Henrietta drew back her arm, which she had wound round her father"s neck; and, rising suddenly, she said,- "You think of marrying again?"
He turned his head aside, hesitated moment, and then replied,- "Yes."
At first the poor girl could not utter a word, so great were her stupor, her indignation, her bitter grief; then she made an effort, and said in a pained voice,- "Do you really tell me so, papa? What! you would bring another wife to this house, which is still alive with the voice of her whom we have lost? You would make her sit down in the chair in which she used to sit, and let her rest her feet on the cushion which she embroidered? Perhaps you would even want me to call her mamma? Oh, dear papa! surely you do not think of such profanation!"
The count"s trouble was pitiful to behold. And yet, if Henrietta had been less excited, she would have read in his eye that his mind was made up.
"What I mean to do is done in your behalf, my dear child," he stammered out at last. "I am old; I may die; we have no near relations; what would become of you without a friend?"
She blushed crimson; but she said timidly,- "But, papa, there is M. Daniel Champcey."
"Well?"
The count"s eyes shone with delight as he saw that she was falling into the pit he had dug for her. The poor girl went on,- "I thought-I had hoped-poor mamma had told me-in fact, since you had allowed M. Daniel to come here"- "You thought I intended to make him my son-in-law?"
She made no answer.
"That was in fact the idea your mother had. She had certainly very odd notions, against which I had to use the whole strength of my firm will. A sailor is a sorry kind of husband, my dear child; a word from his minister may part him for years from his wife."
Henrietta remained silent. She began to understand the nature of the bargain which her father proposed to her, and it made her indignant. He thought he had said enough for this time, and left her with these words,- "Consider, my child; for my part, I will also think of it."
What should she do? There were a hundred ways; but which to choose? Finding herself alone, she took a pen, and for the first time in her life she wrote to Daniel:- "I must speak to you instantly. Pray come.
"Henrietta."
She gave the letter to a servant, ordering him to carry it at once to its address; and then she waited in a state of feverish anxiety, counting the minutes.
Daniel Champcey had, in a house not far from the university, three rooms, the windows of which looked out upon the gardens of an adjoining mansion, where the flowers bloomed brilliantly, and the birds sang joyously. There he spent almost all the time which was not required by his official duties. A walk in company with his friend, Maxime de Brevan; a visit to the theatre, when a particularly fine piece was to be given; and two or three calls a week at Count Ville-Handry"s house,-these were his sole and certainly very harmless amus.e.m.e.nts.
"A genuine old maid, that sailor is," said the concierge of the house.
The truth is, that, if Daniel"s natural refinement had not kept him from contact with what Parisians call "pleasure," his ardent love for Henrietta would have prevented his falling into bad company. A pure, n.o.ble love, such as his, based upon perfect confidence in her to whom it is given, is quite sufficient to fill up a life; for it makes the present delightful, and paints the distant horizon of the future in all the bright colors of the rainbow.
But, the more he loved Henrietta, the more he felt bound to be worthy of her, and to deserve her affections. He was not ambitious. He had chosen a profession which he loved. He had a considerable fortune of his own, and was thus, by his private income and his pay as an officer, secured against want. What more could he desire? Nothing for himself.
But Henrietta belonged to a great house; she was the daughter of a man who had filled a high position; she was immensely rich; and, even if he had married her only with her own fortune, she would have brought him ten times as much as he had. Daniel did not want Henrietta, on the blessed day when she should become his own, to have any thing to wish for or to regret. Hence he worked incessantly, indefatigably, waking up every morning anew with the determination to make himself one of those names which weigh more than the oldest parchments, and to win one of those positions which make a wife as proud as she is fond of her husband. Fortunately, the times were favorable to his ambition. The French navy was in a state of transformation; but the marine was as yet unreformed, waiting, apparently, for the hand of a man of genius.
And why might not he be that man? Supported by his love, he saw nothing impossible in that thought, and fancied he could overcome all obstacles.
"Do you see that d-- little fellow, there, with his quiet ways?" said Admiral Penhoel to his young officers. "Well, look at him; he"ll checkmate you all."
Daniel was busy in his study, finishing a paper for the minister, when the count"s servant came and brought him Henrietta"s letter. He knew that something extraordinary must have happened to induce Henrietta, with her usual reserve, to take such a step, and, above all, to write to him in such brief but urgent terms.
"Has any thing happened at the house?" he asked the servant.
"No, sir, not that I know."
"The count is not sick?"
"No, sir."
"And Miss Henrietta?"
"My mistress is perfectly well."
Daniel breathed more freely.
"Tell Miss Henrietta I am coming at once; and make haste, or I shall be there before you."
As soon as the servant had left, Daniel dressed, and a moment later he was out of the house. As he walked rapidly up the street in which the count lived, he thought,- "I have no doubt taken the alarm too soon; perhaps she has only some commission for me."
