,,the ,,three ,,cities ,,lourdes1 ,,rome1 ,,paris ,by mile ,zola ,translated ,by ,ernest ,a4 ,vizetelly ,,preface ,,before perusing this work1 it is as well that the reader should understand ,m4 ,zola's aim in writing it1 and his views--as distinct from those of his characters--upon ,lourdes1 its ,grotto1 and its cures4 ,a short time before the book appeared ,m4 ,zola was interviewed upon the subject by his friend and biographer1 ,mr4 ,robert ,h4 ,sherard1 to whom he spoke as follows3 8#8,lourdes' came to be written by mere accident4 ,in #ahia ,i happened to be travelling for my pleasure1 with my wife1 in the ,basque country and by the ,pyrenees1 and being in the neighbourhood of ,lourdes1 included it in my tour4 ,i spent fifteen days there1 and was greatly struck by what ,i saw1 and it then occurred to me that there was material here for just the sort of novel that ,i like to write--a novel in which great masses of men can be shown in motion--un grand mouvement de foule--a novel the subject of which stirred up my philosophical ideas4 8,it was too late then to study the question1 for ,i had visited ,lourdes late in ,september1 and so had missed seeing the best pilgrimage1 which takes place in ,august1 under the direction of the ,pres de la ,misricorde1 of the ,rue de l',assomption in ,paris--the ,national ,pilgrimage1 as it is called4 ,these ,fathers are very active1 enterprising men1 and have made a great success of this annual national pilgrimage4 ,under their direction thirty thousand pilgrims are transported to ,lourdes1 including over a thousand sick persons4 8,so in the following year ,i went in ,august1 and saw a national pilgrimage1 and followed it during the three days which it lasts1 in addition to the two days given to travelling4 ,after its departure1 ,i stayed on ten or twelve days1 working up the subject in every detail4 ,my book is the story of such a national pilgrimage1 and is1 accordingly1 the story of five days4 ,it is divided into five parts1 each of which parts is limited to one day4 8,there are from ninety to one hundred characters in the story3 sick persons1 pilgrims1 priests1 nuns1 hospitallers1 nurses1 and peasants2 and the book shows ,lourdes under every aspect4 ,there are the piscinas1 the processions1 the ,grotto1 the churches at night1 the people in the streets4 ,it is1 in one word1 ,lourdes in its entirety4 ,in this canvas is worked out a very delicate central intrigue1 as in #8,dr4 ,pascal1' and around this are many little stories or subsidiary plots4 ,there is the story of the sick person who gets well1 of the sick person who is not cured1 and so on4 ,the philosophical idea which pervades the whole book is the idea of human suffering1 the exhibition of the desperate and despairing sufferers who1 abandoned by science and by man1 address themselves to a higher ,power in the hope of relief2 as where parents have a dearly loved daughter dying of consumption1 who has been given up1 and for whom nothing remains but death4 ,a sudden hope1 however1 breaks in upon them3 #8supposing that after all there should be a ,power greater than that of man1 higher than that of science4' ,they will haste to try this last chance of safety4 ,it is the instinctive hankering after the lie which creates human credulity4 8,i will admit that ,i came across some instances of real cure4 ,many cases of nervous disorders have undoubtedly been cured1 and there have also been other cures which may1 perhaps be attributed to errors of diagnosis on the part of doctors who attended the patients so cured4 ,often a patient is described by his doctor as suffering from consumption4 ,he goes to ,lourdes1 and is cured4 ,however1 the probability is that the doctor made a mistake4 ,in my own case ,i was at one time suffering from a violent pain in my chest1 which presented all the symptoms of angina pectoris1 a mortal malady4 ,it was nothing of the sort4 ,indigestion1 doubtless1 and1 as such1 curable4 ,remember that most of the sick persons who go to ,lourdes come from the country1 and that the country doctors are not usually men of either great skill or great experience4 ,but all doctors mistake symptoms4 ,put three doctors together to discuss a case1 and in nine cases out of ten they will disagree in their diagnosis4 ,look at the quantities of tumours1 swellings1 and sores1 which cannot be properly classified4 ,these cures are based on the ignorance of the medical profession4 ,the sick pretend1 believe1 that they suffer from such and such a desperate malady1 whereas it is from some other malady that they are suffering4 ,and so the legend forms itself4 ,and1 of course1 there must be cures out of so large a number of cases4 ,nature often cures without medical aid4 ,certainly1 many of the workings of ,nature are wonderful1 but they are not supernatural4 ,the ,lourdes miracles can neither be proved nor denied4 ,the miracle is based on human ignorance4 ,and so the doctor who lives at ,lourdes1 and who is commissioned to register the cures and to tabulate the miracles1 has a very careless time of it4 ,a person comes1 and gets cured4 ,he has but to get three doctors together to examine the case4 ,they will disagree as to what was the disease from which the patient suffered1 and the only explanation left which will be acceptable to the public1 with its hankering after the lie1 is that a miracle has been vouchsafed4 8,i interviewed a number of people at ,lourdes1 and could not find one who would declare that he had witnessed a miracle4 ,all the cases which ,i describe in my book are real cases1 in which ,i have only changed the names of the persons concerned4 ,in none of these instances was ,i able to discover any real proof for or against the miraculous nature of the cure4 ,thus1 in the case of ,clementine ,trouve1 who figures in my story as ,sophie--the patient who1 after suffering for a long time from a horrid open sore on her foot1 was suddenly cured1 according to current report1 by bathing her foot in the piscina1 where the bandages fell off1 and her foot was entirely restored to a healthy condition--,i investigated that case thoroughly4 ,i was told that there were three or four ladies living in ,lourdes who could guarantee the facts as stated by little ,clementine4 ,i looked up those ladies4 ,the first said ,no1 she could not vouch for anything4 ,she had seen nothing4 ,i had better consult somebody else4 ,the next answered in the same way1 and nowhere was ,i able to find any corroboration of the girl's story4 ,yet the little girl did not look like a liar1 and ,i believe that she was fully convinced of the miraculous nature of her cure4 ,it is the facts themselves which lie4 8,lourdes1 the ,grotto1 the cures1 the miracles1 are1 indeed1 the creation of that need of the ,lie1 that necessity for credulity1 which is a characteristic of human nature4 ,at first1 when little ,bernadette came with her strange story of what she had witnessed1 everybody was against her4 ,the ,prefect of the ,department1 the ,bishop1 the clergy1 objected to her story4 ,but ,lourdes grew up in spite of all opposition1 just as the ,christian religion did1 because suffering humanity in its despair must cling to something1 must have some hope2 and1 on the other hand1 because humanity thirsts after illusions4 ,in a word1 it is the story of the foundation of all religions40 ,to the foregoing account of 8,lourdes0 as supplied by its author1 it may be added that the present translation1 first made from early proofs of the ,french original whilst the latter was being completed1 has for the purposes of this new ,american edition been carefully and extensively revised by ,mr4 ,e4 ,a4 ,vizetelly1--,m4 ,zola's representative for all ,english-speaking countries4 8,lourdes0 forms the first volume of the 8,trilogy of the ,three ,cities10 the second being 8,rome10 and the third 8,paris40 ,,lourdes ,,the ,,first ,,day ,i4 ,,pilgrims ,,and ,,patients ,,the pilgrims and patients1 closely packed on the hard seats of a third-class carriage1 were just finishing the 8,ave maris ,stella10 which they had begun to chant on leaving the terminus of the ,orleans line1 when ,marie1 slightly raised on her couch of misery and restless with feverish impatience1 caught sight of the ,paris fortifications through the window of the moving train4 8,ah1 the fortifications60 she exclaimed1 in a tone which was joyous despite her suffering4 8,here we are1 out of ,paris2 we are off at last60 ,her delight drew a smile from her father1 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who sat in front of her1 whilst ,abb ,pierre ,froment1 who was looking at her with fraternal affection1 was so carried away by his compassionate anxiety as to say aloud3 8,and now we are in for it till to-morrow morning4 ,we shall only reach ,lourdes at three-forty4 ,we have more than two-and-twenty hours' journey before us40 ,it was half-past five1 the sun had risen1 radiant in the pure sky of a delightful morning4 ,it was a ,friday1 the #aith of ,august4 ,on the horizon1 however1 some small1 heavy clouds already presaged a terrible day of stormy heat4 ,and the oblique sunrays were enfilading the compartments of the railway carriage1 filling them with dancing1 golden dust4 8,yes1 two-and-twenty hours10 murmured ,marie1 relapsing into a state of anguish4 8,mon ,dieu6 what a long time we must still wait60 ,then her father helped her to lie down again in the narrow box1 a kind of wooden gutter1 in which she had been living for seven years past4 ,making an exception in her favour1 the railway officials had consented to take as luggage the two pairs of wheels which could be removed from the box1 or fitted to it whenever it became necessary to transport her from place to place4 ,packed between the sides of this movable coffin1 she occupied the room of three passengers on the carriage seat2 and for a moment she lay there with eyes closed4 ,although she was three-and-twenty2 her ashen1 emaciated face was still delicately infantile1 charming despite everything1 in the midst of her marvellous fair hair1 the hair of a queen1 which illness had respected4 ,clad with the utmost simplicity in a gown of thin woollen stuff1 she wore1 hanging from her neck1 the card bearing her name and number1 which entitled her to hospitalisation1 or free treatment4 ,she herself had insisted on making the journey in this humble fashion1 not wishing to be a source of expense to her relatives1 who little by little had fallen into very straitened circumstances4 ,and thus it was that she found herself in a third-class carriage of the 8white train10 the train which carried the greatest sufferers1 the most woeful of the fourteen trains going to ,lourdes that day1 the one in which1 in addition to five hundred healthy pilgrims1 nearly three hundred unfortunate wretches1 weak to the point of exhaustion1 racked by suffering1 were heaped together1 and borne at express speed from one to the other end of ,france4 ,sorry that he had saddened her1 ,pierre continued to gaze at her with the air of a compassionate elder brother4 ,he had just completed his thirtieth year1 and was pale and slight1 with a broad forehead4 ,after busying himself with all the arrangements for the journey1 he had been desirous of accompanying her1 and1 having obtained admission among the ,hospitallers of ,our ,lady of ,salvation as an auxiliary member1 wore on his cassock the red1 orange-tipped cross of a bearer4 ,m4 de ,guersaint on his side had simply pinned the little scarlet cross of the pilgrimage on his grey cloth jacket4 ,the idea of travelling appeared to delight him2 although he was over fifty he still looked young1 and1 with his eyes ever wandering over the landscape1 he seemed unable to keep his head still--a bird-like head it was1 with an expression of good nature and absent-mindedness4 ,however1 in spite of the violent shaking of the train1 which constantly drew sighs from ,marie1 ,sister ,hyacinthe had risen to her feet in the adjoining compartment4 ,she noticed that the sun's rays were streaming in the girl's face4 8,pull down the blind1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she said to ,pierre4 8,come1 come1 we must install ourselves properly1 and set our little household in order40 ,clad in the black robe of a ,sister of the ,assumption1 enlivened by a white coif1 a white wimple1 and a large white apron1 ,sister ,hyacinthe smiled1 the picture of courageous activity4 ,her youth bloomed upon her small1 fresh lips1 and in the depths of her beautiful blue eyes1 whose expression was ever gentle4 ,she was not pretty1 perhaps1 still she was charming1 slender1 and tall1 the bib of her apron covering her flat chest like that of a young man2 one of good heart1 displaying a snowy complexion1 and overflowing with health1 gaiety1 and innocence4 8,but this sun is already roasting us10 said she2 8pray pull down your blind as well1 madame40 ,seated in the corner1 near the ,sister1 was ,madame de ,jonquire1 who had kept her little bag on her lap4 ,she slowly pulled down the blind4 ,dark1 and well built1 she was still nice-looking1 although she had a daughter1 ,raymonde1 who was four-and-twenty1 and whom for motives of propriety she had placed in the charge of two lady-hospitallers1 ,madame ,dsagneaux and ,madame ,volmar1 in a first-class carriage4 ,for her part1 directress as she was of a ward of the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours at ,lourdes1 she did not quit her patients2 and outside1 swinging against the door of her compartment1 was the regulation placard bearing under her own name those of the two ,sisters of the ,assumption who accompanied her4 ,the widow of a ruined man1 she lived with her daughter on the scanty income of four or five thousand francs a year1 at the rear of a courtyard in the ,rue ,vanneau4 ,but her charity was inexhaustible1 and she gave all her time to the work of the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation1 an institution whose red cross she wore on her gown of carmelite poplin1 and whose aims she furthered with the most active zeal4 ,of a somewhat proud disposition1 fond of being flattered and loved1 she took great delight in this annual journey1 from which both her heart and her passion derived contentment4 8,you are right1 ,sister10 she said1 8we will organise matters4 ,i really don't know why ,i am encumbering myself with this bag40 ,and thereupon she placed it under the seat1 near her4 8,wait a moment10 resumed ,sister ,hyacinthe2 8you have the water-can between your legs--it is in your way40 8,no1 no1 it isn't1 ,i assure you4 ,let it be4 ,it must always be somewhere40 ,then they both set their house in order as they expressed it1 so that for a day and a night they might live with their patients as comfortably as possible4 ,the worry was that they had not been able to take ,marie into their compartment1 as she wished to have ,pierre and her father near her2 however neighbourly intercourse was easy enough over the low partition4 ,moreover the whole carriage1 with its five compartments of ten seats each1 formed but one moving chamber1 a common room as it were which the eye took in at a glance from end to end4 ,between its wooden walls1 bare and yellow1 under its white-painted panelled roof1 it showed like a hospital ward1 with all the disorder and promiscuous jumbling together of an improvised ambulance4 ,basins1 brooms1 and sponges lay about1 half-hidden by the seats4 ,then1 as the train only carried such luggage as the pilgrims could take with them1 there were valises1 deal boxes1 bonnet boxes1 and bags1 a wretched pile of poor worn-out things mended with bits of string1 heaped up a little bit everywhere2 and overhead the litter began again1 what with articles of clothing1 parcels1 and baskets hanging from brass pegs and swinging to and fro without a pause4 ,amidst all this frippery the more afflicted patients1 stretched on their narrow mattresses1 which took up the room of several passengers1 were shaken1 carried along by the rumbling gyrations of the wheels2 whilst those who were able to remain seated1 leaned against the partitions1 their faces pale1 their heads resting upon pillows4 ,according to the regulations there should have been one lady-hospitaller to each compartment4 ,however1 at the other end of the carriage there was but a second ,sister of the ,assumption1 ,sister ,claire des ,anges4 ,some of the pilgrims who were in good health were already getting up1 eating and drinking4 ,one compartment was entirely occupied by women1 ten pilgrims closely pressed together1 young ones and old ones1 all sadly1 pitifully ugly4 ,and as nobody dared to open the windows on account of the consumptives in the carriage1 the heat was soon felt and an unbearable odour arose1 set free as it were by the jolting of the train as it went its way at express speed4 ,they had said their chaplets at ,juvisy2 and six o'clock was striking1 and they were rushing like a hurricane past the station of ,bretigny1 when ,sister ,hyacinthe stood up4 ,it was she who directed the pious exercises1 which most of the pilgrims followed from small1 blue-covered books4 8,the ,angelus1 my children10 said she with a pleasant smile1 a maternal air which her great youth rendered very charming and sweet4 ,then the 8,aves0 again followed one another1 and were drawing to an end when ,pierre and ,marie began to feel interested in two women who occupied the other corner seats of their compartment4 ,one of them1 she who sat at ,marie's feet1 was a blonde of slender build and bourgeoise appearance1 some thirty and odd years of age1 and faded before she had grown old4 ,she shrank back1 scarcely occupying any room1 wearing a dark dress1 and showing colourless hair1 and a long grief-stricken face which expressed unlimited self-abandonment1 infinite sadness4 ,the woman in front of her1 she who sat on the same seat as ,pierre1 was of the same age1 but belonged to the working classes4 ,she wore a black cap and displayed a face ravaged by wretchedness and anxiety1 whilst on her lap she held a little girl of seven1 who was so pale1 so wasted by illness1 that she scarcely seemed four4 ,with her nose contracted1 her eyelids lowered and showing blue in her waxen face1 the child was unable to speak1 unable to give utterance to more than a low plaint1 a gentle moan1 which rent the heart of her mother1 leaning over her1 each time that she heard it4 8,would she eat a few grapes80 timidly asked the lady1 who had hitherto preserved silence4 8,i have some in my basket40 8,thank you1 madame10 replied the woman1 8she only takes milk1 and sometimes not even that willingly4 ,i took care to bring a bottleful with me40 ,then1 giving way to the desire which possesses the wretched to confide their woes to others1 she began to relate her story4 ,her name was ,vincent1 and her husband1 a gilder by trade1 had been carried off by consumption4 ,left alone with her little ,rose1 who was the passion of her heart1 she had worked by day and night at her calling as a dressmaker in order to bring the child up4 ,but disease had come1 and for fourteen months now she had had her in her arms like that1 growing more and more woeful and wasted until reduced almost to nothingness4 ,she1 the mother1 who never went to mass1 entered a church1 impelled by despair to pray for her daughter's cure2 and there she had heard a voice which had told her to take the little one to ,lourdes1 where the ,blessed ,virgin would have pity on her4 ,acquainted with nobody1 not knowing even how the pilgrimages were organised1 she had had but one idea--to work1 save up the money necessary for the journey1 take a ticket1 and start off with the thirty sous remaining to her1 destitute of all supplies save a bottle of milk for the child1 not having even thought of purchasing a crust of bread for herself4 8,what is the poor little thing suffering from80 resumed the lady4 8,oh1 it must be consumption of the bowels1 madame6 ,but the doctors have names they give it4 ,at first she only had slight pains in the stomach4 ,then her stomach began to swell and she suffered1 oh1 so dreadfully6 it made one cry to see her4 ,her stomach has gone down now1 only she's worn out2 she has got so thin that she has no legs left her1 and she's wasting away with continual sweating40 ,then1 as ,rose1 raising her eyelids1 began to moan1 her mother leant over her1 distracted and turning pale4 8,what is the matter1 my jewel1 my treasure80 she asked4 8,are you thirsty80 ,but the little girl was already closing her dim eyes of a hazy sky-blue hue1 and did not even answer1 but relapsed into her torpor1 quite white in the white frock she wore--a last coquetry on the part of her mother1 who had gone to this useless expense in the hope that the ,virgin would be more compassionate and gentle to a little sufferer who was well dressed1 so immaculately white4 ,there was an interval of silence1 and then ,madame ,vincent inquired3 8,and you1 madame1 it's for yourself no doubt that you are going to ,lourdes8 ,one can see very well that you are ill40 ,but the lady1 with a frightened look1 shrank woefully into her corner1 murmuring3 8,no1 no1 ,i am not ill4 ,would to ,god that ,i were6 ,i should suffer less40 ,her name was ,madame ,maze1 and her heart was full of an incurable grief4 ,after a love marriage to a big1 gay fellow with ripe1 red lips1 she had found herself deserted at the end of a twelvemonth's honeymoon4 ,ever travelling1 following the profession of a jeweller's bagman1 her husband1 who earned a deal of money1 would disappear for six months at a stretch1 deceive her from one frontier to the other of ,france1 at times even carrying creatures about with him4 ,and she worshipped him2 she suffered so frightfully from it all that she had sought a remedy in religion1 and had at last made up her mind to repair to ,lourdes1 in order to pray the ,virgin to restore her husband to her and make him amend his ways4 ,although ,madame ,vincent did not understand the other's words1 she realised that she was a prey to great mental affliction1 and they continued looking at one another1 the mother1 whom the sight of her dying daughter was killing1 and the abandoned wife1 whom her passion cast into throes of death-like agony4 ,however1 ,pierre1 who1 like ,marie1 had been listening to the conversation1 now intervened4 ,he was astonished that the dressmaker had not sought free treatment for her little patient4 ,the ,association of ,our ,lady of ,salvation had been founded by the ,augustine ,fathers of the ,assumption after the ,franco-,german war1 with the object of contributing to the salvation of ,france and the defence of the ,church by prayer in common and the practice of charity2 and it was this association which had promoted the great pilgrimage movement1 in particular initiating and unremittingly extending the national pilgrimage which every year1 towards the close of ,august1 set out for ,lourdes4 ,an elaborate organisation had been gradually perfected1 donations of considerable amounts were collected in all parts of the world1 sufferers were enrolled in every parish1 and agreements were signed with the railway companies1 to say nothing of the active help of the ,little ,sisters of the ,assumption and the establishment of the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation1 a widespread brotherhood of the benevolent1 in which one beheld men and women1 mostly belonging to society1 who1 under the orders of the pilgrimage managers1 nursed the sick1 helped to transport them1 and watched over the observance of good discipline4 ,a written request was needed for the sufferers to obtain hospitalisation1 which dispensed them from making the smallest payment in respect either of their journey or their sojourn2 they were fetched from their homes and conveyed back thither2 and they simply had to provide a few provisions for the road4 ,by far the greater number were recommended by priests or benevolent persons1 who superintended the inquiries concerning them and obtained the needful papers1 such as doctors' certificates and certificates of birth4 ,and1 these matters being settled1 the sick ones had nothing further to trouble about1 they became but so much suffering flesh1 food for miracles1 in the hands of the hospitallers of either sex4 8,but you need only have applied to your parish priest1 madame10 ,pierre explained4 8,this poor child is deserving of all sympathy4 ,she would have been immediately admitted40 8,i did not know it1 monsieur l',abb40 8,then how did you manage80 8,why1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i went to take a ticket at a place which one of my neighbours1 who reads the newspapers1 told me about40 ,she was referring to the tickets1 at greatly reduced rates1 which were issued to the pilgrims possessed of means4 ,and ,marie1 listening to her1 felt great pity for her1 and also some shame2 for she who was not entirely destitute of resources had succeeded in obtaining hospitalisation1 thanks to ,pierre1 whereas that mother and her sorry child1 after exhausting their scanty savings1 remained without a copper4 ,however1 a more violent jolt of the carriage drew a cry of pain from the girl4 8,oh1 father10 she said1 8pray raise me a little6 ,i can't stay on my back any longer40 ,when ,m4 de ,guersaint had helped her into a sitting posture1 she gave a deep sigh of relief4 ,they were now at ,etampes1 after a run of an hour and a half from ,paris1 and what with the increased warmth of the sun1 the dust1 and the noise1 weariness was becoming apparent already4 ,madame de ,jonquire had got up to speak a few words of kindly encouragement to ,marie over the partition2 and ,sister ,hyacinthe moreover again rose1 and gaily clapped her hands that she might be heard and obeyed from one to the other end of the carriage4 8,come1 come60 said she1 8we mustn't think of our little troubles4 ,let us pray and sing1 and the ,blessed ,virgin will be with us40 ,she herself then began the rosary according to the rite of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 and all the patients and pilgrims followed her4 ,this was the first chaplet--the five joyful mysteries1 the ,annunciation1 the ,visitation1 the ,nativity1 the ,purification1 and ,jesus found in the ,temple4 ,then they all began to chant the canticle3 8,let us contemplate the heavenly ,archangel60 ,their voices were lost amid the loud rumbling of the wheels2 you heard but the muffled surging of that human wave1 stifling within the closed carriage which rolled on and on without a pause4 ,although ,m4 de ,guersaint was a worshipper1 he could never follow a hymn to the end4 ,he got up1 sat down again1 and finished by resting his elbow on the partition and conversing in an undertone with a patient who sat against this same partition in the next compartment4 ,the patient in question was a thick-set man of fifty1 with a good-natured face and a large head1 completely bald4 ,his name was ,sabathier1 and for fifteen years he had been stricken with ataxia4 ,he only suffered pain by fits and starts1 but he had quite lost the use of his legs1 which his wife1 who accompanied him1 moved for him as though they had been dead legs1 whenever they became too heavy1 weighty like bars of lead4 8,yes1 monsieur10 he said1 8such as you see me1 ,i was formerly fifth-class professor at the ,lyce ,charlemagne4 ,at first ,i thought that it was mere sciatica1 but afterwards ,i was seized with sharp1 lightning-like pains1 red-hot sword thrusts1 you know1 in the muscles4 ,for nearly ten years the disease kept on mastering me more and more4 ,i consulted all the doctors1 tried every imaginable mineral spring1 and now ,i suffer less1 but ,i can no longer move from my seat4 ,and then1 after long living without a thought of religion1 ,i was led back to ,god by the idea that ,i was too wretched1 and that ,our ,lady of ,lourdes could not do otherwise than take pity on me40 ,feeling interested1 ,pierre in his turn had leant over the partition and was listening4 8,is it not so1 ,monsieur l',abb80 continued ,m4 ,sabathier4 8,is not suffering the best awakener of souls8 ,this is the seventh year that ,i am going to ,lourdes without despairing of cure4 ,this year the ,blessed ,virgin will cure me1 ,i feel sure of it4 ,yes1 ,i expect to be able to walk about again2 ,i now live solely in that hope40 ,m4 ,sabathier paused1 he wished his wife to push his legs a little more to the left2 and ,pierre looked at him1 astonished to find such obstinate faith in a man of intellect1 in one of those university professors who1 as a rule1 are such ,voltairians4 ,how could the belief in miracles have germinated and taken root in this man's brain8 ,as he himself said1 great suffering alone explained this need of illusion1 this blossoming of eternal and consolatory hope4 8,and my wife and ,i10 resumed the ex-professor1 8are dressed1 you see1 as poor folks1 for ,i wished to go as a mere pauper this year1 and applied for hospitalisation in a spirit of humility in order that the ,blessed ,virgin might include me among the wretched1 her children--only1 as ,i did not wish to take the place of a real pauper1 ,i gave fifty francs to the ,hospitalite1 and this1 as you are aware1 gives one the right to have a patient of one's own in the pilgrimage4 ,i even know my patient4 ,he was introduced to me at the railway station4 ,he is suffering from tuberculosis1 it appears1 and seemed to me very low1 very low40 ,a fresh interval of silence ensued4 8,well10 said ,m4 ,sabathier at last1 8may the ,blessed ,virgin save him also1 she who can do everything4 ,i shall be so happy2 she will have loaded me with favours40 ,then the three men1 isolating themselves from the others1 went on conversing together1 at first on medical subjects1 and at last diverging into a discussion on romanesque architecture1 propos of a steeple which they had perceived on a hillside1 and which every pilgrim had saluted with a sign of the cross4 ,swayed once more by the habits of cultivated intellect1 the young priest and his two companions forgot themselves together in the midst of their fellow-passengers1 all those poor1 suffering1 simple-minded folk1 whom wretchedness stupefied4 ,another hour went by1 two more canticles had just been sung1 and the stations of ,toury and ,les ,aubrais had been left behind1 when1 at ,beaugency1 they at last ceased their chat1 on hearing ,sister ,hyacinthe clap her hands and intonate in her fresh1 sonorous voice3 8,parce1 ,domine1 parce populo tuo40 ,and then the chant went on2 all voices became mingled in that ever-surging wave of prayer which stilled pain1 excited hope1 and little by little penetrated the entire being1 harassed by the haunting thought of the grace and cure which one and all were going to seek so far away4 ,however1 as ,pierre sat down again1 he saw that ,marie was very pale1 and had her eyes closed4 ,by the painful contraction of her features he could tell that she was not asleep4 8,are you in great suffering80 he asked4 8,yes1 yes1 ,i suffer dreadfully4 ,i shall never last to the end4 ,it is this incessant jolting40 ,she moaned1 raised her eyelids1 and1 half-fainting1 remained in a sitting posture1 her eyes turned on the other sufferers4 ,in the adjoining compartment1 ,la ,grivotte1 hitherto stretched out1 scarce breathing1 like a corpse1 had just raised herself up in front of ,m4 ,sabathier4 ,she was a tall1 slip-shod1 singular-looking creature of over thirty1 with a round1 ravaged face1 which her frizzy hair and flaming eyes rendered almost pretty4 ,she had reached the third stage of phthisis4 8,eh1 mademoiselle10 she said1 addressing herself in a hoarse1 indistinct voice to ,marie1 8how nice it would be if we could only doze off a little4 ,but it can't be managed2 all these wheels keep on whirling round and round in one's head40 ,then1 although it fatigued her to speak1 she obstinately went on talking1 volunteering particulars about herself4 ,she was a mattress-maker1 and with one of her aunts had long gone from yard to yard at ,bercy to comb and sew up mattresses4 ,and1 indeed1 it was to the pestilential wool which she had combed in her youth that she ascribed her malady4 ,for five years she had been making the round of the hospitals of ,paris1 and she spoke familiarly of all the great doctors4 ,it was the ,sisters of ,charity1 at the ,lariboisiere hospital1 who1 finding that she had a passion for religious ceremonies1 had completed her conversion1 and convinced her that the ,virgin awaited her at ,lourdes to cure her4 8,i certainly need it10 said she4 8,the doctors say that ,i have one lung done for1 and that the other one is scarcely any better4 ,there are great big holes you know4 ,at first ,i only felt bad between the shoulders and spat up some froth4 ,but then ,i got thin1 and became a dreadful sight4 ,and now ,i'm always in a sweat1 and cough till ,i think ,i'm going to bring my heart up4 ,and ,i can no longer spit4 ,and ,i haven't the strength to stand1 you see4 ,i can't eat40 ,a stifling sensation made her pause1 and she became livid4 8,all the same ,i prefer being in my skin instead of in that of the ,brother in the compartment behind you4 ,he has the same complaint as ,i have1 but he is in a worse state that ,i am40 ,she was mistaken4 ,in the farther compartment1 beyond ,marie1 there was indeed a young missionary1 ,brother ,isidore1 who was lying on a mattress and could not be seen1 since he was unable to raise even a finger4 ,but he was not suffering from phthisis4 ,he was dying of inflammation of the liver1 contracted in ,senegal4 ,very long and lank1 he had a yellow face1 with skin as dry and lifeless as parchment4 ,the abscess which had formed in his liver had ended by breaking out externally1 and amidst the continuous shivering of fever1 vomiting1 and delirium1 suppuration was exhausting him4 ,his eyes alone were still alive1 eyes full of unextinguishable love1 whose flame lighted up his expiring face1 a peasant face such as painters have given to the crucified ,christ1 common1 but rendered sublime at moments by its expression of faith and passion4 ,he was a ,breton1 the last puny child of an over-numerous family1 and had left his little share of land to his elder brothers4 ,one of his sisters1 ,marthe1 older than himself by a couple of years1 accompanied him4 ,she had been in service in ,paris1 an insignificant maid-of-all-work1 but withal so devoted to her brother that she had left her situation to follow him1 subsisting scantily on her petty savings4 8,i was lying on the platform10 resumed ,la ,grivotte1 8when he was put in the carriage4 ,there were four men carrying him--0 ,but she was unable to speak any further1 for just then an attack of coughing shook her and threw her back upon the seat4 ,she was suffocating1 and the red flush on her cheek-bones turned blue4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 however1 immediately raised her head and wiped her lips with a linen cloth1 which became spotted with blood4 ,at the same time ,madame de ,jonquire gave her attention to a patient in front of her1 who had just fainted4 ,she was called ,madame ,vetu1 and was the wife of a petty clockmaker of the ,mouffetard district1 who had not been able to shut up his shop in order to accompany her to ,lourdes4 ,and to make sure that she would be cared for she had sought and obtained hospitalisation4 ,the fear of death was bringing her back to religion1 although she had not set foot in church since her first communion4 ,she knew that she was lost1 that a cancer in the chest was eating into her2 and she already had the haggard1 orange-hued mark of the cancerous patient4 ,since the beginning of the journey she had not spoken a word1 but1 suffering terribly1 had remained with her lips tightly closed4 ,then all at once1 she had swooned away after an attack of vomiting4 8,it is unbearable60 murmured ,madame de ,jonquire1 who herself felt faint2 8we must let in a little fresh air40 ,sister ,hyacinthe was just then laying ,la ,grivotte to rest on her pillows1 8,certainly10 said she1 8we will open the window for a few moments4 ,but not on this side1 for ,i am afraid we might have a fresh fit of coughing4 ,open the window on your side1 madame40 ,the heat was still increasing1 and the occupants of the carriage were stifling in that heavy evil-smelling atmosphere4 ,the pure air which came in when the window was opened brought relief however4 ,for a moment there were other duties to be attended to1 a clearance and cleansing4 ,the ,sister emptied the basins out of the window1 whilst the lady-hospitaller wiped the shaking floor with a sponge4 ,next1 things had to be set in order2 and then came a fresh anxiety1 for the fourth patient1 a slender girl whose face was entirely covered by a black fichu1 and who had not yet moved1 was saying that she felt hungry4 ,with quiet devotion ,madame de ,jonquire immediately tendered her services4 8,don't you trouble1 ,sister10 she said1 8,i will cut her bread into little bits for her40 ,marie1 with the need she felt of diverting her mind from her own sufferings1 had already begun to take an interest in that motionless sufferer whose countenance was so thickly veiled1 for she not unnaturally suspected that it was a case of some distressing facial sore4 ,she had merely been told that the patient was a servant1 which was true1 but it happened that the poor creature1 a native of ,picardy1 named ,elise ,rouquet1 had been obliged to leave her situation1 and seek a home with a sister who ill-treated her1 for no hospital would take her in4 ,extremely devout1 she had for many months been possessed by an ardent desire to go to ,lourdes4 ,while ,marie1 with dread in her heart1 waited for the fichu to be moved aside1 ,madame de ,jonquire1 having cut some bread into small pieces1 inquired maternally3 8,are they small enough8 ,can you put them into your mouth80 ,thereupon a hoarse voice growled confused words under the black fichu3 8,yes1 yes1 madame40 ,and at last the veil fell and ,marie shuddered with horror4 ,it was a case of lupus which had preyed upon the unhappy woman's nose and mouth4 ,ulceration had spread1 and was hourly spreading--in short1 all the hideous peculiarities of this terrible disease were in full process of development1 almost obliterating the traces of what once were pleasing womanly lineaments4 8,oh1 look1 ,pierre60 ,marie murmured1 trembling4 ,the priest in his turn shuddered as he beheld ,elise ,rouquet cautiously slipping the tiny pieces of bread into her poor shapeless mouth4 ,everyone in the carriage had turned pale at sight of the awful apparition4 ,and the same thought ascended from all those hope-inflated souls4 ,ah6 ,blessed ,virgin1 ,powerful ,virgin1 what a miracle indeed if such an ill were cured6 8,we must not think of ourselves1 my children1 if we wish to get well10 resumed ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who still retained her encouraging smile4 ,and then she made them say the second chaplet1 the five sorrowful mysteries3 ,jesus in the ,garden of ,olives1 ,jesus scourged1 ,jesus crowned with thorns1 ,jesus carrying the cross1 and ,jesus crucified4 ,afterwards came the canticle3 8,in thy help1 ,virgin1 do ,i put my trust40 ,they had just passed through ,blois2 for three long hours they had been rolling onward2 and ,marie1 who had averted her eyes from ,elise ,rouquet1 now turned them upon a man who occupied a corner seat in the compartment on her left1 that in which ,brother ,isidore was lying4 ,she had noticed this man several times already4 ,poorly clad in an old black frock-coat1 he looked still young1 although his sparse beard was already turning grey2 and1 short and emaciated1 he seemed to experience great suffering1 his fleshless1 livid face being covered with sweat4 ,however1 he remained motionless1 ensconced in his corner1 speaking to nobody1 but staring straight before him with dilated eyes4 ,and all at once ,marie noticed that his eyelids were falling1 and that he was fainting away4 ,she thereupon drew ,sister's ,hyacinthe's attention to him3 8,look1 ,sister6 ,one would think that that gentleman is dangerously ill40 8,which one1 my dear child80 8,that one1 over there1 with his head thrown back40 ,general excitement followed1 all the healthy pilgrims rose up to look1 and it occurred to ,madame de ,jonquire to call to ,marthe1 ,brother ,isidore's sister1 and tell her to tap the man's hands4 8,question him10 she added2 8ask what ails him40 ,marthe drew near1 shook the man1 and questioned him4 ,but instead of an answer only a rattle came from his throat1 and his eyes remained closed4 ,then a frightened voice was heard saying1 8,i think he is going to die40 ,the dread increased1 words flew about1 advice was tendered from one to the other end of the carriage4 ,nobody knew the man4 ,he had certainly not obtained hospitalisation1 for no white card was hanging from his neck4 ,somebody related1 however1 that he had seen him arrive1 dragging himself along1 but three minutes or so before the train started2 and that he had remained quite motionless1 scarce breathing1 ever since he had flung himself with an air of intense weariness into that corner1 where he was now apparently dying4 ,his ticket was at last seen protruding from under the band of an old silk hat which was hung from a peg near him4 8,ah1 he is breathing again now60 ,sister ,hyacinthe suddenly exclaimed4 8,ask him his name40 ,however1 on being again questioned by ,marthe1 the man merely gave vent to a low plaint1 an exclamation scarcely articulated1 8,oh1 how ,i suffer60 ,and thenceforward that was the only answer that could be obtained from him4 ,with reference to everything that they wished to know1 who he was1 whence he came1 what his illness was1 what could be done for him1 he gave no information1 but still and ever continued moaning1 8,oh1 how ,i suffer--how ,i suffer60 ,sister ,hyacinthe grew restless with impatience4 ,ah1 if she had only been in the same compartment with him6 ,and she resolved that she would change her seat at the first station they should stop at4 ,only there would be no stoppage for a long time4 ,the position was becoming terrible1 the more so as the man's head again fell back4 8,he is dying1 he is dying60 repeated the frightened voice4 ,what was to be done1 mon ,dieu8 ,the ,sister was aware that one of the ,fathers of the ,assumption1 ,father ,massias1 was in the train with the ,holy ,oils1 ready to administer extreme unction to the dying2 for every year some of the patients passed away during the journey4 ,but she did not dare to have recourse to the alarm signal4 ,moreover1 in the cantine van where ,sister ,saint ,franois officiated1 there was a doctor with a little medicine chest4 ,if the sufferer should survive until they reached ,poitiers1 where there would be half an hour's stoppage1 all possible help might be given to him4 ,but on the other hand he might suddenly expire4 ,however1 they ended by becoming somewhat calmer4 ,the man1 though still unconscious1 began to breathe in a more regular manner1 and seemed to fall asleep4 8,to think of it1 to die before getting there10 murmured ,marie with a shudder1 8to die in sight of the promised land60 ,and as her father sought to reassure her she added3 8,i am suffering--,i am suffering dreadfully myself40 8,have confidence10 said ,pierre2 8the ,blessed ,virgin is watching over you40 ,she could no longer remain seated1 and it became necessary to replace her in a recumbent position in her narrow coffin4 ,her father and the priest had to take every precaution in doing so1 for the slightest hurt drew a moan from her4 ,and she lay there breathless1 like one dead1 her face contracted by suffering1 and surrounded by her regal fair hair4 ,they had now been rolling on1 ever rolling on for nearly four hours4 ,and if the carriage was so greatly shaken1 with an unbearable spreading tendency1 it was from its position at the rear part of the train4 ,the coupling irons shrieked1 the wheels growled furiously2 and as it was necessary to leave the windows partially open1 the dust came in1 acrid and burning2 but it was especially the heat which grew terrible1 a devouring1 stormy heat falling from a tawny sky which large hanging clouds had slowly covered4 ,the hot carriages1 those rolling boxes where the pilgrims ate and drank1 where the sick lay in a vitiated atmosphere1 amid dizzying moans1 prayers1 and hymns1 became like so many furnaces4 ,and ,marie was not the only one whose condition had been aggravated2 others also were suffering from the journey4 ,resting in the lap of her despairing mother1 who gazed at her with large1 tear-blurred eyes1 little ,rose had ceased to stir1 and had grown so pale that ,madame ,maze had twice leant forward to feel her hands1 fearful lest she should find them cold4 ,at each moment also ,madame ,sabathier had to move her husband's legs1 for their weight was so great1 said he1 that it seemed as if his hips were being torn from him4 ,brother ,isidore too had just begun to cry out1 emerging from his wonted torpor2 and his sister had only been able to assuage his sufferings by raising him1 and clasping him in her arms4 ,la ,grivotte seemed to be asleep1 but a continuous hiccoughing shook her1 and a tiny streamlet of blood dribbled from her mouth4 ,madame ,vetu had again vomited1 ,elise ,rouquet no longer thought of hiding the frightful sore open on her face4 ,and from the man yonder1 breathing hard1 there still came a lugubrious rattle1 as though he were at every moment on the point of expiring4 ,in vain did ,madame de ,jonquire and ,sister ,hyacinthe lavish their attentions on the patients1 they could but slightly assuage so much suffering4 ,at times it all seemed like an evil dream--that carriage of wretchedness and pain1 hurried along at express speed1 with a continuous shaking and jolting which made everything hanging from the pegs--the old clothes1 the worn-out baskets mended with bits of string--swing to and fro incessantly4 ,and in the compartment at the far end1 the ten female pilgrims1 some old1 some young1 and all pitifully ugly1 sang on without a pause in cracked voices1 shrill and dreary4 ,then ,pierre began to think of the other carriages of the train1 that white train which conveyed most1 if not all1 of the more seriously afflicted patients2 these carriages were rolling along1 all displaying similar scenes of suffering among the three hundred sick and five hundred healthy pilgrims crowded within them4 ,and afterwards he thought of the other trains which were leaving ,paris that day1 the grey train and the blue train99 which had preceded the white one1 the green train1 the yellow train1 the pink train1 the orange train which were following it4 ,from hour to hour trains set out from one to the other end of ,france4 ,and he thought1 too1 of those which that same morning had started from ,orleans1 ,le ,mans1 ,poitiers1 ,bordeaux1 ,marseilles1 and ,carcassonne4 ,coming from all parts1 trains were rushing across that land of ,france at the same hour1 all directing their course yonder towards the holy ,grotto1 bringing thirty thousand patients and pilgrims to the ,virgin's feet4 ,and he reflected that other days of the year witnessed a like rush of human beings1 that not a week went by without ,lourdes beholding the arrival of some pilgrimage2 that it was not merely ,france which set out on the march1 but all ,europe1 the whole world2 that in certain years of great religious fervour there had been three hundred thousand1 and even five hundred thousand1 pilgrims and patients streaming to the spot4 99 ,different-coloured tickets are issued for these trains2 it is for this reason that they are called the white1 blue1 and grey trains1 etc4--,trans4 ,pierre fancied that he could hear those flying trains1 those trains from everywhere1 all converging towards the same rocky cavity where the tapers were blazing4 ,they all rumbled loudly amid the cries of pain and snatches of hymns wafted from their carriages4 ,they were the rolling hospitals of disease at its last stage1 of human suffering rushing to the hope of cure1 furiously seeking consolation between attacks of increased severity1 with the ever-present threat of death--death hastened1 supervening under awful conditions1 amidst the mob-like scramble4 ,they rolled on1 they rolled on again and again1 they rolled on without a pause1 carrying the wretchedness of the world on its way to the divine illusion1 the health of the infirm1 the consolation of the afflicted4 ,and immense pity overflowed from ,pierre's heart1 human compassion for all the suffering and all the tears that consumed weak and naked men4 ,he was sad unto death and ardent charity burnt within him1 the unextinguishable flame as it were of his fraternal feelings towards all things and beings4 ,when they left the station of ,saint ,pierre des ,corps at half-past ten1 ,sister ,hyacinthe gave the signal1 and they recited the third chaplet1 the five glorious mysteries1 the ,resurrection of ,our ,lord1 the ,ascension of ,our ,lord1 the ,mission of the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,assumption of the ,most ,blessed ,virgin1 the ,crowning of the ,most ,blessed ,virgin4 ,and afterwards they sang the canticle of ,bernadette1 that long1 long chant1 composed of six times ten couplets1 to which the ever recurring ,angelic ,salutation serves as a refrain--a prolonged lullaby slowly besetting one until it ends by penetrating one's entire being1 transporting one into ecstatic sleep1 in delicious expectancy of a miracle4 ,,ii4 ,,pierre ,,and ,,marie ,,the green landscapes of ,poitou were now defiling before them1 and ,abb ,pierre ,froment1 gazing out of the window1 watched the trees fly away till1 little by little1 he ceased to distinguish them4 ,a steeple appeared and then vanished1 and all the pilgrims crossed themselves4 ,they would not reach ,poitiers until twelve-thirty-five1 and the train was still rolling on amid the growing weariness of that oppressive1 stormy day4 ,falling into a deep reverie1 the young priest no longer heard the words of the canticle1 which sounded in his ears merely like a slow1 wavy lullaby4 ,forgetfulness of the present had come upon him1 an awakening of the past filled his whole being4 ,he was reascending the stream of memory1 reascending it to its source4 ,he again beheld the house at ,neuilly1 where he had been born and where he still lived1 that home of peace and toil1 with its garden planted with a few fine trees1 and parted by a quickset hedge and palisade from the garden of the neighbouring house1 which was similar to his own4 ,he was again three1 perhaps four1 years old1 and round a table1 shaded by the big horse-chestnut tree he once more beheld his father1 his mother1 and his elder brother at djeuner4 ,to his father1 ,michel ,froment1 he could give no distinct lineaments2 he pictured him but faintly1 vaguely1 renowned as an illustrious chemist1 bearing the title of ,member of the ,institute1 and leading a cloistered life in the laboratory which he had installed in that secluded1 deserted suburb4 ,however he could plainly see his first brother ,guillaume1 then fourteen years of age1 whom some holiday had brought from college that morning1 and then and even more vividly his mother1 so gentle and so quiet1 with eyes so full of active kindliness4 ,later on he learnt what anguish had racked that religious soul1 that believing woman who1 from esteem and gratitude1 had resignedly accepted marriage with an unbeliever1 her senior by fifteen years1 to whom her relatives were indebted for great services4 ,he1 ,pierre1 the tardy offspring of this union1 born when his father was already near his fiftieth year1 had only known his mother as a respectful1 conquered woman in the presence of her husband1 whom she had learnt to love passionately1 with the frightful torment of knowing1 however1 that he was doomed to perdition4 ,and1 all at once1 another memory flashed upon the young priest1 the terrible memory of the day when his father had died1 killed in his laboratory by an accident1 the explosion of a retort4 ,he1 ,pierre1 had then been five years old1 and he remembered the slightest incidents--his mother's cry when she had found the shattered body among the remnants of the chemical appliances1 then her terror1 her sobs1 her prayers at the idea that ,god had slain the unbeliever1 damned him for evermore4 ,not daring to burn his books and papers1 she had contented herself with locking up the laboratory1 which henceforth nobody entered4 ,and from that moment1 haunted by a vision of hell1 she had had but one idea1 to possess herself of her second son1 who was still so young1 to give him a strictly religious training1 and through him to ransom her husband--secure his forgiveness from ,god4 ,guillaume1 her elder boy1 had already ceased to belong to her1 having grown up at college1 where he had been won over by the ideas of the century2 but she resolved that the other1 the younger one1 should not leave the house1 but should have a priest as tutor2 and her secret dream1 her consuming hope1 was that she might some day see him a priest himself1 saying his first mass and solacing souls whom the thought of eternity tortured4 ,then between green1 leafy boughs1 flecked with sunlight1 another figure rose vividly before ,pierre's eyes4 ,he suddenly beheld ,marie de ,guersaint as he had seen her one morning through a gap in the hedge dividing the two gardens4 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who belonged to the petty ,norman noblesse1 was a combination of architect and inventor2 and he was at that time busy with a scheme of model dwellings for the poor1 to which churches and schools were to be attached2 an affair of considerable magnitude1 planned none too well1 however1 and in which1 with his customary impetuosity1 the lack of foresight of an imperfect artist1 he was risking the three hundred thousand francs that he possessed4 ,a similarity of religious faith had drawn ,madame de ,guersaint and ,madame ,froment together2 but the former was altogether a superior woman1 perspicuous and rigid1 with an iron hand which alone prevented her household from gliding to a catastrophe2 and she was bringing up her two daughters1 ,blanche and ,marie1 in principles of narrow piety1 the elder one already being as grave as herself1 whilst the younger1 albeit very devout1 was still fond of play1 with an intensity of life within her which found vent in gay peals of sonorous laughter4 ,from their early childhood ,pierre and ,marie played together1 the hedge was ever being crossed1 the two families constantly mingled4 ,and on that clear sunshiny morning1 when he pictured her parting the leafy branches she was already ten years old4 ,he1 who was sixteen1 was to enter the seminary on the following ,tuesday4 ,never had she seemed to him so pretty4 ,her hair1 of a pure golden hue1 was so long that when it was let down it sufficed to clothe her4 ,well did he remember her face as it had been1 with round cheeks1 blue eyes1 red mouth1 and skin of dazzling1 snowy whiteness4 ,she was indeed as gay and brilliant as the sun itself1 a transplendency4 ,yet there were tears at the corners of her eyes1 for she was aware of his coming departure4 ,they sat down together at the far end of the garden1 in the shadow cast by the hedge4 ,their hands mingled1 and their hearts were very heavy4 ,they had1 however1 never exchanged any vows amid their pastimes1 for their innocence was absolute4 ,but now1 on the eve of separation1 their mutual tenderness rose to their lips1 and they spoke without knowing1 swore that they would ever think of one another1 and find one another again1 some day1 even as one meets in heaven to be very1 very happy4 ,then1 without understanding how it happened1 they clasped each other tightly1 to the point of suffocation1 and kissed each other's face1 weeping1 the while1 hot tears4 ,and it was that delightful memory which ,pierre had ever carried with him1 which he felt alive within him still1 after so many years1 and after so many painful renunciations4 ,just then a more violent shock roused him from his reverie4 ,he turned his eyes upon the carriage and vaguely espied the suffering beings it contained--,madame ,maze motionless1 overwhelmed with grief2 little ,rose gently moaning in her mother's lap2 ,la ,grivotte1 whom a hoarse cough was choking4 ,for a moment ,sister ,hyacinthe's gay face shone out amidst the whiteness of her coif and wimple1 dominating all the others4 ,the painful journey was continuing1 with a ray of divine hope still and ever shining yonder4 ,then everything slowly vanished from ,pierre's eyes as a fresh wave of memory brought the past back from afar2 and nothing of the present remained save the lulling hymn1 the indistinct voices of dreamland1 emerging from the invisible4 ,henceforth he was at the seminary4 ,the classrooms1 the recreation ground with its trees1 rose up clearly before him4 ,but all at once he only beheld1 as in a mirror1 the youthful face which had then been his1 and he contemplated it and scrutinised it1 as though it had been the face of a stranger4 ,tall and slender1 he had an elongated visage1 with an unusually developed forehead1 lofty and straight like a tower2 whilst his jaws tapered1 ending in a small refined chin4 ,he seemed1 in fact1 to be all brains2 his mouth1 rather large1 alone retained an expression of tenderness4 ,indeed1 when his usually serious face relaxed1 his mouth and eyes acquired an exceedingly soft expression1 betokening an unsatisfied1 hungry desire to love1 devote oneself1 and live4 ,but immediately afterwards1 the look of intellectual passion would come back again1 that intellectuality which had ever consumed him with an anxiety to understand and know4 ,and it was with surprise that he now recalled those years of seminary life4 ,how was it that he had so long been able to accept the rude discipline of blind faith1 of obedient belief in everything without the slightest examination8 ,it had been required of him that he should absolutely surrender his reasoning faculties1 and he had striven to do so1 had succeeded indeed in stifling his torturing need of truth4 ,doubtless he had been softened1 weakened by his mother's tears1 had been possessed by the sole desire to afford her the great happiness she dreamt of4 ,yet now he remembered certain quiverings of revolt2 he found in the depths of his mind the memory of nights which he had spent in weeping without knowing why1 nights peopled with vague images1 nights through which galloped the free1 virile life of the world1 when ,marie's face incessantly returned to him1 such as he had seen it one morning1 dazzling and bathed in tears1 while she embraced him with her whole soul4 ,and that alone now remained2 his years of religious study with their monotonous lessons1 their ever similar exercises and ceremonies1 had flown away into the same haze1 into a vague half-light1 full of mortal silence4 ,then1 just as the train had passed though a station at full speed1 with the sudden uproar of its rush there arose within him a succession of confused visions4 ,he had noticed a large deserted enclosure1 and fancied that he could see himself within it at twenty years of age4 ,his reverie was wandering4 ,an indisposition of rather long duration had1 however1 at one time interrupted his studies1 and led to his being sent into the country4 ,he had remained for a long time without seeing ,marie2 during his vacations spent at ,neuilly he had twice failed to meet her1 for she was almost always travelling4 ,he knew that she was very ill1 in consequence of a fall from a horse when she was thirteen1 a critical moment in a girl's life2 and her despairing mother1 perplexed by the contradictory advice of medical men1 was taking her each year to a different watering-place4 ,then he learnt the startling news of the sudden tragical death of that mother1 who was so severe and yet so useful to her kin4 ,she had been carried off in five days by inflammation of the lungs1 which she had contracted one evening whilst she was out walking at ,la ,bourboule1 through having taken off her mantle to place it round the shoulders of ,marie1 who had been conveyed thither for treatment4 ,it had been necessary that the father should at once start off to fetch his daughter1 who was mad with grief1 and the corpse of his wife1 who had been so suddenly torn from him4 ,and unhappily1 after losing her1 the affairs of the family went from bad to worse in the hands of this architect1 who1 without counting1 flung his fortune into the yawning gulf of his unsuccessful enterprises4 ,marie no longer stirred from her couch2 only ,blanche remained to manage the household1 and she had matters of her own to attend to1 being busy with the last examinations which she had to pass1 the diplomas which she was obstinately intent on securing1 foreseeing as she did that she would someday have to earn her bread4 ,all at once1 from amidst this mass of confused1 half-forgotten incidents1 ,pierre was conscious of the rise of a vivid vision4 ,ill-health1 he remembered1 had again compelled him to take a holiday4 ,he had just completed his twenty-fourth year1 he was greatly behindhand1 having so far only secured the four minor orders2 but on his return a sub-deaconship would be conferred on him1 and an inviolable vow would bind him for evermore4 ,and the ,guersaints' little garden at ,neuilly1 whither he had formerly so often gone to play1 again distinctly appeared before him4 ,marie's couch had been rolled under the tall trees at the far end of the garden near the hedge1 they were alone together in the sad peacefulness of an autumnal afternoon1 and he saw ,marie1 clad in deep mourning for her mother and reclining there with legs inert2 whilst he1 also clad in black1 in a cassock already1 sat near her on an iron garden chair4 ,for five years she had been suffering4 ,she was now eighteen1 paler and thinner than formerly1 but still adorable with her regal golden hair1 which illness respected4 ,he believed from what he had heard that she was destined to remain infirm1 condemned never to become a woman1 stricken even in her sex4 ,the doctors1 who failed to agree respecting her case1 had abandoned her4 ,doubtless it was she who told him these things that dreary afternoon1 whilst the yellow withered leaves rained upon them4 ,however1 he could not remember the words that they had spoken2 her pale smile1 her young face1 still so charming though already dimmed by regretfulness for life1 alone remained present with him4 ,but he realised that she had evoked the far-off day of their parting1 on that same spot1 behind the hedge flecked with sunlight2 and all that was already as though dead--their tears1 their embrace1 their promise to find one another some day with a certainty of happiness4 ,for although they had found one another again1 what availed it1 since she was but a corpse1 and he was about to bid farewell to the life of the world8 ,as the doctors condemned her1 as she would never be woman1 nor wife1 nor mother1 he1 on his side1 might well renounce manhood1 and annihilate himself1 dedicate himself to ,god1 to whom his mother gave him4 ,and he still felt within him the soft bitterness of that last interview3 ,marie smiling painfully at memory of their childish play and prattle1 and speaking to him of the happiness which he would assuredly find in the service of ,god2 so penetrated indeed with emotion at this thought1 that she had made him promise that he would let her hear him say his first mass4 ,but the train was passing the station of ,sainte-,maure1 and just then a sudden uproar momentarily brought ,pierre's attention back to the carriage and its occupants4 ,he fancied that there had been some fresh seizure or swooning1 but the suffering faces that he beheld were still the same1 ever contracted by the same expression of anxious waiting for the divine succour which was so slow in coming4 ,m4 ,sabathier was vainly striving to get his legs into a comfortable position1 whilst ,brother ,isidore raised a feeble continuous moan like a dying child1 and ,madame ,vetu1 a prey to terrible agony1 devoured by her disease1 sat motionless1 and kept her lips tightly closed1 her face distorted1 haggard1 and almost black4 ,the noise which ,pierre had heard had been occasioned by ,madame de ,jonquire1 who whilst cleansing a basin had dropped the large zinc water-can4 ,and1 despite their torment1 this had made the patients laugh1 like the simple souls they were1 rendered puerile by suffering4 ,however1 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who rightly called them her children1 children whom she governed with a word1 at once set them saying the chaplet again1 pending the ,angelus1 which would only be said at ,chatellerault1 in accordance with the predetermined programme4 ,and thereupon the 8,aves0 followed one after the other1 spreading into a confused murmuring and mumbling amidst the rattling of the coupling irons and noisy growling of the wheels4 ,pierre had meantime relapsed into his reverie1 and beheld himself as he had been at six-and-twenty1 when ordained a priest4 ,tardy scruples had come to him a few days before his ordination1 a semi-consciousness that he was binding himself without having clearly questioned his heart and mind4 ,but he had avoided doing so1 living in the dizzy bewilderment of his decision1 fancying that he had lopped off all human ties and feelings with a voluntary hatchet-stroke4 ,his flesh had surely died with his childhood's innocent romance1 that white-skinned girl with golden hair1 whom now he never beheld otherwise than stretched upon her couch of suffering1 her flesh as lifeless as his own4 ,and he had afterwards made the sacrifice of his mind1 which he then fancied even an easier one1 hoping as he did that determination would suffice to prevent him from thinking4 ,besides1 it was too late1 he could not recoil at the last moment1 and if when he pronounced the last solemn vow he felt a secret terror1 an indeterminate but immense regret agitating him1 he forgot everything1 saving a divine reward for his efforts on the day when he afforded his mother the great and long-expected joy of hearing him say his first mass4 ,he could still see the poor woman in the little church of ,neuilly1 which she herself had selected1 the church where the funeral service for his father had been celebrated2 he saw her on that cold ,november morning1 kneeling almost alone in the dark little chapel1 her hands hiding her face as she continued weeping whilst he raised the ,host4 ,it was there that she had tasted her last happiness1 for she led a sad and lonely life1 no longer seeing her elder son1 who had gone away1 swayed by other ideas than her own1 bent on breaking off all family intercourse since his brother intended to enter the ,church4 ,it was said that ,guillaume1 a chemist of great talent1 like his father1 but at the same time a ,bohemian1 addicted to revolutionary dreams1 was living in a little house in the suburbs1 where he devoted himself to the dangerous study of explosive substances2 and folks added that he was living with a woman who had come no one knew whence4 ,this it was which had severed the last tie between himself and his mother1 all piety and propriety4 ,for three years ,pierre had not once seen ,guillaume1 whom in his childhood he had worshipped as a kind1 merry1 and fatherly big brother4 ,but there came an awful pang to his heart--he once more beheld his mother lying dead4 ,this again was a thunderbolt1 an illness of scarce three days' duration1 a sudden passing away1 as in the case of ,madame de ,guersaint4 ,one evening1 after a wild hunt for the doctor1 he had found her motionless and quite white4 ,she had died during his absence2 and his lips had ever retained the icy thrill of the last kiss that he had given her4 ,of everything else--the vigil1 the preparations1 the funeral--he remembered nothing4 ,all that had become lost in the black night of his stupor and grief1 grief so extreme that he had almost died of it--seized with shivering on his return from the cemetery1 struck down by a fever which during three weeks had kept him delirious1 hovering between life and death4 ,his brother had come and nursed him and had then attended to pecuniary matters1 dividing the little inheritance1 leaving him the house and a modest income and taking his own share in money4 ,and as soon as ,guillaume had found him out of danger he had gone off again1 once more vanishing into the unknown4 ,but then through what a long convalescence he1 ,pierre1 had passed1 buried as it were in that deserted house4 ,he had done nothing to detain ,guillaume1 for he realised that there was an abyss between them4 ,at first the solitude had brought him suffering1 but afterwards it had grown very pleasant1 whether in the deep silence of the rooms which the rare noises of the street did not disturb1 or under the screening1 shady foliage of the little garden1 where he could spend whole days without seeing a soul4 ,his favourite place of refuge1 however1 was the old laboratory1 his father's cabinet1 which his mother for twenty years had kept carefully locked up1 as though to immure within it all the incredulity and damnation of the past4 ,and despite the gentleness1 the respectful submissiveness which she had shown in former times1 she would perhaps have some day ended by destroying all her husband's books and papers1 had not death so suddenly surprised her4 ,pierre1 however1 had once more had the windows opened1 the writing-table and the bookcase dusted2 and1 installed in the large leather arm-chair1 he now spent delicious hours there1 regenerated as it were by his illness1 brought back to his youthful days again1 deriving a wondrous intellectual delight from the perusal of the books which he came upon4 ,the only person whom he remembered having received during those two months of slow recovery was ,doctor ,chassaigne1 an old friend of his father1 a medical man of real merit1 who1 with the one ambition of curing disease1 modestly confined himself to the rle of the practitioner4 ,it was in vain that the doctor had sought to save ,madame ,froment1 but he flattered himself that he had extricated the young priest from grievous danger2 and he came to see him from time to time1 to chat with him and cheer him1 talking with him of his father1 the great chemist1 of whom he recounted many a charming anecdote1 many a particular1 still glowing with the flame of ardent friendship4 ,little by little1 amidst the weak languor of convalescence1 the son had thus beheld an embodiment of charming simplicity1 affection1 and good nature rising up before him4 ,it was his father such as he had really been1 not the man of stern science whom he had pictured whilst listening to his mother4 ,certainly she had never taught him aught but respect for that dear memory2 but had not her husband been the unbeliever1 the man who denied1 and made the angels weep1 the artisan of impiety who sought to change the world that ,god had made8 ,and so he had long remained a gloomy vision1 a spectre of damnation prowling about the house1 whereas now he became the house's very light1 clear and gay1 a worker consumed by a longing for truth1 who had never desired anything but the love and happiness of all4 ,for his part1 ,doctor ,chassaigne1 a ,pyrenean by birth1 born in a far-off secluded village where folks still believed in sorceresses1 inclined rather towards religion1 although he had not set his foot inside a church during the forty years he had been living in ,paris4 ,however1 his conviction was absolute3 if there were a heaven somewhere1 ,michel ,froment was assuredly there1 and not merely there1 but seated upon a throne on the ,divinity's right hand4 ,then ,pierre1 in a few minutes1 again lived through the frightful torment which1 during two long months1 had ravaged him4 ,it was not that he had found controversial works of an anti-religious character in the bookcase1 or that his father1 whose papers he sorted1 had ever gone beyond his technical studies as a savant4 ,but little by little1 despite himself1 the light of science dawned upon him1 an ensemble of proven phenomena1 which demolished dogmas and left within him nothing of the things which as a priest he should have believed4 ,it seemed1 in fact1 as though illness had renewed him1 as though he were again beginning to live and learn amidst the physical pleasantness of convalescence1 that still subsisting weakness which lent penetrating lucidity to his brain4 ,at the seminary1 by the advice of his masters1 he had always kept the spirit of inquiry1 his thirst for knowledge1 in check4 ,much of that which was taught him there had surprised him2 however1 he had succeeded in making the sacrifice of his mind required of his piety4 ,but now1 all the laboriously raised scaffolding of dogmas was swept away in a revolt of that sovereign mind which clamoured for its rights1 and which he could no longer silence4 ,truth was bubbling up and overflowing in such an irresistible stream that he realised he would never succeed in lodging error in his brain again4 ,it was indeed the total and irreparable ruin of faith4 ,although he had been able to kill his flesh by renouncing the romance of his youth1 although he felt that he had altogether mastered carnal passion1 he now knew that it would be impossible for him to make the sacrifice of his intelligence4 ,and he was not mistaken2 it was indeed his father again springing to life in the depths of his being1 and at last obtaining the mastery in that dual heredity in which1 during so many years1 his mother had dominated4 ,the upper part of his face1 his straight1 towering brow1 seemed to have risen yet higher1 whilst the lower part1 the small chin1 the affectionate mouth1 were becoming less distinct4 ,however1 he suffered2 at certain twilight hours when his kindliness1 his need of love awoke1 he felt distracted with grief at no longer believing1 distracted with desire to believe again2 and it was necessary that the lighted lamp should be brought in1 that he should see clearly around him and within him1 before he could recover the energy and calmness of reason1 the strength of martyrdom1 the determination to sacrifice everything to the peace of his conscience4 ,then came the crisis4 ,he was a priest and he no longer believed4 ,this had suddenly dawned before him like a bottomless abyss4 ,it was the end of his life1 the collapse of everything4 ,what should he do8 ,did not simple rectitude require that he should throw off the cassock and return to the world8 ,but he had seen some renegade priests and had despised them4 ,a married priest with whom he was acquainted filled him with disgust4 ,all this1 no doubt1 was but a survival of his long religious training4 ,he retained the notion that a priest cannot1 must not1 weaken2 the idea that when one has dedicated oneself to ,god one cannot take possession of oneself again4 ,possibly1 also1 he felt that he was too plainly branded1 too different from other men already1 to prove otherwise than awkward and unwelcome among them4 ,since he had been cut off from them he would remain apart in his grievous pride2 ,and1 after days of anguish1 days of struggle incessantly renewed1 in which his thirst for happiness warred with the energies of his returning health1 he took the heroic resolution to remain a priest1 and an honest one4 ,he would find the strength necessary for such abnegation4 ,since he had conquered the flesh1 albeit unable to conquer the brain1 he felt sure of keeping his vow of chastity1 and that would be unshakable2 therein lay the pure1 upright life which he was absolutely certain of living4 ,what mattered the rest if he alone suffered1 if nobody in the world suspected that his heart was reduced to ashes1 that nothing remained of his faith1 that he was agonising amidst fearful falsehood8 ,his rectitude would prove a firm prop2 he would follow his priestly calling like an honest man1 without breaking any of the vows he had taken2 he would1 in due accordance with the rites1 discharge his duties as a minister of the ,divinity1 whom he would praise and glorify at the altar1 and distribute as the ,bread of ,life to the faithful4 ,who1 then1 would dare to impute his loss of faith to him as a crime1 even if this great misfortune should some day become known8 ,and what more could be asked of him than lifelong devotion to his vow1 regard for his ministry1 and the practice of every charity without the hope of any future reward8 ,in this wise he ended by calming himself1 still upright1 still bearing his head erect1 with the desolate grandeur of the priest who himself no longer believes1 but continues watching over the faith of others4 ,and he certainly was not alone2 he felt that he had many brothers1 priests with ravaged minds1 who had sunk into incredulity1 and who yet1 like soldiers without a fatherland1 remained at the altar1 and1 despite1 everything1 found the courage to make the divine illusion shine forth above the kneeling crowds4 ,on recovering his health ,pierre had immediately resumed his service at the little church of ,neuilly4 ,he said his mass there every morning4 ,but he had resolved to refuse any appointment1 any preferment4 ,months and years went by1 and he obstinately insisted on remaining the least known and the most humble of those priests who are tolerated in a parish1 who appear and disappear after discharging their duty4 ,the acceptance of any appointment would have seemed to him an aggravation of his falsehood1 a theft from those who were more deserving than himself4 ,and he had to resist frequent offers1 for it was impossible for his merits to remain unnoticed4 ,indeed1 his obstinate modesty provoked astonishment at the archbishop's palace1 where there was a desire to utilise the power which could be divined in him4 ,now and again1 it is true1 he bitterly regretted that he was not useful1 that he did not co-operate in some great work1 in furthering the purification of the world1 the salvation and happiness of all1 in accordance with his own ardent1 torturing desire4 ,fortunately his time was nearly all his own1 and to console himself he gave rein to his passion for work by devouring every volume in his father's bookcase1 and then again resuming and considering his studies1 feverishly preoccupied with regard to the history of nations1 full of a desire to explore the depths of the social and religious crisis so that he might ascertain whether it were really beyond remedy4 ,it was at this time1 whilst rummaging one morning in one of the large drawers in the lower part of the bookcase1 that he discovered quite a collection of papers respecting the apparitions of ,lourdes4 ,it was a very complete set of documents1 comprising detailed notes of the interrogatories to which ,bernadette had been subjected1 copies of numerous official documents1 and police and medical reports1 in addition to many private and confidential letters of the greatest interest4 ,this discovery had surprised ,pierre1 and he had questioned1 ,doctor ,chassaigne concerning it4 ,the latter thereupon remembered that his friend1 ,michel ,froment1 had at one time passionately devoted himself to the study of ,bernadette's case2 and he himself1 a native of the village near ,lourdes1 had procured for the chemist a portion of the documents in the collection4 ,pierre1 in his turn1 then became impassioned1 and for a whole month continued studying the affair1 powerfully attracted by the visionary's pure1 upright nature1 but indignant with all that had subsequently sprouted up--the barbarous fetishism1 the painful superstitions1 and the triumphant simony4 ,in the access of unbelief which had come upon him1 this story of ,lourdes was certainly of a nature to complete the collapse of his faith4 ,however1 it had also excited his curiosity1 and he would have liked to investigate it1 to establish beyond dispute what scientific truth might be in it1 and render pure ,christianity the service of ridding it of this scoria1 this fairy tale1 all touching and childish as it was4 ,but he had been obliged to relinquish his studies1 shrinking from the necessity of making a journey to the ,grotto1 and finding that it would be extremely difficult to obtain the information which he still needed2 and of it all there at last only remained within him a tender feeling for ,bernadette1 of whom he could not think without a sensation of delightful charm and infinite pity4 ,the days went by1 and ,pierre led a more and more lonely life4 ,doctor ,chassaigne had just left for the ,pyrenees in a state of mortal anxiety4 ,abandoning his patients1 he had set out for ,cauterets with his ailing wife1 who was sinking more and more each day1 to the infinite distress of both his charming daughter and himself4 ,from that moment the little house at ,neuilly fell into deathlike silence and emptiness4 ,pierre had no other distraction than that of occasionally going to see the ,guersaints1 who had long since left the neighbouring house1 but whom he had found again in a small lodging in a wretched tenement of the district4 ,and the memory of his first visit to them there was yet so fresh within him1 that he felt a pang at his heart as he recalled his emotion at sight of the hapless ,marie4 ,that pang roused him from his reverie1 and on looking round he perceived ,marie stretched on the seat1 even as he had found her on the day which he recalled1 already imprisoned in that gutter-like box1 that coffin to which wheels were adapted when she was taken out-of-doors for an airing4 ,she1 formerly so brimful of life1 ever astir and laughing1 was dying of inaction and immobility in that box4 ,of her old-time beauty she had retained nothing save her hair1 which clad her as with a royal mantle1 and she was so emaciated that she seemed to have grown smaller again1 to have become once more a child4 ,and what was most distressing was the expression on her pale face1 the blank1 frigid stare of her eyes which did not see1 the ever haunting absent look1 as of one whom suffering overwhelmed4 ,however1 she noticed that ,pierre was gazing at her1 and at once desired to smile at him2 but irresistible moans escaped her1 and when she did at last smile1 it was like a poor smitten creature who is convinced that she will expire before the miracle takes place4 ,he was overcome by it1 and1 amidst all the sufferings with which the carriage abounded1 hers were now the only ones that he beheld and heard1 as though one and all were summed up in her1 in the long and terrible agony of her beauty1 gaiety1 and youth4 ,then by degrees1 without taking his eyes from ,marie1 he again reverted to former days1 again lived those hours1 fraught with a mournful and bitter charm1 which he had often spent beside her1 when he called at the sorry lodging to keep her company4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had finally ruined himself by trying to improve the artistic quality of the religious prints so widely sold in ,france1 the faulty execution of which quite irritated him4 ,his last resources had been swallowed up in the failure of a colour-printing firm2 and1 heedless as he was1 deficient in foresight1 ever trusting in ,providence1 his childish mind continually swayed by illusions1 he did not notice the awful pecuniary embarrassment of the household2 but applied himself to the study of aerial navigation1 without even realising what prodigious activity his elder daughter1 ,blanche1 was forced to display1 in order to earn the living of her two children1 as she was wont to call her father and her sister4 ,it was ,blanche who1 by running about ,paris in the dust or the mud from morning to evening in order to give ,french or music lessons1 contrived to provide the money necessary for the unremitting attentions which ,marie required4 ,and ,marie often experienced attacks of despair--bursting into tears and accusing herself of being the primary cause of their ruin1 as for years and years now it had been necessary to pay for medical attendance and for taking her to almost every imaginable spring--,la ,bourboule1 ,aix1 ,lamalou1 ,amelie-les-,bains1 and others4 ,and the outcome of ten years of varied diagnosis and treatment was that the doctors had now abandoned her4 ,some thought her illness to be due to the rupture of certain ligaments1 others believed in the presence of a tumour1 others again to paralysis due to injury to the spinal cord1 and as she1 with maidenly revolt1 refused to undergo any examination1 and they did not even dare to address precise questions to her1 they each contented themselves with their several opinions and declared that she was beyond cure4 ,moreover1 she now solely relied upon the divine help1 having grown rigidly pious since she had been suffering1 and finding her only relief in her ardent faith4 ,every morning she herself read the holy offices1 for to her great sorrow she was unable to go to church4 ,her inert limbs indeed seemed quite lifeless1 and she had sunk into a condition of extreme weakness1 to such a point1 in fact1 that on certain days it became necessary for her sister to place her food in her mouth4 ,pierre was thinking of this when all at once he recalled an evening he had spent with her4 ,the lamp had not yet been lighted1 he was seated beside her in the growing obscurity1 and she suddenly told him that she wished to go to ,lourdes1 feeling certain that she would return cured4 ,he had experienced an uncomfortable sensation on hearing her speak in this fashion1 and quite forgetting himself had exclaimed that it was folly to believe in such childishness4 ,he had hitherto made it a rule never to converse with her on religious matters1 having not only refused to be her confessor1 but even to advise her with regard to the petty uncertainties of her pietism4 ,in this respect he was influenced by feelings of mingled shame and compassion2 to lie to her of all people would have made him suffer1 and1 moreover1 he would have deemed himself a criminal had he even by a breath sullied that fervent pure faith which lent her such strength against pain4 ,and so1 regretting that he had not been able to restrain his exclamation1 he remained sorely embarrassed1 when all at once he felt the girl's cold hand take hold of his own4 ,and then1 emboldened by the darkness1 she ventured in a gentle1 faltering voice1 to tell him that she already knew his secret1 his misfortune1 that wretchedness1 so fearful for a priest1 of being unable to believe4 ,despite himself he had revealed everything during their chats together1 and she1 with the delicate intuition of a friend1 had been able to read his conscience4 ,she felt terribly distressed on his account2 she deemed him1 with that mortal moral malady1 to be more deserving of pity than herself4 ,and then as he1 thunderstruck1 was still unable to find an answer1 acknowledging the truth of her words by his very silence1 she again began to speak to him of ,lourdes1 adding in a low whisper that she wished to confide him as well as herself to the protection of the ,blessed ,virgin1 whom she entreated to restore him to faith4 ,and from that evening forward she did not cease speaking on the subject1 repeating again and again1 that if she went to ,lourdes she would be surely cured4 ,but she was prevented from making the journey by lack of means and she did not even dare to speak to her sister of the pecuniary question4 ,so two months went by1 and day by day she grew weaker1 exhausted by her longing dreams1 her eyes ever turned towards the flashing light of the miraculous ,grotto far away4 ,pierre then experienced many painful days4 ,he had at first told ,marie that he would not accompany her4 ,but his decision was somewhat shaken by the thought that if he made up his mind to go1 he might profit by the journey to continue his inquiries with regard to ,bernadette1 whose charming image lingered in his heart4 ,and at last he even felt penetrated by a delightful feeling1 an unacknowledged hope1 the hope that ,marie was perhaps right1 that the ,virgin might take pity on him and restore to him his former blind faith1 the faith of the child who loves and does not question4 ,oh6 to believe1 to believe with his whole soul1 to plunge into faith for ever6 ,doubtless there was no other possible happiness4 ,he longed for faith with all the joyousness of his youth1 with all the love that he had felt for his mother1 with all his burning desire to escape from the torment of understanding and knowing1 and to slumber forever in the depths of divine ignorance4 ,it was cowardly1 and yet so delightful2 to exist no more1 to become a mere thing in the hands of the ,divinity4 ,and thus he was at last possessed by a desire to make the supreme experiment4 ,a week later the journey to ,lourdes was decided upon4 ,pierre1 however1 had insisted on a final consultation of medical men in order to ascertain if it were really possible for ,marie to travel2 and this again was a scene which rose up before him1 with certain incidents which he ever beheld whilst others were already fading from his mind4 ,two of the doctors who had formerly attended the patient1 and one of whom believed in the rupture of certain ligaments1 whilst the other asserted the case to be one of medullary paralysis1 had ended by agreeing that this paralysis existed1 and that there was also1 possibly1 some ligamentary injury4 ,in their opinion all the symptoms pointed to this diagnosis1 and the nature of the case seemed to them so evident that they did not hesitate to give certificates1 each his own1 agreeing almost word for word with one another1 and so positive in character as to leave no room for doubt4 ,moreover1 they thought that the journey was practicable1 though it would certainly prove an exceedingly painful one4 ,pierre thereupon resolved to risk it1 for he had found the doctors very prudent1 and very desirous to arrive at the truth2 and he retained but a confused recollection of the third medical man who had been called in1 a distant cousin of his named ,de ,beauclair1 who was young1 extremely intelligent1 but little known as yet1 and said by some to be rather strange in his theories4 ,this doctor1 after looking at ,marie for a long time1 had asked somewhat anxiously about her parents1 and had seemed greatly interested by what was told him of ,m4 de ,guersaint1 this architect and inventor with a weak and exuberant mind4 ,then he had desired to measure the sufferer's visual field1 and by a slight discreet touch had ascertained the locality of the pain1 which1 under certain pressure1 seemed to ascend like a heavy shifting mass towards the breast4 ,he did not appear to attach importance to the paralysis of the legs2 but on a direct question being put to him he exclaimed that the girl ought to be taken to ,lourdes and that she would assuredly be cured there1 if she herself were convinced of it4 ,faith sufficed1 said he1 with a smile2 two pious lady patients of his1 whom he had sent thither during the preceding year1 had returned in radiant health4 ,he even predicted how the miracle would come about2 it would be like a lightning stroke1 an awakening1 an exaltation of the entire being1 whilst the evil1 that horrid1 diabolical weight which stifled the poor girl would once more ascend and fly away as though emerging by her mouth4 ,but at the same time he flatly declined to give a certificate4 ,he had failed to agree with his two confrres1 who treated him coldly1 as though they considered him a wild1 adventurous young fellow4 ,pierre confusedly remembered some shreds of the discussion which had begun again in his presence1 some little part of the diagnosis framed by ,beauclair4 ,first1 a dislocation of the organ1 with a slight laceration of the ligaments1 resulting from the patient's fall from her horse2 then a slow healing1 everything returning to its place1 followed by consecutive nervous symptoms1 so that the sufferer was now simply beset by her original fright1 her attention fixed on the injured part1 arrested there amidst increasing pain1 incapable of acquiring fresh notions unless it were under the lash of some violent emotion4 ,moreover1 he also admitted the probability of accidents due to nutrition1 as yet unexplained1 and on the course and importance of which he himself would not venture to give an opinion4 ,however1 the idea that ,marie dreamt her disease1 that the fearful sufferings torturing her came from an injury long since healed1 appeared such a paradox to ,pierre when he gazed at her and saw her in such agony1 her limbs already stretched out lifeless on her bed of misery1 that he did not even pause to consider it2 but at that moment felt simply happy in the thought that all three doctors agreed in authorising the journey to ,lourdes4 ,to him it was sufficient that she might be cured1 and to attain that result he would have followed her to the end of the world4 ,ah6 those last days of ,paris1 amid what a scramble they were spent6 ,the national pilgrimage was about to start1 and in order to avoid heavy expenses1 it had occurred to him to obtain hospitalisation for ,marie4 ,then he had been obliged to run about in order to obtain his own admission1 as a helper1 into the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation4 ,m4 de ,guersaint was delighted with the prospect of the journey1 for he was fond of nature1 and ardently desired to become acquainted with the ,pyrenees4 ,moreover1 he did not allow anything to worry him1 but was perfectly willing that the young priest should pay his railway fare1 and provide for him at the hotel yonder as for a child2 and his daughter ,blanche1 having slipped a twenty-franc piece into his hand at the last moment1 he had even thought himself rich again4 ,that poor brave ,blanche had a little hidden store of her own1 savings to the amount of fifty francs1 which it had been absolutely necessary to accept1 for she became quite angry in her determination to contribute towards her sister's cure1 unable as she was to form one of the party1 owing to the lessons which she had to give in ,paris1 whose hard pavements she must continue pacing1 whilst her dear ones were kneeling yonder1 amidst the enchantments of the ,grotto4 ,and so the others had started on1 and were now rolling1 ever rolling along4 ,as they passed the station of ,chatellerault a sudden burst of voices made ,pierre start1 and drove away the torpor into which his reverie had plunged him4 ,what was the matter8 ,were they reaching ,poitiers8 ,but it was only half-past twelve o'clock1 and it was simply ,sister ,hyacinthe who had roused him1 by making her patients and pilgrims say the ,angelus1 the three 8,aves0 thrice repeated4 ,then the voices burst forth1 and the sound of a fresh canticle arose1 and continued like a lamentation4 ,fully five and twenty minutes must elapse before they would reach ,poitiers1 where it seemed as if the half-hour's stoppage would bring relief to every suffering6 ,they were all so uncomfortable1 so roughly shaken in that malodorous1 burning carriage6 ,such wretchedness was beyond endurance4 ,big tears coursed down the cheeks of ,madame ,vincent1 a muttered oath escaped ,m4 ,sabathier usually so resigned1 and ,brother ,isidore1 ,la ,grivotte1 and ,madame ,vetu seemed to have become inanimate1 mere waifs carried along by a torrent4 ,moreover1 ,marie no longer answered1 but had closed her eyes and would not open them1 pursued as she was by the horrible vision of ,elise ,rouquet's face1 that face with its gaping cavities which seemed to her to be the image of death4 ,and whilst the train increased its speed1 bearing all this human despair onward1 under the heavy sky1 athwart the burning plains1 there was yet another scare in the carriage4 ,the strange man had apparently ceased to breathe1 and a voice cried out that he was expiring4 ,,iii4 ,,poitiers ,,as soon as the train arrived at ,poitiers1 ,sister ,hyacinthe alighted in all haste1 amidst the crowd of porters opening the carriage doors1 and of pilgrims darting forward to reach the platform4 8,wait a moment1 wait a moment10 she repeated1 8let me pass first4 ,i wish to see if all is over40 ,then1 having entered the other compartment1 she raised the strange man's head1 and seeing him so pale1 with such blank eyes1 she did at first think him already dead4 ,at last1 however1 she detected a faint breathing4 8,no1 no10 she then exclaimed1 8he still breathes4 ,quick6 there is no time to be lost40 ,and1 perceiving the other ,sister1 she added3 8,sister ,claire des ,anges1 will you go and fetch ,father ,massias1 who must be in the third or fourth carriage of the train8 ,tell him that we have a patient in very great danger here1 and ask him to bring the ,holy ,oils at once40 ,without answering1 the other ,sister at once plunged into the midst of the scramble4 ,she was small1 slender1 and gentle1 with a meditative air and mysterious eyes1 but withal extremely active4 ,pierre1 who was standing in the other compartment watching the scene1 now ventured to make a suggestion3 8,and would it not be as well to fetch the doctor80 said he4 8,yes1 ,i was thinking of it10 replied ,sister ,hyacinthe1 8and1 ,monsieur l',abb1 it would be very kind of you to go for him yourself40 ,it so happened that ,pierre intended going to the cantine carriage to fetch some broth for ,marie4 ,now that she was no longer being jolted she felt somewhat relieved1 and had opened her eyes1 and caused her father to raise her to a sitting posture4 ,keenly thirsting for fresh air1 she would have much liked them to carry her out on to the platform for a moment1 but she felt that it would be asking too much1 that it would be too troublesome a task to place her inside the carriage again4 ,so ,m4 de ,guersaint remained by himself on the platform1 near the open door1 smoking a cigarette1 whilst ,pierre hastened to the cantine van1 where he knew he would find the doctor on duty1 with his travelling pharmacy4 ,some other patients1 whom one could not think of removing1 also remained in the carriage4 ,amongst them was ,la ,grivotte1 who was stifling and almost delirious1 in such a state indeed as to detain ,madame de ,jonquire1 who had arranged to meet her daughter ,raymonde1 with ,madame ,volmar and ,madame ,dsagneaux1 in the refreshment-room1 in order that they might all four lunch together4 ,but that unfortunate creature seemed on the point of expiring1 so how could she leave her all alone1 on the hard seat of that carriage8 ,on his side1 ,m4 ,sabathier1 likewise riveted to his seat1 was waiting for his wife1 who had gone to fetch a bunch of grapes for him2 whilst ,marthe had remained with her brother the missionary1 whose faint moan never ceased4 ,the others1 those who were able to walk1 had hustled one another in their haste to alight1 all eager as they were to escape for a moment from that cage of wretchedness where their limbs had been quite numbed by the seven hours' journey which they had so far gone4 ,madame ,maze had at once drawn apart1 straying with melancholy face to the far end of the platform1 where she found herself all alone2 ,madame ,vetu1 stupefied by her sufferings1 had found sufficient strength to take a few steps1 and sit down on a bench1 in the full sunlight1 where she did not even feel the burning heat2 whilst ,elise ,rouquet1 who had had the decency to cover her face with a black wrap1 and was consumed by a desire for fresh water1 went hither and thither in search of a drinking fountain4 ,and meantime ,madame ,vincent1 walking slowly1 carried her little ,rose about in her arms1 trying to smile at her1 and to cheer her by showing her some gaudily coloured picture bills1 which the child gravely gazed at1 but did not see4 ,pierre had the greatest possible difficulty in making his way through the crowd inundating the platform4 ,no effort of imagination could enable one to picture the living torrent of ailing and healthy beings which the train had here set down--a mob of more than a thousand persons just emerging from suffocation1 and bustling1 hurrying hither and thither4 ,each carriage had contributed its share of wretchedness1 like some hospital ward suddenly evacuated2 and it was now possible to form an idea of the frightful amount of suffering which this terrible white train carried along with it1 this train which disseminated a legend of horror wheresoever it passed4 ,some infirm sufferers were dragging themselves about1 others were being carried1 and many remained in a heap on the platform4 ,there were sudden pushes1 violent calls1 innumerable displays of distracted eagerness to reach the refreshment-room and the buvette4 ,each and all made haste1 going wheresoever their wants called them4 ,this stoppage of half an hour's duration1 the only stoppage there would be before reaching ,lourdes1 was1 after all1 such a short one4 ,and the only gay note1 amidst all the black cassocks and the threadbare garments of the poor1 never of any precise shade of colour1 was supplied by the smiling whiteness of the ,little ,sisters of the ,assumption1 all bright and active in their snowy coifs1 wimples1 and aprons4 ,when ,pierre at last reached the cantine van near the middle of the train1 he found it already besieged4 ,there was here a petroleum stove1 with a small supply of cooking utensils4 ,the broth prepared from concentrated meat-extract was being warmed in wrought-iron pans1 whilst the preserved milk in tins was diluted and supplied as occasion required4 ,there were some other provisions1 such as biscuits1 fruit1 and chocolate1 on a few shelves4 ,but ,sister ,saint-,franois1 to whom the service was entrusted1 a short1 stout woman of five-and-forty1 with a good-natured fresh-coloured face1 was somewhat losing her head in the presence of all the hands so eagerly stretched towards her4 ,whilst continuing her distribution1 she lent ear to ,pierre1 as he called the doctor1 who with his travelling pharmacy occupied another corner of the van4 ,then1 when the young priest began to explain matters1 speaking of the poor unknown man who was dying1 a sudden desire came to her to go and see him1 and she summoned another ,sister to take her place4 8,oh6 ,i wished to ask you1 ,sister1 for some broth for a passenger who is ill10 said ,pierre1 at that moment turning towards her4 8,very well1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i will bring some4 ,go on in front40 ,the doctor and the abb went off in all haste1 rapidly questioning and answering one another1 whilst behind them followed ,sister ,saint-,franois1 carrying the bowl of broth with all possible caution amidst the jostling of the crowd4 ,the doctor was a dark-complexioned man of eight-and-twenty1 robust and extremely handsome1 with the head of a young ,roman emperor1 such as may still be occasionally met with in the sunburnt land of ,provence4 ,as soon as ,sister ,hyacinthe caught sight of him1 she raised an exclamation of surprise3 8,what6 ,monsieur ,ferrand1 is it you80 ,indeed1 they both seemed amazed at meeting in this manner4 ,it is1 however1 the courageous mission of the ,sisters of the ,assumption to tend the ailing poor1 those who lie in agony in their humble garrets1 and cannot pay for nursing2 and thus these good women spend their lives among the wretched1 installing themselves beside the sufferer's pallet in his tiny lodging1 and ministering to every want1 attending alike to cooking and cleaning1 and living there as servants and relatives1 until either cure or death supervenes4 ,and it was in this wise that ,sister ,hyacinthe1 young as she was1 with her milky face1 and her blue eyes which ever laughed1 had installed herself one day in the abode of this young fellow1 ,ferrand1 then a medical student1 prostrated by typhoid fever1 and so desperately poor that he lived in a kind of loft reached by a ladder1 in the ,rue du ,four4 ,and from that moment she had not stirred from his side1 but had remained with him until she cured him1 with the passion of one who lived only for others1 one who when an infant had been found in a church porch1 and who had no other family than that of those who suffered1 to whom she devoted herself with all her ardently affectionate nature4 ,and what a delightful month1 what exquisite comradeship1 fraught with the pure fraternity of suffering1 had followed6 ,when he called her 8,sister10 it was really to a sister that he was speaking4 ,and she was a mother also1 a mother who helped him to rise1 and who put him to bed as though he were her child1 without aught springing up between them save supreme pity1 the divine1 gentle compassion of charity4 ,she ever showed herself gay1 sexless1 devoid of any instinct excepting that which prompted her to assuage and to console4 ,and he worshipped her1 venerated her1 and had retained of her the most chaste and passionate of recollections4 8,o ,sister ,hyacinthe60 he murmured in delight4 ,chance alone had brought them face to face again1 for ,ferrand was not a believer1 and if he found himself in that train it was simply because he had at the last moment consented to take the place of a friend who was suddenly prevented from coming4 ,for nearly a twelvemonth he had been a house-surgeon at the ,hospital of ,la ,pitie4 ,however1 this journey to ,lourdes1 in such peculiar circumstances1 greatly interested him4 ,the joy of the meeting was making them forget the ailing stranger4 ,and so the ,sister resumed3 8,you see1 ,monsieur ,ferrand1 it is for this man that we want you4 ,at one moment we thought him dead4 ,ever since we passed ,amboise he has been filling us with fear1 and ,i have just sent for the ,holy ,oils4 ,do you find him so very low8 ,could you not revive him a little80 ,the doctor was already examining the man1 and thereupon the sufferers who had remained in the carriage became greatly interested and began to look4 ,marie1 to whom ,sister ,saint-,franois had given the bowl of broth1 was holding it with such an unsteady hand that ,pierre had to take it from her1 and endeavour to make her drink2 but she could not swallow1 and she left the broth scarce tasted1 fixing her eyes upon the man waiting to see what would happen like one whose own existence is at stake4 8,tell me10 again asked ,sister ,hyacinthe1 8how do you find him8 ,what is his illness80 8,what is his illness60 muttered ,ferrand2 8he has every illness40 ,then1 drawing a little phial from his pocket1 he endeavoured to introduce a few drops of the contents between the sufferer's clenched teeth4 ,the man heaved a sigh1 raised his eyelids and let them fall again2 that was all1 he gave no other sign of life4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 usually so calm and composed1 so little accustomed to despair1 became impatient4 8,but it is terrible10 said she1 8and ,sister ,claire des ,anges does not come back6 ,yet ,i told her plainly enough where she would find ,father ,massias's carriage4 ,mon ,dieu6 what will become of us80 ,sister ,saint-,franois1 seeing that she could render no help1 was now about to return to the cantine van4 ,before doing so1 however1 she inquired if the man were not simply dying of hunger2 for such cases presented themselves1 and indeed she had only come to the compartment with the view of offering some of her provisions4 ,at last1 as she went off1 she promised that she would make ,sister ,claire des ,anges hasten her return should she happen to meet her2 and she had not gone twenty yards when she turned round and waved her arm to call attention to her colleague1 who with discreet short steps was coming back alone4 ,leaning out of the window1 ,sister ,hyacinthe kept on calling to her1 8,make haste1 make haste6 ,well1 and where is ,father ,massias80 8,he isn't there40 8,what6 not there80 8,no4 ,i went as fast as ,i could1 but with all these people about it was not possible to get there quickly4 ,when ,i reached the carriage ,father ,massias had already alighted1 and gone out of the station1 no doubt40 ,she thereupon explained1 that according to what she had heard1 ,father ,massias and the priest of ,sainte-,radegonde had some appointment together4 ,in other years the national pilgrimage halted at ,poitiers for four-and-twenty hours1 and after those who were ill had been placed in the town hospital the others went in procession to ,sainte-,radegonde499 ,that year1 however1 there was some obstacle to this course being followed1 so the train was going straight on to ,lourdes2 and ,father ,massias was certainly with his friend the priest1 talking with him on some matter of importance4 99 ,the church of ,sainte-,radegonde1 built by the saint of that name in the sixth century1 is famous throughout ,poitou4 ,in the crypt between the tombs of ,ste4 ,agnes and ,st4 ,disciole is that of ,ste4 ,radegonde herself1 but it now only contains some particles of her remains1 as the greater portion was burnt by the ,huguenots in #aefb4 ,on a previous occasion 7#adab7 the tomb had been violated by ,jean1 ,duc de ,berry1 who wished to remove both the saint's head and her two rings4 ,whilst he was making the attempt1 however1 the skeleton is said to have withdrawn its hand so that he might not possess himself of the rings4 ,a greater curiosity which the church contains is a footprint on a stone slab1 said to have been left by ,christ when ,he appeared to ,ste4 ,radegonde in her cell4 ,this attracts pilgrims from many parts4--,trans4 8,they promised to tell him and send him here with the ,holy ,oils as soon as they found him10 added ,sister ,claire4 ,however1 this was quite a disaster for ,sister ,hyacinthe4 ,since ,science was powerless1 perhaps the ,holy ,oils would have brought the sufferer some relief4 ,she had often seen that happen4 8,o ,sister1 ,sister1 how worried ,i am60 she said to her companion4 8,do you know1 ,i wish you would go back and watch for ,father ,massias and bring him to me as soon as you see him4 ,it would be so kind of you to do so60 8,yes1 ,sister10 compliantly answered ,sister ,claire des ,anges1 and off she went again with that grave1 mysterious air of hers1 wending her way through the crowd like a gliding shadow4 ,ferrand1 meantime1 was still looking at the man1 sorely distressed at his inability to please ,sister ,hyacinthe by reviving him4 ,and as he made a gesture expressive of his powerlessness she again raised her voice entreatingly3 8,stay with me1 ,monsieur ,ferrand1 pray stay10 she said4 8,wait till ,father ,massias comes--,i shall be a little more at ease with you here40 ,he remained and helped her to raise the man1 who was slipping down upon the seat4 ,then1 taking a linen cloth1 she wiped the poor fellow's face which a dense perspiration was continually covering4 ,and the spell of waiting continued amid the uneasiness of the patients who had remained in the carriage1 and the curiosity of the folks who had begun to assemble on the platform in front of the compartment4 ,all at once however a girl hastily pushed the crowd aside1 and1 mounting on the footboard1 addressed herself to ,madame de ,jonquire3 8,what is the matter1 mamma80 she said4 8,they are waiting for you in the refreshment-room40 ,it was ,raymonde de ,jonquire1 who1 already somewhat ripe for her four-and-twenty years1 was remarkably like her mother1 being very dark1 with a pronounced nose1 large mouth1 and full1 pleasant-looking face4 8,but1 my dear1 you can see for yourself4 ,i can't leave this poor woman10 replied the lady-hospitaller2 and thereupon she pointed to ,la ,grivotte1 who had been attacked by a fit of coughing which shook her frightfully4 8,oh1 how annoying1 mamma60 retorted ,raymonde1 8,madame ,dsagneaux and ,madame ,volmar were looking forward with so much pleasure to this little lunch together40 8,well1 it can't be helped1 my dear4 ,at all events1 you can begin without waiting for me4 ,tell the ladies that ,i will come and join them as soon as ,i can40 ,then1 an idea occurring to her1 ,madame de ,jonquire added3 8,wait a moment1 the doctor is here4 ,i will try to get him to take charge of my patient4 ,go back1 ,i will follow you4 ,as you can guess1 ,i am dying of hunger40 ,raymonde briskly returned to the refreshment-room whilst her mother begged ,ferrand to come into her compartment to see if he could do something to relieve ,la ,grivotte4 ,at ,marthe's request he had already examined ,brother ,isidore1 whose moaning never ceased2 and with a sorrowful gesture he had again confessed his powerlessness4 ,however1 he hastened to comply with ,madame de ,jonquire's appeal1 and raised the consumptive woman to a sitting posture in the hope of thus stopping her cough1 which indeed gradually ceased4 ,and then he helped the lady-hospitaller to make her swallow a spoonful of some soothing draught4 ,the doctor's presence in the carriage was still causing a stir among the ailing ones4 ,m4 ,sabathier1 who was slowly eating the grapes which his wife had been to fetch him1 did not1 however1 question ,ferrand1 for he knew full well what his answer would be1 and was weary1 as he expressed it1 of consulting all the princes of science2 nevertheless he felt comforted as it were at seeing him set that poor consumptive woman on her feet again4 ,and even ,marie watched all that the doctor did with increasing interest1 though not daring to call him herself1 certain as she also was that he could do nothing for her4 ,meantime1 the crush on the platform was increasing4 ,only a quarter of an hour now remained to the pilgrims4 ,madame ,vetu1 whose eyes were open but who saw nothing1 sat like an insensible being in the broad sunlight1 in the hope possibly that the scorching heat would deaden her pains2 whilst up and down1 in front of her1 went ,madame ,vincent ever with the same sleep-inducing step and ever carrying her little ,rose1 her poor ailing birdie1 whose weight was so trifling that she scarcely felt her in her arms4 ,many people meantime were hastening to the water tap in order to fill their pitchers1 cans1 and bottles4 ,madame ,maze1 who was of refined tastes and careful of her person1 thought of going to wash her hands there2 but just as she arrived she found ,elise ,rouquet drinking1 and she recoiled at sight of that disease-smitten face1 so terribly disfigured and robbed of nearly all semblance of humanity4 ,and all the others likewise shuddered1 likewise hesitated to fill their bottles1 pitchers1 and cans at the tap from which she had drunk4 ,a large number of pilgrims had now begun to eat whilst pacing the platform4 ,you could hear the rhythmical taps of the crutches carried by a woman who incessantly wended her way through the groups4 ,on the ground1 a legless cripple was painfully dragging herself about in search of nobody knew what4 ,others1 seated there in heaps1 no longer stirred4 ,all these sufferers1 momentarily unpacked as it were1 these patients of a travelling hospital emptied for a brief half-hour1 were taking the air amidst the bewilderment and agitation of the healthy passengers2 and the whole throng had a frightfully woeful1 poverty-stricken appearance in the broad noontide light4 ,pierre no longer stirred from the side of ,marie1 for ,m4 de ,guersaint had disappeared1 attracted by a verdant patch of landscape which could be seen at the far end of the station4 ,and1 feeling anxious about her1 since she had not been able to finish her broth1 the young priest with a smiling air tried to tempt her palate by offering to go and buy her a peach2 but she refused it2 she was suffering too much1 she cared for nothing4 ,she was gazing at him with her large1 woeful eyes1 on the one hand impatient at this stoppage which delayed her chance of cure1 and on the other terrified at the thought of again being jolted along that hard and endless railroad4 ,just then a stout gentleman whose full beard was turning grey1 and who had a broad1 fatherly kind of face1 drew near and touched ,pierre's arm3 8,excuse me1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said he1 8but is it not in this carriage that there is a poor man dying80 ,and on the priest returning an affirmative answer1 the gentleman became quite affable and familiar4 8,my name is ,vigneron10 he said2 8,i am the head clerk at the ,ministry of ,finances1 and applied for leave in order that ,i might help my wife to take our son ,gustave to ,lourdes4 ,the dear lad places all his hope in the ,blessed ,virgin1 to whom we pray morning and evening on his behalf4 ,we are in a second-class compartment of the carriage just in front of yours40 ,then1 turning round1 he summoned his party with a wave of the hand4 8,come1 come60 said he1 8it is here4 ,the unfortunate man is indeed in the last throes40 ,madame ,vigneron was a little woman with the correct bearing of a respectable bourgeoise1 but her long1 livid face denoted impoverished blood1 terrible evidence of which was furnished by her son ,gustave4 ,the latter1 who was fifteen years of age1 looked scarcely ten4 ,twisted out of shape1 he was a mere skeleton1 with his right leg so wasted1 so reduced1 that he had to walk with a crutch4 ,he had a small1 thin face1 somewhat awry1 in which one saw little excepting his eyes1 clear eyes1 sparkling with intelligence1 sharpened as it were by suffering1 and doubtless well able to dive into the human soul4 ,an old puffy-faced lady followed the others1 dragging her legs along with difficulty2 and ,m4 ,vigneron1 remembering that he had forgotten her1 stepped back towards ,pierre so that he might complete the introduction4 8,that lady10 said he1 8is ,madame ,chaise1 my wife's eldest sister4 ,she also wished to accompany ,gustave1 whom she is very fond of40 ,and then1 leaning forward1 he added in a whisper1 with a confidential air3 8,she is the widow of ,chaise1 the silk merchant1 you know1 who left such an immense fortune4 ,she is suffering from a heart complaint which causes her much anxiety40 ,the whole family1 grouped together1 then gazed with lively curiosity at what was taking place in the railway carriage4 ,people were incessantly flocking to the spot2 and so that the lad might be the better able to see1 his father took him up in his arms for a moment whilst his aunt held the crutch1 and his mother on her side raised herself on tip-toe4 ,the scene in the carriage was still the same2 the strange man was still stiffly seated in his corner1 his head resting against the hard wood4 ,he was livid1 his eyes were closed1 and his mouth was twisted by suffering2 and every now and then ,sister ,hyacinthe with her linen cloth wiped away the cold sweat which was constantly covering his face4 ,she no longer spoke1 no longer evinced any impatience1 but had recovered her serenity and relied on ,heaven4 ,from time to time she would simply glance towards the platform to see if ,father ,massias were coming4 8,look at him1 ,gustave10 said ,m4 ,vigneron to his son2 8he must be consumptive40 ,the lad1 whom scrofula was eating away1 whose hip was attacked by an abscess1 and in whom there were already signs of necrosis of the vertebrae1 seemed to take a passionate interest in the agony he thus beheld4 ,it did not frighten him1 he smiled at it with a smile of infinite sadness4 8,oh6 how dreadful60 muttered ,madame ,chaise1 who1 living in continual terror of a sudden attack which would carry her off1 turned pale with the fear of death4 8,ah6 well10 replied ,m4 ,vigneron1 philosophically1 8it will come to each of us in turn4 ,we are all mortal40 ,thereupon1 a painful1 mocking expression came over ,gustave's smile1 as though he had heard other words than those--perchance an unconscious wish1 the hope that the old aunt might die before he himself did1 that he would inherit the promised half-million of francs1 and then not long encumber his family4 8,put the boy down now10 said ,madame ,vigneron to her husband4 8,you are tiring him1 holding him by the legs like that40 ,then both she and ,madame ,chaise bestirred themselves in order that the lad might not be shaken4 ,the poor darling was so much in need of care and attention4 ,at each moment they feared that they might lose him4 ,even his father was of opinion that they had better put him in the train again at once4 ,and as the two women went off with the child1 the old gentleman once more turned towards ,pierre1 and with evident emotion exclaimed3 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb1 if ,god should take him from us1 the light of our life would be extinguished--,i don't speak of his aunt's fortune1 which would go to other nephews4 ,but it would be unnatural1 would it not1 that he should go off before her1 especially as she is so ill8 ,however1 we are all in the hands of ,providence1 and place our reliance in the ,blessed ,virgin1 who will assuredly perform a miracle40 ,just then ,madame de ,jonquire1 having been reassured by ,doctor ,ferrand1 was able to leave ,la ,grivotte4 ,before going off1 however1 she took care to say to ,pierre3 8,i am dying of hunger and am going to the refreshment-room for a moment4 ,but if my patient should begin coughing again1 pray come and fetch me40 ,when1 after great difficulty1 she had managed to cross the platform and reach the refreshment-room1 she found herself in the midst of another scramble4 ,the better-circumstanced pilgrims had taken the tables by assault1 and a great many priests were to be seen hastily lunching amidst all the clatter of knives1 forks1 and crockery4 ,the three or four waiters were not able to attend to all the requirements1 especially as they were hampered in their movements by the crowd purchasing fruit1 bread1 and cold meat at the counter4 ,it was at a little table at the far end of the room that ,raymonde was lunching with ,madame ,dsagneaux and ,madame ,volmar4 8,ah6 here you are at last1 mamma60 the girl exclaimed1 as ,madame de ,jonquire approached4 8,i was just going back to fetch you4 ,you certainly ought to be allowed time to eat60 ,she was laughing1 with a very animated expression on her face1 quite delighted as she was with the adventures of the journey and this indifferent scrambling meal4 8,there10 said she1 8,i have kept you some trout with green sauce1 and there's a cutlet also waiting for you4 ,we have already got to the artichokes40 ,then everything became charming4 ,the gaiety prevailing in that little corner rejoiced the sight4 ,young ,madame ,dsagneaux was particularly adorable4 ,a delicate blonde1 with wild1 wavy1 yellow hair1 a round1 dimpled1 milky face1 a gay1 laughing disposition1 and a remarkably good heart1 she had made a rich marriage1 and for three years past had been wont to leave her husband at ,trouville in the fine ,august weather1 in order to accompany the national pilgrimage as a lady-hospitaller4 ,this was her great passion1 an access of quivering pity1 a longing desire to place herself unreservedly at the disposal of the sick for five days1 a real debauch of devotion from which she returned tired to death but full of intense delight4 ,her only regret was that she as yet had no children1 and with comical passion1 she occasionally expressed a regret that she had missed her true vocation1 that of a sister of charity4 8,ah6 my dear10 she hastily said to ,raymonde1 8don't pity your mother for being so much taken up with her patients4 ,she1 at all events1 has something to occupy her40 ,and addressing herself to ,madame de ,jonquire1 she added3 8,if you only knew how long we find the time in our fine first-class carriage4 ,we cannot even occupy ourselves with a little needlework1 as it is forbidden4 ,i asked for a place with the patients1 but all were already distributed1 so that my only resource will be to try to sleep tonight40 ,she began to laugh1 and then resumed3 8,yes1 ,madame ,volmar1 we will try to sleep1 won't we1 since talking seems to tire you80 ,madame ,volmar1 who looked over thirty1 was very dark1 with a long face and delicate but drawn features4 ,her magnificent eyes shone out like brasiers1 though every now and then a cloud seemed to veil and extinguish them4 ,at the first glance she did not appear beautiful1 but as you gazed at her she became more and more perturbing1 till she conquered you and inspired you with passionate admiration4 ,it should be said though that she shrank from all self-assertion1 comporting herself with much modesty1 ever keeping in the background1 striving to hide her lustre1 invariably clad in black and unadorned by a single jewel1 although she was the wife of a ,parisian diamond-merchant4 8,oh6 for my part10 she murmured1 8as long as ,i am not hustled too much ,i am well pleased40 ,she had been to ,lourdes as an auxiliary lady-helper already on two occasions1 though but little had been seen of her there--at the hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours--as1 on arriving1 she had been overcome by such great fatigue that she had been forced1 she said1 to keep her room4 ,however1 ,madame de ,jonquire1 who managed the ward1 treated her with good-natured tolerance4 8,ah6 my poor friends10 said she1 8there will be plenty of time for you to exert yourselves4 ,get to sleep if you can1 and your turn will come when ,i can no longer keep up40 ,then addressing her daughter1 she resumed3 8,and you would do well1 darling1 not to excite yourself too much if you wish to keep your head clear40 ,raymonde smiled and gave her mother a reproachful glance3 8,mamma1 mamma1 why do you say that8 ,am ,i not sensible80 she asked4 ,doubtless she was not boasting1 for1 despite her youthful1 thoughtless air1 the air of one who simply feels happy in living1 there appeared in her grey eyes an expression of firm resolution1 a resolution to shape her life for herself4 8,it is true10 the mother confessed with a little confusion1 8this little girl is at times more sensible than ,i am myself4 ,come1 pass me the cutlet--it is welcome1 ,i assure you4 ,lord6 how hungry ,i was60 ,the meal continued1 enlivened by the constant laughter of ,madame ,dsagneaux and ,raymonde4 ,the latter was very animated1 and her face1 which was already growing somewhat yellow through long pining for a suitor1 again assumed the rosy bloom of twenty4 ,they had to eat very fast1 for only ten minutes now remained to them4 ,on all sides one heard the growing tumult of customers who feared that they would not have time to take their coffee4 ,all at once1 however1 ,pierre made his appearance2 a fit of stifling had again come over ,la ,grivotte2 and ,madame de ,jonquire hastily finished her artichoke and returned to her compartment1 after kissing her daughter1 who wished her 8good-night0 in a facetious way4 ,the priest1 however1 had made a movement of surprise on perceiving ,madame ,volmar with the red cross of the lady-hospitallers on her black bodice4 ,he knew her1 for he still called at long intervals on old ,madame ,volmar1 the diamond-merchant's mother1 who had been one of his own mother's friends4 ,she was the most terrible woman in the world1 religious beyond all reason1 so harsh and stern1 moreover1 as to close the very window shutters in order to prevent her daughter-in-law from looking into the street4 ,and he knew the young woman's story1 how she had been imprisoned on the very morrow of her marriage1 shut up between her mother-in-law1 who tyrannised over her1 and her husband1 a repulsively ugly monster who went so far as to beat her1 mad as he was with jealousy1 although he himself kept mistresses4 ,the unhappy woman was not allowed out of the house excepting it were to go to mass4 ,and one day1 at ,la ,trinit1 ,pierre had surprised her secret1 on seeing her behind the church exchanging a few hasty words with a well-groomed1 distinguished-looking man4 ,the priest's sudden appearance in the refreshment-room had somewhat disconcerted ,madame ,volmar4 8,what an unexpected meeting1 ,monsieur l',abb60 she said1 offering him her long1 warm hand4 8,what a long time it is since ,i last saw you60 ,and thereupon she explained that this was the third year she had gone to ,lourdes1 her mother-in-law having required her to join the ,association of ,our ,lady of ,salvation4 8,it is surprising that you did not see her at the station when we started10 she added4 8,she sees me into the train and comes to meet me on my return40 ,this was said in an apparently simple way1 but with such a subtle touch of irony that ,pierre fancied he could guess the truth4 ,he knew that she really had no religious principles at all1 and that she merely followed the rites and ceremonies of the ,church in order that she might now and again obtain an hour's freedom2 and all at once he intuitively realised that someone must be waiting for her yonder1 that it was for the purpose of meeting him that she was thus hastening to ,lourdes with her shrinking yet ardent air and flaming eyes1 which she so prudently shrouded with a veil of lifeless indifference4 8,for my part10 he answered1 8,i am accompanying a friend of my childhood1 a poor girl who is very ill indeed4 ,i must ask your help for her2 you shall nurse her40 ,thereupon she faintly blushed1 and he no longer doubted the truth of his surmise4 ,however1 ,raymonde was just then settling the bill with the easy assurance of a girl who is expert in figures2 and immediately afterwards ,madame ,dsagneaux led ,madame ,volmar away4 ,the waiters were now growing more distracted and the tables were fast being vacated2 for1 on hearing a bell ring1 everybody had begun to rush towards the door4 ,pierre1 on his side1 was hastening back to his carriage1 when he was stopped by an old priest4 8,ah6 ,monsieur le ,cur10 he said1 8,i saw you just before we started1 but ,i was unable to get near enough to shake hands with you40 ,thereupon he offered his hand to his brother ecclesiastic1 who was looking and smiling at him in a kindly way4 ,the ,abb ,judaine was the parish priest of ,saligny1 a little village in the department of the ,oise4 ,tall and sturdy1 he had a broad pink face1 around which clustered a mass of white1 curly hair1 and it could be divined by his appearance that he was a worthy man whom neither the flesh nor the spirit had ever tormented4 ,he believed indeed firmly and absolutely1 with a tranquil godliness1 never having known a struggle1 endowed as he was with the ready faith of a child who is unacquainted with human passions4 ,and ever since the ,virgin at ,lourdes had cured him of a disease of the eyes1 by a famous miracle which folks still talked about1 his belief had become yet more absolute and tender1 as though impregnated with divine gratitude4 8,i am pleased that you are with us1 my friend10 he gently said2 8for there is much in these pilgrimages for young priests to profit by4 ,i am told that some of them at times experience a feeling of rebellion4 ,well1 you will see all these poor people praying1--it is a sight which will make you weep4 ,how can one do otherwise than place oneself in ,god's hands1 on seeing so much suffering cured or consoled80 ,the old priest himself was accompanying a patient2 and he pointed to a first-class compartment1 at the door of which hung a placard bearing the inscription3 8,m4 l',abb ,judaine1 ,reserved40 ,then lowering his voice1 he said3 8,it is ,madame ,dieulafay1 you know1 the great banker's wife4 ,their chteau1 a royal domain1 is in my parish1 and when they learned that the ,blessed ,virgin had vouchsafed me such an undeserved favour1 they begged me to intercede for their poor sufferer4 ,i have already said several masses1 and most sincerely pray for her4 ,there1 you see her yonder on the ground4 ,she insisted on being taken out of the carriage1 in spite of all the trouble which one will have to place her in it again40 ,on a shady part of the platform1 in a kind of long box1 there was1 as the old priest said1 a woman whose beautiful1 perfectly oval face1 lighted up by splendid eyes1 denoted no greater age than six-and-twenty4 ,she was suffering from a frightful disease4 ,the disappearance from her system of the calcareous salts had led to a softening of the osseous framework1 the slow destruction of her bones4 ,three years previously1 after the advent of a stillborn child1 she had felt vague pains in the spinal column4 ,and then1 little by little1 her bones had rarefied and lost shape1 the vertebrae had sunk1 the bones of the pelvis had flattened1 and those of the arms and legs had contracted4 ,thus shrunken1 melting away as it were1 she had become a mere human remnant1 a nameless1 fluid thing1 which could not be set erect1 but had to be carried hither and thither with infinite care1 for fear lest she should vanish between one's fingers4 ,her face1 a motionless face1 on which sat a stupefied imbecile expression1 still retained its beauty of outline1 and yet it was impossible to gaze at this wretched shred of a woman without feeling a heart-pang1 the keener on account of all the luxury surrounding her2 for not only was the box in which she lay lined with blue quilted silk1 but she was covered with valuable lace1 and a cap of rare valenciennes was set upon her head1 her wealth thus being proclaimed1 displayed1 in the midst of her awful agony4 8,ah6 how pitiable it is10 resumed the ,abb ,judaine in an undertone4 8,to think that she is so young1 so pretty1 possessed of millions of money6 ,and if you knew how dearly loved she was1 with what adoration she is still surrounded4 ,that tall gentleman near her is her husband1 that elegantly dressed lady is her sister1 ,madame ,jousseur40 ,pierre remembered having often noticed in the newspapers the name of ,madame ,jousseur1 wife of a diplomatist1 and a conspicuous member of the higher spheres of ,catholic society in ,paris4 ,people had even circulated a story of some great passion which she had fought against and vanquished4 ,she also was very prettily dressed1 with marvellously tasteful simplicity1 and she ministered to the wants of her sorry sister with an air of perfect devotion4 ,as for the unhappy woman's husband1 who at the age of five-and-thirty had inherited his father's colossal business1 he was a clear-complexioned1 well-groomed1 handsome man1 clad in a closely buttoned frock-coat4 ,his eyes1 however1 were full of tears1 for he adored his wife1 and had left his business in order to take her to ,lourdes1 placing his last hope in this appeal to the mercy of ,heaven4 ,ever since the morning1 ,pierre had beheld many frightful sufferings in that woeful white train4 ,but none had so distressed his soul as did that wretched female skeleton1 slowly liquefying in the midst of its lace and its millions4 8,the unhappy woman60 he murmured with a shudder4 ,the ,abb ,judaine1 however1 made a gesture of serene hope4 8,the ,blessed ,virgin will cure her10 said he2 8,i have prayed to her so much40 ,just then a bell again pealed1 and this time it was really the signal for starting4 ,only two minutes remained4 ,there was a last rush1 and folks hurried back towards the train carrying eatables wrapped in paper1 and bottles and cans which they had filled with water4 ,several of them quite lost their heads1 and in their inability to find their carriages1 ran distractedly from one to the other end of the train2 whilst some of the infirm ones dragged themselves about amidst the precipitate tapping of crutches1 and others1 only able to walk with difficulty1 strove to hasten their steps whilst leaning on the arms of some of the lady-hospitallers4 ,it was only with infinite difficulty that four men managed to replace ,madame ,dieulafay in her first-class compartment4 ,the ,vignerons1 who were content with second-class accommodation1 had already reinstalled themselves in their quarters amidst an extraordinary heap of baskets1 boxes1 and valises which scarcely allowed little ,gustave enough room to stretch his poor puny limbs--the limbs as it were of a deformed insect4 ,and then all the women appeared again3 ,madame ,maze gliding along in silence2 ,madame ,vincent raising her dear little girl in her outstretched arms and dreading lest she should hear her cry out2 ,madame ,vetu1 whom it had been necessary to push into the train1 after rousing her from her stupefying torment2 and ,elise ,rouquet1 who was quite drenched through her obstinacy in endeavouring to drink from the tap1 and was still wiping her monstrous face4 ,whilst each returned to her place and the carriage filled once more1 ,marie listened to her father1 who had come back delighted with his stroll to a pointsman's little house beyond the station1 whence a really pleasant stretch of landscape could be discerned4 8,shall we lay you down again at once80 asked ,pierre1 sorely distressed by the pained expression on ,marie's face4 8,oh no1 no1 by-and-by60 she replied4 8,i shall have plenty of time to hear those wheels roaring in my head as though they were grinding my bones40 ,then1 as ,ferrand seemed on the point of returning to the cantine van1 ,sister ,hyacinthe begged him to take another look at the strange man before he went off4 ,she was still waiting for ,father ,massias1 astonished at the inexplicable delay in his arrival1 but not yet without hope1 as ,sister ,claire des ,anges had not returned4 8,pray1 ,monsieur ,ferrand10 said she1 8tell me if this unfortunate man is in any immediate danger40 ,the young doctor again looked at the sufferer1 felt him1 and listened to his breathing4 ,then with a gesture of discouragement he answered in a low voice1 8,i feel convinced that you will not get him to ,lourdes alive40 ,every head was still anxiously stretched forward4 ,if they had only known the man's name1 the place he had come from1 who he was6 ,but it was impossible to extract a word from this unhappy stranger1 who was about to die there1 in that carriage1 without anybody being able to give his face a name6 ,it suddenly occurred to ,sister ,hyacinthe to have him searched4 ,under the circumstances there could certainly be no harm in such a course4 8,feel in his pockets1 ,monsieur ,ferrand10 she said4 ,the doctor thereupon searched the man in a gentle1 cautious way1 but the only things that he found in his pockets were a chaplet1 a knife1 and three sous4 ,and nothing more was ever learnt of the man4 ,at that moment1 however1 a voice announced that ,sister ,claire des ,anges was at last coming back with ,father ,massias4 ,all this while the latter had simply been chatting with the priest of ,sainte-,radegonde in one of the waiting-rooms4 ,keen emotion attended his arrival2 for a moment all seemed saved4 ,but the train was about to start1 the porters were already closing the carriage doors1 and it was necessary that extreme unction should be administered in all haste in order to avoid too long a delay4 8,this way1 reverend ,father60 exclaimed ,sister ,hyacinthe2 8yes1 yes1 pray come in2 our unfortunate patient is here40 ,father ,massias1 who was five years older than ,pierre1 whose fellow-student however he had been at the seminary1 had a tall1 spare figure with an ascetic countenance1 framed round with a light-coloured beard and vividly lighted up by burning eyes1 ,he was neither the priest harassed by doubt1 nor the priest with childlike faith1 but an apostle carried away by his passion1 ever ready to fight and vanquish for the pure glory of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,in his black cloak with its large hood1 and his broad-brimmed flossy hat1 he shone resplendently with the perpetual ardour of battle4 ,he immediately took from his pocket the silver case containing the ,holy ,oils1 and the ceremony began whilst the last carriage doors were being slammed and belated pilgrims were rushing back to the train2 the station-master1 meantime1 anxiously glancing at the clock1 and realising that it would be necessary for him to grant a few minutes' grace4 8,credo in unum ,deum10 hastily murmured the ,father4 8,amen10 replied ,sister ,hyacinthe and the other occupants of the carriage4 ,those who had been able to do so1 had knelt upon the seats1 whilst the others joined their hands1 or repeatedly made the sign of the cross2 and when the murmured prayers were followed by the ,litanies of the ritual1 every voice rose1 an ardent desire for the remission of the man's sins and for his physical and spiritual cure winging its flight heavenward with each successive ,kyrie eleison4 ,might his whole life1 of which they knew nought1 be forgiven him2 might he enter1 stranger though he was1 in triumph into the ,kingdom of ,god6 8,christe1 exaudi nos40 8,ora pro nobis1 sancta ,dei ,genitrix40 ,father ,massias had pulled out the silver needle from which hung a drop of ,holy ,oil4 ,in the midst of such a scramble1 with the whole train waiting--many people now thrusting their heads out of the carriage windows in surprise at the delay in starting--he could not think of following the usual practice1 of anointing in turn all the organs of the senses1 those portals of the soul which give admittance to evil4 ,he must content himself1 as the rules authorised him to do in pressing cases1 with one anointment2 and this he made upon the man's lips1 those livid parted lips from between which only a faint breath escaped1 whilst the rest of his face1 with its lowered eyelids1 already seemed indistinct1 again merged into the dust of the earth4 8,per istam sanctam unctionem10 said the ,father1 8et suam piissimam misericordiam indulgeat tibi ,dominus quidquid per visum1 auditum1 odoratum1 gustum1 tactum1 deliquisti4099 99 ,through this holy unction and ,his most tender mercy may the ,lord pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed by thy sight1 hearing1 etc4 ,the remainder of the ceremony was lost amid the hurry and scramble of the departure4 ,father ,massias scarcely had time to wipe off the oil with the little piece of cotton-wool which ,sister ,hyacinthe held in readiness1 before he had to leave the compartment and get into his own as fast as possible1 setting the case containing the ,holy ,oils in order as he did so1 whilst the pilgrims finished repeating the final prayer4 8,we cannot wait any longer6 ,it is impossible60 repeated the station-master as he bustled about4 8,come1 come1 make haste everybody60 ,at last then they were about to resume their journey4 ,everybody sat down1 returned to his or her corner again4 ,madame de ,jonquire1 however1 had changed her place1 in order to be nearer ,la ,grivotte1 whose condition still worried her1 and she was now seated in front of ,m4 ,sabathier1 who remained waiting with silent resignation4 ,moreover1 ,sister ,hyacinthe had not returned to her compartment1 having decided to remain near the unknown man so that she might watch over him and help him4 ,by following this course1 too1 she was able to minister to ,brother ,isidore1 whose sufferings his sister ,marthe was at a loss to assuage4 ,and ,marie1 turning pale1 felt the jolting of the train in her ailing flesh1 even before it had resumed its journey under the heavy sun1 rolling onward once more with its load of sufferers stifling in the pestilential atmosphere of the over-heated carriages4 ,at last a loud whistle resounded1 the engine puffed1 and ,sister ,hyacinthe rose up to say3 ,the ,magnificat1 my children6 ,,iv4 ,,miracles ,,just as the train was beginning to move1 the door of the compartment in which ,pierre and ,marie found themselves was opened and a porter pushed a girl of fourteen inside1 saying3 8,there's a seat here--make haste60 ,the others were already pulling long faces and were about to protest1 when ,sister ,hyacinthe exclaimed3 8,what1 is it you1 ,sophie8 ,so you are going back to see the ,blessed ,virgin who cured you last year60 ,and at the same time ,madame de ,jonquire remarked3 8,ah6 ,sophie1 my little friend1 ,i am very pleased to see that you are grateful40 8,why1 yes1 ,sister2 why1 yes1 madame10 answered the girl1 in a pretty way4 ,the carriage door had already been closed again1 so that it was necessary that they should accept the presence of this new pilgrim who had fallen from heaven as it were at the very moment when the train1 which she had almost missed1 was starting off again4 ,she was a slender damsel and would not take up much room4 ,moreover these ladies knew her1 and all the patients had turned their eyes upon her on hearing that the ,blessed ,virgin had been pleased to cure her4 ,they had now got beyond the station1 the engine was still puffing1 whilst the wheels increased their speed1 and ,sister ,hyacinthe1 clapping her hands1 repeated3 8,come1 come1 my children1 the ,magnificat40 ,whilst the joyful chant arose amidst the jolting of the train1 ,pierre gazed at ,sophie4 ,she was evidently a young peasant girl1 the daughter of some poor husbandman of the vicinity of ,poitiers1 petted by her parents1 treated in fact like a young lady since she had become the subject of a miracle1 one of the elect1 whom the priests of the district flocked to see4 ,she wore a straw hat with pink ribbons1 and a grey woollen dress trimmed with a flounce4 ,her round face although not pretty was a very pleasant one1 with a beautifully fresh complexion and clear1 intelligent eyes which lent her a smiling1 modest air4 ,when the ,magnificat had been sung1 ,pierre was unable to resist his desire to question ,sophie4 ,a child of her age1 with so candid an air1 so utterly unlike a liar1 greatly interested him4 8,and so you nearly missed the train1 my child80 he said4 8,i should have been much ashamed if ,i had1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she replied4 8,i had been at the station since twelve o'clock4 ,and all at once ,i saw his reverence1 the priest of ,sainte-,radegonde1 who knows me well and who called me to him1 to kiss me and tell me that it was very good of me to go back to ,lourdes4 ,but it seems the train was starting and ,i only just had time to run on to the platform4 ,oh6 ,i ran so fast60 ,she paused1 laughing1 still slightly out of breath1 but already repenting that she had been so giddy4 8,and what is your name1 my child80 asked ,pierre4 8,sophie ,couteau1 ,monsieur l',abb40 8,you do not belong to the town of ,poitiers80 8,oh no6 certainly not4 ,we belong to ,vivonne1 which is seven kilometres away4 ,my father and mother have a little land there1 and things would not be so bad if there were not eight children at home--,i am the fifth1--fortunately the four older ones are beginning to work40 8,and you1 my child1 what do you do80 8,i1 ,monsieur l',abb6 ,oh6 ,i am no great help4 ,since last year1 when ,i came home cured1 ,i have not been left quiet a single day1 for1 as you can understand1 so many people have come to see me1 and then too ,i have been taken to ,monseigneur's199 and to the convents and all manner of other places4 ,and before all that ,i was a long time ill4 ,i could not walk without a stick1 and each step ,i took made me cry out1 so dreadfully did my foot hurt me40 99 ,the ,bishop's residence4 8,so it was of some injury to the foot that the ,blessed ,virgin cured you80 ,sophie did not have time to reply1 for ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who was listening1 intervened3 8,of caries of the bones of the left heel1 which had been going on for three years10 said she4 8,the foot was swollen and quite deformed1 and there were fistulas giving egress to continual suppuration40 ,on hearing this1 all the sufferers in the carriage became intensely interested4 ,they no longer took their eyes off this little girl on whom a miracle had been performed1 but scanned her from head to foot as though seeking for some sign of the prodigy4 ,those who were able to stand rose up in order that they might the better see her1 and the others1 the infirm ones1 stretched on their mattresses1 strove to raise themselves and turn their heads4 ,amidst the suffering which had again come upon them on leaving ,poitiers1 the terror which filled them at the thought that they must continue rolling onward for another fifteen hours1 the sudden advent of this child1 favoured by ,heaven1 was like a divine relief1 a ray of hope whence they would derive sufficient strength to accomplish the remainder of their terrible journey4 ,the moaning had abated somewhat already1 and every face was turned towards the girl with an ardent desire to believe4 ,this was especially the case with ,marie1 who1 already reviving1 joined her trembling hands1 and in a gentle supplicating voice said to ,pierre1 8,question her1 pray question her1 ask her to tell us everything--cured1 ,o ,god6 cured of such a terrible complaint60 ,madame de ,jonquire1 who was quite affected1 had leant over the partition to kiss the girl4 8,certainly10 said she1 8our little friend will tell you all about it4 ,won't you1 my darling8 ,you will tell us what the ,blessed ,virgin did for you80 8,oh1 certainly6 madame--as much as you like10 answered ,sophie with her smiling1 modest air1 her eyes gleaming with intelligence4 ,indeed1 she wished to begin at once1 and raised her right hand with a pretty gesture1 as a sign to everybody to be attentive4 ,plainly enough1 she had already acquired the habit of speaking in public4 ,she could not be seen1 however1 from some parts of the carriage1 and an idea came to ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who said3 8,get up on the seat1 ,sophie1 and speak loudly1 on account of the noise which the train makes40 ,this amused the girl1 and before beginning she needed time to become serious again4 8,well1 it was like this10 said she2 8my foot was past cure1 ,i couldn't even go to church any more1 and it had to be kept bandaged1 because there was always a lot of nasty matter coming from it4 ,monsieur ,rivoire1 the doctor1 who had made a cut in it1 so as to see inside it1 said that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the bone2 and that1 sure enough1 would have made me lame for life4 ,but when ,i got to ,lourdes and had prayed a great deal to the ,blessed ,virgin1 ,i went to dip my foot in the water1 wishing so much that ,i might be cured that ,i did not even take the time to pull the bandage off4 ,and everything remained in the water1 there was no longer anything the matter with my foot when ,i took it out40 ,a murmur of mingled surprise1 wonder1 and desire arose and spread among those who heard this marvellous tale1 so sweet and soothing to all who were in despair4 ,but the little one had not yet finished4 ,she had simply paused4 ,and now1 making a fresh gesture1 holding her arms somewhat apart1 she concluded3 8,when ,i got back to ,vivonne and ,monsieur ,rivoire saw my foot again1 he said3 #8,whether it be ,god or the ,devil who has cured this child1 it is all the same to me2 but in all truth she is cured4'0 ,this time a burst of laughter rang out4 ,the girl spoke in too recitative a way1 having repeated her story so many times already that she knew it by heart4 ,the doctor's remark was sure to produce an effect1 and she herself laughed at it in advance1 certain as she was that the others would laugh also4 ,however1 she still retained her candid1 touching air4 ,but she had evidently forgotten some particular1 for ,sister ,hyacinthe1 a glance from whom had foreshadowed the doctor's jest1 now softly prompted her 8,and what was it you said to ,madame la ,comtesse1 the superintendent of your ward1 ,sophie80 8,ah6 yes4 ,i hadn't brought many bandages for my foot with me1 and ,i said to her1 #8,it was very kind of the ,blessed ,virgin to cure me the first day1 as ,i should have run out of linen on the morrow4'0 ,this provoked a fresh outburst of delight4 ,they all thought her so nice1 to have been cured like that6 ,and in reply to a question from ,madame de ,jonquire1 she also had to tell the story of her boots1 a pair of beautiful new boots which ,madame la ,comtesse had given her1 and in which she had run1 jumped1 and danced about1 full of childish delight4 ,boots6 think of it1 she who for three years had not even been able to wear a slipper4 ,pierre1 who had become grave1 waxing pale with the secret uneasiness which was penetrating him1 continued to look at her4 ,and he also asked her other questions4 ,she was certainly not lying1 and he merely suspected a slow distortion of the actual truth1 an easily explained embellishment of the real facts amidst all the joy she felt at being cured and becoming an important little personage4 ,who now knew if the cicatrisation of her injuries1 effected1 so it was asserted1 completely1 instantaneously1 in a few seconds1 had not in reality been the work of days8 ,where were the witnesses8 ,just then ,madame de ,jonquire began to relate that she had been at the hospital at the time referred to4 8,sophie was not in my ward10 said she1 8but ,i had met her walking lame that very morning--0 ,pierre hastily interrupted the lady-hospitaller4 8,ah6 you saw her foot before and after the immersion80 8,no1 no6 ,i don't think that anybody was able to see it1 for it was bound round with bandages4 ,she told you that the bandages had fallen into the piscina40 ,and1 turning towards the child1 ,madame de ,jonquire added1 8,but she will show you her foot--won't you1 ,sophie8 ,undo your shoe40 ,the girl took off her shoe1 and pulled down her stocking1 with a promptness and ease of manner which showed how thoroughly accustomed she had become to it all4 ,and she not only stretched out her foot1 which was very clean and very white1 carefully tended indeed1 with well-cut1 pink nails1 but complacently turned it so that the young priest might examine it at his ease4 ,just below the ankle there was a long scar1 whose whity seam1 plainly defined1 testified to the gravity of the complaint from which the girl had suffered4 8,oh6 take hold of the heel1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she4 8,press it as hard as you like4 ,i no longer feel any pain at all40 ,pierre made a gesture from which it might have been thought that he was delighted with the power exercised by the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,but he was still tortured by doubt4 ,what unknown force had acted in this case8 ,or rather what faulty medical diagnosis1 what assemblage of errors and exaggerations1 had ended in this fine tale8 ,all the patients1 however1 wished to see the miraculous foot1 that outward and visible sign of the divine cure which each of them was going in search of4 ,and it was ,marie1 sitting up in her box1 and already feeling less pain1 who touched it first4 ,then ,madame ,maze1 quite roused from her melancholy1 passed it on to ,madame ,vincent1 who would have kissed it for the hope which it restored to her4 ,m4 ,sabathier had listened to all the explanations with a beatific air2 ,madame ,vetu1 ,la ,grivotte1 and even ,brother ,isidore opened their eyes1 and evinced signs of interest2 whilst the face of ,elise ,rouquet had assumed an extraordinary expression1 transfigured by faith1 almost beatified4 ,if a sore had thus disappeared1 might not her own sore close and disappear1 her face retaining no trace of it save a slight scar1 and again becoming such a face as other people had8 ,sophie1 who was still standing1 had to hold on to one of the iron rails1 and place her foot on the partition1 now on the right1 now on the left4 ,and she did not weary of it all1 but felt exceedingly happy and proud at the many exclamations which were raised1 the quivering admiration and religious respect which were bestowed on that little piece of her person1 that little foot which had now1 so to say1 become sacred4 8,one must possess great faith1 no doubt10 said ,marie1 thinking aloud4 8,one must have a pure unspotted soul40 ,and1 addressing herself to ,m4 de ,guersaint1 she added3 8,father1 ,i feel that ,i should get well if ,i were ten years old1 if ,i had the unspotted soul of a little girl40 8,but you are ten years old1 my darling6 ,is it not so1 ,pierre8 ,a little girl of ten years old could not have a more spotless soul40 ,possessed of a mind prone to chimeras1 ,m4 de ,guersaint was fond of hearing tales of miracles4 ,as for the young priest1 profoundly affected by the ardent purity which the young girl evinced1 he no longer sought to discuss the question1 but let her surrender herself to the consoling illusions which ,sophie's tale had wafted through the carriage4 ,the temperature had become yet more oppressive since their departure from ,poitiers1 a storm was rising in the coppery sky1 and it seemed as though the train were rushing through a furnace4 ,the villages passed1 mournful and solitary under the burning sun4 ,at ,couhe-,verac they had again said their chaplets1 and sung another canticle4 ,at present1 however1 there was some slight abatement of the religious exercises4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had not yet been able to lunch1 ventured to eat a roll and some fruit in all haste1 whilst still ministering to the strange man whose faint1 painful breathing seemed to have become more regular4 ,and it was only on passing ,ruffec at three o'clock that they said the vespers of the ,blessed ,virgin4 8,ora pro nobis1 sancta ,dei ,genitrix40 8,ut digni efficiamur promissionibus ,christi4099 99 8,pray for us1 ,o holy ,mother of ,god1 ,that we may be made worthy of the promises of ,christ40 ,as they were finishing1 ,m4 ,sabathier1 who had watched little ,sophie while she put on her shoe and stocking1 turned towards ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,this child's case is interesting1 no doubt10 he remarked4 8,but it is a mere nothing1 monsieur1 for there have been far more marvellous cures than that4 ,do you know the story of ,pierre de ,rudder1 a ,belgian working-man80 ,everybody had again begun to listen4 8,this man10 continued ,m4 ,sabathier1 8had his leg broken by the fall of a tree4 ,eight years afterwards the two fragments of the bone had not yet joined together again--the two ends could be seen in the depths of a sore which was continually suppurating2 and the leg hung down quite limp1 swaying in all directions4 ,well1 it was sufficient for this man to drink a glassful of the miraculous water1 and his leg was made whole again4 ,he was able to walk without crutches1 and the doctor said to him3 #8,your leg is like that of a new-born child4' ,yes1 indeed1 a perfectly new leg40 ,nobody spoke1 but the listeners exchanged glances of ecstasy4 8,and1 by the way10 resumed ,m4 ,sabathier1 8it is like the story of ,louis ,bouriette1 a quarryman1 one of the first of the ,lourdes miracles4 ,do you know it8 ,bouriette had been injured by an explosion during some blasting operations4 ,the sight of his right eye was altogether destroyed1 and he was even threatened with the loss of the left one4 ,well1 one day he sent his daughter to fetch a bottleful of the muddy water of the source1 which then scarcely bubbled up to the surface4 ,he washed his eye with this muddy liquid1 and prayed fervently4 ,and1 all at once1 he raised a cry1 for he could see1 monsieur1 see as well as you and ,i4 ,the doctor who was attending him drew up a detailed narrative of the case1 and there cannot be the slightest doubt about its truth40 8,it is marvellous10 murmured ,m4 de ,guersaint in his delight4 8,would you like another example1 monsieur8 ,i can give you a famous one1 that of ,franois ,macary1 the carpenter of ,lavaur4 ,during eighteen years he had suffered from a deep varicose ulcer1 with considerable enlargement of the tissues in the mesial part of the left leg4 ,he had reached such a point that he could no longer move1 and science decreed that he would forever remain infirm4 ,well1 one evening he shuts himself up with a bottle of ,lourdes water4 ,he takes off his bandages1 washes both his legs1 and drinks what little water then remains in the bottle4 ,then he goes to bed and falls asleep2 and when he awakes1 he feels his legs and looks at them4 ,there is nothing left2 the varicose enlargement1 the ulcers1 have all disappeared4 ,the skin of his knee1 monsieur1 had become as smooth1 as fresh as it had been when he was twenty40 ,this time there was an explosion of surprise and admiration4 ,the patients and the pilgrims were entering into the enchanted land of miracles1 where impossibilities are accomplished at each bend of the pathways1 where one marches on at ease from prodigy to prodigy4 ,and each had his or her story to tell1 burning with a desire to contribute a fresh proof1 to fortify faith and hope by yet another example4 ,that silent creature1 ,madame ,maze1 was so transported that she spoke the first4 8,i have a friend10 said she1 8who knew the ,widow ,rizan1 that lady whose cure also created so great a stir4 ,for four-and-twenty years her left side had been entirely paralysed4 ,her stomach was unable to retain any solid food1 and she had become an inert bag of bones which had to be turned over in bed1 ,the friction of the sheets1 too1 had ended by rubbing her skin away in parts4 ,well1 she was so low one evening that the doctor announced that she would die during the night4 ,an hour later1 however1 she emerged from her torpor and asked her daughter in a faint voice to go and fetch her a glass of ,lourdes water from a neighbour's4 ,but she was only able to obtain this glass of water on the following morning2 and she cried out to her daughter3 #8,oh6 it is life that ,i am drinking--rub my face with it1 rub my arm and my leg1 rub my whole body with it6' ,and when her daughter obeyed her1 she gradually saw the huge swelling subside1 and the paralysed1 tumefied limbs recover their natural suppleness and appearance4 ,nor was that all1 for ,madame ,rizan cried out that she was cured and felt hungry1 and wanted bread and meat--she who had eaten none for four-and-twenty years6 ,and she got out of bed and dressed herself1 whilst her daughter1 who was so overpowered that the neighbours thought she had become an orphan1 replied to them3 #8,no1 no1 mamma isn't dead1 she has come to life again6'0 ,this narrative had brought tears to ,madame ,vincent's eyes4 ,ah6 if she had only been able to see her little ,rose recover like that1 eat with a good appetite1 and run about again6 ,at the same time1 another case1 which she had been told of in ,paris and which had greatly influenced her in deciding to take her ailing child to ,lourdes1 returned to her memory4 8,and ,i1 too10 said she1 8know the story of a girl who was paralysed4 ,her name was ,lucie ,druon1 and she was an inmate of an orphan asylum4 ,she was quite young and could not even kneel down4 ,her limbs were bent like hoops4 ,her right leg1 the shorter of the two1 had ended by becoming twisted round the left one2 and when any of the other girls carried her about you saw her feet hanging down quite limp1 like dead ones4 ,please notice that she did not even go to ,lourdes4 ,she simply performed a novena2 but she fasted during the nine days1 and her desire to be cured was so great that she spent her nights in prayer4 ,at last1 on the ninth day1 whilst she was drinking a little ,lourdes water1 she felt a violent commotion in her legs4 ,she picked herself up1 fell down1 picked herself up again and walked4 ,all her little companions1 who were astonished1 almost frightened at the sight1 began to cry out #8,lucie can walk6 ,lucie can walk6' ,it was quite true4 ,in a few seconds her legs had become straight and strong and healthy4 ,she crossed the courtyard and was able to climb up the steps of the chapel1 where the whole sisterhood1 transported with gratitude1 chanted the ,magnificat4 ,ah6 the dear child1 how happy1 how happy she must have been60 ,as ,madame ,vincent finished1 two tears fell from her cheeks on to the pale face of her little girl1 whom she kissed distractedly4 ,the general interest was still increasing1 becoming quite impassioned4 ,the rapturous joy born of these beautiful stories1 in which ,heaven invariably triumphed over human reality1 transported these childlike souls to such a point that those who were suffering the most grievously sat up in their turn1 and recovered the power of speech4 ,and with the narratives of one and all was blended a thought of the sufferer's own ailment1 a belief that he or she would also be cured1 since a malady of the same description had vanished like an evil dream beneath the breath of the ,divinity4 8,ah60 stammered ,madame ,vetu1 her articulation hindered by her sufferings1 8there was another one1 ,antoinette ,thardivail1 whose stomach was being eaten away like mine4 ,you would have said that dogs were devouring it1 and sometimes there was a swelling in it as big as a child's head4 ,tumours indeed were ever forming in it1 like fowl's eggs1 so that for eight months she brought up blood4 ,and she also was at the point of death1 with nothing but her skin left on her bones1 and dying of hunger1 when she drank some water of ,lourdes and had the pit of her stomach washed with it4 ,three minutes afterwards1 her doctor1 who on the previous day had left her almost in the last throes1 scarce breathing1 found her up and sitting by the fireside1 eating a tender chicken's wing with a good appetite4 ,she had no more tumours1 she laughed as she had laughed when she was twenty1 and her face had regained the brilliancy of youth4 ,ah6 to be able to eat what one likes1 to become young again1 to cease suffering60 8,and the cure of ,sister ,julienne60 then exclaimed ,la ,grivotte1 raising herself on one of her elbows1 her eyes glittering with fever4 8,in her case it commenced with a bad cold as it did with me1 and then she began to spit blood4 ,and every six months she fell ill again and had to take to her bed4 ,the last time everybody said that she wouldn't leave it alive4 ,the doctors had vainly tried every remedy1 iodine1 blistering1 and cauterising4 ,in fact1 hers was a real case of phthisis1 certified by half a dozen medical men4 ,well1 she comes to ,lourdes1 and ,heaven alone knows amidst what awful suffering--she was so bad1 indeed1 that at ,toulouse they thought for a moment that she was about to die6 ,the ,sisters had to carry her in their arms1 and on reaching the piscina the lady-hospitallers wouldn't bathe her4 ,she was dead1 they said4 ,no matter6 she was undressed at last1 and plunged into the water1 quite unconscious and covered with perspiration4 ,and when they took her out she was so pale that they laid her on the ground1 thinking that it was certainly all over with her at last4 ,but1 all at once1 colour came back to her cheeks1 her eyes opened1 and she drew a long breath4 ,she was cured2 she dressed herself without any help and made a good meal after she had been to the ,grotto to thank the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,there6 there's no gainsaying it1 that was a real case of phthisis1 completely cured as though by medicine60 ,thereupon ,brother ,isidore in his turn wished to speak2 but he was unable to do so at any length1 and could only with difficulty manage to say to his sister3 8,marthe1 tell them the story of ,sister ,dorothe which the priest of ,saint-,sauveur related to us40 8,sister ,dorothe10 began the peasant girl in an awkward way1 8felt her leg quite numbed when she got up one morning1 and from that time she lost the use of it1 for it got as cold and as heavy as a stone4 ,besides which she felt a great pain in the back4 ,the doctors couldn't understand it4 ,she saw half a dozen of them1 who pricked her with pins and burnt her skin with a lot of drugs4 ,but it was just as if they had sung to her4 ,sister ,dorothe had well understood that only the ,blessed ,virgin could find the right remedy for her1 and so she went off to ,lourdes1 and had herself dipped in the piscina4 ,she thought at first that the water was going to kill her1 for it was so bitterly cold4 ,but by-and-by it became so soft that she fancied it was warm1 as nice as milk4 ,she had never felt so nice before1 it seemed to her as if her veins were opening and the water were flowing into them4 ,as you will understand1 life was returning into her body since the ,blessed ,virgin was concerning herself in the case4 ,she no longer had anything the matter with her when she came out1 but walked about1 ate the whole of a pigeon for her dinner1 and slept all night long like the happy woman she was4 ,glory to the ,blessed ,virgin1 eternal gratitude to the most ,powerful ,mother and her ,divine ,son60 ,elise ,rouquet would also have liked to bring forward a miracle which she was acquainted with4 ,only she spoke with so much difficulty owing to the deformity of her mouth1 that she had not yet been able to secure a turn4 ,just then1 however1 there was a pause1 and drawing the wrap1 which concealed the horror of her sore1 slightly on one side1 she profited by the opportunity to begin4 8,for my part1 ,i wasn't told anything about a great illness1 but it was a very funny case at all events10 she said4 8,it was about a woman1 ,clestine ,dubois1 as she was called1 who had run a needle right into her hand while she was washing4 ,it stopped there for seven years1 for no doctor was able to take it out4 ,her hand shrivelled up1 and she could no longer open it4 ,well1 she got to ,lourdes1 and dipped her hand into the piscina4 ,but as soon as she did so she began to shriek1 and took it out again4 ,then they caught hold of her and put her hand into the water by force1 and kept it there while she continued sobbing1 with her face covered with sweat4 ,three times did they plunge her hand into the piscina1 and each time they saw the needle moving along1 till it came out by the tip of the thumb4 ,she shrieked1 of course1 because the needle was moving though her flesh just as though somebody had been pushing it to drive it out4 ,and after that ,clestine never suffered again1 and only a little scar could be seen on her hand as a mark of what the ,blessed ,virgin had done40 ,this anecdote produced a greater effect than even the miraculous cures of the most fearful illnesses4 ,a needle which moved as though somebody were pushing it6 ,this peopled the ,invisible1 showed each sufferer his ,guardian ,angel standing behind him1 only awaiting the orders of ,heaven in order to render him assistance4 ,and besides1 how pretty and childlike the story was--this needle which came out in the miraculous water after obstinately refusing to stir during seven long years4 ,exclamations of delight resounded from all the pleased listeners2 they smiled and laughed with satisfaction1 radiant at finding that nothing was beyond the power of ,heaven1 and that if it were ,heaven's pleasure they themselves would all become healthy1 young1 and superb4 ,it was sufficient that one should fervently believe and pray in order that nature might be confounded and that the ,incredible might come to pass4 ,apart from that there was merely a question of good luck1 since ,heaven seemed to make a selection of those sufferers who should be cured4 8,oh6 how beautiful it is1 father10 murmured ,marie1 who1 revived by the passionate interest which she took in the momentous subject1 had so far contented herself with listening1 dumb with amazement as it were4 8,do you remember10 she continued1 8what you yourself told me of that poor woman1 ,joachine ,dehaut1 who came from ,belgium and made her way right across ,france with her twisted leg eaten away by an ulcer1 the awful smell of which drove everybody away from her8 ,first of all the ulcer was healed2 you could press her knee and she felt nothing1 only a slight redness remained to mark where it had been4 ,and then came the turn of the dislocation4 ,she shrieked while she was in the water1 it seemed to her as if somebody were breaking her bones1 pulling her leg away from her2 and1 at the same time1 she and the woman who was bathing her1 saw her deformed foot rise and extend into its natural shape with the regular movement of a clock hand4 ,her leg also straightened itself1 the muscles extended1 the knee replaced itself in its proper position1 all amidst such acute pain that ,joachine ended by fainting4 ,but as soon as she recovered consciousness1 she darted off1 erect and agile1 to carry her crutches to the ,grotto40 ,m4 de ,guersaint in his turn was laughing with wonderment1 waving his hand to confirm this story1 which had been told him by a ,father of the ,assumption4 ,he could have related a score of similar instances1 said he1 each more touching1 more extraordinary than the other4 ,he even invoked ,pierre's testimony1 and the young priest1 who was unable to believe1 contented himself with nodding his head4 ,at first1 unwilling as he was to afflict ,marie1 he had striven to divert his thoughts by gazing though the carriage window at the fields1 trees1 and houses which defiled before his eyes4 ,they had just passed ,angoulme1 and meadows stretched out1 and lines of poplar trees fled away amidst the continuous fanning of the air1 which the velocity of the train occasioned4 ,they were late1 no doubt1 for they were hastening onward at full speed1 thundering along under the stormy sky1 through the fiery atmosphere1 devouring kilometre after kilometre in swift succession4 ,however1 despite himself1 ,pierre heard snatches of the various narratives1 and grew interested in these extravagant stories1 which the rough jolting of the wheels accompanied like a lullaby1 as though the engine had been turned loose and were wildly bearing them away to the divine land of dreams1 ,they were rolling1 still rolling along1 and ,pierre at last ceased to gaze at the landscape1 and surrendered himself to the heavy1 sleep-inviting atmosphere of the carriage1 where ecstasy was growing and spreading1 carrying everyone far from the world of reality across which they were so rapidly rushing1 ,the sight of ,marie's face with its brightened look filled the young priest with sincere joy1 and he let her retain his hand1 which she had taken in order to acquaint him1 by the pressure of her fingers1 with all the confidence which was reviving in her soul4 ,and why should he have saddened her by his doubts1 since he was so desirous of her cure8 ,so he continued clasping her small1 moist hand1 feeling infinite affection for her1 a dolorous brotherly love which distracted him1 and made him anxious to believe in the pity of the spheres1 in a superior kindness which tempered suffering to those who were plunged in despair1 8,oh60 she repeated1 8how beautiful it is1 ,pierre6 ,how beautiful it is6 ,and what glory it will be if the ,blessed ,virgin deigns to disturb herself for me6 ,do you really think me worthy of such a favour80 8,assuredly ,i do10 he exclaimed2 8you are the best and the purest1 with a spotless soul as your father said2 there are not enough good angels in ,paradise to form your escort40 ,but the narratives were not yet finished4 ,sister ,hyacinthe and ,madame de ,jonquire were now enumerating all the miracles with which they were acquainted1 the long1 long series of miracles which for more than thirty years had been flowering at ,lourdes1 like the uninterrupted budding of the roses on the ,mystical ,rose-tree4 ,they could be counted by thousands1 they put forth fresh shoots every year with prodigious verdancy of sap1 becoming brighter and brighter each successive season4 ,and the sufferers who listened to these marvellous stories with increasing feverishness were like little children who1 after hearing one fine fairy tale1 ask for another1 and another1 and yet another4 ,oh6 that they might have more and more of those stories in which evil reality was flouted1 in which unjust nature was cuffed and slapped1 in which the ,divinity intervened as the supreme healer1 ,he who laughs at science and distributes happiness according to ,his own good pleasure4 ,first of all there were the deaf and the dumb who suddenly heard and spoke2 such as ,aurlie ,bruneau1 who was incurably deaf1 with the drums of both ears broken1 and yet was suddenly enraptured by the celestial music of a harmonium2 such also as ,louise ,pourchet1 who on her side had been dumb for five-and-twenty years1 and yet1 whilst praying in the ,grotto1 suddenly exclaimed1 8,hail1 ,mary1 full of grace60 ,and there were others and yet others who were completely cured by merely letting a few drops of water fall into their ears or upon their tongues4 ,then came the procession of the blind3 ,father ,hermann1 who felt the ,blessed ,virgin's gentle hand removing the veil which covered his eyes2 ,mademoiselle de ,pontbriant1 who was threatened with a total loss of sight1 but after a simple prayer was enabled to see better than she had ever seen before2 then a child twelve years old whose corneas resembled marbles1 but who1 in three seconds1 became possessed of clear1 deep eyes1 bright with an angelic smile4 ,however1 there was especially an abundance of paralytics1 of lame people suddenly enabled to walk upright1 of sufferers for long years powerless to stir from their beds of misery and to whom the voice said3 8,arise and walk60 ,delannoy199 afflicted with ataxia1 vainly cauterised and burnt1 fifteen times an inmate of the ,paris hospitals1 whence he had emerged with the concurring diagnosis of twelve doctors1 feels a strange force raising him up as the ,blessed ,sacrament goes by1 and he begins to follow it1 his legs strong and healthy once more4 ,marie ,louise ,delpon1 a girl of fourteen1 suffering from paralysis which had stiffened her legs1 drawn back her hands1 and twisted her mouth on one side1 sees her limbs loosen and the distortion of her mouth disappear as though an invisible hand were severing the fearful bonds which had deformed her4 ,marie ,vachier1 riveted to her arm-chair during seventeen years by paraplegia1 not only runs and flies on emerging from the piscina1 but finds no trace even of the sores with which her long-enforced immobility had covered her body4 ,and ,georges ,hanquet1 attacked by softening of the spinal marrow1 passes without transition from agony to perfect health2 while ,lonie ,charton1 likewise afflicted with softening of the medulla1 and whose vertebrae bulge out to a considerable extent1 feels her hump melting away as though by enchantment1 and her legs rise and straighten1 renovated and vigorous4 99 ,this was one of the most notorious of the recorded cases and had a very strange sequel subsequent to the first publication of this work4 ,pierre ,delannoy had been employed as a ward-assistant in one of the large ,paris hospitals from #ahgg to #ahha1 when he came to the conclusion that the life of an in-patient was far preferable to the one he was leading4 ,he1 therefore1 resolved to pass the rest of his days inside different hospitals in the capacity of invalid4 ,he started by feigning locomotor ataxia1 and for six years deceived the highest medical experts in ,paris1 so curiously did he appear to suffer4 ,he stayed in turn in all the hospitals in the city1 being treated with every care and consideration1 until at last he met with a doctor who insisted on cauterisation and other disagreeable remedies4 ,delannoy thereupon opined that the time to be cured had arrived1 and cured he became1 and was discharged4 ,he next appeared at ,lourdes1 supported by crutches1 and presenting every symptom of being hopelessly crippled4 ,with other infirm and decrepid people he was dipped in the piscina and so efficacious did this treatment prove that he came out another man1 threw his crutches to the ground and walked1 as an onlooker expressed it1 8like a rural postman40 ,all ,lourdes rang with the fame of the miracle1 and the ,church1 after starring ,delannoy round the country as a specimen of what could be done at the holy spring1 placed him in charge of a home for invalids4 ,but this was too much like hard work1 and he soon decamped with all the money he could lay his hands on4 ,returning to ,paris he was admitted to the ,hospital of ,ste4 ,anne as suffering from mental debility1 but this did not prevent him from running off one night with about #cjj belonging to a dispenser4 ,the police were put on his track and arrested him in ,may1 #ahie1 when he tried to pass himself off as a lunatic2 but he had become by this time too well known1 and was indicted in due course4 ,at his trial he energetically denied that he had ever shammed1 but the ,court would not believe him1 and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment with hard labour4 --,trans4 ,then came all sorts of ailments4 ,first those brought about by scrofula--a great many more legs long incapable of service and made anew4 ,there was ,margaret ,gehier1 who had suffered from coxalgia for seven-and-twenty years1 whose hip was devoured by the disease1 whose left knee was anchylosed1 and who yet was suddenly able to fall upon her knees to thank the ,blessed ,virgin for healing her4 ,there was also ,philomne ,simonneau1 the young ,vendenne1 whose left leg was perforated by three horrible sores in the depths of which her carious bones were visible1 and whose bones1 whose flesh1 and whose skin were all formed afresh4 ,next came the dropsical ones3 ,madame ,ancelin1 the swelling of whose feet1 hands1 and entire body subsided without anyone being able to tell whither all the water had gone2 ,mademoiselle ,montagnon1 from whom1 on various occasions1 nearly twenty quarts of water had been drawn1 and who1 on again swelling1 was entirely rid of the fluid by the application of a bandage which had been dipped in the miraculous source4 ,and1 in her case also1 none of the water could be found1 either in her bed or on the floor4 ,in the same way1 not a complaint of the stomach resisted1 all disappeared with the first glass of water4 ,there was ,marie ,souchet1 who vomited black blood1 who had wasted to a skeleton1 and who devoured her food and recovered her flesh in two days' time6 ,there was ,marie ,jarlaud1 who had burnt herself internally through drinking a glass of a metallic solution used for cleansing and brightening kitchen utensils1 and who felt the tumour which had resulted from her injuries melt rapidly away4 ,moreover1 every tumour disappeared in this fashion1 in the piscina1 without leaving the slightest trace behind4 ,but that which caused yet greater wonderment was the manner in which ulcers1 cancers1 all sorts of horrible1 visible sores were cicatrised as by a breath from on high4 ,a ,jew1 an actor1 whose hand was devoured by an ulcer1 merely had to dip it in the water and he was cured4 ,a very wealthy young foreigner1 who had a wen as large as a hen's egg1 on his right wrist1 beheld it dissolve4 ,rose ,duval1 who1 as a result of a white tumour1 had a hole in her left elbow1 large enough to accommodate a walnut1 was able to watch and follow the prompt action of the new flesh in filling up this cavity6 ,the ,widow ,fromond1 with a lip half decoyed by a cancerous formation1 merely had to apply the miraculous water to it as a lotion1 and not even a red mark remained4 ,marie ,moreau1 who experienced fearful sufferings from a cancer in the breast1 fell asleep1 after laying on it a linen cloth soaked in some water of ,lourdes1 and when she awoke1 two hours later1 the pain had disappeared1 and her flesh was once more smooth and pink and fresh4 ,at last ,sister ,hyacinthe began to speak of the immediate and complete cures of phthisis1 and this was the triumph1 the healing of that terrible disease which ravages humanity1 which unbelievers defied the ,blessed ,virgin to cure1 but which she did cure1 it was said1 by merely raising her little finger4 ,a hundred instances1 more extraordinary one than the other1 pressed forward for citation4 ,marguerite ,coupel1 who had suffered from phthisis for three years1 and the upper part of whose lungs is destroyed by tuberculosis1 rises up and goes off1 radiant with health4 ,madame de la ,rivire1 who spits blood1 who is ever covered with a cold perspiration1 whose nails have already acquired a violet tinge1 who is indeed on the point of drawing her last breath1 requires but a spoonful of the water to be administered to her between her teeth1 and lo6 the rattles cease1 she sits up1 makes the responses to the litanies1 and asks for some broth4 ,julie ,jadot requires four spoonfuls2 but then she could no longer hold up her head1 she was of such a delicate constitution that disease had reduced her to nothing2 and yet1 in a few days1 she becomes quite fat4 ,anna ,catry1 who is in the most advanced stage of the malady1 with her left lung half destroyed by a cavity1 is plunged five times into the cold water1 contrary to all the dictates of prudence1 and she is cured1 her lung is healthy once more4 ,another consumptive girl1 condemned by fifteen doctors1 has asked nothing1 has simply fallen on her knees in the ,grotto1 by chance as it were1 and is afterwards quite surprised at having been cured au passage1 through the lucky circumstance of having been there1 no doubt1 at the hour when the ,blessed ,virgin1 moved to pity1 allows miracles to fall from her invisible hands4 ,miracles and yet more miracles6 ,they rained down like the flowers of dreams from a clear and balmy sky4 ,some of them were touching1 some of them were childish4 ,an old woman1 who1 having her hand anchylosed1 had been incapable of moving it for thirty years1 washes it in the water and is at once able to make the sign of the ,cross4 ,sister ,sophie1 who barked like a dog1 plunges into the piscina and emerges from it with a clear1 pure voice1 chanting a canticle4 ,mustapha1 a ,turk1 invokes the ,white ,lady and recovers the use of his right eye by applying a compress to it4 ,an officer of ,turcos was protected at ,sedan2 a cuirassier of ,reichsoffen would have died1 pierced in the heart by a bullet1 if this bullet after passing though his pocket-book had not stayed its flight on reaching a little picture of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes6 ,and1 as with the men and women1 so did the children1 the poor1 suffering little ones1 find mercy2 a paralytic boy of five rose and walked after being held for five minutes under the icy jet of the spring2 another one1 fifteen years of age1 who1 lying in bed1 could only raise an inarticulate cry1 sprang out of the piscina1 shouting that he was cured2 another one1 but two years old1 a poor tiny fellow who had never been able to walk1 remained for a quarter of an hour in the cold water and then1 invigorated and smiling1 took his first steps like a little man6 ,and for all of them1 the little ones as well as the adults1 the pain was acute whilst the miracle was being accomplished2 for the work of repair could not be effected without causing an extraordinary shock to the whole human organism2 the bones grew again1 new flesh was formed1 and the disease1 driven away1 made its escape in a final convulsion4 ,but how great was the feeling of comfort which followed6 ,the doctors could not believe their eyes1 their astonishment burst forth at each fresh cure1 when they saw the patients whom they had despaired of run and jump and eat with ravenous appetites4 ,all these chosen ones1 these women cured of their ailments1 walked a couple of miles1 sat down to roast fowl1 and slept the soundest of sleeps for a dozen hours4 ,moreover1 there was no convalescence1 it was a sudden leap from the death throes to complete health4 ,limbs were renovated1 sores were filled up1 organs were reformed in their entirety1 plumpness returned to the emaciated1 all with the velocity of a lightning flash6 ,science was completely baffled4 ,not even the most simple precautions were taken1 women were bathed at all times and seasons1 perspiring consumptives were plunged into the icy water1 sores were left to their putrefaction without any thought of employing antiseptics4 ,and then what canticles of joy1 what shouts of gratitude and love arose at each fresh miracle6 ,the favoured one falls upon her knees1 all who are present weep1 conversions are effected1 ,protestants and ,jews alike embrace ,catholicism--other miracles these1 miracles of faith1 at which ,heaven triumphs4 ,and when the favoured one1 chosen for the miracle1 returns to her village1 all the inhabitants crowd to meet her1 whilst the bells peal merrily2 and when she is seen springing lightly from the vehicle which has brought her home1 shouts and sobs of joy burst forth and all intonate the ,magnificat3 ,glory to the ,blessed ,virgin6 ,gratitude and love for ever6 ,indeed1 that which was more particularly evolved from the realisation of all these hopes1 from the celebration of all these ardent thanksgivings1 was gratitude--gratitude to the ,mother most pure and most admirable4 ,she was the great passion of every soul1 she1 the ,virgin most powerful1 the ,virgin most merciful1 the ,mirror of ,justice1 the ,seat of ,wisdom499 ,all hands were stretched towards her1 ,mystical ,rose in the dim light of the chapels1 ,tower of ,ivory on the horizon of dreamland1 ,gate of ,heaven leading into the ,infinite4 ,each day at early dawn she shone forth1 bright ,morning ,star1 gay with juvenescent hope4 ,and was she not also the ,health of the weak1 the ,refuge of sinners1 the ,comforter of the afflicted8 ,france had ever been her well-loved country1 she was adored there with an ardent worship1 the worship of her womanhood and her motherhood1 the soaring of a divine affection2 and it was particularly in ,france that it pleased her to show herself to little shepherdesses4 ,she was so good to the little and the humble2 she continually occupied herself with them2 and if she was appealed to so willingly it was because she was known to be the intermediary of love betwixt ,earth and ,heaven4 ,every evening she wept tears of gold at the feet of her divine ,son to obtain favours from ,him1 and these favours were the miracles which ,he permitted her to work1--these beautiful1 flower-like miracles1 as sweet-scented as the roses of ,paradise1 so prodigiously splendid and fragrant4 99 ,for the information of ,protestant and other non-,catholic readers it may be mentioned that all the titles enumerated in this passage are taken from the ,litany of the ,blessed ,virgin4--,trans4 ,but the train was still rolling1 rolling onward4 ,they had just passed ,contras1 it was six o'clock1 and ,sister ,hyacinthe1 rising to her1 feet1 clapped her hands together and once again repeated3 8,the ,angelus1 my children60 ,never had 8,aves0 impregnated with greater faith1 inflamed with a more fervent desire to be heard by ,heaven1 winged their flight on high4 ,and ,pierre suddenly understood everything1 clearly realised the meaning of all these pilgrimages1 of all these trains rolling along through every country of the civilised world1 of all these eager crowds1 hastening towards ,lourdes1 which blazed over yonder like the abode of salvation for body and for mind4 ,ah6 the poor wretches whom1 ever since morning1 he had heard groaning with pain1 the poor wretches who exposed their sorry carcasses to the fatigues of such a journey6 ,they were all condemned1 abandoned by science1 weary of consulting doctors1 of having tried the torturing effects of futile remedies4 ,and how well one could understand that1 burning with a desire to preserve their lives1 unable to resign themselves to the injustice and indifference of ,nature1 they should dream of a superhuman power1 of an almighty ,divinity who1 in their favour1 would perchance annul the established laws1 alter the course of the planets1 and reconsider ,his creation6 ,for if the world failed them1 did not the ,divinity remain to them8 ,in their cases reality was too abominable1 and an immense need of illusion and falsehood sprang up within them4 ,oh6 to believe that there is a supreme ,justiciar somewhere1 one who rights the apparent wrongs of things and beings2 to believe that there is a ,redeemer1 a consoler who is the real master1 who can carry the torrents back to their source1 who can restore youth to the aged1 and life to the dead6 ,and when you are covered with sores1 when your limbs are twisted1 when your stomach is swollen by tumours1 when your lungs are destroyed by disease1 to be able to say that all this is of no consequence1 that everything may disappear and be renewed at a sign from the ,blessed ,virgin1 that it is sufficient that you should pray to her1 touch her heart1 and obtain the favour of being chosen by her4 ,and then what a heavenly fount of hope appeared with the prodigious flow of those beautiful stories of cure1 those adorable fairy tales which lulled and intoxicated the feverish imaginations of the sick and the infirm4 ,since little ,sophie ,couteau1 with her white1 sound foot1 had climbed into that carriage1 opening to the gaze of those within it the limitless heavens of the ,divine and the ,supernatural1 how well one could understand the breath of resurrection that was passing over the world1 slowly raising those who despaired the most from their beds of misery1 and making their eyes shine since life was itself a possibility for them1 and they were1 perhaps1 about to begin it afresh4 ,yes1 'twas indeed that4 ,if that woeful train was rolling1 rolling on1 if that carriage was full1 if the other carriages were full also1 if ,france and the world1 from the uttermost limits of the earth1 were crossed by similar trains1 if crowds of three hundred thousand believers1 bringing thousands of sick along with them1 were ever setting out1 from one end of the year to the other1 it was because the ,grotto yonder was shining forth in its glory like a beacon of hope and illusion1 like a sign of the revolt and triumph of the ,impossible over inexorable materiality4 ,never had a more impassionating romance been devised to exalt the souls of men above the stern laws of life4 ,to dream that dream1 this was the great1 the ineffable happiness4 ,if the ,fathers of the ,assumption had seen the success of their pilgrimages increase and spread from year to year1 it was because they sold to all the flocking peoples the bread of consolation and illusion1 the delicious bread of hope1 for which suffering humanity ever hungers with a hunger that nothing will ever appease4 ,and it was not merely the physical sores which cried aloud for cure1 the whole of man's moral and intellectual being likewise shrieked forth its wretchedness1 with an insatiable yearning for happiness4 ,to be happy1 to place the certainty of life in faith1 to lean till death should come upon that one strong staff of travel--such was the desire exhaled by every breast1 the desire which made every moral grief bend the knee1 imploring a continuance of grace1 the conversion of dear ones1 the spiritual salvation of self and those one loved4 ,the mighty cry spread from pole to pole1 ascended and filled all the regions of space3 ,to be happy1 happy for evermore1 both in life and in death6 ,and ,pierre saw the suffering beings around him lose all perception of the jolting and recover their strength as league by league they drew nearer to the miracle4 ,even ,madame ,maze grew talkative1 certain as she felt that the ,blessed ,virgin would restore her husband to her4 ,with a smile on her face ,madame ,vincent gently rocked her little ,rose in her arms1 thinking that she was not nearly so ill as those all but lifeless children who1 after being plunged in the icy water1 sprang out and played4 ,m4 ,sabathier jested with ,m4 de ,guersaint1 and explained to him that1 next ,october1 when he had recovered the use of his legs1 he should go on a trip to ,rome--a journey which he had been postponing for fifteen years and more4 ,madame ,vetu1 quite calmed1 feeling nothing but a slight twinge in the stomach1 imagined that she was hungry1 and asked ,madame de ,jonquire to let her dip some strips of bread in a glass of milk2 whilst ,elise ,rouquet1 forgetting her sores1 ate some grapes1 with face uncovered4 ,and in ,la ,grivotte who was sitting up and ,brother ,isidore who had ceased moaning1 all those fine stories had left a pleasant fever1 to such a point that1 impatient to be cured1 they grew anxious to know the time4 ,for a minute also the man1 the strange man1 resuscitated4 ,whilst ,sister ,hyacinthe was again wiping the cold sweat from his brow1 he raised his eyelids1 and a smile momentarily brightened his pallid countenance4 ,yet once again he1 also1 had hoped4 ,marie was still holding ,pierre's fingers in her own small1 warm hand4 ,it was seven o'clock1 they were not due at ,bordeaux till half-past seven2 and the belated train was quickening its pace yet more and more1 rushing along with wild speed in order to make up for the minutes it had lost4 ,the storm had ended by coming down1 and now a gentle light of infinite purity fell from the vast clear heavens4 8,oh6 how beautiful it is1 ,pierre--how beautiful it is60 ,marie again repeated1 pressing his hand with tender affection4 ,and leaning towards him1 she added in an undertone3 8,i beheld the ,blessed ,virgin a little while ago1 ,pierre1 and it was your cure that ,i implored and shall obtain40 ,the priest1 who understood her meaning1 was thrown into confusion by the divine light which gleamed in her eyes as she fixed them on his own4 ,she had forgotten her own sufferings2 that which she had asked for was his conversion2 and that prayer of faith1 emanating1 pure and candid1 from that dear1 suffering creature1 upset his soul4 ,yet why should he not believe some day8 ,he himself had been distracted by all those extraordinary narratives4 ,the stifling heat of the carriage had made him dizzy1 the sight of all the woe heaped up there caused his heart to bleed with pity4 ,and contagion was doing its work2 he no longer knew where the real and the possible ceased1 he lacked the power to disentangle such a mass of stupefying facts1 to explain such as admitted of explanation and reject the others4 ,at one moment1 indeed1 as a hymn once more resounded and carried him off with its stubborn importunate rhythm1 he ceased to be master of himself1 and imagined that he was at last beginning to believe amidst the hallucinatory vertigo which reigned in that travelling hospital1 rolling1 ever rolling onward at full speed4 ,v4 ,,bernadette ,,the train left ,bordeaux after a stoppage of a few minutes1 during which those who had not dined hastened to purchase some provisions4 ,moreover1 the ailing ones were constantly drinking milk1 and asking for biscuits1 like little children4 ,and1 as soon as they were off again1 ,sister ,hyacinthe clapped her hands1 and exclaimed3 8,come1 let us make haste2 the evening prayer40 ,thereupon1 during a quarter of an hour came a confused murmuring1 made up of 8,paters0 and 8,aves10 self-examinations1 acts of contrition1 and vows of trustful reliance in ,god1 the ,blessed ,virgin1 and the ,saints1 with thanksgiving for protection and preservation that day1 and1 at last1 a prayer for the living and for the faithful departed4 8,in the name of the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen40 ,it was ten minutes past eight o'clock1 the shades of night were already bedimming the landscape--a vast plain which the evening mist seemed to prolong into the infinite1 and where1 far away1 bright dots of light shone out from the windows of lonely1 scattered houses4 ,in the carriage1 the lights of the lamps were flickering1 casting a subdued yellow glow on the luggage and the pilgrims1 who were sorely shaken by the spreading tendency of the train's motion4 8,you know1 my children10 resumed ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had remained standing1 8,i shall order silence when we get to ,lamothe1 in about an hour's time4 ,so you have an hour to amuse yourselves1 but you must be reasonable and not excite yourselves too much4 ,and when we have passed ,lamothe1 you hear me1 there must not be another word1 another sound1 you must all go to sleep40 ,this made them laugh4 8,oh6 but it is the rule1 you know10 added the ,sister1 8and surely you have too much sense not to obey me40 ,since the morning they had punctually fulfilled the programme of religious exercises specified for each successive hour4 ,and now that all the prayers had been said1 the beads told1 the hymns chanted1 the day's duties were over1 and a brief interval for recreation was allowed before sleeping4 ,they were1 however1 at a loss as to what they should do4 8,sister10 suddenly said ,marie1 8if you would allow ,monsieur l',abb to read to us--he reads extremely well1--and as it happens ,i have a little book with me--a history of ,bernadette which is so interesting--0 ,the others did nor let her finish1 but with the suddenly awakened desire of children to whom a beautiful story has been promised1 loudly exclaimed3 8,oh6 yes1 ,sister4 ,oh6 yes1 ,sister--0 8,of course ,i will allow it10 replied ,sister ,hyacinthe1 8since it is a question of reading something instructive and edifying40 ,pierre was obliged to consent4 ,but to be able to read the book he wished to be under the lamp1 and it was necessary that he should change seats with ,m4 de ,guersaint1 whom the promise of a story had delighted as much as it did the ailing ones4 ,and when the young priest1 after changing seats and declaring that he would be able to see well enough1 at last opened the little book1 a quiver of curiosity sped from one end of the carriage to the other1 and every head was stretched out1 lending ear with rapt attention4 ,fortunately1 ,pierre had a clear1 powerful voice and made himself distinctly heard above the wheels1 which1 now that the train travelled across a vast level plain1 gave out but a subdued1 rumbling sound4 ,before beginning1 however1 the young priest had examined the book4 ,it was one of those little works of propaganda issued from the ,catholic printing-presses and circulated in profusion throughout all ,christendom4 ,badly printed1 on wretched paper1 it was adorned on its blue cover with a little wood-cut of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 a naive design alike stiff and awkward4 ,the book itself was short1 and half an hour would certainly suffice to read it from cover to cover without hurrying4 ,accordingly1 in his fine1 clear voice1 with its penetrating1 musical tones1 he began his perusal as follows3-- 8,it happened at ,lourdes1 a little town near the ,pyrenees1 on a ,thursday1 ,february #aa1 #aheh4 ,the weather was cold1 and somewhat cloudy1 and in the humble home of a poor but honest miller named ,franois ,soubirous there was no wood to cook the dinner4 ,the miller's wife1 ,louise1 said to her younger daughter ,marie1 #8,go and gather some wood on the bank of the ,gave or on the common-land4' ,the ,gave is a torrent which passes through ,lourdes4 8,marie had an elder sister1 named ,bernadette1 who had lately arrived from the country1 where some worthy villagers had employed her as a shepherdess4 ,she was a slender1 delicate1 extremely innocent child1 and knew nothing except her rosary4 ,louise ,soubirous hesitated to send her out with her sister1 on account of the cold1 but at last1 yielding to the entreaties of ,marie and a young girl of the neighbourhood called ,jeanne ,abadie1 she consented to let her go4 8,following the bank of the torrent and gathering stray fragments of dead wood1 the three maidens at last found themselves in front of the ,grotto1 hollowed out in a huge mass of rock which the people of the district called ,massabielle40 ,pierre had reached this point and was turning the page when he suddenly paused and let the little book fall on his knees4 ,the childish character of the narrative1 its ready-made1 empty phraseology1 filled him with impatience4 ,he himself possessed quite a collection of documents concerning this extraordinary story1 had passionately studied even its most trifling details1 and in the depths of his heart retained a feeling of tender affection and infinite pity for ,bernadette4 ,he had just reflected1 too1 that on the very next day he would be able to begin that decisive inquiry which he had formerly dreamt of making at ,lourdes4 ,in fact1 this was one of the reasons which had induced him to accompany ,marie on her journey4 ,and he was now conscious of an awakening of all his curiosity respecting the ,visionary1 whom he loved because he felt that she had been a girl of candid soul1 truthful and ill-fated1 though at the same time he would much have liked to analyse and explain her case4 ,assuredly1 she had not lied1 she had indeed beheld a vision and heard voices1 like ,joan of ,arc2 and like ,joan of ,arc also1 she was now1 in the opinion of the devout1 accomplishing the deliverance of ,france--from sin if not from invaders4 ,pierre wondered what force could have produced her--her and her work4 ,how was it that the visionary faculty had become developed in that lowly girl1 so distracting believing souls as to bring about a renewal of the miracles of primitive times1 as to found almost a new religion in the midst of a ,holy ,city1 built at an outlay of millions1 and ever invaded by crowds of worshippers more numerous and more exalted in mind than had ever been known since the days of the ,crusades8 ,and so1 ceasing to read the book1 ,pierre began to tell his companions all that he knew1 all that he had divined and reconstructed of that story which is yet so obscure despite the vast rivers of ink which it has already caused to flow4 ,he knew the country and its manners and customs1 through his long conversations with his friend ,doctor ,chassaigne4 ,and he was endowed with charming fluency of language1 an emotional power of exquisite purity1 many remarkable gifts well fitting him to be a pulpit orator1 which he never made use of1 although he had known them to be within him ever since his seminary days4 ,when the occupants of the carriage perceived that he knew the story1 far better and in far greater detail than it appeared in ,marie's little book1 and that he related it also in such a gentle yet passionate way1 there came an increase of attention1 and all those afflicted souls hungering for happiness went forth towards him4 ,first came the story of ,bernadette's childhood at ,bartres1 where she had grown up in the abode of her foster-mother1 ,madame ,lagues1 who1 having lost an infant of her own1 had rendered those poor folks1 the ,soubirouses1 the service of suckling and keeping their child for them4 ,bartres1 a village of four hundred souls1 at a league or so from ,lourdes1 lay as it were in a desert oasis1 sequestered amidst greenery1 and far from any frequented highway4 ,the road dips down1 the few houses are scattered over grassland1 divided by hedges and planted with walnut and chestnut trees1 whilst the clear rivulets1 which are never silent1 follow the sloping banks beside the pathways1 and nothing rises on high save the small ancient romanesque church1 which is perched on a hillock1 covered with graves4 ,wooded slopes undulate upon all sides4 ,bartres lies in a hollow amidst grass of delicious freshness1 grass of intense greenness1 which is ever moist at the roots1 thanks to the eternal subterraneous expanse of water which is fed by the mountain torrents4 ,and ,bernadette1 who1 since becoming a big girl1 had paid for her keep by tending lambs1 was wont to take them with her1 season after season1 through all the greenery where she never met a soul4 ,it was only now and then1 from the summit of some slope1 that she saw the far-away mountains1 the ,pic du ,midi1 the ,pic de ,viscos1 those masses which rose up1 bright or gloomy1 according to the weather1 and which stretched away to other peaks1 lightly and faintly coloured1 vaguely and confusedly outlined1 like apparitions seen in dreams4 ,then came the home of the ,lagueses1 where her cradle was still preserved1 a solitary1 silent house1 the last of the village4 ,a meadow planted with pear and apple trees1 and only separated from the open country by a narrow stream which one could jump across1 stretched out in front of the house4 ,inside the latter1 a low and damp abode1 there were1 on either side of the wooden stairway leading to the loft1 but two spacious rooms1 flagged with stones1 and each containing four or five beds4 ,the girls1 who slept together1 fell asleep at even1 gazing at the fine pictures affixed to the walls1 whilst the big clock in its pinewood case gravely struck the hours in the midst of the deep silence4 ,ah6 those years at ,bartres2 in what sweet peacefulness did ,bernadette live them6 ,yet she grew up very thin1 always in bad health1 suffering from a nervous asthma which stifled her in the least veering of the wind2 and on attaining her twelfth year she could neither read nor write1 nor speak otherwise than in dialect1 having remained quite infantile1 behindhand in mind as in body4 ,she was a very good little girl1 very gentle and well behaved1 and but little different from other children1 except that instead of talking she preferred to listen4 ,limited as was her intelligence1 she often evinced much natural common-sense1 and at times was prompt in her rparties1 with a kind of simple gaiety which made one smile4 ,it was only with infinite trouble that she was taught her rosary1 and when she knew it she seemed bent on carrying her knowledge no further1 but repeated it all day long1 so that whenever you met her with her lambs1 she invariably had her chaplet between her fingers1 diligently telling each successive 8,pater0 and 8,ave40 ,for long1 long hours she lived like this on the grassy slopes of the hills1 hidden away and haunted as it were amidst the mysteries of the foliage1 seeing nought of the world save the crests of the distant mountains1 which1 for an instant1 every now and then1 would soar aloft in the radiant light1 as ethereal as the peaks of dreamland4 ,days followed days1 and ,bernadette roamed1 dreaming her one narrow dream1 repeating the sole prayer she knew1 which gave her amidst her solitude1 so fresh and navely infantile1 no other companion and friend than the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,but what pleasant evenings she spent in the winter-time in the room on the left1 where a fire was kept burning6 ,her foster-mother had a brother1 a priest1 who occasionally read some marvellous stories to them--stories of saints1 prodigious adventures of a kind to make one tremble with mingled fear and joy1 in which ,paradise appeared upon earth1 whilst the heavens opened and a glimpse was caught of the splendour of the angels4 ,the books he brought with him were often full of pictures--,god the ,father enthroned amidst ,his glory2 ,jesus1 so gentle and so handsome with ,his beaming face2 the ,blessed ,virgin1 who recurred again and again1 radiant with splendour1 clad now in white1 now in azure1 now in gold1 and ever so amiable that ,bernadette would see her again in her dreams4 ,but the book which was read more than all others was the ,bible1 an old ,bible which had been in the family for more than a hundred years1 and which time and usage had turned yellow4 ,each winter evening ,bernadette's foster-father1 the only member of the household who had learnt to read1 would take a pin1 pass it at random between the leaves of the book1 open the latter1 and then start reading from the top of the right-hand page1 amidst the deep attention of both the women and the children1 who ended by knowing the book by heart1 and could have continued reciting it without a single mistake4 ,however1 ,bernadette1 for her part1 preferred the religious works in which the ,blessed ,virgin constantly appeared with her engaging smile4 ,true1 one reading of a different character amused her1 that of the marvellous story of the ,four ,brothers ,aymon4 ,on the yellow paper cover of the little book1 which had doubtless fallen from the bale of some peddler who had lost his way in that remote region1 there was a naive cut showing the four doughty knights1 ,renaud and his brothers1 all mounted on ,bayard1 their famous battle charger1 that princely present made to them by the fairy ,orlanda4 ,and inside were narratives of bloody fights1 of the building and besieging of fortresses1 of the terrible swordthrusts exchanged by ,roland and ,renaud1 who was at last about to free the ,holy ,land1 without mentioning the tales of ,maugis the ,magician and his marvellous enchantments1 and the ,princess ,clarisse1 the ,king of ,aquitaine's sister1 who was more lovely than sunlight4 ,her imagination fired by such stories as these1 ,bernadette often found it difficult to get to sleep2 and this was especially the case on the evenings when the books were left aside1 and some person of the company related a tale of witchcraft4 ,the girl was very superstitious1 and after sundown could never be prevailed upon to pass near a tower in the vicinity1 which was said to be haunted by the fiend4 ,for that matter1 all the folks of the region were superstitious1 devout1 and simple-minded1 the whole countryside being peopled1 so to say1 with mysteries--trees which sang1 stones from which blood flowed1 cross-roads where it was necessary to say three 8,paters0 and three 8,aves10 if you did not wish to meet the seven-horned beast who carried maidens off to perdition4 ,and what a wealth of terrifying stories there was6 ,hundreds of stories1 so that there was no finishing on the evenings when somebody started them4 ,first came the wehrwolf adventures1 the tales of the unhappy men whom the demon forced to enter into the bodies of dogs1 the great white dogs of the mountains4 ,if you fire a gun at the dog and a single shot should strike him1 the man will be delivered2 but if the shot should fall on the dog's shadow1 the man will immediately die4 ,then came the endless procession of sorcerers and sorceresses4 ,in one of these tales ,bernadette evinced a passionate interest2 it was the story of a clerk of the tribunal of ,lourdes who1 wishing to see the devil1 was conducted by a witch into an untilled field at midnight on ,good ,friday4 ,the devil arrived clad in magnificent scarlet garments1 and at once proposed to the clerk that he should buy his soul1 an offer which the clerk pretended to accept4 ,it so happened that the devil was carrying under his arm a register in which different persons of the town1 who had already sold themselves1 had signed their names4 ,however1 the clerk1 who was a cunning fellow1 pulled out of his pocket a pretended bottle of ink1 which in reality contained holy water1 and with this he sprinkled the devil1 who raised frightful shrieks1 whilst the clerk took to flight1 carrying the register off with him4 ,then began a wild1 mad race1 which might last throughout the night1 over the mountains1 through the valleys1 across the forests and the torrents4 8,give me back my register60 shouted the fiend4 8,no1 you sha'n't have it60 replied the clerk4 ,and again and again it began afresh3 8,give me back my register60--8,no1 you sha'n't have it'60 ,and at last1 finding himself out of breath1 near the point of succumbing1 the clerk1 who had his plan1 threw himself into the cemetery1 which was consecrated ground1 and was there able to deride the devil at his ease1 waving the register which he had purloined so as to save the souls of all the unhappy people who had signed their names in it4 ,on the evening when this story was told1 ,bernadette1 before surrendering herself to sleep1 would mentally repeat her rosary1 delighted with the thought that hell should have been baffled1 though she trembled at the idea that it would surely return to prowl around her1 as soon as the lamp should have been put out4 ,throughout one winter1 the long evenings were spent in the church4 ,abb ,ader1 the village priest1 had authorised it1 and many families came1 in order to economise oil and candles4 ,moreover1 they felt less cold when gathered together in this fashion4 ,the ,bible was read1 and prayers were repeated1 whilst the children ended by falling asleep4 ,bernadette alone struggled on to the finish1 so pleased she was at being there1 in that narrow nave whose slender nervures were coloured blue and red4 ,at the farther end was the altar1 also painted and gilded1 with its twisted columns and its screens on which appeared the ,virgin and ,ste4 ,anne1 and the beheading of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist--the whole of a gaudy and somewhat barbaric splendour4 ,and as sleepiness grew upon her1 the child must have often seen a mystical vision as it were of those crudely coloured designs rising before her--have seen the blood flowing from ,st4 ,john's severed head1 have seen the aureolas shining1 the ,virgin ever returning and gazing at her with her blue1 living eyes1 and looking as though she were on the point of opening her vermilion lips in order to speak to her4 ,for some months ,bernadette spent her evenings in this wise1 half asleep in front of that sumptuous1 vaguely defined altar1 in the incipiency of a divine dream which she carried away with her1 and finished in bed1 slumbering peacefully under the watchful care of her guardian angel4 ,and it was also in that old church1 so humble yet so impregnated with ardent faith1 that ,bernadette began to learn her catechism4 ,she would soon be fourteen now1 and must think of her first communion4 ,her foster-mother1 who had the reputation of being avaricious1 did not send her to school1 but employed her in or about the house from morning till evening4 ,m4 ,barbet1 the schoolmaster1 never saw her at his classes1 though one day1 when he gave the catechism lesson1 in the place of ,abb ,ader who was indisposed1 he remarked her on account of her piety and modesty4 ,the village priest was very fond of ,bernadette and often spoke of her to the schoolmaster1 saying that he could never look at her without thinking of the children of ,la ,salette1 since they must have been good1 candid1 and pious as she was1 for the ,blessed ,virgin to have appeared to them499 ,on another occasion whilst the two men were walking one morning near the village1 and saw ,bernadette disappear with her little flock under some spreading trees in the distance1 the ,abb repeatedly turned round to look for her1 and again remarked 8,i cannot account for it1 but every time ,i meet that child it seems to me as if ,i saw ,mlanie1 the young shepherdess1 little ,maximin's companion40 ,he was certainly beset by this singular idea1 which became1 so to say1 a prediction4 ,moreover1 had he not one day after catechism1 or one evening1 when the villagers were gathered in the church1 related that marvellous story which was already twelve years old1 that story of the ,lady in the dazzling robes who walked upon the grass without even making it bend1 the ,blessed ,virgin who showed herself to ,mlanie and ,maximin on the banks of a stream in the mountains1 and confided to them a great secret and announced the anger of her ,son8 ,ever since that day a source had sprung up from the tears which she had shed1 a source which cured all ailments1 whilst the secret1 inscribed on parchment fastened with three seals1 slumbered at ,rome6 ,and ,bernadette1 no doubt1 with her dreamy1 silent air1 had listened passionately to that wonderful tale and carried it off with her into the desert of foliage where she spent her days1 so that she might live it over again as she walked along behind her lambs with her rosary1 slipping bead by bead between her slender fingers4 99 ,it was on ,september #ai1 #ahdf1 that the ,virgin is said to have appeared in the ravine of ,la ,sezia1 adjacent to the valley of ,la ,salette1 between ,corps and ,eutraigues1 in the department of the ,isre4 ,the visionaries were ,mlanie ,mathieu1 a girl of fourteen1 and ,maximin ,giraud1 a boy of twelve4 ,the local clergy speedily endorsed the story of the miracle1 and thousands of people still go every year in pilgrimage to a church overlooking the valley1 and bathe and drink at a so-called miraculous source4 ,two priests of ,grenoble1 however1 ,abb ,deleon and ,abb ,cartellier1 accused a ,mlle4 de ,lamerliere of having concocted the miracle1 and when she took proceedings against them for libel she lost her case4--,trans4 ,thus her childhood ran its course at ,bartres4 ,that which delighted one in this ,bernadette1 so poor-blooded1 so slight of build1 was her ecstatic eyes1 beautiful visionary eyes1 from which dreams soared aloft like birds winging their flight in a pure limpid sky4 ,her mouth was large1 with lips somewhat thick1 expressive of kindliness2 her square-shaped head had a straight brow1 and was covered with thick black hair1 whilst her face would have seemed rather common but for its charming expression of gentle obstinacy4 ,those who did not gaze into her eyes1 however1 gave her no thought4 ,to them she was but an ordinary child1 a poor thing of the roads1 a girl of reluctant growth1 timidly humble in her ways4 ,assuredly it was in her glance that ,abb ,ader had with agitation detected the stifling ailment which filled her puny1 girlish form with suffering--that ailment born of the greeny solitude in which she had grown up1 the gentleness of her bleating lambs1 the ,angelic ,salutation which she had carried with her1 hither and thither1 under the sky1 repeating and repeating it to the point of hallucination1 the prodigious stories1 too1 which she had heard folks tell at her foster-mother's1 the long evenings spent before the living altar-screens in the church1 and all the atmosphere of primitive faith which she had breathed in that far-away rural region1 hemmed in by mountains4 ,at last1 on one seventh of ,january1 ,bernadette had just reached her fourteenth birthday1 when her parents1 finding that she learnt nothing at ,bartres1 resolved to bring her back to ,lourdes for good1 in order that she might diligently study her catechism1 and in this wise seriously prepare herself for her first communion4 ,and so it happened that she had already been at ,lourdes some fifteen or twenty days1 when on ,february #aa1 a ,thursday1 cold and somewhat cloudy-- ,but ,pierre could carry his narrative no further1 for ,sister ,hyacinthe had risen to her feet and was vigorously clapping her hands4 8,my children10 she exclaimed1 8it is past nine o'clock4 ,silence6 silence60 ,the train had indeed just passed ,lamothe1 and was rolling with a dull rumble across a sea of darkness--the endless plains of the ,landes which the night submerged4 ,for ten minutes already not a sound ought to have been heard in the carriage1 one and all ought to have been sleeping or suffering uncomplainingly4 ,however1 a mutiny broke out4 8,oh6 ,sister60 exclaimed ,marie1 whose eyes were sparkling1 8allow us just another short quarter of an hour6 ,we have got to the most interesting part40 ,ten1 twenty voices took up the cry3 8,oh yes1 ,sister1 please do let us have another short quarter of an hour60 ,they all wished to hear the continuation1 burning with as much curiosity as though they had not known the story1 so captivated were they by the touches of compassionate human feeling which ,pierre introduced into his narrative4 ,their glances never left him1 all their heads were stretched towards him1 fantastically illumined by the flickering light of the lamps4 ,and it was not only the sick who displayed this interest2 the ten women occupying the compartment at the far end of the carriage had also become impassioned1 and1 happy at not missing a single word1 turned their poor ugly faces now beautified by naive faith4 8,no1 ,i cannot60 ,sister ,hyacinthe at first declared2 8the rules are very strict--you must be silent40 ,however1 she weakened1 she herself feeling so interested in the tale that she could detect her heart beating under her stomacher4 ,then ,marie again repeated her request in an entreating tone2 whilst her father1 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had listened like one hugely amused1 declared that they would all fall ill if the story were not continued4 ,and thereupon1 seeing ,madame de ,jonquire smile with an indulgent air1 ,sister ,hyacinthe ended by consenting4 8,well1 then10 said she1 8,i will allow you another short quarter of an hour2 but only a short quarter of an hour1 mind4 ,that is understood1 is it not8 ,for ,i should otherwise be in fault40 ,pierre had waited quietly without attempting to intervene4 ,and he resumed his narrative in the same penetrating voice as before1 a voice in which his own doubts were softened by pity for those who suffer and who hope4 ,the scene of the story was now transferred to ,lourdes1 to the ,rue des ,petits ,fosss1 a narrow1 tortuous1 mournful street taking a downward course between humble houses and roughly plastered dead walls4 ,the ,soubirous family occupied a single room on the ground floor of one of these sorry habitations1 a room at the end of a dark passage1 in which seven persons were huddled together1 the father1 the mother1 and five children4 ,you could scarcely see in the chamber2 from the tiny1 damp inner courtyard of the house there came but a greenish light4 ,and in that room they slept1 all of a heap2 and there also they ate1 when they had bread4 ,for some time past1 the father1 a miller by trade1 could only with difficulty obtain work as a journeyman4 ,and it was from that dark hole1 that lowly wretchedness1 that ,bernadette1 the elder girl1 with ,marie1 her sister1 and ,jeanne1 a little friend of the neighbourhood1 went out to pick up dead wood1 on the cold ,february ,thursday already spoken of4 ,then the beautiful tale was unfolded at length2 how the three girls followed the bank of the ,gave from the other side of the castle1 and how they ended by finding themselves on the ,ile du ,chalet in front of the rock of ,massabielle1 from which they were only separated by the narrow stream diverted from the ,gave1 and used for working the mill of ,savy4 ,it was a wild spot1 whither the common herdsman often brought the pigs of the neighbourhood1 which1 when showers suddenly came on1 would take shelter under this rock of ,massabielle1 at whose base there was a kind of grotto of no great depth1 blocked at the entrance by eglantine and brambles4 ,the girls found dead wood very scarce that day1 but at last on seeing on the other side of the stream quite a gleaning of branches deposited there by the torrent1 ,marie and ,jeanne crossed over through the water2 whilst ,bernadette1 more delicate than they were1 a trifle young-ladyfied1 perhaps1 remained on the bank lamenting1 and not daring to wet her feet4 ,she was suffering slightly from humour in the head1 and her mother had expressly bidden her to wrap herself in her capulet199 a large white capulet which contrasted vividly with her old black woollen dress4 ,when she found that her companions would not help her1 she resignedly made up her mind to take off her sabots1 and pull down her stockings4 ,it was then about noon1 the three strokes of the ,angelus rang out from the parish church1 rising into the broad calm winter sky1 which was somewhat veiled by fine fleecy clouds4 ,and it was then that a great agitation arose within her1 resounding in her ears with such a tempestuous roar that she fancied a hurricane had descended from the mountains1 and was passing over her4 ,but she looked at the trees and was stupefied1 for not a leaf was stirring4 ,then she thought that she had been mistaken1 and was about to pick up her sabots1 when again the great gust swept through her2 but1 this time1 the disturbance in her ears reached her eyes1 she no longer saw the trees1 but was dazzled by a whiteness1 a kind of bright light which seemed to her to settle itself against the rock1 in a narrow1 lofty slit above the ,grotto1 not unlike an ogival window of a cathedral4 ,in her fright she fell upon her knees4 ,what could it be1 mon ,dieu8 ,sometimes1 during bad weather1 when her asthma oppressed her more than usual1 she spent very bad nights1 incessantly dreaming dreams which were often painful1 and whose stifling effect she retained on awaking1 even when she had ceased to remember anything4 ,flames would surround her1 the sun would flash before her face4 ,had she dreamt in that fashion during the previous night8 ,was this the continuation of some forgotten dream8 ,however1 little by little a form became outlined1 she believed that she could distinguish a figure which the vivid light rendered intensely white4 ,in her fear lest it should be the devil1 for her mind was haunted by tales of witchcraft1 she began to tell her beads4 ,and when the light had slowly faded away1 and she had crossed the canal and joined ,marie and ,jeanne1 she was surprised to find that neither of them had seen anything whilst they were picking up the wood in front of the ,grotto4 ,on their way back to ,lourdes the three girls talked together4 ,so she1 ,bernadette1 had seen something then8 ,what was it8 ,at first1 feeling uneasy1 and somewhat ashamed1 she would not answer2 but at last she said that she had seen something white4 99 ,this is a kind of hood1 more generally known among the ,bearnese peasantry as a sarot4 ,whilst forming a coif it also completely covers the back and shoulders4--,trans4 ,from this the rumours started and grew4 ,the ,soubirouses1 on being made acquainted with the circumstance1 evinced much displeasure at such childish nonsense1 and told their daughter that she was not to return to the rock of ,massabielle4 ,all the children of the neighbourhood1 however1 were already repeating the tale1 and when ,sunday came the parents had to give way1 and allow ,bernadette to betake herself to the ,grotto with a bottle of holy water to ascertain if it were really the devil whom one had to deal with4 ,she then again beheld the light1 the figure became more clearly defined1 and smiled upon her1 evincing no fear whatever of the holy water4 ,and1 on the ensuing ,thursday1 she once more returned to the spot accompanied by several persons1 and then for the first time the radiant lady assumed sufficient corporality to speak1 and say to her3 8,do me the kindness to come here for fifteen days40 ,thus1 little by little1 the lady had assumed a precise appearance4 ,the something clad in white had become indeed a lady more beautiful than a queen1 of a kind such as is only seen in pictures4 ,at first1 in presence of the questions with which all the neighbours plied her from morning till evening1 ,bernadette had hesitated1 disturbed1 perhaps1 by scruples of conscience4 ,but then1 as though prompted by the very interrogatories to which she was subjected1 she seemed to perceive the figure which she had beheld1 more plainly1 so that it definitely assumed life1 with lines and hues from which the child1 in her after-descriptions1 never departed4 ,the lady's eyes were blue and very mild1 her mouth was rosy and smiling1 the oval of her face expressed both the grace of youth and of maternity4 ,below the veil covering her head and falling to her heels1 only a glimpse was caught of her admirable fair hair1 which was slightly curled4 ,her robe1 which was of dazzling whiteness1 must have been of some material unknown on earth1 some material woven of the sun's rays4 ,her sash1 of the same hue as the heavens1 was fastened loosely about her1 its long ends streaming downwards1 with the light airiness of morning4 ,her chaplet1 wound about her right arm1 had beads of a milky whiteness1 whilst the links and the cross were of gold4 ,and on her bare feet1 on her adorable feet of virgin snow1 flowered two golden roses1 the mystic roses of this divine mother's immaculate flesh4 ,where was it that ,bernadette had seen this ,blessed ,virgin1 of such traditionally simple composition1 unadorned by a single jewel1 having but the primitive grace imagined by the painters of a people in its childhood8 ,in which illustrated book belonging to her foster-mother's brother1 the good priest1 who read such attractive stories1 had she beheld this ,virgin8 ,or in what picture1 or what statuette1 or what stained-glass window of the painted and gilded church where she had spent so many evenings whilst growing up8 ,and whence1 above all things1 had come those golden roses poised on the ,virgin's feet1 that piously imagined florescence of woman's flesh--from what romance of chivalry1 from what story told after catechism by the ,abb ,ader1 from what unconscious dream indulged in under the shady foliage of ,bartres1 whilst ever and ever repeating that haunting ,angelic ,salutation8 ,pierre's voice had acquired a yet more feeling tone1 for if he did not say all these things to the simple-minded folks who were listening to him1 still the human explanation of all these prodigies which the feeling of doubt in the depths of his being strove to supply1 imparted to his narrative a quiver of sympathetic1 fraternal love4 ,he loved ,bernadette the better for the great charm of her hallucination--that lady of such gracious access1 such perfect amiability1 such politeness in appearing and disappearing so appropriately4 ,at first the great light would show itself1 then the vision took form1 came and went1 leant forward1 moved about1 floating imperceptibly1 with ethereal lightness2 and when it vanished the glow lingered for yet another moment1 and then disappeared like a star fading away4 ,no lady in this world could have such a white and rosy face1 with a beauty so akin to that of the ,virgins on the picture-cards given to children at their first communions4 ,and it was strange that the eglantine of the ,grotto did not even hurt her adorable bare feet blooming with golden flowers4 ,pierre1 however1 at once proceeded to recount the other apparitions4 ,the fourth and fifth occurred on the ,friday and the ,saturday2 but the ,lady1 who shone so brightly and who had not yet told her name1 contented herself on these occasions with smiling and saluting without pronouncing a word4 ,on the ,sunday1 however1 she wept1 and said to ,bernadette1 8,pray for sinners40 ,on the ,monday1 to the child's great grief1 she did not appear1 wishing1 no doubt1 to try her4 ,but on the ,tuesday she confided to her a secret which concerned her 7the girl7 alone1 a secret which she was never to divulge992 and then she at last told her what mission it was that she entrusted to her3 8,go and tell the priests10 she said1 8that they must build a chapel here40 ,on the ,wednesday she frequently murmured the word 8,penitence6 penitence6 penitence60 which the child repeated1 afterwards kissing the earth4 ,on the ,thursday the ,lady said to her3 8,go1 and drink1 and wash at the spring1 and eat of the grass that is beside it10 words which the ,visionary ended by understanding1 when in the depths of the ,grotto a source suddenly sprang up beneath her fingers4 ,and this was the miracle of the enchanted fountain4 99 ,in a like way1 it will be remembered1 the apparition at ,la ,salette confided a secret to ,mlanie and ,maximin 7see ante1 note74 ,there can be little doubt that ,bernadette was acquainted with the story of the miracle of ,la ,salette4--,trans4 ,then the second week ran its course4 ,the lady did not appear on the ,friday1 but was punctual on the five following days1 repeating her commands and gazing with a smile at the humble girl whom she had chosen to do her bidding1 and who1 on her side1 duly told her beads at each apparition1 kissed the earth1 and repaired on her knees to the source1 there to drink and wash4 ,at last1 on ,thursday1 ,march #d1 the last day of these mystical assignations1 the ,lady requested more pressingly than before that a chapel might be erected in order that the nations might come thither in procession from all parts of the earth4 ,so far1 however1 in reply to all ,bernadette's appeals1 she had refused to say who she was2 and it was only three weeks later1 on ,thursday1 ,march #be1 that1 joining her hands together1 and raising her eyes to ,heaven1 she said3 8,i am the ,immaculate ,conception40 ,on two other occasions1 at somewhat long intervals1 ,april #g and ,july #af1 she again appeared3 the first time to perform the miracle of the lighted taper1 that taper above which the child1 plunged in ecstasy1 for a long time unconsciously left her hand1 without burning it2 and the second time to bid ,bernadette farewell1 to favour her with a last smile1 and a last inclination of the head full of charming politeness4 ,this made eighteen apparitions all told2 and never again did the ,lady show herself4 ,whilst ,pierre went on with his beautiful1 marvellous story1 so soothing to the wretched1 he evoked for himself a vision of that pitiable1 lovable ,bernadette1 whose sufferings had flowered so wonderfully4 ,as a doctor had roughly expressed it1 this girl of fourteen1 at a critical period of her life1 already ravaged1 too1 by asthma1 was1 after all1 simply an exceptional victim of hysteria1 afflicted with a degenerate heredity and lapsing into infancy4 ,if there were no violent crises in her case1 if there were no stiffening of the muscles during her attacks1 if she retained a precise recollection of her dreams1 the reason was that her case was peculiar to herself1 and she added1 so to say1 a new and very curious form to all the forms of hysteria known at the time4 ,miracles only begin when things cannot be explained2 and science1 so far1 knows and can explain so little1 so infinitely do the phenomena of disease vary according to the nature of the patient6 ,but how many shepherdesses there had been before ,bernadette who had seen the ,virgin in a similar way1 amidst all the same childish nonsense6 ,was it not always the same story1 the ,lady clad in light1 the secret confided1 the spring bursting forth1 the mission which had to be fulfilled1 the miracles whose enchantments would convert the masses8 ,and was not the personal appearance of the ,virgin always in accordance with a poor child's dreams--akin to some coloured figure in a missal1 an ideal compounded of traditional beauty1 gentleness1 and politeness4 ,and the same dreams showed themselves in the navet of the means which were to be employed and of the object which was to be attained--the deliverance of nations1 the building of churches1 the processional pilgrimages of the faithful6 ,then1 too1 all the words which fell from ,heaven resembled one another1 calls for penitence1 promises of help2 and in this respect1 in ,bernadette's case the only new feature was that most extraordinary declaration3 8,i am the ,immaculate ,conception10 which burst forth--very usefully--as the recognition by the ,blessed ,virgin herself of the dogma promulgated by the ,court of ,rome but three years previously6 ,it was not the ,immaculate ,virgin who appeared3 no1 it was the ,immaculate ,conception1 the abstraction itself1 the thing1 the dogma1 so that one might well ask oneself if really the ,virgin had spoken in such a fashion4 ,as for the other words1 it was possible that ,bernadette had heard them somewhere and stored them up in some unconscious nook of her memory4 ,but these--8,i am the ,immaculate ,conception0--whence had they come as though expressly to fortify a dogma--still bitterly discussed--with such prodigious support as the direct testimony of the ,mother conceived without sin8 ,at this thought1 ,pierre1 who was convinced of ,bernadette's absolute good faith1 who refused to believe that she had been the instrument of a fraud1 began to waver1 deeply agitated1 feeling his belief in truth totter within him4 ,the apparitions1 however1 had caused intense emotion at ,lourdes2 crowds flocked to the spot1 miracles began1 and those inevitable persecutions broke out which ensure the triumph of new religions4 ,abb ,peyramale1 the parish priest of ,lourdes1 an extremely honest man1 with an upright1 vigorous mind1 was able in all truth to declare that he did not know this child1 that she had not yet been seen at catechism4 ,where was the pressure1 then1 where the lesson learnt by heart8 ,there was nothing but those years of childhood spent at ,bartres1 the first teachings of ,abb ,ader1 conversations possibly1 religious ceremonies in honour of the recently proclaimed dogma1 or simply the gift of one of those commemorative medals which had been scattered in profusion4 ,never did ,abb ,ader reappear upon the scene1 he who had predicted the mission of the future ,visionary4 ,he was destined to remain apart from ,bernadette and her future career1 he who1 the first1 had seen her little soul blossom in his pious hands4 ,and yet all the unknown forces that had sprung from that sequestered village1 from that nook of greenery where superstition and poverty of intelligence prevailed1 were still making themselves felt1 disturbing the brains of men1 disseminating the contagion of the mysterious4 ,it was remembered that a shepherd of ,argels1 speaking of the rock of ,massabielle1 had prophesied that great things would take place there4 ,other children1 moreover1 now fell in ecstasy with their eyes dilated and their limbs quivering with convulsions1 but these only saw the devil4 ,a whirlwind of madness seemed to be passing over the region4 ,an old lady of ,lourdes declared that ,bernadette was simply a witch and that she had herself seen the toad's foot in her eye4 ,but for the others1 for the thousands of pilgrims who hastened to the spot1 she was a saint1 and they kissed her garments4 ,sobs burst forth and frenzy seemed to seize upon the souls of the beholders1 when she fell upon her knees before the ,grotto1 a lighted taper in her right hand1 whilst with the left she told the beads of her rosary4 ,she became very pale and quite beautiful1 transfigured1 so to say4 ,her features gently ascended in her face1 lengthened into an expression of extraordinary beatitude1 whilst her eyes filled with light1 and her lips parted as though she were speaking words which could not be heard4 ,and it was quite certain that she had no will of her own left her1 penetrated as she was by a dream1 possessed by it to such a point in the confined1 exclusive sphere in which she lived1 that she continued dreaming it even when awake1 and thus accepted it as the only indisputable reality1 prepared to testify to it even at the cost of her blood1 repeating it over and over again1 obstinately1 stubbornly clinging to it1 and never varying in the details she gave4 ,she did not lie1 for she did not know1 could not and would not desire anything apart from it4 ,forgetful of the flight of time1 ,pierre was now sketching a charming picture of old ,lourdes1 that pious little town1 slumbering at the foot of the ,pyrenees4 ,the castle1 perched on a rock at the point of intersection of the seven valleys of ,lavedan1 had formerly been the key of the mountain districts4 ,but1 in ,bernadette's time1 it had become a mere dismantled1 ruined pile1 at the entrance of a road leading nowhere4 ,modern life found its march stayed by a formidable rampart of lofty1 snow-capped peaks1 and only the trans-,pyrenean railway--had it been constructed--could have established an active circulation of social life in that sequestered nook where human existence stagnated like dead water4 ,forgotten1 therefore1 ,lourdes remained slumbering1 happy and sluggish amidst its old-time peacefulness1 with its narrow1 pebble-paved streets and its bleak houses with dressings of marble4 ,the old roofs were still all massed on the eastern side of the castle2 the ,rue de la ,grotte1 then called the ,rue du ,bois1 was but a deserted and often impassable road2 no houses stretched down to the ,gave as now1 and the scum-laden waters rolled through a perfect solitude of pollard willows and tall grass4 ,on week-days but few people passed across the ,place du ,marcadal1 such as housewives hastening on errands1 and petty cits airing their leisure hours2 and you had to wait till ,sundays or fair days to find the inhabitants rigged out in their best clothes and assembled on the ,champ ,commun1 in company with the crowd of graziers who had come down from the distant tablelands with their cattle4 ,during the season when people resort to the ,pyrenean-waters1 the passage of the visitors to ,cauterets and ,bagnres also brought some animation2 diligences passed through the town twice a day1 but they came from ,pau by a wretched road1 and had to ford the ,lapaca1 which often overflowed its banks4 ,then climbing the steep ascent of the ,rue ,basse1 they skirted the terrace of the church1 which was shaded by large elms4 ,and what soft peacefulness prevailed in and around that old semi-,spanish church1 full of ancient carvings1 columns1 screens1 and statues1 peopled with visionary patches of gilding and painted flesh1 which time had mellowed and which you faintly discerned as by the light of mystical lamps6 ,the whole population came there to worship1 to fill their eyes with the dream of the mysterious4 ,there were no unbelievers1 the inhabitants of ,lourdes were a people of primitive faith2 each corporation marched behind the banner of its saint1 brotherhoods of all kinds united the entire town1 on festival mornings1 in one large ,christian family4 ,and1 as with some exquisite flower that has grown in the soil of its choice1 great purity of life reigned there4 ,there was not even a resort of debauchery for young men to wreck their lives1 and the girls1 one and all1 grew up with the perfume and beauty of innocence1 under the eyes of the ,blessed ,virgin1 ,tower of ,ivory and ,seat of ,wisdom4 ,and how well one could understand that ,bernadette1 born in that holy soil1 should flower in it1 like one of nature's roses budding in the wayside bushes6 ,she was indeed the very florescence of that region of ancient belief and rectitude2 she would certainly not have sprouted elsewhere2 she could only appear and develop there1 amidst that belated race1 amidst the slumberous peacefulness of a childlike people1 under the moral discipline of religion4 ,and what intense love at once burst forth all around her6 ,what blind confidence was displayed in her mission1 what immense consolation and hope came to human hearts on the very morrow of the first miracles6 ,a long cry of relief had greeted the cure of old ,bourriette recovering his sight1 and of little ,justin ,bouhohorts coming to life again in the icy water of the spring4 ,at last1 then1 the ,blessed ,virgin was intervening in favour of those who despaired1 forcing that unkind mother1 ,nature1 to be just and charitable4 ,this was divine omnipotence returning to reign on earth1 sweeping the laws of the world aside in order to work the happiness of the suffering and the poor4 ,the miracles multiplied1 blazed forth1 from day to day more and more extraordinary1 like unimpeachable proof of ,bernadette's veracity4 ,and she was1 indeed1 the rose of the divine garden1 whose deeds shed perfume1 the rose who beholds all the other flowers of grace and salvation spring into being around her4 ,pierre had reached this point of his story1 and was again enumerating the miracles1 on the point of recounting the prodigious triumph of the ,grotto1 when ,sister ,hyacinthe1 awaking with a start from the ecstasy into which the narrative had plunged her1 hastily rose to her feet4 8,really1 really10 said she1 8there is no sense in it4 ,it will soon be eleven o'clock40 ,this was true4 ,they had left ,morceux behind them1 and would now soon be at ,mont de ,marsan4 ,so ,sister ,hyacinthe clapped her hands once more1 and added3 8,silence1 my children1 silence60 ,this time they did not dare to rebel1 for they felt she was in the right2 they were unreasonable4 ,but how greatly they regretted not hearing the continuation1 how vexed they were that the story should cease when only half told6 ,the ten women in the farther compartment even let a murmur of disappointment escape them2 whilst the sick1 their faces still outstretched1 their dilated eyes gazing upon the light of hope1 seemed to be yet listening4 ,those miracles which ever and ever returned to their minds and filled them with unlimited1 haunting1 supernatural joy4 8,and don't let me hear anyone breathe1 even10 added ,sister ,hyacinthe gaily1 8or otherwise ,i shall impose penance on you40 ,madame de ,jonquire laughed good-naturedly4 8,you must obey1 my children10 she said2 8be good and get to sleep1 so that you may have strength to pray at the ,grotto to-morrow with all your hearts40 ,then silence fell1 nobody spoke any further2 and the only sounds were those of the rumbling of the wheels and the jolting of the train as it was carried along at full speed through the black night4 ,pierre1 however1 was unable to sleep4 ,beside him1 ,m4 de ,guersaint was already snoring lightly1 looking very happy despite the hardness of his seat4 ,for a time the young priest saw ,marie's eyes wide open1 still full of all the radiance of the marvels that he had related4 ,for a long while she kept them ardently fixed upon his own1 but at last closed them1 and then he knew not whether she was sleeping1 or with eyelids simply closed was living the everlasting miracle over again4 ,some of the sufferers were dreaming aloud1 giving vent to bursts of laughter which unconscious moans interrupted4 ,perhaps they beheld the ,archangels opening their flesh to wrest their diseases from them4 ,others1 restless with insomnia1 turned over and over1 stifling their sobs and gazing fixedly into the darkness4 ,and1 with a shudder born of all the mystery he had evoked1 ,pierre1 distracted1 no longer master of himself in that delirious sphere of fraternal suffering1 ended by hating his very mind1 and1 drawn into close communion with all those humble folks1 sought to believe like them4 ,what could be the use of that physiological inquiry into ,bernadette's case1 so full of gaps and intricacies8 ,why should he not accept her as a messenger from the spheres beyond1 as one of the elect chosen for the divine mystery8 ,doctors were but ignorant men with rough and brutal hands1 and it would be so delightful to fall asleep in childlike faith1 in the enchanted gardens of the impossible4 ,and for a moment indeed he surrendered himself1 experiencing a delightful feeling of comfort1 no longer seeking to explain anything1 but accepting the ,visionary with her sumptuous cortge of miracles1 and relying on ,god to think and determine for him4 ,then he looked out through the window1 which they did not dare to open on account of the consumptive patients1 and beheld the immeasurable night which enwrapped the country across which the train was fleeing4 ,the storm must have burst forth there2 the sky was now of an admirable nocturnal purity1 as though cleansed by the masses of fallen water4 ,large stars shone out in the dark velvet1 alone illumining1 with their mysterious gleams1 the silent1 refreshed fields1 which incessantly displayed only the black solitude of slumber4 ,and across the ,landes1 through the valleys1 between the hills1 that carriage of wretchedness and suffering rolled on and on1 over-heated1 pestilential1 rueful1 and wailing1 amidst the serenity of the august night1 so lovely and so mild4 ,they had passed ,riscle at one in the morning4 ,between the jolting1 the painful1 the hallucinatory silence still continued4 ,at two o'clock1 as they reached ,vic-de-,bigorre1 low moans were heard2 the bad state of the line1 with the unbearable spreading tendency of the train's motion1 was sorely shaking the patients4 ,it was only at ,tarbes1 at half-past two1 that silence was at length broken1 and that morning prayers were said1 though black night still reigned around them4 ,there came first the 8,pater10 and then the 8,ave10 the 8,credo10 and the supplication to ,god to grant them the happiness of a glorious day4 8,o ,god1 vouchsafe me sufficient strength that ,i may avoid all that is evil1 do all that is good1 and suffer uncomplainingly every pain40 ,and now there was to be no further stoppage until they reached ,lourdes4 ,barely three more quarters of an hour1 and ,lourdes1 with all its vast hopes1 would blaze forth in the midst of that night1 so long and cruel4 ,their painful awakening was enfevered by the thought2 a final agitation arose amidst the morning discomfort1 as the abominable sufferings began afresh4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 however1 was especially anxious about the strange man1 whose sweat-covered face she had been continually wiping4 ,he had so far managed to keep alive1 she watching him without a pause1 never having once closed her eyes1 but unremittingly listening to his faint breathing with the stubborn desire to take him to the holy ,grotto before he died4 ,all at once1 however1 she felt frightened2 and addressing ,madame de ,jonquire1 she hastily exclaimed1 8,pray pass me the vinegar bottle at once--,i can no longer hear him breathe40 ,for an instant1 indeed1 the man's faint breathing had ceased4 ,his eyes were still closed1 his lips parted2 he could not have been paler1 he had an ashen hue1 and was cold4 ,and the carriage was rolling along with its ceaseless rattle of coupling-irons2 the speed of the train seemed even to have increased4 8,i will rub his temples10 resumed ,sister ,hyacinthe4 8,help me1 do60 ,but1 at a more violent jolt of the train1 the man suddenly fell from the seat1 face downward4 8,ah6 mon ,dieu1 help me1 pick him up60 ,they picked him up1 and found him dead4 ,and they had to seat him in his corner again1 with his back resting against the woodwork4 ,he remained there erect1 his torso stiffened1 and his head wagging slightly at each successive jolt4 ,thus the train continued carrying him along1 with the same thundering noise of wheels1 while the engine1 well pleased1 no doubt1 to be reaching its destination1 began whistling shrilly1 giving vent to quite a flourish of delirious joy as it sped through the calm night4 ,and then came the last and seemingly endless half-hour of the journey1 in company with that wretched corpse4 ,two big tears had rolled down ,sister ,hyacinthe's cheeks1 and with her hands joined she had begun to pray4 ,the whole carriage shuddered with terror at sight of that terrible companion who was being taken1 too late alas6 to the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,hope1 however1 proved stronger than sorrow or pain1 and although all the sufferings there assembled awoke and grew again1 irritated by overwhelming weariness1 a song of joy nevertheless proclaimed the sufferers' triumphal entry into the ,land of ,miracles4 ,amidst the tears which their pains drew from them1 the exasperated and howling sick began to chant the 8,ave maris ,stella0 with a growing clamour in which lamentation finally turned into cries of hope4 ,marie had again taken ,pierre's hand between her little feverish fingers4 8,oh1 mon ,dieu60 said she1 8to think that poor man is dead1 and ,i feared so much that it was ,i who would die before arriving4 ,and we are there--there at last60 ,the priest was trembling with intense emotion4 8,it means that you are to be cured1 ,marie10 he replied1 8and that ,i myself shall be cured if you pray for me--0 ,the engine was now whistling in a yet louder key in the depths of the bluish darkness4 ,they were nearing their destination4 ,the lights of ,lourdes already shone out on the horizon4 ,then the whole train again sang a canticle--the rhymed story of ,bernadette1 that endless ballad of six times ten couplets1 in which the ,angelic ,salutation ever returns as a refrain1 all besetting and distracting1 opening to the human mind the portals of the heaven of ecstasy3-- 8,it was the hour for ev'ning pray'r2 ,soft bells chimed on the chilly air4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria6 8,the maid stood on the torrent's bank1 ,a breeze arose1 then swiftly sank4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria6 8,and she beheld1 e'en as it fell1 ,the ,virgin on ,massabielle4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria6 8,all white appeared the ,lady chaste1 ,a zone of ,heaven round her waist4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria6 8,two golden roses1 pure and sweet1 ,bloomed brightly on her naked feet4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria6 8,upon her arm1 so white and round1 ,her chaplet's milky pearls were wound4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria6 8,the maiden prayed till1 from her eyes1 ,the vision sped to ,paradise4 ,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria60 ,,the ,,second ,,day ,i4 ,,the ,,train ,,arrives ,,it was twenty minutes past three by the clock of the ,lourdes railway station1 the dial of which was illumined by a reflector4 ,under the slanting roof sheltering the platform1 a hundred yards or so in length1 some shadowy forms went to and fro1 resignedly waiting4 ,only a red signal light peeped out of the black countryside1 far away4 ,two of the promenaders suddenly halted4 ,the taller of them1 a ,father of the ,assumption1 none other indeed than the ,reverend ,father ,fourcade1 director of the national pilgrimage1 who had reached ,lourdes on the previous day1 was a man of sixty1 looking superb in his black cloak with its large hood4 ,his fine head1 with its clear1 domineering eyes and thick grizzly beard1 was the head of a general whom an intelligent determination to conquer inflames4 ,in consequence1 however1 of a sudden attack of gout he slightly dragged one of his legs1 and was leaning on the shoulder of his companion1 ,dr4 ,bonamy1 the practitioner attached to the ,miracle ,verification ,office1 a short1 thick-set man1 with a square-shaped1 clean-shaven face1 which had dull1 blurred eyes and a tranquil cast of features4 ,father ,fourcade had stopped to question the station-master whom he perceived running out of his office4 8,will the white train be very late1 monsieur80 he asked4 8,no1 your reverence4 ,it hasn't lost more than ten minutes2 it will be here at the half-hour4 ,it's the ,bayonne train which worries me2 it ought to have passed through already40 ,so saying1 he ran off to give an order2 but soon came back again1 his slim1 nervous figure displaying marked signs of agitation4 ,he lived1 indeed1 in a state of high fever throughout the period of the great pilgrimages4 ,apart from the usual service1 he that day expected eighteen trains1 containing more than fifteen thousand passengers4 ,the grey and the blue trains which had started from ,paris the first had already arrived at the regulation hour4 ,but the delay in the arrival of the white train was very troublesome1 the more so as the ,bayonne express--which passed over the same rails--had not yet been signalled4 ,it was easy to understand1 therefore1 what incessant watchfulness was necessary1 not a second passing without the entire staff of the station being called upon to exercise its vigilance4 8,in ten minutes1 then80 repeated ,father ,fourcade4 8,yes1 in ten minutes1 unless ,i'm obliged to close the line60 cried the station-master as he hastened into the telegraph office4 ,father ,fourcade and the doctor slowly resumed their promenade4 ,the thing which astonished them was that no serious accident had ever happened in the midst of such a fearful scramble4 ,in past times1 especially1 the most terrible disorder had prevailed4 ,father ,fourcade complacently recalled the first pilgrimage which he had organised and led1 in #ahge2 the terrible endless journey without pillows or mattresses1 the patients exhausted1 half dead1 with no means of reviving them at hand2 and then the arrival at ,lourdes1 the train evacuated in confusion1 no matriel in readiness1 no straps1 nor stretchers1 nor carts4 ,but now there was a powerful organisation2 a hospital awaited the sick1 who were no longer reduced to lying upon straw in sheds4 ,what a shock for those unhappy ones6 ,what force of will in the man of faith who led them to the scene of miracles6 ,the reverend ,father smiled gently at the thought of the work which he had accomplished4 ,then1 still leaning on the doctor's shoulder1 he began to question him3 8,how many pilgrims did you have last year80 he asked4 8,about two hundred thousand4 ,that is still the average4 ,in the year of the ,coronation of the ,virgin the figure rose to five hundred thousand4 ,but to bring that about an exceptional occasion was needed with a great effort of propaganda4 ,such vast masses cannot be collected together every day40 ,a pause followed1 and then ,father ,fourcade murmured3 8,no doubt4 ,still the blessing of ,heaven attends our endeavours2 our work thrives more and more4 ,we have collected more than two hundred thousand francs in donations for this journey1 and ,god will be with us1 there will be many cures for you to proclaim to-morrow1 ,i am sure of it40 ,then1 breaking off1 he inquired3 8,has not ,father ,dargeles come here80 ,dr4 ,bonamy waved his hand as though to say that he did not know4 ,father ,dargeles was the editor of the 8,journal de la ,grotte40 ,he belonged to the ,order of the ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception whom the ,bishop had installed at ,lourdes and who were the absolute masters there2 though1 when the ,fathers of the ,assumption came to the town with the national pilgrimage from ,paris1 which crowds of faithful ,catholics from ,cambrai1 ,arras1 ,chartres1 ,troyes1 ,rheims1 ,sens1 ,orleans1 ,blois1 and ,poitiers joined1 they evinced a kind of affectation in disappearing from the scene4 ,their omnipotence was no longer felt either at the ,grotto or at the ,basilica2 they seemed to surrender every key together with every responsibility4 ,their superior1 ,father ,capdebarthe1 a tall1 peasant-like man1 with a knotty frame1 a big head which looked as if it had been fashioned with a bill-hook1 and a worn face which retained a ruddy mournful reflection of the soil1 did not even show himself4 ,of the whole community you only saw little1 insinuating ,father ,dargeles2 but he was met everywhere1 incessantly on the look-out for paragraphs for his newspaper4 ,at the same time1 however1 although the ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception disappeared in this fashion1 it could be divined that they were behind the vast stage1 like a hidden sovereign power1 coining money and toiling without a pause to increase the triumphant prosperity of their business4 ,indeed1 they turned even their humility to account4 8,it's true that we have had to get up early--two in the morning10 resumed ,father ,fourcade gaily4 8,but ,i wished to be here4 ,what would my poor children have said1 indeed1 if ,i had not come80 ,he was alluding to the sick pilgrims1 those who were so much flesh for miracle-working2 and it was a fact that he had never missed coming to the station1 no matter what the hour1 to meet that woeful white train1 that train which brought such grievous suffering with it4 8,five-and-twenty minutes past three--only another five minutes now10 exclaimed ,dr4 ,bonamy repressing a yawn as he glanced at the clock2 for1 despite his obsequious air1 he was at bottom very much annoyed at having had to get out of bed so early4 ,however1 he continued his slow promenade with ,father ,fourcade along that platform which resembled a covered walk1 pacing up and down in the dense night which the gas jets here and there illumined with patches of yellow light4 ,little parties1 dimly outlined1 composed of priests and gentlemen in frock-coats1 with a solitary officer of dragoons1 went to and fro incessantly1 talking together the while in discreet murmuring tones4 ,other people1 seated on benches1 ranged along the station wall1 were also chatting or putting their patience to proof with their glances wandering away into the black stretch of country before them4 ,the doorways of the offices and waiting-rooms1 which were brilliantly lighted1 looked like great holes in the darkness1 and all was flaring in the refreshment-room1 where you could see the marble tables and the counter laden with bottles and glasses and baskets of bread and fruit4 ,on the right hand1 beyond the roofing of the platform1 there was a confused swarming of people4 ,there was here a goods gate1 by which the sick were taken out of the station1 and a mass of stretchers1 litters1 and hand-carts1 with piles of pillows and mattresses1 obstructed the broad walk4 ,three parties of bearers were also assembled here1 persons of well-nigh every class1 but more particularly young men of good society1 all wearing red1 orange-tipped crosses and straps of yellow leather4 ,many of them1 too1 had adopted the ,bearnese cap1 the convenient head-gear of the region2 and a few1 clad as though they were bound on some distant expedition1 displayed wonderful gaiters reaching to their knees4 ,some were smoking1 whilst others1 installed in their little vehicles1 slept or read newspapers by the light of the neighbouring gas jets4 ,one group1 standing apart1 were discussing some service question4 ,suddenly1 however1 one and all began to salute4 ,a paternal-looking man1 with a heavy but good-natured face1 lighted by large blue eyes1 like those of a credulous child1 was approaching4 ,it was ,baron ,suire1 the ,president of the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation4 ,he possessed a great fortune and occupied a high position at ,toulouse4 8,where is ,berthaud80 he inquired of one bearer after another1 with a busy air4 8,where is ,berthaud8 ,i must speak to him40 ,the others answered1 volunteering contradictory information4 ,berthaud was their superintendent1 and whilst some said that they had seen him with the ,reverend ,father ,fourcade1 others affirmed that he must be in the courtyard of the station inspecting the ambulance vehicles4 ,and they thereupon offered to go and fetch him4 8,no1 no1 thank you10 replied the ,baron4 8,i shall manage to find him myself40 ,whilst this was happening1 ,berthaud1 who had just seated himself on a bench at the other end of the station1 was talking with his young friend1 ,grard de ,peyrelongue1 by way of occupation pending the arrival of the train4 ,the superintendent of the bearers was a man of forty1 with a broad1 regular-featured1 handsome face and carefully trimmed whiskers of a lawyer-like pattern4 ,belonging to a militant ,legitimist family and holding extremely reactionary opinions1 he had been ,procureur de la ,republique 7public prosecutor7 in a town of the south of ,france from the time of the parliamentary revolution of the twenty-fourth of ,may99 until that of the decree of the ,religious ,communities19999 when he had resigned his post in a blusterous fashion1 by addressing an insulting letter to the ,minister of ,justice4 ,and he had never since laid down his arms1 but had joined the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation as a sort of protest1 repairing year after year to ,lourdes in order to 8demonstrate02 convinced as he was that the pilgrimages were both disagreeable and hurtful to the ,republic1 and that ,god alone could re-establish the ,monarchy by one of those miracles which ,he worked so lavishly at the ,grotto4 ,despite all this1 however1 ,berthaud possessed no small amount of good sense1 and being of a gay disposition1 displayed a kind of jovial charity towards the poor sufferers whose transport he had to provide for during the three days that the national pilgrimage remained at ,lourdes4 99 ,the parliamentary revolution of ,may1 #ahgc1 by which ,m4 ,thiers was overthrown and ,marshal ,mac,mahon installed in his place with the object of restoring the ,monarchy in ,france4--,trans4 9999 ,m4 ,grevy's decree by which the ,jesuits were expelled4--,trans4 8,and so1 my dear ,grard10 he said to the young man seated beside him1 8your marriage is really to come off this year80 8,why yes1 if ,i can find such a wife as ,i want10 replied the other4 8,come1 cousin1 give me some good advice40 ,grard de ,peyrelongue1 a short1 thin1 carroty young man1 with a pronounced nose and prominent cheek-bones1 belonged to ,tarbes1 where his father and mother had lately died1 leaving him at the utmost some seven or eight thousand francs a year4 ,extremely ambitious1 he had been unable to find such a wife as he desired in his native province--a well-connected young woman capable of helping him to push both forward and upward in the world2 and so he had joined the ,hospitality1 and betook himself every summer to ,lourdes1 in the vague hope that amidst the mass of believers1 the torrent of devout mammas and daughters which flowed thither1 he might find the family whose help he needed to enable him to make his way in this terrestrial sphere4 ,however1 he remained in perplexity1 for if1 on the one hand1 he already had several young ladies in view1 on the other1 none of them completely satisfied him4 8,eh1 cousin8 ,you will advise me1 won't you80 he said to ,berthaud4 8,you are a man of experience4 ,there is ,mademoiselle ,lemercier who comes here with her aunt4 ,she is very rich2 according to what is said she has over a million francs4 ,but she doesn't belong to our set1 and besides ,i think her a bit of a madcap40 ,berthaud nodded4 8,i told you so2 if ,i were you ,i should choose little ,raymonde1 ,mademoiselle de ,jonquire40 8,but she hasn't a copper60 8,that's true--she has barely enough to pay for her board4 ,but she is fairly good-looking1 she has been well brought up1 and she has no extravagant tastes4 ,that is the really important point1 for what is the use of marrying a rich girl if she squanders the dowry she brings you8 ,besides1 ,i know ,madame and ,mademoiselle de ,jonquire very well1 ,i meet them all through the winter in the most influential drawing-rooms of ,paris4 ,and1 finally1 don't forget the girl's uncle1 the diplomatist1 who has had the painful courage to remain in the service of the ,republic4 ,he will be able to do whatever he pleases for his niece's husband40 ,for a moment ,grard seemed shaken1 and then he relapsed into perplexity4 8,but she hasn't a copper10 he said1 8no1 not a copper4 ,it's too stiff4 ,i am quite willing to think it over1 but it really frightens me too much40 ,this time ,berthaud burst into a frank laugh4 8,come1 you are ambitious1 so you must be daring4 ,i tell you that it means the secretaryship of an embassy before two years are over4 ,by the way1 ,madame and ,mademoiselle de ,jonquire are in the white train which we are waiting for4 ,make up your mind and pay your court at once40 8,no1 no6 ,later on4 ,i want to think it over40 ,at this moment they were interrupted1 for ,baron ,suire1 who had already once gone by without perceiving them1 so completely did the darkness enshroud them in that retired corner1 had just recognised the ex-public prosecutor's good-natured laugh4 ,and1 thereupon1 with the volubility of a man whose head is easily unhinged1 he gave him several orders respecting the vehicles and the transport service1 deploring the circumstance that it would be impossible to conduct the patients to the ,grotto immediately on their arrival1 as it was yet so extremely early4 ,it had therefore been decided that they should in the first instance be taken to the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours1 where they would be able to rest awhile after their trying journey4 ,whilst the ,baron and the superintendent were thus settling what measures should be adopted1 ,grard shook hands with a priest who had sat down beside him4 ,this was the ,abb des ,hermoises1 who was barely eight-and-thirty years of age and had a superb head--such a head as one might expect to find on the shoulders of a worldly priest4 ,with his hair well combed1 and his person perfumed1 he was not unnaturally a great favourite among women4 ,very amiable and distinguished in his manners1 he did not come to ,lourdes in any official capacity1 but simply for his pleasure1 as so many other people did2 and the bright1 sparkling smile of a sceptic above all idolatry gleamed in the depths of his fine eyes4 ,he certainly believed1 and bowed to superior decisions2 but the ,church--the ,holy ,see--had not pronounced itself with regard to the miracles2 and he seemed quite ready to dispute their authenticity4 ,having lived at ,tarbes he was already acquainted with ,grard4 8,ah60 he said to him1 8how impressive it is--isn't it8--this waiting for the trains in the middle of the night6 ,i have come to meet a lady--one of my former ,paris penitents--but ,i don't know what train she will come by4 ,still1 as you see1 ,i stop on1 for it all interests me so much40 ,then another priest1 an old country priest1 having come to sit down on the same bench1 the ,abb considerately began talking to him1 speaking of the beauty of the ,lourdes district and of the theatrical effect which would take place by-and-by when the sun rose and the mountains appeared4 ,however1 there was again a sudden alert1 and the station-master ran along shouting orders4 ,removing his hand from ,dr4 ,bonamy's shoulder1 ,father ,fourcade1 despite his gouty leg1 hastily drew near4 8,oh6 it's that ,bayonne express which is so late10 answered the station-master in reply to the questions addressed to him4 8,i should like some information about it2 ,i'm not at ease40 ,at this moment the telegraph bells rang out and a porter rushed away into the darkness swinging a lantern1 whilst a distant signal began to work4 ,thereupon the station-master resumed3 8,ah6 this time it's the white train4 ,let us hope we shall have time to get the sick people out before the express passes40 ,he started off once more and disappeared4 ,berthaud meanwhile called to ,grard1 who was at the head of a squad of bearers1 and they both made haste to join their men1 into whom ,baron ,suire was already instilling activity4 ,the bearers flocked to the spot from all sides1 and setting themselves in motion began dragging their little vehicles across the lines to the platform at which the white train would come in--an unroofed platform plunged in darkness4 ,a mass of pillows1 mattresses1 stretchers1 and litters was soon waiting there1 whilst ,father ,fourcade1 ,dr4 ,bonamy1 the priests1 the gentlemen1 and the officer of dragoons in their turn crossed over in order to witness the removal of the ailing pilgrims4 ,all that they could as yet see1 far away in the depths of the black country1 was the lantern in front of the engine1 looking like a red star which grew larger and larger4 ,strident whistles pierced the night1 then suddenly ceased1 and you only heard the panting of the steam and the dull roar of the wheels gradually slackening their speed4 ,then the canticle became distinctly audible1 the song of ,bernadette with the ever-recurring 8,aves0 of its refrain1 which the whole train was chanting in chorus4 ,and at last this train of suffering and faith1 this moaning1 singing train1 thus making its entry into ,lourdes1 drew up in the station4 ,the carriage doors were at once opened1 the whole throng of healthy pilgrims1 and of ailing ones able to walk1 alighted1 and streamed over the platform4 ,the few gas lamps cast but a feeble light on the crowd of poverty-stricken beings clad in faded garments1 and encumbered with all sorts of parcels1 baskets1 valises1 and boxes4 ,and amidst all the jostling of this scared flock1 which did not know in which direction to turn to find its way out of the station1 loud exclamations were heard1 the shouts of people calling relatives whom they had lost1 mingled with the embraces of others whom relatives or friends had come to meet4 ,one woman declared with beatifical satisfaction1 8,i have slept well40 ,a priest went off carrying his travelling-bag1 after wishing a crippled lady 8good luck60 ,most of them had the bewildered1 weary1 yet joyous appearance of people whom an excursion train sets down at some unknown station4 ,and such became the scramble and the confusion in the darkness1 that they did not hear the railway employs who grew quite hoarse through shouting1 8,this way6 this way60 in their eagerness to clear the platform as soon as possible4 ,sister ,hyacinthe had nimbly alighted from her compartment1 leaving the dead man in the charge of ,sister ,claire des ,anges2 and1 losing her head somewhat1 she ran off to the cantine van in the idea that ,ferrand would be able to help her4 ,fortunately she found ,father ,fourcade in front of the van and acquainted him with the fatality in a low voice4 ,repressing a gesture of annoyance1 he thereupon called ,baron ,suire1 who was passing1 and began whispering in his ear4 ,the muttering lasted for a few seconds1 and then the ,baron rushed off1 and clove his way through the crowd with two bearers carrying a covered litter4 ,in this the man was removed from the carriage as though he were a patient who had simply fainted1 the mob of pilgrims paying no further attention to him amidst all the emotion of their arrival4 ,preceded by the ,baron1 the bearers carried the corpse into a goods office1 where they provisionally lodged it behind some barrels2 one of them1 a fair-haired little fellow1 a general's son1 remaining to watch over it4 ,meanwhile1 after begging ,ferrand and ,sister ,saint-,franois to go and wait for her in the courtyard of the station1 near the reserved vehicle which was to take them to the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours1 ,sister ,hyacinthe returned to the railway carriage and talked of helping her patients to alight before going away4 ,but ,marie would not let her touch her4 8,no1 no60 said the girl1 8do not trouble about me1 ,sister4 ,i shall remain here the last4 ,my father and ,abb ,froment have gone to the van to fetch the wheels2 ,i am waiting for their return2 they know how to fix them1 and they will take me away all right1 you may be sure of it40 ,in the same way ,m4 ,sabathier and ,brother ,isidore did not desire to be moved until the crowd had decreased4 ,madame de ,jonquire1 who had taken charge of ,la ,grivotte1 also promised to see to ,madame ,vetu's removal in an ambulance vehicle4 ,and thereupon ,sister ,hyacinthe decided that she would go off at once so as to get everything ready at the hospital4 ,moreover1 she took with her both little ,sophie ,couteau and ,elise ,rouquet1 whose face she very carefully wrapped up4 ,madame ,maze preceded them1 while ,madame ,vincent1 carrying her little girl1 who was unconscious and quite white1 struggled through the crowd1 possessed by the fixed idea of running off as soon as possible and depositing the child in the ,grotto at the feet of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,the mob was now pressing towards the doorway by which passengers left the station1 and to facilitate the egress of all these people it at last became necessary to open the luggage gates4 ,the employs1 at a loss how to take the tickets1 held out their caps1 which a downpour of the little cards speedily filled4 ,and in the courtyard1 a large square courtyard1 skirted on three sides by the low buildings of the station1 the most extraordinary uproar prevailed amongst all the vehicles of divers kinds which were there jumbled together4 ,the hotel omnibuses1 backed against the curb of the footway1 displayed the most sacred names on their large boards--,jesus and ,mary1 ,st4 ,michel1 the ,rosary1 and the ,sacred ,heart4 ,then there were ambulance vehicles1 landaus1 cabriolets1 brakes1 and little donkey carts1 all entangled together1 with their drivers shouting1 swearing1 and cracking their whips--the tumult being apparently increased by the obscurity in which the lanterns set brilliant patches of light4 ,rain had fallen heavily a few hours previously4 ,liquid mud splashed up under the hoofs of the horses2 the foot passengers sank into it to their ankles4 ,m4 ,vigneron1 whom ,madame ,vigneron and ,madame ,chaise were following in a state of distraction1 raised ,gustave1 in order to place him in the omnibus from the ,hotel of the ,apparitions1 after which he himself and the ladies climbed into the vehicle4 ,madame ,maze1 shuddering slightly1 like a delicate tabby who fears to dirty the tips of her paws1 made a sign to the driver of an old brougham1 got into it1 and quickly drove away1 after giving as address the ,convent of the ,blue ,sisters4 ,and at last ,sister ,hyacinthe was able to install herself with ,elise ,rouquet and ,sophie ,couteau in a large char-a-bancs1 in which ,ferrand and ,sisters ,saint-,franois and ,claire des ,anges were already seated4 ,the drivers whipped up their spirited little horses1 and the vehicles went off at a breakneck pace1 amidst the shouts of those left behind1 and the splashing of the mire4 ,in presence of that rushing torrent1 ,madame ,vincent1 with her dear little burden in her arms1 hesitated to cross over4 ,bursts of laughter rang out around her every now and then4 ,oh6 what a filthy mess6 ,and at sight of all the mud1 the women caught up their skirts before attempting to pass through it4 ,at last1 when the courtyard had somewhat emptied1 ,madame ,vincent herself ventured on her way1 all terror lest the mire should make her fall in that black darkness4 ,then1 on reaching a downhill road1 she noticed there a number of women of the locality who were on the watch1 offering furnished rooms1 bed and board1 according to the state of the pilgrim's purse4 8,which is the way to the ,grotto1 madame1 if you please80 asked ,madame ,vincent1 addressing one old woman of the party4 ,instead of answering the question1 however1 the other offered her a cheap room4 8,you won't find anything in the hotels10 said she1 8for they are all full4 ,perhaps you will be able to eat there1 but you certainly won't find a closet even to sleep in40 ,eat1 sleep1 indeed6 ,had ,madame ,vincent any thought of such things2 she who had left ,paris with thirty sous in her pocket1 all that remained to her after the expenses she had been put to6 8,the way to the ,grotto1 if you please1 madame80 she repeated4 ,among the women who were thus touting for lodgers1 there was a tall1 well-built girl1 dressed like a superior servant1 and looking very clean1 with carefully tended hands4 ,she glanced at ,madame ,vincent and slightly shrugged her shoulders4 ,and then1 seeing a broad-chested priest with a red face go by1 she rushed after him1 offered him a furnished room1 and continued following him1 whispering in his ear4 ,another girl1 however1 at last took pity on ,madame ,vincent and said to her3 8,here1 go down this road1 and when you get to the bottom1 turn to the right and you will reach the ,grotto40 ,meanwhile1 the confusion inside the station continued4 ,the healthy pilgrims1 and those of the sick who retained the use of their legs could go off1 thus1 in some measure1 clearing the platform2 but the others1 the more grievously stricken sufferers whom it was difficult to get out of the carriages and remove to the hospital1 remained waiting4 ,the bearers seemed to become quite bewildered1 rushing madly hither and thither with their litters and vehicles1 not knowing at what end to set about the profusion of work which lay before them4 ,as ,berthaud1 followed by ,grard1 went along the platform1 gesticulating1 he noticed two ladies and a girl who were standing under a gas jet and to all appearance waiting4 ,in the girl he recognised ,raymonde1 and with a sign of the hand he at once stopped his companion4 8,ah6 mademoiselle10 said he1 8how pleased ,i am to see you6 ,is ,madame de ,jonquire quite well8 ,you have made a good journey1 ,i hope80 ,then1 without a pause1 he added3 8,this is my friend1 ,monsieur ,grard de ,peyrelongue40 ,raymonde gazed fixedly at the young man with her clear1 smiling eyes4 8,oh6 ,i already have the pleasure of being slightly acquainted with this gentleman10 she said4 8,we have previously met one another at ,lourdes40 ,thereupon ,grard1 who thought that his cousin ,berthaud was conducting matters too quickly1 and was quite resolved that he would not enter into any hasty engagement1 contented himself with bowing in a ceremonious way4 8,we are waiting for mamma10 resumed ,raymonde4 8,she is extremely busy2 she has to see after some pilgrims who are very ill40 ,at this1 little ,madame ,dsagneaux1 with her pretty1 light wavy-haired head1 began to say that it served ,madame de ,jonquire right for refusing her services4 ,she herself was stamping with impatience1 eager to join in the work and make herself useful1 whilst ,madame ,volmar1 silent1 shrinking back as though taking no interest in it at all1 seemed simply desirous of penetrating the darkness1 as though1 indeed1 she were seeking somebody with those magnificent eyes of hers1 usually bedimmed1 but now shining out like brasiers4 ,just then1 however1 they were all pushed back4 ,madame ,dieulafay was being removed from her first-class compartment1 and ,madame ,dsagneaux could not restrain an exclamation of pity4 8,ah6 the poor woman60 ,there could in fact be no more distressing sight than this young woman1 encompassed by luxury1 covered with lace in her species of coffin1 so wasted that she seemed to be a mere human shred1 deposited on that platform till it could be taken away4 ,her husband and her sister1 both very elegant and very sad1 remained standing near her1 whilst a man-servant and maid ran off with the valises to ascertain if the carriage which had been ordered by telegram was in the courtyard4 ,abb ,judaine also helped the sufferer2 and when two men at last took her up he bent over her and wished her au revoir1 adding some kind words which she did not seem to hear4 ,then as he watched her removal1 he resumed1 addressing himself to ,berthaud1 whom he knew3 8,ah6 the poor people1 if they could only purchase their dear sufferer's cure4 ,i told them that prayer was the most precious thing in the ,blessed ,virgin's eyes1 and ,i hope that ,i have myself prayed fervently enough to obtain the compassion of ,heaven4 ,nevertheless1 they have brought a magnificent gift1 a golden lantern for the ,basilica1 a perfect marvel1 adorned with precious stones4 ,may the ,immaculate ,virgin deign to smile upon it60 ,in this way a great many offerings were brought by the pilgrims4 ,some huge bouquets of flowers had just gone by1 together with a kind of triple crown of roses1 mounted on a wooden stand4 ,and the old priest explained that before leaving the station he wished to secure a banner1 the gift of the beautiful ,madame ,jousseur1 ,madame ,dieulafay's sister4 ,madame de ,jonquire was at last approaching1 however1 and on perceiving ,berthaud and ,grard she exclaimed3 8,pray do go to that carriage1 gentlemen--that one1 there6 ,we want some men very badly4 ,there are three or four sick persons to be taken out4 ,i am in despair2 ,i can do nothing myself40 ,grard ran off after bowing to ,raymonde1 whilst ,berthaud advised ,madame de ,jonquire to leave the station with her daughter and those ladies instead of remaining on the platform4 ,her presence was in nowise necessary1 he said2 he would undertake everything1 and within three quarters of an hour she would find her patients in her ward at the hospital4 ,she ended by giving way1 and took a conveyance in company with ,raymonde and ,madame ,dsagneaux4 ,as for ,madame ,volmar1 she had at the last moment disappeared1 as though seized with a sudden fit of impatience4 ,the others fancied that they had seen her approach a strange gentleman1 with the object no doubt of making some inquiry of him4 ,however1 they would of course find her at the hospital4 ,berthaud joined ,grard again just as the young man1 assisted by two fellow-bearers1 was endeavouring to remove ,m4 ,sabathier from the carriage4 ,it was a difficult task1 for he was very stout and very heavy1 and they began to think that he would never pass through the doorway of the compartment4 ,however1 as he had been got in they ought to be able to get him out2 and indeed when two other bearers had entered the carriage from the other side1 they were at last able to deposit him on the platform4 ,the dawn was now appearing1 a faint pale dawn2 and the platform presented the woeful appearance of an improvised hospital4 ,la ,grivotte1 who had lost consciousness1 lay there on a mattress pending her removal in a litter2 whilst ,madame ,vetu had been seated against a lamp-post1 suffering so severely from another attack of her ailment that they scarcely dared to touch her4 ,some hospitallers1 whose hands were gloved1 were with difficulty wheeling their little vehicles in which were poor1 sordid-looking women with old baskets at their feet4 ,others1 with stretchers on which lay the stiffened1 woeful bodies of silent sufferers1 whose eyes gleamed with anguish1 found themselves unable to pass2 but some of the infirm pilgrims1 some unfortunate cripples1 contrived to slip through the ranks1 among them a young priest who was lame1 and a little humpbacked boy1 one of whose legs had been amputated1 and who1 looking like a gnome1 managed to drag himself with his crutches from group to group4 ,then there was quite a block around a man who was bent in half1 twisted by paralysis to such a point that he had to be carried on a chair with his head and feet hanging downward4 ,it seemed as though hours would be required to clear the platform4 ,the dismay therefore reached a climax when the station-master suddenly rushed up shouting3 8,the ,bayonne express is signalled4 ,make haste6 make haste6 ,you have only three minutes left60 ,father ,fourcade1 who had remained in the midst of the throng1 leaning on ,doctor ,bonamy's arm1 and gaily encouraging the more stricken of the sufferers1 beckoned to ,berthaud and said to him3 8,finish taking them out of the train2 you will be able to clear the platform afterwards60 ,the advice was very sensible1 and in accordance with it they finished placing the sufferers on the platform4 ,in ,madame de ,jonquire's carriage ,marie now alone remained1 waiting patiently4 ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,pierre had at last returned to her1 bringing the two pairs of wheels by means of which the box in which she lay was rolled about4 ,and with ,grard's assistance ,pierre in all haste removed the girl from the train4 ,she was as light as a poor shivering bird1 and it was only the box that gave them any trouble4 ,however1 they soon placed it on the wheels and made the latter fast1 and then ,pierre might have rolled ,marie away had it not been for the crowd which hampered him4 8,make haste6 make haste60 furiously repeated the station-master4 ,he himself lent a hand1 taking hold of a sick man by the feet in order to remove him from the compartment more speedily4 ,and he also pushed the little hand-carts back1 so as to clear the edge of the platform4 ,in a second-class carriage1 however1 there still remained one woman who had just been overpowered by a terrible nervous attack4 ,she was howling and struggling1 and it was impossible to think of touching her at that moment4 ,but on the other hand the express1 signalled by the incessant tinkling of the electric bells1 was now fast approaching1 and they had to close the door and in all haste shunt the train to the siding where it would remain for three days1 until in fact it was required to convey its load of sick and healthy passengers back to ,paris4 ,as it went off to the siding the crowd still heard the cries of the suffering woman1 whom it had been necessary to leave in it1 in charge of a ,sister1 cries which grew weaker and weaker1 like those of a strengthless child whom one at last succeeds in consoling4 8,good ,lord60 muttered the station-master2 8it was high time60 ,in fact the ,bayonne express was now coming along at full speed1 and the next moment it rushed like a crash of thunder past that woeful platform littered with all the grievous wretchedness of a hospital hastily evacuated4 ,the litters and little handcarts were shaken1 but there was no accident1 for the porters were on the watch1 and pushed back the bewildered flock which was still jostling and struggling in its eagerness to get away4 ,as soon as the express had passed1 however1 circulation was re-established1 and the bearers were at last able to complete the removal of the sick with prudent deliberation4 ,little by little the daylight was increasing--a clear dawn it was1 whitening the heavens whose reflection illumined the earth1 which was still black4 ,one began to distinguish things and people clearly4 8,oh1 by-and-by60 ,marie repeated to ,pierre1 as he endeavoured to roll her away4 8,let us wait till some part of the crowd has gone40 ,then1 looking around1 she began to feel interested in a man of military bearing1 apparently some sixty years of age1 who was walking about among the sick pilgrims4 ,with a square-shaped head and white bushy hair1 he would still have looked sturdy if he had not dragged his left foot1 throwing it inward at each step he took4 ,with the left hand1 too1 he leant heavily on a thick walking-stick4 ,when ,m4 ,sabathier1 who had visited ,lourdes for six years past1 perceived him1 he became quite gay4 8,ah60 said he1 8it is you1 ,commander60 ,commander was perhaps the old man's name4 ,but as he was decorated with a broad red riband1 he was possibly called ,commander on account of his decoration1 albeit the latter was that of a mere chevalier4 ,nobody exactly knew his story4 ,no doubt he had relatives and children of his own somewhere1 but these matters remained vague and mysterious4 ,for the last three years he had been employed at the railway station as a superintendent in the goods department1 a simple occupation1 a little berth which had been given him by favour and which enabled him to live in perfect happiness4 ,a first stroke of apoplexy at fifty-five years of age had been followed by a second one three years later1 which had left him slightly paralysed in the left side4 ,and now he was awaiting the third stroke with an air of perfect tranquillity4 ,as he himself put it1 he was at the disposal of death1 which might come for him that night1 the next day1 or possibly that very moment4 ,all ,lourdes knew him on account of the habit1 the mania he had1 at pilgrimage time1 of coming to witness the arrival of the trains1 dragging his foot along and leaning upon his stick1 whilst expressing his astonishment and reproaching the ailing ones for their intense desire to be made whole and sound again4 ,this was the third year that he had seen ,m4 ,sabathier arrive1 and all his anger fell upon him4 8,what6 you have come back again60 he exclaimed4 8,well1 you must be desirous of living this hateful life6 ,but sacrebleu6 go and die quietly in your bed at home4 ,isn't that the best thing that can happen to anyone80 ,m4 ,sabathier evinced no anger1 but laughed1 exhausted though he was by the handling to which he had been subjected during his removal from the carriage4 8,no1 no10 said he1 8,i prefer to be cured40 8,to be cured1 to be cured6 ,that's what they all ask for4 ,they travel hundreds of leagues and arrive in fragments1 howling with pain1 and all this to be cured--to go through every worry and every suffering again4 ,come1 monsieur1 you would be nicely caught if1 at your age and with your dilapidated old body1 your ,blessed ,virgin should be pleased to restore the use of your legs to you4 ,what would you do with them1 mon ,dieu8 ,what pleasure would you find in prolonging the abomination of old age for a few years more8 ,it's much better to die at once1 while you are like that6 ,death is happiness60 ,he spoke in this fashion1 not as a believer who aspires to the delicious reward of eternal life1 but as a weary man who expects to fall into nihility1 to enjoy the great everlasting peace of being no more4 ,whilst ,m4 ,sabathier was gaily shrugging his shoulders as though he had a child to deal with1 ,abb ,judaine1 who had at last secured his banner1 came by and stopped for a moment in order that he might gently scold the ,commander1 with whom he also was well acquainted4 8,don't blaspheme1 my dear friend10 he said4 8,it is an offence against ,god to refuse life and to treat health with contempt4 ,if you yourself had listened to me1 you would have asked the ,blessed ,virgin to cure your leg before now40 ,at this the ,commander became angry4 8,my leg6 ,the ,virgin can do nothing to it6 ,i'm quite at my ease4 ,may death come and may it all be over forever6 ,when the time comes to die you turn your face to the wall and you die--it's simple enough40 ,the old priest interrupted him1 however4 ,pointing to ,marie1 who was lying on her box listening to them1 he exclaimed3 8,you tell all our sick to go home and die--even mademoiselle1 eh8 ,she who is full of youth and wishes to live40 ,marie's eyes were wide open1 burning with the ardent desire which she felt to be1 to enjoy her share of the vast world2 and the ,commander1 who had drawn near1 gazed upon her1 suddenly seized with deep emotion which made his voice tremble4 8,if mademoiselle gets well10 he said1 8,i will wish her another miracle1 that she be happy40 ,then he went off1 dragging his foot and tapping the flagstones with the ferrule of his stout stick as he continued wending his way1 like an angry philosopher among the suffering pilgrims4 ,little by little1 the platform was at last cleared4 ,madame ,vetu and ,la ,grivotte were carried away1 and ,grard removed ,m4 ,sabathier in a little cart1 whilst ,baron ,suire and ,berthaud already began giving orders for the green train1 which would be the next one to arrive4 ,of all the ailing pilgrims the only one now remaining at the station was ,marie1 of whom ,pierre jealously took charge4 ,he had already dragged her into the courtyard when he noticed that ,m4 de ,guersaint had disappeared2 but a moment later he perceived him conversing with the ,abb des ,hermoises1 whose acquaintance he had just made4 ,their admiration of the beauties of nature had brought them together4 ,the daylight had now appeared1 and the surrounding mountains displayed themselves in all their majesty4 8,what a lovely country1 monsieur60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,i have been wishing to see the ,cirque de ,gavarnie for thirty years past4 ,but it is some distance away and the trip must be an expensive one1 so that ,i fear ,i shall not be able to make it40 8,you are mistaken1 monsieur10 said the ,abb2 8nothing is more easily managed4 ,by making up a party the expense becomes very slight4 ,and as it happens1 ,i wish to return there this year1 so that if you would like to join us--0 8,oh1 certainly1 monsieur4 ,we will speak of it again4 ,a thousand thanks10 replied ,m4 de ,guersaint4 ,his daughter was now calling him1 however1 and he joined her after taking leave of the ,abb in a very cordial manner4 ,pierre had decided that he would drag ,marie to the hospital so as to spare her the pain of transference to another vehicle4 ,but as the omnibuses1 landaus1 and other conveyances were already coming back1 again filling the courtyard in readiness for the arrival of the next train1 the young priest had some difficulty in reaching the road with the little chariot whose low wheels sank deeply in the mud4 ,some police agents charged with maintaining order were cursing that fearful mire which splashed their boots2 and indeed it was only the touts1 the young and old women who had rooms to let1 who laughed at the puddles1 which they crossed and crossed again in every direction1 pursuing the last pilgrims that emerged from the station4 ,when the little car had begun to roll more easily over the sloping road ,marie suddenly inquired of ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who was walking near her3 8,what day of the week is it1 father80 8,saturday1 my darling40 8,ah6 yes1 ,saturday1 the day of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,is it to-day that she will cure me80 ,then she began thinking again2 while1 at some distance behind her1 two bearers came furtively down the road1 with a covered stretcher in which lay the corpse of the man who had died in the train4 ,they had gone to take it from behind the barrels in the goods office1 and were now conveying it to a secret spot of which ,father ,fourcade had told them4 ,,ii4 ,,hospital ,,and ,,grotto ,,built1 so far as it extends1 by a charitable ,canon1 and left unfinished through lack of money1 the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours is a vast pile1 four storeys high1 and consequently far too lofty1 since it is difficult to carry the sufferers to the topmost wards4 ,as a rule the building is occupied by a hundred infirm and aged paupers2 but at the season of the national pilgrimage these old folks are for three days sheltered elsewhere1 and the hospital is let to the ,fathers of the ,assumption1 who at times lodge in it as many as five and six hundred patients4 ,still1 however closely packed they may be1 the accommodation never suffices1 so that the three or four hundred remaining sufferers have to be distributed between the ,hospital of ,salvation and the town hospital1 the men being sent to the former and the women to the latter institution4 ,that morning at sunrise great confusion prevailed in the sand-covered courtyard of ,our ,lady of ,dolours1 at the door of which a couple of priests were mounting guard4 ,the temporary staff1 with its formidable supply of registers1 cards1 and printed formulas1 had installed itself in one of the ground-floor rooms on the previous day4 ,the managers were desirous of greatly improving upon the organisation of the preceding year4 ,the lower wards were this time to be reserved to the most helpless sufferers2 and in order to prevent a repetition of the cases of mistaken identity which had occurred in the past1 very great care was to be taken in filling in and distributing the admission cards1 each of which bore the name of a ward and the number of a bed4 ,it became difficult1 however1 to act in accordance with these good intentions in presence of the torrent of ailing beings which the white train had brought to ,lourdes1 and the new formalities so complicated matters that the patients had to be deposited in the courtyard as they arrived1 to wait there until it became possible to admit them in something like an orderly manner4 ,it was the scene witnessed at the railway station all over again1 the same woeful camping in the open1 whilst the bearers and the young seminarists who acted as the secretary's assistants ran hither and thither in bewilderment4 8,we have been over-ambitious1 we wanted to do things too well60 exclaimed ,baron ,suire in despair4 ,there was much truth in his remark1 for never had a greater number of useless precautions been taken1 and they now discovered that1 by some inexplicable error1 they had allotted not the lower--but the higher-placed wards to the patients whom it was most difficult to move4 ,it was impossible to begin the classification afresh1 however1 and so as in former years things must be allowed to take their course1 in a haphazard way4 ,the distribution of the cards began1 a young priest at the same time entering each patient's name and address in a register4 ,moreover1 all the hospitalisation cards bearing the patients' names and numbers had to be produced1 so that the names of the wards and the numbers of the beds might be added to them2 and all these formalities greatly protracted the dfile4 ,then there was an endless coming and going from the top to the bottom of the building1 and from one to the other end of each of its four floors4 ,m4 ,sabathier was one of the first to secure admittance1 being placed in a ground-floor room which was known as the ,family ,ward4 ,sick men were there allowed to have their wives with them2 but to the other wards of the hospital only women were admitted4 ,brother ,isidore1 it is true1 was accompanied by his sister2 however1 by a special favour it was agreed that they should be considered as conjoints1 and the missionary was accordingly placed in the bed next to that allotted to ,m4 ,sabathier4 ,the chapel1 still littered with plaster and with its unfinished windows boarded up1 was close at hand4 ,there were also various wards in an unfinished state2 still these were filled with mattresses1 on which sufferers were rapidly placed4 ,all those who could walk1 however1 were already besieging the refectory1 a long gallery whose broad windows looked into an inner courtyard2 and the ,saint-,frai ,sisters1 who managed the hospital at other times1 and had remained to attend to the cooking1 began to distribute bowls of coffee and chocolate among the poor women whom the terrible journey had exhausted4 8,rest yourselves and try to gain a little strength10 repeated ,baron ,suire1 who was ever on the move1 showing himself here1 there1 and everywhere in rapid succession4 8,you have three good hours before you1 it is not yet five1 and their reverences have given orders that you are not to be taken to the ,grotto until eight o'clock1 so as to avoid any excessive fatigue40 ,meanwhile1 up above on the second floor1 ,madame de ,jonquire had been one of the first to take possession of the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward of which she was the superintendent4 ,she had been obliged to leave her daughter ,raymonde downstairs1 for the regulations did not allow young girls to enter the wards1 where they might have witnessed sights that were scarcely proper or else too horrible for such eyes as theirs4 ,raymonde had therefore remained in the refectory as a helper2 however1 little ,madame ,dsagneaux1 being a lady-hospitaller1 had not left the superintendent1 and was already asking her for orders1 in her delight that she should at last be able to render some assistance4 8,are all these beds properly made1 madame80 she inquired2 8perhaps ,i had better make them afresh with ,sister ,hyacinthe40 ,the ward1 whose walls were painted a light yellow1 and whose few windows admitted but little light from an inner yard1 contained fifteen beds1 standing in two rows against the walls4 8,we will see by-and-by10 replied ,madame de ,jonquire with an absorbed air4 ,she was busy counting the beds and examining the long narrow apartment4 ,and this accomplished she added in an undertone3 8,i shall never have room enough4 ,they say that ,i must accommodate twenty-three patients4 ,we shall have to put some mattresses down40 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had followed the ladies after leaving ,sister ,saint-,franois and ,sister ,claire des ,anges in a small adjoining apartment which was being transformed into a linen-room1 then began to lift up the coverlets and examine the bedding4 ,and she promptly reassured ,madame ,dsagneaux with regard to her surmises4 8,oh6 the beds are properly made10 she said2 8everything is very clean too4 ,one can see that the ,saint-,frai ,sisters have attended to things themselves4 ,the reserve mattresses are in the next room1 however1 and if madame will lend me a hand we can place some of them between the beds at once4 8,oh1 certainly60 exclaimed young ,madame ,dsagneaux1 quite excited by the idea of carrying mattresses about with her weak slender arms4 ,it became necessary for ,madame de ,jonquire to calm her4 8,by-and-by10 said the lady-superintendent2 8there is no hurry4 ,let us wait till our patients arrive4 ,i don't much like this ward1 it is so difficult to air4 ,last year ,i had the ,sainte-,rosalie ,ward on the first floor4 ,however1 we will organise matters1 all the same40 ,some other lady-hospitallers were now arriving1 quite a hiveful of busy bees1 all eager to start on their work4 ,the confusion which so often arose was1 in fact1 increased by the excessive number of nurses1 women of the aristocracy and upper-middle class1 with whose fervent zeal some little vanity was blended4 ,there were more than two hundred of them1 and as each had to make a donation on joining the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation1 the managers did not dare to refuse any applicants1 for fear lest they might check the flow of alms-giving4 ,thus the number of lady-hospitallers increased year by year4 ,fortunately there were among them some who cared for nothing beyond the privilege of wearing the red cloth cross1 and who started off on excursions as soon as they reached ,lourdes4 ,still it must be acknowledged that those who devoted themselves were really deserving1 for they underwent five days of awful fatigue1 sleeping scarcely a couple of hours each night1 and living in the midst of the most terrible and repulsive spectacles4 ,they witnessed the death agonies1 dressed the pestilential sores1 cleaned up1 changed linen1 turned the sufferers over in their beds1 went through a sickening and overwhelming labour to which they were in no wise accustomed4 ,and thus they emerged from it aching all over1 tired to death1 with feverish eyes flaming with the joy of the charity which so excited them4 8,and ,madame ,volmar80 suddenly asked ,madame ,dsagneaux4 8,i thought we should find her here40 ,this was apparently a subject which ,madame de ,jonquire did not care to have discussed2 for1 as though she were aware of the truth and wished to bury it in silence1 with the indulgence of a woman who compassionates human wretchedness1 she promptly retorted3 8,madame ,volmar isn't strong1 she must have gone to the hotel to rest4 ,we must let her sleep40 ,then she apportioned the beds among the ladies present1 allotting two to each of them2 and this done they all finished taking possession of the place1 hastening up and down and backwards and forwards in order to ascertain where the offices1 the linen-room1 and the kitchens were situated4 8,and the dispensary80 then asked one of the ladies4 ,but there was no dispensary4 ,there was no medical staff even4 ,what would have been the use of any8--since the patients were those whom science had given up1 despairing creatures who had come to beg of ,god the cure which powerless men were unable to promise them4 ,logically enough1 all treatment was suspended during the pilgrimage4 ,if a patient seemed likely to die1 extreme unction was administered4 ,the only medical man about the place was the young doctor who had come by the white train with his little medicine chest2 and his intervention was limited to an endeavour to assuage the sufferings of those patients who chanced to ask for him during an attack4 ,as it happened1 ,sister ,hyacinthe was just bringing ,ferrand1 whom ,sister ,saint-,franois had kept with her in a closet near the linen-room which he proposed to make his quarters4 8,madame10 said he to ,madame de ,jonquire1 8,i am entirely at your disposal4 ,in case of need you will only have to ring for me40 ,she barely listened to him1 however1 engaged as she was in a quarrel with a young priest belonging to the management with reference to a deficiency of certain utensils4 8,certainly1 monsieur1 if we should need a soothing draught10 she answered1 and then1 reverting to her discussion1 she went on3 8,well1 ,monsieur l',abb1 you must certainly get me four or five more4 ,how can we possibly manage with so few8 ,things are bad enough as it is40 ,ferrand looked and listened1 quite bewildered by the extraordinary behaviour of the people amongst whom he had been thrown by chance since the previous day4 ,he who did not believe1 who was only present out of friendship and charity1 was amazed at this extraordinary scramble of wretchedness and suffering rushing towards the hope of happiness4 ,and1 as a medical man of the new school1 he was altogether upset by the careless neglect of precautions1 the contempt which was shown for the most simple teachings of science1 in the certainty which was apparently felt that1 if ,heaven should so will it1 cure would supervene1 sudden and resounding1 like a lie given to the very laws of nature4 ,but if this were the case1 what was the use of that last concession to human prejudices--why engage a doctor for the journey if none were wanted8 ,at this thought the young man returned to his little room1 experiencing a vague feeling of shame as he realised that his presence was useless1 and even a trifle ridiculous4 8,get some opium pills ready all the same10 said ,sister ,hyacinthe1 as she went back with him as far as the linen-room4 8,you will be asked for some1 for ,i feel anxious about some of the patients40 ,while speaking she looked at him with her large blue eyes1 so gentle and so kind1 and ever lighted by a divine smile4 ,the constant exercise which she gave herself brought the rosy flush of her quick blood to her skin all dazzling with youthfulness4 ,and like a good friend who was willing that he should share the work to which she gave her heart1 she added3 8,besides1 if ,i should need somebody to get a patient in or out of bed1 you will help me1 won't you80 ,thereupon1 at the idea that he might be of use to her1 he was pleased that he had come and was there4 ,in his mind's eye1 he again beheld her at his bedside1 at the time when he had so narrowly escaped death1 nursing him with fraternal hands1 with the smiling1 compassionate grace of a sexless angel1 in whom there was something more than a comrade1 something of a woman left4 ,however1 the thought never occurred to him that there was religion1 belief1 behind her4 8,oh6 ,i will help you as much as you like1 ,sister10 he replied4 8,i belong to you1 ,i shall be so happy to serve you4 ,you know very well what a debt of gratitude ,i have to pay you40 ,in a pretty way she raised her finger to her lips so as to silence him4 ,nobody owed her anything4 ,she was merely the servant of the ailing and the poor4 ,at this moment a first patient was making her entry into the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward4 ,it was ,marie1 lying in her wooden box1 which ,pierre1 with ,grard's assistance1 had just brought up-stairs4 ,the last to start from the railway station1 she had secured admission before the others1 thanks to the endless complications which1 after keeping them all in suspense1 now freed them according to the chance distribution of the admission cards4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had quitted his daughter at the hospital door by her own desire2 for1 fearing the hotels would be very full1 she had wished him to secure two rooms for himself and ,pierre at once4 ,then1 on reaching the ward1 she felt so weary that1 after venting her chagrin at not being immediately taken to the ,grotto1 she consented to be laid on a bed for a short time4 8,come1 my child10 repeated ,madame de ,jonquire1 8you have three hours before you4 ,we will put you to bed4 ,it will ease you to take you out of that case40 ,thereupon the lady-superintendent raised her by the shoulders1 whilst ,sister ,hyacinthe held her feet4 ,the bed was in the central part of the ward1 near a window4 ,for a moment the poor girl remained on it with her eyes closed1 as though exhausted by being moved about so much4 ,then it became necessary that ,pierre should be readmitted1 for she grew very fidgety1 saying that there were things which she must explain to him4 8,pray don't go away1 my friend10 she exclaimed when he approached her4 8,take the case out on to the landing1 but stay there1 because ,i want to be taken down as soon as ,i can get permission40 8,do you feel more comfortable now80 asked the young priest4 8,yes1 no doubt--but ,i really don't know4 ,i so much want to be taken yonder to the ,blessed ,virgin's feet40 ,however1 when ,pierre had removed the case1 the successive arrivals of the other patients supplied her with some little diversion4 ,madame ,vetu1 whom two bearers had brought up-stairs1 holding her under the arms1 was laid1 fully dressed1 on the next bed1 where she remained motionless1 scarce breathing1 with her heavy1 yellow1 cancerous mask4 ,none of the patients1 it should be mentioned1 were divested of their clothes1 they were simply stretched out on the beds1 and advised to go to sleep if they could manage to do so4 ,those whose complaints were less grievous contented themselves with sitting down on their mattresses1 chatting together1 and putting the things they had brought with them in order4 ,for instance1 ,elise ,rouquet1 who was also near ,marie1 on the other side of the latter's bed1 opened her basket to take a clean fichu out of it1 and seemed sorely annoyed at having no hand-glass with her4 ,in less than ten minutes all the beds were occupied1 so that when ,la ,grivotte appeared1 half carried by ,sister ,hyacinthe and ,sister ,claire des ,anges1 it became necessary to place some mattresses on the floor4 8,here6 here is one10 exclaimed ,madame ,dsagneaux2 8she will be very well here1 out of the draught from the door40 ,seven other mattresses were soon added in a line1 occupying the space between the rows of beds1 so that it became difficult to move about4 ,one had to be very careful1 and follow narrow pathways which had been left between the beds and the mattresses4 ,each of the patients had retained possession of her parcel1 or box1 or bag1 and round about the improvised shakedowns were piles of poor old things1 sorry remnants of garments1 straying among the sheets and the coverlets4 ,you might have thought yourself in some woeful infirmary1 hastily organised after some great catastrophe1 some conflagration or earthquake which had thrown hundreds of wounded and penniless beings into the streets4 ,madame de ,jonquire made her way from one to the other end of the ward1 ever and ever repeating1 8,come1 my children1 don't excite yourselves2 try to sleep a little40 ,however1 she did not succeed in calming them1 and indeed1 she herself1 like the other lady-hospitallers under her orders1 increased the general fever by her own bewilderment4 ,the linen of several patients had to be changed1 and there were other needs to be attended to4 ,one woman1 suffering from an ulcer in the leg1 began moaning so dreadfully that ,madame ,dsagneaux undertook to dress her sore afresh2 but she was not skilful1 and despite all her passionate courage she almost fainted1 so greatly was she distressed by the unbearable odour4 ,those patients who were in better health asked for broth1 bowlfuls of which began to circulate amidst the calls1 the answers1 and the contradictory orders which nobody executed4 ,and meanwhile1 let loose amidst this frightful scramble1 little ,sophie ,couteau1 who remained with the ,sisters1 and was very gay1 imagined that it was playtime1 and ran1 and jumped1 and hopped in turn1 called and petted first by one and then by another1 dear as she was to all alike for the miraculous hope which she brought them4 ,however1 amidst this agitation1 the hours went by4 ,seven o'clock had just struck when ,abb ,judaine came in4 ,he was the chaplain of the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward1 and only the difficulty of finding an unoccupied altar at which he might say his mass had delayed his arrival4 ,as soon as he appeared1 a cry of impatience arose from every bed4 8,oh6 ,monsieur le ,cur1 let us start1 let us start at once60 ,an ardent desire1 which each passing minute heightened and irritated1 was upbuoying them1 like a more and more devouring thirst1 which only the waters of the miraculous fountain could appease4 ,and more fervently than any of the others1 ,la ,grivotte1 sitting up on her mattress1 and joining her hands1 begged and begged that she might be taken to the ,grotto4 ,was there not a beginning of the miracle in this--in this awakening of her will power1 this feverish desire for cure which enabled her to set herself erect8 ,inert and fainting on her arrival1 she was now seated1 turning her dark glances in all directions1 waiting and watching for the happy moment when she would be removed4 ,and colour also was returning to her livid face4 ,she was already resuscitating4 8,oh6 ,monsieur le ,cur1 pray do tell them to take me--,i feel that ,i shall be cured10 she exclaimed4 ,with a loving1 fatherly smile on his good-natured face1 ,abb ,judaine listened to them all1 and allayed their impatience with kind words4 ,they would soon set out2 but they must be reasonable1 and allow sufficient time for things to be organised2 and besides1 the ,blessed ,virgin did not like to have violence done her2 she bided her time1 and distributed her divine favours among those who behaved themselves the best4 ,as he paused before ,marie's bed and beheld her1 stammering entreaties with joined hands1 he again paused4 8,and you1 too1 my daughter1 you are in a hurry80 he said4 8,be easy1 there is grace enough in heaven for you all40 8,i am dying of love1 ,father10 she murmured in reply4 8,my heart is so swollen with prayers1 it stifles me--0 ,he was greatly touched by the passion of this poor emaciated child1 so harshly stricken in her youth and beauty1 and wishing to appease her1 he called her attention to ,madame ,vetu1 who did not move1 though with her eyes wide open she stared at all who passed4 8,look at madame1 how quiet she is60 he said4 8,she is meditating1 and she does right to place herself in ,god's hands1 like a little child40 ,however1 in a scarcely audible voice1 a mere breath1 ,madame ,vetu stammered3 8,oh6 ,i am suffering1 ,i am suffering40 ,at last1 at a quarter to eight o'clock1 ,madame de ,jonquire warned her charges that they would do well to prepare themselves4 ,she herself1 assisted by ,sister ,hyacinthe and ,madame ,dsagneaux1 buttoned several dresses1 and put shoes on impotent feet4 ,it was a real toilette1 for they all desired to appear to the greatest advantage before the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,a large number had sufficient sense of delicacy to wash their hands4 ,others unpacked their parcels1 and put on clean linen4 ,on her side1 ,elise ,rouquet had ended by discovering a little pocket-glass in the hands of a woman near her1 a huge1 dropsical creature1 who was very coquettish2 and having borrowed it1 she leant it against the bolster1 and then1 with infinite care1 began to fasten her fichu as elegantly as possible about her head1 in order to hide her distorted features4 ,meanwhile1 erect in front of her1 little ,sophie watched her with an air of profound interest4 ,it was ,abb ,judaine who gave the signal for starting on the journey to the ,grotto4 ,he wished1 he said1 to accompany his dear suffering daughters thither1 whilst the lady-hospitallers and the ,sisters remained in the ward1 so as to put things in some little order again4 ,then the ward was at once emptied1 the patients being carried down-stairs amidst renewed tumult4 ,and ,pierre1 having replaced ,marie's box upon its wheels1 took the first place in the cortge1 which was formed of a score of little handcarts1 bath-chairs1 and litters4 ,the other wards1 however1 were also emptying1 the courtyard became crowded1 and the dfile was organised in haphazard fashion4 ,there was soon an interminable train descending the rather steep slope of the ,avenue de la ,grotte1 so that ,pierre was already reaching the ,plateau de la ,merlasse when the last stretchers were barely leaving the precincts of the hospital4 ,it was eight o'clock1 and the sun1 already high1 a triumphant ,august sun1 was flaming in the great sky1 which was beautifully clear4 ,it seemed as if the blue of the atmosphere1 cleansed by the storm of the previous night1 were quite new1 fresh with youth4 ,and the frightful dfile1 a perfect 8,cour des ,miracles0 of human woe1 rolled along the sloping pavement amid all the brilliancy of that radiant morning4 ,there was no end to the train of abominations2 it appeared to grow longer and longer4 ,no order was observed1 ailments of all kinds were jumbled together2 it seemed like the clearing of some inferno where the most monstrous maladies1 the rare and awful cases which provoke a shudder1 had been gathered together4 ,eczema1 roseola1 elephantiasis1 presented a long array of doleful victims4 ,well-nigh vanished diseases reappeared2 one old woman was affected with leprosy1 another was1 covered with impetiginous lichen like a tree which has rotted in the shade4 ,then came the dropsical ones1 inflated like wine-skins2 and beside some stretchers there dangled hands twisted by rheumatism1 while from others protruded feet swollen by dema beyond all recognition1 looking1 in fact1 like bags full of rags4 ,one woman1 suffering from hydrocephalus1 sat in a little cart1 the dolorous motions of her head bespeaking her grievous malady4 ,a tall girl afflicted with chorea--,st4 ,vitus's dance--was dancing with every limb1 without a pause1 the left side of her face being continually distorted by sudden1 convulsive grimaces4 ,a younger one1 who followed1 gave vent to a bark1 a kind of plaintive animal cry1 each time that the tic douloureux which was torturing her twisted her mouth and her right cheek1 which she seemed to throw forward4 ,next came the consumptives1 trembling with fever1 exhausted by dysentery1 wasted to skeletons1 with livid skins1 recalling the colour of that earth in which they would soon be laid to rest2 and there was one among them who was quite white1 with flaming eyes1 who looked indeed like a death's head in which a torch had been lighted4 ,then every deformity of the contractions followed in succession--twisted trunks1 twisted arms1 necks askew1 all the distortions of poor creatures whom nature had warped and broken2 and among these was one whose right hand was thrust back behind her ribs whilst her head fell to the left resting fixedly upon her shoulder4 ,afterwards came poor rachitic girls displaying waxen complexions and slender necks eaten away by sores1 and yellow-faced women in the painful stupor which falls on those whose bosoms are devoured by cancers2 whilst others1 lying down with their mournful eyes gazing heavenwards1 seemed to be listening to the throbs of the tumours which obstructed their organs4 ,and still more and more went by2 there was always something more frightful to come2 this woman following that other one increased the general shudder of horror4 ,from the neck of a girl of twenty who had a crushed1 flattened head like a toad's1 there hung so large a goitre that it fell even to her waist like the bib of an apron4 ,a blind woman walked along1 her head erect1 her face pale like marble1 displaying the acute inflammation of her poor1 ulcerated eyes4 ,an aged woman stricken with imbecility1 afflicted with dreadful facial disfigurements1 laughed aloud with a terrifying laugh4 ,and all at once an epileptic was seized with convulsions1 and began foaming on her stretcher1 without1 however1 causing any stoppage of the procession1 which never slackened its march1 lashed onward as it was by the blizzard of feverish passion which impelled it towards the ,grotto4 ,the bearers1 the priests1 and the ailing ones themselves had just intonated a canticle1 the song of ,bernadette1 and all rolled along amid the besetting 8,aves10 so that the little carts1 the litters1 and the pedestrians descended the sloping road like a swollen and overflowing torrent of roaring water4 ,at the corner of the ,rue ,saint-,joseph1 near the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 a family of excursionists1 who had come from ,cauterets or ,bagnres1 stood at the edge of the footway1 overcome with profound astonishment4 ,these people were evidently well-to-do bourgeois1 the father and mother very correct in appearance and demeanour1 while their two big girls1 attired in light-coloured dresses1 had the smiling faces of happy creatures who are amusing themselves4 ,but their first feeling of surprise was soon followed by terror1 a growing terror1 as if they beheld the opening of some pesthouse of ancient times1 some hospital of the legendary ages1 evacuated after a great epidemic4 ,the two girls became quite pale1 while the father and the mother felt icy cold in presence of that endless dfile of so many horrors1 the pestilential emanations of which were blown full in their faces4 ,o ,god6 to think that such hideousness1 such filth1 such suffering1 should exist6 ,was it possible--under that magnificently radiant sun1 under those broad heavens so full of light and joy whither the freshness of the ,gave's waters ascended1 and the breeze of morning wafted the pure perfumes of the mountains6 ,when ,pierre1 at the head of the cortge1 reached the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 he found himself immersed in that clear sunlight1 that fresh and balmy air4 ,he turned round and smiled affectionately at ,marie2 and as they came out on the ,place du ,rosaire in the morning splendour1 they were both enchanted with the lovely panorama which spread around them4 ,in front1 on the east1 was ,old ,lourdes1 lying in a broad fold of the ground beyond a rock4 ,the sun was rising behind the distant mountains1 and its oblique rays clearly outlined the dark lilac mass of that solitary rock1 which was crowned by the tower and crumbling walls of the ancient castle1 once the redoubtable key of the seven valleys4 ,through the dancing1 golden dust you discerned little of the ruined pile except some stately outlines1 some huge blocks of building which looked as though reared by ,cyclopean hands2 and beyond the rock you but vaguely distinguished the discoloured1 intermingled house-roofs of the old town4 ,nearer in than the castle1 however1 the new town--the rich and noisy city which had sprung up in a few years as though by miracle--spread out on either hand1 displaying its hotels1 its stylish shops1 its lodging-houses all with white fronts smiling amidst patches of greenery4 ,then there was the ,gave flowing along at the base of the rock1 rolling clamorous1 clear waters1 now blue and now green1 now deep as they passed under the old bridge1 and now leaping as they careered under the new one1 which the ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception had built in order to connect the ,grotto with the railway station and the recently opened ,boulevard4 ,and as a background to this delightful picture1 this fresh water1 this greenery1 this gay1 scattered1 rejuvenated town1 the little and the big ,gers arose1 two huge ridges of bare rock and low herbage1 which1 in the projected shade that bathed them1 assumed delicate tints of pale mauve and green1 fading softly into pink4 ,then1 upon the north1 on the right bank of the ,gave1 beyond the hills followed by the railway line1 the heights of ,la ,buala ascended1 their wooded slopes radiant in the morning light4 ,on that side lay ,bartres4 ,more to the left arose the ,serre de ,julos1 dominated by the ,miramont4 ,other crests1 far off1 faded away into the ether4 ,and in the foreground1 rising in tiers among the grassy valleys beyond the ,gave1 a number of convents1 which seemed to have sprung up in this region of prodigies like early vegetation1 imparted some measure of life to the landscape4 ,first1 there was an ,orphan ,asylum founded by the ,sisters of ,nevers1 whose vast buildings shone brightly in the sunlight4 ,next came the ,carmelite convent1 on the highway to ,pau1 just in front of the ,grotto2 and then that of the ,assumptionists higher up1 skirting the road to ,poueyferre2 whilst the ,dominicans showed but a corner of their roofs1 sequestered in the far-away solitude4 ,and at last appeared the establishment of the ,sisters of the ,immaculate ,conception1 those who were called the ,blue ,sisters1 and who had founded at the far end of the valley a home where they received well-to-do lady pilgrims1 desirous of solitude1 as boarders4 ,at that early hour all the bells of these convents were pealing joyfully in the crystalline atmosphere1 whilst the bells of other convents1 on the other1 the southern horizon1 answered them with the same silvery strains of joy4 ,the bell of the nunnery of ,sainte ,clarissa1 near the old bridge1 rang a scale of gay1 clear notes1 which one might have fancied to be the chirruping of a bird4 ,and on this side of the town1 also1 there were valleys that dipped down between the ridges1 and mountains that upreared their bare sides1 a commingling of smiling and of agitated nature1 an endless surging of heights amongst which you noticed those of ,visens1 whose slopes the sunlight tinged ornately with soft blue and carmine of a rippling1 moire-like effect4 ,however1 when ,marie and ,pierre turned their eyes to the west1 they were quite dazzled4 ,the sun rays were here streaming on the large and the little ,bout with their cupolas of unequal height4 ,and on this side the background was one of gold and purple1 a dazzling mountain on whose sides one could only discern the road which snaked between the trees on its way to the ,calvary above4 ,and here1 too1 against the sunlit background1 radiant like an aureola1 stood out the three superposed churches which at the voice of ,bernadette had sprung from the rock to the glory of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,first of all1 down below1 came the church of the ,rosary1 squat1 circular1 and half cut out of the rock1 at the farther end of an esplanade on either side of which1 like two huge arms1 were colossal gradient ways ascending gently to the ,crypt church4 ,vast labour had been expended here1 a quarryful of stones had been cut and set in position1 there were arches as lofty as naves supporting the gigantic terraced avenues which had been constructed so that the processions might roll along in all their pomp1 and the little conveyances containing sick children might ascend without hindrance to the divine presence4 ,then came the ,crypt1 the subterranean church within the rock1 with only its low door visible above the church of the ,rosary1 whose paved roof1 with its vast promenade1 formed a continuation of the terraced inclines4 ,and at last1 from the summit sprang the ,basilica1 somewhat slender and frail1 recalling some finely chased jewel of the ,renascence1 and looking very new and very white--like a prayer1 a spotless dove1 soaring aloft from the rocks of ,massabielle4 ,the spire1 which appeared the more delicate and slight when compared with the gigantic inclines below1 seemed like the little vertical flame of a taper set in the midst of the vast landscape1 those endless waves of valleys and mountains4 ,by the side1 too1 of the dense greenery of the ,calvary hill1 it looked fragile and candid1 like childish faith2 and at sight of it you instinctively thought of the little white arm1 the little thin hand of the puny girl1 who had here pointed to ,heaven in the crisis of her human sufferings4 ,you could not see the ,grotto1 the entrance of which was on the left1 at the base of the rock4 ,beyond the ,basilica1 the only buildings which caught the eye were the heavy square pile where the ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception had their abode1 and the episcopal palace1 standing much farther away1 in a spreading1 wooded valley4 ,and the three churches were flaming in the morning glow1 and the rain of gold scattered by the sun rays was sweeping the whole countryside1 whilst the flying peals of the bells seemed to be the very vibration of the light1 the musical awakening of the lovely day that was now beginning4 ,whilst crossing the ,place du ,rosaire1 ,pierre and ,marie glanced at the ,esplanade1 the public walk with its long central lawn skirted by broad parallel paths and extending as far as the new bridge4 ,here1 with face turned towards the ,basilica1 was the great crowned statue of the ,virgin4 ,all the sufferers crossed themselves as they went by4 ,and still passionately chanting its canticle1 the fearful cortge rolled on1 through nature in festive array4 ,under the dazzling sky1 past the mountains of gold and purple1 amidst the centenarian trees1 symbolical of health1 the running waters whose freshness was eternal1 that cortge still and ever marched on with its sufferers1 whom nature1 if not ,god1 had condemned1 those who were afflicted with skin diseases1 those whose flesh was eaten away1 those who were dropsical and inflated like wine-skins1 and those whom rheumatism and paralysis had twisted into postures of agony4 ,and the victims of hydrocephalus followed1 with the dancers of ,st4 ,vitus1 the consumptives1 the rickety1 the epileptic1 the cancerous1 the goitrous1 the blind1 the mad1 and the idiotic4 8,ave1 ave1 ave1 ,maria60 they sang2 and the stubborn plaint acquired increased volume1 as nearer and nearer to the ,grotto it bore that abominable torrent of human wretchedness and pain1 amidst all the fright and horror of the passers-by1 who stopped short1 unable to stir1 their hearts frozen as this nightmare swept before their eyes4 ,pierre and ,marie were the first to pass under the lofty arcade of one of the terraced inclines4 ,and then1 as they followed the quay of the ,gave1 they all at once came upon the ,grotto4 ,and ,marie1 whom ,pierre wheeled as near to the railing as possible1 was only able to raise herself in her little conveyance1 and murmur3 8,o most ,blessed ,virgin1 ,virgin most loved60 ,she had seen neither the entrances to the piscinas nor the twelve-piped fountain1 which she had just passed2 nor did she distinguish any better the shop on her left hand where crucifixes1 chaplets1 statuettes1 pictures1 and other religious articles were sold1 or the stone pulpit on her right which ,father ,massias already occupied4 ,her eyes were dazzled by the splendour of the ,grotto2 it seemed to her as if a hundred thousand tapers were burning there behind the railing1 filling the low entrance with the glow of a furnace and illuminating1 as with star rays1 the statue of the ,virgin1 which stood1 higher up1 at the edge of a narrow ogive-like cavity4 ,and for her1 apart from that glorious apparition1 nothing existed there1 neither the crutches with which a part of the vault had been covered1 nor the piles of bouquets fading away amidst the ivy and the eglantine1 nor even the altar placed in the centre near a little portable organ over which a cover had been thrown4 ,however1 as she raised her eyes above the rock1 she once more beheld the slender white ,basilica profiled against the sky1 its slight1 tapering spire soaring into the azure of the ,infinite like a prayer4 8,o ,virgin most powerful--,queen of the ,virgins--,holy ,virgin of ,virgins60 ,pierre had now succeeded in wheeling ,marie's box to the front rank1 beyond the numerous oak benches which were set out here in the open air as in the nave of a church4 ,nearly all these benches were already occupied by those sufferers who could sit down1 while the vacant spaces were soon filled with litters and little vehicles whose wheels became entangled together1 and on whose close-packed mattresses and pillows all sorts of diseases were gathered pell-mell4 ,immediately on arriving1 the young priest had recognised the ,vignerons seated with their sorry child ,gustave in the middle of a bench1 and now1 on the flagstones1 he caught sight of the lace-trimmed bed of ,madame ,dieulafay1 beside whom her husband and sister knelt in prayer4 ,moreover1 all the patients of ,madame de ,jonquire's carriage took up position here--,m4 ,sabathier and ,brother ,isidore side by side1 ,madame ,vetu reclining hopelessly in a conveyance1 ,elise ,rouquet seated1 ,la ,grivotte excited and raising herself on her clenched hands4 ,pierre also again perceived ,madame ,maze1 standing somewhat apart from the others1 and humbling herself in prayer2 whilst ,madame ,vincent1 who had fallen on her knees1 still holding her little ,rose in her arms1 presented the child to the ,virgin with ardent entreaty1 the distracted gesture of a mother soliciting compassion from the mother of divine grace4 ,and around this reserved space was the ever-growing throng of pilgrims1 the pressing1 jostling mob which gradually stretched to the parapet overlooking the ,gave4 8,o ,virgin most merciful10 continued ,marie in an undertone1 8,virgin most faithful1 ,virgin conceived without sin60 ,then1 almost fainting1 she spoke no more1 but with her lips still moving1 as though in silent prayer1 gazed distractedly at ,pierre4 ,he thought that she wished to speak to him and leant forward3 8,shall ,i remain here at your disposal to take you to the piscina by-and-by80 he asked4 ,but as soon as she understood him she shook her head4 ,and then in a feverish way she said3 8,no1 no1 ,i don't want to be bathed this morning4 ,it seems to me that one must be truly worthy1 truly pure1 truly holy before seeking the miracle6 ,i want to spend the whole morning in imploring it with joined hands2 ,i want to pray1 to pray with all my strength and all my soul--0 ,she was stifling1 and paused4 ,then she added3 8,don't come to take me back to the hospital till eleven o'clock4 ,i will not let them take me from here till then40 ,however1 ,pierre did not go away1 but remained near her4 ,for a moment1 he even fell upon his knees2 he also would have liked to pray with the same burning faith1 to beg of ,god the cure of that poor sick child1 whom he loved with such fraternal affection4 ,but since he had reached the ,grotto he had felt a singular sensation invading him1 a covert revolt1 as it were1 which hampered the pious flight of his prayer4 ,he wished to believe2 he had spent the whole night hoping that belief would once more blossom in his soul1 like some lovely flower of innocence and candour1 as soon as he should have knelt upon the soil of that land of miracle4 ,and yet he only experienced discomfort and anxiety in presence of the theatrical scene before him1 that pale stiff statue in the false light of the tapers1 with the chaplet shop full of jostling customers on the one hand1 and the large stone pulpit whence a ,father of the ,assumption was shouting 8,aves0 on the other4 ,had his soul become utterly withered then8 ,could no divine dew again impregnate it with innocence1 render it like the souls of little children1 who at the slightest caressing touch of the sacred legend give themselves to it entirely8 ,then1 while his thoughts were still wandering1 he recognised ,father ,massias in the ecclesiastic who occupied the pulpit4 ,he had formerly known him1 and was quite stirred by his sombre ardour1 by the sight of his thin face and sparkling eyes1 by the eloquence which poured from his large mouth as he offered violence to ,heaven to compel it to descend upon earth4 ,and whilst he thus examined ,father ,massias1 astonished at feeling himself so unlike the preacher1 he caught sight of ,father ,fourcade1 who1 at the foot of the pulpit1 was deep in conference with ,baron ,suire4 ,the latter seemed much perplexed by something which ,father ,fourcade said to him2 however he ended by approving it with a complaisant nod4 ,then1 as ,abb ,judaine was also standing there1 ,father ,fourcade likewise spoke to him for a moment1 and a scared expression came over the ,abb's broad1 fatherly face while he listened2 nevertheless1 like the ,baron1 he at last bowed assent4 ,then1 all at once1 ,father ,fourcade appeared in the pulpit1 erect1 drawing up his lofty figure which his attack of gout had slightly bent2 and he had not wished that ,father ,massias1 his well-loved brother1 whom he preferred above all others1 should altogether go down the narrow stairway1 for he had kept him upon one of the steps1 and was leaning on his shoulder4 ,and in a full1 grave voice1 with an air of sovereign authority which caused perfect silence to reign around1 he spoke as follows3 8,my dear brethren1 my dear sisters1 ,i ask your forgiveness for interrupting your prayers1 but ,i have a communication to make to you1 and ,i have to ask the help of all your faithful souls4 ,we had a very sad accident to deplore this morning1 one of our brethren died in one of the trains by which you came to ,lourdes1 died just as he was about to set foot in the promised land40 ,a brief pause followed and ,father ,fourcade seemed to become yet taller1 his handsome face beaming with fervour1 amidst his long1 streaming1 royal beard4 8,well1 my dear brethren1 my dear sisters10 he resumed1 8in spite of everything1 the idea has come to me that we ought not to despair4 ,who knows if ,god ,almighty did not will that death in order that ,he might prove ,his ,omnipotence to the world8 ,it is as though a voice were speaking to me1 urging me to ascend this pulpit and ask your prayers for this man1 this man who is no more1 but whose life is nevertheless in the hands of the most ,blessed ,virgin who can still implore her ,divine ,son in his favour4 ,yes1 the man is here1 ,i have caused his body to be brought hither1 and it depends on you1 perhaps1 whether a brilliant miracle shall dazzle the universe1 if you pray with sufficient ardour to touch the compassion of ,heaven4 ,we will plunge the man's body into the piscina and we will entreat the ,lord1 the master of the world1 to resuscitate him1 to give unto us this extraordinary sign of ,his sovereign beneficence60 ,an icy thrill1 wafted from the ,invisible1 passed through the listeners4 ,they had all become pale1 and though the lips of none of them had opened1 it seemed as if a murmur sped through their ranks amidst a shudder4 8,but with what ardour must we not pray60 violently resumed ,father ,fourcade1 exalted by genuine faith4 8,it is your souls1 your whole souls1 that ,i ask of you1 my dear brothers1 my dear sisters1 it is a prayer in which you must put your hearts1 your blood1 your very life with whatever may be most noble and loving in it6 ,pray with all your strength1 pray till you no longer know who you are1 or where you are2 pray as one loves1 pray as one dies1 for that which we are about to ask is so precious1 so rare1 so astounding a grace that only the energy of our worship can induce ,god to answer us4 ,and in order that our prayers may be the more efficacious1 in order that they may have time to spread and ascend to the feet of the ,eternal ,father1 we will not lower the body into the piscina until four o'clock this afternoon4 ,and now my dear brethren1 now my dear sisters1 pray1 pray to the most ,blessed ,virgin1 the ,queen of the ,angels1 the ,comforter of the ,afflicted60 ,then he himself1 distracted by emotion1 resumed the recital of the rosary1 whilst near him ,father ,massias burst into sobs4 ,and thereupon the great anxious silence was broken1 contagion seized upon the throng1 it was transported and gave vent to shouts1 tears1 and confused stammered entreaties4 ,it was as though a breath of delirium were sweeping by1 reducing men's wills to naught1 and turning all these beings into one being1 exasperated with love and seized with a mad desire for the impossible prodigy4 ,and for a moment ,pierre had thought that the ground was giving way beneath him1 that he was about to fall and faint4 ,but with difficulty he managed to rise from his knees and slowly walked away4 ,,iii4 ,,fountain ,,and ,,piscina ,as ,pierre went off1 ill at ease1 mastered by invincible repugnance1 unwilling to remain there any longer1 he caught sight of ,m4 de ,guersaint1 kneeling near the ,grotto1 with the absorbed air of one who is praying with his whole soul4 ,the young priest had not seen him since the morning1 and did not know whether he had managed to secure a couple of rooms in one or other of the hotels1 so that his first impulse was to go and join him4 ,then1 however1 he hesitated1 unwilling to disturb his meditations1 for he was doubtless praying for his daughter1 whom he fondly loved1 in spite of the constant absent-mindedness of his volatile brain4 ,accordingly1 the young priest passed on1 and took his way under the trees4 ,nine o'clock was now striking1 he had a couple of hours before him4 ,by dint of money1 the wild bank where swine had formerly pastured had been transformed into a superb avenue skirting the ,gave4 ,it had been necessary to put back the river's bed in order to gain ground1 and lay out a monumental quay bordered by a broad footway1 and protected by a parapet4 ,some two or three hundred yards farther on1 a hill brought the avenue to an end1 and it thus resembled an enclosed promenade1 provided with benches1 and shaded by magnificent trees4 ,nobody passed along1 however2 merely the overflow of the crowd had settled there1 and solitary spots still abounded between the grassy wall limiting the promenade on the south1 and the extensive fields spreading out northward beyond the ,gave1 as far as the wooded slopes which the white-walled convents brightened4 ,under the foliage1 on the margin of the running water1 one could enjoy delightful freshness1 even during the burning days of ,august4 ,thus ,pierre1 like a man at last awakening from a painful dream1 soon found rest of mind again4 ,he had questioned himself in the acute anxiety which he felt with regard to his sensations4 ,had he not reached ,lourdes that morning possessed by a genuine desire to believe1 an idea that he was indeed again beginning to believe even as he had done in the docile days of childhood when his mother had made him join his hands1 and taught him to fear ,god8 ,yet as soon as he had found himself at the ,grotto1 the idolatry of the worship1 the violence of the display of faith1 the onslaught upon human reason which he witnessed1 had so disturbed him that he had almost fainted4 ,what would become of him then8 ,could he not even try to contend against his doubts by examining things and convincing himself of their truth1 thus turning his journey to profit8 ,at all events1 he had made a bad beginning1 which left him sorely agitated1 and he indeed needed the environment of those fine trees1 that limpid1 rushing water1 that calm1 cool avenue1 to recover from the shock4 ,still pondering1 he was approaching the end of the pathway1 when he most unexpectedly met a forgotten friend4 ,he had1 for a few seconds1 been looking at a tall old gentleman who was coming towards him1 dressed in a tightly buttoned frock-coat and broad-brimmed hat2 and he had tried to remember where it was that he had previously beheld that pale face1 with eagle nose1 and black