CECILY.
Before we introduce the reader to the conversation between Madame
Seraphin and Madame Pipelet, we must premise that Anastasie, without
entertaining the very slightest suspicion of the virtue and piety of the
notary, felt the greatest indignation at the severity manifested by him
in the case both of Louise Morel and M. Germain; and, as a natural
consequence, the angry porteress included Madame Seraphin in the same
censure; but still, like a skilful politician, Madame Pipelet, for
reasons we shall hereafter explain, concealed her dislike to the
_femme-de-charge_ under the appearance of the greatest cordiality. After
having explicitly declared her extreme disapprobation of the conduct
pursued by Cabrion, Madame Seraphin went on to say:
"By the way, what has become of M. Bradamanti Polidori? I wrote to him
yesterday evening, but got no reply; this morning I came to see him, but
he was not to be found. I trust I shall be more fortunate this time."
Madame Pipelet affected the most lively regret.
"Really," cried she, "you are doomed to be unlucky!"
"How so?"
"M. Bradamanti has not yet returned."
"Upon my word, this is enough to tire a saint!"
"So it is, I declare, Madame Seraphin. I'm sure I'm as sorry about it as
if it was my own self."
"I had so much to say to him."
"It is all for the world as though you were bewitched!"
"Why, yes, it is so much the more vexatious, because I have to find all
manner of excuses to run down here; for, if once M. Ferrand were to find
out that I came to consult a quack doctor, he who is so devout, so
scrupulous in all things, we should have a fearful scene!"
"La! He is just like Alfred, who is so silly that really he is afraid of
everything and everybody!"
"And you do not know, I suppose, when M. Bradamanti will return home?"
"No, not precisely; but I know very well that he expects some one about
six or seven o'clock this evening, for he told me to request the person
to call again, should he not be at home at the time mentioned. So, if
you will call again in the evening, you will be sure to see him."
But, as Anastasie said these words, she mentally added, "I would not
have you too sure of that; in an hour's time he will be on his road to
Normandy!"
"Very well, then," said Madame Seraphin, with an air of considerable
chagrin. Then, pausing a brief space, she added, "I had also something
to say to you, my dear Madame Pipelet. You know, I suppose, what
happened to that girl, Louise Morel, whom everybody thought so good and
virtuous--"
"Oh, pray don't mention her!" replied Madame Pipelet, rolling her eyes
with affected horror. "It makes one's hair stand on end."
"I merely alluded to her by way of saying that we are now quite without
a servant, and that, if you should chance to hear of a well-disposed,
honest, and industrious young person, I should take it as a favour if
you would send her to us. Upon my word, girls of good character are so
difficult to be met with that one had need search in twenty places at
once to find one."
"Depend upon it, Madame Seraphin, that, should I hear of anybody likely
to suit you, I will let you know; but, in my opinion, good situations
are more rare even than good servants." Then, again relapsing into a fit
of abstraction, Anastasie added, though mentally, "A likely story that I
should send any young girl to be starved to death in your dungeon of a
house; your master is too stingy and hard-hearted! The idea of throwing
that poor Louise and M. Germain both in prison!"
"I need not tell you," continued Madame Seraphin, "what a still, quiet
house ours is; any young person must be improved by living in a family
where there is continually something to be learned; and that Louise must
have been naturally a depraved creature, to turn out badly spite of the
good and religious advice bestowed on her by M. Ferrand."
"No doubt; but depend upon it that, directly I hear of a young person
likely to suit you, I will be sure to let you know."
"There is just one thing more I should like to mention," resumed Madame
Seraphin, "and that is, that M. Ferrand would greatly prefer taking a
person who had no relatives or friends, because then, you understand,
having no motive for wishing to go out, she would be less exposed to
danger, neither would her mind be so likely to be upset; so that, if you
should happen to meet with an orphan, I think M. Ferrand would prefer
taking her, in the first place, because it would be doing a good action;
and, secondly, as, having neither friends nor followers, she could not
have any excuse for wishing to go out. I assure you that wretched girl,
Louise, gave M. Ferrand a severe lesson, I can tell you, Madame Pipelet,
and one that will make him very careful what sort of a servant he
engages. Only imagine such a scandalous affair occurring in a house like
ours! Dreadful! Well, then, I will call again this evening to see M.
