The Princess Juliana was seated at the end of the apartment, with the grand prioress on one side and another dignitary on the other, holding in her hand the golden crozier, the symbol of abbatial authority. There was profound silence; and then the lady abbess rose, took the crozier in her hand, and said, in a voice of great emotion:
"My dear daughters, my great age compels me to confide to younger hands this emblem of my spiritual power," and she pointed to the crozier. "I am authorised by a bull of our holy father; I will, therefore, present to the benediction of monseigneur the Archbishop of Oppenheim, and to the approbation of his royal highness the grand duke our sovereign, whosoever of my dear daughters shall be pointed out by you to succeed me.
Our grand prioress will inform you of the result of the election, and she who has been chosen will receive my crozier and ring."
I did not take my eyes off my daughter. Standing up in her stall, her two hands folded over her bosom, her eyes cast down, and half covered by her white veil and the long folds of her black gown, she was pensive and motionless, not supposing for a moment that she would herself be elected, as this fact had been communicated by the abbess to no one but myself.
The grand prioress took a book and read:
"Each of our dear sisters having been, according to the rule, requested a week since to place her vote in the hands of our holy mother, and keep her choice secret until this moment, in the name of our holy mother I declare to you, my dear, dear sisters, that one of you has, by her exemplary piety, merited the unanimous suffrages of the community, and that she is our sister Amelie, the most n.o.ble and puissant Princess of Gerolstein."
At these words a murmur of pleased surprise and satisfaction went around the apartment; the eyes of all the nuns were fixed on my daughter with an expression of tender sympathy, and, in spite of my painful forebodings, I was myself deeply touched at this nomination, which, done isolatedly and secretly, had yet presented such an affecting unanimity.
The abbess continued, in a serious and loud voice:
"My dear daughters, if it be, indeed, Sister Amelie whom you think the most worthy and most deserving of you all,--if it be she whom you recognise as your spiritual superior, let each of you reply to me in turn, my dear daughters."
And each nun replied in a clear voice:
"Freely and voluntarily I have chosen, and I do choose, Sister Amelie for my holy mother and superior."
Overcome by inexpressible emotion, my poor child fell on her knees, clasped her hands, and remained so until each vote was declared. Then the abbess, placing the crozier and the ring in the hands of the grand prioress, advanced towards my daughter to take her hand and conduct her to the abbatial seat.
"Rise, my dear daughter," said the abbess; "come and a.s.sume the place that belongs to you. Your virtues, and not your rank, have obtained for you the position you have gained."
Fleur-de-Marie, trembling, advanced a few steps, and said:
"Pardon me, holy mother, but I would speak to my sisters."
"Then first place yourself, my dear child, in your abbatial seat," said the princess; "it is from thence your voice shall be heard."
"That place, holy mother, never can be mine!" replied Fleur-de-Marie, in a low and tremulous voice.
"What mean you, my dear daughter?"
"So high a dignity was not made for me, holy mother."
"But the wishes of all your sisters call you to it."
"Permit me, holy mother, to make here, on my knees, a solemn confession; and my sisters will see, and you, also, holy mother, that the humblest condition is not humble enough for me."
"This arises from your modesty, my dear child," said the superior, with kindness, believing that the unhappy girl was giving way to a feeling of overdelicacy.
But I divined the confession Fleur-de-Marie was about to make, and, greatly alarmed, I exclaimed, in a voice of entreaty:
"My child, I conjure thee--"
It is impossible, my dearest Clemence, to describe the look which Fleur-de-Marie gave me. In an instant she understood all, and saw how deeply I should share in the shame of this horrible revelation. She comprehended that after such a confession they might accuse me of falsehood, for I had always made it out that Fleur-de-Marie had never left her mother. At this reflection the poor dear child thought she would be guilty of the blackest ingrat.i.tude towards me; she had not power to continue, but bowed down her head, overcome--overwhelmed.
"Again I a.s.sure you, my dear child," said the abbess, "your modesty deceives you. The unanimity of the choice of your sisters proves how worthy you are to replace me. It is not the princess--it is Sister Amelie who is elected. For us your life began on the day when you first put foot in this house of the Lord, and it is this exemplary and holy life that we recompense.
