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第19章

ursula-第19章

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〃Come and dine; Bouvard; stay with me till nine o'clock。 I must find

some decisive; undeniable test!〃



〃So be it; old comrade;〃 answered the other。



The reconciled enemies dined in the Palais…Royal。 After a lively

conversation; which helped Minoret to evade the fever of the ideas

which were ravaging his brain; Bouvard said to him:



〃If you admit in that woman the faculty of annihilating or of

traversing space; if you obtain a certainty that here; in Paris; she

sees and hears what is said and done in Nemours; you must admit all

other magnetic facts; they are not more incredible than these。 Ask her

for some one proof which you know will satisfy youfor you might

suppose that we obtained information to deceive you; but we cannot

know; for instance; what will happen at nine o'clock in your

goddaughter's bedroom。 Remember; or write down; what the sleeper will

see and hear; and then go home。 Your little Ursula; whom I do not

know; is not our accomplice; and if she tells you that she has said

and done what you have written downlower thy head; proud Hun!〃



The two friends returned to the house opposite to the Assumption and

found the somnambulist; who in her waking state did not recognize

Doctor Minoret。 The eyes of this woman closed gently before the hand

of the Swedenborgian; which was stretched towards her at a little

distance; and she took the attitude in which Minoret had first seen

her。 When her hand and that of the doctor were again joined; he asked

her to tell him what was happening in his house at Nemours at that

instant。 〃What is Ursula doing?〃 he said。



〃She is undressed; she has just curled her hair; she is kneeling on

her prie…Dieu; before an ivory crucifix fastened to a red velvet

background。〃



〃What is she saying?〃



〃Her evening prayers; she is commending herself to God; she implores

him to save her soul from evil thoughts; she examines her conscience

and recalls what she has done during the day; that she may know if she

has failed to obey his commands and those of the churchpoor dear

little soul; she lays bare her breast!〃 Tears were in the sleeper's

eyes。 〃She has done no sin; but she blames herself for thinking too

much of Savinien。 She stops to wonder what he is doing in Paris; she

prays to God to make him happy。 She speaks of you; she is praying

aloud。〃



〃Tell me her words。〃 Minoret took his pencil and wrote; as the sleeper

uttered it; the following prayer; evidently composed by the Abbe

Chaperon。



  〃My God; if thou art content with thine handmaid; who worships

  thee and prays to thee with a love that is equal to her devotion;

  who strives not to wander from thy sacred paths; who would gladly

  die as thy Son died to glorify thy name; who desires to live in

  the shadow of thy willO God; who knoweth the heart; open the

  eyes of my godfather; lead him in the way of salvation; grant him

  thy Divine grace; that he may live for thee in his last days; save

  him from evil; and let me suffer in his stead。 Kind Saint Ursula;

  dear protectress; and you; Mother of God; queen of heaven;

  archangels; and saints in Paradise; hear me! join your

  intercessions to mine and have mercy upon us。〃



The sleeper imitated so perfectly the artless gestures and the

inspired manner of his child that Doctor Minoret's eyes were filled

with tears。



〃Does she say more?〃 he asked。



〃Yes。〃



〃Repeat it。〃



〃'My dear godfather; I wonder who plays backgammon with him in Paris。'

She has blown out the lighther head is on the pillowshe turns to

sleep! Ah! she is off! How pretty she looks in her little night…cap。〃



Minoret bowed to the great Unknown; wrung Bouvard by the hand; ran

downstairs and hastened to a cab…stand which at that time was near the

gates of a house since pulled down to make room for the Rue d'Alger。

There he found a coachman who was willing to start immediately for

Fontainebleau。 The moment the price was agreed on; the old man; who

seemed to have renewed his youth; jumped into the carriage and

started。 According to agreement; he stopped to rest the horse at

Essonne; but arrived at Fontainebleau in time for the diligence to

Nemours; on which he secured a seat; and dismissed his coachman。 He

reached home at five in the morning; and went to bed; with his life…

long ideas of physiology; nature; and metaphysics in ruins about him;

and slept till nine o'clock; so wearied was he with the events of his

journey。







CHAPTER VII



A TWO…FOLD CONVERSION



On rising; the doctor; sure that no one had crossed the threshold of

his house since he re…entered it; proceeded (but not without extreme

trepidation) to verify his facts。 He was himself ignorant of any

difference in the bank…notes and also of the misplacement of the

Pandect volumes。 The somnambulist was right。 The doctor rang for La

Bougival。



〃Tell Ursula to come and speak to me;〃 he said; seating himself in the

center of his library。



The girl came; she ran up to him and kissed him。 The doctor took her

on his knee; where she sat contentedly; mingling her soft fair curls

with the white hair of her old friend。



〃Do you want something; godfather?〃



〃Yes; but promise me; on your salvation; to answer frankly; without

evasion; the questions that I shall put to you。〃



Ursula colored to the temples。



〃Oh! I'll ask nothing that you cannot speak of;〃 he said; noticing how

the bashfulness of young love clouded the hitherto childlike purity of

the girl's blue eyes。



〃Ask me; godfather。〃



〃What thought was in your mind when you ended your prayers last

evening; and what time was it when you said them。〃



〃It was a quarter…past or half…past nine。〃



〃Well; repeat your last prayer。〃



The girl fancied that her voice might convey her faith to the sceptic;

she slid from his knee and knelt down; clasping her hands fervently; a

brilliant light illumined her face as she turned it on the old man and

said:



〃What I asked of God last night I asked again this morning; and I

shall ask it till he vouchsafes to grant it。〃



Then she repeated her prayer with new and still more powerful

expression。 To her great astonishment her godfather took the last

words from her mouth and finished the prayer。



〃Good; Ursula;〃 said the doctor; taking her again on his knee。 〃When

you laid your head on the pillow and went to sleep did you think to

yourself; 'That dear godfather; I wonder who is playing backgammon

with him in Paris'?〃



Ursula sprang up as if the last trumpet had sounded in her ears。 She

gave a cry of terror; her eyes; wide open; gazed at the old man with

awful fixity。



〃Who are you; godfather? From whom do you get such power?〃 she asked;

imagining that in his desire to deny God he had made some compact with

the devil。



〃What seeds did you plant yesterday in the garden?〃



〃Mignonette; sweet…peas; balsams〃



〃And the last were larkspur?〃



She fell on her knees。



〃Do not terrify me!〃 she exclaimed。 〃Oh you must have been hereyou

were here; were you not?〃



〃Am I not always with you?〃 replied the doctor; evading her question;

to save the strain on the young girl's mind。 〃Let us go to your room。〃



〃Your legs are trembling;〃 she said。



〃Yes; I am confounded; as it were。〃



〃Can it be that you believe in God?〃 she cried; with artless joy;

letting fall the tears that gathered in her eyes。



The old man looked round the simple but dainty little room he had

given to his Ursula。 On the floor was a plain green carpet; very

inexpensive; which she herself kept exquisitely clean; the walls were

hung with a gray paper strewn with roses and green leaves; at the

windows; which looked to the court; were calico curtains edged with a

band of some pink material; between the windows and beneath a tall

mirror was a pier…table topped with marble; on which stood a Sevres

vase in which she put her nosegays; opposit

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