Bradamanti, and, at the same time, I can have a little conversation with
Mother Burette."
"Then I will say adieu, Madame Seraphin, till this evening, when you
will be quite sure of finding M. Bradamanti."
Madame Seraphin returned the salutation, and quitted the lodge.
"What a deuce of a worry she is in about Bradamanti!" said Madame
Pipelet, when her visitor had disappeared. "I wonder what she wants with
him? And then, too, M. Bradamanti is just as anxious to avoid seeing her
before he starts for Normandy. I was dreadfully afraid she meant to
stick here till he did return home, and that would have been the more
awkward, as M. Bradamanti expects the same lady who came last night; I
could not manage to have a squint at her then, but I am determined
to-night to stare her regularly out of countenance, like I did the lady
who came on the sly to visit my five-farthing commandant. Ah, the screw!
the nipcheese! He has never ventured to show his face here since.
However, by way of teaching him better, I shall make good use of his
wood; yes, yes, my fine gentleman, it shall keep the lodge warm, as well
as air your shut-up apartments. A disappointed puppy! Ha, ha, ha! Go,
and be hanged with your paltry twelve francs a month! Better learn to
pay people honest wages, than go flaunting about in a bright green
dressing-gown, like a great lanky grasshopper! But who the plague can
this lady of M. Bradamanti's be, I wonder? Is she respectable, or
t'other? I should like to know, for I am as curious as a magpie; but
that is not my fault; I am as God made me, so I can't help it. I know
one's disposition is born with us, and so the blame does not lie at my
door. Stop a bit; I've just thought of a capital plan to find out who
this lady really is; and, what's more, I'll engage it turns out
successful. Who is that I see coming? Ah, my king of lodgers! Your
servant, M. Rodolph!" cried Madame Pipelet, saluting him, after the
military fashion, by placing the back of her left hand to her wig.
It was, in truth, Rodolph, who, as yet ignorant of the death of M.
d'Harville, approached gaily, saying:
"Good day to you, Madame Pipelet! Can you tell me if Mlle. Rigolette is
at home? I have something to say to her, if she is."
"At home, poor girl! Why, when is she ever out? When does she lose an
hour, or idle instead of working?"
"And how gets on Morel's unfortunate wife? Does she appear more
reconciled to her misfortunes?"
"Yes, M. Rodolph, I am glad to say she does; and how can she be
otherwise, when, thanks to you, or the generous friend whose agent you
are, she is supplied with every comfort, both for herself and her
children, who are as happy as fishes in the sea? Why, they want for
nothing; they have good air, good food, good fires, and good beds, with
a nurse to take care of them, besides Mlle. Rigolette, who, although
working like a little busy bee, and without seeming to take part in
their proceedings, never loses sight of them, bless you! And they have
had a black doctor to see them, who says he comes from you. 'Well,' says
I, when I looked at him, 'you are a funny one for a doctor, you are! I
suppose, Mr. Nigger, you are physician to a company of charcoalmen,
because there is no fear of your blacking your hands when you feel their
pulse?' But la, M. Rodolph, I'm only joking! For what difference does
colour make? Leastways your blacky seems to be a first-rate clever man,
spite of his dingy face, for the first thing he did was to order a
composing draught for Morel's wife, which did her a world of good!"
"Poor thing! I doubt not she is still very miserable?"
"Why, yes, M. Rodolph, naturally enough she is, for she has plenty of
grief before her: her husband in a madhouse, and her daughter in prison!
