"Oh, it is so much the worse for you, darling, that it is so long since my heart has poured forth. Think, then, how, with my fear of awakening in you the remembrances of the past which I wish to annihilate, and that I will forever annihilate in your mind, I dared not converse to you of these comparisons, these parallels, which render you so admirable in my eyes. How many times have Clemence and I been enraptured with you. How many times moved so that the tears rose in her eyes, has she said to me, "Is it not wonderful that this child should be what she is, after misfortune has so pursued her? or, rather," would Clemence continue, "is it not wonderful that, far from impairing that n.o.ble and rare nature, misfortune has, on the contrary, given a higher range to what there was excellent in her?""
At this moment the door opened, and Clemence, Grand d.u.c.h.ess of Gerolstein, entered, holding a letter in her hand.
"Here, my friend," said she to Rudolph, "is a letter from France. I wish to bring it to you, that I might say good-morning to my indolent child, whom I have not seen this morning," added Clemence, embracing Fleur-de-Marie tenderly.
"This letter comes just at the right moment," said Rudolph, gayly, after having read it through. "We were talking just now of the past; of that monster we must incessantly combat, my dear Clemence, for it threatens the repose and happiness of our dear child."
"Is this true, my friend? those attacks of melancholy which we have observed--"
"Have no other cause than wicked remembrances; but, fortunately, we now know our enemy, and we will triumph over it."
"But from whom, then, is this letter, my friend?" asked Clemence.
"From Rigolette, the wife of Germain."
"Rigolette!" exclaimed Fleur-de-Marie; "what happiness to hear from her!"
"My friend," said Clemence, aside to Rudolph, at the same time glancing at Fleur-de-Marie, "do you not fear that this letter may recall to her painful recollections?"
"These are those very remembrances I wish to put an end to, my dear Clemence: we must approach them boldly, and I am sure that I shall find in Rigolette"s letter excellent arms against them, for this excellent little creature adored our child, and appreciated her as she should be."
And Rudolph read aloud the following letter:--
"Bouqueval Farm, August 15th, 1841.
"YOUR HIGHNESS, I take the liberty of writing to you again, to make you a sharer of a great happiness which has befallen us, and to ask a new favor of you, to whom we already owe so many, or, rather, to whom we owe the perfect paradise in which we live, I, my Germain, and his good mother.
"This is the cause, my lord; for ten days I have been mad with joy, for it is ten days since I have possessed the love of a little girl: I fancy that she is the very picture of Germain; be, that she is of me; our dear Mamma George says that she resembles both; the fact is she has charming blue eyes like Germain, and black hair, curly, like mine. Just now, contrary to his custom, my husband is unjust; he wishes to have our little one always upon his knees, while it is my right, is it not, my lord?"
"Fine, worthy young persons! they ought to be happy," said Rudolph. "If ever couple were well matched, it is they."
"And Rigolette deserves her happiness," said Fleur-de Marie.
"I have always blessed the good fortune that caused me to meet them," said Rudolph, and he continued, "But, indeed, my lord, pardon my burdening you with these little family quarrels that end always with a kiss. Certainly your ears must tingle well, my lord, for there does not pa.s.s a day that we do not say, looking at each other, we too, Germain and I, "How happy we are! O, G.o.d, how happy we are!" and, naturally, your name follows directly after these words. Excuse the scrawl there is just here, my lord, and the blot; I had written without thinking, M. Rudolph, as I used to say, and I have scratched it out. I hope, by the way, that you will find my writing has improved much, as well as my orthography, for Germain always shows me how, and I no longer make great blots stretching all across, as when you made my pens."
"I must confess," said Rudolph, laughing, "that my friend is under a slight illusion, and I am sure that Germain is occupied rather with kissing the hand of his pupil than directing it."
"Come, come, my dear, you are right," said Clemence, looking at the letter, "the writing is rather large, but very legible."
"In truth, there is some progress," said Rudolph; "formerly it would have taken eight pages to contain what she writes now in two."
And he continued: "It is, however, true, that you have made pens for me, my lord; when we think of it, Germain and I, we are quite ashamed, in recalling how far from proud you were. Oh, here again do I find myself speaking to you of something besides what we wish to ask you, my lord; for my husband unites with me, and it is very important; we have formed a plan.
