CHAPTER VIII. MOTHER BUNCH AND MDLLE. DE CARDOVILLE.
Agitated, attentive, uneasy, leaning from one of the convent-windows,the work-girl followed with her eyes the movements of Mdlle. deCardoville and Rose Simon, whom she so little expected to find togetherin such a place. The orphan, approaching close to the fence, whichseparated the nunnery-garden from that of Dr. Baleinier's asylum, spokea few words to Adrienne, whose features at once expressed astonishment,indignation, and pity. At this juncture, a nun came running, andlooking right and left, as though anxiously seeking for some one; then,perceiving Rose, who timidly pressed close to the paling, she seized herby the arm, and seemed to scold her severely, and notwithstanding someenergetic words addressed to her by Mdlle. de Cardoville, she hastilycarried off the orphan, who with weeping eyes, turned several times tolook back at Adrienne; whilst the latter, after showing the interestshe took in her by expressive gestures, turned away suddenly, as if toconceal her tears.
The passage in which the witness stood, during this touching scene, wassituated on the first story. The thought immediately occurred to thesempstress, to go down to the ground-floor, and try to get into thegarden, so that she might have an opportunity of speaking to the fairgirl with the golden hair, and ascertaining if it were really Mdlle. deCardoville, to whom; if she found her in a lucid interval, she might saythat Agricola had things of the greatest importance to communicate, butthat he did not know how to inform her of them. The day was advancing,the sun was on its decline, and fearing that Florine would be tiredof waiting for her, Mother Bunch made haste to act; with a light step,listening anxiously as she went, she reached the end of the passage,where three or four stairs led down to the landing-place of the pressroom, and then formed a spiral descent to the ground-floor. Hearingvoices in the pressroom, the sempstress hastened down the stairs, andfound herself in a long passage, in the centre of which was a glassdoor, opening on that part of the garden reserved for the superior.A path, bordered by a high box-hedge, sheltered her from the gaze ofcurious eyes, and she crept along it, till she reached the open paling;which, at this spot, separated the convent-garden from that of Dr.Baleinier's asylum. She saw Mdlle. de Cardoville a few steps from her,seated, and with her arm resting upon a rustic bench. The firmnessof Adrienne's character had for a moment been shaken by fatigue,astonishment, fright, despair, on the terrible night when she hadbeen taken to the asylum by Dr. Baleinier; and the latter, taking adiabolical advantage of her weakness and despondency, had succeededfor a moment in making her doubt of her own sanity. But the calm, whichnecessarily follows the most painful and violent emotions, combinedwith the reflection and reasoning of a clear and subtle intellect, soonconvinced Adrienne of the groundlessness of the fears inspired by thecrafty doctor. She no longer believed that it could even be a mistake onthe part of the man of science. She saw clearly in the conduct of thisman, in which detestable hypocrisy was united with rare audacity, andboth served by a skill no less remarkable, that M. Baleinier was, infact, the blind instrument of the Princess de Saint-Dizier. Fromthat moment, she remained silent and calm, but full of dignity; not acomplaint, not a reproach was allowed to pass her lips. She waited. Yet,though they left her at liberty to walk about (carefully depriving herof all means of communicating with any one beyond the walls), Adrienne'ssituation was harsh and painful, particularly for her, who so loved tobe surrounded by pleasant and harmonious objects. She felt, however,that this situation could not last long. She did not thoroughlyunderstand the penetration and action of the laws; but her good sensetaught her, that a confinement of a few days under the plea of someappearances of insanity, more or less plausible in themselves, mightbe attempted, and even executed with impunity; but that it could not beprolonged beyond certain limits, because, after all, a young lady ofher rank in society could not disappear suddenly from the world, withoutinquiries being made on the subject--and the pretence of a sudden attackof madness would lead to a serious investigation. Whether true or false,this conviction had restored Adrienne to her accustomed elasticity andenergy of character. And yet she sometimes in vain asked herself thecause of this attempt on her liberty. She knew too well the Princess deSaint-Dizier, to believe her capable of acting in this way, withouta certain end in view, and merely for the purpose of inflicting amomentary pang. In this, Mdlle. de Cardoville was not deceived: Fatherd'Aigrigny and the princess were both persuaded, that Adrienne, betterinformed than she wished to acknowledge, knew how important it was forher to find herself in the house in the Rue Saint-Francois on the 13thof February, and was determined to maintain her rights. In shutting upAdrienne as mad, it was intended to strike a fatal blow at her futureprospects; but this last precaution was useless, for Adrienne, thoughupon the true scent of the family-secret they lead wished to concealfrom her, had not yet entirely penetrated its meaning, for want ofcertain documents, which had been lost or hidden.