Ah, that poor Louise! That is the sorest of her heartaches; such a blow
as that to an honest family, such as theirs has always been, is not to
be got over so easily. And that Madame Seraphin, housekeeper to the
notary, who has caused all this misery, has just been here, saying all
manner of cruel things about the poor girl. If I had not had my own game
to play, she should not have told the tale quite her own way; but I've
got a pill for her to swallow by and by, so I'll let her off easy. Why,
only conceive her assurance in coming to ask me if I could not recommend
her some young person to supply the place of Louise in the establishment
of that old brute of a notary. What a blessed pair the master and his
housekeeper are! Just fancy their preferring an orphan, if they can
obtain one, to be their servant! Don't you see through that, M. Rodolph?
They pretend that their reason for wishing for an orphan is, because,
having neither parents nor friends, she would never wish to go out, and
would be more free from interruption; but that is not it, that is all a
fudge; the truth is, they think that, if they could get a poor,
friendless girl into their clutches, having nobody to see her righted,
they could cheat her out of her wages as much as they liked. Now is not
that true, M. Rodolph?"
"No doubt," replied the person addressed, with the air of one who is
thinking deeply on a subject.
The information thus afforded him as to Madame Seraphin seeking an
orphan girl, to replace Louise as servant in the family of M. Ferrand,
appeared to present the almost certain means of accomplishing the just
punishment of the notary; and, while Madame Pipelet was yet speaking, he
was arranging every point of the part he had mentally destined for
Cecily, whom he purposed making the principal instrument in effecting
the retributive justice he meant to inflict on the vile persecutor of
Louise Morel.
"Oh, I was quite sure you would be of my opinion," continued Madame
Pipelet, "and that you would agree with me in thinking that their only
reason for desiring to engage an orphan girl is, that they may do her
out of her wages; and, I can tell you, I would sooner drop down dead
than send any poor, friendless creature to such a house! Certainly, I
don't happen to know of any one, but, if I knew of fifty, they should
not enter into such a wretched house, if I could hinder them. Don't you
think I'm right, M. Rodolph?"
"Madame Pipelet, will you do me a great favour?"
"Do you a favour, M. Rodolph? Lord love your heart and soul! Just say
what there is I can do for you, and then see whether I will or no. Come,
what is it? Shall I jump into the fire? or curl my best wig with boiling
oil? or is there anybody I can worry, bite, pinch, or scold for you?
Only say the word. I am wholly at your service, heart and body, your
most humble slave; always stipulating that in my service there shall be
no offence to Alfred's prior claims on me."
"Oh, my dear Madame Pipelet, make yourself perfectly easy! I want you to
manage a little affair for me, which is this: I have got to place out a
young orphan girl, who is utterly a stranger to Paris; and I wish very
much, with your assistance, to obtain for her the situation vacant in M.
Ferrand's establishment."
"You don't mean it? La, I never can think you are in earnest! What! Send
a poor, friendless girl to live with such a miserly wretch as that
hard-hearted old notary? No, no, M. Rodolph, that was not what you
wanted me to do, I'm sure!"
"But, indeed, it is; why, a place is a place, and, if the young person I
mentioned to you should not like it, she is not obliged to stay there;
and then, don't you see, she would at once be able to maintain herself,
while I should have no further uneasiness about her?"
"Oh, as far as that goes, M. Rodolph, it is your affair, not mine; and,
whatever happens, remember I warned you. If, after all you have heard,
you still think the place would suit your young friend, why, of course,
you can please yourself; and, then, to be sure, as far as regards the
notary, there are always two sides to every picture, a for and against
to every tale; he is hard-hearted as a flint-stone, obstinate as a
jackass, bigoted as a Jesuit, that's true enough; but then he is of the
most scrupulous punctuality in all his affairs; he gives very low wages,
but, then, he pays on the nail; the living is very bad at his house,
still it is the same one day as another. In a word, though it is a house
where a servant must work like a horse, yet, at the same time, it is one
of those dull, quiet, stupid places, where there is certainly nothing to
tempt a girl to get into mischief. Certainly, Louise managed to go
wrong, but that was all a chance."
"Madame Pipelet, I am going to confide a great secret to your honour."
