CHAPTER XXVII. THE LURE.
To understand fully the tortures of Rodin, reduced to inactivity bysickness, and to explain the importance of Cardinal Malipieri's visit,we must remember the audacious views of the ambitious Jesuit, whobelieved himself following in the steps of Sixtus V., and expected tobecome his equal. By the success of the Rennepont affair, to attain tothe generalship of his Order, by the corruption of the Sacred Collegeto ascend the pontifical throne, and then, by means of a change in thestatutes of the Company, to incorporate the Society of Jesus with theHoly See, instead of leaving it independent, to equal and almost alwaysrule the Papacy--such were the secret projects of Rodin.
Their possibility was sanctioned by numerous precedents, for many meremonks and priests had been suddenly raised to the pontifical dignity.And as for their morality, the accession of the Borgias, of JuliusII., and other dubious Vicars of Christ, might excuse and authorize thepretensions of the Jesuits.
Though the object of his secret intrigues at Rome had hitherto beenenveloped in the greatest mystery, suspicions had been excited in regardto his private communications with many members of the Sacred College.A portion of that college, Cardinal Malipieri at the head of them, hadbecome very uneasy on the subject, and, profiting by his journeyto France, the cardinal had resolved to penetrate the Jesuit's darkdesigns. If, in the scene we have just painted, the cardinal showedhimself so obstinately bent on having a conference with Rodin, in spiteof the refusal of the latter, it was because the prelate hoped, as weshall soon see, to get by cunning at the secret, which had hithertobeen so well concealed. It was, therefore, in the midst of all theseextraordinary circumstances, that Rodin saw himself the victim of amalady, which paralyzed his strength, at the moment when he had need ofall his activity, and of all the resources of his mind. After remainingfor some seconds motionless near the door, the cardinal, still holdinghis bottle under his nose, slowly approached the bed where Rodin lay.
The latter, enraged at this perseverance, and wishing to avoid aninterview which for many reasons was singularly odious to him, turnedhis face towards the wall, and pretended to be asleep. Caring little forthis feint, and determined to profit by Rodin's state of weakness, theprelate took a chair, and, conquering his repugnance, sat down close tothe Jesuit's bed.
"My reverend and very dear father, how do you find yourself?" said he tohim, in a honeyed tone, which his Italian accent seemed to render stillmore hypocritical. Rodin pretended not to hear, breathed hard, and madeno answer. But the cardinal, not without disgust, shook with his glovedhand the arm of the Jesuit, and repeated in a louder voice: "My reverendand very dear father, answer me, I conjure you!"
Rodin could not restrain a movement of angry impatience, but hecontinued silent. The cardinal was not a man to be discouraged by solittle; he again shook the arm of the Jesuit, somewhat more roughly,repeating, with a passionless tenacity that would have incensed the mostpatient person in the world: "My reverend and very dear father, sinceyou are not asleep, listen to me, I entreat of you."
Irritable with pain, exasperated by the obstinacy of the prelate, Rodinabruptly turned his head, fixed on the Roman his hollow eyes, shiningwith lurid fire, and, with lips contracted by a sardonic smile, said tohim, bitterly: "You must be very anxious, my lord, to see me embalmed,and lie in state with tapers, as you were saying just now, for you thusto come to torment me in my last moments, and hasten my end!"
"Oh, my good father! how can you talk so?" cried the cardinal, raisinghis hands as if to call heaven to witness to the sincerity of the tenderinterest he felt for the Jesuit.
"I tell you that I heard all just now, my lord; for the partition isthin," added Rodin, with redoubled bitterness.
"If you mean that, from the bottom of my soul, I desired that you shouldmake an exemplary and Christian end, you are perfectly right, my dearfather. I did say so; for, after a life so well employed, it would besweet to see you an object of adoration for the faithful!"
