture, painting, and gilding became blended, the + walls assuming a tawny vagueness amidst which appeared bright patches like + the sparkle of precious stones. There was not an article of furniture, + nothing but the endless pavement stretching away into the semi-darkness. + At last, however, near a door at the far end Pierre espied some men dozing + on a bench. They were three Swiss Guards. “Signor Squadra,” he said to + them. + </p> + <p> + One of the Guards thereupon slowly rose and left the hall, and Pierre + understood that he was to wait. He did not dare to move, disturbed as he + was by the sound of his own footsteps on the paved floor, so he contented + himself with gazing around and picturing the crowds which at times peopled + that vast apartment, the first of the many papal ante-chambers. But before + long the Guard returned, and behind him, on the threshold of the adjoining + room, appeared a man of forty or thereabouts, who was clad in black from + head to foot and suggested a cross between a butler and a beadle. He had a + good-looking, clean-shaven face, with somewhat pronounced nose and large, + clear, fixed eyes. “Signor Squadra,” said Pierre for the last time. + </p> + <p> + The man bowed as if to say that he was Signor Squadra, and then, with a + fresh reverence, he invited the priest to follow him. Thereupon at a + leisurely step, one behind the other, they began to thread the + interminable suite of waiting-rooms. Pierre, who was acquainted with the + ceremonial, of which he had often spoken with Narcisse, recognised the + different apartments as he passed through them, recalling their names and + purpose, and peopling them in imagination with the various officials of + the papal retinue who have the right to occupy them. These according to + their rank cannot go beyond certain doors, so that the persons who are to + have audience of the Pope are passed on from the servants to the Noble + Guards, from the Noble Guards to the honorary <i>Camerieri</i>, and from + the latter to the <i>Camerieri segreti</i>, until they at last reach the + presence of the Holy Father. At eight o’clock, however, the ante-rooms + empty and become both deserted and dim, only a few lamps being left alight + upon the pier tables standing here and there against the walls. + </p> + <p> + And first Pierre came to the ante-room of the <i>bussolanti</i>, mere + ushers clad in red velvet broidered with the papal arms, who conduct + visitors to the door of the ante-room of honour. At that late hour only + one of them was left there, seated on a bench in such a dark corner that + his purple tunic looked quite black. Then the Hall of the Gendarmes was + crossed, where according to the regulations the secretaries of cardinals + and other high personages await their masters’ return; and this was now + completely empty, void both of the handsome blue uniforms with white + shoulder belts and the cassocks of fine black cloth which mingled in it + during the brilliant reception hours. Empty also was the following room, a + smaller one reserved to the Palatine Guards, who are recruited among the + Roman middle class and wear black tunics with gold epaulets and shakoes + surmounted by red plumes. Then Pierre and his guide turned into another + series of apartments, and again was the first one empty. This was the Hall + of the Arras, a superb waiting-room with lofty painted ceiling and + admirable Gobelins tapestry designed by Audran and representing the + miracles of Jesus. And empty also was the ante-chamber of the Noble Guards + which followed, with its wooden stools, its pier table on the right-hand + surmounted by a large crucifix standing between two lamps, and its large + door opening at the far end into another but smaller room, a sort of + alcove indeed, where there is an altar at which the Holy Father says mass + by himself whilst those privileged to be present remain kneeling on the + marble slabs of the outer apartment which is resplendent with the dazzling + uniforms of the Guards. And empty likewise was the ensuing ante-room of + honour, otherwise the grand throne-room, where the Pope receives two or + three hundred people at a time in public audience. The throne, an + arm-chair of elaborate pattern, gilded, and upholstered with red velvet, + stands under a velvet canopy of the same hue, in front of the windows. + Beside it is the cushion on which the Pope rests his foot in order that it + may be kissed. Then facing one another, right and left of the room, there + are two pier tables, on one of which is a clock and on the other a + crucifix between lofty candelabra with feet of gilded wood. The wall + hangings, of red silk damask with a Louis XIV palm pattern, are topped by + a pompous frieze, framing a ceiling decorated with allegorical figures and + attributes, and it is only just in front of the throne that a Smyrna + carpet covers the magnificent marble pavement. On the days of private + audience, when the Pope remains in the little throne-room or at times in + his bed-chamber, the grand throne-room becomes simply the ante-room of + honour, where high dignitaries of the Church, ambassadors, and great + civilian personages, wait their turns. Two <i>Camerieri</i>, one in violet + coat, the other of the Cape and the Sword, here do duty, receiving from + the <i>bussolanti</i> the persons who are to be honoured with audiences + and conducting them to the door of the next room, the secret or private + ante-chamber, where they hand them over to the <i>Camerieri segreti</i>. + </p> + <p> + Signor Squadra who, walking on with slow and silent steps, had not yet + once turned round, paused for a moment on reaching the door of the <i>anticamera + segreta</i> so as to give Pierre time to breathe and recover himself + somewhat before crossing the threshold of the sanctuary. The <i>Camerieri + segreti</i> alone had the right to occupy that last ante-chamber, and none + but the cardinals might wait there till the Pope should condescend to + receive them. And so when Signor Squadra made up his mind to admit Pierre, + the latter could not restrain a slight nervous shiver as if he were + passing into some redoubtable mysterious sphere beyond the limits of the + lower world. In the daytime a Noble Guard stood on sentry duty before the + door, but the latter was now free of access, and the room within proved as + empty as all the others. It was rather narrow, almost like a passage, with + two windows overlooking the new district of the castle fields and a third + one facing the Piazza of St. Peter’s. Near the last was a door conducting + to the little throne-room, and between this door and the window stood a + small table at which a secretary, now absent, usually sat. And here again, + as in all the other rooms, one found a gilded pier table surmounted by a + crucifix flanked by a pair of lamps. In a corner too there was a large + clock, loudly ticking in its ebony case incrusted with brass-work. Still + there was nothing to awaken curiosity under the panelled and gilded + ceiling unless it were the wall-hangings of red damask, on which yellow + scutcheons displaying the Keys and the Tiara alternated with armorial + lions, each with a paw resting on a globe. + </p> + <p> + Signor Squadra, however, now noticed that Pierre still carried his hat in + his hand, whereas according to etiquette he should have left it in the + hall of the <i>bussolanti</i>, only cardinals being privileged to carry + their hats with them into the Pope’s presence. Accordingly he discreetly + took the young priest’s from him, and deposited it on the pier table to + indicate that it must at least remain there. Then, without a word, by a + simple bow he gave Pierre to understand that he was about to announce him + to his Holiness, and that he must be good enough to wait for a few minutes + in that room. + </p> + <p> + On being left to himself Pierre drew a long breath. He was stifling; his + heart was beating as though it would burst. Nevertheless his mind remained + clear, and in spite of the semi-obscurity he had been able to form some + idea of the famous and magnificent apartments of the Pope, a suite of + splendid <i>salons</i> with tapestried or silken walls, gilded or painted + friezes, and frescoed ceilings. By way of furniture, however, there were + only pier table, stools,* and thrones. And the lamps and the clocks, and + the crucifixes, even the thrones, were all presents brought from the four + quarters of the world in the great fervent days of jubilee. There was no + sign of comfort, everything was pompous, stiff, cold, and inconvenient. + All olden Italy was there, with its perpetual display and lack of + intimate, cosy life. It had been necessary to lay a few carpets over the + superb marble slabs which froze one’s feet; and some <i>calorifères</i> + had even lately been installed, but it was not thought prudent to light + them lest the variations of temperature should give the Pope a cold. + However, that which more particularly struck Pierre now that he stood + there waiting was the extraordinary silence which prevailed all around, + silence so deep that it seemed as if all the dark quiescence of that huge, + somniferous Vatican were concentrated in that one suite of lifeless, + sumptuous rooms, which the motionless flamelets of the lamps as dimly + illumined. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * M. Zola seems to have fallen into error here. Many of the seats, + which are of peculiar antique design, do, in the lower part, + resemble stools, but they have backs, whereas a stool proper has + none. Briefly, these seats, which are entirely of wood, are not + unlike certain old-fashioned hall chairs.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + All at once the ebony clock struck nine and the young man felt astonished. + What! had only ten minutes elapsed since he had crossed the threshold of + the bronze doors below? He felt as if he had been walking on for days and + days. Then, desiring to overcome the nervous feeling which oppressed him—for + he ever feared lest his enforced calmness should collapse amidst a flood + of tears—he began to walk up and down, passing in front of the + clock, glancing at the crucifix on the pier table, and the globe of the + lamp on which had remained the mark of a servant’s greasy fingers. And the + light was so faint and yellow that he felt inclined to turn the lamp up, + but did not dare. Then he found himself with his brow resting against one + of the panes of the window facing the Piazza of St. Peter’s, and for a + moment he was thunderstruck, for between the imperfectly closed shutters + he could see all Rome, as he had seen it one day from the <i>loggie</i> of + Raffaelle, and as he had pictured Leo XIII contemplating it from the + window of his bed-room. However, it was now Rome by night, Rome spreading + out into the depths of the gloom, as limitless as the starry sky. And in + that sea of black waves one could only with certainty identify the larger + thoroughfares which the white brightness of electric lights turned, as it + were, into Milky Ways. All the rest showed but a swarming of little yellow + sparks, the crumbs, as it were, of a half-extinguished heaven swept down + upon the earth. Occasional constellations of bright stars, tracing + mysterious figures, vainly endeavoured to show forth distinctly, but they + were submerged, blotted out by the general chaos which suggested the dust + of some old planet that had crumbled there, losing its splendour and + reduced to mere phosphorescent sand. And how immense was the blackness + thus sprinkled with light, how huge the mass of obscurity and mystery into + which the Eternal City with its seven and twenty centuries, its ruins, its + monuments, its people, its history seemed to have been merged. You could + no longer tell where it began or where it ended, whether it spread to the + farthest recesses of the gloom, or whether it were so reduced that the sun + on rising would illumine but a little pile of ashes. + </p> + <p> + However, in spite of all Pierre’s efforts, his nervous anguish increased + each moment, even in presence of that ocean of darkness which displayed + such sovereign quiescence. He drew away from the window and quivered from + head to foot on hearing a faint footfall and thinking it was that of + Signor Squadra approaching to fetch him. The sound came from an adjacent + apartment, the little throne-room, whose door, he now perceived, had + remained ajar. And at last, as he heard nothing further, he yielded to his + feverish impatience and peeped into this room which he found to be fairly + spacious, again hung with red damask, and containing a gilded arm-chair, + covered with red velvet under a canopy of the same material. And again + there was the inevitable pier table, with a tall ivory crucifix, a clock, + a pair of lamps, a pair of candelabra, a pair of large vases on pedestals, + and two smaller ones of Sevres manufacture decorated with the Holy + Father’s portrait. At the same time, however, the room displayed rather + more comfort, for a Smyrna carpet covered the whole of the marble floor, + while a few arm-chairs stood against the walls, and an imitation + chimney-piece, draped with damask, served as counterpart to the pier + table. As a rule the Pope, whose bed-chamber communicated with this little + throne-room, received in the latter such persons as he desired to honour. + And Pierre’s shiver became more pronounced at the idea that in all + likelihood he would merely have the throne-room to cross and that Leo XIII + was yonder behind its farther door. Why was he kept waiting, he wondered? + He had been told of mysterious audiences granted at a similar hour to + personages who had been received in similar silent fashion, great + personages whose names were only mentioned in the lowest whispers. With + regard to himself no doubt, it was because he was considered compromising + that there was a desire to receive him in this manner unknown to the + personages of the Court, and so as to speak with him at ease. Then, all at + once, he understood the cause of the noise he had recently heard, for + beside the lamp on the pier table of the little throne-room he saw a kind + of butler’s tray containing some soiled plates, knives, forks, and spoons, + with a bottle and a glass, which had evidently just been removed from a + supper table. And he realised that Signor Squadra, having seen these + things in the Pope’s room, had brought them there, and had then gone in + again, perhaps to tidy up. He knew also of the Pope’s frugality, how he + took his meals all alone at a little round table, everything being brought + to him in that tray, a plate of meat, a plate of vegetables, a little + Bordeaux claret as prescribed by his doctor, and a large allowance of beef + broth of which he was very fond. In the same way as others might offer a + cup of tea, he was wont to offer cups of broth to the old cardinals his + friends and favourites, quite an invigorating little treat which these old + bachelors much enjoyed. And, O ye orgies of Alexander VI, ye banquets and + <i>galas</i> of Julius II and Leo X, only eight <i>lire</i> a day—six + shillings and fourpence—were allowed to defray the cost of Leo + XIII’s table! However, just as that recollection occurred to Pierre, he + again heard a slight noise, this time in his Holiness’s bed-chamber, and + thereupon, terrified by his indiscretion, he hastened to withdraw from the + entrance of the throne-room which, lifeless and quiescent though it was, + seemed in his agitation to flare as with sudden fire. + </p> + <p> + Then, quivering too violently to be able to remain still, he began to walk + up and down the ante-chamber. He remembered that Narcisse had spoken to + him of that Signor Squadra, his Holiness’s cherished valet, whose + importance and influence were so great. He alone, on reception days, was + able to prevail on the Pope to don a clean cassock if the one he was + wearing happened to be soiled by snuff. And though his Holiness stubbornly + shut himself up alone in his bed-room every night from a spirit of + independence, which some called the anxiety of a miser determined to sleep + alone with his treasure, Signor Squadra at all events occupied an + adjoining chamber, and was ever on the watch, ready to respond to the + faintest call. Again, it was he who respectfully intervened whenever his + Holiness sat up too late or worked too long. But on this point it was + difficult to induce the Pope to listen to reason. During his hours of + insomnia he would often rise and send Squadra to fetch a secretary in + order that he might detail some memoranda or sketch out an encyclical + letter. When the drafting of one of the latter impassioned him he would + have spent days and nights over it, just as formerly, when claiming + proficiency in Latin verse, he had often let the dawn surprise him whilst + he was polishing a line. But, indeed, he slept very little, his brain ever + being at work, ever scheming out the realisation of some former ideas. His + memory alone seemed to have slightly weakened during recent times. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, as he slowly paced to and fro, gradually became absorbed in his + thoughts of that lofty and sovereign personality. From the petty details + of the Pope’s daily existence, he passed to his intellectual life, to the + <i>rôle</i> which he was certainly bent on playing as a great pontiff. And + Pierre asked himself which of his two hundred and fifty-seven + predecessors, the long line of saints and criminals, men of mediocrity and + men of genius, he most desired to resemble. Was it one of the first humble + popes, those who followed on during the first three centuries, mere heads + of burial guilds, fraternal pastors of the Christian community? Was it + Pope Damasus, the first great builder, the man of letters who took delight + in intellectual matters, the ardent believer who is said to have opened + the Catacombs to the piety of the faithful? Was it Leo III, who by + crowning Charlemagne boldly consummated the rupture with the schismatic + East and conveyed the Empire to the West by the all-powerful will of God + and His Church, which thenceforth disposed of the crowns of monarchs? Was + it the terrible Gregory VII, the purifier of the temple, the sovereign of + kings; was it Innocent III or Boniface VIII, those masters of souls, + nations, and thrones, who, armed with the fierce weapon of + excommunication, reigned with such despotism over the terrified middle + ages that Catholicism was never nearer the attainment of its dream of + universal dominion? Was it Urban II or Gregory IX or another of those + popes in whom flared the red Crusading passion which urged the nations on + to the conquest of the unknown and the divine? Was it Alexander III, who + defended the Holy See against the Empire, and at last conquered and set + his foot on the neck of Frederick Barbarossa? Was it, long after the + sorrows of Avignon, Julius II, who wore the cuirass and once more + strengthened the political power of the papacy? Was it Leo X, the pompous, + glorious patron of the Renascence, of a whole great century of art, whose + mind, however, was possessed of so little penetration and foresight that + he looked on Luther as a mere rebellious monk? Was it Pius V, who + personified dark and avenging reaction, the fire of the stakes that + punished the heretic world? Was it some other of the popes who reigned + after the Council of Trent with faith absolute, belief re-established in + its full integrity, the Church saved by pride and the stubborn upholding + of every dogma? Or was it a pope of the decline, such as Benedict XIV, the + man of vast intelligence, the learned theologian who, as his hands were + tied, and he could not dispose of the kingdoms of the world, spent a + worthy life in regulating the affairs of heaven? + </p> + <p> + In this wise, in Pierre’s mind there spread out the whole history of the + popes, the most prodigious of all histories, showing fortune in every + guise, the lowest, the most wretched, as well as the loftiest and most + dazzling; whilst an obstinate determination to live enabled the papacy to + survive everything—conflagrations, massacres, and the downfall of + many nations, for always did it remain militant and erect in the persons + of its popes, that most extraordinary of all lines of absolute, + conquering, and domineering sovereigns, every one of them—even the + puny and humble—masters of the world, every one of them glorious + with the imperishable glory of heaven when they were thus evoked in that + ancient Vatican, where their spirits assuredly awoke at night and prowled + about the endless galleries and spreading halls in that tomb-like silence + whose quiver came no doubt from the light touch of their gliding steps + over the marble slabs. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre was now thinking that he indeed knew which of the great + popes Leo XIII most desired to resemble. It was first Gregory the Great, + the conqueror and organiser of the early days of Catholic power. He had + come of ancient Roman stock, and in his heart there was a little of the + blood of the emperors. He administered Rome after it had been saved from + the Goths, cultivated the ecclesiastical domains, and divided earthly + wealth into thirds, one for the poor, one for the clergy, and one for the + Church. Then too he was the first to establish the Propaganda, sending his + priests forth to civilise and pacify the nations, and carrying his + conquests so far as to win Great Britain over to the divine law of Christ. + And the second pope whom Leo XIII took as model was one who had arisen + after a long lapse of centuries, Sixtus V, the pope financier and + politician, the vine-dresser’s son, who, when he had donned the tiara, + revealed one of the most extensive and supple minds of a period fertile in + great diplomatists. He heaped up treasure and displayed stern avarice, in + order that he might ever have in his coffers all the money needful for war + or for peace. He spent years and years in negotiations with kings, never + despairing of his own triumph; and never did he display open hostility for + his times, but took them as they were and then sought to modify them in + accordance with the interests of the Holy See, showing himself + conciliatory in all things and with every one, already dreaming of an + European balance of power which he hoped to control. And withal a very + saintly pope, a fervent mystic, yet a pope of the most absolute and + domineering mind blended with a politician ready for whatever courses + might most conduce to the rule of God’s Church on earth. + </p> + <p> + And, after all, Pierre amidst his rising enthusiasm, which despite his + efforts at calmness was sweeping away all prudence and doubt, Pierre asked + himself why he need question the past. Was not Leo XIII the pope whom he + had depicted in his book, the great pontiff, who was desired and expected? + No doubt the portrait which he had sketched was not accurate in every + detail, but surely its main lines must be correct if mankind were to + retain a hope of salvation. Whole pages of that book of his arose before + him, and he again beheld the Leo XIII that he had portrayed, the wise and + conciliatory politician, labouring for the unity of the Church and so + anxious to make it strong and invincible against the day of the inevitable + great struggle. He again beheld him freed from the cares of the temporal + power, elevated, radiant with moral splendour, the only authority left + erect above the nations; he beheld him realising what mortal danger would + be incurred if the solution of the social question were left to the + enemies of Christianity, and therefore resolving to intervene in + contemporary quarrels for the defence of the poor and the lowly, even as + Jesus had intervened once before. And he again beheld him putting himself + on the side of the democracies, accepting the Republic in France, leaving + the dethroned kings in exile, and verifying the prediction which promised + the empire of the world to Rome once more when the papacy should have + unified belief and have placed itself at the head of the people. The times + indeed were near accomplishment, Caesar was struck down, the Pope alone + remained, and would not the people, the great silent multitude, for whom + the two powers had so long contended, give itself to its Father now that + it knew him to be both just and charitable, with heart aglow and hand + outstretched to welcome all the penniless toilers and beggars of the + roads! Given the catastrophe which threatened our rotten modern societies, + the frightful misery which ravaged every city, there was surely no other + solution possible: Leo XIII, the predestined, necessary redeemer, the + pastor sent to save the flock from coming disaster by re-establishing the + true Christian community, the forgotten golden age of primitive + Christianity. The reign of justice would at last begin, all men would be + reconciled, there would be but one nation living in peace and obeying the + equalising law of work, under the high patronage of the Pope, sole bond of + charity and love on earth! + </p> + <p> + And at this thought Pierre was upbuoyed by fiery enthusiasm. At last he + was about to see the Holy Father, empty his heart and open his soul to + him! He had so long and so passionately looked for the advent of that + moment! To secure it he had fought with all his courage through ever + recurring obstacles, and the length and difficulty of the struggle and the + success now at last achieved, increased his feverishness, his desire for + final victory. Yes, yes, he would conquer, he would confound his enemies. + As he had said to Monsignor Fornaro, could the Pope disavow him? Had he + not expressed the Holy Father’s secret ideas? Perhaps he might have done + so somewhat prematurely, but was not that a fault to be forgiven? And then + too, he remembered his declaration to Monsignor Nani, that he himself + would never withdraw and suppress his book, for he neither regretted nor + disowned anything that was in it. At this very moment he again questioned + himself, and felt that all his valour and determination to defend his + book, all his desire to work the triumph of his belief, remained intact. + Yet his mental perturbation was becoming great, he had to seek for ideas, + wondering how he should enter the Pope’s presence, what he should say, + what precise terms he should employ. Something heavy and mysterious which + he could hardly account for seemed to weigh him down. At bottom he was + weary, already exhausted, only held up by his dream, his compassion for + human misery. However, he would enter in all haste, he would fall upon his + knees and speak as he best could, letting his heart flow forth. And + assuredly the Holy Father would smile on him, and dismiss him with a + promise that he would not sign the condemnation of a work in which he had + found the expression of his own most cherished thoughts. + </p> + <p> + Then, again, such an acute sensation as of fainting came over Pierre that + he went up to the window to press his burning brow against the cold glass. + His ears were buzzing, his legs staggering, whilst his brain throbbed + violently. And he was striving to forget his thoughts by gazing upon the + black immensity of Rome, longing to be steeped in night himself, total, + healing night, the night in which one sleeps on for ever, knowing neither + pain nor wretchedness, when all at once he became conscious that somebody + was standing behind him; and thereupon, with a start, he turned round. + </p> + <p> + And there, indeed, stood Signor Squadra in his black livery. Again he made + one of his customary bows to invite the visitor to follow him, and again + he walked on in front, crossing the little throne-room, and slowly opening + the farther door. Then he drew aside, allowed Pierre to enter, and + noiselessly closed the door behind him. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was in his Holiness’s bed-room. He had feared one of those + overwhelming attacks of emotion which madden or paralyse one. He had been + told of women reaching the Pope’s presence in a fainting condition, + staggering as if intoxicated, while others came with a rush, as though + upheld and borne along by invisible pinions. And suddenly the anguish of + his own spell of waiting, his intense feverishness, ceased in a sort of + astonishment, a reaction which rendered him very calm and so restored his + clearness of vision, that he could see everything. As he entered he + distinctly realised the decisive importance of such an audience, he, a + mere petty priest in presence of the Supreme Pontiff, the Head of the + Church. All his religious and moral life would depend on it; and possibly + it was this sudden thought that thus chilled him on the threshold of the + redoubtable sanctuary, which he had approached with such quivering steps, + and which he would not have thought to enter otherwise than with + distracted heart and loss of senses, unable to do more than stammer the + simple prayers of childhood. + </p> + <p> + Later on, when he sought to classify his recollections he remembered that + his eyes had first lighted on Leo XIII, not, however, to the exclusion of + his surroundings, but in conjunction with them, that spacious room hung + with yellow damask whose alcove, adorned with fluted marble columns, was + so deep that the bed was quite hidden away in it, as well as other + articles of furniture, a couch, a wardrobe, and some trunks, those famous + trunks in which the treasure of the Peter’s Pence was said to be securely + locked. A sort of Louis XIV writing-desk with ornaments of engraved brass + stood face to face with a large gilded and painted Louis XV pier table on + which a lamp was burning beside a lofty crucifix. The room was virtually + bare, only three arm-chairs and four or five other chairs, upholstered in + light silk, being disposed here and there over the well-worn carpet. And + on one of the arm-chairs sat Leo XIII, near a small table on which another + lamp with a shade had been placed. Three newspapers, moreover, lay there, + two of them French and one Italian, and the last was half unfolded as if + the Pope had momentarily turned from it to stir a glass of syrup, standing + beside him, with a long silver-gilt spoon. + </p> + <p> + In the same way as Pierre saw the Pope’s room, he saw his costume, his + cassock of white cloth with white buttons, his white skull-cap, his white + cape and his white sash fringed with gold and broidered at either end with + golden keys. His stockings were white, his slippers were of red velvet, + and these again were broidered with golden keys. What surprised the young + priest, however, was his Holiness’s face and figure, which now seemed so + shrunken that he scarcely recognised them. This was his fourth meeting + with the Pope. He had seen him walking in the Vatican gardens, enthroned + in the Hall of Beatifications, and pontifying at St. Peter’s, and now he + beheld him on that arm-chair, in privacy, and looking so slight and + fragile that he could not restrain a feeling of affectionate anxiety. + Leo’s neck was particularly remarkable, slender beyond belief, suggesting + the neck of some little, aged, white bird. And his face, of the pallor of + alabaster, was characteristically transparent, to such a degree, indeed, + that one could see the lamplight through his large commanding nose, as if + the blood had entirely withdrawn from that organ. A mouth of great length, + with white bloodless lips, streaked the lower part of the papal + countenance, and the eyes alone had remained young and handsome. Superb + eyes they were, brilliant like black diamonds, endowed with sufficient + penetration and strength to lay souls open and force them to confess the + truth aloud. Some scanty white curls emerged from under the white + skull-cap, thus whitely crowning the thin white face, whose ugliness was + softened by all this whiteness, this spiritual whiteness in which Leo + XIII’s flesh seemed as it were but pure lily-white florescence. + </p> + <p> + At the first glance, however, Pierre noticed that if Signor Squadra had + kept him waiting, it had not been in order to compel the Holy Father to + don a clean cassock, for the one he was wearing was badly soiled by snuff. + A number of brown stains had trickled down the front of the garment beside + the buttons, and just like any good <i>bourgeois</i>, his Holiness had a + handkerchief on his knees to wipe himself. Apart from all this he seemed + in good health, having recovered from his recent indisposition as easily + as he usually recovered from such passing illnesses, sober, prudent old + man that he was, quite free from organic disease, and simply declining by + reason of progressive natural exhaustion. + </p> + <p> + Immediately on entering Pierre had felt that the Pope’s sparkling eyes, + those two black diamonds, were fixed upon him. The silence was profound, + and the lamps burned with motionless, pallid flames. He had to approach, + and after making the three genuflections prescribed by etiquette, he + stooped over one of the Pope’s feet resting on a cushion in order to kiss + the red velvet slipper. And on the Pope’s side there was not a word, not a + gesture, not a movement. When the young man drew himself up again he found + the two black diamonds, those two eyes which were all brightness and + intelligence, still riveted on him. + </p> + <p> + But at last Leo XIII, who had been unwilling to spare the young priest the + humble duty of kissing his foot and who now left him standing, began to + speak, whilst still examining him, probing, as it were, his very soul. “My + son,” he said, “you greatly desired to see me, and I consented to afford + you that satisfaction.” + </p> + <p> + He spoke in French, somewhat uncertain French, pronounced after the + Italian fashion, and so slowly did he articulate each sentence that one + could have written it down like so much dictation. And his voice, as + Pierre had previously noticed, was strong and nasal, one of those full + voices which people are surprised to hear coming from debile and + apparently bloodless and breathless frames. + </p> + <p> + In response to the Holy Father’s remark Pierre contented himself with + bowing, knowing that respect required him to wait for a direct answer + before speaking. However, this question promptly came. “You live in + Paris?” asked Leo XIII. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Holy Father.” + </p> + <p> + “Are you attached to one of the great parishes of the city?” + </p> + <p> + “No, Holy Father. I simply officiate at the little church of Neuilly.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes, Neuilly, that is in the direction of the Bois de Boulogne, is it + not? And how old are you, my son?” + </p> + <p> + “Thirty-four, Holy Father.” + </p> + <p> + A short interval followed. Leo XIII had at last lowered his eyes. With + frail, ivory hand he took up the glass beside him, again stirred the syrup + with the long spoon, and then drank a little of it. And all this he did + gently and slowly, with a prudent, judicious air, as was his wont no doubt + in everything. “I have read your book, my son,” he resumed. “Yes, the + greater part of it. As a rule only fragments are submitted to me. But a + person who is interested in you handed me the volume, begging me to glance + through it. And that is how I was able to look into it.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke he made a slight gesture in which Pierre fancied he could + detect a protest against the isolation in which he was kept by those + surrounding him, who, as Monsignor Nani had said, maintained a strict + watch in order that nothing they objected to might reach him. And + thereupon the young priest ventured to say: “I thank your Holiness for + having done me so much honour. No greater or more desired happiness could + have befallen me.” He was indeed so happy! On seeing the Pope so calm, so + free from all signs of anger, and on hearing him speak in that way of his + book, like one well acquainted with it, he imagined that his cause was + won. + </p> + <p> + “You are in relations with Monsieur le Vicomte Philibert de la Choue, are + you not, my son?” continued Leo XIII. “I was struck by the resemblance + between some of your ideas and those of that devoted servant of the + Church, who has in other ways given us previous testimony of his good + feelings.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, indeed, Holy Father, Monsieur de la Choue is kind enough to show me + some affection. We have often talked together, so it is not surprising + that I should have given expression to some of his most cherished ideas.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt, no doubt. For instance, there is that question of the + working-class guilds with which he largely occupies himself—with + which, in fact, he occupies himself rather too much. At the time of his + last journey to Rome he spoke to me of it in the most pressing manner. And + in the same way, quite recently, another of your compatriots, one of the + best and worthiest of men, Monsieur le Baron de Fouras, who brought us + that superb pilgrimage of the St. Peter’s Pence Fund, never ceased his + efforts until I consented to receive him, when he spoke to me on the same + subject during nearly an hour. Only it must be said that they do not agree + in the matter, for one begs me to do things which the other will not have + me do on any account.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre realised that the conversation was straying away from his book, but + he remembered having promised the Viscount that if he should see the Pope + he would make an attempt to obtain from him a decisive expression of + opinion on the famous question as to whether the working-class guilds or + corporations should be free or obligatory, open or closed. And the unhappy + Viscount, kept in Paris by the gout, had written the young priest letter + after letter on the subject, whilst his rival the Baron, availing himself + of the opportunity offered by the international pilgrimage, endeavoured to + wring from the Pope an approval of his own views, with which he would have + returned in triumph to France. Pierre conscientiously desired to keep his + promise, and so he answered: “Your Holiness knows better than any of us in + which direction true wisdom lies. Monsieur de Fouras is of opinion that + salvation, the solution of the labour question, lies simply in the + re-establishment of the old free corporations, whilst Monsieur de la Choue + desires the corporations to be obligatory, protected by the state and + governed by new regulations. This last conception is certainly more in + agreement with the social ideas now prevalent in France. Should your + Holiness condescend to express a favourable opinion in that sense, the + young French Catholic party would certainly know how to turn it to good + result, by producing quite a movement of the working classes in favour of + the Church.” + </p> + <p> + In his quiet way Leo XIII responded: “But I cannot. Frenchmen always ask + things of me which I cannot, will not do. What I will allow you to say on + my behalf to Monsieur de la Choue is, that though I cannot content him I + have not contented Monsieur de Fouras. He obtained from me nothing beyond + the expression of my sincere good-will for the French working classes, who + are so dear to me and who can do so much for the restoration of the faith. + You must surely understand, however, that among you Frenchmen there are + questions of detail, of mere organisation, so to say, into which I cannot + possibly enter without imparting to them an importance which they do not + have, and at the same time greatly discontenting some people should I + please others.” + </p> + <p> + As the Pope pronounced these last words he smiled a pale smile, in which + the shrewd, conciliatory politician, who was determined not to allow his + infallibility to be compromised in useless and risky ventures, was fully + revealed. And then he drank a little more syrup and wiped his mouth with + his handkerchief, like a sovereign whose Court day is over and who takes + his ease, having chosen this hour of solitude and silence to chat as long + as he may be so inclined. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, sought to bring him back to the subject of his book. + “Monsieur de la Choue,” said he, “has shown me so much kindness and is so + anxious to know the fate reserved to my book—as if, indeed, it were + his own—that I should have been very happy to convey to him an + expression of your Holiness’s approval.” + </p> + <p> + However, the Pope continued wiping his mouth and did not reply. + </p> + <p> + “I became acquainted with the Viscount,” continued Pierre, “at the + residence of his Eminence Cardinal Bergerot, another great heart whose + ardent charity ought to suffice to restore the faith in France.” + </p> + <p> + This time the effect was immediate. “Ah! yes, Monsieur le Cardinal + Bergerot!” said Leo XIII. “I read that letter of his which is printed at + the beginning of your book. He was very badly inspired in writing it to + you; and you, my son, acted very culpably on the day you published it. I + cannot yet believe that Monsieur le Cardinal Bergerot had read some of + your pages when he sent you an expression of his complete and full + approval. I prefer to charge him with ignorance and thoughtlessness. How + could he approve of your attacks on dogma, your revolutionary theories + which tend to the complete destruction of our holy religion? If it be a + fact that he had read your book, the only excuse he can invoke is sudden + and inexplicable aberration. It is true that a very bad spirit prevails + among a small portion of the French clergy. What are called Gallican ideas + are ever sprouting up like noxious weeds; there is a malcontent Liberalism + rebellious to our authority which continually hungers for free examination + and sentimental adventures.” + </p> + <p> + The Pope grew animated as he spoke. Italian words mingled with his + hesitating French, and every now and again his full nasal voice resounded + with the sonority of a brass instrument. “Monsieur le Cardinal Bergerot,” + he continued, “must be given to understand that we shall crush him on the + day when we see in him nothing but a rebellious son. He owes the example + of obedience; we shall acquaint him with our displeasure, and we hope that + he will submit. Humility and charity are great virtues doubtless, and we + have always taken pleasure in recognising them in him. But they must not + be the refuge of a rebellious heart, for they are as nothing unless + accompanied by obedience—obedience, obedience, the finest adornment + of the great saints!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened thunderstruck, overcome. He forgot himself to think of the + apostle of kindliness and tolerance upon whose head he had drawn this + all-powerful anger. So Don Vigilio had spoken the truth: over and above + his—Pierre’s—head the denunciations of the Bishops of Evreux + and Poitiers were about to fall on the man who opposed their Ultramontane + policy, that worthy and gentle Cardinal Bergerot, whose heart was open to + all the woes of the lowly and the poor. This filled the young priest with + despair; he could accept the denunciation of the Bishop of Tarbes acting + on behalf of the Fathers of the Grotto, for that only fell on himself, as + a reprisal for what he had written about Lourdes; but the underhand + warfare of the others exasperated him, filled him with dolorous + indignation. And from that puny old man before him with the slender, + scraggy neck of an aged bird, he had suddenly seen such a wrathful, + formidable Master arise that he trembled. How could he have allowed + himself to be deceived by appearances on entering? How could he have + imagined that he was simply in presence of a poor old man, worn out by + age, desirous of peace, and ready for every concession? A blast had swept + through that sleepy chamber, and all his doubts and his anguish awoke once + more. Ah! that Pope, how thoroughly he answered to all the accounts that + he, Pierre, had heard but had refused to believe; so many people had told + him in Rome that he would find Leo XIII a man of intellect rather than of + sentiment, a man of the most unbounded pride, who from his very youth had + nourished the supreme ambition, to such a point indeed that he had + promised eventual triumph to his relatives in order that they might make + the necessary sacrifices for him, while since he had occupied the + pontifical throne his one will and determination had been to reign, to + reign in spite of all, to be the sole absolute and omnipotent master of + the world! And now here was reality arising with irresistible force and + confirming everything. And yet Pierre struggled, stubbornly clutching at + his dream once more. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Holy Father,” said he, “I should be grieved indeed if his Eminence + should have a moment’s worry on account of my unfortunate book. If I be + guilty I can answer for my error, but his Eminence only obeyed the + dictates of his heart and can only have transgressed by excess of love for + the disinherited of the world!” + </p> + <p> + Leo XIII made no reply. He had again raised his superb eyes, those eyes of + ardent life, set, as it were, in the motionless countenance of an + alabaster idol; and once more he was fixedly gazing at the young priest. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre, amidst his returning feverishness, seemed to behold him + growing in power and splendour, whilst behind him arose a vision of the + ages, a vision of that long line of popes whom the young priest had + previously evoked, the saintly and the proud ones, the warriors and the + ascetics, the theologians and the diplomatists, those who had worn armour, + those who had conquered by the Cross, those who had disposed of empires as + of mere provinces which God had committed to their charge. And in + particular Pierre beheld the great Gregory, the conqueror and founder, and + Sixtus V, the negotiator and politician, who had first foreseen the + eventual victory of the papacy over all the vanquished monarchies. Ah! + what a throng of magnificent princes, of sovereign masters with powerful + brains and arms, there was behind that pale, motionless, old man! What an + accumulation of inexhaustible determination, stubborn genius, and + boundless domination! The whole history of human ambition, the whole + effort of the ages to subject the nations to the pride of one man, the + greatest force that has ever conquered, exploited, and fashioned mankind + in the name of its happiness! And even now, when territorial sovereignty + had come to an end, how great was the spiritual sovereignty of that pale + and slender old man, in whose presence women fainted, as if overcome by + the divine splendour radiating from his person. Not only did all the + resounding glories, the masterful triumphs of history spread out behind + him, but heaven opened, the very spheres beyond life shone out in their + dazzling mystery. He—the Pope—stood at the portals of heaven, + holding the keys and opening those portals to human souls; all the ancient + symbolism was revived, freed at last from the stains of royalty here + below. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I beg you, Holy Father,” resumed Pierre, “if an example be needed + strike none other than myself. I have come, and am here; decide my fate, + but do not aggravate my punishment by filling me with remorse at having + brought condemnation on the innocent.” + </p> + <p> + Leo XIII still refrained from replying, though he continued to look at the + young priest with burning eyes. And he, Pierre, no longer beheld Leo XIII, + the last of a long line of popes, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Successor + of the Prince of the Apostles, the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal + Church, Patriarch of the East, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and + Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Temporal Domains of + the Holy Church; he saw the Leo XIII that he had dreamt of, the awaited + saviour who would dispel the frightful cataclysm in which rotten society + was sinking. He beheld him with his supple, lofty intelligence and + fraternal, conciliatory tactics, avoiding friction and labouring to bring + about unity whilst with his heart overflowing with love he went straight + to the hearts of the multitude, again giving the best of his blood in sign + of the new alliance. He raised him aloft as the sole remaining moral + authority, the sole possible bond of charity and peace—as the + Father, in fact, who alone could stamp out injustice among his children, + destroy misery, and re-establish the liberating Law of Work by bringing + the nations back to the faith of the primitive Church, the gentleness and + the wisdom of the true Christian community. And in the deep silence of + that room the great figure which he thus set up assumed invincible + all-powerfulness, extraordinary majesty. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I beseech you, Holy Father, listen to me,” he said. “Do not even + strike me, strike no one, neither a being nor a thing, anything that can + suffer under the sun. Show kindness and indulgence to all, show all the + kindness and indulgence which the sight of the world’s sufferings must + have set in you!” + </p> + <p> + And then, seeing that Leo XIII still remained silent and still left him + standing there, he sank down upon his knees, as if felled by the growing + emotion which rendered his heart so heavy. And within him there was a sort + of <i>debâcle</i>; all his doubts, all his anguish and sadness burst forth + in an irresistible stream. There was the memory of the frightful day that + he had just spent, the tragic death of Dario and Benedetta, which weighed + on him like lead; there were all the sufferings that he had experienced + since his arrival in Rome, the destruction of his illusions, the wounds + dealt to his delicacy, the buffets with which men and things had responded + to his young enthusiasm; and, lying yet more deeply within his heart, + there was the sum total of human wretchedness, the thought of famished + ones howling for food, of mothers whose breasts were drained and who + sobbed whilst kissing their hungry babes, of fathers without work, who + clenched their fists and revolted—indeed, the whole of that hateful + misery which is as old as mankind itself, which has preyed upon mankind + since its earliest hour, and which he now had everywhere found increasing + in horror and havoc, without a gleam of hope that it would ever be healed. + And withal, yet more immense and more incurable, he felt within him a + nameless sorrow to which he could assign no precise cause or name—an + universal, an illimitable sorrow with which he melted despairingly, and + which was perhaps the very sorrow of life. + </p> + <p> + “O Holy Father!” he exclaimed, “I myself have no existence and my book has + no existence. I desired, passionately desired to see your Holiness that I + might explain and defend myself. But I no longer know, I can no longer + recall a single one of the things that I wished to say, I can only weep, + weep the tears which are stifling me. Yes, I am but a poor man, and the + only need I feel is to speak to you of the poor. Oh! the poor ones, oh! + the lowly ones, whom for two years past I have seen in our faubourgs of + Paris, so wretched and so full of pain; the poor little children that I + have picked out of the snow, the poor little angels who had eaten nothing + for two days; the women too, consumed by consumption, without bread or + fire, shivering in filthy hovels; and the men thrown on the street by + slackness of trade, weary of begging for work as one begs for alms, + sinking back into night, drunken with rage and harbouring the sole + avenging thought of setting the whole city afire! And that night too, that + terrible night, when in a room of horror I beheld a mother who had just + killed herself with her five little ones, she lying on a palliasse + suckling her last-born, and two little girls, two pretty little blondes, + sleeping the last sleep beside her, while the two boys had succumbed + farther away, one of them crouching against a wall, and the other lying + upon the floor, distorted as though by a last effort to avoid death!... O + Holy Father! I am but an ambassador, the messenger of those who suffer and + who sob, the humble delegate of the humble ones who die of want beneath + the hateful harshness, the frightful injustice of our present-day social + system! And I bring your Holiness their tears, and I lay their tortures at + your Holiness’s feet, I raise their cry of woe, like a cry from the abyss, + that cry which demands justice unless indeed the very heavens are to fall! + Oh! show your loving kindness, Holy Father, show compassion!” + </p> + <p> + The young man had stretched out his arms and implored Leo XIII with a + gesture as of supreme appeal to the divine compassion. Then he continued: + “And here, Holy Father, in this splendid and eternal Rome, is not the want + and misery as frightful! During the weeks that I have roamed hither and + thither among the dust of famous ruins, I have never ceased to come in + contact with evils which demand cure. Ah! to think of all that is + crumbling, all that is expiring, the agony of so much glory, the fearful + sadness of a world which is dying of exhaustion and hunger! Yonder, under + your Holiness’s windows, have I not seen a district of horrors, a district + of unfinished palaces stricken like rickety children who cannot attain to + full growth, palaces which are already in ruins and have become places of + refuge for all the woeful misery of Rome? And here, as in Paris, what a + suffering multitude, what a shameless exhibition too of the social sore, + the devouring cancer openly tolerated and displayed in utter heedlessness! + There are whole families leading idle and hungry lives in the splendid + sunlight; fathers waiting for work to fall to them from heaven; sons + listlessly spending their days asleep on the dry grass; mothers and + daughters, withered before their time, shuffling about in loquacious + idleness. O Holy Father, already to-morrow at dawn may your Holiness open + that window yonder and with your benediction awaken that great childish + people, which still slumbers in ignorance and poverty! May your Holiness + give it the soul it lacks, a soul with the consciousness of human dignity, + of the necessary law of work, of free and fraternal life regulated by + justice only! Yes, may your Holiness make a people out of that heap of + wretches, whose excuse lies in all their bodily suffering and mental + night, who live like the beasts that go by and die, never knowing nor + understanding, yet ever lashed onward with the whip!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s sobs were gradually choking him, and it was only the impulse of + his passion which still enabled him to speak. “And, Holy Father,” he + continued, “is it not to you that I ought to address myself in the name of + all these wretched ones? Are you not the Father, and is it not before the + Father that the messenger of the poor and the lowly should kneel as I am + kneeling now? And is it not to the Father that he should bring the huge + burden of their sorrows and ask for pity and help and justice? Yes, + particularly for justice! And since you are the Father throw the doors + wide open so that all may enter, even the humblest of your children, the + faithful, the chance passers, even the rebellious ones and those who have + gone astray but who will perhaps enter and whom you will save from the + errors of abandonment! Be as the house of refuge on the dangerous road, + the loving greeter of the wayfarer, the lamp of hospitality which ever + burns, and is seen afar off and saves one in the storm! And since, O + Father, you are power be salvation also! You can do all; you have + centuries of domination behind you; you have nowadays risen to a moral + authority which has rendered you the arbiter of the world; you are there + before me like the very majesty of the sun which illumines and fructifies! + Oh! be the star of kindness and charity, be the redeemer; take in hand + once more the purpose of Jesus, which has been perverted by being left in + the hands of the rich and the powerful who have ended by transforming the + work of the Gospel into the most hateful of all monuments of pride and + tyranny! And since the work has been spoilt, take it in hand, begin it + afresh, place yourself on the side of the little ones, the lowly ones, the + poor ones, and bring them back to the peace, the fraternity, and the + justice of the original Christian communion. And say, O Father, that I + have understood you, that I have sincerely expressed in this respect your + most cherished ideas, the sole living desire of your reign! The rest, oh! + the rest, my book, myself, what matter they! I do not defend myself, I + only seek your glory and the happiness of mankind. Say that from the + depths of this Vatican you have heard the rending of our corrupt modern + societies! Say that you have quivered with loving pity, say that you + desire to prevent the awful impending catastrophe by recalling the Gospel + to the hearts of your children who are stricken with madness, and by + bringing them back to the age of simplicity and purity when the first + Christians lived together in innocent brotherhood! Yes, it is for that + reason, is it not, that you have placed yourself, Father, on the side of + the poor, and for that reason I am here and entreat you for pity and + kindness and justice with my whole soul!” + </p> + <p> + Then the young man gave way beneath his emotion, and fell all of a heap + upon the floor amidst a rush of sobs—loud, endless sobs, which + flowed forth in billows, coming as it were not only from himself but from + all the wretched, from the whole world in whose veins sorrow coursed + mingled with the very blood of life. He was there as the ambassador of + suffering, as he had said. And indeed, at the foot of that mute and + motionless pope, he was like the personification of the whole of human + woe. + </p> + <p> + Leo XIII, who was extremely fond of talking and could only listen to + others with an effort, had twice raised one of his pallid hands to + interrupt the young priest. Then, gradually overcome by astonishment, + touched by emotion himself, he had allowed him to continue, to go on to + the end of his outburst. A little blood even had suffused the snowy + whiteness of the Pontiff’s face whilst his eyes shone out yet more + brilliantly. And as soon as he saw the young man speechless at his feet, + shaken by those sobs which seemed to be wrenching away his heart, he + became anxious and leant forward: “Calm yourself, my son, raise yourself,” + he said. + </p> + <p> + But the sobs still continued, still flowed forth, all reason and respect + being swept away amidst that distracted plaint of a wounded soul, that + moan of suffering, dying flesh. + </p> + <p> + “Raise yourself, my son, it is not proper,” repeated Leo XIII. “There, + take that chair.” And with a gesture of authority he at last invited the + young man to sit down. + </p> + <p> + Pierre rose with pain, and at once seated himself in order that he might + not fall. He brushed his hair back from his forehead, and wiped his + scalding tears away with his hands, unable to understand what had just + happened, but striving to regain his self-possession. + </p> + <p> + “You appeal to the Holy Father,” said Leo XIII. “Ah! rest assured that his + heart is full of pity and affection for those who are unfortunate. But + that is not the point, it is our holy religion which is in question. I + have read your book, a bad book, I tell you so at once, the most dangerous + and culpable of books, precisely on account of its qualities, the pages in + which I myself felt interested. Yes, I was often fascinated, I should not + have continued my perusal had I not felt carried away, transported by the + ardent breath of your faith and enthusiasm. The subject ‘New Rome’ is such + a beautiful one and impassions me so much! and certainly there is a book + to be written under that title, but in a very different spirit to yours. + You think that you have understood me, my son, that you have so penetrated + yourself with my writings and actions that you simply express my most + cherished ideas. But no, no, you have not understood me, and that is why I + desired to see you, explain things to you, and convince you.” + </p> + <p> + It was now Pierre who sat listening, mute and motionless. Yet he had only + come thither to defend himself; for three months past he had been + feverishly desiring this interview, preparing his arguments and feeling + confident of victory; and now although he heard his book spoken of as + dangerous and culpable he did not protest, did not reply with any one of + those good reasons which he had deemed so irresistible. But the fact was + that intense weariness had come upon him, the appeal that he had made, the + tears that he had shed had left him utterly exhausted. By and by, however, + he would be brave and would say what he had resolved to say. + </p> + <p> + “People do not understand me, do not understand me!” resumed Leo XIII with + an air of impatient irritation. “It is incredible what trouble I have to + make myself understood, in France especially! Take the temporal power for + instance; how can you have fancied that the Holy See would ever enter into + any compromise on that question? Such language is unworthy of a priest, it + is the chimerical dream of one who is ignorant of the conditions in which + the papacy has hitherto lived and in which it must still live if it does + not desire to disappear. Cannot you see the sophistry of your argument + that the Church becomes the loftier the more it frees itself from the + cares of terrestrial sovereignty? A purely spiritual royalty, a sway of + charity and love, indeed, ’tis a fine imaginative idea! But who will + ensure us respect? Who will grant us the alms of a stone on which to rest + our head if we are ever driven forth and forced to roam the highways? Who + will guarantee our independence when we are at the mercy of every + state?... No, no! this soil of Rome is ours, we have inherited it from the + long line of our ancestors, and it is the indestructible, eternal soil on + which the Church is built, so that any relinquishment would mean the + downfall of the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church. And, moreover, + we could not relinquish it; we are bound by our oath to God and man.” + </p> + <p> + He paused for a moment to allow Pierre to answer him. But the latter to + his stupefaction could say nothing, for he perceived that this pope spoke + as he was bound to speak. All the heavy mysterious things which had + weighed the young priest down whilst he was waiting in the ante-room, now + became more and more clearly defined. They were, indeed, the things which + he had seen and learnt since his arrival in Rome, the disillusions, the + rebuffs which he had experienced, all the many points of difference + between existing reality and imagination, whereby his dream of a return to + primitive Christianity was already half shattered. And in particular he + remembered the hour which he had spent on the dome of St. Peter’s, when, + in presence of the old city of glory so stubbornly clinging to its purple, + he had realised that he was an imbecile with his idea of a purely + spiritual pope. He had that day fled from the furious shouts of the + pilgrims acclaiming the Pope-King. He had only accepted the necessity for + money, that last form of servitude still binding the Pope to earth. But + all had crumbled afterwards, when he had beheld the real Rome, the ancient + city of pride and domination where the papacy can never be complete + without the temporal power. Too many bonds, dogma, tradition, environment, + the very soil itself rendered the Church for ever immutable. It was only + in appearances that she could make concessions, and a time would even + arrive when her concessions would cease, in presence of the impossibility + of going any further without committing suicide. If his, Pierre’s, dream + of a New Rome were ever to be realised, it would only be faraway from + ancient Rome. Only in some distant region could the new Christianity + arise, for Catholicism was bound to die on the spot when the last of the + popes, riveted to that land of ruins, should disappear beneath the falling + dome of St. Peter’s, which would fall as surely as the temple of Jupiter + had fallen! And, as for that pope of the present day, though he might have + no kingdom, though age might have made him weak and fragile, though his + bloodless pallor might be that of some ancient idol of wax, he none the + less flared with the red passion for universal sovereignty, he was none + the less the stubborn scion of his ancestry, the Pontifex Maximus, the + Caesar Imperator in whose veins flowed the blood of Augustus, master of + the world. + </p> + <p> + “You must be fully aware,” resumed Leo XIII, “of the ardent desire for + unity which has always possessed us. We were very happy on the day when we + unified the rite, by imposing the Roman rite throughout the whole Catholic + world. This is one of our most cherished victories, for it can do much to + uphold our authority. And I hope that our efforts in the East will end by + bringing our dear brethren of the dissident communions back to us, in the + same way as I do not despair of convincing the Anglican sects, without + speaking of the other so-called Protestant sects who will be compelled to + return to the bosom of the only Church, the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman + Church, when the times predicted by the Christ shall be accomplished. But + a thing which you did not say in your book is that the Church can + relinquish nothing whatever of dogma. On the contrary, you seem to fancy + that an agreement might be effected, concessions made on either side, and + that, my son, is a culpable thought, such language as a priest cannot use + without being guilty of a crime. No, the truth is absolute, not a stone of + the edifice shall be changed. Oh! in matters of form, we will do whatever + may be asked. We are ready to adopt the most conciliatory courses if it be + only a question of turning certain difficulties and weighing expressions + in order to facilitate agreement.... Again, there is the part we have + taken in contemporary socialism, and here too it is necessary that we + should be understood. Those whom you have so well called the disinherited + of the world, are certainly the object of our solicitude. If socialism be + simply a desire for justice, and a constant determination to come to the + help of the weak and the suffering, who can claim to give more thought to + the matter and work with more energy than ourselves? Has not the Church + always been the mother of the afflicted, the helper and benefactress of + the poor? We are for all reasonable progress, we admit all new social + forms which will promote peace and fraternity.... Only we can but condemn + that socialism which begins by driving away God as a means of ensuring the + happiness of mankind. Therein lies simple savagery, an abominable relapse + into the primitive state in which there can only be catastrophe, + conflagration, and massacre. And that again is a point on which you have + not laid sufficient stress, for you have not shown in your book that there + can be no progress outside the pale of the Church, that she is really the + only initiatory and guiding power to whom one may surrender oneself + without fear. Indeed, and in this again you have sinned, it seemed to me + as if you set God on one side, as if for you religion lay solely in a + certain bent of the soul, a florescence of love and charity, which + sufficed one to work one’s salvation. But that is execrable heresy. God is + ever present, master of souls and bodies; and religion remains the bond, + the law, the very governing power of mankind, apart from which there can + only be barbarism in this world and damnation in the next. And, once + again, forms are of no importance; it is sufficient that dogma should + remain. Thus our adhesion to the French Republic proves that we in no wise + mean to link the fate of religion to that of any form of government, + however august and ancient the latter may be. Dynasties may have done + their time, but God is eternal. Kings may perish, but God lives! And, + moreover, there is nothing anti-Christian in the republican form of + government; indeed, on the contrary, it would seem like an awakening of + that Christian commonwealth to which you have referred in some really + charming pages. The worst is that liberty at once becomes license, and + that our desire for conciliation is often very badly requited.... But ah! + what a wicked book you have written, my son,—with the best + intentions, I am willing to believe,—and how your silence shows that + you are beginning to recognise the disastrous consequences of your error.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre still remained silent, overcome, feeling as if his arguments would + fall against some deaf, blind, and impenetrable rock, which it was useless + to assail since nothing could enter it. And only one thing now preoccupied + him; he wondered how it was that a man of such intelligence and such + ambition had not formed a more distinct and exact idea of the modern + world. He could divine that the Pope possessed much information and + carried the map of Christendom with many of the needs, deeds, and hopes of + the nations, in his mind amidst his complicated diplomatic enterprises; + but at the same time what gaps there were in his knowledge! The truth, no + doubt, was that his personal acquaintance with the world was confined to + his brief nunciature at Brussels.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * That too, was in 1843-44, and the world is now utterly unlike + what it was then!—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + During his occupation of the see of Perugia, which had followed, he had + only mingled with the dawning life of young Italy. And for eighteen years + now he had been shut up in the Vatican, isolated from the rest of mankind + and communicating with the nations solely through his <i>entourage</i>, + which was often most unintelligent, most mendacious, and most treacherous. + Moreover, he was an Italian priest, a superstitious and despotic High + Pontiff, bound by tradition, subjected to the influences of race + environment, pecuniary considerations, and political necessities, not to + speak of his great pride, the conviction that he ought to be implicitly + obeyed in all things as the one sole legitimate power upon earth. Therein + lay fatal causes of mental deformity, of errors and gaps in his + extraordinary brain, though the latter certainly possessed many admirable + qualities, quickness of comprehension and patient stubbornness of will and + strength to draw conclusions and act. Of all his powers, however, that of + intuition was certainly the most wonderful, for was it not this alone + which, owing to his voluntary imprisonment, enabled him to divine the vast + evolution of humanity at the present day? He was thus keenly conscious of + the dangers surrounding him, of the rising tide of democracy and the + boundless ocean of science which threatened to submerge the little islet + where the dome of St. Peter’s yet triumphed. And the object of all his + policy, of all his labour, was to conquer so that he might reign. If he + desired the unity of the Church it was in order that the latter might + become strong and inexpugnable in the contest which he foresaw. If he + preached conciliation, granting concessions in matters of form, tolerating + audacious actions on the part of American bishops, it was because he + deeply and secretly feared the dislocation of the Church, some sudden + schism which might hasten disaster. And this fear explained his returning + affection for the people, the concern which he displayed respecting + socialism, and the Christian solution which he offered to the woes of + earthly life. As Caesar was stricken low, was not the long contest for + possession of the people over, and would not the people, the great silent + multitude, speak out, and give itself to him, the Pope? He had begun + experiments with France, forsaking the lost cause of the monarchy and + recognising the Republic which he hoped might prove strong and victorious, + for in spite of everything France remained the eldest daughter of the + Church, the only Catholic nation which yet possessed sufficient strength + to restore the temporal power at some propitious moment. And briefly Leo’s + desire was to reign. To reign by the support of France since it seemed + impossible to do so by the support of Germany! To reign by the support of + the people, since the people was now becoming the master, the bestower of + thrones! To reign by means even of an Italian Republic, if only that + Republic could wrest Rome from the House of Savoy and restore her to him, + a federal Republic which would make him President of the United States of + Italy pending the time when he should be President of the United States of + Europe! To reign in spite of everybody and everything, such was his + ambition, to reign over the world, even as Augustus had reigned, Augustus + whose devouring blood alone upheld this expiring old man, yet so + stubbornly clinging to power! + </p> + <p> + “And another crime of yours, my son,” resumed Leo XIII, “is that you have + dared to ask for a new religion. That is impious, blasphemous, + sacrilegious. There is but one religion in the world, our Holy Catholic + Apostolic and Roman Religion, apart from which there can be but darkness + and damnation. I quite understand that what you mean to imply is a return + to early Christianity. But the error of so-called Protestantism, so + culpable and so deplorable in its consequences, never had any other + pretext. As soon as one departs from the strict observance of dogma and + absolute respect for tradition one sinks into the most frightful + precipices.... Ah! schism, schism, my son, is a crime beyond forgiveness, + an assassination of the true God, a device of the loathsome Beast of + Temptation which Hell sends into the world to work the ruin of the + faithful! If your book contained nothing beyond those words ‘a new + religion,’ it would be necessary to destroy and burn it like so much + poison fatal in its effects upon the human soul.” + </p> + <p> + He continued at length on this subject, while Pierre recalled what Don + Vigilio had told him of those all-powerful Jesuits who at the Vatican as + elsewhere remained in the background, secretly but none the less + decisively governing the Church. Was it true then that this pope, whose + opportunist tendencies were so freely displayed, was one of them, a mere + docile instrument in their hands, though he fancied himself penetrated + with the doctrines of St. Thomas Aquinas? In any case, like them he + compounded with the century, made approaches to the world, and was willing + to flatter it in order that he might possess it. Never before had Pierre + so cruelly realised that the Church was now so reduced that she could only + live by dint of concessions and diplomacy. And he could at last distinctly + picture that Roman clergy which at first is so difficult of comprehension + to a French priest, that Government of the Church, represented by the + pope, the cardinals, and the prelates, whom the Deity has appointed to + govern and administer His mundane possessions—mankind and the earth. + They begin by setting that very Deity on one side, in the depths of the + tabernacle, and impose whatever dogmas they please as so many essential + truths. That the Deity exists is evident, since they govern in His name + which is sufficient for everything. And being by virtue of their charge + the masters, if they consent to sign covenants, Concordats, it is only as + matters of form; they do not observe them, and never yield to anything but + force, always reserving the principle of their absolute sovereignty which + must some day finally triumph. Pending that day’s arrival, they act as + diplomatists, slowly carrying on their work of conquest as the Deity’s + functionaries; and religion is but the public homage which they pay to the + Deity, and which they organise with all the pomp and magnificence that is + likely to influence the multitude. Their only object is to enrapture and + conquer mankind in order that the latter may submit to the rule of the + Deity, that is the rule of themselves, since they are the Deity’s visible + representatives, expressly delegated to govern the world. In a word, they + straightway descend from Roman law, they are still but the offspring of + the old pagan soul of Rome, and if they have lasted until now and if they + rely on lasting for ever, until the awaited hour when the empire of the + world shall be restored to them, it is because they are the direct heirs + of the purple-robed Caesars, the uninterrupted and living progeny of the + blood of Augustus. + </p> + <p> + And thereupon Pierre felt ashamed of his tears. Ah! those poor nerves of + his, that outburst of sentiment and enthusiasm to which he had given way! + His very modesty was appalled, for he felt as if he had exhibited his soul + in utter nakedness. And so uselessly too, in that room where nothing + similar had ever been said before, and in presence of that Pontiff-King + who could not understand him. His plan of the popes reigning by means of + the poor and lowly now horrified him. His idea of the papacy going to the + people, at last rid of its former masters, seemed to him a suggestion + worthy of a wolf, for if the papacy should go to the people it would only + be to prey upon it as the others had done. And really he, Pierre, must + have been mad when he had imagined that a Roman prelate, a cardinal, a + pope, was capable of admitting a return to the Christian commonwealth, a + fresh florescence of primitive Christianity to pacify the aged nations + whom hatred consumed. Such a conception indeed was beyond the + comprehension of men who for centuries had regarded themselves as masters + of the world, so heedless and disdainful of the lowly and the suffering, + that they had at last become altogether incapable of either love or + charity.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The reader should bear in mind that these remarks apply to the + Italian cardinals and prelates, whose vanity and egotism are + remarkable.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Leo XIII, however, was still holding forth in his full, unwearying voice. + And the young priest heard him saying: “Why did you write that page on + Lourdes which shows such a thoroughly bad spirit? Lourdes, my son, has + rendered great services to religion. To the persons who have come and told + me of the touching miracles which are witnessed at the Grotto almost + daily, I have often expressed my desire to see those miracles confirmed, + proved by the most rigorous scientific tests. And, indeed, according to + what I have read, I do not think that the most evilly disposed minds can + entertain any further doubt on the matter, for the miracles <i>are</i> + proved scientifically in the most irrefutable manner. Science, my son, + must be God’s servant. It can do nothing against Him, it is only by His + grace that it arrives at the truth. All the solutions which people + nowadays pretend to discover and which seemingly destroy dogma will some + day be recognised as false, for God’s truth will remain victorious when + the times shall be accomplished. That is a very simple certainty, known + even to little children, and it would suffice for the peace and salvation + of mankind, if mankind would content itself with it. And be convinced, my + son, that faith and reason are not incompatible. Have we not got St. + Thomas who foresaw everything, explained everything, regulated everything? + Your faith has been shaken by the onslaught of the spirit of examination, + you have known trouble and anguish which Heaven has been pleased to spare + our priests in this land of ancient belief, this city of Rome which the + blood of so many martyrs has sanctified. However, we have no fear of the + spirit of examination, study St. Thomas, read him thoroughly and your + faith will return, definitive and triumphant, firmer than ever.” + </p> + <p> + These remarks caused Pierre as much dismay as if fragments of the + celestial vault were raining on his head. O God of truth, miracles—the + miracles of Lourdes!—proved scientifically, faith in the dogmas + compatible with reason, and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas sufficient + to instil certainty into the minds of this present generation! How could + one answer that, and indeed why answer it at all? + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yours is a most culpable and dangerous book,” concluded Leo XIII; + “its very title ‘New Rome’ is mendacious and poisonous, and the work is + the more to be condemned as it offers every fascination of style, every + perversion of generous fancy. Briefly it is such a book that a priest, if + he conceived it in an hour of error, can have no other duty than that of + burning it in public with the very hand which traced the pages of error + and scandal.” + </p> + <p> + All at once Pierre rose up erect. He was about to exclaim: “‘Tis true, I + had lost my faith, but I thought I had found it again in the compassion + which the woes of the world set in my heart. You were my last hope, the + awaited saviour. But, behold, that again is a dream, you cannot take the + work of Jesus in hand once more and pacify mankind so as to avert the + frightful fratricidal war which is preparing. You cannot leave your throne + and come along the roads with the poor and the humble to carry out the + supreme work of fraternity. Well, it is all over with you, your Vatican + and your St. Peter’s. All is falling before the onslaught of the rising + multitude and growing science. You no longer exist, there are only ruins + and remnants left here.” + </p> + <p> + However, he did not speak those words. He simply bowed and said: “Holy + Father, I make my submission and reprobate my book.” And as he thus + replied his voice trembled with disgust, and his open hands made a gesture + of surrender as though he were yielding up his soul. The words he had + chosen were precisely those of the required formula: <i>Auctor + laudabiliter se subjecit et opus reprobavit</i>. “The author has laudably + made his submission and reprobated his work.” No error could have been + confessed, no hope could have accomplished self-destruction with loftier + despair, more sovereign grandeur. But what frightful irony: that book + which he had sworn never to withdraw, and for whose triumph he had fought + so passionately, and which he himself now denied and suppressed, not + because he deemed it guilty, but because he had just realised that it was + as futile, as chimerical as a lover’s desire, a poet’s dream. Ah! yes, + since he had been mistaken, since he had merely dreamed, since he had + found there neither the Deity nor the priest that he had desired for the + happiness of mankind, why should he obstinately cling to the illusion of + an awakening which was impossible! ‘Twere better to fling his book on the + ground like a dead leaf, better to deny it, better to cut it away like a + dead limb that could serve no purpose whatever! + </p> + <p> + Somewhat surprised by such a prompt victory Leo XIII raised a slight + exclamation of content. “That is well said, my son, that is well said! You + have spoken the only words that can become a priest.” + </p> + <p> + And in his evident satisfaction, he who left nothing to chance, who + carefully prepared each of his audiences, deciding beforehand what words + he would say, what gestures even he would make, unbent somewhat and + displayed real <i>bonhomie</i>. Unable to understand, mistaking the real + motives of this rebellious priest’s submission, he tasted positive delight + in having so easily reduced him to silence, the more so as report had + stated the young man to be a terrible revolutionary. And thus his Holiness + felt quite proud of such a conversion. “Moreover, my son,” he said, “I did + not expect less of one of your distinguished mind. There can be no loftier + enjoyment than that of owning one’s error, doing penance, and submitting.” + </p> + <p> + He had again taken the glass off the little table beside him and was + stirring the last spoonful of syrup before drinking it. And Pierre was + amazed at again finding him as he had found him at the outset, shrunken, + bereft of sovereign majesty, and simply suggestive of some aged <i>bourgeois</i> + drinking his glass of sugared water before getting into bed. It was as if + after growing and radiating, like a planet ascending to the zenith, he had + again sunk to the level of the soil in all human mediocrity. Again did + Pierre find him puny and fragile, with the slender neck of a little sick + bird, and all those marks of senile ugliness which rendered him so + exacting with regard to his portraits, whether they were oil paintings or + photographs, gold medals, or marble busts, for of one and the other he + would say that the artist must not portray “Papa Pecci” but Leo XIII, the + great Pope, of whom he desired to leave such a lofty image to posterity. + And Pierre, after momentarily ceasing to see them, was again embarrassed + by the handkerchief which lay on the Pope’s lap, and the dirty cassock + soiled by snuff. His only feelings now were affectionate pity for such + white old age, deep admiration for the stubborn power of life which had + found a refuge in those dark black eyes, and respectful deference, such as + became a worker, for that large brain which harboured such vast projects + and overflowed with such innumerable ideas and actions. + </p> + <p> + The audience was over, and the young man bowed low: “I thank your Holiness + for having deigned to give me such a fatherly reception,” he said. + </p> + <p> + However, Leo XIII detained him for a moment longer, speaking to him of + France and expressing his sincere desire to see her prosperous, calm, and + strong for the greater advantage of the Church. And Pierre, during that + last moment, had a singular vision, a strange haunting fancy. As he gazed + at the Holy Father’s ivory brow and thought of his great age and of his + liability to be carried off by the slightest chill, he involuntarily + recalled the scene instinct with a fierce grandeur which is witnessed each + time a pope dies. He recalled Pius IX, Giovanni Mastai, two hours after + death, his face covered by a white linen cloth, while the pontifical + family surrounded him in dismay; and then Cardinal Pecci, the <i>Camerlingo</i>, + approaching the bed, drawing aside the veil and dealing three taps with + his silver hammer on the forehead of the deceased, repeating at each tap + the call, “Giovanni! Giovanni! Giovanni!” And as the corpse made no + response, turning, after an interval of a few seconds, and saying: “The + Pope is dead!” And at the same time, yonder in the Via Giulia Pierre + pictured Cardinal Boccanera, the present <i>Camerlingo</i>, awaiting his + turn with his silver hammer, and he imagined Leo XIII, otherwise Gioachino + Pecci, dead, like his predecessor, his face covered by a white linen cloth + and his corpse surrounded by his prelates in that very room. And he saw + the <i>Camerlingo</i> approach, draw the veil aside and tap the ivory + forehead, each time repeating the call: “Gioachino! Gioachino! Gioachino!” + Then, as the corpse did not answer, he waited for a few seconds and turned + and said “The Pope is dead!” Did Leo XIII remember how he had thrice + tapped the forehead of Pius IX, and did he ever feel on the brow an icy + dread of the silver hammer with which he had armed his own <i>Camerlingo</i>, + the man whom he knew to be his implacable adversary, Cardinal Boccanera? + </p> + <p> + “Go in peace, my son,” at last said his Holiness by way of parting + benediction. “Your transgression will be forgiven you since you have + confessed and testify your horror for it.” + </p> + <p> + With distressful spirit, accepting humiliation as well-deserved + chastisement for his chimerical fancies, Pierre retired, stepping + backwards according to the customary ceremonial. He made three deep bows + and crossed the threshold without turning, followed by the black eyes of + Leo XIII, which never left him. Still he saw the Pope stretch his arm + towards the table to take up the newspaper which he had been reading prior + to the audience, for Leo retained a great fancy for newspapers, and was + very inquisitive as to news, though in the isolation in which he lived he + frequently made mistakes respecting the relative importance of articles. + And once more the chamber sank into deep quietude, whilst the two lamps + continued to diffuse a soft and steady light. + </p> + <p> + In the centre of the <i>anticamera segreta</i> Signor Squadra stood + waiting black and motionless. And on noticing that Pierre in his flurry + forgot to take his hat from the pier table, he himself discreetly fetched + it and handed it to the young priest with a silent bow. Then without any + appearance of haste, he walked ahead to conduct the visitor back to the + Sala Clementina. The endless promenade through the interminable ante-rooms + began once more, and there was still not a soul, not a sound, not a + breath. In each empty room stood the one solitary lamp, burning low amidst + a yet deeper silence than before. The wilderness seemed also to have grown + larger as the night advanced, casting its gloom over the few articles of + furniture scattered under the lofty gilded ceilings, the thrones, the + stools, the pier tables, the crucifixes, and the candelabra which recurred + in each succeeding room. And at last the Sala Clementina which the Swiss + Guards had just quitted was reached again, and Signor Squadra, who + hitherto had not turned his head, thereupon drew aside without word or + gesture, and, saluting Pierre with a last bow, allowed him to pass on. + Then he himself disappeared. + </p> + <p> + And Pierre descended the two flights of the monumental staircase where the + gas jets in their globes of ground glass glimmered like night lights + amidst a wondrously heavy silence now that the footsteps of the sentries + no longer resounded on the landings. And he crossed the Court of St. + Damasus, empty and lifeless in the pale light of the lamps above the + steps, and descended the Scala Pia, that other great stairway as dim, + deserted, and void of life as all the rest, and at last passed beyond the + bronze door which a porter slowly shut behind him. And with what a rumble, + what a fierce roar did the hard metal close upon all that was within; all + the accumulated darkness and silence; the dead, motionless centuries + perpetuated by tradition; the indestructible idols, the dogmas, bound + round for preservation like mummies; every chain which may weigh on one or + hamper one, the whole apparatus of bondage and sovereign domination, with + whose formidable clang all the dark, deserted halls re-echoed. + </p> + <p> + Once more the young man found himself alone on the gloomy expanse of the + Piazza of St. Peter’s. Not a single belated pedestrian was to be seen. + There was only the lofty, livid, ghost-like obelisk, emerging between its + four candelabra, from the mosaic pavement of red and serpentine porphyry. + The façade of the Basilica also showed vaguely, pale as a vision, whilst + from it on either side like a pair of giant arms stretched the quadruple + colonnade, a thicket of stone, steeped in obscurity. The dome was but a + huge roundness scarcely discernible against the moonless sky; and only the + jets of the fountains, which could at last be detected rising like slim + phantoms ever on the move, lent a voice to the silence, the endless murmur + of a plaint of sorrow coming one knew not whence. Ah! how great was the + melancholy grandeur of that slumber, that famous square, the Vatican and + St. Peter’s, thus seen by night when wrapped in silence and darkness! But + suddenly the clock struck ten with so slow and loud a chime that never, so + it seemed, had more solemn and decisive an hour rung out amidst blacker + and more unfathomable gloom. All Pierre’s poor weary frame quivered at the + sound as he stood motionless in the centre of the expanse. What! had he + spent barely three-quarters of an hour, chatting up yonder with that white + old man who had just wrenched all his soul away from him! Yes, it was the + final wrench; his last belief had been torn from his bleeding heart and + brain. The supreme experiment had been made, a world had collapsed within + him. And all at once he thought of Monsignor Nani, and reflected that he + alone had been right. He, Pierre, had been told that in any case he would + end by doing what Monsignor Nani might desire, and he was now stupefied to + find that he had done so. + </p> + <p> + But sudden despair seized upon him, such atrocious distress of spirit + that, from the depths of the abyss of darkness where he stood, he raised + his quivering arms into space and spoke aloud: “No, no, Thou art not here, + O God of life and love, O God of Salvation! But come, appear since Thy + children are perishing because they know neither who Thou art, nor where + to find Thee amidst the Infinite of the worlds!” + </p> + <p> + Above the vast square spread the vast sky of dark-blue velvet, the silent + disturbing Infinite, where the constellations palpitated. Over the roofs + of the Vatican, Charles’s Wain seemed yet more tilted, its golden wheels + straying from the right path, its golden shaft upreared in the air; whilst + yonder, over Rome towards the Via Giulia, Orion was about to disappear and + already showed but one of the three golden stars which bedecked his belt. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap40"></a> + XV. + </h2> + <p> + IT was nearly daybreak when Pierre fell asleep, exhausted by emotion and + hot with fever. And at nine o’clock, when he had risen and breakfasted, he + at once wished to go down into Cardinal Boccanera’s rooms where the bodies + of Dario and Benedetta had been laid in state in order that the members of + the family, its friends and clients, might bring them their tears and + prayers. + </p> + <p> + Whilst he breakfasted, Victorine who, showing an active bravery amidst her + despair, had not been to bed at all, told him of what had taken place in + the house during the night and early morning. Donna Serafina, prude that + she was, had again made an attempt to have the bodies separated; but this + had proved an impossibility, as <i>rigor mortis</i> had set in, and to + part the lovers it would have been necessary to break their limbs. + Moreover, the Cardinal, who had interposed once before, almost quarrelled + with his sister on the subject, unwilling as he was that any one should + disturb the lovers’ last slumber, their union of eternity. Beneath his + priestly garb there coursed the blood of his race, a pride in the passions + of former times; and he remarked that if the family counted two popes + among its forerunners, it had also been rendered illustrious by great + captains and ardent lovers. Never would he allow any one to touch those + two children, whose dolorous lives had been so pure and whom the grave + alone had united. He was the master in his house, and they should be sewn + together in the same shroud, and nailed together in the same coffin. Then + too the religious service should take place at the neighbouring church of + San Carlo, of which he was Cardinal-priest and where again he was the + master. And if needful he would address himself to the Pope. And such + being his sovereign will, so authoritatively expressed, everybody in the + house had to bow submissively. + </p> + <p> + Donna Serafina at once occupied herself with the laying-out. According to + the Roman custom the servants were present, and Victorine as the oldest + and most appreciated of them, assisted the relatives. All that could be + done in the first instance was to envelop both corpses in Benedetta’s + unbound hair, thick and odorous hair, which spread out into a royal + mantle; and they were then laid together in one shroud of white silk, + fastened about their necks in such wise that they formed but one being in + death. And again the Cardinal imperatively ordered that they should be + brought into his apartments and placed on a state bed in the centre of the + throne-room, so that a supreme homage might be rendered to them as to the + last scions of the name, the two tragic lovers with whom the once + resounding glory of the Boccaneras was about to return to earth. The story + which had been arranged was already circulating through Rome; folks + related how Dario had been carried off in a few hours by infectious fever, + and how Benedetta, maddened by grief, had expired whilst clasping him in + her arms to bid him a last farewell; and there was talk too of the royal + honours which the bodies were to receive, the superb funeral nuptials + which were to be accorded them as they lay clasped on their bed of eternal + rest. All Rome, quite overcome by this tragic story of love and death, + would talk of nothing else for several weeks. + </p> + <p> + Pierre would have started for France that same night, eager as he was to + quit the city of disaster where he had lost the last shreds of his faith, + but he desired to attend the obsequies, and therefore postponed his + departure until the following evening. And thus he would spend one more + day in that old crumbling palace, near the corpse of that unhappy young + woman to whom he had been so much attached and for whom he would try to + find some prayers in the depths of his empty and lacerated heart. + </p> + <p> + When he reached the threshold of the Cardinal’s reception-rooms, he + suddenly remembered his first visit to them. They still presented the same + aspect of ancient princely pomp falling into decay and dust. The doors of + the three large ante-rooms were wide open, and the rooms themselves were + at that early hour still empty. In the first one, the servants’ anteroom, + there was nobody but Giacomo who stood motionless in his black livery in + front of the old red hat hanging under the <i>baldacchino</i> where + spiders spun their webs between the crumbling tassels. In the second room, + which the secretary formerly had occupied, Abbé Paparelli, the + train-bearer, was softly walking up and down whilst waiting for visitors; + and with his conquering humility, his all-powerful obsequiousness, he had + never before so closely resembled an old maid, whitened and wrinkled by + excess of devout observances. Finally, in the third ante-room, the <i>anticamera + nobile</i>, where the red cap lay on a credence facing the large imperious + portrait of the Cardinal in ceremonial costume, there was Don Vigilio who + had left his little work-table to station himself at the door of the + throne-room and there bow to those who crossed the threshold. And on that + gloomy winter morning the rooms appeared more mournful and dilapidated + than ever, the hangings frayed and ragged, the few articles of furniture + covered with dust, the old wood-work crumbling beneath the continuous + onslaught of worms, and the ceilings alone retaining their pompous show of + gilding and painting. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre, to whom Abbé Paparelli addressed a profound bow, in which + one divined the irony of a sort of dismissal given to one who was + vanquished, felt more impressed by the mournful grandeur which those three + dilapidated rooms presented that day, conducting as they did to the old + throne-room, now a chamber of death, where the two last children of the + house slept their last sleep. What a superb and sorrowful <i>gala</i> of + death! Every door wide open and all the emptiness of those over-spacious + rooms, void of the throngs of ancient days and leading to the supreme + affliction—the end of a race! The Cardinal had shut himself up in + his little work-room where he received the relatives and intimates who + desired to present their condolences to him, whilst Donna Serafina had + chosen an adjoining apartment to await her lady friends who would come in + procession until evening. And Pierre, informed of the ceremonial by + Victorine, had in the first place to enter the throne-room, greeted as he + passed by a deep bow from Don Vigilio who, pale and silent, did not seem + to recognise him. + </p> + <p> + A surprise awaited the young priest. He had expected such a lying-in-state + as is seen in France and elsewhere, all windows closed so as to steep the + room in night, and hundreds of candles burning round a <i>catafalco</i>, + whilst from ceiling to floor the walls were hung with black drapery. He + had been told that the bodies would lie in the throne-room because the + antique chapel on the ground floor of the palazzo had been shut up for + half a century and was in no condition to be used, whilst the Cardinal’s + little private chapel was altogether too small for any such ceremony. And + thus it had been necessary to improvise an altar in the throne-room, an + altar at which masses had been said ever since dawn. Masses and other + religious services were moreover to be celebrated all day long in the + private chapel; and two additional altars had even been set up, one in a + small room adjoining the <i>anticamera nobile</i> and the other in a sort + of alcove communicating with the second anteroom: and in this wise + priests, Franciscans, and members of other Orders bound by the vow of + poverty, would simultaneously and without intermission celebrate the + divine sacrifice on those four altars. The Cardinal, indeed, had desired + that the Divine Blood should flow without pause under his roof for the + redemption of those two dear souls which had flown away together. And thus + in that mourning mansion, through those funeral halls the bells scarcely + stopped tinkling for the elevation of the host, whilst the quivering + murmur of Latin words ever continued, and consecrated wafers were + continually broken and chalices drained, in such wise that the Divine + Presence could not for a moment quit the heavy atmosphere all redolent of + death. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, however, Pierre, to his great astonishment, found the + throne-room much as it had been on the day of his first visit. The + curtains of the four large windows had not even been drawn, and the grey, + cold, subdued light of the gloomy winter morning freely entered. Under the + ceiling of carved and gilded wood-work there were the customary red + wall-hangings of <i>brocatelle</i>, worn away by long usage; and there was + the old throne with the arm-chair turned to the wall, uselessly waiting + for a visit from the Pope which would never more come. The principal + changes in the aspect of the room were that its seats and tables had been + removed, and that, in addition to the improvised altar arranged beside the + throne, it now contained the state bed on which lay the bodies of + Benedetta and Dario, amidst a profusion of flowers. The bed stood in the + centre of the room on a low platform, and at its head were two lighted + candles, one on either side. There was nothing else, nothing but that + wealth of flowers, such a harvest of white roses that one wondered in what + fairy garden they had been culled, sheaves of them on the bed, sheaves of + them toppling from the bed, sheaves of them covering the step of the + platform, and falling from that step on to the magnificent marble paving + of the room. + </p> + <p> + Pierre drew near to the bed, his heart faint with emotion. Those tapers + whose little yellow flamelets scarcely showed in the pale daylight, that + continuous low murmur of the mass being said at the altar, that + penetrating perfume of roses which rendered the atmosphere so heavy, + filled the antiquated, dusty room with a spirit of infinite woe, a + lamentation of boundless mourning. And there was not a gesture, not a word + spoken, save by the priest officiating at the altar, nothing but an + occasional faint sound of stifled sobbing among the few persons present. + Servants of the house constantly relieved one another, four always + standing erect and motionless at the head of the bed, like faithful, + familiar guards. From time to time Consistorial-Advocate Morano who, since + early morning had been attending to everything, crossed the room with a + silent step and the air of a man in a hurry. And at the edge of the + platform all who entered, knelt, prayed, and wept. Pierre perceived three + ladies there, their faces hidden by their handkerchiefs; and there was + also an old priest who trembled with grief and hung his head in such wise + that his face could not be distinguished. However, the young man was most + moved by the sight of a poorly clad girl, whom he took for a servant, and + whom sorrow had utterly prostrated on the marble slabs. + </p> + <p> + Then in his turn he knelt down, and with the professional murmur of the + lips sought to repeat the Latin prayers which, as a priest, he had so + often said at the bedside of the departed. But his growing emotion + confused his memory, and he became wrapt in contemplation of the lovers + whom his eyes were unable to quit. Under the wealth of flowers which + covered them the clasped bodies could scarcely be distinguished, but the + two heads emerged from the silken shroud, and lying there on the same + cushion, with their hair mingling, they were still beautiful, beautiful as + with satisfied passion. Benedetta had kept her divinely gay, loving, and + faithful face for eternity, transported with rapture at having rendered up + her last breath in a kiss of love; whilst Dario retained a more dolorous + expression amidst his final joy. And their eyes were still wide open, + gazing at one another with a persistent and caressing sweetness which + nothing would ever more disturb. + </p> + <p> + Oh! God, was it true that yonder lay that Benedetta whom he, Pierre, had + loved with such pure, brotherly affection? He was stirred to the very + depths of his soul by the recollection of the delightful hours which he + had spent with her. She had been so beautiful, so sensible, yet so full of + passion! And he had indulged in so beautiful a dream, that of animating + with his own liberating fraternal feelings that admirable creature with + soul of fire and indolent air, in whom he had pictured all ancient Rome, + and whom he would have liked to awaken and win over to the Italy of + to-morrow. He had dreamt of enlarging her brain and heart by filling her + with love for the lowly and the poor, with all present-day compassion for + things and beings. How he would now have smiled at such a dream had not + his tears been flowing! Yet how charming she had shown herself in striving + to content him despite the invincible obstacles of race, education, and + environment. She had been a docile pupil, but was incapable of any real + progress. One day she had certainly seemed to draw nearer to him, as + though her own sufferings had opened her soul to every charity; but the + illusion of happiness had come back, and then she had lost all + understanding of the woes of others, and had gone off in the egotism of + her own hope and joy. Did that mean then that this Roman race must finish + in that fashion, beautiful as it still often is, and fondly adored but so + closed to all love for others, to those laws of charity and justice which, + by regulating labour, can henceforth alone save this world of ours? + </p> + <p> + Then there came another great sorrow to Pierre which left him stammering, + unable to speak any precise prayer. He thought of the overwhelming + reassertion of Nature’s powers which had attended the death of those two + poor children. Was it not awful? To have taken that vow to the Virgin, to + have endured torment throughout life, and to end by plunging into death, + on the loved one’s neck, distracted by vain regret and eager for + self-bestowal! The brutal fact of impending separation had sufficed for + Benedetta to realise how she had duped herself, and to revert to the + universal instinct of love. And therein, again once more, was the Church + vanquished; therein again appeared the great god Pan, mating the sexes and + scattering life around! If in the days of the Renascence the Church did + not fall beneath the assault of the Venuses and Hercules then exhumed from + the old soil of Rome, the struggle at all events continued as bitterly as + ever; and at each and every hour new nations, overflowing with sap, + hungering for life, and warring against a religion which was nothing more + than an appetite for death, threatened to sweep away that old Holy + Apostolic Roman and Catholic edifice whose walls were already tottering on + all sides. + </p> + <p> + And at that moment Pierre felt that the death of that adorable Benedetta + was for him the supreme disaster. He was still looking at her and tears + were scorching his eyes. She was carrying off his chimera. This time ’twas + really the end. Rome the Catholic and the Princely was dead, lying there + like marble on that funeral bed. She had been unable to go to the humble, + the suffering ones of the world, and had just expired amidst the impotent + cry of her egotistical passion when it was too late either to love or to + create. Never more would children be born of her, the old Roman house was + henceforth empty, sterile, beyond possibility of awakening. Pierre whose + soul mourned such a splendid dream, was so grieved at seeing her thus + motionless and frigid, that he felt himself fainting. He feared lest he + might fall upon the step beside the bed, and so struggled to his feet and + drew aside. + </p> + <p> + Then, as he sought refuge in a window recess in order that he might try to + recover self-possession, he was astonished to perceive Victorine seated + there on a bench which the hangings half concealed. She had come thither + by Donna Serafina’s orders, and sat watching her two dear children as she + called them, whilst keeping an eye upon all who came in and went out. And, + on seeing the young priest so pale and nearly swooning, she at once made + room for him to sit down beside her. “Ah!” he murmured after drawing a + long breath, “may they at least have the joy of being together elsewhere, + of living a new life in another world.” + </p> + <p> + Victorine, however, shrugged her shoulders, and in an equally low voice + responded, “Oh! live again, Monsieur l’Abbé, why? When one’s dead the best + is to remain so and to sleep. Those poor children had enough torments on + earth, one mustn’t wish that they should begin again elsewhere.” + </p> + <p> + This naive yet deep remark on the part of an ignorant unbelieving woman + sent a shudder through Pierre’s very bones. To think that his own teeth + had chattered with fear at night time at the sudden thought of + annihilation. He deemed her heroic at remaining so undisturbed by any + ideas of eternity and the infinite. And she, as she felt he was quivering, + went on: “What can you suppose there should be after death? We’ve deserved + a right to sleep, and nothing to my thinking can be more desirable and + consoling.” + </p> + <p> + “But those two did not live,” murmured Pierre, “so why not allow oneself + the joy of believing that they now live elsewhere, recompensed for all + their torments?” + </p> + <p> + Victorine, however, again shook her head; “No, no,” she replied. “Ah! I + was quite right in saying that my poor Benedetta did wrong in torturing + herself with all those superstitious ideas of hers when she was really so + fond of her lover. Yes, happiness is rarely found, and how one regrets + having missed it when it’s too late to turn back! That’s the whole story + of those poor little ones. It’s too late for them, they are dead.” Then in + her turn she broke down and began to sob. “Poor little ones! poor little + ones! Look how white they are, and think what they will be when only the + bones of their heads lie side by side on the cushion, and only the bones + of their arms still clasp one another. Ah! may they sleep, may they sleep; + at least they know nothing and feel nothing now.” + </p> + <p> + A long interval of silence followed. Pierre, amidst the quiver of his own + doubts, the anxious desire which in common with most men he felt for a new + life beyond the grave, gazed at this woman who did not find priests to her + fancy, and who retained all her Beauceronne frankness of speech, with the + tranquil, contented air of one who has ever done her duty in her humble + station as a servant, lost though she had been for five and twenty years + in a land of wolves, whose language she had not even been able to learn. + Ah! yes, tortured as the young man was by his doubts, he would have liked + to be as she was, a well-balanced, healthy, ignorant creature who was + quite content with what the world offered, and who, when she had + accomplished her daily task, went fully satisfied to bed, careless as to + whether she might never wake again! + </p> + <p> + However, as Pierre’s eyes once more sought the state bed, he suddenly + recognised the old priest, who was kneeling on the step of the platform, + and whose features he had hitherto been unable to distinguish. “Isn’t that + Abbé Pisoni, the priest of Santa Brigida, where I sometimes said mass?” he + inquired. “The poor old man, how he weeps!” + </p> + <p> + In her quiet yet desolate voice Victorine replied, “He has good reason to + weep. He did a fine thing when he took it into his head to marry my poor + Benedetta to Count Prada. All those abominations would never have happened + if the poor child had been given her Dario at once. But in this idiotic + city they are all mad with their politics; and that old priest, who is + none the less a very worthy man, thought he had accomplished a real + miracle and saved the world by marrying the Pope and the King as he said + with a soft laugh, poor old <i>savant</i> that he is, who for his part has + never been in love with anything but old stones—you know, all that + antiquated rubbish of theirs of a hundred thousand years ago. And now, you + see, he can’t keep from weeping. The other one too came not twenty minutes + ago, Father Lorenza, the Jesuit who became the Contessina’s confessor + after Abbé Pisoni, and who undid what the other had done. Yes, a handsome + man he is, but a fine bungler all the same, a perfect killjoy with all the + crafty hindrances which he brought into that divorce affair. I wish you + had been here to see what a big sign of the cross he made after he had + knelt down. He didn’t cry, he didn’t: he seemed to be saying that as + things had ended so badly it was evident that God had withdrawn from all + share in the business. So much the worse for the dead!” + </p> + <p> + Victorine spoke gently and without a pause, as it relieved her, to empty + her heart after the terrible hours of bustle and suffocation which she had + spent since the previous day. “And that one yonder,” she resumed in a + lower voice, “don’t you recognise her?” + </p> + <p> + She glanced towards the poorly clad girl whom Pierre had taken for a + servant, and whom intensity of grief had prostrated beside the bed. With a + gesture of awful suffering this girl had just thrown back her head, a head + of extraordinary beauty, enveloped by superb black hair. + </p> + <p> + “La Pierina!” said Pierre. “Ah! poor girl.” + </p> + <p> + Victorine made a gesture of compassion and tolerance. + </p> + <p> + “What would you have?” said she, “I let her come up. I don’t know how she + heard of the trouble, but it’s true that she is always prowling round the + house. She sent and asked me to come down to her, and you should have + heard her sob and entreat me to let her see her Prince once more! Well, + she does no harm to anybody there on the floor, looking at them both with + her beautiful loving eyes full of tears. She’s been there for half an hour + already, and I had made up my mind to turn her out if she didn’t behave + properly. But since she’s so quiet and doesn’t even move, she may well + stop and fill her heart with the sight of them for her whole life long.” + </p> + <p> + It was really sublime to see that ignorant, passionate, beautiful Pierina + thus overwhelmed below the nuptial couch on which the lovers slept for all + eternity. She had sunk down on her heels, her arms hanging heavily beside + her, and her hands open. And with raised face, motionless as in an ecstasy + of suffering, she did not take her eyes from that adorable and tragic + pair. Never had human face displayed such beauty, such a dazzling + splendour of suffering and love; never had there been such a portrayal of + ancient Grief, not however cold like marble but quivering with life. What + was she thinking of, what were her sufferings, as she thus fixedly gazed + at her Prince now and for ever locked in her rival’s arms? Was it some + jealousy which could have no end that chilled the blood of her veins? Or + was it mere suffering at having lost him, at realising that she was + looking at him for the last time, without thought of hatred for that other + woman who vainly sought to warm him with her arms as icy cold as his own? + There was still a soft gleam in the poor girl’s blurred eyes, and her lips + were still lips of love though curved in bitterness by grief. She found + the lovers so pure and beautiful as they lay there amidst that profusion + of flowers! And beautiful herself, beautiful like a queen, ignorant of her + own charms, she remained there breathless, a humble servant, a loving + slave as it were, whose heart had been wrenched away and carried off by + her dying master. + </p> + <p> + People were now constantly entering the room, slowly approaching with + mournful faces, then kneeling and praying for a few minutes, and + afterwards retiring with the same mute, desolate mien. A pang came to + Pierre’s heart when he saw Dario’s mother, the ever beautiful Flavia, + enter, accompanied by her husband, the handsome Jules Laporte, that + ex-sergeant of the Swiss Guard whom she had turned into a Marquis + Montefiori. Warned of the tragedy directly it had happened, she had + already come to the mansion on the previous evening; but now she returned + in grand ceremony and full mourning, looking superb in her black garments + which were well suited to her massive, Juno-like style of beauty. When she + had approached the bed with a queenly step, she remained for a moment + standing with two tears at the edges of her eyelids, tears which did not + fall. Then, at the moment of kneeling, she made sure that Jules was beside + her, and glanced at him as if to order him to kneel as well. They both + sank down beside the platform and remained in prayer for the proper + interval, she very dignified in her grief and he even surpassing her, with + the perfect sorrow-stricken bearing of a man who knew how to conduct + himself in every circumstance of life, even the gravest. And afterwards + they rose together, and slowly betook themselves to the entrance of the + private apartments where the Cardinal and Donna Serafina were receiving + their relatives and friends. + </p> + <p> + Five ladies then came in one after the other, while two Capuchins and the + Spanish ambassador to the Holy See went off. And Victorine, who for a few + minutes had remained silent, suddenly resumed. “Ah! there’s the little + Princess, she’s much afflicted too, and, no wonder, she was so fond of our + Benedetta.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre himself had just noticed Celia coming in. She also had attired + herself in full mourning for this abominable visit of farewell. Behind her + was a maid, who carried on either arm a huge sheaf of white roses. + </p> + <p> + “The dear girl!” murmured Victorine, “she wanted her wedding with her + Attilio to take place on the same day as that of the poor lovers who lie + there. And they, alas! have forestalled her, their wedding’s over; there + they sleep in their bridal bed.” + </p> + <p> + Celia had at once crossed herself and knelt down beside the bed, but it + was evident that she was not praying. She was indeed looking at the lovers + with desolate stupefaction at finding them so white and cold with a beauty + as of marble. What! had a few hours sufficed, had life departed, would + those lips never more exchange a kiss! She could again see them at the + ball of that other night, so resplendent and triumphant with their living + love. And a feeling of furious protest rose from her young heart, so open + to life, so eager for joy and sunlight, so angry with the hateful idiocy + of death. And her anger and affright and grief, as she thus found herself + face to face with the annihilation which chills every passion, could be + read on her ingenuous, candid, lily-like face. She herself stood on the + threshold of a life of passion of which she yet knew nothing, and behold! + on that very threshold she encountered the corpses of those dearly loved + ones, the loss of whom racked her soul with grief. + </p> + <p> + She gently closed her eyes and tried to pray, whilst big tears fell from + under her lowered eyelids. Some time went by amidst the quivering silence, + which only the murmur of the mass near by disturbed. At last she rose and + took the sheaves of flowers from her maid; and standing on the platform + she hesitated for a moment, then placed the roses to the right and left of + the cushion on which the lovers’ heads were resting, as if she wished to + crown them with those blossoms, perfume their young brows with that sweet + and powerful aroma. Then, though her hands remained empty she did not + retire, but remained there leaning over the dead ones, trembling and + seeking what she might yet say to them, what she might leave them of + herself for ever more. An inspiration came to her, and she stooped + forward, and with her whole, deep, loving soul set a long, long kiss on + the brow of either spouse. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! the dear girl!” said Victorine, whose tears were again flowing. “You + saw that she kissed them, and nobody had yet thought of that, not even the + poor young Prince’s mother. Ah! the dear little heart, she surely thought + of her Attilio.” + </p> + <p> + However, as Celia turned to descend from the platform she perceived La + Pierina, whose figure was still thrown back in an attitude of mute and + dolorous adoration. And she recognised the girl and melted with pity on + seeing such a fit of sobbing come over her that her whole body, her + goddess-like hips and bosom, shook as with frightful anguish. That agony + of love quite upset the little Princess, and she could be heard murmuring + in a tone of infinite compassion, “Calm yourself, my dear, calm yourself. + Be reasonable, my dear, I beg you.” + </p> + <p> + Then as La Pierina, thunderstruck at thus being pitied and succoured, + began to sob yet more loudly so as to create quite a stir in the room, + Celia raised her and held her up with both arms, for fear lest she should + fall again. And she led her away in a sisterly clasp, like a sister of + affection and despair, lavishing the most gentle, consoling words upon her + as they went. + </p> + <p> + “Follow them, go and see what becomes of them,” Victorine said to Pierre. + “I do not want to stir from here, it quiets me to watch over my two poor + children.” + </p> + <p> + A Capuchin was just beginning a fresh mass at the improvised altar, and + the low Latin psalmody went on again, while in the adjoining ante-chamber, + where another mass was being celebrated, a bell was heard tinkling for the + elevation of the host. The perfume of the flowers was becoming more + violent and oppressive amidst the motionless and mournful atmosphere of + the spacious throne-room. The four servants standing at the head of the + bed, as for a <i>gala</i> reception, did not stir, and the procession of + visitors ever continued, men and women entering in silence, suffocating + there for a moment, and then withdrawing, carrying away with them the + never-to-be-forgotten vision of the two tragic lovers sleeping their + eternal sleep. + </p> + <p> + Pierre joined Celia and La Pierina in the <i>anticamera nobile</i>, where + stood Don Vigilio. The few seats belonging to the throne-room had there + been placed in a corner, and the little Princess had just compelled the + work-girl to sit down in an arm-chair, in order that she might recover + self-possession. Celia was in ecstasy before her, enraptured at finding + her so beautiful, more beautiful than any other, as she said. Then she + spoke of the two dead ones, who also had seemed to her very beautiful, + endowed with an extraordinary beauty, at once superb and sweet; and + despite all her tears, she still remained in a transport of admiration. On + speaking with La Pierina, Pierre learnt that her brother Tito was at the + hospital in great danger from the effects of a terrible knife thrust dealt + him in the side; and since the beginning of the winter, said the girl, the + misery in the district of the castle fields had become frightful. It was a + source of great suffering to every one, and those whom death carried off + had reason to rejoice. + </p> + <p> + Celia, however, with a gesture of invincible hopefulness, brushed all idea + of suffering, even of death, aside. “No, no, we must live,” she said. “And + beauty is sufficient for life. Come, my dear, do not remain here, do not + weep any more; live for the delight of being beautiful.” + </p> + <p> + Then she led La Pierina away, and Pierre remained seated in one of the + arm-chairs, overcome by such sorrow and weariness that he would have liked + to remain there for ever. Don Vigilio was still bowing to each fresh + visitor that arrived. A severe attack of fever had come on him during the + night, and he was shivering from it, with his face very yellow, and his + eyes ablaze and haggard. He constantly glanced at Pierre, as if anxious to + speak to him, but his dread lest he should be seen by Abbé Paparelli, who + stood in the next ante-room, the door of which was wide open, doubtless + restrained him, for he did not cease to watch the train-bearer. At last + the latter was compelled to absent himself for a moment, and the secretary + thereupon approached the young Frenchman. + </p> + <p> + “You saw his Holiness last night,” he said; and as Pierre gazed at him in + stupefaction he added: “Oh! everything gets known, I told you so before. + Well, and you purely and simply withdrew your book, did you not?” The + young priest’s increasing stupor was sufficient answer, and without + leaving him time to reply, Don Vigilio went on: “I suspected it, but I + wished to make certain. Ah! that’s just the way they work! Do you believe + me now, have you realised that they stifle those whom they don’t poison?” + </p> + <p> + He was no doubt referring to the Jesuits. However, after glancing into the + adjoining room to make sure that Abbé Paparelli had not returned thither, + he resumed: “And what has Monsignor Nani just told you?” + </p> + <p> + “But I have not yet seen Monsignor Nani,” was Pierre’s reply. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I thought you had. He passed through before you arrived. If you did + not see him in the throne-room he must have gone to pay his respects to + Donna Serafina and his Eminence. However, he will certainly pass this way + again; you will see him by and by.” Then with the bitterness of one who + was weak, ever terror-smitten and vanquished, Don Vigilio added: “I told + you that you would end by doing what Monsignor Nani desired.” + </p> + <p> + With these words, fancying that he heard the light footfall of Abbé + Paparelli, he hastily returned to his place and bowed to two old ladies + who just then walked in. And Pierre, still seated, overcome, his eyes + wearily closing, at last saw the figure of Nani arise before him in all + its reality so typical of sovereign intelligence and address. He + remembered what Don Vigilio, on the famous night of his revelations, had + told him of this man who was far too shrewd to have labelled himself, so + to say, with an unpopular robe, and who, withal, was a charming prelate + with thorough knowledge of the world, acquired by long experience at + different nunciatures and at the Holy Office, mixed up in everything, + informed with regard to everything, one of the heads, one of the chief + minds in fact of that modern black army, which by dint of Opportunism + hopes to bring this century back to the Church. And all at once, full + enlightenment fell on Pierre, he realised by what supple, clever strategy + that man had led him to the act which he desired of him, the pure and + simple withdrawal of his book, accomplished with every appearance of free + will. First there had been great annoyance on Nani’s part on learning that + the book was being prosecuted, for he feared lest its excitable author + might be prompted to some dangerous revolt; then plans had at once been + formed, information had been collected concerning this young priest who + seemed so capable of schism, he had been urged to come to Rome, invited to + stay in an ancient mansion whose very walls would chill and enlighten him. + And afterwards had come the ever recurring obstacles, the system of + prolonging his sojourn in Rome by preventing him from seeing the Pope, but + promising him the much-desired interview when the proper time should come, + that is after he had been sent hither and thither and brought into + collision with one and all. And finally, when every one and everything had + shaken, wearied, and disgusted him, and he was restored once more to his + old doubts, there had come the audience for which he had undergone all + this preparation, that visit to the Pope which was destined to shatter + whatever remained to him of his dream. Pierre could picture Nani smiling + at him and speaking to him, declaring that the repeated delays were a + favour of Providence, which would enable him to visit Rome, study and + understand things, reflect, and avoid blunders. How delicate and how + profound had been the prelate’s diplomacy in thus crushing his feelings + beneath his reason, appealing to his intelligence to suppress his work + without any scandalous struggle as soon as his knowledge of the real Rome + should have shown him how supremely ridiculous it was to dream of a new + one! + </p> + <p> + At that moment Pierre perceived Nani in person just coming from the + throne-room, and did not feel the irritation and rancour which he had + anticipated. On the contrary he was glad when the prelate, in his turn + seeing him, drew near and held out his hand. Nani, however, did not wear + his wonted smile, but looked very grave, quite grief-stricken. “Ah! my + dear son,” he said, “what a frightful catastrophe! I have just left his + Eminence, he is in tears. It is horrible, horrible!” + </p> + <p> + He seated himself on one of the chairs, inviting the young priest, who had + risen, to do the same; and for a moment he remained silent, weary with + emotion no doubt, and needing a brief rest to free himself of the weight + of thoughts which visibly darkened his usually bright face. Then, with a + gesture, he strove to dismiss that gloom, and recover his amiable + cordiality. “Well, my dear son,” he began, “you saw his Holiness?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Monseigneur, yesterday evening; and I thank you for your great + kindness in satisfying my desire.” + </p> + <p> + Nani looked at him fixedly, and his invincible smile again returned to his + lips. “You thank me.... I can well see that you behaved sensibly and laid + your full submission at his Holiness’s feet. I was certain of it, I did + not expect less of your fine intelligence. But, all the same, you render + me very happy, for I am delighted to find that I was not mistaken + concerning you.” And then, setting aside his reserve, the prelate went on: + “I never discussed things with you. What would have been the good of it, + since facts were there to convince you? And now that you have withdrawn + your book a discussion would be still more futile. However, just reflect + that if it were possible for you to bring the Church back to her early + period, to that Christian community which you have sketched so + delightfully, she could only again follow the same evolutions as those in + which God the first time guided her; so that, at the end of a similar + number of centuries, she would find herself exactly in the position which + she occupies to-day. No, what God has done has been well done, the Church + such as she is must govern the world, such as it is; it is for her alone + to know how she will end by firmly establishing her reign here below. And + this is why your attack upon the temporal power was an unpardonable fault, + a crime even, for by dispossessing the papacy of her domains you hand her + over to the mercy of the nations. Your new religion is but the final + downfall of all religion, moral anarchy, the liberty of schism, in a word, + the destruction of the divine edifice, that ancient Catholicism which has + shown such prodigious wisdom and solidity, which has sufficed for the + salvation of mankind till now, and will alone be able to save it to-morrow + and always.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre felt that Nani was sincere, pious even, and really unshakable in + his faith, loving the Church like a grateful son, and convinced that she + was the only social organisation which could render mankind happy. And if + he were bent on governing the world, it was doubtless for the pleasure of + governing, but also in the conviction that no one could do so better than + himself. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! certainly,” said he, “methods are open to discussion. I desire them + to be as affable and humane as possible, as conciliatory as can be with + this present century, which seems to be escaping us, precisely because + there is a misunderstanding between us. But we shall bring it back, I am + sure of it. And that is why, my dear son, I am so pleased to see you + return to the fold, thinking as we think, and ready to battle on our side, + is that not so?” + </p> + <p> + In Nani’s words the young priest once more found the arguments of Leo + XIII. Desiring to avoid a direct reply, for although he now felt no anger + the wrenching away of his dream had left him a smarting wound, he bowed, + and replied slowly in order to conceal the bitter tremble of his voice: “I + repeat, Monseigneur, that I deeply thank you for having amputated my vain + illusions with the skill of an accomplished surgeon. A little later, when + I shall have ceased to suffer, I shall think of you with eternal + gratitude.” + </p> + <p> + Monsignor Nani still looked at him with a smile. He fully understood that + this young priest would remain on one side, that as an element of strength + he was lost to the Church. What would he do now? Something foolish no + doubt. However, the prelate had to content himself with having helped him + to repair his first folly; he could not foresee the future. And he + gracefully waved his hand as if to say that sufficient unto the day was + the evil thereof. + </p> + <p> + “Will you allow me to conclude, my dear son?” he at last exclaimed. “Be + sensible, your happiness as a priest and a man lies in humility. You will + be terribly unhappy if you use the great intelligence which God has given + you against Him.” + </p> + <p> + Then with another gesture he dismissed this affair, which was all over, + and with which he need busy himself no more. And thereupon the other + affair came back to make him gloomy, that other affair which also was + drawing to a close, but so tragically, with those two poor children + slumbering in the adjoining room. “Ah!” he resumed, “that poor Princess + and that poor Cardinal quite upset my heart! Never did catastrophe fall so + cruelly on a house. No, no, it is indeed too much, misfortune goes too far—it + revolts one’s soul!” + </p> + <p> + Just as he finished a sound of voices came from the second ante-room, and + Pierre was thunderstruck to see Cardinal Sanguinetti go by, escorted with + the greatest obsequiousness by Abbé Paparelli. + </p> + <p> + “If your most Reverend Eminence will have the extreme kindness to follow + me,” the train-bearer was saying, “I will conduct your most Reverend + Eminence myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied Sanguinetti, “I arrived yesterday evening from Frascati, + and when I heard the sad news, I at once desired to express my sorrow and + offer consolation.” + </p> + <p> + “Your Eminence will perhaps condescend to remain for a moment near the + bodies. I will afterwards escort your Eminence to the private apartments.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, by all means. I desire every one to know how greatly I participate + in the sorrow which has fallen on this illustrious house.” + </p> + <p> + Then Sanguinetti entered the throne-room, leaving Pierre quite aghast at + his quiet audacity. The young priest certainly did not accuse him of + direct complicity with Santobono, he did not even dare to measure how far + his moral complicity might go. But on seeing him pass by like that, his + brow so lofty, his speech so clear, he had suddenly felt convinced that he + knew the truth. How or through whom, he could not have told; but doubtless + crimes become known in those shady spheres by those whose interest it is + to know of them. And Pierre remained quite chilled by the haughty fashion + in which that man presented himself, perhaps to stifle suspicion and + certainly to accomplish an act of good policy by giving his rival a public + mark of esteem and affection. + </p> + <p> + “The Cardinal! Here!” Pierre murmured despite himself. + </p> + <p> + Nani, who followed the young man’s thoughts in his childish eyes, in which + all could be read, pretended to mistake the sense of his exclamation. + “Yes,” said he, “I learnt that the Cardinal returned to Rome yesterday + evening. He did not wish to remain away any longer; the Holy Father being + so much better that he might perhaps have need of him.” + </p> + <p> + Although these words were spoken with an air of perfect innocence, Pierre + was not for a moment deceived by them. And having in his turn glanced at + the prelate, he was convinced that the latter also knew the truth. Then, + all at once, the whole affair appeared to him in its intricacy, in the + ferocity which fate had imparted to it. Nani, an old intimate of the + Palazzo Boccanera, was not heartless, he had surely loved Benedetta with + affection, charmed by so much grace and beauty. One could thus explain the + victorious manner in which he had at last caused her marriage to be + annulled. But if Don Vigilio were to be believed, that divorce, obtained + by pecuniary outlay, and under pressure of the most notorious influences, + was simply a scandal which he, Nani, had in the first instance spun out, + and then precipitated towards a resounding finish with the sole object of + discrediting the Cardinal and destroying his chances of the tiara on the + eve of the Conclave which everybody thought imminent. It seemed certain, + too, that the Cardinal, uncompromising as he was, could not be the + candidate of Nani, who was so desirous of universal agreement, and so the + latter’s long labour in that house, whilst conducing to the happiness of + the Contessina, had been designed to frustrate Donna Serafina and Cardinal + Pio in their burning ambition, that third triumphant elevation to the + papacy which they sought to secure for their ancient family. However, if + Nani had always desired to baulk this ambition, and had even at one moment + placed his hopes in Sanguinetti and fought for him, he had never imagined + that Boccanera’s foes would go to the point of crime, to such an + abomination as poison which missed its mark and killed the innocent. No, + no, as he himself said, that was too much, and made one’s soul rebel. He + employed more gentle weapons; such brutality filled him with indignation; + and his face, so pinky and carefully tended, still wore the grave + expression of his revolt in presence of the tearful Cardinal and those + poor lovers stricken in his stead. + </p> + <p> + Believing that Sanguinetti was still the prelate’s secret candidate, + Pierre was worried to know how far their moral complicity in this baleful + affair might go. So he resumed the conversation by saying: “It is asserted + that his Holiness is on bad terms with his Eminence Cardinal Sanguinetti. + Of course the reigning pope cannot look on the future pope with a very + kindly eye.” + </p> + <p> + At this, Nani for a moment became quite gay in all frankness. “Oh,” said + he, “the Cardinal has quarrelled and made things up with the Vatican three + or four times already. And, in any event, the Holy Father has no motive + for posthumous jealousy; he knows very well that he can give his Eminence + a good greeting.” Then, regretting that he had thus expressed a certainty, + he added: “I am joking, his Eminence is altogether worthy of the high + fortune which perhaps awaits him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre knew what to think however; Sanguinetti was certainly Nani’s + candidate no longer. It was doubtless considered that he had used himself + up too much by his impatient ambition, and was too dangerous by reason of + the equivocal alliances which in his feverishness he had concluded with + every party, even that of patriotic young Italy. And thus the situation + became clearer. Cardinals Sanguinetti and Boccanera devoured and + suppressed one another; the first, ever intriguing, accepting every + compromise, dreaming of winning Rome back by electoral methods; and the + other, erect and motionless in his stern maintenance of the past, + excommunicating the century, and awaiting from God alone the miracle which + would save the Church. And, indeed, why not leave the two theories, thus + placed face to face, to destroy one another, including all the extreme, + disquieting views which they respectively embodied? If Boccanera had + escaped the poison, he had none the less become an impossible candidate, + killed by all the stories which had set Rome buzzing; while if Sanguinetti + could say that he was rid of a rival, he had at the same time dealt a + mortal blow to his own candidature, by displaying such passion for power, + and such unscrupulousness with regard to the methods he employed, as to be + a danger for every one. Monsignor Nani was visibly delighted with this + result; neither candidate was left, it was like the legendary story of the + two wolves who fought and devoured one another so completely that nothing + of either of them was found left, not even their tails! And in the depths + of the prelate’s pale eyes, in the whole of his discreet person, there + remained nothing but redoubtable mystery: the mystery of the yet unknown, + but definitively selected candidate who would be patronised by the + all-powerful army of which he was one of the most skilful leaders. A man + like him always had a solution ready. Who, then, who would be the next + pope? + </p> + <p> + However, he now rose and cordially took leave of the young priest. “I + doubt if I shall see you again, my dear son,” he said; “I wish you a good + journey.” + </p> + <p> + Still he did not go off, but continued to look at Pierre with his + penetrating eyes, and finally made him sit down again and did the same + himself. “I feel sure,” he said, “that you will go to pay your respects to + Cardinal Bergerot as soon as you have returned to France. Kindly tell him + that I respectfully desired to be reminded to him. I knew him a little at + the time when he came here for his hat. He is one of the great luminaries + of the French clergy. Ah! a man of such intelligence would only work for a + good understanding in our holy Church. Unfortunately I fear that race and + environment have instilled prejudices into him, for he does not always + help us.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was surprised to hear Nani speak of the Cardinal for the first + time at this moment of farewell, listened with curiosity. Then in all + frankness he replied: “Yes, his Eminence has very decided ideas about our + old Church of France. For instance, he professes perfect horror of the + Jesuits.” + </p> + <p> + With a light exclamation Nani stopped the young man. And he wore the most + sincerely, frankly astonished air that could be imagined. “What! horror of + the Jesuits! In what way can the Jesuits disquiet him? The Jesuits, there + are none, that’s all over! Have you seen any in Rome? Have they troubled + you in any way, those poor Jesuits who haven’t even a stone of their own + left here on which to lay their heads? No, no, that bogey mustn’t be + brought up again, it’s childish.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre in his turn looked at him, marvelling at his perfect ease, his + quiet courage in dealing with this burning subject. He did not avert his + eyes, but displayed an open face like a book of truth. “Ah!” he continued, + “if by Jesuits you mean the sensible priests who, instead of entering into + sterile and dangerous struggles with modern society, seek by human methods + to bring it back to the Church, why, then of course we are all of us more + or less Jesuits, for it would be madness not to take into account the + times in which one lives. And besides, I won’t haggle over words; they are + of no consequence! Jesuits, well, yes, if you like, Jesuits!” He was again + smiling with that shrewd smile of his in which there was so much raillery + and so much intelligence. “Well, when you see Cardinal Bergerot tell him + that it is unreasonable to track the Jesuits and treat them as enemies of + the nation. The contrary is the truth. The Jesuits are for France, because + they are for wealth, strength, and courage. France is the only great + Catholic country which has yet remained erect and sovereign, the only one + on which the papacy can some day lean. Thus the Holy Father, after + momentarily dreaming of obtaining support from victorious Germany, has + allied himself with France, the vanquished, because he has understood that + apart from France there can be no salvation for the Church. And in this he + has only followed the policy of the Jesuits, those frightful Jesuits, whom + your Parisians execrate. And tell Cardinal Bergerot also that it would be + grand of him to work for pacification by making people understand how + wrong it is for your Republic to help the Holy Father so little in his + conciliatory efforts. It pretends to regard him as an element in the + world’s affairs that may be neglected; and that is dangerous, for although + he may seem to have no political means of action he remains an immense + moral force, and can at any moment raise consciences in rebellion and + provoke a religious agitation of the most far-reaching consequences. It is + still he who disposes of the nations, since he disposes of their souls, + and the Republic acts most inconsiderately, from the standpoint of its own + interests, in showing that it no longer even suspects it. And tell the + Cardinal too, that it is really pitiful to see in what a wretched way your + Republic selects its bishops, as though it intentionally desired to weaken + its episcopacy. Leaving out a few fortunate exceptions, your bishops are + men of small brains, and as a result your cardinals, likewise mere + mediocrities, have no influence, play no part here in Rome. Ah! what a + sorry figure you Frenchmen will cut at the next Conclave! And so why do + you show such blind and foolish hatred of those Jesuits, who, politically, + are your friends? Why don’t you employ their intelligent zeal, which is + ready to serve you, so that you may assure yourselves the help of the + next, the coming pope? It is necessary for you that he should be on your + side, that he should continue the work of Leo XIII, which is so badly + judged and so much opposed, but which cares little for the petty results + of to-day, since its purpose lies in the future, in the union of all the + nations under their holy mother the Church. Tell Cardinal Bergerot, tell + him plainly that he ought to be with us, that he ought to work for his + country by working for us. The coming pope, why the whole question lies in + that, and woe to France if in him she does not find a continuator of Leo + XIII!” + </p> + <p> + Nani had again risen, and this time he was going off. Never before had he + unbosomed himself at such length. But most assuredly he had only said what + he desired to say, for a purpose that he alone knew of, and in a firm, + gentle, and deliberate voice by which one could tell that each word had + been weighed and determined beforehand. “Farewell, my dear son,” he said, + “and once again think over all you have seen and heard in Rome. Be as + sensible as you can, and do not spoil your life.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre bowed, and pressed the small, plump, supple hand which the prelate + offered him. “Monseigneur,” he replied, “I again thank you for all your + kindness; you may be sure that I shall forget nothing of my journey.” + </p> + <p> + Then he watched Nani as he went off, with a light and conquering step as + if marching to all the victories of the future. No, no, he, Pierre, would + forget nothing of his journey! He well knew that union of all the nations + under their holy mother the Church, that temporal bondage in which the law + of Christ would become the dictatorship of Augustus, master of the world! + And as for those Jesuits, he had no doubt that they did love France, the + eldest daughter of the Church, and the only daughter that could yet help + her mother to reconquer universal sovereignty, but they loved her even as + the black swarms of locusts love the harvests which they swoop upon and + devour. Infinite sadness had returned to the young man’s heart as he dimly + realised that in that sorely-stricken mansion, in all that mourning and + downfall, it was they, they again, who must have been the artisans of + grief and disaster. + </p> + <p> + As this thought came to him he turned round and perceived Don Vigilio + leaning against the credence in front of the large portrait of the + Cardinal. Holding his hands to his face as if he desired to annihilate + himself, the secretary was shivering in every limb as much with fear as + with fever. At a moment when no fresh visitors were arriving he had + succumbed to an attack of terrified despair. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mon Dieu</i>! What is the matter with you?” asked Pierre stepping + forward, “are you ill, can I help you?” + </p> + <p> + But Don Vigilio, suffocating and still hiding his face, could only gasp + between his close-pressed hands “Ah! Paparelli, Paparelli!” + </p> + <p> + “What is it? What has he done to you?” asked the other astonished. + </p> + <p> + Then the secretary disclosed his face, and again yielded to his quivering + desire to confide in some one. “Eh? what he has done to me? Can’t you feel + anything, can’t you see anything then? Didn’t you notice the manner in + which he took possession of Cardinal Sanguinetti so as to conduct him to + his Eminence? To impose that suspected, hateful rival on his Eminence at + such a moment as this, what insolent audacity! And a few minutes + previously did you notice with what wicked cunning he bowed out an old + lady, a very old family friend, who only desired to kiss his Eminence’s + hand and show a little real affection which would have made his Eminence + so happy! Ah! I tell you that he’s the master here, he opens or closes the + door as he pleases, and holds us all between his fingers like a pinch of + dust which one throws to the wind!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre became anxious, seeing how yellow and feverish Don Vigilio was: + “Come, come, my dear fellow,” he said, “you are exaggerating!” + </p> + <p> + “Exaggerating? Do you know what happened last night, what I myself + unwillingly witnessed? No, you don’t know it; well, I will tell you.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he related that Donna Serafina, on returning home on the + previous day to face the terrible catastrophe awaiting her, had already + been overcome by the bad news which she had learnt when calling on the + Cardinal Secretary and various prelates of her acquaintance. She had then + acquired a certainty that her brother’s position was becoming extremely + bad, for he had made so many fresh enemies among his colleagues of the + Sacred College, that his election to the pontifical throne, which a year + previously had seemed probable, now appeared an impossibility. Thus, all + at once, the dream of her life collapsed, the ambition which she had so + long nourished lay in dust at her feet. On despairingly seeking the why + and wherefore of this change, she had been told of all sorts of blunders + committed by the Cardinal, acts of rough sternness, unseasonable + manifestations of opinion, inconsiderate words or actions which had + sufficed to wound people, in fact such provoking demeanour that one might + have thought it adopted with the express intention of spoiling everything. + And the worst was that in each of the blunders she had recognised errors + of judgment which she herself had blamed, but which her brother had + obstinately insisted on perpetrating under the unacknowledged influence of + Abbé Paparelli, that humble and insignificant train-bearer, in whom she + detected a baneful and powerful adviser who destroyed her own vigilant and + devoted influence. And so, in spite of the mourning in which the house was + plunged, she did not wish to delay the punishment of the traitor, + particularly as his old friendship with that terrible Santobono, and the + story of that basket of figs which had passed from the hands of the one to + those of the other, chilled her blood with a suspicion which she even + recoiled from elucidating. However, at the first words she spoke, directly + she made a formal request that the traitor should be immediately turned + out of the house, she was confronted by invincible resistance on her + brother’s part. He would not listen to her, but flew into one of those + hurricane-like passions which swept everything away, reproaching her for + laying blame on so modest, pious, and saintly a man, and accusing her of + playing into the hands of his enemies, who, after killing Monsignor Gallo, + were seeking to poison his sole remaining affection for that poor, + insignificant priest. He treated all the stories he was told as abominable + inventions, and swore that he would keep the train-bearer in his service + if only to show his disdain for calumny. And she was thereupon obliged to + hold her peace. + </p> + <p> + However, Don Vigilio’s shuddering fit had again come back; he carried his + hands to his face stammering: “Ah! Paparelli, Paparelli!” And muttered + invectives followed: the train-bearer was an artful hypocrite who feigned + modesty and humility, a vile spy appointed to pry into everything, listen + to everything, and pervert everything that went on in the palace; he was a + loathsome, destructive insect, feeding on the most noble prey, devouring + the lion’s mane, a Jesuit—the Jesuit who is at once lackey and + tyrant, in all his base horror as he accomplishes the work of vermin. + </p> + <p> + “Calm yourself, calm yourself,” repeated Pierre, who whilst allowing for + foolish exaggeration on the secretary’s part could not help shivering at + thought of all the threatening things which he himself could divine astir + in the gloom. + </p> + <p> + However, since Don Vigilio had so narrowly escaped eating those horrible + figs, his fright was such that nothing could calm it. Even when he was + alone at night, in bed, with his door locked and bolted, sudden terror + fell on him and made him hide his head under the sheet and vent stifled + cries as if he thought that men were coming through the wall to strangle + him. In a faint, breathless voice, as if just emerging from a struggle, he + now resumed: “I told you what would happen on the evening when we had a + talk together in your room. Although all the doors were securely shut, I + did wrong to speak of them to you, I did wrong to ease my heart by telling + you all that they were capable of. I was sure they would learn it, and you + see they did learn it, since they tried to kill me.... Why it’s even wrong + of me to tell you this, for it will reach their ears and they won’t miss + me the next time. Ah! it’s all over, I’m as good as dead; this house which + I thought so safe will be my tomb.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre began to feel deep compassion for this ailing man, whose feverish + brain was haunted by nightmares, and whose life was being finally wrecked + by the anguish of persecution mania. “But you must run away in that case!” + he said. “Don’t stop here; come to France.” + </p> + <p> + Don Vigilio looked at him, momentarily calmed by surprise. “Run away, why? + Go to France? Why, they are there! No matter where I might go, they would + be there. They are everywhere, I should always be surrounded by them! No, + no, I prefer to stay here and would rather die at once if his Eminence can + no longer defend me.” With an expression of ardent entreaty in which a + last gleam of hope tried to assert itself, he raised his eyes to the large + painting in which the Cardinal stood forth resplendent in his cassock of + red moire; but his attack came back again and overwhelmed him with + increased intensity of fever. “Leave me, I beg you, leave me,” he gasped. + “Don’t make me talk any more. Ah! Paparelli, Paparelli! If he should come + back and see us and hear me speak.... Oh! I’ll never say anything again. + I’ll tie up my tongue, I’ll cut it off. Leave me, you are killing me, I + tell you, he’ll be coming back and that will mean my death. Go away, oh! + for mercy’s sake, go away!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Don Vigilio turned towards the wall as if to flatten his face + against it, and immure his lips in tomb-like silence; and Pierre resolved + to leave him to himself, fearing lest he should provoke a yet more serious + attack if he went on endeavouring to succour him. + </p> + <p> + On returning to the throne-room the young priest again found himself + amidst all the frightful mourning. Mass was following mass; without + cessation murmured prayers entreated the divine mercy to receive the two + dear departed souls with loving kindness. And amidst the dying perfume of + the fading roses, in front of the pale stars of the lighted candles, + Pierre thought of that supreme downfall of the Boccaneras. Dario was the + last of the name, and one could well understand that the Cardinal, whose + only sin was family pride, should have loved that one remaining scion by + whom alone the old stock might yet blossom afresh. And indeed, if he and + Donna Serafina had desired the divorce, and then the marriage of the + cousins, it had been less with the view of putting an end to scandal than + with the hope of seeing a new line of Boccaneras spring up. But the lovers + were dead, and the last remains of a long series of dazzling princes of + sword and of gown lay there on that bed, soon to rot in the grave. It was + all over; that old maid and that aged Cardinal could leave no posterity. + They remained face to face like two withered oaks, sole remnants of a + vanished forest, and their fall would soon leave the plain quite clear. + And how terrible the grief of surviving in impotence, what anguish to have + to tell oneself that one is the end of everything, that with oneself all + life, all hope for the morrow will depart! Amidst the murmur of the + prayers, the dying perfume of the roses, the pale gleams of the two + candies, Pierre realised what a downfall was that bereavement, how heavy + was the gravestone which fell for ever on an extinct house, a vanished + world. + </p> + <p> + He well understood that as one of the familiars of the mansion he must pay + his respects to Donna Serafina and the Cardinal, and he at once sought + admission to the neighbouring room where the Princess was receiving her + friends. He found her robed in black, very slim and very erect in her + arm-chair, whence she rose with slow dignity to respond to the bow of each + person that entered. She listened to the condolences but answered never a + word, overcoming her physical pain by rigidity of bearing. Pierre, who had + learnt to know her, could divine, however, by the hollowness of her + cheeks, the emptiness of her eyes, and the bitter twinge of her mouth, how + frightful was the collapse within her. Not only was her race ended, but + her brother would never be pope, never secure the elevation which she had + so long fancied she was winning for him by dint of devotion, dint of + feminine renunciation, giving brain and heart, care and money, foregoing + even wifehood and motherhood, spoiling her whole life, in order to realise + that dream. And amidst all the ruin of hope, it was perhaps the + nonfulfilment of that ambition which most made her heart bleed. She rose + for the young priest, her guest, as she rose for the other persons who + presented themselves; but she contrived to introduce shades of meaning + into the manner in which she quitted her chair, and Pierre fully realised + that he had remained in her eyes a mere petty French priest, an + insignificant domestic of the Divinity who had not known how to acquire + even the title of prelate. When she had again seated herself after + acknowledging his compliment with a slight inclination of the head, he + remained for a moment standing, out of politeness. Not a word, not a sound + disturbed the mournful quiescence of the room, for although there were + four or five lady visitors seated there they remained motionless and + silent as with grief. Pierre was most struck, however, by the sight of + Cardinal Sarno, who was lying back in an arm-chair with his eyes closed. + The poor puny lopsided old man had lingered there forgetfully after + expressing his condolences, and, overcome by the heavy silence and close + atmosphere, had just fallen asleep. And everybody respected his slumber. + Was he dreaming as he dozed of that map of Christendom which he carried + behind his low obtuse-looking brow? Was he continuing in dreamland his + terrible work of conquest, that task of subjecting and governing the earth + which he directed from his dark room at the Propaganda? The ladies glanced + at him affectionately and deferentially; he was gently scolded at times + for over-working himself, the sleepiness which nowadays frequently + overtook him in all sorts of places being attributed to excess of genius + and zeal. And of this all-powerful Eminence Pierre was destined to carry + off only this last impression: an exhausted old man, resting amidst the + emotion of a mourning-gathering, sleeping there like a candid child, + without any one knowing whether this were due to the approach of senile + imbecility, or to the fatigues of a night spent in organising the reign of + God over some distant continent. + </p> + <p> + Two ladies went off and three more arrived. Donna Serafina rose, bowed, + and then reseated herself, reverting to her rigid attitude, her bust + erect, her face stern and full of despair. Cardinal Sarno was still + asleep. Then Pierre felt as if he would stifle, a kind of vertigo came on + him, and his heart beat violently. So he bowed and withdrew: and on + passing through the dining-room on his way to the little study where + Cardinal Boccanera received his visitors, he found himself in the presence + of Paparelli who was jealously guarding the door. When the train-bearer + had sniffed at the young man, he seemed to realise that he could not + refuse him admittance. Moreover, as this intruder was going away the very + next day, defeated and covered with shame, there was nothing to be feared + from him. + </p> + <p> + “You wish to see his Eminence?” said Paparelli. “Good, good. By and by, + wait.” And opining that Pierre was too near the door, he pushed him back + to the other end of the room, for fear no doubt lest he should overhear + anything. “His Eminence is still engaged with his Eminence Cardinal + Sanguinetti. Wait, wait there!” + </p> + <p> + Sanguinetti indeed had made a point of kneeling for a long time in front + of the bodies in the throne-room, and had then spun out his visit to Donna + Serafina in order to mark how largely he shared the family sorrow. And for + more than ten minutes now he had been closeted with Cardinal Boccanera, + nothing but an occasional murmur of their voices being heard through the + closed door. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, on finding Paparelli there, was again haunted by all that + Don Vigilio had told him. He looked at the train-bearer, so fat and short, + puffed out with bad fat in his dirty cassock, his face flabby and + wrinkled, and his whole person at forty years of age suggestive of that of + a very old maid: and he felt astonished. How was it that Cardinal + Boccanera, that superb prince who carried his head so high, and who was so + supremely proud of his name, had allowed himself to be captured and swayed + by such a frightful creature reeking of baseness and abomination? Was it + not the man’s very physical degradation and profound humility that had + struck him, disturbed him, and finally fascinated him, as wondrous gifts + conducing to salvation, which he himself lacked? Paparelli’s person and + disposition were like blows dealt to his own handsome presence and his own + pride. He, who could not be so deformed, he who could not vanquish his + passion for glory, must, by an effort of faith, have grown jealous of that + man who was so extremely ugly and so extremely insignificant, he must have + come to admire him as a superior force of penitence and human abasement + which threw the portals of heaven wide open. Who can ever tell what + ascendency is exercised by the monster over the hero; by the + horrid-looking saint covered with vermin over the powerful of this world + in their terror at having to endure everlasting flames in payment of their + terrestrial joys? And ’twas indeed the lion devoured by the insect, vast + strength and splendour destroyed by the invisible. Ah! to have that fine + soul which was so certain of paradise, which for its welfare was enclosed + in such a disgusting body, to possess the happy humility of that wide + intelligence, that remarkable theologian, who scourged himself with rods + each morning on rising, and was content to be the lowest of servants. + </p> + <p> + Standing there a heap of livid fat, Paparelli on his side watched Pierre + with his little grey eyes blinking amidst the myriad wrinkles of his face. + And the young priest began to feel uneasy, wondering what their Eminences + could be saying to one another, shut up together like that for so long a + time. And what an interview it must be if Boccanera suspected Sanguinetti + of counting Santobono among his clients. What serene audacity it was on + Sanguinetti’s part to have dared to present himself in that house, and + what strength of soul there must be on Boccanera’s part, what empire over + himself, to prevent all scandal by remaining silent and accepting the + visit as a simple mark of esteem and affection! What could they be saying + to one another, however? How interesting it would have been to have seen + them face to face, and have heard them exchange the diplomatic phrases + suited to such an interview, whilst their souls were raging with furious + hatred! + </p> + <p> + All at once the door opened and Cardinal Sanguinetti appeared with calm + face, no ruddier than usual, indeed a trifle paler, and retaining the + fitting measure of sorrow which he had thought it right to assume. His + restless eyes alone revealed his delight at being rid of a difficult task. + And he was going off, all hope, in the conviction that he was the only + eligible candidate to the papacy that remained. + </p> + <p> + Abbé Paparelli had darted forward: “If your Eminence will kindly follow me—I + will escort your Eminence to the door.” Then, turning towards Pierre, he + added: “You may go in now.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre watched them walk away, the one so humble behind the other, who was + so triumphant. Then he entered the little work-room, furnished simply with + a table and three chairs, and in the centre of it he at once perceived + Cardinal Boccanera still standing in the lofty, noble attitude which he + had assumed to take leave of Sanguinetti, his hated rival to the + pontifical throne. And, visibly, Boccanera also believed himself the only + possible pope, the one whom the coming Conclave would elect. + </p> + <p> + However, when the door had been closed, and the Cardinal beheld that young + priest, his guest, who had witnessed the death of those two dear children + lying in the adjoining room, he was again mastered by emotion, an + unexpected attack of weakness in which all his energy collapsed. His human + feelings were taking their revenge now that his rival was no longer there + to see him. He staggered like an old tree smitten with the axe, and sank + upon a chair, stifling with sobs. + </p> + <p> + And as Pierre, according to usage, was about to stoop and kiss his ring, + he raised him and at once made him sit down, stammering in a halting + voice: “No, no, my dear son! Seat yourself there, wait—Excuse me, + leave me to myself for a moment, my heart is bursting.” + </p> + <p> + He sobbed with his hands to his face, unable to master himself, unable to + drive back his grief with those yet vigorous fingers which were pressed to + his cheeks and temples. + </p> + <p> + Tears came into Pierre’s eyes, for he also lived through all that woe + afresh, and was much upset by the weeping of that tall old man, that saint + and prince, usually so haughty, so fully master of himself, but now only a + poor, suffering, agonising man, as weak and as lost as a child. However, + although the young priest was likewise stifling with grief, he desired to + present his condolences, and sought for kindly words by which he might + soothe the other’s despair. “I beg your Eminence to believe in my profound + grief,” he said. “I have been overwhelmed with kindness here, and desired + at once to tell your Eminence how much that irreparable loss—” + </p> + <p> + But with a brave gesture the Cardinal silenced him. “No, no, say nothing, + for mercy’s sake say nothing!” + </p> + <p> + And silence reigned while he continued weeping, shaken by the struggle he + was waging, his efforts to regain sufficient strength to overcome himself. + At last he mastered his quiver and slowly uncovered his face, which had + again become calm, like that of a believer strong in his faith, and + submissive to the will of God. In refusing a miracle, in dealing so hard a + blow to that house, God had doubtless had His reasons, and he, the + Cardinal, one of God’s ministers, one of the high dignitaries of His + terrestrial court, was in duty bound to bow to it. The silence lasted for + another moment, and then, in a voice which he managed to render natural + and cordial, Boccanera said: “You are leaving us, you are going back to + France to-morrow, are you not, my dear son?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I shall have the honour to take leave of your Eminence to-morrow, + again thanking your Eminence for your inexhaustible kindness.” + </p> + <p> + “And you have learnt that the Congregation of the Index has condemned your + book, as was inevitable?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I obtained the signal favour of being received by his Holiness, and + in his presence made my submission and reprobated my book.” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal’s moist eyes again began to sparkle. “Ah! you did that, ah! + you did well, my dear son,” he said. “It was only your strict duty as a + priest, but there are so many nowadays who do not even do their duty! As a + member of the Congregation I kept the promise I gave you to read your + book, particularly the incriminated pages. And if I afterwards remained + neutral, to such a point even as to miss the sitting in which judgment was + pronounced, it was only to please my poor, dear niece, who was so fond of + you, and who pleaded your cause to me.” + </p> + <p> + Tears were coming into his eyes again, and he paused, feeling that he + would once more be overcome if he evoked the memory of that adored and + lamented Benedetta. And so it was with a pugnacious bitterness that he + resumed: “But what an execrable book it was, my dear son, allow me to tell + you so. You told me that you had shown respect for dogma, and I still + wonder what aberration can have come over you that you should have been so + blind to all consciousness of your offences. Respect for dogma—good + Lord! when the entire work is the negation of our holy religion! Did you + not realise that by asking for a new religion you absolutely condemned the + old one, the only true one, the only good one, the only one that can be + eternal? And that sufficed to make your book the most deadly of poisons, + one of those infamous books which in former times were burnt by the + hangman, and which one is nowadays compelled to leave in circulation after + interdicting them and thereby designating them to evil curiosity, which + explains the contagious rottenness of the century. Ah! I well recognised + there some of the ideas of our distinguished and poetical relative, that + dear Viscount Philibert de la Choue. A man of letters, yes! a man of + letters! Literature, mere literature! I beg God to forgive him, for he + most surely does not know what he is doing, or whither he is going with + his elegiac Christianity for talkative working men and young persons of + either sex, to whom scientific notions have given vagueness of soul. And I + only feel angry with his Eminence Cardinal Bergerot, for he at any rate + knows what he does, and does as he pleases. No, say nothing, do not defend + him. He personifies Revolution in the Church, and is against God.” + </p> + <p> + Although Pierre had resolved that he would not reply or argue, he had + allowed a gesture of protest to escape him on hearing this furious attack + upon the man whom he most respected in the whole world. However, he + yielded to Cardinal Boccanera’s injunction and again bowed. + </p> + <p> + “I cannot sufficiently express my horror,” the Cardinal roughly continued; + “yes, my horror for all that hollow dream of a new religion! That appeal + to the most hideous passions which stir up the poor against the rich, by + promising them I know not what division of wealth, what community of + possession which is nowadays impossible! That base flattery shown to the + lower orders to whom equality and justice are promised but never given, + for these can come from God alone, it is only He who can finally make them + reign on the day appointed by His almighty power! And there is even that + interested charity which people abuse of to rail against Heaven itself and + accuse it of iniquity and indifference, that lackadaisical weakening + charity and compassion, unworthy of strong firm hearts, for it is as if + human suffering were not necessary for salvation, as if we did not become + more pure, greater and nearer to the supreme happiness, the more and more + we suffer!” + </p> + <p> + He was growing excited, full of anguish, and superb. It was his + bereavement, his heart wound, which thus exasperated him, the great blow + which had felled him for a moment, but against which he again rose erect, + defying grief, and stubborn in his stoic belief in an omnipotent God, who + was the master of mankind, and reserved felicity to those whom He + selected. Again, however, he made an effort to calm himself, and resumed + in a more gentle voice: “At all events the fold is always open, my dear + son, and here you are back in it since you have repented. You cannot + imagine how happy it makes me.” + </p> + <p> + In his turn Pierre strove to show himself conciliatory in order that he + might not further ulcerate that violent, grief-stricken soul: “Your + Eminence,” said he, “may be sure that I shall endeavour to remember every + one of the kind words which your Eminence has spoken to me, in the same + way as I shall remember the fatherly greeting of his Holiness Leo XIII.” + </p> + <p> + This sentence seemed to throw Boccanera into agitation again. At first + only murmured, restrained words came from him, as if he were struggling + against a desire to question the young priest. “Ah yes! you saw his + Holiness, you spoke to him, and he told you I suppose, as he tells all the + foreigners who go to pay their respects to him, that he desires + conciliation and peace. For my part I now only see him when it is + absolutely necessary; for more than a year I have not been received in + private audience.” + </p> + <p> + This proof of disfavour, of the covert struggle which as in the days of + Pius IX kept the Holy Father and the <i>Camerlingo</i> at variance, filled + the latter with bitterness. He was unable to restrain himself and spoke + out, reflecting no doubt that he had a familiar before him, one whose + discretion was certain, and who moreover was leaving Rome on the morrow. + “One may go a long way,” said he, “with those fine words, peace and + conciliation, which are so often void of real wisdom and courage. The + terrible truth is that Leo XIII’s eighteen years of concessions have + shaken everything in the Church, and should he long continue to reign + Catholicism would topple over and crumble into dust like a building whose + pillars have been undermined.” + </p> + <p> + Interested by this remark, Pierre in his desire for knowledge began to + raise objections. “But hasn’t his Holiness shown himself very prudent?” he + asked; “has he not placed dogma on one side in an impregnable fortress? If + he seems to have made concessions on many points, have they not always + been concessions in mere matters of form?” + </p> + <p> + “Matters of form; ah, yes!” the Cardinal resumed with increasing passion. + “He told you, no doubt, as he tells others, that whilst in substance he + will make no surrender, he will readily yield in matters of form! It’s a + deplorable axiom, an equivocal form of diplomacy even when it isn’t so + much low hypocrisy! My soul revolts at the thought of that Opportunism, + that Jesuitism which makes artifice its weapon, and only serves to cast + doubt among true believers, the confusion of a <i>sauve-qui-peut</i>, + which by and by must lead to inevitable defeat. It is cowardice, the worst + form of cowardice, abandonment of one’s weapons in order that one may + retreat the more speedily, shame of oneself, assumption of a mask in the + hope of deceiving the enemy, penetrating into his camp, and overcoming him + by treachery! No, no, form is everything in a traditional and immutable + religion, which for eighteen hundred years has been, is now, and till the + end of time will be the very law of God!” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal’s feelings so stirred him that he was unable to remain + seated, and began to walk about the little room. And it was the whole + reign, the whole policy of Leo XIII which he discussed and condemned. + “Unity too,” he continued, “that famous unity of the Christian Church + which his Holiness talks of bringing about, and his desire for which + people turn to his great glory, why, it is only the blind ambition of a + conqueror enlarging his empire without asking himself if the new nations + that he subjects may not disorganise, adulterate, and impregnate his old + and hitherto faithful people with every error. What if all the + schismatical nations on returning to the Catholic Church should so + transform it as to kill it and make it a new Church? There is only one + wise course, which is to be what one is, and that firmly. Again, isn’t + there both shame and danger in that pretended alliance with the democracy + which in itself gives the lie to the ancient spirit of the papacy? The + right of kings is divine, and to abandon the monarchical principle is to + set oneself against God, to compound with revolution, and harbour a + monstrous scheme of utilising the madness of men the better to establish + one’s power over them. All republics are forms of anarchy, and there can + be no more criminal act, one which must for ever shake the principle of + authority, order, and religion itself, than that of recognising a republic + as legitimate for the sole purpose of indulging a dream of impossible + conciliation. And observe how this bears on the question of the temporal + power. He continues to claim it, he makes a point of no surrender on that + question of the restoration of Rome; but in reality, has he not made the + loss irreparable, has he not definitively renounced Rome, by admitting + that nations have the right to drive away their kings and live like wild + beasts in the depths of the forest?” + </p> + <p> + All at once the Cardinal stopped short and raised his arms to Heaven in a + burst of holy anger. “Ah! that man, ah! that man who by his vanity and + craving for success will have proved the ruin of the Church, that man who + has never ceased corrupting everything, dissolving everything, crumbling + everything in order to reign over the world which he fancies he will + reconquer by those means, why, Almighty God, why hast Thou not already + called him to Thee?” + </p> + <p> + So sincere was the accent in which that appeal to Death was raised, to + such a point was hatred magnified by a real desire to save the Deity + imperilled here below, that a great shudder swept through Pierre also. He + now understood that Cardinal Boccanera who religiously and passionately + hated Leo XIII; he saw him in the depths of his black palace, waiting and + watching for the Pope’s death, that death which as <i>Camerlingo</i> he + must officially certify. How feverishly he must wait, how impatiently he + must desire the advent of the hour, when with his little silver hammer he + would deal the three symbolic taps on the skull of Leo XIII, while the + latter lay cold and rigid on his bed surrounded by his pontifical Court. + Ah! to strike that wall of the brain, to make sure that nothing more would + answer from within, that nothing beyond night and silence was left there. + And the three calls would ring out: “Gioachino! Gioachino! Gioachino!” + And, the corpse making no answer, the <i>Camerlingo</i> after waiting for + a few seconds would turn and say: “The Pope is dead!” + </p> + <p> + “Conciliation, however, is the weapon of the times,” remarked Pierre, + wishing to bring the Cardinal back to the present, “and it is in order to + make sure of conquering that the Holy Father yields in matters of form.” + </p> + <p> + “He will not conquer, he will be conquered,” cried Boccanera. “Never has + the Church been victorious save in stubbornly clinging to its integrality, + the immutable eternity of its divine essence. And it would for a certainty + fall on the day when it should allow a single stone of its edifice to be + touched. Remember the terrible period through which it passed at the time + of the Council of Trent. The Reformation had just deeply shaken it, laxity + of discipline and morals was everywhere increasing, there was a rising + tide of novelties, ideas suggested by the spirit of evil, unhealthy + projects born of the pride of man, running riot in full license. And at + the Council itself many members were disturbed, poisoned, ready to vote + for the wildest changes, a fresh schism added to all the others. Well, if + Catholicism was saved at that critical period, under the threat of such + great danger, it was because the majority, enlightened by God, maintained + the old edifice intact, it was because with divinely inspired obstinacy it + kept itself within the narrow limits of dogma, it was because it made no + concession, none, whether in substance or in form! Nowadays the situation + is certainly not worse than it was at the time of the Council of Trent. + Let us suppose it to be much the same, and tell me if it is not nobler, + braver, and safer for the Church to show the courage which she showed + before and declare aloud what she is, what she has been, and what she will + be. There is no salvation for her otherwise than in her complete, + indisputable sovereignty; and since she has always conquered by + non-surrender, all attempts to conciliate her with the century are + tantamount to killing her!” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal had again begun to walk to and fro with thoughtful step. “No, + no,” said he, “no compounding, no surrender, no weakness! Rather the wall + of steel which bars the road, the block of granite which marks the limit + of a world! As I told you, my dear son, on the day of your arrival, to try + to accommodate Catholicism to the new times is to hasten its end, if + really it be threatened, as atheists pretend. And in that way it would die + basely and shamefully instead of dying erect, proud, and dignified in its + old glorious royalty! Ah! to die standing, denying nought of the past, + braving the future and confessing one’s whole faith!” + </p> + <p> + That old man of seventy seemed to grow yet loftier as he spoke, free from + all dread of final annihilation, and making the gesture of a hero who + defies futurity. Faith had given him serenity of peace; he believed, he + knew, he had neither doubt nor fear of the morrow of death. Still his + voice was tinged with haughty sadness as he resumed, “God can do all, even + destroy His own work should it seem evil in His eyes. But though all + should crumble to-morrow, though the Holy Church should disappear among + the ruins, though the most venerated sanctuaries should be crushed by the + falling stars, it would still be necessary for us to bow and adore God, + who after creating the world might thus annihilate it for His own glory. + And I wait, submissive to His will, for nothing happens unless He wills + it. If really the temples be shaken, if Catholicism be fated to fall + to-morrow into dust, I shall be here to act as the minister of death, even + as I have been the minister of life! It is certain, I confess it, that + there are hours when terrible signs appear to me. Perhaps, indeed, the end + of time is nigh, and we shall witness that fall of the old world with + which others threaten us. The worthiest, the loftiest are struck down as + if Heaven erred, and in them punished the crimes of the world. Have I not + myself felt the blast from the abyss into which all must sink, since my + house, for transgressions that I am ignorant of, has been stricken with + that frightful bereavement which precipitates it into the gulf which casts + it back into night everlasting!” + </p> + <p> + He again evoked those two dear dead ones who were always present in his + mind. Sobs were once more rising in his throat, his hands trembled, his + lofty figure quivered with the last revolt of grief. Yes, if God had + stricken him so severely by suppressing his race, if the greatest and most + faithful were thus punished, it must be that the world was definitively + condemned. Did not the end of his house mean the approaching end of all? + And in his sovereign pride as priest and as prince, he found a cry of + supreme resignation, once more raising his hands on high: “Almighty God, + Thy will be done! May all die, all fall, all return to the night of chaos! + I shall remain standing in this ruined palace, waiting to be buried + beneath its fragments. And if Thy will should summon me to bury Thy holy + religion, be without fear, I shall do nothing unworthy to prolong its life + for a few days! I will maintain it erect, like myself, as proud, as + uncompromising as in the days of all its power. I will yield nothing, + whether in discipline, or in rite, or in dogma. And when the day shall + come I will bury it with myself, carrying it whole into the grave rather + than yielding aught of it, encompassing it with my cold arms to restore it + to Thee, even as Thou didst commit it to the keeping of Thy Church. O + mighty God and sovereign Master, dispose of me, make me if such be Thy + good pleasure the pontiff of destruction, the pontiff of the death of the + world.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was thunderstruck, quivered with fear and admiration at the + extraordinary vision this evoked: the last of the popes interring + Catholicism. He understood that Boccanera must at times have made that + dream; he could see him in the Vatican, in St. Peter’s which the + thunderbolts had riven asunder, he could see him erect and alone in the + spacious halls whence his terrified, cowardly pontifical Court had fled. + Clad in his white cassock, thus wearing white mourning for the Church, he + once more descended to the sanctuary, there to wait for heaven to fall on + the evening of Time’s accomplishment and annihilate the earth. Thrice he + raised the large crucifix, overthrown by the supreme convulsions of the + soil. Then, when the final crack rent the steps apart, he caught it in his + arms and was annihilated with it beneath the falling vaults. And nothing + could be more instinct with fierce and kingly grandeur. + </p> + <p> + Voiceless, but without weakness, his lofty stature invincible and erect in + spite of all, Cardinal Boccanera made a gesture dismissing Pierre, who + yielding to his passion for truth and beauty found that he alone was great + and right, and respectfully kissed his hand. + </p> + <p> + It was in the throne-room, with closed doors, at nightfall, after the + visits had ceased, that the two bodies were laid in their coffin. The + religious services had come to an end, and in the close silent atmosphere + there only lingered the dying perfume of the roses and the warm odour of + the candles. As the latter’s pale stars scarcely lighted the spacious + room, some lamps had been brought, and servants held them in their hands + like torches. According to custom, all the servants of the house were + present to bid a last farewell to the departed. + </p> + <p> + There was a little delay. Morano, who had been giving himself no end of + trouble ever since morning, was forced to run off again as the triple + coffin did not arrive. At last it came, some servants brought it up, and + then they were able to begin. The Cardinal and Donna Serafina stood side + by side near the bed. Pierre also was present, as well as Don Vigilio. It + was Victorine who sewed the lovers up in the white silk shroud, which + seemed like a bridal robe, the gay pure robe of their union. Then two + servants came forward and helped Pierre and Don Vigilio to lay the bodies + in the first coffin, of pine wood lined with pink satin. It was scarcely + broader than an ordinary coffin, so young and slim were the lovers and so + tightly were they clasped in their last embrace. When they were stretched + inside they there continued their eternal slumber, their heads half hidden + by their odorous, mingling hair. And when this first coffin had been + placed in the second one, a leaden shell, and the second had been enclosed + in the third, of stout oak, and when the three lids had been soldered and + screwed down, the lovers’ faces could still be seen through the circular + opening, covered with thick glass, which in accordance with the Roman + custom had been left in each of the coffins. And then, for ever parted + from the living, alone together, they still gazed at one another with + their eyes obstinately open, having all eternity before them wherein to + exhaust their infinite love. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap41"></a> + XVI. + </h2> + <p> + ON the following day, on his return from the funeral Pierre lunched alone + in his room, having decided to take leave of the Cardinal and Donna + Serafina during the afternoon. He was quitting Rome that evening by the + train which started at seventeen minutes past ten. There was nothing to + detain him any longer; there was only one visit which he desired to make, + a visit to old Orlando, with whom he had promised to have a long chat + prior to his departure. And so a little before two o’clock he sent for a + cab which took him to the Via Venti Settembre. A fine rain had fallen all + night, its moisture steeping the city in grey vapour; and though this rain + had now ceased the sky remained very dark, and the huge new mansions of + the Via Venti Settembre were quite livid, interminably mournful with their + balconies ever of the same pattern and their regular and endless rows of + windows. The Ministry of Finances, that colossal pile of masonry and + sculpture, looked in particular like a dead town, a huge bloodless body + whence all life had withdrawn. On the other hand, although all was so + gloomy the rain had made the atmosphere milder, in fact it was almost + warm, damply and feverishly warm. + </p> + <p> + In the hall of Prada’s little palazzo Pierre was surprised to find four or + five gentlemen taking off their overcoats; however he learnt from a + servant that Count Luigi had a meeting that day with some contractors. As + he, Pierre, wished to see the Count’s father he had only to ascend to the + third floor, added the servant. He must knock at the little door on the + right-hand side of the landing there. + </p> + <p> + On the very first landing, however, the priest found himself face to face + with the young Count who was there receiving the contractors, and who on + recognising him became frightfully pale. They had not met since the + tragedy at the Boccanera mansion, and Pierre well realised how greatly his + glance disturbed that man, what a troublesome recollection of moral + complicity it evoked, and what mortal dread lest he should have guessed + the truth. + </p> + <p> + “Have you come to see me, have you something to tell me?” the Count + inquired. + </p> + <p> + “No, I am leaving Rome, I have come to wish your father good-bye.” + </p> + <p> + Prada’s pallor increased at this, and his whole face quivered: “Ah! it is + to see my father. He is not very well, be gentle with him,” he replied, + and as he spoke, his look of anguish clearly proclaimed what he feared + from Pierre, some imprudent word, perhaps even a final mission, the + malediction of that man and woman whom he had killed. And surely if his + father knew, he would die as well. “Ah! how annoying it is,” he resumed, + “I can’t go up with you! There are gentlemen waiting for me. Yes, how + annoyed I am. As soon as possible, however, I will join you, yes, as soon + as possible.” + </p> + <p> + He knew not how to stop the young priest, whom he must evidently allow to + remain with his father, whilst he himself stayed down below, kept there by + his pecuniary worries. But how distressful were the eyes with which he + watched Pierre climb the stairs, how he seemed to supplicate him with his + whole quivering form. His father, good Lord, the only true love, the one + great, pure, faithful passion of his life! + </p> + <p> + “Don’t make him talk too much, brighten him, won’t you?” were his parting + words. + </p> + <p> + Up above it was not Batista, the devoted ex-soldier, who opened the door, + but a very young fellow to whom Pierre did not at first pay any attention. + The little room was bare and light as on previous occasions, and from the + broad curtainless window there was the superb view of Rome, Rome crushed + that day beneath a leaden sky and steeped in shade of infinite + mournfulness. Old Orlando, however, had in no wise changed, but still + displayed the superb head of an old blanched lion, a powerful muzzle and + youthful eyes, which yet sparkled with the passions which had growled in a + soul of fire. Pierre found the stricken hero in the same arm-chair as + previously, near the same table littered with newspapers, and with his + legs buried in the same black wrapper, as if he were there immobilised in + a sheath of stone, to such a point that after months and years one was + sure to perceive him quite unchanged, with living bust, and face glowing + with strength and intelligence. + </p> + <p> + That grey day, however, he seemed gloomy, low in spirits. “Ah! so here you + are, my dear Monsieur Froment,” he exclaimed, “I have been thinking of you + these three days past, living the awful days which you must have lived in + that tragic Palazzo Boccanera. Ah, God! What a frightful bereavement! My + heart is quite overwhelmed, these newspapers have again just upset me with + the fresh details they give!” He pointed as he spoke to the papers + scattered over the table. Then with a gesture he strove to brush aside the + gloomy story, and banish that vision of Benedetta dead, which had been + haunting him. “Well, and yourself?” he inquired. + </p> + <p> + “I am leaving this evening,” replied Pierre, “but I did not wish to quit + Rome without pressing your brave hands.” + </p> + <p> + “You are leaving? But your book?” + </p> + <p> + “My book—I have been received by the Holy Father, I have made my + submission and reprobated my book.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando looked fixedly at the priest. There was a short interval of + silence, during which their eyes told one another all that they had to + tell respecting the affair. Neither felt the necessity of any longer + explanation. The old man merely spoke these concluding words: “You have + done well, your book was a chimera.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, a chimera, a piece of childishness, and I have condemned it myself + in the name of truth and reason.” + </p> + <p> + A smile appeared on the dolorous lips of the impotent hero. “Then you have + seen things, you understand and know them now?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know them; and that is why I did not wish to go off without having + that frank conversation with you which we agreed upon.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando was delighted, but all at once he seemed to remember the young + fellow who had opened the door to Pierre, and who had afterwards modestly + resumed his seat on a chair near the window. This young fellow was a youth + of twenty, still beardless, of a blonde handsomeness such as occasionally + flowers at Naples, with long curly hair, a lily-like complexion, a rosy + mouth, and soft eyes full of a dreamy languor. The old man presented him + in fatherly fashion, Angiolo Mascara his name was, and he was the grandson + of an old comrade in arms, the epic Mascara of the Thousand, who had died + like a hero, his body pierced by a hundred wounds. + </p> + <p> + “I sent for him to scold him,” continued Orlando with a smile. “Do you + know that this fine fellow with his girlish airs goes in for the new + ideas? He is an Anarchist, one of the three or four dozen Anarchists that + we have in Italy. He’s a good little lad at bottom, he has only his mother + left him, and supports her, thanks to the little berth which he holds, but + which he’ll lose one of these fine days if he is not careful. Come, come, + my child, you must promise me to be reasonable.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Angiolo, whose clean but well-worn garments bespoke decent + poverty, made answer in a grave and musical voice: “I am reasonable, it is + the others, all the others who are not. When all men are reasonable and + desire truth and justice, the world will be happy.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! if you fancy that he’ll give way!” cried Orlando. “But, my poor + child, just ask Monsieur l’Abbé if one ever knows where truth and justice + are. Well, well, one must leave you the time to live, and see, and + understand things.” + </p> + <p> + Then, paying no more attention to the young man, he returned to Pierre, + while Angiolo, remaining very quiet in his corner, kept his eyes ardently + fixed on them, and with open, quivering ears lost not a word they said. + </p> + <p> + “I told you, my dear Monsieur Froment,” resumed Orlando, “that your ideas + would change, and that acquaintance with Rome would bring you to accurate + views far more readily than any fine speeches I could make to you. So I + never doubted but what you would of your own free will withdraw your book + as soon as men and things should have enlightened you respecting the + Vatican at the present day. But let us leave the Vatican on one side, + there is nothing to be done but to let it continue falling slowly and + inevitably into ruin. What interests me is our Italian Rome, which you + treated as an element to be neglected, but which you have now seen and + studied, so that we can both speak of it with the necessary knowledge!” + </p> + <p> + He thereupon at once granted a great many things, acknowledged that + blunders had been committed, that the finances were in a deplorable state, + and that there were serious difficulties of all kinds. They, the Italians, + had sinned by excess of legitimate pride, they had proceeded too hastily + with their attempt to improvise a great nation, to change ancient Rome + into a great modern capital as by the mere touch of a wand. And thence had + come that mania for erecting new districts, that mad speculation in land + and shares, which had brought the country within a hair’s breadth of + bankruptcy. + </p> + <p> + At this Pierre gently interrupted him to tell him of the view which he + himself had arrived at after his peregrinations and studies through Rome. + “That fever of the first hour, that financial <i>debâcle</i>,” said he, + “is after all nothing. All pecuniary sores can be healed. But the grave + point is that your Italy still remains to be created. There is no + aristocracy left, and as yet there is no people, nothing but a devouring + middle class, dating from yesterday, which preys on the rich harvest of + the future before it is ripe.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. Orlando sadly wagged his old leonine head. The cutting + harshness of Pierre’s formula struck him in the heart. “Yes, yes,” he said + at last, “that is so, you have seen things plainly; and why say no when + facts are there, patent to everybody? I myself had already spoken to you + of that middle class which hungers so ravenously for place and office, + distinctions and plumes, and which at the same time is so avaricious, so + suspicious with regard to its money which it invests in banks, never + risking it in agriculture or manufactures or commerce, having indeed the + one desire to enjoy life without doing anything, and so unintelligent that + it cannot see it is killing its country by its loathing for labour, its + contempt for the poor, its one ambition to live in a petty way with the + barren glory of belonging to some official administration. And, as you + say, the aristocracy is dying, discrowned, ruined, sunk into the + degeneracy which overtakes races towards their close, most of its members + reduced to beggary, the others, the few who have clung to their money, + crushed by heavy imposts, possessing nought but dead fortunes which + constant sharing diminishes and which must soon disappear with the princes + themselves. And then there is the people, which has suffered so much and + suffers still, but is so used to suffering that it can seemingly conceive + no idea of emerging from it, blind and deaf as it is, almost regretting + its ancient bondage, and so ignorant, so abominably ignorant, which is the + one cause of its hopeless, morrowless misery, for it has not even the + consolation of understanding that if we have conquered and are trying to + resuscitate Rome and Italy in their ancient glory, it is for itself, the + people, alone. Yes, yes, no aristocracy left, no people as yet, and a + middle class which really alarms one. How can one therefore help yielding + at times to the terrors of the pessimists, who pretend that our + misfortunes are as yet nothing, that we are going forward to yet more + awful catastrophes, as though, indeed, what we now behold were but the + first symptoms of our race’s end, the premonitory signs of final + annihilation!” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke he raised his long quivering arms towards the window, towards + the light, and Pierre, deeply moved, remembered how Cardinal Boccanera on + the previous day had made a similar gesture of supplicant distress when + appealing to the divine power. And both men, Cardinal and patriot, so + hostile in their beliefs, were instinct with the same fierce and + despairing grandeur. + </p> + <p> + “As I told you, however, on the first day,” continued Orlando, “we only + sought to accomplish logical and inevitable things. As for Rome, with her + past history of splendour and domination which weighs so heavily upon us, + we could not do otherwise than take her for capital, for she alone was the + bond, the living symbol of our unity at the same time as the promise of + eternity, the renewal offered to our great dream of resurrection and + glory.” + </p> + <p> + He went on, recognising the disastrous conditions under which Rome + laboured as a capital. She was a purely decorative city with exhausted + soil, she had remained apart from modern life, she was unhealthy, she + offered no possibility of commerce or industry, she was invincibly preyed + upon by death, standing as she did amidst that sterile desert of the + Campagna. Then he compared her with the other cities which are jealous of + her; first Florence, which, however, has become so indifferent and so + sceptical, impregnated with a happy heedlessness which seems inexplicable + when one remembers the frantic passions, and the torrents of blood rolling + through her history; next Naples, which yet remains content with her + bright sun, and whose childish people enjoy their ignorance and + wretchedness so indolently that one knows not whether one ought to pity + them; next Venice, which has resigned herself to remaining a marvel of + ancient art, which one ought to put under glass so as to preserve her + intact, slumbering amid the sovereign pomp of her annals; next Genoa, + which is absorbed in trade, still active and bustling, one of the last + queens of that Mediterranean, that insignificant lake which was once the + opulent central sea, whose waters carried the wealth of the world; and + then particularly Turin and Milan, those industrial and commercial + centres, which are so full of life and so modernised that tourists disdain + them as not being “Italian” cities, both of them having saved themselves + from ruin by entering into that Western evolution which is preparing the + next century. Ah! that old land of Italy, ought one to leave it all as a + dusty museum for the pleasure of artistic souls, leave it to crumble away, + even as its little towns of Magna Graecia, Umbria, and Tuscany are already + crumbling, like exquisite <i>bibelots</i> which one dares not repair for + fear that one might spoil their character. At all events, there must + either be death, death soon and inevitable, or else the pick of the + demolisher, the tottering walls thrown to the ground, and cities of + labour, science, and health created on all sides; in one word, a new Italy + really rising from the ashes of the old one, and adapted to the new + civilisation into which humanity is entering. + </p> + <p> + “However, why despair?” Orlando continued energetically. “Rome may weigh + heavily on our shoulders, but she is none the less the summit we coveted. + We are here, and we shall stay here awaiting events. Even if the + population does not increase it at least remains stationary at a figure of + some 400,000 souls, and the movement of increase may set in again when the + causes which stopped it shall have ceased. Our blunder was to think that + Rome would become a Paris or Berlin; but, so far, all sorts of social, + historical, even ethnical considerations seem opposed to it; yet who can + tell what may be the surprises of to-morrow? Are we forbidden to hope, to + put faith in the blood which courses in our veins, the blood of the old + conquerors of the world? I, who no longer stir from this room, impotent as + I am, even I at times feel my madness come back, believe in the + invincibility and immortality of Rome, and wait for the two millions of + people who must come to populate those dolorous new districts which you + have seen so empty and already falling into ruins! And certainly they will + come! Why not? You will see, you will see, everything will be populated, + and even more houses will have to be built. Moreover, can you call a + nation poor, when it possesses Lombardy? Is there not also inexhaustible + wealth in our southern provinces? Let peace settle down, let the South and + the North mingle together, and a new generation of workers grow up. Since + we have the soil, such a fertile soil, the great harvest which is awaited + will surely some day sprout and ripen under the burning sun!” + </p> + <p> + Enthusiasm was upbuoying him, all the <i>furia</i> of youth inflamed his + eyes. Pierre smiled, won over; and as soon as he was able to speak, he + said: “The problem must be tackled down below, among the people. You must + make men!” + </p> + <p> + “Exactly!” cried Orlando. “I don’t cease repeating it, one must make + Italy. It is as if a wind from the East had blown the seed of humanity, + the seed which makes vigorous and powerful nations, elsewhere. Our people + is not like yours in France, a reservoir of men and money from which one + can draw as plentifully as one pleases. It is such another inexhaustible + reservoir that I wish to see created among us. And one must begin at the + bottom. There must be schools everywhere, ignorance must be stamped out, + brutishness and idleness must be fought with books, intellectual and moral + instruction must give us the industrious people which we need if we are + not to disappear from among the great nations. And once again for whom, if + not for the democracy of to-morrow, have we worked in taking possession of + Rome? And how easily one can understand that all should collapse here, and + nothing grow up vigorously since such a democracy is absolutely absent. + Yes, yes, the solution of the problem does not lie elsewhere; we must make + a people, make an Italian democracy.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had grown calm again, feeling somewhat anxious yet not daring to + say that it is by no means easy to modify a nation, that Italy is such as + soil, history, and race have made her, and that to seek to transform her + so radically and all at once might be a dangerous enterprise. Do not + nations like beings have an active youth, a resplendent prime, and a more + or less prolonged old age ending in death? A modern democratic Rome, good + heavens! The modern Romes are named Paris, London, Chicago. So he + contented himself with saying: “But pending this great renovation of the + people, don’t you think that you ought to be prudent? Your finances are in + such a bad condition, you are passing through such great social and + economic difficulties, that you run the risk of the worst catastrophes + before you secure either men or money. Ah! how prudent would that minister + be who should say in your Chamber: ‘Our pride has made a mistake, it was + wrong of us to try to make ourselves a great nation in one day; more time, + labour, and patience are needed; and we consent to remain for the present + a young nation, which will quietly reflect and labour at self-formation, + without, for a long time yet, seeking to play a dominant part. So we + intend to disarm, to strike out the war and naval estimates, all the + estimates intended for display abroad, in order to devote ourselves to our + internal prosperity, and to build up by education, physically and morally, + the great nation which we swear we will be fifty years hence!’ Yes, yes, + strike out all needless expenditure, your salvation lies in that!” + </p> + <p> + But Orlando, while listening, had become gloomy again, and with a vague, + weary gesture he replied in an undertone: “No, no, the minister who should + use such language would be hooted. It would be too hard a confession, such + as one cannot ask a nation to make. Every heart would bound, leap forth at + the idea. And, besides, would not the danger perhaps be even greater if + all that has been done were allowed to crumble? How many wrecked hopes, + how much discarded, useless material there would be! No, we can now only + save ourselves by patience and courage—and forward, ever forward! We + are a very young nation, and in fifty years we desired to effect the unity + which others have required two hundred years to arrive at. Well, we must + pay for our haste, we must wait for the harvest to ripen, and fill our + barns.” Then, with another and more sweeping wave of the arm, he + stubbornly strengthened himself in his hopes. “You know,” said he, “that I + was always against the alliance with Germany. As I predicted, it has + ruined us. We were not big enough to march side by side with such a + wealthy and powerful person, and it is in view of a war, always near at + hand and inevitable, that we now suffer so cruelly from having to support + the budgets of a great nation. Ah! that war which has never come, it is + that which has exhausted the best part of our blood and sap and money + without the slightest profit. To-day we have nothing before us but the + necessity of breaking with our ally, who speculated on our pride, who has + never helped us in any way, who has never given us anything but bad + advice, and treated us otherwise than with suspicion. But it was all + inevitable, and that’s what people won’t admit in France. I can speak + freely of it all, for I am a declared friend of France, and people even + feel some spite against me on that account. However, explain to your + compatriots, that on the morrow of our conquest of Rome, in our frantic + desire to resume our ancient rank, it was absolutely necessary that we + should play our part in Europe and show that we were a power with whom the + others must henceforth count. And hesitation was not allowable, all our + interests impelled us toward Germany, the evidence was so binding as to + impose itself. The stern law of the struggle for life weighs as heavily on + nations as on individuals, and this it is which explains and justifies the + rupture between the two sisters, France and Italy, the forgetting of so + many ties, race, commercial intercourse, and, if you like, services also. + The two sisters, ah! they now pursue each other with so much hatred that + all common sense even seems at an end. My poor old heart bleeds when I + read the articles which your newspapers and ours exchange like poisoned + darts. When will this fratricidal massacre cease, which of the two will + first realise the necessity of peace, the necessity of the alliance of the + Latin races, if they are to remain alive amidst those torrents of other + races which more and more invade the world?” Then gaily, with the <i>bonhomie</i> + of a hero disarmed by old age, and seeking a refuge in his dreams, Orlando + added: “Come, you must promise to help me as soon as you are in Paris. + However small your field of action may be, promise me you will do all you + can to promote peace between France and Italy; there can be no more holy + task. Relate all you have seen here, all you have heard, oh! as frankly as + possible. If we have faults, you certainly have faults as well. And, come, + family quarrels can’t last for ever!” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt,” Pierre answered in some embarrassment. “Unfortunately they are + the most tenacious. In families, when blood becomes exasperated with + blood, hate goes as far as poison and the knife. And pardon becomes + impossible.” + </p> + <p> + He dared not fully express his thoughts. Since he had been in Rome, + listening, and considering things, the quarrel between Italy and France + had resumed itself in his mind in a fine tragic story. Once upon a time + there were two princesses, daughters of a powerful queen, the mistress of + the world. The elder one, who had inherited her mother’s kingdom, was + secretly grieved to see her sister, who had established herself in a + neighbouring land, gradually increase in wealth, strength, and brilliancy, + whilst she herself declined as if weakened by age, dismembered, so + exhausted, and so sore, that she already felt defeated on the day when she + attempted a supreme effort to regain universal power. And so how bitter + were her feelings, how hurt she always felt on seeing her sister recover + from the most frightful shocks, resume her dazzling <i>gala</i>, and + continue to reign over the world by dint of strength and grace and wit. + Never would she forgive it, however well that envied and detested sister + might act towards her. Therein lay an incurable wound, the life of one + poisoned by that of the other, the hatred of old blood for young blood, + which could only be quieted by death. And even if peace, as was possible, + should soon be restored between them in presence of the younger sister’s + evident triumph, the other would always harbour deep within her heart an + endless grief at being the elder yet the vassal. + </p> + <p> + “However, you may rely on me,” Pierre affectionately resumed. “This + quarrel between the two countries is certainly a great source of grief and + a great peril. And assuredly I will only say what I think to be the truth + about you. At the same time I fear that you hardly like the truth, for + temperament and custom have hardly prepared you for it. The poets of every + nation who at various times have written on Rome have intoxicated you with + so much praise that you are scarcely fitted to hear the real truth about + your Rome of to-day. No matter how superb a share of praise one may accord + you, one must all the same look at the reality of things, and this reality + is just what you won’t admit, lovers of the beautiful as you ever are, + susceptible too like women, whom the slightest hint of a wrinkle sends + into despair.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando began to laugh. “Well, certainly, one must always beautify things + a little,” said he. “Why speak of ugly faces at all? We in our theatres + only care for pretty music, pretty dancing, pretty pieces which please + one. As for the rest, whatever is disagreeable let us hide it, for mercy’s + sake!” + </p> + <p> + “On the other hand,” the priest continued, “I will cheerfully confess the + great error of my book. The Italian Rome which I neglected and sacrificed + to papal Rome not only exists but is already so powerful and triumphant + that it is surely the other one which is bound to disappear in course of + time. However much the Pope may strive to remain immutable within his + Vatican, a steady evolution goes on around him, and the black world, by + mingling with the white, has already become a grey world. I never realised + that more acutely than at the <i>fête</i> given by Prince Buongiovanni for + the betrothal of his daughter to your grand-nephew. I came away quite + enchanted, won over to the cause of your resurrection.” + </p> + <p> + The old man’s eyes sparkled. “Ah! you were present?” said he, “and you + witnessed a never-to-be-forgotten scene, did you not, and you no longer + doubt our vitality, our growth into a great people when the difficulties + of to-day are overcome? What does a quarter of a century, what does even a + century matter! Italy will again rise to her old glory, as soon as the + great people of to-morrow shall have sprung from the soil. And if I detest + that man Sacco it is because to my mind he is the incarnation of all the + enjoyers and intriguers whose appetite for the spoils of our conquest has + retarded everything. But I live again in my dear grand-nephew Attilio, who + represents the future, the generation of brave and worthy men who will + purify and educate the country. Ah! may some of the great ones of + to-morrow spring from him and that adorable little Princess Celia, whom my + niece Stefana, a sensible woman at bottom, brought to see me the other + day. If you had seen that child fling her arms about me, call me endearing + names, and tell me that I should be godfather to her first son, so that he + might bear my name and once again save Italy! Yes, yes, may peace be + concluded around that coming cradle; may the union of those dear children + be the indissoluble marriage of Rome and the whole nation, and may all be + repaired, and all blossom anew in their love!” + </p> + <p> + Tears came to his eyes, and Pierre, touched by his inextinguishable + patriotism, sought to please him. “I myself,” said he, “expressed to your + son much the same wish on the evening of the betrothal <i>fête</i>, when I + told him I trusted that their nuptials might be definitive and fruitful, + and that from them and all the others there might arise the great nation + which, now that I begin to know you, I hope you will soon become!” + </p> + <p> + “You said that!” exclaimed Orlando. “Well, I forgive your book, for you + have understood at last; and new Rome, there she is, the Rome which is + ours, which we wish to make worthy of her glorious past, and for the third + time the queen of the world.” + </p> + <p> + With one of those broad gestures into which he put all his remaining life, + he pointed to the curtainless window where Rome spread out in solemn + majesty from one horizon to the other. But, suddenly he turned his head + and in a fit of paternal indignation began to apostrophise young Angiolo + Mascara. “You young rascal!” said he, “it’s our Rome which you dream of + destroying with your bombs, which you talk of razing like a rotten, + tottering house, so as to rid the world of it for ever!” + </p> + <p> + Angiolo had hitherto remained silent, passionately listening to the + others. His pretty, girlish, beardless face reflected the slightest + emotion in sudden flashes; and his big blue eyes also had glowed on + hearing what had been said of the people, the new people which it was + necessary to create. “Yes!” he slowly replied in his pure and musical + voice, “we mean to raze it and not leave a stone of it, but raze it in + order to build it up again.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando interrupted him with a soft, bantering laugh: “Oh! you would build + it up again; that’s fortunate!” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I would build it up again,” the young man replied, in the trembling voice + of an inspired prophet. “I would build it up again oh, so vast, so + beautiful, and so noble! Will not the universal democracy of to-morrow, + humanity when it is at last freed, need an unique city, which shall be the + ark of alliance, the very centre of the world? And is not Rome designated, + Rome which the prophecies have marked as eternal and immortal, where the + destinies of the nations are to be accomplished? But in order that it may + become the final definitive sanctuary, the capital of the destroyed + kingdoms, where the wise men of all countries shall meet once every year, + one must first of all purify it by fire, leave nothing of its old stains + remaining. Then, when the sun shall have absorbed all the pestilence of + the old soil, we will rebuild the city ten times more beautiful and ten + times larger than it has ever been. And what a city of truth and justice + it will at last be, the Rome that has been announced and awaited for three + thousand years, all in gold and all in marble, filling the Campagna from + the sea to the Sabine and the Alban mountains, and so prosperous and so + sensible that its twenty millions of inhabitants after regulating the law + of labour will live with the unique joy of being. Yes, yes, Rome the + Mother, Rome the Queen, alone on the face of the earth and for all + eternity!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened to him, aghast. What! did the blood of Augustus go to such + a point as this? The popes had not become masters of Rome without feeling + impelled to rebuild it in their passion to rule over the world; young + Italy, likewise yielding to the hereditary madness of universal + domination, had in its turn sought to make the city larger than any other, + erecting whole districts for people who had never come, and now even the + Anarchists were possessed by the same stubborn dream of the race, a dream + beyond all measure this time, a fourth and monstrous Rome, whose suburbs + would invade continents in order that liberated humanity, united in one + family, might find sufficient lodging! This was the climax. Never could + more extravagant proof be given of the blood of pride and sovereignty + which had scorched the veins of that race ever since Augustus had + bequeathed it the inheritance of his absolute empire, with the furious + instinct that the world legally belonged to it, and that its mission was + to conquer it again. This idea had intoxicated all the children of that + historic soil, impelling all of them to make their city The City, the one + which had reigned and which would reign again in splendour when the days + predicted by the oracles should arrive. And Pierre remembered the four + fatidical letters, the S.P.Q.R. of old and glorious Rome, which like an + order of final triumph given to Destiny he had everywhere found in + present-day Rome, on all the walls, on all the insignia, even on the + municipal dust-carts! And he understood the prodigious vanity of these + people, haunted by the glory of their ancestors, spellbound by the past of + their city, declaring that she contains everything, that they themselves + cannot know her thoroughly, that she is the sphinx who will some day + explain the riddle of the universe, that she is so great and noble that + all within her acquires increase of greatness and nobility, in such wise + that they demand for her the idolatrous respect of the entire world, so + vivacious in their minds is the illusive legend which clings to her, so + incapable are they of realising that what was once great may be so no + longer. + </p> + <p> + “But I know your fourth Rome,” resumed Orlando, again enlivened. “It’s the + Rome of the people, the capital of the Universal Republic, which Mazzini + dreamt of. Only he left the pope in it. Do you know, my lad, that if we + old Republicans rallied to the monarchy, it was because we feared that in + the event of revolution the country might fall into the hands of dangerous + madmen such as those who have upset your brain? Yes, that was why we + resigned ourselves to our monarchy, which is not much different from a + parliamentary republic. And now, goodbye and be sensible, remember that + your poor mother would die of it if any misfortune should befall you. + Come, let me embrace you all the same.” + </p> + <p> + On receiving the hero’s affectionate kiss Angiolo coloured like a girl. + Then he went off with his gentle, dreamy air, never adding a word but + politely inclining his head to the priest. Silence continued till + Orlando’s eyes encountered the newspapers scattered on the table, when he + once more spoke of the terrible bereavement of the Boccaneras. He had + loved Benedetta like a dear daughter during the sad days when she had + dwelt near him; and finding the newspaper accounts of her death somewhat + singular, worried in fact by the obscure points which he could divine in + the tragedy, he was asking Pierre for particulars, when his son Luigi + suddenly entered the room, breathless from having climbed the stairs so + quickly and with his face full of anxious fear. He had just dismissed his + contractors with impatient roughness, giving no thought to his serious + financial position, the jeopardy in which his fortune was now placed, so + anxious was he to be up above beside his father. And when he was there his + first uneasy glance was for the old man, to make sure whether the priest + by some imprudent word had not dealt him his death blow. + </p> + <p> + He shuddered on noticing how Orlando quivered, moved to tears by the + terrible affair of which he was speaking; and for a moment he thought he + had arrived too late, that the harm was done. “Good heavens, father!” he + exclaimed, “what is the matter with you, why are you crying?” And as he + spoke he knelt at the old man’s feet, taking hold of his hands and giving + him such a passionate, loving glance that he seemed to be offering all the + blood of his heart to spare him the slightest grief. + </p> + <p> + “It is about the death of that poor woman,” Orlando sadly answered. “I was + telling Monsieur Froment how it grieved me, and I added that I could not + yet understand it all. The papers talk of a sudden death which is always + so extraordinary.” + </p> + <p> + The young Count rose again looking very pale. The priest had not yet + spoken. But what a frightful moment was this! What if he should reply, + what if he should speak out? + </p> + <p> + “You were present, were you not?” continued the old man addressing Pierre. + “You saw everything. Tell me then how the thing happened.” + </p> + <p> + Luigi Prada looked at Pierre. Their eyes met fixedly, plunging into one + another’s souls. All began afresh in their minds, Destiny on the march, + Santobono encountered with his little basket, the drive across the + melancholy Campagna, the conversation about poison while the little basket + was gently rocked on the priest’s knees; then, in particular, the sleepy + <i>osteria</i>, and the little black hen, so suddenly killed, lying on the + ground with a tiny streamlet of violet blood trickling from her beak. And + next there was that splendid ball at the Buongiovanni mansion, with all + its <i>odore di femina</i> and its triumph of love: and finally, before + the Palazzo Boccanera, so black under the silvery moon, there was the man + who lighted a cigar and went off without once turning his head, allowing + dim Destiny to accomplish its work of death. Both of them, Pierre and + Prada, knew that story and lived it over again, having no need to recall + it aloud in order to make certain that they had fully penetrated one + another’s soul. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not immediately answer the old man. “Oh!” he murmured at last, + “there were frightful things, yes, frightful things.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt—that is what I suspected,” resumed Orlando. “You can tell + us all. In presence of death my son has freely forgiven.” + </p> + <p> + The young Count’s gaze again sought that of Pierre with such weight, such + ardent entreaty that the priest felt deeply stirred. He had just + remembered that man’s anguish during the ball, the atrocious torture of + jealousy which he had undergone before allowing Destiny to avenge him. And + he pictured also what must have been his feelings after the terrible + outcome of it all: at first stupefaction at Destiny’s harshness, at this + full vengeance which he had never desired so ferocious; then icy calmness + like that of the cool gambler who awaits events, reading the newspapers, + and feeling no other remorse than that of the general whose victory has + cost him too many men. He must have immediately realised that the Cardinal + would stifle the affair for the sake of the Church’s honour; and only + retained one weight on his heart, regret possibly for that woman whom he + had never won, with perhaps a last horrible jealousy which he did not + confess to himself but from which he would always suffer, jealousy at + knowing that she lay in another’s arms in the grave, for all eternity. But + behold, after that victorious effort to remain calm, after that cold and + remorseless waiting, Punishment arose, the fear that Destiny, travelling + on with its poisoned figs, might have not yet ceased its march, and might + by a rebound strike down his own father. Yet another thunderbolt, yet + another victim, the most unexpected, the being he most adored! At that + thought all his strength of resistance had in one moment collapsed, and he + was there, in terror of Destiny, more at a loss, more trembling than a + child. + </p> + <p> + “The newspapers, however,” slowly said Pierre as if he were seeking his + words, “the newspapers must have told you that the Prince succumbed first, + and that the Contessina died of grief whilst embracing him for the last + time.... As for the cause of death, <i>mon Dieu</i>, you know that doctors + themselves in sudden cases scarcely dare to pronounce an exact opinion—” + </p> + <p> + He stopped short, for within him he had suddenly heard the voice of + Benedetta giving him just before she died that terrible order: “You, who + will see his father, I charge you to tell him that I cursed his son. I + wish that he should know, it is necessary that he should know, for the + sake of truth and justice.” And was he, oh! Lord, about to obey that + order, was it one of those divine commands which must be executed even if + the result be a torrent of blood and tears? For a few seconds Pierre + suffered from a heart-rending combat within him, hesitating between the + act of truth and justice which the dead woman had called for and his own + personal desire for forgiveness, and the horror he would feel should he + kill that poor old man by fulfilling his implacable mission which could + benefit nobody. And certainly the other one, the son, must have understood + what a supreme struggle was going on in the priest’s mind, a struggle + which would decide his own father’s fate, for his glance became yet more + suppliant than ever. + </p> + <p> + “One first thought that it was merely indigestion,” continued Pierre, “but + the Prince became so much worse, that one was alarmed, and the doctor was + sent for—” + </p> + <p> + Ah! Prada’s eyes, they had become so despairing, so full of the most + touching and weightiest things, that the priest could read in them all the + decisive reasons which were about to stay his tongue. No, no, he would not + strike an innocent old man, he had promised nothing, and to obey the last + expression of the dead woman’s hatred would have seemed to him like + charging her memory with a crime. The young Count, too, during those few + minutes of anguish, had suffered a whole life of such abominable torture, + that after all some little justice was done. + </p> + <p> + “And then,” Pierre concluded, “when the doctor arrived he at once + recognised that it was a case of infectious fever. There can be no doubt + of it. This morning I attended the funeral, it was very splendid and very + touching.” + </p> + <p> + Orlando did not insist, but contented himself with saying that he also had + felt much emotion all the morning on thinking of that funeral. Then, as he + turned to set the papers on the table in order with his trembling hands, + his son, icy cold with perspiration, staggering and clinging to the back + of a chair in order that he might not fall, again gave Pierre a long + glance, but a very soft one, full of distracted gratitude. + </p> + <p> + “I am leaving this evening,” resumed Pierre, who felt exhausted and wished + to break off the conversation, “and I must now bid you farewell. Have you + any commission to give me for Paris?” + </p> + <p> + “No, none,” replied Orlando; and then, with sudden recollection, he added, + “Yes, I have, though! You remember that book written by my old comrade in + arms, Théophile Morin, one of Garibaldi’s Thousand, that manual for the + bachelor’s degree which he desired to see translated and adopted here. + Well, I am pleased to say that I have a promise that it shall be used in + our schools, but on condition that he makes some alterations in it. Luigi, + give me the book, it is there on that shelf.” + </p> + <p> + Then, when his son had handed him the volume, he showed Pierre some notes + which he had pencilled on the margins, and explained to him the + modifications which were desired in the general scheme of the work. “Will + you be kind enough,” he continued, “to take this copy to Morin himself? + His address is written inside the cover. If you can do so you will spare + me the trouble of writing him a very long letter; in ten minutes you can + explain matters to him more clearly and completely than I could do in ten + pages.... And you must embrace Morin for me, and tell him that I still + love him, oh! with all my heart of the bygone days, when I could still use + my legs and we two fought like devils side by side under a hail of + bullets.” + </p> + <p> + A short silence followed, that pause, that embarrassment tinged with + emotion which precedes the moment of farewell. “Come, good-bye,” said + Orlando, “embrace me for him and for yourself, embrace me affectionately + like that lad did just now. I am so old and so near my end, my dear + Monsieur Froment, that you will allow me to call you my child and to kiss + you like a grandfather, wishing you all courage and peace, and that faith + in life which alone helps one to live.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was so touched that tears rose to his eyes, and when with all his + soul he kissed the stricken hero on either cheek, he felt that he likewise + was weeping. With a hand yet as vigorous as a vice, Orlando detained him + for a moment beside his arm-chair, whilst with his other hand waving in a + supreme gesture, he for the last time showed him Rome, so immense and + mournful under the ashen sky. And his voice came low, quivering and + suppliant. “For mercy’s sake swear to me that you will love her all the + same, in spite of all, for she is the cradle, the mother! Love her for all + that she no longer is, love her for all that she desires to be! Do not say + that her end has come, love her, love her so that she may live again, that + she may live for ever!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre again embraced him, unable to find any other response, upset as he + was by all the passion displayed by that old warrior, who spoke of his + city as a man of thirty might speak of the woman he adores. And he found + him so handsome and so lofty with his old blanched, leonine mane and his + stubborn belief in approaching resurrection, that once more the other old + Roman, Cardinal Boccanera, arose before him, equally stubborn in his faith + and relinquishing nought of his dream, even though he might be crushed on + the spot by the fall of the heavens. These twain ever stood face to face, + at either end of their city, alone rearing their lofty figures above the + horizon, whilst awaiting the future. + </p> + <p> + Then, when Pierre had bowed to Count Luigi, and found himself outside + again in the Via Venti Settembre he was all eagerness to get back to the + Boccanera mansion so as to pack up his things and depart. His farewell + visits were made, and he now only had to take leave of Donna Serafina and + the Cardinal, and to thank them for all their kind hospitality. For him + alone did their doors open, for they had shut themselves up on returning + from the funeral, resolved to see nobody. At twilight, therefore, Pierre + had no one but Victorine to keep him company in the vast, black mansion, + for when he expressed a desire to take supper with Don Vigilio she told + him that the latter had also shut himself in his room. Desirous as he was + of at least shaking hands with the secretary for the last time, Pierre + went to knock at the door, which was so near his own, but could obtain no + reply, and divined that the poor fellow, overcome by a fresh attack of + fever and suspicion, desired not to see him again, in terror at the idea + that he might compromise himself yet more than he had done already. + Thereupon, it was settled that as the train only started at seventeen + minutes past ten Victorine should serve Pierre his supper on the little + table in his sitting-room at eight o’clock. She brought him a lamp and + spoke of putting his linen in order, but he absolutely declined her help, + and she had to leave him to pack up quietly by himself. + </p> + <p> + He had purchased a little box, since his valise could not possibly hold + all the linen and winter clothing which had been sent to him from Paris as + his stay in Rome became more and more protracted. However, the packing was + soon accomplished; the wardrobe was emptied, the drawers were visited, the + box and valise filled and securely locked by seven o’clock. An hour + remained to him before supper and he sat there resting, when his eyes + whilst travelling round the walls to make sure that he had forgotten + nothing, encountered that old painting by some unknown master, which had + so often filled him with emotion. The lamplight now shone full upon it; + and this time again as he gazed at it he felt a blow in the heart, a blow + which was all the deeper, as now, at his parting hour, he found a symbol + of his defeat at Rome in that dolent, tragic, half-naked woman, draped in + a shred of linen, and weeping between her clasped hands whilst seated on + the threshold of the palace whence she had been driven. Did not that + rejected one, that stubborn victim of love, who sobbed so bitterly, and of + whom one knew nothing, neither what her face was like, nor whence she had + come, nor what her fault had been—did she not personify all man’s + useless efforts to force the doors of truth, and all the frightful + abandonment into which he falls as soon as he collides with the wall which + shuts the unknown off from him? For a long while did Pierre look at her, + again worried at being obliged to depart without having seen her face + behind her streaming golden hair, that face of dolorous beauty which he + pictured radiant with youth and delicious in its mystery. And as he gazed + he was just fancying that he could see it, that it was becoming his at + last, when there was a knock at the door and Narcisse Habert entered. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was surprised to see the young <i>attaché</i>, for three days + previously he had started for Florence, impelled thither by one of the + sudden whims of his artistic fancy. However, he at once apologised for his + unceremonious intrusion. “Ah! there is your luggage!” he said; “I heard + that you were going away this evening, and I was unwilling to let you + leave Rome without coming to shake hands with you. But what frightful + things have happened since we met! I only returned this afternoon, so that + I could not attend the funeral. However, you may well imagine how + thunderstruck I was by the news of those frightful deaths.” + </p> + <p> + Then, suspecting some unacknowledged tragedy, like a man well acquainted + with the legendary dark side of Rome, he put some questions to Pierre but + did not insist on them, being at bottom far too prudent to burden himself + uselessly with redoubtable secrets. And after Pierre had given him such + particulars as he thought fit, the conversation changed and they spoke at + length of Italy, Rome, Naples, and Florence. “Ah! Florence, Florence!” + Narcisse repeated languorously. He had lighted a cigarette and his words + fell more slowly, as he glanced round the room. “You were very well lodged + here,” he said, “it is very quiet. I had never come up to this floor + before.” + </p> + <p> + His eyes continued wandering over the walls until they were at last + arrested by the old painting which the lamp illumined, and thereupon he + remained for a moment blinking as if surprised. And all at once he rose + and approached the picture. “Dear me, dear me,” said he, “but that’s very + good, that’s very fine.” + </p> + <p> + “Isn’t it?” rejoined Pierre. “I know nothing about painting but I was + stirred by that picture on the very day of my arrival, and over and over + again it has kept me here with my heart beating and full of indescribable + feelings.” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse no longer spoke but examined the painting with the care of a + connoisseur, an expert, whose keen glance decides the question of + authenticity, and appraises commercial value. And the most extraordinary + delight appeared upon the young man’s fair, rapturous face, whilst his + fingers began to quiver. “But it’s a Botticelli, it’s a Botticelli! There + can be no doubt about it,” he exclaimed. “Just look at the hands, and look + at the folds of the drapery! And the colour of the hair, and the + technique, the flow of the whole composition. A Botticelli, ah! <i>mon + Dieu</i>, a Botticelli.” + </p> + <p> + He became quite faint, overflowing with increasing admiration as he + penetrated more and more deeply into the subject, at once so simple and so + poignant. Was it not acutely modern? The artist had foreseen our + pain-fraught century, our anxiety in presence of the invisible, our + distress at being unable to cross the portal of mystery which was for ever + closed. And what an eternal symbol of the world’s wretchedness was that + woman, whose face one could not see, and who sobbed so distractedly + without it being possible for one to wipe away her tears. Yes, a + Botticelli, unknown, uncatalogued, what a discovery! Then he paused to + inquire of Pierre: “Did you know it was a Botticelli?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh no! I spoke to Don Vigilio about it one day, but he seemed to think it + of no account. And Victorine, when I spoke to her, replied that all those + old things only served to harbour dust.” + </p> + <p> + Narcisse protested, quite stupefied: “What! they have a Botticelli here + and don’t know it! Ah! how well I recognise in that the Roman princes who, + unless their masterpieces have been labelled, are for the most part + utterly at sea among them! No doubt this one has suffered a little, but a + simple cleaning would make a marvel, a famous picture of it, for which a + museum would at least give—” + </p> + <p> + He abruptly stopped, completing his sentence with a wave of the hand and + not mentioning the figure which was on his lips. And then, as Victorine + came in followed by Giacomo to lay the little table for Pierre’s supper, + he turned his back upon the Botticelli and said no more about it. The + young priest’s attention was aroused, however, and he could well divine + what was passing in the other’s mind. Under that make-believe Florentine, + all angelicalness, there was an experienced business man, who well knew + how to look after his pecuniary interests and was even reported to be + somewhat avaricious. Pierre, who was aware of it, could not help smiling + therefore when he saw him take his stand before another picture—a + frightful Virgin, badly copied from some eighteenth-century canvas—and + exclaim: “Dear me! that’s not at all bad! I’ve a friend, I remember, who + asked me to buy him some old paintings. I say, Victorine, now that Donna + Serafina and the Cardinal are left alone do you think they would like to + rid themselves of a few valueless pictures?” + </p> + <p> + The servant raised her arms as if to say that if it depended on her, + everything might be carried away. Then she replied: “Not to a dealer, sir, + on account of the nasty rumours which would at once spread about, but I’m + sure they would be happy to please a friend. The house costs a lot to keep + up, and money would be welcome.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre then vainly endeavoured to persuade Narcisse to stay and sup with + him, but the young man gave his word of honour that he was expected + elsewhere and was even late. And thereupon he ran off, after pressing the + priest’s hands and affectionately wishing him a good journey. + </p> + <p> + Eight o’clock was striking, and Pierre seated himself at the little table, + Victorine remaining to serve him after dismissing Giacomo, who had brought + the supper things upstairs in a basket. “The people here make me wild,” + said the worthy woman after the other had gone, “they are so slow. And + besides, it’s a pleasure for me to serve you your last meal, Monsieur + l’Abbé. I’ve had a little French dinner cooked for you, a <i>sole au + gratin</i> and a roast fowl.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was touched by this attention, and pleased to have the company of a + compatriot whilst he partook of his final meal amidst the deep silence of + the old, black, deserted mansion. The buxom figure of Victorine was still + instinct with mourning, with grief for the loss of her dear Contessina, + but her daily toil was already setting her erect again, restoring her + quick activity; and she spoke almost cheerfully whilst passing plates and + dishes to Pierre. “And to think Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she, “that you’ll + be in Paris on the morning of the day after to-morrow! As for me, you + know, it seems as if I only left Auneau yesterday. Ah! what fine soil + there is there; rich soil yellow like gold, not like their poor stuff here + which smells of sulphur! And the pretty fresh willows beside our stream, + too, and the little wood so full of moss! They’ve no moss here, their + trees look like tin under that stupid sun of theirs which burns up the + grass. <i>Mon Dieu</i>! in the early times I would have given I don’t know + what for a good fall of rain to soak me and wash away all the dust. Ah! I + shall never get used to their awful Rome. What a country and what people!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was quite enlivened by her stubborn fidelity to her own nook, which + after five and twenty years of absence still left her horrified with that + city of crude light and black vegetation, true daughter as she was of a + smiling and temperate clime which of a morning was steeped in rosy mist. + “But now that your young mistress is dead,” said he, “what keeps you here? + Why don’t you take the train with me?” + </p> + <p> + She looked at him in surprise: “Go off with you, go back to Auneau! Oh! + it’s impossible, Monsieur l’Abbé. It would be too ungrateful to begin + with, for Donna Serafina is accustomed to me, and it would be bad on my + part to forsake her and his Eminence now that they are in trouble. And + besides, what could I do elsewhere? No, my little hole is here now.” + </p> + <p> + “So you will never see Auneau again?” + </p> + <p> + “No, never, that’s certain.” + </p> + <p> + “And you don’t mind being buried here, in their ground which smells of + sulphur?” + </p> + <p> + She burst into a frank laugh. “Oh!” she said, “I don’t mind where I am + when I’m dead. One sleeps well everywhere. And it’s funny that you should + be so anxious as to what there may be when one’s dead. There’s nothing, + I’m sure. That’s what tranquillises me, to feel that it will be all over + and that I shall have a rest. The good God owes us that after we’ve worked + so hard. You know that I’m not devout, oh! dear no. Still that doesn’t + prevent me from behaving properly, and, true as I stand here, I’ve never + had a lover. It seems foolish to say such a thing at my age, still I say + it because it’s the sober truth.” + </p> + <p> + She continued laughing like the worthy woman she was, having no belief in + priests and yet without a sin upon her conscience. And Pierre once more + marvelled at the simple courage and great practical common sense of this + laborious and devoted creature, who for him personified the whole + unbelieving lowly class of France, those who no longer believe and will + believe never more. Ah! to be as she was, to do one’s work and lie down + for the eternal sleep without any revolt of pride, satisfied with the one + joy of having accomplished one’s share of toil! + </p> + <p> + When Pierre had finished his supper Victorine summoned Giacomo to clear + the things away. And as it was only half-past eight she advised the priest + to spend another quiet hour in his room. Why go and catch a chill by + waiting at the station? She could send for a cab at half-past nine, and as + soon as it arrived she would send word to him and have his luggage carried + down. He might be easy as to that, and need trouble himself about nothing. + </p> + <p> + When she had gone off Pierre soon sank into a deep reverie. It seemed to + him, indeed, as if he had already quitted Rome, as if the city were far + away and he could look back on it, and his experiences within it. His + book, “New Rome,” arose in his mind; and he remembered his first morning + on the Janiculum, his view of Rome from the terrace of San Pietro in + Montorio, a Rome such as he had dreamt of, so young and ethereal under the + pure sky. It was then that he had asked himself the decisive question: + Could Catholicism be renewed? Could it revert to the spirit of primitive + Christianity, become the religion of the democracy, the faith which the + distracted modern world, in danger of death, awaits in order that it may + be pacified and live? His heart had then beaten with hope and enthusiasm. + After his disaster at Lourdes from which he had scarcely recovered, he had + come to attempt another and supreme experiment by asking Rome what her + reply to his question would be. And now the experiment had failed, he knew + what answer Rome had returned him through her ruins, her monuments, her + very soil, her people, her prelates, her cardinals, her pope! No, + Catholicism could not be renewed: no, it could not revert to the spirit of + primitive Christianity; no, it could not become the religion of the + democracy, the new faith which might save the old toppling societies in + danger of death. Though it seemed to be of democratic origin, it was + henceforth riveted to that Roman soil, it remained kingly in spite of + everything, forced to cling to the principle of temporal power under + penalty of suicide, bound by tradition, enchained by dogma, its evolutions + mere simulations whilst in reality it was reduced to such immobility that, + behind the bronze doors of the Vatican, the papacy was the prisoner, the + ghost of eighteen centuries of atavism, indulging the ceaseless dream of + universal dominion. There, where with priestly faith exalted by love of + the suffering and the poor, he had come to seek life and a resurrection of + the Christian communion, he had found death, the dust of a destroyed world + in which nothing more could germinate, an exhausted soil whence now there + could never grow aught but that despotic papacy, the master of bodies as + it was of souls. To his distracted cry asking for a new religion, Rome had + been content to reply by condemning his book as a work tainted with + heresy, and he himself had withdrawn it amidst the bitter grief of his + disillusions. He had seen, he had understood, and all had collapsed. And + it was himself, his soul and his brain, which lay among the ruins. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was stifling. He rose, threw the window overlooking the Tiber wide + open, and leant out. The rain had begun to fall again at the approach of + evening, but now it had once more ceased. The atmosphere was very mild, + moist, even oppressive. The moon must have arisen in the ashen grey sky, + for her presence could be divined behind the clouds which she illumined + with a vague, yellow, mournful light. And under that slumberous glimmer + the vast horizon showed blackly and phantom-like: the Janiculum in front + with the close-packed houses of the Trastevere; the river flowing away + yonder on the left towards the dim height of the Palatine; whilst on the + right the dome of St. Peter’s showed forth, round and domineering in the + pale atmosphere. Pierre could not see the Quirinal but divined it to be + behind him, and could picture its long façade shutting off part of the + sky. And what a collapsing Rome, half-devoured by the gloom, was this, so + different from the Rome all youth and dreamland which he had beheld and + passionately loved on the day of his arrival! He remembered the three + symbolic summits which had then summed up for him the whole long history + of Rome, the ancient, the papal, and the Italian city. But if the Palatine + had remained the same discrowned mount on which there only rose the + phantom of the ancestor, Augustus, emperor and pontiff, master of the + world, he now pictured St. Peter’s and the Quirinal as strangely altered. + To that royal palace which he had so neglected, and which had seemed to + him like a flat, low barrack, to that new Government which had brought him + the impression of some attempt at sacrilegious modernity, he now accorded + the large, increasing space that they occupied in the panorama, the whole + of which they would apparently soon fill; whilst, on the contrary, St. + Peter’s, that dome which he had found so triumphal, all azure, reigning + over the city like a gigantic and unshakable monarch, at present seemed to + him full of cracks and already shrinking, as if it were one of those huge + old piles, which, through the secret, unsuspected decay of their timbers, + at times fall to the ground in one mass. + </p> + <p> + A murmur, a growling plaint rose from the swollen Tiber, and Pierre + shivered at the icy abysmal breath which swept past his face. And his + thoughts of the three summits and their symbolic triangle aroused within + him the memory of the sufferings of the great silent multitude of poor and + lowly for whom pope and king had so long disputed. It all dated from long + ago, from the day when, in dividing the inheritance of Augustus, the + emperor had been obliged to content himself with men’s bodies, leaving + their souls to the pope, whose one idea had henceforth been to gain the + temporal power of which God, in his person, was despoiled. All the middle + ages had been disturbed and ensanguined by the quarrel, till at last the + silent multitude weary of vexations and misery spoke out; threw off the + papal yoke at the Reformation, and later on began to overthrow its kings. + And then, as Pierre had written in his book, a new fortune had been + offered to the pope, that of reverting to the ancient dream, by + dissociating himself from the fallen thrones and placing himself on the + side of the wretched in the hope that this time he would conquer the + people, win it entirely for himself. Was it not prodigious to see that + man, Leo XIII, despoiled of his kingdom and allowing himself to be called + a socialist, assembling under his banner the great flock of the + disinherited, and marching against the kings at the head of that fourth + estate to whom the coming century will belong? The eternal struggle for + possession of the people continued as bitterly as ever even in Rome + itself, where pope and king, who could see each other from their windows, + contended together like falcon and hawk for the little birds of the woods. + And in this for Pierre lay the reason why Catholicism was fatally + condemned; for it was of monarchical essence to such a point that the + Apostolic and Roman papacy could not renounce the temporal power under + penalty of becoming something else and disappearing. In vain did it feign + a return to the people, in vain did it seek to appear all soul; there was + no room in the midst of the world’s democracies for any such total and + universal sovereignty as that which it claimed to hold from God. Pierre + ever beheld the Imperator sprouting up afresh in the Pontifex Maximus, and + it was this in particular which had killed his dream, destroyed his book, + heaped up all those ruins before which he remained distracted without + either strength or courage. + </p> + <p> + The sight of that ashen Rome, whose edifices faded away into the night, at + last brought him such a heart-pang that he came back into the room and + fell on a chair near his luggage. Never before had he experienced such + distress of spirit, it seemed like the death of his soul. After his + disaster at Lourdes he had not come to Rome in search of the candid and + complete faith of a little child, but the superior faith of an + intellectual being, rising above rites and symbols, and seeking to ensure + the greatest possible happiness of mankind based on its need of certainty. + And if this collapsed, if Catholicism could not be rejuvenated and become + the religion and moral law of the new generations, if the Pope at Rome and + with Rome could not be the Father, the arch of alliance, the spiritual + leader whom all hearkened to and obeyed, why then, in Pierre’s eyes, the + last hope was wrecked, the supreme rending which must plunge present-day + society into the abyss was near at hand. That scaffolding of Catholic + socialism which had seemed to him so happily devised for the consolidation + of the old Church, now appeared to him lying on the ground; and he judged + it severely as a mere passing expedient which might perhaps for some years + prop up the ruined edifice, but which was simply based on an intentional + misunderstanding, on a skilful lie, on politics and diplomacy. No, no, + that the people should once again, as so many times before, be duped and + gained over, caressed in order that it might be enthralled—this was + repugnant to one’s reason, and the whole system appeared degenerate, + dangerous, temporary, calculated to end in the worst catastrophes. So this + then was the finish, nothing remained erect and stable, the old world was + about to disappear amidst the frightful sanguinary crisis whose approach + was announced by such indisputable signs. And he, before that chaos near + at hand, had no soul left him, having once more lost his faith in that + decisive experiment which, he had felt beforehand, would either strengthen + him or strike him down for ever. The thunderbolt had fallen, and now, O + God, what should he do? + </p> + <p> + To shake off his anguish he began to walk across the room. Aye, what + should he do now that he was all doubt again, all dolorous negation, and + that his cassock weighed more heavily than it had ever weighed upon his + shoulders? He remembered having told Monsignor Nani that he would never + submit, would never be able to resign himself and kill his hope in + salvation by love, but would rather reply by a fresh book, in which he + would say in what new soil the new religion would spring up. Yes, a + flaming book against Rome, in which he would set down all he had seen, a + book which would depict the real Rome, the Rome which knows neither + charity nor love, and is dying in the pride of its purple! He had spoken + of returning to Paris, leaving the Church and going to the point of + schism. Well, his luggage now lay there packed, he was going off and he + would write that book, he would be the great schismatic who was awaited! + Did not everything foretell approaching schism amidst that great movement + of men’s minds, weary of old mummified dogmas and yet hungering for the + divine? Even Leo XIII must be conscious of it, for his whole policy, his + whole effort towards Christian unity, his assumed affection for the + democracy had no other object than that of grouping the whole family + around the papacy, and consolidating it so as to render the Pope + invincible in the approaching struggle. But the times had come, + Catholicism would soon find that it could grant no more political + concessions without perishing, that at Rome it was reduced to the + immobility of an ancient hieratic idol, and that only in the lands of + propaganda, where it was fighting against other religions, could further + evolution take place. It was, indeed, for this reason that Rome was + condemned, the more so as the abolition of the temporal power, by + accustoming men’s minds to the idea of a purely spiritual papacy, seemed + likely to conduce to the rise of some anti-pope, far away, whilst the + successor of St. Peter was compelled to cling stubbornly to his Apostolic + and Roman fiction. A bishop, a priest would arise—where, who could + tell? Perhaps yonder in that free America, where there are priests whom + the struggle for life has turned into convinced socialists, into ardent + democrats, who are ready to go forward with the coming century. And whilst + Rome remains unable to relinquish aught of her past, aught of her + mysteries and dogmas, that priest will relinquish all of those things + which fall from one in dust. Ah! to be that priest, to be that great + reformer, that saviour of modern society, what a vast dream, what a part, + akin to that of a Messiah summoned by the nations in distress. For a + moment Pierre was transported as by a breeze of hope and triumph. If that + great change did not come in France, in Paris, it would come elsewhere, + yonder across the ocean, or farther yet, wherever there might be a + sufficiently fruitful soil for the new seed to spring from it in + overflowing harvests. A new religion! a new religion! even as he had cried + on returning from Lourdes, a religion which in particular should not be an + appetite for death, a religion which should at last realise here below + that Kingdom of God referred to in the Gospel, and which should equitably + divide terrestrial wealth, and with the law of labour ensure the rule of + truth and justice. + </p> + <p> + In the fever of this fresh dream Pierre already saw the pages of his new + book flaring before him when his eyes fell on an object lying upon a + chair, which at first surprised him. This also was a book, that work of + Théophile Morin’s which Orlando had commissioned him to hand to its + author, and he felt annoyed with himself at having left it there, for he + might have forgotten it altogether. Before putting it into his valise he + retained it for a moment in his hand turning its pages over, his ideas + changing as by a sudden mental revolution. The work was, however, a very + modest one, one of those manuals for the bachelor’s degree containing + little beyond the first elements of the sciences; still all the sciences + were represented in it, and it gave a fair summary of the present state of + human knowledge. And it was indeed Science which thus burst upon Pierre’s + reverie with the energy of sovereign power. Not only was Catholicism swept + away from his mind, but all his religious conceptions, every hypothesis of + the divine tottered and fell. Only that little school book, nothing but + the universal desire for knowledge, that education which ever extends and + penetrates the whole people, and behold the mysteries became absurdities, + the dogmas crumbled, and nothing of ancient faith was left. A nation + nourished upon Science, no longer believing in mysteries and dogmas, in a + compensatory system of reward and punishment, is a nation whose faith is + for ever dead: and without faith Catholicism cannot be. Therein is the + blade of the knife, the knife which falls and severs. If one century, if + two centuries be needed, Science will take them. She alone is eternal. It + is pure <i>naïveté</i> to say that reason is not contrary to faith. The + truth is, that now already in order to save mere fragments of the sacred + writings, it has been necessary to accommodate them to the new + certainties, by taking refuge in the assertion that they are simply + symbolical! And what an extraordinary attitude is that of the Catholic + Church, expressly forbidding all those who may discover a truth contrary + to the sacred writings to pronounce upon it in definitive fashion, and + ordering them to await events in the conviction that this truth will some + day be proved an error! Only the Pope, says the Church, is infallible; + Science is fallible, her constant groping is exploited against her, and + divines remain on the watch striving to make it appear that her + discoveries of to-day are in contradiction with her discoveries of + yesterday. What do her sacrilegious assertions, what do her certainties + rending dogma asunder, matter to a Catholic since it is certain that at + the end of time, she, Science, will again join Faith, and become the + latter’s very humble slave! Voluntary blindness and impudent denial of + things as evident as the sunlight, can no further go. But all the same the + insignificant little book, the manual of truth travels on continuing its + work, destroying error and building up the new world, even as the + infinitesimal agents of life built up our present continents. + </p> + <p> + In the sudden great enlightenment which had come on him Pierre at last + felt himself upon firm ground. Has Science ever retreated? It is + Catholicism which has always retreated before her, and will always be + forced to retreat. Never does Science stop, step by step she wrests truth + from error, and to say that she is bankrupt because she cannot explain the + world in one word and at one effort, is pure and simple nonsense. If she + leaves, and no doubt will always leave a smaller and smaller domain to + mystery, and if supposition may always strive to explain that mystery, it + is none the less certain that she ruins, and with each successive hour + will add to the ruin of the ancient hypotheses, those which crumble away + before the acquired truths. And Catholicism is in the position of those + ancient hypotheses, and will be in it yet more thoroughly to-morrow. Like + all religions it is, at the bottom, but an explanation of the world, a + superior social and political code, intended to bring about the greatest + possible sum of peace and happiness on earth. This code which embraces the + universality of things thenceforth becomes human, and mortal like + everything that is human. One cannot put it on one side and say that it + exists on one side by itself, whilst Science does the same on the other. + Science is total and has already shown Catholicism that such is the case, + and will show it again and again by compelling it to repair the breaches + incessantly effected in its ramparts till the day of victory shall come + with the final assault of resplendent truth. Frankly, it makes one laugh + to hear people assign a <i>rôle</i> to Science, forbid her to enter such + and such a domain, predict to her that she shall go no further, and + declare that at this end of the century she is already so weary that she + abdicates! Oh! you little men of shallow or distorted brains, you + politicians planning expedients, you dogmatics at bay, you authoritarians + so obstinately clinging to the ancient dreams, Science will pass on, and + sweep you all away like withered leaves! + </p> + <p> + Pierre continued glancing through the humble little book, listening to all + it told him of sovereign Science. She cannot become bankrupt, for she does + not promise the absolute, she is simply the progressive conquest of truth. + Never has she pretended that she could give the whole truth at one effort, + that sort of edifice being precisely the work of metaphysics, of + revelation, of faith. The <i>rôle</i> of Science, on the contrary, is only + to destroy error as she gradually advances and increases enlightenment. + And thus, far from becoming bankrupt, in her march which nothing stops, + she remains the only possible truth for well-balanced and healthy minds. + As for those whom she does not satisfy, who crave for immediate and + universal knowledge, they have the resource of seeking refuge in no matter + what religious hypothesis, provided, if they wish to appear in the right, + that they build their fancy upon acquired certainties. Everything which is + raised on proven error falls. However, although religious feeling persists + among mankind, although the need of religion may be eternal, it by no + means follows that Catholicism is eternal, for it is, after all, but one + form of religion, which other forms preceded and which others will follow. + Religions may disappear, but religious feeling will create new ones even + with the help of Science. Pierre thought of that alleged repulse of + Science by the present-day awakening of mysticism, the causes of which he + had indicated in his book: the discredit into which the idea of liberty + has fallen among the people, duped in the last social reorganisation, and + the uneasiness of the <i>élite</i>, in despair at the void in which their + liberated minds and enlarged intelligences have left them. It is the + anguish of the Unknown springing up again; but it is also only a natural + and momentary reaction after so much labour, on finding that Science does + not yet calm our thirst for justice, our desire for security, or our + ancient idea of an eternal after-life of enjoyment. In order, however, + that Catholicism might be born anew, as some seem to think it will be, the + social soil would have to change, and it cannot change; it no longer + possesses the sap needful for the renewal of a decaying formula which + schools and laboratories destroy more and more each day. The ground is + other than it once was, a different oak must spring from it. May Science + therefore have her religion, for such a religion will soon be the only one + possible for the coming democracies, for the nations, whose knowledge ever + increases whilst their Catholic faith is already nought but dust. + </p> + <p> + And all at once, by way of conclusion, Pierre bethought himself of the + idiocy of the Congregation of the Index. It had condemned his book, and + would surely condemn the other one that he had thought of, should he ever + write it. A fine piece of work truly! To fall tooth and nail on the poor + books of an enthusiastic dreamer, in which chimera contended with chimera! + Yet the Congregation was so foolish as not to interdict that little book + which he held in his hands, that humble book which alone was to be feared, + which was the ever triumphant enemy that would surely overthrow the + Church. Modest it was in its cheap “get up” as a school manual, but that + did not matter: danger began with the very alphabet, increased as + knowledge was acquired, and burst forth with those <i>resumes</i> of the + physical, chemical, and natural sciences which bring the very Creation, as + described by Holy Writ, into question. However, the Index dared not + attempt to suppress those humble volumes, those terrible soldiers of + truth, those destroyers of faith. What was the use, then, of all the money + which Leo XIII drew from his hidden treasure of the Peter’s Pence to + subvention Catholic schools, with the thought of forming the believing + generations which the papacy needed to enable it to conquer? What was the + use of that precious money if it was only to serve for the purchase of + similar insignificant yet formidable volumes, which could never be + sufficiently “cooked” and expurgated, but would always contain too much + Science, that growing Science which one day would blow up both Vatican and + St. Peter’s? Ah! that idiotic and impotent Index, what wretchedness and + what derision! + </p> + <p> + Then, when Pierre had placed Théophile Morin’s book in his valise, he once + more returned to the window, and while leaning out, beheld an + extraordinary vision. Under the cloudy, coppery sky, in the mild and + mournful night, patches of wavy mist had risen, hiding many of the + house-roofs with trailing shreds which looked like shrouds. Entire + edifices had disappeared, and he imagined that the times were at last + accomplished, and that truth had at last destroyed St. Peter’s dome. In a + hundred or a thousand years, it would be like that, fallen, obliterated + from the black sky. One day, already, he had felt it tottering and + cracking beneath him, and had foreseen that this temple of Catholicism + would fall even as Jove’s temple had fallen on the Capitol. And it was + over now, the dome had strewn the ground with fragments, and all that + remained standing, in addition to a portion of the apse, where five + columns of the central nave, still upholding a shred of entablature, and + four cyclopean buttress-piers on which the dome had rested—piers + which still arose, isolated and superb, looking indestructible among all + the surrounding downfall. But a denser mist flowed past, another thousand + years no doubt went by, and then nothing whatever remained. The apse, the + last pillars, the giant piers themselves were felled! The wind had swept + away their dust, and it would have been necessary to search the soil + beneath the brambles and the nettles to find a few fragments of broken + statues, marbles with mutilated inscriptions, on the sense of which + learned men were unable to agree. And, as formerly, on the Capitol, among + the buried remnants of Jupiter’s temple, goats strayed and climbed through + the solitude, browsing upon the bushes, amidst the deep silence of the + oppressive summer sunlight, which only the buzzing flies disturbed. + </p> + <p> + Then, only then, did Pierre feel the supreme collapse within him. It was + really all over, Science was victorious, nothing of the old world + remained. What use would it be then to become the great schismatic, the + reformer who was awaited? Would it not simply mean the building up of a + new dream? Only the eternal struggle of Science against the Unknown, the + searching, pursuing inquiry which incessantly moderated man’s thirst for + the divine, now seemed to him of import, leaving him waiting to know if + she would ever triumph so completely as to suffice mankind, by satisfying + all its wants. And in the disaster which had overcome his apostolic + enthusiasm, in presence of all those ruins, having lost his faith, and + even his hope of utilising old Catholicism for social and moral salvation, + there only remained reason that held him up. She had at one moment given + way. If he had dreamt that book, and had just passed through that terrible + crisis, it was because sentiment had once again overcome reason within + him. It was his mother, so to say, who had wept in his heart, who had + filled him with an irresistible desire to relieve the wretched and prevent + the massacres which seemed near at hand; and his passion for charity had + thus swept aside the scruples of his intelligence. But it was his father’s + voice that he now heard, lofty and bitter reason which, though it had + fled, at present came back in all sovereignty. As he had done already + after Lourdes, he protested against the glorification of the absurd and + the downfall of common sense. Reason alone enabled him to walk erect and + firm among the remnants of the old beliefs, even amidst the obscurities + and failures of Science. Ah! Reason, it was through her alone that he + suffered, through her alone that he could content himself, and he swore + that he would now always seek to satisfy her, even if in doing so he + should lose his happiness. + </p> + <p> + At that moment it would have been vain for him to ask what he ought to do. + Everything remained in suspense, the world stretched before him still + littered with the ruins of the past, of which, to-morrow, it would perhaps + be rid. Yonder, in that dolorous faubourg of Paris, he would find good + Abbé Rose, who but a few days previously had written begging him to return + and tend, love, and save his poor, since Rome, so dazzling from afar, was + dead to charity. And around the good and peaceful old priest he would find + the ever growing flock of wretched ones; the little fledglings who had + fallen from their nests, and whom he found pale with hunger and shivering + with cold; the households of abominable misery in which the father drank + and the mother became a prostitute, while the sons and the daughters sank + into vice and crime; the dwellings, too, through which famine swept, where + all was filth and shameful promiscuity, where there was neither furniture + nor linen, nothing but purely animal life. And then there would also come + the cold blasts of winter, the disasters of slack times, the hurricanes of + consumption carrying off the weak, whilst the strong clenched their fists + and dreamt of vengeance. One evening, too, perhaps, he might again enter + some room of horror and find that another mother had killed herself and + her five little ones, her last-born in her arms clinging to her drained + breast, and the others scattered over the bare tiles, at last contented, + feeling hunger no more, now that they were dead! But no, no, such awful + things were no longer possible: such black misery conducting to suicide in + the heart of that great city of Paris, which is brimful of wealth, + intoxicated with enjoyment, and flings millions out of window for mere + pleasure! The very foundations of the social edifice were rotten; all + would soon collapse amidst mire and blood. Never before had Pierre so + acutely realised the derisive futility of Charity. And all at once he + became conscious that the long-awaited word, the word which was at last + springing from the great silent multitude, the crushed and gagged people + was <i>Justice</i>! Aye, Justice not Charity! Charity had only served to + perpetuate misery, Justice perhaps would cure it. It was for Justice that + the wretched hungered; an act of Justice alone could sweep away the olden + world so that the new one might be reared. After all, the great silent + multitude would belong neither to Vatican nor to Quirinal, neither to pope + nor to king. If it had covertly growled through the ages in its long, + sometimes mysterious, and sometimes open contest; if it had struggled + betwixt pontiff and emperor who each had wished to retain it for himself + alone, it had only done so in order that it might free itself, proclaim + its resolve to belong to none on the day when it should cry Justice! Would + to-morrow then at last prove that day of Justice and Truth? For his part, + Pierre amidst his anguish—having on one hand that need of the divine + which tortures man, and on the other sovereignty of reason which enables + man to remain erect—was only sure of one thing, that he would keep + his vows, continue a priest, watching over the belief of others though he + could not himself believe, and would thus chastely and honestly follow his + profession, amidst haughty sadness at having been unable to renounce his + intelligence in the same way as he had renounced his flesh and his dream + of saving the nations. And again, as after Lourdes, he would wait. + </p> + <p> + So deeply was he plunged in reflection at that window, face to face with + the mist which seemed to be destroying the dark edifices of Rome, that he + did not hear himself called. At last, however, he felt a tap on the + shoulder: “Monsieur l’Abbé!” And then as he turned he saw Victorine, who + said to him: “It is half-past nine; the cab is there. Giacomo has already + taken your luggage down. You must come away, Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + Then seeing him blink, still dazed as it were, she smiled and added: “You + were bidding Rome goodbye. What a frightful sky there is.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, frightful,” was his reply. + </p> + <p> + Then they descended the stairs. He had handed her a hundred-franc note to + be shared between herself and the other servants. And she apologised for + going down before him with the lamp, explaining that the old palace was so + dark that evening one could scarcely see. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that departure, that last descent through the black and empty mansion, + it quite upset Pierre’s heart. He gave his room that glance of farewell + which always saddened him, even when he was leaving a spot where he had + suffered. Then, on passing Don Vigilio’s chamber, whence there only came a + quivering silence, he pictured the secretary with his head buried in his + pillows, holding his breath for fear lest he should speak and attract + vengeance. But it was in particular on the second and first floor + landings, on passing the closed doors of Donna Serafina and the Cardinal, + that Pierre quivered with apprehension at hearing nothing but the silence + of the grave. And as he followed Victorine, who, lamp in hand, was still + descending, he thought of the brother and sister who were left alone in + the ruined palace, last relics of a world which had half passed away. All + hope of life had departed with Benedetta and Dario, no resurrection could + come from that old maid and that priest who was bound to chastity. Ah! + those interminable and lugubrious passages, that frigid and gigantic + staircase which seemed to descend into nihility, those huge halls with + cracking walls where all was wretchedness and abandonment! And that inner + court, looking like a cemetery with its weeds and its damp porticus, where + remnants of Apollos and Venuses were rotting! And the little deserted + garden, fragrant with ripe oranges, whither nobody now would ever stray, + where none would ever meet that adorable Contessina under the laurels near + the sarcophagus! All was now annihilated in abominable mourning, in a + death-like silence, amidst which the two last Boccaneras must wait, in + savage grandeur, till their palace should fall about their heads. Pierre + could only just detect a faint sound, the gnawing of a mouse perhaps, + unless it were caused by Abbé Paparelli attacking the walls of some + out-of-the-way rooms, preying on the old edifice down below, so as to + hasten its fall. + </p> + <p> + The cab stood at the door, already laden with the luggage, the box beside + the driver, the valise on the seat; and the priest at once got in. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! You have plenty of time,” said Victorine, who had remained on the + foot-pavement. “Nothing has been forgotten. I’m glad to see you go off + comfortably.” + </p> + <p> + And indeed at that last moment Pierre was comforted by the presence of + that worthy woman, his compatriot, who had greeted him on his arrival and + now attended his departure. “I won’t say ‘till we meet again,’ Monsieur + l’Abbé,” she exclaimed, “for I don’t fancy that you’ll soon be back in + this horrid city. Good-bye, Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + “Good-bye, Victorine, and thank you with all my heart.” + </p> + <p> + The cab was already going off at a fast trot, turning into the narrow + sinuous street which leads to the Corso Vittoria Emanuele. It was not + raining and so the hood had not been raised, but although the damp + atmosphere was comparatively mild, Pierre at once felt a chill. However, + he was unwilling to stop the driver, a silent fellow whose only desire + seemingly was to get rid of his fare as soon as possible. When the cab + came out into the Corso Vittoria Emanuele, the young man was astonished to + find it already quite deserted, the houses shut, the footways bare, and + the electric lamps burning all alone in melancholy solitude. In truth, + however, the temperature was far from warm and the fog seemed to be + increasing, hiding the house-fronts more and more. When Pierre passed the + Cancelleria, that stern colossal pile seemed to him to be receding, fading + away; and farther on, upon the right, at the end of the Via di Ara Coeli, + starred by a few smoky gas lamps, the Capitol had quite vanished in the + gloom. Then the thoroughfare narrowed, and the cab went on between the + dark heavy masses of the Gesù and the Altieri palace; and there in that + contracted passage, where even on fine sunny days one found all the + dampness of old times, the quivering priest yielded to a fresh train of + thought. It was an idea which had sometimes made him feel anxious, the + idea that mankind, starting from over yonder in Asia, had always marched + onward with the sun. An east wind had always carried the human seed for + future harvest towards the west. And for a long while now the cradle of + humanity had been stricken with destruction and death, as if indeed the + nations could only advance by stages, leaving exhausted soil, ruined + cities, and degenerate populations behind, as they marched from orient to + occident, towards their unknown goal. Nineveh and Babylon on the banks of + the Euphrates, Thebes and Memphis on the banks of the Nile, had been + reduced to dust, sinking from old age and weariness into a deadly numbness + beyond possibility of awakening. Then decrepitude had spread to the shores + of the great Mediterranean lake, burying both Tyre and Sidon with dust, + and afterwards striking Carthage with senility whilst it yet seemed in + full splendour. In this wise as mankind marched on, carried by the hidden + forces of civilisation from east to west, it marked each day’s journey + with ruins; and how frightful was the sterility nowadays displayed by the + cradle of History, that Asia and that Egypt, which had once more lapsed + into childhood, immobilised in ignorance and degeneracy amidst the ruins + of ancient cities that once had been queens of the world! + </p> + <p> + It was thus Pierre reflected as the cab rolled on. Still he was not + unconscious of his surroundings. As he passed the Palazzo di Venezia it + seemed to him to be crumbling beneath some assault of the invisible, for + the mist had already swept away its battlements, and the lofty, bare, + fearsome walls looked as if they were staggering from the onslaught of the + growing darkness. And after passing the deep gap of the Corso, which was + also deserted amidst the pallid radiance of its electric lights, the + Palazzo Torlonia appeared on the right-hand, with one wing ripped open by + the picks of demolishers, whilst on the left, farther up, the Palazzo + Colonna showed its long, mournful façade and closed windows, as if, now + that it was deserted by its masters and void of its ancient pomp, it + awaited the demolishers in its turn. + </p> + <p> + Then, as the cab at a slower pace began to climb the ascent of the Via + Nazionale, Pierre’s reverie continued. Was not Rome also stricken, had not + the hour come for her to disappear amidst that destruction which the + nations on the march invariably left behind them? Greece, Athens, and + Sparta slumbered beneath their glorious memories, and were of no account + in the world of to-day. Moreover, the growing paralysis had already + invaded the lower portion of the Italic peninsula; and after Naples + certainly came the turn of Rome. She was on the very margin of the death + spot which ever extends over the old continent, that margin where agony + begins, where the impoverished soil will no longer nourish and support + cities, where men themselves seem stricken with old age as soon as they + are born. For two centuries Rome had been declining, withdrawing little by + little from modern life, having neither manufactures nor trade, and being + incapable even of science, literature, or art. And in Pierre’s thoughts it + was no longer St. Peter’s only that fell, but all Rome—basilicas, + palaces, and entire districts—which collapsed amidst a supreme + rending, and covered the seven hills with a chaos of ruins. Like Nineveh + and Babylon, and like Thebes and Memphis, Rome became but a plain, bossy + with remnants, amidst which one vainly sought to identify the sites of + ancient edifices, whilst its sole denizens were coiling serpents and bands + of rats. + </p> + <p> + The cab turned, and on the right, in a huge gap of darkness Pierre + recognised Trajan’s column, but it was no longer gilded by the sun as when + he had first seen it; it now rose up blackly like the dead trunk of a + giant tree whose branches have fallen from old age. And farther on, when + he raised his eyes while crossing the little triangular piazza, and + perceived a real tree against the leaden sky, that parasol pine of the + Villa Aldobrandini which rises there like a symbol of Rome’s grace and + pride, it seemed to him but a smear, a little cloud of soot ascending from + the downfall of the whole city. + </p> + <p> + With the anxious, fraternal turn of his feelings, fear was coming over him + as he reached the end of his tragic dream. When the numbness which spreads + across the aged world should have passed Rome, when Lombardy should have + yielded to it, and Genoa, Turin, and Milan should have fallen asleep as + Venice has fallen already, then would come the turn of France. The Alps + would be crossed, Marseilles, like Tyre and Sidon, would see its port + choked up by sand, Lyons would sink into desolation and slumber, and at + last Paris, invaded by the invincible torpor, and transformed into a + sterile waste of stones bristling with nettles, would join Rome and + Nineveh and Babylon in death, whilst the nations continued their march + from orient to occident following the sun. A great cry sped through the + gloom, the death cry of the Latin races! History, which seemed to have + been born in the basin of the Mediterranean, was being transported + elsewhere, and the ocean had now become the centre of the world. How many + hours of the human day had gone by? Had mankind, starting from its cradle + over yonder at daybreak, strewing its road with ruins from stage to stage, + now accomplished one-half of its day and reached the dazzling hour of + noon? If so, then the other half of the day allotted to it was beginning, + the new world was following the old one, the new world of those American + cities where democracy was forming and the religion of to-morrow was + sprouting, those sovereign queens of the coming century, with yonder, + across another ocean, on the other side of the globe, that motionless Far + East, mysterious China and Japan, and all the threatening swarm of the + yellow races. + </p> + <p> + However, while the cab climbed higher and higher up the Via Nazionale, + Pierre felt his nightmare dissipating. There was here a lighter + atmosphere, and he came back into a renewal of hope and courage. Yet the + Banca d’Italia, with its brand-new ugliness, its chalky hugeness, looked + to him like a phantom in a shroud; whilst above a dim expanse of gardens + the Quirinal formed but a black streak barring the heavens. However, the + street ever ascended and broadened, and on the summit of the Viminal, on + the Piazza delle Terme, when he passed the ruins of Diocletian’s baths, he + could breathe as his lungs listed. No, no, the human day could not finish, + it was eternal, and the stages of civilisation would follow and follow + without end! What mattered that eastern wind which carried the nations + towards the west, as if borne on by the power of the sun! If necessary, + they would return across the other side of the globe, they would again and + again make the circuit of the earth, until the day should come when they + could establish themselves in peace, truth, and justice. After the next + civilisation on the shores of the Atlantic, which would become the world’s + centre, skirted by queenly cities, there would spring up yet another + civilisation, having the Pacific for its centre, with seaport capitals + that could not be yet foreseen, whose germs yet slumbered on unknown + shores. And in like way there would be still other civilisations and still + others! And at that last moment, the inspiriting thought came to Pierre + that the great movement of the nations was the instinct, the need which + impelled them to return to unity. Originating in one sole family, + afterwards parted and dispersed in tribes, thrown into collision by + fratricidal hatred, their tendency was none the less to become one sole + family again. The provinces united in nations, the nations would unite in + races, and the races would end by uniting in one immortal mankind—mankind + at last without frontiers, or possibility of wars, mankind living by just + labour amidst an universal commonwealth. Was not this indeed the + evolution, the object of the labour progressing everywhere, the finish + reserved to History? Might Italy then become a strong and healthy nation, + might concord be established between her and France, and might that + fraternity of the Latin races become the beginning of universal + fraternity! Ah! that one fatherland, the whole earth pacified and happy, + in how many centuries would that come—and what a dream! + </p> + <p> + Then, on reaching the station the scramble prevented Pierre from thinking + any further. He had to take his ticket and register his luggage, and + afterwards he at once climbed into the train. At dawn on the next day but + one, he would be back in Paris. + </p> + <p> + END + </p> + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="book03"></a> + PARIS + </h2> + + <h3> + FROM THE THREE CITIES + </h3> + + <h2> + By Émile Zola + </h2> + + <h3> + Translated By Ernest A. Vizetelly + </h3> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol11"></a> + BOOK I. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="pref03"></a> + TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE + </h2> + <p> + WITH the present work M. Zola completes the “Trilogy of the Three Cities,” + which he began with “Lourdes” and continued with “Rome”; and thus the + adventures and experiences of Abbé Pierre Froment, the doubting Catholic + priest who failed to find faith at the miraculous grotto by the Cave, and + hope amidst the crumbling theocracy of the Vatican, are here brought to + what, from M. Zola’s point of view, is their logical conclusion. From the + first pages of “Lourdes,” many readers will have divined that Abbé Froment + was bound to finish as he does, for, frankly, no other finish was possible + from a writer of M. Zola’s opinions. + </p> + <p> + Taking the Trilogy as a whole, one will find that it is essentially + symbolical. Abbé Froment is Man, and his struggles are the struggles + between Religion, as personified by the Roman Catholic Church, on the one + hand, and Reason and Life on the other. In the Abbé’s case the victory + ultimately rests with the latter; and we may take it as being M. Zola’s + opinion that the same will eventually be the case with the great bulk of + mankind. English writers are often accused of treating subjects from an + insular point of view, and certainly there may be good ground for such a + charge. But they are not the only writers guilty of the practice. The + purview of French authors is often quite as limited: they regard French + opinion as the only good opinion, and judge the rest of the world by their + own standard. In the present case, if we leave the world and mankind + generally on one side, and apply M. Zola’s facts and theories to France + alone, it will be found, I think, that he has made out a remarkably good + case for himself. For it is certain that Catholicism, I may say + Christianity, is fast crumbling in France. There may be revivals in + certain limited circles, efforts of the greatest energy to prop up the + tottering edifice by a “rallying” of believers to the democratic cause, + and by a kindling of the most bitter anti-Semitic warfare; but all these + revivals and efforts, although they are extremely well-advertised and + create no little stir, produce very little impression on the bulk of the + population. So far as France is concerned, the policy of Leo XIII. seems + to have come too late. The French masses regard Catholicism or + Christianity, whichever one pleases, as a religion of death,—a + religion which, taking its stand on the text “There shall always be poor + among you,” condemns them to toil and moil in poverty and distress their + whole life long, with no other consolation than the promise of happiness + in heaven. And, on the other hand, they see the ministers of the Deity, + “whose kingdom is not of this world,” supporting the wealthy and powerful, + and striving to secure wealth and power for themselves. Charity exists, of + course, but the masses declare that it is no remedy; they do not ask for + doles, they ask for Justice. It is largely by reason of all this that + Socialism and Anarchism have made such great strides in France of recent + years. Robespierre, as will be remembered, once tried to suppress + Christianity altogether, and for a time certainly there was a virtually + general cessation of religious observances in France. But no such Reign of + Terror prevails there to-day. Men are perfectly free to believe if they + are inclined to do so; and yet never were there fewer religious marriages, + fewer baptisms or smaller congregations in the French churches. I refer + not merely to Paris and other large cities, but to the smaller towns, and + even the little hamlets of many parts. Old village priests, men practising + what they teach and possessed of the most loving, benevolent hearts, have + told me with tears in their eyes of the growing infidelity of their + parishioners. + </p> + <p> + I have been studying this matter for some years, and write without + prejudice, merely setting down what I believe to be the truth. Of course + we are all aware that the most stupendous efforts are being made by the + Catholic clergy and zealous believers to bring about a revival of the + faith, and certainly in some circles there has been a measure of success. + But the reconversion of a nation is the most formidable of tasks; and, in + my own opinion, as in M. Zola’s, France as a whole is lost to the + Christian religion. On this proposition, combined with a second one, + namely, that even as France as a nation will be the first to discard + Christianity, so she will be the first to promulgate a new faith based on + reason, science and the teachings of life, is founded the whole argument + of M. Zola’s Trilogy. + </p> + <p> + Having thus dealt with the Trilogy’s religious aspects, I would now speak + of “Paris,” its concluding volume. This is very different from “Lourdes” + and “Rome.” Whilst recounting the struggles and fate of Abbé Froment and + his brother Guillaume, and entering largely into the problem of Capital + and Labour, which problem has done so much to turn the masses away from + Christianity, it contains many an interesting and valuable picture of the + Parisian world at the close of the nineteenth century. It is no guide-book + to Paris; but it paints the city’s social life, its rich and poor, its + scandals and crimes, its work and its pleasures. Among the households to + which the reader is introduced are those of a banker, an aged Countess of + the old <i>noblesse</i>, a cosmopolitan Princess, of a kind that Paris + knows only too well, a scientist, a manufacturer, a working mechanician, a + priest, an Anarchist, a petty clerk and an actress of a class that so + often dishonours the French stage. Science and art and learning and + religion, all have their representatives. Then, too, the political world + is well to the front. There are honest and unscrupulous Ministers of + State, upright and venal deputies, enthusiastic and cautious candidates + for power, together with social theoreticians of various schools. And the + <i>blasé</i>, weak-minded man of fashion is here, as well as the young + “symbolist” of perverted, degraded mind. The women are of all types, from + the most loathsome to the most lovable. Then, too, the journalists are + portrayed in such life-like fashion that I might give each of them his + real name. And journalism, Parisian journalism, is flagellated, shown as + it really is,—if just a few well-conducted organs be excepted,—that + is, venal and impudent, mendacious and even petty. + </p> + <p> + The actual scenes depicted are quite as kaleidoscopic as are the + characters in their variety. We enter the banker’s gilded saloon and the + hovel of the pauper, the busy factory, the priest’s retired home and the + laboratory of the scientist. We wait in the lobbies of the Chamber of + Deputies, and afterwards witness “a great debate”; we penetrate into the + private sanctum of a Minister of the Interior; we attend a fashionable + wedding at the Madeleine and a first performance at the Comédie Française; + we dine at the Cafe Anglais and listen to a notorious vocalist in a low + music hall at Montmartre; we pursue an Anarchist through the Bois de + Boulogne; we slip into the Assize Court and see that Anarchist tried + there; we afterwards gaze upon his execution by the guillotine; we are + also on the boulevards when the lamps are lighted for a long night of + revelry, and we stroll along the quiet streets in the small hours of the + morning, when crime and homeless want are prowling round. + </p> + <p> + And ever the scene changes; the whole world of Paris passes before one. + Yet the book, to my thinking, is far less descriptive than analytical. The + souls of the principal characters are probed to their lowest depths. Many + of the scenes, too, are intensely dramatic, admirably adapted for the + stage; as, for instance, Baroness Duvillard’s interview with her daughter + in the chapter which I have called “The Rivals.” And side by side with + baseness there is heroism, while beauty of the flesh finds its counterpart + in beauty of the mind. M. Zola has often been reproached for showing us + the vileness of human nature; and no doubt such vileness may be found in + “Paris,” but there are contrasting pictures. If some of M. Zola’s + characters horrify the reader, there are others that the latter can but + admire. Life is compounded of good and evil, and unfortunately it is + usually the evil that makes the most noise and attracts the most + attention. Moreover, in M. Zola’s case, it has always been his purpose to + expose the evils from which society suffers in the hope of directing + attention to them and thereby hastening a remedy, and thus, in the course + of his works, he could not do otherwise than drag the whole frightful mass + of human villany and degradation into the full light of day. But if there + are, again, black pages in “Paris,” others, bright and comforting, will be + found near them. And the book ends in no pessimist strain. Whatever may be + thought of the writer’s views on religion, most readers will, I imagine, + agree with his opinion that, despite much social injustice, much crime, + vice, cupidity and baseness, we are ever marching on to better things. + </p> + <p> + In the making of the coming, though still far-away, era of truth and + justice, Paris, he thinks, will play the leading part, for whatever the + stains upon her, they are but surface-deep; her heart remains good and + sound; she has genius and courage and energy and wit and fancy. She can be + generous, too, when she chooses, and more than once her ideas have + irradiated the world. Thus M. Zola hopes much from her, and who will + gainsay him? Not I, who can apply to her the words which Byron addressed + to the home of my own and M. Zola’s forefathers:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “I loved her from my boyhood; she to me + Was as a fairy city of the heart.” + </pre> + <p> + Thus I can but hope that Paris, where I learnt the little I know, where I + struggled and found love and happiness, whose every woe and disaster and + triumph I have shared for over thirty years, may, however dark the clouds + that still pass over her, some day fully justify M. Zola’s confidence, and + bring to pass his splendid dream of perfect truth and perfect justice. + </p> + <p> + E. A. V. MERTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, + </p> + <p> + Feb. 5, 1898. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap42"></a> + I. THE PRIEST AND THE POOR + </h2> + <p> + THAT morning, one towards the end of January, Abbé Pierre Froment, who had + a mass to say at the Sacred Heart at Montmartre, was on the height, in + front of the basilica, already at eight o’clock. And before going in he + gazed for a moment upon the immensity of Paris spread out below him. + </p> + <p> + After two months of bitter cold, ice and snow, the city was steeped in a + mournful, quivering thaw. From the far-spreading, leaden-hued heavens a + thick mist fell like a mourning shroud. All the eastern portion of the + city, the abodes of misery and toil, seemed submerged beneath ruddy steam, + amid which the panting of workshops and factories could be divined; while + westwards, towards the districts of wealth and enjoyment, the fog broke + and lightened, becoming but a fine and motionless veil of vapour. The + curved line of the horizon could scarcely be divined, the expanse of + houses, which nothing bounded, appeared like a chaos of stone, studded + with stagnant pools, which filled the hollows with pale steam; whilst + against them the summits of the edifices, the housetops of the loftier + streets, showed black like soot. It was a Paris of mystery, shrouded by + clouds, buried as it were beneath the ashes of some disaster, already + half-sunken in the suffering and the shame of that which its immensity + concealed. + </p> + <p> + Thin and sombre in his flimsy cassock, Pierre was looking on when Abbé + Rose, who seemed to have sheltered himself behind a pillar of the porch on + purpose to watch for him, came forward: “Ah! it’s you at last, my dear + child,” said he, “I have something to ask you.” + </p> + <p> + He seemed embarrassed and anxious, and glanced round distrustfully to make + sure that nobody was near. Then, as if the solitude thereabouts did not + suffice to reassure him, he led Pierre some distance away, through the + icy, biting wind, which he himself did not seem to feel. “This is the + matter,” he resumed, “I have been told that a poor fellow, a former + house-painter, an old man of seventy, who naturally can work no more, is + dying of hunger in a hovel in the Rue des Saules. So, my dear child, I + thought of you. I thought you would consent to take him these three francs + from me, so that he may at least have some bread to eat for a few days.” + </p> + <p> + “But why don’t you take him your alms yourself?” + </p> + <p> + At this Abbé Rose again grew anxious, and cast vague, frightened glances + about him. “Oh, no, oh, no!” he said, “I can no longer do that after all + the worries that have befallen me. You know that I am watched, and should + get another scolding if I were caught giving alms like this, scarcely + knowing to whom I give them. It is true that I had to sell something to + get these three francs. But, my dear child, render me this service, I pray + you.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, with heart oppressed, stood contemplating the old priest, whose + locks were quite white, whose full lips spoke of infinite kindliness, and + whose eyes shone clear and childlike in his round and smiling face. And he + bitterly recalled the story of that lover of the poor, the semi-disgrace + into which he had fallen through the sublime candour of his charitable + goodness. His little ground-floor of the Rue de Charonne, which he had + turned into a refuge where he offered shelter to all the wretchedness of + the streets, had ended by giving cause for scandal. His <i>naïveté</i> and + innocence had been abused; and abominable things had gone on under his + roof without his knowledge. Vice had turned the asylum into a + meeting-place; and at last, one night, the police had descended upon it to + arrest a young girl accused of infanticide. Greatly concerned by this + scandal, the diocesan authorities had forced Abbé Rose to close his + shelter, and had removed him from the church of Ste. Marguerite to that of + St. Pierre of Montmartre, where he now again acted as curate. Truth to + tell, it was not a disgrace but a removal to another spot. However, he had + been scolded and was watched, as he said; and he was much ashamed of it, + and very unhappy at being only able to give alms by stealth, much like + some harebrained prodigal who blushes for his faults. + </p> + <p> + Pierre took the three francs. “I promise to execute your commission, my + friend, oh! with all my heart,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “You will go after your mass, won’t you? His name is Laveuve, he lives in + the Rue des Saules in a house with a courtyard, just before reaching the + Rue Marcadet. You are sure to find it. And if you want to be very kind you + will tell me of your visit this evening at five o’clock, at the Madeleine, + where I am going to hear Monseigneur Martha’s address. He has been so good + to me! Won’t you also come to hear him?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre made an evasive gesture. Monseigneur Martha, Bishop of Persepolis + and all powerful at the archiepiscopal palace, since, like the genial + propagandist he was, he had been devoting himself to increasing the + subscriptions for the basilica of the Sacred Heart, had indeed supported + Abbé Rose; in fact, it was by his influence that the abbé had been kept in + Paris, and placed once more at St. Pierre de Montmartre. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know if I shall be able to hear the address,” said Pierre, “but + in any case I will go there to meet you.” + </p> + <p> + The north wind was blowing, and the gloomy cold penetrated both of them on + that deserted summit amidst the fog which changed the vast city into a + misty ocean. However, some footsteps were heard, and Abbé Rose, again + mistrustful, saw a man go by, a tall and sturdy man, who wore clogs and + was bareheaded, showing his thick and closely-cut white hair. “Is not that + your brother?” asked the old priest. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had not stirred. “Yes, it is my brother Guillaume,” he quietly + responded. “I have found him again since I have been coming occasionally + to the Sacred Heart. He owns a house close by, where he has been living + for more than twenty years, I think. When we meet we shake hands, but I + have never even been to his house. Oh! all is quite dead between us, we + have nothing more in common, we are parted by worlds.” + </p> + <p> + Abbé Rose’s tender smile again appeared, and he waved his hand as if to + say that one must never despair of love. Guillaume Froment, a savant of + lofty intelligence, a chemist who lived apart from others, like one who + rebelled against the social system, was now a parishioner of the abbé’s, + and when the latter passed the house where Guillaume lived with his three + sons—a house all alive with work—he must often have dreamt of + leading him back to God. + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear child,” he resumed, “I am keeping you here in this dark + cold, and you are not warm. Go and say your mass. Till this evening, at + the Madeleine.” Then, in entreating fashion, after again making sure that + none could hear them, he added, still with the air of a child at fault: + “And not a word to anybody about my little commission—it would again + be said that I don’t know how to conduct myself.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre watched the old priest as he went off towards the Rue Cartot, where + he lived on a damp ground-floor, enlivened by a strip of garden. The veil + of disaster, which was submerging Paris, now seemed to grow thicker under + the gusts of the icy north wind. And at last Pierre entered the basilica, + his heart upset, overflowing with the bitterness stirred up by the + recollection of Abbé Rose’s story—that bankruptcy of charity, the + frightful irony of a holy man punished for bestowing alms, and hiding + himself that he might still continue to bestow them. Nothing could calm + the smart of the wound reopened in Pierre’s heart—neither the warm + peacefulness into which he entered, nor the silent solemnity of the broad, + deep fabric, whose new stonework was quite bare, without a single painting + or any kind of decoration; the nave being still half-barred by the + scaffoldings which blocked up the unfinished dome. At that early hour the + masses of entreaty had already been said at several altars, under the grey + light falling from the high and narrow windows, and the tapers of entreaty + were burning in the depths of the apse. So Pierre made haste to go to the + sacristy, there to assume his vestments in order that he might say his + mass in the chapel of St. Vincent de Paul. + </p> + <p> + But the floodgates of memory had been opened, and he had no thought but + for his distress whilst, in mechanical fashion, he performed the rites and + made the customary gestures. Since his return from Rome three years + previously, he had been living in the very worst anguish that can fall on + man. At the outset, in order to recover his lost faith, he had essayed a + first experiment: he had gone to Lourdes, there to seek the innocent + belief of the child who kneels and prays, the primitive faith of young + nations bending beneath the terror born of ignorance; but he had rebelled + yet more than ever in presence of what he had witnessed at Lourdes: that + glorification of the absurd, that collapse of common sense; and was + convinced that salvation, the peace of men and nations nowadays, could not + lie in that puerile relinquishment of reason. And afterwards, again + yielding to the need of loving whilst yet allowing reason, so hard to + satisfy, her share in his intellect, he had staked his final peace on a + second experiment, and had gone to Rome to see if Catholicism could there + be renewed, could revert to the spirit of primitive Christianity and + become the religion of the democracy, the faith which the modern world, + upheaving and in danger of death, was awaiting in order to calm down and + live. And he had found there naught but ruins, the rotted trunk of a tree + that could never put forth another springtide; and he had heard there + naught but the supreme rending of the old social edifice, near to its + fall. Then it was, that, relapsing into boundless doubt, total negation, + he had been recalled to Paris by Abbé Rose, in the name of their poor, and + had returned thither that he might forget and immolate himself and believe + in them—the poor—since they and their frightful sufferings + alone remained certain. And then it was too, that for three years he came + into contact with that collapse, that very bankruptcy of goodness itself: + charity a derision, charity useless and flouted. + </p> + <p> + Those three years had been lived by Pierre amidst ever-growing torments, + in which his whole being had ended by sinking. His faith was forever dead; + dead, too, even his hope of utilising the faith of the multitudes for the + general salvation. He denied everything, he anticipated nothing but the + final, inevitable catastrophe: revolt, massacre and conflagration, which + would sweep away a guilty and condemned world. Unbelieving priest that he + was, yet watching over the faith of others, honestly, chastely discharging + his duties, full of haughty sadness at the thought that he had been unable + to renounce his mind as he had renounced his flesh and his dream of being + a saviour of the nations, he withal remained erect, full of fierce yet + solitary grandeur. And this despairing, denying priest, who had dived to + the bottom of nothingness, retained such a lofty and grave demeanour, + perfumed by such pure kindness, that in his parish of Neuilly he had + acquired the reputation of being a young saint, one beloved by Providence, + whose prayers wrought miracles. He was but a personification of the rules + of the Church; of the priest he retained only the gestures; he was like an + empty sepulchre in which not even the ashes of hope remained; yet + grief-stricken weeping women worshipped him and kissed his cassock; and it + was a tortured mother whose infant was in danger of death, who had + implored him to come and ask that infant’s cure of Jesus, certain as she + felt that Jesus would grant her the boon in that sanctuary of Montmartre + where blazed the prodigy of His heart, all burning with love. + </p> + <p> + Clad in his vestments, Pierre had reached the chapel of St. Vincent de + Paul. He there ascended the altar-step and began the mass; and when he + turned round with hands spread out to bless the worshippers he showed his + hollow cheeks, his gentle mouth contracted by bitterness, his loving eyes + darkened by suffering. He was no longer the young priest whose countenance + had glowed with tender fever on the road to Lourdes, whose face had been + illumined by apostolic fervour when he started for Rome. The two + hereditary influences which were ever at strife within him—that of + his father to whom he owed his impregnable, towering brow, that of his + mother who had given him his love-thirsting lips, were still waging war, + the whole human battle of sentiment and reason, in that now ravaged face + of his, whither in moments of forgetfulness ascended all the chaos of + internal suffering. The lips still confessed that unquenched thirst for + love, self-bestowal and life, which he well thought he could nevermore + content, whilst the solid brow, the citadel which made him suffer, + obstinately refused to capitulate, whatever might be the assaults of + error. But he stiffened himself, hid the horror of the void in which he + struggled, and showed himself superb, making each gesture, repeating each + word in sovereign fashion. And gazing at him through her tears, the mother + who was there among the few kneeling women, the mother who awaited a + supreme intercession from him, who thought him in communion with Jesus for + the salvation of her child, beheld him radiant with angelic beauty like + some messenger of the divine grace. + </p> + <p> + When, after the offertory, Pierre uncovered the chalice he felt contempt + for himself. The shock had been too great, and he thought of those things + in spite of all. What puerility there had been in his two experiments at + Lourdes and Rome, the <i>naïveté</i> of a poor distracted being, consumed + by desire to love and believe. To have imagined that present-day science + would in his person accommodate itself to the faith of the year One + Thousand, and in particular to have foolishly believed that he, petty + priest that he was, would be able to indoctrinate the Pope and prevail on + him to become a saint and change the face of the world! It all filled him + with shame; how people must have laughed at him! Then, too, his idea of a + schism made him blush. He again beheld himself at Rome, dreaming of + writing a book by which he would violently sever himself from Catholicism + to preach the new religion of the democracies, the purified, human and + living Gospel. But what ridiculous folly! A schism? He had known in Paris + an abbé of great heart and mind who had attempted to bring about that + famous, predicted, awaited schism. Ah! the poor man, the sad, the + ludicrous labour in the midst of universal incredulity, the icy + indifference of some, the mockery and the reviling of others! If Luther + were to come to France in our days he would end, forgotten and dying of + hunger, on a Batignolles fifth-floor. A schism cannot succeed among a + people that no longer believes, that has ceased to take all interest in + the Church, and sets its hope elsewhere. And it was all Catholicism, in + fact all Christianity, that would be swept away, for, apart from certain + moral maxims, the Gospel no longer supplied a possible code for society. + And this conviction increased Pierre’s torment on the days when his + cassock weighed more heavily on his shoulders, when he ended by feeling + contempt for himself at thus celebrating the divine mystery of the mass, + which for him had become but the formula of a dead religion. + </p> + <p> + Having half filled the chalice with wine from the vase, Pierre washed his + hands and again perceived the mother with her face of ardent entreaty. + Then he thought it was for her that, with the charitable leanings of a + vow-bound man, he had remained a priest, a priest without belief, feeding + the belief of others with the bread of illusion. But this heroic conduct, + the haughty spirit of duty in which he imprisoned himself, was not + practised by him without growing anguish. Did not elementary probity + require that he should cast aside the cassock and return into the midst of + men? At certain times the falsity of his position filled him with disgust + for his useless heroism; and he asked himself if it were not cowardly and + dangerous to leave the masses in superstition. Certainly the theory of a + just and vigilant Providence, of a future paradise where all these + sufferings of the world would receive compensation, had long seemed + necessary to the wretchedness of mankind; but what a trap lay in it, what + a pretext for the tyrannical grinding down of nations; and how far more + virile it would be to undeceive the nations, however brutally, and give + them courage to live the real life, even if it were in tears. If they were + already turning aside from Christianity was not this because they needed a + more human ideal, a religion of health and joy which should not be a + religion of death? On the day when the idea of charity should crumble, + Christianity would crumble also, for it was built upon the idea of divine + charity correcting the injustice of fate, and offering future rewards to + those who might suffer in this life. And it was crumbling; for the poor no + longer believed in it, but grew angry at the thought of that deceptive + paradise, with the promise of which their patience had been beguiled so + long, and demanded that their share of happiness should not always be put + off until the morrow of death. A cry for justice arose from every lip, for + justice upon this earth, justice for those who hunger and thirst, whom + alms are weary of relieving after eighteen hundred years of Gospel + teaching, and who still and ever lack bread to eat. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre, with his elbows on the altar, had emptied the chalice after + breaking the sacred wafer, he felt himself sinking into yet greater + distress. And so a third experiment was beginning for him, the supreme + battle of justice against charity, in which his heart and his mind would + struggle together in that great Paris, so full of terrible, unknown + things. The need for the divine still battled within him against + domineering intelligence. How among the masses would one ever be able to + content the thirst for the mysterious? Leaving the <i>élite</i> on one + side, would science suffice to pacify desire, lull suffering, and satisfy + the dream? And what would become of himself in the bankruptcy of that same + charity, which for three years had alone kept him erect by occupying his + every hour, and giving him the illusion of self-devotion, of being useful + to others? It seemed, all at once, as if the ground sank beneath him, and + he heard nothing save the cry of the masses, silent so long, but now + demanding justice, growling and threatening to take their share, which was + withheld from them by force and ruse. Nothing more, it seemed, could delay + the inevitable catastrophe, the fratricidal class warfare that would sweep + away the olden world, which was condemned to disappear beneath the + mountain of its crimes. Every hour with frightful sadness he expected the + collapse, Paris steeped in blood, Paris in flames. And his horror of all + violence froze him; he knew not where to seek the new belief which might + dissipate the peril. Fully conscious, though he was, that the social and + religious problems are but one, and are alone in question in the dreadful + daily labour of Paris, he was too deeply troubled himself, too far removed + from ordinary things by his position as a priest, and too sorely rent by + doubt and powerlessness to tell as yet where might be truth, and health, + and life. Ah! to be healthy and to live, to content at last both heart and + reason in the peace, the certain, simply honest labour, which man has come + to accomplish upon this earth! + </p> + <p> + The mass was finished, and Pierre descended from the altar, when the + weeping mother, near whom he passed, caught hold of a corner of the + chasuble with her trembling hands, and kissed it with wild fervour, as one + may kiss some relic of a saint from whom one expects salvation. She + thanked him for the miracle which he must have accomplished, certain as + she felt that she would find her child cured. And he was deeply stirred by + that love, that ardent faith of hers, in spite of the sudden and yet + keener distress which he felt at being in no wise the sovereign minister + that she thought him, the minister able to obtain a respite from Death. + But he dismissed her consoled and strengthened, and it was with an ardent + prayer that he entreated the unknown but conscious Power to succour the + poor creature. Then, when he had divested himself in the sacristy, and + found himself again out of doors before the basilica, lashed by the keen + wintry wind, a mortal shiver came upon him, and froze him, while through + the mist he looked to see if a whirlwind of anger and justice had not + swept Paris away: that catastrophe which must some day destroy it, leaving + under the leaden heavens only the pestilential quagmire of its ruins. + </p> + <p> + Pierre wished to fulfil Abbé Rose’s commission immediately. He followed + the Rue des Norvins, on the crest of Montmartre; and, reaching the Rue des + Saules, descended by its steep slope, between mossy walls, to the other + side of Paris. The three francs which he was holding in his cassock’s + pocket, filled him at once with gentle emotion and covert anger against + the futility of charity. But as he gradually descended by the sharp + declivities and interminable storeys of steps, the mournful nooks of + misery which he espied took possession of him, and infinite pity wrung his + heart. A whole new district was here being built alongside the broad + thoroughfares opened since the great works of the Sacred Heart had begun. + Lofty middle-class houses were already rising among ripped-up gardens and + plots of vacant land, still edged with palings. And these houses with + their substantial frontages, all new and white, lent a yet more sombre and + leprous aspect to such of the old shaky buildings as remained, the low + pot-houses with blood-coloured walls, the <i>cités</i> of workmen’s + dwellings, those abodes of suffering with black, soiled buildings in which + human cattle were piled. Under the low-hanging sky that day, the pavement, + dented by heavily-laden carts, was covered with mud; the thaw soaked the + walls with an icy dampness, whilst all the filth and destitution brought + terrible sadness to the heart. + </p> + <p> + After going as far as the Rue Marcadet, Pierre retraced his steps; and in + the Rue des Saules, certain that he was not mistaken, he entered the + courtyard of a kind of barracks or hospital, encompassed by three + irregular buildings. This court was a quagmire, where filth must have + accumulated during the two months of terrible frost; and now all was + melting, and an abominable stench arose. The buildings were half falling, + the gaping vestibules looked like cellar holes, strips of paper streaked + the cracked and filthy window-panes, and vile rags hung about like flags + of death. Inside a shanty which served as the door-keeper’s abode Pierre + only saw an infirm man rolled up in a tattered strip of what had once been + a horse-cloth. + </p> + <p> + “You have an old workman named Laveuve here,” said the priest. “Which + staircase is it, which floor?” + </p> + <p> + The man did not answer, but opened his anxious eyes, like a scared idiot. + The door-keeper, no doubt, was in the neighbourhood. For a moment the + priest waited; then seeing a little girl on the other side of the + courtyard, he risked himself, crossed the quagmire on tip-toe, and asked: + “Do you know an old workman named Laveuve in the house, my child?” + </p> + <p> + The little girl, who only had a ragged gown of pink cotton stuff about her + meagre figure, stood there shivering, her hands covered with chilblains. + She raised her delicate face, which looked pretty though nipped by the + cold: “Laveuve,” said she, “no, don’t know, don’t know.” And with the + unconscious gesture of a beggar child she put out one of her poor, numbed + and disfigured hands. Then, when the priest had given her a little bit of + silver, she began to prance through the mud like a joyful goat, singing + the while in a shrill voice: “Don’t know, don’t know.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre decided to follow her. She vanished into one of the gaping + vestibules, and, in her rear, he climbed a dark and fetid staircase, whose + steps were half-broken and so slippery, on account of the vegetable + parings strewn over them, that he had to avail himself of the greasy rope + by which the inmates hoisted themselves upwards. But every door was + closed; he vainly knocked at several of them, and only elicited, at the + last, a stifled growl, as though some despairing animal were confined + within. Returning to the yard, he hesitated, then made his way to another + staircase, where he was deafened by piercing cries, as of a child who is + being butchered. He climbed on hearing this noise and at last found + himself in front of an open room where an infant, who had been left alone, + tied in his little chair, in order that he might not fall, was howling and + howling without drawing breath. Then Pierre went down again, upset, frozen + by the sight of so much destitution and abandonment. + </p> + <p> + But a woman was coming in, carrying three potatoes in her apron, and on + being questioned by him she gazed distrustfully at his cassock. “Laveuve, + Laveuve? I can’t say,” she replied. “If the door-keeper were there, she + might be able to tell you. There are five staircases, you see, and we + don’t all know each other. Besides, there are so many changes. Still try + over there; at the far end.” + </p> + <p> + The staircase at the back of the yard was yet more abominable than the + others, its steps warped, its walls slimy, as if soaked with the sweat of + anguish. At each successive floor the drain-sinks exhaled a pestilential + stench, whilst from every lodging came moans, or a noise of quarrelling, + or some frightful sign of misery. A door swung open, and a man appeared + dragging a woman by the hair whilst three youngsters sobbed aloud. On the + next floor, Pierre caught a glimpse of a room where a young girl in her + teens, racked by coughing, was hastily carrying an infant to and fro to + quiet it, in despair that all the milk of her breast should be exhausted. + Then, in an adjoining lodging, came the poignant spectacle of three + beings, half clad in shreds, apparently sexless and ageless, who, amidst + the dire bareness of their room, were gluttonously eating from the same + earthen pan some pottage which even dogs would have refused. They barely + raised their heads to growl, and did not answer Pierre’s questions. + </p> + <p> + He was about to go down again, when right atop of the stairs, at the entry + of a passage, it occurred to him to make a last try by knocking at the + door. It was opened by a woman whose uncombed hair was already getting + grey, though she could not be more than forty; while her pale lips, and + dim eyes set in a yellow countenance, expressed utter lassitude, the + shrinking, the constant dread of one whom wretchedness has pitilessly + assailed. The sight of Pierre’s cassock disturbed her, and she stammered + anxiously: “Come in, come in, Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + However, a man whom Pierre had not at first seen—a workman also of + some forty years, tall, thin and bald, with scanty moustache and beard of + a washed-out reddish hue—made an angry gesture—a threat as it + were—to turn the priest out of doors. But he calmed himself, sat + down near a rickety table and pretended to turn his back. And as there was + also a child present—a fair-haired girl, eleven or twelve years old, + with a long and gentle face and that intelligent and somewhat aged + expression which great misery imparts to children—he called her to + him, and held her between his knees, doubtless to keep her away from the + man in the cassock. + </p> + <p> + Pierre—whose heart was oppressed by his reception, and who realised + the utter destitution of this family by the sight of the bare, fireless + room, and the distressed mournfulness of its three inmates—decided + all the same to repeat his question: “Madame, do you know an old workman + named Laveuve in the house?” + </p> + <p> + The woman—who now trembled at having admitted him, since it seemed + to displease her man—timidly tried to arrange matters. “Laveuve, + Laveuve? no, I don’t. But Salvat, you hear? Do you know a Laveuve here?” + </p> + <p> + Salvat merely shrugged his shoulders; but the little girl could not keep + her tongue still: “I say, mamma Théodore, it’s p’raps the Philosopher.” + </p> + <p> + “A former house-painter,” continued Pierre, “an old man who is ill and + past work.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore was at once enlightened. “In that case it’s him, it’s him. + We call him the Philosopher, a nickname folks have given him in the + neighbourhood. But there’s nothing to prevent his real name from being + Laveuve.” + </p> + <p> + With one of his fists raised towards the ceiling, Salvat seemed to be + protesting against the abomination of a world and a Providence that + allowed old toilers to die of hunger just like broken-down beasts. + However, he did not speak, but relapsed into the savage, heavy silence, + the bitter meditation in which he had been plunged when the priest + arrived. He was a journeyman engineer, and gazed obstinately at the table + where lay his little leather tool-bag, bulging with something it contained—something, + perhaps, which he had to take back to a work-shop. He might have been + thinking of a long, enforced spell of idleness, of a vain search for any + kind of work during the two previous months of that terrible winter. Or + perhaps it was the coming bloody reprisals of the starvelings that + occupied the fiery reverie which set his large, strange, vague blue eyes + aglow. All at once he noticed that his daughter had taken up the tool-bag + and was trying to open it to see what it might contain. At this he + quivered and at last spoke, his voice kindly, yet bitter with sudden + emotion, which made him turn pale. “Céline, you must leave that alone. I + forbade you to touch my tools,” said he; then taking the bag, he deposited + it with great precaution against the wall behind him. + </p> + <p> + “And so, madame,” asked Pierre, “this man Laveuve lives on this floor?” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore directed a timid, questioning glance at Salvat. She was + not in favour of hustling priests when they took the trouble to call, for + at times there was a little money to be got from them. And when she + realised that Salvat, who had once more relapsed into his black reverie, + left her free to act as she pleased, she at once tendered her services. + “If Monsieur l’Abbé is agreeable, I will conduct him. It’s just at the end + of the passage. But one must know the way, for there are still some steps + to climb.” + </p> + <p> + Céline, finding a pastime in this visit, escaped from her father’s knees + and likewise accompanied the priest. And Salvat remained alone in that den + of poverty and suffering, injustice and anger, without a fire, without + bread, haunted by his burning dream, his eyes again fixed upon his bag, as + if there, among his tools, he possessed the wherewithal to heal the ailing + world. + </p> + <p> + It indeed proved necessary to climb a few more steps; and then, following + Madame Théodore and Céline, Pierre found himself in a kind of narrow + garret under the roof, a loft a few yards square, where one could not + stand erect. There was no window, only a skylight, and as the snow still + covered it one had to leave the door wide open in order that one might + see. And the thaw was entering the place, the melting snow was falling + drop by drop, and coming over the tiled floor. After long weeks of intense + cold, dark dampness rained quivering over all. And there, lacking even a + chair, even a plank, Laveuve lay in a corner on a little pile of filthy + rags spread upon the bare tiles; he looked like some animal dying on a + dung-heap. + </p> + <p> + “There!” said Céline in her sing-song voice, “there he is, that’s the + Philosopher!” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore had bent down to ascertain if he still lived. “Yes, he + breathes; he’s sleeping I think. Oh! if he only had something to eat every + day, he would be well enough. But what would you have? He has nobody left + him, and when one gets to seventy the best is to throw oneself into the + river. In the house-painting line it often happens that a man has to give + up working on ladders and scaffoldings at fifty. He at first found some + work to do on the ground level. Then he was lucky enough to get a job as + night watchman. But that’s over, he’s been turned away from everywhere, + and, for two months now, he’s been lying in this nook waiting to die. The + landlord hasn’t dared to fling him into the street as yet, though not for + want of any inclination that way. We others sometimes bring him a little + wine and a crust, of course; but when one has nothing oneself, how can one + give to others?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, terrified, gazed at that frightful remnant of humanity, that + remnant into which fifty years of toil, misery and social injustice had + turned a man. And he ended by distinguishing Laveuve’s white, worn, + sunken, deformed head. Here, on a human face, appeared all the ruin + following upon hopeless labour. Laveuve’s unkempt beard straggled over his + features, suggesting an old horse that is no longer cropped; his toothless + jaws were quite askew, his eyes were vitreous, and his nose seemed to + plunge into his mouth. But above all else one noticed his resemblance to + some beast of burden, deformed by hard toil, lamed, worn to death, and now + only good for the knackers. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! the poor fellow,” muttered the shuddering priest. “And he is left to + die of hunger, all alone, without any succour? And not a hospital, not an + asylum has given him shelter?” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” resumed Madame Théodore in her sad yet resigned voice, “the + hospitals are built for the sick, and he isn’t sick, he’s simply finishing + off, with his strength at an end. Besides he isn’t always easy to deal + with. People came again only lately to put him in an asylum, but he won’t + be shut up. And he speaks coarsely to those who question him, not to + mention that he has the reputation of liking drink and talking badly about + the gentle-folks. But, thank Heaven, he will now soon be delivered.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had leant forward on seeing Laveuve’s eyes open, and he spoke to + him tenderly, telling him that he had come from a friend with a little + money to enable him to buy what he might most pressingly require. At + first, on seeing Pierre’s cassock, the old man had growled some coarse + words; but, despite his extreme feebleness, he still retained the pert + chaffing spirit of the Parisian artisan: “Well, then, I’ll willingly drink + a drop,” he said distinctly, “and have a bit of bread with it, if there’s + the needful; for I’ve lost taste of both for a couple of days past.” + </p> + <p> + Céline offered her services, and Madame Théodore sent her to fetch a loaf + and a quart of wine with Abbé Rose’s money. And in the interval she told + Pierre how Laveuve was at one moment to have entered the Asylum of the + Invalids of Labour, a charitable enterprise whose lady patronesses were + presided over by Baroness Duvillard. However, the usual regulation + inquiries had doubtless led to such an unfavourable report that matters + had gone no further. + </p> + <p> + “Baroness Duvillard! but I know her, and will go to see her to-day!” + exclaimed Pierre, whose heart was bleeding. “It is impossible for a man to + be left in such circumstances any longer.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Céline came back with the loaf and the wine, the three of them + tried to make Laveuve more comfortable, raised him on his heap of rags, + gave him to eat and to drink, and then left the remainder of the wine and + the loaf—a large four-pound loaf—near him, recommending him to + wait awhile before he finished the bread, as otherwise he might stifle. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé ought to give me his address in case I should have any + news to send him,” said Madame Théodore when she again found herself at + her door. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had no card with him, and so all three went into the room. But + Salvat was no longer alone there. He stood talking in a low voice very + quickly, and almost mouth to mouth, with a young fellow of twenty. The + latter, who was slim and dark, with a sprouting beard and hair cut in + brush fashion, had bright eyes, a straight nose and thin lips set in a + pale and slightly freckled face, betokening great intelligence. With stern + and stubborn brow, he stood shivering in his well-worn jacket. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé wants to leave me his address for the Philosopher’s + affair,” gently explained Madame Théodore, annoyed to find another there + with Salvat. + </p> + <p> + The two men had glanced at the priest and then looked at one another, each + with terrible mien. And they suddenly ceased speaking in the bitter cold + which fell from the ceiling. Then, again with infinite precaution, Salvat + went to take his tool-bag from alongside the wall. + </p> + <p> + “So you are going down, you are again going to look for work?” asked + Madame Théodore. + </p> + <p> + He did not answer, but merely made an angry gesture, as if to say that he + would no longer have anything to do with work since work for so long a + time had not cared to have anything to do with him. + </p> + <p> + “All the same,” resumed the woman, “try to bring something back with you, + for you know there’s nothing. At what time will you be back?” + </p> + <p> + With another gesture he seemed to answer that he would come back when he + could, perhaps never. And tears rising, despite all his efforts, to his + vague, blue, glowing eyes he caught hold of his daughter Céline, kissed + her violently, distractedly, and then went off, with his bag under his + arm, followed by his young companion. + </p> + <p> + “Céline,” resumed Madame Théodore, “give Monsieur l’Abbé your pencil, and, + see, monsieur, seat yourself here, it will be better for writing.” + </p> + <p> + Then, when Pierre had installed himself at the table, on the chair + previously occupied by Salvat, she went on talking, seeking to excuse her + man for his scanty politeness: “He hasn’t a bad heart, but he’s had so + many worries in life that he has become a bit cracked. It’s like that + young man whom you just saw here, Monsieur Victor Mathis. There’s another + for you, who isn’t happy, a young man who was well brought up, who has a + lot of learning, and whose mother, a widow, has only just got the + wherewithal to buy bread. So one can understand it, can’t one? It all + upsets their heads, and they talk of blowing up everybody. For my part + those are not my notions, but I forgive them, oh! willingly enough.” + </p> + <p> + Perturbed, yet interested by all the mystery and vague horror which he + could divine around him, Pierre made no haste to write his address, but + lingered listening, as if inviting confidence. + </p> + <p> + “If you only knew, Monsieur l’Abbé, that poor Salvat was a forsaken child, + without father or mother, and had to scour the roads and try every trade + at first to get a living. Then afterwards he became a mechanician, and a + very good workman, I assure you, very skilful and very painstaking. But he + already had those ideas of his, and quarrelled with people, and tried to + bring his mates over to his views; and so he was unable to stay anywhere. + At last, when he was thirty, he was stupid enough to go to America with an + inventor, who traded on him to such a point that after six years of it he + came back ill and penniless. I must tell you that he had married my + younger sister Léonie, and that she died before he went to America, + leaving him little Céline, who was then only a year old. I was then living + with my husband, Théodore Labitte, a mason; and it’s not to brag that I + say it, but however much I wore out my eyes with needlework he used to + beat me till he left me half-dead on the floor. But he ended by deserting + me and going off with a young woman of twenty, which, after all, caused me + more pleasure than grief. And naturally when Salvat came back he sought me + out and found me alone with his little Céline, whom he had left in my + charge when he went away, and who called me mamma. And we’ve all three + been living together since then—” + </p> + <p> + She became somewhat embarrassed, and then, as if to show that she did not + altogether lack some respectable family connections, she went on to say: + “For my part I’ve had no luck; but I’ve another sister, Hortense, who’s + married to a clerk, Monsieur Chrétiennot, and lives in a pretty lodging on + the Boulevard Rochechouart. There were three of us born of my father’s + second marriage,—Hortense, who’s the youngest, Léonie, who’s dead, + and myself, Pauline, the eldest. And of my father’s first marriage I’ve + still a brother Eugène Toussaint, who is ten years older than me and is an + engineer like Salvat, and has been working ever since the war in the same + establishment, the Grandidier factory, only a hundred steps away in the + Rue Marcadet. The misfortune is that he had a stroke lately. As for me, my + eyes are done for; I ruined them by working ten hours a day at fine + needlework. And now I can no longer even try to mend anything without my + eyes filling with water till I can’t see at all. I’ve tried to find + charwoman’s work, but I can’t get any; bad luck always follows us. And so + we are in need of everything; we’ve nothing but black misery, two or three + days sometimes going by without a bite, so that it’s like the chance life + of a dog that feeds on what it can find. And with these last two months of + bitter cold to freeze us, it’s sometimes made us think that one morning we + should never wake up again. But what would you have? I’ve never been + happy, I was beaten to begin with, and now I’m done for, left in a corner, + living on, I really don’t know why.” + </p> + <p> + Her voice had begun to tremble, her red eyes moistened, and Pierre could + realise that she thus wept through life, a good enough woman but one who + had no will, and was already blotted out, so to say, from existence. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I don’t complain of Salvat,” she went on. “He’s a good fellow; he + only dreams of everybody’s happiness, and he doesn’t drink, and he works + when he can. Only it’s certain that he’d work more if he didn’t busy + himself with politics. One can’t discuss things with comrades, and go to + public meetings and be at the workshop at the same time. In that he’s at + fault, that’s evident. But all the same he has good reason to complain, + for one can’t imagine such misfortunes as have pursued him. Everything has + fallen on him, everything has beaten him down. Why, a saint even would + have gone mad, so that one can understand that a poor beggar who has never + had any luck should get quite wild. For the last two months he has only + met one good heart, a learned gentleman who lives up yonder on the height, + Monsieur Guillaume Froment, who has given him a little work, just + something to enable us to have some soup now and then.” + </p> + <p> + Much surprised by this mention of his brother, Pierre wished to ask + certain questions; but a singular feeling of uneasiness, in which fear and + discretion mingled, checked his tongue. He looked at Céline, who stood + before him, listening in silence with her grave, delicate air; and Madame + Théodore, seeing him smile at the child, indulged in a final remark: “It’s + just the idea of that child,” said she, “that throws Salvat out of his + wits. He adores her, and he’d kill everybody if he could, when he sees her + go supperless to bed. She’s such a good girl, she was learning so nicely + at the Communal School! But now she hasn’t even a shift to go there in.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who had at last written his address, slipped a five-franc piece + into the little girl’s hand, and, desirous as he was of curtailing any + thanks, he hastily said: “You will know now where to find me if you need + me for Laveuve. But I’m going to busy myself about him this very + afternoon, and I really hope that he will be fetched away this evening.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore did not listen, but poured forth all possible blessings; + whilst Céline, thunderstruck at seeing five francs in her hand, murmured: + “Oh! that poor papa, who has gone to hunt for money! Shall I run after him + to tell him that we’ve got enough for to-day?” + </p> + <p> + Then the priest, who was already in the passage, heard the woman answer: + “Oh! he’s far away if he’s still walking. He’ll p’raps come back right + enough.” + </p> + <p> + However, as Pierre, with buzzing head and grief-stricken heart, hastily + escaped out of that frightful house of suffering, he perceived to his + astonishment Salvat and Victor Mathis standing erect in a corner of the + filthy courtyard, where the stench was so pestilential. They had come + downstairs, there to continue their interrupted colloquy. And again, they + were talking in very low tones, and very quickly, mouth to mouth, absorbed + in the violent thoughts which made their eyes flare. But they heard the + priest’s footsteps, recognised him, and suddenly becoming cold and calm, + exchanged an energetic hand-shake without uttering another word. Victor + went up towards Montmartre, whilst Salvat hesitated like a man who is + consulting destiny. Then, as if trusting himself to stern chance, drawing + up his thin figure, the figure of a weary, hungry toiler, he turned into + the Rue Marcadet, and walked towards Paris, his tool-bag still under his + arm. + </p> + <p> + For an instant Pierre felt a desire to run and call to him that his little + girl wished him to go back again. But the same feeling of uneasiness as + before came over the priest—a commingling of discretion and fear, a + covert conviction that nothing could stay destiny. And he himself was no + longer calm, no longer experienced the icy, despairing distress of the + early morning. On finding himself again in the street, amidst the + quivering fog, he felt the fever, the glow of charity which the sight of + such frightful wretchedness had ignited, once more within him. No, no! + such suffering was too much; he wished to struggle still, to save Laveuve + and restore a little joy to all those poor folk. The new experiment + presented itself with that city of Paris which he had seen shrouded as + with ashes, so mysterious and so perturbing beneath the threat of + inevitable justice. And he dreamed of a huge sun bringing health and + fruitfulness, which would make of the huge city the fertile field where + would sprout the better world of to-morrow. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap43"></a> + II. WEALTH AND WORLDLINESS + </h2> + <p> + THAT same morning, as was the case nearly every day, some intimates were + expected to <i>déjeuner</i> at the Duvillards’, a few friends who more or + less invited themselves. And on that chilly day, all thaw and fog, the + regal mansion in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy near the Boulevard de la + Madeleine bloomed with the rarest flowers, for flowers were the greatest + passion of the Baroness, who transformed the lofty, sumptuous rooms, + littered with marvels, into warm and odoriferous conservatories, whither + the gloomy, livid light of Paris penetrated caressingly with infinite + softness. + </p> + <p> + The great reception rooms were on the ground-floor looking on to the + spacious courtyard, and preceded by a little winter garden, which served + as a vestibule where two footmen in liveries of dark green and gold were + invariably on duty. A famous gallery of paintings, valued at millions of + francs, occupied the whole of the northern side of the house. And the + grand staircase, of a sumptuousness which also was famous, conducted to + the apartments usually occupied by the family, a large red drawing-room, a + small blue and silver drawing-room, a study whose walls were hung with old + stamped leather, and a dining-room in pale green with English furniture, + not to mention the various bedchambers and dressing-rooms. Built in the + time of Louis XIV. the mansion retained an aspect of noble grandeur, + subordinated to the epicurean tastes of the triumphant <i>bourgeoisie</i>, + which for a century now had reigned by virtue of the omnipotence of money. + </p> + <p> + Noon had not yet struck, and Baron Duvillard, contrary to custom, found + himself the first in the little blue and silver <i>salon</i>. He was a man + of sixty, tall and sturdy, with a large nose, full cheeks, broad, fleshy + lips, and wolfish teeth, which had remained very fine. He had, however, + become bald at an early age, and dyed the little hair that was left him. + Moreover, since his beard had turned white, he had kept his face + clean-shaven. His grey eyes bespoke his audacity, and in his laugh there + was a ring of conquest, while the whole of his face expressed the fact + that this conquest was his own, that he wielded the sovereignty of an + unscrupulous master, who used and abused the power stolen and retained by + his caste. + </p> + <p> + He took a few steps, and then halted in front of a basket of wonderful + orchids near the window. On the mantel-piece and table tufts of violets + sent forth their perfume, and in the warm, deep silence which seemed to + fall from the hangings, the Baron sat down and stretched himself in one of + the large armchairs, upholstered in blue satin striped with silver. He had + taken a newspaper from his pocket, and began to re-peruse an article it + contained, whilst all around him the entire mansion proclaimed his immense + fortune, his sovereign power, the whole history of the century which had + made him the master. His grandfather, Jerome Duvillard, son of a petty + advocate of Poitou, had come to Paris as a notary’s clerk in 1788, when he + was eighteen; and very keen, intelligent and hungry as he was, he had + gained the family’s first three millions—at first in trafficking + with the <i>emigrés’</i> estates when they were confiscated and sold as + national property, and later, in contracting for supplies to the imperial + army. His father, Gregoire Duvillard, born in 1805, and the real great man + of the family—he who had first reigned in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy, + after King Louis Philippe had granted him the title of Baron—remained + one of the recognized heroes of modern finance by reason of the scandalous + profits which he had made in every famous thieving speculation of the July + Monarchy and the Second Empire, such as mines, railroads, and the Suez + Canal. And he, the present Baron, Henri by name, and born in 1836, had + only seriously gone into business on Baron Gregoire’s death soon after the + Franco-German War. However, he had done so with such a rageful appetite, + that in a quarter of a century he had again doubled the family fortune. He + rotted and devoured, corrupted, swallowed everything that he touched; and + he was also the tempter personified—the man who bought all + consciences that were for sale—having fully understood the new times + and its tendencies in presence of the democracy, which in its turn had + become hungry and impatient. Inferior though he was both to his father and + his grandfather, being a man of enjoyment, caring less for the work of + conquest than the division of the spoil, he nevertheless remained a + terrible fellow, a sleek triumpher, whose operations were all certainties, + who amassed millions at each stroke, and treated with governments on a + footing of equality, able as he was to place, if not France, at least a + ministry in his pocket. In one century and three generations, royalty had + become embodied in him: a royalty already threatened, already shaken by + the tempest close ahead. And at times his figure grew and expanded till it + became, as it were, an incarnation of the whole <i>bourgeoisie</i>—that + <i>bourgeoisie</i> which at the division of the spoils in 1789 + appropriated everything, and has since fattened on everything at the + expense of the masses, and refuses to restore anything whatever. + </p> + <p> + The article which the Baron was re-perusing in a halfpenny newspaper + interested him. “La Voix du Peuple” was a noisy sheet which, under the + pretence of defending outraged justice and morality, set a fresh scandal + circulating every morning in the hope of thereby increasing its sales. And + that morning, in big type on its front page, this sub-title was displayed: + “The Affair of the African Railways. Five Millions spent in Bribes: Two + Ministers Bought, Thirty Deputies and Senators Compromised.” Then in an + article of odious violence the paper’s editor, the famous Sagnier, + announced that he possessed and intended to publish the list of the + thirty-two members of Parliament, whose support Baron Duvillard had + purchased at the time when the Chambers had voted the bill for the African + Railway Lines. Quite a romantic story was mingled with all this, the + adventures of a certain Hunter, whom the Baron had employed as his + go-between and who had now fled. The Baron, however, re-perused each + sentence and weighed each word of the article very calmly; and although he + was alone he shrugged his shoulders and spoke aloud with the tranquil + assurance of a man whose responsibility is covered and who is, moreover, + too powerful to be molested. + </p> + <p> + “The idiot,” he said, “he knows even less than he pretends.” + </p> + <p> + Just then, however, a first guest arrived, a man of barely four and + thirty, elegantly dressed, dark and good looking, with a delicately shaped + nose, and curly hair and beard. As a rule, too, he had laughing eyes, and + something giddy, flighty, bird-like in his demeanour; but that morning he + seemed nervous, anxious even, and smiled in a scared way. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it’s you, Duthil,” said the Baron, rising. “Have you read this?” And + he showed the new comer the “Voix du Peuple,” which he was folding up to + replace it in his pocket. + </p> + <p> + “Why yes, I’ve read it. It’s amazing. How can Sagnier have got hold of the + list of names? Has there been some traitor?” + </p> + <p> + The Baron looked at his companion quietly, amused by his secret anguish. + Duthil, the son of a notary of Angoulême, almost poor and very honest, had + been sent to Paris as deputy for that town whilst yet very young, thanks + to the high reputation of his father; and he there led a life of pleasure + and idleness, even as he had formerly done when a student. However, his + pleasant bachelor’s quarters in the Rue de Suresnes, and his success as a + handsome man in the whirl of women among whom he lived, cost him no little + money; and gaily enough, devoid as he was of any moral sense, he had + already glided into all sorts of compromising and lowering actions, like a + light-headed, superior man, a charming, thoughtless fellow, who attached + no importance whatever to such trifles. + </p> + <p> + “Bah!” said the Baron at last. “Has Sagnier even got a list? I doubt it, + for there was none; Hunter wasn’t so foolish as to draw one up. And then, + too, it was merely an ordinary affair; nothing more was done than is + always done in such matters of business.” + </p> + <p> + Duthil, who for the first time in his life had felt anxious, listened like + one that needs to be reassured. “Quite so, eh?” he exclaimed. “That’s what + I thought. There isn’t a cat to be whipped in the whole affair.” + </p> + <p> + He tried to laugh as usual, and no longer exactly knew how it was that he + had received some ten thousand francs in connection with the matter, + whether it were in the shape of a vague loan, or else under some pretext + of publicity, puffery, or advertising, for Hunter had acted with extreme + adroitness so as to give no offence to the susceptibilities of even the + least virginal consciences. + </p> + <p> + “No, there’s not a cat to be whipped,” repeated Duvillard, who decidedly + seemed amused by the face which Duthil was pulling. “And besides, my dear + fellow, it’s well known that cats always fall on their feet. But have you + seen Silviane?” + </p> + <p> + “I just left her. I found her in a great rage with you. She learnt this + morning that her affair of the Comédie is off.” + </p> + <p> + A rush of anger suddenly reddened the Baron’s face. He, who could scoff so + calmly at the threat of the African Railways scandal, lost his balance and + felt his blood boiling directly there was any question of Silviane, the + last, imperious passion of his sixtieth year. “What! off?” said he. “But + at the Ministry of Fine Arts they gave me almost a positive promise only + the day before yesterday.” + </p> + <p> + He referred to a stubborn caprice of Silviane d’Aulnay, who, although she + had hitherto only reaped a success of beauty on the stage, obstinately + sought to enter the Comédie Française and make her <i>début</i> there in + the part of “Pauline” in Corneille’s “Polyeucte,” which part she had been + studying desperately for several months past. Her idea seemed an insane + one, and all Paris laughed at it; but the young woman, with superb + assurance, kept herself well to the front, and imperiously demanded the <i>rôle</i>, + feeling sure that she would conquer. + </p> + <p> + “It was the minister who wouldn’t have it,” explained Duthil. + </p> + <p> + The Baron was choking. “The minister, the minister! Ah! well, I will soon + have that minister sent to the rightabout.” + </p> + <p> + However, he had to cease speaking, for at that moment Baroness Duvillard + came into the little drawing-room. At forty-six years of age she was still + very beautiful. Very fair and tall, having hitherto put on but little + superfluous fat, and retaining perfect arms and shoulders, with speckless + silky skin, it was only her face that was spoiling, colouring slightly + with reddish blotches. And these blemishes were her torment, her hourly + thought and worry. Her Jewish origin was revealed by her somewhat long and + strangely charming face, with blue and softly voluptuous eyes. As indolent + as an Oriental slave, disliking to have to move, walk, or even speak, she + seemed intended for a harem life, especially as she was for ever tending + her person. That day she was all in white, gowned in a white silk toilette + of delicious and lustrous simplicity. + </p> + <p> + Duthil complimented her, and kissed her hand with an enraptured air. “Ah! + madame, you set a little springtide in my heart. Paris is so black and + muddy this morning.” + </p> + <p> + However, a second guest entered the room, a tall and handsome man of five + or six and thirty; and the Baron, still disturbed by his passion, profited + by this opportunity to make his escape. He carried Duthil away into his + study, saying, “Come here an instant, my dear fellow. I have a few more + words to say to you about the affair in question. Monsieur de Quinsac will + keep my wife company for a moment.” + </p> + <p> + The Baroness, as soon as she was alone with the new comer, who, like + Duthil, had most respectfully kissed her hand, gave him a long, silent + look, while her soft eyes filled with tears. Deep silence, tinged with + some slight embarrassment, had fallen, but she ended by saying in a very + low voice: “How happy I am, Gérard, to find myself alone with you for a + moment. For a month past I have not had that happiness.” + </p> + <p> + The circumstances in which Henri Duvillard had married the younger + daughter of Justus Steinberger, the great Jew banker, formed quite a story + which was often recalled. The Steinbergers—after the fashion of the + Rothschilds—were originally four brothers—Justus, residing in + Paris, and the three others at Berlin, Vienna, and London, a circumstance + which gave their secret association most formidable power in the financial + markets of Europe. Justus, however, was the least wealthy of the four, and + in Baron Gregoire Duvillard he had a redoubtable adversary against whom he + was compelled to struggle each time that any large prey was in question. + And it was after a terrible encounter between the pair, after the eager + sharing of the spoils, that the crafty idea had come to Justus of giving + his younger daughter Eve in marriage, by way of <i>douceur</i>, to the + Baron’s son, Henri. So far the latter had only been known as an amiable + fellow, fond of horses and club life; and no doubt Justus’s idea was that, + at the death of the redoubtable Baron, who was already condemned by his + physicians, he would be able to lay his hands on the rival banking-house, + particularly if he only had in front of him a son-in-law whom it was easy + to conquer. As it happened, Henri had been mastered by a violent passion + for Eve’s blond beauty, which was then dazzling. He wished to marry her, + and his father, who knew him, consented, in reality greatly amused to + think that Justus was making an execrably bad stroke of business. The + enterprise became indeed disastrous for Justus when Henri succeeded his + father and the man of prey appeared from beneath the man of pleasure and + carved himself his own huge share in exploiting the unbridled appetites of + the middle-class democracy, which had at last secured possession of power. + Not only did Eve fail to devour Henri, who in his turn had become Baron + Duvillard, the all-powerful banker, more and more master of the market; + but it was the Baron who devoured Eve, and this in less than four years’ + time. After she had borne him a daughter and a son in turn, he suddenly + drew away from her, neglected her, as if she were a mere toy that he no + longer cared for. She was at first both surprised and distressed by the + change, especially on learning that he was resuming his bachelor’s habits, + and had set his fickle if ardent affections elsewhere. Then, however, + without any kind of recrimination, any display of anger, or even any + particular effort to regain her ascendency over him, she, on her side, + imitated his example. She could not live without love, and assuredly she + had only been born to be beautiful, to fascinate and reap adoration. To + the lover whom she chose when she was five and twenty she remained + faithful for more than fifteen years, as faithful as she might have been + to a husband; and when he died her grief was intense, it was like real + widowhood. Six months later, however, having met Count Gérard de Quinsac + she had again been unable to resist her imperative need of adoration, and + an intrigue had followed. + </p> + <p> + “Have you been ill, my dear Gérard?” she inquired, noticing the young + man’s embarrassment. “Are you hiding some worry from me?” + </p> + <p> + She was ten years older than he was; and she clung desperately to this + last passion of hers, revolting at the thought of growing old, and + resolved upon every effort to keep the young man beside her. + </p> + <p> + “No, I am hiding nothing, I assure you,” replied the Count. “But my mother + has had much need of me recently.” + </p> + <p> + She continued looking at him, however, with anxious passion, finding him + so tall and aristocratic of mien, with his regular features and dark hair + and moustaches which were always most carefully tended. He belonged to one + of the oldest families of France, and resided on a ground-floor in the Rue + St. Dominique with his widowed mother, who had been ruined by her + adventurously inclined husband, and had at most an income of some fifteen + thousand francs* to live upon. Gérard for his part had never done + anything; contenting himself with his one year of obligatory military + service, he had renounced the profession of arms in the same way as he had + renounced that of diplomacy, the only one that offered him an opening of + any dignity. He spent his days in that busy idleness common to all young + men who lead “Paris life.” And his mother, haughtily severe though she + was, seemed to excuse this, as if in her opinion a man of his birth was + bound by way of protest to keep apart from official life under a Republic. + However, she no doubt had more intimate, more disturbing reasons for + indulgence. She had nearly lost him when he was only seven, through an + attack of brain fever. At eighteen he had complained of his heart, and the + doctors had recommended that he should be treated gently in all respects. + She knew, therefore, what a lie lurked behind his proud demeanour, within + his lofty figure, that haughty <i>façade</i> of his race. He was but dust, + ever threatened with illness and collapse. In the depths of his seeming + virility there was merely girlish <i>abandon</i>; and he was simply a + weak, good-natured fellow, liable to every stumble. It was on the occasion + of a visit which he had paid with his mother to the Asylum of the Invalids + of Labour that he had first seen Eve, whom he continued to meet; his + mother, closing her eyes to this culpable connection in a sphere of + society which she treated with contempt, in the same way as she had closed + them to so many other acts of folly which she had forgiven because she + regarded them as the mere lapses of an ailing child. Moreover, Eve had + made a conquest of Madame de Quinsac, who was very pious, by an action + which had recently amazed society. It had been suddenly learnt that she + had allowed Monseigneur Martha to convert her to the Roman Catholic faith. + This thing, which she had refused to do when solicited by her lawful + husband, she had now done in the hope of ensuring herself a lover’s + eternal affection. And all Paris was still stirred by the magnificence + exhibited at the Madeleine, on the occasion of the baptism of this Jewess + of five and forty, whose beauty and whose tears had upset every heart. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * About 3000 dollars. +</pre> + <p> + Gérard, on his side, was still flattered by the deep and touching + tenderness shown to him; but weariness was coming, and he had already + sought to break off the connection by avoiding any further assignations. + He well understood Eve’s glances and her tears, and though he was moved at + sight of them he tried to excuse himself. “I assure you,” said he, “my + mother has kept me so busy that I could not get away.” But she, without a + word, still turned her tearful glance on him, and weak, like herself, in + despair that he should have been left alone with her in this fashion, he + yielded, unable to continue refusing. “Well, then,” said he, “this + afternoon at four o’clock if you are free.” + </p> + <p> + He had lowered his voice in speaking, but a slight rustle made him turn + his head and start like one in fault. It was the Baroness’s daughter + Camille entering the room. She had heard nothing; but by the smile which + the others had exchanged, by the very quiver of the air, she understood + everything; an assignation for that very day and at the very spot which + she suspected. Some slight embarrassment followed, an exchange of anxious + and evil glances. + </p> + <p> + Camille, at three and twenty, was a very dark young woman, short of + stature and somewhat deformed, with her left shoulder higher than the + right. There seemed to be nothing of her father or mother in her. Her case + was one of those unforeseen accidents in family heredity which make people + wonder whence they can arise. Her only pride lay in her beautiful black + eyes and superb black hair, which, short as she was, would, said she, have + sufficed to clothe her. But her nose was long, her face deviated to the + left, and her chin was pointed. Her thin, witty, and malicious lips + bespoke all the rancour and perverse anger stored in the heart of this + uncomely creature, whom the thought of her uncomeliness enraged. However, + the one whom she most hated in the whole world was her own mother, that <i>amorosa</i> + who was so little fitted to be a mother, who had never loved her, never + paid attention to her, but had abandoned her to the care of servants from + her very infancy. In this wise real hatred had grown up between the two + women, mute and frigid on the one side, and active and passionate on the + other. The daughter hated her mother because she found her beautiful, + because she had not been created in the same image: beautiful with the + beauty with which her mother crushed her. Day by day she suffered at being + sought by none, at realising that the adoration of one and all still went + to her mother. As she was amusing in her maliciousness, people listened to + her and laughed; however, the glances of all the men—even and indeed + especially the younger ones—soon reverted to her triumphant mother, + who seemingly defied old age. In part for this reason Camille, with + ferocious determination, had decided that she would dispossess her mother + of her last lover Gérard, and marry him herself, conscious that such a + loss would doubtless kill the Baroness. Thanks to her promised dowry of + five millions of francs, the young woman did not lack suitors; but, little + flattered by their advances, she was accustomed to say, with her malicious + laugh: “Oh! of course; why for five millions they would take a wife from a + mad-house.” However, she, herself, had really begun to love Gérard, who, + good-natured as he was, evinced much kindness towards this suffering young + woman whom nature had treated so harshly. It worried him to see her + forsaken by everyone, and little by little he yielded to the grateful + tenderness which she displayed towards him, happy, handsome man that he + was, at being regarded as a demi-god and having such a slave. Indeed, in + his attempt to quit the mother there was certainly a thought of allowing + the daughter to marry him, which would be an agreeable ending to it all, + though he did not as yet acknowledge this, ashamed as he felt and + embarrassed by his illustrious name and all the complications and tears + which he foresaw. + </p> + <p> + The silence continued. Camille with her piercing glance, as sharp as any + knife, had told her mother that she knew the truth; and then with another + and pain-fraught glance she had complained to Gérard. He, in order to + re-establish equilibrium, could only think of a compliment: “Good morning, + Camille. Ah! that havana-brown gown of yours looks nice! It’s astonishing + how well rather sombre colours suit you.” + </p> + <p> + Camille glanced at her mother’s white robe, and then at her own dark gown, + which scarcely allowed her neck and wrists to be seen. “Yes,” she replied + laughing, “I only look passable when I don’t dress as a young girl.” + </p> + <p> + Eve, ill at ease, worried by the growth of a rivalry in which she did not + as yet wish to believe, changed the conversation. “Isn’t your brother + there?