Whatever had been the motives for the odious conduct of Mdlle. deCardoville's enemies, she was not the less disgusted at it. No one couldbe more free from hatred or revenge, than was this generous young girl,but when she thought of all the sufferings which the Princess de SaintDizier, Abbe d'Aigrigny, and Dr. Baleinier had occasioned her, shepromised herself, not reprisals, but a striking reparation. If it wererefused her, she was resolved to combat--without truce or rest--thiscombination of craft, hypocrisy, and cruelty, not from resentment forwhat she had endured, but to preserve from the same torments otherinnocent victims, who might not, like her, be able to struggle anddefend themselves. Adrienne, still under the painful impression whichhad been caused by her interview with Rose Simon, was leaning againstone of the sides of the rustic bench on which she was seated, and heldher left hand over her eyes. She had laid down her bonnet beside her,and the inclined position of her head brought the long golden curlsover her fair, shining cheeks. In this recumbent attitude, so full ofcareless grace, the charming proportions of her figure were seen toadvantage beneath a watered green dress, while a broad collar, fastenedwith a rose-colored satin bow, and fine lace cuffs, prevented too stronga contrast between the hue of her dress and the dazzling whiteness ofthe swan-like neck and Raphaelesque hands, imperceptibly veined withtiny azure lines. Over the high and well-formed instep, were crossed thedelicate strings of a little, black satin shoe--for Dr. Baleinier hadallowed her to dress herself with her usual taste, and elegance ofcostume was not with Adrienne a mark of coquetry, but of duty towardsherself, because she had been made so beautiful. At sight of this younglady, whose dress and appearance she admired in all simplicity, withoutany envious or bitter comparison with her own poor clothes and deformityof person, Mother Bunch said immediately to herself, with the good senseand sagacity peculiar to her, that it was strange a mad woman shoulddress so sanely and gracefully. It was therefore with a mixture ofsurprise and emotion that she approached the fence which separated herfrom Adrienne--reflecting, however, that the unfortunate girl mightstill be insane, and that this might turn out to be merely a lucidinterval. And now, with a timid voice, but loud enough to be heard,Mother Bunch, in order to assure herself of Adrienne's identity, said,whilst her heart beat fast: "Mdlle. de Cardoville!"
"Who calls me?" said Adrienne. On hastily raising her head, andperceiving the hunchback, she could not suppress a slight cry ofsurprise, almost fright. For indeed this poor creature, pale, deformed,miserably clad, thus appearing suddenly before her, must have inspiredMdlle, de Cardoville, so passionately fond of grace and beauty, with afeeling of repugnance, if not of terror--and these two sentiments wereboth visible in her expressive countenance.
The other did not perceive the impression she had made. Motionless, withher eyes fixed, and her hands clasped in a sort of adoring admiration,she gazed on the dazzling beauty of Adrienne, whom she had only halfseen through the grated window. All that Agricola had told her of thecharms of his protectress, appeared to her a thousand times below thereality; and never, even in her secret poetic visions, had she dreamedof such rare perfection. Thus, by a singular contrast, a feelin
g ofmutual surprise came over these two girls--extreme types of deformityand beauty, wealth and wretchedness. After rendering, as it were, thisinvoluntary homage to Adrienne, Mother Bunch advanced another steptowards the fence.
"What do you want?" cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, rising with asentiment of repugnance, which could not escape the work-girl's notice;accordingly, she held down her head timidly, and said in a soft voice:"I beg your pardon, madame, to appear so suddenly before you. Butmoments are precious, I come from Agricola."
