The Wandering Jew — Complete
vulgar motives often engender the most implacable hatreds.
From these preliminary observations, the reader will understand the
divers sentiments and interests which animated the different actors in
the following scene.
Madame de Saint-Dizier was seated in a large arm-chair by one side
of the hearth. Marquis d'Aigrigny was standing before the fire. Dr.
Baleinier seated near a bureau, was again turning over the leaves
of Baron Tripeaud's biography, whilst the baron appeared to be very
attentively examining one of the pictures of sacred subjects suspended
from the wall.
"You sent for me, aunt, to talk upon matters of importance?" said
Adrienne, breaking the silence which had reigned in the reception-room
since her entrance.
"Yes, madame," answered the princess, with a cold and severe mien; "upon
matters of the gravest importance."
"I am at your service, aunt. Perhaps we had better walk into your
library?"
"It is not necessary. We can talk here." Then, addressing the marquis,
the doctor, and the baron, she said to them, "Pray, be seated,
gentlemen," and they all took their places round the table.
"How can the subject of our interview interest these gentlemen, aunt?"
asked Mdlle. de Cardoville, with surprise.
"These gentlemen are old family friends; all that concerns you must
interest them, and their advice ought to be heard and accepted by you
with respect."
"I have no doubt, aunt, of the bosom friendship of M. d'Aigrigny for our
family: I have still less of the profound and disinterested devotion
of M. Tripeaud; M. Baleinier is one of my old friends; still, before
accepting these gentlemen as spectators, or, if you will, as confidants
of our interview, I wish to know what we are going to talk of before
them."
"I thought that, among your many singular pretensions, you had at least
those of frankness and courage."
"Really, aunt," said Adrienne, smiling with mock humility, "I have no
more pretensions to frankness and courage than you have to sincerity and
goodness. Let us admit, once for all, that we are what we are--without
pretension."
"Be it so," said Madame de Saint-Dizier, in a dry tone; "I have long
been accustomed to the freaks of your independent spirit. I suppose,
then, that, courageous and frank as you say you are, you will not be
afraid to speak before such grave and respectable persons as these
gentlemen what you would speak to me alone?"
"Is it a formal examination that I am to submit to? if so, upon what
subject?"
"It is not an examination: but, as I have a right to watch over you, and
as you take advantage of my weak compliance with your caprices, I mean
to put an end to what has lasted too long, and tell you my irrevocable
resolutions for the future, in presence of friends of the family. And,
first, you have hitherto had a very false and imperfect notion of my
power over you."
"I assure you, aunt, that I have never had any notion, true or false, on
the subject--for I have never even dreamt about it."
"That is my own fault; for, instead of yielding to your fancies, I
should have made you sooner feel my authority; but the moment has come
to submit yourself; the severe censures of my friends have enlightened
me in time. Your character is self-willed, independent, stubborn; it
must change--either by fair means or by force, understand me, it shall
change."
At these words, pronounced harshly before strangers, with a severity
which did not seem at all justified by circumstances, Adrienne tossed
her head proudly; but, restraining herself, she answered with a smile:
"You say, aunt, that I shall change. I should not be astonished at it.
We hear of such odd conversions."
The princess bit her lips.
"A sincere conversion can never be called odd, as you term it, madame,"
said Abbe d'Aigrigny, coldly. "It is, on the contrary, meritorious, and
forms an excellent example."
"Excellent?" answered Adrienne: "that depends! For instance, what if one
converts defects into vices?"
"What do you mean, madame?" cried the princess.
"I am speaking of myself, aunt; you reproach me of being independent and
resolute--suppose I were to become hypocritical and wicked? In truth,
I prefer keeping my dear little faults, which I love like spoiled
children. I know what I am; I do not know what I might be."
"But you must acknowledge, Mdlle. Adrienne," said Baron Tripeaud, with a
self-conceited and sententious air, "that a conversion--"
"I believe," said Adrienne, disdainfully, "that M. Tripeaud is well
versed in the conversion of all sorts of property into all sorts of
profit, by all sorts of means--but he knows nothing of this matter."
"But, madame," resumed the financier, gathering courage from a glance
of the princess, "you forget that I have the honor to be your deputy
guardian, and that--"
"It is true that M. Tripeaud has that honor," said Adrienne, with still
more haughtiness, and not even looking at the baron; "I could never tell
exactly why. But as it is not now the time to guess enigmas, I wish to
know, aunt, the object and the end of this meeting?"
"You shall be satisfied, madame. I will explain myself in a very clear
and precise manner. You shall know the plan of conduct that you will
have henceforth to pursue; and if you refuse to submit thereto, with the
obedience and respect that is due to my orders, I shall at once see what
course to take."
It is impossible to give an idea of the imperious tone and stern look
of the princess, as she pronounced these words which were calculated to
startle a girl, until now accustomed to live in a great measure as she
pleased: yet, contrary perhaps to the expectation of Madame de Saint
Dizier, instead of answering impetuously, Adrienne looked her full in
the face, and said, laughing: "This is a perfect declaration of war.