You shall see. We supplicate you, then, my lord, to have the goodness to choose and give us a name for our dear girl; it is agreed upon with the G.o.dfather and G.o.dmother, and this G.o.dfather and G.o.dmother, do you know who they are, my lord? Two persons whom you and her ladyship the Marchioness d"Harville have raised from misery to render happy, happy as we are. In a word, they are Morel, the jeweler, and Jeanne Duport, the sister of a poor prisoner named Pique-Vinaigre, a worthy woman whom I saw in prison when I went to visit my poor Germain there, and whom, afterward, her ladyship, the marchioness, brought out from the hospital. Now, my lord, you must know why we have chosen M. Morel for G.o.dfather, and Jeanne Duport for G.o.dmother. We said one to another, Germain and I, this will be a way of thanking M.
Rudolph again for his kindness, by taking for G.o.dfather and G.o.dmother of our little girl worthy people who owe everything to him and to the marchioness, without taking into consideration that Morel the jeweler and Jeanne Duport are the cream of honest people. They are of our cla.s.s, and besides, as Germain and I say, they are our kindred in happiness, for they are like us, of the family of your _protegees_, my lord."
"Oh, father, has not this idea a charming delicacy," said Fleur-de-Marie, with emotion, "to take as G.o.dfather and G.o.dmother of their child those who owe everything to you and my second mother."
"You are right, dear child," said Clemence; "I am most deeply touched by this token."
"And I am very glad that I have so well bestowed my benefits," said Rudolph, continuing to read.
"Besides, with the aid of the money you have given him, M. Rudolph, Morel is now a dealer in precious stones; he gains something to bring up his family upon, and the means of teaching his children some trade. The good Louise will, I think, marry a worthy laborer, who loves and respects her, as he should, for she has been unfortunate, but not guilty, and the betrothed of Louise has heart enough to understand this."
"I was very certain," exclaimed Rudolph, addressing his daughter, "of finding in dear little Rigolette"s letter arms against our enemy! You hear, it is the expression of the plain common sense of this honest and upright soul. She says of Louise, "She has been unfortunate, but not guilty, and her betrothed has heart enough to understand this.""
Fleur-de-Marie, more and more moved and saddened by the reading of this letter, trembled at the glance that her father fixed upon her, for a moment, as he emphasized the above last words.
The prince continued: "I will tell you also, my lord, that Jeanne Duport, through the generosity of the marchioness, has been able to be separated from her husband, that wicked man who ate her out of everything and beat her; she has taken her eldest daughter with her, and she keeps a little lace shop, where she sells what she and her children make; their trade prospers. There are nowhere such happy people, and thanks to whom! thanks to you, my lord, to the marchioness, who both know how to give so much, and to give to so good purpose.
"By the way, Germain will write to you as usual, my lord, at the end of the month, on the subject of the Bank for Laborers out of employment, and of gratuitous loans; the reimburs.e.m.e.nts are seldom behindhand, and we perceive already much good that this spreads in this quarter. Now, at least, poor families can get through the dull season for work without putting their linens and beds in pledge. Then when work returns, you should see with what spirit they put themselves to it; they are so proud that confidence is placed in their work and their probity! And, indeed, it is not only this you should see. Besides, how they bless you for having lent them the wherewithal. Yes, my lord, they bless you, _you_, for although you say you have done nothing in its inst.i.tution but to nominate Germain for head cashier, and that it is an unknown who has done this good work, we like better to believe that it is to you we owe it; it is more natural. Besides, there is a famous trumpet to repeat on every occasion that it is you we should bless; this trumpet is Madame Pipelet, who repeats to every one that it is only her _prince of tenants_ (excuse me, M. Rudolph, she always calls you so) who can have done this charitable work, and her Darling Alfred is of her opinion. As to him, he is so proud and so pleased with his office of bank porter, that he says that the employment of M. Cabrion would be nothing to him. To end your family of _protegees_, my lord, I will add that Germain has read in the papers that Martial, a planter in Algiers, has been spoken of with great praises for the courage he had shown in repulsing, at the head of his farmers, an attack of thievish Arabs, and that his wife, as intrepid as himself, had been slightly wounded in the side while she was discharging her gun like a real grenadier. From that time, they say in the papers, she has been called "Mrs. Rifle." Excuse this long letter, my lord, but I thought you would not be sorry to hear from us concerning those whose good Providence you have been. I write to you from the farm at Bouqueval, where we have been since spring with our good mother. Germain leaves every morning for his business, and returns at night. In the autumn we shall go back to live in Paris. How strange it is, M. Rudolph, I, who never loved the country, adore it now. I make it clear to myself: it is because Germain loves it so much. Speaking of the farm, M.
