THE ABBE CONSTANTIN

By LUDOVIC HALEVY

With a Preface by E. LEGOUVE, of the French Academy

LUDOVIC HALEVY

Ludovic Halevy was born in Paris, January 1, 1834. His father was LeonHalevy, the celebrated author; his grandfather, Fromenthal, the eminentcomposer. Ludovic was destined for the civil service, and, afterfinishing his studies, entered successively the Department of State(1852); the Algerian Department (1858), and later on became editorialsecretary of the Corps Legislatif (1860). When his patron, the Duc deMorny, died in 1865, Halevy resigned, giving up a lucrative positionfor the uncertain profession of a playwright: At this period he devotedhimself exclusively to the theatre. 

He had already written plays as early as 1856, and had also tried hishand at fiction, but did not meet with very great success. Toward 1860, however, he became acquainted with Henri Meilhac, and with him formeda kind of literary union, lasting for almost twenty years, when Halevyrather abruptly abandoned the theatre and became a writer of fiction. 

We have seen such kinds of co-partnerships, for instance, inBeaumont and Fletcher; more recently in the beautiful French tales ofErckmann-Chatrian, and still later in the English novels of Besant andRice. 

Some say it was a fortunate event for Meilhac; others assert that Halevyreaped a great profit by the union. Be this as it may, a great numberof plays-drama, comedy, farce, opera, operetta and ballet--were jointlyproduced, as is shown by the title-pages of two score or more of theirpieces. When Ludovic Halevy was a candidate for L'Academie--he enteredthat glorious body in 1884--the question was ventilated by Pailleron:"What was the author's literary relation in his union with Meilhac?" Itwas answered by M. Sarcey, who criticised the character and quality ofthe work achieved. Public opinion has a long time since brought in quiteanother verdict in the case. 

Halevy's cooperation endowed the plays of Meilhac with a fuller ethicalrichness--tempered them, so to speak, and made them real, for it can notbe denied that Meilhac was inclined to extravagance. 

Halevy's novels are remarkable for the elegance of literary style, tenderness of spirit and keenness of observation. He excels in ironicalsketches. He has often been compared to Eugene Sue, but his touch islighter than Sue's, and his humor less unctuous. Most of his littlesketches, originally written for La Vie Parisienne, were collected inhis 'Monsieur et Madame Cardinal' (1873); and 'Les Petites Cardinal', (1880). They are not intended 'virginibus puerisque', and the author'sattitude is that of a half-pitying, half-contemptuous moralist, yet thevirility of his criticism has brought him immortality. 

Personal recollections of the great war are to be found in 'L'Invasion'(1872); and 'Notes et Souvenirs', 1871-1872 (1889). Most extraordinary, however, was the success of 'L'Abbe Constantin' (1882), crowned bythe Academy, which has gone through no less than one hundred and fiftyeditions up to 1904, and ranks as one of the greatest successes ofcontemporaneous literature. It is, indeed, his 'chef-d'oeuvre', verydelicate, earnest, and at the same time ironical, a most entrancingfamily story. It was then that the doors of the French Academy openedwide before Halevy. 'L'Abbe Constantin' was adapted for the stage byCremieux and Decourcelle (Le Gymnase, 1882). Further notable novels are:'Criquette, Deux Mariages, Un Grand Mariage, Un Mariage d'Amour', all in1883; 'Princesse, Les Trois Coups de Foudre, Mon Camarade Moussard', allin 1884; and the romances, 'Karikari (1892), and Mariette (1893)'. Sincethat time, I think, Halevy has not published anything of importance. 

 E. LEGOUVE de l'Academie Francaise. 

THE ABBE CONSTANTIN

BOOK 1. 

CHAPTER I. THE SALE OF LONGUEVAL

With a step still valiant and firm, an old priest walked along the dustyroad in the full rays of a brilliant sun. For more than thirty years theAbbe Constantin had been Cure of the little village which slept there inthe plain, on the banks of a slender stream called La Lizotte. The AbbeConstantin was walking by the wall which surrounded the park of thecastle of Longueval; at last he reached the entrance-gate, which restedhigh and massive on two ancient pillars of stone, embrowned and gnawedby time. The Cure stopped, and mournfully regarded two immense blueposters fixed on the pillars. 

The posters announced that on Wednesday, May 18, 1881, at one o'clockP. M. , would take place, before the Civil Tribunal of Souvigny, the saleof the domain of Longueval, divided into four lots:

1. The castle of Longueval, its dependencies, fine pieces of water, extensive offices, park of 150 hectares in extent, completely surroundedby a wall, and traversed by the little river Lizotte. Valued at 600, 000francs. 

2. The farm of Blanche-Couronne, 300 hectares, valued at 500, 000 francs. 

3. The farm of La Rozeraie, 250 hectares, valued at 400, 000 francs. 

4. The woods and forests of La Mionne, containing 450 hectares, valuedat 550, 000 francs. 

And these four amounts, added together at the foot of the bill, gave therespectable sum of 2, 050, 000 francs. 

Then they were really going to dismember this magnificent domain, which, escaping all mutilation, had for more than two centuries always beentransmitted intact from father to son in the family of Longueval. Theplacards also announced that after the temporary division into fourlots, it would be possible to unite them again, and offer for sale theentire domain; but it was a very large morsel, and, to all appearance, no purchaser would present himself. 

The Marquise de Longueval had died six months before; in 1873 shehad lost her only son, Robert de Longueval; the three heirs were thegrandchildren of the Marquise: Pierre, Helene, and Camille. It had beenfound necessary to offer the domain for sale, as Helene and Camille wereminors. Pierre, a young man of three-and-twenty, had lived rather fast, was already half-ruined, and could not hope to redeem Longueval. 

It was mid-day. In an hour it would have a new master, this old castleof Longueval; and this master, who would he be? What woman would takethe place of the old Marquise in the chimney-corner of the grand salon, all adorned with ancient tapestry?--the old Marquise, the friend of theold priest. It was she who had restored the church; it was she who hadestablished and furnished a complete dispensary at the vicarage underthe care of Pauline, the Cure's servant; it was she who, twice a week, in her great barouche, all crowded with little children's clothes andthick woolen petticoats, came to fetch the Abbe Constantin to make withhim what she called 'la chasse aux pauvres'. 

The old priest continued his walk, musing over all this; then hethought, too--the greatest saints have their little weaknesses--hethought, too, of the beloved habits of thirty years thus rudelyinterrupted. Every Thursday and every Sunday he had dined at the castle. How he had been petted, coaxed, indulged! Little Camille--she was eightyears old--would come and sit on his knee and say to him:

"You know, Monsieur le Cure, it is in your church that I mean to bemarried, and grandmamma will send such heaps of flowers to fill, quitefill the church--more than for the month of Mary. It will be like alarge garden--all white, all white, all white!"

The month of Mary! It was then the month of Mary. Formerly, at thisseason, the altar disappeared under the flowers brought from theconservatories of Longueval. None this year were on the altar, excepta few bouquets of lily-of-the-valley and white lilac in gilded chinavases. Formerly, every Sunday at high mass, and every evening during themonth of Mary, Mademoiselle Hebert, the reader to Madame de Longueval, played the little harmonium given by the Marquise. Now the poorharmonium, reduced to silence, no longer accompanied the voices of thechoir or the children's hymns. Mademoiselle Marbeau, the postmistress, would, with all her heart, have taken the place of Mademoiselle Hebert, but she dared not, though she was a little musical! She was afraid ofbeing remarked as of the clerical party, and denounced by the Mayor, whowas a Freethinker. That might have been injurious to her interests, andprevented her promotion. 

He had nearly reached the end of the wall of the park--that park ofwhich every corner was known to the old priest. The road now followedthe banks of the Lizotte, and on the other side of the little streamstretched the fields belonging to the two farms; then, still fartheroff, rose the dark woods of La Mionne. 

Divided! The domain was going to be divided! The heart of the poorpriest was rent by this bitter thought. All that for thirty years hadbeen inseparable, indivisible to him. It was a little his own, his veryown, his estate, this great property. He felt at home on the landsof Longueval. It had happened more than once that he had stoppedcomplacently before an immense cornfield, plucked an ear, removed thehusk, and said to himself:

"Come! the grain is fine, firm, and sound. This year we shall have agood harvest!"

And with a joyous heart he would continue his way through his fields, his meadows, his pastures; in short, by every chord of his heart, byevery tie of his life, by all his habits, his memories, he clung to thisdomain whose last hour had come. 

The Abbe perceived in the distance the farm of Blanche-Couronne; itsred-tiled roofs showed distinctly against the verdure of the forest. There, again, the Cure was at home. Bernard, the farmer of the Marquise, was his friend; and when the old priest was delayed in his visits to thepoor and sick, when the sun was sinking below the horizon, and theAbbe began to feel a little fatigued in his limbs, and a sensation ofexhaustion in his stomach, he stopped and supped with Bernard, regaledhimself with a savory stew and potatoes, and emptied his pitcher ofcider; then, after supper, the farmer harnessed his old black mare tohis cart, and took the vicar back to Longueval. The whole distance theychatted and quarrelled. The Abbe reproached the farmer with not going tomass, and the latter replied:

"The wife and the girls go for me. You know very well, Monsieur le Cure, that is how it is with us. The women have enough religion for the men. They will open the gates of paradise for us. "

And he added maliciously, while giving a touch of the whip to his oldblack mare:

"If there is one!"

The Cure sprang from his seat. 

"What! if there is one! Of a certainty there is one. "

"Then you will be there, Monsieur le Cure. You say that is not certain, and I say it is. You will be there, you will be there, at the gate, on the watch for your parishioners, and still busy with their littleaffairs; and you will say to St. Peter--for it is St. Peter, isn't it, who keeps the keys of paradise?"

"Yes, it is St. Peter. "

"Well, you will say to him, to St. Peter, if he wants to shut the doorin my face under the pretense that I did not go to mass--you will say tohim: 'Bah! let him in all the same. It is Bernard, one of the farmersof Madame la Marquise, an honest man. He was common councilman, andhe voted for the maintenance of the sisters when they were going to beexpelled from the village school. ' That will touch St. Peter, who willanswer: 'Well, well, you may pass, Bernard, but it is only to pleaseMonsieur le Cure. ' For you will be Monsieur le Cure up there, and Cureof Longueval, too, for paradise itself would be dull for you if you mustgive up being Cure of Longueval. "

Cure of Longueval! Yes, all his life he had been nothing but Cure ofLongueval, had never dreamed of anything else, had never wished to beanything else. Three or four times excellent livings, with one or twocurates, had been offered to him, but he had always refused them. Heloved his little church, his little village, his little vicarage. Therehe had it all to himself, saw to everything himself; calm, tranquil, hewent and came, summer and winter, in sunshine or storm, in wind or rain. His frame became hardened by fatigue and exposure, but his soul remainedgentle, tender, and pure. 

He lived in his vicarage, which was only a larger laborer's cottage, separated from the church by the churchyard. When the Cure mounted theladder to train his pear and peach trees, over the top of the wall heperceived the graves over which he had said the last prayer, and castthe first spadeful of earth. Then, while continuing his work, he said inhis heart a little prayer for the repose of those among his dead whosefate disturbed him, and who might be still detained in purgatory. He hada tranquil and childlike faith. 

But among these graves there was one which, oftener than all the others, received his visits and his prayers. It was the tomb of his oldfriend Dr. Reynaud, who had died in his arms in 1871, and under whatcircumstances! The doctor had been like Bernard; he never went to massor to confession; but he was so good, so charitable, so compassionateto the suffering. This was the cause of the Cure's great anxiety, of hisgreat solicitude. His friend Reynaud, where was he? Where was he? Thenhe called to mind the noble life of the country doctor, all made up ofcourage and self-denial; he recalled his death, above all his death, andsaid to himself:

"In paradise; he can be nowhere but in paradise. The good God may havesent him to purgatory just for form's sake--but he must have deliveredhim after five minutes. "

All this passed through the mind of the old man, as he continued hiswalk toward Souvigny. He was going to the town, to the solicitor of theMarquise, to inquire the result of the sale; to learn who were to be thenew masters of the castle of Longueval. The Abbe had still about a mileto walk before reaching the first houses of Souvigny, and was passingthe park of Lavardens when he heard, above his head, voices calling tohim:

"Monsieur le Cure, Monsieur le Cure. "

At this spot adjoining the wall, a long alley of limetrees bordered theterrace, and the Abbe, raising his head, perceived Madame de Lavardens, and her son Paul. 

"Where are you going, Monsieur le Cure?" asked the Countess. 

"To Souvigny, to the Tribunal, to learn--"

"Stay here--Monsieur de Larnac is coming after the sale to tell me theresult. "

The Abbe Constantin joined them on the terrace. 

Gertrude de Lannilis, Countess de Lavardens, had been very unfortunate. At eighteen she had been guilty of a folly, the only one of her life, but that one--irreparable. She had married for love, in a burst ofenthusiasm and exaltation, M. De Lavardens, one of the most fascinatingand brilliant men of his time. He did not love her, and only married herfrom necessity; he had devoured his patrimonial fortune to the very lastfarthing, and for two or three years had supported himself by variousexpedients. Mademoiselle de Lannilis knew all that, and had no illusionson these points, but she said to herself:

"I will love him so much, that he will end by loving me. "

Hence all her misfortunes. Her existence might have been tolerable, ifshe had not loved her husband so much; but she loved him too much. Shehad only succeeded in wearying him by her importunities and tenderness. He returned to his former life, which had been most irregular. Fifteenyears had passed thus, in a long martyrdom, supported by Madame deLavardens with all the appearance of passive resignation. Nothing evercould distract her from, or cure her of, the love which was destroyingher. 

M. De Lavardens died in 1869; he left a son fourteen years of age, inwhom were already visible all the defects and all the good qualities ofhis father. Without being seriously affected, the fortune of Madamede Lavardens was slightly compromised, slightly diminished. Madame deLavardens sold her mansion in Paris, retired to the country, where shelived with strict economy, and devoted herself to the education of herson. 

But here again grief and disappointment awaited her. Paul de Lavardenswas intelligent, amiable, and affectionate, but thoroughly rebelliousagainst any constraint, and any species of work. He drove to despairthree or four tutors who vainly endeavored to force something seriousinto his head, went up to the military college of Saint-Cyr, failed atthe examination, and began to devour in Paris, with all the haste andfolly possible, 200, 000 or 300, 000 francs. 

That done, he enlisted in the first regiment of the Chasseurs d'Afrique, had in the very beginning of his military career the good fortune tomake one of an expeditionary column sent into the Sahara, distinguishedhimself, soon became quartermaster, and at the end of three years wasabout to be appointed sub-lieutenant, when he was captivated by ayoung person who played the 'Fille de Madame Angot', at the theatre inAlgiers. 

Paul had finished his time, he quitted the service, and went to Pariswith his charmer. .. . Then it was a dancer. .. . Then it was an actress. .. . Then a circus-rider. He tried life in every form. He led the brilliantand miserable existence of the unoccupied. 

But it was only three or four months that he passed in Paris each year. His mother made him an allowance Of 30, 000 francs, and had declared tohim that never, while she lived, should he have another penny beforehis marriage. He knew his mother, he knew he must consider her words asserious. Thus, wishing to make a good figure in Paris, and lead a merrylife, he spent his 30, 000 francs in three months, and then docilelyreturned to Lavardens, where he was "out at grass. " He spent his timehunting, fishing, and riding with the officers of the artillery regimentquartered at Souvigny. The little provincial milliners and grisettesreplaced, without rendering him obvious of, the little singers andactresses of Paris. By searching for them, one may still find grisettesin country towns, and Paul de Lavardens sought assiduously. 

As soon as the Cure had reached Madame de Lavardens, she said: "Withoutwaiting for Monsieur de Larnac, I can tell you the names of thepurchasers of the domain of Longueval. I am quite easy on the subject, and have no doubt of the success of our plan. In order to avoid anyfoolish disputes, we have agreed among ourselves, that is, among ourneighbors, Monsieur de Larnac, Monsieur Gallard, a great Parisianbanker, and myself. Monsieur de Larnac will have La Mionne, MonsieurGallard the castle and Blanche-Couronne, and La Rozeraie. I know you, Monsieur le Cure, you will be anxious about your poor, but comfortyourself. These Gallards are rich and will give you plenty of money. "

At this moment a cloud of dust appeared on the road, from it emerged acarriage. 

"Here comes Monsieur de Larnac!" cried Paul, "I know his ponies!"

All three hurriedly descended from the terrace and returned to thecastle. They arrived there just as M. De Larnac's carriage drove up tothe entrance. 

"Well?" asked Madame de Lavardens. 

"Well!" replied M. De Larnac, "we have nothing. "

"What? Nothing?" cried Madame de Lavardens, very pale and agitated. 

"Nothing, nothing; absolutely nothing--the one or the other of us. "

And M. De Larnac springing from his carriage, related what had takenplace at the sale before the Tribunal of Souvigny. 

"At first, " he said, "everything went upon wheels. The castle went toMonsieur Gallard for 650, 000 francs. No competitor--a raise of fiftyfrancs had been sufficient. On the other hand, there was a little battlefor Blanche-Couronne. The bids rose from 500, 000 francs to 520, 000francs, and again Monsieur Gallard was victorious. Another and moreanimated battle for La Rozeraie; at last it was knocked down to you, Madame, for 455, 000 francs. .. . I got the forest of La Mionne withoutopposition at a rise of 100 francs. All seemed over, those present hadrisen, our solicitors were surrounded with persons asking the names ofthe purchasers. "

"Monsieur Brazier, the judge intrusted with the sale, desired silence, and the bailiff of the court offered the four lots together for2, 150, 000 or 2, 160, 000 francs, I don't remember which. A murmur passedthrough the assembly. 'No one will bid' was heard on all sides. Butlittle Gibert, the solicitor, who was seated in the first row, andtill then had given no sign of life, rose and said calmly, 'I have apurchaser for the four lots together at 2, 200, 000 francs. ' This was likea thunderbolt. A tremendous clamor arose, followed by a dead silence. The hall was filled with farmers and laborers from the neighborhood. Two million francs! So much money for the land threw them into a sort ofrespectful stupor. However, Monsieur Gallard, bending toward Sandrier, the solicitor who had bid for him, whispered something in his ear. Thestruggle began between Gibert and Sandrier. The bids rose to 2, 500, 000francs. Monsieur Gallard hesitated for a moment--decided--continued upto 3, 000, 000. Then he stopped and the whole went to Gibert. Every onerushed on him, they surrounded--they crushed him: 'The name, the name ofthe purchaser?' 'It is an American, ' replied Gibert, 'Mrs. Scott. '"

"Mrs. Scott!" cried Paul de Lavardens. 

"You know her?" asked Madame de Lavardens. 

"Do I know her?--do I--not at all. But I was at a ball at her house sixweeks ago. "

"At a ball at her house! and you don't know her! What sort of woman isshe, then?"

"Charming, delightful, ideal, a miracle!"

"And is there a Mr. Scott?"

"Certainly, a tall, fair man. He was at his ball. They pointed him outto me. He bowed at random right and left. He was not much amused, Iwill answer for it. He looked at us as if he were thinking, 'Who areall these people? What are they doing at my house?' We went to see Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival, her sister. And certainly it was well worth thetrouble. "

"These Scotts, " said Madame de Lavardens, addressing M. De Larnac, "doyou know who they are?"

"Yes, Madame, I know. Mr. Scott is an American, possessing a colossalfortune, who settled himself in Paris last year. As soon as their namewas mentioned, I understood that the victory had never been doubtful. Gallard was beaten beforehand. The Scotts began by buying a house inParis for 2, 000, 000 francs, it is near the Parc Monceau. "

"Yes, Rue Murillo, " said Paul; "I tell you I went to a ball there. Itwas--"

"Let Monsieur de Larnac speak. You can tell us presently about the ballat Mrs. Scott's. "

"Well, now, imagine my Americans established in Paris, " continued M. DeLarnac, "and the showers of gold begun. In the orthodox parvenu stylethey amuse themselves with throwing handfuls of gold out of window. Their great wealth is quite recent, they say; ten years ago Mrs. Scottbegged in the streets of New York. "

"Begged!"

"They say so. Then she married this Scott, the son of a New York banker, and all at once a successful lawsuit put into their hands not millions, but tens of millions. Somewhere in America they have a silver mine, buta genuine mine, a real mine--a mine with silver in it. Ah! we shallsee what luxury will reign at Longueval! We shall all look like paupersbeside them! It is said that they have 100, 000 francs a day to spend. "

"Such are our neighbors!" cried Madame de Lavardens. "An adventuress!and that is the least of it--a heretic, Monsieur l'Abbe, a Protestant!"

A heretic! a Protestant! Poor Cure; it was indeed that of which he hadimmediately thought on hearing the words, "An American, Mrs. Scott. " Thenew chatelaine of Longueval would not go to mass. What did it matterto him that she had been a beggar? What did it matter to him if shepossessed tens and tens of millions? She was not a Catholic. He wouldnever again baptize children born at Longueval, and the chapel in thecastle, where he had so often said mass, would be transformed into aProtestant oratory, which would echo only the frigid utterances of aCalvinistic or Lutheran pastor. 

Every one was distressed, disappointed, overwhelmed; but in the midst ofthe general depression Paul stood radiant. 

"A charming heretic at all events, " said he, "or rather two charmingheretics. You should see the two sisters on horseback in the Bois, withtwo little grooms behind them not higher than that. "

"Come, Paul, tell us all you know. Describe the ball of which you speak. How did you happen to go to a ball at these Americans?"

"By the greatest chance. My Aunt Valentine was at home that night; Ilooked in about ten o'clock. Well, Aunt Valentine's Wednesdays are notexactly scenes of wild enjoyment, I give you my word! I had been thereabout twenty minutes when I caught sight of Roger de Puymartin escapingfurtively. I caught him in the hall and said:

"'We will go home together. '

"'Oh! I am not going home. '

"'Where are you going?'

"'To the ball. '

"'Where?'

"'At Mrs. Scott's. Will you come?'

"'But I have not been invited. '

"'Neither have I'

"'What! not invited?'

"'No. I am going with one of my friends. '

"'And does your friend know them?'

"'Scarcely; but enough to introduce us. Come along; you will see Mrs. Scott. '

"'Oh! I have seen her on horseback in the Bois. '

"'But she does not wear a low gown on horseback; you have not seenher shoulders, and they are shoulders which ought to be seen. There isnothing better in Paris at this moment. '

"And I went to the ball, and I saw Mrs. Scott's red hair, and I saw Mrs. Scott's white shoulders, and I hope to see them again when there areballs at Longueval. "

"Paul!" said Madame de Lavardens, pointing to the Abbe. 

"Oh! Monsieur l'Abbe, I beg a thousand pardons. Have I said anything? Itseems to me--"

The poor old priest had heard nothing; his thoughts were elsewhere. Already he saw, in the village streets, the Protestant pastor from thecastle stopping before each house, and slipping under the doors littleevangelical pamphlets. 

Continuing his account, Paul launched into an enthusiastic descriptionof the mansion, which was a marvel--

"Of bad taste and ostentation, " interrupted Madame de Lavardens. 

