comeaway
!
”
“
Stay
,
Madame
!
”
exclaimed
the
Venosta
,
her
excitable
nature
much
affected
by
this
honest
outburst
of
feeling
.
“
It
is
true
that
I
did
oppose
,
so
far
as
I
could
,
my
poor
Piccola’s
engagement
with
M
.
Gustave
.
But
I
dare
not
do
your
bidding
.
Isaura
would
not
listen
to
me
.
And
let
us
be
just
!
M
.
Gustave
may
be
able
satisfactorily
to
explain
his
seeming
indifference
and
neglect
.
His
health
is
always
very
delicate
;
perhaps
he
may
be
again
dangerously
ill.
He
serves
in
the
National
Guard
;
perhaps
—
”
she
paused
,
but
the
mother
conjectured
the
word
left
unsaid
,
and
,
clasping
her
hands
,
cried
out
in
anguish
,
“
Perhaps
dead
!
—
and
we
have
wronged
him
!
Oh
,
Jacques
,
Jacques
!
how
shall
we
find
out-how
discover
our
boy
?
Who
can
tell
us
where
to
search
?
at
the
hospital
—
or
in
the
cemeteries
?
”
At
the
last
word
she
dropped
into
a
seat
,
and
her
whole
frame
shook
with
her
sobs
.
Jacques
approached
her
tenderly
,
and
kneeling
by
her
side
,
said
:
“
No
,
m’amie
,
comfort
thyself
,
if
it
be
indeed
comfort
to
learn
that
thy
son
is
alive
and
well
.
For
my
part
,
I
know
not
if
I
would
not
rather
he
had
died
in
his
innocent
childhood
.
I
have
seen
him
—
spoken
to
him
.
I
know
where
he
is
to
be
found
.
”
“
You
do
,
and
concealed
it
from
me
?
Oh
,
Jacques
!
”
“
Listen
to
me
,
wife
,
and
you
,
too
,
Madame
;
for
what
I
have
to
say
should
be
made
known
to
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
.
Some
time
since
,
on
the
night
of
the
famous
sortie
,
when
at
my
post
on
the
ramparts
,
I
was
told
that
Gustave
had
joined
himself
to
the
most
violent
of
the
Red
Republicans
,
and
had
uttered
at
the
Club
de
la
Vengeance
sentiments
,
of
which
I
will
only
say
that
I
,
his
father
and
a
Frenchman
,
hung
my
head
with
shame
when
they
were
repeated
to
me
.
I
resolved
to
go
to
the
club
myself
.
I
did
.
I
heard
him
speak
—
heard
him
denounce
Christianity
as
the
instrument
of
tyrants
.
”
“
Ah
!
”
cried
the
two
women
,
with
a
simultaneous
shudder
.
“
When
the
assembly
broke
up
,
I
waylaid
him
at
the
door
.
I
spoke
to
him
seriously
.
I
told
him
what
anguish
such
announcement
of
blasphemous
opinions
would
inflict
on
his
pious
mother
.
I
told
him
I
should
deem
it
my
duty
to
inform
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
,
and
warn
her
against
the
union
on
which
he
had
told
us
his
heart
was
bent
.
He
appeared
sincerely
moved
by
what
I
said
;
implored
me
to
keep
silence
towards
his
mother
and
his
betrothed
;
and
promised
,
on
that
condition
,
to
relinquish
at
once
what
he
called
‘his
career
as
an
orator
,
’
and
appear
no
more
at
such
execrable
clubs
.
On
this
understanding
I
held
my
tongue
.
Why
,
with
such
other
causes
of
grief
and
suffering
,
should
I
tell
thee
,
poor
wife
,
of
a
sin
that
I
hoped
thy
son
had
repented
and
would
not
repeat
?
And
Gustave
kept
his
word
.
He
has
never
,
so
far
as
I
know
,
attended
,
at
least
spoken
,
at
the
Red
clubs
since
that
evening
.
”
“
Thank
heaven
so
far
,
”
murmured
Madame
Rameau
.
“
So
far
,
yes
;
but
hear
more
.
A
little
time
after
I
thus
met
him
he
changed
his
lodging
,
and
did
not
confide
to
us
his
new
address
,
giving
as
a
reason
to
us
that
he
wished
to
avoid
a
clue
to
his
discovery
by
that
pertinacious
Mademoiselle
Julie
.
”
Rameau
had
here
sunk
his
voice
into
a
whisper
,
intended
only
for
his
wife
,
but
the
ear
of
the
Venosta
was
fine
enough
to
catch
the
sound
,
and
she
repeated
,
“
Mademoiselle
Julie
!
Santa
Maria
!
who
is
she
?
”
“
Oh
!
”
said
M
.
Rameau
,
with
a
shrug
of
his
shoulders
,
and
with
true
Parisian
sangfroid
as
to
such
matters
of
morality
,
“
a
trifle
not
worth
considering
.
Of
course
,
a
good-looking
garcon
like
Gustave
must
have
his
little
affairs
of
the
heart
before
he
settles
for
life
.
Unluckily
,
amongst
those
of
Gustave
was
one
with
a
violent-tempered
girl
who
persecuted
him
when
he
left
her
,
and
he
naturally
wished
to
avoid
all
chance
of
a
silly
scandal
,
if
only
out
of
respect
to
the
dignity
of
his
fiancee
.
But
I
found
that
was
not
the
true
motive
,
or
at
least
the
only
one
,
for
concealment
.
Prepare
yourself
,
my
poor
wife
.
Thou
hast
heard
of
these
terrible
journals
which
the
decheance
has
let
loose
upon
us
.
Our
unhappy
boy
is
the
principal
writer
of
one
of
the
worst
of
them
,
under
the
name
of
‘Diderot
le
Jeune
.
”
’
“
What
!
”
cried
the
Venosta
.
“
That
monster
!
The
good
Abbe
Vertpre
was
telling
us
of
the
writings
with
that
name
attached
to
them
.
The
Abbe
himself
is
denounced
by
name
as
one
of
those
meddling
priests
who
are
to
be
constrained
to
serve
as
soldiers
or
pointed
out
to
the
vengeance
of
the
canaille
.
Isaura’s
fiancee
a
blasphemer
!
”
“
Hush
,
hush
!
”
said
Madame
Rameau
,
rising
,
very
pale
but
self-collected
.
“
How
do
you
know
this
,
Jacques
?
”
“
From
the
lips
of
Gustave
himself
.
I
heard
first
of
it
yesterday
from
one
of
the
young
reprobates
with
whom
he
used
to
be
familiar
,
and
who
even
complimented
me
on
the
rising
fame
of
my
son
,
and
praised
the
eloquence
of
his
article
that
day
.
But
I
would
not
believe
him
.
I
bought
the
journal
—
here
it
is
;
saw
the
name
and
address
of
the
printer
—
went
this
morning
to
the
office
—
was
there
told
that
‘Diderot
le
Jeune’
was
within
revising
the
press
—
stationed
myself
by
the
street
door
,
and
when
Gustave
came
out
I
seized
his
arm
,
and
asked
him
to
say
Yes
or
No
if
he
was
the
author
of
this
infamous
article
,
—
this
,
which
I
now
hold
in
my
hand
.
He
owned
the
authorship
with
pride
;
talked
wildly
of
the
great
man
he
was
—
of
the
great
things
he
was
to
do
;
said
that
,
in
hitherto
concealing
his
true
name
,
he
had
done
all
he
could
to
defer
to
the
bigoted
prejudices
of
his
parents
and
his
fiancee
;
and
that
if
genius
,
like
fire
,
would
find
its
way
out
,
he
could
not
help
it
;
that
a
time
was
rapidly
coming
when
his
opinions
would
be
uppermost
;
that
since
October
the
Communists
were
gaining
ascendancy
,
and
only
waited
the
end
of
the
siege
to
put
down
the
present
Government
,
and
with
it
all
hypocrisies
and
shams
,
religious
or
social
.