and penetrating eyes4 ,these he had seen before1 he felt sure of it2 but the promenader's long white beard and long curly white hair perplexed him4 ,however1 the other halted1 also looking extremely astonished1 though he promptly exclaimed1 8,what1 ,pierre8 ,is it you1 at ,lourdes80 ,then all at once the young priest recognised ,doctor ,chassaigne1 his father's old friend1 his own friend1 the man who had cured and consoled him in the terrible physical and mental crisis which had come upon him after his mother's death4 8,ah6 my dear doctor1 how pleased ,i am to see you60 he replied4 ,they embraced with deep emotion4 ,and now1 in presence of that snowy hair and snowy beard1 that slow walk1 that sorrowful demeanour1 ,pierre remembered with what unrelenting ferocity misfortune had fallen on that unhappy man and aged him4 ,but a few years had gone by1 and now1 when they met again1 he was bowed down by destiny4 8,you did not know1 ,i suppose1 that ,i had remained at ,lourdes80 said the doctor4 8,it's true that ,i no longer write to anybody2 in fact1 ,i am no longer among the living4 ,i live in the land of the dead40 ,tears were gathering in his eyes1 and emotion made his voice falter as he resumed3 8,there6 come and sit down on that bench yonder2 it will please me to live the old days afresh with you1 just for a moment40 ,in his turn the young priest felt his sobs choking him4 ,he could only murmur3 8,ah6 my dear doctor1 my old friend1 ,i can truly tell you that ,i pitied you with my whole heart1 my whole soul40 ,doctor ,chassaigne's story was one of disaster1 the shipwreck of a life4 ,he and his daughter ,marguerite1 a tall and lovable girl of twenty1 had gone to ,cauterets with ,madame ,chassaigne1 the model wife and mother1 whose state of health had made them somewhat anxious4 ,a fortnight had elapsed and she seemed much better1 and was already planning several pleasure trips1 when one morning she was found dead in her bed4 ,her husband and daughter were overwhelmed1 stupefied by this sudden blow1 this cruel treachery of death4 ,the doctor1 who belonged to ,bartres1 had a family vault in the ,lourdes cemetery1 a vault constructed at his own expense1 and in which his father and mother already rested4 ,he desired1 therefore1 that his wife should be interred there1 in a compartment adjoining that in which he expected soon to lie himself4 ,and after the burial he had lingered for a week at ,lourdes1 when ,marguerite1 who was with him1 was seized with a great shivering1 and1 taking to her bed one evening1 died two days afterwards without her distracted father being able to form any exact notion of the illness which had carried her off4 ,and thus it was not himself1 but his daughter1 lately radiant with beauty and health1 in the very flower of her youth1 who was laid in the vacant compartment by the mother's side4 ,the man who had been so happy1 so worshipped by his two helpmates1 whose heart had been kept so warm by the love of two dear creatures all his own1 was now nothing more than an old1 miserable1 stammering1 lost being1 who shivered in his icy solitude4 ,all the joy of his life had departed2 he envied the men who broke stones upon the highways when he saw their barefooted wives and daughters bring them their dinners at noontide4 ,and he had refused to leave ,lourdes1 he had relinquished everything1 his studies1 his practice in ,paris1 in order that he might live near the tomb in which his wife and his daughter slept the eternal sleep4 8,ah1 my old friend10 repeated ,pierre1 8how ,i pitied you6 ,how frightful must have been your grief6 ,but why did you not rely a little on those who love you8 ,why did you shut yourself up here with your sorrow80 ,the doctor made a gesture which embraced the horizon4 8,i could not go away1 they are here and keep me with them4 ,it is all over1 ,i am merely waiting till my time comes to join them again40 ,then silence fell4 ,birds were fluttering among the shrubs on the bank behind them1 and in front they heard the loud murmur of the ,gave4 ,the sun rays were falling more heavily in a slow1 golden dust1 upon the hillsides2 but on that retired bench under the beautiful trees1 the coolness was still delightful4 ,and although the crowd was but a couple of hundred yards distant1 they were1 so to say1 in a desert1 for nobody tore himself away from the ,grotto to stray as far as the spot which they had chosen4 ,they talked together for a long time1 and ,pierre related under what circumstances he had reached ,lourdes that morning with ,m4 de ,guersaint and his daughter1 all three forming part of the national pilgrimage4 ,then all at once he gave a start of astonishment and exclaimed3 8,what6 doctor1 so you now believe that miracles are possible8 ,you1 good heavens6 whom ,i knew as an unbeliever1 or at least as one altogether indifferent to these matters80 ,he was gazing at ,m4 ,chassaigne quite stupefied by something which he had just heard him say of the ,grotto and ,bernadette4 ,it was amazing1 coming from a man with so strong a mind1 a savant of such intelligence1 whose powerful analytical faculties he had formerly so much admired6 ,how was it that a lofty1 clear mind1 nourished by experience and method1 had become so changed as to acknowledge the miraculous cures effected by that divine fountain which the ,blessed ,virgin had caused to spurt forth under the pressure of a child's fingers8 8,but just think a little1 my dear doctor10 he resumed4 8,it was you yourself who supplied my father with memoranda about ,bernadette1 your little fellow-villager as you used to call her2 and it was you1 too1 who spoke to me at such length about her1 when1 later on1 ,i took a momentary interest in her story4 ,in your eyes she was simply an ailing child1 prone to hallucinations1 infantile1 but self-conscious of her acts1 deficient of will-power4 ,recollect our chats together1 my doubts1 and the healthy reason which you again enabled me1 to acquire60 ,pierre was feeling very moved1 for was not this the strangest of adventures8 ,he a priest1 who in a spirit of resignation had formerly endeavoured to believe1 had ended by completely losing all faith through intercourse with this same doctor1 who was then an unbeliever1 but whom he now found converted1 conquered by the supernatural1 whilst he himself was racked by the torture of no longer believing4 8,you who would only rely on accurate facts10 he said1 8you who based everything on observation6 ,do you renounce science then80 ,chassaigne1 hitherto quiet1 with a sorrowful smile playing on his lips1 now made a violent gesture expressive of sovereign contempt4 8,science indeed60 he exclaimed4 8,do ,i know anything8 ,can ,i accomplish anything8 ,you asked me just now what malady it was that killed my poor ,marguerite4 ,but ,i do not know6 ,i1 whom people think so learned1 so well armed against death1 ,i understood nothing of it1 and ,i could do nothing--not even prolong my daughter's life for a single hour6 ,and my wife1 whom ,i found in bed already cold1 when on the previous evening she had lain down in much better health and quite gay--was ,i even capable of foreseeing what ought to have been done in her case8 ,no1 no6 for me at all events1 science has become bankrupt4 ,i wish to know nothing2 ,i am but a fool and a poor old man60 ,he spoke like this in a furious revolt against all his past life of pride and happiness4 ,then1 having become calm again1 he added3 8,and now ,i only feel a frightful remorse4 ,yes1 a remorse which haunts me1 which ever brings me here1 prowling around the people who are praying4 ,it is remorse for not having in the first instance come and humbled myself at that ,grotto1 bringing my two dear ones with me4 ,they would have knelt there like those women whom you see1 ,i should have knelt beside them1 and perhaps the ,blessed ,virgin would have cured and preserved them4 ,but1 fool that ,i was1 ,i only knew how to lose them6 ,it is my fault40 ,tears were now streaming from his eyes4 8,i remember10 he continued1 8that in my childhood at ,bartres1 my mother1 a peasant woman1 made me join my hands and implore ,god's help each morning4 ,the prayer she taught me came back to my mind1 word for word1 when ,i again found myself alone1 as weak1 as lost1 as a little child4 ,what would you have1 my friend8 ,i joined my hands as in my younger days1 ,i felt too wretched1 too forsaken1 ,i had too keen a need of a superhuman help1 of a divine power which should think and determine for me1 which should lull me and carry me on with its eternal prescience4 ,how great at first was the confusion1 the aberration of my poor brain1 under the frightful1 heavy blow which fell upon it6 ,i spent a score of nights without being able to sleep1 thinking that ,i should surely go mad4 ,all sorts of ideas warred within me2 ,i passed through periods of revolt when ,i shook my fist at ,heaven1 and then ,i lapsed into humility1 entreating ,god to take me in my turn4 ,and it was at last a conviction that there must be justice1 a conviction that there must be love1 which calmed me by restoring me my faith4 ,you knew my daughter1 so tall and strong1 so beautiful1 so brimful of life4 ,would it not be the most monstrous injustice if for her1 who did not know life1 there should be nothing beyond the tomb8 ,she will live again1 ,i am absolutely convinced of it1 for ,i still hear her at times1 she tells me that we shall meet1 that we shall see one another again4 ,oh6 the dear beings whom one has lost1 my dear daughter1 my dear wife1 to see them once more1 to live with them elsewhere1 that is the one hope1 the one consolation for all the sorrows of this world6 ,i have given myself to ,god1 since ,god alone can restore them to me60 ,he was shaking with a slight tremor1 like the weak old man he had become2 and ,pierre was at last able to understand and explain the conversion of this savant1 this man of intellect who1 growing old1 had reverted to belief under the influence of sentiment4 ,first of all1 and this he had previously suspected1 he discovered a kind of atavism of faith in this ,pyrenean1 this son of peasant mountaineers1 who had been brought up in belief of the legend1 and whom the legend had again mastered even when fifty years1 of positive study had rolled over it4 ,then1 too1 there was human weariness2 this man1 to whom science had not brought happiness1 revolted against science on the day when it seemed to him shallow1 powerless to prevent him from shedding tears4 ,and finally there was discouragement1 a doubt of all things1 ending in a need of certainty on the part of one whom age had softened1 and who felt happy at being able to fall asleep in credulity4 ,pierre did not protest1 however2 he did not jeer1 for his heart was rent at sight of this tall1 stricken old man1 with his woeful senility4 ,is it not indeed pitiful to see the strongest1 the clearest-minded become mere children again under such blows of fate8 8,ah60 he faintly sighed1 8if ,i could only suffer enough to be able to silence my reason1 and kneel yonder and believe in all those fine stories40 ,the pale smile1 which at times still passed over ,doctor ,chassaigne's lips1 reappeared on them4 8,you mean the miracles80 said he4 8,you are a priest1 my child1 and ,i know what your misfortune is4 ,the miracles seem impossible to you4 ,but what do you know of them8 ,admit that you know nothing1 and that what to our senses seems impossible is every minute taking place4 ,and now we have been talking together for a long time1 and eleven o'clock will soon strike1 so that you must return to the ,grotto4 ,however1 ,i shall expect you1 at half-past three1 when ,i will take you to the ,medical ,verification ,office1 where ,i hope ,i shall be able to show you some surprising things4 ,don't forget1 at half-past three40 ,thereupon he sent him off1 and remained on the bench alone4 ,the heat had yet increased1 and the distant hills were burning in the furnace-like glow of the sun4 ,however1 he lingered there forgetfully1 dreaming in the greeny half-light amidst the foliage1 and listening to the continuous murmur of the ,gave1 as if a voice1 a dear voice from the realms beyond1 were speaking to him4 ,pierre meantime hastened back to ,marie4 ,he was able to join her without much difficulty1 for the crowd was thinning1 a good many people having already gone off to djeuner4 ,and on arriving he perceived the girl's father1 who was quietly seated beside her1 and who at once wished to explain to him the reason of his long absence4 ,for more than a couple of hours that morning he had scoured ,lourdes in all directions1 applying at twenty hotels in turn without being able to find the smallest closet where they might sleep4 ,even the servants' rooms were let and you could not have even secured a mattress on which to stretch yourself in some passage4 ,however1 all at once1 just as he was despairing1 he had discovered two rooms1 small ones1 it is true1 and just under the roof1 but in a very good hotel1 that of the ,apparitions1 one of the best patronised in the town4 ,the persons who had retained these rooms had just telegraphed that the patient whom they had meant to bring with them was dead4 ,briefly1 it was a piece of rare good luck1 and seemed to make ,m4 de ,guersaint quite gay4 ,eleven o'clock was now striking and the woeful procession of sufferers started off again through the sunlit streets and squares4 ,when it reached the hospital ,marie begged her father and ,pierre to go to the hotel1 lunch and rest there awhile1 and return to fetch her at two o'clock1 when the patients would again be conducted to the ,grotto4 ,but when1 after lunching1 the two men went up to the rooms which they were to occupy at the ,hotel of the ,apparitions1 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 overcome by fatigue1 fell so soundly asleep that ,pierre had not the heart to awaken him4 ,what would have been the use of it8 ,his presence was not indispensable4 ,and so the young priest returned to the hospital alone4 ,then the cortge again descended the ,avenue de la ,grotte1 again wended its way over the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 again crossed the ,place du ,rosaire1 past an ever-growing crowd which shuddered and crossed itself amid all the joyousness of that splendid ,august day4 ,it was now the most glorious hour of a lovely afternoon4 ,when ,marie was again installed in front of the ,grotto she inquired if her father were coming4 8,yes10 answered ,pierre2 8he is only taking a little rest40 ,she waved her hand as though to say that he was acting rightly1 and then in a sorely troubled voice she added3 8,listen1 ,pierre2 don't take me to the piscina for another hour4 ,i am not yet in a state to find favour from ,heaven1 ,i wish to pray1 to keep on praying40 ,after evincing such an ardent desire to come to ,lourdes1 terror was agitating her now that the moment for attempting the miracle was at hand4 ,in fact1 she began to relate that she had been unable to eat anything1 and a girl who overheard her at once approached saying3 8,if you feel too weak1 my dear young lady1 remember we have some broth here40 ,marie looked at her and recognised ,raymonde4 ,several young girls were in this wise employed at the ,grotto to distribute cups of broth and milk among the sufferers4 ,some of them1 indeed1 in previous years had displayed so much coquetry in the matter of silk1 aprons trimmed with lace1 that a uniform apron1 of modest linen1 with a small check pattern1 blue and white1 had been imposed on them4 ,nevertheless1 in spite of this enforced simplicity1 ,raymonde1 thanks to her freshness and her active1 good-natured1 housewifely air1 had succeeded in making herself look quite charming4 8,you will remember1 won't you80 she added2 8you have only to make me a sign and ,i will serve you40 ,marie thanked her1 saying1 however1 that she felt sure she would not be able to take anything2 and then1 turning towards the young priest1 she resumed3 8,one hour--you must allow me one more hour1 my friend40 ,pierre wished at any rate to remain near her1 but the entire space was reserved to the sufferers1 the bearers not being allowed there4 ,so he had to retire1 and1 caught in the rolling waves of the crowd1 he found himself carried towards the piscinas1 where he came upon an extraordinary spectacle which stayed his steps4 ,in front of the low buildings where the baths were1 three by three1 six for the women and three for the men1 he perceived under the trees a long stretch of ground enclosed by a rope fastened to the tree-trunks2 and here1 various sufferers1 some sitting in their bath-chairs and others lying on the mattresses of their litters1 were drawn up in line1 waiting to be bathed1 whilst outside the rope1 a huge1 excited throng was ever pressing and surging4 ,a ,capuchin1 erect in the centre of the reserved space1 was at that moment conducting the prayers4 8,aves0 followed one after the other1 repeated by the crowd in a loud confused murmur4 ,then1 all at once1 as ,madame ,vincent1 who1 pale with agony1 had long been waiting1 was admitted to the baths1 carrying her dear burden1 her little girl who looked like a waxen image of the child ,christ1 the ,capuchin let himself fall upon his knees with his arms extended1 and cried aloud3 8,lord1 heal our sick60 ,he raised this cry a dozen1 twenty times1 with a growing fury1 and each time the crowd repeated it1 growing more and more excited at each shout1 till it sobbed and kissed the ground in a state of frenzy4 ,it was like a hurricane of delirium rushing by and laying every head in the dust4 ,pierre was utterly distracted by the sob of suffering which arose from the very bowels of these poor folks--at first a prayer1 growing louder and louder1 then bursting forth like a demand in impatient1 angry1 deafening1 obstinate accents1 as though to compel the help of ,heaven4 8,lord1 heal our sick60--8,lord1 heal our sick60 ,the shout soared on high incessantly4 ,an incident occurred1 however2 ,la ,grivotte was weeping hot tears because they would not bathe her4 8,they say that ,i'm a consumptive10 she plaintively exclaimed1 8and that they can't dip consumptives in cold water4 ,yet they dipped one this morning2 ,i saw her4 ,so why won't they dip me8 ,i've been wearing myself out for the last half-hour in telling them that they are only grieving the ,blessed ,virgin1 for ,i am going to be cured1 ,i feel it1 ,i am going to be cured60 ,as she was beginning to cause a scandal1 one of the chaplains of the piscinas approached and endeavoured to calm her4 ,they would see what they could do for her1 by-and-by1 said he2 they would consult the reverend ,fathers1 and1 if she were very good1 perhaps they would bathe her all the same4 ,meantime the cry continued3 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,and ,pierre1 who had just perceived ,madame ,vetu1 also waiting at the piscina entry1 could no longer turn his eyes away from her hope-tortured face1 whose eyes were fixed upon the doorway by which the happy ones1 the elect1 emerged from the divine presence1 cured of all their ailments4 ,however1 a sudden increase of the crowd's frenzy1 a perfect rage of entreaties1 gave him such a shock as to draw tears from his eyes4 ,madame ,vincent was now coming out again1 still carrying her little girl in her arms1 her wretched1 her fondly loved little girl1 who had been dipped in a fainting state in the icy water1 and whose little face1 but imperfectly wiped1 was as pale as ever1 and indeed even more woeful and lifeless4 ,the mother was sobbing1 crucified by this long agony1 reduced to despair by the refusal of the ,blessed ,virgin1 who had remained insensible to her child's sufferings4 ,and yet when ,madame ,vetu in her turn entered1 with the eager passion of a dying woman about to drink the water of life1 the haunting1 obstinate cry burst out again1 without sign of discouragement or lassitude3 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,the ,capuchin had now fallen with his face to the ground1 and the howling crowd1 with arms outstretched1 devoured the soil with its kisses4 ,pierre wished to join ,madame ,vincent to soothe her with a few kind1 encouraging words2 however1 a fresh string of pilgrims not only prevented him from passing1 but threw him towards the fountain which another throng besieged4 ,there was here quite a range of low buildings1 a long stone wall with carved coping1 and it had been necessary for the people to form in procession1 although there were twelve taps from which the water fell into a narrow basin4 ,many came hither to fill bottles1 metal cans1 and stoneware pitchers4 ,to prevent too great a waste of water1 the tap only acted when a knob was pressed with the hand4 ,and thus many weak-handed women lingered there a long time1 the water dripping on their feet4 ,those who had no cans to fill at least came to drink and wash their faces4 ,pierre noticed one young man who drank seven small glassfuls of water1 and washed his eyes seven times without wiping them4 ,others were drinking out of shells1 tin goblets1 and leather cups4 ,and he was particularly interested by the sight of ,elise ,rouquet1 who1 thinking it useless to go to the piscinas to bathe the frightful sore which was eating away her face1 had contented herself with employing the water of the fountain as a lotion1 every two hours since her arrival that morning4 ,she knelt down1 threw back her fichu1 and for a long time applied a handkerchief to her face--a handkerchief which she had soaked with the miraculous fluid like a sponge2 and the crowd around rushed upon the fountain in such fury that folks no longer noticed her diseased face1 but washed themselves and drank from the same pipe at which she constantly moistened her handkerchief4 ,just then1 however1 ,grard1 who passed by dragging ,m4 ,sabathier to the piscinas1 called to ,pierre1 whom he saw unoccupied1 and asked him to come and help him1 for it would not be an easy task to move and bathe this helpless victim of ataxia4 ,and thus ,pierre lingered with the sufferer in the men's piscina for nearly half an hour1 whilst ,grard returned to the ,grotto to fetch another patient4 ,these piscinas seemed to the young priest to be very well arranged4 ,they were divided into three compartments1 three baths separated by partitions1 with steps leading into them4 ,in order that one might isolate the patient1 a linen curtain hug before each entry1 which was reached through a kind of waiting-room having a paved floor1 and furnished with a bench and a couple of chairs4 ,here the patients undressed and dressed themselves with an awkward haste1 a nervous kind of shame4 ,one man1 whom ,pierre found there when he entered1 was still naked1 and wrapped himself in the curtain before putting on a bandage with trembling hands4 ,another one1 a consumptive who was frightfully emaciated1 sat shivering and groaning1 his livid skin mottled with violet marks4 ,however1 ,pierre became more interested in ,brother ,isidore1 who was just being removed from one of the baths4 ,he had fainted away1 and for a moment1 indeed1 it was thought that he was dead4 ,but at last he began moaning again1 and one's heart filled with pity at sight of his long1 lank frame1 which suffering had withered1 and which1 with his diseased hip1 looked a human remnant on exhibition4 ,the two hospitallers who had been bathing him had the greatest difficulty to put on his shirt1 fearful as they were that if he were suddenly shaken he might expire in their arms4 8,you will help me1 ,monsieur l',abb1 won't you80 asked another hospitaller as he began to undress ,m4 ,sabathier4 ,pierre hastened to give his services1 and found that the attendant1 discharging such humble duties1 was none other than the ,marquis de ,salmon-,roquebert whom ,m4 de ,guersaint had pointed out to him on the way from the station to the hospital that morning4 ,a man of forty1 with a large1 aquiline1 knightly nose set in a long face1 the ,marquis was the last representative of one of the most ancient and illustrious families of ,france4 ,possessing a large fortune1 a regal mansion in the ,rue de ,lille at ,paris1 and vast estates in ,normandy1 he came to ,lourdes each year1 for the three days of the national pilgrimage1 influenced solely by his benevolent feelings1 for he had no religious zeal and simply observed the rites of the ,church because it was customary for noblemen to do so4 ,and he obstinately declined any high functions4 ,resolved to remain a hospitaller1 he had that year assumed the duty of bathing the patients1 exhausting the strength of his arms1 employing his fingers from morning till night in handling rags and re-applying dressings to sores4 8,be careful10 he said to ,pierre2 8take off the stockings very slowly4 ,just now1 some flesh came away when they were taking off the things of that poor fellow who is being dressed again1 over yonder40 ,then1 leaving ,m4 ,sabathier for a moment in order to put on the shoes of the unhappy sufferer whom he alluded to1 the ,marquis found the left shoe wet inside4 ,some matter had flowed into the fore part of it1 and he had to take the usual medical precautions before putting it on the patient's foot1 a task which he performed with extreme care2 and so as not to touch the man's leg1 into which an ulcer was eating4 8,and now10 he said to ,pierre1 as he returned to ,m4 ,sabathier1 8pull down the drawers at the same time ,i do1 so that we may get them off at one pull40 ,in addition to the patients and the hospitallers selected for duty at the piscinas1 the only person in the little dressing-room was a chaplain who kept on repeating 8,paters0 and 8,aves10 for not even a momentary pause was allowed in the prayers4 ,merely a loose curtain hung before the doorway leading to the open space which the rope enclosed2 and the ardent clamorous entreaties of the throng were incessantly wafted into the room1 with the piercing shouts of the ,capuchin1 who ever repeated 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,a cold light fell from the high windows of the building and constant dampness reigned there1 with the mouldy smell like that of a cellar dripping with water4 ,at last ,m4 ,sabathier was stripped1 divested of all garments save a little apron which had been fastened about his loins for decency's sake4 8,pray don't plunge me10 said he2 8let me down into the water by degrees40 ,in point of fact that cold water quite terrified him4 ,he was still wont to relate that he had experienced such a frightful chilling sensation on the first occasion that he had sworn never to go in again4 ,according to his account1 there could be no worse torture than that icy cold4 ,and then too1 as he put it1 the water was scarcely inviting2 for1 through fear lest the output of the source should not suffice1 the ,fathers of the ,grotto only allowed the water of the baths to be changed twice a day4 ,and nearly a hundred patients being dipped in the same water1 it can be imagined what a terrible soup the latter at last became4 ,all manner of things were found in it1 so that it was like a frightful consomm of all ailments1 a field of cultivation for every kind of poisonous germ1 a quintessence of the most dreaded contagious diseases2 the miraculous feature of it all being that men should emerge alive from their immersion in such filth4 8,gently1 gently10 repeated ,m4 ,sabathier to ,pierre and the ,marquis1 who had taken hold of him under the hips in order to carry him to the bath4 ,and he gazed with childlike terror at that thick1 livid water on which floated so many greasy1 nauseating patches of scum4 ,however1 his dread of the cold was so great that he preferred the polluted baths of the afternoon1 since all the bodies that were dipped in the water during the early part of the day ended by slightly warming it4 8,we will let you slide down the steps10 exclaimed the ,marquis in an undertone2 and then he instructed ,pierre to hold the patient with all his strength under the arm-pits4 8,have no fear10 replied the priest2 8,i will not let go40 ,m4 ,sabathier was then slowly lowered4 ,you could now only see his back1 his poor painful back which swayed and swelled1 mottled by the rippling of a shiver4 ,and when they dipped him his head fell back in a spasm1 a sound like the cracking of bones was heard1 and breathing hard1 he almost stifled4 ,the chaplain1 standing beside the bath1 had begun calling with renewed fervour3 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,m4 de ,salmon-,roquebert repeated the cry1 which the regulations required the hospitallers to raise at each fresh immersion4 ,pierre1 therefore1 had to imitate his companion1 and his pitiful feelings at the sight of so much suffering were so intense that he regained some little of his faith4 ,it was long indeed since he had prayed like this1 devoutly wishing that there might be a ,god in heaven1 whose omnipotence could assuage the wretchedness of humanity4 ,at the end of three or four minutes1 however1 when with great difficulty they drew ,m4 ,sabathier1 livid and shivering1 out of the bath1 the young priest fell into deeper1 more despairing sorrow than ever at beholding how downcast1 how overwhelmed the sufferer was at having experienced no relief4 ,again had he made a futile attempt2 for the seventh time the ,blessed ,virgin had not deigned to listen to his prayers4 ,he closed his eyes1 from between the lids of which big tears began to roll while they were dressing him again4 ,then ,pierre recognised little ,gustave ,vigneron coming in1 on his crutch1 to take his first bath4 ,his relatives1 his father1 his mother1 and his aunt1 ,madame ,chaise1 all three of substantial appearance and exemplary piety1 had just fallen on their knees at the door4 ,whispers ran through the crowd2 it was said that the gentleman was a functionary of the ,ministry of ,finances4 ,however1 while the child was beginning to undress1 a tumult arose1 and ,father ,fourcade and ,father ,massias1 suddenly arriving1 gave orders to suspend the immersions4 ,the great miracle was about to be attempted1 the extraordinary favour which had been so ardently prayed for since the morning--the restoration of the dead man to life4 ,the prayers were continuing outside1 rising in a furious appeal which died away in the sky of that warm summer afternoon4 ,two bearers came in with a covered stretcher1 which they deposited in the middle of the dressing-room4 ,baron ,suire1 ,president of the ,association1 followed1 accompanied by ,berthaud1 one of its principal officers1 for the affair was causing a great stir among the whole staff1 and before anything was done a few words were exchanged in low voices between the gentlemen and the two ,fathers of the ,assumption4 ,then the latter fell upon their knees1 with arms extended1 and began to pray1 their faces illumined1 transfigured by their burning desire to see ,god's omnipotence displayed4 8,lord1 hear us6 ,lord1 grant our prayer60 ,m4 ,sabathier had just been taken away1 and the only patient now present was little ,gustave1 who had remained on a chair1 half-undressed and forgotten4 ,the curtains of the stretcher were raised1 and the man's corpse appeared1 already stiff1 and seemingly reduced and shrunken1 with large eyes which had obstinately remained wide open4 ,it was necessary1 however1 to undress the body1 which was still fully clad1 and this terrible duty made the bearers momentarily hesitate4 ,pierre noticed that the ,marquis de ,salmon-,roquebert1 who showed such devotion to the living1 such freedom from all repugnance whenever they were in question1 had now drawn aside and fallen on his knees1 as though to avoid the necessity of touching that lifeless corpse4 ,and the young priest thereupon followed his example1 and knelt near him in order to keep countenance4 ,father ,massias meanwhile was gradually becoming excited1 praying in so loud a voice that it drowned that of his superior1 ,father ,fourcade3 8,lord1 restore our brother to us60 he cried4 8,lord1 do it for ,thy glory60 ,one of the hospitallers had already begun to pull at the man's trousers1 but his legs were so stiff that the garment would not come off4 ,in fact the corpse ought to have been raised up2 and the other hospitaller1 who was unbuttoning the dead man's old frock coat1 remarked in an undertone that it would be best to cut everything away with a pair of scissors4 ,otherwise there would be no end of the job4 ,berthaud1 however1 rushed up to them1 after rapidly consulting ,baron ,suire4 ,as a politician he secretly disapproved of ,father ,fourcade's action in making such an attempt1 only they could not now do otherwise than carry matters to an issue2 for the crowd was waiting and had been entreating ,god on the dead man's behalf ever since the morning4 ,the wisest course1 therefore1 was to finish with the affair at once1 showing as much respect as possible for the remains of the deceased4 ,in lieu1 therefore1 of pulling the corpse about in order to strip it bare1 ,berthaud was of opinion that it would be better to dip it in the piscina clad as it was4 ,should the man resuscitate1 it would be easy to procure fresh clothes for him2 and in the contrary event1 no harm would have been done4 ,this is what he hastily said to the bearers2 and forthwith he helped them to pass some straps under the man's hips and arms4 ,father ,fourcade had nodded his approval of this course1 whilst ,father ,massias prayed with increased fervour3 8,breathe upon him1 ,o ,lord1 and he shall be born anew6 ,restore his soul to him1 ,o1 ,lord1 that he may glorify ,thee60 ,making an effort1 the two hospitallers now raised the man by means of the straps1 carried him to the bath1 and slowly lowered him into the water1 at each moment fearing that he would slip away from their hold4 ,pierre1 although overcome by horror1 could not do otherwise than look at them1 and thus he distinctly beheld the immersion of this corpse in its sorry garments1 which on being wetted clung to the bones1 outlining the skeleton-like figure of the deceased1 who floated like a man who has been drowned4 ,but the repulsive part of it all was1 that in spite of the rigor mortis1 the head fell backward into the water1 and was submerged by it4 ,in vain did the hospitallers try to raise it by pulling the shoulder straps2 as they made the attempt1 the man almost sank to the bottom of the bath4 ,and how could he have recovered his breath when his mouth was full of water1 his staring eyes seemingly dying afresh1 beneath that watery veil8 ,then1 during the three long minutes allowed for the immersion1 the two ,fathers of the ,assumption and the chaplain1 in a paroxysm of desire and faith1 strove to compel the intervention of ,heaven1 praying in such loud voices that they seemed to choke4 8,do ,thou but look on him1 ,o ,lord1 and he will live again6 ,lord6 may he rise at ,thy voice to convert the earth6 ,lord6 ,thou hast but one word to say and all ,thy people will acclaim ,thee60 ,at last1 as though some vessel had broken in his throat1 ,father ,massias fell groaning and choking on his elbows1 with only enough strength left him to kiss the flagstones4 ,and from without came the clamour of the crowd1 the ever-repeated cry1 which the ,capuchin was still leading3 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,this appeal seemed so singular at that moment1 that ,pierre's sufferings were increased4 ,he could feel1 too1 that the ,marquis was shuddering beside him4 ,and so the relief was general when ,berthaud1 thoroughly annoyed with the whole business1 curtly shouted to the hospitallers3 8,take him out6 ,take him out at once60 ,the body was removed from the bath and laid on the stretcher1 looking like the corpse of a drowned man with its sorry garments clinging to its limbs4 ,the water was trickling from the hair1 and rivulets began falling on either side1 spreading out in pools on the floor4 ,and naturally1 dead as the man had been1 dead he remained4 ,the others had all risen and stood looking at him amidst a distressing silence4 ,then1 as he was covered up and carried away1 ,father ,fourcade followed the bier leaning on the shoulder of ,father ,massias and dragging his gouty leg1 the painful weight of which he had momentarily forgotten4 ,but he was already recovering his strong serenity1 and as a hush fell upon the crowd outside1 he could be heard saying3 8,my dear brothers1 my dear sisters1 ,god has not been willing to restore him to us1 doubtless because in ,his infinite goodness ,he has desired to retain him among ,his elect40 ,and that was all2 there was no further question of the dead man4 ,patients were again being brought into the dressing-room1 the two other baths were already occupied4 ,and now little ,gustave1 who had watched that terrible scene with his keen inquisitive eyes1 evincing no sign of terror1 finished undressing himself4 ,his wretched body1 the body of a scrofulous child1 appeared with its prominent ribs and projecting spine1 its limbs so thin that they looked like mere walking-sticks4 ,especially was this the case as regards the left one1 which was withered1 wasted to the bone2 and he also had two sores1 one on the hip1 and the other in the loins1 the last a terrible one1 the skin being eaten away so that you distinctly saw the raw flesh4 ,yet he smiled1 rendered so precocious by his sufferings that1 although but fifteen years old and looking no more than ten1 he seemed to be endowed with the reason and philosophy of a grown man4 ,the ,marquis de ,salmon-,roquebert1 who had taken him gently in his arms1 refused ,pierre's offer of service3 8,thanks1 but he weighs no more than a bird4 ,and don't be frightened1 my dear little fellow4 ,i will do it gently40 8,oh1 ,i am not afraid of cold water1 monsieur10 replied the boy2 8you may duck me40 ,then he was lowered into the bath in which the dead man had been dipped4 ,madame ,vigneron and ,madame ,chaise1 who were not allowed to enter1 had remained at the door on their knees1 whilst the father1 ,m4 ,vigneron1 who was admitted into the dressing-room1 went on making the sign of the cross4 ,finding that his services were no longer required1 ,pierre now departed4 ,the sudden idea that three o'clock must have long since struck and that ,marie must be waiting for him made him hasten his steps4 ,however1 whilst he was endeavouring to pierce the crowd1 he saw the girl arrive in her little conveyance1 dragged along by ,grard1 who had not ceased transporting sufferers to the piscina4 ,she had become impatient1 suddenly filled with a conviction that she was at last in a frame of mind to find grace4 ,and at sight of ,pierre she reproached him1 saying1 8,what1 my friend1 did you forget me80 ,he could find no answer1 but watched her as she was taken into the piscina reserved for women1 and then1 in mortal sorrow1 fell upon his knees4 ,it was there that he would wait for her1 humbly kneeling1 in order that he might take her back to the ,grotto1 cured without doubt and singing a hymn of praise4 ,since she was certain of it1 would she not assuredly be cured8 ,however1 it was in vain that he sought for words of prayer in the depths of his distracted being4 ,he was still under the blow of all the terrible things that he had beheld1 worn out with physical fatigue1 his brain depressed1 no longer knowing what he saw or what he believed4 ,his desperate affection for ,marie alone remained1 making him long to humble himself and supplicate1 in the thought that when little ones really love and entreat the powerful they end by obtaining favours4 ,and at last he caught himself repeating the prayers of the crowd1 in a distressful voice that came from the depths of his being 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,ten minutes1 a quarter of an hour perhaps1 went by4 ,then ,marie reappeared in her little conveyance4 ,her face was very pale and wore an expression of despair4 ,her beautiful hair was fastened above her head in a heavy golden coil which the water had not touched4 ,and she was not cured4 ,the stupor of infinite discouragement hollowed and lengthened her face1 and she averted her eyes as though to avoid meeting those of the priest who thunderstruck1 chilled to the heart1 at last made up his mind to grasp the handle of the little vehicle1 so as to take the girl back to the ,grotto4 ,and meantime the cry of the faithful1 who with open arms were kneeling there and kissing the earth1 again rose with a growing fury1 excited by the ,capuchin's shrill voice3 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,heal our sick1 ,o ,lord60 ,as ,pierre was placing ,marie in position again in front of the ,grotto1 an attack of weakness came over her and she almost fainted4 ,grard1 who was there1 saw ,raymonde quickly hurry to the spot with a cup of broth1 and at once they began zealously rivalling each other in their attentions to the ailing girl4 ,raymonde1 holding out the cup in a pretty way1 and assuming the coaxing airs of an expert nurse1 especially insisted that ,marie should accept the bouillon2 and ,grard1 glancing at this portionless girl1 could not help finding her charming1 already expert in the business of life1 and quite ready to manage a household with a firm hand without ceasing to be amiable4 ,berthaud was no doubt right1 this was the wife that he1 ,grard1 needed4 8,mademoiselle10 said he to ,raymonde1 8shall ,i raise the young lady a little80 8,thank you1 monsieur1 ,i am quite strong enough4 ,and besides ,i will give it to her in spoonfuls2 that will be the better way40 ,marie1 however1 obstinately preserving her fierce silence as she recovered consciousness1 refused the broth with a gesture4 ,she wished to be left in quietness1 she did not want anybody to question her4 ,and it was only when the others had gone off smiling at one another1 that she said to ,pierre in a husky voice3 8,has not my father come then80 ,after hesitating for a moment the priest was obliged to confess the truth4 8,i left him sleeping and he cannot have woke up40 ,then ,marie relapsed into her state of languid stupor and dismissed him in his turn1 with the gesture with which she declined all succour4 ,she no longer prayed1 but remained quite motionless1 gazing fixedly with her large eyes at the marble ,virgin1 the white statue amidst the radiance of the ,grotto4 ,and as four o'clock was now striking1 ,pierre with his heart sore went off to the ,verification ,office1 having suddenly remembered the appointment given him by ,doctor ,chassaigne4 ,,iv4 ,,verification ,,the doctor was waiting for the young priest outside the ,verification ,office1 in front of which a compact and feverish crowd of pilgrims was assembled1 waylaying and questioning the patients who went in1 and acclaiming them as they came out whenever the news spread of any miracle1 such as the restoration of some blind man's sight1 some deaf woman's hearing1 or some paralytic's power of motion4 ,pierre had no little difficulty in making his way through the throng1 but at last he reached his friend4 8,well10 he asked1 8are we going to have a miracle--a real1 incontestable one ,i mean80 ,the doctor smiled1 indulgent despite his new faith4 8,ah1 well10 said he1 8a miracle is not worked to order4 ,god intervenes when ,he pleases40 ,some hospitallers were mounting guard at the door1 but they all knew ,m4 ,chassaigne1 and respectfully drew aside to let him enter with his companion4 ,the office where the cures were verified was very badly installed in a wretched wooden shanty divided into two apartments1 first a narrow ante-chamber1 and then a general meeting room which was by no means so large as it should have been4 ,however1 there was a question of providing the department with better accommodation the following year2 with which view some large premises1 under one of the inclined ways of the ,rosary1 were already being fitted up4 ,the only article of furniture in the antechamber was a wooden bench on which ,pierre perceived two female patients awaiting their turn in the charge of a young hospitaller4 ,but on entering the meeting room the number of persons packed inside it quite surprised him1 whilst the suffocating heat within those wooden walls on which the sun was so fiercely playing1 almost scorched his face4 ,it was a square bare room1 painted a light yellow1 with the panes of its single window covered with whitening1 so that the pressing throng outside might see nothing of what went on within4 ,one dared not even open this window to admit a little fresh air1 for it was no sooner set ajar than a crowd of inquisitive heads peeped in4 ,the furniture was of a very rudimentary kind1 consisting simply of two deal tables of unequal height placed end to end and not even covered with a cloth2 together with a kind of big 8canterbury0 littered with untidy papers1 sets of documents1 registers and pamphlets1 and finally some thirty rush-seated chairs placed here and there over the floor and a couple of ragged arm-chairs usually reserved for the patients4 ,doctor ,bonamy at once hastened forward to greet ,doctor ,chassaigne1 who was one of the latest and most glorious conquests of the ,grotto4 ,he found a chair for him and1 bowing to ,pierre's cassock1 also made the young priest sit down4 ,then1 in the tone of extreme politeness which was customary with him1 he exclaimed3 8,mon cher confrre1 you will kindly allow me to continue4 ,we were just examining mademoiselle40 ,he referred to a deaf peasant girl of twenty1 who was seated in one of the arm-chairs4 ,instead of listening1 however1 ,pierre1 who was very weary1 still with a buzzing in his head1 contented himself with gazing at the scene1 endeavouring to form some notion of the people assembled in the room4 ,there were some fifty altogether1 many of them standing and leaning against the walls4 ,half a dozen1 however1 were seated at the two tables1 a central position being occupied by the superintendent of the piscinas1 who was constantly consulting a thick register2 whilst around him were a ,father of the ,assumption and three young seminarists who acted as secretaries1 writing1 searching for documents1 passing them and classifying them again after each examination4 ,pierre1 however1 took most interest in a ,father of the ,immaculate ,conception1 ,father ,dargeles1 who had been pointed out to him that morning as being the editor of the 8,journal de la ,grotte40 ,this ecclesiastic1 whose thin little face1 with its blinking eyes1 pointed nose1 and delicate mouth was ever smiling1 had modestly seated himself at the end of the lower table where he occasionally took notes for his newspaper4 ,he alone1 of the community to which he belonged1 showed himself during the three days of the national pilgrimage4 ,behind him1 however1 one could divine the presence of all the others1 the slowly developed hidden power which organised everything and raked in all the proceeds4 ,the onlookers consisted almost entirely of inquisitive people and witnesses1 including a score of doctors and a few priests4 ,the medical men1 who had come from all parts1 mostly preserved silence1 only a few of them occasionally venturing to ask a question2 and every now and then they would exchange oblique glances1 more occupied apparently in watching one another than in verifying the facts submitted to their examination4 ,who could they be8 ,some names were mentioned1 but they were quite unknown4 ,only one had caused any stir1 that of a celebrated doctor1 professor at a ,catholic university4 ,that afternoon1 however1 ,doctor ,bonamy1 who never sat down1 busy as he was conducting the proceedings and questioning the patients1 reserved most of his attentions for a short1 fair-haired man1 a writer of some talent who contributed to one of the most widely read ,paris newspapers1 and who1 in the course of a holiday tour1 had by chance reached ,lourdes that morning4 ,was not this an unbeliever whom it might be possible to convert1 whose influence it would be desirable to gain for advertisement's sake8 ,such at all events appeared to be ,m4 ,bonamy's opinion1 for he had compelled the journalist to take the second arm-chair1 and with an affectation of smiling good-nature was treating him to a full performance1 again and again repeating that he and his patrons had nothing to hide1 and that everything took place in the most open manner4 8,we only desire light10 he exclaimed4 8,we never cease to call for the investigations of all willing men40 ,then1 as the alleged cure of the deaf girl did not seem at all a promising case1 he addressed her somewhat roughly3 8,come1 come1 my girl1 this is only a beginning4 ,you must come back when there are more distinct signs of improvement40 ,and turning to the journalist he added in an undertone3 8,if we were to believe them they would all be healed4 ,but the only cures we accept are those which are thoroughly proven1 which are as apparent as the sun itself4 ,pray notice moreover that ,i say cures and not miracles2 for we doctors do not take upon ourselves to interpret and explain4 ,we are simply here to see if the patients1 who submit themselves to our examination1 have really lost all symptoms of their ailments40 ,thereupon he struck an attitude4 ,doubtless he spoke like this in order that his rectitude might not be called in question4 ,believing without believing1 he knew that science was yet so obscure1 so full of surprises1 that what seemed impossible might always come to pass2 and thus1 in the declining years of his life1 he had contrived to secure an exceptional position at the ,grotto1 a position which had both its inconveniences and its advantages1 but which1 taken for all in all1 was very comfortable and pleasant4 ,and now1 in reply to a question from the ,paris journalist1 he began to explain his mode of proceeding4 ,each patient who accompanied the pilgrimage arrived provided with papers1 amongst which there was almost always a certificate of the doctor who had been attending the case4 ,at times even there were certificates given by several doctors1 hospital bulletins and so forth--quite a record of the illness in its various stages4 ,and thus if a cure took place and the cured person came forward1 it was only necessary to consult his or her set of documents in order to ascertain the nature of the ailment1 and then examination would show if that ailment had really disappeared4 ,pierre was now listening4 ,since he had been there1 seated and resting himself1 he had grown calmer1 and his mind was clear once more4 ,it was only the heat which at present caused him any inconvenience4 ,and thus1 interested as he was by ,doctor ,bonamy's explanations1 and desirous of forming an opinion1 he would have spoken out and questioned1 had it not been for his cloth which condemned him to remain in the background4 ,he was delighted1 therefore1 when the little fair-haired gentleman1 the influential writer1 began to bring forward the objections which at once occurred to him499 ,was it not most unfortunate that one doctor should diagnose the illness and that another one should verify the cure8 ,in this mode of proceeding there was certainly a source of frequent error4 ,the better plan would have been for a medical commission to examine all the patients as soon as they arrived at ,lourdes and draw up reports on every case1 to which reports the same commission would have referred whenever an alleged cure was brought before it4 ,doctor ,bonamy1 however1 did not fall in with this suggestion4 ,he replied1 with some reason1 that a commission would never suffice for such gigantic labour4 ,just think of it6 ,a thousand patients to examine in a single morning6 ,and how many different theories there would be1 how many contrary diagnoses1 how many endless discussions1 all of a nature to increase the general uncertainty6 ,the preliminary examination of the patients1 which was almost always impossible1 would1 even if attempted1 leave the door open for as many errors as the present system4 ,in practice1 it was necessary to remain content with the certificates delivered by the medical men who had been in attendance on the patients1 and these certificates accordingly acquired capital1 decisive importance4 ,doctor ,bonamy ran through the documents lying on one of the tables and gave the ,paris journalist some of these certificates to read4 ,a great many of them unfortunately were very brief4 ,others1 more skilfully drawn up1 clearly specified the nature of the complaint2 and some of the doctors' signatures were even certified by the mayors of the localities where they resided4 ,nevertheless doubts remained1 innumerable and not to be surmounted4 ,who were these doctors8 ,who could tell if they possessed sufficient scientific authority to write as they did8 ,with all respect to the medical profession1 were there not innumerable doctors whose attainments were very limited8 ,and1 besides1 might not these have been influenced by circumstances that one knew nothing of1 in some cases by considerations of a personal character8 ,one was tempted to ask for an inquiry respecting each of these medical men4 ,since everything was based on the documents supplied by the patients1 these documents ought to have been most carefully controlled2 for there could be no proof of any miracle if the absolute certainty of the alleged ailments had not been demonstrated by stringent examination4 99 ,the reader will doubtless have understood that the ,parisian journalist is none other than ,m4 ,zola himself--,trans4 ,very red and covered with perspiration1 ,doctor ,bonamy waved his arms4 8,but that is the course we follow1 that is the course we follow60 said he4 8,as soon as it seems to us that a case of cure cannot be explained by natural means1 we institute a minute inquiry1 we request the person who has been cured to return here for further examination4 ,and as you can see1 we surround ourselves with all means of enlightenment4 ,these gentlemen here1 who are listening to us1 are nearly every one of them doctors who have come from all parts of ,france4 ,we always entreat them to express their doubts if they feel any1 to discuss the cases with us1 and a very detailed report of each discussion is drawn up4 ,you hear me1 gentlemen2 by all means protest if anything occurs here of a nature to offend your sense of truth40 ,not one of the onlookers spoke4 ,most of the doctors present were undoubtedly ,catholics1 and naturally enough they merely bowed4 ,as for the others1 the unbelievers1 the savants pure and simple1 they looked on and evinced some interest in certain phenomena1 but considerations of courtesy deterred them from entering into discussions which they knew would have been useless4 ,when as men of sense their discomfort became too great1 and they felt themselves growing angry1 they simply left the room4 ,as nobody breathed a word1 ,doctor ,bonamy became quite triumphant1 and on the journalist asking him if he were all alone to accomplish so much work1 he replied3 8,yes1 all alone2 but my functions as doctor of the ,grotto are not so complicated as you may think1 for1 ,i repeat it1 they simply consist in verifying cures whenever any take place40 ,however1 he corrected himself1 and added with a smile3 8,all6 ,i was forgetting1 ,i am not quite alone1 ,i have ,raboin1 who helps me to keep things a little bit in order here40 ,so saying1 he pointed to a stout1 grey-haired man of forty1 with a heavy face and bull-dog jaw4 ,raboin was an ardent believer1 one of those excited beings who did not allow the miracles to be called in question4 ,and thus he often suffered from his duties at the ,verification ,office1 where he was ever ready to growl with anger when anybody disputed a prodigy4 ,the appeal to the doctors had made him quite lose his temper1 and his superior had to calm him4 8,come1 ,raboin1 my friend1 be quiet60 said ,doctor ,bonamy4 8,all sincere opinions are entitled to a hearing40 ,however1 the dfile of patients was resumed4 ,a man was now brought in whose trunk was so covered with eczema that when he took off his shirt a kind of grey flour fell from his skin4 ,he was not cured1 but simply declared that he came to ,lourdes every year1 and always went away feeling relieved4 ,then came a lady1 a countess1 who was fearfully emaciated1 and whose story was an extraordinary one4 ,cured of tuberculosis by the ,blessed ,virgin1 a first time1 seven years previously1 she had subsequently given birth to four children1 and had then again fallen into consumption4 ,at present she was a morphinomaniac1 but her first bath had already relieved her so much1 that she proposed taking part in the torchlight procession that same evening with the twenty-seven members of her family whom she had brought with her to ,lourdes4 ,then there was a woman afflicted with nervous aphonia1 who after months of absolute dumbness had just recovered her voice at the moment when the ,blessed ,sacrament went by at the head of the four o'clock procession4 8,gentlemen10 declared ,doctor ,bonamy1 affecting the graciousness of a savant of extremely liberal views1 8as you are aware1 we do not draw any conclusions when a nervous affection is in question4 ,still you will kindly observe that this woman was treated at the ,salptrire for six months1 and that she had to come here to find her tongue suddenly loosened40 ,despite all these fine words he displayed some little impatience1 for he would have greatly liked to show the gentleman from ,paris one of those remarkable instances of cure which occasionally presented themselves during the four o'clock procession--that being the moment of grace and exaltation when the ,blessed ,virgin interceded for those whom she had chosen4 ,but on this particular afternoon there had apparently been none4 ,the cures which had so far passed before them were doubtful ones1 deficient in interest4 ,meanwhile1 out-of-doors1 you could hear the stamping and roaring of the crowd1 goaded into a frenzy by repeated hymns1 enfevered by its earnest desire for the ,divine interposition1 and growing more and more enervated by the delay4 ,all at once1 however1 a smiling1 modest-looking young girl1 whose clear eyes sparkled with intelligence1 entered the office4 8,ah60 exclaimed ,doctor ,bonamy joyously1 8here is our little friend ,sophie4 ,a remarkable cure1 gentlemen1 which took place at the same season last year1 and the results of which ,i will ask permission to show you40 ,pierre had immediately recognized ,sophie ,couteau1 the miracule who had got into the train at ,poitiers4 ,and he now witnessed a repetition of the scene which had already been enacted in his presence4 ,doctor ,bonamy began giving detailed explanations to the little fair-haired gentleman1 who displayed great attention4 ,the case1 said the doctor1 had been one of caries of the bones of the left heel1 with a commencement of necrosis necessitating excision2 and yet the frightful1 suppurating sore had been healed in a minute at the first immersion in the piscina4 8,tell the gentlemen how it happened1 ,sophie10 he added4 ,the little girl made her usual pretty gesture as a sign to everybody to be attentive4 ,and then she began3 8,well1 it was like this2 my foot was past cure1 ,i couldn't even go to church any more1 and it had to be kept bandaged because there was always a lot of matter coming from it4 ,monsieur ,rivoire1 the doctor1 who had made a cut in it so as to see inside it1 said that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the bone2 and that1 sure enough1 would have made me lame for life4 ,but when ,i got to ,lourdes1 and had prayed a great deal to the ,blessed ,virgin1 ,i went to dip my foot in the water1 wishing so much that ,i might be cured1 that ,i did not even take the time to pull the bandages off4 ,and everything remained in the water2 there was no longer anything the matter with my foot when ,i took it out40 ,doctor ,bonamy listened1 and punctuated each word with an approving nod4 8,and what did your doctor say1 ,sophie80 he asked4 8,when ,i got back to ,vivonne1 and ,monsieur ,rivoire saw my foot again1 he said3 #8,whether it be ,god or the ,devil who has cured this child1 it is all the same to me2 but in all truth1 she is cured4'0 ,a burst of laughter rang out4 ,the doctor's remark was sure to produce an effect4 8,and what was it1 ,sophie1 that you said to ,madame la ,comtesse1 the superintendent of your ward80 8,ah1 yes6 ,i hadn't brought many bandages for my foot with me1 and ,i said to her1 #8,it was very kind of the ,blessed ,virgin to cure me the first day1 as ,i should have run out of linen on the morrow4'0 ,then there was fresh laughter1 a general display of satisfaction at seeing her look so pretty1 telling her story1 which she now knew by heart1 in too recitative a manner1 but1 nevertheless1 remaining very touching and truthful in appearance4 8,take off your shoe1 ,sophie10 now said ,doctor ,bonamy2 8show your foot to these gentlemen4 ,let them feel it4 ,nobody must retain any doubt40 ,the little foot promptly appeared1 very white1 very clean1 carefully tended indeed1 with its scar just below the ankle1 a long scar1 whose whity seam testified to the gravity of the complaint4 ,some of the medical men had drawn near1 and looked on in silence4 ,others1 whose opinions1 no doubt1 were already formed1 did not disturb themselves1 though one of them1 with an air of extreme politeness1 inquired why the ,blessed ,virgin had not made a new foot while she was about it1 for this would assuredly have given her no more trouble4 ,doctor ,bonamy1 however1 quickly replied1 that if the ,blessed ,virgin had left a scar1 it was certainly in order that a trace1 a proof of the miracle1 might remain4 ,then he entered into technical particulars1 demonstrating that a fragment of bone and flesh must have been instantly formed1 and this1 of course1 could not be explained in any natural way4 8,mon ,dieu60 interrupted the little fair-haired gentleman1 8there is no need of any such complicated affair4 ,let me merely see a finger cut with a penknife1 let me see it dipped in the water1 and let it come out with the cut cicatrised4 ,the miracle will be quite as great1 and ,i shall bow to it respectfully40 ,then he added3 8,if ,i possessed a source which could thus close up sores and wounds1 ,i would turn the world topsy-turvy4 ,i do not know exactly how ,i should manage it1 but at all events ,i would summon the nations1 and the nations would come4 ,i should cause the miracles to be verified in such an indisputable manner1 that ,i should be the master of the earth4 ,just think what an extraordinary power it would be--a divine power4 ,but it would be necessary that not a doubt should remain1 the truth would have to be as patent1 as apparent as the sun itself4 ,the whole world would behold it and believe60 ,then he began discussing various methods of control with the doctor4 ,he had admitted that1 owing to the great number of patients1 it would be difficult1 if not impossible1 to examine them all on their arrival4 ,only1 why didn't they organise a special ward at the hospital1 a ward which would be reserved for cases of visible sores8 ,they would have thirty such cases all told1 which might be subjected to the preliminary examination of a committee4 ,authentic reports would be drawn up1 and the sores might even be photographed4 ,then1 if a case of cure should present itself1 the commission would merely have to authenticate it by a fresh report4 ,and in all this there would be no question of any internal complaint1 the diagnostication of which is difficult1 and liable to be controverted4 ,there would be visible evidence of the ailment1 and cure could be proved4 ,somewhat embarrassed1 ,doctor ,bonamy replied3 8,no doubt1 no doubt2 all we ask for is enlightenment4 ,the difficulty would be in forming the committee you speak of4 ,if you only knew how little medical men agree6 ,however1 there is certainly an idea in what you say40 ,fortunately a fresh patient now came to his assistance4 ,whilst little ,sophie ,couteau1 already forgotten1 was putting on1 her shoes again1 ,elise ,rouquet appeared1 and1 removing her wrap1 displayed her diseased face to view4 ,she related that she had been bathing it with her handkerchief ever since the morning1 and it seemed to her that her sore1 previously so fresh and raw1 was already beginning to dry and grow paler in colour4 ,this was true2 ,pierre noticed1 with great surprise1 that the aspect of the sore was now less horrible4 ,this supplied fresh food for the discussion on visible sores1 for the little fair-haired gentleman clung obstinately to his idea of organising a special ward4 ,indeed1 said he1 if the condition of this girl had been verified that morning1 and she should be cured1 what a triumph it would have been for the ,grotto1 which could have claimed to have healed a lupus6 ,it would then have no longer been possible to deny that miracles were worked4 ,doctor ,chassaigne had so far kept in the background1 motionless and silent1 as though he desired that the facts alone should exercise their influence on ,pierre4 ,but he now leant forward and said to him in an undertone3 8,visible sores1 visible sores indeed6 ,that gentleman can have no idea that our most learned medical men suspect many of these sores to be of nervous origin4 ,yes1 we are discovering that complaints of this kind are often simply due to bad nutrition of the skin4 ,these questions of nutrition are still so imperfectly studied and understood6 ,and some medical men are also beginning to prove that the faith which heals can even cure sores1 certain forms of lupus among others4 ,and so ,i would ask what certainty that gentleman would obtain with his ward for visible sores8 ,there would simply be a little more confusion and passion in arguing the eternal question4 ,no1 no6 ,science is vain1 it is a sea of uncertainty40 ,he smiled sorrowfully whilst ,doctor ,bonamy1 after advising ,elise ,rouquet to continue using the water as lotion and to return each day for further examination1 repeated with his prudent1 affable air3 8,at all events1 gentlemen1 there are signs of improvement in this case--that is beyond doubt40 ,but all at once the office was fairly turned topsy-turvy by the arrival of ,la ,grivotte1 who swept in like a whirlwind1 almost dancing with delight and shouting in a full voice3 8,i am cured6 ,i am cured60 ,and forthwith she began to relate that they had first of all refused to bathe her1 and that she had been obliged to insist and beg and sob in order to prevail upon them to do so1 after receiving ,father ,fourcade's express permission4 ,and then it had all happened as she had previously said it would4 ,she had not been immersed in the icy water for three minutes--all perspiring as she was with her consumptive rattle--before she had felt strength returning to her like a whipstroke lashing her whole body4 ,and now a flaming excitement possessed her2 radiant1 stamping her feet1 she was unable to keep still4 8,i am cured1 my good gentlemen1 ,i am cured60 ,pierre looked at her1 this time quite stupefied4 ,was this the same girl whom1 on the previous night1 he had seen lying on the carriage seat1 annihilated1 coughing and spitting blood1 with her face of ashen hue8 ,he could not recognise her as she now stood there1 erect and slender1 her cheeks rosy1 her eyes sparkling1 upbuoyed by a determination to live1 a joy in living already4 8,gentlemen10 declared ,doctor ,bonamy1 8the case appears to me to be a very interesting one4 ,we will see40 ,then he asked for the documents concerning ,la ,grivotte4 ,but they could not be found among all the papers heaped together on the tables4 ,the young seminarists who acted as secretaries began turning everything over2 and the superintendent of the piscinas who sat in their midst himself had to get up to see if these documents were in the 8canterbury40 ,at last1 when he had sat down again1 he found them under the register which lay open before him4 ,among them were three medical certificates which he read aloud4 ,all three of them agreed in stating that the case was one of advanced phthisis1 complicated by nervous incidents which invested it with a peculiar character4 ,doctor ,bonamy wagged his head as though to say that such an ensemble of testimony could leave no room for doubt4 ,forthwith1 he subjected the patient to a prolonged auscultation4 ,and he murmured3 8,i hear nothing--,i hear nothing40 ,then1 correcting himself1 he added3 8,at least ,i hear scarcely anything40 ,finally he turned towards the five-and-twenty or thirty doctors who were assembled there in silence4 8,will some of you gentlemen10 he asked1 8kindly lend me the help of your science8 ,we are here to study and discuss these questions40 ,at first nobody stirred4 ,then there was one who ventured to come forward and1 in his turn subject the patient to auscultation4 ,but instead of declaring himself1 he continued reflecting1 shaking his head anxiously4 ,at last he stammered that in his opinion one must await further developments4 ,another doctor1 however1 at once took his place1 and this one expressed a decided opinion4 ,he could hear nothing at all1 that woman could never have suffered from phthisis4 ,then others followed him2 in fact1 with the exception of five or six whose smiling faces remained impenetrable1 they all joined the dfile4 ,and the confusion now attained its apogee2 for each gave an opinion sensibly differing from that of his colleagues1 so that a general uproar arose and one could no longer hear oneself speak4 ,father ,dargeles alone retained the calmness of perfect serenity1 for he had scented one of those cases which impassion people and redound to the glory of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,he was already taking notes on a corner of the table4 ,thanks to all the noise of the discussion1 ,pierre and ,doctor ,chassaigne1 seated at some distance from the others1 were now able to talk together without being heard4 8,oh6 those piscinas60 said the young priest1 8,i have just seen them4 ,to think that the water should be so seldom changed6 ,what filth it is1 what a soup of microbes6 ,what a terrible blow for the present-day mania1 that rage for antiseptic precautions6 ,how is it that some pestilence does not carry off all these poor people8 ,the opponents of the microbe theory must be having a good laugh--0 ,m4 ,chassaigne stopped him4 8,no1 no1 my child10 said he4 8,the baths may be scarcely clean1 but they offer no danger4 ,please notice that the temperature of the water never rises above fifty degrees1 and that seventy-seven are necessary for the cultivation of germs499 ,besides1 scarcely any contagious diseases come to ,lourdes1 neither cholera1 nor typhus1 nor variola1 nor measles1 nor scarlatina4 ,we only see certain organic affections here1 paralysis1 scrofula1 tumours1 ulcers and abscesses1 cancers and phthisis2 and the latter cannot be transmitted by the water of the baths4 ,the old sores which are bathed have nothing to fear1 and offer no risk of contagion4 ,i can assure you that on this point there is even no necessity for the ,blessed ,virgin to intervene40 99 ,the above are ,fahrenheit degrees4--,trans4 8,then1 in that case1 doctor10 rejoined ,pierre1 8when you were practising1 you would have dipped all your patients in icy water--women at no matter what season1 rheumatic patients1 people suffering from diseases of the heart1 consumptives1 and so on8 ,for instance1 that unhappy girl1 half dead1 and covered with sweat--would you have bathed her80 8,certainly not6 ,there are heroic methods of treatment to which1 in practice1 one does not dare to have recourse4 ,an icy bath may undoubtedly kill a consumptive2 but do we know1 whether1 in certain circumstances1 it might not save her8 ,i1 who have ended by admitting that a supernatural power is at work here1 ,i willingly admit that some cures must take place under natural conditions1 thanks to that immersion in cold water which seems to us idiotic and barbarous4 ,ah6 the things we don't know1 the things we don't know60 ,he was relapsing into his anger1 his hatred of science1 which he scorned since it had left him scared and powerless beside the deathbed of his wife and his daughter4 8,you ask for certainties10 he resumed1 8but assuredly it is not medicine which will give you them4 ,listen for a moment to those gentlemen and you will be edified4 ,is it not beautiful1 all that confusion in which so many opinions clash together8 ,certainly there are ailments with which one is thoroughly acquainted1 even to the most minute details of their evolution2 there are remedies also1 the effects of which have been studied with the most scrupulous care2 but the thing that one does not know1 that one cannot know1 is the relation of the remedy to the ailment1 for there are as many cases as there may be patients1 each liable to variation1 so that experimentation begins afresh every time4 ,this is why the practice of medicine remains an art1 for there can be no experimental finality in it4 ,cure always depends on chance1 on some fortunate circumstance1 on some bright idea of the doctor's4 ,and so you will understand that all the people who come and discuss here make me laugh when they talk about the absolute laws of science4 ,where are those laws in medicine8 ,i should like to have them shown to me40 ,he did not wish to say any more1 but his passion carried him away1 so he went on3 8,i told you that ,i had become a believer--nevertheless1 to speak the truth1 ,i understand very well why this worthy ,doctor ,bonamy is so little affected1 and why he continues calling upon doctors in all parts of the world to come and study his miracles4 ,the more doctors that might come1 the less likelihood there would be of the truth being established in the inevitable battle between contradictory diagnoses and methods of treatment4 ,if men cannot agree about a visible sore1 they surely cannot do so about an internal lesion the existence of which will be admitted by some1 and denied by others4 ,and why then should not everything become a miracle8 ,for1 after all1 whether the action comes from nature or from some unknown power1 medical men are1 as a rule1 none the less astonished when an illness terminates in a manner which they have not foreseen4 ,no doubt1 too1 things are very badly organised here4 ,those certificates from doctors whom nobody knows have no real value4 ,all documents ought to be stringently inquired into4 ,but even admitting any absolute scientific strictness1 you must be very simple1 my dear child1 if you imagine that a positive conviction would be arrived at1 absolute for one and all4 ,error is implanted in man1 and there is no more difficult task than that of demonstrating to universal satisfaction the most insignificant truth40 ,pierre had now begun to understand what was taking place at ,lourdes1 the extraordinary spectacle which the world had been witnessing for years1 amidst the reverent admiration of some and the insulting laughter of others4 ,forces as yet but imperfectly studied1 of which one was even ignorant1 were certainly at work--auto-suggestion1 long prepared disturbance of the nerves2 inspiriting influence of the journey1 the prayers1 and the hymns2 and especially the healing breath1 the unknown force which was evolved from the multitude1 in the acute crisis of faith4 ,thus it seemed to him anything but intelligent to believe in trickery4 ,the facts were both of a much more lofty and much more simple nature4 ,there was no occasion for the ,fathers of the ,grotto to descend to falsehood2 it was sufficient that they should help in creating confusion1 that they should utilise the universal ignorance4 ,it might even be admitted that everybody acted in good faith--the doctors void of genius who delivered the certificates1 the consoled patients who believed themselves cured1 and the impassioned witnesses who swore that they had beheld what they described4 ,and from all this was evolved the obvious impossibility of proving whether there was a miracle or not4 ,and such being the case1 did not the miracle naturally become a reality for the greater number1 for all those who suffered and who had need of hope8 ,then1 as ,doctor ,bonamy1 who had noticed that they were chatting apart1 came up to them1 ,pierre ventured to inquire3 8,what is about the proportion of the cures to the number of cases80 8,about ten per cent410 answered the doctor2 and reading in the young priest's eyes the words that he could not utter1 he added in a very cordial way3 8,oh6 there would be many more1 they would all be cured if we chose to listen to them4 ,but it is as well to say it1 ,i am only here to keep an eye on the miracles1 like a policeman as it were4 ,my only functions are to check excessive zeal1 and to prevent holy things from being made ridiculous4 ,in one word1 this office is simply an office where a visa is given when the cures have been verified and seem real ones40 ,he was interrupted1 however1 by a low growl4 ,raboin was growing angry3 8,the cures verified1 the cures verified10 he muttered4 8,what is the use of that8 ,there is no pause in the working of the miracles4 ,what is the use of verifying them so far as believers are concerned8 ,they merely have to bow down and believe4 ,and what is the use1 too1 as regards the unbelievers8 ,they will never be convinced4 ,the work we do here is so much foolishness40 ,doctor ,bonamy severely ordered him to hold his tongue4 8,you are a rebel1 ,raboin10 said he2 8,i shall tell ,father ,capdebarthe that ,i won't have you here any longer since you pass your time in sowing disobedience40 ,nevertheless1 there was truth in what had just been said by this man1 who so promptly showed his teeth1 eager to bite whenever his faith was assailed2 and ,pierre looked at him with sympathy4 ,all the work of the ,verification ,office--work anything but well performed--was indeed useless1 for it wounded the feelings of the pious1 and failed to satisfy the incredulous4 ,besides1 can a miracle be proved8 ,no1 you must believe in it6 ,when ,god is pleased to intervene1 it is not for man to try to understand4 ,in the ages of real belief1 ,science did not make any meddlesome attempt to explain the nature of the ,divinity4 ,and why should it come and interfere here8 ,by doing so1 it simply hampered faith and diminished its own prestige4 ,no1 no1 there must be no ,science1 you must throw yourself upon the ground1 kiss it1 and believe4 ,or else you must take yourself off4 ,no compromise was possible4 ,if examination once began it must go on1 and must1 fatally1 conduct to doubt4 ,pierre's greatest sufferings1 however1 came from the extraordinary conversations which he heard around him4 ,there were some believers present who spoke of the miracles with the most amazing ease and tranquillity4 ,the most stupefying stories left their serenity entire4 ,another miracle1 and yet another6 ,and with smiles on their faces1 their reason never protesting1 they went on relating such imaginings as could only have come from diseased brains4 ,they were evidently living in such a state of visionary fever that nothing henceforth could astonish them4 ,and not only did ,pierre notice this among folks of simple1 childish minds1 illiterate1 hallucinated creatures like ,raboin1 but also among the men of intellect1 the men with cultivated brains1 the savants like ,doctor ,bonamy and others4 ,it was incredible4 ,and thus ,pierre felt a growing discomfort arising within him1 a covert anger which would doubtless end by bursting forth4 ,his reason was struggling1 like that of some poor wretch who after being flung into a river1 feels the waters seize him from all sides and stifle him2 and he reflected that the minds which1 like ,doctor ,chassaigne's1 sink at last into blind belief1 must pass though this same discomfort and struggle before the final shipwreck4 ,he glanced at his old friend and saw how sorrowful he looked1 struck down by destiny1 as weak as a crying child1 and henceforth quite alone in life4 ,nevertheless1 he was unable to check the cry of protest which rose to his lips3 8,no1 no1 if we do not know everything1 even if we shall never know everything1 there is no reason why we should leave off learning4 ,it is wrong that the ,unknown should profit by man's debility and ignorance4 ,on the contrary1 the eternal hope should be that the things which now seem inexplicable will some day be explained2 and we cannot1 under healthy conditions1 have any other ideal than this march towards the discovery of the ,unknown1 this victory slowly achieved by reason amidst all the miseries both of the flesh and of the mind4 ,ah6 reason--it is my reason which makes me suffer1 and it is from my reason too that ,i await all my strength4 ,when reason dies1 the whole being perishes4 ,and ,i feel but an ardent thirst to satisfy my reason more and more1 even though ,i may lose all happiness in doing so40 ,tears were appearing in ,doctor ,chassaigne's eyes2 doubtless the memory of his dear dead ones had again flashed upon him4 ,and1 in his turn1 he murmured3 8,reason1 reason1 yes1 certainly it is a thing to be very proud of2 it embodies the very dignity of life4 ,but there is love1 which is life's omnipotence1 the one blessing to be won again when you have lost it40 ,his voice sank in a stifled sob2 and as in a mechanical way he began to finger the sets of documents lying on the table1 he espied among them one whose cover bore the name of ,marie de ,guersaint in large letters4 ,he opened it and read the certificates of the two doctors who had inferred that the case was one of paralysis of the marrow4 8,come1 my child10 he then resumed1 8,i know that you feel warm affection for ,mademoiselle de ,guersaint4 ,what should you say if she were cured here8 ,there are here some certificates1 bearing honourable names1 and you know that paralysis of this nature is virtually incurable4 ,well1 if this young person should all at once run and jump about as ,i have seen so many others do1 would you not feel very happy1 would you not at last acknowledge the intervention of a supernatural power80 ,pierre was about to reply1 when he suddenly remembered his cousin ,beauclair's expression of opinion1 the prediction that the miracle would come about like a lightning stroke1 an awakening1 an exaltation of the whole being2 and he felt his discomfort increase and contented himself with replying3 8,yes1 indeed1 ,i should be very happy4 ,and you are right2 there is doubtless only a determination to secure happiness in all the agitation one beholds here40 ,however1 he could remain in that office no longer4 ,the heat was becoming so great that perspiration streamed down the faces of those present4 ,doctor ,bonamy had begun to dictate a report of the examination of ,la ,grivotte to one of the seminarists1 while ,father ,dargeles1 watchful with regard to the phraseology employed1 occasionally rose and whispered some verbal alteration in the writer's ear4 ,meantime1 the tumult around them was continuing2 the discussion among the medical men had taken another turn and now bore on certain technical points of no significance with regard to the case in question4 ,you could no longer breathe within those wooden walls1 nausea was upsetting every heart and every head4 ,the little fair-haired gentleman1 the influential writer from ,paris1 had already gone away1 quite vexed at not having seen a real miracle4 ,pierre thereupon said to ,doctor ,chassaigne1 8,let us go2 ,i shall be taken ill if ,i stay here any longer40 ,they left the office at the same time as ,la ,grivotte1 who was at last being dismissed4 ,and as soon as they reached the door they found themselves caught in a torrential1 surging1 jostling crowd1 which was eager to behold the girl so miraculously healed2 for the report of the miracle must have already spread1 and one and all were struggling to see the chosen one1 question her1 and touch her4 ,and she1 with her empurpled cheeks1 her flaming eyes1 her dancing gait1 could do nothing but repeat1 8,i am cured1 ,i am cured60 ,shouts drowned her voice1 she herself was submerged1 carried off amidst the eddies of the throng4 ,for a moment one lost sight of her as though she had sunk in those tumultuous waters2 then she suddenly reappeared close to ,pierre and the doctor1 who endeavoured to extricate her from the crush4 ,they had just perceived the ,commander1 one of whose manias was to come down to the piscinas and the ,grotto in order to vent his anger there4 ,with his frock-coat tightly girding him in military fashion1 he was1 as usual1 leaning on his silver-knobbed walking-stick1 slightly dragging his left leg1 which his second attack of paralysis had stiffened4 ,and his face reddened and his eyes flashed with anger when ,la ,grivotte1 pushing him aside in order that she might pass1 repeated amidst the wild enthusiasm of the crowd1 8,i am cured1 ,i am cured60 8,well60 he cried1 seized with sudden fury1 8so much the worse for you1 my girl60 ,exclamations arose1 folks began to laugh1 for he was well known1 and his maniacal passion for death was forgiven him4 ,however1 when he began stammering confused words1 saying that it was pitiful to desire life when one was possessed of neither beauty nor fortune1 and that this girl ought to have preferred to die at once rather than suffer again1 people began to growl around him1 and ,abb ,judaine1 who was passing1 had to extricate him from his trouble4 ,the priest drew him away4 8,be quiet1 my friend1 be quiet10 he said4 8,it is scandalous4 ,why do you rebel like this against the goodness of ,god who occasionally shows ,his compassion for our sufferings by alleviating them8 ,i tell you again that you yourself ought to fall on your knees and beg ,him to restore to you the use of your leg and let you live another ten years40 ,the ,commander almost choked with anger4 8,what60 he replied1 8ask to live for another ten years1 when my finest day will be the day ,i die6 ,show myself as spiritless1 as cowardly as the thousands of patients whom ,i see pass along here1 full of a base terror of death1 shrieking aloud their weakness1 their passion to remain alive6 ,ah6 no1 ,i should feel too much contempt for myself4 ,i want to die6--to die at once6 ,it will be so delightful to be no more40 ,he was at last out of the scramble of the pilgrims1 and again found himself near ,doctor ,chassaigne and ,pierre on the bank of the ,gave4 ,and he addressed himself to the doctor1 whom he often met3 8,didn't they try to restore a dead man to life just now80 he asked2 8,i was told of it--it almost suffocated me4 ,eh1 doctor8 ,you understand8 ,that man was happy enough to be dead1 and they dared to dip him in their water in the criminal hope to make him alive again6 ,but suppose they had succeeded1 suppose their water had animated that poor devil once more--for one never knows what may happen in this funny world--don't you think that the man would have had a perfect right to spit his anger in the face of those corpse-menders8 ,had he asked them to awaken him8 ,how did they know if he were not well pleased at being dead8 ,folks ought to be consulted at any rate4 ,just picture them playing the same vile trick on me when ,i at last fall into the great deep sleep4 ,ah6 ,i would give them a nice reception4 #8,meddle with what concerns you1' ,i should say1 and you may be sure ,i should make all haste to die again60 ,he looked so singular in the fit of rage which had come over him that ,abb ,judaine and the doctor could not help smiling4 ,pierre1 however1 remained grave1 chilled by the great quiver which swept by4 ,were not those words he had just heard the despairing imprecations of ,lazarus8 ,he had often imagined ,lazarus emerging from the tomb and crying aloud3 8,why hast ,thou again awakened me to this abominable life1 ,o ,lord8 ,i was sleeping the eternal1 dreamless sleep so deeply2 ,i was at last enjoying such sweet repose amidst the delights of nihility6 ,i had known every wretchedness and every dolour1 treachery1 vain hope1 defeat1 sickness2 as one of the living ,i had paid my frightful debt to suffering1 for ,i was born without knowing why1 and ,i lived without knowing how2 and now1 behold1 ,o ,lord1 ,thou requirest me to pay my debt yet again2 ,thou condemnest me to serve my term of punishment afresh6 ,have ,i then been guilty of some inexpiable transgression that thou shouldst inflict such cruel chastisement upon me8 ,alas6 to live again1 to feel oneself die a little in one's flesh each day1 to have no intelligence save such as is required in order to doubt2 no will1 save such as one must have to be unable2 no tenderness1 save such as is needed to weep over one's own sorrows4 ,yet it was passed1 ,i had crossed the terrifying threshold of death1 ,i had known that second which is so horrible that it sufficeth to poison the whole of life4 ,i had felt the sweat of agony cover me with moisture1 the blood flow back from my limbs1 my breath forsake me1 flee away in a last gasp4 ,and ,thou ordainest that ,i should know this distress a second time1 that ,i should die twice1 that my human misery should exceed that of all mankind4 ,then may it be even now1 ,o ,lord6 ,yes1 ,i entreat ,thee1 do also this great miracle2 may ,i once more lay myself down in this grave1 and again fall asleep without suffering from the interruption of my eternal slumber4 ,have mercy upon me1 and forbear from inflicting on me the torture of living yet again2 that torture which is so frightful that ,thou hast never inflicted it on any being4 ,i have always loved ,thee and served ,thee2 and ,i beseech ,thee do not make of me the greatest example of ,thy wrath1 a cause of terror unto all generations4 ,but show unto me ,thy gentleness and loving kindness1 ,o ,lord6 restore unto me the slumber ,i have earned1 and let me sleep once more amid the delights of ,thy nihility40 ,while ,pierre was pondering in this wise1 ,abb ,judaine had led the ,commander away1 at last managing to calm him2 and now the young priest shook hands with ,doctor ,chassaigne1 recollecting that it was past five o'clock1 and that ,marie must be waiting for him4 ,on his way back to the ,grotto1 however1 he encountered the ,abb des ,hermoises deep in conversation with ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had only just left his room at the hotel1 and was quite enlivened by his good nap4 ,he and his companion were admiring the extraordinary beauty which the fervour of faith imparted to some women's countenances1 and they also spoke of their projected trip to the ,cirque de ,gavarnie4 ,on learning1 however1 that ,marie had taken a first bath with no effect1 ,m4 de ,guersaint at once followed ,pierre4 ,they found the poor girl still in the same painful stupor1 with her eyes still fixed on the ,blessed ,virgin who had not deigned to hear her4 ,she did not answer the loving words which her father addressed to her1 but simply glanced at him with her large distressful eyes1 and then again turned them upon the marble statue which looked so white amid the radiance of the tapers4 ,and whilst ,pierre stood waiting to take her back to the hospital1 ,m4 de ,guersaint devoutly fell upon his knees4 ,at first he prayed with passionate ardour for his daughter's cure1 and then he solicited1 on his own behalf1 the favour of finding some wealthy person who would provide him with the million francs that he needed for his studies on aerial navigation4 ,v4 ,,bernadette',s ,,trials ,,about eleven o'clock that night1 leaving ,m4 de ,guersaint in his room at the ,hotel of the ,apparitions1 it occurred to ,pierre to return for a moment to the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours before going to bed himself4 ,he had left ,marie in such a despairing state1 so fiercely silent1 that he was full of anxiety about her4 ,and when he had asked for ,madame de ,jonquire at the door of the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward he became yet more anxious1 for the news was by no means good4 ,the young girl1 said the superintendent1 had not even opened her mouth4 ,she would answer nobody1 and had even refused to eat4 ,madame de ,jonquire1 insisted therefore that ,pierre should come in4 ,true1 the presence of men was forbidden in the women's wards at night-time1 but then a priest is not a man4 8,she only cares for you and will only listen to you10 said the worthy lady4 8,pray come in and sit down near her till ,abb ,judaine arrives4 ,he will come at about one in the morning to administer the communion to our more afflicted sufferers1 those who cannot move and who have to eat at daybreak4 ,you will be able to assist him40 ,pierre thereupon followed ,madame de ,jonquire1 who installed him at the head of ,marie's bed4 8,my dear child10 she said to the girl1 8,i have brought you somebody who is very fond of you4 ,you will be able to chat with him1 and you will be reasonable now1 won't you80 ,marie1 however1 on recognising ,pierre1 gazed at him with an air of exasperated suffering1 a black1 stern expression of revolt4 8,would you like him to read something to you10 resumed ,madame de ,jonquire1 8something that would ease and console you as he did in the train8 ,no8 ,it wouldn't interest you1 you don't care for it8 ,well1 we will see by-and-by4 ,i will leave him with you1 and ,i am sure you will be quite reasonable again in a few minutes40 ,pierre then began speaking to her in a low voice1 saying all the kind consoling things that his heart could think of1 and entreating her not to allow herself to sink into such despair4 ,if the ,blessed ,virgin had not cured her on the first day1 it was because she reserved her for some conspicuous miracle4 ,but he spoke in vain4 ,marie had turned her head away1 and did not even seem to listen as she lay there with a bitter expression on her mouth and a gleam of irritation in her eyes1 which wandered away into space4 ,accordingly he ceased speaking and began to gaze at the ward around him4 ,the spectacle was a frightful one4 ,never before had such a nausea of pity and terror affected his heart4 ,they had long since dined1 nevertheless plates of food which had been brought up from the kitchens still lay about the beds2 and all through the night there were some who ate whilst others continued restlessly moaning1 asking to be turned over or helped out of bed4 ,as the hours went by a kind of vague delirium seemed to come upon almost all of them4 ,very few were able to sleep quietly4 ,some had been undressed and were lying between the sheets1 but the greater number were simply stretched out on the beds1 it being so difficult to get their clothes off that they did not even change their linen during the five days of the pilgrimage4 ,in the semi-obscurity1 moreover1 the obstruction of the ward seemed to have increased4 ,to the fifteen beds ranged along the walls and the seven mattresses filling the central space1 some fresh pallets had been added1 and on all sides there was a confused litter of ragged garments1 old baskets1 boxes1 and valises4 ,indeed1 you no longer knew where to step4 ,two smoky lanterns shed but a dim light upon this encampment of dying women1 in which a sickly smell prevailed2 for1 instead of any freshness1 merely the heavy heat of the ,august night came in through the two windows which had been left ajar4 ,nightmare-like shadows and cries sped to and fro1 peopling the inferno1 amidst the nocturnal agony of so much accumulated suffering4 ,however1 ,pierre recognised ,raymonde1 who1 her duties over1 had come to kiss her mother1 before going to sleep in one of the garrets reserved to the ,sisters of the hospital4 ,for her own part1 ,madame de ,jonquire1 taking her functions to heart1 did not close her eyes during the three nights spent at ,lourdes4 ,she certainly had an arm-chair in which to rest herself1 but she never sat down in it for a moment with out being disturbed4 ,it must be admitted that she was bravely seconded by little ,madame ,dsagneaux1 who displayed such enthusiastic zeal that ,sister ,hyacinthe asked her1 with a smile3 8,why don't you take the vows80 whereupon she responded1 with an air of scared surprise3 8,oh6 ,i can't1 ,i'm married1 you know1 and ,i'm very fond of my husband40 ,as for ,madame ,volmar1 she had not even shown herself2 but it was alleged that ,madame de ,jonquire had sent her to bed on hearing her complain of a frightful headache4 ,and this had put ,madame ,dsagneaux in quite a temper2 for1 as she sensibly enough remarked1 a person had no business to offer to nurse the sick when the slightest exertion exhausted her4 ,she herself1 however1 at last began to feel her legs and arms aching1 though she would not admit it1 but hastened to every patient whom she heard calling1 ever ready as she was to lend a helping hand4 ,in ,paris she would have rung for a servant rather than have moved a candlestick herself2 but here she was ever coming and going1 bringing and emptying basins1 and passing her arms around patients to hold them up1 whilst ,madame de ,jonquire slipped pillows behind them4 ,however1 shortly after eleven o'clock1 she was all at once overpowered4 ,having imprudently stretched herself in the armchair for a moment's rest1 she there fell soundly asleep1 her pretty head sinking on one of her shoulders amidst her lovely1 wavy fair hair1 which was all in disorder4 ,and from that moment neither moan nor call1 indeed no sound whatever1 could waken her4 ,madame de ,jonquire1 however1 had softly approached the young priest again4 8,i had an idea10 said she in a low voice1 8of sending for ,monsieur ,ferrand1 the house-surgeon1 you know1 who accompanies us4 ,he would have given the poor girl something to calm her4 ,only he is busy downstairs trying to relieve ,brother ,isidore1 in the ,family ,ward4 ,besides1 as you know1 we are not supposed to give medical attendance here2 our work consists in placing our dear sick ones in the hands of the ,blessed ,virgin40 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had made up her mind to spend the night with the superintendent1 now drew1 near4 8,i have just come from the ,family ,ward10 she said2 8,i went to take ,monsieur ,sabathier some oranges which ,i had promised him1 and ,i saw ,monsieur ,ferrand1 who had just succeeded in reviving ,brother ,isidore4 ,would you like me to go down and fetch him80 ,but ,pierre declined the offer4 8,no1 no10 he replied1 8,marie will be sensible4 ,i will read her a few consoling pages by-and-by1 and then she will rest40 ,for the moment1 however1 the girl still remained obstinately silent4 ,one of the two lanterns was hanging from the wall close by1 and ,pierre could distinctly see her thin face1 rigid and motionless like stone4 ,then1 farther away1 in the adjoining bed1 he perceived ,elise ,rouquet1 who was sound asleep and no longer wore her fichu1 but openly displayed her face1 the ulcerations of which still continued to grow paler4 ,and on the young priest's left hand was ,madame ,vetu1 now greatly weakened1 in a hopeless state1 unable to doze off for a moment1 shaken as she was by a continuous rattle4 ,he said a few kind words to her1 for which she thanked him with a nod2 and1 gathering her remaining strength together1 she was at last able to say3 8,there were several cures to-day2 ,i was very pleased to hear of them40 ,on a mattress at the foot of her bed was ,la ,grivotte1 who in a fever of extraordinary activity kept on sitting up to repeat her favourite phrase3 8,i am cured1 ,i am cured60 ,and she went on to relate that she had eaten half a fowl for dinner1 she who had been unable to eat for long months past4 ,then1 too1 she had followed the torchlight procession on foot during nearly a couple of hours1 and she would certainly have danced till daybreak had the ,blessed ,virgin only been pleased to give a ball4 ,and once more she repeated3 8,i am cured1 yes1 cured1 quite cured60 ,thereupon ,madame ,vetu found enough strength to say with childlike serenity and perfect1 gladsome abnegation3 8,the ,blessed ,virgin did well to cure her since she is poor4 ,i am better pleased than if it had been myself1 for ,i have my little shop to depend upon and can wait4 ,we each have our turn1 each our turn40 ,one and all displayed a like charity1 a like pleasure that others should have been cured4 ,seldom1 indeed1 was any jealousy shown2 they surrendered themselves to a kind of epidemical beatitude1 to a contagious hope that they would all be cured whenever it should so please the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,and it was necessary that she should not be offended by any undue impatience2 for assuredly she had her reasons and knew right well why she began by healing some rather than others4 ,thus with the fraternity born of common suffering and hope1 the most grievously afflicted patients prayed for the cure of their neighbours4 ,none of them ever despaired1 each fresh miracle was the promise of another one1 of the one which would be worked on themselves4 ,their faith remained unshakable4 ,a story was told of a paralytic woman1 some farm servant1 who with extraordinary strength of will had contrived to take a few steps at the ,grotto1 and who while being conveyed back to the hospital had asked to be set down that she might return to the ,grotto on foot4 ,but she had gone only half the distance when she had staggered1 panting and livid2 and on being brought to the hospital on a stretcher1 she had died there1 cured1 however1 said her neighbours in the ward4 ,each1 indeed1 had her turn2 the ,blessed ,virgin forgot none of her dear daughters unless it were her design to grant some chosen one immediate admission into ,paradise4 ,all at once1 at the moment when ,pierre was leaning towards her1 again offering to read to her1 ,marie burst into furious sobs4 ,letting her head fall upon her friend's shoulder1 she vented all her rebellion in a low1 terrible voice1 amidst the vague shadows of that awful room4 ,she had experienced what seldom happened to her1 a collapse of faith1 a sudden loss of courage1 all the rage of the suffering being who can no longer wait4 ,such was her despair1 indeed1 that she even became sacrilegious4 8,no1 no10 she stammered1 8the ,virgin is cruel2 she is unjust1 for she did not cure me just now4 ,yet ,i felt so certain that she would grant my prayer1 ,i had prayed to her so fervently4 ,i shall never be cured1 now that the first day is past4 ,it was a ,saturday1 and ,i was convinced that ,i should be cured on a ,saturday4 ,i did not want to speak--and oh6 prevent me1 for my heart is too full1 and ,i might say more than ,i ought to do40 ,with fraternal hands he had quickly taken hold of her head1 and he was endeavouring to stifle the cry of her rebellion4 8,be quiet1 ,marie1 ,i entreat you6 ,it would never do for anyone to hear you--you so pious6 ,do you want to scandalise every soul80 ,but in spite of her efforts she was unable to keep silence4 8,i should stifle1 ,i must speak out10 she said4 8,i no longer love her1 no longer believe in her4 ,the tales which are related here are all falsehoods2 there is nothing1 she does not even exist1 since she does not hear when one speaks to her1 and sobs4 ,if you only knew all that ,i said to her6 ,oh6 ,i want to go away at once4 ,take me away1 carry me away in your arms1 so that ,i may go and die in the street1 where the passers-by1 at least1 will take pity on my sufferings60 ,she was growing weak again1 and had once more fallen on her back1 stammering1 talking childishly4 8,besides1 nobody loves me10 she said4 8,my father was not even there4 ,and you1 my friend1 forsook me4 ,when ,i saw that it was another who was taking me to the piscinas1 ,i began to feel a chill4 ,yes1 that chill of doubt which ,i often felt in ,paris4 ,and that is at least certain1 ,i doubted--perhaps1 indeed1 that is why she did not cure me4 ,i cannot have prayed well enough1 ,i am not pious enough1 no doubt40 ,she was no longer blaspheming1 but seeking for excuses to explain the non-intervention of ,heaven4 ,however1 her face retained an angry expression amidst this struggle which she was waging with the ,supreme ,power1 that ,power which she had loved so well and entreated so fervently1 but which had not obeyed her4 ,when1 on rare occasions1 a fit of rage of this description broke out in the ward1 and the sufferers1 lying on their beds1 rebelled against their fate1 sobbing and lamenting1 and at times even swearing1 the lady-hospitallers and the ,sisters1 somewhat shocked1 would content themselves with simply closing the bed-curtains4 ,grace had departed1 one must await its return4 ,and at last1 sometimes after long hours1 the rebellious complaints would die away1 and peace would reign again amidst the deep1 woeful silence4 8,calm yourself1 calm yourself1 ,i implore you10 ,pierre gently repeated to ,marie1 seeing that a fresh attack was coming upon her1 an attack of doubt in herself1 of fear that she was unworthy of the divine assistance4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 moreover1 had again drawn near4 8,you will not be able to take the sacrament by-and-by1 my dear child10 said she1 8if you continue in such a state4 ,come1 since we have given ,monsieur l',abb permission to read to you1 why don't you let him do so80 ,marie made a feeble gesture as though to say that she consented1 and ,pierre at once took out of the valise at the foot of her bed1 the little blue-covered book in which the story of ,bernadette was so navely related4 ,as on the previous night1 however1 when the train was rolling on1 he did not confine himself to the bald phraseology of the book1 but began improvising1 relating all manner of details in his own fashion1 in order to charm the simple folks who listened to him4 ,nevertheless1 with his reasoning1 analytical proclivities1 he could not prevent himself from secretly re-establishing the real facts1 imparting1 for himself alone1 a human character to this legend1 whose wealth of prodigies contributed so greatly to the cure of those that suffered4 ,women were soon sitting up on all the surrounding beds4 ,they wished to hear the continuation of the story1 for the thought of the sacrament which they were passionately awaiting had prevented almost all of them from getting to sleep4 ,and seated there1 in the pale light of the lantern hanging from the wall above him1 ,pierre little by little raised his voice1 so that he might be heard by the whole ward4 8,the persecutions began with the very first miracles4 ,called a liar and a lunatic1 ,bernadette was threatened with imprisonment4 ,abb ,peyramale1 the parish priest of ,lourdes1 and ,monseigneur ,laurence1 ,bishop of ,tarbes1 like the rest of the clergy1 refrained from all intervention1 waiting the course of events with the greatest prudence2 whilst the civil authorities1 the ,prefect1 the ,public ,prosecutor1 the ,mayor1 and the ,commissary of ,police1 indulged in excessive anti-religious zeal40 ,continuing his perusal in this fashion1 ,pierre saw the real story rise up before him with invincible force4 ,his mind travelled a short distance backward and he beheld ,bernadette at the time of the first apparitions1 so candid1 so charming in her ignorance and good faith1 amidst all her sufferings4 ,and she was truly the visionary1 the saint1 her face assuming an expression of superhuman beauty during her crises of ecstasy4 ,her brow beamed1 her features seemed to ascend1 her eyes were bathed with light1 whilst her parted lips burnt with divine love4 ,and then her whole person became majestic2 it was in a slow1 stately way that she made the sign of the cross1 with gestures which seemed to embrace the whole horizon4 ,the neighbouring valleys1 the villages1 the towns1 spoke of ,bernadette alone4 ,although the ,lady had not yet told her name1 she was recognised1 and people said1 8,it is she1 the ,blessed ,virgin40 ,on the first market-day1 so many people flocked into ,lourdes that the town quite overflowed4 ,all wished to see the blessed child whom the ,queen of the ,angels had chosen1 and who became so beautiful when the heavens opened to her enraptured gaze4 ,the crowd on the banks of the ,gave grew larger each morning1 and thousands of people ended by installing themselves there1 jostling one another that they might lose nothing of the spectacle6 ,as soon as ,bernadette appeared1 a murmur of fervour spread3 8,here is the saint1 the saint1 the saint60 ,folks rushed forward to kiss her garments4 ,she was a ,messiah1 the eternal ,messiah whom the nations await1 and the need of whom is ever arising from generation to generation4 ,and1 moreover1 it was ever the same adventure beginning afresh3 an apparition of the ,virgin to a shepherdess2 a voice exhorting the world to penitence2 a spring gushing forth2 and miracles astonishing and enrapturing the crowds that hastened to the spot in larger and larger numbers4 ,ah6 those first miracles of ,lourdes1 what a spring-tide flowering of consolation and hope they brought to the hearts of the wretched1 upon whom poverty and sickness were preying6 ,old ,bourriette's restored eyesight1 little ,bouhohort's resuscitation in the icy water1 the deaf recovering their hearing1 the lame suddenly enabled to walk1 and so many other cases1 ,blaise ,maumus1 ,bernade ,soubies199 ,auguste ,bordes1 ,blaisette ,soupenne1 ,benoite ,cazeaux1 in turn cured of the most dreadful ailments1 became the subject of endless conversations1 and fanned the illusions of all those who suffered either in their hearts or their flesh4 ,on ,thursday1 ,march #dth1 the last day of the fifteen visits solicited by the ,virgin1 there were more than twenty thousand persons assembled before the ,grotto4 ,everybody1 indeed1 had come down from the mountains4 ,and this immense throng found at the ,grotto the divine food that it hungered for1 a feast of the ,marvellous1 a sufficient meed of the ,impossible to content its belief in a superior ,power1 which deigned to bestow some attention upon poor folks1 and to intervene in the wretched affairs of this lower world1 in order to re-establish some measure of justice and kindness4 ,it was indeed the cry of heavenly charity bursting forth1 the invisible helping hand stretched out at last to dress the eternal sores of humanity4 ,ah6 that dream in which each successive generation sought refuge1 with what indestructible energy did it not arise among the disinherited ones of this world as soon as it found a favourable spot1 prepared by circumstances6 ,and for centuries1 perhaps1 circumstances had never so combined to kindle the mystical fire of faith as they did at ,lourdes4 99 ,i give this name as written by ,m4 ,zola2 but in other works on ,lourdes ,i find it given as 8,bernarde ,loubie--a bed-ridden old woman1 cured of a paralytic affection by drinking the water of the ,grotto40--,trans4 ,a new religion was about to be founded1 and persecutions at once began1 for religions only spring up amidst vexations and rebellions4 ,and even as it was long ago at ,jerusalem1 when the tidings of miracles spread1 the civil authorities--the ,public ,prosecutor1 the ,justice of the ,peace1 the ,mayor1 and particularly the ,prefect of ,tarbes--were all roused and began to bestir themselves4 ,the ,prefect was a sincere ,catholic1 a worshipper1 a man of perfect honour1 but he also had the firm mind of a public functionary1 was a passionate defender of order1 and a declared adversary of fanaticism which gives birth to disorder and religious perversion4 ,under his orders at ,lourdes there was a ,commissary of ,police1 a man of great intelligence and shrewdness1 who had hitherto discharged his functions in a very proper way1 and who1 legitimately enough1 beheld in this affair of the apparitions an opportunity to put his gift of sagacious skill to the proof4 ,so the struggle began1 and it was this ,commissary who1 on the first ,sunday in ,lent1 at the time of the first apparitions1 summoned ,bernadette to his office in order that he might question her4 ,he showed himself affectionate1 then angry1 then threatening1 but all in vain2 the answers which the girl gave him were ever the same4 ,the story which she related1 with its slowly accumulated details1 had little by little irrevocably implanted itself in her infantile mind4 ,and it was no lie on the part of this poor suffering creature1 this exceptional victim of hysteria1 but an unconscious haunting1 a radical lack of will-power to free herself from her original hallucination4 ,she knew not how to exert any such will1 she could not1 she would not exert it4 ,ah6 the poor child1 the dear child1 so amiable and so gentle1 so incapable of any evil thought1 from that time forward lost to life1 crucified by her fixed idea1 whence one could only have extricated her by changing her environment1 by restoring her to the open air1 in some land of daylight and human affection4 ,but she was the chosen one1 she had beheld the ,virgin1 she would suffer from it her whole life long and die from it at last6 ,pierre1 who knew ,bernadette so well1 and who felt a fraternal pity for her memory1 the fervent compassion with which one regards a human saint1 a simple1 upright1 charming creature tortured by her faith1 allowed his emotion to appear in his moist eyes and trembling voice4 ,and a pause in his narrative ensued4 ,marie1 who had hitherto been lying there quite stiff1 with a hard expression of revolt still upon her face1 opened her clenched hands and made a vague gesture of pity4 8,ah10 she murmured1 8the poor child1 all alone to contend against those magistrates1 and so innocent1 so proud1 so unshakable in her championship of the truth60 ,the same compassionate sympathy was arising from all the beds in the ward4 ,that hospital inferno with its nocturnal wretchedness1 its pestilential atmosphere1 its pallets of anguish heaped together1 its weary lady-hospitallers and ,sisters flitting phantom-like hither and thither1 now seemed to be illumined by a ray of divine charity4 ,was not the eternal illusion of happiness rising once more amidst tears and unconscious falsehoods8 ,poor1 poor ,bernadette6 ,all waxed indignant at the thought of the persecutions which she had endured in defence of her faith4 ,then ,pierre1 resuming his story1 related all that the child had had to suffer4 ,after being questioned by the ,commissary she had to appear before the judges of the local tribunal4 ,the entire magistracy pursued her1 and endeavoured to wring a retractation from her4 ,but the obstinacy of her dream was stronger than the common sense of all the civil authorities put together4 ,two doctors who were sent by the ,prefect to make a careful examination of the girl came1 as all doctors would have done1 to the honest opinion that it was a case of nervous trouble1 of which the asthma was a sure sign1 and which1 in certain circumstances1 might have induced visions4 ,this nearly led to her removal and confinement in a hospital at ,tarbes4 ,but public exasperation was feared4 ,a bishop had fallen on his knees before her4 ,some ladies had sought to buy favours from her for gold4 ,moreover she had found a refuge with the ,sisters of ,nevers1 who tended the aged in the town asylum1 and there she made her first communion1 and was with difficulty taught to read and write4 ,as the ,blessed ,virgin seemed to have chosen her solely to work the happiness of others1 and she herself had not been cured1 it was very sensibly decided to take her to the baths of ,cauterets1 which were so near at hand4 ,however1 they did her no good4 ,and no sooner had she returned to ,lourdes than the torture of being questioned and adored by a whole people began afresh1 became aggravated1 and filled her more and more with horror of the world4 ,her life was over already2 she would be a playful child no more2 she could never be a young girl dreaming of a husband1 a young wife kissing the cheeks of sturdy children4 ,she had beheld the ,virgin1 she was the chosen one1 the martyr4 ,if the ,virgin1 said believers1 had confided three secrets to her1 investing her with a triple armour as it were1 it was simply in order to sustain her in her appointed course4 ,the clergy had for a long time remained aloof1 on its own side full of doubt and anxiety4 ,abb ,peyramale1 the parish priest of ,lourdes1 was a man of somewhat blunt ways1 but full of infinite kindness1 rectitude1 and energy whenever he found himself in what he thought the right path4 ,on the first occasion when ,bernadette visited him1 he received this child who had been brought up at ,bartres and had not yet been seen at ,catechism1 almost as sternly as the ,commissary of ,police had done2 in fact1 he refused to believe her story1 and with some irony told her to entreat the ,lady to begin by making the briars blossom beneath her feet1 which1 by the way1 the ,lady never did4 ,and if the ,abb ended by taking the child under his protection like a good pastor who defends his flock1 it was simply through the advent of persecution and the talk of imprisoning this puny child1 whose clear eyes shone so frankly1 and who clung with such modest1 gentle stubbornness to her original tale4 ,besides1 why should he have continued denying the miracle after merely doubting it like a prudent priest who had no desire to see religion mixed up in any suspicious affair8 ,holy ,writ is full of prodigies1 all dogma is based on the mysterious2 and that being so1 there was nothing to prevent him1 a priest1 from believing that the ,virgin had really entrusted ,bernadette with a pious message for him1 an injunction to build a church whither the faithful would repair in procession4 ,thus it was that he began loving and defending ,bernadette for her charm's sake1 whilst still refraining from active interference1 awaiting as he did the decision of his ,bishop4 ,this ,bishop1 ,monseigneur ,laurence1 seemed to have shut himself up in his episcopal residence at ,tarbes1 locking himself within it and preserving absolute silence as though there were nothing occurring at ,lourdes of a nature to interest him4 ,he had given strict instructions to his clergy1 and so far not a priest had appeared among the vast crowds of people who spent their days before the ,grotto4 ,he waited1 and even allowed the ,prefect to state in his administrative circulars that the civil and the religious authorities were acting in concert4 ,in reality1 he cannot have believed in the apparitions of the ,grotto of ,massabielle1 which he doubtless considered to be the mere hallucinations of a sick child4 ,this affair1 which was revolutionising the region1 was of sufficient importance for him to have studied it day by day1 and the manner in which he disregarded it for so long a time shows how little inclined he was to admit the truth of the alleged miracles1 and how greatly he desired to avoid compromising the ,church in a matter which seemed destined to end badly4 ,with all his piety1 ,monseigneur ,laurence had a cool1 practical intellect1 which enabled him to govern his diocese with great good sense4 ,impatient and ardent people nicknamed him ,saint ,thomas at the time1 on account of the manner in which his doubts persisted until events at last forced his hand4 ,indeed1 he turned a deaf ear to all the stories that were being related1 firmly resolved as he was that he would only listen to them if it should appear certain that religion had nothing to lose4 ,however1 the persecutions were about to become more pronounced4 ,the ,minister of ,worship in ,paris1 who had been informed of what was going on1 required that a stop should be put to all disorders1 and so the ,prefect caused the approaches to the ,grotto to be occupied by the military4 ,the ,grotto had already been decorated with vases of flowers offered by the zeal of the faithful and the gratitude of sufferers who had been healed4 ,money1 moreover1 was thrown into it2 gifts to the ,blessed ,virgin abounded4 ,rudimentary improvements1 too1 were carried out in a spontaneous way2 some quarrymen cut a kind of reservoir to receive the miraculous water1 and others removed the large blocks of stone1 and traced a path in the hillside4 ,however1 in presence of the swelling torrents of people1 the ,prefect1 after renouncing his idea of arresting ,bernadette1 took the serious resolution of preventing all access to the ,grotto by placing a strong palisade in front of it4 ,some regrettable incidents had lately occurred2 various children pretended that they had seen the devil1 some of them being guilty of simulation in this respect1 whilst others had given way to real attacks of hysteria1 in the contagious nervous unhinging which was so prevalent4 ,but what a terrible business did the removal of the offerings from the ,grotto prove6 ,it was only towards evening that the ,commissary was able to find a girl willing to let him have a cart on hire1 and two hours later this girl fell from a loft and broke one of her ribs4 ,likewise1 a man who had lent an axe had one of his feet crushed on the morrow by the fall of a block of stone499 ,it was in the midst of jeers and hisses that the ,commissary carried off the pots of flowers1 the tapers which he found burning1 the coppers and the silver hearts which lay upon the sand4 ,people clenched their fists1 and covertly called him 8thief0 and 8murderer40 ,then the posts for the palisades were planted in the ground1 and the rails were nailed to the crossbars1 no little labour being performed to shut off the ,mystery1 in order to bar access to the ,unknown1 and put the miracles in prison4 ,and the civil authorities were simple enough to imagine that it was all over1 that those few bits of boarding would suffice to stay the poor people who hungered for illusion and hope4 99 ,both of these accidents were interpreted as miracles4--,trans4 ,but as soon as the new religion was proscribed1 forbidden by the law as an offence1 it began to burn with an inextinguishable flame in the depths of every soul4 ,believers came to the river bank in far greater numbers1 fell upon their knees at a short distance from the ,grotto1 and sobbed aloud as they gazed at the forbidden heaven4 ,and the sick1 the poor ailing folks1 who were forbidden to seek cure1 rushed on the ,grotto despite all prohibitions1 slipped in whenever they could find an aperture or climbed over the palings when their strength enabled them to do so1 in the one ardent desire to steal a little of the water4 ,what6 there was a prodigious water in that ,grotto1 which restored the sight to the blind1 which set the infirm erect upon their legs again1 which instantaneously healed all ailments2 and there were officials cruel enough to put that water under lock and key so that it might not cure any more poor people6 ,why1 it was monstrous6 ,and a cry of hatred arose from all the humble ones1 all the disinherited ones who had as much need of the ,marvellous as of bread to live6 ,in accordance with a municipal decree1 the names of all delinquents were to be taken by the police1 and thus one soon beheld a woeful dfile of old women and lame men summoned before the ,justice of the ,peace for the sole offence of taking a little water from the fount of life6 ,they stammered and entreated1 at their wit's end when a fine was imposed upon them4 ,and1 outside1 the crowd was growling2 rageful unpopularity was gathering around those magistrates who treated human wretchedness so harshly1 those pitiless masters who after taking all the wealth of the world1 would not even leave to the poor their dream of the realms beyond1 their belief that a beneficent superior power took a maternal interest in them1 and was ready to endow them with peace of soul and health of body4 ,one day a whole band of poverty-stricken and ailing folks went to the ,mayor1 knelt down in his courtyard1 and implored him with sobs to allow the ,grotto to be reopened2 and the words they spoke were so pitiful that all who heard them wept4 ,a mother showed her child who was half-dead2 would they let the little one die like that in her arms when there was a source yonder which had saved the children of other mothers8 ,a blind man called attention to his dim eyes2 a pale1 scrofulous youth displayed the sores on his legs2 a paralytic woman sought to join her woeful twisted hands3 did the authorities wish to see them all perish1 did they refuse them the last divine chance of life1 condemned and abandoned as they were by the science of man8 ,and equally great was the distress of the believers1 of those who were convinced that a corner of heaven had opened amidst the night of their mournful existences1 and who were indignant that they should be deprived of the chimerical delight1 the supreme relief for their human and social sufferings1 which they found in the belief that the ,blessed ,virgin had indeed come down from heaven to bring them the priceless balm of her intervention4 ,however1 the ,mayor was unable to promise anything1 and the crowd withdrew weeping1 ready for rebellion1 as though under the blow of some great act of injustice1 an act of idiotic cruelty towards the humble and the simple for which ,heaven would assuredly take vengeance4 ,the struggle went on for several months2 and it was an extraordinary spectacle which those sensible men--the ,minister1 the ,prefect1 and the ,commissary of ,police--presented1 all animated with the best intentions and contending against the ever-swelling crowd of despairing ones1 who would not allow the doors of dreamland to be closed upon them1 who would not be shut off from the mystic glimpse of future happiness in which they found consolation for their present wretchedness4 ,the authorities required order1 the respect of a discreet religion1 the triumph of reason2 whereas the need of happiness carried the people off into an enthusiastic desire for cure both in this world and in the next4 ,oh6 to cease suffering1 to secure equality in the comforts of life2 to march on under the protection of a just and beneficent ,mother1 to die only to awaken in heaven6 ,and necessarily the burning desire of the multitude1 the holy madness of the universal joy1 was destined to sweep aside the rigid1 morose conceptions of a well-regulated society in which the ever-recurring epidemical attacks of religious hallucination are condemned as prejudicial to good order and healthiness of mind4 ,the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward1 on hearing the story1 likewise revolted4 ,pierre again had to pause1 for many were the stifled exclamations in which the ,commissary of ,police was likened to ,satan and ,herod4 ,la ,grivotte had sat up on her mattress1 stammering3 8,ah6 the monsters6 ,to behave like that to the ,blessed ,virgin who has cured me60 ,and even ,madame ,vetu--once more penetrated by a ray of hope amidst the covert certainty she felt that she was going to die--grew angry at the idea that the ,grotto would not have existed had the ,prefect won the day4 8,there would have been no pilgrimages10 she said1 8we should not be here1 hundreds of us would not be cured every year40 ,a fit of stifling came over her1 however1 and ,sister ,hyacinthe had to raise her to a sitting posture4 ,madame de ,jonquire was profiting by the interruption to attend to a young woman afflicted with a spinal complaint1 whilst two other women1 unable to remain on their beds1 so unbearable was the heat1 prowled about with short1 silent steps1 looking quite white in the misty darkness4 ,and from the far end of the ward1 where all was black1 there resounded a noise of painful breathing1 which had been going on without a pause1 accompanying ,pierre's narrative like a rattle4 ,elise ,rouquet alone was sleeping peacefully1 still stretched upon her back1 and displaying her disfigured countenance1 which was slowly drying4 ,midnight had struck a quarter of an hour previously1 and ,abb ,judaine might arrive at any moment for the communion4 ,grace was now again descending into ,marie's heart1 and she was convinced that if the ,blessed ,virgin had refused to cure her it was1 indeed1 her own fault in having doubted when she entered the piscina4 ,and she1 therefore1 repented of her rebellion as of a crime4 ,could she ever be forgiven8 ,her pale face sank down among her beautiful fair hair1 her eyes filled with tears1 and she looked at ,pierre with an expression of anguish4 8,oh6 how wicked ,i was1 my friend10 she said4 8,it was through hearing you relate how that ,prefect and those magistrates sinned through pride1 that ,i understood my transgression4 ,one must believe1 my friend2 there is no happiness outside faith and love40 ,then1 as ,pierre wished to break off at the point which he had reached1 they all began protesting and calling for the continuation of his narrative1 so that he had to promise to go on to the triumph of the ,grotto4 ,its entrance remained barred by the palisade1 and you had to come secretly at night if you wished to pray and carry off a stolen bottle of water4 ,still1 the fear of rioting increased1 for it was rumoured that whole villages intended to come down from the hills in order to deliver ,god1 as they navely expressed it4 ,it was a leve en masse of the humble1 a rush of those who hungered for the miraculous1 so irresistible in its impetuosity that mere common sense1 mere considerations of public order were to be swept away like chaff4 ,and it was ,monseigneur ,laurence1 in his episcopal residence at ,tarbes1 who was first forced to surrender4 ,all his prudence1 all his doubts were outflanked by the popular outburst4 ,for five long months he had been able to remain aloof1 preventing his clergy from following the faithful to the ,grotto1 and defending the ,church against the tornado of superstition which had been let loose4 ,but what was the use of struggling any longer8 ,he felt the wretchedness of the suffering people committed to his care to be so great that he resigned himself to granting them the idolatrous religion for which he realised them to be eager4 ,some prudence remaining to him1 however1 he contented himself in the first instance with drawing up an ordonnance1 appointing a commission of inquiry1 which was to investigate the question2 this implied the acceptance of the miracles after a period of longer or shorter duration4 ,if ,monseigneur ,laurence was the man of healthy culture and cool reason that he is pictured to have been1 how great must have been his anguish on the morning when he signed that ordonnance6 ,he must have knelt in his oratory1 and have begged the ,sovereign ,master of the world to dictate his conduct to him4 ,he did not believe in the apparitions2 he had a loftier1 more intellectual idea of the manifestations of the ,divinity4 ,only would he not be showing true pity and mercy in silencing the scruples of his reason1 the noble prejudices of his faith1 in presence of the necessity of granting that bread of falsehood which poor humanity requires in order to be happy8 ,doubtless1 he begged the pardon of ,heaven for allowing it to be mixed up in what he regarded as childish pastime1 for exposing it to ridicule in connection with an affair in which there was only sickliness and dementia4 ,but his flock suffered so much1 hungered so ravenously for the marvellous1 for fairy stories with which to lull the pains of life4 ,and thus1 in tears1 the ,bishop at last sacrificed his respect for the dignity of ,providence to his sensitive pastoral charity for the woeful human flock4 ,then the ,emperor in his turn gave way4 ,he was at ,biarritz at the time1 and was kept regularly informed of everything connected with this affair of the apparitions1 with which the entire ,parisian press was also occupying itself1 for the persecutions would not have been complete if the pens of ,voltairean newspaper-men had not meddled in them4 ,and whilst his ,minister1 his ,prefect1 and his ,commissary of ,police were fighting for common sense and public order1 the ,emperor preserved his wonted silence--the deep silence of a day-dreamer which nobody ever penetrated4 ,petitions arrived day by day1 yet he held his tongue4 ,bishops came1 great personages1 great ladies of his circle watched and drew him on one side1 and still he held his tongue4 ,a truceless warfare was being waged around him3 on one side the believers and the men of fanciful minds whom the ,mysterious strongly interested2 on the other the unbelievers and the statesmen who distrusted the disturbances of the imagination2--and still and ever he held his tongue4 ,then1 all at once1 with the sudden decision of a naturally timid man1 he spoke out4 ,the rumour spread that he had yielded to the entreaties of his wife ,eugnie4 ,no doubt she did intervene1 but the ,emperor was more deeply influenced by a revival of his old humanitarian dreams1 his genuine compassion for the disinherited499 ,like the ,bishop1 he did not wish to close the portals of illusion to the wretched by upholding the unpopular decree which forbade despairing sufferers to go and drink life at the holy source4 ,so he sent a telegram1 a curt order to remove the palisade1 so as to allow everybody free access to the ,grotto4 99 ,i think this view of the matter the right one1 for1 as all who know the history of the ,second ,empire are aware1 it was about this time that the ,emperor began taking great interest in the erection of model dwellings for the working classes1 and the plantation and transformation of the sandy wastes of the ,landes4--,trans4 ,then came a shout of joy and triumph4 ,the decree annulling the previous one was read at ,lourdes to the sound of drum and trumpet4 ,the ,commissary of ,police had to come in person to superintend the removal of the palisade4 ,he was afterwards transferred elsewhere like the ,prefect499 ,people flocked to ,lourdes from all parts1 the new cultus was organised at the ,grotto1 and a cry of joy ascended3 ,god had won the victory6 ,god8--alas1 no6 ,it was human wretchedness which had won the battle1 human wretchedness with its eternal need of falsehood1 its hunger for the marvellous1 its everlasting hope akin to that of some condemned man who1 for salvation's sake1 surrenders himself into the hands of an invisible ,omnipotence1 mightier than nature1 and alone capable1 should it be willing1 of annulling nature's laws4 ,and that which had also conquered was the sovereign compassion of those pastors1 the merciful ,bishop and merciful ,emperor who allowed those big sick children to retain the fetich which consoled some of them and at times even cured others4 99 ,the ,prefect was transferred to ,grenoble1 and curiously enough his new jurisdiction extended over the hills and valleys of ,la ,salette1 whither pilgrims likewise flocked to drink1 pray1 and wash themselves at a miraculous fountain4 ,warned by experience1 however1 ,baron ,massy 7such was the ,prefect's name7 was careful to avoid any further interference in religious matters4--,trans4 ,in the middle of ,november the episcopal commission came to ,lourdes to prosecute the inquiry which had been entrusted to it4 ,it questioned ,bernadette yet once again1 and studied a large number of miracles4 ,however1 in order that the evidence might be absolute1 it only registered some thirty cases of cure4 ,and ,monseigneur ,laurence declared himself convinced4 ,nevertheless1 he gave a final proof of his prudence1 by continuing to wait another three years before declaring in a pastoral letter that the ,blessed ,virgin had in truth appeared at the ,grotto of ,massabielle and that numerous miracles had subsequently taken place there4 ,meantime1 he had purchased the ,grotto itself1 with all the land around it1 from the municipality of ,lourdes1 on behalf of his see4 ,work was then begun1 modestly at first1 but soon on a larger and larger scale as money began to flow in from all parts of ,christendom4 ,the ,grotto was cleared and enclosed with an iron railing4 ,the ,gave was thrown back into a new bed1 so as to allow of spacious approaches to the shrine1 with lawns1 paths1 and walks4 ,at last1 too1 the church which the ,virgin had asked for1 the ,basilica1 began to rise on the summit of the rock itself4 ,from the very first stroke of the pick1 ,abb ,peyramale1 the parish priest of ,lourdes1 went on directing everything with even excessive zeal1 for the struggle had made him the most ardent and most sincere of all believers in the work that was to be accomplished4 ,with his somewhat rough but truly fatherly nature1 he had begun to adore ,bernadette1 making her mission his own1 and devoting himself1 soul and body1 to realising the orders which he had received from ,heaven through her innocent mouth4 ,and he exhausted himself in mighty efforts2 he wished everything to be very beautiful and very grand1 worthy of the ,queen of the ,angels who had deigned to visit this mountain nook4 ,the first religious ceremony did not take place till six years after the apparitions4 ,a marble statue of the ,virgin was installed with great pomp on the very spot where she had appeared4 ,it was a magnificent day1 all ,lourdes was gay with flags1 and every bell rang joyously4 ,five years later1 in #ahfi1 the first mass was celebrated in the crypt of the ,basilica1 whose spire was not yet finished4 ,meantime1 gifts flowed in without a pause1 a river of gold was streaming towards the ,grotto1 a whole town was about to spring up from the soil4 ,it was the new religion completing its foundations4 ,the desire to be healed did heal2 the thirst for a miracle worked the miracle4 ,a ,deity of pity and hope was evolved from man's sufferings1 from that longing for falsehood and relief which1 in every age of humanity1 has created the marvellous palaces of the realms beyond1 where an almighty ,power renders justice and distributes eternal happiness4 ,and thus the ailing ones of the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward only beheld in the victory of the ,grotto the triumph of their hopes of cure4 ,along the rows of beds there was a quiver of joy when1 with his heart stirred by all those poor faces turned towards him1 eager for certainty1 ,pierre repeated3 8,god had conquered4 ,since that day the miracles have never ceased1 and it is the most humble who are the most frequently relieved40 ,then he laid down the little book4 ,abb ,judaine was coming in1 and the ,sacrament was about to be administered4 ,marie1 however1 again penetrated by the fever of faith1 her hands burning1 leant towards ,pierre4 8,oh1 my friend60 said she1 8,i pray you hear me confess my fault and absolve me4 ,i have blasphemed1 and have been guilty of mortal sin4 ,if you do not succour me1 ,i shall be unable to receive the ,blessed ,sacrament1 and yet ,i so greatly need to be consoled and strengthened40 ,the young priest refused her request with a wave of the hand4 ,he had never been willing to act as confessor to this friend1 the only woman he had loved in the healthy1 smiling days of youth4 ,however1 she insisted4 8,i beg you to do so10 said she2 8you will help to work the miracle of my cure40 ,then he gave way and received the avowal of her fault1 that impious rebellion induced by suffering1 that rebellion against the ,virgin who had remained deaf to her prayers4 ,and afterwards he granted her absolution in the sacramental form4 ,meanwhile ,abb ,judaine had already deposited the ciborium on a little table1 between two lighted tapers1 which looked like woeful stars in the semi-obscurity of the ward4 ,madame de ,jonquire had just decided to open one of the windows quite wide1 for the odour emanating from all the suffering bodies and heaped-up rags had become unbearable4 ,but no air came in from the narrow courtyard into which the window opened2 though black with night1 it seemed like a well of fire4 ,having offered to act as server1 ,pierre repeated the 8,confiteor40 ,then1 after responding with the 8,misereatur0 and the 8,indulgentiam10 the chaplain1 who wore his alb1 raised the pyx1 saying1 8,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away the sins of the world40 ,all the women who1 writhing in agony1 were impatiently awaiting the communion1 like dying creatures who await life from some fresh medicine which is a long time coming1 thereupon thrice repeated1 in all humility1 and with lips almost closed3 8,lord1 ,i am not worthy that ,thou shouldst enter under my roof2 but only say the word and my soul shall be healed40 ,abb ,judaine had begun to make the round of those woeful beds1 accompanied by ,pierre1 and followed by ,madame de ,jonquire and ,sister ,hyacinthe1 each of whom carried one of the lighted tapers4 ,the ,sister designated those who were to communicate2 and1 murmuring the customary ,latin words1 the priest leant forward and placed the ,host somewhat at random on the sufferer's tongue4 ,almost all were waiting for him with widely opened1 glittering eyes1 amidst the disorder of that hastily pitched camp4 ,two were found to be sound asleep1 however1 and had to be awakened4 ,several were moaning without being conscious of it1 and continued moaning even after they had received the sacrament4 ,at the far end of the ward1 the rattle of the poor creature who could not be seen still resounded4 ,and nothing could have been more mournful than the appearance of that little cortge in the semi-darkness1 amidst which the yellow flames of the tapers gleamed like stars4 ,but ,marie's face1 to which an expression of ecstasy had returned1 was like a divine apparition4 ,although ,la ,grivotte was hungering for the bread of life1 they had refused her the sacrament on this occasion1 as it was to be administered to her in the morning at the ,rosary2 ,madame ,vetu1 however1 had received the ,host on her black tongue in a hiccough4 ,and now ,marie was lying there under the pale light of the tapers1 looking so beautiful amidst her fair hair1 with her eyes dilated and her features transfigured by faith1 that everyone admired her4 ,she received the sacrament with rapture2 ,heaven visibly descended into her poor1 youthful frame1 reduced to such physical wretchedness4 ,and1 clasping ,pierre's hand1 she detained him for a moment1 saying3 8,oh6 she will heal me1 my friend1 she has just promised me that she will do so4 ,go and take some rest4 ,i shall sleep so soundly now60 ,as he withdrew in company with ,abb ,judaine1 ,pierre caught sight of little ,madame ,dsagneaux stretched out in the arm-chair in which weariness had overpowered her4 ,nothing could awaken her4 ,it was now half-past one in the morning2 and ,madame de ,jonquire and her assistant1 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 were still going backwards and forwards1 turning the patients over1 cleansing them1 and dressing their sores4 ,however1 the ward was becoming more peaceful1 its heavy darkness had grown less oppressive since ,bernadette with her charm had passed through it4 ,the visionary's little shadow was now flitting in triumph from bed to bed1 completing its work1 bringing a little of heaven to each of the despairing ones1 each of the disinherited ones of this world2 and as they all at last sank to sleep they could see the little shepherdess1 so young1 so ill herself1 leaning over them and kissing them with a kindly smile4 ,,the ,,third ,,day ,i4 ,,bed ,,and ,,board ,,at seven o'clock on the morning of that fine1 bright1 warm ,august ,sunday1 ,m4 de ,guersaint was already up and dressed in one of the two little rooms which he had fortunately been able to secure on the third floor of the ,hotel of the ,apparitions4 ,he had gone to bed at eleven o'clock the night before and had awoke feeling quite fresh and gay4 ,as soon as he was dressed he entered the adjoining room which ,pierre occupied2 but the young priest1 who had not returned to the hotel until past one in the morning1 with his blood heated by insomnia1 had been unable to doze off until daybreak and was now still slumbering4 ,his cassock flung across a chair1 his other garments scattered here and there1 testified to his great weariness and agitation of mind4 8,come1 come1 you lazybones60 cried ,m4 de ,guersaint gaily2 8can't you hear the bells ringing80 ,pierre awoke with a start1 quite surprised to find himself in that little hotel room into which the sunlight was streaming4 ,all the joyous peals of the bells1 the music of the chiming1 happy town1 moreover1 came in through the window which he had left open4 8,we shall never have time to get to the hospital before eight o'clock to fetch ,marie10 resumed ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8for we must have some breakfast1 eh80 8,of course1 make haste and order two cups of chocolate4 ,i will get up at once1 ,i sha'n't be long10 replied ,pierre4 ,in spite of the fatigue which had already stiffened his joints1 he sprang out of bed as soon as he was alone1 and made all haste with his toilet4 ,however1 he still had his head in the washing basin1 ducking it in the fresh1 cool water1 when ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who was unable to remain alone1 came back again4 8,i've given the order10 said he2 8they will bring it up4 ,ah6 what a curious place this hotel is6 ,you have of course seen the landlord1 ,master ,majest1 clad in white from head to foot and looking so dignified in his office4 ,the place is crammed1 it appears2 they have never had so many people before4 ,so it is no wonder that there should be such a fearful noise4 ,i was wakened up three times during the night4 ,people kept on talking in the room next to mine4 ,and you1 did you sleep well80 8,no1 indeed10 answered ,pierre2 8,i was tired to death1 but ,i couldn't close my eyes4 ,no doubt it was the uproar you speak of that prevented me40 ,in his turn he then began to talk of the thin partitions1 and the manner in which the house had been crammed with people until it seemed as though the floors and the walls would collapse with the strain4 ,the place had been shaking all night long2 every now and then people suddenly rushed along the passages1 heavy footfalls resounded1 gruff voices ascended nobody knew whence2 without speaking of all the moaning and coughing1 the frightful coughing which seemed to re-echo from every wall4 ,throughout the night people evidently came in and went out1 got up and lay down again1 paying no attention to time in the disorder in which they lived1 amid shocks of passion which made them hurry to their devotional exercises as to pleasure parties4 8,and ,marie1 how was she when you left her last night80 ,m4 de ,guersaint suddenly inquired4 8,a great deal better10 replied ,pierre2 8she had an attack of extreme discouragement1 but all her courage and faith returned to her at last40 ,a pause followed2 and then the girl's father resumed with his tranquil optimism3 8,oh6 ,i am not anxious4 ,things will go on all right1 you'll see4 ,for my own part1 ,i am delighted4 ,i had asked the ,virgin to grant me her protection in my affairs--you know1 my great invention of navigable balloons4 ,well1 suppose ,i told you that she has already shown me her favour8 ,yes1 indeed yesterday evening while ,i was talking with ,abb des ,hermoises1 he told me that at ,toulouse he would no doubt be able to find a person to finance me--one of his friends1 in fact1 who is extremely wealthy and takes great interest in mechanics6 ,and in this ,i at once saw the hand of ,god60 ,m4 de ,guersaint began laughing with his childish laugh1 and then he added3 8,that ,abb des ,hermoises is a charming man4 ,i shall see this afternoon if there is any means of my accompanying him on an excursion to the ,cirque de ,gavarnie at small cost40 ,pierre1 who wished to pay everything1 the hotel bill and all the rest1 at once encouraged him in this idea4 8,of course10 said he1 8you ought not to miss this opportunity to visit the mountains1 since you have so great a wish to do so4 ,your daughter will be very happy to know that you are pleased40 ,their talk1 however1 was now interrupted by a servant girl bringing the two cups of chocolate with a couple of rolls on a metal tray covered with a napkin4 ,she left the door open as she entered the room1 so that a glimpse was obtained of some portion of the passage4 8,ah6 they are already doing my neighbour's room60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,he is a married man1 isn't he8 ,his wife is with him80 ,the servant looked astonished4 8,oh1 no10 she replied1 8he is quite alone60 8,quite alone8 ,why1 ,i heard people talking in his room this morning40 8,you must be mistaken1 monsieur10 said the servant2 8he has just gone out after giving orders that his room was to be tidied up at once40 ,and then1 while taking the cups of chocolate off the tray and placing them on the table1 she continued3 8,oh6 he is a very respectable gentleman4 ,last year he was able to have one of the pavilions which ,monsieur ,majest lets out to visitors1 in the lane by the side of the hotel2 but this year he applied too late and had to content himself with that room1 which greatly worried him1 for it isn't a large one1 though there is a big cupboard in it4 ,as he doesn't care to eat with everybody1 he takes his meals there1 and he orders good wine and the best of everything1 ,i can tell you40 8,that explains it all60 replied ,m4 de ,guersaint gaily2 8he dined too well last night1 and ,i must have heard him talking in his sleep40 ,pierre had been listening somewhat inquisitively to all this chatter4 8,and on this side1 my side10 said he1 8isn't there a gentleman with two ladies1 and a little boy who walks about with a crutch80 8,yes1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i know them4 ,the aunt1 ,madame ,chaise1 took one of the two rooms for herself2 and ,monsieur and ,madame ,vigneron with their son ,gustave have had to content themselves with the other one4 ,this is the second year they have come to ,lourdes4 ,they are very respectable people too40 ,pierre nodded4 ,during the night he had fancied he could recognise the voice of ,m4 ,vigneron1 whom the heat doubtless had incommoded4 ,however1 the servant was now thoroughly started1 and she began to enumerate the other persons whose rooms were reached by the same passage2 on the left hand there was a priest1 then a mother with three daughters1 and then an old married couple2 whilst on the right lodged another gentleman who was all alone1 a young lady1 too1 who was unaccompanied1 and then a family party which included five young children4 ,the hotel was crowded to its garrets4 ,the servants had had to give up their rooms the previous evening and lie in a heap in the washhouse4 ,during the night1 also1 some camp bedsteads had even been set up on the landings2 and one honourable ecclesiastic1 for lack of other accommodation1 had been obliged to sleep on a billiard-table4 ,when the girl had retired and the two men had drunk their chocolate1 ,m4 de ,guersaint went back into his own room to wash his hands again1 for he was very careful of his person2 and ,pierre1 who remained alone1 felt attracted by the gay sunlight1 and stepped for a moment on to the narrow balcony outside his window4 ,each of the third-floor rooms on this side of the hotel was provided with a similar balcony1 having a carved-wood balustrade4 ,however1 the young priest's surprise was very great1 for he had scarcely stepped outside when he suddenly saw a woman protrude her head over the balcony next to him--that of the room occupied by the gentleman whom ,m4 de ,guersaint and the servant had been speaking of4 ,and this woman he had recognised3 it was ,madame ,volmar4 ,there was no mistaking her long face with its delicate drawn features1 its magnificent large eyes1 those brasiers over which a veil1 a dimming moire1 seemed to pass at times4 ,she gave a start of terror on perceiving him4 ,and he1 extremely ill at ease1 grieved that he should have frightened her1 made all haste to withdraw into his apartment4 ,a sudden light had dawned upon him1 and he now understood and could picture everything4 ,so this was why she had not been seen at the hospital1 where little ,madame ,dsagneaux was always asking for her4 ,standing motionless1 his heart upset1 ,pierre fell into a deep reverie1 reflecting on the life led by this woman whom he knew1 that torturing conjugal life in ,paris between a fierce mother-in-law and an unworthy husband1 and then those three days of complete liberty spent at ,lourdes1 that brief bonfire of passion to which she had hastened under the sacrilegious pretext of serving the divinity4 ,tears whose cause he could not even explain1 tears that ascended from the very depths of his being1 from his own voluntary chastity1 welled into his eyes amidst the feeling of intense sorrow which came over him4 8,well1 are you ready80 joyously called ,m4 de ,guersaint as he came back1 with his grey jacket buttoned up and his hands gloved4 8,yes1 yes1 let us go10 replied ,pierre1 turning aside and pretending to look for his hat so that he might wipe his eyes4 ,then they went out1 and on crossing the threshold heard on their left hand an unctuous voice which they recognised2 it was that of ,m4 ,vigneron1 who was loudly repeating the morning prayers4 ,a moment afterwards came a meeting which interested them4 ,they were walking down the passage when they were passed by a middle-aged1 thick-set1 sturdy-looking gentleman1 wearing carefully trimmed whiskers4 ,he bent his back and passed so rapidly that they were unable to distinguish his features1 but they noticed that he was carrying a carefully made parcel4 ,and immediately afterwards he slipped a key into the lock of the room adjoining ,m4 de ,guersaint's1 and opening the door disappeared noiselessly1 like a shadow4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had glanced round3 8,ah6 my neighbour10 said he2 8he has been to market and has brought back some delicacies1 no doubt60 ,pierre pretended not to hear1 for his companion was so light-minded that he did not care to trust him with a secret which was not his own4 ,besides1 a feeling of uneasiness was returning to him1 a kind of chaste terror at the thought that the world and the flesh were there taking their revenge1 amidst all the mystical enthusiasm which he could feel around him4 ,they reached the hospital just as the patients were being brought out to be carried to the ,grotto2 and they found that ,marie had slept well and was very gay4 ,she kissed her father and scolded him when she learnt that he had not yet decided on his trip to ,gavarnie4 ,she should really be displeased with him1 she said1 if he did not go4 ,still with the same restful1 smiling expression1 she added that she did not expect to be cured that day2 and then1 assuming an air of mystery1 she begged ,pierre to obtain permission for her to spend the following night before the ,grotto4 ,this was a favour which all the sufferers ardently coveted1 but which only a few favoured ones with difficulty secured4 ,after protesting1 anxious as he felt with regard to the effect which a night spent in the open air might have upon her health1 the young priest1 seeing how unhappy she had suddenly become1 at last promised that he would make the application4 ,doubtless she imagined that she would only obtain a hearing from the ,virgin when they were alone together in the slumbering peacefulness of the night4 ,that morning1 indeed1 she felt so lost among the innumerable patients who were heaped together in front of the ,grotto1 that already at ten o'clock she asked to be taken back to the hospital1 complaining that the bright light tired her eyes4 ,and when her father and the priest had again installed her in the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward1 she gave them their liberty for the remainder of the day4 8,no1 don't come to fetch me10 she said1 8,i shall not go back to the ,grotto this afternoon--it would be useless4 ,but you will come for me this evening at nine o'clock1 won't you1 ,pierre8 ,it is agreed1 you have given me your word40 ,he repeated that he would endeavour to secure the requisite permission1 and that1 if necessary1 he would apply to ,father ,fourcade in person4 8,then1 till this evening1 darling10 said ,m4 de ,guersaint1 kissing his daughter4 ,and he and ,pierre went off together1 leaving her lying on her bed1 with an absorbed expression on her features1 as her large1 smiling eyes wandered away into space4 ,it was barely half-past ten when they got back to the ,hotel of the ,apparitions2 but ,m4 de ,guersaint1 whom the fine weather delighted1 talked of having djeuner at once1 so that he might the sooner start upon a ramble through ,lourdes4 ,first of all1 however1 he wished to go up to his room1 and ,pierre following him1 they encountered quite a drama on their way4 ,the door of the room occupied by the ,vignerons was wide open1 and little ,gustave could be seen lying on the sofa which served as his bed4 ,he was livid2 a moment previously he had suddenly fainted1 and this had made the father and mother imagine that the end had come4 ,madame ,vigneron was crouching on a chair1 still stupefied by her fright1 whilst ,m4 ,vigneron rushed about the room1 thrusting everything aside in order that he might prepare a glass of sugared-water1 to which he added a few drops of some elixir4 ,this draught1 he exclaimed1 would set the lad right again4 ,but all the same1 it was incomprehensible4 ,the boy was still strong1 and to think that he should have fainted like that1 and have turned as white as a chicken6 ,speaking in this wise1 ,m4 ,vigneron glanced at ,madame ,chaise1 the aunt1 who was standing in front of the sofa1 looking in good health that morning2 and his hands shook yet more violently at the covert idea that if that stupid attack had carried off his son1 they would no longer have inherited the aunt's fortune4 ,he was quite beside himself at this thought1 and eagerly opening the boy's mouth he compelled him to swallow the entire contents of the glass4 ,then1 however1 when he heard ,gustave sigh1 and saw him open his eyes again1 his fatherly good-nature reappeared1 and he shed tears1 and called the lad his dear little fellow4 ,but on ,madame ,chaise drawing near to offer some assistance1 ,gustave repulsed her with a sudden gesture of hatred1 as though he understood how this woman's money unconsciously perverted his parents1 who1 after all1 were worthy folks4 ,greatly offended1 the old lady turned on her heel1 and seated herself in a corner1 whilst the father and mother1 at last freed from their anxiety1 returned thanks to the ,blessed ,virgin for having preserved their darling1 who smiled at them with his intelligent and infinitely sorrowful smile1 knowing and understanding everything as he did1 and no longer having any taste for life1 although he was not fifteen4 8,can we be of any help to you80 asked ,pierre in an obliging way4 8,no1 no1 ,i thank you1 gentlemen10 replied ,m4 ,vigneron1 coming for a moment into the passage4 8,but oh6 we did have a fright6 ,think of it1 an only son1 who is so dear to us too40 ,all around them the approach of the djeuner hour was now throwing the house into commotion4 ,every door was banging1 and the passages and the staircase resounded with the constant pitter-patter of feet4 ,three big girls passed by1 raising a current of air with the sweep of their skirts4 ,some little children were crying in a neighbouring room4 ,then there were old people who seemed quite scared1 and distracted priests who1 forgetting their calling1 caught up their cassocks with both hands1 so that they might run the faster to the dining-room4 ,from the top to the bottom of the house one could feel the floors shaking under the excessive weight of all the people who were packed inside the hotel4 8,oh1 ,i hope that it is all over now1 and that the ,blessed ,virgin will cure him10 repeated ,m4 ,vigneron1 before allowing his neighbours to retire4 8,we are going down-stairs1 for ,i must confess that all this has made me feel faint4 ,i need something to eat1 ,i am terribly hungry40 ,when ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint at last left their rooms1 and went down-stairs1 they found to their annoyance that there was not the smallest table-corner vacant in the large dining-room4 ,a most extraordinary mob had assembled there1 and the few seats that were still unoccupied were reserved4 ,a waiter informed them that the room never emptied between ten and one o'clock1 such was the rush of appetite1 sharpened by the keen mountain air4 ,so they had to resign themselves to wait1 requesting the waiter to warn them as soon as there should be a couple of vacant places4 ,then1 scarcely knowing what to do with themselves1 they went to walk about the hotel porch1 whence there was a view of the street1 along which the townsfolk1 in their ,sunday best1 streamed without a pause4 ,all at once1 however1 the landlord of the ,hotel of the ,apparitions1 ,master ,majest in person1 appeared before them1 clad in white from head to foot2 and with a great show of politeness he inquired if the gentlemen would like to wait in the drawing-room4 ,he was a stout man of five-and-forty1 and strove to bear the burden of his name in a right royal fashion4 ,bald and clean-shaven1 with round blue eyes in a waxy face1 displaying three superposed chins1 he always deported himself with much dignity4 ,he had come from ,nevers with the ,sisters who managed the orphan asylum1 and was married to a dusky little woman1 a native of ,lourdes4 ,in less than fifteen years they had made their hotel one of the most substantial and best patronised establishments in the town4 ,of recent times1 moreover1 they had started a business in religious articles1 installed in a large shop on the left of the hotel porch and managed by a young niece under ,madame ,majest's ,supervision4 8,you can wait in the drawing-room1 gentlemen10 again suggested the hotel-keeper whom ,pierre's cassock rendered very attentive4 ,they replied1 however1 that they preferred to walk about and wait in the open air4 ,and thereupon ,majest would not leave them1 but deigned to chat with them for a moment as he was wont to do with those of his customers whom he desired to honour4 ,the conversation turned at first on the procession which would take place that night and which promised to be a superb spectacle as the weather was so fine4 ,there were more than fifty thousand strangers gathered together in ,lourdes that day1 for visitors had come in from all the neighbouring bathing stations4 ,this explained the crush at the table d'hte4 ,possibly the town would run short of bread as had been the case the previous year4 8,you saw what a scramble there is10 concluded ,majest1 8we really don't know how to manage4 ,it isn't my fault1 ,i assure you1 if you are kept waiting for a short time40 ,at this moment1 however1 a postman arrived with a large batch of newspapers and letters which he deposited on a table in the office4 ,he had kept one letter in his hand and inquired of the landlord1 8,have you a ,madame ,maze here80 8,madame ,maze1 ,madame ,maze10 repeated the hotel-keeper4 8,no1 no1 certainly not40 ,pierre had heard both question and answer1 and drawing near he exclaimed1 8,i know of a ,madame ,maze who must be lodging with the ,sisters of the ,immaculate ,conception1 the ,blue ,sisters as people call them here1 ,i think40 ,the postman thanked him for the information and went off1 but a somewhat bitter smile had risen to ,majest's lips4 8,the ,blue ,sisters10 he muttered1 8ah6 the ,blue ,sisters40 ,then1 darting a side glance at ,pierre's cassock1 he stopped short1 as though he feared that he might say too much4 ,yet his heart was overflowing2 he would have greatly liked to ease his feelings1 and this young priest from ,paris1 who looked so liberal-minded1 could not be one of the 8band0 as he called all those who discharged functions at the ,grotto and coined money out of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,accordingly1 little by little1 he ventured to speak out4 8,i am a good ,christian1 ,i assure you1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said he4 8,in fact we are all good ,christians here4 ,and ,i am a regular worshipper and take the sacrament every ,easter4 ,but1 really1 ,i must say that members of a religious community ought not to keep hotels4 ,no1 no1 it isn't right60 ,and thereupon he vented all the spite of a tradesman in presence of what he considered to be disloyal competition4 ,ought not those ,blue ,sisters1 those ,sisters of the ,immaculate ,conception1 to have confined themselves to their real functions1 the manufacture of wafers for sacramental purposes1 and the repairing and washing of church linen8 ,instead of that1 however1 they had transformed their convent into a vast hostelry1 where ladies who came to ,lourdes unaccompanied found separate rooms1 and were able to take their meals either in privacy or in a general dining-room4 ,everything was certainly very clean1 very well organised and very inexpensive1 thanks to the thousand advantages which the ,sisters enjoyed2 in fact1 no hotel at ,lourdes did so much business4 8,but all the same10 continued ,majest1 8,i ask you if it is proper4 ,to think of nuns selling victuals6 ,besides1 ,i must tell you that the lady superior is really a clever woman1 and as soon as she saw the stream of fortune rolling in1 she wanted to keep it all for her own community and resolutely parted with the ,fathers of the ,grotto who wanted to lay their hands on it4 ,yes1 ,monsieur l',abb1 she even went to ,rome and gained her cause there1 so that now she pockets all the money that her bills bring in4 ,think of it1 nuns1 yes nuns1 mon ,dieu6 letting furnished rooms and keeping a table d'hte60 ,he raised his arms to heaven1 he was stifling with envy and vexation4 8,but as your house is crammed10 ,pierre gently objected1 8as you no longer have either a bed or a plate at anybody's disposal1 where would you put any additional visitors who might arrive here80 ,majest at once began protesting4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb60 said he1 8one can see very well that you don't know the place4 ,it's quite true that there is work for all of us1 and that nobody has reason to complain during the national pilgrimage4 ,but that only lasts four or five days1 and in ordinary times the custom we secure isn't nearly so great4 ,for myself1 thank ,heaven1 ,i am always satisfied4 ,my house is well known1 it occupies the same rank as the ,hotel of the ,grotto1 where two landlords have already made their fortunes4 ,but no matter1 it is vexing to see those ,blue ,sisters taking all the cream of the custom1 for instance the ladies of the bourgeoisie who spend a fortnight and three weeks here at a stretch2 and that1 too1 just in the quiet season1 when there are not many people here4 ,you understand1 don't you8 ,there are people of position who dislike uproar2 they go by themselves to the ,grotto1 and pray there all day long1 for days together1 and pay good prices for their accommodation without any higgling40 ,madame ,majest1 whom ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint had not noticed leaning over an account-book in which she was adding up some figures1 thereupon intervened in a shrill voice3 8,we had a customer like that1 gentlemen1 who stayed here for two months last year4 ,she went to the ,grotto1 came back1 went there again1 took her meals1 and went to bed4 ,and never did we have a word of complaint from her2 she was always smiling1 as though to say that she found everything very nice4 ,she paid her bill1 too1 without even looking at it4 ,ah6 one regrets people of that kind40 ,short1 thin1 very dark1 and dressed in black1 with a little white collar1 ,madame ,majest had risen to her feet2 and she now began to solicit custom3 8,if you would like to buy a few little souvenirs of ,lourdes before you leave1 gentlemen1 ,i hope that you will not forget us4 ,we have a shop close by1 where you will find an assortment of all the articles that are most in request4 ,as a rule1 the persons who stay here are kind enough not to deal elsewhere40 ,however1 ,majest was again wagging his head1 with the air of a good ,christian saddened by the scandals of the time4 8,certainly10 said he1 8,i don't want to show any disrespect to the reverend ,fathers1 but it must in all truth be admitted that they are too greedy4 ,you must have seen the shop which they have set up near the ,grotto1 that shop which is always crowded1 and where tapers and articles of piety are sold4 ,a bishop declared that it was shameful1 and that the buyers and sellers ought to be driven out of the temple afresh4 ,it is said1 too1 that the ,fathers run that big shop yonder1 just across the street1 which supplies all the petty dealers in the town4 ,and1 according to the reports which circulate1 they have a finger in all the trade in religious articles1 and levy a percentage on the millions of chaplets1 statuettes1 and medals which are sold every year at ,lourdes40 ,majest had now lowered his voice1 for his accusations were becoming precise1 and he ended by trembling somewhat at his imprudence in talking so confidentially to strangers4 ,however1 the expression of ,pierre's gentle1 attentive face reassured him2 and so he continued with the passion of a wounded rival1 resolved to go on to the very end3 8,i am willing to admit that there is some exaggeration in all this4 ,but all the same1 it does religion no good for people to see the reverend ,fathers keeping shops like us tradesmen4 ,for my part1 of course1 ,i don't go and ask for a share of the money which they make by their masses1 or a percentage on the presents which they receive1 so why should they start selling what ,i sell8 ,our business was a poor one last year owing to them4 ,there are already too many of us2 nowadays everyone at ,lourdes sells #8religious articles1' to such an extent1 in fact1 that there will soon be no butchers or wine merchants left--nothing but bread to eat and water to drink4 ,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb1 it is no doubt nice to have the ,blessed ,virgin with us1 but things are none the less very bad at times40 ,a person staying at the hotel at that moment disturbed him1 but he returned just as a young girl came in search of ,madame ,majest4 ,the damsel1 who evidently belonged to ,lourdes1 was very pretty1 small but plump1 with beautiful black hair1 and a round face full of bright gaiety4 8,that is our niece ,apolline10 resumed ,majest4 8,she has been keeping our shop for two years past4 ,she is the daughter of one of my wife's brothers1 who is in poor circumstances4 ,she was keeping sheep at ,ossun1 in the neighbourhood of ,bartres1 when we were struck by her intelligence and nice looks and decided to bring her here2 and we don't repent having done so1 for she has a great deal of merit1 and has become a very good saleswoman40 ,a point to which he omitted to refer1 was that there were rumours current of somewhat flighty conduct on ,mademoiselle ,apolline's part4 ,but she undoubtedly had her value3 she attracted customers by the power1 possibly1 of her large black eyes1 which smiled so readily4 ,during his sojourn at ,lourdes the previous year1 ,grard de ,peyrelongue had scarcely stirred from the shop she managed1 and doubtless it was only the matrimonial ideas now flitting through his head that prevented him from returning thither4 ,it seemed as though the ,abb des ,hermoises had taken his place1 for this gallant ecclesiastic brought a great many ladies to make purchases at the repository4 8,ah6 you are speaking of ,apolline10 said ,madame ,majest1 at that moment coming back from the shop4 8,have you noticed one thing about her1 gentlemen--her extraordinary likeness to ,bernadette8 ,there1 on the wall yonder1 is a photograph of ,bernadette when she was eighteen years old40 ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint drew near to examine the portrait1 whilst ,majest exclaimed3 8,bernadette1 yes1 certainly--she was rather like ,apolline1 but not nearly so nice2 she looked so sad and poor40 ,he would doubtless have gone on chattering1 but just then the waiter appeared and announced that there was at last a little table vacant4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had twice gone to glance inside the dining-room1 for he was eager to have his djeuner and spend the remainder of that fine ,sunday out-of-doors4 ,so he now hastened away1 without paying any further attention to ,majest1 who remarked1 with an amiable smile1 that the gentlemen had not had so very long to wait after all4 ,to reach the table mentioned by the waiter1 the architect and ,pierre had to cross the dining-room from end to end4 ,it was a long apartment1 painted a light oak colour1 an oily yellow1 which was already peeling away in places and soiled with stains in others4 ,you realised that rapid wear and tear went on here amidst the continual scramble of the big eaters who sat down at table4 ,the only ornaments were a gilt zinc clock and a couple of meagre candelabra on the mantelpiece4 ,guipure curtains1 moreover1 hung at the five large windows looking on to the street1 which was flooded with sunshine2 some of the fierce arrow-like rays penetrating into the room although the blinds had been lowered4 ,and1 in the middle of the apartment1 some forty persons were packed together at the table d'hte1 which was scarcely eleven yards in length and did not supply proper accommodation for more than thirty people2 whilst at the little tables standing against the walls upon either side another forty persons sat close together1 hustled by the three waiters each time that they went by4 ,you had scarcely reached the threshold before you were deafened by the extraordinary uproar1 the noise of voices and the clatter of forks and plates2 and it seemed1 too1 as if you were entering a damp oven1 for a warm1 steamy mist1 laden with a suffocating smell of victuals1 assailed the face4 ,pierre at first failed to distinguish anything1 but1 when he was installed at the little table--a garden-table which had been brought indoors for the occasion1 and on which there was scarcely room for two covers--he felt quite upset1 almost sick1 in fact1 at the sight presented by the table d'hte1 which his glance now enfiladed from end to end4 ,people had been eating at it for an hour already1 two sets of customers had followed one upon the other1 and the covers were strewn about in higgledy-piggledy fashion4 ,on the cloth were numerous stains of wine and sauce1 while there was no symmetry even in the arrangement of the glass fruit-stands1 which formed the only decorations of the table4 ,and