As she pronounced these words, the sempstress raised her eyes anxiously,fearing that Mdlle. de Cardoville might have forgotten the name ofthe workman. But, to her great surprise and joy, the fears of Adrienneseemed to diminish at the name of Agricola, and approaching the fence,she looked at the speaker with benevolent curiosity.
"You come from M. Agricola Baudoin?" said she. "Who are you?"
"His adopted sister, madame--a poor needlewoman, who lives in the samehouse."
Adrienne appeared to collect her thoughts, and said, smiling kindly,after a moment's silence: "It was you then, who persuaded M. Agricola toapply to me to procure him bail?"
"Oh, madame, do you remember--"
"I never forget anything that is generous and noble. M. Agricola wasmuch affected when he spoke of your devotion. I remember it well; itwould be strange if I did not. But how came you here, in this convent?"
"They told me that I should perhaps be able to get some occupation here,as I am out of work. Unfortunately, I have been refused by the ladysuperior."
"And how did you recognize me?"
"By your great beauty, madame, of which Agricola had told me."
"Or rather by this," said Adrienne, smiling as she lifted, with the tipsof her rosy fingers, one end of a long, silky ringlet of golden hair.
"You must pardon Agricola, madame," said the sewing girl, with one ofthose half smiles, which rarely settled on her lips: "he is a poet, andomitted no single perfection in the respectful and admiring descriptionwhich he gave of his protectress."
"And what induced you to come and speak to me?"
"The hope of being useful to you, madame. You received Agricola with somuch goodness, that I have ventured to go shares in his gratitude."
"You may well venture to do so, my dear girl," said Adrienne, withineffable grace; "until now, unfortunately, I have only been able toserve your adopted brother by intention."
As they exchanged these words, Adrienne and Mother Bunch looked at eachother with increasing surprise. The latter was, first of all, astonishedthat a person who passed for mad should express herself as Adriennedid; next, she was amazed at the ease and freedom with which she herselfanswered the questions of Mdlle. de Cardoville--not knowing that thelatter was endowed with the precious privilege of lofty and benevolentnatures, to draw out from those who approached her whatever sympathizedwith herself. On her side, Mdlle. de Cardoville was deeply moved andastonished to hear this young, low-born girl, dressed almost like abeggar, express herself in terms selected with so much propriety. Themore she looked at her, the more the feeling of repugnance she atfirst experienced wore off, and was at length converted into quite theopposite sentiment. With that rapid and minute power of observationnatural to women, she remarked beneath the black crape of Mother Bunch'scap, the smoothness and brilliancy of the fair, chestnut hair. Sheremarked, too, the whiteness of the long, thin hand, though it displayeditself at the end of a patched and tattered sleeve--an infallible proofthat care, and cleanliness, and self-respect were at least strugglingagainst symptoms of fearful distress. Adrienne discovered, also, in thepale and melancholy features, in the expression of the blue eyes, atonce intelligent, mild and timid, a soft and modest dignity, which madeone forget the deformed figure. Adrienne loved physical beauty, andadmired it passionately, but she had too superior a mind, too noble asoul, too sensitive a heart, not to know how to appreciate moral beauty,even when it beamed from a humble and suffering countenance. Only, thiskind of appreciation was new to Mdlle. de Cardoville; until now, herlarge fortune and elegant habits had kept her at a distance from personsof Mother Bunch's class. After a short silence, during which the fairpatrician and the poor work-girl had closely examined each other,Adrienne said to the other: "It is easy, I think, to explain the causeof our mutual astonishment. You have, no doubt, discovered that I speakpretty reasonably for a mad woman--if they have told you I am one. AndI," added Mdlle. de Cardoville, in a tone of respectful commiseration,"find that the delicacy of your language and manners so singularlycontrast with the position in which you appear to be, that my surprisemust be even greater than yours."
"Ah, madame!" cried Mother Bunch, with a welling forth of such deep andsincere joy that the tears started to her eyes; "is it true?--they havedeceived me--you are not mad! Just now, when I beheld you so kindand beautiful, when I heard the sweet tone of your voice, I could notbelieve that such a misfortune had happened to you. But, alas! how is itthen, madame, that you are in this place?"