My
wife
,
he
was
rude
to
me
,
insulting
!
but
he
had
been
drinking
—
that
made
him
incautious
:
and
he
continued
to
walk
by
my
side
towards
his
own
lodging
,
on
reaching
which
he
ironically
invited
me
to
enter
,
saying
,
‘I
should
meet
there
men
who
would
soon
argue
me
out
of
my
obsolete
notions.’
You
may
go
to
him
,
wife
,
now
,
if
you
please
.
I
will
not
,
nor
will
I
take
from
him
a
crust
of
bread
.
I
came
hither
,
determined
to
tell
the
young
lady
all
this
,
if
I
found
her
at
home
.
I
should
be
a
dishonoured
man
if
I
suffered
her
to
be
cheated
into
misery
.
“
There
,
Madame
Venosta
,
there
!
Take
that
journal
,
show
it
to
Mademoiselle
;
and
report
to
her
all
I
have
said
.
”
M
.
Rameau
,
habitually
the
mildest
of
men
,
had
,
in
talking
,
worked
himself
up
into
positive
fury
.
His
wife
,
calmer
but
more
deeply
affected
,
made
a
piteous
sign
to
the
Venosta
not
to
say
more
;
and
without
other
salutation
or
adieu
took
her
husband’s
arm
,
and
led
him
from
the
house
.
CHAPTER
VI
.
Obtaining
from
her
husband
Gustave’s
address
,
Madame
Rameau
hastened
to
her
son’s
apartment
alone
through
the
darkling
streets
.
The
house
in
which
he
lodged
was
in
a
different
quarter
from
that
in
which
Isaura
had
visited
him
.
Then
,
the
street
selected
was
still
in
the
centre
of
the
beau
monde
—
now
,
it
was
within
the
precincts
of
that
section
of
the
many-faced
capital
in
which
the
beau
monde
was
held
in
detestation
or
scorn
;
still
the
house
had
certain
pretensions
,
boasting
a
courtyard
and
a
porter’s
lodge
.
Madame
Rameau
,
instructed
to
mount
au
second
,
found
the
door
ajar
,
and
,
entering
,
perceived
on
the
table
of
the
little
salon
the
remains
of
a
feast
which
,
however
untempting
it
might
have
been
in
happier
times
,
contrasted
strongly
with
the
meagre
fare
of
which
Gustave’s
parents
had
deemed
themselves
fortunate
to
partake
at
the
board
of
his
betrothed
;
remnants
of
those
viands
which
offered
to
the
inquisitive
epicure
an
experiment
in
food
much
too
costly
for
the
popular
stomach
—
dainty
morsels
of
elephant
,
hippopotamus
,
and
wolf
,
interspersed
with
half-emptied
bottles
of
varied
and
high-priced
wines
.
Passing
these
evidences
of
unseasonable
extravagance
with
a
mute
sentiment
of
anger
and
disgust
,
Madame
Rameau
penetrated
into
a
small
cabinet
,
the
door
of
which
was
also
ajar
,
and
saw
her
son
stretched
on
his
bed
half
dressed
,
breathing
heavily
in
the
sleep
which
follows
intoxication
.
She
did
not
attempt
to
disturb
him
.
She
placed
herself
quietly
by
his
side
,
gazing
mournfully
on
the
face
which
she
had
once
so
proudly
contemplated
,
now
haggard
and
faded
,
—
still
strangely
beautiful
,
though
it
was
the
beauty
of
ruin
.
From
time
to
time
he
stirred
uneasily
,
and
muttered
broken
words
,
in
which
fragments
of
his
own
delicately-worded
verse
were
incoherently
mixed
up
with
ribald
slang
,
addressed
to
imaginary
companions
.
In
his
dreams
he
was
evidently
living
over
again
his
late
revel
,
with
episodical
diversions
into
the
poet-world
,
of
which
he
was
rather
a
vagrant
nomad
than
a
settled
cultivator
.
Then
she
would
silently
bathe
his
feverish
temples
with
the
perfumed
water
she
found
on
his
dressing-table
.
And
so
she
watched
till
,
in
the
middle
of
the
night
,
he
woke
up
,
and
recovered
the
possession
of
his
reason
with
a
quickness
that
surprised
Madame
Rameau
.
He
was
,
indeed
,
one
of
those
men
in
whom
excess
of
drink
,
when
slept
off
,
is
succeeded
by
extreme
mildness
,
the
effect
of
nervous
exhaustion
,
and
by
a
dejected
repentance
,
which
,
to
his
mother
,
seemed
a
propitious
lucidity
of
the
moral
sense
.
Certainly
on
seeing
her
he
threw
himself
on
her
breast
,
and
began
to
shed
tears
.
Madame
Rameau
had
not
the
heart
to
reproach
him
sternly
.
But
by
gentle
degrees
she
made
him
comprehend
the
pain
he
had
given
to
his
father
,
and
the
destitution
in
which
he
had
deserted
his
parents
and
his
affianced
.
In
his
present
mood
Gustave
was
deeply
affected
by
these
representations
.
He
excused
himself
feebly
by
dwelling
on
the
excitement
of
the
times
,
the
preoccupation
of
his
mind
,
the
example
of
his
companions
;
but
with
his
excuses
he
mingled
passionate
expressions
of
remorse
,
and
before
daybreak
mother
and
son
were
completely
reconciled
.
Then
he
fell
into
a
tranquil
sleep
;
and
Madame
Rameau
,
quite
worn
out
,
slept
also
in
the
chair
beside
him
,
her
arm
around
his
neck
.
He
awoke
before
she
did
at
a
late
hour
in
the
morning
;
and
stealing
from
her
arm
,
went
to
his
escritoire
,
and
took
forth
what
money
he
found
there
,
half
of
which
he
poured
into
her
lap
,
kissing
her
till
she
awoke
.
“
Mother
,
”
he
said
,
“
henceforth
I
will
work
for
thee
and
my
father
.
Take
this
trifle
now
;
the
rest
I
reserve
for
Isaura
.
”
“
Joy
!
I
have
found
my
boy
again
.
But
Isaura
,
I
fear
that
she
will
not
take
thy
money
,
and
all
thought
of
her
must
also
be
abandoned
.
”
Gustave
had
already
turned
to
his
looking-glass
,
and
was
arranging
with
care
his
dark
ringlets
:
his
personal
vanity
—
his
remorse
appeased
by
this
pecuniary
oblation
—
had
revived
.
“
No
,
”
he
said
gaily
,
“
I
don’t
think
I
shall
abandon
her
;
and
it
is
not
likely
,
when
she
sees
and
hears
me
,
that
she
can
wish
to
abandon
me
!
Now
let
us
breakfast
,
and
then
I
will
go
at
once
to
her
.
”
In
the
mean
while
,
Isaura
,
on
her
return
to
her
apartment
at
the
wintry
nightfall
,
found
a
cart
stationed
at
the
door
,
and
the
Venosta
on
the
threshold
,
superintending
the
removal
of
various
articles
of
furniture
—
indeed
,
all
such
articles
as
were
not
absolutely
required
.
“
Oh
,
Piccola
!
”
she
said
,
with
an
attempt
at
cheerfulness
,
“
I
did
not
expect
thee
back
so
soon
.
Hush
!
I
have
made
a
famous
bargain
.
I
have
found
a
broker
to
buy
these
things
which
we
don’t
want
just
at
present
,
and
can
replace
by
new
and
prettier
things
when
the
siege
is
over
and
we
get
our
money
.
The
broker
pays
down
on
the
nail
and
thou
wilt
not
go
to
bed
without
supper
.
There
are
no
ills
which
are
not
more
supportable
after
food
.
”
Isaura
smiled
faintly
,
kissed
the
Venosta’s
cheek
,
and
ascended
with
weary
steps
to
the
sitting-room
.