"Well, then, upon the word and honour of Anastasie Pipelet, whose maiden
name was Gulimard, as true as there is a God and heaven, and that Alfred
always wears green coats, I will be silent as a stockfish!"
"You must not breathe a word to M. Pipelet."
"That I won't, I swear by the head of that dear old duck himself, if it
relates to a proper and correct affair."
"Surely, Madame Pipelet, you have too good an opinion of me to suppose,
for a minute, that I would insult your chaste ears with anything that
was not?"
"Well, then, go it! Let's know all about it, and, I promise you, Alfred
shall never be the wiser, be it what it may. Bless you! he is as easy to
cheat as a child of six years old."
"I rely implicitly on you; therefore listen to my words."
"I will, my king of lodgers; and remember that we are now sworn friends
for life or for death. So go on with your story."
"The young person I spoke to you about has, unfortunately, committed one
serious fault."
"I was sure of it! Why, Lord bless you, if I had not married Alfred when
I was fifteen years of age, I dare say I should have committed, fifties
and hundreds of faults! I? There, just as you see. I was like a barrel
of gunpowder at the very sight or mention of a smart young fellow.
Luckily for me, Pipelet extinguished the warmth of my nature in the
coolness of his own virtue; if he had not, I can't say what might have
happened, for I did dearly love the gay deceivers! I merely mention this
to say that, if the young person has only done wrong once, then there
are great hopes of her."
"I trust, indeed, she will atone for her past misconduct. She was living
in service, in Germany, with a relation of mine, and the partner of her
crime was the son of this relative. Do you understand?"
"Do I? Don't I? Go along with you! I understand as well as though I had
committed the fault myself."
"The angry mistress, upon discovering her servant's guilt, drove her
from her house; but the young man was weak enough to quit his paternal
roof, and to bring the unfortunate girl to Paris."
"Well, la, M. Rodolph! What else could you expect? Why, young people
will be young people. I'm sure I--"
"After this act of folly came stern reflection, rendered still more
severe by the fact of the slender stock of money he possessed being
exhausted. In this dilemma, my young relation applied to me; and I
consented to furnish him with the means of returning home, on condition
of his leaving behind him the companion of his flight, whom I undertook
to place out in some respectable capacity."
"Well, I declare, I could not have done more for a son, if it had
pleased Heaven--and Pipelet--that I should have had one!"
"I am delighted that you approve of my conduct; still, as the young girl
is a stranger, and has no one to give her a recommendation, I fear it
will be rather difficult to get her placed. Now, if you would tell
Madame Seraphin that a relation of yours, living in Germany, has sent
her to you, with a very excellent character, the notary would, possibly,
take her into his service; and I should be doubly delighted. Cecily (for
that is her name), having only once gone astray, would, doubtless, soon
regain the right path in a house as severe and saintly as that of the
notary's; and it is for that reason I am desirous of seeing the poor
girl enter into the service of M. Ferrand; and, of course, if introduced
by so respectable a person as yourself, Madame Pipelet, there would be
no fear of her obtaining the place."
"Oh, M. Rodolph!"
"Yes, indeed, my good madame, I am sure that one word from so justly
esteemed an individual as you--"
"Oh, my king of lodgers!"
"I repeat that, if you would patronise the young girl so far as to
introduce her to Madame Seraphin, I have no fears but that she would be
accepted; whereas, you know, if I were to accompany her to the notary's
house--"
"I see what you mean; to be sure, it would look just as queer as if I
were to introduce a young man. Well, I will do what you wish; it will be
serving old Seraphin out as she deserves. I can tell you I have had a
crow to pluck with her a long time, and this seems a famous way of
serving her out; besides, it's a good lark, any way. So look upon the
thing as done, M. Rodolph. I'll cram the old woman well. I will tell her
that a relation of my own, long established in Germany, has just died,
as well as her husband, leaving a daughter wholly dependent on me."
"Capital! Well, then, without saying anything more to Madame Seraphin,
you shall take Cecily to M. Ferrand. All you will have to say is, that,
not having seen or heard anything of your relation during the last
twenty years, you consider it best to let her speak for herself."