one's astonishment increased at sight of the motley mob which was collected there--huge priests1 scraggy girls1 mothers overflowing with superfluous fat1 gentlemen with red faces1 and families ranged in rows and displaying all the pitiable1 increasing ugliness of successive generations4 ,all these people were perspiring1 greedily swallowing1 seated slantwise1 lacking room to move their arms1 and unable even to use their hands deftly4 ,and amidst this display of appetite1 increased tenfold by fatigue1 and of eager haste to fill one's stomach in order to return to the ,grotto more quickly1 there was a corpulent ecclesiastic who in no wise hurried1 but ate of every dish with prudent slowness1 crunching his food with a ceaseless1 dignified movement of the jaws4 8,fichtre60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8it is by no means cool in here4 ,all the same1 ,i shall be glad of something to eat1 for ,i've felt a sinking in the stomach ever since ,i have been at ,lourdes4 ,and you--are you hungry80 8,yes1 yes1 ,i shall eat10 replied ,pierre1 though1 truth to tell1 he felt quite upset4 ,the menu was a copious one4 ,there was salmon1 an omelet1 mutton cutlets with mashed potatoes1 stewed kidneys1 cauliflowers1 cold meats1 and apricot tarts--everything cooked too much1 and swimming in sauce which1 but for its grittiness1 would have been flavourless4 ,however1 there was some fairly fine fruit on the glass stands1 particularly some peaches4 ,and1 besides1 the people did not seem at all difficult to please2 they apparently had no palates1 for there was no sign of nausea4 ,hemmed in between an old priest and a dirty1 full-bearded man1 a girl of delicate build1 who looked very pretty with her soft eyes and silken skin1 was eating some kidneys with an expression of absolute beatitude1 although the so-called 8sauce0 in which they swam was simply greyish water4 8,hum60 resumed even ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8this salmon is not so bad4 ,add a little salt to it and you will find it all right40 ,pierre made up his mind to eat1 for after all he must take sustenance for strength's sake4 ,at a little table close by1 however1 he had just caught sight of ,madame ,vigneron and ,madame ,chaise1 who sat face to face1 apparently waiting4 ,and indeed1 ,m4 ,vigneron and his son ,gustave soon appeared1 the latter still pale1 and leaning more heavily than usual on his crutch4 8,sit down next to your aunt10 said his father2 8,i will take the chair beside your mother40 ,but just then he perceived his two neighbours1 and stepping up to them1 he added3 8,oh6 he is now all right again4 ,i have been rubbing him with some eau-de-,cologne1 and by-and-by he will be able to take his bath at the piscina40 ,thereupon ,m4 ,vigneron sat down and began to devour4 ,but what an awful fright he had had6 ,he again began talking of it aloud1 despite himself1 so intense had been his terror at the thought that the lad might go off before his aunt4 ,the latter related that whilst she was kneeling at the ,grotto the day before1 she had experienced a sudden feeling of relief2 in fact1 she flattered herself that she was cured of her heart complaint1 and began giving precise particulars1 to which her brother-in-law listened with dilated eyes1 full of involuntary anxiety4 ,most certainly he was a good-natured man1 he had never desired anybody's death2 only he felt indignant at the idea that the ,virgin might cure this old woman1 and forget his son1 who was so young4 ,talking and eating1 he had got to the cutlets1 and was swallowing the mashed potatoes by the forkful1 when he fancied he could detect that ,madame ,chaise was sulking with her nephew4 8,gustave10 he suddenly inquired1 8have you asked your aunt's forgiveness80 ,the lad1 quite astonished1 began staring at his father with his large clear eyes4 8,yes10 added ,m4 ,vigneron1 8you behaved very badly1 you pushed her back just now when she wanted to help you to sit up40 ,madame ,chaise said nothing1 but waited with a dignified air1 whilst ,gustave1 who1 without any show of appetite1 was finishing the noix of his cutlet1 which had been cut into small pieces1 remained with his eyes lowered on his plate1 this time obstinately refusing to make the sorry show of affection which was demanded of him4 8,come1 ,gustave10 resumed his father1 8be a good boy4 ,you know how kind your aunt is1 and all that she intends to do for you40 ,but no1 he would not yield4 ,at that moment1 indeed1 he really hated that woman1 who did not die quickly enough1 who polluted the affection of his parents1 to such a point that when he saw them surround him with attentions he no longer knew whether it were himself or the inheritance which his life represented that they wished to save4 ,however1 ,madame ,vigneron1 so dignified in her demeanour1 came to her husband's help4 8,you really grieve me1 ,gustave10 said she2 8ask your aunt's forgiveness1 or you will make me quite angry with you40 ,thereupon he gave way4 ,what was the use of resisting8 ,was it not better that his parents should obtain that money8 ,would he not himself die later on1 so as to suit the family convenience8 ,he was aware of all that2 he understood everything1 even when not a word was spoken4 ,so keen was the sense of hearing with which suffering had endowed him1 that he even heard the others' thoughts4 8,i beg your pardon1 aunt10 he said1 8for not having behaved well to you just now40 ,then two big tears rolled from his eyes1 whilst he smiled with the air of a tender-hearted man who has seen too much of life and can no longer be deceived by anything4 ,madame ,chaise at once kissed him and told him that she was not at all angry4 ,and the ,vignerons' delight in living was displayed in all candour4 8,if the kidneys are not up to much10 ,m4 de ,guersaint now said to ,pierre1 8here at all events are some cauliflowers with a good flavour40 ,the formidable mastication was still going on around them4 ,pierre had never seen such an amount of eating1 amidst such perspiration1 in an atmosphere as stifling as that of a washhouse full of hot steam4 ,the odour of the victuals seemed to thicken into a kind of smoke4 ,you had to shout to make yourself heard1 for everybody was talking in loud tones1 and the scared waiters raised a fearful clatter in changing the plates and forks2 not to mention the noise of all the jaw-crunching1 a mill-like grinding which was distinctly audible4 ,what most hurt the feelings of the young priest1 however1 was the extraordinary promiscuity of the table d'hte1 at which men and women1 young girls and ecclesiastics1 were packed together in chance order1 and satisfied their hunger like a pack of hounds snapping at offal in all haste4 ,baskets of bread went round and were promptly emptied4 ,and there was a perfect massacre of cold meats1 all the remnants of the victuals of the day before1 leg of mutton1 veal1 and ham1 encompassed by a fallen mass of transparent jelly which quivered like soft glue4 ,they had all eaten too much already1 but these viands seemed to whet their appetites afresh1 as though the idea had come to them that nothing whatever ought to be left4 ,the fat priest in the middle of the table1 who had shown himself such a capital knife-and-fork1 was now lingering over the fruit1 having just got to his third peach1 a huge one1 which he slowly peeled and swallowed in slices with an air of compunction4 ,all at once1 however1 the whole room was thrown into agitation4 ,a waiter had come in and begun distributing the letters which ,madame ,majest had finished sorting4 8,hallo60 exclaimed ,m4 ,vigneron2 8a letter for me6 ,this is surprising--,i did not give my address to anybody40 ,then1 at a sudden recollection1 he added1 8,yes ,i did1 though2 this must have come from ,sauvageot1 who is filling my place at the ,ministry40 ,he opened the letter1 his hands began to tremble1 and suddenly he raised a cry3 8,the chief clerk is dead60 ,deeply agitated1 ,madame ,vigneron was also unable to bridle her tongue3 8,then you will have the appointment60 ,this was the secret dream in which they had so long and so fondly indulged3 the chief clerk's death1 in order that he1 ,vigneron1 assistant chief clerk for ten years past1 might at last rise to the supreme post1 the bureaucratic marshalship4 ,and so great was his delight that he cast aside all restraint4 8,ah6 the ,blessed ,virgin is certainly protecting me1 my dear4 ,only this morning ,i again prayed to her for a rise1 and1 you see1 she grants my prayer60 ,however1 finding ,madame ,chaise's eyes fixed upon his own1 and seeing ,gustave smile1 he realised that he ought not to exult in this fashion4 ,each member of the family no doubt thought of his or her interests and prayed to the ,blessed ,virgin for such personal favours as might be desired4 ,and so1 again putting on his good-natured air1 he resumed3 8,i mean that the ,blessed ,virgin takes an interest in every one of us and will send us all home well satisfied4 ,ah6 the poor chief1 ,i'm sorry for him4 ,i shall have to send my card to his widow40 ,in spite of all his efforts he could not restrain his exultation1 and no longer doubted that his most secret desires1 those which he did not even confess to himself1 would soon be gratified4 ,and so all honour was done to the apricot tarts1 even ,gustave being allowed to eat a portion of one4 8,it is surprising10 now remarked ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had just ordered a cup of coffee2 8it is surprising that one doesn't see more sick people here4 ,all these folks seem to me to have first-rate appetites40 ,after a close inspection1 however1 in addition to ,gustave1 who ate no more than a little chicken1 he ended by finding a man with a goitre seated at the table d'hte between two women1 one of whom certainly suffered from cancer4 ,farther on1 too1 there was a girl so thin and pale that she must surely be a consumptive4 ,and still farther away there was a female idiot who had made her entry leaning on two relatives1 and with expressionless eyes and lifeless features was now carrying her food to her mouth with a spoon1 and slobbering over her napkin4 ,perhaps there were yet other ailing ones present who could not be distinguished among all those noisy appetites1 ailing ones whom the journey had braced1 and who were eating as they had not eaten for a long time past4 ,the apricot tarts1 the cheese1 the fruits were all engulfed amidst the increasing disorder of the table1 where at last there only remained the stains of all the wine and sauce which had been spilt upon the cloth4 ,it was nearly noon4 8,we will go back to the ,grotto at once1 eh80 said ,m4 ,vigneron4 ,indeed1 8,to the ,grotto6 ,to the ,grotto60 were well-nigh the only words you now heard4 ,the full mouths were eagerly masticating and swallowing1 in order that they might repeat prayers and hymns again with all speed4 8,well1 as we have the whole afternoon before us10 declared ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8,i suggest that we should visit the town a little4 ,i want to see also if ,i can get a conveyance for my excursion1 as my daughter so particularly wishes me to make it40 ,pierre1 who was stifling1 was glad indeed to leave the dining-room4 ,in the porch he was able to breathe again1 though even there he found a torrent of customers1 new arrivals who were waiting for places4 ,no sooner did one of the little tables become vacant than its possession was eagerly contested1 whilst the smallest gap at the table d'hte was instantly filled up4 ,in this wise the assault would continue for more than another hour1 and again would the different courses of the menu appear in procession1 to be engulfed amidst the crunching of jaws1 the stifling heat1 and the growing nausea4 ,,ii4 ,,the 8,,ordinary40 ,,when ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint got outside they began walking slowly amidst the ever-growing stream of the ,sundayfied crowd4 ,the sky was a bright blue1 the sun warmed the whole town1 and there was a festive gaiety in the atmosphere1 the keen delight that attends those great fairs which bring entire communities into the open air4 ,when they had descended the crowded footway of the ,avenue de la ,grotte1 and had reached the corner of the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 they found their way barred by a throng which was flowing backward amidst a block of vehicles and stamping of horses4 8,there is no hurry1 however10 remarked ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,my idea is to go as far as the ,place du ,marcadal in the old town2 for the servant girl at the hotel told me of a hairdresser there whose brother lets out conveyances cheaply4 ,do you mind going so far80 8,i80 replied ,pierre4 8,go wherever you like1 ,i'll follow you40 8,all right--and ,i'll profit by the opportunity to have a shave40 ,they were nearing the ,place du ,rosaire1 and found themselves in front of the lawns stretching to the ,gave1 when an encounter again stopped them4 ,mesdames ,dsagneaux and ,raymonde de ,jonquire were here1 chatting gaily with ,grard de ,peyrelongue4 ,both women wore light-coloured gowns1 seaside dresses as it were1 and their white silk parasols shone in the bright sunlight4 ,they imparted1 so to say1 a pretty note to the scene--a touch of society chatter blended with the fresh laughter of youth4 8,no1 no10 ,madame ,dsagneaux was saying1 8we certainly can't go and visit your #8ordinary' like that--at the very moment when all your comrades are eating40 ,grard1 however1 with a very gallant air1 insisted on their accompanying him1 turning more particularly towards ,raymonde1 whose somewhat massive face was that day brightened by the radiant charm of health4 8,but it is a very curious sight1 ,i assure you10 said the young man1 8and you would be very respectfully received4 ,trust yourself to me1 mademoiselle4 ,besides1 we should certainly find ,m4 ,berthaud there1 and he would be delighted to do you the honours40 ,raymonde smiled1 her clear eyes plainly saying that she was quite agreeable4 ,and just then1 as ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint drew near in order to present their respects to the ladies1 they were made acquainted with the question under discussion4 ,the 8ordinary0 was a kind of restaurant or table d'hte which the members of the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation--the bearers1 the hospitallers of the ,grotto1 the piscinas1 and the hospitals--had established among themselves with the view of taking their meals together at small cost4 ,many of them were not rich1 for they were recruited among all classes2 however1 they had contrived to secure three good meals for the daily payment of three francs apiece4 ,and in fact they soon had provisions to spare and distributed them among the poor4 ,everything was in their own management2 they purchased their own supplies1 recruited a cook and a few waiters1 and did not disdain to lend a hand themselves1 in order that everything might be comfortable and orderly4 8,it must be very interesting10 said ,m1 de ,guersaint1 when these explanations had been given him4 8,let us go and see it1 if we are not in the way40 ,little ,madame ,dsagneaux thereupon gave her consent4 8,well1 if we are going in a party10 said she1 8,i am quite willing4 ,but when this gentleman first proposed to take ,raymonde and me1 ,i was afraid that it might not be quite proper40 ,then1 as she began to laugh1 the others followed her example4 ,she had accepted ,m4 de ,guersaint's arm1 and ,pierre walked beside her on the other hand1 experiencing a sudden feeling of sympathy for this gay little woman1 who was so full of life and so charming with her fair frizzy hair and creamy complexion4 ,behind them came ,raymonde1 leaning upon ,grard's arm and talking to him in the calm1 staid voice of a young lady who holds the best principles despite her air of heedless youth4 ,and since here was the husband whom she had so often dreamt of1 she resolved that she would this time secure him1 make him beyond all question her own4 ,she intoxicated him with the perfume of health and youth which she diffused1 and at the same time astonished him by her knowledge of housewifely duties and of the manner in which money may be economised even in the most trifling matters2 for having questioned him with regard to the purchases which he and his comrades made for their 8ordinary10 she proceeded to show him that they might have reduced their expenditure still further4 ,meantime ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,madame ,dsagneaux were also chatting together3 8,you must be fearfully tired1 madame10 said the architect4 ,but with a gesture of revolt1 and an exclamation of genuine anger1 she replied3 8,oh no1 indeed6 ,last night1 it is true1 fatigue quite overcame me at the hospital2 ,i sat down and dozed off1 and ,madame de ,jonquire and the other ladies were good enough to let me sleep on40 ,at this the others again began to laugh2 but still with the same angry air she continued3 8,and so ,i slept like a log until this morning4 ,it was disgraceful1 especially as ,i had sworn that ,i would remain up all night40 ,then1 merriment gaining upon her in her turn1 she suddenly burst into a sonorous laugh1 displaying her beautiful white teeth4 8,ah6 a pretty nurse ,i am1 and no mistake6 ,it was poor ,madame de ,jonquire who had to remain on her legs all the time4 ,i tried to coax her to come out with us just now4 ,but she preferred to take a little rest40 ,raymonde1 who overheard these words1 thereupon raised her voice to say3 8,yes1 indeed1 my poor mamma could no longer keep on her feet4 ,it was ,i who compelled her to lie down1 telling her that she could go to sleep without any uneasiness1 for we should get on all right without her--0 ,so saying1 the girl gave ,grard a laughing glance4 ,he even fancied that he could detect a faint squeeze of the fresh round arm which was resting on his own1 as though1 indeed1 she had wished to express her happiness at being alone with him so that they might settle their own affairs without any interference4 ,this quite delighted him2 and he began to explain that if he had not had djeuner with his comrades that day1 it was because some friends had invited him to join them at the railway-station refreshment-room at ten o'clock1 and had not given him his liberty until after the departure of the eleven-thirty train4 8,ah6 the rascals60 he suddenly resumed4 8,do you hear them1 mademoiselle80 ,the little party was now nearing its destination1 and the uproarious laughter and chatter of youth rang out from a clump of trees which concealed the old zinc and plaster building in which the 8ordinary0 was installed4 ,grard began by taking the visitors into the kitchen1 a very spacious apartment1 well fitted up1 and containing a huge range and an immense table1 to say nothing of numerous gigantic cauldrons4 ,here1 moreover1 the young man called the attention of his companions to the circumstance that the cook1 a fat1 jovial-looking man1 had the red cross pinned on his white jacket1 being himself a member of the pilgrimage4 ,then1 pushing open a door1 ,grard invited his friends to enter the common room4 ,it was a long apartment containing two rows of plain deal tables2 and the only other articles of furniture were numerous rush-seated tavern chairs1 with an additional table which served as a sideboard4 ,the whitewashed walls and the flooring of shiny1 red tiles looked1 however1 extremely clean amidst this intentional bareness1 which was similar to that of a monkish refectory4 ,but1 the feature of the place which more particularly struck you1 as you crossed the threshold1 was the childish gaiety which reigned there2 for1 packed together at the tables1 were a hundred and fifty hospitallers of all ages1 eating with splendid appetites1 laughing1 applauding1 and singing1 with their mouths full4 ,a wondrous fraternity united these men1 who had flocked to ,lourdes from every province of ,france1 and who belonged to all classes1 and represented every degree of fortune4 ,many of them knew nothing of one another1 save that they met here and elbowed one another during three days every year1 living together like brothers1 and then going off and remaining in absolute ignorance of each other during the rest of the twelvemonth4 ,nothing could be more charming1 however1 than to meet again at the next pilgrimage1 united in the same charitable work1 and to spend a few days of hard labour and boyish delight in common once more2 for it all became1 as it were1 an 8outing0 of a number of big fellows1 let loose under a lovely sky1 and well pleased to be able to enjoy themselves and laugh together4 ,and even the frugality of the table1 with the pride of managing things themselves1 of eating the provisions which they had purchased and cooked1 added to the general good humour4 8,you see10 explained ,grard1 8we are not at all inclined to be sad1 although we have so much hard work to get through4 ,the ,hospitality numbers more than three hundred members1 but there are only about one hundred and fifty here at a time1 for we have had to organise two successive services1 so that there may always be some of us on duty at the ,grotto and the hospitals40 ,the sight of the little party of visitors assembled on the threshold of the room seemed to have increased the general delight2 and ,berthaud1 the superintendent of the bearers1 who was lunching at the head of one of the tables1 gallantly rose up to receive the ladies4 8,but it smells very nice10 exclaimed ,madame ,dsagneaux in her giddy way4 8,won't you invite us to come and taste your cookery to-morrow80 8,oh6 we can't ask ladies10 replied ,berthaud1 laughing4 8,but if you gentlemen would like to join us to-morrow we should be extremely pleased to entertain you40 ,he had at once noticed the good understanding which prevailed between ,grard and ,raymonde1 and seemed delighted at it1 for he greatly wished his cousin to make this match4 ,he laughed pleasantly1 at the enthusiastic gaiety which the young girl displayed as she began to question him4 8,is not that the ,marquis de ,salmon-,roquebert10 she asked1 8who is sitting over yonder between those two young men who look like shop assistants80 8,they are1 in fact1 the sons of a small stationer at ,tarbes10 replied ,berthaud2 8and that is really the ,marquis1 your neighbour of the ,rue de ,lille1 the owner of that magnificent mansion1 one of the richest and most noble men of title in ,france4 ,you see how he is enjoying our mutton stew60 ,it was true1 the millionaire ,marquis seemed delighted to be able to board himself for his three francs a day1 and to sit down at table in genuine democratic fashion by the side of petty bourgeois and workmen who would not have dared to accost him in the street4 ,was not that chance table symbolical of social communion1 effected by the joint practice of charity8 ,for his part1 the ,marquis was the more hungry that day1 as he had bathed over sixty patients1 sufferers from all the most abominable diseases of unhappy humanity1 at the piscinas that morning4 ,and the scene around him seemed like a realisation of the evangelical commonalty2 but doubtless it was so charming and so gay simply because its duration was limited to three days4 ,although ,m4 de ,guersaint had but lately risen from table1 his curiosity prompted him to taste the mutton stew1 and he pronounced it perfect4 ,meantime1 ,pierre caught sight of ,baron ,suire1 the director of the ,hospitality1 walking about between the rows of tables with an air of some importance1 as though he had allotted himself the task of keeping an eye on everything1 even on the manner in which his staff fed itself4 ,the young priest thereupon remembered the ardent desire which ,marie had expressed to spend the night in front of the ,grotto1 and it occurred to him that the ,baron might be willing to give the necessary authorisation4 8,certainly10 replied the director1 who had become quite grave whilst listening to ,pierre1 8we do sometimes allow it2 but it is always a very delicate matter6 ,you assure me at all events that this young person is not consumptive8 ,well1 well1 since you say that she so much desires it ,i will mention the matter to ,father ,fourcade and warn ,madame de ,jonquire1 so that she may let you take the young lady away40 ,he was in reality a very good-natured fellow1 albeit so fond of assuming the air of an indispensable man weighed down by the heaviest responsibilities4 ,in his turn he now detained the visitors1 and gave them full particulars concerning the organisation of the ,hospitality4 ,its members said prayers together every morning4 ,two board meetings were held each day1 and were attended by all the heads of departments1 as well as by the reverend ,fathers and some of the chaplains4 ,all the hospitallers took the ,sacrament as frequently as possible4 ,and1 moreover1 there were many complicated tasks to be attended to1 a prodigious rotation of duties1 quite a little world to be governed with a firm hand4 ,the ,baron spoke like a general who each year gains a great victory over the spirit of the age2 and1 sending ,berthaud back to finish his djeuner1 he insisted on escorting the ladies into the little sanded courtyard1 which was shaded by some fine trees4 8,it is very interesting1 very interesting10 repeated ,madame ,dsagneaux4 8,we are greatly obliged to you for your kindness1 monsieur40 8,don't mention it1 don't mention it1 madame10 answered the ,baron4 8,it is ,i who am pleased at having had an opportunity to show you my little army40 ,so far ,grard had not quitted ,raymonde's side2 but ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,pierre were already exchanging glances suggestive of leave-taking1 in order that they might repair by themselves to the ,place du ,marcadal1 when ,madame ,dsagneaux suddenly remembered that a friend had requested her to send her a bottle of ,lourdes water4 ,and she thereupon asked ,grard how she was to execute this commission4 ,the young man began to laugh4 8,will you again accept me as a guide80 said he4 8,and by the way1 if these gentlemen like to come as well1 ,i will show you the place where the bottles are filled1 corked1 packed in cases1 and then sent off4 ,it is a curious sight40 ,m4 de ,guersaint immediately consented2 and all five of them set out again1 ,madame ,dsagneaux still between the architect and the priest1 whilst ,raymonde and ,grard brought up the rear4 ,the crowd in the burning sunlight was increasing2 the ,place du ,rosaire was now overflowing with an idle sauntering mob resembling some concourse of sight-seers on a day of public rejoicing4 ,the bottling and packing shops were situated under one of the arches on the left-hand side of the ,place4 ,they formed a suite of three apartments of very simple aspect4 ,in the first one the bottles were filled in the most ordinary of fashions4 ,a little green-painted zinc barrel1 not unlike a watering-cask1 was dragged by a man from the ,grotto1 and the light-coloured bottles were then simply filled at its tap1 one by one2 the blouse-clad workman entrusted with the duty exercising no particular watchfulness to prevent the water from overflowing4 ,in fact there was quite a puddle of it upon the ground4 ,there were no labels on the bottles2 the little leaden capsules placed over the corks alone bore an inscription1 and they were coated with a kind of ceruse1 doubtless to ensure preservation4 ,then came two other rooms which formed regular packing shops1 with carpenters' benches1 tools1 and heaps of shavings4 ,the boxes1 most frequently made for one bottle or for two1 were put together with great care1 and the bottles were deposited inside them1 on beds of fine wood parings4 ,the scene reminded one in some degree of the packing halls for flowers at ,nice and for preserved fruits at ,grasse4 ,grard went on giving explanations with a quiet1 satisfied air4 8,the water10 he said1 8really comes from the ,grotto1 as you can yourselves see1 so that all the foolish jokes which one hears really have no basis4 ,and everything is perfectly simple1 natural1 and goes on in the broad daylight4 ,i would also point out to you that the ,fathers don't sell the water as they are accused of doing4 ,for instance1 a bottle of water here costs twenty centimes199 which is only the price of the bottle itself4 ,if you wish to have it sent to anybody you naturally have to pay for the packing and the carriage1 and then it costs you one franc and seventy centimes49999 ,however1 you are perfectly at liberty to go to the source and fill the flasks and cans and other receptacles that you may choose to bring with you40 99 ,four cents1 ,u4,s4,a4 9999 ,about #cb cents1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,pierre reflected that the profits of the reverend ,fathers in this respect could not be very large ones1 for their gains were limited to what they made by manufacturing the boxes and supplying the bottles1 which latter1 purchased by the thousand1 certainly did not cost them so much as twenty centimes apiece4 ,however1 ,raymonde and ,madame ,dsagneaux1 as well as ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had such a lively imagination1 experienced deep disappointment at sight of the little green barrel1 the capsules1 sticky with ceruse1 and the piles of shavings lying around the benches4 ,they had doubtless imagined all sorts of ceremonies1 the observance of certain rites in bottling the miraculous water1 priests in vestments pronouncing blessings1 and choir-boys singing hymns of praise in pure crystalline voices4 ,for his part1 ,pierre1 in presence of all this vulgar bottling and packing1 ended by thinking of the active power of faith4 ,when one of those bottles reaches some far-away sick-room1 and is unpacked there1 and the sufferer falls upon his knees1 and so excites himself by contemplating and drinking the pure water that he actually brings about the cure of his ailment1 there must truly be a most extraordinary plunge into all-powerful illusion4 8,ah60 exclaimed ,grard as they came out1 8would you like to see the storehouse where the tapers are kept1 before going to the offices8 ,it is only a couple of steps away40 ,and then1 not even waiting for their answer1 he led them to the opposite side of the ,place du ,rosaire4 ,his one desire was to amuse ,raymonde1 but1 in point of fact1 the aspect of the place where the tapers were stored was even less entertaining than that of the packing-rooms which they had just left4 ,this storehouse1 a kind of deep vault under one of the right-hand arches of the ,place1 was divided by timber into a number of spacious compartments1 in which lay an extraordinary collection of tapers1 classified according to size4 ,the overplus of all the tapers offered to the ,grotto was deposited here2 and such was the number of these superfluous candles that the little conveyances stationed near the ,grotto railing1 ready to receive the pilgrims' offerings1 had to be brought to the storehouse several times a day in order to be emptied there1 after which they were returned to the ,grotto1 and were promptly filled again4 ,in theory1 each taper that was offered ought to have been burnt at the feet of the ,virgin's statue2 but so great was the number of these offerings1 that1 although a couple of hundred tapers of all sizes were kept burning by day and night1 it was impossible to exhaust the supply1 which went on increasing and increasing4 ,there was a rumour that the ,fathers could not even find room to store all this wax1 but had to sell it over and over again2 and1 indeed1 certain friends of the ,grotto confessed1 with a touch of pride1 that the profit on the tapers alone would have sufficed to defray all the expenses of the business4 ,the quantity of these votive candles quite stupefied ,raymonde and ,madame ,dsagneaux4 ,how many1 how many there were6 ,the smaller ones1 costing from fifty centimes to a franc apiece1 were piled up in fabulous numbers4 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 desirous of getting at the exact figures1 quite lost himself in the puzzling calculation he attempted4 ,as for ,pierre1 it was in silence that he gazed upon this mass of wax1 destined to be burnt in open daylight to the glory of ,god2 and although he was by no means a rigid utilitarian1 and could well understand that some apparent acts of extravagance yield an illusive enjoyment and satisfaction which provide humanity with as much sustenance as bread1 he could not1 on the other hand1 refrain from reflecting on the many benefits which might have been conferred on the poor and the ailing with the money represented by all that wax1 which would fly away in smoke4 8,but come1 what about that bottle which ,i am to send off80 abruptly asked ,madame ,dsagneaux4 8,we will go to the office10 replied ,grard4 8,in five minutes everything will be settled40 ,they had to cross the ,place du ,rosaire once more and ascend the stone stairway leading to the ,basilica4 ,the office was up above1 on the left hand1 at the corner of the path leading to the ,calvary4 ,the building was a paltry one1 a hut of lath and plaster which the wind and the rain had reduced to a state of ruin4 ,on a board outside was the inscription3 8,apply here with reference to ,masses1 ,offerings1 and ,brotherhoods4 ,forwarding office for ,lourdes water4 ,subscriptions to the #8,annals of ,o4 ,l4 of ,lourdes4'0 ,how many millions of people must have already passed through this wretched shanty1 which seemed to date from the innocent days when the foundations of the adjacent ,basilica had scarcely been laid6 ,the whole party went in1 eager to see what might be inside4 ,but they simply found a wicket at which ,madame ,dsagneaux had to stop in order to give her friend's name and address2 and when she had paid one franc and seventy centimes1 a small printed receipt was handed her1 such as you receive on registering luggage at a railway station4 ,as soon as they were outside again ,grard pointed to a large building standing two or three hundred yards away1 and resumed3 8,there1 that is where the ,fathers reside40 8,but we see nothing of them10 remarked ,pierre4 ,this observation so astonished the young man that he remained for a moment without replying4 8,it's true10 he at last said1 8we do not see them1 but then they give up the custody of everything--the ,grotto and all the rest--to the ,fathers of the ,assumption during the national pilgrimage40 ,pierre looked at the building which had been pointed out to him1 and noticed that it was a massive stone pile resembling a fortress4 ,the windows were closed1 and the whole edifice looked lifeless4 ,yet everything at ,lourdes came from it1 and to it also everything returned4 ,it seemed1 in fact1 to the young priest that he could hear the silent1 formidable rake-stroke which extended over the entire valley1 which caught hold of all who had come to the spot1 and placed both the gold and the blood of the throng in the clutches of those reverend ,fathers6 ,however1 ,grard just then resumed in a low voice 8,but come1 they do show themselves1 for here is the reverend superior1 ,father ,capdebarthe himself40 ,an ecclesiastic was indeed just passing1 a man with the appearance of a peasant1 a knotty frame1 and a large head which looked as though carved with a billhook4 ,his opaque eyes were quite expressionless1 and his face1 with its worn features1 had retained a loamy tint1 a gloomy1 russet reflection of the earth4 ,monseigneur ,laurence had really made a politic selection in confiding the organisation and management of the ,grotto to those ,garaison missionaries1 who were so tenacious and covetous1 for the most part sons of mountain peasants and passionately attached to the soil4 ,however1 the little party now slowly retraced its steps by way of the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 the broad boulevard which skirts the inclined way on the left hand and leads to the ,avenue de la ,grotte4 ,it was already past one o'clock1 but people were still eating their djeuners from one to the other end of the overflowing town4 ,many of the fifty thousand pilgrims and sight-seers collected within it had not yet been able to sit down and eat2 and ,pierre1 who had left the table d'hte still crowded1 who had just seen the hospitallers squeezing together so gaily at the 8ordinary10 found more and more tables at each step he took4 ,on all sides people were eating1 eating without a pause4 ,hereabouts1 however1 in the open air1 on either side of the broad road1 the hungry ones were humble folk who had rushed upon the tables set up on either footway--tables formed of a couple of long boards1 flanked by two forms1 and shaded from the sun by narrow linen awnings4 ,broth and coffee were sold at these places at a penny a cup4 ,the little loaves heaped up in high baskets also cost a penny apiece4 ,hanging from the poles which upheld the awnings were sausages1 chitterlings1 and hams4 ,some of the open-air restaurateurs were frying potatoes1 and others were concocting more or less savoury messes of inferior meat and onions4 ,a pungent smoke1 a violent odour1 arose into the sunlight1 mingling with the dust which was raised by the continuous tramp of the promenaders4 ,rows of people1 moreover1 were waiting at each cantine1 so that each time a party rose from table fresh customers took possession of the benches ranged beside the oilcloth-covered planks1 which were so narrow that there was scarcely room for two bowls of soup to be placed side by side4 ,and one and all made haste1 and devoured with the ravenous hunger born of their fatigue1 that insatiable appetite which so often follows upon great moral shocks4 ,in fact1 when the mind had exhausted itself in prayer1 when everything physical had been forgotten amidst the mental flight into the legendary heavens1 the human animal suddenly appeared1 again asserted itself1 and began to gorge4 ,moreover1 under that dazzling ,sunday sky1 the scene was like that of a fair-field with all the gluttony of a merrymaking community1 a display of the delight which they felt in living1 despite the multiplicity of their abominable ailments and the dearth of the miracles they hoped for4 8,they eat1 they amuse themselves2 what else can one expect80 remarked ,grard1 guessing the thoughts of his amiable companions4 8,ah6 poor people60 murmured ,pierre1 8they have a perfect right to do so40 ,he was greatly touched to see human nature reassert itself in this fashion4 ,however1 when they had got to the lower part of the boulevard near the ,grotto1 his feelings were hurt at sight of the desperate eagerness displayed by the female vendors of tapers and bouquets1 who with the rough fierceness of conquerors assailed the passers-by in bands4 ,they were mostly young women1 with bare heads1 or with kerchiefs tied over their hair1 and they displayed extraordinary effrontery4 ,even the old ones were scarcely more discreet4 ,with parcels of tapers under their arms1 they brandished the one which they offered for sale and even thrust it into the hand of the promenader4 8,monsieur10 8madame10 they called1 8buy a taper1 buy a taper1 it will bring you luck60 ,one gentleman1 who was surrounded and shaken by three of the youngest of these harpies1 almost lost the skirts of his frock-coat in attempting to escape their clutches4 ,then the scene began afresh with the bouquets--large round bouquets they were1 carelessly fastened together and looking like cabbages4 8,a bouquet1 madame60 was the cry4 8,a bouquet for the ,blessed ,virgin60 ,if the lady escaped1 she heard muttered insults behind her4 ,trafficking1 impudent trafficking1 pursued the pilgrims to the very outskirts of the ,grotto4 ,trade was not merely triumphantly installed in every one of the shops1 standing close together and transforming each street into a bazaar1 but it overran the footways and barred the road with hand-carts full of chaplets1 medals1 statuettes1 and religious prints4 ,on all sides people were buying almost to the same extent as they ate1 in order that they might take away with them some souvenir of this holy ,kermesse4 ,and the bright gay note of this commercial eagerness1 this scramble of hawkers1 was supplied by the urchins who rushed about through the crowd1 crying the 8,journal de la ,grotte40 ,their sharp1 shrill voices pierced the ear3 8,the #8,journal de la ,grotte1' this morning's number1 two sous1 the #8,journal de la ,grotte4'0 ,amidst the continual pushing which accompanied the eddying of the ever-moving crowd1 ,grard's little party became separated4 ,he and ,raymonde remained behind the others4 ,they had begun talking together in low tones1 with an air of smiling intimacy1 lost and isolated as they were in the dense crowd4 ,and ,madame ,dsagneaux at last had to stop1 look back1 and call to them3 8,come on1 or we shall lose one another60 ,as they drew near1 ,pierre heard the girl exclaim3 8,mamma is so very busy2 speak to her before we leave40 ,and ,grard thereupon replied3 8,it is understood4 ,you have made me very happy1 mademoiselle40 ,thus the husband had been secured1 the marriage decided upon1 during this charming promenade among the sights of ,lourdes4 ,raymonde had completed her conquest1 and ,grard had at last taken a resolution1 realising how gay and sensible she was1 as she walked beside him leaning on his arm4 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 however1 had raised his eyes1 and was heard inquiring3 8,are not those people up there1 on that balcony1 the rich folk who made the journey in the same train as ourselves8--,you know whom ,i mean1 that lady who is so very ill1 and whose husband and sister accompany her80 ,he was alluding to the ,dieulafays2 and they indeed were the persons whom he now saw on the balcony of a suite of rooms which they had rented in a new house overlooking the lawns of the ,rosary4 ,they here occupied a first-floor1 furnished with all the luxury that ,lourdes could provide1 carpets1 hangings1 mirrors1 and many other things1 without mentioning a staff of servants despatched beforehand from ,paris4 ,as the weather was so fine that afternoon1 the large armchair on which lay the poor ailing woman had been rolled on to the balcony4 ,you could see her there1 clad in a lace peignoir4 ,her husband1 always correctly attired in a black frock-coat1 stood beside her on her right hand1 whilst her sister1 in a delightful pale mauve gown1 sat on her left smiling and leaning over every now and then so as to speak to her1 but apparently receiving no reply4 8,oh60 declared little ,madame ,dsagneaux1 8,i have often heard people speak of ,madame ,jousseur1 that lady in mauve4 ,she is the wife of a diplomatist who neglects her1 it seems1 in spite of her great beauty2 and last year there was a deal of talk about her fancy for a young colonel who is well known in ,parisian society4 ,it is said1 however1 in ,catholic salons that her religious principles enabled her to conquer it40 ,they all five remained there1 looking up at the balcony4 8,to think10 resumed ,madame ,dsagneaux1 8that her sister1 poor woman1 was once her living portrait40 ,and1 indeed1 there was an expression of greater kindliness and more gentle gaiety on ,madame ,dieulafay's face4 ,and now you see her--no different from a dead woman except that she is above instead of under ground--with her flesh wasted away1 reduced to a livid1 boneless thing which they scarcely dare to move4 ,ah6 the unhappy woman6 ,raymonde thereupon assured the others that ,madame ,dieulafay1 who had been married scarcely two years previously1 had brought all the jewellery given her on the occasion of her wedding to offer it as a gift to ,our ,lady of ,lourdes2 and ,grard confirmed this assertion1 saying that the jewellery had been handed over to the treasurer of the ,basilica that very morning with a golden lantern studded with gems and a large sum of money destined for the relief of the poor4 ,however1 the ,blessed ,virgin could not have been touched as yet1 for the sufferer's condition seemed1 if anything1 to be worse4 ,from that moment ,pierre no longer beheld aught save that young woman on that handsome balcony1 that woeful1 wealthy creature lying there high above the merrymaking throng1 the ,lourdes mob which was feasting and laughing in the ,sunday sunshine4 ,the two dear ones who were so tenderly watching over her--her sister who had forsaken her society triumphs1 her husband who had forgotten his financial business1 his millions dispersed throughout the world--increased1 by their irreproachable demeanour1 the woefulness of the group which they thus formed high above all other heads1 and face to face with the lovely valley4 ,for ,pierre they alone remained2 and they were exceedingly wealthy and exceedingly wretched4 ,however1 lingering in this wise on the footway with their eyes upturned1 the five promenaders narrowly escaped being knocked down and run over1 for at every moment fresh vehicles were coming up1 for the most part landaus drawn by four horses1 which were driven at a fast trot1 and whose bells jingled merrily4 ,the occupants of these carriages were tourists1 visitors to the waters of ,pau1 ,bareges1 and ,cauterets1 whom curiosity had attracted to ,lourdes1 and who were delighted with the fine weather and quite inspirited by their rapid drive across the mountains4 ,they would remain at ,lourdes only a few hours2 after hastening to the ,grotto and the ,basilica in seaside costumes1 they would start off again1 laughing1 and well pleased at having seen it all4 ,in this wise families in light attire1 bands of young women with bright parasols1 darted hither and thither among the grey1 neutral-tinted crowd of pilgrims1 imparting to it1 in a yet more pronounced manner1 the aspect of a fair-day mob1 amidst which folks of good society deign to come and amuse themselves4 ,all at once ,madame ,dsagneaux raised a cry 8,what1 is it you1 ,berthe80 ,and thereupon she embraced a tall1 charming brunette who had just alighted from a landau with three other young women1 the whole party smiling and animated4 ,everyone began talking at once1 and all sorts of merry exclamations rang out1 in the delight they felt at meeting in this fashion4 8,oh6 we are at ,cauterets1 my dear10 said the tall brunette4 8,and as everybody comes here1 we decided to come all four together4 ,and your husband1 is he here with you80 ,madame ,dsagneaux began protesting3 8,of course not10 said she4 8,he is at ,trouville1 as you ought to know4 ,i shall start to join him on ,thursday40 8,yes1 yes1 of course10 resumed the tall brunette1 who1 like her friend1 seemed to be an amiable1 giddy creature1 8,i was forgetting2 you are here with the pilgrimage40 ,then ,madame ,dsagneaux offered to guide her friends1 promising to show them everything of interest in less than a couple of hours2 and turning to ,raymonde1 who stood by1 smiling1 she added 8,come with us1 my dear2 your mother won't be anxious40 ,the ladies and ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint thereupon exchanged bows3 and ,grard also took leave1 tenderly pressing ,raymonde's hand1 with his eyes fixed on hers1 as though to pledge himself definitively4 ,the women swiftly departed1 directing their steps towards the ,grotto1 and when ,grard also had gone off1 returning to his duties1 ,m4 de ,guersaint said to ,pierre3 8,and the hairdresser on the ,place du ,marcadal1 ,i really must go and see him4 ,you will come with me1 won't you80 8,of course ,i will go wherever you like4 ,i am quite at your disposal as ,marie does not need us40 ,following the pathways between the large lawns which stretch out in front of the ,rosary1 they reached the new bridge1 where they had another encounter1 this time with ,abb des ,hermoises1 who was acting as guide to two young married ladies who had arrived that morning from ,tarbes4 ,walking between them with the gallant air of a society priest1 he was showing them ,lourdes and explaining it to them1 keeping them well away1 however1 from its more repugnant features1 its poor and its ailing folk1 its odour of low misery1 which1 it must be admitted1 had well-nigh disappeared that fine1 sunshiny day4 ,at the first word which ,m4 de ,guersaint addressed to him with respect to the hiring of a vehicle for the trip to ,gavarnie1 the ,abb was seized with a dread lest he should be obliged to leave his pretty lady-visitors3 8,as you please1 my dear sir10 he replied4 8,kindly attend to the matter1 and--you are quite right1 make the cheapest arrangements possible1 for ,i shall have two ecclesiastics of small means with me4 ,there will be four of us4 ,let me know at the hotel this evening at what hour we shall start40 ,thereupon he again joined his lady-friends1 and led them towards the ,grotto1 following the shady path which skirts the ,gave1 a cool1 sequestered path well suited for lovers' walks4 ,feeling somewhat tired1 ,pierre had remained apart from the others1 leaning against the parapet of the new bridge4 ,and now for the first time he was struck by the prodigious number of priests among the crowd4 ,he saw all varieties of them swarming across the bridge3 priests of correct mien who had come with the pilgrimage and who could be recognised by their air of assurance and their clean cassocks2 poor village priests who were far more timid and badly clothed1 and who1 after making sacrifices in order that they might indulge in the journey1 would return home quite scared and1 finally1 there was the whole crowd of unattached ecclesiastics who had come nobody knew whence1 and who enjoyed such absolute liberty that it was difficult to be sure whether they had even said their mass that morning4 ,they doubtless found this liberty very agreeable2 and thus the greater number of them1 like ,abb des ,hermoises1 had simply come on a holiday excursion1 free from all duties1 and happy at being able to live like ordinary men1 lost1 unnoticed as they were in the multitude around them4 ,and from the young1 carefully groomed and perfumed priest1 to the old one in a dirty cassock and shoes down at heel1 the entire species had its representative in the throng--there were corpulent ones1 others but moderately fat1 thin ones1 tall ones and short ones1 some whom faith had brought and whom ardour was consuming1 some also who simply plied their calling like worthy men1 and some1 moreover1 who were fond of intriguing1 and who were only present in order that they might help the good cause4 ,however1 ,pierre was quite surprised to see such a stream of priests pass before him1 each with his special passion1 and one and all hurrying to the ,grotto as one hurries to a duty1 a belief1 a pleasure1 or a task4 ,he noticed one among the number1 a very short1 slim1 dark man with a pronounced ,italian accent1 whose glittering eyes seemed to be taking a plan of ,lourdes1 who looked1 indeed1 like one of those spies who come and peer around with a view to conquest2 and then he observed another one1 an enormous fellow with a paternal air1 who was breathing hard through inordinate eating1 and who paused in front of a poor sick woman1 and ended by slipping a five-franc piece into her hand4 ,just then1 however1 ,m4 de ,guersaint returned3 8,we merely have to go down the boulevard and the ,rue ,basse10 said he4 ,pierre followed him without answering4 ,he had just felt his cassock on his shoulders for the first time that afternoon1 for never had it seemed so light to him as whilst he was walking about amidst the scramble of the pilgrimage4 ,the young fellow was now living in a state of mingled unconsciousness and dizziness1 ever hoping that faith would fall upon him like a lightning flash1 in spite of all the vague uneasiness which was growing within him at sight of the things which he beheld4 ,however1 the spectacle of that ever-swelling stream of priests no longer wounded his heart2 fraternal feelings towards these unknown colleagues had returned to him2 how many of them there must be who believed no more than he did himself1 and yet1 like himself1 honestly fulfilled their mission as guides and consolers6 8,this boulevard is a new one1 you know10 said ,m4 de ,guersaint1 all at once raising his voice4 8,the number of houses built during the last twenty years is almost beyond belief4 ,there is quite a new town here40 ,the ,lapaca flowed along behind the buildings on their right and1 their curiosity inducing them to turn into a narrow lane1 they came upon some strange old structures on the margin of the narrow stream4 ,several ancient mills here displayed their wheels2 among them one which ,monseigneur ,laurence had given to ,bernadette's parents after the apparitions4 ,tourists1 moreover1 were here shown the pretended abode of ,bernadette1 a hovel whither the ,soubirous family had removed on leaving the ,rue des ,petits ,fosss1 and in which the young girl1 as she was already boarding with the ,sisters of ,nevers1 can have but seldom slept4 ,at last1 by way of the ,rue ,basse1 ,pierre and his companion reached the ,place du ,marcadal4 ,this was a long1 triangular1 open space1 the most animated and luxurious of the squares of the old town1 the one where the cafs1 the chemists1 all the finest shops were situated4 ,and1 among the latter1 one showed conspicuously1 coloured as it was a lively green1 adorned with lofty mirrors1 and surmounted by a broad board bearing in gilt letters the inscription3 8,cazaban1 ,hairdresser04 ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,pierre went in1 but there was nobody in the salon and they had to wait4 ,a terrible clatter of forks resounded from the adjoining room1 an ordinary dining-room transformed into a table d'hte1 in which some twenty people were having djeuner although it was already two o'clock4 ,the afternoon was progressing1 and yet people were still eating from one to the other end of ,lourdes4 ,like every other householder in the town1 whatever his religious convictions might be1 ,cazaban1 in the pilgrimage season1 let his bedrooms1 surrendered his dining-room1 end sought refuge in his cellar1 where1 heaped up with his family1 he ate and slept1 although this unventilated hole was no more than three yards square4 ,however1 the passion for trading and moneymaking carried all before it2 at pilgrimage time the whole population disappeared like that of a conquered city1 surrendering even the beds of its women and its children to the pilgrims1 seating them at its tables1 and supplying them with food4 8,is there nobody here80 called ,m4 de ,guersaint after waiting a moment4 ,at last a little man made his appearance1 ,cazaban himself1 a type of the knotty but active ,pyrenean1 with a long face1 prominent cheek-bones1 and a sunburned complexion spotted here and there with red4 ,his big1 glittering eyes never remained still2 and the whole of his spare little figure quivered with incessant exuberance of speech and gesture4 8,for you1 monsieur--a shave1 eh80 said he4 8,i must beg your pardon for keeping you waiting2 but my assistant has gone out1 and ,i was in there with my boarders4 ,if you will kindly sit down1 ,i will attend to you at once40 ,thereupon1 deigning to operate in person1 ,cazaban began to stir up the lather and strop the razor4 ,he had glanced rather nervously1 however1 at the cassock worn by ,pierre1 who without a word had seated himself in a corner and taken up a newspaper in the perusal of which he appeared to be absorbed4 ,a short interval of silence followed2 but it was fraught with suffering for ,cazaban1 and whilst lathering his customer's chin he began to chatter3 8,my boarders lingered this morning such a long time at the ,grotto1 monsieur1 that they have scarcely sat down to djeuner4 ,you can hear them1 eh8 ,i was staying with them out of politeness4 ,however1 ,i owe myself to my customers as well1 do ,i not8 ,one must try to please everybody40 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who also was fond of a chat1 thereupon began to question him3 8,you lodge some of the pilgrims1 ,i suppose80 8,oh6 we all lodge some of them1 monsieur2 it is necessary for the town10 replied the barber4 8,and you accompany them to the ,grotto80 ,at this1 however1 ,cazaban revolted1 and1 holding up his razor1 he answered with an air of dignity 8,never1 monsieur1 never6 ,for five years past ,i have not been in that new town which they are building40 ,he was still seeking to restrain himself1 and again glanced at ,pierre1 whose face was hidden by the newspaper4 ,the sight of the red cross pinned on ,m4 de ,guersaint's jacket was also calculated to render him prudent2 nevertheless his tongue won the victory4 8,well1 monsieur1 opinions are free1 are they not80 said he4 8,i respect yours1 but for my part ,i don't believe in all that phantasmagoria6 ,oh ,i've never concealed it6 ,i was already a republican and a freethinker in the days of the ,empire4 ,there were barely four men of those views in the whole town at that time4 ,oh6 ,i'm proud of it40 ,he had begun to shave ,m4 de ,guersaint's left cheek and was quite triumphant4 ,from that moment a stream of words poured forth from his mouth1 a stream which seemed to be inexhaustible4 ,to begin with1 he brought the same charges as ,majest against the ,fathers of the ,grotto4 ,he reproached them for their dealings in tapers1 chaplets1 prints1 and crucifixes1 for the disloyal manner in which they competed with those who sold those articles as well as with the hotel and lodging-house keepers4 ,and he was also wrathful with the ,blue ,sisters of the ,immaculate ,conception1 for had they not robbed him of two tenants1 two old ladies1 who spent three weeks at ,lourdes each year8 ,moreover you could divine within him all the slowly accumulated1 overflowing spite with which the old town regarded the new town--that town which had sprung up so quickly on the other side of the castle1 that rich city with houses as big as palaces1 whither flowed all the life1 all the luxury1 all the money of ,lourdes1 so that it was incessantly growing larger and wealthier1 whilst its elder sister1 the poor1 antique town of the mountains1 with its narrow1 grass-grown1 deserted streets1 seemed near the point of death4 ,nevertheless the struggle still continued2 the old town seemed determined not to die1 and1 by lodging pilgrims and opening shops on her side1 endeavoured to compel her ungrateful junior to grant her a share of the spoils4 ,but custom only flowed to the shops which were near the ,grotto1 and only the poorer pilgrims were willing to lodge so far away2 so that the unequal conditions of the struggle intensified the rupture and turned the high town and the low town into two irreconcilable enemies1 who preyed upon one another amidst continual intrigues4 8,ah1 no6 ,they certainly won't see me at their ,grotto10 resumed ,cazaban1 with his rageful air4 8,what an abusive use they make of that ,grotto of theirs6 ,they serve it up in every fashion6 ,to think of such idolatry1 such gross superstition in the nineteenth century6 ,just ask them if they have cured a single sufferer belonging to the town during the last twenty years6 ,yet there are plenty of infirm people crawling about our streets4 ,it was our folk that benefited by the first miracles2 but it would seem that the miraculous water has long lost all its power1 so far as we are concerned4 ,we are too near it2 people have to come from a long distance if they want it to act on them4 ,it's really all too stupid2 why1 ,i wouldn't go there even if ,i were offered a hundred francs60 ,pierre's immobility was doubtless irritating the barber4 ,he had now begun to shave ,m4 de ,guersaint's right cheek2 and was inveighing against the ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception1 whose greed for gain was the one cause of all the misunderstanding4 ,these ,fathers who were at home there1 since they had purchased from the ,municipality the land on which they desired to build1 did not even carry out the stipulations of the contract they had signed1 for there were two clauses in it forbidding all trading1 such as the sale of the water and of religious articles4 ,innumerable actions might have been brought against them4 ,but they snapped their fingers1 and felt themselves so powerful that they no longer allowed a single offering to go to the parish1 but arranged matters so that the whole harvest of money should be garnered by the ,grotto and the ,basilica4 ,and1 all at once1 ,cazaban candidly exclaimed3 8,if they were only reasonable1 if they would only share with us60 ,then1 when ,m4 de ,guersaint had washed his face1 and reseated himself1 the hairdresser resumed3 8,and if ,i were to tell you1 monsieur1 what they have done with our poor town6 ,forty years ago all the young girls here conducted themselves properly1 ,i assure you4 ,i remember that in my young days when a young man was wicked he generally had to go elsewhere4 ,but times have changed1 our manners are no longer the same4 ,nowadays nearly all the girls content themselves with selling candles and nosegays2 and you must have seen them catching hold of the passers-by and thrusting their goods into their hands6 ,it is really shameful to see so many bold girls about6 ,they make a lot of money1 acquire lazy habits1 and1 instead of working during the winter1 simply wait for the return of the pilgrimage season4 ,and ,i assure you that the young men don't need to go elsewhere nowadays4 ,no1 indeed6 ,and add to all this the suspicious floating element which swells the population as soon as the first fine weather sets in--the coachmen1 the hawkers1 the cantine keepers1 all the low-class1 wandering folk reeking with grossness and vice--and you can form an idea of the honest new town which they have given us with the crowds that come to their ,grotto and their ,basilica60 ,greatly struck by these remarks1 ,pierre had let his newspaper fall and begun to listen4 ,it was now1 for the first time1 that he fully realised the difference between the two ,lourdes--old ,lourdes so honest and so pious in its tranquil solitude1 and new ,lourdes corrupted1 demoralised by the circulation of so much money1 by such a great enforced increase of wealth1 by the ever-growing torrent of strangers sweeping through it1 by the fatal rotting influence of the conflux of thousands of people1 the contagion of evil examples4 ,and what a terrible result it seemed when one thought of ,bernadette1 the pure1 candid girl kneeling before the wild primitive grotto1 when one thought of all the naive faith1 all the fervent purity of those who had first begun the work6 ,had they desired that the whole countryside should be poisoned in this wise by lucre and human filth8 ,yet it had sufficed that the nations should flock there for a pestilence to break out4 ,seeing that ,pierre was listening1 ,cazaban made a final threatening gesture as though to sweep away all this poisonous superstition4 ,then1 relapsing into silence1 he finished cutting ,m4 de ,guersaint's hair4 8,there you are1 monsieur60 ,the architect rose1 and it was only now that he began to speak of the conveyance which he wished to hire4 ,at first the hairdresser declined to enter into the matter1 pretending that they must apply to his brother at the ,champ ,commun2 but at last he consented to take the order4 ,a pair-horse landau for ,gavarnie was priced at fifty francs4 ,however1 he was so pleased at having talked so much1 and so flattered at hearing himself called an honest man1 that he eventually agreed to charge only forty francs4 ,there were four persons in the party1 so this would make ten francs apiece4 ,and it was agreed that they should start off at about two in the morning1 so that they might get back to ,lourdes at a tolerably early hour on the ,monday evening4 8,the landau will be outside the ,hotel of the ,apparitions at the appointed time10 repeated ,cazaban in his emphatic way4 8,you may rely on me1 monsieur40 ,then he began to listen4 ,the clatter of crockery did not cease in the adjoining room4 ,people were still eating there with that impulsive voracity which had spread from one to the other end of ,lourdes4 ,and all at once a voice was heard calling for more bread4 8,excuse me10 hastily resumed ,cazaban1 8my boarders want me40 ,and thereupon he rushed away1 his hands still greasy through fingering the comb4 ,the door remained open for a second1 and on the walls of the dining-room ,pierre espied various religious prints1 and notably a view of the ,grotto1 which surprised him2 in all probability1 however1 the hairdresser only hung these engravings there during the pilgrimage season by way of pleasing his boarders4 ,it was now nearly three o'clock4 ,when the young priest and ,m4 de ,guersaint got outside they were astonished at the loud pealing of bells which was flying through the air4 ,the parish church had responded to the first stroke of vespers chiming at the ,basilica2 and now all the convents1 one after another1 were contributing to the swelling peals4 ,the crystalline notes of the bell of the ,carmelites mingled with the grave notes of the bell of the ,immaculate ,conception2 and all the joyous bells of the ,sisters of ,nevers and the ,dominicans were jingling together4 ,in this wise1 from morning till evening on fine days of festivity1 the chimes winged their flight above the house-roofs of ,lourdes4 ,and nothing could have been gayer than that sonorous melody resounding in the broad blue heavens above the gluttonous town1 which had at last lunched1 and was now comfortably digesting as it strolled about in the sunlight4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,night ,,procession ,,as soon as night had fallen ,marie1 still lying on her bed at the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours1 became extremely impatient1 for she had learnt from ,madame de ,jonquire that ,baron ,suire had obtained from ,father ,fourcade the necessary permission for her to spend the night in front of the ,grotto4 ,thus she kept on questioning ,sister ,hyacinthe1 asking her3 8,pray1 ,sister1 is it not yet nine o'clock80 8,no1 my child1 it is scarcely half-past eight10 was the reply4 8,here is a nice woollen shawl for you to wrap round you at daybreak1 for the ,gave is close by1 and the mornings are very fresh1 you know1 in these mountainous parts40 8,oh6 but the nights are so lovely1 ,sister1 and besides1 ,i sleep so little here60 replied ,marie2 8,i cannot be worse off out-of-doors4 ,mon ,dieu1 how happy ,i am2 how delightful it will be to spend the whole night with the ,blessed ,virgin60 ,the entire ward was jealous of her2 for to remain in prayer before the ,grotto all night long was the most ineffable of joys1 the supreme beatitude4 ,it was said that in the deep peacefulness of night the chosen ones undoubtedly beheld the ,virgin1 but powerful protection was needed to obtain such a favour as had been granted to ,marie2 for nowadays the reverend ,fathers scarcely liked to grant it1 as several sufferers had died during the long vigil1 falling asleep1 as it were1 in the midst of their ecstasy4 8,you will take the ,sacrament at the ,grotto tomorrow morning1 before you are brought back here1 won't you1 my child80 resumed ,sister ,hyacinthe4 ,however1 nine o'clock at last struck1 and1 ,pierre not arriving1 the girl wondered whether he1 usually so punctual1 could have forgotten her8 ,the others were now talking to her of the night procession1 which she would see from beginning to end if she only started at once4 ,the ceremonies concluded with a procession every night1 but the ,sunday one was always the finest1 and that evening1 it was said1 would be remarkably splendid1 such1 indeed1 as was seldom seen4 ,nearly thirty thousand pilgrims would take part in it1 each carrying a lighted taper3 the nocturnal marvels of the sky would be revealed2 the stars would descend upon earth4 ,at this thought the sufferers began to bewail their fate2 what a wretched lot was theirs1 to be tied to their beds1 unable to see any of those wonders4 ,at last ,madame de ,jonquire approached ,marie's bed4 8,my dear girl10 said she1 8here is your father with ,monsieur l',abb40 ,radiant with delight1 the girl at once forgot her weary waiting4 8,oh6 pray let us make haste1 ,pierre10 she exclaimed2 8pray let us make haste60 ,they carried her down the stairs1 and the young priest harnessed himself to the little car1 which gently rolled along1 under the star-studded heavens1 whilst ,m4 de ,guersaint walked beside it4 ,the night was moonless1 but extremely beautiful2 the vault above looked like deep blue velvet1 spangled with diamonds1 and the atmosphere was exquisitely mild and pure1 fragrant with the perfumes from the mountains4 ,many pilgrims were hurrying along the street1 all bending their steps towards the ,grotto1 but they formed a discreet1 pensive crowd1 with naught of the fair-field1 lounging character of the daytime throng4 ,and1 as soon as the ,plateau de la ,merlasse was reached1 the darkness spread out1 you entered into a great lake of shadows formed by the stretching lawns and lofty trees1 and saw nothing rising on high save the black1 tapering spire of the ,basilica4 ,pierre grew rather anxious on finding that the crowd became more and more compact as he advanced4 ,already on reaching the ,place du ,rosaire it was difficult to take another forward step4 8,there is no hope of getting to the ,grotto yet awhile10 he said4 8,the best course would be to turn into one of the pathways behind the pilgrims' shelter-house and wait there40 ,marie1 however1 greatly desired to see the procession start4 8,oh6 pray try to go as far as the ,gave10 said she4 8,i shall then see everything from a distance2 ,i don't want to go near40 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who was equally inquisitive1 seconded this proposal4 8,don't be uneasy10 he said to ,pierre4 8,i am here behind1 and will take care to let nobody jostle her40 ,pierre had to begin pulling the little vehicle again4 ,it took him a quarter of an hour to pass under one of the arches of the inclined way on the left hand1 so great was the crush of pilgrims at that point4 ,then1 taking a somewhat oblique course1 he ended by reaching the quay beside the ,gave1 where there were only some spectators standing on the sidewalk1 so that he was able to advance another fifty yards4 ,at last he halted1 and backed the little car against the quay parapet1 in full view of the ,grotto4 8,will you be all right here80 he asked4 8,oh yes1 thank you4 ,only you must sit me up2 ,i shall then be able to see much better40 ,m4 de ,guersaint raised her into a sitting posture1 and then for his part climbed upon the stonework running from one to the other end of the quay4 ,a mob of inquisitive people had already scaled it in part1 like sight-seers waiting for a display of fireworks2 and they were all raising themselves on tiptoe1 and craning their necks to get a better view4 ,pierre himself at last grew interested1 although there was1 so far1 little to see4 ,some thirty thousand people were assembled1 and1 every moment there were fresh arrivals4 ,all carried candles1 the lower parts of which were wrapped in white paper1 on which a picture of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes was printed in blue ink4 ,however1 these candles were not yet lighted1 and the only illumination that you perceived above the billowy sea of heads was the bright1 forge-like glow of the taper-lighted ,grotto4 ,a great buzzing arose1 whiffs of human breath blew hither and thither1 and these alone enabled you to realise that thousands of serried1 stifling creatures were gathered together in the black depths1 like a living sea that was ever eddying and spreading4 ,there were even people hidden away under the trees beyond the ,grotto1 in distant recesses of the darkness of which one had no suspicion4 ,at last a few tapers began to shine forth here and there1 like sudden sparks of light spangling the obscurity at random4 ,their number rapidly increased1 eyots of stars were formed1 whilst at other points there were meteoric trails1 milky ways1 so to say1 flowing midst the constellations4 ,the thirty thousand tapers were being lighted one by one1 their beams gradually increasing in number till they obscured the bright glow of the ,grotto and spread1 from one to the other end of the promenade1 the small yellow flames of a gigantic brasier4 8,oh6 how beautiful it is1 ,pierre60 murmured ,marie2 8it is like the resurrection of the humble1 the bright awakening of the souls of the poor40 8,it is superb1 superb60 repeated ,m4 de ,guersaint1 with impassioned artistic satisfaction4 8,do you see those two trails of light yonder1 which intersect one another and form a cross80 ,pierre's feelings1 however1 had been touched by what ,marie had just said4 ,he was reflecting upon her words4 ,there was truth in them4 ,taken singly1 those slender flames1 those mere specks of light1 were modest and unobtrusive1 like the lowly2 it was only their great number that supplied the effulgence1 the sun-like resplendency4 ,fresh ones were continually appearing1 farther and farther away1 like waifs and strays4 8,ah60 murmured the young priest1 8do you see that one which has just begun to flicker1 all by itself1 far away--do you see it1 ,marie8 ,do you see how it floats and slowly approaches until it is merged in the great lake of light80 ,in the vicinity of the ,grotto one could see now as clearly as in the daytime4 ,the trees1 illumined from below1 were intensely green1 like the painted trees in stage scenery4 ,above the moving brasier were some motionless banners1 whose embroidered saints and silken cords showed with vivid distinctness4 ,and the great reflection ascended to the rock1 even to the ,basilica1 whose spire now shone out1 quite white1 against the black sky2 whilst the hillsides across the ,gave were likewise brightened1 and displayed the pale fronts of their convents amidst their sombre foliage4 ,there came yet another moment of uncertainty4 ,the flaming lake1 in which each burning wick was like a little wave1 rolled its starry sparkling as though it were about to burst from its bed and flow away in a river4 ,then the banners began to oscillate1 and soon a regular motion set in4 8,oh6 so they won't pass this way60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,guersaint in a tone of disappointment4 ,pierre1 who had informed himself on the matter1 thereupon explained that the procession would first of all ascend the serpentine road--constructed at great cost up the hillside--and that it would afterwards pass behind the ,basilica1 descend by the inclined way on the right hand1 and then spread out through the gardens4 8,look60 said he2 8you can see the foremost tapers ascending amidst the greenery40 ,then came an enchanting spectacle4 ,little flickering lights detached themselves from the great bed of fire1 and began gently rising1 without it being possible for one to tell at that distance what connected them with the earth4 ,they moved upward1 looking in the darkness like golden particles of the sun4 ,and soon they formed an oblique streak1 a streak which suddenly twisted1 then extended again until it curved once more4 ,at last the whole hillside was streaked by a flaming zigzag1 resembling those lightning flashes which you see falling from black skies in cheap engravings4 ,but1 unlike the lightning1 the luminous trail did not fade away2 the little lights still went onward in the same slow1 gentle1 gliding manner4 ,only for a moment1 at rare intervals1 was there a sudden eclipse2 the procession1 no doubt1 was then passing behind some clump of trees4 ,but1 farther on1 the tapers beamed forth afresh1 rising heavenward by an intricate path1 which incessantly diverged and then started upward again4 ,at last1 however1 the time came when the lights no longer ascended1 for they had reached the summit of the hill and had begun to disappear at the last turn of the road4 ,exclamations were rising from the crowd4 8,they are passing behind the ,basilica10 said one4 8,oh6 it will take them twenty minutes before they begin coming down on the other side10 remarked another4 8,yes1 madame10 said a third1 8there are thirty thousand of them1 and an hour will go by before the last of them leaves the ,grotto40 ,ever since the start a sound of chanting had risen above the low rumbling of the crowd4 ,the hymn of ,bernadette was being sung1 those sixty couplets between which the ,angelic ,salutation1 with its all-besetting rhythm1 was ever returning as a refrain4 ,when the sixty couplets were finished they were sung again2 and that lullaby of 8,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria60 came back incessantly1 stupefying the mind1 and gradually transporting those thousands of beings into a kind of wide-awake dream1 with a vision of ,paradise before their eyes4 ,and1 indeed1 at night-time when they were asleep1 their beds would rock to the eternal tune1 which they still and ever continued singing4 8,are we going to stop here80 asked ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who speedily got tired of remaining in any one spot4 8,we see nothing but the same thing over and over again40 ,marie1 who had informed herself by listening to what was said in the crowd1 thereupon exclaimed3 8,you were quite right1 ,pierre2 it would be much better to go back yonder under the trees4 ,i so much wish to see everything40 8,yes1 certainly2 we will seek a spot whence you may see it all10 replied the priest4 8,the only difficulty lies in getting away from here40 ,indeed1 they were now inclosed within the mob of sight-seers2 and1 in order to secure a passage1 ,pierre with stubborn perseverance had to keep on begging a little room for a suffering girl4 ,m4 de ,guersaint meantime brought up the rear1 screening the little conveyance so that it might not be upset by the jostling2 whilst ,marie turned her head1 still endeavouring to see the sheet of flame spread out before the ,grotto1 that lake of little sparkling waves which never seemed to diminish1 although the procession continued to flow from it without a pause4 ,at last they all three found themselves out of the crowd1 near one of the arches1 on a deserted spot where they were able to breathe for a moment4 ,they now heard nothing but the distant canticle with its besetting refrain1 and they only saw the reflection of the tapers1 hovering like a luminous cloud in the neighbourhood of the ,basilica4 8,the best plan would be to climb to the ,calvary10 said ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,the servant at the hotel told me so this morning4 ,from up there1 it seems1 the scene is fairy-like40 ,but they could not think of making the ascent4 ,pierre at once enumerated the difficulties4 8,how could we hoist ourselves to such a height with ,marie's conveyance80 he asked4 8,besides1 we should have to come down again1 and that would be dangerous work in the darkness amidst all the scrambling40 ,marie herself preferred to remain under the trees in the gardens1 where it was very mild4 ,so they started off1 and reached the esplanade in front of the great crowned statue of the ,virgin4 ,it was illuminated by means of blue and yellow globes which encompassed it with a gaudy splendour2 and despite all his piety ,m4 de ,guersaint could not help finding these decorations in execrable taste4 8,there60 exclaimed ,marie1 8a good place would be near those shrubs yonder40 ,she was pointing to a shrubbery near the pilgrims' shelter-house2 and the spot was indeed an excellent one for their purpose1 as it enabled them to see the procession come down by the gradient way on the left1 and watch it as it passed between the lawns to the new bridge and back again4 ,moreover1 a delightful freshness prevailed there by reason of the vicinity of the ,gave4 ,there was nobody there as yet1 and one could enjoy deep peacefulness in the dense shade which fell from the big plane-trees bordering the path4 ,in his impatience to see the first tapers reappear as soon as they should have passed behind the ,basilica1 ,m4 de ,guersaint had risen on tiptoe4 8,i see nothing as yet10 he muttered1 8so whatever the regulations may be ,i shall sit on the grass for a moment4 ,i've no strength left in my legs40 ,then1 growing anxious about his daughter1 he inquired3 8,shall ,i cover you up8 ,it is very cool here40 8,oh1 no6 ,i'm not cold1 father60 answered ,marie2 8,i feel so happy4 ,it is long since ,i breathed such sweet air4 ,there must be some roses about--can't you smell that delicious perfume80 ,and turning to ,pierre she asked3 8,where are the roses1 my friend8 ,can you see them80 ,when ,m4 de ,guersaint had seated himself on the grass near the little vehicle1 it occurred to ,pierre to see if there was not some bed of roses near at hand4 ,but is was in vain that he explored the dark lawns2 he could only distinguish sundry clumps of evergreens4 ,and1 as he passed in front of the pilgrims' shelter-house on his way back1 curiosity prompted him to enter it4 ,this building formed a long and lofty hall1 lighted by large windows upon two sides4 ,with bare walls and a stone pavement1 it contained no other furniture than a number of benches1 which stood here and there in haphazard fashion4 ,there was neither table nor shelf1 so that the homeless pilgrims who had sought refuge there had piled up their baskets1 parcels1 and valises in the window embrasures4 ,moreover1 the place was apparently empty2 the poor folk that it sheltered had no doubt joined the procession4 ,nevertheless1 although the door stood wide open1 an almost unbearable smell reigned inside4 ,the very walls seemed impregnated with an odour of poverty1 and in spite of the bright sunshine which had prevailed during the day1 the flagstones were quite damp1 soiled and soaked with expectorations1 spilt wine1 and grease4 ,this mess had been made by the poorer pilgrims1 who with their dirty skins and wretched rags lived in the hall1 eating and sleeping in heaps on the benches4 ,pierre speedily came to the conclusion that the pleasant smell of roses must emanate from some other spot2 still1 he was making the round of the hall1 which was lighted by four smoky lanterns1 and which he believed to be altogether unoccupied1 when1 against the left-hand wall1 he was surprised to espy the vague figure of a woman in black1 with what seemed to be a white parcel lying on her lap4 ,she was all alone in that solitude1 and did not stir2 however1 her eyes were wide open4 ,he drew near and recognised ,madame ,vincent4 ,she addressed him in a deep1 broken voice3 8,rose has suffered so dreadfully to-day6 ,since daybreak she has not ceased moaning4 ,and so1 as she fell asleep a couple of hours ago1 ,i haven't dared to stir for fear lest she should awake and suffer again40 ,thus the poor woman remained motionless1 martyr-mother that she was1 having for long months held her daughter in her arms in this fashion1 in the stubborn hope of curing her4 ,in her arms1 too1 she had brought her to ,lourdes2 in her arms she had carried her to the ,grotto2 in her arms she had rocked her to sleep1 having neither a room of her own1 nor even a hospital bed at her disposal4 8,isn't the poor little thing any better80 asked ,pierre1 whose heart ached at the sight4 8,no1 ,monsieur l',abb2 no1 ,i think not40 8,but you are very badly off here on this bench4 ,you should have made an application to the pilgrimage managers instead of remaining like this1 in the street1 as it were4 ,some accommodation would have been found for your little girl1 at any rate2 that's certain40 8,oh6 what would have been the use of it1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,she is all right on my lap4 ,and besides1 should ,i have been allowed to stay with her8 ,no1 no1 ,i prefer to have her on my knees2 it seems to me that it will end by curing her40 ,two big tears rolled down the poor woman's motionless cheeks1 and in her stifled voice she continued3 8,i am not penniless4 ,i had thirty sous when ,i left ,paris1 and ,i still have ten left4 ,all ,i need is a little bread1 and she1 poor darling1 can no longer drink any milk even4 ,i have enough to last me till we go back1 and if she gets well again1 oh6 we shall be rich1 rich1 rich60 ,she had leant forward while speaking1 and by the flickering light of a lantern near by1 gazed at ,rose1 who was breathing faintly1 with parted lips4 8,you see how soundly she is sleeping10 resumed the unhappy mother4 8,surely the ,blessed ,virgin will take pity on her and cure her1 won't she1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,we only have one day left2 still1 ,i don't despair2 and ,i shall again pray all night long without moving from here4 ,she will be cured to-morrow2 we must live till then40 ,infinite pity was filling the heart of ,pierre1 who1 fearing that he also might weep1 now went away4 8,yes1 yes1 my poor woman1 we must hope1 still hope10 said he1 as he left her there among the scattered benches1 in that deserted1 malodorous hall1 so motionless in her painful maternal passion as to hold her own breath1 fearful lest the heaving of her bosom should awaken the poor little sufferer4 ,and in deepest grief1 with closed lips1 she prayed ardently4 ,on ,pierre returning to ,marie's side1 the girl inquired of him3 8,well1 and those roses8 ,are there any near here80 ,he did not wish to sadden her by telling her what he had seen1 so he simply answered3 8,no1 ,i have searched the lawns2 there are none40 8,how singular60 she rejoined1 in a thoughtful way4 8,the perfume is both so sweet and penetrating4 ,you can smell it1 can't you8 ,at this moment it is wonderfully strong1 as though all the roses of ,paradise were flowering around us in the darkness40 ,a low exclamation from her father interrupted her4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had risen to his feet again on seeing some specks of light shine out above the gradient ways on the left side of the ,basilica4 8,at last6 ,here they come60 said he4 ,it was indeed the head of the procession again appearing2 and at once the specks of light began to swarm and extend in long1 wavering double files4 ,the darkness submerged everything except these luminous points1 which seemed to be at a great elevation1 and to emerge1 as it were1 from the black depths of the ,unknown4 ,and at the same time the everlasting canticle was again heard1 but so lightly1 for the procession was far away1 that it seemed as yet merely like the rustle of a coming storm1 stirring the leaves of the trees4 8,ah6 ,i said so10 muttered ,m4 de ,guersaint2 8one ought to be at the ,calvary to see everything40 ,with the obstinacy of a child he kept on returning to his first idea1 again and again complaining that they had chosen 8the worst possible place40 8,but why don't you go up to the ,calvary1 papa80 at last said ,marie4 8,there is still time4 ,pierre will stay here with me40 ,and with a mournful laugh she added3 8,go2 you know very well that nobody will run away with me40 ,he at first refused to act upon the suggestion1 but1 unable to resist his desire1 he all at once fell in with it4 ,and he had to hasten his steps1 crossing the lawns at a run4 8,don't move10 he called2 8wait for me under the trees4 ,i will tell you of all that ,i may see up there40 ,then ,pierre and ,marie remained alone in that dim1 solitary nook1 whence came such a perfume of roses1 albeit no roses could be found4 ,and they did not speak1 but in silence watched the procession1 which was now coming down from the hill with a gentle1 continuous1 gliding motion4 ,a double file of quivering stars leapt into view on the left-hand side of the ,basilica1 and then followed the monumental1 gradient way1 whose curve is gradually described4 ,at that distance you were still unable to see the pilgrims themselves1 and you beheld simply those well-disciplined travelling lights tracing geometrical lines amidst the darkness4 ,under the deep blue heavens1 even the buildings at first remained vague1 forming but blacker patches against the sky4 ,little by little1 however1 as the number of candles increased1 the principal architectural lines--the tapering spire of the ,basilica1 the cyclopean arches of the gradient ways1 the heavy1 squat faade of the ,rosary--became more distinctly visible4 ,and with that ceaseless torrent of bright sparks1 flowing slowly downward with the stubborn persistence of a stream which has overflowed its banks and can be stopped by nothing1 there came as it were an aurora1 a growing1 invading mass of light1 which would at last spread its glory over the whole horizon4 8,look1 look1 ,pierre60 cried ,marie1 in an access of childish joy4 8,there is no end of them2 fresh ones are ever shining out40 ,indeed1 the sudden appearances of the little lights continued with mechanical regularity1 as though some inexhaustible celestial source were pouring forth all those solar specks4 ,the head of the procession had just reached the gardens1 near the crowned statue of the ,virgin1 so that as yet the double file of flames merely outlined the curves of the ,rosary and the broad inclined way4 ,however1 the approach of the multitude was foretokened by the perturbation of the atmosphere1 by the gusts of human breath coming from afar2 and particularly did the voices swell1 the canticle of ,bernadette surging with the clamour of a rising tide1 through which1 with rhythmical persistence1 the refrain of 8,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria60 rolled ever in a louder key4 8,ah1 that refrain60 muttered ,pierre2 8it penetrates one's very skin4 ,it seems to me as though my whole body were at last singing it40 ,again did ,marie give vent to that childish laugh of hers4 8,it is true10 said she2 8it follows me about everywhere4 ,i heard it the other night whilst ,i was asleep4 ,and now it is again taking possession of me1 rocking me1 wafting me above the ground40 ,then she broke off to say3 8,here they come1 just across the lawn1 in front of us40 ,the procession had entered one of the long1 straight paths2 and then1 turning round the lawn by way of the ,breton's ,cross1 it came back by a parallel path4 ,it took more than a quarter of an hour to execute this movement1 during which the double file of tapers resembled two long parallel streams of flame4 ,that which ever excited one's admiration was the ceaseless march of this serpent of fire1 whose golden coils crept so gently over the black earth1 winding1 stretching into the far distance1 without the immense body ever seeming to end4 ,there must have been some jostling and scrambling every now and then1 for some of the luminous lines shook and bent as though they were about to break2 but order was soon re-established1 and then the slow1 regular1 gliding movement set in afresh4 ,there now seemed to be fewer stars in the heavens2 it was as though a milky way had fallen from on high1 rolling its glittering dust of worlds1 and transferring the revolutions of the planets from the empyrean to earth4 ,a bluish light streamed all around2 there was naught but heaven left2 the buildings and the trees assumed a visionary aspect in the mysterious glow of those thousands of tapers1 whose number still and ever increased4 ,a faint sigh of admiration came from ,marie4 ,she was at a loss for words1 and could only repeat 8,how beautiful it is6 ,mon ,dieu6 how beautiful it is6 ,look1 ,pierre1 is it not beautiful80 ,however1 since the procession had been going by at so short a distance from them it had ceased to be a rhythmic march of stars which no human hand appeared to guide1 for amidst the stream of light they could distinguish the figures of the pilgrims carrying the tapers1 and at times even recognise them as they passed4 ,first they espied ,la ,grivotte1 who1 exaggerating her cure1 and repeating that she had never felt in better health1 had insisted upon taking part in the ceremony despite the lateness of the hour2 and she still retained her excited demeanour1 her dancing gait in that cool night air1 which often made her shiver4 ,then the ,vignerons appeared2 the father at the head of the party1 raising his taper on high1 and followed by ,madame ,vigneron and ,madame ,chaise1 who dragged their weary legs2 whilst little ,gustave1 quite worn out1 kept on tapping the sanded path with his crutch1 his right hand covered meantime with all the wax that had dripped upon it4 ,every sufferer who could walk was there1 among others ,elise ,rouquet1 who1 with her bare red face1 passed by like some apparition from among the damned4 ,others were laughing2 ,sophie ,couteau1 the little girl who had been miraculously healed the previous year1 was quite forgetting herself1 playing with her taper as though it were a switch4 ,heads followed heads without a pause1 heads of women especially1 more often with sordid1 common features1 but at times wearing an exalted expression1 which you saw for a second ere it vanished amidst the fantastic illumination4 ,and there was no end to that terrible march past2 fresh pilgrims were ever appearing4 ,among them ,pierre and ,marie noticed yet another little black shadowy figure1 gliding along in a discreet1 humble way2 it was ,madame ,maze1 whom they would not have recognised if she had not for a moment raised her pale face1 down which the tears were streaming4 8,look60 exclaimed ,pierre2 8the first tapers in the procession are reaching the ,place du ,rosaire1 and ,i am sure that half of the pilgrims are still in front of the ,grotto40 ,marie had raised her eyes4 ,up yonder1 on the left-hand side of the ,basilica1 she could see other lights incessantly appearing with that mechanical kind of movement which seemed as though it would never cease4 8,ah60 she said1 8how many1 how many distressed souls there are6 ,for each of those little flames is a suffering soul seeking deliverance1 is it not80 ,pierre had to lean over in order to hear her1 for since the procession had been streaming by1 so near to them1 they had been deafened by the sound of the endless canticle1 the hymn of ,bernadette4 ,the voices of the pilgrims rang out more loudly than ever amidst the increasing vertigo2 the couplets became jumbled together--each batch of processionists chanted a different one with the ecstatic voices of beings possessed1 who can no longer hear themselves4 ,there was a huge indistinct clamour1 the distracted clamour of a multitude intoxicated by its ardent faith4 ,and meantime the refrain of 8,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria60 was ever returning1 rising1 with its frantic1 importunate rhythm1 above everything else4 ,all at once ,pierre and ,marie1 to their great surprise1 saw ,m4 de ,guersaint before them again4 8,ah6 my children10 he said1 8,i did not want to linger too long up there1 ,i cut through the procession twice in order to get back to you4 ,but what a sight1 what a sight it is6 ,it is certainly the first beautiful thing that ,i have seen since ,i have been here60 ,thereupon he began to describe the procession as he had beheld it from the ,calvary height4 8,imagine10 said he1 8another heaven1 a heaven down below reflecting that above1 a heaven entirely filled by a single immense constellation4 ,the swarming stars seem to be lost1 to lie in dim faraway depths2 and the trail of fire is in form like a monstrance--yes1 a real monstrance1 the base of which is outlined by the inclined ways1 the stem by the two parallel paths1 and the ,host by the round lawn which crowns them4 ,it is a monstrance of burning gold1 shining out in the depths of the darkness with a perpetual sparkle of moving stars4 ,nothing else seems to exist2 it is gigantic1 paramount4 ,i really never saw anything so extraordinary before60 ,he was waving his arms1 beside himself1 overflowing with the emotion of an artist4 8,father dear10 said ,marie1 tenderly1 8since you have come back you ought to go to bed4 ,it is nearly eleven o'clock1 and you know that you have to start at two in the morning40 ,then1 to render him compliant1 she added3 8,i am so pleased that you are going to make that excursion6 ,only1 come back early to-morrow evening1 because you'll see1 you'll see--0 ,she stopped short1 not daring to express her conviction that she would be cured4 8,you are right2 ,i will go to bed10 replied ,m4 de ,guersaint1 quite calmed4 8,since ,pierre will be with you ,i sha'n't feel anxious40 8,but ,i don't wish ,pierre to pass the night out here4 ,he will join you by-and-by after he has taken me to the ,grotto4 ,i sha'n't have any further need of anybody2 the first bearer who passes can take me back to the hospital to-morrow morning40 ,pierre had not interrupted her1 and now he simply said3 8,no1 no1 ,marie1 ,i shall stay4 ,like you1 ,i shall spend the night at the ,grotto40 ,she opened her mouth to insist and express her displeasure4 ,but he had spoken those words so gently1 and she had detected in them such a dolorous thirst for happiness1 that1 stirred to the depths of her soul1 she stayed her tongue4 8,well1 well1 my children10 replied her father1 8settle the matter between you4 ,i know that you are both very sensible4 ,and now good-night1 and don't be at all uneasy about me40 ,he gave his daughter a long1 loving kiss1 pressed the young priest's hands1 and then went off1 disappearing among the serried ranks of the procession1 which he once more had to cross4 ,then they remained alone in their dark1 solitary nook under the spreading trees1 she still sitting up in her box1 and he kneeling on the grass1 with his elbow resting on one of the wheels4 ,and it was truly sweet to linger there while the tapers continued marching past1 and1 after a turning movement1 assembled on the ,place du ,rosaire4 ,what delighted ,pierre was that nothing of all the daytime junketing remained4 ,it seemed as though a purifying breeze had come down from the mountains1 sweeping away all the odour of strong meats1 the greedy ,sunday delights1 the scorching1 pestilential1 fair-field dust which1 at an earlier hour1 had hovered above the town4 ,overhead there was now only the vast sky1 studded with pure stars1 and the freshness of the ,gave was delicious1 whilst the wandering breezes were laden with the perfumes of wild flowers4 ,the mysterious ,infinite spread far around in the sovereign peacefulness of night1 and nothing of materiality remained save those little candle-flames which the young priest's companion had compared to suffering souls seeking deliverance4 ,all was now exquisitely restful1 instinct with unlimited hope4 ,since ,pierre had been there all the heart-rending memories of the afternoon1 of the voracious appetites1 the impudent simony1 and the poisoning of the old town1 had gradually left him1 allowing him to savour the divine refreshment of that beautiful night1 in which his whole being was steeped as in some revivifying water4 ,a feeling of infinite sweetness had likewise come over ,marie1 who murmured3 8,ah6 how happy ,blanche would be to see all these marvels40 ,she was thinking of her sister1 who had been left in ,paris to all the worries of her hard profession as a teacher forced to run hither and thither giving lessons4 ,and that simple mention of her sister1 of whom ,marie had not spoken since her arrival at ,lourdes1 but whose figure now unexpectedly arose in her mind's eye1 sufficed to evoke a vision of all the past4 ,then1 without exchanging a word1 ,marie and ,pierre lived their childhood's days afresh1 playing together once more in the neighbouring gardens parted by the quickset hedge4 ,but separation came on the day when he entered the seminary and when she kissed him on the cheeks1 vowing that she would never forget him4 ,years went by1 and they found themselves forever parted3 he a priest1 she prostrated by illness1 no longer with any hope of ever being a woman4 ,that was their whole story--an ardent affection of which they had long been ignorant1 then absolute severance1 as though they were dead1 albeit they lived side by side4 ,they again beheld the sorry lodging whence they had started to come to ,lourdes after so much battling1 so much discussion--his doubts and her passionate faith1 which last had conquered4 ,and it seemed to them truly delightful to find themselves once more quite alone together1 in that dark nook on that lovely night1 when there were as many stars upon earth as there were in heaven4 ,marie had hitherto retained the soul of a child1 a spotless soul1 as her father said1 good and pure among the purest4 ,stricken low in her thirteenth year1 she had grown no older in mind4 ,although she was now three-and-twenty1 she was still a child1 a child of thirteen1 who had retired within herself1 absorbed in the bitter catastrophe which had annihilated her4 ,you could tell this by the frigidity of her glance1 by her absent expression1 by the haunted air she ever wore1 unable as she was to bestow a thought on anything but her calamity4 ,and never was woman's soul more pure and candid1 arrested as it had been in its development4 ,she had had no other romance in life save that tearful farewell to her friend1 which for ten long years had sufficed to fill her heart4 ,during the endless days which she had spent on her couch of wretchedness1 she had never gone beyond this dream--that if she had grown up in health1 he doubtless would not have become a priest1 in order to live near her4 ,she never read any novels4 ,the pious works which she was allowed to peruse maintained her in the excitement of a superhuman love4 ,even the rumours of everyday life died away at the door of the room where she lived in seclusion2 and1 in past years1 when she had been taken from one to the other end of ,france1 from one inland spa to another1 she had passed through the crowds like a somnambulist who neither sees nor hears anything1 possessed1 as she was1 by the idea of the calamity that had befallen her1 the bond which made her a sexless thing4 ,hence her purity and childishness2 hence she was but an adorable daughter of suffering1 who1 despite the growth of her sorry flesh1 harboured nothing in her heart save that distant awakening of passion1 the unconscious love of her thirteenth year4 ,her hand sought ,pierre's in the darkness1 and when she found it1 coming to meet her own1 she1 for a long time1 continued pressing it4 ,ah6 how sweet it was6 ,never before1 indeed1 had they tasted such pure and perfect joy in being together1 far from the world1 amidst the sovereign enchantment of darkness and mystery4 ,around them nothing subsisted1 save the revolving stars4 ,the lulling hymns were like the very vertigo that bore them away4 ,and she knew right well that after spending a night of rapture at the ,grotto1 she would1 on the morrow1 be cured4 ,of this she was1 indeed1 absolutely convinced2 she would prevail upon the ,blessed ,virgin to listen to her2 she would soften her1 as soon as she should be alone1 imploring her face to face4 ,and she well understood what ,pierre had wished to say a short time previously1 when expressing his desire to spend the whole night outside the ,grotto1 like herself4 ,was it not that he intended to make a supreme effort to believe1 that he meant to fall upon his knees like a little child1 and beg the all-powerful ,mother to restore his lost faith8 ,without need of any further exchange of words1 their clasped hands repeated all those things4 ,they mutually promised that they would pray for each other1 and so absorbed in each other did they become that they forgot themselves1 with such an ardent desire for one another's cure and happiness1 that for a moment they attained to the depths of the love which offers itself in sacrifice4 ,it was divine enjoyment4 8,ah60 murmured ,pierre1 8how beautiful is this blue night1 this infinite darkness1 which has swept away all the hideousness of things and beings1 this deep1 fresh peacefulness1 in which ,i myself should like to bury my doubts60 ,his voice died away1 and ,marie1 in her turn1 said in a very low voice3 8,and the roses1 the perfume of the roses8 ,can't you smell them1 my friend8 ,where can they be since you could not see them80 8,yes1 yes1 ,i smell them1 but there are none10 he replied4 8,i should certainly have seen them1 for ,i hunted everywhere40 8,how can you say that there are no roses when they perfume the air around us1 when we are steeped in their aroma8 ,why1 there are moments when the scent is so powerful that ,i almost faint with delight in inhaling it6 ,they must certainly be here1 innumerable1 under our very feet40 8,no1 no10 said ,pierre1 8,i swear to you ,i hunted everywhere1 and there are no roses4 ,they must be invisible1 or they may be the very grass we tread and the spreading trees that are around us2 their perfume may come from the soil itself1 from the torrent which flows along close by1 from the woods and the mountains that rise yonder40 ,for a moment they remained silent4 ,then1 in an undertone1 she resumed3 8,how sweet they smell1 ,pierre6 ,and it seems to me that even our clasped hands form a bouquet40 8,yes1 they smell delightfully sweet2 but it is from you1 ,marie1 that the perfume now ascends1 as though the roses were budding from your hair40 ,then they ceased speaking4 ,the procession was still gliding along1 and at the corner of the ,basilica bright sparks were still appearing1 flashing suddenly from out of the obscurity1 as though spurting from some invisible source4 ,the vast train of little flames1 marching in double file1 threw a riband of light across the darkness4 ,but the great sight was now on the ,place du ,rosaire1 where the head of the procession1 still continuing its measured evolutions1 was revolving and revolving in a circle which ever grew smaller1 with a stubborn whirl which increased the dizziness of the weary pilgrims and the violence of their chants4 ,and soon the circle formed a nucleus1 the nucleus of a nebula1 so to say1 around which the endless riband of fire began to coil itself4 ,and the brasier grew larger and larger--there was first a pool1 then a lake of light4 ,the whole vast ,place du ,rosaire changed at last into a burning ocean1 rolling its little sparkling wavelets with the dizzy motion of a whirlpool that never rested4 ,a reflection like that of dawn whitened the ,basilica2 while the rest of the horizon faded into deep obscurity1 amidst which you only saw a few stray tapers journeying alone1 like glowworms seeking their way with the help of their little lights4 ,however1 a straggling rear-guard of the procession must have climbed the ,calvary height1 for up there1 against the sky1 some moving stars could also be seen4 ,eventually the moment came when the last tapers appeared down below1 marched round the lawns1 flowed away1 and were merged in the sea of flame4 ,thirty thousand tapers were burning there1 still and ever revolving1 quickening their sparkles under the vast calm heavens where the planets had grown pale4 ,a luminous glow ascended in company with the strains of the canticle which never ceased4 ,and the roar of voices incessantly repeating the refrain of 8,ave1 ave1 ave ,maria60 was like the very crackling of those hearts of fire which were burning away in prayers in order that souls might be saved4 ,the candles had just been extinguished1 one by one1 and the night was falling again1 paramount1 densely black1 and extremely mild1 when ,pierre and ,marie perceived that they were still there1 hand in hand1 hidden away among the trees4 ,in the dim streets of ,lourdes1 far off1 there were now only some stray1 lost pilgrims inquiring their way1 in order that they might get to bed4 ,through the darkness there swept a rustling sound--the rustling of those who prowl and fall asleep when days of festivity draw to a close4 ,but the young priest and the girl lingered in their nook forgetfully1 never stirring1 but tasting delicious happiness amidst the perfume of the invisible roses4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,vigil ,,when ,pierre dragged ,marie in her box to the front of the ,grotto1 and placed her as near as possible to the railing1 it was past midnight1 and about a hundred persons were still there1 some seated on the benches1 but the greater number kneeling as though prostrated in prayer4 ,the ,grotto shone from afar1 with its multitude of lighted tapers1 similar to the illumination round a coffin1 though all that you could distinguish was a star-like blaze1 from the midst of which1 with visionary whiteness1 emerged the statue of the ,virgin in its niche4 ,the hanging foliage assumed an emerald sheen1 the hundreds of crutches covering the vault resembled an inextricable network of dead wood on the point of reflowering4 ,and the darkness was rendered more dense by so great a brightness1 the surroundings became lost in a deep shadow in which nothing1 neither walls nor trees1 remained2 whilst all alone ascended the angry and continuous murmur of the ,gave1 rolling along beneath the gloomy1 boundless sky1 now heavy with a gathering storm4 8,are you comfortable1 ,marie80 gently inquired ,pierre4 8,don't you feel chilly80 ,she had just shivered4 ,but it was only at a breath from the other world1 which had seemed to her to come from the ,grotto4 8,no1 no1 ,i am so comfortable6 ,only place the shawl over my knees4 ,and--thank you1 ,pierre--don't be anxious about me4 ,i no longer require anyone now that ,i am with her40 ,her voice died away1 she was already falling into an ecstasy1 her hands clasped1 her eyes raised towards the white statue1 in a beatific transfiguration of the whole of her poor suffering face4 ,yet ,pierre remained a few minutes longer beside her4 ,he would have liked to wrap her in the shawl1 for he perceived the trembling of her little wasted hands4 ,but he feared to annoy her1 so confined himself to tucking her in like a child2 whilst she1 slightly raised1 with her elbows on the edges of her box1 and her eyes fixed on the ,grotto1 no longer beheld him4 ,a bench stood near1 and he had just seated himself upon it1 intending to collect his thoughts1 when his glance fell upon a woman kneeling in the gloom4 ,dressed in black1 she was so slim1 so discreet1 so unobtrusive1 so wrapt in darkness1 that at first he had not noticed her4 ,after a while1 however1 he recognised her as ,madame ,maze4 ,the thought of the letter which she had received during the day then recurred to him4 ,and the sight of her filled him with pity2 he could feel for the forlornness of this solitary woman1 who had no physical sore to heal1 but only implored the ,blessed ,virgin to relieve her heart-pain by converting her inconstant husband4 ,the letter had no doubt been some harsh reply1 for1 with bowed head1 she seemed almost annihilated1 filled with the humility of some poor beaten creature4 ,it was only at night-time that she readily forgot herself there1 happy at disappearing1 at being able to weep1 suffer martyrdom1 and implore the return of the lost caresses1 for hours together1 without anyone suspecting her grievous secret4 ,her lips did not even move2 it was her wounded heart which prayed1 which desperately begged for its share of love and happiness4 ,ah6 that inextinguishable thirst for happiness which brought them all there1 wounded either in body or in spirit2 ,pierre also felt it parching his throat1 in an ardent desire to be quenched4 ,he longed to cast himself upon his knees1 to beg the divine aid with the same humble faith as that woman4 ,but his limbs were as though tied2 he could not find the words he wanted1 and it was a relief when he at last felt someone touch him on the arm4 8,come with me1 ,monsieur l',abb1 if you do not know the ,grotto10 said a voice4 8,i will find you a place4 ,it is so pleasant there at this time60 ,he raised his head1 and recognised ,baron ,suire1 the director of the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation4 ,this benevolent and simple man no doubt felt some affection for him4 ,he therefore accepted his offer1 and followed him into the ,grotto1 which was quite empty4 ,the ,baron had a key1 with which he locked the railing behind them4 8,you see1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said he1 8this is the time when one can really be comfortable here4 ,for my part1 whenever ,i come to spend a few days at ,lourdes1 ,i seldom retire to rest before daybreak1 as ,i have fallen into the habit of finishing my night here4 ,the place is deserted1 one is quite alone1 and is it not pleasant8 ,how well one feels oneself to be in the abode of the ,blessed ,virgin60 ,he smiled with a kindly air1 doing the honours of the ,grotto like an old frequenter of the place1 somewhat enfeebled by age1 but full of genuine affection for this delightful nook4 ,moreover1 in spite of his great piety1 he was in no way ill at ease there1 but talked on and explained matters with the familiarity of a man who felt himself to be the friend of ,heaven4 8,ah6 you are looking at the tapers10 he said4 8,there are about two hundred of them which burn together night and day2 and they end by making the place warm4 ,it is even warm here in winter40 ,indeed1 ,pierre was beginning to feel incommoded by the warm odour of the wax4 ,dazzled by the brilliant light into which he was penetrating1 he gazed at the large1 central1 pyramidal holder1 all bristling with little tapers1 and resembling a luminous clipped yew glistening with stars4 ,in the background1 a straight holder1 on a level with the ground1 upheld the large tapers1 which1 like the pipes of an organ1 formed a row of uneven height1 some of them being as large as a man's thigh4 ,and yet other holders1 resembling massive candelabra1 stood here and there on the jutting parts of the rock4 ,the vault of the ,grotto sank towards the left1 where the stone seemed baked and blackened by the eternal flames which had been heating it for years4 ,and the wax was perpetually dripping like fine snow2 the trays of the holders were smothered with it1 whitened by its ever-thickening dust4 ,in fact1 it coated the whole rock1 which had become quite greasy to the touch2 and to such a degree did it cover the ground that accidents had occurred1 and it had been necessary to spread some mats about to prevent persons from slipping4 8,you see those large ones there10 obligingly continued ,baron ,suire4 8,they are the most expensive and cost sixty francs apiece2 they will continue burning for a month4 ,the smallest ones1 which cost but five sous each1 only last three hours4 ,oh6 we don't husband them2 we never run short4 ,look here6 ,here are two more hampers full1 which there has not yet been time to remove to the storehouse40 ,then he pointed to the furniture1 which comprised a harmonium covered with a cloth1 a substantial dresser with several large drawers in which the sacred vestments were kept1 some benches and chairs reserved for the privileged few who were admitted during the ceremonies1 and finally a very handsome movable altar1 which was adorned with engraved silver plates1 the gift of a great lady1 and--for fear of injury from dampness--was only brought out on the occasions of remunerative pilgrimages4 ,pierre was disturbed by all this well-meant chatter4 ,his religious emotion lost some of its charm4 ,in spite of his lack of faith1 he had1 on entering1 experienced a feeling of agitation1 a heaving of the soul1 as though the mystery were about to be revealed to him4 ,it was at the same time both an anxious and a delicious feeling4 ,and he beheld things which deeply stirred him3 bunches of flowers1 lying in a heap at the ,virgin's feet1 with the votive offerings of children--little faded shoes1 a tiny iron corselet1 and a doll-like crutch which almost seemed to be a toy4 ,beneath the natural ogival cavity in which the apparition had appeared1 at the spot where the pilgrims rubbed the chaplets and medals they wished to consecrate1 the rock was quite worn away and polished4 ,millions of ardent lips had pressed kisses on the wall with such intensity of love that the stone was as though calcined1 streaked with black veins1 shining like marble4 ,however1 he stopped short at last opposite a cavity in which lay a considerable pile of letters and papers of every description4 8,ah6 ,i was forgetting10 hastily resumed ,baron ,suire2 8this is the most interesting part of it4 ,these are the letters which the faithful throw into the ,grotto through the railing every day4 ,we gather them up and place them there2 and in the winter ,i amuse myself by glancing through them4 ,you see1 we cannot burn them without opening them1 for they often contain money--francs1 half-francs1 and especially postage-stamps40 ,he stirred up the letters1 and1 selecting a few at random1 showed the addresses1 and opened them to read4 ,nearly all of them were letters from illiterate persons1 with the superscription1 8,to ,our ,lady of ,lourdes10 scrawled on the envelopes in big1 irregular handwriting4 ,many of them contained requests or thanks1 incorrectly worded and wondrously spelt2 and nothing was more affecting than the nature of some of the petitions3 a little brother to be saved1 a lawsuit to be gained1 a lover to be preserved1 a marriage to be effected4 ,other letters1 however1 were angry ones1 taking the ,blessed ,virgin to task for not having had the politeness to acknowledge a former communication by granting the writer's prayers4 ,then there were still others1 written in a finer hand1 with carefully worded phrases containing confessions and fervent entreaties2 and these were from women who confided to the ,queen of ,heaven things which they dared not even say to a priest in the shadow of the confessional4 ,finally1 one envelope1 selected at random1 merely contained a photograph2 a young girl had sent her portrait to ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 with this dedication3 8,to my good ,mother40 ,in short1 they every day received the correspondence of a most powerful ,queen1 to whom both prayers and secrets were addressed1 and who was expected to reply with favours and kindnesses of every kind4 ,the franc and half-franc pieces were simple tokens of love to propitiate her2 while1 as for the postage-stamps1 these could only be sent for convenience' sake1 in lieu of coined money2 unless1 indeed1 they were sent guilelessly1 as in the case of a peasant woman who had added a postscript to her letter to say that she enclosed a stamp for the reply4 8,i can assure you10 concluded the ,baron1 8that there are some very nice ones among them1 much less foolish than you might imagine4 ,during a period of three years ,i constantly found some very interesting letters from a lady who did nothing without relating it to the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,she was a married woman1 and entertained a most dangerous passion for a friend of her husband's4 ,well1 ,monsieur l',abb1 she overcame it2 the ,blessed ,virgin answered her by sending her an armour for her chastity1 an all-divine power to resist the promptings of her heart40 ,then he broke off to say3 8,but come and seat yourself here1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,you will see how comfortable you will be40 ,pierre went and placed himself beside him on a bench on the left hand1 at the spot where the rock sloped down4 ,this was a deliciously reposeful corner1 and neither the one nor the other spoke2 a profound silence had ensued1 when1 behind him1 ,pierre heard an indistinct murmur1 a light crystalline voice1 which seemed to come from the ,invisible4 ,he gave a start1 which ,baron ,suire understood4 8,that is the spring which you hear10 said he2 8it is there1 underground1 below this grating4 ,would you like to see it80 ,and without waiting for ,pierre's reply1 he at once bent down to open one of the iron plates protecting the spring1 mentioning that it was thus closed up in order to prevent freethinkers from throwing poison into it4 ,for a moment this extraordinary idea quite amazed the priest2 but he ended by attributing it entirely to the ,baron1 who was1 indeed1 very childish4 ,the latter1 meantime1 was vainly struggling with the padlock1 which opened by a combination of letters1 and refused to yield to his endeavours4 8,it is singular10 he muttered2 8the word is ,rome1 and ,i am positive that it hasn't been changed4 ,the damp destroys everything4 ,every two years or so we are obliged to replace those crutches up there1 otherwise they would all rot away4 ,be good enough to bring me a taper40 ,by the light of the candle which ,pierre then took from one of the holders1 he at last succeeded in unfastening the brass padlock1 which was covered with vert-de-gris4 ,then1 the plate having been raised1 the spring appeared to view4 ,upon a bed of muddy gravel1 in a fissure of the rock1 there was a limpid stream1 quite tranquil1 but seemingly spreading over a rather large surface4 ,the ,baron explained that it had been necessary to conduct it to the fountains through pipes coated with cement2 and he even admitted that1 behind the piscinas1 a large cistern had been dug in which the water was collected during the night1 as otherwise the small output of the source would not suffice for the daily requirements4 8,will you taste it80 he suddenly asked4 8,it is much better here1 fresh from the earth40 ,pierre did not answer2 he was gazing at that tranquil1 innocent water1 which assumed a moire-like golden sheen in the dancing light of the taper4 ,the falling drops of wax now and again ruffled its surface4 ,and1 as he gazed at it1 the young priest pondered upon all the mystery it brought with it from the distant mountain slopes4 8,come1 drink some60 said the ,baron1 who had already dipped and filled a glass which was kept there handy4 ,the priest had no choice but to empty it2 it was good pure1 water1 fresh and transparent1 like that which flows from all the lofty uplands of the ,pyrenees4 ,after refastening the padlock1 they both returned to the bench4 ,now and again ,pierre could still hear the spring flowing behind him1 with a music resembling the gentle warble of some unseen bird4 ,and now the ,baron again raised his voice1 giving him the history of the ,grotto at all times and seasons1 in a pathetic babble1 replete with puerile details4 ,the summer was the roughest season1 for then came the great itinerant pilgrimage crowds1 with the uproarious fervour of thousands of eager beings1 all praying and vociferating together4 ,but with the autumn came the rain1 those diluvial rains which beat against the ,grotto entrance for days together2 and with them arrived the pilgrims from remote countries1 small1 silent1 and ecstatic bands of ,indians1 ,malays1 and even ,chinese1 who fell upon their knees in the mud at the sign from the missionaries accompanying them4 ,of all the old provinces of ,france1 it was ,brittany that sent the most devout pilgrims1 whole parishes arriving together1 the men as numerous as the women1 and all displaying a pious deportment1 a simple and unostentatious faith1 such as might edify the world4 ,then came the winter1 ,december with its terrible cold1 its dense snow-drifts blocking the mountain ways4 ,but even then families put up at the hotels1 and1 despite everything1 faithful worshippers--all those who1 fleeing the noise of the world1 wished to speak to the ,virgin in the tender intimacy of solitude--still came every morning to the ,grotto4 ,among them were some whom no one knew1 who appeared directly they felt certain they would be alone there to kneel and love like jealous lovers2 and who departed1 frightened away by the first suspicion of a crowd4 ,and how warm and pleasant the place was throughout the foul winter weather6 ,in spite of rain and wind and snow1 the ,grotto still continued flaring4 ,even during nights of howling tempest1 when not a soul was there1 it lighted up the empty darkness1 blazing like a brasier of love that nothing could extinguish4 ,the ,baron related that1 at the time of the heavy snowfall of the previous winter1 he had spent whole afternoons there1 on the bench where they were then seated4 ,a gentle warmth prevailed1 although the spot faced the north and was never reached by a ray of sunshine4 ,no doubt the circumstance of the burning tapers continually heating the rock explained this generous warmth2 but might one not also believe in some charming kindness on the part of the ,virgin1 who endowed the spot with perpetual springtide8 ,and the little birds were well aware of it2 when the snow on the ground froze their feet1 all the finches of the neighbourhood sought shelter there1 fluttering about in the ivy around the holy statue4 ,at length came the awakening of the real spring3 the ,gave1 swollen with melted snow1 and rolling on with a voice of thunder3 the trees1 under the action of their sap1 arraying themselves in a mantle of greenery1 whilst the crowds1 once more returning1 noisily invaded the sparkling ,grotto1 whence they drove the little birds of heaven4 8,yes1 yes10 repeated ,baron ,suire1 in a declining voice1 8,i spent some most delightful winter days here all alone4 ,i saw no one but a woman1 who leant against the railing to avoid kneeling in the snow4 ,she was quite young1 twenty-five perhaps1 and very pretty--dark1 with magnificent blue eyes4 ,she never spoke1 and did not even seem to pray1 but remained there for hours together1 looking intensely sad4 ,i do not know who she was1 nor have ,i ever seen her since40 ,he ceased speaking2 and when1 a couple of minutes later1 ,pierre1 surprised at his silence1 looked at him1 he perceived that he had fallen asleep4 ,with his hands clasped upon his belly1 his chin resting on his chest1 he slept as peacefully as a child1 a smile hovering the while about his mouth4 ,doubtless1 when he said that he spent the night there1 he meant that he came thither to indulge in the early nap of a happy old man1 whose dreams are of the angels4 ,and now ,pierre tasted all the charms of the solitude4 ,it was indeed true that a feeling of peacefulness and comfort permeated the soul in this rocky nook4 ,it was occasioned by the somewhat stifling fumes of the burning wax1 by the transplendent ecstasy into which one sank amidst the glare of the tapers4 ,the young priest could no longer distinctly see the crutches on the roof1 the votive offerings hanging from the sides1 the altar of engraved silver1 and the harmonium in its wrapper1 for a slow intoxication seemed to be stealing over him1 a gradual prostration of his whole being4 ,and he particularly experienced the divine sensation of having left the living world1 of having attained to the far realms of the marvellous and the superhuman1 as though that simple iron railing yonder had become the very barrier of the ,infinite4 ,however1 a slight noise on his left again disturbed him4 ,it was the spring flowing1 ever flowing on1 with its bird-like warble4 ,ah6 how he would have liked to fall upon his knees and believe in the miracle1 to acquire a certain conviction that that divine water had gushed from the rock solely for the healing of suffering humanity4 ,had he not come there to prostrate himself and implore the ,virgin to restore the faith of his childhood8 ,why1 then1 did he not pray1 why did he not beseech her to bring him back to grace8 ,his feeling of suffocation increased1 the burning tapers dazzled him almost to the point of giddiness4 ,and1 all at once1 the recollection came to him that for two days past1 amidst the great freedom which priests enjoyed at ,lourdes1 he had neglected to say his mass4 ,he was in a state of sin1 and perhaps it was the weight of this transgression which was oppressing his heart4 ,he suffered so much that he was at last compelled to rise from his seat and walk away4 ,he gently closed the gate behind him1 leaving ,baron ,suire still asleep on the bench4 ,marie1 he found1 had not stirred1 but was still raised on her elbows1 with her ecstatic eyes uplifted towards the figure of the ,virgin4 8,how are you1 ,marie80 asked ,pierre4 8,don't you feel cold80 ,she did not reply4 ,he felt her hands and found them warm and soft1 albeit slightly trembling4 8,it is not the cold which makes you tremble1 is it1 ,marie80 he asked4 ,in a voice as gentle as a zephyr she replied3 8,no1 no6 let me be2 ,i am so happy6 ,i shall see her1 ,i feel it4 ,ah6 what joy60 ,so1 after slightly pulling up her shawl1 he went forth into the night1 a prey to indescribable agitation4 ,beyond the bright glow of the ,grotto was a night as black as ink1 a region of darkness1 into which he plunged at random4 ,then1 as his eyes became accustomed to this gloom1 he found himself near the ,gave1 and skirted it1 following a path shaded by tall trees1 where he again came upon a refreshing obscurity4 ,this shade and coolness1 both so soothing1 now brought him relief4 ,and his only surprise was that he had not fallen on his knees in the ,grotto1 and prayed1 even as ,marie was praying1 with all the power of his soul4 ,what could be the obstacle within him8 ,whence came the irresistible revolt which prevented him from surrendering himself to faith even when his overtaxed1 tortured being longed to yield8 ,he understood well enough that it was his reason alone which protested1 and the time had come when he would gladly have killed that voracious reason1 which was devouring his life and preventing him from enjoying the happiness allowed to the ignorant and the simple4 ,perhaps1 had he beheld a miracle1 he might have acquired enough strength of will to believe4 ,for instance1 would he not have bowed himself down1 vanquished at last1 if ,marie had suddenly risen up and walked before him4 ,the scene which he conjured up of ,marie saved1 ,marie cured1 affected him so deeply that he stopped short1 his trembling arms uplifted towards the star-spangled vault of heaven4 ,what a lovely night it was6--so deep and mysterious1 so airy and fragrant2 and what joy rained down at the hope that eternal health might be restored1 that eternal love might ever revive1 even as spring returns6 ,then he continued his walk1 following the path to the end4 ,but his doubts were again coming back to him2 when you need a miracle to gain belief1 it means that you are incapable of believing4 ,there is no need for the ,almighty to prove ,his existence4 ,pierre also felt uneasy at the thought that1 so long as he had not discharged his priestly duties by saying his mass1 his prayers would not be answered4 ,why did he not go at once to the church of the ,rosary1 whose altars1 from midnight till noon1 are placed at the disposal of the priests who come from a distance8 ,thus thinking1 he descended by another path1 again finding himself beneath the trees1 near the leafy spot whence he and ,marie had watched the procession of tapers4 ,not a light now remained1 there was but a boundless expanse of gloom4 ,here ,pierre experienced a fresh attack of faintness1 and as though to gain time1 he turned mechanically into the pilgrims' shelter-house4 ,its door had remained wide open2 still this failed to sufficiently ventilate the spacious hall1 which was now full of people4 ,on the very threshold ,pierre felt oppressed by the stifling heat emanating from the multitude of bodies1 the dense pestilential smell of human breath and perspiration4 ,the smoking lanterns gave out so bad a light that he had to pick his way with extreme care in order to avoid treading upon outstretched limbs2 for the overcrowding was extraordinary1 and many persons1 unable to find room on the benches1 had stretched themselves on the pavement1 on the damp stone slabs fouled by all the refuse of the day4 ,and on all sides indescribable promiscuousness prevailed3 prostrated by overpowering weariness1 men1 women1 and priests were lying there1 pell-mell1 at random1 open-mouthed and utterly exhausted4 ,a large number were snoring1 seated on the slabs1 with their backs against the walls and their heads drooping on their chests4 ,others had slipped down1 with limbs intermingled1 and one young girl lay prostrate across an old country priest1 who in his calm1 childlike slumber was smiling at the angels4 ,it was like a cattle-shed sheltering poor wanderers of the roads1 all those who were homeless on that beautiful holiday night1 and who had dropped in there and fallen fraternally asleep4 ,still1 there were some who found no repose in their feverish excitement1 but turned and twisted1 or rose up to finish eating the food which remained in their baskets4 ,others could be seen lying perfectly motionless1 their eyes wide open and fixed upon the gloom4 ,the cries of dreamers1 the wailing of sufferers1 arose amidst general snoring4 ,and pity came to the heart1 a pity full of anguish1 at sight of this flock of wretches lying there in heaps in loathsome rags1 whilst their poor spotless souls no doubt were far away in the blue realm of some mystical dream4 ,pierre was on the point of withdrawing1 feeling sick at heart1 when a low continuous moan attracted his attention4 ,he looked1 and recognised ,madame ,vincent1 on the same spot and in the same position as before1 still nursing little ,rose upon her lap4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb10 the poor woman murmured1 8you hear her2 she woke up nearly an hour ago1 and has been sobbing ever since4 ,yet ,i assure you ,i have not moved even a finger1 ,i felt so happy at seeing her sleep40 ,the priest bent down1 examining the little one1 who had not even the strength to raise her eyelids4 ,a plaintive cry no stronger than a breath was coming from her lips2 and she was so white that he shuddered1 for he felt that death was hovering near4 8,dear me6 what shall ,i do80 continued the poor mother1 utterly worn out4 8,this cannot last2 ,i can no longer bear to hear her cry4 ,and if you knew all that ,i have been saying to her3 #8,my jewel1 my treasure1 my angel1 ,i beseech you cry no more4 ,be good2 the ,blessed ,virgin will cure you6' ,and yet she still cries on40 ,with these words the poor creature burst out sobbing1 her big tears falling on the face of the child1 whose rattle still continued4 8,had it been daylight10 she resumed1 8,i would long ago have left this hall1 the more especially as she disturbs the others4 ,there is an old lady yonder who has already complained4 ,but ,i fear it may be chilly outside2 and besides1 where could ,i go in the middle of the night8 ,ah6 ,blessed ,virgin1 ,blessed ,virgin1 take pity upon us60 ,overcome by emotion1 ,pierre kissed the child's fair head1 and then hastened away to avoid bursting into tears like the sorrowing mother4 ,and he went straight to the ,rosary1 as though he were determined to conquer death4 ,he had already beheld the ,rosary in broad daylight1 and had been displeased by the aspect of this church1 which the architect1 fettered by the rockbound site1 had been obliged to make circular and low1 so that it seemed crushed beneath its great cupola1 which square pillars supported4 ,the worst was that1 despite its archaic ,byzantine style1 it altogether lacked any religious appearance1 and suggested neither mystery nor meditation4 ,indeed1 with the glaring light admitted by the cupola and the broad glazed doors it was more like some brand-new corn-market4 ,and then1 too1 it was not yet completed3 the decorations were lacking1 the bare walls against which the altars stood had no other embellishment than some artificial roses of coloured paper and a few insignificant votive offerings2 and this bareness heightened the resemblance to some vast public hall4 ,moreover1 in time of rain the paved floor became as muddy as that of a general waiting-room at a railway station4 ,the high altar was a temporary structure of painted wood4 ,innumerable rows of benches filled the central rotunda1 benches free to the public1 on which people could come and rest at all hours1 for night and day alike the ,rosary remained open to the swarming pilgrims4 ,like the shelter-house1 it was a cow-shed in which the ,almighty received the poor ones of the earth4 ,on entering1 ,pierre felt himself to be in some common hall trod by the footsteps of an ever-changing crowd4 ,but the brilliant sunlight no longer streamed on the pallid walls1 the tapers burning at every altar simply gleamed like stars amidst the uncertain gloom which filled the building4 ,a solemn high mass had been celebrated at midnight with extraordinary pomp1 amidst all the splendour of candles1 chants1 golden vestments1 and swinging1 steaming censers2 but of all this glorious display there now remained only the regulation number of tapers necessary for the celebration of the masses at each of the fifteen altars ranged around the edifice4 ,these masses began at midnight and did not cease till noon4 ,nearly four hundred were said during those twelve hours at the ,rosary alone4 ,taking the whole of ,lourdes1 where there were altogether some fifty altars1 more than two thousand masses were celebrated daily4 ,and so great was the abundance of priests1 that many had extreme difficulty in fulfilling their duties1 having to wait for hours together before they could find an altar unoccupied4 ,what particularly struck ,pierre that evening1 was the sight of all the altars besieged by rows of priests patiently awaiting their turn in the dim light at the foot of the steps2 whilst the officiating minister galloped through the ,latin phrases1 hastily punctuating them with the prescribed signs of the cross4 ,and the weariness of all the waiting ones was so great1 that most of them were seated on the flagstones1 some even dozing on the altar steps in heaps1 quite overpowered1 relying on the beadle to come and rouse them4 ,for a moment ,pierre walked about undecided4 ,was he going to wait like the others8 ,however1 the scene determined him against doing so4 ,at every altar1 at every mass1 a crowd of pilgrims was gathered1 communicating in all haste with a sort of voracious fervour4 ,each pyx was filled and emptied incessantly2 the priests' hands grew tired in thus distributing the bread of life2 and ,pierre's surprise increased at the sight4 ,never before had he beheld a corner of this earth so watered by the divine blood1 whence faith took wing in such a flight of souls4 ,it was like a return to the heroic days of the ,church1 when all nations prostrated themselves beneath the same blast of credulity in their terrified ignorance which led them to place their hope of eternal happiness in an ,almighty ,god4 ,he could fancy himself carried back some eight or nine centuries1 to the time of great public piety1 when people believed in the approaching end of the world2 and this he could fancy the more readily as the crowd of simple folk1 the whole host that had attended high mass1 was still seated on the benches1 as much at ease in ,god's house as at home4 ,many had no place of refuge4 ,was not the church their home1 the asylum where consolation awaited them both by day and by night8 ,those who knew not where to sleep1 who had not found room even at the shelter place1 came to the ,rosary1 where sometimes they succeeded in finding a vacant seat on a bench1 at others sufficient space to lie down on the flagstones4 ,and others who had beds awaiting them lingered there for the joy of passing a whole night in that divine abode1 so full of beautiful dreams4 ,until daylight the concourse and promiscuity were extraordinary2 every row of benches was occupied1 sleeping persons were scattered in every corner and behind every pillar2 men1 women1 children were leaning against each other1 their heads on one another's shoulders1 their breath mingling in calm unconsciousness4 ,it was the break-up of a religious gathering overwhelmed by sleep1 a church transformed into a chance hospital1 its doors wide open to the lovely ,august night1 giving access to all who were wandering in the darkness1 the good and the bad1 the weary and the lost4 ,and all over the place1 from each of the fifteen altars1 the bells announcing the elevation of the ,host incessantly sounded1 whilst from among the mob of sleepers bands of believers now and again arose1 went and received the sacrament1 and then returned to mingle once more with the nameless1 shepherdless flock which the semi-obscurity enveloped like a veil4 ,with an air of restless indecision1 ,pierre was still wandering through the shadowy groups1 when an old priest1 seated on the step of an altar1 beckoned to him4 ,for two hours he had been waiting there1 and now that his turn was at length arriving he felt so faint that he feared he might not have strength to say the whole of his mass1 and preferred1 therefore1 to surrender his place to another4 ,no doubt the sight of ,pierre1 wandering so distressfully in the gloom1 had moved him4 ,he pointed the vestry out to him1 waited until he returned with chasuble and chalice1 and then went off and fell into a sound sleep on one of the neighbouring benches4 ,pierre thereupon said his mass in the same way as he said it at ,paris1 like a worthy man fulfilling a professional duty4 ,he outwardly maintained an air of sincere faith4 ,but1 contrary to what he had expected from the two feverish days through which he had just gone1 from the extraordinary and agitating surroundings amidst which he had spent the last few hours1 nothing moved him nor touched his heart4 ,he had hoped that a great commotion would overpower him at the moment of the communion1 when the divine mystery is accomplished2 that he would find himself in view of ,paradise1 steeped in grace1 in the very presence of the ,almighty2 but there was no manifestation1 his chilled heart did not even throb1 he went on to the end pronouncing the usual words1 making the regulation gestures1 with the mechanical accuracy of the profession4 ,in spite of his effort to be fervent1 one single idea kept obstinately returning to his mind--that the vestry was far too small1 since such an enormous number of masses had to be said4 ,how could the sacristans manage to distribute the holy vestments and the cloths8 ,it puzzled him1 and engaged his thoughts with absurd persistency4 ,at length1 to his surprise1 he once more found himself outside4 ,again he wandered through the night1 a night which seemed to him utterly void1 darker and stiller than before4 ,the town was lifeless1 not a light was gleaming4 ,there only remained the growl of the ,gave1 which his accustomed ears no longer heard4 ,and suddenly1 similar to a miraculous apparition1 the ,grotto blazed before him1 illumining the darkness with its everlasting brasier1 which burnt with a flame of inextinguishable love4 ,he had returned thither unconsciously1 attracted no doubt by thoughts of ,marie4 ,three o'clock was about to strike1 the benches before the ,grotto were emptying1 and only some twenty persons remained there1 dark1 indistinct forms1 kneeling in slumberous ecstasy1 wrapped in divine torpor4 ,it seemed as though the night in progressing had increased the gloom1 and imparted a remote visionary aspect to the ,grotto4 ,all faded away amidst delicious lassitude1 sleep reigned supreme over the dim1 far-spreading country side2 whilst the voice of the invisible waters seemed to be merely the breathing of this pure slumber1 upon which the ,blessed ,virgin1 all white with her aureola of tapers1 was smiling4 ,and among the few unconscious women was ,madame ,maze1 still kneeling1 with clasped hands and bowed head1 but so indistinct that she seemed to have melted away amidst her ardent prayer4 ,pierre1 however1 had immediately gone up to ,marie4 ,he was shivering1 and fancied that she must be chilled by the early morning air4 8,i beseech you1 ,marie1 cover yourself up10 said he4 8,do you want to suffer still more80 ,and thereupon he drew up the shawl which had slipped off her1 and endeavoured to fasten it about her neck4 8,you are cold1 ,marie10 he added2 8your hands are like ice40 ,she did not answer1 she was still in the same attitude as when he had left her a couple of hours previously4 ,with her elbows resting on the edges of her box1 she kept herself raised1 her soul still lifted towards the ,blessed ,virgin and her face transfigured1 beaming with a celestial joy4 ,her lips moved1 though no sound came from them4 ,perhaps she was still carrying on some mysterious conversation in the world of enchantments1 dreaming wide awake1 as she had been doing ever since he had placed her there4 ,he spoke to her again1 but still she answered not4 ,at last1 however1 of her own accord1 she murmured in a far-away voice3 8,oh6 ,i am so happy1 ,pierre6 ,i have seen her2 ,i prayed to her for you1 and she smiled at me1 slightly nodding her head to let me know that she heard me and would grant my prayers4 ,and though she did not speak to me1 ,pierre1 ,i understood what she wished me to know4 #8,tis to-day1 at four o'clock in the afternoon1 when the ,blessed ,sacrament passes by1 that ,i shall be cured60 ,he listened to her in deep agitation4 ,had she been sleeping with her eyes wide open8 ,was it in a dream that she had seen the marble figure of the ,blessed ,virgin bend its head and smile8 ,a great tremor passed through him at the thought that this poor child had prayed for him4 ,and he walked up to the railing1 and dropped upon his knees1 stammering3 8,o ,marie6 ,o ,marie60 without knowing whether this heart-cry were intended for the ,virgin or for the beloved friend of his childhood4 ,and he remained there1 utterly overwhelmed1 waiting for grace to come to him4 ,endless minutes went by4 ,this was indeed the superhuman effort1 the waiting for the miracle which he had come to seek for himself1 the sudden revelation1 the thunderclap which was to sweep away his unbelief and restore him1 rejuvenated and triumphant1 to the faith of the simple-minded4 ,he surrendered himself1 he wished that some mighty power might ravage his being and transform it4 ,but1 even as before whilst saying his mass1 he heard naught within him but an endless silence1 felt nothing but a boundless vacuum4 ,there was no divine intervention1 his despairing heart almost seemed to cease beating4 ,and although he strove to pray1 to fix his mind wholly upon that powerful ,virgin1 so compassionate to poor humanity1 his thoughts none the less wandered1 won back by the outside world1 and again turning to puerile trifles4 ,within the ,grotto1 on the other side of the railing1 he had once more caught sight of ,baron ,suire1 still asleep1 still continuing his pleasant nap with his hands clasped in front of him4 ,other things also attracted his attention3 the flowers deposited at the feet of the ,virgin1 the letters cast there as though into a heavenly letter-box1 the delicate lace-like work of wax which remained erect around the flames of the larger tapers1 looking like some rich silver ornamentation4 ,then1 without any apparent reason1 his thoughts flew away to the days of his childhood1 and his brother ,guillaume's face rose before him with extreme distinctness4 ,he had not seen him since their mother's death4 ,he merely knew that he led a very secluded life1 occupying himself with scientific matters1 in a little house in which he had buried himself with a mistress and two big dogs2 and he would have known nothing more about him1 but for having recently read his name in a newspaper in connection with some revolutionary attempt4 ,it was stated that he was passionately devoting himself to the study of explosives1 and in constant intercourse with the leaders of the most advanced parties4 ,why1 however1 should ,guillaume appear to him in this wise1 in this ecstatic spot1 amidst the mystical light of the tapers1--appear to him1 moreover1 such as he had formerly known him1 so good1 affectionate1 and brotherly1 overflowing with charity for every affliction6 ,the thought haunted him for a moment1 and filled him with painful regret for that brotherliness now dead and gone4 ,then1 with hardly a moment's pause1 his mind reverted to himself1 and he realised that he might stubbornly remain there for hours without regaining faith4 ,nevertheless1 he felt a sort of tremor pass through him1 a final hope1 a feeling that if the ,blessed ,virgin should perform the great miracle of curing ,marie1 he would at last believe4 ,it was like a final delay which he allowed himself1 an appointment with ,faith for that very day1 at four o'clock in the afternoon1 when1 according to what the girl had told him1 the ,blessed ,sacrament would pass by4 ,and at this thought his anguish at once ceased1 he remained kneeling1 worn out with fatigue and overcome by invincible drowsiness4 ,the hours passed by1 the resplendent illumination of the ,grotto was still projected into the night1 its reflection stretching to the neighbouring hillsides and whitening the walls of the convents there4 ,however1 ,pierre noticed it grow paler and paler1 which surprised him1 and he roused himself1 feeling thoroughly chilled2 it was the day breaking1 beneath a leaden sky overcast with clouds4 ,he perceived that one of those storms1 so sudden in mountainous regions1 was rapidly rising from the south4 ,the thunder could already be heard rumbling in the distance1 whilst gusts of wind swept along the roads4 ,perhaps he also had been sleeping1 for he no longer beheld ,baron ,suire1 whose departure he did not remember having witnessed4 ,there were scarcely ten persons left before the ,grotto1 though among them he again recognised ,madame ,maze with her face hidden in her hands4 ,however1 when she noticed that it was daylight and that she could be seen1 she rose up1 and vanished at a turn of the narrow path leading to the convent of the ,blue ,sisters4 ,feeling anxious1 ,pierre went up to ,marie to tell her she must not remain there any longer1 unless she wished to get wet through4 8,i will take you back to the hospital10 said he4 ,she refused and then entreated3 8,no1 no6 ,i am waiting for mass2 ,i promised to communicate here4 ,don't trouble about me1 return to the hotel at once1 and go to bed1 ,i implore you4 ,you know very well that covered vehicles are sent here for the sick whenever it rains40 ,and she persisted in refusing to leave1 whilst on his side he kept on repeating that he did not wish to go to bed4 ,a mass1 it should be mentioned1 was said at the ,grotto early every morning1 and it was a divine joy for the pilgrims to be able to communicate1 amidst the glory of the rising sun1 after a long night of ecstasy4 ,and now1 just as some large drops of rain were beginning to fall1 there came the priest1 wearing a chasuble and accompanied by two acolytes1 one of whom1 in order to protect the chalice1 held a large white silk umbrella1 embroidered with gold1 over him4 ,pierre1 after pushing ,marie's little conveyance close to the railing1 so that the girl might be sheltered by the overhanging rock1 under which the few other worshippers had also sought refuge1 had just seen her receive the sacrament with ardent fervour1 when his attention was attracted by a pitiful spectacle which quite wrung his heart4 ,beneath a dense1 heavy deluge of rain1 he caught sight of ,madame ,vincent1 still with that precious1 woeful burden1 her little ,rose1 whom with outstretched arms she was offering to the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,unable to stay any longer at the shelter-house owing to the complaints caused by the child's constant moaning1 she had carried her off into the night1 and during two hours had roamed about in the darkness1 lost1 distracted1 bearing this poor flesh of her flesh1 which she pressed to her bosom1 unable to give it any relief4 ,she knew not what road she had taken1 beneath what trees she had strayed1 so absorbed had she been in her revolt against the unjust sufferings which had so sorely stricken this poor little being1 so feeble and so pure1 and as yet quite incapable of sin4 ,was it not abominable that the grip of disease should for weeks have been incessantly torturing her child1 whose cry she knew not how to quiet8 ,she carried her about1 rocking her in her arms as she went wildly along the paths1 obstinately hoping that she would at last get her to sleep1 and so hush that wail which was rending her heart4 ,and suddenly1 utterly worn-out1 sharing each of her daughter's death pangs1 she found herself opposite the ,grotto1 at the feet of the miracle-working ,virgin1 she who forgave and who healed4 8,o ,virgin1 ,mother most admirable1 heal her6 ,o ,virgin1 ,mother of ,divine ,grace1 heal her60 ,she had fallen on her knees1 and with quivering1 outstretched arms was still offering her expiring daughter1 in a paroxysm of hope and desire which seemed to raise her from the ground4 ,and the rain1 which she never noticed1 beat down behind her with the fury of an escaped torrent1 whilst violent claps of thunder shook the mountains4 ,for one moment she thought her prayer was granted1 for ,rose had slightly shivered as though visited by the archangel1 her face becoming quite white1 her eyes and mouth opening wide2 and with one last little gasp she ceased to cry4 8,o ,virgin1 ,mother of ,our ,redeemer1 heal her6 ,o ,virgin1 ,all-powerful ,mother1 heal her60 ,but the poor woman felt her child become even lighter in her extended arms4 ,and now she became afraid at no longer hearing her moan1 at seeing her so white1 with staring eyes and open mouth1 without a sign of life4 ,how was it that she did not smile if she were cured8 ,suddenly a loud heart-rending cry rang out1 the cry of the mother1 surpassing even the din of the thunder in the storm1 whose violence was increasing4 ,her child was dead4 ,and she rose up erect1 turned her back on that deaf ,virgin who let little children die1 and started off like a madwoman beneath the lashing downpour1 going straight before her without knowing whither1 and still and ever carrying and nursing that poor little body which she had held in her arms during so many days and nights4 ,a thunderbolt fell1 shivering one of the neighbouring trees1 as though with the stroke of a giant axe1 amidst a great crash of twisted and broken branches4 ,pierre had rushed after ,madame ,vincent1 eager to guide and help her4 ,but he was unable to follow her1 for he at once lost sight of her behind the blurring curtain of rain4 ,when he returned1 the mass was drawing to an end1 and1 as soon as the rain fell less violently1 the officiating priest went off under the white silk umbrella embroidered with gold4 ,meantime a kind of omnibus awaited the few patients to take them back to the hospital4 ,marie pressed ,pierre's hands4 8,oh6 how happy ,i am60 she said4 8,do not come for me before three o'clock this afternoon40 ,on being left amidst the rain1 which had now become an obstinate fine drizzle1 ,pierre re-entered the ,grotto and seated himself on the bench near the spring4 ,he would not go to bed1 for in spite of his weariness he dreaded sleep in the state of nervous excitement in which he had been plunged ever since the day before4 ,little ,rose's death had increased his fever2 he could not banish from his mind the thought of that heart-broken mother1 wandering along the muddy paths with the dead body of her child4 ,what could be the reasons which influenced the ,virgin8 ,he was amazed that she could make a choice4 ,divine ,mother as she was1 he wondered how her heart could decide upon healing only ten out of a hundred sufferers--that ten per cent4 of miracles which ,doctor ,bonamy had proved by statistics4 ,he1 ,pierre1 had already asked himself the day before which ones he would have chosen had he possessed the power of saving ten4 ,a terrible power in all truth1 a formidable selection1 which he would never have had the courage to make4 ,why this one1 and not that other8 ,where was the justice1 where the compassion8 ,to be all-powerful and heal every one of them1 was not that the desire which rose from each heart8 ,and the ,virgin seemed to him to be cruel1 badly informed1 as harsh and indifferent as even impassible nature1 distributing life and death at random1 or in accordance with laws which mankind knew nothing of4 ,the rain was at last leaving off1 and ,pierre had been there a couple of hours when he felt that his feet were damp4 ,he looked down1 and was greatly surprised1 for the spring was overflowing through the gratings4 ,the soil of the ,grotto was already covered2 whilst outside a sheet of water was flowing under the benches1 as far as the parapet against the ,gave4 ,the late storms had swollen the waters in the neighbourhood4 ,pierre thereupon reflected that this spring1 in spite of its miraculous origin1 was subject to the laws that governed other springs1 for it certainly communicated with some natural reservoirs1 wherein the rain penetrated and accumulated4 ,and then1 to keep his ankles dry1 he left the place4 ,v4 ,,the ,,two ,,victims ,,pierre walked along thirsting for fresh air1 his head so heavy that he took off his hat to relieve his burning brow4 ,despite all the fatigue of that terrible night of vigil1 he did not think of sleeping4 ,he was kept erect by that rebellion of his whole being which he could not quiet4 ,eight o'clock was striking1 and he walked at random under the glorious morning sun1 now shining forth in a spotless sky1 which the storm seemed to have cleansed of all the ,sunday dust4 ,all at once1 however1 he raised his head1 anxious to know where he was2 and he was quite astonished1 for he found that he had already covered a deal of ground1 and was now below the station1 near the municipal hospital4 ,he was hesitating at a point where the road forked1 not knowing which direction to take1 when a friendly hand was laid on his shoulder1 and a voice inquired3 8,where are you going at this early hour80 ,it was ,doctor ,chassaigne who addressed him1 drawing up his lofty figure1 clad in black from head to foot4 8,have you lost yourself80 he added2 8do you want to know your way80 8,no1 thanks1 no10 replied ,pierre1 somewhat disturbed4 8,i spent the night at the ,grotto with that young patient to whom ,i am so much attached1 and my heart was so upset that ,i have been walking about in the hope it would do me good1 before returning to the hotel to take a little sleep40 ,the doctor continued looking at him1 clearly detecting the frightful struggle which was raging within him1 the despair which he felt at being unable to sink asleep in faith1 the suffering which the futility of all his efforts brought him4 8,ah1 my poor child60 murmured ,m4 ,chassaigne2 and in a fatherly way he added3 8,well1 since you are walking1 suppose we take a walk together8 ,i was just going down yonder1 to the bank of the ,gave4 ,come along1 and on our way back you will see what a lovely view we shall have40 ,for his part1 the doctor took a walk of a couple of hours' duration each morning1 ever alone1 seeking1 as it were1 to tire and exhaust his grief4 ,first of all1 as soon as he had risen1 he repaired to the cemetery1 and knelt on the tomb of his wife and daughter1 which1 at all seasons1 he decked with flowers4 ,and afterwards he would roam along the roads1 with tearful eyes1 never returning home until fatigue compelled him4 ,with a wave of the hand1 ,pierre accepted his proposal1 and in perfect silence they went1 side by side1 down the sloping road4 ,they remained for a long time without speaking2 the doctor seemed more overcome than was his wont that morning2 it was as though his chat with his dear lost ones had made his heart bleed yet more copiously4 ,he walked along with his head bowed2 his face1 round which his white hair streamed1 was very pale1 and tears still blurred his eyes4 ,and yet it was so pleasant1 so warm in the sunlight on that lovely morning4 ,the road now followed the ,gave on its right bank1 on the other side of the new town2 and you could see the gardens1 the inclined ways1 and the ,basilica4 ,and1 all at once1 the ,grotto appeared1 with the everlasting flare of its tapers1 now paling in the broad light4 ,doctor ,chassaigne1 who had turned his head1 made the sign of the cross1 which ,pierre did not at first understand4 ,and when1 in his turn1 he had perceived the ,grotto1 he glanced in surprise at his old friend1 and once more relapsed into the astonishment which had come over him a couple of days previously on finding this man of science1 this whilom atheist and materialist1 so overwhelmed by grief that he was now a believer1 longing for the one delight of meeting his dear ones in another life4 ,his heart had swept his reason away2 old and lonely as he was1 it was only the illusion that he would live once more in ,paradise1 where loving souls meet again1 that prolonged his life on earth4 ,this thought increased the young priest's discomfort4 ,must he also wait until he had grown old and endured equal sufferings in order to find a refuge in faith8 ,still walking beside the ,gave1 leaving the town farther and farther behind them1 they were lulled as it were by the noise of those clear waters rolling over the pebbles between banks shaded by trees4 ,and they still remained silent1 walking on with an equal step1 each1 on his own side1 absorbed in his sorrows4 8,and ,bernadette10 ,pierre suddenly inquired2 8did you know her80 ,the doctor raised his head4 8,bernadette8 ,yes1 yes10 said he4 8,i saw her once--afterwards40 ,he relapsed into silence for a moment1 and then began chatting3 8,in #aheh1 you know1 at the time of the apparitions1 ,i was thirty years of age4 ,i was in ,paris1 still young in my profession1 and opposed to all supernatural notions1 so that ,i had no idea of returning to my native mountains to see a girl suffering from hallucinations4 ,five or six years later1 however1 some time about #ahfd1 ,i passed through ,lourdes1 and was inquisitive enough to pay ,bernadette a visit4 ,she was then still at the asylum with the ,sisters of ,nevers40 ,pierre remembered that one of the reasons of his journey had been his desire to complete his inquiry respecting ,bernadette4 ,and who could tell if grace might not come to him from that humble1 lovable girl1 on the day when he should be convinced that she had indeed fulfilled a mission of divine love and forgiveness8 ,for this consummation to ensue it would perhaps suffice that he should know her better and learn to feel that she was really the saint1 the chosen one1 as others believed her to have been4 8,tell me about her1 ,i pray you10 he said2 8tell me all you know of her40 ,a faint smile curved the doctor's lips4 ,he understood1 and would have greatly liked to calm and comfort the young priest whose soul was so grievously tortured by doubt4 8,oh6 willingly1 my poor child60 he answered4 8,i should be so happy to help you on the path to light4 ,you do well to love ,bernadette--that may save you2 for since all those old-time things ,i have deeply reflected on her case1 and ,i declare to you that ,i never met a more charming creature1 or one with a better heart40 ,then1 to the slow rhythm of their footsteps along the well-kept1 sunlit road1 in the delightful freshness of morning1 the doctor began to relate his visit to ,bernadette in #ahfd4 ,she had then just attained her twentieth birthday1 the apparitions had taken place six years previously1 and she had astonished him by her candid and sensible air1 her perfect modesty4 ,the ,sisters of ,nevers1 who had taught her to read1 kept her with them at the asylum in order to shield her from public inquisitiveness4 ,she found an occupation there1 helping them in sundry petty duties2 but she was very often taken ill1 and would spend weeks at a time in her bed4 ,the doctor had been particularly struck by her beautiful eyes1 pure1 candid1 and frank1 like those of a child4 ,the rest of her face1 said he1 had become somewhat spoilt2 her complexion was losing its clearness1 her features had grown less delicate1 and her general appearance was that of an ordinary servant-girl1 short1 puny1 and unobtrusive4 ,her piety was still keen1 but she had not seemed to him to be the ecstatical1 excitable creature that many might have supposed2 indeed1 she appeared to have a rather positive mind which did not indulge in flights of fancy2 and she invariably had some little piece of needlework1 some knitting1 some embroidery in her hand4 ,in a word1 she appeared to have entered the common path1 and in nowise resembled the intensely passionate female worshippers of the ,christ4 ,she had no further visions1 and never of her own accord spoke of the eighteen apparitions which had decided her life4 ,to learn anything it was necessary to interrogate her1 to address precise questions to her4 ,these she would briefly answer1 and then seek to change the conversation1 as though she did not like to talk of such mysterious things4 ,if wishing to probe the matter further1 you asked her the nature of the three secrets which the ,virgin had confided to her1 she would remain silent1 simply averting her eyes4 ,and it was impossible to make her contradict herself2 the particulars she gave invariably agreed with her original narrative1 and1 indeed1 she always seemed to repeat the same words1 with the same inflections of the voice4 8,i had her in hand during the whole of one afternoon10 continued ,doctor ,chassaigne1 8and there was not the variation of a syllable in her story4 ,it was disconcerting4 ,still1 ,i am prepared to swear that she was not lying1 that she never lied1 that she was altogether incapable of falsehood40 ,pierre boldly ventured to discuss this point4 8,but won't you admit1 doctor1 the possibility of some disorder of the will80 he asked4 8,has it not been proved1 is it not admitted nowadays1 that when certain degenerate creatures with childish minds fall into an hallucination1 a fancy of some kind or other1 they are often unable to free themselves from it1 especially when they remain in the same environment in which the phenomenon occurred8 ,cloistered1 living alone with her fixed idea1 ,bernadette1 naturally enough1 obstinately clung to it40 ,the doctor's faint smile returned to his lips1 and vaguely waving his arm1 he replied3 8,ah6 my child1 you ask me too much4 ,you know very well that ,i am now only a poor old man1 who prides himself but little on his science1 and no longer claims to be able to explain anything4 ,however1 ,i do of course know of that famous medical-school example of the young girl who allowed herself to waste away with hunger at home1 because she imagined that she was suffering from a serious complaint of the digestive organs1 but who nevertheless began to eat when she was taken elsewhere4 ,however1 that is but one circumstance1 and there are so many contradictory cases40 ,for a moment they became silent1 and only the rhythmical sound of their steps was heard along the road4 ,then the doctor resumed3 8,moreover1 it is quite true that ,bernadette shunned the world1 and was only happy in her solitary corner4 ,she was never known to have a single intimate female friend1 any particular human love for anybody4 ,she was kind and gentle towards all1 but it was only for children that she showed any lively affection4 ,and as1 after all1 the medical man is not quite dead within me1 ,i will confess to you that ,i have sometimes wondered if she remained as pure in mind1 as1 most undoubtedly1 she did remain in body4 ,however1 ,i think it quite possible1 given her sluggish1 poor-blooded temperament1 not to speak of the innocent sphere in which she grew up1 first ,bartres1 and then the convent4 ,still1 a doubt came to me when ,i heard of the tender interest which she took in the orphan asylum built by the ,sisters of ,nevers1 farther along this very road4 ,poor little girls are received into it1 and shielded from the perils of the highways4 ,and if ,bernadette wished it to be extremely large1 so as to lodge all the little lambs in danger1 was it not because she herself remembered having roamed the roads with bare feet1 and still trembled at the idea of what might have become of her but for the help of the ,blessed ,virgin80 ,then1 resuming his narrative1 he went on telling ,pierre of the crowds that flocked to see ,bernadette and pay her reverence in her asylum at ,lourdes4 ,this had proved a source of considerable fatigue to her4 ,not a day went by without a stream of visitors appearing before her4 ,they came from all parts of ,france1 some even from abroad2 and it soon proved necessary to refuse the applications of those who were actuated by mere inquisitiveness1 and to grant admittance only to the genuine believers1 the members of the clergy1 and the people of mark on whom the doors could not well have been shut4 ,a ,sister was always present to protect ,bernadette against the excessive indiscretion of some of her visitors1 for questions literally rained upon her1 and she often grew faint through having to repeat her story so many times4 ,ladies of high position fell on their knees1 kissed her gown1 and would have liked to carry a piece of it away as a relic4 ,she also had to defend her chaplet1 which in their excitement they all begged her to sell to them for a fabulous amount4 ,one day a certain marchioness endeavoured to secure it by giving her another one which she had brought with her--a chaplet with a golden cross and beads of real pearls4 ,many hoped that she would consent to work a miracle in their presence2 children were brought to her in order that she might lay her hands upon them2 she was also consulted in cases of illness1 and attempts were made to purchase her influence with the ,virgin4 ,large sums were offered to her4 ,at the slightest sign1 the slightest expression of a desire to be a queen1 decked with jewels and crowned with gold1 she would have been overwhelmed with regal presents4 ,and while the humble remained on their knees on her threshold1 the great ones of the earth pressed round her1 and would have counted it a glory to act as her escort4 ,it was even related that one among them1 the handsomest and wealthiest of princes1 came one clear sunny ,april day to ask her hand in marriage4 8,but what always struck and displeased me10 said ,pierre1 8was her departure from ,lourdes when she was two-and-twenty1 her sudden disappearance and sequestration in the convent of ,saint ,gildard at ,nevers1 whence she never emerged4 ,didn't that give a semblance of truth to those spurious rumours of insanity which were circulated8 ,didn't it help people to suppose that she was being shut up1 whisked away for fear of some indiscretion on her part1 some naive remark or other which might have revealed the secret of a prolonged fraud8 ,indeed1 to speak plainly1 ,i will confess to you that for my own part ,i still believe that she was spirited away40 ,doctor ,chassaigne gently shook his head4 8,no1 no10 said he1 8there was no story prepared in advance in this affair1 no big melodrama secretly staged and afterwards performed by more or less unconscious actors4 ,the developments came of themselves1 by the sole force of circumstances2 and they were always very intricate1 very difficult to analyse4 ,moreover1 it is certain that it was ,bernadette herself who wished to leave ,lourdes4 ,those incessant visits wearied her1 she felt ill at ease amidst all that noisy worship4 ,all that she desired was a dim nook where she might live in peace1 and so fierce was she at times in her disinterestedness1 that when money was handed to her1 even with the pious intent of having a mass said or a taper burnt1 she would fling it upon the floor4 ,she never accepted anything for herself or for her family1 which remained in poverty4 ,and with such pride as she possessed1 such natural simplicity1 such a desire to remain in the background1 one can very well understand that she should have wished to disappear and cloister herself in some lonely spot so as to prepare herself to make a good death4 ,her work was accomplished2 she had initiated this great movement scarcely knowing how or why2 and she could really be of no further utility4 ,others were about to conduct matters to an issue and insure the triumph of the ,grotto40 8,let us admit1 then1 that she went off of her own accord10 said ,pierre2 8still1 what a relief it must have been for the people you speak of1 who thenceforth became the real masters1 whilst millions of money were raining down on ,lourdes from the whole world40 8,oh6 certainly2 ,i don't pretend that any attempt was made to detain her here60 exclaimed the doctor4 8,frankly1 ,i even believe that she was in some degree urged into the course she took4 ,she ended by becoming somewhat of an incumbrance4 ,it was not that any annoying revelations were feared from her2 but remember that with her extreme timidity and frequent illnesses she was scarcely ornamental4 ,besides1 however small the room which she took up at ,lourdes1 however obedient she showed herself1 she was none the less a power1 and attracted the multitude1 which made her1 so to say1 a competitor of the ,grotto4 ,for the ,grotto to remain alone1 resplendent in its glory1 it was advisable that ,bernadette should withdraw into the background1 become as it were a simple legend4 ,such1 indeed1 must have been the reasons which induced ,monseigneur ,laurence1 the ,bishop of ,tarbes1 to hasten her departure4 ,the only mistake that was made was in saying that it was a question of screening her from the enterprises of the world1 as though it were feared that she might fall into the sin of pride1 by growing vain of the saintly fame with which the whole of ,christendom re-echoed4 ,and this was doing her a grave injury1 for she was as incapable of pride as she was of falsehood4 ,never1 indeed1 was there a more candid or more modest child40 ,the doctor was growing impassioned1 excited4 ,but all at once he became calm again1 and a pale smile returned to his lips4 8#8,tis true10 said he1 8,i love her2 the more ,i have thought of her1 the more have ,i learned to love her4 ,but you must not think1 ,pierre1 that ,i am completely brutified by belief4 ,if ,i nowadays acknowledge the existence of an unseen power1 if ,i feel a need of believing in another1 better1 and more just life1 ,i nevertheless know right well that there are men remaining in this world of ours2 and at times1 even when they wear the cowl or the cassock1 the work they do is vile40 ,there came another interval of silence4 ,each was continuing his dream apart from the other4 ,then the doctor resumed3 8,i will tell you of a fancy which has often haunted me4 ,suppose we admit that ,bernadette was not the shy1 simple child we knew her to be2 let us endow her with a spirit of intrigue and domination1 transform her into a conqueress1 a leader of nations1 and try