There
she
seated
herself
quietly
,
looking
with
abstracted
eyes
round
the
bare
dismantled
space
by
the
light
of
the
single
candle
.
When
the
Venosta
re-entered
,
she
was
followed
by
the
servants
,
bringing
in
a
daintier
meal
than
they
had
known
for
days
—
a
genuine
rabbit
,
potatoes
,
marrons
glaces
,
a
bottle
of
wine
,
and
a
pannier
of
wood
.
The
fire
was
soon
lighted
,
the
Venosta
plying
the
bellows
.
It
was
not
till
this
banquet
,
of
which
Isaura
,
faint
as
she
was
,
scarcely
partook
,
had
been
remitted
to
the
two
Italian
women-servants
,
and
another
log
been
thrown
on
the
hearth
,
that
the
Venosta
opened
the
subject
which
was
pressing
on
her
heart
.
She
did
this
with
a
joyous
smile
,
taking
both
Isaura’s
hands
in
her
own
,
and
stroking
them
fondly
.
“
My
child
,
I
have
such
good
news
for
thee
!
Thou
hast
escaped
—
thou
art
free
!
”
and
then
she
related
all
that
M
.
Rameau
had
said
,
and
finished
by
producing
the
copy
of
Gustave’s
unhallowed
journal
.
When
she
had
read
the
latter
,
which
she
did
with
compressed
lips
and
varying
colour
,
the
girl
fell
on
her
knees
—
not
to
thank
Heaven
that
she
would
now
escape
a
union
from
which
her
soul
so
recoiled
—
not
that
she
was
indeed
free
,
but
to
pray
,
with
tears
rolling
down
her
cheeks
,
that
God
would
yet
save
to
Himself
,
and
to
good
ends
,
the
soul
that
she
had
failed
to
bring
to
Him
.
All
previous
irritation
against
Gustave
was
gone
:
all
had
melted
into
an
ineffable
compassion
.
CHAPTER
VII
.
When
,
a
little
before
noon
,
Gustave
was
admitted
by
the
servant
into
Isaura’s
salon
,
its
desolate
condition
,
stripped
of
all
its
pretty
feminine
elegancies
,
struck
him
with
a
sense
of
discomfort
to
himself
which
superseded
any
more
remorseful
sentiment
.
The
day
was
intensely
cold
:
the
single
log
on
the
hearth
did
not
burn
;
there
were
only
two
or
three
chairs
in
the
room
;
even
the
carpet
,
which
had
been
of
gaily
coloured
Aubusson
,
was
gone
.
His
teeth
chattered
;
and
he
only
replied
by
a
dreary
nod
to
the
servant
who
informed
him
that
Madame
Venosta
was
gone
out
,
and
Mademoiselle
had
not
yet
quitted
her
own
room
.
If
there
be
a
thing
which
a
true
Parisian
of
Rameau’s
stamp
associates
with
love
of
woman
,
it
is
a
certain
sort
of
elegant
surroundings
,
a
pretty
boudoir
,
a
cheery
hearth
,
an
easy
fauteuil
.
In
the
absence
of
such
attributes
,
“
fuyit
retro
Venus
.
”
If
the
Englishman
invented
the
word
comfort
,
it
is
the
Parisian
who
most
thoroughly
comprehends
the
thing
.
And
he
resents
the
loss
of
it
in
any
house
where
he
has
been
accustomed
to
look
for
it
,
as
a
personal
wrong
to
his
feelings
.
Left
for
some
minutes
alone
,
Gustave
occupied
himself
with
kindling
the
log
,
and
muttering
,
“
Par
tous
les
diables
,
quel
chien
de
rhume
je
vais
attraper
?
”
He
turned
as
he
heard
the
rustle
of
a
robe
and
a
light
slow
step
.
Isaura
stood
before
him
.
Her
aspect
startled
him
.
He
had
come
prepared
to
expect
grave
displeasure
and
a
frigid
reception
.
But
the
expression
of
Isaura’s
face
was
more
kindly
,
more
gentle
,
more
tender
,
than
he
had
seen
it
since
the
day
she
had
accepted
his
suit
.
Knowing
from
his
mother
what
his
father
had
said
to
his
prejudice
,
he
thought
within
himself
,
“
After
all
,
the
poor
girl
loves
me
better
than
I
thought
.
She
is
sensible
and
enlightened
;
she
cannot
pretend
to
dictate
an
opinion
to
a
man
like
me
.
”
He
approached
with
a
complacent
self-assured
mien
,
and
took
her
hand
,
which
she
yielded
to
him
quietly
,
leading
her
to
one
of
the
few
remaining
chairs
,
and
seating
himself
beside
her
.
“
Dear
Isaura
,
”
he
said
,
talking
rapidly
all
the
while
he
performed
this
ceremony
,
“
I
need
not
assure
you
of
my
utter
ignorance
of
the
state
to
which
the
imbecility
of
our
Government
,
and
the
cowardice
,
or
rather
the
treachery
,
of
our
generals
,
has
reduced
you
.
I
only
heard
of
it
late
last
night
from
my
mother
.
I
hasten
to
claim
my
right
to
share
with
you
the
humble
resources
which
I
have
saved
by
the
intellectual
labours
that
have
absorbed
all
such
moments
as
my
military
drudgeries
left
to
the
talents
which
,
even
at
such
a
moment
,
paralysing
minds
less
energetic
,
have
sustained
me
:
”
—
and
therewith
he
poured
several
pieces
of
gold
and
silver
on
the
table
beside
her
chair
.
“
Gustave
,
”
then
said
Isaura
,
“
I
am
well
pleased
that
you
thus
prove
that
I
was
not
mistaken
when
I
thought
and
said
that
,
despite
all
appearances
,
all
errors
,
your
heart
was
good
.
Oh
,
do
but
follow
its
true
impulses
,
and
—
”
“
Its
impulses
lead
me
ever
to
thy
feet
,
”
interrupted
Gustave
,
with
a
fervour
which
sounded
somewhat
theatrical
and
hollow
.
The
girl
smiled
,
not
bitterly
,
not
mockingly
;
but
Gustave
did
not
like
the
smile
.
“
Poor
Gustave
,
”
she
said
,
with
a
melancholy
pathos
in
her
soft
voice
,
“
do
you
not
understand
that
the
time
has
come
when
such
commonplace
compliments
ill
suit
our
altered
positions
to
each
other
?
Nay
,
listen
to
me
patiently
;
and
let
not
my
words
in
this
last
interview
pain
you
to
recall
.
If
either
of
us
be
to
blame
in
the
engagement
hastily
contracted
,
it
is
I
.
Gustave
,
when
you
,
exaggerating
in
your
imagination
the
nature
of
your
sentiments
for
me
,
said
with
such
earnestness
that
on
my
consent
to
our
union
depended
your
health
,
your
life
,
your
career
;
that
if
I
withheld
that
consent
you
were
lost
,
and
in
despair
would
seek
distraction
from
thought
in
all
from
which
your
friends
,
your
mother
,
the
duties
imposed
upon
Genius
for
the
good
of
Man
to
the
ends
of
God
,
should
withhold
and
save
you
—
when
you
said
all
this
,
and
I
believed
it
,
I
felt
as
if
Heaven
commanded
me
not
to
desert
the
soul
which
appealed
to
me
in
the
crisis
of
its
struggle
and
peril
.
Gustave
,
I
repent
;
I
was
to
blame
.
”
“
How
to
blame
?
”
“
I
overrated
my
power
over
your
heart
:
I
overrated
still
more
,
perhaps
,
my
power
over
my
own
.
”
“
Ah
,
your
own
!
I
understand
now
.
You
did
not
love
me
?
”
“
I
never
said
that
I
loved
you
in
the
sense
in
which
you
use
the
word
.
I
told
you
that
the
love
which
you
have
described
in
your
verse
,
and
which
,
”
she
added
,
falteringly
,
with
heightened
colour
and
with
hands
tightly
clasped
,
“
I
have
conceived
possible
in
my
dreams
,
it
was
not
mine
to
give
.