But he was beset with dark presentiments, and had to tell himself that that was not likely to be the case. He felt worse than ever, when, upon being shown into the drawing-room, he saw Henrietta sitting by the fire, deadly pale, with her eyes all red and inflamed from weeping.
"What is the matter with you?" he cried, without waiting for the door to be closed behind him. "What has happened?"
"Something terrible, M. Daniel."
"Tell me, pray, what. You frighten me."
"My father is going to marry again."
At first Daniel was amazed. Then, recalling at once the gradual transformation of the count, he said,- "Oh, oh, oh! That explains every thing."
But Henrietta interrupted him; and, making a great effort, she repeated to him in a half-stifled voice almost literally her conversation with her father. When she had ended, Daniel said,- "You have guessed right, Miss Henrietta. Your father evidently does propose to you a bargain."
"Ah! but that is horrible."
"He wanted you to understand, that, if you would consent to his marriage, he would consent"- Shocked at what he was going to add, he stopped; but Henrietta said boldly,- "To ours, you mean,-to ours? Yes, so I understood it; and that was my reason for sending for you to advise me."
Poor fellow! She was asking him to seal his fate.
"I think you ought to consent!" he stammered out.
She rose, trembling with indignation, and replied,- "Never, never!"
Daniel was overcome by this sudden shock. Never. He saw all his hopes dashed in an instant, his life"s happiness destroyed forever, Henrietta lost to him. But the very imminence of the danger restored to him his energy. He mastered his grief, and said in an almost calm voice,- "I beseech you, let me explain to you why I advised you so. Believe me, your father does not want your consent at all. You cannot do without his consent; but he can marry without asking you for yours. There is no law which authorizes children to oppose the follies of their parents. What your father wants is your silent approval, the certainty that his new wife will be kindly received. If you refuse, he will go on, nevertheless, and not mind your objections."
"Oh!"
"I am, unfortunately, but too sure of that. If he spoke to you of his plans, you may be sure he had made up his mind. Your resistance will lead only to our separation. He might possibly forgive you; but she-Don"t you think she should avail herself to the utmost of her influence over him? Who can foresee to what extremities she might be led by her hatred against you? And she must be a dangerous woman, Henrietta, a woman who is capable of any thing."
"Why?"
He hesitated for a moment, not daring to speak out fully what he thought; and at last he said slowly, as if weighing his words,- "Because, because this marriage cannot be any thing else but a barefaced speculation. Your father is immensely rich; she wants his fortune."
Daniel"s reasoning was so sensible, and he pleaded his cause with such eagerness, that Henrietta"s resolution was evidently shaken.
"You want me to yield?" she asked.
"I beseech you to do it."
She shook her head sadly, and said in a tone of utter dejection,- "Very well. It shall be done as you wish it. I shall not object to this profanation. But you may be sure, my weakness will do us no good."
It struck ten. She rose, offered her hand to Daniel, and said,- "I will see you to-morrow evening. By that time I shall know, and I will tell you, the name of the woman whom father is going to marry; for I shall ask him who she is."
She was spared that trouble. Next morning, the first words of the count were,- "Well, have you thought it over?"
She looked at him till he felt compelled to turn his head away; and then she replied in a tone of resignation,- "Father, you are master here. I should not tell you the truth, if I said I was not going to suffer cruelly at the idea of a stranger coming here to-But I shall receive her with all due respect."
Ah! The count was not prepared for such a speedy consent.
"Do not speak of respect," he said. "Tell me that you will be tender, affectionate, and kind. Ah, if you knew her, Henrietta! She is an angel."
"What is her age?"
"Twenty-five."
The count read in his daughter"s face that she thought his new wife much too young for him; and therefore he added, quickly,- "Your mother was two years younger when I married her."
That was so; but he forgot that that was twenty years ago.
"However," he added, "you will see her; I shall ask her to let me present you to her. She is a foreigner, of excellent family, very rich, marvellously clever and beautiful; and her name is Sarah Brandon."
That evening, when Henrietta told Daniel the name of her future mother-in-law, he started with an air of utter despair, and said,- "Great G.o.d! If Maxime de Brevan is not mistaken, that is worse than any thing we could possibly antic.i.p.ate."
IV.
When Henrietta saw how the young officer was overcome by the mere mention of that name, Sarah Brandon, she felt the blood turn to ice in her veins. She knew perfectly well that a man like Daniel was not likely to be so utterly overwhelmed unless there was something fearful, unheard of, in the matter.
"Do you know the woman, Daniel?"
But he, regretting his want of self-possession, was already thinking how he could make amends for his imprudence.
"I swear to you," he began.
"Oh, don"t swear! I see you know who she is."
"I know nothing about her."
"But"- "It is true I have heard people talk of her once, a long time ago."
"Whom?"
"One of my friends, Maxime de Brevan, a fine, n.o.ble fellow."
"What sort of a woman is she?"
