"Perhaps she is going to sleep indefinitely," answered the Mistress of the House. "But we will let John go on with his story."
"All these plans were carried out," continued John Gayther. "The next day the lady was taken out of the box, removed to her own chamber, and placed upon a couch. The garments she wore were just as fresh and well preserved as she was, and as Dr. Paltravi stood and looked at her, his heart swelling with emotion, he could see no reason why she should not imagine she had fallen asleep forty minutes before instead of forty years. The two doctors went to work, speaking seldom and in whispers, their faces pale and their hearts scarcely beating, so intense was their anxiety regarding the result of this great experiment. Jaqui was almost as much affected as Dr. Paltravi, and, in fact, his fears were greater, for he was not supported by the faith of the other. He could not help thinking of what would follow if everything did not turn out all right.
"But there was no need of anxiety. In a little while respiration was established; the heart began to beat gently; the blood slowly circulated; there was a little quiver about the lips--Donna Paltravi was alive! Her husband, on his knees beside her, lifted his eyes to heaven, and then, his head falling forward, he sank upon the floor."
"Oh," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the Daughter of the House, "I hope he did not die. That would have been good tragedy, but how dreadful!"
"No," answered the gardener, "he did not die; and Jaqui, his excitement giving him the strength of a giant, took the insensible man in his arms and carried him out of the room."
The Mistress of the House gave a little sigh of relief. "I am so glad he did," said she; "I was actually beginning to be afraid. I really do not want to be present when she first sees him."
John Gayther perfectly understood this remark, and took it to heart. It implied a little lack of faith in his dramatic powers, but it made things a great deal easier for him.
"Without reentering the room," continued he, "Jaqui partly closed the door, and gazed at the lady through a little crack."
"I do not know about that," said the Mistress of the House; "he should have gone in boldly."
"Excuse me," said John Gayther, "but I think not. This was a very important moment. n.o.body knew what would happen. She must not be shocked by seeing a stranger. At the same time, the eye of a professional man was absolutely necessary. Donna Paltravi slightly moved and sighed; then she opened her eyes and gazed for a few minutes at the ceiling; after which she turned her head upon the cushion of the couch, and in a clear, soft voice called out, "Rita!" This was the name of the girl now in waiting, as it had been the name of her mother, and she instantly appeared from the adjoining room. She had seen all that had happened, and was trembling so much she could scarcely stand; but she was a girl of nerve, and approached and stood by her mistress. "Rita," said the lady, without looking at her, "I am hungry; bring me some wine and a few of those cakes you bought yesterday."
"Dr. Paltravi had remembered everything that had pleased his wife; he had thought of the little cakes, and had scoured the town early in the morning to get some which resembled them; he knew her favorite wine, and had given Rita her instructions. Without delay the maid brought the refreshments, and in a few minutes the lady was sitting on the couch, a gla.s.s of wine in her hand. "Rita," said she, after eating and drinking a little, "you are dressed very awkwardly this morning. Have you been trying to make your own clothes?"
"The doctor had searched diligently in his wife"s closets for some garments belonging to her former maid, and he had thought he had succeeded in getting Rita to dress as her mother had dressed; but he did not remember these things as accurately as his wife remembered them.
"You know I do not like carelessness in dress," continued Donna Paltravi, "and now that I look at you more closely--"
""She is truly alive," said Jaqui, "and in full possession of her senses." And with this he closed the door.
"When the doctor recovered, both he and Jaqui were very glad to take some wine, for they had been under a dreadful strain."
"_Had been!_" exclaimed the Mistress of the House, who understood the heart of woman, and knew very well that the great strain had not yet come. "But what happened next, John?"
"The next thing happened too soon," replied the gardener. "In less than fifteen minutes the maid came to the two doctors and told them her lady demanded to see her husband; and if he were not in the house he must be sent for immediately. This greatly disturbed Jaqui, and he turned pale again. If he could have had his own way at that moment he would have put the lady back in her box and locked the door of the little room. He did not feel ready to tell the story he had to tell; but there was no help for it: he must do it, and that immediately. "Go in, Jaqui," said Dr. Paltravi; "prepare her mind as well as you can, and then I will see her."
