Le Juif errant. English
Page 41
CHAPTER XXXIII. THE PAVILION.
Dizier House was one of the largest and handsomest in the Rue Babylone,in Paris. Nothing could be more severe, more imposing, or moredepressing than the aspect of this old mansion. Several immense windows,filled with small squares of glass, painted a grayish white, increasedthe sombre effect of the massive layers of huge stones, blackened bytime, of which the fabric was composed.
This dwelling bore a resemblance to all the others that had been erectedin the same quarter towards the middle of the last century. It wassurmounted in front by a pediment; it had an elevated ground floor,which was reached from the outside by a circular flight of broad stonesteps. One of the fronts looked on an immense court-yard, on each sideof which an arcade led to the vast interior departments. The other frontoverlooked the garden, or rather park, of twelve or fifteen roods; and,on this side, wings, approaching the principal part of the structure,formed a couple of lateral galleries. Like nearly all the other greathabitations of this quarter, there might be seen at the extremity of thegarden, what the owners and occupiers of each called the lesser mansion.
This extension was a Pompadour summer-house, built in the form of arotunda, with the charming though incorrect taste of the era of itserection. It presented, in every part where it was possible for thestones to be cut, a profusion of endives, knots of ribbons, garlandsof flowers, and chubby cupids. This pavilion, inhabited by Adriennede Cardoville was composed of a ground floor, which was reached by aperistyle of several steps. A small vestibule led to a circular hall,lighted from the roof. Four principal apartments met here; and ranges ofsmaller rooms, concealed in the upper story, served for minor purposes.
These dependencies of great habitations are in our days disused, ortransformed into irregular conservatories; but by an uncommon exception,the black exterior of the pavilion had been scraped and renewed, andthe entire structure repaired. The white stones of which it was builtglistened like Parian marble; and its renovated, coquettish aspectcontrasted singularly with the gloomy mansion seen at the otherextremity of an extensive lawn, on which were planted here and theregigantic clumps of verdant trees.
The following scene occurred at this residence on the morning followingthat of the arrival of Dagobert, with the daughters of Marshal Simon, inthe Rue Brise-Miche. The hour of eight had sounded from the steeple of aneighboring church; a brilliant winter sun arose to brighten a pure bluesky behind the tall leafless trees, which in summer formed a dome ofverdure over the summer-house. The door in the vestibule opened, and therays of the morning sun beamed upon a charming creature, or rather upontwo charming creatures, for the second one, though filling a modestplace in the scale of creation, was not less distinguished by beauty ofits own, which was very striking. In plain terms two individuals, one ofthem a young girl, and the other a tiny English dog, of great beauty,of that breed of spaniels called King Charles's, made their appearanceunder the peristyle of the rotunda. The name of the young girl wasGeorgette; the beautiful little spaniel's was Frisky. Georgette was inher eighteenth year. Never had Florine or Manton, never had a lady'smaid of Marivaux, a more mischievous face, an eye more quick, a smilemore roguish, teeth more white, cheeks more roseate, figure morecoquettish, feet smaller, or form smarter, attractive, and enticing.Though it was yet very early, Georgette was carefully and tastefullydressed. A tiny Valenciennes cap, with flaps and flap-band, of halfpeasant fashion, decked with rose-colored ribbons, and stuck a littlebackward upon bands of beautiful fair hair, surrounded her fresh andpiquant face; a robe of gray levantine, and a cambric neck-kerchief,fastened to her bosom by a large tuft of rose-colored ribbons, displayedher figure elegantly rounded; a hollands apron, white as snow, trimmedbelow by three large hems, surmounted by a Vandyke-row, encircled herwaist, which was as round and flexible as a reed; her short, plainsleeves, edged with bone lace, allowed her plump arms to be seen, whichher long Swedish gloves, reaching to the elbow, defended from the rigorof the cold. When Georgette raised the bottom of her dress, in order todescend more quickly the steps, she exhibited to Frisky's indifferenteyes a beautiful ankle, and the beginning of the plump calf of a fineleg, encased in white silk, and a charming little foot, in a lacedhalf-boot of Turkish satin. When a blonde like Georgette sets herselfto be ensnaring; when vivid glances sparkle from her eyes of bright yettender blue; when a joyous excitement suffuses her transparent skin,she is more resistless for the conquest of everything before her than abrunette.
This bewitching and nimble lady's-maid, who on the previous eveninghad introduced Agricola to the pavilion, was first waiting woman tothe Honorable Miss Adrienne de Cardoville, niece of the Princess SaintDizier.