"Ah, but then, if the girl only jabbers German?"
"I assure you she speaks French perfectly well. I will give her proper
instructions, therefore you need do nothing more than strongly recommend
her to Madame Seraphin,--or, stay, upon second thoughts, perhaps you had
better not say any more than you have done on the subject, for fear she
should suspect you want to force the girl upon her. You know that,
frequently, the very asking a thing produces a refusal."
"I should think I did, too! Why, that was the way I got rid of all the
flattering lovers that came about me. If they had never asked me a
favour, I don't know what I might have done."
"It is always the case; therefore say nothing more to Madame Seraphin
than just this, that Cecily is an orphan, and a stranger here, very
young and very pretty, that she will be a heavy burden to you, and that
you are not particularly fond of her, in consequence of having long
since quarrelled with her mother, and, consequently, not retaining a
very great affection for the charge bequeathed to your care."
"What a deep one you are! But never mind, there's a pair of us! I say,
M. Rodolph, is it not odd you and I should understand each other so
well? Ah, we two should have suited one another to a hair! Gracious, M.
Rodolph, when I think what might have happened, if we had chanced to
have met when I was such a tender-hearted, susceptible young creature,
and so fond of handsome young men,--don't you fancy we should have
seemed like made for one another,--eh, M. Rodolph?"
"Hush! Suppose M. Pipelet--"
"I forgot him, poor old duck! His brain is half turned since this last
abominable prank of Cabrion's; but I'll tell you about that another
time. As for your young relation, make yourself quite easy; I will
undertake to play my part so well that old Seraphin shall come to me,
and beg to have her as a servant."
"And if you succeed, Madame Pipelet, I have one hundred francs quite at
your service. I am not rich, but--"
"Are you making fun of me, M. Rodolph, or do you imagine I am doing what
I do for the sake of gain? I declare to God it's out of nothing but pure
friendship! One hundred francs! That's handsome, however!"
"Why, I consider it but an act of justice, as well as gratitude, to
offer you a sum which, if left several months on my hands, the girl must
soon have cost me."
"Ah, well, then, since I can serve you by accepting your hundred francs,
of course I have no further objection, M. Rodolph; but we drew a famous
prize in the lottery when you came into the house, and I don't care who
hears me say it, for I'd as lief cry it on the housetops. You are the
very prince and king of good lodgers! Halloa, there is a hackney-coach!
No doubt, the lady M. Bradamanti expects; I could not manage to see her
well when she came yesterday, but I'll have a precious good stare at her
this time; added to which, I've got a capital plan for finding out her
name. Come, you shall see me go to work; it will be a famous lark for
us!"
"No, I thank you, Madame Pipelet; I have not the slightest curiosity
respecting either the name or features of this lady," returned Rodolph,
withdrawing to the very end of the lodge.
"Where do you wish to go, madame?" cried Anastasie, rushing towards the
female, who was entering.
"I am going to M. Bradamanti's," returned the person addressed, visibly
annoyed at having her progress thus arrested.
"He is not at home."
"You are mistaken."
"Oh, no, I am not!" said the porteress, skilfully contriving so to place
herself as to command a perfect view of the stranger's features. "M.
Bradamanti has gone out, positively, absolutely gone out; that is to
say, he is not at home, except to one lady."
"'Tis I, he expects me; and pray, my good woman, allow me to pass; you
are really troublesome!"
"Your name, madame, if you please? I shall soon see if it is the name of
the person M. Bradamanti desired me to admit. Should yours not be the
right name, you don't go up-stairs, unless you first trample on my
body!"
"Is it possible he could be so imprudent as to tell you my name?" cried
the female, with as much surprise as uneasiness.
"Certainly he did, madame, or how should I know it?"
"How very thoughtless!" murmured the stranger. Then, after a momentary
hesitation, she said, impatiently, in a low voice, and as if fearful of
being overheard, "My name is D'Orbigny."