to picture what1 in that case1 would have happened4 ,it is evident that the ,grotto would be hers1 the ,basilica also4 ,we should see her lording it at all the ceremonies1 under a dais1 with a gold mitre on her head4 ,she would distribute the miracles2 with a sovereign gesture her little hand would lead the multitudes to heaven4 ,all the lustre and glory would come from her1 she being the saint1 the chosen one1 the only one that had been privileged to see the ,divinity face to face4 ,and indeed nothing would seem more just1 for she would triumph after toiling1 enjoy the fruit of her labour in all glory4 ,but you see1 as it happens1 she is defrauded1 robbed4 ,the marvellous harvests sown by her are reaped by others4 ,during the twelve years which she lived at ,saint ,gildard1 kneeling in the gloom1 ,lourdes was full of victors1 priests in golden vestments chanting thanksgivings1 and blessing churches and monuments erected at a cost of millions4 ,she alone did not behold the triumph of the new faith1 whose author she had been4 ,you say that she dreamt it all4 ,well1 at all events1 what a beautiful dream it was1 a dream which has stirred the whole world1 and from which she1 dear girl1 never awakened60 ,they halted and sat down for a moment on a rock beside the road1 before returning to the town4 ,in front of them the ,gave1 deep at this point of its course1 was rolling blue waters tinged with dark moire-like reflections1 whilst1 farther on1 rushing hurriedly over a bed of large stones1 the stream became so much foam1 a white froth1 light like snow4 ,amidst the gold raining from the sun1 a fresh breeze came down from the mountains4 ,whilst listening to that story of how ,bernadette had been exploited and suppressed1 ,pierre had simply found in it all a fresh motive for revolt2 and1 with his eyes fixed on the ground1 he began to think of the injustice of nature1 of that law which wills that the strong should devour the weak4 ,then1 all at once raising his head1 he inquired3 8,and did you also know ,abb ,peyramale80 ,the doctor's eyes brightened once more1 and he eagerly replied3 8,certainly ,i did6 ,he was an upright1 energetic man1 a saint1 an apostle4 ,he and ,bernadette were the great makers of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,like her1 he endured frightful sufferings1 and1 like her1 he died from them4 ,those who do not know his story can know nothing1 understand nothing1 of the drama enacted here40 ,thereupon he related that story at length4 ,abb ,peyramale was the parish priest of ,lourdes at the time of the apparitions4 ,a native of the region1 tall1 broad-shouldered1 with a powerful leonine head1 he was extremely intelligent1 very honest and goodhearted1 though at times violent and domineering4 ,he seemed built for combat4 ,an enemy of all pious exaggerations1 discharging the duties of his ministry in a broad1 liberal spirit1 he regarded the apparitions with distrust when he first heard of them1 refused to believe in ,bernadette's stories1 questioned her1 and demanded proofs4 ,it was only at a later stage1 when the blast of faith became irresistible1 upsetting the most rebellious minds and mastering the multitude1 that he ended1 in his turn1 by bowing his head2 and when he was finally conquered1 it was more particularly by his love for the humble and the oppressed which he could not restrain when he beheld ,bernadette threatened with imprisonment4 ,the civil authorities were persecuting one of his flock2 at this his shepherd's heart awoke1 and1 in her defence1 he gave full reign to his ardent passion for justice4 ,moreover1 the charm which the child diffused had worked upon him2 he felt her to be so candid1 so truthful1 that he began to place a blind faith in her and love her even as everybody else loved her4 ,moreover1 why should he have curtly dismissed all questions of miracles1 when miracles abound in the pages of ,holy ,writ8 ,it was not for a minister of religion1 whatever his prudence1 to set himself up as a sceptic when entire populations were falling on their knees and the ,church seemed to be on the eve of another great triumph4 ,then1 too1 he had the nature of one who leads men1 who stirs up crowds1 who builds1 and in this affair he had really found his vocation1 the vast field in which he might exercise his energy1 the great cause to which he might wholly devote himself with all his passionate ardour and determination to succeed4 ,from that moment1 then1 ,abb ,peyramale had but one thought1 to execute the orders which the ,virgin had commissioned ,bernadette to transmit to him4 ,he caused improvements to be carried out at the ,grotto4 ,a railing was placed in front of it2 pipes were laid for the conveyance of the water from the source1 and a variety of work was accomplished in order to clear the approaches4 ,however1 the ,virgin had particularly requested that a chapel might be built2 and he wished to have a church1 quite a triumphal ,basilica4 ,he pictured everything on a grand scale1 and1 full of confidence in the enthusiastic help of ,christendom1 he worried the architects1 requiring them to design real palaces worthy of the ,queen of ,heaven4 ,as a matter of fact1 offerings already abounded1 gold poured from the most distant dioceses1 a rain of gold destined to increase and never end4 ,then came his happy years3 he was to be met among the workmen at all hours1 instilling activity into them like the jovial1 good-natured fellow he was1 constantly on the point of taking a pick or trowel in hand himself1 such was his eagerness to behold the realisation of his dream4 ,but days of trial were in store for him3 he fell ill1 and lay in danger of death on the fourth of ,april1 #ahfd1 when the first procession started from his parish church to the ,grotto1 a procession of sixty thousand pilgrims1 which wound along the streets amidst an immense concourse of spectators4 ,on the day when ,abb ,peyramale rose from his bed1 saved1 a first time1 from death1 he found himself despoiled4 ,to second him in his heavy task1 ,monseigneur ,laurence1 the ,bishop1 had already given him as assistant a former episcopal secretary1 ,father ,semp1 whom he had appointed warden of the ,missionaries of ,geraison1 a community founded by himself4 ,father ,semp was a sly1 spare little man1 to all appearance most disinterested and humble1 but in reality consumed by all the thirst of ambition4 ,at the outset he kept in his place1 serving the parish priest of ,lourdes like a faithful subordinate1 attending to matters of all kinds in order to lighten the other's work1 and acquiring information on every possible subject in his desire to render himself indispensable4 ,he must soon have realised what a rich farm the ,grotto was destined to become1 and what a colossal revenue might be derived from it1 if only a little skill were exercised4 ,and thenceforth he no longer stirred from the episcopal residence1 but ended by acquiring great influence over the calm1 practical ,bishop1 who was in great need of money for the charities of his diocese4 ,and thus it was that during ,abb ,peyramale's illness ,father ,semp succeeded in effecting a separation between the parish of ,lourdes and the domain of the ,grotto1 which last he was commissioned to manage at the head of a few ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception1 over whom the ,bishop placed him as ,father ,superior4 ,the struggle soon began1 one of those covert1 desperate1 mortal struggles which are waged under the cloak of ecclesiastical discipline4 ,there was a pretext for rupture all ready1 a field of battle on which the longer purse would necessarily end by conquering4 ,it was proposed to build a new parish church1 larger and more worthy of ,lourdes than the old one already in existence1 which was admitted to have become too small since the faithful had been flocking into the town in larger and larger numbers4 ,moreover1 it was an old idea of ,abb ,peyramale1 who desired to carry out the ,virgin's orders with all possible precision4 ,speaking of the ,grotto1 she had said that people would go 8thither in procession02 and the ,abb had always seen the pilgrims start in procession from the town1 whither they were expected to return in the same fashion1 as indeed had been the practice on the first occasions after the apparitions4 ,a central point1 a rallying spot1 was therefore required1 and the ,abb's dream was to erect a magnificent church1 a cathedral of gigantic proportions1 which would accommodate a vast multitude4 ,builder as he was by temperament1 impassioned artisan working for the glory of ,heaven1 he already pictured this cathedral springing from the soil1 and rearing its clanging belfry in the sunlight4 ,and it was also his own house that he wished to build1 the edifice which would be his act of faith and adoration1 the temple where he would be the pontiff1 and triumph in company with the sweet memory of ,bernadette1 in full view of the spot of which both he and she had been so cruelly dispossessed4 ,naturally enough1 bitterly as he felt that act of spoliation1 the building of this new parish church was in some degree his revenge1 his share of all the glory1 besides being a task which would enable him to utilise both his militant activity and the fever that had been consuming him ever since he had ceased going to the ,grotto1 by reason of his soreness of heart4 ,at the outset of the new enterprise there was again a flash of enthusiasm4 ,at the prospect of seeing all the life and all the money flow into the new city which was springing from the ground around the ,basilica1 the old town1 which felt itself thrust upon one side1 espoused the cause of its priest4 ,the municipal council voted a sum of one hundred thousand francs1 which1 unfortunately1 was not to be paid until the new church should be roofed in4 ,abb ,peyramale had already accepted the plans of his architect--plans which1 he had insisted1 should be on a grand scale--and had also treated with a contractor of ,chartres1 who engaged to complete the church in three or four years if the promised supplies of funds should be regularly forthcoming4 ,the ,abb believed that offerings would assuredly continue raining down from all parts1 and so he launched into this big enterprise without any anxiety1 overflowing with a careless bravery1 and fully expecting that ,heaven would not abandon him on the road4 ,he even fancied that he could rely upon the support of ,monseigneur ,jourdan1 who had now succeeded ,monseigneur ,laurence as ,bishop of ,tarbes1 for this prelate1 after blessing the foundation-stone of the new church1 had delivered an address in which he admitted that the enterprise was necessary and meritorious4 ,and it seemed1 too1 as though ,father ,semp1 with his customary humility1 had bowed to the inevitable and accepted this vexatious competition1 which would compel him to relinquish a share of the plunder2 for he now pretended to devote himself entirely to the management of the ,grotto1 and even allowed a collection-box for contributions to the building of the new parish church to be placed inside the ,basilica4 ,then1 however1 the secret1 rageful struggle began afresh4 ,abb ,peyramale1 who was a wretched manager1 exulted on seeing his new church so rapidly take shape4 ,the work was being carried on at a fast pace1 and he troubled about nothing else1 being still under the delusion that the ,blessed ,virgin would find whatever money might be needed4 ,thus he was quite stupefied when he at last perceived that the offerings were falling off1 that the money of the faithful no longer reached him1 as though1 indeed1 someone had secretly diverted its flow4 ,and eventually the day came when he was unable to make the stipulated payments4 ,in all this there had been so much skilfully combined strangulation1 of which he only became aware later on4 ,father ,semp1 however1 had once more prevailed on the ,bishop to grant his favour exclusively to the ,grotto4 ,there was even a talk of some confidential circulars distributed through the various dioceses1 so that the many sums of money offered by the faithful should no longer be sent to the parish4 ,the voracious1 insatiable ,grotto was bent upon securing everything1 and to such a point were things carried that five hundred franc notes slipped into the collection-box at the ,basilica were kept back2 the box was rifled and the parish robbed4 ,abb ,peyramale1 however1 in his passion for the rising church1 his child1 continued fighting most desperately1 ready if need were to give his blood4 ,he had at first treated with the contractor in the name of the vestry2 then1 when he was at a loss how to pay1 he treated in his own name4 ,his life was bound up in the enterprise1 he wore himself out in the heroic efforts which he made4 ,of the four hundred thousand francs that he had promised1 he had only been able to pay two hundred thousand2 and the municipal council still obstinately refused to hand over the hundred thousand francs which it had voted1 until the new church should be covered in4 ,this was acting against the town's real interests4 ,however1 it was said that ,father ,semp was trying to bring influence to bear on the contractor4 ,and1 all at once1 the work was stopped4 ,from that moment the death agony began4 ,wounded in the heart1 the ,abb ,peyramale1 the broad-shouldered mountaineer with the leonine face1 staggered and fell like an oak struck down by a thunderbolt4 ,he took to his bed1 and never left it alive4 ,strange stories circulated3 it was said that ,father ,semp had sought to secure admission to the parsonage under some pious pretext1 but in reality to see if his much-dreaded adversary were really mortally stricken2 and it was added1 that it had been necessary to drive him from the sick-room1 where his presence was an outrageous scandal4 ,then1 when the unhappy priest1 vanquished and steeped in bitterness1 was dead1 ,father ,semp was seen triumphing at the funeral1 from which the others had not dared to keep him away4 ,it was affirmed that he openly displayed his abominable delight1 that his face was radiant that day with the joy of victory4 ,he was at last rid of the only man who had been an obstacle to his designs1 whose legitimate authority he had feared4 ,he would no longer be forced to share anything with anybody now that both the founders of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes had been suppressed--,bernadette placed in a convent1 and ,abb ,peyramale lowered into the ground4 ,the ,grotto was now his own property1 the alms would come to him alone1 and he could do what he pleased with the eight hundred thousand francs99 or so which were at his disposal every year4 ,he would complete the gigantic works destined to make the ,basilica a self-supporting centre1 and assist in embellishing the new town in order to increase the isolation of the old one and seclude it behind its rock1 like an insignificant parish submerged beneath the splendour of its all-powerful neighbour4 ,all the money1 all the sovereignty1 would be his2 he henceforth would reign4 99 ,about #ade1jjj dollars4 ,however1 although the works had been stopped1 and the new parish church was slumbering inside its wooden fence1 it was none the less more than half built4 ,the vaulted aisles were already erected4 ,and the imperfect pile remained there like a threat1 for the town might some day attempt to finish it4 ,like ,abb ,peyramale1 therefore1 it must be killed for good1 turned into an irreparable ruin4 ,the secret labour therefore continued1 a work of refined cruelty and slow destruction4 ,to begin with1 the new parish priest1 a simple-minded creature1 was cowed to such a point that he no longer opened the envelopes containing remittances for the parish2 all the registered letters were at once taken to the ,fathers4 ,then the site selected for the new parish church was criticised1 and the diocesan architect was induced to draw up a report stating that the old church was still in good condition and of ample size for the requirements of the community4 ,moreover1 influence was brought to bear on the ,bishop1 and representations were made to him respecting the annoying features of the pecuniary difficulties which had arisen with the contractor4 ,with a little imagination poor ,peyramale was transformed into a violent1 obstinate madman1 through whose undisciplined zeal the ,church had almost been compromised4 ,and1 at last1 the ,bishop1 forgetting that he himself had blessed the foundation-stone1 issued a pastoral letter laying the unfinished church under interdict1 and prohibiting all religious services in it4 ,this was the supreme blow4 ,endless lawsuits had already begun2 the contractor1 who had only received two hundred thousand francs for the five hundred thousand francs' worth of work which had been executed1 had taken proceedings against ,abb ,peyramale's heir-at-law1 the vestry1 and the town1 for the last still refused to pay over the amount which it had voted4 ,at first the ,prefect's ,council declared itself incompetent to deal with the case1 and when it was sent back to it by the ,council of ,state1 it rendered a judgment by which the town was condemned to pay the hundred thousand francs and the heir-at-law to finish the church4 ,at the same time the vestry was put out of court4 ,however1 there was a fresh appeal to the ,council of ,state1 which quashed this judgment1 and condemned the vestry1 and1 in default1 the heir-at-law1 to pay the contractor4 ,neither party being solvent1 matters remained in this position4 ,the lawsuits had lasted fifteen years4 ,the town had now resignedly paid over the hundred thousand francs1 and only two hundred thousand remained owing to the contractor4 ,however1 the costs and the accumulated interest had so increased the amount of indebtedness that it had risen to six hundred thousand francs2 and as1 on the other hand1 it was estimated that four hundred thousand francs would be required to finish the church1 a million was needed to save this young ruin from certain destruction4 ,the ,fathers of the ,grotto were thenceforth able to sleep in peace2 they had assassinated the poor church2 it was as dead as ,abb ,peyramale himself4 ,the bells of the ,basilica rang out triumphantly1 and ,father ,semp reigned as a victor at the conclusion of that great struggle1 that dagger warfare in which not only a man but stones also had been done to death in the shrouding gloom of intriguing sacristies4 ,and old ,lourdes1 obstinate and unintelligent1 paid a hard penalty for its mistake in not giving more support to its minister1 who had died struggling1 killed by his love for his parish1 for now the new town did not cease to grow and prosper at the expense of the old one4 ,all the wealth flowed to the former3 the ,fathers of the ,grotto coined money1 financed hotels and candle shops1 and sold the water of the source1 although a clause of their agreement with the municipality expressly prohibited them from carrying on any commercial pursuits4 ,the whole region began to rot and fester2 the triumph of the ,grotto had brought about such a passion for lucre1 such a burning1 feverish desire to possess and enjoy1 that extraordinary perversion set in1 growing worse and worse each day1 and changing ,bernadette's peaceful ,bethlehem into a perfect ,sodom or ,gomorrah4 ,father ,semp had ensured the triumph of his ,divinity by spreading human abominations all around and wrecking thousands of souls4 ,gigantic buildings rose from the ground1 five or six millions of francs had already been expended1 everything being sacrificed to the stern determination to leave the poor parish out in the cold and keep the entire plunder for self and friends4 ,those costly1 colossal gradient ways had only been erected in order to avoid compliance with the ,virgin's express desire that the faithful should come to the ,grotto in procession4 ,for to go down from the ,basilica by the incline on the left1 and climb up to it again by the incline on the right1 could certainly not be called going to the ,grotto in procession3 it was simply so much revolving in a circle4 ,however1 the ,fathers cared little about that2 they had succeeded in compelling people to start from their premises and return to them1 in order that they might be the sole proprietors of the affair1 the opulent farmers who garnered the whole harvest4 ,abb ,peyramale lay buried in the crypt of his unfinished1 ruined church1 and ,bernadette1 who had long since dragged out her life of suffering in the depths of a convent far away1 was now likewise sleeping the eternal sleep under a flagstone in a chapel4 ,deep silence fell when ,doctor ,chassaigne had finished this long narrative4 ,then1 with a painful effort1 he rose to his feet again3 8,it will soon be ten o'clock1 my dear child10 said he1 8and ,i want you to take a little rest4 ,let us go back40 ,pierre followed him without speaking2 and they retraced their steps toward the town at a more rapid pace4 8,ah6 yes10 resumed the doctor1 8there were great iniquities and great sufferings in it all4 ,but what else could you expect8 ,man spoils and corrupts the most beautiful things4 ,and you cannot yet understand all the woeful sadness of the things of which ,i have been talking to you4 ,you must see them1 lay your hand on them4 ,would you like me to show you ,bernadette's room and ,abb ,peyramale's unfinished church this evening80 8,yes1 ,i should indeed10 replied ,pierre4 8,well1 ,i will meet you in front of the ,basilica after the four-o'clock procession1 and you can come with me40 ,then they spoke no further1 each becoming absorbed in his reverie once more4 ,the ,gave1 now upon their right hand1 was flowing through a deep gorge1 a kind of cleft into which it plunged1 vanishing from sight among the bushes4 ,but at intervals a clear stretch of it1 looking like unburnished silver1 would appear to view2 and1 farther on1 after a sudden turn in the road1 they found it flowing in increased volume across a plain1 where it spread at times into glassy sheets which must often have changed their beds1 for the gravelly soil was ravined on all sides4 ,the sun was now becoming very hot1 and was already high in the heavens1 whose limpid azure assumed a deeper tinge above the vast circle of mountains4 ,and it was at this turn of the road that ,lourdes1 still some distance away1 reappeared to the eyes of ,pierre and ,doctor ,chassaigne4 ,in the splendid morning atmosphere1 amid a flying dust of gold and purple rays1 the town shone whitely on the horizon1 its houses and monuments becoming more and more distinct at each step which brought them nearer4 ,and the doctor1 still silent1 at last waved his arm with a broad1 mournful gesture in order to call his companion's attention to this growing town1 as though to a proof of all that he had been telling him4 ,there1 indeed1 rising up in the dazzling daylight1 was the evidence which confirmed his words4 ,the flare of the ,grotto1 fainter now that the sun was shining1 could already be espied amidst the greenery4 ,and soon afterwards the gigantic monumental works spread out3 the quay with its freestone parapet skirting the ,gave1 whose course had been diverted2 the new bridge connecting the new gardens with the recently opened boulevard2 the colossal gradient ways1 the massive church of the ,rosary1 and1 finally1 the slim1 tapering ,basilica1 rising above all else with graceful pride4 ,of the new town spread all around the monuments1 the wealthy city which had sprung1 as though by enchantment1 from the ancient impoverished soil1 the great convents and the great hotels1 you could1 at this distance1 merely distinguish a swarming of white faades and a scintillation of new slates2 whilst1 in confusion1 far away1 beyond the rocky mass on which the crumbling castle walls were profiled against the sky1 appeared the humble roofs of the old town1 a jumble of little time-worn roofs1 pressing timorously against one another4 ,and as a background to this vision of the life of yesterday and to-day1 the little and the big ,gers rose up beneath the splendour of the everlasting sun1 and barred the horizon with their bare slopes1 which the oblique rays were tingeing with streaks of pink and yellow4 ,doctor ,chassaigne insisted on accompanying ,pierre to the ,hotel of the ,apparitions1 and only parted from him at its door1 after reminding him of their appointment for the afternoon4 ,it was not yet eleven o'clock4 ,pierre1 whom fatigue had suddenly mastered1 forced himself to eat before going to bed1 for he realised that want of food was one of the chief causes of the weakness which had come over him4 ,he fortunately found a vacant seat at the table d'hte1 and made some kind of a djeuner1 half asleep all the time1 and scarcely knowing what was served to him4 ,then he went up-stairs and flung himself on his bed1 after taking care to tell the servant to awake him at three o'clock4 ,however1 on lying down1 the fever that consumed him at first prevented him from closing his eyes4 ,a pair of gloves1 forgotten in the next room1 had reminded him of ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had left for ,gavarnie before daybreak1 and would only return in the evening4 ,what a delightful gift was thoughtlessness1 thought ,pierre4 ,for his own part1 with his limbs worn out by weariness and his mind distracted1 he was sad unto death4 ,everything seemed to conspire against his willing desire to regain the faith of his childhood4 ,the tale of ,abb ,peyramale's tragic adventures had simply aggravated the feeling of revolt which the story of ,bernadette1 chosen and martyred1 had implanted in his breast4 ,and thus he asked himself whether his search after the truth1 instead of restoring his faith1 would not rather lead him to yet greater hatred of ignorance and credulity1 and to the bitter conviction that man is indeed all alone in the world1 with naught to guide him save his reason4 ,at last he fell asleep1 but visions continued hovering around him in his painful slumber4 ,he beheld ,lourdes1 contaminated by ,mammon1 turned into a spot of abomination and perdition1 transformed into a huge bazaar1 where everything was sold1 masses and souls alike6 ,he beheld also ,abb ,peyramale1 dead and slumbering under the ruins of his church1 among the nettles which ingratitude had sown there4 ,and he only grew calm again1 only tasted the delights of forgetfulness when a last pale1 woeful vision had faded from his gaze--a vision of ,bernadette upon her knees in a gloomy corner at ,nevers1 dreaming of her far-away work1 which she was never1 never to behold4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,day ,i4 ,,the ,,bitterness ,,op ,,death ,,at the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours1 that morning1 ,marie remained seated on her bed1 propped up by pillows4 ,having spent the whole night at the ,grotto1 she had refused to let them take her back there4 ,and1 as ,madame de ,jonquire approached her1 to raise one of the pillows which was slipping from its place1 she asked3 8,what day is it1 madame80 8,monday1 my dear child40 8,ah6 true4 ,one so soon loses count of time4 ,and1 besides1 ,i am so happy6 ,it is to-day that the ,blessed ,virgin will cure me60 ,she smiled divinely1 with the air of a day-dreamer1 her eyes gazing into vacancy1 her thoughts so far away1 so absorbed in her one fixed idea1 that she beheld nothing save the certainty of her hope4 ,round about her1 the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward was now quite deserted1 all the patients1 excepting ,madame ,vetu1 who lay at the last extremity in the next bed1 having already started for the ,grotto4 ,but ,marie did not even notice her neighbour2 she was delighted with the sudden stillness which had fallen4 ,one of the windows overlooking the courtyard had been opened1 and the glorious morning sunshine entered in one broad beam1 whose golden dust was dancing over her bed and streaming upon her pale hands4 ,it was indeed pleasant to find this room1 so dismal at nighttime with its many beds of sickness1 its unhealthy atmosphere1 and its nightmare groans1 thus suddenly filled with sunlight1 purified by the morning air1 and wrapped in such delicious silence6 8,why don't you try to sleep a little80 maternally inquired ,madame de ,jonquire4 8,you must be quite worn out by your vigil40 ,marie1 who felt so light and cheerful that she no longer experienced any pain1 seemed surprised4 8,but ,i am not at all tired1 and ,i don't feel a bit sleepy4 ,go to sleep8 ,oh6 no1 that would be too sad4 ,i should no longer know that ,i was going to be cured60 ,at this the superintendent laughed4 8,then why didn't you let them take you to the ,grotto80 she asked4 8,you won't know what to do with yourself all alone here40 8,i am not alone1 madame1 ,i am with her10 replied ,marie2 and thereupon1 her vision returning to her1 she clasped her hands in ecstasy4 8,last night1 you know1 ,i saw her bend her head towards me and smile4 ,i quite understood her1 ,i could hear her voice1 although she never opened her lips4 ,when the ,blessed ,sacrament passes at four o'clock ,i shall be cured40 ,madame de ,jonquire tried to calm her1 feeling rather anxious at the species of somnambulism in which she beheld her4 ,however1 the sick girl went on3 8,no1 no1 ,i am no worse1 ,i am waiting4 ,only1 you must surely see1 madame1 that there is no need for me to go to the ,grotto this morning1 since the appointment which she gave me is for four o'clock40 ,and then the girl added in a lower tone3 8,pierre will come for me at half-past three4 ,at four o'clock ,i shall be cured40 ,the sunbeam slowly made its way up her bare arms1 which were now almost transparent1 so wasted had they become through illness2 whilst her glorious fair hair1 which had fallen over her shoulders1 seemed like the very effulgence of the great luminary enveloping her4 ,the trill of a bird came in from the courtyard1 and quite enlivened the tremulous silence of the ward4 ,some child who could not be seen must also have been playing close by1 for now and again a soft laugh could be heard ascending in the warm air which was so delightfully calm4 8,well10 said ,madame de ,jonquire by way of conclusion1 8don't sleep then1 as you don't wish to4 ,but keep quite quiet1 and it will rest you all the same40 ,meantime ,madame ,vetu was expiring in the adjoining bed4 ,they had not dared to take her to the ,grotto1 for fear they should see her die on the way4 ,for some little time she had lain there with her eyes closed2 and ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who was watching1 had beckoned to ,madame ,dsagneaux in order to acquaint her with the bad opinion she had formed of the case4 ,both of them were now leaning over the dying woman1 observing her with increasing anxiety4 ,the mask upon her face had turned more yellow than ever1 and now looked like a coating of mud2 her eyes too had become more sunken1 her lips seemed to have grown thinner1 and the death rattle had begun1 a slow1 pestilential wheezing1 polluted by the cancer which was finishing its destructive work4 ,all at once she raised her eyelids1 and was seized with fear on beholding those two faces bent over her own4 ,could her death be near1 that they should thus be gazing at her8 ,immense sadness showed itself in her eyes1 a despairing regret of life4 ,it was not a vehement revolt1 for she no longer had the strength to struggle2 but what a frightful fate it was to have left her shop1 her surroundings1 and her husband1 merely to come and die so far away2 to have braved the abominable torture of such a journey1 to have prayed both day and night1 and then1 instead of having her prayer granted1 to die when others recovered6 ,however1 she could do no more than murmur 8,oh6 how ,i suffer2 oh6 how ,i suffer4 ,do something1 anything1 to relieve this pain1 ,i beseech you40 ,little ,madame ,dsagneaux1 with her pretty milk-white face showing amidst her mass of fair1 frizzy hair1 was quite upset4 ,she was not used to deathbed scenes1 she would have given half her heart1 as she expressed it1 to see that poor woman recover4 ,and she rose up and began to question ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who was also in tears but already resigned1 knowing as she did that salvation was assured when one died well4 ,could nothing really be done1 however8 ,could not something be tried to ease the dying woman8 ,abb ,judaine had come and administered the last sacrament to her a couple of hours earlier that very morning4 ,she now only had ,heaven to look to2 it was her only hope1 for she had long since given up expecting aid from the skill of man4 8,no1 no6 we must do something10 exclaimed ,madame ,dsagneaux4 ,and thereupon she went and fetched ,madame de ,jonquire from beside ,marie's bed4 8,look how this poor creature is suffering1 madame60 she exclaimed4 8,sister ,hyacinthe says that she can only last a few hours longer4 ,but we cannot leave her moaning like this4 ,there are things which give relief4 ,why not call that young doctor who is here80 8,of course we will10 replied the superintendent4 8,we will send for him at once40 ,they seldom thought of the doctor in the wards4 ,it only occurred to the ladies to send for him when a case was at its very worst1 when one of their patients was howling with pain4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who herself felt surprised at not having thought of ,ferrand1 whom she believed to be in an adjoining room1 inquired if she should fetch him4 8,certainly10 was the reply4 8,bring him as quickly as possible40 ,when the ,sister had gone off1 ,madame de ,jonquire made ,madame ,dsagneaux help her in slightly raising the dying woman's head1 thinking that this might relieve her4 ,the two ladies happened to be alone there that morning1 all the other lady-hospitallers having gone to their devotions or their private affairs4 ,however1 from the end of the large deserted ward1 where1 amidst the warm quiver of the sunlight such sweet tranquillity prevailed1 there still came at intervals the light laughter of the unseen child4 8,can it be ,sophie who is making such a noise80 suddenly asked the lady-superintendent1 whose nerves were somewhat upset by all the worry of the death which she foresaw4 ,then quickly walking to the end of the ward1 she found that it was indeed ,sophie ,couteau--the young girl so miraculously healed the previous year--who1 seated on the floor behind a bed1 had been amusing herself1 despite her fourteen years1 in making a doll out of a few rags4 ,she was now talking to it1 so happy1 so absorbed in her play1 that she laughed quite heartily4 8,hold yourself up1 mademoiselle10 said she4 8,dance the polka1 that ,i may see how you can do it6 ,one6 two6 dance1 turn1 kiss the one you like best60 ,madame de ,jonquire1 however1 was now coming up4 8,little girl10 she said1 8we have one of our patients here in great pain1 and not expected to recover4 ,you must not laugh so loud40 8,ah6 madame1 ,i didn't know10 replied ,sophie1 rising up1 and becoming quite serious1 although still holding the doll in her hand4 8,is she going to die1 madame80 8,i fear so1 my poor child40 ,thereupon ,sophie became quite silent4 ,she followed the superintendent1 and seated herself on an adjoining bed2 whence1 without the slightest sign of fear1 but with her large eyes burning with curiosity1 she began to watch ,madame ,vetu's death agony4 ,in her nervous state1 ,madame ,dsagneaux was growing impatient at the delay in the doctor's arrival2 whilst ,marie1 still enraptured1 and resplendent in the sunlight1 seemed unconscious of what was taking place about her1 wrapt as she was in delightful expectancy of the miracle4 ,not having found ,ferrand in the small apartment near the linen-room which he usually occupied1 ,sister ,hyacinthe was now searching for him all over the building4 ,during the past two days the young doctor had become more bewildered than ever in that extraordinary hospital1 where his assistance was only sought for the relief of death pangs4 ,the small medicine-chest which he had brought with him proved quite useless2 for there could be no thought of trying any course of treatment1 as the sick were not there to be doctored1 but simply to be cured by the lightning stroke of a miracle4 ,and so he mainly confined himself to administering a few opium pills1 in order to deaden the severer sufferings4 ,he had been fairly amazed when accompanying ,doctor ,bonamy on a round through the wards4 ,it had resolved itself into a mere stroll1 the doctor1 who had only come out of curiosity1 taking no interest in the patients1 whom he neither questioned nor examined4 ,he solely concerned himself with the pretended cases of cure1 stopping opposite those women whom he recognised from having seen them at his office where the miracles were verified4 ,one of them had suffered from three complaints1 only one of which the ,blessed ,virgin had so far deigned to cure2 but great hopes were entertained respecting the other two4 ,sometimes1 when a wretched woman1 who the day before had claimed to be cured1 was questioned with reference to her health1 she would reply that her pains had returned to her4 ,however1 this never disturbed the doctor's serenity2 ever conciliatory1 the good man declared that ,heaven would surely complete what ,heaven had begun4 ,whenever there was an improvement in health1 he would ask if it were not something to be thankful for4 ,and1 indeed1 his constant saying was3 8,there's an improvement already2 be patient60 ,what he most dreaded were the importunities of the lady-superintendents1 who all wished to detain him to show him sundry extraordinary cases4 ,each prided herself on having the most serious illnesses1 the most frightful1 exceptional cases in her ward2 so that she was eager to have them medically authenticated1 in order that she might share in the triumph should cure supervene4 ,one caught the doctor by the arm and assured him that she felt confident she had a leper in her charge2 another entreated him to come and look at a young girl whose back1 she said1 was covered with fish's scales2 whilst a third1 whispering in his ear1 gave him some terrible details about a married lady of the best society4 ,he hastened away1 however1 refusing to see even one of them1 or else simply promising to come back later on when he was not so busy4 ,as he himself said1 if he listened to all those ladies1 the day would pass in useless consultations4 ,however1 he at last suddenly stopped opposite one of the miraculously cured inmates1 and1 beckoning ,ferrand to his side1 exclaimed3 8,ah6 now here is an interesting cure60 and ,ferrand1 utterly bewildered1 had to listen to him whilst he described all the features of the illness1 which had totally disappeared at the first immersion in the piscina4 ,at last ,sister ,hyacinthe1 still wandering about1 encountered ,abb ,judaine1 who informed her that the young doctor had just been summoned to the ,family ,ward4 ,it was the fourth time he had gone thither to attend to ,brother ,isidore1 whose sufferings were as acute as ever1 and whom he could only fill with opium4 ,in his agony1 the ,brother merely asked to be soothed a little1 in order that he might gather together sufficient strength to return to the ,grotto in the afternoon1 as he had not been able to do so in the morning4 ,however1 his pains increased1 and at last he swooned away4 ,when the ,sister entered the ward she found the doctor seated at the missionary's bedside4 8,monsieur ,ferrand10 she said1 8come up-stairs with me to the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward at once4 ,we have a patient there at the point of death40 ,he smiled at her2 indeed1 he never beheld her without feeling brighter and comforted4 8,i will come with you1 ,sister10 he replied4 8,but you'll wait a minute1 won't you8 ,i must try to restore this poor man40 ,she waited patiently and made herself useful4 ,the ,family ,ward1 situated on the ground-floor1 was also full of sunshine and fresh air which entered through three large windows opening on to a narrow strip of garden4 ,in addition to ,brother ,isidore1 only ,monsieur ,sabathier had remained in bed that morning1 with the view of obtaining a little rest2 whilst ,madame ,sabathier1 taking advantage of the opportunity1 had gone to purchase a few medals and pictures1 which she intended for presents4 ,comfortably seated on his bed1 his back supported by some pillows1 the ex-professor was rolling the beads of a chaplet between his fingers4 ,he was no longer praying1 however1 but merely continuing the operation in a mechanical manner1 his eyes1 meantime1 fixed upon his neighbour1 whose attack he was following with painful interest4 8,ah6 ,sister10 said he to ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had drawn near1 8that poor ,brother fills me with admiration4 ,yesterday ,i doubted the ,blessed ,virgin for a moment1 seeing that she did not deign to hear me1 though ,i have been coming here for seven years past2 but the example set me by that poor martyr1 so resigned amidst his torments1 has quite shamed me for my want of faith4 ,you can have no idea how grievously he suffers1 and you should see him at the ,grotto1 with his eyes glowing with divine hope6 ,it is really sublime6 ,i only know of one picture at the ,louvre--a picture by some unknown ,italian master--in which there is the head of a monk beatified by a similar faith40 ,the man of intellect1 the ex-university-professor1 reared on literature and art1 was reappearing in this poor old fellow1 whose life had been blasted1 and who had desired to become a free patient1 one of the poor of the earth1 in order to move the pity of ,heaven4 ,he again began thinking of his own case1 and with tenacious hopefulness1 which the futility of seven journeys to ,lourdes had failed to destroy1 he added3 8,well1 ,i still have this afternoon1 since we sha'n't leave till to-morrow4 ,the water is certainly very cold1 but ,i shall let them dip me a last time2 and all the morning ,i have been praying and asking pardon for my revolt of yesterday4 ,when the ,blessed ,virgin chooses to cure one of her children1 it only takes her a second to do so2 is that not so1 ,sister8 ,may her will be done1 and blessed be her name60 ,passing the beads of the chaplet more slowly between his fingers1 he again began saying his 8,aves0 and 8,paters10 whilst his eyelids drooped on his flabby face1 to which a childish expression had been returning during the many years that he had been virtually cut off from the world4 ,meantime ,ferrand had signalled to ,brother ,isidore's sister1 ,marthe1 to come to him4 ,she had been standing at the foot of the bed with her arms hanging down beside her1 showing the tearless resignation of a poor1 narrow-minded girl whilst she watched that dying man whom she worshipped4 ,she was no more than a faithful dog2 she had accompanied her brother and spent her scanty savings1 without being of any use save to watch him suffer4 ,accordingly1 when the doctor told her to take the invalid in her arms and raise him up a little1 she felt quite happy at being of some service at last4 ,her heavy1 freckled1 mournful face actually grew bright4 8,hold him10 said the doctor1 8whilst ,i try to give him this40 ,when she had raised him1 ,ferrand1 with the aid of a small spoon1 succeeded in introducing a few drops of liquid between his set teeth4 ,almost immediately the sick man opened his eyes and heaved a deep sigh4 ,he was calmer already2 the opium was taking effect and dulling the pain which he felt burning his right side1 as though a red-hot iron were being applied to it4 ,however1 he remained so weak that1 when he wished to speak1 it became necessary to place one's ear close to his mouth in order to catch what he said4 ,with a slight sign he had begged ,ferrand to bend over him4 8,you are the doctor1 monsieur1 are you not80 he faltered4 8,give me sufficient strength that ,i may go once more to the ,grotto1 this afternoon4 ,i am certain that1 if ,i am able to go1 the ,blessed ,virgin will cure me40 8,why1 of course you shall go10 replied the young man4 8,don't you feel ever so much better80 8,oh6 ever so much better--no6 ,i know very well what my condition is1 because ,i saw many of our ,brothers die1 out there in ,senegal4 ,when the liver is attacked and the abscess has worked its way outside1 it means the end4 ,sweating1 fever1 and delirium follow4 ,but the ,blessed ,virgin will touch the sore with her little finger and it will be healed4 ,oh6 ,i implore you all1 take me to the ,grotto1 even if ,i should be unconscious60 ,sister ,hyacinthe had also approached1 and leant over him4 8,be easy1 dear ,brother10 said she4 8,you shall go to the ,grotto after djeuner1 and we will all pray for you40 ,at length1 in despair at these delays and extremely anxious about ,madame ,vetu1 she was able to get ,ferrand away4 ,still1 the ,brother's state filled her with pity2 and1 as they ascended the stairs1 she questioned the doctor1 asking him if there were really no more hope4 ,the other made a gesture expressive of absolute hopelessness4 ,it was madness to come to ,lourdes when one was in such a condition4 ,however1 he hastened to add1 with a smile3 8,i beg your pardon1 ,sister4 ,you know that ,i am unfortunate enough not to be a believer40 ,but she smiled in her turn1 like an indulgent friend who tolerates the shortcomings of those she loves4 8,oh6 that doesn't matter10 she replied4 8,i know you2 you're all the same a good fellow4 ,besides1 we see so many people1 we go amongst such pagans that it would be difficult to shock us40 ,up above1 in the ,sainte-,honorine ,ward1 they found ,madame ,vetu still moaning1 a prey to most intolerable suffering4 ,madame de ,jonquire and ,madame ,dsagneaux had remained beside the bed1 their faces turning pale1 their hearts distracted by that death-cry1 which never ceased4 ,and when they consulted ,ferrand in a whisper1 he merely replied1 with a slight shrug of the shoulders1 that she was a lost woman1 that it was only a question of hours1 perhaps merely of minutes4 ,all he could do was to stupefy her also1 in order to ease the atrocious death agony which he foresaw4 ,she was watching him1 still conscious1 and also very obedient1 never refusing the medicine offered her4 ,like the others1 she now had but one ardent desire--to go back to the ,grotto--and she gave expression to it in the stammering accents of a child who fears that its prayer may not be granted3 8,to the ,grotto--will you8 ,to the ,grotto60 8,you shall be taken there by-and-by1 ,i promise you10 said ,sister ,hyacinthe4 8,but you must be good4 ,try to sleep a little to gain some strength40 ,the sick woman appeared to sink into a doze1 and ,madame de ,jonquire then thought that she might take ,madame ,dsagneaux with her to the other end of the ward to count the linen1 a troublesome business1 in which they became quite bewildered1 as some of the articles were missing4 ,meantime ,sophie1 seated on the bed opposite ,madame ,vetu1 had not stirred4 ,she had laid her doll on her lap1 and was waiting for the lady's death1 since they had told her that she was about to die4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 moreover1 had remained beside the dying woman1 and1 unwilling to waste her time1 had taken a needle and cotton to mend some patient's bodice which had a hole in the sleeve4 8,you'll stay a little while with us1 won't you80 she asked ,ferrand4 ,the latter1 who was still watching ,madame ,vetu1 replied3 8,yes1 yes4 ,she may go off at any moment4 ,i fear hemorrhage40 ,then1 catching sight of ,marie on the neighbouring bed1 he added in a lower voice3 8,how is she8 ,has she experienced any relief80 8,no1 not yet4 ,ah1 dear child6 we all pray for her very sincerely4 ,she is so young1 so sweet1 and so sorely afflicted4 ,just look at her now6 ,isn't she pretty8 ,one might think her a saint amid all this sunshine1 with her large1 ecstatic eyes1 and her golden hair shining like an aureola60 ,ferrand watched ,marie for a moment with interest4 ,her absent air1 her indifference to all about her1 the ardent faith1 the internal joy which so completely absorbed her1 surprised him4 8,she will recover10 he murmured1 as though giving utterance to a prognostic4 8,she will recover40 ,then he rejoined ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had seated herself in the embrasure of the lofty window1 which stood wide open1 admitting the warm air of the courtyard4 ,the sun was now creeping round1 and only a narrow golden ray fell upon her white coif and wimple4 ,ferrand stood opposite to her1 leaning against the window bar and watching her while she sewed4 8,do you know1 ,sister10 said he1 8this journey to ,lourdes1 which ,i undertook to oblige a friend1 will be one of the few delights of my life40 ,she did not understand him1 but innocently asked3 8,why so80 8,because ,i have found you again1 because ,i am here with you1 assisting you in your admirable work4 ,and if you only knew how grateful ,i am to you1 what sincere affection and reverence ,i feel for you60 ,she raised her head to look him straight in the face1 and began jesting without the least constraint4 ,she was really delicious1 with her pure lily-white complexion1 her small laughing mouth1 and adorable blue eyes which ever smiled4 ,and you could realise that she had grown up in all innocence and devotion1 slender and supple1 with all the appearance of a girl hardly in her teens4 8,what6 ,you are so fond of me as all that60 she exclaimed4 8,why80 8,why ,i'm fond of you8 ,because you are the best1 the most consoling1 the most sisterly of beings4 ,you are the sweetest memory in my life1 the memory ,i evoke whenever ,i need to be encouraged and sustained4 ,do you no longer remember the month we spent together1 in my poor room1 when ,i was so ill and you so affectionately nursed me80 8,of course1 of course ,i remember it6 ,why1 ,i never had so good a patient as you4 ,you took all ,i offered you2 and when ,i tucked you in1 after changing your linen1 you remained as still as a little child40 ,so speaking1 she continued looking at him1 smiling ingenuously the while4 ,he was very handsome and robust1 in the very prime of youth1 with a rather pronounced nose1 superb eyes1 and red lips showing under his black moustache4 ,but she seemed to be simply pleased at seeing him there before her moved almost to tears4 8,ah6 ,sister1 ,i should have died if it hadn't been for you10 he said4 8,it was through having you that ,i was cured40 ,then1 as they gazed at one another1 with tender gaiety of heart1 the memory of that adorable month recurred to them4 ,they no longer heard ,madame ,vetu's death moans1 nor beheld the ward littered with beds1 and1 with all its disorder1 resembling some infirmary improvised after a public catastrophe4 ,they once more found themselves in a small attic at the top of a dingy house in old ,paris1 where air and light only reached them through a tiny window opening on to a sea of roofs4 ,and how charming it was to be alone there together--he who had been prostrated by fever1 she who had appeared there like a good angel1 who had quietly come from her convent like a comrade who fears nothing6 ,it was thus that she nursed women1 children1 and men1 as chance ordained1 feeling perfectly happy so long as she had something to do1 some sufferer to relieve4 ,she never displayed any consciousness of her sex2 and he1 on his side1 never seemed to have suspected that she might be a woman1 except it were for the extreme softness of her hands1 the caressing accents of her voice1 the beneficent gentleness of her manner2 and yet all the tender love of a mother1 all the affection of a sister1 radiated from her person4 ,during three weeks1 as she had said1 she had nursed him like a child1 helping him in and out of bed1 and rendering him every necessary attention1 without the slightest embarrassment or repugnance1 the holy purity born of suffering and charity shielding them both the while4 ,they were indeed far removed from the frailties of life4 ,and when he became convalescent1 what a happy existence began1 how joyously they laughed1 like two old friends6 ,she still watched over him1 scolding him and gently slapping his arms when he persisted in keeping them uncovered4 ,he would watch her standing at the basin1 washing him a shirt in order to save him the trifling expense of employing a laundress4 ,no one ever came up there2 they were quite alone1 thousands of miles away from the world1 delighted with this solitude1 in which their youth displayed such fraternal gaiety4 8,do you remember1 ,sister1 the morning when ,i was first able to walk about80 asked ,ferrand4 8,you helped me to get up1 and supported me whilst ,i awkwardly stumbled about1 no longer knowing how to use my legs4 ,we did laugh so40 8,yes1 yes1 you were saved1 and ,i was very pleased40 8,and the day when you brought me some cherries--,i can see it all again3 myself reclining on my pillows1 and you seated at the edge of the bed1 with the cherries lying between us in a large piece of white paper4 ,i refused to touch them unless you ate some with me4 ,and then we took them in turn1 one at a time1 until the paper was emptied2 and they were very nice40 8,yes1 yes1 very nice4 ,it was the same with the currant syrup3 you would only drink it when ,i took some also40 ,thereupon they laughed yet louder2 these recollections quite delighted them4 ,but a painful sigh from ,madame ,vetu brought them back to the present4 ,ferrand leant over and cast a glance at the sick woman1 who had not stirred4 ,the ward was still full of a quivering peacefulness1 which was only broken by the clear voice of ,madame ,dsagneaux counting the linen4 ,stifling with emotion1 the young man resumed in a lower tone3 8,ah6 ,sister1 were ,i to live a hundred years1 to know every joy1 every pleasure1 ,i should never love another woman as ,i love you60 ,then ,sister ,hyacinthe1 without1 however1 showing any confusion1 bowed her head and resumed her sewing4 ,an almost imperceptible blush tinged her lily-white skin with pink4 8,i also love you well1 ,monsieur ,ferrand10 she said1 8but you must not make me vain4 ,i only did for you what ,i do for so many others4 ,it is my business1 you see4 ,and there was really only one pleasant thing about it all1 that the ,almighty cured you40 ,they were now again interrupted4 ,la ,grivotte and ,elise ,rouquet had returned from the ,grotto before the others4 ,la ,grivotte at once squatted down on her mattress on the floor1 at the foot of ,madame ,vetu's bed1 and1 taking a piece of bread from her pocket1 proceeded to devour it4 ,ferrand1 since the day before1 had felt some interest in this consumptive patient1 who was traversing such a curious phase of agitation1 a prey to an inordinate appetite and a feverish need of motion4 ,for the moment1 however1 ,elise ,rouquet's case interested him still more2 for it had now become evident that the lupus1 the sore which was eating away her face1 was showing signs of cure4 ,she had continued bathing her face at the miraculous fountain1 and had just come from the ,verification ,office1 where ,doctor ,bonamy had triumphed4 ,ferrand1 quite surprised1 went and examined the sore1 which1 although still far from healed1 was already paler in colour and slightly desiccated1 displaying all the symptoms of gradual cure4 ,and the case seemed to him so curious1 that he resolved to make some notes upon it for one of his old masters at the medical college1 who was studying the nervous origin of certain skin diseases due to faulty nutrition4 8,have you felt any pricking sensation80 he asked4 8,not at all1 monsieur10 she replied4 8,i bathe my face and tell my beads with my whole soul1 and that is all40 ,la ,grivotte1 who was vain and jealous1 and ever since the day before had been going in triumph among the crowds1 thereupon called to the doctor4 8,i say1 monsieur1 ,i am cured1 cured1 cured completely60 ,he waved his hand to her in a friendly way1 but refused to examine her4 8,i know1 my girl4 ,there is nothing more the matter with you40 ,just then ,sister ,hyacinthe called to him4 ,she had put her sewing down on seeing ,madame ,vetu raise herself in a frightful fit of nausea4 ,in spite of her haste1 however1 she was too late with the basin2 the sick woman had brought up another discharge of black matter1 similar to soot2 but1 this time1 some blood was mixed with it1 little specks of violet-coloured blood4 ,it was the hemorrhage coming1 the near end which ,ferrand had been dreading4 8,send for the superintendent10 he said in a low voice1 seating himself at the bedside4 ,sister ,hyacinthe ran for ,madame de ,jonquire4 ,the linen having been counted1 she found her deep in conversation with her daughter ,raymonde1 at some distance from ,madame ,dsagneaux1 who was washing her hands4 ,raymonde had just escaped for a few minutes from the refectory1 where she was on duty4 ,this was the roughest of her labours4 ,the long narrow room1 with its double row of greasy tables1 its sickening smell of food and misery1 quite disgusted her4 ,and taking advantage of the half-hour still remaining before the return of the patients1 she had hurried up-stairs1 where1 out of breath1 with a rosy face and shining eyes1 she had thrown her arms around her mother's neck4 8,ah6 mamma10 she cried1 8what happiness6 ,it's settled60 ,amazed1 her head buzzing1 busy with the superintendence of her ward1 ,madame de ,jonquire did not understand4 8,what's settled1 my child80 she asked4 ,then ,raymonde lowered her voice1 and1 with a faint blush1 replied3 8,my marriage60 ,it was now the mother's turn to rejoice4 ,lively satisfaction appeared upon her face1 the fat face of a ripe1 handsome1 and still agreeable woman4 ,she at once beheld in her mind's eye their little lodging in the ,rue ,vaneau1 where1 since her husband's death1 she had reared her daughter with great difficulty upon the few thousand francs he had left her4 ,this marriage1 however1 meant a return to life1 to society1 the good old times come back once more4 8,ah6 my child1 how happy you make me60 she exclaimed4 ,but a feeling of uneasiness suddenly restrained her4 ,god was her witness that for three years past she had been coming to ,lourdes through pure motives of charity1 for the one great joy of nursing ,his beloved invalids4 ,perhaps1 had she closely examined her conscience1 she might1 behind her devotion1 have found some trace of her fondness for authority1 which rendered her present managerial duties extremely pleasant to her4 ,however1 the hope of finding a husband for her daughter among the suitable young men who swarmed at the ,grotto was certainly her last thought4 ,it was a thought which came to her1 of course1 but merely as something that was possible1 though she never mentioned it4 ,however1 her happiness1 wrung an avowal from her3 8,ah6 my child1 your success doesn't surprise me4 ,i prayed to the ,blessed ,virgin for it this morning40 ,then she wished to be quite sure1 and asked for further information4 ,raymonde had not yet told her of her long walk leaning on ,grard's arm the day before1 for she did not wish to speak of such things until she was triumphant1 certain of having at last secured a husband4 ,and now it was indeed settled1 as she had exclaimed so gaily3 that very morning she had again seen the young man at the ,grotto1 and he had formally become engaged to her4 ,m4 ,berthaud would undoubtedly ask for her hand on his cousin's behalf before they took their departure from ,lourdes4 8,well10 declared ,madame de ,jonquire1 who was now convinced1 smiling1 and delighted at heart1 8,i hope you will be happy1 since you are so sensible and do not need my aid to bring your affairs to a successful issue4 ,kiss me40 ,it was at this moment that ,sister ,hyacinthe arrived to announce ,madame ,vetu's imminent death4 ,raymonde at once ran off4 ,and ,madame ,dsagneaux1 who was wiping her hands1 began to complain of the lady-assistants1 who had all disappeared precisely on the morning when they were most wanted4 8,for instance10 said she1 8there's ,madame ,volmar4 ,i should like to know where she can have got to4 ,she has not been seen1 even for an hour1 ever since our arrival40 8,pray leave ,madame ,volmar alone60 replied ,madame de ,jonquire with some asperity4 8,i have already told you that she is ill40 ,they both hastened to ,madame ,vetu4 ,ferrand stood there waiting2 and ,sister ,hyacinthe having asked him if there were indeed nothing to be done1 he shook his head4 ,the dying woman1 relieved by her first emesis1 now lay inert1 with closed eyes4 ,but1 a second time1 the frightful nausea returned to her1 and she brought up another discharge of black matter mingled with violet-coloured blood4 ,then she had another short interval of calm1 during which she noticed ,la ,grivotte1 who was greedily devouring her hunk of bread on the mattress on the floor4 8,she is cured1 isn't she80 the poor woman asked1 feeling that she herself was dying4 ,la ,grivotte heard her1 and exclaimed triumphantly3 8,oh1 yes1 madame1 cured1 cured1 cured completely60 ,for a moment ,madame ,vetu seemed overcome by a miserable feeling of grief1 the revolt of one who will not succumb while others continue to live4 ,but almost immediately she became resigned1 and they heard her add very faintly1 8,it is the young ones who ought to remain40 ,then her eyes1 which remained wide open1 looked round1 as though bidding farewell to all those persons1 whom she seemed surprised to see about her4 ,she attempted to smile as she encountered the eager gaze of curiosity which little ,sophie ,couteau still fixed upon her3 the charming child had come to kiss her that very morning1 in her bed4 ,elise ,rouquet1 who troubled herself about nobody1 was meantime holding her hand-glass1 absorbed in the contemplation of her face1 which seemed to her to be growing beautiful1 now that the sore was healing4 ,but what especially charmed the dying woman was the sight of ,marie1 so lovely in her ecstasy4 ,she watched her for a long time1 constantly attracted towards her1 as towards a vision of light and joy4 ,perhaps she fancied that she already beheld one of the saints of ,paradise amid the glory of the sun4 ,suddenly1 however1 the fits of vomiting returned1 and now she solely brought up blood1 vitiated blood1 the colour of claret4 ,the rush was so great that it bespattered the sheet1 and ran all over the bed4 ,in vain did ,madame de ,jonquire and ,madame ,dsagneaux bring cloths2 they were both very pale and scarce able to remain standing4 ,ferrand1 knowing how powerless he was1 had withdrawn to the window1 to the very spot where he had so lately experienced such delicious emotion2 and with an instinctive movement1 of which she was surely unconscious1 ,sister ,hyacinthe had likewise returned to that happy window1 as though to be near him4 8,really1 can you do nothing80 she inquired4 8,no1 nothing6 ,she will go off like that1 in the same way as a lamp that has burnt out40 ,madame ,vetu1 who was now utterly exhausted1 with a thin red stream still flowing from her mouth1 looked fixedly at ,madame de ,jonquire whilst faintly moving her lips4 ,the lady-superintendent thereupon bent over her and heard these slowly uttered words3 8,about my husband1 madame--the shop is in the ,rue ,mouffetard--oh6 it's quite a tiny one1 not far from the ,gobelins4--,he's a clockmaker1 he is2 he couldn't come with me1 of course1 having to attend to the business2 and he will be very much put out when he finds ,i don't come back4--,yes1 ,i cleaned the jewelry and did the errands--0 ,then her voice grew fainter1 her words disjointed by the death rattle1 which began4 8,therefore1 madame1 ,i beg you will write to him1 because ,i haven't done so1 and now here's the end4--,tell him my body had better remain here at ,lourdes1 on account of the expense4--,and he must marry again2 it's necessary for one in trade--his cousin--tell him his cousin--0 ,the rest became a confused murmur4 ,her weakness was too great1 her breath was halting4 ,yet her eyes continued open and full of life1 amid her pale1 yellow1 waxy mask4 ,and those eyes seemed to fix themselves despairingly on the past1 on all that which soon would be no more3 the little clockmaker's shop hidden away in a populous neighbourhood2 the gentle humdrum existence1 with a toiling husband who was ever bending over his watches2 the great pleasures of ,sunday1 such as watching children fly their kites upon the fortifications4 ,and at last these staring eyes gazed vainly into the frightful night which was gathering4 ,a last time did ,madame de ,jonquire lean over her1 seeing that her lips were again moving4 ,there came but a faint breath1 a voice from far away1 which distantly murmured in an accent of intense grief3 8,she did not cure me40 ,and then ,madame ,vetu expired1 very gently4 ,as though this were all that she had been waiting for1 little ,sophie ,couteau jumped from the bed quite satisfied1 and went off to play with her doll again at the far end of the ward4 ,neither ,la ,grivotte1 who was finishing her bread1 nor ,elise ,rouquet1 busy with her mirror1 noticed the catastrophe4 ,however1 amidst the cold breath which seemingly swept by1 while ,madame de ,jonquire and ,madame ,dsagneaux--the latter of whom was unaccustomed to the sight of death--were whispering together in agitation1 ,marie emerged from the expectant rapture in which the continuous1 unspoken prayer of her whole being had plunged her so long4 ,and when she understood what had happened1 a feeling of sisterly compassion--the compassion of a suffering companion1 on her side certain of cure--brought tears to her eyes4 8,ah6 the poor woman60 she murmured2 8to think that she has died so far from home1 in such loneliness1 at the hour when others are being born anew60 ,ferrand1 who1 in spite of professional indifference1 had also been stirred by the scene1 stepped forward to verify the death2 and it was on a sign from him that ,sister ,hyacinthe turned up the sheet1 and threw it over the dead woman's face1 for there could be no question of removing the corpse at that moment4 ,the patients were now returning from the ,grotto in bands1 and the ward1 hitherto so calm1 so full of sunshine1 was again filling with the tumult of wretchedness and pain--deep coughing and feeble shuffling1 mingled with a noisome smell--a pitiful display1 in fact1 of well-nigh every human infirmity4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,service ,,at ,,the ,,grotto ,,on that day1 ,monday1 the crowd at the ,grotto1 was enormous4 ,it was the last day that the national pilgrimage would spend at ,lourdes1 and ,father ,fourcade1 in his morning address1 had said that it would be necessary to make a supreme effort of fervour and faith to obtain from ,heaven all that it might be willing to grant in the way of grace and prodigious cure4 ,so1 from two o'clock in the afternoon1 twenty thousand pilgrims were assembled there1 feverish1 and agitated by the most ardent hopes4 ,from minute to minute the throng continued increasing1 to such a point1 indeed1 that ,baron ,suire became alarmed1 and came out of the ,grotto to say to ,berthaud3 8,my friend1 we shall be overwhelmed1 that's certain4 ,double your squads1 bring your men closer together40 ,the ,hospitality of ,our ,lady of ,salvation was alone entrusted with the task of keeping order1 for there were neither guardians nor policemen1 of any sort present2 and it was for this reason that the ,president of the ,association was so alarmed4 ,however1 ,berthaud1 under grave circumstances1 was a leader whose words commanded attention1 and who was endowed with energy that could be relied on4 8,be easy10 said he2 8,i will be answerable for everything4 ,i shall not move from here until the four-o'clock procession has passed by40 ,nevertheless1 he signalled to ,grard to approach4 8,give your men the strictest instructions10 he said to him4 8,only those persons who have cards should be allowed to pass4 ,and place your men nearer each other2 tell them to hold the cord tight40 ,yonder1 beneath the ivy which draped the rock1 the ,grotto opened1 with the eternal flaring of its candles4 ,from a distance it looked rather squat and misshapen1 a very narrow and modest aperture for the breath of the ,infinite which issued from it1 turning all faces pale and bowing every head4 ,the statue of the ,virgin had become a mere white spot1 which seemed to move amid the quiver of the atmosphere1 heated by the small yellow flames4 ,to see everything it was necessary to raise oneself2 for the silver altar1 the harmonium divested of its housing1 the heap of bouquets flung there1 and the votive offerings streaking the smoky walls were scarcely distinguishable from behind the railing4 ,and the day was lovely2 never yet had a purer sky expanded above the immense crowd2 the softness of the breeze in particular seemed delicious after the storm of the night1 which had brought down the over-oppressive heat of the two first days4 ,grard had to fight his way with his elbows in order to repeat the orders to his men4 ,the crowd had already begun pushing4 8,two more men here60 he called4 8,come1 four together1 if necessary1 and hold the rope well60 ,the general impulse was instinctive and invincible2 the twenty thousand persons assembled there were drawn towards the ,grotto by an irresistible attraction1 in which burning curiosity mingled with the thirst for mystery4 ,all eyes converged1 every mouth1 hand1 and body was borne towards the pale glitter of the candles and the white moving speck of the marble ,virgin4 ,and1 in order that the large space reserved to the sick1 in front of the railings1 might not be invaded by the swelling mob1 it had been necessary to inclose it with a stout rope which the bearers at intervals of two or three yards grasped with both hands4 ,their orders were to let nobody pass excepting the sick provided with hospital cards and the few persons to whom special authorisations had been granted4 ,they limited themselves1 therefore1 to raising the cords and then letting them fall behind the chosen ones1 without heeding the supplications of the others4 ,in fact they even showed themselves somewhat rough1 taking a certain pleasure in exercising the authority with which they were invested for a day4 ,in truth1 however1 they were very much pushed about1 and had to support each other and resist with all the strength of their loins to avoid being swept away4 ,while the benches before the ,grotto and the vast reserved space were filling with sick people1 handcarts1 and stretchers1 the crowd1 the immense crowd1 swayed about on the outskirts4 ,starting from the ,place du ,rosaire1 it extended to the bottom of the promenade along the ,gave1 where the pavement throughout its entire length was black with people1 so dense a human sea that all circulation was prevented4 ,on the parapet was an interminable line of women--most of them seated1 but some few standing so as to see the better--and almost all carrying silk parasols1 which1 with holiday-like gaiety1 shimmered in the sunlight4 ,the managers had wished to keep a path open in order that the sick might be brought along2 but it was ever being invaded and obstructed1 so that the carts and stretchers remained on the road1 submerged and lost until a bearer freed them4 ,nevertheless1 the great tramping was that of a docile flock1 an innocent1 lamb-like crowd2 and it was only the involuntary pushing1 the blind rolling towards the light of the candles that had to be contended against4 ,no accident had ever happened there1 notwithstanding the excitement1 which gradually increased and threw the people into the unruly delirium of faith4 ,however1 ,baron ,suire again forced his way through the throng4 8,berthaud6 ,berthaud60 he called1 8see that the dfile is conducted less rapidly4 ,there are women and children stifling40 ,this time ,berthaud gave a sign of impatience4 8,ah6 hang it1 ,i can't be everywhere6 ,close the gate for a moment if it's necessary40 ,it was a question of the march through the ,grotto which went on throughout the afternoon4 ,the faithful were permitted to enter by the door on the left1 and made their exit by that on the right4 8,close the gate60 exclaimed the ,baron4 8,but that would be worse2 they would all get crushed against it60 ,as it happened ,grard was there1 thoughtlessly talking for an instant with ,raymonde1 who was standing on the other side of the cord1 holding a bowl of milk which she was about to carry to a paralysed old woman2 and ,berthaud ordered the young fellow to post two men at the entrance gate of the iron railing1 with instructions only to allow the pilgrims to enter by tens4 ,when ,grard had executed this order1 and returned1 he found ,berthaud laughing and joking with ,raymonde4 ,she went off on her errand1 however1 and the two men stood watching her while she made the paralysed woman drink4 8,she is charming1 and it's settled1 eh80 said ,berthaud4 8,you are going to marry her1 aren't you80 8,i shall ask her mother to-night4 ,i rely upon you to accompany me40 8,why1 certainly4 ,you know what ,i told you4 ,nothing could be more sensible4 ,the uncle will find you a berth before six months are over40 ,a push of the crowd separated them1 and ,berthaud went off to make sure whether the march through the ,grotto was now being accomplished in a methodical manner1 without any crushing4 ,for hours the same unbroken tide rolled in--women1 men1 and children from all parts of the world1 all who chose1 all who passed that way4 ,as a result1 the crowd was singularly mixed3 there were beggars in rags beside neat bourgeois1 peasants of either sex1 well dressed ladies1 servants with bare hair1 young girls with bare feet1 and others with pomatumed hair and foreheads bound with ribbons4 ,admission was free2 the mystery was open to all1 to unbelievers as well as to the faithful1 to those who were solely influenced by curiosity as well as to those who entered with their hearts faint with love4 ,and it was a sight to see them1 all almost equally affected by the tepid odour of the wax1 half stifling in the heavy tabernacle air which gathered beneath the rocky vault1 and lowering their eyes for fear of slipping on the gratings4 ,many stood there bewildered1 not even bowing1 examining the things around with the covert uneasiness of indifferent folks astray amidst the redoubtable mysteries of a sanctuary4 ,but the devout crossed themselves1 threw letters1 deposited candles and bouquets1 kissed the rock below the ,virgin's statue1 or else rubbed their chaplets1 medals1 and other small objects of piety against it1 as the contact sufficed to bless them4 ,and the dfile continued1 continued without end during days and months as it had done for years2 and it seemed as if the whole world1 all the miseries and sufferings of humanity1 came in turn and passed in the same hypnotic1 contagious kind of round1 through that rocky nook1 ever in search of happiness4 ,when ,berthaud had satisfied himself that everything was working well1 he walked about like a mere spectator1 superintending his men4 ,only one matter remained to trouble him3 the procession of the ,blessed ,sacrament1 during which such frenzy burst forth that accidents were always to be feared4 ,this last day seemed likely to be a very fervent one1 for he already felt a tremor of exalted faith rising among the crowd4 ,the treatment needed for miraculous care was drawing to an end2 there had been the fever of the journey1 the besetting influence of the same endlessly repeated hymns1 and the stubborn continuation of the same religious exercises2 and ever and ever the conversation had been turned on miracles1 and the mind fixed on the divine illumination of the ,grotto4 ,many1 not having slept for three nights1 had reached a state of hallucination1 and walked about in a rageful dream4 ,no repose was granted them1 the continual prayers were like whips lashing their souls4 ,the appeals to the ,blessed ,virgin never ceased2 priest followed priest in the pulpit1 proclaiming the universal dolour and directing the despairing supplications of the throng1 during the whole time that the sick remained with hands clasped and eyes raised to heaven before the pale1 smiling1 marble statue4 ,at that moment the white stone pulpit against the rock on the right of the ,grotto was occupied by a priest from ,toulouse1 whom ,berthaud knew1 and to whom he listened for a moment with an air of approval4 ,he was a stout man with an unctuous diction1 famous for his rhetorical successes4 ,however1 all eloquence here consisted in displaying the strength of one's lungs in a violent delivery of the phrase or cry which the whole crowd had to repeat2 for the addresses were nothing more than so much vociferation interspersed with 8,ayes0 and 8,paters40 ,the priest1 who had just finished the ,rosary1 strove to increase his stature by stretching his short legs1 whilst shouting the first appeal of the litanies which he improvised1 and led in his own way1 according to the inspiration which possessed him4 8,mary1 we love thee60 he called4 ,and thereupon the crowd repeated in a lower1 confused1 and broken tone3 8,mary1 we love thee60 ,from that moment there was no stopping4 ,the voice of the priest rang out at full swing1 and the voices of the crowd responded in a dolorous murmur3 8,mary1 thou art our only hope60 8,mary1 thou art our only hope60 8,pure ,virgin1 make us purer1 among the pure60 8,pure ,virgin1 make us purer1 among the pure60 8,powerful ,virgin1 save our sick60 8,powerful ,virgin1 save our sick60 ,often1 when the priest's imagination failed him1 or he wished to thrust a cry home with greater force1 he would repeat it thrice2 while the docile crowd would do the same1 quivering under the enervating effect of the persistent lamentation1 which increased the fever4 ,the litanies continued1 and ,berthaud went back towards the ,grotto4 ,those who defiled through it beheld an extraordinary sight when they turned and faced the sick4 ,the whole of the large space between the cords was occupied by the thousand or twelve hundred patients whom the national pilgrimage had brought with it2 and beneath the vast1 spotless sky on that radiant day there was the most heart-rending jumble of sufferers that one could behold4 ,the three hospitals of ,lourdes had emptied their chambers of horror4 ,to begin with1 those who were still able to remain seated had been piled upon the benches4 ,many of them1 however1 were propped up with cushions1 whilst others kept shoulder to shoulder1 the strong ones supporting the weak4 ,then1 in front of the benches1 before the ,grotto itself1 were the more grievously afflicted sufferers lying at full length2 the flagstones disappearing from view beneath this woeful assemblage1 which was like a large1 stagnant pool of horror4 ,there was an indescribable block of vehicles1 stretchers1 and mattresses4 ,some of the invalids in little boxes not unlike coffins had raised themselves up and showed above the others1 but the majority lay almost on a level with the ground4 ,there were some lying fully dressed on the check-patterned ticks of mattresses2 whilst others had been brought with their bedding1 so that only their heads and pale hands were seen outside the sheets4 ,few of these pallets were clean4 ,some pillows of dazzling whiteness1 which by a last feeling of coquetry had been trimmed with embroidery1 alone shone out among all the filthy wretchedness of all the rest--a fearful collection of rags1 worn-out blankets1 and linen splashed with stains4 ,and all were pushed1 squeezed1 piled up by chance as they came1 women1 men1 children1 and priests1 people in nightgowns beside people who were fully attired being jumbled together in the blinding light of day4 ,and all forms of disease were there1 the whole frightful procession which1 twice a day1 left the hospitals to wend its way through horrified ,lourdes4 ,there were the heads eaten away by eczema1 the foreheads crowned with roseola1 and the noses and mouths which elephantiasis had transformed into shapeless snouts4 ,next1 the dropsical ones1 swollen out like leathern bottles2 the rheumatic ones with twisted hands and swollen feet1 like bags stuffed full of rags2 and a sufferer from hydrocephalus1 whose huge and weighty skull fell backwards4 ,then the consumptive ones1 with livid skins1 trembling with fever1 exhausted by dysentery1 wasted to skeletons4 ,then the deformities1 the contractions1 the twisted trunks1 the twisted arms1 the necks all awry2 all the poor broken1 pounded creatures1 motionless in their tragic1 marionette-like postures4 ,then the poor rachitic girls displaying their waxen complexions and slender necks eaten into by sores2 the yellow-faced1 besotted-looking women in the painful stupor which falls on unfortunate creatures devoured by cancer2 and the others who turned pale1 and dared not move1 fearing as they did the shock of the tumours whose weighty pain was stifling them4 ,on the benches sat bewildered deaf women1 who heard nothing1 but sang on all the same1 and blind ones with heads erect1 who remained for hours turned toward the statue of the ,virgin which they could not see4 ,and there was also the woman stricken with imbecility1 whose nose was eaten away1 and who laughed with a terrifying laugh1 displaying the black1 empty cavern of her mouth2 and then the epileptic woman1 whom a recent attack had left as pale as death1 with froth still at the corners of her lips4 ,but sickness and suffering were no longer of consequence1 since they were all there1 seated or stretched with their eyes upon the ,grotto4 ,the poor1 fleshless1 earthy-looking faces became transfigured1 and began to glow with hope4 ,anchylosed hands were joined1 heavy eyelids found the strength to rise1 exhausted voices revived as the priest shouted the appeals4 ,at first there was nothing but indistinct stuttering1 similar to slight puffs of air rising1 here and there above the multitude4 ,then the cry ascended and spread through the crowd itself from one to the other end of the immense square4 8,mary1 conceived without sin1 pray for us60 cried the priest in his thundering voice4 ,and the sick and the pilgrims repeated louder and louder3 8,mary1 conceived without sin1 pray for us60 ,then the flow of the litany set in1 and continued with increasing speed3 8,most pure ,mother1 most chaste ,mother1 thy children are at thy feet60 8,most pure ,mother1 most chaste ,mother1 thy children are at thy feet60 8,queen of the ,angels1 say but a word1 and our sick shall be healed60 8,queen of the ,angels1 say but a word1 and our sick shall be healed60 ,in the second row of sufferers1 near the pulpit1 was ,m4 ,sabathier1 who had asked to be brought there early1 wishing to choose his place like an old habitu who knew the cosy corners4 ,moreover1 it seemed to him that it was of paramount importance that he should be as near as possible1 under the very eyes of the ,virgin1 as though she required to see her faithful in order not to forget them4 ,however1 for the seven years that he had been coming there he had nursed this one hope of being some day noticed by her1 of touching her1 and of obtaining his cure1 if not by selection1 at least by seniority4 ,this merely needed patience on his part without the firmness of his faith being in the least shaken by his way of thinking4 ,only1 like a poor1 resigned man just a little weary of being always put off1 he sometimes allowed himself diversions4 ,for instance1 he had obtained permission to keep his wife near him1 seated on a camp-stool1 and he liked to talk to her1 and acquaint her with his reflections4 8,raise me a little1 my dear10 said he4 8,i am slipping4 ,i am very uncomfortable40 ,attired in trousers and a coarse woollen jacket1 he was sitting upon his mattress1 with his back leaning against a tilted chair4 8,are you better80 asked his wife1 when she had raised him4 8,yes1 yes10 he answered2 and then began to take an interest in ,brother ,isidore1 whom they had succeeded in bringing in spite of everything1 and who was lying upon a neighbouring mattress1 with a sheet drawn up to his chin1 and nothing protruding but his wasted hands1 which lay clasped upon the blanket4 8,ah6 the poor man10 said ,m4 ,sabathier4 8,it's very imprudent1 but the ,blessed ,virgin is so powerful when she chooses60 ,he took up his chaplet again1 but once more broke off from his devotions on perceiving ,madame ,maze1 who had just glided into the reserved space--so slender and unobtrusive that she had doubtless slipped under the ropes without being noticed4 ,she had seated herself at the end of a bench and1 very quiet and motionless1 did not occupy more room there than a child4 ,and her long face1 with its weary features1 the face of a woman of two-and-thirty faded before her time1 wore an expression of unlimited sadness1 infinite abandonment4 8,and so10 resumed ,m4 ,sabathier in a low voice1 again addressing his wife after attracting her attention by a slight movement of the chin1 8it's for the conversion of her husband that this lady prays4 ,you came across her this morning in a shop1 didn't you80 8,yes1 yes10 replied ,madame ,sabathier4 8,and1 besides1 ,i had some talk about her with another lady who knows her4 ,her husband is a commercial-traveller4 ,he leaves her for six months at a time1 and goes about with other people4 ,oh6 he's a very gay fellow1 it seems1 very nice1 and he doesn't let her want for money2 only she adores him1 she cannot accustom herself to his neglect1 and comes to pray the ,blessed ,virgin to give him back to her4 ,at this moment1 it appears1 he is close by1 at ,luchon1 with two ladies--two sisters40 ,m4 ,sabathier signed to his wife to stop4 ,he was now looking at the ,grotto1 again becoming a man of intellect1 a professor whom questions of art had formerly impassioned4 8,you see1 my dear10 he said1 8they have spoilt the ,grotto by endeavouring to make it too beautiful4 ,i am certain it looked much better in its original wildness4 ,it has lost its characteristic features--and what a frightful shop they have stuck there1 on the left60 ,however1 he now experienced sudden remorse for his thoughtlessness4 ,whilst he was chatting away1 might not the ,blessed ,virgin be noticing one of his neighbours1 more fervent1 more sedate than himself8 ,feeling anxious on the point1 he reverted to his customary modesty and patience1 and with dull1 expressionless eyes again began waiting for the good pleasure of ,heaven4 ,moreover1 the sound of a fresh voice helped to bring him back to this annihilation1 in which nothing was left of the cultured reasoner that he had formerly been4 ,it was another preacher who had just entered the pulpit1 a ,capuchin this time1 whose guttural call1 persistently repeated1 sent a tremor through the crowd4 8,holy ,virgin of virgins1 be blessed60 8,holy ,virgin of virgins1 be blessed60 8,holy ,virgin of virgins1 turn not thy face from thy children60 8,holy ,virgin of virgins1 turn not thy face from thy children60 8,holy ,virgin of virgins1 breathe upon our sores1 and our sores shall heal60 8,holy ,virgin of virgins1 breathe upon our sores1 and our sores shall heal60 ,at the end of the first bench1 skirting the central path1 which was becoming crowded1 the ,vigneron family had succeeded in finding room for themselves4 ,they were all there3 little ,gustave1 seated in a sinking posture1 with his crutch between his legs2 his mother1 beside him1 following the prayers like a punctilious bourgeoise2 his aunt1 ,madame ,chaise1 on the other side1 so inconvenienced by the crowd that she was stifling2 and ,m4 ,vigneron1 who remained silent and1 for a moment1 had been examining ,madame ,chaise attentively4 8,what is the matter with you1 my dear80 he inquired4 8,do you feel unwell80 ,she was breathing with difficulty4 8,well1 ,i don't know10 she answered2 8but ,i can't feel my limbs1 and my breath fails me40 ,at that very moment the thought had occurred to him that all the agitation1 fever1 and scramble of a pilgrimage could not be very good for heart-disease4 ,of course he did not desire anybody's death1 he had never asked the ,blessed ,virgin for any such thing4 ,if his prayer for advancement had already been granted through the sudden death of his chief1 it must certainly be because ,heaven had already ordained the latter's death4 ,and1 in the same way1 if ,madame ,chaise should die first1 leaving her fortune to ,gustave1 he would only have to bow before the will of ,god1 which generally requires that the aged should go off before the young4 ,nevertheless1 his hope unconsciously became so keen that he could not help exchanging a glance with his wife1 to whom had come the same involuntary thought4 8,gustave1 draw back10 he exclaimed2 8you are inconveniencing your aunt40 ,and then1 as ,raymonde passed1 he asked2 8,do you happen to have a glass of water1 mademoiselle8 ,one of our relatives here is losing consciousness40 ,but ,madame ,chaise refused the offer with a gesture4 ,she was getting better1 recovering her breath with an effort4 8,no1 ,i want nothing1 thank you10 she gasped4 8,there1 ,i'm better--still1 ,i really thought this time that ,i should stifle60 ,her fright left her trembling1 with haggard eyes in her pale face4 ,she again joined her hands1 and begged the ,blessed ,virgin to save her from other attacks and cure her2 while the ,vignerons1 man and wife1 honest folk both of them1 reverted to the covert prayer for happiness that they had come to offer up at ,lourdes3 a pleasant old age1 deservedly gained by twenty years of honesty1 with a respectable fortune which in later years they would go and enjoy in the country1 cultivating flowers4 ,on the other hand1 little ,gustave1 who had seen and noted everything with his bright eyes and intelligence sharpened by suffering1 was not praying1 but smiling at space1 with his vague enigmatical smile4 ,what could be the use of his praying8 ,he knew that the ,blessed ,virgin would not cure him1 and that he would die4 ,however1 ,m4 ,vigneron could not remain long without busying himself about his neighbours4 ,madame ,dieulafay1 who had come late1 had been deposited in the crowded central pathway2 and he marvelled at the luxury about the young woman1 that sort of coffin quilted with white silk1 in which she was lying1 attired in a pink dressing-gown trimmed with ,valenciennes lace4 ,the husband in a frock-coat1 and the sister in a black gown of simple but marvellous elegance1 were standing by2 while ,abb ,judaine1 kneeling near the sufferer1 finished offering up a fervent prayer4 ,when the priest had risen1 ,m4 ,vigneron made him a little room on the bench beside him2 and he then took the liberty of questioning him4 8,well1 ,monsieur le ,cur1 does that poor young woman feel a little better80 ,abb ,judaine made a gesture of infinite sadness4 8,alas6 no4 ,i was full of so much hope6 ,it was ,i who persuaded the family to come4 ,two years ago the ,blessed ,virgin showed me such extraordinary grace by curing my poor lost eyes1 that ,i hoped to obtain another favour from her4 ,however1 ,i will not despair4 ,we still have until to-morrow40 ,m4 ,vigneron again looked towards ,madame ,dieulafay and examined her face1 still of a perfect oval and with admirable eyes2 but it was expressionless1 with ashen hue1 similar to a mask of death1 amidst the lace4 8,it's really very sad10 he murmured4 8,and if you had seen her last summer60 resumed the priest4 8,they have their country seat at ,saligny1 my parish1 and ,i often dined with them4 ,i cannot help feeling sad when ,i look at her elder sister1 ,madame ,jousseur1 that lady in black who stands there1 for she bears a strong resemblance to her2 and the poor sufferer was even prettier1 one of the beauties of ,paris4 ,and now compare them together--observe that brilliancy1 that sovereign grace1 beside that poor1 pitiful creature--it oppresses one's heart--ah6 what a frightful lesson60 ,he became silent for an instant4 ,saintly man that he was naturally1 altogether devoid of passions1 with no keen intelligence to disturb him in his faith1 he displayed a naive admiration for beauty1 wealth1 and power1 which he had never envied4 ,nevertheless1 he ventured to express a doubt1 a scruple1 which troubled his usual serenity4 8,for my part1 ,i should have liked her to come here with more simplicity1 without all that surrounding of luxury1 because the ,blessed ,virgin prefers the humble--,but ,i understand very well that there are certain social exigencies4 ,and1 then1 her husband and sister love her so6 ,remember that he has forsaken his business and she her pleasures in order to come here with her2 and so overcome are they at the idea of losing her that their eyes are never dry1 they always have that bewildered look which you can notice4 ,so they must be excused for trying to procure her the comfort of looking beautiful until the last hour40 ,m4 ,vigneron nodded his head approvingly4 ,ah6 it was certainly not the wealthy who had the most luck at the ,grotto6 ,servants1 country folk1 poor beggars1 were cured1 while ladies returned home with their ailments unrelieved1 notwithstanding their gifts and the big candles they had burnt4 ,and1 in spite of himself1 ,vigneron then looked at ,madame ,chaise1 who1 having recovered from her attack1 was now reposing with a comfortable air4 ,but a tremor passed through the crowd and ,abb ,judaine spoke again3 8,here is ,father ,massias coming towards the pulpit4 ,he is a saint2 listen to him40 ,they knew him1 and were aware that he could not make his appearance without every soul being stirred by sudden hope1 for it was reported that the miracles were often brought to pass by his great fervour4 ,his voice1 full of tenderness and strength1 was said to be appreciated by the ,virgin4 ,all heads were therefore uplifted and the emotion yet further increased when ,father ,fourcade was seen coming to the foot of the pulpit1 leaning on the shoulder of his well-beloved brother1 the preferred of all2 and he stayed there1 so that he also might hear him4 ,his gouty foot had been paining him more acutely since the morning1 so that it required great courage on his part to remain thus standing and smiling4 ,the increasing exaltation of the crowd made him happy1 however2 he foresaw prodigies and dazzling cures which would redound to the glory of ,mary and ,jesus4 ,having ascended the pulpit1 ,father ,massias did not at once speak4 ,he seemed1 very tall1 thin1 and pale1 with an ascetic face1 elongated the more by his discoloured beard4 ,his eyes sparkled1 and his large eloquent mouth protruded passionately4 8,lord1 save us1 for we perish60 he suddenly cried2 and in a fever1 which increased minute by minute1 the transported crowd repeated3 8,lord1 save us1 for we perish60 ,then he opened his arms and again launched forth his flaming cry1 as if he had torn it from his glowing heart3 8,lord1 if it be ,thy will1 ,thou canst heal me60 8,lord1 if it be ,thy will1 ,thou canst heal me60 8,lord1 ,i am not worthy that ,thou shouldst enter under my roof1 but only say the word1 and ,i shall be healed60 8,lord1 ,i am not worthy that ,thou shouldst enter under my roof1 but only say the word1 and ,i shall be healed60 ,marthe1 ,brother ,isidore's sister1 had now begun to talk in a whisper to ,madame ,sabathier1 near whom she had at last seated herself4 ,they had formed an acquaintance at the hospital2 and1 drawn together by so much suffering1 the servant had familiarly confided to the bourgeoise how anxious she felt about her brother2 for she could plainly see that he had very little breath left in him4 ,the ,blessed ,virgin must be quick indeed if she desired to save him4 ,it was already a miracle that they had been able to bring him alive as far as the ,grotto4 ,in her resignation1 poor1 simple creature that she was1 she did not weep2 but her heart was so swollen that her infrequent words came faintly from her lips4 ,then a flood of past memories suddenly returned to her2 and with her utterance thickened by prolonged silence1 she began to relieve her heart3 8,we were fourteen at home1 at ,saint ,jacut1 near ,vannes4 ,he1 big as he was1 has always been delicate1 and that was why he remained with our priest1 who ended by placing him among the ,christian ,brothers4 ,the elder ones took over the property1 and1 for my part1 ,i preferred going out to service4 ,yes1 it was a lady who took me with her to ,paris1 five years ago already4 ,ah6 what a lot of trouble there is in life6 ,everyone has so much trouble60 8,you are quite right1 my girl10 replied ,madame ,sabathier1 looking the while at her husband1 who was devoutly repeating each of ,father ,massias's appeals4 8,and then10 continued ,marthe1 8there ,i learned last month that ,isidore1 who had returned from a hot climate where he had been on a mission1 had brought a bad sickness back with him4 ,and1 when ,i ran to see him1 he told me he should die if he did not leave for ,lourdes1 but that he couldn't make the journey1 because he had nobody to accompany him4 ,then1 as ,i had eighty francs saved up1 ,i gave up my place1 and we set out together4 ,you see1 madame1 if ,i am so fond of him1 it's because he used to bring me gooseberries from the parsonage1 whereas all the others beat me40 ,she relapsed into silence for a moment1 her countenance swollen by grief1 and her poor eyes so scorched by watching that no tears could come from them4 ,then she began to stutter disjointed words3 8,look at him1 madame4 ,it fills one with pity4 ,ah6 my ,god1 his poor cheeks1 his poor chin1 his poor face--0 ,it was1 in fact1 a lamentable spectacle4 ,madame ,sabathier's heart was quite upset when she observed ,brother ,isidore so yellow1 cadaverous1 steeped in a cold sweat of agony4 ,above the sheet he still only showed his clasped hands and his face encircled with long scanty hair2 but if those wax-like hands seemed lifeless1 if there was not a feature of that long-suffering face that stirred1 its eyes were still alive1 inextinguishable eyes of love1 whose flame sufficed to illumine the whole of his expiring visage--the visage of a ,christ upon the cross4 ,and never had the contrast been so clearly marked between his low forehead and unintelligent1 loutish1 peasant air1 and the divine splendour which came from his poor human mask1 ravaged and sanctified by suffering1 sublime at this last hour in the passionate radiance of his faith4 ,his flesh had melted1 as it were2 he was no longer a breath1 nothing but a look1 a light4 ,since he had been set down there his eyes had not strayed from the statue of the ,virgin4 ,nothing else existed around him4 ,he did not see the enormous multitude1 he did not even hear the wild cries of the priests1 the incessant cries which shook this quivering crowd4 ,his eyes alone remained to him1 his eyes burning with infinite tenderness1 and they were fixed upon the ,virgin1 never more to turn from her4 ,they drank her in1 even unto death2 they made a last effort of will to disappear1 die out in her4 ,for an instant1 however1 his mouth half opened and his drawn visage relaxed as an expression of celestial beatitude came over it4 ,then nothing more stirred1 his eyes remained wide open1 still obstinately fixed upon the white statue4 ,a few seconds elapsed4 ,marthe had felt a cold breath1 chilling the roots of her hair4 8,i say1 madame1 look60 she stammered4 ,madame ,sabathier1 who felt anxious1 pretended that she did not understand4 8,what is it1 my girl80 8,my brother6 look6 ,he no longer moves4 ,he opened his mouth1 and has not stirred since40 ,then they both shuddered1 feeling certain he was dead4 ,he had1 indeed1 just passed away1 without a rattle1 without a breath1 as if life had escaped in his glance1 through his large1 loving eyes1 ravenous with passion4 ,he had expired gazing upon the ,virgin1 and nothing could have been so sweet2 and he still continued to gaze upon her with his dead eyes1 as though with ineffable delight4 8,try to close his eyes10 murmured ,madame ,sabathier4 8,we shall soon know then40 ,marthe had already risen1 and1 leaning forward1 so as not to be observed1 she endeavoured to close the eyes with a trembling finger4 ,but each time they reopened1 and again looked at the ,virgin with invincible obstinacy4 ,he was dead1 and ,marthe had to leave his eyes wide open1 steeped in unbounded ecstasy4 8,ah6 it's finished1 it's quite finished1 madame60 she stuttered4 ,two tears then burst from her heavy eyelids and ran down her cheeks2 while ,madame ,sabathier caught hold of her hand to keep her quiet4 ,there had been whisperings1 and uneasiness was already spreading4 ,but what course could be adopted8 ,it was impossible to carry off the corpse amidst such a mob1 during the prayers1 without incurring the risk of creating a disastrous effect4 ,the best plan would be to leave it there1 pending a favourable moment4 ,the poor fellow scandalised no one1 he did not seem any more dead now than he had seemed ten minutes previously1 and everybody would think that his flaming eyes were still alive1 ardently appealing to the divine compassion of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,only a few persons among those around knew the truth4 ,m4 ,sabathier1 quite scared1 had made a questioning sign to his wife1 and on being answered by a prolonged affirmative nod1 he had returned to his prayers without any rebellion1 though he could not help turning pale at the thought of the mysterious almighty power which sent death when life was asked for4 ,the ,vignerons1 who were very much interested1 leaned forward1 and whispered as though in presence of some street accident1 one of those petty incidents which in ,paris the father sometimes related on returning home from the ,ministry1 and which sufficed to occupy them all1 throughout the evening4 ,madame ,jousseur1 for her part1 had simply turned round and whispered a word or two in ,m4 ,dieulafay's ear1 and then they had both reverted to the heart-rending contemplation of their own dear invalid2 whilst ,abb ,judaine1 informed by ,m4 ,vigneron1 knelt down1 and in a low1 agitated voice recited the prayers for the dead4 ,was he not a ,saint1 that missionary who had returned from a deadly climate1 with a mortal wound in his side1 to die there1 beneath the smiling gaze of the ,blessed ,virgin8 ,and ,madame ,maze1 who also knew what had happened1 suddenly felt a taste for death1 and resolved that she would implore ,heaven to suppress her also1 in unobtrusive fashion1 if it would not listen to her prayer and give her back her husband4 ,but the cry of ,father ,massias rose into a still higher key1 burst forth with a strength of terrible despair1 with a rending like that of a sob3 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 ,i am perishing1 save me60 ,and the crowd sobbed after him in unison 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 ,i am perishing1 save me60 ,then1 in quick succession1 and in higher and higher keys1 the appeals went on proclaiming the intolerable misery of the world3 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 take pity on ,thy sick children60 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 take pity on ,thy sick children60 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 come1 heal them1 that they may live60 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 come1 heal them1 that they may live60 ,it was delirium4 ,at the foot of the pulpit ,father ,fourcade1 succumbing to the extraordinary passion which overflowed from all hearts1 had likewise raised his arms1 and was shouting the appeals in his thundering voice as though to compel the intervention of ,heaven4 ,and the exaltation was still increasing beneath this blast of desire1 whose powerful breath bowed every head in turn1 spreading even to the young women who1 in a spirit of mere curiosity1 sat watching the scene from the parapet of the ,gave2 for these also turned pale under their sunshades4 ,miserable humanity was clamouring from the depths of its abyss of suffering1 and the clamour swept along1 sending a shudder down every spine1 for one and all were plunged in agony1 refusing to die1 longing to compel ,god to grant them eternal life4 ,ah6 life1 life6 that was what all those unfortunates1 who had come so far1 amid so many obstacles1 wanted--that was the one boon they asked for in their wild desire to live it over again1 to live it always6 ,o ,lord1 whatever our misery1 whatever the torment of our life may be1 cure us1 grant that we may begin to live again and suffer once more what we have suffered already4 ,however unhappy we may be1 to be is what we wish4 ,it is not heaven that we ask ,thee for1 it is earth2 and grant that we may leave it at the latest possible moment1 never leave it1 indeed1 if such be ,thy good pleasure4 ,and even when we no longer implore a physical cure1 but a moral favour1 it is still happiness that we ask ,thee for2 happiness1 the thirst for which alone consumes us4 ,o ,lord1 grant that we may be happy and healthy2 let us live1 ay1 let us live forever6 ,this wild cry1 the cry of man's furious desire for life1 came in broken accents1 mingled with tears1 from every breast4 8,o ,lord1 son of ,david1 heal our sick60 8,o ,lord1 son of ,david1 heal our sick60 ,berthaud had twice been obliged to dash forward to prevent the cords from giving way under the unconscious pressure of the crowd4 ,baron ,suire1 in despair1 kept on making signs1 begging someone to come to his assistance2 for the ,grotto was now invaded1 and the march past had become the mere trampling of a flock rushing to its passion4 ,in vain did ,grard again leave ,raymonde and post himself at the entrance gate of the iron railing1 so as to carry out the orders1 which were to admit the pilgrims by tens4 ,he was hustled and swept aside1 while with feverish excitement everybody rushed in1 passing like a torrent between the flaring candles1 throwing bouquets and letters to the ,virgin1 and kissing the rock1 which the pressure of millions of inflamed lips had polished4 ,it was faith run wild1 the great power that nothing henceforth could stop4 ,and now1 whilst ,grard stood there1 hemmed in against the iron railing1 he heard two countrywomen1 whom the advance was bearing onward1 raise loud exclamations at sight of the sufferers lying on the stretchers before them4 ,one of them was so greatly impressed by the pallid face of ,brother ,isidore1 whose large dilated eyes were still fixed on the statue of the ,virgin1 that she crossed herself1 and1 overcome by devout admiration1 murmured3 8,oh6 look at that one2 see how he is praying with his whole heart1 and how he gazes on ,our ,lady of ,lourdes60 ,the other peasant woman thereupon replied 8,oh6 she will certainly cure him1 he is so beautiful60 ,indeed1 as the dead man lay there1 his eyes still fixedly staring whilst he continued his prayer of love and faith1 his appearance touched every heart4 ,no one in that endless1 streaming throng could behold him without feeling edified4 ,,iii4 ,,marie',s ,,cure ,,it was good ,abb ,judaine who was to carry the ,blessed ,sacrament in the four-o'clock procession4 ,since the ,blessed ,virgin had cured him of a disease of the eyes1 a miracle with which the ,catholic press still resounded1 he had become one of the glories of ,lourdes1 was given the first place1 and honoured with all sorts of attentions4 ,at half-past three he rose1 wishing to leave the ,grotto1 but the extraordinary concourse of people quite frightened him1 and he feared he would be late if he did not succeed in getting out of it4 ,fortunately help came to him in the person of ,berthaud4 8,monsieur le ,cur10 exclaimed the superintendent of the bearers1 8don't attempt to pass out by way of the ,rosary2 you would never arrive in time4 ,the best course is to ascend by the winding paths--and come6 follow me2 ,i will go before you40 ,by means of his elbows1 he thereupon parted the dense throng and opened a path for the priest1 who overwhelmed him with thanks4 8,you are too kind4 ,it's my fault2 ,i had forgotten myself4 ,but1 good heavens6 how shall we manage to pass with the procession presently80 ,this procession was ,berthaud's remaining anxiety4 ,even on ordinary days it provoked wild excitement1 which forced him to take special measures2 and what would now happen1 as it wended its way through this dense multitude of thirty thousand persons1 consumed by such a fever of faith1 already on the verge of divine frenzy8 ,accordingly1 in a sensible way1 he took advantage of this opportunity to give ,abb ,judaine the best advice4 8,ah6 ,monsieur le ,cur1 pray impress upon your colleagues of the clergy that they must not leave any space between their ranks2 they should come on slowly1 one close behind the other4 ,and1 above all1 the banners should be firmly grasped1 so that they may not be overthrown4 ,as for yourself1 ,monsieur le ,cur1 see that the canopy-bearers are strong1 tighten the cloth around the monstrance1 and don't be afraid to carry it in both hands with all your strength40 ,a little frightened by this advice1 the priest went on expressing his thanks4 8,of course1 of course2 you are very good10 said he4 8,ah6 monsieur1 how much ,i am indebted to you for having helped me to escape from all those people60 ,then1 free at last1 he hastened towards the ,basilica by the narrow serpentine path which climbs the hill2 while his companion again plunged into the mob1 to return to his post of inspection4 ,at that same moment ,pierre1 who was bringing ,marie to the ,grotto in her little cart1 encountered on the other side1 that of the ,place du ,rosaire1 the impenetrable wall formed by the crowd4 ,the servant at the hotel had awakened him at three o'clock1 so that he might go and fetch the young girl at the hospital4 ,there seemed to be no hurry2 they apparently had plenty of time to reach the ,grotto before the procession4 ,however1 that immense throng1 that resisting1 living wall1 through which he did not know how to break1 began to cause him some uneasiness4 ,he would never succeed in passing with the little car if the people did not evince some obligingness4 8,come1 ladies1 come60 he appealed4 8,i beg of you6 ,you see1 it's for a patient60 ,the ladies1 hypnotised as they were by the spectacle of the ,grotto sparkling in the distance1 and standing on tiptoe so as to lose nothing of the sight1 did not move1 however4 ,besides1 the clamour of the litanies was so loud at this moment that they did not even hear the young priest's entreaties4 ,then ,pierre began again3 8,pray stand on one side1 gentlemen2 allow me to pass4 ,a little room for a sick person4 ,come1 please1 listen to what ,i am saying60 ,but the men1 beside themselves1 in a blind1 deaf rapture1 would stir no more than the women4 ,marie1 however1 smiled serenely1 as if ignorant of the impediments1 and convinced that nothing in the world could prevent her from going to her cure4 ,however1 when ,pierre had found an aperture1 and begun to work his way through the moving mass1 the situation became more serious4 ,from all parts the swelling human waves beat against the frail chariot1 and at times threatened to submerge it4 ,at each step it became necessary to stop1 wait1 and again entreat the people4 ,pierre had never before felt such an anxious sensation in a crowd4 ,true1 it was not a threatening mob1 it was as innocent as a flock of sheep2 but he found a troubling thrill in its midst1 a peculiar atmosphere that upset him4 ,and1 in spite of his affection for the humble1 the ugliness of the features around him1 the common1 sweating faces1 the evil breath1 and the old clothes1 smelling of poverty1 made him suffer even to nausea4 8,now1 ladies1 now1 gentlemen1 it's for a patient10 he repeated4 8,a little room1 ,i beg of you60 ,buffeted about in this vast ocean1 the little vehicle continued to advance by fits and starts1 taking long minutes to get over a few yards of ground4 ,at one moment you might have thought it swamped1 for no sign of it could be detected4 ,then1 however1 it reappeared near the piscinas4 ,tender sympathy had at length been awakened for this sick girl1 so wasted by suffering1 but still so beautiful4 ,when people had been compelled to give way before the priest's stubborn pushing1 they turned round1 but did not dare to get angry1 for pity penetrated them at sight of that thin1 suffering face1 shining out amidst a halo of fair hair4 ,words of compassion and admiration were heard on all sides3 8,ah1 the poor child60--8,was it not cruel to be infirm at her age80--8,might the ,blessed ,virgin be merciful to her60 ,others1 however1 expressed surprise1 struck as they were by the ecstasy in which they saw her1 with her clear eyes open to the spheres beyond1 where she had placed her hope4 ,she beheld ,heaven1 she would assuredly be cured4 ,and thus the little car left1 as it were1 a feeling of wonder and fraternal charity behind it1 as it made its way with so much difficulty through that human ocean4 ,pierre1 however1 was in despair and at the end of his strength1 when some of the stretcher-bearers came to his aid by forming a path for the passage of the procession--a path which ,berthaud had ordered them to keep clear by means of cords1 which they were to hold at intervals of a couple of yards4 ,from that moment the young priest was able to drag ,marie along in a fairly easy manner1 and at last place her within the reserved space1 where he halted1 facing the ,grotto on the left side4 ,you could no longer move in this reserved space1 where the crowd seemed to increase every minute4 ,and1 quite exhausted by the painful journey he had just accomplished1 ,pierre reflected what a prodigious concourse of people there was2 it had seemed to him as if he were in the midst of an ocean1 whose waves he had heard heaving around him without a pause4 ,since leaving the hospital ,marie had not opened her lips4 ,he now realised1 however1 that she wished to speak to him1 and accordingly bent over her4 8,and my father10 she inquired1 8is he here8 ,hasn't he returned from his excursion80 ,pierre had to answer that ,m4 de ,guersaint had not returned1 and that he had doubtless been delayed against his will4 ,and thereupon she merely added with a smile3 8,ah ,i poor father1 won't he be pleased when he finds me cured60 ,pierre looked at her with tender admiration4 ,he did not remember having ever seen her looking so adorable since the slow wasting of sickness had begun4 ,her hair1 which alone disease had respected1 clothed her in gold4 ,her thin1 delicate face had assumed a dreamy expression1 her eyes wandering away to the haunting thought of her sufferings1 her features motionless1 as if she had fallen asleep in a fixed thought until the expected shock of happiness should waken her4 ,she was absent from herself1 ready1 however1 to return to consciousness whenever ,god might will it4 ,and1 indeed1 this delicious infantile creature1 this little girl of three-and-twenty1 still a child as when an accident had struck her1 delaying her growth1 preventing her from becoming a woman1 was at last ready to receive the visit of the angel1 the miraculous shock which would draw her out of her torpor and set her upright once more4 ,her morning ecstasy continued2 she had clasped her hands1 and a leap of her whole being had ravished her from earth as soon as she had perceived the image of the ,blessed ,virgin yonder4 ,and now she prayed and offered herself divinely4 ,it was an hour of great mental trouble for ,pierre4 ,he felt that the drama of his priestly life was about to be enacted1 and that if he did not recover faith in this crisis1 it would never return to him4 ,and he was without bad thoughts1 without resistance1 hoping with fervour1 he also1 that they might both be healed6 ,oh6 that he might be convinced by her cure1 that he might believe like her1 that they might be saved together6 ,he wished to pray1 ardently1 as she herself did4 ,but in spite of himself he was preoccupied by the crowd1 that limitless crowd1 among which he found it so difficult to drown himself1 disappear1 become nothing more than a leaf in the forest1 lost amidst the rustle of all the leaves4 ,he could not prevent himself from analysing and judging it4 ,he knew that for four days past it had been undergoing all the training of suggestion2 there had been the fever of the long journey1 the excitement of the new landscapes1 the days spent before the splendour of the ,grotto1 the sleepless nights1 and all the exasperating suffering1 ravenous for illusion4 ,then1 again1 there had been the all-besetting prayers1 those hymns1 those litanies1 which agitated it without a pause4 ,another priest had followed ,father ,massias in the pulpit1 a little thin1 dark ,abb1 whom ,pierre heard hurling appeals to the ,virgin and ,jesus in a lashing voice which resounded like a whip4 ,father ,massias and ,father ,fourcade had remained at the foot of the pulpit1 and were now directing the cries of the crowd1 whose lamentations rose in louder and louder tones beneath the limpid sunlight4 ,the general exaltation had yet increased2 it was the hour when the violence done to ,heaven at last produced the miracles4 ,all at once a paralytic rose up and walked towards the ,grotto1 holding his crutch in the air2 and this crutch1 waving like a flag above the swaying heads1 wrung loud applause from the faithful4 ,they were all on the look-out for prodigies1 they awaited them with the certainty that they would take place1 innumerable and wonderful4 ,some eyes seemed to behold them1 and feverish voices pointed them out4 ,another woman had been cured6 ,another6 ,yet another6 ,a deaf person had heard1 a mute had spoken1 a consumptive had revived6 ,what1 a consumptive8 ,certainly1 that was a daily occurrence6 ,surprise was no longer possible2 you might have certified that an amputated leg was growing again without astonishing anyone4 ,miracle-working became the actual state of nature1 the usual thing1 quite commonplace1 such was its abundance4 ,the most incredible stories seemed quite simple to those overheated imaginations1 given what they expected from the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,and you should have heard the tales that went about1 the quiet affirmations1 the expressions of absolute certainty which were exchanged whenever a delirious patient cried out that she was cured4 ,another6 ,yet another6 ,however1 a piteous voice would at times exclaim3 8,ah6 she's cured2 that one2 she's lucky1 she is60 ,already1 at the ,verification ,office1 ,pierre had suffered from this credulity of the folk among whom he lived4 ,but here it surpassed everything he could have imagined2 and he was exasperated by the extravagant things he heard people say in such a placid fashion1 with the open smiles of children4 ,accordingly he tried to absorb himself in his thoughts and listen to nothing4 8,o ,god60 he prayed1 8grant that my reason may be annihilated1 that ,i may no longer desire to understand1 that ,i may accept the unreal and impossible40 ,for a moment he thought the spirit of inquiry dead within him1 and allowed the cry of supplication to carry him away3 8,lord1 heal our sick6 ,lord1 heal our sick60 ,he repeated this appeal with all his charity1 clasped his hands1 and gazed fixedly at the statue of the ,virgin1 until he became quite giddy1 and imagined that the figure moved4 ,why should he not return to a state of childhood like the others1 since happiness lay in ignorance and falsehood8 ,contagion would surely end by acting2 he would become nothing more than a grain of sand among innumerable other grains1 one of the humblest among the humble ones under the millstone1 who trouble not about the power that crushes them4 ,but just at that second1 when he hoped that he had killed the old man in him1 that he had annihilated himself along with his will and intelligence1 the stubborn work of thought1 incessant and invincible1 began afresh in the depths of his brain4 ,little by little1 notwithstanding his efforts to the contrary1 he returned to his inquiries1 doubted1 and sought the truth4 ,what was the unknown force thrown off by this crowd1 the vital fluid powerful enough to work the few cures that really occurred8 ,there was here a phenomenon that no physiologist had yet studied4 ,ought one to believe that a multitude became a single being1 as it were1 able to increase the power of auto-suggestion tenfold upon itself8 ,might one admit that1 under certain circumstances of extreme exaltation1 a multitude became an agent of sovereign will compelling the obedience of matter8 ,that would have explained how sudden cure fell at times upon the most sincerely excited of the throng4 ,the breaths of all of them united in one breath1 and the power that acted was a power of consolation1 hope1 and life4 ,this thought1 the outcome of his human charity1 filled ,pierre with emotion4 ,for another moment he was able to regain possession of himself1 and prayed for the cure of all1 deeply touched by the belief that he himself might in some degree contribute towards the cure of ,marie4 ,but all at once1 without knowing what transition of ideas led to it1 a recollection returned to him of the medical consultation which he had insisted upon prior to the young girl's departure for ,lourdes4 ,the scene rose before him with extraordinary clearness and precision2 he saw the room with its grey1 blue-flowered wall-paper1 and he heard the three doctors discuss and decide4 ,the two who had given certificates diagnosticating paralysis of the marrow spoke discreetly1 slowly1 like esteemed1 well-known1 perfectly honourable practitioners2 but ,pierre still heard the warm1 vivacious voice of his cousin ,beauclair1 the third doctor1 a young man of vast and daring intelligence1 who was treated coldly by his colleagues as being of an adventurous turn of mind4 ,and at this supreme moment ,pierre was surprised to find in his memory things which he did not know were there2 but it was only an instance of that singular phenomenon by which it sometimes happens that words scarce listened to1 words but imperfectly heard1 words stored away in the brain almost in spite of self1 will awaken1 burst forth1 and impose themselves on the mind after they have long been forgotten4 ,and thus it now seemed to him that the very approach of the miracle was bringing him a vision of the conditions under which--according to ,beauclair's predictions--the miracle would be accomplished4 ,in vain did ,pierre endeavour to drive away this recollection by praying with an increase of fervour4 ,the scene again appeared to him1 and the old words rang out1 filling his ears like a trumpet-blast4 ,he was now again in the dining-room1 where ,beauclair and he had shut themselves up after the departure of the two others1 and ,beauclair recapitulated the history of the malady3 the fall from a horse at the age of fourteen2 the dislocation and displacement of the organ1 with doubtless a slight laceration of the ligaments1 whence the weight which the sufferer had felt1 and the weakness of the legs leading to paralysis4 ,then1 a slow healing of the disorder1 everything returning to its place of itself1 but without the pain ceasing4 ,in fact this big1 nervous child1 whose mind had been so grievously impressed by her accident1 was unable to forget it2 her attention remained fixed on the part where she suffered1 and she could not divert it1 so that1 even after cure1 her sufferings had continued--a neuropathic state1 a consecutive nervous exhaustion1 doubtless aggravated by accidents due to faulty nutrition as yet imperfectly understood4 ,and further1 ,beauclair easily explained the contrary and erroneous diagnosis of the numerous doctors who had attended her1 and who1 as she would not submit to examination1 had groped in the dark1 some believing in a tumour1 and the others1 the more numerous1 convinced of some lesion of the marrow4 ,he alone1 after inquiring into the girl's parentage1 had just begun to suspect a simple state of auto-suggestion1 in which she had obstinately remained ever since the first violent shock of pain2 and among the reasons which he gave for this belief were the contraction of her visual field1 the fixity of her eyes1 the absorbed1 inattentive expression of her face1 and above all the nature of the pain she felt1 which1 leaving the organ1 had borne to the left1 where it continued in the form of a crushing1 intolerable weight1 which sometimes rose to the breast in frightful fits of stifling4 ,a sudden determination to throw off the false notion she had formed of her complaint1 the will to rise1 breathe freely1 and suffer no more1 could alone place her on her feet again1 cured1 transfigured1 beneath the lash of some intense emotion4 ,a last time did ,pierre endeavour to see and hear no more1 for he felt that the irreparable ruin of all belief in the miraculous was in him4 ,and1 in spite of his efforts1 in spite of the ardour with which he began to cry1 8,jesus1 son of ,david1 heal our sick60 he still saw1 he still heard ,beauclair telling him1 in his calm1 smiling manner how the miracle would take place1 like a lightning flash1 at the moment of extreme emotion1 under the decisive circumstance which would complete the loosening of the muscles4 ,the patient would rise and walk in a wild transport of joy1 her legs would all at once be light again1 relieved of the weight which had so long made them like lead1 as though this weight had melted1 fallen to the ground4 ,but above all1 the weight which bore upon the lower part of the trunk1 which rose1 ravaged the breast1 and strangled the throat1 would this time depart in a prodigious soaring flight1 a tempest blast bearing all the evil away with it4 ,and was it not thus that1 in the ,middle ,ages1 possessed women had by the mouth cast up the ,devil1 by whom their flesh had so long been tortured8 ,and ,beauclair had added that ,marie would at last become a woman1 that in that moment of supreme joy she would cease to be a child1 that although seemingly worn out by her prolonged dream of suffering1 she would all at once be restored to resplendent health1 with beaming face1 and eyes full of life4 ,pierre looked at her1 and his trouble increased still more on seeing her so wretched in her little cart1 so distractedly imploring health1 her whole being soaring towards ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 who gave life4 ,ah6 might she be saved1 at the cost even of his own damnation6 ,but she was too ill2 science lied like faith2 he could not believe that this child1 whose limbs had been dead for so many years1 would indeed return to life4 ,and1 in the bewildered doubt into which he again relapsed1 his bleeding heart clamoured yet more loudly1 ever and ever repeating with the delirious crowd3 8,lord1 son of ,david1 heal our sick6--,lord1 son of ,david1 heal our sick60 ,at that moment a tumult arose agitating one and all4 ,people shuddered1 faces were turned and raised4 ,it was the cross of the four-o'clock procession1 a little behind time that day1 appearing from beneath one of the arches of the monumental gradient way4 ,there was such applause and such violent1 instinctive pushing that ,berthaud1 waving his arms1 commanded the bearers to thrust the crowd back by pulling strongly on the cords4 ,overpowered for a moment1 the bearers had to throw themselves backward with sore hands2 however1 they ended by somewhat enlarging the reserved path1 along which the procession was then able to slowly wend its way4 ,at the head came a superb beadle1 all blue and gold1 followed by the processional cross1 a tall cross shining like a star4 ,then followed the delegations of the different pilgrimages with their banners1 standards of velvet and satin1 embroidered with metal and bright silk1 adorned with painted figures1 and bearing the names of towns3 ,versailles1 ,rheims1 ,orleans1 ,poitiers1 and ,toulouse4 ,one1 which was quite white1 magnificently rich1 displayed in red letters the inscription 8,association of ,catholic ,working ,men's ,clubs40 ,then came the clergy1 two or three hundred priests in simple cassocks1 about a hundred in surplices1 and some fifty clothed in golden chasubles1 effulgent like stars4 ,they all carried lighted candles1 and sang the 8,laudate ,sion ,salvatorem0 in full voices4 ,and then the canopy appeared in royal pomp1 a canopy of purple silk1 braided with gold1 and upheld by four ecclesiastics1 who1 it could be seen1 had been selected from among the most robust4 ,beneath it1 between two other priests who assisted him1 was ,abb ,judaine1 vigorously clasping the ,blessed ,sacrament with both hands1 as ,berthaud had recommended him to do2 and the somewhat uneasy glances that he cast on the encroaching crowd right and left showed how anxious he was that no injury should befall the heavy divine monstrance1 whose weight was already straining his wrists4 ,when the slanting sun fell upon him in front1 the monstrance itself looked like another sun4 ,choir-boys meantime were swinging censers in the blinding glow which gave splendour to the entire procession2 and1 finally1 in the rear1 there was a confused mass of pilgrims1 a flock-like tramping of believers and sightseers all aflame1 hurrying along1 and blocking the track with their ever-rolling waves4 ,father ,massias had returned to the pulpit a moment previously2 and this time he had devised another pious exercise4 ,after the burning cries of faith1 hope1 and love that he threw forth1 he all at once commanded absolute silence1 in order that one and all might1 with closed lips1 speak to ,god in secret for a few minutes4 ,these sudden spells of silence falling upon the vast crowd1 these minutes of mute prayer1 in which all souls unbosomed their secrets1 were deeply1 wonderfully impressive4 ,their solemnity became formidable2 you heard desire1 the immense desire for life1 winging its flight on high4 ,then ,father ,massias invited the sick alone to speak1 to implore ,god to grant them what they asked of ,his almighty power4 ,and1 in response1 came a pitiful lamentation1 hundreds of tremulous1 broken voices rising amidst a concert of sobs4 8,lord ,jesus1 if it please ,thee1 ,thou canst cure me60--8,lord ,jesus take pity on ,thy child1 who is dying of love60--8,lord ,jesus1 grant that ,i may see1 grant that ,i may hear1 grant that ,i may walk60 ,and1 all at once1 the shrill voice of a little girl1 light and vivacious as the notes of a flute1 rose above the universal sob1 repeating in the distance3 8,save the others1 save the others1 ,lord ,jesus60 ,tears streamed from every eye2 these supplications upset all hearts1 threw the hardest into the frenzy of charity1 into a sublime disorder which would have impelled them to open their breasts with both hands1 if by doing so they could have given their neighbours their health and youth4 ,and then ,father ,massias1 not letting this enthusiasm abate1 resumed his cries1 and again lashed the delirious crowd with them2 while ,father ,fourcade himself sobbed on one of the steps of the pulpit1 raising his streaming face to heaven as though to command ,god to descend on earth4 ,but the procession had arrived2 the delegations1 the priests1 had ranged themselves on the right and left2 and1 when the canopy entered the space reserved to the sick in front of the ,grotto1 when the sufferers perceived ,jesus the ,host1 the ,blessed ,sacrament1 shining like a sun1 in the hands of ,abb ,judaine1 it became impossible to direct the prayers1 all voices mingled together1 and all will was borne away by vertigo4 ,the cries1 calls1 entreaties broke1 lapsing into groans4 ,human forms rose from pallets of suffering2 trembling arms were stretched forth2 clenched hands seemingly desired to clutch at the miracle on the way4 8,lord ,jesus1 save us1 for we perish60--8,lord ,jesus1 we worship ,thee2 heal us60--8,lord ,jesus1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god2 heal us60 ,thrice did the despairing1 exasperated voices give vent to the supreme lamentation in a clamour which rushed up to ,heaven2 and the tears redoubled1 flooding all the burning faces which desire transformed4 ,at one moment1 the delirium became so great1 the instinctive leap toward the ,blessed ,sacrament seemed so irresistible1 that ,berthaud placed the bearers who were there in a chain about it4 ,this was the extreme protective manuvre1 a hedge of bearers drawn up on either side of the canopy1 each placing an arm firmly round his neighbour's neck1 so as to establish a sort of living wall4 ,not the smallest aperture was left in it2 nothing whatever could pass4 ,still1 these human barriers staggered under the pressure of the unfortunate creatures who hungered for life1 who wished to touch1 to kiss ,jesus2 and1 oscillating and recoiling1 the bearers were at last thrust against the canopy they were defending1 and the canopy itself began swaying among the crowd1 ever in danger of being swept away like some holy bark in peril of being wrecked4 ,then1 at the very climax of this holy frenzy1 the miracles began amidst supplications and sobs1 as when the heavens open during a storm1 and a thunderbolt falls on earth4 ,a paralytic woman rose and cast aside her crutches4 ,there was a piercing yell1 and another woman appeared erect on her mattress1 wrapped in a white blanket as in a winding sheet2 and people said it was a half-dead consumptive who had thus been resuscitated4 ,then grace fell upon two others in quick succession3 a blind woman suddenly perceived the ,grotto in a flame2 a dumb woman fell on both her knees1 thanking the ,blessed ,virgin in a loud1 clear voice4 ,and all in a like way prostrated themselves at the feet of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 distracted with joy and gratitude4 ,but ,pierre had not taken his eyes off ,marie1 and he was overcome with tender emotion at what he saw4 ,the sufferer's eyes were still expressionless1 but they had dilated1 while her poor1 pale face1 with its heavy mask1 was contracted as if she were suffering frightfully4 ,she did not speak in her despair2 she undoubtedly thought that she was again in the clutches of her ailment4 ,but all at once1 when the ,blessed ,sacrament passed by1 and she saw the star-like monstrance sparkling in the sun1 a sensation of dizziness came over her4 ,she imagined herself struck by lightning4 ,her eyes caught fire from the glare which flashed upon her1 and at last regained their flame of life1 shining out like stars4 ,and under the influence of a wave of blood her face became animated1 suffused with colour1 beaming with a smile of joy and health4 ,and1 suddenly1 ,pierre saw her rise1 stand upright in her little car1 staggering1 stuttering1 and finding in her mind only these caressing words3 8,oh1 my friend6 ,oh1 my friend60 ,he hurriedly drew near in order to support her4 ,but she drove him back with a gesture4 ,she was regaining strength1 looking so touching1 so beautiful1 in the little black woollen gown and slippers which she always wore2 tall and slender1 too1 and crowned as with a halo of gold by her beautiful flaxen hair1 which was covered with a simple piece of lace4 ,the whole of her virgin form was quivering as if some powerful fermentation had regenerated her4 ,first of all1 it was her legs that were relieved of the chains that bound them2 and then1 while she felt the spirit of life--the life of woman1 wife1 and mother--within her1 there came a final agony1 an enormous weight that rose to her very throat4 ,only1 this time1 it did not linger there1 did not stifle her1 but burst from her open mouth1 and flew away in a cry of sublime joy4 8,i am cured6--,i am cured60 ,then there was an extraordinary sight4 ,the blanket lay at her feet1 she was triumphant1 she had a superb1 glowing face4 ,and her cry of cure had resounded with such rapturous delight that the entire crowd was distracted by it4 ,she had become the sole point of interest1 the others saw none but her1 erect1 grown so radiant and so divine4 8,i am cured6--,i am cured60 ,pierre1 at the violent shock his heart had received1 had begun to weep4 ,indeed1 tears glistened again in every eye4 ,amidst exclamations of gratitude and praise1 frantic enthusiasm passed from one to another1 throwing the thousands of pilgrims who pressed forward to see into a state of violent emotion4 ,applause broke out1 a fury of applause1 whose thunder rolled from one to the other end of the valley4 ,however1 ,father ,fourcade began waving his arms1 and ,father ,massias was at last able to make himself heard from the pulpit3 8,god has visited us1 my dear brothers1 my dear sisters60 said he4 8,magnificat anima mea ,dominum1 ,my soul doth magnify the ,lord1 and my spirit hath rejoiced in ,god my ,saviour40 ,and then all the voices1 the thousands of voices1 began the chant of adoration and gratitude4 ,the procession found itself at a stand-still4 ,abb ,judaine had been able to reach the ,grotto with the monstrance1 but he patiently remained there before giving the ,benediction4 ,the canopy was awaiting him outside the railings1 surrounded by priests in surplices and chasubles1 all a glitter of white and gold in the rays of the setting sun4 ,marie1 however1 had knelt down1 sobbing2 and1 whilst the canticle lasted1 a burning prayer of faith and love ascended from her whole being4 ,but the crowd wanted to see her walk1 delighted women called to her1 a group surrounded her1 and swept her towards the ,verification ,office1 so that the miracle might be proved true1 as patent as the very light of the sun4 ,her box was forgotten1 ,pierre followed her1 while she1 stammering and hesitating1 she who for seven years had not used her legs1 advanced with adorable awkwardness1 the uneasy1 charming gait of a little child making its first steps2 and it was so affecting1 so delicious1 that the young priest thought of nothing but the immense happiness of seeing her thus return to her childhood4 ,ah6 the dear friend of infancy1 the dear tenderness of long ago1 so she would at last be the beautiful and charming woman that she had promised to be as a young girl when1 in the little garden at ,neuilly1 she had looked so gay and pretty beneath the tall trees flecked with sunlight6 ,the crowd continued to applaud her furiously1 a huge wave of people accompanied her2 and all remained awaiting her egress1 swarming in a fever before the door1 when she had entered the office1 whither ,pierre only was admitted with her4 ,that particular afternoon there were few people at the ,verification ,office4 ,the small square room1 with its hot wooden walls and rudimentary furniture1 its rush-bottomed chairs1 and its two tables of unequal height1 contained1 apart from the usual staff only some five or six doctors1 seated and silent4 ,at the tables were the inspector of the piscinas and two young ,abbs making entries in the registers1 and consulting the sets of documents2 while ,father ,dargeles1 at one end1 wrote a paragraph for his newspaper4 ,and1 as it happened1 ,doctor ,bonamy was just then examining ,elise ,rouquet1 who1 for the third time1 had come to have the increasing cicatrisation of her sore certified4 8,anyhow1 gentlemen10 exclaimed the doctor1 8have you ever seen a lupus heal in this way so rapidly8 ,i am aware that a new work has appeared on faith healing in which it is stated that certain sores may have a nervous origin4 ,only that is by no means proved in the case of lupus1 and ,i defy a committee of doctors to assemble and explain mademoiselle's cure by ordinary means40 ,he paused1 and turning towards ,father ,dargeles1 inquired3 8,have you noted1 ,father1 that the suppuration has completely disappeared1 and that the skin is resuming its natural colour80 ,however1 he did not wait for the reply1 for just then ,marie entered1 followed by ,pierre2 and by her beaming radiance he immediately guessed what good-fortune was befalling him4 ,she looked superb1 admirably fitted to transport and convert the multitude4 ,he therefore promptly dismissed ,elise ,rouquet1 inquired the new arrival's name1 and asked one of the young priests to look for her papers4 ,then1 as she slightly staggered1 he wished to seat her in the arm-chair4 8,oh no6 oh no60 she exclaimed4 8,i am so happy to be able to use my legs60 ,pierre1 with a glance1 had sought for ,doctor ,chassaigne1 whom he was sorry not to see there4 ,he remained on one side1 waiting while they rummaged in the untidy drawers without being able to place their hands on the required papers4 8,let's see10 repeated ,dr4 ,bonamy2 8,marie de ,guersaint1 ,marie de ,guersaint4 ,i have certainly seen that name before40 ,at last ,raboin discovered the documents classified under a wrong letter2 and when the doctor had perused the two medical certificates he became quite enthusiastic4 8,here is something very interesting1 gentlemen10 said he4 8,i beg you to listen attentively4 ,this young lady1 whom you see standing here1 was afflicted with a very serious lesion of the marrow4 ,and1 if one had the least doubt of it1 these two certificates would suffice to convince the most incredulous1 for they are signed by two doctors of the ,paris faculty1 whose names are well known to us all40 ,then he passed the certificates to the doctors present1 who read them1 wagging their heads the while4 ,it was beyond dispute2 the medical men who had drawn up these documents enjoyed the reputation of being honest and clever practitioners4 8,well1 gentlemen1 if the diagnosis is not disputed--and it cannot be when a patient brings us documents of this value--we will now see what change has taken place in the young lady's condition40 ,however1 before questioning her he turned towards ,pierre4 8,monsieur l',abb10 said he1 8you came from ,paris with ,mademoiselle de ,guersaint1 ,i think4 ,did you converse with the doctors before your departure80 ,the priest shuddered amidst all his great delight4 8,i was present at the consultation1 monsieur10 he replied4 ,and again the scene rose up before him4 ,he once more saw the two doctors1 so serious and rational1 and he once more saw ,beauclair smiling1 while his colleagues drew up their certificates1 which were identical4 ,and was he1 ,pierre1 to reduce these certificates to nothing1 reveal the other diagnosis1 the one that allowed of the cure being explained scientifically8 ,the miracle had been predicted1 shattered beforehand4 8,you will observe1 gentlemen10 now resumed ,dr4 ,bonamy1 8that the presence of the ,abb gives these proofs additional weight4 ,however1 mademoiselle will now tell us exactly what she felt40 ,he had leant over ,father ,dargeles's shoulder to impress upon him that he must not forget to make ,pierre play the part of a witness in the narrative4 8,mon ,dieu6 gentlemen1 how can ,i tell you80 exclaimed ,marie in a halting voice1 broken by her surging happiness4 8,since yesterday ,i had felt certain that ,i should be cured4 ,and yet1 a little while ago1 when the pins and needles seized me in the legs again1 ,i was afraid it might only be another attack4 ,for an instant ,i doubted4 ,then the feeling stopped4 ,but it began again as soon as ,i recommenced praying4 ,oh6 ,i prayed1 ,i prayed with all my soul6 ,i ended by surrendering myself like a child4 #8,blessed ,virgin1 ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 do with me as thou wilt1' ,i said4 ,but the feeling did not cease1 it seemed as if my blood were boiling2 a voice cried to me3 #8,rise6 ,rise6' ,and ,i felt the miracle fall on me in a cracking of all my bones1 of all my flesh1 as if ,i had been struck by lightning40 ,pierre1 very pale1 listened to her4 ,beauclair had positively told him that the cure would come like a lightning flash1 that under the influence of extreme excitement a sudden awakening of will so long somnolent would take place within her4 8,it was my legs which the ,holy ,virgin first of all delivered10 she continued4 8,i could well feel that the iron bands which bound them were gliding along my skin like broken chains4 ,then the weight which still suffocated me1 there1 in the left side1 began to ascend2 and ,i thought ,i was going to die1 it hurt me so4 ,but it passed my chest1 it passed my throat1 and ,i felt it there in my mouth1 and spat it out violently4 ,it was all over1 ,i no longer had any pain1 it had flown away60 ,she had made a gesture expressive of the motion of a night bird beating its wings1 and1 lapsing into silence1 stood smiling at ,pierre1 who was bewildered4 ,beauclair had told him all that beforehand1 using almost the same words and the same imagery4 ,point by point1 his prognostics were realised1 there was nothing more in the case than natural phenomena1 which had been foreseen4 ,raboin1 however1 had followed ,marie's narrative with dilated eyes and the passion of a pietist of limited intelligence1 ever haunted by the idea of hell4 8,it was the devil10 he cried2 8it was the devil that she spat out60 ,doctor ,bonamy1 who was more wary1 made him hold his tongue4 ,and turning towards the doctors he said3 8,gentlemen1 you know that we always avoid pronouncing the big word of miracle here4 ,only here is a fact1 and ,i am curious to know how any of you can explain it by natural means4 ,seven years ago this young lady was struck with serious paralysis1 evidently due to a lesion of the marrow4 ,and that cannot be denied2 the certificates are there1 irrefutable4 ,she could no longer walk1 she could no longer make a movement without a cry of pain1 she had reached that extreme state of exhaustion which precedes but by little an unfortunate issue4 ,all at once1 however1 here she rises1 walks1 laughs1 and beams on us4 ,the paralysis has completely disappeared1 no pain remains1 she is as well as you and ,i4 ,come1 gentlemen1 approach1 examine her1 and tell me what has happened40 ,he triumphed4 ,not one of the doctors spoke4 ,two1 who were doubtless true ,catholics1 had shown their approval of his speech by their vigorous nods1 while the others remained motionless1 with a constrained air1 not caring to mix themselves up in the business4 ,however1 a little thin man1 whose eyes shone behind the glasses he was wearing1 ended by rising to take a closer look at ,marie4 ,he caught hold of her hand1 examined the pupils of her eyes1 and merely seemed preoccupied by the air of transfiguration which she wore4 ,then1 in a very courteous manner1 without even showing a desire to discuss the matter1 he came back and sat down again4 8,the case is beyond science1 that is all ,i can assume10 concluded ,doctor ,bonamy1 victoriously4 8,i will add that we have no convalescence here2 health is at once restored1 full1 entire4 ,observe the young lady4 ,her eyes are bright1 her colour is rosy1 her physiognomy has recovered its lively gaiety4 ,without doubt1 the healing of the tissues will proceed somewhat slowly1 but one can already say that mademoiselle has been born again4 ,is it not so1 ,monsieur l',abb1 you who have seen her so frequently2 you no longer recognise her1 eh80 8,that's true1 that's true10 stammered ,pierre4 ,and1 in fact1 she already appeared strong to him1 her cheeks full and fresh1 gaily blooming4 ,but ,beauclair had also foreseen this sudden joyful change1 this straightening and resplendency of her invalid frame1 when life should re-enter it1 with the will to be cured and be happy4 ,once again1 however1 had ,doctor ,bonamy leant over ,father ,dargeles1 who was finishing his note1 a brief but fairly complete account of the affair4 ,they exchanged a few words in low tones1 consulting together1 and the doctor ended by saying3 8,you have witnessed these marvels1 ,monsieur l',abb1 so you will not refuse to sign the careful report which the reverend ,father has drawn up for publication in the #8,journal de la ,grotte4'0 ,he--,pierre--sign that page of error and falsehood6 ,a revolt roused him1 and he was on the point of shouting out the truth4 ,but he felt the weight of his cassock on his shoulders2 and1 above all1 ,marie's divine joy filled his heart4 ,he was penetrated with deep happiness at seeing her saved4 ,since they had ceased questioning her she had come and leant on his arm1 and remained smiling at him with eyes full of enthusiasm4 8,oh1 my1 friend1 thank the ,blessed ,virgin60 she murmured in a low voice4 8,she has been so good to me2 ,i am now so well1 so beautiful1 so young6 ,and how pleased my father1 my poor father1 will be60 ,then ,pierre signed4 ,everything was collapsing within him1 but it was enough that she should be saved2 he would have thought it sacrilegious to interfere with the faith of that child1 the great pure faith which had healed her4 ,when ,marie reappeared outside the office1 the applause began afresh1 the crowd clapped their hands4 ,it now seemed that the miracle was official4 ,however1 certain charitable persons1 fearing that she might again fatigue herself and again require her little car1 which she had abandoned before the ,grotto1 had brought it to the office1 and when she found it there she felt deeply moved4 ,ah6 that box in which she had lived so many years1 that rolling coffin in which she had sometimes imagined herself buried alive1 how many tears1 how much despair1 how many bad days it had witnessed6 ,and1 all at once1 the idea occurred to her that it had so long been linked with her sufferings1 it ought also to share her triumph4 ,it was a sudden inspiration1 a kind of holy folly1 that made her seize the handle4 ,at that moment the procession passed by1 returning from the ,grotto1 where ,abb ,judaine had pronounced the ,benediction4 ,and thereupon ,marie1 dragging the little car1 placed herself behind the canopy4 ,and1 in her slippers1 her head covered with a strip of lace1 her bosom heaving1 her face erect1 glowing1 and superb1 she walked on behind the clergy1 dragging after her that car of misery1 that rolling coffin1 in which she had endured so much agony4 ,and the crowd which acclaimed her1 the frantic crowd1 followed in her wake4 ,,iv4 ,,triumph--,,despair ,,pierre also had followed ,marie1 and like her was behind the canopy1 carried along as it were by the blast of glory which made her drag her little car along in triumph4 ,every moment1 however1 there was so much tempestuous pushing that the young priest would assuredly have fallen if a rough hand had not upheld him4 8,don't be alarmed10 said a voice2 8give me your arm1 otherwise you won't be able to remain on your feet40 ,pierre turned round1 and was surprised to recognise ,father ,massias1 who had left ,father ,fourcade in the pulpit in order to accompany the procession4 ,an extraordinary fever was sustaining him1 throwing him forward1 as solid as a rock1 with eyes glowing like live coals1 and an excited face covered with perspiration4 8,take care1 then60 he again exclaimed2 8give me your arm40 ,a fresh human wave had almost swept them away4 ,and ,pierre now yielded to the support of this terrible enthusiast1 whom he remembered as a fellow-student at the seminary4 ,what a singular meeting it was1 and how greatly he would have liked to possess that violent faith1 that mad faith1 which was making ,massias pant1 with his throat full of sobs1 whilst he continued giving vent to the ardent entreaty 8,lord ,jesus1 heal our sick6 ,lord ,jesus1 heal our sick60 ,there was no cessation of this cry behind the canopy1 where there was always a crier whose duty it was to accord no respite to the slow clemency of ,heaven4 ,at times a thick voice full of anguish1 and at others a shrill and piercing voice1 would arise4 ,the ,father's1 which was an imperious one1 was now at last breaking through sheer emotion4 8,lord ,jesus1 heal our sick6 ,lord ,jesus1 heal our sick60 ,the rumour of ,marie's wondrous cure1 of the miracle whose fame would speedily fill all ,christendom1 had already spread from one to the other end of ,lourdes2 and from this had come the increased vertigo of the multitude1 the attack of contagious delirium which now caused it to whirl and rush toward the ,blessed ,sacrament like the resistless flux of a rising tide4 ,one and all yielded to the desire of beholding the ,sacrament and touching it1 of being cured and becoming happy4 ,the ,divinity was passing2 and now it was not merely a question of ailing beings glowing with a desire for life1 but a longing for happiness which consumed all present and raised them up with bleeding1 open hearts and eager hands4 ,berthaud1 who feared the excesses of this religious adoration1 had decided to accompany his men4 ,he commanded them1 carefully watching over the double chain of bearers beside the canopy in order that it might not be broken4 8,close your ranks--closer--closer60 he called1 8and keep your arms firmly linked60 ,these young men1 chosen from among the most vigorous of the bearers1 had an extremely difficult duty to discharge4 ,the wall which they formed1 shoulder to shoulder1 with arms linked at the waist and the neck1 kept on giving way under the involuntary assaults of the throng4 ,nobody1 certainly1 fancied that he was pushing1 but there was constant eddying1 and deep waves of people rolled towards the procession from afar and threatened to submerge it4 ,when the canopy had reached the middle of the ,place du ,rosaire1 ,abb ,judaine really thought that he would be unable to go any farther4 ,numerous conflicting currents had set in over the vast expanse1 and were whirling1 assailing him from all sides1 so that he had to halt under the swaying canopy1 which shook like a sail in a sudden squall on the open sea4 ,he held the ,blessed ,sacrament aloft with his numbed hands1 each moment fearing that a final push would throw him over2 for he fully realised that the golden monstrance1 radiant like a sun1 was the one passion of all that multitude1 the ,divinity they demanded to kiss1 in order that they might lose themselves in it1 even though they should annihilate it in doing so4 ,accordingly1 while standing there1 the priest anxiously turned his eyes on ,berthaud4 8,let nobody pass60 called the latter to the bearers--8nobody6 ,the orders are precise2 you hear me80 ,voices1 however1 were rising in supplication on all sides1 wretched beings were sobbing with arms outstretched and lips protruding1 in the wild desire that they might be allowed to approach and kneel at the priest's feet4 ,what divine grace it would be to be thrown upon the ground and trampled under foot by the whole procession699 ,an infirm old man displayed his withered hand in the conviction that it would be made sound again were he only allowed to touch the monstrance4 ,a dumb woman wildly pushed her way through the throng with her broad shoulders1 in order that she might loosen her tongue by a kiss4 ,others were shouting1 imploring1 and even clenching their fists in their rage with those cruel men who denied cure to their bodily sufferings and their mental wretchedness4 ,the orders to keep them back were rigidly enforced1 however1 for the most serious accidents were feared4 99 ,one is here irresistibly reminded of the car of ,juggernaut1 and of the ,hindoo fanatics throwing themselves beneath its wheels in the belief that they would thus obtain an entrance into ,paradise4--,trans4 8,nobody1 nobody60 repeated ,berthaud2 8let nobody whatever pass60 ,there was a woman there1 however1 who touched every heart with compassion4 ,clad in wretched garments1 bareheaded1 her face wet with tears1 she was holding in her arms a little boy of ten years or so1 whose limp1 paralysed legs hung down inertly4 ,the lad's weight was too great for one so weak as herself1 still she did not seem to feel it4 ,she had brought the boy there1 and was now entreating the bearers with an invincible obstinacy which neither words nor hustling could conquer4 ,at last1 as ,abb ,judaine1 who felt deeply moved1 beckoned to her to approach1 two of the bearers1 in deference to his compassion1 drew apart1 despite all the danger of opening a breach1 and the woman then rushed forward with her burden1 and fell in a heap before the priest4 ,for a moment he rested the foot of the monstrance on the child's head1 and the mother herself pressed her eager1 longing lips to it2 and1 as they started off again1 she wished to remain behind the canopy1 and followed the procession1 with streaming hair and panting breast1 staggering the while under the heavy burden1 which was fast exhausting her strength4 ,they managed1 with great difficulty1 to cross the remainder of the ,place du ,rosaire1 and then the ascent began1 the glorious ascent by way of the monumental incline2 whilst upon high1 on the fringe of heaven1 the ,basilica reared its slim spire1 whence pealing bells were winging their flight1 sounding the triumphs of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,and now it was towards an apotheosis that the canopy slowly climbed1 towards the lofty portal of the high-perched sanctuary which stood open1 face to face with the ,infinite1 high above the huge multitude whose waves continued soaring across the valley's squares and avenues4 ,preceding the processional cross1 the magnificent beadle1 all blue and silver1 was already rearing the level of the ,rosary cupola1 the spacious esplanade formed by the roof of the lower church1 across which the pilgrimage deputations began to wind1 with their bright-coloured silk and velvet banners waving in the ruddy glow of the sunset4 ,then came the clergy1 the priests in snowy surplices1 and the priests in golden chasubles1 likewise shining out like a procession of stars4 ,and the censers swung1 and the canopy continued climbing1 without anything of its bearers being seen1 so that it seemed as though a mysterious power1 some troop of invisible angels1 were carrying it off in this glorious ascension towards the open portal of heaven4 ,a sound of chanting had burst forth2 the voices in the procession no longer called for the healing of the sick1 now that the cortge had extricated itself from amidst the crowd4 ,the miracle had been worked1 and they were celebrating it with the full power of their lungs1 amidst the pealing of the bells and the quivering gaiety of the atmosphere4 8,magnificat anima mea ,dominum0--they began4 8,my soul doth magnify the ,lord40 #8,twas the song of gratitude1 already chanted at the ,grotto1 and again springing from every heart3 8,et exsultavit spiritus meus in ,deo salutari meo40 8,and my spirit hath rejoiced in ,god my ,saviour40 ,meantime it was with increasing1 overflowing joy that ,marie took part in that radiant ascent1 by the colossal gradient way1 towards the glowing ,basilica4 ,it seemed to her1 as she continued climbing1 that she was growing stronger and stronger1 that her legs1 so long lifeless1 became firmer at each step4 ,the little car which she victoriously dragged behind her was like the earthly tenement of her illness1 the inferno whence the ,blessed ,virgin had extricated her1 and although its handle was making her hands sore1 she nevertheless wished to pull it up yonder with her1 in order that she might cast it at last at the feet of the ,almighty4 ,no obstacle could stay her course1 she laughed through the big tears which were falling on her cheeks1 her bosom was swelling1 her demeanour becoming warlike4 ,one of her slippers had become unfastened1 and the strip of lace had fallen from her head to her shoulders4 ,nevertheless1 with her lovely fair hair crowning her like a helmet and her face beaming brightly1 she still marched on and on with such an awakening of will and strength that1 behind her1 you could hear her car leap and rattle over the rough slope of the flagstones1 as though it had been a mere toy4 ,near ,marie was ,pierre1 still leaning on the arm of ,father ,massias1 who had not relinquished his hold4 ,lost amidst the far-spreading emotion1 the young priest was unable to reflect4 ,moreover his companion's sonorous voice quite deafened him4 8,deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles40 8,he hath put down the mighty from their seat1 and hath exalted the humble40 ,on ,pierre's other side1 the right1 ,berthaud1 who no longer had any cause for anxiety1 was now also following the canopy4 ,he had given his bearers orders to break their chain1 and was gazing with an expression of delight on the human sea through which the procession had lately passed4 ,the higher they ascended the incline1 the more did the ,place du ,rosaire and the avenues and paths of the gardens expand below them1 black with the swarming multitude4 ,it was a bird's-eye view of a whole nation1 an ant-hill which ever increased in size1 spreading farther and farther away4 8,look60 ,berthaud at last exclaimed to ,pierre4 8,how vast and how beautiful it is6 ,ah6 well1 the year won't have been a bad one after all40 ,looking upon ,lourdes as a centre of propaganda1 where his political rancour found satisfaction1 he always rejoiced when there was a numerous pilgrimage1 as in his mind it was bound to prove unpleasant to the ,government4 ,ah6 thought he1 if they had only been able to bring the working classes of the towns thither1 and create a ,catholic democracy4 8,last year we scarcely reached the figure of two hundred thousand pilgrims10 he continued1 8but we shall exceed it this year1 ,i hope40 ,and then1 with the gay air of the jolly fellow that he was1 despite his sectarian passions1 he added3 8,well1 #8pon my word1 ,i was really pleased just now when there was such a crush4 ,things are looking up1 ,i thought1 things are looking up40 ,pierre1 however1 was not listening to him2 his mind had been struck by the grandeur of the spectacle4 ,that multitude1 which spread out more and more as the procession rose higher and higher above it1 that magnificent valley which was hollowed out below and ever became more and more extensive1 displaying afar off its gorgeous horizon of mountains1 filled him with quivering admiration4 ,his mental trouble was increased by it all1 and seeking ,marie's glance1 he waved his arm to draw her attention to the vast circular expanse of country4 ,and his gesture deceived her1 for in the purely spiritual excitement that possessed her she did not behold the material spectacle he pointed at1 but thought that he was calling earth to witness the prodigious favours which the ,blessed ,virgin had heaped upon them both2 for she imagined that he had had his share of the miracle1 and that in the stroke of grace which had set her erect with her flesh healed1 he1 so near to her that their hearts mingled1 had felt himself enveloped and raised by the same divine power1 his soul saved from doubt1 conquered by faith once more4 ,how could he have witnessed her wondrous cure1 indeed1 without being convinced8 ,moreover1 she had prayed so fervently for him outside the ,grotto on the previous night4 ,and now1 therefore1 to her excessive delight1 she espied him transfigured like herself1 weeping and laughing1 restored to ,god again4 ,and this lent increased force to her blissful fever2 she dragged her little car along with unwearying hands1 and--as though it were their double cross1 her own redemption and her friend's redemption which she was carrying up that incline with its resounding flagstones--she would have liked to drag it yet farther1 for leagues and leagues1 ever higher and higher1 to the most inaccessible summits1 to the transplendent threshold of ,paradise itself4 8,o ,pierre1 ,pierre60 she stammered1 8how sweet it is that this great happiness should have fallen on us together--yes1 together6 ,i prayed for it so fervently1 and she granted my prayer1 and saved you even in saving me4 ,yes1 ,i felt your soul mingling with my own4 ,tell me that our mutual prayers have been granted1 tell me that ,i have won your salvation even as you have won mine60 ,he understood her mistake and shuddered4 8,if you only knew10 she continued1 8how great would have been my grief had ,i thus ascended into light alone4 ,oh6 to be chosen without you1 to soar yonder without you6 ,but with you1 ,pierre1 it is rapturous delight6 ,we have been saved together1 we shall be happy forever6 ,i feel all needful strength for happiness1 yes1 strength enough to raise the world60 ,and in spite of everything1 he was obliged to answer her and lie1 revolting at the idea of spoiling1 dimming that great and pure felicity4 8,yes1 yes1 be happy1 ,marie10 he said1 8for ,i am very happy myself1 and all our sufferings are redeemed40 ,but even while he spoke he felt a deep rending within him1 as though a brutal hatchet-stroke were parting them forever4 ,amidst their common sufferings1 she had hitherto remained the little friend of childhood's days1 the first artlessly loved woman1 whom he knew to be still his own1 since she could belong to none4 ,but now she was cured1 and he remained alone in his hell1 repeating to himself that she would never more be his6 ,this sudden thought so upset him that he averted his eyes1 in despair at reaping such suffering from the prodigious felicity with which she exulted4 ,however the chant went on1 and ,father ,massias1 hearing nothing and seeing nothing1 absorbed as he was in his glowing gratitude to ,god1 shouted the final verse in a thundering voice3 8,sicut locutus est ad patres nostros1 ,abraham1 et semini ejus in saecula40 8,as ,he spake to our fathers1 to ,abraham1 and to his seed for ever60 ,yet another incline had to be climbed1 yet another effort had to be made up that rough acclivity1 with its large slippery flagstones4 ,and the procession rose yet higher1 and the ascent still went on in the full1 bright light4 ,there came a last turn1 and the wheels of ,marie's car grated against a granite curb4 ,then1 still higher1 still and ever higher1 did it roll until it finally reached what seemed to be the very fringe of heaven4 ,and all at once the canopy appeared on the summit of the gigantic inclined ways1 on the stone balcony overlooking the stretch of country outside the portal of the ,basilica4 ,abb ,judaine stepped forward holding the ,blessed ,sacrament aloft with both hands4 ,marie1 who had pulled her car up the balcony steps1 was near him1 her heart beating from her exertion1 her face all aglow amidst the gold of her loosened hair4 ,then all the clergy1 the snowy surplices1 and the dazzling chasubles ranged themselves behind1 whilst the banners waved like bunting decking the white balustrades4 ,and a solemn minute followed4 ,from on high there could have been no grander spectacle4 ,first1 immediately below1 there was the multitude1 the human sea with its dark waves1 its heaving billows1 now for a moment stilled1 amidst which you only distinguished the small pale specks of the faces uplifted towards the ,basilica1 in expectation of the ,benediction2 and as far as the eye could reach1 from the place du ,rosaire to the ,gave1 along the paths and avenues and across the open spaces1 even to the old town in the distance2 those little pale faces multiplied and multiplied1 all with lips parted1 and eyes fixed upon the august heaven was about to open to their gaze4 ,then the vast amphitheatre of slopes and hills and mountains surged aloft1 ascended upon all sides1 crests following crests1 until they faded away in the far blue atmosphere4 ,the numerous convents among the trees on the first of the northern slopes1 beyond the torrent--those of the ,carmelites1 the ,dominicans1 the ,assumptionists1 and the ,sisters of ,nevers--were coloured by a rosy reflection from the fire-like glow of the sunset4 ,then wooded masses rose one above the other1 until they reached the heights of ,le ,buala1 which were surmounted by the ,serre de ,julos1 in its turn capped by the ,miramont4 ,deep valleys opened on the south1 narrow gorges between piles of gigantic rocks whose bases were already steeped in lakes of bluish shadow1 whilst the summits sparkled with the smiling farewell of the sun4 ,the hills of ,visens upon this side were empurpled1 and shewed like a promontory of coral1 in front of the stagnant lake of the ether1 which was bright with a sapphire-like transparency4 ,but1 on the east1 in front of you1 the horizon again spread out to the very point of intersection of the seven valleys4 ,the castle which had formerly guarded them still stood with its keep1 its lofty walls1 its black outlines--the outlines of a fierce fortress of feudal time1--upon the rock whose base was watered by the ,gave2 and upon this side of the stern old pile was the new town1 looking quite gay amidst its gardens1 with its swarm of white house-fronts1 its large hotels1 its lodging-houses1 and its fine shops1 whose windows were glowing like live embers2 whilst1 behind the castle1 the discoloured roofs of old ,lourdes spread out in confusion1 in a ruddy light which hovered over them like a cloud of dust4 ,at this late hour1 when the declining luminary was sinking in royal splendour behind the little ,gers and the big ,gers1 those two huge ridges of bare rock1 spotted with patches of short herbage1 formed nothing but a neutral1 somewhat violet1 background1 as though1 indeed1 they were two curtains of sober hue drawn across the margin of the horizon4 ,and higher and still higher1 in front of this immensity1 did ,abb ,judaine with both hands raise the ,blessed ,sacrament4 ,he moved it slowly from one to the other horizon1 causing it to describe a huge sign of the cross against the vault of heaven4 ,he saluted the convents1 the heights of ,le ,buala1 the ,serre de ,julos1 and the ,miramont1 upon his left2 he saluted the huge fallen rocks of the dim valleys1 and the empurpled hills of ,visens1 on his right2 he saluted the new and the old town1 the castle bathed by the ,gave1 the big and the little ,gers1 already drowsy1 in front of him2 and he saluted the woods1 the torrents1 the mountains1 the faint chains linking the distant peaks1 the whole earth1 even beyond the visible horizon3 ,peace upon earth1 hope and consolation to mankind6 ,the multitude below had quivered beneath that great sign of the cross which enveloped it4 ,it seemed as though a divine breath were passing1 rolling those billows of little pale faces which were as numerous as the waves of an ocean4 ,a loud murmur of adoration ascended2 all those parted lips proclaimed the glory of ,god when1 in the rays of the setting sun1 the illumined monstrance again shone forth like another sun1 a sun of pure gold1 describing the sign of the cross in streaks of flame upon the threshold of the ,infinite4 ,the banners1 the clergy1 with ,abb ,judaine under the canopy1 were already returning to the ,basilica1 when ,marie1 who was also entering it1 still dragging her car by the handle1 was stopped by two ladies1 who kissed her1 weeping4 ,they were ,madame de ,jonquire and her daughter ,raymonde1 who had come thither to witness the ,benediction1 and had been told of the miracle4 8,ah6 my dear child1 what happiness60 repeated the lady-hospitaller2 8and how proud ,i am to have you in my ward6 ,it is so precious a favour for all of us that the ,blessed ,virgin should have been pleased to select you40 ,raymonde1 meanwhile1 had kept one of the young girl's hands in her own4 8,will you allow me to call you my friend1 mademoiselle80 said she4 8,i felt so much pity for you1 and ,i am now so pleased to see you walking1 so strong and beautiful already4 ,let me kiss you again4 ,it will bring me happiness40 8,thank you1 thank you with all my heart10 ,marie stammered amidst her rapture4 8,i am so happy1 so very happy60 8,oh6 we will not leave you10 resumed ,madame de ,jonquire4 8,you hear me1 ,raymonde8 ,we must follow her1 and kneel beside her1 and we will take her back after the ceremony40 ,thereupon the two ladies joined the cortge1 and1 following the canopy1 walked beside ,pierre and ,father ,massias1 between the rows of chairs which the deputations already occupied1 to the very centre of the choir4 ,the banners alone were allowed on either side of the high altar2 but ,marie advanced to its steps1 still dragging her car1 whose wheels resounded over the flagstones4 ,she had at last brought it to the spot whither the sacred madness of her desire had longingly impelled her to drag it4 ,she had brought it1 indeed1 woeful1 wretched-looking as it was1 into the splendour of ,god's house1 so that it might there testify to the truth of the miracle4 ,the threshold had scarcely been crossed when the organs burst into a hymn of triumph1 the sonorous acclamation of a happy people1 from amidst which there soon arose a celestial1 angelic voice1 of joyful shrillness and crystalline purity4 ,abb ,judaine had placed the ,blessed ,sacrament upon the altar1 and the crowd was streaming into the nave1 each taking a seat1 installing him or herself in a corner1 pending the commencement of the ceremony4 ,marie had at once fallen on her knees between ,madame de ,jonquire and ,raymonde1 whose eyes were moist with tender emotion2 whilst ,father ,massias1 exhausted by the extraordinary tension of the nerves which had been sustaining him ever since his departure from the ,grotto1 had sunk upon the ground1 sobbing1 with his head between his hands4 ,behind him ,pierre and ,berthaud remained standing1 the latter still busy with his superintendence1 his eyes ever on the watch1 seeing that good order was preserved even during the most violent outbursts of emotion4 ,then1 amidst all his mental confusion1 increased by the deafening strains of the organ1 ,pierre raised his head and examined the interior of the ,basilica4 ,the nave was narrow and lofty1 and streaked with bright colours1 which numerous windows flooded with light4 ,there were scarcely any aisles2 they were reduced to the proportions of a mere passage running between the side-chapels and the clustering columns1 and this circumstance seemed to increase the slim loftiness of the nave1 the soaring of the stonework in perpendicular lines of infantile1 graceful slenderness4 ,a gilded railing1 as transparent as lace1 closed the choir1 where the high altar1 of white marble richly sculptured1 arose in all its lavish chasteness4 ,but the feature of the building which astonished you was the mass of extraordinary ornamentation which transformed the whole of it into an overflowing exhibition of embroidery and jewellery4 ,what with all the banners and votive offerings1 the perfect river of gifts which had flowed into it and remained clinging to its walls in a stream of gold and silver1 velvet and silk1 covering it from top to bottom1 it was1 so to say1 the ever-glowing sanctuary of gratitude1 whose thousand rich