You
declared
you
were
satisfied
with
such
affection
as
I
could
bestow
.
Hush
!
let
me
go
on
.
You
said
that
affection
would
increase
,
would
become
love
,
in
proportion
as
I
knew
you
more
.
It
has
not
done
so
.
Nay
,
it
passed
away
;
even
before
this
time
of
trial
and
of
grief
,
I
became
aware
how
different
from
the
love
you
professed
was
the
neglect
which
needs
no
excuse
,
for
it
did
not
pain
me
.
”
“
You
are
cruel
indeed
,
Mademoiselle
.
”
“
No
,
indeed
,
I
am
kind
.
I
wish
you
to
feel
no
pang
at
our
parting
.
Truly
I
had
resolved
,
when
the
siege
terminated
,
and
the
time
to
speak
frankly
of
our
engagement
came
,
to
tell
you
that
I
shrank
from
the
thought
of
a
union
between
us
;
and
that
it
was
for
the
happiness
of
both
that
our
promises
should
be
mutually
cancelled
.
The
moment
has
come
sooner
than
I
thought
.
Even
had
I
loved
you
,
Gustave
,
as
deeply
as
—
as
well
as
the
beings
of
Romance
love
,
I
would
not
dare
to
wed
one
who
calls
upon
mortals
to
deny
God
,
demolish
His
altars
,
treat
His
worship
as
a
crime
.
No
;
I
would
sooner
die
of
a
broken
heart
,
that
I
might
the
sooner
be
one
of
those
souls
privileged
to
pray
the
Divine
Intercessor
for
merciful
light
on
those
beloved
and
left
dark
on
earth
.
”
“
Isaura
!
”
exclaimed
Gustave
,
his
mobile
temperament
impressed
,
not
by
the
words
of
Isaura
,
but
by
the
passionate
earnestness
with
which
they
were
uttered
,
and
by
the
exquisite
spiritual
beauty
which
her
face
took
from
the
combined
sweetness
and
fervour
of
its
devout
expression
,
—
“
Isaura
,
I
merit
your
censure
,
your
sentence
of
condemnation
;
but
do
not
ask
me
to
give
back
your
plighted
troth
.
I
have
not
the
strength
to
do
so
.
More
than
ever
,
more
than
when
first
pledged
to
me
,
I
need
the
aid
,
the
companionship
,
of
my
guardian
angel
.
You
were
that
to
me
once
;
abandon
me
not
now
.
In
these
terrible
times
of
revolution
,
excitable
natures
catch
madness
from
each
other
.
A
writer
in
the
heat
of
his
passion
says
much
that
he
does
not
mean
to
be
literally
taken
,
which
in
cooler
moments
he
repents
and
retracts
.
Consider
,
too
,
the
pressure
of
want
,
of
hunger
.
It
is
the
opinions
that
you
so
condemn
which
alone
at
this
moment
supply
bread
to
the
writer
.
But
say
you
will
yet
pardon
me
,
—
yet
give
me
trial
if
I
offend
no
more
—
if
I
withdraw
my
aid
to
any
attacks
on
your
views
,
your
religion
—
if
I
say
,
‘Thy
God
shall
be
my
God
,
and
thy
people
shall
be
my
people.’
”
“
Alas
!
”
said
Isaura
,
softly
,
“
ask
thyself
if
those
be
words
which
I
can
believe
again
.
Hush
!
”
she
continued
,
checking
his
answer
with
a
more
kindling
countenance
and
more
impassioned
voice
.
“
Are
they
,
after
all
,
the
words
that
man
should
address
to
woman
?
Is
it
on
the
strength
of
Woman
that
Man
should
rely
?
Is
it
to
her
that
he
should
say
,
‘Dictate
my
opinions
on
all
that
belongs
to
the
Mind
of
man
;
change
the
doctrines
that
I
have
thoughtfully
formed
and
honestly
advocate
;
teach
me
how
to
act
on
earth
,
clear
all
my
doubts
as
to
my
hopes
of
heaven’
?
No
,
Gustave
;
in
this
task
man
never
should
repose
on
woman
.
Thou
are
honest
at
this
moment
,
my
poor
friend
;
but
could
I
believe
thee
to-day
,
thou
wouldst
laugh
tomorrow
at
what
woman
can
be
made
to
believe
.
”
Stung
to
the
quick
by
the
truth
of
Isaura’s
accusation
,
Gustave
exclaimed
with
vehemence
:
“
All
that
thou
sayest
is
false
,
and
thou
knowest
it
.
The
influence
of
woman
on
man
for
good
or
for
evil
defies
reasoning
.
It
does
mould
his
deeds
on
earth
;
it
does
either
make
or
mar
all
that
future
which
lies
between
his
life
and
his
gravestone
,
and
of
whatsoever
may
lie
beyond
the
grave
.
Give
me
up
now
,
and
thou
art
responsible
for
me
,
for
all
I
do
,
it
may
be
against
all
that
thou
deemest
holy
.
Keep
thy
troth
yet
awhile
,
and
test
me
.
If
I
come
to
thee
showing
how
I
could
have
injured
,
and
how
for
thy
dear
sake
I
have
spared
,
nay
,
aided
,
all
that
thou
dost
believe
and
reverence
,
then
wilt
thou
dare
to
say
,
‘Go
thy
ways
alone
—
I
forsake
thee
!
’
”
Isaura
turned
aside
her
face
,
but
she
held
out
her
hand
—
it
was
as
cold
as
death
.
He
knew
that
she
had
so
far
yielded
,
and
his
vanity
exulted
:
he
smiled
in
secret
triumph
as
he
pressed
his
kiss
on
that
icy
hand
and
was
gone
.
“
This
is
duty
—
it
must
be
duty
,
”
said
Isaura
to
herself
.
“
But
where
is
the
buoyant
delight
that
belongs
to
a
duty
achieved
?
—
where
?
oh
where
?
”
And
then
she
stole
with
drooping
head
and
heavy
step
into
her
own
room
,
fell
on
her
knees
,
and
prayed
.
CHAPTER
VIII
.
In
vain
persons
,
be
they
male
or
female
,
there
is
a
complacent
self-satisfaction
in
any
momentary
personal
success
,
however
little
that
success
may
conduce
to
—
nay
,
however
much
it
may
militate
against
—
the
objects
to
which
their
vanity
itself
devotes
its
more
permanent
desires
.
A
vain
woman
may
be
very
anxious
to
win
A
—
—
—
,
the
magnificent
,
as
a
partner
for
life
;
and
yet
feel
a
certain
triumph
when
a
glance
of
her
eye
has
made
an
evening’s
conquest
of
the
pitiful
B
—
—
—
-
,
although
by
that
achievement
she
incurs
the
imminent
hazard
of
losing
A
—
—
—
altogether
.
So
,
when
Gustave
Rameau
quitted
Isaura
,
his
first
feeling
was
that
of
triumph
.
His
eloquence
had
subdued
her
will
;
she
had
not
finally
discarded
him
.
But
as
he
wandered
abstractedly
in
the
biting
air
,
his
self-complacency
was
succeeded
by
mortification
and
discontent
.
He
felt
that
he
had
committed
himself
to
promises
which
he
was
by
no
means
prepared
to
keep
.
True
,
the
promises
were
vague
in
words
;
but
in
substance
they
were
perfectly
clear
—
“
to
spare
,
nay
,
to
aid
all
that
Isaura
esteemed
and
reverenced
.
”
How
was
this
possible
to
him
?
How
could
he
suddenly
change
the
whole
character
of
his
writings
?
—
how
become
the
defender
of
marriage
and
property
,
of
church
and
religion
?
—
how
proclaim
himself
so
utter
an
apostate
?
If
he
did
,
how
become
a
leader
of
the
fresh
revolution
?
how
escape
being
its
victim
?
