One night after Maria had retired from the family circle, and Genoveva had left the kitchen, they found themselves in the boudoir in the tower.
Maria was reading by the light of her polished iron lamp,[21] while Genoveva was seated in another chair in front of her, engaged in knitting stockings. They often spent an hour or two in this way before going to bed, since the senorita was accustomed of old to read till the small hours of the night.
She did not seem so absorbed in her reading as usual. She often laid the book on the table and remained a long while thoughtful, with her cheek resting in her hand: then she took it up again, only to lay it down very hastily; she was nervous, judging by the creaking of the chair. From time to time she fastened a long gaze on Genoveva in which gleamed a timid, restless desire and a sort of inner struggle with some thought preoccupying her. Genoveva, on the other hand, was more than ever absorbed in her stocking, doubtless mixing with her st.i.tches a crowd of more or less philosophical considerations which obliged her, from time to time, to lean forward towards her hands just as if she were asleep.
At last the senorita decided to break the silence.
"Genoveva, don"t you want to read this pa.s.sage from the life of Saint Isabel?" she asked, handing her the book.
"With all my heart,[22] senorita."
"Look here where it says: "When her husband.""
Genoveva began to read the paragraph to herself, but very soon Maria interrupted her, saying,--
"No, no; read it aloud!"
Whereupon she obeyed, reading what follows:--
_"When her husband was absent, she spent the whole night watching with Jesus, the spouse of her soul. But the penances which the innocent young princess imposed upon herself were not limited to this alone. Under her most splendid garments she always wore a haircloth cilicium next her flesh. Every Friday she let herself be severely whipped in secret in memory of the dolorous pa.s.sion of our Lord, and daily during Lent (in order, says a biographer, to requite the Lord in some measure for the punishment of the lash), coming thereafter to Court, her face full of joy and serenity. As time went on she carried this austerity into the small hours of the night, and entering into an apartment next the chamber where she slept with her husband, she caused her damsels to inflict a severe scourging upon her, thence returning to her husband"s side more joyful and amiable than ever, having gained comfort from these severities practised on herself and against her own weakness. Thus it was, as a contemporary poet says, she succeeded in drawing near to G.o.d and breaking the bonds of the prison of the flesh like a brave warrior of the love of the Lord."_
"That"ll do; don"t read any more; what do you think about it?"
"I have often read that same thing before."
"That"s true; but what should you think if I decided to do the same?"
she asked impetuously, like one who determines to propose something long thought about.
Genoveva stared at her with wide-open eyes, failing to understand her.
"Don"t you understand?"
"No, senorita."
Maria got up, and throwing her arms around her neck, she whispered, her face aflame,--
"I mean, silly one,[23] that if you would be willing to do the office of Saint Isabel"s damsels, I would imitate the saint to-night."
Genoveva vaguely understood, but still she asked,--
"What office?"
"Oh! you stupid and more than stupid, that of giving me a few blows with the lash in memory of those which our Lord received, and all the saints in example of him."
"Senorita, what are you saying? How did such a thing ever enter into your head?"
"It entered my head because I wish to mortify and humiliate myself at one and the same time. That is the true penance and the most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, for the reason that he himself suffered it for us.
I intended to inflict it upon myself, but I could not; and besides, it is not so efficacious as to suffer the humiliation of receiving it from the hands of another. And so you won"t be willing to do this for me?"
"No, Senorita, not for anything. I couldn"t do it--"
"Why not, _tonta_? Don"t you see that it is for my good? If I should fail of freeing myself from a few days of purgatory because I did not do what I ask you, wouldn"t you feel remorse?"
"But, my heart"s dove,[24] how could you want me to maltreat you even though it were for your good?"
"Why, you have nothing left but to do it because it is a vow, and I must fulfil it; you have helped me hitherto in the road to virtue. Don"t abandon me when I least expect it. You won"t, Genovita? You won"t, will you?"
"Senorita, for G.o.d"s sake don"t make me do this!"
"Come, Genovita, I beg of you by the love that you bear me--"
"No! no! no! don"t ask me to do it--"
"Come, you old darling,[25] do this favor for me. You don"t know how bad I shall feel if you don"t do it. I shall believe that you have ceased to love me."
Maria exhausted all the resources of her genius to convince her. She sat on her lap and overwhelmed her with caresses; she fondled her, now getting vexed, now entreating her, and always fixing her eyes upon her in a wheedling way impossible to resist. She was like a child asking for a forbidden toy. When she saw that her maid was softening a little, or rather was very tired of refusing, she said, with fascinating volubility:--
"Truly, _tonta_, don"t believe that it is a thing of such great consequence. A bad toothache is much worse, and you know that I have had them often enough. Your imagination makes you think that it is terrible, when in reality it is a trifling thing. It all comes from the fact that it isn"t done nowadays because virtue is vanished from the world, but in the good old times of religion it was a common, every-day occurrence, and no one who claimed to be a good Christian failed to perform this penance. Come, make up your mind to grant me this favor, and at the same time to do a good work.--Wait a moment, I will find what we need--"
And running to the bureau, she opened a drawer, and took out a scourge, a genuine scourge, with round wooden handle and leather cords. Then, all excited and nervous, with her cheeks on fire, she brought it to Genoveva, and thrust it into her hand. She took it mechanically, without knowing what she did. She was perfectly stupefied. The girl began to caress her again, encouraging her with persuasive accents; but she did not answer a word. Then the Senorita de Elorza, with trembling hand, began to unloose the blue silk dress which she wore. On her face glowed the excited, anxious joy of a caprice about to be gratified. Her eyes shone with unwonted light, hinting at keen, mysterious joys; her lips were dry, as one athirst; the violet circle around her eyes was larger than usual, and bright crimson spots burned in her cheeks. She breathed excitedly through her nostrils, which were more than ordinarily dilated.
Her white, aristocratic hands, with their slender fingers and rosy nails, loosed with strange haste the b.u.t.tons of her dress. With a quick movement she freed herself from it.
"You shall see; I have on only my chemise and underwaist. I am all ready."
In truth, she took off, or rather tore off, her underwaist and a skirt or two, and was left only in her chemise. She stood an instant, glanced at the instrument in Genoveva"s hand, and over her body ran a tremor of chill, of pleasure, of anguish, of terror, and of eagerness, all at once. In a low voice, changed by emotion, she said, "Papa must not know this."
And her linen chemise slipped down on her body, catching for an instant on her hips, and then falling slowly to the floor. She was now entirely naked. Genoveva looked at her with ecstatic eyes, and the girl felt somewhat abashed.
"You won"t be angry with me, Genovita?" she asked, smiling.
The serving woman could only say,--
"Senorita, for G.o.d"s sake!"
"The sooner, the better, for I shall get cold."
In this way she wished to bring still greater pressure to bear on her servant. With a nervous movement she s.n.a.t.c.hed the scourge from her left hand, thrust it into her right; again threw her arms around her neck, and giving her a kiss, whispered very softly, in a joyous tone,--
"You must ply it vigorously, for so I have promised G.o.d."
A violent trembling took possession of her body, as she said these words; but it was a delicious trembling, which penetrated to the very depths of her being. Then, taking Genoveva by the hand, she pulled her toward the table where the Saviour"s image stood.
"Here it must be,--kneeling before our Lord."
Her voice choked in her throat. She was pale. She bent humbly before the image, rapidly made the sign of the cross, folded her hands over her breast, and turning her face toward her maid, said, with a sweet smile,--
"Now you can begin."
"Senorita, for G.o.d"s sake!" exclaimed Genoveva, in perfect trepidation.