CHAPTER XXXII. SUICIDE.
Cephyse and her sister continued with calmness the preparations fortheir death.
Alas! how many poor young girls, like these sisters, have been, andstill will be, fatally driven to seek in suicide a refuge from despair,from infamy, or from a too miserable existence! And upon societywill rest the terrible responsibility of these sad deaths, so long asthousands of human creatures, unable to live upon the mockery of wagesgranted to their labor, have to choose between these three gulfs ofshame and woe; a life of enervating toil and mortal privations, causesof premature death; prostitution, which kills also, but slowly--bycontempt, brutality, and uncleanness; suicide--which kills at once.
In a few minutes, the two sisters had constructed, with the straw oftheir couch, the calkings necessary to intercept the air, and to rendersuffocation more expeditious and certain.
The hunchback said to her sister, "You are the taller, Cephyse, and mustlook to the ceiling; I will take care of the window and door."
"Be satisfied, sister; I shall have finished before you," answeredCephyse.
And the two began carefully to stop up every crevice through which acurrent of air could penetrate into the ruined garret. Thanks to hertall stature, Cephyse was able to reach the holes in the roof, andto close them up entirely. When they had finished this sad work, thesisters again approached, and looked at each other in silence.
The fatal moment drew near; their faces, though still calm, seemedslightly agitated by that strange excitement which always accompanies adouble suicide.
"Now," said Mother Bunch, "now for the fire!"
She knelt down before the little chafing-dish, filled with charcoal. ButCephyse took hold of her under the arm, and obliged her to rise again,saying to her, "Let me light the fire--that is my business."
"But, Cephyse--"
"You know, poor sister, that the smell of charcoal gives you theheadache!"
At the simplicity of this speech, for the Bacchanal Queen had spokenseriously, the sisters could not forbear smiling sadly.
"Never mind," resumed Cephyse; "why suffer more and sooner than isnecessary?"
Then, pointing to the mattress, which still contained a little straw,Cephyse added, "Lie down there, good little sister; when our fire isalight, I will come and sit down by you."
"Do not be long, Cephyse."
"In five minutes it will be done."
The tall building, which faced the street, was separated by a narrowcourt from that which contained the retreat of the two sisters, and wasso much higher, that when the sun had once disappeared behind its loftyroof, the garret soon became dark. The light, passing through the dirtypanes of the small window, fell faintly on the blue and white patchworkof the old mattress, on which Mother Bunch was now stretched, coveredwith rags. Leaning on her left arm, with her chin resting in the palmof her hand, she looked after her sister with an expression ofheart-rending grief. Cephyse, kneeling over the chafing-dish, with herface close to the black charcoal, above which already played a littlebluish flame, exerted herself to blow the newly-kindled fire, which wasreflected on the pale countenance of the unhappy girl.
The silence was deep. No sound was heard but the panting breath ofCephyse, and, at intervals, the slight crackling of the charcoal, whichbegan to burn, and already sent forth a faint sickening vapor. Cephyse,seeing the fire completely lighted, and feeling already a little dizzy,rose from the ground, and said to her sister, as she approached her, "Itis done!"
"Sister," answered Mother Bunch, kneeling on the mattress, whilstCephyse remained standing, "how shall we place ourselves? I should liketo be near you to the last."
"Stop!" said Cephyse, half executing the measures of which she spoke,"I will sit on the mattress with my back against the wall. Now, littlesister, you lie there. Lean your head upon my knees, and give me yourhand. Are you comfortable so?"
"Yes--but I cannot see you."
"That is better. It seems there is a moment--very short, it is true--inwhich one suffers a good deal. And," added Cephyse, in a voice ofemotion, "it will be as well not to see each other suffer."
"You are right, Cephyse."
"Let me kiss that beautiful hair for the last time," said Cephyse, asshe pressed her lips to the silky locks which crowned the hunchback'spale and melancholy countenance, "and then--we will remain very quiet."
"Sister, your hand," said the sewing-girl; "for the last time, yourhand--and then, as you say, we will move no more. We shall not have towait long, I think, for I begin to feel dizzy. And you, sister?"
"Not yet," replied Cephyse; "I only perceive the smell of the charcoal."
"Do you know where they will bury us?" said Mother Bunch, after amoment's silence.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because I should like it to be in Pere-la-Chaise. I went there oncewith Agricola and his mother. What a fine view there is!--and thenthe trees, the flowers, the marble--do you know the dead are betterlodged--than the living--and--"
"What is the matter, sister?" said Cephyse to her companion, who hadstopped short, after speaking in a slow voice.
"I am giddy--my temples throb," was the answer. "How do you feel?"
"I only begin to be a little faint; it is strange--the effect is slowerwith me than you."
"Oh! you see," said Mother Bunch, trying to smile, "I was always soforward. At school, do you remember, they said I was before the others.And, now it happens again."
"I hope soon to overtake you this time," said Cephyse.
What astonished the sisters was quite natural. Though weakened by sorrowand misery, the Bacchanal Queen, with a constitution as robust as theother was frail and delicate, was necessarily longer than her sister infeeling the effects of the deleterious vapor. After a moment's silence,Cephyse resumed, as she laid her hand on the head she still held uponher knees, "You say nothing, sister! You suffer, is it not so?"
"No," said Mother Bunch, in a weak voice; "my eyelids are heavy aslead--I am getting benumbed--I feel that I speak more slowly--but I haveno acute pain. And you, sister?"
"Whilst you were speaking, I felt giddy--and now my temples throbviolently."
"As it was with me just now. One would think it was more painful anddifficult to die."
Then after a moment's silence, the hunchback said suddenly to hersister, "Do you think that Agricola will much regret me, and think of mefor some time?"
"How can you ask?" said Cephyse, in a tone of reproach.