Rudolph, you, who undoubtedly know where that good little Goualeuse is--if you have an opportunity, tell her how we always remember her as one of the sweetest and best beings in the world; and that I myself never think of our happiness without saying, since M. Rudolph was also the M. Rudolph of dear Fleur-de-Marie, through his care she must be as happy as we; and this makes my happiness yet more perfect. How I run on! What will you say to me, my lord? But oh! you are so good! And then, you see, it is your fault if I chatter as much and as joyously as Papa Cretu and Ramonette, who no longer dare to rival me in singing. Indeed, M. Rudolph, I can tell you, I put it into their mouths. You will not refuse us one request, will you, my lord?
If you give a name to our dear little child, it seems to us it will bring her good fortune, it will be like a happy star for her; believe it, M.
Rudolph, sometimes my good Germain and I almost congratulate ourselves for having known so much sorrow, because we feel doubly how happy our child will be not to know what is the misery through which we have pa.s.sed. If I close by telling, M. Rudolph, that we endeavor to aid poor people here and there, according to our means, it is not to boast of ourselves, but that you may know we do not keep to ourselves alone all the happiness you have given us; beside, we always say to those we succor, "It is not we that you must thank and bless, it is M. Rudolph, the best, most generous man that there is in the world; "and they take you for a kind of _saint_, if nothing more. Adieu, my lord! believe me, when our little girl shall begin to spell, the first words she shall read will be your name, M. Rudolph, and afterward, those words you caused to be written upon my wedding gift:
"Labor, and wisdom--honor and happiness."
"With the help of these four words, our tenderness and our care, we hope, my lord, that our child will be always worthy to speak the name of him who has been our good Providence, and that of all the wretched ones he has known. Pardon, my lord, for finishing thus; I have such large tears in my eyes-they are good tears--excuse, if you please--it is not my fault--but I cannot see clearly, so that I write badly.
"I have the honor, my lord, to salute you with as much respect as grat.i.tude, RIGOLETTE GERMAIN."
"P.S.--Oh! my lord, in reading over my letter, I perceive that I have very often written _M. Rudolph_. You will pardon me? I may hope so? You know well that under one name or another, we respect and bless you the same, my lord."
"Dear little Rigolette," said Clemence, softened by the letter which Rudolph had just read. "This simple epistle is full of sensibility."
"Undoubtedly," replied Rudolph, "a benefit was never better bestowed. Our friend is endowed with an excellent disposition; she has a heart of gold, and our dear child appreciates her as we do," added he, addressing his daughter. Then, struck with her paleness and emotion, he cried:
"But what is the matter?"
"Alas, what a sad contrast between my position and Rigolette"s. Work and wisdom--honor and happiness--those four words tell all that has happened to her. A laborious and sensible daughter, a beloved wife, a happy mother, an honored woman--such is her destiny--while I--"
"Great G.o.d, what are you saying?"
"Pardon, my good father, do not accuse me of ingrat.i.tude, but notwithstanding your ineffable tenderness, notwithstanding that of my second mother, notwithstanding your sovereign power, notwithstanding the respect and splendor with which I am surrounded, my shame is incurable.
Nothing can annihilate the past--once more, pardon me, my father. I have until now concealed it from you, but the remembrance of my former degradation throws me into despair--it kills me."
"Clemence, do you hear her?" cried Rudolph, in despair.
"But, my poor child," said Clemence, taking affectionately the hands of Fleur-de-Marie in her own, "our tenderness, the affection of those who surround you, and which you so well merit, does not all this prove to you that the past should be to you only a vain and bad dream?"
"Oh, fatality, fatality!" resumed Rudolph. "Now I curse my fears and silence; that sad idea, so long rooted in her mind, has made there, unknown to us, dreadful ravages, and it is too late to contend against this deplorable error; alas! how unfortunate I am."
"Courage, my dear," said Clemence to Rudolph; "you just now said it is better to know the enemy which threatens us. We now know the cause of our dear child"s sorrow! we shall triumph over it, because we shall have reason, justice, and tenderness on our side."
"And then at last, because she will see that her affliction, if it were incurable, would render ours incurable also," replied Rudolph, "for in truth it would be to despair of all justice, human and Divine, if our poor child had only a change of sufferings."
After a silence of some moments, during which Fleur-de-Marie appeared to be collecting herself, she took with one hand Rudolph"s, with the other Clemence"s, and said to them, with a voice expressive of deep emotion: "Listen to me, my good father, and you also, my loving mother, this day is a solemn one--G.o.d has granted, and I thank Him for it, that it should be impossible for me to conceal from you any longer what I feel. In a little time I should, in any event, have made to you the confession you are now about to hear, for all suffering has an end, and concealed as mine has been, I should not have been able to keep silence to you much longer."