The Wandering Jew — Complete
scruples. But you will not refuse a service from Jacques; he has been a
workman, like ourselves, and comrades should help each other. Accept it
I beseech you, or I shall think you despise me."
"And I shall think you despise me, if you insist any more upon it, my
dear Cephyse," said Mother Bunch, in a tone at once so mild and firm
that the Bacchanal Queen saw that all persuasion would be in vain. She
hung her head sorrowfully, and a tear again trickled down her cheek.
"My refusal grieves you," said the other, taking her hand; "I am truly
sorry--but reflect--and you will understand me."
"You are right," said the Bacchanal Queen, bitterly, after a moment's
silence; "you cannot accept assistance from my lover--it was an insult
to propose it to you. There are positions in life so humiliating, that
they soil even the good one wishes to do."
"Cephyse, I did not mean to hurt you--you know it well."
"Oh! believe me," replied the Bacchanal Queen, "gay and giddy as I am,
I have sometimes moments of reflection, even in the midst of my maddest
joy. Happily, such moments are rare."
"And what do you think of, then?"
"Why, that the life I lead is hardly the thing; then resolve to ask
Jacques for a small sum of money, just enough to subsist on for a year,
and form the plan of joining you, and gradually getting to work again."
"The idea is a good one; why not act upon it?"
"Because, when about to execute this project, I examined myself
sincerely, and my courage failed. I feel that I could never resume the
habit of labor, and renounce this mode of life, sometimes rich, as
to day, sometimes precarious,--but at least free and full of leisure,
joyous and without care, and at worst a thousand times preferable to
living upon four francs a week. Not that interest has guided me. Many
times have I refused to exchange a lover, who had little or nothing,
for a rich man, that I did not like. Nor have I ever asked anything for
myself. Jacques has spent perhaps ten thousand francs the last three
or four months, yet we only occupy two half-furnished rooms, because
we always live out of doors, like the birds: fortunately, when I first
loved him, he had nothing at all, and I had just sold some jewels
that had been given me, for a hundred francs, and put this sum in the
lottery. As mad people and fools are always lucky, I gained a prize of
four thousand francs. Jacques was as gay, and light-headed, and full of
fun as myself, so we said: 'We love each other very much, and, as long
as this money lasts, we will keep up the racket; when we have no more,
one of two things will happen--either we shall be tired of one another,
and so part--or else we shall love each other still, and then, to remain
together, we shall try and get work again; and, if we cannot do so, and
yet will not part--a bushel of charcoal will do our business!'"
"Good heaven!" cried Mother Bunch, turning pale.
"Be satisfied! we have not come to that. We had still something left,
when a kind of agent, who had paid court to me, but who was so ugly that
I could not bear him for all his riches, knowing that I was living
with Jacques asked me to--But why should I trouble you with all these
details? In one word, he lent Jacques money, on some sort of a doubtful
claim he had, as was thought, to inherit some property. It is with this
money that we are amusing ourselves--as long as its lasts."
"But, my dear Cephyse, instead of spending this money so foolishly, why
not put it out to interest, and marry Jacques, since you love him?"
"Oh! in the first place," replied the Bacchanal Queen, laughing, as her
gay and thoughtless character resumed its ascendancy, "to put money out
to interest gives one no pleasure. All the amusement one has is to look
at a little bit of paper, which one gets in exchange for the nice little
pieces of gold, with which one can purchase a thousand pleasures. As for
marrying, I certainly like Jacques better than I ever liked any one;
but it seems to me, that, if we were married, all our happiness would
end--for while he is only my lover, he cannot reproach me with what has
passed--but, as my husband, he would be stare to upbraid me, sooner or
later, and if my conduct deserves blame, I prefer giving it to myself,
because I shall do it more tenderly."
"Mad girl that you are! But this money will not last forever. What is to
be done next?"
"Afterwards!--Oh! that's all in the moon. To-morrow seems to me as if it
would not come for a hundred years. If we were always saying: 'We must
die one day or the other'--would life be worth having?"
The conversation between Cephyse and her sister was here again
interrupted by a terrible uproar, above which sounded the sharp, shrill
noise of Ninny Moulin's rattle. To this tumult succeeded a chorus of
barbarous cries, in the midst of which were distinguishable these words,
which shook the very windows: "The Queen! the Bacchanal Queen!"
Mother Bunch started at this sudden noise.
"It is only my court, who are getting impatient," said Cephyse--and this
time she could laugh.
"Heavens!" cried the sewing-girl, in alarm; "if they were to come here
in search of you?"
"No, no--never fear."
"But listen! do you not hear those steps? they are coming along the
passage--they are approaching. Pray, sister, let me go out alone,
without being seen by all these people."
That moment the door was opened, and Cephyse, ran towards it. She saw in
the passage a deputation headed by Ninny Moulin, who was armed with his
formidable rattle, and followed by Rose-Pompon and Sleepinbuff.
"The Bacchanal Queen! or I poison myself with a glass of water;" cried
Ninny Moulin.
"The Bacchanal Queen! or I publish my banns of marriage with Ninny
Moulin!" cried little Rose-Pompon, with a determined air.
"The Bacchanal Queen! or the court will rise in arms, and carry her off
by force!" said another voice.
"Yes, yes--let us carry her off!" repeated a formidable chorus.