""Hurry, please, sir," said the maid; "she is very impatient, and I cannot explain to her."
"Thus rea.s.sured, Jaqui followed the maid."
"The quick temper of Donna Paltravi reminds me of Edmond About"s story of "The Man with the Broken Ear,"" said the Mistress of the House. "The hero of that story was a soldier who had been preserved in a dried condition for many years, and who proved to be a very bad subject when he had been dampened and revived."
"I have read that novel," said John Gayther, considerably to the surprise of both his hearers, "and it belongs to the same cla.s.s as mine,--of course you know all stories are arranged in cla.s.ses,--but the one I am telling you is much more natural and true to life than the one written by the Frenchman."
"I am quite ready to believe that," said the Mistress of the House. "Now please go on."
The Daughter of the House did not say anything, but she looked very earnestly at the gardener; the conviction was forcing itself upon her that John Gayther himself had a story, and she hoped that some day she might hear it.
"Jaqui was very much surprised when he saw Donna Paltravi. He had seen her face so often that he was perfectly familiar with it, but now he found it had changed. In color it was not as lifelike as it had been in the box. She was pale, and somewhat excited. "My maid tells me you are a doctor, sir," said she. "But why do you come to me? If I need a doctor, and my husband is away, why is not Dr. Torquino here?"
""Madam," said Jaqui, his voice faltering a little, "you will excuse the intrusion of a stranger when I tell you that Dr. Torquino is dead.""
"Rather abrupt," said the Mistress of the House.
"He could not help it, madam," said John Gayther; "it popped out of his head. But it did not matter; Donna Paltravi had a quick perception.
"Oh," she exclaimed, "and I not know it!" Then she stopped and looked steadfastly at Jaqui. "I see," she said slowly; "I have been in one of my trances." Then she grew still paler. "But my husband, he is not dead?
Tell me he is not dead!" she cried.
""Oh, no," exclaimed Jaqui; "he is alive and well, and will be with you very soon." Donna Paltravi"s face lighted with an expression of great happiness; her color returned; and she looked almost as handsome as when she had been lying in the box. "Blessed be the holy Mary!" said she. "If he is well it does not matter what has happened. How long have I been in a trance?"
""I cannot say exactly," replied Jaqui, very much afraid to speak the truth; "in fact, I was not here when you went into it: but--"
""Oh, never mind, never mind!" she exclaimed. "My husband will tell me everything. I would much rather he should do so. But what ugly-fashioned clothes you are wearing, sir! Does everybody dress in that way now, or is it only doctors? I am sure I must have been asleep for a good while, and that I shall see some wonderful things. It is quite delightful to think of it. I can scarcely wait until my husband comes. I want him to tell me everything."
"When the greatly relieved Jaqui returned with this news he threw Dr. Paltravi into a state of rapture. His wife knew what had happened; she had not been shocked; she understood; and, above everything else, she longed to see him! After all these forty years he was now--this minute--to be with her again! She was longing to see him! With all the vigor of youth he bounded up the stairs.
"Now," said John Gayther, "we will pa.s.s over an interval of time."
"I think that will be very well indeed!" the Mistress of the House said approvingly.
"Not a long one, I hope," said her daughter, "for this is a breathless point in the story. I have worked it out in my own mind in three different ways already."
The gardener smiled with pleasure. He had a high regard for the mind of the Daughter of the House.
"Well," said he, "the interval is very short; it is really not more than twenty minutes. At the end of that brief s.p.a.ce of time Jaqui was surprised to see Dr. Paltravi reenter the room he had so recently left in all the wild excitement of an expectant lover. But what a changed man he was! Pale, haggard, wild-eyed, aged, he sank into a chair and covered his face with his hands."
"I was afraid of that! I was afraid of that!" exclaimed the Mistress of the House.
"And I, too," said her daughter, with tears in her eyes; "that was one of the ways in which I worked it out. But it is too dreadful. John Gayther, don"t you think you have made a mistake? If you were to consider it all carefully don"t you really believe it could not be that, at least not quite that?"
"I am sorry," said the gardener, "but I am sure this story could not have happened in any other way, and I think if you will wait until it is finished you will agree with me.
