course to pursue. He considered Isaure fascinating; his self-esteem was
piqued; it was most unpleasant to him to abandon so readily the hope of
winning the little goatherd’s heart. However, if he had been certain
that Edouard really intended to make her his wife, he would have
renounced at once his projects concerning the girl.
He decided to call upon Isaure also. He desired to assure himself with
his own eyes of her preference for Edouard, and to know whether he had
not deceived him. So he took the only remaining horse, and left the
château a quarter of an hour after Edouard. This time he did not urge
his steed, for he was reflecting upon the best method of ascertaining
the truth. He would have liked to listen to his rival without being
seen; and yet the thought of watching, of spying upon anyone, was too
repugnant to his frank disposition for him to harbor it a moment.
He was only a short distance from Isaure’s cottage, when someone,
jumping out suddenly from behind a rock, caught his horse by the bridle,
saying:
"You will arrive too late; another is ahead of you."
Alfred recognized the vagabond, who stood leaning upon his stick, with
his gleaming eyes fastened upon the young man.
"Ah! it is you, is it?" said Alfred; "what do you mean?"
"That you started too late. Your rival is an earlier bird than you, and
he makes the most of his time. Yesterday you did not come. But he did,
and he went away very happy!"
These words were accompanied by a mocking smile. The stranger’s features
wore an even more malicious and evil expression than usual.
"How do you know all this?" demanded Alfred.
"How do I know it? Parbleu! it’s not very difficult to know. Lovers
always think themselves alone, and they do not trouble themselves to
conceal their feelings. I had plenty of time to count their kisses!"
"Their kisses!" replied Alfred, trembling with anger.
"Why, yes! Does that surprise you? Oh! your friend doesn’t go slow; with
his little sugary way, he gets ahead! What surprises me is that you, who
seem accustomed to the ways of the world, are not more advanced than
he."
"But," replied Alfred, stifling a sigh, "since it is Edouard whom she
prefers----"
"Whom she prefers! Nonsense! As if these little girls ever had a
preference! They love everybody, everybody who makes love to them. She
would have loved you, if you didn’t always come last. However, whenever
you choose, it will rest entirely with you to carry the day. Don’t you
know that with time and money one can accomplish everything?"
"Really," said Alfred, gazing at the vagabond in surprise, "you have
principles which I should never have expected to find in an old
soldier."
"Soldier! Who told you that I was ever a soldier?" retorted the stranger
proudly.
"You yourself, the other morning, after speaking of my father, whose
name made such an impression upon you."
The stranger frowned, and was silent for some moments; at last he
continued:
"Well, that isn’t the question now; do you propose to allow this girl to
be whisked away from you by your rival, when it is entirely in your
power to possess her? I confess that that surprises me on the part of
the young Baron de Marcey."
"Thoughtless and enterprising as I am, or as I have been, I have always
respected the happiness of my friends. I may have tried to triumph over
Edouard when it was a question simply of a caprice, of a mere amourette!
But since this girl has turned his head to the point that he proposes to
make her his wife----"
"To make her his wife!" cried the stranger, with an outburst of
sarcastic laughter. "Oh! that would be too much, upon my word! If you
love Monsieur Edouard, you will confer a genuine service upon him by
preventing him from doing such a foolish thing."
"You speak with much assurance. What makes you think so ill of this
girl, pray?"
"I have eyes and experience; and you, who know women, how can you fail
to see that this one with her simple, sweet manner is a little minx who
knows a great deal? What do you think of a girl whose parents no one
knows, and to whom they who adopt her leave all their property? Who
entertains generously all those who seek hospitality at her hands? Who
lives alone in these mountains, and talks as correctly as a woman
brought up in the city? But that is not all; there are other mysterious
circumstances, and I shall discover them."
Alfred reflected upon what he had heard; he could not help thinking that
Isaure’s conduct was in fact calculated to arouse strange suspicions.
The man who had stopped in front of Alfred watched him closely while he
reflected; one could see that he was trying to read his eyes, to divine
what was taking place in the depths of his heart. After a rather long
silence he continued at last:
"Upon my word, you hesitate a long while; a lot of time and sighs wasted
upon a girl who amounts to nothing; and who asks nothing better than to
be seduced! If she were the heiress of a great name, or a noble
châtelaine, you could not treat her with more respect! In heaven’s name,
have we gone back to the time of the Renauds and the Amadises? I am
tempted to believe it. You ought to give tournaments for this young
beauty; to break a lance or two to demonstrate her virtue, and to
shatter a few helmets in favor of her innocence! Happy times those were
when, in order to be recognized as the loveliest and the most virtuous
of women, a maid had only to choose the bravest and strongest champion."