adornments seemed to be chanting a perpetual canticle of faith and thankfulness4 ,the banners1 in particular1 abounded1 as innumerable as the leaves of trees4 ,some thirty hung from the vaulted roof1 whilst others were suspended1 like pictures1 between the little columns around the triforium4 ,and others1 again1 displayed themselves on the walls1 waved in the depths of the side-chapels1 and encompassed the choir with a heaven of silk1 satin1 and velvet4 ,you could count them by hundreds1 and your eyes grew weary of admiring them4 ,many of them were quite celebrated1 so renowned for their skilful workmanship that talented embroideresses took the trouble to come to ,lourdes on purpose to examine them4 ,among these were the banner of our ,lady of ,fourvires1 bearing the arms of the city of ,lyons2 the banner of ,alsace1 of black velvet embroidered with gold2 the banner of ,lorraine1 on which you beheld the ,virgin casting her cloak around two children2 and the white and blue banner of ,brittany1 on which bled the sacred heart of ,jesus in the midst of a halo4 ,all empires and kingdoms of the earth were represented2 the most distant lands--,canada1 ,brazil1 ,chili1 ,haiti--here had their flags1 which1 in all piety1 were being offered as a tribute of homage to the ,queen of ,heaven4 ,then1 after the banners1 there were other marvels1 the thousands and thousands of gold and silver hearts which were hanging everywhere1 glittering on the walls like stars in the heavens4 ,some were grouped together in the form of mystical roses1 others described festoons and garlands1 others1 again1 climbed up the pillars1 surrounded the windows1 and constellated the deep1 dim chapels4 ,below the triforium somebody had had the ingenious idea of employing these hearts to trace in tall letters the various words which the ,blessed ,virgin had addressed to ,bernadette2 and thus1 around the nave1 there extended a long frieze of words1 the delight of the infantile minds which busied themselves with spelling them4 ,it was a swarming1 a prodigious resplendency of hearts1 whose infinite number deeply impressed you when you thought of all the hands1 trembling with gratitude1 which had offered them4 ,moreover1 the adornments comprised many other votive offerings1 and some of quite an unexpected description4 ,there were bridal wreaths and crosses of honour1 jewels and photographs1 chaplets1 and even spurs1 in glass cases or frames4 ,there were also the epaulets and swords of officers1 together with a superb sabre1 left there in memory of a miraculous conversion4 ,but all this was not sufficient2 other riches1 riches of every kind1 shone out on all sides--marble statues1 diadems enriched with brilliants1 a marvellous carpet designed at ,blois and embroidered by ladies of all parts of ,france1 and a golden palm with ornaments of enamel1 the gift of the sovereign pontiff4 ,the lamps suspended from the vaulted roof1 some of them of massive gold and the most delicate workmanship1 were also gifts4 ,they were too numerous to be counted1 they studded the nave with stars of great price4 ,immediately in front of the tabernacle there was one1 a masterpiece of chasing1 offered by ,ireland4 ,others--one from ,lille1 one from ,valence1 one from ,macao in far-off ,china--were veritable jewels1 sparkling with precious stones4 ,and how great was the resplendency when the choir's score of chandeliers was illumined1 when the hundreds of lamps and the hundreds of candles burned all together1 at the great evening ceremonies6 ,the whole church then became a conflagration1 the thousands of gold and silver hearts reflecting all the little flames with thousands of fiery scintillations4 ,it was like a huge and wondrous brasier2 the walls streamed with live flakes of light2 you seemed to be entering into the blinding glory of ,paradise itself2 whilst on all sides the innumerable banners spread out their silk1 their satin1 and their velvet1 embroidered with sanguifluous sacred hearts1 victorious saints1 and ,virgins whose kindly smiles engendered miracles4 ,ah6 how many ceremonies had already displayed their pomp in that ,basilica6 ,worship1 prayer1 chanting1 never ceased there4 ,from one end of the year to the other incense smoked1 organs roared1 and kneeling multitudes prayed there with their whole souls4 ,masses1 vespers1 sermons1 were continually following one upon another2 day by day the religious exercises began afresh1 and each festival of the ,church was celebrated with unparalleled magnificence4 ,the least noteworthy anniversary supplied a pretext for pompous solemnities4 ,each pilgrimage was granted its share of the dazzling resplendency4 ,it was necessary that those suffering ones and those humble ones who had come from such long distances should be sent home consoled and enraptured1 carrying with them a vision of ,paradise espied through its opening portals4 ,they beheld the luxurious surroundings of the ,divinity1 and would forever remain enraptured by the sight4 ,in the depths of bare1 wretched rooms1 indeed1 by the side of humble pallets of suffering throughout all ,christendom1 a vision of the ,basilica with its blazing riches continually arose like a vision of fortune itself1 like a vision of the wealth of that life to be1 into which the poor would surely some day enter after their long1 long misery in this terrestrial sphere4 ,pierre1 however1 felt no delight2 no consolation1 no hope1 came to him as he gazed upon all the splendour4 ,his frightful feeling of discomfort was increasing1 all was becoming black within him1 with that blackness of the tempest which gathers when men's thoughts and feelings pant and shriek4 ,he had felt immense desolation rising in his soul ever since ,marie1 crying that she was healed1 had risen from her little car and walked along with such strength and fulness of life4 ,yet he loved her like a passionately attached brother1 and had experienced unlimited happiness on seeing that she no longer suffered4 ,why1 therefore1 should her felicity bring him such agony8 ,he could now no longer gaze at her1 kneeling there1 radiant amidst her tears1 with beauty recovered and increased1 without his poor heart bleeding as from some mortal wound4 ,still he wished to remain there1 and so1 averting his eyes1 he tried to interest himself in ,father ,massias1 who was still shaking with violent sobbing on the flagstones1 and whose prostration and annihilation1 amidst the consuming illusion of divine love1 he sorely envied4 ,for a moment1 moreover1 he questioned ,berthaud1 feigning to admire some banner and requesting information respecting it4 8,which one80 asked the superintendent of the bearers2 8that lace banner over there80 8,yes1 that one on the left40 8,oh6 it is a banner offered by ,le ,puy4 ,the arms are those of ,le ,puy and ,lourdes linked together by the ,rosary4 ,the lace is so fine that if you crumpled the banner up1 you could hold it in the hollow of your hand40 ,however1 ,abb ,judaine was now stepping forward2 the ceremony was about to begin4 ,again did the organs resound1 and again was a canticle chanted1 whilst1 on the altar1 the ,blessed ,sacrament looked like the sovereign planet amidst the scintillations of the gold and silver hearts1 as innumerable as stars4 ,and then ,pierre lacked the strength to remain there any longer4 ,since ,marie had ,madame de ,jonquire and ,raymonde with her1 and they would accompany her back1 he might surely go off by himself1 vanish into some shadowy corner1 and there1 at last1 vent his grief4 ,in a few words he excused himself1 giving his appointment with ,doctor ,chassaigne as a pretext for his departure4 ,however1 another fear suddenly came to him1 that of being unable to leave the building1 so densely did the serried throng of believers bar the open doorway4 ,but immediately afterwards he had an inspiration1 and1 crossing the sacristy1 descended into the crypt by the narrow interior stairway4 ,deep silence and sepulchral gloom suddenly succeeded to the joyous chants and prodigious radiance of the ,basilica above4 ,cut in the rock1 the crypt formed two narrow passages1 parted by a massive block of stone which upheld the nave1 and conducting to a subterranean chapel under the apse1 where some little lamps remained burning both day and night4 ,a dim forest of pillars rose up there1 a mystic terror reigned in that semi-obscurity where the mystery ever quivered4 ,the chapel walls remained bare1 like the very stones of the tomb1 in which all men must some day sleep the last sleep4 ,and along the passages1 against their sides1 covered from top to bottom with marble votive offerings1 you only saw a double row of confessionals2 for it was here1 in the lifeless tranquillity of the bowels of the earth1 that sins were confessed2 and there were priests1 speaking all languages1 to absolve the sinners who came thither from the four corners of the world4 ,at that hour1 however1 when the multitude was thronging the ,basilica above1 the crypt had become quite deserted4 ,not a soul1 save ,pierre's1 throbbed there ever so faintly2 and he1 amidst that deep silence1 that darkness1 that coolness of the grave1 fell upon his knees4 ,it was not1 however1 through any need of prayer and worship1 but because his whole being was giving way beneath his crushing mental torment4 ,he felt a torturing longing to be able to see clearly within himself4 ,ah6 why could he not plunge even more deeply into the heart of things1 reflect1 understand1 and at last calm himself4 ,and it was a fearful agony that he experienced4 ,he tried to remember all the minutes that had gone by since ,marie1 suddenly springing from her pallet of wretchedness1 had raised her cry of resurrection4 ,why had he even then1 despite his fraternal joy in seeing her erect1 felt such an awful sensation of discomfort1 as though1 indeed1 the greatest of all possible misfortunes had fallen upon him8 ,was he jealous of the divine grace8 ,did he suffer because the ,virgin1 whilst healing her1 had forgotten him1 whose soul was so afflicted8 ,he remembered how he had granted himself a last delay1 fixed a supreme appointment with ,faith for the moment when the ,blessed ,sacrament should pass by1 were ,marie only cured2 and she was cured1 and still he did not believe1 and henceforth there was no hope1 for never1 never would he be able to believe4 ,therein lay the bare1 bleeding sore4 ,the truth burst upon him with blinding cruelty and certainty--she was saved1 he was lost4 ,that pretended miracle which had restored her to life had1 in him1 completed the ruin of all belief in the supernatural4 ,that which he had1 for a moment1 dreamed of seeking1 and perhaps finding1 at ,lourdes1--naive faith1 the happy faith of a little child1--was no longer possible1 would never bloom again after that collapse of the miraculous1 that cure which ,beauclair had foretold1 and which had afterwards come to pass1 exactly as had been predicted4 ,jealous6 ,no--he was not jealous2 but he was ravaged1 full of mortal sadness at thus remaining all alone in the icy desert of his intelligence1 regretting the illusion1 the lie1 the divine love of the simpleminded1 for which henceforth there was no room in his heart4 ,a flood of bitterness stifled him1 and tears started from his eyes4 ,he had slipped on to the flagstones1 prostrated by his anguish4 ,and1 by degrees1 he remembered the whole delightful story1 from the day when ,marie1 guessing how he was tortured by doubt1 had become so passionately eager for his conversion1 taking hold of his hand in the gloom1 retaining it in her own1 and stammering that she would pray for him--oh6 pray for him with her whole soul4 ,she forgot herself1 she entreated the ,blessed ,virgin to save her friend rather than herself if there were but one grace that she could obtain from her ,divine ,son4 ,then came another memory1 the memory of the delightful hours which they had spent together amid the dense darkness of the trees during the night procession4 ,there1 again1 they had prayed for one another1 mingled one in the other with so ardent a desire for mutual happiness that1 for a moment1 they had attained to the very depths of the love which gives and immolates itself4 ,and now their long1 tear-drenched tenderness1 their pure idyl of suffering1 was ending in this brutal separation2 she on her side saved1 radiant amidst the hosannas of the triumphant ,basilica2 and he lost1 sobbing with wretchedness1 bowed down in the depths of the dark crypt in an icy1 grave-like solitude4 ,it was as though he had just lost her again1 and this time forever and forever4 ,all at once ,pierre felt the sharp stab which this thought dealt his heart4 ,he at last understood his pain--a sudden light illumined the terrible crisis of woe amidst which he was struggling4 ,he had lost ,marie for the first time on the day when he had become a priest1 saying to himself that he might well renounce his manhood since she1 stricken in her sex by incurable illness1 would never be a woman4 ,but behold6 she was cured4 ,behold6 she had become a woman4 ,she had all at once appeared to him very strong1 very beautiful1 living1 and desirable4 ,he1 who was dead1 however1 could not become a man again4 ,never more would he be able to raise the tombstone which crushed and imprisoned his flesh4 ,she fled away alone1 leaving him in the cold grave4 ,the whole wide world was opening before her with smiling happiness1 with the love which laughs in the sunlit paths1 with the husband1 with children1 no doubt4 ,whereas he1 buried1 as it were to his shoulders1 had naught of his body free1 save his brain1 and that remained free1 no doubt1 in order that he might suffer the more4 ,she had still been his so long as she had not belonged to another2 and if he had been enduring such agony during the past hour1 it was only through this final rending which1 this time1 parted her from him forever and forever4 ,then rage shook ,pierre from head to foot4 ,he was tempted to return to the ,basilica1 and cry the truth aloud to ,marie4 ,the miracle was a lie6 ,the helpful beneficence of an all-powerful ,divinity was but so much illusion6 ,nature alone had acted1 life had conquered once again4 ,and he would have given proofs3 he would have shown how life1 the only sovereign1 worked for health amid all the sufferings of this terrestrial sphere4 ,and then they would have gone off together2 they would have fled far1 far away1 that they might be happy4 ,but a sudden terror took possession of him4 ,what6 lay hands upon that little spotless soul1 kill all belief in it1 fill it with the ruins which worked such havoc in his own soul8 ,it all at once occurred to him that this would be odious sacrilege4 ,he would afterwards become horrified with himself1 he would look upon himself as her murderer were he some day to realise that he was unable to give her a happiness equal to that which she would have lost4 ,perhaps1 too1 she would not believe him4 ,and1 moreover1 would she ever consent to marry a priest who had broken his vows8 ,she who would always retain the sweet and never-to be-forgotten memory of how she had been healed in ecstasy6 ,his design then appeared to him insane1 monstrous1 polluting4 ,and his revolt rapidly subsided1 until he only retained a feeling of infinite weariness1 a sensation of a burning1 incurable wound--the wound of his poor1 bruised1 lacerated heart4 ,then1 however1 amidst his abandonment1 the void in which he was whirling1 a supreme struggle began1 filling him again with agony4 ,what should he do8 ,his sufferings made a coward of him1 and he would have liked to flee1 so that he might never see ,marie again4 ,for he understood very well that he would now have to lie to her1 since she thought that he was saved like herself1 converted1 healed in soul1 even as she had been healed in body4 ,she had told him of her joy while dragging her car up the colossal gradient way4 ,oh6 to have had that great happiness together1 together2 to have felt their hearts melt and mingle one in the other6 ,and even then he had already lied1 as he would always be obliged to lie in order that he might not spoil her pure and blissful illusion4 ,he let the last throbbings of his veins subside1 and vowed that he would find sufficient strength for the sublime charity of feigning peacefulness of soul1 the rapture of one who is redeemed4 ,for he wished her to be wholly happy--without a regret1 without a doubt--in the full serenity of faith1 convinced that the blessed ,virgin had indeed given her consent to their purely mystical union4 ,what did his torments matter8 ,later on1 perhaps1 he might recover possession of himself4 ,amidst his desolate solitude of mind would there not always be a little joy to sustain him1 all that joy whose consoling falsity he would leave to her8 ,several minutes again elapsed1 and ,pierre1 still overwhelmed1 remained on the flagstones1 seeking to calm his fever4 ,he no longer thought1 he no longer lived2 he was a prey to that prostration of the entire being which follows upon great crises4 ,but1 all at once1 he fancied he could hear a sound of footsteps1 and thereupon he painfully rose to his feet1 and feigned to be reading the inscriptions graven in the marble votive slabs along the walls4 ,he had been mistaken--nobody was there2 nevertheless1 seeking to divert his mind1 he continued perusing the inscriptions1 at first in a mechanical kind of way1 and then1 little by little1 feeling a fresh emotion steal over him4 ,the sight was almost beyond imagination4 ,faith1 love1 and gratitude displayed themselves in a hundred1 a thousand ways on these marble slabs with gilded lettering4 ,some of the inscriptions were so artless as to provoke a smile4 ,a colonel had sent a sculptured representation of his foot with the words3 8,thou hast preserved it2 grant that it may serve ,thee40 ,farther on you read the line3 8,may ,her protection extend to the glass trade40 ,and then1 by the frankness of certain expressions of thanks1 you realised of what a strange character the appeals had been4 8,to ,mary the ,immaculate10 ran one inscription1 8from a father of a family1 in recognition of health restored1 a lawsuit won1 and advancement gained40 ,however1 the memory of these instances faded away amidst the chorus of soaring1 fervent cries4 ,there was the cry of the lovers3 8,paul and ,anna entreat ,our ,lady of ,lourdes to bless their union40 ,there was the cry of the mothers in various forms3 8,gratitude to ,mary1 who has thrice healed my child40--8,gratitude to ,mary for the birth of ,antoinette1 whom ,i dedicate1 like myself and all my kin1 to ,her40--8,p4 ,d41 three years old1 has been preserved to the love of his parents40 ,and then came the cry of the wives1 the cry1 too1 of the sick restored to health1 and of the souls restored to happiness3 8,protect my husband2 grant that my husband may enjoy good health40--8,i was crippled in both legs1 and now ,i am healed40--8,we came1 and now we hope40--8,i prayed1 ,i wept1 and ,she heard me40 ,and there were yet other cries1 cries whose veiled glow conjured up thoughts of long romances3 8,thou didst join us together2 protect us1 we pray ,thee40--8,to ,mary1 for the greatest of all blessings40 ,and the same cries1 the same words--gratitude1 thankfulness1 homage1 acknowledgment1--occurred again and again1 ever with the same passionate fervour4 ,all6 those hundreds1 those thousands of cries which were forever graven on that marble1 and from the depths of the crypt rose clamorously to the ,virgin1 proclaiming the everlasting devotion of the unhappy beings whom she had succoured4 ,pierre did not weary of reading them1 albeit his mouth was bitter and increasing desolation was filling him4 ,so it was only he who had no succour to hope for6 ,when so many sufferers were listened to1 he alone had been unable to make himself heard6 ,and he now began to think of the extraordinary number of prayers which must be said at ,lourdes from one end of the year to the other4 ,he tried to cast them up2 those said during the days spent at the ,grotto and during the nights spent at the ,rosary1 those said at the ceremonies at the ,basilica1 and those said at the sunlight and the starlight processions4 ,but this continual entreaty of every second was beyond computation4 ,it seemed as if the faithful were determined to weary the ears of the ,divinity1 determined to extort favours and forgiveness by the very multitude1 the vast multitude of their prayers4 ,the priests said that it was necessary to offer to ,god the acts of expiation which the sins of ,france required1 and that when the number of these acts of expiation should be large enough1 ,god would smite ,france no more4 ,what a harsh belief in the necessity of chastisement6 ,what a ferocious idea born of the gloomiest pessimism6 ,how evil life must be if it were indeed necessary that such imploring cries1 such cries of physical and moral wretchedness1 should ever and ever ascend to ,heaven6 ,in the midst of all his sadness1 ,pierre felt deep compassion penetrate his heart4 ,he was upset by the thought that mankind should be so wretched1 reduced to such a state of woe1 so bare1 so weak1 so utterly forsaken1 that it renounced its own reason to place the one sole possibility of happiness in the hallucinatory intoxication of dreams4 ,tears once more filled his eyes2 he wept for himself and for others1 for all the poor tortured beings who feel a need of stupefying and numbing their pains in order to escape from the realities of the world4 ,he again seemed to hear the swarming1 kneeling crowd of the ,grotto1 raising the glowing entreaty of its prayer to ,heaven1 the multitude of twenty and thirty thousand souls from whose midst ascended such a fervour of desire that you seemed to see it smoking in the sunlight like incense4 ,then another form of the exaltation of faith glowed1 beneath the crypt1 in the ,church of the ,rosary1 where nights were spent in a paradise of rapture1 amidst the silent delights of the communion1 the mute appeals in which the whole being pines1 burns1 and soars aloft4 ,and as though the cries raised before the ,grotto and the perpetual adoration of the ,rosary were not sufficient1 that clamour of ardent entreaty burst forth afresh on the walls of the crypt around him2 and here it was eternised in marble1 here it would continue shrieking the sufferings of humanity even into the far-away ages4 ,it was the marble1 it was the walls themselves praying1 seized by that shudder of universal woe which penetrated even the world's stones4 ,and1 at last1 the prayers ascended yet higher1 still higher1 soared aloft from the radiant ,basilica1 which was humming and buzzing above him1 full as it now was of a frantic multitude1 whose mighty voice1 bursting into a canticle of hope1 he fancied he could hear through the flagstones of the nave4 ,and it finally seemed to him that he was being whirled away1 transported1 as though he were indeed amidst the very vibrations of that huge wave of prayer1 which1 starting from the dust of the earth1 ascended the tier of superposed churches1 spreading from tabernacle to tabernacle1 and filling even the walls with such pity that they sobbed aloud1 and that the supreme cry of wretchedness pierced its way into heaven with the white spire1 the lofty golden cross1 above the steeple4 ,o ,almighty ,god1 ,o ,divinity1 ,helpful ,power1 whoever1 whatever ,thou mayst be1 take pity upon poor mankind and make human suffering cease6 ,all at once ,pierre was dazzled4 ,he had followed the left-hand passage1 and was coming out into broad daylight1 above the inclined ways1 and two affectionate arms at once caught hold of him and clasped him4 ,it was ,doctor ,chassaigne1 whose appointment he had forgotten1 and who had been waiting there to take him to visit ,bernadette's room and ,abb ,peyramale's church4 8,oh6 what joy must be yours1 my child60 exclaimed the good old man4 8,i have just learnt the great news1 the extraordinary favour which ,our ,lady of ,lourdes has granted to your young friend4 ,recollect what ,i told you the day before yesterday4 ,i am now at ease--you are saved60 ,a last bitterness came to the young priest who was very pale4 ,however1 he was able to smile1 and he gently answered3 8,yes1 we are saved1 we are very happy40 ,it was the lie beginning2 the divine illusion which in a spirit of charity he wished to give to others4 ,and then one more spectacle met ,pierre's eyes4 ,the principal door of the ,basilica stood wide open1 and a red sheet of light from the setting sun was enfilading the nave from one to the other end4 ,everything was flaring with the splendour of a conflagration--the gilt railings of the choir1 the votive offerings of gold and silver1 the lamps enriched with precious stones1 the banners with their bright embroideries1 and the swinging censers1 which seemed like flying jewels4 ,and yonder1 in the depths of this burning splendour1 amidst the snowy surplices and the golden chasubles1 he recognised ,marie1 with hair unbound1 hair of gold like all else1 enveloping her in a golden mantle4 ,and the organs burst into a hymn of triumph2 and the delirious people acclaimed ,god2 and ,abb ,judaine1 who had again just taken the ,blessed ,sacrament from off the altar1 raised it aloft and presented it to their gaze for the last time2 and radiantly magnificent it shone out like a glory amidst the streaming gold of the ,basilica1 whose prodigious triumph all the bells proclaimed in clanging1 flying peals4 ,v4 ,,cradle ,,and ,,grave ,,immediately afterwards1 as they descended the steps1 ,doctor ,chassaigne said to ,pierre3 8,you have just seen the triumph2 ,i will now show you two great injustices40 ,and he conducted him into the ,rue des ,petits-,fosss to visit ,bernadette's room1 that low1 dark chamber whence she set out on the day the ,blessed ,virgin appeared to her4 ,the ,rue des ,petits-,fosss starts from the former ,rue des ,bois1 now the ,rue de la ,grotte1 and crosses the ,rue du ,tribunal4 ,it is a winding lane1 slightly sloping and very gloomy4 ,the passers-by are few2 it is skirted by long walls1 wretched-looking houses1 with mournful faades in which never a window opens4 ,all its gaiety consists in an occasional tree in a courtyard4 8,here we are10 at last said the doctor4 ,at the part where he had halted1 the street contracted1 becoming very narrow1 and the house faced the high1 grey wall of a barn4 ,raising their heads1 both men looked up at the little dwelling1 which seemed quite lifeless1 with its narrow casements and its coarse1 violet pargeting1 displaying the shameful ugliness of poverty4 ,the entrance passage down below was quite black2 an old light iron gate was all that closed it2 and there was a step to mount1 which in rainy weather was immersed in the water of the gutter4 8,go in1 my friend1 go in10 said the doctor4 8,you have only to push the gate40 ,the passage was long1 and ,pierre kept on feeling the damp wall with his hand1 for fear of making a false step4 ,it seemed to him as if he were descending into a cellar1 in deep obscurity1 and he could feel a slippery soil impregnated with water beneath his feet4 ,then at the end1 in obedience to the doctor's direction1 he turned to the right4 8,stoop1 or you may hurt yourself10 said ,m4 ,chassaigne2 8the door is very low4 ,there1 here we are40 ,the door of the room1 like the gate in the street1 stood wide open1 as if the place had been carelessly abandoned2 and ,pierre1 who had stopped in the middle of the chamber1 hesitating1 his eyes still full of the bright daylight outside1 could distinguish absolutely nothing4 ,he had fallen into complete darkness1 and felt an icy chill about the shoulders similar to the sensation that might be caused by a wet towel4 ,but1 little by little1 his eyes became accustomed to the dimness4 ,two windows of unequal size opened on to a narrow1 interior courtyard1 where only a greenish light descended1 as at the bottom of a well2 and to read there1 in the middle of the day1 it would be necessary to have a candle4 ,measuring about fifteen feet by twelve1 the room was flagged with large uneven stones2 while the principal beam and the rafters of the roof1 which were visible1 had darkened with time and assumed a dirty1 sooty hue4 ,opposite the door was the chimney1 a miserable plaster chimney1 with a mantelpiece formed of a rotten old plank4 ,there was a sink between this chimney and one of the windows4 ,the walls1 with their decaying1 damp-stained plaster falling off by bits1 were full of cracks1 and turning a dirty black like the ceiling4 ,there was no longer any furniture there2 the room seemed abandoned2 you could only catch a glimpse of some confused1 strange objects1 unrecognisable in the heavy obscurity that hung about the corners4 ,after a spell of silence1 the doctor exclaimed 8,yes1 this is the room2 all came from here4 ,nothing has been changed1 with the exception that the furniture has gone4 ,i have tried to picture how it was placed3 the beds certainly stood against this wall1 opposite the windows2 there must have been three of them at least1 for the ,soubirouses were seven--the father1 mother1 two boys1 and three girls4 ,think of that6 ,three beds filling this room6 ,seven persons living in this small space6 ,all of them buried alive1 without air1 without light1 almost without bread6 ,what frightful misery6 ,what lowly1 pity-awaking poverty60 ,but he was interrupted4 ,a shadowy form1 which ,pierre at first took for an old woman1 entered4 ,it was a priest1 however1 the curate of the parish1 who now occupied the house4 ,he was acquainted with the doctor4 8,i heard your voice1 ,monsieur ,chassaigne1 and came down10 said he4 8,so there you are1 showing the room again80 8,just so1 ,monsieur l' ,abb2 ,i took the liberty4 ,it does not inconvenience you80 8,oh6 not at all1 not at all6 ,come as often as you please1 and bring other people40 ,he laughed in an engaging manner1 and bowed to ,pierre1 who1 astonished by this quiet carelessness1 observed3 8,the people who come1 however1 must sometimes plague you80 ,the curate in his turn seemed surprised4 8,indeed1 no6 ,nobody comes4 ,you see the place is scarcely known4 ,every one remains over there at the ,grotto4 ,i leave the door open so as not to be worried4 ,but days and days often pass without my hearing even the sound of a mouse40 ,pierre's eyes were becoming more and more accustomed to the obscurity2 and among the vague1 perplexing objects which filled the corners1 he ended by distinguishing some old barrels1 remnants of fowl cages1 and broken tools1 a lot of rubbish such as is swept away and thrown to the bottom of cellars4 ,hanging from the rafters1 moreover1 were some provisions1 a salad basket full of eggs1 and several bunches of big pink onions4 8,and1 from what ,i see10 resumed ,pierre1 with a slight shudder1 8you have thought that you might make use of the room80 ,the curate was beginning to feel uncomfortable4 8,of course1 that's it10 said he4 8,what can one do8 ,the house is so small1 ,i have so little space4 ,and then you can't imagine how damp it is here2 it is altogether impossible to occupy the room4 ,and so1 mon ,dieu1 little by little all this has accumulated here by itself1 contrary to one's own desire40 8,it has become a lumber-room10 concluded ,pierre4 8,oh no6 hardly that4 ,an unoccupied room1 and yet in truth1 if you insist on it1 it is a lumber-room60 ,his uneasiness was increasing1 mingled with a little shame4 ,doctor ,chassaigne remained silent and did not interfere2 but he smiled1 and was visibly delighted at his companion's revolt against human ingratitude4 ,pierre1 unable to restrain himself1 now continued3 8,you must excuse me1 ,monsieur l',abb1 if ,i insist4 ,but just reflect that you owe everything to ,bernadette2 but for her ,lourdes would still be one of the least known towns of ,france4 ,and really it seems to me that out of mere gratitude the parish ought to have transformed this wretched room into a chapel40 8,oh6 a chapel60 interrupted the curate4 8,it is only a question of a human creature3 the ,church could not make her an object of worship40 8,well1 we won't say a chapel1 then2 but at all events there ought to be some lights and flowers--bouquets of roses constantly renewed by the piety of the inhabitants and the pilgrims4 ,in a word1 ,i should like some little show of affection--a touching souvenir1 a picture of ,bernadette--something that would delicately indicate that she deserves to have a place in all hearts4 ,this forgetfulness and desertion are shocking4 ,it is monstrous that so much dirt should have been allowed to accumulate60 ,the curate1 a poor1 thoughtless1 nervous man1 at once adopted ,pierre's views3 8,in reality1 you are a thousand times right10 said he2 8but ,i myself have no power1 ,i can do nothing4 ,whenever they ask me for the room1 to set it to rights1 ,i will give it up and remove my barrels1 although ,i really don't know where else to put them4 ,only1 ,i repeat1 it does not depend on me4 ,i can do nothing1 nothing at all60 ,then1 under the pretext that he had to go out1 he hastened to take leave and run away again1 saying to ,doctor ,chassaigne3 8,remain1 remain as long as you please2 you are never in my way40 ,when the doctor once more found himself alone with ,pierre he caught hold of both his hands with effusive delight4 8,ah1 my dear child10 said he1 8how pleased you have made me6 ,how admirably you expressed to him all that has been boiling in my own heart so long6 ,like you1 ,i thought of bringing some roses here every morning4 ,i should have simply had the room cleaned1 and would have contented myself with placing two large bunches of roses on the mantelpiece2 for you know that ,i have long felt deep affection for ,bernadette1 and it seemed to me that those roses would be like the very flowering and perfume of her memory4 ,only--only--0 and so saying he made a despairing gesture1 8only courage failed me4 ,yes1 ,i say courage1 no one having yet dared to declare himself openly against the ,fathers of the ,grotto4 ,one hesitates and recoils in the fear of stirring up a religious scandal4 ,fancy what a deplorable racket all this would create4 ,and so those who are as indignant as ,i am are reduced to the necessity of holding their tongues--preferring a continuance of silence to anything else40 ,then1 by way of conclusion1 he added3 8,the ingratitude and rapacity of man1 my dear child1 are sad things to see4 ,each time ,i come into this dim wretchedness1 my heart swells and ,i cannot restrain my tears40 ,he ceased speaking1 and neither of them said another word1 both being overcome by the extreme melancholy which the surroundings fostered4 ,they were steeped in gloom4 ,the dampness made them shudder as they stood there amidst the dilapidated walls and the dust of the old rubbish piled upon either side4 ,and the idea returned to them that without ,bernadette none of the prodigies which had made ,lourdes a town unique in the world would have existed4 ,it was at her voice that the miraculous spring had gushed forth1 that the ,grotto1 bright with candles1 had opened4 ,immense works were executed1 new churches rose from the ground1 giant-like causeways led up to ,god4 ,an entire new city was built1 as if by enchantment1 with gardens1 walks1 quays1 bridges1 shops1 and hotels4 ,and people from the uttermost parts of the earth flocked thither in crowds1 and the rain of millions fell with such force and so abundantly that the young city seemed likely to increase indefinitely--to fill the whole valley1 from one to the other end of the mountains4 ,if ,bernadette had been suppressed none of those things would have existed1 the extraordinary story would have relapsed into nothingness1 old unknown ,lourdes would still have been plunged in the sleep of ages at the foot of its castle4 ,bernadette was the sole labourer and creatress2 and yet this room1 whence she had set out on the day she beheld the ,virgin1 this cradle1 indeed1 of the miracle and of all the marvellous fortune of the town1 was disdained1 left a prey to vermin1 good only for a lumber-room1 where onions and empty barrels were put away4 ,then the other side of the question vividly appeared in ,pierre's mind1 and he again seemed to see the triumph which he had just witnessed1 the exaltation of the ,grotto and ,basilica1 while ,marie1 dragging her little car1 ascended behind the ,blessed ,sacrament1 amidst the clamour of the multitude4 ,but the ,grotto especially shone out before him4 ,it was no longer the wild1 rocky cavity before which the child had formerly knelt on the deserted bank of the torrent2 it was a chapel1 transformed and enriched1 a chapel illumined by a vast number of candles1 where nations marched past in procession4 ,all the noise1 all the brightness1 all the adoration1 all the money1 burst forth there in a splendour of constant victory4 ,here1 at the cradle1 in this dark1 icy hole1 there was not a soul1 not a taper1 not a hymn1 not a flower4 ,of the infrequent visitors who came thither1 none knelt or prayed4 ,all that a few tender-hearted pilgrims had done in their desire to carry away a souvenir had been to reduce to dust1 between their fingers1 the half-rotten plank serving as a mantelshelf4 ,the clergy ignored the existence of this spot of misery1 which the processions ought to have visited as they might visit a station of glory4 ,it was there that the poor child had begun her dream1 one cold night1 lying in bed between her two sisters1 and seized with a fit of her ailment while the whole family was fast asleep4 ,it was thence1 too1 that she had set out1 unconsciously carrying along with her that dream1 which was again to be born within her in the broad daylight and to flower so prettily in a vision such as those of the legends4 ,and no one now followed in her footsteps4 ,the manger was forgotten1 and left in darkness--that manger where had germed the little humble seed which over yonder was now yielding such prodigious harvests1 reaped by the workmen of the last hour amidst the sovereign pomp of ceremonies4 ,pierre1 whom the great human emotion of the story moved to tears1 at last summed up his thoughts in three words1 saying in a low voice1 8,it is ,bethlehem40 8,yes10 remarked ,doctor ,chassaigne1 in his turn1 8it is the wretched lodging1 the chance refuge1 where new religions are born of suffering and pity4 ,and at times ,i ask myself if all is not better thus3 if it is not better that this room should remain in its actual state of wretchedness and abandonment4 ,it seems to me that ,bernadette has nothing to lose by it1 for ,i love her all the more when ,i come to spend an hour here40 ,he again became silent1 and then made a gesture of revolt3 8,but no1 no6 ,i cannot forgive it--this ingratitude sets me beside myself4 ,i told you ,i was convinced that ,bernadette had freely gone to cloister herself at ,nevers4 ,but although no one smuggled her away1 what a relief it was for those whom she had begun to inconvenience here6 ,and they are the same men1 so anxious to be the absolute masters1 who at the present time endeavour by all possible means to wrap her memory in silence4 ,ah6 my dear child1 if ,i were to tell you all60 ,little by little he spoke out and relieved himself4 ,those ,fathers of the ,grotto1 who showed such greed in trading on the work of ,bernadette1 dreaded her still more now that she was dead than they had done whilst she was alive4 ,so long as she had lived1 their great terror had assuredly been that she might return to ,lourdes to claim a portion of the spoil2 and her humility alone reassured them1 for she was in nowise of a domineering disposition1 and had herself chosen the dim abode of renunciation where she was destined to pass away4 ,but at present their fears had increased at the idea that a will other than theirs might bring the relics of the visionary back to ,lourdes2 that1 thought had1 indeed1 occurred to the municipal council immediately after her death2 the town had wished to raise a tomb1 and there had been talk of opening a subscription4 ,the ,sisters of ,nevers1 however1 formally refused to give up the body1 which they said belonged to them4 ,everyone felt that the ,sisters were acting under the influence of the ,fathers1 who were very uneasy1 and energetically bestirred themselves to prevent by all means in their power the return of those venerated ashes1 in whose presence at ,lourdes they foresaw a possible competition with the ,grotto itself4 ,could they have imagined some such threatening occurrence as this--a monumental tomb in the cemetery1 pilgrims proceeding thither in procession1 the sick feverishly kissing the marble1 and miracles being worked there amidst a holy fervour8 ,this would have been disastrous rivalry1 a certain displacement of all the present devotion and prodigies4 ,and the great1 the sole fear1 still and ever returned to them1 that of having to divide the spoils1 of seeing the money go elsewhere should the town1 now taught by experience1 know how to turn the tomb to account4 ,the ,fathers were even credited with a scheme of profound craftiness4 ,they were supposed to have the secret idea of reserving ,bernadette's remains for themselves2 the ,sisters of ,nevers having simply undertaken to keep it for them within the peaceful precincts of their chapel4 ,only1 they were waiting1 and would not bring it back until the affluence of the pilgrims should decrease4 ,what was the use of a solemn return at present1 when crowds flocked to the place without interruption and in increasing numbers8 ,whereas1 when the extraordinary success of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes should decline1 like everything else in this world1 one could imagine what a reawakening of faith would attend the solemn1 resounding ceremony at which ,christendom would behold the relics of the chosen one take possession of the soil whence she had made so many marvels spring4 ,and the miracles would then begin again on the marble of her tomb before the ,grotto or in the choir of the ,basilica4 8,you may search10 continued ,doctor ,chassaigne1 8but you won't find a single official picture of ,bernadette at ,lourdes4 ,her portrait is sold1 but it is hung no where1 in no sanctuary4 ,it is systematic forgetfulness1 the same sentiment of covert uneasiness as that which has wrought silence and abandonment in this sad chamber where we are4 ,in the same way as they are afraid of worship at her tomb1 so are they afraid of crowds coming and kneeling here1 should two candles burn or a couple of bouquets of roses bloom upon this chimney4 ,and if a paralytic woman were to rise shouting that she was cured1 what a scandal would arise1 how disturbed would be those good traders of the ,grotto on seeing their monopoly seriously threatened6 ,they are the masters1 and the masters they intend to remain2 they will not part with any portion of the magnificent farm that they have acquired and are working4 ,nevertheless they tremble--yes1 they tremble at the memory of the workers of the first hour1 of that little girl who is still so great in death1 and for whose huge inheritance they burn with such greed that after having sent her to live at ,nevers1 they dare not even bring back her corpse1 but leave it imprisoned beneath the flagstones of a convent60 ,ah6 how wretched was the fate of that poor creature1 who had been cut off from among the living1 and whose corpse in its turn was condemned to exile6 ,and how ,pierre pitied her1 that daughter of misery1 who seemed to have been chosen only that she might suffer in her life and in her death6 ,even admitting that an unique1 persistent will had not compelled her to disappear1 still guarding her even in her tomb1 what a strange succession of circumstances there had been--how it seemed as if someone1 uneasy at the idea of the immense power she might grasp1 had jealously sought to keep her out of the way6 ,in ,pierre's eyes she remained the chosen one1 the martyr2 and if he could no longer believe1 if the history of this unfortunate girl sufficed to complete within him the ruin of his faith1 it none the less upset him in all his brotherly love for mankind by revealing a new religion to him1 the only one which might still fill his heart1 the religion of life1 of human sorrow4 ,just then1 before leaving the room1 ,doctor ,chassaigne exclaimed3 8,and it's here that one must believe1 my dear child4 ,do you see this obscure hole1 do you think of the resplendent ,grotto1 of the triumphant ,basilica1 of the town built1 of the world created1 the crowds that flock to ,lourdes6 ,and if ,bernadette was only hallucinated1 only an idiot1 would not the outcome be more astonishing1 more inexplicable still8 ,what6 ,an idiot's dream would have sufficed to stir up nations like this6 ,no6 no6 ,the ,divine breath which alone can explain prodigies passed here40 ,pierre was on the point of hastily replying 8,yes60 ,it was true1 a breath had passed there1 the sob of sorrow1 the inextinguishable yearning towards the ,infinite of hope4 ,if the dream of a suffering child had sufficed to attract multitudes1 to bring about a rain of millions and raise a new city from the soil1 was it not because this dream in a measure appeased the hunger of poor mankind1 its insatiable need of being deceived and consoled8 ,she had once more opened the ,unknown1 doubtless at a favourable moment both socially and historically2 and the crowds had rushed towards it4 ,oh6 to take refuge in mystery1 when reality is so hard1 to abandon oneself to the miraculous1 since cruel nature seems merely one long injustice6 ,but although you may organise the ,unknown1 reduce it to dogmas1 make revealed religions of it1 there is never anything at the bottom of it beyond the appeal of suffering1 the cry of life1 demanding health1 joy1 and fraternal happiness1 and ready to accept them in another world if they cannot be obtained on earth4 ,what use is it to believe in dogmas8 ,does it not suffice to weep and love8 ,pierre1 however1 did not discuss the question4 ,he withheld the answer that was on his lips1 convinced1 moreover1 that the eternal need of the supernatural would cause eternal faith to abide among sorrowing mankind4 ,the miraculous1 which could not be verified1 must be a food necessary to human despair4 ,besides1 had he not vowed in all charity that he would not wound anyone with his doubts8 8,what a prodigy1 isn't it80 repeated the doctor4 8,certainly10 ,pierre ended by answering4 8,the whole human drama has been played1 all the unknown forces have acted in this poor room1 so damp and dark40 ,they remained there a few minutes more in silence2 they walked round the walls1 raised their eyes toward the smoky ceiling1 and cast a final glance at the narrow1 greenish yard4 ,truly it was a heart-rending sight1 this poverty of the cobweb level1 with its dirty old barrels1 its worn-out tools1 its refuse of all kinds rotting in the corners in heaps4 ,and without adding a word they at last slowly retired1 feeling extremely sad4 ,it was only in the street that ,doctor ,chassaigne seemed to awaken4 ,he gave a slight shudder and hastened his steps1 saying3 8,it is not finished1 my dear child2 follow me4 ,we are now going to look at the other great iniquity40 ,he referred to ,abb ,peyramale and his church4 ,they crossed the ,place du ,porche and turned into the ,rue ,saint ,pierre2 a few minutes would suffice them4 ,but their conversation had again fallen on the ,fathers of the ,grotto1 on the terrible1 merciless war waged by ,father ,semp against the former ,cur of ,lourdes4 ,the latter had been vanquished1 and had died in consequence1 overcome by feelings of frightful bitterness2 and1 after thus killing him by grief1 they had completed the destruction of his church1 which he had left unfinished1 without a roof1 open to the wind and to the rain4 ,with what a glorious dream had that monumental edifice filled the last year of the ,cur's life6 ,since he had been dispossessed of the ,grotto1 driven from the work of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 of which he1 with ,bernadette1 had been the first artisan1 his church had become his revenge1 his protestation1 his own share of the glory1 the ,house of the ,lord where he would triumph in his sacred vestments1 and whence he would conduct endless processions in compliance with the formal desire of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,man of authority and domination as he was at bottom1 a pastor of the multitude1 a builder of temples1 he experienced a restless delight in hurrying on the work1 with the lack of foresight of an eager man who did not allow indebtedness to trouble him1 but was perfectly contented so long as he always had a swarm of workmen busy on the scaffoldings4 ,and thus he saw his church rise up1 and pictured it finished1 one bright summer morning1 all new in the rising sun4 ,ah6 that vision constantly evoked gave him courage for the struggle1 amidst the underhand1 murderous designs by which he felt himself to be enveloped4 ,his church1 towering above the vast square1 at last rose in all its colossal majesty4 ,he had decided that it should be in the ,romanesque style1 very large1 very simple1 its nave nearly three hundred feet long1 its steeple four hundred and sixty feet high4 ,it shone out resplendently in the clear sunlight1 freed on the previous day of the last scaffolding1 and looking quite smart in its newness1 with its broad courses of stone disposed with perfect regularity4 ,and1 in thought1 he sauntered around it1 charmed with its nudity1 its stupendous candour1 its chasteness recalling that of a virgin child1 for there was not a piece of sculpture1 not an ornament that would have uselessly loaded it4 ,the roofs of the nave1 transept1 and apse were of equal height above the entablature1 which was decorated with simple mouldings4 ,in the same way the apertures in the aisles and nave had no other adornments than archivaults with mouldings1 rising above the piers4 ,he stopped in thought before the great coloured glass windows of the transept1 whose roses were sparkling2 and passing round the building he skirted the semicircular apse against which stood the vestry building with its two rows of little windows2 and then he returned1 never tiring of his contemplation of that regal ordonnance1 those great lines standing out against the blue sky1 those superposed roofs1 that enormous mass of stone1 whose solidity promised to defy centuries4 ,but1 when he closed his eyes he1 above all else1 conjured up1 with rapturous pride1 a vision of the faade and steeple2 down below1 the three portals1 the roofs of the two lateral ones forming terraces1 while from the central one1 in the very middle of the faade1 the steeple boldly sprang4 ,here again columns resting on piers supported archivaults with simple mouldings4 ,against the gable1 at a point where there was a pinnacle1 and between the two lofty windows lighting the nave1 was a statue of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes under a canopy4 ,up above1 were other bays with freshly painted luffer-boards4 ,buttresses started from the ground at the four corners of the steeple-base1 becoming less and less massive from storey to storey1 till they reached the spire1 a bold1 tapering spire in stone1 flanked by four turrets and adorned with pinnacles1 and soaring upward till it vanished in the sky4 ,and to the parish priest of ,lourdes it seemed as if it were his own fervent soul which had grown and flown aloft with this spire1 to testify to his faith throughout the ages1 there on high1 quite close to ,god4 ,at other times another vision delighted him still more4 ,he thought he could see the inside of his church on the day of the first solemn mass he would perform there4 ,the coloured windows threw flashes of fire brilliant like precious stones2 the twelve chapels1 the aisles1 were beaming with lighted candles4 ,and he was at the high altar of marble and gold2 and the fourteen columns of the nave in single blocks of ,pyrenean marble1 magnificent marble purchased with money that had come from the four corners of ,christendom1 rose up supporting the vaulted roof1 while the sonorous voices of the organs filled the whole building with a hymn of joy4 ,a multitude of the faithful was gathered there1 kneeling on the flags in front of the choir1 which was screened by ironwork as delicate as lace1 and covered with admirably carved wood4 ,the pulpit1 the regal present of a great lady1 was a marvel of art cut in massive oak4 ,the baptismal fonts had been hewn out of hard stone by an artist of great talent4 ,pictures by masters ornamented the walls4 ,crosses1 pyxes1 precious monstrances1 sacred vestments1 similar to suns1 were piled up in the vestry cupboards4 ,and what a dream it was to be the pontiff of such a temple1 to reign there after having erected it with passion1 to bless the crowds who hastened to it from the entire earth1 while the flying peals from the steeple told the ,grotto and ,basilica that they had over there1 in old ,lourdes1 a rival1 a victorious sister1 in whose great nave ,god triumphed also6 ,after following the ,rue ,saint ,pierre for a moment1 ,doctor ,chassaigne and his companion turned into the little ,rue de ,langelle4 8,we are coming to it10 said the doctor4 ,but though ,pierre looked around him he could see no church4 ,there were merely some wretched hovels1 a whole district of poverty1 littered with foul buildings4 ,at length1 however1 at the bottom of a blind alley1 he perceived a remnant of the half-rotten palings which still surrounded the vast square site bordered by the ,rue ,saint ,pierre1 the ,rue de ,bagnres1 the ,rue de ,langelle1 and the ,rue des ,jardins4 8,we must turn to the left10 continued the doctor1 who had entered a narrow passage among the rubbish4 8,here we are60 ,and the ruin suddenly appeared amidst the ugliness and wretchedness that masked it4 ,the whole great carcase of the nave and the aisles1 the transept and the apse was standing4 ,the walls rose on all sides to the point where the vaulting would have begun4 ,you entered as into a real church1 you could walk about at ease1 identifying all the usual parts of an edifice of this description4 ,only when you raised your eyes you saw the sky2 the roofs were wanting1 the rain could fall and the wind blow there freely4 ,some fifteen years previously the works had been abandoned1 and things had remained in the same state as the last workman had left them4 ,what struck you first of all were the ten pillars of the nave and the four pillars of the choir1 those magnificent columns of ,pyrenean marble1 each of a single block1 which had been covered with a casing of planks in order to protect them from damage4 ,the bases and capitals were still in the rough1 awaiting the sculptors4 ,and these isolated columns1 thus cased in wood1 had a mournful aspect indeed4 ,moreover1 a dismal sensation filled you at sight of the whole gaping enclosure1 where grass had sprung up all over the ravaged1 bumpy soil of the aisles and the nave1 a thick cemetery grass1 through which the women of the neighbourhood had ended by making paths4 ,they came in to spread out their washing there4 ,and even now a collection of poor people's washing--thick sheets1 shirts in shreds1 and babies' swaddling clothes--was fast drying in the last rays of the sun1 which glided in through the broad1 empty bays4 ,slowly1 without speaking1 ,pierre and ,doctor ,chassaigne walked round the inside of the church4 ,the ten chapels of the aisles formed a species of compartments full of rubbish and remnants4 ,the ground of the choir had been cemented1 doubtless to protect the crypt below against infiltrations2 but unfortunately the vaults must be sinking2 there was a hollow there which the storm of the previous night had transformed into a little lake4 ,however1 it was these portions of the transept and the apse which had the least suffered4 ,not a stone had moved2 the great central rose windows above the triforium seemed to be awaiting their coloured glass1 while some thick planks1 forgotten atop of the walls of the apse1 might have made anyone think that the workmen would begin covering it the next day4 ,but1 when ,pierre and the doctor had retraced their steps1 and went out to look at the faade1 the lamentable woefulness of the young ruin was displayed to their gaze4 ,on this side1 indeed1 the works had not been carried forward to anything like the same extent3 the porch with its three portals alone was built1 and fifteen years of abandonment had sufficed for the winter weather to eat into the sculptures1 the small columns and the archivaults1 with a really singular destructive effect1 as though the stones1 deeply penetrated1 destroyed1 had melted away beneath tears4 ,the heart grieved at the sight of the decay which had attacked the work before it was even finished4 ,not yet to be1 and nevertheless to crumble away in this fashion under the sky6 ,to be arrested in one's colossal growth1 and simply strew the weeds with ruins6 ,they returned to the nave1 and were overcome by the frightful sadness which this assassination of a monument provoked4 ,the spacious plot of waste ground inside was littered with the remains of scaffoldings1 which had been pulled down when half rotten1 in fear lest their fall might crush people2 and everywhere amidst the tall grass were boards1 put-logs1 moulds for arches1 mingled with bundles of old cord eaten away by damp4 ,there was also the long narrow carcase of a crane rising up like a gibbet4 ,spade-handles1 pieces of broken wheelbarrows1 and heaps of greenish bricks1 speckled with moss and wild convolvuli in bloom1 were still lying among the forgotten materials4 ,in the beds of nettles you here and there distinguished the rails of a little railway laid down for the trucks1 one of which was lying overturned in a corner4 ,but the saddest sight in all this death of things was certainly the portable engine which had remained in the shed that sheltered it4 ,for fifteen years it had been standing there cold and lifeless4 ,a part of the roof of the shed had ended by falling in upon it1 and now the rain drenched it at every shower4 ,a bit of the leather harness by which the crane was worked hung down1 and seemed to bind the engine like a thread of some gigantic spider's web4 ,and its metal-work1 its steel and copper1 was also decaying1 as if rusted by lichens1 covered with the vegetation of old age1 whose yellowish patches made it look like a very ancient1 grass-grown machine which the winters had preyed upon4 ,this lifeless engine1 this cold engine with its empty firebox and its silent boiler1 was like the very soul of the departed labour vainly awaiting the advent of some great charitable heart1 whose coming through the eglantine and the brambles would awaken this sleeping church in the wood from its heavy slumber of ruin4 ,at last ,doctor ,chassaigne spoke3 8,ah60 he said1 8when one thinks that fifty thousand francs would have sufficed to prevent such a disaster6 ,with fifty thousand francs the roof could have been put on1 the heavy work would have been saved1 and one could have waited patiently4 ,but they wanted to kill the work just as they had killed the man40 ,with a gesture he designated the ,fathers of the ,grotto1 whom he avoided naming4 8,and to think10 he continued1 8that their annual receipts are eight hundred thousand francs4 ,however1 they prefer to send presents to ,rome to propitiate powerful friends there40 ,in spite of himself1 he was again opening hostilities against the adversaries of ,cur ,peyramale4 ,the whole story caused a holy anger of justice to haunt him4 ,face to face with those lamentable ruins1 he returned to the facts--the enthusiastic ,cur starting on the building of his beloved church1 and getting deeper and deeper into debt1 whilst ,father ,semp1 ever on the lookout1 took advantage of each of his mistakes1 discrediting him with the ,bishop1 arresting the flow of offerings1 and finally stopping the works4 ,then1 after the conquered man was dead1 had come interminable lawsuits1 lawsuits lasting fifteen years1 which gave the winters time to devour the building4 ,and now it was in such a woeful state1 and the debt had risen to such an enormous figure1 that all seemed over4 ,the slow death1 the death of the stones1 was becoming irrevocable4 ,the portable engine beneath its tumbling shed would fall to pieces1 pounded by the rain and eaten away by the moss4 8,i know very well that they chant victory10 resumed the doctor2 8that they alone remain4 ,it is just what they wanted--to be the absolute masters1 to have all the power1 all the money for themselves alone4 ,i may tell you that their terror of competition has even made them intrigue against the religious ,orders that have attempted to come to ,lourdes4 ,jesuits1 ,dominicans1 ,benedictines1 ,capuchins1 and ,carmelites have made applications at various times1 and the ,fathers of the ,grotto have always succeeded in keeping them away4 ,they only tolerate the female ,orders1 and will only have one flock4 ,and the town belongs to them2 they have opened shop there1 and sell ,god there wholesale and retail60 ,walking slowly1 he had while speaking returned to the middle of the nave1 amidst the ruins1 and with a sweeping wave of the arm he pointed to all the devastation surrounding him4 8,look at this sadness1 this frightful wretchedness6 ,over yonder the ,rosary and ,basilica cost them three millions of francs4099 99 ,about #ehj1jjj dollars4 ,then1 as in ,bernadette's cold1 dark room1 ,pierre saw the ,basilica rise before him1 radiant in its triumph4 ,it was not here that you found the realisation of the dream of ,cur ,peyramale1 officiating and blessing kneeling multitudes while the organs resounded joyfully4 ,the ,basilica1 over yonder1 appeared1 vibrating with the pealing of its bells1 clamorous with the superhuman joy of an accomplished miracle1 all sparkling with its countless lights1 its banners1 its lamps1 its hearts of silver and gold1 its clergy attired in gold1 and its monstrance akin to a golden star4 ,it flamed in the setting sun1 it touched the heavens with its spire1 amidst the soaring of the milliards of prayers which caused its walls to quiver4 ,here1 however1 was the church that had died before being born1 the church placed under interdict by a mandamus of the ,bishop1 the church falling into dust1 and open to the four winds of heaven4 ,each storm carried away a little more of the stones1 big flies buzzed all alone among the nettles which had invaded the nave2 and there were no other devotees than the poor women of the neighbourhood1 who came thither to turn their sorry linen1 spread upon the grass4 ,it seemed amidst the mournful silence as though a low voice were sobbing1 perhaps the voice of the marble columns weeping over their useless beauty under their wooden shirts4 ,at times birds would fly across the deserted apse uttering a shrill cry4 ,bands of enormous rats which had taken refuge under bits of the lowered scaffoldings would fight1 and bite1 and bound out of their holes in a gallop of terror4 ,and nothing could have been more heart-rending than the sight of this pre-determined ruin1 face to face with its triumphant rival1 the ,basilica1 which beamed with gold4 ,again ,doctor ,chassaigne curtly said1 8,come40 ,they left the church1 and following the left aisle1 reached a door1 roughly fashioned out of a few planks nailed together2 and1 when they had passed down a half-demolished wooden staircase1 the steps of which shook beneath their feet1 they found themselves in the crypt4 ,it was a low vault1 with squat arches1 on exactly the same plan as the choir4 ,the thick1 stunted columns1 left in the rough1 also awaited their sculptors4 ,materials were lying about1 pieces of wood were rotting on the beaten ground1 the whole vast hall was white with plaster in the abandonment in which unfinished buildings are left4 ,at the far end1 three bays1 formerly glazed1 but in which not a pane of glass remained1 threw a clear1 cold light upon the desolate bareness of the walls4 ,and there1 in the middle1 lay ,cur ,peyramale's corpse4 ,some pious friends had conceived the touching idea of thus burying him in the crypt of his unfinished church4 ,the tomb stood on a broad step and was all marble4 ,the inscriptions1 in letters of gold1 expressed the feelings of the subscribers1 the cry of truth and reparation that came from the monument itself4 ,you read on the face3 8,this tomb has been erected by the aid of pious offerings from the entire universe to the blessed memory of the great servant of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes40 ,on the right side were these words from a ,brief of ,pope ,pius ,,ix43 8,you have entirely devoted yourself to erecting a temple to the ,mother of ,god40 ,and on the left were these words from the ,new ,testament3 8,happy are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake40 ,did not these inscriptions embody the true plaint1 the legitimate hope of the vanquished man who had fought so long in the sole desire of strictly executing the commands of the ,virgin as transmitted to him by ,bernadette8 ,she1 ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 was there personified by a slender statuette1 standing above the commemorative inscription1 against the naked wall whose only decorations were a few bead wreaths hanging from nails4 ,and before the tomb1 as before the ,grotto1 were five or six benches in rows1 for the faithful who desired to sit down4 ,but with another gesture of sorrowful compassion1 ,doctor ,chassaigne had silently pointed out to ,pierre a huge damp spot which was turning the wall at the far end quite green4 ,pierre remembered the little lake which he had noticed up above on the cracked cement flooring of the choir--quite a quantity of water left by the storm of the previous night4 ,infiltration had evidently commenced1 a perfect stream ran down1 invading the crypt1 whenever there was heavy rain4 ,and they both felt a pang at their hearts when they perceived that the water was trickling along the vaulted roof in narrow threads1 and thence falling in large1 regular rhythmical drops upon the tomb4 ,the doctor could not restrain a groan4 8,now it rains10 he said2 8it rains on him60 ,pierre remained motionless1 in a kind of awe4 ,in the presence of that falling water1 at the thought of the blasts which must rush at winter time through the glassless windows1 that corpse appeared to him both woeful and tragic4 ,it acquired a fierce grandeur1 lying there alone in its splendid marble tomb1 amidst all the rubbish1 at the bottom of the crumbling ruins of its own church4 ,it was the solitary guardian1 the dead sleeper and dreamer watching over the empty spaces1 open to all the birds of night4 ,it was the mute1 obstinate1 eternal protest1 and it was expectation also4 ,cur ,peyramale1 stretched in his coffin1 having all eternity before him to acquire patience1 there1 without weariness1 awaited the workmen who would perhaps return thither some fine ,april morning4 ,if they should take ten years to do so1 he would be there1 and if it should take them a century1 he would be there still4 ,he was waiting for the rotten scaffoldings up above1 among the grass of the nave1 to be resuscitated like the dead1 and by the force of some miracle to stand upright once more1 along the walls4 ,he was waiting1 too1 for the moss-covered engine to become all at once burning hot1 recover its breath1 and raise the timbers for the roof4 ,his beloved enterprise1 his gigantic building1 was crumbling about his head1 and yet with joined hands and closed eyes he was watching over its ruins1 watching and waiting too4 ,in a low voice1 the doctor finished the cruel story1 telling how1 after persecuting ,cur ,peyramale and his work1 they persecuted his tomb4 ,there had formerly been a bust of the ,cur there1 and pious hands had kept a little lamp burning before it4 ,but a woman had one day fallen with her face to the earth1 saying that she had perceived the soul of the deceased1 and thereupon the ,fathers of the ,grotto were in a flutter4 ,were miracles about to take place there8 ,the sick already passed entire days there1 seated on the benches before the tomb4 ,others knelt down1 kissed the marble1 and prayed to be cured4 ,and at this a feeling of terror arose3 supposing they should be cured1 supposing the ,grotto should find a competitor in this martyr1 lying all alone1 amidst the old tools left there by the masons6 ,the ,bishop of ,tarbes1 informed and influenced1 thereupon published the mandamus which placed the church under interdict1 forbidding all worship there and all pilgrimages and processions to the tomb of the former priest of ,lourdes4 ,as in the case of ,bernadette1 his memory was proscribed1 his portrait could be found1 officially1 nowhere4 ,in the same manner as they had shown themselves merciless against the living man1 so did the ,fathers prove merciless to his memory4 ,they pursued him even in his tomb4 ,they alone1 again nowadays1 prevented the works of the church from being proceeded with1 by raising continual obstacles1 and absolutely refusing to share their rich harvest of alms4 ,and they seemed to be waiting for the winter rains to fall and complete the work of destruction1 for the vaulted roof of the crypt1 the walls1 the whole gigantic pile to crumble down upon the tomb of the martyr1 upon the body of the defeated man1 so that he might be buried beneath them and at last pounded to dust6 8,ah60 murmured the doctor1 8,i1 who knew him so valiant1 so enthusiastic in all noble labour6 ,now1 you see it1 it rains1 it rains on him60 ,painfully1 he set himself on his knees and found relief in a long prayer4 ,pierre1 who could not pray1 remained standing4 ,compassionate sorrow was overflowing from his heart4 ,he listened to the heavy drops from the roof as one by one they broke on the tomb with a slow rhythmical pit-a-pat1 which seemed to be numbering the seconds of eternity1 amidst the profound silence4 ,and he reflected on the eternal misery of this world1 on the choice which suffering makes in always falling on the best4 ,the two great makers of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 ,bernadette and ,cur ,peyramale1 rose up in the flesh again before him1 like woeful victims1 tortured during their lives and exiled after their deaths4 ,that alone1 indeed1 would have completed within him the destruction of his faith2 for the ,bernadette1 whom he had just found at the end of his researches1 was but a human sister1 loaded with every dolour4 ,but none the less he preserved a tender brotherly veneration for her1 and two tears slowly trickled down his cheeks4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,day ,i4 ,,egotism ,,and ,,love ,,again that night ,pierre1 at the ,hotel of the ,apparitions1 was unable to obtain a wink of sleep4 ,after calling at the hospital to inquire after ,marie1 who1 since her return from the procession1 had been soundly enjoying the delicious1 restoring sleep of a child1 he had gone to bed himself feeling anxious at the prolonged absence of ,m4 de ,guersaint4 ,he had expected him at latest at dinner-time1 but probably some mischance had detained him at ,gavarnie2 and he thought how disappointed ,marie would be if her father were not there to embrace her the first thing in the morning4 ,with a man like ,m4 de ,guersaint1 so pleasantly heedless and so hare-brained1 everything was possible1 every fear might be realised4 ,perhaps this anxiety had at first sufficed to keep ,pierre awake in spite of his great fatigue2 but afterwards the nocturnal noises of the hotel had really assumed unbearable proportions4 ,the morrow1 ,tuesday1 was the day of departure1 the last day which the national pilgrimage would spend at ,lourdes1 and the pilgrims no doubt were making the most of their time1 coming from the ,grotto and returning thither in the middle of the night1 endeavouring as it were to force the grace of ,heaven by their commotion1 and apparently never feeling the slightest need of repose4 ,the doors slammed1 the floors shook1 the entire building vibrated beneath the disorderly gallop of a crowd4 ,never before had the walls reverberated with such obstinate coughs1 such thick1 husky voices4 ,thus ,pierre1 a prey to insomnia1 tossed about on his bed and continually rose up1 beset with the idea that the noise he heard must have been made by ,m4 de ,guersaint who had returned4 ,for some minutes he would listen feverishly2 but he could only hear the extraordinary sounds of the passage1 amid which he could distinguish nothing precisely4 ,was it the priest1 the mother and her three daughters1 or the old married couple on his left1 who were fighting with the furniture8 or was it rather the larger family1 or the single gentleman1 or the young single woman on his right1 whom some incomprehensible occurrences were leading into adventures8 ,at one moment he jumped from his bed1 wishing to explore his absent friend's empty room1 as he felt certain that some deeds of violence were taking place in it4 ,but although he listened very attentively when he got there1 the only sound he could distinguish was the tender caressing murmur of two voices4 ,then a sudden recollection of ,madame ,volmar came to him1 and he returned shuddering to bed4 ,at length1 when it was broad daylight and ,pierre had just fallen asleep1 a loud knocking at his door awoke him with a start4 ,this time there could be no mistake1 a loud voice broken by sobs was calling 8,monsieur l',abb6 ,monsieur l',abb6 for ,heaven's sake wake up60 ,surely it must be ,m4 de ,guersaint who had been brought back dead1 at least4 ,quite scared1 ,pierre ran and opened the door1 in his night-shirt1 and found himself in the presence of his neighbour1 ,m4 ,vigneron4 8,oh6 for ,heaven's sake1 ,monsieur l',abb1 dress yourself at once60 exclaimed the assistant head-clerk4 8,your holy ministry is required40 ,and he began to relate that he had just got up to see the time by his watch on the mantelpiece1 when he had heard some most frightful sighs issuing from the adjoining room1 where ,madame ,chaise slept4 ,she had left the communicating door open in order to be more with them1 as she pleasantly expressed it4 ,accordingly he had hastened in1 and flung the shutters open so as to admit both light and air4 8,and what a sight1 ,monsieur l',abb60 he continued4 8,our poor aunt lying on her bed1 nearly purple in the face already1 her mouth wide open in a vain effort to breathe1 and her hands fumbling with the sheet4 ,it's her heart complaint1 you know4 ,come1 come at once1 ,monsieur l',abb1 and help her1 ,i implore you60 ,pierre1 utterly bewildered1 could find neither his breeches nor his cassock4 8,of course1 of course ,i'll come with you10 said he4 8,but ,i have not what is necessary for administering the last sacraments40 ,m4 ,vigneron had assisted him to dress1 and was now stooping down looking for his slippers4 8,never mind10 he said1 8the mere sight of you will assist her in her last moments1 if ,heaven has this affliction in store for us4 ,here6 put these on your feet1 and follow me at once--oh6 at once60 ,he went off like a gust of wind and plunged into the adjoining room4 ,all the doors remained wide open4 ,the young priest1 who followed him1 noticed nothing in the first room1 which was in an incredible state of disorder1 beyond the half-naked figure of little ,gustave1 who sat on the sofa serving him as a bed1 motionless1 very pale1 forgotten1 and shivering amid this drama of inexorable death4 ,open bags littered the floor1 the greasy remains of supper soiled the table1 the parents' bed seemed devastated by the catastrophe1 its coverlets torn off and lying on the floor4 ,and almost immediately afterwards he caught sight of the mother1 who had hastily enveloped herself in an old yellow dressing-gown1 standing with a terrified look in the inner room4 8,well1 my love1 well1 my love80 repeated ,m4 ,vigneron1 in stammering accents4 ,with a wave of her hand and without uttering a word ,madame ,vigneron drew their attention to ,madame ,chaise1 who lay motionless1 with her head sunk in the pillow and her hands stiffened and twisted4 ,she was blue in the face1 and her mouth gaped1 as though with the last great gasp that had come from her4 ,pierre bent over her4 ,then in a low voice he said3 8,she is dead60 ,dead6 ,the word rang through the room where a heavy silence reigned1 and the husband and wife looked at each other in amazement1 bewilderment4 ,so it was over8 ,the aunt had died before ,gustave1 and the youngster inherited her five hundred thousand francs4 ,how many times had they dwelt on that dream2 whose sudden realisation dumfounded them8 ,how many times had despair overcome them when they feared that the poor child might depart before her8 ,dead6 ,good heavens6 was it their fault8 ,had they really prayed to the ,blessed ,virgin for this8 ,she had shown herself so good to them that they trembled at the thought that they had not been able to express a wish without its being granted4 ,in the death of the chief clerk1 so suddenly carried off so that they might have his place1 they had already recognised the powerful hand of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,had she again loaded them with favours1 listening even to the unconscious dreams of their desire8 ,yet they had never desired anyone's death2 they were worthy people incapable of any bad action1 loving their relations1 fulfilling their religious duties1 going to confession1 partaking of the communion like other people without any ostentation4 ,whenever they thought of those five hundred thousand francs1 of their son who might be the first to go1 and of the annoyance it would be to them to see another and far less worthy nephew inherit that fortune1 it was merely in the innermost recesses of their hearts1 in short1 quite innocently and naturally4 ,certainly they had thought of it when they were at the ,grotto1 but was not the ,blessed ,virgin wisdom itself8 ,did she not know far better than ourselves what she ought to do for the happiness of both the living and the dead8 ,then ,madame ,vigneron in all sincerity burst into tears and wept for the sister whom she loved so much4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb10 she said1 8,i saw her expire2 she passed away before my eyes4 ,what a misfortune that you were not here sooner to receive her soul6 ,she died without a priest2 your presence would have consoled her so much40 ,a prey also to emotion1 his eyes full of tears1 ,vigneron sought to console his wife4 8,your sister was a saint10 said he2 8she communicated again yesterday morning1 and you need have no anxiety concerning her2 her soul has gone straight to heaven4 ,no doubt1 if ,monsieur l',abb had been here in time she would have been glad to see him4 ,but what would you8 ,death was quicker4 ,i went at once1 and really there is nothing for us to reproach ourselves with40 ,then1 turning towards the priest1 he added 8,monsieur l',abb1 it was her excessive piety which certainly hastened her end4 ,yesterday1 at the ,grotto1 she had a bad attack1 which was a warning4 ,and in spite of her fatigue she obstinately followed the procession afterwards4 ,i thought then that she could not last long4 ,yet1 out of delicacy1 one did not like to say anything to her1 for fear of frightening her40 ,pierre gently knelt down and said the customary prayers1 with that human emotion which was his nearest approach to faith in the presence of eternal life and eternal death1 both so pitiful4 ,then1 as he remained kneeling a little longer1 he overheard snatches of the conversation around him4 ,little ,gustave1 forgotten on his couch amid the disorder of the other room1 must have lost patience1 for he had begun to cry and call out1 8,mamma6 mamma6 mamma60 ,at length ,madame ,vigneron went to quiet him1 and it occurred to her to carry him in her arms to kiss his poor aunt for the last time4 ,but at first he struggled and refused1 crying so much that ,m4 ,vigneron was obliged to interfere and try to make him ashamed of himself4 ,what6 he who was never frightened of anything6 who bore suffering with the courage of a grown-up man6 ,and to think it was a question of kissing his poor aunt1 who had always been so kind1 whose last thought must most certainly have been for him6 8,give him to me10 said he to his wife2 8he's going to be good40 ,gustave ended by clinging to his father's neck4 ,he came shivering in his night-shirt1 displaying his wretched little body devoured by scrofula4 ,it seemed indeed as though the miraculous water of the piscinas1 far from curing him1 had freshened the sore on his back2 whilst his scraggy leg hung down inertly like a dry stick4 8,kiss her10 resumed ,m4 ,vigneron4 ,the child leant forward and kissed his aunt on the forehead4 ,it was not death which upset him and caused him to struggle4 ,since he had been in the room he had been looking at the dead woman with an air of quiet curiosity4 ,he did not love her1 he had suffered on her account so long4 ,he had the ideas and feelings of a man1 and the weight of them was stifling him as1 like his complaint1 they developed and became more acute4 ,he felt full well that he was too little1 that children ought not to understand what only concerns their elders4 ,however1 his father1 seating himself out of the way1 kept him on his knee1 whilst his mother closed the window and lit the two candles on the mantelpiece4 8,ah6 my poor dear10 murmured ,m4 ,vigneron1 feeling that he must say something1 8it's a cruel loss for all of us4 ,our trip is now completely spoilt2 this is our last day1 for we start this afternoon4 ,and the ,blessed ,virgin1 too1 was showing herself so kind to us40 ,however1 seeing his son's surprised look1 a look of infinite sadness and reproach1 he hastened to add3 8,yes1 of course1 ,i know that she hasn't yet quite cured you4 ,but we must not despair of her kindness4 ,she loves us so well1 she shows us so many favours that she will certainly end by curing you1 since that is now the only favour that remains for her to grant us40 ,madame ,vigneron1 who was listening1 drew near and said3 8,how happy we should have been to have returned to ,paris all three hale and hearty6 ,nothing is ever perfect60 8,i say60 suddenly observed ,monsieur ,vigneron1 8,i sha'n't be able to leave with you this afternoon1 on account of the formalities which have to be gone through4 ,i hope that my return ticket will still be available to-morrow60 ,they were both getting over the frightful shock1 feeling a sense of relief in spite of their affection for ,madame ,chaise2 and1 in fact1 they were already forgetting her1 anxious above all things to leave ,lourdes as soon as possible1 as though the principal object of their journey had been attained4 ,a decorous1 unavowed delight was slowly penetrating them4 8,when ,i get back to ,paris there will be so much for me to do10 continued ,m4 ,vigneron4 8,i1 who now only long for repose6 ,all the same ,i shall remain my three years at the ,ministry1 until ,i can retire1 especially now that ,i am certain of the retiring pension of chief clerk4 ,but afterwards--oh6 afterwards ,i certainly hope to enjoy life a bit4 ,since this money has come to us ,i shall purchase the estate of ,les ,billottes1 that superb property down at my native place which ,i have always been dreaming of4 ,and ,i promise you that ,i sha'n't find time hanging heavy on my hands in the midst of my horses1 my dogs1 and my flowers60 ,little ,gustave was still on his father's knee1 his night-shirt tucked up1 his whole wretched misshapen body shivering1 and displaying the scragginess of a slowly dying child4 ,when he perceived that his father1 now full of his dream of an opulent life1 no longer seemed to notice that he was there1 he gave one of his enigmatical smiles1 in which melancholy was tinged with malice4 8,but what about me1 father80 he asked4 ,m4 ,vigneron started1 like one aroused from sleep1 and did not at first seem to understand4 8,you1 little one8 ,you'll be with us1 of course60 ,but ,gustave gave him a long1 straight look1 without ceasing to smile with his artful1 though woeful lips4 8,oh6 do you think so80 he asked4 8,of course ,i think so6 ,you'll be with us1 and it will be very nice to be with us40 ,uneasy1 stammering1 unable to find the proper words1 ,m4 ,vigneron felt a chill come over him when his son shrugged his skinny shoulders with an air of philosophical disdain and answered3 8,oh1 no6 ,i shall be dead40 ,and then the terrified father was suddenly able to detect in the child's deep glance the glance of a man who was very aged1 very knowing in all things1 acquainted with all the abominations of life through having gone through them4 ,what especially alarmed him was the abrupt conviction that this child had always seen into the innermost recesses of his heart1 even farther than the things he dared to acknowledge to himself4 ,he could recall that when the little sufferer had been but a baby in his cradle his eyes would frequently be fixed upon his own--and even then those eyes had been rendered so sharp by suffering1 endowed1 too1 with such an extraordinary power of divination1 that they had seemed able to dive into the unconscious thoughts buried in the depths of his brain4 ,and by a singular counter-effect all the things that he had never owned to himself he now found in his child's eyes--he beheld them1 read them there1 against his will4 ,the story of his cupidity lay unfolded before him1 his anger at having such a sorry son1 his anguish at the idea that ,madame ,chaise's fortune depended upon such a fragile existence1 his eager desire that she might make haste and die whilst the youngster was still there1 in order that he might finger the legacy4 ,it was simply a question of days1 this duel as to which should go off first4 ,and then1 at the end1 it still meant death--the youngster must in his turn disappear1 whilst he1 the father1 alone pocketed the cash1 and lived joyfully to a good old age4 ,and these frightful things shone forth so clearly from the keen1 melancholy1 smiling eyes of the poor condemned child1 passed from son to father with such evident distinctness1 that for a moment it seemed to them that they were shouting them aloud4 ,however1 ,m4 ,vigneron struggled against it all1 and1 averting his head1 began energetically protesting3 8,how6 ,you'll be dead8 ,what an idea6 ,it's absurd to have such ideas as that60 ,meantime1 ,madame ,vigneron was sobbing4 8,you wicked child10 she gasped2 8how can you make us so unhappy1 when we already have such a cruel loss to deplore80 ,gustave had to kiss them1 and to promise them that he would live for their sakes4 ,yet he did not cease smiling1 conscious as he was that a lie is necessary when one does not wish to be too miserable1 and quite prepared1 moreover1 to leave his parents happy behind him1 since even the ,blessed ,virgin herself was powerless to grant him in this world the little happy lot to which each creature should be born4 ,his mother took him back to bed1 and ,pierre at length rose up1 just as ,m4 ,vigneron had finished arranging the chamber of death in a suitable manner4 8,you'll excuse me1 won't you1 ,monsieur l',abb80 said he1 accompanying the young priest to the door4 8,i'm not quite myself4 ,well1 it's an unpleasant time to go through4 ,i must get over it somehow1 however40 ,when ,pierre got into the passage he stopped for a moment1 listening to a sound of voices which was ascending the stairs4 ,he had just been thinking of ,m4 de ,guersaint again1 and imagined that he could recognise his voice4 ,however1 whilst he stood there waiting1 an incident occurred which caused him intense discomfort4 ,the door of the room next to ,m4 de ,guersaint's softly opened and a woman1 clad in black1 slipped into the passage4 ,as she turned1 she found herself face to face with ,pierre1 in such a fashion that it was impossible for them to pretend not to recognise each other4 ,the woman was ,madame ,volmar4 ,six o'clock had not yet struck1 and she was going off1 hoping that nobody would notice her1 with the intention of showing herself at the hospital1 and there spending this last morning1 in order1 in some measure1 to justify her journey to ,lourdes4 ,when she perceived ,pierre1 she began to tremble1 and1 at first1 could only stammer3 8,oh1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,monsieur l',abb60 ,then1 noticing that the priest had left his door wide open1 she seemed to give way to the fever consuming her1 to a need of speaking out1 explaining things and justifying herself4 ,with her face suffused by a rush of blood she entered the young man's room1 whither he had to follow her1 greatly disturbed by this strange adventure4 ,and1 as he still left the door open1 it was she who1 in her desire to confide her sorrow and her sin to him1 begged that he would close it4 8,oh6 ,i pray you1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8do not judge me too harshly40 ,he made a gesture as though to reply that he did not allow himself the right to pass judgment upon her4 8,but yes1 but yes10 she responded2 8,i know very well that you are acquainted with my misfortune4 ,you saw me once in ,paris behind the church of ,la ,trinit1 and the other day you recognised me on the balcony here6 ,you were aware that ,i was there--in that room4 ,but if you only knew--ah1 if you only knew60 ,her lips were quivering1 and tears were welling into her eyes4 ,as he looked at her he was surprised by the extraordinary beauty transfiguring her face4 ,this woman1 invariably clad in black1 extremely simple1 with never a jewel1 now appeared to him in all the brilliancy of her passion2 no longer drawing back into the gloom1 no longer seeking to bedim the lustre of her eyes1 as was her wont4 ,she1 who at first sight did not seem pretty1 but too dark and slender1 with drawn features1 a large mouth and long nose1 assumed1 as he now examined her1 a troubling charm1 a powerful1 irresistible beauty4 ,her eyes especially--her large1 magnificent eyes1 whose brasiers she usually sought to cover with a veil of indifference--were flaring like torches2 and he understood that she should be loved1 adored1 to madness4 8,if you only knew1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she continued4 8,if ,i were only to tell you all that ,i have suffered4 ,doubtless you have suspected something of it1 since you are acquainted with my mother-in-law and my husband4 ,on the few occasions when you have called on us you cannot but have understood some of the abominable things which go on in my home1 though ,i have always striven to appear happy in my silent little corner4 ,but to live like that for ten years1 to have no existence--never to love1 never to be loved--no1 no1 it was beyond my power60 ,and then she related the whole painful story3 her marriage with the diamond merchant1 a disastrous1 though it seemed an advantageous one2 her mother-in-law1 with the stern soul of a jailer or an executioner1 and her husband1 a monster of physical ugliness and mental villainy4 ,they imprisoned her1 they did not even allow her to look out of a window4 ,they had beaten her1 they had pitilessly assailed her in her tastes1 her inclinations1 in all her feminine weaknesses4 ,she knew that her husband wandered in his affections1 and yet if she smiled to a relative1 if she had a flower in her corsage on some rare day of gaiety1 he would tear it from her1 enter into the most jealous rage1 and seize and bruise her wrists whilst shouting the most fearful threats4 ,for years and years she had lived in that hell1 hoping1 hoping still1 having within her such a power of life1 such an ardent need of affection1 that she continued waiting for happiness1 ever thinking1 at the faintest breath1 that it was about to enter4 8,i swear to you1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8that ,i could not do otherwise than ,i have done4 ,i was too unhappy3 my whole being longed for someone who would care for me4 ,and when my friend the first time told me that he loved me it was all over--,i was his forever4 ,ah6 to be loved1 to be spoken to gently1 to have someone near you who is always solicitous and amiable2 to know that in absence he thinks of you1 that there is a heart somewhere in which you live444 ,ah6 if it be a crime1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i cannot1 cannot feel remorse for it4 ,i will not even say that ,i was urged to it2 ,i simply say that it came to me as naturally as my breath1 because it was as necessary to my life60 ,she had carried her hand to her lips as though to throw a kiss to the world1 and ,pierre felt deeply disturbed in presence of this lovely woman1 who personified all the ardour of human passion1 and at the same time a feeling of deep pity began to arise within him4 8,poor woman60 he murmured4 8,it is not to the priest that ,i am confessing10 she resumed2 8it is to the man that ,i am speaking1 to a man by whom ,i should greatly like to be understood4 ,no1 ,i am not a believer3 religion has not sufficed me4 ,it is said that some women find contentment in it1 a firm protection even against all transgressions4 ,but ,i have ever felt cold in church1 weary unto death4 ,oh6 ,i know very well that it is wrong to feign piety1 to mingle religion with my heart affairs4 ,but what would you8 ,i am forced to it4 ,if you saw me in ,paris behind ,la ,trinit it was because that church is the only place to which ,i am allowed to go alone2 and if you find me here at ,lourdes it is because1 in the whole long year1 ,i have but these three days of happiness and freedom40 ,again she began to tremble4 ,hot tears were coursing down her cheeks4 ,a vision of it all arose in ,pierre's mind1 and1 distracted by the thought of the ardent earthly love which possessed this unhappy creature1 he again murmured3 8,poor woman60 8,and1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she continued1 8think of the hell to which ,i am about to return6 ,for weeks and months ,i live my life of martyrdom without complaint4 ,another year1 another year must go by without a day1 an hour of happiness6 ,ah6 ,i am indeed very unhappy1 ,monsieur l',abb1 yet do you not think all the same that ,i am a good woman80 ,he had been deeply moved by her sincere display of mingled grief and passion4 ,he felt in her the breath of universal desire--a sovereign flame4 ,and his compassion overflowed from his heart1 and his words were words of pardon4 8,madame10 he said1 8,i pity you and respect you infinitely40 ,then she spoke no further1 but looked at him with her large tear-blurred eyes4 ,and suddenly catching hold of both his hands1 she grasped them tightly with her burning fingers4 ,and then she went off1 vanishing down the passage as light1 as ethereal1 as a shadow4 ,however1 ,pierre suffered from her presence in that room even more acutely after she had departed4 ,he opened the window wide that the fresh air might carry off the breath of passion which she had left there4 ,already on the ,sunday when he had seen her on the balcony he had been seized with terror at the thought that she personified the revenge of the world and the flesh amidst all the mystical exaltation of immaculate ,lourdes4 ,and now his terror was returning to him4 ,love seemed stronger than faith1 and perhaps it was only love that was divine4 ,to love1 to belong to one another1 to create and continue life--was not that the one sole object of nature outside of all social and religious policies8 ,for a moment he was conscious of the abyss before him3 his chastity was his last prop1 the very dignity of his spoilt life2 and he realised that1 if after yielding to his reason he also yielded to his flesh1 he would be utterly lost4 ,all his pride of purity1 all his strength which he had placed in professional rectitude1 thereupon returned to him1 and he again vowed that he would never be a man1 since he had voluntarily cut himself off from among men4 ,seven o'clock was striking1 and ,pierre did not go back to bed1 but began to wash himself1 thoroughly enjoying the cool water1 which ended by calming his fever4 ,as he finished dressing1 the anxious thought of ,m4 de ,guersaint recurred to him on hearing a sound of footsteps in the passage4 ,these steps stopped outside his room and someone knocked4 ,with a feeling of relief he went to open the door1 but on doing so exclaimed in great surprise 8,what1 it's you6 ,how is it that you're already up1 running about to see people80 ,marie stood on the threshold smiling1 whilst behind her was ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had come with her1 and who also was smiling1 with her lovely1 candid eyes4 8,ah6 my friend10 said the girl1 8,i could not remain in bed4 ,i sprang out directly ,i saw the sunshine4 ,i had such a longing to walk1 to run and jump about like a child1 and ,i begged and implored so much that ,sister was good enough to come with me4 ,i think ,i should have got out through the window if the door had been closed against me40 ,pierre ushered them in1 and an indescribable emotion oppressed him as he heard her jest so gaily and saw her move about so freely with such grace and liveliness4 ,she1 good heavens6 she whom he had seen for years with lifeless legs and colourless face6 ,since he had left her the day before at the ,basilica she had blossomed into full youth and beauty4 ,one night had sufficed for him to find again1 developed it is true1 the sweet creature whom he had loved so tenderly1 the superb1 radiant child whom he had embraced so wildly in the by-gone days behind the flowering hedge1 beneath the sun-flecked trees4 8,how tall and lovely you are1 ,marie60 said he1 in spite of himself4 ,then ,sister ,hyacinthe interposed3 8,hasn't the ,blessed ,virgin done things well1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,when she takes us in hand1 you see1 she turns us out as fresh as roses and smelling quite as sweet40 8,ah60 resumed ,marie1 8,i'm so happy2 ,i feel quite strong and well and spotless1 as though ,i had just been born60 ,all this was very delicious to ,pierre4 ,it seemed to him that the atmosphere was now truly purified of ,madame ,volmar's presence4 ,marie filled the room with her candour1 with the perfume and brightness of her innocent youth4 ,and yet the joy he felt at the sight of pure beauty and life reflowering was not exempt from sadness4 ,for1 after all1 the revolt which he had felt in the crypt1 the wound of his wrecked life1 must forever leave him a bleeding heart4 ,as he gazed upon all that resuscitated grace1 as the woman he loved thus reappeared before him in the flower of her youth1 he could not but remember that she would never be his1 that he belonged no longer to the world1 but to the grave4 ,however1 he no longer lamented2 he experienced a boundless melancholy--a sensation of utter nothingness as he told himself that he was dead1 that this dawn of beauty was rising on the tomb in which his manhood slept4 ,it was renunciation1 accepted1 resolved upon amidst all the desolate grandeur attaching to those lives which are led contrary to nature's law4 ,then1 like the other woman1 the impassioned one1 ,marie took hold of ,pierre's hands4 ,but hers were so soft1 so fresh1 so soothing6 ,she looked at him with so little confusion and a great longing which she dared not express4 ,after a while1 however1 she summoned up her courage and said3 8,will you kiss me1 ,pierre8 ,it would please me so much40 ,he shuddered1 his heart crushed by this last torture4 ,ah6 the kisses of other days--those kisses which had ever lingered on his lips6 ,never since had he kissed her1 and to-day she was like a sister flinging her arms around his neck4 ,she kissed him with a loud smack on both his cheeks1 and offering her own1 insisted on his doing likewise to her4 ,so twice1 in his turn1 he embraced her4 8,i1 too1 ,marie10 said he1 8am pleased1 very pleased1 ,i assure you40 ,and then1 overcome by emotion1 his courage exhausted1 whilst at the same time filled with delight and bitterness1 he burst into sobs1 weeping with his face buried in his hands1 like a child seeking to hide its tears4 8,come1 come1 we must not give way10 said ,sister ,hyacinthe1 gaily4 8,monsieur l',abb would feel too proud if he fancied that we had merely come on his account4 ,m4 de ,guersaint is about1 isn't he80 ,marie raised a cry of deep affection4 8,ah6 my dear father6 ,after all1 it's he who'll be most pleased60 ,thereupon ,pierre had to relate that ,m4 de ,guersaint had not returned from his excursion to ,gavarnie4 ,his increasing anxiety showed itself while he spoke1 although he sought to explain his friend's absence1 surmising all sorts of obstacles and unforeseen complications4 ,marie1 however1 did not seem afraid1 but again laughed1 saying that her father never could be punctual4 ,still she was extremely eager for him to see her walking1 to find her on her legs again1 resuscitated1 in the fresh blossoming of her youth4 ,all at once ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who had gone to lean over the balcony1 returned to the room1 saying 8,here he comes6 ,he's down below1 just alighting from his carriage40 8,ah60 cried ,marie1 with the eager playfulness of a school-girl1 8let's give him a surprise4 ,yes1 we must hide1 and when he's here we'll show ourselves all of a sudden40 ,with these words1 she hastily dragged ,sister ,hyacinthe into the adjoining room4 ,almost immediately afterwards1 ,m4 de ,guersaint entered like a whirlwind from the passage1 the door communicating with which had been quickly opened by ,pierre1 and1 shaking the young priest's hand1 the belated excursionist exclaimed3 8,here ,i am at last6 ,ah6 my friend1 you can't have known what to think since four o'clock yesterday1 when you expected me back1 eh8 ,but you have no idea of the adventures we have had4 ,to begin with1 one of the wheels of our landau came off just as we reached ,gavarnie2 then1 yesterday evening--though we managed to start off again--a frightful storm detained us all night long at ,saint-,sauveur4 ,i wasn't able to sleep a wink40 ,then1 breaking off1 he inquired1 8,and you1 are you all right80 8,i wasn't able to sleep either10 said the priest2 8they made such a noise in the hotel40 ,but ,m4 de ,guersaint had already started off again3 8,all the same1 it was delightful4 ,i must tell you2 you can't imagine it4 ,i was with three delightful churchmen4 ,abb des ,hermoises is certainly the most charming man ,i know4 ,oh6 we did laugh--we did laugh60 ,then he again stopped1 to inquire1 8,and how's my daughter80 ,thereupon a clear laugh behind him caused him to turn round1 and he remained with his mouth wide open4 ,marie was there1 and was walking1 with a look of rapturous delight upon her face1 which was beaming with health4 ,he had never for a moment doubted the miracle1 and was not in the least surprised that it had taken place1 for he had returned with the conviction that everything would end well1 and that he would surely find her cured4 ,but what so utterly astounded him was the prodigious spectacle which he had not foreseen3 his daughter1 looking so beautiful1 so divine1 in her little black gown6--his daughter1 who had not even brought a hat with her1 and merely had a piece of lace tied over her lovely fair hair6--his daughter1 full of life1 blooming1 triumphant1 similar to all the daughters of all the fathers whom he had envied for so many years6 8,o my child6 ,o my child60 he exclaimed4 ,and1 as she had flown into his arms1 he pressed her to his heart1 and then they fell upon their knees together4 ,everything disappeared from before them in a radiant effusion of faith and love4 ,this heedless1 hare-brained man1 who fell asleep instead of accompanying his daughter to the ,grotto1 who went off to ,gavarnie on the day the ,blessed ,virgin was to cure her1 overflowed with such paternal affection1 with such ,christian faith so exalted by thankfulness1 that for a moment he appeared sublime4 8,o ,jesus6 ,o ,mary6 let me thank you for having restored my child to me6 ,o my child1 we shall never have breath enough1 soul enough1 to render thanks to ,mary and ,jesus for the great happiness they have vouchsafed us6 ,o my child1 whom they have resuscitated1 ,o my child1 whom they have made so beautiful again1 take my heart to offer it to them with your own6 ,i am yours1 ,i am theirs eternally1 ,o my beloved child1 my adored child60 ,kneeling before the open window they both1 with uplifted eyes1 gazed ardently on heaven4 ,the daughter had rested her head on her father's shoulder2 whilst he had passed an arm round her waist4 ,they had become one4 ,tears slowly trickled down their enraptured faces1 which were smiling with superhuman felicity1 whilst they stammered together disconnected expressions of gratitude4 8,o ,jesus1 we give ,thee thanks6 ,o ,holy ,mother of ,jesus1 we give thee thanks6 ,we love you1 we adore you both4 ,you have rejuvenated the best blood in our veins2 it is yours1 it circulates only for you4 ,o ,all-powerful ,mother1 ,o ,divine and ,well-beloved ,son1 behold a daughter and a father who bless you1 who prostrate themselves with joy at your feet40 ,so affecting was this mingling of two beings1 happy at last after so many dark days1 this happiness1 which could but stammer as though still tinged with suffering1 that ,pierre was again moved to tears4 ,but this time they were soothing tears which relieved his heart4 ,ah6 poor pitiable humanity6 how pleasant it was to see it somewhat consoled and enraptured6 and what did it matter1 after all1 if its great joys of a few seconds' duration sprang from the eternal illusion6 ,was not the whole of humanity1 pitiable humanity1 saved by love1 personified by that poor childish man who suddenly became sublime because he found his daughter resuscitated8 ,standing a little aside1 ,sister ,hyacinthe was also weeping1 her heart very full1 full of human emotion which she had never before experienced1 she who had known no other parents than the ,almighty and the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,silence had now fallen in this room full of so much tearful fraternity4 ,and it was she who spoke the first1 when the father and the daughter1 overcome with emotion1 at length rose up4 8,now1 mademoiselle10 she said1 8we must be quick and get back to the hospital40 ,but they all protested4 ,m4 de ,guersaint wished to keep his daughter with him1 and ,marie's eyes expressed an eager desire1 a longing to enjoy life1 to walk and ramble through the whole vast world4 8,oh6 no1 no60 said the father1 8,i won't give her back to you4 ,we'll each have a cup of milk1 for ,i'm dying of thirst2 then we'll go out and walk about4 ,yes1 yes1 both of us6 ,she shall take my arm1 like a little woman60 ,sister ,hyacinthe laughed again4 8,very well60 said she1 8,i'll leave her with you1 and tell the ladies that you've stolen her from me4 ,but for my own part ,i must be off4 ,you've no idea what an amount of work we have to get through at the hospital if we are to be ready in time to leave3 there are all the patients and things to be seen to2 and all is in the greatest confusion60 8,so to-day's really ,tuesday1 and we leave this afternoon80 asked ,monsieur de ,guersaint1 already absent-minded again4 8,of course we do1 and don't forget6 ,the white train starts at #c4dj4 ,and if you're sensible you'll bring your daughter back early so that she may have a little rest40 ,marie walked with the ,sister to the door1 saying 8,be easy1 ,i will be very good4 ,besides1 ,i want to go back to the ,grotto1 to thank the ,blessed ,virgin once more40 ,when they found themselves all three alone in the little room full of sunshine1 it was delicious4 ,pierre called the servant and told her to bring them some milk1 some chocolate1 and cakes1 in fact the nicest things he could think of4 ,and although ,marie had already broken her fast1 she ate again1 so great an appetite had come upon her since the night before4 ,they drew the table to the window and made quite a feast amidst the keen air from the mountains1 whilst the hundred bells of ,lourdes1 proclaimed with flying peals the glory of that radiant day4 ,they chattered and laughed1 and the young woman told her father the story of the miracle1 with all the oft-repeated details4 ,she related1 too1 how she had left her box at the ,basilica1 and how she had slept twelve hours without stirring4 ,then ,m4 de ,guersaint on his side wished to relate his excursion1 but got mixed and kept coming back to the miracle4 ,finally1 it appeared that the ,cirque de ,gavarnie was something colossal4 ,only1 when you looked at it from a distance it seemed small1 for you lost all sense of proportion4 ,the gigantic snow-covered tiers of cliffs1 the topmost ridge standing out against the sky with the outlines of some cyclopean fortress with razed keep and jagged ramparts1 the great cascade1 whose ceaseless jet seemed so slow when in reality it must have rushed down with a noise like thunder1 the whole immensity1 the forests on right and left1 the torrents and the landslips1 looked as though they might have been held in the palm of one's hand1 when one gazed upon them from the village market-place4 ,and what had impressed him most1 what he repeatedly alluded to1 were the strange figures described by the snow1 which had remained up there amongst the rocks4 ,amongst others was a huge crucifix1 a white cross1 several thousand yards in length1 which you might have thought had been thrown across the amphitheatre from one end to the other4 ,however1 all at once ,m4 de ,guersaint broke off to inquire3 8,by the way1 what's happening at our neighbour's8 ,as ,i came up-stairs a little while ago ,i met ,monsieur ,vigneron running about like a madman2 and1 through the open doorway of their room1 ,i fancied ,i saw ,madame ,vigneron looking very red4 ,has their son ,gustave had another attack80 ,pierre had quite forgotten ,madame ,chaise lying dead on the other side of the partition4 ,he seemed to feel a cold breath pass over him4 8,no1 no10 he answered1 8the child is all right40 ,and he said no more1 preferring to remain silent4 ,why spoil this happy hour of new life and reconquered youth by mingling with it the image of death8 ,however1 from that moment he himself could not cease thinking of the proximity of nothingness4 ,and he thought1 too1 of that other room where ,madame ,volmar's friend was now alone1 stifling his sobs with his lips pressed upon a pair of gloves which he had stolen from her4 ,all the sounds of the hotel were now becoming audible again--the coughs1 the sighs1 the indistinct voices1 the continual slamming of doors1 the creaking of the floors beneath the great accumulation of travellers1 and all the stir in the passages1 along which flying skirts were sweeping1 and families galloping distractedly amidst the hurry-scurry of departure4 8,on my word6 you'll do yourself an injury10 all at once cried ,monsieur de ,guersaint1 on seeing his daughter take up another cake4 ,marie was quite merry too4 ,but at a sudden thought tears came into her eyes1 and she exclaimed3 8,ah6 how glad ,i am6 but also how sorry when ,i think that everybody is not as pleased as myself40 ,,ii4 ,,pleasant ,,hours ,,it was eight o'clock1 and ,marie was so impatient that she could not keep still1 but continued going to the window1 as if she wished to inhale all the air of the vast1 expanse and the immense sky4 ,ah6 what a pleasure to be able to run about the streets1 across the squares1 to go everywhere as far as she might wish4 ,and to show how strong she was1 to have the pride of walking leagues in the presence of everyone1 now that the ,blessed ,virgin had cured her6 ,it was an irresistible impulsion1 a flight of her entire being1 her blood1 and her heart4 ,however1 just as she was setting out she made up her mind that her first visit with her father ought to be to the ,grotto1 where both of them had to thank ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,then they would be free2 they would have two long hours before them1 and might walk wherever they chose1 before she returned to lunch and pack up her few things at the hospital4 8,well1 is everyone ready80 repeated ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,shall we make a move80 ,pierre took his hat1 and all three went down-stairs1 talking very loud and laughing on the staircase1 like boisterous school-boys going for their holidays4 ,they had almost reached the street1 when at the doorway ,madame ,majest rushed forward4 ,she had evidently been waiting for them to go out4 8,ah6 mademoiselle2 ah6 gentlemen1 allow me to congratulate you10 she said4 8,we have heard of the extraordinary favour that has been granted you2 we are so happy1 so much flattered1 when the ,blessed ,virgin is pleased to select one of our customers60 ,her dry1 harsh face was melting with amiability1 and she observed the miraculously healed girl with the fondest of eyes4 ,then she impulsively called her husband1 who was passing3 8,look1 my dear6 ,it's mademoiselle2 it's mademoiselle40 ,majest's clean-shaven face1 puffed out with yellow fat1 assumed a happy and grateful expression4 8,really1 mademoiselle1 ,i cannot tell you how honoured we feel10 said he4 8,we shall never forget that your papa put up at our place4 ,it has already excited the envy of many people40 ,while he spoke ,madame ,majest stopped the other travellers who were going out1 and with a sign summoned the families already seated in the dining-room2 indeed1 she would have called in the whole street if they had given her time1 to show that she had in her house the miracle at which all ,lourdes had been marvelling since the previous day4 ,people ended by collecting there1 a crowd gathered little by little1 while she whispered in the ear of each 8,look6 that's she2 the young party1 you know1 the young party who--0 ,but all at once she exclaimed3 8,i'll go and fetch ,apolline from the shop2 ,i must show mademoiselle to ,apolline40 ,thereupon1 however1 ,majest1 in a very dignified way1 restrained her4 8,no10 he said1 8leave ,apolline2 she has three ladies to serve already4 ,mademoiselle and these gentlemen will certainly not leave ,lourdes without making a few purchases4 ,the little souvenirs that one carries away with one are so pleasant to look at later on6 ,and our customers make a point of never buying elsewhere than here1 in the shop which we have annexed to the hotel40 8,i have already offered my services10 added ,madame ,majest1 8and ,i renew them4 ,apolline will be so happy to show mademoiselle all our prettiest articles1 at prices1 too1 which are incredibly low6 ,oh6 there are some delightful things1 delightful60 ,marie was becoming impatient at being detained in this manner1 and ,pierre was suffering from the increasing curiosity which they were arousing4 ,as for ,m4 de ,guersaint1 he enjoyed this popularity and triumph of his daughter immensely1 and promised to return4 8,certainly10 said he1 8we will purchase a few little knick-knacks4 ,some souvenirs for ourselves1 and some presents that we shall have to make1 but later on1 when we come back40 ,at last they escaped and descended the ,avenue de la ,grotte4 ,the weather was again superb after the storms of the two preceding nights4 ,cooled by the rain1 the morning air was delicious amidst the gaiety which the bright sun shed around4 ,a busy crowd1 well pleased with life1 was already hurrying along the pavements4 ,and what pleasure it all was for ,marie1 to whom everything seemed new1 charming1 inappreciable6 ,in the morning she had had to allow ,raymonde to lend her a pair of boots1 for she had taken good care not to put any in her portmanteau1 superstitiously fearing that they might bring her bad luck4 ,however1 ,raymonde's boots fitted her admirably1 and she listened with childish delight to the little heels tapping merrily on the flagstones4 ,and she did not remember having ever seen houses so white1 trees so green1 and passers-by so happy4 ,all her senses seemed holiday-making1 endowed with a marvellously delicate sensibility2 she heard music1 smelt distant perfumes1 savoured the air greedily1 as though it were some delicious fruit4 ,but what she considered1 above all1 so nice1 so charming1 was to walk along in this wise on her father's arm4 ,she had never done so before1 although she had felt the desire for years1 as for one of those impossible pleasures with which people occupy their minds when invalided4 ,and now her dream was realised and her heart beat with joy4 ,she pressed against her father1 and strove to walk very upright and look very handsome1 so as to do him honour4 ,and he was quite proud1 as happy as she was1 showing1 exhibiting her1 overcome with joy at the thought that she belonged to him1 that she was his blood1 his flesh1 his daughter1 henceforth beaming with youth and health4 ,as they were all three crossing the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 already obstructed by a band of candle and bouquet sellers running after the pilgrims1 ,m4 de ,guersaint exclaimed1 8,we are surely not going to the ,grotto empty-handed60 ,pierre1 who was walking on the other side of ,marie1 himself brightened by her merry humour1 thereupon stopped1 and they were at once surrounded by a crowd of female hawkers1 who with eager fingers thrust their goods into their faces4 8,my beautiful young lady6 ,my good gentleman6 ,buy of me1 of me1 of me60 ,such was the onslaught that it became necessary to struggle in order to extricate oneself4 ,m4 de ,guersaint ended by purchasing the largest nosegay he could see--a bouquet of white marguerites1 as round and hard as a cabbage--from a handsome1 fair-haired1 well developed girl of twenty1 who was extremely bold both in look and manner4 ,it only cost twenty sous1 and he insisted on paying for it out of his own little purse1 somewhat abashed meantime by the girl's unblushing effrontery4 ,then ,pierre in his turn settled for the three candles which ,marie had taken from an old woman1 candles at two francs each1 a very reasonable price1 as she repeatedly said4 ,and on being paid1 the old creature1 who had an angular face1 covetous eyes1 and a nose like the beak of a bird of prey1 returned profuse and mellifluous thanks3 8,may ,our ,lady of ,lourdes bless you1 my beautiful young lady6 ,may she cure you of your complaints1 you and yours60 ,this enlivened them again1 and they set out once more1 all three laughing1 amused like children at the idea that the good woman's wish had already been accomplished4 ,at the ,grotto ,marie wished to file off at once1 in order to offer the bouquet and candles herself before even kneeling down4 ,there were not many people there as yet1 and having gone to the end of the line their turn came after waiting some three or four minutes4 ,and with what enraptured glances did she then examine everything--the altar of engraved silver1 the harmonium-organ1 the votive offerings1 the candle-holders1 streaming with wax blazing in broad daylight4 ,she was now inside that ,grotto which she had hitherto only seen from her box of misery2 she breathed there as in ,paradise itself1 steeped rapturously in a pleasant warmth and odour1 which slightly oppressed her4 ,when she had placed the tapers at the bottom of the large basket1 and had raised herself on tiptoe to fix the bouquet on one of the spears of the iron railing1 she imprinted a long kiss upon the rock1 below the statue of the ,blessed ,virgin1 at the very spot1 indeed1 which millions of lips had already polished4 ,and the stone received a kiss of love in which she put forth all the strength of her gratitude1 a kiss with which her heart melted4 ,when she was once more outside1 ,marie prostrated and humbled herself in an almost endless act of thanksgiving4 ,her father also had knelt down near her1 and mingled the fervour of his gratitude with hers4 ,but he could not remain doing the same thing for long4 ,little by little he became uneasy1 and ended by bending down to his daughter's ear to tell her that he had a call to make which he had previously forgotten4 ,assuredly the best course would be for her to remain where she was1 praying1 and waiting for him4 ,while she completed her devotions he would hurry along and get his troublesome errand over2 and then they might walk about at ease wheresoever they liked4 ,she did not understand him1 did not even hear him1 but simply nodded her head1 promising that she would not move1 and then such tender faith again took possession of her that her eyes1 fixed on the white statue of the ,virgin1 filled with tears4 ,when ,m4 de ,guersaint had joined ,pierre1 who had remained a short distance off1 he gave him the following explanation4 8,my dear fellow10 he said1 8it's a matter of conscience2 ,i formally promised the coachman who drove us to ,gavarnie that ,i would see his master and tell him the real cause of our delay4 ,you know whom ,i mean--the hairdresser on the ,place du ,marcadal4 ,and1 besides1 ,i want to get shaved40 ,pierre1 who felt uneasy at this proposal1 had to give way in face of the promise that they would be back within a quarter of an hour4 ,only1 as the distance seemed long1 he on his side insisted on taking a trap which was standing at the bottom of the ,plateau de la ,merlasse4 ,it was a sort of greenish cabriolet1 and its driver1 a fat fellow of about thirty1 with the usual ,basque cap on his head1 was smoking a cigarette whilst waiting to be hired4 ,perched sideways on the seat with his knees wide apart1 he drove them on with the tranquil indifference of a well-fed man who considers himself the master of the street4 8,we will keep you10 said ,pierre as he alighted1 when they had reached the ,place du ,marcadal4 8,very well1 very well1 ,monsieur l',abb6 ,i'll wait for you60 ,and then1 leaving his lean horse in the hot sun1 the driver went to chat and laugh with a strong1 dishevelled servant-girl who was washing a dog in the basin of the neighbouring fountain4 ,cazaban1 as it happened1 was just then on the threshold of his shop1 the lofty windows and pale green painting of which enlivened the dull ,place1 which was so deserted on week-days4 ,when he was not pressed with work he delighted to parade in this manner1 standing between his two windows1 which pots of pomatum and bottles of perfumery decorated with bright shades of colour4 ,he at once recognised the gentlemen4 8,very flattered1 very much honoured4 ,pray walk in1 ,i beg of you10 he said4 ,then1 at the first words which ,m4 de ,guersaint said to him to excuse the man who had driven him to ,gavarnie1 he showed himself well disposed4 ,of course it was not the man's fault2 he could not prevent wheels coming to pieces1 or storms falling4 ,so long as the travellers did not complain all was well4 8,oh60 thereupon exclaimed ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8it's a magnificent country1 never to be forgotten40 8,well1 monsieur1 as our neighbourhood pleases you1 you must come and see us again2 we don't ask anything better10 said ,cazaban2 and1 on the architect seating himself in one of the arm-chairs and asking to be shaved1 he began to bustle about4 ,his assistant was still absent1 running errands for the pilgrims whom he lodged1 a whole family1 who were taking a case of chaplets1 plaster ,virgins1 and framed engravings away with them4 ,you heard a confused tramping of feet and violent bursts of conversation coming from the first floor1 all the helter-skelter of people whom the approaching departure and the packing of purchases lying hither and thither drove almost crazy4 ,in the adjoining dining-room1 the door of which had remained open1 two children were draining the dregs of some cups of chocolate which stood about amidst the disorder of the breakfast service4 ,the whole of the house had been let1 entirely given over1 and now had come the last hours of this invasion which compelled the hairdresser and his wife to seek refuge in the narrow cellar1 where they slept on a small camp-bed4 ,while ,cazaban was rubbing ,m4 de ,guersaint's cheeks with soap-suds1 the architect questioned him4 8,well1 are you satisfied with the season80 8,certainly1 monsieur1 ,i can't complain4 ,as you hear1 my travellers are leaving to-day1 but ,i am expecting others to-morrow morning2 barely sufficient time for a sweep out4 ,it will be the same up to ,october40 ,then1 as ,pierre remained standing1 walking about the shop and looking at the walls with an air of impatience1 he turned round politely and said3 8,pray be seated1 ,monsieur l',abb2 take a newspaper4 ,it will not be long40 ,the priest having thanked him with a nod1 and refusing to sit down1 the hairdresser1 whose tongue was ever itching to talk1 continued3 8,oh6 as for myself1 ,i am always busy1 my house is renowned for the cleanliness of the beds and the excellence of the fare4 ,only the town is not satisfied4 ,ah1 no6 ,i may even say that ,i have never known so much discontent here40 ,he became silent for a moment1 and shaved his customer's left cheek2 then again pausing in his work he suddenly declared with a cry1 wrung from him by conviction1 8,the ,fathers of the ,grotto are playing with fire1 monsieur1 that is all ,i have to say40 ,from that moment1 however1 the vent-plug was withdrawn1 and he talked and talked and talked again4 ,his big eyes rolled in his long face with prominent cheek-bones and sunburnt complexion sprinkled with red1 while the whole of his nervous little body continued on the jump1 agitated by his growing exuberance of speech and gesture4 ,he returned to his former indictment1 and enumerated all the many grievances that the old town had against the ,fathers4 ,the hotel-keepers complained2 the dealers in religious fancy articles did not take half the amount they ought to have realised2 and1 finally1 the new town monopolised both the pilgrims and the cash2 there was now no possibility for anyone but the keepers of the lodging-houses1 hotels1 and shops open in the neighbourhood of the ,grotto to make any money whatever4 ,it was a merciless struggle1 a deadly hostility increasing from day to day1 the old city losing a little of its life each season1 and assuredly destined to disappear1--to be choked1 assassinated1 by the young town4 ,ah6 their dirty ,grotto6 ,he would rather have his feet cut off than tread there4 ,wasn't it heart-rending1 that knick-knack shop which they had stuck beside it8 ,a shameful thing1 at which a bishop had shown himself so indignant that it was said he had written to the ,pope6 ,he1 ,cazaban1 who flattered himself with being a freethinker and a ,republican of the old days1 who already under the ,empire had voted for the ,opposition candidates1 assuredly had the right to declare that he did not believe in their dirty ,grotto1 and that he did not care a fig for it6 8,look here1 monsieur10 he continued2 8,i am going to tell you a fact4 ,my brother belongs to the municipal council1 and it's through him that ,i know it4 ,i must tell you first of all that we now have a ,republican municipal council1 which is much worried by the demoralisation of the town4 ,you can no longer go out at night without meeting girls in the streets--you know1 those candle hawkers6 ,they gad about with the drivers who come here when the season commences1 and swell the suspicious floating population which comes no one knows whence4 ,and ,i must also explain to you the position of the ,fathers towards the town4 ,when they purchased the land at the ,grotto they signed an agreement by which they undertook not to engage in any business there4 ,well1 they have opened a shop in spite of their signature4 ,is not that an unfair rivalry1 unworthy of honest people8 ,so the new council decided on sending them a deputation to insist on the agreement being respected1 and enjoining them to close their shop at once4 ,what do you think they answered1 monsieur8 ,oh6 what they have replied twenty times before1 what they will always answer1 when they are reminded of their engagements3 #8,very well1 we consent to keep them1 but we are masters at our own place1 and we'll close the ,grotto6'0 ,he raised himself up1 his razor in the air1 and1 repeating his words1 his eyes dilated by the enormity of the thing1 he said1 8#8,we'll close the ,grotto4'0 ,pierre1 who was continuing his slow walk1 suddenly stopped and said in his face1 8,well6 the municipal council had only to answer1 #8,close it4'0 ,at this ,cazaban almost choked2 the blood rushed to his face1 he was beside himself1 and stammered out 8,close the ,grotto8--,close the ,grotto80 8,certainly6 ,as the ,grotto irritates you and rends your heart2 as it's a cause of continual warfare1 injustice1 and corruption4 ,everything would be over1 we should hear no more about it4 ,that would really be a capital solution1 and if the council had the power it would render you a service by forcing the ,fathers to carry out their threat40 ,as ,pierre went on speaking1 ,cazaban's anger subsided4 ,he became very calm and somewhat pale1 and in the depths of his big eyes the priest detected an expression of increasing uneasiness4 ,had he not gone too far in his passion against the ,fathers8 ,many ecclesiastics did not like them2 perhaps this young priest was simply at ,lourdes for the purpose of stirring-up an agitation against them4 ,then who knows8--it might possibly result in the ,grotto being closed later on4 ,but it was by the ,grotto that they all lived4 ,if the old city screeched with rage at only picking up the crumbs1 it was well pleased to secure even that windfall2 and the freethinkers themselves1 who coined money with the pilgrims1 like everyone else1 held their tongues1 ill at ease1 and even frightened1 when they found people too much of their opinion with regard to the objectionable features of new ,lourdes4 ,it was necessary to be prudent4 ,cazaban thereupon returned to ,m4 de ,guersaint1 whose other cheek he began shaving1 murmuring the while in an off-hand manner3 8,oh6 what ,i say about the ,grotto is not because it troubles me much in reality1 and1 besides1 everyone must live40 ,in the dining-room1 the children1 amidst deafening shouts1 had just broken one of the bowls1 and ,pierre1 glancing through the open doorway1 again noticed the engravings of religious subjects and the plaster ,virgin with which the hairdresser had ornamented the apartment in order to please his lodgers4 ,and just then1 too1 a voice shouted from the first floor that the trunk was ready1 and that they would be much obliged if the assistant would cord it as soon as he returned4 ,however1 ,cazaban1 in the presence of these two gentlemen whom1 as a matter of fact1 he did not know1 remained suspicious and uneasy1 his brain haunted by all sorts of disquieting suppositions4 ,he was in despair at the idea of having to let them go away without learning anything about them1 especially after having exposed himself4 ,if he had only been able to withdraw the more rabid of his biting remarks about the ,fathers4 ,accordingly1 when ,m4 de ,guersaint rose to wash his chin1 he yielded to a desire to renew the conversation4 8,have you heard talk of yesterday's miracle8 ,the town is quite upside down with it2 more than twenty people have already given me an account of what occurred4 ,yes1 it seems they obtained an extraordinary miracle1 a paralytic young lady got up and dragged her invalid carriage as far as the choir of the ,basilica40 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who was about to sit down after wiping himself1 gave a complacent laugh4 8,that young lady is my daughter10 he said4 ,thereupon1 under this sudden and fortunate flash of enlightenment1 ,cazaban became all smiles4 ,he felt reassured1 and combed ,m4 de ,guersaint's hair with a masterly touch1 amid a returning exuberance of speech and gesture4 8,ah6 monsieur1 ,i congratulate you1 ,i am flattered at having you in my hands4 ,since the young lady your daughter is cured1 your father's heart is at ease4 ,am ,i not right80 ,and he also found a few pleasant words for ,pierre4 ,then1 when he had decided to let them go1 he looked at the priest with an air of conviction1 and remarked1 like a sensible man1 desirous of coming to a conclusion on the subject of miracles3 8,there are some1 ,monsieur l',abb1 which are good fortunes for everybody4 ,from time to time we require one of that description40 ,outside1 ,m4 de ,guersaint had to go and fetch the coachman1 who was still laughing with the servant-girl1 while her dog1 dripping with water1 was shaking itself in the sun4 ,in five minutes the trap brought them back to the bottom of the ,plateau de la ,merlasse4 ,the trip had taken a good half-hour4 ,pierre wanted to keep the conveyance1 with the idea of showing ,marie the town without giving her too much fatigue4 ,so1 while the father ran to the ,grotto to fetch his daughter1 he waited there beneath the trees4 ,the coachman at once engaged in conversation with the priest4 ,he had lit another cigarette and showed himself very familiar4 ,he came from a village in the environs of ,toulouse1 and did not complain1 for he earned good round sums each day at ,lourdes4 ,you fed well there1 said he1 you amused yourself1 it was what you might call a good neighbourhood4 ,he said these things with the abandon of a man who was not troubled with religious scruples1 but yet did not forget the respect which he owed to an ecclesiastic4 ,at last1 from the top of his box1 where he remained half lying down1 dangling one of his legs1 he allowed this remark to fall slowly from his lips3 8,ah6 yes1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,lourdes has caught on well1 but the question is whether it will all last long60 ,pierre1 who was very much struck by the remark1 was pondering on its involuntary profundity1 when ,m4 de ,guersaint reappeared1 bringing ,marie with him4 ,he had found her kneeling on the same spot1 in the same act of faith and thankfulness1 at the feet of the ,blessed ,virgin2 and it seemed as if she had brought all the brilliant light of the ,grotto away in her eyes1 so vividly did they sparkle with divine joy at her cure4 ,she would not entertain a proposal to keep the trap4 ,no1 no6 she preferred to go on foot2 she did not care about seeing the town1 so long as she might for another hour continue walking on her father's arm through the gardens1 the streets1 the squares1 anywhere they pleased6 ,and1 when ,pierre had paid the driver1 it was she who turned into a path of the ,esplanade garden1 delighted at being able to saunter in this wise beside the turf and the flower beds1 under the great trees4 ,the grass1 the leaves1 the shady solitary walks where you heard the everlasting rippling of the ,gave1 were so sweet and fresh6 ,but afterwards she wished to return by way of the streets1 among the crowd1 that she might find the agitation1 noise1 and life1 the need of which possessed her whole being4 ,in the ,rue ,st4 ,joseph1 on perceiving the panorama1 where the former ,grotto was depicted1 with ,bernadette kneeling down before it on the day of the miracle of the candle1 the idea occurred to ,pierre to go in4 ,marie became as happy as a child2 and even ,m4 de ,guersaint was full of innocent delight1 especially when he noticed that among the batch of pilgrims who dived at the same time as themselves into the depths of the obscure corridor1 several recognised in his daughter the girl so miraculously healed the day before1 who was already famous1 and whose name flew from mouth to mouth4 ,up above1 on the circular platform1 when they came out into the diffuse light1 filtering through a vellum1 there was a sort of ovation around ,marie2 soft whispers1 beatifical glances1 a rapture of delight in seeing1 following1 and touching her4 ,now glory had come1 she would be loved in that way wherever she went1 and it was not until the showman who gave the explanations had placed himself at the head of the little party of visitors1 and begun to walk round1 relating the incident depicted on the huge circular canvas1 nearly five hundred feet in length1 that she was in some measure forgotten4 ,the painting represented the seventeenth apparition of the ,blessed ,virgin to ,bernadette1 on the day when1 kneeling before the ,grotto during her vision1 she had heedlessly left her hand on the flame of the candle without burning it4 ,the whole of the old primitive landscape of the ,grotto was shown1 the whole scene was set out with all its historical personages3 the doctor verifying the miracle watch in hand1 the ,mayor1 the ,commissary of ,police1 and the ,public ,prosecutor1 whose names the showman gave out1 amidst the amazement of the public following him4 ,then1 by an unconscious transition of ideas1 ,pierre recalled the remark which the driver of the cabriolet had made a short time previously3 8,lourdes has caught on well1 but the question is whether it will all last long40 ,that1 in fact1 was the question4 ,how many venerated sanctuaries had thus been built already1 at the bidding of innocent chosen children1 to whom the ,blessed ,virgin had shown herself6 ,it was always the same story beginning afresh3 an apparition2 a persecuted shepherdess1 who was called a liar2 next the covert propulsion of human misery hungering after illusion2 then propaganda1 and the triumph of the sanctuary shining like a star2 and afterwards decline1 and oblivion1 when the ecstatic dream of another visionary gave birth to another sanctuary elsewhere4 ,it seemed as if the power of illusion wore away2 that it was necessary in the course of centuries to displace it1 set it amidst new scenery1 under fresh circumstances1 in order to renew its force4 ,la ,salette had dethroned the old wooden and stone ,virgins that had healed2 ,lourdes had just dethroned ,la ,salette1 pending the time when it would be dethroned itself by ,our ,lady of to-morrow1 she who will show her sweet1 consoling features to some pure child as yet unborn4 ,only1 if ,lourdes had met with such rapid1 such prodigious fortune1 it assuredly owed it to the little sincere soul1 the delightful charm of ,bernadette4 ,here there was no deceit1 no falsehood1 merely the blossoming of suffering1 a delicate sick child who brought to the afflicted multitude her dream of justice and equality in the miraculous4 ,she was merely eternal hope1 eternal consolation4 ,besides1 all historical and social circumstances seem to have combined to increase the need of this mystical flight at the close of a terrible century of positivist inquiry2 and that was perhaps the reason why ,lourdes would still long endure in its triumph1 before becoming a mere legend1 one of those dead religions whose powerful perfume has evaporated4 ,ah6 that ancient ,lourdes1 that city of peace and belief1 the only possible cradle where the legend could come into being1 how easily ,pierre conjured it up before him1 whilst walking round the vast canvas of the ,panorama6 ,that canvas said everything2 it was the best lesson of things that could be seen4 ,the monotonous explanations of the showman were not heard2 the landscape spoke for itself4 ,first of all there was the ,grotto1 the rocky hollow beside the ,gave1 a savage spot suitable for reverie--bushy slopes and heaps of fallen stone1 without a path among them2 and nothing yet in the way of ornamentation--no monumental quay1 no garden paths winding among trimly cut shrubs2 no ,grotto set in order1 deformed1 enclosed with iron railings2 above all1 no shop for the sale of religious articles1 that simony shop which was the scandal of all pious souls4 ,the ,virgin could not have selected a more solitary and charming nook wherein to show herself to the chosen one of her heart1 the poor young girl who came thither still possessed by the dream of her painful nights1 even whilst gathering dead wood4 ,and on the opposite side of the ,gave1 behind the rock of the castle1 was old ,lourdes1 confident and asleep4 ,another age was then conjured up2 a small town1 with narrow pebble-paved streets1 black houses with marble dressings1 and an antique1 semi-,spanish church1 full of old carvings1 and peopled with visions of gold and painted flesh4 ,communication with other places was only kept up by the ,bagnres and ,cauterets diligences1 which twice a day forded the ,lapaca to climb the steep causeway of the ,rue ,basse4 ,the spirit of the century had not breathed on those peaceful roofs sheltering a belated population which had remained childish1 enclosed within the narrow limits of strict religious discipline4 ,there was no debauchery2 a slow antique commerce sufficed for daily life1 a poor life whose hardships were the safeguards of morality4 ,and ,pierre had never better understood how ,bernadette1 born in that land of faith and honesty1 had flowered like a natural rose1 budding on the briars of the road4 8,it's all the same very curious10 observed ,m4 de ,guersaint when they found themselves in the street again4 8,i'm not at all sorry ,i saw it40 ,marie was also laughing with pleasure4 8,one would almost think oneself there4 ,isn't it so1 father8 ,at times it seems as if the people were going to move4 ,and how charming ,bernadette looks on her knees1 in ecstasy1 while the candle flame licks her fingers without burning them40 8,let us see10 said the architect2 8we have only an hour left1 so we must think of making our purchases1 if we wish to buy anything4 ,shall we take a look at the shops8 ,we certainly promised ,majest to give him the preference2 but that does not prevent us from making a few inquiries4 ,eh6 ,pierre1 what do you say80 8,oh6 certainly1 as you like10 answered the priest4 8,besides1 it will give us a walk40 ,and he thereupon followed the young girl and her father1 who returned to the ,plateau de la ,merlasse4 ,since he had quitted the ,panorama he felt as though he no longer knew where he was4 ,it seemed to him as if he had all at once been transported from one to another town1 parted by centuries4 ,he had left the solitude1 the slumbering peacefulness of old ,lourdes1 which the dead light of the vellum had increased1 to fall at last into new ,lourdes1 sparkling with brightness and noisy with the crowd4 ,ten o'clock had just struck1 and extraordinary animation reigned on the footways1 where before breakfast an entire people was hastening to complete its purchases1 so that it might have nothing but its departure to think of afterwards4 ,the thousands of pilgrims of the national pilgrimage streamed along the thoroughfares and besieged the shops in a final scramble4 ,you would have taken the cries1 the jostling1 and the sudden rushes for those at some fair just breaking up amidst a ceaseless roll of vehicles4 ,many1 providing themselves with provisions for the journey1 cleared the open-air stalls where bread and slices of sausages and ham were sold4 ,others purchased fruit and wine2 baskets were filled with bottles and greasy parcels until they almost burst4 ,a hawker who was wheeling some cheeses about on a small truck saw his goods carried off as if swept away by the wind4 ,but what the crowd more particularly purchased were religious articles1 and those hawkers whose barrows were loaded with statuettes and sacred engravings were reaping golden gains4 ,the customers at the shops stood in strings on the pavement2 the women were belted with immense chaplets1 had ,blessed ,virgins tucked under their arms1 and were provided with cans which they meant to fill at the miraculous spring4 ,carried in the hand or slung from the shoulder1 some of them quite plain and others daubed over with a ,lady of ,lourdes in blue paint1 these cans held from one to ten quarts apiece2 and1 shining with all the brightness of new tin1 clashing1 too1 at times with the sharp jingle of stew-pans1 they added a gay note to the aspect of the noisy multitude4 ,and the fever of dealing1 the pleasure of spending one's money1 of returning home with one's pockets crammed with photographs and medals1 lit up all faces with a holiday expression1 transforming the radiant gathering into a fair-field crowd with appetites either beyond control or satisfied4 ,on the ,plateau de la ,merlasse1 ,m4 de ,guersaint for a moment felt tempted to enter one of the finest and most patronised shops1 on the board over which were these words in large letters3 8,soubirous1 ,brother of ,bernadette40 8,eh6 what if we were to make our purchases there8 ,it would be more appropriate1 more interesting to remember40 ,however1 he passed on1 repeating that they must see everything first of all4 ,pierre had looked at the shop kept by ,bernadette's brother with a heavy heart4 ,it grieved him to find the brother selling the ,blessed ,virgin whom the sister had beheld4 ,however1 it was necessary to live1 and he had reason to believe that1 beside the triumphant ,basilica resplendent with gold1 the visionary's relatives were not making a fortune1 the competition being so terrible4 ,if on the one hand the pilgrims left millions behind them at ,lourdes1 on the other there were more than two hundred dealers in religious articles1 to say nothing of the hotel and lodging-house keepers1 to whom the largest part of the spoils fell2 and thus the gain1 so eagerly disputed1 ended by being moderate enough after all4 ,along the ,plateau on the right and left of the repository kept by ,bernadette's brother1 other shops appeared1 an uninterrupted row of them1 pressing one against the other1 each occupying a division of a long wooden structure1 a sort of gallery erected by the town1 which derived from it some sixty thousand francs a year4 ,it formed a regular bazaar of open stalls1 encroaching on the pavements so as to tempt people to stop as they passed along4 ,for more than three hundred yards no other trade was plied3 a river of chaplets1 medals1 and statuettes streamed without end behind the windows2 and in enormous letters on the boards above appeared the venerated names of ,saint ,roch1 ,saint ,joseph1 ,jerusalem1 ,the ,immaculate ,virgin1 ,the ,sacred ,heart of ,mary1 all the names in ,paradise that were most likely to touch and attract customers4 8,really10 said ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8,i think it's the same thing all over the place4 ,let us go anywhere40 ,he himself had had enough of it1 this interminable display was quite exhausting him4 8,but as you promised to make the purchases at ,majest's10 said ,marie1 who was not1 in the least tired1 8the best thing will be to go back40 8,that's it2 let's return to ,majest's place40 ,but the rows of shops began again in the ,avenue de la ,grotte4 ,they swarmed on both sides2 and among them here were jewellers1 drapers1 and umbrella-makers1 who also dealt in religious articles4 ,there was even a confectioner who sold boxes of pastilles l'eau de ,lourdes1 with a figure of the ,virgin on the cover4 ,a photographer's windows were crammed with views of the ,grotto and the ,basilica1 and portraits of ,bishops and reverend ,fathers of all ,orders1 mixed up with views of famous sites in the neighbouring mountains4 ,a bookseller displayed the last ,catholic publications1 volumes bearing devout titles1 and among them the innumerable works published on ,lourdes during the last twenty years1 some of which had had a wonderful success1 which was still fresh in memory4 ,in this broad1 populous thoroughfare the crowd streamed along in more open order2 their cans jingled1 everyone was in high spirits1 amid the bright sunrays which enfiladed the road from one end to the other4 ,and it seemed as if there would never be a finish to the statuettes1 the medals1 and the chaplets2 one display followed another2 and1 indeed1 there were miles of them running through the streets of the entire town1 which was ever the same bazaar selling the same articles4 ,in front of the ,hotel of the ,apparitions ,m4 de ,guersaint again hesitated4 8,then it's decided1 we are going to make our purchases there80 he asked4 8,certainly10 said ,marie4 8,see what a beautiful shop it is60 ,and she was the first to enter the establishment1 which was1 in fact1 one of the largest in the street1 occupying the ground-floor of the hotel on the left hand4 ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,pierre followed her4 ,apolline1 the niece of the ,majests1 who was in charge of the place1 was standing on a stool1 taking some holy-water vases from a top shelf to show them to a young man1 an elegant bearer1 wearing beautiful yellow gaiters4 ,she was laughing with the cooing sound of a dove1 and looked charming with her thick black hair and her superb eyes1 set in a somewhat square face1 which had a straight forehead1 chubby cheeks1 and full red lips4 ,jumping lightly to the ground1 she exclaimed3 8,then you don't think that this pattern would please madame1 your aunt80 8,no1 no10 answered the bearer1 as he went off4 8,obtain the other pattern4 ,i shall not leave until to-morrow1 and will come back40 ,when ,apolline learnt that ,marie was the young person visited by the miracle of whom ,madame ,majest had been talking ever since the previous day1 she became extremely attentive4 ,she looked at her with her merry smile1 in which there was a dash of surprise and covert incredulity4 ,however1 like the clever saleswoman that she was1 she was profuse in complimentary remarks4 8,ah1 mademoiselle1 ,i shall be so happy to sell to you6 ,your miracle is so beautiful6 ,look1 the whole shop is at your disposal4 ,we have the largest choice40 ,marie was ill at ease4 8,thank you10 she replied1 8you are very good4 ,but we have only come to buy a few small things40 8,if you will allow us10 said ,m4 de ,guersaint1 8we will choose ourselves40 8,very well4 ,that's it1 monsieur4 ,afterwards we will see60 ,and as some other customers now came in1 ,apolline forgot them1 returned to her duties as a pretty saleswoman1 with caressing words and seductive glances1 especially for the gentlemen1 whom she never allowed to leave until they had their pockets full of purchases4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had only two francs left of the louis which ,blanche1 his eldest daughter1 had slipped into his hand when he was leaving1 as pocket-money2 and so he did not dare to make any large selection4 ,but ,pierre declared that they would cause him great pain if they did not allow him to offer them the few things which they would like to take away with them from ,lourdes4 ,it was therefore understood that they would first of all choose a present for ,blanche1 and then ,marie and her father should select the souvenirs that pleased them best4 8,don't let us hurry10 repeated ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had become very gay4 8,come1 ,marie1 have a good look4 ,what would be most likely to please ,blanche80 ,all three looked1 searched1 and rummaged4 ,but their indecision increased as they went from one object to another4 ,with its counters1 show-cases1 and nests of drawers1 furnishing it from top to bottom1 the spacious shop was a sea of endless billows1 overflowing with all the religious knick-knacks imaginable4 ,there were the chaplets3 skeins of chaplets hanging along the walls1 and heaps of chaplets lying in the drawers1 from humble ones costing twenty sous a dozen1 to those of sweet-scented wood1 agate1 and lapis-lazuli1 with chains of gold or silver2 and some of them1 of immense length1 made to go twice round the neck or waist1 had carved beads1 as large as walnuts1 separated by death's-heads4 ,then there were the medals3 a shower of medals1 boxes full of medals1 of all sizes1 of all metals1 the cheapest and the most precious4 ,they bore different inscriptions1 they represented the ,basilica1 the ,grotto1 or the ,immaculate ,conception2 they were engraved1 repousses1 or enamelled1 executed with care1 or made by the gross1 according to the price4 ,and next there were the ,blessed ,virgins1 great and small1 in zinc1 wood1 ivory1 and especially plaster2 some entirely white1 others tinted in bright colours1 in accordance with the description given by ,bernadette2 the amiable and smiling face1 the extremely long veil1 the blue sash1 and the golden roses on the feet1 there being1 however1 some slight modification in each model so as to guarantee the copyright4 ,and there was another flood of other religious objects3 a hundred varieties of scapularies1 a thousand different sorts of sacred pictures3 fine engravings1 large chromo-lithographs in glaring colours1 submerged beneath a mass of smaller pictures1 which were coloured1 gilded1 varnished1 decorated with bouquets of flowers1 and bordered with lace paper4 ,and there was also jewellery3 rings1 brooches1 and bracelets1 loaded with stars and crosses1 and ornamented with saintly figures4 ,finally1 there was the ,paris article1 which rose above and submerged all the rest3 pencil-holders1 purses1 cigar-holders1 paperweights1 paper-knives1 even snuff-boxes2 and innumerable other objects on which the ,basilica1 ,grotto1 and ,blessed ,virgin ever and ever appeared1 reproduced in every way1 by every process that is known4 ,heaped together pell-mell in one of the cases reserved to articles at fifty centimes apiece were napkin-rings1 egg-cups1 and wooden pipes1 on which was carved the beaming apparition of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,little by little1 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 with the annoyance of a man who prides himself on being an artist1 became disgusted and quite sad4 8,but all this is frightful1 frightful60 he repeated at every new article he took up to look at4 ,then he relieved himself by reminding ,pierre of the ruinous attempt which he had made to improve the artistic quality of religious prints4 ,the remains of his fortune had been lost in that attempt1 and the thought made him all the more angry1 in presence of the wretched productions with which the shop was crammed4 ,had anyone ever seen things of such idiotic1 pretentious1 and complicated ugliness6 ,the vulgarity of the ideas and the silliness of the expressions portrayed rivalled the commonplace character of the composition4 ,you were reminded of fashion-plates1 the covers of boxes of sweets1 and the wax dolls' heads that revolve in hairdressers' windows2 it was an art abounding in false prettiness1 painfully childish1 with no really human touch in it1 no tone1 and no sincerity4 ,and the architect1 who was wound up1 could not stop1 but went on to express his disgust with the buildings of new ,lourdes1 the pitiable disfigurement of the ,grotto1 the colossal monstrosity of the inclined ways1 the disastrous lack of symmetry in the church of the ,rosary and the ,basilica1 the former looking too heavy1 like a corn market1 whilst the latter had an anaemical structural leanness with no kind of style but the mongrel4 8,ah6 one must really be very fond of ,god10 he at last concluded1 8to have courage enough to come and adore ,him amidst such horrors6 ,they have failed in everything1 spoilt everything1 as though out of pleasure4 ,not one of them has experienced that moment of true feeling1 of real naturalness and sincere faith1 which gives birth to masterpieces4 ,they are all clever people1 but all plagiarists2 not one has given his mind and being to the undertaking4 ,and what must they not require to inspire them1 since they have failed to produce anything grand even in this land of miracles80 ,pierre did not reply1 but he was very much struck by these reflections1 which at last gave him an explanation of a feeling of discomfort that he had experienced ever since his arrival at ,lourdes4 ,this discomfort arose from the difference between the modern surroundings and the faith of past ages which it sought to resuscitate4 ,he thought of the old cathedrals where quivered that faith of nations2 he pictured the former attributes of worship--the images1 the goldsmith's work1 the saints in wood and stone--all of admirable power and beauty of expression4 ,the fact was that in those ancient times the workmen had been true believers1 had given their whole souls and bodies and all the candour of their feelings to their productions1 just as ,m4 de ,guersaint said4 ,but nowadays architects built churches with the same practical tranquillity that they erected five-storey houses1 just as the religious articles1 the chaplets1 the medals1 and the statuettes were manufactured by the gross in the populous quarters of ,paris by merrymaking workmen who did not even follow their religion4 ,and thus what slopwork1 what toymakers'1 ironmongers' stuff it all was6 of a prettiness fit to make you cry1 a silly sentimentality fit to make your heart turn with disgust6 ,lourdes was inundated1 devastated1 disfigured by it all to such a point as to quite upset persons with any delicacy of taste who happened to stray through its streets4 ,it clashed jarringly with the attempted resuscitation of the legends1 ceremonies1 and processions of dead ages2 and all at once it occurred to ,pierre that the social and historical condemnation of ,lourdes lay in this1 that faith is forever dead among a people when it no longer introduces it into the churches it builds or the chaplets it manufactures4 ,however1 ,marie had continued examining the shelves with the impatience of a child1 hesitating1 and finding nothing which seemed to her worthy of the great dream of ecstasy which she would ever keep within her4 8,father10 she said1 8it is getting late2 you must take me back to the hospital2 and to make up my mind1 look1 ,i will give ,blanche this medal with the silver chain4 ,after all it's the most simple and prettiest thing here4 ,she will wear it2 it will make her a little piece of jewellery4 ,as for myself1 ,i will take this statuette of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 this small one1 which is rather prettily painted4 ,i shall place it in my room and surround it with fresh flowers4 ,it will be very nice1 will it not80 ,m4 de ,guersaint approved of her idea1 and then busied himself with his own choice4 8,o dear6 oh dear6 how embarrassed ,i am60 said he4 ,he was examining some ivory-handled penholders capped with pea-like balls1 in which were microscopic photographs1 and while bringing one of the little holes to his eye to look in it he raised an exclamation of mingled surprise and pleasure4 8,hallo6 here's the ,cirque de ,gavarnie6 ,ah6 it's prodigious2 everything is there2 how can that colossal panorama have been got into so small a space8 ,come1 ,i'll take this penholder2 it's curious1 and will remind me of my excursion40 ,pierre had simply chosen a portrait of ,bernadette1 the large photograph which represents her on her knees in a black gown1 with a handkerchief tied over her hair1 and which is said to be the only one in existence taken from life4 ,he hastened to pay1 and they were all three on the point of leaving when ,madame ,majest entered1 protested1 and positively insisted on making ,marie a little present1 saying that it would bring her establishment good-fortune4 8,i beg of you1 mademoiselle1 take a scapulary10 said she4 8,look among those there4 ,the ,blessed ,virgin who chose you will repay me in good luck40 ,she raised her voice and made so much fuss that the purchasers filling the shop were interested1 and began gazing at the girl with envious eyes4 ,it was popularity bursting out again around her1 a popularity which ended even by reaching the street when the landlady went to the threshold of the shop1 making signs to the tradespeople opposite and putting all the neighbourhood in a flutter4 8,let us go10 repeated ,marie1 feeling more and more uncomfortable4 ,but her father1 on noticing a priest come in1 detained her4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb des ,hermoises60 ,it was in fact the handsome ,abb1 clad in a cassock of fine cloth emitting a pleasant odour1 and with an expression of soft gaiety on his fresh-coloured face4 ,he had not noticed his companion of the previous day1 but had gone straight to ,apolline and taken her on one side4 ,and ,pierre overheard him saying in a subdued tone3 8,why didn't you bring me my three-dozen chaplets this morning80 ,apolline again began laughing with the cooing notes of a dove1 and looked at him sideways1 roguishly1 without answering4 8,they are for my little penitents at ,toulouse4 ,i wanted to place them at the bottom of my trunk2 and you offered to help me pack my linen40 ,she continued laughing1 and her pretty eyes sparkled4 8,however1 ,i shall not leave before to-morrow4 ,bring them me to-night1 will you not8 ,when you are at liberty4 ,it's at the end of the street1 at ,duchne's40 ,thereupon1 with a slight movement of her red lips1 and in a somewhat bantering way1 which left him in doubt as to whether she would keep her promise1 she replied3 8,certainly1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i will go40 ,they were now interrupted by ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who came forward to shake the priest's hand4 ,and the two men at once began talking again of the ,cirque de ,gavarnie3 they had had a delightful trip1 a most pleasant time1 which they would never forget4 ,then they enjoyed a laugh at the expense of their two companions1 ecclesiastics of slender means1 good-natured fellows1 who had much amused them4 ,and the architect ended by reminding his new friend that he had kindly promised to induce a personage at ,toulouse1 who was ten times a millionaire1 to interest himself in his studies on navigable balloons4 8,a first advance of a hundred thousand francs would be sufficient10 he said4 8,you can rely on me10 answered ,abb des ,hermoises4 8,you will not have prayed to the ,blessed ,virgin in vain40 ,however1 ,pierre1 who had kept ,bernadette's portrait in his hand1 had just then been struck by the extraordinary likeness between ,apolline and the visionary4 ,it was the same rather massive face1 the same full thick mouth1 and the same magnificent eyes2 and he recollected that ,madame ,majest had already pointed out to him this striking resemblance1 which was all the more peculiar as ,apolline had passed through a similar poverty-stricken childhood at ,bartres before her aunt had taken her with her to assist in keeping the shop4 ,bernadette6 ,apolline6 ,what a strange association1 what an unexpected reincarnation at thirty years' distance6 ,and1 all at once1 with this ,apolline1 who was so flightily merry and careless1 and in regard to whom there were so many odd rumours1 new ,lourdes rose before his eyes3 the coachmen1 the candle-girls1 the persons who let rooms and waylaid tenants at the railway station1 the hundreds of furnished houses with discreet little lodgings1 the crowd of free priests1 the lady hospitallers1 and the simple passers-by1 who came there to satisfy their appetites4 ,then1 too1 there was the trading mania excited by the shower of millions1 the entire town given up to lucre1 the shops transforming the streets into bazaars which devoured one another1 the hotels living gluttonously on the pilgrims1 even to the ,blue ,sisters who kept a table d'hte1 and the ,fathers of the ,grotto who coined money with their ,god6 ,what a sad and frightful course of events1 the vision of pure ,bernadette inflaming multitudes1 making them rush to the illusion of happiness1 bringing a river of gold to the town1 and from that moment rotting everything4 ,the breath of superstition had sufficed to make humanity flock thither1 to attract abundance of money1 and to corrupt this honest corner of the earth forever4 ,where the candid lily had formerly bloomed there now grew the carnal rose1 in the new loam of cupidity and enjoyment4 ,bethlehem had become ,sodom since an innocent child had seen the ,virgin4 8,eh8 ,what did ,i tell you80 exclaimed ,madame ,majest1 perceiving that ,pierre was comparing her niece with the portrait4 8,apolline is ,bernadette all over60 ,the young girl approached with her amiable smile1 flattered at first by the comparison4 8,let's see1 let's see60 said ,abb des ,hermoises1 with an air of lively interest4 ,he took the photograph in his turn1 compared it with the girl1 and then exclaimed in amazement3 8,it's wonderful2 the same features4 ,i had not noticed it before4 ,really ,i'm delighted--0 8,still ,i fancy she had a larger nose10 ,apolline ended by remarking4 ,the ,abb then raised an exclamation of irresistible admiration3 8,oh6 you are prettier1 much prettier1 that's evident4 ,but that does not matter1 anyone would take you for two sisters40 ,pierre could not refrain from laughing1 he thought the remark so peculiar4 ,ah6 poor ,bernadette was absolutely dead1 and she had no sister4 ,she could not have been born again2 it would have been impossible for her to exist in the region of crowded life and passion which she had made4 ,at length ,marie went off leaning on her father's arm1 and it was agreed that they would both call and fetch her at the hospital to go to the station together4 ,more than fifty people were awaiting her in the street in a state of ecstasy4 ,they bowed to her and followed her2 and one woman even made her infirm child1 whom she was bringing back from the ,grotto1 touch her gown4 ,,iii4 ,,departure ,at half-past two o'clock the white train1 which was to leave ,lourdes at three-forty1 was already in the station1 alongside the second platform4 ,for three days it had been waiting on a siding1 in the same state as when it had come from ,paris1 and since it had been run into the station again white flags had been waving from the foremost and hindmost of its carriages1 by way of preventing any mistakes on the part of the pilgrims1 whose entraining was usually a very long and troublesome affair4 ,moreover1 all the fourteen trains of the pilgrimage were timed to leave that day4 ,the green train had started off at ten o'clock1 followed by the pink and the yellow trains1 and the others--the orange1 the grey1 and the blue--would start in turn after the white train had taken its departure4 ,it was1 indeed1 another terrible day's work for the station staff1 amidst a tumult and a scramble which altogether distracted them4 ,however1 the departure of the white train was always the event of the day which provoked most interest and emotion1 for it took away with it all the more afflicted patients1 amongst whom were naturally those loved by the ,virgin and chosen by her for the miraculous cures4 ,accordingly1 a large1 serried crowd was collected under the roofing of the spacious platform1 a hundred yards in length1 where all the benches were already covered with waiting pilgrims and their parcels4 ,in the refreshment-room1 at one end of the buildings1 men were drinking beer and women ordering lemonade at the little tables which had been taken by assault1 whilst at the other end bearers stood on guard at the goods entrance so as to keep the way clear for the speedy passage of the patients1 who would soon be arriving4 ,and all along the broad platform there was incessant coming and going1 poor people rushing hither and thither in bewilderment1 priests trotting along to render assistance1 gentlemen in frock-coats looking on with quiet inquisitiveness3 indeed1 all the jumbling and jostling of the most mixed1 most variegated throng ever elbowed in a railway station4 ,at three o'clock1 however1 the sick had not yet reached the station1 and ,baron ,suire was in despair1 his anxiety arising from the dearth of horses1 for a number of unexpected tourists had arrived at ,lourdes that morning and hired conveyances for ,bareges1 ,cauterets1 and ,gavarnie4 ,at last1 however1 the ,baron espied ,berthaud and ,grard arriving in all haste1 after scouring the town2 and when he had rushed up to them they soon pacified him by announcing that things were going splendidly4 ,they had been able to procure the needful animals1 and the removal of the patients from the hospital was now being carried out under the most favorable circumstances4 ,squads of bearers with their stretchers and little carts were already in the station yard1 watching for the arrival of the vans1 breaks1 and other vehicles which had been recruited4 ,a reserve supply of mattresses and cushions was1 moreover1 heaped up beside a lamp-post4 ,nevertheless1 just as the first patients arrived1 ,baron ,suire again lost his head1 whilst ,berthaud and ,grard hastened to the platform from which the train would start4 ,there they began to superintend matters1 and gave orders amidst an increasing scramble4 ,father ,fourcade was on this platform1 walking up and down alongside the train1 on ,father ,massias's arm4 ,seeing ,doctor ,bonamy approach1 he stopped short to speak to him3 8,ah1 doctor10 said he1 8,i am pleased to see you4 ,father ,massias1 who is about to leave us1 was again telling me just now of the extraordinary favor granted by the ,blessed ,virgin to that interesting young person1 ,mademoiselle ,marie de ,guersaint4 ,there has not been such a brilliant miracle for years6 ,it is signal good-fortune for us--a blessing which should render our labours fruitful4 ,all ,christendom will be illumined1 comforted1 enriched by it40 ,he was radiant with pleasure1 and forthwith the doctor with his clean-shaven face1 heavy1 peaceful features1 and usually tired eyes1 also began to exult3 8,yes1 your reverence1 it is prodigious1 prodigious6 ,i shall write a pamphlet about it4 ,never was cure produced by supernatural means in a more authentic manner4 ,ah6 what a stir it will create60 ,then1 as they had begun walking to and fro again1 all three together1 he noticed that ,father ,fourcade was dragging his leg with increased difficulty1 leaning heavily the while on his companion's arm4 8,is your attack of gout worse1 your reverence80 he inquired4 8,you seem to be suffering a great deal40 8,oh6 don't speak of it2 ,i wasn't able to close my eyes all night6 ,it is very annoying that this attack should have come on me the very day of my arrival here6 ,it might as well have waited4 ,but there is nothing to be done1 so don't let us talk of it any more4 ,i am1 at all events1 very pleased with this year's result40 8,ah6 yes1 yes indeed10 in his turn said ,father ,massias1 in a voice which quivered with fervour2 8we may all feel proud1 and go away with our hearts full of enthusiasm and gratitude4 ,how many prodigies there have been1 in addition to the healing of that young woman you spoke of6 ,there is no counting all the miracles3 deaf women and dumb women have recovered their faculties1 faces disfigured by sores have become as smooth as the hand1 moribund consumptives have come to life again and eaten and danced6 ,it is not a train of sufferers1 but a train of resurrection1 a train of glory1 that ,i am about to take back to ,paris60 ,he had ceased to see the ailing creatures around him1 and in the blindness of his faith was soaring triumphantly4 ,then1 alongside the carriages1 whose compartments were beginning to fill1 they all three continued their slow saunter1 smiling at the pilgrims who bowed to them1 and at times again stopping to address a kind word to some mournful woman who1 pale and shivering1 passed by upon a stretcher4 ,they boldly declared that she was looking much better1 and would assuredly soon get well4 ,however1 the station-master1 who was incessantly bustling about1 passed by1 calling in a shrill voice3 8,don't block up the platform1 please2 don't block up the platform60 ,and on ,berthaud pointing out to him that it was1 at all events1 necessary to deposit the stretchers on the platform before hoisting the patients into the carriages1 he became quite angry3 8,but1 come1 come2 is it reasonable80 he asked4 8,look at that little hand-cart which has been left on the rails over yonder4 ,i expect the train to ,toulouse in a few minutes4 ,do you want your people to be crushed to death80 ,then he went off at a run to instruct some porters to keep the bewildered flock of pilgrims away from the rails4 ,many of them1 old and simple people1 did not even recognise the colour of their train1 and this was the reason why one and all wore cards of some particular hue hanging from their necks1 so that they might be led and entrained like marked cattle4 ,and what a constant state of excitement it was1 with the starting of these fourteen special trains1 in addition to all the ordinary traffic1 in which no change had been made4 ,pierre arrived1 valise in hand1 and found some difficulty in reaching the platform4 ,he was alone1 for ,marie had expressed an ardent desire to kneel once more at the ,grotto1 so that her soul might burn with gratitude before the ,blessed ,virgin until the last moment2 and so he had left ,m4 de ,guersaint to conduct her thither whilst he himself settled the hotel bill4 ,moreover1 he had made them promise that they would take a fly to the station1 and they would certainly arrive within a quarter of an hour4 ,meantime1 his idea was to seek their carriage1 and there rid himself of his valise4 ,this1 however1 was not an easy task1 and he only recognised the carriage eventually by the placard which had been swinging from it in the sunlight and the storms during the last three days--a square of pasteboard bearing the names of ,madame de ,jonquire and ,sisters ,hyacinthe and ,claire des ,anges4 ,there could be no mistake1 and ,pierre again pictured the compartments full of his travelling companions4 ,some cushions already marked ,m4 ,sabathier's corner1 and on the seat where ,marie had experienced such suffering he still found some scratches caused by the ironwork of her box4 ,then1 having deposited his valise in his own place1 he remained on the platform waiting and looking around him1 with a slight feeling of surprise at not perceiving ,doctor ,chassaigne1 who had promised to come and embrace him before the train started4 ,now that ,marie was well again1 ,pierre had laid his bearer straps aside1 and merely wore the red cross of the pilgrimage on his cassock4 ,the station1 of which he had caught but a glimpse1 in the livid dawn amidst the anguish of the terrible morning of their arrival1 now surprised him by its spacious platforms1 its broad exits1 and its clear gaiety4 ,he could not see the mountains1 but some verdant slopes rose up on the other side1 in front of the waiting-rooms2 and that afternoon the weather was delightfully mild1 the sky of a milky whiteness1 with light fleecy clouds veiling the sun1 whence there fell a broad diffuse light1 like a nacreous1 pearly