Cease
to
write
altogether
?
But
then
how
live
?
His
pen
was
his
sole
subsistence
,
save
30
sous
a-day
as
a
National
Guard
—
30
sous
a
day
to
him
,
who
,
in
order
to
be
Sybarite
in
tastes
,
was
Spartan
in
doctrine
.
Nothing
better
just
at
that
moment
than
Spartan
doctrine
,
“
Live
on
black
broth
and
fight
the
enemy
.
”
And
the
journalists
in
vogue
so
thrived
upon
that
patriotic
sentiment
,
that
they
were
the
last
persons
compelled
to
drink
the
black
broth
or
to
fight
the
enemy
.
“
Those
women
are
such
idiots
when
they
meddle
in
politics
,
”
grumbled
between
his
teeth
the
enthusiastic
advocate
of
Woman’s
Rights
on
all
matters
of
love
.
“
And
,
”
he
continued
,
soliloquising
,
“
it
is
not
as
if
the
girl
had
any
large
or
decent
dot
;
it
is
not
as
if
she
said
,
‘In
return
for
the
sacrifice
of
your
popularity
,
your
prospects
,
your
opinions
,
I
give
you
not
only
a
devoted
heart
,
but
an
excellent
table
and
a
capital
fire
and
plenty
of
pocket-money.’
Sacre
bleu
!
when
I
think
of
that
frozen
salon
,
and
possibly
the
leg
of
a
mouse
for
dinner
,
and
a
virtuous
homily
by
way
of
grace
,
the
prospect
is
not
alluring
;
and
the
girl
herself
is
not
so
pretty
as
she
was
—
grown
very
thin
.
Sur
mon
ame
,
I
think
she
asks
too
much
—
far
more
than
she
is
worth
.
No
,
No
;
I
had
better
have
accepted
her
dismissal
.
Elle
n’est
pas
digne
de
moi
.
”
Just
as
he
arrived
at
that
conclusion
,
Gustave
Rameau
felt
the
touch
of
a
light
,
a
soft
,
a
warm
,
yet
a
firm
hand
,
on
his
aria
.
He
turned
,
and
beheld
the
face
of
the
woman
whom
,
through
so
many
dreary
weeks
,
he
had
sought
to
shun
—
the
face
of
Julie
Caumartin
.
Julie
was
not
,
as
Savarin
had
seen
her
,
looking
pinched
and
wan
,
with
faded
robes
,
nor
,
as
when
met
in
the
cafe
by
Lemercier
,
in
the
faded
robes
of
a
theatre
.
Julie
never
looked
more
beautiful
,
more
radiant
,
than
she
did
now
;
and
there
was
a
wonderful
heartfelt
fondness
in
her
voice
when
she
cried
,
“
Mon
homme
!
mon
homme
!
seul
homme
au
monde
a
mon
coeur
,
Gustave
,
cheri
adore
!
I
have
found
thee-at
last
—
at
last
!
”
Gustave
gazed
upon
her
,
stupefied
.
Involuntarily
his
eye
glanced
from
the
freshness
of
bloom
in
her
face
which
the
intense
cold
of
the
atmosphere
only
seemed
to
heighten
into
purer
health
,
to
her
dress
,
which
was
new
and
handsome
—
black
—
he
did
not
know
that
it
was
mourning
—
the
cloak
trimmed
with
costly
sables
.
Certainly
it
was
no
mendicant
for
alms
who
thus
reminded
the
shivering
Adonis
of
the
claims
of
a
pristine
Venus
.
He
stammered
out
her
naive
,
“
Julie
!
”
—
and
then
he
stopped
.
“
Oui
,
ta
Julie
!
Petit
ingrat
!
how
I
have
sought
for
thee
!
how
I
have
hungered
for
the
sight
of
thee
!
That
monster
Savarin
!
he
would
not
give
me
any
news
of
thee
.
That
is
ages
ago
.
But
at
least
Frederic
Lemercier
,
whom
I
saw
since
,
promised
to
remind
thee
that
I
lived
still
.
He
did
not
do
so
,
or
I
should
have
seen
thee
—
n’est
ce
,
pas
?
”
“
Certainly
,
certainly
—
only
—
chere
amie
—
you
know
that
—
that
—
as
I
before
announced
to
thee
,
I
—
I
—
was
engaged
in
marriage
—
and
—
and
—
”
“
But
are
you
married
?
”
“
No
,
no.
Hark
!
Take
care
—
is
not
that
the
hiss
of
an
obus
?
”
“
What
then
?
Let
it
come
!
Would
it
might
slay
us
both
while
my
hand
is
in
thine
!
”
“
Ah
!
”
muttered
Gustave
,
inwardly
,
“
what
a
difference
!
This
is
love
!
No
preaching
here
!
Elle
est
plus
digne
de
moi
que
d’autre
.
”
“
No
,
”
he
said
,
aloud
,
“
I
am
not
married
.
Marriage
is
at
best
a
pitiful
ceremony
.
But
if
you
wished
for
news
of
me
,
surely
you
must
have
heard
of
my
effect
as
an
orator
not
despised
in
the
Salle
Favre
.
Since
,
I
have
withdrawn
from
that
arena
.
But
as
a
journalist
I
flatter
myself
that
I
have
had
a
beau
succes
.
”
“
Doubtless
,
doubtless
,
my
Gustave
,
my
Poet
!
Wherever
thou
art
,
thou
must
be
first
among
men
.
But
,
alas
it
is
my
fault
—
my
misfortune
.
I
have
not
been
in
the
midst
of
a
world
that
perhaps
rings
of
thy
name
.
”
“
Not
my
name
.
Prudence
compelled
me
to
conceal
that
.
Still
,
Genius
pierces
under
any
name
.
You
might
have
discovered
me
under
my
nom
de
plume
.
”
“
Pardon
me
—
I
was
always
bete
.
But
,
oh
!
for
so
many
weeks
I
was
so
poor
—
so
destitute
.
I
could
go
nowhere
,
except
—
don’t
be
ashamed
of
me
—
except
—
”
“
Yes
?
Go
on
.
”
“
Except
where
I
could
get
some
money
.
At
first
to
dance
—
you
remember
my
bolero
.
Then
I
got
a
better
engagement
.
Do
you
not
remember
that
you
taught
me
to
recite
verses
?
Had
it
been
for
myself
alone
,
I
might
have
been
contented
to
starve
.
Without
thee
,
what
was
life
?
But
thou
wilt
recollect
Madeleine
,
the
old
bonne
who
lived
with
me
.
Well
,
she
had
attended
and
cherished
me
since
I
was
so
high-lived
with
my
mother
.
Mother
!
no
;
it
seems
that
Madame
Surville
was
not
my
mother
after
all
.
But
,
of
course
,
I
could
not
let
my
old
Madeleine
starve
;
and
therefore
,
with
a
heart
as
heavy
as
lead
,
I
danced
and
declaimed
.
My
heart
was
not
so
heavy
when
I
recited
thy
songs
.
”
“
My
songs
!
Pauvre
ange
!
”
exclaimed
the
Poet
.
“
And
then
,
too
,
I
thought
,
‘Ah
,
this
dreadful
siege
!
He
,
too
,
may
be
poor
—
he
may
know
want
and
hunger
;
’
and
so
all
I
could
save
from
Madeleine
I
put
into
a
box
for
thee
,
in
case
thou
shouldst
come
back
to
me
some
day
.
Mon
homme
,
how
could
I
go
to
the
Salle
Favre
?
How
could
I
read
journals
,
Gustave
?
But
thou
art
not
married
,
Gustave
?
Parole
d’honneur
?
”
“
Parole
d’honneur
!
What
does
that
matter
?
”
“
Everything
!
Ah
!
I
am
not
so
mechante
,
so
mauvaise
tete
as
I
was
some
months
ago
.
If
thou
went
married
,
I
should
say
,
‘Blessed
and
sacred
be
thy
wife
!