"Not at all, mother, not at all; nothing startling, nothing loud. It isadmirably furnished, everything done with elegance and originality. Anincomparable conservatory, flooded with electric light; the buffet wasplaced in the conservatory under a vine laden with grapes, which onecould gather by handfuls, and in the month of April! The accessoriesof the cotillon cost, it appears, more than 400, 000 francs. Ornaments, 'bon-bonnieres', delicious trifles, and we were begged to accept them. For my part I took nothing, but there were many who made no scruple. That evening Puymartin told me Mrs. Scott's history, but it was not atall like Monsieur de Larnac's story. Roger said that, when quite little, Mrs. Scott had been stolen from her family by some acrobats, and thather father had found her in a travelling circus, riding on barebackedhorses and jumping through paper hoops. "

"A circus-rider!" cried Madame de Lavardens, "I should have preferredthe beggar. "

"And while Roger was telling me this Family Herald romance, I sawapproaching from the end of a gallery a wonderful cloud of lace andsatin; it surrounded this rider from a wandering circus, and I admiredthose shoulders, those dazzling shoulders, on which undulated a necklaceof diamonds as big as the stopper of a decanter. They say that theMinister of Finance had sold secretly to Mrs. Scott half the crowndiamonds, and that was how, the month before, he had been able to show asurplus of 1, 500, 000 francs in the budget. Add to all this that the ladyhad a remarkably good air, and that the little acrobat seemed perfectlyat home in the midst of all this splendor. "

Paul was going so far that his mother was obliged to stop him. Before M. De Larnac, who was excessively annoyed and disappointed, he showed tooplainly his delight at the prospect of having this marvellous Americanfor a near neighbor. 

The Abbe Constantin was preparing to return to Longueval, but Paul, seeing him ready to start, said:

"No! no! Monsieur le Cure, you must not think of walking back toLongueval in the heat of the day. Allow me to drive you home. I amreally grieved to see you so cast down, and will try my best to amuseyou. Oh! if you were ten times a saint I would make you laugh at mystories. "

And half an hour after, the two--the Cure and Paul--drove side by sidein the direction of the village. Paul talked, talked, talked. His motherwas not there to check or moderate his transports, and his joy wasoverflowing. 

"Now, look here, Monsieur l'Abbe, you are wrong to take things in thistragic manner. Stay, look at my little mare, how well she trots! whatgood action she has! You have not seen her before? What do you thinkI paid for her? Four hundred francs. I discovered her a fortnight ago, between the shafts of a market gardener's cart. She is a treasure. Iassure you she can do sixteen miles an hour, and keep one's hands fullall the time. Just see how she pulls. Come, tot-tot-tot! You are not ina hurry, Monsieur l'Abbe, I hope. Let us return through the wood; thefresh air will do you good. Oh! Monsieur l'Abbe, if you only knew whata regard I have for you, and respect, too. I did not talk too muchnonsense before you just now, did I? I should be so sorry--"

"No, my child, I heard nothing. "

"Well, we will take the longest way round. "

After having turned to the left in the wood, Paul resumed hiscommunications. 

"I was saying, Monsieur l'Abbe, " he went on, "that you are wrong totake things so seriously. Shall I tell you what I think? This is a veryfortunate affair. "

"Very fortunate?"

"Yes, very fortunate. I would rather see the Scotts at Longuevalthan the Gallards. Did you not hear Monsieur de Larnac reproach theseAmericans with spending their money foolishly. It is never foolish tospend money. The folly lies in keeping it. Your poor for I am perfectlysure that it is your poor of whom you are thinking--your poor have madea good thing of it to-day. That is my opinion. The religion? Well, they will not go to mass, and that will be a grief to you, that is onlynatural; but they will send you money, plenty of money, and you willtake it, and you will be quite right in doing so. You will see thatyou will not say no. There will be gold raining over the whole place;a movement, a bustle, carriages with four horses, postilions, powderedfootmen, paper chases, hunting parties, balls, fireworks, and here inthis very spot I shall perhaps find Paris again before long. I shallsee once more the two riders, and the two little grooms of whom I wasspeaking just now. If you only knew how well those two sisters look onhorseback! One morning I went right round the Bois de Boulogne behindthem; I fancy I can see them still. They had high hats, and little blackveils drawn very tightly over their faces, and long riding-habits madein the princess form, with a single seam right down the back; anda woman must be awfully well made to wear a riding-habit like that, because you see, Monsieur l'Abbe, with a habit of that cut no deceptionis possible. "

For some moments the Cure had not been listening to Paul's discourse. They had entered a long, perfectly straight avenue, and at the end ofthis avenue the Cure saw a horseman galloping along. 

"Look, " said the Cure to Paul, "your eyes are better than mine. Is notthat Jean?"

"Yes, it is jean. I know his gray mare. "

Paul loved horses, and before looking at the rider looked at the horse. It was indeed Jean, who, when he saw in the distance the Cure and Paulde Lavardens, waved in the air his kepi adorned with two golden stripes. Jean was lieutenant in the regiment of artillery quartered at Souvigny. 

Some moments after he stopped by the little carriage, and, addressingthe Cure, said:

"I have just been to your house, 'mon parrain'. Pauline told me that youhad gone to Souvigny about the sale. Well, who has bought the castle?"

"An American, Mrs. Scott. "

"And Blanche-Couronne?"

"The same, Mrs. Scott. "

"And La Rozeraie?"

"Mrs. Scott again. "

"And the forest? Mrs. Scott again?"

"You have said it, " replied Paul, "and I know Mrs. Scott, and I canpromise you that there will be something going on at Longueval. I willintroduce you. Only it is distressing to Monsieur l'Abbe because she isan American--a Protestant. "

"Ah! that is true, " said Jean, sympathizingly. "However, we will talkabout it to-morrow. I am going to dine with you, godfather; I havewarned Pauline of my visit; no time to stop to-day. I am on duty, andmust be in quarters at three o'clock. "

"Stables?" asked Paul. 

"Yes. Good-by, Paul. To-morrow, godfather. "

The lieutenant galloped away. Paul de Lavardens gave his little horseher head. 

"What a capital fellow Jean is!" said Paul. 

"Oh, yes, indeed!"

"There is no one on earth better than Jean. "

"No, no one. "

The Cure turned round to take another look at Jean, who was almost lostin the depths of the forest. 

"Oh, yes, there is you, Monsieur le Cure. "

"No, not me! not me!"

"Well, Monsieur l'Abbe, shall I tell you what I think? I think there isno one better than you two--you and Jean. That is the truth, if I musttell you. Oh! what a splendid place for a trot! I shall let Niniche go;I call her Niniche. "

With the point of his whip Paul caressed the flank of Niniche, whostarted off at full speed, and Paul, delighted, cried:

"Just look at her action, Monsieur l'Abbe! just look at her action! Soregular--just like clockwork. Lean over and look. "

To please Paul de Lavardens the Abbe Constantin did lean over and lookat Niniche's action, but the old priest's thoughts were far away. 

CHAPTER II. THE NEW CHATELAINE

This sub-lieutenant of artillery was called Jean Reynaud. He was the sonof a country doctor who slept in the churchyard of Longueval. 

In 1846, when the Abbe' Constantin took possession of his little living, the grandfather of Jean was residing in a pleasant cottage on theroad to Souvigny, between the picturesque old castles of Longueval andLavardens. 

Marcel, the son of that Dr. Reynaud, was finishing his medical studiesin Paris. He possessed great industry, and an elevation of sentiment andmind extremely rare. He passed his examinations with great distinction, and had decided to fix his abode in Paris and tempt fortune there, and everything seemed to promise him the most prosperous and brilliantcareer, when, in 1852, he received the news of his father's death--hehad been struck down by a fit of apoplexy. Marcel hurried to Longueval, overwhelmed with grief, for he adored his father. He spent a month withhis mother, and then spoke of the necessity of returning to Paris. 

"That is true, " said his mother; "you must go. "

"What! I must go! We must go, you mean. Do you think that I would leaveyou here alone? I shall take you with me. "

"To live in Paris; to leave the place where I was born, where yourfather lived, where he died? I could never do it, my child, never! Goalone; your life, your future, are there. I know you; I know that youwill never forget me, that you will come and see me often, very often. "

"No, mother, " he answered; "I shall stay here. "

And he stayed. 

His hopes, his ambitions, all in one moment vanished. He saw only onething--duty--the duty of not abandoning his aged mother. In duty, simplyaccepted and simply discharged, he found happiness. After all, it isonly thus that one does find happiness. 

Marcel bowed with courage and good grace to his new existence. Hecontinued his father's life, entering the groove at the very spot wherehe had left it. He devoted himself without regret to the obscure careerof a country doctor. His father had left him a little land and a littlemoney; he lived in the most simple manner possible, and one half of hislife belonged to the poor, from whom he would never receive a penny. 

This was his only luxury. 

He found in his way a young girl, charming, penniless, and alone in theworld. He married her. This was in 1855, and the following year broughtto Dr. Reynaud a great sorrow and a great joy--the death of his oldmother and the birth of his son Jean. 

At an interval of six weeks, the Abby Constantin recited the prayersfor the dead over the grave of the grandmother, and was present in theposition of godfather at the baptism of the grandson. 

In consequence of constantly meeting at the bedside of the sufferingand dying, the priest and the doctor had been strongly attracted to eachother. They instinctively felt that they belonged to the same family, the same race--the race of the tender, the just, and the benevolent. 

Year followed year--calm, peaceful, fully occupied in labor and duty. Jean was no longer an infant. His father gave him his first lessons inreading and writing, the priest his first lessons in Latin. Jean wasintelligent and industrious. He made so much progress that the twoprofessors--particularly the Cure--found themselves at the end of a fewyears rather cast into the shade by their pupil. It was at this momentthat the Countess, after the death of her husband, came to settle atLavardens. She brought with her a tutor for her son Paul, a very nice, but very lazy little fellow. The two children were of the same age; theyhad known each other from their earliest years. 

Madame de Lavardens had a great regard for Dr. Reynaud, and one day shemade him the following proposal:

"Send Jean to me every morning, " said she, "I will send him home inthe evening. Paul's tutor is a very accomplished man; he will make thechildren work together. It will be rendering me a real service. Jeanwill set Paul a good example. "

Things were thus arranged, and the little bourgeois set the littlenobleman a most excellent example of industry and application, but thisexcellent example was not followed. 

The war broke out. On November 14th, at seven o'clock in the morning, the mobiles of Souvigny assembled in the great square of the town; theirchaplain was the Abbe Constantin, their surgeon-major, Dr. Reynaud. Thesame idea had come at the same moment to both; the priest was sixty-two, the doctor fifty. 

When they started, the battalion followed the road which led throughLongueval, and which passed before the doctor's house. Madame Reynaudand Jean were waiting by the roadside. The child threw himself into hisfather's arms. 

"Take me, too, papa! take me, too!"

Madame Reynaud wept. The doctor held them both in a long embrace, thenhe continued his way. 

A hundred steps farther the road made a sharp curve. The doctor turned, cast one long look at his wife and child-the last; he was never to seethem again. 

On January 8, 1871, the mobiles of Souvigny attacked the village ofVillersexel, occupied by the Prussians, who had barricaded themselves. The firing began. A mobile who marched in the front rank received aball in the chest and fell. There was a short moment of trouble andhesitation. 

"Forward! forward!" shouted the officers. 

The men passed over the body of their comrade, and under a hail ofbullets entered the town. 

Dr. Reynaud and the Abbe Constantin marched with the troops; theystopped by the wounded man; the blood was rushing in floods from hismouth. 

"There is nothing to be done, " said the doctor. "He is dying; he belongsto you. "

The priest knelt down by the dying man, and the doctor rose to go towardthe village. He had not taken ten steps when he stopped, beat the airwith both hands, and fell all at once to the ground. The priest ran tohim; he was dead-killed on the spot by a bullet through the temples. That evening the village was ours, and the next day they placed in thecemetery of Villersexel the body of Dr. Reynaud. 

Two months later the Abbe Constantin took back to Longueval the coffinof his friend, and behind the coffin, when it was carried from thechurch, walked an orphan. Jean had also lost his mother. At the news ofher husband's death, Madame Reynaud had remained for twenty-four hourspetrified, crushed, without a word or a tear; then fever had seized her, then delirium, and after a fortnight, death. 

Jean was alone in the world; he was fourteen years old. Of that family, where for more than a century all had been good and honest, thereremained only a child kneeling beside a grave; but he, too, promisedto be what his father and grandfather before him had been--good, andhonest, and true. 

There are families like that in France, and many of them, more than oneventures to say. Our poor country is in many respects calumniated bycertain novelists, who draw exaggerated and distorted pictures of it. Itis true the history of good people is often monotonous or painful. Thisstory is a proof of it. 

The grief of Jean was the grief of a man. He remained long sad andsilent. The evening of his father's funeral the Abbe Constantin took himhome to the vicarage. The day had been rainy and cold. Jean was sittingby the fireside; the priest was reading his breviary opposite him. OldPauline came and went, arranging her affairs. 

An hour passed without a word, when Jean, raising his head, said:

"Godfather, did my father leave me any money?"

This question was so extraordinary that the old priest, stupefied, couldscarcely believe that he heard aright. 

"You ask if your father--"

"I asked if my father left me some money?"

"Yes; he must have left you some. "

"A good deal, don't you think? I have often heard people say that myfather was rich. Tell me about how much he has left me!"

"But I don't know. You ask--"

The poor old man felt his heart rent in twain. Such a question at such amoment! Yet he thought he knew the boy's heart, and in that heart thereshould not be room for such thoughts. 

"Pray, dear godfather, tell me, " continued Jean, gently. "I will explainto you afterward why I ask that. "

"Well, they say your father had 200, 000 or 300, 000 francs. "

"And is that much?"

"Yes, it is a great deal. "

"And it is all mine?"

"Yes, it is all yours. "

"Oh! I am glad, because, you know, the day that my father was killed inthe war, the Prussians killed, at the same time, the son of a poor womanin Longueval--old Clemence, you know; and they killed, too, the brotherof Rosalie, with whom I used to play when I was quite little. Well, since I am rich and they are poor, I will divide with Clemence andRosalie the money my father has left me. "

On hearing these words the Cure rose, took Jean by both hands, and drewhim into his arms. The white head rested on the fair one. Two largetears escaped from the eyes of the old priest, rolled slowly down hischeeks, and were lost in the furrows of his face. 

However, the Cure was obliged to explain to Jean that, though he was hisfather's heir, he had not the right of disposing of his heritage ashe would. There would be a family council, and a guardian would beappointed. 

"You, no doubt, godfather?"

"No, not I, my child; a priest has not the right of exercising thefunctions of a guardian. They will, I think, choose Monsieur Lenient, the lawyer in Souvigny, who was one of your father's best friends. Youcan speak to him and tell him what you wish. "

M. Lenient was eventually appointed guardian, and Jean urged his wishesso eagerly and touchingly that the lawyer consented to deduct from theincome a sum of 2, 400 francs, which, every year till Jean came of age, was divided between old Clemence and little Rosalie. 

Under these circumstances, Madame de Lavardens was perfect. She went tothe Abbe and said:

"Give Jean to me, give him to me entirely till he has finished hisstudies. I will bring him back to you every year during the holidays. Itis not I who am rendering you a service; it is a service which I ask ofyou. I cannot imagine any greater good fortune for my son than to haveJean for a companion. I must resign myself to leaving Lavardens for atime. Paul is bent upon being a soldier and going up to Saint-Cyr. It isonly in Paris that I can obtain the necessary masters. I will take thetwo children there; they will study together under my own eyes likebrothers, and I will make no difference between them; of that you may besure. "

It was difficult to refuse such an offer. The old Cure would have dearlyliked to keep Jean with him, and his heart was torn at the thought ofthis separation, but what was for the child's real interest? That wasthe only question to be considered; the rest was nothing. They summonedJean. 

"My child, " said Madame de Lavardens to him, "will you come and livewith Paul and me for some years? I will take you both to Paris. "

"You are very kind, Madame, but I should have liked so much to stayhere. "

He looked at the Cure, who turned away his eyes. 

"Why must we go?" he continued. "Why must you take Paul and me away?"

"Because it is only in Paris that you can have all the advantagesnecessary to complete your studies. Paul will prepare for hisexamination at Saint-Cyr. You know he wishes to be a soldier. "

"So do I, Madame. I wish to be one, too. "

"You a soldier!" exclaimed the Cure; "but you know that was not at allyour father's idea. In my presence, he has often spoken of yourfuture, your career. You were to be a doctor, and, like him, doctor atLongueval, and, like him, devote yourself to the sick and poor. Jean, mychild, do you remember?"

"I remember, I remember. "

"Well, then, Jean, you must do as your father wished; it is your duty, Jean; it is your duty. You must go to Paris. You would like to stayhere, I understand that well, and I should like it, too; but it can notbe. You must go to Paris, and work, work hard. Not that I am anxiousabout that; you are your father's true son. You will be an honest andlaborious man. One can not well be the one without the other. And someday, in your father's house, in the place where he has done so muchgood, the poor people of the country round will find another DoctorReynaud, to whom they may look for help. And I--if by chance I am stillin this world--when that day comes, I shall be so happy! But I am wrongto speak of myself; I ought not, I do not count. It is of your fatherthat you must think. I repeat it, Jean, it was his dearest wish. You cannot have forgotten it. "

"No, I have not forgotten; but if my father sees me, and hears me, I amcertain that he understands and forgives me, for it is on his account. "

"On his account?"

"Yes. When I heard that he was dead, and when I heard how he died, allat once, without any need of reflection, I said to myself that I wouldbe a soldier, and I will be a soldier! Godfather, and you, Madame, I begyou not to prevent me. "

The child burst into tears--a perfect flood of passionate tears. TheCountess and the Abbe soothed him with gentle words. 

"Yes--yes--it is settled, " they said; "anything that you wish, all thatyou wish. "

Both had the same thought--leave it to time; Jean is only a child; hewill change his mind. 

In this, both were mistaken; Jean did not change his mind. In the monthof September, 1876, Paul de Lavardens was rejected at Saint-Cyr, andJean Reynaud passed eleventh at the Ecole Polytechnique. The day whenthe list of the candidates who had passed was published, he wrote to theAbbe Constantin:

"I have passed, and passed too well, for I wish to go into the army, andnot the civil service; however, if I keep my place in the school, thatwill be the business of one of my comrades; he will have my chance. "

It happened so in the end. Jean Reynaud did better than keep his place;the pass-list showed his name seventh, but instead of entering'l'Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees', he entered the military college atFontainebleau in 1878. 

He was then just twenty-one; he was of age, master of his fortune, andthe first act of the new administration was a great, a very great pieceof extravagance. 

He bought for old Clemence and little Rosalie two shares in Governmentstock of 1, 500 francs each. That cost him 70, 000 francs, almost the sumthat Paul de Lavardens, in his first year of liberty in Paris, spent forMademoiselle Lise Bruyere, of the Palais Royal Theatre. 

Two years later Jean passed first at the examination, and leftFontainebleau with the right of choosing among the vacant places. Therewas one in the regiment quartered at Souvigny, and Souvigny was threemiles from Longueval. Jean asked for this, and obtained it. 

Thus Jean Reynaud, lieutenant in the ninth regiment of artillery, camein the month of October, 1880, to take possession of the house that hadbeen his father's; thus he found himself once more in the place wherehis childhood had passed, and where every one had kept green the memoryof the life and death of his father; thus the Abbe Constantin was notdenied the happiness of once again having near him the son of his oldfriend, and, if the truth must be told, he no longer wished that Jeanhad become a doctor. 

When the old Cure left his church after saying mass, when he saw comingalong the road a great cloud of dust, when he felt the earth trembleunder the rumbling cannon, he would stop, and, like a child, amusehimself with seeing the regiment pass, but to him the regimentwas--Jean. It was this robust and manly cavalier, in whose face, as inan open book, one read uprightness, courage, and goodness. 

The moment Jean perceived the Cure, he would put his horse to a gallop, and go to have a little chat with his godfather. The horse would turnhis head toward the Cure, for he knew very well there was always a pieceof sugar for him in the pocket of that old black soutane--rusty andworn--the morning soutane. The Abbe Constantin had a beautiful newone, of which he took great care, to wear in society--when he went intosociety. 

The trumpets of the regiment sounded as they passed through the village, and all eyes sought Jean--"little Jean"-for to the old people ofLongueval he was still little Jean. Certain wrinkled, broken-down, old peasants had never been able to break themselves of the habit ofsaluting him when he passed with, "Bonjour, gamin, ca va bien?"

He was six feet high, this gamin, and Jean never crossed the villagewithout perceiving at one window the old furrowed parchment skin ofClemence, and at another the smiling countenance of Rosalie. The latterhad married during the previous year; Jean had given her away, andjoyously on the wedding-night had he danced with the girls of Longueval. 

Such was the lieutenant of artillery, who, on Saturday, May 28, 1881, athalf-past four in the afternoon, sprang from his horse before the doorof the vicarage of Longueval. He entered the gate, the horse obedientlyfollowed, and went by himself into a little shed in the yard. Paulinewas at the kitchen window; Jean approached and kissed her heartily onboth cheeks. 

"Good-evening, Pauline. Is all well?"

"Very well. I am busy preparing your dinner; would you like to know whatyou are going to have? potato soup, a leg of mutton, and a custard. "

"That is excellent; I shall enjoy everything, for I am dying of hunger. "

"And a salad; I had forgotten it; you can help me cut it directly. Dinner will be at half-past six exactly, for at half-past seven Monsieurle Cure has his service for the month of Mary. "

"Where is my godfather?"

"You will find him in the garden. He is very sad on account of this saleof yesterday. "

"Yes, I know, I know. "

"It will cheer him a little to see you; he is always so happy when youare here. Take care; Loulou is going to eat the climbing roses. How hothe is!"

"I came the long way by the wood, and rode very fast. "

Jean captured Loulou, who was directing his steps toward the climbingroses. He unsaddled him, fastened him in the little shed, rubbed himdown with a great handful of straw, after which he entered the house, relieved himself of his sword and kepi, replaced the latter by an oldstraw hat, value sixpence, and then went to look for his godfather inthe garden. 

The poor Abbe was indeed sad; he had scarcely closed an eye allnight--he who generally slept so easily, so quietly, the sound sleep ofa child. His soul was wrung. Longueval in the hands of a foreigner, of aheretic, of an adventuress!

Jean repeated what Paul had said the evening before. 

"You will have money, plenty of money, for your poor. "

"Money! money! Yes, my poor will not lose, perhaps they will even gainby it; but I must go and ask for this money, and in the salon, insteadof my old and dear friend, I shall find this red-haired American. Itseems that she has red hair! I will certainly go for the sake of mypoor--I will go--and she will give me the money, but she will give menothing but money; the Marquise gave me something else--her life and herheart. Every week we went together to visit the sick and the poor; sheknew all the sufferings and the miseries of the country round, and whenthe gout nailed me to my easy-chair she made the rounds alone, and aswell, or better than I. "

Pauline interrupted this conversation. She carried an immenseearthenware salad-dish, on which bloomed, violent and startling, enormous red flowers. 

"Here I am, " said Pauline, "I am going to cut the salad. Jean, would youlike lettuce or endive?"

"Endive, " said Jean, gayly. "It is a long time since I have had anyendive. "

"Well, you shall have some to-night. Stay, take the dish. "

Pauline began to cut the endive, and Jean bent down to receive theleaves in the great salad dish. The Cure looked on. 

At this moment a sound of little bells was heard. A carriage wasapproaching; one heard the jangling and creaking of its wheels. TheCure's little garden was only separated from the road by a low hedge, inthe middle of which was a little trellised gate. 

All three looked out, and saw driving down the road a hired carriage ofmost primitive construction, drawn by two great white horses, and drivenby an old coachman in a blouse. Beside this old coachman was seated atall footman in livery, of the most severe and correct demeanor. In thecarriage were two young women, dressed both alike in very elegant, butvery simple, travelling costumes. 