"I tell you, my lord," cried Rodin, in a weak and broken voice, "thatit is ferocious to express such wishes in the presence of a dying man.Yes," he added, with growing animation, that contrasted strongly withhis weakness, "take care what you do; for if I am too much plagued andpestered--if I am not allowed to breathe my last breath quietly--I giveyou notice that you will force me to die in anything but a Christianmanner, and if you mean to profit by an edifying spectacle, you will bedeceived."
This burst of anger having greatly fatigued Rodin, his head fell backupon the pillow, and he wiped his cracked and bleeding lips with his oldcotton handkerchief.
"Come, come, be calm, my very dear father," resumed the cardinal, witha patronizing air; "do not give way to such gloomy ideas. Doubtless,Providence reserves you for great designs, since you have been alreadydelivered from so much peril. Let us hope that you will be likewisesaved from your present danger."
Rodin answered by a hoarse growl, and turned his face towards the wall.
The imperturbable prelate continued: "The views of Providence are notconfined to your salvation, my very dear father. Its power has beenmanifested in another way. What I am about to tell you is of the highestimportance. Listen attentively."
Without turning his head, Rodin muttered in a tone of angry bitterness,which betrayed his intense sufferings: "They desire my death. My chestis on fire, my head racked with pain, and they have no pity. Oh, Isuffer the tortures of the damned!"
"What! already" thought the Roman, with a smile of sarcastic malice;then he said aloud: "Let me persuade you, my very dear father--make aneffort to listen to me; you will not regret it."
Still stretched upon the bed, Rodin lifted his hands clasped upon hiscotton handkerchief with a gesture of despair, and then let them fallagain by his side.
The cardinal slightly shrugged his shoulders, and laid great stresson what follows, so that Rodin might not lose a word of it: "My dearfather, it has pleased Providence that, during your fit of raving, youhave made, without knowing it, the most important revelations."
The prelate waited with anxious curiosity for the effect of the pioustrap he had laid for the Jesuit's weakened faculties. But the latter,still turned towards the wall, did not appear to have heard him andremained silent.
"You are, no doubt, reflecting on my words, my dear father," resumedthe cardinal; "you are right, for it concerns a very serious affair. Irepeat to you that Providence has allowed you, during your delirium, tobetray your most secret thoughts--happily, to me alone. They are suchas would compromise you in the highest degree. In short, during yourdelirium of last night, which lasted nearly two hours, you unveiled thesecret objects of your intrigues at Rome with many of the members of theSacred College."
The cardinal, rising softly, stooped over the bed to watch theexpression of Rodin's countenance. But the latter did not give him time.As a galvanized corpse starts into strange and sudden motion, Rodinsprang into a sitting posture at the last words of the prelate.
"He has betrayed himself," said the cardinal, in a low voice, inItalian. Then, resuming his seat, he fixed on the Jesuit his eyes, thatsparkled with triumphant joy.
Though he did not hear the exclamation of Malipieri, nor remark theexpression of his countenance, Rodin, notwithstanding his state ofweakness, instantly felt the imprudence of his start. He pressed hishand to his forehead, as though he had been seized with a giddiness;then, looking wildly round him, he pressed to his trembling lips his oldcotton handkerchief, and gnawed it mechanically for some seconds.
"Your emotion and alarm confirm the sad discoveries I have made,"resumed the cardinal, still more rejoicing at the success of his trick;"and now, my dear father," added he, "you will understand that it isfor your best interest to enter into the most minute detail as to yourprojects and accomplices at Rome. You may then hope, my dear father,for the indulgence of the Holy See--that is, if your avowals aresufficiently explicit to fill up the chasms necessarily left in aconfession made during delirium."
Rodin, recovered from his first su
rprise, perceived, but too late, thathe had fallen into a snare, not by any words he had spoken, but by histoo significant movements. In fact, the Jesuit had feared for a momentthat he might have betrayed himself during his delirium, when he heardhimself accused of dark intrigues with Rome; but, after some minutes ofreflection, his common sense suggested: "If this crafty Roman knew mysecret, he would take care not to tell me so. He has only suspicions,confirmed by my involuntary start just now."
