by Eugène Sue
CHAPTER IX.
FILIAL CONFIDENCES.
The home of Monsieur Desmarais, attorney at the court of Paris, deputyof the Third Estate to the National Assembly, the same who had beenbeaten by the orders of the Count of Plouernel, was situated near theSt. Honore Gate. There he occupied a beautiful dwelling of recentconstruction and decorated with taste. The day after the banquetparticipated in at the Plouernel mansion by the heads of the courtparty, Madam Desmarais and her daughter Charlotte, a charming girl ofseventeen, were engaged in a sad interchange of thoughts.
"Ah, my child," said Madam Desmarais, "how troubled I feel at what isgoing on in Paris!" As her child did not answer, the mother stopped andlooked at her. The girl was plunged in deep revery.
For a moment longer the girl maintained her silence. Then, her facesuffused and her eyes filled with tears, she fell upon her mother'sneck, buried her face in the maternal breast, and murmured in asmothered voice:
"Mother, dear, for the first time in my life I have lacked confidence inyou. Pardon your child!"
Surprised and disturbed, Madam Desmarais pressed her daughter to herbosom, dried her tears, urged her to calm herself, and said, embracingher tenderly: "You, to lack confidence in me, Charlotte? You have asecret from me? Am I not, then, your _bestest_ friend?"
"Alas, I fear I had almost forgotten it. Be indulgent toward yourdaughter!"
"My heaven! What anguish you are putting me to! I can not believe myears. You--to have committed a fault?"
"I doubted your heart and your justice. I formed a bad judgment of myfather and you, who have surrounded me with tenderness since my birth."
"Finish your confidence, painful as it may be. Put an end to myuncertainty," pleaded the mother.
Charlotte drew back a moment; then she proceeded in broken accents:
"About six months ago, we came to live on the second story of thishouse, then still unfinished. Father was much taken with one of theworkmen--"
"You speak of John Lebrenn, the foreman of our ironsmith, MasterGervais?"
"Struck with the excellent education of Monsieur John Lebrenn, fatheroffered him the freedom of our library, and made him promise to come andvisit us on his holidays. Father therefore considered Monsieur JohnLebrenn worthy of admission to our friendship. That is how I mustinterpret father's actions."
"Your father evinced, perhaps, too much good will towards the youngfellow, and my brother has taken my husband to task for authorizing toointimate relations between us and a simple workman. Each should keephis place."
"Uncle Hubert," answered Charlotte, "always showed himself hostiletowards Monsieur Lebrenn, and even jealous of him."
"Your uncle Hubert is a banker of wealth, and could have entertained forthe protege of my husband neither jealousy nor animosity."
"Nevertheless, father's 'protege' has been able to be of value to him,for I have often heard father say to Monsieur John that it was to himand his efforts that he owed his election as deputy for Paris."
"It is a matter of common kindness for my husband to thank this youngworkman for some services he was able to perform in the interest of hiselection."
"Allow me, dear mother, to tell you that father does not look at thingsas you do; for last Sunday he invited Monsieur John to dinner with us,calling him _my friend_. Father repeated to him several times that,thanks to the progress of the revolution, privileges of birth would besoon wiped out, and that equality and fraternity would reign among men."
"Well, Charlotte! And suppose equality were to reign among men--whatconclusion do you draw from that?"
"Monsieur John Lebrenn being the equal of my father, bonds of friendshipcould exist between them."
"I shall admit, for the moment, that an ironsmith's apprentice mightthink himself the equal of an attorney at the bar of Paris. What do youconclude therefrom?"
"I hoped you would have understood," stammered the young girl inconfusion, and more embarrassed than ever at seeing her mother so farfrom suspecting the nature of the confidence she was about to make.
Suddenly a dull and heavy roar, prolonged and repeated from echo toecho, shook and rattled the windows of the room.
"What noise is that!" cried Madam Desmarais with a start, and raisingher head.
Crash upon crash, more distinct than the first, rattled again thewindows and even the doors of the dwelling. At that instant in rushedone of Madam Desmarais's maids, screaming out with affright:
"Madam, Oh, madam! It is the cannon! It is the roar of artillery!"
"Great God!" exclaimed Madam Desmarais, turning pale. "And my husband!To what dangers will he be exposed!"
"Do not worry, dear mother. Father is at Versailles," spoke outCharlotte, now the comforter.
"They are attacking Paris. The counter-attack will lead on toVersailles. There will be uprisings, insurrections, massacres!"
"The suburbs are attacking the Bastille," answered Gertrude, the maid,all of a tremble. "At daybreak our neighbor, Monsieur Lebrenn theironsmith, armed with sword and gun, placed himself at the head of atroop, and marched upon the fortress."
"Alas, he rushes into the arms of death--I shall never see him more!"cried Charlotte, starting to her feet. And overcome with emotion andfear, she paled, her eyes closed, and she fainted in the arms of hermother and the servant, who bent over her plying their simplerestorative cares.
For a long time the detonation of the artillery and the rattle ofmusketry continued unabated. At length the firing slackened, becamedesultory, and finally ceased altogether. The tumult gave way to aprofound silence. Charlotte regained consciousness. Her face hidden inher hands, she was now seated beside her mother, who regarded herdaughter with a severe and saddened look. The older woman seemed tohesitate to speak to the girl; finally she addressed her in a voice thatwas hard and dry:
"Thank heaven, Charlotte, you have recovered from your faint. Let uscontinue our interview, that was so unfortunately interrupted. Meseemsit is of extreme importance for us all. I can guess its conclusion."
The hard lines in the face of Madam Desmarais and the iciness in hertone took the young girl aback; but overcoming the passing emotion, sheraised her head, revealing her countenance wet with tears, and answered:
"I have never practised dissimulation towards you. So, just now, I couldnot conceal the fears which assailed me for John Lebrenn--for I love himpassionately. I have pledged him my faith, I have received his inreturn. We have sworn our troth, one to the other. There, my dearmother, that is the confidence, I wished to make to you."
"Oh, woe is us! The predictions of my brother are realized. How right hewas to reproach my husband for his relations with that workingman!Unworthy daughter!" continued Madam Desmarais addressing Charlotte, "Howcould you so far forget your duties as to think of uniting your lot withthat of a miserable artisan? Shame and ignominy! Dishonor to yourfamily--"
"Mother," replied Charlotte, raising her head proudly, "my love is asnoble and pure as the man who calls it forth."
Gertrude, the serving maid, here again broke precipitately into theroom, joyfully crying as she crossed the threshold:
"Madam, good news! Your husband has just entered the courtyard."
"My husband in Paris!" exclaimed Madam Desmarais. "What can have takenplace at Versailles? Perhaps the Assembly is dissolved! Perhaps he isproscribed, a fugitive! My God, have pity on us!"
She rushed to the door to meet her husband, but checked herself longenough to say to Charlotte:
"Swear to me to forget at once this shameful love. On that condition Iconsent to withhold from your father all knowledge of the wretchedaffair."
"My father shall know all!" replied Charlotte resolutely, as MonsieurDesmarais entered the room.