Rodolph started at the word, as it reached his ear, for it was the name
of Madame d'Harville's mother-in-law. Advancing, therefore, from the
dark corner in which he stood, he managed, by the light of the lamp, to
obtain a clear view of the stranger, in whose features he easily traced
the portrait so skilfully drawn by Clemence of the author of all her
sufferings.
"Madame d'Orbigny!" repeated Madame Pipelet, in a loud tone. "Ah, then
you may go up-stairs; that is the name M. Bradamanti gave me."
Madame d'Harville's mother-in-law waited for no second bidding, but
rapidly passed by the lodge.
"Well done us!" shouted the porteress, with a triumphant air; "I have
caught my fish, done the great lady! Now, then, I know her name,--she is
Madame d'Orbigny. That wasn't a bad scheme of mine, was it, M. Rodolph?
But what the plague is the matter with you? How sad and thoughtful you
have grown all of a minute!"
"This lady has been to see M. Bradamanti before, has she not?"
"Yes, she was here yesterday evening; and, directly she was gone, M.
Bradamanti went out, most probably, to take his place in the diligence
for to-day, because, when he came back, he asked me to take his trunk to
the coach office, as he could not trust that little rascal, Tortillard."
"And do you know where M. Bradamanti is going?"
"To Normandy, by way of Alencon."
Rodolph called to his remembrance that Aubiers, the seat of M.
d'Orbigny, was situated in Normandy. There was no longer a doubt that
the charlatan was proceeding to the paternal home of Clemence, and, as a
matter of course, to aid and assist in some scheme of wickedness.
"The departure of M. Bradamanti will put old Seraphin out preciously!"
resumed Madame Pipelet. "I can't make out what she wants with him; but
she seems as much bent upon seeing him as he is on avoiding her; for he
charged me particularly not to tell her that he leaves Paris to-night at
six o'clock. So, when she calls again, she will find nobody at home;
that will give me an opportunity of talking to her about your young
person. Let's see, what is her name? Cissy--"
"Cecily!"
"Ah, I see! Just clap two more letters to the word I said,--that'll do.
I must tie a knot in the corner of my handkerchief, that I may be able
to recollect this bother of a name. Ciss--Cissy--Cecily--I've got it!"
"Well, now, I think it is time for me to visit Mlle. Rigolette," said
Rodolph to Madame Pipelet, as he quitted the lodge.
"And when you come down-stairs, M. Rodolph, I hope you will just speak a
word or two to my dear old darling of a husband. He has had a deal of
trouble lately, and I know it will be a great relief to him to tell you
all about it. That beast of a Cabrion has been at his old tricks
again!"
"Be assured, Madame Pipelet, I shall always be ready to sympathise with
your worthy husband in all his troubles."
And with these words Rodolph, strangely preoccupied with the recent
visit of Madame d'Orbigny to Polidori, slowly pursued his way to the
apartment of Mlle. Rigolette.
END OF VOLUME III.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
This e-text was prepared from numbered edition 505 of the 1000 printed.
Minor punctuation and capitalization corrections have been made without
comment.
Minor typographical errors of single words, otherwise spelled correctly
throughout the text have been made without comment.
Contents, corrected printers error of Chapter III page reference from
page 109 to page 108.
p. 26, removed duplicate "and" (strictly and expressly forbidden)
p. 86, changed "ask" to "asked" ("...on the spot?" asked Rodolph.)
Word Variations appearing in the original text which have been retained:
"Duchess" and "Duchesse"
"good-by" and "good-bye"
"Halloa" and "Holloa"
"Saint-Remy" and "Saint Remy"
Words using the [oe] ligature, which have been herein represented as
"oe": "subpoenaed", "_chef-d'oeuvre_", "phoenix", "Bureau des
Moeurs"
Throughout the text, illustrations and their captions were placed on
facing pages. For the purpose of this e-text these pages have been
combined into one entry.
Footnotes, originally at the bottom of a printed page, have been placed
directly below the paragraph in which their anchor symbol appears.