When the carriage was opposite the gate the coachman stopped his horses, and addressing the Abbe:

"Monsieur le Cure, " said he, "these ladies wish to speak to you. "

Then, turning toward the ladies:

"This is Monsieur le Cure of Longueval. "

The Abbe Constantin approached and opened the little gate. Thetravellers alighted. Their looks rested, not without astonishment, onthe young officer, who stood there, a little embarrassed, with his strawhat in one hand, and his salad dish, all overflowing with endive, in theother. 

The visitors entered the garden, and the elder--she seemed abouttwenty-five--addressing the Abbe Constantin, said to him, with a littleforeign accent, very original and very peculiar:

"I am obliged to introduce myself---Mrs. Scott; I am Mrs. Scott! Itwas I who bought the castle and farms and all the rest here at the saleyesterday. I hope that I do not disturb you, and that you can spare mefive minutes. " Then, pointing to her travelling companion, "Miss BettinaPercival, my sister; you guessed it, I am sure. We are very much alike, are we not? Ah! Bettina, we have left our bags in the carriage, and weshall want them directly. "

"I will get them. "

And as Miss Percival prepared to go for the two little bags, Jean saidto her:

"Pray allow me. "

"I am really very sorry to give you so much trouble. The servant willgive them to you; they are on the front seat. "

She had the same accent as her sister, the same large eyes--black, laughing, and gay-and the same hair, not red, but fair, with goldenshades, where daintily danced the light of the sun. She bowed to Jeanwith a pretty little smile, and he, having returned to Pauline thesalad dish full of endive, went to look for the two little bags. Meanwhile-much agitated, sorely disturbed--the Abbe Constantinintroduced into his vicarage the new Chatelaine of Longueval. 

CHAPTER III. DELIGHTFUL SURPRISES

This vicarage of Longueval was far from being a palace. The sameapartment on the ground floor served for dining and drawing-room, communicating directly with the kitchen by a door, which stood alwayswide open. This room was furnished in the most scanty manner; two oldarm chairs, six straw chairs, a sideboard, a round table. Pauline hadalready laid the cloth for the dinner of the Abbe and Jean. 

Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival went and came, examining the domesticarrangements of the Cure with a sort of childish wonder. 

"But the garden, the house, everything is charming, " said Mrs. Scott. 

They both boldly penetrated into the kitchen; the Abbe Constantinfollowed them, scared, bewildered, stupefied at the suddenness andresolution of this American invasion. 

Old Pauline, with an anxious and gloomy air, examined the twoforeigners. 

"There they are, then, " she said to herself, "these Protestants, theseaccursed heretics!"

"I must compliment you, " said Bettina; "it is so beautifully kept. Look, Susie, is not the vicarage altogether exactly what you wished?"

"And so is the Cure, " rejoined Mrs. Scott. "Yes, Monsieur le Cure, ifyou will permit me to say so, you do not know how happy it makes me tofind you just what you are. In the railway carriage what did I say toyou, Bettina? And again just now, when we were driving here?"

"My sister said to me, Monsieur le Cure, that what she desired aboveeverything was a priest, not young, or melancholy, or severe; but onewith white hair and a kind and gentle manner. And that is exactly whatyou are, Monsieur le Cure, exactly. No, we could not have been morefortunate. Excuse me for speaking to you in this manner; the Parisiansknow how to make pretty phrases, but I do not, and in speaking French Ishould often be quite at a loss if I did not say everything in a simpleand childish way, as it comes into my head. In a word, I am satisfied, quite satisfied, and I hope that you, too, Monsieur le Cure, will be assatisfied with your new parishioners. "

"My parishioners!" exclaimed the Cure, all at once recovering speech, movement, life, everything which for some moments had completelyabandoned him. "My parishioners! Pardon me, Madame, Mademoiselle, I amso agitated. You will be--you are Catholics?"

"Certainly we are Catholics. "

"Catholics! Catholics!" repeated the Cure. 

"Catholics! Catholics!" echoed old Pauline. 

Mrs. Scott looked from the Cure to Pauline, from Pauline to the Cure, much surprised that a single word should produce such an effect, and, tocomplete the tableau, Jean appeared carrying the two little travellingbags. 

The Cure and Pauline saluted him with the same words:

"Catholics! Catholics!"

"Ah! I begin to understand, " said Mrs. Scott, laughing. "It is our name, our country; you must have thought that we were Protestants. Not at all. Our mother was a Canadian, French and Catholic by descent; that is whymy sister and I both speak French, with an accent, it is true, andwith certain American idioms, but yet in such a manner as to be able toexpress nearly all we want to say. My husband is a Protestant, but heallows me complete liberty, and my two children are Catholics. That iswhy, Monsieur l'Abbe, we wished to come and see you the very first day. "

"That is one reason, " continued Bettina, "but there is also another; butfor that reason we shall want our little bags. "

"Here they are, " said Jean. 

While the two little bags passed from the hands of the officer tothose of Mrs. Scott and Bettina, the Cure introduced Jean to the twoAmericans, but his agitation was so great that the introduction was notmade strictly according to rule. The Cure only forgot one thing, it istrue, but that was a thing tolerably essential in an introduction--thefamily name of Jean. 

"It is Jean, " said he, "my godson, lieutenant of artillery, nowquartered at Souvigny. He is one of the family. "

Jean made two deep bows, the Americans two little ones, after which theyforaged in their bags, from which each drew a 'rouleau' of 1, 000 francs, daintily inclosed in green sheaths of serpent-skin, clasped with gold. 

"I have brought you this for your poor, " said Mrs. Scott. 

"And I have brought this, " said Bettina. 

"And besides that, Monsieur le Cure, I am going to give you five hundredfrancs a month, " said Mrs. Scott. 

"And I will do like my sister. "

Delicately they slipped their offerings into the right and left hands ofthe Cure, who, looking at each hand alternately, said:

"What are these little things? They are very heavy; there must be moneyin them. Yes, but how much, how much?"

The Abbe Constantin was seventy-two, and much money had passed throughhis hands, but this money had come to him in small sums, and the ideaof such an offering as this had never entered his head. Two thousandfrancs! Never had he had so much in his possession--no, not even onethousand. He stammered:

"I am very grateful to you, Madame; you are very good, Mademoiselle--"

But after all he could not thank them enough, and Jean thought itnecessary to come to his assistance. 

"They have given you two thousand francs!"

And then, full of warmest gratitude; the Cure cried:

"Two thousand francs! Two thousand francs for my poor!"

Pauline suddenly reappeared. 

"Here, Pauline, " said the Cure, "put away this money, and take care--"

Old Pauline filled many positions in this simple household: cook, maid-of-all-work, treasurer, dispenser. Her hands received with arespectful tremble these two little 'rouleaux' which represented so muchmisery alleviated, so much suffering relieved. 

"One thousand francs a month! But there will be no poor left in thecountry. "

"That is just what I wish. I am rich, very rich, and so is my sister;she is even richer than I am, because a young girl has not so manyexpenses, while I--Ah! well, I spend all that I can--all that I can. When one has a great deal of money, too much, more than one feels tobe just, tell me, Monsieur le Cure, is there any other way of obtainingpardon than to keep one's hands open, and give, give, give, all onecan, and as usefully as one can? Besides, you can give me something inreturn;" and, turning to Pauline, "Will you be so kind as to give me aglass of water? No, nothing else; a glass of cold water; I am dying ofthirst. "

"And I, " said Bettina, laughing, while Pauline ran to fetch the water, "I am dying of something else-of hunger, to tell the truth. Monsieurle Cure--I know that I am going to be dreadfully intrusive; I see yourcloth is laid--could you not invite us to dinner?"

"Bettina!" said Mrs. Scott. 

"Let me alone, Susie, let me alone. Won't you, Monsieur le Cure? I amsure you will. "

But he could find no reply. The old Cure hardly knew where he was. Theyhad taken his vicarage by storm; they were Catholics; they had promisedhim one thousand francs a month, and now they wanted to dine with him. Ah! that was the last stroke. Terror seized him at the thought of havingto do the honors of his leg of mutton and his custard to these twoabsurdly rich Americans. He murmured:

"Dine!-you would like to dine here?"

Jean thought he must interpose again. "It would be a great pleasureto my godfather, " said he, "if you would kindly stay. But I know whatdisturbs him. We were going to dine together, just the two of us, andyou must not expect a feast. You will be very indulgent?"

"Yes, yes, very indulgent, " replied Bettina; then, addressing hersister, "Come, Susie, you must not be cross, because I have been alittle--you know it is my way to be a little--Let us stay, will you? Itwill do us good to pass a quiet hour here, after such a day as we havehad! On the railway, in the carriage, in the heat, in the dust; we hadsuch a horrid luncheon, in such a horrid hotel. We were to have returnedto the same hotel at seven o'clock to dine, and then take the train backto Paris, but dinner here will be really much nicer. You won't say no?Ah! how good you are, Susie!"

She embraced her sister fondly; then turning toward the Cure:

"If you only knew, Monsieur le Cure, how good she is!"

"Bettina! Bettina!"

"Come, " said Jean, "quick, Pauline, two more plates; I will help you. "

"And so will I, " said Bettina, "I will help, too. Oh! do let me; it willbe so amusing. Monsieur le Cure, you will let me do a little as if Iwere at home?"

In a moment she had taken off her mantle, and Jean could admire, in allits exquisite perfection, a figure marvellous for suppleness and grace. Miss Percival then removed her hat, but with a little too much haste, for this was the signal for a charming catastrophe. A whole avalanchedescended in torrents, in long cascades, over Bettina's shoulders. Shewas standing before a window flooded by the rays of the sun, and thisgolden light, falling full on this golden hair, formed a deliciousframe for the sparkling beauty of the young girl. Confused and blushing, Bettina was obliged to call her sister to her aid, and Mrs. Scott hadmuch trouble in introducing order into this disorder. 

When this disaster was at length repaired, nothing could prevent Bettinafrom rushing on plates, knives, and forks. 

"Oh, indeed, " said she to Jean, "I know very well how to lay the cloth. Ask my sister. Tell him, Susie, when I was a little girl in New York, Iused to lay the cloth very well, didn't I?"

"Very well, indeed, " said Mrs. Scott. 

And then, while begging the Cure to excuse Bettina's want of thought, she, too, took off her hat and mantle, so that Jean had again the veryagreeable spectacle of a charming figure and beautiful hair; but, toJean's great regret, the catastrophe had not a second representation. 

In a few minutes Mrs. Scott, Miss Percival, the Cure, and Jean wereseated round the little vicarage table; then, thanks partly to theimpromptu and original nature of the entertainment, partly to thegood-humor and perhaps slightly audacious gayety of Bettina, theconversation took a turn of the frankest and most cordial familiarity. 

"Now, Monsieur le Cure, " said Bettina, "you shall see if I did not speakthe truth when I said I was dying of hunger. I never was so glad to sitdown to dinner. This is such a delightful finish to our day. Both mysister and I are perfectly happy now we have this castle, and thesefarms, and the forest. "

"And then, " said Mrs. Scott, "to have all that in such an extraordinaryand unexpected manner. We were so taken by surprise. "

"You may indeed say so, Susie. You must know, Monsieur l'Abbe, that yesterday was my sister's birthday. But first, pardon me, Monsieur--Jean, is it not?"

"Yes, Miss Percival, Monsieur Jean. "

"Well, Monsieur Jean, a little more of that excellent soup, if youplease. "

The Abbe was beginning to recover a little, but he was still tooagitated to perform the duties of a host. It was Jean who had undertakenthe management of his godfather's little dinner. He filled the plate ofthe charming American, who fixed upon him the glance of two large eyes, in which sparkled frankness, daring, and gayety. The eyes of Jean, meanwhile, repaid Miss Percival in the same coin. It was scarcely threequarters of an hour since the young American and the young officer hadmade acquaintance in the Cure's garden, yet both felt already perfectlyat ease with each other, full of confidence, almost like old friends. 

"I told you, Monsieur l'Abbe, " continued Bettina, "that yesterday was mysister's birthday. A week ago my brother-in-law was obliged to return toAmerica, but at starting he said to my sister, 'I shall not be with youon your birthday, but you will hear from me. ' So, yesterday, presentsand bouquets arrived from all quarters, but from my brother-in-law, upto five o'clock, nothing--nothing. We were just starting for a ride inthe Bois, and 'a propos' of riding"--she stopped, and looking curiouslyat Jean's great dusty boots--"Monsieur Jean, you have spurs on. "

"Yes, Miss Percival. "

"Then you are in the cavalry?"

"I am in the artillery, and that, you know, is cavalry. "

"And your regiment is quartered?"---

"Quite near here. "

"Then you will be able to ride with us?"

"With the greatest pleasure. "

"That is settled. Let me see; where was I?"

"You do not know at all where you are, Bettina, and you are tellingthese gentlemen things which can not interest them. "

"Oh! I beg your pardon, " said the Cure. "The sale of this estate isthe only subject of conversation in the neighborhood just now, and MissPercival's account interests me very much. "

"You see, Susie, my account interests Monsieur le Cure very much; thenI shall continue. We went for our ride, we returned at seveno'clock--nothing. We dined, and just when we were leaving the table atelegram from America arrived. It contained only a few lines:

"'I have ordered the purchase to-day, for you and in your name, of thecastle and lands of Longueval, near Souvigny, on the Northern Railwayline. '

"Then we both burst into a fit of wild laughter at the thought. "

"No, no, Bettina; you calumniate us both. Our first thought was one ofvery sincere gratitude, for both my sister and I are very fond ofthe country. My husband knows that we had longed to have an estate inFrance. For six months he had been looking out, and found nothing. Atlast he discovered this one, and, without telling us, ordered it to bebought for my birthday. It was a delicate attention. "

"Yes, Susie, you are right, but after the little fit of gratitude, wehad a great one of gayety. "

"Yes, I confess it. When we realized that we had suddenly becomepossessed of a castle, without knowing in the least where it was, whatit was like, or how much it had cost, it seemed so like a fairy-tale. Well, for five good minutes we laughed with all our hearts, then weseized the map of France, and succeeded in discovering Souvigny. When hehad finished with the map it was the turn of the railway guide, and thismorning, by the ten o'clock express, we arrived at Souvigny. 

"We have passed the whole day in visiting the castle, the farms, thewoods, the stables. We are delighted with what we have seen. Only, Monsieur le Cure, there is one thing about which I feel curious. I knowthat the place was sold yesterday; but I have not dared to ask eitheragent or farmer who accompanied me in my walk--for my ignorance wouldhave seemed too absurd--I have not dared to ask how much it cost. In thetelegram my husband does not mention the sum. Since I am so delightedwith the place, the price is only a detail, but still I should like toknow it. Tell me, Monsieur le Cure, do you know what it cost?"

"An enormous price, " replied the Cure, "for many hopes and manyambitions were excited about Longueval. "

"An enormous price! You frighten me. How much exactly?"

"Three millions!"

"Is that all? Is that all?" cried Mrs. Scott. "The castle, the farms, the forest, all for three millions?"

"But that is nothing, " said Bettina. "That delicious little stream whichwanders through the park is alone worth three millions. "

"And you said just now, Monsieur le Cure, that there were severalpersons who disputed the purchase with us?"

"Yes, Mrs. Scott. "

"And, after the sale, was my name mentioned among these persons?"

"Certainly it was. "

"And when my name was mentioned was there no one there who spoke of me?Yes, yes, your silence is a sufficient answer; they did speak of me. Well, Monsieur le Cure, I am now serious, very serious. I beg you as afavor to tell me what was said. "

"But, " replied the poor Cure, who felt himself upon burning coals, "theyspoke of your large fortune. "

"Yes, of course, they would be obliged to speak of that, and no doubtthey said that I was very rich, but had not been rich long--that I wasa parvenu. Very well, but that is not all; they must have said somethingelse. "

"No, indeed; I have heard nothing else. "

"Oh, Monsieur le Cure, that is what you may call a white lie, and it ismaking you very unhappy, because naturally you are the soul of truth;but if I torment you thus it is because I have the greatest interest inknowing what was said. "

"You are right, " interrupted Jean, "you are right. They said you wereone of the most elegant, the most brilliant, and the--"

"And one of the prettiest women in Paris. With a little indulgence theymight say that; but that is not all yet--there is something else. "

"Oh! I assure you--"

"Yes, there is something else, and I should like to hear it this verymoment, and I should like the information to be very frank and veryexact. It seems to me that I am in a lucky vein to-day, and I feel as ifyou were both a little inclined to be my friends, and that you willbe so entirely some day. Well, tell me if I am right in supposing thatshould false and absurd stories be told about me you will help me tocontradict them. "

"Yes!" replied Jean, "you are right in believing that. "

"Well, then, it is to you that I address myself. You are a soldier, andcourage is part of your profession. Promise me to be brave. Will youpromise me?"

"What do you understand by being brave?"

"Promise, promise--without explanations, without conditions. "

"Well, I promise. "

"You will then reply frankly, 'Yes' or 'No, ' to questions?"

"I will. "

"Did they say that I had begged in the streets of New York?"

"Yes, they said so. "

"Did they say I had been a rider in a travelling circus?"

"Yes; they said that, too. "

"Very well; that is plain speaking. Now remark first that in all thisthere is nothing that one might not acknowledge if it were true; but itis not true, and have I not the right of denying it? My history--I willtell it you in a few words. I am going to pass a part of my life in thisplace, and I desire that all should know who I am and whence I come. Tobegin, then. Poor! Yes, I have been, and very poor. Eight years ago myfather died, and was soon followed by my mother. I was then eighteen, and Bettina nine. We were alone in the world, encumbered with heavydebts and a great lawsuit. My father's last words had been, 'Susie, never, never compromise. Millions, my children, you will have millions. 'He embraced us both; soon delirium seized him, and he died repeating, 'Millions; millions!' The next morning a lawyer appeared, who offeredto pay all our debts, and to give us besides ten thousand dollars, ifwe would give up all our claims. I refused. It was then that for severalmonths we were very poor. "

"And it was then, " said Bettina, "that I used to lay the cloth. "

"I spent my life among the solicitors of New York, but no one would takeup my case; everywhere I received the same reply: 'Your cause is verydoubtful; you have rich and formidable adversaries; you need money, large sums of money, to bring such a case to a conclusion, and you havenothing. They offer to pay your debts, and to give you ten thousanddollars besides. Accept it, and sell your case. ' But my father's lastwords rang in my ears, and I would not. Poverty, however, might soonhave forced me to, when one day I made another attempt on one of myfather's old friends, a banker in New York, Mr. William Scott. He wasnot alone; a young man was sitting in his office. 

"'You may speak freely, ' said Mr. Scott; 'it is my son Richard. '

"I looked at the young man, he looked at me, and we recognized eachother. 

"'Susie!'

"'Richard!"

"Formerly, as children, we had often played together and were greatfriends. Seven or eight years before this meeting he had been sent toEurope to finish his education. We shook hands; his father made mesit down, and asked what had brought me. He listened to my tale; andreplied:

"'You would require twenty or thirty thousand dollars. No one would lendyou such a sum upon the uncertain chances of a very complicated lawsuit. If you are in difficulties; if you need assistance--'

"'It is not that, father. That is not what Miss Percival asks. '

"'I know that very well, but what she asks is impossible. '

"He rose to let me out. Then the sense of my helplessness overpowered mefor the first time since my father's death. I burst into a violent floodof tears. An hour later Richard Scott was with me. 

"'Susie, ' he said, 'promise to accept what I am going to offer. '

"I promised him. 

"'Well, ' said he, 'on the single condition that my father shall knownothing about it, I place at your disposal the necessary sum. '

"'But then you ought to know what the lawsuit is--what it is worth. '

"'I do not know a single word about it, and I do not wish to. Besides, you have promised to accept it; you can not withdraw now. '

"I accepted. Three months after the case was ours. All this vastproperty became beyond dispute the property of Bettina and me. Theother side offered to buy it of us for five million dollars. I consultedRichard. 

"'Refuse it and wait, ' said he; 'if they offer you such a sum it isbecause the property is worth double. '

"'However, I must return you your money; I owe you a great deal. '

"'Oh! as for that there is no hurry; I am very easy about it; my moneyis quite safe now. '

"'But I should like to pay you at once. I have a horror of debt! Perhapsthere is another way without selling the property. Richard, will you bemy husband?'

"Yes, Monsieur le Cure, yes, " said Mrs. Scott, laughing, "it is thusthat I threw myself at my husband's head. It is I who asked his hand. But really I was obliged to act thus. Never, never, would he havespoken; I had become too rich, and as it was me he loved, and not mymoney, he was becoming terribly afraid of me. That is the history ofmy marriage. As to the history of my fortune, it can be told in a fewwords. There were indeed millions in those wide lands of Colorado; theydiscovered there abundant mines of silver, and from those mines we drawevery year an income which is beyond reason, but we have agreed--myhusband, my sister, and myself--to give a very large share of thisincome to the poor. You see, Monsieur le Cure, it is because we haveknown very hard times that you will always find us ready to help thosewho are, as we have been ourselves, involved in the difficulties andsorrows of life. And now, Monsieur Jean, will you forgive me this longdiscourse, and offer me a little of that cream, which looks so verygood?"

This cream was Pauline's custard, and while Jean was serving Mrs. Scott:

"I have not yet finished, " she continued. "You ought to know what gaverise to these extravagant stories. A year ago, when we settled in Paris, we considered it our duty on our arrival to give a certain sum to thepoor. Who was it spoke of that? None of us, certainly, but the thing wastold in a newspaper, with the amount. Immediately two young reportershastened to subject Mr. Scott to a little examination on his pasthistory; they wished to give a sketch of our career in the--what do youcall them?--society papers. Mr. Scott is sometimes a little hasty; hewas so on this occasion, and dismissed these gentlemen rather brusquely, without telling them anything. So, as they did not know our realhistory, they invented one, and certainly displayed a very livelyimagination. First they related how I had begged in the snow in NewYork; the next day appeared a still more sensational article, which mademe a rider in a circus in Philadelphia. You have some very funny papersin France; so have we in America, for the matter of that. "

During the last five minutes, Pauline had been making desperate signs tothe Cure, who persisted in not understanding them, till at last the poorwoman, calling up all her courage, said:

"Monsieur le Cure, it is a quarter past seven. "

"A quarter past seven! Ladies, I must beg you to excuse me. This eveningI have the special service for the month of Mary. "

"The month of Mary? And will the service begin directly?"

"Yes, directly. "

"And when does our train start for Paris?"

"At half past nine, " replied Jean. 

"Susie, can we not go to church first?"

"Yes, we will go, " replied Mrs. Scott; "but before we separate, Monsieurle Cure, I have one favor to ask you. I should like very much, the firsttime I dine at Longueval, that you would dine with me, and you, too, Monsieur Jean, just us four alone like to-day. Oh! do not refuse myinvitation; it is given with all my heart. "

"And accepted as heartily, " replied Jean. 

"I will write and tell you the day, and it shall be as soon as possible. You call that having a housewarming, don't you? Well, we shall have thehouse-warming all to ourselves. "

Meanwhile, Pauline had drawn Miss Percival into a corner of the room, and was talking to her with great animation. The conversation ended withthese words:

"You will be there?" said Bettina, "and you will tell me the exactmoment?"

"I will tell you, but take care. Here is Monsieur le Cure; he must notsuspect anything. "

The two sisters, the Cure, and Jean left the house. To go to the churchthey were obliged to cross the churchyard. The evening was delicious. Slowly, silently, under the rays of the setting sun, the four walkeddown a long avenue. 

On their way was the monument to Dr. Reynaud, very simple, but which, byits fine proportions, showed distinctly among the other tombs. 

Mrs. Scott and Bettina stopped, struck with this inscription carved onthe stone:

"Here lies Dr. Marcel Reynaud, Surgeon-Major of the Souvigny Mobiles;killed January 8, 1871, at the Battle of Villersexel. Pray for him. "

When they had read it, the Cure, pointing to Jean, said:

"It was his father!"