I will say more, my dear daughter; if before you entered this retreat your life had been as wrong as it has been, on the contrary, pure and praiseworthy, the heavenly virtues of which you have given me an example since your abode here would expiate and ransom, in the eyes of the Lord, any past life, however culpable. And now, my dear daughter, judge if your modesty ought not to be rea.s.sured."
These words of the abbess were, as you may think, my Clemence, the more precious for Fleur-de-Marie, as she believed the past ineffaceable. Unfortunately, this scene had deeply moved her, and, although she affected calmness and serenity, I saw that her features altered in a most distressing manner.
"I believe I have convinced you, my dear daughter," said the Princess Juliana; "and you will not cause so great a grief to your sisters as to refuse this mark of their confidence and affection?"
"No, holy mother," she said, with an expression which struck me, and in a voice more and more feeble, "I think now I may accept; but as I feel myself fatigued and in pain, if you will permit it, holy mother, the ceremony of the consecration shall not take place for a few days."
"As you wish, my dear daughter; but in the meanwhile, until your dignity is blessed and consecrated, take this ring, come to your place, and our dear sisters will do you homage according to our rules."
And the superior, putting the pastoral ring on Fleur-de-Marie"s finger, led her to the abbatial seat. It was a simple and touching sight. Supported on one side by the grand prioress, bearing the golden crozier, and on the other by the Princess Juliana, each of the sisters, as she pa.s.sed by, made obeisance to our child, and respectfully kissed her hand. But judge of my affright when she swooned before the procession of the sisters was terminated. David had not quitted the convent, and he hastened to the abbess"s apartment, whither we had conveyed her, and then attended to her.
The superior having returned to close the sitting of the chapter, I remained alone with my daughter. After looking at me for some time, she said:
"My dear father, can you forget my ingrat.i.tude? Can you forget that at the moment when I was about to make my painful confession--when you implored me--"
"Silence! I beseech you!"
"And I did not reflect," she continued, with bitterness, "that, in telling in the face of all the world from what an abyss of depravity you had rescued me, I revealed a secret which you had preserved out of tenderness to me! It would have been to accuse you publicly--you, my father--of a dissimulation, which you only resigned yourself to to a.s.sure me a brilliant and honoured existence! Can you ever forgive me?"
Instead of replying, I pressed my lips on her forehead; she felt my tears flow. Having kissed my hands many times, she said:
"Now I feel better, and, as now I am dead to the world, I should like to make a few bequests in favour of several persons; but as all I have comes from you, do you authorise me, dearest father?"
"Say, dearest, and I will do all you desire."
"I should wish my beloved mother to keep always in the little boudoir in which she usually sits my embroidery-frame, with the work I began."
"It shall be so, love; your apartment is as when you left it.
Clemence will be deeply touched by your thought of her."
"As for you, dear father, take, I pray, my large ebony armchair, in which I have thought of--reflected upon so much."
"I will put it beside my own, in my own private closet, and will imagine I see you in it every day, where you have so often sat,"
I said, unable to repress my tears.
"And now I would leave some souvenirs to those who took so much interest in me when I was unhappy. To Madame Georges I would give the writing-desk I have lately used; she taught me to write originally, so the gift will be very appropriate," she said, with her sweet smile. "As to the venerable cure of Bouqueval, who instructed me in religion, I intend for him the beautiful crucifix in my oratory."
"Very well, my dearest child."
"I should like to send my bandeau of pearls to my good little Rigolette; it is a simple ornament which she may wear in her beautiful black hair. And as you know where Martial and La Louve are in Algeria, I should like to send to the brave woman who saved my life my gold enamelled cross. These different keepsakes, dearest father, I would have sent to them "from Fleur-de-Marie.""
"I will do all you wish,--I will not forget one."
"I am sure you will not, dearest father."
"Is there no other person present to your memory?"
The dear child understood me, and pressed my hand, whilst a slight blush tinged her pale cheeks as I said, "He is better--out of danger."