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第38章

the alkahest-第38章

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  francs which are yours and will enable you to live。



  If nothing shall have subdued his passion; if his children prove

  no stronger barrier than my happiness has been; and cannot stop

  his criminal career;leave him; leave your father; that you may

  live。 I could not forsake him; I was bound to him。 You;

  Marguerite; you must save the family。 I absolve you for all you

  may do to defend Gabriel and Jean and Felicie。 Take courage; be

  the guardian angel of the Claes。 Be firm;I dare not say be

  pitiless; but to repair the evil already done you must keep some

  means at hand。 On the day when you read this letter; regard

  yourself as ruined already; for nothing will stay the fury of that

  passion which has torn all things from me。



  My child; remember this: the truest love is to forget your heart。

  Even though you be forced to deceive your father; your

  dissimulation will be blessed; your actions; however blamable they

  may seem; will be heroic if taken to protect the family。 The

  virtuous Monsieur de Solis tells me so; and no conscience was ever

  purer or more enlightened than his。 I could never have had the

  courage to speak these words to you; even with my dying breath。



  And yet; my daughter; be respectful; be kind in the dreadful

  struggle。 Resist him; but love him; deny him gently。 My hidden

  tears; my inward griefs will be known only when I am dead。 Kiss my

  dear children in my name when the hour comes and you are called

  upon to protect them。



  May God and the saints be with you!



Josephine。





To this letter was added an acknowledgment from the Messieurs de

Solis; uncle and nephew; who thereby bound themselves to place the

money entrusted to them by Madame Claes in the hands of whoever of her

children should present the paper。



〃Martha;〃 cried Marguerite to the duenna; who came quickly; 〃go to

Monsieur Emmanuel de Solis; and ask him to come to me。Noble;

discreet heart! he never told me;〃 she thought; 〃though all my griefs

and cares are his; he never told me!〃



Emmanuel came before Martha could get back。



〃You have kept a secret from me;〃 she said; showing him her mother's

letter。



Emmanuel bent his head。



〃Marguerite; are you in great trouble?〃 he asked。



〃Yes;〃 she answered; 〃be my support;you; whom my mother calls 'our

good Emmanuel。'〃 She showed him the letter; unable to repress her joy

in knowing that her mother approved her choice。



〃My blood and my life were yours on the morrow of the day when I first

saw you in the gallery;〃 he said; 〃but I scarcely dared to hope the

time might come when you would accept them。 If you know me well; you

know my word is sacred。 Forgive the absolute obedience I have paid to

your mother's wishes; it was not for me to judge her intentions。〃



〃You have saved us;〃 she said; interrupting him; and taking his arm to

go down to the parlor。



After hearing from Emmanuel the origin of the money entrusted to him;

Marguerite confided to him the terrible straits in which the family

now found themselves。



〃I must pay those notes at once;〃 said Emmanuel。 〃If Merkstus holds

them all; you can at least save the interest。 I will bring you the

remaining seventy thousand francs。 My poor uncle left me quite a large

sum in ducats; which are easy to carry secretly。〃



〃Oh!〃 she said; 〃bring them at night; we can hide them when my father

is asleep。 If he knew that I had money; he might try to force it from

me。 Oh; Emmanuel; think what it is to distrust a father!〃 she said;

weeping and resting her forehead against the young man's heart。



This sad; confiding movement; with which the young girl asked

protection; was the first expression of a love hitherto wrapped in

melancholy and restrained within a sphere of grief: the heart; too

full; was forced to overflow beneath the pressure of this new misery。



〃What can we do; what will become of us? He sees nothing; he cares for

nothing;neither for us nor for himself。 I know not how he can live

in that garret; where the air is stifling。〃



〃What can you expect of a man who calls incessantly; like Richard

III。; 'My kingdom for a horse'?〃 said Emmanuel。 〃He is pitiless; and

in that you must imitate him。 Pay his notes; give him; if you will;

your whole fortune; but that of your sister and of your brothers is

neither yours nor his。〃



〃Give him my fortune?〃 she said; pressing her lover's hand and looking

at him with ardor in her eyes; 〃you advise it; you!and Pierquin told

a hundred lies to make me keep it!〃



〃Alas! I may be selfish in my own way;〃 he said。 〃Sometimes I long for

you without fortune; you seem nearer to me then! At other times I want

you rich and happy; and I feel how paltry it is to think that the poor

grandeurs of wealth can separate us。〃



〃Dear; let us not speak of ourselves。〃



〃Ourselves!〃 he repeated; with rapture。 Then; after a pause; he added:

〃The evil is great; but it is not irreparable。〃



〃It can be repaired only by us: the Claes family has now no head。 To

reach the stage of being neither father nor man; to have no

consciousness of justice or injustice (for; in defiance of the laws;

he has dissipatedhe; so great; so noble; so uprightthe property of

the children he was bound to defend); oh; to what depths must he have

fallen! My God! what is this thing he seeks?〃



〃Unfortunately; dear Marguerite; wrong as he is in his relation to his

family; he is right scientifically。 A score of men in Europe admire

him for the very thing which others count as madness。 But nevertheless

you must; without scruple; refuse to let him take the property of his

children。 Great discoveries have always been accidental。 If your

father ever finds the solution of the problem; it will be when it

costs him nothing; in a moment; perhaps; when he despairs of it。〃



〃My poor mother is happy;〃 said Marguerite; 〃she would have suffered a

thousand deaths before she died: as it was; her first encounter with

Science killed her。 Alas! the strife is endless。〃



〃There is an end;〃 said Emmanuel。 〃When you have nothing left;

Monsieur Claes can get no further credit; then he will stop。〃



〃Let him stop now; then;〃 cried Marguerite; 〃for we are without a

penny!〃



Monsieur de Solis went to buy up Claes's notes and returned; bringing

them to Marguerite。 Balthazar; contrary to his custom; came down a few

moments before dinner。 For the first time in two years his daughter

noticed the signs of a human grief upon his face: he was again a

father; reason and judgment had overcome Science; he looked into the

court…yard; then into the garden; and when he was certain he was alone

with his daughter; he came up to her with a look of melancholy

kindness。



〃My child;〃 he said; taking her hand and pressing it with persuasive

tenderness; 〃forgive your old father。 Yes; Marguerite; I have done

wrong。 You spoke truly。 So long as I have not FOUND I am a miserable

wretch。 I will go away from here。 I cannot see Van Claes sold;〃 he

went on; pointing to the martyr's portrait。 〃He died for Liberty; I

die for Science; he is venerated; I am hated。〃



〃Hated? oh; my father; no;〃 she cried; throwing herself on his breast;

〃we all adore you。 Do we not; Felicie?〃 she said; turning to her

sister who came in at the moment。



〃What is the matter; dear father?〃 said his youngest daughter; taking

his hand。



〃I have ruined you。〃



〃Ah!〃 cried Felicie; 〃but our brothers will make our fortune。 Jean is

always at the head of his class。〃



〃See; father;〃 said Marguerite; leading Balthazar in a coaxing; filial

way to the chimney…piece and taking some papers from beneath the

clock; 〃here are your notes of hand; but do not sign any more; there

is nothing left to pay them with〃



〃Then you have money?〃 whispered Balthazar in her ear; when he

recovered from his surprise。



His words and manner tortured the heroic girl; she saw the delirium of

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