Frisky, so happily found and brought back by the blacksmith, utteredweak but joyful barks, and bounded, ran, and frolicked upon the turf.She was not much bigger than one's fist; her curled hair, of lustrousblack, shone like ebony, under the broad, red satin ribbon whichencircled her neck; her paws, fringed with long silken fur, were ofa bright and fiery tan, as well as her muzzle, the nose of which wasinconceivably pug; her large eyes were full of intelligence; and hercurly ears so long that they trailed upon the ground. Georgette seemedto be as brisk and petulant as Frisky, and shared her sportiveness,--nowscampering after the happy little spaniel, and now retreating, in orderto be pursued upon the greensward in her turn. All at once, at the sightof a second person, who advanced with deliberate gravity, Georgetteand Frisky were suddenly stopped in their diversion. The little KingCharles, some steps in advance of Georgette, faithful to her name,and bold as the devil, held herself firmly upon her nervous paws, andfiercely awaited the coming up of the enemy, displaying at the same timerows of little teeth, which, though of ivory, were none the less pointedand sharp. The enemy consisted of a woman of mature age, accompanied bya very fat dog, of the color of coffee and milk; his tail was twistedlike a corkscrew; he was pot-bellied; his skin was sleek; his neck wasturned little to one side; he walked with his legs inordinately spreadout, and stepped with the air of a doctor. His black muzzle, quarrelsomeand scowling showed two fangs sallying forth, and turning up from theleft side of the mouth, and altogether he had an expression singularlyforbidding and vindictive. This disagreeable animal, a perfect type ofwhat might be called a "church-goer's pug," answered to the name of "MyLord." His mistress, a woman of about fifty years of age, corpulent andof middle size, was dressed in a costume as gloomy and severe as that ofGeorgette was gay and showy. It consisted of a brown robe, a black silkmantle, and a hat of the same dye. The features of this woman mighthave been agreeable in her youth; and her florid cheeks, her correcteyebrows, her black eyes, which were still very lively, scarcelyaccorded with the peevish and austere physiognomy which she tried toassume. This matron, of slow and discreet gait, was Madame AugustineGrivois, first woman to the Princess Saint-Dizier. Not only did the age,the face, and the dress of these two women present a striking contrast;but the contrast extended itself even to the animals which attendedthem. There were similar differences between Frisky and My Lord, asbetween Georgette and Mrs. Grivois. When the latter perceived thelittle King Charles, she could not restrain a movement of surpriseand repugnance, which escaped not the notice of the young lady's maid.Frisky, who had not retreated one inch, since the apparition of MyLord, regarded him valiantly, with a look of defiance, and even advancedtowards him with an air so decidedly hostile, that the cur, thoughthrice as big as the little King Charles, uttered a howl of distressand terror, and sought refuge behind Mrs. Grivois, who bitterly said toGeorgette:
"It seems to me, miss, that you might dispense with exciting your dogthus, and setting him upon mine."
"It was doubtless for the purpose of protecting this respectable butugly animal from similar alarms, that you tried to make us lose Friskyyesterday, by driving her into the street through the little gardengate. But fortunately an honest young man found Frisky in the Rue deBabylone, and brought her back to my mistress. However," continuedGeorgette, "to what, madame, do I owe the pleasure of seeing you thismorning?"
At these words Georgette became purple, and could not repress a slightstart of disquietude, which happily escaped Grivois, who was occupiedwith watching over the safety of her pet, whom Frisky continued to snarlat with a very menacing aspect; and Georgette, having quickly overcomeher temporary emotion, firmly answered: "Miss Adrienne went to rest verylate last night. She has forbidden me to enter her apartment before midday."
"That is very possible: but as the present business is to obey an orderof the Princess her aunt, you will do well if you please, miss, toawaken your mistress immediately."
"My mistress is subject to no one's orders in her own house; and I willnot disturb her till mid-day, in pursuance of her commands," repliedGeorgette.
"Then I shall go myself," said Mrs. Grivois.
"Florine and Hebe will not admit you. Indeed, here is the key of thesaloon; and through the saloon only can the apartments of Miss Adriennebe entered."
"How! do you dare refuse me permission to execute the orders of thePrincess?"
"Yes; I dare to commit the great crime of being unwilling to awaken mymistress!"
"Ah! such are the results of the blind affection of the Princess for herniece," said the matron, with affected grief: "Miss Adrienne no longerrespects her aunt's orders; and she is surrounded by young hare-brainedpersons, who, from the first dawn of morning, dress themselves out as iffor ball-going."