Forget
me.’
But
as
it
is
,
one
word
more
.
Dost
thou
love
the
young
lady
,
whoever
she
be
?
or
does
she
love
thee
so
well
that
it
would
be
sin
in
thee
to
talk
trifles
to
Julie
?
Speak
as
honestly
as
if
thou
wert
not
a
poet
.
”
“
Honestly
,
she
never
said
she
loved
me
.
I
never
thought
she
did
.
But
,
you
see
,
I
was
very
ill
,
and
my
parents
and
friends
and
my
physician
said
that
it
was
right
for
me
to
arrange
my
life
,
and
marry
,
and
so
forth
.
And
the
girl
had
money
,
and
was
a
good
match
.
In
short
,
the
thing
was
settled
.
But
oh
,
Julie
,
she
never
learned
my
songs
by
heart
!
She
did
not
love
as
thou
mayst
,
and
still
dost
.
And
—
ah
!
well
—
now
that
we
meet
again
—
now
that
I
look
in
thy
face
—
now
that
I
hear
thy
voice
—
No
,
I
do
not
love
her
as
I
loved
,
and
might
yet
love
thee
.
But
—
but
—
”
“
Well
,
but
?
oh
,
I
guess
.
Thou
seest
me
well
dressed
,
no
longer
dancing
and
declaiming
at
cafes
:
and
thou
thinkest
that
Julie
has
disgraced
herself
?
she
is
unfaithful
?
”
Gustave
had
not
anticipated
that
frankness
,
nor
was
the
idea
which
it
expressed
uppermost
in
his
mind
when
he
said
,
“
but
,
but
—
”
There
were
many
buts
all
very
confused
,
struggling
through
his
mind
as
he
spoke
.
However
,
he
answered
as
a
Parisian
sceptic
,
not
ill-bred
,
naturally
would
answer
:
“
My
dear
friend
,
my
dear
child
”
(
the
Parisian
is
very
fond
of
the
word
child
or
enfant
in
addressing
a
woman
)
,
“
I
have
never
seen
thee
so
beautiful
as
thou
art
now
;
and
when
thou
tellest
me
that
thou
are
no
longer
poor
,
and
the
proof
of
what
thou
sayest
is
visible
in
the
furs
,
which
,
alas’
.
I
cannot
give
thee
,
what
am
I
to
think
?
”
“
Oh
,
mon
homme
,
mon
homme
!
thou
art
very
spirituel
,
and
that
is
why
I
loved
thee
.
I
am
very
bete
,
and
that
is
excuse
enough
for
thee
if
thou
couldst
not
love
me
.
But
canst
thou
look
me
in
the
face
and
not
know
that
my
eyes
could
not
meet
thine
as
they
do
,
if
I
had
been
faithless
to
thee
even
in
a
thought
,
when
I
so
boldly
touched
thine
arm
?
Viens
chez
moi
,
come
and
let
me
explain
all
.
Only
—
only
let
me
repeat
,
if
another
has
rights
over
thee
which
forbid
thee
to
come
,
say
so
kindly
,
and
I
will
never
trouble
thee
again
.
”
Gustave
had
been
hitherto
walking
slowly
by
the
side
of
Julie
,
amidst
the
distant
boom
of
the
besiegers’
cannon
,
while
the
short
day
began
to
close
;
and
along
the
dreary
boulevards
sauntered
idlers
turning
to
look
at
the
young
,
beautiful
,
well-dressed
woman
who
seemed
in
such
contrast
to
the
capital
whose
former
luxuries
the
“
Ondine
”
of
imperial
Paris
represented
.
He
now
offered
his
arm
to
Julie
;
and
,
quickening
his
pace
,
said
,
“
There
is
no
reason
why
I
should
refuse
to
attend
thee
home
,
and
listen
to
the
explanations
thou
dost
generously
condescend
to
volunteer
.
”
CHAPTER
IX
.
“
Ah
,
indeed
!
what
a
difference
!
what
a
difference
!
”
said
Gustave
to
himself
when
he
entered
Julie’s
apartment
.
In
her
palmier
days
,
when
he
had
first
made
her
acquaintance
,
the
apartment
no
doubt
had
been
infinitely
more
splendid
,
more
abundant
in
silks
and
fringes
and
flowers
and
nicknacks
;
but
never
had
it
seemed
so
cheery
and
comfortable
and
home-like
as
now
.
What
a
contrast
to
Isaura’s
dismantled
chilly
salon
!
She
drew
him
towards
the
hearth
,
on
which
,
blazing
though
it
was
,
she
piled
fresh
billets
,
seated
him
in
the
easiest
of
easy-chairs
,
knelt
beside
him
,
and
chafed
his
numbed
hands
in
hers
;
and
as
her
bright
eyes
fixed
tenderly
on
his
,
she
looked
so
young
and
so
innocent
!
You
would
not
then
have
called
her
the
“
Ondine
of
Paris
.
”
But
when
,
a
little
while
after
,
revived
by
the
genial
warmth
and
moved
by
the
charm
of
her
beauty
,
Gustave
passed
his
arm
round
her
neck
and
sought
to
draw
her
on
his
lap
,
she
slid
from
his
embrace
,
shaking
her
head
gently
,
and
seated
herself
,
with
a
pretty
air
of
ceremonious
decorum
,
at
a
little
distance
.
Gustave
looked
at
her
amazed
.
“
Causons
,
”
said
she
,
gravely
,
“
thou
wouldst
know
why
I
am
so
well
dressed
,
so
comfortably
lodged
,
and
I
am
longing
to
explain
to
thee
all
.
Some
days
ago
I
had
just
finished
my
performance
at
the
cafe
—
,
and
was
putting
on
my
shawl
,
when
a
tall
Monsieur
,
fort
bel
homme
,
with
the
air
of
a
grand
seigneur
,
entered
the
cafe
,
and
approaching
me
politely
,
said
,
‘I
think
I
have
the
honour
to
address
Mademoiselle
Julie
Caumartin
?
’
‘That
is
my
name
,
’
I
said
,
surprised
;
and
,
looking
at
him
more
intently
,
I
recognised
his
face
.
He
had
come
into
the
cafe
a
few
days
before
with
thine
old
acquaintance
Frederic
Lemercier
,
and
stood
by
when
I
asked
Frederic
to
give
me
news
of
thee
.
‘Mademoiselle
,
’
he
continued
,
with
a
serious
melancholy
smile
,
‘I
shall
startle
you
when
I
say
that
I
am
appointed
to
act
as
your
guardian
by
the
last
request
of
your
mother.’
‘Of
Madame
Surville
?
’
‘Madame
Surville
adopted
you
,
but
was
not
your
mother
.
We
cannot
talk
at
ease
here
.
Allow
me
to
request
that
you
will
accompany
me
to
Monsieur
—
—
-
,
the
avoue
.
It
is
not
very
far
from
this
—
and
by
the
way
—
I
will
tell
you
some
news
that
may
sadden
,
and
some
news
that
may
rejoice.’
“
There
was
an
earnestness
in
the
voice
and
look
of
this
Monsieur
that
impressed
me
.
He
did
not
offer
me
his
arm
;
but
I
walked
by
his
side
in
the
direction
he
chose
.
As
we
walked
he
told
me
in
very
few
words
that
my
mother
had
been
separated
from
her
husband
,
and
for
certain
family
reasons
had
found
it
so
difficult
to
rear
and
provide
for
me
herself
,
that
she
had
accepted
the
offer
of
Madame
Surville
to
adopt
me
as
her
own
child
.
While
he
spoke
,
there
came
dimly
back
to
me
the
remembrance
of
a
lady
who
had
taken
me
from
my
first
home
,
when
I
had
been
,
as
I
understood
,
at
nurse
,
and
left
me
with
poor
dear
Madame
Surville
,
saying
,
‘This
is
henceforth
your
mamma.’
