(Leon _and_ Mme. de Ronchard.)
LÉON
Martinel is a good fellow. Not a man of culture, but bright as sunshine
and straight as a rule.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_seated_ L.]
He is lacking in distinction of manner.
LÉON [_inadvertently_]
How about yourself, Aunt?
MME. DE RONCHARD
What do you mean?
LÉON [_corrects himself and approaches_ Mme. de Ronchard]
I said, how about yourself? You know what I mean--you have such an
intimate knowledge of the world that you are a better judge of human
nature than anyone I know.
MME. DE RONCHARD
Indeed, I am. You were too small a boy to recollect it, but
nevertheless, I went a great deal into society before my husband spent
all my money, and let me tell you that I was a great success. For
instance, at a grand ball given by the Turkish ambassador, at which I
was dressed as Salammbô--
LÉON [_interrupts_]
What, you, the Carthaginian princess?
MME. DE RONCHARD
Certainly. Why not? Let me tell you that I was greatly admired, for my
appearance was exquisite. My dear, that was in eighteen hundred and
sixty--
LÉON [_sits near_ Mme. de Ronchard]
Oh, no dates! for goodness sake, no dates!
MME. DE RONCHARD
It is not necessary to be sarcastic.
LÉON
What! I, sarcastic? God forbid! It is simply this: in view of the fact
that you did not wish this marriage to take place, and that I did, and
that the marriage has taken place, I feel very happy. Do you understand
me? It is a triumph for me, and I must confess that I feel very
triumphant this evening. Tomorrow, however, vanish the triumpher, and
there will remain only your affectionate little nephew. Come, smile,
Auntie. At heart you are not as ill-natured as you pretend to be, and
that is proved by the generosity of soul you have evinced in founding at
Neuilly, despite your modest means, a hospital for--lost dogs!
MME. DE RONCHARD
What else could I do. When a woman is alone and has no children--and I
was married such a short time--do you know what I am, after all? Simply
an old maid, and like all old maids--
LÉON [_finishes the sentence for her_]
You love toy dogs.
MME. DE RONCHARD
As much as I hate men.
LÉON
You mean to say one man. Well, I could hardly blame you for hating him.
MME. DE RONCHARD
And you know for what kind of girl he abandoned and ruined me. You never
saw her, did you?
LÉON
Pardon me, I did see her once in the Champs-Elysées. I was walking with
you and my father. A gentleman and lady came toward us; you became
excited, quickened your steps, and clutched nervously at my father's
arm, and I heard you say in a low voice, “Don't look at them; it is
she!”
MME. DE RONCHARD
And what were you doing?
LÉON
I?--I was looking at him.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_rises_]
And you thought her horrible, didn't you?
LÉON
I really don't know. You know I was only eleven years old.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_crosses_ R.]
You are insufferable! Go away, or I shall strike you.
LÉON [_soothingly, and rising_]
There, there, Aunt, I won't do it again. I will be good, I promise you,
if you will forgive me.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_rises, as if to go out_ C.]
I will not!
LÉON
Please do!
MME. DE RONCHARD [_returns_]
I will not! If it were simply a case of teasing me, I could let it pass,
for I can take care of myself; but you have done your sister a wrong,
and that is unforgivable.
LÉON
How?
MME. DE RONCHARD [_stands_ R. _of table and drums on it with her
fingers_]
Why, this marriage! You brought it about.
LÉON [_imitates her action at_ L. _of table_]
That is true, and I did right. Moreover, I shall never be tired
asserting that what I did was right.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_still tapping on the table_]
And for my part I shall never be tired of saying that Gilberte has not
married the right man.
LÉON [_still tapping_]
Well, what kind of man do you think Gilberte ought to have married?
MME. DE RONCHARD
A man of position, a public official, or an eminent physician, or--an
engineer.
LÉON
Do you mean a theatrical engineer?
MME. DE RONCHARD
There are other kinds of engineers. Then, above all, she should not have
married a handsome man.
LÉON
Do you reproach Jean for his good looks? If you do, my dear Aunt, there
are a good many men in the world who must plead guilty. Suppose, even,
that a man has no need of good looks, it does not follow that he ought
to be ugly.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_sits on a little stool by the table, clasps her
hands, and looks upward_]
My husband was handsome, nay, superb, a veritable guardsman--and I know
how much it cost me.
LÉON
It might have cost you a great deal more if he had been ugly! [Mme. de
Ronchard _rises to go away_.] Besides Jean is not only good-looking but
he is good. He is not vain, but modest; and he has genius, which is
manifesting itself more and more every day. He will certainly attain
membership in the Institute. That would please you, would it not? That
would be worth more than a simple engineer; and, moreover, every woman
finds him charming, except you.
MME. DE RONCHARD
That's the very thing for which I blame him. He is too good and too
honest. He has already painted the portraits of a crowd of women, and he
will continue to do that. They will be alone with him in his studio for
hours at a time, and everybody knows what goes on in those studios.
LÉON
You have been accustomed to go there, my dear Aunt?
MME. DE RONCHARD [_dreamily_]
Oh, yes. [_Corrects herself_.] I mean to say, once I went to Horace
Vernet's studio.
LÉON
The painter of battle scenes!
MME. DE RONCHARD
Well, what I say of Jean, I say of all artists--that they ought not to
be allowed to marry into a family of lawyers and magistrates, such as
ours. Such doings always bring trouble. I ask you as a man, is it
possible to be a good husband under such conditions--among a crowd of
women continually around you who do nothing but unrobe and re-dress
themselves, whether they be clients or models (_pointedly_), especially
models? [Mme. de Ronchard _rises and_ Léon _is silent_.] I said
_models_, Léon.
