Le Juif errant. English

by Eugène Sue

  CHAPTER XXXV. THE RIVALS.

  Rose-Pompon, whose presence caused such deep emotion in Mdlle. deCardoville, was dressed in the most showy and extravagant bad taste. Hervery small, narrow, rose-colored satin bonnet, placed so forward overher face as almost to touch the tip of her little nose, left uncoveredbehind half of her light, silky hair; her plaid dress, of an excessivelybroad pattern, was open in front, and the almost transparent gauze,rather too honest in its revelations, hardly covered the charms of theform beneath.

  The grisette having run all the way upstairs, held in her hands the endsof her large blue shawl, which, falling from her shoulders, had sliddown to her wasp-like waist, and there been stopped by the swell of thefigure. If we enter into these details, it is to explain how, at thesight of this pretty creature, dressed in so impertinent and almostindecent, a fashion, Mdlle. de Cardoville, who thought she saw in her asuccessful rival, felt her indignation, grief, and shame redoubled.

  But judge of the surprise and confusion of Adrienne, when Mdlle.Rose Pompon said to her, with the utmost freedom and pertness, "I amdelighted to see you, madame. You and I must have a long talk together.Only I must begin by kissing poor Mother Bunch--with your permission,madame!"

  To understand the tone and manner with which this word, "madame" waspronounced, you must have been present at some stormy discussion betweentwo Rose-Pompons, jealous of each other; then you would be able to judgehow much provoking hostility may be compressed into the word "madame,"under certain circumstances. Amazed at the impudence of Rose-Pompon,Mdlle. de Cardoville remained mute; whilst Agricola, entirely occupiedwith the interest he took in the workgirl, who had never withdrawn hereyes from him since he entered the room, and with the remembrance ofthe painful scene he had just quitted, whispered to Adrienne, withoutremarking the grisette's effrontery, "Alas, lady! it is all over.Cephyse has just breathed her last sigh, without recovering her senses."

  "Unfortunate girl!" said Adrienne, with emotion; and for the moment sheforgot Rose-Pompon.

  "We must keep this sad news from Mother Bunch, and only let her know ithereafter, with great caution," resumed Agricola. "Luckily, little RosePompon knows nothing about it."

  And he pointed to the grisette, who was now stooping down by the sideof the workgirl. On hearing Agricola speak so familiarly of Rose-Pompon,Adrienne's amazement increased. It is impossible to describe what shefelt; yet, strangely enough, her sufferings grew less and less, and heranxiety diminished, as she listened to the chatter of the grisette.

  "Oh, my good dear!" said the latter, with as much volubility as emotion,while her pretty blue eyes were filled with tears; "is it possible thatyou did so stupid a thing? Do not poor people help one another? Couldyou not apply to me? You knew that others are welcome to whatever ismine, and I would have made a raffle of Philemon's bazaar," added thissingular girl, with a burst of feeling, at once sincere, touching, andgrotesque; "I would have sold his three boots, pipes, boating-costume,bed, and even his great drinking-glass, and at all events you should nothave been brought to such an ugly pass. Philemon would not have minded,for he is a good fellow; and if he had minded, it would have been allthe same. Thank heaven! we are not married. I am only wishing to remindyou that you should have thought of little Rose-Pompon."

  "I know you are obliging and kind, miss," said Mother Bunch: for she hadheard from her sister that Rose-Pompon, like so many of her class, had awarm and generous heart.

  "After all," resumed the grisette, wiping with the back of her hand thetip of her little nose, down which a tear was trickling, "you may tellme that you did not know where I had taken up my quarters. It's a queerstory, I can tell you. When I say queer," added Rose-Pompon, with a deepsigh, "it is quite the contrary--but no matter: I need not trouble youwith that. One thing is certain; you are getting better--and you andCephyse will not do such a thing again. She is said to be very weak. CanI not see her yet, M. Agricola?

  "No," said the smith, with embarrassment, for Mother Bunch kept her eyesfixed upon him; "you must have patience."

  "But I may see her to-day, Agricola?" exclaimed the hunchback.

  "We will talk about that. Only be calm, I entreat."