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Why yes, we came down together.” + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe, who came in at that moment, shook hands with Gérard in a weary + way. He was twenty, and had inherited his mother’s pale blond hair, and + her long face full of Oriental languor; while from his father he had + derived his grey eyes and thick lips, expressive of unscrupulous + appetites. A wretched scholar, regarding every profession with the same + contempt, he had decided to do nothing. Spoilt by his father, he took some + little interest in poetry and music, and lived in an extraordinary circle + of artists, low women, madmen and bandits; boasting himself of all sorts + of crimes and vices, professing the very worst philosophical and social + ideas, invariably going to extremes, becoming in turn a Collectivist, an + Individualist, an Anarchist, a Pessimist, a Symbolist, and what not + besides; without, however, ceasing to be a Catholic, as this conjunction + of Catholicity with something else seemed to him the supreme <i>bon ton</i>. + In reality he was simply empty and rather a fool. In four generations the + vigorous hungry blood of the Duvillards, after producing three magnificent + beasts of prey, had, as if exhausted by the contentment of every passion, + ended in this sorry emasculated creature, who was incapable alike of great + knavery or great debauchery. + </p> + <p> + Camille, who was too intelligent not to realise her brother’s nothingness, + was fond of teasing him; and looking at him as he stood there, tightly + buttoned in his long frock coat with pleated skirt—a resurrection of + the romantic period, which he carried to exaggeration, she resumed: “Mamma + has been asking for you, Hyacinthe. Come and show her your gown. You are + the one who would look nice dressed as a young girl.” + </p> + <p> + However, he eluded her without replying. He was covertly afraid of her, + though they lived together in great intimacy, frankly exchanging + confidences respecting their perverse views of life. And he directed a + glance of disdain at the wonderful basket of orchids which seemed to him + past the fashion, far too common nowadays. For his part he had left the + lilies of life behind him, and reached the ranunculus, the flower of + blood. + </p> + <p> + The two last guests who were expected now arrived almost together. The + first was the investigating magistrate Amadieu, a little man of five and + forty, who was an intimate of the household and had been brought into + notoriety by a recent anarchist affair. Between a pair of fair, bushy + whiskers he displayed a flat, regular judicial face, to which he tried to + impart an expression of keenness by wearing a single eyeglass behind which + his glance sparkled. Very worldly, moreover, he belonged to the new + judicial school, being a distinguished psychologist and having written a + book in reply to the abuses of criminalist physiology. And he was also a + man of great, tenacious ambition, fond of notoriety and ever on the + lookout for those resounding legal affairs which bring glory. Behind him, + at last appeared General de Bozonnet, Gérard’s uncle on the maternal side, + a tall, lean old man with a nose like an eagle’s beak. Chronic rheumatism + had recently compelled him to retire from the service. Raised to a + colonelcy after the Franco-German War in reward for his gallant conduct at + St. Privat, he had, in spite of his extremely monarchical connections, + kept his sworn faith to Napoleon III. And he was excused in his own sphere + of society for this species of military Bonapartism, on account of the + bitterness with which he accused the Republic of having ruined the army. + Worthy fellow that he was, extremely fond of his sister, Madame de + Quinsac, it seemed as though he acted in accordance with some secret + desire of hers in accepting the invitations of Baroness Duvillard by way + of rendering Gérard’s constant presence in her house more natural and + excusable. + </p> + <p> + However, the Baron and Duthil now returned from the study, laughing loudly + in an exaggerated way, doubtless to make the others believe that they were + quite easy in mind. And one and all passed into the large dining-room + where a big wood fire was burning, its gay flames shining like a ray of + springtide amid the fine mahogany furniture of English make laden with + silver and crystal. The room, of a soft mossy green, had an unassuming + charm in the pale light, and the table which in the centre displayed the + richness of its covers and the immaculate whiteness of its linen adorned + with Venetian point, seemed to have flowered miraculously with a wealth of + large tea roses, most admirable blooms for the season, and of delicious + perfume. + </p> + <p> + The Baroness seated the General on her right, and Amadieu on her left. The + Baron on his right placed Duthil, and on his left Gérard. Then the young + people installed themselves at either end, Camille between Gérard and the + General, and Hyacinthe between Duthil and Amadieu. And forthwith, from the + moment of starting on the scrambled eggs and truffles, conversation began, + the usual conversation of Parisian <i>déjeuners</i>, when every event, + great or little, of the morning or the day before is passed in review: the + truths and the falsehoods current in every social sphere, the financial + scandal, and the political adventure of the hour, the novel that has just + appeared, the play that has just been produced, the stories which should + only be retailed in whispers, but which are repeated aloud. And beneath + all the light wit which circulates, beneath all the laughter, which often + has a false ring, each retains his or her particular worry, or distress of + mind, at times so acute that it becomes perfect agony. + </p> + <p> + With his quiet and wonted impudence, the Baron, bravely enough, was the + first to speak of the article in the “Voix du Peuple.” “I say, have you + read Sagnier’s article this morning? It’s a good one; he has <i>verve</i> + you know, but what a dangerous lunatic he is!” + </p> + <p> + This set everybody at ease, for the article would certainly have weighed + upon the <i>déjeuner</i> had no one mentioned it. + </p> + <p> + “It’s the ‘Panama’ dodge over again!” cried Duthil. “But no, no, we’ve had + quite enough of it!” + </p> + <p> + “Why,” resumed the Baron, “the affair of the African Railway Lines is as + clear as spring water! All those whom Sagnier threatens may sleep in + peace. The truth is that it’s a scheme to upset Barroux’s ministry. Leave + to interpellate will certainly be asked for this afternoon. You’ll see + what a fine uproar there’ll be in the Chamber.” + </p> + <p> + “That libellous, scandal-seeking press,” said Amadieu gravely, “is a + dissolving agent which will bring France to ruin. We ought to have laws + against it.” + </p> + <p> + The General made an angry gesture: “Laws, what’s the use of them, since + nobody has the courage to enforce them.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. With a light, discreet step the house-steward presented some + grilled mullet. So noiseless was the service amid the cheerful perfumed + warmth that not even the faintest clatter of crockery was heard. Without + anyone knowing how it had come about, however, the conversation had + suddenly changed; and somebody inquired: “So the revival of the piece is + postponed?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Gérard, “I heard this morning that ‘Polyeucte’ wouldn’t get + its turn till April at the earliest.” + </p> + <p> + At this Camille, who had hitherto remained silent, watching the young + Count and seeking to win him back, turned her glittering eyes upon her + father and mother. It was a question of that revival in which Silviane was + so stubbornly determined to make her <i>début</i>. However, the Baron and + the Baroness evinced perfect serenity, having long been acquainted with + all that concerned each other. Moreover Eve was too much occupied with her + own passion to think of anything else; and the Baron too busy with the + fresh application which he intended to make in tempestuous fashion at the + Ministry of Fine Arts, so as to wrest Silviane’s engagement from those in + office. He contented himself with saying: “How would you have them revive + pieces at the Comédie! They have no actresses left there.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, by the way,” the Baroness on her side simply remarked, “yesterday, in + that play at the Vaudeville, Delphine Vignot wore such an exquisite gown. + She’s the only one too who knows how to arrange her hair.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Duthil, in somewhat veiled language, began to relate a story + about Delphine and a well-known senator. And then came another scandal, + the sudden and almost suspicious death of a lady friend of the + Duvillards’; whereupon the General, without any transition, broke in to + relieve his bitter feelings by denouncing the idiotic manner in which the + army was nowadays organised. Meantime the old Bordeaux glittered like ruby + blood in the delicate crystal glasses. A truffled fillet of venison had + just cast its somewhat sharp scent amidst the dying perfume of the roses, + when some asparagus made its appearance, a <i>primeur</i> which once had + been so rare but which no longer caused any astonishment. + </p> + <p> + “Nowadays we get it all through the winter,” said the Baron with a gesture + of disenchantment. + </p> + <p> + “And so,” asked Gérard at the same moment, “the Princess de Harn’s <i>matinée</i> + is for this afternoon?” + </p> + <p> + Camille quickly intervened. “Yes, this afternoon. Shall you go?” + </p> + <p> + “No, I don’t think so, I shan’t be able,” replied the young man in + embarrassment. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! that little Princess, she’s really deranged you know,” exclaimed + Duthil. “You are aware that she calls herself a widow? But the truth, it + seems, is that her husband, a real Prince, connected with a royal house + and very handsome, is travelling about the world in the company of a + singer. She with her vicious urchin-like face preferred to come and reign + in Paris, in that mansion of the Avenue Hoche, which is certainly the most + extraordinary Noah’s ark imaginable, with its swarming of cosmopolitan + society indulging in every extravagance!” + </p> + <p> + “Be quiet, you malicious fellow,” the Baroness gently interrupted. “We, + here, are very fond of Rosemonde, who is a charming woman.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! certainly,” Camille again resumed. “She invited us; and we are going + to her place by-and-by, are we not, mamma?” + </p> + <p> + To avoid replying, the Baroness pretended that she did not hear, whilst + Duthil, who seemed to be well-informed concerning the Princess, continued + to make merry over her intended <i>matinée</i>, at which she meant to + produce some Spanish dancing girls, whose performance was so very + indecorous that all Paris, forewarned of the circumstance, would certainly + swarm to her house. And he added: “You’ve heard that she has given up + painting. Yes, she busies herself with chemistry. Her <i>salon</i> is full + of Anarchists now—and, by the way, it seemed to me that she had cast + her eyes on you, my dear Hyacinthe.” + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe had hitherto held his tongue, as if he took no interest in + anything. “Oh! she bores me to death,” he now condescended to reply. “If + I’m going to her <i>matinée</i> it’s simply in the hope of meeting my + friend young Lord George Eldrett, who wrote to me from London to give me + an appointment at the Princess’s. And I admit that hers is the only <i>salon</i> + where I find somebody to talk to.” + </p> + <p> + “And so,” asked Amadieu in an ironical way, “you have now gone over to + Anarchism?” + </p> + <p> + With his air of lofty elegance Hyacinthe imperturbably confessed his + creed: “But it seems to me, monsieur, that in these times of universal + baseness and ignominy, no man of any distinction can be other than an + Anarchist.” + </p> + <p> + A laugh ran round the table. Hyacinthe was very much spoilt, and + considered very entertaining. His father in particular was immensely + amused by the notion that he of all men should have an Anarchist for a + son. However, the General, in his rancorous moments, talked anarchically + enough of blowing up a society which was so stupid as to let itself be led + by half a dozen disreputable characters. And, indeed, the investigating + magistrate, who was gradually making a specialty of Anarchist affairs, + proved the only one who opposed the young man, defending threatened + civilisation and giving terrifying particulars concerning what he called + the army of devastation and massacre. The others, while partaking of some + delicious duck’s-liver <i>paté</i>, which the house-steward handed around, + continued smiling. There was so much misery, said they; one must take + everything into account: things would surely end by righting themselves. + And the Baron himself declared, in a conciliatory manner: “It’s certain + that one might do something, though nobody knows exactly what. As for all + sensible and moderate claims, oh! I agree to them in advance. For + instance, the lot of the working classes may be ameliorated, charitable + enterprises may be undertaken, such, for instance, as our Asylum for the + Invalids of Labour, which we have reason to be proud of. But we must not + be asked for impossibilities.” + </p> + <p> + With the dessert came a sudden spell of silence; it was as if, amidst the + restless fluttering of the conversation, and the dizziness born of the + copious meal, each one’s worry or distress was again wringing the heart + and setting an expression of perturbation on the countenance. The nervous + unconscientiousness of Duthil, threatened with denunciation, was seen to + revive; so, too, the anxious anger of the Baron, who was meditating how he + might possibly manage to content Silviane. That woman was this sturdy, + powerful man’s taint, the secret sore which would perhaps end by eating + him away and destroying him. But it was the frightful drama in which the + Baroness, Camille and Gérard were concerned that flitted by most visibly + across the faces of all three of them: that hateful rivalry of mother and + daughter, contending for the man they loved. And, meantime, the + silver-gilt blades of the dessert-knives were delicately peeling choice + fruit. And there were bunches of golden grapes looking beautifully fresh, + and a procession of sweetmeats, little cakes, an infinity of dainties, + over which the most satiated appetites lingered complacently. + </p> + <p> + Then, just as the finger-glasses were being served, a footman came and + bent over the Baroness, who answered in an undertone, “Well, show him into + the <i>salon</i>, I will join him there.” And aloud to the others she + added: “It’s Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, who has called and asks most + particularly to see me. He won’t be in our way; I think that almost all of + you know him. Oh! he’s a genuine saint, and I have much sympathy for him.” + </p> + <p> + For a few minutes longer they loitered round the table, and then at last + quitted the dining-room, which was full of the odours of viands, wines, + fruits and roses; quite warm, too, with the heat thrown out by the big + logs of firewood, which were falling into embers amidst the somewhat + jumbled brightness of all the crystal and silver, and the pale, delicate + light which fell upon the disorderly table. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had remained standing in the centre of the little blue and silver + <i>salon</i>. Seeing a tray on which the coffee and the liqueurs were in + readiness, he regretted that he had insisted upon being received. And his + embarrassment increased when the company came in rather noisily, with + bright eyes and rosy cheeks. However, his charitable fervour had revived + so ardently within him that he overcame this embarrassment, and all that + remained to him of it was a slight feeling of discomfort at bringing the + whole frightful morning which he had just spent amid such scenes of + wretchedness, so much darkness and cold, so much filth and hunger, into + this bright, warm, perfumed affluence, where the useless and the + superfluous overflowed around those folks who seemed so gay at having made + a delightful meal. + </p> + <p> + However, the Baroness at once came forward with Gérard, for it was through + the latter, whose mother he knew, that the priest had been presented to + the Duvillards at the time of the famous conversion. And as he apologised + for having called at such an inconvenient hour, the Baroness responded: + “But you are always welcome, Monsieur l’Abbé. You will allow me just to + attend to my guests, won’t you? I will be with you in an instant.” + </p> + <p> + She thereupon returned to the table on which the tray had been placed, in + order to serve the coffee and the liqueurs, with her daughter’s + assistance. Gérard, however, remained with Pierre; and, it so chanced, + began to speak to him of the Asylum for the Invalids of Labour, where they + had met one another at the recent laying of the foundation-stone of a new + pavilion which was being erected, thanks to a handsome donation of 100,000 + francs made by Baron Duvillard. So far, the enterprise only comprised four + pavilions out of the fourteen which it was proposed to erect on the vast + site given by the City of Paris on the peninsula of Gennevilliers*; and so + the subscription fund remained open, and, indeed, no little noise was made + over this charitable enterprise, which was regarded as a complete and + peremptory reply to the accusations of those evilly disposed persons who + charged the satiated <i>bourgeoisie</i> with doing nothing for the + workers. But the truth was that a magnificent chapel, erected in the + centre of the site, had absorbed two-thirds of the funds hitherto + collected. Numerous lady patronesses, chosen from all the “worlds” of + Paris—the Baroness Duvillard, the Countess de Quinsac, the Princess + Rosemonde de Harn, and a score of others—were entrusted with the + task of keeping the enterprise alive by dint of collections and fancy + bazaars. But success had been chiefly obtained, thanks to the happy idea + of ridding the ladies of all the weighty cares of organisation, by + choosing as managing director a certain Fonsègue, who, besides being a + deputy and editor of the “Globe” newspaper, was a prodigious promoter of + all sorts of enterprises. And the “Globe” never paused in its propaganda, + but answered the attacks of the revolutionaries by extolling the + inexhaustible charity of the governing classes in such wise that, at the + last elections, the enterprise had served as a victorious electoral + weapon. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This so-called peninsula lies to the northwest of Paris, and + is formed by the windings of the Seine.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + However, Camille was walking about with a steaming cup of coffee in her + hand: “Will you take some coffee, Monsieur l’Abbé?” she inquired. + </p> + <p> + “No, thank you, mademoiselle.” + </p> + <p> + “A glass of Chartreuse then?” + </p> + <p> + “No, thank you.” + </p> + <p> + Then everybody being served, the Baroness came back and said amiably: + “Come, Monsieur l’Abbé, what do you desire of me?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre began to speak almost in an undertone, his throat contracting and + his heart beating with emotion. “I have come, madame, to appeal to your + great kindness of heart. This morning, in a frightful house, in the Rue + des Saules, behind Montmartre, I beheld a sight which utterly upset me. + You can have no idea what an abode of misery and suffering it was; its + inmates without fire or bread, the men reduced to idleness because there + is no work, the mothers having no more milk for their babes, the children + barely clad, coughing and shivering. And among all these horrors I saw the + worst, the most abominable of all, an old workman, laid on his back by + age, dying of hunger, huddled on a heap of rags, in a nook which a dog + would not even accept as kennel.” + </p> + <p> + He tried to recount things as discreetly as possible, frightened by the + very words he spoke, the horrors he had to relate in that sphere of + superlative luxury and enjoyment, before those happy ones who possessed + all the gifts of this world; for—to use a slang expression—he + fully realised that he sang out of tune, and in most uncourteous fashion. + What a strange idea of his to have called at the hour when one has just + finished <i>déjeuner</i>, when the aroma of hot coffee flatters happy + digestion. Nevertheless he went on, and even ended by raising his voice, + yielding to the feeling of revolt which gradually stirred him, going to + the end of his terrible narrative, naming Laveuve, insisting on the unjust + abandonment in which the old man was left, and asking for succour in the + name of human compassion. And the whole company approached to listen to + him; he could see the Baron and the General, and Duthil and Amadieu, in + front of him, sipping their coffee, in silence, without a gesture. + </p> + <p> + “Well, madame,” he concluded, “it seemed to me that one could not leave + that old man an hour longer in such a frightful position, and that this + very evening you would have the extreme goodness to have him admitted into + the Asylum of the Invalids of Labour, which is, I think, the proper and + only place for him.” + </p> + <p> + Tears had moistened Eve’s beautiful eyes. She was in consternation at so + sad a story coming to her to spoil her afternoon when she was looking + forward to her assignation with Gérard. Weak and indolent as she was, + lacking all initiative, too much occupied moreover with her own person, + she had only accepted the presidency of the Committee on the condition + that all administrative worries were to fall on Fonsègue. “Ah! Monsieur + l’Abbé,” she murmured, “you rend my heart. But I can do nothing, nothing + at all, I assure you. Moreover, I believe that we have already inquired + into the affair of that man Laveuve. With us, you know, there must be the + most serious guarantees with regard to every admission. A reporter is + chosen who has to give us full information. Wasn’t it you, Monsieur + Duthil, who was charged with this man Laveuve’s affair?” + </p> + <p> + The deputy was finishing a glass of Chartreuse. “Yes, it was I. That fine + fellow played you a comedy, Monsieur l’Abbé. He isn’t at all ill, and if + you left him any money you may be sure he went down to drink it as soon as + you were gone. For he is always drunk; and, besides that, he has the most + hateful disposition imaginable, crying out from morning till evening + against the <i>bourgeois</i>, and saying that if he had any strength left + in his arms he would undertake to blow up the whole show. And, moreover, + he won’t go into the asylum; he says that it’s a real prison where one’s + guarded by Beguins who force one to hear mass, a dirty convent where the + gates are shut at nine in the evening! And there are so many of them like + that, who rather than be succoured prefer their liberty, with cold and + hunger and death. Well then, let the Laveuves die in the street, since + they refuse to be with us, and be warm and eat in our asylums!” + </p> + <p> + The General and Amadieu nodded their heads approvingly. But Duvillard + showed himself more generous. “No, no, indeed! A man’s a man after all, + and should be succoured in spite of himself.” + </p> + <p> + Eve, however, in despair at the idea that she would be robbed of her + afternoon, struggled and sought for reasons. “I assure you that my hands + are altogether tied. Monsieur l’Abbé does not doubt my heart or my zeal. + But how call I possibly assemble the Committee without a few days’ delay? + And I have particular reasons for coming to no decision, especially in an + affair which has already been inquired into and pronounced upon, without + the Committee’s sanction.” Then, all at once she found a solution: “What I + advise you to do, Monsieur l’Abbé, is to go at once to see Monsieur + Fonsègue, our managing director. He alone can act in an urgent case, for + he knows that the ladies have unlimited confidence in him and approve + everything he does.” + </p> + <p> + “You will find Fonsègue at the Chamber,” added Duthil smiling, “only the + sitting will be a warm one, and I doubt whether you will be able to have a + comfortable chat with him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, whose heart had contracted yet more painfully, insisted on the + subject no further; but at once made up his mind to see Fonsègue, and in + any event obtain from him a promise that the wretched Laveuve should be + admitted to the Asylum that very evening. Then he lingered in the saloon + for a few minutes listening to Gérard, who obligingly pointed out to him + how he might best convince the deputy, which was by alleging how bad an + effect such a story could have, should it be brought to light by the + revolutionary newspapers. However, the guests were beginning to take their + leave. The General, as he went off, came to ask his nephew if he should + see him that afternoon at his mother’s, Madame de Quinsac, whose “day” it + was: a question which the young man answered with an evasive gesture when + he noticed that both Eve and Camille were looking at him. Then came the + turn of Amadieu, who hurried off saying that a serious affair required his + presence at the Palace of Justice. And Duthil soon followed him in order + to repair to the Chamber. + </p> + <p> + “I’ll see you between four and five at Silviane’s, eh?” said the Baron as + he conducted him to the door. “Come and tell me what occurs at the Chamber + in consequence of that odious article of Sagnier’s. I must at all events + know. For my part I shall go to the Ministry of Fine Arts, to settle that + affair of the Comédie; and besides I’ve some calls to make, some + contractors to see, and a big launching and advertisement affair to + settle.” + </p> + <p> + “It’s understood then, between four and five, at Silviane’s,” said the + deputy, who went off again mastered by his vague uneasiness, his anxiety + as to what turn that nasty affair of the African Railway Lines might take. + </p> + <p> + And all of them had forgotten Laveuve, the miserable wretch who lay at + death’s door; and all of them were hastening away to their business or + their passions, caught in the toils, sinking under the grindstone and + whisked away by that rush of all Paris, whose fever bore them along, + throwing one against another in an ardent scramble, in which the sole + question was who should pass over the others and crush them. + </p> + <p> + “And so, mamma,” said Camille, who continued to scrutinise her mother and + Gérard, “you are going to take us to the Princess’s <i>matinée</i>?” + </p> + <p> + “By-and-by, yes. Only I shan’t be able to stay there with you. I received + a telegram from Salmon about my corsage this morning, and I must + absolutely go to try it on at four o’clock.” + </p> + <p> + By the slight trembling of her mother’s voice, the girl felt certain that + she was telling a falsehood. “Oh!” said she, “I thought you were only + going to try it on to-morrow? In that case I suppose we are to go and call + for you at Salmon’s with the carriage on leaving the <i>matinée</i>?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no my dear! One never knows when one will be free; and besides, if I + have a moment, I shall call at the <i>modiste’s</i>.” + </p> + <p> + Camille’s secret rage brought almost a murderous glare to her dark eyes. + The truth was evident. But however passionately she might desire to set + some obstacle across her mother’s path, she could not, dared not, carry + matters any further. In vain had she attempted to implore Gérard with her + eyes. He was standing to take his leave, and turned away his eyes. Pierre, + who had become acquainted with many things since he had frequented the + house, noticed how all three of them quivered, and divined thereby the + mute and terrible drama. + </p> + <p> + At this moment, however, Hyacinthe, stretched in an armchair, and munching + an ether capsule, the only liqueur in which he indulged, raised his voice: + “For my part, you know, I’m going to the Exposition du Lis. All Paris is + swarming there. There’s one painting in particular, ‘The Rape of a Soul,’ + which it’s absolutely necessary for one to have seen.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, but I don’t refuse to drive you there,” resumed the Baroness. + “Before going to the Princess’s we can look in at that exhibition.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s it, that’s it,” hastily exclaimed Camille, who, though she harshly + derided the symbolist painters as a rule, now doubtless desired to delay + her mother. Then, forcing herself to smile, she asked: “Won’t you risk a + look-in at the Exposition du Lis with us, Monsieur Gérard?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, no,” replied the Count, “I want to walk. I shall go with Monsieur + l’Abbé Froment to the Chamber.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he took leave of mother and daughter, kissing the hand of each + in turn. It had just occurred to him that to while away his time he also + might call for a moment at Silviane’s, where, like the others, he had his + <i>entrées</i>. On reaching the cold and solemn courtyard he said to the + priest, “Ah! it does one good to breathe a little cool air. They keep + their rooms too hot, and all those flowers, too, give one the headache.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre for his part was going off with his brain in a whirl, his hands + feverish, his senses oppressed by all the luxury which he left behind him, + like the dream of some glowing, perfumed paradise where only the elect had + their abode. At the same time his reviving thirst for charity had become + keener than ever, and without listening to the Count, who was speaking + very affectionately of his mother, he reflected as to how he might obtain + Laveuve’s admission to the Asylum from Fonsègue. However, when the door of + the mansion had closed behind them and they had taken a few steps along + the street, it occurred to Pierre that a moment previously a sudden vision + had met his gaze. Had he not seen a workman carrying a tool-bag, standing + and waiting on the foot pavement across the road, gazing at that + monumental door, closed upon so much fabulous wealth—a workman in + whom he fancied he had recognised Salvat, that hungry fellow who had gone + off that morning in search of work? At this thought Pierre hastily turned + round. Such wretchedness in face of so much affluence and enjoyment made + him feel anxious. But the workman, disturbed in his contemplation, and + possibly fearing that he had been recognised, was going off with dragging + step. And now, getting only a back view of him, Pierre hesitated, and + ended by thinking that he must have been mistaken. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap44"></a> + III. RANTERS AND RULERS + </h2> + <p> + WHEN Abbé Froment was about to enter the Palais-Bourbon he remembered that + he had no card, and he was making up his mind that he would simply ask for + Fonsègue, though he was not known to him, when, on reaching the vestibule, + he perceived Mège, the Collectivist deputy, with whom he had become + acquainted in his days of militant charity in the poverty-stricken + Charonne district. + </p> + <p> + “What, you here? You surely have not come to evangelise us?” said Mège. + </p> + <p> + “No, I’ve come to see Monsieur Fonsègue on an urgent matter, about a poor + fellow who cannot wait.” + </p> + <p> + “Fonsègue? I don’t know if he has arrived. Wait a moment.” And stopping a + short, dark young fellow with a ferreting, mouse-like air, Mège said to + him: “Massot, here’s Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, who wants to speak to your + governor at once.” + </p> + <p> + “The governor? But he isn’t here. I left him at the office of the paper, + where he’ll be detained for another quarter of an hour. However, if + Monsieur l’Abbé likes to wait he will surely see him here.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Mège ushered Pierre into the large waiting-hall, the Salle des + Pas Perdus, which in other moments looked so vast and cold with its bronze + Minerva and Laocoon, and its bare walls on which the pale mournful winter + light fell from the glass doors communicating with the garden. Just then, + however, it was crowded, and warmed, as it were, by the feverish agitation + of the many groups of men that had gathered here and there, and the + constant coming and going of those who hastened through the throng. Most + of these were deputies, but there were also numerous journalists and + inquisitive visitors. And a growing uproar prevailed: colloquies now in + undertones, now in loud voices, exclamations and bursts of laughter, + amidst a deal of passionate gesticulation, Mège’s return into the tumult + seemed to fan it. He was tall, apostolically thin, and somewhat neglectful + of his person, looking already old and worn for his age, which was but + five and forty, though his eyes still glowed with youth behind the glasses + which never left his beak-like nose. And he had a warm but grating voice, + and had always been known to cough, living on solely because he was + bitterly intent on doing so in order to realise the dream of social + re-organisation which haunted him. The son of an impoverished medical man + of a northern town, he had come to Paris when very young, living there + during the Empire on petty newspaper and other unknown work, and first + making a reputation as an orator at the public meetings of the time. Then, + after the war, having become the chief of the Collectivist party, thanks + to his ardent faith and the extraordinary activity of his fighting nature, + he had at last managed to enter the Chamber, where, brimful of + information, he fought for his ideas with fierce determination and + obstinacy, like a <i>doctrinaire</i> who has decided in his own mind what + the world ought to be, and who regulates in advance, and bit by bit, the + whole dogma of Collectivism. However, since he had taken pay as a deputy, + the outside Socialists had looked upon him as a mere rhetorician, an + aspiring dictator who only tried to cast society in a new mould for the + purpose of subordinating it to his personal views and ruling it. + </p> + <p> + “You know what is going on?” he said to Pierre. “This is another nice + affair, is it not? But what would you have? We are in mud to our very + ears.” + </p> + <p> + He had formerly conceived genuine sympathy for the priest, whom he had + found so gentle with all who suffered, and so desirous of social + regeneration. And the priest himself had ended by taking an interest in + this authoritarian dreamer, who was resolved to make men happy in spite + even of themselves. He knew that he was poor, and led a retired life with + his wife and four children, to whom he was devoted. + </p> + <p> + “You can well understand that I am no ally of Sagnier’s,” Mège resumed. + “But as he chose to speak out this morning and threaten to publish the + names of all those who have taken bribes, we can’t allow ourselves to pass + as accomplices any further. It has long been said that there was some + nasty jobbery in that suspicious affair of the African railways. And the + worst is that two members of the present Cabinet are in question, for + three years ago, when the Chambers dealt with Duvillard’s emission, + Barroux was at the Home Department, and Monferrand at that of Public + Works. Now that they have come back again, Monferrand at the Home + Department, and Barroux at that of Finance, with the Presidency of the + Council, it isn’t possible, is it, for us to do otherwise than compel them + to enlighten us, in their own interest even, about their former goings-on? + No, no, they can no longer keep silence, and I’ve announced that I intend + to interpellate them this very day.” + </p> + <p> + It was the announcement of Mège’s interpellation, following the terrible + article of the “Voix du Peuple,” which thus set the lobbies in an uproar. + And Pierre remained rather scared at this big political affair falling + into the midst of his scheme to save a wretched pauper from hunger and + death. Thus he listened without fully understanding the explanations which + the Socialist deputy was passionately giving him, while all around them + the uproar increased, and bursts of laughter rang out, testifying to the + astonishment which the others felt at seeing Mège in conversation with a + priest. + </p> + <p> + “How stupid they are!” said Mège disdainfully. “Do they think then that I + eat a cassock for <i>déjeuner</i> every morning? But I beg your pardon, my + dear Monsieur Froment. Come, take a place on that seat and wait for + Fonsègue.” + </p> + <p> + Then he himself plunged into all the turmoil, and Pierre realised that his + best course was to sit down and wait quietly. His surroundings began to + influence and interest him, and he gradually forgot Laveuve for the + passion of the Parliamentary crisis amidst which he found himself cast. + The frightful Panama adventure was scarcely over; he had followed the + progress of that tragedy with the anguish of a man who every night expects + to hear the tocsin sound the last hour of olden, agonising society. And + now a little Panama was beginning, a fresh cracking of the social edifice, + an affair such as had been frequent in all parliaments in connection with + big financial questions, but one which acquired mortal gravity from the + circumstances in which it came to the front. That story of the African + Railway Lines, that little patch of mud, stirred up and exhaling a + perturbing odour, and suddenly fomenting all that emotion, fear, and anger + in the Chamber, was after all but an opportunity for political strife, a + field on which the voracious appetites of the various “groups” would take + exercise and sharpen; and, at bottom, the sole question was that of + overthrowing the ministry and replacing it by another. Only, behind all + that lust of power, that continuous onslaught of ambition, what a + distressful prey was stirring—the whole people with all its poverty + and its sufferings! + </p> + <p> + Pierre noticed that Massot, “little Massot,” as he was generally called, + had just seated himself on the bench beside him. With his lively eye and + ready ear listening to everything and noting it, gliding everywhere with + his ferret-like air, Massot was not there in the capacity of a gallery + man, but had simply scented a stormy debate, and come to see if he could + not pick up material for some occasional “copy.” And this priest lost in + the midst of the throng doubtless interested him. + </p> + <p> + “Have a little patience, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said he, with the amiable + gaiety of a young gentleman who makes fun of everything. “The governor + will certainly come, for he knows well enough that they are going to heat + the oven here. You are not one of his constituents from La Corrèze, are + you?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no! I belong to Paris; I’ve come on account of a poor fellow whom I + wish to get admitted into the Asylum of the Invalids of Labour.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! all right. Well, I’m a child of Paris, too.” + </p> + <p> + Then Massot laughed. And indeed he was a child of Paris, son of a chemist + of the St. Denis district, and an ex-dunce of the Lycée Charlemagne, where + he had not even finished his studies. He had failed entirely, and at + eighteen years of age had found himself cast into journalism with barely + sufficient knowledge of orthography for that calling. And for twelve years + now, as he often said, he had been a rolling stone wandering through all + spheres of society, confessing some and guessing at others. He had seen + everything, and become disgusted with everything, no longer believing in + the existence of great men, or of truth, but living peacefully enough on + universal malice and folly. He naturally had no literary ambition, in fact + he professed a deliberate contempt for literature. Withal, he was not a + fool, but wrote in accordance with no matter what views in no matter what + newspaper, having neither conviction nor belief, but quietly claiming the + right to say whatever he pleased to the public on condition that he either + amused or impassioned it. + </p> + <p> + “And so,” said he, “you know Mège, Monsieur l’Abbé? What a study in + character, eh? A big child, a dreamer of dreams in the skin of a terrible + sectarian! Oh! I have had a deal of intercourse with him, I know him + thoroughly. You are no doubt aware that he lives on with the everlasting + conviction that he will attain to power in six months’ time, and that + between evening and morning he will have established that famous + Collectivist community which is to succeed capitalist society, just as day + follows night. And, by the way, as regards his interpellation to-day, he + is convinced that in overthrowing the Barroux ministry he’ll be hastening + his own turn. His system is to use up his adversaries. How many times + haven’t I heard him making his calculations: there’s such a one to be used + up, then such a one, and then such a one, so that he himself may at last + reign. And it’s always to come off in six months at the latest. The + misfortune is, however, that others are always springing up, and so his + turn never comes at all.” + </p> + <p> + Little Massot openly made merry over it. Then, slightly lowering his + voice, he asked: “And Sagnier, do you know him? No? Do you see that + red-haired man with the bull’s neck—the one who looks like a + butcher? That one yonder who is talking in a little group of frayed + frock-coats.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre at last perceived the man in question. He had broad red ears, a + hanging under-lip, a large nose, and big, projecting dull eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I know that one thoroughly, as well,” continued Massot; “I was on the + ‘Voix du Peuple’ under him before I went on the ‘Globe.’ The one thing + that nobody is exactly aware of is whence Sagnier first came. He long + dragged out his life in the lower depths of journalism, doing nothing at + all brilliant, but wild with ambition and appetite. Perhaps you remember + the first hubbub he made, that rather dirty affair of a new Louis XVII. + which he tried to launch, and which made him the extraordinary Royalist + that he still is. Then it occurred to him to espouse the cause of the + masses, and he made a display of vengeful Catholic socialism, attacking + the Republic and all the abominations of the times in the name of justice + and morality, under the pretext of curing them. He began with a series of + sketches of financiers, a mass of dirty, uncontrolled, unproved + tittle-tattle, which ought to have led him to the dock, but which met, as + you know, with such wonderful success when gathered together in a volume. + And he goes on in the same style in the ‘Voix du Peuple,’ which he himself + made a success at the time of the Panama affair by dint of denunciation + and scandal, and which to-day is like a sewer-pipe pouring forth all the + filth of the times. And whenever the stream slackens, why, he invents + things just to satisfy his craving for that hubbub on which both his pride + and his pocket subsist.” + </p> + <p> + Little Massot spoke without bitterness; indeed, he had even begun to laugh + again. Beneath his thoughtless ferocity he really felt some respect for + Sagnier. “Oh! he’s a bandit,” he continued, “but a clever fellow all the + same. You can’t imagine how full of vanity he is. Lately it occurred to + him to get himself acclaimed by the populace, for he pretends to be a kind + of King of the Markets, you know. Perhaps he has ended by taking his fine + judge-like airs in earnest, and really believes that he is saving the + people and helping the cause of virtue. What astonishes me is his + fertility in the arts of denunciation and scandalmongering. Never a + morning comes but he discovers some fresh horror, and delivers fresh + culprits over to the hatred of the masses. No! the stream of mud never + ceases; there is an incessant, unexpected spurt of infamy, an increase of + monstrous fancies each time that the disgusted public shows any sign of + weariness. And, do you know, there’s genius in that, Monsieur l’Abbé; for + he is well aware that his circulation goes up as soon as he threatens to + speak out and publish a list of traitors and bribe-takers. His sales are + certain now for some days to come.” + </p> + <p> + Listening to Massot’s gay, bantering voice, Pierre began to understand + certain things, the exact meaning of which had hitherto escaped him. He + ended by questioning the young journalist, surprised as he was that so + many deputies should be in the lobbies when the sitting was in progress. + Oh! the sitting indeed. The gravest matters, some bill of national + interest, might be under discussion, yet every member fled from it at the + sudden threat of an interpellation which might overturn the ministry. And + the passion stirring there was the restrained anger, the growing anxiety + of the present ministry’s clients, who feared that they might have to give + place to others; and it was also the sudden hope, the eager hunger of all + who were waiting—the clients of the various possible ministries of + the morrow. + </p> + <p> + Massot pointed to Barroux, the head of the Cabinet, who, though he was out + of his element in the Department of Finances, had taken it simply because + his generally recognised integrity was calculated to reassure public + opinion after the Panama crisis. Barroux was chatting in a corner with the + Minister of Public Instruction, Senator Taboureau, an old university man + with a shrinking, mournful air, who was extremely honest, but totally + ignorant of Paris, coming as he did from some far-away provincial faculty. + Barroux for his part was of decorative aspect, tall, and with a handsome, + clean-shaven face, which would have looked quite noble had not his nose + been rather too small. Although he was sixty, he still had a profusion of + curly snow-white hair completing the somewhat theatrical majesty of his + appearance, which he was wont to turn to account when in the tribune. + Coming of an old Parisian family, well-to-do, an advocate by profession, + then a Republican journalist under the Empire, he had reached office with + Gambetta, showing himself at once honest and romantic, loud of speech, and + somewhat stupid, but at the same time very brave and very upright, and + still clinging with ardent faith to the principles of the great + Revolution. However, his Jacobinism was getting out of fashion, he was + becoming an “ancestor,” as it were, one of the last props of the + middle-class Republic, and the new comers, the young politicians with long + teeth, were beginning to smile at him. Moreover, beneath the ostentation + of his demeanour, and the pomp of his eloquence, there was a man of + hesitating, sentimental nature, a good fellow who shed tears when + re-perusing the verses of Lamartine. + </p> + <p> + However, Monferrand, the minister for the Home Department, passed by and + drew Barroux aside to whisper a few words in his ear. He, Monferrand, was + fifty, short and fat, with a smiling, fatherly air; nevertheless a look of + keen intelligence appeared at times on his round and somewhat common face + fringed by a beard which was still dark. In him one divined a man of + government, with hands which were fitted for difficult tasks, and which + never released a prey. Formerly mayor of the town of Tulle, he came from + La Corrèze, where he owned a large estate. He was certainly a force in + motion, one whose constant rise was anxiously watched by keen observers. + He spoke in a simple quiet way, but with extraordinary power of + conviction. Having apparently no ambition, affecting indeed the greatest + disinterestedness, he nevertheless harboured the most ferocious appetites. + Sagnier had written that he was a thief and a murderer, having strangled + two of his aunts in order to inherit their property. But even if he were a + murderer, he was certainly not a vulgar one. + </p> + <p> + Then, too, came another personage of the drama which was about to be + performed—deputy Vignon, whose arrival agitated the various groups. + The two ministers looked at him, whilst he, at once surrounded by his + friends, smiled at them from a distance. He was not yet thirty-six. Slim, + and of average height, very fair, with a fine blond beard of which he took + great care, a Parisian by birth, having rapidly made his way in the + government service, at one time Prefect at Bordeaux, he now represented + youth and the future in the Chamber. He had realised that new men were + needed in the direction of affairs in order to accomplish the more urgent, + indispensable reforms; and very ambitious and intelligent as he was, + knowing many things, he already had a programme, the application of which + he was quite capable of attempting, in part at any rate. However, he + evinced no haste, but was full of prudence and shrewdness, convinced that + his day would dawn, strong in the fact that he was as yet compromised in + nothing, but had all space before him. At bottom he was merely a + first-class administrator, clear and precise in speech, and his programme + only differed from Barroux’s by the rejuvenation of its formulas, although + the advent of a Vignon ministry in place of a Barroux ministry appeared an + event of importance. And it was of Vignon that Sagnier had written that he + aimed at the Presidency of the Republic, even should he have to march + through blood to reach the Elysée Palace. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mon Dieu</i>!” Massot was explaining, “it’s quite possible that + Sagnier isn’t lying this time, and that he has really found a list of + names in some pocket-book of Hunter’s that has fallen into his hands. I + myself have long known that Hunter was Duvillard’s vote-recruiter in the + affair of the African Railways. But to understand matters one must first + realise what his mode of proceeding was, the skill and the kind of amiable + delicacy which he showed, which were far from the brutal corruption and + dirty trafficking that people imagine. One must be such a man as Sagnier + to picture a parliament as an open market, where every conscience is for + sale and is impudently knocked down to the highest bidder. Oh! things + happened in a very different way indeed; and they are explainable, and at + times even excusable. Thus the article is levelled in particular against + Barroux and Monferrand, who are designated in the clearest possible manner + although they are not named. You are no doubt aware that at the time of + the vote Barroux was at the Home Department and Monferrand at that of + Public Works, and so now they are accused of having betrayed their trusts, + the blackest of all social crimes. I don’t know into what political + combinations Barroux may have entered, but I am ready to swear that he put + nothing in his pocket, for he is the most honest of men. As for + Monferrand, that’s another matter; he’s a man to carve himself his share, + only I should be much surprised if he had put himself in a bad position. + He’s incapable of a blunder, particularly of a stupid blunder, like that + of taking money and leaving a receipt for it lying about.” + </p> + <p> + Massot paused, and with a jerk of his head called Pierre’s attention to + Duthil, who, feverish, but nevertheless smiling, stood in a group which + had just collected around the two ministers. “There! do you see that young + man yonder, that dark handsome fellow whose beard looks so triumphant?” + </p> + <p> + “I know him,” said Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! you know Duthil. Well, he’s one who most certainly took money. But + he’s a mere bird. He came to us from Angoulême to lead the pleasantest of + lives here, and he has no more conscience, no more scruples, than the + pretty finches of his native part, who are ever love-making. Ah! for + Duthil, Hunter’s money was like manna due to him, and he never even paused + to think that he was dirtying his fingers. You may be quite sure he feels + astonished that people should attach the slightest importance to the + matter.” + </p> + <p> + Then Massot designated another deputy in the same group, a man of fifty or + thereabouts, of slovenly aspect and lachrymose mien, lanky, too, like a + maypole, and somewhat bent by the weight of his head, which was long and + suggestive of a horse’s. His scanty, straight, yellowish hair, his + drooping moustaches, in fact the whole of his distracted countenance, + expressed everlasting distress. + </p> + <p> + “And Chaigneux, do you know him?” continued Massot, referring to the + deputy in question. “No? Well, look at him and ask yourself if it isn’t + quite as natural that he, too, should have taken money. He came from + Arras. He was a solicitor there. When his division elected him he let + politics intoxicate him, and sold his practice to make his fortune in + Paris, where he installed himself with his wife and his three daughters. + And you can picture his bewilderment amidst those four women, terrible + women ever busy with finery, receiving and paying visits, and running + after marriageable men who flee away. It’s ill-luck with a vengeance, the + daily defeat of a poor devil of mediocre attainments, who imagined that + his position as a deputy would facilitate money-making, and who is + drowning himself in it all. And so how can Chaigneux have done otherwise + than take money, he who is always hard up for a five-hundred-franc note! I + admit that originally he wasn’t a dishonest man. But he’s become one, + that’s all.” + </p> + <p> + Massot was now fairly launched, and went on with his portraits, the series + which he had, at one moment, dreamt of writing under the title of + “Deputies for Sale.” There were the simpletons who fell into the furnace, + the men whom ambition goaded to exasperation, the low minds that yielded + to the temptation of an open drawer, the company-promoters who grew + intoxicated and lost ground by dint of dealing with big figures. At the + same time, however, Massot admitted that these men were relatively few in + number, and that black sheep were to be found in every parliament of the + world. Then Sagnier’s name cropped up again, and Massot remarked that only + Sagnier could regard the French Chambers as mere dens of thieves. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, meantime, felt most interested in the tempest which the threat of + a ministerial crisis was stirring up before him. Not only the men like + Duthil and Chaigneux, pale at feeling the ground tremble beneath them, and + wondering whether they would not sleep at the Mazas prison that night, + were gathered round Barroux and Monferrand; all the latters’ clients were + there, all who enjoyed influence or office through them, and who would + collapse and disappear should they happen to fall. And it was something to + see the anxious glances and the pale dread amidst all the whispered + chatter, the bits of information and tittle-tattle which were carried + hither and thither. Then, in a neighbouring group formed round Vignon, who + looked very calm and smiled, were the other clients, those who awaited the + moment to climb to the assault of power, in order that they, in their + turn, might at last possess influence or office. Eyes glittered with + covetousness, hopeful delight could be read in them, pleasant surprise at + the sudden opportunity now offered. Vignon avoided replying to the + over-direct questions of his friends, and simply announced that he did not + intend to intervene. Evidently enough his plan was to let Mège + interpellate and overthrow the ministry, for he did not fear him, and in + his own estimation would afterwards simply have to stoop to pick up the + fallen portfolios. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monferrand now,” little Massot was saying, “there’s a rascal who + trims his sails! I knew him as an anti-clerical, a devourer of priests, + Monsieur l’Abbé, if you will allow me so to express myself; however, I + don’t say this to be agreeable to you, but I think I may tell you for + certain that he has become reconciled to religion. At least, I have been + told that Monseigneur Martha, who is a great converter, now seldom leaves + him. This is calculated to please one in these new times, when science has + become bankrupt, and religion blooms afresh with delicious mysticism on + all sides, whether in art, literature, or society itself.” + </p> + <p> + Massot was jesting, according to his wont; but he spoke so amiably that + the priest could not do otherwise than bow. However, a great stir had set + in before them; it was announced that Mège was about to ascend the + tribune, and thereupon all the deputies hastened into the assembly hall, + leaving only the inquisitive visitors and a few journalists in the Salle + des Pas Perdus. + </p> + <p> + “It’s astonishing that Fonsègue hasn’t yet arrived,” resumed Massot; “he’s + interested in what’s going on. However, he’s so cunning, that when he + doesn’t behave as others do, one may be sure that he has his reasons for + it. Do you know him?” And as Pierre gave a negative answer, Massot went + on: “Oh! he’s a man of brains and real power—I speak with all + freedom, you know, for I don’t possess the bump of veneration; and, as for + my editors, well, they’re the very puppets that I know the best and pick + to pieces with the most enjoyment. Fonsègue, also, is clearly designated + in Sagnier’s article. Moreover, he’s one of Duvillard’s usual clients. + There can be no doubt that he took money, for he takes money in + everything. Only he always protects himself, and takes it for reasons + which may be acknowledged—as payment or commission on account of + advertising, and so forth. And if I left him just now, looking, as it + seemed to me, rather disturbed, and if he delays his arrival here to + establish, as it were, a moral alibi, the truth must be that he has + committed the first imprudent action in his life.” + </p> + <p> + Then Massot rattled on, telling all there was to tell about Fonsègue. He, + too, came from the department of La Corrèze, and had quarrelled for life + with Monferrand after some unknown underhand affairs. Formerly an advocate + at Tulle, his ambition had been to conquer Paris; and he had really + conquered it, thanks to his big morning newspaper, “Le Globe,” of which he + was both founder and director. He now resided in a luxurious mansion in + the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, and no enterprise was launched but he + carved himself a princely share in it. He had a genius for “business,” and + employed his newspaper as a weapon to enable him to reign over the market. + But how very carefully he had behaved, what long and skilful patience he + had shown, before attaining to the reputation of a really serious man, who + guided authoritatively the most virtuous and respected of the organs of + the press! Though in reality he believed neither in God nor in Devil, he + had made this newspaper the supporter of order, property, and family ties; + and though he had become a Conservative Republican, since it was to his + interest to be such, he had remained outwardly religious, affecting a + Spiritualism which reassured the <i>bourgeoisie</i>. And amidst all his + accepted power, to which others bowed, he nevertheless had one hand deep + in every available money-bag. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur l’Abbé,” said Massot, “see to what journalism may lead a + man. There you have Sagnier and Fonsègue: just compare them a bit. In + reality they are birds of the same feather: each has a quill and uses it. + But how different the systems and the results. Sagnier’s print is really a + sewer which rolls him along and carries him to the cesspool; while the + other’s paper is certainly an example of the best journalism one can have, + most carefully written, with a real literary flavour, a treat for readers + of delicate minds, and an honour to the man who directs it. But at the + bottom, good heavens! in both cases the farce is precisely the same!” + </p> + <p> + Massot burst out laughing, well pleased with this final thrust. Then all + at once: “Ah! here’s Fonsègue at last!” said he. + </p> + <p> + Quite at his ease, and still laughing, he forthwith introduced the priest. + “This is Monsieur l’Abbé Froment, my dear <i>patron</i>, who has been + waiting more than twenty minutes for you—I’m just going to see what + is happening inside. You know that Mège is interpellating the government.” + </p> + <p> + The new comer started slightly: “An interpellation!” said he. “All right, + all right, I’ll go to it.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was looking at him. He was about fifty years of age, short of + stature, thin and active, still looking young without a grey hair in his + black beard. He had sparkling eyes, too, but his mouth, said to be a + terrible one, was hidden by his moustaches. And withal he looked a + pleasant companion, full of wit to the tip of his little pointed nose, the + nose of a sporting dog that is ever scenting game. “What can I do for you, + Monsieur l’Abbé?” he inquired. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre briefly presented his request, recounting his visit to Laveuve + that morning, giving every heart-rending particular, and asking for the + poor wretch’s immediate admittance to the Asylum. + </p> + <p> + “Laveuve!” said the other, “but hasn’t his affair been examined? Why, + Duthil drew up a report on it, and things appeared to us of such a nature + that we could not vote for the man’s admittance.” + </p> + <p> + But the priest insisted: “I assure you, monsieur, that your heart would + have burst with compassion had you been with me this morning. It is + revolting that an old man should be left in such frightful abandonment + even for another hour. He must sleep at the Asylum to-night.” + </p> + <p> + Fonsègue began to protest. “To-night! But it’s impossible, altogether + impossible! There are all sorts of indispensable formalities to be + observed. And besides I alone cannot take such responsibility. I haven’t + the power. I am only the manager; all that I do is to execute the orders + of the committee of lady patronesses.” + </p> + <p> + “But it was precisely Baroness Duvillard who sent me to you, monsieur, + telling me that you alone had the necessary authority to grant immediate + admittance in an exceptional case.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it was the Baroness who sent you? Ah! that is just like her, + incapable of coming to any decision herself, and far too desirous of her + own quietude to accept any responsibility. Why is it that she wants me to + have the worries? No, no, Monsieur l’Abbé, I certainly won’t go against + all our regulations; I won’t give an order which would perhaps embroil me + with all those ladies. You don’t know them, but they become positively + terrible directly they attend our meetings.” + </p> + <p> + He was growing lively, defending himself with a jocular air, whilst in + secret he was fully determined to do nothing. However, just then Duthil + abruptly reappeared, darting along bareheaded, hastening from lobby to + lobby to recruit absent members, particularly those who were interested in + the grave debate at that moment beginning. “What, Fonsègue!” he cried, + “are you still here? Go, go to your seat at once, it’s serious!” And + thereupon he disappeared. + </p> + <p> + His colleague evinced no haste, however. It was as if the suspicious + affair which was impassioning the Chamber had no concern for him. And he + still smiled, although a slight feverish quiver made him blink. “Excuse + me, Monsieur l’Abbé,” he said at last. “You see that my friends have need + of me. I repeat to you that I can do absolutely nothing for your <i>protégé</i>.” + </p> + <p> + But Pierre would not accept this reply as a final one. “No, no, monsieur,” + he rejoined, “go to your affairs, I will wait for you here. Don’t come to + a decision without full reflection. You are wanted, and I feel that your + mind is not sufficiently at liberty for you to listen to me properly. + By-and-by, when you come back and give me your full attention, I am sure + that you will grant me what I ask.” + </p> + <p> + And, although Fonsègue, as he went off, repeated that he could not alter + his decision, the priest stubbornly resolved to make him do so, and sat + down on the bench again, prepared, if needful, to stay there till the + evening. The Salle des Pas Perdus was now almost quite empty, and looked + yet more frigid and mournful with its Laocoon and its Minerva, its bare + commonplace walls like those of a railway-station waiting-room, between + which all the scramble of the century passed, though apparently without + even warming the lofty ceiling. Never had paler and more callous light + entered by the large glazed doors, behind which one espied the little + slumberous garden with its meagre, wintry lawns. And not an echo of the + tempest of the sitting near at hand reached the spot; from the whole heavy + pile there fell but death-like silence, and a covert quiver of distress + that had come from far away, perhaps from the entire country. + </p> + <p> + It was that which now haunted Pierre’s reverie. The whole ancient, + envenomed sore spread out before his mind’s eye, with its poison and + virulence. Parliamentary rottenness had slowly increased till it had begun + to attack society itself. Above all the low intrigues and the rush of + personal ambition there certainly remained the loftier struggle of the + contending principles, with history on the march, clearing the past away + and seeking to bring more truth, justice, and happiness in the future. But + in practice, if one only considered the horrid daily cuisine of the + sphere, what an unbridling of egotistical appetite one beheld, what an + absorbing passion to strangle one’s neighbour and triumph oneself alone! + Among the various groups one found but an incessant battle for power and + the satisfactions that it gives. “Left,” “Right,” “Catholics,” + “Republicans,” “Socialists,” the names given to the parties of twenty + different shades, were simply labels classifying forms of the one burning + thirst to rule and dominate. All questions could be reduced to a single + one, that of knowing whether this man, that man, or that other man should + hold France in his grasp, to enjoy it, and distribute its favours among + his creatures. And the worst was that the outcome of the great + parliamentary battles, the days and the weeks lost in setting this man in + the place of that man, and that other man in the place of this man, was + simply stagnation, for not one of the three men was better than his + fellows, and there were but vague points of difference between them; in + such wise that the new master bungled the very same work as the previous + one had bungled, forgetful, perforce, of programmes and promises as soon + as ever he began to reign. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre’s thoughts invincibly reverted to Laveuve, whom he had + momentarily forgotten, but who now seized hold of him again with a quiver + as of anger and death. Ah! what could it matter to that poor old wretch, + dying of hunger on his bed of rags, whether Mège should overthrow + Barroux’s ministry, and whether a Vignon ministry should ascend to power + or not! At that rate, a century, two centuries, would be needed before + there would be bread in the garrets where groan the lamed sons of labour, + the old, broken-down beasts of burden. And behind Laveuve there appeared + the whole army of misery, the whole multitude of the disinherited and the + poor, who agonised and asked for justice whilst the Chamber, sitting in + all pomp, grew furiously impassioned over the question as to whom the + nation should belong to, as to who should devour it. Mire was flowing on + in a broad stream, the hideous, bleeding, devouring sore displayed itself + in all impudence, like some cancer which preys upon an organ and spreads + to the heart. And what disgust, what nausea must such a spectacle inspire; + and what a longing for the vengeful knife that would bring health and joy! + </p> + <p> + Pierre could not have told for how long he had been plunged in this + reverie, when uproar again filled the hall. People were coming back, + gesticulating and gathering in groups. And suddenly he heard little Massot + exclaim near him: “Well, if it isn’t down it’s not much better off. I + wouldn’t give four sous for its chance of surviving.” + </p> + <p> + He referred to the ministry, and began to recount the sitting to a fellow + journalist who had just arrived. Mège had spoken very eloquently, with + extraordinary fury of indignation against the rotten <i>bourgeoisie</i>, + which rotted everything it touched; but, as usual, he had gone much too + far, alarming the Chamber by his very violence. And so, when Barroux had + ascended the tribune to ask for a month’s adjournment of the + interpellation, he had merely had occasion to wax indignant, in all + sincerity be it said, full of lofty anger that such infamous campaigns + should be carried on by a certain portion of the press. Were the shameful + Panama scandals about to be renewed? Were the national representatives + going to let themselves be intimidated by fresh threats of denunciation? + It was the Republic itself which its adversaries were seeking to submerge + beneath a flood of abominations. No, no, the hour had come for one to + collect one’s thoughts, and work in quietude without allowing those who + hungered for scandal to disturb the public peace. And the Chamber, + impressed by these words, fearing, too, lest the electorate should at last + grow utterly weary of the continuous overflow of filth, had adjourned the + interpellation to that day month. However, although Vignon had not + personally intervened in the debate, the whole of his group had voted + against the ministry, with the result that the latter had merely secured a + majority of two votes—a mockery. + </p> + <p> + “But in that case they will resign,” said somebody to Massot. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, so it’s rumoured. But Barroux is very tenacious. At all events if + they show any obstinacy they will be down before a week is over, + particularly as Sagnier, who is quite furious, declares that he will + publish the list of names to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + Just then, indeed, Barroux and Monferrand were seen to pass, hastening + along with thoughtful, busy mien, and followed by their anxious clients. + It was said that the whole Cabinet was about to assemble to consider the + position and come to a decision. And then Vignon, in his turn, reappeared + amidst a stream of friends. He, for his part, was radiant, with a joy + which he sought to conceal, calming his friends in his desire not to cry + victory too soon. However, the eyes of the band glittered, like those of a + pack of hounds when the moment draws near for the offal of the quarry to + be distributed. And even Mège also looked triumphant. He had all but + overthrown the ministry. That made another one that was worn out, and + by-and-by he would wear out Vignon’s, and at last govern in his turn. + </p> + <p> + “The devil!” muttered little Massot, “Chaigneux and Duthil look like + whipped dogs. And see, there’s nobody who is worth the governor. Just look + at him, how superb he is, that Fonsègue! But good-by, I must now be off!” + </p> + <p> + Then he shook hands with his brother journalist unwilling as he was to + remain any longer, although the sitting still continued, some bill of + public importance again being debated before the rows of empty seats. + </p> + <p> + Chaigneux, with his desolate mien, had gone to lean against the pedestal + of the high figure of Minerva; and never before had he been more bowed + down by his needy distress, the everlasting anguish of his ill-luck. On + the other hand, Duthil, in spite of everything, was perorating in the + centre of a group with an affectation of scoffing unconcern; nevertheless + nervous twitches made his nose pucker and distorted his mouth, while the + whole of his handsome face was becoming moist with fear. And even as + Massot had said, there really was only Fonsègue who showed composure and + bravery, ever the same with his restless little figure, and his eyes + beaming with wit, though at times they were just faintly clouded by a + shadow of uneasiness. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had risen to renew his request; but Fonsègue forestalled him, + vivaciously exclaiming: “No, no, Monsieur l’Abbé, I repeat that I cannot + take on myself such an infraction of our rules. There was an inquiry, and + a decision was arrived at. How would you have me over-rule it?” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” said the priest, in a tone of deep grief, “it is a question of + an old man who is hungry and cold, and in danger of death if he be not + succoured.” + </p> + <p> + With a despairing gesture, the director of “Le Globe” seemed to take the + very walls as witnesses of his powerlessness. No doubt he feared some + nasty affair for his newspaper, in which he had abused the Invalids of + Labour enterprise as an electoral weapon. Perhaps, too, the secret terror + into which the sitting of the Chamber had just thrown him was hardening + his heart. “I can do nothing,” he repeated. “But naturally I don’t ask + better than to have my hands forced by the ladies of the Committee. You + already have the support of the Baroness Duvillard, secure that of some + others.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was determined to fight on to the very end, saw in this + suggestion a supreme chance. “I know the Countess de Quinsac,” he said, “I + can go to see her at once.” + </p> + <p> + “Quite so! an excellent idea, the Countess de Quinsac! Take a cab and go + to see the Princess de Harn as well. She bestirs herself a great deal, and + is becoming very influential. Secure the approval of these ladies, go back + to the Baroness’s at seven, get a letter from her to cover me, and then + call on me at the office of my paper. That done, your man shall sleep at + the Asylum at nine o’clock!” + </p> + <p> + He evinced in speaking a kind of joyous good nature, as though he no + longer doubted of success now that he ran no risk of compromising himself. + And great hope again came back to the priest: “Ah! thank you, monsieur,” + he said; “it is a work of salvation that you will accomplish.” + </p> + <p> + “But you surely know that I ask nothing better. Ah! if we could only cure + misery, prevent hunger and thirst by a mere word. However, make haste, you + have not a minute to lose.” + </p> + <p> + They shook hands, and Pierre at once tried to get out of the throng. This, + however, was no easy task, for the various groups had grown larger as all + the anger and anguish, roused by the recent debate, ebbed back there amid + a confused tumult. It was as when a stone, cast into a pool, stirs the + ooze below, and causes hidden, rotting things to rise once more to the + surface. And Pierre had to bring his elbows into play and force a passage + athwart the throng, betwixt the shivering cowardice of some, the insolent + audacity of others, and the smirchings which sullied the greater number, + given the contagion which inevitably prevailed. However, he carried away a + fresh hope, and it seemed to him that if he should save a life, make but + one man happy that day, it would be like a first instalment of redemption, + a sign that a little forgiveness would be extended to the many follies and + errors of that egotistical and all-devouring political world. + </p> + <p> + On reaching the vestibule a final incident detained him for a moment + longer. Some commotion prevailed there following upon a quarrel between a + man and an usher, the latter of whom had prevented the former from + entering on finding that the admission ticket which he tendered was an old + one, with its original date scratched out. The man, very rough at the + outset, had then refrained from insisting, as if indeed sudden timidity + had come upon him. And in this ill-dressed fellow Pierre was astonished to + recognise Salvat, the journeyman engineer, whom he had seen going off in + search of work that same morning. This time it was certainly he, tall, + thin and ravaged, with dreamy yet flaming eyes, which set his pale + starveling’s face aglow. He no longer carried his tool-bag; his ragged + jacket was buttoned up and distended on the left side by something that he + carried in a pocket, doubtless some hunk of bread. And on being repulsed + by the ushers, he walked away, taking the Concorde bridge, slowly, as if + chancewise, like a man who knows not whither he is going. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap45"></a> + IV. SOCIAL SIDELIGHTS + </h2> + <p> + IN her old faded drawing-room—a Louis Seize <i>salon</i> with grey + woodwork—the Countess de Quinsac sat near the chimney-piece in her + accustomed place. She was singularly like her son, with a long and noble + face, her chin somewhat stern, but her eyes still beautiful beneath her + fine snowy hair, which was arranged in the antiquated style of her youth. + And whatever her haughty coldness, she knew how to be amiable, with + perfect, kindly graciousness. + </p> + <p> + Slightly waving her hand after a long silence, she resumed, addressing + herself to the Marquis de Morigny, who sat on the other side of the + chimney, where for long years he had always taken the same armchair. “Ah! + you are right, my friend, Providence has left us here forgotten, in a most + abominable epoch.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, we passed by the side of happiness and missed it,” the Marquis + slowly replied, “and it was your fault, and doubtless mine as well.” + </p> + <p> + Smiling sadly, she stopped him with another wave of her hand. And the + silence fell once more; not a sound from the streets reached that gloomy + ground floor at the rear of the courtyard of an old mansion in the Rue St. + Dominique, almost at the corner of the Rue de Bourgogne. + </p> + <p> + The Marquis was an old man of seventy-five, nine years older than the + Countess. Short and thin though he was, he none the less had a + distinguished air, with his clean-shaven face, furrowed by deep, + aristocratic wrinkles. He belonged to one of the most ancient families of + France, and remained one of the last hopeless Legitimists, of very pure + and lofty views, zealously keeping his faith to the dead monarchy amidst + the downfall of everything. His fortune, still estimated at several + millions of francs, remained, as it were, in a state of stagnation, + through his refusal to invest it in any of the enterprises of the century. + It was known that in all discretion he had loved the Countess, even when + M. de Quinsac was alive, and had, moreover, offered marriage after the + latter’s death, at the time when the widow had sought a refuge on that + damp ground floor with merely an income of some 15,000 francs, saved with + great difficulty from the wreck of the family fortune. But she, who adored + her son Gérard, then in his tenth year, and of delicate health, had + sacrificed everything to the boy from a kind of maternal chasteness and a + superstitious fear that she might lose him should she set another + affection and another duty in her life. And the Marquis, while bowing to + her decision, had continued to worship her with his whole soul, ever + paying his court as on the first evening when he had seen her, still + gallant and faithful after a quarter of a century had passed. There had + never been anything between them, not even the exchange of a kiss. + </p> + <p> + Seeing how sad she looked, he feared that he might have displeased her, + and so he asked: “I should have liked to render you happy, but I didn’t + know how, and the fault can certainly only rest with me. Is Gérard giving + you any cause for anxiety?” + </p> + <p> + She shook her head, and then replied: “As long as things remain as they + are we cannot complain of them, my friend, since we accepted them.” + </p> + <p> + She referred to her son’s culpable connection with Baroness Duvillard. She + had ever shown much weakness with regard to that son whom she had had so + much trouble to rear, for she alone knew what exhaustion, what racial + collapse was hidden behind his proud bearing. She tolerated his idleness, + the apathetic disgust which, man of pleasure that he was, had turned him + from the profession of diplomacy as from that of arms. How many times had + she not repaired his acts of folly and paid his petty debts, keeping + silent concerning them, and refusing all pecuniary help from the Marquis, + who no longer dared offer his millions, so stubbornly intent she was on + living upon the remnants of her own fortune. And thus she had ended by + closing her eyes to her son’s scandalous love intrigue, divining in some + measure how things had happened, through self-abandonment and lack of + conscience—the man weak, unable to resume possession of himself, and + the woman holding and retaining him. The Marquis, however, strangely + enough, had only forgiven the intrigue on the day when Eve had allowed + herself to be converted. + </p> + <p> + “You know, my friend, how good-natured Gérard is,” the Countess resumed. + “In that lie both his strength and weakness. How would you have me scold + him when he weeps over it all with me? He will tire of that woman.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Morigny wagged his head. “She is still very beautiful,” said he. + “And then there’s the daughter. It would be graver still if he were to + marry her—” + </p> + <p> + “But the daughter’s infirm?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, and you know what would be said: A Quinsac marrying a monster for + the sake of her millions.” + </p> + <p> + This was their mutual terror. They knew everything that went on at the + Duvillards, the affectionate friendship of the uncomely Camille and the + handsome Gérard, the seeming idyll beneath which lurked the most awful of + dramas. And they protested with all their indignation. “Oh! that, no, no, + never!” the Countess declared. “My son in that family, no, I will never + consent to it.” + </p> + <p> + Just at that moment General de Bozonnet entered. He was much attached to + his sister and came to keep her company on the days when she received, for + the old circle had gradually dwindled down till now only a few faithful + ones ventured into that grey gloomy <i>salon</i>, where one might have + fancied oneself at thousands of leagues from present-day Paris. And + forthwith, in order to enliven the room, he related that he had been to <i>déjeuner</i> + at the Duvillards, and named the guests, Gérard among them. He knew that + he pleased his sister by going to the banker’s house whence he brought her + news, a house, too, which he cleansed in some degree by conferring on it + the great honour of his presence. And he himself in no wise felt bored + there, for he had long been gained over to the century and showed himself + of a very accommodating disposition in everything that did not pertain to + military art. + </p> + <p> + “That poor little Camille worships Gérard,” said he; “she was devouring + him with her eyes at table.” + </p> + <p> + But M. de Morigny gravely intervened: “There lies the danger, a marriage + would be absolutely monstrous from every point of view.” + </p> + <p> + The General seemed astonished: “Why, pray? She isn’t beautiful, but it’s + not only the beauties who marry! And there are her millions. However, our + dear child would only have to put them to a good use. True, there is also + the mother; but, <i>mon Dieu</i>! such things are so common nowadays in + Paris society.” + </p> + <p> + This revolted the Marquis, who made a gesture of utter disgust. What was + the use of discussion when all collapsed? How could one answer a Bozonnet, + the last surviving representative of such an illustrious family, when he + reached such a point as to excuse the infamous morals that prevailed under + the Republic; after denying his king, too, and serving the Empire, + faithfully and passionately attaching himself to the fortunes and memory + of Caesar? However, the Countess also became indignant: “Oh! what are you + saying, brother? I will never authorize such a scandal, I swore so only + just now.” + </p> + <p> + “Don’t swear, sister,” exclaimed the General; “for my part I should like + to see our Gérard happy. That’s all. And one must admit that he’s not good + for much. I can understand that he didn’t go into the Army, for that + profession is done for. But I do not so well understand why he did not + enter the diplomatic profession, or accept some other occupation. It is + very fine, no doubt, to run down the present times and declare that a man + of our sphere cannot possibly do any clean work in them. But, as a matter + of fact, it is only idle fellows who still say that. And Gérard has but + one excuse, his lack of aptitude, will and strength.” + </p> + <p> + Tears had risen to the mother’s eyes. She even trembled, well knowing how + deceitful were appearances: a mere chill might carry her son off, however + tall and strong he might look. And was he not indeed a symbol of that + old-time aristocracy, still so lofty and proud in appearance, though at + bottom it is but dust? + </p> + <p> + “Well,” continued the General, “he’s thirty-six now; he’s constantly + hanging on your hands, and he must make an end of it all.” + </p> + <p> + However, the Countess silenced him and turned to the Marquis: “Let us put + our confidence in God, my friend,” said she. “He cannot but come to my + help, for I have never willingly offended Him.” + </p> + <p> + “Never!” replied the Marquis, who in that one word set an expression of + all his grief, all his affection and worship for that woman whom he had + adored for so many years. + </p> + <p> + But another faithful friend came in and the conversation changed. M. de + Larombière, Vice-President of the Appeal Court, was an old man of + seventy-five, thin, bald and clean shaven but for a pair of little white + whiskers. And his grey eyes, compressed mouth and square and obstinate + chin lent an expression of great austerity to his long face. The grief of + his life was that, being afflicted with a somewhat childish lisp, he had + never been able to make his full merits known when a public prosecutor, + for he esteemed himself to be a great orator. And this secret worry + rendered him morose. In him appeared an incarnation of that old royalist + France which sulked and only served the Republic against its heart, that + old stern magistracy which closed itself to all evolution, to all new + views of things and beings. Of petty “gown” nobility, originally a + Legitimist but now supporting Orleanism, he believed himself to be the one + man of wisdom and logic in that <i>salon</i>, where he was very proud to + meet the Marquis. + </p> + <p> + They talked of the last events; but with them political conversation was + soon exhausted, amounting as it did to a mere bitter condemnation of men + and occurrences, for all three were of one mind as to the abominations of + the Republican <i>régime</i>. They themselves, however, were only ruins, + the remnants of the old parties now all but utterly powerless. The Marquis + for his part soared on high, yielding in nothing, ever faithful to the + dead past; he was one of the last representatives of that lofty obstinate + <i>noblesse</i> which dies when it finds itself without an effort to + escape its fate. The judge, who at least had a pretender living, relied on + a miracle, and demonstrated the necessity for one if France were not to + sink into the depths of misfortune and completely disappear. And as for + the General, all that he regretted of the two Empires was their great + wars; he left the faint hope of a Bonapartist restoration on one side to + declare that by not contenting itself with the Imperial military system, + and by substituting thereto obligatory service, the nation in arms, the + Republic had killed both warfare and the country. + </p> + <p> + When the Countess’s one man-servant came to ask her if she would consent + to receive Abbé Froment she seemed somewhat surprised. “What can he want + of me? Show him in,” she said. + </p> + <p> + She was very pious, and having met Pierre in connection with various + charitable enterprises, she had been touched by his zeal as well as by the + saintly reputation which he owed to his Neuilly parishioners. + </p> + <p> + He, absorbed by his fever, felt intimidated directly he crossed the + threshold. He could at first distinguish nothing, but fancied he was + entering some place of mourning, a shadowy spot where human forms seemed + to melt away, and voices were never raised above a whisper. Then, on + perceiving the persons present, he felt yet more out of his element, for + they seemed so sad, so far removed from the world whence he had just come, + and whither he was about to return. And when the Countess had made him sit + down beside her in front of the chimney-piece, it was in a low voice that + he told her the lamentable story of Laveuve, and asked her support to + secure the man’s admittance to the Asylum for the Invalids of Labour. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,” said she, “that enterprise which my son wished me to belong to. + But, Monsieur l’Abbé, I have never once attended the Committee meetings. + So how could I intervene, having assuredly no influence whatever?” + </p> + <p> + Again had the figures of Eve and Gérard arisen before her, for it was at + this asylum that the pair had first met. And influenced by her sorrowful + maternal love she was already weakening, although it was regretfully that + she had lent her name to one of those noisy charitable enterprises, which + people abused to further their selfish interests in a manner she + condemned. + </p> + <p> + “But, madame,” Pierre insisted, “it is a question of a poor starving old + man. I implore you to be compassionate.” + </p> + <p> + Although the priest had spoken in a low voice the General drew near. “It’s + for your old revolutionary that you are running about, is it not,” said + he. “Didn’t you succeed with the manager, then? The fact is that it’s + difficult to feel any pity for fellows who, if they were the masters, + would, as they themselves say, sweep us all away.” + </p> + <p> + M. de Larombière jerked his chin approvingly. For some time past he had + been haunted by the Anarchist peril. But Pierre, distressed and quivering, + again began to plead his cause. He spoke of all the frightful misery, the + homes where there was no food, the women and children shivering with cold, + and the fathers scouring muddy, wintry Paris in search of a bit of bread. + All that he asked for was a line on a visiting card, a kindly word from + the Countess, which he would at once carry to Baroness Duvillard to + prevail on her to set the regulations aside. And his words fell one by + one, tremulous with stifled tears, in that mournful <i>salon</i>, like + sounds from afar, dying away in a dead world where there was no echo left. + </p> + <p> + Madame de Quinsac turned towards M. de Morigny, but he seemed to take no + interest in it all. He was gazing fixedly at the fire, with the haughty + air of a stranger who was indifferent to the things and beings in whose + midst an error of time compelled him to live. But feeling that the glance + of the woman he worshipped was fixed upon him he raised his head; and then + their eyes met for a moment with an expression of infinite gentleness, the + mournful gentleness of their heroic love. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mon Dieu</i>!” said she, “I know your merits, Monsieur l’Abbé, and I + won’t refuse my help to one of your good works.” + </p> + <p> + Then she went off for a moment, and returned with a card on which she had + written that she supported with all her heart Monsieur l’Abbé Froment in + the steps he was taking. And he thanked her and went off delighted, as if + he carried yet a fresh hope of salvation from that drawing-room where, as + he retired, gloom and silence once more seemed to fall on that old lady + and her last faithful friends gathered around the fire, last relics of a + world that was soon to disappear. + </p> + <p> + Once outside, Pierre joyfully climbed into his cab again, after giving the + Princess de Harn’s address in the Avenue Kleber. If he could also obtain + her approval he would no longer doubt of success. However, there was such + a crush on the Concorde bridge, that the driver had to walk his horse. + And, on the foot-pavement, Pierre again saw Duthil, who, with a cigar + between his lips, was smiling at the crowd, with his amiable bird-like + heedlessness, happy as he felt at finding the pavement dry and the sky + blue on leaving that worrying sitting of the Chamber. Seeing how gay and + triumphant he looked, a sudden inspiration came to the priest, who said to + himself that he ought to win over this young man, whose report had had + such a disastrous effect. As it happened, the cab having been compelled to + stop altogether, the deputy had just recognized him and was smiling at + him. + </p> + <p> + “Where are you going, Monsieur Duthil?” Pierre asked. + </p> + <p> + “Close by, in the Champs Elysées.” + </p> + <p> + “I’m going that way, and, as I should much like to speak to you for a + moment, it would be very kind of you to take a seat beside me. I will set + you down wherever you like.” + </p> + <p> + “Willingly, Monsieur l’Abbé. It won’t inconvenience you if I finish my + cigar?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! not at all.” + </p> + <p> + The cab found its way out of the crush, crossed the Place de la Concorde + and began to ascend the Champs Elysées. And Pierre, reflecting that he had + very few minutes before him, at once attacked Duthil, quite ready for any + effort to convince him. He remembered what a sortie the young deputy had + made against Laveuve at the Baron’s; and thus he was astonished to hear + him interrupt and say quite pleasantly, enlivened as he seemed by the + bright sun which was again beginning to shine: “Ah, yes! your old + drunkard! So you didn’t settle his business with Fonsègue? And what is it + you want? To have him admitted to-day? Well, you know I don’t oppose it?” + </p> + <p> + “But there’s your report.” + </p> + <p> + “My report, oh, my report! But questions change according to the way one + looks at them. And if you are so anxious about your Laveuve I won’t refuse + to help you.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre looked at him in astonishment, at bottom extremely well pleased. + And there was no further necessity even for him to speak. + </p> + <p> + “You didn’t take the matter in hand properly,” continued Duthil, leaning + forward with a confidential air. “It’s the Baron who’s the master at home, + for reasons which you may divine, which you may very likely know. The + Baroness does all that he asks without even discussing the point; and this + morning,—instead of starting on a lot of useless visits, you only + had to gain his support, particularly as he seemed to be very well + disposed. And she would then have given way immediately.” Duthil began to + laugh. “And so,” he continued, “do you know what I’ll do? Well, I’ll gain + the Baron over to your cause. Yes, I am this moment going to a house where + he is, where one is certain to find him every day at this time.” Then he + laughed more loudly. “And perhaps you are not ignorant of it, Monsieur + l’Abbé. When he is there you may be certain he never gives a refusal. I + promise you I’ll make him swear that he will compel his wife to grant your + man admission this very evening. Only it will, perhaps, be rather late.” + </p> + <p> + Then all at once, as if struck by a fresh idea, Duthil went on: “But why + shouldn’t you come with me? You secure a line from the Baron, and + thereupon, without losing a minute, you go in search of the Baroness. Ah! + yes, the house embarrasses you a little, I understand it. Would you like + to see only the Baron there? You can wait for him in a little <i>salon</i> + downstairs; I will bring him to you.” + </p> + <p> + This proposal made Duthil altogether merry, but Pierre, quite scared, + hesitated at the idea of thus going to Silviane d’Aulnay’s. It was hardly + a place for him. However, to achieve his purpose, he would have descended + into the very dwelling of the fiend, and had already done so sometimes + with Abbé Rose, when there was hope of assuaging wretchedness. So he + turned to Duthil and consented to accompany him. + </p> + <p> + Silviane d’Aulnay’s little mansion, a very luxurious one, displaying, too, + so to say, the luxury of a temple, refined but suggestive of gallantry, + stood in the Avenue d’Antin, near the Champs Elysées. The inmate of this + sanctuary, where the orfrays of old dalmaticas glittered in the mauve + reflections from the windows of stained-glass, had just completed her + twenty-fifth year. Short and slim she was, of an adorable, dark beauty, + and all Paris was acquainted with her delicious, virginal countenance of a + gentle oval, her delicate nose, her little mouth, her candid cheeks and + artless chin, above all which she wore her black hair in thick, heavy + bands, which hid her low brow. Her notoriety was due precisely to her + pretty air of astonishment, the infinite purity of her blue eyes, the + whole expression of chaste innocence which she assumed when it so pleased + her, an expression which contrasted powerfully with her true nature, + shameless creature that she really was, of the most monstrous, confessed, + and openly-displayed perversity; such as, in fact, often spring up from + the rotting soil of great cities. Extraordinary things were related about + Silviane’s tastes and fancies. Some said that she was a door-keeper’s, + others a doctor’s, daughter. In any case she had managed to acquire + instruction and manners, for when occasion required she lacked neither + wit, nor style, nor deportment. She had been rolling through the theatres + for ten years or so, applauded for her beauty’s sake, and she had even + ended by obtaining some pretty little successes in such parts as those of + very pure young girls or loving and persecuted young women. Since there + had been a question, though, of her entering the Comédie Française to play + the <i>rôle</i> of Pauline in “Polyeucte,” some people had waxed indignant + and others had roared with laughter, so ridiculous did the idea appear, so + outrageous for the majesty of classic tragedy. She, however, quiet and + stubborn, wished this thing to be, was resolved that it should be, certain + as she was that she would secure it, insolent like a creature to whom men + had never yet been able to refuse anything. + </p> + <p> + That day, at three o’clock, Gérard de Quinsac, not knowing how to kill the + time pending the appointment he had given Eve in the Rue Matignon, had + thought of calling at Silviane’s, which was in the neighbourhood. She was + an old caprice of his, and even nowadays he would sometimes linger at the + little mansion if its pretty mistress felt bored. But he had this time + found her in a fury; and, reclining in one of the deep armchairs of the <i>salon</i> + where “old gold” formed the predominant colour, he was listening to her + complaints. She, standing in a white gown, white indeed from head to foot + like Eve herself at the <i>déjeuner</i>, was speaking passionately, and + fast convincing the young man, who, won over by so much youth and beauty, + unconsciously compared her to his other flame, weary already of his coming + assignation, and so mastered by supineness, both moral and physical, that + he would have preferred to remain all day in the depths of that armchair. + </p> + <p> + “You hear me, Gérard!” she at last exclaimed, “I’ll have nothing whatever + to do with him, unless he brings me my nomination.” + </p> + <p> + Just then Baron Duvillard came in, and forthwith she changed to ice and + received him like some sorely offended young queen who awaits an + explanation; whilst he, who foresaw the storm and brought moreover + disastrous tidings, forced a smile, though very ill at ease. She was the + stain, the blemish attaching to that man who was yet so sturdy and so + powerful amidst the general decline of his race. And she was also the + beginning of justice and punishment, taking all his piled-up gold from him + by the handful, and by her cruelty avenging those who shivered and who + starved. And it was pitiful to see that feared and flattered man, beneath + whom states and governments trembled, here turn pale with anxiety, bend + low in all humility, and relapse into the senile, lisping infancy of acute + passion. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear friend,” said he, “if you only knew how I have been rushing + about. I had a lot of worrying business, some contractors to see, a big + advertisement affair to settle, and I feared that I should never be able + to come and kiss your hand.” + </p> + <p> + He kissed it, but she let her arm fall, coldly, indifferently, contenting + herself with looking at him, waiting for what he might have to say to her, + and embarrassing him to such a point that he began to perspire and + stammer, unable to express himself. “Of course,” he began, “I also thought + of you, and went to the Fine Arts Office, where I had received a positive + promise. Oh! they are still very much in your favour at the Fine Arts + Office! Only, just fancy, it’s that idiot of a minister, that Taboureau,* + an old professor from the provinces who knows nothing about our Paris, + that has expressly opposed your nomination, saying that as long as he is + in office you shall not appear at the Comédie.” + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Taboureau is previously described as Minister of Public + Instruction. It should be pointed out, however, that + although under the present Republic the Ministries of + Public Instruction and Fine Arts have occasionally been + distinct departments, at other times they have been + united, one minister, as in Taboureau’s case, having + charge of both.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Erect and rigid, she spoke but two words: “And then?” + </p> + <p> + “And then—well, my dear, what would you have me do? One can’t after + all overthrow a ministry to enable you to play the part of Pauline.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + He pretended to laugh, but his blood rushed to his face, and the whole of + his sturdy figure quivered with anguish. “Come, my little Silviane,” said + he, “don’t be obstinate. You can be so nice when you choose. Give up the + idea of that <i>début</i>. You, yourself, would risk a great deal in it, + for what would be your worries if you were to fail? You would weep all the + tears in your body. And besides, you can ask me for so many other things + which I should be so happy to give you. Come now, at once, make a wish and + I will gratify it immediately.” + </p> + <p> + In a frolicsome way he sought to take her hand again. But she drew back + with an air of much dignity. “No, you hear me, my dear fellow, I will have + nothing whatever to do with you—nothing, so long as I don’t play + Pauline.” + </p> + <p> + He understood her fully, and he knew her well enough to realise how + rigorously she would treat him. Only a kind of grunt came from his + contracted throat, though he still tried to treat the matter in a jesting + way. “Isn’t she bad-tempered to-day!” he resumed at last, turning towards + Gérard. “What have you done to her that I find her in such a state?” + </p> + <p> + But the young man, who kept very quiet for fear lest he himself might be + bespattered in the course of the dispute, continued to stretch himself out + in a languid way and gave no answer. + </p> + <p> + But Silviane’s anger burst forth. “What has he done to me? He has pitied + me for being at the mercy of such a man as you—so egotistical, so + insensible to the insults heaped upon me. Ought you not to be the first to + bound with indignation? Ought you not to have exacted my admittance to the + Comédie as a reparation for the insult? For, after all, it is a defeat for + you; if I’m considered unworthy, you are struck at the same time as I am. + And so I’m a drab, eh? Say at once that I’m a creature to be driven away + from all respectable houses.” + </p> + <p> + She went on in this style, coming at last to vile words, the abominable + words which, in moments of anger, always ended by returning to her + innocent-looking lips. The Baron, who well knew that a syllable from him + would only increase the foulness of the overflow, vainly turned an + imploring glance on the Count to solicit his intervention. Gérard, with + his keen desire for peace and quietness, often brought about a + reconciliation, but this time he did not stir, feeling too lazy and sleepy + to interfere. And Silviane all at once came to a finish, repeating her + trenchant, severing words: “Well, manage as you can, secure my <i>début</i>, + or I’ll have nothing more to do with you, nothing!” + </p> + <p> + “All right! all right!” Duvillard at last murmured, sneering, but in + despair, “we’ll arrange it all.” + </p> + <p> + However, at that moment a servant came in to say that M. Duthil was + downstairs and wished to speak to the Baron in the smoking-room. Duvillard + was astonished at this, for Duthil usually came up as though the house + were his own. Then he reflected that the deputy had doubtless brought him + some serious news from the Chamber which he wished to impart to him + confidentially at once. So he followed the servant, leaving Gérard and + Silviane together. + </p> + <p> + In the smoking-room, an apartment communicating with the hall by a wide + bay, the curtain of which was drawn up, Pierre stood with his companion, + waiting and glancing curiously around him. What particularly struck him + was the almost religious solemnness of the entrance, the heavy hangings, + the mystic gleams of the stained-glass, the old furniture steeped in + chapel-like gloom amidst scattered perfumes of myrrh and incense. Duthil, + who was still very gay, tapped a low divan with his cane and said: “She + has a nicely-furnished house, eh? Oh! she knows how to look after her + interests.” + </p> + <p> + Then the Baron came in, still quite upset and anxious. And without even + perceiving the priest, desirous as he was of tidings, he began: “Well, + what did they do? Is there some very bad news, then?” + </p> + <p> + “Mège interpellated and applied for a declaration of urgency so as to + overthrow Barroux. You can imagine what his speech was.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, against the <i>bourgeois</i>, against me, against you. It’s + always the same thing—And then?” + </p> + <p> + “Then—well, urgency wasn’t voted, but, in spite of a very fine + defence, Barroux only secured a majority of two votes.” + </p> + <p> + “Two votes, the devil! Then he’s down, and we shall have a Vignon ministry + next week.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s what everybody said in the lobbies.” + </p> + <p> + The Baron frowned, as if he were estimating what good or evil might result + to the world from such a change. Then, with a gesture of displeasure, he + said: “A Vignon ministry! The devil! that would hardly be any better. + Those young democrats pretend to be virtuous, and a Vignon ministry + wouldn’t admit Silviane to the Comédie.” + </p> + <p> + This, at first, was his only thought in presence of the crisis which made + the political world tremble. And so the deputy could not refrain from + referring to his own anxiety. “Well, and we others, what is our position + in it all?” + </p> + <p> + This brought Duvillard back to the situation. With a fresh gesture, this + time a superbly proud one, he expressed his full and impudent confidence. + “We others, why we remain as we are; we’ve never been in peril, I imagine. + Oh! I am quite at ease. Sagnier can publish his famous list if it amuses + him to do so. If we haven’t long since bought Sagnier and his list, it’s + because Barroux is a thoroughly honest man, and for my part I don’t care + to throw money out of the window—I repeat to you that we fear + nothing.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as he at last recognised Abbé Froment, who had remained in the + shade, Duthil explained what service the priest desired of him. And + Duvillard, in his state of emotion, his heart still rent by Silviane’s + sternness, must have felt a covert hope that a good action might bring him + luck; so he at once consented to intervene in favour of Laveuve’s + admission. Taking a card and a pencil from his pocket-book he drew near to + the window. “Oh! whatever you desire, Monsieur l’Abbé,” he said, “I shall + be very happy to participate in this good work. Here, this is what I have + written: ‘My dear, please do what M. l’Abbé Froment solicits in favour of + this unfortunate man, since our friend Fonsègue only awaits a word from + you to take proper steps.’” + </p> + <p> + At this moment through the open bay Pierre caught sight of Gérard, whom + Silviane, calm once more, and inquisitive no doubt to know why Duthil had + called, was escorting into the hall. And the sight of the young woman + filled him with astonishment, so simple and gentle did she seem to him, + full of the immaculate candour of a virgin. Never had he dreamt of a lily + of more unobtrusive yet delicious bloom in the whole garden of innocence. + </p> + <p> + “Now,” continued Duvillard, “if you wish to hand this card to my wife at + once, you must go to the Princess de Harn’s, where there is a <i>matinée</i>—” + </p> + <p> + “I was going there, Monsieur le Baron.” + </p> + <p> + “Very good. You will certainly find my wife there; she is to take the + children there.” Then he paused, for he too had just seen Gérard; and he + called him: “I say, Gérard, my wife said that she was going to that <i>matinée</i>, + didn’t she? You feel sure—don’t you?—that Monsieur l’Abbé will + find her there?” + </p> + <p> + Although the young man was then going to the Rue Matignon, there to wait + for Eve, it was in the most natural manner possible that he replied: “If + Monsieur l’Abbé makes haste, I think he will find her there, for she was + certainly going there before trying on a corsage at Salmon’s.” + </p> + <p> + Then he kissed Silviane’s hand, and went off with the air of a handsome, + indolent man, who knows no malice, and is even weary of pleasure. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, feeling rather embarrassed, was obliged to let Duvillard introduce + him to the mistress of the house. He bowed in silence, whilst she, + likewise silent, returned his bow with modest reserve, the tact + appropriate to the occasion, such as no <i>ingénue</i>, even at the + Comédie, was then capable of. And while the Baron accompanied the priest + to the door, she returned to the <i>salon</i> with Duthil, who was + scarcely screened by the door-curtain before he passed his arm round her + waist. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre, who at last felt confident of success, found himself, still + in his cab, in front of the Princess de Harn’s mansion in the Avenue + Kleber, he suddenly relapsed into great embarrassment. The avenue was + crowded with carriages brought thither by the musical <i>matinée</i>, and + such a throng of arriving guests pressed round the entrance, decorated + with a kind of tent with scallopings of red velvet, that he deemed the + house unapproachable. How could he manage to get in? And how in his + cassock could he reach the Princess, and ask for a minute’s conversation + with Baroness Duvillard? Amidst all his feverishness he had not thought of + these difficulties. However, he was approaching the door on foot, asking + himself how he might glide unperceived through the throng, when the sound + of a merry voice made him turn: “What, Monsieur l’Abbé! Is it possible! So + now I find you here!” + </p> + <p> + It was little Massot who spoke. He went everywhere, witnessed ten sights a + day,—a parliamentary sitting, a funeral, a wedding, any festive or + mourning scene,—when he wanted a good subject for an article. “What! + Monsieur l’Abbé,” he resumed, “and so you have come to our amiable + Princess’s to see the Mauritanians dance!” + </p> + <p> + He was jesting, for the so-called Mauritanians were simply six Spanish + dancing-girls, who by the sensuality of their performance were then making + all Paris rush to the Folies-Bergère. For drawing-room entertainments + these girls reserved yet more indecorous dances—dances of such a + character indeed that they would certainly not have been allowed in a + theatre. And the <i>beau monde</i> rushed to see them at the houses of the + bolder lady-entertainers, the eccentric and foreign ones like the + Princess, who in order to draw society recoiled from no “attraction.” + </p> + <p> + But when Pierre had explained to little Massot that he was still running + about on the same business, the journalist obligingly offered to pilot + him. He knew the house, obtained admittance by a back door, and brought + Pierre along a passage into a corner of the hall, near the very entrance + of the grand drawing-room. Lofty green plants decorated this hall, and in + the spot selected Pierre was virtually hidden. “Don’t stir, my dear Abbé,” + said Massot, “I will try to ferret out the Princess for you. And you shall + know if Baroness Duvillard has already arrived.” + </p> + <p> + What surprised Pierre was that every window-shutter of the mansion was + closed, every chink stopped up so that daylight might not enter, and that + every room flared with electric lamps, an illumination of supernatural + intensity. The heat was already very great, the atmosphere heavy with a + violent perfume of flowers and <i>odore di femina</i>. And to Pierre, who + felt both blinded and stifled, it seemed as if he were entering one of + those luxurious, unearthly Dens of the Flesh such as the pleasure-world of + Paris conjures from dreamland. By rising on tiptoes, as the drawing-room + entrance was wide open, he could distinguish the backs of the women who + were already seated, rows of necks crowned with fair or dark hair. The + Mauritanians were doubtless executing their first dance. He did not see + them, but he could divine the lascivious passion of the dance from the + quiver of all those women’s necks, which swayed as beneath a great gust of + wind. Then laughter arose and a tempest of bravos, quite a tumult of + enjoyment. + </p> + <p> + “I can’t put my hand on the Princess; you must wait a little,” Massot + returned to say. “I met Janzen and he promised to bring her to me. Don’t + you know Janzen?” + </p> + <p> + Then, in part because his profession willed it, and in part for pleasure’s + sake, he began to gossip. The Princess was a good friend of his. He had + described her first <i>soiree</i> during the previous year, when she had + made her <i>début</i> at that mansion on her arrival in Paris. He knew the + real truth about her so far as it could be known. Rich? yes, perhaps she + was, for she spent enormous sums. Married she must have been, and to a + real prince, too; no doubt she was still married to him, in spite of her + story of widowhood. Indeed, it seemed certain that her husband, who was as + handsome as an archangel, was travelling about with a vocalist. As for + having a bee in her bonnet that was beyond discussion, as clear as + noonday. Whilst showing much intelligence, she constantly and suddenly + shifted. Incapable of any prolonged effort, she went from one thing that + had awakened her curiosity to another, never attaching herself anywhere. + After ardently busying herself with painting, she had lately become + impassioned for chemistry, and was now letting poetry master her. + </p> + <p> + “And so you don’t know Janzen,” continued Massot. “It was he who threw her + into chemistry, into the study of explosives especially, for, as you may + imagine, the only interest in chemistry for her is its connection with + Anarchism. She, I think, is really an Austrian, though one must always + doubt anything she herself says. As for Janzen, he calls himself a + Russian, but he’s probably German. Oh! he’s the most unobtrusive, + enigmatical man in the world, without a home, perhaps without a name—a + terrible fellow with an unknown past. I myself hold proofs which make me + think that he took part in that frightful crime at Barcelona. At all + events, for nearly a year now I’ve been meeting him in Paris, where the + police no doubt are watching him. And nothing can rid me of the idea that + he merely consented to become our lunatic Princess’s lover in order to + throw the detectives off the scent. He affects to live in the midst of <i>fêtes</i>, + and he has introduced to the house some extraordinary people, Anarchists + of all nationalities and all colours—for instance, one Raphanel, + that fat, jovial little man yonder, a Frenchman he is, and his companions + would do well to mistrust him. Then there’s a Bergaz, a Spaniard, I think, + an obscure jobber at the Bourse, whose sensual, blobber-lipped mouth is so + disquieting. And there are others and others, adventurers and bandits from + the four corners of the earth!... Ah! the foreign colonies of our Parisian + pleasure-world! There are a few spotless fine names, a few real great + fortunes among them, but as for the rest, ah! what a herd!” + </p> + <p> + Rosemonde’s own drawing-room was summed up in those words: resounding + titles, real millionaires, then, down below, the most extravagant medley + of international imposture and turpitude. And Pierre thought of that + internationalism, that cosmopolitanism, that flight of foreigners which, + ever denser and denser, swooped down upon Paris. Most certainly it came + thither to enjoy it, as to a city of adventure and delight, and it helped + to rot it a little more. Was it then a necessary thing, that decomposition + of the great cities which have governed the world, that affluxion of every + passion, every desire, every gratification, that accumulation of reeking + soil from all parts of the world, there where, in beauty and intelligence, + blooms the flower of civilisation? + </p> + <p> + However, Janzen appeared, a tall, thin fellow of about thirty, very fair + with grey, pale, harsh eyes, and a pointed beard and flowing curly hair + which elongated his livid, cloudy face. He spoke indifferent French in a + low voice and without a gesture. And he declared that the Princess could + not be found; he had looked for her everywhere. Possibly, if somebody had + displeased her, she had shut herself up in her room and gone to bed, + leaving her guests to amuse themselves in all freedom in whatever way they + might choose. + </p> + <p> + “Why, but here she is!” suddenly said Massot. + </p> + <p> + Rosemonde was indeed there, in the vestibule, watching the door as if she + expected somebody. Short, slight, and strange rather than pretty, with her + delicate face, her sea-green eyes, her small quivering nose, her rather + large and over-ruddy mouth, which was parted so that one could see her + superb teeth, she that day wore a sky-blue gown spangled with silver; and + she had silver bracelets on her arms and a silver circlet in her pale + brown hair, which rained down in curls and frizzy, straggling locks as + though waving in a perpetual breeze. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! whatever you desire, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she said to Pierre as soon as + she knew his business. “If they don’t take your old man in at our asylum, + send him to me, I’ll take him, I will; I will sleep him somewhere here.” + </p> + <p> + Still, she remained disturbed, and continually glanced towards the door. + And on the priest asking if Baroness Duvillard had yet arrived, “Why no!” + she cried, “and I am much surprised at it. She is to bring her son and + daughter. Yesterday, Hyacinthe positively promised me that he would come.” + </p> + <p> + There lay her new caprice. If her passion for chemistry was giving way to + a budding taste for decadent, symbolical verse, it was because one + evening, whilst discussing Occultism with Hyacinthe, she had discovered an + extraordinary beauty in him: the astral beauty of Nero’s wandering soul! + At least, said she, the signs of it were certain. + </p> + <p> + And all at once she quitted Pierre: “Ah, at last!” she cried, feeling + relieved and happy. Then she darted forward: Hyacinthe was coming in with + his sister Camille. + </p> + <p> + On the very threshold, however, he had just met the friend on whose + account he was there, young Lord George Eldrett, a pale and languid + stripling with the hair of a girl; and he scarcely condescended to notice + the tender greeting of Rosemonde, for he professed to regard woman as an + impure and degrading creature. Distressed by such coldness, she followed + the two young men, returning in their rear into the reeking, blinding + furnace of the drawing-room. + </p> + <p> + Massot, however, had been obliging enough to stop Camille and bring her to + Pierre, who at the first words they exchanged relapsed into despair. + “What, mademoiselle, has not madame your mother accompanied you here?” + </p> + <p> + The girl, clad according to her wont in a dark gown, this time of + peacock-blue, was nervous, with wicked eyes and sibilant voice. And as she + ragefully drew up her little figure, her deformity, her left shoulder + higher than the right one, became more apparent than ever. “No,” she + rejoined, “she was unable. She had something to try on at her + dressmaker’s. We stopped too long at the Exposition du Lis, and she + requested us to set her down at Salmon’s door on our way here.” + </p> + <p> + It was Camille herself who had skilfully prolonged the visit to the art + show, still hoping to prevent her mother from meeting Gérard. And her rage + arose from the ease with which her mother had got rid of her, thanks to + that falsehood of having something to try on. + </p> + <p> + “But,” ingenuously said Pierre, “if I went at once to this person Salmon, + I might perhaps be able to send up my card.” + </p> + <p> + Camille gave a shrill laugh, so funny did the idea appear to her. Then she + retorted: “Oh! who knows if you would still find her there? She had + another pressing appointment, and is no doubt already keeping it!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, I will wait for her here. She will surely come to fetch you, + will she not?” + </p> + <p> + “Fetch us? Oh no! since I tell you that she has other important affairs to + attend to. The carriage will take us home alone, my brother and I.” + </p> + <p> + Increasing bitterness was infecting the girl’s pain-fraught irony. Did he + not understand her then, that priest who asked such naive questions which + were like dagger-thrusts in her heart? Yet he must know, since everybody + knew the truth. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! how worried I am,” Pierre resumed, so grieved indeed that tears + almost came to his eyes. “It’s still on account of that poor man about + whom I have been busying myself since this morning. I have a line from + your father, and Monsieur Gérard told me—” But at this point he + paused in confusion, and amidst all his thoughtlessness of the world, + absorbed as he was in the one passion of charity, he suddenly divined the + truth. “Yes,” he added mechanically, “I just now saw your father again + with Monsieur de Quinsac.” + </p> + <p> + “I know, I know,” replied Camille, with the suffering yet scoffing air of + a girl who is ignorant of nothing. “Well, Monsieur l’Abbé, if you have a + line from papa for mamma, you must wait till mamma has finished her + business. You might come to the house about six o’clock, but I doubt if + you’ll find her there, as she may well be detained.” + </p> + <p> + While Camille thus spoke, her murderous eyes glistened, and each word she + uttered, simple as it seemed, became instinct with ferocity, as if it were + a knife, which she would have liked to plunge into her mother’s breast. In + all certainty she had never before hated her mother to such a point as + this in her envy of her beauty and her happiness in being loved. And the + irony which poured from the girl’s virgin lips, before that simple priest, + was like a flood of mire with which she sought to submerge her rival. + </p> + <p> + Just then, however, Rosemonde came back again, feverish and flurried as + usual. And she led Camille away: “Ah, my dear, make haste. They are + extraordinary, delightful, intoxicating!” + </p> + <p> + Janzen and little Massot also followed the Princess. All the men hastened + from the adjoining rooms, scrambled and plunged into the <i>salon</i> at + the news that the Mauritanians had again begun to dance. That time it must + have been the frantic, lascivious gallop that Paris whispered about, for + Pierre saw the rows of necks and heads, now fair, now dark, wave and + quiver as beneath a violent wind. With every window-shutter closed, the + conflagration of the electric lamps turned the place into a perfect + brazier, reeking with human effluvia. And there came a spell of rapture, + fresh laughter and bravos, all the delight of an overflowing orgy. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre again found himself on the footwalk, he remained for a moment + bewildered, blinking, astonished to be in broad daylight once more. + Half-past four would soon strike, but he had nearly two hours to wait + before calling at the house in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy. What should he do? + He paid his driver; preferring to descend the Champs Elysées on foot, + since he had some time to lose. A walk, moreover, might calm the fever + which was burning his hands, in the passion of charity which ever since + the morning had been mastering him more and more, in proportion as he + encountered fresh and fresh obstacles. He now had but one pressing desire, + to complete his good work, since success henceforth seemed certain. And he + tried to restrain his steps and walk leisurely down the magnificent + avenue, which had now been dried by the bright sun, and was enlivened by a + concourse of people, while overhead the sky was again blue, lightly blue, + as in springtime. + </p> + <p> + Nearly two hours to lose while, yonder, the wretched Laveuve lay with life + ebbing from him on his bed of rags, in his icy den. Sudden feelings of + revolt, of well-nigh irresistible impatience ascended from Pierre’s heart, + making him quiver with desire to run off and at once find Baroness + Duvillard so as to obtain from her the all-saving order. He felt sure that + she was somewhere near, in one of those quiet neighbouring streets, and + great was his perturbation, his grief-fraught anger at having to wait in + this wise to save a human life until she should have attended to those + affairs of hers, of which her daughter spoke with such murderous glances! + He seemed to hear a formidable cracking, the family life of the <i>bourgeoisie</i> + was collapsing: the father was at a hussy’s house, the mother with a + lover, the son and daughter knew everything; the former gliding to idiotic + perversity, the latter enraged and dreaming of stealing her mother’s lover + to make a husband of him. And meantime the splendid equipages descended + the triumphal avenue, and the crowd with its luxury flowed along the + sidewalks, one and all joyous and superb, seemingly with no idea that + somewhere at the far end there was a gaping abyss wherein everyone of them + would fall and be annihilated! + </p> + <p> + When Pierre got as far as the Summer Circus he was much surprised at again + seeing Salvat, the journeyman engineer, on one of the avenue seats. He + must have sunk down there, overcome by weariness and hunger, after many a + vain search. However, his jacket was still distended by something he + carried in or under it, some bit of bread, no doubt, which he meant to + take home with him. And leaning back, with his arms hanging listlessly, he + was watching with dreamy eyes the play of some very little children, who, + with the help of their wooden spades, were laboriously raising mounds of + sand, and then destroying them by dint of kicks. As he looked at them his + red eyelids moistened, and a very gentle smile appeared on his poor + discoloured lips. This time Pierre, penetrated by disquietude, wished to + approach and question him. But Salvat distrustfully rose and went off + towards the Circus, where a concert was drawing to a close; and he prowled + around the entrance of that festive edifice in which two thousand happy + people were heaped up together listening to music. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap46"></a> + V. FROM RELIGION TO ANARCHY + </h2> + <p> + AS Pierre was reaching the Place de la Concorde he suddenly remembered the + appointment which Abbé Rose had given him for five o’clock at the + Madeleine, and which he was forgetting in the feverishness born of his + repeated steps to save Laveuve. And at thought of it he hastened on, well + pleased at having this appointment to occupy and keep him patient. + </p> + <p> + When he entered the church he was surprised to find it so dark. There were + only a few candles burning, huge shadows were flooding the nave, and + amidst the semi-obscurity a very loud, clear voice spoke on with a + ceaseless streaming of words. All that one could at first distinguish of + the numerous congregation was a pale, vague mass of heads, motionless with + extreme attention. In the pulpit stood Monseigneur Martha, finishing his + third address on the New Spirit. The two former ones had re-echoed far and + wide, and so what is called “all Paris” was there—women of society, + politicians, and writers, who were captivated by the speaker’s artistic + oratory, his warm, skilful language, and his broad, easy gestures, worthy + of a great actor. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not wish to disturb the solemn attention, the quivering silence + above which the prelate’s voice alone rang out. Accordingly he resolved to + wait before seeking Abbé Rose, and remained standing near a pillar. A + parting gleam of daylight fell obliquely on Monseigneur Martha, who looked + tall and sturdy in his white surplice, and scarcely showed a grey hair, + although he was more than fifty. He had handsome features: black, keen + eyes, a commanding nose, a mouth and chin of the greatest firmness of + contour. What more particularly struck one, however, what gained the heart + of every listener, was the expression of extreme amiability and anxious + sympathy which ever softened the imperious haughtiness of the prelate’s + face. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had formerly known him as Curé, or parish priest, of Ste. Clotilde. + He was doubtless of Italian origin, but he had been born in Paris, and had + quitted the seminary of St. Sulpice with the best possible record. Very + intelligent and very ambitious, he had evinced an activity which even made + his superiors anxious. Then, on being appointed Bishop of Persepolis, he + had disappeared, gone to Rome, where he had spent five years engaged in + work of which very little was known. However, since his return he had been + astonishing Paris by his brilliant propaganda, busying himself with the + most varied affairs, and becoming much appreciated and very powerful at + the archiepiscopal residence. He devoted himself in particular, and with + wonderful results, to the task of increasing the subscriptions for the + completion of the basilica of the Sacred Heart. He recoiled from nothing, + neither from journeys, nor lectures, nor collections, nor applications to + Government, nor even endeavours among Israelites and Freemasons. And at + last, again enlarging his sphere of action, he had undertaken to reconcile + Science with Catholicism, and to bring all Christian France to the + Republic, on all sides expounding the policy of Pope Leo XIII., in order + that the Church might finally triumph. + </p> + <p> + However, in spite of the advances of this influential and amiable man, + Pierre scarcely liked him. He only felt grateful to him for one thing, the + appointment of good Abbé Rose as curate at St. Pierre de Montmartre, which + appointment he had secured for him no doubt in order to prevent such a + scandal as the punishment of an old priest for showing himself too + charitable. On thus finding and hearing the prelate speak in that renowned + pulpit of the Madeleine, still and ever pursuing his work of conquest, + Pierre remembered how he had seen him at the Duvillards’ during the + previous spring, when, with his usual <i>maestria</i>, he had achieved his + greatest triumph—the conversion of Eve to Catholicism. That church, + too, had witnessed her baptism, a wonderfully pompous ceremony, a perfect + gala offered to the public which figures in all the great events of + Parisian life. Gérard had knelt down, moved to tears, whilst the Baron + triumphed like a good-natured husband who was happy to find religion + establishing perfect harmony in his household. It was related among the + spectators that Eve’s family, and particularly old Justus Steinberger, her + father, was not in reality much displeased by the affair. The old man + sneeringly remarked, indeed, that he knew his daughter well enough to wish + her to belong to his worst enemy. In the banking business there is a class + of security which one is pleased to see discounted by one’s rivals. With + the stubborn hope of triumph peculiar to his race, Justus, consoling + himself for the failure of his first scheme, doubtless considered that Eve + would prove a powerful dissolving agent in the Christian family which she + had entered, and thus help to make all wealth and power fall into the + hands of the Jews. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre’s vision faded. Monseigneur Martha’s voice was rising with + increase of volume, celebrating, amidst the quivering of the congregation, + the benefits that would accrue from the New Spirit, which was at last + about to pacify France and restore her to her due rank and power. Were + there not certain signs of this resurrection on every hand? The New Spirit + was the revival of the Ideal, the protest of the soul against degrading + materialism, the triumph of spirituality over filthy literature; and it + was also Science accepted, but set in its proper place, reconciled with + Faith, since it no longer pretended to encroach on the latter’s sacred + domain; and it was further the Democracy welcomed in fatherly fashion, the + Republic legitimated, recognised in her turn as Eldest Daughter of the + Church. A breath of poetry passed by. The Church opened her heart to all + her children, there would henceforth be but concord and delight if the + masses, obedient to the New Spirit, would give themselves to the Master of + love as they had given themselves to their kings, recognising that the + Divinity was the one unique power, absolute sovereign of both body and + soul. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was now listening attentively, wondering where it was that he had + previously heard almost identical words. And suddenly he remembered; and + could fancy that he was again at Rome, listening to the last words of + Monsignor Nani, the Assessor of the Holy Office. Here, again, he found the + dream of a democratic Pope, ceasing to support the compromised monarchies, + and seeking to subdue the masses. Since Caesar was down, or nearly so, + might not the Pope realise the ancient ambition of his forerunners and + become both emperor and pontiff, the sovereign, universal divinity on + earth? This, too, was the dream in which Pierre himself, with apostolic + naïveté, had indulged when writing his book, “New Rome”: a dream from + which the sight of the real Rome had so roughly roused him. At bottom it + was merely a policy of hypocritical falsehood, the priestly policy which + relies on time, and is ever tenacious, carrying on the work of conquest + with extraordinary suppleness, resolved to profit by everything. And what + an evolution it was, the Church of Rome making advances to Science, to the + Democracy, to the Republican <i>régimes</i>, convinced that it would be + able to devour them if only it were allowed the time! Ah! yes, the New + Spirit was simply the Old Spirit of Domination, incessantly reviving and + hungering to conquer and possess the world. + </p> + <p> + Pierre thought that he recognised among the congregation certain deputies + whom he had seen at the Chamber. Wasn’t that tall gentleman with the fair + beard, who listened so devoutly, one of Monferrand’s creatures? It was + said that Monferrand, once a devourer of priests, was now smilingly + coquetting with the clergy. Quite an underhand evolution was beginning in + the sacristies, orders from Rome flitted hither and thither; it was a + question of accepting the new form of government, and absorbing it by dint + of invasion. France was still the Eldest Daughter of the Church, the only + great nation which had sufficient health and strength to place the Pope in + possession of his temporal power once more. So France must be won; it was + well worth one’s while to espouse her, even if she were Republican. In the + eager struggle of ambition the bishop made use of the minister, who + thought it to his interest to lean upon the bishop. But which of the two + would end by devouring the other? And to what a <i>rôle</i> had religion + sunk: an electoral weapon, an element in a parliamentary majority, a + decisive, secret reason for obtaining or retaining a ministerial + portfolio! Of divine charity, the basis of religion, there was no thought, + and Pierre’s heart filled with bitterness as he remembered the recent + death of Cardinal Bergerot, the last of the great saints and pure minds of + the French episcopacy, among which there now seemed to be merely a set of + intriguers and fools. + </p> + <p> + However, the address was drawing to a close. In a glowing peroration, + which evoked the basilica of the Sacred Heart dominating Paris with the + saving symbol of the Cross from the sacred Mount of the Martyrs,* + Monseigneur Martha showed that great city of Paris Christian once more and + master of the world, thanks to the moral omnipotence conferred upon it by + the divine breath of the New Spirit. Unable to applaud, the congregation + gave utterance to a murmur of approving rapture, delighted as it was with + this miraculous finish which reassured both pocket and conscience. Then + Monseigneur Martha quitted the pulpit with a noble step, whilst a loud + noise of chairs broke upon the dark peacefulness of the church, where the + few lighted candles glittered like the first stars in the evening sky. A + long stream of men, vague, whispering shadows, glided away. The women + alone remained, praying on their knees. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Montmartre. +</pre> + <p> + Pierre, still in the same spot, was rising on tip-toes, looking for Abbé + Rose, when a hand touched him. It was that of the old priest, who had seen + him from a distance. “I was yonder near the pulpit,” said he, “and I saw + you plainly, my dear child. Only I preferred to wait so as to disturb + nobody. What a beautiful address dear Monseigneur delivered!” + </p> + <p> + He seemed, indeed, much moved. But there was deep sadness about his kindly + mouth and clear childlike eyes, whose smile as a rule illumined his good, + round white face. “I was afraid you might go off without seeing me,” he + resumed, “for I have something to tell you. You know that poor old man to + whom I sent you this morning and in whom I asked you to interest yourself? + Well, on getting home I found a lady there, who sometimes brings me a + little money for my poor. Then I thought to myself that the three francs I + gave you were really too small a sum, and as the thought worried me like a + kind of remorse, I couldn’t resist the impulse, but went this afternoon to + the Rue des Saules myself.” + </p> + <p> + He lowered his voice from a feeling of respect, in order not to disturb + the deep, sepulchral silence of the church. Covert shame, moreover, + impeded his utterance, shame at having again relapsed into the sin of + blind, imprudent charity, as his superiors reproachfully said. And, + quivering, he concluded in a very low voice indeed: “And so, my child, + picture my grief. I had five francs more to give the poor old man, and I + found him dead.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre suddenly shuddered. But he was unwilling to understand: “What, + dead!” he cried. “That old man dead! Laveuve dead?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I found him dead—ah! amidst what frightful wretchedness, like + an old animal that has laid itself down for the finish on a heap of rags + in the depths of a hole. No neighbours had assisted him in his last + moments; he had simply turned himself towards the wall. And ah! how bare + and cold and deserted it was! And what a pang for a poor creature to go + off like that without a word, a caress. Ah! my heart bounded within me and + it is still bleeding!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre in his utter amazement at first made but a gesture of revolt + against imbecile social cruelty. Had the bread left near the unfortunate + wretch, and devoured too eagerly, perhaps, after long days of abstinence, + been the cause of his death? Or was not this rather the fatal <i>dénouement</i> + of an ended life, worn away by labour and privation? However, what did the + cause signify? Death had come and delivered the poor man. “It isn’t he + that I pity,” Pierre muttered at last; “it is we—we who witness all + that, we who are guilty of these abominations.” + </p> + <p> + But good Abbé Rose was already becoming resigned, and would only think of + forgiveness and hope. “No, no, my child, rebellion is evil. If we are all + guilty we can only implore Providence to forget our faults. I had given + you an appointment here hoping for good news; and it’s I who come to tell + you of that frightful thing. Let us be penitent and pray.” + </p> + <p> + Then he knelt upon the flagstones near the pillar, in the rear of the + praying women, who looked black and vague in the gloom. And he inclined + his white head, and for a long time remained in a posture of humility. + </p> + <p> + But Pierre was unable to pray, so powerfully did revolt stir him. He did + not even bend his knees, but remained erect and quivering. His heart + seemed to have been crushed; not a tear came to his ardent eyes. So + Laveuve had died yonder, stretched on his litter of rags, his hands + clenched in his obstinate desire to cling to his life of torture, whilst + he, Pierre, again glowing with the flame of charity, consumed by apostolic + zeal, was scouring Paris to find him for the evening a clean bed on which + he might be saved. Ah! the atrocious irony of it all! He must have been at + the Duvillards’ in the warm <i>salon</i>, all blue and silver, whilst the + old man was expiring; and it was for a wretched corpse that he had then + hastened to the Chamber of Deputies, to the Countess de Quinsac’s, to that + creature Silviane’s, and to that creature Rosemonde’s. And it was for that + corpse, freed from life, escaped from misery as from prison, that he had + worried people, broken in upon their egotism, disturbed the peace of some, + threatened the pleasures of others! What was the use of hastening from the + parliamentary den to the cold <i>salon</i> where the dust of the past was + congealing; of going from the sphere of middle-class debauchery to that of + cosmopolitan extravagance, since one always arrived too late, and saved + people when they were already dead? How ridiculous to have allowed himself + to be fired once more by that blaze of charity, that final conflagration, + only the ashes of which he now felt within him? This time he thought he + was dead himself; he was naught but an empty sepulchre. + </p> + <p> + And all the frightful void and chaos which he had felt that morning at the + basilica of the Sacred Heart after his mass became yet deeper, henceforth + unfathomable. If charity were illusory and useless the Gospel crumbled, + the end of the Book was nigh. After centuries of stubborn efforts, + Redemption through Christianity failed, and another means of salvation was + needed by the world in presence of the exasperated thirst for justice + which came from the duped and wretched nations. They would have no more of + that deceptive paradise, the promise of which had so long served to prop + up social iniquity; they demanded that the question of happiness should be + decided upon this earth. But how? By means of what new religion, what + combination between the sentiment of the Divine and the necessity for + honouring life in its sovereignty and its fruitfulness? Therein lay the + grievous, torturing problem, into the midst of which Pierre was sinking; + he, a priest, severed by vows of chastity and superstition from the rest + of mankind. + </p> + <p> + He had ceased to believe in the efficacy of alms; it was not sufficient + that one should be charitable, henceforth one must be just. Given justice, + indeed, horrid misery would disappear, and no such thing as charity would + be needed. Most certainly there was no lack of compassionate hearts in + that grievous city of Paris; charitable foundations sprouted forth there + like green leaves at the first warmth of springtide. There were some for + every age, every peril, every misfortune. Through the concern shown for + mothers, children were succoured even before they were born; then came the + infant and orphan asylums lavishly provided for all sorts of classes; and, + afterwards, man was followed through his life, help was tendered on all + sides, particularly as he grew old, by a multiplicity of asylums, + almshouses, and refuges. And there were all the hands stretched out to the + forsaken ones, the disinherited ones, even the criminals, all sorts of + associations to protect the weak, societies for the prevention of crime, + homes that offered hospitality to those who repented. Whether as regards + the propagation of good deeds, the support of the young, the saving of + life, the bestowal of pecuniary help, or the promotion of guilds, pages + and pages would have been needed merely to particularise the extraordinary + vegetation of charity that sprouted between the paving-stones of Paris + with so fine a vigour, in which goodness of soul was mingled with social + vanity. Still that could not matter, since charity redeemed and purified + all. But how terrible the proposition that this charity was a useless + mockery! What! after so many centuries of Christian charity not a sore had + healed. Misery had only grown and spread, irritated even to rage. + Incessantly aggravated, the evil was reaching the point when it would be + impossible to tolerate it for another day, since social injustice was + neither arrested nor even diminished thereby. And besides, if only one + single old man died of cold and hunger, did not the social edifice, raised + on the theory of charity, collapse? But one victim, and society was + condemned, thought Pierre. + </p> + <p> + He now felt such bitterness of heart that he could remain no longer in + that church where the shadows ever slowly fell, blurring the sanctuaries + and the large pale images of Christ nailed upon the Cross. All was about + to sink into darkness, and he could hear nothing beyond an expiring murmur + of prayers, a plaint from the women who were praying on their knees, in + the depths of the shrouding gloom. + </p> + <p> + At the same time he hardly liked to go off without saying a word to Abbé + Rose, who in his entreaties born of simple faith left the happiness and + peace of mankind to the good pleasure of the Invisible. However, fearing + that he might disturb him, Pierre was making up his mind to retire, when + the old priest of his own accord raised his head. “Ah, my child,” said he, + “how difficult it is to be good in a reasonable manner. Monseigneur Martha + has scolded me again, and but for the forgiveness of God I should fear for + my salvation.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment Pierre paused under the porticus of the Madeleine, on the + summit of the great flight of steps which, rising above the railings, + dominates the Place. Before him was the Rue Royale dipping down to the + expanse of the Place de la Concorde, where rose the obelisk and the pair + of plashing fountains. And, farther yet, the paling colonnade of the + Chamber of Deputies bounded the horizon. It was a vista of sovereign + grandeur under that pale sky over which twilight was slowly stealing, and + which seemed to broaden the thoroughfares, throw back the edifices, and + lend them the quivering, soaring aspect of the palaces of dreamland. No + other capital in the world could boast a scene of such aerial pomp, such + grandiose magnificence, at that hour of vagueness, when falling night + imparts to cities a dreamy semblance, the infinite of human immensity. + </p> + <p> + Motionless and hesitating in presence of the opening expanse, Pierre + distressfully pondered as to whither he should go now that all which he + had so passionately sought to achieve since the morning had suddenly + crumbled away. Was he still bound for the Duvillard mansion in the Rue + Godot-de-Mauroy? He no longer knew. Then the exasperating remembrance, + with its cruel irony, returned to him. Since Laveuve was dead, of what use + was it for him to kill time and perambulate the pavements pending the + arrival of six o’clock? The idea that he had a home, and that the most + simple course would be to return to it, did not even occur to him. He felt + as if there were something of importance left for him to do, though he + could not possibly tell what it might be. It seemed to him to be + everywhere and yet very far away, to be so vague and so difficult of + accomplishment that he would certainly never be in time or have sufficient + power to do it. However, with heavy feet and tumultuous brain he descended + the steps and, yielding to some obstinate impulse, began to walk through + the flower-market, a late winter market where the first azaleas were + opening with a little shiver. Some women were purchasing Nice roses and + violets; and Pierre looked at them as if he were interested in all that + soft, delicate, perfumed luxury. But suddenly he felt a horror of it and + went off, starting along the Boulevards. + </p> + <p> + He walked straight before him without knowing why or whither. The falling + darkness surprised him as if it were an unexpected phenomenon. Raising his + eyes to the sky he felt astonished at seeing its azure gently pale between + the slender black streaks of the chimney funnels. And the huge golden + letters by which names or trades were advertised on every balcony also + seemed to him singular in the last gleams of the daylight. Never before + had he paid attention to the motley tints seen on the house-fronts, the + painted mirrors, the blinds, the coats of arms, the posters of violent + hues, the magnificent shops, like drawing-rooms and boudoirs open to the + full light. And then, both in the roadway and along the foot-pavements, + between the blue, red or yellow columns and kiosks, what mighty traffic + there was, what an extraordinary crowd! The vehicles rolled along in a + thundering stream: on all sides billows of cabs were parted by the + ponderous tacking of huge omnibuses, which suggested lofty, bright-hued + battle-ships. And on either hand, and farther and farther, and even among + the wheels, the flood of passengers rushed on incessantly, with the + conquering haste of ants in a state of revolution. Whence came all those + people, and whither were all those vehicles going? How stupefying and + torturing it all was. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was still walking straight ahead, mechanically, carried on by his + gloomy reverie. Night was coming, the first gas-burners were being + lighted; it was the dusk of Paris, the hour when real darkness has not yet + come, when the electric lights flame in the dying day. Lamps shone forth + on all sides, the shop-fronts were being illumined. Soon, moreover, right + along the Boulevards the vehicles would carry their vivid starry lights, + like a milky way on the march betwixt the foot-pavements all glowing with + lanterns and cordons and girandoles, a dazzling profusion of radiance akin + to sunlight. And the shouts of the drivers and the jostling of the foot + passengers re-echoed the parting haste of the Paris which is all business + or passion, which is absorbed in the merciless struggle for love and for + money. The hard day was over, and now the Paris of Pleasure was lighting + up for its night of <i>fête</i>. The cafés, the wine shops, the + restaurants, flared and displayed their bright metal bars, and their + little white tables behind their clear and lofty windows, whilst near + their doors, by way of temptation, were oysters and choice fruits. And the + Paris which was thus awaking with the first flashes of the gas was already + full of the gaiety of enjoyment, already yielding to an unbridled appetite + for whatsoever may be purchased. + </p> + <p> + However, Pierre had a narrow escape from being knocked down. A flock of + newspaper hawkers came out of a side street, and darted through the crowd + shouting the titles of the evening journals. A fresh edition of the “Voix + du Peuple” gave rise, in particular, to a deafening clamour, which rose + above all the rumbling of wheels. At regular intervals hoarse voices + raised and repeated the cry: “Ask for the ‘Voix du Peuple’—the new + scandal of the African Railway Lines, the repulse of the ministry, the + thirty-two bribe-takers of the Chamber and the Senate!” And these + announcements, set in huge type, could be read on the copies of the paper, + which the hawkers flourished like banners. Accustomed as it was to such + filth, saturated with infamy, the crowd continued on its way without + paying much attention. Still a few men paused and bought the paper, while + painted women, who had come down to the Boulevards in search of a dinner, + trailed their skirts and waited for some chance lover, glancing + interrogatively at the outside customers of the cafés. And meantime the + dishonouring shout of the newspaper hawkers, that cry in which there was + both smirch and buffet, seemed like the last knell of the day, ringing the + nation’s funeral at the outset of the night of pleasure which was + beginning. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre once more remembered his morning and that frightful house in + the Rue des Saules, where so much want and suffering were heaped up. He + again saw the yard filthy like a quagmire, the evil-smelling staircases, + the sordid, bare, icy rooms, the families fighting for messes which even + stray dogs would not have eaten; the mothers, with exhausted breasts, + carrying screaming children to and fro; the old men who fell in corners + like brute beasts, and died of hunger amidst filth. And then came his + other hours with the magnificence or the quietude or the gaiety of the <i>salons</i> + through which he had passed, the whole insolent display of financial + Paris, and political Paris, and society Paris. And at last he came to the + dusk, and to that Paris-Sodom and Paris-Gomorrah before him, which was + lighting itself up for the night, for the abominations of that accomplice + night which, like fine dust, was little by little submerging the expanse + of roofs. And the hateful monstrosity of it all howled aloud under the + pale sky where the first pure, twinkling stars were gleaming. + </p> + <p> + A great shudder came upon Pierre as he thought of all that mass of + iniquity and suffering, of all that went on below amid want and crime, and + all that went on above amid wealth and vice. The <i>bourgeoisie</i>, + wielding power, would relinquish naught of the sovereignty which it had + conquered, wholly stolen, while the people, the eternal dupe, silent so + long, clenched its fists and growled, claiming its legitimate share. And + it was that frightful injustice which filled the growing gloom with anger. + From what dark-breasted cloud would the thunderbolt fall? For years he had + been waiting for that thunderbolt which low rumbles announced on all + points of the horizon. And if he had written a book full of candour and + hope, if he had gone in all innocence to Rome, it was to avert that + thunderbolt and its frightful consequences. But all hope of the kind was + dead within him; he felt that the thunderbolt was inevitable, that nothing + henceforth could stay the catastrophe. And never before had he felt it to + be so near, amidst the happy impudence of some, and the exasperated + distress of others. And it was gathering, and it would surely fall over + that Paris, all lust and bravado, which, when evening came, thus stirred + up its furnace. + </p> + <p> + Tired out and distracted, Pierre raised his eyes as he reached the Place + de l’Opera. Where was he then? The heart of the great city seemed to beat + on this spot, in that vast expanse where met so many thoroughfares, as if + from every point the blood of distant districts flowed thither along + triumphal avenues. Right away to the horizon stretched the great gaps of + the Avenue de l’Opera, the Rue du Quatre-Septembre, and the Rue de la + Paix, still showing clearly in a final glimpse of daylight, but already + starred with swarming sparks. The torrent of the Boulevard traffic poured + across the Place, where clashed, too, all that from the neighbouring + streets, with a constant turning and eddying which made the spot the most + dangerous of whirlpools. In vain did the police seek to impose some little + prudence, the stream of pedestrians still overflowed, wheels became + entangled and horses reared amidst all the uproar of the human tide, which + was as loud, as incessant, as the tempest voice of an ocean. Then there + was the detached mass of the opera-house, slowly steeped in gloom, and + rising huge and mysterious like a symbol, its lyre-bearing figure of + Apollo, right aloft, showing a last reflection of daylight amidst the + livid sky. And all the windows of the house-fronts began to shine, gaiety + sprang from those thousands of lamps which coruscated one by one, a + universal longing for ease and free gratification of each desire spread + with the increasing darkness; whilst, at long intervals, the large globes + of the electric lights shone as brightly as the moons of the city’s + cloudless nights. + </p> + <p> + But why was he, Pierre, there, he asked himself, irritated and wondering. + Since Laveuve was dead he had but to go home, bury himself in his nook, + and close up door and windows, like one who was henceforth useless, who + had neither belief nor hope, and awaited naught save annihilation. It was + a long journey from the Place de l’Opera to his little house at Neuilly. + Still, however great his weariness, he would not take a cab, but retraced + his steps, turning towards the Madeleine again, and plunging into the + scramble of the pavements, amidst the deafening uproar from the roadway, + with a bitter desire to aggravate his wound and saturate himself with + revolt and anger. Was it not yonder at the corner of that street, at the + end of that Boulevard, that he would find the expected abyss into which + that rotten world, whose old society he could hear rending at each step, + must soon assuredly topple? + </p> + <p> + However, when Pierre wished to cross the Rue Scribe a block in the traffic + made him halt. In front of a luxurious café two tall, shabbily-clad and + very dirty fellows were alternately offering the “Voix du Peuple” with its + account of the scandals and the bribe-takers of the Chamber and the + Senate, in voices so suggestive of cracked brass that passers-by clustered + around them. And here, in a hesitating, wandering man, who after listening + drew near to the large café and peered through its windows, Pierre was + once again amazed to recognise Salvat. This time the meeting struck him + forcibly, filled him with suspicion to such a point that he also stopped + and resolved to watch the journeyman engineer. He did not expect that one + of such wretched aspect, with what seemed to be a hunk of bread distending + his old ragged jacket, would enter and seat himself at one of the café’s + little tables amidst the warm gaiety of the lamps. However, he waited for + a moment, and then saw him wander away with slow and broken steps as if + the café, which was nearly empty, did not suit him. What could he have + been seeking, whither had he been going, since the morning, ever on a + wild, solitary chase through the Paris of wealth and enjoyment while + hunger dogged his steps? It was only with difficulty that he now dragged + himself along, his will and energy seemed to be exhausted. As if quite + overcome, he drew near to a kiosk, and for a moment leant against it. + Then, however, he drew himself up again, and walked on further, still as + it were in search of something. + </p> + <p> + And now came an incident which brought Pierre’s emotion to a climax. A + tall sturdy man on turning out of the Rue Caumartin caught sight of + Salvat, and approached him. And just as the new comer without false pride + was shaking the workman’s hand, Pierre recognised him as his brother + Guillaume. Yes, it was indeed he, with his thick bushy hair already white + like snow, though he was but seven and forty. However, his heavy + moustaches had remained quite dark without one silver thread, thus lending + an expression of vigorous life to his full face with its lofty towering + brow. It was from his father that he had inherited that brow of + impregnable logic and reason, similar to that which Pierre himself + possessed. But the lower part of the elder brother’s countenance was + fuller than that of his junior; his nose was larger, his chin was square, + and his mouth broad and firm of contour. A pale scar, the mark of an old + wound, streaked his left temple. And his physiognomy, though it might at + first seem very grave, rough, and unexpansive, beamed with masculine + kindliness whenever a smile revealed his teeth, which had remained + extremely white. + </p> + <p> + While looking at his brother, Pierre remembered what Madame Théodore had + told him that morning. Guillaume, touched by Salvat’s dire want, had + arranged to give him a few days’ employment. And this explained the air of + interest with which he now seemed to be questioning him, while the + engineer, whom the meeting disturbed, stamped about as if eager to resume + his mournful ramble. For a moment Guillaume appeared to notice the other’s + perturbation, by the embarrassed answers which he obtained from him. + Still, they at last parted as if each were going his way. Then, however, + almost immediately, Guillaume turned round again and watched the other, as + with harassed stubborn mien he went off through the crowd. And the + thoughts which had come to Guillaume must have been very serious and very + pressing, for he all at once began to retrace his steps and follow the + workman from a distance, as if to ascertain for certain what direction he + would take. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had watched the scene with growing disquietude. His nervous + apprehension of some great unknown calamity, the suspicions born of his + frequent and inexplicable meetings with Salvat, his surprise at now seeing + his brother mingled with the affair, all helped to fill him with a + pressing desire to know, witness, and perhaps prevent. So he did not + hesitate, but began to follow the others in a prudent way. + </p> + <p> + Fresh perturbation came upon him when first Salvat and then Guillaume + suddenly turned into the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy. What destiny was thus + bringing him back to that street whither a little time previously he had + wished to return in feverish haste, and whence only the death of Laveuve + had kept him? And his consternation increased yet further when, after + losing sight of Salvat for a moment, he saw him standing in front of the + Duvillard mansion, on the same spot where he had fancied he recognised him + that morning. As it happened the carriage entrance of the mansion was wide + open. Some repairs had been made to the paving of the porch, and although + the workmen had now gone off, the doorway remained gaping, full of the + falling night. The narrow street, running from the glittering Boulevard, + was steeped in bluish gloom, starred at long intervals by a few gas-lamps. + Some women went by, compelling Salvat to step off the foot-pavement. But + he returned to it again, lighted the stump of a cigar, some remnant which + he had found under a table outside a café, and then resumed his watch, + patient and motionless, in front of the mansion. + </p> + <p> + Disturbed by his dim conjectures, Pierre gradually grew frightened, and + asked himself if he ought not to approach that man. The chief thing that + detained him was the presence of his brother, whom he had seen disappear + into a neighbouring doorway, whence he also was observing the engineer, + ready to intervene. And so Pierre contented himself with not losing sight + of Salvat, who was still waiting and watching, merely taking his eyes from + the mansion in order to glance towards the Boulevard as though he expected + someone or something which would come from that direction. And at last, + indeed, the Duvillards’ landau appeared, with coachman and footman in + livery of green and gold—a closed landau to which a pair of tall + horses of superb build were harnessed in stylish fashion. + </p> + <p> + Contrary to custom, however, the carriage, which at that hour usually + brought the father and mother home, was only occupied that evening by the + son and daughter, Hyacinthe and Camille. Returning from the Princess de + Harn’s <i>matinée</i>, they were chatting freely, with that calm immodesty + by which they sought to astonish one another. Hyacinthe, influenced by his + perverted ideas, was attacking women, whilst Camille openly counselled him + to respond to the Princess’s advances. However, she was visibly irritated + and feverish that evening, and, suddenly changing the subject, she began + to speak of their mother and Gérard de Quinsac. + </p> + <p> + “But what can it matter to you?” quietly retorted Hyacinthe; and, seeing + that she almost bounded from the seat at this remark, he continued: “Are + you still in love with him, then? Do you still want to marry him?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I do, and I will!” she cried with all the jealous rage of an + uncomely girl, who suffered so acutely at seeing herself spurned whilst + her yet beautiful mother stole from her the man she wanted. + </p> + <p> + “You will, you will!” resumed Hyacinthe, well pleased to have an + opportunity of teasing his sister, whom he somewhat feared. “But you won’t + unless <i>he</i> is willing—And he doesn’t care for you.” + </p> + <p> + “He does!” retorted Camille in a fury. “He’s kind and pleasant with me, + and that’s enough.” + </p> + <p> + Her brother felt afraid as he noticed the blackness of her glance, and the + clenching of her weak little hands, whose fingers bent like claws. And + after a pause he asked: “And papa, what does he say about it?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, papa! All that he cares about is the other one.” + </p> + <p> + Then Hyacinthe began to laugh. + </p> + <p> + But the landau, with its tall horses trotting on sonorously, had turned + into the street and was approaching the house, when a slim fair-haired + girl of sixteen or seventeen, a modiste’s errand girl with a large bandbox + on her arm, hastily crossed the road in order to enter the arched doorway + before the carriage. She was bringing a bonnet for the Baroness, and had + come all along the Boulevard musing, with her soft blue eyes, her pinky + nose, and her mouth which ever laughed in the most adorable little face + that one could see. And it was at this same moment that Salvat, after + another glance at the landau, sprang forward and entered the doorway. An + instant afterwards he reappeared, flung his lighted cigar stump into the + gutter; and without undue haste went off, slinking into the depths of the + vague gloom of the street. + </p> + <p> + And then what happened? Pierre, later on, remembered that a dray of the + Western Railway Company in coming up stopped and delayed the landau for a + moment, whilst the young errand girl entered the doorway. And with a + heart-pang beyond description he saw his brother Guillaume in his turn + spring forward and rush into the mansion as though impelled to do so by + some revelation, some sudden certainty. He, Pierre, though he understood + nothing clearly, could divine the approach of some frightful horror. But + when he would have run, when he would have shouted, he found himself as if + nailed to the pavement, and felt his throat clutched as by a hand of lead. + Then suddenly came a thunderous roar, a formidable explosion, as if the + earth was opening, and the lightning-struck mansion was being annihilated. + Every window-pane of the neighbouring houses was shivered, the glass + raining down with the loud clatter of hail. For a moment a hellish flame + fired the street, and the dust and the smoke were such that the few + passers-by were blinded and howled with affright, aghast at toppling, as + they thought, into that fiery furnace. + </p> + <p> + And that dazzling flare brought Pierre enlightenment. He once more saw the + bomb distending the tool-bag, which lack of work had emptied and rendered + useless. He once more saw it under the ragged jacket, a protuberance + caused, he had fancied, by some hunk of bread, picked up in a corner and + treasured that it might be carried home to wife and child. After wandering + and threatening all happy Paris, it was there that it had flared, there + that it had burst with a thunder-clap, there on the threshold of the + sovereign <i>bourgeoisie</i> to whom all wealth belonged. He, however, at + that moment thought only of his brother Guillaume, and flung himself into + that porch where a volcanic crater seemed to have opened. And at first he + distinguished nothing, the acrid smoke streamed over all. Then he + perceived the walls split, the upper floor rent open, the paving broken + up, strewn with fragments. Outside, the landau which had been on the point + of entering, had escaped all injury; neither of the horses had been + touched, nor was there even a scratch on any panel of the vehicle. But the + young girl, the pretty, slim, fair-haired errand girl, lay there on her + back, her stomach ripped open, whilst her delicate face remained intact, + her eyes clear, her smile full of astonishment, so swiftly and + lightning-like had come the catastrophe. And near her, from the fallen + bandbox, whose lid had merely come unfastened, had rolled the bonnet, a + very fragile pink bonnet, which still looked charming in its flowery + freshness. + </p> + <p> + By a prodigy Guillaume was alive and already on his legs again. His left + hand alone streamed with blood, a projectile seemed to have broken his + wrist. His moustaches moreover had been burnt, and the explosion by + throwing him to the ground had so shaken and bruised him that he shivered + from head to feet as with intense cold. Nevertheless, he recognised his + brother without even feeling astonished to see him there, as indeed often + happens after great disasters, when the unexplained becomes providential. + That brother, of whom he had so long lost sight, was there, naturally + enough, because it was necessary that he should be there. And Guillaume, + amidst the wild quivers by which he was shaken, at once cried to him “Take + me away! take me away! To your house at Neuilly, oh! take me away!” + </p> + <p> + Then, for sole explanation, and referring to Salvat, he stammered: “I + suspected that he had stolen a cartridge from me; only one, most + fortunately, for otherwise the whole district would have been blown to + pieces. Ah! the wretched fellow! I wasn’t in time to set my foot upon the + match.” + </p> + <p> + With perfect lucidity of mind, such as danger sometimes imparts, Pierre, + neither speaking nor losing a moment, remembered that the mansion had a + back entrance fronting the Rue Vignon. He had just realised in what + serious peril his brother would be if he were found mixed up in that + affair. And with all speed, when he had led him into the gloom of the Rue + Vignon, he tied his handkerchief round his wrist, which he bade him press + to his chest, under his coat, as that would conceal it. + </p> + <p> + But Guillaume, still shivering and haunted by the horror he had witnessed, + repeated: “Take me away—to your place at Neuilly—not to my + home.” + </p> + <p> + “Of course, of course, be easy. Come, wait here a second, I will stop a + cab.” + </p> + <p> + In his eagerness to procure a conveyance, Pierre had brought his brother + down to the Boulevard again. But the terrible thunderclap of the explosion + had upset the whole neighbourhood, horses were still rearing, and people + were running demented, hither and thither. And numerous policemen had + hastened up, and a rushing crowd was already blocking the lower part of + the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy, which was now as black as a pit, every light in + it having been extinguished; whilst on the Boulevard a hawker of the “Voix + du Peuple” still stubbornly vociferated: “The new scandal of the African + Railway Lines! The thirty-two bribe-takers of the Chamber and the Senate! + The approaching fall of the ministry!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was at last managing to stop a cab when he heard a person who ran + by say to another, “The ministry? Ah, well! that bomb will mend it right + enough!” + </p> + <p> + Then the brothers seated themselves in the cab, which carried them away. + And now, over the whole of rumbling Paris black night had gathered, an + unforgiving night, in which the stars foundered amidst the mist of crime + and anger that had risen from the house-roofs. The great cry of justice + swept by amidst the same terrifying flapping of wings which Sodom and + Gomorrah once heard bearing down upon them from all the black clouds of + the horizon. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol12"></a> + BOOK II. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap47"></a> + I. REVOLUTIONISTS + </h2> + <p> + IN that out-of-the-way street at Neuilly, along which nobody passed after + dusk, Pierre’s little house was now steeped in deep slumber under the + black sky; each of its shutters closed, and not a ray of light stealing + forth from within. And one could divine, too, the profound quietude of the + little garden in the rear, a garden empty and lifeless, benumbed by the + winter cold. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had several times feared that his brother would faint away in the + cab in which they were journeying. Leaning back, and often sinking down, + Guillaume spoke not a word. And terrible was the silence between them—a + silence fraught with all the questions and answers which they felt it + would be useless and painful to exchange at such a time. However, the + priest was anxious about the wound, and wondered to what surgeon he might + apply, desirous as he was of admitting only a sure, staunch man into the + secret, for he had noticed with how keen a desire to disappear his brother + had sought to hide himself. + </p> + <p> + Until they reached the Arc de Triomphe the silence remained unbroken. It + was only there that Guillaume seemed to emerge from the prostration of his + reverie. “Mind, Pierre,” said he, “no doctor. We will attend to this + together.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was on the point of protesting, but he realised that it would be + useless to discuss the subject at such a moment, and so he merely waved + his hand to signify that he should act in spite of the prohibition were it + necessary. In point of fact, his anxiety had increased, and, when the cab + at last drew up before the house, it was with real relief that he saw his + brother alight without evincing any marked feebleness. He himself quickly + paid the driver, well-pleased, too, at finding that nobody, not even a + neighbour, was about. And having opened the door with his latch key, he + helped the injured man to ascend the steps. + </p> + <p> + A little night lamp glimmered faintly in the vestibule. On hearing the + door open, Pierre’s servant, Sophie, had at once emerged from the kitchen. + A short, thin, dark woman of sixty, she had formed part of the household + for more than thirty years, having served the mother before serving the + son. She knew Guillaume, having seen him when he was a young man, and + doubtless she now recognised him, although well-nigh ten years had gone by + since he had last crossed that threshold. Instead of evincing any + surprise, she seemed to consider his extraordinary return quite natural, + and remained as silent and discreet as usual. She led, indeed, the life of + a recluse, never speaking unless her work absolutely required it. And thus + she now contented herself with saying: “Monsieur l’Abbé, Monsieur + Bertheroy is in the study, and has been waiting there for a quarter of an + hour.” + </p> + <p> + At this Guillaume intervened, as if the news revived him: “Does Bertheroy + still come here, then? I’ll see him willingly. His is one of the best, the + broadest, minds of these days. He has still remained my master.” + </p> + <p> + A former friend of their father,—the illustrious chemist, Michel + Froment,—Bertheroy had now, in his turn, become one of the loftiest + glories of France, one to whom chemistry owed much of the extraordinary + progress that has made it the mother-science, by which the very face of + the earth is being changed. A member of the Institute, laden with offices + and honours, he had retained much affection for Pierre, and occasionally + visited him in this wise before dinner, by way of relaxation, he would + say. + </p> + <p> + “You showed him into the study? All right, then, we will go there,” said + the Abbé to the servant. “Light a lamp and take it into my room, and get + my bed ready so that my brother may go to bed at once.” + </p> + <p> + While Sophie, without a word or sign of surprise, was obeying these + instructions, the brothers went into their father’s former laboratory, of + which the priest had now made a spacious study. And it was with a cry of + joyous astonishment that the <i>savant</i> greeted them on seeing them + enter the room side by side, the one supporting the other. “What, + together!” he exclaimed. “Ah! my dear children, you could not have caused + me greater pleasure! I who have so often deplored your painful + misunderstanding.” + </p> + <p> + Bertheroy was a tall and lean septuagenarian, with angular features. His + yellow skin clung like parchment to the projecting bones of his cheeks and + jaw. Moreover, there was nothing imposing about him; he looked like some + old shop-keeping herbalist. At the same time he had a fine, broad, smooth + brow, and his eyes still glittered brightly beneath his tangled hair. + </p> + <p> + “What, have you injured yourself, Guillaume?” he continued, as soon as he + saw the bandaged hand. + </p> + <p> + Pierre remained silent, so as to let his brother tell the story as he + chose. Guillaume had realised that he must confess the truth, but in + simple fashion, without detailing the circumstances. “Yes, in an + explosion,” he answered, “and I really think that I have my wrist broken.” + </p> + <p> + At this, Bertheroy, whose glance was fixed upon him, noticed that his + moustaches were burnt, and that there was an expression of bewildered + stupor, such as follows a catastrophe, in his eyes. Forthwith the <i>savant</i> + became grave and circumspect; and, without seeking to compel confidence by + any questions, he simply said: “Indeed! an explosion! Will you let me see + the injury? You know that before letting chemistry ensnare me I studied + medicine, and am still somewhat of a surgeon.” + </p> + <p> + On hearing these words Pierre could not restrain a heart-cry: “Yes, yes, + master! Look at the injury—I was very anxious, and to find you here + is unhoped-for good fortune!” + </p> + <p> + The <i>savant</i> glanced at him, and divined that the hidden + circumstances of the accident must be serious. And then, as Guillaume, + smiling, though paling with weakness, consented to the suggestion, + Bertheroy retorted that before anything else he must be put to bed. The + servant just then returned to say the bed was ready, and so they all went + into the adjoining room, where the injured man was soon undressed and + helped between the sheets. + </p> + <p> + “Light me, Pierre,” said Bertheroy, “take the lamp; and let Sophie give me + a basin full of water and some cloths.” Then, having gently washed the + wound, he resumed: “The devil! The wrist isn’t broken, but it’s a nasty + injury. I am afraid there must be a lesion of the bone. Some nails passed + through the flesh, did they not?” + </p> + <p> + Receiving no reply, he relapsed into silence. But his surprise was + increasing, and he closely examined the hand, which the flame of the + explosion had scorched, and even sniffed the shirt cuff as if seeking to + understand the affair better. He evidently recognised the effects of one + of those new explosives which he himself had studied, almost created. In + the present case, however, he must have been puzzled, for there were + characteristic signs and traces the significance of which escaped him. + </p> + <p> + “And so,” he at last made up his mind to ask, carried away by professional + curiosity, “and so it was a laboratory explosion which put you in this + nice condition? What devilish powder were you concocting then?” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, ever since he had seen Bertheroy thus studying his injury, had, + in spite of his sufferings, given marked signs of annoyance and agitation. + And as if the real secret which he wished to keep lay precisely in the + question now put to him, in that powder, the first experiment with which + had thus injured him, he replied with an air of restrained ardour, and a + straight frank glance: “Pray do not question me, master. I cannot answer + you. You have, I know, sufficient nobility of nature to nurse me and care + for me without exacting a confession.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! certainly, my friend,” exclaimed Bertheroy; “keep your secret. Your + discovery belongs to you if you have made one; and I know that you are + capable of putting it to the most generous use. Besides, you must be aware + that I have too great a passion for truth to judge the actions of others, + whatever their nature, without knowing every circumstance and motive.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he waved his hand as if to indicate how broadly tolerant and + free from error and superstition was that lofty sovereign mind of his, + which in spite of all the orders that bedizened him, in spite of all the + academical titles that he bore as an official <i>savant</i>, made him a + man of the boldest and most independent views, one whose only passion was + truth, as he himself said. + </p> + <p> + He lacked the necessary appliances to do more than dress the wound, after + making sure that no fragment of any projectile had remained in the flesh. + Then he at last went off, promising to return at an early hour on the + morrow; and, as the priest escorted him to the street door, he spoke some + comforting words: if the bone had not been deeply injured all would be + well. + </p> + <p> + On returning to the bedside, Pierre found his brother still sitting up and + seeking fresh energy in his desire to write home and tranquillise his + loved ones. So the priest, after providing pen and paper, again had to + take up the lamp and light him. Guillaume fortunately retained full use of + his right hand, and was thus able to pen a few lines to say that he would + not be home that night. He addressed the note to Madame Leroi, the mother + of his deceased mistress, who, since the latter’s death, had remained with + him and had reared his three sons. Pierre was aware also that the + household at Montmartre included a young woman of five or six and twenty, + the daughter of an old friend, to whom Guillaume had given shelter on her + father’s death, and whom he was soon to marry, in spite of the great + difference in their ages. For the priest, however, all these were vague, + disturbing things, condemnable features of disorderly life, and he had + invariably pretended to be ignorant of them. + </p> + <p> + “So you wish this note to be taken to Montmartre at once?” he said to his + brother. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, at once. It is scarcely more than seven o’clock now, and it will be + there by eight. And you will choose a reliable man, won’t you?” + </p> + <p> + “The best course will be for Sophie to take a cab. We need have no fear + with her. She won’t chatter. Wait a moment, and I will settle everything.” + </p> + <p> + Sophie, on being summoned, at once understood what was wanted of her, and + promised to say, in reply to any questions, that M. Guillaume had come to + spend the night at his brother’s, for reasons which she did not know. And + without indulging in any reflections herself, she left the house, saying + simply: “Monsieur l’Abbé’s dinner is ready; he will only have to take the + broth and the stew off the stove.” + </p> + <p> + However, when Pierre this time returned to the bedside to sit down there, + he found that Guillaume had fallen back with his head resting on both + pillows. And he looked very weary and pale, and showed signs of fever. The + lamp, standing on a corner of a side table, cast a soft light around, and + so deep was the quietude that the big clock in the adjoining dining-room + could be heard ticking. For a moment the silence continued around the two + brothers, who, after so many years of separation, were at last re-united + and alone together. Then the injured man brought his right hand to the + edge of the sheet, and the priest grasped it, pressed it tenderly in his + own. And the clasp was a long one, those two brotherly hands remaining + locked, one in the other. + </p> + <p> + “My poor little Pierre,” Guillaume faintly murmured, “you must forgive me + for falling on you in this fashion. I’ve invaded the house and taken your + bed, and I’m preventing you from dining.” + </p> + <p> + “Don’t talk, don’t tire yourself any more,” interrupted Pierre. “Is not + this the right place for you when you are in trouble?” + </p> + <p> + A warmer pressure came from Guillaume’s feverish hand, and tears gathered + in his eyes. “Thanks, my little Pierre. I’ve found you again, and you are + as gentle and loving as you always were. Ah! you cannot know how + delightful it seems to me.” + </p> + <p> + Then the priest’s eyes also were dimmed by tears. Amidst the deep + quietude, the great sense of comfort which had followed their violent + emotion, the brothers found an infinite charm in being together once more + in the home of their childhood.* It was there that both their father and + mother had died—the father tragically, struck down by an explosion + in his laboratory; the mother piously, like a very saint. It was there, + too, in that same bed, that Guillaume had nursed Pierre, when, after their + mother’s death, the latter had nearly died; and it was there now that + Pierre in his turn was nursing Guillaume. All helped to bow them down and + fill them with emotion: the strange circumstances of their meeting, the + frightful catastrophe which had caused them such a shock, the + mysteriousness of the things which remained unexplained between them. And + now that after so long a separation they were tragically brought together + again, they both felt their memory awaking. The old house spoke to them of + their childhood, of their parents dead and gone, of the far-away days when + they had loved and suffered there. Beneath the window lay the garden, now + icy cold, which once, under the sunbeams, had re-echoed with their play. + On the left was the laboratory, the spacious room where their father had + taught them to read. On the right, in the dining-room, they could picture + their mother cutting bread and butter for them, and looking so gentle with + her big, despairing eyes—those of a believer mated to an infidel. + And the feeling that they were now alone in that home, and the pale, + sleepy gleam of the lamp, and the deep silence of the garden and the + house, and the very past itself, all filled them with the softest of + emotion blended with the keenest bitterness. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See M. Zola’s “Lourdes,” Day I., Chapter II. +</pre> + <p> + They would have liked to talk and unbosom themselves. But what could they + say to one another? Although their hands remained so tightly clasped, did + not the most impassable of chasms separate them? In any case, they thought + so. Guillaume was convinced that Pierre was a saint, a priest of the most + robust faith, without a doubt, without aught in common with himself, + whether in the sphere of ideas or in that of practical life. A + hatchet-stroke had parted them, and each lived in a different world. And + in the same way Pierre pictured Guillaume as one who had lost caste, whose + conduct was most suspicious, who had never even married the mother of his + three children, but was on the point of marrying that girl who was far too + young for him, and who had come nobody knew whence. In him, moreover, were + blended the passionate ideas of a <i>savant</i> and a revolutionist, ideas + in which one found negation of everything, acceptance and possibly + provocation of the worst forms of violence, with a glimpse of the vague + monster of Anarchism underlying all. And so, on what basis could there be + any understanding between them, since each retained his prejudices against + the other, and saw him on the opposite side of the chasm, without + possibility of any plank being thrown across it to enable them to unite? + Thus, all alone in that room, their poor hearts bled with distracted + brotherly love. + </p> + <p> + Pierre knew that, on a previous occasion, Guillaume had narrowly escaped + being compromised in an Anarchist affair. He asked him no questions, but + he could not help reflecting that he would not have hidden himself in this + fashion had he not feared arrest for complicity. Complicity with Salvat? + Was he really an accomplice? Pierre shuddered, for the only materials on + which he could found a contrary opinion were, on one hand, the words that + had escaped his brother after the crime, the cry he had raised accusing + Salvat of having stolen a cartridge from him; and, on the other hand, his + heroic rush into the doorway of the Duvillard mansion in order to + extinguish the match. A great deal still remained obscure; but if a + cartridge of that frightful explosive had been stolen from Guillaume the + fact must be that he manufactured such cartridges and had others at home. + Of course, even if he were not an accomplice, the injury to his wrist had + made it needful for him to disappear. Given his bleeding hand, and the + previous suspicions levelled against him, he would never have convinced + anybody of his innocence. And yet, even allowing for these surmises, the + affair remained wrapt in darkness: a crime on Guillaume’s part seemed a + possibility, and to Pierre it was all dreadful to think of. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, by the trembling of his brother’s moist, yielding hand, must in + some degree have realised the prostration of his poor mind, already + shattered by doubt and finished off by this calamity. Indeed, the + sepulchre was empty now, the very ashes had been swept out of it. + </p> + <p> + “My poor little Pierre,” the elder brother slowly said. “Forgive me if I + do not tell you anything. I cannot do so. And besides, what would be the + use of it? We should certainly not understand one another.... So let us + keep from saying anything, and let us simply enjoy the delight of being + together and loving one another in spite of all.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre raised his eyes, and for a long time their glances lingered, one + fixed on the other. “Ah!” stammered the priest, “how frightful it all is!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, however, had well understood the mute inquiry of Pierre’s eyes. + His own did not waver but replied boldly, beaming with purity and + loftiness: “I can tell you nothing. Yet, all the same, let us love each + other, my little Pierre.” + </p> + <p> + And then Pierre for a moment felt that his brother was above all base + anxiety, above the guilty fear of the man who trembles for himself. In + lieu thereof he seemed to be carried away by the passion of some great + design, the noble thought of concealing some sovereign idea, some secret + which it was imperative for him to save. But, alas! this was only the + fleeting vision of a vague hope; for all vanished, and again came the + doubt, the suspicion, of a mind dealing with one that it knew nothing of. + </p> + <p> + And all at once a souvenir, a frightful spectacle, arose before Pierre’s + eyes and distracted him: “Did you see, brother,” he stammered, “did you + see that fair-haired girl lying under the archway, ripped open, with a + smile of astonishment on her face?” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume in his turn quivered, and in a low and dolorous voice replied: + “Yes, I saw her! Ah, poor little thing! Ah! the atrocious necessities, the + atrocious errors, of justice!” + </p> + <p> + Then, amidst the frightful shudder that seemed to sweep by, Pierre, with + his horror of all violence, succumbed, and let his face sink upon the + counterpane at the edge of the bed. And he sobbed distractedly: a sudden + attack of weakness, overflowing in tears, cast him there exhausted, with + no more strength than a child. It was as if all his sufferings since the + morning, the deep grief with which universal injustice and woe inspired + him, were bursting forth in that flood of tears which nothing now could + stay. And Guillaume, who, to calm his little brother, had set his hand + upon his head, in the same way as he had often caressingly stroked his + hair in childhood’s days, likewise felt upset and remained silent, unable + to find a word of consolation, resigned, as he was, to the eruption which + in life is always possible, the cataclysm by which the slow evolution of + nature is always liable to be precipitated. But how hard a fate for the + wretched ones whom the lava sweeps away in millions! And then his tears + also began to flow amidst the profound silence. + </p> + <p> + “Pierre,” he gently exclaimed at last, “you must have some dinner. Go, go + and have some. And screen the lamp; leave me by myself, and let me close + my eyes. It will do me good.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had to content him. Still, he left the dining-room door open; and, + weak for want of food, though he had not hitherto noticed it, he ate + standing, with his ears on the alert, listening lest his brother should + complain or call him. And the silence seemed to have become yet more + complete, the little house sank, as it were, into annihilation, instinct + with all the melancholy charm of the past. + </p> + <p> + At about half-past eight, when Sophie returned from her errand to + Montmartre, Guillaume heard her step, light though it was. And he at once + became restless and wanted to know what news she brought. It was Pierre, + however, who enlightened him. “Don’t be anxious. Sophie was received by an + old lady who, after reading your note, merely answered, ‘Very well.’ She + did not even ask Sophie a question, but remained quite composed without + sign of curiosity.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, realising that this fine serenity perplexed his brother, + thereupon replied with similar calmness: “Oh! it was only necessary that + grandmother should be warned. She knows well enough that if I don’t return + home it is because I can’t.” + </p> + <p> + However, from that moment it was impossible for the injured man to rest. + Although the lamp was hidden away in a corner, he constantly opened his + eyes, glanced round him, and seemed to listen, as if for sounds from the + direction of Paris. And it at last became necessary for the priest to + summon the servant and ask her if she had noticed anything strange on her + way to or from Montmartre. She seemed surprised by the question, and + answered that she had noticed nothing. Besides, the cab had followed the + outer boulevards, which were almost deserted. A slight fog had again begun + to fall, and the streets were steeped in icy dampness. + </p> + <p> + By the time it was nine o’clock Pierre realised that his brother would + never be able to sleep if he were thus left without news. Amidst his + growing feverishness the injured man experienced keen anxiety, a haunting + desire to know if Salvat were arrested and had spoken out. He did not + confess this; indeed he sought to convey the impression that he had no + personal disquietude, which was doubtless true. But his great secret was + stifling him; he shuddered at the thought that his lofty scheme, all his + labour and all his hope, should be at the mercy of that unhappy man whom + want had filled with delusions and who had sought to set justice upon + earth by the aid of a bomb. And in vain did the priest try to make + Guillaume understand that nothing certain could yet be known. He perceived + that his impatience increased every minute, and at last resolved to make + some effort to satisfy him. + </p> + <p> + But where could he go, of whom could he inquire? Guillaume, while talking + and trying to guess with whom Salvat might have sought refuge, had + mentioned Janzen, the Princess de Harn’s mysterious lover; and for a + moment he had even thought of sending to this man for information. But he + reflected that if Janzen had heard of the explosion he was not at all the + individual to wait for the police at home. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Pierre repeated: “I will willingly go to buy the evening papers + for you—but there will certainly be nothing in them. Although I know + almost everyone in Neuilly I can think of nobody who is likely to have any + information, unless perhaps it were Bache—” + </p> + <p> + “You know Bache, the municipal councillor?” interrupted Guillaume. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, we have both had to busy ourselves with charitable work in the + neighbourhood.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, Bache is an old friend of mine, and I know no safer man. Pray go to + him and bring him back with you.” + </p> + <p> + A quarter of an hour later Pierre returned with Bache, who resided in a + neighbouring street. And it was not only Bache whom he brought with him, + for, much to his surprise, he had found Janzen at Bache’s house. As + Guillaume had suspected, Janzen, while dining at the Princess de Harn’s, + had heard of the crime, and had consequently refrained from returning to + his little lodging in the Rue des Martyrs, where the police might well + have set a trap for him. His connections were known, and he was aware that + he was watched and was liable at any moment to arrest or expulsion as a + foreign Anarchist. And so he had thought it prudent to solicit a few days’ + hospitality of Bache, a very upright and obliging man, to whom he + entrusted himself without fear. He would never have remained with + Rosemonde, that adorable lunatic who for a month past had been exhibiting + him as her lover, and whose useless and dangerous extravagance of conduct + he fully realised. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume was so delighted on seeing Bache and Janzen that he wished to + sit up in bed again. But Pierre bade him remain quiet, rest his head on + the pillows, and speak as little as possible. Then, while Janzen stood + near, erect and silent, Bache took a chair and sat down by the bedside + with many expressions of friendly interest. He was a stout man of sixty, + with a broad, full face, a large white beard and long white hair. His + little, gentle eyes had a dim, dreamy expression, while a pleasant, + hopeful smile played round his thick lips. His father, a fervent St. + Simonian, had brought him up in the doctrines of that belief. While + retaining due respect for it, however, his personal inclinations towards + orderliness and religion had led him to espouse the ideas of Fourier, in + such wise that one found in him a succession and an abridgment, so to say, + of two doctrines. Moreover, when he was about thirty, he had busied + himself with spiritualism. Possessed of a comfortable little fortune, his + only adventure in life had been his connection with the Paris Commune of + 1871. How or why he had become a member of it he could now scarcely tell. + Condemned to death by default, although he had sat among the Moderates, he + had resided in Belgium until the amnesty; and since then Neuilly had + elected him as its representative on the Paris Municipal Council, less by + way of glorifying in him a victim of reaction than as a reward for his + worthiness, for he was really esteemed by the whole district. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, with his desire for tidings, was obliged to confide in his two + visitors, tell them of the explosion and Salvat’s flight, and how he + himself had been wounded while seeking to extinguish the match. Janzen, + with curly beard and hair, and a thin, fair face such as painters often + attribute to the Christ, listened coldly, as was his wont, and at last + said slowly in a gentle voice: “Ah! so it was Salvat! I thought it might + be little Mathis—I’m surprised that it should be Salvat—for he + hadn’t made up his mind.” Then, as Guillaume anxiously inquired if he + thought that Salvat would speak out, he began to protest: “Oh! no; oh! + no.” + </p> + <p> + However, he corrected himself with a gleam of disdain in his clear, harsh + eyes: “After all, there’s no telling. Salvat is a man of sentiment.” + </p> + <p> + Then Bache, who was quite upset by the news of the explosion, tried to + think how his friend Guillaume, to whom he was much attached, might be + extricated from any charge of complicity should he be denounced. And + Guillaume, at sight of Janzen’s contemptuous coldness, must have suffered + keenly, for the other evidently believed him to be trembling, tortured by + the one desire to save his own skin. But what could he say, how could he + reveal the deep concern which rendered him so feverish without betraying + the secret which he had hidden even from his brother? + </p> + <p> + However, at this moment Sophie came to tell her master that M. Théophile + Morin had called with another gentleman. Much astonished by this visit at + so late an hour, Pierre hastened into the next room to receive the new + comers. He had become acquainted with Morin since his return from Rome, + and had helped him to introduce a translation of an excellent scientific + manual, prepared according to the official programmes, into the Italian + schools.* A Franc-Comtois by birth, a compatriot of Proudhon, with whose + poor family he had been intimate at Besancon, Morin, himself the son of a + journeyman clockmaker, had grown up with Proudhonian ideas, full of + affection for the poor and an instinctive hatred of property and wealth. + Later on, having come to Paris as a school teacher, impassioned by study, + he had given his whole mind to Auguste Comte. Beneath the fervent + Positivist, however, one might yet find the old Proudhonian, the pauper + who rebelled and detested want. Moreover, it was scientific Positivism + that he clung to; in his hatred of all mysticism he would have naught to + do with the fantastic religious leanings of Comte in his last years. And + in Morin’s brave, consistent, somewhat mournful life, there had been but + one page of romance: the sudden feverish impulse which had carried him off + to fight in Sicily by Garibaldi’s side. Afterwards he had again become a + petty professor in Paris, obscurely earning a dismal livelihood. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See M. Zola’s “Rome,” Chapters IV. and XVI. +</pre> + <p> + When Pierre returned to the bedroom he said to his brother in a tone of + emotion: “Morin has brought me Barthès, who fancies himself in danger and + asks my hospitality.” + </p> + <p> + At this Guillaume forgot himself and became excited: “Nicholas Barthès, a + hero with a soul worthy of antiquity. Oh! I know him; I admire and love + him. You must set your door open wide for him.” + </p> + <p> + Bache and Janzen, however, had glanced at one another smiling. And the + latter, with his cold ironical air, slowly remarked: “Why does Monsieur + Barthès hide himself? A great many people think he is dead; he is simply a + ghost who no longer frightens anybody.” + </p> + <p> + Four and seventy years of age as he now was, Barthès had spent nearly half + a century in prison. He was the eternal prisoner, the hero of liberty whom + each successive Government had carried from citadel to fortress. Since his + youth he had been marching on amidst his dream of fraternity, fighting for + an ideal Republic based on truth and justice, and each and every endeavour + had led him to a dungeon; he had invariably finished his humanitarian + reverie under bolts and bars. Carbonaro, Republican, evangelical + sectarian, he had conspired at all times and in all places, incessantly + struggling against the Power of the day, whatever it might be. And when + the Republic at last had come, that Republic which had cost him so many + years of gaol, it had, in its own turn, imprisoned him, adding fresh years + of gloom to those which already had lacked sunlight. And thus he remained + the martyr of freedom: freedom which he still desired in spite of + everything; freedom, which, strive as he might, never came, never existed. + </p> + <p> + “But you are mistaken,” replied Guillaume, wounded by Janzen’s raillery. + “There is again a thought of getting rid of Barthès, whose uncompromising + rectitude disturbs our politicians; and he does well to take his + precautions!” + </p> + <p> + Nicholas Barthès came in, a tall, slim, withered old man, with a nose like + an eagle’s beak, and eyes that still burned in their deep sockets, under + white and bushy brows. His mouth, toothless but still refined, was lost to + sight between his moustaches and snowy beard; and his hair, crowning him + whitely like an aureola, fell in curls over his shoulders. Behind him with + all modesty came Théophile Morin, with grey whiskers, grey, brush-like + hair, spectacles, and yellow, weary mien—that of an old professor + exhausted by years of teaching. Neither of them seemed astonished or + awaited an explanation on finding that man in bed with an injured wrist. + And there were no introductions: those who were acquainted merely smiled + at one another. + </p> + <p> + Barthès, for his part, stooped and kissed Guillaume on both cheeks. “Ah!” + said the latter, almost gaily, “it gives me courage to see you.” + </p> + <p> + However, the new comers had brought a little information. The boulevards + were in an agitated state, the news of the crime had spread from café to + café, and everybody was anxious to see the late edition which one paper + had published giving a very incorrect account of the affair, full of the + most extraordinary details. Briefly, nothing positive was as yet known. + </p> + <p> + On seeing Guillaume turn pale Pierre compelled him to lie down again, and + even talked of taking the visitors into the next room. But the injured man + gently replied: “No, no, I promise you that I won’t stir again, that I + won’t open my mouth. But stay there and chat together. I assure you that + it will do me good to have you near me and hear you.” + </p> + <p> + Then, under the sleepy gleams of the lamp, the others began to talk in + undertones. Old Barthès, who considered that bomb to be both idiotic and + abominable, spoke of it with the stupefaction of one who, after fighting + like a hero through all the legendary struggles for liberty, found himself + belated, out of his element, in a new era, which he could not understand. + Did not the conquest of freedom suffice for everything? he added. Was + there any other problem beyond that of founding the real Republic? Then, + referring to Mège and his speech in the Chamber that afternoon, he + bitterly arraigned Collectivism, which he declared to be one of the + democratic forms of tyranny. Théophile Morin, for his part, also spoke + against the Collectivist enrolling of the social forces, but he professed + yet greater hatred of the odious violence of the Anarchists; for it was + only by evolution that he expected progress, and he felt somewhat + indifferent as to what political means might bring about the scientific + society of to-morrow. And in like way Bache did not seem particularly fond + of the Anarchists, though he was touched by the idyllic dream, the + humanitarian hope, whose germs lay beneath their passion for destruction. + And, like Barthès, he also flew into a passion with Mège, who since + entering the Chamber had become, said he, a mere rhetorician and theorist, + dreaming of dictatorship. Meantime Janzen, still erect, his face frigid + and his lips curling ironically, listened to all three of them, and vented + a few trenchant words to express his own Anarchist faith; the uselessness + of drawing distinctions, and the necessity of destroying everything in + order that everything might be rebuilt on fresh lines. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who had remained near the bed, also listened with passionate + attention. Amidst the downfall of his own beliefs, the utter void which he + felt within him, here were these four men, who represented the cardinal + points of this century’s ideas, debating the very same terrible problem + which brought him so much suffering, that of the new belief which the + democracy of the coming century awaits. And, ah! since the days of the + immediate ancestors, since the days of Voltaire and Diderot and Rousseau + how incessantly had billows of ideas followed and jostled one another, the + older ones giving birth to new ones, and all breaking and bounding in a + tempest in which it was becoming so difficult to distinguish anything + clearly! Whence came the wind, and whither was the ship of salvation + going, for what port ought one to embark? Pierre had already thought that + the balance-sheet of the century ought to be drawn up, and that, after + accepting the legacies of Rousseau and the other precursors, he ought to + study the ideas of St. Simon, Fourier and even Cabet; of Auguste Comte, + Proudhon and Karl Marx as well, in order, at any rate, to form some idea + of the distance that had been travelled, and of the cross-ways which one + had now reached. And was not this an opportunity, since chance had + gathered those men together in his house, living exponents of the + conflicting doctrines which he wished to examine? + </p> + <p> + On turning round, however, he perceived that Guillaume was now very pale + and had closed his eyes. Had even he, with his faith in science, felt the + doubt which is born of contradictory theories, and the despair which comes + when one sees the fight for truth resulting in growth of error? + </p> + <p> + “Are you in pain?” the priest anxiously inquired. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, a little. But I will try to sleep.” + </p> + <p> + At this they all went off with silent handshakes. Nicholas Barthès alone + remained in the house and slept in a room on the first floor which Sophie + had got ready for him. Pierre, unwilling to quit his brother, dozed off + upon a sofa. And the little house relapsed into its deep quietude, the + silence of solitude and winter, through which passed the melancholy quiver + of the souvenirs of childhood. + </p> + <p> + In the morning, as soon as it was seven o’clock, Pierre had to go for the + newspapers. Guillaume had passed a bad night and intense fever had set in. + Nevertheless, his brother was obliged to read him the articles on the + explosion. There was an amazing medley of truths and inventions, of + precise information lost amidst the most unexpected extravagance. + Sagnier’s paper, the “Voix du Peuple,” distinguished itself by its + sub-titles in huge print and a whole page of particulars jumbled together + chance-wise. It had at once decided to postpone the famous list of the + thirty-two deputies and senators compromised in the African Railways + affair; and there was no end to the details it gave of the aspect of the + entrance to the Duvillard mansion after the explosion the pavement broken + up, the upper floor rent open, the huge doors torn away from their hinges. + Then came the story of the Baron’s son and daughter preserved as by a + miracle, the landau escaping the slightest injury, while the banker and + his wife, it was alleged, owed their preservation to the circumstance that + they had lingered at the Madeleine after Monseigneur Martha’s remarkable + address there. An entire column was given to the one victim, the poor, + pretty, fair-haired errand girl, whose identity did not seem to be clearly + established, although a flock of reporters had rushed first to the modiste + employing her, in the Avenue de l’Opera, and next to the upper part of the + Faubourg St. Denis, where it was thought her grandmother resided. Then, in + a gravely worded article in “Le Globe,” evidently inspired by Fonsègue, an + appeal was made to the Chamber’s patriotism to avoid giving cause for any + ministerial crisis in the painful circumstances through which the country + was passing. Thus the ministry might last, and live in comparative + quietude, for a few weeks longer. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, however, was struck by one point only: the culprit was not + known; Salvat, it appeared certain, was neither arrested nor even + suspected. It seemed, indeed, as if the police were starting on a false + scent—that of a well-dressed gentleman wearing gloves, whom a + neighbour swore he had seen entering the mansion at the moment of the + explosion. Thus Guillaume became a little calmer. But his brother read to + him from another paper some particulars concerning the engine of + destruction that had been employed. It was a preserved-meat can, and the + fragments of it showed that it had been comparatively small. And Guillaume + relapsed into anxiety on learning that people were much astonished at the + violent ravages of such a sorry appliance, and that the presence of some + new explosive of incalculable power was already suspected. + </p> + <p> + At eight o’clock Bertheroy put in an appearance. Although he was + sixty-eight, he showed as much briskness and sprightliness as any young + sawbones calling in a friendly way to perform a little operation. He had + brought an instrument case, some linen bands and some lint. However, he + became angry on finding the injured man nervous, flushed and hot with + fever. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I see that you haven’t been reasonable, my dear child,” said he. “You + must have talked too much, and have bestirred and excited yourself.” Then, + having carefully probed the wound, he added, while dressing it: “The bone + is injured, you know, and I won’t answer for anything unless you behave + better. Any complications would make amputation necessary.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre shuddered, but Guillaume shrugged his shoulders, as if to say that + he might just as well be amputated since all was crumbling around him. + Bertheroy, who had sat down, lingering there for another moment, + scrutinised both brothers with his keen eyes. He now knew of the + explosion, and must have thought it over. “My dear child,” he resumed in + his brusque way, “I certainly don’t think that you committed that + abominable act of folly in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy. But I fancy that you + were in the neighbourhood—no, no, don’t answer me, don’t defend + yourself. I know nothing and desire to know nothing, not even the formula + of that devilish powder of which your shirt cuff bore traces, and which + has wrought such terrible havoc.” + </p> + <p> + And then as the brothers remained surprised, turning cold with anxiety, in + spite of his assurances, he added with a sweeping gesture: “Ah! my + friends, I regard such an action as even more useless than criminal! I + only feel contempt for the vain agitation of politics, whether they be + revolutionary or conservative. Does not science suffice? Why hasten the + times when one single step of science brings humanity nearer to the goal + of truth and justice than do a hundred years of politics and social + revolt? Why, it is science alone which sweeps away dogmas, casts down + gods, and creates light and happiness. And I, Member of the Institute as I + am, decorated and possessed of means, I am the only true Revolutionist.” + </p> + <p> + Then he began to laugh and Guillaume realised all the good-natured irony + of his laugh. While admiring him as a great <i>savant</i>, he had hitherto + suffered at seeing him lead such a <i>bourgeois</i> life, accepting + whatever appointments and honours were offered him, a Republican under the + Republic, but quite ready to serve science under no matter what master. + But now, from beneath this opportunist, this hieratical <i>savant</i>, + this toiler who accepted wealth and glory from all hands, there appeared a + quiet yet terrible evolutionist, who certainly expected that his own work + would help to ravage and renew the world! + </p> + <p> + However, Bertheroy rose and took his leave: “I’ll come back; behave + sensibly, and love one another as well as you can.” + </p> + <p> + When the brothers again found themselves alone, Pierre seated at + Guillaume’s bedside, their hands once more sought each other and met in a + burning clasp instinct with all their anguish. How much threatening + mystery and distress there was both around and within them! The grey + wintry daylight came into the room, and they could see the black trees in + the garden, while the house remained full of quivering silence, save that + overhead a faint sound of footsteps was audible. They were the steps of + Nicholas Barthès, the heroic lover of freedom, who, rising at daybreak, + had, like a caged lion, resumed his wonted promenade, the incessant coming + and going of one who had ever been a prisoner. And as the brothers ceased + listening to him their eyes fell on a newspaper which had remained open on + the bed, a newspaper soiled by a sketch in outline which pretended to + portray the poor dead errand girl, lying, ripped open, beside the bandbox + and the bonnet it had contained. It was so frightful, so atrociously + hideous a scene, that two big tears again fell upon Pierre’s cheeks, + whilst Guillaume’s blurred, despairing eyes gazed wistfully far away, + seeking for the Future. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap48"></a> + II. A HOME OF INDUSTRY + </h2> + <p> + THE little house in which Guillaume had dwelt for so many years, a home of + quietude and hard work, stood in the pale light of winter up yonder at + Montmartre, peacefully awaiting his return. He reflected, however, after + <i>déjeuner</i> that it might not be prudent for him to go back thither + for some three weeks, and so he thought of sending Pierre to explain the + position of affairs. “Listen, brother,” he said. “You must render me this + service. Go and tell them the truth—that I am here, slightly + injured, and do not wish them to come to see me, for fear lest somebody + should follow them and discover my retreat. After the note I wrote them + last evening they would end by getting anxious if I did not send them some + news.” Then, yielding to the one worry which, since the previous night, + had disturbed his clear, frank glance, he added: “Just feel in the + right-hand pocket of my waistcoat; you will find a little key there. Good! + that’s it. Now you must give it to Madame Leroi, my mother-in-law, and + tell her that if any misfortune should happen to me, she is to do what is + understood between us. That will suffice, she will understand you.” + </p> + <p> + At the first moment Pierre had hesitated; but he saw how even the slight + effort of speaking exhausted his brother, so he silenced him, saying: + “Don’t talk, but put your mind at ease. I will go and reassure your + people, since you wish that this commission should be undertaken by me.” + </p> + <p> + Truth to tell, the errand was so distasteful to Pierre that he had at + first thought of sending Sophie in his place. All his old prejudices were + reviving; it was as if he were going to some ogre’s den. How many times + had he not heard his mother say “that creature!” in referring to the woman + with whom her elder son cohabited. Never had she been willing to kiss + Guillaume’s boys; the whole connection had shocked her, and she was + particularly indignant that Madame Leroi, the woman’s mother, should have + joined the household for the purpose of bringing up the little ones. + Pierre retained so strong a recollection of all this that even nowadays, + when he went to the basilica of the Sacred Heart and passed the little + house on his way, he glanced at it distrustfully, and kept as far from it + as he could, as if it were some abode of vice and error. Undoubtedly, for + ten years now, the boys’ mother had been dead, but did not another + scandal-inspiring creature dwell there, that young orphan girl to whom his + brother had given shelter, and whom he was going to marry, although a + difference of twenty years lay between them? To Pierre all this was + contrary to propriety, abnormal and revolting, and he pictured a home + given over to social rebellion, where lack of principle led to every kind + of disorder. + </p> + <p> + However, he was leaving the room to start upon his journey, when Guillaume + called him back. “Tell Madame Leroi,” said he, “that if I should die you + will let her know of it, so that she may immediately do what is + necessary.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” answered Pierre. “But calm yourself, and don’t move about. + I’ll say everything. And in my absence Sophie will stop here with you in + case you should need her.” + </p> + <p> + Having given full instructions to the servant, Pierre set out to take a + tramcar, intending to alight from it on the Boulevard de Rochechouart, and + then climb the height on foot. And on the road, lulled by the gliding + motion of the heavy vehicle, he began to think of his brother’s past life + and connections, with which he was but vaguely, imperfectly, acquainted. + It was only at a later date that details of everything came to his + knowledge. In 1850 a young professor named Leroi, who had come from Paris + to the college of Montauban with the most ardent republican ideas, had + there married Agathe Dagnan, the youngest of the five girls of an old + Protestant family from the Cévennes. Young Madame Leroi was <i>enceinte</i> + when her husband, threatened with arrest for contributing some violent + articles to a local newspaper, immediately after the “Coup d’État,” found + himself obliged to seek refuge at Geneva. It was there that the young + couple’s daughter, Marguerite, a very delicate child, was born in 1852. + For seven years, that is until the Amnesty of 1859, the household + struggled with poverty, the husband giving but a few ill-paid lessons, and + the wife absorbed in the constant care which the child required. Then, + after their return to Paris, their ill-luck became even greater. For a + long time the ex-professor vainly sought regular employment; it was denied + him on account of his opinions, and he had to run about giving lessons in + private houses. When he was at last on the point of being received back + into the University a supreme blow, an attack of paralysis, fell upon him. + He lost the use of both legs. And then came utter misery, every kind of + sordid drudgery, the writing of articles for dictionaries, the copying of + manuscripts, and even the addressing of newspaper wrappers, on the fruits + of which the household barely contrived to live, in a little lodging in + the Rue Monsieur-le-Prince. + </p> + <p> + It was there that Marguerite grew up. Leroi, embittered by injustice and + suffering, predicted the advent of a Republic which would avenge the + follies of the Empire, and a reign of science which would sweep away the + deceptive and cruel divinity of religious dogmas. On the other hand, + Agathe’s religious faith had collapsed at Geneva, at sight of the narrow + and imbecile practices of Calvinism, and all that she retained of it was + the old Protestant leaven of rebellion. She had become at once the head + and the arm of the house; she went for her husband’s work, took it back + when completed, and even did much of it herself, whilst, at the same time, + performing her house duties, and rearing and educating her daughter. The + latter, who attended no school, was indebted for all she learnt to her + father and mother, on whose part there was never any question of religious + instruction. Through contact with her husband, Madame Leroi had lost all + belief, and her Protestant heredity inclining her to free inquiry and + examination, she had arranged for herself a kind of peaceful atheism, + based on paramount principles of human duty and justice, which she applied + courageously, irrespective of all social conventionalities. The long + iniquity of her husband’s fate, the undeserved misfortunes which struck + her through him and her daughter, ended by endowing her with wonderful + fortitude and devotion, which made her, whether as a judge, a manager, or + a consoler, a woman of incomparable energy and nobleness of character. + </p> + <p> + It was in the Rue Monsieur-le-Prince that Guillaume became acquainted with + the Leroi family, after the war of 1870. On the same floor as their little + lodging he occupied a large room, where he devoted himself passionately to + his studies. At the outset there was only an occasional bow, for + Guillaume’s neighbours were very proud and very grave, leading their life + of poverty in fierce silence and retirement. Then intercourse began with + the rendering of little services, such as when the young man procured the + ex-professor a commission to write a few articles for a new encyclopaedia. + But all at once came the catastrophe: Leroi died in his armchair one + evening while his daughter was wheeling him from his table to his bed. The + two distracted women had not even the money to bury him. The whole secret + of their bitter want flowed forth with their tears, and they were obliged + to accept the help of Guillaume, who, from that moment, became the + necessary confidant and friend. And the thing which was bound to happen + did happen, in the most simple and loving manner, permitted by the mother + herself, who, full of contempt for a social system which allowed those of + good hearts to die of hunger, refused to admit the necessity of any social + tie. Thus there was no question of a regular marriage. One day Guillaume, + who was twenty-three years old, found himself mated to Marguerite, who was + twenty; both of them handsome, healthy, and strong, adoring one another, + loving work, and full of hope in the future. + </p> + <p> + From that moment a new life began. Since his father’s death, Guillaume, + who had broken off all intercourse with his mother, had been receiving an + allowance of two hundred francs a month. This just represented daily + bread; however, he was already doubling the amount by his work as a + chemist,—his analyses and researches, which tended to the employment + of certain chemical products in industry. So he and Marguerite installed + themselves on the very summit of Montmartre, in a little house, at a + rental of eight hundred francs a year, the great convenience of the place + being a strip of garden, where one might, later on, erect a wooden + workshop. In all tranquillity Madame Leroi took up her abode with the + young people, helping them, and sparing them the necessity of keeping a + second servant. And at successive intervals of two years, her three + grandchildren were born, three sturdy boys: first Thomas, then François, + and then Antoine. And in the same way as she had devoted herself to her + husband and daughter, and then to Guillaume, so did she now devote herself + to the three children. She became “Mère-Grand”—an emphatic and + affectionate way of expressing the term “grandmother”—for all who + lived in the house, the older as well as the younger ones. She there + personified sense, and wisdom, and courage; it was she who was ever on the + watch, who directed everything, who was consulted about everything, and + whose opinion was always followed. Indeed, she reigned there like an + all-powerful queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + For fifteen years this life went on, a life of hard work and peaceful + affection, while the strictest economy was observed in contenting every + need of the modest little household. Then Guillaume lost his mother, took + his share of the family inheritance, and was able to satisfy his old + desire, which was to buy the house he lived in, and build a spacious + workshop in the garden. He was even able to build it of bricks, and add an + upper story to it. But the work was scarcely finished, and life seemed to + be on the point of expanding and smiling on them all, when misfortune + returned, and typhoid fever, with brutal force, carried off Marguerite, + after a week’s illness. She was then five and thirty, and her eldest boy, + Thomas, was fourteen. Thus Guillaume, distracted by his loss, found + himself a widower at thirty-eight. The thought of introducing any unknown + woman into that retired home, where all hearts beat in tender unison, was + so unbearable to him that he determined to take no other mate. His work + absorbed him, and he would know how to quiet both his heart and his flesh. + Mère-Grand, fortunately, was still there, erect and courageous; the + household retained its queen, and in her the children found a manageress + and teacher, schooled in adversity and heroism. + </p> + <p> + Two years passed; and then came an addition to the family. A young woman, + Marie Couturier, the daughter of one of Guillaume’s friends, suddenly + entered it. Couturier had been an inventor, a madman with some measure of + genius, and had spent a fairly large fortune in attempting all sorts of + fantastic schemes. His wife, a very pious woman, had died of grief at it + all; and although on the rare occasions when he saw his daughter, he + showed great fondness for her and loaded her with presents, he had first + placed her in a boarding college, and afterwards left her in the charge of + a poor female relative. Remembering her only on his death-bed, he had + begged Guillaume to give her an asylum, and find her a husband. The poor + relation, who dealt in ladies’ and babies’ linen, had just become a + bankrupt. So, at nineteen, the girl, Marie, found herself a penniless + outcast, possessed of nothing save a good education, health and courage. + Guillaume would never allow her to run about giving lessons. He took her, + in quite a natural way, to help Mère-Grand, who was no longer so active as + formerly. And the latter approved the arrangement, well pleased at the + advent of youth and gaiety, which would somewhat brighten the household, + whose life had been one of much gravity ever since Marguerite’s death. + Marie would simply be an elder sister; she was too old for the boys, who + were still at college, to be disturbed by her presence. And she would work + in that house where everybody worked. She would help the little community + pending the time when she might meet and love some worthy fellow who would + marry her. + </p> + <p> + Five more years elapsed without Marie consenting to quit that happy home. + The sterling education she had received was lodged in a vigorous brain, + which contented itself with the acquirement of knowledge. Yet she had + remained very pure and healthy, even very <i>naive</i>, maidenly by reason + of her natural rectitude. And she was also very much a woman, beautifying + and amusing herself with a mere nothing, and ever showing gaiety and + contentment. Moreover, she was in no wise of a dreamy nature, but very + practical, always intent on some work or other, and only asking of life + such things as life could give, without anxiety as to what might lie + beyond it. She lovingly remembered her pious mother, who had prepared her + for her first Communion in tears, imagining that she was opening heaven’s + portals to her. But since she had been an orphan she had of her own accord + ceased all practice of religion, her good sense revolting and scorning the + need of any moral police regulations to make her do her duty. Indeed, she + considered such regulations dangerous and destructive of true health. + Thus, like Mère-Grand, she had come to a sort of quiet and almost + unconscious atheism, not after the fashion of one who reasons, but simply + like the brave, healthy girl she was, one who had long endured poverty + without suffering from it, and believed in nothing save the necessity of + effort. She had been kept erect, indeed, by her conviction that happiness + was to be found in the normal joys of life, lived courageously. And her + happy equilibrium of mind had ever guided and saved her, in such wise that + she willingly listened to her natural instinct, saying, with her pleasant + laugh, that this was, after all, her best adviser. She rejected two offers + of marriage, and on the second occasion, as Guillaume pressed her to + accept, she grew astonished, and inquired if he had had enough of her in + the house. She found herself very comfortable, and she rendered service + there. So why should she leave and run the risk of being less happy + elsewhere, particularly as she was not in love with anybody? + </p> + <p> + Then, by degrees, the idea of a marriage between Marie and Guillaume + presented itself; and indeed what could have been more reasonable and + advantageous for all? If Guillaume had not mated again it was for his + sons’ sake, because he feared that by introducing a stranger to the house + he might impair its quietude and gaiety. But now there was a woman among + them who already showed herself maternal towards the boys, and whose + bright youth had ended by disturbing his own heart. He was still in his + prime, and had always held that it was not good for man to live alone, + although, personally, thanks to his ardour for work, he had hitherto + escaped excessive suffering in his bereavement. However, there was the + great difference of ages to be considered; and he would have bravely + remained in the background and have sought a younger husband for Marie, if + his three big sons and Mère-Grand herself had not conspired to effect his + happiness by doing all they could to bring about a marriage which would + strengthen every home tie and impart, as it were, a fresh springtide to + the house. As for Marie, touched and grateful to Guillaume for the manner + in which he had treated her for five years past, she immediately consented + with an impulse of sincere affection, in which, she fancied, she could + detect love. And at all events, could she act in a more sensible, + reasonable way, base her life on more certain prospects of happiness? So + the marriage had been resolved upon; and about a month previously it had + been decided that it should take place during the ensuing spring, towards + the end of April. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre, after alighting from the tramcar, began to climb the + interminable flights of steps leading to the Rue St. Eleuthère, a feeling + of uneasiness again came over him at the thought that he was about to + enter that suspicious ogre’s den where everything would certainly wound + and irritate him. Given the letter which Sophie had carried thither on the + previous night, announcing that the master would not return, how anxious + and upset must all its inmates be! However, as Pierre ascended the final + flight and nervously raised his head, the little house appeared to him + right atop of the hill, looking very serene and quiet under the bright + wintry sun, which had peered forth as if to bestow upon the modest + dwelling an affectionate caress. + </p> + <p> + There was a door in the old garden wall alongside the Rue St. Eleuthère, + almost in front of the broad thoroughfare conducting to the basilica of + the Sacred Heart; but to reach the house itself one had to skirt the wall + and climb to the Place du Tertre, where one found the façade and the + entrance. Some children were playing on the Place, which, planted as it + was with a few scrubby trees, and edged with humble shops,—a + fruiterer’s, a grocer’s and a baker’s,—looked like some square in a + small provincial town. In a corner, on the left, Guillaume’s dwelling, + which had been whitewashed during the previous spring, showed its bright + frontage and five lifeless windows, for all its life was on the other, the + garden, side, which overlooked Paris and the far horizon. + </p> + <p> + Pierre mustered his courage and, pulling a brass knob which glittered like + gold, rang the bell. There came a gay, distant jingle; but for a moment + nobody appeared, and he was about to ring again, when the door was thrown + wide open, revealing a passage which ran right through the house, beyond + which appeared the ocean of Paris, the endless sea of house roofs bathed + in sunlight. And against this spacious, airy background, stood a young + woman of twenty-six, clad in a simple gown of black woolen stuff, half + covered by a large blue apron. She had her sleeves rolled up above her + elbows, and her arms and hands were still moist with water which she had + but imperfectly wiped away. + </p> + <p> + A moment’s surprise and embarrassment ensued. The young woman, who had + hastened to the door with laughing mien, became grave and covertly hostile + at sight of the visitor’s cassock. The priest thereupon realised that he + must give his name: “I am Abbé Pierre Froment.” + </p> + <p> + At this the young woman’s smile of welcome came back to her. “Oh! I beg + your pardon, monsieur—I ought to have recognised you, for I saw you + wish Guillaume good day one morning as you passed.” + </p> + <p> + She said Guillaume; she, therefore, must be Marie. And Pierre looked at + her in astonishment, finding her very different from what he had imagined. + She was only of average height, but she was vigorously, admirably built, + broad of hip and broad of shoulder, with the small firm bosom of an + amazon. By her erect and easy step, instinct with all the adorable grace + of woman in her prime, one could divine that she was strong, muscular and + healthy. A brunette, but very white of skin, she had a heavy helm of + superb black hair, which she fastened in a negligent way, without any show + of coquetry. And under her dark locks, her pure, intelligent brow, her + delicate nose and gay eyes appeared full of intense life; whilst the + somewhat heavier character of her lower features, her fleshy lips and full + chin, bespoke her quiet kindliness. She had surely come on earth as a + promise of every form of tenderness, every form of devotion. In a word, + she was a true mate for man. + </p> + <p> + However, with her heavy, straying hair and superb arms, so ingenuous in + their nudity, she only gave Pierre an impression of superfluous health and + extreme self-assurance. She displeased him and even made him feel somewhat + anxious, as if she were a creature different from all others. + </p> + <p> + “It is my brother Guillaume who has sent me,” he said. + </p> + <p> + At this her face again changed; she became grave and hastened to admit him + to the passage. And when the door was closed she answered: “You have + brought us news of him, then! I must apologise for receiving you in this + fashion. The servants have just finished some washing, and I was making + sure if the work had been well done. Pray excuse me, and come in here for + a moment; it is perhaps best that I should be the first to know the news.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, she led him past the kitchen to a little room which served as + scullery and wash-house. A tub full of soapy water stood there, and some + dripping linen hung over some wooden bars. “And so, Guillaume?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + Pierre then told the truth in simple fashion: that his brother’s wrist had + been injured; that he himself had witnessed the accident, and that his + brother had then sought an asylum with him at Neuilly, where he wished to + remain and get cured of his injury in peace and quietness, without even + receiving a visit from his sons. While speaking in this fashion, the + priest watched the effect of his words on Marie’s face: first fright and + pity, and then an effort to calm herself and judge things reasonably. + </p> + <p> + “His letter quite froze me last night,” she ended by replying. “I felt + sure that some misfortune had happened. But one must be brave and hide + one’s fear from others. His wrist injured, you say; it is not a serious + injury, is it?” + </p> + <p> + “No; but it is necessary that every precaution should be taken with it.” + </p> + <p> + She looked him well in the face with her big frank eyes, which dived into + his own as if to reach the very depths of his being, though at the same + time she plainly sought to restrain the score of questions which rose to + her lips. “And that is all: he was injured in an accident,” she resumed; + “he didn’t ask you to tell us anything further about it?” + </p> + <p> + “No, he simply desires that you will not be anxious.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon she insisted no further, but showed herself obedient and + respectful of the decision which Guillaume had arrived at. It sufficed + that he should have sent a messenger to reassure the household—she + did not seek to learn any more. And even as she had returned to her work + in spite of the secret anxiety in which the letter of the previous evening + had left her, so now, with her air of quiet strength, she recovered an + appearance of serenity, a quiet smile and clear brave glance. + </p> + <p> + “Guillaume only gave me one other commission,” resumed Pierre, “that of + handing a little key to Madame Leroi.” + </p> + <p> + “Very good,” Marie answered, “Mère-Grand is here; and, besides, the + children must see you. I will take you to them.” + </p> + <p> + Once more quite tranquil, she examined Pierre without managing to conceal + her curiosity, which seemed of rather a kindly nature blended with an + element of vague pity. Her fresh white arms had remained bare. In all + candour she slowly drew down her sleeves; then took off the large blue + apron, and showed herself with her rounded figure, at once robust and + elegant, in her modest black gown. He meanwhile looked at her, and most + certainly he did not find her to his liking. On seeing her so natural, + healthy, and courageous, quite a feeling of revolt arose within him, + though he knew not why. + </p> + <p> + “Will you please follow me, Monsieur l’Abbé?” she said. “We must cross the + garden.” + </p> + <p> + On the ground-floor of the house, across the passage, and facing the + kitchen and the scullery, there were two other rooms, a library + overlooking the Place du Tertre, and a dining-room whose windows opened + into the garden. The four rooms on the first floor served as bedchambers + for the father and the sons. As for the garden, originally but a small + one, it had now been reduced to a kind of gravelled yard by the erection + of the large workshop at one end of it. Of the former greenery, however, + there still remained two huge plum-trees with old knotted trunks, as well + as a big clump of lilac-bushes, which every spring were covered with + bloom. And in front of the latter Marie had arranged a broad flower-bed, + in which she amused herself with growing a few roses, some wallflowers and + some mignonette. + </p> + <p> + With a wave of her hand as she went past, she called Pierre’s attention to + the black plum-trees and the lilacs and roses, which showed but a few + greenish spots, for winter still held the little nook in sleep. “Tell + Guillaume,” she said, “that he must make haste to get well and be back for + the first shoots.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Pierre glanced at her, she all at once flushed purple. Much to + her distress, sudden and involuntary blushes would in this wise + occasionally come upon her, even at the most innocent remarks. She found + it ridiculous to feel such childish emotion when she had so brave a heart. + But her pure maidenly blood had retained exquisite delicacy, such natural + and instinctive modesty that she yielded to it perforce. And doubtless she + had merely blushed because she feared that the priest might think she had + referred to her marriage in speaking of the spring. + </p> + <p> + “Please go in, Monsieur l’Abbé. The children are there, all three.” And + forthwith she ushered him into the workshop. + </p> + <p> + It was a very spacious place, over sixteen feet high, with a brick + flooring and bare walls painted an iron grey. A sheet of light, a stream + of sunshine, spread to every corner through a huge window facing the + south, where lay the immensity of Paris. The Venetian shutters often had + to be lowered in the summer to attenuate the great heat. From morn till + night the whole family lived here, closely and affectionately united in + work. Each was installed as fancy listed, having a particular chosen + place. One half of the building was occupied by the father’s chemical + laboratory, with its stove, experiment tables, shelves for apparatus, + glass cases and cupboards for phials and jars. Near all this Thomas, the + eldest son, had installed a little forge, an anvil, a vice bench, in fact + everything necessary to a working mechanician, such as he had become since + taking his bachelor’s degree, from his desire to remain with his father + and help him with certain researches and inventions. Then, at the other + end, the younger brothers, François and Antoine, got on very well together + on either side of a broad table which stood amidst a medley of portfolios, + nests of drawers and revolving book-stands. François, laden with + academical laurels, first on the pass list for the École Normale, had + entered that college where young men are trained for university + professorships, and was there preparing for his Licentiate degree, while + Antoine, who on reaching the third class at the Lycée Condorcet had taken + a dislike to classical studies, now devoted himself to his calling as a + wood-engraver. And, in the full light under the window, Mère-Grand and + Marie likewise had their particular table, where needlework, embroidery, + all sorts of <i>chiffons</i> and delicate things lay about near the + somewhat rough jumble of retorts, tools and big books. + </p> + <p> + Marie, however, on the very threshold called out in her calm voice, to + which she strove to impart a gay and cheering accent: “Children! children! + here is Monsieur l’Abbé with news of father!” + </p> + <p> + Children, indeed! Yet what motherliness she already set in the word as she + applied it to those big fellows whose elder sister she had long considered + herself to be! At three and twenty Thomas was quite a colossus, already + bearded and extremely like his father. But although he had a lofty brow + and energetic features, he was somewhat slow both in mind and body. And he + was also taciturn, almost unsociable, absorbed in filial devotion, + delighted with the manual toil which made him a mere workman at his + master’s orders. François, two years younger than Thomas, and nearly as + tall, showed a more refined face, though he had the same large brow and + firm mouth, a perfect blending of health and strength, in which the man of + intellect, the scientific Normalian, could only be detected by the + brighter and more subtle sparkle of the eyes. The youngest of the + brothers, Antoine, who for his eighteen years was almost as strong as his + elders, and promised to become as tall, differed from them by his lighter + hair and soft, blue, dreamy eyes, which he had inherited from his mother. + It had been difficult, however, to distinguish one from the other when all + three were schoolboys at the Lycée Condorcet; and even nowadays people + made mistakes unless they saw them side by side, so as to detect the + points of difference which were becoming more marked as age progressed. + </p> + <p> + On Pierre’s arrival the brothers were so absorbed in their work that they + did not even hear the door open. And again, as in the case of Marie, the + priest was surprised by the discipline and firmness of mind, which amidst + the keenest anxiety gave the young fellows strength to take up their daily + task. Thomas, who stood at his vice-bench in a blouse, was carefully + filing a little piece of copper with rough but skilful hands. François, + leaning forward, was writing in a bold, firm fashion, whilst on the other + side of the table, Antoine, with a slender graver between his fingers, + finished a block for an illustrated newspaper. + </p> + <p> + However, Marie’s clear voice made them raise their heads: “Children, + father has sent you some news!” + </p> + <p> + Then all three with the same impulse hurriedly quitted their work and came + forward. One could divine that directly there was any question of their + father they were drawn together, blended one with the other, so that but + one and the same heart beat in their three broad chests. However, a door + at the far end of the workroom opened at that moment, and Mère-Grand, + coming from the upper floor where she and Marie had their bedrooms, made + her appearance. She had just absented herself to fetch a skein of wool; + and she gazed fixedly at the priest, unable to understand the reason of + his presence. + </p> + <p> + Marie had to explain matters. “Mère-Grand,” said she, “this is Monsieur + l’Abbé Froment, Guillaume’s brother; he has come from him.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre on his side was examining the old lady, astonished to find her so + erect and full of life at seventy. Her former beauty had left a stately + charm on her rather long face; youthful fire still lingered in her brown + eyes; and very firm was the contour of her pale lips, which in parting + showed that she had retained all her teeth. A few white hairs alone + silvered her black tresses, which were arranged in old-time fashion. Her + cheeks had but slightly withered, and her deep, symmetrical wrinkles gave + her countenance an expression of much nobility, a sovereign air as of a + queen-mother, which, tall and slight of stature as she was, and invariably + gowned in black woollen stuff, she always retained, no matter how humble + her occupation. + </p> + <p> + “So Guillaume sent you, monsieur,” she said; “he is injured, is he not?” + </p> + <p> + Surprised by this proof of intuition, Pierre repeated his story. “Yes, his + wrist is injured—but oh! it’s not a case of immediate gravity.” + </p> + <p> + On the part of the three sons, he had divined a sudden quiver, an impulse + of their whole beings to rush to the help and defence of their father. And + for their sakes he sought words of comfort: “He is with me at Neuilly. And + with due care it is certain that no serious complications will arise. He + sent me to tell you to be in no wise uneasy about him.” + </p> + <p> + Mère-Grand for her part evinced no fears, but preserved great calmness, as + if the priest’s tidings contained nothing beyond what she had known + already. If anything, she seemed rather relieved, freed from anxiety which + she had confided to none. “If he is with you, monsieur,” she answered, “he + is evidently as comfortable as he can be, and sheltered from all risks. We + were surprised, however, by his letter last night, as it did not explain + why he was detained, and we should have ended by feeling frightened. But + now everything is satisfactory.” + </p> + <p> + Mère-Grand and the three sons, following Marie’s example, asked no + explanations. On a table near at hand Pierre noticed several morning + newspapers lying open and displaying column after column of particulars + about the crime. The sons had certainly read these papers, and had feared + lest their father should be compromised in that frightful affair. How far + did their knowledge of the latter go? They must be ignorant of the part + played by Salvat. It was surely impossible for them to piece together all + the unforeseen circumstances which had brought about their father’s + meeting with the workman, and then the crime. Mère-Grand, no doubt, was in + certain respects better informed than the others. But they, the sons and + Marie, neither knew nor sought to know anything. And thus what a wealth of + respect and affection there was in their unshakable confidence in the + father, in the tranquillity they displayed directly he sent them word that + they were not to be anxious about him! + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” Pierre resumed, “Guillaume told me to give you this little key, + and to remind you to do what he charged you to do, if any misfortune + should befall him.” + </p> + <p> + She started, but so slightly that it was scarcely perceptible; and taking + the key she answered as if some ordinary wish on the part of a sick person + were alone in question. “Very well. Tell him that his wishes shall be + carried out.” Then she added, “But pray take a seat, monsieur.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, indeed, had remained standing. However, he now felt it necessary + to accept a chair, desirous as he was of hiding the embarrassment which he + still felt in this house, although he was <i>en famille</i> there. Marie, + who could not live without occupation for her fingers, had just returned + to some embroidery, some of the fine needlework which she stubbornly + executed for a large establishment dealing in baby-linen and bridal <i>trousseaux</i>; + for she wished at any rate to earn her own pocket-money, she often said + with a laugh. Mère-Grand, too, from habit, which she followed even when + visitors were present, had once more started on her perpetual + stocking-mending; while François and Antoine had again seated themselves + at their table; and Thomas alone remained on his legs, leaning against his + bench. All the charm of industrious intimacy pervaded the spacious, + sun-lit room. + </p> + <p> + “But we’ll all go to see father to-morrow,” Thomas suddenly exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + Before Pierre could answer Marie raised her head. “No, no,” said she, “he + does not wish any of us to go to him; for if we should be watched and + followed we should betray the secret of his retreat. Isn’t that so, + Monsieur l’Abbé?” + </p> + <p> + “It would indeed be prudent of you to deprive yourselves of the pleasure + of embracing him until he himself can come back here. It will be a matter + of some two or three weeks,” answered Pierre. + </p> + <p> + Mère-Grand at once expressed approval of this. “No doubt,” said she. + “Nothing could be more sensible.” + </p> + <p> + So the three sons did not insist, but bravely accepted the secret anxiety + in which they must for a time live, renouncing the visit which would have + caused them so much delight, because their father bade them do so and + because his safety depended perhaps on their obedience. + </p> + <p> + However, Thomas resumed: “Then, Monsieur l’Abbé, will you please tell him + that as work will be interrupted here, I shall return to the factory + during his absence. I shall be more at ease there for the researches on + which we are engaged.” + </p> + <p> + “And please tell him from me,” put in François, “that he mustn’t worry + about my examination. Things are going very well. I feel almost certain of + success.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre promised that he would forget nothing. However, Marie raised her + head, smiling and glancing at Antoine, who had remained silent with a + faraway look in his eyes. “And you, little one,” said she, “don’t you send + him any message?” + </p> + <p> + Emerging from a dream, the young fellow also began to smile. “Yes, yes, a + message that you love him dearly, and that he’s to make haste back for you + to make him happy.” + </p> + <p> + At this they all became merry, even Marie, who in lieu of embarrassment + showed a tranquil gaiety born of confidence in the future. Between her and + the young men there was naught but happy affection. And a grave smile + appeared even on the pale lips of Mère-Grand, who likewise approved of the + happiness which life seemed to be promising. + </p> + <p> + Pierre wished to stay a few minutes longer. They all began to chat, and + his astonishment increased. He had gone from surprise to surprise in this + house where he had expected to find that equivocal, disorderly life, that + rebellion against social laws, which destroy morality. But instead of this + he had found loving serenity, and such strong discipline that life there + partook of the gravity, almost the austerity, of convent life, tempered by + youth and gaiety. The vast room was redolent of industry and quietude, + warm with bright sunshine. However, what most particularly struck him was + the Spartan training, the bravery of mind and heart among those sons who + allowed nothing to be seen of their personal feelings, and did not presume + to judge their father, but remained content with his message, ready to + await events, stoical and silent, while carrying on their daily tasks. + Nothing could be more simple, more dignified, more lofty. And there was + also the smiling heroism of Mère-Grand and Marie, those two women who + slept over that laboratory where terrible preparations were manipulated, + and where an explosion was always possible. + </p> + <p> + However, such courage, orderliness and dignity merely surprised Pierre, + without touching him. He had no cause for complaint, he had received a + polite greeting if not an affectionate one; but then he was as yet only a + stranger there, a priest. In spite of everything, however, he remained + hostile, feeling that he was in a sphere where none of his own torments + could be shared or even divined. How did these folks manage to be so calm + and happy amidst their religious unbelief, their sole faith in science, + and in presence of that terrifying Paris which spread before them the + boundless sea, the growling abomination of its injustice and its want? As + this thought came to him he turned his head and gazed at the city through + the huge window, whence it stretched away, ever present, ever living its + giant life. And at that hour, under the oblique sun-rays of the winter + afternoon, all Paris was speckled with luminous dust, as if some invisible + sower, hidden amidst the glory of the planet, were fast scattering seed + which fell upon every side in a stream of gold. The whole field was + covered with it; for the endless chaos of house roofs and edifices seemed + to be land in tilth, furrowed by some gigantic plough. And Pierre in his + uneasiness, stirred, despite everything, by an invincible need of hope, + asked himself if this was not a good sowing, the furrows of Paris strewn + with light by the divine sun for the great future harvest, that harvest of + truth and justice of whose advent he had despaired. + </p> + <p> + At last he rose and took his leave, promising to return at once, if there + should be any bad news. It was Marie who showed him to the front door. And + there another of those childish blushes which worried her so much suddenly + rose to her face, just as she, in her turn, also wished to send her loving + message to the injured man. However, with her gay, candid eyes fixed on + those of the priest, she bravely spoke the words: “<i>Au revoir, Monsieur + l’Abbé</i>. Tell Guillaume that I love him and await him.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap49"></a> + III. PENURY AND TOIL + </h2> + <p> + THREE days went by, and every morning Guillaume, confined to his bed and + consumed by fever and impatience, experienced fresh anxiety directly the + newspapers arrived. Pierre had tried to keep them from him, but Guillaume + then worried himself the more, and so the priest had to read him column by + column all the extraordinary articles that were published respecting the + crime. + </p> + <p> + Never before had so many rumours inundated the press. Even the “Globe,” + usually so grave and circumspect, yielded to the general <i>furore</i>, + and printed whatever statements reached it. But the more unscrupulous + papers were the ones to read. The “Voix du Peuple” in particular made use + of the public feverishness to increase its sales. Each morning it employed + some fresh device, and printed some frightful story of a nature to drive + people mad with terror. It related that not a day passed without Baron + Duvillard receiving threatening letters of the coarsest description, + announcing that his wife, his son and his daughter would all be killed, + that he himself would be butchered in turn, and that do what he might his + house would none the less be blown up. And as a measure of precaution the + house was guarded day and night alike by a perfect army of plain-clothes + officers. Then another article contained an amazing piece of invention. + Some anarchists, after carrying barrels of powder into a sewer near the + Madeleine, were said to have undermined the whole district, planning a + perfect volcano there, into which one half of Paris would sink. And at + another time it was alleged that the police were on the track of a + terrible plot which embraced all Europe, from the depths of Russia to the + shores of Spain. The signal for putting it into execution was to be given + in France, and there would be a three days’ massacre, with grape shot + sweeping everyone off the Boulevards, and the Seine running red, swollen + by a torrent of blood. Thanks to these able and intelligent devices of the + Press, terror now reigned in the city; frightened foreigners fled from the + hotels <i>en masse</i>; and Paris had become a mere mad-house, where the + most idiotic delusions at once found credit. + </p> + <p> + It was not all this, however, that worried Guillaume. He was only anxious + about Salvat and the various new “scents” which the newspaper reporters + attempted to follow up. The engineer was not yet arrested, and, so far + indeed, there had been no statement in print to indicate that the police + were on his track. At last, however, Pierre one morning read a paragraph + which made the injured man turn pale. + </p> + <p> + “Dear me! It seems that a tool has been found among the rubbish at the + entrance of the Duvillard mansion. It is a bradawl, and its handle bears + the name of Grandidier, which is that of a man who keeps some well-known + metal works. He is to appear before the investigating magistrate to-day.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume made a gesture of despair. “Ah!” said he, “they are on the right + track at last. That tool must certainly have been dropped by Salvat. He + worked at Grandidier’s before he came to me for a few days. And from + Grandidier they will learn all that they need to know in order to follow + the scent.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre then remembered that he had heard the Grandidier factory mentioned + at Montmartre. Guillaume’s eldest son, Thomas, had served his + apprenticeship there, and even worked there occasionally nowadays. + </p> + <p> + “You told me,” resumed Guillaume, “that during my absence Thomas intended + to go back to the factory. It’s in connection with a new motor which he’s + planning, and has almost hit upon. If there should be a perquisition + there, he may be questioned, and may refuse to answer, in order to guard + his secret. So he ought to be warned of this, warned at once!” + </p> + <p> + Without trying to extract any more precise statement from his brother, + Pierre obligingly offered his services. “If you like,” said he, “I will go + to see Thomas this afternoon. Perhaps I may come across Monsieur + Grandidier himself and learn how far the affair has gone, and what was + said at the investigating magistrate’s.” + </p> + <p> + With a moist glance and an affectionate grasp of the hand, Guillaume at + once thanked Pierre: “Yes, yes, brother, go there, it will be good and + brave of you.” + </p> + <p> + “Besides,” continued the priest, “I really wanted to go to Montmartre + to-day. I haven’t told you so, but something has been worrying me. If + Salvat has fled, he must have left the woman and the child all alone up + yonder. On the morning of the day when the explosion took place I saw the + poor creatures in such a state of destitution, such misery, that I can’t + think of them without a heart-pang. Women and children so often die of + hunger when the man is no longer there.” + </p> + <p> + At this, Guillaume, who had kept Pierre’s hand in his own, pressed it more + tightly, and in a trembling voice exclaimed: “Yes, yes, and that will be + good and brave too. Go there, brother, go there.” + </p> + <p> + That house of the Rue des Saules, that horrible home of want and agony, + had lingered in Pierre’s memory. To him it was like an embodiment of the + whole filthy <i>cloaca</i>, in which the poor of Paris suffer unto death. + And on returning thither that afternoon, he found the same slimy mud + around it; its yard littered with the same filth, its dark, damp stairways + redolent of the same stench of neglect and poverty, as before. In winter + time, while the fine central districts of Paris are dried and cleansed, + the far-away districts of the poor remain gloomy and miry, beneath the + everlasting tramp of the wretched ones who dwell in them. + </p> + <p> + Remembering the staircase which conducted to Salvat’s lodging, Pierre + began to climb it amidst a loud screaming of little children, who suddenly + became quiet, letting the house sink into death-like silence once more. + Then the thought of Laveuve, who had perished up there like a stray dog, + came back to Pierre. And he shuddered when, on the top landing, he knocked + at Salvat’s door, and profound silence alone answered him. Not a breath + was to be heard. + </p> + <p> + However, he knocked again, and as nothing stirred he began to think that + nobody could be there. Perhaps Salvat had returned to fetch the woman and + the child, and perhaps they had followed him to some humble nook abroad. + Still this would have astonished him; for the poor seldom quit their + homes, but die where they have suffered. So he gave another gentle knock. + </p> + <p> + And at last a faint sound, the light tread of little feet, was heard + amidst the silence. Then a weak, childish voice ventured to inquire: “Who + is there?” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + The silence fell again, nothing more stirred. There was evidently + hesitation on the other side. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur l’Abbé who came the other day,” said Pierre again. + </p> + <p> + This evidently put an end to all uncertainty, for the door was set ajar + and little Céline admitted the priest. “I beg your pardon, Monsieur + l’Abbé,” said she, “but Mamma Théodore has gone out, and she told me not + to open the door to anyone.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had, for a moment, imagined that Salvat himself was hiding there. + But with a glance he took in the whole of the small bare room, where man, + woman and child dwelt together. At the same time, Madame Théodore + doubtless feared a visit from the police. Had she seen Salvat since the + crime? Did she know where he was hiding? Had he come back there to embrace + and tranquillise them both? + </p> + <p> + “And your papa, my dear,” said Pierre to Céline, “isn’t he here either?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no, monsieur, he has gone away.” + </p> + <p> + “What, gone away?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, he hasn’t been home to sleep, and we don’t know where he is.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps he’s working.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no! he’d send us some money if he was.” + </p> + <p> + “Then he’s gone on a journey, perhaps?” + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know.” + </p> + <p> + “He wrote to Mamma Théodore, no doubt?” + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre asked no further questions. In fact, he felt somewhat ashamed of + his attempt to extract information from this child of eleven, whom he thus + found alone. It was quite possible that she knew nothing, that Salvat, in + a spirit of prudence, had even refrained from sending any tidings of + himself. Indeed, there was an expression of truthfulness on the child’s + fair, gentle and intelligent face, which was grave with the gravity that + extreme misery imparts to the young. + </p> + <p> + “I am sorry that Mamma Théodore isn’t here,” said Pierre, “I wanted to + speak to her.” + </p> + <p> + “But perhaps you would like to wait for her, Monsieur l’Abbé. She has gone + to my Uncle Toussaint’s in the Rue Marcadet; and she can’t stop much + longer, for she’s been away more than an hour.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Céline cleared one of the chairs on which lay a handful of + scraps of wood, picked up on some waste ground. + </p> + <p> + The bare and fireless room was assuredly also a breadless one. Pierre + could divine the absence of the bread-winner, the disappearance of the man + who represents will and strength in the home, and on whom one still relies + even when weeks have gone by without work. He goes out and scours the + city, and often ends by bringing back the indispensable crust which keeps + death at bay. But with his disappearance comes complete abandonment, the + wife and child in danger, destitute of all prop and help. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who had sat down and was looking at that poor, little, blue-eyed + girl, to whose lips a smile returned in spite of everything, could not + keep from questioning her on another point. “So you don’t go to school, my + child?” said he. + </p> + <p> + She faintly blushed and answered: “I’ve no shoes to go in.” + </p> + <p> + He glanced at her feet, and saw that she was wearing a pair of ragged old + list-slippers, from which her little toes protruded, red with cold. + </p> + <p> + “Besides,” she continued, “Mamma Théodore says that one doesn’t go to + school when one’s got nothing to eat. Mamma Théodore wanted to work but + she couldn’t, because her eyes got burning hot and full of water. And so + we don’t know what to do, for we’ve had nothing left since yesterday, and + if Uncle Toussaint can’t lend us twenty sous it’ll be all over.” + </p> + <p> + She was still smiling in her unconscious way, but two big tears had + gathered in her eyes. And the sight of the child shut up in that bare + room, apart from all the happy ones of earth, so upset the priest that he + again felt his anger with want and misery awakening. Then, another ten + minutes having elapsed, he became impatient, for he had to go to the + Grandidier works before returning home. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know why Mamma Théodore doesn’t come back,” repeated Céline. + “Perhaps she’s chatting.” Then, an idea occurring to her she continued: + “I’ll take you to my Uncle Toussaint’s, Monsieur l’Abbé, if you like. It’s + close by, just round the corner.” + </p> + <p> + “But you have no shoes, my child.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! that don’t matter, I walk all the same.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he rose from the chair and said simply: “Well, yes, that will be + better, take me there. And I’ll buy you some shoes.” + </p> + <p> + Céline turned quite pink, and then made haste to follow him after + carefully locking the door of the room like a good little housewife, + though, truth to tell, there was nothing worth stealing in the place. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime it had occurred to Madame Théodore that before calling on + her brother Toussaint to try to borrow a franc from him, she might first + essay her luck with her younger sister, Hortense, who had married little + Chrétiennot, the clerk, and occupied a flat of four rooms on the Boulevard + de Rochechouart. This was quite an affair, however, and the poor woman + only made the venture because Céline had been fasting since the previous + day. + </p> + <p> + Eugène Toussaint, the mechanician, a man of fifty, was her stepbrother, by + the first marriage contracted by her father. A young dressmaker whom the + latter had subsequently wedded, had borne him three daughters, Pauline, + Léonie and Hortense. And on his death, his son Eugène, who already had a + wife and child of his own, had found himself for a short time with his + stepmother and sisters on his hands. The stepmother, fortunately, was an + active and intelligent woman, and knew how to get out of difficulties. She + returned to her former workroom where her daughter Pauline was already + apprenticed, and she next placed Léonie there; so that Hortense, the + youngest girl, who was a spoilt child, prettier and more delicate than her + sisters, was alone left at school. And, later on,—after Pauline had + married Labitte the stonemason, and Léonie, Salvat the + journeyman-engineer,—Hortense, while serving as assistant at a + confectioner’s in the Rue des Martyrs, there became acquainted with + Chrétiennot, a clerk, who married her. Léonie had died young, only a few + weeks after her mother; Pauline, forsaken by her husband, lived with her + brother-in-law Salvat, and Hortense alone wore a light silk gown on + Sundays, resided in a new house, and ranked as a <i>bourgeoise</i>, at the + price, however, of interminable worries and great privation. + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore knew that her sister was generally short of money towards + the month’s end, and therefore felt rather ill at ease in thus venturing + to apply for a loan. Chrétiennot, moreover, embittered by his own + mediocrity, had of late years accused his wife of being the cause of their + spoilt life, and had ceased all intercourse with her relatives. Toussaint, + no doubt, was a decent workman; but that Madame Théodore who lived in + misery with her brother-in-law, and that Salvat who wandered from workshop + to workshop like an incorrigible ranter whom no employer would keep; those + two, with their want and dirt and rebellion, had ended by incensing the + vain little clerk, who was not only a great stickler for the proprieties, + but was soured by all the difficulties he encountered in his own life. And + thus he had forbidden Hortense to receive her sister. + </p> + <p> + All the same, as Madame Théodore climbed the carpeted staircase of the + house on the Boulevard Rochechouart, she experienced a certain feeling of + pride at the thought that she had a relation living in such luxury. The + Chrétiennot’s rooms were on the third floor, and overlooked the courtyard. + Their <i>femme-de-ménage</i>—a woman who goes out by the day or hour + charring, cleaning and cooking—came back every afternoon about four + o’clock to see to the dinner, and that day she was already there. She + admitted the visitor, though she could not conceal her anxious surprise at + her boldness in calling in such slatternly garb. However, on the very + threshold of the little salon, Madame Théodore stopped short in wonderment + herself, for her sister Hortense was sobbing and crouching on one of the + armchairs, upholstered in blue repp, of which she was so proud. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter? What has happened to you?” asked Madame Théodore. + </p> + <p> + Her sister, though scarcely two and thirty, was no longer “the beautiful + Hortense” of former days. She retained a doll-like appearance, with a tall + slim figure, pretty eyes and fine, fair hair. But she who had once taken + so much care of herself, had now come down to dressing-gowns of doubtful + cleanliness. Her eyelids, too, were reddening, and blotches were appearing + on her skin. She had begun to fade after giving birth to two daughters, + one of whom was now nine and the other seven years of age. Very proud and + egotistical, she herself had begun to regret her marriage, for she had + formerly considered herself a real beauty, worthy of the palaces and + equipages of some Prince Charming. And at this moment she was plunged in + such despair, that her sister’s sudden appearance on the scene did not + even astonish her: “Ah! it’s you,” she gasped. “Ah! if you only knew what + a blow’s fallen on me in the middle of all our worries!” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore at once thought of the children, Lucienne and Marcelle. + “Are your daughters ill?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, our neighbour has taken them for a walk on the Boulevard. But the + fact is, my dear, I’m <i>enceinte</i>, and when I told Chrétiennot of it + after <i>déjeuner</i>, he flew into a most fearful passion, saying the + most dreadful, the most cruel things!” + </p> + <p> + Then she again sobbed. Gentle and indolent by nature, desirous of peace + and quietness before anything else, she was incapable of deceiving her + husband, as he well knew. But the trouble was that an addition to the + family would upset the whole economy of the household. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mon Dieu</i>!” said Madame Théodore at last, “you brought up the + others, and you’ll bring up this one too.” + </p> + <p> + At this an explosion of anger dried the other’s eyes; and she rose, + exclaiming: “You are good, you are! One can see that our purse isn’t + yours. How are we to bring up another child when we can scarcely make both + ends meet as it is?” + </p> + <p> + And thereupon, forgetting the <i>bourgeois</i> pride which usually + prompted her to silence or falsehood, she freely explained their + embarrassment, the horrid pecuniary worries which made their life a + perpetual misery. Their rent amounted to 700 francs,* so that out of the + 3000 francs** which the husband earned at his office, barely a couple of + hundred were left them every month. And how were they to manage with that + little sum, provide food and clothes, keep up their rank and so forth? + There was the indispensable black coat for monsieur, the new dress which + madame must have at regular intervals, under penalty of losing caste, the + new boots which the children required almost every month, in fact, all + sorts of things that could not possibly be dispensed with. One might + strike a dish or two out of the daily menu, and even go without wine; but + evenings came when it was absolutely necessary to take a cab. And, apart + from all this, one had to reckon with the wastefulness of the children, + the disorder in which the discouraged wife left the house, and the despair + of the husband, who was convinced that he would never extricate himself + from his difficulties, even should his salary some day be raised to as + high a figure as 4000 francs. Briefly, one here found the unbearable + penury of the petty clerk, with consequences as disastrous as the black + want of the artisan: the mock façade and lying luxury; all the disorder + and suffering which lie behind intellectual pride at not earning one’s + living at a bench or on a scaffolding. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * $140. + + ** $600. +</pre> + <p> + “Well, well,” repeated Madame Théodore, “you can’t kill the child.” + </p> + <p> + “No, of course not; but it’s the end of everything,” answered Hortense, + sinking into the armchair again. “What will become of us, <i>mon Dieu</i>! + What will become of us!” Then she collapsed in her unbuttoned dressing + gown, tears once more gushing from her red and swollen eyes. + </p> + <p> + Much vexed that circumstances should be so unpropitious, Madame Théodore + nevertheless ventured to ask for the loan of twenty sous; and this brought + her sister’s despair and confusion to a climax. “I really haven’t a + centime in the house,” said she, “just now I borrowed ten sous for the + children from the servant. I had to get ten francs from the Mont de Piété + on a little ring the other day. And it’s always the same at the end of the + month. However, Chrétiennot will be paid to-day, and he’s coming back + early with the money for dinner. So if I can I will send you something + to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + At this same moment the servant hastened in with a distracted air, being + well aware that monsieur was in no wise partial to madame’s relatives. “Oh + madame, madame!” said she; “here’s monsieur coming up the stairs.” + </p> + <p> + “Quick then, quick, go away!” cried Hortense, “I should only have another + scene if he met you here. To-morrow, if I can, I promise you.” + </p> + <p> + To avoid Chrétiennot who was coming in, Madame Théodore had to hide + herself in the kitchen. As he passed, she just caught sight of him, well + dressed as usual in a tight-fitting frock-coat. Short and lean, with a + thin face and long and carefully tended beard, he had the bearing of one + who is both vain and quarrelsome. Fourteen years of office life had + withered him, and now the long evening hours which he spent at a + neighbouring café were finishing him off. + </p> + <p> + When Madame Théodore had quitted the house she turned with dragging steps + towards the Rue Marcadet where the Toussaints resided. Here, again, she + had no great expectations, for she well knew what ill-luck and worry had + fallen upon her brother’s home. During the previous autumn Toussaint, + though he was but fifty, had experienced an attack of paralysis which had + laid him up for nearly five months. Prior to this mishap he had borne + himself bravely, working steadily, abstaining from drink, and bringing up + his three children in true fatherly fashion. One of them, a girl, was now + married to a carpenter, with whom she had gone to Le Havre, while of the + others, both boys—one a soldier, had been killed in Tonquin, and the + other Charles, after serving his time in the army, had become a working + mechanician. Still, Toussaint’s long illness had exhausted the little + money which he had in the Savings Bank, and now that he had been set on + his legs again, he had to begin life once more without a copper before + him. + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore found her sister-in-law alone in the cleanly kept room + which she and her husband occupied. Madame Toussaint was a portly woman, + whose corpulence increased in spite of everything, whether it were worry + or fasting. She had a round puffy face with bright little eyes; and was a + very worthy woman, whose only faults were an inclination for gossiping and + a fondness for good cheer. Before Madame Théodore even opened her mouth + she understood the object of her visit. “You’ve come on us at a bad + moment, my dear,” she said, “we’re stumped. Toussaint wasn’t able to go + back to the works till the day before yesterday, and he’ll have to ask for + an advance this evening.” + </p> + <p> + As she spoke, she looked at the other with no great sympathy, hurt as she + felt by her slovenly appearance. “And Salvat,” she added, “is he still + doing nothing?” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore doubtless foresaw the question, for she quietly lied: “He + isn’t in Paris, a friend has taken him off for some work over Belgium way, + and I’m waiting for him to send us something.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Toussaint still remained distrustful, however: “Ah!” she said, + “it’s just as well that he shouldn’t be in Paris; for with all these bomb + affairs we couldn’t help thinking of him, and saying that he was quite mad + enough to mix himself up in them.” + </p> + <p> + The other did not even blink. If she knew anything she kept it to herself. + </p> + <p> + “But you, my dear, can’t you find any work?” continued Madame Toussaint. + </p> + <p> + “Well, what would you have me do with my poor eyes? It’s no longer + possible for me to sew.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s true. A seamstress gets done for. When Toussaint was laid up here + I myself wanted to go back to my old calling as a needlewoman. But there! + I spoilt everything and did no good. Charring’s about the only thing that + one can always do. Why don’t you get some jobs of that kind?” + </p> + <p> + “I’m trying, but I can’t find any.” + </p> + <p> + Little by little Madame Toussaint was softening at sight of the other’s + miserable appearance. She made her sit down, and told her that she would + give her something if Toussaint should come home with money. Then, + yielding to her partiality for gossiping, since there was somebody to + listen to her, she started telling stories. The one affair, however, on + which she invariably harped was the sorry business of her son Charles and + the servant girl at a wine shop over the way. Before going into the army + Charles had been a most hard-working and affectionate son, invariably + bringing his pay home to his mother. And certainly he still worked and + showed himself good-natured; but military service, while sharpening his + wits, had taken away some of his liking for ordinary manual toil. It + wasn’t that he regretted army life, for he spoke of his barracks as a + prison. Only his tools had seemed to him rather heavy when, on quitting + the service, he had been obliged to take them in hand once more. + </p> + <p> + “And so, my dear,” continued Madame Toussaint, “it’s all very well for + Charles to be kind-hearted, he can do no more for us. I knew that he + wasn’t in a hurry to get married, as it costs money to keep a wife. And he + was always very prudent, too, with girls. But what would you have? There + was that moment of folly with that Eugénie over the road, a regular + baggage who’s already gone off with another man, and left her baby behind. + Charles has put it out to nurse, and pays for it every month. And a lot of + expense it is too, perfect ruination. Yes, indeed, every possible + misfortune has fallen on us.” + </p> + <p> + In this wise Madame Toussaint rattled on for a full half hour. Then seeing + that waiting and anxiety had made her sister-in-law turn quite pale, she + suddenly stopped short. “You’re losing patience, eh?” she exclaimed. “The + fact is, that Toussaint won’t be back for some time. Shall we go to the + works together? I’ll easily find out if he’s likely to bring any money + home.” + </p> + <p> + They then decided to go down, but at the bottom of the stairs they + lingered for another quarter of an hour chatting with a neighbour who had + lately lost a child. And just as they were at last leaving the house they + heard a call: “Mamma! mamma!” + </p> + <p> + It came from little Céline, whose face was beaming with delight. She was + wearing a pair of new shoes and devouring a cake. “Mamma,” she resumed, + “Monsieur l’Abbé who came the other day wants to see you. Just look! he + bought me all this!” + </p> + <p> + On seeing the shoes and the cake, Madame Théodore understood matters. And + when Pierre, who was behind the child, accosted her she began to tremble + and stammer thanks. Madame Toussaint on her side had quickly drawn near, + not indeed to ask for anything herself, but because she was well pleased + at such a God-send for her sister-in-law, whose circumstances were worse + than her own. And when she saw the priest slip ten francs into Madame + Théodore’s hand she explained to him that she herself would willingly have + lent something had she been able. Then she promptly started on the stories + of Toussaint’s attack and her son Charles’s ill-luck. + </p> + <p> + But Céline broke in: “I say, mamma, the factory where papa used to work is + here in this street, isn’t it? Monsieur l’Abbé has some business there.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Although the children of the French peasantry almost + invariably address their parents as “father” and “mother,” + those of the working classes of Paris, and some other large + cities, usually employ the terms “papa” and “mamma.”—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “The Grandidier factory,” resumed Madame Toussaint; “well, we were just + going there, and we can show Monsieur l’Abbé the way.” + </p> + <p> + It was only a hundred steps off. Escorted by the two women and the child, + Pierre slackened his steps and tried to extract some information about + Salvat from Madame Théodore. But she at once became very prudent. She had + not seen him again, she declared; he must have gone with a mate to + Belgium, where there was a prospect of some work. From what she said, it + appeared to the priest that Salvat had not dared to return to the Rue des + Saules since his crime, in which all had collapsed, both his past life of + toil and hope, and his recent existence with its duties towards the woman + and the child. + </p> + <p> + “There’s the factory, Monsieur l’Abbé,” suddenly said Madame Toussaint, + “my sister-in-law won’t have to wait now, since you’ve been kind enough to + help her. Thank you for her and for us.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore and Céline likewise poured forth their thanks, standing + beside Madame Toussaint in the everlasting mud of that populous district, + amidst the jostling of the passers-by. And lingering there as if to see + Pierre enter, they again chatted together and repeated that, after all, + some priests were very kind. + </p> + <p> + The Grandidier works covered an extensive plot of ground. Facing the + street there was only a brick building with narrow windows and a great + archway, through which one espied a long courtyard. But, in the rear, came + a suite of habitations, workshops, and sheds, above whose never ending + roofs arose the two lofty chimneys of the generators. From the very + threshold one detected the rumbling and quivering of machinery, all the + noise and bustle of work. Black water flowed by at one’s feet, and up + above white vapour spurted from a slender pipe with a regular strident + puff, as if it were the very breath of that huge, toiling hive. + </p> + <p> + Bicycles were now the principal output of the works. When Grandidier had + taken them on leaving the Dijon Arts and Trades School, they were + declining under bad management, slowly building some little motive engines + by the aid of antiquated machinery. Foreseeing the future, however, he had + induced his elder brother, one of the managers of the Bon Marché, to + finance him, on the promise that he would supply that great emporium with + excellent bicycles at 150 francs apiece. And now quite a big venture was + in progress, for the Bon Marché was already bringing out the new popular + machine “La Lisette,” the “Bicycle for the Multitude,” as the + advertisements asserted. Nevertheless, Grandidier was still in all the + throes of a great struggle, for his new machinery had cast a heavy burden + of debt on him. At the same time each month brought its effort, the + perfecting or simplifying of some part of the manufacture, which meant a + saving in the future. He was ever on the watch; and even now was thinking + of reverting to the construction of little motors, for he thought he could + divine in the near future the triumph of the motor-car. + </p> + <p> + On asking if M. Thomas Froment were there, Pierre was led by an old + workman to a little shed, where he found the young fellow in the linen + jacket of a mechanician, his hands black with filings. He was adjusting + some piece of mechanism, and nobody would have suspected him to be a + former pupil of the Lycée Condorcet, one of the three clever Froments who + had there rendered the name famous. But his only desire had been to act as + his father’s faithful servant, the arm that forges, the embodiment of the + manual toil by which conceptions are realised. And, a giant of three and + twenty, ever attentive and courageous, he was likewise a man of patient, + silent and sober nature. + </p> + <p> + On catching sight of Pierre he quivered with anxiety and sprang forward. + “Father is no worse?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, no. But he read in the papers that story of a bradawl found in the + Rue Godot-de-Mauroy, and it made him anxious, because the police may make + a perquisition here.” + </p> + <p> + Thomas, his own anxiety allayed, began to smile. “Tell him he may sleep + quietly,” he responded. “To begin with, I’ve unfortunately not yet hit on + our little motor such as I want it to be. In fact, I haven’t yet put it + together. I’m keeping the pieces at our house, and nobody here knows + exactly what I come to do at the factory. So the police may search, it + will find nothing. Our secret runs no risk.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre promised to repeat these words to Guillaume, so as to dissipate his + fears. However, when he tried to sound Thomas, and ascertain the position + of affairs, what the factory people thought of the discovery of the + bradawl, and whether there was as yet any suspicion of Salvat, he once + more found the young man taciturn, and elicited merely a “yes” or a “no” + in answer to his inquiries. The police had not been there as yet? No. But + the men must surely have mentioned Salvat? Yes, of course, on account of + his Anarchist opinions. But what had Grandidier, the master, said, on + returning from the investigating magistrate’s? As for that Thomas knew + nothing. He had not seen Grandidier that day. + </p> + <p> + “But here he comes!” the young man added. “Ah! poor fellow, his wife, I + fancy, had another attack this morning.” + </p> + <p> + He alluded to a frightful story which Guillaume had already recounted to + Pierre. Grandidier, falling in love with a very beautiful girl, had + married her; but for five years now she had been insane: the result of + puerperal fever and the death of an infant son. Her husband, with his + ardent affection for her, had been unwilling to place her in an asylum, + and had accordingly kept her with him in a little pavilion, whose windows, + overlooking the courtyard of the factory, always remained closed. She was + never seen; and never did he speak of her to anybody. It was said that she + was usually like a child, very gentle and very sad, and still beautiful, + with regal golden hair. At times, however, attacks of frantic madness came + upon her, and he then had to struggle with her, and often hold her for + hours in his arms to prevent her from splitting her head against the + walls. Fearful shrieks would ring out for a time, and then deathlike + silence would fall once more. + </p> + <p> + Grandidier came into the shed where Thomas was working. A handsome man of + forty, with an energetic face, he had a dark and heavy moustache, + brush-like hair and clear eyes. He was very partial to Thomas, and during + the young fellow’s apprenticeship there, had treated him like a son. And + he now let him return thither whenever it pleased him, and placed his + appliances at his disposal. He knew that he was trying to devise a new + motor, a question in which he himself was extremely interested; still he + evinced the greatest discretion, never questioning Thomas, but awaiting + the result of his endeavours. + </p> + <p> + “This is my uncle, Abbé Froment, who looked in to wish me good day,” said + the young man, introducing Pierre. + </p> + <p> + An exchange of polite remarks ensued. Then Grandidier sought to cast off + the sadness which made people think him stern and harsh, and in a + bantering tone exclaimed: “I didn’t tell you, Thomas, of my business with + the investigating magistrate. If I hadn’t enjoyed a good reputation we + should have had all the spies of the Prefecture here. The magistrate + wanted me to explain the presence of that bradawl in the Rue + Godot-de-Mauroy, and I at once realised that, in his opinion, the culprit + must have worked here. For my part I immediately thought of Salvat. But I + don’t denounce people. The magistrate has my hiring-book, and as for + Salvat I simply answered that he worked here for nearly three months last + autumn, and then disappeared. They can look for him themselves! Ah! that + magistrate! you can picture him a little fellow with fair hair and + cat-like eyes, very careful of his appearance, a society man evidently, + but quite frisky at being mixed up in this affair.” + </p> + <p> + “Isn’t he Monsieur Amadieu?” asked Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, that’s his name. Ah! he’s certainly delighted with the present which + those Anarchists have made him, with that crime of theirs.” + </p> + <p> + The priest listened in deep anxiety. As his brother had feared, the true + scent, the first conducting wire, had now been found. And he looked at + Thomas to see if he also were disturbed. But the young man was either + ignorant of the ties which linked Salvat to his father, or else he + possessed great power of self-control, for he merely smiled at + Grandidier’s sketch of the magistrate. + </p> + <p> + Then, as Grandidier went to look at the piece of mechanism which Thomas + was finishing, and they began to speak about it, Pierre drew near to an + open doorway which communicated with a long workshop where engine lathes + were rumbling, and the beams of press-drills falling quickly and + rhythmically. Leather gearing spun along with a continuous gliding, and + there was ceaseless bustle and activity amidst the odoriferous dampness of + all the steam. Scores of perspiring workmen, grimy with dust and filings, + were still toiling. Still this was the final effort of the day. And as + three men approached a water-tap near Pierre to wash their hands, he + listened to their talk, and became particularly interested in it when he + heard one of them, a tall, ginger-haired fellow, call another Toussaint, + and the third Charles. + </p> + <p> + Toussaint, a big, square-shouldered man with knotty arms, only showed his + fifty years on his round, scorched face, which besides being roughened and + wrinkled by labour, bristled with grey hairs, which nowadays he was + content to shave off once a week. It was only his right arm that was + affected by paralysis, and moved rather sluggishly. As for Charles, a + living portrait of his father, he was now in all the strength of his six + and twentieth year, with splendid muscles distending his white skin, and a + full face barred by a heavy black moustache. The three men, like their + employer, were speaking of the explosion at the Duvillard mansion, of the + bradawl found there, and of Salvat, whom they all now suspected. + </p> + <p> + “Why, only a brigand would do such a thing!” said Toussaint. “That + Anarchism disgusts me. I’ll have none of it. But all the same it’s for the + <i>bourgeois</i> to settle matters. If the others want to blow them up, + it’s their concern. It’s they who brought it about.” + </p> + <p> + This indifference was undoubtedly the outcome of a life of want and social + injustice; it was the indifference of an old toiler, who, weary of + struggling and hoping for improvements, was now quite ready to tolerate + the crumbling of a social system, which threatened him with hunger in his + impotent old age. + </p> + <p> + “Well, you know,” rejoined Charles, “I’ve heard the Anarchists talking, + and they really say some very true and sensible things. And just take + yourself, father; you’ve been working for thirty years, and isn’t it + abominable that you should have had to pass through all that you did pass + through recently, liable to go off like some old horse that’s slaughtered + at the first sign of illness? And, of course, it makes me think of myself, + and I can’t help feeling that it won’t be at all amusing to end like that. + And may the thunder of God kill me if I’m wrong, but one feels half + inclined to join in their great flare-up if it’s really to make everybody + happy!” + </p> + <p> + He certainly lacked the flame of enthusiasm, and if he had come to these + views it was solely from impatience to lead a less toilsome life, for + obligatory military service had given him ideas of equality among all men—a + desire to struggle, raise himself and obtain his legitimate share of + life’s enjoyments. It was, in fact, the inevitable step which carries each + generation a little more forward. There was the father, who, deceived in + his hope of a fraternal republic, had grown sceptical and contemptuous; + and there was the son advancing towards a new faith, and gradually + yielding to ideas of violence, since political liberty had failed to keep + its promises. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, as the big, ginger-haired fellow grew angry, and shouted that + if Salvat were guilty, he ought to be caught and guillotined at once, + without waiting for judges, Toussaint ended by endorsing his opinion. + “Yes, yes, he may have married one of my sisters, but I renounce him.... + And yet, you know, it would astonish me to find him guilty, for he isn’t + wicked at heart. I’m sure he wouldn’t kill a fly.” + </p> + <p> + “But what would you have?” put in Charles. “When a man’s driven to + extremities he goes mad.” + </p> + <p> + They had now washed themselves; but Toussaint, on perceiving his employer, + lingered there in order to ask him for an advance. As it happened, + Grandidier, after cordially shaking hands with Pierre, approached the old + workman of his own accord, for he held him in esteem. And, after listening + to him, he gave him a line for the cashier on a card. As a rule, he was + altogether against the practice of advancing money, and his men disliked + him, and said he was over rigid, though in point of fact he had a good + heart. But he had his position as an employer to defend, and to him + concessions meant ruin. With such keen competition on all sides, with the + capitalist system entailing a terrible and incessant struggle, how could + one grant the demands of the workers, even when they were legitimate? + </p> + <p> + Sudden compassion came upon Pierre when, after quitting Thomas, he saw + Grandidier, who had finished his round, crossing the courtyard in the + direction of the closed pavilion, where all the grief of his heart-tragedy + awaited him. Here was that man waging the battle of life, defending his + fortune with the risk that his business might melt away amidst the furious + warfare between capital and labour; and at the same time, in lieu of + evening repose, finding naught but anguish it his hearth: a mad wife, an + adored wife, who had sunk back into infancy, and was for ever dead to + love! How incurable was his secret despair! Even on the days when he + triumphed in his workshops, disaster awaited him at home. And could any + more unhappy man, any man more deserving of pity, be found even among the + poor who died of hunger, among those gloomy workers, those vanquished sons + of labour who hated and who envied him? + </p> + <p> + When Pierre found himself in the street again he was astonished to see + Madame Toussaint and Madame Théodore still there with little Céline. With + their feet in the mud, like bits of wreckage against which beat the + ceaseless flow of wayfarers, they had lingered there, still and ever + chatting, loquacious and doleful, lulling their wretchedness to rest + beneath a deluge of tittle-tattle. And when Toussaint, followed by his + son, came out, delighted with the advance he had secured, he also found + them on the same spot. Then he told Madame Théodore the story of the + bradawl, and the idea which had occurred to him and all his mates that + Salvat might well be the culprit. She, however, though turning very pale, + began to protest, concealing both what she knew and what she really + thought. + </p> + <p> + “I tell you I haven’t seen him for several days,” said she. “He must + certainly be in Belgium. And as for a bomb, that’s humbug. You say + yourself that he’s very gentle and wouldn’t harm a fly!” + </p> + <p> + A little later as Pierre journeyed back to Neuilly in a tramcar he fell + into a deep reverie. All the stir and bustle of that working-class + district, the buzzing of the factory, the overflowing activity of that + hive of labour, seemed to have lingered within him. And for the first + time, amidst his worries, he realised the necessity of work. Yes, it was + fatal, but it also gave health and strength. In effort which sustains and + saves, he at last found a solid basis on which all might be reared. Was + this, then, the first gleam of a new faith? But ah! what mockery! Work an + uncertainty, work hopeless, work always ending in injustice! And then want + ever on the watch for the toiler, strangling him as soon as slack times + came round, and casting him into the streets like a dead dog immediately + old age set in. + </p> + <p> + On reaching Neuilly, Pierre found Bertheroy at Guillaume’s bedside. The + old <i>savant</i> had just dressed the injured wrist, and was not yet + certain that no complications would arise. “The fact is,” he said to + Guillaume, “you don’t keep quiet. I always find you in a state of feverish + emotion which is the worst possible thing for you. You must calm yourself, + my dear fellow, and not allow anything to worry you.” + </p> + <p> + A few minutes later, though, just as he was going away, he said with his + pleasant smile: “Do you know that a newspaper writer came to interview me + about that explosion? Those reporters imagine that scientific men know + everything! I told the one who called on me that it would be very kind of + <i>him</i> to enlighten <i>me</i> as to what powder was employed. And, by + the way, I am giving a lesson on explosives at my laboratory to-morrow. + There will be just a few persons present. You might come as well, Pierre, + so as to give an account of it to Guillaume; it would interest him.” + </p> + <p> + At a glance from his brother, Pierre accepted the invitation. Then, + Bertheroy having gone, he recounted all he had learnt during the + afternoon, how Salvat was suspected, and how the investigating magistrate + had been put on the right scent. And at this news, intense fever again + came over Guillaume, who, with his head buried in the pillow, and his eyes + closed, stammered as if in a kind of nightmare: “Ah! then, this is the + end! Salvat arrested, Salvat interrogated! Ah! that so much toil and so + much hope should crumble!” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap50"></a> + IV. CULTURE AND HOPE + </h2> + <p> + ON the morrow, punctually at one o’clock, Pierre reached the Rue d’Ulm, + where Bertheroy resided in a fairly large house, which the State had + placed at his disposal, in order that he might install in it a laboratory + for study and research. Thus the whole first floor had been transformed + into one spacious apartment, where, from time to time, the illustrious + chemist was fond of receiving a limited number of pupils and admirers, + before whom he made experiments, and explained his new discoveries and + theories. + </p> + <p> + For these occasions a few chairs were set out before the long and massive + table, which was covered with jars and appliances. In the rear one saw the + furnace, while all around were glass cases, full of vials and specimens. + The persons present were, for the most part, fellow <i>savants</i>, with a + few young men, and even a lady or two, and, of course, an occasional + journalist. The whole made up a kind of family gathering, the visitors + chatting with the master in all freedom. + </p> + <p> + Directly Bertheroy perceived Pierre he came forward, pressed his hand and + seated him on a chair beside Guillaume’s son François, who had been one of + the first arrivals. The young man was completing his third year at the + École Normale, close by, so he only had a few steps to take to call upon + his master Bertheroy, whom he regarded as one of the firmest minds of the + age. Pierre was delighted to meet his nephew, for he had been greatly + impressed in his favour on the occasion of his visit to Montmartre. + François, on his side, greeted his uncle with all the cordial + expansiveness of youth. He was, moreover, well pleased to obtain some news + of his father. + </p> + <p> + However, Bertheroy began. He spoke in a familiar and sober fashion, but + frequently employed some very happy expressions. At first he gave an + account of his own extensive labours and investigations with regard to + explosive substances, and related with a laugh that he sometimes + manipulated powders which would have blown up the entire district. But, + said he, in order to reassure his listeners, he was always extremely + prudent. At last he turned to the subject of that explosion in the Rue + Godot-de-Mauroy, which, for some days, had filled Paris with dismay. The + remnants of the bomb had been carefully examined by experts, and one + fragment had been brought to him, in order that he might give his opinion + on it. The bomb appeared to have been prepared in a very rudimentary + fashion; it had been charged with small pieces of iron, and fired by means + of a match, such as a child might have devised. The extraordinary part of + the affair was the formidable power of the central cartridge, which, + although it must have been a small one, had wrought as much havoc as any + thunderbolt. And the question was this: What incalculable power of + destruction might one not arrive at if the charge were increased ten, + twenty or a hundredfold. Embarrassment began, and divergencies of opinion + clouded the issue directly one tried to specify what explosive had been + employed. Of the three experts who had been consulted, one pronounced + himself in favour of dynamite pure and simple; but the two others, + although they did not agree together, believed in some combination of + explosive matters. He, Bertheroy, had modestly declined to adjudicate, for + the fragment submitted to him bore traces of so slight a character, that + analysis became impossible. Thus he was unwilling to make any positive + pronouncement. But his opinion was that one found oneself in presence of + some unknown powder, some new explosive, whose power exceeded anything + that had hitherto been dreamt of. He could picture some unknown <i>savant</i>, + or some ignorant but lucky inventor, discovering the formula of this + explosive under mysterious conditions. And this brought him to the point + he wished to reach, the question of all the explosives which are so far + unknown, and of the coming discoveries which he could foresee. In the + course of his investigations he himself had found cause to suspect the + existence of several such explosives, though he had lacked time and + opportunity to prosecute his studies in that direction. However, he + indicated the field which should be explored, and the best way of + proceeding. In his opinion it was there that lay the future. And in a + broad and eloquent peroration, he declared that explosives had hitherto + been degraded by being employed in idiotic schemes of vengeance and + destruction; whereas it was in them possibly that lay the liberating force + which science was seeking, the lever which would change the face of the + world, when they should have been so domesticated and subdued as to be + only the obedient servants of man. + </p> + <p> + Throughout this familiar discourse Pierre could feel that François was + growing impassioned, quivering at thought of the vast horizon which the + master opened up. He himself had become extremely interested, for he could + not do otherwise than notice certain allusions, and connect what he heard + with what he had guessed of Guillaume’s anxiety regarding that secret + which he feared to see at the mercy of an investigating magistrate. And so + as he, Pierre, before going off with François, approached Bertheroy to + wish him good day, he pointedly remarked: “Guillaume will be very sorry + that he was unable to hear you unfold those admirable ideas.” + </p> + <p> + The old <i>savant</i> smiled. “Pooh!” said he; “just give him a summary of + what I said. He will understand. He knows more about the matter than I + do.” + </p> + <p> + In presence of the illustrious chemist, François preserved the silent + gravity of a respectful pupil, but when he and Pierre had taken a few + steps down the street in silence, he remarked: “What a pity it is that a + man of such broad intelligence, free from all superstition, and anxious + for the sole triumph of truth, should have allowed himself to be + classified, ticketed, bound round with titles and academical functions! + How greatly our affection for him would increase if he took less State + pay, and freed himself from all the grand cordons which tie his hands.” + </p> + <p> + “What would you have!” rejoined Pierre, in a conciliatory spirit. “A man + must live! At the same time I believe that he does not regard himself as + tied by anything.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as they had reached the entrance of the École Normale, the priest + stopped, thinking that his companion was going back to the college. But + François, raising his eyes and glancing at the old place, remarked: “No, + no, to-day’s Thursday, and I’m at liberty! Oh! we have a deal of liberty, + perhaps too much. But for my own part I’m well pleased at it, for it often + enables me to go to Montmartre and work at my old little table. It’s only + there that I feel any real strength and clearness of mind.” + </p> + <p> + His preliminary examinations had entitled him to admission at either the + École Polytechnique or the École Normale,* and he had chosen the latter, + entering its scientific section with No. 1 against his name. His father + had wished him to make sure of an avocation, that of professor, even if + circumstances should allow him to remain independent and follow his own + bent on leaving the college. François, who was very precocious, was now + preparing for his last examination there, and the only rest he took was in + walking to and from Montmartre, or in strolling through the Luxembourg + gardens. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The purposes of the École Normale have been referred to on + p. 197. At the École Polytechnique young men receive much + of the preliminary training which they require to become + either artillery officers, or military, naval or civil + engineers.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + From force of habit he now turned towards the latter, accompanied by + Pierre and chatting with him. One found the mildness of springtime there + that February afternoon; for pale sunshine streamed between the trees, + which were still leafless. It was indeed one of those first fine days + which draw little green gems from the branches of the lilac bushes. + </p> + <p> + The École Normale was still the subject of conversation and Pierre + remarked: “I must own that I hardly like the spirit that prevails there. + Excellent work is done, no doubt, and the only way to form professors is + to teach men the trade by cramming them with the necessary knowledge. But + the worst is that although all the students are trained for the teaching + profession, many of them don’t remain in it, but go out into the world, + take to journalism, or make it their business to control the arts, + literature and society. And those who do this are for the most part + unbearable. After swearing by Voltaire they have gone back to spirituality + and mysticism, the last drawing-room craze. Now that a firm faith in + science is regarded as brutish and inelegant, they fancy that they rid + themselves of their caste by feigning amiable doubt, and ignorance, and + innocence. What they most fear is that they may carry a scent of the + schools about with them, so they put on extremely Parisian airs, venture + on somersaults and slang, and assume all the grace of dancing bears in + their eager desire to please. From that desire spring the sarcastic shafts + which they aim at science, they who pretend that they know everything, but + who go back to the belief of the humble, the <i>naive</i> idealism of + Biblical legends, just because they think the latter to be more + distinguished.” + </p> + <p> + François began to laugh: “The portrait is perhaps a little overdrawn,” + said he, “still there’s truth in it, a great deal of truth.” + </p> + <p> + “I have known several of them,” continued Pierre, who was growing + animated. “And among them all I have noticed that a fear of being duped + leads them to reaction against the entire effort, the whole work of the + century. Disgust with liberty, distrust of science, denial of the future, + that is what they now profess. And they have such a horror of the + commonplace that they would rather believe in nothing or the incredible. + It may of course be commonplace to say that two and two make four, yet + it’s true enough; and it is far less foolish for a man to say and repeat + it than to believe, for instance, in the miracles of Lourdes.” + </p> + <p> + François glanced at the priest in astonishment. The other noticed it and + strove to restrain himself. Nevertheless, grief and anger carried him away + whenever he spoke of the educated young people of the time, such as, in + his despair, he imagined them to be. In the same way as he had pitied the + toilers dying of hunger in the districts of misery and want, so here he + overflowed with contempt for the young minds that lacked bravery in the + presence of knowledge, and harked back to the consolation of deceptive + spirituality, the promise of an eternity of happiness in death, which last + was longed for and exalted as the very sum of life. Was not the cowardly + thought of refusing to live for the sake of living so as to discharge + one’s simple duty in being and making one’s effort, equivalent to absolute + assassination of life? However, the <i>Ego</i> was always the mainspring; + each one sought personal happiness. And Pierre was grieved to think that + those young people, instead of discarding the past and marching on to the + truths of the future, were relapsing into shadowy metaphysics through + sheer weariness and idleness, due in part perhaps to the excessive + exertion of the century, which had been overladen with human toil. + </p> + <p> + However, François had begun to smile again. “But you are mistaken,” said + he; “we are not all like that at the École Normale. You only seem to know + the Normalians of the Section of Letters, and your opinions would surely + change if you knew those of the Section of Sciences. It is quite true that + the reaction against Positivism is making itself felt among our literary + fellow-students, and that they, like others, are haunted by the idea of + that famous bankruptcy of science. This is perhaps due to their masters, + the neo-spiritualists and dogmatical rhetoricians into whose hands they + have fallen. And it is still more due to fashion, the whim of the times + which, as you have very well put it, regards scientific truth as bad + taste, something graceless and altogether too brutal for light and + distinguished minds. Consequently, a young fellow of any shrewdness who + desires to please is perforce won over to the new spirit.” + </p> + <p> + “The new spirit!” interrupted Pierre, unable to restrain himself. “Oh! + that is no mere innocent, passing fashion, it is a tactical device and a + terrible one, an offensive return of the powers of darkness against those + of light, of servitude against free thought, truth and justice.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as the young man again looked at him with growing astonishment, he + relapsed into silence. The figure of Monseigneur Martha had risen before + his eyes, and he fancied he could again hear the prelate at the Madeleine, + striving to win Paris over to the policy of Rome, to that spurious + neo-Catholicism which, with the object of destroying democracy and + science, accepted such portions of them as it could adapt to its own + views. This was indeed the supreme struggle. Thence came all the poison + poured forth to the young. Pierre knew what efforts were being made in + religious circles to help on this revival of mysticism, in the mad hope of + hastening the rout of science. Monseigneur Martha, who was all-powerful at + the Catholic University, said to his intimates, however, that three + generations of devout and docile pupils would be needed before the Church + would again be absolute sovereign of France. + </p> + <p> + “Well, as for the École Normale,” continued François, “I assure you that + you are mistaken. There are a few narrow bigots there, no doubt. But even + in the Section of Letters the majority of the students are sceptics at + bottom—sceptics of discreet and good-natured average views. Of + course they are professors before everything else, though they are a + trifle ashamed of it; and, as professors, they judge things with no little + pedantic irony, devoured by a spirit of criticism, and quite incapable of + creating anything themselves. I should certainly be astonished to see the + man of genius whom we await come out of their ranks. To my thinking, + indeed, it would be preferable that some barbarian genius, neither well + read nor endowed with critical faculty, or power of weighing and shading + things, should come and open the next century with a hatchet stroke, + sending up a fine flare of truth and reality.... But, as for my comrades + of the Scientific Section, I assure you that neo-Catholicism and Mysticism + and Occultism, and every other branch of the fashionable phantasmagoria + trouble them very little indeed. They are not making a religion of + science, they remain open to doubt on many points; but they are mostly men + of very clear and firm minds, whose passion is the acquirement of + certainty, and who are ever absorbed in the investigations which continue + throughout the whole vast field of human knowledge. They haven’t flinched, + they have remained Positivists, or Evolutionists, or Determinists, and + have set their faith in observation and experiment to help on the final + conquest of the world.” + </p> + <p> + François himself was growing excited, as he thus confessed his faith while + strolling along the quiet sunlit garden paths. “The young indeed!” he + resumed. “Do people know them? It makes us laugh when we see all sorts of + apostles fighting for us, trying to attract us, and saying that we are + white or black or grey, according to the hue which they require for the + triumph of their particular ideas! The young, the real ones, why, they’re + in the schools, the laboratories and the libraries. It’s they who work and + who’ll bring to-morrow to the world. It’s not the young fellows of dinner + and supper clubs, manifestoes and all sorts of extravagances. The latter + make a great deal of noise, no doubt; in fact, they alone are heard. But + if you knew of the ceaseless efforts and passionate striving of the + others, those who remain silent, absorbed in their tasks. And I know many + of them: they are with their century, they have rejected none of its + hopes, but are marching on to the coming century, resolved to pursue the + work of their forerunners, ever going towards more light and more equity. + And just speak to them of the bankruptcy of science. They’ll shrug their + shoulders at the mere idea, for they know well enough that science has + never before inflamed so many hearts or achieved greater conquests! It is + only if the schools, laboratories and libraries were closed, and the + social soil radically changed, that one would have cause to fear a fresh + growth of error such as weak hearts and narrow minds hold so dear!” + </p> + <p> + At this point François’s fine flow of eloquence was interrupted. A tall + young fellow stopped to shake hands with him; and Pierre was surprised to + recognise Baron Duvillard’s son Hyacinthe, who bowed to him in very + correct style. “What! you here in our old quarter,” exclaimed François. + </p> + <p> + “My dear fellow, I’m going to Jonas’s, over yonder, behind the + Observatory. Don’t you know Jonas? Ah! my dear fellow, he’s a delightful + sculptor, who has succeeded in doing away with matter almost entirely. He + has carved a figure of Woman, no bigger than the finger, and entirely + soul, free from all baseness of form, and yet complete. All Woman, indeed, + in her essential symbolism! Ah! it’s grand, it’s overpowering. A perfect + scheme of aesthetics, a real religion!” + </p> + <p> + François smiled as he looked at Hyacinthe, buttoned up in his long pleated + frock-coat, with his made-up face, and carefully cropped hair and beard. + “And yourself?” said he, “I thought you were working, and were going to + publish a little poem, shortly?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! the task of creating is so distasteful to me, my dear fellow! A + single line often takes me weeks.... Still, yes, I have a little poem on + hand, ‘The End of Woman.’ And you see, I’m not so exclusive as some people + pretend, since I admire Jonas, who still believes in Woman. His excuse is + sculpture, which, after all, is at best such a gross materialistic art. + But in poetry, good heavens, how we’ve been overwhelmed with Woman, always + Woman! It’s surely time to drive her out of the temple, and cleanse it a + little. Ah! if we were all pure and lofty enough to do without Woman, and + renounce all those horrid sexual questions, so that the last of the + species might die childless, eh? The world would then at least finish in a + clean and proper manner!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, Hyacinthe walked off with his languid air, well pleased with + the effect which he had produced on the others. + </p> + <p> + “So you know him?” said Pierre to François. + </p> + <p> + “He was my school-fellow at Condorcet, we were in the same classes + together. Such a funny fellow he was! A perfect dunce! And he was always + making a parade of Father Duvillard’s millions, while pretending to + disdain them, and act the revolutionist, for ever saying that he’d use his + cigarette to fire the cartridge which was to blow up the world! He was + Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, and Tolstoi, and Ibsen, rolled into one! And + you can see what he has become with it all: a humbug with a diseased + mind!” + </p> + <p> + “It’s a terrible symptom,” muttered Pierre, “when through <i>ennui</i> or + lassitude, or the contagion of destructive fury, the sons of the happy and + privileged ones start doing the work of the demolishers.” + </p> + <p> + François had resumed his walk, going down towards the ornamental water, + where some children were sailing their boats. “That fellow is simply + grotesque,” he replied; “but how would you have sane people give any heed + to that mysticism, that awakening of spirituality which is alleged by the + same <i>doctrinaires</i> who started the bankruptcy of science cry, when + after so brief an evolution it produces such insanity, both in art and + literature? A few years of influence have sufficed; and now Satanism, + Occultism and other absurdities are flourishing; not to mention that, + according to some accounts, the Cities of the Plains are reconciled with + new Rome. Isn’t the tree judged by its fruits? And isn’t it evident that, + instead of a renascence, a far-spreading social movement bringing back the + past, we are simply witnessing a transitory reaction, which many things + explain? The old world would rather not die, and is struggling in a final + convulsion, reviving for a last hour before it is swept away by the + overflowing river of human knowledge, whose waters ever increase. And + yonder, in the future, is the new world, which the real young ones will + bring into existence, those who work, those who are not known, who are not + heard. And yet, just listen! Perhaps you will hear them, for we are among + them, in their ‘quarter.’ This deep silence is that of the labour of all + the young fellows who are leaning over their work-tables, and day by day + carrying forward the conquest of truth.” + </p> + <p> + So saying François waved his hand towards all the day-schools and colleges + and high schools beyond the Luxembourg garden, towards the Faculties of + Law and Medicine, the Institute and its five Academies, the innumerable + libraries and museums which made up the broad domain of intellectual + labour. And Pierre, moved by it all, shaken in his theories of negation, + thought that he could indeed hear a low but far-spreading murmur of the + work of thousands of active minds, rising from laboratories, studies and + class, reading and lecture rooms. It was not like the jerky, breathless + trepidation, the loud clamour of factories where manual labour toils and + chafes. But here, too, there were sighs of weariness, efforts as killing, + exertion as fruitful in its results. Was it indeed true that the cultured + young were still and ever in their silent forge, renouncing no hope, + relinquishing no conquest, but in full freedom of mind forging the truth + and justice of to-morrow with the invincible hammers of observation and + experiment? + </p> + <p> + François, however, had raised his eyes to the palace clock to ascertain + the time. “I’m going to Montmartre,” he said; “will you come part of the + way with me?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre assented, particularly as the young man added that on his way he + meant to call for his brother Antoine at the Museum of the Louvre. That + bright afternoon the Louvre picture galleries were steeped in warm and + dignified quietude, which one particularly noticed on coming from the + tumult and scramble of the streets. The majority of the few people one + found there were copyists working in deep silence, which only the + wandering footsteps of an occasional tourist disturbed. Pierre and + François found Antoine at the end of the gallery assigned to the Primitive + masters. With scrupulous, almost devout care he was making a drawing of a + figure by Mantegna. The Primitives did not impassion him by reason of any + particular mysticism and ideality, such as fashion pretends to find in + them, but on the contrary, and justifiably enough, by reason of the + sincerity of their ingenuous realism, their respect and modesty in + presence of nature, and the minute fidelity with which they sought to + transcribe it. He spent days of hard work in copying and studying them, in + order to learn strictness and probity of drawing from them—all that + lofty distinction of style which they owe to their candour as honest + artists. + </p> + <p> + Pierre was struck by the pure glow which a sitting of good hard work had + set in Antoine’s light blue eyes. It imparted warmth and even feverishness + to his fair face, which was usually all dreaminess and gentleness. His + lofty forehead now truly looked like a citadel armed for the conquest of + truth and beauty. He was only eighteen, and his story was simply this: as + he had grown disgusted with classical studies and been mastered by a + passion for drawing, his father had let him leave the Lycée Condorcet when + he was in the third class there. Some little time had then elapsed while + he felt his way and the deep originality within him was being evolved. He + had tried etching on copper, but had soon come to wood engraving, and had + attached himself to it in spite of the discredit into which it had fallen, + lowered as it had been to the level of a mere trade. Was there not here an + entire art to restore and enlarge? For his own part he dreamt of engraving + his own drawings, of being at once the brain which conceives and the hand + which executes, in such wise as to obtain new effects of great intensity + both as regards perception and touch. To comply with the wishes of his + father, who desired each of his sons to have a trade, he earned his bread + like other engravers by working for the illustrated newspapers. But, in + addition to this current work, he had already engraved several blocks + instinct with wonderful power and life. They were simply copies of real + things, scenes of everyday existence, but they were accentuated, elevated + so to say, by the essential line, with a maestria which on the part of so + young a lad fairly astonished one. + </p> + <p> + “Do you want to engrave that?” François asked him, as he placed his copy + of Mantegna’s figure in his portfolio. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no, that’s merely a dip into innocence, a good lesson to teach one to + be modest and sincere. Life is very different nowadays.” + </p> + <p> + Then, while walking along the streets—for Pierre, who felt growing + sympathy for the two young fellows, went with them in the direction of + Montmartre, forgetful of all else,—Antoine, who was beside him, + spoke expansively of his artistic dreams. + </p> + <p> + “Colour is certainly a power, a sovereign source of charm, and one may, + indeed, say that without colour nothing can be completely represented. + Yet, singularly enough, it isn’t indispensable to me. It seems to me that + I can picture life as intensely and definitely with mere black and white, + and I even fancy that I shall be able to do so in a more essential manner, + without any of the dupery which lies in colour. But what a task it is! I + should like to depict the Paris of to-day in a few scenes, a few typical + figures, which would serve as testimony for all time. And I should like to + do it with great fidelity and candour, for an artist only lives by reason + of his candour, his humility and steadfast belief in Nature, which is ever + beautiful. I’ve already done a few figures, I will show them to you. But + ah! if I only dared to tackle my blocks with the graver, at the outset, + without drawing my subject beforehand. For that generally takes away one’s + fire. However, what I do with the pencil is a mere sketch; for with the + graver I may come upon a find, some unexpected strength or delicacy of + effect. And so I’m draughtsman and engraver all in one, in such a way that + my blocks can only be turned out by myself. If the drawings on them were + engraved by another, they would be quite lifeless.... Yes, life can spring + from the fingers just as well as from the brain, when one really possesses + creative power.” + </p> + <p> + They walked on, and when they found themselves just below Montmartre, and + Pierre spoke of taking a tramcar to return to Neuilly, Antoine, quite + feverish with artistic passion, asked him if he knew Jahan, the sculptor, + who was working for the Sacred Heart. And on receiving a negative reply, + he added: “Well, come and see him for a moment. He has a great future + before him. You’ll see an angel of his which has been declined.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as François began to praise the angel in question, Pierre agreed to + accompany them. On the summit of the height, among all the sheds which the + building of the basilica necessitated, Jahan had been able to set up a + glazed workshop large enough for the huge angel ordered of him. His three + visitors found him there in a blouse, watching a couple of assistants, who + were rough-hewing the block of stone whence the angel was to emerge. Jahan + was a sturdy man of thirty-six, with dark hair and beard, a large, ruddy + mouth and fine bright eyes. Born in Paris, he had studied at the Fine Art + School, but his impetuous temperament had constantly landed him in trouble + there. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,” said he, “you’ve come to see my angel, the one which the + Archbishop wouldn’t take. Well, there it is.” + </p> + <p> + The clay model of the figure, some three feet high, and already drying, + looked superb in its soaring posture, with its large, outspread wings + expanding as if with passionate desire for the infinite. The body, barely + draped, was that of a slim yet robust youth, whose face beamed with the + rapture of his heavenly flight. + </p> + <p> + “They found him too human,” said Jahan. “And after all they were right. + There’s nothing so difficult to conceive as an angel. One even hesitates + as to the sex; and when faith is lacking one has to take the first model + one finds and copy it and spoil it. For my part, while I was modelling + that one, I tried to imagine a beautiful youth suddenly endowed with + wings, and carried by the intoxication of his flight into all the joy of + the sunshine. But it upset them, they wanted something more religious, + they said; and so then I concocted that wretched thing over there. After + all, one has to earn one’s living, you know.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he waved his hand towards another model, the one for which his + assistants were preparing the stone. And this model represented an angel + of the correct type, with symmetrical wings like those of a goose, a + figure of neither sex, and commonplace features, expressing the silly + ecstasy that tradition requires. + </p> + <p> + “What would you have?” continued Jahan. “Religious art has sunk to the + most disgusting triteness. People no longer believe; churches are built + like barracks, and decorated with saints and virgins fit to make one weep. + The fact is that genius is only the fruit of the social soil; and a great + artist can only send up a blaze of the faith of the time he lives in. For + my part, I’m the grandson of a Beauceron peasant. My father came to Paris + to set himself up in business as a marble worker for tombstones and so + forth, just at the top of the Rue de la Roquette. It was there I grew up. + I began as a workman, and all my childhood was spent among the masses, in + the streets, without ever a thought coming to me of setting foot in a + church. So few Parisians think of doing so nowadays. And so what’s to + become of art since there’s no belief in the Divinity or even in beauty? + We’re forced to go forward to the new faith, which is the faith in life + and work and fruitfulness, in all that labours and produces.” + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly breaking off he exclaimed: “By the way, I’ve been doing some + more work to my figure of Fecundity, and I’m fairly well pleased with it. + Just come with me and I’ll show it you.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he insisted on taking them to his private studio, which was near + by, just below Guillaume’s little house. It was entered by way of the Rue + du Calvaire, a street which is simply a succession of ladder-like flights + of steps. The door opened on to one of the little landings, and one found + oneself in a spacious, well-lighted apartment littered with models and + casts, fragments and figures, quite an overflow of sturdy, powerful + talent. On a stool was the unfinished model of Fecundity swathed in wet + cloths. These Jahan removed, and then she stood forth with her rounded + figure, her broad hips and her wifely, maternal bosom, full of the milk + which nourishes and redeems. + </p> + <p> + “Well, what do you think of her?” asked Jahan. “Built as she is, I fancy + that her children ought to be less puny than the pale, languid, aesthetic + fellows of nowadays!” + </p> + <p> + While Antoine and François were admiring the figure, Pierre, for his part, + took most interest in a young girl who had opened the door to them, and + who had now wearily reseated herself at a little table to continue a book + she was reading. This was Jahan’s sister, Lise. A score of years younger + than himself, she was but sixteen, and had been living alone with him + since their father’s death. Very slight and delicate looking, she had a + most gentle face, with fine light hair which suggested pale gold-dust. She + was almost a cripple, with legs so weak that she only walked with + difficulty, and her mind also was belated, still full of childish <i>naïveté</i>. + At first this had much saddened her brother, but with time he had grown + accustomed to her innocence and languor. Busy as he always was, ever in a + transport, overflowing with new plans, he somewhat neglected her by force + of circumstances, letting her live beside him much as she listed. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had noticed, however, the sisterly impulsiveness with which she had + greeted Antoine. And the latter, after congratulating Jahan on his statue, + came and sat down beside her, questioned her and wished to see the book + which she was reading. During the last six months the most pure and + affectionate intercourse had sprung up between them. He, from his father’s + garden, up yonder on the Place du Tertre, could see her through the huge + window of that studio where she led so innocent a life. And noticing that + she was always alone, as if forsaken, he had begun to take an interest in + her. Then had come acquaintance; and, delighted to find her so simple and + so charming, he had conceived the design of rousing her to intelligence + and life, by loving her, by becoming at once the mind and the heart whose + power fructifies. Weak plant that she was, in need of delicate care, + sunshine and affection, he became for her all that her brother had, + through circumstances, failed to be. He had already taught her to read, a + task in which every mistress had previously failed. But him she listened + to and understood. And by slow degrees a glow of happiness came to the + beautiful clear eyes set in her irregular face. It was love’s miracle, the + creation of woman beneath the breath of a young lover who gave himself + entirely. No doubt she still remained very delicate, with such poor health + that one ever feared that she might expire in a faint sigh; and her legs, + moreover, were still too weak to admit of her walking any distance. But + all the same, she was no longer the little wilding, the little ailing + flower of the previous spring. + </p> + <p> + Jahan, who marvelled at the incipient miracle, drew near to the young + people. “Ah!” said he, “your pupil does you honour. She reads quite + fluently, you know, and understands the fine books you send her. You read + to me of an evening now, don’t you, Lise?” + </p> + <p> + She raised her candid eyes, and gazed at Antoine with a smile of infinite + gratitude. “Oh! whatever he’ll teach me,” she said, “I’ll learn it, and do + it.” + </p> + <p> + The others laughed gently. Then, as the visitors were going off, François + paused before a model which had cracked while drying. “Oh! that’s a spoilt + thing,” said the sculptor. “I wanted to model a figure of Charity. It was + ordered of me by a philanthropic institution. But try as I might, I could + only devise something so commonplace that I let the clay spoil. Still, I + must think it over and endeavour to take the matter in hand again.” + </p> + <p> + When they were outside, it occurred to Pierre to go as far as the basilica + of the Sacred Heart in the hope of finding Abbé Rose there. So the three + of them went round by way of the Rue Gabrielle and climbed the steps of + the Rue Chape. And just as they were reaching the summit where the + basilica reared its forest of scaffoldings beneath the clear sky, they + encountered Thomas, who, on leaving the factory, had gone to give an order + to a founder in the Rue Lamarck. + </p> + <p> + He, who as a rule was so silent and discreet, now happened to be in an + expansive mood, which made him look quite radiant. “Ah! I’m so pleased,” + he said, addressing Pierre; “I fancy that I’ve found what I want for our + little motor. Tell father that things are going on all right, and that he + must make haste to get well.” + </p> + <p> + At these words his brothers, François and Antoine, drew close to him with + a common impulse. And they stood there all three, a valiant little group, + their hearts uniting and beating with one and the same delight at the idea + that their father would be gladdened, that the good news they were sending + him would help him towards recovery. As for Pierre, who, now that he knew + them, was beginning to love them and judge them at their worth, he + marvelled at the sight of these three young giants, each so strikingly + like the other, and drawn together so closely and so promptly, directly + their filial affection took fire. + </p> + <p> + “Tell him that we are waiting for him, and will come to him at the first + sign if we are wanted.” + </p> + <p> + Then each in turn shook the priest’s hand vigorously. And while he + remained watching them as they went off towards the little house, whose + garden he perceived over the wall of the Rue Saint Eleuthère, he fancied + he could there detect a delicate silhouette, a white, sunlit face under a + help of dark hair. It was doubtless the face of Marie, examining the buds + on her lilac bushes. At that evening hour, however, the diffuse light was + so golden that the vision seemed to fade in it as in a halo. And Pierre, + feeling dazzled, turned his head, and on the other side saw naught but the + overwhelming, chalky mass of the basilica, whose hugeness shut out all + view of the horizon. + </p> + <p> + For a moment he remained motionless on that spot, so agitated by + conflicting thoughts and feelings that he could read neither heart nor + mind clearly. Then, as he turned towards the city, all Paris spread itself + out at his feet, a limpid, lightsome Paris, beneath the pink glow of that + spring-like evening. The endless billows of house-roofs showed forth with + wonderful distinctness, and one could have counted the chimney stacks and + the little black streaks of the windows by the million. The edifices + rising into the calm atmosphere seemed like the anchored vessels of some + fleet arrested in its course, with lofty masting which glittered at the + sun’s farewell. And never before had Pierre so distinctly observed the + divisions of that human ocean. Eastward and northward was the city of + manual toil, with the rumbling and the smoke of its factories. Southward, + beyond the river, was the city of study, of intellectual labour, so calm, + so perfectly serene. And on all sides the passion of trade ascended from + the central districts, where the crowds rolled and scrambled amidst an + everlasting uproar of wheels; while westward, the city of the happy and + powerful ones, those who fought for sovereignty and wealth, spread out its + piles of palaces amidst the slowly reddening flare of the declining + planet. + </p> + <p> + And then, from the depths of his negation, the chaos into which his loss + of faith had plunged him, Pierre felt a delicious freshness pass like the + vague advent of a new faith. So vague it was that he could not have + expressed even his hope of it in words. But already among the rough + factory workers, manual toil had appeared to him necessary and redemptive, + in spite of all the misery and abominable injustice to which it led. And + now the young men of intellect of whom he had despaired, that generation + of the morrow which he had thought spoilt, relapsing into ancient error + and rottenness, had appeared to him full of virile promise, resolved to + prosecute the work of those who had gone before, and effect, by the aid of + Science only, the conquest of absolute truth and absolute justice. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap51"></a> + V. PROBLEMS + </h2> + <p> + A FULL month had already gone by since Guillaume had taken refuge at his + brother’s little house at Neuilly. His wrist was now nearly healed. He had + long ceased to keep his bed, and often strolled through the garden. In + spite of his impatience to go back to Montmartre, join his loved ones and + resume his work there, he was each morning prompted to defer his return by + the news he found in the newspapers. The situation was ever the same. + Salvat, whom the police now suspected, had been perceived one evening near + the central markets, and then again lost sight of. Every day, however, his + arrest was said to be imminent. And in that case what would happen? Would + he speak out, and would fresh perquisitions be made? + </p> + <p> + For a whole week the press had been busy with the bradawl found under the + entrance of the Duvillard mansion. Nearly every reporter in Paris had + called at the Grandidier factory and interviewed both workmen and master. + Some had even started on personal investigations, in the hope of capturing + the culprit themselves. There was no end of jesting about the incompetence + of the police, and the hunt for Salvat was followed all the more + passionately by the general public, as the papers overflowed with the most + ridiculous concoctions, predicting further explosions, and declaring even + that all Paris would some morning be blown into the air. The “Voix du + Peuple” set a fresh shudder circulating every day by its announcements of + threatening letters, incendiary placards and mysterious, far-reaching + plots. And never before had so base and foolish a spirit of contagion + wafted insanity through a civilised city. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, for his part, no sooner awoke of a morning than he was all + impatience to see the newspapers, quivering at the idea that he would at + last read of Salvat’s arrest. In his state of nervous expectancy, the wild + campaign which the press had started, the idiotic and the ferocious things + which he found in one or another journal, almost drove him crazy. A number + of “suspects” had already been arrested in a kind of chance razzia, which + had swept up the usual Anarchist herd, together with sundry honest workmen + and bandits, <i>illumines</i> and lazy devils, in fact, a most singular, + motley crew, which investigating magistrate Amadieu was endeavouring to + turn into a gigantic association of evil-doers. One morning, moreover, + Guillaume found his own name mentioned in connection with a perquisition + at the residence of a revolutionary journalist, who was a friend of his. + At this his heart bounded with revolt, but he was forced to the conclusion + that it would be prudent for him to remain patient a little longer, in his + peaceful retreat at Neuilly, since the police might at any moment break + into his home at Montmartre, to arrest him should it find him there. + </p> + <p> + Amidst all this anxiety the brothers led a most solitary and gentle life. + Pierre himself now spent most of his time at home. The first days of March + had come, and precocious springtide imparted delightful charm and warmth + to the little garden. Guillaume, however, since quitting his bed, had more + particularly installed himself in his father’s old laboratory, now + transformed into a spacious study. All the books and papers left by the + illustrious chemist were still there, and among the latter Guillaume found + a number of unfinished essays, the perusal of which greatly excited his + interest, and often absorbed him from morning till night. It was this + which largely enabled him to bear his voluntary seclusion patiently. + Seated on the other side of the big table, Pierre also mostly occupied + himself with reading; but at times his eyes would quit his book and wander + away into gloomy reverie, into all the chaos into which he still and ever + sank. For long hours the brothers would in this wise remain side by side, + without speaking a word. Yet they knew they were together; and + occasionally, when their eyes met, they would exchange a smile. The strong + affection of former days was again springing up within them; their + childhood, their home, their parents, all seemed to live once more in the + quiet atmosphere they breathed. However, the bay window overlooked the + garden in the direction of Paris, and often, when they emerged from their + reading or their reverie, it was with a sudden feeling of anxiety, and in + order to lend ear to the distant rumbling, the increased clamour of the + great city. + </p> + <p> + On other occasions they paused as if in astonishment at hearing a + continuous footfall overhead. It was that of Nicholas Barthès, who still + lingered in the room above. He seldom came downstairs, and scarcely ever + ventured into the garden, for fear, said he, that he might be perceived + and recognised from a distant house whose windows were concealed by a + clump of trees. One might laugh at the old conspirator’s haunting thought + of the police. Nevertheless, the caged-lion restlessness, the ceaseless + promenade of that perpetual prisoner who had spent two thirds of his life + in the dungeons of France in his desire to secure the liberty of others, + imparted to the silence of the little house a touching melancholy, the + very rhythm as it were of all the great good things which one hoped for, + but which would never perhaps come. + </p> + <p> + Very few visits drew the brothers from their solitude. Bertheroy came less + frequently now that Guillaume’s wrist was healing. The most assiduous + caller was certainly Théophile Morin, whose discreet ring was heard every + other day at the same hour. Though he did not share the ideas of Barthès + he worshipped him as a martyr; and would always go upstairs to spend an + hour with him. However, they must have exchanged few words, for not a + sound came from the room. Whenever Morin sat down for a moment in the + laboratory with the brothers, Pierre was struck by his seeming weariness, + his ashen grey hair and beard and dismal countenance, all the life of + which appeared to have been effaced by long years spent in the teaching + profession. Indeed, it was only when the priest mentioned Italy that he + saw his companion’s resigned eyes blaze up like live coals. One day when + he spoke of the great patriot Orlando Prada, Morin’s companion of victory + in Garibaldi’s days, he was amazed by the sudden flare of enthusiasm which + lighted up the other’s lifeless features. However, these were but + transient flashes: the old professor soon reappeared, and all that one + found in Morin was the friend of Proudhon and the subsequent disciple of + Auguste Comte. Of his Proudhonian principles he had retained all a + pauper’s hatred of wealth, and a desire for a more equitable partition of + fortune. But the new times dismayed him, and neither principle nor + temperament allowed him to follow Revolutionism to its utmost limits. + Comte had imparted unshakable convictions to him in the sphere of + intellectual questions, and he contented himself with the clear and + decisive logic of Positivism, rejecting all metaphysical hypotheses as + useless, persuaded as he was that the whole human question, whether social + or religious, would be solved by science alone. This faith, firm as it had + remained, was, however, coupled with secret bitterness, for nothing seemed + to advance in a sensible manner towards its goal. Comte himself had ended + in the most cloudy mysticism; great <i>savants</i> recoiled from truth in + terror; and now barbarians were threatening the world with fresh night; + all of which made Morin almost a reactionist in politics, already resigned + to the advent of a dictator, who would set things somewhat in order, so + that humanity might be able to complete its education. + </p> + <p> + Other visitors who occasionally called to see Guillaume were Bache and + Janzen, who invariably came together and at night-time. Every now and then + they would linger chatting with Guillaume in the spacious study until two + o’clock in the morning. Bache, who was fat and had a fatherly air, with + his little eyes gently beaming amidst all the snowy whiteness of his hair + and beard, would talk on slowly, unctuously and interminably, as soon as + he had begun to explain his views. He would address merely a polite bow to + Saint-Simon, the initiator, the first to lay down the law that work was a + necessity for one and all according to their capacities; but on coming to + Fourier his voice softened and he confessed his whole religion. To his + thinking, Fourier had been the real messiah of modern times, the saviour + of genius, who had sown the good seed of the future world, by regulating + society such as it would certainly be organised to-morrow. The law of + harmony had been promulgated; human passions, liberated and utilised in + healthy fashion, would become the requisite machinery; and work, rendered + pleasant and attractive, would prove the very function of life. Nothing + could discourage Bache; if merely one parish began by transforming itself + into a <i>phalansterium</i>, the whole department would soon follow, then + the adjacent departments, and finally all France. Moreover, Bache even + favoured the schemes of Cabet, whose Icaria, said he, had in no wise been + such a foolish idea. Further, he recalled a motion he had made, when + member of the Commune in 1871, to apply Fourier’s ideas to the French + Republic; and he was apparently convinced that the troops of Versailles + had delayed the triumph of Communism for half a century. Whenever people + nowadays talked of table-turning he pretended to laugh, but at bottom he + had remained an impenitent “spiritist.” Since he had been a municipal + councillor he had been travelling from one socialist sect to another, + according as their ideas offered points of resemblance to his old faith. + And he was fairly consumed by his need of faith, his perplexity as to the + Divine, which he was now occasionally inclined to find in the legs of some + piece of furniture, after denying its presence in the churches. + </p> + <p> + Janzen, for his part, was as taciturn as his friend Bache was garrulous. + Such remarks as he made were brief, but they were as galling as lashes, as + cutting as sabre-strokes. At the same time his ideas and theories remained + somewhat obscure, partly by reason of this brevity of his, and partly on + account of the difficulty he experienced in expressing himself in French. + He was from over yonder, from some far-away land—Russia, Poland, + Austria or Germany, nobody exactly knew; and it mattered little, for he + certainly acknowledged no country, but wandered far and wide with his + dream of blood-shedding fraternity. Whenever, with his wonted frigidity, + he gave utterance to one of those terrible remarks of his which, like a + scythe in a meadow, cut away all before him, little less than the + necessity of thus mowing down nations, in order to sow the earth afresh + with a young and better community, became apparent. At each proposition + unfolded by Bache, such as labour rendered agreeable by police + regulations, <i>phalansteria</i> organised like barracks, religion + transformed into pantheist or spiritist deism, he gently shrugged his + shoulders. What could be the use of such childishness, such hypocritical + repairing, when the house was falling and the only honest course was to + throw it to the ground, and build up the substantial edifice of to-morrow + with entirely new materials? On the subject of propaganda by deeds, + bomb-throwing and so forth, he remained silent, though his gestures were + expressive of infinite hope. He evidently approved that course. The legend + which made him one of the perpetrators of the crime of Barcelona set a + gleam of horrible glory in his mysterious past. One day when Bache, while + speaking to him of his friend Bergaz, the shadowy Bourse jobber who had + already been compromised in some piece of thieving, plainly declared that + the aforesaid Bergaz was a bandit, Janzen contented himself with smiling, + and replying quietly that theft was merely forced restitution. Briefly, in + this man of culture and refinement, in whose own mysterious life one might + perhaps have found various crimes but not a single act of base improbity, + one could divine an implacable, obstinate theoretician, who was resolved + to set the world ablaze for the triumph of his ideas. + </p> + <p> + On certain evenings when a visit from Théophile Morin coincided with one + from Bache and Janzen, and they and Guillaume lingered chatting until far + into the night, Pierre would listen to them in despair from the shadowy + corner where he remained motionless, never once joining in the + discussions. Distracted, by his own unbelief and thirst for truth, he had + at the outset taken a passionate interest in these debates, desirous as he + was of drawing up a balance-sheet of the century’s ideas, so as to form + some notion of the distance that had been travelled, and the profits that + had accrued. But he recoiled from all this in fresh despair, on hearing + the others argue, each from his own standpoint and without possibility of + concession and agreement. After the repulses he had encountered at Lourdes + and Rome, he well realised that in this fresh experiment which he was + making with Paris, the whole brain of the century was in question, the new + truths, the expected gospel which was to change the face of the world. + And, burning with inconsiderate zeal, he went from one belief to another, + which other he soon rejected in order to adopt a third. If he had first + felt himself to be a Positivist with Morin, an Evolutionist and + Determinist with Guillaume, he had afterwards been touched by the + fraternal dream of a new golden age which he had found in Bache’s + humanitarian Communism. And indeed even Janzen had momentarily shaken him + by his fierce confidence in the theory of liberative Individualism. But + afterwards he had found himself out of his depth; and each and every + theory had seemed to him but part of the chaotic contradictions and + incoherences of humanity on its march. It was all a continuous piling up + of dross, amidst which he lost himself. Although Fourier had sprung from + Saint-Simon he denied him in part; and if Saint-Simon’s doctrine ended in + a kind of mystical sensuality, the other’s conducted to an unacceptable + regimenting of society. Proudhon, for his part, demolished without + rebuilding anything. Comte, who created method and declared science to be + the one and only sovereign, had not even suspected the advent of the + social crisis which now threatened to sweep all away, and had finished + personally as a mere worshipper of love, overpowered by woman. + Nevertheless, these two, Comte and Proudhon, entered the lists and fought + against the others, Fourier and Saint-Simon; the combat between them or + their disciples becoming so bitter and so blind that the truths common to + them all were obscured and disfigured beyond recognition. Thence came the + extraordinary muddle of the present hour; Bache with Saint-Simon and + Fourier, and Morin with Proudhon and Comte, utterly failing to understand + Mège, the Collectivist deputy, whom they held up to execration, him and + his State Collectivism, in the same way, moreover, as they thundered + against all the other present-time Socialist sects, without realising that + these also, whatever their nature, had more or less sprung from the same + masters as themselves. And all this seemingly indicated that Janzen was + right when he declared that the house was past repair, fast crumbling + amidst rottenness and insanity, and that it ought to be levelled to the + ground. + </p> + <p> + One night, after the three visitors had gone, Pierre, who had remained + with Guillaume, saw him grow very gloomy as he slowly walked to and fro. + He, in his turn, had doubtless felt that all was crumbling. And though his + brother alone was there to hear him, he went on speaking. He expressed all + his horror of the Collectivist State as imagined by Mège, a Dictator-State + re-establishing ancient servitude on yet closer lines. The error of all + the Socialist sects was their arbitrary organisation of Labour, which + enslaved the individual for the profit of the community. And, forced to + conciliate the two great currents, the rights of society and the rights of + the individual, Guillaume had ended by placing his whole faith in free + Communism, an anarchical state in which he dreamt of seeing the individual + freed, moving and developing without restraint, for the benefit both of + himself and of all others. Was not this, said he, the one truly scientific + theory, unities creating worlds, atoms producing life by force of + attraction, free and ardent love? All oppressive minorities would + disappear; and the faculties and energies of one and all would by free + play arrive at harmony amidst the equilibrium—which changed + according to needs—of the active forces of advancing humanity. In + this wise he pictured a nation, saved from State tutelage, without a + master, almost without laws, a happy nation, each citizen of which, + completely developed by the exercise of liberty, would, of his free will, + come to an understanding with his neighbours with regard to the thousand + necessities of life. And thence would spring society, free association, + hundreds of associations which would regulate social life; though at the + same time they would remain variable, in fact often opposed and hostile to + one another. For progress is but the fruit of conflict and struggle; the + world has only been created by the battle of opposing forces. And that was + all; there would be no more oppressors, no more rich, no more poor; the + domain of the earth with its natural treasures and its implements of + labour would be restored to the people, its legitimate owners, who would + know how to enjoy it with justice and logic, when nothing abnormal would + impede their expansion. And then only would the law of love make its + action felt; then would human solidarity, which, among mankind, is the + living form of universal attraction, acquire all its power, bringing men + closer and closer together, and uniting them in one sole family. A + splendid dream it was—the noble and pure dream of absolute freedom—free + man in free society. And thither a <i>savant’s</i> superior mind was fated + to come after passing on the road the many Socialist sects which one and + all bore the stigma of tyranny. And, assuredly, as thus indulged, the + Anarchist idea is the loftiest, the proudest, of all ideas. And how + delightful to yield to the hope of harmony in life—life which + restored to the full exercise of its natural powers would of itself create + happiness! + </p> + <p> + When Guillaume ceased speaking, he seemed to be emerging from a dream; and + he glanced at Pierre with some dismay, for he feared that he might have + said too much and have hurt his feelings. Pierre—moved though he + was, for a moment in fact almost won over—had just seen the terrible + practical objection, which destroyed all hope, arise before his mind’s + eye. Why had not harmony asserted itself in the first days of the world’s + existence, at the time when societies were formed? How was it that tyranny + had triumphed, delivering nations over to oppressors? And supposing that + the apparently insolvable problem of destroying everything, and beginning + everything afresh, should ever be solved, who could promise that mankind, + obedient to the same laws, would not again follow the same paths as + formerly? After all, mankind, nowadays, is simply what life has made it; + and nothing proves that life would again make it other than it is. To + begin afresh, ah, yes! but to attain another result! But could that other + result really come from man? Was it not rather man himself who should be + changed? To start afresh from where one was, to continue the evolution + that had begun, undoubtedly meant slow travel and dismal waiting. But how + great would be the danger and even the delay, if one went back without + knowing by what road across the whole chaos of ruins one might regain all + the lost time! + </p> + <p> + “Let us go to bed,” at last said Guillaume, smiling. “It’s silly of me to + weary you with all these things which don’t concern you.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, in his excitement, was about to reveal his own heart and mind, and + the whole torturing battle within him. But a feeling of shame again + restrained him. His brother only knew him as a believing priest, faithful + to his faith. And so, without answering, he betook himself to his room. + </p> + <p> + On the following evening, about ten o’clock, while Guillaume and Pierre + sat reading in the study, the old servant entered to announce M. Janzen + and a friend. The friend was Salvat. + </p> + <p> + “He wished to see you,” Janzen explained to Guillaume. “I met him, and + when he heard of your injury and anxiety he implored me to bring him here. + And I’ve done so, though it was perhaps hardly prudent of me.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume had risen, full of surprise and emotion at such a visit; Pierre, + however, though equally upset by Salvat’s appearance; did not stir from + his chair, but kept his eyes upon the workman. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur Froment,” Salvat ended by saying, standing there in a timid, + embarrassed way, “I was very sorry indeed when I heard of the worry I’d + put you in; for I shall never forget that you were very kind to me when + everybody else turned me away.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke he balanced himself alternately on either leg, and transferred + his old felt hat from hand to hand. + </p> + <p> + “And so I wanted to come and tell you myself that if I took a cartridge of + your powder one evening when you had your back turned, it’s the only thing + that I feel any remorse about in the whole business, since it may + compromise you. And I also want to take my oath before you that you’ve + nothing to fear from me, that I’ll let my head be cut off twenty times if + need be, rather than utter your name. That’s all that I had in my heart.” + </p> + <p> + He relapsed into silence and embarrassment, but his soft, dreamy eyes, the + eyes of a faithful dog, remained fixed upon Guillaume with an expression + of respectful worship. And Pierre was still gazing at him athwart the + hateful vision which his arrival had conjured up, that of the poor, dead, + errand girl, the fair pretty child lying ripped open under the entrance of + the Duvillard mansion! Was it possible that he was there, he, that madman, + that murderer, and that his eyes were actually moist! + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, touched by Salvat’s words, had drawn near and pressed his hand. + “I am well aware, Salvat,” said he, “that you are not wicked at heart. But + what a foolish and abominable thing you did!” + </p> + <p> + Salvat showed no sign of anger, but gently smiled. “Oh! if it had to be + done again, Monsieur Froment, I’d do it. It’s my idea, you know. And, + apart from you, all is well; I am content.” + </p> + <p> + He would not sit down, but for another moment continued talking with + Guillaume, while Janzen, as if he washed his hands of the business, + deeming this visit both useless and dangerous, sat down and turned over + the leaves of a picture book. And Guillaume made Salvat tell him what he + had done on the day of the crime; how like a stray dog he had wandered in + distraction through Paris, carrying his bomb with him, originally in his + tool-bag and then under his jacket; how he had gone a first time to the + Duvillard mansion and found its carriage entrance closed; then how he had + betaken himself first to the Chamber of Deputies which the ushers had + prevented him from entering, and afterwards to the Circus, where the + thought of making a great sacrifice of <i>bourgeois</i> had occurred to + him too late. And finally, how he had at last come back to the Duvillard + mansion, as if drawn thither by the very power of destiny. His tool-bag + was lying in the depths of the Seine, he said; he had thrown it into the + water with sudden hatred of work, since it had even failed to give him + bread. And he next told the story of his flight; the explosion shaking the + whole district behind him, while, with delight and astonishment, he found + himself some distance off, in quiet streets where nothing was as yet + known. And for a month past he had been living in chance fashion, how or + where he could hardly tell, but he had often slept in the open, and gone + for a day without food. One evening little Victor Mathis had given him + five francs. And other comrades had helped him, taken him in for a night + and sent him off at the first sign of peril. A far-spreading, tacit + complicity had hitherto saved him from the police. As for going abroad, + well, he had, at one moment, thought of doing so; but a description of his + person must have been circulated, the gendarmes must be waiting for him at + the frontiers, and so would not flight, instead of retarding, rather + hasten his arrest? Paris, however, was an ocean; it was there that he + incurred the least risk of capture. Moreover, he no longer had sufficient + energy to flee. A fatalist as he was after his own fashion, he could not + find strength to quit the pavements of Paris, but there awaited arrest, + like a social waif carried chancewise through the multitude as in a dream. + </p> + <p> + “And your daughter, little Céline?” Guillaume inquired. “Have you ventured + to go back to see her?” + </p> + <p> + Salvat waved his hand in a vague way. “No, but what would you have? She’s + with Mamma Théodore. Women always find some help. And then I’m done for, I + can do nothing for anybody. It’s as if I were already dead.” However, in + spite of these words, tears were rising to his eyes. “Ah! the poor little + thing!” he added, “I kissed her with all my heart before I went away. If + she and the woman hadn’t been starving so long the idea of that business + would perhaps never have come to me.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in all simplicity, he declared that he was ready to die. If he had + ended by depositing his bomb at the entrance of Duvillard’s house, it was + because he knew the banker well, and was aware that he was the wealthiest + of those <i>bourgeois</i> whose fathers at the time of the Revolution had + duped the people, by taking all power and wealth for themselves,—the + power and wealth which the sons were nowadays so obstinately bent in + retaining that they would not even bestow the veriest crumbs on others. As + for the Revolution, he understood it in his own fashion, like an + illiterate fellow who had learnt the little he knew from newspapers and + speeches at public meetings. And he struck his chest with his fist as he + spoke of his honesty, and was particularly desirous that none should doubt + his courage because he had fled. + </p> + <p> + “I’ve never robbed anybody,” said he, “and if I don’t go and hand myself + up to the police, it’s because they may surely take the trouble to find + and arrest me. I’m very well aware that my affair’s clear enough as + they’ve found that bradawl and know me. All the same, it would be silly of + me to help them in their work. Still, they’d better make haste, for I’ve + almost had enough of being tracked like a wild beast and no longer knowing + how I live.” + </p> + <p> + Janzen, yielding to curiosity, had ceased turning over the leaves of the + picture book and was looking at Salvat. There was a smile of disdain in + the Anarchist leader’s cold eyes; and in his usual broken French he + remarked: “A man fights and defends himself, kills others and tries to + avoid being killed himself. That’s warfare.” + </p> + <p> + These words fell from his lips amidst deep silence. Salvat, however, did + not seem to have heard them, but stammered forth his faith in a long + sentence laden with fulsome expressions, such as the sacrifice of his life + in order that want might cease, and the example of a great action, in the + certainty that it would inspire other heroes to continue the struggle. And + with this certainly sincere faith and illuminism of his there was blended + a martyr’s pride, delight at being one of the radiant, worshipped saints + of the dawning Revolutionary Church. + </p> + <p> + As he had come so he went off. When Janzen had led him away, it seemed as + if the night which had brought him had carried him back into its + impenetrable depths. And then only did Pierre rise from his chair. He was + stifling, and threw the large window of the room wide open. It was a very + mild but moonless night, whose silence was only disturbed by the subsiding + clamour of Paris, which stretched away, invisible, on the horizon. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, according to his habit, had begun to walk up and down. And at + last he spoke, again forgetting that his brother was a priest. “Ah! the + poor fellow! How well one can understand that deed of violence and hope! + His whole past life of fruitless labour and ever-growing want explains it. + Then, too, there has been all the contagion of ideas; the frequentation of + public meetings where men intoxicate themselves with words, and of secret + meetings among comrades where faith acquires firmness and the mind soars + wildly. Ah! I think I know that man well indeed! He’s a good workman, + sober and courageous. Injustice has always exasperated him. And little by + little the desire for universal happiness has cast him out of the + realities of life which he has ended by holding in horror. So how can he + do otherwise than live in a dream—a dream of redemption, which, from + circumstances, has turned to fire and murder as its fitting instruments. + As I looked at him standing there, I fancied I could picture one of the + first Christian slaves of ancient Rome. All the iniquity of olden pagan + society, agonising beneath the rottenness born of debauchery and + covetousness, was weighing on his shoulders, bearing him down. He had come + from the dark Catacombs where he had whispered words of deliverance and + redemption with his wretched brethren. And a thirst for martyrdom consumed + him, he spat in the face of Caesar, he insulted the gods, he fired the + pagan temples, in order that the reign of Jesus might come and abolish + servitude. And he was ready to die, to be torn to pieces by the wild + beasts!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not immediately reply. He had already been struck, however, by + the fact that there were undoubted points of resemblance between the + secret propaganda and militant faith of the Anarchists, and certain + practices of the first Christians. Both sects abandon themselves to a new + faith in the hope that the humble may thereby at last reap justice. + Paganism disappears through weariness of the flesh and the need of a more + lofty and pure faith. That dream of a Christian paradise opening up a + future life with a system of compensations for the ills endured on earth, + was the outcome of young hope dawning at its historic hour. But to-day, + when eighteen centuries have exhausted that hope, when the long experiment + is over and the toiler finds himself duped and still and ever a slave, he + once more dreams of getting happiness upon this earth, particularly as + each day Science tends more and more to show him that the happiness of the + spheres beyond is a lie. And in all this there is but the eternal struggle + of the poor and the rich, the eternal question of bringing more justice + and less suffering to the world. + </p> + <p> + “But surely,” Pierre at last replied, “you can’t be on the side of those + bandits, those murderers whose savage violence horrifies me. I let you + talk on yesterday, when you dreamt of a great and happy people, of ideal + anarchy in which each would be free amidst the freedom of all. But what + abomination, what disgust both for mind and heart, when one passes from + theory to propaganda and practice! If yours is the brain that thinks, + whose is the hateful hand that acts, that kills children, throws down + doors and empties drawers? Do you accept that responsibility? With your + education, your culture, the whole social heredity behind you, does not + your entire being revolt at the idea of stealing and murdering?” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume halted before his brother, quivering. “Steal and murder! no! no! + I will not. But one must say everything and fully understand the history + of the evil hour through which we are passing. It is madness sweeping by; + and, to tell the truth, everything necessary to provoke it has been done. + At the very dawn of the Anarchist theory, at the very first innocent + actions of its partisans, there was such stern repression, the police so + grossly ill-treating the poor devils that fell into its hands, that little + by little came anger and rage leading to the most horrible reprisals. It + is the Terror initiated by the <i>bourgeois</i> that has produced + Anarchist savagery. And would you know whence Salvat and his crime have + come? Why, from all our centuries of impudence and iniquity, from all that + the nations have suffered, from all the sores which are now devouring us, + the impatience for enjoyment, the contempt of the strong for the weak, the + whole monstrous spectacle which is presented by our rotting society!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume was again slowly walking to and fro; and as if he were + reflecting aloud he continued: “Ah! to reach the point I have attained, + through how much thought, through how many battles, have I not passed! I + was merely a Positivist, a <i>savant</i> devoted to observation and + experiment, accepting nothing apart from proven facts. Scientifically and + socially, I admitted that simple evolution had slowly brought humanity + into being. But both in the history of the globe and that of human + society, I found it necessary to make allowance for the volcano, the + sudden cataclysm, the sudden eruption, by which each geological phase, + each historical period, has been marked. In this wise one ends by + ascertaining that no forward step has ever been taken, no progress ever + accomplished in the world’s history, without the help of horrible + catastrophes. Each advance has meant the sacrifice of millions and + millions of human lives. This of course revolts us, given our narrow ideas + of justice, and we regard nature as a most barbarous mother; but, if we + cannot excuse the volcano, we ought to deal with it when it bursts forth, + like <i>savants</i> forewarned of its possibility.... And then, ah, then! + well, perhaps I’m a dreamer like others, but I have my own notions.” + </p> + <p> + With a sweeping gesture he confessed what a social dreamer there was + within him beside the methodical and scrupulous <i>savant</i>. His + constant endeavour was to bring all back to science, and he was deeply + grieved at finding in nature no scientific sign of equality or even + justice, such as he craved for in the social sphere. His despair indeed + came from this inability to reconcile scientific logic with apostolic + love, the dream of universal happiness and brotherhood and the end of all + iniquity. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, who had remained near the open window, gazing into the + night towards Paris, whence ascended the last sounds of the evening of + passionate pleasure, felt the whole flood of his own doubt and despair + stifling him. It was all too much: that brother of his who had fallen upon + him with his scientific and apostolic beliefs, those men who came to + discuss contemporary thought from every standpoint, and finally that + Salvat who had brought thither the exasperation of his mad deed. And + Pierre, who had hitherto listened to them all without a word, without a + gesture, who had hidden his secrets from his brother, seeking refuge in + his supposed priestly views, suddenly felt such bitterness stirring his + heart that he could lie no longer. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! brother, if you have your dream, I have my sore which has eaten into + me and left me void! Your Anarchy, your dream of just happiness, for which + Salvat works with bombs, why, it is the final burst of insanity which will + sweep everything away! How is it that you can’t realise it? The century is + ending in ruins. I’ve been listening to you all for a month past. Fourier + destroyed Saint-Simon, Proudhon and Comte demolished Fourier, each in turn + piling up incoherences and contradictions, leaving mere chaos behind them, + which nobody dares to sort out. And since then, Socialist sects have been + swarming and multiplying, the more sensible of them leading simply to + dictatorship, while the others indulge in most dangerous reveries. And + after such a tempest of ideas there could indeed come nothing but your + Anarchy, which undertakes to bring the old world to a finish by reducing + it to dust.... Ah! I expected it, I was waiting for it—that final + catastrophe, that fratricidal madness, the inevitable class warfare in + which our civilisation was destined to collapse! Everything announced it: + the want and misery below, the egotism up above, all the cracking of the + old human habitation, borne down by too great a weight of crime and grief. + When I went to Lourdes it was to see if the divinity of simple minds would + work the awaited miracle, and restore the belief of the early ages to the + people, which rebelled through excess of suffering. And when I went to + Rome it was in the <i>naive</i> hope of there finding the new religion + required by our democracies, the only one that could pacify the world by + bringing back the fraternity of the golden age. But how foolish of me all + that was! Both here and there, I simply lighted on nothingness. There + where I so ardently dreamt of finding the salvation of others, I only sank + myself, going down apeak like a ship not a timber of which is ever found + again. One tie still linked me to my fellow-men, that of charity, the + dressing, relieving, and perhaps, in the long run, healing, of wounds and + sores; but that last cable has now been severed. Charity, to my mind, + appears futile and derisive by the side of justice, to whom all supremacy + belongs, and whose advent has become a necessity and can be stayed by + none. And so it is all over, I am mere ashes, an empty grave as it were. I + no longer believe in anything, anything, anything whatever!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had risen to his full height, with arms outstretched as if to let + all the nothingness within his heart and mind fall from them. And + Guillaume, distracted by the sight of such a fierce denier, such a + despairing Nihilist as was now revealed to him, drew near, quivering: + “What are you saying, brother! I thought you so firm, so calm in your + belief! A priest to be admired, a saint worshipped by the whole of this + parish! I was unwilling even to discuss your faith, and now it is you who + deny all, and believe in nothing whatever!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre again slowly stretched out his arms. “There is nothing, I tried to + learn all, and only found the atrocious grief born of the nothingness that + overwhelms me.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! how you must suffer, Pierre, my little brother! Can religion, then, + be even more withering than science, since it has ravaged you like that, + while I have yet remained an old madman, still full of fancies?” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume caught hold of Pierre’s hands and pressed them, full of + terrified compassion in presence of all the grandeur and horror embodied + in that unbelieving priest who watched over the belief of others, and + chastely, honestly discharged his duty amidst the haughty sadness born of + his falsehood. And how heavily must that falsehood have weighed upon his + conscience for him to confess himself in that fashion, amidst an utter + collapse of his whole being! A month previously, in the unexpansiveness of + his proud solitude, he would never have taken such a course. To speak out + it was necessary that he should have been stirred by many things, his + reconciliation with his brother, the conversations he had heard of an + evening, the terrible drama in which he was mingled, as well as his + reflections on labour struggling against want, and the vague hope with + which the sight of intellectual youth had inspired him. And, indeed, amid + the very excess of his negation was there not already the faint dawn of a + new faith? + </p> + <p> + This Guillaume must have understood, on seeing how he quivered with + unsatisfied tenderness as he emerged from the fierce silence which he had + preserved so long. He made him sit down near the window, and placed + himself beside him without releasing his hands. “But I won’t have you + suffer, my little brother!” he said; “I won’t leave you, I’ll nurse you. + For I know you much better than you know yourself. You would never have + suffered were it not for the battle between your heart and your mind, and + you will cease to suffer on the day when they make peace, and you love + what you understand.” And in a lower voice, with infinite affection, he + went on: “You see, it’s our poor mother and our poor father continuing + their painful struggle in you. You were too young at the time, you + couldn’t know what went on. But I knew them both very wretched: he, + wretched through her, who treated him as if he were one of the damned; and + she, suffering through him, tortured by his irreligion. When he died, + struck down by an explosion in this very room, she took it to be the + punishment of God. Yet, what an honest man he was, with a good, great + heart, what a worker, seeking for truth alone, and desirous of the love + and happiness of all! Since we have spent our evenings here, I have felt + him coming back, reviving as it were both around and within us; and she, + too, poor, saintly woman, is ever here, enveloping us with love, weeping, + and yet stubbornly refusing to understand. It is they, perhaps, who have + kept me here so long, and who at this very moment are present to place + your hands in mine.” + </p> + <p> + And, indeed, it seemed to Pierre as if he could feel the breath of + vigilant affection which Guillaume evoked passing over them both. There + was again a revival of all the past, all their youth, and nothing could + have been more delightful. + </p> + <p> + “You hear me, brother,” Guillaume resumed. “You must reconcile them, for + it is only in you that they can be reconciled. You have his firm, lofty + brow, and her mouth and eyes of unrealisable tenderness. So, try to bring + them to agreement, by some day contenting, as your reason shall allow, the + everlasting thirst for love, and self-bestowal, and life, which for lack + of satisfaction is killing you. Your frightful wretchedness has no other + cause. Come back to life, love, bestow yourself, be a man!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre raised a dolorous cry: “No, no, the death born of doubt has swept + through me, withering and shattering everything, and nothing more can live + in that cold dust!” + </p> + <p> + “But, come,” resumed Guillaume, “you cannot have reached such absolute + negation. No man reaches it. Even in the most disabused of minds there + remains a nook of fancy and hope. To deny charity, devotion, the prodigies + which love may work, ah! for my part I do not go so far as that. And now + that you have shown me your sore, why should I not tell you my dream, the + wild hope which keeps me alive! It is strange; but, are <i>savants</i> to + be the last childish dreamers, and is faith only to spring up nowadays in + chemical laboratories?” + </p> + <p> + Intense emotion was stirring Guillaume; there was battle waging in both + his brain and his heart. And at last, yielding to the deep compassion + which filled him, vanquished by his ardent affection for his unhappy + brother, he spoke out. But he had drawn yet closer to Pierre, even passed + one arm around him; and it was thus embracing him that he, in his turn, + made his confession, lowering his voice as if he feared that someone might + overhear his secret. “Why should you not know it?” he said. “My own sons + are ignorant of it. But you are a man and my brother, and since there is + nothing of the priest left in you, it is to the brother I will confide it. + This will make me love you the more, and perhaps it may do you good.” + </p> + <p> + Then he told him of his invention, a new explosive, a powder of such + extraordinary force that its effects were incalculable. And he had found + employment for this powder in an engine of warfare, a special cannon, + hurling bombs which would assure the most overwhelming victory to the army + using them. The enemy’s forces would be destroyed in a few hours, and + besieged cities would fall into dust at the slightest bombardment. He had + long searched and doubted, calculated, recalculated and experimented; but + everything was now ready: the precise formula of the powder, the drawings + for the cannon and the bombs, a whole packet of precious papers stored in + a safe spot. And after months of anxious reflection he had resolved to + give his invention to France, so as to ensure her a certainty of victory + in her coming, inevitable war with Germany! + </p> + <p> + At the same time, he was not a man of narrow patriotism; on the contrary + he had a very broad, international conception of the future liberative + civilisation. Only he believed in the initiatory mission of France, and + particularly in that of Paris, which, even as it is to-day, was destined + to be the world’s brain to-morrow, whence all science and justice would + proceed. The great idea of liberty and equality had already soared from it + at the prodigious blast of the Revolution; and from its genius and valour + the final emancipation of man would also take its flight. Thus it was + necessary that Paris should be victorious in the struggle in order that + the world might be saved. + </p> + <p> + Pierre understood his brother, thanks to the lecture on explosives which + he had heard at Bertheroy’s. And the grandeur of this scheme, this dream, + particularly struck him when he thought of the extraordinary future which + would open for Paris amidst the effulgent blaze of the bombs. Moreover, he + was struck by all the nobility of soul which had lain behind his brother’s + anxiety for a month past. If Guillaume had trembled it was simply with + fear that his invention might be divulged in consequence of Salvat’s + crime. The slightest indiscretion might compromise everything; and that + little stolen cartridge, whose effects had so astonished <i>savants</i>, + might reveal his secret. He felt it necessary to act in mystery, choosing + his own time, awaiting the proper hour, until when the secret would + slumber in its hiding-place, confided to the sole care of Mère-Grand, who + had her orders and knew what she was to do should he, in any sudden + accident, disappear. + </p> + <p> + “And, now,” said Guillaume in conclusion, “you know my hopes and my + anguish, and you can help me and even take my place if I am unable to + reach the end of my task. Ah! to reach the end! Since I have been shut up + here, reflecting, consumed by anxiety and impatience, there have been + hours when I have ceased to see my way clearly! There is that Salvat, that + wretched fellow for whose crime we are all of us responsible, and who is + now being hunted down like a wild beast! There is also that insensate and + insatiable <i>bourgeoisie</i>, which will let itself be crushed by the + fall of the shaky old house, rather than allow the least repair to it! And + there is further that avaricious, that abominable Parisian press, so harsh + towards the weak and little, so fond of insulting those who have none to + defend them, so eager to coin money out of public misfortune, and ready to + spread insanity on all sides, simply to increase its sales! Where, + therefore, shall one find truth and justice, the hand endowed with logic + and health that ought to be armed with the thunderbolt? Would Paris the + conqueror, Paris the master of the nations, prove the justiciar, the + saviour that men await! Ah! the anguish of believing oneself to be the + master of the world’s destinies, and to have to choose and decide.” + </p> + <p> + He had risen again quivering, full of anger and fear that human + wretchedness and baseness might prevent the realisation of his dream. And + amidst the heavy silence which fell in the room, the little house suddenly + resounded with a regular, continuous footfall. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes! to save men and love them, and wish them all to be equal and + free,” murmured Pierre, bitterly. “But just listen! Barthès’s footsteps + are answering you, as if from the everlasting dungeon into which his love + of liberty has thrown him!” + </p> + <p> + However, Guillaume had already regained possession of himself, and coming + back in a transport of his faith, he once more took Pierre in his loving, + saving arms, like an elder brother who gives himself without restraint. + “No, no, I’m wrong, I’m blaspheming,” he exclaimed; “I wish you to be with + me, full of hope and full of certainty. You must work, you must love, you + must revive to life. Life alone can give you back peace and health.” + </p> + <p> + Tears returned to the eyes of Pierre, who was penetrated to the heart by + this ardent affection. “Ah! how I should like to believe you,” he + faltered, “and try to cure myself. True, I have already felt, as it were, + a vague revival within me. And yet to live again, no, I cannot; the priest + that I am is dead—a lifeless, an empty tomb.” + </p> + <p> + He was shaken by so frightful a sob, that Guillaume could not restrain his + own tears. And clasped in one another’s arms the brothers wept on, their + hearts full of the softest emotion in that home of their youth, whither + the dear shadows of their parents ever returned, hovering around until + they should be reconciled and restored to the peace of the earth. And all + the darkness and mildness of the garden streamed in through the open + window, while yonder, on the horizon, Paris had fallen asleep in the + mysterious gloom, beneath a very peaceful sky which was studded with + stars. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol13"></a> + BOOK III. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap52"></a> + I. THE RIVALS + </h2> + <p> + ON the Wednesday preceding the mid-Lent Thursday, a great charity bazaar + was held at the Duvillard mansion, for the benefit of the Asylum of the + Invalids of Labour. The ground-floor reception rooms, three spacious Louis + Seize <i>salons</i>, whose windows overlooked the bare and solemn + courtyard, were given up to the swarm of purchasers, five thousand + admission cards having been distributed among all sections of Parisian + society. And the opening of the bombarded mansion in this wise to + thousands of visitors was regarded as quite an event, a real + manifestation, although some people whispered that the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy + and the adjacent streets were guarded by quite an army of police agents. + </p> + <p> + The idea of the bazaar had come from Duvillard himself, and at his bidding + his wife had resigned herself to all this worry for the benefit of the + enterprise over which she presided with such distinguished nonchalance. On + the previous day the “Globe” newspaper, inspired by its director Fonsègue, + who was also the general manager of the asylum, had published a very fine + article, announcing the bazaar, and pointing out how noble, and touching, + and generous was the initiative of the Baroness, who still gave her time, + her money, and even her home to charity, in spite of the abominable crime + which had almost reduced that home to ashes. Was not this the magnanimous + answer of the spheres above to the hateful passions of the spheres below? + And was it not also a peremptory answer to those who accused the + capitalists of doing nothing for the wage-earners, the disabled and + broken-down sons of toil? + </p> + <p> + The drawing-room doors were to be opened at two o’clock, and would only + close at seven, so that there would be five full hours for the sales. And + at noon, when nothing was as yet ready downstairs, when workmen and women + were still decorating the stalls, and sorting the goods amidst a final + scramble, there was, as usual, a little friendly <i>déjeuner</i>, to which + a few guests had been invited, in the private rooms on the first floor. + However, a scarcely expected incident had given a finishing touch to the + general excitement of the house: that very morning Sagnier had resumed his + campaign of denunciation in the matter of the African Railway Lines. In a + virulent article in the “Voix du Peuple,” he had inquired if it were the + intention of the authorities to beguile the public much longer with the + story of that bomb and that Anarchist whom the police did not arrest. And + this time, while undertaking to publish the names of the thirty-two + corrupt senators and deputies in a very early issue, he had boldly named + Minister Barroux as one who had pocketed a sum of 200,000 francs. Mège + would therefore certainly revive his interpellation, which might become + dangerous, now that Paris had been thrown into such a distracted state by + terror of the Anarchists. At the same time it was said that Vignon and his + party had resolved to turn circumstances to account, with the object of + overthrowing the ministry. Thus a redoubtable crisis was inevitably at + hand. Fortunately, the Chamber did not meet that Wednesday; in fact, it + had adjourned until the Friday, with the view of making mid-Lent a + holiday. And so forty-eight hours were left one to prepare for the + onslaught. + </p> + <p> + Eve, that morning, seemed more gentle and languid than ever, rather pale + too, with an expression of sorrowful anxiety in the depths of her + beautiful eyes. She set it all down to the very great fatigue which the + preparations for the bazaar had entailed on her. But the truth was that + Gérard de Quinsac, after shunning any further assignation, had for five + days past avoided her in an embarrassed way. Still she was convinced that + she would see him that morning, and so she had again ventured to wear the + white silk gown which made her look so much younger than she really was. + At the same time, beautiful as she had remained, with her delicate skin, + superb figure and noble and charming countenance, her six and forty years + were asserting themselves in her blotchy complexion and the little creases + which were appearing about her lips, eyelids and temples. + </p> + <p> + Camille, for her part, though her position as daughter of the house made + it certain that she would attract much custom as a saleswoman, had + obstinately persisted in wearing one of her usual dresses, a dark + “carmelite” gown, an old woman’s frock, as she herself called it with a + cutting laugh. However, her long and wicked-looking face beamed with some + secret delight; such an expression of wit and intelligence wreathing her + thin lips and shining in her big eyes that one lost sight of her deformity + and thought her almost pretty. + </p> + <p> + Eve experienced a first deception in the little blue and silver + sitting-room, where, accompanied by her daughter, she awaited the arrival + of her guests. General de Bozonnet, whom Gérard was to have brought with + him, came in alone, explaining that Madame de Quinsac had felt rather + poorly that morning, and that Gérard, like a good and dutiful son, had + wished to remain with her. Still he would come to the bazaar directly + after <i>déjeuner</i>. While the Baroness listened to the General, + striving to hide her disappointment and her fear that she would now be + unable to obtain any explanation from Gérard that day, Camille looked at + her with eager, devouring eyes. And a certain covert instinct of the + misfortune threatening her must at that moment have come to Eve, for in + her turn she glanced at her daughter and turned pale as if with anxiety. + </p> + <p> + Then Princess Rosemonde de Harn swept in like a whirlwind. She also was to + be one of the saleswomen at the stall chosen by the Baroness, who liked + her for her very turbulence, the sudden gaiety which she generally brought + with her. Gowned in fire-hued satin (red shot with yellow), looking very + eccentric with her curly hair and thin boyish figure, she laughed and + talked of an accident by which her carriage had almost been cut in halves. + Then, as Baron Duvillard and Hyacinthe came in from their rooms, late as + usual, she took possession of the young man and scolded him, for on the + previous evening she had vainly waited for him till ten o’clock in the + expectation that he would keep his promise to escort her to a tavern at + Montmartre, where some horrible things were said to occur. Hyacinthe, + looking very bored, quietly replied that he had been detained at a seance + given by some adepts in the New Magic, in the course of which the soul of + St. Theresa had descended from heaven to recite a love sonnet. + </p> + <p> + However, Fonsègue was now coming in with his wife, a tall, thin, silent + and generally insignificant woman, whom he seldom took about with him. On + this occasion he had been obliged to bring her, as she was one of the + lady-patronesses of the asylum, and he himself was coming to lunch with + the Duvillards in his capacity as general manager. To the superficial + observer he looked quite as gay as usual; but he blinked nervously, and + his first glance was a questioning one in the direction of Duvillard, as + if he wished to know how the latter bore the fresh thrust directed at him + by Sagnier. And when he saw the banker looking perfectly composed, as + superb, as rubicund as usual, and chatting in a bantering way with + Rosemonde, he also put on an easy air, like a gamester who had never lost + but had always known how to compel good luck, even in hours of treachery. + And by way of showing his unconstraint of mind he at once addressed the + Baroness on managerial matters: “Have you now succeeded in seeing M. + l’Abbé Froment for the affair of that old man Laveuve, whom he so warmly + recommended to us? All the formalities have been gone through, you know, + and he can be brought to us at once, as we have had a bed vacant for three + days past.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know,” replied Eve; “but I can’t imagine what has become of Abbé + Froment, for he hasn’t given us a sign of life for a month past. However, + I made up my mind to write to him yesterday, and beg him to come to the + bazaar to-day. In this manner I shall be able to acquaint him with the + good news myself.” + </p> + <p> + “It was to leave you the pleasure of doing so,” said Fonsègue, “that I + refrained from sending him any official communication. He’s a charming + priest, is he not?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! charming, we are very fond of him.” + </p> + <p> + However, Duvillard now intervened to say that they need not wait for + Duthil, as he had received a telegram from him stating that he was + detained by sudden business. At this Fonsègue’s anxiety returned, and he + once more questioned the Baron with his eyes. Duvillard smiled, however, + and reassured him in an undertone: “It’s nothing serious. Merely a + commission for me, about which he’ll only be able to bring me an answer + by-and-by.” Then, taking Fonsègue on one side, he added: “By the way, + don’t forget to insert the paragraph I told you of.” + </p> + <p> + “What paragraph? Oh! yes, the one about that <i>soiree</i> at which + Silviane recited a piece of verse. Well, I wanted to speak to you about + it. It worries me a little, on account of the excessive praise it + contains.” + </p> + <p> + Duvillard, but a moment before so full of serenity, with his lofty, + conquering, disdainful mien, now suddenly became pale and agitated. “But I + absolutely want it to be inserted, my dear fellow! You would place me in + the greatest embarrassment if it were not to appear, for I promised + Silviane that it should.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke his lips trembled, and a scared look came into his eyes, + plainly revealing his dismay. + </p> + <p> + “All right, all right,” said Fonsègue, secretly amused, and well pleased + at this complicity. “As it’s so serious the paragraph shall go in, I + promise you.” + </p> + <p> + The whole company was now present, since neither Gérard nor Duthil was to + be expected. So they went into the dining-room amidst a final noise of + hammering in the sale-rooms below. The meal proved somewhat of a scramble, + and was on three occasions disturbed by female attendants, who came to + explain difficulties and ask for orders. Doors were constantly slamming, + and the very walls seemed to shake with the unusual bustle which filled + the house. And feverish as they all were in the dining-room, they talked + in desultory, haphazard fashion on all sorts of subjects, passing from a + ball given at the Ministry of the Interior on the previous night, to the + popular mid-Lent festival which would take place on the morrow, and ever + reverting to the bazaar, the prices that had been given for the goods + which would be on sale, the prices at which they might be sold, and the + probable figure of the full receipts, all this being interspersed with + strange anecdotes, witticisms and bursts of laughter. On the General + mentioning magistrate Amadieu, Eve declared that she no longer dared to + invite him to <i>déjeuner</i>, knowing how busy he was at the Palace of + Justice. Still, she certainly hoped that he would come to the bazaar and + contribute something. Then Fonsègue amused himself with teasing Princess + Rosemonde about her fire-hued gown, in which, said he, she must already + feel roasted by the flames of hell; a suggestion which secretly delighted + her, as Satanism had now become her momentary passion. Meantime, Duvillard + lavished the most gallant politeness on that silent creature, Madame + Fonsègue, while Hyacinthe, in order to astonish even the Princess, + explained in a few words how the New Magic could transform a chaste young + man into a real angel. And Camille, who seemed very happy and very + excited, from time to time darted a hot glance at her mother, whose + anxiety and sadness increased as she found the other more and more + aggressive, and apparently resolved upon open and merciless warfare. + </p> + <p> + At last, just as the dessert was coming to an end, the Baroness heard her + daughter exclaim in a piercing, defiant voice: “Oh! don’t talk to me of + the old ladies who still seem to be playing with dolls, and paint + themselves, and dress as if they were about to be confirmed! All such + ogresses ought to retire from the scene! I hold them in horror!” + </p> + <p> + At this, Eve nervously rose from her seat, and exclaimed apologetically: + “You must forgive me for hurrying you like this. But I’m afraid that we + shan’t have time to drink our coffee in peace.” + </p> + <p> + The coffee was served in the little blue and silver sitting-room, where + bloomed some lovely yellow roses, testifying to the Baroness’s keen + passion for flowers, which made the house an abode of perpetual spring. + Duvillard and Fonsègue, however, carrying their cups of steaming coffee + with them, at once went into the former’s private room to smoke a cigar + there and chat in freedom. As the door remained wide open, one could hear + their gruff voices more or less distinctly. Meantime, General de Bozonnet, + delighted to find in Madame Fonsègue a serious, submissive person, who + listened without interrupting, began to tell her a very long story of an + officer’s wife who had followed her husband through every battle of the + war of 1870. Then Hyacinthe, who took no coffee—contemptuously + declaring it to be a beverage only fit for door-keepers—managed to + rid himself of Rosemonde, who was sipping some kummel, in order to come + and whisper to his sister: “I say, it was very stupid of you to taunt + mamma in the way you did just now. I don’t care a rap about it myself. But + it ends by being noticed, and, I warn you candidly, it shows ill + breeding.” + </p> + <p> + Camille gazed at him fixedly with her black eyes. “Pray don’t <i>you</i> + meddle with my affairs,” said she. + </p> + <p> + At this he felt frightened, scented a storm, and decided to take Rosemonde + into the adjoining red drawing-room in order to show her a picture which + his father had just purchased. And the General, on being called by him, + likewise conducted Madame Fonsègue thither. + </p> + <p> + The mother and daughter then suddenly found themselves alone and face to + face. Eve was leaning on a pier-table, as if overcome; and indeed, the + least sorrow bore her down, so weak at heart she was, ever ready to weep + in her naive and perfect egotism. Why was it that her daughter thus hated + her, and did her utmost to disturb that last happy spell of love in which + her heart lingered? She looked at Camille, grieved rather than irritated; + and the unfortunate idea came to her of making a remark about her dress at + the very moment when the girl was on the point of following the others + into the larger drawing-room. + </p> + <p> + “It’s quite wrong of you, my dear,” said she, “to persist in dressing like + an old woman. It doesn’t improve you a bit.” + </p> + <p> + As Eve spoke, her soft eyes, those of a courted and worshipped handsome + woman, clearly expressed the compassion she felt for that ugly, deformed + girl, whom she had never been able to regard as a daughter. Was it + possible that she, with her sovereign beauty, that beauty which she + herself had ever adored and nursed, making it her one care, her one + religion—was it possible that she had given birth to such a + graceless creature, with a dark, goatish profile, one shoulder higher than + the other, and a pair of endless arms such as hunchbacks often have? All + her grief and all her shame at having had such a child became apparent in + the quivering of her voice. + </p> + <p> + Camille, however, had stopped short, as if struck in the face with a whip. + Then she came back to her mother and the horrible explanation began with + these simple words spoken in an undertone: “You consider that I dress + badly? Well, you ought to have paid some attention to me, have seen that + my gowns suited your taste, and have taught me your secret of looking + beautiful!” + </p> + <p> + Eve, with her dislike of all painful feeling, all quarrelling and bitter + words, was already regretting her attack. So she sought to make a retreat, + particularly as time was flying and they would soon be expected + downstairs: “Come, be quiet, and don’t show your bad temper when all those + people can hear us. I have loved you—” + </p> + <p> + But with a quiet yet terrible laugh Camille interrupted her. “You’ve loved + me! Oh! my poor mamma, what a comical thing to say! Have you ever loved <i>anybody</i>? + You want others to love <i>you</i>, but that’s another matter. As for your + child, any child, do you even know how it ought to be loved? You have + always neglected me, thrust me on one side, deeming me so ugly, so + unworthy of you! And besides, you have not had days and nights enough to + love yourself! Oh! don’t deny it, my poor mamma; but even now you’re + looking at me as if I were some loathsome monster that’s in your way.” + </p> + <p> + From that moment the abominable scene was bound to continue to the end. + With their teeth set, their faces close together, the two women went on + speaking in feverish whispers. + </p> + <p> + “Be quiet, Camille, I tell you! I will not allow such language!” + </p> + <p> + “But I won’t be quiet when you do all you can to wound me. If it’s wrong + of me to dress like an old woman, perhaps another is rather ridiculous in + dressing like a girl, like a bride.” + </p> + <p> + “Like a bride? I don’t understand you.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! yes, you do. However, I would have you know that everybody doesn’t + find me so ugly as you try to make them believe.” + </p> + <p> + “If you look amiss, it is because you don’t dress properly; that is all I + said.” + </p> + <p> + “I dress as I please, and no doubt I do so well enough, since I’m loved as + I am.” + </p> + <p> + “What, really! Does someone love you? Well, let him inform us of it and + marry you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—certainly, certainly! It will be a good riddance, won’t it? And + you’ll have the pleasure of seeing me as a bride!” + </p> + <p> + Their voices were rising in spite of their efforts to restrain them. + However, Camille paused and drew breath before hissing out the words: + “Gérard is coming here to ask for my hand in a day or two.” + </p> + <p> + Eve, livid, with wildly staring eyes, did not seem to understand. “Gérard? + why do you tell me that?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, because it’s Gérard who loves me and who is going to marry me! You + drive me to extremities; you’re for ever repeating that I’m ugly; you + treat me like a monster whom nobody will ever care for. So I’m forced to + defend myself and tell you the truth in order to prove to you that + everybody is not of your opinion.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell; the frightful thing which had risen between them seemed to + have arrested the quarrel. But there was neither mother nor daughter left + there. They were simply two suffering, defiant rivals. Eve in her turn + drew a long breath and glanced anxiously towards the adjoining room to + ascertain if anyone were coming in or listening to them. And then in a + tone of resolution she made answer: + </p> + <p> + “You cannot marry Gérard.” + </p> + <p> + “Pray, why not?” + </p> + <p> + “Because I won’t have it; because it’s impossible.” + </p> + <p> + “That isn’t a reason; give me a reason.” + </p> + <p> + “The reason is that the marriage is impossible that is all.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I’ll tell you the reason since you force me to it. The reason is + that Gérard is your lover! But what does that matter, since I know it and + am willing to take him all the same?” + </p> + <p> + And to this retort Camille’s flaming eyes added the words: “And it is + particularly on that account that I want him.” All the long torture born + of her infirmities, all her rage at having always seen her mother + beautiful, courted and adored, was now stirring her and seeking vengeance + in cruel triumph. At last then she was snatching from her rival the lover + of whom she had so long been jealous! + </p> + <p> + “You wretched girl!” stammered Eve, wounded in the heart and almost + sinking to the floor. “You don’t know what you say or what you make me + suffer.” + </p> + <p> + However, she again had to pause, draw herself erect and smile; for + Rosemonde hastened in from the adjoining room with the news that she was + wanted downstairs. The doors were about to be opened, and it was necessary + she should be at her stall. Yes, Eve answered, she would be down in + another moment. Still, even as she spoke she leant more heavily on the + pier-table behind her in order that she might not fall. + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe had drawn near to his sister: “You know,” said he, “it’s simply + idiotic to quarrel like that. You would do much better to come + downstairs.” + </p> + <p> + But Camille harshly dismissed him: “Just <i>you</i> go off, and take the + others with you. It’s quite as well that they shouldn’t be about our + ears.” + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe glanced at his mother, like one who knew the truth and + considered the whole affair ridiculous. And then, vexed at seeing her so + deficient in energy in dealing with that little pest, his sister, he + shrugged his shoulders, and leaving them to their folly, conducted the + others away. One could hear Rosemonde laughing as she went off below, + while the General began to tell Madame Fonsègue another story as they + descended the stairs together. However, at the moment when the mother and + daughter at last fancied themselves alone once more, other voices reached + their ears, those of Duvillard and Fonsègue, who were still near at hand. + The Baron from his room might well overhear the dispute. + </p> + <p> + Eve felt that she ought to have gone off. But she had lacked the strength + to do so; it had been a sheer impossibility for her after those words + which had smote her like a buffet amidst her distress at the thought of + losing her lover. + </p> + <p> + “Gérard cannot marry you,” she said; “he does not love you.” + </p> + <p> + “He does.” + </p> + <p> + “You fancy it because he has good-naturedly shown some kindness to you, on + seeing others pay you such little attention. But he does not love you.” + </p> + <p> + “He does. He loves me first because I’m not such a fool as many others + are, and particularly because I’m young.” + </p> + <p> + This was a fresh wound for the Baroness; one inflicted with mocking + cruelty in which rang out all the daughter’s triumphant delight at seeing + her mother’s beauty at last ripening and waning. “Ah! my poor mamma, you + no longer know what it is to be young. If I’m not beautiful, at all events + I’m young; my eyes are clear and my lips are fresh. And my hair’s so long + too, and I’ve so much of it that it would suffice to gown me if I chose. + You see, one’s never ugly when one’s young. Whereas, my poor mamma, + everything is ended when one gets old. It’s all very well for a woman to + have been beautiful, and to strive to keep so, but in reality there’s only + ruin left, and shame and disgust.” + </p> + <p> + She spoke these words in such a sharp, ferocious voice that each of them + entered her mother’s heart like a knife. Tears rose to the eyes of the + wretched woman, again stricken in her bleeding wound. Ah! it was true, she + remained without weapons against youth. And all her anguish came from the + consciousness that she was growing old, from the feeling that love was + departing from her now, that like a fruit she had ripened and fallen from + the tree. + </p> + <p> + “But Gérard’s mother will never let him marry you,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “He will prevail on her; that’s his concern. I’ve a dowry of two millions, + and two millions can settle many things.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you now want to libel him, and say that he’s marrying you for your + money?” + </p> + <p> + “No, indeed! Gérard’s a very nice and honest fellow. He loves me and he’s + marrying me for myself. But, after all, he isn’t rich; he still has no + assured position, although he’s thirty-six; and there may well be some + advantage in a wife who brings you wealth as well as happiness. For, you + hear, mamma, it’s happiness I’m bringing him, real happiness, love that’s + shared and is certain of the future.” + </p> + <p> + Once again their faces drew close together. The hateful scene, interrupted + by sounds around them, postponed, and then resumed, was dragging on, + becoming a perfect drama full of murderous violence, although they never + shouted, but still spoke on in low and gasping voices. Neither gave way to + the other, though at every moment they were liable to some surprise; for + not only were all the doors open, so that the servants might come in, but + the Baron’s voice still rang out gaily, close at hand. + </p> + <p> + “He loves you, he loves you”—continued Eve. “That’s what you say. + But <i>he</i> never told you so.” + </p> + <p> + “He has told me so twenty times; he repeats it every time that we are + alone together!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, just as one says it to a little girl by way of amusing her. But he + has never told you that he meant to marry you.” + </p> + <p> + “He told it me the last time he came. And it’s settled. I’m simply waiting + for him to get his mother’s consent and make his formal offer.” + </p> + <p> + “You lie, you lie, you wretched girl! You simply want to make me suffer, + and you lie, you lie!” + </p> + <p> + Eve’s grief at last burst forth in that cry of protest. She no longer knew + that she was a mother, and was speaking to her daughter. The woman, the <i>amorosa</i>, + alone remained in her, outraged and exasperated by a rival. And with a sob + she confessed the truth: “It is I he loves! Only the last time I spoke to + him, he swore to me—you hear me?—he swore upon his honour that + he did not love you, and that he would never marry you!” + </p> + <p> + A faint, sharp laugh came from Camille. Then, with an air of derisive + compassion, she replied: “Ah! my poor mamma, you really make me sorry for + you! What a child you are! Yes, really, you are the child, not I. What! + you who ought to have so much experience, you still allow yourself to be + duped by a man’s protests! That one really has no malice; and, indeed, + that’s why he swears whatever you want him to swear, just to please and + quiet you, for at heart he’s a bit of a coward.” + </p> + <p> + “You lie, you lie!” + </p> + <p> + “But just think matters over. If he no longer comes here, if he didn’t + come to <i>déjeuner</i> this morning, it is simply because he’s had enough + of you. He has left you for good; just have the courage to realise it. Of + course he’s still polite and amiable, because he’s a well-bred man, and + doesn’t know how to break off. The fact is that he takes pity on you.” + </p> + <p> + “You lie, you lie!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, question him then. Have a frank explanation with him. Ask him his + intentions in a friendly way. And then show some good nature yourself, and + realise that if you care for him you ought to give him me at once in his + own interest. Give him back his liberty, and you will soon see that I’m + the one he loves.” + </p> + <p> + “You lie, you lie! You wretched child, you only want to torture and kill + me!” + </p> + <p> + Then, in her fury and distress, Eve remembered that she was the mother, + and that it was for her to chastise that unworthy daughter. There was no + stick near her, but from a basket of the yellow roses, whose powerful + scent intoxicated both of them, she plucked a handful of blooms, with long + and spiny stalks, and smote Camille across the face. A drop of blood + appeared on the girl’s left temple, near her eyelid. + </p> + <p> + But she sprang forward, flushed and maddened by this correction, with her + hand raised and ready to strike back. “Take care, mother! I swear I’d beat + you like a gipsy! And now just put this into your head: I mean to marry + Gérard, and I will; and I’ll take him from you, even if I have to raise a + scandal, should you refuse to give him to me with good grace.” + </p> + <p> + Eve, after her one act of angry vigour, had sunk into an armchair, + overcome, distracted. And all the horror of quarrels, which sprang from + her egotistical desire to be happy, caressed, flattered and adored, was + returning to her. But Camille, still threatening, still unsatiated, showed + her heart as it really was, her stern, black, unforgiving heart, + intoxicated with cruelty. There came a moment of supreme silence, while + Duvillard’s gay voice again rang out in the adjoining room. + </p> + <p> + The mother was gently weeping, when Hyacinthe, coming upstairs at a run, + swept into the little <i>salon</i>. He looked at the two women, and made a + gesture of indulgent contempt. “Ah! you’re no doubt satisfied now! But + what did I tell you? It would have been much better for you to have come + downstairs at once! Everybody is asking for you. It’s all idiotic. I’ve + come to fetch you.” + </p> + <p> + Eve and Camille would not yet have followed him, perhaps, if Duvillard and + Fonsègue had not at that moment come out of the former’s room. Having + finished their cigars they also spoke of going downstairs. And Eve had to + rise and smile and show dry eyes, while Camille, standing before a + looking-glass, arranged her hair, and stanched the little drop of blood + that had gathered on her temple. + </p> + <p> + There was already quite a number of people below, in the three huge + saloons adorned with tapestry and plants. The stalls had been draped with + red silk, which set a gay, bright glow around the goods. And no ordinary + bazaar could have put forth such a show, for there was something of + everything among the articles of a thousand different kinds, from sketches + by recognised masters, and the autographs of famous writers, down to socks + and slippers and combs. The haphazard way in which things were laid out + was in itself an attraction; and, in addition, there was a buffet, where + the whitest of beautiful hands poured out champagne, and two lotteries, + one for an organ and another for a pony-drawn village cart, the tickets + for which were sold by a bevy of charming girls, who had scattered through + the throng. As Duvillard had expected, however, the great success of the + bazaar lay in the delightful little shiver which the beautiful ladies + experienced as they passed through the entrance where the bomb had + exploded. The rougher repairing work was finished, the walls and ceilings + had been doctored, in part re-constructed. However, the painters had not + yet come, and here and there the whiter stone and plaster work showed like + fresh scars left by all the terrible gashes. It was with mingled anxiety + and rapture that pretty heads emerged from the carriages which, arriving + in a continuous stream, made the flagstones of the court re-echo. And in + the three saloons, beside the stalls, there was no end to the lively + chatter: “Ah! my dear, did you see all those marks? How frightful, how + frightful! The whole house was almost blown up. And to think it might + begin again while we are here! One really needs some courage to come, but + then, that asylum is such a deserving institution, and money is badly + wanted to build a new wing. And besides, those monsters will see that we + are not frightened, whatever they do.” + </p> + <p> + When the Baroness at last came down to her stall with Camille she found + the saleswomen feverishly at work already under the direction of Princess + Rosemonde, who on occasions of this kind evinced the greatest cunning and + rapacity, robbing the customers in the most impudent fashion. “Ah! here + you are,” she exclaimed. “Beware of a number of higglers who have come to + secure bargains. I know them! They watch for their opportunities, turn + everything topsy-turvy and wait for us to lose our heads and forget + prices, so as to pay even less than they would in a real shop. But I’ll + get good prices from them, you shall see!” + </p> + <p> + At this, Eve, who for her own part was a most incapable saleswoman, had to + laugh with the others. And in a gentle voice she made a pretence of + addressing certain recommendations to Camille, who listened with a smiling + and most submissive air. In point of fact the wretched mother was sinking + with emotion, particularly at the thought that she would have to remain + there till seven o’clock, and suffer in secret before all those people, + without possibility of relief. And thus it was almost like a respite when + she suddenly perceived Abbé Froment sitting and waiting for her on a + settee, covered with red velvet, near her stall. Her legs were failing + her, so she took a place beside him. + </p> + <p> + “You received my letter then, Monsieur l’Abbé. I am glad that you have + come, for I have some good news to give you, and wished to leave you the + pleasure of imparting it to your <i>protégé</i>, that man Laveuve, whom + you so warmly recommended to me. Every formality has now been fulfilled, + and you can bring him to the asylum to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre gazed at her in stupefaction. “Laveuve? Why, he is dead!” + </p> + <p> + In her turn she became astonished. “What, dead! But you never informed me + of it! If I told you of all the trouble that has been taken, of all that + had to be undone and done again, and the discussions and the papers and + the writing! Are you quite sure that he is dead?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! yes, he is dead. He has been dead a month.” + </p> + <p> + “Dead a month! Well, we could not know; you yourself gave us no sign of + life. Ah! <i>mon Dieu</i>! what a worry that he should be dead. We shall + now be obliged to undo everything again!” + </p> + <p> + “He is dead, madame. It is true that I ought to have informed you of it. + But that doesn’t alter the fact—he is dead.” + </p> + <p> + Dead! that word which kept on returning, the thought too, that for a month + past she had been busying herself for a corpse, quite froze her, brought + her to the very depths of despair, like an omen of the cold death into + which she herself must soon descend, in the shroud of her last passion. + And, meantime, Pierre, despite himself, smiled bitterly at the atrocious + irony of it all. Ah! that lame and halting Charity, which proffers help + when men are dead! + </p> + <p> + The priest still lingered on the settee when the Baroness rose. She had + seen magistrate Amadieu hurriedly enter like one who just wished to show + himself, purchase some trifle, and then return to the Palace of Justice. + However, he was also perceived by little Massot, the “Globe” reporter, who + was prowling round the stalls, and who at once bore down upon him, eager + for information. And he hemmed him in and forthwith interviewed him + respecting the affair of that mechanician Salvat, who was accused of + having deposited the bomb at the entrance of the house. Was this simply an + invention of the police, as some newspapers pretended? Or was it really + correct? And if so, would Salvat soon be arrested? In self-defence Amadieu + answered correctly enough that the affair did not as yet concern him, and + would only come within his attributions, if Salvat should be arrested and + the investigation placed in his hands. At the same time, however, the + magistrate’s pompous and affectedly shrewd manner suggested that he + already knew everything to the smallest details, and that, had he chosen, + he could have promised some great events for the morrow. A circle of + ladies had gathered round him as he spoke, quite a number of pretty women + feverish with curiosity, who jostled one another in their eagerness to + hear that brigand tale which sent a little shiver coursing under their + skins. However, Amadieu managed to slip off after paying Rosemonde twenty + francs for a cigarette case, which was perhaps worth thirty sous. + </p> + <p> + Massot, on recognising Pierre, came up to shake hands with him. “Don’t you + agree with me, Monsieur l’Abbé, that Salvat must be a long way off by now + if he’s got good legs? Ah! the police will always make me laugh!” + </p> + <p> + However, Rosemonde brought Hyacinthe up to the journalist. “Monsieur + Massot,” said she, “you who go everywhere, I want you to be judge. That + Chamber of Horrors at Montmartre, that tavern where Legras sings the + ‘Flowers of the Streets’—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! a delightful spot, madame,” interrupted Massot, “I wouldn’t take even + a gendarme there.” + </p> + <p> + “No, don’t jest, Monsieur Massot, I’m talking seriously. Isn’t it quite + allowable for a respectable woman to go there when she’s accompanied by a + gentleman?” And, without allowing the journalist time to answer her, she + turned towards Hyacinthe: “There! you see that Monsieur Massot doesn’t say + no! You’ve got to take me there this evening, it’s sworn, it’s sworn.” + </p> + <p> + Then she darted away to sell a packet of pins to an old lady, while the + young man contented himself with remarking, in the voice of one who has no + illusions left: “She’s quite idiotic with her Chamber of Horrors!” + </p> + <p> + Massot philosophically shrugged his shoulders. It was only natural that a + woman should want to amuse herself. And when Hyacinthe had gone off, + passing with perverse contempt beside the lovely girls who were selling + lottery tickets, the journalist ventured to murmur: “All the same, it + would do that youngster good if a woman were to take him in hand.” + </p> + <p> + Then, again addressing Pierre, he resumed: “Why, here comes Duthil! What + did Sagnier mean this morning by saying that Duthil would sleep at Mazas + to-night?” + </p> + <p> + In a great hurry apparently, and all smiles, Duthil was cutting his way + through the crowd in order to join Duvillard and Fonsègue, who still stood + talking near the Baroness’s stall. And he waved his hand to them in a + victorious way, to imply that he had succeeded in the delicate mission + entrusted to him. This was nothing less than a bold manœuvre to hasten + Silviane’s admission to the Comédie Française. The idea had occurred to + her of making the Baron give a dinner at the Cafe Anglais in order that + she might meet at it an influential critic, who, according to her + statements, would compel the authorities to throw the doors wide open for + her as soon as he should know her. However, it did not seem easy to secure + the critic’s presence, as he was noted for his sternness and grumbling + disposition. And, indeed, after a first repulse, Duthil had for three days + past been obliged to exert all his powers of diplomacy, and bring even the + remotest influence into play. But he was radiant now, for he had + conquered. + </p> + <p> + “It’s for this evening, my dear Baron, at half-past seven,” he exclaimed. + “Ah! dash it all, I’ve had more trouble than I should have had to secure a + concession vote!” Then he laughed with the pretty impudence of a man of + pleasure, whom political conscientiousness did not trouble. And, indeed, + his allusion to the fresh denunciations of the “Voix du Peuple” hugely + amused him. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t jest,” muttered Fonsègue, who for his part wished to amuse himself + by frightening the young deputy. “Things are going very badly!” + </p> + <p> + Duthil turned pale, and a vision of the police and Mazas rose before his + eyes. In this wise sheer funk came over him from time to time. However, + with his lack of all moral sense, he soon felt reassured and began to + laugh. “Bah!” he retorted gaily, winking towards Duvillard, “the + governor’s there to pilot the barque!” + </p> + <p> + The Baron, who was extremely pleased, had pressed his hands, thanked him, + and called him an obliging fellow. And now turning towards Fonsègue, he + exclaimed: “I say, you must make one of us this evening. Oh! it’s + necessary. I want something imposing round Silviane. Duthil will represent + the Chamber, you journalism, and I finance—” But he suddenly paused + on seeing Gérard, who, with a somewhat grave expression, was leisurely + picking his way through the sea of skirts. “Gérard, my friend,” said the + Baron, after beckoning to him, “I want you to do me a service.” And + forthwith he told him what was in question; how the influential critic had + been prevailed upon to attend a dinner which would decide Silviane’s + future; and how it was the duty of all her friends to rally round her. + </p> + <p> + “But I can’t,” the young man answered in embarrassment. “I have to dine at + home with my mother, who was rather poorly this morning.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! a sensible woman like your mother will readily understand that there + are matters of exceptional importance. Go home and excuse yourself. Tell + her some story, tell her that a friend’s happiness is in question.” And as + Gérard began to weaken, Duvillard added: “The fact is, that I really want + you, my dear fellow; I must have a society man. Society, you know, is a + great force in theatrical matters; and if Silviane has society with her, + her triumph is certain.” + </p> + <p> + Gérard promised, and then chatted for a moment with his uncle, General de + Bozonnet, who was quite enlivened by that throng of women, among whom he + had been carried hither and thither like an old rudderless ship. After + acknowledging the amiability with which Madame Fonsègue had listened to + his stories, by purchasing an autograph of Monseigneur Martha from her for + a hundred francs, he had quite lost himself amid the bevy of girls who had + passed him on, one to another. And now, on his return from them, he had + his hands full of lottery tickets: “Ah! my fine fellow,” said he, “I don’t + advise you to venture among all those young persons. You would have to + part with your last copper. But, just look! there’s Mademoiselle Camille + beckoning to you!” + </p> + <p> + Camille, indeed, from the moment she had perceived Gérard, had been + smiling at him and awaiting his approach. And when their glances met he + was obliged to go to her, although, at the same moment, he felt that Eve’s + despairing and entreating eyes were fixed upon him. The girl, who fully + realised that her mother was watching her, at once made a marked display + of amiability, profiting by the license which charitable fervour + authorised, to slip a variety of little articles into the young man’s + pockets, and then place others in his hands, which she pressed within her + own, showing the while all the sparkle of youth, indulging in fresh, merry + laughter, which fairly tortured her rival. + </p> + <p> + So extreme was Eve’s suffering, that she wished to intervene and part + them. But it so chanced that Pierre barred her way, for he wished to + submit an idea to her before leaving the bazaar. “Madame,” said he, “since + that man Laveuve is dead, and you have taken so much trouble with regard + to the bed which you now have vacant, will you be so good as to keep it + vacant until I have seen our venerable friend, Abbé Rose? I am to see him + this evening, and he knows so many cases of want, and would be so glad to + relieve one of them, and bring you some poor <i>protégé</i> of his.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, certainly,” stammered the Baroness, “I shall be very happy,—I + will wait a little, as you desire,—of course, of course, Monsieur + l’Abbé.” + </p> + <p> + She was trembling all over; she no longer knew what she was saying; and, + unable to conquer her passion, she turned aside from the priest, unaware + even that he was still there, when Gérard, yielding to the dolorous + entreaty of her eyes, at last managed to escape from Camille and join her. + </p> + <p> + “What a stranger you are becoming, my friend!” she said aloud, with a + forced smile. “One never sees you now.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, I have been poorly,” he replied, in his amiable way. “Yes, I assure + you I have been ailing a little.” + </p> + <p> + He, ailing! She looked at him with maternal anxiety, quite upset. And, + indeed, however proud and lofty his figure, his handsome regular face did + seem to her paler than usual. It was as if the nobility of the façade had, + in some degree, ceased to hide the irreparable dilapidation within. And + given his real good nature, it must be true that he suffered—suffered + by reason of his useless, wasted life, by reason of all the money he cost + his impoverished mother, and of the needs that were at last driving him to + marry that wealthy deformed girl, whom at first he had simply pitied. And + so weak did he seem to Eve, so like a piece of wreckage tossed hither and + thither by a tempest, that, at the risk of being overheard by the throng, + she let her heart flow forth in a low but ardent, entreating murmur: “If + you suffer, ah! what sufferings are mine!—Gérard, we must see one + another, I will have it so.” + </p> + <p> + “No, I beg you, let us wait,” he stammered in embarrassment. + </p> + <p> + “It must be, Gérard; Camille has told me your plans. You cannot refuse to + see me. I insist on it.” + </p> + <p> + He made yet another attempt to escape the cruel explanation. “But it’s + impossible at the usual place,” he answered, quivering. “The address is + known.” + </p> + <p> + “Then to-morrow, at four o’clock, at that little restaurant in the Bois + where we have met before.” + </p> + <p> + He had to promise, and they parted. Camille had just turned her head and + was looking at them. Moreover, quite a number of women had besieged the + stall; and the Baroness began to attend to them with the air of a ripe and + nonchalant goddess, while Gérard rejoined Duvillard, Fonsègue and Duthil, + who were quite excited at the prospect of their dinner that evening. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had heard a part of the conversation between Gérard and the + Baroness. He knew what skeletons the house concealed, what physiological + and moral torture and wretchedness lay beneath all the dazzling wealth and + power. There was here an envenomed, bleeding sore, ever spreading, a + cancer eating into father, mother, daughter and son, who one and all had + thrown social bonds aside. However, the priest made his way out of the <i>salons</i>, + half stifling amidst the throng of lady-purchasers who were making quite a + triumph of the bazaar. And yonder, in the depths of the gloom, he could + picture Salvat still running and running on; while the corpse of Laveuve + seemed to him like a buffet of atrocious irony dealt to noisy and delusive + charity. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap53"></a> + II. SPIRIT AND FLESH + </h2> + <p> + How delightful was the quietude of the little ground-floor overlooking a + strip of garden in the Rue Cortot, where good Abbé Rose resided! + Hereabouts there was not even a rumble of wheels, or an echo of the + panting breath of Paris, which one heard on the other side of the height + of Montmartre. The deep silence and sleepy peacefulness were suggestive of + some distant provincial town. + </p> + <p> + Seven o’clock had struck, the dusk had gathered slowly, and Pierre was in + the humble dining-room, waiting for the <i>femme-de-ménage</i> to place + the soup upon the table. Abbé Rose, anxious at having seen so little of + him for a month past, had written, asking him to come to dinner, in order + that they might have a quiet chat concerning their affairs. From time to + time Pierre still gave his friend money for charitable purposes; in fact, + ever since the days of the asylum in the Rue de Charonne, they had had + accounts together, which they periodically liquidated. So that evening + after dinner they were to talk of it all, and see if they could not do + even more than they had hitherto done. The good old priest was quite + radiant at the thought of the peaceful evening which he was about to spend + in attending to the affairs of his beloved poor; for therein lay his only + amusement, the sole pleasure to which he persistently and passionately + returned, in spite of all the worries that his inconsiderate charity had + already so often brought him. + </p> + <p> + Glad to be able to procure his friend this pleasure, Pierre, on his side, + grew calmer, and found relief and momentary repose in sharing the other’s + simple repast and yielding to all the kindliness around him, far from his + usual worries. He remembered the vacant bed at the Asylum, which Baroness + Duvillard had promised to keep in reserve until he should have asked Abbé + Rose if he knew of any case of destitution particularly worthy of + interest; and so before sitting down to table he spoke of the matter. + </p> + <p> + “Destitution worthy of interest!” replied Abbé Rose, “ah! my dear child, + every case is worthy of interest. And when it’s a question of old toilers + without work the only trouble is that of selection, the anguish of + choosing one and leaving so many others in distress.” Nevertheless, + painful though his scruples were, he strove to think and come to some + decision. “I know the case which will suit you,” he said at last. “It’s + certainly one of the greatest suffering and wretchedness; and, so humble a + one, too—an old carpenter of seventy-five, who has been living on + public charity during the eight or ten years that he has been unable to + find work. I don’t know his name, everybody calls him ‘the big Old’un.’ + There are times when he does not come to my Saturday distributions for + weeks together. We shall have to look for him at once. I think that he + sleeps at the Night Refuge in the Rue d’Orsel when lack of room there + doesn’t force him to spend the night crouching behind some palings. Shall + we go down the Rue d’Orsel this evening?” + </p> + <p> + Abbé Rose’s eyes beamed brightly as he spoke, for this proposal of his + signified a great debauch, the tasting of forbidden fruit. He had been + reproached so often and so roughly with his visits to those who had fallen + to the deepest want and misery, that in spite of his overflowing, + apostolic compassion, he now scarcely dared to go near them. However, he + continued: “Is it agreed, my child? Only this once? Besides, it is our + only means of finding the big Old’un. You won’t have to stop with me later + than eleven. And I should so like to show you all that! You will see what + terrible sufferings there are! And perhaps we may be fortunate enough to + relieve some poor creature or other.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre smiled at the juvenile ardour displayed by this old man with snowy + hair. “It’s agreed, my dear Abbé,” he responded, “I shall be very pleased + to spend my whole evening with you, for I feel it will do me good to + follow you once more on one of those rambles which used to fill our hearts + with grief and joy.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment the servant brought in the soup; however, just as the two + priests were taking their seats a discreet ring was heard, and when Abbé + Rose learnt that the visitor was a neighbour, Madame Mathis, who had come + for an answer, he gave orders that she should be shown in. + </p> + <p> + “This poor woman,” he explained to Pierre, “needed an advance of ten + francs to get a mattress out of pawn; and I didn’t have the money by me at + the time. But I’ve since procured it. She lives in the house, you know, in + silent poverty, on so small an income that it hardly keeps her in bread.” + </p> + <p> + “But hasn’t she a big son of twenty?” asked Pierre, suddenly remembering + the young man he had seen at Salvat’s. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes. Her parents, I believe, were rich people in the provinces. I’ve + been told that she married a music master, who gave her lessons, at + Nantes; and who ran away with her and brought her to Paris, where he died. + It was quite a doleful love-story. By selling the furniture and realising + every little thing she possessed, she scraped together an income of about + two thousand francs a year, with which she was able to send her son to + college and live decently herself. But a fresh blow fell on her: she lost + the greater part of her little fortune, which was invested in doubtful + securities. So now her income amounts at the utmost to eight hundred + francs; two hundred of which she has to expend in rent. For all her other + wants she has to be content with fifty francs a month. About eighteen + months ago her son left her so as not to be a burden on her, and he is + trying to earn his living somewhere, but without success, I believe.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Mathis, a short, dark woman, with a sad, gentle, retiring face, + came in. Invariably clad in the same black gown, she showed all the + anxious timidity of a poor creature whom the storms of life perpetually + assailed. When Abbé Rose had handed her the ten francs discreetly wrapped + in paper, she blushed and thanked him, promising to pay him back as soon + as she received her month’s money, for she was not a beggar and did not + wish to encroach on the share of those who starved. + </p> + <p> + “And your son, Victor, has he found any employment?” asked the old priest. + </p> + <p> + She hesitated, ignorant as she was of what her son might be doing, for now + she did not see him for weeks together. And finally, she contented herself + with answering: “He has a good heart, he is very fond of me. It is a great + misfortune that we should have been ruined before he could enter the École + Normale. It was impossible for him to prepare for the examination. But at + the Lycée he was such a diligent and intelligent pupil!” + </p> + <p> + “You lost your husband when your son was ten years old, did you not?” said + Abbé Rose. + </p> + <p> + At this she blushed again, thinking that her husband’s story was known to + the two priests. “Yes, my poor husband never had any luck,” she said. “His + difficulties embittered and excited his mind, and he died in prison. He + was sent there through a disturbance at a public meeting, when he had the + misfortune to wound a police officer. He had also fought at the time of + the Commune. And yet he was a very gentle man and extremely fond of me.” + </p> + <p> + Tears had risen to her eyes; and Abbé Rose, much touched, dismissed her: + “Well, let us hope that your son will give you satisfaction, and be able + to repay you for all you have done for him.” + </p> + <p> + With a gesture of infinite sorrow, Madame Mathis discreetly withdrew. She + was quite ignorant of her son’s doings, but fate had pursued her so + relentlessly that she ever trembled. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t think that the poor woman has much to expect from her son,” said + Pierre, when she had gone. “I only saw him once, but the gleam in his eyes + was as harsh and trenchant as that of a knife.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think so?” the old priest exclaimed, with his kindly <i>naïveté</i>. + “Well, he seemed to me very polite, perhaps a trifle eager to enjoy life; + but then, all the young folks are impatient nowadays. Come, let us sit + down to table, for the soup will be cold.” + </p> + <p> + Almost at the same hour, on the other side of Paris, night had in like + fashion slowly fallen in the drawing-room of the Countess de Quinsac, on + the dismal, silent ground-floor of an old mansion in the Rue St. + Dominique. The Countess was there, alone with her faithful friend, the + Marquis de Morigny, she on one side, and he on the other side of the + chimney-piece, where the last embers of the wood fire were dying out. The + servant had not yet brought the lamp, and the Countess refrained from + ringing, finding some relief from her anxiety in the falling darkness, + which hid from view all the unconfessed thoughts that she was afraid of + showing on her weary face. And it was only now, before that dim hearth, + and in that black room, where never a sound of wheels disturbed the + silence of the slumberous past, that she dared to speak. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my friend,” she said, “I am not satisfied with Gérard’s health. You + will see him yourself, for he promised to come home early and dine with + me. Oh! I’m well aware that he looks big and strong; but to know him + properly one must have nursed and watched him as I have done! What trouble + I had to rear him! In reality he is at the mercy of any petty ailment. His + slightest complaint becomes serious illness. And the life he leads does + not conduce to good health.” + </p> + <p> + She paused and sighed, hesitating to carry her confession further. + </p> + <p> + “He leads the life he can,” slowly responded the Marquis de Morigny, of + whose delicate profile, and lofty yet loving bearing, little could be seen + in the gloom. “As he was unable to endure military life, and as even the + fatigues of diplomacy frighten you, what would you have him do? He can + only live apart pending the final collapse, while this abominable Republic + is dragging France to the grave.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt, my friend. And yet it is just that idle life which frightens + me. He is losing in it all that was good and healthy in him. I don’t refer + merely to the <i>liaisons</i> which we have had to tolerate. The last one, + which I found so much difficulty in countenancing at the outset, so + contrary did it seem to all my ideas and beliefs, has since seemed to me + to exercise almost a good influence. Only he is now entering his + thirty-sixth year, and can he continue living in this fashion without + object or duties? If he is ailing it is perhaps precisely because he does + nothing, holds no position, and serves no purpose.” Her voice again + quavered. “And then, my friend, since you force me to tell you everything, + I must own that I am not in good health myself. I have had several + fainting fits of late, and have consulted a doctor. The truth is, that I + may go off at any moment.” + </p> + <p> + With a quiver, Morigny leant forward in the still deepening gloom, and + wished to take hold of her hands. “You! what, am I to lose you, my last + affection!” he faltered, “I who have seen the old world I belong to + crumble away, I who only live in the hope that you at all events will + still be here to close my eyes!” + </p> + <p> + But she begged him not to increase her grief: “No, no, don’t take my + hands, don’t kiss them! Remain there in the shade, where I can scarcely + see you.... We have loved one another so long without aught to cause shame + or regret; and that will prove our strength—our divine strength—till + we reach the grave.... And if you were to touch me, if I were to feel you + too near me I could not finish, for I have not done so yet.” + </p> + <p> + As soon as he had relapsed into silence and immobility, she continued: “If + I were to die to-morrow, Gérard would not even find here the little + fortune which he still fancies is in my hands. The dear child has often + cost me large sums of money without apparently being conscious of it. I + ought to have been more severe, more prudent. But what would you have? + Ruin is at hand. I have always been too weak a mother. And do you now + understand in what anguish I live? I ever have the thought that if I die + Gérard will not even possess enough to live on, for he is incapable of + effecting the miracle which I renew each day, in order to keep the house + up on a decent footing.... Ah! I know him, so supine, so sickly, in spite + of his proud bearing, unable to do anything, even conduct himself. And so + what will become of him; will he not fall into the most dire distress?” + </p> + <p> + Then her tears flowed freely, her heart opened and bled, for she foresaw + what must happen after her death: the collapse of her race and of a whole + world in the person of that big child. And the Marquis, still motionless + but distracted, feeling that he had no title to offer his own fortune, + suddenly understood her, foresaw in what disgrace this fresh disaster + would culminate. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my poor friend!” he said at last in a voice trembling with revolt and + grief. “So you have agreed to that marriage—yes, that abominable + marriage with that woman’s daughter! Yet you swore it should never be! You + would rather witness the collapse of everything, you said. And now you are + consenting, I can feel it!” + </p> + <p> + She still wept on in that black, silent drawing-room before the + chimney-piece where the fire had died out. Did not Gérard’s marriage to + Camille mean a happy ending for herself, a certainty of leaving her son + wealthy, loved, and seated at the banquet of life? However, a last feeling + of rebellion arose within her. + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” she exclaimed, “I don’t consent, I swear to you that I don’t + consent as yet. I am fighting with my whole strength, waging an incessant + battle, the torture of which you cannot imagine.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in all sincerity, she foresaw the likelihood of defeat. “If I should + some day give way, my friend, at all events believe that I feel, as fully + as you do, how abominable such a marriage must be. It will be the end of + our race and our honour!” + </p> + <p> + This cry profoundly stirred the Marquis, and he was unable to add a word. + Haughty and uncompromising Catholic and Royalist that he was, he, on his + side also, expected nothing but the supreme collapse. Yet how heartrending + was the thought that this noble woman, so dearly and so purely loved, + would prove one of the most mournful victims of the catastrophe! And in + the shrouding gloom he found courage to kneel before her, take her hand, + and kiss it. + </p> + <p> + Just as the servant was at last bringing a lighted lamp Gérard made his + appearance. The past-century charm of the old Louis XVI. drawing-room, + with its pale woodwork, again became apparent in the soft light. In order + that his mother might not be over-saddened by his failure to dine with her + that evening the young man had put on an air of brisk gaiety; and when he + had explained that some friends were waiting for him, she at once released + him from his promise, happy as she felt at seeing him so merry. + </p> + <p> + “Go, go, my dear boy,” said she, “but mind you do not tire yourself too + much.... I am going to keep Morigny; and the General and Larombière are + coming at nine o’clock. So be easy, I shall have someone with me to keep + me from fretting and feeling lonely.” + </p> + <p> + In this wise Gérard after sitting down for a moment and chatting with the + Marquis was able to slip away, dress, and betake himself to the Cafe + Anglais. + </p> + <p> + When he reached it women in fur cloaks were already climbing the stairs, + fashionable and merry parties were filling the private rooms, the electric + lights shone brilliantly, and the walls were already vibrating with the + stir of pleasure and debauchery. In the room which Baron Duvillard had + engaged the young man found an extraordinary display, the most superb + flowers, and a profusion of plate and crystal as for a royal gala. The + pomp with which the six covers were laid called forth a smile; while the + bill of fare and the wine list promised marvels, all the rarest and most + expensive things that could be selected. + </p> + <p> + “It’s stylish, isn’t it?” exclaimed Silviane, who was already there with + Duvillard, Fonsègue and Duthil. “I just wanted to make your influential + critic open his eyes a little! When one treats a journalist to such a + dinner as this, he has got to be amiable, hasn’t he?” + </p> + <p> + In her desire to conquer, it had occurred to the young woman to array + herself in the most amazing fashion. Her gown of yellow satin, covered + with old Alençon lace, was cut low at the neck; and she had put on all her + diamonds, a necklace, a diadem, shoulder-knots, bracelets and rings. With + her candid, girlish face, she looked like some Virgin in a missal, a + Queen-Virgin, laden with the offerings of all Christendom. + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, you look so pretty,” said Gérard, who sometimes jested with + her, “that I think it will do all the same.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” she replied with equanimity. “You consider me a <i>bourgeoise</i>, I + see. Your opinion is that a simple little dinner and a modest gown would + have shown better taste. But ah! my dear fellow, you don’t know the way to + get round men!” + </p> + <p> + Duvillard signified his approval, for he was delighted to be able to show + her in all her glory, adorned like an idol. Fonsègue, for his part, talked + of diamonds, saying that they were now doubtful investments, as the day + when they would become articles of current manufacture was fast + approaching, thanks to the electrical furnace and other inventions. + Meantime Duthil, with an air of ecstasy and the dainty gestures of a + lady’s maid, hovered around the young woman, either smoothing a rebellious + bow or arranging some fold of her lace. + </p> + <p> + “But I say,” resumed Silviane, “your critic seems to be an ill-bred man, + for he’s keeping us waiting.” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, the critic arrived a quarter of an hour late, and while + apologising, he expressed his regret that he should be obliged to leave at + half-past nine, for he was absolutely compelled to put in an appearance at + a little theatre in the Rue Pigalle. He was a big fellow of fifty with + broad shoulders and a full, bearded face. His most disagreeable + characteristic was the narrow dogmatic pedantry which he had acquired at + the École Normale, and had never since been able to shake off. All his + herculean efforts to be sceptical and frivolous, and the twenty years he + had spent in Paris mingling with every section of society, had failed to + rid him of it. <i>Magister</i> he was, and <i>magister</i> he remained, + even in his most strenuous flights of imagination and audacity. From the + moment of his arrival he tried to show himself enraptured with Silviane. + Naturally enough, he already knew her by sight, and had even criticised + her on one occasion in five or six contemptuous lines. However, the sight + of her there, in full beauty, clad like a queen, and presented by four + influential protectors, filled him with emotion; and he was struck with + the idea that nothing would be more Parisian and less pedantic than to + assert she had some talent and give her his support. + </p> + <p> + They had seated themselves at table, and the repast proved a magnificent + one, the service ever prompt and assiduous, an attendant being allotted to + each diner. While the flowers scattered their perfumes through the room, + and the plate and crystal glittered on the snowy cloth, an abundance of + delicious and unexpected dishes were handed round—a sturgeon from + Russia, prohibited game, truffles as big as eggs, and hothouse vegetables + and fruit as full of flavour as if they had been naturally matured. It was + money flung out of window, simply for the pleasure of wasting more than + other people, and eating what they could not procure. The influential + critic, though he displayed the ease of a man accustomed to every sort of + festivity, really felt astonished at it all, and became servile, promising + his support, and pledging himself far more than he really wished to. + Moreover, he showed himself very gay, found some witty remarks to repeat, + and even some rather ribald jests. But when the champagne appeared after + the roast and the grand burgundies, his over-excitement brought him back + perforce to his real nature. The conversation had now turned on + Corneille’s “Polyeucte” and the part of “Pauline,” in which Silviane + wished to make her <i>début</i> at the Comédie Française. This + extraordinary caprice, which had quite revolted the influential critic a + week previously, now seemed to him simply a bold enterprise in which the + young woman might even prove victorious if she consented to listen to his + advice. And, once started, he delivered quite a lecture on the past, + asserting that no actress had ever yet understood it properly, for at the + outset Pauline was simply a well-meaning little creature of the middle + classes, and the beauty of her conversion at the finish arose from the + working of a miracle, a stroke of heavenly grace which endowed her with + something divine. This was not the opinion of Silviane, who from the first + lines regarded Pauline as the ideal heroine of some symbolical legend. + However, as the critic talked on and on, she had to feign approval; and he + was delighted at finding her so beautiful and docile beneath his ferule. + At last, as ten o’clock was striking, he rose and tore out of the hot and + reeking room in order to do his work. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dears,” cried Silviane, “he’s a nice bore is that critic of yours! + What a fool he is with his idea of Pauline being a little <i>bourgeoise</i>! + I would have given him a fine dressing if it weren’t for the fact that I + have some need of him. Ah! no, it’s too idiotic! Pour me out a glass of + champagne. I want something to set me right after all that!” + </p> + <p> + The <i>fête</i> then took quite an intimate turn between the four men who + remained and that bare-armed, bare-breasted girl, covered with diamonds; + while from the neighbouring passages and rooms came bursts of laughter and + sounds of kissing, all the stir and mirth of the debauchery now filling + the house. And beneath the windows torrents of vehicles and pedestrians + streamed along the Boulevards where reigned the wild fever of pleasure and + harlotry. + </p> + <p> + “No, don’t open it, or I shall catch cold!” resumed Silviane, addressing + Fonsègue as he stepped towards the window. “Are you so very warm, then? + I’m just comfortable.... But, Duvillard, my good fellow, please order some + more champagne. It’s wonderful what a thirst your critic has given me!” + </p> + <p> + Amidst the blinding glare of the lamps and the perfume of the flowers and + wines, one almost stifled in the room. And Silviane was seized with an + irresistible desire for a spree, a desire to tipple and amuse herself in + some vulgar fashion, as in her bygone days. A few glasses of champagne + brought her to full pitch, and she showed the boldest and giddiest gaiety. + The others, who had never before seen her so lively, began on their own + side to feel amused. As Fonsègue was obliged to go to his office she + embraced him “like a daughter,” as she expressed it. However, on remaining + alone with the others she indulged in great freedom of speech, which + became more and more marked as her intoxication increased. And to the + class of men with whom she consorted her great attraction, as she was well + aware, lay in the circumstance that with her virginal countenance and her + air of ideal purity was coupled the most monstrous perversity ever + displayed by any shameless woman. Despite her innocent blue eyes and + lily-like candour, she would give rein, particularly when she was drunk, + to the most diabolical of fancies. + </p> + <p> + Duvillard let her drink on, but she guessed his thoughts, like she guessed + those of the others, and simply smiled while concocting impossible stories + and descanting fantastically in the language of the gutter. And seeing her + there in her dazzling gown fit for a queenly virgin, and hearing her pour + forth the vilest words, they thought her most wonderfully droll. However, + when she had drunk as much champagne as she cared for and was half crazy, + a novel idea suddenly occurred to her. + </p> + <p> + “I say, my children,” she exclaimed, “we are surely not going to stop + here. It’s so precious slow! You shall take me to the Chamber of Horrors—eh? + just to finish the evening. I want to hear Legras sing ‘La Chemise,’ that + song which all Paris is running to hear him sing.” + </p> + <p> + But Duvillard indignantly rebelled: “Oh! no,” said he; “most certainly + not. It’s a vile song and I’ll never take you to such an abominable + place.” + </p> + <p> + But she did not appear to hear him. She had already staggered to her feet + and was arranging her hair before a looking-glass. “I used to live at + Montmartre,” she said, “and it’ll amuse me to go back there. And, besides, + I want to know if this Legras is a Legras that I knew, oh! ever so long + ago! Come, up you get, and let us be off!” + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear girl,” pleaded Duvillard, “we can’t take you into that den + dressed as you are! Just fancy your entering that place in a low-necked + gown and covered with diamonds! Why everyone would jeer at us! Come, + Gérard, just tell her to be a little reasonable.” + </p> + <p> + Gérard, equally offended by the idea of such a freak, was quite willing to + intervene. But she closed his mouth with her gloved hand and repeated with + the gay obstinacy of intoxication: “Pooh, it will be all the more amusing + if they do jeer at us! Come, let us be off, let us be off, quick!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Duthil, who had been listening with a smile and the air of a man + of pleasure whom nothing astonishes or displeases, gallantly took her + part. “But, my dear Baron, everybody goes to the Chamber of Horrors,” said + he. “Why, I myself have taken the noblest ladies there, and precisely to + hear that song of Legras, which is no worse than anything else.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you hear what Duthil says!” cried Silviane. “He’s a deputy, he is, + and he wouldn’t go there if he thought it would compromise his + honorability!” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Duvillard still struggled on in despair at the idea of exhibiting + himself with her in such a scandalous place, she became all the merrier: + “Well, my dear fellow, please yourself. I don’t need you. You and Gérard + can go home if you like. But I’m going to Montmartre with Duthil. You’ll + take charge of me, won’t you, Duthil, eh?” + </p> + <p> + Still, the Baron was in no wise disposed to let the evening finish in that + fashion. The mere idea of it gave him a shock, and he had to resign + himself to the girl’s stubborn caprice. The only consolation he could + think of was to secure Gérard’s presence, for the young man, with some + lingering sense of decorum, still obstinately refused to make one of the + party. So the Baron took his hands and detained him, repeating in urgent + tones that he begged him to come as an essential mark of friendship. And + at last the wife’s lover and daughter’s suitor had to give way to the man + who was the former’s husband and the latter’s father. + </p> + <p> + Silviane was immensely amused by it all, and, indiscreetly thee-ing and + thou-ing Gérard, suggested that he at least owed the Baron some little + compliance with his wishes. + </p> + <p> + Duvillard pretended not to hear her. He was listening to Duthil, who told + him that there was a sort of box in a corner of the Chamber of Horrors, in + which one could in some measure conceal oneself. And then, as Silviane’s + carriage—a large closed landau, whose coachman, a sturdy, handsome + fellow, sat waiting impassively on his box—was down below, they + started off. + </p> + <p> + The Chamber of Horrors was installed in premises on the Boulevard de + Rochechouart, formerly occupied by a café whose proprietor had become + bankrupt.* It was a suffocating place, narrow, irregular, with all sorts + of twists, turns, and secluded nooks, and a low and smoky ceiling. And + nothing could have been more rudimentary than its decorations. The walls + had simply been placarded with posters of violent hues, some of the + crudest character, showing the barest of female figures. Behind a piano at + one end there was a little platform reached by a curtained doorway. For + the rest, one simply found a number of bare wooden forms set alongside the + veriest pot-house tables, on which the glasses containing various + beverages left round and sticky marks. There was no luxury, no artistic + feature, no cleanliness even. Globeless gas burners flared freely, heating + a dense mist compounded of tobacco smoke and human breath. Perspiring, + apoplectical faces could be perceived through this veil, and an acrid + odour increased the intoxication of the assembly, which excited itself + with louder and louder shouts at each fresh song. It had been sufficient + for an enterprising fellow to set up these boards, bring out Legras, + accompanied by two or three girls, make him sing his frantic and + abominable songs, and in two or three evenings overwhelming success had + come, all Paris being enticed and flocking to the place, which for ten + years or so had failed to pay as a mere café, where by way of amusement + petty cits had been simply allowed their daily games at dominoes. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Those who know Paris will identify the site selected by M. Zola + as that where ‘Colonel’ Lisbonne of the Commune installed his + den the ‘Bagne’ some years ago. Nevertheless, such places as the + ‘Chamber of Horrors’ now abound in the neighbourhood of + Montmartre, and it must be admitted that whilst they are + frequented by certain classes of Frenchmen they owe much of + their success in a pecuniary sense to the patronage of + foreigners. Among the latter, Englishmen are particularly + conspicuous.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + And the change had been caused by the passion for filth, the irresistible + attraction exercised by all that brought opprobrium and disgust. The Paris + of enjoyment, the <i>bourgeoisie</i> which held all wealth and power, + which would relinquish naught of either, though it was surfeited and + gradually wearying of both, simply hastened to the place in order that + obscenity and insult might be flung in its face. Hypnotised, as it were, + while staggering to its fall, it felt a need of being spat upon. And what + a frightful symptom there lay in it all: those condemned ones rushing upon + dirt of their own accord, voluntarily hastening their own decomposition by + that unquenchable thirst for the vile, which attracted men, reputed to be + grave and upright, and lovely women of the most perfect grace and luxury, + to all the beastliness of that low den! + </p> + <p> + At one of the tables nearest the stage sat little Princess Rosemonde de + Harn, with wild eyes and quivering nostrils, delighted as she felt at now + being able to satisfy her curiosity regarding the depths of Paris life. + Young Hyacinthe had resigned himself to the task of bringing her, and, + correctly buttoned up in his long frock-coat, he was indulgent enough to + refrain from any marked expression of boredom. At a neighbouring table + they had found a shadowy Spaniard of their acquaintance, a so-called + Bourse jobber, Bergaz, who had been introduced to the Princess by Janzen, + and usually attended her entertainments. They virtually knew nothing about + him, not even if he really earned at the Bourse all the money which he + sometimes spent so lavishly, and which enabled him to dress with affected + elegance. His slim, lofty figure was not without a certain air of + distinction, but his red lips spoke of strong passions and his bright eyes + were those of a beast of prey. That evening he had two young fellows with + him, one Rossi, a short, swarthy Italian, who had come to Paris as a + painter’s model, and had soon glided into the lazy life of certain + disreputable callings, and the other, Sanfaute, a born Parisian + blackguard, a pale, beardless, vicious and impudent stripling of La + Chapelle, whose long curly hair fell down upon either side of his bony + cheeks. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! pray now!” feverishly said Rosemonde to Bergaz; “as you seem to know + all these horrid people, just show me some of the celebrities. Aren’t + there some thieves and murderers among them?” + </p> + <p> + He laughed shrilly, and in a bantering way replied: “But you know these + people well enough, madame. That pretty, pink, delicate-looking woman over + yonder is an American lady, the wife of a consul, whom, I believe, you + receive at your house. That other on the right, that tall brunette who + shows such queenly dignity, is a Countess, whose carriage passes yours + every day in the Bois. And the thin one yonder, whose eyes glitter like + those of a she-wolf, is the particular friend of a high official, who is + well known for his reputation of austerity.” + </p> + <p> + But she stopped him, in vexation: “I know, I know. But the others, those + of the lower classes, those whom one comes to see.” + </p> + <p> + Then she went on asking questions, and seeking for terrifying and + mysterious countenances. At last, two men seated in a corner ended by + attracting her attention; one of them a very young fellow with a pale, + pinched face, and the other an ageless individual who, besides being + buttoned up to his neck in an old coat, had pulled his cap so low over his + eyes, that one saw little of his face beyond the beard which fringed it. + Before these two stood a couple of mugs of beer, which they drank slowly + and in silence. + </p> + <p> + “You are making a great mistake, my dear,” said Hyacinthe with a frank + laugh, “if you are looking for brigands in disguise. That poor fellow with + the pale face, who surely doesn’t have food to eat every day, was my + schoolfellow at Condorcet!” + </p> + <p> + Bergaz expressed his amazement. “What! you knew Mathis at Condorcet! After + all, though, you’re right, he received a college education. Ah! and so you + knew him. A very remarkable young man he is, though want is throttling + him. But, I say, the other one, his companion, you don’t know him?” + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe, after looking at the man with the cap-hidden face, was already + shaking his head, when Bergaz suddenly gave him a nudge as a signal to + keep quiet, and by way of explanation he muttered: “Hush! Here’s Raphanel. + I’ve been distrusting him for some time past. Whenever he appears + anywhere, the police is not far off.” + </p> + <p> + Raphanel was another of the vague, mysterious Anarchists whom Janzen had + presented to the Princess by way of satisfying her momentary passion for + revolutionism. This one, though he was a fat, gay, little man, with a + doll-like face and childish nose, which almost disappeared between his + puffy cheeks, had the reputation of being a thorough desperado; and at + public meetings he certainly shouted for fire and murder with all his + lungs. Still, although he had already been compromised in various affairs, + he had invariably managed to save his own bacon, whilst his companions + were kept under lock and key; and this they were now beginning to think + somewhat singular. + </p> + <p> + He at once shook hands with the Princess in a jovial way, took a seat near + her without being invited, and forthwith denounced the dirty <i>bourgeoisie</i> + which came to wallow in places of ill fame. Rosemonde was delighted, and + encouraged him, but others near by began to get angry, and Bergaz examined + him with his piercing eyes, like a man of energy who acts, and lets others + talk. Now and then, too, he exchanged quick glances of intelligence with + his silent lieutenants, Sanfaute and Rossi, who plainly belonged to him, + both body and soul. They were the ones who found their profit in Anarchy, + practising it to its logical conclusions, whether in crime or in vice. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, pending the arrival of Legras with his “Flowers of the + Pavement,” two female vocalists had followed one another on the stage, the + first fat and the second thin, one chirruping some silly love songs with + an under-current of dirt, and the other shouting the coarsest of refrains, + in a most violent, fighting voice. She had just finished amidst a storm of + bravos, when the assembly, stirred to merriment and eager for a laugh, + suddenly exploded once more. Silviane was entering the little box at one + end of the hall. When she appeared erect in the full light, with bare arms + and shoulders, looking like a planet in her gown of yellow satin and her + blazing diamonds, there arose a formidable uproar, shouts, jeers, hisses, + laughing and growling, mingled with ferocious applause. And the scandal + increased, and the vilest expressions flew about as soon as Duvillard, + Gérard and Duthil also showed themselves, looking very serious and + dignified with their white ties and spreading shirt fronts. + </p> + <p> + “We told you so!” muttered Duvillard, who was much annoyed with the + affair, while Gérard tried to conceal himself in a dim corner. + </p> + <p> + She, however, smiling and enchanted, faced the public, accepting the storm + with the candid bearing of a foolish virgin, much as one inhales the + vivifying air of the open when it bears down upon one in a squall. And, + indeed, she herself had sprung from the sphere before her, its atmosphere + was her native air. + </p> + <p> + “Well, what of it?” she said replying to the Baron who wanted her to sit + down. “They are merry. It’s very nice. Oh! I’m really amusing myself!” + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes, it’s very nice,” declared Duthil, who in like fashion set + himself at his ease. “Silviane is right, people naturally like a laugh now + and then!” + </p> + <p> + Amidst the uproar, which did not cease, little Princess Rosemonde rose + enthusiastically to get a better view. “Why, it’s your father who’s with + that woman Silviane,” she said to Hyacinthe. “Just look at them! Well, he + certainly has plenty of bounce to show himself here with her!” + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe, however, refused to look. It didn’t interest him, his father + was an idiot, only a child would lose his head over a girl in that + fashion. And with his contempt for woman the young man became positively + insulting. + </p> + <p> + “You try my nerves, my dear fellow,” said Rosemonde as she sat down. “You + are the child with your silly ideas about us. And as for your father, he + does quite right to love that girl. I find her very pretty indeed, quite + adorable!” + </p> + <p> + Then all at once the uproar ceased, those who had risen resumed their + seats, and the only sound was that of the feverish throb which coursed + through the assembly. Legras had just appeared on the platform. He was a + pale sturdy fellow with a round and carefully shaven face, stern eyes, and + the powerful jaws of a man who compels the adoration of women by + terrorising them. He was not deficient in talent, he sang true, and his + ringing voice was one of extraordinary penetration and pathetic power. And + his <i>répertoire</i>, his “Flowers of the Pavement,” completed the + explanation of his success; for all the foulness and suffering of the + lower spheres, the whole abominable sore of the social hell created by the + rich, shrieked aloud in these songs in words of filth and fire and blood. + </p> + <p> + A prelude was played on the piano, and Legras standing there in his velvet + jacket sang “La Chemise,” the horrible song which brought all Paris to + hear him. All the lust and vice that crowd the streets of the great city + appeared with their filth and their poison; and amid the picture of Woman + stripped, degraded, ill-treated, dragged through the mire and cast into a + cesspool, there rang out the crime of the <i>bourgeoisie</i>. But the + scorching insult of it all was less in the words themselves than in the + manner in which Legras cast them in the faces of the rich, the happy, the + beautiful ladies who came to listen to him. Under the low ceiling, amidst + the smoke from the pipes, in the blinding glare of the gas, he sent his + lines flying through the assembly like expectorations, projected by a + whirlwind of furious contempt. And when he had finished there came + delirium; the beautiful ladies did not even think of wiping away the many + affronts they had received, but applauded frantically. The whole assembly + stamped and shouted, and wallowed, distracted, in its ignominy. + </p> + <p> + “Bravo! bravo!” the little Princess repeated in her shrill voice. “It’s + astonishing, astonishing, prodigious!” + </p> + <p> + And Silviane, whose intoxication seemed to have increased since she had + been there, in the depths of that fiery furnace, made herself particularly + conspicuous by the manner in which she clapped her hands and shouted: + “It’s he, it’s my Legras! I really must kiss him, he’s pleased me so + much!” + </p> + <p> + Duvillard, now fairly exasperated, wished to take her off by force. But + she clung to the hand-rest of the box, and shouted yet more loudly, though + without any show of temper. It became necessary to parley with her. Yes, + she was willing to go off and let them drive her home; but, first of all, + she must embrace Legras, who was an old friend of hers. “Go and wait for + me in the carriage!” she said, “I will be with you in a moment.” + </p> + <p> + Just as the assembly was at last becoming calmer, Rosemonde perceived that + the box was emptying; and her own curiosity being satisfied, she thought + of prevailing on Hyacinthe to see her home. He, who had listened to Legras + in a languid way without even applauding, was now talking of Norway with + Bergaz, who pretended that he had travelled in the North. Oh! the fiords! + oh! the ice-bound lakes! oh! the pure lily-white, chaste coldness of the + eternal winter! It was only amid such surroundings, said Hyacinthe, that + he could understand woman and love, like a kiss of the very snow itself. + </p> + <p> + “Shall we go off there to-morrow?” exclaimed the Princess with her + vivacious effrontery. “I’ll shut up my house and slip the key under the + door.” + </p> + <p> + Then she added that she was jesting, of course. But Bergaz knew her to be + quite capable of such a freak; and at the idea that she might shut up her + little mansion and perhaps leave it unprotected he exchanged a quick + glance with Sanfaute and Rossi, who still smiled in silence. Ah! what an + opportunity for a fine stroke! What an opportunity to get back some of the + wealth of the community appropriated by the blackguard <i>bourgeoisie</i>! + </p> + <p> + Meantime Raphanel, after applauding Legras, was looking all round the + place with his little grey, sharp eyes. And at last young Mathis and his + companion, the ill-clad individual, of whose face only a scrap of beard + could be seen, attracted his attention. They had neither laughed nor + applauded; they seemed to be simply a couple of tired fellows who were + resting, and in whose opinion one is best hidden in the midst of a crowd. + </p> + <p> + All at once, though, Raphanel turned towards Bergaz: “That’s surely little + Mathis over yonder. But who’s that with him?” + </p> + <p> + Bergaz made an evasive gesture; he did not know. Still, he no longer took + his eyes from Raphanel. And he saw the other feign indifference at what + followed, and finish his beer and take his leave, with the jesting remark + that he had an appointment with a lady at a neighbouring omnibus office. + No sooner had he gone than Bergaz rose, sprang over some of the forms and + jostled people in order to reach little Mathis, into whose ear he + whispered a few words. And the young man at once left his table, taking + his companion and pushing him outside through an occasional exit. It was + all so rapidly accomplished that none of the general public paid attention + to the flight. + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” said the Princess to Bergaz, when he had quietly resumed his + seat between Rossi and Sanfaute. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! nothing, I merely wished to shake hands with Mathis as he was going + off.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Rosemonde announced that she meant to do the same. Nevertheless, + she lingered a moment longer and again spoke of Norway on perceiving that + nothing could impassion Hyacinthe except the idea of the eternal snow, the + intense, purifying cold of the polar regions. In his poem on the “End of + Woman,” a composition of some thirty lines, which he hoped he should never + finish, he thought of introducing a forest of frozen pines by way of final + scene. Now the Princess had risen and was gaily reverting to her jest, + declaring that she meant to take him home to drink a cup of tea and + arrange their trip to the Pole, when an involuntary exclamation fell from + Bergaz, who, while listening, had kept his eyes on the doorway. + </p> + <p> + “Mondésir! I was sure of it!” + </p> + <p> + There had appeared at the entrance a short, sinewy, broad-backed little + man, about whose round face, bumpy forehead, and snub nose there was + considerable military roughness. One might have thought him a + non-commissioned officer in civilian attire. He gazed over the whole room, + and seemed at once dismayed and disappointed. + </p> + <p> + Bergaz, however, wishing to account for his exclamation, resumed in an + easy way: “Ah! I said there was a smell of the police about the place! You + see that fellow—he’s a detective, a very clever one, named Mondésir, + who had some trouble when he was in the army. Just look at him, sniffing + like a dog that has lost scent! Well, well, my brave fellow, if you’ve + been told of any game you may look and look for it, the bird’s flown + already!” + </p> + <p> + Once outside, when Rosemonde had prevailed on Hyacinthe to see her home, + they hastened to get into the brougham, which was waiting for them, for + near at hand they perceived Silviane’s landau, with the majestic coachman + motionless on his box, while Duvillard, Gérard, and Duthil still stood + waiting on the curbstone. They had been there for nearly twenty minutes + already, in the semi-darkness of that outer boulevard, where all the vices + of the poor districts of Paris were on the prowl. They had been jostled by + drunkards; and shadowy women brushed against them as they went by + whispering beneath the oaths and blows of bullies. And there were couples + seeking the darkness under the trees, and lingering on the benches there; + while all around were low taverns and dirty lodging-houses and places of + ill-fame. All the human degradation which till break of day swarms in the + black mud of this part of Paris, enveloped the three men, giving them the + horrors, and yet neither the Baron nor Gérard nor Duthil was willing to go + off. Each hoped that he would tire out the others, and take Silviane home + when she should at last appear. + </p> + <p> + But after a time the Baron grew impatient, and said to the coachman: + “Jules, go and see why madame doesn’t come.” + </p> + <p> + “But the horses, Monsieur le Baron?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! they will be all right, we are here.” + </p> + <p> + A fine drizzle had begun to fall; and the wait went on again as if it + would never finish. But an unexpected meeting gave them momentary + occupation. A shadowy form, something which seemed to be a thin, + black-skirted woman, brushed against them. And all of a sudden they were + surprised to find it was a priest. + </p> + <p> + “What, is it you, Monsieur l’Abbé Froment?” exclaimed Gérard. “At this + time of night? And in this part of Paris?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Pierre, without venturing either to express his own astonishment + at finding them there themselves, or to ask them what they were doing, + explained that he had been belated through accompanying Abbé Rose on a + visit to a night refuge. Ah! to think of all the frightful want which at + last drifted to those pestilential dormitories where the stench had almost + made him faint! To think of all the weariness and despair which there sank + into the slumber of utter prostration, like that of beasts falling to the + ground to sleep off the abominations of life! No name could be given to + the promiscuity; poverty and suffering were there in heaps, children and + men, young and old, beggars in sordid rags, beside the shameful poor in + threadbare frock-coats, all the waifs and strays of the daily shipwrecks + of Paris life, all the laziness and vice, and ill-luck and injustice which + the torrent rolls on, and throws off like scum. Some slept on, quite + annihilated, with the faces of corpses. Others, lying on their backs with + mouths agape, snored loudly as if still venting the plaint of their sorry + life. And others tossed restlessly, still struggling in their slumber + against fatigue and cold and hunger, which pursued them like nightmares of + monstrous shape. And from all those human beings, stretched there like + wounded after a battle, from all that ambulance of life reeking with a + stench of rottenness and death, there ascended a nausea born of revolt, + the vengeance-prompting thought of all the happy chambers where, at that + same hour, the wealthy loved or rested in fine linen and costly lace.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Even the oldest Paris night refuges, which are the outcome + of private philanthropy—L’Œuvre de l’Hospitalité de Nuit— + have only been in existence some fourteen or fifteen years. + Before that time, and from the period of the great Revolution + forward, there was absolutely no place, either refuge, asylum, + or workhouse, in the whole of that great city of wealth and + pleasure, where the houseless poor could crave a night’s + shelter. The various royalist, imperialist and republican + governments and municipalities of modern France have often + been described as ‘paternal,’ but no governments and + municipalities in the whole civilised world have done less for + the very poor. The official Poor Relief Board—L’Assistance + Publique—has for fifty years been a by-word, a mockery and a + sham, in spite of its large revenue. And this neglect of the + very poor has been an important factor in every French + revolution. Each of these—even that of 1870—had its purely + economic side, though many superficial historians are content + to ascribe economic causes to the one Revolution of 1789, and + to pass them by in all other instances.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + In vain had Pierre and Abbé Rose passed all the poor wretches in review + while seeking the big Old’un, the former carpenter, so as to rescue him + from the cesspool of misery, and send him to the Asylum on the very + morrow. He had presented himself at the refuge that evening, but there was + no room left, for, horrible to say, even the shelter of that hell could + only be granted to early comers. And so he must now be leaning against a + wall, or lying behind some palings. This had greatly distressed poor Abbé + Rose and Pierre, but it was impossible for them to search every dark, + suspicious corner; and so the former had returned to the Rue Cortot, while + the latter was seeking a cab to convey him back to Neuilly. + </p> + <p> + The fine drizzling rain was still falling and becoming almost icy, when + Silviane’s coachman, Jules, at last reappeared and interrupted the priest, + who was telling the Baron and the others how his visit to the refuge still + made him shudder. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Jules—and madame?” asked Duvillard, quite anxious at seeing + the coachman return alone. + </p> + <p> + Impassive and respectful, with no other sign of irony than a slight + involuntary twist of the lips, Jules answered: “Madame sends word that she + is not going home; and she places her carriage at the gentlemen’s disposal + if they will allow me to drive them home.” + </p> + <p> + This was the last straw, and the Baron flew into a passion. To have + allowed her to drag him to that vile den, to have waited there hopefully + so long, and to be treated in this fashion for the sake of a Legras! No, + no, he, the Baron, had had enough of it, and she should pay dearly for her + abominable conduct! Then he stopped a passing cab and pushed Gérard inside + it saying, “You can set me down at my door.” + </p> + <p> + “But she’s left us the carriage!” shouted Duthil, who was already + consoled, and inwardly laughed at the termination of it all. “Come here, + there’s plenty of room for three. No? you prefer the cab? Well, just as + you like, you know.” + </p> + <p> + For his part he gaily climbed into the landau and drove off lounging on + the cushions, while the Baron, in the jolting old cab, vented his rage + without a word of interruption from Gérard, whose face was hidden by the + darkness. To think of it! that she, whom he had overwhelmed with gifts, + who had already cost him two millions of francs, should in this fashion + insult him, the master who could dispose both of fortunes and of men! + Well, she had chosen to do it, and he was delivered! Then Duvillard drew a + long breath like a man released from the galleys. + </p> + <p> + For a moment Pierre watched the two vehicles go off; and then took his own + way under the trees, so as to shelter himself from the rain until a vacant + cab should pass. Full of distress and battling thoughts he had begun to + feel icy cold. The whole monstrous night of Paris, all the debauchery and + woe that sobbed around him made him shiver. Phantom-like women who, when + young, had led lives of infamy in wealth, and who now, old and faded, led + lives of infamy in poverty, were still and ever wandering past him in + search of bread, when suddenly a shadowy form grazed him, and a voice + murmured in his ear: “Warn your brother, the police are on Salvat’s track, + he may be arrested at any moment.” + </p> + <p> + The shadowy figure was already going its way, and as a gas ray fell upon + it, Pierre thought that he recognised the pale, pinched face of Victor + Mathis. And at the same time, yonder in Abbé Rose’s peaceful dining-room, + he fancied he could again see the gentle face of Madame Mathis, so sad and + so resigned, living on solely by the force of the last trembling hope + which she had unhappily set in her son. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap54"></a> + III. PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT + </h2> + <p> + ALREADY at eight o’clock on that holiday-making mid-Lent Thursday, when + all the offices of the Home Department were empty, Monferrand, the + Minister, sat alone in his private room. A single usher guarded his door, + and in the first ante-chamber there were only a couple of messengers. + </p> + <p> + The Minister had experienced, on awaking, the most unpleasant of emotions. + The “Voix du Peuple,” which on the previous day had revived the African + Railway scandal, by accusing Barroux of having pocketed 20,000 francs, had + that morning published its long-promised list of the bribe-taking senators + and deputies. And at the head of this list Monferrand had found his own + name set down against a sum of 80,000 francs, while Fonsègue was credited + with 50,000. Then a fifth of the latter amount was said to have been + Duthil’s share, and Chaigneux had contented himself with the beggarly sum + of 3,000 francs—the lowest price paid for any one vote, the cost of + each of the others ranging from 5 to 20,000. + </p> + <p> + It must be said that there was no anger in Monferrand’s emotion. Only he + had never thought that Sagnier would carry his passion for uproar and + scandal so far as to publish this list—a page which was said to have + been torn from a memorandum book belonging to Duvillard’s agent, Hunter, + and which was covered with incomprehensible hieroglyphics that ought to + have been discussed and explained, if, indeed, the real truth was to be + arrived at. Personally, Monferrand felt quite at ease, for he had written + nothing, signed nothing, and knew that one could always extricate oneself + from a mess by showing some audacity, and never confessing. Nevertheless, + what a commotion it would all cause in the parliamentary duck-pond. He at + once realised the inevitable consequences, the ministry overthrown and + swept away by this fresh whirlwind of denunciation and tittle-tattle. Mège + would renew his interpellation on the morrow, and Vignon and his friends + would at once lay siege to the posts they coveted. And he, Monferrand, + could picture himself driven out of that ministerial sanctum where, for + eight months past, he had been taking his ease, not with any foolish + vainglory, but with the pleasure of feeling that he was in his proper + place as a born ruler, who believed he could tame and lead the multitude. + </p> + <p> + Having thrown the newspapers aside with a disdainful gesture, he rose and + stretched himself, growling the while like a plagued lion. And then he + began to walk up and down the spacious room, which showed all the faded + official luxury of mahogany furniture and green damask hangings. Stepping + to and fro, with his hands behind his back, he no longer wore his usual + fatherly, good-natured air. He appeared as he really was, a born wrestler, + short, but broad shouldered, with sensual mouth, fleshy nose and stern + eyes, that all proclaimed him to be unscrupulous, of iron will and fit for + the greatest tasks. Still, in this case, in what direction lay his best + course? Must he let himself be dragged down with Barroux? Perhaps his + personal position was not absolutely compromised? And yet how could he + part company from the others, swim ashore, and save himself while they + were being drowned? It was a grave problem, and with his frantic desire to + retain power, he made desperate endeavours to devise some suitable + manœuvre. + </p> + <p> + But he could think of nothing, and began to swear at the virtuous fits of + that silly Republic, which, in his opinion, rendered all government + impossible. To think of such foolish fiddle-faddle stopping a man of his + acumen and strength! How on earth can one govern men if one is denied the + use of money, that sovereign means of sway? And he laughed bitterly; for + the idea of an idyllic country where all great enterprises would be + carried out in an absolutely honest manner seemed to him the height of + absurdity. + </p> + <p> + At last, however, unable as he was to come to a determination, it occurred + to him to confer with Baron Duvillard, whom he had long known, and whom he + regretted not having seen sooner so as to urge him to purchase Sagnier’s + silence. At first he thought of sending the Baron a brief note by a + messenger; but he disliked committing anything to paper, for the veriest + scrap of writing may prove dangerous; so he preferred to employ the + telephone which had been installed for his private use near his + writing-table. + </p> + <p> + “It is Baron Duvillard who is speaking to me?... Quite so. It’s I, the + Minister, Monsieur Monferrand. I shall be much obliged if you will come to + see me at once.... Quite so, quite so, I will wait for you.” + </p> + <p> + Then again he walked to and fro and meditated. That fellow Duvillard was + as clever a man as himself, and might be able to give him an idea. And he + was still laboriously trying to devise some scheme, when the usher entered + saying that Monsieur Gascogne, the Chief of the Detective Police, + particularly wished to speak to him. Monferrand’s first thought was that + the Prefecture of Police desired to know his views respecting the steps + which ought to be taken to ensure public order that day; for two mid-Lent + processions—one of the Washerwomen and the other of the Students—were + to march through Paris, whose streets would certainly be crowded. + </p> + <p> + “Show Monsieur Gascogne in,” he said. + </p> + <p> + A tall, slim, dark man, looking like an artisan in his Sunday best, then + stepped into the ministerial sanctum. Fully acquainted with the + under-currents of Paris life, this Chief of the Detective Force had a cold + dispassionate nature and a clear and methodical mind. Professionalism + slightly spoilt him, however: he would have possessed more intelligence if + he had not credited himself with so much. + </p> + <p> + He began by apologising for his superior the Prefect, who would certainly + have called in person had he not been suffering from indisposition. + However, it was perhaps best that he, Gascogne, should acquaint Monsieur + le Ministre with the grave affair which brought him, for he knew every + detail of it. Then he revealed what the grave affair was. + </p> + <p> + “I believe, Monsieur le Ministre, that we at last hold the perpetrator of + the crime in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy.” + </p> + <p> + At this, Monferrand, who had been listening impatiently, became quite + impassioned. The fruitless searches of the police, the attacks and the + jeers of the newspapers, were a source of daily worry to him. “Ah!—Well, + so much the better for you Monsieur Gascogne,” he replied with brutal + frankness. “You would have ended by losing your post. The man is + arrested?” + </p> + <p> + “Not yet, Monsieur le Ministre; but he cannot escape, and it is merely an + affair of a few hours.” + </p> + <p> + Then the Chief of the Detective Force told the whole story: how Detective + Mondésir, on being warned by a secret agent that the Anarchist Salvat was + in a tavern at Montmartre, had reached it just as the bird had flown; then + how chance had again set him in presence of Salvat at a hundred paces or + so from the tavern, the rascal having foolishly loitered there to watch + the establishment; and afterwards how Salvat had been stealthily shadowed + in the hope that they might catch him in his hiding-place with his + accomplices. And, in this wise, he had been tracked to the Porte-Maillot, + where, realising, no doubt, that he was pursued, he had suddenly bolted + into the Bois de Boulogne. It was there that he had been hiding since two + o’clock in the morning in the drizzle which had not ceased to fall. They + had waited for daylight in order to organise a <i>battue</i> and hunt him + down like some animal, whose weariness must necessarily ensure capture. + And so, from one moment to another, he would be caught. + </p> + <p> + “I know the great interest you take in the arrest, Monsieur le Ministre,” + added Gascogne, “and it occurred to me to ask your orders. Detective + Mondésir is over there, directing the hunt. He regrets that he did not + apprehend the man on the Boulevard de Rochechouart; but, all the same, the + idea of following him was a capital one, and one can only reproach + Mondésir with having forgotten the Bois de Boulogne in his calculations.” + </p> + <p> + Salvat arrested! That fellow Salvat whose name had filled the newspapers + for three weeks past. This was a most fortunate stroke which would be + talked of far and wide! In the depths of Monferrand’s fixed eyes one could + divine a world of thoughts and a sudden determination to turn this + incident which chance had brought him to his own personal advantage. In + his own mind a link was already forming between this arrest and that + African Railways interpellation which was likely to overthrow the ministry + on the morrow. The first outlines of a scheme already rose before him. Was + it not his good star that had sent him what he had been seeking—a + means of fishing himself out of the troubled waters of the approaching + crisis? + </p> + <p> + “But tell me, Monsieur Gascogne,” said he, “are you quite sure that this + man Salvat committed the crime?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! perfectly sure, Monsieur le Ministre. He’ll confess everything in the + cab before he reaches the Prefecture.” + </p> + <p> + Monferrand again walked to and fro with a pensive air, and ideas came to + him as he spoke on in a slow, meditative fashion. “My orders! well, my + orders, they are, first, that you must act with the very greatest + prudence. Yes, don’t gather a mob of promenaders together. Try to arrange + things so that the arrest may pass unperceived—and if you secure a + confession keep it to yourself, don’t communicate it to the newspapers. + Yes, I particularly recommend that point to you, don’t take the newspapers + into your confidence at all—and finally, come and tell me + everything, and observe secrecy, absolute secrecy, with everybody else.” + </p> + <p> + Gascogne bowed and would have withdrawn, but Monferrand detained him to + say that not a day passed without his friend Monsieur Lehmann, the Public + Prosecutor, receiving letters from Anarchists who threatened to blow him + up with his family; in such wise that, although he was by no means a + coward, he wished his house to be guarded by plain-clothes officers. A + similar watch was already kept upon the house where investigating + magistrate Amadieu resided. And if the latter’s life was precious, that of + Public Prosecutor Lehmann was equally so, for he was one of those + political magistrates, one of those shrewd talented Israelites, who make + their way in very honest fashion by invariably taking the part of the + Government in office. + </p> + <p> + Then Gascogne in his turn remarked: “There is also the Barthès affair, + Monsieur le Ministre—we are still waiting. Are we to arrest Barthès + at that little house at Neuilly?” + </p> + <p> + One of those chances which sometimes come to the help of detectives and + make people think the latter to be men of genius had revealed to him the + circumstance that Barthès had found a refuge with Abbé Pierre Froment. + Ever since the Anarchist terror had thrown Paris into dismay a warrant had + been out against the old man, not for any precise offence, but simply + because he was a suspicious character and might, therefore, have had some + intercourse with the Revolutionists. However, it had been repugnant to + Gascogne to arrest him at the house of a priest whom the whole district + venerated as a saint; and the Minister, whom he had consulted on the + point, had warmly approved of his reserve, since a member of the clergy + was in question, and had undertaken to settle the affair himself. + </p> + <p> + “No, Monsieur Gascogne,” he now replied, “don’t move in the matter. You + know what my feelings are, that we ought to have the priests with us and + not against us—I have had a letter written to Abbé Froment in order + that he may call here this morning, as I shall have no other visitors. I + will speak to him myself, and you may take it that the affair no longer + concerns you.” + </p> + <p> + Then he was about to dismiss him when the usher came back saying that the + President of the Council was in the ante-room.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The title of President of the Council is given to the French + prime minister.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + “Barroux!—Ah! dash it, then, Monsieur Gascogne, you had better go + out this way. It is as well that nobody should meet you, as I wish you to + keep silent respecting Salvat’s arrest. It’s fully understood, is it not? + I alone am to know everything; and you will communicate with me here + direct, by the telephone, if any serious incident should arise.” + </p> + <p> + The Chief of the Detective Police had scarcely gone off, by way of an + adjoining <i>salon</i>, when the usher reopened the door communicating + with the ante-room: “Monsieur le President du Conseil.” + </p> + <p> + With a nicely adjusted show of deference and cordiality, Monferrand + stepped forward, his hands outstretched: “Ah! my dear President, why did + you put yourself out to come here? I would have called on you if I had + known that you wished to see me.” + </p> + <p> + But with an impatient gesture Barroux brushed aside all question of + etiquette. “No, no! I was taking my usual stroll in the Champs Elysées, + and the worries of the situation impressed me so keenly that I preferred + to come here at once. You yourself must realise that we can’t put up with + what is taking place. And pending to-morrow morning’s council, when we + shall have to arrange a plan of defence, I felt that there was good reason + for us to talk things over.” + </p> + <p> + He took an armchair, and Monferrand on his side rolled another forward so + as to seat himself with his back to the light. Whilst Barroux, the elder + of the pair by ten years, blanched and solemn, with a handsome face, snowy + whiskers, clean-shaven chin and upper-lip, retained all the dignity of + power, the bearing of a Conventionnel of romantic views, who sought to + magnify the simple loyalty of a rather foolish but good-hearted <i>bourgeois</i> + nature into something great; the other, beneath his heavy common + countenance and feigned frankness and simplicity, concealed unknown + depths, the unfathomable soul of a shrewd enjoyer and despot who was alike + pitiless and unscrupulous in attaining his ends. + </p> + <p> + For a moment Barroux drew breath, for in reality he was greatly moved, his + blood rising to his head, and his heart beating with indignation and anger + at the thought of all the vulgar insults which the “Voix du Peuple” had + poured upon him again that morning. “Come, my dear colleague,” said he, + “one must stop that scandalous campaign. Moreover, you can realise what + awaits us at the Chamber to-morrow. Now that the famous list has been + published we shall have every malcontent up in arms. Vignon is bestirring + himself already—” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you have news of Vignon?” exclaimed Monferrand, becoming very + attentive. + </p> + <p> + “Well, as I passed his door just now, I saw a string of cabs waiting + there. All his creatures have been on the move since yesterday, and at + least twenty persons have told me that the band is already dividing the + spoils. For, as you must know, the fierce and ingenuous Mège is again + going to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for others. Briefly, we are + dead, and the others claim that they are going to bury us in mud before + they fight over our leavings.” With his arm outstretched Barroux made a + theatrical gesture, and his voice resounded as if he were in the tribune. + Nevertheless, his emotion was real, tears even were coming to his eyes. + “To think that I who have given my whole life to the Republic, I who + founded it, who saved it, should be covered with insults in this fashion, + and obliged to defend myself against abominable charges! To say that I + abused my trust! That I sold myself and took 200,000 francs from that man + Hunter, simply to slip them into my pocket! Well, certainly there <i>was</i> + a question of 200,000 francs between us. But how and under what + circumstances? They were doubtless the same as in your case, with regard + to the 80,000 francs that he is said to have handed you—” + </p> + <p> + But Monferrand interrupted his colleague in a clear trenchant voice: “He + never handed me a centime.” + </p> + <p> + The other looked at him in astonishment, but could only see his big, rough + head, whose features were steeped in shadow: “Ah! But I thought you had + business relations with him, and knew him particularly well.” + </p> + <p> + “No, I simply knew Hunter as everyone knew him. I was not even aware that + he was Baron Duvillard’s agent in the African Railways matter; and there + was never any question of that affair between us.” + </p> + <p> + This was so improbable, so contrary to everything Barroux knew of the + business, that for a moment he felt quite scared. Then he waved his hand + as if to say that others might as well look after their own affairs, and + reverted to himself. “Oh! as for me,” he said, “Hunter called on me more + than ten times, and made me quite sick with his talk of the African + Railways. It was at the time when the Chamber was asked to authorise the + issue of lottery stock.* And, by the way, my dear fellow, I was then here + at the Home Department, while you had just taken that of Public Works. I + can remember sitting at that very writing-table, while Hunter was in the + same armchair that I now occupy. That day he wanted to consult me about + the employment of the large sum which Duvillard’s house proposed to spend + in advertising; and on seeing what big amounts were set down against the + Royalist journals, I became quite angry, for I realised with perfect + accuracy that this money would simply be used to wage war against the + Republic. And so, yielding to Hunter’s entreaties, I also drew up a list + allotting 200,000 francs among the friendly Republican newspapers, which + were paid through me, I admit it. And that’s the whole story.”** + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This kind of stock is common enough in France. A part of it is + extinguished annually at a public “drawing,” when all such + shares or bonds that are drawn become entitled to redemption + at “par,” a percentage of them also securing prizes of various + amounts. City of Paris Bonds issued on this system are very + popular among French people with small savings; but, on the + other hand, many ventures, whose lottery stock has been + authorised by the Legislature, have come to grief and ruined + investors.—Trans. + + ** All who are acquainted with recent French history will be + aware that Barroux’ narrative is simply a passage from the + life of the late M. Floquet, slightly modified to suit the + requirements of M. Zola’s story.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Then he sprang to his feet and struck his chest, whilst his voice again + rose: “Well, I’ve had more than enough of all that calumny and falsehood! + And I shall simply tell the Chamber my story to-morrow. It will be my only + defence. An honest man does not fear the truth!” + </p> + <p> + But Monferrand, in his turn, had sprung up with a cry which was a complete + confession of his principles: “It’s ridiculous, one never confesses; you + surely won’t do such a thing!” + </p> + <p> + “I shall,” retorted Barroux with superb obstinacy. “And we shall see if + the Chamber won’t absolve me by acclamation.” + </p> + <p> + “No, you will fall beneath an explosion of hisses, and drag all of us down + with you.” + </p> + <p> + “What does it matter? We shall fall with dignity, like honest men!” + </p> + <p> + Monferrand made a gesture of furious anger, and then suddenly became calm. + Amidst all the anxious confusion in which he had been struggling since + daybreak, a gleam now dawned upon him. The vague ideas suggested by + Salvat’s approaching arrest took shape, and expanded into an audacious + scheme. Why should he prevent the fall of that big ninny Barroux? The only + thing of importance was that he, Monferrand, should not fall with him, or + at any rate that he should rise again. So he protested no further, but + merely mumbled a few words, in which his rebellious feeling seemingly died + out. And at last, putting on his good-natured air once more, he said: + “Well, after all you are perhaps right. One must be brave. Besides, you + are our head, my dear President, and we will follow you.” + </p> + <p> + They had now again sat down face to face, and their conversation continued + till they came to a cordial agreement respecting the course which the + Government should adopt in view of the inevitable interpellation on the + morrow. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Baron Duvillard was on his way to the ministry. He had scarcely + slept that night. When on the return from Montmartre Gérard had set him + down at his door in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy, he had at once gone to bed, + like a man who is determined to compel sleep, so that he may forget his + worries and recover self-control. But slumber would not come; for hours + and hours he vainly sought it. The manner in which he had been insulted by + that creature Silviane was so monstrous! To think that she, whom he had + enriched, whose every desire he had contented, should have cast such mud + at him, the master, who flattered himself that he held Paris and the + Republic in his hands, since he bought up and controlled consciences just + as others might make corners in wool or leather for the purposes of Bourse + speculation. And the dim consciousness that Silviane was the avenging + sore, the cancer preying on him who preyed on others, completed his + exasperation. In vain did he try to drive away his haunting thoughts, + remember his business affairs, his appointments for the morrow, his + millions which were working in every quarter of the world, the financial + omnipotence which placed the fate of nations in his grasp. Ever, and in + spite of all, Silviane rose up before him, splashing him with mud. In + despair he tried to fix his mind on a great enterprise which he had been + planning for months past, a Trans-Saharan railway, a colossal venture + which would set millions of money at work, and revolutionise the trade of + the world. And yet Silviane appeared once more, and smacked him on both + cheeks with her dainty little hand, which she had dipped in the gutter. It + was only towards daybreak that he at last dozed off, while vowing in a + fury that he would never see her again, that he would spurn her, and order + her away, even should she come and drag herself at his feet. + </p> + <p> + However, when he awoke at seven, still tired and aching, his first thought + was for her, and he almost yielded to a fit of weakness. The idea came to + him to ascertain if she had returned home, and if so make his peace. But + he jumped out of bed, and after his ablutions he recovered all his + bravery. She was a wretch, and he this time thought himself for ever cured + of his passion. To tell the truth, he forgot it as soon as he opened the + morning newspapers. The publication of the list of bribe-takers in the + “Voix du Peuple” quite upset him, for he had hitherto thought it unlikely + that Sagnier held any such list. However, he judged the document at a + glance, at once separating the few truths it contained from a mass of + foolishness and falsehood. And this time also he did not consider himself + personally in danger. There was only one thing that he really feared: the + arrest of his intermediary, Hunter, whose trial might have drawn him into + the affair. As matters stood, and as he did not cease to repeat with a + calm and smiling air, he had merely done what every banking-house does + when it issues stock, that is, pay the press for advertisements and + puffery, employ brokers, and reward services discreetly rendered to the + enterprise. It was all a business matter, and for him that expression + summed up everything. Moreover, he played the game of life bravely, and + spoke with indignant contempt of a banker who, distracted and driven to + extremities by blackmailing, had imagined that he would bring a recent + scandal to an end by killing himself: a pitiful tragedy, from all the mire + and blood of which the scandal had sprouted afresh with the most luxuriant + and indestructible vegetation. No, no! suicide was not the course to + follow: a man ought to remain erect, and struggle on to his very last + copper, and the very end of his energy. + </p> + <p> + At about nine o’clock a ringing brought Duvillard to the telephone + installed in his private room. And then his folly took possession of him + once more: it must be Silviane who wished to speak to him. She often + amused herself by thus disturbing him amidst his greatest cares. No doubt + she had just returned home, realising that she had carried things too far + on the previous evening and desiring to be forgiven. However, when he + found that the call was from Monferrand, who wished him to go to the + ministry, he shivered slightly, like a man saved from the abyss beside + which he is travelling. And forthwith he called for his hat and stick, + desirous as he was of walking and reflecting in the open air. And again he + became absorbed in the intricacies of the scandalous business which was + about to stir all Paris and the legislature. Kill himself! ah, no, that + would be foolish and cowardly. A gust of terror might be sweeping past; + nevertheless, for his part he felt quite firm, superior to events, and + resolved to defend himself without relinquishing aught of his power. + </p> + <p> + As soon as he entered the ante-rooms of the ministry he realised that the + gust of terror was becoming a tempest. The publication of the terrible + list in the “Voix du Peuple” had chilled the guilty ones to the heart; + and, pale and distracted, feeling the ground give way beneath them, they + had come to take counsel of Monferrand, who, they hoped, might save them. + The first whom Duvillard perceived was Duthil, looking extremely feverish, + biting his moustaches, and constantly making grimaces in his efforts to + force a smile. The banker scolded him for coming, saying that it was a + great mistake to have done so, particularly with such a scared face. The + deputy, however, his spirits already cheered by these rough words, began + to defend himself, declaring that he had not even read Sagnier’s article, + and had simply come to recommend a lady friend to the Minister. Thereupon + the Baron undertook this business for him and sent him away with the wish + that he might spend a merry mid-Lent. However, the one who most roused + Duvillard’s pity was Chaigneux, whose figure swayed about as if bent by + the weight of his long equine head, and who looked so shabby and untidy + that one might have taken him for an old pauper. On recognising the banker + he darted forward, and bowed to him with obsequious eagerness. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur le Baron,” said he, “how wicked some men must be! They are + killing me, I shall die of it all; and what will become of my wife, what + will become of my three daughters, who have none but me to help them?” + </p> + <p> + The whole of his woeful story lay in that lament. A victim of politics, he + had been foolish enough to quit Arras and his business there as a + solicitor, in order to seek triumph in Paris with his wife and daughters, + whose menial he had then become—a menial dismayed by the constant + rebuffs and failures which his mediocrity brought upon him. An honest + deputy! ah, good heavens! yes, he would have liked to be one; but was he + not perpetually “hard-up,” ever in search of a hundred-franc note, and + thus, perforce, a deputy for sale? And withal he led such a pitiable life, + so badgered by the women folk about him, that to satisfy their demands he + would have picked up money no matter where or how. + </p> + <p> + “Just fancy, Monsieur le Baron, I have at last found a husband for my + eldest girl. It is the first bit of luck that I have ever had; there will + only be three women left on my hands if it comes off. But you can imagine + what a disastrous impression such an article as that of this morning must + create in the young man’s family. So I have come to see the Minister to + beg him to give my future son-in-law a prefectoral secretaryship. I have + already promised him the post, and if I can secure it things may yet be + arranged.” + </p> + <p> + He looked so terribly shabby and spoke in such a doleful voice that it + occurred to Duvillard to do one of those good actions on which he ventured + at times when they were likely to prove remunerative investments. It is, + indeed, an excellent plan to give a crust of bread to some poor devil whom + one can turn, if necessary, into a valet or an accomplice. So the banker + dismissed Chaigneux, undertaking to do his business for him in the same + way as he had undertaken to do Duthil’s. And he added that he would be + pleased to see him on the morrow, and have a chat with him, as he might be + able to help him in the matter of his daughter’s marriage. + </p> + <p> + At this Chaigneux, scenting a loan, collapsed into the most lavish thanks. + “Ah! Monsieur le Baron, my life will not be long enough to enable me to + repay such a debt of gratitude.” + </p> + <p> + As Duvillard turned round he was surprised to see Abbé Froment waiting in + a corner of the ante-room. Surely that one could not belong to the batch + of <i>suspects</i>, although by the manner in which he was pretending to + read a newspaper it seemed as if he were trying to hide some keen anxiety. + At last the Baron stepped forward, shook hands, and spoke to him + cordially. And Pierre thereupon related that he had received a letter + requesting him to call on the Minister that day. Why, he could not tell; + in fact, he was greatly surprised, he said, putting on a smile in order to + conceal his disquietude. He had been waiting a long time already, and + hoped that he would not be forgotten on that bench. + </p> + <p> + Just then the usher appeared, and hastened up to the banker. “The + Minister,” said he, “was at that moment engaged with the President of the + Council; but he had orders to admit the Baron as soon as the President + withdrew.” Almost immediately afterwards Barroux came out, and as + Duvillard was about to enter he recognised and detained him. And he spoke + of the denunciations very bitterly, like one indignant with all the + slander. Would not he, Duvillard, should occasion require it, testify that + he, Barroux, had never taken a centime for himself? Then, forgetting that + he was speaking to a banker, and that he was Minister of Finances, he + proceeded to express all his disgust of money. Ah! what poisonous, murky, + and defiling waters were those in which money-making went on! However, he + repeated that he would chastise his insulters, and that a statement of the + truth would suffice for the purpose. + </p> + <p> + Duvillard listened and looked at him. And all at once the thought of + Silviane came back, and took possession of the Baron, without any attempt + on his part to drive it away. He reflected that if Barroux had chosen to + give him a helping hand when he had asked for it, Silviane would now have + been at the Comédie Française, in which case the deplorable affair of the + previous night would not have occurred; for he was beginning to regard + himself as guilty in the matter; if he had only contented Silviane’s whim + she would never have dismissed him in so vile a fashion. + </p> + <p> + “You know, I owe you a grudge,” he said, interrupting Barroux. + </p> + <p> + The other looked at him in astonishment. “And why, pray?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Why, because you never helped me in the matter of that friend of mine who + wishes to make her <i>début</i> in ‘Polyeucte.’” + </p> + <p> + Barroux smiled, and with amiable condescension replied: “Ah! yes, Silviane + d’Aulnay! But, my dear sir, it was Taboureau who put spokes in the wheel. + The Fine Arts are his department, and the question was entirely one for + him. And I could do nothing; for that very worthy and honest gentleman, + who came to us from a provincial faculty, was full of scruples. For my own + part I’m an old Parisian, I can understand anything, and I should have + been delighted to please you.” + </p> + <p> + At this fresh resistance offered to his passion Duvillard once more became + excited, eager to obtain that which was denied him. “Taboureau, + Taboureau!” said he, “he’s a nice deadweight for you to load yourself + with! Honest! isn’t everybody honest? Come, my dear Minister, there’s + still time, get Silviane admitted, it will bring you good luck for + to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + This time Barroux burst into a frank laugh: “No, no, I can’t cast + Taboureau adrift at this moment—people would make too much sport of + it—a ministry wrecked or saved by a Silviane question!” + </p> + <p> + Then he offered his hand before going off. The Baron pressed it, and for a + moment retained it in his own, whilst saying very gravely and with a + somewhat pale face: “You do wrong to laugh, my dear Minister. Governments + have fallen or set themselves erect again through smaller matters than + that. And should you fall to-morrow I trust that you will never have + occasion to regret it.” + </p> + <p> + Wounded to the heart by the other’s jesting air, exasperated by the idea + that there was something he could not achieve, Duvillard watched Barroux + as he withdrew. Most certainly the Baron did not desire a reconciliation + with Silviane, but he vowed that he would overturn everything if necessary + in order to send her a signed engagement for the Comédie, and this simply + by way of vengeance, as a slap, so to say,—yes, a slap which would + make her tingle! That moment spent with Barroux had been a decisive one. + </p> + <p> + However, whilst still following Barroux with his eyes, Duvillard was + surprised to see Fonsègue arrive and manœuvre in such a way as to escape + the Prime Minister’s notice. He succeeded in doing so, and then entered + the ante-room with an appearance of dismay about the whole of his little + figure, which was, as a rule, so sprightly. It was the gust of terror, + still blowing, that had brought him thither. + </p> + <p> + “Didn’t you see your friend Barroux?” the Baron asked him, somewhat + puzzled. + </p> + <p> + “Barroux? No!” + </p> + <p> + This quiet lie was equivalent to a confession of everything. Fonsègue was + so intimate with Barroux that he thee’d and thou’d him, and for ten years + had been supporting him in his newspaper, having precisely the same views, + the same political religion. But with a smash-up threatening, he doubtless + realised, thanks to his wonderfully keen scent, that he must change his + friendships if he did not wish to remain under the ruins himself. If he + had, for long years, shown so much prudence and diplomatic virtue in order + to firmly establish the most dignified and respected of Parisian + newspapers, it was not for the purpose of letting that newspaper be + compromised by some foolish blunder on the part of an honest man. + </p> + <p> + “I thought you were on bad terms with Monferrand,” resumed Duvillard. + “What have you come here for?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my dear Baron, the director of a leading newspaper is never on bad + terms with anybody. He’s at the country’s service.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of his emotion, Duvillard could not help smiling. “You are + right,” he responded. “Besides, Monferrand is really an able man, whom one + can support without fear.” + </p> + <p> + At this Fonsègue began to wonder whether his anguish of mind was visible. + He, who usually played the game of life so well, with his own hand under + thorough control, had been terrified by the article in the “Voix du + Peuple.” For the first time in his career he had perpetrated a blunder, + and felt that he was at the mercy of some denunciation, for with + unpardonable imprudence he had written a very brief but compromising note. + He was not anxious concerning the 50,000 francs which Barroux had handed + him out of the 200,000 destined for the Republican press. But he trembled + lest another affair should be discovered, that of a sum of money which he + had received as a present. It was only on feeling the Baron’s keen glance + upon him that he was able to recover some self-possession. How silly it + was to lose the knack of lying and to confess things simply by one’s + demeanour! + </p> + <p> + But the usher drew near and repeated that the Minister was now waiting for + the Baron; and Fonsègue went to sit down beside Abbé Froment, whom he also + was astonished to find there. Pierre repeated that he had received a + letter, but had no notion what the Minister might wish to say to him. And + the quiver of his hands again revealed how feverishly impatient he was to + know what it might be. However, he could only wait, since Monferrand was + still busy discussing such grave affairs. + </p> + <p> + On seeing Duvillard enter, the Minister had stepped forward, offering his + hand. However much the blast of terror might shake others, he had retained + his calmness and good-natured smile. “What an affair, eh, my dear Baron!” + he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “It’s idiotic!” plainly declared the other, with a shrug of his shoulders. + Then he sat down in the armchair vacated by Barroux, while the Minister + installed himself in front of him. These two were made to understand one + another, and they indulged in the same despairing gestures and furious + complaints, declaring that government, like business, would no longer be + possible if men were required to show such virtue as they did not possess. + At all times, and under every <i>régime</i>, when a decision of the + Chambers had been required in connection with some great enterprise, had + not the natural and legitimate tactics been for one to do what might be + needful to secure that decision? It was absolutely necessary that one + should obtain influential and sympathetic support, in a word, make sure of + votes. Well, everything had to be paid for, men like other things, some + with fine words, others with favours or money, presents made in a more or + less disguised manner. And even admitting that, in the present cases, one + had gone rather far in the purchasing, that some of the bartering had been + conducted in an imprudent way, was it wise to make such an uproar over it? + Would not a strong government have begun by stifling the scandal, from + motives of patriotism, a mere sense of cleanliness even? + </p> + <p> + “Why, of course! You are right, a thousand times right!” exclaimed + Monferrand. “Ah! if I were the master you would see what a fine + first-class funeral I would give it all!” Then, as Duvillard looked at him + fixedly, struck by these last words, he added with his expressive smile: + “Unfortunately I’m not the master, and it was to talk to you of the + situation that I ventured to disturb you. Barroux, who was here just now, + seemed to me in a regrettable frame of mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I saw him, he has such singular ideas at times—” Then, + breaking off, the Baron added: “Do you know that Fonsègue is in the + ante-room? As he wishes to make his peace with you, why not send for him? + He won’t be in the way, in fact, he’s a man of good counsel, and the + support of his newspaper often suffices to give one the victory.” + </p> + <p> + “What, is Fonsègue there!” cried Monferrand. “Why, I don’t ask better than + to shake hands with him. There were some old affairs between us that don’t + concern anybody! But, good heavens! if you only knew what little spite I + harbour!” + </p> + <p> + When the usher had admitted Fonsègue the reconciliation took place in the + simplest fashion. They had been great friends at college in their native + Corrèze, but had not spoken together for ten years past in consequence of + some abominable affair the particulars of which were not exactly known. + However, it becomes necessary to clear away all corpses when one wishes to + have the arena free for a fresh battle. + </p> + <p> + “It’s very good of you to come back the first,” said Monferrand. “So it’s + all over, you no longer bear me any grudge?” + </p> + <p> + “No, indeed!” replied Fonsègue. “Why should people devour one another when + it would be to their interest to come to an understanding?” + </p> + <p> + Then, without further explanations, they passed to the great affair, and + the conference began. And when Monferrand had announced Barroux’ + determination to confess and explain his conduct, the others loudly + protested. That meant certain downfall, they would prevent him, he surely + would not be guilty of such folly. Forthwith they discussed every + imaginable plan by which the Ministry might be saved, for that must + certainly be Monferrand’s sole desire. He himself with all eagerness + pretended to seek some means of extricating his colleagues and himself + from the mess in which they were. However, a faint smile, still played + around his lips, and at last as if vanquished he sought no further. + “There’s no help for it,” said he, “the ministry’s down.” + </p> + <p> + The others exchanged glances, full of anxiety at the thought of another + Cabinet dealing with the African Railways affair. A Vignon Cabinet would + doubtless plume itself on behaving honestly. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, what shall we do?” + </p> + <p> + But just then the telephone rang, and Monferrand rose to respond to the + summons: “Allow me.” + </p> + <p> + He listened for a moment and then spoke into the tube, nothing that he + said giving the others any inkling of the information which had reached + him. This had come from the Chief of the Detective Police, and was to the + effect that Salvat’s whereabouts in the Bois de Boulogne had been + discovered, and that he would be hunted down with all speed. “Very good! + And don’t forget my orders,” replied Monferrand. + </p> + <p> + Now that Salvat’s arrest was certain, the Minister determined to follow + the plan which had gradually taken shape in his mind; and returning to the + middle of the room he slowly walked to and fro, while saying with his + wonted familiarity: “But what would you have, my friends? It would be + necessary for me to be the master. Ah! if I were the master! A Commission + of Inquiry, yes! that’s the proper form for a first-class funeral to take + in a big affair like this, so full of nasty things. For my part, I should + confess nothing, and I should have a Commission appointed. And then you + would see the storm subside.” + </p> + <p> + Duvillard and Fonsègue began to laugh. The latter, however, thanks to his + intimate knowledge of Monferrand, almost guessed the truth. “Just listen!” + said he; “even if the ministry falls it doesn’t necessarily follow that + you must be on the ground with it. Besides, a ministry can be mended when + there are good pieces of it left.” + </p> + <p> + Somewhat anxious at finding his thoughts guessed, Monferrand protested: + “No, no, my dear fellow, I don’t play that game. We are jointly + responsible, we’ve got to keep together, dash it all!” + </p> + <p> + “Keep together! Pooh! Not when simpletons purposely drown themselves! And, + besides, if we others have need of you, we have a right to save you in + spite of yourself! Isn’t that so, my dear Baron?” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Monferrand sat down, no longer protesting but waiting, Duvillard, + who was again thinking of his passion, full of anger at the recollection + of Barroux’ refusal, rose in his turn, and exclaimed: “Why, certainly! If + the ministry’s condemned let it fall! What good can you get out of a + ministry which includes such a man as Taboureau! There you have an old, + worn-out professor without any prestige, who comes to Paris from Grenoble, + and has never set foot in a theatre in his life! Yet the control of the + theatres is handed over to him, and naturally he’s ever doing the most + stupid things!” + </p> + <p> + Monferrand, who was well informed on the Silviane question, remained + grave, and for a moment amused himself by trying to excite the Baron. + “Taboureau,” said he, “is a somewhat dull and old-fashioned University + man, but at the department of Public Instruction he’s in his proper + element.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! don’t talk like that, my dear fellow! You are more intelligent than + that, you are not going to defend Taboureau as Barroux did. It’s quite + true that I should very much like to see Silviane at the Comédie. She’s a + very good girl at heart, and she has an amazing lot of talent. Would you + stand in her way if you were in Taboureau’s place?” + </p> + <p> + “I? Good heavens, no! A pretty girl on the stage, why, it would please + everybody, I’m sure. Only it would be necessary to have a man of the same + views as were at the department of Instruction and Fine Arts.” + </p> + <p> + His sly smile had returned to his face. The securing of that girl’s <i>début</i> + was certainly not a high price to pay for all the influence of Duvillard’s + millions. Monferrand therefore turned towards Fonsègue as if to consult + him. The other, who fully understood the importance of the affair, was + meditating in all seriousness: “A senator is the proper man for Public + Instruction,” said he. “But I can think of none, none at all, such as + would be wanted. A man of broad mind, a real Parisian, and yet one whose + presence at the head of the University wouldn’t cause too much + astonishment—there’s perhaps Dauvergne—” + </p> + <p> + “Dauvergne! Who’s he?” exclaimed Monferrand in surprise. “Ah! yes, + Dauvergne the senator for Dijon—but he’s altogether ignorant of + University matters, he hasn’t the slightest qualification.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, as for that,” resumed Fonsègue, “I’m trying to think. Dauvergne is + certainly a good-looking fellow, tall and fair and decorative. Besides, + he’s immensely rich, has a most charming young wife—which does no + harm, on the contrary—and he gives real <i>fêtes</i> at his place on + the Boulevard St. Germain.” + </p> + <p> + It was only with hesitation that Fonsègue himself had ventured to suggest + Dauvergne. But by degrees his selection appeared to him a real “find.” + “Wait a bit! I recollect now that in his young days Dauvergne wrote a + comedy, a one act comedy in verse, and had it performed at Dijon. And + Dijon’s a literary town, you know, so that piece of his sets a little + perfume of ‘Belles-Lettres’ around him. And then, too, he left Dijon + twenty years ago, and is a most determined Parisian, frequenting every + sphere of society. Dauvergne will do whatever one desires. He’s the man + for us, I tell you.” + </p> + <p> + Duvillard thereupon declared that he knew him, and considered him a very + decent fellow. Besides, he or another, it mattered nothing! + </p> + <p> + “Dauvergne, Dauvergne,” repeated Monferrand. “<i>Mon Dieu</i>, yes! After + all, why not? He’ll perhaps make a very good minister. Let us say + Dauvergne.” Then suddenly bursting into a hearty laugh: “And so we are + reconstructing the Cabinet in order that that charming young woman may + join the Comédie! The Silviane cabinet—well, and what about the + other departments?” + </p> + <p> + He jested, well knowing that gaiety often hastens difficult solutions. + And, indeed, they merrily continued settling what should be done if the + ministry were defeated on the morrow. Although they had not plainly said + so the plan was to let Barroux sink, even help him to do so, and then fish + Monferrand out of the troubled waters. The latter engaged himself with the + two others, because he had need of them, the Baron on account of his + financial sovereignty, and the director of “Le Globe” on account of the + press campaign which he could carry on in his favour. And in the same way + the others, quite apart from the Silviane business, had need of + Monferrand, the strong-handed man of government, who undertook to bury the + African Railways scandal by bringing about a Commission of Inquiry, all + the strings of which would be pulled by himself. There was soon a perfect + understanding between the three men, for nothing draws people more closely + together than common interest, fear and need. Accordingly, when Duvillard + spoke of Duthil’s business, the young lady whom he wished to recommend, + the Minister declared that it was settled. A very nice fellow was Duthil, + they needed a good many like him. And it was also agreed that Chaigneux’ + future son-in-law should have his secretaryship. Poor Chaigneux! He was so + devoted, always ready to undertake any commission, and his four women folk + led him such a hard life! + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, it’s understood.” And Monferrand, Duvillard and Fonsègue + vigorously shook hands. + </p> + <p> + However, when the first accompanied the others to the door, he noticed a + prelate, in a cassock of fine material, edged with violet, speaking to a + priest in the ante-room. Thereupon he, the Minister, hastened forward, + looking much distressed. “Ah! you were waiting, Monseigneur Martha! Come + in, come in quick!” + </p> + <p> + But with perfect urbanity the Bishop refused. “No, no, Monsieur l’Abbé + Froment was here before me. Pray receive him first.” + </p> + <p> + Monferrand had to give way; he admitted the priest, and speedily dealt + with him. He who usually employed the most diplomatic reserve when he was + in presence of a member of the clergy plumply unfolded the Barthès + business. Pierre had experienced the keenest anguish during the two hours + that he had been waiting there, for he could only explain the letter he + had received by a surmise that the police had discovered his brother’s + presence in his house. And so when he heard the Minister simply speak of + Barthès, and declare that the government would rather see him go into + exile than be obliged to imprison him once more, he remained for a moment + quite disconcerted. As the police had been able to discover the old + conspirator in the little house at Neuilly, how was it that they seemed + altogether ignorant of Guillaume’s presence there? It was, however, the + usual gap in the genius of great detectives. + </p> + <p> + “Pray what do you desire of me, Monsieur le Ministre?” said Pierre at + last; “I don’t quite understand.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Monsieur l’Abbé, I leave all this to your sense of prudence. If that + man were still at your house in forty-eight hours from now, we should be + obliged to arrest him there, which would be a source of grief to us, for + we are aware that your residence is the abode of every virtue. So advise + him to leave France. If he does that we shall not trouble him.” + </p> + <p> + Then Monferrand hastily brought Pierre back to the ante-room; and, smiling + and bending low, he said: “Monseigneur, I am entirely at your disposal. + Come in, come in, I beg you.” + </p> + <p> + The prelate, who was gaily chatting with Duvillard and Fonsègue, shook + hands with them, and then with Pierre. In his desire to win all hearts, he + that morning displayed the most perfect graciousness. His bright, black + eyes were all smiles, the whole of his handsome face wore a caressing + expression, and he entered the ministerial sanctum leisurely and + gracefully, with an easy air of conquest. + </p> + <p> + And now only Monferrand and Monseigneur Martha were left, talking on and + on in the deserted building. Some people had thought that the prelate + wished to become a deputy. But he played a far more useful and lofty part + in governing behind the scenes, in acting as the directing mind of the + Vatican’s policy in France. Was not France still the Eldest Daughter of + the Church, the only great nation which might some day restore omnipotence + to the Papacy? For that reason he had accepted the Republic, preached the + duty of “rallying” to it, and inspired the new Catholic group in the + Chamber. And Monferrand, on his side, struck by the progress of the New + Spirit, that reaction of mysticism which flattered itself that it would + bury science, showed the prelate much amiability, like a strong-handed man + who, to ensure his own victory, utilised every force that was offered him. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap55"></a> + IV. THE MAN HUNT + </h2> + <p> + ON the afternoon of that same day such a keen desire for space and the + open air came upon Guillaume, that Pierre consented to accompany him on a + long walk in the Bois de Boulogne. The priest, upon returning from his + interview with Monferrand, had informed his brother that the government + once more wished to get rid of Nicholas Barthès. However, they were so + perplexed as to how they should impart these tidings to the old man, that + they resolved to postpone the matter until the evening. During their walk + they might devise some means of breaking the news in a gentle way. As for + the walk, this seemed to offer no danger; to all appearance Guillaume was + in no wise threatened, so why should he continue hiding? Thus the brothers + sallied forth and entered the Bois by the Sablons gate, which was the + nearest to them. + </p> + <p> + The last days of March had now come, and the trees were beginning to show + some greenery, so soft and light, however, that one might have thought it + was pale moss or delicate lace hanging between the stems and boughs. + Although the sky remained of an ashen grey, the rain, after falling + throughout the night and morning, had ceased; and exquisite freshness + pervaded that wood now awakening to life once more, with its foliage + dripping in the mild and peaceful atmosphere. The mid-Lent rejoicings had + apparently attracted the populace to the centre of Paris, for in the + avenues one found only the fashionable folks of select days, the people of + society who come thither when the multitude stops away. There were + carriages and gentlemen on horseback; beautiful aristocratic ladies who + had alighted from their broughams or landaus; and wet-nurses with + streaming ribbons, who carried infants wearing the most costly lace. Of + the middle-classes, however, one found only a few matrons living in the + neighbourhood, who sat here and there on the benches busy with embroidery + or watching their children play. + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Guillaume followed the Allée de Longchamp as far as the road + going from Madrid to the lakes. Then they took their way under the trees, + alongside the little Longchamp rivulet. They wished to reach the lakes, + pass round them, and return home by way of the Maillot gate. But so + charming and peaceful was the deserted plantation through which they + passed, that they yielded to a desire to sit down and taste the delight of + resting amidst all the budding springtide around them. A fallen tree + served them as a bench, and it was possible for them to fancy themselves + far away from Paris, in the depths of some real forest. It was, too, of a + real forest that Guillaume began to think on thus emerging from his long, + voluntary imprisonment. Ah! for the space; and for the health-bringing air + which courses between that forest’s branches, that forest of the world + which by right should be man’s inalienable domain! However, the name of + Barthès, the perpetual prisoner, came back to Guillaume’s lips, and he + sighed mournfully. The thought that there should be even a single man + whose liberty was thus ever assailed, sufficed to poison the pure + atmosphere he breathed. + </p> + <p> + “What will you say to Barthès?” he asked his brother. “The poor fellow + must necessarily be warned. Exile is at any rate preferable to + imprisonment.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre sadly waved his hand. “Yes, of course, I must warn him. But what a + painful task it is!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume made no rejoinder, for at that very moment, in that remote, + deserted nook, where they could fancy themselves at the world’s end, a + most extraordinary spectacle was presented to their view. Something or + rather someone leapt out of a thicket and bounded past them. It was + assuredly a man, but one who was so unrecognisable, so miry, so woeful and + so frightful, that he might have been taken for an animal, a boar that + hounds had tracked and forced from his retreat. On seeing the rivulet, he + hesitated for a moment, and then followed its course. But, all at once, as + a sound of footsteps and panting breath drew nearer, he sprang into the + water, which reached his thighs, bounded on to the further bank, and + vanished from sight behind a clump of pines. A moment afterwards some + keepers and policemen rushed by, skirting the rivulet, and in their turn + disappearing. It was a man hunt that had gone past, a fierce, secret hunt + with no display of scarlet or blast of horns athwart the soft, sprouting + foliage. + </p> + <p> + “Some rascal or other,” muttered Pierre. “Ah! the wretched fellow!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume made a gesture of discouragement. “Gendarmes and prison!” said + he. “They still constitute society’s only schooling system!” + </p> + <p> + Meantime the man was still running on, farther and farther away. + </p> + <p> + When, on the previous night, Salvat had suddenly escaped from the + detectives by bounding into the Bois de Boulogne, it had occurred to him + to slip round to the Dauphine gate and there descend into the deep ditch* + of the city ramparts. He remembered days of enforced idleness which he had + spent there, in nooks where, for his own part, he had never met a living + soul. Nowhere, indeed, could one find more secret places of retreat, + hedged round by thicker bushes, or concealed from view by loftier herbage. + Some corners of the ditch, at certain angles of the massive bastions, are + favourite dens or nests for thieves and lovers. Salvat, as he made his way + through the thickest of the brambles, nettles and ivy, was lucky enough to + find a cavity full of dry leaves, in which he buried himself to the chin. + The rain had already drenched him, and after slipping down the muddy + slope, he had frequently been obliged to grope his way upon all fours. So + those dry leaves proved a boon such as he had not dared to hope for. They + dried him somewhat, serving as a blanket in which he coiled himself after + his wild race through the dank darkness. The rain still fell, but he now + only felt it on his head, and, weary as he was, he gradually sank into + deep slumber beneath the continuous drizzle. When he opened his eyes + again, the dawn was breaking, and it was probably about six o’clock. + During his sleep the rain had ended by soaking the leaves, so that he was + now immersed in a kind of chilly bath. Still he remained in it, feeling + that he was there sheltered from the police, who must now surely be + searching for him. None of those bloodhounds would guess his presence in + that hole, for his body was quite buried, and briers almost completely hid + his head. So he did not stir, but watched the rise of the dawn. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This ditch or dry moat is about 30 feet deep and 50 feet wide. + The counterscarp by which one may descend into it has an angle + of 45 degrees.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + When at eight o’clock some policemen and keepers came by, searching the + ditch, they did not perceive him. As he had anticipated, the hunt had + begun at the first glimmer of light. For a time his heart beat violently; + however, nobody else passed, nothing whatever stirred the grass. The only + sounds that reached him were faint ones from the Bois de Boulogne, the + ring of a bicyclist’s bell, the thud of a horse’s hoofs, the rumble of + carriage wheels. And time went by, nine o’clock came, and then ten + o’clock. Since the rain had ceased falling, Salvat had not suffered so + much from the cold, for he was wearing a thick overcoat which little + Mathis had given him. But, on the other hand, hunger was coming back; + there was a burning sensation in his stomach, and leaden hoops seemed to + be pressing against his ribs. He had eaten nothing for two days; he had + been starving already on the previous evening, when he had accepted a + glass of beer at that tavern at Montmartre. Nevertheless, his plan was to + remain in the ditch until nightfall, and then slip away in the direction + of the village of Boulogne, where he knew of a means of egress from the + wood. He was not caught yet, he repeated, he might still manage to escape. + Then he tried to get to sleep again, but failed, so painful had his + sufferings become. By the time it was eleven, everything swam before his + eyes. He once nearly fainted, and thought that he was going to die. Then + rage gradually mastered him, and, all at once, he sprang out of his leafy + hiding-place, desperately hungering for food, unable to remain there any + longer, and determined to find something to eat, even should it cost him + his liberty and life. It was then noon. + </p> + <p> + On leaving the ditch he found the spreading lawns of the château of La + Muette before him. He crossed them at a run, like a madman, instinctively + going towards Boulogne, with the one idea that his only means of escape + lay in that direction. It seemed miraculous that nobody paid attention to + his helter-skelter flight. However, when he had reached the cover of some + trees he became conscious of his imprudence, and almost regretted the + sudden madness which had borne him along, eager for escape. Trembling + nervously, he bent low among some furze bushes, and waited for a few + minutes to ascertain if the police were behind him. Then with watchful eye + and ready ear, wonderful instinct and scent of danger, he slowly went his + way again. He hoped to pass between the upper lake and the Auteuil + race-course; but there were few trees in that part, and they formed a + broad avenue. He therefore had to exert all his skill in order to avoid + observation, availing himself of the slenderest stems, the smallest + bushes, as screens, and only venturing onward after a lengthy inspection + of his surroundings. Before long the sight of a guard in the distance + revived his fears and detained him, stretched on the ground behind some + brambles, for a full quarter of an hour. Then the approach first of a cab, + whose driver had lost his way, and afterwards of a strolling pedestrian, + in turn sufficed to stop him. He breathed once more, however, when, after + passing the Mortemart hillock, he was able to enter the thickets lying + between the two roads which lead to Boulogne and St. Cloud. The coppices + thereabouts were dense, and he merely had to follow them, screened from + view, in order to reach the outlet he knew of, which was now near at hand. + So he was surely saved. + </p> + <p> + But all at once, at a distance of some five and thirty yards, he saw a + keeper, erect and motionless, barring his way. He turned slightly to the + left and there perceived another keeper, who also seemed to be awaiting + him. And there were more and more of them; at every fifty paces or so + stood a fresh one, the whole forming a <i>cordon</i>, the meshes as it + were of a huge net. The worst was that he must have been perceived, for a + light cry, like the clear call of an owl, rang out, and was repeated + farther and farther off. The hunters were at last on the right scent, + prudence had become superfluous, and it was only by flight that the quarry + might now hope to escape. Salvat understood this so well that he suddenly + began to run, leaping over all obstacles and darting between the trees, + careless whether he were seen or heard. A few bounds carried him across + the Avenue de St. Cloud into the plantations stretching to the Allée de la + Reine Marguerite. There the undergrowth was very dense; in the whole Bois + there are no more closely set thickets. In summer they become one vast + entanglement of verdure, amidst which, had it been the leafy season, + Salvat might well have managed to secrete himself. For a moment he did + find himself alone, and thereupon he halted to listen. He could neither + see nor hear the keepers now. Had they lost his track, then? Profound + quietude reigned under the fresh young foliage. But the light, owlish cry + arose once more, branches cracked, and he resumed his wild flight, + hurrying straight before him. Unluckily he found the Allée de la Reine + Marguerite guarded by policemen, so that he could not cross over, but had + to skirt it without quitting the thickets. And now his back was turned + towards Boulogne; he was retracing his steps towards Paris. However, a + last idea came to his bewildered mind: it was to run on in this wise as + far as the shady spots around Madrid, and then, by stealing from copse to + copse, attempt to reach the Seine. To proceed thither across the bare + expanse of the race-course and training ground was not for a moment to be + thought of. + </p> + <p> + So Salvat still ran on and on. But on reaching the Allée de Longchamp he + found it guarded like the other roads, and therefore had to relinquish his + plan of escaping by way of Madrid and the river-bank. While he was + perforce making a bend alongside the Pré Catelan, he became aware that the + keepers, led by detectives, were drawing yet nearer to him, confining his + movements to a smaller and smaller area. And his race soon acquired all + the frenzy of despair. Haggard and breathless he leapt mounds, rushed past + multitudinous obstacles. He forced a passage through brambles, broke down + palings, thrice caught his feet in wire work which he had not seen, and + fell among nettles, yet picked himself up went on again, spurred by the + stinging of his hands and face. It was then Guillaume and Pierre saw him + pass, unrecognisable and frightful, taking to the muddy water of the + rivulet like a stag which seeks to set a last obstacle between itself and + the hounds. There came to him a wild idea of getting to the lake, and + swimming, unperceived, to the island in the centre of it. That, he madly + thought, would be a safe retreat, where he might burrow and hide himself + without possibility of discovery. And so he still ran on. But once again + the sight of some guards made him retrace his steps, and he was compelled + to go back and back in the direction of Paris, chased, forced towards the + very fortifications whence he had started that morning. It was now nearly + three in the afternoon. For more than two hours and a half he had been + running. + </p> + <p> + At last he saw a soft, sandy ride for horsemen before him. He crossed it, + splashing through the mire left by the rain, and reached a little pathway, + a delightful lovers’ lane, as shady in summer as any arbour. For some time + he was able to follow it, concealed from observation, and with his hopes + reviving. But it led him to one of those broad, straight avenues where + carriages and bicycles, the whole afternoon pageant of society, swept past + under the mild and cloudy sky. So he returned to the thickets, fell once + more upon the keepers, lost all notion of the direction he took, and even + all power of thought, becoming a mere thing carried along and thrown + hither and thither by the chances of the pursuit which pressed more and + more closely upon him. Star-like crossways followed one upon other, and at + last he came to a broad lawn, where the full light dazzled him. And there + he suddenly felt the hot, panting breath of his pursuers close in the + rear. Eager, hungry breath it was, like that of hounds seeking to devour + him. Shouts rang out, one hand almost caught hold of him, there was a rush + of heavy feet, a scramble to seize him. But with a supreme effort he leapt + upon a bank, crawled to its summit, rose again, and once more found + himself alone, still running on amid the fresh and quiet greenery. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, this was the end. He almost fell flat upon the ground. His + aching feet could no longer carry him; blood was oozing from his ears, and + froth had come to his mouth. His heart beat with such violence that it + seemed likely to break his ribs. Water and perspiration streamed from him, + he was miry and haggard and tortured by hunger, conquered, in fact, more + by hunger than by fatigue. And through the mist which seemed to have + gathered before his wild eyes, he suddenly saw an open doorway, the + doorway of a coach-house in the rear of a kind of chalet, sequestered + among trees. Excepting a big white cat, which took to flight, there was + not a living creature in the place. Salvat plunged into it and rolled over + on a heap of straw, among some empty casks. He was scarcely hidden there + when he heard the chase sweep by, the detectives and the keepers losing + scent, passing the chalet and rushing in the direction of the Paris + ramparts. The noise of their heavy boots died away, and deep silence fell, + while the hunted man, who had carried both hands to his heart to stay its + beating, sank into the most complete prostration, with big tears trickling + from his closed eyes. + </p> + <p> + Whilst all this was going on, Pierre and Guillaume, after a brief rest, + had resumed their walk, reaching the lake and proceeding towards the + crossway of the Cascades, in order to return to Neuilly by the road beyond + the water. However, a shower fell, compelling them to take shelter under + the big leafless branches of a chestnut-tree. Then, as the rain came down + more heavily and they could perceive a kind of chalet, a little + café-restaurant amid a clump of trees, they hastened thither for better + protection. In a side road, which they passed on their way, they saw a cab + standing, its driver waiting there in philosophical fashion under the + falling shower. Pierre, moreover, noticed a young man stepping out briskly + in front of them, a young man resembling Gérard de Quinsac, who, whilst + walking in the Bois, had no doubt been overtaken by the rain, and like + themselves was seeking shelter in the chalet. However, on entering the + latter’s public room, the priest saw no sign of the gentleman, and + concluded that he must have been mistaken. This public room, which had a + kind of glazed verandah overlooking the Bois, contained a few chairs and + tables, the latter with marble tops. On the first floor there were four or + five private rooms reached by a narrow passage. Though the doors were open + the place had as yet scarcely emerged from its winter’s rest. There was + nobody about, and on all sides one found the dampness common to + establishments which, from lack of custom, are compelled to close from + November until March. In the rear were some stables, a coach-house, and + various mossy, picturesque outbuildings, which painters and gardeners + would now soon embellish for the gay pleasure parties which the fine + weather would bring. + </p> + <p> + “I really think that they haven’t opened for the season yet,” said + Guillaume as he entered the silent house. + </p> + <p> + “At all events they will let us stay here till the rain stops,” answered + Pierre, seating himself at one of the little tables. + </p> + <p> + However, a waiter suddenly made his appearance seemingly in a great hurry. + He had come down from the first floor, and eagerly rummaged a cupboard for + a few dry biscuits, which he laid upon a plate. At last he condescended to + serve the brothers two glasses of Chartreuse. + </p> + <p> + In one of the private rooms upstairs Baroness Duvillard, who had driven to + the chalet in a cab, had been awaiting her lover Gérard for nearly half an + hour. It was there that, during the charity bazaar, they had given each + other an appointment. For them the chalet had precious memories: two years + previously, on discovering that secluded nest, which was so deserted in + the early, hesitating days of chilly spring, they had met there under + circumstances which they could not forget. And the Baroness, in choosing + the house for the supreme assignation of their dying passion, had + certainly not been influenced merely by a fear that she might be spied + upon elsewhere. She had, indeed, thought of the first kisses that had been + showered on her there, and would fain have revived them even if they + should now prove the last that Gérard would bestow on her. + </p> + <p> + But she would also have liked to see some sunlight playing over the + youthful foliage. The ashen sky and threatening rain saddened her. And + when she entered the private room she did not recognise it, so cold and + dim it seemed with its faded furniture. Winter had tarried there, with all + the dampness and mouldy smell peculiar to rooms which have long remained + closed. Then, too, some of the wall paper which had come away from the + plaster hung down in shreds, dead flies were scattered over the parquetry + flooring; and in order to open the shutters the waiter had to engage in a + perfect fight with their fastenings. However, when he had lighted a little + gas-stove, which at once flamed up and diffused some warmth, the room + became more cosy. + </p> + <p> + Eve had seated herself on a chair, without raising the thick veil which + hid her face. Gowned, gloved, and bonneted in black, as if she were + already in mourning for her last passion, she showed naught of her own + person save her superb fair hair, which glittered like a helm of tawny + gold. She had ordered tea for two, and when the waiter brought it with a + little plateful of dry biscuits, left, no doubt, from the previous season, + he found her in the same place, still veiled and motionless, absorbed, it + seemed, in a gloomy reverie. If she had reached the café half an hour + before the appointed time it was because she desired some leisure and + opportunity to overcome her despair and compose herself. She resolved that + of all things she would not weep, that she would remain dignified and + speak calmly, like one who, whatever rights she might possess, preferred + to appeal to reason only. And she was well pleased with the courage that + she found within her. Whilst thinking of what she should say to dissuade + Gérard from a marriage which to her mind would prove both a calamity and a + blunder, she fancied herself very calm, indeed almost resigned to + whatsoever might happen. + </p> + <p> + But all at once she started and began to tremble. Gérard was entering the + room. + </p> + <p> + “What! are you here the first, my dear?” he exclaimed. “I thought that I + myself was ten minutes before the time! And you’ve ordered some tea and + are waiting for me!” + </p> + <p> + He forced a smile as he spoke, striving to display the same delight at + seeing her as he had shown in the early golden days of their passion. But + at heart he was much embarrassed, and he shuddered at the thought of the + awful scene which he could foresee. + </p> + <p> + She had at last risen and raised her veil. And looking at him she + stammered: “Yes, I found myself at liberty earlier than I expected.... I + feared some impediment might arise... and so I came.” + </p> + <p> + Then, seeing how handsome and how affectionate he still looked, she could + not restrain her passion. All her skilful arguments, all her fine + resolutions, were swept away. Her flesh irresistibly impelled her towards + him; she loved him, she would keep him, she would never surrender him to + another. And she wildly flung her arms around his neck. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Gérard, Gérard! I suffer too cruelly; I cannot, I cannot bear it! + Tell me at once that you will not marry her, that you will never marry + her!” + </p> + <p> + Her voice died away in a sob, tears started from her eyes. Ah! those tears + which she had sworn she would never shed! They gushed forth without + cessation, they streamed from her lovely eyes like a flood of the + bitterest grief. + </p> + <p> + “My daughter, O God! What! you would marry my daughter! She, here, on your + neck where I am now! No, no, such torture is past endurance, it must not + be, I will not have it!” + </p> + <p> + He shivered as he heard that cry of frantic jealousy raised by a mother + who now was but a woman, maddened by the thought of her rival’s youth, + those five and twenty summers which she herself had left far behind. For + his part, on his way to the assignation, he had come to what he thought + the most sensible decision, resolving to break off the intercourse after + the fashion of a well-bred man, with all sorts of fine consolatory + speeches. But sternness was not in his nature. He was weak and + soft-hearted, and had never been able to withstand a woman’s tears. + Nevertheless, he endeavoured to calm her, and in order to rid himself of + her embrace, he made her sit down upon the sofa. And there, beside her, he + replied: “Come, be reasonable, my dear. We came here to have a friendly + chat, did we not? I assure you that you are greatly exaggerating matters.” + </p> + <p> + But she was determined to obtain a more positive answer from him. “No, + no!” she retorted, “I am suffering too dreadfully, I must know the truth + at once. Swear to me that you will never, never marry her!” + </p> + <p> + He again endeavoured to avoid replying as she wished him to do. “Come, + come,” he said, “you will do yourself harm by giving way to such grief as + this; you know that I love you dearly.” + </p> + <p> + “Then swear to me that you will never, never marry her.” + </p> + <p> + “But I tell you that I love you, that you are the only one I love.” + </p> + <p> + Then she again threw her arms around him, and kissed him passionately upon + the eyes. “Is it true?” she asked in a transport. “You love me, you love + no one else? Oh! tell me so again, and kiss me, and promise me that you + will never belong to her.” + </p> + <p> + Weak as he was he could not resist her ardent caresses and pressing + entreaties. There came a moment of supreme cowardice and passion; her arms + were around him and he forgot all but her, again and again repeating that + he loved none other, and would never, never marry her daughter. At last he + even sank so low as to pretend that he simply regarded that poor, infirm + creature with pity. His words of compassionate disdain for her rival were + like nectar to Eve, for they filled her with the blissful idea that it was + she herself who would ever remain beautiful in his eyes and whom he would + ever love.... + </p> + <p> + At last silence fell between them, like an inevitable reaction after such + a tempest of despair and passion. It disturbed Gérard. “Won’t you drink + some tea?” he asked. “It is almost cold already.” + </p> + <p> + She was not listening, however. To her the reaction had come in a + different form; and as though the inevitable explanation were only now + commencing, she began to speak in a sad and weary voice. “My dear Gérard, + you really cannot marry my daughter. In the first place it would be so + wrong, and then there is the question of your name, your position. Forgive + my frankness, but the fact is that everybody would say that you had sold + yourself—such a marriage would be a scandal for both your family and + mine.” + </p> + <p> + As she spoke she took hold of his hands, like a mother seeking to prevent + her big son from committing some terrible blunder. And he listened to her, + with bowed head and averted eyes. She now evinced no anger, no jealous + rage; all such feelings seemed to have departed with the rapture of her + passion. + </p> + <p> + “Just think of what people would say,” she continued. “I don’t deceive + myself, I am fully aware that there is an abyss between your circle of + society and ours. It is all very well for us to be rich, but money simply + enlarges the gap. And it was all very fine for me to be converted, my + daughter is none the less ‘the daughter of the Jewess,’ as folks so often + say. Ah! my Gérard, I am so proud of you, that it would rend my heart to + see you lowered, degraded almost, by a marriage for money with a girl who + is deformed, who is unworthy of you and whom you could never love.” + </p> + <p> + He raised his eyes and looked at her entreatingly, anxious as he was to be + spared such painful talk. “But haven’t I sworn to you, that you are the + only one I love?” he said. “Haven’t I sworn that I would never marry her! + It’s all over. Don’t let us torture ourselves any longer.” + </p> + <p> + Their glances met and lingered on one another, instinct with all the + misery which they dared not express in words. Eve’s face had suddenly + aged; her eyelids were red and swollen, and blotches marbled her quivering + cheeks, down which her tears again began to trickle. “My poor, poor + Gérard,” said she, “how heavily I weigh on you. Oh! do not deny it! I feel + that I am an intolerable burden on your shoulders, an impediment in your + life, and that I shall bring irreparable disaster on you by my obstinacy + in wishing you to be mine alone.” + </p> + <p> + He tried to speak, but she silenced him. “No, no, all is over between us. + I am growing ugly, all is ended. And besides, I shut off the future from + you. I can be of no help to you, whereas you bestow all on me. And yet the + time has come for you to assure yourself a position. At your age you can’t + continue living without any certainty of the morrow, without a home and + hearth of your own; and it would be cowardly and cruel of me to set myself + up as an obstacle, and prevent you from ending your life happily, as I + should do if I clung to you and dragged you down with me.” + </p> + <p> + Gazing at him through her tears she continued speaking in this fashion. + Like his mother she was well aware that he was weak and even sickly; and + she therefore dreamt of arranging a quiet life for him, a life of tranquil + happiness free from all fear of want. She loved him so fondly; and + possessed so much genuine kindness of heart that perhaps it might be + possible for her to rise even to renunciation and sacrifice. Moreover, the + very egotism born of her beauty suggested that it might be well for her to + think of retirement and not allow the autumn of her life to be spoilt by + torturing dramas. All this she said to him, treating him like a child + whose happiness she wished to ensure even at the price of her own; and he, + his eyes again lowered, listened without further protest, pleased indeed + to let her arrange a happy life for him. + </p> + <p> + Examining the situation from every aspect, she at last began to + recapitulate the points in favour of that abominable marriage, the thought + of which had so intensely distressed her. “It is certain,” she said, “that + Camille would bring you all that I should like you to have. With her, I + need hardly say it, would come plenty, affluence. And as for the rest, + well, I do not wish to excuse myself or you, but I could name twenty + households in which there have been worse things. Besides, I was wrong + when I said that money opened a gap between people. On the contrary, it + draws them nearer together, it secures forgiveness for every fault; so + nobody would dare to blame you, there would only be jealous ones around + you, dazzled by your good fortune.” + </p> + <p> + Gérard rose, apparently rebelling once more. “Surely,” said he, “<i>you</i> + don’t insist on my marrying your daughter?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! no indeed! But I am sensible, and I tell you what I ought to tell + you. You must think it all over.” + </p> + <p> + “I have done so already. It is you that I have loved, and that I love + still. What you say is impossible.” + </p> + <p> + She smiled divinely, rose, and again embraced him. “How good and kind you + are, my Gérard. Ah! if you only knew how I love you, how I shall always + love you, whatever happens.” + </p> + <p> + Then she again began to weep, and even he shed tears. Their good faith was + absolute; tender of heart as they were, they sought to delay the painful + wrenching and tried to hope for further happiness. But they were conscious + that the marriage was virtually an accomplished fact. Only tears and words + were left them, while life and destiny were marching on. And if their + emotion was so acute it was probably because they felt that this was the + last time they would meet as lovers. Still they strove to retain the + illusion that they were not exchanging their last farewell, that their + lips would some day meet again in a kiss of rapture. + </p> + <p> + Eve removed her arms from the young man’s neck, and they both gazed round + the room, at the sofa, the table, the four chairs, and the little hissing + gas-stove. The moist, hot atmosphere was becoming quite oppressive. + </p> + <p> + “And so,” said Gérard, “you won’t drink a cup of tea?” + </p> + <p> + “No, it’s so horrid here,” she answered, while arranging her hair in front + of the looking-glass. + </p> + <p> + At that parting moment the mournfulness of this place, where she had hoped + to find such delightful memories, filled her with distress, which was + turning to positive anguish, when she suddenly heard an uproar of gruff + voices and heavy feet. People were hastening along the passage and + knocking at the doors. And, on darting to the window, she perceived a + number of policemen surrounding the chalet. At this the wildest ideas + assailed her. Had her daughter employed somebody to follow her? Did her + husband wish to divorce her so as to marry Silviane? The scandal would be + awful, and all her plans must crumble! She waited in dismay, white like a + ghost; while Gérard, also paling and quivering, begged her to be calm. At + last, when loud blows were dealt upon the door and a Commissary of Police + enjoined them to open it, they were obliged to do so. Ah! what a moment, + and what dismay and shame! + </p> + <p> + Meantime, for more than an hour, Pierre and Guillaume had been waiting for + the rain to cease. Seated in a corner of the glazed verandah they talked + in undertones of Barthès’ painful affair, and ultimately decided to ask + Théophile Morin to dine with them on the following evening, and inform his + old friend that he must again go into exile. + </p> + <p> + “That is the best course,” repeated Guillaume. “Morin is very fond of him + and will know how to break the news. I have no doubt too that he will go + with him as far as the frontier.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre sadly looked at the falling rain. “Ah! what a choice,” said he, “to + be ever driven to a foreign land under penalty of being thrust into + prison. Poor fellow! how awful it is to have never known a moment of + happiness and gaiety in one’s life, to have devoted one’s whole existence + to the idea of liberty, and to see it scoffed at and expire with oneself!” + </p> + <p> + Then the priest paused, for he saw several policemen and keepers approach + the café and prowl round it. Having lost scent of the man they were + hunting, they had retraced their steps with the conviction no doubt that + he had sought refuge in the chalet. And in order that he might not again + escape them, they now took every precaution, exerted all their skill in + surrounding the place before venturing on a minute search. Covert fear + came upon Pierre and Guillaume when they noticed these proceedings. It + seemed to them that it must all be connected with the chase which they had + caught a glimpse of some time previously. Still, as they happened to be in + the chalet they might be called upon to give their names and addresses. At + this thought they glanced at one another, and almost made up their minds + to go off under the rain. But they realised that anything like flight + might only compromise them the more. So they waited; and all at once there + came a diversion, for two fresh customers entered the establishment. + </p> + <p> + A victoria with its hood and apron raised had just drawn up outside the + door. The first to alight from it was a young, well-dressed man with a + bored expression of face. He was followed by a young woman who was + laughing merrily, as if much amused by the persistence of the downpour. By + way of jesting, indeed, she expressed her regret that she had not come to + the Bois on her bicycle, whereupon her companion retorted that to drive + about in a deluge appeared to him the height of idiocy. + </p> + <p> + “But we were bound to go somewhere, my dear fellow,” she gaily answered. + “Why didn’t you take me to see the maskers?” + </p> + <p> + “The maskers, indeed! No, no, my dear. I prefer the Bois, and even the + bottom of the lake, to them.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as the couple entered the chalet, Pierre saw that the young woman + who made merry over the rain was little Princess Rosemonde, while her + companion, who regarded the mid-Lent festivities as horrible, and + bicycling as an utterly unaesthetic amusement, was handsome Hyacinthe + Duvillard. On the previous evening, while they were taking a cup of tea + together on their return from the Chamber of Horrors, the young man had + responded to the Princess’s blandishments by declaring that the only form + of attachment he believed in was a mystic union of intellects and souls. + And as such a union could only be fittingly arrived at amidst the cold, + chaste snow, they had decided that they would start for Christiania on the + following Monday. Their chief regret was that by the time they reached the + fiords the worst part of the northern winter would be over. + </p> + <p> + They sat down in the café and ordered some kummel, but there was none, + said the waiter, so they had to content themselves with common anisette. + Then Hyacinthe, who had been a schoolfellow of Guillaume’s sons, + recognised both him and Pierre; and leaning towards Rosemonde told her in + a whisper who the elder brother was. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, with sudden enthusiasm, she sprang to her feet: “Guillaume + Froment, indeed! the great chemist!” And stepping forward with arm + outstretched, she continued: “Ah! monsieur, you must excuse me, but I + really must shake hands with you. I have so much admiration for you! You + have done such wonderful work in connection with explosives!” Then, + noticing the chemist’s astonishment, she again burst into a laugh: “I am + the Princess de Harn, your brother Abbé Froment knows me, and I ought to + have asked him to introduce me. However, we have mutual friends, you and + I; for instance, Monsieur Janzen, a very distinguished man, as you are + aware. He was to have taken me to see you, for I am a modest disciple of + yours. Yes, I have given some attention to chemistry, oh! from pure zeal + for truth and in the hope of helping good causes, not otherwise. So you + will let me call on you—won’t you?—directly I come back from + Christiania, where I am going with my young friend here, just to acquire + some experience of unknown emotions.” + </p> + <p> + In this way she rattled on, never allowing the others an opportunity to + say a word. And she mingled one thing with another; her cosmopolitan + tastes, which had thrown her into Anarchism and the society of shady + adventurers; her new passion for mysticism and symbolism; her belief that + the ideal must triumph over base materialism; her taste for aesthetic + verse; and her dream of some unimagined rapture when Hyacinthe should kiss + her with his frigid lips in a realm of eternal snow. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, she stopped short and again began to laugh. “Dear + me!” she exclaimed. “What are those policemen looking for here? Have they + come to arrest us? How amusing it would be!” + </p> + <p> + Police Commissary Dupot and detective Mondésir had just made up their + minds to search the café, as their men had hitherto failed to find Salvat + in any of the outbuildings. They were convinced that he was here. Dupot, a + thin, bald, short-sighted, spectacled little man, wore his usual + expression of boredom and weariness; but in reality he was very wide awake + and extremely courageous. He himself carried no weapons; but, as he + anticipated a most violent resistance, such as might be expected from a + trapped wolf, he advised Mondésir to have his revolver ready. From + considerations of hierarchical respect, however, the detective, who with + his snub nose and massive figure had much the appearance of a bull-dog, + was obliged to let his superior enter first. + </p> + <p> + From behind his spectacles the Commissary of Police quickly scrutinized + the four customers whom he found in the café: the lady, the priest, and + the two other men. And passing them in a disdainful way, he at once made + for the stairs, intending to inspect the upper floor. Thereupon the + waiter, frightened by the sudden intrusion of the police, lost his head + and stammered: “But there’s a lady and gentleman upstairs in one of the + private rooms.” + </p> + <p> + Dupot quietly pushed him aside. “A lady and gentleman, that’s not what we + are looking for.... Come, make haste, open all the doors, you mustn’t + leave a cupboard closed.” + </p> + <p> + Then climbing to the upper floor, he and Mondésir explored in turn every + apartment and corner till they at last reached the room where Eve and + Gérard were together. Here the waiter was unable to admit them, as the + door was bolted inside. “Open the door!” he called through the keyhole, + “it isn’t you that they want!” + </p> + <p> + At last the bolt was drawn back, and Dupot, without even venturing to + smile, allowed the trembling lady and gentleman to go downstairs, while + Mondésir, entering the room, looked under every article of furniture, and + even peeped into a little cupboard in order that no neglect might be + imputed to him. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, in the public room which they had to cross after descending the + stairs, Eve and Gérard experienced fresh emotion; for people whom they + knew were there, brought together by an extraordinary freak of chance. + Although Eve’s face was hidden by a thick veil, her eyes met her son’s + glance and she felt sure that he recognised her. What a fatality! He had + so long a tongue and told his sister everything! Then, as the Count, in + despair at such a scandal, hurried off with the Baroness to conduct her + through the pouring rain to her cab, they both distinctly heard little + Princess Rosemonde exclaim: “Why, that was Count de Quinsac! Who was the + lady, do you know?” And as Hyacinthe, greatly put out, returned no answer, + she insisted, saying: “Come, you must surely know her. Who was she, eh?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! nobody. Some woman or other,” he ended by replying. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who had understood the truth, turned his eyes away to hide his + embarrassment. But all at once the scene changed. At the very moment when + Commissary Dupot and detective Mondésir came downstairs again, after + vainly exploring the upper floor, a loud shout was raised outside, + followed by a noise of running and scrambling. Then Gascogne, the Chief of + the Detective Force, who had remained in the rear of the chalet, + continuing the search through the outbuildings, made his appearance, + pushing before him a bundle of rags and mud, which two policemen held on + either side. And this bundle was the man, the hunted man, who had just + been discovered in the coach-house, inside a staved cask, covered with + hay. + </p> + <p> + Ah! what a whoop of victory there was after that run of two hours’ + duration, that frantic chase which had left them all breathless and + footsore! It had been the most exciting, the most savage of all sports—a + man hunt! They had caught the man at last, and they pushed him, they + dragged him, they belaboured him with blows. And he, the man, what a sorry + prey he looked! A wreck, wan and dirty from having spent the night in a + hole full of leaves, still soaked to his waist from having rushed through + a stream, drenched too by the rain, bespattered with mire, his coat and + trousers in tatters, his cap a mere shred, his legs and hands bleeding + from his terrible rush through thickets bristling with brambles and + nettles. There no longer seemed anything human about his face; his hair + stuck to his moist temples, his bloodshot eyes protruded from their + sockets; fright, rage, and suffering were all blended on his wasted, contracted + face. Still it was he, the man, the quarry, and they gave him another + push, and he sank on one of the tables of the little café, still held and + shaken, however, by the rough hands of the policemen. + </p> + <p> + Then Guillaume shuddered as if thunderstruck, and caught hold of Pierre’s + hand. At this the priest, who was looking on, suddenly understood the + truth and also quivered. Salvat! the man was Salvat! It was Salvat whom + they had seen rushing through the wood like a wild boar forced by the + hounds. And it was Salvat who was there, now conquered and simply a filthy + bundle. Then once more there came to Pierre, amidst his anguish, a vision + of the errand girl lying yonder at the entrance of the Duvillard mansion, + the pretty fair-haired girl whom the bomb had ripped and killed! + </p> + <p> + Dupot and Mondésir made haste to participate in Gascogne’s triumph. To + tell the truth, however, the man had offered no resistance; it was like a + lamb that he had let the police lay hold of him. And since he had been in + the café, still roughly handled, he had simply cast a weary and mournful + glance around him. + </p> + <p> + At last he spoke, and the first words uttered by his hoarse, gasping voice + were these: “I am hungry.” + </p> + <p> + He was sinking with hunger and weariness. This was the third day that he + had eaten nothing. + </p> + <p> + “Give him some bread,” said Commissary Dupot to the waiter. “He can eat it + while a cab is being fetched.” + </p> + <p> + A policeman went off to find a vehicle. The rain had suddenly ceased + falling, the clear ring of a bicyclist’s bell was heard in the distance, + some carriages drove by, and under the pale sunrays life again came back + to the Bois. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Salvat had fallen gluttonously upon the hunk of bread which had + been given him, and whilst he was devouring it with rapturous animal + satisfaction, he perceived the four customers seated around. He seemed + irritated by the sight of Hyacinthe and Rosemonde, whose faces expressed + the mingled anxiety and delight they felt at thus witnessing the arrest of + some bandit or other. But all at once his mournful, bloodshot eyes + wavered, for to his intense surprise he had recognised Pierre and + Guillaume. When he again looked at the latter it was with the submissive + affection of a grateful dog, and as if he were once more promising that he + would divulge nothing, whatever might happen. + </p> + <p> + At last he again spoke, as if addressing himself like a man of courage, + both to Guillaume, from whom he had averted his eyes, and to others also, + his comrades who were not there: “It was silly of me to run,” said he. “I + don’t know why I did so. It’s best that it should be all ended. I’m + ready.” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap56"></a> + V. THE GAME OF POLITICS + </h2> + <p> + ON reading the newspapers on the following morning Pierre and Guillaume + were greatly surprised at not finding in them the sensational accounts of + Salvat’s arrest which they had expected. All they could discover was a + brief paragraph in a column of general news, setting forth that some + policemen on duty in the Bois de Boulogne had there arrested an Anarchist, + who was believed to have played a part in certain recent occurrences. On + the other hand, the papers gave a deal of space to the questions raised by + Sagnier’s fresh denunciations. There were innumerable articles on the + African Railways scandal, and the great debate which might be expected at + the Chamber of Deputies, should Mège, the Socialist member, really renew + his interpellation, as he had announced his intention of doing. + </p> + <p> + As Guillaume’s wrist was now fast healing, and nothing seemed to threaten + him, he had already, on the previous evening, decided that he would return + to Montmartre. The police had passed him by without apparently suspecting + any responsibility on his part; and he was convinced that Salvat would + keep silent. Pierre, however, begged him to wait a little longer, at any + rate until the prisoner should have been interrogated by the investigating + magistrate, by which time they would be able to judge the situation more + clearly. Pierre, moreover, during his long stay at the Home Department on + the previous morning, had caught a glimpse of certain things and overheard + certain words which made him suspect some dim connection between Salvat’s + crime and the parliamentary crisis; and he therefore desired a settlement + of the latter before Guillaume returned to his wonted life. + </p> + <p> + “Just listen,” he said to his brother. “I am going to Morin’s to ask him + to come and dine here this evening, for it is absolutely necessary that + Barthès should be warned of the fresh blow which is falling on him. And + then I think I shall go to the Chamber, as I want to know what takes place + there. After that, since you desire it, I will let you go back to your own + home.” + </p> + <p> + It was not more than half-past one when Pierre reached the Palais-Bourbon. + It had occurred to him that Fonsègue would be able to secure him + admittance to the meeting-hall, but in the vestibule he met General de + Bozonnet, who happened to possess a couple of tickets. A friend of his, + who was to have accompanied him, had, at the last moment, been unable to + come. So widespread was the curiosity concerning the debate now near at + hand, and so general were the predictions that it would prove a most + exciting one, that the demand for tickets had been extremely keen during + the last twenty-four hours. In fact Pierre would never have been able to + obtain admittance if the General had not good-naturedly offered to take + him in. As a matter of fact the old warrior was well pleased to have + somebody to chat with. He explained that he had simply come there to kill + time, just as he might have killed it at a concert or a charity bazaar. + However, like the ex-Legitimist and Bonapartist that he was, he had really + come for the pleasure of feasting his eyes on the shameful spectacle of + parliamentary ignominy. + </p> + <p> + When the General and Pierre had climbed the stairs, they were able to + secure two front seats in one of the public galleries. Little Massot, who + was already there, and who knew them both, placed one of them on his right + and the other on his left. “I couldn’t find a decent seat left in the + press gallery,” said he, “but I managed to get this place, from which I + shall be able to see things properly. It will certainly be a big sitting. + Just look at the number of people there are on every side!” + </p> + <p> + The narrow and badly arranged galleries were packed to overflowing. There + were men of every age and a great many women too in the confused, serried + mass of spectators, amidst which one only distinguished a multiplicity of + pale white faces. The real scene, however, was down below in the + meeting-hall, which was as yet empty, and with its rows of seats disposed + in semi-circular fashion looked like the auditorium of a theatre. Under + the cold light which fell from the glazed roofing appeared the solemn, + shiny tribune, whence members address the Chamber, whilst behind it, on a + higher level, and running right along the rear wall, was what is called + the Bureau, with its various tables and seats, including the presidential + armchair. The Bureau, like the tribune, was still unoccupied. The only + persons one saw there were a couple of attendants who were laying out new + pens and filling inkstands. + </p> + <p> + “The women,” said Massot with a laugh, after another glance at the + galleries, “come here just as they might come to a menagerie, that is, in + the secret hope of seeing wild beasts devour one another. But, by the way, + did you read the article in the ‘Voix du Peuple’ this morning? What a + wonderful fellow that Sagnier is. When nobody else can find any filth + left, he manages to discover some. He apparently thinks it necessary to + add something new every day, in order to send his sales up. And of course + it all disturbs the public, and it’s thanks to him that so many people + have come here in the hope of witnessing some horrid scene.” + </p> + <p> + Then he laughed again, as he asked Pierre if he had read an unsigned + article in the “Globe,” which in very dignified but perfidious language + had called upon Barroux to give the full and frank explanations which the + country had a right to demand in that matter of the African Railways. This + paper had hitherto vigorously supported the President of the Council, but + in the article in question the coldness which precedes a rupture was very + apparent. Pierre replied that the article had much surprised him, for he + had imagined that Fonsègue and Barroux were linked together by identity of + views and long-standing personal friendship. + </p> + <p> + Massot was still laughing. “Quite so,” said he. “And you may be sure that + the governor’s heart bled when he wrote that article. It has been much + noticed, and it will do the government a deal of harm. But the governor, + you see, knows better than anybody else what line he ought to follow to + save both his own position and the paper’s.” + </p> + <p> + Then he related what extraordinary confusion and emotion reigned among the + deputies in the lobbies through which he had strolled before coming + upstairs to secure a seat. After an adjournment of a couple of days the + Chamber found itself confronted by this terrible scandal, which was like + one of those conflagrations which, at the moment when they are supposed to + be dying out, suddenly flare up again and devour everything. The various + figures given in Sagnier’s list, the two hundred thousand francs paid to + Barroux, the eighty thousand handed to Monferrand, the fifty thousand + allotted to Fonsègue, the ten thousand pocketed by Duthil, and the three + thousand secured by Chaigneux, with all the other amounts distributed + among So-and-so and So-and-so, formed the general subject of conversation. + And at the same time some most extraordinary stories were current; there + was no end of tittle-tattle in which fact and falsehood were so + inextricably mingled that everybody was at sea as to the real truth. + Whilst many deputies turned pale and trembled as beneath a blast of + terror, others passed by purple with excitement, bursting with delight, + laughing with exultation at the thought of coming victory. For, in point + of fact, beneath all the assumed indignation, all the calls for + parliamentary cleanliness and morality, there simply lay a question of + persons—the question of ascertaining whether the government would be + overthrown, and in that event of whom the new administration would + consist. Barroux no doubt appeared to be in a bad way; but with things in + such a muddle one was bound to allow a margin for the unexpected. From + what was generally said it seemed certain that Mège would be extremely + violent. Barroux would answer him, and the Minister’s friends declared + that he was determined to speak out in the most decisive manner. As for + Monferrand he would probably address the Chamber after his colleague, but + Vignon’s intentions were somewhat doubtful, as, in spite of his delight, + he made a pretence of remaining in the background. He had been seen + going from one to another of his partisans, advising them to keep calm, in + order that they might retain the cold, keen <i>coup d’œil</i> which in + warfare generally decides the victory. Briefly, such was the plotting and + intriguing that never had any witch’s cauldron brimful of drugs and + nameless abominations been set to boil on a more hellish fire than that of + this parliamentary cook-shop. + </p> + <p> + “Heaven only knows what they will end by serving us,” said little Massot + by way of conclusion. + </p> + <p> + General de Bozonnet for his part anticipated nothing but disaster. If + France had only possessed an army, said he, one might have swept away that + handful of bribe-taking parliamentarians who preyed upon the country and + rotted it. But there was no army left, there was merely an armed nation, a + very different thing. And thereupon, like a man of a past age whom the + present times distracted, he started on what had been his favourite + subject of complaint ever since he had been retired from the service. + </p> + <p> + “Here’s an idea for an article if you want one,” he said to Massot. + “Although France may have a million soldiers she hasn’t got an army. I’ll + give you some notes of mine, and you will be able to tell people the + truth.” + </p> + <p> + Warfare, he continued, ought to be purely and simply a caste occupation, + with commanders designated by divine right, leading mercenaries or + volunteers into action. By democratising warfare people had simply killed + it; a circumstance which he deeply regretted, like a born soldier who + regarded fighting as the only really noble occupation that life offered. + For, as soon as it became every man’s duty to fight, none was willing to + do so; and thus compulsory military service—what was called “the + nation in arms”—would, at a more or less distant date, certainly + bring about the end of warfare. If France had not engaged in a European + war since 1870 this was precisely due to the fact that everybody in France + was ready to fight. But rulers hesitated to throw a whole nation against + another nation, for the loss both in life and treasure would be + tremendous. And so the thought that all Europe was transformed into a vast + camp filled the General with anger and disgust. He sighed for the old + times when men fought for the pleasure of the thing, just as they hunted; + whereas nowadays people were convinced that they would exterminate one + another at the very first engagement. + </p> + <p> + “But surely it wouldn’t be an evil if war should disappear,” Pierre gently + remarked. + </p> + <p> + This somewhat angered the General. “Well, you’ll have pretty nations if + people no longer fight,” he answered, and then trying to show a practical + spirit, he added: “Never has the art of war cost more money than since war + itself has become an impossibility. The present-day defensive peace is + purely and simply ruining every country in Europe. One may be spared + defeat, but utter bankruptcy is certainly at the end of it all. And in any + case the profession of arms is done for. All faith in it is dying out, and + it will soon be forsaken, just as men have begun to forsake the + priesthood.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he made a gesture of mingled grief and anger, almost cursing + that parliament, that Republican legislature before him, as if he + considered it responsible for the future extinction of warfare. But little + Massot was wagging his head dubiously, for he regarded the subject as + rather too serious a one for him to write upon. And, all at once, in order + to turn the conversation into another channel, he exclaimed: “Ah! there’s + Monseigneur Martha in the diplomatic gallery beside the Spanish + Ambassador. It’s denied, you know, that he intends to come forward as a + candidate in Morbihan. He’s far too shrewd to wish to be a deputy. He + already pulls the strings which set most of the Catholic deputies who have + ‘rallied’ to the Republican Government in motion.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre himself had just noticed Monseigneur Martha’s smiling face. And, + somehow or other, however modest might be the prelate’s demeanour, it + seemed to him that he really played an important part in what was going + on. He could hardly take his eyes from him. It was as if he expected that + he would suddenly order men hither and thither, and direct the whole march + of events. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said Massot again. “Here comes Mège. It won’t be long now before the + sitting begins.” + </p> + <p> + The hall, down below, was gradually filling. Deputies entered and + descended the narrow passages between the benches. Most of them remained + standing and chatting in a more or less excited way; but some seated + themselves and raised their grey, weary faces to the glazed roof. It was a + cloudy afternoon, and rain was doubtless threatening, for the light became + quite livid. If the hall was pompous it was also dismal with its heavy + columns, its cold allegorical statues, and its stretches of bare marble + and woodwork. The only brightness was that of the red velvet of the + benches and the gallery hand-rests. + </p> + <p> + Every deputy of any consequence who entered was named by Massot to his + companions. Mège, on being stopped by another member of the little + Socialist group, began to fume and gesticulate. Then Vignon, detaching + himself from a group of friends and putting on an air of smiling + composure, descended the steps towards his seat. The occupants of the + galleries, however, gave most attention to the accused members, those + whose names figured in Sagnier’s list. And these were interesting studies. + Some showed themselves quite sprightly, as if they were entirely at their + ease; but others had assumed a most grave and indignant demeanour. + Chaigneux staggered and hesitated as if beneath the weight of some + frightful act of injustice; whereas Duthil looked perfectly serene save + for an occasional twitch of his lips. The most admired, however, was + Fonsègue, who showed so candid a face, so open a glance, that his + colleagues as well as the spectators might well have declared him + innocent. Nobody indeed could have looked more like an honest man. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! there’s none like the governor,” muttered Massot with enthusiasm. + “But be attentive, for here come the ministers. One mustn’t miss Barroux’ + meeting with Fonsègue, after this morning’s article.” + </p> + <p> + Chance willed it that as Barroux came along with his head erect, his face + pale, and his whole demeanour aggressive, he was obliged to pass Fonsègue + in order to reach the ministerial bench. In doing so he did not speak to + him, but he gazed at him fixedly like one who is conscious of defection, + of a cowardly stab in the back on the part of a traitor. Fonsègue seemed + quite at ease, and went on shaking hands with one and another of his + colleagues as if he were altogether unconscious of Barroux’ glance. Nor + did he even appear to see Monferrand, who walked by in the rear of the + Prime Minister, wearing a placid good-natured air, as if he knew nothing + of what was impending, but was simply coming to some ordinary humdrum + sitting. However, when he reached his seat, he raised his eyes and smiled + at Monseigneur Martha, who gently nodded to him. Then well pleased to + think that things were going as he wished them to go, he began to rub his + hands, as he often did by way of expressing his satisfaction. + </p> + <p> + “Who is that grey-haired, mournful-looking gentleman on the ministerial + bench?” Pierre inquired of Massot. + </p> + <p> + “Why, that’s Taboureau, the Minister of Public Instruction, the excellent + gentleman who is said to have no prestige. One’s always hearing of him, + and one never recognises him; he looks like an old, badly worn coin. Just + like Barroux he can’t feel very well pleased with the governor this + afternoon, for to-day’s ‘Globe’ contained an article pointing out his + thorough incapacity in everything concerning the fine arts. It was an + article in measured language, but all the more effective for that very + reason. It would surprise me if Taboureau should recover from it.” + </p> + <p> + Just then a low roll of drums announced the arrival of the President and + other officials of the Chamber. A door opened, and a little procession + passed by amidst an uproar of exclamations and hasty footsteps. Then, + standing at his table, the President rang his bell and declared the + sitting open. But few members remained silent, however, whilst one of the + secretaries, a dark, lanky young man with a harsh voice, read the minutes + of the previous sitting. When they had been adopted, various letters of + apology for non-attendance were read, and a short, unimportant bill was + passed without discussion. And then came the big affair, Mège’s + interpellation, and at once the whole Chamber was in a flutter, while the + most passionate curiosity reigned in the galleries above. On the + Government consenting to the interpellation, the Chamber decided that the + debate should take place at once. And thereupon complete silence fell, + save that now and again a brief quiver sped by, in which one could detect + the various feelings, passions and appetites swaying the assembly. + </p> + <p> + Mège began to speak with assumed moderation, carefully setting forth the + various points at issue. Tall and thin, gnarled and twisted like a + vine-stock, he rested his hands on the tribune as if to support his bent + figure, and his speech was often interrupted by the little dry cough which + came from the tuberculosis that was burning him. But his eyes sparkled + with passion behind his glasses, and little by little his voice rose in + piercing accents and he drew his lank figure erect and began to + gesticulate vehemently. He reminded the Chamber that some two months + previously, at the time of the first denunciations published by the “Voix + du Peuple,” he had asked leave to interpellate the Government respecting + that deplorable affair of the African Railways; and he remarked, truly + enough, that if the Chamber had not yielded to certain considerations + which he did not wish to discuss, and had not adjourned his proposed + inquiries, full light would long since have been thrown on the whole + affair, in such wise that there would have been no revival, no increase of + the scandal, and no possible pretext for that abominable campaign of + denunciation which tortured and disgusted the country. However, it had at + last been understood that silence could be maintained no longer. It was + necessary that the two ministers who were so loudly accused of having + abused their trusts, should prove their innocence, throw full light upon + all they had done; apart from which the Chamber itself could not possibly + remain beneath the charge of wholesale venality. + </p> + <p> + Then he recounted the whole history of the affair, beginning with the + grant of a concession for the African Lines to Baron Duvillard; and next + passing to the proposals for the issue of lottery stock, which proposals, + it was now said, had only been sanctioned by the Chamber after the most + shameful bargaining and buying of votes. At this point Mège became + extremely violent. Speaking of that mysterious individual Hunter, Baron + Duvillard’s recruiter and go-between, he declared that the police had + allowed him to flee from France, much preferring to spend its time in + shadowing Socialist deputies. Then, hammering the tribune with his fist, + he summoned Barroux to give a categorical denial to the charges brought + against him, and to make it absolutely clear that he had never received a + single copper of the two hundred thousand francs specified in Hunter’s + list. Forthwith certain members shouted to Mège that he ought to read the + whole list; but when he wished to do so others vociferated that it was + abominable, that such a mendacious and slanderous document ought not to be + accorded a place in the proceedings of the French legislature. Mège went + on still in frantic fashion, figuratively casting Sagnier into the gutter, + and protesting that there was nothing in common between himself and such a + base insulter. But at the same time he demanded that justice and + punishment should be meted out equally to one and all, and that if indeed + there were any bribe-takers among his colleagues, they should be sent that + very night to the prison of Mazas. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the President, erect at his table, rang and rang his bell without + managing to quell the uproar. He was like a pilot who finds the tempest + too strong for him. Among all the men with purple faces and barking mouths + who were gathered in front of him, the ushers alone maintained + imperturbable gravity. At intervals between the bursts of shouting, Mège’s + voice could still be heard. By some sudden transition he had come to the + question of a Collectivist organisation of society such as he dreamt of, + and he contrasted it with the criminal capitalist society of the present + day, which alone, said he, could produce such scandals. And yielding more + and more to his apostolic fervour, declaring that there could be no + salvation apart from Collectivism, he shouted that the day of triumph + would soon dawn. He awaited it with a smile of confidence. In his opinion, + indeed, he merely had to overthrow that ministry and perhaps another one, + and then he himself would at last take the reins of power in hand, like a + reformer who would know how to pacify the nation. As outside Socialists + often declared, it was evident that the blood of a dictator flowed in that + sectarian’s veins. His feverish, stubborn rhetoric ended by exhausting his + interrupters, who were compelled to listen to him. When he at last decided + to leave the tribune, loud applause arose from a few benches on the left. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know,” said Massot to the General, “I met Mège taking a walk with + his three little children in the Jardin des Plantes the other day. He + looked after them as carefully as an old nurse. I believe he’s a very + worthy fellow at heart, and lives in a very modest way.” + </p> + <p> + But a quiver had now sped through the assembly. Barroux had quitted his + seat to ascend the tribune. He there drew himself erect, throwing his head + back after his usual fashion. There was a haughty, majestic, slightly + sorrowful expression on his handsome face, which would have been perfect + had his nose only been a little larger. He began to express his sorrow and + indignation in fine flowery language, which he punctuated with theatrical + gestures. His eloquence was that of a tribune of the romantic school, and + as one listened to him one could divine that in spite of all his pomposity + he was really a worthy, tender-hearted and somewhat foolish man. That + afternoon he was stirred by genuine emotion; his heart bled at the thought + of his disastrous destiny, he felt that a whole world was crumbling with + himself. Ah! what a cry of despair he stifled, the cry of the man who is + buffeted and thrown aside by the course of events on the very day when he + thinks that his civic devotion entitles him to triumph! To have given + himself and all he possessed to the cause of the Republic, even in the + dark days of the Second Empire; to have fought and struggled and suffered + persecution for that Republic’s sake; to have established that Republic + amidst the battle of parties, after all the horrors of national and civil + war; and then, when the Republic at last triumphed and became a living + fact, secure from all attacks and intrigues, to suddenly feel like a + survival of some other age, to hear new comers speak a new language, + preach a new ideal, and behold the collapse of all he had loved, all he + had reverenced, all that had given him strength to fight and conquer! The + mighty artisans of the early hours were no more; it had been meet that + Gambetta should die. How bitter it all was for the last lingering old ones + to find themselves among the men of the new, intelligent and shrewd + generation, who gently smiled at them, deeming their romanticism quite out + of fashion! All crumbled since the ideal of liberty collapsed, since + liberty was no longer the one desideratum, the very basis of the Republic + whose existence had been so dearly purchased after so long an effort! + </p> + <p> + Erect and dignified Barroux made his confession. The Republic to him was + like the sacred ark of life; the very worst deeds became saintly if they + were employed to save her from peril. And in all simplicity he, told his + story, how he had found the great bulk of Baron Duvillard’s money going to + the opposition newspapers as pretended payment for puffery and + advertising, whilst on the other hand the Republican organs received but + beggarly, trumpery amounts. He had been Minister of the Interior at the + time, and had therefore had charge of the press; so what would have been + said of him if he had not endeavoured to reestablish some equilibrium in + this distribution of funds in order that the adversaries of the + institutions of the country might not acquire a great increase of strength + by appropriating all the sinews of war? Hands had been stretched out + towards him on all sides, a score of newspapers, the most faithful, the + most meritorious, had claimed their legitimate share. And he had ensured + them that share by distributing among them the two hundred thousand francs + set down in the list against his name. Not a centime of the money had gone + into his own pocket, he would allow nobody to impugn his personal honesty, + on that point his word must suffice. At that moment Barroux was really + grand. All his emphatic pomposity disappeared; he showed himself, as he + really was—an honest man, quivering, his heart bared, his conscience + bleeding, in his bitter distress at having been among those who had + laboured and at now being denied reward. + </p> + <p> + For, truth to tell, his words fell amidst icy silence. In his childish + simplicity he had anticipated an outburst of enthusiasm; a Republican + Chamber could but acclaim him for having saved the Republic; and now the + frigidity of one and all quite froze him. He suddenly felt that he was all + alone, done for, touched by the hand of death. Nevertheless, he continued + speaking amidst that terrible silence with the courage of one who is + committing suicide, and who, from his love of noble and eloquent + attitudes, is determined to die standing. He ended with a final impressive + gesture. However, as he came down from the tribune, the general coldness + seemed to increase, not a single member applauded. With supreme clumsiness + he had alluded to the secret scheming of Rome and the clergy, whose one + object, in his opinion, was to recover the predominant position they had + lost and restore monarchy in France at a more or less distant date. + </p> + <p> + “How silly of him! Ought a man ever to confess?” muttered Massot. “He’s + done for, and the ministry too!” + </p> + <p> + Then, amidst the general frigidity, Monferrand boldly ascended the tribune + stairs. The prevailing uneasiness was compounded of all the secret fear + which sincerity always causes, of all the distress of the bribe-taking + deputies who felt that they were rolling into an abyss, and also of the + embarrassment which the others felt at thought of the more or less + justifiable compromises of politics. Something like relief, therefore, + came when Monferrand started with the most emphatic denials, protesting in + the name of his outraged honour, and dealing blow after blow on the + tribune with one hand, while with the other he smote his chest. Short and + thick-set, with his face thrust forward, hiding his shrewdness beneath an + expression of indignant frankness, he was for a moment really superb. He + denied everything. He was not only ignorant of what was meant by that sum + of eighty thousand francs set down against his name, but he defied the + whole world to prove that he had even touched a single copper of that + money. He boiled over with indignation to such a point that he did not + simply deny bribe-taking on his own part, he denied it on behalf of the + whole assembly, of all present and past French legislatures, as if, + indeed, bribe-taking on the part of a representative of the people was + altogether too monstrous an idea, a crime that surpassed possibility to + such an extent that the mere notion of it was absurd. And thereupon + applause rang out; the Chamber, delivered from its fears, thrilled by his + words, acclaimed him. + </p> + <p> + From the little Socialist group, however, some jeers arose, and voices + summoned Monferrand to explain himself on the subject of the African + Railways, reminding him that he had been at the head of the Public Works + Department at the time of the vote, and requiring of him that he should + state what he now meant to do, as Minister of the Interior, in order to + reassure the country. He juggled with this question, declaring that if + there were any guilty parties they would be punished, for he did not + require anybody to remind him of his duty. And then, all at once, with + incomparable maestria, he had recourse to the diversion which he had been + preparing since the previous day. His duty, said he, was a thing which he + never forgot; he discharged it like a faithful soldier of the nation hour + by hour, and with as much vigilance as prudence. He had been accused of + employing the police on he knew not what base spying work in such wise as + to allow the man Hunter to escape. Well, as for that much-slandered police + force, he would tell the Chamber on what work he had really employed it + the day before, and how zealously it had laboured for the cause of law and + order. In the Bois de Boulogne, on the previous afternoon, it had arrested + that terrible scoundrel, the perpetrator of the crime in the Rue + Godot-de-Mauroy, that Anarchist mechanician Salvat, who for six weeks past + had so cunningly contrived to elude capture. The scoundrel had made a full + confession during the evening, and the law would now take its course with + all despatch. Public morality was at last avenged, Paris might now emerge + in safety from its long spell of terror, Anarchism would be struck down, + annihilated. And that was what he, Monferrand, had done as a Minister for + the honour and safety of his country, whilst villains were vainly seeking + to dishonour him by inscribing his name on a list of infamy, the outcome + of the very basest political intrigues. + </p> + <p> + The Chamber listened agape and quivering. This story of Salvat’s arrest, + which none of the morning papers had reported; the present which + Monferrand seemed to be making them of that terrible Anarchist whom many + had already begun to regard as a myth; the whole <i>mise-en-scène</i> of + the Minister’s speech transported the deputies as if they were suddenly + witnessing the finish of a long-interrupted drama. Stirred and flattered, + they prolonged their applause, while Monferrand went on celebrating his + act of energy, how he had saved society, how crime should be punished, and + how he himself would ever prove that he had a strong arm and could answer + for public order. He even won favour with the Conservatives and Clericals + on the Right by separating himself from Barroux, addressing a few words of + sympathy to those Catholics who had “rallied” to the Republic, and + appealing for concord among men of different beliefs in order that they + might fight the common enemy, that fierce, wild socialism which talked of + overthrowing everything! + </p> + <p> + By the time Monferrand came down from the tribune, the trick was played, + he had virtually saved himself. Both the Right and Left of the Chamber* + applauded, drowning the protests of the few Socialists whose vociferations + only added to the triumphal tumult. Members eagerly stretched out their + hands to the Minister, who for a moment remained standing there and + smiling. But there was some anxiety in that smile of his; his success was + beginning to frighten him. Had he spoken too well, and saved the entire + Cabinet instead of merely saving himself? That would mean the ruin of his + plan. The Chamber ought not to vote under the effect of that speech which + had thrilled it so powerfully. Thus Monferrand, though he still continued + to smile, spent a few anxious moments in waiting to see if anybody would + rise to answer him. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Ever since the days of the Bourbon Restoration it has been + the practice in the French Chambers for the more conservative + members to seat themselves on the President’s right, and for + the Radical ones to place themselves on his left. The central + seats of the semicircle in which the members’ seats are + arranged in tiers are usually occupied by men of moderate views. + Generally speaking, such terms as Right Centre and Left Centre + are applied to groups of Moderates inclining in the first place + to Conservatism and in the latter to Radicalism. All this is of + course known to readers acquainted with French institutions, but + I give the explanation because others, after perusing French + news in some daily paper, have often asked me what was meant by + “a deputy of the Right,” and so forth.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + His success had been as great among the occupants of the galleries as + among the deputies themselves. Several ladies had been seen applauding, + and Monseigneur Martha had given unmistakable signs of the liveliest + satisfaction. “Ah, General!” said Massot to Bozonnet in a sneering way. + “Those are our fighting men of the present time. And he’s a bold and + strong one, is Monferrand. Of course it is all what people style ‘saving + one’s bacon,’ but none the less it’s very clever work.” + </p> + <p> + Just then, however, Monferrand to his great satisfaction had seen Vignon + rise from his seat in response to the urging of his friends. And thereupon + all anxiety vanished from the Minister’s smile, which became one of + malicious placidity. + </p> + <p> + The very atmosphere of the Chamber seemed to change with Vignon in the + tribune. He was slim, with a fair and carefully tended beard, blue eyes + and all the suppleness of youth. He spoke, moreover, like a practical man, + in simple, straightforward language, which made the emptiness of the + other’s declamatory style painfully conspicuous. His term of official + service as a prefect in the provinces had endowed him with keen insight; + and it was in an easy way that he propounded and unravelled the most + intricate questions. Active and courageous, confident in his own star, too + young and too shrewd to have compromised himself in anything so far, he + was steadily marching towards the future. He had already drawn up a rather + more advanced political programme than that of Barroux and Monferrand, so + that when opportunity offered there might be good reasons for him to take + their place. Moreover, he was quite capable of carrying out his programme + by attempting some of the long-promised reforms for which the country was + waiting. He had guessed that honesty, when it had prudence and shrewdness + as its allies, must some day secure an innings. In a clear voice, and in a + very quiet, deliberate way, he now said what it was right to say on the + subject under discussion, the things that common sense dictated and that + the Chamber itself secretly desired should be said. He was certainly the + first to rejoice over an arrest which would reassure the country; but he + failed to understand what connection there could be between that arrest + and the sad business that had been brought before the Chamber. The two + affairs were quite distinct and different, and he begged his colleagues + not to vote in the state of excitement in which he saw them. Full light + must be thrown on the African Railways question, and this, one could not + expect from the two incriminated ministers. However, he was opposed to any + suggestion of a committee of inquiry. In his opinion the guilty parties, + if such there were, ought to be brought immediately before a court of law. + And, like Barroux, he wound up with a discreet allusion to the growing + influence of the clergy, declaring that he was against all unworthy + compromises, and was equally opposed to any state dictatorship and any + revival of the ancient theocratic spirit. + </p> + <p> + Although there was but little applause when Vignon returned to his seat, + it was evident that the Chamber was again master of its emotions. And the + situation seemed so clear, and the overthrow of the ministry so certain, + that Mège, who had meant to reply to the others, wisely abstained from + doing so. Meantime people noticed the placid demeanour of Monferrand, who + had listened to Vignon with the utmost complacency, as if he were + rendering homage to an adversary’s talent; whereas Barroux, ever since the + cold silence which had greeted his speech, had remained motionless in his + seat, bowed down and pale as a corpse. + </p> + <p> + “Well, it’s all over,” resumed Massot, amidst the hubbub which arose as + the deputies prepared to vote; “the ministry’s done for. Little Vignon + will go a long way, you know. People say that he dreams of the Elysée. At + all events everything points to him as our next prime minister.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as the journalist rose, intending to go off, the General detained + him: “Wait a moment, Monsieur Massot,” said he. “How disgusting all that + parliamentary cooking is! You ought to point it out in an article, and + show people how the country is gradually being weakened and rotted to the + marrow by all such useless and degrading discussions. Why, a great battle + resulting in the loss of 50,000 men would exhaust us less than ten years + of this abominable parliamentary system. You must call on me some morning. + I will show you a scheme of military reform, in which I point out the + necessity of returning to the limited professional armies which we used to + have, for this present-day national army, as folks call it, which is a + semi-civilian affair and at best a mere herd of men, is like a dead weight + on us, and is bound to pull us down!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, for his part, had not spoken a word since the beginning of the + debate. He had listened to everything, at first influenced by the thought + of his brother’s interests, and afterwards mastered by the feverishness + which gradually took possession of everybody present. He had become + convinced that there was nothing more for Guillaume to fear; but how + curiously did one event fit into another, and how loudly had Salvat’s + arrest re-echoed in the Chamber! Looking down into the seething hall below + him, he had detected all the clash of rival passions and interests. After + watching the great struggle between Barroux, Monferrand and Vignon, he had + gazed upon the childish delight of that terrible Socialist Mège, who was + so pleased at having been able to stir up the depths of those troubled + waters, in which he always unwittingly angled for the benefit of others. + Then, too, Pierre had become interested in Fonsègue, who, knowing what had + been arranged between Monferrand, Duvillard and himself, evinced perfect + calmness and strove to reassure Duthil and Chaigneux, who, on their side, + were quite dismayed by the ministry’s impending fall. Yet, Pierre’s eyes + always came back to Monseigneur Martha. He had watched his serene smiling + face throughout the sitting, striving to detect his impressions of the + various incidents that had occurred, as if in his opinion that dramatic + parliamentary comedy had only been played as a step towards the more or + less distant triumph for which the prelate laboured. And now, while + awaiting the result of the vote, as Pierre turned towards Massot and the + General, he found that they were talking of nothing but recruiting and + tactics and the necessity of a bath of blood for the whole of Europe. Ah! + poor mankind, ever fighting and ever devouring one another in parliaments + as well as on battle-fields, when, thought Pierre, would it decide to + disarm once and for all, and live at peace according to the laws of + justice and reason! + </p> + <p> + Then he again looked down into the hall, where the greatest confusion was + prevailing among the deputies with regard to the coming vote. There was + quite a rainfall of suggested “resolutions,” from a very violent one + proposed by Mège, to another, which was merely severe, emanating from + Vignon. The ministry, however, would only accept the “Order of the day + pure and simple,” a mere decision, that is, to pass to the next business, + as if Mège’s interpellation had been unworthy of attention. And presently + the Government was defeated, Vignon’s resolution being adopted by a + majority of twenty-five. Some portion of the Left had evidently joined + hands with the Right and the Socialist group. A prolonged hubbub followed + this result. + </p> + <p> + “Well, so we are to have a Vignon Cabinet,” said Massot, as he went off + with Pierre and the General. “All the same, though, Monferrand has saved + himself, and if I were in Vignon’s place I should distrust him.” + </p> + <p> + That evening there was a very touching farewell scene at the little house + at Neuilly. When Pierre returned thither from the Chamber, saddened but + reassured with regard to the future, Guillaume at once made up his mind to + go home on the morrow. And as Nicholas Barthès was compelled to leave, the + little dwelling seemed on the point of relapsing into dreary quietude once + more. + </p> + <p> + Théophile Morin, whom Pierre had informed of the painful alternative in + which Barthès was placed, duly came to dinner; but he did not have time to + speak to the old man before they all sat down to table at seven o’clock. + As usual Barthès had spent his day in marching, like a caged lion, up and + down the room in which he had accepted shelter after the fashion of a big + fearless child, who never worried with regard either to his present + circumstances or the troubles which the future might have in store for + him. His life had ever been one of unlimited hope, which reality had ever + shattered. Although all that he had loved, all that he had hoped to secure + by fifty years of imprisonment or exile,—liberty, equality and a + real brotherly republic,—had hitherto failed to come, such as he had + dreamt of them, he nevertheless retained the candid faith of his youth, + and was ever confident in the near future. He would smile indulgently when + new comers, men of violent ideas, derided him and called him a poor old + fellow. For his part, he could make neither head nor tail of the many new + sects. He simply felt indignant with their lack of human feeling, and + stubbornly adhered to his own idea of basing the world’s regeneration on + the simple proposition that men were naturally good and ought to be free + and brotherly. + </p> + <p> + That evening at dinner, feeling that he was with friends who cared for + him, Barthès proved extremely gay, and showed all his ingenuousness in + talking of his ideal, which would soon be realised, said he, in spite of + everything. He could tell a story well whenever he cared to chat, and on + that occasion he related some delightful anecdotes about the prisons + through which he had passed. He knew all the dungeons, Ste. Pelagie and + Mont St. Michel, Belle-Ile-en-Mer and Clairvaux, to say nothing of + temporary gaols and the evil-smelling hulks on board which political + prisoners are often confined. And he still laughed at certain + recollections, and related how in the direst circumstances he had always + been able to seek refuge in his conscience. The others listened to him + quite charmed by his conversation, but full of anguish at the thought that + this perpetual prisoner or exile must again rise and take his staff to + sally forth, driven from his native land once more. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not speak out until they were partaking of dessert. Then he + related how the Minister had written to him, and how in a brief interview + he had stated that Barthès must cross the frontier within forty-eight + hours if he did not wish to be arrested. Thereupon the old man gravely + rose, with his white fleece, his eagle beak and his bright eyes still + sparkling with the fire of youth. And he wished to go off at once. “What!” + said he, “you have known all this since yesterday, and have still kept me + here at the risk of my compromising you even more than I had done already! + You must forgive me, I did not think of the worry I might cause you, I + thought that everything would be satisfactorily arranged. I must thank you + both—yourself and Guillaume—for the few days of quietude that + you have procured to an old vagabond and madman like myself.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as they tried to prevail on him to remain until the following + morning, he would not listen to them. There would be a train for Brussels + about midnight, and he had ample time to take it. He refused to let Morin + accompany him. No, no, said he, Morin was not a rich man, and moreover he + had work to attend to. Why should he take him away from his duties, when + it was so easy, so simple, for him to go off alone? He was going back into + exile as into misery and grief which he had long known, like some + Wandering Jew of Liberty, ever driven onward through the world. + </p> + <p> + When he took leave of the others at ten o’clock, in the little sleepy + street just outside the house, tears suddenly dimmed his eyes. “Ah! I’m no + longer a young man,” he said; “it’s all over this time. I shall never come + back again. My bones will rest in some corner over yonder.” And yet, after + he had affectionately embraced Pierre and Guillaume, he drew himself up + like one who remained unconquered, and he raised a supreme cry of hope. + “But after all, who knows? Triumph may perhaps come to-morrow. The future + belongs to those who prepare it and wait for it!” + </p> + <p> + Then he walked away, and long after he had disappeared his firm, sonorous + footsteps could be heard re-echoing in the quiet night. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol14"></a> + BOOK IV. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap57"></a> + I. PIERRE AND MARIE + </h2> + <p> + ON the mild March morning when Pierre left his little house at Neuilly to + accompany Guillaume to Montmartre, he was oppressed by the thought that on + returning home he would once more find himself alone with nothing to + prevent him from relapsing into negation and despair. The idea of this had + kept him from sleeping, and he still found it difficult to hide his + distress and force a smile. + </p> + <p> + The sky was so clear and the atmosphere so mild that the brothers had + resolved to go to Montmartre on foot by way of the outer boulevards. Nine + o’clock was striking when they set out. Guillaume for his part was very + gay at the thought of the surprise he would give his family. It was as if + he were suddenly coming back from a long journey. He had not warned them + of his intentions; he had merely written to them now and again to tell + them that he was recovering, and they certainly had no idea that his + return was so near at hand. + </p> + <p> + When Guillaume and Pierre had climbed the sunlit slopes of Montmartre, and + crossed the quiet countrified Place du Tertre, the former, by means of a + latch-key, quietly opened the door of his house, which seemed to be + asleep, so profound was the stillness both around and within it. Pierre + found it the same as on the occasion of his previous and only visit. First + came the narrow passage which ran through the ground-floor, affording a + view of all Paris at the further end. Next there was the garden, reduced + to a couple of plum-trees and a clump of lilac-bushes, the leaves of which + had now sprouted. And this time the priest perceived three bicycles + leaning against the trees. Beyond them stood the large work-shop, so gay, + and yet so peaceful, with its huge window overlooking a sea of roofs. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume had reached the work-shop without meeting anybody. With an + expression of much amusement he raised a finger to his lips. “Attention, + Pierre,” he whispered; “you’ll just see!” + </p> + <p> + Then having noiselessly opened the door, they remained for a moment on the + threshold. + </p> + <p> + The three sons alone were there. Near his forge stood Thomas working a + boring machine, with which he was making some holes in a small brass + plate. Then François and Antoine were seated on either side of their large + table, the former reading, and the latter finishing a block. The bright + sunshine streamed in, playing over all the seeming disorder of the room, + where so many callings and so many implements found place. A large bunch + of wallflowers bloomed on the women’s work-table near the window; and + absorbed as the young men were in their respective tasks the only sound + was the slight hissing of the boring machine each time that the eldest of + them drilled another hole. + </p> + <p> + However, although Guillaume did not stir, there suddenly came a quiver, an + awakening. His sons seemed to guess his presence, for they raised their + heads, each at the same moment. From each, too, came the same cry, and a + common impulse brought them first to their feet and then to his arms. + </p> + <p> + “Father!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume embraced them, feeling very happy. And that was all; there was + no long spell of emotion, no useless talk. It was as if he had merely gone + out the day before and, delayed by business, had now come back. Still, he + looked at them with his kindly smile, and they likewise smiled with their + eyes fixed on his. Those glances proclaimed everything, the closest + affection and complete self-bestowal for ever. + </p> + <p> + “Come in, Pierre,” called Guillaume; “shake hands with these young men.” + </p> + <p> + The priest had remained near the door, overcome by a singular feeling of + discomfort. When his nephews had vigorously shaken hands with him, he sat + down near the window apart from them, as if he felt out of his element + there. + </p> + <p> + “Well, youngsters,” said Guillaume, “where’s Mère-Grand, and where’s + Marie?” + </p> + <p> + Their grandmother was upstairs in her room, they said; and Marie had taken + it into her head to go marketing. This, by the way, was one of her + delights. She asserted that she was the only one who knew how to buy + new-laid eggs and butter of a nutty odour. Moreover, she sometimes brought + some dainty or some flowers home, in her delight at proving herself to be + so good a housewife. + </p> + <p> + “And so things are going on well?” resumed Guillaume. “You are all + satisfied, your work is progressing, eh?” + </p> + <p> + He addressed brief questions to each of them, like one who, on his return + home, at once reverts to his usual habits. Thomas, with his rough face + beaming, explained in a couple of sentences that he was now sure of + perfecting his little motor; François, who was still preparing for his + examination, jestingly declared that he yet had to lodge a heap of + learning in his brain; and then Antoine produced the block which he was + finishing, and which depicted his little friend Lise, Jahan’s sister, + reading in her garden amidst the sunshine. It was like a florescence of + that dear belated creature whose mind had been awakened by his affection. + </p> + <p> + However, the three brothers speedily went back to their places, reverting + to their work with a natural impulse, for discipline had made them regard + work as life itself. Then Guillaume, who had glanced at what each was + doing, exclaimed: “Ah! youngsters, I schemed and prepared a lot of things + myself while I was laid up. I even made a good many notes. We walked here + from Neuilly, but my papers and the clothes which Mère-Grand sent me will + come in a cab by-and-by.... Ah! how pleased I am to find everything in + order here, and to be able to take up my task with you again! Ah! I shall + polish off some work now, and no mistake!” + </p> + <p> + He had already gone to his own corner, the space reserved for him between + the window and the forge. He there had a chemical furnace, several glass + cases and shelves crowded with appliances, and a long table, one end of + which he used for writing purposes. And he once more took possession of + that little world. After glancing around with delight at seeing everything + in its place, he began to handle one object and another, eager to be at + work like his sons. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, Mère-Grand appeared, calm, grave and erect in her + black gown, at the top of the little staircase which conducted to the + bedrooms. “So it’s you, Guillaume?” said she. “Will you come up for a + moment?” + </p> + <p> + He immediately did so, understanding that she wished to speak to him alone + and tranquillise him. It was a question of the great secret between them, + that one thing of which his sons knew nothing, and which, after Salvat’s + crime, had brought him much anguish, through his fear that it might be + divulged. When he reached Mère-Grand’s room she at once took him to the + hiding-place near her bed, and showed him the cartridges of the new + explosive, and the plans of the terrible engine of warfare which he had + invented. He found them all as he had left them. Before anyone could have + reached them, she would have blown up the whole place at the risk of + perishing herself in the explosion. With her wonted air of quiet heroism, + she handed Guillaume the key which he had sent her by Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “You were not anxious, I hope?” she said. + </p> + <p> + He pressed her hands with a commingling of affection and respect. “My only + anxiety,” he replied, “was that the police might come here and treat you + roughly.... You are the guardian of our secret, and it would be for you to + finish my work should I disappear.” + </p> + <p> + While Guillaume and Madame Leroi were thus engaged upstairs, Pierre, still + seated near the window below, felt his discomfort increasing. The inmates + of the house certainly regarded him with no other feeling than one of + affectionate sympathy; and so how came it that he considered them hostile? + The truth was that he asked himself what would become of him among those + workers, who were upheld by a faith of their own, whereas he believed in + nothing, and did not work. The sight of those young men, so gaily and + zealously toiling, ended by quite irritating him; and the arrival of Marie + brought his distress to a climax. + </p> + <p> + Joyous and full of life, she came in without seeing him, a basket on her + arm. And she seemed to bring all the sunlight of the spring morning with + her, so bright was the sparkle of her youth. The whole of her pink face, + her delicate nose, her broad intelligent brow, her thick, kindly lips, + beamed beneath the heavy coils of her black hair. And her brown eyes ever + laughed with the joyousness which comes from health and strength. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” she exclaimed, “I have brought such a lot of things, youngsters. + Just come and see them; I wouldn’t unpack the basket in the kitchen.” + </p> + <p> + It became absolutely necessary for the brothers to draw round the basket + which she had laid upon the table. “First there’s the butter!” said she; + “just smell if it hasn’t a nice scent of nuts! It’s churned especially for + me, you know. Then here are the eggs. They were laid only yesterday, I’ll + answer for it. And, in fact, that one there is this morning’s. And look at + the cutlets! They’re wonderful, aren’t they? The butcher cuts them + carefully when he sees me. And then here’s a cream cheese, real cream, you + know, it will be delicious! Ah! and here’s the surprise, something dainty, + some radishes, some pretty little pink radishes. Just fancy! radishes in + March, what a luxury!” + </p> + <p> + She triumphed like the good little housewife she was, one who had followed + a whole course of cookery and home duties at the Lycée Fénelon. The + brothers, as merry as she herself, were obliged to compliment her. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, she caught sight of Pierre. “What! you are there, + Monsieur l’Abbé?” she exclaimed; “I beg your pardon, but I didn’t see you. + How is Guillaume? Have you brought us some news of him?” + </p> + <p> + “But father’s come home,” said Thomas; “he’s upstairs with Mère-Grand.” + </p> + <p> + Quite thunderstruck, she hastily placed her purchases in the basket. + “Guillaume’s come back, Guillaume’s come back!” said she, “and you don’t + tell me of it, you let me unpack everything! Well, it’s nice of me, I must + say, to go on praising my butter and eggs when Guillaume’s come back.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, as it happened, was just coming down with Madame Leroi. Marie + gaily hastened to him and offered him her cheeks, on which he planted two + resounding kisses. Then she, resting her hands on his shoulders, gave him + a long look, while saying in a somewhat tremulous voice: “I am pleased, + very pleased to see you, Guillaume. I may confess it now, I thought I had + lost you, I was very anxious and very unhappy.” + </p> + <p> + Although she was still smiling, tears had gathered in her eyes, and he, + likewise moved, again kissed her, murmuring: “Dear Marie! How happy it + makes me to find you as beautiful and as affectionate as ever.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was looking at them, deemed them cold. He had doubtless + expected more tears, and a more passionate embrace on the part of an + affianced pair, whom so grievous an accident had separated almost on the + eve of their wedding. Moreover, his feelings were hurt by the + disproportion of their respective ages. No doubt his brother still seemed + to him very sturdy and young, and his feeling of repulsion must have come + from that young woman whom, most decidedly, he did not like. Ever since + her arrival he had experienced increasing discomfort, a keener and keener + desire to go off and never return. + </p> + <p> + So acute became his suffering at feeling like a stranger in his brother’s + home, that he at last rose and sought to take his leave, under the pretext + that he had some urgent matters to attend to in town. + </p> + <p> + “What! you won’t stay to <i>déjeuner</i> with us!” exclaimed Guillaume in + perfect stupefaction. “Why, it was agreed! You surely won’t distress me + like that! This house is your own, remember!” + </p> + <p> + Then, as with genuine affection they all protested and pressed him to + stay, he was obliged to do so. However, he soon relapsed into silence and + embarrassment, seated on the same chair as before, and listening moodily + to those people who, although they were his relatives, seemed to be far + removed from him. + </p> + <p> + As it was barely eleven o’clock they resumed work, but every now and again + there was some merry talk. On one of the servants coming for the + provisions, Marie told the girl to call her as soon as it should be time + to boil the eggs, for she prided herself on boiling them to a nicety, in + such wise as to leave the whites like creamy milk. This gave an + opportunity for a few jests from François, who occasionally teased her + about all the fine things she had learnt at the Lycée Fénelon, where her + father had placed her when she was twelve years old. However, she was not + afraid of him, but gave him tit for tat by chaffing him about all the + hours which he lost at the École Normale over a mass of pedagogic trash. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you big children!” she exclaimed, while still working at her + embroidery. “You are all very intelligent, and you all claim to have broad + minds, and yet—confess it now—it worries you a little that a + girl like me should have studied at college in the same way as yourselves. + It’s a sexual quarrel, a question of rivalry and competition, isn’t it?” + </p> + <p> + They protested the contrary, declaring that they were in favour of girls + receiving as complete an education as possible. She was well aware of + this; however, she liked to tease them in return for the manner in which + they themselves plagued her. + </p> + <p> + “But do you know,” said she, “you are a great deal behind the times? I am + well aware of the reproaches which are levelled at girls’ colleges by + so-called right-minded people. To begin, there is no religious element + whatever in the education one receives there, and this alarms many + families which consider religious education to be absolutely necessary for + girls, if only as a moral weapon of defence. Then, too, the education at + our Lycées is being democratised—girls of all positions come to + them. Thanks to the scholarships which are so liberally offered, the + daughter of the lady who rents a first floor flat often finds the daughter + of her door-keeper among her school-fellows, and some think this + objectionable. It is said also that the pupils free themselves too much + from home influence, and that too much opportunity is left for personal + initiative. As a matter of fact the extensiveness of the many courses of + study, all the learning that is required of pupils at the examinations, + certainly does tend to their emancipation, to the coming of the future + woman and future society, which you young men are all longing for, are you + not?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course we are!” exclaimed François; “we all agree on that point.” + </p> + <p> + She waved her hand in a pretty way, and then quietly continued: “I’m + jesting. My views are simple enough, as you well know, and I don’t ask for + nearly as much as you do. As for woman’s claims and rights, well, the + question is clear enough; woman is man’s equal so far as nature allows it. + And the only point is to agree and love one another. At the same time I’m + well pleased to know what I do—oh! not from any spirit of pedantry + but simply because I think it has all done me good, and given me some + moral as well as physical health.” + </p> + <p> + It delighted her to recall the days she had spent at the Lycée Fénelon, + which of the five State colleges for girls opened in Paris was the only + one counting a large number of pupils. Most of these were the daughters of + officials or professors, who purposed entering the teaching profession. In + this case, they had to win their last diploma at the École Normale of + Sevres, after leaving the Lycée. Marie, for her part, though her studies + had been brilliant, had felt no taste whatever for the calling of teacher. + Moreover, when Guillaume had taken charge of her after her father’s death, + he had refused to let her run about giving lessons. To provide herself + with a little money, for she would accept none as a gift, she worked at + embroidery, an art in which she was most accomplished. + </p> + <p> + While she was talking to the young men Guillaume had listened to her + without interfering. If he had fallen in love with her it was largely on + account of her frankness and uprightness, the even balance of her nature, + which gave her so forcible a charm. She knew all; but if she lacked the + poetry of the shrinking, lamb-like girl who has been brought up in + ignorance, she had gained absolute rectitude of heart and mind, exempt + from all hypocrisy, all secret perversity such as is stimulated by what + may seem mysterious in life. And whatever she might know, she had retained + such child-like purity that in spite of her six-and-twenty summers all the + blood in her veins would occasionally rush to her cheeks in fiery blushes, + which drove her to despair. + </p> + <p> + “My dear Marie,” Guillaume now exclaimed, “you know very well that the + youngsters were simply joking. You are in the right, of course.... And + your boiled eggs cannot be matched in the whole world.” + </p> + <p> + He said this in so soft and affectionate a tone that the young woman + flushed purple. Then, becoming conscious of it, she coloured yet more + deeply, and as the three young men glanced at her maliciously she grew + angry with herself. “Isn’t it ridiculous, Monsieur l’Abbé,” she said, + turning towards Pierre, “for an old maid like myself to blush in that + fashion? People might think that I had committed a crime. It’s simply to + make me blush, you know, that those children tease me. I do all I can to + prevent it, but it’s stronger than my will.” + </p> + <p> + At this Mère-Grand raised her eyes from the shirt she was mending, and + remarked: “Oh! it’s natural enough, my dear. It is your heart rising to + your cheeks in order that we may see it.” + </p> + <p> + The <i>déjeuner</i> hour was now at hand; and they decided to lay the + table in the work-shop, as was occasionally done when they had a guest. + The simple, cordial meal proved very enjoyable in the bright sunlight. + Marie’s boiled eggs, which she herself brought from the kitchen covered + with a napkin, were found delicious. Due honour was also done to the + butter and the radishes. The only dessert that followed the cutlets was + the cream cheese, but it was a cheese such as nobody else had ever + partaken of. And, meantime, while they ate and chatted all Paris lay below + them, stretching away to the horizon with its mighty rumbling. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had made an effort to become cheerful, but he soon relapsed into + silence. Guillaume, however, was very talkative. Having noticed the three + bicycles in the garden, he inquired of Marie how far she had gone that + morning. She answered that François and Antoine had accompanied her in the + direction of Orgemont. The worry of their excursions was that each time + they returned to Montmartre they had to push their machines up the height. + From the general point of view, however, the young woman was delighted + with bicycling, which had many virtues, said she. Then, seeing Pierre + glance at her in amazement, she promised that she would some day explain + her opinions on the subject to him. After this bicycling became the one + topic of conversation until the end of the meal. Thomas gave an account of + the latest improvements introduced into Grandidier’s machines; and the + others talked of the excursions they had made or meant to make, with all + the exuberant delight of school children eager for the open air. + </p> + <p> + In the midst of the chatter, Mère-Grand, who presided at table with the + serene dignity of a queen-mother, leant towards Guillaume, who sat next to + her, and spoke to him in an undertone. Pierre understood that she was + referring to his marriage, which was to have taken place in April, but + must now necessarily be deferred. This sensible marriage, which seemed + likely to ensure the happiness of the entire household, was largely the + work of Mère-Grand and the three young men, for Guillaume would never have + yielded to his heart if she whom he proposed to make his wife had not + already been a well-loved member of the family. At the present time the + last week in June seemed, for all sorts of reasons, to be a favourable + date for the wedding. + </p> + <p> + Marie, who heard the suggestion, turned gaily towards Mère-Grand. + </p> + <p> + “The end of June will suit very well, will it not, my dear?” said the + latter. + </p> + <p> + Pierre expected to see a deep flush rise to the young woman’s cheeks, but + she remained very calm. She felt deep affection, blended with the most + tender gratitude, for Guillaume, and was convinced that in marrying him + she would be acting wisely and well both for herself and the others. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly, the end of June,” she repeated, “that will suit very well + indeed.” + </p> + <p> + Then the sons, who likewise had heard the proposal, nodded their heads by + way of assenting also. + </p> + <p> + When they rose from table Pierre was absolutely determined to go off. The + cordial and simple meal, the sight of that family, which had been rendered + so happy by Guillaume’s return, and of that young woman who smiled so + placidly at life, had brought him keen suffering, though why he could not + tell. However, it all irritated him beyond endurance; and he therefore + again pretended that he had a number of things to see to in Paris. He + shook hands in turn with the young men, Mère-Grand and Marie; both of the + women evincing great friendliness but also some surprise at his haste to + leave the house. Guillaume, who seemed saddened and anxious, sought to + detain him, and failing in this endeavour followed him into the little + garden, where he stopped him in order to have an explanation. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said he, “what is the matter with you, Pierre? Why are you running + off like this?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! there’s nothing the matter I assure you; but I have to attend to a + few urgent affairs.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Pierre, pray put all pretence aside. Nobody here has displeased you + or hurt your feelings, I hope. They also will soon love you as I do.” + </p> + <p> + “I have no doubt of it, and I complain of nobody excepting perhaps + myself.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume’s sorrow was increasing. “Ah! brother, little brother,” he + resumed, “you distress me, for I can detect that you are hiding something + from me. Remember that new ties have linked us together and that we love + one another as in the old days when you were in your cradle and I used to + come to play with you. I know you well, remember. I know all your + tortures, since you have confessed them to me; and I won’t have you + suffer, I want to cure you, I do!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre’s heart was full, and as he heard those words he could not restrain + his tears. “Oh! you must leave me to my sufferings,” he responded. “They + are incurable. You can do nothing for me, I am beyond the pale of nature, + I am a monster.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you say! Can you not return within nature’s pale even if you <i>have</i> + gone beyond it? One thing that I will not allow is that you should go and + shut yourself up in that solitary little house of yours, where you madden + yourself by brooding over the fall of your faith. Come and spend your time + with us, so that we may again give you some taste for life.” + </p> + <p> + Ah! the empty little house which awaited him! Pierre shivered at the + thought of it, at the idea that he would now find himself all alone there, + bereft of the brother with whom he had lately spent so many happy days. + Into what solitude and torment must he not now relapse after that + companionship to which he had become accustomed? However, the very thought + of the latter increased his grief, and confession suddenly gushed from his + lips: “To spend my time here, live with you, oh! no, that is an + impossibility. Why do you compel me to speak out, and tell you things that + I am ashamed of and do not even understand. Ever since this morning you + must have seen that I have been suffering here. No doubt it is because you + and your people work, whereas I do nothing, because you love one another + and believe in your efforts, whereas I no longer know how to love or + believe. I feel out of my element. I’m embarrassed here, and I embarrass + you. In fact you all irritate me, and I might end by hating you. There + remains nothing healthy in me, all natural feelings have been spoilt and + destroyed, and only envy and hatred could sprout up from such ruins. So + let me go back to my accursed hole, where death will some day come for me. + Farewell, brother!” + </p> + <p> + But Guillaume, full of affection and compassion, caught hold of his arms + and detained him. “You shall not go, I will not allow you to go, without a + positive promise that you will come back. I don’t wish to lose you again, + especially now that I know all you are worth and how dreadfully you + suffer. I will save you, if need be, in spite of yourself. I will cure you + of your torturing doubts, oh! without catechising you, without imposing + any particular faith on you, but simply by allowing life to do its work, + for life alone can give you back health and hope. So I beg you, brother, + in the name of our affection, come back here, come as often as you can to + spend a day with us. You will then see that when folks have allotted + themselves a task and work together in unison, they escape excessive + unhappiness. A task of any kind—yes, that is what is wanted, + together with some great passion and frank acceptance of life, so that it + may be lived as it should be and loved.” + </p> + <p> + “But what would be the use of my living here?” Pierre muttered bitterly. + “I’ve no task left me, and I no longer know how to love.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I will give you a task, and as for love, that will soon be awakened + by the breath of life. Come, brother, consent, consent!” + </p> + <p> + Then, seeing that Pierre still remained gloomy and sorrowful, and + persisted in his determination to go away and bury himself, Guillaume + added, “Ah! I don’t say that the things of this world are such as one + might wish them to be. I don’t say that only joy and truth and justice + exist. For instance, the affair of that unhappy fellow Salvat fills me + with anger and revolt. Guilty he is, of course, and yet how many excuses + he had, and how I shall pity him if the crimes of all of us are laid at + his door, if the various political gangs bandy him from one to another, + and use him as a weapon in their sordid fight for power. The thought of it + all so exasperates me that at times I am as unreasonable as yourself. But + now, brother, just to please me, promise that you will come and spend the + day after to-morrow with us.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Pierre still kept silent, Guillaume went on: “I will have it so. + It would grieve me too much to think that you were suffering from + martyrdom in your solitary nook. I want to cure and save you.” + </p> + <p> + Tears again rose to Pierre’s eyes, and in a tone of infinite distress he + answered: “Don’t compel me to promise.... All I can say is that I will try + to conquer myself.” + </p> + <p> + The week he then spent in his little, dark, empty home proved a terrible + one. Shutting himself up he brooded over his despair at having lost the + companionship of that elder brother whom he once more loved with his whole + soul. He had never before been so keenly conscious of his solitude; and he + was a score of times on the point of hastening to Montmartre, for he + vaguely felt that affection, truth and life were there. But on each + occasion he was held back by a return of the discomfort which he had + already experienced, discomfort compounded of shame and fear. Priest that + he was, cut off from love and the avocations of other men, he would surely + find nothing but hurt and suffering among creatures who were all nature, + freedom and health. While he pondered thus, however, there rose before him + the shades of his father and mother, those sad spirits that seemed to + wander through the deserted rooms lamenting and entreating him to + reconcile them in himself, as soon as he should find peace. What was he to + do,—deny their prayer, and remain weeping with them, or go yonder in + search of the cure which might at last lull them to sleep and bring them + happiness in death by the force of his own happiness in life? At last a + morning came when it seemed to him that his father enjoined him with a + smile to betake himself yonder, while his mother consented with a glance + of her big soft eyes, in which her sorrow at having made so bad a priest + of him yielded to her desire to restore him to the life of our common + humanity. + </p> + <p> + Pierre did not argue with himself that day: he took a cab and gave + Guillaume’s address to the driver for fear lest he should be overcome on + the way and wish to turn back. And when he again found himself, as in a + dream, in the large work-shop, where Guillaume and the young men welcomed + him in a delicately affectionate way, he witnessed an unexpected scene + which both impressed and relieved him. + </p> + <p> + Marie, who had scarcely nodded to him as he entered, sat there with a pale + and frowning face. And Mère-Grand, who was also grave, said, after + glancing at her: “You must excuse her, Monsieur l’Abbé; but she isn’t + reasonable. She is in a temper with all five of us.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume began to laugh. “Ah! she’s so stubborn!” he exclaimed. “You can + have no idea, Pierre, of what goes on in that little head of hers when + anybody says or does anything contrary to her ideas of justice. Such + absolute and lofty ideas they are, that they can descend to no compromise. + For instance, we were talking of that recent affair of a father who was + found guilty on his son’s evidence; and she maintained that the son had + only done what was right in giving evidence against his father, and that + one ought invariably to tell the truth, no matter what might happen. What + a terrible public prosecutor she would make, eh?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Marie, exasperated by Pierre’s smile, which seemingly indicated + that he also thought her in the wrong, flew into quite a passion: “You are + cruel, Guillaume!” she cried; “I won’t be laughed at like this.” + </p> + <p> + “But you are losing your senses, my dear,” exclaimed François, while + Thomas and Antoine again grew merry. “We were only urging a question of + humanity, father and I, for we respect and love justice as much as you + do.” + </p> + <p> + “There’s no question of humanity, but simply one of justice. What is just + and right is just and right, and you cannot alter it.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as Guillaume made a further attempt to state his views and win her + over to them, she rose trembling, in such a passion that she could + scarcely stammer: “No, no, you are all too cruel, you only want to grieve + me. I prefer to go up into my own room.” + </p> + <p> + At this Mère-Grand vainly sought to restrain her. “My child, my child!” + said she, “reflect a moment; this is very wrong, you will deeply regret + it.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no; you are not just, and I suffer too much.” + </p> + <p> + Then she wildly rushed upstairs to her room overhead. + </p> + <p> + Consternation followed. Scenes of a similar character had occasionally + occurred before, but there had never been so serious a one. Guillaume + immediately admitted that he had done wrong in laughing at her, for she + could not bear irony. Then he told Pierre that in her childhood and youth + she had been subject to terrible attacks of passion whenever she witnessed + or heard of any act of injustice. As she herself explained, these attacks + would come upon her with irresistible force, transporting her to such a + point that she would sometimes fall upon the floor and rave. Even nowadays + she proved quarrelsome and obstinate whenever certain subjects were + touched upon. And she afterwards blushed for it all, fully conscious that + others must think her unbearable. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, a quarter of an hour later, she came downstairs again of her own + accord, and bravely acknowledged her fault. “Wasn’t it ridiculous of me?” + she said. “To think I accuse others of being unkind when I behave like + that! Monsieur l’Abbé must have a very bad opinion of me.” Then, after + kissing Mère-Grand, she added: “You’ll forgive me, won’t you? Oh! François + may laugh now, and so may Thomas and Antoine. They are quite right, our + differences are merely laughing matters.” + </p> + <p> + “My poor Marie,” replied Guillaume, in a tone of deep affection. “You see + what it is to surrender oneself to the absolute. If you are so healthy and + reasonable it’s because you regard almost everything from the relative + point of view, and only ask life for such gifts as it can bestow. But when + your absolute ideas of justice come upon you, you lose both equilibrium + and reason. At the same time, I must say that we are all liable to err in + much the same manner.” + </p> + <p> + Marie, who was still very flushed, thereupon answered in a jesting way: + “Well, it at least proves that I’m not perfect.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, certainly! And so much the better,” said Guillaume, “for it makes me + love you the more.” + </p> + <p> + This was a sentiment which Pierre himself would willingly have re-echoed. + The scene had deeply stirred him. Had not his own frightful torments + originated with his desire for the absolute both in things and beings? He + had sought faith in its entirety, and despair had thrown him into complete + negation. Again, was there not some evil desire for the absolute and some + affectation of pride and voluntary blindness in the haughty bearing which + he had retained amidst the downfall of his belief, the saintly reputation + which he had accepted when he possessed no faith at all? On hearing his + brother praise Marie, because she only asked life for such things as it + could give, it had seemed to him that this was advice for himself. It was + as if a refreshing breath of nature had passed before his face. At the + same time his feelings in this respect were still vague, and the only + well-defined pleasure that he experienced came from the young woman’s fit + of anger, that error of hers which brought her nearer to him, by lowering + her in some degree from her pedestal of serene perfection. It was, + perhaps, that seeming perfection which had made him suffer; however, he + was as yet unable to analyse his feelings. That day, for the first time, + he chatted with her for a little while, and when he went off he thought + her very good-hearted and very human. + </p> + <p> + Two days later he again came to spend the afternoon in the large sunlit + work-shop overlooking Paris. Ever since he had become conscious of the + idle life he was leading, he had felt very bored when he was alone, and + only found relief among that gay, hardworking family. His brother scolded + him for not having come to <i>déjeuner</i>, and he promised to do so on + the morrow. By the time a week had elapsed, none of the discomfort and + covert hostility which had prevailed between him and Marie remained: they + met and chatted on a footing of good fellowship. Although he was a priest, + she was in no wise embarrassed by his presence. With her quiet atheism, + indeed, she had never imagined that a priest could be different from other + men. Thus her sisterly cordiality both astonished and delighted Pierre. It + was as if he wore the same garments and held the same ideas as his big + nephews, as if there were nothing whatever to distinguish him from other + men. He was still more surprised, however, by Marie’s silence on all + religious questions. She seemed to live on quietly and happily, without a + thought of what might be beyond life, that terrifying realm of mystery, + which to him had brought such agony of mind. + </p> + <p> + Now that he came every two or three days to Montmartre she noticed that he + was suffering. What could be the matter with him, she wondered. When she + questioned him in a friendly manner and only elicited evasive replies, she + guessed that he was ashamed of his sufferings, and that they were + aggravated, rendered well-nigh incurable, by the very secrecy in which he + buried them. Thereupon womanly compassion awoke within her, and she felt + increasing affection for that tall, pale fellow with feverish eyes, who + was consumed by grievous torments which he would confess to none. No doubt + she questioned Guillaume respecting her brother’s sadness, and he must + have confided some of the truth to her in order that she might help him to + extricate Pierre from his sufferings, and give him back some taste for + life. The poor fellow always seemed so happy when she treated him like a + friend, a brother! + </p> + <p> + At last, one evening, on seeing his eyes full of tears as he gazed upon + the dismal twilight falling over Paris, she herself pressed him to confide + his trouble to her. And thereupon he suddenly spoke out, confessing all + his torture and the horrible void which the loss of faith had left within + him. Ah! to be unable to believe, to be unable to love, to be nothing but + ashes, to know of nothing certain by which he might replace the faith that + had fled from him! She listened in stupefaction. Why, he must be mad! And + she plainly told him so, such was her astonishment and revolt at hearing + such a desperate cry of wretchedness. To despair, indeed, and believe in + nothing and love nothing, simply because a religious hypothesis had + crumbled! And this, too, when the whole, vast world was spread before one, + life with the duty of living it, creatures and things to be loved and + succoured, without counting the universal labour, the task which one and + all came to accomplish! Assuredly he must be mad, mad with the gloomiest + madness; still she vowed she would cure him. + </p> + <p> + From that time forward she felt the most compassionate affection for this + extraordinary young man, who had first embarrassed and afterwards + astonished her. She showed herself very gentle and gay with him; she + looked after him with the greatest skill and delicacy of heart and mind. + There had been certain similar features in their childhood; each had been + reared in the strictest religious views by a pious mother. But afterwards + how different had been their fates! Whilst he was struggling with his + doubts, bound by his priestly vows, she had grown up at the Lycée Fénelon, + where her father had placed her as soon as her mother died; and there, far + removed from all practice of religion, she had gradually reached total + forgetfulness of her early religious views. It was a constant source of + surprise for him to find that she had thus escaped all distress of mind at + the thought of what might come after death, whereas that same thought had + so deeply tortured him. When they chatted together and he expressed his + astonishment at it, she frankly laughed, saying that she had never felt + any fear of hell, for she was certain that no hell existed. And she added + that she lived in all quietude, without hope of going to any heaven, her + one thought being to comply in a reasonable way with the requirements and + necessities of earthly life. It was, perhaps, in some measure a matter of + temperament with her; but it was also a matter of education. Yet, whatever + that education had been, whatever knowledge she had acquired, she had + remained very womanly and very loving. There was nothing stern or + masculine about her. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, my friend,” she said one day to Pierre, “if you only knew how easy it + is for me to remain happy so long as I see those I love free from any + excessive suffering. For my own part I can always adapt myself to life. I + work and content myself no matter what may happen. Sorrow has only come to + me from others, for I can’t help wishing that everybody should be fairly + happy, and there are some who won’t.... I was for a long time very poor, + but I remained gay. I wish for nothing, except for things that can’t be + purchased. Still, want is the great abomination which distresses me. I can + understand that you should have felt everything crumbling when charity + appeared to you so insufficient a remedy as to be contemptible. Yet it + does bring relief; and, moreover, it is so sweet to be able to give. Some + day, too, by dint of reason and toil, by the good and efficient working of + life itself, the reign of justice will surely come. But now it’s I that am + preaching! Oh! I have little taste for it! It would be ridiculous for me + to try to heal you with big phrases. All the same, I should like to cure + you of your gloomy sufferings. To do so, all that I ask of you is to spend + as much time as you can with us. You know that this is Guillaume’s + greatest desire. We will all love you so well, you will see us all so + affectionately united, and so gay over our common work, that you will come + back to truth by joining us in the school of our good mother nature. You + must live and work, and love and hope.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre smiled as he listened. He now came to Montmartre nearly every day. + She was so nice and affectionate when she preached to him in that way with + a pretty assumption of wisdom. As she had said too, life was so delightful + in that big workroom; it was so pleasant to be all together, and to labour + in common at the same work of health and truth. Ashamed as Pierre was of + doing nothing, anxious as he was to occupy his mind and fingers, he had + first taken an interest in Antoine’s engraving, asking why he should not + try something of the kind himself. However, he felt that he lacked the + necessary gift for art. Then, too, he recoiled from François’ purely + intellectual labour, for he himself had scarcely emerged from the + harrowing study of conflicting texts. Thus he was more inclined for manual + toil like that of Thomas. In mechanics he found precision and clearness + such as might help to quench his thirst for certainty. So he placed + himself at the young man’s orders, pulled his bellows and held pieces of + mechanism for him. He also sometimes served as assistant to Guillaume, + tying a large blue apron over his cassock in order to help in the + experiments. From that time he formed part of the work-shop, which simply + counted a worker the more. + </p> + <p> + One afternoon early in April, when they were all busily engaged there, + Marie, who sat embroidering at the table in front of Mère-Grand, raised + her eyes to the window and suddenly burst into a cry of admiration: “Oh! + look at Paris under that rain of sunlight!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre drew near; the play of light was much the same as that which he had + witnessed at his first visit. The sun, sinking behind some slight purple + clouds, was throwing down a hail of rays and sparks which on all sides + rebounded and leapt over the endless stretch of roofs. It might have been + thought that some great sower, hidden amidst the glory of the planet, was + scattering handfuls of golden grain from one horizon to the other. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, at sight of it, put his fancy into words: “It is the sun sowing + Paris with grain for a future harvest,” said he. “See how the expanse + looks like ploughed land; the brownish houses are like soil turned up, and + the streets are deep and straight like furrows.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, that’s true,” exclaimed Marie gaily. “The sun is sowing Paris + with grain. See how it casts the seed of light and health right away to + the distant suburbs! And yet, how singular! The rich districts on the west + seem steeped in a ruddy mist, whilst the good seed falls in golden dust + over the left bank and the populous districts eastward. It is there, is it + not, that the crop will spring up?” + </p> + <p> + They had all drawn near, and were smiling at the symbol. As Marie had + said, it seemed indeed that while the sun slowly sank behind the lacework + of clouds, the sower of eternal life scattered his flaming seed with a + rhythmical swing of the arm, ever selecting the districts of toil and + effort. One dazzling handful of grain fell over yonder on the district of + the schools; and then yet another rained down to fertilise the district of + the factories and work-shops. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! well,” said Guillaume gaily. “May the crop soon sprout from the good + ground of our great Paris, which has been turned up by so many + revolutions, and enriched by the blood of so many workers! It is the only + ground in the world where Ideas can germinate and bloom. Yes, yes, Pierre + is quite right, it is the sun sowing Paris with the seed of the future + world, which can sprout only up here!” + </p> + <p> + Then Thomas, François and Antoine, who stood behind their father in a row, + nodded as if to say that this was also their own conviction; whilst + Mère-Grand gazed afar with dreamy eyes as though she could already behold + the splendid future. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! but it is only a dream; centuries must elapse. We shall never see + it!” murmured Pierre with a quiver. + </p> + <p> + “But others will!” cried Marie. “And does not that suffice?” + </p> + <p> + Those lofty words stirred Pierre to the depths of his being. And all at + once there came to him the memory of another Marie*—the adorable + Marie of his youth, that Marie de Guersaint who had been cured at Lourdes, + and the loss of whom had left such a void in his heart. Was that new Marie + who stood there smiling at him, so tranquil and so charming in her + strength, destined to heal that old-time wound? He felt that he was + beginning to live again since she had become his friend. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The heroine of M. Zola’s “Lourdes.” + </pre> + <p> + Meantime, there before them, the glorious sun, with the sweep of its rays, + was scattering living golden dust over Paris, still and ever sowing the + great future harvest of justice and of truth. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap58"></a> + II. TOWARDS LIFE + </h2> + <p> + ONE evening, at the close of a good day’s work, Pierre, who was helping + Thomas, suddenly caught his foot in the skirt of his cassock and narrowly + escaped falling. At this, Marie, after raising a faint cry of anxiety, + exclaimed: “Why don’t you take it off?” + </p> + <p> + There was no malice in her inquiry. She simply looked upon the priestly + robe as something too heavy and cumbersome, particularly when one had + certain work to perform. Nevertheless, her words deeply impressed Pierre, + and he could not forget them. When he was at home in the evening and + repeated them to himself they gradually threw him into feverish agitation. + Why, indeed, had he not divested himself of that cassock, which weighed so + heavily and painfully on his shoulders? Then a frightful struggle began + within him, and he spent a terrible, sleepless night, again a prey to all + his former torments. + </p> + <p> + At first sight it seemed a very simple matter that he should cast his + priestly gown aside, for had he not ceased to discharge any priestly + office? He had not said mass for some time past, and this surely meant + renunciation of the priesthood. Nevertheless, so long as he retained his + gown it was possible that he might some day say mass again, whereas if he + cast it aside he would, as it were, strip himself, quit the priesthood + entirely, without possibility of return. It was a terrible step to take, + one that would prove irrevocable; and thus he paced his room for hours, in + great anguish of mind. + </p> + <p> + He had formerly indulged in a superb dream. Whilst believing nothing + himself he had resolved to watch, in all loyalty, over the belief of + others. He would not so lower himself as to forswear his vows, he would be + no base renegade, but however great the torments of the void he felt + within him he would remain the minister of man’s illusions respecting the + Divinity. And it was by reason of his conduct in this respect that he had + ended by being venerated as a saint—he who denied everything, who + had become a mere empty sepulchre. For a long time his falsehood had never + disturbed him, but it now brought him acute suffering. It seemed to him + that he would be acting in the vilest manner if he delayed placing his + life in accord with his opinions. The thought of it all quite rent his + heart. + </p> + <p> + The question was a very clear one. By what right did he remain the + minister of a religion in which he no longer believed? Did not elementary + honesty require that he should quit a Church in which he denied the + presence of the Divinity? He regarded the dogmas of that Church as puerile + errors, and yet he persisted in teaching them as if they were eternal + truths. Base work it was, that alarmed his conscience. He vainly sought + the feverish glow of charity and martyrdom which had led him to offer + himself as a sacrifice, willing to suffer all the torture of doubt and to + find his own life lost and ravaged, provided that he might yet afford the + relief of hope to the lowly. Truth and nature, no doubt, had already + regained too much ascendancy over him for those feelings to return. The + thought of such a lying apostolate now wounded him; he no longer had the + hypocritical courage to call the Divinity down upon the believers kneeling + before him, when he was convinced that the Divinity would not descend. + Thus all the past was swept away; there remained nothing of the sublime + pastoral part he would once have liked to play, that supreme gift of + himself which lay in stubborn adherence to the rules of the Church, and + such devotion to faith as to endure in silence the torture of having lost + it. + </p> + <p> + What must Marie think of his prolonged falsehood, he wondered, and + thereupon he seemed to hear her words again: “Why not take your cassock + off?” His conscience bled as if those words were a stab. What contempt + must she not feel for him, she who was so upright, so high-minded? Every + scattered blame, every covert criticism directed against his conduct, + seemed to find embodiment in her. It now sufficed that she should condemn + him, and he at once felt guilty. At the same time she had never voiced her + disapproval to him, in all probability because she did not think she had + any right to intervene in a struggle of conscience. The superb calmness + and healthiness which she displayed still astonished him. He himself was + ever haunted and tortured by thoughts of the unknown, of what the morrow + of death might have in store for one; but although he had studied and + watched her for days together, he had never seen her give a sign of doubt + or distress. This exemption from such sufferings as his own was due, said + she, to the fact that she gave all her gaiety, all her energy, all her + sense of duty, to the task of living, in such wise that life itself proved + a sufficiency, and no time was left for mere fancies to terrify and + stultify her. Well, then, since she with her air of quiet strength had + asked him why he did not take off his cassock, he would take it off—yes, + he would divest himself of that robe which seemed to burn and weigh him + down. + </p> + <p> + He fancied himself calmed by this decision, and towards morning threw + himself upon his bed; but all at once a stifling sensation, a renewal of + his abominable anguish, brought him to his feet again. No, no, he could + not divest himself of that gown which clung so tightly to his flesh. His + skin would come away with his cloth, his whole being would be lacerated! + Is not the mark of priesthood an indelible one, does it not brand the + priest for ever, and differentiate him from the flock? Even should he tear + off his gown with his skin, he would remain a priest, an object of scandal + and shame, awkward and impotent, shut off from the life of other men. And + so why tear it off, since he would still and ever remain in prison, and a + fruitful life of work in the broad sunlight was no longer within his + reach? He, indeed, fancied himself irremediably stricken with impotence. + Thus he was unable to come to any decision, and when he returned to + Montmartre two days later he had again relapsed into a state of torment. + </p> + <p> + Feverishness, moreover, had come upon the happy home. Guillaume was + becoming more and more annoyed about Salvat’s affair, not a day elapsing + without the newspapers fanning his irritation. He had at first been deeply + touched by the dignified and reticent bearing of Salvat, who had declared + that he had no accomplices whatever. Of course the inquiry into the crime + was what is called a secret one; but magistrate Amadieu, to whom it had + been entrusted, conducted it in a very noisy way. The newspapers, which he + in some degree took into his confidence, were full of articles and + paragraphs about him and his interviews with the prisoner. Thanks to + Salvat’s quiet admissions, Amadieu had been able to retrace the history of + the crime hour by hour, his only remaining doubts having reference to the + nature of the powder which had been employed, and the making of the bomb + itself. It might after all be true that Salvat had loaded the bomb at a + friend’s, as he indeed asserted was the case; but he must be lying when he + added that the only explosive used was dynamite, derived from some stolen + cartridges, for all the experts now declared that dynamite would never + have produced such effects as those which had been witnessed. This, then, + was the mysterious point which protracted the investigations. And day by + day the newspapers profited by it to circulate the wildest stories under + sensational headings, which were specially devised for the purpose of + sending up their sales. + </p> + <p> + It was all the nonsense contained in these stories that fanned Guillaume’s + irritation. In spite of his contempt for Sagnier he could not keep from + buying the “Voix du Peuple.” Quivering with indignation, growing more and + more exasperated, he was somehow attracted by the mire which he found in + that scurrilous journal. Moreover, the other newspapers, including even + the “Globe,” which was usually so dignified, published all sorts of + statements for which no proof could be supplied, and drew from them + remarks and conclusions which, though couched in milder language than + Sagnier’s, were none the less abominably unjust. It seemed indeed as if + the whole press had set itself the task of covering Salvat with mud, so as + to be able to vilify Anarchism generally. According to the journalists the + prisoner’s life had simply been one long abomination. He had already + earned his living by thievery in his childhood at the time when he had + roamed the streets, an unhappy, forsaken vagrant; and later on he had + proved a bad soldier and a bad worker. He had been punished for + insubordination whilst he was in the army, and he had been dismissed from + a dozen work-shops because he incessantly disturbed them by his Anarchical + propaganda. Later still, he had fled his country and led a suspicious life + of adventure in America, where, it was alleged, he must have committed all + sorts of unknown crimes. Moreover there was his horrible immorality, his + connection with his sister-in-law, that Madame Théodore who had taken + charge of his forsaken child in his absence, and with whom he had + cohabited since his return to France. In this wise Salvat’s failings and + transgressions were pitilessly denounced and magnified without any mention + of the causes which had induced them, or of the excuses which lay in the + unhappy man’s degrading environment. And so Guillaume’s feelings of + humanity and justice revolted, for he knew the real Salvat,—a man of + tender heart and dreamy mind, so liable to be impassioned by fancies,—a + man cast into life when a child without weapon of defence, ever trodden + down or thrust aside, then gradually exasperated by the perpetual + onslaughts of want, and at last dreaming of reviving the golden age by + destroying the old, corrupt world. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunately for Salvat, everything had gone against him since he had + been shut up in strict confinement, at the mercy of the ambitious and + worldly Amadieu. Guillaume had learnt from his son, Thomas, that the + prisoner could count on no support whatever among his former mates at the + Grandidier works. These works were becoming prosperous once more, thanks + to their steady output of bicycles; and it was said that Grandidier was + only waiting for Thomas to perfect his little motor, in order to start the + manufacture of motor-cars on a large scale. However, the success which he + was now for the first time achieving, and which scarcely repaid him for + all his years of toil and battle, had in certain respects rendered him + prudent and even severe. He did not wish any suspicion to be cast upon his + business through the unpleasant affair of his former workman Salvat, and + so he had dismissed such of his workmen as held Anarchist views. If he had + kept the two Toussaints, one of whom was the prisoner’s brother-in-law, + while the other was suspected of sympathy with him, this was because they + had belonged to the works for a score of years, and he did not like to + cast them adrift. Moreover, Toussaint, the father, had declared that if he + were called as a witness for the defence, he should simply give such + particulars of Salvat’s career as related to the prisoner’s marriage with + his sister. + </p> + <p> + One evening when Thomas came home from the works, to which he returned + every now and then in order to try his little motor, he related that he + had that day seen Madame Grandidier, the poor young woman who had become + insane through an attack of puerperal fever following upon the death of a + child. Although most frightful attacks of madness occasionally came over + her, and although life beside her was extremely painful, even during the + intervals when she remained downcast and gentle as a child, her husband + had never been willing to send her to an asylum. He kept her with him in a + pavilion near the works, and as a rule the shutters of the windows + overlooking the yard remained closed. Thus Thomas had been greatly + surprised to see one of these windows open, and the young woman appear at + it amidst the bright sunshine of that early spring. True, she only + remained there for a moment, vision-like, fair and pretty, with smiling + face; for a servant who suddenly drew near closed the window, and the + pavilion then again sank into lifeless silence. At the same time it was + reported among the men employed at the works that the poor creature had + not experienced an attack for well-nigh a month past, and that this was + the reason why the “governor” looked so strong and pleased, and worked so + vigorously to help on the increasing prosperity of his business. + </p> + <p> + “He isn’t a bad fellow,” added Thomas, “but with the terrible competition + that he has to encounter, he is bent on keeping his men under control. + Nowadays, says he, when so many capitalists and wage earners seem bent on + exterminating one another, the latter—if they don’t want to starve—ought + to be well pleased when capital falls into the hands of an active, + fair-minded man.... If he shows no pity for Salvat, it is because he + really believes in the necessity of an example.” + </p> + <p> + That same day Thomas, after leaving the works and while threading his way + through the toilsome hive-like Marcadet district, had overtaken Madame + Théodore and little Céline, who were wandering on in great distress. It + appeared that they had just called upon Toussaint, who had been unable to + lend them even such a trifle as ten sous. Since Salvat’s arrest, the woman + and the child had been forsaken and suspected by one and all. Driven forth + from their wretched lodging, they were without food and wandered hither + and thither dependent on chance alms. Never had greater want and misery + fallen on defenceless creatures. + </p> + <p> + “I told them to come up here, father,” said Thomas, “for I thought that + one might pay their landlord a month’s rent, so that they might go home + again.... Ah! there’s somebody coming now—it’s they, no doubt.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume had felt angry with himself whilst listening to his son, for he + had not thought of the poor creatures. It was the old story: the man + disappears, and the woman and the child find themselves in the streets, + starving. Whenever Justice strikes a man her blow travels beyond him, + fells innocent beings and kills them. + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore came in, humble and timid, scared like a luckless creature + whom life never wearies of persecuting. She was becoming almost blind, and + little Céline had to lead her. The girl’s fair, thin face wore its wonted + expression of shrewd intelligence, and even now, however woeful her rags, + it was occasionally brightened by a childish smile. + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Marie, who were both there, felt extremely touched. Near them + was Madame Mathis, young Victor’s mother, who had come to help Mère-Grand + with the mending of some house-linen. She went out by the day in this + fashion among a few families, and was thus enabled to give her son an + occasional franc or two. Guillaume alone questioned Madame Théodore. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! monsieur,” she stammered, “who could ever have thought Salvat capable + of such a thing, he who’s so good and so humane? Still it’s true, since he + himself has admitted it to the magistrate.... For my part I told everybody + that he was in Belgium. I wasn’t quite sure of it, still I’m glad that he + didn’t come back to see us; for if he had been arrested at our place I + should have lost my senses.... Well, now that they have him, they’ll + sentence him to death, that’s certain.” + </p> + <p> + At this Céline, who had been looking around her with an air of interest, + piteously exclaimed: “Oh! no, oh! no, mamma, they won’t hurt him!” + </p> + <p> + Big tears appeared in the child’s eyes as she raised this cry. Guillaume + kissed her, and then went on questioning Madame Théodore. + </p> + <p> + “Well, monsieur,” she answered, “the child’s not old or big enough to work + as yet, and my eyes are done for, people won’t even take me as a + charwoman. And so it’s simple enough, we starve.... Oh! of course I’m not + without relations; I have a sister who married very well. Her husband is a + clerk, Monsieur Chrétiennot, perhaps you know him. Unfortunately he’s + rather proud, and as I don’t want any scenes between him and my sister, I + no longer go to see her. Besides, she’s in despair just now, for she’s + expecting another baby, which is a terrible blow for a small household, + when one already has two girls.... That’s why the only person I can apply + to is my brother Toussaint. His wife isn’t a bad sort by any means, but + she’s no longer the same since she’s been living in fear of her husband + having another attack. The first one carried off all her savings, and what + would become of her if Toussaint should remain on her hands, paralysed? + Besides, she’s threatened with another burden, for, as you may know, her + son Charles got keeping company with a servant at a wine shop, who of + course ran away after she had a baby, which she left him to see to. So one + can understand that the Toussaints themselves are hard put. I don’t + complain of them. They’ve already lent me a little money, and of course + they can’t go on lending for ever.” + </p> + <p> + She continued talking in this spiritless, resigned way, complaining only + on account of Céline; for, said she, it was enough to make one’s heart + break to see such an intelligent child obliged to tramp the streets after + getting on so well at the Communal School. She could feel too that + everybody now kept aloof from them on account of Salvat. The Toussaints + didn’t want to be compromised in any such business. There was only + Charles, who had said that he could well understand a man losing his head + and trying to blow up the <i>bourgeois</i>, because they really treated + the workers in a blackguard way. + </p> + <p> + “For my part, monsieur,” added Madame Théodore, “I say nothing, for I’m + only a woman. All the same, though, if you’d like to know what I think, + well, I think that it would have been better if Salvat hadn’t done what he + did, for we two, the girl and I, are the real ones to suffer from it. Ah! + I can’t get the idea into my head, that the little one should be the + daughter of a man condemned to death.” + </p> + <p> + Once more Céline interrupted her, flinging her arms around her neck: “Oh! + mamma, oh! mamma, don’t say that, I beg you! It can’t be true, it grieves + me too much!” + </p> + <p> + At this Pierre and Marie exchanged compassionate glances, while Mère-Grand + rose from her chair, in order to go upstairs and search her wardrobes for + some articles of clothing which might be of use to the two poor creatures. + Guillaume, who, for his part, had been moved to tears, and felt full of + revolt against the social system which rendered such distress possible, + slipped some alms into the child’s little hand, and promised Madame + Théodore that he would see her landlord so as to get her back her room. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! Monsieur Froment!” replied the unfortunate woman. “Salvat was quite + right when he said you were a real good man! And as you employed him here + for a few days you know too that he isn’t a wicked one.... Now that he’s + been put in prison everybody calls him a brigand, and it breaks my heart + to hear them.” Then, turning towards Madame Mathis, who had continued + sewing in discreet silence, like a respectable woman whom none of these + things could concern, she went on: “I know you, madame, but I’m better + acquainted with your son, Monsieur Victor, who has often come to chat at + our place. Oh! you needn’t be afraid, I shan’t say it, I shall never + compromise anybody; but if Monsieur Victor were free to speak, he’d be the + man to explain Salvat’s ideas properly.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Mathis looked at her in stupefaction. Ignorant as she was of her + son’s real life and views, she experienced a vague dread at the idea of + any connection between him and Salvat’s family. Moreover, she refused to + believe it possible. “Oh! you must be mistaken,” she said. “Victor told me + that he now seldom came to Montmartre, as he was always going about in + search of work.” + </p> + <p> + By the anxious quiver of the widow’s voice, Madame Théodore understood + that she ought not to have mixed her up in her troubles; and so in all + humility she at once beat a retreat: “I beg your pardon, madame, I didn’t + think I should hurt your feelings. Perhaps, too, I’m mistaken, as you + say.” + </p> + <p> + Madame Mathis had again turned to her sewing as to the solitude in which + she lived, that nook of decent misery where she dwelt without + companionship and almost unknown, with scarcely sufficient bread to eat. + Ah! that dear son of hers, whom she loved so well; however much he might + neglect her, she had placed her only remaining hope in him: he was her + last dream, and would some day lavish all kinds of happiness upon her! + </p> + <p> + At that moment Mère-Grand came downstairs again, laden with a bundle of + linen and woollen clothing, and Madame Théodore and little Céline withdrew + while pouring forth their thanks. For a long time after they had gone + Guillaume, unable to resume work, continued walking to and fro in silence, + with a frown upon his face. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre, still hesitating and still tortured by conflicting feelings, + returned to Montmartre on the following day he witnessed with much + surprise a visit of a very different kind. There was a sudden gust of + wind, a whirl of skirts and a ring of laughter as little Princess + Rosemonde swept in, followed by young Hyacinthe Duvillard, who, on his + side, retained a very frigid bearing. + </p> + <p> + “It’s I, my dear master,” exclaimed the Princess. “I promised you a visit, + you remember, for I am such a great admirer of your genius. And our young + friend here has been kind enough to bring me. We have only just returned + from Norway, and my very first visit is for you.” + </p> + <p> + She turned as she spoke, and bowed in an easy and gracious way to Pierre + and Marie, François and Antoine, who were also there. Then she resumed: + “Oh! my dear master, you have no idea how beautifully virginal Norway is! + We all ought to go and drink at that new source of the Ideal, and we + should return purified, rejuvenated and capable of great renunciations!” + </p> + <p> + As a matter of fact she had been well-nigh bored to death there. To make + one’s honeymoon journey to the land of the ice and snow, instead of to + Italy, the hot land of the sun, was doubtless a very refined idea, which + showed that no base materialism formed part of one’s affections. It was + the soul alone that travelled, and naturally it was fit that only kisses + of the soul should be exchanged on the journey. Unfortunately, however, + Hyacinthe had carried his symbolism so far as to exasperate Rosemonde, and + on one occasion they had come to blows over it, and then to tears when + this lover’s quarrel had ended as many such quarrels do. Briefly, they had + no longer deemed themselves pure enough for the companionship of the swans + and the lakes of dreamland, and had therefore taken the first steamer that + was sailing for France. + </p> + <p> + As it was altogether unnecessary to confess to everybody what a failure + their journey had proved, the Princess abruptly brought her rapturous + references to Norway to an end, and then explained: “By the way, do you + know what I found awaiting me on my return? Why, I found my house + pillaged, oh! completely pillaged! And in such a filthy condition, too! We + at once recognised the mark of the beast, and thought of Bergaz’s young + friends.” + </p> + <p> + Already on the previous day Guillaume had read in the newspapers that a + band of young Anarchists had entered the Princess’s little house by breaking + a basement window. She had left it quite deserted, unprotected even by a + caretaker; and the robbers had not merely removed everything from the + premises—including even the larger articles of furniture, but had + lived there for a couple of days, bringing provisions in from outside, + drinking all the wine in the cellars, and leaving every room in a most + filthy and disgusting condition. On discovering all this, Rosemonde had + immediately remembered the evening she had spent at the Chamber of Horrors + in the company of Bergaz and his acolytes, Rossi and Sanfaute, who had + heard her speak of her intended trip to Norway. The two young men had + therefore been arrested, but Bergaz had so far escaped. The Princess was + not greatly astonished by it all, for she had already been warned of the + presence of dangerous characters among the mixed cosmopolitan set with + which she associated. Janzen had told her in confidence of a number of + villanous affairs which were attributed to Bergaz and his band. And now + the Anarchist leader openly declared that Bergaz had sold himself to the + police like Raphanel; and that the burglary at the Princess’s residence + had been planned by the police officials, who thereby hoped to cover the + Anarchist cause with mire. If proof was wanted of this, added Janzen, it + could be found in the fact that the police had allowed Bergaz to escape. + </p> + <p> + “I fancied that the newspapers might have exaggerated matters,” said + Guillaume, when the Princess had finished her story. “They are inventing + such abominable things just now, in order to blacken the case of that poor + devil Salvat.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! they’ve exaggerated nothing!” Rosemonde gaily rejoined. “As a matter + of fact they have omitted a number of particulars which were too filthy + for publication.... For my part, I’ve merely had to go to an hotel. I’m + very comfortable there; I was beginning to feel bored in that house of + mine.... All the same, however, Anarchism is hardly a clean business, and + I no longer like to say that I have any connection with it.” + </p> + <p> + She again laughed, and then passed to another subject, asking Guillaume to + tell her of his most recent researches, in order, no doubt, that she might + show she knew enough chemistry to understand him. He had been rendered + thoughtful, however, by the story of Bergaz and the burglary, and would + only answer her in a general way. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Hyacinthe was renewing his acquaintance with his school-fellows, + François and Antoine. He had accompanied the Princess to Montmartre + against his own inclinations; but since she had taken to whipping him he + had become afraid of her. The chemist’s little home filled him with + disdain, particularly as the chemist was a man of questionable reputation. + Moreover, he thought it a duty to insist on his own superiority in the + presence of those old school-fellows of his, whom he found toiling away in + the common rut, like other people. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,” said he to François, who was taking notes from a book spread + open before him, “you are at the École Normale, I believe, and are + preparing for your licentiate. Well, for my part, you know, the idea of + being tied to anything horrifies me. I become quite stupid when there’s + any question of examination or competition. The only possible road for one + to follow is that of the Infinite. And between ourselves what dupery there + is in science, how it narrows our horizon! It’s just as well to remain a + child with eyes gazing into the invisible. A child knows more than all + your learned men.” + </p> + <p> + François, who occasionally indulged in irony, pretended to share his + opinion. “No doubt, no doubt,” said he, “but one must have a natural + disposition to remain a child. For my part, unhappily, I’m consumed by a + desire to learn and know. It’s deplorable, as I’m well aware, but I pass + my days racking my brain over books.... I shall never know very much, + that’s certain; and perhaps that’s the reason why I’m ever striving to + learn a little more. You must at all events grant that work, like + idleness, is a means of passing life, though of course it is a less + elegant and aesthetic one.” + </p> + <p> + “Less aesthetic, precisely,” rejoined Hyacinthe. “Beauty lies solely in + the unexpressed, and life is simply degraded when one introduces anything + material into it.” + </p> + <p> + Simpleton though he was in spite of the enormity of his pretensions, he + doubtless detected that François had been speaking ironically. So he + turned to Antoine, who had remained seated in front of a block he was + engraving. It was the one which represented Lise reading in her garden, + for he was ever taking it in hand again and touching it up in his desire + to emphasise his indication of the girl’s awakening to intelligence and + life. + </p> + <p> + “So you engrave, I see,” said Hyacinthe. “Well, since I renounced + versification—a little poem I had begun on the End of Woman—because + words seemed to me so gross and cumbersome, mere paving-stones as it were, + fit for labourers, I myself have had some idea of trying drawing, and + perhaps engraving too. But what drawing can portray the mystery which lies + beyond life, the only sphere that has any real existence and importance + for us? With what pencil and on what kind of plate could one depict it? We + should need something impalpable, something unheard of, which would merely + suggest the essence of things and beings.” + </p> + <p> + “But it’s only by material means,” Antoine somewhat roughly replied, “that + art can render the essence of things and beings, that is, their full + significance as we understand it. To transcribe life is my great passion; + and briefly life is the only mystery that there is in things and beings. + When it seems to me that an engraving of mine lives, I’m well pleased, for + I feel that I have created.” + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe pouted by way of expressing his contempt of all fruitfulness. + Any fool might beget offspring. It was the sexless idea, existing by + itself, that was rare and exquisite. He tried to explain this, but became + confused, and fell back on the conviction which he had brought back from + Norway, that literature and art were done for in France, killed by + baseness and excess of production. + </p> + <p> + “It’s evident!” said François gaily by way of conclusion. “To do nothing + already shows that one has some talent!” + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Pierre and Marie listened and gazed around them, somewhat + embarrassed by this strange visit which had set the usually grave and + peaceful workroom topsy-turvy. The little Princess, though, evinced much + amiability, and on drawing near to Marie admired the wonderful delicacy of + some embroidery she was finishing. Before leaving, moreover, Rosemonde + insisted upon Guillaume inscribing his autograph in an album which + Hyacinthe had to fetch from her carriage. The young man obeyed her with + evident boredom. It could be seen that they were already weary of one + another. Pending a fresh caprice, however, it amused Rosemonde to + terrorize her sorry victim. When she at length led him away, after + declaring to Guillaume that she should always regard that visit as a + memorable incident in her life, she made the whole household smile by + saying: “Oh! so your sons knew Hyacinthe at college. He’s a good-natured + little fellow, isn’t he? and he would really be quite nice if he would + only behave like other people.” + </p> + <p> + That same day Janzen and Bache came to spend the evening with Guillaume. + Once a week they now met at Montmartre, as they had formerly done at + Neuilly. Pierre, on these occasions, went home very late, for as soon as + Mère-Grand, Marie, and Guillaume’s sons had retired for the night, there + were endless chats in the workroom, whence Paris could be seen spangled + with thousands of gas lights. Another visitor at these times was Théophile + Morin, but he did not arrive before ten o’clock, as he was detained by the + work of correcting his pupils’ exercises or some other wearisome labour + pertaining to his profession. + </p> + <p> + As soon as Guillaume had told the others of the Princess’s visit that + afternoon, Janzen hastily exclaimed: “But she’s mad, you know. When I + first met her I thought for a moment that I might perhaps utilise her for + the cause. She seemed so thoroughly convinced and bold! But I soon found + that she was the craziest of women, and simply hungered for new emotions!” + </p> + <p> + Janzen was at last emerging from his wonted frigidity and mysteriousness. + His cheeks were quite flushed. In all probability he had suffered from his + rupture with the woman whom he had once called ‘the Queen of the + Anarchists,’ and whose fortune and extensive circle of acquaintance had + seemed to him such powerful weapons of propaganda. + </p> + <p> + “You know,” said he, when he had calmed down, “it was the police who had + her house pillaged and turned into a pigstye. Yes, in view of Salvat’s + trial, which is now near at hand, the idea was to damn Anarchism beyond + possibility of even the faintest sympathy on the part of the <i>bourgeois</i>.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, she told me so,” replied Guillaume, who had become attentive. “But I + scarcely credit the story. If Bergaz had merely acted under such influence + as you suggest, he would have been arrested with the others, just as + Raphanel was taken with those whom he betrayed. Besides, I know something + of Bergaz; he’s a freebooter.” Guillaume made a sorrowful gesture, and + then in a saddened voice continued: “Oh, I can understand all claims and + all legitimate reprisals. But theft, cynical theft for the purpose of + profit and enjoyment, is beyond me! It lowers my hope of a better and more + equitable form of society. Yes, that burglary at the Princess’s house has + greatly distressed me.” + </p> + <p> + An enigmatical smile, sharp like a knife, again played over Janzen’s lips. + “Oh! it’s a matter of heredity with you!” said he. “The centuries of + education and belief that lie behind you compel you to protest. All the + same, however, when people won’t make restoration, things must be taken + from them. What worries me is that Bergaz should have sold himself just + now. The public prosecutor will use that farcical burglary as a crushing + argument when he asks the jury for Salvat’s head.” + </p> + <p> + Such was Janzen’s hatred of the police that he stubbornly clung to his + version of the affair. Perhaps, too, he had quarrelled with Bergaz, with + whom he had at one time freely associated. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, who understood that all discussion would be useless, contented + himself with replying: “Ah! yes, Salvat! Everything is against that + unhappy fellow, he is certain to be condemned. But you can’t know, my + friends, what a passion that affair of his puts me into. All my ideas of + truth and justice revolt at the thought of it. He’s a madman certainly; + but there are so many excuses to be urged for him. At bottom he is simply + a martyr who has followed the wrong track. And yet he has become the + scapegoat, laden with the crimes of the whole nation, condemned to pay for + one and all!” + </p> + <p> + Bache and Morin nodded without replying. They both professed horror of + Anarchism; while Morin, forgetting that the word if not the thing dated + from his first master Proudhon, clung to his Comtist doctrines, in the + conviction that science alone would ensure the happiness and pacification + of the nations. Bache, for his part, old mystical humanitarian that he + was, claimed that the only solution would come from Fourier, who by + decreeing an alliance of talent, labour and capital, had mapped out the + future in a decisive manner. Nevertheless, both Bache and Morin were so + discontented with the slow-paced <i>bourgeoise</i> Republic of the present + day, and so hurt by the thought that everything was going from bad to + worse through the flouting of their own particular ideas, that they were + quite willing to wax indignant at the manner in which the conflicting + parties of the time were striving to make use of Salvat in order to retain + or acquire power. + </p> + <p> + “When one thinks,” said Bache, “that this ministerial crisis of theirs has + now been lasting for nearly three weeks! Every appetite is openly + displayed, it’s a most disgusting sight! Did you see in the papers this + morning that the President has again been obliged to summon Vignon to the + Elysée?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! the papers,” muttered Morin in his weary way, “I no longer read them! + What’s the use of doing so? They are so badly written, and they all lie!” + </p> + <p> + As Bache had said, the ministerial crisis was still dragging on. The + President of the Republic, taking as his guide the debate in the Chamber + of Deputies, by which the Barroux administration had been overthrown, had + very properly sent for Vignon, the victor on that occasion, and entrusted + him with the formation of a new ministry. It had seemed that this would be + an easy task, susceptible of accomplishment in two or three days at the + utmost, for the names of the friends whom the young leader of the Radical + party would bring to power with him had been freely mentioned for months + past. But all sorts of difficulties had suddenly arisen. For ten days or + so Vignon had struggled on amidst inextricable obstacles. Then, + disheartened and disgusted, fearing, too, that he might use himself up and + shut off the future if he persisted in his endeavours, he had been obliged + to tell the President that he renounced the task. Forthwith the President + had summoned other deputies, and questioned them until he had found one + brave enough to make an attempt on his own account; whereupon incidents + similar to those which had marked Vignon’s endeavours had once more + occurred. At the outset a list was drawn up with every prospect of being + ratified within a few hours, but all at once hesitation arose, some pulled + one way, some another; every effort was slowly paralysed till absolute + failure resulted. It seemed as though the mysterious manœuvres which had + hampered Vignon had begun again; it was as if some band of invisible + plotters was, for some unknown purpose, doing its utmost to wreck every + combination. A thousand hindrances arose with increasing force from every + side—jealousy, dislike, and even betrayal were secretly prompted by + expert agents, who employed every form of pressure, whether threats or + promises, besides fanning and casting rival passions and interests into + collision. Thus the President, greatly embarrassed by this posture of + affairs, had again found it necessary to summon Vignon, who, after + reflection and negotiation, now had an almost complete list in his pocket, + and seemed likely to perfect a new administration within the next + forty-eight hours. + </p> + <p> + “Still it isn’t settled,” resumed Bache. “Well-informed people assert that + Vignon will fail again as he did the first time. For my part I can’t get + rid of the idea that Duvillard’s gang is pulling the strings, though for + whose benefit is a mystery. You may be quite sure, however, that its chief + purpose is to stifle the African Railways affair. If Monferrand were not + so badly compromised I should almost suspect some trick on his part. Have + you noticed that the ‘Globe,’ after throwing Barroux overboard in all + haste, now refers to Monferrand every day with the most respectful + sympathy? That’s a grave sign; for it isn’t Fonsègue’s habit to show any + solicitude for the vanquished. But what can one expect from that wretched + Chamber! The only point certain is that something dirty is being plotted + there.” + </p> + <p> + “And that big dunderhead Mège who works for every party except his own!” + exclaimed Morin; “what a dupe he is with that idea that he need merely + overthrow first one cabinet and then another, in order to become the + leader of one himself!” + </p> + <p> + The mention of Mège brought them all to agreement, for they unanimously + hated him. Bache, although his views coincided on many points with those + of the apostle of State Collectivism, judged each of his speeches, each of + his actions, with pitiless severity. Janzen, for his part, treated the + Collectivist leader as a mere reactionary <i>bourgeois</i>, who ought to + be swept away one of the first. This hatred of Mège was indeed the common + passion of Guillaume’s friends. They could occasionally show some justice + for men who in no wise shared their ideas; but in their estimation it was + an unpardonable crime for anybody to hold much the same views as + themselves, without being absolutely in agreement with them on every + possible point. + </p> + <p> + Their discussion continued, their various theories mingling or clashing + till they passed from politics to the press, and grew excited over the + denunciations which poured each morning from Sagnier’s newspaper, like + filth from the mouth of a sewer. Thereupon Guillaume, who had become + absorbed in reverie while pacing to and fro according to his habit, + suddenly exclaimed: “Ah! what dirty work it is that Sagnier does! Before + long there won’t be a single person, a single thing left on which he + hasn’t vomited! You think he’s on your side, and suddenly he splashes you + with mire!... By the way, he related yesterday that skeleton keys and + stolen purses were found on Salvat when he was arrested in the Bois de + Boulogne! It’s always Salvat! He’s the inexhaustible subject for articles. + The mere mention of him suffices to send up a paper’s sales! The + bribe-takers of the African Railways shout ‘Salvat!’ to create a + diversion. And the battles which wreck ministers are waged round his name. + One and all set upon him and make use of him and beat him down!” + </p> + <p> + With that cry of revolt and compassion, the friends separated for the + night. Pierre, who sat near the open window, overlooking the sparkling + immensity of Paris, had listened to the others without speaking a word. He + had once more been mastered by his doubts, the terrible struggle of his + heart and mind; and no solution, no appeasement had come to him from all + the contradictory views he had heard—the views of men who only + united in predicting the disappearance of the old world, and could make no + joint brotherly effort to rear the future world of truth and justice. In + that vast city of Paris stretching below him, spangled with stars, + glittering like the sky of a summer’s night, Pierre also found a great + enigma. It was like chaos, like a dim expanse of ashes dotted with sparks + whence the coming aurora would arise. What future was being forged there, + he wondered, what decisive word of salvation and happiness would come with + the dawn, and wing its flight to every point of the horizon? + </p> + <p> + When Pierre, in his turn, was about to retire, Guillaume laid his hands + upon his shoulders, and with much emotion gave him a long look. “Ah! my + poor fellow,” said he, “you’ve been suffering too for some days past, I + have noticed it. But you are the master of your sufferings, for the + struggle you have to overcome is simply in yourself, and you can subdue + it; whereas one cannot subdue the world, when it is the world, its cruelty + and injustice that make one suffer! Good night, be brave, act as your + reason tells you, even if it makes you weep, and you will find peace + surely enough.” + </p> + <p> + Later on, when Pierre again found himself alone in his little house at + Neuilly, where none now visited him save the shades of his father and + mother, he was long kept awake by a supreme internal combat. He had never + before felt so disgusted with the falsehood of his life, that cassock + which he had persisted in wearing, though he was a priest in name only. + Perhaps it was all that he had beheld and heard at his brother’s, the want + and wretchedness of some, the wild, futile agitation of others, the need + of improvement among mankind which remained paramount amidst every + contradiction and form of weakness, that had made him more deeply + conscious of the necessity of living in loyal and normal fashion in the + broad daylight. He could no longer think of his former dream of leading + the solitary life of a saintly priest when he was nothing of the kind, + without a shiver of shame at having lied so long. And now it was quite + decided, he would lie no longer, not even from feelings of compassion in + order that others might retain their religious illusions. And yet how + painful it was to have to divest himself of that gown which seemed to + cling to his skin, and how heartrending the thought that if he did remove + it he would be skinless, lacerated, infirm, unable, do what he might, to + become like other men! + </p> + <p> + It was this recurring thought which again tortured him throughout that + terrible night. Would life yet allow him to enter its fold? Had he not + been branded with a mark which for ever condemned him to dwell apart? He + thought he could feel his priestly vows burning his very flesh like + red-hot iron. What use would it be for him to dress as men dress, if in + reality he was never to be a man? He had hitherto lived in such a + quivering state, in a sphere of renunciation and dreams! To know manhood + never, to be too late for it, that thought filled him with terror. And + when at last he made up his mind to fling aside his cassock, he did so + from a simple sense of rectitude, for all his anguish remained. + </p> + <p> + When he returned to Montmartre on the following day, he wore a jacket and + trousers of a dark colour. Neither an exclamation nor a glance that might + have embarrassed him came from Mère-Grand or the three young men. Was not + the change a natural one? They greeted him therefore in the quiet way that + was usual with them; perhaps, with some increase of affection, as if to + set him the more at his ease. Guillaume, however, ventured to smile + good-naturedly. In that change he detected his own work. Curé was coming, + as he had hoped it would come, by him and in his own home, amid the full + sunlight, the life which ever streamed in through yonder window. + </p> + <p> + Marie, who on her side raised her eyes and looked at Pierre, knew nothing + of the sufferings which he had endured through her simple and logical + inquiry: “Why not take your cassock off?” She merely felt that by removing + it he would be more at ease for his work. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Pierre, just come and look!” she suddenly exclaimed. “I have been + amusing myself with watching all the smoke which the wind is laying yonder + over Paris. One might take it to be a huge fleet of ships shining in the + sunlight. Yes, yes, golden ships, thousands of golden ships, setting forth + from the ocean of Paris to enlighten and pacify the world!” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap59"></a> + III. THE DAWN OF LOVE + </h2> + <p> + A COUPLE of days afterwards, when Pierre was already growing accustomed to + his new attire, and no longer gave it a thought, it so happened that on + reaching Montmartre he encountered Abbé Rose outside the basilica of the + Sacred Heart. The old priest, who at first was quite thunderstruck and + scarcely able to recognise him, ended by taking hold of his hands and + giving him a long look. Then with his eyes full of tears he exclaimed: + “Oh! my son, so you have fallen into the awful state I feared! I never + mentioned it, but I felt that God had withdrawn from you. Ah! nothing + could wound my heart so cruelly as this.” + </p> + <p> + Then, still trembling, he began to lead Pierre away as if to hide such a + scandal from the few people who passed by; and at last, his strength + failing him, he sank upon a heap of bricks lying on the grass of one of + the adjoining work-yards. + </p> + <p> + The sincere grief which his old and affectionate friend displayed upset + Pierre far more than any angry reproaches or curses would have done. Tears + had come to his own eyes, so acute was the suffering he experienced at + this meeting, which he ought, however, to have foreseen. There was yet + another wrenching, and one which made the best of their blood flow, in + that rupture between Pierre and the saintly man whose charitable dreams + and hopes of salvation he had so long shared. There had been so many + divine illusions, so many struggles for the relief of the masses, so much + renunciation and forgiveness practised in common between them in their + desire to hasten the harvest of the future! And now they were parting; he, + Pierre, still young in years, was returning to life, leaving his aged + companion to his vain waiting and his dreams. + </p> + <p> + In his turn, taking hold of Abbé Rose’s hands, he gave expression to his + sorrow. “Ah, my friend, my father,” said he, “it is you alone that I + regret losing, now that I am leaving my frightful torments behind. I + thought that I was cured of them, but it has been sufficient for me to + meet you, and my heart is rent again.... Don’t weep for me, I pray you, + don’t reproach me for what I have done. It was necessary that I should do + it. If I had consulted you, you would yourself have told me that it was + better to renounce the priesthood than to remain a priest without faith or + honour.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” Abbé Rose gently responded, “you no longer had any faith left. + I suspected it. And your rigidity and saintliness of life, in which I + detected such great despair, made me anxious for you. How many hours did I + not spend at times in striving to calm you! And you must listen to me + again, you must still let me save you. I am not a sufficiently learned + theologian to lead you back by discussing texts and dogmas; but in the + name of Charity, my child, yes, in the name of Charity alone, reflect and + take up your task of consolation and hope once more.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had sat down beside Abbé Rose, in that deserted nook, at the very + foot of the basilica. “Charity! charity!” he replied in passionate + accents; “why, it is its nothingness and bankruptcy that have killed the + priest there was in me. How can you believe that benevolence is + sufficient, when you have spent your whole life in practising it without + any other result than that of seeing want perpetuated and even increased, + and without any possibility of naming the day when such abomination shall + cease?... You think of the reward after death, do you not? The justice + that is to reign in heaven? But that is not justice, it is dupery—dupery + that has brought the world nothing but suffering for centuries past.” + </p> + <p> + Then he reminded the old priest of their life in the Charonne district, + when they had gone about together succouring children in the streets and + parents in their hovels; the whole of those admirable efforts which, so + far as Abbé Rose was concerned, had simply ended in blame from his + superiors, and removal from proximity to his poor, under penalty of more + severe punishment should he persist in compromising religion by the + practice of blind benevolence without reason or object. And now, was he + not, so to say, submerged beneath the ever-rising tide of want, aware that + he would never, never be able to give enough even should he dispose of + millions, and that he could only prolong the agony of the poor, who, even + should they eat today, would starve again on the morrow? Thus he was + powerless. The wound which he tried to dress and heal, immediately + reopened and spread, in such wise that all society would at last be + stricken and carried off by it. + </p> + <p> + Quivering as he listened, and slowly shaking his white head, the old + priest ended by replying: “what does that matter, my child? what does that + matter? One must give, always give, give in spite of everything! There is + no other joy on earth.... If dogmas worry you, content yourself with the + Gospel, and even of that retain merely the promise of salvation through + charity.” + </p> + <p> + But at this Pierre’s feelings revolted. He forgot that he was speaking to + one of simple mind, who was all love and nothing else, and could therefore + not follow him. “The trial has been made,” he answered, “human salvation + cannot be effected by charity, nothing but justice can accomplish it. That + is the gathering cry which is going up from every nation. For nearly two + thousand years now the Gospel has proved a failure. There has been no + redemption; the sufferings of mankind are every whit as great and unjust + as they were when Jesus came. And thus the Gospel is now but an abolished + code, from which society can only draw things that are troublous and + hurtful. Men must free themselves from it.” + </p> + <p> + This was his final conviction. How strange the idea, thought he, of + choosing as the world’s social legislator one who lived, as Jesus lived, + amidst a social system absolutely different from that of nowadays. The age + was different, the very world was different. And if it were merely a + question of retaining only such of the moral teaching of Jesus as seemed + human and eternal, was there not again a danger in applying immutable + principles to the society of every age? No society could live under the + strict law of the Gospel. Was not all order, all labour, all life + destroyed by the teaching of Jesus? Did He not deny woman, the earth, + eternal nature and the eternal fruitfulness of things and beings? + Moreover, Catholicism had reared upon His primitive teaching such a + frightful edifice of terror and oppression. The theory of original sin, + that terrible heredity reviving with each creature born into the world, + made no allowance as Science does for the corrective influences of + education, circumstances and environment. There could be no more pessimist + conception of man than this one which devotes him to the Devil from the + instant of his birth, and pictures him as struggling against himself until + the instant of his death. An impossible and absurd struggle, for it is a + question of changing man in his entirety, killing the flesh, killing + reason, destroying some guilty energy in each and every passion, and of + pursuing the Devil to the very depths of the waters, mountains and + forests, there to annihilate him with the very sap of the world. If this + theory is accepted the world is but sin, a mere Hell of temptation and + suffering, through which one must pass in order to merit Heaven. Ah! what + an admirable instrument for absolute despotism is that religion of death, + which the principle of charity alone has enabled men to tolerate, but + which the need of justice will perforce sweep away. The poor man, who is + the wretched dupe of it all, no longer believes in Paradise, but requires + that each and all should be rewarded according to their deserts upon this + earth; and thus eternal life becomes the good goddess, and desire and + labour the very laws of the world, while the fruitfulness of woman is + again honoured, and the idiotic nightmare of Hell is replaced by glorious + Nature whose travail knows no end. Leaning upon modern Science, clear + Latin reason sweeps away the ancient Semitic conception of the Gospel. + </p> + <p> + “For eighteen hundred years,” concluded Pierre, “Christianity has been + hampering the march of mankind towards truth and justice. And mankind will + only resume its evolution on the day when it abolishes Christianity, and + places the Gospel among the works of the wise, without taking it any + longer as its absolute and final law.” + </p> + <p> + But Abbé Rose raised his trembling hands: “Be quiet, be quiet, my child!” + he cried; “you are blaspheming! I knew that doubt distracted you; but I + thought you so patient, so able to bear suffering, that I relied on your + spirit of renunciation and resignation. What can have happened to make you + leave the Church in this abrupt and violent fashion? I no longer recognise + you. Sudden passion has sprung up in you, an invincible force seems to + carry you away. What is it? Who has changed you, tell me?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened in astonishment. “No,” said he, “I assure you, I am such + as you have known me, and in all this there is but an inevitable result + and finish. Who could have influenced me, since nobody has entered my + life? What new feeling could transform me, since I find none in me? I am + the same as before, the same assuredly.” + </p> + <p> + Still there was a touch of hesitation in his voice. Was it really true + that there had been no change within him? He again questioned himself, and + there came no clear answer; decidedly, he would find nothing. It was all + but a delightful awakening, an overpowering desire for life, a longing to + open his arms widely enough to embrace everyone and everything indeed, a + breeze of joy seemed to raise him from the ground and carry him along. + </p> + <p> + Although Abbé Rose was too innocent of heart to understand things clearly, + he again shook his head and thought of the snares which the Devil is ever + setting for men. He was quite overwhelmed by Pierre’s defection. + Continuing his efforts to win him back, he made the mistake of advising + him to consult Monseigneur Martha, for he hoped that a prelate of such + high authority would find the words necessary to restore him to his faith. + Pierre, however, boldly replied that if he was leaving the Church it was + partly because it comprised such a man as Martha, such an artisan of + deception and despotism, one who turned religion into corrupt diplomacy, + and dreamt of winning men back to God by dint of ruses. Thereupon Abbé + Rose, rising to his feet, could find no other argument in his despair than + that of pointing to the basilica which stood beside them, square, huge and + massive, and still waiting for its dome. + </p> + <p> + “That is God’s abode, my child,” said he, “the edifice of expiation and + triumph, of penitence and forgiveness. You have said mass in it, and now + you are leaving it sacrilegiously and forswearing yourself!” + </p> + <p> + But Pierre also had risen; and buoyed up by a sudden rush of health and + strength he answered: “No, no! I am leaving it willingly, as one leaves a + dark vault, to return into the open air and the broad sunlight. God does + not dwell there; the only purpose of that huge edifice is to defy reason, + truth and justice; it has been erected on the highest spot that could be + found, like a citadel of error that dominates, insults and threatens + Paris!” + </p> + <p> + Then seeing that the old priest’s eyes were again filling with tears, and + feeling on his own side so pained by their rupture that he began to sob, + Pierre wished to go away. “Farewell! farewell!” he stammered. + </p> + <p> + But Abbé Rose caught him in his arms and kissed him, as if he were a + rebellious son who yet had remained the dearest. “No, not farewell, not + farewell, my child,” he answered; “say rather till we meet again. Promise + me that we shall see each other again, at least among those who starve and + weep. It is all very well for you to think that charity has become + bankrupt, but shall we not always love one another in loving our poor?” + </p> + <p> + Then they parted. + </p> + <p> + On becoming the companion of his three big nephews, Pierre had in a few + lessons learnt from them how to ride a bicycle, in order that he might + occasionally accompany them on their morning excursions. He went twice + with them and Marie along the somewhat roughly paved roads in the + direction of the Lake of Enghien. Then one morning when the young woman + had promised to take him and Antoine as far as the forest of + Saint-Germain, it was found at the last moment that Antoine could not + come. Marie was already dressed in a chemisette of fawn-coloured silk, and + a little jacket and “rationals” of black serge, and it was such a warm, + bright April day that she was not inclined to renounce her trip. + </p> + <p> + “Well, so much the worse!” she gaily said to Pierre, “I shall take you + with me, there will only be the pair of us. I really want you to see how + delightful it is to bowl over a good road between the beautiful trees.” + </p> + <p> + However, as Pierre was not yet a very expert rider, they decided that they + would take the train as far as Maisons-Laffitte, whence they would proceed + on their bicycles to the forest, cross it in the direction of + Saint-Germain, and afterwards return to Paris by train. + </p> + <p> + “You will be here for <i>déjeuner</i>, won’t you?” asked Guillaume, whom + this freak amused, and who looked with a smile at his brother. The latter, + like Marie, was in black: jacket, breeches and stockings all of the same + hue. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, certainly!” replied Marie. “It’s now barely eight o’clock, so we have + plenty of time. Still you need not wait for us, you know, we shall always + find our way back.” + </p> + <p> + It was a delightful morning. When they started, Pierre could fancy himself + with a friend of his own sex, so that this trip together through the warm + sunlight seemed quite natural. Doubtless their costumes, which were so + much alike, conduced to the gay brotherly feeling he experienced. But + beyond all this there was the healthfulness of the open air, the delight + which exercise brings, the pleasure of roaming in all freedom through the + midst of nature. + </p> + <p> + On taking the train they found themselves alone in a compartment, and + Marie once more began to talk of her college days. “Ah! you’ve no idea,” + said she, “what fine games at baseball we used to have at Fénelon! We used + to tie up our skirts with string so as to run the better, for we were not + allowed to wear rationals like I’m wearing now. And there were shrieks, + and rushes, and pushes, till our hair waved about and we were quite red + with exercise and excitement. Still that didn’t prevent us from working in + the class-rooms. On the contrary! Directly we were at study we fought + again, each striving to learn the most and reach the top of the class!” + </p> + <p> + She laughed gaily as she thus recalled her school life, and Pierre glanced + at her with candid admiration, so pink and healthy did she look under her + little hat of black felt, which a long silver pin kept in position. Her + fine dark hair was caught up behind, showing her neck, which looked as + fresh and delicate as a child’s. And never before had she seemed to him so + supple and so strong. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” she continued in a jesting way, “there is nothing like rationals, + you know! To think that some women are foolish and obstinate enough to + wear skirts when they go out cycling!” + </p> + <p> + Then, as he declared—just by way of speaking the truth, and without + the faintest idea of gallantry—that she looked very nice indeed in + her costume, she responded: “Oh! I don’t count. I’m not a beauty. I simply + enjoy good health.... But can you understand it? To think that women have + an unique opportunity of putting themselves at their ease, and releasing + their limbs from prison, and yet they won’t do so! If they think that they + look the prettier in short skirts like schoolgirls they are vastly + mistaken! And as for any question of modesty, well, it seems to me that it + is infinitely less objectionable for women to wear rationals than to bare + their bosoms at balls and theatres and dinners as society ladies do.” + Then, with a gesture of girlish impulsiveness, she added: “Besides, does + one think of such things when one’s rolling along? ... Yes, rationals are + the only things, skirts are rank heresy!” + </p> + <p> + In her turn, she was now looking at him, and was struck by the + extraordinary change which had come over him since the day when he had + first appeared to her, so sombre in his long cassock, with his face + emaciated, livid, almost distorted by anguish. It was like a resurrection, + for now his countenance was bright, his lofty brow had all the serenity of + hope, while his eyes and lips once more showed some of the confident + tenderness which sprang from his everlasting thirst for love, + self-bestowal and life. All mark of the priesthood had already left him, + save that where he had been tonsured his hair still remained rather short. + </p> + <p> + “Why are you looking at me?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I was noticing how much good has been done you by work and the open air,” + she frankly answered; “I much prefer you as you are. You used to look so + poorly. I thought you really ill.” + </p> + <p> + “So I was,” said he. + </p> + <p> + The train, however, was now stopping at Maisons-Laffitte. They alighted + from it, and at once took the road to the forest. This road rises gently + till it reaches the Maisons gate, and on market days it is often crowded + with carts. + </p> + <p> + “I shall go first, eh?” said Marie gaily, “for vehicles still alarm you.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon she started ahead, but every now and again she turned with a + smile to see if he were following her. And every time they overtook and + passed a cart she spoke to him of the merits of their machines, which both + came from the Grandidier works. They were “Lisettes,” examples of those + popular bicycles which Thomas had helped to perfect, and which the Bon + Marche now sold in large numbers for 250 francs apiece. Perhaps they were + rather heavy in appearance, but on the other hand their strength was + beyond question. They were just the machines for a long journey, so Marie + declared. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! here’s the forest,” she at last exclaimed. “We have now reached the + end of the rise; and you will see what splendid avenues there are. One can + bowl along them as on a velvet carpet.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had already joined her, and they rode on side by side along the + broad straight avenue fringed with magnificent trees. + </p> + <p> + “I am all right now,” said Pierre; “your pupil will end by doing you + honour, I hope.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I’ve no doubt of it. You already have a very good seat, and before + long you’ll leave me behind, for a woman is never a man’s equal in a + matter like this. At the same time, however, what a capital education + cycling is for women!” + </p> + <p> + In what way?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I’ve certain ideas of my own on the subject; and if ever I have a + daughter I shall put her on a bicycle as soon as she’s ten years old, just + to teach her how to conduct herself in life.” + </p> + <p> + “Education by experience, eh?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, why not? Look at the big girls who are brought up hanging to their + mothers’ apron strings. Their parents frighten them with everything, they + are allowed no initiative, no exercise of judgment or decision, so that at + times they hardly know how to cross a street, to such a degree does the + traffic alarm them. Well, I say that a girl ought to be set on a bicycle + in her childhood, and allowed to follow the roads. She will then learn to + open her eyes, to look out for stones and avoid them, and to turn in the + right direction at every bend or crossway. If a vehicle comes up at a + gallop or any other danger presents itself, she’ll have to make up her + mind on the instant, and steer her course firmly and properly if she does + not wish to lose a limb. Briefly, doesn’t all this supply proper + apprenticeship for one’s will, and teach one how to conduct and defend + oneself?” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had begun to laugh. “You will all be too healthy,” he remarked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, one must be healthy if one wants to be happy. But what I wish to + convey is that those who learn to avoid stones and to turn properly along + the highways will know how to overcome difficulties, and take the best + decisions in after life. The whole of education lies in knowledge and + energy.” + </p> + <p> + “So women are to be emancipated by cycling?