dust3 8maiden's weather10 as country folk are wont to say4 ,the big clock had just struck three1 and ,pierre was looking at it when he saw ,madame ,dsagneaux and ,madame ,volmar arrive1 followed by ,madame de ,jonquire and her daughter4 ,these ladies1 who had driven from the hospital in a landau1 at once began looking for their carriage1 and it was ,raymonde who first recognised the first-class compartment in which she had travelled from ,paris4 8,mamma1 mamma1 here2 here it is60 she called4 8,stay a little while with us2 you have plenty of time to install yourself among your patients1 since they haven't yet arrived40 ,pierre now again found himself face to face with ,madame ,volmar1 and their glances met4 ,however1 he gave no sign of recognition1 and on her side there was but a slight sudden drooping of the eyelids4 ,she had again assumed the air of a languid1 indolent1 black-robed woman1 who modestly shrinks back1 well pleased to escape notice4 ,her brasier-like eyes no longer glowed2 it was only at long intervals that they kindled into a spark beneath the veil of indifference1 the moire-like shade1 which dimmed them4 8,oh6 it was a fearful sick headache60 she was repeating to ,madame ,dsagneaux4 8,and1 you can see1 ,i've hardly recovered the use of my poor head yet4 ,it's the journey which brings it on4 ,it's the same thing every year40 ,however1 ,berthaud and ,grard1 who had just perceived the ladies1 were hurrying up to them4 ,that morning they had presented themselves at the ,hospital of ,our ,lady of ,dolours1 and ,madame de ,jonquire had received them in a little office near the linen-room4 ,thereupon1 apologising with smiling affability for making his request amidst such a hurly-burly1 ,berthaud had solicited the hand of ,mademoiselle ,raymonde for his cousin1 ,grard4 ,they at once felt themselves at ease1 the mother1 with some show of emotion1 saying that ,lourdes would bring the young couple good luck4 ,and so the marriage was arranged in a few words1 amidst general satisfaction4 ,a meeting was even appointed for the fifteenth of ,september at the ,chteau of ,berneville1 near ,caen1 an estate belonging to ,raymonde's uncle1 the diplomatist1 whom ,berthaud knew1 and to whom he promised to introduce ,grard4 ,then ,raymonde was summoned1 and blushed with pleasure as she placed her little hand in those of her betrothed4 ,binding her now upon the platform1 the latter began paying her every attention1 and asking1 8,would you like some pillows for the night8 ,don't make any ceremony about it2 ,i can give you plenty1 both for yourself and for these ladies who are accompanying you40 ,however1 ,raymonde gaily refused the offer1 8,no1 no10 said she1 8we are not so delicate4 ,keep them for the poor sufferers40 ,all the ladies were now talking together4 ,madame de ,jonquire declared that she was so tired1 so tired that she no longer felt alive2 and yet she displayed great happiness1 her eyes smiling as she glanced at her daughter and the young man she was engaged to4 ,but neither ,berthaud nor ,grard could remain there2 they had their duties to perform1 and accordingly took their leave1 after reminding ,madame de ,jonquire and ,raymonde of the appointed meeting4 ,it was understood1 was it not1 on ,september #aeth1 at the ,chteau of ,berneville8 ,yes1 yes1 it was understood6 ,and then came fresh smiles and handshakes1 whilst the eyes of the newly engaged couple--caressing1 delighted eyes--added all that they dared not say aloud in the midst of such a throng4 8,what60 exclaimed little ,madame ,dsagneaux1 8you will go to ,berneville on the #aeth8 ,but if we stay at ,trouville till the #ajth1 as my husband wishes to do1 we will go to see you60 ,and then1 turning towards ,madame ,volmar1 who stood there silent1 she added1 8,you ought to come as well1 my dear4 ,it would be so nice to meet there all together40 ,but1 with a slow wave of the hand and an air of weary indifference1 ,madame ,volmar answered1 8,oh6 my holiday is all over2 ,i am going home40 ,just then her eyes again met those of ,pierre1 who had remained standing near the party1 and he fancied that she became confused1 whilst an expression of indescribable suffering passed over her lifeless face4 ,the ,sisters of the ,assumption were now arriving1 and the ladies joined them in front of the cantine van4 ,ferrand1 who had come with the ,sisters from the hospital1 got into the van1 and then helped ,sister ,saint-,franois to mount upon the somewhat high footboard4 ,then he remained standing on the threshold of the van--transformed into a kitchen and containing all sorts of supplies for the journey1 such as bread1 broth1 milk1 and chocolate1--whilst ,sister ,hyacinthe and ,sister ,claire des ,anges1 who were still on the platform1 passed him his little medicine-chest and some small articles of luggage4 8,you are sure you have everything80 ,sister ,hyacinthe asked him4 8,all right4 ,well1 now you only have to go and lie down in your corner and get to sleep1 since you complain that your services are not utilised40 ,ferrand began to laugh softly4 8,i shall help ,sister ,saint-,franois10 said he4 8,i shall light the oil-stove1 wash the crockery1 carry the cups of broth and milk to the patients whenever we stop1 according to the time-table hanging yonder2 and if1 all the same1 you should require a doctor1 you will please come to fetch me40 ,sister ,hyacinthe had also begun to laugh4 8,but we no longer require a doctor since all our patients are cured10 she replied2 and1 fixing her eyes on his1 with her calm1 sisterly air1 she added1 8,good-bye1 ,monsieur ,ferrand40 ,he smiled again1 whilst a feeling of deep emotion brought moisture to his eyes4 ,the tremulous accents of his voice expressed his conviction that he would never be able to forget this journey1 his joy at having seen her again1 and the souvenir of divine and eternal affection which he was taking away with him4 8,good-bye1 ,sister10 said he4 ,then ,madame de ,jonquire talked of going to her carriage with ,sister ,claire des ,anges and ,sister ,hyacinthe2 but the latter assured her that there was no hurry1 since the sick pilgrims were as yet scarcely arriving4 ,she left her1 therefore1 taking the other ,sister with her1 and promising to see to everything4 ,moreover1 she even insisted on ridding the superintendent of her little bag1 saying that she would find it on her seat when it was time for her to come4 ,thus the ladies continued walking and chatting gaily on the broad platform1 where the atmosphere was so pleasant4 ,pierre1 however1 his eyes fixed upon the big clock1 watched the minutes hasten by on the dial1 and began to feel surprised at not seeing ,marie arrive with her father4 ,it was to be hoped that ,m4 de ,guersaint would not lose himself on the road6 ,the young priest was still watching1 when1 to his surprise1 he caught sight of ,m4 ,vigneron1 in a state of perfect exasperation1 pushing his wife and little ,gustave furiously before him4 8,oh1 ,monsieur l',abb10 he exclaimed1 8tell me where our carriage is6 ,help me to put our luggage and this child in it4 ,i am at my wit's end6 ,they have made me altogether lose my temper40 ,then1 on reaching the second-class compartment1 he caught hold of ,pierre's hands1 just as the young man was about to place little ,gustave inside1 and quite an outburst followed4 8,could you believe it8 ,they insist on my starting4 ,they tell me that my return-ticket will not be available if ,i wait here till to-morrow4 ,it was of no use my telling them about the accident4 ,as it is1 it's by no means pleasant to have to stay with that corpse1 watch over it1 see it put in a coffin1 and remove it to-morrow within the regulation time4 ,but they pretend that it doesn't concern them1 that they already make large enough reductions on the pilgrimage tickets1 and that they can't enter into any questions of people dying40 ,madame ,vigneron stood all of a tremble listening to him1 whilst ,gustave1 forgotten1 staggering on his crutch with fatigue1 raised his poor1 inquisitive1 suffering face4 8,but at all events10 continued the irate father1 8as ,i told them1 it's a case of compulsion4 ,what do they expect me to do with that corpse8 ,i can't take it under my arm1 and bring it them to-day1 like an article of luggage6 ,i am therefore absolutely obliged to remain behind4 ,but no6 ah6 how many stupid and wicked people there are60 8,have you spoken to the station-master80 asked ,pierre4 8,the station-master6 ,oh6 he's somewhere about1 in the midst of the scramble4 ,they were never able to find him4 ,how could you have anything done properly in such a bear-garden8 ,still1 ,i mean to rout him out1 and give him a bit of my mind60 ,then1 perceiving his wife standing beside him motionless1 glued as it were to the platform1 he cried3 8,what are you doing there8 ,get in1 so that we may pass you the youngster and the parcels60 ,with these words he pushed her in1 and threw the parcels after her1 whilst the young priest took ,gustave in his arms4 ,the poor little fellow1 who was as light as a bird1 seemingly thinner than before1 consumed by sores1 and so full of pain1 raised a faint cry4 8,oh1 my dear child1 have ,i hurt you80 asked ,pierre4 8,no1 no1 ,monsieur l',abb1 but ,i've been moved about so much to-day1 and ,i'm very tired this afternoon40 ,as he spoke1 he smiled with his usual intelligent and mournful expression1 and then1 sinking back into his corner1 closed his eyes1 exhausted1 indeed done for1 by this fearful trip to ,lourdes4 8,as you can very well understand10 now resumed ,m4 ,vigneron1 8it by no means amuses me to stay here1 kicking my heels1 while my wife and my son go back to ,paris without me4 ,they have to go1 however1 for life at the hotel is no longer bearable2 and besides1 if ,i kept them with me1 and the railway people won't listen to reason1 ,i should have to pay three extra fares4 ,and to make matters worse1 my wife hasn't got much brains4 ,i'm afraid she won't be able to manage things properly40 ,then1 almost breathless1 he overwhelmed ,madame ,vigneron with the most minute instructions--what she was to do during the journey1 how she was to get back home on arriving in ,paris1 and what steps she was to take if ,gustave was to have another attack4 ,somewhat scared1 she responded1 in all docility1 to each recommendation3 8,yes1 yes1 dear--of course1 dear1 of course40 ,but all at once her husband's rage came back to him4 8,after all10 he shouted1 8what ,i want to know is whether my return ticket be good or not6 ,i must know for certain6 ,they must find that station-master for me60 ,he was already on the point of rushing away through the crowd1 when he noticed ,gustave's crutch lying on the platform4 ,this was disastrous1 and he raised his eyes to heaven as though to call ,providence to witness that he would never be able to extricate himself from such awful complications4 ,and1 throwing the crutch to his wife1 he hurried off1 distracted and shouting1 8,there1 take it6 ,you forget everything60 ,the sick pilgrims were now flocking into the station1 and1 as on the occasion of their arrival1 there was plenty of disorderly carting along the platform and across the lines4 ,all the abominable ailments1 all the sores1 all the deformities1 went past once more1 neither their gravity nor their number seeming to have decreased2 for the few cures which had been effected were but a faint inappreciable gleam of light amidst the general mourning4 ,they were taken back as they had come4 ,the little carts1 laden with helpless old women with their bags at their feet1 grated over the rails4 ,the stretchers on which you saw inflated bodies and pale faces with glittering eyes1 swayed amidst the jostling of the throng4 ,there was wild and senseless haste1 indescribable confusion1 questions1 calls1 sudden running1 all the whirling of a flock which cannot find the entrance to the pen4 ,and the bearers ended by losing their heads1 no longer knowing which direction to take amidst the warning cries of the porters1 who at each moment were frightening people1 distracting them with anguish4 8,take care1 take care over there6 ,make haste6 ,no1 no1 don't cross6 ,the ,toulouse train1 the ,toulouse train60 ,retracing his steps1 ,pierre again perceived the ladies1 ,madame de ,jonquire and the others1 still gaily chatting together4 ,lingering near them1 he listened to ,berthaud1 whom ,father ,fourcade had stopped1 to congratulate him on the good order which had been maintained throughout the pilgrimage4 ,the ex-public prosecutor was now bowing his thanks1 feeling quite flattered by this praise4 8,is it not a lesson for their ,republic1 your reverence80 he asked4 8,people get killed in ,paris when such crowds as these celebrate some bloody anniversary of their hateful history4 ,they ought to come and take a lesson here40 ,he was delighted with the thought of being disagreeable to the ,government which had compelled him to resign4 ,he was never so happy as when women were just saved from being knocked over amidst the great concourse of believers at ,lourdes4 ,however1 he did not seem to be satisfied with the results of the political propaganda which he came to further there1 during three days1 every year4 ,fits of impatience came over him1 things did not move fast enough4 ,when did ,our ,lady of ,lourdes mean to bring back the monarchy8 8,you see1 your reverence10 said he1 8the only means1 the real triumph1 would be to bring the working classes of the towns here en masse4 ,i shall cease dreaming1 ,i shall devote myself to that entirely4 ,ah6 if one could only create a ,catholic democracy60 ,father ,fourcade had become very grave4 ,his fine1 intelligent eyes filled with a dreamy expression1 and wandered far away4 ,how many times already had he himself made the creation of that new people the object of his efforts6 ,but was not the breath of a new ,messiah needed for the accomplishment of such a task8 8,yes1 yes10 he murmured1 8a ,catholic democracy2 ah6 the history of humanity would begin afresh60 ,but ,father ,massias interrupted him in a passionate voice1 saying that all the nations of the earth would end by coming2 whilst ,doctor ,bonamy1 who already detected a slight subsidence of fervour among the pilgrims1 wagged his head and expressed the opinion that the faithful ones of the ,grotto ought to increase their zeal4 ,to his mind1 success especially depended on the greatest possible measure of publicity being given to the miracles4 ,and he assumed a radiant air and laughed complacently whilst pointing to the tumultuous dfile of the sick4 8,look at them60 said he4 8,don't they go off looking better8 ,there are a great many who1 although they don't appear to be cured1 are nevertheless carrying the germs of cure away with them2 of that you may be certain6 ,ah6 the good people2 they do far more than we do all together for the glory of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes60 ,however1 he had to check himself1 for ,madame ,dieulafay was passing before them1 in her box lined with quilted silk4 ,she was deposited in front of the door of the first-class carriage1 in which a maid was already placing the luggage4 ,pity came to all who beheld the unhappy woman1 for she did not seem to have awakened from her prostration during her three days' sojourn at ,lourdes4 ,what she had been when they had removed her from the carriage on the morning of her arrival1 that she also was now when the bearers were about to place her inside it again--clad in lace1 covered with jewels1 still with the lifeless1 imbecile face of a mummy slowly liquefying2 and1 indeed1 one might have thought that she had become yet more wasted1 that she was being taken back diminished1 shrunken more and more to the proportions of a child1 by the march of that horrible disease which1 after destroying her bones1 was now dissolving the softened fibres of her muscles4 ,inconsolable1 bowed down by the loss of their last hope1 her husband and sister1 their eyes red1 were following her with ,abb ,judaine1 even as one follows a corpse to the grave4 8,no1 no6 not yet60 said the old priest to the bearers1 in order to prevent them from placing the box in the carriage4 8,she will have time enough to roll along in there4 ,let her have the warmth of that lovely sky above her till the last possible moment40 ,then1 seeing ,pierre near him1 he drew him a few steps aside1 and1 in a voice broken by grief1 resumed3 8,ah6 ,i am indeed distressed4 ,again this morning ,i had a hope4 ,i had her taken to the ,grotto1 ,i said my mass for her1 and came back to pray till eleven o'clock4 ,but nothing came of it2 the ,blessed ,virgin did not listen to me4 ,although she cured me1 a poor1 useless old man like me1 ,i could not obtain from her the cure of this beautiful1 young1 and wealthy woman1 whose life ought to be a continual fte4 ,undoubtedly the ,blessed ,virgin knows what she ought to do better than ourselves1 and ,i bow and bless her name4 ,nevertheless1 my soul is full of frightful sadness40 ,he did not tell everything2 he did not confess the thought which was upsetting him1 simple1 childish1 worthy man that he was1 whose life had never been troubled by either passion or doubt4 ,but his thought was that those poor weeping people1 the husband and the sister1 had too many millions1 that the presents they had brought were too costly1 that they had given far too much money to the ,basilica4 ,a miracle is not to be bought4 ,the wealth of the world is a hindrance rather than an advantage when you address yourself to ,god4 ,assuredly1 if the ,blessed ,virgin had turned a deaf ear to their entreaties1 had shown them but a stern1 cold countenance1 it was in order that she might the more attentively listen to the weak voices of the lowly ones who had come to her with empty hands1 with no other wealth than their love1 and these she had loaded with grace1 flooded with the glowing affection of her ,divine ,motherhood4 ,and those poor wealthy ones1 who had not been heard1 that sister and that husband1 both so wretched beside the sorry body they were taking away with them1 they themselves felt like pariahs among the throng of the humble who had been consoled or healed2 they seemed embarrassed by their very luxury1 and recoiled1 awkward and ill at ease1 covered with shame at the thought that ,our ,lady of ,lourdes had relieved beggars whilst never casting a glance upon that beautiful and powerful lady agonising unto death amidst all her lace6 ,all at once it occurred to ,pierre that he might have missed seeing ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,marie arrive1 and that they were perhaps already in the carriage4 ,he returned thither1 but there was still only his valise on the seat4 ,sister ,hyacinthe and ,sister ,claire des ,anges1 however1 had begun to install themselves1 pending the arrival of their charges1 and as ,grard just then brought up ,m4 ,sabathier in a little handcart1 ,pierre helped to place him in the carriage1 a laborious task which put both the young priest and ,grard into a perspiration4 ,the ex-professor1 who looked disconsolate though very calm1 at once settled himself in his corner4 8,thank you1 gentlemen10 said he4 8,that's over1 thank goodness4 ,and now they'll only have to take me out at ,paris40 ,after wrapping a rug round his legs1 ,madame ,sabathier1 who was also there1 got out of the carriage and remained standing near the open door4 ,she was talking to ,pierre when all at once she broke off to say3 8,ah6 here's ,madame ,maze coming to take her seat4 ,she confided in me the other day1 you know4 ,she's a very unhappy little woman40 ,then1 in an obliging spirit1 she called to her and offered to watch over her things4 ,but ,madame ,maze shook her head1 laughed1 and gesticulated as though she were out of her senses4 8,no1 no1 ,i am not going10 said she4 8,what6 you are not going back80 8,no1 no1 ,i am not going--that is1 ,i am1 but not with you1 not with you60 ,she wore such an extraordinary air1 she looked so bright1 that ,pierre and ,madame ,sabathier found it difficult to recognise her4 ,her fair1 prematurely faded face was radiant1 she seemed to be ten years younger1 suddenly aroused from the infinite sadness into which desertion had plunged her4 ,and1 at last1 her joy overflowing1 she raised a cry3 8,i am going off with him6 ,yes1 he has come to fetch me1 he is taking me with him4 ,yes1 yes1 we are going to ,luchon together1 together60 ,then1 with a rapturous glance1 she pointed out a dark1 sturdy-looking young man1 with gay eyes and bright red lips1 who was purchasing some newspapers4 8,there6 that's my husband10 said she1 8that handsome man who's laughing over there with the newspaper-girl4 ,he turned up here early this morning1 and he's carrying me off4 ,we shall take the ,toulouse train in a couple of minutes4 ,ah6 dear madame1 ,i told you of all my worries1 and you can understand my happiness1 can't you80 ,however1 she could not remain silent1 but again spoke of the frightful letter which she had received on ,sunday1 a letter in which he had declared to her that if she should take advantage of her sojourn at ,lourdes to come to ,luchon after him1 he would not open the door to her4 ,and1 think of it1 theirs had been a love match6 ,but for ten years he had neglected her1 profiting by his continual journeys as a commercial traveller to take friends about with him from one to the other end of ,france4 ,ah6 that time she had thought it all over1 she had asked the ,blessed ,virgin to let her die1 for she knew that the faithless one was at that very moment at ,luchon with two friends4 ,what was it then that had happened8 ,a thunderbolt must certainly have fallen from heaven4 ,those two friends must have received a warning from on high--perhaps they had dreamt that they were already condemned to everlasting punishment4 ,at all events they had fled one evening without a word of explanation1 and he1 unable to live alone1 had suddenly been seized with a desire to fetch his wife and keep her with him for a week4 ,grace must have certainly fallen on him1 though he did not say it1 for he was so kind and pleasant that she could not do otherwise than believe in a real beginning of conversion4 8,ah6 how grateful ,i am to the ,blessed ,virgin10 she continued2 8she alone can have acted1 and ,i well understood her last evening4 ,it seemed to me that she made me a little sign just at the very moment when my husband was making up his mind to come here to fetch me4 ,i asked him at what time it was that the idea occurred to him1 and the hours fit in exactly4 ,ah6 there has been no greater miracle4 ,the others make me smile with their mended legs and their vanished sores4 ,blessed be ,our ,lady of ,lourdes1 who has healed my heart60 ,just then the sturdy young man turned round1 and she darted away to join him1 so full of delight that she forgot to bid the others good-bye4 ,and it was at this moment1 amidst the growing crowd of patients whom the bearers were bringing1 that the ,toulouse train at last came in4 ,the tumult increased1 the confusion became extraordinary4 ,bells rang and signals worked1 whilst the station-master was seen rushing up1 shouting with all the strength of his lungs3 8,be careful there6 ,clear the line at once60 ,a railway employ had to rush from the platform to push a little vehicle1 which had been forgotten on the line1 with an old woman in it1 out of harm's way2 however1 yet another scared band of pilgrims ran across when the steaming1 growling engine was only thirty yards distant4 ,others1 losing their heads1 would have been crushed by the wheels if porters had not roughly caught them by the shoulders4 ,then1 without having pounded anybody1 the train at last stopped alongside the mattresses1 pillows1 and cushions lying hither and thither1 and the bewildered1 whirling groups of people4 ,the carriage doors opened and a torrent of travellers alighted1 whilst another torrent climbed in1 these two obstinately contending currents bringing the tumult to a climax4 ,faces1 first wearing an inquisitive expression1 and then overcome by stupefaction at the astonishing sight1 showed themselves at the windows of the doors which remained closed2 and1 among them1 one especially noticed the faces of two remarkably pretty girls1 whose large candid eyes ended by expressing the most dolorous compassion4 ,followed by her husband1 however1 ,madame ,maze had climbed into one of the carriages1 feeling as happy and buoyant as if she were in her twentieth year again1 as on the already distant evening of her honeymoon journey4 ,and the doors having been slammed1 the engine gave a loud whistle and began to move1 going off slowly and heavily between the throng1 which1 in the rear of the train1 flowed on to the lines again like an invading torrent whose flood-gates have been swept away4 8,bar the platform60 shouted the station-master to his men4 8,keep watch when the engine comes up60 ,the belated patients and pilgrims had arrived during this alert4 ,la ,grivotte passed by with her feverish eyes and excited1 dancing gait1 followed by ,elise ,rouquet and ,sophie ,couteau1 who were very gay1 and quite out of breath through running4 ,all three hastened to their carriage1 where ,sister ,hyacinthe scolded them4 ,they had almost been left behind at the ,grotto1 where1 at times1 the pilgrims lingered forgetfully1 unable to tear themselves away1 still imploring and entreating the ,blessed ,virgin1 when the train was waiting for them at the railway-station4 ,all at once ,pierre1 who likewise was anxious1 no longer knowing what to think1 perceived ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,marie quietly talking with ,abb ,judaine on the covered platform4 ,he hastened to join them1 and told them of his impatience4 8,what have you been doing80 he asked4 8,i was losing all hope40 8,what have we been doing80 responded ,m4 de ,guersaint1 with quiet astonishment4 8,we were at the ,grotto1 as you know very well4 ,there was a priest there1 preaching in a most remarkable manner1 and we should still be there if ,i hadn't remembered that we had to leave4 ,and we took a fly here1 as we promised you we would do40 ,he broke off to look at the clock4 8,but hang it all60 he added1 8there's no hurry4 ,the train won't start for another quarter of an hour40 ,this was true4 ,then ,marie1 smiling with divine joy1 exclaimed3 8,oh6 if you only knew1 ,pierre1 what happiness ,i have brought away from that last visit to the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,i saw her smile at me1 ,i felt her giving me strength to live4 ,really1 that farewell was delightful1 and you must not scold us1 ,pierre40 ,he himself had begun to smile1 somewhat ill at ease1 however1 as he thought of his nervous fidgeting4 ,had he1 then1 experienced so keen a desire to get far away from ,lourdes8 ,had he feared that the ,grotto might keep ,marie1 that she might never come away from it again8 ,now that she was there beside him1 he was astonished at having indulged such thoughts1 and felt himself to be very calm4 ,however1 whilst he was advising them to go and take their seats in the carriage1 he recognised ,doctor ,chassaigne hastily approaching4 8,ah6 my dear doctor10 he said1 8,i was waiting for you4 ,i should have been sorry indeed to have gone away without embracing you40 ,but the old doctor1 who was trembling with emotion1 interrupted him4 8,yes1 yes1 ,i am late4 ,but ten minutes ago1 just as ,i arrived1 ,i caught sight of that eccentric fellow1 the ,commander1 and had a talk with him over yonder4 ,he was sneering at the sight of your people taking the train again to go and die at home1 when1 said he1 they ought to have done so before coming to ,lourdes4 ,well1 all at once1 while he was talking like this1 he fell on the ground before me4 ,it was his third attack of paralysis2 the one he had long been expecting40 8,oh6 mon ,dieu10 murmured ,abb ,judaine1 who heard the doctor1 8he was blaspheming4 ,heaven has punished him40 ,m4 de ,guersaint and ,marie were listening1 greatly interested and deeply moved4 8,i had him carried yonder1 into that shed10 continued the doctor4 8,it is all over2 ,i can do nothing4 ,he will doubtless be dead before a quarter of an hour has gone by4 ,but ,i thought of a priest1 and hastened up to you40 ,then1 turning towards ,abb ,judaine1 ,m4 ,chassaigne added3 8,come with me1 ,monsieur le ,cur2 you know him4 ,we cannot let a ,christian depart unsuccoured4 ,perhaps he will be moved1 recognise his error1 and become reconciled with ,god40 ,abb ,judaine quickly followed the doctor1 and in the rear went ,m4 de ,guersaint1 leading ,marie and ,pierre1 whom the thought of this tragedy impassioned4 ,all five entered the goods shed1 at twenty paces from the crowd which was still bustling and buzzing1 without a soul in it expecting that there was a man dying so near by4 ,in a solitary corner of the shed1 between two piles of sacks filled with oats1 lay the ,commander1 on a mattress borrowed from the ,hospitality reserve supply4 ,he wore his everlasting frock-coat1 with its buttonhole decked with a broad red riband1 and somebody who had taken the precaution to pick up his silver-knobbed walking-stick had carefully placed it on the ground beside the mattress4 ,abb ,judaine at once leant over him4 8,you recognise us1 you can hear us1 my poor friend1 can't you80 asked the priest4 ,only the ,commander's eyes now appeared to be alive2 but they were alive1 still glittering brightly with a stubborn flame of energy4 ,the attack had this time fallen on his right side1 almost entirely depriving him of the power of speech4 ,he could only stammer a few words1 by which he succeeded in making them understand that he wished to die there1 without being moved or worried any further4 ,he had no relative at ,lourdes1 where nobody knew anything either of his former life or his family4 ,for three years he had lived there happily on the salary attached to his little post at the station1 and now he at last beheld his ardent1 his only desire1 approaching fulfilment--the desire that he might depart and fall into the eternal sleep4 ,his eyes expressed the great joy he felt at being so near his end4 8,have you any wish to make known to us80 resumed ,abb ,judaine4 8,cannot we be useful to you in any way80 ,no1 no2 his eyes replied that he was all right1 well pleased4 ,for three years past he had never got up in the morning without hoping that by night time he would be sleeping in the cemetery4 ,whenever he saw the sun shine he was wont to say in an envious tone3 8,what a beautiful day for departure60 ,and now that death was at last at hand1 ready to deliver him from his hateful existence1 it was indeed welcome4 8,i can do nothing1 science is powerless4 ,he is condemned10 said ,doctor ,chassaigne in a low1 bitter tone to the old priest1 who begged him to attempt some effort4 ,however1 at that same moment it chanced that an aged woman1 a pilgrim of fourscore years1 who had lost her way and knew not whither she was going1 entered the shed4 ,lame and humpbacked1 reduced to the stature of childhood's days1 afflicted with all the ailments of extreme old age1 she was dragging herself along with the assistance of a stick1 and at her side was slung a can full of ,lourdes water1 which she was taking away with her1 in the hope of yet prolonging her old age1 in spite of all its frightful decay4 ,for a moment her senile1 imbecile mind was quite scared4 ,she stood looking at that outstretched1 stiffened man1 who was dying4 ,then a gleam of grandmotherly kindliness appeared in the depths of her dim1 vague eyes2 and with the sisterly feelings of one who was very aged and suffered very grievously she drew nearer1 and1 taking hold of her can with her hands1 which never ceased shaking1 she offered it to the man4 ,to ,abb ,judaine this seemed like a sudden flash of light1 an inspiration from on high4 ,he1 who had prayed so fervently and so often for the cure of ,madame ,dieulafay without being heard by the ,blessed ,virgin1 now glowed with fresh faith in the conviction that if the ,commander would only drink that water he would be cured4 ,the old priest fell upon his knees beside the mattress4 8,o brother60 he said1 8it is ,god who has sent you this woman4 ,reconcile yourself with ,god1 drink and pray1 whilst we ourselves implore the divine mercy with our whole souls4 ,god will prove ,his power to you2 ,god will work the great miracle of setting you erect once more1 so that you may yet spend many years upon this earth1 loving ,him and glorifying ,him40 ,no1 no6 the ,commander's sparkling eyes cried no6 ,he1 indeed1 show himself as cowardly as those flocks of pilgrims who came from afar1 through so many fatigues1 in order to drag themselves on the ground and sob and beg ,heaven to let them live a month1 a year1 ten years longer6 ,it was so pleasant1 so simple to die quietly in your bed4 ,you turned your face to the wall and you died4 8,drink1 ,o my brother1 ,i implore you60 continued the old priest4 8,it is life that you will drink1 it is strength and health1 the very joy of living4 ,drink that you may become young again1 that you may begin a new and pious life2 drink that you may sing the praises of the ,divine ,mother1 who will have saved both your body and your soul4 ,she is speaking to me1 your resurrection is certain40 ,but no6 but no6 ,the eyes refused1 repelled the offer of life with growing obstinacy1 and in their expression now appeared a covert fear of the miraculous4 ,the ,commander did not believe2 for three years he had been shrugging his shoulders at the pretended cases of cure4 ,but could one ever tell in this strange world of ours8 ,such extraordinary things did sometimes happen4 ,and if by chance their water should really have a supernatural power1 and if by force they should make him drink some of it1 it would be terrible to have to live again--to endure once more the punishment of a galley-slave existence1 that abomination which ,lazarus--the pitiable object of the great miracle--had suffered twice4 ,no1 no1 he would not drink2 he would not incur the fearful risk of resurrection4 8,drink1 drink1 my brother10 repeated ,abb ,judaine1 who was now in tears2 8do not harden your heart to refuse the favours of ,heaven40 ,and then a terrible thing was seen2 this man1 already half dead1 raised himself1 shaking off the stifling bonds of paralysis1 loosening for a second his tied tongue1 and stammering1 growling in a hoarse voice3 8,no1 no1 ,,no60 ,pierre had to lead the stupefied old woman away and put her in the right direction again4 ,she had failed to understand that refusal of the water which she herself was taking home with her like an inestimable treasure1 the very gift of ,god's eternity to the poor who did not wish to die4 ,lame of one leg1 humpbacked1 dragging the sorry remnants of her fourscore years along by the assistance of her stick1 she disappeared among the tramping crowd1 consumed by the passion of being1 eager for space1 air1 sunshine1 and noise4 ,marie and her father had shuddered in presence of that appetite for death1 that greedy hungering for the end which the ,commander showed4 ,ah6 to sleep1 to sleep without a dream1 in the infinite darkness forever and ever--nothing in the world could have seemed so sweet to him4 ,he did not hope in a better life2 he had no desire to become happy1 at last1 in ,paradise where equality and justice would reign4 ,his sole longing was for black night and endless sleep1 the joy of being no more1 of never1 never being again4 ,and ,doctor ,chassaigne also had shuddered1 for he also nourished but one thought1 the thought of the happy moment when he would depart4 ,but1 in his case1 on the other side of this earthly existence he would find his dear lost ones awaiting him1 at the spot where eternal life began2 and how icy cold all would have seemed had he but for a single moment thought that he might not meet them there4 ,abb ,judaine painfully rose up4 ,it had seemed to him that the ,commander was now fixing his bright eyes upon ,marie4 ,deeply grieved that his entreaties should have been of no avail1 the priest wished to show the dying man an example of that goodness of ,god which he repulsed4 8,you recognise her1 do you not80 he asked4 8,yes1 it is the young lady who arrived here on ,saturday so ill1 with both legs paralysed4 ,and you see her now1 so full of health1 so strong1 so beautiful4 ,heaven has taken pity on her1 and now she is reviving to youth1 to the long life she was born to live4 ,do you feel no regret in seeing her8 ,would you also like her to be dead8 would you have advised her not to drink the water80 ,the ,commander could not answer2 but his eyes no longer strayed from ,marie's young face1 on which one read such great happiness at having resuscitated1 such vast hopes in countless morrows2 and tears appeared in those fixed eyes of his1 gathered under their lids1 and rolled down his cheeks1 which were already cold4 ,he was certainly weeping for her2 he must have been thinking of that other miracle which he had wished her--that if she should be cured1 she might be happy4 ,it was the tenderness of an old man1 who knows the miseries of this world1 stirred to pity by the thought of all the sorrows which awaited this young creature4 ,ah6 poor woman1 how many times2 perhaps1 might she regret that she had not died in her twentieth year6 ,then the ,commander's eyes grew very dim1 as though those last pitiful tears had dissolved them4 ,it was the end2 coma was coming2 the mind was departing with the breath4 ,he slightly turned1 and died4 ,doctor ,chassaigne at once drew ,marie aside4 8,the train's starting10 he said2 8make haste1 make haste60 ,indeed1 the loud ringing of a bell was clearly resounding above the growing tumult of the crowd4 ,and the doctor1 having requested two bearers to watch the body1 which would be removed later on when the train had gone1 desired to accompany his friends to their carriage4 ,they hastened their steps4 ,abb ,judaine1 who was in despair1 joined them after saying a short prayer for the repose of that rebellious soul4 ,however1 while ,marie1 followed by ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint1 was running along the platform1 she was stopped once more1 and this time by ,doctor ,bonamy1 who triumphantly presented her to ,father ,fourcade4 8,here is ,mademoiselle de ,guersaint1 your reverence1 the young lady who was healed so marvellously yesterday40 ,the radiant smile of a general who is reminded of his most decisive victory appeared on ,father ,fourcade's face4 8,i know1 ,i know2 ,i was there10 he replied4 8,god has blessed you among all women1 my dear daughter2 go1 and cause ,his name to be worshipped40 ,then he congratulated ,m4 de ,guersaint1 whose paternal pride savoured divine enjoyment4 ,it was the ovation beginning afresh--the concert of loving words and enraptured glances which had followed the girl through the streets of ,lourdes that morning1 and which again surrounded her at the moment of departure4 ,the bell might go on ringing2 a circle of delighted pilgrims still lingered around her2 it seemed as if she were carrying away in her person all the glory of the pilgrimage1 the triumph of religion1 which would echo and echo to the four corners of the earth4 ,and ,pierre was moved as he noticed the dolorous group which ,madame ,jousseur and ,m4 ,dieulafay formed near by4 ,their eyes were fixed upon ,marie2 like the others1 they were astonished by the resurrection of this beautiful girl1 whom they had seen lying inert1 emaciated1 with ashen face4 ,why should that child have been healed8 ,why not the young woman1 the dear woman1 whom they were taking home in a dying state8 ,their confusion1 their sense of shame1 seemed to increase2 they drew back1 uneasy1 like pariahs burdened with too much wealth2 and it was a great relief for them when1 three bearers having with difficulty placed ,madame ,dieulafay in the first-class compartment1 they themselves were able to vanish into it in company with ,abb ,judaine4 ,the employs were already shouting1 8,take your seats6 take your seats10 and ,father ,massias1 the spiritual director of the train1 had returned to his compartment1 leaving ,father ,fourcade on the platform leaning on ,doctor ,bonamy's shoulder4 ,in all haste ,grard and ,berthaud again saluted the ladies1 while ,raymonde got in to join ,madame ,dsagneaux and ,madame ,volmar in their corner2 and ,madame de ,jonquire at last ran off to her carriage1 which she reached at the same time as the ,guersaints4 ,there was hustling1 and shouting1 and wild running from one to the other end of the long train1 to which the engine1 a copper engine1 glittering like a star1 had just been coupled4 ,pierre was helping ,marie into the carriage1 when ,m4 ,vigneron1 coming back at a gallop1 shouted to him3 8,it'll be good to-morrow1 it'll be good tomorrow60 ,very red in the face1 he showed and waved his ticket1 and then galloped off again to the compartment where his wife and son had their seats1 in order to announce the good news to them4 ,when ,marie and her father were installed in their places1 ,pierre lingered for another moment on the platform with ,doctor ,chassaigne1 who embraced him paternally4 ,the young man wished to induce the doctor to return to ,paris and take some little interest in life again4 ,but ,m4 ,chassaigne shook his head4 8,no1 no1 my dear child10 he replied4 8,i shall remain here4 ,they are here1 they keep me here40 ,he was speaking of his dear lost ones4 ,then1 very gently and lovingly1 he said1 8,farewell40 8,not farewell1 my dear doctor2 till we meet again40 8,yes1 yes1 farewell4 ,the ,commander was right1 you know2 nothing can be so sweet as to die1 but to die in order to live again40 ,baron ,suire was now giving orders for the removal of the white flags on the foremost and hindmost carriages of the train2 the shouts of the railway employs were ringing out in more and more imperious tones1 8,take your seats6 take your seats60 and now came the supreme scramble1 the torrent of belated pilgrims rushing up distracted1 breathless1 and covered with perspiration4 ,madame de ,jonquire and ,sister ,hyacinthe were counting their party in the carriage4 ,la ,grivotte1 ,elise ,rouquet1 and ,sophie ,couteau were all three there4 ,madame ,sabathier1 too1 had taken her seat in front of her husband1 who1 with his eyes half closed1 was patiently awaiting the departure4 ,however1 a voice inquired1 8,and ,madame ,vincent1 isn't she going back with us80 ,thereupon ,sister ,hyacinthe1 who was leaning out of the window exchanging a last smile with ,ferrand1 who stood at the door of the cantine van1 exclaimed3 8,here she comes60 ,madame ,vincent crossed the lines1 rushed up1 the last of all1 breathless and haggard4 ,and at once1 by an involuntary impulse1 ,pierre glanced at her arms4 ,they carried nothing now4 ,all the doors were being closed1 slammed one after the other2 the carriages were full1 and only the signal for departure was awaited4 ,panting and smoking1 the engine gave vent to a first loud whistle1 shrill and joyous2 and at that moment the sun1 hitherto veiled from sight1 dissipated the light cloudlets and made the whole train resplendent1 gilding the engine1 which seemed on the point of starting for the legendary ,paradise4 ,no bitterness1 but a divine1 infantile gaiety attended the departure4 ,all the sick appeared to be healed4 ,though most of them were being taken away in the same condition as they had been brought1 they went off relieved and happy1 at all events1 for an hour4 ,and not the slightest jealousy tainted their brotherly and sisterly feelings2 those who were not cured waxed quite gay1 triumphant at the cure of the others4 ,their own turns would surely come2 yesterday's miracle was the formal promise of to-morrow's4 ,even after those three days of burning entreaty their fever of desire remained within them2 the faith of the forgotten ones continued as keen as ever in the conviction that the ,blessed ,virgin had simply deferred a cure for their souls' benefit4 ,inextinguishable love1 invincible hope glowed within all those wretched ones thirsting for life4 ,and so a last outburst of joy1 a turbulent display of happiness1 laughter and shouts1 overflowed from all the crowded carriages4 8,till next year6 ,we'll come back1 we'll come back again60 was the cry2 and then the gay little ,sisters of the ,assumption clapped their hands1 and the hymn of gratitude1 the 8,magnificat10 began1 sung by all the eight hundred pilgrims3 8,magnificat anima mea ,dominum40 8,my soul doth magnify the ,lord40 ,thereupon the station-master1 his mind at last at ease1 his arms hanging beside him1 caused the signal to be given4 ,the engine whistled once again and then set out1 rolling along in the dazzling sunlight as amidst a glory4 ,although his leg was causing him great suffering1 ,father ,fourcade had remained on the platform1 leaning upon ,doctor ,bonamy's shoulder1 and1 in spite of everything1 saluting the departure of his dear children with a smile4 ,berthaud1 ,grard1 and ,baron ,suire formed another group1 and near them were ,doctor ,chassaigne and ,m4 ,vigneron waving their handkerchiefs4 ,heads were looking joyously out of the windows of the fleeing carriages1 whence other handkerchiefs were streaming in the current of air produced by the motion of the train4 ,madame ,vigneron compelled ,gustave to show his pale little face1 and for a long time ,raymonde's small hand could be seen waving good wishes2 but ,marie remained the last1 looking back on ,lourdes as it grew smaller and smaller amidst the trees4 ,across the bright countryside the train triumphantly disappeared1 resplendent1 growling1 chanting at the full pitch of its eight hundred voices3 8,et exsultavit spiritus meus in ,deo salutari meo40 8,and my spirit hath rejoiced in ,god my ,saviour60 ,,iv4 ,,marie',s ,,vow ,,once more was the white train rolling1 rolling towards ,paris on its way home2 and the third-class carriage1 where the shrill voices singing the 8,magnificat0 at full pitch rose above the growling of the wheels1 had again become a common room1 a travelling hospital ward1 full of disorder1 littered like an improvised ambulance4 ,basins and brooms and sponges lay about under the seats1 which half concealed them4 ,articles of luggage1 all the wretched mass of poor worn-out things1 were heaped together1 a little bit everywhere2 and up above1 the litter began again1 what with the parcels1 the baskets1 and the bags hanging from the brass pegs and swinging to and fro without a moment's rest4 ,the same ,sisters of the ,assumption and the same lady-hospitallers were there with their patients1 amidst the contingent of healthy pilgrims1 who were already suffering from the overpowering heat and unbearable odour4 ,and at the far end there was again the compartment full of women1 the ten close-packed female pilgrims1 some young1 some old1 and all looking pitifully ugly as they violently chanted the canticle in cracked and woeful voices4 8,at what time shall we reach ,paris80 ,m4 de ,guersaint inquired of ,pierre4 8,to-morrow at about two in the afternoon1 ,i think10 the priest replied4 ,since starting1 ,marie had been looking at the latter with an air of anxious preoccupation1 as though haunted by a sudden sorrow which she could not reveal4 ,however1 she found her gay1 healthful smile again to say3 8,twenty-two hours' journey6 ,ah6 it won't be so long and trying as it was coming40 8,besides10 resumed her father1 8we have left some of our people behind4 ,we have plenty of room now40 ,in fact ,madame ,maze's absence left a corner free at the end of the seat which ,marie1 now sitting up like any other passenger1 no longer encumbered with her box4 ,moreover1 little ,sophie had this time been placed in the next compartment1 where there was neither ,brother ,isidore nor his sister ,marthe4 ,the latter1 it was said1 had remained at ,lourdes in service with a pious lady4 ,on the other side1 ,madame de ,jonquire and ,sister ,hyacinthe also had the benefit of a vacant seat1 that of ,madame ,vetu2 and it had further occurred to them to get rid of ,elise ,rouquet by placing her with ,sophie1 so that only ,la ,grivotte and the ,sabathier couple were with them in their compartment4 ,thanks to these new arrangements1 they were better able to breathe1 and perhaps they might manage to sleep a little4 ,the last verse of the 8,magnificat0 having been sung1 the ladies finished installing themselves as comfortably as possible by setting their little household in order4 ,one of the most important matters was to put the zinc water-can1 which interfered with their legs1 out of the way4 ,all the blinds of the left-hand windows had been pulled down1 for the oblique sunrays were falling on the train1 and had poured into it in sheets of fire4 ,the last storms1 however1 must have laid the dust1 and the night would certainly be cool4 ,moreover1 there was less suffering3 death had carried off the most afflicted ones1 and only stupefied ailments1 numbed by fatigue and lapsing into a slow torpor1 remained4 ,the overpowering reaction which always follows great moral shocks was about to declare itself4 ,the souls had made the efforts required of them1 the miracles had been worked1 and now the relaxing was beginning amidst a hebetude tinged with profound relief4 ,until they got to ,tarbes they were all very much occupied in setting things in order and making themselves comfortable4 ,but as they left that station ,sister ,hyacinthe rose up and clapped her hands4 8,my children10 said she1 8we must not forget the ,blessed ,virgin who has been so kind to us4 ,let us begin the ,rosary40 ,then the whole carriage repeated the first chaplet--the five joyful mysteries1 the ,annunciation1 the ,visitation1 the ,nativity1 the ,purification1 and the ,finding of ,jesus in the ,temple4 ,and afterwards they intoned the canticle1 8,let us contemplate the heavenly ,archangel10 in such loud voices that the peasants working in the fields raised their heads to look at this singing train as it rushed past them at full speed4 ,marie was at the window1 gazing with admiration at the vast landscape and the immense stretch of sky1 which had gradually freed itself of its mist and was now of a dazzling blue4 ,it was the delicious close of a fine day4 ,however1 she at last looked back into the carriage1 and her eyes were fixing themselves on ,pierre with that mute sadness which had previously dimmed them1 when all at once a sound of furious sobbing burst forth in front of her4 ,the canticle was finished1 and it was ,madame ,vincent who was crying1 stammering confused words1 half-choked by her tears3 8,ah1 my poor little one60 she gasped4 8,ah1 my jewel1 my treasure1 my life60 ,she had previously remained in her corner1 shrinking back into it as though anxious to disappear4 ,with a fierce face1 her lips tightly set1 and her eyes closed1 as though to isolate herself in the depths of her cruel grief1 she had hitherto not said a word4 ,but1 chancing to open her eyes1 she had espied the leathern window-strap hanging down beside the door1 and the sight of that strap1 which her daughter had touched1 almost played with at one moment during the previous journey1 had overwhelmed her with a frantic despair which swept away her resolution to remain silent4 8,ah6 my poor little ,rose10 she continued4 8,her little hand touched that strap1 she turned it1 and looked at it--ah1 it was her last plaything6 ,and we were there both together then2 she was still alive1 ,i still had her on my lap1 in my arms4 ,it was still so nice1 so nice6 ,but now ,i no longer have her2 ,i shall never1 never have her again1 my poor little ,rose1 my poor little ,rose60 ,distracted1 sobbing bitterly1 she looked at her knees and her arms1 on which nothing now rested1 and which she was at a loss how to employ4 ,she had so long rocked her daughter on her knees1 so long carried her in her arms1 that it now seemed to her as if some portion of her being had been amputated1 as if her body had been deprived of one of its functions1 leaving her diminished1 unoccupied1 distracted at being unable to fulfil that function any more4 ,those useless arms and knees of hers quite embarrassed her4 ,pierre and ,marie1 who were deeply moved1 had drawn near1 uttering kind words and striving to console the unhappy mother4 ,and1 little by little1 from the disconnected sentences which mingled with her sobs1 they learned what a ,calvary she had ascended since her daughter's death4 ,on the morning of the previous day1 when she had carried the body off in her arms amidst the storm1 she must have long continued walking1 blind and deaf to everything1 whilst the torrential rain beat down upon her4 ,she no longer remembered what squares she had crossed1 what streets she had traversed1 as she roamed through that infamous ,lourdes1 that ,lourdes which killed little children1 that ,lourdes which she cursed4 8,ah6 ,i can't remember1 ,i can't remember10 she faltered4 8,but some people took me in1 had pity upon me1 some people whom ,i don't know1 but who live somewhere4 ,ah6 ,i can't remember where1 but it was somewhere high up1 far away1 at the other end of the town4 ,and they were certainly very poor folk1 for ,i can still see myself in a poor-looking room with my dear little one who was quite cold1 and whom they laid upon their bed40 ,at this recollection a fresh attack of sobbing shook her1 in fact almost stifled her4 8,no1 no10 she at last resumed1 8,i would not part with her dear little body by leaving it in that abominable town4 ,and ,i can't tell exactly how it happened1 but it must have been those poor people who took me with them4 ,we did a great deal of walking1 oh6 a great deal of walking2 we saw all those gentlemen of the pilgrimage and the railway4 #8,what can it matter to you8' ,i repeated to them4 #8,let me take her back to ,paris in my arms4 ,i brought her here like that when she was alive1 ,i may surely take her back dead8 ,nobody will notice anything1 people will think that she is asleep4'0 8,and all of them1 all those officials1 began shouting and driving me away as though ,i were asking them to let me do something wicked4 ,then ,i ended by telling them my mind4 ,when people make so much fuss1 and bring so many agonising sick to a place like that1 they surely ought to send the dead ones home again1 ought they not8 ,and do you know how much money they ended by asking of me at the station8 ,three hundred francs6 ,yes1 it appears it is the price6 ,three hundred francs1 good ,lord6 of me1 who came here with thirty sous in my pocket and have only five left4 ,why1 ,i don't earn that amount of money by six months' sewing4 ,they ought to have asked me for my life2 ,i would have given it so willingly4 ,three hundred francs6 three hundred francs for that poor little bird-like body1 which it would have consoled me so much to have brought away on my knees60 ,then she began stammering and complaining in a confused1 husky voice3 8,ah1 if you only knew how sensibly those poor people talked to me to induce me to go back4 ,a work-woman like myself1 with work waiting1 ought to return to ,paris1 they said2 and1 besides1 ,i couldn't afford to sacrifice my return ticket2 ,i must take the three-forty train4 ,and they told me1 too1 that people are compelled to put up with things when they are not rich4 ,only the rich can keep their dead1 do what they like with them1 eh8 ,and ,i can't remember--no1 again ,i can't remember6 ,i didn't even know the time2 ,i should never have been able to find my way back to the station4 ,after the funeral over there1 at a place where there were two trees1 it must have been those poor people who led me away1 half out of my senses1 and brought me to the station1 and pushed me into the carriage just at the moment when the train was starting4 ,but what a rending it was--as if my heart had remained there underground1 and it is frightful1 that it is1 frightful1 my ,god60 8,poor woman60 murmured ,marie4 8,take courage1 and pray to the ,blessed ,virgin for the succour which she never refuses to the afflicted40 ,but at this ,madame ,vincent shook with rage4 8,it isn't true60 she cried4 8,the ,blessed ,virgin doesn't care a rap about me4 ,she doesn't tell the truth6 ,why did she deceive me8 ,i should never have gone to ,lourdes if ,i hadn't heard that voice in a church4 ,my little girl would still be alive1 and perhaps the doctors would have saved her4 ,i1 who would never set my foot among the priests formerly6 ,ah6 ,i was right6 ,i was right6 ,there's no ,blessed ,virgin at all60 ,and in this wise1 without resignation1 without illusion1 without hope1 she continued blaspheming with the coarse fury of a woman of the people1 shrieking the sufferings of her heart aloud in such rough fashion that ,sister ,hyacinthe had to intervene3 8,be quiet1 you unhappy woman6 ,it is ,god who is making you suffer1 to punish you40 ,the scene had already lasted a long time1 and as they passed ,riscle at full speed the ,sister again clapped her hands and gave the signal for the chanting of the 8,laudate ,mariam40 8,come1 come1 my children10 she exclaimed1 8all together1 and with all your hearts3 8,in heav'n1 on earth1 ,all voices raise1 ,in concert sing ,my ,mother's praise3 ,laudate1 laudate1 laudate ,mariam60 ,madame ,vincent1 whose voice was drowned by this canticle of love1 now only sobbed1 with her hands pressed to her face4 ,her revolt was over1 she was again strengthless1 weak like a suffering woman whom grief and weariness have stupefied4 ,after the canticle1 fatigue fell more or less heavily upon all the occupants of the carriage4 ,only ,sister ,hyacinthe1 so quick and active1 and ,sister ,claire des ,anges1 so gentle1 serious1 and slight1 retained1 as on their departure from ,paris and during their sojourn at ,lourdes1 the professional serenity of women accustomed to everything1 amidst the bright gaiety of their white coifs and wimples4 ,madame de ,jonquire1 who had scarcely slept for five days past1 had to make an effort to keep her poor eyes open2 and yet she was delighted with the journey1 for her heart was full of joy at having arranged her daughter's marriage1 and at bringing back with her the greatest of all the miracles1 a miracule whom everybody was talking of4 ,she decided in her own mind that she would get to sleep that night1 however bad the jolting might be2 though on the other hand she could not shake off a covert fear with regard to ,la ,grivotte1 who looked very strange1 excited1 and haggard1 with dull eyes1 and cheeks glowing with patches of violet colour4 ,madame de ,jonquire had tried a dozen times to keep her from fidgeting1 but had not been able to induce her to remain still1 with joined hands and closed eyes4 ,fortunately1 the other patients gave her no anxiety2 most of them were either so relieved or so weary that they were already dozing off4 ,elise ,rouquet1 however1 had bought herself a pocket mirror1 a large round one1 in which she did not weary of contemplating herself1 finding herself quite pretty1 and verifying from minute to minute the progress of her cure with a coquetry which1 now that her monstrous face was becoming human again1 made her purse her lips and try a variety of smiles4 ,as for ,sophie ,couteau1 she was playing very prettily2 for finding that nobody now asked to examine her foot1 she had taken off her shoe and stocking of her own accord1 repeating that she must surely have a pebble in one or the other of them2 and as her companions still paid no attention to that little foot which the ,blessed ,virgin had been pleased to visit1 she kept it in her hands1 caressing it1 seemingly delighted to touch it and turn it into a plaything4 ,m4 de ,guersaint had meantime risen from his seat1 and1 leaning on the low partition between the compartments1 he was glancing at ,m4 ,sabathier1 when all of a sudden ,marie called3 8,oh6 father1 father1 look at this notch in the seat2 it was the ironwork of my box that made it60 ,the discovery of this trace rendered her so happy that for a moment she forgot the secret sorrow which she seemed anxious to keep to herself4 ,and in the same way as ,madame ,vincent had burst out sobbing on perceiving the leather strap which her little girl had touched1 so she burst into joy at the sight of this scratch1 which reminded her of her long martyrdom in this same carriage1 all the abomination which had now disappeared1 vanished like a nightmare4 8,to think that four days have scarcely gone by10 she said2 8,i was lying there1 ,i could not stir1 and now1 now ,i come and go1 and feel so comfortable60 ,pierre and ,m4 de ,guersaint were smiling at her2 and ,m4 ,sabathier1 who had heard her1 slowly said3 8,it is quite true4 ,we leave a little of ourselves in things1 a little of our sufferings and our hopes1 and when we find them again they speak to us1 and once more tell us the things which sadden us or make us gay40 ,he had remained in his corner silent1 with an air of resignation1 ever since their departure from ,lourdes4 ,even his wife whilst wrapping up his legs had only been able to obtain sundry shakes of the head from him in response to her inquiries whether he was suffering4 ,in point of fact he was not suffering1 but extreme dejection was overcoming him4 8,thus for my own part10 he continued1 8during our long journey from ,paris ,i tried to divert my thoughts by counting the bands in the roofing up there4 ,there were thirteen from the lamp to the door4 ,well1 ,i have just been counting them again1 and naturally enough there are still thirteen4 ,it's like that brass knob beside me4 ,you can't imagine what dreams ,i had whilst ,i watched it shining at night-time when ,monsieur l',abb was reading the story of ,bernadette to us4 ,yes1 ,i saw myself cured2 ,i was making that journey to ,rome which ,i have been talking of for twenty years past2 ,i walked and travelled the world--briefly1 ,i had all manner of wild and delightful dreams4 ,and now here we are on our way back to ,paris1 and there are thirteen bands across the roofing there1 and the knob is still shining--all of which tells me that ,i am again on the same seat1 with my legs lifeless4 ,well1 well1 it's understood1 ,i'm a poor1 old1 used-up animal1 and such ,i shall remain40 ,two big tears appeared in his eyes2 he must have been passing through an hour of frightful bitterness4 ,however1 he raised his big square head1 with its jaw typical of patient obstinacy1 and added3 8,this is the seventh year that ,i have been to ,lourdes1 and the ,blessed ,virgin has not listened to me4 ,no matter6 ,it won't prevent me from going back next year4 ,perhaps she will at last deign to hear me40 ,for his part he did not revolt4 ,and ,pierre1 whilst chatting with him1 was stupefied to find persistent1 tenacious credulity springing up once more1 in spite of everything1 in the cultivated brain of this man of intellect4 ,what ardent desire of cure and life was it that had led to this refusal to accept evidence1 this determination to remain blind8 ,he stubbornly clung to the resolution to be saved when all human probabilities were against him1 when the experiment of the miracle itself had failed so many times already2 and he had reached such a point that he wished to explain his fresh rebuff1 urging moments of inattention at the ,grotto1 a lack of sufficient contrition1 and all sorts of little transgressions which must have displeased the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,moreover1 he was already deciding in his mind that he would perform a novena somewhere next year1 before again repairing to ,lourdes4 8,ah6 by the way10 he resumed1 8do you know of the good-luck which my substitute has had8 ,yes1 you must remember my telling you about that poor fellow suffering from tuberculosis1 for whom ,i paid fifty francs when ,i obtained hospitalisation for myself4 ,well1 he has been thoroughly cured40 8,really6 ,and he was suffering from tuberculosis60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,guersaint4 8,certainly1 monsieur1 perfectly cured ,i had seen him looking so low1 so yellow1 so emaciated1 when we started2 but when he came to pay me a visit at the hospital he was quite a new man2 and1 dear me1 ,i gave him five francs40 ,pierre had to restrain a smile1 for be had heard the story from ,doctor ,chassaigne4 ,this miraculously healed individual was a feigner1 who had eventually been recognised at the ,medical ,verification ,office4 ,it was1 apparently1 the third year that he had presented himself there1 the first time alleging paralysis and the second time a tumour1 both of which had been as completely healed as his pretended tuberculosis4 ,on each occasion he obtained an outing1 lodging and food1 and returned home loaded with alms4 ,it appeared that he had formerly been a hospital nurse1 and that he transformed himself1 8made-up0 a face suited to his pretended ailment1 in such an extremely artistic manner that it was only by chance that ,doctor ,bonamy had detected the imposition4 ,moreover1 the ,fathers had immediately required that the incident should be kept secret4 ,what was the use of stirring up a scandal which would only have led to jocular remarks in the newspapers8 ,whenever any fraudulent miracles of this kind were discovered1 the ,fathers contented themselves with forcing the guilty parties to go away4 ,moreover1 these feigners were far from numerous1 despite all that was related of them in the amusing stories concocted by ,voltairean humourists4 ,apart from faith1 human stupidity and ignorance1 alas6 were quite sufficient to account for the miracles4 ,m4 ,sabathier1 however1 was greatly stirred by the idea that ,heaven had healed this man who had gone to ,lourdes at his expense1 whereas he himself was returning home still helpless1 still in the same woeful state4 ,he sighed1 and1 despite all his resignation1 could not help saying1 with a touch of envy3 8,what would you1 however8 ,the ,blessed ,virgin must know very well what she's about4 ,neither you nor ,i can call her to account to us for her actions4 ,whenever it may please her to cast her eyes on me she will find me at her feet40 ,after the 8,angelus0 when they got to ,mont-de-,marsan1 ,sister ,hyacinthe made them repeat the second chaplet1 the five sorrowful mysteries1 ,jesus in the ,garden of ,olives1 ,jesus scourged1 ,jesus crowned with thorns1 ,jesus carrying the cross1 and ,jesus crucified4 ,then they took dinner in the carriage1 for there would be no stopping until they reached ,bordeaux1 where they would only arrive at eleven o'clock at night4 ,all the pilgrims' baskets were crammed with provisions1 to say nothing of the milk1 broth1 chocolate1 and fruit which ,sister ,saint-,franois had sent from the cantine4 ,then1 too1 there was fraternal sharing3 they sat with their food on their laps and drew close together1 every compartment becoming1 as it were1 the scene of a picnic1 to which each contributed his share4 ,and they had finished their meal and were packing up the remaining bread again when the train passed ,morceux4 8,my children10 now said ,sister ,hyacinthe1 rising up1 8the evening prayer60 ,thereupon came a confused murmuring made up of 8,paters0 and 8,aves10 self-examinations1 acts of contrition and vows of trustful reliance in ,god1 the ,blessed ,virgin1 and the ,saints1 with thanksgivings for that happy day1 and1 at last1 a prayer for the living and for the faithful departed4 8,i warn you10 then resumed the ,sister1 8that when we get to ,lamothe1 at ten o'clock1 ,i shall order silence4 ,however1 ,i think you will all be very good and won't require any rocking to get to sleep40 ,this made them laugh4 ,it was now half-past eight o'clock1 and the night had slowly covered the country-side4 ,the hills alone retained a vague trace of the twilight's farewell1 whilst a dense sheet of darkness blotted out all the low ground4 ,rushing on at full speed1 the train entered an immense plain1 and then there was nothing but a sea of darkness1 through which they ever and ever rolled under a blackish sky1 studded with stars4 ,for a moment or so ,pierre had been astonished by the demeanour of ,la ,grivotte4 ,while the other pilgrims and patients were already dozing off1 sinking down amidst the luggage1 which the constant jolting shook1 she had risen to her feet and was clinging to the partition in a sudden spasm of agony4 ,and under the pale1 yellow1 dancing gleam of the lamp she once more looked emaciated1 with a livid1 tortured face4 8,take care1 madame1 she will fall60 the priest called to ,madame de ,jonquire1 who1 with eyelids lowered1 was at last giving way to sleep4 ,she made all haste to intervene1 but ,sister ,hyacinthe had turned more quickly and caught ,la ,grivotte in her arms4 ,a frightful fit of coughing1 however1 prostrated the unhappy creature upon the seat1 and for five minutes she continued stifling1 shaken by such an attack that her poor body seemed to be actually cracking and rending4 ,then a red thread oozed from between her lips1 and at last she spat up blood by the throatful4 8,good heavens6 good heavens6 it's coming on her again60 repeated ,madame de ,jonquire in despair4 8,i had a fear of it2 ,i was not at ease1 seeing her looking so strange4 ,wait a moment2 ,i will sit down beside her40 ,but the ,sister would not consent3 8,no1 no1 madame1 sleep a little4 ,i'll watch over her4 ,you are not accustomed to it3 you would end by making yourself ill as well40 ,then she settled herself beside ,la ,grivotte1 made her rest her head against her shoulder1 and wiped the blood from her lips4 ,the attack subsided1 but weakness was coming back1 so extreme that the wretched woman was scarcely able to stammer3 8,oh1 it is nothing1 nothing at all2 ,i am cured1 ,i am cured1 completely cured60 ,pierre was thoroughly upset3 ,this sudden1 overwhelming relapse had sent an icy chill through the whole carriage4 ,many of the passengers raised themselves up and looked at ,la ,grivotte with terror in their eyes4 ,then they dived down into their corners again1 and nobody spoke1 nobody stirred any further4 ,pierre1 for his part1 reflected on the curious medical aspect of this girl's case4 ,her strength had come back to her over yonder4 ,she had displayed a ravenous appetite1 she had walked long distances with a dancing gait1 her face quite radiant the while2 and now she had spat blood1 her cough had broken out afresh1 she again had the heavy ashen face of one in the last agony4 ,her ailment had returned to her with brutal force1 victorious over everything4 ,was this1 then1 some special case of phthisis complicated by neurosis8 ,or was it some other malady1 some unknown disease1 quietly continuing its work in the midst of contradictory diagnosis8 ,the sea of error and ignorance1 the darkness amidst which human science is still struggling1 again appeared to ,pierre4 ,and he once more saw ,doctor ,chassaigne shrugging his shoulders with disdain1 whilst ,doctor ,bonamy1 full of serenity1 quietly continued his verification work1 absolutely convinced that nobody would be able to prove to him the impossibility of his miracles any more than he himself could have proved their possibility4 8,oh6 ,i am not frightened10 ,la ,grivotte continued1 stammering4 8,i am cured1 completely cured2 they all told me so1 over yonder40 ,meantime the carriage was rolling1 rolling along1 through the black night4 ,each of its occupants was making preparations1 stretching himself out in order to sleep more comfortably4 ,they compelled ,madame ,vincent to lie down on the seat1 and gave her a pillow on which to rest her poor pain-racked head2 and then1 as docile as a child1 quite stupefied1 she fell asleep in a nightmare-like torpor1 with big1 silent tears still flowing from her closed eyes4 ,elise ,rouquet1 who had a whole seat to herself1 was also getting ready to lie down1 but first of all she made quite an elaborate toilet1 tying the black wrap which had served to hide her sore about her head1 and then again peering into her glass to see if this headgear became her1 now that the swelling of her lip had subsided4 ,and again did ,pierre feel astonished at sight of that sore1 which was certainly healing1 if not already healed--that face1 so lately a monster's face1 which one could now look at without feeling horrified4 ,the sea of incertitude stretched before him once more4 ,was it even a real lupus8 ,might it not rather be some unknown form of ulcer of hysterical origin8 ,or ought one to admit that certain forms of lupus1 as yet but imperfectly studied and arising from faulty nutrition of the skin1 might be benefited by a great moral shock8 ,at all events there here seemed to be a miracle1 unless1 indeed1 the sore should reappear again in three weeks'1 three months'1 or three years' time1 like ,la ,grivotte's phthisis4 ,it was ten o'clock1 and the people in the carriage were falling asleep when they left ,lamothe4 ,sister ,hyacinthe1 upon whose knees ,la ,grivotte was now drowsily resting her head1 was unable to rise1 and1 for form's sake1 merely said1 8,silence1 silence1 my children60 in a low voice1 which died away amidst the growling rumble of the wheels4 ,however1 something continued stirring in an adjoining compartment2 she heard a noise which irritated her nerves1 and the cause of which she at last fancied she could understand4 8,why do you keep on kicking the seat1 ,sophie80 she asked4 8,you must get to sleep1 my child40 8,i'm not kicking1 ,sister4 ,it's a key that was rolling about under my foot40 8,a key6--how is that8 ,pass it to me40 ,then she examined it4 ,a very old1 poor-looking key it was--blackened1 worn away1 and polished by long use1 its ring bearing the mark of where it had been broken and resoldered4 ,however1 they all searched their pockets1 and none of them1 it seemed1 had lost a key4 8,i found it in the corner10 now resumed ,sophie2 8it must have belonged to the man40 8,what man80 asked ,sister ,hyacinthe4 8,the man who died there40 ,they had already forgotten him4 ,but it had surely been his1 for ,sister ,hyacinthe recollected that she had heard something fall while she was wiping his forehead4 ,and she turned the key over and continued looking at it1 as it lay in her hand1 poor1 ugly1 wretched key that it was1 no longer of any use1 never again to open the lock it belonged to--some unknown lock1 hidden far away in the depths of the world4 ,for a moment she was minded to put it in her pocket1 as though by a kind of compassion for this little bit of iron1 so humble and so mysterious1 since it was all that remained of that unknown man4 ,but then the pious thought came to her that it is wrong to show attachment to any earthly thing2 and1 the window being half-lowered1 she threw out the key1 which fell into the black night4 8,you must not play any more1 ,sophie10 she resumed4 8,come1 come1 my children1 silence60 ,it was only after the brief stay at ,bordeaux1 however1 at about half-past eleven o'clock1 that sleep came back again and overpowered all in the carriage4 ,madame de ,jonquire had been unable to contend against it any longer1 and her head was now resting against the partition1 her face wearing an expression of happiness amidst all her fatigue4 ,the ,sabathiers were1 in a like fashion1 calmly sleeping2 and not a sound now came from the compartment which ,sophie ,couteau and ,elise ,rouquet occupied1 stretched in front of each other1 on the seats4 ,from time to time a low plaint would rise1 a strangled cry of grief or fright1 escaping from the lips of ,madame ,vincent1 who1 amidst her prostration1 was being tortured by evil dreams4 ,sister ,hyacinthe was one of the very few who still had their eyes open1 anxious as she was respecting ,la ,grivotte1 who now lay quite motionless1 like a felled animal1 breathing painfully1 with a continuous wheezing sound4 ,from one to the other end of this travelling dormitory1 shaken by the rumbling of the train rolling on at full speed1 the pilgrims and the sick surrendered themselves to sleep1 and limbs dangled and heads swayed under the pale1 dancing gleams from the lamps4 ,at the far end1 in the compartment occupied by the ten female pilgrims1 there was a woeful jumbling of poor1 ugly faces1 old and young1 and all open-mouthed1 as though sleep had suddenly fallen upon them at the moment they were finishing some hymn4 ,great pity came to the heart at the sight of all those mournful1 weary beings1 prostrated by five days of wild hope and infinite ecstasy1 and destined to awaken1 on the very morrow1 to the stern realities of life4 ,and now ,pierre once more felt himself to be alone with ,marie4 ,she had not consented to stretch herself on the seat--she had been lying down too long1 she said1 for seven years1 alas6 ,and in order that ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who on leaving ,bordeaux had again fallen into his childlike slumber1 might be more at ease1 ,pierre came and sat down beside the girl4 ,as the light of the lamp annoyed her he drew the little screen1 and they thus found themselves in the shade1 a soft and transparent shade4 ,the train must now have been crossing a plain1 for it glided through the night as in an endless flight1 with a sound like the regular flapping of huge wings4 ,through the window1 which they had opened1 a delicious coolness came from the black fields1 the fathomless fields1 where not even any lonely little village lights could be seen gleaming4 ,for a moment ,pierre had turned towards ,marie and had noticed that her eyes were closed4 ,but he could divine that she was not sleeping1 that she was savouring the deep peacefulness which prevailed around them amidst the thundering roar of their rush through the darkness1 and1 like her1 he closed his eyelids and began dreaming4 ,yet once again did the past arise before him3 the little house at ,neuilly1 the embrace which they had exchanged near the flowering hedge under the trees flecked with sunlight4 ,how far away all that already was1 and with what perfume had it not filled his life6 ,then bitter thoughts returned to him at the memory of the day when he had become a priest4 ,since she would never be a woman1 he had consented to be a man no more2 and that was to prove their eternal misfortune1 for ironical ,nature was to make her a wife and a mother after all4 ,had he only been able to retain his faith he might have found eternal consolation in it4 ,but all his attempts to regain it had been in vain4 ,he had gone to ,lourdes1 he had striven his utmost at the ,grotto1 he had hoped for a moment that he would end by believing should ,marie be miraculously healed2 but total and irremediable ruin had come when the predicted cure had taken place even as science had foretold4 ,and their idyl1 so pure and so painful1 the long story of their affection bathed in tears1 likewise spread out before him4 ,she1 having penetrated his sad secret1 had come to ,lourdes to pray to ,heaven for the miracle of his conversion4 ,when they had remained alone under the trees amidst the perfume of the invisible roses1 during the night procession1 they had prayed one for the other1 mingling one in the other1 with an ardent desire for their mutual happiness4 ,before the ,grotto1 too1 she had entreated the ,blessed ,virgin to forget her and to save him1 if she could obtain but one favour from her ,divine ,son4 ,then1 healed1 beside herself1 transported with love and gratitude1 whirled with her little car up the inclined ways to the ,basilica1 she had thought her prayers granted1 and had cried aloud the joy she felt that they should have both been saved1 together1 together6 ,ah6 that lie which he1 prompted by affection and charity1 had told1 that error in which he had from that moment suffered her to remain1 with what a weight did it oppress his heart6 ,it was the heavy slab which walled him in his voluntarily chosen sepulchre4 ,he remembered the frightful attack of grief which had almost killed him in the gloom of the crypt1 his sobs1 his brutal revolt1 his longing to keep her for himself alone1 to possess her since he knew her to be his own--all that rising passion of his awakened manhood1 which little by little had fallen asleep again1 drowned by the rushing river of his tears2 and in order that he might not destroy the divine illusion which possessed her1 yielding to brotherly compassion1 he had taken that heroic vow to lie to her1 that vow which now filled him with such anguish4 ,pierre shuddered amidst his reverie4 ,would he have the strength to keep that vow forever8 ,had he not detected a feeling of impatience in his heart even whilst he was waiting for her at the railway station1 a jealous longing to leave that ,lourdes which she loved too well1 in the vague hope that she might again become his own1 somewhere far away8 ,if he had not been a priest he would have married her4 ,and what rapture1 what felicity would then have been his6 ,he would have given himself wholly unto her1 she would have been wholly his own1 and he and she would have lived again in the dear child that would doubtless have been born to them4 ,ah6 surely that alone was divine1 the life which is complete1 the life which creates life6 ,and then his reverie strayed3 he pictured himself married1 and the thought filled him with such delight that he asked why such a dream should be unrealisable8 ,she knew no more than a child of ten2 he would educate her1 form her mind4 ,she would then understand that this cure for which she thought herself indebted to the ,blessed ,virgin1 had in reality come to her from the ,only ,mother1 serene and impassive ,nature4 ,but even whilst he was thus settling things in his mind1 a kind of terror1 born of his religious education1 arose within him4 ,could he tell if that human happiness with which he desired to endow her would ever be worth as much as the holy ignorance1 the infantile candour in which she now lived8 ,how bitterly he would reproach himself afterwards if she should not be happy4 ,then1 too1 what a drama it would all be2 he to throw off the cassock1 and marry this girl healed by an alleged miracle--ravage her faith sufficiently to induce her to consent to such sacrilege8 ,yet therein lay the brave course2 there lay reason1 life1 real manhood1 real womanhood4 ,why1 then1 did he not dare8 ,horrible sadness was breaking upon his reverie1 he became conscious of nothing beyond the sufferings of his poor heart4 ,the train was still rolling along with its great noise of flapping wings4 ,beside ,pierre and ,marie1 only ,sister ,hyacinthe was still awake amidst the weary slumber of the carriage2 and just then1 ,marie leant towards ,pierre1 and softly said to him3 8,it's strange1 my friend2 ,i am so sleepy1 and yet ,i can't sleep40 ,then1 with a light laugh1 she added3 8,i've got ,paris in my head60 8,how is that--,paris80 8,yes1 yes4 ,i'm thinking that it's waiting for me1 that ,i am about to return to it--that ,paris which ,i know nothing of1 and where ,i shall have to live60 ,these words brought fresh anguish to ,pierre's heart4 ,he had well foreseen it2 she could no longer belong to him1 she would belong to others4 ,if ,lourdes had restored her to him1 ,paris was about to take her from him again4 ,and he pictured this ignorant little being fatally acquiring all the education of woman4 ,that little spotless soul which had remained so candid in the frame of a big girl of three-and-twenty1 that soul which illness had kept apart from others1 far from life1 far even from novels1 would soon ripen1 now that it could fly freely once more4 ,he beheld her1 a gay1 healthy young girl1 running everywhere1 looking and learning1 and1 some day1 meeting the husband who would finish her education4 8,and so10 said he1 8you propose to amuse yourself in ,paris80 8,oh6 what are you saying1 my friend8 ,are we rich enough to amuse ourselves80 she replied4 8,no1 ,i was thinking of my poor sister ,blanche1 and wondering what ,i should be able to do in ,paris to help her a little4 ,she is so good1 she works so hard2 ,i don't wish that she should have to continue earning all the money40 ,and1 after a fresh pause1 as he1 deeply moved1 remained silent1 she added3 8,formerly1 before ,i suffered so dreadfully1 ,i painted miniatures rather nicely4 ,you remember1 don't you1 that ,i painted a portrait of papa which was very like him1 and which everybody praised4 ,you will help me1 won't you8 ,you will find me customers80 ,then she began talking of the new life which she was about to live4 ,she wanted to arrange her room and hang it with cretonne1 something pretty1 with a pattern of little blue flowers4 ,she would buy it out of the first money she could save4 ,blanche had spoken to her of the big shops where things could be bought so cheaply4 ,to go out with ,blanche and run about a little would be so amusing for her1 who1 confined to her bed since childhood1 had never seen anything4 ,then ,pierre1 who for a moment had been calmer1 again began to suffer1 for he could divine all her glowing desire to live1 her ardour to see everything1 know everything1 and taste everything4 ,it was at last the awakening of the woman whom she was destined to be1 whom he had divined in childhood's days--a dear creature of gaiety and passion1 with blooming lips1 starry eyes1 a milky complexion1 golden hair1 all resplendent with the joy of being4 8,oh6 ,i shall work1 ,i shall work10 she resumed2 8but you are right1 ,pierre1 ,i shall also amuse myself1 because it cannot be a sin to be gay1 can it80 8,no1 surely not1 ,marie40 8,on ,sundays we will go into the country1 oh very far away1 into the woods where there are beautiful trees4 ,and we will sometimes go to the theatre1 too1 if papa will take us4 ,i have been told that there are many plays that one may see4 ,but1 after all1 it's not all that4 ,provided ,i can go out and walk in the streets and see things1 ,i shall be so happy2 ,i shall come home so gay4 ,it is so nice to live1 is it not1 ,pierre80 8,yes1 yes1 ,marie1 it is very nice40 ,a chill like that of death was coming over him2 his regret that he was no longer a man was filling him with agony4 ,but since she tempted him like this with her irritating candour1 why should he not confess to her the truth which was ravaging his being8 ,he would have won her1 have conquered her4 ,never had a more frightful struggle arisen between his heart and his will4 ,for a moment he was on the point of uttering irrevocable words4 ,but with the voice of a joyous child she was already resuming3 8,oh6 look at poor papa2 how pleased he must be to sleep so soundly60 ,on the seat in front of them ,m4 de ,guersaint was indeed slumbering with a comfortable expression on his face1 as though he were in his bed1 and had no consciousness of the continual jolting of the train4 ,this monotonous rolling and heaving seemed1 in fact1 a lullaby rocking the whole carriage to sleep4 ,all surrendered themselves to it1 sinking powerless on to the piles of bags and parcels1 many of which had also fallen2 and the rhythmical growling of the wheels never ceased in the unknown darkness through which the train was still rolling4 ,now and again1 as they passed through a station or under a bridge1 there would be a loud rush of wind1 a tempest would suddenly sweep by2 and then the lulling1 growling sound would begin again1 ever the same for hours together4 ,marie gently took hold of ,pierre's hands2 he and she were so lost1 so completely alone among all those prostrated beings1 in the deep1 rumbling peacefulness of the train flying across the black night4 ,and sadness1 the sadness which she had hitherto hidden1 had again come back to her1 casting a shadow over her large blue eyes4 8,you will often come with us1 my good ,pierre1 won't you80 she asked4 ,he had started on feeling her little hand pressing his own4 ,his heart was on his lips1 he was making up his mind to speak4 ,however1 he once again restrained himself and stammered3 8,i am not always at liberty1 ,marie2 a priest cannot go everywhere40 8,a priest80 she repeated4 8,yes1 yes1 a priest4 ,i understand40 ,then it was she who spoke1 who confessed the mortal secret which had been oppressing her heart ever since they had started4 ,she leant nearer1 and in a lower voice resumed3 8,listen1 my good ,pierre2 ,i am fearfully sad4 ,i may look pleased1 but there is death in my soul4 ,you did not tell me the truth yesterday40 ,he became quite scared1 but did not at first understand her4 8,i did not tell you the truth--,about what80 he asked4 ,a kind of shame restrained her1 and she again hesitated at the moment of descending into the depths of another conscience than her own4 ,then1 like a friend1 a sister1 she continued3 8,no1 you let me believe that you had been saved with me1 and it was not true1 ,pierre1 you have not found your lost faith again40 ,good ,lord6 she knew4 ,for him this was desolation1 such a catastrophe that he forgot his torments4 ,and1 at first1 he obstinately clung to the falsehood born of his fraternal charity4 8,but ,i assure you1 ,marie4 ,how can you have formed such a wicked idea80 8,oh6 be quiet1 my friend1 for pity's sake4 ,it would grieve me too deeply if you were to speak to me falsely again4 ,it was yonder1 at the station1 at the moment when we were starting1 and that unhappy man had died4 ,good ,abb ,judaine had knelt down to pray for the repose of that rebellious soul4 ,and ,i divined everything1 ,i understood everything when ,i saw that you did not kneel as well1 that prayer did not rise to your lips as to his40 8,but1 really1 ,i assure you1 ,marie--0 8,no1 no1 you did not pray for the dead2 you no longer believe4 ,and besides1 there is something else2 something ,i can guess1 something which comes to me from you1 a despair which you can't hide from me1 a melancholy look which comes into your poor eyes directly they meet mine4 ,the ,blessed ,virgin did not grant my prayer1 she did not restore your faith1 and ,i am very1 very wretched40 ,she was weeping1 a hot tear fell upon the priest's hand1 which she was still holding4 ,it quite upset him1 and he ceased struggling1 confessing1 in his turn letting his tears flow1 whilst1 in a very low voice1 he stammered3 8,ah6 ,marie1 ,i am very wretched also4 ,oh6 so very wretched40 ,for a moment they remained silent1 in their cruel grief at feeling that the abyss which parts different beliefs was yawning between them4 ,they would never belong to one another again1 and they were in despair at being so utterly unable to bring themselves nearer to one another2 but the severance was henceforth definitive1 since ,heaven itself had been unable to reconnect the bond4 ,and thus1 side by side1 they wept over their separation4 8,i who prayed so fervently for your conversion10 she said in a dolorous voice1 8,i who was so happy4 ,it had seemed to me that your soul was mingling with mine2 and it was so delightful to have been saved together1 together4 ,i felt such strength for life2 oh1 strength enough to raise the world60 ,he did not answer2 his tears were still flowing1 flowing without end4 8,and to think10 she resumed1 8that ,i was saved all alone2 that this great happiness fell upon me without you having any share in it4 ,and to see you so forsaken1 so desolate1 when ,i am loaded with grace and joy1 rends my heart4 ,ah6 how severe the ,blessed ,virgin has been6 ,why did she not heal your soul at the same time that she healed my body80 ,the last opportunity was presenting itself2 he ought to have illumined this innocent creature's mind with the light of reason1 have explained the miracle to her1 in order that life1 after accomplishing its healthful work in her body1 might complete its triumph by throwing them into one another's arms4 ,he also was healed1 his mind was healthy now1 and it was not for the loss of faith1 but for the loss of herself1 that he was weeping4 ,however1 invincible compassion was taking possession of him amidst all his grief4 ,no1 no1 he would not trouble that dear soul2 he would not rob her of her belief1 which some day might prove her only stay amidst the sorrows of this world4 ,one cannot yet require of children and women the bitter heroism of reason4 ,he had not the strength to do it2 he even thought that he had not the right4 ,it would have seemed to him violation1 abominable murder4 ,and he did not speak out1 but his tears flowed1 hotter and hotter1 in this immolation of his love1 this despairing sacrifice of his own happiness in order that she might remain candid and ignorant and gay at heart4 8,oh1 ,marie1 how wretched ,i am6 ,nowhere on the roads1 nowhere at the galleys even1 is there a man more wretched than myself6 ,oh1 ,marie1 if you only knew2 if you only knew how wretched ,i am60 ,she was distracted1 and caught him in her trembling arms1 wishing to console him with a sisterly embrace4 ,and at that moment the woman awaking within her understood everything1 and she herself sobbed with sorrow that both human and divine will should thus part them4 ,she had never yet reflected on such things1 but suddenly she caught a glimpse of life1 with its passions1 its struggles1 and its sufferings2 and then1 seeking for what she might say to soothe in some degree that broken heart1 she stammered very faintly1 distressed that she could find nothing sweet enough1 8,i know1 ,i know--0 ,then the words it was needful she should speak came to her2 and as though that which she had to say ought only to be heard by the angels1 she became anxious and looked around her4 ,but the slumber which reigned in the carriage seemed more heavy even than before4 ,her father was still sleeping1 with the innocent look of a big child4 ,not one of the pilgrims1 not one of the ailing ones1 had stirred amidst the rough rocking which bore them onward4 ,even ,sister ,hyacinthe1 giving way to her overpowering weariness1 had just closed her eyes1 after drawing the lamp-screen in her own compartment4 ,and now there were only vague shadows there1 ill-defined bodies amidst nameless things1 ghostly forms scarce visible1 which a tempest blast1 a furious rush1 was carrying on and on through the darkness4 ,and she likewise distrusted that black country-side whose unknown depths went by on either side of the train without one even being able to tell what forests1 what rivers1 what hills one was crossing4 ,a short time back some bright sparks of light had appeared1 possibly the lights of some distant forges1 or the woeful lamps of workers or sufferers4 ,now1 however1 the night again streamed deeply all around1 the obscure1 infinite1 nameless sea1 farther and farther through which they ever went1 not knowing where they were4 ,then1 with a chaste confusion1 blushing amidst her tears1 ,marie placed her lips near ,pierre's ear4 8,listen1 my friend2 there is a great secret between the ,blessed ,virgin and myself4 ,i had sworn that ,i would never tell it to anybody4 ,but you are too unhappy1 you are suffering too bitterly2 she will forgive me2 ,i will confide it to you40 ,and in a faint breath she went on3 8,during that night of love1 you know1 that night of burning ecstasy which ,i spent before the ,grotto1 ,i engaged myself by a vow3 ,i promised the ,blessed ,virgin the gift of my chastity if she would but heal me4444 ,she has healed me1 and never--you hear me1 ,pierre1 never will ,i marry anybody40 ,ah6 what unhoped-for sweetness6 ,he thought that a balmy dew was falling on his poor wounded heart4 ,it was a divine enchantment1 a delicious relief4 ,if she belonged to none other she would always be a little bit his own4 ,and how well she had known his torment and what it was needful she should say in order that life might yet be possible for him4 ,in his turn he wished to find happy words and promise that he also would ever be hers1 ever love her as he had loved her since childhood1 like the dear creature she was1 whose one kiss1 long1 long ago1 had sufficed to perfume his entire life4 ,but she made him stop1 already anxious1 fearing to spoil that pure moment4 8,no1 no1 my friend10 she murmured1 8let us say nothing more2 it would be wrong1 perhaps4 ,i am very weary2 ,i shall sleep quietly now40 ,and1 with her head against his shoulder1 she fell asleep at once1 like a sister who is all confidence4 ,he for a moment kept himself awake in that painful happiness of renunciation which they had just tasted together4 ,it was all over1 quite over now2 the sacrifice was consummated4 ,he would live a solitary life1 apart from the life of other men4 ,never would he know woman1 never would any child be born to him4 ,and there remained to him only the consoling pride of that accepted and desired suicide1 with the desolate grandeur that attaches to lives which are beyond the pale of nature4 ,but fatigue overpowered him also2 his eyes closed1 and in his turn he fell asleep4 ,and afterwards his head slipped down1 and his cheek touched the cheek of his dear friend1 who was sleeping very gently with her brow against his shoulder4 ,then their hair mingled4 ,she had her golden hair1 her royal hair1 half unbound1 and it streamed over his face1 and he dreamed amidst its perfume4 ,doubtless the same blissful dream fell upon them both1 for their loving faces assumed the same expression of rapture2 they both seemed to be smiling to the angels4 ,it was chaste and passionate abandon1 the innocence of chance slumber placing them in one another's arms1 with warm1 close lips so that their breath mingled1 like the breath of two babes lying in the same cradle4 ,and such was their bridal night1 the consummation of the spiritual marriage in which they were to live1 a delicious annihilation born of extreme fatigue1 with scarcely a fleeting dream of mystical possession1 amidst that carriage of wretchedness and suffering1 which still and ever rolled along through the dense night4 ,hours and hours slipped by1 the wheels growled1 the bags and baskets swung from the brass hooks1 whilst from the piled-up1 crushed bodies there only arose a sense of terrible fatigue1 the great physical exhaustion brought back from the land of miracles when the overworked souls returned home4 ,at last1 at five o'clock1 whilst the sun was rising1 there was a sudden awakening1 a resounding entry into a large station1 with porters calling1 doors opening1 and people scrambling together4 ,they were at ,poitiers1 and at once the whole carriage was on foot1 amidst a chorus of laughter and exclamations4 ,little ,sophie ,couteau alighted here1 and was bidding everybody farewell4 ,she embraced all the ladies1 even passing over the partition to take leave of ,sister ,claire des ,anges1 whom nobody had seen since the previous evening1 for1 silent and slight of build1 with eyes full of mystery1 she had vanished into her corner4 ,then the child came back again1 took her little parcel1 and showed herself particularly amiable towards ,sister ,hyacinthe and ,madame de ,jonquire4 8,au revoir1 ,sister6 ,au revoir1 madame6 ,i thank you for all your kindness40 8,you must come back again next year1 my child40 8,oh1 ,i sha'n't fail1 ,sister2 it's my duty40 8,and be good1 my dear child1 and take care of your health1 so that the ,blessed ,virgin may be proud of you40 8,to be sure1 madame1 she was so good to me1 and it amuses me so much to go to see her40 ,when she was on the platform1 all the pilgrims in the carriage leaned out1 and with happy faces watched her go off4 8,till next year60 they called to her2 8till next year60 8,yes1 yes1 thank you kindly4 ,till next year40 ,the morning prayer was only to be said at ,chatelherault4 ,after the stoppage at ,poitiers1 when the train was once more rolling on in the fresh breeze of morning1 ,m4 de ,guersaint gaily declared that he had slept delightfully1 in spite of the hardness of the seat4 ,madame de ,jonquire also congratulated herself on the good rest which she had had1 and of which she had been in so much need2 though1 at the same time1 she was somewhat annoyed at having left ,sister ,hyacinthe all alone to watch over ,la ,grivotte1 who was now shivering with intense fever1 again attacked by her horrible cough4 ,meanwhile the other female pilgrims were tidying themselves4 ,the ten women at the far end were fastening their fichus and tying their cap strings1 with a kind of modest nervousness displayed on their mournfully ugly faces4 ,and ,elise ,rouquet1 all attention1 with her face close to her pocket glass1 did not cease examining her nose1 mouth1 and cheeks1 admiring herself with the thought that she was really and truly becoming nice-looking4 ,and it was then that ,pierre and ,marie again experienced a feeling of deep compassion on glancing at ,madame ,vincent1 whom nothing had been able to rouse from a state of torpor1 neither the tumultuous stoppage at ,poitiers1 nor the noise of voices which had continued ever since they had started off again4 ,prostrate on the seat1 she had not opened her eyes1 but still and ever slumbered1 tortured by atrocious dreams4 ,and1 with big tears still streaming from her closed eyes1 she had caught hold of the pillow which had been forced upon her1 and was closely pressing it to her breast in some nightmare born of her suffering4 ,her poor arms1 which had so long carried her dying daughter1 her arms now unoccupied1 forever empty1 had found this cushion whilst she slept1 and had coiled around them1 as around a phantom1 with a blind and frantic embrace4 ,on the other hand1 ,m4 ,sabathier had woke up feeling quite joyous4 ,whilst his wife was pulling up his rug1 carefully wrapping it round his lifeless legs2 he began to chat with sparkling eyes1 once more basking in illusion4 ,he had dreamt of ,lourdes1 said he1 and had seen the ,blessed ,virgin leaning towards him with a smile of kindly promise4 ,and then1 although he had before him both ,madame ,vincent1 that mother whose daughter the ,virgin had allowed to die1 and ,la ,grivotte1 the wretched woman whom she had healed and who had so cruelly relapsed into her mortal disease1 he nevertheless rejoiced and made merry1 repeating to ,m4 de ,guersaint1 with an air of perfect conviction3 8,oh6 ,i shall return home quite easy in mind1 monsieur--,i shall be cured next year4 ,yes1 yes1 as that dear little girl said just now3 #8,till next year1 till next year6'0 ,it was indestructible illusion1 victorious even over certainty1 eternal hope determined not to die1 but shooting up with more life than ever1 after each defeat1 upon the ruins of everything4 ,at ,chatelherault1 ,sister ,hyacinthe made them say the morning prayer1 the 8,pater10 the 8,ave10 the 8,credo10 and an appeal to ,god begging ,him for the happiness of a glorious day3 8,o ,god1 grant me sufficient strength that ,i may avoid all that is evil1 do all that is good1 and suffer without complaint every pain40 ,v4 ,,the ,,death ,,op ,,bernadette--,,the ,,new ,,religion ,,and the journey continued2 the train rolled1 still rolled along4 ,at ,sainte-,maure the prayers of the mass were said1 and at ,sainte-,pierre-des-,corps the 8,credo0 was chanted4 ,however1 the religious exercises no longer proved so welcome2 the pilgrims' zeal was flagging somewhat in the increasing fatigue of their return journey1 after such prolonged mental excitement4 ,it occurred to ,sister ,hyacinthe that the happiest way of entertaining these poor worn-out folks would be for someone to read aloud2 and she promised that she would allow ,monsieur l',abb to read them the finish of ,bernadette's life1 some of the marvellous episodes of which he had already on two occasions related to them4 ,however1 they must wait until they arrived at ,les ,aubrais2 there would be nearly two hours between ,les ,aubrais and ,etampes1 ample time to finish the story without being disturbed4 ,then the various religious exercises followed one after the other1 in a monotonous repetition of the order which had been observed whilst they crossed the same plains on their way to ,lourdes4 ,they again began the ,rosary at ,amboise1 where they said the first chaplet1 the five joyful mysteries2 then1 after singing the canticle1 8,o loving ,mother1 bless10 at ,blois1 they recited the second chaplet1 the five sorrowful mysteries1 at ,beaugency4 ,some little fleecy clouds had veiled the sun since morning1 and the landscapes1 very sweet and somewhat sad1 flew by with a continuous fan-like motion4 ,the trees and houses on either side of the line disappeared in the grey light with the fleetness of vague visions1 whilst the distant hills1 enveloped in mist1 vanished more slowly1 with the gentle rise and fall of a swelling sea4 ,between ,beaugency and ,les ,aubrais the train seemed to slacken speed1 though it still kept up its rhythmical1 persistent rumbling1 which the deafened pilgrims no longer even heard4 ,at length1 when ,les ,aubrais had been left behind1 they began to lunch in the carriage4 ,it was then a quarter to twelve1 and when they had said the 8,angelus10 and the three 8,aves0 had been thrice repeated1 ,pierre took from ,marie's bag the little book whose blue cover was ornamented with an artless picture of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,sister ,hyacinthe clapped her hands as a signal for silence1 and amidst general wakefulness and ardent curiosity like that of big children impassioned by the marvellous story1 the priest was able to begin reading in his fine1 penetrating voice4 ,now came the narrative of ,bernadette's sojourn at ,nevers1 and then her death there4 ,pierre1 however1 as on the two previous occasions1 soon ceased following the exact text of the little book1 and added charming anecdotes of his own1 both what he knew and what he could divine2 and1 for himself alone1 he again evolved the true story1 the human1 pitiful story1 that which none had ever told1 but which he felt so deeply4 ,it was on the #hth ,july1 #ahff1 that ,bernadette left ,lourdes4 ,she went to take the veil at ,nevers1 in the convent of ,saint-,gildard1 the chief habitation of the ,sisters on duty at the ,asylum where she had learnt to read and had been living for eight years4 ,she was then twenty-two years of age1 and it was eight years since the ,blessed ,virgin had appeared to her4 ,and her farewells to the ,grotto1 to the ,basilica1 to the whole town which she loved1 were watered with tears4 ,but she could no longer remain there1 owing to the continuous persecution of public curiosity1 the visits1 the homage1 and the adoration paid to her1 from which1 on account of her delicate health1 she suffered cruelly4 ,her sincere humility1 her timid love of shade and silence1 had at last produced in her an ardent desire to disappear1 to hide her resounding glory--the glory of one whom heaven had chosen and whom the world would not leave in peace--in the depth of some unknown darkness2 and she longed only for simple-mindedness1 for a quiet humdrum life devoted to prayer and petty daily occupations4 ,her departure was therefore a relief both to her and to the ,grotto1 which she was beginning to embarrass with her excessive innocence and burdensome complaints4 ,at ,nevers1 ,saint-,gildard ought to have proved a paradise4 ,she there found fresh air1 sunshine1 spacious apartments1 and an extensive garden planted with fine trees4 ,yet she did not enjoy peace1--that utter forgetfulness of the world for which one flees to the far-away desert4 ,scarcely twenty days after her arrival1 she donned the garb of the ,order and assumed the name of ,sister ,marie-,bernard1 for the time simply engaging herself by partial vows4 ,however1 the world still flocked around her1 the persecution of the multitude began afresh4 ,she was pursued even into the cloister through an irresistible desire to obtain favours from her saintly person4 ,ah6 to see her1 touch her1 become lucky by gazing on her or surreptitiously rubbing some medal against her dress4 ,it was the credulous passion of fetishism1 a rush of believers pursuing this poor beatified being in the desire which each felt to secure a share of hope and divine illusion4 ,she wept at it with very weariness1 with impatient revolt1 and often repeated3 8,why do they torment me like this8 ,what more is there in me than in others80 ,and at last she felt real grief at thus becoming 8the raree-show10 as she ended by calling herself with a sad1 suffering smile4 ,she defended herself as far as she could1 refusing to see anyone4 ,her companions defended her also1 and sometimes very sternly1 showing her only to such visitors as were authorised by the ,bishop4 ,the doors of the ,convent remained closed1 and ecclesiastics almost alone succeeded in effecting an entrance4 ,still1 even this was too much for her desire for solitude1 and she often had to be obstinate1 to request that the priests who had called might be sent away1 weary as she was of always telling the same story1 of ever answering the same questions4 ,she was incensed1 wounded1 on behalf of the ,blessed ,virgin herself4 ,still1 she sometimes had to yield1 for the ,bishop in person would bring great personages1 dignitaries1 and prelates2 and she would then appear with her grave air1 answering politely and as briefly as possible2 only feeling at ease when she was allowed to return to her shadowy corner4 ,never1 indeed1 had distinction weighed more heavily on a mortal4 ,one day1 when she was asked if she was not proud of the continual visits paid her by the ,bishop1 she answered simply3 8,monseigneur does not come to see me1 he comes to show me40 ,on another occasion some princes of the ,church1 great militant ,catholics1 who wished to see her1 were overcome with emotion and sobbed before her2 but1 in her horror of being shown1 in the vexation they caused her simple mind1 she left them without comprehending1 merely feeling very weary and very sad4 ,at length1 however1 she grew accustomed to ,saint-,gildard1 and spent a peaceful existence there1 engaged in avocations of which she became very fond4 ,she was so delicate1 so frequently ill1 that she was employed in the infirmary4 ,in addition to the little assistance she rendered there1 she worked with her needle1 with which she became rather skilful1 embroidering albs and altar-cloths in a delicate manner4 ,but at times she1 would lose all strength1 and be unable to do even this light work4 ,when she was not confined to her bed she spent long days in an easy-chair1 her only diversion being to recite her rosary or to read some pious work4 ,now that she had learnt to read1 books interested her1 especially the beautiful stories of conversion1 the delightful legends in which saints of both sexes appear1 and the splendid and terrible dramas in which the devil is baffled and cast back into hell4 ,but her great favourite1 the book at which she continually marvelled1 was the ,bible1 that wonderful ,new ,testament of whose perpetual miracle she never wearied4 ,she remembered the ,bible at ,bartres1 that old book which had been in the family a hundred years1 and whose pages had turned yellow2 she could again see her foster-father slip a pin between the leaves to open the book at random1 and then read aloud from the top of the right-hand page2 and even at that time she had already known those beautiful stories so well that she could have continued repeating the narrative by heart1 whatever might be the passage at which the perusal had ceased4 ,and now that she read the book herself1 she found in it a constant source of surprise1 an ever-increasing delight4 ,the story of the ,passion particularly upset her1 as though it were some extraordinary tragical event that had happened only the day before4 ,she sobbed with pity2 it made her poor suffering body quiver for hours4 ,mingled with her tears1 perhaps1 there was the unconscious dolour of her own passion1 the desolate ,calvary which she also had been ascending ever since her childhood4 ,when ,bernadette was well and able to perform her duties in the infirmary1 she bustled about1 filling the building with childish liveliness4 ,until her death she remained an innocent1 infantile being1 fond of laughing1 romping1 and play4 ,she was very little1 the smallest ,sister of the community1 so that her companions always treated her somewhat like a child4 ,her face grew long and hollow1 and lost its bloom of youth2 but she retained the pure divine brightness of her eyes1 the beautiful eyes of a visionary1 in which1 as in a limpid sky1 you detected the flight of her dreams4 ,as she grew older and her sufferings increased1 she became somewhat sour-tempered and violent1 cross-grained1 anxious1 and at times rough2 little imperfections which after each attack filled her with remorse4 ,she would humble herself1 think herself damned1 and beg pardon of everyone4 ,but1 more frequently1 what a good little daughter of ,providence she was6 ,she became lively1 alert1 quick at repartee1 full of mirth-provoking remarks1 with a grace quite her own1 which made her beloved4 ,in spite of her great devotion1 although she spent days in prayer1 she was not at all bigoted or over-exacting with regard to others1 but tolerant and compassionate4 ,in fact1 no nun was ever so much a woman1 with distinct features1 a decided personality1 charming even in its puerility4 ,and this gift of childishness which she had retained1 the simple innocence of the child she still was1 also made children love her1 as though they recognised in her one of themselves4 ,they all ran to her1 jumped upon her lap1 and passed their tiny arms round her neck1 and the garden would then fill with the noise of joyous games1 races1 and cries2 and it was not she who ran or cried the least1 so happy was she at once more feeling herself a poor unknown little girl as in the far-away days of ,bartres6 ,later on it was related that a mother had one day brought her paralysed child to the convent for the saint to touch and cure it4 ,the woman sobbed so much that the ,superior ended by consenting to make the attempt4 ,however1 as ,bernadette indignantly protested whenever she was asked to perform a miracle1 she was not forewarned1 but simply called to take the sick child to the infirmary4 ,and she did so1 and when she stood the child on the ground it walked4 ,it was cured4 ,ah6 how many times must ,bartres and her free childhood spent watching her lambs--the years passed among the hills1 in the long grass1 in the leafy woods--have returned to her during the hours she gave to her dreams when weary of praying for sinners6 ,no one then fathomed her soul1 no one could say if involuntary regrets did not rend her wounded heart4 ,one day she spoke some words1 which her historians have preserved1 with the view of making her passion more touching4 ,cloistered far away from her mountains1 confined to a bed of sickness1 she exclaimed3 8,it seems to me that ,i was made to live1 to act1 to be ever on the move1 and yet the ,lord will have me remain motionless40 ,what a revelation1 full of terrible testimony and immense sadness6 ,why should the ,lord wish that dear being1 all grace and gaiety1 to remain motionless8 ,could she not have honoured ,him equally well by living the free1 healthy life that she had been born to live8 ,and would she not have done more to increase the world's happiness and her own if1 instead of praying for sinners1 her constant occupation1 she had given her love to the husband who might have been united to her and to the children who might have been born to her8 ,she1 so gay and so active1 would1 on certain evenings1 become extremely depressed4 ,she turned gloomy and remained wrapped in herself1 as though overcome by excess of pain4 ,no doubt the cup was becoming too bitter4 ,the thought of her life's perpetual renunciation was killing her4 ,did ,bernadette often think of ,lourdes whilst she was at ,saint-,gildard8 ,what knew she of the triumph of the ,grotto1 of the prodigies which were daily transforming the land of miracles8 ,these questions were never thoroughly elucidated4 ,her companions were forbidden to talk to her of such matters1 which remained enveloped in absolute1 continual silence4 ,she herself did not care to speak of them2 she kept silent with regard to the mysterious past1 and evinced no desire to know the present1 however triumphant it might be4 ,but all the same did not her heart1 in imagination1 fly away to the enchanted country of her childhood1 where lived her kith and kin1 where all her life-ties had been formed1 where she had left the most extraordinary dream that ever human being dreamt8 ,surely she must have sometimes travelled the beautiful journey of memory1 she must have known the main features of the great events that had taken place at ,lourdes4 ,what she most dreaded was to go there herself1 and1 she always refused to do so1 knowing full well that she could not remain unrecognised1 and fearful of meeting the crowds whose adoration awaited her4 ,what glory would have been hers had she been headstrong1 ambitious1 domineering6 ,she would have returned to the holy spot of her visions1 have worked miracles there1 have become a priestess1 a female pope1 with the infallibility and sovereignty of one of the elect1 a friend of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,but the ,fathers never really feared this1 although express orders had been given to withdraw her from the world for her salvation's sake4 ,in reality they were easy1 for they knew her1 so gentle and so humble in her fear of becoming divine1 in her ignorance of the colossal machine which she had put in motion1 and the working of which would have made her recoil with affright had she understood it4 ,no1 no6 that was no longer her land1 that place of crowds1 of violence and trafficking4 ,she would have suffered too much there1 she would have been out of her element1 bewildered1 ashamed4 ,and so1 when pilgrims bound thither asked her with a smile1 8,will you come with us80 she shivered slightly1 and then hastily replied1 8,no1 no6 but how ,i should like to1 were ,i a little bird60 ,her reverie alone was that little travelling bird1 with rapid flight and noiseless wings1 which continually went on pilgrimage to the ,grotto4 ,in her dreams1 indeed1 she must have continually lived at ,lourdes1 though in the flesh she had not even gone there for either her father's or her mother's funeral4 ,yet she loved her kin2 she was anxious to procure work for her relations who had remained poor1 and she had insisted on seeing her eldest brother1 who1 coming to ,nevers to complain1 had been refused admission to the convent4 ,however1 he found her weary and resigned1 and she did not ask him a single question about ,new ,lourdes1 as though that rising town were no longer her own4 ,the year of the crowning of the ,virgin1 a priest whom she had deputed to pray for her before the ,grotto came back and told her of the never-to-be forgotten wonders of the ceremony1 the hundred thousand pilgrims who had flocked to it1 and the five-and-thirty bishops in golden vestments who had assembled in the resplendent ,basilica4 ,whilst listening1 she trembled with her customary little quiver of desire and anxiety4 ,and when the priest exclaimed1 8,ah6 if you had only seen that pomp60 she answered3 8,me6 ,i was much better here in my little corner in the infirmary40 ,they had robbed her of her glory2 her work shone forth resplendently amidst a continuous hosanna1 and she only tasted joy in forgetfulness1 in the gloom of the cloister1 where the opulent farmers of the ,grotto forgot her4 ,it was never the re-echoing solemnities that prompted her mysterious journeys2 the little bird of her soul only winged its lonesome flight to ,lourdes on days of solitude1 in the peaceful hours when no one could there disturb its devotions4 ,it was before the wild primitive ,grotto that she returned to kneel1 amongst the bushy eglantine1 as in the days when the ,gave was not walled in by a monumental quay4 ,and it was the old town that she visited at twilight1 when the cool1 perfumed breezes came down from the mountains1 the old painted and gilded semi-,spanish church where she had made her first communion1 the old ,asylum so full of suffering where during eight years she had grown accustomed to solitude--all that poor1 innocent old town1 whose every paving-stone awoke old affections in her memory's depths4 ,and did ,bernadette ever extend the pilgrimage of her dreams as far as ,bartres8 ,probably1 at times when she sat in her invalid-chair and let some pious book slip from her tired hands1 and closed her eyes1 ,bartres did appear to her1 lighting up the darkness of her view4 ,the little antique ,romanesque church with sky-blue nave and blood-red altar screens stood there amidst the tombs of the narrow cemetery4 ,then she would find herself once more in the house of the ,lagues1 in the large room on the left1 where the fire was burning1 and where1 in winter-time1 such wonderful stories were told whilst the big clock gravely ticked the hours away4 ,at times the whole countryside spread out before her1 meadows without end1 giant chestnut-trees beneath which you lost yourself1 deserted table-lands whence you descried the distant mountains1 the ,pic du ,midi and the ,pic de ,viscos soaring aloft as airy and as rose-coloured as dreams1 in a paradise such as the legends have depicted4 ,and afterwards1 afterwards came her free childhood1 when she scampered off whither she listed in the open air1 her lonely1 dreamy thirteenth year1 when with all the joy of living she wandered through the immensity of nature4 ,and now1 too1 perhaps1 she again beheld herself roaming in the tall grass among the hawthorn bushes beside the streams on a warm sunny day in ,june4 ,did she not picture herself grown1 with a lover of her own age1 whom she would have loved with all the simplicity and affection of her heart8 ,ah6 to be a child again1 to be free1 unknown1 happy once more1 to love afresh1 and to love differently6 ,the vision must have passed confusedly before her--a husband who worshipped her1 children gaily growing up around her1 the life that everybody led1 the joys and sorrows that her own parents had known1 and which her children would have had to know in their turn4 ,but little by little all vanished1 and she again found herself in her chair of suffering1 imprisoned between four cold walls1 with no other desire than a longing one for a speedy death1 since she had been denied a share of the poor common happiness of this world4 ,bernadette's ailments increased each year4 ,it was1 in fact1 the commencement of her passion1 the passion of this new child-,messiah1 who had come to bring relief to the unhappy1 to announce to mankind the religion of divine justice and equality in the face of miracles which flouted the laws of impassible nature4 ,if she now rose it was only to drag herself from chair to chair for a few days at a time1 and then she would have a relapse and be again forced to take to her bed4 ,her sufferings became terrible4 ,her hereditary nervousness1 her asthma1 aggravated by cloister life1 had probably turned into phthisis4 ,she coughed frightfully1 each fit rending her burning chest and leaving her half dead4 ,to complete her misery1 caries of the right knee-cap supervened1 a gnawing disease1 the shooting pains of which caused her to cry aloud4 ,her poor body1 to which dressings were continually being applied1 became one great sore1 which was irritated by the warmth of her bed1 by her prolonged sojourn between sheets whose friction ended by breaking her skin4 ,one and all pitied her2 those who beheld her martyrdom said that it was impossible to suffer more1 or with greater fortitude4 ,she tried some of the ,lourdes water1 but it brought her no relief4 ,lord1 ,almighty ,king1 why cure others and not cure her8 ,to save her soul8 ,then dost ,thou not save the souls of the others8 ,what an inexplicable selection6 ,how absurd that in the eternal evolution of worlds it should be necessary for this poor being to be tortured6 ,she sobbed1 and again and again said in order to keep up her courage3 8,heaven is at the end1 but how long the end is in coming60 ,there was ever the idea that suffering is the test1 that it is necessary to suffer upon earth if one would triumph elsewhere1 that suffering is indispensable1 enviable1 and blessed4 ,but is this not blasphemous1 ,o ,lord8 ,hast ,thou not created youth and joy8 ,is it ,thy wish that ,thy creatures should enjoy neither the sun1 nor the smiling ,nature which ,thou hast created1 nor the human affections with which ,thou hast endowed their flesh8 ,she dreaded the feeling of revolt which maddened her at times1 and wished also to strengthen herself against the disease which made her groan1 and she crucified herself in thought1 extending her arms so as to form a cross and unite herself to ,jesus1 her limbs against ,his limbs1 her mouth against ,his mouth1 streaming the while with blood like ,him1 and steeped like ,him in bitterness6 ,jesus died in three hours1 but a longer agony fell to her1 who again brought redemption by pain1 who died to give others life4 ,when her bones ached with agony she would sometimes utter complaints1 but she reproached herself immediately4 8,oh6 how ,i suffer1 oh6 how ,i suffer6 but what happiness it is to bear this pain60 ,there can be no more frightful words1 words pregnant with a blacker pessimism4 ,happy to suffer1 ,o ,lord6 but why1 and to what unknown and senseless end8 ,where is the reason in this useless cruelty1 in this revolting glorification of suffering1 when from the whole of humanity there ascends but one desperate longing for health and happiness8 ,in the midst of her frightful sufferings1 however1 ,sister ,marie-,bernard took the final vows on ,september #bb1 #ahgh4 ,twenty years had gone by since the ,blessed ,virgin had appeared to her1 visiting her as the ,angel had visited the ,virgin1 choosing her as the ,virgin had been chosen1 amongst the most lowly and the most candid1 that she might hide within her the secret of ,king ,jesus4 ,such was the mystical explanation of that election of suffering1 the raison d'tre of that being who was so harshly separated from her fellows1 weighed down by disease1 transformed into the pitiable field of every human affliction4 ,she was the 8garden inclosed099 that brings such pleasure to the gaze of the ,spouse4 ,he had chosen her1 then buried her in the death of her hidden life4 ,and even when the unhappy creature staggered beneath the weight of her cross1 her companions would say to her3 8,do you forget that the ,blessed ,virgin promised you that you should be happy1 not in this world1 but in the next80 ,and with renewed strength1 and striking her forehead1 she would answer3 8,forget8 no1 no6 it is here60 ,she only recovered temporary energy by means of this illusion of a paradise of glory1 into which she would enter escorted by seraphims1 to be forever and ever happy4 ,the three personal secrets which the ,blessed ,virgin had confided to her1 to arm her against evil1 must have been promises of beauty1 felicity1 and immortality in heaven4 ,what monstrous dupery if there were only the darkness of the earth beyond the grave1 if the ,blessed ,virgin of her dream were not there to meet her with the prodigious guerdons she had promised6 ,but ,bernadette had not a doubt2 she willingly undertook all the little commissions with which her companions navely entrusted her for ,heaven3 8,sister ,marie-,bernard1 you'll say this1 you'll say that1 to the ,almighty40 8,sister ,marie-,bernard1 you'll kiss my brother if you meet him in ,paradise40 8,sister ,marie-,bernard1 give me a little place beside you when ,i die40 ,and she obligingly answered each one3 8,have no fear1 ,i will do it60 ,ah6 all-powerful illusion1 delicious repose1 power ever reviving and consolatory6 99 ,song of ,solomon iv4 #ab4 ,and then came the last agony1 then came death4 ,on ,friday1 ,march #bh1 #ahgi1 it was thought that she would not last the night4 ,she had a despairing longing for the tomb1 in order that she might suffer no more1 and live again in heaven4 ,and thus she obstinately refused to receive extreme unction1 saying that twice already it had cured her4 ,she wished1 in short1 that ,god would let her die1 for it was more than she could bear2 it would have been unreasonable to require that she should suffer longer4 ,yet she ended by consenting to receive the sacraments1 and her last agony was thereby prolonged for nearly three weeks4 ,the priest who attended her frequently said3 8,my daughter1 you must make the sacrifice of your life02 and one day1 quite out of patience1 she sharply answered him3 8,but1 ,father1 it is no sacrifice40 ,a terrible saying1 that also1 for it implied disgust at being1 furious contempt for existence1 and an immediate ending of her humanity1 had she had the power to suppress herself by a gesture4 ,it is true that the poor girl had nothing to regret1 that she had been compelled to banish everything from her life1 health1 joy1 and love1 so that she might leave it as one casts off a soiled1 worn1 tattered garment4 ,and she was right2 she condemned her useless1 cruel life when she said3 8,my passion will finish only at my death2 it will not cease until ,i enter into eternity40 ,and this idea of her passion pursued her1 attaching her more closely to the cross with her ,divine ,master4 ,she had induced them to give her a large crucifix2 she pressed it vehemently against her poor maidenly breast1 exclaiming that she would like to thrust it into her bosom and leave it there4 ,towards the end1 her strength completely forsook her1 and she could no longer grasp the crucifix with her trembling hands4 8,let it be tightly tied to me10 she prayed1 8that ,i may feel it until my last breath60 ,the ,redeemer upon that crucifix was the only spouse that she was destined to know2 ,his bleeding kiss was to be the only one bestowed upon her womanhood1 diverted from nature's course4 ,the nuns took cords1 passed them under her aching back1 and fastened the crucifix so roughly to her bosom that it did indeed penetrate it4 ,at last death took pity upon her4 ,on ,easter ,monday she was seized with a great fit of shivering4 ,hallucinations perturbed her1 she trembled with fright1 she beheld the devil jeering and prowling around her4 8,be off1 be off1 ,satan60 she gasped2 8do not touch me1 do not carry me away60 ,and amidst her delirium she related that the fiend had sought to throw himself upon her1 that she had felt his mouth scorching her with all the flames of hell4 ,the devil in a life so pure1 in a soul without sin6 what for1 ,o ,lord6 and again ,i ask it1 why this relentless suffering1 intense to the very last1 why this nightmare-like ending1 this death troubled with such frightful fancies1 after so beautiful a life of candour1 purity1 and innocence8 ,could she not fall asleep serenely in the peacefulness of her chaste soul8 ,but doubtless so long as breath remained in her body it was necessary to leave her the hatred and dread of life1 which is the devil4 ,it was life which menaced her1 and it was life which she cast out1 in the same way that she denied life when she reserved to the ,celestial ,bridegroom her tortured1 crucified womanhood4 ,that dogma of the ,immaculate ,conception1 which her dream had come to strengthen1 was a blow dealt by the ,church to woman1 both wife and mother4 ,to decree that woman is only worthy of worship on condition that she be a virgin1 to imagine that virgin to be herself born without sin1 is not this an insult to ,nature1 the condemnation of life1 the denial of womanhood1 whose true greatness consists in perpetuating life8 8,be off1 be off1 ,satan6 let me die without fulfilling ,nature's law40 ,and she drove the sunshine from the room and the free air that entered by the window1 the air that was sweet with the scent of flowers1 laden with all the floating germs which transmit love throughout the whole vast world4 ,on the ,wednesday after ,easter 7,april #afth71 the death agony commenced4 ,it is related that on the morning of that day one of ,bernadette's companions1 a nun attacked with a mortal illness and lying in the infirmary in an adjoining bed1 was suddenly healed upon drinking a glass of ,lourdes water4 ,but she1 the privileged one1 had drunk of it in vain4 ,god at last granted her the signal favour which she desired by sending her into the good sound sleep of the earth1 in which there is no more suffering4 ,she asked pardon of everyone4 ,her passion was consummated2 like the ,saviour1 she had the nails and the crown of thorns1 the scourged limbs1 the pierced side4 ,like ,him she raised her eyes to heaven1 extended her arms in the form of a cross1 and uttered a loud cry3 8,my ,god60 ,and1 like ,him1 she said1 towards three o'clock3 8,i thirst40 ,she moistened her lips in the glass1 then bowed her head and expired4 ,thus1 very glorious and very holy1 died the ,visionary of ,lourdes1 ,bernadette ,soubirous1 ,sister ,marie-,bernard1 one of the ,sisters of ,charity of ,nevers4 ,during three days her body remained exposed to view1 and vast crowds passed before it2 a whole people hastened to the convent1 an interminable procession of devotees hungering after hope1 who rubbed medals1 chaplets1 pictures1 and missals against the dead woman's dress1 to obtain from her one more favour1 a fetish bringing happiness4 ,even in death her dream of solitude was denied her3 a mob of the wretched ones of this world rushed to the spot1 drinking in illusion around her coffin4 ,and it was noticed that her left eye1 the eye which at the time of the apparitions had been nearest to the ,blessed ,virgin1 remained obstinately open4 ,then a last miracle amazed the convent3 the body underwent no change1 but was interred on the third day1 still supple1 warm1 with red lips1 and a very white skin1 rejuvenated as it were1 and smelling sweet4 ,and to-day ,bernadette ,soubirous1 exiled from ,lourdes1 obscurely sleeps her last sleep at ,saint ,gildard1 beneath a stone slab in a little chapel1 amidst the shade and silence of the old trees of the garden1 whilst yonder the ,grotto shines resplendently in all its triumph4 ,pierre ceased speaking2 the beautiful1 marvellous story was ended4 ,and yet the whole carriage was still listening1 deeply impressed by that death1 at once so tragic and so touching4 ,compassionate tears fell from ,marie's eyes1 while the others1 ,elise ,rouquet1 ,la ,grivotte herself1 now calmer1 clasped their hands and prayed to her who was in heaven to intercede with the ,divinity to complete their cure4 ,m4 ,sabathier made a big sign of the cross1 and then ate a cake which his wife had bought him at ,poitiers4 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 whom sad things always upset1 had fallen asleep again in the middle of the story4 ,and there was only ,madame ,vincent1 with her face buried in her pillow1 who had not stirred1 like a deaf and blind creature1 determined to see and hear nothing more4 ,meanwhile the train rolled1 still rolled along4 ,madame de ,jonquire1 after putting her head out of the window1 informed them that they were approaching ,etampes4 ,and1 when they had left that station behind them1 ,sister ,hyacinthe gave the signal1 and they recited the third chaplet of the ,rosary1 the five glorious mysteries--the ,resurrection of ,our ,lord1 the ,ascension of ,our ,lord1 the ,mission of the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,assumption of the ,most ,blessed ,virgin1 and the ,crowning of the ,most ,blessed ,virgin4 ,and afterwards they sang the canticle3 8,o ,virgin1 in thy help ,i put my trust40 ,then ,pierre fell into a deep reverie4 ,his glance had turned towards the now sunlit landscape1 the continual flight of which seemed to lull his thoughts4 ,the noise of the wheels was making him dizzy1 and he ended by no longer recognising the familiar horizon of this vast suburban expanse with which he had once been acquainted4 ,they still had to pass ,bretigny and ,juvisy1 and then1 in an hour and a half at the utmost1 they would at last be at ,paris4 ,so the great journey was finished6 the inquiry1 which he had so much desired to make1 the experiment which he had attempted with so much passion1 were over6 ,he had wished to acquire certainty1 to study ,bernadette's case on the spot1 and see if grace would not come back to him in a lightning flash1 restoring him his faith4 ,and now he had settled the point--,bernadette had dreamed through the continual torments of her flesh1 and he himself would never believe again4 ,and this forced itself upon his mind like a brutal fact3 the simple faith of the child who kneels and prays1 the primitive faith of young people1 bowed down by an awe born of their ignorance1 was dead4 ,though thousands of pilgrims might each year go to ,lourdes1 the nations were no longer with them2 this attempt to bring about the resurrection of absolute faith1 the faith of dead-and-gone centuries1 without revolt or examination1 was fatally doomed to fail4 ,history never retraces its steps1 humanity cannot return to childhood1 times have too much changed1 too many new inspirations have sown new harvests for the men of to-day to become once more like the men of olden time4 ,it was decisive2 ,lourdes was only an explainable accident1 whose reactionary violence was even a proof of the extreme agony in which belief under the antique form of ,catholicism was struggling4 ,never again1 as in the cathedrals of the twelfth century1 would the entire nation kneel like a docile flock in the hands of the ,master4 ,to blindly1 obstinately cling to the attempt to bring that to pass would mean to dash oneself against the impossible1 to rush1 perhaps1 towards great moral catastrophes4 ,and of his journey there already only remained to ,pierre an immense feeling of compassion4 ,ah6 his heart was overflowing with pity2 his poor heart was returning wrung by all that he had seen4 ,he recalled the words of worthy ,abb ,judaine2 and he had seen those thousands of unhappy beings praying1 weeping1 and imploring ,god to take pity on their suffering2 and he had wept with them1 and felt within himself1 like an open wound1 a sorrowful fraternal feeling for all their ailments4 ,he could not think of those poor people without burning with a desire to relieve them4 ,if it were true that the faith of the simple-minded no longer sufficed2 if one ran the risk of going astray in wishing to turn back1 would it become necessary to close the ,grotto1 to preach other efforts1 other sufferings8 ,however1 his compassion revolted at that thought4 ,no1 no6 it would be a crime to snatch their dream of ,heaven from those poor creatures who suffered either in body or in mind1 and who only found relief in kneeling yonder amidst the splendour of tapers and the soothing repetition of hymns4 ,he had not taken the murderous course of undeceiving ,marie1 but had sacrificed himself in order to leave her the joy of her fancy1 the divine consolation of having been healed by the ,virgin4 ,where was the man hard enough1 cruel enough1 to prevent the lowly from believing1 to rob them of the consolation of the supernatural1 the hope that ,god troubled ,himself about them1 that ,he held a better life in ,his paradise in reserve for them8 ,all humanity was weeping1 desperate with anguish1 like some despairing invalid1 irrevocably condemned1 and whom only a miracle could save4 ,he felt mankind to be unhappy indeed1 and he shuddered with fraternal affection in the presence of such pitiable humility1 ignorance1 poverty in its rags1 disease with its sores and evil odour1 all the lowly sufferers1 in hospital1 convent1 and slums1 amidst vermin and dirt1 with ugliness and imbecility written on their faces1 an immense protest against health1 life1 and ,nature1 in the triumphal name of justice1 equality1 and benevolence4 ,no1 no6 it would never do to drive the wretched to despair4 ,lourdes must be tolerated1 in the same way that you tolerate a falsehood which makes life possible4 ,and1 as he had already said in ,bernadette's chamber1 she remained the martyr1 she it was who revealed to him the only religion which still filled his heart1 the religion of human suffering4 ,ah6 to be good and kindly1 to alleviate all ills1 to lull pain1 to sleep in a dream1 to lie even1 so that no one might suffer any more6 ,the train passed at full speed through a village1 and ,pierre vaguely caught sight of a church nestling amidst some large apple trees4 ,all the pilgrims in the carriage crossed themselves4 ,but he was now becoming uneasy1 scruples were tingeing his reverie with anxiety4 ,this religion of human suffering1 this redemption by pain1 was not this yet another lure1 a continual aggravation of pain and misery8 ,it is cowardly and dangerous to allow superstition to live4 ,to tolerate and accept it is to revive the dark evil ages afresh4 ,it weakens and stupefies2 the sanctimoniousness bequeathed by heredity produces humiliated1 timorous generations1 decadent and docile nations1 who are an easy prey to the powerful of the earth4 ,whole nations are imposed upon1 robbed1 devoured1 when they have devoted the whole effort of their will to the mere conquest of a future existence4 ,would it not1 therefore1 be better to cure humanity at once by boldly closing the miraculous ,grottos whither it goes to weep1 and thus restore to it the courage to live the real life1 even in the midst of tears8 ,and it was the same prayer1 that incessant flood of prayer which ascended from ,lourdes1 the endless supplication in which he had been immersed and softened3 was it not after all but puerile lullaby1 a debasement of all one's energies8 ,it benumbed the will1 one's very being became dissolved in it and acquired disgust for life and action4 ,of what use could it be to will anything1 do anything1 when you totally resigned yourself to the caprices of an unknown almighty power8 ,and1 in another respect1 what a strange thing was this mad desire for prodigies1 this anxiety to drive the ,divinity to transgress the laws of ,nature established by ,himself in ,his infinite wisdom6 ,therein evidently lay peril and unreasonableness2 at the risk even of losing illusion1 that divine comforter1 only the habit of personal effort and the courage of truth should have been developed in man1 and especially in the child4 ,then a great brightness arose in ,pierre's mind and dazzled him4 ,it was ,reason1 protesting against the glorification of the absurd and the deposition of common-sense4 ,ah6 reason1 it was through her that he had suffered1 through her alone that he was happy4 ,as he had told ,doctor ,chassaigne1 his one consuming longing was to satisfy reason ever more and more1 although it might cost him happiness to do so4 ,it was reason1 he now well understood it1 whose continual revolt at the ,grotto1 at the ,basilica1 throughout entire ,lourdes1 had prevented him from believing4 ,unlike his old friend--that stricken old man1 who was afflicted with such dolorous senility1 who had fallen into second childhood since the shipwreck of his affections1--he had been unable to kill reason and humiliate and annihilate himself4 ,reason remained his sovereign mistress1 and she it was who buoyed him up even amidst the obscurities and failures of science4 ,whenever he met with a thing which he could not understand1 it was she who whispered to him1 8,there is certainly a natural explanation which escapes me40 ,he repeated that there could be no healthy ideal outside the march towards the discovery of the unknown1 the slow victory of reason amidst all the wretchedness of body and mind4 ,in the clashing of the twofold heredity which he had derived from his father1 all brain1 and his mother1 all faith1 he1 a priest1 found it possible to ravage his life in order that he might keep his vows4 ,he had acquired strength enough to master his flesh1 but he felt that his paternal heredity had now definitely gained the upper hand1 for henceforth the sacrifice of his reason had become an impossibility2 this he would not renounce and would not master4 ,no1 no1 even human suffering1 the hallowed suffering of the poor1 ought not to prove an obstacle1 enjoining the necessity of ignorance and folly4 ,reason before all2 in her alone lay salvation4 ,if at ,lourdes1 whilst bathed in tears1 softened by the sight of so much affliction1 he had said that it was sufficient to weep and love1 he had made a dangerous mistake4 ,pity was but a convenient expedient4 ,one must live1 one must act2 reason must combat suffering1 unless it be desired that the latter should last forever4 ,however1 as the train rolled on and the landscape flew by1 a church once more appeared1 this time on the fringe of heaven1 some votive chapel perched upon a hill and surmounted by a lofty statue of the ,virgin4 ,and once more all the pilgrims made the sign of the cross1 and once more ,pierre's reverie strayed1 a fresh stream of reflections bringing his anguish back to him4 ,what was this imperious need of the things beyond1 which tortured suffering humanity8 ,whence came it8 ,why should equality and justice be desired when they did not seem to exist in impassive nature8 ,man had set them in the unknown spheres of the ,mysterious1 in the supernatural realms of religious paradises1 and there contented his ardent thirst for them4 ,that unquenchable thirst for happiness had ever consumed1 and would consume him always4 ,if the ,fathers of the ,grotto drove such a glorious trade1 it was simply because they made motley out of what was divine4 ,that thirst for the ,divine1 which nothing had quenched through the long1 long ages1 seemed to have returned with increased violence at the close of our century of science4 ,lourdes was a resounding and undeniable proof that man could never live without the dream of a ,sovereign ,divinity1 re-establishing equality and re-creating happiness by dint of miracles4 ,when man has reached the depths of life's misfortunes1 he returns to the divine illusion1 and the origin of all religions lies there4 ,man1 weak and bare1 lacks the strength to live through his terrestrial misery without the everlasting lie of a paradise4 ,to-day1 thought ,pierre1 the experiment had been made2 it seemed that science alone could not suffice1 and that one would be obliged to leave a door open on the ,mysterious4 ,all at once in the depths of his deeply absorbed mind the words rang out1 ,a new religion6 ,the door which must be left open on the ,mysterious was indeed a new religion4 ,to subject mankind to brutal amputation1 lop off its dream1 and forcibly deprive it of the ,marvellous1 which it needed to live as much as it needed bread1 would possibly kill it4 ,would it ever have the philosophical courage to take life as it is1 and live it for its own sake1 without any idea of future rewards and penalties8 ,it certainly seemed that centuries must elapse before the advent of a society wise enough to lead a life of rectitude without the moral control of some cultus and the consolation of superhuman equality and justice4 ,yes1 a new religion6 ,the call burst forth1 resounded within ,pierre's brain like the call of the nations1 the eager1 despairing desire of the modern soul4 ,the consolation and hope which ,catholicism had brought the world seemed exhausted after eighteen hundred years full of so many tears1 so much blood1 so much vain and barbarous agitation4 ,it was an illusion departing1 and it was at least necessary that the illusion should be changed4 ,if mankind had long ago darted for refuge into the ,christian paradise1 it was because that paradise then opened before it like a fresh hope4 ,but now a new religion1 a new hope1 a new paradise1 yes1 that was what the world thirsted for1 in the discomfort in which it was struggling4 ,and ,father ,fourcade1 for his part1 fully felt such to be the case2 he had not meant to imply anything else when he had given rein to his anxiety1 entreating that the people of the great towns1 the dense mass of the humble which forms the nation1 might be brought to ,lourdes4 ,one hundred thousand1 two hundred thousand pilgrims at ,lourdes each year1 that was1 after all1 but a grain of sand4 ,it was the people1 the whole people1 that was required4 ,but the people has forever deserted the churches1 it no longer puts any soul in the ,blessed ,virgins which it manufactures1 and nothing nowadays could restore its lost faith4 ,a ,catholic democracy--yes1 history would then begin afresh2 only were it possible to create a new ,christian people1 would not the advent of a new ,saviour1 the mighty breath of a new ,messiah1 have been needed for such a task8 ,however1 the words still sounded1 still rang out in ,pierre's mind with the growing clamour of pealing bells4 ,a new religion2 a new religion4 ,doubtless it must be a religion nearer to life1 giving a larger place to the things of the world1 and taking the acquired truths into due account4 ,and1 above all1 it must be a religion which was not an appetite for death--,bernadette living solely in order that she might die1 ,doctor ,chassaigne aspiring to the tomb as to the only happiness--for all that spiritualistic abandonment was so much continuous disorganisation of the will to live4 ,at bottom of it was hatred to life1 disgust with and cessation of action4 ,every religion1 it is true1 is but a promise of immortality1 an embellishment of the spheres beyond1 an enchanted garden to be entered on the morrow of death4 ,could a new religion ever place such a garden of eternal happiness on earth8 ,where was the formula1 the dogma1 that would satisfy the hopes of the mankind of to-day8 ,what belief should be sown to blossom forth in a harvest of strength and peace8 ,how could one fecundate the universal doubt so that it should give birth to a new faith8 and what sort of illusion1 what divine falsehood of any kind could be made to germinate in the contemporary world1 ravaged as it had been upon all sides1 broken up by a century of science8 ,at that moment1 without any apparent transition1 ,pierre saw the face of his brother ,guillaume arise in the troublous depths of his mind4 ,still1 he was not surprised2 some secret link must have brought that vision there4 ,ah6 how fond they had been of one another long ago1 and what a good brother that elder brother1 so upright and gentle1 had been6 ,henceforth1 also1 the rupture was complete2 ,pierre no longer saw ,guillaume1 since the latter had cloistered himself in his chemical studies1 living like a savage in a little suburban house1 with a mistress and two big dogs4 ,then ,pierre's reverie again diverged1 and he thought of that trial in which ,guillaume had been mentioned1 like one suspected of having compromising friendships amongst the most violent revolutionaries4 ,it was related1 too1 that the young man had1 after long researches1 discovered the formula of a terrible explosive1 one pound of which would suffice to blow up a cathedral4 ,and ,pierre then thought of those ,anarchists who wished to renew and save the world by destroying it4 ,they were but dreamers1 horrible dreamers2 yet dreamers in the same way as those innocent pilgrims whom he had seen kneeling at the ,grotto in an enraptured flock4 ,if the ,anarchists1 if the extreme ,socialists1 demanded with violence the equality of wealth1 the sharing of all the enjoyments of the world1 the pilgrims on their side demanded with tears equality of health and an equitable sharing of moral and physical peace4 ,the latter relied on miracles1 the former appealed to brute force4 ,at bottom1 however1 it was but the same exasperated dream of fraternity and justice1 the eternal desire for happiness--neither poor nor sick left1 but bliss for one and all4 ,and1 in fact1 had not the primitive ,christians been terrible revolutionaries for the pagan world1 which they threatened1 and did1 indeed1 destroy8 ,they who were persecuted1 whom the others sought to exterminate1 are to-day inoffensive1 because they have become the ,past4 ,the frightful ,future is ever the man who dreams of a future society2 even as to-day it is the madman so wildly bent on social renovation that he harbours the great black dream of purifying everything by the flame of conflagrations4 ,this seemed monstrous to ,pierre4 ,yet1 who could tell8 ,therein1 perchance1 lay the rejuvenated world of to-morrow4 ,astray1 full of doubts1 he nevertheless1 in his horror of violence1 made common cause with old society now reduced to defend itself1 unable though he was to say whence would come the new ,messiah of ,gentleness1 in whose hands he would have liked to place poor ailing mankind4 ,a new religion1 yes1 a new religion4 ,but it is not easy to invent one1 and he knew not to what conclusion to come between the ancient faith1 which was dead1 and the young faith of to-morrow1 as yet unborn4 ,for his part1 in his desolation1 he was only sure of keeping his vow1 like an unbelieving priest watching over the belief of others1 chastely and honestly discharging his duties1 with the proud sadness that he had been unable to renounce his reason as he had renounced his flesh4 ,and for the rest1 he would wait4 ,however1 the train rolled on between large parks1 and the engine gave a prolonged whistle1 a joyful flourish1 which drew ,pierre from his reflections4 ,the others were stirring1 displaying emotion around him4 ,the train had just left ,juvisy1 and ,paris was at last near at hand1 within a short half-hour's journey4 ,one and all were getting their things together3 the ,sabathiers were remaking their little parcels1 ,elise ,rouquet was giving a last glance at her mirror4 ,for a moment ,madame de ,jonquire again became anxious concerning ,la ,grivotte1 and decided that as the girl was in such a pitiful condition she would have her taken straight to a hospital on arriving2 whilst ,marie endeavoured to rouse ,madame ,vincent from the torpor in which she seemed determined to remain4 ,m4 de ,guersaint1 who had been indulging in a little siesta1 also had to be awakened4 ,and at last1 when ,sister ,hyacinthe had clapped her hands1 the whole carriage intonated the 8,te ,deum10 the hymn of praise and thanksgiving4 8,te ,deum1 laudamus1 te ,dominum confitemur40 ,the voices rose amidst a last burst of fervour4 ,all those glowing souls returned thanks to ,god for the beautiful journey1 the marvellous favours that ,he had already bestowed on them1 and would bestow on them yet again4 ,at last came the fortifications4 ,the two o'clock sun was slowly descending the vast1 pure heavens1 so serenely warm4 ,distant smoke1 a ruddy smoke1 was rising in light clouds above the immensity of ,paris like the scattered1 flying breath of that toiling colossus4 ,it was ,paris in her forge1 ,paris with her passions1 her battles1 her ever-growling thunder1 her ardent life ever engendering the life of to-morrow4 ,and the white train1 the woeful train of every misery and every dolour1 was returning into it all at full speed1 sounding in higher and higher strains the piercing flourishes of its whistle-calls4 ,the five hundred pilgrims1 the three hundred patients1 were about to disappear in the vast city1 fall again upon the hard pavement of life after the prodigious dream in which they had just indulged1 until the day should come when their need of the consolation of a fresh dream would irresistibly impel them to start once more on the everlasting pilgrimage to mystery and forgetfulness4 ,ah6 unhappy mankind1 poor ailing humanity1 hungering for illusion1 and in the weariness of this waning century distracted and sore from having too greedily acquired science2 it fancies itself abandoned by the physicians of both the mind and the body1 and1 in great danger of succumbing to incurable disease1 retraces its steps and asks the miracle of its cure of the mystical ,lourdes of a past forever dead6 ,yonder1 however1 ,bernadette1 the new ,messiah of suffering1 so touching in her human reality1 constitutes the terrible lesson1 the sacrifice cut off from the world1 the victim condemned to abandonment1 solitude1 and death1 smitten with the penalty of being neither woman1 nor wife1 nor mother1 because she beheld the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,,the ,,end 9999999999 ,,rome ,,from 8,,the ,,three ,,cities0 ,by mile ,zola ,translated ,by ,ernest ,a4 ,vizetelly ,,preface ,,in submitting to the ,english-speaking public this second volume of ,m4 ,zola's trilogy 8,lourdes1 ,rome1 ,paris10 ,i have no prefatory remarks to offer on behalf of the author1 whose views on ,rome1 its past1 present1 and future1 will be found fully expounded in the following pages4 ,that a book of this character will1 like its forerunner 8,lourdes10 provoke considerable controversy is certain1 but comment or rejoinder may well be postponed until that controversy has arisen4 ,at present then ,i only desire to say1 that in spite of the great labour which ,i have bestowed on this translation1 ,i am sensible of its shortcomings1 and in a work of such length1 such intricacy1 and such a wide range of subject1 it will not be surprising if some slips are discovered4 ,any errors which may be pointed out to me1 however1 shall be rectified in subsequent editions4 ,i have given1 ,i think1 the whole essence of ,m4 ,zola's text2 but he himself has admitted to me that he has now and again allowed his pen to run away with him1 and thus whilst sacrificing nothing of his sense ,i have at times abbreviated his phraseology so as slightly to condense the book4 ,i may add that there are no chapter headings in the original1 and that the circumstances under which the translation was made did not permit me to supply any whilst it was passing through the press2 however1 as some indication of the contents of the book--which treats of many more things than are usually found in novels--may be a convenience to the reader1 ,i have prepared a table briefly epitomising the chief features of each successive chapter4 ,e4 ,a4 ,v4 ,,merton1 ,,surrey1 ,,england1 ,april1 #ahif4 ,,contents ,,to ,,part ,i4 ,i 8,,new ,,rome0--,abb ,froment in the ,eternal ,city--,his ,first ,impressions--,his ,book and the ,rejuvenation of ,christianity ,,ii 8,,black ,,mouth1 ,,red ,,soul0--,the ,boccaneras1 their ,mansion1 ,ancestors1 ,history1 and ,friends ,,iii ,,romans ,,of ,,the ,,church--,cardinals ,boccanera and ,sanguinetti--,abbs ,paparelli and ,santobono--,don ,vigilio--,monsignor ,nani ,,contents ,,to ,,part ,,ii4 ,,iv ,,romans ,,of ,,new ,,italy--,the ,pradas and the ,saccos--,the ,corso and the ,pincio ,v ,,the ,,blood ,,of ,,augustus--,the ,palaces of the ,caesars--,the ,capitol--,the ,forum--,the ,appian ,way--,the ,campagna--,the ,catacombs--,st4 ,peter's4 ,,vi ,,venus ,,and ,,hercules--,the ,vatican--,the ,sixtine ,chapel--,michael ,angelo and ,raffaelle--,botticelli and ,bernini--,gods and ,goddesses--,the ,gardens--,leo ,,xiii--,the ,revolt of ,passion ,,contents ,,to ,,part ,,iii4 ,,vii ,,prince ,,and ,,pontiff--,the ,international ,pilgrimage--,the ,papal ,revenue--,a ,function at ,st4 ,peter's--,the ,pope-,king--,the ,temporal ,power ,,viii ,,the ,,poor ,,and ,,the ,,pope--,the ,building ,mania--,the ,financial ,crash--,the ,horrors of the ,castle ,fields--,the ,roman ,workman--,may ,christ's ,vicar ,gamble8--,hopes and ,fears of the ,papacy ,,ix ,,tito's ,,warning--,aspects of ,rome--,the ,via ,giulia--,the ,tiber by ,day--,the ,gardens--,the ,villa ,medici---,the ,squares--,the ,fountains--,poussin and the ,campagna--,the ,campo ,verano--,the ,trastevere--,the 8,palaces0--,aristocracy1 ,middle ,class1 ,democracy--,the ,tiber by ,night ,,contents ,,to ,,part ,,iv4 ,x ,,from ,,pillar ,,to ,,post--,the ,propaganda--,the ,index--,dominicans1 ,jesuits1 ,franciscans--,the ,secular ,clergy--,roman ,worship--,freemasonry--,cardinal ,vicar and ,cardinal ,secretary--,the ,inquisition4 ,,xi ,,poison6--,frascati--,a ,cardinal and his ,creature--,albano1 ,castel ,gandolfo1 ,nemi--,across the ,campagna--,an ,osteria--,destiny on the ,march ,,xii ,,the ,,agony ,,of ,,passion--,a ,roman ,gala--,the ,buongiovannis--,the ,grey ,world--,the ,triumph of ,benedetta--,king ,humbert and ,queen ,margherita--,the ,fig-tree of ,judas ,,xiii ,,destiny6--,a ,happy ,morning--,the ,mid-day ,meal--,dario and the ,figs--,extreme ,unction--,benedetta's ,curse--,the ,lovers' ,death ,,contents ,,to ,,part ,v4 ,,xiv ,,submission--,the ,vatican by ,night--,the ,papal ,anterooms--,some ,great ,popes--,his ,holiness's ,bed-room--,pierre's ,reception--,papal ,wrath--,pierre's ,appeal--,the ,pope's ,policy--,dogma and ,lourdes--,pierre ,reprobates his ,book ,,xv ,a ,,house ,,of ,,mourning--,lying in ,state--,mother and ,son--,princess and ,work-girl--,nani the ,jesuit--,rival ,cardinals--,the ,pontiff of ,destruction ,,xvi ,,judgment--,pierre and ,orlando--,italian ,rome--,wanted1 a ,democracy--,italy and ,france--,the ,rome of the ,anarchists--,the ,agony of ,guilt--,a ,botticelli--,the ,papacy ,condemned--,the ,coming ,schism--,the ,march of ,science--,the ,destruction of ,rome--,the ,victory of ,reason--,justice not ,charity--,departure--,the ,march of ,civilisation--,one ,fatherland for ,all ,mankind ,,rome ,,part ,i4 ,i4 ,,the train had been greatly delayed during the night between ,pisa and ,civita ,vecchia1 and it was close upon nine o'clock in the morning when1 after a fatiguing journey of twenty-five hours' duration1 ,abb ,pierre ,froment at last reached ,rome4 ,he had brought only a valise with him1 and1 springing hastily out of the railway carriage amidst the scramble of the arrival1 he brushed the eager porters aside1 intent on carrying his trifling luggage himself1 so anxious was he to reach his destination1 to be alone1 and look around him4 ,and almost immediately1 on the ,piazza dei ,cinquecento1 in front of the railway station1 he climbed into one of the small open cabs ranged alongside the footwalk1 and placed the valise near him after giving the driver this address3 8,via ,giulia1 ,palazzo ,boccanera4099 99 ,boccanera mansion1 ,julia ,street4 ,it was a ,monday1 the #crd of ,september1 a beautifully bright and mild morning1 with a clear sky overhead4 ,the cabby1 a plump little man with sparkling eyes and white teeth1 smiled on realising by ,pierre's accent that he had to deal with a ,french priest4 ,then he whipped up his lean horse1 and the vehicle started off at the rapid pace customary to the clean and cheerful cabs of ,rome4 ,however1 on reaching the ,piazza delle ,terme1 after skirting the greenery of a little public garden1 the man turned round1 still smiling1 and pointing to some ruins with his whip1 8,the baths of ,diocletian10 said he in broken ,french1 like an obliging driver who is anxious to court favour with foreigners in order to secure their custom4 ,then1 at a fast trot1 the vehicle descended the rapid slope of the ,via ,nazionale1 which dips down from the summit of the ,viminalis199 where the railway station is situated4 ,and from that moment the driver scarcely ceased turning round and pointing at the monuments with his whip4 ,in this broad new thoroughfare there were only buildings of recent erection4 ,still1 the wave of the cabman's whip became more pronounced and his voice rose to a higher key1 with a somewhat ironical inflection1 when he gave the name of a huge and still chalky pile on his left1 a gigantic erection of stone1 overladen with sculptured work-pediments and statues4 99 ,one of the seven hills on which ,rome is built4 ,the other six are the ,capitoline1 ,aventine1 ,quirinal1 ,esquiline1 ,clian1 and ,palatine4 ,these names will perforce frequently occur in the present narrative4 8,the ,national ,bank60 he said4 ,pierre1 however1 during the week which had followed his resolve to make the journey1 had spent wellnigh every day in studying ,roman topography in maps and books4 ,thus he could have directed his steps to any given spot without inquiring his way1 and he anticipated most of the driver's explanations4 ,at the same time he was disconcerted by the sudden slopes1 the perpetually recurring hills1 on which certain districts rose1 house above house1 in terrace fashion4 ,on his right-hand clumps of greenery were now climbing a height1 and above them stretched a long bare yellow building of barrack or convent-like aspect4 8,the ,quirinal1 the ,king's palace10 said the driver4 ,lower down1 as the cab turned across a triangular square1 ,pierre1 on raising his eyes1 was delighted to perceive a sort of aerial garden high above him--a garden which was upheld by a lofty smooth wall1 and whence the elegant and vigorous silhouette of a parasol pine1 many centuries old1 rose aloft into the limpid heavens4 ,at this sight he realised all the pride and grace of ,rome4 8,the ,villa ,aldobrandini10 the cabman called4 ,then1 yet lower down1 there came a fleeting vision which decisively impassioned ,pierre4 ,the street again made a sudden bend1 and in one corner1 beyond a short dim alley1 there was a blazing gap of light4 ,on a lower level appeared a white square1 a well of sunshine1 filled with a blinding golden dust2 and amidst all that morning glory there arose a gigantic marble column1 gilt from base to summit on the side which the sun in rising had laved with its beams for wellnigh eighteen hundred years4 ,and ,pierre was surprised when the cabman told him the name of the column1 for in his mind he had never pictured it soaring aloft in such a dazzling cavity with shadows all around4 ,it was the column of ,trajan4 ,the ,via ,nazionale turned for the last time at the foot of the slope4 ,and then other names fell hastily from the driver's lips as his horse went on at a fast trot4 ,there was the ,palazzo ,colonna1 with its garden edged by meagre cypresses2 the ,palazzo ,torlonia1 almost ripped open by recent 8improvements02 the ,palazzo di ,venezia1 bare and fearsome1 with its crenelated walls1 its stern and tragic appearance1 that of some fortress of the middle ages1 forgotten there amidst the commonplace life of nowadays4 ,pierre's surprise increased at the unexpected aspect which certain buildings and streets presented2 and the keenest blow of all was dealt him when the cabman with his whip triumphantly called his attention to the ,corso1 a long narrow thoroughfare1 about as broad as ,fleet ,street199 white with sunshine on the left1 and black with shadows on the right1 whilst at the far end the ,piazza del ,popolo 7the ,square of the ,people7 showed like a bright star4 ,was this1 then1 the heart of the city1 the vaunted promenade1 the street brimful of life1 whither flowed all the blood of ,rome8 99 ,m4 ,zola likens the ,corso to the ,rue ,st4 ,honor in ,paris1 but ,i have thought that an ,english comparison would be preferable in the present version4--,trans4 ,however1 the cab was already entering the ,corso ,vittorio ,emanuele1 which follows the ,via ,nazionale1 these being the two piercings effected right across the olden city from the railway station to the bridge of ,st4 ,angelo4 ,on the left-hand the rounded apsis of the ,ges church looked quite golden in the morning brightness4 ,then1 between the church and the heavy ,altieri palace which the 8improvers0 had not dared to demolish1 the street became narrower1 and one entered into cold1 damp shade4 ,but a moment afterwards1 before the faade of the ,ges1 when the square was reached1 the sun again appeared1 dazzling1 throwing golden sheets of light around2 whilst afar off at the end of the ,via di ,ara ,coeli1 steeped in shadow1 a glimpse could be caught of some sunlit palm-trees4 8,that's the ,capitol yonder10 said the cabman4 ,the priest hastily leant to the left1 but only espied the patch of greenery at the end of the dim corridor-like street4 ,the sudden alternations of warm light and cold shade made him shiver4 ,in front of the ,palazzo di ,venezia1 and in front of the ,ges1 it had seemed to him as if all the night of ancient times were falling icily upon his shoulders2 but at each fresh square1 each broadening of the new thoroughfares1 there came a return to light1 to the pleasant warmth and gaiety of life4 ,the yellow sunflashes1 in falling from the house fronts1 sharply outlined the violescent shadows4 ,strips of sky1 very blue and very benign1 could be perceived between the roofs4 ,and it seemed to ,pierre that the air he breathed had a particular savour1 which he could not yet quite define1 but it was like that of fruit1 and increased the feverishness which had possessed him ever since his arrival4 ,the ,corso ,vittorio ,emanuele is1 in spite of its irregularity1 a very fine modern thoroughfare2 and for a time ,pierre might have fancied himself in any great city full of huge houses let out in flats4 ,but when he passed before the ,cancelleria199 ,bramante's masterpiece1 the typical monument of the ,roman ,renascence1 his astonishment came back to him and his mind returned to the mansions which he had previously espied1 those bare1 huge1 heavy edifices1 those vast cubes of stone-work resembling hospitals or prisons4 ,never would he have imagined that the famous ,roman 8palaces0 were like that1 destitute of all grace and fancy and external magnificence4 ,however1 they were considered very fine and must be so2 he would doubtless end by understanding things1 but for that he would require reflection49999 99 ,formerly the residence of the ,papal ,vice-,chancellors4 9999 ,it is as well to point out at once that a palazzo is not a palace as we understand the term1 but rather a mansion4--,trans4 ,all at once the cab turned out of the populous ,corso ,vittorio ,emanuele into a succession of winding alleys1 through which it had difficulty in making its way4 ,quietude and solitude now came back again2 the olden city1 cold and somniferous1 followed the new city with its bright sunshine and its crowds4 ,pierre remembered the maps which he had consulted1 and realised that he was drawing near to the ,via ,giulia1 and thereupon his curiosity1 which had been steadily increasing1 augmented to such a point that he suffered from it1 full of despair at not seeing more and learning more at once4 ,in the feverish state in which he had found himself ever since leaving the station1 his astonishment at not finding things such as he had expected1 the many shocks that his imagination had received1 aggravated his passion beyond endurance1 and brought him an acute desire to satisfy himself immediately4 ,nine o'clock had struck but a few minutes previously1 he had the whole morning before him to repair to the ,boccanera palace1 so why should he not at once drive to the classic spot1 the summit whence one perceives the whole of ,rome spread out upon her seven hills8 ,and when once this thought had entered into his mind it tortured him until he was at last compelled to yield to it4 ,the driver no longer turned his head1 so that ,pierre rose up to give him this new address3 8,to ,san ,pietro in ,montorio60 ,on hearing him the man at first looked astonished1 unable to understand4 ,he indicated with his whip that ,san ,pietro was yonder1 far away4 ,however1 as the priest insisted1 he again smiled complacently1 with a friendly nod of his head4 ,all right6 ,for his own part he was quite willing4 ,the horse then went on at a more rapid pace through the maze of narrow streets4 ,one of these was pent between high walls1 and the daylight descended into it as into a deep trench4 ,but at the end came a sudden return to light1 and the ,tiber was crossed by the antique bridge of ,sixtus ,,iv1 right and left of which stretched the new quays1 amidst the ravages and fresh plaster-work of recent erections4 ,on the other side of the river the ,trastevere district also was ripped open1 and the vehicle ascended the slope of the ,janiculum by a broad thoroughfare where large slabs bore the name of ,garibaldi4 ,for the last time the driver made a gesture of good-natured pride as he named this triumphal route4 8,via ,garibaldi60 ,the horse had been obliged to slacken its pace1 and ,pierre1 mastered by childish impatience1 turned round to look at the city as by degrees it spread out and revealed itself behind him4 ,the ascent was a long one2 fresh districts were ever rising up1 even to the most distant hills4 ,then1 in the increasing emotion which made his heart beat1 the young priest felt that he was spoiling the contentment of his desire by thus gradually satisfying it1 slowly and but partially effecting his conquest of the horizon4 ,he wished to receive the shock full in the face1 to behold all ,rome at one glance1 to gather the holy city together1 and embrace the whole of it at one grasp4 ,and thereupon he mustered sufficient strength of mind to refrain from turning round any more1 in spite of the impulses of his whole being4 ,there is a spacious terrace on the summit of the incline4 ,the church of ,san ,pietro in ,montorio stands there1 on the spot where1 as some say1 ,st4 ,peter was crucified4 ,the square is bare and brown1 baked by the hot summer suns2 but a little further away in the rear1 the clear and noisy waters of the ,acqua ,paola fall bubbling from the three basins of a monumental fountain amidst sempiternal freshness4 ,and alongside the terrace parapet1 on the very crown of the ,trastevere1 there are always rows of tourists1 slim ,englishmen and square-built ,germans1 agape with traditional admiration1 or consulting their guide-books in order to identify the monuments4 ,pierre sprang lightly from the cab1 leaving his valise on the seat1 and making a sign to the driver1 who went to join the row of waiting cabs1 and remained philosophically seated on his box in the full sunlight1 his head drooping like that of his horse1 both resigning themselves to the customary long stoppage4 ,meantime ,pierre1 erect against the parapet1 in his tight black cassock1 and with his bare feverish hands nervously clenched1 was gazing before him with all his eyes1 with all his soul4 ,rome6 ,rome6 the city of the ,caesars1 the city of the ,popes1 the ,eternal ,city which has twice conquered the world1 the predestined city of the glowing dream in which he had indulged for months6 ,at last it was before him1 at last his eyes beheld it6 ,during the previous days some rainstorms had abated the intense ,august heat1 and on that lovely ,september morning the air had freshened under the pale blue of the spotless far-spreading heavens4 ,and the ,rome that ,pierre beheld was a ,rome steeped in mildness1 a visionary ,rome which seemed to evaporate in the clear sunshine4 ,a fine bluey haze1 scarcely perceptible1 as delicate as gauze1 hovered over the roofs of the low-lying districts2 whilst the vast ,campagna1 the distant hills1 died away in a pale pink flush4 ,at first ,pierre distinguished nothing1 