LÉON
I understand you, Aunt. You make a very pointed and delicate allusion to
Jean's past. Well, what of it? If he did have one of his models for a
mistress, he loved her, and loved her sincerely for three years--
MME. DE RONCHARD
You mean to tell me a man can love such women?
LÉON
Every woman can be loved, my dear Aunt; and this woman certainly
deserved to be loved more than most women.
MME. DE RONCHARD
A great thing, truly, for a model to be pretty! That is the essential
thing, I should think.
LÉON
Whether it be essential or not, it is nevertheless very nice to be
pretty. But this girl was better than pretty, for she had a nature which
was exceptionally tender, good, and sincere.
MME. DE RONCHARD
Well, then, why did he leave her?
LÉON
What! Can you ask me such a question?--you, who know so much about the
world and the world's opinions? [_Folds his arms_.] Would you advocate
free love?
MME. DE RONCHARD [_indignantly_]
You know I would not.
LÉON [_seriously_]
Listen. The truth is, that it happened to Jean as it has happened to
many others besides him--that is to say, there was a pretty little
nineteen-year-old girl whom he met, whom he loved, and with whom he
established an intimacy little by little--an intimacy which lasted one,
two, three years--the usual duration of that sort of thing. Then, as
usually happens, there came a rupture--a rupture which is sometimes
violent, sometimes gentle, but which is never altogether good-natured.
Then also, as usual in such cases, each went a separate way--the eternal
ending, which is always prosaic, because it is true to life. But the one
thing that distinguishes Jean's _liaison_ from the usual affair is the
truly admirable character of the girl in the case.
MME. DE RONCHARD
Oh, admirable character! Mademoiselle--tell me, what is the name of this
young lady? If you mentioned it I have forgotten it. Mademoiselle
Mus--Mus--
LÉON
Musotte, Auntie; little Musotte.
MME. DE RONCHARD
Musette! Pshaw, that's a very common name. It reminds me of the Latin
quarter and of Bohemian life. [_With disgust._] Musette!
LÉON
No, no; not Musette. Musotte, with an O instead of an E. She is named
Musotte because of her pretty little nose; can't you understand?
Musotte, the name explains itself.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_with contempt_]
Oh, yes; a _fin-de-siècle_ Musotte, which is still worse. Musotte is not
a name.
LÉON
My dear Aunt, it is only a nickname. The nick-name of a model. Her true
name is Henriette Lévêque.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_puzzled_]
Lévêque?
LÉON
Yes, Lévêque. What does this questioning mean? It is just as I told you,
or else I know nothing about it. Now, Henriette Lévêque, or Musotte, if
you prefer that term, has not only been faithful to Jean during the
course of her love affair with him; has not only been devoted and
adoring, and full of a tenderness which was ever watchful, but at the
very hour of her rupture with him, she gave proof of her greatness of
soul. She accepted everything without reproach, without recrimination;
the poor little girl understood everything--understood that all was
finished and finished forever. With the intuition of a woman, she felt
that Jean's love for my sister was real and deep, she bowed her head to
circumstances and she departed, accepting, without a murmur, the
loneliness that Jean's action brought upon her. She carried her fidelity
to the end, for she would have slain herself sooner than become
[_hesitating out of respect for_ Mme. de Ronchard] a courtesan. And this
I _know_.
MME. DE RONCHARD
And has Jean never seen her since?
LÉON
Not once; and that is more than eight months ago. He wished for news of
her, and he gave me the task of getting it. I never found her and I have
never been able to gain any knowledge of her, so cunningly did she
arrange this flight of hers--this flight which was so noble and so
self-sacrificing. [_Changing his tone._] But I don't know why I repeat
all this. You know it just as well as I do, for I have told it to you a
dozen times.
MME. DE RONCHARD
It is just as incredible at the twentieth time as at the first.
LÉON
It is nevertheless the truth.
MME. DE RONCHARD [_sarcastically_]
Well, if it is really the truth, you were terribly wrong in helping Jean
to break his connection with such an admirable woman.
LÉON
Oh, no, Aunt, I only did my duty. You have even called me hairbrained,
and perhaps you were right; but you know that I can be very serious when
I wish. If this three-year-old _liaison_ had lasted until now, Jean
would have been ruined.
MME. DE RONCHARD
Well, how could we help that?
LÉON
Well, these things are frightful--these entanglements--I can't help
using the word. It was my duty as a friend--and I wish to impress it
upon you--to rescue Jean; and as a brother, it was my duty to marry my
sister to such a man as he. The future will tell you whether I was right
or not. [_Coaxingly._] And then, my dear Aunt, when later you have a
little nephew or a little niece to take care of, to dandle in your arms,
you will banish all these little spaniels that you are taking care of at
Neuilly.
MME. DE RONCHARD
The poor little darlings! I, abandon them! Don't you know that I love
them as a mother loves her children?
LÉON
Oh, yes; you can become an aunt to them, then, because you will have to
become a mother to your little nephew.
MME. DE RONCHARD
Oh, hold your tongue; you irritate me. (Jean _appears with_ Gilberte
_for a moment at C._)
JEAN [_to servant entering_ R.]
Joseph, have you forgotten nothing, especially the flowers?
SERVANT
Monsieur and Madame may rest assured that everything has been done.
[_Exit servant_ L.]
LÉON [_to_ Mme. de Ronchard]
Look at them; aren't they a bonny couple?