Alfred listened closely to the speaker’s last words. He scrutinized him
with more attention than before, and said to him:
"Who on earth are you, who presume to give me advice for which I do not
ask you? I see that I am mistaken about you. No, you are not an
ex-soldier. Edouard guessed the truth more nearly, I see, when he said
that you must have held some position in society; in truth, your
language, although you often affect a vulgar tone and manners, your
language betrays education and knowledge. What misfortunes have reduced
you to the melancholy situation in which I find you now?"
"What is there so surprising, young man, in my having once been rich and
highly considered, and being so no longer? That is seen every day! Is
not a man subject to a thousand and one reverses? And is not one
especially in danger of falling when one occupies a lofty position?
Whether those reverses were due to others or to my own fault, I do not
need to tell you. I had ardent passions, I admit, and I loved to gratify
them; that is the history of practically all men."
"You will agree," said Alfred with a smile, "that your present situation
is hardly calculated to arouse a desire to imitate you."
"Oh! How many men, who have done worse than I, are still on the
pinnacle? After all, what is there so unfortunate in my position? I am
free, I am my own master, I can do whatever I please from morning until
night. I wear a costume which is not fashionable, but it covers me, and
that is enough for me; I do not envy the wealth of other men, because I
have been sated with pleasure; when a man has often made himself drunk
on exquisite wines, he is not sorry to drink water."
"But I have fancied that I noticed from your remarks that you had a
decidedly bad opinion of women; have they treated you so very badly,
that you bear them such a grudge?"
"Treated me badly! Not at all! On the contrary I was their favorite,
their Benjamin; they have more reason to complain of me. There was one,
however, whom I loved more sincerely than the others; she alone, I
think, might have been able to subdue my character, to master my
passions; with her, in short, I might perhaps have become virtuous and
orderly; and I should not now be wandering about these mountains!"
"In that case, why did you not marry her?"
"Why?" replied the stranger, and his eyes gleamed with rage, as he
raised them to Alfred’s face; "because another, more fortunate than I,
stole her from me, and that other----"
"Well, that other?"
"I was never able to find an opportunity to be revenged upon him; but I
hope to find one before long, and you may well believe that I shall not
let it escape me."
"I have never appreciated the pleasure of revenge!"
"Ah! you are young still! However, you know love, and you allow the
woman who attracts you to be stolen from you, when it rests only with
you----"
"When it rests only with me! Upon my honor, you speak very coolly.
Isaure is more cruel than you think."
"She was not yesterday with your friend."
"She has with her a guardian whom it is very difficult to bribe."
"But might one not remove that faithful guardian?"
"What?"
"To be sure; could you not lure her away from her home, and then take
her somewhere else, to a place where you could do whatever you chose
with her, with the alternative of taking her back to her cottage if she
absolutely refused to listen to your suit?"
"But who would undertake such an enterprise?"
"Who! parbleu! I would."
"You?"
"Yes, I, whenever you choose; say the word, and I promise you that your
rival will not find the little one at her house to-morrow."
Alfred gazed at the vagabond for some moments, and then exclaimed:
"You are a miserable villain! Leave me, say nothing more to me! I blush
to think that I have listened to such propositions!"
The stranger replied with a sneering laugh:
"What! just a little abduction of a girl who asks nothing better! A mere
trick frightens you! Oh! I thought that you were farther advanced than
that, monsieur le baron; but just as you please. Let your friend enjoy
himself at your expense, let the girl laugh in her sleeve at your
respect! After all, what difference does it make to me? But I will wager
that before long you will see that my advice was good; then, if you need
me, you will find me still, for I do not bear a grudge for a word.--Au
revoir!"
The stranger turned his back on Alfred and disappeared by a narrow path
among the cliffs, and young De Marcey, after a moment’s reflection,
turned and rode back to the château, instead of pursuing his journey.