The two sisters drew near the tomb, and with bent heads remained therefor some minutes, pensive, touched, contemplative. Then both turned, andat the same moment, by the same impulse, offered their hands to Jean;then continued their walk to the church. Their first prayer at Longuevalhad been for the father of Jean. 

The Cure went to put on his surplice and stole. Jean conducted Mrs. Scott to the seat which belonged to the masters of Longueval. 

Pauline had gone on before. She was waiting for Miss Percival in theshadow behind one of the pillars. By a steep and narrow staircase, sheled Bettina to the gallery, and placed her before the harmonium. 

Preceded by two little chorister boys, the old Cure left the vestry, andat the moment when he knelt on the steps of the alter:

"Now! Mademoiselle, " said Pauline, whose heart beat with impatience. "Poor, dear man, how pleased he will be. "

When he heard the sound of the music rise, soft as a murmur, and spreadthrough the little church, the Abbe Constantin was filled with suchemotion, such joy, that the tears came to his eyes. He could notremember having wept since the day when Jean had said that he wished toshare all that he possessed with the mother and sister of those who hadfallen by his father's side under the Prussian bullets. 

To bring tears to the eyes of the old priest, a little American had beenbrought across the seas to play a reverie of Chopin in the little churchof Longueval. 

BOOK 2. 

CHAPTER IV. A RIOT OF CHARITY

The next day, at half-past five in the morning, the bugle-call rangthrough the barrack-yard at Souvigny. Jean mounted his horse, and tookhis place with his division. By the end of May all the recruits in thearmy are sufficiently instructed to be capable of sharing in the generalevolutions. Almost every day manoeuvres of the mounted artillery areexecuted on the parade-ground. Jean loved his profession; he was in thehabit of inspecting carefully the grooming and harness of the horses, the equipment and carriage of his men. This morning, however, hebestowed but scant attention on all the little details of his duty. 

One problem agitated, tormented him, and left him always undecided, andthis problem was one of those the solution of which is not given atthe Ecole Polytechnique. Jean could find no convincing reply to thisquestion: Which of the two sisters is the prettier?

At the butts, during the first part of the manoeuvre, each batteryworked on its own account, under the orders of the captain; but he oftenrelinquished the place to one of his lieutenants, in order to accustomthem to the management of six field-pieces. It happened on this day thatthe command was intrusted to the hands of Jean. To the great surprise ofthe Captain, in whose estimation his Lieutenant held the first rank asa well-trained, smart, and capable officer, everything went wrong. TheCaptain was obliged to interfere; he addressed a little reprimand toJean, which terminated in these words:

"I can not understand it at all. What is the matter with you thismorning? It is the first time such a thing has happened with you. "

It was also the first time that Jean had seen anything at the butts atSouvigny but cannon, ammunition wagons, horses, or gunners. 

In the clouds of dust raised by the wheels of the wagons and the hoofsof the horses Jean beheld, not the second mounted battery of the 9thRegiment of artillery, but the distinct images of two Americanswith black eyes and golden hair; and, at the moment when he listenedrespectfully to the well-merited lecture from his Captain, he was in theact of saying to himself:

"The prettier is Mrs. Scott!"

Every morning the exercise is divided into two parts by a littleinterval of ten minutes. The officers gathered together and talked; Jeanremained apart, alone with his recollections of the previous evening. His thoughts obstinately gathered round the vicarage of Longueval. 

"Yes! the more charming of the two sisters is Mrs. Scott; Miss Percivalis only a child. "

He saw again Mrs. Scott at the Cure's little table. He heard herstory told with such frankness, such freedom. The harmony of that verypeculiar, very fascinating voice, still enchanted his ear. He was againin the church; she was there before him, bending over her prie-Dieu, herpretty head resting in her two little hands; then the music arose, andfar off, in the dusk, Jean perceived the fine and delicate profile ofBettina. 

"A child--is she only a child?"

The trumpets sounded, the practice was resumed; this time, fortunately, no command, no responsibility. The four batteries executed theirevolutions together; this immense mass of men, horses, and carriages, deployed in every direction, now drawn out in a long line, againcollected into a compact group. All stopped at the same instant alongthe whole extent of the ground; the gunners sprang from their horses, ran to their pieces, detached each from its team, which went off ata trot and prepared to fire with amazing rapidity. Then the horsesreturned, the men re-attached their pieces; sprang quickly to saddle, and the regiment started at full gallop across the field. 

Very gently in the thoughts of Jean Bettina regained her advantage overMrs. Scott. She appeared to him smiling and blushing amid the sunlitclouds of her floating hair. Monsieur Jean, she had called him, MonsieurJean, and never had his name sounded so sweet. And that last pressureof the hand on taking leave, before entering the carriage. Had not MissPercival given him a more cordial clasp than Mrs. Scott had done? Yes, positively a little more. 

"I was mistaken, " thought Jean; "the prettier is Miss Percival. "

The day's work was finished; the pieces were ranged regularly in lineone behind the other; they defiled rapidly, with a horrible clatter, andin a cloud of dust. When Jean, sword in hand, passed before his Colonel, the images of the two sisters were so confused and intermingled in hisrecollection that they melted the one in the other, and became insome measure the image of one and the same person. Any parallel becameimpossible between them, thanks to this singular confusion of thetwo points of comparison. Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival remained thusinseparable in the thoughts of Jean until the day when it was granted tohim to see them again. The impression of that meeting was not effaced;it was always there, persistent, and very sweet, till Jean began to feeldisturbed. 

"Is it possible"--so ran his meditations--"is it possible that I havebeen guilty of the folly of falling in love madly at first sight? No;one might fall in love with a woman, but not with two women at once. "

That thought reassured him. He was very young, this great fellow offour-and-twenty; never had love entered fully into his heart. Love! Heknew very little about it, except from books, and he had read but fewof them. But he was no angel; he could find plenty of attractions in thegrisettes of Souvigny, and when they would allow him to tell themthat they were charming, he was quite ready to do so, but it had neverentered his head to regard as love those passing fancies, which onlycaused the slightest and most superficial disturbance in his heart. 

Paul de Lavardens had marvellous powers of enthusiasm and idealization. His heart sheltered always two or three grandes passions, which livedthere in perfect harmony. Paul had been so clever as to discover, inthis little town of 15, 000 souls, numbers of pretty girls, all made tobe adored. He always believed himself the discoverer of America, when, in fact, he had done nothing but follow in the track of othernavigators. 

The world-Jean had scarcely encountered it. He had allowed himself tobe dragged by Paul, a dozen times, perhaps, to soirees or balls at thegreat houses of the neighborhood. He had invariably returned thoroughlybored, and had concluded that these pleasures were not made for him. Histastes were simple, serious. He loved solitude, work, long walks, openspace, horses, and books. He was rather savage--a son of the soil. Heloved his village, and all the old friends of his childhood. A quadrillein a drawing-room caused him unspeakable terror; but every year, atthe festival of the patron saint of Longueval, he danced gayly with theyoung girls and farmers' daughters of the neighborhood. 

If he had seen Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival at home in Paris, in allthe splendor of their luxury, in all the perfection of their costlysurroundings, he would have looked at them from afar, with curiosity, asexquisite works of art. Then he would have returned home, and would haveslept, as usual, the most peaceful slumber in the world. 

Yes, but it was not thus that the thing had come to pass, and hence hisexcitement, hence his disturbance. These two women had shown themselvesbefore him in the midst of a circle with which he was familiar, andwhich had been, if only for this reason, singularly favorable to them. Simple, good, frank, cordial, such they had shown themselves the veryfirst day, and delightfully pretty into the bargain--a fact which isnever insignificant. Jean fell at once under the charm; he was therestill!

At the moment when he dismounted in the barrack-yard, at nine o'clock, the old priest began his campaign joyously. Since the previous eveningthe Abbe's head had been on fire; Jean had not slept much, but he hadnot slept at all. He had risen very early, and with closed doors, alonewith Pauline, he had counted and recounted his money, spreading outhis one hundred Louis-d'or, gloating over them like a miser, and likea miser finding exquisite pleasure in handling his hoard. All that washis! for him! that is to say, for the poor. 

"Do not be too lavish, Monsieur le Cure, " said Pauline; "be economical. I think that if you distribute to-day one hundred francs--"

"That is not enough, Pauline. I shall only have one such day in my life, but one I will have. How much do you think I shall give to-day?"

"How much, Monsieur le Cure?"

"One thousand francs!"

"One thousand francs!"

"Yes. We are millionaires now; we possess all the treasures of America, and you talk about economy? Not to-day, at all events; indeed, I have noright to think of it. "

After saying mass at nine o'clock he set out and showered gold along hisway. All had a share--the poor who acknowledged their poverty andthose who concealed it. Each alms was accompanied by the same littlediscourse:

"This comes from the new owners of the Longueval--two American ladies, Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival. Remember their names, and pray for them. "

Then he made off without waiting for thanks, across the fields, throughthe woods, from hamlet to hamlet, from cottage to cottage--on, on, on. Asort of intoxication mounted to his brain. Everywhere were cries of joyand astonishment. All these louis-d'or fell, as if by a miracle, intothe poor hands accustomed to receive little pieces of silver. The Curbwas guilty of follies, actual follies. He was out of bounds; he did notrecognize himself; he had lost all control over himself; he even gave tothose who did not expect anything. 

He met Claude Rigal, the old sergeant, who had left one of his arms atSebastopol. He was growing gray--nay, white; for time passes, and thesoldiers of the Crimea will soon be old men. 

"Here!" said the Cure, "I have twenty francs for you. "

"Twenty francs? But I never asked for anything; I don't want anything; Ihave my pension. "

His pension! Seven hundred francs!

"But listen; it will be something to buy you cigars. It comes fromAmerica. "

And then followed the Abbe's little speech about the masters ofLongueval. 

He went to a poor woman whose son had gone to Tunis. 

"Well, how is your son getting on?"

"Not so bad, Monsieur le Cure; I had a letter from him yesterday. Hedoes not complain; he is very well; only he says there are no Kroomirs. Poor boy! I have been saving for a month, and I think I shall soon beable to send him ten francs. "

"You shall send him thirty francs. Take this. "

"Thirty francs! Monsieur le Cure, you give me thirty francs?"

"Yes, that is for you. "

"For my boy?"

"For your boy. But listen; you must know from whom it comes, and youmust take care to tell your son when you write to him. "

Again the little speech about the new owners of Longueval, and again theadjuration to remember them in their prayers. At six o'clock he returnedhome, exhausted with fatigue, but with his soul filled with joy. 

"I have given away all, " he cried, as soon as he saw Pauline, "all! all!all!"

He dined, and then went in the evening to perform the usual servicefor the month of Mary. But this time, the harmonium was silent; MissPercival was no longer there. 

The little organist of the evening before was at that moment muchperplexed. On two couches in her dressing-room were spread two frocks--awhite and a blue. Bettina was meditating which of these two frocks shewould wear to the opera that evening. After long hesitation she fixed onthe blue. At half-past nine the two sisters ascended the grand staircaseat the opera-house. Just as they entered their box the curtain rose onthe second scene of the second act of Aida, that containing the balletand march. 

Two young men, Roger de Puymartin and Louis de Martillet, were seatedin the front of a stage-box. The young ladies of the corps de ballethad not yet appeared, and these gentlemen, having no occupation, wereamusing themselves with looking about the house. The appearance of MissPercival made a strong impression upon both. 

"Ah! ah!" said Puymartin, "there she is, the little golden nugget!"

"She is perfectly dazzling this evening, this little golden nugget, "continued Martillet. "Look at her, at the line of her neck, the fall ofher shoulders--still a young girl, and already a woman. "

"Yes, she is charming, and tolerably well off into the bargain. "

"Fifteen millions of her own, and the silver mine is still productive. "

"Berulle told me twenty-five millions, and he is very well up inAmerican affairs. "

"Twenty-five millions! A pretty haul for Romanelli!"

"What? Romanelli!"

"Report says that that will be a match; that it is already settled. "

"A match may be arranged, but with Montessan, not with Romanelli. Ah! atlast! Here is the ballet. "

They ceased to talk. The ballet in Aida lasts only five minutes, andfor those five minutes they had come. Consequently they must be enjoyedrespectfully, religiously, for there is that peculiarity among a numberof the habitues of the opera, that they chatter like magpies when theyought to be silent, to listen, and that they observe the most absolutesilence when they might be allowed to speak, while looking on. 

The trumpets of Aida had given their last heroic 'fanfare' in honorof Rhadames before the great sphinxes under the green foliage of thepalm-trees, the dancers advanced, the light trembling on their spangledrobes, and took possession of the stage. 

With much attention and pleasure Mrs. Scott followed the evolutions ofthe ballet, but Bettina had suddenly become thoughtful, on perceivingin a box, on the other side of the house, a tall, dark young man. MissPercival talked to herself, and said:

"What shall I do? What shall I decide on? Must I marry him, thathandsome, tall fellow over there, who is watching me, for it is I thathe is looking at? He will come into our box directly this act is over, and then I have only to say, 'I have decided; there is my hand; I willbe your wife, ' and then all would be settled! I should be Princess!Princess Romanelli! Princess Bettina! Bettina Romanelli! The namesgo well together; they sound very pretty. Would it amuse me to be aprincess? Yes--and no! Among all the young men in Paris, who, during thelast year, have run after my money, this Prince Romanelli is the one whopleases me best. One of these days I must make up my mind to marry. Ithink he loves me. Yes, but the question is, do I love him? No, I don'tthink I do, and I should so much like to love--so much, so much!"

At the precise moment when these reflections were passing throughBettina's pretty head, Jean, alone in his study, seated before his deskwith a great book under the shade of his lamp, looked through, andtook notes of, the campaigns of Turenne. He had been directed to give acourse of instruction to the non-commissioned officers of the regiment, and was prudently preparing his lesson for the next day. 

But in the midst of his notes--Nordlingen, 1645; les Dunes, 1658;Mulhausen and Turckheim, 1674-1675--he suddenly perceived (Jean didnot draw very badly) a sketch, a woman's portrait, which all at onceappeared under his pen. What was she doing there, in the middleof Turenne's victories, this pretty little woman? And then who wasshe--Mrs. Scott or Miss Percival? How could he tell? They resembled eachother so much; and, laboriously, Jean returned to the history of thecampaigns of Turenne. 

And at the same moment, the Abbe Constantin, on his knees before hislittle wooden bedstead, called down, with all the strength of his soul, the blessings of Heaven on the two women through whose bounty he hadpassed such a sweet and happy day. He prayed God to bless Mrs. Scottin her children, and to give to Miss Percival a husband after her ownheart. 

CHAPTER V. THE FAIR AMERICANS

Formerly Paris belonged to the Parisians, and that at no very remoteperiod-thirty or forty years ago. At that epoch the French werethe masters of Paris, as the English are the masters of London, theSpaniards of Madrid, and the Russians of St. Petersburg. Those times areno more. Other countries still have their frontiers; there are nownone to France. Paris has become an immense Babel, a universal andinternational city. Foreigners do not only come to visit Paris; theycome there to live. At the present day we have in Paris a Russiancolony, a Spanish colony, a Levantine colony, an American colony. The foreigners have already conquered from us the greater part of theChamps-Elysees and the Boulevard Malesherbes; they advance, they extendtheir outworks; we retreat, pressed back by the invaders; we are obligedto expatriate ourselves. We have begun to found Parisian colonies inthe plains of Passy, in the plain of Monceau, in quarters which formerlywere not Paris at all, and which are not quite even now. Among theforeign colonies, the richest, the most populous, the most brilliant, is the American colony. There is a moment when an American feels himselfrich enough, a Frenchman never. The American then stops, draws breath, and while still husbanding the capital, no longer spares the income. Heknows how to spend, the Frenchman knows only how to save. 

The Frenchman has only one real luxury--his revolutions. Prudently andwisely he reserves himself for them, knowing well that they willcost France dear, but that, at the same time, they will furnish theopportunity for advantageous investments. The Frenchman says to himself:

"Let us hoard! let us hoard! let us hoard! Some of these mornings therewill be a revolution, which will make the 5 per cents. Fall 50 or 60francs. I will buy then. Since revolutions are inevitable, let us try atleast to make them profitable. "

They are always talking about the people who are ruined by revolutions, but perhaps the number of those enriched by revolutions is stillgreater. 

The Americans experience the attraction of Paris very strongly. Thereis no town in the world where it is easier or more agreeable to spenda great dial of money. For many reasons, both of race and origin, thisattraction exercised over Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival a very remarkablepower. 

The most French of our colonies is Canada, which is no longer ours. The recollection of their first home has been preserved faithfully andtenderly in the hearts of the emigrants to Montreal and Quebec. SusiePercival had received from her mother an entirely French education, andshe had brought up her sister in the same love of our country. The twosisters felt themselves Frenchwomen; still better, Parisians. As soon asthe avalanche of dollars had descended upon them, the same desire seizedthem both--to come and live in Paris. They demanded France as if it hadbeen their fatherland. Mr. Scott made some opposition. 

"If I go away from here, " he said, "your incomes will suffer. "

"What does that matter?" replied Susie. "We are rich--too rich. Do letus go. We shall be so happy, so delighted!"

Mr. Scott allowed himself to be persuaded, and, at the beginning ofJanuary, 1880, Susie wrote the following letter to her friend, KatieNorton, who had lived in Paris for some years:

"Victory! It is decided! Richard has consented. I shall arrive inApril, and become a Frenchwoman again. You offered to undertake all thepreparations for our settlement in Paris. I am horribly presuming--Iaccept! When I arrive in Paris, I should like to be able to enjoy Paris, and not be obliged to lose my first month in running after upholsterers, coach-builders, horse-dealers. I should like, on arriving at the railwaystation, to find awaiting me my carriage, my coachman, my horses. Thatvery day I should like you to dine with me at my home. Hire or buy amansion, engage the servants, choose the horses, the carriages, theliveries. I depend entirely upon you. As long as the liveries are blue, that is the only point. This line is added at the request of Bettina. 

"We shall bring only seven persons with us. Richard will have his valet, Bettina and I two ladies' maids; then there are the two governesses forthe children, and, besides these, two boys, Toby and Bobby, who ride toperfection. We should never find in Paris such a perfect pair. 

"Everything else, people and things, we shall leave in New York. No, notquite everything; I had for gotten four little ponies, four little gems, black as ink. We have not the heart to leave them; we shall drive themin a phaeton; it is delightful. Both Bettina and I drive four-in-handvery well. Ladies can drive four-in-hand in the Bois very early inthe morning; can't they? Here it is quite possible. Above all, my dearKatie, do not consider money. Be as extravagant as you like, that is allI ask. " The same day that Mrs. Norton received this letter witnessed thefailure of a certain Garneville. He was a great speculator who had beenon a false scent. Stocks had fallen just when he had expected a rise. This Garneville had, six weeks before, installed himself in a brand-newhouse, which had no other fault than a too startling magnificence. Mrs. Norton signed an agreement--100, 000 francs a year, with the optionof buying house and furniture for 2, 000, 000 during the first year ofpossession. A famous upholsterer undertook to correct and subdue theexaggerated splendor of a loud and gorgeous luxury. That done, Mrs. Scott's friend had the good fortune to lay her hand on two of thoseeminent artists without whom the routine of a great house can neither beestablished nor carried on. The first, a chef of the first rank, who hadjust left an ancient mansion of the Faubourg St. Germain, to his greatregret, for he had aristocratic inclinations. 

"Never, " said he to Mrs. Norton, "never would I have left the serviceof Madame la Duchesse if she had kept up her establishment on the samefooting as formerly; but Madame la Duchesse has four children--two sonswho have run through a good deal, and two daughters who will soon beof an age to marry; they must have their dowries. Therefore, Madamela Duchesse is obliged to draw in a little, and the house is no longerimportant enough for me. "

This distinguished character, of course, made his conditions. Thoughexcessive, they did not alarm Mrs. Norton, who knew that he was a manof the most serious merit; but he, before deciding, asked permission totelegraph to New York. He wished to make certain inquiries. The replywas favorable; he accepted. 

The second great artist was a stud-groom of the rarest and highestcapacity, who was just about to retire after having made his fortune. He consented, however, to organize the stables for Mrs. Scott. It wasthoroughly understood that he should have every liberty in purchasingthe horses, that he should wear no livery, that he should choose thecoachmen, the grooms, and everyone connected with the stables; thathe should never have less than fifteen horses in the stables, that nobargain should be made with the coach-builder or saddler without hisintervention, and that he should never mount the box, except early inthe morning, in plain clothes, to give lessons in driving to the ladiesand children, if necessary. 

The cook took possession of his stores, and the stud-groom of hisstables. Everything else was only a question of money, and with regardto this Mrs. Norton made full use of her extensive powers. She acted inconformity with the instructions she had received. In the short space oftwo months she performed prodigies, and that is how, when, on the 15thof April, 1880, Mr. Scott, Susie, and Bettina alighted from the mailtrain from Havre, at half-past four in the afternoon, they found Mrs. Norton at the station of St. Lazare, who said:

"Your caleche is there in the yard; behind it is a landau for thechildren; and behind the landau is an omnibus for the servants. Thethree carriages bear your monogram, are driven by your coachman, anddrawn by your horses. Your address is 24 Rue Murillo, and here is themenu of your dinner to-night. You invited me two months ago; I accept, and will even take the liberty of bringing a dozen friends with me. Ishall furnish everything, even the guests. But do not be alarmed; youknow them all; they are mutual friends, and this evening we shall beable to judge of the merits of your cook. "

The first Parisian who had the honor and pleasure of paying homage tothe beauty of Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival was a little Marmiton fifteenyears old, who stood there in his white clothes, his wicker basket onhis head, at the moment when Mrs. Scott's carriage, entangled in themultitude of vehicles, slowly worked its way out of the station. Thelittle cook stopped short on the pavement, opened wide his eyes, lookedat the two sisters with amazement, and boldly cast full in their facesthe single word:

"Mazette!"

When Madame Recamier saw her first wrinkles, and first gray hairs, shesaid to a friend:

"Ah! my dear, there are no more illusions left for me! From the daywhen I saw that the little chimney-sweeps no longer turned round in thestreet to look at me, I understood that all was over. "

The opinion of the confectioners' boys is, in similar cases, of equalvalue with the opinion of the little chimney-sweeps. All was not overfor Susie and Bettina; on the contrary, all was only beginning. 

Five minutes later, Mrs. Scott's carriage was ascending the BoulevardHaussmann to the slow and measured trot of a pair of admirable horses. Paris counted two Parisians the more. 

The success of Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival was immediate, decisive, like a flash of lightning. The beauties of Paris are not classed andcatalogued like the beauties of London; they do not publish theirportraits in the illustrated papers, or allow their photographs tobe sold at the stationers. However, there is always a little staff, consisting of a score of women, who represent the grace, and charm, andbeauty of Paris, which women, after ten or twelve years' service, pass into the reserve, just like the old generals. Susie and Bettinaimmediately became part of this little staff. It was an affair offour-and-twenty hours--of less than four-and-twenty hours, for allpassed between eight in the morning and midnight, the day after theirarrival in Paris. 

Imagine a sort of little 'feerie', in three acts, of which the successincreases from tableau to tableau:

1st. A ride at ten in the morning in the Bois, with the two marvellousgrooms imported from America. 

2d. A walk at six o'clock in the Allee des Acacias. 

3d. An appearance at the opera at ten in the evening in Mrs. Norton'sbox. 

