"It is very serious."
"Very serious?"
"Yes, very serious."
"Is he dying?"
"Who knows? Perhaps."
With a sudden movement, she disengaged her arms and threw them around my
neck. My cheek pressed against hers; and I felt her tremble, I felt the
leanness of her poor, sickly bosom. And, while she embraced me, I had
before my mind the sinister vision of the distant room; I saw the child
with his faded, lifeless, opaque eyes and livid lips; I saw my mother's
tears flowing. There was no joy in that embrace. My heart was
oppressed; and my soul, bent thus over the obscure abyss of that other
soul, felt helpless and _alone_.
*XLIX.*
By night-time Raymond was dead. All the indications of acute poisoning
by carbonic acid appeared on the little body that had become a corpse.
The little face was livid and leaden; the nose was pinched; the lips had
taken on a dark blue color; a glimpse of the opaque whiteness could be
caught beneath the still half-closed eyelids; on one thigh, near the
groin, was a reddish spot. It seemed as if decomposition had already
set in, so lamentable was the appearance of that infantile flesh, which,
a few hours before, all rosy and tender, had been caressed by my
mother's fingers.
In my ears resounded the cries, the sobs, the distracted words
ejaculated by my mother, while Federico and the women led her out of the
room.
"Nobody must touch him! Let no one touch him! I want to wash him
myself, I wish to dress him myself."
Then silence followed. The cries had ceased. At moments could be heard
a slamming of doors. I was there alone. The doctor had been in the
room, too, but I was now alone. Some extraordinary change was taking
place within me; but I did not yet know exactly what it was.
"Come," said the doctor gently, touching me on the shoulder. "Come,
leave the room."
I was docile; I obeyed. I walked slowly along the corridor, when I felt
another touch. It was Federico; he embraced me. I did not cry; I did
not feel any strong emotion; I did not understand his words. Yet I
heard when he named Juliana's name.
"Take me to Juliana's room," I said to him.