The Wandering Jew — Complete
kind of stupor from one to the other of these horrible women; her reason
strove in vain to comprehend what was passing around her. Suddenly she
thought she had guessed it, and exclaimed: "I see there is a mistake
here. I do not understand how, but there is a mistake. You take me for
some one else. Do you know who I am? My name is Adrienne de Cardoville
You see, therefore, that I am at liberty to leave this house; no one in
the world has the right to detain me. I command you, then, to fetch me
a coach immediately. If there are none in this quarter, let me have some
one to accompany me home to the Rue de Babylone, Saint-Dizier House. I
will reward such a person liberally, and you also."
"Well, have you finished?" said Tomboy. "What is the use of telling us
all this rubbish?"
"Take care," resumed Adrienne, who wished to try every means; "if you
detain me here by force, it will be very serious. You do not know to
what you expose yourselves."
"Will you come to bed; yes or no?" said Gervaise, in a tone of harsh
impatience.
"Listen to me, madame," resumed Adrienne, precipitately, "let me out
this place, and I will give each of you two thousand francs. It is not
enough? I will give you ten--twenty--whatever you ask. I am rich--only
let me out for heaven's sake, let me out!--I cannot remain here--I
am afraid." As she said this, the tone of the poor girl's voice was
heartrending.
"Twenty thousand francs!--that's the usual figure, ain't it, Tomboy?"
"Let be, Gervaise! they all sing the same song."
"Well, then? since reasons, prayers, and menaces are all in vain," said
Adrienne gathering energy from her desperate position, "I declare to
you that I will go out and that instantly. We will see if you are bold
enough to employ force against me."
So saying, Adrienne advanced resolutely towards the door. But, at this
moment, the wild hoarse cries, which had preceded the noise of the
struggle that had so frightened her, again resounded; only, this time
they were not accompanied by the movement of feet.
"Oh! what screams!" said Adrienne, stopping short, and in her terror
drawing nigh to the two women. "Do you not hear those cries? What, then,
is this house, in which one hears such things? And over there, too,"
added she almost beside herself, as she pointed to the other wing where
the lighted windows shone through the darkness, and the white figure
continued to pass and repass before it; "over there! do you see? What is
it?"
"Oh! that 'un," said Tomboy; "one of the folks who, like you, have not
behaved well."
"What do you say?" cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, clasping her hands in
terror. "Heavens! what is this house? What do they do to them?"
"What will be done to you, if you are naughty, and refuse to come to
bed," answered Gervaise.
"They put this on them," said Tomboy, showing the garment that she had
held under her arm, "they clap 'em into the strait-waistcoast."
"Oh!" cried Adrienne, hiding her face in her hands with horror. A
terrible discovery had flashed suddenly upon her. She understood it all.
Capping the violent emotions of the day, the effect of this last blow
was dreadful. The young girl felt her strength give way. Her hands fell
powerless, her face became fearfully pale, all her limbs trembled, and
sinking upon her knees, and casting a terrified glance at the strait
waistcoat she was just able to falter in a feeble voice, "Oh, no:--not
that--for pity's sake, madame. I will do--whatever you wish." And, her
strength quite failing, she would have fallen upon the ground if the
two women had not run towards her, and received her fainting into their
arms.
"A fainting fit," said Tomboy; "that's not dangerous. Let us carry her
to bed. We can undress her, and this will be all nothing."
"Carry her, then," said Gervaise. "I will take the lamp."
The tall and robust Tomboy took up Mdlle. de Cardoville as if she
had been a sleeping child, carried her in her arms, and followed her
companion into the chamber through which M. Baleinier had made his exit.
This chamber, though perfectly clean, was cold and bare. A greenish
paper covered the walls, and a low, little iron bedstead, the head of
which formed a kind of shelf, stood in one corner; a stove, fixed in the
chimney-place, was surrounded by an iron grating, which forbade a near
approach; a table fastened to the wall, a chair placed before this
table, and also clamped to the floor, a mahogany chest of drawers, and
a rush bottomed armchair completed the scanty furniture. The curtainless
window was furnished on the inside with an iron grating, which served to
protect the panes from being broken.
It was into this gloomy retreat, which formed so painful a contrast with
the charming little summer-house in the Rue de Babylone, that Adrienne
was carried by Tomboy, who, with the assistance of Gervaise, placed the
inanimate form on the bed. The lamp was deposited on the shelf at the
head of the couch. Whilst one of the nurses held her up, the other
unfastened and took off the cloth dress of the young girl, whose head
drooped languidly on her bosom. Though in a swoon, large tears trickled
slowly from her closed eyes, whose long black lashes threw their shadows
on the transparent whiteness of her cheeks. Over her neck and breast of
ivory flowed the golden waves of her magnificent hair, which had come
down at the time of her fall. When, as they unlaced her satin corset,
less soft, less fresh, less white than the virgin form beneath, which
lay like a statue of alabaster in its covering of lace and lawn, one of
the horrible hags felt the arms and shoulders of the young girl with
her large, red, horny, and chapped hands. Though she did not completely
recover the use of her senses, she started involuntarily from the rude
and brutal touch.