"Ah, me! that I cannot tell you. Maxime happened to mention her just in pa.s.sing; and I never thought that one of these days I should-If I seemed to be so very much surprised just now, it was because I remembered, all of a sudden, a very ugly story in which Maxime said she had been involved, and then"- He was ridiculous in his inability to tell a fib; so, when he found that he was talking nonsense, he turned his head away to avoid Henrietta"s eyes. She interrupted him, and said reproachfully,- "Do you really think I am not strong enough to hear the truth?"
At first he did not reply. Overcome by the strange position in which he found himself, he looked for a way to escape, and found none. At last he said,- "Miss Henrietta, you must give me time before I tell you any more. I know nothing positive; and I dare say I am unnecessarily alarmed. I will tell you all as soon as I am better informed."
"When will that be?"
"To-night, if I can find Maxime de Brevan at home, as I hope I shall do; if I miss him, you must wait till to-morrow."
"And if your suspicions turn out to be well founded; if what you fear, and hide from me now, is really so,-what must I do then?"
Without a moment"s hesitation, he rose and said in a solemn voice,- "I am not going to tell you again how I love you, Henrietta; I am not going to tell you that to lose you would be death to me, and that in our family we do not value life very highly; you know that, don"t you? But, in spite of all that, if my fears should be well founded, as I apprehend they are, I should not hesitate to say to you, whatever might be the consequences, Henrietta, and even if we should have to part forever, we must try our utmost, we must employ all possible means in our power, to prevent a marriage between Count Ville-Handry and Sarah Brandon."
In spite of all her sufferings, Henrietta felt her heart bounding with unspeakable happiness and joy. Ah! he deserved to be loved,-this man whom her heart had freely chosen among them all,-this man who gave her such an overwhelming proof of his love. She offered him her hand; and, with her eyes beaming with enthusiasm and tenderness, she said,- "And I, I swear by the sacred memory of my mother, that whatever may happen, and whatever force they may choose to employ, I shall never belong to any one but to you."
Daniel had seized her hand, and held it for some time pressed to his lips. At last, when his rapture gave way to calmer thoughts, he said,- "I must leave you at once, Henrietta, if I want to catch Maxime."
As he left, his head was in a whirl, his thoughts in a maze. His life and his happiness were at stake; and a single word would decide his fate in spite of all he could do.
A cab was pa.s.sing; he hailed it, jumped in, and cried to the driver,- "Go quick, I say! You shall have five francs! No. 61 Rue Laffitte!"
That was the house where Maxime de Brevan lived.
He was a man of thirty or thirty-five years, remarkably well made, light-haired, wearing a full beard, with a bright eye, and pleasing face. Mixing on intimate terms with the men who make up what is called high life, and with whom pleasure is the only occupation, he was very popular with them all. They said he was a man that could always be relied upon, at all times ready to render you a service when it was in his power, a pleasant companion, and an excellent second whenever a friend had to fight a duel.
In fine, neither slander nor calumny had ever attacked his reputation. And yet, far from following the advice of the philosopher, who tells us to keep our life from the eye of the public, Maxime de Brevan seemed to take pains to let everybody into his secrets. He was so anxious to tell everybody where he had been, and what he had been doing, that you might have imagined he was always preparing to prove an alibi.
Thus he told the whole world that the Brevans came originally from the province of Maine, and that he was the last, the sole representative, of that old family. Not that he prided himself particularly on his ancestors; he acknowledged frankly that there was very little left of their ancient splendor; in fact, nothing but a bare support. But he never said what this "support" amounted to; his most intimate friends could not tell whether he had one thousand or ten thousand a year. So much only was certain, that, to his great honor and glory, he had solved the great problem of preserving his independence and his dignity while a.s.sociating, a comparatively poor man, with the richest young men of Paris.
His rooms were simple and unpretending; and he kept but a single servant-his carriage he hired by the month.
How had Maxime Brevan become Daniel"s friend? In the simplest possible way. They had been introduced to each other at a great ball by a common friend of theirs, a lieutenant in the navy. About one o"clock in the morning they had gone home together; and as the moon was shining brightly, the weather was mild, and the walking excellent, they had loitered about the Place de la Concorde while smoking their cigars.
Had Maxime really felt such warm sympathy for his friend? Perhaps so. At all events, Daniel had been irresistibly attracted by the peculiar ways of Maxime, and especially by the cool stoicism with which he spoke of his genteel poverty. Then they had met again, and finally became intimate.
Brevan was just dressing for the opera when Daniel entered his room. He uttered a cry of delight when he saw him, as he always did.
"What!" he said, "the hermit student from the other side of the river in this worldly region, and at this hour? What good wind blows you over here?"
Then, suddenly noticing Daniel"s terrified appearance, he added,- "But what am I talking about? You look frightened out of your wits. What"s the matter?"
"A great misfortune, I fear," replied Daniel.