"Poor child!" said Adrienne, touched by the affectionate interest ofthis excellent creature; "and how is it that you, with such a heart andhead, should be in such distress? But be satisfied! I shall not alwaysbe here--and that will suffice to tell you, that we shall both resumethe place which becomes us. Believe me, I shall never forget how, inspite of the painful ideas which must needs occupy your mind, on seeingyourself deprived of work--your only resource--you have still thought ofcoming to me, and of trying to serve me. You may, indeed, be eminentlyuseful to me, and I am delighted at it, for then I shall owe youmuch--and you shall see how I will take advantage of my gratitude!" saidAdrienne, with a sweet smile. "But," resumed she, "before talkingof myself, let us think of others. Is your adopted brother still inprison?"
"By this time, madame, I hope he has obtained his freedom; thanks to thegenerosity of one of his comrades. His father went yesterday to offerbail for him, and they promised that he should be released to-day. But,from his prison, he wrote to me, that he had something of importance toreveal to you."
"To me?"
"Yes, madame. Should Agricola be released immediately by what means canhe communicate with you?"
"He has secrets to tell me!" resumed Mdlle. de Cardoville, with an airof thoughtful surprise. "I seek in vain to imagine what they can be; butso long as I am confined in this house, and secluded from every one, M.Agricola must not think of addressing himself directly or indirectlyto me. He must wait till I am at liberty; but that is not all, he mustdeliver from that convent two poor children, who are much more to bepitied than I am. The daughters of Marshal Simon are detained thereagainst their will."
"You know their name, madame?"
"When M. Agricola informed me of their arrival in Paris, he told me theywere fifteen years old, and that they resembled each other exactly--sothat, the day before yesterday, when I took my accustomed walk, andobserved two poor little weeping faces come close to the windows oftheir separate cells, one on the ground floor, the other on the firststory, a secret presentiment told me that I saw in them the orphansof whom M. Agricola had spoken, and in whom I already took a livelyinterest, as being my relations."
"They are your relations, madame, then?"
"Yes, certainly. So, not being able to do more, I tried to express bysigns how much I felt for them. Their tears, and the sadness of theircharming faces, sufficiently told me that they were prisoners in theconvent, as I am myself in this house."
"Oh! I understand, madame--the victim of the animosity of your family?"
"Whatever may be my fate, I am much less to be pitied than these twochildren, whose despair is really alarming. Their separation is whatchiefly oppresses them. By some words that one of them just now said tome, I see that they are, like me, the victims of an odious machination.But thanks to you, it will be possible to save them: Since I have beenin this house I have had no communication with any one; they have notallowed me pen or paper, so it is impossible to write. Now listen to meattentively, and we shall be able to defeat an odious pe
rsecution."
"Oh, speak! speak, madame!"
"The soldier, who brought these orphans to France, the father of M.Agricola, is still in town?"
"Yes, madame. Oh! if you only knew his fury, his despair, when, on hisreturn home, he no longer found the children that a dying mother hadconfided to him!"
"He must take care not to act with the least violence. It would ruinall. Take this ring," said Adrienne, drawing it from her finger, "andgive it to him. He must go instantly--are you sure that you can remembera name and address?"
"Oh! yes, madame. Be satisfied on that point. Agricola only mentionedyour name once, and I have not forgotten it. There is a memory of theheart."
"I perceive it, my dear girl. Remember, then, the name of the Count deMontbron."
"The Count de Montbron--I shall not forget."
"He is one of my good old friends, and lives on the Place Vendome, No.7."
"Place Vendome, No. 7--I shall remember."
"M. Agricola's father must go to him this evening, and, if he is not athome, wait for his coming in. He must ask to speak to him, as if fromme, and send him this ring as a proof of what he says. Once with him, hemust tell him all--the abduction of the girls, the name of the conventwhere they are confined, and my own detention as a lunatic in the asylumof Dr. Baleinier. Truth has an accent of its own, which M. de Montbronwill recognize. He is a man of much experience and judgment, andpossessed of great influence. He will immediately take the necessarysteps, and to-morrow, or the day after, these poor orphans and myselfwill be restored to liberty--all thanks to you! But moments areprecious; we might be discovered; make haste, dear child!"
