the alkahest-第11章

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life　was　spent；　and　struggle　hand　to　hand　against　her　rival　by　sharing

her　husband's　labors　during　the　long　hours　he　gave　to　that　terrible

mistress。　She　determined　to　slip　secretly　into　the　mysterious

laboratory　of　seduction；　and　obtain　the　right　to　be　there　always。

Lemulquinier　alone　had　that　right；　and　she　meant　to　share　it　with　him；

but　to　prevent　his　witnessing　the　contention　with　her　husband　which

she　feared　at　the　outset；　she　waited　for　an　opportunity　when　the　valet

should　be　out　of　the　way。　For　a　while　she　studied　the　goings　and

comings　of　the　man　with　angry　impatience；　did　he　not　know　that　which

was　denied　to　herall　that　her　husband　hid　from　her；　all　that　she

dared　not　inquire　into？　Even　a　servant　was　preferred　to　a　wife！



The　day　came；　she　approached　the　place；　trembling；　yet　almost　happy。

For　the　first　time　in　her　life　she　encountered　Balthazar's　anger。　She

had　hardly　opened　the　door　before　he　sprang　upon　her；　seized　her；

threw　her　roughly　on　the　staircase；　so　that　she　narrowly　escaped

rolling　to　the　bottom。



〃God　be　praised！　you　are　still　alive！〃　he　cried；　raising　her。



A　glass　vessel　had　broken　into　fragments　over　Madame　Claes；　who　saw

her　husband　standing　by　her；　pale；　terrified；　and　almost　livid。



〃My　dear；　I　forbade　you　to　come　here；〃　he　said；　sitting　down　on　the

stairs；　as　though　prostrated。　〃The　saints　have　saved　your　life！　By

what　chance　was　it　that　my　eyes　were　on　the　door　when　you　opened　it？

We　have　just　escaped　death。〃



〃Then　I　might　have　been　happy！〃　she　exclaimed。



〃My　experiment　has　failed；〃　continued　Balthazar。　〃You　alone　could　I

forgive　for　that　terrible　disappointment。　I　was　about　to　decompose

nitrogen。　Go　back　to　your　own　affairs。〃



Balthazar　re…entered　the　laboratory　and　closed　the　door。



〃Decompose　nitrogen！〃　said　the　poor　woman　as　she　re…entered　her

chamber；　and　burst　into　tears。



The　phrase　was　unintelligible　to　her。　Men；　trained　by　education　to

have　a　general　conception　of　everything；　have　no　idea　how　distressing

it　is　for　a　woman　to　be　unable　to　comprehend　the　thought　of　the　man

she　loves。　More　forbearing　than　we；　these　divine　creatures　do　not　let

us　know　when　the　language　of　their　souls　is　not　understood　by　us；　they

shrink　from　letting　us　feel　the　superiority　of　their　feelings；　and

hide　their　pain　as　gladly　as　they　silence　their　wishes：　but；　having

higher　ambitions　in　love　than　men；　they　desire　to　wed　not　only　the

heart　of　a　husband；　but　his　mind。



To　Madame　Claes　the　sense　of　knowing　nothing　of　a　science　which

absorbed　her　husband　filled　her　with　a　vexation　as　keen　as　the　beauty

of　a　rival　might　have　caused。　The　struggle　of　woman　against　woman

gives　to　her　who　loves　the　most　the　advantage　of　loving　best；　but　a

mortification　like　this　only　proved　Madame　Claes's　powerlessness　and

humiliated　the　feelings　by　which　she　lived。　She　was　ignorant；　and　she

had　reached　a　point　where　her　ignorance　parted　her　from　her　husband。

Worse　than　all；　last　and　keenest　torture；　he　was　risking　his　life；　he

was　often　in　dangernear　her；　yet　far　away；　and　she　might　not　share；

nor　even　know；　his　peril。　Her　position　became；　like　hell；　a　moral

prison　from　which　there　was　no　issue；　in　which　there　was　no　hope。

Madame　Claes　resolved　to　know　at　least　the　outward　attractions　of　this

fatal　science；　and　she　began　secretly　to　study　chemistry　in　the　books。

From　this　time　the　family　became；　as　it　were；　cloistered。



Such　were　the　successive　changes　brought　by　this　dire　misfortune　upon

the　family　of　Claes；　before　it　reached　the　species　of　atrophy　in　which

we　find　it　at　the　moment　when　this　history　begins。



The　situation　grew　daily　more　complicated。　Like　all　passionate　women；

Madame　Claes　was　disinterested。　Those　who　truly　love　know　that

considerations　of　money　count　for　little　in　matters　of　feeling　and　are

reluctantly　associated　with　them。　Nevertheless；　Josephine　did　not　hear

without　distress　that　her　husband　had　borrowed　three　hundred　thousand