Rodin wiped the cold sweat from his burning forehead. The emotion ofthis scene augmented his sufferings, and aggravated the danger of hiscondition. Worn out with fatigue, he could not remain long in a sittingposture, and soon fell back upon the bed.
"Per Bacco!" said the cardinal to himself, alarmed at the expressionof the Jesuit's face; "if he were to die before he had spoken, and soescape the snare!"
Then, leaning over the bed, the prelate asked: "What is the matter, myvery dear father?"
"I am weak, my lord--I am in pain--I cannot express what I suffer."
"Let us hope, my very dear father, that this crisis will have no fatalresults; but the contrary may happen, and it behooves the salvationof your soul to make instantly the fullest confession. Were it even toexhaust your strength, what is this perishable body compared to eternallife?"
"Of what confession do you speak, my lord?" said Rodin, in a feeble andyet sarcastic tone.
"What confession!" cried the amazed cardinal; "why, with regard to yourdangerous intrigues at Rome."
"What intrigues?" asked Rodin.
"The intrigues you revealed during your delirium," replied the prelate,with still more angry impatience. "Were not your avowals sufficientlyexplicit? Why, then, this culpable hesitation to complete them?"
"My avowals--were explicit--you assure me?" said Rodin, pausing aftereach word for want of breath, but without losing his energy and presenceof mind.
"Yes, I repeat it," resumed the cardinal; "with the exception of a fewchasms, they were most explicit."
"Then why repeat them?" said Rodin, with the same sardonic smile on hisviolet lips.
"Why repeat them?" cried the angry prelate. "In order to gain pardon;for if there is indulgence and mercy for the repentant sinner, theremust be condemnation and curses for the hardened criminal!"
"Oh, what torture! I am dying by slow fire!" murmured Rodin. "Since Ihave told all," he resumed, "I have nothing more to tell. You know italready."
"I know all--doubtless, I know all," replied the prelate, in a voice ofthunder; "but how have I learned it? By confessions made in a stateof unconsciousness. Do you think they will avail you anything? No; themoment is solemn--death is at hand, tremble to die with a sacrilegiousfalsehood on your lips," cried the prelate, shaking Rodin violently bythe arm; "dread the eternal flames, if you dare deny what you know to bethe truth. Do you deny it?"
"I deny nothing," murmured Rodin, with difficulty. "Only leave mealone!"
"Then heaven inspires you," said the cardinal, with a sigh ofsatisfaction; and, thinking he had nearly attained his object, heresumed, "Listen to the divine word, that will guide you, father. Youdeny nothing?"
"I was--delirious--and cannot--(oh! how I suffer!)" added Rodin, by wayof parenthesis; "and cannot therefore--deny--the nonsense--I may haveuttered!"
"But when this nonsense agrees with the truth," cried the prelate,furious at being again deceived in his expectation; "but when raving isan involuntary, providential revelation--"
"Cardinal Malipieri--your craft is no match--for my agony," answeredRodin, in a failing voice. "The proof--that I have not told mysecret--if I have a secret--is--that you want to make me tell it!" Inspite of his pain and weakness, the Jesuit had courage to raise himselfin the bed, and look the cardinal full in the face, with a smile ofbitter irony. After which he fell back on the pillow, and pressed hishands to his chest, with a long sigh of anguish.
"Damnation! the infernal Jesuit has found me out!" said the cardinalto himself, as he stamped his foot with rage. "He sees that he wascompromised by his first movement; he is now upon his guard; I shall getnothing more from him--unless indeed, profiting by the state of weaknessin which he is, I can, by entreaties, by threats, by terror--"
The prelate was unable to finish. The door opened abruptly, and Fatherd'Aigrigny entered the room, exclaiming with an explosion of joy:"Excellent news!"