XXII
THE LA PINCERIE FAMILY AT THE CHÂTEAU
The vagabond’s aspect and suggestions had produced upon Alfred’s mind an
effect different from that which that man apparently hoped. Disgusted by
the wretch’s hateful propositions, Alfred reflected upon the injustice
of his conduct toward Edouard; he felt that he ought not to consider it
a crime in him to have triumphed over him; and if Isaure really loved
him, he vowed that he would not seek to interfere with his friend’s
happiness.
More content with himself after taking this resolution, Alfred, when he
saw Edouard again, far from manifesting the same coolness as in the
morning, spoke to him as was his habit before their rivalry. Edouard, no
less surprised than delighted by this change in Alfred’s humor, felt
much happier since he had reason to hope that he had recovered his
friend.
The next day Alfred accompanied Edouard; they rode together into the
mountains. The young men did not mention Isaure; they seemed equally to
dread talking about her. But they approached the valley, they were soon
to see her, and Edouard felt a weight at his heart on Alfred’s account.
Still he was soon to see her whom he adored; but it is when we are
happiest that we would like all those whom we love to share our
happiness.
Since the girl had told Edouard that she loved him, she no longer feared
to let him see all the pleasure which his presence caused her; she stood
in her doorway, awaiting his arrival, because there she was much nearer
the road, and could be the sooner in her lover’s arms.
The two horsemen soon espied Isaure; they dismounted, and she walked
toward them. Alfred’s presence, far from annoying Isaure, seemed to
please her; she received him as graciously as ever, and manifested as
much friendship for him; but she had no hesitation in disclosing before
him the more tender feeling which bound her to Edouard. In love for the
first time, loving with all the sincerity of her years, she thought that
she ought not to make a mystery of her love, especially to her lover’s
friend.
Alfred responded graciously enough to Isaure’s friendly advances. It was
easy for him to see that Edouard had told him the truth, that it was he
who possessed the young girl’s heart; but he tried to overcome the
chagrin that he felt. The two young men stayed a shorter time than usual
with Isaure, for Edouard was not so happy in the presence of Alfred,
before whom he did not wish to speak of his love; and Alfred, despite
all his efforts, could not succeed in recovering his usual gayety.
"My dear Edouard," said Alfred as they rode back to the château,
"hereafter, I shall let you go alone to see Isaure; you are the one she
loves, she does not try to conceal it; but really she is so pretty, so
fascinating, even with the man whom she is not seeking to please, that
despite all my friendship for you, if I should see her often, I would
not promise--yes, I should do some crazy thing, and then I should be in
despair over it; so it is much better that I should cease to see this
girl, or at all events that I should wait until the sight of her makes
less impression upon my heart. People say that I am thoughtless and
fickle; I pray that I may be as much so as people say, and that I may
soon forget!--Well, it is all over; she loves you, and henceforth I
propose to think of her only as a sister."
Edouard shook Alfred’s hand affectionately and exclaimed:
"A friend like you and a sweetheart like her! Should not one be the
happiest of men with those?"
And yet Edouard sighed as he said this, for he thought of the secret
which Isaure concealed from him, and of the unknown obstacle which
interfered to prevent his being entirely happy. But Isaure loved him,
she had told him so a hundred times; her lips could not know falsehood;
the mystery which she concealed from him would undoubtedly soon be
cleared up, for she herself had given him that hope; so that he ought to
see nothing in the future save the most perfect happiness. Thus did
Edouard console himself; to see happiness in the future is much, even
though one is destined never to attain it.
On reaching the château, the young men noticed a bustle and a movement
there which indicated something new. Robineau had already returned from
the town, and they found him in the salon, listening to the verses which
Monsieur Férulus was declaiming.
"Congratulate me, messieurs," he cried to his two friends the instant
that he caught sight of them; "my wishes have been gratified! I have
carried the day over my numerous rivals! In a word, Monsieur le Marquis
de la Pincerie has solemnly promised me his daughter’s hand, and has
authorized me to look upon myself already as a member of his illustrious
family."
"My dear fellow," said Alfred, "as you wish to be congratulated, we will
congratulate you; and in fact, now that it is decided, it is the best
thing there is to do."
"What! you are going to marry, Monsieur Jules?" said Edouard; "and who
is the lady whom you are to marry, pray? There were so many people at
your fête that I do not remember----"
"The sister of the pretty woman whom, by the way, you always had on your
arm, my dear child of the Muses."
"Ah! I remember now: Mademoiselle Cornélie?"
"Herself. Oh! you could not have helped noticing her! She was so
conspicuous! I confess that I am in a state of intoxication, of
enchantment!"