It's becoming very amusing."
"We are not talking of declarations of war," said the Abbe d'Aigrigny,
harshly, as if offended by the expressions of Mdlle. de Cardoville.
"Now, M. l'Abbe!" returned Adrienne, "for an old colonel, you are really
too severe upon a jest!--you are so much indebted to 'war,' which gave
you a French regiment after fighting so long against France--in order to
learn, of course, the strength and the weakness of her enemies."
On these words, which recalled painful remembrances, the marquis
colored; he was going to answer, but the princess exclaimed: "Really,
madame, your behavior is quite intolerable!"
"Well, aunt, I acknowledge I was wrong. I ought not to have said this
is very amusing--for it is not so, at all; but it is at least very
curious--and perhaps," added the young girl, after a moment's silence,
"perhaps very audacious and audacity pleases me. As we are upon this
subject, and you talk of a plan of conduct to which I must conform
myself, under pain of (interrupting herself)--under pain of what, I
should like to know, aunt?"
"You shall know. Proceed."
"I will, in the presence of these gentlemen, also declare, in a very
plain and precise manner, the determination that I have come to. As it
required some time to prepare for its execution, I have not spoken of it
sooner, for you know I am not in the habit of saying, 'I will do so and
so!' but I do it."
"Certainly; and it is just this habit of culpable independence of which
you must break yourself."
"Well, I had intended only to inform you of my determination at a later
period; but I cannot resist the pleasure of doing so to-day, you seem so
well disposed to hear and receive it. Still, I would beg of you to speak
first: it may just so happen, that our views are precisely the same."
"I like better to see you thus," said the princess. "I acknowledge at
least the courage of your pride, and your defiance of all authority. You
speak of audacity--yours is indeed great."
"I am at least decided to do that which others in their weakness dare
not--but which I dare. This, I hope, is clear and precise."
"Very clear, very precise," said the princess, exchanging a glance of
satisfaction with the other actors in this scene. "The positions being
thus established, matters will be much simplified. I have only to
give you notice, in your own interest, that this is a very serious
affair--much more so than you imagine--and that the only way to dispose
me to indulgence, is to substitute, for the habitual arrogance and irony
of your language, the modesty and respect becoming a young lady."
Adrienne smiled, but made no reply. Some moments of silence, and some
rapid glances exchanged between the princess and her three friends,
showed that these encounters, more or less brilliant in themselves, were
to be followed by a serious combat.
Mdlle. de Cardoville had too much penetration and sagacity, not
to remark, that the Princess de Saint-Dizier attached the greatest
importance to this decisive interview. But she could not understand how
her aunt could hope to impose her absolute will upon her: the threat of
coercive measures appearing with reason a mere ridiculous menace. Yet,
knowing the vindictive character of her aunt, the secret power at
her disposal, and the terrible vengeance she had sometimes
exacted--reflecting, moreover, that men in the position of the marquis
and the doctor would not have come to attend this interview without some
weighty motive--the young lady paused for a moment before she plunged
into the strife.
But soon, the very presentiment of some vague danger, far from weakening
her, gave her new courage to brave the worst, to exaggerate, if that
were possible, the independence of her ideas, and uphold, come what
might, the determination that she was about to signify to the Princess
de Saint Dizier.
CHAPTER XL. THE REVOLT
"Madame," said the princess to Adrienne de Cardoville, in a cold,
severe tone, "I owe it to myself, as well as to these gentlemen, to
recapitulate, in a few words, the events that have taken place for some
time past. Six months ago, at the end of the mourning for your father,
you, being eighteen years old, asked for the management of your fortune,
and for emancipation from control. Unfortunately, I had the weakness
to consent. You quitted the house, and established yourself in
the extension, far from all superintendence. Then began a train of
expenditures, each one more extravagant than the last. Instead of being
satisfied with one or two waiting-women, taken from that class
from which they are generally selected, you chose governesses for
lady-companions, whom you dressed in the most ridiculous and costly
fashion. It is true, that, in the solitude of your pavilion, you
yourself chose to wear, one after another, costumes of different ages.
Your foolish fancies and unreasonable whims have been without end and
without limit: not only have you never fulfilled your religious duties,
but you have actually had the audacity to profane one of your rooms,
by rearing in the centre of it a species of pagan altar, on which is a
group in marble representing a youth and a girl"--the princess uttered
these words as if they would burn her lips--"a work of art, if you will,
but a work in the highest degree unsuitable to a person of your age. You
pass whole days entirely secluded in your pavilion, refusing to see any
one; and Dr. Baleinier, the only one of my friends in whom you seem to
have retained some confidence, having succeeded by much persuasion in
gaining admittance, has frequently found you in so very excited a state,
that he has felt seriously uneasy with regard to your health. You have
always insisted on going out alone, without rendering any account of
your actions to any one. You have taken delight in opposing, in every
possible way, your will to my authority. Is all this true?"
"The picture of my past is not much flattered," said Adrienne; smiling,