At the moment of drawing back, Adrienne said to Mother Bunch, with sosweet a smile and affectionate a tone, that it was impossible not tobelieve her sincere: "M. Agricola told me that I had a heart like yours.I now understand how honorable, how flattering those words were for me.Pray, give me your hand!" added Mdlle. de Cardoville, whose eyes werefilling with tears; and, passing her beautiful hand through an openingin the fence, she offered it to the other. The words and the gestureof the fair patrician were full of so much real cordiality, that thesempstress, with no false shame, placed tremblingly her own poor thinhand in Adrienne's, while the latter, with a feeling of pious respect,lifted it spontaneously to her lips, and said: "Since I cannot embraceyou as my sister, let me at least kiss this hand, ennobled by labor!"
Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the garden of Dr. Baleinier; Adriennewithdrew abruptly, and disappeared behind some trees, saying: "Courage,memory, and hope!"
All this had passed so rapidly that the young workwoman had no timeto speak or move; tears, sweet tears, flowed abundantly down her palecheeks. For a young lady, like Adrienne de Cardoville, to treat her as asister, to kiss her hand, to tell her that she was proud to resembleher in heart--her, a poor creature, vegetating in the lowest abyssof misery--was to show a spirit of fraternal equality, divine, as thegospel words.
There are words and impressions which make a noble soul forget years ofsuffering, and which, as by a sudden flash, reveal to it something ofits own worth and grandeur. Thus it was with the hunchback. Thanks tothis generous speech, she was for a moment conscious of her own value.And though this feeling was rapid as it was ineffable, she claspedher hands and raised her eyes to heaven with an expression of ferventgratitude; for, if the poor sempstress did not practise, to use thejargon of ultramontane cant, no one was more richly endowed with thatdeep religious sentiment, which is to mere dogmas what the immensity ofthe starry heaven is to the vaulted roof of a church.
Five minutes after quitting Mdlle. de Cardoville, Mother Bunch, havingleft the garden without being perceived, reascended to the first story,and knocked gently at the door of the press-room. A sister came to openthe door to her.
"Is not Mdlle. Florine, with whom I came, still here, sister?" asked theneedlewoman.
"She could not wait for you any longer. No doubt, you have come from ourmother the superior?"
"Yes, yes, sister," answered the sempstress, casting down her eyes;"would you have the goodness to show me the way out?"
"Come with me."
The sewing-girl followed the nun, trembling at every step lest sheshould meet the superior, who would naturally have inquired the cause ofher long stay in the convent.
At length the inner gate closed upon Mother Bunch. Passing rapidlyacross the vast court-yard and approaching the porter's lodge, to askhim to let her out, she heard these words pronounced in a gruff voice:"It seems, old Jerome, that we are to be doubly on our guard to-night.Well, I shall put two extra balls in my gun. The superior says we are tomake two rounds instead of one."
"I want no gun, Nicholas," said the other voice; "I have my sharpscythe, a true gardener's weapon--and none the worse for that."
Feeling an involuntary uneasiness at these words, which she had heard bymere chance, Mother Bunch approached the porter's lodge, and asked himto open the outer gate.
"Where do you come from?" challenged the porter, leaning half way outof his lodge, with a double barrelled gun, which he was occupied inloading, in his hand, and at the same time examining the sempstress witha suspicious air.
"I come from speaking to the superior," answered Mother Bunch timidly.
"Is that true?" said Nicholas roughly. "You look like a sanctifiedscarecrow. Never mind. Make haste and cut!"
The gate opened, and Mother Bunch went out. Hardly had she gone a fewsteps in the sweet, when, to her great surprise, she saw the dog Spoilsport run up to her, and his master, Dagobert, a little way behind him,arriving also with precipitation. She was hastening to meet the soldier,when a full, sonorous voice exclaimed from a little distance: "Oh mygood sister!" which caused the girl to turn round. From the oppositeside to that whence Dagobert was coming, she saw Agricola hurryingtowards the spot.