"You have reason enough, certainly!" said Alfred. "But do you propose to
give a second fête at the château so soon? All your people have such a
busy look!"
"It is because they are preparing apartments for my future family, who
have consented to pass at my château the time which must still intervene
before my wedding. I would have liked to marry at once; but monsieur le
marquis, who is a great stickler for form, for propriety, declares that
it cannot be done so abruptly. Besides, there are papers to be drawn,
and purchases to make,--the wedding gifts which I shall send to Paris
for; and in order that all this time may seem less long to us, they are
coming to pass it at my château, and to enjoy the pleasures of the
country. I expect the whole family this very day.--I trust, messieurs,
that henceforth we shall see you here a little more, and that you will
not leave the château early in the morning, to return only at dinner
time."
"For my part, I promise to wait upon the ladies," said Alfred, "and to
be as gallant and as agreeable as I can."
"I dare not promise as much," said Edouard; "I realize that I am a very
unentertaining guest, and as you have so much company coming, allow me
to leave you."
"Leave us! What! go away before my marriage,--not be present at my
wedding? No, I certainly will not allow it! Besides, it would disappoint
the ladies; they asked me particularly if my two friends were still at
the château, and urged me not to let you go away. So it is decided, you
will stay. Oh! we are going to have plenty of sport! We shall hunt.
Monsieur le marquis tells me that he loves to hunt. You must teach me to
hunt, messieurs; for I admit that I never tried it; but my future bride
says that a man should know how to fire a gun, and consequently I
propose to become a great hunter."
"Monseigneur," said Férulus, "the arrival of these gentlemen interrupted
us; with your permission, I will begin again the poem I have written for
your marriage. I have taken for my text this pretty line of Propertius:
"‘_Nec domina ulla meo ponet vestigia lecto._’"
"That is at once gallant and voluptuous. I start----"
"I beg pardon, Monsieur Férulus, but we are starting too; by reading us
your verses in advance, you deprive us of all the pleasure of a
surprise. Besides, company is coming,--ladies; we must pay a little
attention to our toilet."
"That is true," said Robineau; "why, I still have on my travelling
coat!--François, come and dress your master."
Alfred and Edouard went in one direction, Robineau in another; Férulus
left alone, but determined to recite his poetry to someone, ran after
Jeannette, whom he saw in the courtyard, and compelled the poor girl to
listen to the whole hundred and forty Alexandrines; after which,
chucking her under the chin, he said:
"Well! how dost thou--Mon Dieu! what a _lapsus linguæ_!--How do you like
that, Jeannette?"
"Monsieur, I like the lament of Angélique and Médor better."
"You are a fool, Jeannette; and really you are good for nothing but
warming beds."
"Ah! By the way, monsieur, you better buy a warming pan; for the fall’s
almost here, and if I’ve got to warm beds that way, I should get pretty
tired!"
"Hush! I have given you the most agreeable place; perform your duties
gracefully, and do not grumble."
The La Pincerie family had promised to reach the château in time for
dinner, and about four o’clock the wicker and oilcloth vehicle drove
into the courtyard. The father, the uncle, and the two ladies alighted
from it; then they took out a multitude of boxes and bundles, and
Monsieur de la Pincerie’s rifle, which was so long that it resembled a
fowling-piece. Robineau attempted to hurry forward to meet his guests;
but at the sight of his future bride his emotion was so great that he
dropped into a chair, saying:
"That woman deprives me of the use of my legs. What will it be when I am
really her husband?"
Alfred and Edouard offered their hands to the ladies; but at sight of
Alfred, Mademoiselle Cornélie, assuming her grand and haughty air,
hastily took Edouard’s arm. On her side, the languorous Eudoxie, who had
not been satisfied with the young poet’s conduct, seemed to have
determined to transfer to Alfred the sentiments which she had manifested
for Edouard.
Monsieur le marquis was already intent upon his rifle. Uncle Mignon was
ordered to attend to the transportation of the boxes, so that his
nieces’ dresses might not receive too much of a shaking. Robineau, who
had succeeded in recovering the use of his legs, came forward to receive
the company, and escorted them to the salon on the ground floor, saying
to Mademoiselle de la Pincerie:
"Pray, come and embellish this abode, of which you will soon be lady and
mistress."