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, why not? It may seem a droll idea; but see what progress has been + made already. By wearing rationals women free their limbs from prison; + then the facilities which cycling affords people for going out together + tend to greater intercourse and equality between the sexes; the wife and + the children can follow the husband everywhere, and friends like ourselves + are at liberty to roam hither and thither without astonishing anybody. In + this lies the greatest advantage of all: one takes a bath of air and + sunshine, one goes back to nature, to the earth, our common mother, from + whom one derives fresh strength and gaiety of heart! Just look how + delightful this forest is. And how healthful the breeze that inflates our + lungs! Yes, it all purifies, calms and encourages one.” + </p> + <p> + The forest, which was quite deserted on week days, stretched out in + quietude on either hand, with sunlight filtering between its deep bands of + trees. At that hour the rays only illumined one side of the avenue, there + gilding the lofty drapery of verdure; on the other, the shady side, the + greenery seemed almost black. It was truly delightful to skim, + swallow-like, over that royal avenue in the fresh atmosphere, amidst the + waving of grass and foliage, whose powerful scent swept against one’s + face. Pierre and Marie scarcely touched the soil: it was as if wings had + come to them, and were carrying them on with a regular flight, through + alternate patches of shade and sunshine, and all the scattered vitality of + the far-reaching, quivering forest, with its mosses, its sources, its + animal and its insect life. + </p> + <p> + Marie would not stop when they reached the crossway of the Croix de + Noailles, a spot where people congregate on Sundays, for she was + acquainted with secluded nooks which were far more charming + resting-places. When they reached the slope going down towards Poissy, she + roused Pierre, and they let their machines rush on. Then came all the + joyous intoxication of speed, the rapturous feeling of darting along + breathlessly while the grey road flees beneath one, and the trees on + either hand turn like the opening folds of a fan. The breeze blows + tempestuously, and one fancies that one is journeying yonder towards the + horizon, the infinite, which ever and ever recedes. It is like boundless + hope, delivery from every shackle, absolute freedom of motion through + space. And nothing can inspirit one more gloriously—one’s heart + leaps as if one were in the very heavens. + </p> + <p> + “We are not going to Poissy, you know!” Marie suddenly cried; “we have to + turn to the left.” + </p> + <p> + They took the road from Acheres to the Loges, which ascends and contracts, + thus bringing one closer together in the shade. Gradually slowing down, + they began to exert themselves in order to make their way up the incline. + This road was not so good as the others, it had been gullied by the recent + heavy rains, and sand and gravel lay about. But then is there not even a + pleasure in effort? + </p> + <p> + “You will get used to it,” said Marie to Pierre; “it’s amusing to overcome + obstacles. For my part I don’t like roads which are invariably smooth. A + little ascent which does not try one’s limbs too much rouses and inspirits + one. And it is so agreeable to find oneself strong, and able to go on and + on in spite of rain, or wind, or hills.” + </p> + <p> + Her bright humour and courage quite charmed Pierre. “And so,” said he, “we + are off for a journey round France?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, we’ve arrived. You won’t dislike a little rest, eh? And now, tell + me, wasn’t it worth our while to come on here and rest in such a nice + fresh, quiet spot.” + </p> + <p> + She nimbly sprang off her machine and, bidding him follow her, turned into + a path, along which she went some fifty paces. They placed their bicycles + against some trees, and then found themselves in a little clearing, the + most exquisite, leafy nest that one could dream of. The forest here + assumed an aspect of secluded sovereign beauty. The springtide had endowed + it with youth, the foliage was light and virginal, like delicate green + lace flecked with gold by the sun-rays. And from the herbage and the + surrounding thickets arose a breath of life, laden with all the powerful + aroma of the earth. + </p> + <p> + “It’s not too warm as yet, fortunately,” exclaimed Marie, as she seated + herself at the foot of a young oak-tree, against which she leant. “In July + ladies get rather red by the time they reach this spot, and all the powder + comes off their faces. However, one can’t always be beautiful.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I’m not cold by any means,” replied Pierre, as he sat at her feet + wiping his forehead. + </p> + <p> + She laughed, and answered that she had never before seen him with such a + colour. Then they began to talk like children, like two young friends, + finding a source of gaiety in the most puerile things. She was somewhat + anxious about his health, however, and would not allow him to remain in + the cool shade, as he felt so very warm. In order to tranquillise her, he + had to change his place and seat himself with his back to the sun. Then a + little later he saved her from a large black spider, which had caught + itself in the wavy hair on the nape of her neck. At this all her womanly + nature reappeared, and she shrieked with terror. “How stupid it was to be + afraid of a spider!” she exclaimed a moment afterwards; yet, in spite of + her efforts to master herself, she remained pale and trembling. + </p> + <p> + Silence at last fell between them, and they looked at one another with a + smile. In the midst of that delicate greenery they felt drawn together by + frank affection—the affection of brother and sister, so it seemed to + them. It made Marie very happy to think that she had taken an interest in + Pierre, and that his return to health was largely her own work. However, + their eyes never fell, their hands never met, even as they sat there + toying with the grass, for they were as pure, as unconscious of all evil, + as were the lofty oaks around them. + </p> + <p> + At last Marie noticed that time was flying. “You know that they expect us + back to lunch,” she exclaimed. “We ought to be off.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon they rose, wheeled their bicycles back to the highway, and + starting off again at a good pace passed the Loges and reached + Saint-Germain by the fine avenue which conducts to the château. It charmed + them to take their course again side by side, like birds of equal flight. + Their little bells jingled, their chains rustled lightly, and a fresh + breeze swept past them as they resumed their talk, quite at ease, and so + linked together by friendship that they seemed far removed from all the + rest of the world. + </p> + <p> + They took the train from Saint-Germain to Paris, and on the journey Pierre + suddenly noticed that Marie’s cheeks were purpling. There were two ladies + with them in the compartment. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said he, “so you feel warm in your turn now?” + </p> + <p> + But she protested the contrary, her face glowing more and more brightly as + she spoke, as if some sudden feeling of shame quite upset her. “No, I’m + not warm,” said she; “just feel my hands.... But how ridiculous it is to + blush like this without any reason for it!” + </p> + <p> + He understood her. This was one of those involuntary blushing fits which + so distressed her, and which, as Mère-Grand had remarked, brought her + heart to her very cheeks. There was no cause for it, as she herself said. + After slumbering in all innocence in the solitude of the forest her heart + had begun to beat, despite herself. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, over yonder at Montmartre, Guillaume had spent his morning in + preparing some of that mysterious powder, the cartridges of which he + concealed upstairs in Mère-Grand’s bedroom. Great danger attended this + manufacture. The slightest forgetfulness while he was manipulating the + ingredients, any delay, too, in turning off a tap, might lead to a + terrible explosion, which would annihilate the building and all who might + be in it. For this reason he preferred to work when he was alone, so that + on the one hand there might be no danger for others, and on the other less + likelihood of his own attention being diverted from his task. That + morning, as it happened, his three sons were working in the room, and + Mère-Grand sat sewing near the furnace. Truth to tell, she did not count, + for she scarcely ever left her place, feeling quite at ease there, however + great might be the peril. Indeed, she had become so well acquainted with + the various phases of Guillaume’s delicate operations, and their terrible + possibilities, that she would occasionally give him a helping hand. + </p> + <p> + That morning, as she sat there mending some house linen,—her + eyesight still being so keen that in spite of her seventy years she wore + no spectacles,—she now and again glanced at Guillaume as if to make + sure that he forgot nothing. Then feeling satisfied, she would once more + bend over her work. She remained very strong and active. Her hair was only + just turning white, and she had kept all her teeth, while her face still + looked refined, though it was slowly withering with age and had acquired + an expression of some severity. As a rule she was a woman of few words; + her life was one of activity and good management. When she opened her lips + it was usually to give advice, to counsel reason, energy and courage. For + some time past she had been growing more taciturn than ever, as if all her + attention were claimed by the household matters which were in her sole + charge; still, her fine eyes would rest thoughtfully on those about her, + on the three young men, and on Guillaume, Marie and Pierre, who all obeyed + her as if she were their acknowledged queen. If she looked at them in that + pensive way, was it that she foresaw certain changes, and noticed certain + incidents of which the others remained unconscious? Perhaps so. At all + events she became even graver, and more attentive than in the past. It was + as if she were waiting for some hour to strike when all her wisdom and + authority would be required. + </p> + <p> + “Be careful, Guillaume,” she at last remarked, as she once more looked up + from her sewing. “You seem absent-minded this morning. Is anything + worrying you?” + </p> + <p> + He glanced at her with a smile. “No, nothing, I assure you,” he replied. + “But I was thinking of our dear Marie, who was so glad to go off to the + forest in this bright sunshine.” + </p> + <p> + Antoine, who heard the remark, raised his head, while his brothers + remained absorbed in their work. “What a pity it is that I had this block + to finish,” said he; “I would willingly have gone with her.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no matter,” his father quietly rejoined. “Pierre is with her, and he + is very cautious.” + </p> + <p> + For another moment Mère-Grand continued scrutinising Guillaume; then she + once more reverted to her sewing. + </p> + <p> + If she exercised such sway over the home and all its inmates, it was by + reason of her long devotion, her intelligence, and the kindliness with + which she ruled. Uninfluenced by any religious faith, and disregarding all + social conventionalities, her guiding principle in everything was the + theory of human justice which she had arrived at after suffering so + grievously from the injustice that had killed her husband. She put her + views into practice with wonderful courage, knowing nothing of any + prejudices, but accomplishing her duty, such as she understood it, to the + very end. And in the same way as she had first devoted herself to her + husband, and next to her daughter Marguerite, so at present she devoted + herself to Guillaume and his sons. Pierre, whom she had first studied with + some anxiety, had now, too, become a member of her family, a dweller in + the little realm of happiness which she ruled. She had doubtless found him + worthy of admission into it, though she did not reveal the reason why. + After days and days of silence she had simply said, one evening, to + Guillaume, that he had done well in bringing his brother to live among + them. + </p> + <p> + Time flew by as she sat sewing and thinking. Towards noon Guillaume, who + was still at work, suddenly remarked to her: “As Marie and Pierre haven’t + come back, we had better let the lunch wait a little while. Besides, I + should like to finish what I’m about.” + </p> + <p> + Another quarter of an hour then elapsed. Finally, the three young men rose + from their work, and went to wash their hands at a tap in the garden. + </p> + <p> + “Marie is very late,” now remarked Mère-Grand. “We must hope that nothing + has happened to her.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! she rides so well,” replied Guillaume. “I’m more anxious on account + of Pierre.” + </p> + <p> + At this the old lady again fixed her eyes on him, and said: “But Marie + will have guided Pierre; they already ride very well together.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt; still I should be better pleased if they were back home.” + </p> + <p> + Then all at once, fancying that he heard the ring of a bicycle bell, he + called out: “There they are!” And forgetting everything else in his + satisfaction, he quitted his furnace and hastened into the garden in order + to meet them. + </p> + <p> + Mère-Grand, left to herself, quietly continued sewing, without a thought + that the manufacture of Guillaume’s powder was drawing to an end in an + apparatus near her. A couple of minutes later, however, when Guillaume + came back, saying that he had made a mistake, his eyes suddenly rested on + his furnace, and he turned quite livid. Brief as had been his absence the + exact moment when it was necessary to turn off a tap in order that no + danger might attend the preparation of his powder had already gone by; and + now, unless someone should dare to approach that terrible tap, and boldly + turn it, a fearful explosion might take place. Doubtless it was too late + already, and whoever might have the bravery to attempt the feat would be + blown to pieces. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume himself had often run a similar risk of death with perfect + composure. But on this occasion he remained as if rooted to the floor, + unable to take a step, paralysed by the dread of annihilation. He + shuddered and stammered in momentary expectation of a catastrophe which + would hurl the work-shop to the heavens. + </p> + <p> + “Mère-Grand, Mère-Grand,” he stammered. “The apparatus, the tap... it is + all over, all over!” + </p> + <p> + The old woman had raised her head without as yet understanding him. “Eh, + what?” said she; “what is the matter with you?” Then, on seeing how + distorted were his features, how he recoiled as if mad with terror, she + glanced at the furnace and realised the danger. “Well, but it’s simple + enough,” said she; “it’s only necessary to turn off the tap, eh?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, without any semblance of haste, in the most easy and natural + manner possible, she deposited her needlework on a little table, rose from + her chair, and turned off the tap with a light but firm hand. “There! it’s + done,” said she. “But why didn’t you do it yourself, my friend?” + </p> + <p> + He had watched her in bewilderment, chilled to the bones, as if touched by + the hand of death. And when some colour at last returned to his cheeks, + and he found himself still alive in front of the apparatus whence no harm + could now come, he heaved a deep sigh and again shuddered. “Why did I not + turn it off?” he repeated. “It was because I felt afraid.” + </p> + <p> + At that very moment Marie and Pierre came into the work-shop all chatter + and laughter, delighted with their excursion, and bringing with them the + bright joyousness of the sunlight. The three brothers, Thomas, Francis and + Antoine, were jesting with them, and trying to make them confess that + Pierre had at least fought a battle with a cow on the high road, and + ridden into a cornfield. All at once, however, they became quite anxious, + for they noticed that their father looked terribly upset. + </p> + <p> + “My lads,” said he, “I’ve just been a coward. Ah! it’s a curious feeling, + I had never experienced it before.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon he recounted his fears of an accident, and how quietly + Mère-Grand had saved them all from certain death. She waved her hand, + however, as if to say that there was nothing particularly heroic in + turning off a tap. The young men’s eyes nevertheless filled with tears, + and one after the other they went to kiss her with a fervour instinct with + all the gratitude and worship they felt for her. She had been devoting + herself to them ever since their infancy, she had now just given them a + new lease of life. Marie also threw herself into her arms, kissing her + with gratitude and emotion. Mère-Grand herself was the only one who did + not shed tears. She strove to calm them, begging them to exaggerate + nothing and to remain sensible. + </p> + <p> + “Well, you must at all events let me kiss you as the others have done,” + Guillaume said to her, as he recovered his self-possession. “I at least + owe you that. And Pierre, too, shall kiss you, for you are now as good for + him as you have always been for us.” + </p> + <p> + At table, when it was at last possible for them to lunch, he reverted to + that attack of fear which had left him both surprised and ashamed. He who + for years had never once thought of death had for some time past found + ideas of caution in his mind. On two occasions recently he had shuddered + at the possibility of a catastrophe. How was it that a longing for life + had come to him in his decline? Why was it that he now wished to live? At + last with a touch of tender affection in his gaiety, he remarked: “Do you + know, Marie, I think it is my thoughts of you that make me a coward. If + I’ve lost my bravery it’s because I risk something precious when any + danger arises. Happiness has been entrusted to my charge. Just now when I + fancied that we were all going to die, I thought I could see you, and my + fear of losing you froze and paralysed me.” + </p> + <p> + Marie indulged in a pretty laugh. Allusions to her coming marriage were + seldom made; however, she invariably greeted them with an air of happy + affection. + </p> + <p> + “Another six weeks!” she simply said. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Mère-Grand, who had been looking at them, turned her eyes + towards Pierre. He, however, like the others was listening with a smile. + </p> + <p> + “That’s true,” said the old lady, “you are to be married in six weeks’ + time. So I did right to prevent the house from being blown up.” + </p> + <p> + At this the young men made merry; and the repast came to an end in very + joyous fashion. + </p> + <p> + During the afternoon, however, Pierre’s heart gradually grew heavy. + Marie’s words constantly returned to him: “Another six weeks!” Yes, it was + indeed true, she would then be married. But it seemed to him that he had + never previously known it, never for a moment thought of it. And later on, + in the evening, when he was alone in his room at Neuilly, his heart-pain + became intolerable. Those words tortured him. Why was it that they had not + caused him any suffering when they were spoken, why had he greeted them + with a smile? And why had such cruel anguish slowly followed? All at once + an idea sprang up in his mind, and became an overwhelming certainty. He + loved Marie, he loved her as a lover, with a love so intense that he might + die from it. + </p> + <p> + With this sudden consciousness of his passion everything became clear and + plain. He had been going perforce towards that love ever since he had + first met Marie. The emotion into which the young woman had originally + thrown him had seemed to him a feeling of repulsion, but afterwards he had + been slowly conquered, all his torments and struggles ending in this love + for her. It was indeed through her that he had at last found quietude. And + the delightful morning which he had spent with her that day, appeared to + him like a betrothal morning, in the depths of the happy forest. Nature + had resumed her sway over him, delivered him from his sufferings, made him + strong and healthy once more, and given him to the woman he adored. The + quiver he had experienced, the happiness he had felt, his communion with + the trees, the heavens, and every living creature—all those things + which he had been unable to explain, now acquired a clear meaning which + transported him. In Marie alone lay his cure, his hope, his conviction + that he would be born anew and at last find happiness. In her company he + had already forgotten all those distressing problems which had formerly + haunted him and bowed him down. For a week past he had not once thought of + death, which had so long been the companion of his every hour. All the + conflict of faith and doubt, the distress roused by the idea of nihility, + the anger he had felt at the unjust sufferings of mankind, had been swept + away by her fresh cool hands. She was so healthy herself, so glad to live, + that she had imparted a taste for life even to him. Yes, it was simply + that: she was making him a man, a worker, a lover once more. + </p> + <p> + Then he suddenly remembered Abbé Rose and his painful conversation with + that saintly man. The old priest, whose heart was so ingenuous, and who + knew nothing of love and passion, was nevertheless the only one who had + understood the truth. He had told Pierre that he was changed, that there + was another man in him. And he, Pierre, had foolishly and stubbornly + declared that he was the same as he had always been; whereas Marie had + already transformed him, bringing all nature back to his breast—all + nature, with its sunlit countrysides, its fructifying breezes, and its + vast heavens, whose glow ripens its crops. That indeed was why he had felt + so exasperated with Catholicism, that religion of death; that was why he + had shouted that the Gospel was useless, and that the world awaited + another law—a law of terrestrial happiness, human justice and living + love and fruitfulness! + </p> + <p> + Ah, but Guillaume? Then a vision of his brother rose before Pierre, that + brother who loved him so fondly, and who had carried him to his home of + toil, quietude and affection, in order to cure him of his sufferings. If + he knew Marie it was simply because Guillaume had chosen that he should + know her. And again Marie’s words recurred to him: “Another six weeks!” + Yes, in six weeks his brother would marry the young woman. This thought + was like a stab in Pierre’s heart. Still, he did not for one moment + hesitate: if he must die of his love, he would die of it, but none should + ever know it, he would conquer himself, he would flee to the ends of the + earth should he ever feel the faintest cowardice. Rather than bring a + moment’s pain to that brother who had striven to resuscitate him, who was + the artisan of the passion now consuming him, who had given him his whole + heart and all he had—he would condemn himself to perpetual torture. + And indeed, torture was coming back; for in losing Marie he could but sink + into the distress born of the consciousness of his nothingness. As he lay + in bed, unable to sleep, he already experienced a return of his abominable + torments—the negation of everything, the feeling that everything was + useless, that the world had no significance, and that life was only worthy + of being cursed and denied. And then the shudder born of the thought of + death returned to him. Ah! to die, to die without even having lived! + </p> + <p> + The struggle was a frightful one. Until daybreak he sobbed in martyrdom. + Why had he taken off his cassock? He had done so at a word from Marie; and + now another word from her gave him the despairing idea of donning it once + more. One could not escape from so fast a prison. That black gown still + clung to his skin. He fancied that he had divested himself of it, and yet + it was still weighing on his shoulders, and his wisest course would be to + bury himself in it for ever. By donning it again he would at least wear + mourning for his manhood. + </p> + <p> + All at once, however, a fresh thought upset him. Why should he struggle in + that fashion? Marie did not love him. There had been nothing between them + to indicate that she cared for him otherwise than as a charming, + tender-hearted sister. It was Guillaume that she loved, no doubt. Then he + pressed his face to his pillow to stifle his sobs, and once more swore + that he would conquer himself and turn a smiling face upon their + happiness. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap60"></a> + IV. TRIAL AND SENTENCE + </h2> + <p> + HAVING returned to Montmartre on the morrow Pierre suffered so grievously + that he did not show himself there on the two following days. He preferred + to remain at home where there was nobody to notice his feverishness. On + the third morning, however, whilst he was still in bed, strengthless and + full of despair, he was both surprised and embarrassed by a visit from + Guillaume. + </p> + <p> + “I must needs come to you,” said the latter, “since you forsake us. I’ve + come to fetch you to attend Salvat’s trial, which takes place to-day. I + had no end of trouble to secure two places. Come, get up, we’ll have <i>déjeuner</i> + in town, so as to reach the court early.” + </p> + <p> + Then, while Pierre was hastily dressing, Guillaume, who on his side seemed + thoughtful and worried that morning, began to question him: “Have you + anything to reproach us with?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, nothing. What an idea!” was Pierre’s reply. + </p> + <p> + “Then why have you been staying away? We had got into the habit of seeing + you every day, but all at once you disappear.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre vainly sought a falsehood, and all his composure fled. “I had some + work to do here,” said he, “and then, too, my gloomy ideas cane back to + me, and I didn’t want to go and sadden you all.” + </p> + <p> + At this Guillaume hastily waved his hand. “If you fancy that your absence + enlivens us you’re mistaken,” he replied. “Marie, who is usually so well + and happy, had such a bad headache on the day before yesterday that she + was obliged to keep her room. And she was ill at ease and nervous and + silent again yesterday. We spent a very unpleasant day.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke Guillaume looked Pierre well in the face, his frank loyal eyes + clearly revealing the suspicions which had come to him, but which he would + not express in words. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, quite dismayed by the news of Marie’s indisposition, and + frightened by the idea of betraying his secret, thereupon managed to tell + a lie. “Yes, she wasn’t very well on the day when we went cycling,” he + quietly responded. “But I assure you that I have had a lot to do here. + When you came in just now I was about to get up and go to your house as + usual.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume kept his eyes on him for a moment longer. Then, either believing + him or deciding to postpone his search for the truth to some future time, + he began speaking affectionately on other subjects. With his keen + brotherly love, however, there was blended such a quiver of impending + distress, of unconfessed sorrow, which possibly he did not yet realise, + that Pierre in his turn began to question him. “And you,” said he, “are + you ill? You seem to me to have lost your usual serenity.” + </p> + <p> + “I? Oh! I’m not ill. Only I can’t very well retain my composure; Salvat’s + affair distresses me exceedingly, as you must know. They will all end by + driving me mad with the monstrous injustice they show towards that unhappy + fellow.” + </p> + <p> + Thenceforward Guillaume went on talking of Salvat in a stubborn passionate + way, as if he wished to find an explanation of all his pain and unrest in + that affair. While he and Pierre were partaking of <i>déjeuner</i> at a + little restaurant on the Boulevard du Palais he related how deeply touched + he was by the silence which Salvat had preserved with regard both to the + nature of the explosive employed in the bomb and the few days’ work which + he had once done at his house. It was, thanks to this silence, that he, + Guillaume, had not been worried or even summoned as a witness. Then, in + his emotion, he reverted to his invention, that formidable engine which + would ensure omnipotence to France, as the great initiatory and liberative + power of the world. The results of the researches which had occupied him + for ten years past were now out of danger and in all readiness, so that if + occasion required they might at once be delivered to the French + government. And, apart from certain scruples which came to him at the + thought of the unworthiness of French financial and political society; he + was simply delaying any further steps in the matter until his marriage + with Marie, in order that he might associate her with the gift of + universal peace which he imagined he was about to bestow upon the world. + </p> + <p> + It was through Bertheroy and with great difficulty that Guillaume had + managed to secure two seats in court for Salvat’s trial. When he and + Pierre presented themselves for admission at eleven o’clock, they fancied + that they would never be able to enter. The large gates of the Palace of + Justice were kept closed, several passages were fenced off, and terror + seemed to reign in the deserted building, as if indeed the judges feared + some sudden invasion of bomb-laden Anarchists. Each door and barrier, too, + was guarded by soldiers, with whom the brothers had to parley. When they + at last entered the Assize Court they found it already crowded with + people, who were apparently quite willing to suffocate there for an hour + before the arrival of the judges, and to remain motionless for some seven + or eight hours afterwards, since it was reported that the authorities + wished to get the case over in a single sitting. In the small space + allotted to the standing public there was a serried mass of sightseers who + had come up from the streets, a few companions and friends of Salvat + having managed to slip in among them. In the other compartment, where + witnesses are generally huddled together on oak benches, were those + spectators who had been allowed admittance by favour, and these were so + numerous and so closely packed that here and there they almost sat upon + one another’s knees. Then, in the well of the court and behind the bench, + were rows of chairs set out as for some theatrical performance, and + occupied by privileged members of society, politicians, leading + journalists, and ladies. And meantime a number of gowned advocates sought + refuge wherever chance offered, crowding into every vacant spot, every + available corner. + </p> + <p> + Pierre had never before visited the Assize Court, and its appearance + surprised him. He had expected much pomp and majesty, whereas this temple + of human justice seemed to him small and dismal and of doubtful + cleanliness. The bench was so low that he could scarcely see the armchairs + of the presiding judge and his two assessors. Then he was struck by the + profusion of old oak panels, balustrades and benches, which helped to + darken the apartment, whose wall hangings were of olive green, while a + further display of oak panelling appeared on the ceiling above. From the + seven narrow and high-set windows with scanty little white curtains there + fell a pale light which sharply divided the court. On one hand one saw the + dock and the defending counsel’s seat steeped in frigid light, while, on + the other, was the little, isolated jury box in the shade. This contrast + seemed symbolical of justice, impersonal and uncertain, face to face with + the accused, whom the light stripped bare, probed as it were to his very + soul. Then, through a kind of grey mist above the bench, in the depths of + the stern and gloomy scene, one could vaguely distinguish the heavy + painting of “Christ Crucified.” A white bust of the Republic alone showed + forth clearly against the dark wall above the dock where Salvat would + presently appear. The only remaining seats that Guillaume and Pierre could + find were on the last bench of the witnesses’ compartment, against the + partition which separated the latter from the space allotted to the + standing public. Just as Guillaume was seating himself, he saw among the + latter little Victor Mathis, who stood there with his elbows leaning on + the partition, while his chin rested on his crossed hands. The young man’s + eyes were glowing in his pale face with thin, compressed lips. Although + they recognised one another, Victor did not move, and Guillaume on his + side understood that it was not safe to exchange greetings in such a + place. From that moment, however, he remained conscious that Victor was + there, just above him, never stirring, but waiting silently, fiercely and + with flaming eyes, for what was going to happen. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, meantime, had recognised that most amiable deputy Duthil, and + little Princess Rosemonde, seated just in front of him. Amidst the hubbub + of the throng which chatted and laughed to while away the time, their + voices were the gayest to be heard, and plainly showed how delighted they + were to find themselves at a spectacle to which so many desired + admittance. Duthil was explaining all the arrangements to Rosemonde, + telling her to whom or to what purpose each bench and wooden box was + allotted: there was the jury-box, the prisoner’s dock, the seats assigned + to counsel for the defence, the public prosecutor, and the clerk of the + court, without forgetting the table on which material evidence was + deposited and the bar to which witnesses were summoned. There was nobody + as yet in any of these places; one merely saw an attendant giving a last + look round, and advocates passing rapidly. One might indeed have thought + oneself in a theatre, the stage of which remained deserted, while the + spectators crowded the auditorium waiting for the play to begin. To fill + up the interval the little Princess ended by looking about her for persons + of her acquaintance among the close-pressed crowd of sight-seers whose + eager faces were already reddening. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! isn’t that Monsieur Fonsègue over there behind the bench, near that + stout lady in yellow?” she exclaimed. “Our friend General de Bozonnet is + on the other side, I see. But isn’t Baron Duvillard here?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! no,” replied Duthil; “he could hardly come; it would look as if he + were here to ask for vengeance.” Then, in his turn questioning Rosemonde, + the deputy went on: “Do you happen to have quarrelled with your handsome + friend Hyacinthe? Is that the reason why you’ve given me the pleasure of + acting as your escort to-day?” + </p> + <p> + With a slight shrug of her shoulders, the Princess replied that poets were + beginning to bore her. A fresh caprice, indeed, was drawing her into + politics. For a week past she had found amusement in the surroundings of + the ministerial crisis, into which the young deputy for Angoulême had + initiated her. “They are all a little bit crazy at the Duvillards’, my + dear fellow,” said she. “It’s decided, you know, that Gérard is to marry + Camille. The Baroness has resigned herself to it, and I’ve heard from a + most reliable quarter that Madame de Quinsac, the young man’s mother, has + given her consent.” + </p> + <p> + At this Duthil became quite merry. He also seemed to be well informed on + the subject. “Yes, yes, I know,” said he. “The wedding is to take place + shortly, at the Madeleine. It will be a magnificent affair, no doubt. And + after all, what would you have? There couldn’t be a better finish to the + affair. The Baroness is really kindness personified, and I said all along + that she would sacrifice herself in order to ensure the happiness of her + daughter and Gérard. In point of fact that marriage will settle + everything, put everything in proper order again.” + </p> + <p> + “And what does the Baron say?” asked Rosemonde. + </p> + <p> + “The Baron? Why, he’s delighted,” replied Duthil in a bantering way. “You + read no doubt this morning that Dauvergne is given the department of + Public Instruction in the new Ministry. This means that Silviane’s + engagement at the Comédie is a certainty. Dauvergne was chosen simply on + that account.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment the conversation was interrupted by little Massot, who, + after a dispute with one of the ushers some distance away, had perceived a + vacant place by the side of the Princess. He thereupon made her a + questioning sign, and she beckoned to him to approach. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said he, as he installed himself beside her, “I have not got here + without trouble. One’s crushed to death on the press bench, and I’ve an + article to write. You are the kindest of women, Princess, to make a little + room for your faithful admirer, myself.” Then, after shaking hands with + Duthil, he continued without any transition: “And so there’s a new + ministry at last, Monsieur le Député. You have all taken your time about + it, but it’s really a very fine ministry, which everybody regards with + surprise and admiration.” + </p> + <p> + The decrees appointing the new ministers had appeared in the “Journal + Officiel” that very morning. After a long deadlock, after Vignon had for + the second time seen his plans fail through ever-recurring obstacles, + Monferrand, as a last resource, had suddenly been summoned to the Elysée, + and in four-and-twenty hours he had found the colleagues he wanted and + secured the acceptance of his list, in such wise that he now triumphantly + re-ascended to power after falling from it with Barroux in such wretched + fashion. He had also chosen a new post for himself, relinquishing the + department of the Interior for that of Finances, with the Presidency of + the Council, which had long been his secret ambition. His stealthy labour, + the masterly fashion in which he had saved himself while others sank, now + appeared in its full beauty. First had come Salvat’s arrest, and the use + he had made of it, then the wonderful subterranean campaign which he had + carried on against Vignon, the thousand obstacles which he had twice set + across his path, and finally the sudden <i>dénouement</i> with that list + he held in readiness, that formation of a ministry in a single day as soon + as his services were solicited. + </p> + <p> + “It is fine work, I must compliment you on it,” added little Massot by way + of a jest. + </p> + <p> + “But I’ve had nothing to do with it,” Duthil modestly replied. + </p> + <p> + “Nothing to do with it! Oh! yes you have, my dear sir, everybody says so.” + </p> + <p> + The deputy felt flattered and smiled, while the other rattled on with his + insinuations, which were put in such a humorous way that nothing he said + could be resented. He talked of Monferrand’s followers who had so + powerfully helped him on to victory. How heartily had Fonsègue finished + off his old friend Barroux in the “Globe”! Every morning for a month past + the paper had published an article belabouring Barroux, annihilating + Vignon, and preparing the public for the return of a saviour of society + who was not named. Then, too, Duvillard’s millions had waged a secret + warfare, all the Baron’s numerous creatures had fought like an army for + the good cause. Duthil himself had played the pipe and beaten the drum, + while Chaigneux resigned himself to the baser duties which others would + not undertake. And so the triumphant Monferrand would certainly begin by + stifling that scandalous and embarrassing affair of the African Railways, + and appointing a Committee of Inquiry to bury it. + </p> + <p> + By this time Duthil had assumed an important air. “Well, my dear fellow,” + said he, “at serious moments when society is in peril, certain + strong-handed men, real men of government, become absolutely necessary. + Monferrand had no need of our friendship, his presence in office was + imperiously required by the situation. His hand is the only one that can + save us!” + </p> + <p> + “I know,” replied Massot scoffingly. “I’ve even been told that if + everything was settled straight off so that the decrees might be published + this morning, it was in order to instil confidence into the judges and + jurymen here, in such wise that knowing Monferrand’s fist to be behind + them they would have the courage to pronounce sentence of death this + evening.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, public safety requires a sentence of death, and those who have to + ensure that safety must not be left ignorant of the fact that the + government is with them, and will know how to protect them, if need be.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment a merry laugh from the Princess broke in upon the + conversation. “Oh! just look over there!” said she; “isn’t that Silviane + who has just sat down beside Monsieur Fonsègue?” + </p> + <p> + “The Silviane ministry!” muttered Massot in a jesting way. “Well, there + will be no boredom at Dauvergne’s if he ingratiates himself with + actresses.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume and Pierre heard this chatter, however little they cared to + listen to it. Such a deluge of society tittle-tattle and political + indiscretion brought the former a keen heart-pang. So Salvat was sentenced + to death even before he had appeared in court. He was to pay for the + transgressions of one and all, his crime was simply a favourable + opportunity for the triumph of a band of ambitious people bent on power + and enjoyment! Ah! what terrible social rottenness there was in it all; + money corrupting one and another, families sinking to filth, politics + turned into a mere treacherous struggle between individuals, and power + becoming the prey of the crafty and the impudent! Must not everything + surely crumble? Was not this solemn assize of human justice a derisive + parody, since all that one found there was an assembly of happy and + privileged people defending the shaky edifice which sheltered them, and + making use of all the forces they yet retained, to crush a fly—that + unhappy devil of uncertain sanity who had been led to that court by his + violent and cloudy dream of another, superior and avenging justice? + </p> + <p> + Such were Guillaume’s thoughts, when all at once everybody around him + started. Noon was now striking, and the jurymen trooped into court in + straggling fashion and took their seats in their box. Among them one saw + fat fellows clad in their Sunday best and with the faces of simpletons, + and thin fellows who had bright eyes and sly expressions. Some of them + were bearded and some were bald. However, they all remained rather + indistinct, as their side of the court was steeped in shade. After them + came the judges, headed by M. de Larombière, one of the Vice-Presidents of + the Appeal Court, who in assuming the perilous honour of conducting the + trial had sought to increase the majesty of his long, slender, white face, + which looked the more austere as both his assessors, one dark and the + other fair, had highly coloured countenances. The public prosecutor’s seat + was already occupied by one of the most skilful of the advocates-general, + M. Lehmann, a broad-shouldered Alsatian Israelite, with cunning eyes, + whose presence showed that the case was deemed exceptionally important. At + last, amidst the heavy tread of gendarmes, Salvat was brought in, at once + rousing such ardent curiosity that all the spectators rose to look at him. + He still wore the cap and loose overcoat procured for him by Victor + Mathis, and everybody was surprised to see his emaciated, sorrowful, + gentle face, crowned by scanty reddish hair, which was turning grey. His + soft, glowing, dreamy blue eyes glanced around, and he smiled at someone + whom he recognised, probably Victor, but perhaps Guillaume. After that he + remained quite motionless. + </p> + <p> + The presiding judge waited for silence to fall, and then came the + formalities which attend the opening of a court of law, followed by the + perusal of the lengthy indictment, which a subordinate official read in a + shrill voice. The scene had now changed, and the spectators listened + wearily and somewhat impatiently, as, for weeks past, the newspapers had + related all that the indictment set forth. At present not a corner of the + court remained unoccupied, there was scarcely space enough for the + witnesses to stand in front of the bench. The closely packed throng was + one of divers hues, the light gowns of ladies alternating with the black + gowns of advocates, while the red robes of the judges disappeared from + view, the bench being so low that the presiding judge’s long face scarcely + rose above the sea of heads. Many of those present became interested in + the jurors, and strove to scrutinise their shadowy countenances. Others, + who did not take their eyes off the prisoner, marvelled at his apparent + weariness and indifference, which were so great that he scarcely answered + the whispered questions of his counsel, a young advocate with a wide-awake + look, who was nervously awaiting the opportunity to achieve fame. Most + curiosity, however, centred in the table set apart for the material + evidence. Here were to be seen all sorts of fragments, some of the + woodwork torn away from the carriage-door of the Duvillard mansion, some + plaster that had fallen from the ceiling, a paving-stone which the + violence of the explosion had split in halves, and other blackened + remnants. The more moving sights, however, were the milliner’s bonnet-box, + which had remained uninjured, and a glass jar in which something white and + vague was preserved in spirits of wine. This was one of the poor errand + girl’s little hands, which had been severed at the wrist. The authorities + had been unable to place her poor ripped body on the table, and so they + had brought that hand! + </p> + <p> + At last Salvat rose, and the presiding judge began to interrogate him. The + contrast in the aspect of the court then acquired tragic force: in the + shrouding shade upon one hand were the jurors, their minds already made up + beneath the pressure of public terror, while in the full, vivid light on + the other side was the prisoner, alone and woeful, charged with all the + crimes of his race. Four gendarmes watched over him. He was addressed by + M. de Larombière in a tone of contempt and disgust. The judge was not + deficient in rectitude; he was indeed one of the last representatives of + the old, scrupulous, upright French magistracy; but he understood nothing + of the new times, and he treated prisoners with the severity of a Biblical + Jehovah. Moreover, the infirmity which was the worry of his life, the + childish lisp which, in his opinion, had alone prevented him from shining + as a public prosecutor, made him ferociously ill-tempered, incapable of + any intelligent indulgence. There were smiles, which he divined, as soon + as he raised his sharp, shrill little voice, to ask his first questions. + That droll voice of his took away whatever majesty might have remained + attached to these proceedings, in which a man’s life was being fought for + in a hall full of inquisitive, stifling and perspiring folks, who fanned + themselves and jested. Salvat answered the judge’s earlier questions with + his wonted weariness and politeness. While the judge did everything to + vilify him, harshly reproaching him with his wretched childhood and youth, + magnifying every stain and every transgression in his career, referring to + the promiscuity of his life between Madame Théodore and little Céline as + something bestial, he, the prisoner, quietly said yes or no, like a man + who has nothing to hide and accepts the full responsibility of his + actions. He had already made a complete confession of his crime, and he + calmly repeated it without changing a word. He explained that if he had + deposited his bomb at the entrance of the Duvillard mansion it was to give + his deed its true significance, that of summoning the wealthy, the + money-mongers who had so scandalously enriched themselves by dint of theft + and falsehood, to restore that part of the common wealth which they had + appropriated, to the poor, the working classes, their children and their + wives, who perished of starvation. It was only at this moment that he grew + excited; all the misery that he had endured or witnessed rose to his + clouded, semi-educated brain, in which claims and theories and exasperated + ideas of absolute justice and universal happiness had gathered confusedly. + And from that moment he appeared such as he really was, a sentimentalist, + a dreamer transported by suffering, proud and stubborn, and bent on + changing the world in accordance with his sectarian logic. + </p> + <p> + “But you fled!” cried the judge in a voice such as would have befitted a + grasshopper. “You must not say that you gave your life to your cause and + were ready for martyrdom!” + </p> + <p> + Salvat’s most poignant regret was that he had yielded in the Bois de + Boulogne to the dismay and rage which come upon a tracked and hunted man + and impel him to do all he can to escape capture. And on being thus + taunted by the judge he became quite angry. “I don’t fear death, you’ll + see that,” he replied. “If all had the same courage as I have, your rotten + society would be swept away to-morrow, and happiness would at last dawn.” + </p> + <p> + Then the interrogatory dealt at great length with the composition and + manufacture of the bomb. The judge, rightly enough, pointed out that this + was the only obscure point of the affair. “And so,” he remarked, “you + persist in saying that dynamite was the explosive you employed? Well, you + will presently hear the experts, who, it is true, differ on certain + points, but are all of opinion that you employed some other explosive, + though they cannot say precisely what it was. Why not speak out on the + point, as you glory in saying everything?” + </p> + <p> + Salvat, however, had suddenly calmed down, giving only cautious + monosyllabic replies. “Well, seek for whatever you like if you don’t + believe me,” he now answered. “I made my bomb by myself, and under + circumstances which I’ve already related a score of times. You surely + don’t expect me to reveal names and compromise comrades?” + </p> + <p> + From this declaration he would not depart. It was only towards the end of + the interrogatory that irresistible emotion overcame him on the judge + again referring to the unhappy victim of his crime, the little errand + girl, so pretty and fair and gentle, whom ferocious destiny had brought to + the spot to meet such an awful death. “It was one of your own class whom + you struck,” said M. de Larombière; “your victim was a work girl, a poor + child who, with the few pence she earned, helped to support her aged + grandmother.” + </p> + <p> + Salvat’s voice became very husky as he answered: “That’s really the only + thing I regret.... My bomb certainly wasn’t meant for her; and may all the + workers, all the starvelings, remember that she gave her blood as I’m + going to give mine!” + </p> + <p> + In this wise the interrogatory ended amidst profound agitation. Pierre had + felt Guillaume shuddering beside him, whilst the prisoner quietly and + obstinately refused to say a word respecting the explosive that had been + employed, preferring as he did to assume full responsibility for the deed + which was about to cost him his life. Moreover, Guillaume, on turning + round, in compliance with an irresistible impulse, had perceived Victor + Mathis still motionless behind him: his elbows ever leaning on the rail of + the partition, and his chin still resting on his hands, whilst he listened + with silent, concentrated passion. His face had become yet paler than + before, and his eyes glowed as with an avenging fire, whose flames would + never more be extinguished. + </p> + <p> + The interrogatory of the prisoner was followed by a brief commotion in + court. + </p> + <p> + “That Salvat looks quite nice, he has such soft eyes,” declared the + Princess, whom the proceedings greatly amused. “Oh! don’t speak ill of + him, my dear deputy. You know that I have Anarchist ideas myself.” + </p> + <p> + “I speak no ill of him,” gaily replied Duthil. “Nor has our friend Amadieu + any right to speak ill of him. For you know that this affair has set + Amadieu on a pinnacle. He was never before talked about to such an extent + as he is now; and he delights in being talked about, you know! He has + become quite a social celebrity, the most illustrious of our investigating + magistrates, and will soon be able to do or become whatever he pleases.” + </p> + <p> + Then Massot, with his sarcastic impudence, summed up the situation. “When + Anarchism flourishes, everything flourishes, eh? That bomb has helped on + the affairs of a good many fine fellows that I know. Do you think that my + governor Fonsègue, who’s so attentive to Silviane yonder, complains of it? + And doesn’t Sagnier, who’s spreading himself out behind the presiding + judge, and whose proper place would be between the four gendarmes—doesn’t + he owe a debt to Salvat for all the abominable advertisements he has been + able to give his paper by using the wretched fellow’s back as a big drum? + And I need not mention the politicians or the financiers or all those who + fish in troubled waters.” + </p> + <p> + “But I say,” interrupted Duthil, “it seems to me that you yourself made + good use of the affair. Your interview with the little girl Céline brought + you in a pot of money.” + </p> + <p> + Massot, as it happened, had been struck with the idea of ferreting out + Madame Théodore and the child, and of relating his visit to them in the + “Globe,” with an abundance of curious and touching particulars. The + article had met with prodigious success, Céline’s pretty answers + respecting her imprisoned father having such an effect on ladies with + sensitive hearts that they had driven to Montmartre in their carriages in + order to see the two poor creatures. Thus alms had come to them from all + sides; and strangely enough the very people who demanded the father’s head + were the most eager to sympathise with the child. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I don’t complain of my little profits,” said the journalist in + answer to Duthil. “We all earn what we can, you know.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment Rosemonde, while glancing round her, recognised Guillaume + and Pierre, but she was so amazed to see the latter in ordinary civilian + garb that she did not dare to speak to him. Leaning forward she acquainted + Duthil and Massot with her surprise, and they both turned round to look. + From motives of discretion, however, they pretended that they did not + recognise the Froments. + </p> + <p> + The heat in court was now becoming quite unbearable, and one lady had + already fainted. At last the presiding judge again raised his lisping + voice, and managed to restore silence. Salvat, who had remained standing, + now held a few sheets of paper, and with some difficulty he made the judge + understand that he desired to complete his interrogatory by reading a + declaration, which he had drawn up in prison, and in which he explained + his reasons for his crime. For a moment M. de Larombière hesitated, all + surprise and indignation at such a request; but he was aware that he could + not legally impose silence on the prisoner, and so he signified his + consent with a gesture of mingled irritation and disdain. Thereupon Salvat + began his perusal much after the fashion of a schoolboy, hemming and + hawing here and there, occasionally becoming confused, and then bringing + out certain words with wonderful emphasis, which evidently pleased him. + This declaration of his was the usual cry of suffering and revolt already + raised by so many disinherited ones. It referred to all the frightful want + of the lower spheres; the toiler unable to find a livelihood in his toil; + a whole class, the most numerous and worthy of the classes, dying of + starvation; whilst, on the other hand, were the privileged ones, gorged + with wealth, and wallowing in satiety, yet refusing to part with even the + crumbs from their tables, determined as they were to restore nothing + whatever of the wealth which they had stolen. And so it became necessary + to take everything away from them, to rouse them from their egotism by + terrible warnings, and to proclaim to them even with the crash of bombs + that the day of justice had come. The unhappy man spoke that word + “justice” in a ringing voice which seemed to fill the whole court. But the + emotion of those who heard him reached its highest pitch when, after + declaring that he laid down his life for the cause, and expected nothing + but a verdict of death from the jury, he added, as if prophetically, that + his blood would assuredly give birth to other martyrs. They might send him + to the scaffold, said he, but he knew that his example would bear fruit. + After him would come another avenger, and yet another, and others still, + until the old and rotten social system should have crumbled away so as to + make room for the society of justice and happiness of which he was one of + the apostles. + </p> + <p> + The presiding judge, in his impatience and agitation, twice endeavoured to + interrupt Salvat. But the other read on and on with the imperturbable + conscientiousness of one who fears that he may not give proper utterance + to his most important words. He must have been thinking of that perusal + ever since he had been in prison. It was the decisive act of his suicide, + the act by which he proclaimed that he gave his life for the glory of + dying in the cause of mankind. And when he had finished he sat down + between the gendarmes with glowing eyes and flushed cheeks, as if he + inwardly experienced some deep joy. + </p> + <p> + To destroy the effect which the declaration had produced—a + commingling of fear and compassion—the judge at once wished to + proceed with the hearing of the witnesses. Of these there was an + interminable procession; though little interest attached to their + evidence, for none of them had any revelations to make. Most attention + perhaps was paid to the measured statements of Grandidier, who had been + obliged to dismiss Salvat from his employ on account of the Anarchist + propaganda he had carried on. Then the prisoner’s brother-in-law, + Toussaint, the mechanician, also seemed a very worthy fellow if one might + judge him by the manner in which he strove to put things favourably for + Salvat, without in any way departing from the truth. After Toussaint’s + evidence considerable time was taken up by the discussions between the + experts, who disagreed in public as much as they had disagreed in their + reports. Although they were all of opinion that dynamite could not have + been the explosive employed in the bomb, they indulged in the most + extraordinary and contradictory suppositions as to this explosive’s real + nature. Eventually a written opinion given by the illustrious <i>savant</i> + Bertheroy was read; and this, after clearly setting forth the known facts, + concluded that one found oneself in presence of a new explosive of + prodigious power, the formula of which he himself was unable to specify. + </p> + <p> + Then detective Mondésir and commissary Dupot came in turn to relate the + various phases of the man hunt in the Bois de Boulogne. In Mondésir + centred all the gaiety of the proceedings, thanks to the guardroom sallies + with which he enlivened his narrative. And in like way the greatest grief, + a perfect shudder of revolt and compassion, was roused by the errand + girl’s grandmother, a poor, bent, withered old woman, whom the prosecution + had cruelly constrained to attend the court, and who wept and looked quite + dismayed, unable as she was to understand what was wanted of her. When she + had withdrawn, the only remaining witnesses were those for the defence, a + procession of foremen and comrades, who all declared that they had known + Salvat as a very worthy fellow, an intelligent and zealous workman, who + did not drink, but was extremely fond of his daughter, and incapable of an + act of dishonesty or cruelty. + </p> + <p> + It was already four o’clock when the evidence of the witnesses came to an + end. The atmosphere in court was now quite stifling, feverish fatigue + flushed every face, and a kind of ruddy dust obscured the waning light + which fell from the windows. Women were fanning themselves and men were + mopping their foreheads. However, the passion roused by the scene still + brought a glow of cruel delight to every eye. And no one stirred. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” sighed Rosemonde all at once, “to think that I hoped to drink a cup + of tea at a friend’s at five o’clock. I shall die of thirst and starvation + here.” + </p> + <p> + “We shall certainly be kept till seven,” replied Massot. “I can’t offer to + go and fetch you a roll, for I shouldn’t be readmitted.” + </p> + <p> + Then Duthil, who had not ceased shrugging his shoulders while Salvat read + his declaration, exclaimed: “What childish things he said, didn’t he? And + to think that the fool is going to die for all that! Rich and poor, + indeed! Why, there will always be rich and poor. And it’s equally certain + that when a man is poor his one great desire is to become rich. If that + fellow is in the dock to-day it’s simply because he failed to make money.” + </p> + <p> + While the others were thus conversing, Pierre for his part was feeling + extremely anxious about his brother, who sat beside him in silence, pale + and utterly upset. Pierre sought his hand and covertly pressed it. Then in + a low voice he inquired: “Do you feel ill? Shall we go away?” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume answered him by discreetly and affectionately returning his + handshake. He was all right, he would remain till the end, however much he + might be stirred by exasperation. + </p> + <p> + It was now Monsieur Lehmann, the public prosecutor, who rose to address + the court. He had a large, stern mouth, and was squarely built, with a + stubborn Jewish face. Nevertheless he was known to be a man of dexterous, + supple nature, one who had a foot in every political camp, and invariably + contrived to be on good terms with the powers that were. This explained + his rapid rise in life, and the constant favour he enjoyed. In the very + first words he spoke he alluded to the new ministry gazetted that morning, + referring pointedly to the strong-handed man who had undertaken the task + of reassuring peaceable citizens and making evil-doers tremble. Then he + fell upon the wretched Salvat with extraordinary vehemence, recounting the + whole of his life, and exhibiting him as a bandit expressly born for the + perpetration of crime, a monster who was bound to end by committing some + abominable and cowardly outrage. Next he flagellated Anarchism and its + partisans. The Anarchists were a mere herd of vagabonds and thieves, said + he. That had been shown by the recent robbery at the Princess de Harn’s + house. The ignoble gang that had been arrested for that affair had given + the apostles of the Anarchist doctrine as their references! And that was + what the application of Anarchist theories resulted in—burglary and + filth, pending a favourable hour for wholesale pillage and murder! For + nearly a couple of hours the public prosecutor continued in this fashion, + throwing truth and logic to the winds, and exclusively striving to alarm + his hearers. He made all possible use of the terror which had reigned in + Paris, and figuratively brandished the corpse of the poor little victim, + the pretty errand girl, as if it were a blood-red flag, before pointing to + the pale hand, preserved in spirits of wine, with a gesture of + compassionate horror which sent a shudder through his audience. And he + ended, as he had begun, by inspiriting the jurors, and telling them that + they might fearlessly do their duty now that those at the head of the + State were firmly resolved to give no heed to threats. + </p> + <p> + Then the young advocate entrusted with the defence in his turn spoke. And + he really said what there was to say with great clearness and precision. + He was of a different school from that of the public prosecutor: his + eloquence was very simple and smooth, his only passion seemed to be zeal + for truth. Moreover, it was sufficient for him to show Salvat’s career in + its proper light, to depict him pursued by social fatalities since his + childhood, and to explain the final action of his career by all that he + had suffered and all that had sprung up in his dreamy brain. Was not his + crime the crime of one and all? Who was there that did not feel, if only + in a small degree, responsible for that bomb which a penniless, starving + workman had deposited on the threshold of a wealthy man’s abode—a + wealthy man whose name bespoke the injustice of the social system: so much + enjoyment on the one hand and so much privation on the other! If one of us + happened to lose his head, and felt impelled to hasten the advent of + happiness by violence in such troublous times, when so many burning + problems claimed solution, ought he to be deprived of his life in the name + of justice, when none could swear that they had not in some measure + contributed to his madness? Following up this question, Salvat’s counsel + dwelt at length on the period that witnessed the crime, a period of so + many scandals and collapses, when the old world was giving birth to a new + one amidst the most terrible struggles and pangs. And he concluded by + begging the jury to show themselves humane, to resist all passion and + terror, and to pacify the rival classes by a wise verdict, instead of + prolonging social warfare by giving the starvelings yet another martyr to + avenge. + </p> + <p> + It was past six o’clock when M. de Larombière began to sum up in a partial + and flowery fashion, in which one detected how grieved and angry he was at + having such a shrill little voice. Then the judges and the jurors + withdrew, and the prisoner was led away, leaving the spectators waiting + amidst an uproar of feverish impatience. Some more ladies had fainted, and + it had even been necessary to carry out a gentleman who had been overcome + by the cruel heat. However, the others stubbornly remained there, not one + of them quitting his place. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it won’t take long now,” said Massot. “The jurors brought their + verdict all ready in their pockets. I was looking at them while that + little advocate was telling them such sensible things. They all looked as + if they were comfortably asleep in the gloom.” + </p> + <p> + Then Duthil turned to the Princess and asked her, “Are you still hungry?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I’m starving,” she replied. “I shall never be able to wait till I get + home. You will have to take me to eat a biscuit somewhere.... All the + same, however, it’s very exciting to see a man’s life staked on a yes or a + no.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Pierre, finding Guillaume still more feverish and grieved, had + once again taken hold of his hand. Neither of them spoke, so great was the + distress that they experienced for many reasons which they themselves + could not have precisely defined. It seemed to them, however, that all + human misery—inclusive of their own, the affections, the hopes, the + griefs which brought them suffering—was sobbing and quivering in + that buzzing hall. Twilight had gradually fallen there, but as the end was + now so near it had doubtless been thought unnecessary to light the + chandeliers. And thus large vague shadows, dimming and shrouding the + serried throng, now hovered about in the last gleams of the day. The + ladies in light gowns yonder, behind the bench, looked like pale phantoms + with all-devouring eyes, whilst the numerous groups of black-robed + advocates formed large sombre patches which gradually spread everywhere. + The greyish painting of the Christ had already vanished, and on the walls + one only saw the glaring white bust of the Republic, which resembled some + frigid death’s head starting forth from the darkness. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” Massot once more exclaimed, “I knew that it wouldn’t take long!” + </p> + <p> + Indeed, the jurors were returning after less than a quarter of an hour’s + absence. Then the judges likewise came back and took their seats. + Increased emotion stirred the throng, a great gust seemed to sweep through + the court, a gust of anxiety, which made every head sway. Some people had + risen to their feet, and others gave vent to involuntary exclamations. The + foreman of the jury, a gentleman with a broad red face, had to wait a + moment before speaking. At last in a sharp but somewhat sputtering voice + he declared: “On my honour and my conscience, before God and before man, + the verdict of the jury is: on the question of Murder, yes, by a majority + of votes.”* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * English readers may be reminded that in France the verdict of + a majority of the jury suffices for conviction or acquittal. + If the jury is evenly divided the prisoner is acquitted.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + The night had almost completely fallen when Salvat was once more brought + in. In front of the jurors, who faded away in the gloom, he stood forth, + erect, with a last ray from the windows lighting up his face. The judges + themselves almost disappeared from view, their red robes seemed to have + turned black. And how phantom-like looked the prisoner’s emaciated face as + he stood there listening, with dreamy eyes, while the clerk of the court + read the verdict to him. + </p> + <p> + When silence fell and no mention was made of extenuating circumstances, he + understood everything. His face, which had retained a childish expression, + suddenly brightened. “That means death. Thank you, gentlemen,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Then he turned towards the public, and amidst the growing darkness + searched for the friendly faces which he knew were there; and this time + Guillaume became fully conscious that he had recognised him, and was again + expressing affectionate and grateful thanks for the crust he had received + from him on a day of want. He must have also bidden farewell to Victor + Mathis, for as Guillaume glanced at the young man, who had not moved, he + saw that his eyes were staring wildly, and that a terrible expression + rested on his lips. + </p> + <p> + As for the rest of the proceedings, the last questions addressed to the + jury and the counsel, the deliberations of the judges and the delivery of + sentence—these were all lost amidst the buzzing and surging of the + crowd. A little compassion was unconsciously manifested; and some stupor + was mingled with the satisfaction that greeted the sentence of death. + </p> + <p> + No sooner had Salvat been condemned, however, than he drew himself up to + his full height, and as the guards led him away he shouted in a stentorian + voice: “Long live Anarchy!” + </p> + <p> + Nobody seemed angered by the cry. The crowd went off quietly, as if + weariness had lulled all its passions. The proceedings had really lasted + too long and fatigued one too much. It was quite pleasant to inhale the + fresh air on emerging from such a nightmare. + </p> + <p> + In the large waiting hall, Pierre and Guillaume passed Duthil and the + Princess, whom General de Bozonnet had stopped while chatting with + Fonsègue. All four of them were talking in very loud voices, complaining + of the heat and their hunger, and agreeing that the affair had not been a + particularly interesting one. Yet, all was well that ended well. As + Fonsègue remarked, the condemnation of Salvat to death was a political and + social necessity. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre and Guillaume reached the Pont Neuf, the latter for a moment + rested his elbows on the parapet of the bridge. His brother, standing + beside him, also gazed at the grey waters of the Seine, which here and + there were fired by the reflections of the gas lamps. A fresh breeze + ascended from the river; it was the delightful hour when night steals + gently over resting Paris. Then, as the brothers stood there breathing + that atmosphere which usually brings relief and comfort, Pierre on his + side again became conscious of his heart-wound, and remembered his promise + to return to Montmartre, a promise that he must keep in spite of the + torture there awaiting him; whilst Guillaume on the other hand experienced + a revival of the suspicion and disquietude that had come to him on seeing + Marie so feverish, changed as it were by some new feeling, of which she + herself was ignorant. Were further sufferings, struggles, and obstacles to + happiness yet in store for those brothers who loved one another so dearly? + At all events their hearts bled once more with all the sorrow into which + they had been cast by the scene they had just witnessed: that assize of + justice at which a wretched man had been condemned to pay with his head + for the crimes of one and all. + </p> + <p> + Then, as they turned along the quay, Guillaume recognised young Victor + going off alone in the gloom, just in front of them. The chemist stopped + him and spoke to him of his mother. But the young man did not hear; his + thin lips parted, and in a voice as trenchant as a knife-thrust he + exclaimed: “Ah! so it’s blood they want. Well, they may cut off his head, + but he will be avenged!” + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap61"></a> + V. SACRIFICE + </h2> + <p> + THE days which followed Salvat’s trial seemed gloomy ones up yonder in + Guillaume’s workroom, which was usually so bright and gay. Sadness and + silence filled the place. The three young men were no longer there. Thomas + betook himself to the Grandidier works early every morning in order to + perfect his little motor; François was so busy preparing for his + examination that he scarcely left the École Normale; while Antoine was + doing some work at Jahan’s, where he delighted to linger and watch his + little friend Lise awakening to life. Thus Guillaume’s sole companion was + Mère-Grand, who sat near the window busy with her needlework; for Marie + was ever going about the house, and only stayed in the workroom for any + length of time when Pierre happened to be there. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume’s gloom was generally attributed to the feelings of anger and + revolt into which the condemnation of Salvat had thrown him. He had flown + into a passion on his return from the Palace of Justice, declaring that + the execution of the unhappy man would simply be social murder, deliberate + provocation of class warfare. And the others had bowed on hearing that + pain-fraught violent cry, without attempting to discuss the point. + Guillaume’s sons respectfully left him to the thoughts which kept him + silent for hours, with his face pale and a dreamy expression in his eyes. + His chemical furnace remained unlighted, and his only occupation from morn + till night was to examine the plans and documents connected with his + invention, that new explosive and that terrible engine of war, which he + had so long dreamt of presenting to France in order that she might impose + the reign of truth and justice upon all the nations. However, during the + long hours which he spent before the papers scattered over his table, + often without seeing them, for his eyes wandered far away, a multitude of + vague thoughts came to him—doubts respecting the wisdom of his + project, and fears lest his desire to pacify the nations should simply + throw them into an endless war of extermination. Although he really + believed that great city of Paris to be the world’s brain, entrusted with + the task of preparing the future, he could not disguise from himself that + with all its folly and shame and injustice it still presented a shocking + spectacle. Was it really ripe enough for the work of human salvation which + he thought of entrusting to it? Then, on trying to re-peruse his notes and + verify his formulas, he only recovered his former energetic determination + on thinking of his marriage, whereupon the idea came to him that it was + now too late for him to upset his life by changing such long-settled + plans. + </p> + <p> + His marriage! Was it not the thought of this which haunted Guillaume and + disturbed him far more powerfully than his scientific work or his + humanitarian passion? Beneath all the worries that he acknowledged, there + was another which he did not confess even to himself, and which filled him + with anguish. He repeated day by day that he would reveal his invention to + the Minister of War as soon as he should be married to Marie, whom he + wished to associate with his glory. Married to Marie! Each time he thought + of it, burning fever and secret disquietude came over him. If he now + remained so silent and had lost his quiet cheerfulness, it was because he + had felt new life, as it were, emanating from her. She was certainly no + longer the same woman as formerly; she was becoming more and more changed + and distant. He had watched her and Pierre when the latter happened to be + there, which was now but seldom. He, too, appeared embarrassed, and + different from what he had been. On the days when he came, however, Marie + seemed transformed; it was as if new life animated the house. Certainly + the intercourse between her and Pierre was quite innocent, sisterly on the + one hand, brotherly on the other. They simply seemed to be a pair of good + friends. And yet a radiance, a vibration, emanated from them, something + more subtle even than a sun-ray or a perfume. After the lapse of a few + days Guillaume found himself unable to doubt the truth any longer. And his + heart bled, he was utterly upset by it. He had not found them in fault in + any way, but he was convinced that these two children, as he so paternally + called them, really adored one another. + </p> + <p> + One lovely morning when he happened to be alone with Mère-Grand, face to + face with sunlit Paris, he fell into a yet more dolorous reverie than + usual. He seemed to be gazing fixedly at the old lady, as, seated in her + usual place, she continued sewing with an air of queenly serenity. + Perhaps, however, he did not see her. For her part she occasionally raised + her eyes and glanced at him, as if expecting a confession which did not + come. At last, finding such silence unbearable, she made up her mind to + address him: “What has been the matter with you, Guillaume, for some time + past? Why don’t you tell me what you have to tell me?” + </p> + <p> + He descended from the clouds, as it were, and answered in astonishment: + “What I have to tell you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know it as well as you do, and I thought you would speak to me of + it, since it pleases you to do nothing here without consulting me.” + </p> + <p> + At this he turned very pale and shuddered. So he had not been mistaken in + the matter, even Mère-Grand knew all about it. To talk of it, however, was + to give shape to his suspicions, to transform what, hitherto, might merely + have been a fancy on his part into something real and definite. + </p> + <p> + “It was inevitable, my dear son,” said Mère-Grand. “I foresaw it from the + outset. And if I did not warn you of it, it was because I believed in some + deep design on your part. Since I have seen you suffering, however, I have + realised that I was mistaken.” Then, as he still looked at her quivering + and distracted, she continued: “Yes, I fancied that you might have wished + it, that in bringing your brother here you wished to know if Marie loved + you otherwise than as a father. There was good reason for testing her—for + instance, the great difference between your ages, for your life is drawing + to a close, whilst hers is only beginning. And I need not mention the + question of your work, the mission which I have always dreamt of for you.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, with his hands raised in prayerful fashion, Guillaume drew near + to the old lady and exclaimed: “Oh! speak out clearly, tell me what you + think. I don’t understand, my poor heart is so lacerated; and yet I should + so much like to know everything, so as to be able to act and take a + decision. To think that you whom I love, you whom I venerate as much as if + you were my real mother, you whose profound good sense I know so well that + I have always followed your advice—to think that you should have + foreseen this frightful thing and have allowed it to happen at the risk of + its killing me!... Why have you done so, tell me, why?” + </p> + <p> + Mère-Grand was not fond of talking. Absolute mistress of the house as she + was, managing everything, accountable to nobody for her actions, she never + gave expression to all that she thought or all that she desired. Indeed, + there was no occasion for it, as Guillaume, like the children, relied upon + her completely, with full confidence in her wisdom. And her somewhat + enigmatical ways even helped to raise her in their estimation. + </p> + <p> + “What is the use of words, when things themselves speak?” she now gently + answered, while still plying her needle. “It is quite true that I approved + of the plan of a marriage between you and Marie, for I saw that it was + necessary that she should be married if she was to stay here. And then, + too, there were many other reasons which I needn’t speak of. However, + Pierre’s arrival here has changed everything, and placed things in their + natural order. Is not that preferable?” + </p> + <p> + He still lacked the courage to understand her. “Preferable! When I’m in + agony? When my life is wrecked?” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon she rose and came to him, tall and rigid in her thin black gown, + and with an expression of austerity and energy on her pale face. “My son,” + she said, “you know that I love you, and that I wish you to be very noble + and lofty. Only the other morning, you had an attack of fright, the house + narrowly escaped being blown up. Then, for some days now you have been + sitting over those documents and plans in an absent-minded, distracted + state, like a man who feels weak, and doubts, and no longer knows his way. + Believe me, you are following a dangerous path; it is better that Pierre + should marry Marie, both for their sakes and for your own.” + </p> + <p> + “For my sake? No, no! What will become of me!” + </p> + <p> + “You will calm yourself and reflect, my son. You have such serious duties + before you. You are on the eve of making your invention known. It seems to + me that something has bedimmed your sight, and that you will perhaps act + wrongly in this respect, through failing to take due account of the + problem before you. Perhaps there is something better to be done.... At + all events, suffer if it be necessary, but remain faithful to your ideal.” + </p> + <p> + Then, quitting him with a maternal smile, she sought to soften her + somewhat stern words by adding: “You have compelled me to speak + unnecessarily, for I am quite at ease; with your superior mind, whatever + be in question, you can but do the one right thing that none other would + do.” + </p> + <p> + On finding himself alone Guillaume fell into feverish uncertainty. What + was the meaning of Mère-Grand’s enigmatical words? He knew that she was on + the side of whatever might be good, natural, and necessary. But she seemed + to be urging him to some lofty heroism; and indeed what she had said threw + a ray of light upon the unrest which had come to him in connection with + his old plan of going to confide his secret to some Minister of War or + other, whatever one might happen to be in office at the time. Growing + hesitation and repugnance stirred him as he fancied he could again hear + her saying that perhaps there might be some better course, that would + require search and reflection. But all at once a vision of Marie rose + before him, and his heart was rent by the thought that he was asked to + renounce her. To lose her, to give her to another! No, no, that was beyond + his strength. He would never have the frightful courage that was needed to + pass by the last promised raptures of love with disdain! + </p> + <p> + For a couple of days Guillaume struggled on. He seemed to be again living + the six years which the young woman had already spent beside him in that + happy little house. She had been at first like an adopted daughter there; + and later on, when the idea of their marriage had sprung up, he had viewed + it with quiet delight in the hope that it would ensure the happiness of + all around him. If he had previously abstained from marrying again it was + from the fear of placing a strange mother over his children; and if he + yielded to the charm of loving yet once more, and no longer leading a + solitary life, it was because he had found at his very hearth one of such + sensible views, who, in the flower of youth, was willing to become his + wife despite the difference in their ages. Then months had gone by, and + serious occurrences had compelled them to postpone the wedding, though + without undue suffering on his part. Indeed, the certainty that she was + waiting for him had sufficed him, for his life of hard work had rendered + him patient. Now, however, all at once, at the threat of losing her, his + hitherto tranquil heart ached and bled. He would never have thought the + tie so close a one. But he was now almost fifty, and it was as if love and + woman were being wrenched away from him, the last woman that he could love + and desire, one too who was the more desirable, as she was the incarnation + of youth from which he must ever be severed, should he indeed lose her. + Passionate desire, mingled with rage, flared up within him at the thought + that someone should have come to take her from him. + </p> + <p> + One night, alone in his room, he suffered perfect martyrdom. In order that + he might not rouse the house he buried his face in his pillow so as to + stifle his sobs. After all, it was a simple matter; Marie had given him + her promise, and he would compel her to keep it. She would be his, and his + alone, and none would be able to steal her from him. Then, however, there + rose before him a vision of his brother, the long-forgotten one, whom, + from feelings of affection, he had compelled to join his family. But his + sufferings were now so acute that he would have driven that brother away + had he been before him. He was enraged, maddened, by the thought of him. + His brother—his little brother! So all their love was over; hatred + and violence were about to poison their lives. For hours Guillaume + continued complaining deliriously, and seeking how he might so rid himself + of Pierre that what had happened should be blotted out. Now and again, + when he recovered self-control, he marvelled at the tempest within him; + for was he not a <i>savant</i> guided by lofty reason, a toiler to whom + long experience had brought serenity? But the truth was that this tempest + had not sprung up in his mind, it was raging in the child-like soul that + he had retained, the nook of affection and dreaminess which remained + within him side by side with his principles of pitiless logic and his + belief in proven phenomena only. His very genius came from the duality of + his nature: behind the chemist was a social dreamer, hungering for justice + and capable of the greatest love. And now passion was transporting him, + and he was weeping for the loss of Marie as he would have wept over the + downfall of that dream of his, the destruction of war <i>by</i> war, that + scheme for the salvation of mankind at which he had been working for ten + years past. + </p> + <p> + At last, amidst his weariness, a sudden resolution calmed him. He began to + feel ashamed of despairing in this wise when he had no certain grounds to + go upon. He must know everything, he would question the young woman; she + was loyal enough to answer him frankly. Was not this a solution worthy of + them both? An explanation in all sincerity, after which they would be able + to take a decision. Then he fell asleep; and, tired though he felt when he + rose in the morning, he was calmer. It was as if some secret work had gone + on in his heart during his few hours of repose after that terrible storm. + </p> + <p> + As it happened Marie was very gay that morning. On the previous day she + had gone with Pierre and Antoine on a cycling excursion over frightful + roads in the direction of Montmorency, whence they had returned in a state + of mingled anger and delight. When Guillaume stopped her in the little + garden, he found her humming a song while returning bare-armed from the + scullery, where some washing was going on. + </p> + <p> + “Do you want to speak to me?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my dear child, it’s necessary for us to talk of some serious + matters.” + </p> + <p> + She at once understood that their marriage was in question, and became + grave. She had formerly consented to that marriage because she regarded it + as the only sensible course she could take, and this with full knowledge + of the duties which she would assume. No doubt her husband would be some + twenty years older than herself, but this circumstance was one of somewhat + frequent occurrence, and as a rule such marriages turned out well, rather + than otherwise. Moreover, she was in love with nobody, and was free to + consent. And she had consented with an impulse of gratitude and affection + which seemed so sweet that she thought it the sweetness of love itself. + Everybody around her, too, appeared so pleased at the prospect of this + marriage, which would draw the family yet more closely together. And, on + her side, she had been as it were intoxicated by the idea of making others + happy. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter?” she now asked Guillaume in a somewhat anxious voice. + “No bad news, I hope?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” he answered. “I’ve simply something to say to you.” + </p> + <p> + Then he led her under the plum-trees to the only green nook left in the + garden. An old worm-eaten bench still stood there against the + lilac-bushes. And in front of them Paris spread out its sea of roofs, + looking light and fresh in the morning sunlight. + </p> + <p> + They both sat down. But at the moment of speaking and questioning Marie, + Guillaume experienced sudden embarrassment, while his heart beat violently + at seeing her beside him, so young and adorable with her bare arms. + </p> + <p> + “Our wedding-day is drawing near,” he ended by saying. And then as she + turned somewhat pale, perhaps unconsciously, he himself suddenly felt + cold. Had not her lips twitched as if with pain? Had not a shadow passed + over her fresh, clear eyes? + </p> + <p> + “Oh! we still have some time before us,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + Then, slowly and very affectionately, he resumed: “No doubt; still it is + necessary to attend to the formalities. And it is as well, perhaps, that I + should speak of those worries to-day, so that I may not have to bother you + about them again.” + </p> + <p> + Then he gently went on telling her all that would have to be done, keeping + his eyes on her whilst he spoke, watching for such signs of emotion as the + thought of her promise’s early fulfilment might bring to her face. She sat + there in silence, with her hands on her lap, and her features quite still, + thus giving no certain sign of any regret or trouble. Still she seemed + rather dejected, compliant, as it were, but in no wise joyous. + </p> + <p> + “You say nothing, my dear Marie,” Guillaume at last exclaimed. “Does + anything of all this displease you?” + </p> + <p> + “Displease me? Oh, no!” + </p> + <p> + “You must speak out frankly, if it does, you know. We will wait a little + longer if you have any personal reasons for wishing to postpone the date + again.” + </p> + <p> + “But I’ve no reasons, my friend. What reasons could I have? I leave you + quite free to settle everything as you yourself may desire.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. While answering, she had looked him frankly in the face; but + a little quiver stirred her lips, and gloom, for which she could not + account, seemed to rise and darken her face, usually as bright and gay as + spring water. In former times would she not have laughed and sung at the + mere announcement of that coming wedding? + </p> + <p> + Then Guillaume, with an effort which made his voice tremble, dared to + speak out: “You must forgive me for asking you a question, my dear Marie. + There is still time for you to cancel your promise. Are you quite certain + that you love me?” + </p> + <p> + At this she looked at him in genuine stupefaction, utterly failing to + understand what he could be aiming at. And—as she seemed to be + deferring her reply, he added: “Consult your heart. Is it really your old + friend or is it another that you love?” + </p> + <p> + “I? I, Guillaume? Why do you say that to me? What can I have done to give + you occasion to say such a thing!” + </p> + <p> + All her frank nature revolted as she spoke, and her beautiful eyes, + glowing with sincerity, gazed fixedly on his. + </p> + <p> + “I love Pierre! I do, I?... Well, yes, I love him, as I love you all; I + love him because he has become one of us, because he shares our life and + our joys! I’m happy when he’s here, certainly; and I should like him to be + always here. I’m always pleased to see him and hear him and go out with + him. I was very much grieved recently when he seemed to be relapsing into + his gloomy ideas. But all that is natural, is it not? And I think that I + have only done what you desired I should do, and I cannot understand how + my affection for Pierre can in any way exercise an influence respecting + our marriage.” + </p> + <p> + These words, in her estimation, ought to have convinced Guillaume that she + was not in love with his brother; but in lieu thereof they brought him + painful enlightenment by the very ardour with which she denied the love + imputed to her. + </p> + <p> + “But you unfortunate girl!” he cried. “You are betraying yourself without + knowing it.... It is quite certain you do not love me, you love my + brother!” + </p> + <p> + He had caught hold of her wrists and was pressing them with despairing + affection as if to compel her to read her heart. And she continued + struggling. A most loving and tragic contest went on between them, he + seeking to convince her by the evidence of facts, and she resisting him, + stubbornly refusing to open her eyes. In vain did he recount what had + happened since the first day, explaining the feelings which had followed + one upon another in her heart and mind: first covert hostility, next + curiosity regarding that extraordinary young priest, and then sympathy and + affection when she had found him so wretched and had gradually cured him + of his sufferings. They were both young and mother Nature had done the + rest. However, at each fresh proof and certainty which he put before her, + Marie only experienced growing emotion, trembling at last from head to + foot, but still unwilling to question herself. + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” said she, “I do not love him. If I loved him I should know it + and would acknowledge it to you; for you are well aware that I cannot tell + an untruth.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, however, had the cruelty to insist on the point, like some + heroic surgeon cutting into his own flesh even more than into that of + others, in order that the truth might appear and everyone be saved. + “Marie,” said he, “it is not I whom you love. All that you feel for me is + respect and gratitude and daughterly affection. Remember what your + feelings were at the time when our marriage was decided upon. You were + then in love with nobody, and you accepted the offer like a sensible girl, + feeling certain that I should render you happy, and that the union was a + right and satisfactory one.... But since then my brother has come here; + love has sprung up in your heart in quite a natural way; and it is Pierre, + Pierre alone, whom you love as a lover and a husband should be loved.” + </p> + <p> + Exhausted though she was, utterly distracted, too, by the light which, + despite herself, was dawning within her, Marie still stubbornly and + desperately protested. + </p> + <p> + “But why do you struggle like this against the truth, my child?” said + Guillaume; “I do not reproach you. It was I who chose that this should + happen, like the old madman I am. What was bound to come has come, and + doubtless it is for the best. I only wanted to learn the truth from you in + order that I might take a decision and act uprightly.” + </p> + <p> + These words vanquished her, and her tears gushed forth. It seemed as + though something had been rent asunder within her; and she felt quite + overcome, as if by the weight of a new truth of which she had hitherto + been ignorant. “Ah! it was cruel of you,” she said, “to do me such + violence so as to make me read my heart. I swear to you again that I did + not know I loved Pierre in the way you say. But you have opened my heart, + and roused what was quietly slumbering in it.... And it is true, I do love + Pierre, I love him now as you have said. And so here we are, all three of + us supremely wretched through your doing!” + </p> + <p> + She sobbed, and with a sudden feeling of modesty freed her wrists from his + grasp. He noticed, however, that no blush rose to her face. Truth to tell, + her virginal loyalty was not in question; she had no cause to reproach + herself with any betrayal; it was he alone, perforce, who had awakened her + to love. For a moment they looked at one another through their tears: she + so strong and healthy, her bosom heaving at each heart-beat, and her white + arms—arms that could both charm and sustain—bare almost to her + shoulders; and he still vigorous, with his thick fleece of white hair and + his black moustaches, which gave his countenance such an expression of + energetic youth. But it was all over, the irreparable had swept by, and + utterly changed their lives. + </p> + <p> + “Marie,” he nobly said, “you do not love me, I give you back your + promise.” + </p> + <p> + But with equal nobility she refused to take it back. “Never will I do so,” + she replied. “I gave it to you frankly, freely and joyfully, and my + affection and admiration for you have never changed.” + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, with more firmness in his hitherto broken voice, Guillaume + retorted: “You love Pierre, and it is Pierre whom you ought to marry.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she again insisted, “I belong to you. A tie which years have + tightened cannot be undone in an hour. Once again, if I love Pierre I + swear to you that I was ignorant of it this morning. And let us leave the + matter as it is; do not torture me any more, it would be too cruel of + you.” + </p> + <p> + Then, quivering like a woman who suddenly perceives that she is bare, in a + stranger’s presence, she hastily pulled down her sleeves, and even drew + them over her hands as if to leave naught of her person visible. And + afterwards she rose and walked away without adding a single word. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume remained alone on the bench in that leafy corner, in front of + Paris, to which the light morning sunshine lent the aspect of some + quivering, soaring city of dreamland. A great weight oppressed him, and it + seemed to him as if he would never be able to rise from the seat. That + which brought him most suffering was Marie’s assurance that she had till + that morning been ignorant of the fact that she was in love with Pierre. + She had been ignorant of it, and it was he, Guillaume, who had brought it + to her knowledge, compelled her to confess it! He had now firmly planted + it in her heart, and perhaps increased it by revealing it to her. Ah! how + cruel the thought—to be the artisan of one’s own torment! Of one + thing he was now quite certain: there would be no more love in his life. + At the idea of this, his poor, loving heart sank and bled. And yet amidst + the disaster, amidst his grief at realising that he was an old man, and + that renunciation was imperative, he experienced a bitter joy at having + brought the truth to light. This was very harsh consolation, fit only for + one of heroic soul, yet he found lofty satisfaction in it, and from that + moment the thought of sacrifice imposed itself upon him with extraordinary + force. He must marry his children; there lay the path of duty, the only + wise and just course, the only certain means of ensuring the happiness of + the household. And when his revolting heart yet leapt and shrieked with + anguish, he carried his vigorous hands to his chest in order to still it. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow came the supreme explanation between Guillaume and Pierre, + not in the little garden, however, but in the spacious workroom. And here + again one beheld the vast panorama of Paris, a nation as it were at work, + a huge vat in which the wine of the future was fermenting. Guillaume had + arranged things so that he might be alone with his brother; and no sooner + had the latter entered than he attacked him, going straight to the point + without any of the precautions which he had previously taken with Marie. + </p> + <p> + “Haven’t you something to say to me, Pierre?” he inquired. “Why won’t you + confide in me?” + </p> + <p> + The other immediately understood him, and began to tremble, unable to find + a word, but confessing everything by the distracted, entreating expression + of his face. + </p> + <p> + “You love Marie,” continued Guillaume, “why did you not loyally come and + tell me of your love?” + </p> + <p> + At this Pierre recovered self-possession and defended himself vehemently: + “I love Marie, it’s true, and I felt that I could not conceal it, that you + yourself would notice it at last. But there was no occasion for me to tell + you of it, for I was sure of myself, and would have fled rather than have + allowed a single word to cross my lips. I suffered in silence and alone, + and you cannot know how great my torture was! It is even cruel on your + part to speak to me of it; for now I am absolutely compelled to leave + you.... I have already, on several occasions, thought of doing so. If I + have come back here, it was doubtless through weakness, but also on + account of my affection for you all. And what mattered my presence here? + Marie ran no risk. She does not love me.” + </p> + <p> + “She does love you!” Guillaume answered. “I questioned her yesterday, and + she had to confess that she loved you.” + </p> + <p> + At this Pierre, utterly distracted, caught Guillaume by the shoulders and + gazed into his eyes. “Oh! brother, brother! what is this you say? Why say + a thing which would mean terrible misfortune for us all? Even if it were + true, my grief would far exceed my joy, for I will not have you suffer. + Marie belongs to you. To me she is as sacred as a sister. And if there be + only my madness to part you, it will pass by, I shall know how to conquer + it.” + </p> + <p> + “Marie loves you,” repeated Guillaume in his gentle, obstinate way. “I + don’t reproach you with anything. I well know that you have struggled, and + have never betrayed yourself to her either by word or glance. Yesterday + she herself was still ignorant that she loved you, and I had to open her + eyes.... What would you have? I simply state a fact: she loves you.” + </p> + <p> + This time Pierre, still quivering, made a gesture of mingled rapture and + terror, as if some divine and long-desired blessing were falling upon him + from heaven and crushing him beneath its weight. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then,” he said, after a brief pause, “it is all over.... Let us + kiss one another for the last time, and then I’ll go.” + </p> + <p> + “Go? Why? You must stay with us. Nothing could be more simple: you love + Marie and she loves you. I give her to you.” + </p> + <p> + A loud cry came from Pierre, who wildly raised his hands again with a + gesture of fright and rapture. “You give me Marie?” he replied. “You, who + adore her, who have been waiting for her for months? No, no, it would + overcome me, it would terrify me, as if you gave me your very heart after + tearing it from your breast. No, no! I will not accept your sacrifice!” + </p> + <p> + “But as it is only gratitude and affection that Marie feels for me,” said + Guillaume, “as it is you whom she really loves, am I to take a mean + advantage of the engagements which she entered into unconsciously, and + force her to a marriage when I know that she would never be wholly mine? + Besides, I have made a mistake, it isn’t I who give her to you, she has + already given herself, and I do not consider that I have any right to + prevent her from doing so.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no! I will never accept, I will never bring such grief upon you... + Kiss me, brother, and let me go.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Guillaume caught hold of Pierre and compelled him to sit down by + his side on an old sofa near the window. And he began to scold him almost + angrily while still retaining a smile, in which suffering and kindliness + were blended. “Come,” said he, “we are surely not going to fight over it. + You won’t force me to tie you up so as to keep you here? I know what I’m + about. I thought it all over before I spoke to you. No doubt, I can’t tell + you that it gladdens me. I thought at first that I was going to die; I + should have liked to hide myself in the very depths of the earth. And + then, well, it was necessary to be reasonable, and I understood that + things had arranged themselves for the best, in their natural order.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, unable to resist any further, had begun to weep with both hands + raised to his face. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t grieve, brother, either for yourself or for me,” said Guillaume. + “Do you remember the happy days we lately spent together at Neuilly after + we had found one another again? All our old affection revived within us, + and we remained for hours, hand in hand, recalling the past and loving one + another. And what a terrible confession you made to me one night, the + confession of your loss of faith, your torture, the void in which you were + rolling! When I heard of it my one great wish was to cure you. I advised + you to work, love, and believe in life, convinced as I was that life alone + could restore you to peace and health.... And for that reason I afterwards + brought you here. You fought against it, and it was I who forced you to + come. I was so happy when I found that you again took an interest in life, + and had once more become a man and a worker! I would have given some of my + blood if necessary to complete your cure.... Well, it’s done now, I have + given you all I had, since Marie herself has become necessary to you, and + she alone can save you.” + </p> + <p> + Then as Pierre again attempted to protest, he resumed: “Don’t deny it. It + is so true indeed, that if she does not complete the work I have begun, + all my efforts will have been vain, you will fall back into your misery + and negation, into all the torments of a spoilt life. She is necessary to + you, I say. And do you think that I no longer know how to love you? Would + you have me refuse you the very breath of life that will truly make you a + man, after all my fervent wishes for your return to life? I have enough + affection for you both to consent to your loving one another.... Besides, + I repeat it, nature knows what she does. Instinct is a sure guide, it + always tends to what is useful and trite. I should have been a sorry + husband, and it is best that I should keep to my work as an old <i>savant</i>; + whereas you are young and represent the future, all fruitful and happy + life.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre shuddered as he heard this, for his old fears returned to him. Had + not the priesthood for ever cut him off from life, had not his long years + of chaste celibacy robbed him of his manhood? “Fruitful and happy life!” + he muttered, “ah! if you only knew how distressed I feel at the idea that + I do not perhaps deserve the gift you so lovingly offer me! You are worth + more than I am; you would have given her a larger heart, a firmer brain, + and perhaps, too, you are really a younger man than myself.... There is + still time, brother, keep her, if with you she is likely to be happier and + more truly and completely loved. For my part I am full of doubts. Her + happiness is the only thing of consequence. Let her belong to the one who + will love her best!” + </p> + <p> + Indescribable emotion had now come over both men. As Guillaume heard his + brother’s broken words, the cry of a love that trembled at the thought of + possible weakness, he did for a moment waver. With a dreadful heart-pang + he stammered despairingly: “Ah! Marie, whom I love so much! Marie, whom I + would have rendered so happy!” + </p> + <p> + At this Pierre could not restrain himself; he rose and cried: “Ah! you see + that you love her still and cannot renounce her.... So let me go! let me + go!” + </p> + <p> + But Guillaume had already caught him around the body, clasping him with an + intensity of brotherly love which was increased by the renunciation he was + resolved upon: “Stay!” said he. “It wasn’t I that spoke, it was the other + man that was in me, he who is about to die, who is already dead! By the + memory of our mother and our father I swear to you that the sacrifice is + consummated, and that if you two refuse to accept happiness from me you + will but make me suffer.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment the weeping men remained in one another’s arms. They had + often embraced before, but never had their hearts met and mingled as they + did now. It was a delightful moment, which seemed an eternity. All the + grief and misery of the world had disappeared from before them; there + remained naught save their glowing love, whence sprang an eternity of love + even as light comes from the sun. And that moment was compensation for all + their past and future tears, whilst yonder, on the horizon before them, + Paris still spread and rumbled, ever preparing the unknown future. + </p> + <p> + Just then Marie herself came in. And the rest proved very simple. + Guillaume freed himself from his brother’s clasp, led him forward and + compelled him and Marie to take each other by the hand. At first she made + yet another gesture of refusal in her stubborn resolve that she would not + take her promise back. But what could she say face to face with those two + tearful men, whom she had found in one another’s arms, mingling together + in such close brotherliness? Did not those tears and that embrace sweep + away all ordinary reasons, all such arguments as she held in reserve? Even + the embarrassment of the situation disappeared, it seemed as if she had + already had a long explanation with Pierre, and that he and she were of + one mind to accept that gift of love which Guillaume offered them with so + much heroism. A gust of the sublime passed through the room, and nothing + could have appeared more natural to them than this extraordinary scene. + Nevertheless, Marie remained silent, she dared not give her answer, but + looked at them both with her big soft eyes, which, like their own, were + full of tears. + </p> + <p> + And it was Guillaume who, with sudden inspiration, ran to the little + staircase conducting to the rooms overhead, and called: “Mère-Grand! + Mère-Grand! Come down at once, you are wanted.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as soon as she was there, looking slim and pale in her black gown, + and showing the wise air of a queen-mother whom all obeyed, he said: “Tell + these two children that they can do nothing better than marry one another. + Tell them that we have talked it over, you and I, and that it is your + desire, your will that they should do so.” + </p> + <p> + She quietly nodded her assent, and then said: “That is true, it will be by + far the most sensible course.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Marie flung herself into her arms, consenting, yielding to the + superior forces, the powers of life, that had thus changed the course of + her existence. Guillaume immediately desired that the date of the wedding + should be fixed, and accommodation provided for the young couple in the + rooms overhead. And as Pierre glanced at him with some remaining anxiety + and spoke of travelling, for he feared that his wound was not yet healed, + and that their presence might bring him suffering, Guillaume responded: + “No, no, I mean to keep you. If I’m marrying you, it is to have you both + here. Don’t worry about me. I have so much work to do, I shall work.” + </p> + <p> + In the evening when Thomas and François came home and learnt the news, + they did not seem particularly surprised by it. They had doubtless felt + that things would end like this. And they bowed to the <i>dénouement</i>, + not venturing to say a word, since it was their father himself who + announced the decision which had been taken, with his usual air of + composure. As for Antoine, who on his own side quivered with love for + Lise, he gazed with doubting, anxious eyes at his father, who had thus had + the courage to pluck out his heart. Could he really survive such a + sacrifice, must it not kill him? Then Antoine kissed his father + passionately, and the elder brothers in their turn embraced him with all + their hearts. Guillaume smiled and his eyes became moist. After his + victory over his horrible torments nothing could have been sweeter to him + than the embraces of his three big sons. + </p> + <p> + There was, however, further emotion in store for him that evening. Just as + the daylight was departing, and he was sitting at his large table near the + window, again checking and classifying the documents and plans connected + with his invention, he was surprised to see his old master and friend + Bertheroy enter the workroom. The illustrious chemist called on him in + this fashion at long intervals, and Guillaume felt the honour thus + conferred on him by this old man to whom eminence and fame had brought so + many titles, offices and decorations. Moreover, Bertheroy, with his + position as an official <i>savant</i> and member of the Institute, showed + some courage in thus venturing to call on one whom so-called respectable + folks regarded with contumely. And on this occasion, Guillaume at once + understood that it was some feeling of curiosity that had brought him. And + so he was greatly embarrassed, for he hardly dared to remove the papers + and plans which were lying on the table. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, don’t be frightened,” gaily exclaimed Bertheroy, who, despite his + careless and abrupt ways, was really very shrewd. “I haven’t come to pry + into your secrets.... Leave your papers there, I promise you that I won’t + read anything.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in all frankness, he turned the conversation on the subject of + explosives, which he was still studying, he said, with passionate + interest. He had made some new discoveries which he did not conceal. + Incidentally, too, he spoke of the opinion he had given in Salvat’s + affair. His dream was to discover some explosive of great power, which one + might attempt to domesticate and reduce to complete obedience. And with a + smile he pointedly concluded: “I don’t know where that madman found the + formula of his powder. But if you should ever discover it, remember that + the future perhaps lies in the employment of explosives as motive power.” + </p> + <p> + Then, all at once, he added: “By the way, that fellow Salvat will be + executed on the day after to-morrow. A friend of mine at the Ministry of + Justice has just told me so.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume had hitherto listened to him with an air of mingled distrust and + amusement. But this announcement of Salvat’s execution stirred him to + anger and revolt, though for some days past he had known it to be + inevitable, in spite of the sympathy which the condemned man was now + rousing in many quarters. + </p> + <p> + “It will be a murder!” he cried vehemently. + </p> + <p> + Bertheroy waved his hand: “What would you have?” he answered: “there’s a + social system and it defends itself when it is attacked. Besides, those + Anarchists are really too foolish in imagining that they will transform + the world with their squibs and crackers! In my opinion, you know, science + is the only revolutionist. Science will not only bring us truth but + justice also, if indeed justice ever be possible on this earth. And that + is why I lead so calm a life and am so tolerant.” + </p> + <p> + Once again Bertheroy appeared to Guillaume as a revolutionist, one who was + convinced that he helped on the ruin of the ancient abominable society of + today, with its dogmas and laws, even whilst he was working in the depths + of his laboratory. He was, however, too desirous of repose, and had too + great a contempt for futilities to mingle with the events of the day, and + he preferred to live in quietude, liberally paid and rewarded, and at + peace with the government whatever it might be, whilst at the same time + foreseeing and preparing for the formidable parturition of the future. + </p> + <p> + He waved his hand towards Paris, over which a sun of victory was setting, + and then again spoke: “Do you hear the rumble? It is we who are the + stokers, we who are ever flinging fresh fuel under the boiler. Science + does not pause in her work for a single hour, and she is the artisan of + Paris, which—let us hope it—will be the artisan of the future. + All the rest is of no account.” + </p> + <p> + But Guillaume was no longer listening to him. He was thinking of Salvat + and the terrible engine of war he had invented, that engine which before + long would shatter cities. And a new idea was dawning and growing in his + mind. He had just freed himself of his last tie, he had created all the + happiness he could create around him. Ah! to recover his courage, to be + master of himself once more, and, at any rate, derive from the sacrifice + of his heart the lofty delight of being free, of being able to lay down + even his life, should he some day deem it necessary! + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="vol15"></a> + BOOK V. + </h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap62"></a> + I. THE GUILLOTINE + </h2> + <p> + FOR some reason of his own Guillaume was bent upon witnessing the + execution of Salvat. Pierre tried to dissuade him from doing so; and + finding his efforts vain, became somewhat anxious. He accordingly resolved + to spend the night at Montmartre, accompany his brother and watch over + him. In former times, when engaged with Abbé Rose in charitable work in + the Charonne district, he had learnt that the guillotine could be seen + from the house where Mège, the Socialist deputy, resided at the corner of + the Rue Merlin. He therefore offered himself as a guide. As the execution + was to take place as soon as it should legally be daybreak, that is, about + half-past four o’clock, the brothers did not go to bed but sat up in the + workroom, feeling somewhat drowsy, and exchanging few words. Then as soon + as two o’clock struck, they started off. + </p> + <p> + The night was beautifully serene and clear. The full moon, shining like a + silver lamp in the cloudless, far-stretching heavens, threw a calm, dreamy + light over the vague immensity of Paris, which was like some spell-bound + city of sleep, so overcome by fatigue that not a murmur arose from it. It + was as if beneath the soft radiance which spread over its roofs, its + panting labour and its cries of suffering were lulled to repose until the + dawn. Yet, in a far, out of the way district, dark work was even now + progressing, a knife was being raised on high in order that a man might be + killed. + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Guillaume paused in the Rue St. Eleuthère, and gazed at the + vaporous, tremulous city spread out below then. And as they turned they + perceived the basilica of the Sacred Heart, still domeless but already + looking huge indeed in the moonbeams, whose clear white light accentuated + its outlines and brought them into sharp relief against a mass of shadows. + Under the pale nocturnal sky, the edifice showed like a colossal monster, + symbolical of provocation and sovereign dominion. Never before had + Guillaume found it so huge, never had it appeared to him to dominate + Paris, even in the latter’s hours of slumber, with such stubborn and + overwhelming might. + </p> + <p> + This wounded him so keenly in the state of mind in which he found himself, + that he could not help exclaiming: “Ah! they chose a good site for it, and + how stupid it was to let them do so! I know of nothing more nonsensical; + Paris crowned and dominated by that temple of idolatry! How impudent it + is, what a buffet for the cause of reason after so many centuries of + science, labour, and battle! And to think of it being reared over Paris, + the one city in the world which ought never to have been soiled in this + fashion! One can understand it at Lourdes and Rome; but not in Paris, in + the very field of intelligence which has been so deeply ploughed, and + whence the future is sprouting. It is a declaration of war, an insolent + proclamation that they hope to conquer Paris also!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume usually evinced all the tolerance of a <i>savant</i>, for whom + religions are simply social phenomena. He even willingly admitted the + grandeur or grace of certain Catholic legends. But Marie Alacoque’s famous + vision, which has given rise to the cult of the Sacred Heart, filled him + with irritation and something like physical disgust. He suffered at the + mere idea of Christ’s open, bleeding breast, and the gigantic heart which + the saint asserted she had seen beating in the depths of the wound—the + huge heart in which Jesus placed the woman’s little heart to restore it to + her inflated and glowing with love. What base and loathsome materialism + there was in all this! What a display of viscera, muscles and blood + suggestive of a butcher’s shop! And Guillaume was particularly disgusted + with the engraving which depicted this horror, and which he found + everywhere, crudely coloured with red and yellow and blue, like some badly + executed anatomical plate. + </p> + <p> + Pierre on his side was also looking at the basilica as, white with + moonlight, it rose out of the darkness like a gigantic fortress raised to + crush and conquer the city slumbering beneath it. It had already brought + him suffering during the last days when he had said mass in it and was + struggling with his torments. “They call it the national votive offering,” + he now exclaimed. “But the nation’s longing is for health and strength and + restoration to its old position by work. That is a thing the Church does + not understand. It argues that if France was stricken with defeat, it was + because she deserved punishment. She was guilty, and so to-day she ought + to repent. Repent of what? Of the Revolution, of a century of free + examination and science, of the emancipation of her mind, of her + initiatory and liberative labour in all parts of the world? That indeed is + her real transgression; and it is as a punishment for all our labour, + search for truth, increase of knowledge and march towards justice that + they have reared that huge pile which Paris will see from all her streets, + and will never be able to see without feeling derided and insulted in her + labour and glory.” + </p> + <p> + With a wave of his hand he pointed to the city, slumbering in the + moonlight as beneath a sheet of silver, and then set off again with his + brother, down the slopes, towards the black and deserted streets. + </p> + <p> + They did not meet a living soul until they reached the outer boulevard. + Here, however, no matter what the hour may be, life continues with + scarcely a pause. No sooner are the wine shops, music and dancing halls + closed, than vice and want, cast into the street, there resume their + nocturnal existence. Thus the brothers came upon all the homeless ones: + low prostitutes seeking a pallet, vagabonds stretched on the benches under + the trees, rogues who prowled hither and thither on the lookout for a good + stroke. Encouraged by their accomplice—night, all the mire and woe + of Paris had returned to the surface. The empty roadway now belonged to + the breadless, homeless starvelings, those for whom there was no place in + the sunlight, the vague, swarming, despairing herd which is only espied at + night-time. Ah! what spectres of destitution, what apparitions of grief + and fright there were! What a sob of agony passed by in Paris that + morning, when as soon as the dawn should rise, a man—a pauper, a + sufferer like the others—was to be guillotined! + </p> + <p> + As Guillaume and Pierre were about to descend the Rue des Martyrs, the + former perceived an old man lying on a bench with his bare feet protruding + from his gaping, filthy shoes. Guillaume pointed to him in silence. Then, + a few steps farther on, Pierre in his turn pointed to a ragged girl, + crouching, asleep with open mouth, in the corner of a doorway. There was + no need for the brothers to express in words all the compassion and anger + which stirred their hearts. At long intervals policemen, walking slowly + two by two, shook the poor wretches and compelled them to rise and walk on + and on. Occasionally, if they found them suspicious or refractory, they + marched them off to the police-station. And then rancour and the contagion + of imprisonment often transformed a mere vagabond into a thief or a + murderer. + </p> + <p> + In the Rue des Martyrs and the Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, the brothers + found night-birds of another kind, women who slunk past them, close to the + house-fronts, and men and hussies who belaboured one another with blows. + Then, upon the grand boulevards, on the thresholds of lofty black houses, + only one row of whose windows flared in the night, pale-faced individuals, + who had just come down from their clubs, stood lighting cigars before + going home. A lady with a ball wrap over her evening gown went by + accompanied by a servant. A few cabs, moreover, still jogged up and down + the roadway, while others, which had been waiting for hours, stood on + their ranks in rows, with drivers and horses alike asleep. And as one + boulevard after another was reached, the Boulevard Poissonniere, the + Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, the Boulevard St. Denis, and so forth, as far as + the Place de la Republique, there came fresh want and misery, more + forsaken and hungry ones, more and more of the human “waste” that is cast + into the streets and the darkness. And on the other hand, an army of + street-sweepers was now appearing to remove all the filth of the past four + and twenty hours, in order that Paris, spruce already at sunrise, might + not blush for having thrown up such a mass of dirt and loathsomeness in + the course of a single day. + </p> + <p> + It was, however, more particularly after following the Boulevard Voltaire, + and drawing near to the districts of La Roquette and Charonne, that the + brothers felt they were returning to a sphere of labour where there was + often lack of food, and where life was but so much pain. Pierre found + himself at home here. In former days, accompanied by good Abbé Rose, + visiting despairing ones, distributing alms, picking up children who had + sunk to the gutter, he had a hundred times perambulated every one of those + long, densely populated streets. And thus a frightful vision arose before + his mind’s eye; he recalled all the tragedies he had witnessed, all the + shrieks he had heard, all the tears and bloodshed he had seen, all the + fathers, mothers and children huddled together and dying of want, dirt and + abandonment: that social hell in which he had ended by losing his last + hopes, fleeing from it with a sob in the conviction that charity was a + mere amusement for the rich, and absolutely futile as a remedy. It was + this conviction which now returned to him as he again cast eyes upon that + want and grief stricken district which seemed fated to everlasting + destitution. That poor old man whom Abbé Rose had revived one night in + yonder hovel, had he not since died of starvation? That little girl whom + he had one morning brought in his arms to the refuge after her parents’ + death, was it not she whom he had just met, grown but fallen to the + streets, and shrieking beneath the fist of a bully? Ah! how great was the + number of the wretched! Their name was legion! There were those whom one + could not save, those who were hourly born to a life of woe and want, even + as one may be born infirm, and those, too, who from every side sank in the + sea of human injustice, that ocean which has ever been the same for + centuries past, and which though one may strive to drain it, still and for + ever spreads. How heavy was the silence, how dense the darkness in those + working-class streets where sleep seems to be the comrade of death! Yet + hunger prowls, and misfortune sobs; vague spectral forms slink by, and + then are lost to view in the depths of the night. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre and Guillaume went along they became mixed with dark groups of + people, a whole flock of inquisitive folk, a promiscuous, passionate + tramp, tramp towards the guillotine. It came from all Paris, urged on by + brutish fever, a hankering for death and blood. In spite, however, of the + dull noise which came from this dim crowd, the mean streets that were + passed remained quite dark, not a light appeared at any of their windows; + nor could one hear the breathing of the weary toilers stretched on their + wretched pallets from which they would not rise before the morning + twilight. + </p> + <p> + On seeing the jostling crowd which was already assembled on the Place + Voltaire, Pierre understood that it would be impossible for him and his + brother to ascend the Rue de la Roquette. Barriers, moreover, must + certainly have been thrown across that street. In order therefore to reach + the corner of the Rue Merlin, it occurred to him to take the Rue de la + Folie Regnault, which winds round in the rear of the prison, farther on. + </p> + <p> + Here indeed they found solitude and darkness again. + </p> + <p> + The huge, massive prison with its great bare walls on which a moonray + fell, looked like some pile of cold stones, dead for centuries past. At + the end of the street they once more fell in with the crowd, a dim + restless mass of beings, whose pale faces alone could be distinguished. + The brothers had great difficulty in reaching the house in which Mège + resided at the corner of the Rue Merlin. All the shutters of the + fourth-floor flat occupied by the Socialist deputy were closed, though + every other window was wide open and crowded with surging sightseers. + Moreover, the wine shop down below and the first-floor room connected with + it flared with gas, and were already crowded with noisy customers, waiting + for the performance to begin. + </p> + <p> + “I hardly like to go and knock at Mège’s door,” said Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “No, no, you must not do so!” replied Guillaume. + </p> + <p> + “Let us go into the wine shop. We may perhaps be able to see something + from the balcony.” + </p> + <p> + The first-floor room was provided with a very large balcony, which women + and gentlemen were already filling. The brothers nevertheless managed to + reach it, and for a few minutes remained there, peering into the darkness + before them. The sloping street grew broader between the two prisons, the + “great” and the “little” Roquette, in such wise as to form a sort of + square, which was shaded by four clumps of plane-trees, rising from the + footways. The low buildings and scrubby trees, all poor and ugly of + aspect, seemed almost to lie on a level with the ground, under a vast sky + in which stars were appearing, as the moon gradually declined. And the + square was quite empty save that on one spot yonder there seemed to be + some little stir. Two rows of guards prevented the crowd from advancing, + and even threw it back into the neighbouring streets. On the one hand, the + only lofty houses were far away, at the point where the Rue St. Maur + intersects the Rue de la Roquette; while, on the other, they stood at the + corners of the Rue Merlin and the Rue de la Folie Regnault, so that it was + almost impossible to distinguish anything of the execution even from the + best placed windows. As for the inquisitive folk on the pavement they only + saw the backs of the guards. Still this did not prevent a crush. The human + tide flowed on from all sides with increasing clamour. + </p> + <p> + Guided by the remarks of some women who, leaning forward on the balcony, + had been watching the square for a long time already, the brothers were at + last able to perceive something. It was now half-past three, and the + guillotine was nearly ready. The little stir which one vaguely espied + yonder under the trees, was that of the headsman’s assistants fixing the + knife in position. A lantern slowly came and went, and five or six shadows + danced over the ground. But nothing else could be distinguished, the + square was like a large black pit, around which ever broke the waves of + the noisy crowd which one could not see. And beyond the square one could + only identify the flaring wine shops, which showed forth like lighthouses + in the night. All the surrounding district of poverty and toil was still + asleep, not a gleam as yet came from workrooms or yards, not a puff of + smoke from the lofty factory chimneys. + </p> + <p> + “We shall see nothing,” Guillaume remarked. + </p> + <p> + But Pierre silenced him, for he has just discovered that an elegantly + attired gentleman leaning over the balcony near him was none other than + the amiable deputy Duthil. He had at first fancied that a woman muffled in + wraps who stood close beside the deputy was the little Princess de Harn, + whom he had very likely brought to see the execution since he had taken + her to see the trial. On closer inspection, however, he had found that + this woman was Silviane, the perverse creature with the virginal face. + Truth to tell, she made no concealment of her presence, but talked on in + an extremely loud voice, as if intoxicated; and the brothers soon learnt + how it was that she happened to be there. Duvillard, Duthil, and other + friends had been supping with her at one o’clock in the morning, when on + learning that Salvat was about to be guillotined, the fancy of seeing the + execution had suddenly come upon her. Duvillard, after vainly entreating + her to do nothing of the kind, had gone off in a fury, for he felt that it + would be most unseemly on his part to attend the execution of a man who + had endeavoured to blow up his house. And thereupon Silviane had turned to + Duthil, whom her caprice greatly worried, for he held all such loathsome + spectacles in horror, and had already refused to act as escort to the + Princess. However, he was so infatuated with Silviane’s beauty, and she + made him so many promises, that he had at last consented to take her. + </p> + <p> + “He can’t understand people caring for amusement,” she said, speaking of + the Baron. “And yet this is really a thing to see.... But no matter, + you’ll find him at my feet again to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + Duthil smiled and responded: “I suppose that peace has been signed and + ratified now that you have secured your engagement at the Comédie.” + </p> + <p> + “Peace? No!” she protested. “No, no. There will be no peace between us + until I have made my <i>début</i>. After that, we’ll see.” + </p> + <p> + They both laughed; and then Duthil, by way of paying his court, told her + how good-naturedly Dauvergne, the new Minister of Public Instruction and + Fine Arts, had adjusted the difficulties which had hitherto kept the doors + of the Comédie closed upon her. A really charming man was Dauvergne, the + embodiment of graciousness, the very flower of the Monferrand ministry. + His was the velvet hand in that administration whose leader had a hand of + iron. + </p> + <p> + “He told me, my beauty,” said Duthil, “that a pretty girl was in place + everywhere.” And then as Silviane, as if flattered, pressed closely beside + him, the deputy added: “So that wonderful revival of ‘Polyeucte,’ in which + you are going to have such a triumph, is to take place on the day after + to-morrow. We shall all go to applaud you, remember.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, on the evening of the day after to-morrow,” said Silviane, “the very + same day when the wedding of the Baron’s daughter will take place. + There’ll be plenty of emotion that day!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes, of course!” retorted Duthil, “there’ll be the wedding of our + friend Gérard with Mademoiselle Camille to begin with. We shall have a + crush at the Madeleine in the morning and another at the Comédie in the + evening. You are quite right, too; there will be several hearts throbbing + in the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon they again became merry, and jested about the Duvillard family—father, + mother, lover and daughter—with the greatest possible ferocity and + crudity of language. Then, all at once Silviane exclaimed: “Do you know, + I’m feeling awfully bored here, my little Duthil. I can’t distinguish + anything, and I should like to be quite near so as to see it all plainly. + You must take me over yonder, close to that machine of theirs.” + </p> + <p> + This request threw Duthil into consternation, particularly as at that same + moment Silviane perceived Massot outside the wine shop, and began calling + and beckoning to him imperiously. A brief conversation then ensued between + the young woman and the journalist: “I say, Massot!” she called, “hasn’t a + deputy the right to pass the guards and take a lady wherever he likes?” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all!” exclaimed Duthil. “Massot knows very well that a deputy + ought to be the very first to bow to the laws.” + </p> + <p> + This exclamation warned Massot that Duthil did not wish to leave the + balcony. “You ought to have secured a card of invitation, madame,” said + he, in reply to Silviane. “They would then have found you room at one of + the windows of La Petite Roquette. Women are not allowed elsewhere.... But + you mustn’t complain, you have a very good place up there.” + </p> + <p> + “But I can see nothing at all, my dear Massot.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, you will in any case see more than Princess de Harn will. Just now + I came upon her carriage in the Rue du Chemin Vert. The police would not + allow it to come any nearer.” + </p> + <p> + This news made Silviane merry again, whilst Duthil shuddered at the idea + of the danger he incurred, for Rosemonde would assuredly treat him to a + terrible scene should she see him with another woman. Then, an idea + occurring to him, he ordered a bottle of champagne and some little cakes + for his “beautiful friend,” as he called Silviane. She had been + complaining of thirst, and was delighted with the opportunity of + perfecting her intoxication. When a waiter had managed to place a little + table near her, on the balcony itself, she found things very pleasant, and + indeed considered it quite brave to tipple and sup afresh, while waiting + for that man to be guillotined close by. + </p> + <p> + It was impossible for Pierre and Guillaume to remain up there any longer. + All that they heard, all that they beheld filled them with disgust. The + boredom of waiting had turned all the inquisitive folks of the balcony and + the adjoining room into customers. The waiter could hardly manage to serve + the many glasses of beer, bottles of expensive wine, biscuits, and plates + of cold meat which were ordered of him. And yet the spectators here were + all <i>bourgeois</i>, rich gentlemen, people of society! On the other + hand, time has to be killed somehow when it hangs heavily on one’s hands; + and thus there were bursts of laughter and paltry and horrible jests, + quite a feverish uproar arising amidst the clouds of smoke from the men’s + cigars. When Pierre and Guillaume passed through the wine shop on the + ground-floor they there found a similar crush and similar tumult, + aggravated by the disorderly behaviour of the big fellows in blouses who + were drinking draught wine at the pewter bar which shone like silver. + There were people, too, at all the little tables, besides an incessant + coming and going of folks who entered the place for a “wet,” by way of + calming their impatience. And what folks they were! All the scum, all the + vagabonds who had been dragging themselves about since daybreak on the + lookout for whatever chance might offer them, provided it were not work! + </p> + <p> + On the pavement outside, Pierre and Guillaume felt yet a greater + heart-pang. In the throng which the guards kept back, one simply found so + much mire stirred up from the very depths of Paris life: prostitutes and + criminals, the murderers of to-morrow, who came to see how a man ought to + die. Loathsome, bareheaded harlots mingled with bands of prowlers or ran + through the crowd, howling obscene refrains. Bandits stood in groups + chatting and quarrelling about the more or less glorious manner in which + certain famous <i>guillotines</i> had died. Among these was one with + respect to whom they all agreed, and of whom they spoke as of a great + captain, a hero whose marvellous courage was deserving of immortality. + Then, as one passed along, one caught snatches of horrible phrases, + particulars about the instrument of death, ignoble boasts, and filthy + jests reeking with blood. And over and above all else there was bestial + fever, a lust for death which made this multitude delirious, an eagerness + to see life flow forth fresh and ruddy beneath the knife, so that as it + coursed over the soil they might dip their feet in it. As this execution + was not an ordinary one, however, there were yet spectators of another + kind; silent men with glowing eyes who came and went all alone, and who + were plainly thrilled by their faith, intoxicated with the contagious + madness which incites one to vengeance or martyrdom. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume was just thinking of Victor Mathis, when he fancied that he saw + him standing in the front row of sightseers whom the guards held in check. + It was indeed he, with his thin, beardless, pale, drawn face. Short as he + was, he had to raise himself on tiptoes in order to see anything. Near him + was a big, red-haired girl who gesticulated; but for his part he never + stirred or spoke. He was waiting motionless, gazing yonder with the round, + ardent, fixed eyes of a night-bird, seeking to penetrate the darkness. At + last a guard pushed him back in a somewhat brutal way; but he soon + returned to his previous position, ever patient though full of hatred + against the executioners, wishing indeed to see all he could in order to + increase his hate. + </p> + <p> + Then Massot approached the brothers. This time, on seeing Pierre without + his cassock, he did not even make a sign of astonishment, but gaily + remarked: “So you felt curious to see this affair, Monsieur Froment?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I came with my brother,” Pierre replied. “But I very much fear that + we shan’t see much.” + </p> + <p> + “You certainly won’t if you stay here,” rejoined Massot. And thereupon in + his usual good-natured way—glad, moreover, to show what power a + well-known journalist could wield—he inquired: “Would you like me to + pass you through? The inspector here happens to be a friend of mine.” + </p> + <p> + Then, without waiting for an answer, he stopped the inspector and hastily + whispered to him that he had brought a couple of colleagues, who wanted to + report the proceedings. At first the inspector hesitated, and seemed + inclined to refuse Massot’s request; but after a moment, influenced by the + covert fear which the police always has of the press, he made a weary + gesture of consent. + </p> + <p> + “Come, quick, then,” said Massot, turning to the brothers, and taking them + along with him. + </p> + <p> + A moment later, to the intense surprise of Pierre and Guillaume, the + guards opened their ranks to let them pass. They then found themselves in + the large open space which was kept clear. And on thus emerging from the + tumultuous throng they were quite impressed by the death-like silence and + solitude which reigned under the little plane-trees. The night was now + paling. A faint gleam of dawn was already falling from the sky. + </p> + <p> + After leading his companions slantwise across the square, Massot stopped + them near the prison and resumed: “I’m going inside; I want to see the + prisoner roused and got ready. In the meantime, walk about here; nobody + will say anything to you. Besides, I’ll come back to you in a moment.” + </p> + <p> + A hundred people or so, journalists and other privileged spectators, were + scattered about the dark square. Movable wooden barriers—such as are + set up at the doors of theatres when there is a press of people waiting + for admission—had been placed on either side of the pavement running + from the prison gate to the guillotine; and some sightseers were already + leaning over these barriers, in order to secure a close view of the + condemned man as he passed by. Others were walking slowly to and fro, and + conversing in undertones. The brothers, for their part, approached the + guillotine. + </p> + <p> + It stood there under the branches of the trees, amidst the delicate + greenery of the fresh leaves of spring. A neighbouring gas-lamp, whose + light was turning yellow in the rising dawn, cast vague gleams upon it. + The work of fixing it in position—work performed as quietly as could + be, so that the only sound was the occasional thud of a mallet—had + just been finished; and the headsman’s “valets” or assistants, in + frock-coats and tall silk hats, were waiting and strolling about in a + patient way. But the instrument itself, how base and shameful it looked, + squatting on the ground like some filthy beast, disgusted with the work it + had to accomplish! What! those few beams lying on the ground, and those + others barely nine feet high which rose from it, keeping the knife in + position, constituted the machine which avenged Society, the instrument + which gave a warning to evil-doers! Where was the big scaffold painted a + bright red and reached by a stairway of ten steps, the scaffold which + raised high bloody arms over the eager multitude, so that everybody might + behold the punishment of the law in all its horror! The beast had now been + felled to the ground, where it simply looked ignoble, crafty and cowardly. + If on the one hand there was no majesty in the manner in which human + justice condemned a man to death at its assizes: on the other, there was + merely horrid butchery with the help of the most barbarous and repulsive + of mechanical contrivances, on the terrible day when that man was + executed. + </p> + <p> + As Pierre and Guillaume gazed at the guillotine, a feeling of nausea came + over them. Daylight was now slowly breaking, and the surroundings were + appearing to view: first the square itself with its two low, grey prisons, + facing one another; then the distant houses, the taverns, the marble + workers’ establishments, and the shops selling flowers and wreaths, which + are numerous hereabouts, as the cemetery of Père-Lachaise is so near. + Before long one could plainly distinguish the black lines of the + spectators standing around in a circle, the heads leaning forward from + windows and balconies, and the people who had climbed to the very house + roofs. The prison of La Petite Roquette over the way had been turned into + a kind of tribune for guests; and mounted Gardes de Paris went slowly to + and fro across the intervening expanse. Then, as the sky brightened, + labour awoke throughout the district beyond the crowd, a district of + broad, endless streets lined with factories, work-shops and work-yards. + Engines began to snort, machinery and appliances were got ready to start + once more on their usual tasks, and smoke already curled away from the + forest of lofty brick chimneys which, on all sides, sprang out of the + gloom. + </p> + <p> + It then seemed to Guillaume that the guillotine was really in its right + place in that district of want and toil. It stood in its own realm, like a + <i>terminus</i> and a threat. Did not ignorance, poverty and woe lead to + it? And each time that it was set up amidst those toilsome streets, was it + not charged to overawe the disinherited ones, the starvelings, who, + exasperated by everlasting injustice, were always ready for revolt? It was + not seen in the districts where wealth and enjoyment reigned. It would + there have seemed purposeless, degrading and truly monstrous. And it was a + tragical and terrible coincidence that the bomb-thrower, driven mad by + want, should be guillotined there, in the very centre of want’s dominion. + </p> + <p> + But daylight had come at last, for it was nearly half-past four. The + distant noisy crowd could feel that the expected moment was drawing nigh. + A shudder suddenly sped through the atmosphere. + </p> + <p> + “He’s coming,” exclaimed little Massot, as he came back to Pierre and + Guillaume. “Ah! that Salvat is a brave fellow after all.” + </p> + <p> + Then he related how the prisoner had been awakened; how the governor of + the prison, magistrate Amadieu, the chaplain, and a few other persons had + entered the cell where Salvat lay fast asleep; and then how the condemned + man had understood the truth immediately upon opening his eyes. He had + risen, looking pale but quite composed. And he had dressed himself without + assistance, and had declined the nip of brandy and the cigarette proffered + by the good-hearted chaplain, in the same way as with a gentle but + stubborn gesture he had brushed the crucifix aside. Then had come the + “toilette” for death. With all rapidity and without a word being + exchanged, Salvat’s hands had been tied behind his back, his legs had been + loosely secured with a cord, and the neckband of his shirt had been cut + away. He had smiled when the others exhorted him to be brave. He only + feared some nervous weakness, and had but one desire, to die like a hero, + to remain the martyr of the ardent faith in truth and justice for which he + was about to perish. + </p> + <p> + “They are now drawing up the death certificate in the register,” continued + Massot in his chattering way. “Come along, come along to the barriers if + you wish a good view.... I turned paler, you know, and trembled far more + than he did. I don’t care a rap for anything as a rule; but, all the same, + an execution isn’t a pleasant business.... You can’t imagine how many + attempts were made to save Salvat’s life. Even some of the papers asked + that he might be reprieved. But nothing succeeded, the execution was + regarded as inevitable, it seems, even by those who consider it a blunder. + Still, they had such a touching opportunity to reprieve him, when his + daughter, little Céline, wrote that fine letter to the President of the + Republic, which I was the first to publish in the ‘Globe.’ Ah! that + letter, it cost me a lot of running about!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was already quite upset by this long wait for the horrible + scene, felt moved to tears by Massot’s reference to Céline. He could again + see the child standing beside Madame Théodore in that bare, cold room + whither her father would never more return. It was thence that he had set + out on a day of desperation with his stomach empty and his brain on fire, + and it was here that he would end, between yonder beams, beneath yonder + knife. + </p> + <p> + Massot, however, was still giving particulars. The doctors, said he, were + furious because they feared that the body would not be delivered to them + immediately after the execution. To this Guillaume did not listen. He + stood there with his elbows resting on the wooden barrier and his eyes + fixed on the prison gate, which still remained shut. His hands were + quivering, and there was an expression of anguish on his face as if it + were he himself who was about to be executed. The headsman had again just + left the prison. He was a little, insignificant-looking man, and seemed + annoyed, anxious to have done with it all. Then, among a group of + frock-coated gentlemen, some of the spectators pointed out Gascogne, the + Chief of the Detective Police, who wore a cold, official air, and Amadieu, + the investigating magistrate, who smiled and looked very spruce, early + though the hour was. He had come partly because it was his duty, and + partly because he wished to show himself now that the curtain was about to + fall on a wonderful tragedy of which he considered himself the author. + Guillaume glanced at him, and then as a growing uproar rose from the + distant crowd, he looked up for an instant, and again beheld the two grey + prisons, the plane-trees with their fresh young leaves, and the houses + swarming with people beneath the pale blue sky, in which the triumphant + sun was about to appear. + </p> + <p> + “Look out, here he comes!” + </p> + <p> + Who had spoken? A slight noise, that of the opening gate, made every heart + throb. Necks were outstretched, eyes gazed fixedly, there was laboured + breathing on all sides. Salvat stood on the threshold of the prison. The + chaplain, stepping backwards, had come out in advance of him, in order to + conceal the guillotine from his sight, but he had stopped short, for he + wished to see that instrument of death, make acquaintance with it, as it + were, before he walked towards it. And as he stood there, his long, aged + sunken face, on which life’s hardships had left their mark, seemed + transformed by the wondrous brilliancy of his flaring, dreamy eyes. + Enthusiasm bore him up—he was going to his death in all the + splendour of his dream. When the executioner’s assistants drew near to + support him he once more refused their help, and again set himself in + motion, advancing with short steps, but as quickly and as straightly as + the rope hampering his legs permitted. + </p> + <p> + All at once Guillaume felt that Salvat’s eyes were fixed upon him. Drawing + nearer and nearer the condemned man had perceived and recognised his + friend; and as he passed by, at a distance of no more than six or seven + feet, he smiled faintly and darted such a deep penetrating glance at + Guillaume, that ever afterwards the latter felt its smart. But what last + thought, what supreme legacy had Salvat left him to meditate upon, perhaps + to put into execution? It was all so poignant that Pierre feared some + involuntary call on his brother’s part; and so he laid his hand upon his + arm to quiet him. + </p> + <p> + “Long live Anarchy!” + </p> + <p> + It was Salvat who had raised this cry. But in the deep silence his husky, + altered voice seemed to break. The few who were near at hand had turned + very pale; the distant crowd seemed bereft of life. The horse of one of + the Gardes de Paris was alone heard snorting in the centre of the space + which had been kept clear. + </p> + <p> + Then came a loathsome scramble, a scene of nameless brutality and + ignominy. The headsman’s helps rushed upon Salvat as he came up slowly + with brow erect. Two of them seized him by the head, but finding little + hair there, could only lower it by tugging at his neck. Next two others + grasped him by the legs and flung him violently upon a plank which tilted + over and rolled forward. Then, by dint of pushing and tugging, the head + was got into the “lunette,” the upper part of which fell in such wise that + the neck was fixed as in a ship’s port-hole—and all this was + accomplished amidst such confusion and with such savagery that one might + have thought that head some cumbrous thing which it was necessary to get + rid of with the greatest speed. But the knife fell with a dull, heavy, + forcible thud, and two long jets of blood spurted from the severed + arteries, while the dead man’s feet moved convulsively. Nothing else could + be seen. The executioner rubbed his hands in a mechanical way, and an + assistant took the severed blood-streaming head from the little basket + into which it had fallen and placed it in the large basket into which the + body had already been turned. + </p> + <p> + Ah! that dull, that heavy thud of the knife! It seemed to Guillaume that + he had heard it echoing far away all over that district of want and toil, + even in the squalid rooms where thousands of workmen were at that moment + rising to perform their day’s hard task! And there the echo of that thud + acquired formidable significance; it spoke of man’s exasperation with + injustice, of zeal for martyrdom, and of the dolorous hope that the blood + then spilt might hasten the victory of the disinherited. + </p> + <p> + Pierre, for his part, at the sight of that loathsome butchery, the abject + cutthroat work of that killing machine, had suddenly felt his chilling + shudder become more violent; for before him arose a vision of another + corpse, that of the fair, pretty child ripped open by a bomb and stretched + yonder, at the entrance of the Duvillard mansion. Blood streamed from her + delicate flesh, just as it had streamed from that decapitated neck. It was + blood paying for blood; it was like payment for mankind’s debt of + wretchedness, for which payment is everlastingly being made, without man + ever being able to free himself from suffering. + </p> + <p> + Above the square and the crowd all was still silent in the clear sky. How + long had the abomination lasted? An eternity, perhaps, compressed into two + or three minutes. And now came an awakening: the spectators emerged from + their nightmare with quivering hands, livid faces, and eyes expressive of + compassion, disgust and fear. + </p> + <p> + “That makes another one. I’ve now seen four executions,” said Massot, who + felt ill at ease. “After all, I prefer to report weddings. Let us go off, + I have all I want for my article.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume and Pierre followed him mechanically across the square, and + again reached the corner of the Rue Merlin. And here they saw little + Victor Mathis, with flaming eyes and white face, still standing in silence + on the spot where they had left him. He could have seen nothing + distinctly; but the thud of the knife was still echoing in his brain. A + policeman at last gave him a push, and told him to move on. At this he + looked the policeman in the face, stirred by sudden rage and ready to + strangle him. Then, however, he quietly walked away, ascending the Rue de + la Roquette, atop of which the lofty foliage of Père-Lachaise could be + seen, beneath the rising sun. + </p> + <p> + The brothers meantime fell upon a scene of explanations, which they heard + without wishing to do so. Now that the sight was over, the Princess de + Harn arrived, and she was the more furious as at the door of the wine shop + she could see her new friend Duthil accompanying a woman. + </p> + <p> + “I say!” she exclaimed, “you are nice, you are, to have left me in the + lurch like this! It was impossible for my carriage to get near, so I’ve + had to come on foot through all those horrid people who have been jostling + and insulting me.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Duthil, with all promptitude, introduced Silviane to her, + adding, in an aside, that he had taken a friend’s place as the actress’s + escort. And then Rosemonde, who greatly wished to know Silviane, calmed + down as if by enchantment, and put on her most engaging ways. “It would + have delighted me, madame,” said she, “to have seen this sight in the + company of an <i>artiste</i> of your merit, one whom I admire so much, + though I have never before had an opportunity of telling her so.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, dear me, madame,” replied Silviane, “you haven’t lost much by + arriving late. We were on that balcony there, and all that I could see + were a few men pushing another one about.... It really isn’t worth the + trouble of coming.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, now that we have become acquainted, madame,” said the Princess, “I + really hope that you will allow me to be your friend.” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly, madame, my friend; and I shall be flattered and delighted to + be yours.” + </p> + <p> + Standing there, hand in hand, they smiled at one another. Silviane was + very drunk, but her virginal expression had returned to her face; whilst + Rosemonde seemed feverish with vicious curiosity. Duthil, whom the scene + amused, now had but one thought, that of seeing Silviane home; so calling + to Massot, who was approaching, he asked him where he should find a + cab-rank. Rosemonde, however, at once offered her carriage, which was + waiting in an adjacent street. + </p> + <p> + She would set the actress down at her door, said she, and the deputy at + his; and such was her persistence in the matter that Duthil, greatly + vexed, was obliged to accept her offer. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, till to-morrow at the Madeleine,” said Massot, again quite + sprightly, as he shook hands with the Princess. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, till to-morrow, at the Madeleine and the Comédie.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes, of course!” he repeated, taking Silviane’s hand, which he + kissed. “The Madeleine in the morning and the Comédie in the evening... . + We shall all be there to applaud you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I expect you to do so,” said Silviane. “Till to-morrow, then!” + </p> + <p> + “Till to-morrow!” + </p> + <p> + The crowd was now wearily dispersing, to all appearance disappointed and + ill at ease. A few enthusiasts alone lingered in order to witness the + departure of the van in which Salvat’s corpse would soon be removed; while + bands of prowlers and harlots, looking very wan in the daylight, whistled + or called to one another with some last filthy expression before returning + to their dens. The headsman’s assistants were hastily taking down the + guillotine, and the square would soon be quite clear. + </p> + <p> + Pierre for his part wished to lead his brother away. Since the fall of the + knife, Guillaume had remained as if stunned, without once opening his + lips. In vain had Pierre tried to rouse him by pointing to the shutters of + Mège’s flat, which still remained closed, whereas every other window of + the lofty house was wide open. Although the Socialist deputy hated the + Anarchists, those shutters were doubtless closed as a protest against + capital punishment. Whilst the multitude had been rushing to that + frightful spectacle, Mège, still in bed, with his face turned to the wall, + had probably been dreaming of how he would some day compel mankind to be + happy beneath the rigid laws of Collectivism. Affectionate father as he + was, the recent death of one of his children had quite upset his private + life. His cough, too, had become a very bad one; but he ardently wished to + live, for as soon as that new Monferrand ministry should have fallen + beneath the interpellation which he already contemplated, his own turn + would surely come: he would take the reins of power in hand, abolish the + guillotine and decree justice and perfect felicity. + </p> + <p> + “Do you see, Guillaume?” Pierre gently repeated. “Mège hasn’t opened his + windows. He’s a good fellow, after all; although our friends Bache and + Morin dislike him.” Then, as his brother still refrained from answering, + Pierre added, “Come, let us go, we must get back home.” + </p> + <p> + They both turned into the Rue de la Folie Regnault, and reached the outer + Boulevards by way of the Rue du Chemin Vert. All the toilers of the + district were now at work. In the long streets edged with low buildings, + work-shops and factories, one heard engines snorting and machinery + rumbling, while up above, the smoke from the lofty chimneys was assuming a + rosy hue in the sunrise. Afterwards, when the brothers reached the + Boulevard de Menilmontant and the Boulevard de Belleville, which they + followed in turn at a leisurely pace, they witnessed the great rush of the + working classes into central Paris. The stream poured forth from every + side; from all the wretched streets of the faubourgs there was an endless + exodus of toilers, who, having risen at dawn, were now hurrying, in the + sharp morning air, to their daily labour. Some wore short jackets and + others blouses; some were in velveteen trousers, others in linen overalls. + Their thick shoes made their tramp a heavy one; their hanging hands were + often deformed by work. And they seemed half asleep, not a smile was to be + seen on any of those wan, weary faces turned yonder towards the + everlasting task—the task which was begun afresh each day, and which—’twas + their only chance—they hoped to be able to take up for ever and + ever. There was no end to that drove of toilers, that army of various + callings, that human flesh fated to manual labour, upon which Paris preys + in order that she may live in luxury and enjoyment. + </p> + <p> + Then the procession continued across the Boulevard de la Villette, the + Boulevard de la Chapelle, and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, where one + reached the height of Montmartre. More and more workmen were ever coming + down from their bare cold rooms and plunging into the huge city, whence, + tired out, they would that evening merely bring back the bread of rancour. + And now, too, came a stream of work-girls, some of them in bright skirts, + some glancing at the passers-by; girls whose wages were so paltry, so + insufficient, that now and again pretty ones among them never more turned + their faces homewards, whilst the ugly ones wasted away, condemned to mere + bread and water. A little later, moreover, came the <i>employés</i>, the + clerks, the counter-jumpers, the whole world of frock-coated penury—“gentlemen” + who devoured a roll as they hastened onward, worried the while by the + dread of being unable to pay their rent, or by the problem of providing + food for wife and children until the end of the month should come.* And + now the sun was fast ascending on the horizon, the whole army of ants was + out and about, and the toilsome day had begun with its ceaseless display + of courage, energy and suffering. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * In Paris nearly all clerks and shop-assistants receive + monthly salaries, while most workmen are paid once a + fortnight.—Trans. +</pre> + <p> + Never before had it been so plainly manifest to Pierre that work was a + necessity, that it healed and saved. On the occasion of his visit to the + Grandidier works, and later still, when he himself had felt the need of + occupation, there had come to him the thought that work was really the + world’s law. And after that hateful night, after that spilling of blood, + after the slaughter of that toiler maddened by his dreams, there was + consolation and hope in seeing the sun rise once more, and everlasting + labour take up its wonted task. However hard it might prove, however + unjustly it might be lotted out, was it not work which would some day + bring both justice and happiness to the world? + </p> + <p> + All at once, as the brothers were climbing the steep hillside towards + Guillaume’s house, they perceived before and above them the basilica of + the Sacred Heart rising majestically and triumphantly to the sky. This was + no sublunar apparition, no dreamy vision of Domination standing face to + face with nocturnal Paris. The sun now clothed the edifice with splendour, + it looked golden and proud and victorious, flaring with immortal glory. + </p> + <p> + Then Guillaume, still silent, still feeling Salvat’s last glance upon him, + seemed to come to some sudden and final decision. He looked at the + basilica with glowing eyes, and pronounced sentence upon it. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap63"></a> + II. IN VANITY FAIR + </h2> + <p> + THE wedding was to take place at noon, and for half an hour already guests + had been pouring into the magnificently decorated church, which was leafy + with evergreens and balmy with the scent of flowers. The high altar in the + rear glowed with countless candles, and through the great doorway, which + was wide open, one could see the peristyle decked with shrubs, the steps + covered with a broad carpet, and the inquisitive crowd assembled on the + square and even along the Rue Royale, under the bright sun. + </p> + <p> + After finding three more chairs for some ladies who had arrived rather + late, Duthil remarked to Massot, who was jotting down names in his + note-book: “Well, if any more come, they will have to remain standing.” + </p> + <p> + “Who were those three?” the journalist inquired. + </p> + <p> + “The Duchess de Boisemont and her two daughters.” + </p> + <p> + “Indeed! All the titled people of France, as well as all the financiers + and politicians, are here! It’s something more even than a swell Parisian + wedding.” + </p> + <p> + As a matter of fact all the spheres of “society” were gathered together + there, and some at first seemed rather embarrassed at finding themselves + beside others. Whilst Duvillard’s name attracted all the princes of + finance and politicians in power, Madame de Quinsac and her son were + supported by the highest of the French aristocracy. The mere names of the + witnesses sufficed to indicate what an extraordinary medley there was. On + Gérard’s side these witnesses were his uncle, General de Bozonnet, and the + Marquis de Morigny; whilst on Camille’s they were the great banker + Louvard, and Monferrand, the President of the Council and Minister of + Finances. The quiet bravado which the latter displayed in thus supporting + the bride after being compromised in her father’s financial intrigues + imparted a piquant touch of impudence to his triumph. And public curiosity + was further stimulated by the circumstance that the nuptial blessing was + to be given by Monseigneur Martha, Bishop of Persepolis, the Pope’s + political agent in France, and the apostle of the endeavours to win the + Republic over to the Church by pretending to “rally” to it. + </p> + <p> + “But, I was mistaken,” now resumed Massot with a sneer. “I said a really + Parisian wedding, did I not? But in point of fact this wedding is a + symbol. It’s the apotheosis of the <i>bourgeoisie</i>, my dear fellow—the + old nobility sacrificing one of its sons on the altar of the golden calf + in order that the Divinity and the gendarmes, being the masters of France + once more, may rid us of those scoundrelly Socialists!” + </p> + <p> + Then, again correcting himself, he added: “But I was forgetting. There are + no more Socialists. Their head was cut off the other morning.” + </p> + <p> + Duthil found this very funny. Then in a confidential way he remarked: “You + know that the marriage wasn’t settled without a good deal of + difficulty.... Have you read Sagnier’s ignoble article this morning?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes; but I knew it all before, everybody knew it.” + </p> + <p> + Then in an undertone, understanding one another’s slightest allusion, they + went on chatting. It was only amidst a flood of tears and after a + despairing struggle that Baroness Duvillard had consented to let her lover + marry her daughter. And in doing so she had yielded to the sole desire of + seeing Gérard rich and happy. She still regarded Camille with all the + hatred of a defeated rival. Then, an equally painful contest had taken + place at Madame de Quinsac’s. The Countess had only overcome her revolt + and consented to the marriage in order to save her son from the dangers + which had threatened him since childhood; and the Marquis de Morigny had + been so affected by her maternal abnegation, that in spite of all his + anger he had resignedly agreed to be a witness, thus making a supreme + sacrifice, that of his conscience, to the woman whom he had ever loved. + And it was this frightful story that Sagnier—using transparent + nicknames—had related in the “Voix du Peuple” that morning. He had + even contrived to make it more horrid than it really was; for, as usual, + he was badly informed, and he was naturally inclined to falsehood and + invention, as by sending an ever thicker and more poisonous torrent from + his sewer, he might, day by day, increase his paper’s sales. Since + Monferrand’s victory had compelled him to leave the African Railways + scandal on one side, he had fallen back on scandals in private life, + stripping whole families bare and pelting them with mud. + </p> + <p> + All at once Duthil and Massot were approached by Chaigneux, who, with his + shabby frock coat badly buttoned, wore both a melancholy and busy air. + “Well, Monsieur Massot,” said he, “what about your article on Silviane? Is + it settled? Will it go in?” + </p> + <p> + As Chaigneux was always for sale, always ready to serve as a valet, it had + occurred to Duvillard to make use of him to ensure Silviane’s success at + the Comédie. He had handed this sorry deputy over to the young woman, who + entrusted him with all manner of dirty work, and sent him scouring Paris + in search of applauders and advertisements. His eldest daughter was not + yet married, and never had his four women folk weighed more heavily on his + hands. His life had become a perfect hell; they had ended by beating him, + if he did not bring a thousand-franc note home on the first day of every + month. + </p> + <p> + “My article!” Massot replied; “no, it surely won’t go in, my dear deputy. + Fonsègue says that it’s written in too laudatory a style for the ‘Globe.’ + He asked me if I were having a joke with the paper.” + </p> + <p> + Chaigneux became livid. The article in question was one written in + advance, from the society point of view, on the success which Silviane + would achieve in “Polyeucte,” that evening, at the Comédie. The + journalist, in the hope of pleasing her, had even shown her his “copy”; + and she, quite delighted, now relied upon finding the article in print in + the most sober and solemn organ of the Parisian press. + </p> + <p> + “Good heavens! what will become of us?” murmured the wretched Chaigneux. + “It’s absolutely necessary that the article should go in.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I’m quite agreeable. But speak to the governor yourself. He’s + standing yonder between Vignon and Dauvergne, the Minister of Public + Instruction.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I certainly will speak to him—but not here. By-and-by in the + sacristy, during the procession. And I must also try to speak to + Dauvergne, for our Silviane particularly wants him to be in the + ministerial box this evening. Monferrand will be there; he promised + Duvillard so.” + </p> + <p> + Massot began to laugh, repeating the expression which had circulated + through Paris directly after the actress’s engagement: “The Silviane + ministry.... Well, Dauvergne certainly owes that much to his godmother!” + said he. + </p> + <p> + Just then the little Princess de Harn, coming up like a gust of wind, + broke in upon the three men. “I’ve no seat, you know!” she cried. + </p> + <p> + Duthil fancied that it was a question of finding her a well-placed chair + in the church. “You mustn’t count on me,” he answered. “I’ve just had no + end of trouble in stowing the Duchess de Boisemont away with her two + daughters.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, but I’m talking of this evening’s performance. Come, my dear Duthil, + you really must find me a little corner in somebody’s box. I shall die, I + know I shall, if I can’t applaud our delicious, our incomparable friend!” + </p> + <p> + Ever since setting Silviane down at her door on the previous day, + Rosemonde had been overflowing with admiration for her. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! you won’t find a single remaining seat, madame,” declared Chaigneux, + putting on an air of importance. “We have distributed everything. I have + just been offered three hundred francs for a stall.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s true, there has been a fight even for the bracket seats, however + badly they might be placed,” Duthil resumed. “I am very sorry, but you + must not count on me.... Duvillard is the only person who might take you + in his box. He told me that he would reserve me a seat there. And so far, + I think, there are only three of us, including his son.... Ask Hyacinthe + by-and-by to procure you an invitation.” + </p> + <p> + Rosemonde, whom Hyacinthe had so greatly bored that she had given him his + dismissal, felt the irony of Duthil’s suggestion. Nevertheless, she + exclaimed with an air of delight: “Ah, yes! Hyacinthe can’t refuse me + that. Thanks for your information, my dear Duthil. You are very nice, you + are; for you settle things gaily even when they are rather sad.... And + don’t forget, mind, that you have promised to teach me politics. Ah! + politics, my dear fellow, I feel that nothing will ever impassion me as + politics do!” + </p> + <p> + Then she left them, hustled several people, and in spite of the crush + ended by installing herself in the front row. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! what a crank she is!” muttered Massot with an air of amusement. + </p> + <p> + Then, as Chaigneux darted towards magistrate Amadieu to ask him in the + most obsequious way if he had received his ticket, the journalist said to + Duthil in a whisper: “By the way, my dear friend, is it true that + Duvillard is going to launch his famous scheme for a Trans-Saharan + railway? It would be a gigantic enterprise, a question of hundreds and + hundreds of millions this time.... At the ‘Globe’ office yesterday + evening, Fonsègue shrugged his shoulders and said it was madness, and + would never come off!” + </p> + <p> + Duthil winked, and in a jesting way replied: “It’s as good as done, my + dear boy. Fonsègue will be kissing the governor’s feet before another + forty-eight hours are over.” + </p> + <p> + Then he gaily gave the other to understand that golden manna would + presently be raining down on the press and all faithful friends and + willing helpers. Birds shake their feathers when the storm is over, and + he, Duthil, was as spruce and lively, as joyous at the prospect of the + presents he now expected, as if there had never been any African Railways + scandal to upset him and make him turn pale with fright. + </p> + <p> + “The deuce!” muttered Massot, who had become serious. “So this affair here + is more than a triumph: it’s the promise of yet another harvest. Well, I’m + no longer surprised at the crush of people.” + </p> + <p> + At this moment the organs suddenly burst into a glorious hymn of greeting. + The marriage procession was entering the church. A loud clamour had gone + up from the crowd, which spread over the roadway of the Rue Royale and + impeded the traffic there, while the <i>cortège</i> pompously ascended the + steps in the bright sunshine. And it was now entering the edifice and + advancing beneath the lofty, re-echoing vaults towards the high altar + which flared with candles, whilst on either hand crowded the congregation, + the men on the right and the women on the left. They had all risen and + stood there smiling, with necks outstretched and eyes glowing with + curiosity. + </p> + <p> + First, in the rear of the magnificent beadle, came Camille, leaning on the + arm of her father, Baron Duvillard, who wore a proud expression befitting + a day of victory. Veiled with superb <i>point d’Alençon</i> falling from + her diadem of orange blossom, gowned in pleated silk muslin over an + underskirt of white satin, the bride looked so extremely happy, so radiant + at having conquered, that she seemed almost pretty. Moreover, she held + herself so upright that one could scarcely detect that her left shoulder + was higher than her right. + </p> + <p> + Next came Gérard, giving his arm to his mother, the Countess de Quinsac,—he + looking very handsome and courtly, as was proper, and she displaying + impassive dignity in her gown of peacock-blue silk embroidered with gold + and steel beads. But it was particularly Eve whom people wished to see, + and every neck was craned forward when she appeared on the arm of General + Bozonnet, the bridegroom’s first witness and nearest male relative. She + was gowned in “old rose” taffetas trimmed with Valenciennes of priceless + value, and never had she looked younger, more deliciously fair. Yet her + eyes betrayed her emotion, though she strove to smile; and her languid + grace bespoke her widowhood, her compassionate surrender of the man she + loved. Monferrand, the Marquis de Morigny, and banker Louvard, the three + other witnesses, followed the Baroness and General Bozonnet, each giving + his arm to some lady of the family. A considerable sensation was caused by + the appearance of Monferrand, who seemed on first-rate terms with himself, + and jested familiarly with the lady he accompanied, a little brunette with + a giddy air. Another who was noticed in the solemn, interminable + procession was the bride’s eccentric brother Hyacinthe, whose dress coat + was of a cut never previously seen, with its tails broadly and + symmetrically pleated. + </p> + <p> + When the affianced pair had taken their places before the prayer-stools + awaiting them, and the members of both families and the witnesses had + installed themselves in the rear in large armchairs, all gilding and red + velvet, the ceremony was performed with extraordinary pomp. The curé of + the Madeleine officiated in person; and vocalists from the Grand Opera + reinforced the choir, which chanted the high mass to the accompaniment of + the organs, whence came a continuous hymn of glory. All possible luxury + and magnificence were displayed, as if to turn this wedding into some + public festivity, a great victory, an event marking the apogee of a class. + Even the impudent bravado attaching to the loathsome private drama which + lay behind it all, and which was known to everybody, added a touch of + abominable grandeur to the ceremony. But the truculent spirit of + superiority and domination which characterised the proceedings became most + manifest when Monseigneur Martha appeared in surplice and stole to + pronounce the blessing. Tall of stature, fresh of face, and faintly + smiling, he had his wonted air of amiable sovereignty, and it was with + august unction that he pronounced the sacramental words, like some pontiff + well pleased at reconciling the two great empires whose heirs he united. + His address to the newly married couple was awaited with curiosity. It + proved really marvellous, he himself triumphed in it. Was it not in that + same church that he had baptised the bride’s mother, that blond Eve, who + was still so beautiful, that Jewess whom he himself had converted to the + Catholic faith amidst the tears of emotion shed by all Paris society? Was + it not there also that he had delivered his three famous addresses on the + New Spirit, whence dated, to his thinking, the rout of science, the + awakening of Christian spirituality, and that policy of rallying to the + Republic which was to lead to its conquest? + </p> + <p> + So it was assuredly allowable for him to indulge in some delicate + allusions, by way of congratulating himself on his work, now that he was + marrying a poor scion of the old aristocracy to the five millions of that + <i>bourgeoise</i> heiress, in whose person triumphed the class which had + won the victory in 1789, and was now master of the land. The fourth + estate, the duped, robbed people, alone had no place in those festivities. + But by uniting the affianced pair before him in the bonds of wedlock, + Monseigneur Martha sealed the new alliance, gave effect to the Pope’s own + policy, that stealthy effort of Jesuitical Opportunism which would take + democracy, power and wealth to wife, in order to subdue and control them. + When the prelate reached his peroration he turned towards Monferrand, who + sat there smiling; and it was he, the Minister, whom he seemed to be + addressing while he expressed the hope that the newly married pair would + ever lead a truly Christian life of humility and obedience in all fear of + God, of whose iron hand he spoke as if it were that of some gendarme + charged with maintaining the peace of the world. Everybody was aware that + there was some diplomatic understanding between the Bishop and the + Minister, some secret pact or other whereby both satisfied their passion + for authority, their craving to insinuate themselves into everything and + reign supreme; and thus when the spectators saw Monferrand smiling in his + somewhat sly, jovial way, they also exchanged smiles. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” muttered Massot, who had remained near Duthil, “how amused old + Justus Steinberger would be, if he were here to see his granddaughter + marrying the last of the Quinsacs!” + </p> + <p> + “But these marriages are quite the thing, quite the fashion, my dear + fellow,” the deputy replied. “The Jews and the Christians, the <i>bourgeois</i> + and the nobles, do quite right to come to an understanding, so as to found + a new aristocracy. An aristocracy is needed, you know, for otherwise we + should be swept away by the masses.” + </p> + <p> + None the less Massot continued sneering at the idea of what a grimace + Justus Steinberger would have made if he had heard Monseigneur Martha. It + was rumoured in Paris that although the old Jew banker had ceased all + intercourse with his daughter Eve since her conversion, he took a keen + interest in everything she was reported to do or say, as if he were more + than ever convinced that she would prove an avenging and dissolving agent + among those Christians, whose destruction was asserted to be the dream of + his race. If he had failed in his hope of overcoming Duvillard by giving + her to him as a wife, he doubtless now consoled himself with thinking of + the extraordinary fortune to which his blood had attained, by mingling + with that of the harsh, old-time masters of his race, to whose corruption + it gave a finishing touch. Therein perhaps lay that final Jewish conquest + of the world of which people sometimes talked. + </p> + <p> + A last triumphal strain from the organ brought the ceremony to an end; + whereupon the two families and the witnesses passed into the sacristy, + where the acts were signed. And forthwith the great congratulatory + procession commenced. + </p> + <p> + The bride and bridegroom at last stood side by side in the lofty but + rather dim room, panelled with oak. How radiant with delight was Camille + at the thought that it was all over, that she had triumphed and married + that handsome man of high lineage, after wresting him with so much + difficulty from one and all, her mother especially! She seemed to have + grown taller. Deformed, swarthy, and ugly though she was, she drew herself + up exultingly, whilst scores and scores of women, friends or + acquaintances, scrambled and rushed upon her, pressing her hands or + kissing her, and addressing her in words of ecstasy. Gérard, who rose both + head and shoulders above his bride, and looked all the nobler and stronger + beside one of such puny figure, shook hands and smiled like some Prince + Charming, who good-naturedly allowed himself to be loved. Meanwhile, the + relatives of the newly wedded pair, though they were drawn up in one line, + formed two distinct groups past which the crowd pushed and surged with + arms outstretched. Duvillard received the congratulations offered him as + if he were some king well pleased with his people; whilst Eve, with a + supreme effort, put on an enchanting mien, and answered one and all with + scarcely a sign of the sobs which she was forcing back. Then, on the other + side of the bridal pair, Madame de Quinsac stood between General de + Bozonnet and the Marquis de Morigny. Very dignified, in fact almost + haughty, she acknowledged most of the salutations addressed to her with a + mere nod, giving her little withered hand only to those people with whom + she was well acquainted. A sea of strange countenances encompassed her, + and now and again when some particularly murky wave rolled by, a wave of + men whose faces bespoke all the crimes of money-mongering, she and the + Marquis exchanged glances of deep sadness. This tide continued sweeping by + for nearly half an hour; and such was the number of those who wanted to + shake hands with the bridal pair and their relatives, that the latter soon + felt their arms ache. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, some folks lingered in the sacristy; little groups collected, + and gay chatter rang out. Monferrand was immediately surrounded. Massot + pointed out to Duthil how eagerly Public Prosecutor Lehmann rushed upon + the Minister to pay him court. They were immediately joined by + investigating magistrate Amadieu. And even M. de Larombière, the judge, + approached Monferrand, although he hated the Republic, and was an intimate + friend of the Quinsacs. But then obedience and obsequiousness were + necessary on the part of the magistracy, for it was dependent on those in + power, who alone could give advancement, and appoint even as they + dismissed. As for Lehmann, it was alleged that he had rendered assistance + to Monferrand by spiriting away certain documents connected with the + African Railways affair, whilst with regard to the smiling and extremely + Parisian Amadieu, was it not to him that the government was indebted for + Salvat’s head? + </p> + <p> + “You know,” muttered Massot, “they’ve all come to be thanked for + guillotining that man yesterday. Monferrand owes that wretched fellow a + fine taper; for in the first place his bomb prolonged the life of the + Barroux ministry, and later on it made Monferrand prime minister, as a + strong-handed man was particularly needed to strangle Anarchism. What a + contest, eh? Monferrand on one side and Salvat on the other. It was all + bound to end in a head being cut off; one was wanted.... Ah! just listen, + they are talking of it.” + </p> + <p> + This was true. As the three functionaries of the law drew near to pay + their respects to the all-powerful Minister, they were questioned by lady + friends whose curiosity had been roused by what they had read in the + newspapers. Thereupon Amadieu, whom duty had taken to the execution, and + who was proud of his own importance, and determined to destroy what he + called “the legend of Salvat’s heroic death,” declared that the scoundrel + had shown no true courage at all. His pride alone had kept him on his + feet. Fright had so shaken and choked him that he had virtually been dead + before the fall of the knife. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! that’s true!” cried Duthil. “I was there myself.” + </p> + <p> + Massot, however, pulled him by the arm, quite indignant at such an + assertion, although as a rule he cared a rap for nothing. “You couldn’t + see anything, my dear fellow,” said he; “Salvat died very bravely. It’s + really stupid to continue throwing mud at that poor devil even when he’s + dead.” + </p> + <p> + However, the idea that Salvat had died like a coward was too pleasing a + one to be rejected. It was, so to say, a last sacrifice deposited at + Monferrand’s feet with the object of propitiating him. He still smiled in + his peaceful way, like a good-natured man who is stern only when necessity + requires it. And he showed great amiability towards the three judicial + functionaries, and thanked them for the bravery with which they had + accomplished their painful duty to the very end. On the previous day, + after the execution, he had obtained a formidable majority in the Chamber + on a somewhat delicate matter of policy. Order reigned, said he, and all + was for the very best in France. Then, on seeing Vignon—who like a + cool gamester had made a point of attending the wedding in order to show + people that he was superior to fortune—the Minister detained him, + and made much of him, partly as a matter of tactics, for in spite of + everything he could not help fearing that the future might belong to that + young fellow, who showed himself so intelligent and cautious. When a + mutual friend informed them that Barroux’ health was now so bad that the + doctors had given him up as lost, they both began to express their + compassion. Poor Barroux! He had never recovered from that vote of the + Chamber which had overthrown him. He had been sinking from day to day, + stricken to the heart by his country’s ingratitude, dying of that + abominable charge of money-mongering and thieving; he who was so upright + and so loyal, who had devoted his whole life to the Republic! But then, as + Monferrand repeated, one should never confess. The public can’t understand + such a thing. + </p> + <p> + At this moment Duvillard, in some degree relinquishing his paternal + duties, came to join the others, and the Minister then had to share the + honours of triumph with him. For was not this banker the master? Was he + not money personified—money, which is the only stable, everlasting + force, far above all ephemeral tenure of power, such as attaches to those + ministerial portfolios which pass so rapidly from hand to hand? Monferrand + reigned, but he would pass away, and a like fate would some day fall on + Vignon, who had already had a warning that one could not govern unless the + millions of the financial world were on one’s side. So was not the only + real triumpher himself, the Baron—he who laid out five millions of + francs on buying a scion of the aristocracy for his daughter, he who was + the personification of the sovereign <i>bourgeoisie</i>, who controlled + public fortune, and was determined to part with nothing, even were he + attacked with bombs? All these festivities really centred in himself, he + alone sat down to the banquet, leaving merely the crumbs from his table to + the lowly, those wretched toilers who had been so cleverly duped at the + time of the Revolution. + </p> + <p> + That African Railways affair was already but so much ancient history, + buried, spirited away by a parliamentary commission. All who had been + compromised in it, the Duthils, the Chaigneux, the Fonsègues and others, + could now laugh merrily. They had been delivered from their nightmare by + Monferrand’s strong fist, and raised by Duvillard’s triumph. Even + Sagnier’s ignoble article and miry revelations in the “Voix du Peuple” + were of no real account, and could be treated with a shrug of the + shoulders, for the public had been so saturated with denunciation and + slander that it was now utterly weary of all noisy scandal. The only thing + which aroused interest was the rumour that Duvillard’s big affair of the + Trans-Saharan Railway was soon to be launched, that millions of money + would be handled, and that some of them would rain down upon faithful + friends. + </p> + <p> + Whilst Duvillard was conversing in a friendly way with Monferrand and + Dauvergne, the Minister of Public Instruction, who had joined them, Massot + encountered Fonsègue, his editor, and said to him in an undertone: “Duthil + has just assured me that the Trans-Saharan business is ready, and that + they mean to chance it with the Chamber. They declare that they are + certain of success.” + </p> + <p> + Fonsègue, however, was sceptical on the point. “It’s impossible,” said he; + “they won’t dare to begin again so soon.” + </p> + <p> + Although he spoke in this fashion, the news had made him grave. He had + lately had such a terrible fright through his imprudence in the African + Railways affair, that he had vowed he would take every precaution in + future. Still, this did not mean that he would refuse to participate in + matters of business. The best course was to wait and study them, and then + secure a share in all that seemed profitable. In the present instance he + felt somewhat worried. However, whilst he stood there watching the group + around Duvillard and the two ministers, he suddenly perceived Chaigneux, + who, flitting hither and thither, was still beating up applauders for that + evening’s performance. He sang Silviane’s praises in every key, predicted + a most tremendous success, and did his very best to stimulate curiosity. + At last he approached Dauvergne, and with his long figure bent double + exclaimed: “My dear Minister, I have a particular request to make to you + on the part of a very charming person, whose victory will not be complete + this evening if you do not condescend to favour her with your vote.” + </p> + <p> + Dauvergne, a tall, fair, good-looking man, whose blue eyes smiled behind + his glasses, listened to Chaigneux with an affable air. He was proving a + great success at the Ministry of Public Instruction, although he knew + nothing of University matters. However, like a real Parisian of Dijon, as + people called him, he was possessed of some tact and skill, gave + entertainments at which his young and charming wife outshone all others, + and passed as being quite an enlightened friend of writers and artists. + Silviane’s engagement at the Comédie, which so far was his most notable + achievement, and which would have shaken the position of any other + minister, had by a curious chance rendered him popular. It was regarded as + something original and amusing. + </p> + <p> + On understanding that Chaigneux simply wished to make sure of his presence + at the Comédie that evening, he became yet more affable. “Why, certainly, + I shall be there, my dear deputy,” he replied. “When one has such a + charming god-daughter one mustn’t forsake her in a moment of danger.” + </p> + <p> + At this Monferrand, who had been lending ear, turned round. “And tell + her,” said he, “that I shall be there, too. She may therefore rely on + having two more friends in the house.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Duvillard, quite enraptured, his eyes glistening with emotion + and gratitude, bowed to the two ministers as if they had granted him some + never-to-be-forgotten favour. + </p> + <p> + When Chaigneux, on his side also, had returned thanks with a low bow, he + happened to perceive Fonsègue, and forthwith he darted towards him and led + him aside. “Ah! my dear colleague,” he declared, “it is absolutely + necessary that this matter should be settled. I regard it as of supreme + importance.” + </p> + <p> + “What are you speaking of?” inquired Fonsègue, much surprised. + </p> + <p> + “Why, of Massot’s article, which you won’t insert.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, the director of the “Globe” plumply declared that he could not + insert the article. He talked of his paper’s dignity and gravity; and + declared that the lavishing of such fulsome praise upon a hussy—yes, + a mere hussy, in a journal whose exemplary morality and austerity had cost + him so much labour, would seem monstrous and degrading. Personally, he did + not care a fig about it if Silviane chose to make an exhibition of + herself, well, he would be there to see; but the “Globe” was sacred. + </p> + <p> + Disconcerted and almost tearful, Chaigneux nevertheless renewed his + attempt. “Come, my dear colleague,” said he, “pray make a little effort + for my sake. If the article isn’t inserted, Duvillard will think that it + is my fault. And you know that I really need his help. My eldest + daughter’s marriage has again been postponed, and I hardly know where to + turn.” Then perceiving that his own misfortunes in no wise touched + Fonsègue, he added: “And do it for your own sake, my dear colleague, your + own sake. For when all is said Duvillard knows what is in the article, and + it is precisely because it is so favourable a one that he wishes to see it + in the ‘Globe.’ Think it over; if the article isn’t published, he will + certainly turn his back on you.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment Fonsègue remained silent. Was he thinking of the colossal + Trans-Saharan enterprise? Was he reflecting that it would be hard to + quarrel at such a moment and miss his own share in the coming distribution + of millions among faithful friends? Perhaps so; however, the idea that it + would be more prudent to await developments gained the day with him. “No, + no,” he said, “I can’t, it’s a matter of conscience.” + </p> + <p> + In the mean time congratulations were still being tendered to the newly + wedded couple. It seemed as if all Paris were passing through the + sacristy; there were ever the same smiles and the same hand shakes. + Gérard, Camille and their relatives, however weary they might feel, were + forced to retain an air of delight while they stood there against the + wall, pent up by the crowd. The heat was now becoming unbearable, and a + cloud of dust arose as when some big flock goes by. + </p> + <p> + All at once little Princess de Harn, who had hitherto lingered nobody knew + where, sprang out of the throng, flung her arms around Camille, kissed + even Eve, and then kept Gérard’s hand in her own while paying him + extraordinary compliments. Then, on perceiving Hyacinthe, she took + possession of him and carried him off into a corner. “I say,” she + exclaimed, “I have a favour to ask you.” + </p> + <p> + The young man was wonderfully silent that day. His sister’s wedding seemed + to him a contemptible ceremony, the most vulgar that one could imagine. So + here, thought he, was another pair accepting the horrid sexual law by + which the absurdity of the world was perpetuated! For his part, he had + decided that he would witness the proceedings in rigid silence, with a + haughty air of disapproval. When Rosemonde spoke to him, he looked at her + rather nervously, for he was glad that she had forsaken him for Duthil, + and feared some fresh caprice on her part. At last, opening his mouth for + the first time that day, he replied: “Oh, as a friend, you know, I will + grant you whatever favour you like.” + </p> + <p> + Forthwith the Princess explained that she would surely die if she did not + witness the <i>début</i> of her dear friend Silviane, of whom she had + become such a passionate admirer. So she begged the young man to prevail + on his father to give her a seat in his box, as she knew that one was left + there. + </p> + <p> + Hyacinthe smiled. “Oh, willingly, my dear,” said he; “I’ll warn papa, + there will be a seat for you.” + </p> + <p> + Then, as the procession of guests at last drew to an end and the vestry + began to empty, the bridal pair and their relatives were able to go off + through the chattering throng, which still lingered about to bow to them + and scrutinise them once more. + </p> + <p> + Gérard and Camille were to leave for an estate which Duvillard possessed + in Normandy, directly after lunch. This repast, served at the princely + mansion of the Rue Godot-de-Mauroy, provided an opportunity for fresh + display. The dining-room on the first floor had been transformed into a + buffet, where reigned the greatest abundance and the most wonderful + sumptuousness. Quite a reception too was held in the drawing-rooms, the + large red <i>salon</i>, the little blue and silver <i>salon</i> and all + the others, whose doors stood wide open. Although it had been arranged + that only family friends should be invited, there were quite three hundred + people present. The ministers had excused themselves, alleging that the + weighty cares of public business required their presence elsewhere. But + the magistrates, the deputies and the leading journalists who had attended + the wedding were again assembled together. And in that throng of hungry + folks, longing for some of the spoils of Duvillard’s new venture, the + people who felt most out of their element were Madame de Quinsac’s few + guests, whom General de Bozonnet and the Marquis de Morigny had seated on + a sofa in the large red <i>salon</i>, which they did not quit. + </p> + <p> + Eve, who for her part felt quite overcome, both her moral and physical + strength being exhausted, had seated herself in the little blue and silver + drawing-room, which, with her passion for flowers, she had transformed + into an arbour of roses. She would have fallen had she remained standing, + the very floor had seemed to sink beneath her feet. Nevertheless, whenever + a guest approached her she managed to force a smile, and appear beautiful + and charming. Unlooked-for help at last came to her in the person of + Monseigneur Martha, who had graciously honoured the lunch with his + presence. He took an armchair near her, and began to talk to her in his + amiable, caressing way. He was doubtless well aware of the frightful + anguish which wrung the poor woman’s heart, for he showed himself quite + fatherly, eager to comfort her. She, however, talked on like some + inconsolable widow bent on renouncing the world for God, who alone could + bring her peace. Then, as the conversation turned on the Asylum for the + Invalids of Labour, she declared that she was resolved to take her + presidency very seriously, and, in fact, would exclusively devote herself + to it, in the future. + </p> + <p> + “And as we are speaking of this, Monseigneur,” said she, “I would even ask + you to give me some advice.... I shall need somebody to help me, and I + thought of securing the services of a priest whom I much admire, Monsieur + l’Abbé Pierre Froment.” + </p> + <p> + At this the Bishop became grave and embarrassed; but Princess Rosemonde, + who was passing by with Duthil, had overheard the Baroness, and drawing + near with her wonted impetuosity, she exclaimed: “Abbé Pierre Froment! Oh! + I forgot to tell you, my dear, that I met him going about in jacket and + trousers! And I’ve been told too that he cycles in the Bois with some + creature or other. Isn’t it true, Duthil, that we met him?” + </p> + <p> + The deputy bowed and smiled, whilst Eve clasped her hands in amazement. + “Is it possible! A priest who was all charitable fervour, who had the + faith and passion of an apostle!” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Monseigneur intervened: “Yes, yes, great sorrows occasionally + fall upon the Church. I heard of the madness of the unhappy man you speak + of. I even thought it my duty to write to him, but he left my letter + unanswered. I should so much have liked to stifle such a scandal! But + there are abominable forces which we cannot always overcome; and so a day + or two ago the archbishop was obliged to put him under interdict.... You + must choose somebody else, madame.” + </p> + <p> + It was quite a disaster. Eve gazed at Rosemonde and Duthil, without daring + to ask them for particulars, but wondering what creature could have been + so audacious as to turn a priest from the path of duty. She must assuredly + be some shameless demented woman! And it seemed to Eve as if this crime + gave a finishing touch to her own misfortune. With a wave of the arm, + which took in all the luxury around her, the roses steeping her in + perfume, and the crush of guests around the buffet, she murmured: “Ah! + decidedly there’s nothing but corruption left; one can no longer rely on + anybody!” + </p> + <p> + Whilst this was going on, Camille happened to be alone in her own room + getting ready to leave the house with Gérard. And all at once her brother + Hyacinthe joined her there. “Ah! it’s you, youngster!” she exclaimed. + “Well, make haste if you want to kiss me, for I’m off now, thank + goodness!” + </p> + <p> + He kissed her as she suggested, and then in a doctoral way replied: “I + thought you had more self-command. The delight you have been showing all + this morning quite disgusts me.” + </p> + <p> + A quiet glance of contempt was her only answer. However, he continued: + “You know very well that she’ll take your Gérard from you again, directly + you come back to Paris.” + </p> + <p> + At this Camille’s cheeks turned white and her eyes flared. She stepped + towards her brother with clenched fists: “She! you say that she will take + him from me!” + </p> + <p> + The “she” they referred to was their own mother. + </p> + <p> + “Listen, my boy! I’ll kill her first!” continued Camille. “Ah, no! she + needn’t hope for that. I shall know how to keep the man that belongs to + me.... And as for you, keep your spite to yourself, for I know you, + remember; you are a mere child and a fool!” + </p> + <p> + He recoiled as if a viper were rearing its sharp, slender black head + before him; and having always feared her, he thought it best to beat a + retreat. + </p> + <p> + While the last guests were rushing upon the buffet and finishing the + pillage there, the bridal pair took their leave, before driving off to the + railway station. General de Bozonnet had joined a group in order to vent + his usual complaints about compulsory military service, and the Marquis de + Morigny was obliged to fetch him at the moment when the Countess de + Quinsac was kissing her son and daughter-in-law. The old lady trembled + with so much emotion that the Marquis respectfully ventured to sustain + her. Meantime, Hyacinthe had started in search of his father, and at last + found him near a window with the tottering Chaigneux, whom he was + violently upbraiding, for Fonsègue’s conscientious scruples had put him in + a fury. Indeed, if Massot’s article should not be inserted in the “Globe,” + Silviane might lay all the blame upon him, the Baron, and wreak further + punishment upon him. However, upon being summoned by his son he had to don + his triumphal air once more, kiss his daughter on the forehead, shake + hands with his son-in-law, jest and wish them both a pleasant journey. + Then Eve, near whom Monseigneur Martha had remained, smiling, in her turn + had to say farewell. In this she evinced touching bravery; her + determination to remain beautiful and charming until the very end lent her + sufficient strength to show herself both gay and motherly. + </p> + <p> + She took hold of the slightly quivering hand which Gérard proffered with + some embarrassment, and ventured to retain it for a moment in her own, in + a good-hearted, affectionate way, instinct with all the heroism of + renunciation. “Good by, Gérard,” she said, “keep in good health, be + happy.” Then turning to Camille she kissed her on both cheeks, while + Monseigneur Martha sat looking at them with an air of indulgent sympathy. + They wished each other “Au revoir,” but their voices trembled, and their + eyes in meeting gleamed like swords; in the same way as beneath the kisses + they had exchanged they had felt each other’s teeth. Ah! how it enraged + Camille to see her mother still so beautiful and fascinating in spite of + age and grief! And for Eve how great the torture of beholding her + daughter’s youth, that youth which had overcome her, and was for ever + wresting love from within her reach! No forgiveness was possible between + them; they would still hate one another even in the family tomb, where + some day they would sleep side by side. + </p> + <p> + All the same, that evening Baroness Duvillard excused herself from + attending the performance of “Polyeucte” at the Comédie Française. She + felt very tired and wished to go to bed early, said she. As a matter of + fact she wept on her pillow all night long. Thus the Baron’s stage-box on + the first balcony tier contained only himself, Hyacinthe, Duthil, and + little Princess de Harn. + </p> + <p> + At nine o’clock there was a full house, one of the brilliant chattering + houses peculiar to great dramatic solemnities. All the society people who + had marched through the sacristy of the Madeleine that morning were now + assembled at the theatre, again feverish with curiosity, and on the + lookout for the unexpected. One recognised the same faces and the same + smiles; the women acknowledged one another’s presence with little signs of + intelligence, the men understood each other at a word, a gesture. One and + all had kept the appointment, the ladies with bared shoulders, the + gentlemen with flowers in their button-holes. Fonsègue occupied the + “Globe’s” box, with two friendly families. Little Massot had his customary + seat in the stalls. Amadieu, who was a faithful patron of the Comédie, was + also to be seen there, as well as General de Bozonnet and Public + Prosecutor Lehmann. The man who was most looked at, however, on account of + his scandalous article that morning, was Sagnier, the terrible Sagnier, + looking bloated and apoplectical. Then there was Chaigneux, who had kept + merely a modest bracket-seat for himself, and who scoured the passages, + and climbed to every tier, for the last time preaching enthusiasm. + Finally, the two ministers Monferrand and Dauvergne appeared in the box + facing Duvillard’s; whereupon many knowing smiles were exchanged, for + everybody was aware that these personages had come to help on the success + of the <i>débutante</i>. + </p> + <p> + On the latter point there had still been unfavourable rumours only the + previous day. Sagnier had declared that the <i>début</i> of such a + notorious harlot as Silviane at the Comédie Française, in such a part too + as that of “Pauline,” which was one of so much moral loftiness, could only + be regarded as an impudent insult to public decency. The whole press, + moreover, had long been up in arms against the young woman’s extraordinary + caprice. But then the affair had been talked of for six months past, so + that Paris had grown used to the idea of seeing Silviane at the Comédie. + And now it flocked thither with the one idea of being entertained. Before + the curtain rose one could tell by the very atmosphere of the house that + the audience was a jovial, good-humoured one, bent on enjoying itself, and + ready to applaud should it find itself at all pleased. + </p> + <p> + The performance really proved extraordinary. When Silviane, chastely + robed, made her appearance in the first act, the house was quite + astonished by her virginal face, her innocent-looking mouth, and her eyes + beaming with immaculate candour. Then, although the manner in which she + had understood her part at first amazed people, it ended by charming them. + From the moment of confiding in “Stratonice,” from the moment of relating + her dream, she turned “Pauline” into a soaring mystical creature, some + saint, as it were, such as one sees in stained-glass windows, carried + along by a Wagnerian Brunhilda riding the clouds. It was a thoroughly + ridiculous conception of the part, contrary to reason and truth alike. + Still, it only seemed to interest people the more, partly on account of + mysticism being the fashion, and partly on account of the contrast between + Silviane’s assumed candour and real depravity. Her success increased from + act to act, and some slight hissing which was attributed to Sagnier only + helped to make the victory more complete. Monferrand and Dauvergne, as the + newspapers afterwards related, gave the signal for applause; and the whole + house joined in it, partly from amusement and partly perhaps in a spirit + of irony. + </p> + <p> + During the interval between the fourth and fifth acts there was quite a + procession of visitors to Duvillard’s box, where the greatest excitement + prevailed. Duthil, however, after absenting himself for a moment, came + back to say: “You remember our influential critic, the one whom I brought + to dinner at the Cafe Anglais? Well, he’s repeating to everybody that + ‘Pauline’ is merely a little <i>bourgeoise</i>, and is not transformed by + the heavenly grace until the very finish of the piece. To turn her into a + holy virgin from the outset simply kills the part, says he.” + </p> + <p> + “Pooh!” repeated Duvillard, “let him argue if he likes, it will be all the + more advertisement.... The important point is to get Massot’s article + inserted in the ‘Globe’ to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + On this point, unfortunately, the news was by no means good. Chaigneux, + who had gone in search of Fonsègue, declared that the latter still + hesitated in the matter in spite of Silviane’s success, which he declared + to be ridiculous. Thereupon, the Baron became quite angry. “Go and tell + Fonsègue,” he exclaimed, “that I insist on it, and that I shall remember + what he does.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Princess Rosemonde was becoming quite delirious with enthusiasm. + “My dear Hyacinthe,” she pleaded, “please take me to Silviane’s + dressing-room; I can’t wait, I really must go and kiss her.” + </p> + <p> + “But we’ll all go!” cried Duvillard, who heard her entreaty. + </p> + <p> + The passages were crowded, and there were people even on the stage. + Moreover, when the party reached the door of Silviane’s dressing-room, + they found it shut. When the Baron knocked at it, a dresser replied that + madame begged the gentlemen to wait a moment. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! a woman may surely go in,” replied Rosemonde, hastily slipping + through the doorway. “And you may come, Hyacinthe,” she added; “there can + be no objection to you.” + </p> + <p> + Silviane was very hot, and a dresser was wiping her perspiring shoulders + when Rosemonde darted forward and kissed her. Then they chatted together + amidst the heat and glare from the gas and the intoxicating perfumes of + all the flowers which were heaped up in the little room. Finally, + Hyacinthe heard them promise to see one another after the performance, + Silviane even inviting Rosemonde to drink a cup of tea with her at her + house. At this the young man smiled complacently, and said to the actress: + “Your carriage is waiting for you at the corner of the Rue Montpensier, is + it not? Well, I’ll take the Princess to it. That will be the simpler plan, + you can both go off together!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how good of you,” cried Rosemonde; “it’s agreed.” + </p> + <p> + Just then the door was opened, and the men, being admitted, began to pour + forth their congratulations. However, they had to regain their seats in + all haste so as to witness the fifth act. This proved quite a triumph, the + whole house bursting into applause when Silviane spoke the famous line, “I + see, I know, I believe, I am undeceived,” with the rapturous enthusiasm of + a holy martyr ascending to heaven. Nothing could have been more soul-like, + it was said. And so when the performers were called before the curtain, + Paris bestowed an ovation on that virgin of the stage, who, as Sagnier put + it, knew so well how to act depravity at home. + </p> + <p> + Accompanied by Duthil, Duvillard at once went behind the scenes in order + to fetch Silviane, while Hyacinthe escorted Rosemonde to the brougham + waiting at the corner of the Rue Montpensier. Having helped her into it, + the young man stood by, waiting. And he seemed to grow quite merry when + his father came up with Silviane, and was stopped by her, just as, in his + turn, he wished to get into the carriage. + </p> + <p> + “There’s no room for you, my dear fellow,” said she. “I’ve a friend with + me.” + </p> + <p> + Rosemonde’s little smiling face then peered forth from the depths of the + brougham. And the Baron remained there open-mouthed while the vehicle + swiftly carried the two women away! + </p> + <p> + “Well, what would you have, my dear fellow?” said Hyacinthe, by way of + explanation to Duthil, who also seemed somewhat amazed by what had + happened. “Rosemonde was worrying my life out, and so I got rid of her by + packing her off with Silviane.” + </p> + <p> + Duvillard was still standing on the pavement and still looking dazed when + Chaigneux, who was going home quite tired out, recognised him, and came up + to say that Fonsègue had thought the matter over, and that Massot’s + article would be duly inserted. In the passages, too, there had been a + deal of talk about the famous Trans-Saharan project. + </p> + <p> + Then Hyacinthe led his father away, trying to comfort him like a sensible + friend, who regarded woman as a base and impure creature. “Let’s go home + to bed,” said he. “As that article is to appear, you can take it to her + to-morrow. She will see you, sure enough.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon they lighted cigars, and now and again exchanging a few words, + took their way up the Avenue de l’Opera, which at that hour was deserted + and dismal. Meantime, above the slumbering houses of Paris the breeze + wafted a prolonged sigh, the plaint, as it were, of an expiring world. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap64"></a> + III. THE GOAL OF LABOUR + </h2> + <p> + EVER since the execution of Salvat, Guillaume had become extremely + taciturn. He seemed worried and absent-minded. He would work for hours at + the manufacture of that dangerous powder of which he alone knew the + formula, and the preparation of which was such a delicate matter that he + would allow none to assist him. Then, at other times he would go off, and + return tired out by some long solitary ramble. He remained very gentle at + home, and strove to smile there. But whenever anybody spoke to him he + started as if suddenly called back from dreamland. + </p> + <p> + Pierre imagined his brother had relied too much upon his powers of + renunciation, and found the loss of Marie unbearable. Was it not some + thought of her that haunted him now that the date fixed for the marriage + drew nearer and nearer? One evening, therefore, Pierre ventured to speak + out, again offering to leave the house and disappear. + </p> + <p> + But at the first words he uttered Guillaume stopped him, and + affectionately replied: “Marie? Oh! I love her, I love her too well to + regret what I have done. No, no! you only bring me happiness, I derive all + my strength and courage from you now that I know you are both happy. ... + And I assure you that you are mistaken, there is nothing at all the matter + with me; my work absorbs me, perhaps, but that is all.” + </p> + <p> + That same evening he managed to cast his gloom aside, and displayed + delightful gaiety. During dinner he inquired if the upholsterer would soon + call to arrange the two little rooms which Marie was to occupy with her + husband over the workroom. The young woman, who since her marriage with + Pierre had been decided had remained waiting with smiling patience, + thereupon told Guillaume what it was she desired—first some hangings + of red cotton stuff, then some polished pine furniture which would enable + her to imagine she was in the country, and finally a carpet on the floor, + because a carpet seemed to her the height of luxury. She laughed as she + spoke, and Guillaume laughed with her in a gay and fatherly way. His good + spirits brought much relief to Pierre, who concluded that he must have + been mistaken in his surmises. + </p> + <p> + On the very morrow, however, Guillaume relapsed into a dreamy state. And + so disquietude again came upon Pierre, particularly when he noticed that + Mère-Grand also seemed to be unusually grave and silent. Not daring to + address her, he tried to extract some information from his nephews, but + neither Thomas nor François nor Antoine knew anything. Each of them + quietly devoted his time to his work, respecting and worshipping his + father, but never questioning him about his plans or enterprises. Whatever + he might choose to do could only be right and good; and they, his sons, + were ready to do the same and help him at the very first call, without + pausing to inquire into his purpose. It was plain, however, that he kept + them apart from anything at all perilous, that he retained all + responsibility for himself, and that Mère-Grand alone was his <i>confidante</i>, + the one whom he consulted and to whom he perhaps listened. Pierre + therefore renounced his hope of learning anything from the sons, and + directed his attention to the old lady, whose rigid gravity worried him + the more as she and Guillaume frequently had private chats in the room she + occupied upstairs. They shut themselves up there all alone, and remained + together for hours without the faintest sound coming from the seemingly + lifeless chamber. + </p> + <p> + One day, however, Pierre caught sight of Guillaume as he came out of it, + carrying a little valise which appeared to be very heavy. And Pierre + thereupon remembered both his brother’s powder, one pound weight of which + would have sufficed to destroy a cathedral, and the destructive engine + which he had purposed bestowing upon France in order that she might be + victorious over all other nations, and become the one great initiatory and + liberative power. Pierre remembered too that the only person besides + himself who knew his brother’s secret was Mère-Grand, who, at the time + when Guillaume was fearing some perquisition on the part of the police, + had long slept upon the cartridges of the terrible explosive. But now why + was Guillaume removing all the powder which he had been preparing for some + time past? As this question occurred to Pierre, a sudden suspicion, a + vague dread, came upon him, and gave him strength to ask his brother: + “Have you reason to fear anything, since you won’t keep things here? If + they embarrass you, they can all be deposited at my house, nobody will + make a search there.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, whom these words astonished, gazed at Pierre fixedly, and then + replied: “Yes, I have learnt that the arrests and perquisitions have begun + afresh since that poor devil was guillotined; for they are in terror at + the thought that some despairing fellow may avenge him. Moreover, it is + hardly prudent to keep destructive agents of such great power here. I + prefer to deposit them in a safe place. But not at Neuilly—oh! no + indeed! they are not a present for you, brother.” Guillaume spoke with + outward calmness; and if he had started with surprise at the first moment, + it had been scarcely perceptible. + </p> + <p> + “So everything is ready?” Pierre resumed. “You will soon be handing your + engine of destruction over to the Minister of War, I presume?” + </p> + <p> + A gleam of hesitation appeared in the depths of Guillaume’s eyes, and he + was for a moment about to tell a falsehood. However, he ended by replying + “No, I have renounced that intention. I have another idea.” + </p> + <p> + He spoke these last words with so much energy and decision that Pierre did + not dare to question him further, to ask him, for instance, what that + other idea might be. From that moment, however, he quivered with anxious + expectancy. From hour to hour Mère-Grand’s lofty silence and Guillaume’s + rapt, energetic face seemed to tell him that some huge and terrifying + scheme had come into being, and was growing and threatening the whole of + Paris. + </p> + <p> + One afternoon, just as Thomas was about to repair to the Grandidier works, + some one came to Guillaume’s with the news that old Toussaint, the + workman, had been stricken with a fresh attack of paralysis. Thomas + thereupon decided that he would call upon the poor fellow on his way, for + he held him in esteem and wished to ascertain if he could render him any + help. Pierre expressed a desire to accompany his nephew, and they started + off together about four o’clock. + </p> + <p> + On entering the one room which the Toussaints occupied, the room where + they ate and slept, the visitors found the mechanician seated on a low + chair near the table. He looked half dead, as if struck by lightning. It + was a case of hemiplegia, which had paralysed the whole of his right side, + his right leg and right arm, and had also spread to his face in such wise + that he could no longer speak. The only sound he could raise was an + incomprehensible guttural grunt. His mouth was drawn to the right, and his + once round, good-natured-looking face, with tanned skin and bright eyes, + had been twisted into a frightful mask of anguish. At fifty years of age, + the unhappy man was utterly done for. His unkempt beard was as white as + that of an octogenarian, and his knotty limbs, preyed upon by toil, were + henceforth dead. Only his eyes remained alive, and they travelled around + the room, going from one to another. By his side, eager to do what she + could for him, was his wife, who remained stout even when she had little + to eat, and still showed herself active and clear-headed, however great + her misfortunes. + </p> + <p> + “It’s a friendly visit, Toussaint,” said she. “It’s Monsieur Thomas who + has come to see you with Monsieur l’Abbé.” Then quietly correcting herself + she added: “With Monsieur Pierre, his uncle. You see that you are not yet + forsaken.” + </p> + <p> + Toussaint wished to speak, but his fruitless efforts only brought two big + tears to his eyes. Then he gazed at his visitors with an expression of + indescribable woe, his jaws trembling convulsively. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t put yourself out,” repeated his wife. “The doctor told you that it + would do you no good.” + </p> + <p> + At the moment of entering the room, Pierre had already noticed two persons + who had risen from their chairs and drawn somewhat on one side. And now to + his great surprise he recognised that they were Madame Théodore and + Céline, who were both decently clad, and looked as if they led a life of + comfort. On hearing of Toussaint’s misfortune they had come to see him, + like good-hearted creatures, who, on their own side, had experienced the + most cruel suffering. Pierre, on noticing that they now seemed to be + beyond dire want, remembered what he had heard of the wonderful sympathy + lavished on the child after her father’s execution, the many presents and + donations offered her, and the generous proposals that had been made to + adopt her. These last had ended in her being adopted by a former friend of + Salvat, who had sent her to school again, pending the time when she might + be apprenticed to some trade, while, on the other hand, Madame Théodore + had been placed as a nurse in a convalescent home. In such wise both had + been saved. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre drew near to little Céline in order to kiss her, Madame + Théodore told her to thank Monsieur l’Abbé—for so she still + respectfully called him—for all that he had previously done for her. + “It was you who brought us happiness, Monsieur l’Abbé,” said she. “And + that’s a thing one can never forget. I’m always telling Céline to remember + you in her prayers.” + </p> + <p> + “And so, my child, you are now going to school again,” said Pierre. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, Monsieur l’Abbé, and I’m well pleased at it. Besides, we no + longer lack anything.” Then, however, sudden emotion came over the girl, + and she stammered with a sob: “Ah! if poor papa could only see us!” + </p> + <p> + Madame Théodore, meanwhile, had begun to take leave of Madame Toussaint. + “Well, good by, we must go,” said she. “What has happened to you is very + sad, and we wanted to tell you how much it grieved us. The worry is that + when misfortune falls on one, courage isn’t enough to set things right.. + .. Céline, come and kiss your uncle.... My poor brother, I hope you’ll get + back the use of your legs as soon as possible.” + </p> + <p> + They kissed the paralysed man on the cheeks, and then went off. Toussaint + had looked at them with his keen and still intelligent eyes, as if he + longed to participate in the life and activity into which they were + returning. And a jealous thought came to his wife, who usually was so + placid and good-natured. “Ah! my poor old man!” said she, after propping + him up with a pillow, “those two are luckier than we are. Everything + succeeds with them since that madman, Salvat, had his head cut off. + They’re provided for. They’ve plenty of bread on the shelf.” + </p> + <p> + Then, turning towards Pierre and Thomas, she continued: “We others are + done for, you know, we’re down in the mud, with no hope of getting out of + it. But what would you have? My poor husband hasn’t been guillotined, he’s + done nothing but work his whole life long; and now, you see, that’s the + end of him, he’s like some old animal, no longer good for anything.” + </p> + <p> + Having made her visitors sit down she next answered their compassionate + questions. The doctor had called twice already, and had promised to + restore the unhappy man’s power of speech, and perhaps enable him to crawl + round the room with the help of a stick. But as for ever being able to + resume real work that must not be expected. And so what was the use of + living on? Toussaint’s eyes plainly declared that he would much rather die + at once. When a workman can no longer work and no longer provide for his + wife he is ripe for the grave. + </p> + <p> + “Savings indeed!” Madame Toussaint resumed. “There are folks who ask if we + have any savings.... Well, we had nearly a thousand francs in the Savings + Bank when Toussaint had his first attack. And some people don’t know what + a lot of prudence one needs to put by such a sum; for, after all, we’re + not savages, we have to allow ourselves a little enjoyment now and then, a + good dish and a good bottle of wine.... Well, what with five months of + enforced idleness, and the medicines, and the underdone meat that was + ordered, we got to the end of our thousand francs; and now that it’s all + begun again we’re not likely to taste any more bottled wine or roast + mutton.” + </p> + <p> + Fond of good cheer as she had always been, this cry, far more than the + tears she was forcing back, revealed how much the future terrified her. + She was there erect and brave in spite of everything; but what a downfall + if she were no longer able to keep her room tidy, stew a piece of veal on + Sundays, and gossip with the neighbours while awaiting her husband’s + return from work! Why, they might just as well be thrown into the gutter + and carried off in the scavenger’s cart. + </p> + <p> + However, Thomas intervened: “Isn’t there an Asylum for the Invalids of + Labour, and couldn’t your husband get admitted to it?” he asked. “It seems + to me that is just the place for him.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh dear, no,” the woman answered. “People spoke to me of that place + before, and I got particulars of it. They don’t take sick people there. + When you call they tell you that there are hospitals for those who are + ill.” + </p> + <p> + With a wave of his hand Pierre confirmed her statement: it was useless to + apply in that direction. He could again see himself scouring Paris, + hurrying from the Lady President, Baroness Duvillard, to Fonsègue, the + General Manager, and only securing a bed for Laveuve when the unhappy man + was dead. + </p> + <p> + However, at that moment an infant was heard wailing, and to the amazement + of both visitors Madame Toussaint entered the little closet where her son + Charles had so long slept, and came out of it carrying a child, who looked + scarcely twenty months old. “Well, yes,” she explained, “this is Charles’s + boy. He was sleeping there in his father’s old bed, and now you hear him, + he’s woke up.... You see, only last Wednesday, the day before Toussaint + had his stroke, I went to fetch the little one at the nurse’s at St. + Denis, because she had threatened to cast him adrift since Charles had got + into bad habits, and no longer paid her. I said to myself at the time that + work was looking up, and that my husband and I would always be able to + provide for a little mouth like that.... But just afterwards everything + collapsed! At the same time, as the child’s here now I can’t go and leave + him in the street.” + </p> + <p> + While speaking in this fashion she walked to and fro, rocking the baby in + her arms. And naturally enough she reverted to Charles’s folly with the + girl, who had run away, leaving that infant behind her. Things might not + have been so very bad if Charles had still worked as steadily as he had + done before he went soldiering. In those days he had never lost an hour, + and had always brought all his pay home! But he had come back from the + army with much less taste for work. He argued, and had ideas of his own. + He certainly hadn’t yet come to bomb-throwing like that madman Salvat, but + he spent half his time with Socialists and Anarchists, who put his brain + in a muddle. It was a real pity to see such a strong, good-hearted young + fellow turning out badly like that. But it was said in the neighbourhood + that many another was inclined the same way; that the best and most + intelligent of the younger men felt tired of want and unremunerative + labour, and would end by knocking everything to pieces rather than go on + toiling with no certainty of food in their old age. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,” continued Madame Toussaint, “the sons are not like the fathers + were. These fine fellows won’t be as patient as my poor husband has been, + letting hard work wear him away till he’s become the sorry thing you see + there.... Do you know what Charles said the other evening when he found + his father on that chair, crippled like that, and unable to speak? Why, he + shouted to him that he’d been a stupid jackass all his life, working + himself to death for those <i>bourgeois</i>, who now wouldn’t bring him so + much as a glass of water. Then, as he none the less has a good heart, he + began to cry his eyes out.” + </p> + <p> + The baby was no longer wailing, still the good woman continued walking to + and fro, rocking it in her arms and pressing it to her affectionate heart. + Her son Charles could do no more for them, she said; perhaps he might be + able to give them a five-franc piece now and again, but even that wasn’t + certain. It was of no use for her to go back to her old calling as a + seamstress, she had lost all practice of it. And it would even be + difficult for her to earn anything as charwoman, for she had that infant + on her hands as well as her infirm husband—a big child, whom she + would have to wash and feed. And so what would become of the three of + them? She couldn’t tell; but it made her shudder, however brave and + motherly she tried to be. + </p> + <p> + For their part, Pierre and Thomas quivered with compassion, particularly + when they saw big tears coursing down the cheeks of the wretched, stricken + Toussaint, as he sat quite motionless in that little and still cleanly + home of toil and want. The poor man had listened to his wife, and he + looked at her and at the infant now sleeping in her arms. Voiceless, + unable to cry his woe aloud, he experienced the most awful anguish. What + dupery his long life of labour had been! how frightfully unjust it was + that all his efforts should end in such sufferings! how exasperating it + was to feel himself powerless, and to see those whom he loved and who were + as innocent as himself suffer and die by reason of his own suffering and + death! Ah! poor old man, cripple that he was, ending like some beast of + burden that has foundered by the roadside—that goal of labour! And + it was all so revolting and so monstrous that he tried to put it into + words, and his desperate grief ended in a frightful, raucous grunt. + </p> + <p> + “Be quiet, don’t do yourself harm!” concluded Madame Toussaint. “Things + are like that, and there’s no mending them.” + </p> + <p> + Then she went to put the child to bed again, and on her return, just as + Thomas and Pierre were about to speak to her of Toussaint’s employer, M. + Grandidier, a fresh visitor arrived. Thereupon the others decided to wait. + </p> + <p> + The new comer was Madame Chrétiennot, Toussaint’s other sister, eighteen + years younger than himself. Her husband, the little clerk, had compelled + her to break off almost all intercourse with her relatives, as he felt + ashamed of them; nevertheless, having heard of her brother’s misfortune, + she had very properly come to condole with him. She wore a gown of cheap + flimsy silk, and a hat trimmed with red poppies, which she had freshened + up three times already; but in spite of this display her appearance + bespoke penury, and she did her best to hide her feet on account of the + shabbiness of her boots. Moreover, she was no longer the beautiful + Hortense. Since a recent miscarriage, all trace of her good looks had + disappeared. + </p> + <p> + The lamentable appearance of her brother and the bareness of that home of + suffering chilled her directly she crossed the threshold. And as soon as + she had kissed Toussaint, and said how sorry she was to find him in such a + condition, she began to lament her own fate, and recount her troubles, for + fear lest she should be asked for any help. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear,” she said to her sister-in-law, “you are certainly much to + be pitied! But if you only knew! We all have our troubles. Thus in my + case, obliged as I am to dress fairly well on account of my husband’s + position, I have more trouble than you can imagine in making both ends + meet. One can’t go far on a salary of three thousand francs a year, when + one has to pay seven hundred francs’ rent out of it. You will perhaps say + that we might lodge ourselves in a more modest way; but we can’t, my dear, + I must have a <i>salon</i> on account of the visits I receive. So just + count!... Then there are my two girls. I’ve had to send them to school; + Lucienne has begun to learn the piano and Marcelle has some taste for + drawing.... By the way, I would have brought them with me, but I feared it + would upset them too much. You will excuse me, won’t you?” + </p> + <p> + Then she spoke of all the worries which she had had with her husband on + account of Salvat’s ignominious death. Chrétiennot, vain, quarrelsome + little fellow that he was, felt exasperated at now having a <i>guillotine</i> + in his wife’s family. And he had lately begun to treat the unfortunate + woman most harshly, charging her with having brought about all their + troubles, and even rendering her responsible for his own mediocrity, + embittered as he was more and more each day by a confined life of office + work. On some evenings they had downright quarrels; she stood up for + herself, and related that when she was at the confectionery shop in the + Rue des Martyrs she could have married a doctor had she only chosen, for + the doctor found her quite pretty enough. Now, however, she was becoming + plainer and plainer, and her husband felt that he was condemned to + everlasting penury; so that their life was becoming more and more dismal + and quarrelsome, and as unbearable—despite the pride of being + “gentleman” and “lady”—as was the destitution of the working + classes. + </p> + <p> + “All the same, my dear,” at last said Madame Toussaint, weary of her + sister-in-law’s endless narrative of worries, “you have had one piece of + luck. You won’t have the trouble of bringing up a third child, now.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s true,” replied Hortense, with a sigh of relief. “How we should + have managed, I don’t know.... Still, I was very ill, and I’m far from + being in good health now. The doctor says that I don’t eat enough, and + that I ought to have good food.” + </p> + <p> + Then she rose for the purpose of giving her brother another kiss and + taking her departure; for she feared a scene on her husband’s part should + he happen to come home and find her absent. Once on her feet, however, she + lingered there a moment longer, saying that she also had just seen her + sister, Madame Théodore, and little Céline, both of them comfortably clad + and looking happy. And with a touch of jealousy she added: “Well, my + husband contents himself with slaving away at his office every day. He’ll + never do anything to get his head cut off; and it’s quite certain that + nobody will think of leaving an income to Marcelle and Lucienne.... Well, + good by, my dear, you must be brave, one must always hope that things will + turn out for the best.” + </p> + <p> + When she had gone off, Pierre and Thomas inquired if M. Grandidier had + heard of Toussaint’s misfortune and agreed to do anything for him. Madame + Toussaint answered that he had so far made only a vague promise; and on + learning this they resolved to speak to him as warmly as they could on + behalf of the old mechanician, who had spent as many as five and twenty + years at the works. The misfortune was that a scheme for establishing a + friendly society, and even a pension fund, which had been launched before + the crisis from which the works were now recovering, had collapsed through + a number of obstacles and complications. Had things turned out otherwise, + Thomas might have had a pittance assured him, even though he was unable to + work. But under the circumstances the only hope for the poor stricken + fellow lay in his employer’s compassion, if not his sense of justice. + </p> + <p> + As the baby again began to cry, Madame Toussaint went to fetch it, and she + was once more carrying it to and fro, when Thomas pressed her husband’s + sound hand between both his own. “We will come back,” said the young man; + “we won’t forsake you, Toussaint. You know very well that people like you, + for you’ve always been a good and steady workman. So rely on us, we will + do all we can.” + </p> + <p> + Then they left him tearful and overpowered, in that dismal room, while, up + and down beside him, his wife rocked the squealing infant—that other + luckless creature, who was now so heavy on the old folks’ hands, and like + them was fated to die of want and unjust toil. + </p> + <p> + Toil, manual toil, panting at every effort, this was what Pierre and + Thomas once more found at the works. From the slender pipes above the + roofs spurted rhythmical puffs of steam, which seemed like the very breath + of all that labour. And in the work-shops one found a continuous rumbling, + a whole army of men in motion, forging, filing, and piercing, amidst the + spinning of leather gearing and the trembling of machinery. The day was + ending with a final feverish effort to complete some task or other before + the bell should ring for departure. + </p> + <p> + On inquiring for the master Thomas learnt that he had not been seen since + <i>déjeuner</i>, which was such an unusual occurrence that the young man + at once feared some terrible scene in the silent pavilion, whose shutters + were ever closed upon Grandidier’s unhappy wife—that mad but + beautiful creature, whom he loved so passionately that he had never been + willing to part from her. The pavilion could be seen from the little + glazed work-shop which Thomas usually occupied, and as he and Pierre stood + waiting there, it looked very peaceful and pleasant amidst the big + lilac-bushes planted round about it. Surely, they thought, it ought to + have been brightened by the gay gown of a young woman and the laughter of + playful children. But all at once a loud, piercing shriek reached their + ears, followed by howls and moans, like those of an animal that is being + beaten or possibly slaughtered. Ah! those howls ringing out amidst all the + stir of the toiling works, punctuated it seemed by the rhythmical puffing + of the steam, accompanied too by the dull rumbling of the machinery! The + receipts of the business had been doubling and doubling since the last + stock-taking; there was increase of prosperity every month, the bad times + were over, far behind. Grandidier was realising a large fortune with his + famous bicycle for the million, the “Lisette”; and the approaching vogue + of motor-cars also promised huge gains, should he again start making + little motor-engines, as he meant to do, as soon as Thomas’s + long-projected motor should be perfected. But what was wealth when in that + dismal pavilion, whose shutters were ever closed, those frightful shrieks + continued, proclaiming some terrible drama, which all the stir and bustle + of the prosperous works were unable to stifle? + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Thomas looked at one another, pale and quivering. And all at + once, as the cries ceased and the pavilion sank into death-like silence + once more, the latter said in an undertone: “She is usually very gentle, + she will sometimes spend whole days sitting on a carpet like a little + child. He is fond of her when she is like that; he lays her down and picks + her up, caresses her and makes her laugh as if she were a baby. Ah! how + dreadfully sad it is! When an attack comes upon her she gets frantic, + tries to bite herself, and kill herself by throwing herself against the + walls. And then he has to struggle with her, for no one else is allowed to + touch her. He tries to restrain her, and holds her in his arms to calm + her.... But how terrible it was just now! Did you hear? I do not think she + has ever had such a frightful attack before.” + </p> + <p> + For a quarter of an hour longer profound silence prevailed. Then + Grandidier came out of the pavilion, bareheaded and still ghastly pale. + Passing the little glazed work-shop on his way, he perceived Thomas and + Pierre there, and at once came in. But he was obliged to lean against a + bench like a man who is dazed, haunted by a nightmare. His good-natured, + energetic face retained an expression of acute anguish; and his left ear + was scratched and bleeding. However, he at once wished to talk, overcome + his feelings, and return to his life of activity. “I am very pleased to + see you, my dear Thomas,” said he, “I have been thinking over what you + told me about our little motor. We must go into the matter again.” + </p> + <p> + Seeing how distracted he was, it occurred to the young man that some + sudden diversion, such as the story of another’s misfortunes, might + perhaps draw him from his haunting thoughts. “Of course I am at your + disposal,” he replied; “but before talking of that matter I should like to + tell you that we have just seen Toussaint, that poor old fellow who has + been stricken with paralysis. His awful fate has quite distressed us. He + is in the greatest destitution, forsaken as it were by the roadside, after + all his years of labour.” + </p> + <p> + Thomas dwelt upon the quarter of a century which the old workman had spent + at the factory, and suggested that it would be only just to take some + account of his long efforts, the years of his life which he had devoted to + the establishment. And he asked that he might be assisted in the name both + of equity and compassion. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! monsieur,” Pierre in his turn ventured to say. “I should like to take + you for an instant into that bare room, and show you that poor, aged, + worn-out, stricken man, who no longer has even the power of speech left + him to tell people his sufferings. There can be no greater wretchedness + than to die in this fashion, despairing of all kindliness and justice.” + </p> + <p> + Grandidier had listened to them in silence. But big tears had irresistibly + filled his eyes, and when he spoke it was in a very low and tremulous + voice: “The greatest wretchedness, who can tell what it is? Who can speak + of it if he has not known the wretchedness of others? Yes, yes, it’s sad + undoubtedly that poor Toussaint should be reduced to that state at his + age, not knowing even if he will have food to eat on the morrow. But I + know sorrows that are just as crushing, abominations which poison one’s + life in a still greater degree.... Ah! yes, food indeed! To think that + happiness will reign in the world when everybody has food to eat! What an + idiotic hope!” + </p> + <p> + The whole grievous tragedy of his life was in the shudder which had come + over him. To be the employer, the master, the man who is making money, who + disposes of capital and is envied by his workmen, to own an establishment + to which prosperity has returned, whose machinery coins gold, apparently + leaving one no other trouble than that of pocketing one’s profits; and yet + at the same time to be the most wretched of men, to know no day exempt + from anguish, to find each evening at one’s hearth no other reward or prop + than the most atrocious torture of the heart! Everything, even success, + has to be paid for. And thus that triumpher, that money-maker, whose pile + was growing larger at each successive inventory, was sobbing with bitter + grief. + </p> + <p> + However, he showed himself kindly disposed towards Toussaint, and promised + to assist him. As for a pension that was an idea which he could not + entertain, as it was the negation of the wage-system such as it existed. + He energetically defended his rights as an employer, repeating that the + strain of competition would compel him to avail himself of them so long as + the present system should endure. His part in it was to do good business + in an honest way. However, he regretted that his men had never carried out + the scheme of establishing a relief fund, and he said that he would do his + best to induce them to take it in hand again. + </p> + <p> + Some colour had now come back to his checks; for on returning to the + interests of his life of battle he felt his energy restored. He again + reverted to the question of the little motor, and spoke of it for some + time with Thomas, while Pierre waited, feeling quite upset. Ah! he + thought, how universal was the thirst for happiness! Then, in spite of the + many technical terms that were used he caught a little of what the others + were saying. Small steam motors had been made at the works in former + times; but they had not proved successes. In point of fact a new + propelling force was needed. Electricity, though everyone foresaw its + future triumph, was so far out of the question on account of the weight of + the apparatus which its employment necessitated. So only petroleum + remained, and the inconvenience attaching to its use was so great that + victory and fortune would certainly rest with the manufacturer who should + be able to replace it by some other hitherto unknown agent. In the + discovery and adaptation of the latter lay the whole problem. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I am eager about it now,” at last exclaimed Grandidier in an + animated way. “I allowed you to prosecute your experiments without + troubling you with any inquisitive questions. But a solution is becoming + imperative.” + </p> + <p> + Thomas smiled: “Well, you must remain patient just a little longer,” said + he; “I believe that I am on the right road.” + </p> + <p> + Then Grandidier shook hands with him and Pierre, and went off to make his + usual round through his busy, bustling works, whilst near at hand, + awaiting his return, stood the closed pavilion, where every evening he was + fated to relapse into endless, incurable anguish. + </p> + <p> + The daylight was already waning when Pierre and Thomas, after re-ascending + the height of Montmartre, walked towards the large work-shop which Jahan, + the sculptor, had set up among the many sheds whose erection had been + necessitated by the building of the Sacred Heart. There was here a stretch + of ground littered with materials, an extraordinary chaos of building + stone, beams and machinery; and pending the time when an army of navvies + would come to set the whole place in order, one could see gaping trenches, + rough flights of descending steps and fences, imperfectly closing doorways + which conducted to the substructures of the basilica. + </p> + <p> + Halting in front of Jahan’s work-shop, Thomas pointed to one of these + doorways by which one could reach the foundation works. “Have you never + had an idea of visiting the foundations?” he inquired of Pierre. “There’s + quite a city down there on which millions of money have been spent. They + could only find firm soil at the very base of the height, and they had to + excavate more than eighty shafts, fill them with concrete, and then rear + their church on all those subterranean columns.... Yes, that is so. Of + course the columns cannot be seen, but it is they who hold that insulting + edifice aloft, right over Paris!” + </p> + <p> + Having drawn near to the fence, Pierre was looking at an open doorway + beyond it, a sort of dark landing whence steps descended as if into the + bowels of the earth. And he thought of those invisible columns of + concrete, and of all the stubborn energy and desire for domination which + had set and kept the edifice erect. + </p> + <p> + Thomas was at last obliged to call him. “Let us make haste,” said he, “the + twilight will soon be here. We shan’t be able to see much.” + </p> + <p> + They had arranged to meet Antoine at Jahan’s, as the sculptor wished to + show them a new model he had prepared. When they entered the work-shop + they found the two assistants still working at the colossal angel which + had been ordered for the basilica. Standing on a scaffolding they were + rough-hewing its symmetrical wings, whilst Jahan, seated on a low chair, + with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his hands soiled with clay, + was contemplating a figure some three feet high on which he had just been + working. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it’s you,” he exclaimed. “Antoine has been waiting more than half an + hour for you. He’s gone outside with Lise to see the sun set over Paris, I + think. But they will soon be back.” + </p> + <p> + Then he relapsed into silence, with his eyes fixed on his work. + </p> + <p> + This was a bare, erect, lofty female figure, of such august majesty, so + simple were its lines, that it suggested something gigantic. The figure’s + abundant, outspread hair suggested rays around its face, which beamed with + sovereign beauty like the sun. And its only gesture was one of offer and + of greeting; its arms were thrown slightly forward, and its hands were + open for the grasp of all mankind. + </p> + <p> + Still lingering in his dream Jahan began to speak slowly: “You remember + that I wanted a pendant for my figure of Fecundity. I had modelled a + Charity, but it pleased me so little and seemed so commonplace that I let + the clay dry and spoil.... And then the idea of a figure of Justice came + to me. But not a gowned figure with the sword and the scales! That wasn’t + the Justice that inspired me. What haunted my mind was the other Justice, + the one that the lowly and the sufferers await, the one who alone can some + day set a little order and happiness among us. And I pictured her like + that, quite bare, quite simple, and very lofty. She is the sun as it were, + a sun all beauty, harmony and strength; for justice is only to be found in + the sun which shines in the heavens for one and all, and bestows on poor + and rich alike its magnificence and light and warmth, which are the source + of all life. And so my figure, you see, has her hands outstretched as if + she were offering herself to all mankind, greeting it and granting it the + gift of eternal life in eternal beauty. Ah! to be beautiful and strong and + just, one’s whole dream lies in that.” + </p> + <p> + Jahan relighted his pipe and burst into a merry laugh. “Well, I think the + good woman carries herself upright.... What do you fellows say?” + </p> + <p> + His visitors highly praised his work. Pierre for his part was much + affected at finding in this artistic conception the very idea that he had + so long been revolving in his mind—the idea of an era of Justice + rising from the ruins of the world, which Charity after centuries of trial + had failed to save. + </p> + <p> + Then the sculptor gaily explained that he had prepared his model there + instead of at home, in order to console himself a little for his big dummy + of an angel, the prescribed triteness of which disgusted him. Some fresh + objections had been raised with respect to the folds of the robe, which + gave some prominence to the thighs, and in the end he had been compelled + to modify all of the drapery. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it’s just as they like!” he cried; “it’s no work of mine, you know; + it’s simply an order which I’m executing just as a mason builds a wall. + There’s no religious art left, it has been killed by stupidity and + disbelief. Ah! if social or human art could only revive, how glorious to + be one of the first to bear the tidings!” + </p> + <p> + Then he paused. Where could the youngsters, Antoine and Lise, have got to, + he wondered. He threw the door wide open, and, a little distance away, + among the materials littering the waste ground, one could see Antoine’s + tall figure and Lise’s short slender form standing out against the + immensity of Paris, which was all golden amidst the sun’s farewell. The + young man’s strong arm supported Lise, who with this help walked beside + him without feeling any fatigue. Slender and graceful, like a girl + blossoming into womanhood, she raised her eyes to his with a smile of + infinite gratitude, which proclaimed that she belonged to him for + evermore. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! they are coming back,” said Jahan. “The miracle is now complete, you + know. I’m delighted at it. I did not know what to do with her; I had even + renounced all attempts to teach her to read; I left her for days together + in a corner, infirm and tongue-tied like a lack-wit.... But your brother + came and took her in hand somehow or other. She listened to him and + understood him, and began to read and write with him, and grow intelligent + and gay. Then, as her limbs still gained no suppleness, and she remained + infirm, ailing and puny, he began by carrying her here, and then helped + her to walk in such wise that she can now do so by herself. In a few + weeks’ time she has positively grown and become quite charming. Yes, I + assure you, it is second birth, real creation. Just look at them!” + </p> + <p> + Antoine and Lise were still slowly approaching. The evening breeze which + rose from the great city, where all was yet heat and sunshine, brought + them a bath of life. If the young man had chosen that spot, with its + splendid horizon, open to the full air which wafted all the germs of life, + it was doubtless because he felt that nowhere else could he instil more + vitality, more soul, more strength into her. And love had been created by + love. He had found her asleep, benumbed, without power of motion or + intellect, and he had awakened her, kindled life in her, loved her, that + he might be loved by her in return. She was his work, she was part of + himself. + </p> + <p> + “So you no longer feel tired, little one?” said Jahan. + </p> + <p> + She smiled divinely. “Oh! no, it’s so pleasant, so beautiful, to walk + straight on like this.... All I desire is to go on for ever and ever with + Antoine.” + </p> + <p> + The others laughed, and Jahan exclaimed in his good-natured way: “Let us + hope that he won’t take you so far. You’ve reached your destination now, + and I shan’t be the one to prevent you from being happy.” + </p> + <p> + Antoine was already standing before the figure of Justice, to which the + falling twilight seemed to impart a quiver of life. “Oh! how divinely + simple, how divinely beautiful!” said he. + </p> + <p> + For his own part he had lately finished a new wood engraving, which + depicted Lise holding a book in her hand, an engraving instinct with truth + and emotion, showing her awakened to intelligence and love. And this time + he had achieved his desire, making no preliminary drawing, but tackling + the block with his graver, straight away, in presence of his model. And + infinite hopefulness had come upon him, he was dreaming of great original + works in which the whole period that he belonged to would live anew and + for ever. + </p> + <p> + Thomas now wished to return home. So they shook hands with Jahan, who, as + his day’s work was over, put on his coat to take his sister back to the + Rue du Calvaire. + </p> + <p> + “Till to-morrow, Lise,” said Antoine, inclining his head to kiss her. + </p> + <p> + She raised herself on tip-toes, and offered him her eyes, which he had + opened to life. “Till to-morrow, Antoine,” said she. + </p> + <p> + Outside, the twilight was falling. Pierre was the first to cross the + threshold, and as he did so, he saw so extraordinary a sight that for an + instant he felt stupefied. But it was certain enough: he could plainly + distinguish his brother Guillaume emerging from the gaping doorway which + conducted to the foundations of the basilica. And he saw him hastily climb + over the palings, and then pretend to be there by pure chance, as though + he had come up from the Rue Lamarck. When he accosted his two sons, as if + he were delighted to meet them, and began to say that he had just come + from Paris, Pierre asked himself if he had been dreaming. However, an + anxious glance which his brother cast at him convinced him that he had + been right. And then he not only felt ill at ease in presence of that man + whom he had never previously known to lie, but it seemed to him that he + was at last on the track of all he had feared, the formidable mystery that + he had for some time past felt brewing around him in the little peaceful + house. + </p> + <p> + When Guillaume, his sons and his brother reached home and entered the + large workroom overlooking Paris, it was so dark that they fancied nobody + was there. + </p> + <p> + “What! nobody in?” said Guillaume. + </p> + <p> + But in a somewhat low, quiet voice François answered out of the gloom: + “Why, yes, I’m here.” + </p> + <p> + He had remained at his table, where he had worked the whole afternoon, and + as he could no longer read, he now sat in a dreamy mood with his head + resting on his hands, his eyes wandering over Paris, where night was + gradually falling. As his examination was now near at hand, he was living + in a state of severe mental strain. + </p> + <p> + “What, you are still working there!” said his father. “Why didn’t you ask + for a lamp?” + </p> + <p> + “No, I wasn’t working, I was looking at Paris,” François slowly answered. + “It’s singular how the night falls over it by degrees. The last district + that remained visible was the Montague Ste. Genevieve, the plateau of the + Pantheon, where all our knowledge and science have grown up. A sun-ray + still gilds the schools and libraries and laboratories, when the low-lying + districts of trade are already steeped in darkness. I won’t say that the + planet has a particular partiality for us at the École Normale, but it’s + certain that its beams still linger on our roofs, when they are to be seen + nowhere else.” + </p> + <p> + He began to laugh at his jest. Still one could see how ardent was his + faith in mental effort, how entirely he gave himself to mental labour, + which, in his opinion, could alone bring truth, establish justice and + create happiness. + </p> + <p> + Then came a short spell of silence. Paris sank more and more deeply into + the night, growing black and mysterious, till all at once sparks of light + began to appear. + </p> + <p> + “The lamps are being lighted,” resumed François; “work is being resumed on + all sides.” + </p> + <p> + Then Guillaume, who likewise had been dreaming, immersed in his fixed + idea, exclaimed: “Work, yes, no doubt! But for work to give a full harvest + it must be fertilised by will. There is something which is superior to + work.” + </p> + <p> + Thomas and Antoine had drawn near. And François, as much for them as for + himself, inquired: “What is that, father?” + </p> + <p> + “Action.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment the three young men remained silent, impressed by the + solemnity of the hour, quivering too beneath the great waves of darkness + which rose from the vague ocean of the city. Then a young voice remarked, + though whose it was one could not tell: “Action is but work.” + </p> + <p> + And Pierre, who lacked the respectful quietude, the silent faith, of his + nephews, now felt his nervousness increasing. That huge and terrifying + mystery of which he was dimly conscious rose before him, while a great + quiver sped by in the darkness, over that black city where the lamps were + now being lighted for a whole passionate night of work. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap65"></a> + IV. THE CRISIS + </h2> + <p> + A GREAT ceremony was to take place that day at the basilica of the Sacred + Heart. Ten thousand pilgrims were to be present there, at a solemn + consecration of the Holy Sacrament; and pending the arrival of four + o’clock, the hour fixed for the service, Montmartre would be invaded by + people. Its slopes would be black with swarming devotees, the shops where + religious emblems and pictures were sold would be besieged, the cafés and + taverns would be crowded to overflowing. It would all be like some huge + fair, and meantime the big bell of the basilica, “La Savoyarde,” would be + ringing peal on peal over the holiday-making multitude. + </p> + <p> + When Pierre entered the workroom in the morning he perceived Guillaume and + Mère-Grand alone there; and a remark which he heard the former make caused + him to stop short and listen from behind a tall-revolving bookstand. + Mère-Grand sat sewing in her usual place near the big window, while + Guillaume stood before her, speaking in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “Mother,” said he, “everything is ready, it is for to-day.” + </p> + <p> + She let her work fall, and raised her eyes, looking very pale. “Ah!” she + said, “so you have made up your mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, irrevocably. At four o’clock I shall be yonder, and it will all be + over.” + </p> + <p> + “‘Tis well—you are the master.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell, terrible silence. Guillaume’s voice seemed to come from far + away, from somewhere beyond the world. It was evident that his resolution + was unshakable, that his tragic dream, his fixed idea of martyrdom, wholly + absorbed him. Mère-Grand looked at him with her pale eyes, like an heroic + woman who had grown old in relieving the sufferings of others, and had + ever shown all the abnegation and devotion of an intrepid heart, which + nothing but the idea of duty could influence. She knew Guillaume’s + terrible scheme, and had helped him to regulate the pettiest details of + it; but if on the one hand, after all the iniquity she had seen and + endured, she admitted that fierce and exemplary punishment might seem + necessary, and that even the idea of purifying the world by the fire of a + volcano might be entertained, on the other hand, she believed too strongly + in the necessity of living one’s life bravely to the very end, to be able, + under any circumstances, to regard death as either good or profitable. + </p> + <p> + “My son,” she gently resumed, “I witnessed the growth of your scheme, and + it neither surprised nor angered me. I accepted it as one accepts + lightning, the very fire of the skies, something of sovereign purity and + power. And I have helped you through it all, and have taken upon myself to + act as the mouthpiece of your conscience.... But let me tell you once + more, one ought never to desert the cause of life.” + </p> + <p> + “It is useless to speak, mother,” Guillaume replied: “I have resolved to + give my life and cannot take it back.... Are you now unwilling to carry + out my desires, remain here, and act as we have decided, when all is + over?” + </p> + <p> + She did not answer this inquiry, but in her turn, speaking slowly and + gravely, put a question to him: “So it is useless for me to speak to you + of the children, myself and the house?” said she. “You have thought it all + over, you are quite determined?” And as he simply answered “Yes,” she + added: “‘Tis well, you are the master.... I will be the one who is to + remain behind and act. And you may be without fear, your bequest is in + good hands. All that we have decided together shall be done.” + </p> + <p> + Once more they became silent. Then she again inquired: “At four o’clock, + you say, at the moment of that consecration?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, at four o’clock.” + </p> + <p> + She was still looking at him with her pale eyes, and there seemed to be + something superhuman in her simplicity and grandeur as she sat there in + her thin black gown. Her glance, in which the greatest bravery and the + deepest sadness mingled, filled Guillaume with acute emotion. His hands + began to tremble, and he asked: “Will you let me kiss you, mother?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! right willingly, my son,” she responded. “Your path of duty may not + be mine, but you see I respect your views and love you.” + </p> + <p> + They kissed one another, and when Pierre, whom the scene had chilled to + his heart, presented himself as if he were just arriving, Mère-Grand had + quietly taken up her needlework once more, while Guillaume was going to + and fro, setting one of his laboratory shelves in order with all his + wonted activity. + </p> + <p> + At noon when lunch was ready, they found it necessary to wait for Thomas, + who had not yet come home. His brothers François and Antoine complained in + a jesting way, saying that they were dying of hunger, while for her part + Marie, who had made a <i>crême</i>, and was very proud of it, declared + that they would eat it all, and that those who came late would have to go + without tasting it. When Thomas eventually put in an appearance he was + greeted with jeers. + </p> + <p> + “But it wasn’t my fault,” said he; “I stupidly came up the hill by way of + the Rue de la Barre, and you can have no notion what a crowd I fell upon. + Quite ten thousand pilgrims must have camped there last night. I am told + that as many as possible were huddled together in the St. Joseph Refuge. + The others no doubt had to sleep in the open air. And now they are busy + eating, here, there and everywhere, all over the patches of waste ground + and even on the pavements. One can scarcely set one foot before the other + without risk of treading on somebody.” + </p> + <p> + The meal proved a very gay one, though Pierre found the gaiety forced and + excessive. Yet the young people could surely know nothing of the + frightful, invisible thing which to Pierre ever seemed to be hovering + around in the bright sunlight of that splendid June day. Was it that the + dim presentiment which comes to loving hearts when mourning threatens + them, swept by during the short intervals of silence that followed the + joyous outbursts? Although Guillaume looked somewhat pale, and spoke with + unusual caressing softness, he retained his customary bright smile. But, + on the other hand, never had Mère-Grand been more silent or more grave. + </p> + <p> + Marie’s <i>crême</i> proved a great success, and the others congratulated + her on it so fulsomely that they made her blush. Then, all at once, heavy + silence fell once more, a deathly chill seemed to sweep by, making every + face turn pale—even while they were still cleaning their plates with + their little spoons. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! that bell,” exclaimed François; “it is really intolerable. I can feel + my head splitting.” + </p> + <p> + He referred to “La Savoyarde,” the big bell of the basilica, which had now + begun to toll, sending forth deep sonorous volumes of sound, which ever + and ever winged their flight over the immensity of Paris. In the workroom + they were all listening to the clang. + </p> + <p> + “Will it keep on like that till four o’clock?” asked Marie. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! at four o’clock,” replied Thomas, “at the moment of the consecration + you will hear something much louder than that. The great peals of joy, the + song of triumph will then ring out.” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume was still smiling. “Yes, yes,” said he, “those who don’t want to + be deafened for life had better keep their windows closed. The worst is, + that Paris has to hear it whether it will or no, and even as far away as + the Pantheon, so I’m told.” + </p> + <p> + Meantime Mère-Grand remained silent and impassive. Antoine for his part + expressed his disgust with the horrible religious pictures for which the + pilgrims fought—pictures which in some respects suggested those on + the lids of sweetmeat boxes, although they depicted the Christ with His + breast ripped open and displaying His bleeding heart. There could be no + more repulsive materialism, no grosser or baser art, said Antoine. Then + they rose from table, talking at the top of their voices so as to make + themselves heard above the incessant din which came from the big bell. + </p> + <p> + Immediately afterwards they all set to work again. Mère-Grand took her + everlasting needlework in hand once more, while Marie, sitting near her, + continued some embroidery. The young men also attended to their respective + tasks, and now and again raised their heads and exchanged a few words. + Guillaume, for his part, likewise seemed very busy; Pierre alone coming + and going in a state of anguish, beholding them all as in a nightmare, and + attributing some terrible meaning to the most innocent remarks. During <i>déjeuner</i>, + in order to explain the frightful discomfort into which he was thrown by + the gaiety of the meal, he had been obliged to say that he felt poorly. + And now he was looking and listening and waiting with ever-growing + anxiety. + </p> + <p> + Shortly before three o’clock, Guillaume glanced at his watch and then + quietly took up his hat. “Well,” said he, “I’m going out.” + </p> + <p> + His sons, Mère-Grand and Marie raised their heads. + </p> + <p> + “I’m going out,” he repeated, “<i>au revoir</i>.” + </p> + <p> + Still he did not go off. Pierre could divine that he was struggling, + stiffening himself against the frightful tempest which was raging within + him, striving to prevent either shudder or pallor from betraying his awful + secret. Ah! he must have suffered keenly; he dared not give his sons a + last kiss, for fear lest he might rouse some suspicion in their minds, + which would impel them to oppose him and prevent his death! At last with + supreme heroism he managed to overcome himself. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Au revoir</i>, boys.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Au revoir</i>, father. Will you be home early?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes.... Don’t worry about me, do plenty of work.” + </p> + <p> + Mère-Grand, still majestically silent, kept her eyes fixed upon him. Her + he had ventured to kiss, and their glances met and mingled, instinct with + all that he had decided and that she had promised: their common dream of + truth and justice. + </p> + <p> + “I say, Guillaume,” exclaimed Marie gaily, “will you undertake a + commission for me if you are going down by way of the Rue des Martyrs?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, certainly,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, please look in at my dressmaker’s, and tell her that I shan’t + go to try my gown on till to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + It was a question of her wedding dress, a gown of light grey silk, the + stylishness of which she considered very amusing. Whenever she spoke of + it, both she and the others began to laugh. + </p> + <p> + “It’s understood, my dear,” said Guillaume, likewise making merry over it. + “We know it’s Cinderella’s court robe, eh? The fairy brocade and lace that + are to make you very beautiful and for ever happy.” + </p> + <p> + However, the laughter ceased, and in the sudden silence which fell, it + again seemed as if death were passing by with a great flapping of wings + and an icy gust which chilled the hearts of everyone remaining there. + </p> + <p> + “It’s understood; so now I’m really off,” resumed Guillaume. “<i>Au revoir</i>, + children.” + </p> + <p> + Then he sallied forth, without even turning round, and for a moment they + could hear the firm tread of his feet over the garden gravel. + </p> + <p> + Pierre having invented a pretext was able to follow him a couple of + minutes afterwards. As a matter of fact there was no need for him to dog + Guillaume’s heels, for he knew where his brother was going. He was + thoroughly convinced that he would find him at that doorway, conducting to + the foundations of the basilica, whence he had seen him emerge two days + before. And so he wasted no time in looking for him among the crowd of + pilgrims going to the church. His only thought was to hurry on and reach + Jahan’s workshop. And in accordance with his expectation, just as he + arrived there, he perceived Guillaume slipping between the broken palings. + The crush and the confusion prevailing among the concourse of believers + favored Pierre as it had his brother, in such wise that he was able to + follow the latter and enter the doorway without being noticed. Once there + he had to pause and draw breath for a moment, so greatly did the beating + of his heart oppress him. + </p> + <p> + A precipitous flight of steps, where all was steeped in darkness, + descended from the narrow entry. It was with infinite precaution that + Pierre ventured into the gloom, which ever grew denser and denser. He + lowered his feet gently so as to make no noise, and feeling the walls with + his hands, turned round and round as he went lower and lower into a kind + of well. However, the descent was not a very long one. As soon as he found + beaten ground beneath his feet he paused, no longer daring to stir for + fear of betraying his presence. The darkness was like ink, and there was + not a sound, a breath; the silence was complete. + </p> + <p> + How should he find his way? he wondered. Which direction ought he to take? + He was still hesitating when some twenty paces away he suddenly saw a + bright spark, the gleam of a lucifer. Guillaume was lighting a candle. + Pierre recognised his broad shoulders, and from that moment he simply had + to follow the flickering light along a walled and vaulted subterranean + gallery. It seemed to be interminable and to run in a northerly direction, + towards the nave of the basilica. + </p> + <p> + All at once the little light at last stopped, while Pierre, anxious to see + what would happen, continued to advance, treading as softly as he could + and remaining in the gloom. He found that Guillaume had stood his candle + upon the ground in the middle of a kind of low rotunda under the crypt, + and that he had knelt down and moved aside a long flagstone which seemed + to cover a cavity. They were here among the foundations of the basilica; + and one of the columns or piles of concrete poured into shafts in order to + support the building could be seen. The gap, which the stone slab removed + by Guillaume had covered, was by the very side of the pillar; it was + either some natural surface flaw, or a deep fissure caused by some + subsidence or settling of the soil. The heads of other pillars could be + descried around, and these the cleft seemed to be reaching, for little + slits branched out in all directions. Then, on seeing his brother leaning + forward, like one who is for the last time examining a mine he has laid + before applying a match to the fuse, Pierre suddenly understood the whole + terrifying business. Considerable quantities of the new explosive had been + brought to that spot. Guillaume had made the journey a score of times at + carefully selected hours, and all his powder had been poured into the gap + beside the pillar, spreading to the slightest rifts below, saturating the + soil at a great depth, and in this wise forming a natural mine of + incalculable force. And now the powder was flush with the flagstone which + Guillaume has just moved aside. It was only necessary to throw a match + there, and everything would be blown into the air! + </p> + <p> + For a moment an acute chill of horror rooted Pierre to the spot. He could + neither have taken a step nor raised a cry. He pictured the swarming + throng above him, the ten thousand pilgrims crowding the lofty naves of + the basilica to witness the solemn consecration of the Host. Peal upon + peal flew from “La Savoyarde,” incense smoked, and ten thousand voices + raised a hymn of magnificence and praise. And all at once came thunder and + earthquake, and a volcano opening and belching forth fire and smoke, and + swallowing up the whole church and its multitude of worshippers. Breaking + the concrete piles and rending the unsound soil, the explosion, which was + certain to be one of extraordinary violence, would doubtless split the + edifice atwain, and hurl one-half down the slopes descending towards + Paris, whilst the other on the side of the apse would crumble and collapse + upon the spot where it stood. And how fearful would be the avalanche; a + broken forest of scaffoldings, a hail of stonework, rushing and bounding + through the dust and smoke on to the roofs below; whilst the violence of + the shock would threaten the whole of Montmartre, which, it seemed likely, + must stagger and sink in one huge mass of ruins! + </p> + <p> + However, Guillaume had again risen. The candle standing on the ground, its + flame shooting up, erect and slender, threw his huge shadow all over the + subterranean vault. Amidst the dense blackness the light looked like some + dismal stationary star. Guillaume drew near to it in order to see what + time it was by his watch. It proved to be five minutes past three. So he + had nearly another hour to wait. He was in no hurry, he wished to carry + out his design punctually, at the precise moment he had selected; and he + therefore sat down on a block of stone, and remained there without moving, + quiet and patient. The candle now cast its light upon his pale face, upon + his towering brow crowned with white hair, upon the whole of his energetic + countenance, which still looked handsome and young, thanks to his bright + eyes and dark moustaches. And not a muscle of his face stirred; he simply + gazed into the void. What thoughts could be passing through his mind at + that supreme moment? Who could tell? There was not a quiver; heavy night, + the deep eternal silence of the earth reigned all around. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre, having quieted his palpitating heart, drew near. At the sound + of his footsteps Guillaume rose menacingly, but he immediately recognised + his brother, and did not seem astonished to see him. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! it’s you,” he said, “you followed me.... I felt that you possessed my + secret. And it grieves me that you should have abused your knowledge to + join me here. You might have spared me this last sorrow.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre clasped his trembling hands, and at once tried to entreat him. + “Brother, brother,” he began. + </p> + <p> + “No, don’t speak yet,” said Guillaume, “if you absolutely wish it I will + listen to you by-and-by. We have nearly an hour before us, so we can chat. + But I want you to understand the futility of all you may think needful to + tell me. My resolution is unshakable; I was a long time coming to it, and + in carrying it out I shall simply be acting in accordance with my reason + and my conscience.” + </p> + <p> + Then he quietly related that having decided upon a great deed he had long + hesitated as to which edifice he should destroy. The opera-house had + momentarily tempted him, but he had reflected that there would be no great + significance in the whirlwind of anger and justice destroying a little set + of enjoyers. In fact, such a deed might savour of jealousy and + covetousness. Next he had thought of the Bourse, where he might strike a + blow at money, the great agent of corruption, and the capitalist society + in whose clutches the wage-earners groaned. Only, here again the blow + would fall upon a restricted circle. Then an idea of destroying the Palace + of Justice, particularly the assize court, had occurred to him. It was a + very tempting thought—to wreak justice upon human justice, to sweep + away the witnesses, the culprit, the public prosecutor who charges the + latter, the counsel who defends him, the judges who sentence him, and the + lounging public which comes to the spot as to the unfolding of some + sensational serial. And then too what fierce irony there would be in the + summary superior justice of the volcano swallowing up everything + indiscriminately without pausing to enter into details. However, the plan + over which he had most lingered was that of blowing up the Arc de + Triomphe. This he regarded as an odious monument which perpetuated + warfare, hatred among nations, and the false, dearly purchased, + sanguineous glory of conquerors. That colossus raised to the memory of so + much frightful slaughter which had uselessly put an end to so many human + lives, ought, he considered, to be slaughtered in its turn. Could he so + have arranged things that the earth should swallow it up, he might have + achieved the glory of causing no other death than his own, of dying alone, + struck down, crushed to pieces beneath that giant of stone. What a tomb, + and what a memory might he thus have left to the world! + </p> + <p> + “But there was no means of approaching it,” he continued, “no basement, no + cellar, so I had to give up the idea.... And then, although I’m perfectly + willing to die alone, I thought what a loftier and more terrible lesson + there would be in the unjust death of an innocent multitude, of thousands + of unknown people, of all those that might happen to be passing. In the + same way as human society by dint of injustice, want and harsh regulations + causes so many innocent victims, so must punishment fall as the lightning + falls, indiscriminately killing and destroying whatever it may encounter + in its course. When a man sets his foot on an ant-hill, he gives no heed + to all the lives which he stamps out.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, whom this theory rendered quite indignant, raised a cry of + protest: “Oh! brother, brother, is it you who are saying such things?” + </p> + <p> + Yet, Guillaume did not pause: “If I have ended by choosing this basilica + of the Sacred Heart,” he continued, “it is because I found it near at hand + and easy to destroy. But it is also because it haunts and exasperates me, + because I have long since condemned it.... As I have often said to you, + one cannot imagine anything more preposterous than Paris, our great Paris, + crowned and dominated by this temple raised to the glorification of the + absurd. Is it not outrageous that common sense should receive such a smack + after so many centuries of science, that Rome should claim the right of + triumphing in this insolent fashion, on our loftiest height in the full + sunlight? The priests want Paris to repent and do penitence for its + liberative work of truth and justice. But its only right course is to + sweep away all that hampers and insults it in its march towards + deliverance. And so may the temple fall with its deity of falsehood and + servitude! And may its ruins crush its worshippers, so that like one of + the old geological revolutions of the world, the catastrophe may resound + through the very entrails of mankind, and renew and change it!” + </p> + <p> + “Brother, brother!” again cried Pierre, quite beside himself, “is it you + who are talking? What! you, a great scientist, a man of great heart, you + have come to this! What madness is stirring you that you should think and + say such abominable things? On the evening when we confessed our secrets + one to the other, you told me of your proud and lofty dream of ideal + Anarchy. There would be free harmony in life, which left to its natural + forces would of itself create happiness. But you still rebelled against + the idea of theft and murder. You would not accept them as right or + necessary; you merely explained and excused them. What has happened then + that you, all brain and thought, should now have become the hateful hand + that acts?” + </p> + <p> + “Salvat has been guillotined,” said Guillaume simply, “and I read his will + and testament in his last glance. I am merely an executor.... And what has + happened, you ask? Why, all that has made me suffer for four months past, + the whole social evil which surrounds us, and which must be brought to an + end.” + </p> + <p> + Silence fell. The brothers looked at one another in the darkness. And + Pierre now understood things. He saw that Guillaume was changed, that the + terrible gust of revolutionary contagion sweeping over Paris had + transformed him. It had all come from the duality of his nature, the + presence of contradictory elements within him. On one side one found a + scientist whose whole creed lay in observation and experiment, who, in + dealing with nature, evinced the most cautious logic; while on the other + side was a social dreamer, haunted by ideas of fraternity, equality and + justice, and eager for universal happiness. Thence had first come the + theoretical anarchist that he had been, one in whom science and chimeras + were mingled, who dreamt of human society returning to the harmonious law + of the spheres, each man free, in a free association, regulated by love + alone. Neither Théophile Morin with the doctrines of Proudhon and Comte, + nor Bache with those of St. Simon and Fourier, had been able to satisfy + his desire for the absolute. All those systems had seemed to him imperfect + and chaotic, destructive of one another, and tending to the same + wretchedness of life. Janzen alone had occasionally satisfied him with + some of his curt phrases which shot over the horizon, like arrows + conquering the whole earth for the human family. And then in Guillaume’s + big heart, which the idea of want, the unjust sufferings of the lowly and + the poor exasperated, Salvat’s tragic adventure had suddenly found place, + fomenting supreme rebellion. For long weeks he had lived on with trembling + hands, with growing anguish clutching at his throat. First had come that + bomb and the explosion which still made him quiver, then the vile cupidity + of the newspapers howling for the poor wretch’s head, then the search for + him and the hunt through the Bois de Boulogne, till he fell into the hands + of the police, covered with mud and dying of starvation. And afterwards + there had been the assize court, the judges, the gendarmes, the witnesses, + the whole of France arrayed against one man and bent on making him pay for + the universal crime. And finally, there had come the guillotine, the + monstrous, the filthy beast consummating irreparable injustice in human + justice’s name. One sole idea now remained to Guillaume, that idea of + justice which maddened him, leaving naught in his mind save the thought of + the just, avenging flare by which he would repair the evil and ensure that + which was right for all time forward. Salvat had looked at him, and + contagion had done its work; he glowed with a desire for death, a desire + to give his own blood and set the blood of others flowing, in order that + mankind, amidst its fright and horror, should decree the return of the + golden age. + </p> + <p> + Pierre understood the stubborn blindness of such insanity; and he felt + utterly upset by the fear that he should be unable to overcome it. “You + are mad, brother!” he exclaimed, “they have driven you mad! It is a gust + of violence passing; they were treated in a wrong way and too relentlessly + at the outset, and now that they are avenging one another, it may be that + blood will never cease to flow.... But, listen, brother, throw off that + nightmare. You can’t be a Salvat who murders or a Bergaz who steals! + Remember the pillage of the Princess’s house and remember the fair-haired, + pretty child whom we saw lying yonder, ripped open.... You do not, you + cannot belong to that set, brother—” + </p> + <p> + With a wave of his hand, Guillaume brushed these vain reasons aside. Of + what consequence were a few lives, his own included? No change had ever + taken place in the world without millions and millions of existences being + stamped out. + </p> + <p> + “But you had a great scheme in hand,” cried Pierre, hoping to save him by + reviving his sense of duty. “It isn’t allowable for you to go off like + this.” + </p> + <p> + Then he fervently strove to awaken his brother’s scientific pride. He + spoke to him of his secret, of that great engine of warfare, which could + destroy armies and reduce cities to dust, and which he had intended to + offer to France, so that on emerging victorious from the approaching war, + she might afterwards become the deliverer of the world. And it was this + grand scheme that he had abandoned, preferring to employ his explosive in + killing innocent people and overthrowing a church, which would be built + afresh, whatever the cost, and become a sanctuary of martyrs! + </p> + <p> + Guillaume smiled. “I have not relinquished my scheme,” said he, “I have + simply modified it. Did I not tell you of my doubts, my anxious + perplexity? Ah! to believe that one holds the destiny of the world in + one’s grasp, and to tremble and hesitate and wonder if the intelligence + and wisdom, that are needful for things to take the one wise course, will + be forthcoming! At sight of all the stains upon our great Paris, all the + errors and transgressions which we lately witnessed, I shuddered. I asked + myself if Paris were sufficiently calm and pure for one to entrust her + with omnipotence. How terrible would be the disaster if such an invention + as mine should fall into the hands of a demented nation, possibly a + dictator, some man of conquest, who would simply employ it to terrorize + other nations and reduce them to slavery.... Ah! no, I do not wish to + perpetuate warfare, I wish to kill it.” + </p> + <p> + Then in a clear firm voice he explained his new plan, in which Pierre was + surprised to find some of the ideas which General de Bozonnet had one day + laid before him in a very different spirit. Warfare was on the road to + extinction, threatened by its very excesses. In the old days of + mercenaries, and afterwards with conscripts, the percentage of soldiers + designated by chance, war had been a profession and a passion. But + nowadays, when everybody is called upon to fight, none care to do so. By + the logical force of things, the system of the whole nation in arms means + the coming end of armies. How much longer will the nations remain on a + footing of deadly peace, bowed down by ever increasing “estimates,” + spending millions and millions on holding one another in respect? Ah! how + great the deliverance, what a cry of relief would go up on the day when + some formidable engine, capable of destroying armies and sweeping cities + away, should render war an impossibility and constrain every people to + disarm! Warfare would be dead, killed in her own turn, she who has killed + so many. This was Guillaume’s dream, and he grew quite enthusiastic, so + strong was his conviction that he would presently bring it to pass. + </p> + <p> + “Everything is settled,” said he; “if I am about to die and disappear, it + is in order that my idea may triumph.... You have lately seen me spend + whole afternoons alone with Mère-Grand. Well, we were completing the + classification of the documents and making our final arrangements. She has + my orders, and will execute them even at the risk of her life, for none + has a braver, loftier soul.... As soon as I am dead, buried beneath these + stones, as soon as she has heard the explosion shake Paris and proclaim + the advent of the new era, she will forward a set of all the documents I + have confided to her—the formula of my explosive, the drawings of + the bomb and gun—to each of the great powers of the world. In this + wise I shall bestow on all the nations the terrible gift of destruction + and omnipotence which, at first, I wished to bestow on France alone; and I + do this in order that the nations, being one and all armed with the + thunderbolt, may at once disarm, for fear of being annihilated, when + seeking to annihilate others.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre listened to him, gaping, amazed at this extraordinary idea, in + which childishness was blended with genius. “Well,” said he, “if you give + your secret to all the nations, why should you blow up this church, and + die yourself?” + </p> + <p> + “Why! In order that I may be believed!” cried Guillaume with extraordinary + force of utterance. Then he added, “The edifice must lie on the ground, + and I must be under it. If the experiment is not made, if universal horror + does not attest and proclaim the amazing destructive power of my + explosive, people will consider me a mere schemer, a visionary!... A lot + of dead, a lot of blood, that is what is needed in order that blood may + for ever cease to flow!” Then, with a broad sweep of his arm, he again + declared that his action was necessary. “Besides,” he said, “Salvat left + me the legacy of carrying out this deed of justice. If I have given it + greater scope and significance, utilising it as a means of hastening the + end of war, this is because I happen to be a man of intellect. It would + have been better possibly if my mind had been a simple one, and if I had + merely acted like some volcano which changes the soil, leaving life the + task of renewing humanity.” + </p> + <p> + Much of the candle had now burnt away, and Guillaume at last rose from the + block of stone. He had again consulted his watch, and found that he had + ten minutes left him. The little current of air created by his gestures + made the light flicker, while all around him the darkness seemed to grow + denser. And near at hand ever lay the threatening open mine which a spark + might at any moment fire. + </p> + <p> + “It is nearly time,” said Guillaume. “Come, brother, kiss me and go away. + You know how much I love you, what ardent affection for you has been + awakened in my old heart. So love me in like fashion, and find love enough + to let me die as I want to die, in carrying out my duty. Kiss me, kiss me, + and go away without turning your head.” + </p> + <p> + His deep affection for Pierre made his voice tremble, but he struggled on, + forced back his tears, and ended by conquering himself. It was as if he + were no longer of the world, no longer one of mankind. + </p> + <p> + “No, brother, you have not convinced me,” said Pierre, who on his side did + not seek to hide his tears, “and it is precisely because I love you as you + love me, with my whole being, my whole soul, that I cannot go away. It is + impossible! You cannot be the madman, the murderer you would try to be.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not? Am I not free. I have rid my life of all responsibilities, all + ties.... I have brought up my sons, they have no further need of me. But + one heart-link remained—Marie, and I have given her to you.” + </p> + <p> + At this a disturbing argument occurred to Pierre, and he passionately + availed himself of it. “So you want to die because you have given me + Marie,” said he. “You still love her, confess it!” + </p> + <p> + “No!” cried Guillaume, “I no longer love her, I swear it. I gave her to + you. I love her no more.” + </p> + <p> + “So you fancied; but you can see now that you still love her, for here you + are, quite upset; whereas none of the terrifying things of which we spoke + just now could even move you.... Yes, if you wish to die it is because you + have lost Marie!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume quivered, shaken by what his brother said, and in low, broken + words he tried to question himself. “No, no, that any love pain should + have urged me to this terrible deed would be unworthy—unworthy of my + great design. No, no, I decided on it in the free exercise of my reason, + and I am accomplishing it from no personal motive, but in the name of + justice and for the benefit of humanity, in order that war and want may + cease.” + </p> + <p> + Then, in sudden anguish, he went on: “Ah! it is cruel of you, brother, + cruel of you to poison my delight at dying. I have created all the + happiness I could, I was going off well pleased at leaving you all happy, + and now you poison my death. No, no! question it how I may, my heart does + not ache; if I love Marie, it is simply in the same way as I love you.” + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, he remained perturbed, as if fearing lest he might be lying + to himself; and by degrees gloomy anger came over him: “Listen, that is + enough, Pierre,” he exclaimed, “time is flying.... For the last time, go + away! I order you to do so; I will have it!” + </p> + <p> + “I will not obey you, Guillaume.... I will stay, and as all my reasoning + cannot save you from your insanity, fire your mine, and I will die with + you.” + </p> + <p> + “You? Die? But you have no right to do so, you are not free!” + </p> + <p> + “Free, or not, I swear that I will die with you. And if it merely be a + question of flinging this candle into that hole, tell me so, and I will + take it and fling it there myself.” + </p> + <p> + He made a gesture at which his brother thought that he was about to carry + out his threat. So he caught him by the arm, crying: “Why should you die? + It would be absurd. That others should die may be necessary, but you, no! + Of what use could be this additional monstrosity? You are endeavouring to + soften me, you are torturing my heart!” Then all at once, imagining that + Pierre’s offer had concealed another design, Guillaume thundered in a + fury: “You don’t want to take the candle in order to throw it there. What + you want to do is to blow it out! And you think I shan’t be able then—ah! + you bad brother!” + </p> + <p> + In his turn Pierre exclaimed: “Oh! certainly, I’ll use every means to + prevent you from accomplishing such a frightful and foolish deed!” + </p> + <p> + “You’ll prevent me!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I’ll cling to you, I’ll fasten my arms to your shoulders, I’ll hold + your hands if necessary.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you’ll prevent me, you bad brother! You think you’ll prevent me!” + </p> + <p> + Choking and trembling with rage, Guillaume had already caught hold of + Pierre, pressing his ribs with his powerful muscular arms. They were + closely linked together, their eyes fixed upon one another, and their + breath mingling in that kind of subterranean dungeon, where their big + dancing shadows looked like ghosts. They seemed to be vanishing into the + night, the candle now showed merely like a little yellow tear in the midst + of the darkness; and at that moment, in those far depths, a quiver sped + through the silence of the earth which weighed so heavily upon them. + Distant but sonorous peals rang out, as if death itself were somewhere + ringing its invisible bell. + </p> + <p> + “You hear,” stammered Guillaume, “it’s their bell up there. The time has + come. I have vowed to act, and you want to prevent me!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I’ll prevent you as long as I’m here alive.” + </p> + <p> + “As long as you are alive, you’ll prevent me!” + </p> + <p> + Guillaume could hear “La Savoyarde” pealing joyfully up yonder; he could + see the triumphant basilica, overflowing with its ten thousand pilgrims, + and blazing with the splendour of the Host amidst the smoke of incense; + and blind frenzy came over him at finding himself unable to act, at + finding an obstacle suddenly barring the road to his fixed idea. + </p> + <p> + “As long as you are alive, as long as you are alive!” he repeated, beside + himself. “Well, then, die, you wretched brother!” + </p> + <p> + A fratricidal gleam had darted from his blurred eyes. He hastily stooped, + picked up a large brick forgotten there, and raised it with both hands as + if it were a club. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I’m willing,” cried Pierre. “Kill me, then; kill your own brother + before you kill the others!” + </p> + <p> + The brick was already descending, but Guillaume’s arms must have deviated, + for the weapon only grazed one of Pierre’s shoulders. Nevertheless, he + sank upon his knees in the gloom. When Guillaume saw him there he fancied + he had dealt him a mortal blow. What was it that had happened between + them, what had he done? For a moment he remained standing, haggard, his + mouth open, his eyes dilating with terror. He looked at his hands, + fancying that blood was streaming from them. Then he pressed them to his + brow, which seemed to be bursting with pain, as if his fixed idea had been + torn from him, leaving his skull open. And he himself suddenly sank upon + the ground with a great sob. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! brother, little brother, what have I done?” he called. “I am a + monster!” + </p> + <p> + But Pierre had passionately caught him in his arms again. “It is nothing, + nothing, brother, I assure you,” he replied. “Ah! you are weeping now. How + pleased I am! You are saved, I can feel it, since you are weeping. And + what a good thing it is that you flew into such a passion, for your anger + with me has dispelled your evil dream of violence.” + </p> + <p> + “I am horrified with myself,” gasped Guillaume, “to think that I wanted to + kill you! Yes, I’m a brute beast that would kill his brother! And the + others, too, all the others up yonder.... Oh! I’m cold, I feel so cold.” + </p> + <p> + His teeth were chattering, and he shivered. It was as if he had awakened, + half stupefied, from some evil dream. And in the new light which his + fratricidal deed cast upon things, the scheme which had haunted him and + goaded him to madness appeared like some act of criminal folly, projected + by another. + </p> + <p> + “To kill you!” he repeated almost in a whisper. “I shall never forgive + myself. My life is ended, I shall never find courage enough to live.” + </p> + <p> + But Pierre clasped him yet more tightly. “What do you say?” he answered. + “Will there not rather be a fresh and stronger tie of affection between + us? Ah! yes, brother, let me save you as you saved me, and we shall be yet + more closely united! Don’t you remember that evening at Neuilly, when you + consoled me and held me to your heart as I am holding you to mine? I had + confessed my torments to you, and you told me that I must live and + love!... And you did far more afterwards: you plucked your own love from + your breast and gave it to me. You wished to ensure my happiness at the + price of your own! And how delightful it is that, in my turn, I now have + an opportunity to console you, save you, and bring you back to life!” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, the bloodstain is there and it is ineffaceable. I can hope no + more!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, you can. Hope in life as you bade me do! Hope in love and hope + in labour!” + </p> + <p> + Still weeping and clasping one another, the brothers continued speaking in + low voices. The expiring candle suddenly went out unknown to them, and in + the inky night and deep silence their tears of redeeming affection flowed + freely. On the one hand, there was joy at being able to repay a debt of + brotherliness, and on the other, acute emotion at having been led by a + fanatical love of justice and mankind to the very verge of crime. And + there were yet other things in the depths of those tears which cleansed + and purified them; there were protests against suffering in every form, + and ardent wishes that the world might some day be relieved of all its + dreadful woe. + </p> + <p> + At last, after pushing the flagstone over the cavity near the pillar, + Pierre groped his way out of the vault, leading Guillaume like a child. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Mère-Grand, still seated near the window of the workroom, had + impassively continued sewing. Now and again, pending the arrival of four + o’clock, she had looked up at the timepiece hanging on the wall on her + left hand, or else had glanced out of the window towards the unfinished + pile of the basilica, which a gigantic framework of scaffoldings + encompassed. Slowly and steadily plying her needle, the old lady remained + very pale and silent, but full of heroic serenity. On the other hand, + Marie, who sat near her, embroidering, shifted her position a score of + times, broke her thread, and grew impatient, feeling strangely nervous, a + prey to unaccountable anxiety, which oppressed her heart. For their part, + the three young men could not keep in place at all; it was as if some + contagious fever disturbed them. Each had gone to his work: Thomas was + filing something at his bench; François and Antoine were on either side of + their table, the first trying to solve a mathematical problem, and the + other copying a bunch of poppies in a vase before him. It was in vain, + however, that they strove to be attentive. They quivered at the slightest + sound, raised their heads, and darted questioning glances at one another. + What could be the matter? What could possess them? What did they fear? Now + and again one or the other would rise, stretch himself, and then, resume + his place. However, they did not speak; it was as if they dared not say + anything, and thus the heavy silence grew more and more terrible. + </p> + <p> + When it was a few minutes to four o’clock Mère-Grand felt weary, or else + desired to collect her thoughts. After another glance at the timepiece, + she let her needlework fall on her lap and turned towards the basilica. It + seemed to her that she had only enough strength left to wait; and she + remained with her eyes fixed on the huge walls and the forest of + scaffolding which rose over yonder with such triumphant pride under the + blue sky. Then all at once, however brave and firm she might be, she could + not restrain a start, for “La Savoyarde” had raised a joyful clang. The + consecration of the Host was now at hand, the ten thousand pilgrims filled + the church, four o’clock was about to strike. And thereupon an + irresistible impulse forced the old lady to her feet; she drew herself up, + quivering, her hands clasped, her eyes ever turned yonder, waiting in mute + dread. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter?” cried Thomas, who noticed her. “Why are you + trembling, Mère-Grand?” + </p> + <p> + François and Antoine raised their heads, and in turn sprang forward. + </p> + <p> + “Are you ill? Why are you turning so pale, you who are so courageous?” + </p> + <p> + But she did not answer. Ah! might the force of the explosion rend the + earth asunder, reach the house and sweep it into the flaming crater of the + volcano! Might she and the three young men, might they all die with the + father, this was her one ardent wish in order that grief might be spared + them. And she remained waiting and waiting, quivering despite herself, but + with her brave, clear eyes ever gazing yonder. + </p> + <p> + “Mère-Grand, Mère-Grand!” cried Marie in dismay; “you frighten us by + refusing to answer us, by looking over there as if some misfortune were + coming up at a gallop!” + </p> + <p> + Then, prompted by the same anguish, the same cry suddenly came from + Thomas, François and Antoine: “Father is in peril—father is going to + die!” + </p> + <p> + What did they know? Nothing precise, certainly. Thomas no doubt had been + astonished to see what a large quantity of the explosive his father had + recently prepared, and both François and Antoine were aware of the ideas + of revolt which he harboured in his mind. But, full of filial deference, + they never sought to know anything beyond what he might choose to confide + to them. They never questioned him; they bowed to whatever he might do. + And yet now a foreboding came to them, a conviction that their father was + going to die, that some most frightful catastrophe was impending. It must + have been that which had already sent such a quiver through the atmosphere + ever since the morning, making them shiver with fever, feel ill at ease, + and unable to work. + </p> + <p> + “Father is going to die, father is going to die!” + </p> + <p> + The three big fellows had drawn close together, distracted by one and the + same anguish, and furiously longing to know what the danger was, in order + that they might rush upon it and die with their father if they could not + save him. And amidst Mère-Grand’s stubborn silence death once more flitted + through the room: there came a cold gust such as they had already felt + brushing past them during <i>déjeuner</i>. + </p> + <p> + At last four o’clock began to strike, and Mère-Grand raised her white + hands with a gesture of supreme entreaty. It was then that she at last + spoke: “Father is going to die. Nothing but the duty of living can save + him.” + </p> + <p> + At this the three young men again wished to rush yonder, whither they knew + not; but they felt that they must throw down all obstacles and conquer. + Their powerlessness rent their hearts, they were both so frantic and so + woeful that their grandmother strove to calm them. “Father’s own wish was + to die,” said she, “and he is resolved to die alone.” + </p> + <p> + They shuddered as they heard her, and then, on their side, strove to be + heroic. But the minutes crept by, and it seemed as if the cold gust had + slowly passed away. Sometimes, at the twilight hour, a night-bird will + come in by the window like some messenger of misfortune, flit round the + darkened room, and then fly off again, carrying its sadness with it. And + it was much like that; the gust passed, the basilica remained standing, + the earth did not open to swallow it. Little by little the atrocious + anguish which wrung their hearts gave place to hope. And when at last + Guillaume appeared, followed by Pierre, a great cry of resurrection came + from one and all: “Father!” + </p> + <p> + Their kisses, their tears, deprived him of his little remaining strength. + He was obliged to sit down. He had glanced round him as if he were + returning to life perforce. Mère-Grand, who understood what bitter + feelings must have followed the subjugation of his will, approached him + smiling, and took hold of both his hands as if to tell him that she was + well pleased at seeing him again, and at finding that he accepted his task + and was unwilling to desert the cause of life. For his part he suffered + dreadfully, the shock had been so great. The others spared him any + narrative of their feelings; and he, himself, related nothing. With a + gesture, a loving word, he simply indicated that it was Pierre who had + saved him. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon, in a corner of the room, Marie flung her arms round the young + man’s neck. “Ah! my good Pierre, I have never yet kissed you,” said she; + “I want it to be for something serious the first time.... I love you, my + good Pierre, I love you with all my heart.” + </p> + <p> + Later that same evening, after night had fallen, Guillaume and Pierre + remained for a moment alone in the big workroom. The young men had gone + out, and Mère-Grand and Marie were upstairs sorting some house linen, + while Madame Mathis, who had brought some work back, sat patiently in a + dim corner waiting for another bundle of things which might require + mending. The brothers, steeped in the soft melancholy of the twilight + hour, and chatting in low tones, had quite forgotten her. + </p> + <p> + But all at once the arrival of a visitor upset them. It was Janzen with + the fair, Christ-like face. He called very seldom nowadays; and one never + knew from what gloomy spot he had come or into what darkness he would + return when he took his departure. He disappeared, indeed, for months + together, and was then suddenly to be seen like some momentary passer-by + whose past and present life were alike unknown. + </p> + <p> + “I am leaving to-night,” he said in a voice sharp like a knife. + </p> + <p> + “Are you going back to your home in Russia?” asked Guillaume. + </p> + <p> + A faint, disdainful smile appeared on the Anarchist’s lips. “Home!” said + he, “I am at home everywhere. To begin with, I am not a Russian, and then + I recognise no other country than the world.” + </p> + <p> + With a sweeping gesture he gave them to understand what manner of man he + was, one who had no fatherland of his own, but carried his gory dream of + fraternity hither and thither regardless of frontiers. From some words he + spoke the brothers fancied he was returning to Spain, where some + fellow-Anarchists awaited him. There was a deal of work to be done there, + it appeared. He had quietly seated himself, chatting on in his cold way, + when all at once he serenely added: “By the by, a bomb had just been + thrown into the Cafe de l’Univers on the Boulevard. Three <i>bourgeois</i> + were killed.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre and Guillaume shuddered, and asked for particulars. Thereupon + Janzen related that he had happened to be there, had heard the explosion, + and seen the windows of the café shivered to atoms. Three customers were + lying on the floor blown to pieces. Two of them were gentlemen, who had + entered the place by chance and whose names were not known, while the + third was a regular customer, a petty cit of the neighbourhood, who came + every day to play a game at dominoes. And the whole place was wrecked; the + marble tables were broken, the chandeliers twisted out of shape, the + mirrors studded with projectiles. And how great the terror and the + indignation, and how frantic the rush of the crowd! The perpetrator of the + deed had been arrested immediately—in fact, just as he was turning + the corner of the Rue Caumartin. + </p> + <p> + “I thought I would come and tell you of it,” concluded Janzen; “it is well + you should know it.” + </p> + <p> + Then as Pierre, shuddering and already suspecting the truth, asked him if + he knew who the man was that had been arrested, he slowly replied: “The + worry is that you happen to know him—it was little Victor Mathis.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre tried to silence Janzen too late. He had suddenly remembered that + Victor’s mother had been sitting in a dark corner behind them a short time + previously. Was she still there? Then he again pictured Victor, slight and + almost beardless, with a straight, stubborn brow, grey eyes glittering + with intelligence, a pointed nose and thin lips expressive of stern will + and unforgiving hatred. He was no simple and lowly one from the ranks of + the disinherited. He was an educated scion of the <i>bourgeoisie</i>, and + but for circumstances would have entered the École Normale. There was no + excuse for his abominable deed, there was no political passion, no + humanitarian insanity, in it. He was the destroyer pure and simple, the + theoretician of destruction, the cold energetic man of intellect who gave + his cultivated mind to arguing the cause of murder, in his desire to make + murder an instrument of the social evolution. True, he was also a poet, a + visionary, but the most frightful of all visionaries: a monster whose + nature could only be explained by mad pride, and who craved for the most + awful immortality, dreaming that the coming dawn would rise from the arms + of the guillotine. Only one thing could surpass him: the scythe of death + which blindly mows the world. + </p> + <p> + For a few seconds, amidst the growing darkness, cold horror reigned in the + workroom. “Ah!” muttered Guillaume, “he had the daring to do it, he had.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, however, lovingly pressed his arm. And he felt that he was as + distracted, as upset, as himself. Perhaps this last abomination had been + needed to ravage and cure him. + </p> + <p> + Janzen no doubt had been an accomplice in the deed. He was relating that + Victor’s purpose had been to avenge Salvat, when all at once a great sigh + of pain was heard in the darkness, followed by a heavy thud upon the + floor. It was Madame Mathis falling like a bundle, overwhelmed by the news + which chance had brought her. At that moment it so happened that + Mère-Grand came down with a lamp, which lighted up the room, and thereupon + they hurried to the help of the wretched woman, who lay there as pale as a + corpse in her flimsy black gown. + </p> + <p> + And this again brought Pierre an indescribable heart-pang. Ah! the poor, + sad, suffering creature! He remembered her at Abbé Rose’s, so discreet, so + shamefaced, in her poverty, scarce able to live upon the slender resources + which persistent misfortunes had left her. Hers had indeed been a cruel + lot: first, a home with wealthy parents in the provinces, a love story and + elopement with the man of her choice; next, ill-luck steadily pursuing + her, all sorts of home troubles, and at last her husband’s death. Then, in + the retirement of her widowhood, after losing the best part of the little + income which had enabled her to bring up her son, naught but this son had + been left to her. He had been her Victor, her sole affection, the only one + in whom she had faith. She had ever striven to believe that he was very + busy, absorbed in work, and on the eve of attaining to some superb + position worthy of his merits. And now, all at once, she had learnt that + this fondly loved son was simply the most odious of assassins, that he had + flung a bomb into a café, and had there killed three men. + </p> + <p> + When Madame Mathis had recovered her senses, thanks to the careful tending + of Mère-Grand, she sobbed on without cessation, raising such a continuous + doleful wail, that Pierre’s hand again sought Guillaume’s, and grasped it, + whilst their hearts, distracted but healed, mingled lovingly one with the + other. + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="chap66"></a> + V. LIFE’S WORK AND PROMISE + </h2> + <p> + FIFTEEN months later, one fine golden day in September, Bache and + Théophile Morin were taking <i>déjeuner</i> at Guillaume’s, in the big + workroom overlooking the immensity of Paris. + </p> + <p> + Near the table was a cradle with its little curtains drawn. Behind them + slept Jean, a fine boy four months old, the son of Pierre and Marie. The + latter, simply in order to protect the child’s social rights, had been + married civilly at the town-hall of Montmartre. Then, by way of pleasing + Guillaume, who wished to keep them with him, and thus enlarge the family + circle, they had continued living in the little lodging over the + work-shop, leaving the sleepy house at Neuilly in the charge of Sophie, + Pierre’s old servant. And life had been flowing on happily for the + fourteen months or so that they had now belonged to one another. + </p> + <p> + There was simply peace, affection and work around the young couple. + François, who had left the École Normale provided with every degree, every + diploma, was now about to start for a college in the west of France, so as + to serve his term of probation as a professor, intending to resign his + post afterwards and devote himself, if he pleased, to science pure and + simple. Then Antoine had lately achieved great success with a series of + engravings he had executed—some views and scenes of Paris life; and + it was settled that he was to marry Lise Jahan in the ensuing spring, when + she would have completed her seventeenth year. Of the three sons, however, + Thomas was the most triumphant, for he had at last devised and constructed + his little motor, thanks to a happy idea of his father’s. One morning, + after the downfall of all his huge chimerical schemes, Guillaume, + remembering the terrible explosive which he had discovered and hitherto + failed to utilise, had suddenly thought of employing it as a motive force, + in the place of petroleum, in the motor which his eldest son had so long + been trying to construct for the Grandidier works. So he had set to work + with Thomas, devising a new mechanism, encountering endless difficulties, + and labouring for a whole year before reaching success. But now the father + and son had accomplished their task; the marvel was created, and stood + there riveted to an oak stand, and ready to work as soon as its final + toilet should have been performed. + </p> + <p> + Amidst all the changes which had occurred, Mère-Grand, in spite of her + great age, continued exercising her active, silent sway over the + household, which was now again so gay and peaceful. Though she seldom + seemed to leave her chair in front of her work-table, she was really here, + there and everywhere. Since the birth of Jean, she had talked of rearing + the child in the same way as she had formerly reared Thomas, François and + Antoine. She was indeed full of the bravery of devotion, and seemed to + think that she was not at all likely to die so long as she might have + others to guide, love and save. Marie marvelled at it all. She herself, + though she was always gay and in good health, felt tired at times now that + she was suckling her infant. Little Jean indeed had two vigilant mothers + near his cradle; whilst his father, Pierre, who had become Thomas’s + assistant, pulled the bellows, roughened out pieces of metal, and + generally completed his apprenticeship as a working mechanician. + </p> + <p> + On the particular day when Bache and Théophile Morin came to Montmartre, + the <i>déjeuner</i> proved even gayer than usual, thanks perhaps to their + presence. The meal was over, the table had been cleared, and the coffee + was being served, when a little boy, the son of a doorkeeper in the Rue + Cortot, came to ask for Monsieur Pierre Froment. When they inquired his + business, he answered in a hesitating way that Monsieur l’Abbé Rose was + very ill, indeed dying, and that he had sent him to fetch Monsieur Pierre + Froment at once. + </p> + <p> + Pierre followed the lad, feeling much affected; and on reaching the Rue + Cortot he there found Abbé Rose in a little damp ground-floor room + overlooking a strip of garden. The old priest was in bed, dying as the boy + had said, but he still retained the use of his faculties, and could speak + in his wonted slow and gentle voice. A Sister of Charity was watching + beside him, and she seemed so surprised and anxious at the arrival of a + visitor whom she did not know, that Pierre understood she was there to + guard the dying man and prevent him from having intercourse with others. + The old priest must have employed some stratagem in order to send the + doorkeeper’s boy to fetch him. However, when Abbé Rose in his grave and + kindly way begged the Sister to leave them alone for a moment, she dared + not refuse this supreme request, but immediately left the room. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my dear child,” said the old man, “how much I wanted to speak to you! + Sit down there, close to the bed, so that you may be able to hear me, for + this is the end; I shall no longer be here to-night. And I have such a + great service to ask of you.” + </p> + <p> + Quite upset at finding his friend so wasted, with his face white like a + sheet, and scarce a sign of life save the sparkle of his innocent, loving + eyes, Pierre responded: “But I would have come sooner if I had known you + were in need of me! Why did you not send for me before? Are people being + kept away from you?” + </p> + <p> + A faint smile of shame and confession appeared on the old priest’s + embarrassed face. “Well, my dear child,” said he, “you must know that I + have again done some foolish things. Yes, I gave money to some people who, + it seems, were not deserving of it. In fact, there was quite a scandal; + they scolded me at the Archbishop’s palace, and accused me of compromising + the interests of religion. And when they heard that I was ill, they put + that good Sister beside me, because they said that I should die on the + floor, and give the very sheets off my bed if I were not prevented.” + </p> + <p> + He paused to draw breath, and then continued: “So you understand, that + good Sister—oh! she is a very saintly woman—is here to nurse + me and prevent me from still doing foolish things. To overcome her + vigilance I had to use a little deceit, for which God, I trust, will + forgive me. As it happens, it’s precisely my poor who are in question; it + was to speak to you about them that I so particularly wished to see you.” + </p> + <p> + Tears had come to Pierre’s eyes. “Tell me what you want me to do,” he + answered; “I am yours, both heart and soul.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes, I know it, my dear child. It was for that reason that I thought + of you—you alone. In spite of all that has happened, you are the + only one in whom I have any confidence, who can understand me, and give me + a promise which will enable me to die in peace.” + </p> + <p> + This was the only allusion he would venture to make to the cruel rupture + which had occurred after the young man had thrown off his cassock and + rebelled against the Church. He had since heard of Pierre’s marriage, and + was aware that he had for ever severed all religious ties. But at that + supreme moment nothing of this seemed of any account to the old priest. + His knowledge of Pierre’s loving heart sufficed him, for all that he now + desired was simply the help of that heart which he had seen glowing with + such passionate charity. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” he resumed, again finding sufficient strength to smile, “it is a + very simple matter. I want to make you my heir. Oh! it isn’t a fine legacy + I am leaving you; it is the legacy of my poor, for I have nothing else to + bestow on you; I shall leave nothing behind me but my poor.” + </p> + <p> + Of these unhappy creatures, three in particular quite upset his heart. He + recoiled from the prospect of leaving them without chance of succour, + without even the crumbs which he had hitherto distributed among them, and + which had enabled them to live. One was the big Old’un, the aged carpenter + whom he and Pierre had vainly sought one night with the object of sending + him to the Asylum for the Invalids of Labour. He had been sent there a + little later, but he had fled three days afterwards, unwilling as he was + to submit to the regulations. Wild and violent, he had the most detestable + disposition. Nevertheless, he could not be left to starve. He came to Abbé + Rose’s every Saturday, it seemed, and received a franc, which sufficed him + for the whole week. Then, too, there was a bedridden old woman in a hovel + in the Rue du Mont-Cenis. The baker, who every morning took her the bread + she needed, must be paid. And in particular there was a poor young woman + residing on the Place du Tertre, one who was unmarried but a mother. She + was dying of consumption, unable to work, and tortured by the idea that + when she should have gone, her daughter must sink to the pavement like + herself. And in this instance the legacy was twofold: there was the mother + to relieve until her death, which was near at hand, and then the daughter + to provide for until she could be placed in some good household. + </p> + <p> + “You must forgive me, my dear child, for leaving you all these worries,” + added Abbé Rose. “I tried to get the good Sister, who is nursing me, to + take an interest in these poor people, but when I spoke to her of the big + Old’un, she was so alarmed that she made the sign of the cross. And it’s + the same with my worthy friend Abbé Tavernier. I know nobody of more + upright mind. Still I shouldn’t be at ease with him, he has ideas of his + own.... And so, my dear child, there is only you whom I can rely upon, and + you must accept my legacy if you wish me to depart in peace.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was weeping. “Ah! certainly, with my whole soul,” he answered. “I + shall regard your desires as sacred.” + </p> + <p> + “Good! I knew you would accept.... So it is agreed: a franc for the big + Old’un every Saturday, the bread for the bedridden woman, some help for + the poor young mother, and then a home for her little girl. Ah! if you + only knew what a weight it is off my heart! The end may come now, it will + be welcome to me.” + </p> + <p> + His kind white face had brightened as if with supreme joy. Holding + Pierre’s hand within his own he detained him beside the bed, exchanging a + farewell full of serene affection. And his voice weakening, he expressed + his whole mind in faint, impressive accents: “Yes, I shall be pleased to + go off. I could do no more, I could do no more! Though I gave and gave, I + felt that it was ever necessary to give more and more. And how sad to find + charity powerless, to give without hope of ever being able to stamp out + want and suffering! I rebelled against that idea of yours, as you will + remember. I told you that we should always love one another in our poor, + and that was true, since you are here, so good and affectionate to me and + those whom I am leaving behind. But, all the same, I can do no more, I can + do no more; and I would rather go off, since the woes of others rise + higher and higher around me, and I have ended by doing the most foolish + things, scandalising the faithful and making my superiors indignant with + me, without even saving one single poor person from the ever-growing + torrent of want. Farewell, my dear child. My poor old heart goes off + aching, my old hands are weary and conquered.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre embraced him with his whole soul, and then departed. His eyes were + full of tears and indescribable emotion wrung his heart. Never had he + heard a more woeful cry than that confession of the impotence of charity, + on the part of that old candid child, whose heart was all simplicity and + sublime benevolence. Ah! what a disaster, that human kindness should be + futile, that the world should always display so much distress and + suffering in spite of all the compassionate tears that had been shed, in + spite of all the alms that had fallen from millions and millions of hands + for centuries and centuries! No wonder that it should bring desire for + death, no wonder that a Christian should feel pleased at escaping from the + abominations of this earth! + </p> + <p> + When Pierre again reached the workroom he found that the table had long + since been cleared, and that Bache and Morin were chatting with Guillaume, + whilst the latter’s sons had returned to their customary occupations. + Marie, also, had resumed her usual place at the work-table in front of + Mère-Grand; but from time to time she rose and went to look at Jean, so as + to make sure that he was sleeping peacefully, with his little clenched + fists pressed to his heart. And when Pierre, who kept his emotion to + himself, had likewise leant over the cradle beside the young woman, whose + hair he discreetly kissed, he went to put on an apron in order that he + might assist Thomas, who was now, for the last time, regulating his motor. + </p> + <p> + Then, as Pierre stood there awaiting an opportunity to help, the room + vanished from before his eyes; he ceased to see or hear the persons who + were there. The scent of Marie’s hair alone lingered on his lips amidst + the acute emotion into which he had been thrown by his visit to Abbé Rose. + A recollection had come to him, that of the bitterly cold morning when the + old priest had stopped him outside the basilica of the Sacred Heart, and + had timidly asked him to take some alms to that old man Laveuve, who soon + afterwards had died of want, like a dog by the wayside. How sad a morning + it had been; what battle and torture had Pierre not felt within him, and + what a resurrection had come afterwards! He had that day said one of his + last masses, and he recalled with a shudder his abominable anguish, his + despairing doubts at the thought of nothingness. Two experiments which he + had previously made had failed most miserably. First had come one at + Lourdes, where the glorification of the absurd had simply filled him with + pity for any such attempt to revert to the primitive faith of young + nations, who bend beneath the terror born of ignorance; and, secondly, + there had been an experiment at Rome, which he had found incapable of any + renewal, and which he had seen staggering to its death amidst its ruins, a + mere great shadow, which would soon be of no account, fast sinking, as it + was, to the dust of dead religions. And, in his own mind, Charity itself + had become bankrupt; he no longer believed that alms could cure the + sufferings of mankind, he awaited naught but a frightful catastrophe, fire + and massacre, which would sweep away the guilty, condemned world. His + cassock, too, stifled him, a lie alone kept it on his shoulders, the idea, + unbelieving priest though he was, that he could honestly and chastely + watch over the belief of others. The problem of a new religion, a new + hope, such as was needful to ensure the peace of the coming democracies + tortured him, but between the certainties of science and the need of the + Divine, which seemed to consume humanity, he could find no solution. If + Christianity crumbled with the principle of Charity, there could remain + nothing else but Justice, that cry which came from every breast, that + battle of Justice against Charity in which his heart must contend in that + great city of Paris. It was there that began his third and decisive + experiment, the experiment which was to make truth as plain to him as the + sun itself, and give him back health and strength and delight in life. + </p> + <p> + At this point of his reverie Pierre was roused by Thomas, who asked him to + fetch a tool. As he did so he heard Bache remarking: “The ministry + resigned this morning. Vignon has had enough of it, he wants to reserve + his remaining strength.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, he has lasted more than a twelvemonth,” replied Morin. “That’s + already an achievement.” + </p> + <p> + After the crime of Victor Mathis, who had been tried and executed within + three weeks, Monferrand had suddenly fallen from power. What was the use + of having a strong-handed man at the head of the Government if bombs still + continued to terrify the country? Moreover, he had displeased the Chamber + by his voracious appetite, which had prevented him from allowing others + more than an infinitesimal share of all the good things. And this time he + had been succeeded by Vignon, although the latter’s programme of reforms + had long made people tremble. He, Vignon, was honest certainly, but of all + these reforms he had only been able to carry out a few insignificant ones, + for he had found himself hampered by a thousand obstacles. And thus he had + resigned himself to ruling the country as others had done; and people had + discovered that after all there were but faint shades of difference + between him and Monferrand. + </p> + <p> + “You know that Monferrand is being spoken of again?” said Guillaume. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, and he has some chance of success. His creatures are bestirring + themselves tremendously,” replied Bache, adding, in a bitter, jesting way, + that Mège, the Collectivist leader, played the part of a dupe in + overthrowing ministry after ministry. He simply gratified the ambition of + each coterie in turn, without any possible chance of attaining to power + himself. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Guillaume pronounced judgment. “Oh! well, let them devour one + another,” said he. “Eager as they all are to reign and dispose of power + and wealth, they only fight over questions of persons. And nothing they do + can prevent the evolution from continuing. Ideas expand, and events occur, + and, over and above everything else, mankind is marching on.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre was greatly struck by these words, and he again recalled the past. + His dolorous Parisian experiment had begun, and he was once more roaming + through the city. Paris seemed to him to be a huge vat, in which a world + fermented, something of the best and something of the worst, a frightful + mixture such as sorceresses might have used; precious powders mingled with + filth, from all of which was to come the philter of love and eternal + youth. And in that vat Pierre first marked the scum of the political + world: Monferrand who strangled Barroux, who purchased the support of + hungry ones such as Fonsègue, Duthil and Chaigneux, who made use of those + who attained to mediocrity, such as Taboureau and Dauvergne; and who + employed even the sectarian passions of Mège and the intelligent ambition + of Vignon as his weapons. Next came money the poisoner, with that affair + of the African Railways, which had rotted the Parliament and turned + Duvillard, the triumphant <i>bourgeois</i>, into a public perverter, the + very cancer as it were of the financial world. Then as a just consequence + of all this there was Duvillard’s own home infected by himself, that + frightful drama of Eve contending with her daughter Camille for the + possession of Gérard, then Camille stealing him from her mother, and + Hyacinthe, the son, passing his crazy mistress Rosemonde on to that + notorious harlot Silviane, with whom his father publicly exhibited + himself. Then there was the old expiring aristocracy, with the pale, sad + faces of Madame de Quinsac and the Marquis de Morigny; the old military + spirit whose funeral was conducted by General de Bozonnet; the magistracy + which slavishly served the powers of the day, Amadieu thrusting himself + into notoriety by means of sensational cases, Lehmann, the public + prosecutor, preparing his speeches in the private room of the Minister + whose policy he defended; and, finally, the mendacious and cupid Press + which lived upon scandal, the everlasting flood of denunciation and filth + which poured from Sagnier, and the gay impudence shown by the unscrupulous + and conscienceless Massot, who attacked all and defended all, by + profession and to order! And in the same way as insects, on discovering + one of their own kind dying, will often finish it off and fatten upon it, + so the whole swarm of appetites, interests and passions had fallen upon a + wretched madman, that unhappy Salvat, whose idiotic crime had brought them + all scrambling together, gluttonously eager to derive some benefit from + that starveling’s emaciated carcass. And all boiled in the huge vat of + Paris; the desires, the deeds of violence, the strivings of one and + another man’s will, the whole nameless medley of the bitterest ferments, + whence, in all purity, the wine of the future would at last flow. + </p> + <p> + Then Pierre became conscious of the prodigious work which went on in the + depths of the vat, beneath all the impurity and waste. As his brother had + just said, what mattered the stains, the egotism and greed of politicians, + if humanity were still on the march, ever slowly and stubbornly stepping + forward! What mattered, too, that corrupt and emasculate <i>bourgeoisie</i>, + nowadays as moribund as the aristocracy, whose place it took, if behind it + there ever came the inexhaustible reserve of men who surged up from the + masses of the country-sides and the towns! What mattered the debauchery, + the perversion arising from excess of wealth and power, the luxuriousness + and dissoluteness of life, since it seemed a proven fact that the capitals + that had been queens of the world had never reigned without extreme + civilisation, a cult of beauty and of pleasure! And what mattered even the + venality, the transgressions and the folly of the press, if at the same + time it remained an admirable instrument for the diffusion of knowledge, + the open conscience, so to say, of the nation, a river which, though there + might be horrors on its surface, none the less flowed on, carrying all + nations to the brotherly ocean of the future centuries! The human lees + ended by sinking to the bottom of the vat, and it was not possible to + expect that what was right would triumph visibly every day; for it was + often necessary that years should elapse before the realisation of some + hope could emerge from the fermentation. Eternal matter is ever being cast + afresh into the crucible and ever coming from it improved. And if in the + depths of pestilential workshops and factories the slavery of ancient + times subsists in the wage-earning system, if such men as Toussaint still + die of want on their pallets like broken-down beasts of burden, it is + nevertheless a fact that once already, on a memorable day of tempest, + Liberty sprang forth from the vat to wing her flight throughout the world. + And why in her turn should not Justice spring from it, proceeding from + those troubled elements, freeing herself from all dross, flowing forth + with dazzling limpidity and regenerating the nations? + </p> + <p> + However, the voices of Bache and Morin, rising in the course of their chat + with Guillaume, once more drew Pierre from his reverie. They were now + speaking of Janzen, who after being compromised in a fresh outrage at + Barcelona had fled from Spain. Bache fancied that he had recognised him in + the street only the previous day. To think that a man with so clear a mind + and such keen energy should waste his natural gifts in such a hateful + cause! + </p> + <p> + “When I remember,” said Morin slowly, “that Barthès lives in exile in a + shabby little room at Brussels, ever quivering with the hope that the + reign of liberty is at hand—he who has never had a drop of blood on + his hands and who has spent two-thirds of his life in prison in order that + the nations may be freed!” + </p> + <p> + Bache gently shrugged his shoulders: “Liberty, liberty, of course,” said + he; “only it is worth nothing if it is not organised.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon their everlasting discussion began afresh, with Saint-Simon and + Fourier on one side and Proudhon and Auguste Comte on the other. Bache + gave a long account of the last commemoration which had taken place in + honour of Fourier’s memory, how faithful disciples had brought wreaths and + made speeches, forming quite a meeting of apostles, who all stubbornly + clung to their faith, as confident in the future as if they were the + messengers of some new gospel. Afterwards Morin emptied his pockets, which + were always full of Positivist tracts and pamphlets, manifestos, answers + and so forth, in which Comte’s doctrines were extolled as furnishing the + only possible basis for the new, awaited religion. Pierre, who listened, + thereupon remembered the disputes in his little house at Neuilly when he + himself, searching for certainty, had endeavoured to draw up the century’s + balance-sheet. He had lost his depth, in the end, amidst the + contradictions and incoherency of the various precursors. Although Fourier + had sprung from Saint-Simon, he denied him in part, and if Saint-Simon’s + doctrine ended in a kind of mystical sensuality, the other’s conducted to + an inacceptable regimenting of society. Proudhon, for his part, demolished + without rebuilding anything. Comte, who created method and declared + science to be the one and only sovereign, had not even suspected the + advent of the social crisis which now threatened to sweep all away, and + had finished personally as a mere worshipper of love, overpowered by + woman. Nevertheless, these two, Comte and Proudhon, entered the lists and + fought against the others, Fourier and Saint-Simon; the combat between + them or their disciples becoming so bitter and so blind that the truths + common to them all at first seemed obscured and disfigured beyond + recognition. Now, however, that evolution had slowly transformed Pierre, + those common truths seemed to him as irrefutable, as clear as the sunlight + itself. Amidst the chaos of conflicting assertions which was to be found + in the gospels of those social messiahs, there were certain similar + phrases and principles which recurred again and again, the defence of the + poor, the idea of a new and just division of the riches of the world in + accordance with individual labour and merit, and particularly the search + for a new law of labour which would enable this fresh distribution to be + made equitably. Since all the precursory men of genius agreed so closely + upon those points, must they not be the very foundations of to-morrow’s + new religion, the necessary faith which this century must bequeath to the + coming century, in order that the latter may make of it a human religion + of peace, solidarity and love? + </p> + <p> + Then, all at once, there came a leap in Pierre’s thoughts. He fancied + himself at the Madeleine once more, listening to the address on the New + Spirit delivered by Monseigneur Martha, who had predicted that Paris, now + reconverted to Christianity, would, thanks to the Sacred Heart, become the + ruler of the world. But no, but no! If Paris reigned, it was because it + was able to exercise its intelligence freely. To set the cross and the + mystic and repulsive symbolism of a bleeding heart above it was simply so + much falsehood. Although they might rear edifices of pride and domination + as if to crush Paris with their very weight, although they might try to + stop science in the name of a dead ideal and in the hope of setting their + clutches upon the coming century, these attempts would be of no avail. + Science will end by sweeping away all remnants of their ancient + sovereignty, their basilica will crumble beneath the breeze of Truth + without any necessity of raising a finger against it. The trial has been + made, the Gospel as a social code has fallen to pieces, and human wisdom + can only retain account of its moral maxims. Ancient Catholicism is on all + sides crumbling into dust, Catholic Rome is a mere field of ruins from + which the nations turn aside, anxious as they are for a religion that + shall not be a religion of death. In olden times the overburdened slave, + glowing with a new hope and seeking to escape from his gaol, dreamt of a + heaven where in return for his earthly misery he would be rewarded with + eternal enjoyment. But now that science has destroyed that false idea of a + heaven, and shown what dupery lies in reliance on the morrow of death, the + slave, the workman, weary of dying for happiness’ sake, demands that + justice and happiness shall find place upon this earth. Therein lies the + new hope—Justice, after eighteen hundred years of impotent Charity. + Ah! in a thousand years from now, when Catholicism will be naught but a + very ancient superstition of the past, how amazed men will be to think + that their ancestors were able to endure that religion of torture and + nihility! How astonished they will feel on finding that God was regarded + as an executioner, that manhood was threatened, maimed and chastised, that + nature was accounted an enemy, that life was looked upon as something + accursed, and that death alone was pronounced sweet and liberating! For + well-nigh two thousand years the onward march of mankind has been hampered + by the odious idea of tearing all that is human away from man: his + desires, his passions, his free intelligence, his will and right of + action, his whole strength. And how glorious will be the awakening when + such virginity as is now honoured by the Church is held in derision, when + fruitfulness is again recognised as a virtue, amidst the hosanna of all + the freed forces of nature—man’s desires which will be honoured, his + passions which will be utilised, his labour which will be exalted, whilst + life is loved and ever and ever creates love afresh! + </p> + <p> + A new religion! a new religion! Pierre remembered the cry which had + escaped him at Lourdes, and which he had repeated at Rome in presence of + the collapse of old Catholicism. But he no longer displayed the same + feverish eagerness as then—a puerile, sickly desire that a new + Divinity should at once reveal himself, an ideal come into being, complete + in all respects, with dogmas and form of worship. The Divine certainly + seemed to be as necessary to man as were bread and water; he had ever + fallen back upon it, hungering for the mysterious, seemingly having no + other means of consolation than that of annihilating himself in the + unknown. But who can say that science will not some day quench the thirst + for what lies beyond us? If the domain of science embraces the acquired + truths, it also embraces, and will ever do so, the truths that remain to + be acquired. And in front of it will there not ever remain a margin for + the thirst of knowledge, for the hypotheses which are but so much + ideality? Besides, is not the yearning for the divine simply a desire to + behold the Divinity? And if science should more and more content the + yearning to know all and be able to do all, will not that yearning be + quieted and end by mingling with the love of acquired truth? A religion + grafted on science is the indicated, certain, inevitable finish of man’s + long march towards knowledge. He will come to it at last as to a natural + haven, as to peace in the midst of certainty, after passing every form of + ignorance and terror on his road. And is there not already some indication + of such a religion? Has not the idea of the duality of God and the + Universe been brushed aside, and is not the principle of unity, <i>monisme</i>, + becoming more and more evident—unity leading to solidarity, and the + sole law of life proceeding by evolution from the first point of the ether + that condensed to create the world? But if precursors, scientists and + philosophers—Darwin, Fourier and all the others—have sown the + seed of to-morrow’s religion by casting the good word to the passing + breeze, how many centuries will doubtless be required to raise the crop! + People always forget that before Catholicism grew up and reigned in the + sunlight, it spent four centuries in germinating and sprouting from the + soil. Well, then, grant some centuries to this religion of science of + whose sprouting there are signs upon all sides, and by-and-by the + admirable ideas of some Fourier will be seen expanding and forming a new + gospel, with desire serving as the lever to raise the world, work accepted + by one and all, honoured and regulated as the very mechanism of natural + and social life, and the passions of man excited, contented and utilised + for human happiness! The universal cry of Justice, which rises louder and + louder, in a growing clamour from the once silent multitude, the people + that have so long been duped and preyed upon, is but a cry for this + happiness towards which human beings are tending, the happiness that + embodies the complete satisfaction of man’s needs, and the principle of + life loved for its own sake, in the midst of peace and the expansion of + every force and every joy. The time will come when this Kingdom of God + will be set upon the earth; so why not close that other deceptive + paradise, even if the weak-minded must momentarily suffer from the + destruction of their illusions; for it is necessary to operate even with + cruelty on the blind if they are to be extricated from their misery, from + their long and frightful night of ignorance! + </p> + <p> + All at once a feeling of deep joy came over Pierre. A child’s faint cry, + the wakening cry of his son Jean had drawn him from his reverie. And he + had suddenly remembered that he himself was now saved, freed from + falsehood and fright, restored to good and healthy nature. How he quivered + as he recalled that he had once fancied himself lost, blotted out of life, + and that a prodigy of love had extricated him from his nothingness, still + strong and sound, since that dear child of his was there, sturdy and + smiling. Life had brought forth life; and truth had burst forth, as + dazzling as the sun. He had made his third experiment with Paris, and this + had been conclusive; it had been no wretched miscarriage with increase of + darkness and grief, like his other experiments at Lourdes and Rome. In the + first place, the law of labour had been revealed to him, and he had + imposed upon himself a task, as humble a one as it was, that manual + calling which he was learning so late in life, but which was, + nevertheless, a form of labour, and one in which he would never fail, one + too that would lend him the serenity which comes from the accomplishment + of duty, for life itself was but labour: it was only by effort that the + world existed. And then, moreover, he had loved; and salvation had come to + him from woman and from his child. Ah! what a long and circuitous journey + he had made to reach this finish at once so natural and so simple! How he + had suffered, how much error and anger he had known before doing what all + men ought to do! That eager, glowing love which had contended against his + reason, which had bled at sight of the arrant absurdities of the + miraculous grotto of Lourdes, which had bled again too in presence of the + haughty decline of the Vatican, had at last found contentment now that he + was husband and father, now that he had confidence in work and believed in + the just laws of life. And thence had come the indisputable truth, the one + solution—happiness in certainty. + </p> + <p> + Whilst Pierre was thus plunged in thought, Bache and Morin had already + gone off with their customary handshakes and promises to come and chat + again some evening. And as Jean was now crying more loudly, Marie took him + in her arms and unhooked her dress-body to give him her breast. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! the darling, it’s his time, you know, and he doesn’t forget it!” she + said. “Just look, Pierre, I believe he has got bigger since yesterday.” + </p> + <p> + She laughed; and Pierre, likewise laughing, drew near to kiss the child. + And afterwards he kissed his wife, mastered as he was by emotion at the + sight of that pink, gluttonous little creature imbibing life from that + lovely breast so full of milk. + </p> + <p> + “Why! he’ll eat you,” he gaily said to Marie. “How he’s pulling!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! he does bite me a little,” she replied; “but I like that the better, + it shows that he profits by it.” + </p> + <p> + Then Mère-Grand, she who as a rule was so serious and silent, began to + talk with a smile lighting up her face: “I weighed him this morning,” said + she, “he weighs nearly a quarter of a pound more than he did the last + time. And if you had only seen how good he was, the darling! He will be a + very intelligent and well-behaved little gentleman, such as I like. When + he’s five years old, I shall teach him his alphabet, and when he’s + fifteen, if he likes, I’ll tell him how to be a man.... Don’t you agree + with me, Thomas? And you, Antoine, and you, too, François?” + </p> + <p> + Raising their heads, the three sons gaily nodded their approval, grateful + as they felt for the lessons in heroism which she had given them, and + apparently finding no reason why she might not live another twenty years + in order to give similar lessons to Jean. + </p> + <p> + Pierre still remained in front of Marie, basking in all the rapture of + love, when he felt Guillaume lay his hands upon his shoulders from behind. + And on turning round he saw that his brother was also radiant, like one + who felt well pleased at seeing them so happy. “Ah! brother,” said + Guillaume softly, “do you remember my telling you that you suffered solely + from the battle between your mind and your heart, and that you would find + quietude again when you loved what you could understand? It was necessary + that our father and mother, whose painful quarrel had continued beyond the + grave, should be reconciled in you. And now it’s done, they sleep in peace + within you, since you yourself are pacified.” + </p> + <p> + These words filled Pierre with emotion. Joy beamed upon his face, which + was now so open and energetic. He still had the towering brow, that + impregnable fortress of reason, which he had derived from his father, and + he still had the gentle chin and affectionate eyes and mouth which his + mother had given him, but all was now blended together, instinct with + happy harmony and serene strength. Those two experiments of his which had + miscarried, were like crises of his maternal heredity, the tearful + tenderness which had come to him from his mother, and which for lack of + satisfaction had made him desperate; and his third experiment had only + ended in happiness because he had contented his ardent thirst for love in + accordance with sovereign reason, that paternal heredity which pleaded so + loudly within him. Reason remained the queen. And if his sufferings had + thus always come from the warfare which his reason had waged against his + heart, it was because he was man personified, ever struggling between his + intelligence and his passions. And how peaceful all seemed, now that he + had reconciled and satisfied them both, now that he felt healthy, perfect + and strong, like some lofty oak, which grows in all freedom, and whose + branches spread far away over the forest. + </p> + <p> + “You have done good work in that respect,” Guillaume affectionately + continued, “for yourself and for all of us, and even for our dear parents + whose shades, pacified and reconciled, now abide so peacefully in the + little home of our childhood. I often think of our dear house at Neuilly, + which old Sophie is taking care of for us; and although, out of egotism, a + desire to set happiness around me, I wished to keep you here, your Jean + must some day go and live there, so as to bring it fresh youth.” + </p> + <p> + Pierre had taken hold of his brother’s hands, and looking into his eyes he + asked: “And you—are you happy?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, very happy, happier than I have ever been; happy at loving you as I + do, and happy at being loved by you as no one else will ever love me.” + </p> + <p> + Their hearts mingled in ardent brotherly affection, the most perfect and + heroic affection that can blend men together. And they embraced one + another whilst, with her babe on her breast, Marie, so gay, healthful and + loyal, looked at them and smiled, with big tears gathering in her eyes. + </p> + <p> + Thomas, however, having finished his motor’s last toilet, had just set it + in motion. It was a prodigy of lightness and strength, of no weight + whatever in comparison with the power it displayed. And it worked with + perfect smoothness, without noise or smell. The whole family was gathered + round it in delight, when there came a timely visit, one from the learned + and friendly Bertheroy, whom indeed Guillaume had asked to call, in order + that he might see the motor working. + </p> + <p> + The great chemist at once expressed his admiration; and when he had + examined the mechanism and understood how the explosive was employed as + motive power—an idea which he had long recommended,—he + tendered enthusiastic congratulations to Guillaume and Thomas. “You have + created a little marvel,” said he, “one which may have far-reaching + effects both socially and humanly. Yes, yes, pending the invention of the + electrical motor which we have not yet arrived at, here is an ideal one, a + system of mechanical traction for all sorts of vehicles. Even aerial + navigation may now become a possibility, and the problem of force at home + is finally solved. And what a grand step! What sudden progress! Distance + again diminished, all roads thrown open, and men able to fraternise! This + is a great boon, a splendid gift, my good friends, that you are bestowing + on the world.” + </p> + <p> + Then he began to jest about the new explosive, whose prodigious power he + had divined, and which he now found put to such a beneficent purpose. “And + to think, Guillaume,” he said, “that I fancied you acted with so much + mysteriousness and hid the formula of your powder from me because you had + an idea of blowing up Paris!” + </p> + <p> + At this Guillaume became grave and somewhat pale. And he confessed the + truth. “Well, I did for a moment think of it.” + </p> + <p> + However, Bertheroy went on laughing, as if he regarded this answer as mere + repartee, though truth to tell he had felt a slight chill sweep through + his hair. “Well, my friend,” he said, “you have done far better in + offering the world this marvel, which by the way must have been both a + difficult and dangerous matter. So here is a powder which was intended to + exterminate people, and which in lieu thereof will now increase their + comfort and welfare. In the long run things always end well, as I’m quite + tired of saying.” + </p> + <p> + On beholding such lofty and tolerant good nature, Guillaume felt moved. + Bertheroy’s words were true. What had been intended for purposes of + destruction served the cause of progress; the subjugated, domesticated + volcano became labour, peace and civilisation. Guillaume had even + relinquished all idea of his engine of battle and victory; he had found + sufficient satisfaction in this last invention of his, which would relieve + men of some measure of weariness, and help to reduce their labour to just + so much effort as there must always be. In this he detected some little + advance towards Justice; at all events it was all that he himself could + contribute to the cause. And when on turning towards the window he caught + sight of the basilica of the Sacred Heart, he could not explain what + insanity had at one moment come over him, and set him dreaming of idiotic + and useless destruction. Some miasmal gust must have swept by, something + born of want that scattered germs of anger and vengeance. But how blind it + was to think that destruction and murder could ever bear good fruit, ever + sow the soil with plenty and happiness! Violence cannot last, and all it + does is to rouse man’s feeling of solidarity even among those on whose + behalf one kills. The people, the great multitude, rebel against the + isolated individual who seeks to wreak justice. No one man can take upon + himself the part of the volcano; this is the whole terrestrial crust, the + whole multitude which internal fire impels to rise and throw up either an + Alpine chain or a better and freer society. And whatever heroism there may + be in their madness, however great and contagious may be their thirst for + martyrdom, murderers are never anything but murderers, whose deeds simply + sow the seeds of horror. And if on the one hand Victor Mathis had avenged + Salvat, he had also slain him, so universal had been the cry of + reprobation roused by the second crime, which was yet more monstrous and + more useless than the first. + </p> + <p> + Guillaume, laughing in his turn, replied to Bertheroy in words which + showed how completely he was cured: “You are right,” he said, “all ends + well since all contributes to truth and justice. Unfortunately, thousands + of years are sometimes needed for any progress to be accomplished.... + However, for my part, I am simply going to put my new explosive on the + market, so that those who secure the necessary authorisation may + manufacture it and grow rich. Henceforth it belongs to one and all.... And + I’ve renounced all idea of revolutionising the world.” + </p> + <p> + But Bertheroy protested. This great official scientist, this member of the + Institute laden with offices and honours, pointed to the little motor, and + replied with all the vigour of his seventy years: “But that is revolution, + the true, the only revolution. It is with things like that and not with + stupid bombs that one revolutionises the world! It is not by destroying, + but by creating, that you have just done the work of a revolutionist. And + how many times already have I not told you that science alone is the + world’s revolutionary force, the only force which, far above all paltry + political incidents, the vain agitation of despots, priests, sectarians + and ambitious people of all kinds, works for the benefit of those who will + come after us, and prepares the triumph of truth, justice and peace.... + Ah, my dear child, if you wish to overturn the world by striving to set a + little more happiness in it, you have only to remain in your laboratory + here, for human happiness can spring only from the furnace of the + scientist.” + </p> + <p> + He spoke perhaps in a somewhat jesting way, but one could feel that he was + convinced of it all, that he held everything excepting science in utter + contempt. He had not even shown any surprise when Pierre had cast his + cassock aside; and on finding him there with his wife and child he had not + scrupled to show him as much affection as in the past. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, however, the motor was travelling hither and thither, making no + more noise than a bluebottle buzzing in the sunshine. The whole happy + family was gathered about it, still laughing with delight at such a + victorious achievement. And all at once little Jean, Monsieur Jean, having + finished sucking, turned round, displaying his milk-smeared lips, and + perceived the machine, the pretty plaything which walked about by itself. + At sight of it, his eyes sparkled, dimples appeared on his plump cheeks, + and, stretching out his quivering chubby hands, he raised a crow of + delight. + </p> + <p> + Marie, who was quietly fastening her dress, smiled at his glee and brought + him nearer, in order that he might have a better view of the toy. “Ah! my + darling, it’s pretty, isn’t it? It moves and it turns, and it’s strong; + it’s quite alive, you see.” + </p> + <p> + The others, standing around, were much amused by the amazed, enraptured + expression of the child, who would have liked to touch the machine, + perhaps in the hope of understanding it. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” resumed Bertheroy, “it’s alive and it’s powerful like the sun, like + that great sun shining yonder over Paris, and ripening men and things. And + Paris too is a motor, a boiler in which the future is boiling, while we + scientists keep the eternal flame burning underneath. Guillaume, my good + fellow, you are one of the stokers, one of the artisans of the future, + with that little marvel of yours, which will still further extend the + influence of our great Paris over the whole world.” + </p> + <p> + These words impressed Pierre, and he again thought of a gigantic vat + stretching yonder from one horizon to the other, a vat in which the coming + century would emerge from an extraordinary mixture of the excellent and + the vile. But now, over and above all passions, ambitions, stains and + waste, he was conscious of the colossal expenditure of labour which marked + the life of Paris, of the heroic manual efforts in work-shops and + factories, and the splendid striving of the young men of intellect whom he + knew to be hard at work, studying in silence, relinquishing none of the + conquests of their elders, but glowing with desire to enlarge their + domain. And in all this Paris was exalted, together with the future that + was being prepared within it, and which would wing its flight over the + world bright like the dawn of day. If Rome, now so near its death, had + ruled the ancient world, it was Paris that reigned with sovereign sway + over the modern era, and had for the time become the great centre of the + nations as they were carried on from civilisation to civilisation, in a + sunward course from east to west. Paris was the world’s brain. Its past so + full of grandeur had prepared it for the part of initiator, civiliser and + liberator. Only yesterday it had cast the cry of Liberty among the + nations, and to-morrow it would bring them the religion of Science, the + new faith awaited by the democracies. And Paris was also gaiety, kindness + and gentleness, passion for knowledge and generosity without limit. Among + the workmen of its faubourgs and the peasants of its country-sides there + were endless reserves of men on whom the future might freely draw. And the + century ended with Paris, and the new century would begin and spread with + it. All the clamour of its prodigious labour, all the light that came from + it as from a beacon overlooking the earth, all the thunder and tempest and + triumphant brightness that sprang from its entrails, were pregnant with + that final splendour, of which human happiness would be compounded. + </p> + <p> + Marie raised a light cry of admiration as she pointed towards the city. + “Look! just look!” she exclaimed; “Paris is all golden, covered with a + harvest of gold!” + </p> + <p> + They all re-echoed her admiration, for the effect was really one of + extraordinary magnificence. The declining sun was once more veiling the + immensity of Paris with golden dust. But this was no longer the city of + the sower, a chaos of roofs and edifices suggesting brown land turned up + by some huge plough, whilst the sun-rays streamed over it like golden + seed, falling upon every side. Nor was it the city whose divisions had one + day seemed so plain to Pierre: eastward, the districts of toil, misty with + the grey smoke of factories; southward, the districts of study, serene and + quiet; westward, the districts of wealth, bright and open; and in the + centre the districts of trade, with dark and busy streets. It now seemed + as if one and the same crop had sprung up on every side, imparting harmony + to everything, and making the entire expanse one sole, boundless field, + rich with the same fruitfulness. There was corn, corn everywhere, an + infinity of corn, whose golden wave rolled from one end of the horizon to + the other. Yes, the declining sun steeped all Paris in equal splendour, + and it was truly the crop, the harvest, after the sowing! + </p> + <p> + “Look! just look,” repeated Marie, “there is not a nook without its sheaf; + the humblest roofs are fruitful, and every blade is full-eared wherever + one may look. It is as if there were now but one and the same soil, + reconciled and fraternal. Ah! Jean, my little Jean, look! see how + beautiful it is!” + </p> + <p> + Pierre, who was quivering, had drawn close beside her. And Mère-Grand and + Bertheroy smiled upon that promise of a future which they would not see, + whilst beside Guillaume, whom the sight filled with emotion, were his + three big sons, the three young giants, looking quite grave, they who ever + laboured and were ever hopeful. Then Marie, with a fine gesture of + enthusiasm, stretched out her arms and raised her child aloft, as if + offering it in gift to the huge city. + </p> + <p> + “See, Jean! see, little one,” she cried, “it’s you who’ll reap it all, + who’ll store the whole crop in the barn!” + </p> + <p> + And Paris flared—Paris, which the divine sun had sown with light, + and where in glory waved the great future harvest of Truth and of Justice. + </p> + <p> + THE END + </p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE CITIES TRILOGY ***</div> +<div style='text-align:left'> + +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> +Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will +be renamed. +</div> + +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> +Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright +law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, +so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United +States without permission and without paying copyright +royalties. 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