  "Agricola is right; you must be reasonable, my good dear," resumed RosePompon; "we will wait patiently. I can wait too, for I have to talkpresently to this lady;" and Rose-Pompon glanced at Adrienne with theexpression of an angry cat. "Yes, yes; I can wait; for I long to tellCephyse also that she may reckon upon me." Here Rose-Pompon bridled upvery prettily, and thus continued, "Do not be uneasy! It is the leastone can do, when one is in a good position, to share the advantages withone's friends, who are not so well off. It would be a fine thing to keepone's happiness to one's self! to stuff it with straw, and put it undera glass, and let no one touch it! When I talk of happiness, it's onlyto make talk; it is true in one sense; but to another, you see, my gooddear--Bah! I am only seventeen--but no matter--I might go on talkingtill tomorrow, and you would not be any the wiser. So let me kiss youonce more, and don't be down-hearted--nor Cephyse either, do you hear?for I shall be close at hand."

  And, stooping still lower, Rose-Pompon cordially embraced Mother Bunch.It is impossible to express what Mdlle. de Cardoville felt during thisconversation, or rather during this monologue of the grisette on thesubject of the attempted suicide. The eccentric jargon of Mdlle. RosePompon, her liberal facility in disposing of Philemon's bazaar, to theowner of which (as she said) she was luckily not married--the goodnessof her heart, which revealed itself in her offers of service--hercontrasts, her impertinence, her drollery--all this was so new andinexplicable to Mdlle. de Cardoville, that she remained for some timemute and motionless with surprise. Such, then, was the creature to whomDjalma had sacrificed her!

  If Adrienne's first impression at sight of Rose-Pompon had been horriblypainful, reflection soon awakened doubts, which were to become shortlyineffable hopes. Remembering the interview she had overheard betweenRodin and Djalma, when, concealed in the conservatory, she had wishedto prove the Jesuit's fidelity, Adrienne, asked herself if it wasreasonable, if it was possible to believe, that the prince, whose ideasof love seemed to be so poetical, so elevated, so pure, could find anycharm in the disjointed and silly chat of this young girl? Adriennecould not hesitate; she pronounced the thing impossible, from the momentshe had seen her rival near, and witnessed her style both of mannersand conversation, which, without detracting from the prettiness ofher features, gave them a trivial and not very attractive character.Adrienne's doubts with regard to the deep love of the prince for RosePompon were hence soon changed to complete incredulity. Endowed withtoo much sense and penetration, not to perceive that this apparentconnection, so inconceivable on the part of Djalma, must conceal somemystery, Mdlle. de Cardoville felt her hopes revive. As this consolingthought arose in her mind, her heart, until now so painfully oppressed,began once more to dilate; she felt vague aspirations towards a betterfuture; and yet, cruelly warned by the past, she feared to yield tooreadily to a mere illusion, for she remembered the notorious fact thatthe prince had really appeared in public with this girl. But now thatMdlle. de Cardoville could fully appreciate what she was, she found theconduct of the prince only the more incomprehensible. And how can wejudge soundly and surely of that which is enveloped in mystery? And thena secret presentiment told her, that it would, perhaps, be beside thecouch of the poor sempstress, whom she had just saved from death, that,by a providential coincidence, she would learn the secret on whichdepended the happiness of her life.

  The emotions which agitated she heart of Adrienne, became so violent,that her fine face was flushed with a bright red, her bosom heaved, andher large, black eyes, lately dimmed by sadness, once more shone with amild radiance. She waited with inexpressible impatience for what was tofollow. In the interview, with which Rose-Pompon had threatened her,and which a few minutes before Adrienne would have declined with all thedignity of legitimate indignation, she now hoped to find the explanationof a mystery, which it was of such importance
for her to clear up. Afteronce more tenderly embracing Mother Bunch, Rose-Pompon got up from theground, and, turning towards Adrienne, eyed her from head to foot, withthe utmost coolness, and said to her, in a somewhat impertinent tone:"It is now our turn, madame"--the word "madame" still pronouncedwith the accent before described--"we have a little matter to settletogether."

  "I am at your order," answered Adrienne, with much mildness andsimplicity.

  At sight of the triumphant and decisive air of Rose-Pompon, and onhearing her challenge to Mdlle. de Cardoville, the worthy Agricola,after exchanging a few words with Mother Bunch, opened his eyes and earsvery wide, and remained staring in amazement at the effrontery of thegrisette; then, advancing towards her, he whispered, as he plucked herby the sleeve: "I say, are you mad? Do you know to whom you speak?"

  "Well! what then? Is not one pretty woman worth another! I say that forthe lady. She will not eat me, I suppose," replied Rose-Pompon, aloud,and with an air of defiance. "I have to talk with madame, here. I amsure, she knows why and wherefore. If not, I will tell her; it will nottake me long."