"Oh, madame! how came you to revile dress, who were formerly thegreatest coquette and the most frisky and fluttering of all thePrincess's women. At least, that is what is still spoken of you in thehotel, as having been handed down from time out of mind, by generationto generation, even unto ours!"
"How! from generation to generation! do you mean to insinuate that I ama hundred years old, Miss Impertinence?"
"I speak of the generations of waiting-women; for, except you, it is theutmost if they remain two or three years in the Princess's house, whohas too many tempers for the poor girls!"
"I forbid you to speak thus of my mistress, whose name some people oughtnot to pronounce but on their knees."
"However," said Georgette, "if one wished to speak ill of--"
"Do you dare!"
"No longer ago than last night, at half past eleven o'clock--"
"Last night?"
"A four-wheeler," continued Georgette, "stopped at a few paces from thehouse. A mysterious personage, wrapped up in a cloak, alighted from it,and directly tapped, not at the door, but on the glass of the porter'slodge window; and at one o'clock in the morning, the cab was stillstationed in the street, waiting for the mysterious personage inthe cloak, who, doubtless, during all that time, was, as you say,pronouncing the name of her Highness the Princess on his knees."
Whether Mrs. Grivois had not been instructed as to a visit made to thePrincess Saint-Dizier by Rodin (for he was the man in the cloak), in themiddle of the night, after he had become certain of the arrival inParis of General Simon's daughters; or whether Mrs. Grivois thought itnecessary to appear ignorant of the visit, she replied, shrugging hershoulders disdainfully: "I know not what you, mean, madame. I havenot come here to listen to your impertinent stuff. Once again I askyou--will you, or will you not, introduce me to the presence of MissAdrienne?"
"I repeat, madame, that my mistress sleeps, and that she has forbiddenme to enter her bed-chamber before mid-day."
This conversation took place at some distance from the summer-house,at a spot from which the peristyle could be seen at the end of a grandavenue, terminating in trees arranged in form of a V. All at onceMrs. Grivois, extending her hand in that direction, exclaimed: "Greatheavens! is it possible? what have I seen?"
"What have you seen?" said Georgette, turning round.
"What have I seen?" repeated Mrs. Grivois, with amazement.
"Yes: what was it?"
"Miss Adrienne."
"Where?" asked Georgette.
"I saw her run up the porch steps. I perfectly recognized her by hergait, by her hat, and by her mantle. To come home at eight o'clock inthe morning!" cried Mrs. Grivois: "it is perfectly incredible!"
"See my lady? Why, you came to see her!" and Georgette burst out intofits of laughter: and then said: "Oh! I understand! you wish to out-domy story of the four-wheeler last night! It is very neat of you!"
"I repeat," said Mrs. Grivois, "that I have this moment seen--"
"Oh! adone, Mrs. Grivois: if you speak seriously, you are mad!"
"I am mad, am I? because I have a pair of good eyes! The little gatethat open's on the street lets one into the quincunx near the pavilion.It is by that door, doubtless, that mademoiselle has re-entered.Oh, what shameful conduct! what will the Princess say to it! Ah!her presentiments have not yet been mistaken. See to what her weakindulgence of her niece's caprices has led her! It is monstrous!--somonstrous, that, though I have seen her with my own eyes, still I canscarcely believe it!"
"Since you've gone so far, ma'am, I now insist upon conducting you intothe apartment of my lady, in order that you may convince yourself, byyour own senses, that your eyes have deceived you!"
"Oh, you are very cunning, my dear, but not more cunning than I! Youpropose my going now! Yes, yes, I believe you: you are certain that bythis time I shall find her in her apartment!"
"But, madame, I assure you--"
"All that I can say to you is this: that neither you, nor Florine, norHebe, shall remain here twenty-four hours. The Princess will put an endto this horrible scandal; for I shall immediately inform her of whathas passed. To go out in the night! Re-enter at eight o'clock in themorning! Why, I am all in a whirl! Certainly, if I had not seen it withmy own eyes, I could not have believed it! Still, it is only what was tobe expected. It will astonish nobody. Assuredly not! All those to whom Iam going to relate it, will say, I am quite sure, that it is not at allastonishing! Oh! what a blow to our respectable Princess! What a blowfor her!"
Mrs. Grivois returned precipitately towards the mansion, followed by herfat pug, who appeared to be as embittered as herself.
Georgette, active and light, ran, on her part, towards the pavilion, inorder to apprise Miss de Cardoville that Mrs. Grivois had seen her, orfancied she had seen her, furtively enter by the little garden gate.