"Jacques, enter alone!" said the Bacchanal Queen, notwithstanding these
pressing summonses; then, addressing her court in a majestic tone, she
added: "In ten minutes, I shall be at your service--and then for a--of a
time!"
"Long live the Bacchanal Queen," cried Dumoulin, shaking his rattle as
he retired, followed by the deputation, whilst Sleepinbuff entered the
room alone.
"Jacques," said Cephyse, "this is my good sister."
"Enchanted to see you," said Jacques, cordially; "the more so as you
will give me some news of my friend Agricola. Since I began to play the
rich man, we have not seen each other, but I like him as much as ever,
and think him a good and worthy fellow. You live in the same house. How
is he?"
"Alas, sir! he and his family have had many misfortunes. He is in
prison."
"In prison!" cried Cephyse.
"Agricola in prison! what for?" said Sleepinbuff.
"For a trifling political offence. We had hoped to get him out on bail."
"Certainly; for five hundred francs it could be done," said Sleepinbuff.
"Unfortunately, we have not been able; the person upon whom we relied--"
The Bacchanal Queen interrupted the speaker by saying to her lover: "Do
you hear, Jacques? Agricola in prison, for want of five hundred francs!"
"To be sure! I hear and understand all about it. No need of your
winking. Poor fellow! he was the support of his mother."
"Alas! yes, sir--and it is the more distressing, as his father has but
just returned from Russia, and his mother--"
"Here," said Sleepinbuff, interrupting, and giving Mother Bunch a purse;
"take this--all the expenses here have been paid beforehand--this is
what remains of my last bag. You will find here some twenty-five or
thirty Napoleons, and I cannot make a better use of them than to serve
a comrade in distress. Give them to Agricola's father; he will take the
necessary steps, and to-morrow Agricola will be at his forge, where I
had much rather he should be than myself."
"Jacques, give me a kiss!" said the Bacchanal Queen.
"Now, and afterwards, and again and again!" said Jacques, joyously
embracing the queen.
Mother Bunch hesitated for a moment; but reflecting that, after all,
this sum of money, which was about to be spent in follies, would restore
life and happiness to the family of Agricola, and that hereafter these
very five hundred francs, when returned to Jacques, might be of the
greatest use to him, she resolved to accept this offer. She took the
purse, and with tearful eyes, said to him: "I will not refuse your
kindness M. Jacques; you are so good and generous, Agricola's father
will thus at least have one consolation, in the midst of heavy sorrows.
Thanks! many thanks!"
"There is no need to thank me; money was made for others as well as
ourselves."
Here, without, the noise recommenced more furiously than ever, and Ninny
Moulin's rattle sent forth the most doleful sounds.
"Cephyse," said Sleepinbuff, "they will break everything to pieces,
if you do not return to them, and I have nothing left to pay for the
damage. Excuse us," added he, laughing, "but you see that royalty has
its duties."
Cephyse deeply moved, extended her arms to Mother Bunch, who threw
herself into them, shedding sweet tears.
"And now," said she, to her sister, "when shall I see you again?"
"Soon--though nothing grieves me more than to see you in want, out of
which I am not allowed to help you."
"You will come, then, to see me? It is a promise?"
"I promise you in her name," said Jacques; "we will pay a visit to you
and your neighbor Agricola."
"Return to the company, Cephyse, and amuse yourself with a light heart,
for M. Jacques has made a whole family happy."
So saying, and after Sleepinbuff had ascertained that she could go down
without being seen by his noisy and joyous companions, Mother Bunch
quietly withdrew, eager to carry one piece of good news at least to
Dagobert; but intending, first of all, to go to the Rue de Babylone, to
the garden-house formerly occupied by Adrienne de Cardoville. We shall
explain hereafter the cause of this determination.
As the girl quitted the eating-house, three men plainly and comfortably
dressed, were watching before it, and talking in a low voice. Soon
after, they were joined by a fourth person, who rapidly descended the
stairs of the tavern.
"Well?" said the three first, with anxiety.
"He is there."
"Are you sure of it?"
"Are there two Sleepers-in-buff on earth?" replied the other. "I have
just seen him; he is togged out like one of the swell mob. They will be
at table for three hours at least."
"Then wait for me, you others. Keep as quiet as possible. I will go and
fetch the captain, and the game is bagged." So saying, one of the three
men walked off quickly, and disappeared in a street leading from the
square.
At this same instant the Bacchanal Queen entered the banqueting-room,
accompanied by Jacques, and was received with the most frenzied
acclamations from all sides.
"Now then," cried Cephyse, with a sort of feverish excitement, as if she
wished to stun herself; "now then, friends--noise and tumult, hurricane
and tempest, thunder and earthquake--as much as you please!" Then,
holding out her glass to Ninny Moulin, she added: "Pour out! pour out!"
"Long live the Queen!" cried they all, with one voice.
CHAPTER III. THE CAROUSE.
The Bacchanal Queen, having Sleepinbuff and Rose-Pompon opposite her,
and Ninny Moulin on her right hand, presided at the repast, called a
reveille-matin (wake-morning), generously offered by Jacques to his
companions in pleasure.
Both young men and girls seemed to have forgotten the fatigues of a
ball, begun at eleven o'clock in the evening, and finished at six in
the morning; and all these couples, joyous as they were amorous and