The two novelties were immediately remarked, and appreciated as theydeserved to be, by the thirty or forty persons who constitute a sort ofmysterious tribunal, and who, in the name of all Paris, pass sentencebeyond appeal. These thirty or forty persons have, from time to time, the fancy to declare "delicious" some woman who is manifestly ugly. Thatis enough; she is "delicious" from that moment. 

The beauty of the two sisters was unquestionable. In the morning, it wastheir grace, their elegance, their distinction that attracted universaladmiration; in the afternoon, it was declared that their walk had thefreedom and ease of two young goddesses; in the evening, there was butone cry of rapture at the ideal perfection of their shoulders. Fromthat moment, all Paris had for the two sisters the eyes of the littlepastry-cook of the Rue d'Amsterdam; all Paris repeated his 'Mazette', though naturally with the variations and developments imposed by theusages of the world. 

Mrs. Scott's drawing-room immediately became the fashion. The habituesof three or four great American houses transferred themselves to theScotts, who had three hundred persons at their first Wednesday. Theircircle increased; there was a little of everything to be found in theirset--Americans, Spaniards, Italians, Hungarians, Russians, and evenParisians. 

When she had related her history to the Abbe Constantin, Mrs. Scott hadnot told all--one never does tell all. In a word, she was a coquette. Mr. Scott had the most perfect confidence in his wife, and left herentire liberty. He appeared very little; he was an honorable man, whofelt a vague embarrassment at having made such a marriage, at havingmarried so much money. 

Having a taste for business, he had great pleasure in devoting himselfentirely to the administering of the two immense fortunes which were inhis hands, in continually increasing them, and in saying every year tohis wife and sister in-law:

"You are still richer than you were last year!"

Not content with watching with much prudence and ability over theinterests which he had left in America, he launched in France into largespeculations, and was as successful in Paris as he had been in New York. In order to make money, the first thing is to have no need of it. 

They made love to Mrs. Scott to an enormous extent; they made love toher in French, in Italian, in English, in Spanish; for she knew thosefour languages, and there is one advantage that foreigners have over ourpoor Parisians, who usually know only their mother tongue, and have notthe resource of international passions. 

Naturally, Mrs. Scott did not drive her adorers from her presence. Shehad ten, twenty, thirty at a time. 

No one could boast of any preference; to all she opposed the sameamiable, laughing, joyous resistance. It was clear to all that the gameamused her, and that she did not for a moment take it seriously. Mr. Scott never felt a moment's anxiety, and he was perfectly right. More, he enjoyed his wife's successes; he was happy in seeing her happy. Heloved her dearly--a little more than she loved him. She loved him verymuch, and that was all. There is a great difference between dearly andvery much when these two adverbs are placed after the verb to love. 

As to Bettina, around her was a maddening whirl, an orgy of adulation. Such fortune! Such beauty! Miss Percival arrived in Paris on the 15th ofApril; a fortnight had not passed before the offers of marriage beganto pour upon her. In the course of that first year, she might, had shewished it, have been married thirty-four times, and to what a variety ofsuitors!

They asked her hand for a young exile, who, under certain circumstances, might be called to ascend a throne--a very small one, it is true, but athrone nevertheless. 

They asked her hand for a young duke, who would make a great figure atCourt when France--as was inevitable--should recognize her errors, andbow down before her legitimate masters. 

They asked her hand for a young prince, who would have a place on thesteps of the throne when France--as was inevitable--should again knittogether the chain of the Napoleonic traditions. 

They asked her hand for a young Republican deputy, who had just made amost brilliant debut in the Chamber, and for whom the future reservedthe most splendid destiny, for the Republic was now established inFrance on the most indestructible basis. 

They asked her hand for a young Spaniard of the purest lineage, and shewas given to understand that the 'contrat' would be signed in the palaceof a queen, who does not live far from the Arc de Triomphe. Besides, onecan find her address in the 'Almanach Bottin', for at the present day, there are queens who have their address in Bottin between an attorneyand a druggist; it is only the kings of France who no longer live inFrance. 

They asked her hand for the son of a peer of England, and for the son ofa member of the highest Viennese aristocracy; for the son of a Parisianbanker, and for the son of a Russian ambassador; for a Hungarian count, and for an Italian prince; and also for various excellent young men whowere nothing and had nothing--neither name nor fortune; but Bettina hadgranted them a waltz, and, believing themselves irresistible, they hopedthat they had caused a flutter of that little heart. 

But up to the present moment nothing had touched that little heart, andthe reply had been the same to all "No! no!" again "No!" always "No!"

Some days after that performance of Aida, the two sisters had a ratherlong conversation on this great, this eternal question of marriage. Acertain name had been pronounced by Mrs. Scott which had provoked on thepart of Miss Percival the most decided and most energetic refusal, andSusie had laughingly said to her sister:

"But, Bettina, you will be obliged to end by marrying. "

"Yes, certainly, but I should be so sorry to marry without love. Itseems to me that before I could resolve to do such a thing I must be indanger of dying an old maid, and I am not yet that. "

"No, not yet. "

"Let us wait, let us wait. "

"Let us wait. But among all these lovers whom you have been draggingafter you for the last year, there have been some very nice, veryamiable, and it is really a little strange if none of them--"

"None, my Susie, none, absolutely none. Why should I not tell you thetruth? Is it their fault? Have they gone unskilfully to work? Couldthey, in managing better, have found the way to my heart? or is thefault in me? Is it perhaps, that the way to my heart is a steep, rocky, inaccessible way, by which no one will ever pass? Am I a horrid littlecreature, and, cold, and condemned never to love?"

"I do not think so. "

"Neither do I, but up to the present time that is my history. No, I havenever felt anything which resembled love. You are laughing, and Ican guess why. You are saying to yourself, 'A little girl like thatpretending to know what love is!' You are right; I do not know, butI have a pretty good idea. To love--is it not to prefer to all in theworld one certain person?"

"Yes; it is really that. "

"Is it not never to weary of seeing that person, or of hearing him? Isit not to cease to live when he is not there, and to immediately beginto revive when he reappears?"

"Oh, but this is romantic love. "

"Well, that is the love of which I dream, and that is the love whichdoes not come--not at all till now; and yet that person preferred by meto all and everything does exist. Do you know who it is?"

"No, I do not know; I do not know, but I have a little suspicion. "

"Yes, it is you, my dearest, and it is perhaps you, naughty sister, whomakes me so insensible and cruel on this point. I love you too much; youfill my heart; you have occupied it entirely; there is no room for anyone else. Prefer any one to you! Love any one more than you! That willnever, never be!"

"Oh, yes, it will. "

"Oh, no. Love differently, perhaps, but more--no. He must not count uponthat, this gentleman whom I expect, and who does not arrive. "

"Do not be afraid, my Betty, there is room in your heart for all whomyou should love--for your husband, for your children, and that withoutyour old sister losing anything. The heart is very little, but it isalso very large. "

Bettina tenderly embraced her sister; then, resting her head coaxinglyon Susie's shoulder, she said:

"If, however, you are tired of keeping me with you, if you are in ahurry to get rid of me, do you know what I will do? I will put the namesof two of these gentlemen in a basket, and draw lots. There are two whoat the last extremity would not be absolutely disagreeable. "

"Which two?"

"Guess. "

"Prince Romanelli. "

"For one! And the other?"

"Monsieur de Montessan. "

"Those are the two! It is just that. Those two would be acceptable, butonly acceptable, and that is not enough. "

This is why Bettina awaited with extreme impatience the day when sheshould leave Paris, and take up their abode in Longueval. She was alittle tired of so much pleasure, so much success, so many offersof marriage. The whirlpool of Parisian gayety had seized her on herarrival, and would not let her go, not for one hour of halt or rest. Shefelt the need of being given up to herself for a few days, to herselfalone, to consult and question herself at her leisure, in the completesolitude of the country-in a word, to belong to herself again. 

Was not Bettina all sprightly and joyous when, on the 14th of June, theytook the train for Longueval? As soon as she was alone in a coupe withher sister:

"Ah!" she cried, "how happy I am! Let us breathe a little, quite alone, you and me, for a few days. The Nortons and Turners do not come till the25th, do they?"

"No, not till the 25th. "

"We will pass our lives riding or driving in the woods, in the fields. Ten days of liberty! And during those ten days no more lovers, no morelovers! And all those lovers, with what are they in love, with me or mymoney? That is the mystery, the unfathomable mystery. "

The engine whistled; the train put itself slowly into motion. A wildidea entered Bettina's head. She leaned out of the window and cried, accompanying her words with a little wave of the hand:

"Good-by, my lovers, good-by. "

Then she threw herself suddenly into a corner of the coupe with a heartyburst of laughter. 

"Oh, Susie, Susie!"

"What is the matter?"

"A man with a red flag in his hand; he saw me, and he looked soastonished. "

"You are so irrational!"

"Yes, it is true, to have called out of the window like that, but not tobe happy at thinking that we are going to live alone, 'en garcons'. "

"Alone! alone! Not exactly that. To begin with, we shall have two peopleto dinner to-night. "

"Ah! that is true. But those two people, I shall not be at all sorry tosee them again. Yes, I shall be well pleased to see the old Cure again, but especially the young officer. "

"What! especially?"

"Certainly; because what the lawyer from Souvigny told us the other dayis so touching, and what that great artilleryman did when he was quitelittle was so good, so good, that this evening I shall seek for anopportunity of telling him what I think of it, and I shall find one. "

Then Bettina, abruptly changing the course of the conversation, continued:

"Did they send the telegram yesterday to Edwards about the ponies?"

"Yes, yesterday before dinner. "

"Oh, you will let me drive them up to the house. It will be such funto go through the town, and to drive up at full speed into the court infront of the entrance. Tell me, will you?"

"Yes, certainly, you shall drive the ponies. "

"Oh, how nice of you, Susie!"

Edwards was the stud-groom. He had arrived at Longueval three daysbefore. He deigned to come himself--to meet Mrs. Scott and MissPercival. He brought the phaeton drawn by the four black ponies. He waswaiting at the station. The passage of the ponies through the principalstreet of the town had made a sensation. The population rushed out oftheir houses, and asked eagerly:

"What is it? What can it be?"

Some ventured the opinion:

"It is, perhaps, a travelling circus. "

But exclamations arose on all sides:

"You did not notice the style of it--the carriage and the harnessshining like gold, and the little horses with their white rosettes oneach side of the head. "

The crowd collected around the station, and those who were curiouslearned that they were going to witness the arrival of the new ownersof Longueval. They were slightly disenchanted when the two sistersappeared, very pretty, but in very simple travelling costumes. 

These good people had almost expected the apparition of two princessesout of fairy tales, clad in silk and brocade, sparkling with rubies anddiamonds. But they opened wide their eyes when they saw Bettina walkslowly round the four ponies, caressing one after another lightly withher hand, and examining all the details of the team with the air of aconnoisseur. 

Having made her inspection, Bettina, without the least hurry, drew offher long Swedish gloves, and replaced them by a pair of dog-skin whichshe took from the pocket of the carriage apron. Then she slipped on tothe box in the place of Edwards, receiving from him the reins and whipwith extreme dexterity, without allowing the already excited horses toperceive that they had changed hands. 

Mrs. Scott seated herself beside her sister. The ponies pranced, curveted, and threatened to rear. 

"Be very careful, miss, " said Edwards; "the ponies are very freshto-day. "

"Do not be afraid, " replied Bettina. "I know them. "

Miss Percival had a hand at once very firm, very light, and very just. She held in the ponies for a few moments, forcing them to keep their ownplaces; then, waving the long thong of her whip round the leaders, shestarted her little team at once, with incomparable skill, and leftthe station with an air of triumph, in the midst of a long murmur ofastonishment and admiration. 

The trot of the black ponies rang on the little oval paving-stones ofSouvigny. Bettina held them well together until she had left thetown, but as soon as she saw before her a clear mile and a half ofhighroad-almost on a dead level-she let them gradually increase theirspeed, till they went like the wind. 

"Oh! how happy I am, Susie!" cried she; "and we shall trot and gallopall alone on these roads. Susie, would you like to drive? It is such adelight when one can let them go at full speed. They are so spirited andso gentle. Come, take the reins. "

"No; keep them. It is a greater pleasure to me to see you happy. "

"Oh, as to that, I am perfectly happy. I do like so much to drivefour-in-hand with plenty of space before me. At Paris, even in themorning, I did not dare to any longer. They looked at me so, it annoyedme. But here--no one! no one! no one!"

At the moment when Bettina, already a little intoxicated withthe bracing air and liberty, gave forth triumphantly these threeexclamations, "No one! no one! no one!" a rider appeared, walking hishorse in the direction of the carriage. It was Paul de Lavardens. Hehad been watching for more than an hour for the pleasure of seeing theAmericans pass. 

"You are mistaken, " said Susie to Bettina; "there is some one. "

"A peasant; they don't count; they won't ask me to marry them. "

"It is not a peasant at all. Look!"

Paul de Lavardens, while passing the carriage, made the two sisters ahighly correct bow, from which one at once scented the Parisian. 

The ponies were going at such a rate that the meeting was over like aflash of lightning. 

Bettina cried:

"Who is that gentleman who has just bowed to us?"

"I had scarcely time to see, but I seemed to recognize him. "

"You recognized him?"

"Yes, and I would wager that I have seen him at our house this winter. "

"Heavens! if it should be one of the thirty-four! Is all that going tobegin again?"

CHAPTER VI. A LITTLE DINNER FOR FOUR

That same day, at half-past seven, Jean went to fetch the Cure, and thetwo walked together up to the house. During the last month a perfectarmy of workmen had taken possession of Longueval; all the inns in thevillage were making their fortunes. 

Enormous furniture wagons brought cargoes of furniture and decorationsfrom Paris. Forty-eight hours before the arrival of Mrs. Scott, Mademoiselle Marbeau, the postmistress, and Madame Lormier, themayoress, had wormed themselves into the castle, and the account theygave of the interior turned every one's head. The old furniturehad disappeared, banished to the attics; one moved among a perfectaccumulation of wonders. And the stables! and the coach-houses! Aspecial train had brought from Paris, under the high superintendence ofEdwards, a dozen carriages--and such carriages! Twenty horses--and suchhorses!

The Abbe Constantin thought that he knew what luxury was. Once a year hedined with his bishop, Monseigneur Faubert, a rich and amiable prelate, who entertained rather largely. The Cure, till now, had, thought thatthere was nothing in the world more sumptuous than the Episcopal palaceof Souvigny, or the castles of Lavardens and Longueval. 

He began to understand, from what he was told of the new splendors ofLongueval, that the luxury of the great houses of the present day mustsurpass to a singular degree the sober and severe luxury of the greathouses of former times. 

As soon as the Cure and Jean had entered the avenue in the park, whichled to the house:

"Look! Jean, " said the Cure; "what a change! All this part of the parkused to be quite neglected, and now all the paths are gravelled andraked. I shall not be able to feel myself at home as I used to do:it will be too grand. I shall not find again my old brown velveteasy-chair, in which I so often fell asleep after dinner, and if I fallasleep this evening what will become of me? You will think of it, Jean, and if you see that I begin to forget myself, you will come behind meand pinch my arm gently, won't you? You promise me?"

"Certainly, certainly, I promise you. "

Jean paid but slight attention to the conversation of the Cure. He feltextremely impatient to see Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival again, but thisimpatience was mingled with very keen anxiety. Would he find them inthe great salon at Longueval the same as he had seen them in the littledining-room at the vicarage? Perhaps, instead of those two women, soperfectly simple and familiar, amusing themselves with this littleimprovised dinner, and who, the very first day, had treated him withso much grace and cordiality, would he find two pretty dolls-worldly, elegant, cold, and correct? Would his first impression be effaced? Wouldit disappear? or, on the contrary, would the impression in his heartbecome still sweeter and deeper?

They ascended the six steps at the entrance, and were received in thehall by two tall footmen with the most dignified and imposing air. Thishall had formerly been a vast, frigid apartment, with bare stone walls. These walls were now covered with admirable tapestry, representingmythological subjects. The Cure dared scarcely glance at this tapestry;it was enough for him to perceive that the goddesses who wanderedthrough these shades wore costumes of antique simplicity. 

One of the footmen opened wide the folding-doors of the salon. It wasthere that one had generally found the old Marquise, on the right ofthe high chimney-piece, and on the left had stood the brown velveteasy-chair. 

No brown easy-chair now! That old relic of the Empire, which was thebasis of the arrangement of the salon, had been replaced by a marvellousspecimen of tapestry of the end of the last century. Then a crowd oflittle easy-chairs, and ottomans of all forms and all colors, werescattered here and there with an appearance of disorder which was theperfection of art. 

As soon as Mrs. Scott saw the Cure and Jean enter, she rose, and goingto meet them, said:

"How kind of you to come, Monsieur le Cure, and you, too, Monsieur Jean. How pleased I am to see you, my first, my only friends down here!"

Jean breathed again. It was the same woman. 

"Will you allow me, " added Mrs. Scott, "to introduce my children to you?Harry and Bella, come here. "

Harry was a very pretty little boy of six, and Bella a very charminglittle girl, five years old. They had their mother's large, dark eyes, and her golden hair. 

After the Cure had kissed the two children, Harry, who was looking withadmiration at Jean's uniform, said to his mother:

"And the soldier, mamma, must we kiss him, too?"

"If you like, " replied Mrs. Scott, "and if he will allow it. "

A moment after, the two children were installed upon Jean's knees, andoverwhelming him with questions. 

"Are you an officer?"

"Yes, I am an officer. "

"What in?"

"In the artillery. "

"The artillery! Oh, you are one of the men who fire the cannon. Oh, howI should like to be quite near when they fire the cannon!"

"Will you take us some day when they fire the cannon? Tell me, willyou?"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Scott chatted with the Cure, and Jean, while replying tothe children's questions, looked at Mrs. Scott. She wore a white muslinfrock, but the muslin disappeared under a complete avalanche of littleflounces of Valenciennes. The dress was cut out in front in a largesquare, her arms were bare to the elbow, a large bouquet of red roses atthe opening of her dress, a red rose fixed in her hair, with a diamond'agraffe'--nothing more. 

Mrs. Scott suddenly perceived that the children had taken entirepossession of Jean, and exclaimed:

"Oh, I beg your pardon. Harry, Bella!"

"Oh, pray let them stay with me. "

"I am so sorry to keep you waiting for dinner; my sister is not downyet. Oh! here she is!"

Bettina entered. The same frock of white muslin, the same delicate massof lace, the same red roses, the same grace, the same beauty, and thesame smiling, amiable, candid manner. 

"How do you do, Monsieur le Cure? I am delighted to see you. Have youpardoned my dreadful intrusion of the other day?"

Then, turning toward Jean and offering him her hand:

"How do you do, Monsieur--Monsieur--Oh! I can not remember your name, and yet we seem to be already old friends, Monsieur--"

"Jean Reynaud. "

"Jean Reynaud, that is it. How do you do, Monsieur Reynaud? I warn youfaithfully that when we really are old friends--that is to say, in abouta week--I shall call you Monsieur Jean. It is a pretty name, Jean. "

Up to the moment when Bettina appeared Jean had said to himself:

"Mrs. Scott is the prettier!"

When he felt Bettina's little hand slip into his arm, and when sheturned toward him her delicious face, he said:

"Miss Percival is the prettier!"

But his perplexities gathered round him again when he was seated betweenthe two sisters. If he looked to the right, love threatened him fromthat direction, and if he looked to the left, the danger removedimmediately, and passed to the left. 

Conversation began, easy, animated, confidential. The two sisters werecharmed; they had already walked in the park; they promised themselvesa long ride in the forest tomorrow. Riding was their passion, theirmadness. It was also Jean's passion, so that after a quarter of an hourthey begged him to join them the next day. There was no one who knew thecountry round better than he did; it was his native place. He should beso happy to do the honors of it, and to show them numbers of delightfullittle spots which, without him, they would never discover. 

"Do you ride every day?" asked Bettina. 

"Every day and sometimes twice. In the morning on duty, and in theevening I am ride for my own pleasure. "

"Early in the morning?"

"At half-past five. "

"At half-past five every morning?"

"Yes, except Sunday. "

"Then you get up--"

"At half-past four. "

"And is it light?"

"Oh, just now, broad daylight. "

"To get up at half-past four is admirable; we often finish our day justwhen yours is beginning. And are you fond of your profession?"

"Very. It is an excellent thing to have one's life plain before one, with exact and definite duties. "

"And yet, " said Mrs. Scott, "not to be one's own master--to be alwaysobliged to obey. "

"That is perhaps what suits me best; there is nothing easier than toobey, and then to learn to obey is the only way of learning to command. "

"Ah! since you say so, it must be true. "

"Yes, no doubt, " added the Cure; "but he does not tell you that he isthe most distinguished officer in his regiment, that--"

"Oh! pray do not. "

The Cure, in spite of the resistance of Jean, was about to launch into apanegyric on his godson, when Bettina, interposing, said:

"It is unnecessary, Monsieur le Cure, do not say anything, we knowalready all that you would tell us, we have been so indiscreet as tomake inquiries about Monsieur--oh, I was just going to say MonsieurJean--about Monsieur Reynaud. Well, the information we received wasexcellent!"

"I am curious to know, " said Jean. 

"Nothing! nothing! you shall know nothing. I do not wish to make youblush, and you would be obliged to blush. "

Then turning toward the Cure, "And about you, too, Monsieur l'Abbe, wehave had some information. It appears that you are a saint. "

"Oh! as to that, it is perfectly true, " cried Jean. 

It was the Cure this time who cut short the eloquence of Jean. Dinnerwas almost over. The old priest had not got through this dinner withoutexperiencing many emotions. They had repeatedly presented to himcomplicated and scientific constructions upon which he had only venturedwith a trembling hand. He was afraid of seeing the whole crumble beneathhis touch; the trembling castles of jelly, the pyramids of truffles, thefortresses of cream, the bastions of pastry, the rocks of ice. Otherwisethe Abbe Constantin dined with an excellent appetite, and did not recoilbefore two or three glasses of champagne. He was no foe to good cheer;perfection is not of this world; and if gormandizing were, as they say, a cardinal sin, how many good priests would be damned!

Coffee was served on the terrace in front of the house; in the distancewas heard the harsh voice of the old village clock striking nine. Woodsand fields were slumbering; the avenues in the park showed only as long, undulating, and undecided lines. The moon slowly rose over the tops ofthe great trees. 

Bettina took a box of cigars from the table. "Do you smoke?" said she. 

"Yes, Miss Percival. "

"Take one, Monsieur Jean. It can't be helped. I have said it. Takeone--but no, listen to me first. "

And speaking in a low voice, while offering him the box of cigars:

"It is getting dark, now you may blush at your ease. I will tell youwhat I did not say at dinner. An old lawyer in Souvigny, who was yourguardian, came to see my sister in Paris, about the payment for theplace; he told us what you did after your father's death, when you wereonly a child, what you did for that poor mother, and for that poor younggirl. Both my sister and I were much touched by it. "

"Yes, " continued Mrs. Scott, "and that is why we have received youto-day with so much pleasure. We should not have given such a receptionto every one, of that you may be sure. Well, now take your cigar, mysister is waiting. "

Jean could not find a word in reply. Bettina stood there with the boxof cigars in her two hands, her eyes fixed frankly on the countenanceof Jean. At the moment, she tasted a true and keen pleasure which may beexpressed by this phrase:

"It seems to me that I see before me a man of honor. "

"And now, " said Mrs. Scott, "let us sit here and enjoy this deliciousnight; take your coffee, smoke--"

"And do not let us talk, Susie, do not let us talk. This greatsilence of the country, after the great noise and bustle of Paris, isdelightful! Let us sit here without speaking; let us look at the sky, the moon, and the stars. "

All four, with much pleasure, carried out this little programme. Susieand Bettina, calm, reposeful, absolutely separated from their existenceof yesterday, already felt a tenderness for the place which had justreceived them, and was going to keep them. Jean was less tranquil; thewords of Miss Percival had caused him profound emotion, his heart hadnot yet quite regained its regular throb. 