  Adrienne, who feared some ridiculous exposure on the subject of Djalma,in the presence of Agricola, made a sign to the latter, and thusanswered the grisette: "I am ready to hear you, miss, but not in thisplace. You will understand why."

  "Very well, madame, I have my key. You can come to any apartments"--thelast word pronounced with an air of ostentatious importance.

  "Let us go then to your apartments, miss since you to me the honor toreceive me there," answered Mdlle. de Cardoville, in her mild, sweetvoice, and with a slight inclination of the head, so full of exquisitepoliteness, that Rose-Pompon was daunted, notwithstanding all hereffrontery.

  "What, lady!" said Agricola to Adrienne; "you are good enough--"

  "M. Agricola," said Mdlle. de Cardoville, interrupting him, "please toremain with our poor friend: I shall soon be back."

  Then, approaching Mother Bunch, who shared in Agricola's astonishmentshe said to her: "Excuse me for leaving you a few seconds. Only regain alittle strength, and, when I return, I will take you home with me, dearsister."

  Then, turning towards Rose-Pompon, who was more and more surprised athearing so fine a lady call the workgirl her sister, she added: "I amready whenever you please, mademoiselle."

  "Beg pardon, madame, if I go first to show you the way, but it's aregular break-neck sort of a place," answered Rose-Pompon, pressing herelbows to her sides, and screwing up her lips to prove that she was nostranger to polite manners and fine language. And the two rivals quittedthe garret together, leaving Agricola alone with Mother Bunch.

  Luckily, the disfigured remains of the Bacchanal Queen had beencarried into Mother Arsene's subterraneous shop, so that the crowd ofspectators, always attracted by any fatal event, had assembled in frontof the house; and Rose-Pompon, meeting no one in the little court shehad to traverse with Adrienne, continued in ignorance of the tragicaldeath of her old friend Cephyse. In a few moments the grisette andMdlle. de Cardoville had reached Philemon's apartment. This singularabode remained in the same state of picturesque disorder in whichRose-Pompon had left it, when Ninny Moulin came to fetch her to act theheroine of a mysterious adventure.

  Adrienne, completely ignorant of the eccentric modes of life of studentsand their companions, could not, in spite of the thoughts which occupiedher mind, forebear examining, with a mixture of surprise and curiosity,this strange and grotesque chaos, composed of the most dissimilarobjects--disguises for masked balls, skulls with pipes in their mouths,odd boots standing on book shelves, monstrous bottles, women's clothes,ends of tobacco pipes, etc., etc. To the first astonishment of Adriennesucceeded an impression of painful repugnance. The young lady feltherself uneasy and out of place in this abode, not of poverty, butdisorder; whilst, on the contrary, the sewing-girl's miserable garrethad caused her no such feeling.

  Rose-Pompon, notwithstanding all her airs, was considerably troubledwhen she found herself alone with Mdlle, de Cardoville; the rare beautyof the young patrician, her fashionable look, the elegance of hermanners, the style, both dignified and affable, with which she hadanswered the impertinent address of the grisette, began to have theireffect upon the latter, who, being moreover a good-natured girl, hadbeen touched at hearing Mdlle. de Cardoville call the hunchback "friendand sister." Without knowing exactly who Adrienne was, Rose-Pomponwas not ignorant that she belonged to the richest and highest classof society; she felt already some remorse at having attacked her socavalierly; and her intentions, at first very hostile with regard toMdlle. de Cardoville, were gradually much modified. Yet, being veryobstinate, and not wishing to appear to submit to an influence thatoffended her pride, Rose-Pompon endeavored to recover her assurance;and, having bolted the door, she said to Adrienne: "Pray do me the favorto sit down, madame"--still with the intention of showing that she wasno stranger to refined manners and conversation.

  Mdlle. de Cardoville was about mechanically to take a chair, when RosePompon, worthy to practise those ancient virtues of hospitality, whichregarded even an enemy as sacred in the person of a guest, cried outhastily: "Don't take that chair, madame; it wants a leg."

  Adrienne laid her hand on another chair.

  "Nor that either; the back is quite loose," again exclaimed Rose-Pompon.And she spoke the truth; for the chair-back, which was made in the formof a lyre, remained in the hands of Mdlle. de Cardoville, who said, asshe replaced it discreetly in its former position: "I think, miss, thatwe can very well talk standing."

  "As you please, madame," replied Rose-Pompon, steadying herself the morebravely the more uneasy she felt. And the interview of the lady and thegrisette began in this fashion.