"For a few minutes the distressed husband could not speak, and then in faltering tones he told Jaqui what had happened. His wife had been so shocked and horrified at his appearance that she had come near fainting.
What made it worse was that it was evident she did not regard him as some strange old man. She had recognized him instantly. His form, his features, his carriage were perfectly familiar to her. She had known them all in her young dark-haired husband of forty years before; and here was that same husband gray-headed, gray-bearded, and repulsively old! She had turned away her head; she would not look at him. As soon as she could speak she had demanded to know how long she had been in her trance, and when the matter was explained her anger was unbounded.
"Dr. Paltravi never told Jaqui all that she said, but she must have used very severe language. She declared he had used her shamefully and wickedly in keeping her asleep for so long, and then wakening her to be the wife of a miserable old man just ready to totter into the grave. But she would not be his wife. She vowed she would have nothing to do with him. He had deserted her; he had treated her cruelly; and the holy father, the Pope, would look upon it in that light, and would separate her from him. With bitter reproaches she had told him to go away, and never to let her see him again."
"She ought to have been ashamed of herself," said the Daughter of the House. "I have no sympathy with her. Instead of upbraiding him she ought to have been grateful to him for the wonderful opportunities he had given her."
"But, John," said the Mistress of the House, "I do not believe the Pope could have separated them. The Roman Catholic Church does not sanction divorce."
"Not as a rule, madam," replied the gardener; "but I will touch on this point again. There was a good deal to be said on her side, it is true; but I am not going to take sides with any of the persons in my story.
She had driven away the poor doctor, and declared she would have nothing to do with him; and so the unhappy man told Jaqui he was going back to Milan, where he had been living, and would trouble his wife no more.
Then up jumped Jaqui in a terrible state of mind. Was he never to get rid of this lady? He declared to Paltravi he could not accept the responsibility. When she had been in the box it had been bad enough, but now it was impossible. He would go away to some place unknown. He would depart utterly and leave everything behind him.
"But on his knees Dr. Paltravi implored Jaqui to stay where he was, and to protect his wife for a time at least. He would send money, he would do everything he could, and perhaps, after a time, some arrangement could be made; but now he must go. He had been ordered to leave, and he must do so. It had not been two days since Paltravi and Jaqui had met, but already it seemed to them that they were old friends. Strange circ.u.mstances had bound them together, and Jaqui now found he could not refuse the charge which was thrust upon him; and Dr. Paltravi departed.
"Donna Paltravi did not allow her anger to deprive her of her opportunities. There were so many new things she wanted to see that she set about seeing them with great earnestness and industry, and she enjoyed her new world very much indeed. The news of her revivification spread abroad rapidly, for such a thing could not be concealed; and many people came to see her. She was beautiful and popular, and adopted new fashions as soon as she learned them. Jaqui had nothing to say to all this; he had no right now to keep people from seeing her.
"Very soon there came to her the fool-poet. Now Jaqui began to hope. He had been a.s.sured by his priest that, under the circ.u.mstances, the church would dissolve this young lady"s marriage with Paltravi, and if Florino would marry her Jaqui might look forward to a peaceful life. Now whether the priest had a right to say this I will not take it on myself to say; but he did say it: and so Jaqui did not feel called upon to interfere with the courtship of the fool-poet. He decided that as soon as possible he would go away from that house. He had a dislike for houses with three floors, and his next habitation should be carefully selected; if so much as a preserved bug or a b.u.t.terfly in a box should be found on the premises, that symbol of evil should be burned and its ashes scattered afar.
"Jaqui had every reason to hope. Florino literally threw himself at the feet of the fair Donna Paltravi; and she was delighted with him. He was somewhat younger than she was, but that had been the case with her first lover, and she had not objected. The two young people got on famously together, although there was now a duenna as well as a maid on the second floor. Jaqui was greatly comforted. He spent a good deal of his spare time going about Florence looking for a desirable house with two floors. The courtship went on merrily, and there was talk of the wedding; and, while Jaqui could not help pitying the poor old man in Milan, he could not altogether blame the gay young woman in Florence, who was now generally looked upon as a lady who had lost her husband.