But the happiest of all was the Abbe Constantin. 

This little episode which had caused Jean's modesty such a rude, yetsweet trial, had brought him exquisite joy, the Abbe bore his godsonsuch affection. The most tender father never loved more warmly thedearest of his children. When the old Cure looked at the young officer, he often said to himself:

"Heaven has been too kind; I am a priest, and I have a son!"

The Abbe sank into a very agreeable reverie; he felt himself at home, he felt himself too much at home; by degrees his ideas became hazy andconfused, reverie became drowsiness, drowsiness became slumber, thedisaster was soon complete, irreparable; the Cure slept, and sleptprofoundly. This marvellous dinner, and the two or three glasses ofchampagne may have had something to do with the catastrophe. 

Jean perceived nothing; he had forgotten the promise made to hisgodfather. And why had he forgotten it? Because Mrs. Scott and MissPercival had thought proper to put their feet on the footstools, placedin front of their great wicker garden-chairs filled with cushions; thenthey had thrown themselves lazily back in their chairs, and their muslinskirts had become raised a little, a very little, but yet enough todisplay four little feet, the lines of which showed very distinctly andclearly beneath two pretty clouds of white lace. Jean looked at theselittle feet, and asked himself this question:

"Which are the smaller?"

While he was trying to solve this problem, Bettina, all at once, said tohim in a low voice:

"Monsieur Jean! Monsieur Jean!"

"Miss Percival?"

"Look at the Cure, he is asleep. "

"Oh! it is my fault. "

"How your fault?" asked Mrs. Scott, also in a low voice. 

"Yes; my godfather rises at daybreak, and goes to bed very early;he told me to be sure and prevent his falling asleep; when Madame deLongueval was here he very often had a nap after dinner. You have shownhim so much kindness that he has fallen back into his old habits. "

"And he is perfectly right, " said Bettina, "do not make a noise, do notwake him. "

"You are too good, Miss Percival, but the air is getting a littlefresh. "

"Ah! that is true, he might catch cold. Stay, I will go and fetch a wrapfor him. "

"I think, Miss Percival, it would be better to try and wake himskilfully, so that he should not suspect that you had seen him asleep. "

"Let me do it, " said Bettina. "Susie, let us sing together, very softlyat first, then we will raise our voices little by little, let us sing. "

"Willingly, but what shall we sing?"

"Let us sing, 'Quelque chose d'enfantin, ' the words are suitable. "

Susie and Bettina began to sing:

 If I had but two little wings, And were a little feathery bird, Their sweet and penetrating voices had an exquisite sonority in thatprofound silence. The Abbe heard nothing, did not move. Charmed withthis little concert, Jean said to himself:

"Heaven grant that my godfather may not wake too soon!"

The voices became clearer and louder:

 But in my sleep to you I fly, I'm always with you in my sleep. 

Yet the Abbe did not stir. 

"How he sleeps, " said Susie, "it is a crime to wake him. "

"But we must; louder, Susie, louder. "

Susie and Bettina both gave free scope to the power of their voices. 

 Sleep stays not, though a monarch bids, So I love to wake ere break of day. 

The Cure woke with a start. After a short moment of anxiety he breathedagain. Evidently no one had noticed that he had been asleep. Hecollected himself, stretched himself prudently, slowly, he was saved!

A quarter of an hour later the two sisters accompanied the Cure andJean to the little gate of the park, which opened into the village a fewyards from the vicarage; they had nearly reached the gate when Bettinasaid all at once to Jean:

"Ah! all this time I have had a question to ask you. This morning whenwe arrived, we met on the way a slight young man, with a fair mustache, he was riding a black horse, and bowed to us as we passed. "

"It was Paul de Lavardens, one of my friends; he has already had thehonor of being introduced to you, but rather vaguely, and his ambitionis to be presented again. "

"Well, you shall bring him one of these days, " said Mrs. Scott. 

"After the 25th!" cried Bettina. "Not before! not before! No one tillthen; till then we will see no one but you, Monsieur Jean. But you, itis very extraordinary, and I don't quite know how it has happened, you don't seem anybody to us. The compliment is perhaps not very wellturned, but do not make a mistake, it is a compliment. I intended to beexcessively amiable in speaking to you thus. "

"And so you are, Miss Percival. "

"So much the better if I have been so fortunate as to make myselfunderstood. Good-by, Monsieur Jean--till tomorrow!"

Mrs. Scott and Miss Percival returned slowly toward the castle. 

"And now, Susie, " said Bettina, "scold me well, I expect it, I havedeserved it. "

"Scold you! Why?"

"You are going to say, I am sure, that I have been too familiar withthat young man. "

"No, I shall not say that. From the first day that young man has madethe most favorable impression upon me; he inspires me with perfectconfidence. "

"And so he does me. "

"I am persuaded that it would be well for us both to try to make afriend of him. "

"With all my heart, as far as I am concerned, so much the more as Ihave seen many young men since we have lived in France. Oh! yes, I have, indeed! Well! this is the first, positively the first, in whose eyes Ihave not clearly read, 'Oh, how glad I should be to marry the millionsof that little person!' That was written in the eyes of all the others, but not in his eyes. Now, here we are at home again. Good-night, Susie--to-morrow. "

Mrs. Scott went to see and kiss her sleeping children. 

Bettina remained long, leaning on the balustrade of her balcony. 

"It seems to me, " said she, "that I am going to be very fond of thisplace. "

BOOK 3. 

CHAPTER VII. CONFIDENCES

The next morning, on returning from drill, Jean found Paul de Lavardenswaiting for him at the barracks; he scarcely allowed him time todismount, and the moment he had him alone:

"Quick, " said he, "describe your dinner-party of yesterday. I saw themmyself in the morning; the little one was driving four ponies, and withan amount of audacity! I bowed to them; did they mention me? Did theyrecognize me? When will you take me to Longueval? Answer me. "

"Answer? Yes. But which question first?"

"The last. "

"When shall I take you to Longueval?"

"Yes. "

"Well, in ten days; they don't want to see any one just now. "

"Then you are not going back to Longueval for ten days?"

"Oh, I shall go back to-day at four o'clock. But I don't count, youknow. Jean Reynaud, the Cure's godson. That is why I have penetrated soeasily into the confidence of these two charming women. I have presentedmyself under the patronage and with the guarantee of the Church. Andthen they have discovered that I could render them little services. Iknow the country very well, and they will make use of me as a guide. In a word, I am nobody; while you, Count Paul de Lavardens, you aresomebody; so fear nothing, your turn will come with the fetes and balls. Then you will be resplendent in all your glory, and I shall return veryhumbly into my obscurity. "

"You may laugh at me as much as you like; it is none the less true thatduring those ten days you will steal a march upon me--upon me!"

"How upon you?"

"Now, Jean, do you want to make me believe that you are not already inlove with one of these two women? Is it possible? So much beauty, somuch luxury. Luxury to that degree upsets me. Those black ponieswith their white rosettes! I dreamed of them last night, and thatlittle-Bettina, is it not?"

"Yes, Bettina. "

"Bettina--Countess Bettina de Lavardens! Doesn't that sound well enough!and what a perfect husband she would have in me! To be the husband of awoman possessing boundless wealth, that is my destiny. It is not so easyas one may suppose. I have already run through something, and--if mymother had not stopped me! but I am quite ready to begin again. Oh, how happy that girl would be with me! I would create around her theexistence of a fairy queen. In all her luxury she would feel the taste, the art, and the skill of her husband. I would pass my life in adoringher, in displaying her beauty, in petting her, in bearing her triumphantthrough the world. I would study her beauty in order to give it theframe that best suited it. 'If he were not there, ' she would say, 'Ishould not be so beautiful, so dazzling. ' I should know not only how tolove her, but how to amuse her. She would have something for her money, she would have love and pleasure. Come, Jean, do a good action, take meto Mrs. Scott's to-day. "

"I cannot, I assure you. "

"Well, then, in ten days; but I give you fair notice, I shall installmyself at Longueval, and shall not move. In the first place itwould please my mother; she is still a little prejudiced against theAmericans. She says that she shall arrange not to see them, but I knowmy mother. Some day, when I shall go home in the evening and tellher: 'Mother, I have won the-heart of a charming little person who isburdened with a capital of twenty millions--they exaggerate when theytalk of hundreds of millions. You know these are the correct figures, and they are enough for me. That evening, then, my mother will bedelighted, because, in her heart, what is it she desires for me? Whatall good mothers desire for their sons--a good marriage, or a discreetliaison with some one in society. At Longueval I find these twoessentials, and I will accommodate myself very willingly to either. You will have the kindness to warn me in ten days--you will let me knowwhich of the two you abandon to me, Mrs. Scott or Miss Percival?"

"You are mad, you are quite mad! I do not, I never shall think--"

"Listen, Jean. You are wisdom personified; you may say and do as youlike, but remember what I say to you, Jean, you will fall in love inthat house. "

"I do not believe it, " replied Jean, laughing. 

"But I am absolutely sure of it. Good-by. I leave you to your duties. "

That morning Jean was perfectly sincere. He had slept very well theprevious night; the second interview with the two sisters had, as if byenchantment, dissipated the slight trouble which had agitated hissoul after the first meeting. He prepared to meet them again with muchpleasure, but also with much tranquillity; there was too much money inthat house to permit the love of a poor devil like Jean to find placehonestly there. 

Friendship was another affair; with all his heart he wished, and withall his strength he sought, to establish himself peacefully in theesteem and regard of the sisters. He would try not to remark too muchthe beauty of Susie and Bettina; he would try not to forget himselfas he had done the previous evening, in the contemplation of the fourlittle feet resting on their footstools. They had said, very frankly, very cordially, to him: "You shall be our friend. " That was all hedesired--to be their friend--and that he would be. 

During the ten days that followed, all conduced to the success of thisenterprise. Susie, Bettina, the Cure, and Jean led the same life in theclosest and most cordial intimacy. 

Jean did not seek to analyze his feelings. He felt for these two womenan equal affection; he was perfectly happy, perfectly tranquil. Then hewas not in love, for love and tranquillity seldom dwell at peace in thesame heart. 

Jean, however, saw approach, with a little anxiety and sadness, the daywhich would bring to Longueval the Turners, and the Nortons, and thewhole force of the American colony. The day came too soon. 

On Friday, the 24th of June, at four o'clock, Jean arrived at thecastle. Bettina received him alone, looking quite vexed. 

"How annoying it is, " said she, "my sister is not well; a littleheadache, nothing of consequence, it will be gone by tomorrow; but Idare not ride with you alone. In America I might; but here, it would notdo, would it?"

"Certainly not, " replied Jean. 

"I must send you back, and I am so sorry. "

"And so am I--I am very sorry to be obliged to go, and to lose this lastday, which I had hoped to pass with you. However, since it must be, Iwill come tomorrow to inquire after your sister. "

"She will see you herself, to-morrow; I repeat it is nothing serious. But do not run away in such a hurry, pray; will you not spare me alittle quarter of an hour's conversation? I want to speak to you; sitdown there, and now listen to me well. My sister and I had intendedthis evening, after dinner, to blockade you into a little corner of thedrawing-room, and then she meant to tell you what I am going to try tosay for us both. "

"But I am a little nervous. Do not laugh; it is a very serious matter. We wish to thank you for having been, ever since our arrival here, sogood to us both. "

"Oh, Miss Percival, pray, it is I who--"

"Oh, do not interrupt me, you will quite confuse me. I do not know howto get through with it. I maintain, besides, that the thanks are duefrom us, not from you. We arrived here two strangers. We have beenfortunate enough immediately to find friends. Yes, friends. You havetaken us by the hand, you have led us to our farmers, to our keepers;while your godfather took us to his poor--and everywhere you were somuch beloved that from their confidence in you, they began, on yourrecommendation, to like us a little. You are adored about here; do youknow that?"

"I was born here--all these good people have known me from my infancy, and are grateful to me for what my grandfather and father did forthem; and then I am of their race, the race of the peasants; mygreat-grandfather was a laborer at Bargecourt, a village two miles fromhere. "

"Oh! oh! you appear very proud of that!"

"Neither proud nor ashamed. "

"I beg your pardon, you made a little movement of pride. Well, I cantell you that my mother's great-grandfather was a farmer in Brittany. He went to Canada at the end of the last century, when Canada was stillFrench. And you love very much this place where you were born?"

"Very much. Perhaps I shall soon be obliged to leave it. "

"Why?"

"When I get promotion, I shall have to exchange into another regiment, and I shall wander from garrison to garrison; but certainly, when I aman old commandant or old colonel, on half-pay, I shall come back, andlive and die here, in the little house that was my father's. "

"Always quite alone?"

"Why quite alone? I certainly hope not. "

"You intend to marry?"

"Yes, certainly. "

"You are trying to marry?"

"No; one may think of marrying, but one ought not to try to marry. "

"And yet there are people who do try. Come, I can answer for that, andyou even; people have wished to marry you. "

"How do you know that?"

"Oh! I know all your little affairs so well; you are what they call agood match, and I repeat it, they have wished to marry you. "

"Who told you that?"

"Monsieur le Cure. "

"Then he was very wrong, " said Jean, with a certain sharpness. 

"No, no, he was not wrong. If any one has been to blame it is I. Isoon discovered that your godfather was never so happy as when he wasspeaking of you. So when I was alone with him during our walks, toplease him I talked of you, and he related your history to me. You arewell off; you are very well off; from Government you receive every monthtwo hundred and thirteen francs and some centimes; am I correct?"

"Yes, " said Jean, deciding to bear with a good grace his share in theCure's indiscretions. 

"You have eight thousand francs' income?"

"Nearly, not quite. "

"Add to that your house, which is worth thirty thousand francs. You arein an excellent position, and people have asked your hand. "

"Asked my hand! No, no. "

"They have, they have, twice, and you have refused two very goodmarriages, two very good fortunes, if you prefer it--it is the samething for so many people. Two hundred thousand francs in the one, threehundred thousand in the other case. It appears that these fortunes areenormous for the country! Yet you have refused! Tell me why. "

"Well, it concerned two charming young girls. "

"That is understood. One always says that. "

"But whom I scarcely knew. They forced me--for I did resist--they forcedme to spend two or three evenings with them last winter. "

"And then?"

"Then--I don't quite know how to explain it to you. I did not feel theslightest touch of embarrassment, emotion, anxiety, or disturbance--"

"In fact, " said Bettina, resolutely, "not the least suspicion of love. "

"No, not the least, and I returned quite calmly to my bachelor den, forI think it is better not to marry than to marry without love. "

"And I think so, too. "

She looked at him, he looked at her, and suddenly, to the great surpriseof both, they found nothing more to say, nothing at all. 

At this moment Harry and Bella rushed into the room, with cries of joy. 

"Monsieur Jean! Are you there? Come and see our ponies!"

"Ah!" said Bettina, her voice a little uncertain, "Edwards has justcome back from Paris, and has brought two microscopic ponies for thechildren. Let us go to see them, shall we?"

They went to see the ponies, which were indeed worthy to figure in thestables of the King of Lilliput. 

CHAPTER VIII. ANOTHER MARTYR TO MILLIONS

Three weeks have glided by; another day and Jean will be obliged toleave with his regiment for the artillery practice. He will lead thelife of a soldier. Ten days' march on the highroad going and returning, and ten days in the camp at Cercottes in the forest of Orleans. Theregiment will return to Souvigny on the 10th of August. 

Jean is no longer tranquil; Jean is no longer happy. He sees approachwith impatience, and at the same time with terror, the moment of hisdeparture. With impatience--for he suffers an absolute martyrdom, helongs to escape from it; with terror--for to pass twenty days withoutseeing her, without speaking to her, without her in a word--what willbecome of him? Her! It is Bettina; he adores her!

Since when? Since the first day, since that meeting in the month of Mayin the Cure's garden. That is the truth; but Jean struggles against andresists that truth. He believes that he has only loved Bettina since theday when the two chatted gayly, amicably, in the little drawing-room. She was sitting on the blue couch near the widow, and, while talking, amused herself with repairing the disorder of the dress of a Japaneseprincess, one of Bella's dolls, which she had left on a chair, and whichBettina had mechanically taken up. 

Why had the fancy come to Miss Percival to talk to him of those twoyoung girls whom he might have married? The question of itself was notat all embarrassing to him. He had replied that, if he had not then feltany taste for marriage, it was because his interviews with these twogirls had not caused him any emotion or any agitation. He had smiled inspeaking thus, but a few minutes after he smiled no more. This emotion, this agitation, he had suddenly learned to know them. Jean did notdeceive himself; he acknowledged the depth of the wound; it hadpenetrated to his very heart's core. 

Jean, however, did not abandon himself to this emotion. He said tohimself:

"Yes, it is serious, very serious, but I shall recover from it. "

He sought an excuse for his madness; he laid the blame on circumstances. For ten days this delightful girl had been too much with him, toomuch with him alone! How could he resist such a temptation? He wasintoxicated with her charm, with her grace and beauty. But the next daya troop of visitors would arrive at Longueval, and there would be an endof this dangerous intimacy. He would have courage; he would keep at adistance; he would lose himself in the crowd, would see Bettina lessoften and less familiarly. To see her no more was a thought he could notsupport! He wished to remain Bettina's friend, since he could be nothingbut her friend; for there was another thought which scarcely enteredthe mind of Jean. This thought did not appear extravagant to him; itappeared monstrous. In the whole world there was not a more honorableman than Jean, and he felt for Bettina's money horror, positivelyhorror. 

From the 25th of June the crowd had been in possession of Longueval. Mrs. Norton arrived with her son, Daniel Norton; and Mrs. Turner withher son, Philip Turner. Both of them, the young Philip and the youngDaniel, formed a part of the famous brotherhood of the thirty-four. Theywere old friends, Bettina had treated them as such, and had declared tothem, with perfect frankness, that they were losing their time. However, they were not discouraged, and formed the centre of a little court whichwas always very eager and assiduous around Bettina. 

Paul de Lavardens had made his appearance on this scene, and had veryrapidly become everybody's friend. He had received the brilliant andcomplicated education of a young man destined for pleasure. As soon asit was a question only of amusement, riding, croquet, lawn-tennis, polo, dancing, charades, and theatricals, he was ready for everything. Heexcelled in everything. His superiority was evident, unquestionable. Paul became, in a short time, by general consent, the director andorganizer of the fetes at Longueval. 

Bettina had not a moment of hesitation. Jean introduced Paul deLavardens, and the latter had scarcely concluded the customary littlecompliment when Miss Percival, leaning toward her sister, whispered inher ear:

"The thirty-fifth!"

However, she received Paul very kindly, so kindly that for several dayshe had the weakness to misunderstand her. He believed that it was hispersonal graces which had obtained for him this very flattering andcordial reception. It was a great mistake. Paul de Lavardens had beenintroduced by Jean; he was the friend of Jean. In Bettina's eyes, therein lay all his merit. 

Mrs. Scott's castle was open house; people were not invited for oneevening only, but for every evening, and Paul, with enthusiasm, cameevery evening! His dream was at last realized; he had, found Paris atLongueval. 

But Paul was neither blind nor a fool. No doubt he was, on MissPercival's part, the object of very particular attention and favor. Itpleased her to talk long, very long, alone with him. But what was theeternal, the inexhaustible subject of their conversations? Jean, againJean, and always Jean!

Paul was thoughtless, dissipated, frivolous, but he became in earnestwhen Jean was in question; he knew how to appreciate him, he knew how tolove him. Nothing to him was sweeter, nothing was easier, than to say ofthe friend of his childhood all the good that he thought of him, and ashe saw that Bettina listened with great pleasure, Paul gave free rein tohis eloquence. 

Only--and he was quite right--Paul wished one evening to reap thebenefit of his chivalrous conduct. He had just been talking for aquarter of an hour with Bettina. The conversation finished, he went tolook for Jean at the other end of the drawing-room, and said to him:

"You left the field open to me, and I have made a bold stroke for MissPercival. "

"Well, you have no reason to be discontented with the result of theenterprise. You are the best friends in the world. "

"Yes, certainly, pretty well, but not quite satisfactory. There isnothing more amiable or more charming than Miss Percival, and really itis very good of me to acknowledge it; for, between ourselves, shemakes me play an ungrateful and ridiculous role, a role which is quiteunsuited to my age. I am, you will admit, of the lover's age, and not ofthat of the confidant. "

"Of the confidant!"

"Yes, my dear fellow, of the confidant! That is my occupation in thishouse. You were looking at us just now. Oh, I have very good eyes; youwere looking at us. Well, do you know what we were talking about? Ofyou, my dear fellow, of you, of you again, of nothing but you. And it isthe same thing every evening; there is no end to the questions:

"'You were brought up together? You took lessons together from the AbbeConstantin?'

"'Will he soon be Captain? And then?'

"'Commandant. '

"'And then?'

"'Colonel, etc. , etc. , etc. '

"Ah! I can tell you, my friend Jean, if you liked, you might dream avery delicious dream. "

Jean was annoyed, almost angry. Paul was much astonished at this suddenattack of irritability. 

"What is the matter? Have I said anything--"

"I beg your pardon; I was wrong. But how could you take such an absurdidea into your head?"

"Absurd! I don't see it. I have entertained the absurd idea on my ownaccount. "

"Ah! you--"

"Why 'Ah! you?' If I have had it you may have it; you are better worthit than I am. "

"Paul, I entreat you!"

Jean's discomfort was evident. 

"We will not speak of it again; we will not speak of it again. WhatI wanted to say, in short, is that Miss Percival perhaps thinks I amagreeable; but as to considering me seriously, that little person willnever commit such a folly. I must fall back upon Mrs. Scott, but withoutmuch confidence. You see, Jean, I shall amuse myself in this house, butI shall make nothing out of it. "

Paul de Lavardens did fall back upon Mrs. Scott, but the next day wassurprised to stumble upon Jean, who had taken to placing himself veryregularly in Mrs. Scott's particular circle, for like Bettina she hadalso her little court. But what Jean sought there was a protection, ashelter, a refuge. 

The day of that memorable conversation on marriage without love, Bettinahad also, for the first time, felt suddenly awake in her that necessityof loving which sleeps, but not very profoundly, in the hearts of allyoung girls. The sensation had been the same, at the same moment, inthe soul of Bettina and the soul of Jean. He, terrified, had castit violently from him. She, on the contrary, had yielded, in all thesimplicity of her perfect innocence, to this flood of emotion and oftenderness. 

She had waited for love. Could this be love? The man who was to be herthought, her life, her soul--could this be he--this Jean? Why not? Sheknew him better than she knew all those who, during the past year, had haunted her for her fortune, and in what she knew of him there wasnothing to discourage the love of a good girl. Far from it!

Both of them did well; both of them were in the way of duty and oftruth--she, in yielding; he, in resisting; she, in not thinking for amoment of the obscurity of Jean; he, in recoiling before her mountain ofwealth as he would have recoiled before a crime; she, in thinking thatshe had no right to parley with love; he, in thinking he had no right toparley with honor. 

This is why, in proportion as Bettina showed herself more tender, andabandoned herself with more frankness to the first call of love--this iswhy Jean became, day by day, more gloomy and more restless. He was notonly afraid of loving; he was afraid of being loved. 

He ought to have remained away; he should not have come near her. He hadtried; he could not; the temptation was too strong; it carried him away;so he came. She would come to him, her hands extended, a smile on herlips, and her heart in her eyes. Everything in her said:

"Let us try to love each other, and if we can love, we will!"