francs　upon　his　property。　The　apparent　authenticity　of　the

transaction；　the　rumors　and　conjectures　spread　through　the　town；

forced　Madame　Claes；　naturally　much　alarmed；　to　question　her　husband's

notary　and；　disregarding　her　pride；　to　reveal　to　him　her　secret

anxieties　or　let　him　guess　them；　and　even　ask　her　the　humiliating

question；



〃How　is　it　that　Monsieur　Claes　has　not　told　you　of　this？〃



Happily；　the　notary　was　almost　a　relation；in　this　wise：　The

grandfather　of　Monsieur　Claes　had　married　a　Pierquin　of　Antwerp；　of

the　same　family　as　the　Pierquins　of　Douai。　Since　the　marriage　the

latter；　though　strangers　to　the　Claes；　claimed　them　as　cousins。

Monsieur　Pierquin；　a　young　man　twenty…six　years　of　age；　who　had　just

succeeded　to　his　father's　practice；　was　the　only　person　who　now　had

access　to　the　House　of　Claes。



Madame　Balthazar　had　lived　for　several　months　in　such　complete

solitude　that　the　notary　was　obliged　not　only　to　confirm　the　rumor　of

the　disasters；　but　to　give　her　further　particulars；　which　were　now

well　known　throughout　the　town。　He　told　her　that　it　was　probably　that

her　husband　owed　considerable　sums　of　money　to　the　house　which

furnished　him　with　chemicals。　That　house；　after　making　inquiries　as　to

the　fortune　and　credit　of　Monsieur　Claes；　accepted　all　his　orders　and

sent　the　supplies　without　hesitation；　notwithstanding　the　heavy　sums

of　money　which　became　due。　Madame　Claes　requested　Pierquin　to　obtain

the　bill　for　all　the　chemicals　that　had　been　furnished　to　her　husband。



Two　months　later；　Messieurs　Protez　and　Chiffreville；　manufacturers　of

chemical　products；　sent　in　a　schedule　of　accounts　rendered；　which

amounted　to　over　one　hundred　thousand　francs。　Madame　Claes　and

Pierquin　studied　the　document　with　an　ever…increasing　surprise。　Though

some　articles；　entered　in　commercial　and　scientific　terms；　were

unintelligible　to　them；　they　were　frightened　to　see　entries　of

precious　metals　and　diamonds　of　all　kinds；　though　in　small　quantities。

The　large　sum　total　of　the　debt　was　explained　by　the　multiplicity　of

the　articles；　by　the　precautions　needed　in　transporting　some　of　them；

more　especially　valuable　machinery；　by　the　exorbitant　price　of　certain

rare　chemicals；　and　finally　by　the　cost　of　instruments　made　to　order

after　the　designs　of　Monsieur　Claes　himself。



The　notary　had　made　inquiries；　in　his　client's　interest；　as　to

Messieurs　Protez　and　Chiffreville；　and　found　that　their　known

integrity　was　sufficient　guarantee　as　to　the　honesty　of　their

operations　with　Monsieur　Claes；　to　whom；　moreover；　they　frequently

sent　information　of　results　obtained　by　chemists　in　Paris；　for　the

purpose　of　sparing　him　expense。　Madame　Claes　begged　the　notary　to　keep

the　nature　of　these　purchases　from　the　knowledge　of　the　people　of

Douai；　lest　they　should　declare　the　whole　thing　a　mania；　but　Pierquin

replied　that　he　had　already　delayed　to　the　very　last　moment　the

notarial　deeds　which　the　importance　of　the　sum　borrowed　necessitated；

in　order　not　to　lessen　the　respect　in　which　Monsieur　Claes　was　held。

He　then　revealed　the　full　extent　of　the　evil；　telling　her　plainly　that

if　she　could　not　find　means　to　prevent　her　husband　from　thus　madly

making　way　with　his　property；　in　six　months　the　patrimonial　fortune　of

the　Claes　would　be　mortgaged　to　its　full　value。　As　for　himself；　he

said；　the　remonstrances　he　had　already　made　to　his　cousin；　with　all

the　consideration　due　to　a　man　so　justly　respected；　had　been　wholly

unavailing。　Balthazar　had　replied；　once　for　all；　that　he　was　working

for　the　fame　and　the　fortune　of　his　family。



Thus；　to　the　tortures　of　the　heart　which　Madame　Claes　had　borne　for

two　yearsone　following　the　other　with　cumulative　sufferingwas　now

added　a　dreadful　and　ceaseless　fear　which　made　the　future　terrifying。

Women　have　presentiments　whose　accuracy　is　often　marvellous。　Why　do

they　fear　so　much　more　than　they　hope　in　matters　that　concern　the

interests　of　this　life？　Why　is　their　faith　given　only　to　religious