"You are right," answered Mother Bunch, mildly; "there is a bad feelingin such a doubt--but if you knew--"
"What, sister?"
The other hesitated for an instant, and then said, dejectedly,"Nothing." Afterwards, she added, "Fortunately, I die convinced thathe will never miss me. He married a charming girl, who loves him, I amsure, and will make him perfectly happy."
As she pronounced these last words, the speaker's voice grew fainterand fainter. Suddenly she started and said to Cephyse, in atrembling, almost frightened tone, "Sister! Hold me in your arms--I amafraid--everything looks dark--everything is turning round." And theunfortunate girl, raising herself a little, hid her face in her sister'sbosom, and threw his weak arms around her.
"Courage, sister!" said Cephyse, in a voice which was also growingfaint, as she pressed her closer to her bosom; "it will soon be over."
And Cephyse added, with a kind of envy, "Oh! why does my sister'sstrength fail so much sooner than mine? I have still my perfectsenses and I suffer less than she does. Oh! if I thought she woulddie first!--But, no--I will go and hold my face over the chafing-dishrather."
At the movement Cephyse made to rise, a feeble pressure from her sisterheld her back. "You suffer, my poor child!" said Cephyse, trembling.
"Oh yes! a good deal now--do not leave me!"
"And I scarcely at all," said Cephyse, gazing wildly at thechafing-dish. "Ah!" added she, with a kind of fatal! joy; "now I beginto feel it--I choke--my head is ready to split."
And indeed the destructive g
as now filled the little chamber, from whichit had, by degrees, driven all the air fit for respiration. The day wasclosing in, and the gloomy garret was only lighted by the reflection ofthe burning charcoal, which threw a red glare on the sisters, lockedin each other's arms. Suddenly Mother Bunch made some slightconvulsive movements, and pronounced these words in a failing voice:"Agricola--Mademoiselle de Cardoville--Oh! farewell!--Agricola--I--"
Then she murmured some unintelligible words; the convulsive momentsceased, and her arms, which had been clasped round Cephyse, fell inertupon the mattress.
"Sister!" cried Cephyse, in alarm, as she raised Mother Bunch's head, tolook at her face. "Not already, sister!--And I?--and I?"
The sewing-girl's mild countenance was not paler than usual. Only hereyes, half-closed, seemed no longer to see anything, and a half-smileof mingled grief and goodness lingered an instant about her violet lips,from which stole the almost imperceptible breath--and then the mouthbecame motionless, and the face assumed a great serenity of expression.
"But you must not die before me!" cried Cephyse, in a heart-rendingtone, as she covered with kisses the cold cheek. "Wait for me, sister!wait for me!"
Mother Bunch did not answer. The head, which Cephyse let slip from herhands, fell back gently on the mattress.
"My God. It is not my fault, if we do not die together!" cried Cephysein despair, as she knelt beside the couch, on which the other laymotionless.
"Dead!" she murmured in terror. "Dead before me!--Perhaps it is that Iam the strongest. Ah! it begins--fortunately--like her, I see everythingdark-blue--I suffer--what happiness!--I can scarcely breathe. Sister!"she added, as she threw her arms round her loved one's neck; "I amcoming--I am here!"
At the same instant the sound of footsteps and voices was heard from thestaircase. Cephyse had still presence of mind enough to distinguishthe sound. Stretched beside the body of her sister, she raised her headhastily.
The noise approached, and a voice was heard exclaiming, not far from thedoer: "Good heavens! what a smell of fire!"
And, at the same instant, the door was violently shaken, and anothervoice exclaimed: "Open! open!"
"They will come in--they will save me--and my sister is dead--Oh, no! Iwill not have the baseness to survive her!"
Such was the last thought of Cephyse. Using what little strength she hadleft, she ran to the window and opened it--and, at the same instantthat the half-broken door yielded to a vigorous effort from without, theunfortunate creature precipitated herself from that third story into thecourt below. Just then, Adrienne and Agricola appeared on the thresholdof the chamber. In spite of the stifling odor of the charcoal, Mdlle. deCardoville rushed into the garret, and, seeing the stove, she exclaimed,"The unhappy girl has killed herself!"
"No, she has thrown herself from the window," cried Agricola: for, atthe moment of breaking open the door, he had seen a human form disappearin that direction, and he now ran to the window.
"Oh! this is frightful!" he exclaimed, with a cry of horror, as he puthis hand before his eyes, and returned pale and terrified to Mdlle. deCardoville.
But, misunderstanding the cause of his terror, Adrienne, who had justperceived Mother Bunch through the darkness, hastened to answer: "No!she is here."
And she pointed to the pale form stretched on the mattress, beside whichAdrienne now threw herself on her knees. Grasping the hands of the poorsempstress, she found them as cold as ice. Laying her hand on her heart,she could not feel it beat. Yet, in a few seconds, as the fresh airrushed into the room from the door and window, Adrienne thought sheremarked an almost imperceptible pulsation, and she exclaimed: "Herheart beats! Run quickly for help! Luckily, I have my smelling bottle."
"Yes, yes! help for her--and for the other too, if it is yet time!"cried the smith in despair, as he rushed down the stairs, leaving Mdlle.de Cardoville still kneeling by the side of the mattress.
BOOK X.
XXXIII. Confessions XXXIV. More Confessions XXXV. The Rivals XXXVI. The Interview XXXVII. Soothing Words XXXVIII. The Two Carriages XXXIX. The Appointment XL. Anxiety XLI. Adrienne and Djalma XLII. "The Imitation" XLIII. Prayer XLIV. Remembrances XLV. The Blockhead XLVI. The Anonymous Letters XLVII. The Golden City XLVIII. The Stung Lion XLIX. The Test