"Hasn't she little feet?" said the nurse, who, kneeling down, was
employed in drawing off Adrienne's stockings. "I could hold them both
in the hollow of my hand." In fact, a small, rosy foot, smooth as a
child's, here and there veined with azure, was soon exposed to view, as
was also a leg with pink knee and ankle, of as pure and exquisite a form
as that of Diana Huntress.
"And what hair!" said Tomboy; "so long and soft!--She might almost walk
upon it. 'Twould be a pity to cut it off, to put ice upon her skull!" As
she spoke, she gathered up Adrienne's magnificent hair, and twisted it
as well as she could behind her head. Alas! it was no longer the fair,
light hand of Georgette, Florine, or Hebe that arranged the beauteous
locks of their mistress with so much love and pride!
And as she again felt the rude touch of the nurse's hand, the young
girl was once more seized with the same nervous trembling, only more
frequently and strongly than before. And soon, whether by a sort of
instinctive repulsion, magnetically excited during her swoon, or from
the effect of the cold night air, Adrienne again started and slowly came
to herself.
It is impossible to describe her alarm, horror, and chaste indignation,
as, thrusting aside with both her hands the numerous curls that covered
her face, bathed in tears, she saw herself half-naked between these
filthy hags. At first, she uttered a cry of shame and terror; then to
escape from the looks of the women, by a movement, rapid as thought, she
drew down the lamp placed on the shelf at the head of her bed, so that
it was extinguished and broken to pieces on the floor. After which, in
the midst of the darkness, the unfortunate girl, covering herself with
the bed-clothes, burst into passionate sobs.
The nurses attributed Adrienne's cry and violent actions to a fit of
furious madness. "Oh! you begin again to break the lamps--that's your
partickler fancy, is it?" cried Tomboy, angrily, as she felt her way
in the dark. "Well! I gave you fair warning. You shall have the strait
waistcoat on this very night, like the mad gal upstairs."
"That's it," said the other; "hold her fast, Tommy, while I go and fetch
a light. Between us, we'll soon master her."
"Make haste, for, in spite of her soft look, she must be a regular fury.
We shall have to sit up all night with her, I suppose."
Sad and painful contrast! That morning, Adrienne had risen free,
smiling, happy, in the midst of all the wonders of luxury and art, and
surrounded by the delicate attentions of the three charming girls whom
she had chosen to serve her. In her generous and fantastic mood, she
had prepared a magnificent and fairy-like surprise for the young Indian
prince, her relation; she had also taken a noble resolution with regard
to the two orphans brought home by Dagobert; in her interview with Mme.
de Saint-Dizier, she had shown herself by turns proud and sensitive,
melancholy and gay, ironical and serious, loyal and courageous; finally,
she had come to this accursed house to plead in favor of an honest and
laborious artisan.
And now, in the evening delivered over by an atrocious piece of
treachery to the ignoble hands of two coarse-minded muses in a
madhouse--Mdlle. de Cardoville felt her delicate limbs imprisoned in
that abominable garment, which is called a strait-waistcoat.
Mdlle. de Cardoville passed a horrible night in company with the two
hags. The next morning, at nine o'clock, what was the young lady's
stupor to see Dr. Baleinier enter the room, still smiling with an air at
once benevolent and paternal.
"Well, my dear child?" said he, in a bland, affectionate voice; "how
have we spent the night?"
CHAPTER XLV. THE VISIT.
The keepers, yielding to Mdlle. de Cardoville's prayers, and, above all,
to her promises of good behavior, had only left on the canvas jacket a
portion of the time. Towards morning, they had allowed her to rise and
dress herself, without interfering.
Adrienne was seated on the edge of her bed. The alteration in her
features, her dreadful paleness, the lurid fire of fever shining in
her eyes, the convulsive trembling which ever and anon shook her
frame, showed already the fatal effects of this terrible night upon a
susceptible and high-strung organization. At sight of Dr. Baleinier,
who, with a sign, made Gervaise and her mate leave the room, Adrienne
remained petrified.
She felt a kind of giddiness at the thought of the audacity of the man,
who dared to present himself to her! But when the physician repeated,
in the softest tone of affectionate interest: "Well, my poor child! how
have we spent the night?" she pressed her hands to her burning forehead,
as if in doubt whether she was awake or sleeping. Then, staring at the
doctor, she half opened her lips; but they trembled so much that it was
impossible for her to utter a word. Anger, indignation, contempt, and,
above all, the bitter and acutely painful feeling of a generous heart,
whose confidence has been basely betrayed, so overpowered Adrienne that
she was unable to break the silence.
"Come, come! I see how it is," said the doctor, shaking his head
sorrowfully; "you are very much displeased with me--is it not so? Well!
I expected it, my dear child."
These words, pronounced with the most hypocritical effrontery, made
Adrienne start up. Her pale cheek flushed, her large eyes sparkled, she
lifted proudly her beautiful head, whilst her upper lip curled slightly
with a smile of disdainful bitterness; then, passing in angry silence
before M. Baleinier, who retained his seat, she directed her swift and
firm steps towards the door. This door, in which was a little wicket,
was fastened on the outside. Adrienne turned towards the doctor, and
said to him, with an imperious gesture; "Open that door for me!"
"Come, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne," said the physician, "be calm. Let us
talk like good friends--for you know I am your friend." And he inhaled
slowly a pinch of snuff.