Fear seized him. Those two hands which offered themselves to thepressure of his hands, he hardly dared touch them. He tried to escapethose eyes which, tender and smiling, anxious and curious, tried tomeet his eyes. He trembled before the necessity of speaking to Bettina, before the necessity of listening to her. 

It was then that Jean took refuge with Mrs. Scott, and it was then thatMrs. Scott gathered those uncertain, agitated, troubled words which werenot addressed to her, and which she took for herself, nevertheless. Itwould have been difficult not to be mistaken. 

For of these still vague and confused sentiments which agitated her, Bettina had as yet said nothing. She guarded and caressed the secret ofher budding love, as a miser guards and caresses the first coins of histreasure. The day when she should see clearly into her own heart; theday that she should be sure that she loved--ah! she would speak thatday, and how happy she should be to tell all to Susie!

Mrs. Scott had ended by attributing to herself this melancholy of Jean, which, day by day, took a more marked character. She was flattered byit--a woman is never displeased at thinking herself beloved--and vexedat the same time. She held Jean in great esteem, in great affection;but she was greatly distressed at the thought that if he were sad andunhappy, it was because of her. 

Susie was, besides, conscious of her own innocence. With others she hadsometimes been coquettish, very coquettish. To torment them a little, was that such a great crime? They had nothing to do, they weregood-for-nothing, it occupied them while it amused her. It helpedthem to pass their time, and it helped her, too. But Susie had not toreproach herself for having flirted with Jean. She recognized his meritand his superiority; he was worth more than the others, he was a man tosuffer seriously, and that was what Mrs. Scott did not wish. Already, two or three times, she had been on the point of speaking to him veryseriously, very affectionately, but she had reflected Jean was goingaway for three weeks; on his return, if it were still necessary, shewould read him a lecture, and would act in such a manner that loveshould not come and foolishly interfere in their friendship. 

So Jean was to go the next day. Bettina had insisted that he shouldspend this last day at Longueval, and dine at the house. Jean hadrefused, alleging that he had much to do the night before his departure. 

He arrived in the evening, about half-past ten; he came on foot. Severaltimes on the way he had been inclined to return. 

"If I had courage enough, " he said to himself, "I would not see heragain. I shall leave to-morrow, and return no more to Souvigny while sheis there. My resolution is taken, and taken forever. "

But he continued his way, he would see her again--for the last time. 

As soon as he entered the drawing-room, Bettina hastened to him. 

"It is you at last! How late you are!"

"I have been very busy. "

"And you are going to-morrow?"

"Yes, to-morrow. "

"Early?"

"At five in the morning. "

"You will go by the road which runs by the wall of the park, and goesthrough the village?"

"Yes, that is the way we shall go. "

"Why so early in the morning? I would have gone out on the terrace tosee you pass, and to wish you good-by. "

Bettina detained for a moment Jean's burning hand in hers. He drew itmournfully away, with an effort. 

"I must go and speak to your sister, " said he. 

"Directly, she has not seen you, there are a dozen persons round her. Come and sit here a little while, near me. "

He was obliged to seat himself beside her. 

"We are going away, too, " said she. 

"You!"

"Yes. An hour ago, we received a telegram from my brother-in-law, whichhas caused us great joy. We did not expect him for a month, but he iscoming back in a fortnight. He will embark the day after to-morrow atNew York, on board the Labrador. We are going to meet him at Havre. We shall also start the day after to-morrow; we are going to take thechildren, it will do them a great deal of good to spend a few days atthe seaside. How pleased my brother-in-law will be to know you--he knowsyou already, we have spoken of you in all our letters. I am sure you andMr. Scott will get on extremely well together, he is so good. How longshall you stay away?"

"Three weeks. "

"Three weeks in a camp?"

"Yes, Miss Percival, in the camp of Cercottes. "

"In the middle of the forest of Orleans. I made your godfather explainall about it to me this morning. Of course I am delighted to go to meetmy brother-in-law; but at the same time, I am a little sorry to leavehere, for I should have gone every morning to pay a little visit toMonsieur l'Abbe. He would have given me news of you. Perhaps, in aboutten days, you will write to my sister--a little note of three or fourlines--it will not take much of your time--just to tell her how you are, and that you do not forget us. "

"Oh, as to forgetting you, as to losing the remembrance of your extremekindness, your goodness, never, Miss Percival, never!"

His voice trembled, he was afraid of his own emotion, he rose. 

"I assure you, Miss Percival, I must go and speak to your sister. She islooking at me. She must be astonished. "

He crossed the room, Bettina followed him with her eyes. 

Mrs. Norton had just placed herself at the piano to play a waltz for theyoung people. 

Paul de Lavardens approached Miss Percival. 

"Will you do me the honor, Miss Percival?"

"I believe I have just promised this dance to Monsieur Jean, " shereplied. 

"Well, if not to him, will you give it to me?"

"That is understood. "

Bettina walked toward Jean, who had seated himself near Mrs. Scott. 

"I have just told a dreadful story, " said she. "Monsieur de Lavardenshas asked me for this dance, and I replied that I had promised it toyou. You would like it, wouldn't you?"

To hold her in his arms, to breathe the perfume of her hair--Jean felthis courage could not support this ordeal, he dared not accept. 

"I regret extremely I can not, I am not well tonight; I persisted incoming because I would not leave without wishing you good-by, but dance, no, it is impossible!"

Mrs. Norton began the prelude of the waltz. 

"Well, " said Paul, coming up quite joyful, "who is it to be, he or I?"

"You, " she said, sadly, without removing her eyes from Jean. 

She was much disturbed, and replied without knowing well what she said. She immediately regretted having accepted, she would have liked to staythere, near him. But it was too late, Paul took her hand and led heraway. 

Jean rose; he looked at the two, Bettina and Paul, a haze floated beforehis eyes, he suffered cruelly. 

"There is only one thing I can do, " thought he, "profit by this waltz, and go. To-morrow I will write a few lines to Mrs. Scott to excusemyself. "

He gained the door, he looked no more at Bettina; had he looked, hewould have stayed. 

But Bettina looked at him; and all at once she said to Paul:

"Thank you very much, but I am a little tired, let us stop, please. Youwill excuse me, will you not?"

Paul offered his arm. 

"No, thank you, " said she. 

The door was just closing, Jean was no longer there. Bettina ran acrossthe room. Paul remained alone, much surprised, understanding nothing ofwhat had passed. 

Jean was already at the hall-door, when he heard some onecall--"Monsieur Jean! Monsieur Jean!"

He stopped and turned. She was near him. 

"You are going without wishing me good-by?"

"I beg your pardon, I am very tired. "

"Then you must not walk home, the weather is threatening, " she extendedher hand out-of-doors, "it is raining already. "

"Come and have a cup of tea in the little drawing-room, and I will tellthem to drive you home, " and turning toward one of the footmen, "tellthem to send a carriage round directly. "

"No, Miss Percival, pray, the open air will revive me. I must walk, letme go. "

"Go, then, but you have no greatcoat, take something to wrap yourselfin. "

"I shall not be cold--while you with that open dress--I shall go tooblige you to go in. " And without even offering his hand, he ran quicklydown the steps. 

"If I touch her hand, " he thought, "I am lost, my secret will escapeme. "

His secret! He did not know that Bettina read his heart like an openbook. 

When Jean had descended the steps, he hesitated one short moment, thesewords were upon his lips:

"I love you, I adore you, and that is why I will see you no more!"

But he did not utter these words, he fled away and was soon lost in thedarkness. 

Bettina remained there against the brilliant background made by thelight from the hall. Great drops of rain, driven by the wind, sweptacross her bare shoulders and made her shiver; she took no notice, shedistinctly heard her heart beat. 

"I knew very well that he loved me, " she thought, "but now I am verysure, that I, too--oh! yes! I, too!--"

All at once, in one of the great mirrors in the hall door, she saw thereflection of the two footmen who stood there motionless, near the oaktable in the hall. Bettina heard bursts of laughter and the strains ofthe waltz; she stopped. She wished to be alone, completely alone, andaddressing one of the servants, she said:

"Go and tell your mistress that I am very tired, and have gone to my ownroom. "

Annie, her maid, had fallen asleep, in an easy-chair. She sent her away. She would undress herself. She let herself sink on a couch, she wasoppressed with delicious emotion. 

The door of her room opened, it was Mrs. Scott. 

"You are not well, Bettina?"

"Oh, Susie, is it you, my Susie? how nice of you to come. Sit here, close to me, quite close to me. "

She hid herself like a child in the arms of her sister, caressing withher burning brow Susie's fresh shoulders. Then she suddenly burst intosobs, great sobs, which stifled, suffocated her. 

"Bettina, my darling, what is the matter?"

"Nothing, nothing! it is nothing, it is joy--joy!"

"Joy?"

"Yes, yes, wait--let me cry a little, it will do me so much good. But donot be frightened, do not be frightened. "

Beneath her sister's caress, Bettina grew calm, soothed. 

"It is over, I am better now, and I can talk to you. It is about Jean. "

"Jean! You call him Jean?"

"Yes, I call him Jean. Have you not noticed for some time that he wasdull and looked quite melancholy?"

"Yes, I have. "

"When he came, he went and posted himself near you, and stayed there, silent, absorbed to such a degree, that for several days I askedmyself--pardon me for speaking to you with such frankness, it is my way, you know--I asked myself if it were not you whom he loved, Susie; youare so charming, it would have been so natural! But no, it was not you, it was I!"

"You?"

"Yes, I. Listen, he scarcely dared to look at me, he avoided me, he fledfrom me, he was afraid of me, evidently afraid. Now, in justice, am I aperson to inspire fear? I am sure I am not!"

"Certainly not!"

"Ah! it was not I of whom he was afraid, it was my money, my horridmoney! This money which attracts all the others and tempts them so much, this money terrifies him, drives him desperate, because he is not likethe others, because he--"

"My child, take care, perhaps you are mistaken. "

"Oh, no, I am not mistaken! Just now, at the door, when he was goingaway, he said some words to me. These words were nothing. But if you hadseen his distress in spite of all his efforts to control it! Susie, dearSusie, by the affection which I bear you, and God knows how great isthat affection, this is my conviction, my absolute conviction--if, instead of being Miss Percival, I had been a poor little girl without apenny Jean would then have taken my hand, and have told me that he lovedme, and if he had spoken to me thus, do you know what I should havereplied?"

"That you loved him, too?"

"Yes; and that is why I am so happy. With me it is a fixed idea thatI must adore the man who will be my husband. Well! I don't say that Iadore Jean, no, not yet; but still it is beginning, Susie, and it isbeginning so sweetly. "

"Bettina, it really makes me uneasy to see you in this state ofexcitement. I do not deny that Monsieur Reynaud is much attached toyou--"

"Oh, more than that, more than that!"

"Loves you, if you like; yes, you are right, you are quite right. Heloves you; and are you not worthy, my darling, of all the love that onecan bear you? As to Jean--it is progressing decidedly, here am I alsocalling him Jean--well! you know what I think of him. I rank him very, very high. But in spite of that, is he really a suitable husband foryou?"

"Yes, if I love him. "

"I am trying to talk sensibly to you, and you, on thecontrary--Understand me, Bettina; I have an experience of the worldwhich you can not have. Since our arrival in Paris, we have beenlaunched into a very brilliant, very animated, very aristocraticsociety. You might have been already, if you had liked, marchioness orprincess. "

"Yes, but I did not like. "

"It would not matter to you to be called Madame Reynaud?"

"Not in the least, if I love him. "

"Ah! you return always to--"

"Because that is the true question. There is no other. Now I will besensible in my turn. This question--I grant that this is not quitesettled, and that I have, perhaps, allowed myself to be too easilypersuaded. You see how sensible I am. Jean is going away to-morrow, I shall not see him again for three weeks. During these three weeks Ishall have ample time to question myself, to examine myself, in a word, to know my own mind. Under my giddy manner, I am serious and thoughtful, you know that?"

"Oh, yes, I know it. "

"Well, I will make this petition to you, as I would have addressed it toour mother had she been here. If, in three weeks, I say to you, 'Susie, I am certain that I love him, ' will you allow me to go to him, myself, quite alone, and ask him if he will have me for his wife? That is whatyou did with Richard. Tell me, Susie, will you allow me?"

"Yes, I will allow you. "

Bettina embraced her sister, and murmured these words in her ear:

"Thank you, mamma. "

"Mamma, mamma! It was thus that you used to call me when you were achild, when we were alone in the world together, when I used to undressyou in our poor room in New York, when I held you in my arms, when Ilaid you in your little bed, when I sang you to sleep. And since then, Bettina, I have had only one desire in the world, your happiness. Thatis why I beg you to reflect well. Do not answer me, do not let us talkany more of that. I wish to leave you very calm, very tranquil. Youhave sent away Annie, would you like me to be your little mamma againtonight, to undress you, and put you to bed as I used to do?"

"Yes, I should like it very much. "

"And when you are in bed, you promise me to be very good?"

"As good as an angel. "

"You will do your best to go to sleep?"

"My very best. "

"Very quietly, without thinking of anything?"

"Very quietly, without thinking of anything. "

"Very well, then. "

Ten minutes after, Bettina's pretty head rested gently amid embroideriesand lace. Susie said to her sister:

"I am going down to those people who bore me dreadfully this evening. Before going to my own room, I shall come back and see if you areasleep. Do not speak. Go to sleep. "

She went away. Bettina remained alone; she tried to keep her word; sheendeavored to go to sleep, but only half-succeeded. She fell into ahalf-slumber which left her floating between dream and reality. She hadpromised to think of nothing, and yet she thought of him, always of him, of nothing but him, vaguely, confusedly. 

How long a time passed thus she could not tell. 

All at once it seemed to her that some one was walking in her room; shehalf-opened her eyes, and thought she recognized her sister. In a verysleepy voice she said to her:

"You know I love him. "

"Hush! go to sleep. "

"I am asleep! I am asleep!"

At last she did fall sound asleep, less profoundly, however, than usual, for about four o'clock in the morning she was suddenly awakened by anoise, which, the night before, would not have disturbed her slumber. The rain fell in torrents, and beat against her window. 

"Oh, it is raining!" she thought. "He will get wet. "

That was her first thought. She rose, crossed the room barefooted, half-opened the shutters. The day had broke, gray and lowering; theclouds were heavy with rain, the wind blew tempestuously, and drove therain in gusts before it. 

Bettina did not go back to bed, she felt it would be quite impossible tosleep again. She put on a dressing-gown, and remained at the window; shewatched the falling rain. Since he positively must go, she would haveliked the weather to be fine; she would have liked bright sunshine tohave cheered his first day's march. 

When she came to Longueval a month ago, Bettina did not know what thismeant. But she knew it now. A day's march for the artillery is twentyor thirty miles, with an hour's halt for luncheon. It was the AbbeConstantin who had taught her that; when going their rounds in themorning among the poor, Bettina overwhelmed the Cure with questions onmilitary affairs, and particularly on the artillery. 

Twenty or thirty miles under this pouring rain! Poor Jean! Bettinathought of young Turner, young Norton, of Paul de Lavardens, who wouldsleep calmly till ten in the morning, while Jean was exposed to thisdeluge. 

Paul de Lavardens!

This name awoke in her a painful memory, the memory of that waltz theevening before. To have danced like that, while Jean was so obviously introuble! That waltz took the proportions of a crime in her eyes; it wasa horrible thing that she had done. 

And then, had she not been wanting in courage and frankness in that lastinterview with Jean? He neither could nor dared say anything; but shemight have shown more tenderness, more expansiveness. Sad and sufferingas he was, she should never have allowed him to go back on foot. Sheought to have detained him at any price. Her imagination tormented andexcited her; Jean must have carried away with him the impressionthat she was a bad little creature, heartless and pitiless. And inhalf-an-hour he was going away, away for three weeks. Ah! if she couldby any means--but there is a way! The regiment must pass along the wallof the park, under the terrace. 

Bettina was seized with a wild desire to see Jean pass; he wouldunderstand well, if he saw her at such an hour, that she had come to beghis pardon for her cruelty of the previous evening. Yes, she would go!But she had promised to Susie to be as good as an angel, and to do whatshe was going to do, was that being as good as an angel? She would makeup for it by acknowledging all to Susie when she came in again, andSusie would forgive her. 

She would go! She had made up her mind. Only how should she dressherself? She had nothing at hand but a muslin dressing-gown, littlehigh-heeled slippers, and blue satin shoes. She might wake her maid. Oh, never would she dare to do that, and time pressed; a quarter to five!the regiment would start at five o'clock. 

She might, perhaps, manage with the muslin dressing-gown, and the satinshoes; in the hall, she might find her hat, her little sabots whichshe wore in the garden, and the large tartan cloak for driving in wetweather. She half-opened her door with infinite precautions. Everythingslept in the house; she crept along the corridor, she descended thestaircase. 

If only the little sabots are there in their place; that is her greatanxiety. There they are! She slips them on over her satin shoes, shewraps herself in her great mantle. 

She hears that the rain has redoubled in violence. She notices one ofthose large umbrellas which the footmen use on the box in wet weather;she seizes it; she is ready; but when she is ready to go, she sees thatthe hall-door is fastened by a great iron bar. She tries to raise it;but the bolt holds fast, resists all her efforts, and the great clock inthe hall slowly strikes five. He is starting at that moment. 

She will see him! she will see him! Her will is excited by theseobstacles. She makes a great effort; the bar yields, slips back in thegroove. But Bettina has made a long scratch on her hand, from whichissues a slender stream of blood. Bettina twists her handkerchief roundher hand, takes her great umbrella, turns the key in the lock; and opensthe door. 

At last she is out of the house!

The weather is frightful. The wind and the rain rage together. It takesfive or six minutes to reach the terrace which looks over the road. Bettina darts forward courageously; her head bent, hidden under herimmense umbrella, she has taken a few steps. All at once, furious, mad, blinding, a sudden squall bursts upon Bettina, buries her in her mantle, drives her along, lifts her almost from the ground, turns the umbrellaviolently inside out; that is nothing, the disaster is not yet complete. 

Bettina has lost one of her little sabots; they were not practicalsabots; they were only pretty little things for fine weather, and atthis moment, when Bettina struggles against the tempest with her bluesatin shoe half buried in the wet gravel, at this moment the wind bearsto her the distant echo of a blast of trumpets. It is the regimentstarting!

Bettina makes a desperate effort, abandons her umbrella, finds herlittle sabot, fastens it on as well as she can, and starts off running, with a deluge descending on her head. 

At last, she is in the wood, the trees protect her a little. Anotherblast, nearer this time. Bettina fancies she hears the rolling of thegun-carriages. She makes a last effort, there is the terrace, she isthere just in time. 

Twenty yards off she perceived the white horses of the trumpeters, andalong the road caught glimpses, vaguely appearing through the fog, ofthe long line of guns and wagons. 

She sheltered herself under one of the old limes which bordered theterrace. She watched, she waited. He is there among that confused massof riders. Will she be able to recognize him? And he, will he see her?Will any chance make him turn his head that way?

Bettina knows that he is Lieutenant in the second battery of hisregiment; she knows that a battery is composed of six guns, and sixammunition wagons. Of course it is the Abbe Constantin who has taughther that. Thus she must allow the first battery to pass, that is to say, count six guns, six wagons, and then--he will be there. 

There he is at last, wrapped in his great cloak, and it is he who sees, who recognizes her first. A few moments before, he had recalled to hismind a long walk which he had taken with her one evening, when night wasfalling, on that terrace. He raised his eyes, and the very spot wherehe remembered having seen her, was the spot where he found her again. Hebowed, and, bareheaded in the rain, turning round in his saddle, as longas he could see her, he looked at her. He said again to himself what hehad said the previous evening:

"It is for the last time. "

With a charming gesture of both hands, she returned his farewell, andthis gesture, repeated many times, brought her hands so near, so nearher lips, that one might have fancied--

"Ah!" she thought, "if, after that, he does not understand that I lovehim, and does not forgive me my money!"

CHAPTER IX. THE REWARD OF TENDER COURAGE

It was the 20th of August, the day which should bring Jean back toLongueval. 

Bettina awoke very early, rose, and ran immediately to the window. The evening before, the sky had looked threatening, heavy with clouds. Bettina slept but little, and all night prayed that it might not rainthe next day. 

In the early morning a dense fog enveloped the park of Longueval, thetrees of which were hidden from view, as by a curtain. But graduallythe rays of the sun dissipated the mist, the trees became vaguelydiscernible through the vapor; then, suddenly, the sun shonebrilliantly, flooding with light the park, and the fields beyond;and the lake, where the black swans were disporting themselves in theradiant light, appeared as bright as a sheet of polished metal. 

The weather was going to be beautiful. Bettina was a littlesuperstitious. The sunshine gives her good hope and good courage. "Theday begins well, so it will finish well. "

Mr. Scott had come home several days before. Susie, Betting, and thechildren waited on the quay at Havre for the arrival of his steamer. 

They exchanged many tender embraces; then, Richard, addressing hissister-in-law, said, laughingly:

"Well, when is the wedding to be?"

"What wedding?"

"Yours. "

"My wedding?"

"Yes, certainly. "

"And to whom am I about to be married?"

"To Monsieur Jean Reynaud. "

"Ah! Susie has written to you?"

"Susie? Not at all. Susie has not said a word. It is you, Bettina, whohave written to me. For the last two months, all your letters have beenoccupied with this young officer. "

"All my letters?"

"Yes, and you have written to me oftener and more at length than usual. I do not complain of that, but I do ask when you are going to present mewith a brother-in-law?"

He spoke jestingly, but Bettina replied:

"Soon, I hope. "

Mr. Scott perceived that the affair was serious. When returning in thecarriage, Bettina asked Mr. Scott if he had kept her letters. 

"Certainly, " he replied. 

She read them again. It was indeed only with "Jean" that all theseletters have been filled. She found therein related, down to the mosttrifling details, their first meeting. There was the portrait of Jeanin the vicarage garden, with his straw hat and his earthenwaresalad-dish--and then it was again Monsieur Jean, always MonsieurJean. She discovered that she had loved him much longer than she hadsuspected. At last it was the 10th of August. Luncheon was just over, and Harry and Bella were impatient. They knew that between one andtwo o'clock the regiment must pass through the village. They had beenpromised that they should be taken to see the soldiers pass, and forthem, as well as for Bettina, the return of the 9th Artillery was agreat event. 

"Aunt Betty, " said Bella, "Aunt Betty, come with us. "

"Yes, do come, " said Harry, "do come, we shall see our friend Jean, onhis big gray horse. "

Bettina resisted, refused--and yet how great was the temptation. But no, she would not go, she would not see Jean again till the evening, whenshe would give him that decisive explanation for which she had beenpreparing herself for the last three weeks. The children went away withtheir governesses. Bettina, Susie, and Richard went to sit in the park, quite close to the castle, and as soon as they were established there:

"Susie, " said Bettina, "I am going to remind you today of your promise;you remember what passed between us the night of his departure; wesettled that if, on the day of his return, I could say to you, 'Susie, I am sure that I love him, ' we settled that you would allow me to speakfrankly to him, and ask him if he would have me for his wife. "

"Yes, I did promise you. But are you very sure?"