But the ladies did not choose to stop in the salon until they had
visited the apartments assigned to them and had readjusted their
clothes, which they said were disarranged by the drive. Thereupon
Monsieur Férulus, who had greeted each member of the family with a
honey-sweet expression, came forward and said:
"I shall have the honor of escorting the ladies."
"You, monsieur?" said Eudoxie; "it is very gallant of you, no doubt; but
a servant would be much more suitable, for we may have to ask for
innumerable things for our toilet, and you understand that it would be
unpleasant to ask you for them."
"That is the most perfect logic," replied Férulus with a bow.--Thereupon
Robineau called François and said to him:
"Have the honor to escort these ladies to their apartments."
"What! you give us a man for lady’s maid!" cried Cornélie, shrugging her
shoulders. "Why, that is ridiculous. Do you expect that this fellow is
going to lace us and arrange our hair and dress us?"
"Oh! a thousand pardons! I am absurd!--François, go and call
Mademoiselle Cheval."
"Who on earth is Mademoiselle Cheval?" said the widow, with a horrified
air. "Mon Dieu! I shall never dare to entrust my head to that woman!"
"Oh! you will be pleased with her; she is my cook, but she is a girl who
has all sorts of talent; she will lace you tight."
"Oh! the idea! it’s an outrage! To give us a cook for lady’s maid!" said
Cornélie. "Our hair will smell of soup!--I tell you, monsieur, that I
will not allow your cook to come near me."
"Why, monseigneur," said Férulus, "you have just the person these ladies
need; Jeannette, who came to the château to do everything, and whose
hair is as curly as a negro’s."
"That is true! I am so confused, so happy, that I did not think of her.
Send for Jeannette."
"At all events," said Madame de Hautmont, "she has a human name."
Jeannette appeared; as François had told her that they were going to
give her something to do, she brought her foot-warmer under her arm.
"Jeannette," said Robineau, "you will consider yourself at the orders of
these ladies."
"What has she got there?" said Eudoxie; "I believe it is a foot-warmer!
Do you take us for old dowagers, my girl, that you bring us that
goodwife’s piece of furniture?"
"Oh! it ain’t that, madame," replied Jeannette, with a reverence; "but
you see that, as my duty--as I have to warm----"
Monsieur Férulus, who was beside Jeannette, pulled her skirt and pinched
her, to make her keep quiet. Luckily Cornélie interrupted her, saying:
"Well, it is all right! Go before us.--Uncle Mignon, have the boxes been
carried up?"
"They have," replied Mignon, showing his enormous teeth, "and I have put
the pins in the pin-cushion."
The ladies withdrew to their apartments. Monsieur le marquis, who had
already expectorated in every corner of the salon, went to inspect his
apartment, and Uncle Mignon, who was instructed to attend to all
details, went to see if the chariot had been placed in the carriage
house and the horse fed.
"How much activity and animation the presence of ladies gives to a house
instantly!" said Robineau. "The arrival of the La Pincerie family is
going to brighten up this abode tremendously, messieurs. Ah! by the way,
monsieur le marquis is very fond of whist; he wants to play every
evening; who will play with him?"
"Not I," said Edouard, "for I don’t know the game."
"I know it; but as it bores me, I shall not play!" said Alfred.
"I, monseigneur, flatter myself that I play it correctly," said Férulus.
"Very good, Monsieur Férulus; you, Uncle Mignon and I, if necessary,
although I don’t know it very well; no matter, someone will advise me;
besides, Mademoiselle Cornélie told me that she was very particular that
I should play whist with her father. What a pity that we haven’t so much
as a harpsichord here! My fiancée plays the harpsichord, and her sister
sings like Orpheus. And there is not the slightest instrument here to
accompany the singers!"
"You might send for Monsieur Cheval with his drum."
"None of your poor jokes, Alfred."
"Monseigneur, I play the fife rather well," said Férulus, "and if it
would give pleasure to the ladies----"
"We will see, I will suggest it. But they don’t return! Is dinner
ready?"
"All ready, monseigneur; my only fear is that it will get cold."
"Oh! you don’t understand, my dear fellow," said Alfred; "I’ll wager
that the ladies won’t come down for another hour. You don’t know what it
means to make two toilets, especially when they have but one lady’s
maid! But here is the uncle; I have not as yet heard him say anything
except: ‘Yes, nieces.’--I am curious to find out whether he knows any
other sentence."