“
I
never
again
saw
that
lady
.
It
seems
that
many
years
afterwards
my
true
mother
desired
to
regain
me
.
Madame
Surville
was
then
dead
.
She
failed
to
trace
me
out
,
owing
,
alas
!
to
my
own
faults
and
change
of
name
.
She
then
entered
a
nunnery
,
but
,
before
doing
so
,
assigned
a
sum
of
100
,
000
francs
to
this
gentleman
,
who
was
distantly
connected
with
her
,
with
full
power
to
him
to
take
it
to
himself
,
or
give
it
to
my
use
should
he
discover
me
,
at
his
discretion
.
‘I
ask
you
,
’
continued
the
Monsieur
,
‘to
go
with
me
to
Mons
.
N
—
—
—
‘s
,
because
the
sum
is
still
in
his
hands
.
He
will
confirm
my
statement
.
All
that
I
have
now
to
say
is
this
,
If
you
accept
my
guardianship
,
if
you
obey
implicitly
my
advice
,
I
shall
consider
the
interest
of
this
sum
which
has
accumulated
since
deposited
with
M
.
—
—
-
due
to
you
;
and
the
capital
will
be
your
dot
on
marriage
,
if
the
marriage
be
with
my
consent.’
”
Gustave
had
listened
very
attentively
,
and
without
interruption
,
until
now
;
when
he
looked
up
,
and
said
with
his
customary
sneer
,
“
Did
your
Monsieur
,
fort
bel
homme
,
you
say
,
inform
you
of
the
value
of
the
advice
,
rather
of
the
commands
,
you
were
implicitly
to
obey
?
”
“
Yes
,
”
answered
Julie
,
“
not
then
,
but
later
.
Let
me
go
on
.
We
arrived
at
M
.
N
—
—
-’s
,
an
elderly
grave
man
.
He
said
that
all
he
knew
was
that
he
held
the
money
in
trust
for
the
Monsieur
with
me
,
to
be
given
to
him
,
with
the
accumulations
of
interest
,
on
the
death
of
the
lady
who
had
deposited
it
.
If
that
Monsieur
had
instructions
how
to
dispose
of
the
money
,
they
were
not
known
to
him
.
All
he
had
to
do
was
to
transfer
it
absolutely
to
him
on
the
proper
certificate
of
the
lady’s
death
.
So
you
see
,
Gustave
,
that
the
Monsieur
could
have
kept
all
from
me
if
he
had
liked
.
”
“
Your
Monsieur
is
very
generous
.
Perhaps
you
will
now
tell
me
his
name
.
”
“
No
;
he
forbids
me
to
do
it
yet
.
”
“
And
he
took
this
apartment
for
you
,
and
gave
you
money
to
buy
that
smart
dress
and
these
furs
.
Bah
!
mon
enfant
,
why
try
to
deceive
me
?
Do
I
not
know
my
Paris
?
A
fort
bel
homme
does
not
make
himself
guardian
to
a
fort
belle
fine
so
young
and
fair
as
Mademoiselle
Julie
Caumartin
without
certain
considerations
which
shall
be
nameless
,
like
himself
.
”
Julie’s
eyes
flashed
.
“
Ah
,
Gustave
!
ah
,
Monsieur
!
”
she
said
,
half
angrily
,
half
plaintively
,
“
I
see
that
my
guardian
knew
you
better
than
I
did
.
Never
mind
;
I
will
not
reproach
.
Thou
halt
the
right
to
despise
me
.
”
“
Pardon
!
I
did
not
mean
to
offend
thee
,
”
said
Gustave
,
somewhat
disconcerted
.
“
But
own
that
thy
story
is
strange
;
and
this
guardian
,
who
knows
me
better
than
thou
—
does
he
know
me
at
all
?
Didst
thou
speak
to
him
of
me
?
”
“
How
could
I
help
it
?
He
says
that
this
terrible
war
,
in
which
he
takes
an
active
part
,
makes
his
life
uncertain
from
day
to
day
.
He
wished
to
complete
the
trust
bequeathed
to
him
by
seeing
me
safe
in
the
love
of
some
worthy
man
who
”
—
she
paused
for
a
moment
with
an
expression
of
compressed
anguish
,
and
then
hurried
on
—
“
who
would
recognise
what
was
good
in
me
,
—
would
never
reproach
me
for
—
for
—
the
past
.
I
then
said
that
my
heart
was
thine
:
I
could
never
marry
any
one
but
thee
.
”
“
Marry
me
,
”
faltered
Gustave
—
“
marry
!
”
“
And
,
”
continued
the
girl
,
not
heeding
his
interruption
,
“
he
said
thou
wert
not
the
husband
he
would
choose
for
me
:
that
thou
wert
not
—
no
,
I
cannot
wound
thee
by
repeating
what
he
said
unkindly
,
unjustly
.
He
bade
me
think
of
thee
no
more
.
I
said
again
,
that
is
impossible
.
”
“
But
,
”
resumed
Rameau
,
with
an
affected
laugh
,
“
why
think
of
anything
so
formidable
as
marriage
?
Thou
lovest
me
,
and
—
”
He
approached
again
,
seeking
to
embrace
her
.
She
recoiled
.
“
No
,
Gustave
,
no.
I
have
sworn
solemnly
by
the
memory
of
my
lost
mother
—
O
—
that
I
will
never
sin
again
.
I
will
never
be
to
thee
other
than
thy
friend
—
or
thy
wife
.
”
Before
Gustave
could
reply
to
these
words
,
which
took
him
wholly
by
surprise
,
there
was
a
ring
at
the
outer
door
,
and
the
old
bonne
ushered
in
Victor
de
Mauleon
.
He
halted
at
the
threshold
,
and
his
brow
contracted
.
“
So
you
have
already
broken
faith
with
me
,
Mademoiselle
?
”
“
No
,
Monsieur
,
I
have
not
broken
faith
,
”
cried
Julie
;
passionately
.
“
I
told
you
that
I
would
not
seek
to
find
out
Monsieur
Rameau
.
I
did
not
seek
,
but
I
met
him
unexpectedly
.
I
owed
to
him
an
explanation
.
I
invited
him
here
to
give
that
explanation
.
Without
it
,
what
would
he
have
thought
of
me
?
Now
he
may
go
,
and
I
will
never
admit
him
again
without
your
sanction
.
”
The
Vicomte
turned
his
stern
look
upon
Gustave
,
who
though
,
as
we
know
,
not
wanting
in
personal
courage
,
felt
cowed
by
his
false
position
;
and
his
eye
fell
,
quailed
before
De
Mauleon’s
gaze
.
“
Leave
us
for
a
few
minutes
alone
,
Mademoiselle
,
”
said
the
Vicomte
.
“
Nay
,
Julie
,
”
he
added
,
in
softened
tones
,
“
fear
nothing
.
I
,
too
,
owe
explanation
—
friendly
explanation
—
to
M
.
Rameau
.
”
With
his
habitual
courtesy
towards
women
,
he
extended
his
hand
to
Julie
,
and
led
her
from
the
room
.
Then
,
closing
the
door
,
he
seated
himself
,
and
made
a
sign
to
Gustave
to
do
the
same
.
“
Monsieur
,
”
said
De
Mauleon
,
“
excuse
me
if
I
detain
you
.
A
very
few
words
will
suffice
for
our
present
interview
.
I
take
it
for
granted
that
Mademoiselle
has
told
you
that
she
is
no
child
of
Madame
Surville’s
:
that
her
own
mother
bequeathed
her
to
my
protection
and
guardianship
with
a
modest
fortune
which
is
at
my
disposal
to
give
or
withhold
.
The
little
I
have
seen
already
of
Mademoiselle
impresses
me
with
sincere
interest
in
her
fate
.
I
look
with
compassion
on
what
she
may
have
been
in
the
past
;
I
anticipate
with
hope
what
she
may
be
in
the
future
.