"Absolutely--and now the time has come to redeem your promise. I warnyou that I intend to bring him to this very place, " she added, smiling, "to this seat; and to use almost the same language to him that youformerly used to Richard. You were successful, Susie, you are perfectlyhappy, and I--that is what I wish to be. "

"Richard, Susie has told you about Monsieur Reynaud. "

"Yes, and she has told me that there is no man of whom she has a higheropinion, but--"

"But she has told you that for me it would be a rather quiet, rathercommonplace marriage. Oh, naughty sister! Will you believe it, Richard, that I can not get this fear out of her head? She does not understandthat, before everything, I wish to love and be loved; will you believeit, Richard, that only last week she laid a horrible trap for me? Youknow that there exists a certain Prince Romanelli. "

"Yes, I know you might have been a princess. "

"That would not have been immensely difficult, I believe. Well, one dayI was so foolish as to say to Susie, that, in extremity, I might acceptthe Prince Romanelli. Now, just imagine what she did. The Turners wereat Trouville, Susie had arranged a little plot. We lunched with thePrince, but the result was disastrous. Accept him! The two hours that Ipassed with him, I passed in asking myself how I could have said sucha thing. No, Richard; no, Susie; I will be neither princess, normarchioness, nor countess. My wish is to be Madame Jean Reynaud; if, however, Monsieur Jean Reynaud will agree to it, and that is by no meanscertain. "

The regiment entered the village, and suddenly military music burstmartial and joyous across the space. All three remained silent, it wasthe regiment, it was Jean who passed; the sound became fainter, diedaway, and Bettina continued:

"No, that is not certain. He loves me, however, and much, but withoutknowing well what I am; I think that I deserve to be loved differently;I think that I should not cause him so much terror, so much fear, if heknew me better, and that is why I ask you to permit me to speak to himthis evening freely, from my heart. "

"We will allow you, " replied Richard, "you shall speak to him freely, for we know, both of us, Bettina, that you will never do anything thatis not noble and generous. "

"At least, I shall try. "

The children ran up to them; they had seen Jean, he was quite white withdust, he said good-morning to them. 

"Only, " added Bella, "he is not very nice, he did not stop to talk tous; usually he stops, but this time he wouldn't. "

"Yes, he would, " replied Harry, "for at first he seemed as if he weregoing to--and then he would not, he went away. "

"Well, he didn't stop, and it is so nice to talk to a soldier, especially when he is on horseback. "

"It is not that only, it is that we are very fond of Monsieur Jean; ifyou knew, papa, how kind he is, and how nicely he plays with us. "

"And what beautiful drawings he makes. Harry, you remember that greatPunch who was so funny, with his stick, you know?"

"And the dog, there was the little dog, too, as in the show. "

The two children went away talking of their friend Jean. 

"Decidedly, " said Mr. Scott, "every one likes him in this house. "

"And you will be like every one else when you know him, " repliedBettina. 

The regiment broke into a trot along the highroad, after leaving thevillage. There was the terrace where Bettina had been the other morning. Jean said to himself:

"Supposing she should be there. "

He dreaded and hoped it at the same time. He raised his head, he looked, she was not there. 

He had not seen her again, he would not see her again, for a long-timeat least. He would start that very evening at six o'clock for Paris; oneof the personages in the War Office was interested in him; he would tryto get exchanged into another regiment. 

Alone at Cercottes, Jean had had time to reflect deeply, and that wasthe result of his reflections. He could not, he must not, be BettinaPercival's husband. 

The men dismounted at the barracks, Jean took leave of his Colonel, hiscomrades; all was over. He was free, he could go. 

But he did not go; he looked around him. How happy he was three monthsago, when he rode out of that great yard amid the noise of the cannonrolling over the pavement of Souvigny; but how sadly he should ride awayto-day! Formerly his life was there; where would it be hereafter?

He returned, went to his own room, and wrote to Mrs. Scott; he told herthat his duties obliged him to leave immediately, he could not dineat the castle, and begged Mrs. Scott to remember him to Miss Bettina. Bettina, ah! what trouble it cost him to write that name. He closed hisletter; he would send it directly. 

He made his preparations for departure; then he went to wish hisgodfather farewell. That is what cost him most; he must speak to himonly of a short absence. 

He opened one of the drawers of his bureau to take out some money. Thefirst thing that met his eyes was a little note on bluish paper; it wasthe only note which he had ever received from her. 

"Will you have the kindness to give to the servant the book of which youspoke yesterday evening. Perhaps it will be a little serious for me, butyet I should like to try to read it. We shall see you to-night; come asearly as possible. " It was signed "Bettina. "

Jean read and re-read these few lines, but soon he could read them nolonger, his eyes were dim. 

"It is all that is left me of her, " he thought. 

At the same moment the Abbe Constantin was tete-a-tete with oldPauline, they were making up their accounts. The financial situation wasadmirable; more than 2, 000 francs in hand! And the wishes of Susie andBettina were accomplished, there were no more poor in the neighborhood. His old servant, Pauline, had even occasional scruples of conscience. 

"You see, Monsieur le Cure, " said she, "perhaps we give them a littletoo much. Then it will be spread about in other parishes that here theycan always find charity. And do you know what will happen then, one ofthese days? Poor people will come and settle in Longueval. "

The Cure gave fifty francs to Pauline. She went to take them to a poorman who had broken his arm a few days before, by falling from the top ofa hay-cart. 

The Abbe Constantin remained alone in the vicarage. He was ratheranxious. He had watched for the passing of the regiment; but Jean onlystopped for a moment, he looked sad. For some time, the Abbe had noticedthat Jean had no longer the flow of good-humor and gayety he oncepossessed. 

The Cure did not disturb himself too much about it, believing it to beone of those little youthful troubles which did not concern a poor oldpriest. But, on this occasion, Jean's disturbance was very perceptible. 

"I will come back directly, " he said to the Cure, "I want to speak toyou. "

He turned abruptly away. The Abbe Constantin had not even had time togive Loulou his piece of sugar, or rather his pieces of sugar, for hehad put five or six in his pocket, considering that Loulou had welldeserved this feast by ten long days' march, and a score of nightspassed under the open sky. 

Besides, since Mrs. Scott had lived at Longueval, Loulou had very oftenhad several pieces of sugar; the Abbe Constantin had become extravagant, prodigal; he felt himself a millionaire, the sugar for Loulou was oneof his follies. One day, even, he had been on the point of addressing toLoulou his everlasting little speech:

"This comes from the new mistresses of Longueval; pray for themto-night. "

It was three o'clock when Jean arrived at the vicarage, and the Curesaid, immediately:

"You told me that you wanted to speak to me; what is it about?"

"About something, my dear godfather, which will surprise you, willgrieve you--"

"Grieve me!"

"Yes, and which grieves me, too--I have come to bid you farewell. "

"Farewell! you are going away?"

"Yes, I am going away. "

"When?"

"To-day, in two hours. "

"In two hours? But, my dear boy, you were going to dine at the castleto-night. "

"I have just written to Mrs. Scott to excuse me. I am positively obligedto go. "

"Directly?"

"Directly. "

"And where are you going?"

"To Paris. "

"To Paris! Why this sudden determination?"

"Not so very sudden! I have thought about it for a long time. "

"And you have said nothing about it to me! Jean, something has happened. You are a man, and I have no longer the right to treat you as a child;but you know how much I love you; if you have vexations, troubles, whynot tell them to me? I could perhaps advise you. Jean, why go to Paris?"

"I did not wish to tell you, it will give you pain; but you have theright to know. I am going to Paris to ask to be exchanged into anotherregiment. "

"Into another regiment! To leave Souvigny!"

"Yes, that is just it; I must leave Souvigny for a short time, for alittle while only; but to leave Souvigny is necessary, it is what I wishabove all things. "

"And what about me, Jean, do you not think of me? A little while! Alittle while! But that is all that remains to me of life, a littlewhile. And during these last days, that I owe to the grace of God, itwas my happiness, yes, Jean, my happiness, to feel you here, near me, and now you are going away! Jean, wait a little patiently, it can not befor very long now for. Wait until the good God has called me to himself, wait till I shall be gone, to meet there, at his side, your father andyour mother. Do not go, Jean, do not go. "

"If you love me, I love you, too, and you know it well. "

"Yes, I know it. "

"I have just the same affection for you now that I had when I was quitelittle, when you took me to yourself, when you brought me up. My hearthas not changed, will never change. But if duty--if honor--oblige me togo?"

"Ah, if it is duty, if it is honor, I say nothing more, Jean, thatstands before all!--all!--all! I have always known you a good judge ofyour duty, your honor. Go, my boy, go, I ask you nothing more, I wish toknow no more. "

"But I wish to tell you all, " cried Jean, vanquished by his emotion, "and it is better that you should know all. You will stay here, you willreturn to the castle, you will see her again--her!"

"See her! Who?"

"Bettina!"

"Bettina?"

"I adore her, I adore her!"

"Oh, my poor boy!"

"Pardon me for speaking to you of these things; but I tell you as Iwould have told my father. "

"And then, I have not been able to speak of it to any one, and itstifled me; yes, it is a madness which has seized me, which has grownupon me, little by little, against my will, for you know very-well--MyGod! It was here that I began to love her. You know, when she came herewith her sister--with the little 'rouleaux' of francs--her hair felldown--and then the evening, the month of Mary! Then I was permitted tosee her freely, familiarly, and you, yourself, spoke to me constantly ofher. You praised her sweetness, her goodness. How often have you told methat there was no one in the world better than she is!"

"And I thought it, and I think it still. And no one here knows herbetter than I do, for it is I alone who have seen her with the poor. Ifyou only knew how tender, and how good she is! Neither wretchednessnor suffering repulse her. But, my dear boy, I am wrong to tell you allthis. "

"No, no, I will see her no more, I promise you; but I like to hear youspeak of her. "

"In your whole life, Jean, you will never meet a better woman, nor onewho has more elevated sentiments. To such a point, that one day--shehad taken me with her in an open carriage, full of toys--she was takingthese toys to a poor sick little girl, and when she gave them to her, tomake the poor little thing laugh, to amuse her, she talked so prettilyto her that I thought of you, and I said to myself, I remember it now, 'Ah, if she were poor!'"

"Ah! if she were poor, but she is not. "

"Oh, no! But what can you do, my poor child! If it gives you pain to seeher, to live near her; above all, if it will prevent you suffering--go, go--and yet, and yet--"

The old priest became thoughtful, let his head fall between his hands, and remained silent for some moments; then he continued:

"And yet, Jean, do you know what I think? I have seen a great dealof Mademoiselle Bettina since she came to Longueval. Well--when Ireflect--it did not astonish me that any one should be interested inyou, for it seemed so natural--but she talked always, yes, always ofyou. "

"Of me?"

"Yes, of you, and of your father and mother; she was curious to know howyou lived. She begged me to explain to her what a soldier's life was, the life of a true soldier, who loved his profession, and performed hisduties conscientiously. "

"It is extraordinary, since you have told me this, recollections crowdupon me, a thousand little things collect and group themselves together. They returned from Havre yesterday at three o'clock. Well! an hourafter their arrival she was here. And it was of you of whom she spokedirectly. She asked if you had written to me, if you had not been ill, when you would arrive, at what hour, if the regiment would pass throughthe village?"

"It is useless at this moment, my dear godfather, " said Jean, "to recallall these memories. "

"No, it is not useless. She seemed so pleased, so happy even, that sheshould see you again! She would make quite a fete of the dinner thisevening. She would introduce you to her brother-in-law, who has comeback. There is no one else in the house at this moment, not a singlevisitor. She insisted strongly on this point, and I remember her lastwords--she was there, on the threshold of the door:

"'There will be only five of us, ' she said, 'you and Monsieur Jean, mysister, my brother-in-law, and myself. '

"And then she added, laughing, 'Quite a family party. '

"With these words she went, she almost ran away. Quite a family party!Do you know what I think, Jean? Do you know?"

"You must not think that, you must not. "

"Jean, I believe that she loves you. "

"And I believe it, too. "

"You, too!"

"When I left her, three weeks ago, she was so agitated, so moved! Shesaw me sad and unhappy, she would not let me go. It was at the door ofthe castle. I was obliged to tear myself, yes, literally tear myselfaway. I should have spoken, burst out, told her all. After I had gone afew steps, I stopped and turned. She could no longer see me, I was lostin the darkness; but I could see her. She stood there motionless, hershoulders and arms bare, in the rain, her eyes fixed on the way bywhich I had gone. Perhaps I am mad to think that. Perhaps it was onlya feeling of pity. But no, it was something more than pity, for do youknow what she did the next morning? She came at five o'clock, in themost frightful weather, to see me pass with the regiment--and then--theway she bade me adieu--oh, my friend, my dear old friend!"

"But then, " said the poor Cure, completely bewildered, completely at aloss, "but then, I do not understand you at all. If you love her, Jean, and if she loves you?"

"But that is, above all, the reason why I must go. If it were only I, ifI were certain that she has not perceived my love, certain that she hasnot been touched by it, I would stay, I would stay--for nothing but forthe sweet joy of seeing her, and I would love her from afar, withoutany hope, for nothing but the happiness of loving her. But no, she hasunderstood too well, and far from discouraging me--that is what forcesme to go. "

"No, I do not understand it! I know well, my poor boy, we are speakingof things in which I am no great scholar, but you are both good, young, and charming; you love her, she would love you, and you will not!"

"And her money! her money!"

"What matters her money? If it is only that, is it because of hermoney that you have loved her? It is rather in spite of her money. Yourconscience, my son, would be quite at peace with regard to that, andthat would suffice. "

"No, that would not suffice. To have a good opinion of one's self is notenough; that opinion must be shared by others. "

"Oh, Jean! Among all who know you, who can doubt you?"

"Who knows? And then there is another thing besides this question ofmoney, another thing more serious and more grave. I am not the husbandsuited to her. "

"And who could be more worthy than you?"

"The question to be considered is not my worth; we have to consider whatshe is and what I am, to ask what ought to be her life, and what oughtto be my life. "

"One day, Paul--you know he has rather a blunt way of saying things, butthat very bluntness often places thoughts much more distinctly beforeus--Paul was speaking of her; he did not suspect anything; if he had, heis good-natured, he would not have spoken thus--well, he said to me:

"'What she needs is a husband who would be entirely devoted to her, to her alone, a husband who would have no other care than to make herexistence a perpetual holiday, a husband who would give himself, hiswhole life, in return for her money. '

"You know me; such a husband I can not, I must not be. I am a soldier, and shall remain one. If the chances of my career sent me some day to agarrison in the depths of the Alps, or in some almost unknown village inAlgeria, could I ask her to follow me? Could I condemn her to the lifeof a soldier's wife, which is in some degree the life of a soldierhimself? Think of the life which she leads now, of all that luxury, ofall those pleasures!"

"Yes, " said the Abbe, "that is more serious than the question of money. "

"So serious that there is no hesitation possible. During the three weeksthat I passed alone in the camp, I have well considered all that; I havethought of nothing else, and loving her as I do love, the reason mustindeed be strong which shows me clearly my duty. I must go, I must gofar, very far away, as far as possible. I shall suffer much, but I mustnot see her again! I must not see her again!"

Jean sank on a chair near the fireplace. He remained there quiteoverpowered with his emotion. The old priest looked at him. 

"To see you suffer, my poor boy! That such suffering should fall uponyou! It is too cruel, too unjust!"

At that moment some one knocked gently at the door. 

"Ah!" said the Cure, "do not be afraid, Jean. I will send them away. "

The Abbe went to the door, opened it, and recoiled as if before anunexpected apparition. 

It was Bettina. In a moment she had seen Jean, and going direct to him:

"You!" cried she. "Oh, how glad I am!"

He rose. She took his hands, and addressing the Cure, she said:

"I beg your pardon, Monsieur le Cure, for going to him first. You, Isaw yesterday, and him, not for three whole weeks, not since a certainnight, when he left our house, sad and suffering. "

She still held Jean's hands. He had neither power to make a movement norto utter a sound. 

"And now, " continued Betting, "are you better? No, not yet, I can see, still sad. Ah, I have done well to come! It was an inspiration! However, it embarrasses me a little, it embarrasses me a great deal, to find youhere. You will understand why when you know what I have come to ask ofyour godfather. "

She relinquished his hands, and turning toward the Abbe, said:

"I have come to beg you to listen to my confession--yes, my confession. But do not go away, Monsieur Jean; I will make my confession publicly. Iam quite willing to speak before you, and now I think of it, it will bebetter thus. Let us sit down, shall we?"

She felt herself full of confidence and daring. She burned with fever, but with that fever which, on the field of battle, gives to a soldierardor, heroism, and disdain of danger. The emotion which made Bettina'sheart beat quicker than usual was a high and generous emotion. She saidto herself:

"I will be loved! I will love! I will be happy! I will make him happy!And since he has not sufficient courage to do it, I must have it forboth. I must march alone, my head high, and my heart at ease, to theconquest of our love, to the conquest of our happiness!"

From her first words Bettina had gained over the Abbe and Jean acomplete ascendancy. They let her say what she liked, they let her doas she liked, they felt that the hour was supreme; they understood thatwhat was happening would be decisive, irrevocable, but neither was in aposition to foresee. 

They sat down obediently, almost automatically; they waited, theylistened. Alone, of the three, Bettina retained her composure. It was ina calm and even voice that she began. 

"I must tell you first, Monsieur le Cure, to set your conscience quiteat rest, I must tell you that I am here with the consent of my sisterand my brother-in-law. They know why I have come; they know what I amabout to do. They not only know, but they approve. That is settled, isit not? Well, what brings me here is your letter, Monsieur Jean, thatletter in which you tell my sister that you can not dine with us thisevening, and that you are positively obliged to leave here. This letterhas unsettled all my plans. I had intended, this evening--of course withthe permission of my sister and brother-in-law--I had intended, afterdinner, to take you into the park, to seat myself with you on a bench; Iwas childish enough to choose the place beforehand. "

"There I should have delivered a little speech, well prepared, wellstudied, almost learned by heart, for since your departure I havescarcely thought of anything else; I repeat it to myself from morning tonight. That is what I had proposed to do, and you understand that yourletter caused me much embarrassment. I reflected a little, and thoughtthat if I addressed my little speech to your godfather it would bealmost the same as if I addressed it to you. So I have come, Monsieur leCure, to beg you to listen to me. "

"I will listen to you, Miss Percival, " stammered the Abbe. 

"I am rich, Monsieur le Cure, I am very rich, and to speak frankly Ilove my wealth very much-yes, very much. To it I owe the luxury whichsurrounds me, luxury which, I acknowledge--it is a confession--is by nomeans disagreeable to me. My excuse is that I am still very young; itwill perhaps pass as I grow older, but of that I am not very sure. I have another excuse; it is, that if I love money a little for thepleasure that it procures me, I love it still more for the good whichit allows me to do. I love it--selfishly, if you like--for the joyof giving, but I think that my fortune is not very badly placed in myhands. Well, Monsieur le Cure, in the same way that you have the care ofsouls, it seems that I have the care of money. I have always thought, 'Iwish, above all things, that my husband should be worthy of sharing thisgreat fortune. I wish to be very sure that he will make a good use ofit with me while I am here, and after me, if I must leave this worldfirst. ' I thought of another thing; I thought, 'He who will be myhusband must be some one I can love!' And now, Monsieur le Cure, this iswhere my confession really begins. There is a man, who for the last twomonths, has done all he can to conceal from me that he loves me; but Ido not doubt that this man loves me. You do love me, Jean?"

"Yes, " said Jean, in a low voice, his eyes cast down, looking like acriminal, "I do love you!"

"I knew it very well, but I wanted to hear you say it, and now I entreatyou, do not utter a single word. Any words of yours would be useless, would disturb me, would prevent me from going straight to my aim, andtelling you what I positively intend to say. Promise me to stay there, sitting still, without moving, without speaking. You promise me?"

"I promise you. "

Bettina, as she went on speaking, began to lose a little of herconfidence, her voice trembled slightly. She continued, however, with agayety that was a little forced:

"Monsieur le Cure, I do not blame you for what has happened, yet allthis is a little your fault. "

"My fault!"

"Ah! do not speak, not even you. Yes, I repeat it, your fault. I amcertain that you have spoken well of me to Jean, much too well. Perhaps, without that, he would not have thought--And at the same time you havespoken very well of him to me. Not too well--no, no--but yet very well!Then, I had so much confidence in you, that I began to look at him, andexamine, him with a little more attention. I began to compare him withthose who, during the last year, had asked my hand. It seemed to me thathe was in every respect superior to them. 

"At last, it happened, on a certain day, or rather on a certainevening-three weeks ago, the evening before you left here, Jean--Idiscovered that I loved you. Yes, Jean, I love you! I entreat you, donot speak; stay where you are; do not come near me. 

"Before I came here, I thought I had supplied myself with a good stockof courage, but you see I have no longer my fine composure of a minuteago. But I have still something to tell you, and the most important ofall. Jean, listen to me well; I do not wish for a reply torn from youremotion; I know that you love me. If you marry me, I do not wish it tobe only for love; I wish it to be also for reason. During the fortnightbefore you left here, you took so much pains to avoid me, to escape anyconversation, that I have not been able to show myself to you as I am. Perhaps there are in me certain qualities which you do not suspect. 

"Jean, I know what you are, I know to what I should bind myself inmarrying you, and I should be for you not only the loving and tenderwoman, but the courageous and constant wife. I know your entire life;your godfather has related it to me. I know why you became a soldier; Iknow what duties, what sacrifices, the future may demand from you. Jean, do not suppose that I shall turn you from any of these duties, from anyof these sacrifices. If I could be disappointed with you for anything, it would be, perhaps, for this thought--oh, you must have had it!--thatI should wish you free, and quite my own, that I should ask you toabandon your career. Never! never! Understand well, I shall never asksuch a thing of you. 

"A young girl whom I know did that when she married, and she did wrong. I love you, and I wish you to be just what you are. It is because youlive differently from, and better than, those who have before desiredme for a wife, that I desire you for a husband. I should love youless--perhaps I should not love you at all, though that would be verydifficult--if you were to begin to live as all those live whom I wouldnot have. When I can follow you, I will follow you; wherever you arewill be my duty, wherever you are will be my happiness. And if the daycomes when you can not take me, the day when you must go alone, well!Jean, on that day, I promise you to be brave, and not take your couragefrom you. 

"And now, Monsieur le Cure, it is not to him, it is to you that I amspeaking; I want you to answer me, not him. Tell me, if he loves me, and feels me worthy of his love, would it be just to make me expiate soseverely the fortune that I possess? Tell me, should he not agree to bemy husband?"

"Jean, " said the old priest, gravely, "marry her. It is your duty, andit will be your happiness!"

Jean approached Bettina, took her in his arms, and pressed upon her browthe first kiss. 

Bettina gently freed herself, and addressing the Abbe, said:

"And now, Monsieur l'Abbe, I have still one thing to ask you. I wish--Iwish--"

"You wish?"

"Pray, Monsieur le Cure, embrace me, too. "

The old priest kissed her paternally on both cheeks, and then Bettinacontinued:

"You have often told me, Monsieur le Cure, that Jean was almost likeyour own son, and I shall be almost like your own daughter, shall I not?So you will have two children, that is all. "

 . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 

A month after, on the 12th of September, at mid-day, Bettina, in thesimplest of wedding-gowns, entered the church of Longueval, while, placed behind the altar, the trumpets of the 9th Artillery rang joyouslythrough the arches of the old church. 

Nancy Turner had begged for the honor of playing the organ on thissolemn occasion, for the poor little harmonium had disappeared; anorgan, with resplendent pipes, rose in the gallery of the church--it wasMiss Percival's wedding present to the Abbe Constantin. 

The old Cure said mass, Jean and Bettina knelt before him, he pronouncedthe benediction, and then remained for some moments in prayer, his armsextended, calling down, with his whole soul, the blessings of Heaven onhis two children. 

Then floated from the organ the same reverie of Chopin's which Bettinahad played the first time that she had entered that little villagechurch, where was to be consecrated the happiness of her life. 

And this time it was Bettina who wept. 

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