I
do
not
ask
you
to
see
her
in
either
with
my
eyes
.
I
say
frankly
that
it
is
my
intention
,
and
I
may
add
,
my
resolve
,
that
the
ward
thus
left
to
my
charge
shall
be
henceforth
safe
from
the
temptations
that
have
seduced
her
poverty
,
her
inexperience
,
her
vanity
,
if
you
will
,
but
have
not
yet
corrupted
her
heart
.
Bref
,
I
must
request
you
to
give
me
your
word
of
honour
that
you
will
hold
no
further
communication
with
her
.
I
can
allow
no
sinister
influence
to
stand
between
her
fate
and
honour
.
”
“
You
speak
well
and
nobly
,
M
.
le
Vicomte
,
”
said
Rameau
,
“
and
I
give
the
promise
you
exact
.
”
He
added
,
feelingly
:
“
It
is
true
her
heart
has
never
been
corrupted
that
is
good
,
affectionate
,
unselfish
as
a
child’s
.
J’ai
l’honneur
de
vous
saluer
,
M
.
le
Vicomte
.
”
He
bowed
with
a
dignity
unusual
to
him
,
and
tears
were
in
his
eyes
as
he
passed
by
De
Mauleon
and
gained
the
anteroom
.
There
a
side-door
suddenly
opened
,
and
Julie’s
face
,
anxious
,
eager
,
looked
forth
.
Gustave
paused
:
“
Adieu
,
Mademoiselle
!
Adieu
,
though
we
may
never
meet
again
,
—
though
our
fates
divide
us
,
—
believe
me
that
I
shall
ever
cherish
your
memory
—
and
—
”
The
girl
interrupted
him
,
impulsively
seizing
his
arm
,
and
looking
him
in
the
face
with
a
wild
fixed
stare
.
“
Hush
!
dost
thou
mean
to
say
that
we
are
parted
,
—
parted
forever
?
”
“
Alas
!
”
said
Gustave
,
“
what
option
is
before
us
?
Your
guardian
rightly
forbids
my
visits
;
and
even
were
I
free
to
offer
you
my
hand
,
you
yourself
say
that
I
am
not
a
suitor
he
would
approve
.
”
Julie
turned
her
eyes
towards
De
Mauleon
,
who
,
following
Gustave
into
the
ante-room
,
stood
silent
and
impassive
,
leaning
against
the
wall
.
He
now
understood
and
replied
to
the
pathetic
appeal
in
the
girl’s
eyes
.
“
My
young
ward
,
”
he
said
,
“
M
.
Rameau
expresses
himself
with
propriety
and
truth
.
Suffer
him
to
depart
.
He
belongs
to
the
former
life
;
reconcile
yourself
to
the
new
.
”
He
advanced
to
take
her
hand
,
making
a
sign
to
Gustave
to
depart
.
But
as
he
approached
Julie
,
she
uttered
a
weak
piteous
wail
,
and
fell
at
his
feet
senseless
.
De
Mauleon
raised
and
carried
her
into
her
room
,
where
he
left
her
to
the
care
of
the
old
bonne
.
On
re-entering
the
anteroom
,
he
found
Gustave
still
lingering
by
the
outer
door
.
“
You
will
pardon
me
,
Monsieur
,
”
he
said
to
the
Vicomte
,
“
but
in
fact
I
feel
so
uneasy
,
so
unhappy
.
Has
she
—
?
You
see
,
you
see
that
there
is
danger
to
her
health
,
perhaps
to
her
reason
,
in
so
abrupt
a
separation
,
so
cruel
a
rupture
between
us
.
Let
me
call
again
,
or
I
may
not
have
strength
to
keep
my
promise
.
”
De
Mauleon
remained
a
few
minutes
musing
.
Then
he
said
in
a
whisper
,
“
Come
back
into
the
salon
.
Let
us
talk
frankly
.
”
CHAPTER
X
.
“
M
.
Rameau
,
”
said
De
Mauleon
,
when
the
two
men
had
reseated
themselves
in
the
salon
,
“
I
will
honestly
say
that
my
desire
is
to
rid
myself
as
soon
as
I
can
of
the
trust
of
guardian
to
this
young
lady
.
Playing
as
I
do
with
fortune
,
my
only
stake
against
her
favours
is
my
life
.
I
feel
as
if
it
were
my
duty
to
see
that
Mademoiselle
is
not
left
alone
and
friendless
in
the
world
at
my
decease
.
I
have
in
my
mind
for
her
a
husband
that
I
think
in
every
way
suitable
:
a
handsome
and
brave
young
fellow
in
my
battalion
,
of
respectable
birth
,
without
any
living
relations
to
consult
as
to
his
choice
.
I
have
reason
to
believe
that
if
Julie
married
him
,
she
need
never
fear
as
a
reproach
to
her
antecedents
.
Her
dot
would
suffice
to
enable
him
to
realise
his
own
wish
of
a
country
town
in
Normandy
.
And
in
that
station
,
Paris
and
its
temptations
would
soon
pass
from
the
poor
child’s
thoughts
,
as
an
evil
dream
.
But
I
cannot
dispose
of
her
hand
without
her
own
consent
;
and
if
she
is
to
be
reasoned
out
of
her
fancy
for
you
,
I
have
no
time
to
devote
to
the
task
.
I
come
to
the
point
,
You
are
not
the
man
I
would
choose
for
her
husband
.
But
,
evidently
,
you
are
the
man
she
would
choose
.
Are
you
disposed
to
marry
her
?
You
hesitate
,
very
naturally
;
I
have
no
right
to
demand
an
immediate
answer
to
a
question
so
serious
.
Perhaps
you
will
think
over
it
,
and
let
me
know
in
a
day
or
two
?
I
take
it
for
granted
that
if
you
were
,
as
I
heard
,
engaged
before
the
siege
to
marry
the
Signora
Cicogna
,
that
engagement
is
annulled
?
”
“
Why
take
it
for
granted
?
”
asked
Gustave
,
perplexed
.
“
Simply
because
I
find
you
here
.
Nay
,
spare
explanations
and
excuses
.
I
quite
understand
that
you
were
invited
to
come
.
But
a
man
solemnly
betrothed
to
a
mademoiselle
like
the
Signora
Cicogna
,
in
a
time
of
such
dire
calamity
and
peril
,
could
scarcely
allow
himself
to
be
tempted
to
accept
the
invitation
of
one
so
beautiful
,
and
so
warmly
attached
to
him
,
as
is
Mademoiselle
Julie
;
and
on
witnessing
the
passionate
strength
of
that
attachment
,
say
that
he
cannot
keep
a
promise
not
to
repeat
his
visits
.
But
if
I
mistake
,
and
you
are
still
betrothed
to
the
Signorina
,
of
course
all
discussion
is
at
an
end
.
”
Gustave
hung
his
head
in
some
shame
,
and
in
much
bewildered
doubt
.
The
practised
observer
of
men’s
characters
,
and
of
shifting
phases
of
mind
,
glanced
at
the
poor
poet’s
perturbed
countenance
with
a
half-smile
of
disdain
.
“
It
is
for
you
to
judge
how
far
the
very
love
to
you
so
ingenuously
evinced
by
my
ward
—
how
far
the
reasons
against
marriage
with
one
whose
antecedents
expose
her
to
reproach
—
should
influence
one
of
your
advanced
opinions
upon
social
ties
.
Such
reasons
do
not
appear
to
have
with
artists
the
same
weight
they
have
with
the
bourgeoisie
.
I
have
but
to
add
that
the
husband
of
Julie
will
receive
with
her
hand
a
dot
of
nearly
120
,
000
francs
;
and
I
have
reason
to
believe
that
that
fortune
will
be
increased
—
how
much
,
I
cannot
guess-when
the
cessation
of
the
siege
will
allow
communication
with
England
.
One
word
more
.
I
should
wish
to
rank
the
husband
of
my
ward
in
the
number