sought no particular edifice or spot1 but gave sight and soul alike to the whole of ,rome1 to the living colossus spread out below him1 on a soil compounded of the dust of generations4 ,each century had renewed the city's glory as with the sap of immortal youth4 ,and that which struck ,pierre1 that which made his heart leap within him1 was that he found ,rome such as he had desired to find her1 fresh and youthful1 with a volatile1 almost incorporeal1 gaiety of aspect1 smiling as at the hope of a new life in the pure dawn of a lovely day4 ,and standing motionless before the sublime vista1 with his hands still clenched and burning1 ,pierre in a few minutes again lived the last three years of his life4 ,ah6 what a terrible year had the first been1 spent in his little house at ,neuilly1 with doors and windows ever closed1 burrowing there like some wounded animal suffering unto death4 ,he had come back from ,lourdes with his soul desolate1 his heart bleeding1 with nought but ashes within him4 ,silence and darkness fell upon the ruins of his love and his faith4 ,days and days went by1 without a pulsation of his veins1 without the faintest gleam arising to brighten the gloom of his abandonment4 ,his life was a mechanical one2 he awaited the necessary courage to resume the tenor of existence in the name of sovereign reason1 which had imposed upon him the sacrifice of everything4 ,why was he not stronger1 more resistant1 why did he not quietly adapt his life to his new opinions8 ,as he was unwilling to cast off his cassock1 through fidelity to the love of one and disgust of backsliding1 why did he not seek occupation in some science suited to a priest1 such as astronomy or archaeology8 ,the truth was that something1 doubtless his mother's spirit1 wept within him1 an infinite1 distracted love which nothing had yet satisfied and which ever despaired of attaining contentment4 ,therein lay the perpetual suffering of his solitude3 beneath the lofty dignity of reason regained1 the wound still lingered1 raw and bleeding4 ,one autumn evening1 however1 under a dismal rainy sky1 chance brought him into relations with an old priest1 ,abb ,rose1 who was curate at the church of ,ste4 ,marguerite1 in the ,faubourg ,st4 ,antoine4 ,he went to see ,abb ,rose in the ,rue de ,charonne1 where in the depths of a damp ground floor he had transformed three rooms into an asylum for abandoned children1 whom he picked up in the neighbouring streets4 ,and from that moment ,pierre's life changed1 a fresh and all-powerful source of interest had entered into it1 and by degrees he became the old priest's passionate helper4 ,it was a long way from ,neuilly to the ,rue de ,charonne1 and at first he only made the journey twice a week4 ,but afterwards he bestirred himself every day1 leaving home in the morning and not returning until night4 ,as the three rooms no longer sufficed for the asylum1 he rented the first floor of the house1 reserving for himself a chamber in which ultimately he often slept4 ,and all his modest income was expended there1 in the prompt succouring of poor children2 and the old priest1 delighted1 touched to tears by the young devoted help which had come to him from heaven1 would often embrace ,pierre1 weeping1 and call him a child of ,god4 ,it was then that ,pierre knew want and wretchedness--wicked1 abominable wretchedness2 then that he lived amidst it for two long years4 ,the acquaintance began with the poor little beings whom he picked up on the pavements1 or whom kind-hearted neighbours brought to him now that the asylum was known in the district--little boys1 little girls1 tiny mites stranded on the streets whilst their fathers and mothers were toiling1 drinking1 or dying4 ,the father had often disappeared1 the mother had gone wrong1 drunkenness and debauchery had followed slack times into the home2 and then the brood was swept into the gutter1 and the younger ones half perished of cold and hunger on the footways1 whilst their elders betook themselves to courses of vice and crime4 ,one evening ,pierre rescued from the wheels of a stone-dray two little nippers1 brothers1 who could not even give him an address1 tell him whence they had come4 ,on another evening he returned to the asylum with a little girl in his arms1 a fair-haired little angel1 barely three years old1 whom he had found on a bench1 and who sobbed1 saying that her mother had left her there4 ,and by a logical chain of circumstances1 after dealing with the fleshless1 pitiful fledglings ousted from their nests1 he came to deal with the parents1 to enter their hovels1 penetrating each day further and further into a hellish sphere1 and ultimately acquiring knowledge of all its frightful horror1 his heart meantime bleeding1 rent by terrified anguish and impotent charity4 ,oh6 the grievous ,city of ,misery1 the bottomless abyss of human suffering and degradation--how frightful were his journeys through it during those two years which distracted his whole being6 ,in that ,ste4 ,marguerite district of ,paris1 in the very heart of that ,faubourg ,st4 ,antoine1 so active and so brave for work1 however hard1 he discovered no end of sordid dwellings1 whole lanes and alleys of hovels without light or air1 cellar-like in their dampness1 and where a multitude of wretches wallowed and suffered as from poison4 ,all the way up the shaky staircases one's feet slipped upon filth4 ,on every story there was the same destitution1 dirt1 and promiscuity4 ,many windows were paneless1 and in swept the wind howling1 and the rain pouring torrentially4 ,many of the inmates slept on the bare tiled floors1 never unclothing themselves4 ,there was neither furniture nor linen1 the life led there was essentially an animal life1 a commingling of either sex and of every age--humanity lapsing into animality through lack of even indispensable things1 through indigence of so complete a character that men1 women1 and children fought even with tooth and nail for the very crumbs swept from the tables of the rich4 ,and the worst of it all was the degradation of the human being2 this was no case of the free naked savage1 hunting and devouring his prey in the primeval forests2 here civilised man was found1 sunk into brutishness1 with all the stigmas of his fall1 debased1 disfigured1 and enfeebled1 amidst the luxury and refinement of that city of ,paris which is one of the queens of the world4 ,in every household ,pierre heard the same story4 ,there had been youth and gaiety at the outset1 brave acceptance of the law that one must work4 ,then weariness had come2 what was the use of always toiling if one were never to get rich8 ,and so1 by way of snatching a share of happiness1 the husband turned to drink2 the wife neglected her home1 also drinking at times1 and letting the children grow up as they might4 ,sordid surroundings1 ignorance1 and overcrowding did the rest4 ,in the great majority of cases1 prolonged lack of work was mostly to blame2 for this not only empties the drawers of the savings hidden away in them1 but exhausts human courage1 and tends to confirmed habits of idleness4 ,during long weeks the workshops empty1 and the arms of the toilers lose strength4 ,in all ,paris1 so feverishly inclined to action1 it is impossible to find the slightest thing to do4 ,and then the husband comes home in the evening with tearful eyes1 having vainly offered his arms everywhere1 having failed even to get a job at street-sweeping1 for that employment is much sought after1 and to secure it one needs influence and protectors4 ,is it not monstrous to see a man seeking work that he may eat1 and finding no work and therefore no food in this great city resplendent and resonant with wealth8 ,the wife does not eat1 the children do not eat4 ,and then comes black famine1 brutishness1 and finally revolt and the snapping of all social ties under the frightful injustice meted out to poor beings who by their weakness are condemned to death4 ,and the old workman1 he whose limbs have been worn out by half a century of hard toil1 without possibility of saving a copper1 on what pallet of agony1 in what dark hole must he not sink to die8 ,should he then be finished off with a mallet1 like a crippled beast of burden1 on the day when ceasing to work he also ceases to eat8 ,almost all pass away in the hospitals1 others disappear1 unknown1 swept off by the muddy flow of the streets4 ,one morning1 on some rotten straw in a loathsome hovel1 ,pierre found a poor devil who had died of hunger and had been forgotten there for a week4 ,the rats had devoured his face4 ,but it was particularly on an evening of the last winter that ,pierre's heart had overflowed with pity4 ,awful in winter time are the sufferings of the poor in their fireless hovels1 where the snow penetrates by every chink4 ,the ,seine rolls blocks of ice1 the soil is frost-bound1 in all sorts of callings there is an enforced cessation of work4 ,bands of urchins1 barefooted1 scarcely clad1 hungry and racked by coughing1 wander about the ragpickers' 8rents0 and are carried off by sudden hurricanes of consumption4 ,pierre found families1 women with five and six children1 who had not eaten for three days1 and who huddled together in heaps to try to keep themselves warm4 ,and on that terrible evening1 before anybody else1 he went down a dark passage and entered a room of terror1 where he found that a mother had just committed suicide with her five little ones--driven to it by despair and hunger--a tragedy of misery which for a few hours would make all ,paris shudder6 ,there was not an article of furniture or linen left in the place2 it had been necessary to sell everything bit by bit to a neighbouring dealer4 ,there was nothing but the stove where the charcoal was still smoking and a half-emptied palliasse on which the mother had fallen1 suckling her last-born1 a babe but three months old4 ,and a drop of blood had trickled from the nipple of her breast1 towards which the dead infant still protruded its eager lips4 ,two little girls1 three and five years old1 two pretty little blondes1 were also lying there1 sleeping the eternal sleep side by side2 whilst of the two boys1 who were older1 one had succumbed crouching against the wall with his head between his hands1 and the other had passed through the last throes on the floor1 struggling as though he had sought to crawl on his knees to the window in order to open it4 ,some neighbours1 hurrying in1 told ,pierre the fearful commonplace story2 slow ruin1 the father unable to find work1 perchance taking to drink1 the landlord weary of waiting1 threatening the family with expulsion1 and the mother losing her head1 thirsting for death1 and prevailing on her little ones to die with her1 while her husband1 who had been out since the morning1 was vainly scouring the streets4 ,just as the ,commissary of ,police arrived to verify what had happened1 the poor devil returned1 and when he had seen and understood things1 he fell to the ground like a stunned ox1 and raised a prolonged1 plaintive howl1 such a poignant cry of death that the whole terrified street wept at it4 ,both in his ears and in his heart ,pierre carried away with him that horrible cry1 the plaint of a condemned race expiring amidst abandonment and hunger2 and that night he could neither eat nor sleep4 ,was it possible that such abomination1 such absolute destitution1 such black misery leading straight to death should exist in the heart of that great city of ,paris1 brimful of wealth1 intoxicated with enjoyment1 flinging millions out of the windows for mere pleasure8 ,what6 there should on one side be such colossal fortunes1 so many foolish fancies gratified1 with lives endowed with every happiness1 whilst on the other was found inveterate poverty1 lack even of bread1 absence of every hope1 and mothers killing themselves with their babes1 to whom they had nought to offer but the blood of their milkless breast6 ,and a feeling of revolt stirred ,pierre2 he was for a moment conscious of the derisive futility of charity4 ,what indeed was the use of doing that which he did--picking up the little ones1 succouring the parents1 prolonging the sufferings of the aged8 ,the very foundations of the social edifice were rotten2 all would soon collapse amid mire and blood4 ,a great act of justice alone could sweep the old world away in order that the new world might be built4 ,and at that moment he realised so keenly how irreparable was the breach1 how irremediable the evil1 how deathly the cancer of misery1 that he understood the actions of the violent1 and was himself ready to accept the devastating and purifying whirlwind1 the regeneration of the world by flame and steel1 even as when in the dim ages ,jehovah in ,his wrath sent fire from heaven to cleanse the accursed cities of the plains4 ,however1 on hearing him sob that evening1 ,abb ,rose came up to remonstrate in fatherly fashion4 ,the old priest was a saint1 endowed with infinite gentleness and infinite hope4 ,why despair indeed when one had the ,gospel8 ,did not the divine commandment1 8,love one another10 suffice for the salvation of the world8 ,he1 ,abb ,rose1 held violence in horror and was wont to say that1 however great the evil1 it would soon be overcome if humanity would but turn backward to the age of humility1 simplicity1 and purity1 when ,christians lived together in innocent brotherhood4 ,what a delightful picture he drew of evangelical society1 of whose second coming he spoke with quiet gaiety as though it were to take place on the very morrow6 ,and ,pierre1 anxious to escape from his frightful recollections1 ended by smiling1 by taking pleasure in ,abb ,rose's bright consoling tale4 ,they chatted until a late hour1 and on the following days reverted to the same subject of conversation1 one which the old priest was very fond of1 ever supplying new particulars1 and speaking of the approaching reign of love and justice with the touching confidence of a good if simple man1 who is convinced that he will not die till he shall have seen the ,deity descend upon earth4 ,and now a fresh evolution took place in ,pierre's mind4 ,the practice of benevolence in that poor district had developed infinite compassion in his breast1 his heart failed him1 distracted1 rent by contemplation of the misery which he despaired of healing4 ,and in this awakening of his feelings he often thought that his reason was giving way1 he seemed to be retracing his steps towards childhood1 to that need of universal love which his mother had implanted in him1 and dreamt of chimerical solutions1 awaiting help from the unknown powers4 ,then his fears1 his hatred of the brutality of facts at last brought him an increasing desire to work salvation by love4 ,no time should be lost in seeking to avert the frightful catastrophe which seemed inevitable1 the fratricidal war of classes which would sweep the old world away beneath the accumulation of its crimes4 ,convinced that injustice had attained its apogee1 that but little time remained before the vengeful hour when the poor would compel the rich to part with their possessions1 he took pleasure in dreaming of a peaceful solution1 a kiss of peace exchanged by all men1 a return to the pure morals of the ,gospel as it had been preached by ,jesus4 ,doubts tortured him at the outset4 ,could olden ,catholicism be rejuvenated1 brought back to the youth and candour of primitive ,christianity8 ,he set himself to study things1 reading and questioning1 and taking a more and more passionate interest in that great problem of ,catholic socialism which had made no little noise for some years past4 ,and quivering with pity for the wretched1 ready as he was for the miracle of fraternisation1 he gradually lost such scruples as intelligence might have prompted1 and persuaded himself that once again ,christ would work the redemption of suffering humanity4 ,at last a precise idea took possession of him1 a conviction that ,catholicism purified1 brought back to its original state1 would prove the one pact1 the supreme law that might save society by averting the sanguinary crisis which threatened it4 ,when he had quitted ,lourdes two years previously1 revolted by all its gross idolatry1 his faith for ever dead1 but his mind worried by the everlasting need of the divine which tortures human creatures1 a cry had arisen within him from the deepest recesses of his being3 8,a new religion6 a new religion60 ,and it was this new religion1 or rather this revived religion which he now fancied he had discovered in his desire to work social salvation--ensuring human happiness by means of the only moral authority that was erect1 the distant outcome of the most admirable implement ever devised for the government of nations4 ,during the period of slow development through which ,pierre passed1 two men1 apart from ,abb ,rose1 exercised great influence on him4 ,a benevolent action brought him into intercourse with ,monseigneur ,bergerot1 a bishop whom the ,pope had recently created a cardinal1 in reward for a whole life of charity1 and this in spite of the covert opposition of the papal curia which suspected the ,french prelate to be a man of open mind1 governing his diocese in paternal fashion4 ,pierre became more impassioned by his intercourse with this apostle1 this shepherd of souls1 in whom he detected one of the good simple leaders that he desired for the future community4 ,however1 his apostolate was influenced even more decisively by meeting ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue at the gatherings of certain workingmen's ,catholic associations4 ,a handsome man1 with military manners1 and a long noble-looking face1 spoilt by a small and broken nose which seemed to presage the ultimate defeat of a badly balanced mind1 the ,viscount was one of the most active agitators of ,catholic socialism in ,france4 ,he was the possessor of vast estates1 a vast fortune1 though it was said that some unsuccessful agricultural enterprises had already reduced his wealth by nearly one-half4 ,in the department where his property was situated he had been at great pains to establish model farms1 at which he had put his ideas on ,christian socialism into practice1 but success did not seem to follow him4 ,however1 it had all helped to secure his election as a deputy1 and he spoke in the ,chamber1 unfolding the programme of his party in long and stirring speeches4 ,unwearying in his ardour1 he also led pilgrimages to ,rome1 presided over meetings1 and delivered lectures1 devoting himself particularly to the people1 the conquest of whom1 so he privately remarked1 could alone ensure the triumph of the ,church4 ,and thus he exercised considerable influence over ,pierre1 who in him admired qualities which himself did not possess--an organising spirit and a militant if somewhat blundering will1 entirely applied to the revival of ,christian society in ,france4 ,however1 though the young priest learnt a good deal by associating with him1 he nevertheless remained a sentimental dreamer1 whose imagination1 disdainful of political requirements1 straightway winged its flight to the future abode of universal happiness2 whereas the ,viscount aspired to complete the downfall of the liberal ideas of #aghi by utilising the disillusion and anger of the democracy to work a return towards the past4 ,pierre spent some delightful months4 ,never before had neophyte lived so entirely for the happiness of others4 ,he was all love1 consumed by the passion of his apostolate4 ,the sight of the poor wretches whom he visited1 the men without work1 the women1 the children without bread1 filled him with a keener and keener conviction that a new religion must arise to put an end to all the injustice which otherwise would bring the rebellious world to a violent death4 ,and he was resolved to employ all his strength in effecting and hastening the intervention of the divine1 the resuscitation of primitive ,christianity4 ,his ,catholic faith remained dead2 he still had no belief in dogmas1 mysteries1 and miracles2 but a hope sufficed him1 the hope that the ,church might still work good1 by connecting itself with the irresistible modern democratic movement1 so as to save the nations from the social catastrophe which impended4 ,his soul had grown calm since he had taken on himself the mission of replanting the ,gospel in the hearts of the hungry and growling people of the ,faubourgs4 ,he was now leading an active life1 and suffered less from the frightful void which he had brought back from ,lourdes2 and as he no longer questioned himself1 the anguish of uncertainty no longer tortured him4 ,it was with the serenity which attends the simple accomplishment of duty that he continued to say his mass4 ,he even finished by thinking that the mystery which he thus celebrated--indeed1 that all the mysteries and all the dogmas were but symbols--rites requisite for humanity in its childhood1 which would be got rid of later on1 when enlarged1 purified1 and instructed humanity should be able to support the brightness of naked truth4 ,and in his zealous desire to be useful1 his passion to proclaim his belief aloud1 ,pierre one morning found himself at his table writing a book4 ,this had come about quite naturally2 the book proceeded from him like a heart-cry1 without any literary idea having crossed his mind4 ,one night1 whilst he lay awake1 its title suddenly flashed before his eyes in the darkness3 8,,new ,,rome40 ,that expressed everything1 for must not the new redemption of the nations originate in eternal and holy ,rome8 ,the only existing authority was found there2 rejuvenescence could only spring from the sacred soil where the old ,catholic oak had grown4 ,he wrote his book in a couple of months1 having unconsciously prepared himself for the work by his studies in contemporary socialism during a year past4 ,there was a bubbling flow in his brain as in a poet's2 it seemed to him sometimes as if he dreamt those pages1 as if an internal distant voice dictated them to him4 ,when he read passages written on the previous day to ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue1 the latter often expressed keen approval of them from a practical point of view1 saying that one must touch the people in order to lead them1 and that it would also be a good plan to compose pious and yet amusing songs for singing in the workshops4 ,as for ,monseigneur ,bergerot1 without examining the book from the dogmatic standpoint1 he was deeply touched by the glowing breath of charity which every page exhaled1 and was even guilty of the imprudence of writing an approving letter to the author1 which letter he authorised him to insert in his work by way of preface4 ,and yet now the ,congregation of the ,index ,expurgatorius was about to place this book1 issued in the previous ,june1 under interdict2 and it was to defend it that the young priest had hastened to ,rome1 inflamed by the desire to make his ideas prevail1 and resolved to plead his cause in person before the ,holy ,father1 having1 he was convinced of it1 simply given expression to the pontiff's views4 ,pierre had not stirred whilst thus living his three last years afresh3 he still stood erect before the parapet1 before ,rome1 which he had so often dreamt of and had so keenly desired to see4 ,there was a constant succession of arriving and departing vehicles behind him2 the slim ,englishmen and the heavy ,germans passed away after bestowing on the classic view the five minutes prescribed by their guidebooks2 whilst the driver and the horse of ,pierre's cab remained waiting complacently1 each with his head drooping under the bright sun1 which was heating the valise on the seat of the vehicle4 ,and ,pierre1 in his black cassock1 seemed to have grown slimmer and elongated1 very slight of build1 as he stood there motionless1 absorbed in the sublime spectacle4 ,he had lost flesh after his journey to ,lourdes1 his features too had become less pronounced4 ,since his mother's part in his nature had regained ascendency1 the broad1 straight forehead1 the intellectual air which he owed to his father seemed to have grown less conspicuous1 while his kind and somewhat large mouth1 and his delicate chin1 bespeaking infinite affection1 dominated1 revealing his soul1 which also glowed in the kindly sparkle of his eyes4 ,ah6 how tender and glowing were the eyes with which he gazed upon the ,rome of his book1 the new ,rome that he had dreamt of6 ,if1 first of all1 the ensemble had claimed his attention in the soft and somewhat veiled light of that lovely morning1 at present he could distinguish details1 and let his glance rest upon particular edifices4 ,and it was with childish delight that he identified them1 having long studied them in maps and collections of photographs4 ,beneath his feet1 at the bottom of the ,janiculum1 stretched the ,trastevere district with its chaos of old ruddy houses1 whose sunburnt tiles hid the course of the ,tiber4 ,he was somewhat surprised by the flattish aspect of everything as seen from the terraced summit4 ,it was as though a bird's-eye view levelled the city1 the famous hills merely showing like bosses1 swellings scarcely perceptible amidst the spreading sea of house-fronts4 ,yonder1 on the right1 distinct against the distant blue of the ,alban mountains1 was certainly the ,aventine with its three churches half-hidden by foliage2 there1 too1 was the discrowned ,palatine1 edged as with black fringe by a line of cypresses4 ,in the rear1 the ,clian hill faded away1 showing only the trees of the ,villa ,mattei paling in the golden sunshine4 ,the slender spire and two little domes of ,sta4 ,maria ,maggiore alone indicated the summit of the ,esquiline1 right in front and far away at the other end of the city2 whilst on the heights of the neighbouring ,viminal1 ,pierre only perceived a confused mass of whitish blocks1 steeped in light and streaked with fine brown lines--recent erections1 no doubt1 which at that distance suggested an abandoned stone quarry4 ,he long sought the ,capitol without being able to discover it2 he had to take his bearings1 and ended by convincing himself that the square tower1 modestly lost among surrounding house-roofs1 which he saw in front of ,sta4 ,maria ,maggiore was its campanile4 ,next1 on the left1 came the ,quirinal1 recognisable by the long faade of the royal palace1 a barrack or hospital-like faade1 flat1 crudely yellow in hue1 and pierced by an infinite number of regularly disposed windows4 ,however1 as ,pierre was completing the circuit1 a sudden vision made him stop short4 ,without the city1 above the trees of the ,botanical ,garden1 the dome of ,st4 ,peter's appeared to him4 ,it seemed to be poised upon the greenery1 and rose up into the pure blue sky1 sky-blue itself and so ethereal that it mingled with the azure of the infinite4 ,the stone lantern which surmounts it1 white and dazzling1 looked as though it were suspended on high4 ,pierre did not weary1 and his glances incessantly travelled from one end of the horizon to the other4 ,they lingered on the noble outlines1 the proud gracefulness of the town-sprinkled ,sabine and ,alban mountains1 whose girdle limited the expanse4 ,the ,roman ,campagna spread out in far stretches1 bare and majestic1 like a desert of death1 with the glaucous green of a stagnant sea2 and he ended by distinguishing 8the stern round tower0 of the tomb of ,cecilia ,metella1 behind which a thin pale line indicated the ancient ,appian ,way4 ,remnants of aqueducts strewed the short herbage amidst the dust of the fallen worlds4 ,and1 bringing his glance nearer in1 the city again appeared with its jumble of edifices1 on which his eyes lighted at random4 ,close at hand1 by its loggia turned towards the river1 he recognised the huge tawny cube of the ,palazzo ,farnese4 ,the low cupola1 farther away and scarcely visible1 was probably that of the ,pantheon4 ,then by sudden leaps came the freshly whitened walls of ,san ,paolo-fuori-le-,mura199 similar to those of some huge barn1 and the statues crowning ,san ,giovanni in ,laterano1 delicate1 scarcely as big as insects4 ,next the swarming of domes1 that of the ,ges1 that of ,san ,carlo1 that of ,st'4 ,andrea della ,valle1 that of ,san ,giovanni dei ,fiorentini2 then a number of other sites and edifices1 all quivering with memories1 the castle of ,st'4 ,angelo with its glittering statue of the ,destroying ,angel1 the ,villa ,medici dominating the entire city1 the terrace of the ,pincio with its marbles showing whitely among its scanty verdure2 and the thick-foliaged trees of the ,villa ,borghese1 whose green crests bounded the horizon4 ,vainly however did ,pierre seek the ,colosseum4 99 ,st4 ,paul-beyond-the-walls4 ,the north wind1 which was blowing very mildly1 had now begun to dissipate the morning haze4 ,whole districts vigorously disentangled themselves1 and showed against the vaporous distance like promontories in a sunlit sea4 ,here and there1 in the indistinct swarming of houses1 a strip of white wall glittered1 a row of window panes flared1 or a garden supplied a black splotch1 of wondrous intensity of hue4 ,and all the rest1 the medley of streets and squares1 the endless blocks of buildings1 scattered about on either hand1 mingled and grew indistinct in the living glory of the sun1 whilst long coils of white smoke1 which had ascended from the roofs1 slowly traversed the pure sky4 ,guided by a secret influence1 however1 ,pierre soon ceased to take interest in all but three points of the mighty panorama4 ,that line of slender cypresses which set a black fringe on the height of the ,palatine yonder filled him with emotion3 beyond it he saw only a void3 the palaces of the ,caesars had disappeared1 had fallen1 had been razed by time2 and he evoked their memory1 he fancied he could see them rise like vague1 trembling phantoms of gold amidst the purple of that splendid morning4 ,then his glances reverted to ,st4 ,peter's1 and there the dome yet soared aloft1 screening the ,vatican which he knew was beside the colossus1 clinging to its flanks4 ,and that dome1 of the same colour as the heavens1 appeared so triumphant1 so full of strength1 so vast1 that it seemed to him like a giant king1 dominating the whole city and seen from every spot throughout eternity4 ,then he fixed his eyes on the height in front of him1 on the ,quirinal1 and there the ,king's palace no longer appeared aught but a flat low barracks bedaubed with yellow paint4 ,and for him all the secular history of ,rome1 with its constant convulsions and successive resurrections1 found embodiment in that symbolical triangle1 in those three summits gazing at one another across the ,tiber4 ,ancient ,rome blossoming forth in a piling up of palaces and temples1 the monstrous florescence of imperial power and splendour2 ,papal ,rome1 victorious in the middle ages1 mistress of the world1 bringing that colossal church1 symbolical of beauty regained1 to weigh upon all ,christendom2 and the ,rome of to-day1 which he knew nothing of1 which he had neglected1 and whose royal palace1 so bare and so cold1 brought him disparaging ideas--the idea of some out-of-place1 bureaucratic effort1 some sacrilegious attempt at modernity in an exceptional city which should have been left entirely to the dreams of the future4 ,however1 he shook off the almost painful feelings which the importunate present brought to him1 and would not let his eyes rest on a pale new district1 quite a little town1 in course of erection1 no doubt1 which he could distinctly see near ,st4 ,peter's on the margin of the river4 ,he had dreamt of his own new ,rome1 and still dreamt of it1 even in front of the ,palatine whose edifices had crumbled in the dust of centuries1 of the dome of ,st4 ,peter's whose huge shadow lulled the ,vatican to sleep1 of the ,palace of the ,quirinal repaired and repainted1 reigning in homely fashion over the new districts which swarmed on every side1 while with its ruddy roofs the olden city1 ripped up by improvements1 coruscated beneath the bright morning sun4 ,again did the title of his book1 8,,new ,,rome10 flare before ,pierre's eyes1 and another reverie carried him off2 he lived his book afresh even as he had just lived his life4 ,he had written it amid a flow of enthusiasm1 utilising the data which he had accumulated at random2 and its division into three parts1 past1 present1 and future1 had at once forced itself upon him4 ,the ,,past was the extraordinary story of primitive ,christianity1 of the slow evolution which had turned this ,christianity into present-day ,catholicism4 ,he showed that an economical question is invariably hidden beneath each religious evolution1 and that1 upon the whole1 the everlasting evil1 the everlasting struggle1 has never been aught but one between the rich and the poor4 ,among the ,jews1 when their nomadic life was over1 and they had conquered the land of ,canaan1 and ownership and property came into being1 a class warfare at once broke out4 ,there were rich1 and there were poor2 thence arose the social question4 ,the transition had been sudden1 and the new state of things so rapidly went from bad to worse that the poor suffered keenly1 and protested with the greater violence as they still remembered the golden age of the nomadic life4 ,until the time of ,jesus the prophets are but rebels who surge from out the misery of the people1 proclaim its sufferings1 and vent their wrath upon the rich1 to whom they prophesy every evil in punishment for their injustice and their harshness4 ,jesus ,himself appears as the claimant of the rights of the poor4 ,the prophets1 whether socialists or anarchists1 had preached social equality1 and called for the destruction of the world if it were unjust4 ,jesus likewise brings to the wretched hatred of the rich4 ,all ,his teaching threatens wealth and property2 and if by the ,kingdom of ,heaven which ,he promised one were to understand peace and fraternity upon this earth1 there would only be a question of returning to a life of pastoral simplicity1 to the dream of the ,christian community1 such as after ,him it would seem to have been realised by ,his disciples4 ,during the first three centuries each ,church was an experiment in communism1 a real association whose members possessed all in common--wives excepted4 ,this is shown to us by the apologists and early fathers of the ,church4 ,christianity was then but the religion of the humble and the poor1 a form of democracy1 of socialism struggling against ,roman society4 ,and when the latter toppled over1 rotted by money1 it succumbed far more beneath the results of frantic speculation1 swindling banks1 and financial disasters1 than beneath the onslaught of barbarian hordes and the stealthy1 termite-like working of the ,christians4 ,the money question will always be found at the bottom of everything4 ,and a new proof of this was supplied when ,christianity1 at last triumphing by virtue of historical1 social1 and human causes1 was proclaimed a ,state religion4 ,to ensure itself complete victory it was forced to range itself on the side of the rich and the powerful2 and one should see by means of what artfulness and sophistry the fathers of the ,church succeeded in discovering a defence of property and wealth in the ,gospel of ,jesus4 ,all this1 however1 was a vital political necessity for ,christianity2 it was only at this price that it became ,catholicism1 the universal religion4 ,from that time forth the powerful machine1 the weapon of conquest and rule1 was reared aloft3 up above were the powerful and the wealthy1 those whose duty it was to share with the poor1 but who did not do so2 while down below were the poor1 the toilers1 who were taught resignation and obedience1 and promised the kingdom of futurity1 the divine and eternal reward--an admirable monument which has lasted for ages1 and which is entirely based on the promise of life beyond life1 on the inextinguishable thirst for immortality and justice that consumes mankind4 ,pierre had completed this first part of his book1 this history of the past1 by a broad sketch of ,catholicism until the present time4 ,first appeared ,st4 ,peter1 ignorant and anxious1 coming to ,rome by an inspiration of genius1 there to fulfil the ancient oracles which had predicted the eternity of the ,capitol4 ,then came the first popes1 mere heads of burial associations1 the slow rise of the all-powerful papacy ever struggling to conquer the world1 unremittingly seeking to realise its dream of universal domination4 ,at the time of the great popes of the middle ages it thought for a moment that it had attained its goal1 that it was the sovereign master of the nations4 ,would not absolute truth and right consist in the pope being both pontiff and ruler of the world1 reigning over both the souls and the bodies of all men1 even like the ,deity whose vicar he is8 ,this1 the highest and mightiest of all ambitions1 one1 too1 that is perfectly logical1 was attained by ,augustus1 emperor and pontiff1 master of all the known world2 and it is the glorious figure of ,augustus1 ever rising anew from among the ruins of ancient ,rome1 which has always haunted the popes2 it is his blood which has pulsated in their veins4 ,but power had become divided into two parts amidst the crumbling of the ,roman empire2 it was necessary to content oneself with a share1 and leave temporal government to the emperor1 retaining over him1 however1 the right of coronation by divine grant4 ,the people belonged to ,god1 and in ,god's name the pope gave the people to the emperor1 and could take it from him2 an unlimited power whose most terrible weapon was excommunication1 a superior sovereignty1 which carried the papacy towards real and final possession of the empire4 ,looking at things broadly1 the everlasting quarrel between the pope and the emperor was a quarrel for the people1 the inert mass of humble and suffering ones1 the great silent multitude whose irremediable wretchedness was only revealed by occasional covert growls4 ,it was disposed of1 for its good1 as one might dispose of a child4 ,yet the ,church really contributed to civilisation1 rendered constant services to humanity1 diffused abundant alms4 ,in the convents1 at any rate1 the old dream of the ,christian community was ever coming back3 one-third of the wealth accumulated for the purposes of worship1 the adornment and glorification of the shrine1 one-third for the priests1 and one-third for the poor4 ,was not this a simplification of life1 a means of rendering existence possible to the faithful who had no earthly desires1 pending the marvellous contentment of heavenly life8 ,give us1 then1 the whole earth1 and we will divide terrestrial wealth into three such parts1 and you shall see what a golden age will reign amidst the resignation and the obedience of all6 ,however1 ,pierre went on to show how the papacy was assailed by the greatest dangers on emerging from its all-powerfulness of the middle ages4 ,it was almost swept away amidst the luxury and excesses of the ,renascence1 the bubbling of living sap which then gushed from eternal nature1 downtrodden and regarded as dead for ages past4 ,more threatening still were the stealthy awakenings of the people1 of the great silent multitude whose tongue seemed to be loosening4 ,the ,reformation burst forth like the protest of reason and justice1 like a recall to the disregarded truths of the ,gospel2 and to escape total annihilation ,rome needed the stern defence of the ,inquisition1 the slow stubborn labour of the ,council of ,trent1 which strengthened the dogmas and ensured the temporal power4 ,and then the papacy entered into two centuries of peace and effacement1 for the strong absolute monarchies which had divided ,europe among themselves could do without it1 and had ceased to tremble at the harmless thunderbolts of excommunication or to look on the pope as aught but a master of ceremonies1 controlling certain rites4 ,the possession of the people was no longer subject to the same rules4 ,allowing that the kings still held the people from ,god1 it was the pope's duty to register the donation once for all1 without ever intervening1 whatever the circumstances1 in the government of states4 ,never was ,rome farther away from the realisation of its ancient dream of universal dominion4 ,and when the ,french ,revolution burst forth1 it may well have been imagined that the proclamation of the rights of man would kill that papacy to which the exercise of divine right over the nations had been committed4 ,and so how great at first was the anxiety1 the anger1 the desperate resistance with which the ,vatican opposed the idea of freedom1 the new credo of liberated reason1 of humanity regaining self-possession and control4 ,it was the apparent dnouement of the long struggle between the pope and the emperor for possession of the people3 the emperor vanished1 and the people1 henceforward free to dispose of itself1 claimed to escape from the pope--an unforeseen solution1 in which it seemed as though all the ancient scaffolding of the ,catholic world must fall to the very ground4 ,at this point ,pierre concluded the first part of his book by contrasting primitive ,christianity with present-day ,catholicism1 which is the triumph of the rich and the powerful4 ,that ,roman society which ,jesus had come to destroy in the name of the poor and humble1 had not ,catholic ,rome steadily continued rebuilding it through all the centuries1 by its policy of cupidity and pride8 ,and what bitter irony it was to find1 after eighteen hundred years of the ,gospel1 that the world was again collapsing through frantic speculation1 rotten banks1 financial disasters1 and the frightful injustice of a few men gorged with wealth whilst thousands of their brothers were dying of hunger6 ,the whole redemption of the wretched had to be worked afresh4 ,however1 ,pierre gave expression to all these terrible things in words so softened by charity1 so steeped in hope1 that they lost their revolutionary danger4 ,moreover1 he nowhere attacked the dogmas4 ,his book1 in its sentimental1 somewhat poetic form1 was but the cry of an apostle glowing with love for his fellow-men4 ,then came the second part of the work1 the ,,present1 a study of ,catholic society as it now exists4 ,here ,pierre had painted a frightful picture of the misery of the poor1 the misery of a great city1 which he knew so well and bled for1 through having laid his hands upon its poisonous wounds4 ,the present-day injustice could no longer be tolerated1 charity was becoming powerless1 and so frightful was the suffering that all hope was dying away from the hearts of the people4 ,and was it not the monstrous spectacle presented by ,christendom1 whose abominations corrupted the people1 and maddened it with hatred and vengeance1 that had largely destroyed its faith8 ,however1 after this picture of rotting and crumbling society1 ,pierre returned to history1 to the period of the ,french ,revolution1 to the mighty hope with which the idea of freedom had filled the world4 ,the middle classes1 the great ,liberal party1 on attaining power had undertaken to bring happiness to one and all4 ,but after a century's experience it really seemed that liberty had failed to bring any happiness whatever to the outcasts4 ,in the political sphere illusions were departing4 ,at all events1 if the reigning third estate declares itself satisfied1 the fourth estate1 that of the toilers199 still suffers and continues to demand its share of fortune4 ,the working classes have been proclaimed free2 political equality has been granted them1 but the gift has been valueless1 for economically they are still bound to servitude1 and only enjoy1 as they did formerly1 the liberty of dying of hunger4 ,all the socialist revendications have come from that2 between labour and capital rests the terrifying problem1 the solution of which threatens to sweep away society4 ,when slavery disappeared from the olden world to be succeeded by salaried employment the revolution was immense1 and certainly the ,christian principle was one of the great factors in the destruction of slavery4 ,nowadays1 therefore1 when the question is to replace salaried employment by something else1 possibly by the participation of the workman in the profits of his work1 why should not ,christianity again seek a new principle of action8 ,the fatal and proximate accession of the democracy means the beginning of another phase in human history1 the creation of the society of to-morrow4 ,and ,rome cannot keep away from the arena2 the papacy must take part in the quarrel if it does not desire to disappear from the world like a piece of mechanism that has become altogether useless4 99 ,in ,england we call the press the fourth estate1 but in ,france and elsewhere the term is applied to the working classes1 and in that sense must be taken here4--,trans4 ,hence it followed that ,catholic socialism was legitimate4 ,on every side the socialist sects were battling with their various solutions for the privilege of ensuring the happiness of the people1 and the ,church also must offer her solution of the problem4 ,here it was that ,new ,rome appeared1 that the evolution spread into a renewal of boundless hope4 ,most certainly there was nothing contrary to democracy in the principles of the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,indeed she had only to return to the evangelical traditions1 to become once more the ,church of the humble and the poor1 to re-establish the universal ,christian community4 ,she is undoubtedly of democratic essence1 and if she sided with the rich and the powerful when ,christianity became ,catholicism1 she only did so perforce1 that she might live by sacrificing some portion of her original purity2 so that if to-day she should abandon the condemned governing classes in order to make common cause with the multitude of the wretched1 she would simply be drawing nearer to ,christ1 thereby securing a new lease of youth and purifying herself of all the political compromises which she formerly was compelled to accept4 ,without renouncing aught of her absolutism the ,church has at all times known how to bow to circumstances2 but she reserves her perfect sovereignty1 simply tolerating that which she cannot prevent1 and patiently waiting1 even through long centuries1 for the time when she shall again become the mistress of the world4 ,might not that time come in the crisis which was now at hand8 ,once more1 all the powers are battling for possession of the people4 ,since the people1 thanks to liberty and education1 has become strong1 since it has developed consciousness and will1 and claimed its share of fortune1 all rulers have been seeking to attach it to themselves1 to reign by it1 and even with it1 should that be necessary4 ,socialism1 therein lies the future1 the new instrument of government2 and the kings tottering on their thrones1 the middle-class presidents of anxious republics1 the ambitious plotters who dream of power1 all dabble in socialism6 ,they all agree that the capitalist organisation of the ,state is a return to pagan times1 to the olden slave-market2 and they all talk of breaking for ever the iron law by which the labour of human beings has become so much merchandise1 subject to supply and demand1 with wages calculated on an estimate of what is strictly necessary to keep a workman from dying of hunger4 ,and1 down in the sphere below1 the evil increases1 the workmen agonise with hunger and exasperation1 while above them discussion still goes on1 systems are bandied about1 and well-meaning persons exhaust themselves in attempting to apply ridiculously inadequate remedies4 ,there is much stir without any progress1 all the wild bewilderment which precedes great catastrophes4 ,and among the many1 ,catholic socialism1 quite as ardent as ,revolutionary socialism1 enters the lists and strives to conquer4 ,after these explanations ,pierre gave an account of the long efforts made by ,catholic socialism throughout the ,christian world4 ,that which particularly struck one in this connection was that the warfare became keener and more victorious whenever it was waged in some land of propaganda1 as yet not completely conquered by ,roman ,catholicism4 ,for instance1 in the countries where ,protestantism confronted the latter1 the priests fought with wondrous passion1 as for dear life itself1 contending with the schismatical clergy for possession of the people by dint of daring1 by unfolding the most audacious democratic theories4 ,in ,germany1 the classic land of socialism1 ,mgr4 ,ketteler was one of the first to speak of adequately taxing the rich2 and later he fomented a wide-spread agitation which the clergy now directs by means of numerous associations and newspapers4 ,in ,switzerland ,mgr4 ,mermillod pleaded the cause of the poor so loudly that the bishops there now almost make common cause with the democratic socialists1 whom they doubtless hope to convert when the day for sharing arrives4 ,in ,england1 where socialism penetrates so very slowly1 ,cardinal ,manning achieved considerable success1 stood by the working classes on the occasion of a famous strike1 and helped on a popular movement1 which was signalised by numerous conversions4 ,but it was particularly in the ,united ,states of ,america that ,catholic socialism proved triumphant1 in a sphere of democracy where the bishops1 like ,mgr4 ,ireland1 were forced to set themselves at the head of the working-class agitation4 ,and there across the ,atlantic a new ,church seems to be germinating1 still in confusion but overflowing with sap1 and upheld by intense hope1 as at the aurora of the rejuvenated ,christianity of to-morrow4 ,passing thence to ,austria and ,belgium1 both ,catholic countries1 one found ,catholic socialism mingling in the first instance with anti-semitism1 while in the second it had no precise sense4 ,and all movement ceased and disappeared when one came to ,spain and ,italy1 those old lands of faith4 ,the former with its intractable bishops who contented themselves with hurling excommunication at unbelievers as in the days of the ,inquisition1 seemed to be abandoned to the violent theories of revolutionaries1 whilst ,italy1 immobilised in the traditional courses1 remained without possibility of initiative1 reduced to silence and respect by the presence of the ,holy ,see4 ,in ,france1 however1 the struggle remained keen1 but it was more particularly a struggle of ideas4 ,on the whole1 the war was there being waged against the revolution1 and to some it seemed as though it would suffice to re-establish the old organisation of monarchical times in order to revert to the golden age4 ,it was thus that the question of working-class corporations had become the one problem1 the panacea for all the ills of the toilers4 ,but people were far from agreeing2 some1 those ,catholics who rejected ,state interference and favoured purely moral action1 desired that the corporations should be free2 whilst others1 the young and impatient ones1 bent on action1 demanded that they should be obligatory1 each with capital of its own1 and recognised and protected by the ,state4 ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue had by pen and speech carried on a vigorous campaign in favour of the obligatory corporations2 and his great grief was that he had so far failed to prevail on the ,pope to say whether in his opinion these corporations should be closed or open4 ,according to the ,viscount1 herein lay the fate of society1 a peaceful solution of the social question or the frightful catastrophe which must sweep everything away4 ,in reality1 though he refused to own it1 the ,viscount had ended by adopting ,state socialism4 ,and1 despite the lack of agreement1 the agitation remained very great2 attempts1 scarcely happy in their results1 were made2 co-operative associations1 companies for erecting workmen's dwellings1 popular savings' banks were started2 many more or less disguised efforts to revert to the old ,christian community organisation were tried2 while day by day1 amidst the prevailing confusion1 in the mental perturbation and political difficulties through which the country passed1 the militant ,catholic party felt its hopes increasing1 even to the blind conviction of soon resuming sway over the whole world4 ,the second part of ,pierre's book concluded by a picture of the moral and intellectual uneasiness amidst which the end of the century is struggling4 ,while the toiling multitude suffers from its hard lot and demands that in any fresh division of wealth it shall be ensured at least its daily bread1 the lite is no better satisfied1 but complains of the void induced by the freeing of its reason and the enlargement of its intelligence4 ,it is the famous bankruptcy of rationalism1 of positivism1 of science itself which is in question4 ,minds consumed by need of the absolute grow weary of groping1 weary of the delays of science which recognises only proven truths2 doubt tortures them1 they need a complete and immediate synthesis in order to sleep in peace2 and they fall on their knees1 overcome by the roadside1 distracted by the thought that science will never tell them all1 and preferring the ,deity1 the mystery revealed and affirmed by faith4 ,even to-day1 it must be admitted1 science calms neither our thirst for justice1 our desire for safety1 nor our everlasting idea of happiness after life in an eternity of enjoyment4 ,to one and all it only brings the austere duty to live1 to be a mere contributor in the universal toil2 and how well one can understand that hearts should revolt and sigh for the ,christian heaven1 peopled with lovely angels1 full of light and music and perfumes6 ,ah6 to embrace one's dead1 to tell oneself that one will meet them again1 that one will live with them once more in glorious immortality6 ,and to possess the certainty of sovereign equity to enable one to support the abominations of terrestrial life6 ,and in this wise to trample on the frightful thought of annihilation1 to escape the horror of the disappearance of the ego1 and to tranquillise oneself with that unshakable faith which postpones until the portal of death be crossed the solution of all the problems of destiny6 ,this dream will be dreamt by the nations for ages yet4 ,and this it is which explains why1 in these last days of the century1 excessive mental labour and the deep unrest of humanity1 pregnant with a new world1 have awakened religious feeling1 anxious1 tormented by thoughts of the ideal and the infinite1 demanding a moral law and an assurance of superior justice4 ,religions may disappear1 but religious feelings will always create new ones1 even with the help of science4 ,a new religion6 a new religion6 ,was it not the ancient ,catholicism1 which in the soil of the present day1 where all seemed conducive to a miracle1 was about to spring up afresh1 throw out green branches and blossom in a young yet mighty florescence8 ,at last1 in the third part of his book and in the glowing language of an apostle1 ,pierre depicted the ,,future3 ,catholicism rejuvenated1 and bringing health and peace1 the forgotten golden age of primitive ,christianity1 back to expiring society4 ,he began with an emotional and sparkling portrait of ,leo ,,xiii1 the ideal ,pope1 the ,man of ,destiny entrusted with the salvation of the nations4 ,he had conjured up a presentment of him and beheld him thus in his feverish longing for the advent of a pastor who should put an end to human misery4 ,it was perhaps not a close likeness1 but it was a portrait of the needed saviour1 with open heart and mind1 and inexhaustible benevolence1 such as he had dreamed4 ,at the same time he had certainly searched documents1 studied encyclical letters1 based his sketch upon facts3 first ,leo's religious education at ,rome1 then his brief nunciature at ,brussels1 and afterwards his long episcopate at ,perugia4 ,and as soon as ,leo became pope in the difficult situation bequeathed by ,pius ,,ix1 the duality of his nature appeared3 on one hand was the firm guardian of dogmas1 on the other the supple politician resolved to carry conciliation to its utmost limits4 ,we see him flatly severing all connection with modern philosophy1 stepping backward beyond the ,renascence to the middle ages and reviving ,christian philosophy1 as expounded by 8the angelic doctor10 ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas1 in ,catholic schools4 ,then the dogmas being in this wise sheltered1 he adroitly maintains himself in equilibrium by giving securities to every power1 striving to utilise every opportunity4 ,he displays extraordinary activity1 reconciles the ,holy ,see with ,germany1 draws nearer to ,russia1 contents ,switzerland1 asks the friendship of ,great ,britain1 and writes to the ,emperor of ,china begging him to protect the missionaries and ,christians in his dominions4 ,later on1 too1 he intervenes in ,france and acknowledges the legitimacy of the ,republic4 ,from the very outset an idea becomes apparent in all his actions1 an idea which will place him among the great papal politicians4 ,it is moreover the ancient idea of the papacy--the conquest of every soul1 ,rome capital and mistress of the world4 ,thus ,leo ,,xiii has but one desire1 one object1 that of unifying the ,church1 of drawing all the dissident communities to it in order that it may be invincible in the coming social struggle4 ,he seeks to obtain recognition of the moral authority of the ,vatican in ,russia2 he dreams of disarming the ,anglican ,church and of drawing it into a sort of fraternal truce2 and he particularly seeks to come to an understanding with the ,schismatical ,churches of the ,east1 which he regards as sisters1 simply living apart1 whose return his paternal heart entreats4 ,would not ,rome indeed dispose of victorious strength if she exercised uncontested sway over all the ,christians of the earth8 ,and here the social ideas of ,leo ,,xiii come in4 ,whilst yet ,bishop of ,perugia he wrote a pastoral letter in which a vague humanitarian socialism appeared4 ,as soon1 however1 as he had assumed the triple crown his opinions changed and he anathematised the revolutionaries whose audacity was terrifying ,italy4 ,but almost at once he corrected himself1 warned by events and realising the great danger of leaving socialism in the hands of the enemies of the ,church4 ,then he listened to the bishops of the lands of propaganda1 ceased to intervene in the ,irish quarrel1 withdrew the excommunications which he had launched against the ,american 8knights of labour10 and would not allow the bold works of ,catholic socialist writers to be placed in the ,index4 ,this evolution towards democracy may be traced through his most famous encyclical letters3 ,immortale ,dei1 on the constitution of ,states2 ,libertas1 on human liberty2 ,sapientoe1 on the duties of ,christian citizens2 ,rerum novarum1 on the condition of the working classes2 and it is particularly this last which would seem to have rejuvenated the ,church4 ,the ,pope herein chronicles the undeserved misery of the toilers1 the undue length of the hours of labour1 the insufficiency of salaries4 ,all men have the right to live1 and all contracts extorted by threats of starvation are unjust4 ,elsewhere he declares that the workman must not be left defenceless in presence of a system which converts the misery of the majority into the wealth of a few4 ,compelled to deal vaguely with questions of organisation1 he contents himself with encouraging the corporative movement1 placing it under ,state patronage2 and after thus contributing to restore the secular power1 he reinstates the ,deity on the throne of sovereignty1 and discerns the path to salvation more particularly in moral measures1 in the ancient respect due to family ties and ownership4 ,nevertheless1 was not the helpful hand which the august ,vicar of ,christ thus publicly tendered to the poor and the humble1 the certain token of a new alliance1 the announcement of a new reign of ,jesus upon earth8 ,thenceforward the people knew that it was not abandoned4 ,and from that moment too how glorious became ,leo ,,xiii1 whose sacerdotal jubilee and episcopal jubilee were celebrated by all ,christendom amidst the coming of a vast multitude1 of endless offerings1 and of flattering letters from every sovereign6 ,pierre next dealt with the question of the temporal power1 and this he thought he might treat freely4 ,naturally1 he was not ignorant of the fact that the ,pope in his quarrel with ,italy upheld the rights of the ,church over ,rome as stubbornly as his predecessor2 but he imagined that this was merely a necessary conventional attitude1 imposed by political considerations1 and destined to be abandoned when the times were ripe4 ,for his own part he was convinced that if the ,pope had never appeared greater than he did now1 it was to the loss of the temporal power that he owed it2 for thence had come the great increase of his authority1 the pure splendour of moral omnipotence which he diffused4 ,what a long history of blunders and conflicts had been that of the possession of the little kingdom of ,rome during fifteen centuries6 ,constantine quits ,rome in the fourth century1 only a few forgotten functionaries remaining on the deserted ,palatine1 and the ,pope naturally rises to power1 and the life of the city passes to the ,lateran4 ,however1 it is only four centuries later that ,charlemagne recognises accomplished facts and formally bestows the ,states of the ,church upon the papacy4 ,from that time warfare between the spiritual power and the temporal powers has never ceased2 though often latent it has at times become acute1 breaking forth with blood and fire4 ,and to-day1 in the midst of ,europe in arms1 is it not unreasonable to dream of the papacy ruling a strip of territory where it would be exposed to every vexation1 and where it could only maintain itself by the help of a foreign army8 ,what would become of it in the general massacre which is apprehended8 ,is it not far more sheltered1 far more dignified1 far more lofty when disentangled from all terrestrial cares1 reigning over the world of souls8 ,in the early times of the ,church the papacy from being merely local1 merely ,roman1 gradually became catholicised1 universalised1 slowly acquiring dominion over all ,christendom4 ,in the same way the ,sacred ,college1 at first a continuation of the ,roman ,senate1 acquired an international character1 and in our time has ended by becoming the most cosmopolitan of assemblies1 in which representatives of all the nations have seats4 ,and is it not evident that the ,pope1 thus leaning on the cardinals1 has become the one great international power which exercises the greater authority since it is free from all monarchical interests1 and can speak not merely in the name of country but in that of humanity itself8 ,the solution so often sought amidst such long wars surely lies in this3 ,either give the ,pope the temporal sovereignty of the world1 or leave him only the spiritual sovereignty4 ,vicar of the ,deity1 absolute and infallible sovereign by divine delegation1 he can but remain in the sanctuary if1 ruler already of the human soul1 he is not recognised by every nation as the one master of the body also--the king of kings4 ,but what a strange affair was this new incursion of the papacy into the field sown by the ,french ,revolution1 an incursion conducting it perhaps towards the domination1 which it has striven for with a will that has upheld it for centuries6 ,for now it stands alone before the people4 ,the kings are down4 ,and as the people is henceforth free to give itself to whomsoever it pleases1 why should it not give itself to the ,church8 ,the depreciation which the idea of liberty has certainly undergone renders every hope permissible4 ,the liberal party appears to be vanquished in the sphere of economics4 ,the toilers1 dissatisfied with #aghi complain of the aggravation of their misery1 bestir themselves1 seek happiness despairingly4 ,on the other hand the new rgimes have increased the international power of the ,church2 ,catholic members are numerous in the parliaments of the republics and the constitutional monarchies4 ,all circumstances seem therefore to favour this extraordinary return of fortune1 ,catholicism reverting to the vigour of youth in its old age4 ,even science1 remember1 is accused of bankruptcy1 a charge which saves the ,syllabus from ridicule1 troubles the minds of men1 and throws the limitless sphere of mystery and impossibility open once more4 ,and then a prophecy is recalled1 a prediction that the papacy shall be mistress of the world on the day when she marches at the head of the democracy after reuniting the ,schismatical ,churches of the ,east to the ,catholic1 ,apostolic1 and ,roman ,church4 ,and1 in ,pierre's opinion1 assuredly the times had come since ,pope ,leo ,,xiii1 dismissing the great and the wealthy of the world1 left the kings driven from their thrones in exile to place himself like ,jesus on the side of the foodless toilers and the beggars of the high roads4 ,yet a few more years1 perhaps1 of frightful misery1 alarming confusion1 fearful social danger1 and the people1 the great silent multitude which others have so far disposed of1 will return to the cradle1 to the unified ,church of ,rome1 in order to escape the destruction which threatens human society4 ,pierre concluded his book with a passionate evocation of ,new ,rome1 the spiritual ,rome which would soon reign over the nations1 reconciled and fraternising as in another golden age4 ,herein he even saw the end of superstitions4 ,without making a direct attack on dogma1 he allowed himself to dream of an enlargement of religious feeling1 freed from rites1 and absorbed in the one satisfaction of human charity4 ,and still smarting from his journey to ,lourdes1 he felt the need of contenting his heart4 ,was not that gross superstition of ,lourdes the hateful symptom of the excessive suffering of the times8 ,on the day when the ,gospel should be universally diffused and practised1 suffering ones would cease seeking an illusory relief so far away1 assured as they would be of finding assistance1 consolation1 and cure in their homes amidst their brothers4 ,at ,lourdes there was an iniquitous displacement of wealth1 a spectacle so frightful as to make one doubt of ,god1 a perpetual conflict which would disappear in the truly ,christian society of to-morrow4 ,ah6 that society1 that ,christian community1 all ,pierre's work ended in an ardent longing for its speedy advent3 ,christianity becoming once more the religion of truth and justice which it had been before it allowed itself to be conquered by the rich and the powerful6 ,the little ones and the poor ones reigning1 sharing the wealth of earth1 and owing obedience to nought but the levelling law of work6 ,the ,pope alone erect at the head of the federation of nations1 prince of peace1 with the simple mission of supplying the moral rule1 the link of charity and love which was to unite all men6 ,and would not this be the speedy realisation of the promises of ,christ8 ,the times were near accomplishment1 secular and religious society would mingle so closely that they would form but one2 and it would be the age of triumph and happiness predicted by all the prophets1 no more struggles possible1 no more antagonism between the mind and the body1 but a marvellous equilibrium which would kill evil and set the kingdom of heaven upon earth4 ,new ,rome1 the centre of the world1 bestowing on the world the new religion6 ,pierre felt that tears were coming to his eyes1 and with an unconscious movement1 never noticing how much he astonished the slim ,englishmen and thick-set ,germans passing along the terrace1 he opened his arms and extended them towards the real ,rome1 steeped in such lovely sunshine and stretched out at his feet4 ,would she prove responsive to his dream8 ,would he1 as he had written1 find within her the remedy for our impatience and our alarms8 ,could ,catholicism be renewed1 could it return to the spirit of primitive ,christianity1 become the religion of the democracy1 the faith which the modern world1 overturned and in danger of perishing1 awaits in order to be pacified and to live8 ,pierre was full of generous passion1 full of faith4 ,he again beheld good ,abb ,rose weeping with emotion as he read his book4 ,he heard ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue telling him that such a book was worth an army4 ,and he particularly felt strong in the approval of ,cardinal ,bergerot1 that apostle of inexhaustible charity4 ,why should the ,congregation of the ,index threaten his work with interdiction8 ,since he had been officiously advised to go to ,rome if he desired to defend himself1 he had been turning this question over in his mind without being able to discover which of his pages were attacked4 ,to him indeed they all seemed to glow with the purest ,christianity4 ,however1 he had arrived quivering with enthusiasm and courage3 he was all eagerness to kneel before the ,pope1 and place himself under his august protection1 assuring him that he had not written a line without taking inspiration from his ideas1 without desiring the triumph of his policy4 ,was it possible that condemnation should be passed on a book in which he imagined in all sincerity that he had exalted ,leo ,,xiii by striving to help him in his work of ,christian reunion and universal peace8 ,for a moment longer ,pierre remained standing before the parapet4 ,he had been there for nearly an hour1 unable to drink in enough of the grandeur of ,rome1 which1 given all the unknown things she hid from him1 he would have liked to possess at once4 ,oh6 to seize hold of her1 know her1 ascertain at once the true word which he had come to seek from her6 ,this again1 like ,lourdes1 was an experiment1 but a graver one1 a decisive one1 whence he would emerge either strengthened or overcome for evermore4 ,he no longer sought the simple1 perfect faith of the little child1 but the superior faith of the intellectual man1 raising himself above rites and symbols1 working for the greatest happiness of humanity as based on its need of certainty4 ,his temples throbbed responsive to his heart4 ,what would be the answer of ,rome8 ,the sunlight had increased and the higher districts now stood out more vigorously against the fiery background4 ,far away the hills became gilded and empurpled1 whilst the nearer house-fronts grew very distinct and bright with their thousands of windows sharply outlined4 ,however1 some morning haze still hovered around2 light veils seemed to rise from the lower streets1 blurring the summits for a moment1 and then evaporating in the ardent heavens where all was blue4 ,for a moment ,pierre fancied that the ,palatine had vanished1 for he could scarcely see the dark fringe of cypresses2 it was as though the dust of its ruins concealed the hill4 ,but the ,quirinal was even more obscured2 the royal palace seemed to have faded away in a fog1 so paltry did it look with its low flat front1 so vague in the distance that he no longer distinguished it2 whereas above the trees on his left the dome of ,st4 ,peter's had grown yet larger in the limpid gold of the sunshine1 and appeared to occupy the whole sky and dominate the whole city6 ,ah6 the ,rome of that first meeting1 the ,rome of early morning1 whose new districts he had not even noticed in the burning fever of his arrival--with what boundless hopes did she not inspirit him1 this ,rome which he believed he should find alive1 such indeed as he had dreamed6 ,and whilst he stood there in his thin black cassock1 thus gazing on her that lovely day1 what a shout of coming redemption seemed to arise from her house-roofs1 what a promise of universal peace seemed to issue from that sacred soil1 twice already ,queen of the world6 ,it was the third ,rome1 it was ,new ,rome whose maternal love was travelling across the frontiers to all the nations to console them and reunite them in a common embrace4 ,in the passionate candour of his dream he beheld her1 he heard her1 rejuvenated1 full of the gentleness of childhood1 soaring1 as it were1 amidst the morning freshness into the vast pure heavens4 ,but at last ,pierre tore himself away from the sublime spectacle4 ,the driver and the horse1 their heads drooping under the broad sunlight1 had not stirred4 ,on the seat the valise was almost burning1 hot with rays of the sun which was already heavy4 ,and once more ,pierre got into the vehicle and gave this address3 8,via ,giulia1 ,palazzo ,boccanera40 ,,ii4 ,,the ,via ,giulia1 which runs in a straight line over a distance of five hundred yards from the ,farnese palace to the church of ,st4 ,john of the ,florentines1 was at that hour steeped in bright sunlight1 the glow streaming from end to end and whitening the small square paving stones4 ,the street had no footways1 and the cab rolled along it almost to the farther extremity1 passing the old grey sleepy and deserted residences whose large windows were barred with iron1 while their deep porches revealed sombre courts resembling wells4 ,laid out by ,pope ,julius ,,ii1 who had dreamt of lining it with magnificent palaces1 the street1 then the most regular and handsome in ,rome1 had served as ,corso99 in the sixteenth century4 ,one could tell that one was in a former luxurious district1 which had lapsed into silence1 solitude1 and abandonment1 instinct with a kind of religious gentleness and discretion4 ,the old house-fronts followed one after another1 their shutters closed and their gratings occasionally decked with climbing plants4 ,at some doors cats were seated1 and dim shops1 appropriated to humble trades1 were installed in certain dependencies4 ,but little traffic was apparent4 ,pierre only noticed some bare-headed women dragging children behind them1 a hay cart drawn by a mule1 a superb monk draped in drugget1 and a bicyclist speeding along noiselessly1 his machine sparkling in the sun4 99 ,the ,corso was so called on account of the horse races held in it at carnival time4--,trans4 ,at last the driver turned and pointed to a large square building at the corner of a lane running towards the ,tiber4 8,palazzo ,boccanera40 ,pierre raised his head and was pained by the severe aspect of the structure1 so bare and massive and blackened by age4 ,like its neighbours the ,farnese and ,sacchetti palaces1 it had been built by ,antonio da ,sangallo in the early part of the sixteenth century1 and1 as with the former of those residences1 the tradition ran that in raising the pile the architect had made use of stones pilfered from the ,colosseum and the ,theatre of ,marcellus4 ,the vast1 square-looking faade had three upper stories1 each with seven windows1 and the first one very lofty and noble4 ,down below1 the only sign of decoration was that the high ground-floor windows1 barred with huge projecting gratings as though from fear of siege1 rested upon large consoles1 and were crowned by attics which smaller consoles supported4 ,above the monumental entrance1 with folding doors of bronze1 there was a balcony in front of the central first-floor window4 ,and at the summit of the faade against the sky appeared a sumptuous entablature1 whose frieze displayed admirable grace and purity of ornamentation4 ,the frieze1 the consoles1 the attics1 and the door-case were of white marble1 but marble whose surface had so crumbled and so darkened that it now had the rough yellowish grain of stone4 ,right and left of the entrance were two antique seats upheld by griffons also of marble2 and incrusted in the wall at one corner1 a lovely ,renascence fountain1 its source dried up1 still lingered2 and on it a cupid riding a dolphin could with difficulty be distinguished1 to such a degree had the wear and tear of time eaten into the sculpture4 ,pierre's eyes1 however1 had been more particularly attracted by an escutcheon carved above one of the ground-floor windows1 the escutcheon of the ,boccaneras1 a winged dragon venting flames1 and underneath it he could plainly read the motto which had remained intact3 8,bocca nera1 ,alma rossa0 7black mouth1 red soul74 ,above another window1 as a pendant to the escutcheon1 there was one of those little shrines which are still common in ,rome1 a satin-robed statuette of the ,blessed ,virgin1 before which a lantern burnt in the full daylight4 ,the cabman was about to drive through the dim and gaping porch1 according to custom1 when the young priest1 overcome by timidity1 stopped him4 8,no1 no10 he said2 8don't go in1 it's useless40 ,then he alighted from the vehicle1 paid the man1 and1 valise in hand1 found himself first under the vaulted roof1 and then in the central court without having met a living soul4 ,it was a square and fairly spacious court1 surrounded by a porticus like a cloister4 ,some remnants of statuary1 marbles discovered in excavating1 an armless ,apollo1 and the trunk of a ,venus1 were ranged against the walls under the dismal arcades2 and some fine grass had sprouted between the pebbles which paved the soil as with a black and white mosaic4 ,it seemed as if the sun-rays could never reach that paving1 mouldy with damp4 ,a dimness and a silence instinct with departed grandeur and infinite mournfulness reigned there4 ,surprised by the emptiness of this silent mansion1 ,pierre continued seeking somebody1 a porter1 a servant2 and1 fancying that he saw a shadow flit by1 he decided to pass through another arch which led to a little garden fringing the ,tiber4 ,on this side the faade of the building was quite plain1 displaying nothing beyond its three rows of symmetrically disposed windows4 ,however1 the abandonment reigning in the garden brought ,pierre yet a keener pang4 ,in the centre some large box-plants were growing in the basin of a fountain which had been filled up2 while among the mass of weeds1 some orange-trees with golden1 ripening fruit alone indicated the tracery of the paths which they had once bordered4 ,between two huge laurel-bushes1 against the right-hand wall1 there was a sarcophagus of the second century--with fauns offering violence to nymphs1 one of those wild baccanali1 those scenes of eager passion which ,rome in its decline was wont to depict on the tombs of its dead2 and this marble sarcophagus1 crumbling with age and green with moisture1 served as a tank into which a streamlet of water fell from a large tragic mask incrusted in the wall4 ,facing the ,tiber there had formerly been a sort of colonnaded loggia1 a terrace whence a double flight of steps descended to the river4 ,for the construction of the new quays1 however1 the river bank was being raised1 and the terrace was already lower than the new ground level1 and stood there crumbling and useless amidst piles of rubbish and blocks of stone1 all the wretched chalky confusion of the improvements which were ripping up and overturning the district4 ,pierre1 however1 was suddenly convinced that he could see somebody crossing the court4 ,so he returned thither and found a woman somewhat short of stature1 who must have been nearly fifty1 though as yet she had not a white hair1 but looked very bright and active4 ,at sight of the priest1 however1 an expression of distrust passed over her round face and clear eyes4 ,employing the few words of broken ,italian which he knew1 ,pierre at once sought to explain matters3 8,i am ,abb ,pierre ,froment1 madame--0 he began4 ,however1 she did not let him continue1 but exclaimed in fluent ,french1 with the somewhat thick and lingering accent of the province of the ,ile-de-,france3 8,ah6 yes1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i know1 ,i know--,i was expecting you1 ,i received orders about you40 ,and then1 as he gazed at her in amazement1 she added3 8,oh6 ,i'm a ,frenchwoman6 ,i've been here for five and twenty years1 but ,i haven't yet been able to get used to their horrible lingo60 ,pierre thereupon remembered that ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue had spoken to him of this servant1 one ,victorine ,bosquet1 a native of ,auneau in ,la ,beauce1 who1 when two and twenty1 had gone to ,rome with a consumptive mistress4 ,the latter's sudden death had left her in as much terror and bewilderment as if she had been alone in some land of savages2 and so she had gratefully devoted herself to the ,countess ,ernesta ,brandini1 a ,boccanera by birth1 who had1 so to say1 picked her up in the streets4 ,the ,countess had at first employed her as a nurse to her daughter ,benedetta1 hoping in this way to teach the child some ,french2 and ,victorine--remaining for some five and twenty years with the same family--had by degrees raised herself to the position of housekeeper1 whilst still remaining virtually illiterate1 so destitute indeed of any linguistic gift that she could only jabber a little broken ,italian1 just sufficient for her needs in her intercourse with the other servants4 8,and is ,monsieur le ,vicomte quite well80 she resumed with frank familiarity4 8,he is so very pleasant1 and we are always so pleased to see him4 ,he stays here1 you know1 each time he comes to ,rome4 ,i know that the ,princess and the ,contessina received a letter from him yesterday announcing you40 ,it was indeed ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue who had made all the arrangements for ,pierre's sojourn in ,rome4 ,of the ancient and once vigorous race of the ,boccaneras1 there now only remained ,cardinal ,pio ,boccanera1 the ,princess his sister1 an old maid who from respect was called 8,donna0 ,serafina1 their niece ,benedetta--whose mother ,ernesta had followed her husband1 ,count ,brandini1 to the tomb--and finally their nephew1 ,prince ,dario ,boccanera1 whose father1 ,prince ,onofrio1 was likewise dead1 and whose mother1 a ,montefiori1 had married again4 ,it so chanced that the ,viscount de la ,choue was connected with the family1 his younger brother having married a ,brandini1 sister to ,benedetta's father2 and thus1 with the courtesy rank of uncle1 he had1 in ,count ,brandini's time1 frequently sojourned at the mansion in the ,via ,giulia4 ,he had also become attached to ,benedetta1 especially since the advent of a private family drama1 consequent upon an unhappy marriage which the young woman had contracted1 and which she had petitioned the ,holy ,father to annul4 ,since ,benedetta had left her husband to live with her aunt ,serafina and her uncle the ,cardinal1 ,m4 de la ,choue had often written to her and sent her parcels of ,french books4 ,among others he had forwarded her a copy of ,pierre's book1 and the whole affair had originated in that wise4 ,several letters on the subject had been exchanged when at last ,benedetta sent word that the work had been denounced to the ,congregation of the ,index1 and that it was advisable the author should at once repair to ,rome1 where she graciously offered him the hospitality of the ,boccanera mansion4 ,the ,viscount was quite as much astonished as the young priest at these tidings1 and failed to understand why the book should be threatened at all2 however1 he prevailed on ,pierre to make the journey as a matter of good policy1 becoming himself impassioned for the achievement of a victory which he counted in anticipation as his own4 ,and so it was easy to understand the bewildered condition of ,pierre1 on tumbling into this unknown mansion1 launched into an heroic adventure1 the reasons and circumstances of which were beyond him4 ,victorine1 however1 suddenly resumed3 8,but ,i am leaving you here1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,let me conduct you to your rooms4 ,where is your luggage80 ,then1 when he had shown her his valise which he had placed on the ground beside him1 and explained that having no more than a fortnight's stay in view he had contented himself with bringing a second cassock and some linen1 she seemed very much surprised4 8,a fortnight6 ,you only expect to remain here a fortnight8 ,well1 well1 you'll see40 ,and then summoning a big devil of a lackey who had ended by making his appearance1 she said3 8,take that up into the red room1 ,giacomo4 ,will you kindly follow me1 ,monsieur l',abb80 ,pierre felt quite comforted and inspirited by thus unexpectedly meeting such a lively1 good-natured compatriot in this gloomy ,roman 8palace40 ,whilst crossing the court he listened to her as she related that the ,princess had gone out1 and that the ,contessina--as ,benedetta from motives of affection was still called in the house1 despite her marriage--had not yet shown herself that morning1 being rather poorly4 ,however1 added ,victorine1 she had her orders4 ,the staircase was in one corner of the court1 under the porticus4 ,it was a monumental staircase with broad1 low steps1 the incline being so gentle that a horse might easily have climbed it4 ,the stone walls1 however1 were quite bare1 the landings empty and solemn1 and a death-like mournfulness fell from the lofty vault above4 ,as they reached the first floor1 noticing ,pierre's emotion1 ,victorine smiled4 ,the mansion seemed to be uninhabited2 not a sound came from its closed chambers4 ,simply pointing to a large oaken door on the right-hand1 the housekeeper remarked3 8,the wing overlooking the court and the river is occupied by his ,eminence4 ,but he doesn't use a quarter of the rooms4 ,all the reception-rooms on the side of the street have been shut4 ,how could one keep up such a big place1 and what1 too1 would be the use of it8 ,we should need somebody to lodge40 ,with her lithe step she continued ascending the stairs4 ,she had remained essentially a foreigner1 a ,frenchwoman1 too different from those among whom she lived to be influenced by her environment4 ,on reaching the second floor she resumed3 8,there1 on the left1 are ,donna ,serafina's rooms2 those of the ,contessina are on the right4 ,this is the only part of the house where there's a little warmth and life4 ,besides1 it's ,monday to-day1 the ,princess will be receiving visitors this evening4 ,you'll see40 ,then1 opening a door1 beyond which was a second and very narrow staircase1 she went on3 8,we others have our rooms on the third floor4 ,i must ask ,monsieur l',abb to let me go up before him40 ,the grand staircase ceased at the second floor1 and ,victorine explained that the third story was reached exclusively by this servants' staircase1 which led from the lane running down to the ,tiber on one side of the mansion4 ,there was a small private entrance in this lane1 which was very convenient4 ,at last1 reaching the third story1 she hurried along a passage1 again calling ,pierre's attention to various doors4 8,these are the apartments of ,don ,vigilio1 his ,eminence's secretary4 ,these are mine4 ,and these will be yours4 ,monsieur le ,vicomte will never have any other rooms when he comes to spend a few days in ,rome4 ,he says that he enjoys more liberty up here1 as he can come in and go out as he pleases4 ,i gave him a key to the door in the lane1 and ,i'll give you one too4 ,and1 besides1 you'll see what a nice view there is from here60 ,whilst speaking she had gone in4 ,the apartments comprised two rooms3 a somewhat spacious salon1 with wall-paper of a large scroll pattern on a red ground1 and a bed-chamber1 where the paper was of a flax grey1 studded with faded blue flowers4 ,the sitting-room was in one corner of the mansion overlooking the lane and the ,tiber1 and ,victorine at once went to the windows1 one of which afforded a view over the distant lower part of the river1 while the other faced the ,trastevere and the ,janiculum across the water4 8,ah6 yes1 it's very pleasant60 said ,pierre1 who had followed and stood beside her4 ,giaccomo1 who did not hurry1 came in behind them with the valise4 ,it was now past eleven o'clock2 and seeing that the young priest looked tired1 and realising that he must be hungry after such a journey1 ,victorine offered to have some breakfast served at once in the sitting-room4 ,he would then have the afternoon to rest or go out1 and would only meet the ladies in the evening at dinner4 ,at the mere suggestion of resting1 however1 ,pierre began to protest1 declaring that he should certainly go out1 not wishing to lose an entire afternoon4 ,the breakfast he readily accepted1 for he was indeed dying of hunger4 ,however1 he had to wait another full half hour4 ,giaccomo1 who served him under ,victorine's orders1 did everything in a most leisurely way4 ,and ,victorine1 lacking confidence in the man1 remained with the young priest to make sure that everything he might require was provided4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8what people6 ,what a country6 ,you can't have an idea of it4 ,i should never get accustomed to it even if ,i were to live here for a hundred years4 ,ah6 if it were not for the ,contessina1 but she's so good and beautiful40 ,then1 whilst placing a dish of figs on the table1 she astonished ,pierre by adding that a city where nearly everybody was a priest could not possibly be a good city4 ,thereupon the presence of this gay1 active1 unbelieving servant in the queer old palace again scared him4 8,what6 you are not religious80 he exclaimed4 8,no1 no1 ,monsieur l',abb1 the priests don't suit me10 said ,victorine2 8,i knew one in ,france when ,i was very little1 and since ,i've been here ,i've seen too many of them4 ,it's all over4 ,oh6 ,i don't say that on account of his ,eminence1 who is a holy man worthy of all possible respect4 ,and besides1 everybody in the house knows that ,i've nothing to reproach myself with4 ,so why not leave me alone1 since ,i'm fond of my employers and attend properly to my duties80 ,she burst into a frank laugh4 8,ah60 she resumed1 8when ,i was told that another priest was coming1 just as if we hadn't enough already1 ,i couldn't help growling to myself4 ,but you look like a good young man1 ,monsieur l',abb1 and ,i feel sure we shall get on well together4444 ,i really don't know why ,i'm telling you all this--probably it's because you've come from yonder1 and because the ,contessina takes an interest in you4 ,at all events1 you'll excuse me1 won't you1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,and take my advice1 stay here and rest to-day2 don't be so foolish as to go running about their tiring city4 ,there's nothing very amusing to be seen in it1 whatever they may say to the contrary40 ,when ,pierre found himself alone1 he suddenly felt overwhelmed by all the fatigue of his journey coupled with the fever of enthusiasm that had consumed him during the morning4 ,and as though dazed1 intoxicated by the hasty meal which he had just made--a couple of eggs and a cutlet--he flung himself upon the bed with the idea of taking half an hour's rest4 ,he did not fall asleep immediately1 but for a time thought of those ,boccaneras1 with whose history he was partly acquainted1 and of whose life in that deserted and silent palace1 instinct with such dilapidated and melancholy grandeur1 he began to dream4 ,but at last his ideas grew confused1 and by degrees he sunk into sleep amidst a crowd of shadowy forms1 some tragic and some sweet1 with vague faces which gazed at him with enigmatical eyes as they whirled before him in the depths of dreamland4 ,the ,boccaneras had supplied two popes to ,rome1 one in the thirteenth1 the other in the fifteenth century1 and from those two favoured ones1 those all-powerful masters1 the family had formerly derived its vast fortune--large estates in the vicinity of ,viterbo1 several palaces in ,rome1 enough works of art to fill numerous spacious galleries1 and a pile of gold sufficient to cram a cellar4 ,the family passed as being the most pious of the ,roman patriziato1 a family of burning faith whose sword had always been at the service of the ,church2 but if it were the most believing family it was also the most violent1 the most disputatious1 constantly at war1 and so fiercely savage that the anger of the ,boccaneras had become proverbial4 ,and thence came their arms1 the winged dragon spitting flames1 and the fierce1 glowing motto1 with its play on the name 8,bocca sera1 ,alma rossa0 7black mouth1 red soul71 the mouth darkened by a roar1 the soul flaming like a brazier of faith and love4 ,legends of endless passion1 of terrible deeds of justice and vengeance still circulated4 ,there was the duel fought by ,onfredo1 the ,boccanera by whom the present palazzo had been built in the sixteenth century on the site of the demolished antique residence of the family4 ,onfredo1 learning that his wife had allowed herself to be kissed on the lips by young ,count ,costamagna1 had caused the ,count to be kidnapped one evening and brought to the palazzo bound with cords4 ,and there in one of the large halls1 before freeing him1 he compelled him to confess himself to a monk4 ,then he severed the cords with a stiletto1 threw the lamps over and extinguished them1 calling to the ,count to keep the stiletto and defend himself4 ,during more than an hour1 in complete obscurity1 in this hall full of furniture1 the two men sought one another1 fled from one another1 seized hold of one another1 and pierced one another with their blades4 ,and when the doors were broken down and the servants rushed in they found among the pools of blood1 among the overturned tables and broken seats1 ,costamagna with his nose sliced off and his hips pierced with two and thirty wounds1 whilst ,onfredo had lost two fingers of his right hand1 and had both shoulders riddled with holes6 ,the wonder was that neither died of the encounter4 ,a century later1 on that same bank of the ,tiber1 a daughter of the ,boccaneras1 a girl barely sixteen years of age1 the lovely and passionate ,cassia1 filled all ,rome with terror and admiration4 ,she loved ,flavio ,corradini1 the scion of a rival and hated house1 whose alliance her father1 ,prince ,boccanera1 roughly rejected1 and whom her elder brother1 ,ercole1 swore to slay should he ever surprise him with her4 ,nevertheless the young man came to visit her in a boat1 and she joined him by the little staircase descending to the river4 ,but one evening ,ercole1 who was on the watch1 sprang into the boat and planted his dagger full in ,flavio's heart4 ,later on the subsequent incidents were unravelled2 it was understood that ,cassia1 wrathful and frantic with despair1 unwilling to survive her love and bent on wreaking justice1 had thrown herself upon her brother1 had seized both murderer and victim with the same grasp whilst overturning the boat2 for when the three bodies were recovered ,cassia still retained her hold upon the two men1 pressing their faces one against the other with her bare arms1 which had remained as white as snow4 ,but those were vanished times4 ,nowadays1 if faith remained1 blood violence seemed to be departing from the ,boccaneras4 ,their huge fortune also had been lost in the slow decline which for a century past has been ruining the ,roman patriziato4 ,it had been necessary to sell the estates2 the palace had emptied1 gradually sinking to the mediocrity and bourgeois life of the new times4 ,for their part the ,boccaneras obstinately declined to contract any alien alliances1 proud as they were of the purity of their ,roman blood4 ,and poverty was as nothing to them2 they found contentment in their immense pride1 and without a plaint sequestered themselves amidst the silence and gloom in which their race was dwindling away4 ,prince ,ascanio1 dead since #ahdh1 had left four children by his wife1 a ,corvisieri2 first ,pio1 the ,cardinal2 then ,serafina1 who1 in order to remain with her brother1 had not married2 and finally ,ernesta and ,onofrio1 both of whom were deceased4 ,as ,ernesta had merely left a daughter1 ,benedetta1 behind her1 it followed that the only male heir1 the only possible continuator of the family name was ,onofrio's son1 young ,prince ,dario1 now some thirty years of age4 ,should he die without posterity1 the ,boccaneras1 once so full of life and whose deeds had filled ,roman history in papal times1 must fatally disappear4 ,dario and his cousin ,benedetta had been drawn together by a deep1 smiling1 natural passion ever since childhood4 ,they seemed born one for the other2 they could not imagine that they had been brought into the world for any other purpose than that of becoming husband and wife as soon as they should be old enough to marry4 ,when ,prince ,onofrio--an amiable man of forty1 very popular in ,rome1 where he spent his modest fortune as his heart listed--espoused ,la ,montefiori's daughter1 the little ,marchesa ,flavia1 whose superb beauty1 suggestive of a youthful ,juno1 had maddened him1 he went to reside at the ,villa ,montefiori1 the only property1 indeed the only belonging1 that remained to the two ladies4 ,it was in the direction of ,st'4 ,agnese-fuori-le-,mura199 and there were vast grounds1 a perfect park in fact1 planted with centenarian trees1 among which the villa1 a somewhat sorry building of the seventeenth century1 was falling into ruins4 99 ,st4 ,agnes-without-the-walls1 ,n4,e4 of ,rome4 ,unfavourable reports were circulated about the ladies1 the mother having almost lost caste since she had become a widow1 and the girl having too bold a beauty1 too conquering an air4 ,thus the marriage had not met with the approval of ,serafina1 who was very rigid1 or of ,onofrio's elder brother ,pio1 at that time merely a ,cameriere segreto of the ,holy ,father and a ,canon of the ,vatican basilica4 ,only ,ernesta kept up a regular intercourse with ,onofrio1 fond of him as she was by reason of his gaiety of disposition2 and thus1 later on1 her favourite diversion was to go each week to the ,villa ,montefiori with her daughter ,benedetta1 there to spend the day4 ,and what a delightful day it always proved to ,benedetta and ,dario1 she ten years old and he fifteen1 what a fraternal loving day in that vast and almost abandoned garden with its parasol pines1 its giant box-plants1 and its clumps of evergreen oaks1 amidst which one lost oneself as in a virgin forest4 ,the poor stifled soul of ,ernesta was a soul of pain and passion4 ,born with a mighty longing for life1 she thirsted for the sun--for a free1 happy1 active existence in the full daylight4 ,she was noted for her large limpid eyes and the charming oval of her gentle face4 ,extremely ignorant1 like all the daughters of the ,roman nobility1 having learnt the little she knew in a convent of ,french nuns1 she had grown up cloistered in the black ,boccanera palace1 having no knowledge of the world than by those daily drives to the ,corso and the ,pincio on which she accompanied her mother4 ,eventually1 when she was five and twenty1 and was already weary and desolate1 she contracted the customary marriage of her caste1 espousing ,count ,brandini1 the last-born of a very noble1 very numerous and poor family1 who had to come and live in the ,via ,giulia mansion1 where an entire wing of the second floor was got ready for the young couple4 ,and nothing changed1 ,ernesta continued to live in the same cold gloom1 in the midst of the same dead past1 the weight of which1 like that of a tombstone1 she felt pressing more and more heavily upon her4 ,the marriage was1 on either side1 a very honourable one4 ,count ,brandini soon passed as being the most foolish and haughty man in ,rome4 ,a strict1 intolerant formalist in religious matters1 he became quite triumphant when1 after innumerable intrigues1 secret plottings which lasted ten long years1 he at last secured the appointment of grand equerry to the ,holy ,father4 ,with this appointment it seemed as if all the dismal majesty of the ,vatican entered his household4 ,however1 ,ernesta found life still bearable in the time of ,pius ,,ix--that is until the latter part of #ahgj--;for she might still venture to open the windows overlooking the street1 receive a few lady friends otherwise than in secrecy1 and accept invitations to festivities4 ,but when the ,italians had conquered ,rome and the ,pope declared himself a prisoner1 the mansion in the ,via ,giulia became a sepulchre4 ,the great doors were closed and bolted1 even nailed together in token of mourning2 and during ten years the inmates only went out and came in by the little staircase communicating with the lane4 ,it was also forbidden to open the window shutters of the faade4 ,this was the sulking1 the protest of the black world1 the mansion sinking into death-like immobility1 complete seclusion2 no more receptions1 barely a few shadows1 the intimates of ,donna ,serafina who on ,monday evenings slipped in by the little door in the lane which was scarcely set ajar4 ,and during those ten lugubrious years1 overcome by secret despair1 the young woman wept every night1 suffered untold agony at thus being buried alive4 ,ernesta had given birth to her daughter ,benedetta rather late in life1 when three and thirty years of age4 ,at first the little one helped to divert her mind4 ,but afterwards her wonted existence1 like a grinding millstone1 again seized hold of her1 and she had to place the child in the charge of the ,french nuns1 by whom she herself had been educated1 at the convent of the ,sacred ,heart of ,la ,trinita de' ,monti4 ,when ,benedetta left the convent1 grown up1 nineteen years of age1 she was able to speak and write ,french1 knew a little arithmetic and her catechism1 and possessed a few hazy notions of history4 ,then the life of the two women was resumed1 the life of a gynoeceum1 suggestive of the ,orient2 never an excursion with husband or father1 but day after day spent in closed1 secluded rooms1 with nought to cheer one but the sole1 everlasting1 obligatory promenade1 the daily drive to the ,corso and the ,pincio4 ,at home1 absolute obedience was the rule2 the tie of relationship possessed an authority1 a strength1 which made both women bow to the will of the ,count1 without possible thought of rebellion2 and to the ,count's will was added that of ,donna ,serafina and that of ,cardinal ,pio1 both of whom were stern defenders of the old-time customs4 ,since the ,pope had ceased to show himself in ,rome1 the post of grand equerry had left the ,count considerable leisure1 for the number of equipages in the pontifical stables had been very largely reduced2 nevertheless1 he was constant in his attendance at the ,vatican1 where his duties were now a mere matter of parade1 and ever increased his devout zeal as a mark of protest against the usurping monarchy installed at the ,quirinal4 ,however1 ,benedetta had just attained her twentieth year1 when one evening her father returned coughing and shivering from some ceremony at ,st4 ,peter's4 ,a week later he died1 carried off by inflammation of the lungs4 ,and despite their mourning1 the loss was secretly considered a deliverance by both women1 who now felt that they were free4 ,thenceforward ,ernesta had but one thought1 that of saving her daughter from that awful life of immurement and entombment4 ,she herself had sorrowed too deeply3 it was no longer possible for her to remount the current of existence2 but she was unwilling that ,benedetta should in her turn lead a life contrary to nature1 in a voluntary grave4 ,moreover1 similar lassitude and rebellion were showing themselves among other patrician families1 which1 after the sulking of the first years1 were beginning to draw nearer to the ,quirinal4 ,why indeed should the children1 eager for action1 liberty1 and sunlight1 perpetually keep up the quarrel of the fathers8 ,and so1 though no reconciliation could take place between the black world and the white world199 intermediate tints were already appearing1 and some unexpected matrimonial alliances were contracted4 99 ,the 8blacks0 are the supporters of the papacy1 the 8whites0 those of the ,king of ,italy4--,trans4 ,ernesta for her part was indifferent to the political question2 she knew next to nothing about it2 but that which she passionately desired was that her race might at last emerge from that hateful sepulchre1 that black1 silent ,boccanera mansion1 where her woman's joys had been frozen by so long a death4 ,she had suffered very grievously in her heart1 as girl1 as lover1 and as wife1 and yielded to anger at the thought that her life should have been so spoiled1 so lost through idiotic resignation4 ,then1 too1 her mind was greatly influenced by the choice of a new confessor at this period2 for she had remained very religious1 practising all the rites of the ,church1 and ever docile to the advice of her spiritual director4 ,to free herself the more1 however1 she now quitted the ,jesuit father whom her husband had chosen for her1 and in his stead took ,abb ,pisoni1 the rector of the little church of ,sta4 ,brigida1 on the ,piazza ,farnese1 close by4 ,he was a man of fifty1 very gentle1 and very good-hearted1 of a benevolence seldom found in the ,roman world2 and archaeology1 a passion for the old stones of the past1 had made him an ardent patriot4 ,humble though his position was1 folks whispered that he had on several occasions served as an intermediary in delicate matters between the ,vatican and the ,quirinal4 ,and1 becoming confessor not only of ,ernesta but of ,benedetta also1 he was fond of discoursing to them about the grandeur of ,italian unity1 the triumphant sway that ,italy would exercise when the ,pope and the ,king should agree together4 ,meantime ,benedetta and ,dario loved as on the first day1 patiently1 with the strong tranquil love of those who know that they belong to one another4 ,but it happened that ,ernesta threw herself between them and stubbornly opposed their marriage4 ,no1 no6 her daughter must not espouse that ,dario1 that cousin1 the last of the name1 who in his turn would immure his wife in the black sepulchre of the ,boccanera palace6 ,their union would be a prolongation of entombment1 an aggravation of ruin1 a repetition of the haughty wretchedness of the past1 of the everlasting peevish sulking which depressed and benumbed one6 ,she was well acquainted with the young man's character2 she knew that he was egotistical and weak1 incapable of thinking and acting1 predestined to bury his race with a smile on his lips1 to let the last remnant of the house crumble about his head without attempting the slightest effort to found a new family4 ,and that which she desired was fortune in another guise1 a new birth for her daughter with wealth and the florescence of life amid the victors and powerful ones of to-morrow4 ,from that moment the mother did not cease her stubborn efforts to ensure her daughter's happiness despite herself4 ,she told her of her tears1 entreated her not to renew her own deplorable career4 ,yet she would have failed1 such was the calm determination of the girl who had for ever given her heart1 if certain circumstances had not brought her into connection with such a son-in-law as she dreamt of4 ,at that very ,villa ,montefiori where ,benedetta and ,dario had plighted their troth1 she met ,count ,prada1 son of ,orlando1 one of the heroes of the reunion of ,italy4 ,arriving in ,rome from ,milan1 with his father1 when eighteen years of age1 at the time of the occupation of the city by the ,italian ,government1 ,prada had first entered the ,ministry of ,finances as a mere clerk1 whilst the old warrior1 his sire1 created a senator1 lived scantily on a petty income1 the last remnant of a fortune spent in his country's service4 ,the fine war-like madness of the former comrade of ,garibaldi had1 however1 in the son turned into a fierce appetite for booty1 so that the young man became one of the real conquerors of ,rome1 one of those birds of prey that dismembered and devoured the city4 ,engaged in vast speculations on land1 already wealthy according to popular report1 he had--at the time of meeting ,ernesta--just become intimate with ,prince ,onofrio1 whose head he had turned by suggesting to him the idea of selling the far-spreading grounds of the ,villa ,montefiori for the erection of a new suburban district on the site4 ,others averred that he was the lover of the princess1 the beautiful ,flavia1 who1 although nine years his senior1 was still superb4 ,and1 truth to tell1 he was certainly a man of violent desires1 with an eagerness to rush on the spoils of conquest which rendered him utterly unscrupulous with regard either to the wealth or to the wives of others4 ,from the first day that he beheld ,benedetta he desired her4 ,but she1 at any rate1 could only become his by marriage4 ,and he did not for a moment hesitate1 but broke off all connection with ,flavia1 eager as he was for the pure virgin beauty1 the patrician youth of the other4 ,when he realised that ,ernesta1 the mother1 favoured him1 he asked her daughter's hand1 feeling certain of success4 ,and the surprise was great1 for he was some fifteen years older than the girl4 ,however1 he was a count1 he bore a name which was already historical1 he was piling up millions1 he was regarded with favour at the ,quirinal1 and none could tell to what heights he might not attain4 ,all ,rome became impassioned4 ,never afterwards was ,benedetta able to explain to herself how it happened that she had eventually consented4 ,six months sooner1 six months later1 such a marriage would certainly have been impossible1 given the fearful scandal which it raised in the black world4 ,a ,boccanera1 the last maiden of that antique papal race1 given to a ,prada1 to one of the despoilers of the ,church6 ,was it credible8 ,in order that the wild project might prove successful it had been necessary that it should be formed at a particular brief moment--a moment when a supreme effort was being made to conciliate the ,vatican and the ,quirinal4 ,a report circulated that an agreement was on the point of being arrived at1 that the ,king consented to recognise the ,pope's absolute sovereignty over the ,leonine ,city199 and a narrow band of territory extending to the sea4 ,and if such were the case would not the marriage of ,benedetta and ,prada become1 so to say1 a symbol of union1 of national reconciliation8 ,that lovely girl1 the pure lily of the black world1 was she not the acquiescent sacrifice1 the pledge granted to the whites8 99 ,the ,vatican suburb of ,rome1 called the ,civitas ,leonina1 because ,leo ,,iv1 to protect it from the ,saracens and ,arabs1 enclosed it with walls in the ninth century4--,trans4 ,for a fortnight nothing else was talked of2 people discussed the question1 allowed their emotion rein1 indulged in all sorts of hopes4 ,the girl1 for her part1 did not enter into the political reasons1 but simply listened to her heart1 which she could not bestow since it was hers no more4 ,from morn till night1 however1 she had to encounter her mother's prayers entreating her not to refuse the fortune1 the life which offered4 ,and she was particularly exercised by the counsels of her confessor1 good ,abb ,pisoni1 whose patriotic zeal now burst forth4 ,he weighed upon her with all his faith in the ,christian destinies of ,italy1 and returned heartfelt thanks to ,providence for having chosen one of his penitents as the instrument for hastening the reconciliation which would work ,god's triumph throughout the world4 ,and her confessor's influence was certainly one of the decisive factors in shaping ,benedetta's decision1 for she was very pious1 very devout1 especially with regard to a certain ,madonna whose image she went to adore every ,sunday at the little church on the ,piazza ,farnese4 ,one circumstance in particular struck her3 ,abb ,pisoni related that the flame of the lamp before the image in question whitened each time that he himself knelt there to beg the ,virgin to incline his penitent to the all-redeeming marriage4 ,and thus superior forces intervened2 and she yielded in obedience to her mother1 whom the ,cardinal and ,donna ,serafina had at first opposed1 but whom they left free to act when the religious question arose4 ,benedetta had grown up in such absolute purity and ignorance1 knowing nothing of herself1 so shut off from existence1 that marriage with another than ,dario was to her simply the rupture of a long-kept promise of life in common4 ,it was not the violent wrenching of heart and flesh that it would have been in the case of a woman who knew the facts of life4 ,she wept a good deal1 and then in a day of self-surrender she married ,prada1 lacking the strength to continue resisting everybody1 and yielding to a union which all ,rome had conspired to bring about4 ,but the clap of thunder came on the very night of the nuptials4 ,was it that ,prada1 the ,piedmontese1 the ,italian of the ,north1 the man of conquest1 displayed towards his bride the same brutality that he had shown towards the city he had sacked8 ,or was it that the revelation of married life filled ,benedetta with repulsion since nothing in her own heart responded to the passion of this man8 ,on that point she never clearly explained herself2 but with violence she shut the door of her room1 locked it and bolted it1 and refused to admit her husband4 ,for a month ,prada was maddened by her scorn4 ,he felt outraged2 both his pride and his passion bled2 and he swore to master her1 even as one masters a colt1 with the whip4 ,but all his virile fury was impotent against the indomitable determination which had sprung up one evening behind ,benedetta's small and lovely brow4 ,the spirit of the ,boccaneras had awoke within her2 nothing in the world1 not even the fear of death1 would have induced her to become her husband's wife499 ,and then1 love being at last revealed to her1 there came a return of her heart to ,dario1 a conviction that she must reserve herself for him alone1 since it was to him that she had promised herself4 99 ,many readers will doubtless remember that the situation as here described is somewhat akin to that of the earlier part of ,m4 ,george ,ohnet's ,ironmaster1 which1 in its form as a novel1 ,i translated into ,english many years ago4 ,however1 all resemblance between ,rome and the ,ironmaster is confined to this one point4--,trans4 ,ever since that marriage1 which he had borne like a bereavement1 the young man had been travelling in ,france4 ,she did not hide the truth from him1 but wrote to him1 again vowing that she would never be another's4 ,and meantime her piety increased1 her resolve to reserve herself for the lover she had chosen mingled in her mind with constancy of religious faith4 ,the ardent heart of a great amorosa had ignited within her1 she was ready for martyrdom for faith's sake4 ,and when her despairing mother with clasped hands entreated her to resign herself to her conjugal duties1 she replied that she owed no duties1 since she had known nothing when she married4 ,moreover1 the times were changing2 the attempts to reconcile the ,quirinal and the ,vatican had failed1 so completely1 indeed1 that the newspapers of the rival parties had1 with renewed violence1 resumed their campaign of mutual insult and outrage2 and thus that triumphal marriage1 to which every one had contributed as to a pledge of peace1 crumbled amid the general smash-up1 became but a ruin the more added to so many others4 ,ernesta died of it4 ,she had made a mistake4 ,her spoilt life--the life of a joyless wife--had culminated in this supreme maternal error4 ,and the worst was that she alone had to bear all the responsibility of the disaster1 for both her brother1 the ,cardinal1 and her sister1 ,donna ,serafina1 overwhelmed her with reproaches4 ,for consolation she had but the despair of ,abb ,pisoni1 whose patriotic hopes had been destroyed1 and who was consumed with grief at having contributed to such a catastrophe4 ,and one morning ,ernesta was found1 icy white and cold1 in her bed4 ,folks talked of the rupture of a blood-vessel1 but grief had been sufficient1 for she had suffered frightfully1 secretly1 without a plaint1 as indeed she had suffered all her life long4 ,at this time ,benedetta had been married about a twelvemonth3 still strong in her resistance to her husband1 but remaining under the conjugal roof in order to spare her mother the terrible blow of a public scandal4 ,however1 her aunt ,serafina had brought influence to bear on her1 by opening to her the hope of a possible nullification of her marriage1 should she throw herself at the feet of the ,holy ,father and entreat his intervention4 ,and ,serafina ended by persuading her of this1 when1 deferring to certain advice1 she removed her from the spiritual control of ,abb ,pisoni1 and gave her the same confessor as herself4 ,this was a ,jesuit father named ,lorenza1 a man scarce five and thirty1 with bright eyes1 grave and amiable manners1 and great persuasive powers4 ,however1 it was only on the morrow of her mother's death that ,benedetta made up her mind1 and returned to the ,palazzo ,boccanera1 to occupy the apartments where she had been born1 and where her mother had just passed away4 ,immediately afterwards proceedings for annulling the marriage were instituted1 in the first instance1 for inquiry1 before the ,cardinal ,vicar charged with the diocese of ,rome4 ,it was related that the ,contessina had only taken this step after a secret audience with his ,holiness1 who had shown her the most encouraging sympathy4 ,count ,prada at first spoke of applying to the law courts to compel his wife to return to the conjugal domicile2 but1 yielding to the entreaties of his old father ,orlando1 whom the affair greatly grieved1 he eventually consented to accept the ecclesiastical jurisdiction4 ,he was infuriated1 however1 to find that the nullification of the marriage was solicited on the ground of its non-consummation through impotentia mariti2 this being one of the most valid and decisive pleas on which the ,church of ,rome consents to part those whom she has joined4 ,and far more unhappy marriages than might be imagined are severed on these grounds1 though the world only gives attention to those cases in which people of title or renown are concerned1 as it did1 for instance1 with the famous ,martinez ,campos suit4 ,in ,benedetta's case1 her counsel1 ,consistorial-,advocate ,morano1 one of the leading authorities of the ,roman bar1 simply neglected to mention1 in his memoir1 that if she was still merely a wife in name1 this was entirely due to herself4 ,in addition to the evidence of friends and servants1 showing on what terms the husband and wife had lived since their marriage1 the advocate produced a certificate of a medical character1 showing that the non-consummation of the union was certain4 ,and the ,cardinal ,vicar1 acting as ,bishop of ,rome1 had thereupon remitted the case to the ,congregation of the ,council4 ,this was a first success for ,benedetta1 and matters remained in this position4 ,she was waiting for the ,congregation to deliver its final pronouncement1 hoping that the ecclesiastical dissolution of the marriage would prove an irresistible argument in favour of the divorce which she meant to solicit of the civil courts4 ,and meantime1 in the icy rooms where her mother ,ernesta1 submissive and desolate1 had lately died1 the ,contessina resumed her girlish life1 showing herself calm1 yet very firm in her passion1 having vowed that she would belong to none but ,dario1 and that she would not belong to him until the day when a priest should have joined them together in ,god's holy name4 ,as it happened1 some six months previously1 ,dario also had taken up his abode at the ,boccanera palace in consequence of the death of his father and the catastrophe which had ruined him4 ,prince ,onofrio1 after adopting ,prada's advice and selling the ,villa ,montefiori to a financial company for ten million lire199 had1 instead of prudently keeping his money in his pockets1 succumbed to the fever of speculation which was consuming ,rome4 ,he began to gamble1 buying back his own land1 and ending by losing everything in the formidable krach which was swallowing up the wealth of the entire city4 ,totally ruined1 somewhat deeply in debt even1 the ,prince nevertheless continued to promenade the ,corso1 like the handsome1 smiling1 popular man he was1 when he accidentally met his death through falling from his horse2 and four months later his widow1 the ever beautiful ,flavia--who had managed to save a modern villa and a personal income of forty thousand lire99 from the disaster--was remarried to a man of magnificent presence1 her junior by some ten years4 ,this was a ,swiss named ,jules ,laporte1 originally a sergeant in the ,papal ,swiss ,guard1 then a traveller for a shady business in 8relics10 and finally ,marchese ,montefiore1 having secured that title in securing his wife1 thanks to a special brief of the ,holy ,father4 ,thus the ,princess ,boccanera had again become the ,marchioness ,montefiori4 99 #djj1jjj pounds4 9999 #a1hjj pounds4 ,it was then that ,cardinal ,boccanera1 feeling greatly hurt1 insisted on his nephew ,dario coming to live with him1 in a small apartment on the first floor of the palazzo4 ,in the heart of that holy man1 who seemed dead to the world1 there still lingered pride of name and lineage1 with a feeling of affection for his young1 slightly built nephew1 the last of the race1 the only one by whom the old stock might blossom anew4 ,moreover1 he was not opposed to ,dario's marriage with ,benedetta1 whom he also loved with a paternal affection2 and so proud was he of the family honour1 and so convinced of the young people's pious rectitude that1 in taking them to live with him1 he absolutely scorned the abominable rumours which ,count ,prada's friends in the white world had begun to circulate ever since the two cousins had resided under the same roof4 ,donna ,serafina guarded ,benedetta1 as he1 the ,cardinal1 guarded ,dario1 and in the silence and the gloom of the vast deserted mansion1 ensanguined of olden time by so many tragic deeds of violence1 there now only remained these four with their restrained1 stilled passions1 last survivors of a crumbling world upon the threshold of a new one4 ,when ,abb ,pierre ,froment all at once awoke from sleep1 his head heavy with painful dreams1 he was worried to find that the daylight was already waning4 ,his watch1 which he hastened to consult1 pointed to six o'clock4 ,intending to rest for an hour at the utmost1 he had slept on for nearly seven hours1 overcome beyond power of resistance4 ,and even on awaking he remained on the bed1 helpless1 as though he were conquered before he had fought4 ,why1 he wondered1 did he experience this prostration1 this unreasonable discouragement1 this quiver of doubt which had come he knew not whence during his sleep1 and which was annihilating his youthful enthusiasm of the morning8 ,had the ,boccaneras any connection with this sudden weakening of his powers8 ,he had espied dim disquieting figures in the black night of his dreams2 and the anguish which they had brought him continued1 and he again evoked them1 scared as he was at thus awaking in a strange room1 full of uneasiness in presence of the unknown4 ,things no longer seemed natural to him4 ,he could not understand why ,benedetta should have written to ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue to tell him that his1 ,pierre's1 book had been denounced to the ,congregation of the ,index4 ,what interest too could she have had in his coming to ,rome to defend himself2 and with what object had she carried her amiability so far as to desire that he should take up his quarters in the mansion8 ,pierre's stupefaction indeed arose from his being there1 on that bed in that strange room1 in that palace whose deep1 death-like silence encompassed him4 ,as he lay there1 his limbs still overpowered and his brain seemingly empty1 a flash of light suddenly came to him1 and he realised that there must be certain circumstances that he knew nothing of that1 simple though things appeared1 they must really hide some complicated intrigue4 ,however1 it was only a fugitive gleam of enlightenment2 his suspicions faded2 and he rose up shaking himself and accusing the gloomy twilight of being the sole cause of the shivering and the despondency of which he felt ashamed4 ,in order to bestir himself1 ,pierre began to examine the two rooms4 ,they were furnished simply1 almost meagrely1 in mahogany1 there being scarcely any two articles alike1 though all dated from the beginning of the century4 ,neither the bed nor the windows nor the doors had any hangings4 ,on the floor of bare tiles1 coloured red and polished1 there were merely some little foot-mats in front of the various seats4 ,and at sight of this middle-class bareness and coldness ,pierre ended by remembering a room where he had slept in childhood--a room at ,versailles1 at the abode of his grandmother1 who had kept a little grocer's shop there in the days of ,louis ,philippe4 ,however1 he became interested in an old painting which hung in the bed-room1 on the wall facing the bed1 amidst some childish and valueless engravings4 ,but partially discernible in the waning light1 this painting represented a woman seated on some projecting stone-work1 on the threshold of a great stern building1 whence she seemed to have been driven forth4 ,the folding doors of bronze had for ever closed behind her1 yet she remained there in a mere drapery of white linen2 whilst scattered articles of clothing1 thrown forth chance-wise with a violent hand1 lay upon the massive granite steps4 ,her feet were bare1 her arms were bare1 and her hands1 distorted by bitter agony1 were pressed to her face--a face which one saw not1 veiled as it was by the tawny gold of her rippling1 streaming hair4 ,what nameless grief1 what fearful shame1 what hateful abandonment was thus being hidden by that rejected one1 that lingering victim of love1 of whose unknown story one might for ever dream with tortured heart8 ,it could be divined that she was adorably young and beautiful in her wretchedness1 in the shred of linen draped about her shoulders2 but a mystery enveloped everything else--her passion1 possibly her misfortune1 perhaps even her transgression--unless1 indeed1 she were there merely as a symbol of all that shivers and that weeps visageless before the ever closed portals of the unknown4 ,for a long time ,pierre looked at her1 and so intently that he at last imagined he could distinguish her profile1 divine in its purity and expression of suffering4 ,but this was only an illusion2 the painting had greatly suffered1 blackened by time and neglect2 and he asked himself whose work it might be that it should move him so intensely4 ,on the adjoining wall a picture of a ,madonna1 a bad copy of an eighteenth-century painting1 irritated him by the banality of its smile4 ,night was falling faster and faster1 and1 opening the sitting-room window1 ,pierre leant out4 ,on the other bank of the ,tiber facing him arose the ,janiculum1 the height whence he had gazed upon ,rome that morning4 ,but at this dim hour ,rome was no longer the city of youth and dreamland soaring into the early sunshine4 ,the night was raining down1 grey and ashen2 the horizon was becoming blurred1 vague1 and mournful4 ,yonder1 to the left1 beyond the sea of roofs1 ,pierre could still divine the presence of the ,palatine2 and yonder1 to the right1 there still arose the ,dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 now grey like slate against the leaden sky2 whilst behind him the ,quirinal1 which he could not see1 must also be fading away into the misty night4 ,a few minutes went by1 and everything became yet more blurred2 he realised that ,rome was fading1 departing in its immensity of which he knew nothing4 ,then his causeless doubt and disquietude again came on him so painfully that he could no longer remain at the window4 ,he closed it and sat down1 letting the darkness submerge him with its flood of infinite sadness4 ,and his despairing reverie only ceased when the door gently opened and the glow of a lamp enlivened the room4 ,it was ,victorine who came in quietly1 bringing the light4 8,ah6 so you are up1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she2 8,i came in at about four o'clock but ,i let you sleep on4 ,you have done quite right to take all the rest you required40 ,then1 as he complained of pains and shivering1 she became anxious4 8,don't go catching their nasty fevers10 she said4 8,it isn't at all healthy near their river1 you know4 ,don ,vigilio1 his ,eminence's secretary1 is always having the fever1 and ,i assure you that it isn't pleasant40 ,she accordingly advised him to remain upstairs and lie down again4 ,she would excuse his absence to the ,princess and the ,contessina4 ,and he ended by letting her do as she desired1 for he was in no state to have any will of his own4 ,by her advice he dined1 partaking of some soup1 a wing of a chicken1 and some preserves1 which ,giaccomo1 the big lackey1 brought up to him4 ,and the food did him a great deal of good2 he felt so restored that he refused to go to bed1 desiring1 said he1 to thank the ladies that very evening for their kindly hospitality4 ,as ,donna ,serafina received on ,mondays he would present himself before her4 8,very good10 said ,victorine approvingly4 8,as you are all right again it can do you no harm1 it will even enliven you4 ,the best thing will be for ,don ,vigilio to come for you at nine o'clock and accompany you4 ,wait for him here40 ,pierre had just washed and put on the new cassock he had brought with him1 when1 at nine o'clock precisely1 he heard a discreet knock at his door4 ,a little priest came in1 a man scarcely thirty years of age1 but thin and debile of build1 with a long1 seared1 saffron-coloured face4 ,for two years past attacks of fever1 coming on every day at the same hour1 had been consuming him4 ,nevertheless1 whenever he forgot to control the black eyes which lighted his yellow face1 they shone out ardently with the glow of his fiery soul4 ,he bowed1 and then in fluent ,french introduced himself in this simple fashion3 8,don ,vigilio1 ,monsieur l',abb1 who is entirely at your service4 ,if you are willing1 we will go down40 ,pierre immediately followed him1 expressing his thanks1 and ,don ,vigilio1 relapsing into silence1 answered his remarks with a smile4 ,having descended the small staircase1 they found themselves on the second floor1 on the spacious landing of the grand staircase4 ,and ,pierre was surprised and saddened by the scanty illumination1 which1 as in some dingy lodging-house1 was limited to a few gas-jets1 placed far apart1 their yellow splotches but faintly relieving the deep gloom of the lofty1 endless corridors4 ,all was gigantic and funereal4 ,even on the landing1 where was the entrance to ,donna ,serafina's apartments1 facing those occupied by her niece1 nothing indicated that a reception was being held that evening4 ,the door remained closed1 not a sound came from the rooms1 a death-like silence arose from the whole palace4 ,and ,don ,vigilio did not even ring1 but1 after a fresh bow1 discreetly turned the door-handle4 ,a single petroleum lamp1 placed on a table1 lighted the ante-room1 a large apartment with bare fresco-painted walls1 simulating hangings of red and gold1 draped regularly all around in the antique fashion4 ,a few men's overcoats and two ladies' mantles lay on the chairs1 whilst a pier table was littered with hats1 and a servant sat there dozing1 with his back to the wall4 ,however1 as ,don ,vigilio stepped aside to allow ,pierre to enter a first reception-room1 hung with red brocatelle1 a room but dimly lighted and which he imagined to be empty1 the young priest found himself face to face with an apparition in black1 a woman whose features he could not at first distinguish4 ,fortunately he heard his companion say1 with a low bow1 8,contessina1 ,i have the honour to present to you ,monsieur l',abb ,pierre ,froment1 who arrived from ,france this morning40 ,then1 for a moment1 ,pierre remained alone with ,benedetta in that deserted salon1 in the sleepy glimmer of two lace-veiled lamps4 ,at present1 however1 a sound of voices came from a room beyond1 a larger apartment whose doorway1 with folding doors thrown wide open1 described a parallelogram of brighter light4 ,the young woman at once showed herself very affable1 with perfect simplicity of manner3 8,ah6 ,i am happy to see you1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,i was afraid that your indisposition might be serious4 ,you are quite recovered now1 are you not80 ,pierre listened to her1 fascinated by her slow and rather thick voice1 in which restrained passion seemed to mingle with much prudent good sense4 ,and at last he saw her1 with her hair so heavy and so dark1 her skin so white1 the whiteness of ivory4 ,she had a round face1 with somewhat full lips1 a small refined nose1 features as delicate as a child's4 ,but it was especially her eyes that lived1 immense eyes1 whose infinite depths none could fathom4 ,was she slumbering8 ,was she dreaming8 ,did her motionless face conceal the ardent tension of a great saint and a great amorosa8 ,so white1 so young1 and so calm1 her every movement was harmonious1 her appearance at once very staid1 very noble1 and very rhythmical4 ,in her ears she wore two large pearls of matchless purity1 pearls which had come from a famous necklace of her mother's1 known throughout ,rome4 ,pierre apologised and thanked her4 8,you see me in confusion1 madame10 said he2 8,i should have liked to express to you this morning my gratitude for your great kindness40 ,he had hesitated to call her madame1 remembering the plea brought forward in the suit for the dissolution of her marriage4 ,but plainly enough everybody must call her madame4 ,moreover1 her face had retained its calm and kindly expression4 8,consider yourself at home here1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she responded1 wishing to put him at his ease4 8,it is sufficient that our relative1 ,monsieur de la ,choue1 should be fond of you1 and take interest in your work4 ,i have1 you know1 much affection for him40 ,then her voice faltered slightly1 for she realised that she ought to speak of the book1 the one reason of ,pierre's journey and her proffered hospitality4 8,yes10 she added1 8the ,viscount sent me your book4 ,i read it and found it very beautiful4 ,it disturbed me4 ,but ,i am only an ignoramus1 and certainly failed to understand everything in it4 ,we must talk it over together2 you will explain your ideas to me1 won't you1 ,monsieur l',abb80 ,in her large clear eyes1 which did not know how to lie1 ,pierre then read the surprise and emotion of a child's soul when confronted by disquieting and undreamt-of problems4 ,so it was not she who had become impassioned and had desired to have him near her that she might sustain him and assist his victory4 ,once again1 and this time very keenly1 he suspected a secret influence1 a hidden hand which was directing everything towards some unknown goal4 ,however1 he was charmed by so much simplicity and frankness in so beautiful1 young1 and noble a creature2 and he gave himself to her after the exchange of those few words1 and was about to tell her that she might absolutely dispose of him1 when he was interrupted by the advent of another woman1 whose tall1 slight figure1 also clad in black1 stood out strongly against the luminous background of the further reception-room as seen through the open doorway4 8,well1 ,benedetta1 have you sent ,giaccomo up to see80 asked the newcomer4 8,don ,vigilio has just come down and he is quite alone4 ,it is improper40 8,no1 no1 aunt4 ,monsieur l',abb is here10 was the reply of ,benedetta1 hastening to introduce the young priest4 8,monsieur l',abb ,pierre ,froment--,the ,princess ,boccanera40 ,ceremonious salutations were exchanged4 ,the ,princess must have been nearly sixty1 but she laced herself so tightly that from behind one might have taken her for a young woman4 ,this tight lacing1 however1 was her last coquetry4 ,her hair1 though still plentiful1 was quite white1 her eyebrows alone remaining black in her long1 wrinkled face1 from which projected the large obstinate nose of the family4 ,she had never been beautiful1 and had remained a spinster1 wounded to the heart by the selection of ,count ,brandini1 who had preferred her younger sister1 ,ernesta4 ,from that moment she had resolved to seek consolation and satisfaction in family pride alone1 the hereditary pride of the great name which she bore4 ,the ,boccaneras had already supplied two ,popes to the ,church1 and she hoped that before she died her brother would become the third4 ,she had transformed herself into his housekeeper1 as it were1 remaining with him1 watching over him1 and advising him1 managing all the household affairs herself1 and accomplishing miracles in order to conceal the slow ruin which was bringing the ceilings about their heads4 ,if every ,monday for thirty years past she had continued receiving a few intimates1 all of them folks of the ,vatican1 it was from high political considerations1 so that her drawing-room might remain a meeting-place of the black world1 a power and a threat4 ,and ,pierre divined by her greeting that she deemed him of little account1 petty foreign priest that he was1 not even a prelate4 ,this too again surprised him1 again brought the puzzling question to the fore3 ,why had he been invited1 what was expected of him in this society from which the humble were usually excluded8 ,knowing the ,princess to be austerely devout1 he at last fancied that she received him solely out of regard for her kinsman1 the ,viscount1 for in her turn she only found these words of welcome3 8,we are so pleased to receive good news of ,monsieur de la ,choue6 ,he brought us such a beautiful pilgrimage two years ago40 ,passing the first through the doorway1 she at last ushered the young priest into the adjoining reception-room4 ,it was a spacious square apartment1 hung with old yellow brocatelle of a flowery ,louis ,,xiv pattern4 ,the lofty ceiling was adorned with a very fine panelling1 carved and coloured1 with gilded roses in each compartment4 ,the furniture1 however1 was of all sorts4 ,there were some high mirrors1 a couple of superb gilded pier tables1 and a few handsome seventeenth-century arm-chairs2 but all the rest was wretched4 ,a heavy round table of first-empire style1 which had come nobody knew whence1 caught the eye with a medley of anomalous articles picked up at some bazaar1 and a quantity of cheap photographs littered the costly marble tops of the pier tables4 ,no interesting article of virtu was to be seen4 ,the old paintings on the walls were with two exceptions feebly executed4 ,there was a delightful example of an unknown primitive master1 a fourteenth-century ,visitation1 in which the ,virgin had the stature and pure delicacy of a child of ten1 whilst the ,archangel1 huge and superb1 inundated her with a stream of dazzling1 superhuman love2 and in front of this hung an antique family portrait1 depicting a very beautiful young girl in a turban1 who was thought to be ,cassia ,boccanera1 the amorosa and avengeress who had flung herself into the ,tiber with her brother ,ercole and the corpse of her lover1 ,flavio ,corradini4 ,four lamps threw a broad1 peaceful glow over the faded room1 and1 like a melancholy sunset1 tinged it with yellow4 ,it looked grave and bare1 with not even a flower in a vase to brighten it4 ,in a few words ,donna ,serafina at once introduced ,pierre to the company2 and in the silence1 the pause which ensued in the conversation1 he felt that every eye was fixed upon him as upon a promised and expected curiosity4 ,there were altogether some ten persons present1 among them being ,dario1 who stood talking with little ,princess ,celia ,buongiovanni1 whilst the elderly relative who had brought the latter sat whispering to a prelate1 ,monsignor ,nani1 in a dim corner4 ,pierre1 however1 had been particularly struck by the name of ,consistorial-,advocate ,morano1 of whose position in the house ,viscount de la ,choue had thought proper to inform him in order to avert any unpleasant blunder4 ,for thirty years past ,morano had been ,donna ,serafina's amico4 ,their connection1 formerly a guilty one1 for the advocate had wife and children of his own1 had in course of time1 since he had been left a widower1 become one of those liaisons which tolerant people excuse and except4 ,both parties were extremely devout and had certainly assured themselves of all needful 8indulgences40 ,and thus ,morano was there in the seat which he had always taken for a quarter of a century past1 a seat beside the chimney-piece1 though as yet the winter fire had not been lighted1 and when ,donna ,serafina had discharged her duties as mistress of the house1 she returned to her own place in front of him1 on the other side of the chimney4 ,when ,pierre in his turn had seated himself near ,don ,vigilio1 who1 silent and discreet1 had already taken a chair1 ,dario resumed in a louder voice the story which he had been relating to ,celia4 ,dario was a handsome man1 of average height1 slim and elegant4 ,he wore a full beard1 dark and carefully tended1 and had the long face and pronounced nose of the ,boccaneras1 but the impoverishment of the family blood over a course of centuries had attenuated1 softened as it were1 any sharpness or undue prominence of feature4 8,oh6 a beauty1 an astounding beauty60 he repeated emphatically4 8,whose beauty80 asked ,benedetta1 approaching him4 ,celia1 who resembled the little ,virgin of the primitive master hanging above her head1 began to laugh4 8,oh6 ,dario's speaking of a poor girl1 a work-girl whom he met to-day10 she explained4 ,thereupon ,dario had to begin his narrative again4 ,it appeared that while passing along a narrow street near the ,piazza ,navona1 he had perceived a tall1 shapely girl of twenty1 who was weeping and sobbing violently1 prone upon a flight of steps4 ,touched particularly by her beauty1 he had approached her and learnt that she had been working in the house outside which she was1 a manufactory of wax beads1 but that1 slack times having come1 the workshops had closed and she did not dare to return home1 so fearful was the misery there4 ,amidst the downpour of her tears she raised such beautiful eyes to his that he ended by drawing some money from his pocket4 ,but at this1 crimson with confusion1 she sprang to her feet1 hiding her hands in the folds of her skirt1 and refusing to take anything4 ,she added1 however1 that he might follow her if it so pleased him1 and give the money to her mother4 ,and then she hurried off towards the ,ponte ,st'4 ,angelo499 99 ,bridge of ,st4 ,angelo4 8,yes1 she was a beauty1 a perfect beauty10 repeated ,dario with an air of ecstasy4 8,taller than ,i1 and slim though sturdy1 with the bosom of a goddess4 ,in fact1 a real antique1 a ,venus of twenty1 her chin rather bold1 her mouth and nose of perfect form1 and her eyes wonderfully pure and large6 ,and she was bare-headed too1 with nothing but a crown of heavy black hair1 and a dazzling face1 gilded1 so to say1 by the sun40 ,they had all begun to listen to him1 enraptured1 full of that passionate admiration for beauty which1 in spite of every change1 ,rome still retains in her heart4 8,those beautiful girls of the people are becoming very rare10 remarked ,morano4 8,you might scour the ,trastevere without finding any4 ,however1 this proves that there is at least one of them left40 8,and what was your goddess's name80 asked ,benedetta1 smiling1 amused and enraptured like the others4 8,pierina10 replied ,dario1 also with a laugh4 8,and what did you do with her80 ,at this question the young man's excited face assumed an expression of discomfort and fear1 like the face of a child on suddenly encountering some ugly creature amidst its play4 8,oh6 don't talk of it10 said he4 8,i felt very sorry afterwards4 ,i saw such misery--enough to make one ill40 ,yielding to his curiosity1 it seemed1 he had followed the girl across the ,ponte ,st'4 ,angelo into the new district which was being built over the former castle meadows992 and there1 on the first floor of an abandoned house which was already falling into ruins1 though the plaster was scarcely dry1 he had come upon a frightful spectacle which still stirred his heart3 a whole family1 father and mother1 children1 and an infirm old uncle1 dying of hunger and rotting in filth6 ,he selected the most dignified words he could think of to describe the scene1 waving his hand the while with a gesture of fright1 as if to ward off some horrible vision4 99 ,the meadows around the ,castle of ,st4 ,angelo4 ,the district1 now covered with buildings1 is quite flat and was formerly greatly subject to floods4 ,it is known as the ,quartiere dei ,prati4--,trans4 8,at last10 he concluded1 8,i ran away1 and you may be sure that ,i shan't go back again40 ,a general wagging of heads ensued in the cold1 irksome silence which fell upon the room4 ,then ,morano summed up the matter in a few bitter words1 in which he accused the despoilers1 the men of the ,quirinal1 of being the sole cause of all the frightful misery of ,rome4 ,were not people even talking of the approaching nomination of ,deputy ,sacco as ,minister of ,finances--,sacco1 that intriguer who had engaged in all sorts of underhand practices8 ,his appointment would be the climax of impudence2 bankruptcy would speedily and infallibly ensue4 ,meantime ,benedetta1 who had fixed her eyes on ,pierre1 with his book in her mind1 alone murmured3 8,poor people1 how very sad6 ,but why not go back to see them80 ,pierre1 out of his element and absent-minded during the earlier moments1 had been deeply stirred by the latter part of ,dario's narrative4 ,his thoughts reverted to his apostolate amidst the misery of ,paris1 and his heart was touched with compassion at being confronted by the story of such fearful sufferings on the very day of his arrival in ,rome4 ,unwittingly1 impulsively1 he raised his voice1 and said aloud3 8,oh6 we will go to see them together1 madame2 you will take me4 ,these questions impassion me so much40 ,the attention of everybody was then again turned upon the young priest4 ,the others questioned him1 and he realised that they were all anxious about his first impressions1 his opinion of their city and of themselves4 ,he must not judge ,rome by mere outward appearances1 they said4 ,what effect had the city produced on him8 ,how had he found it1 and what did he think of it8 ,thereupon he politely apologised for his inability to answer them4 ,he had not yet gone out1 said he1 and had seen nothing4 ,but this answer was of no avail2 they pressed him all the more keenly1 and he fully understood that their object was to gain him over to admiration and love4 ,they advised him1 adjured him not to yield to any fatal disillusion1 but to persist and wait until ,rome should have revealed to him her soul4 8,how long do you expect to remain among us1 ,monsieur l',abb80 suddenly inquired a courteous voice1 with a clear but gentle ring4 ,it was ,monsignor ,nani1 who1 seated in the gloom1 thus raised his voice for the first time4 ,on several occasions it had seemed to ,pierre that the prelate's keen blue eyes were steadily fixed upon him1 though all the while he pretended to be attentively listening to the drawling chatter of ,celia's aunt4 ,and before replying ,pierre glanced at him4 ,in his crimson-edged cassock1 with a violet silk sash drawn tightly around his waist1 ,nani still looked young1 although he was over fifty4 ,his hair had remained blond1 he had a straight refined nose1 a mouth very firm yet very delicate of contour1 and beautifully white teeth4 8,why1 a fortnight or perhaps three weeks1 ,monsignor10 replied ,pierre4 ,the whole salon protested4 ,what1 three weeks6 ,it was his pretension to know ,rome in three weeks6 ,why1 six weeks1 twelve months1 ten years were required6 ,the first impression was always a disastrous one1 and a long sojourn was needed for a visitor to recover from it4 8,three weeks60 repeated ,donna ,serafina with her disdainful air4 8,is it possible for people to study one another and get fond of one another in three weeks8 ,those who come back to us are those who have learned to know us40 ,instead of launching into exclamations like the others1 ,nani had at first contented himself with smiling1 and gently waving his shapely hand1 which bespoke his aristocratic origin4 ,then1 as ,pierre modestly explained himself1 saying that he had come to ,rome to attend to certain matters and would leave again as soon as those matters should have been concluded1 the prelate1 still smiling1 summed up the argument with the remark3 8,oh6 ,monsieur l',abb will stay with us for more than three weeks2 we shall have the happiness of his presence here for a long time1 ,i hope40 ,these words1 though spoken with quiet cordiality1 strangely disturbed the young priest4 ,what was known1 what was meant8 ,he leant towards ,don ,vigilio1 who had remained near him1 still and ever silent1 and in a whisper inquired3 8,who is ,monsignor ,nani80 ,the secretary1 however1 did not at once reply4 ,his feverish face became yet more livid4 ,then his ardent eyes glanced round to make sure that nobody was watching him1 and in a breath he responded3 8,he is the ,assessor of the ,holy ,office4099 99 ,otherwise the ,inquisition4 ,this information sufficed1 for ,pierre was not ignorant of the fact that the assessor1 who was present in silence at the meetings of the ,holy ,office1 waited upon his ,holiness every ,wednesday evening after the sitting1 to render him an account of the matters dealt with in the afternoon4 ,this weekly audience1 this hour spent with the ,pope in a privacy which allowed of every subject being broached1 gave the assessor an exceptional position1 one of considerable power4 ,moreover the office led to the cardinalate2 the only 8rise0 that could be given to the assessor was his promotion to the ,sacred ,college4 ,monsignor ,nani1 who seemed so perfectly frank and amiable1 continued to look at the young priest with such an encouraging air that the latter felt obliged to go and occupy the seat beside him1 which ,celia's old aunt at last vacated4 ,after all1 was there not an omen of victory in meeting1 on the very day of his arrival1 a powerful prelate whose influence would perhaps open every door to him8 ,he therefore felt very touched when ,monsignor ,nani1 immediately after the first words1 inquired in a tone of deep interest1 8,and so1 my dear child1 you have published a book80 ,after this1 gradually mastered by his enthusiasm and forgetting where he was1 ,pierre unbosomed himself1 and recounted the birth and progress of his burning love amidst the sick and the humble1 gave voice to his dream of a return to the olden ,christian community1 and triumphed with the rejuvenescence of ,catholicism1 developing into the one religion of the universal democracy4 ,little by little he again raised his voice1 and silence fell around him in the stern1 antique reception-room1 every one lending ear to his words with increasing surprise1 with a growing coldness of which he remained unconscious4 ,at last ,nani gently interrupted him1 still wearing his perpetual smile1 the faint irony of which1 however1 had departed4 8,no doubt1 no doubt1 my dear child10 he said1 8it is very beautiful1 oh6 very beautiful1 well worthy of the pure and noble imagination of a ,christian4 ,but what do you count on doing now80 8,i shall go straight to the ,holy ,father to defend myself10 answered ,pierre4 ,a light1 restrained laugh went round1 and ,donna ,serafina expressed the general opinion by exclaiming3 8,the ,holy ,father isn't seen as easily as that40 ,pierre1 however1 was quite impassioned4 8,well1 for my part10 he rejoined1 8,i hope ,i shall see him4 ,have ,i not expressed his views8 ,have ,i not defended his policy8 ,can he let my book be condemned when ,i believe that ,i have taken inspiration from all that is best in him80 8,no doubt1 no doubt10 ,nani again hastily replied1 as if he feared that the others might be too brusque with the young enthusiast4 8,the ,holy ,father has such a lofty mind4 ,and of course it would be necessary to see him4 ,only1 my dear child1 you must not excite yourself so much2 reflect a little2 take your time40 ,and1 turning to ,benedetta1 he added1 8,of course his ,eminence has not seen ,abb ,froment yet4 ,it would be well1 however1 that he should receive him to-morrow morning to guide him with his wise counsel40 ,cardinal ,boccanera never attended his sister's ,monday-evening receptions4 ,still1 he was always there in the spirit1 like some absent sovereign master4 8,to tell the truth10 replied the ,contessina1 hesitating1 8,i fear that my uncle does not share ,monsieur l',abb's views40 ,nani again smiled4 8,exactly2 he will tell him things which it is good he should hear40 ,thereupon it was at once settled with ,don ,vigilio that the latter would put down the young priest's name for an audience on the following morning at ten o'clock4 ,however1 at that moment a cardinal came in1 clad in town costume--his sash and his stockings red1 but his simar black1 with a red edging and red buttons4 ,it was ,cardinal ,sarno1 a very old intimate of the ,boccaneras2 and whilst he apologised for arriving so late1 through press of work1 the company became silent and deferentially clustered round him4 ,this was the first cardinal ,pierre had seen1 and he felt greatly disappointed1 for the newcomer had none of the majesty1 none of the fine port and presence to which he had looked forward4 ,on the contrary1 he was short and somewhat deformed1 with the left shoulder higher than the right1 and a worn1 ashen face with lifeless eyes4 ,to ,pierre he looked like some old clerk of seventy1 half stupefied by fifty years of office work1 dulled and bent by incessantly leaning over his writing desk ever since his youth4 ,and indeed that was ,sarno's story4 ,the puny child of a petty middle-class family1 he had been educated at the ,seminario ,romano4 ,then later he had for ten years professed ,canon ,law at that same seminary1 afterwards becoming one of the secretaries of the ,congregation for the ,propagation of the ,faith4 ,finally1 five and twenty years ago1 he had been created a cardinal1 and the jubilee of his cardinalate had recently been celebrated4 ,born in ,rome1 he had always lived there2 he was the perfect type of the prelate who1 through growing up in the shade of the ,vatican1 has become one of the masters of the world4 ,although he had never occupied any diplomatic post1 he had rendered such important services to the ,propaganda1 by his methodical habits of work1 that he had become president of one of the two commissions which furthered the interests of the ,church in those vast countries of the west which are not yet ,catholic4 ,and thus1 in the depths of his dim eyes1 behind his low1 dull-looking brow1 the huge map of ,christendom was stored away4 ,nani himself had risen1 full of covert respect for the unobtrusive but terrible man whose hand was everywhere1 even in the most distant corners of the earth1 although he had never left his office4 ,as ,nani knew1 despite his apparent nullity1 ,sarno1 with his slow1 methodical1 ably organised work of conquest1 possessed sufficient power to set empires in confusion4 8,has your ,eminence recovered from that cold which distressed us so much80 asked ,nani4 8,no1 no1 ,i still cough4 ,there is a most malignant passage at the offices4 ,i feel as cold as ice as soon as ,i leave my room40 ,from that moment ,pierre felt quite little1 virtually lost4 ,he was not even introduced to the ,cardinal4 ,and yet he had to remain in the room for nearly another hour1 looking around and observing4 ,that antiquated world then seemed to him puerile1 as though it had lapsed into a mournful second childhood4 ,under all the apparent haughtiness and proud reserve he could divine real timidity1 unacknowledged distrust1 born of great ignorance4 ,if the conversation did not become general1 it was because nobody dared to speak out frankly2 and what he heard in the corners was simply so much childish chatter1 the petty gossip of the week1 the trivial echoes of sacristies and drawing-rooms4 ,people saw but little of one another1 and the slightest incidents assumed huge proportions4 ,at last ,pierre ended by feeling as though he were transported into some salon of the time of ,charles ,x1 in one of the episcopal cities of the ,french provinces4 ,no refreshments were served4 ,celia's old aunt secured possession of ,cardinal ,sarno2 but1 instead of replying to her1 he simply wagged his head from time to time4 ,don ,vigilio had not opened his mouth the whole evening4 ,however1 a conversation in a very low tone was started by ,nani and ,morano1 to whom ,donna ,serafina listened1 leaning forward and expressing her approval by slowly nodding her head4 ,they were doubtless speaking of the dissolution of ,benedetta's marriage1 for they glanced at the young woman gravely from time to time4 ,and in the centre of the spacious room1 in the sleepy glow of the lamps1 there was only the young people1 ,benedetta1 ,dario1 and ,celia who seemed to be at all alive1 chattering in undertones and occasionally repressing a burst of laughter4 ,all at once ,pierre was struck by the great resemblance between ,benedetta and the portrait of ,cassia hanging on the wall4 ,each displayed the same delicate youth1 the same passionate mouth1 the same large1 unfathomable eyes1 set in the same round1 sensible1 healthy-looking face4 ,in each there was certainly the same upright soul1 the same heart of flame4 ,then a recollection came to ,pierre1 that of a painting by ,guido ,reni1 the adorable1 candid head of ,beatrice ,cenci1 which1 at that moment and to his thinking1 the portrait of ,cassia closely resembled4 ,this resemblance stirred him and he glanced at ,benedetta with anxious sympathy1 as if all the fierce fatality of race and country were about to fall on her4 ,but no1 it could not be2 she looked so calm1 so resolute1 and so patient6 ,besides1 ever since he had entered that room he had noticed none other than signs of gay fraternal tenderness between her and ,dario1 especially on her side1 for her face ever retained the bright serenity of a love which may be openly confessed4 ,at one moment1 it is true1 ,dario in a joking way had caught hold of her hands and pressed them2 but while he began to laugh rather nervously1 with a brighter gleam darting from his eyes1 she on her side1 all composure1 slowly freed her hands1 as though theirs was but the play of old and affectionate friends4 ,she loved him1 though1 it was visible1 with her whole being and for her whole life4 ,at last when ,dario1 after stifling a slight yawn and glancing at his watch1 had slipped off to join some friends who were playing cards at a lady's house1 ,benedetta and ,celia sat down together on a sofa near ,pierre2 and the latter1 without wishing to listen1 overheard a few words of their confidential chat4 ,the little ,princess was the eldest daughter of ,prince ,matteo ,buongiovanni1 who was already the father of five children by an ,english wife1 a ,mortimer1 to whom he was indebted for a dowry of two hundred thousand pounds4 ,indeed1 the ,buongiovannis were known as one of the few patrician families of ,rome that were still rich1 still erect among the ruins of the past1 now crumbling on every side4 ,they also numbered two popes among their forerunners1 yet this had not prevented ,prince ,matteo from lending support to the ,quirinal without quarrelling with the ,vatican4 ,son of an ,american woman1 no longer having the pure ,roman blood in his veins1 he was a more supple politician than other aristocrats1 and was also1 folks said1 extremely grasping1 struggling to be one of the last to retain the wealth and power of olden times1 which he realised were condemned to death4 ,yet it was in his family1 renowned for its superb pride and its continued magnificence1 that a love romance had lately taken birth1 a romance which was the subject of endless gossip3 ,celia had suddenly fallen in love with a young lieutenant to whom she had never spoken2 her love was reciprocated1 and the passionate attachment of the officer and the girl only found vent in the glances they exchanged on meeting each day during the usual drive through the ,corso4 ,nevertheless ,celia displayed a tenacious will1 and after declaring to her father that she would never take any other husband1 she was waiting1 firm and resolute1 in the certainty that she would ultimately secure the man of her choice4 ,the worst of the affair was that the lieutenant1 ,attilio ,sacco1 happened to be the son of ,deputy ,sacco1 a parvenu whom the black world looked down upon1 as upon one sold to the ,quirinal and ready to undertake the very dirtiest job4 8,it was for me that ,morano spoke just now10 ,celia murmured in ,benedetta's ear4 8,yes1 yes1 when he spoke so harshly of ,attilio's father and that ministerial appointment which people are talking about4 ,he wanted to give me a lesson40 ,the two girls had sworn eternal affection in their school-days1 and ,benedetta1 the elder by five years1 showed herself maternal4 8,and so10 she said1 8you've not become a whit more reasonable4 ,you still think of that young man80 8,what6 are you going to grieve me too1 dear80 replied ,celia4 8,i love ,attilio and mean to have him4 ,yes1 him and not another6 ,i want him and ,i'll have him1 because ,i love him and he loves me4 ,it's simple enough40 ,pierre glanced at her1 thunderstruck4 ,with her gentle virgin face she was like a candid1 budding lily4 ,a brow and a nose of blossom-like purity2 a mouth all innocence with its lips closing over pearly teeth1 and eyes like spring water1 clear and fathomless4 ,and not a quiver passed over her cheeks of satiny freshness1 no sign1 however faint1 of anxiety or inquisitiveness appeared in her candid glance4 ,did she think8 ,did she know8 ,who could have answered8 ,she was virginity personified with all its redoubtable mystery4 8,ah6 my dear10 resumed ,benedetta1 8don't begin my sad story over again4 ,one doesn't succeed in marrying the ,pope and the ,king40 ,all tranquillity1 ,celia responded3 8,but you didn't love ,prada1 whereas ,i love ,attilio4 ,life lies in that3 one must love40 ,these words1 spoken so naturally by that ignorant child1 disturbed ,pierre to such a point that he felt tears rising to his eyes4 ,love6 yes1 therein lay the solution of every quarrel1 the alliance between the nations1 the reign of peace and joy throughout the world6 ,however1 ,donna ,serafina had now risen1 shrewdly suspecting the nature of the conversation which was impassioning the two girls4 ,and she gave ,don ,vigilio a glance1 which the latter understood1 for he came to tell ,pierre in an undertone that it was time to retire4 ,eleven o'clock was striking1 and ,celia went off with her aunt4 ,advocate ,morano1 however1 doubtless desired to retain ,cardinal ,sarno and ,nani for a few moments in order that they might privately discuss some difficulty which had arisen in the divorce proceedings4 ,on reaching the outer reception-room1 ,benedetta1 after kissing ,celia on both cheeks1 took leave of ,pierre with much good grace4 8,in answering the ,viscount to-morrow morning10 said she1 8,i shall tell him how happy we are to have you with us1 and for longer than you think4 ,don't forget to come down at ten o'clock to see my uncle1 the ,cardinal40 ,having climbed to the third floor again1 ,pierre and ,don ,vigilio1 each carrying a candlestick which the servant had handed to them1 were about to part for the night1 when the former could not refrain from asking the secretary a question which had been worrying him for hours3 8,is ,monsignor ,nani a very influential personage80 ,don ,vigilio again became quite scared1 and simply replied by a gesture1 opening his arms as if to embrace the world4 ,then his eyes flashed1 and in his turn he seemed to yield to inquisitiveness4 8,you already knew him1 didn't you80 he inquired4 8,i8 not at all60 8,really6 ,well1 he knows you very well4 ,last ,monday ,i heard him speak of you in such precise terms that he seemed to be acquainted with the slightest particulars of your career and your character40 8,why1 ,i never even heard his name before40 8,then he must have procured information40 ,thereupon ,don ,vigilio bowed and entered his room2 whilst ,pierre1 surprised to find his door open1 saw ,victorine come out with her calm active air4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i wanted to make sure that you had everything you were likely to want4 ,there are candles1 water1 sugar1 and matches4 ,and what do you take in the morning1 please8 ,coffee8 ,no1 a cup of milk with a roll4 ,very good2 at eight o'clock1 eh8 ,and now rest and sleep well4 ,i was awfully afraid of ghosts during the first nights ,i spent in this old palace6 ,but ,i never saw a trace of one4 ,the fact is1 when people are dead1 they are too well pleased1 and don't want to break their rest60 ,then off she went1 and ,pierre at last found himself alone1 glad to be able to shake off the strain imposed on him1 to free himself from the discomfort which he had felt in that reception-room1 among those people who in his mind still mingled and vanished like shadows in the sleepy glow of the lamps4 ,ghosts1 thought he1 are the old dead ones of long ago whose distressed spirits return to love and suffer in the breasts of the living of to-day4 ,and1 despite his long afternoon rest1 he had never felt so weary1 so desirous of slumber1 confused and foggy as was his mind1 full of the fear that he had hitherto not understood things aright4 ,when he began to undress1 his astonishment at being in that room returned to him with such intensity that he almost fancied himself another person4 ,what did all those people think of his book8 ,why had he been brought to this cold dwelling whose hostility he could divine8 ,was it for the purpose of helping him or conquering him8 ,and again in the yellow glimmer1 the dismal sunset of the drawing-room1 he perceived ,donna ,serafina and ,advocate ,morano on either side of the chimney-piece1 whilst behind the calm yet passionate visage of ,benedetta appeared the smiling face of ,monsignor ,nani1 with cunning eyes and lips bespeaking indomitable energy4 ,he went to bed1 but soon got up again1 stifling1 feeling such a need of fresh1 free air that he opened the window wide in order to lean out4 ,but the night was black as ink1 the darkness had submerged the horizon4 ,a mist must have hidden the stars in the firmament2 the vault above seemed opaque and heavy like lead2 and yonder in front the houses of the ,trastevere had long since been asleep4 ,not one of all their windows glittered2 there was but a single gaslight shining1 all alone and far away1 like a lost spark4 ,in vain did ,pierre seek the ,janiculum4 ,in the depths of that ocean of nihility all sunk and vanished1 ,rome's four and twenty centuries1 the ancient ,palatine and the modern ,quirinal1 even the giant dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 blotted out from the sky by the flood of gloom4 ,and below him he could not see1 he could not even hear the ,tiber1 the dead river flowing past the dead city4 ,,iii4 ,,at a quarter to ten o'clock on the following morning ,pierre came down to the first floor of the mansion for his audience with ,cardinal ,boccanera4 ,he had awoke free of all fatigue and again full of courage and candid enthusiasm2 nothing remaining of his strange despondency of the previous night1 the doubts and suspicions which had then come over him4 ,the morning was so fine1 the sky so pure and so bright1 that his heart once more palpitated with hope4 ,on the landing he found the folding doors of the first ante-room wide open4 ,while closing the gala saloons which overlooked the street1 and which were rotting with old age and neglect1 the ,cardinal still used the reception-rooms of one of his grand-uncles1 who in the eighteenth century had risen to the same ecclesiastical dignity as himself4 ,there was a suite of four immense rooms1 each sixteen feet high1 with windows facing the lane which sloped down towards the ,tiber2 and the sun never entered them1 shut off as it was by the black houses across the lane4 ,thus the installation1 in point of space1 was in keeping with the display and pomp of the old-time princely dignitaries of the ,church4 ,but no repairs were ever made1 no care was taken of anything1 the hangings were frayed and ragged1 and dust preyed on the furniture1 amidst an unconcern which seemed to betoken some proud resolve to stay the course of time4 ,pierre experienced a slight shock as he entered the first room1 the servants' ante-chamber4 ,formerly two pontifical gente d'armi in full uniform had always stood there amidst a stream of lackeys2 and the single servant now on duty seemed by his phantom-like appearance to increase the melancholiness of the vast and gloomy hall4 ,one was particularly struck by an altar facing the windows1 an altar with red drapery surmounted by a baldacchino with red hangings1 on which appeared the escutcheon of the ,boccaneras1 the winged dragon spitting flames with the device1 ,bocca nera1 ,alma rossa4 ,and the grand-uncle's red hat1 the old huge ceremonial hat1 was also there1 with the two cushions of red silk1 and the two antique parasols which were taken in the coach each time his ,eminence went out4 ,and in the deep silence it seemed as if one could almost hear the faint noise of the moths preying for a century past upon all this dead splendour1 which would have fallen into dust at the slightest touch of a feather broom4 ,the second ante-room1 that was formerly occupied by the secretary1 was also empty1 and it was only in the third one1 the anticamera nobile1 that ,pierre found ,don ,vigilio4 ,with his retinue reduced to what was strictly necessary1 the ,cardinal had preferred to have his secretary near him--at the door1 so to say1 of the old throne-room1 where he gave audience4 ,and ,don ,vigilio1 so thin and yellow1 and quivering with fever1 sat there like one lost1 at a small1 common1 black table covered with papers4 ,raising his head from among a batch of documents1 he recognised ,pierre1 and in a low voice1 a faint murmur amidst the silence1 he said1 8,his ,eminence is engaged4 ,please wait40 ,then he again turned to his reading1 doubtless to escape all attempts at conversation4 ,not daring to sit down1 ,pierre examined the apartment4 ,it looked perhaps yet more dilapidated than the others1 with its hangings of green damask worn by age and resembling the faded moss on ancient trees4 ,the ceiling1 however1 had remained superb4 ,within a frieze of gilded and coloured ornaments was a fresco representing the ,triumph of ,amphitrite1 the work of one of ,raffaelle's pupils4 ,and1 according to antique usage1 it was here that the berretta1 the red cap1 was placed1 on a credence1 below a large crucifix of ivory and ebony4 ,as ,pierre grew used to the half-light1 however1 his attention was more particularly attracted by a recently painted full-length portrait of the ,cardinal in ceremonial costume--cassock of red moire1 rochet of lace1 and cappa thrown like a royal mantle over his shoulders4 ,in these vestments of the ,church the tall old man of seventy retained the proud bearing of a prince1 clean shaven1 but still boasting an abundance of white hair which streamed in curls over his shoulders4 ,he had the commanding visage of the ,boccaneras1 a large nose and a large thin-lipped mouth in a long face intersected by broad lines2 and the eyes which lighted his pale countenance were indeed the eyes of his race1 very dark1 yet sparkling with ardent life under bushy brows which had remained quite black4 ,with laurels about his head he would have resembled a ,roman emperor1 very handsome and master of the world1 as though indeed the blood of ,augustus pulsated in his veins4 ,pierre knew his story which this portrait recalled4 ,educated at the ,college of the ,nobles1 ,pio ,boccanera had but once absented himself from ,rome1 and that when very young1 hardly a deacon1 but nevertheless appointed ablegate to convey a berretta to ,paris4 ,on his return his ecclesiastical career had continued in sovereign fashion4 ,honours had fallen on him naturally1 as by right of birth4 ,ordained by ,pius ,,ix himself1 afterwards becoming a ,canon of the ,vatican ,basilica1 and ,cameriere segreto1 he had risen to the post of ,majordomo about the time of the ,italian occupation1 and in #ahgd had been created a ,cardinal4 ,for the last four years1 moreover1 he had been ,papal ,chamberlain 7,camerlingo71 and folks whispered that ,leo ,,xiii had appointed him to that post1 even as he himself had been appointed to it by ,pius ,,ix1 in order to lessen his chance of succeeding to the pontifical throne2 for although the conclave in choosing ,leo had set aside the old tradition that the ,camerlingo was ineligible for the papacy1 it was not probable that it would again dare to infringe that rule4 ,moreover1 people asserted that1 even as had been the case in the reign of ,pius1 there was a secret warfare between the ,pope and his ,camerlingo1 the latter remaining on one side1 condemning the policy of the ,holy ,see1 holding radically different opinions on all things1 and silently waiting for the death of ,leo1 which would place power in his hands with the duty of summoning the conclave1 and provisionally watching over the affairs and interests of the ,church until a new ,pope should be elected4 ,behind ,cardinal ,pio's broad1 stern brow1 however1 in the glow of his dark eyes1 might there not also be the ambition of actually rising to the papacy1 of repeating the career of ,gioachino ,pecci1 ,camerlingo and then ,pope1 all tradition notwithstanding8 ,with the pride of a ,roman prince ,pio knew but ,rome2 he almost gloried in being totally ignorant of the modern world2 and verily he showed himself very pious1 austerely religious1 with a full firm faith into which the faintest doubt could never enter4 ,but a whisper drew ,pierre from his reflections4 ,don ,vigilio1 in his prudent way1 invited him to sit down3 8,you may have to wait some time3 take a stool40 ,then he began to cover a large sheet of yellowish paper with fine writing1 while ,pierre seated himself on one of the stools ranged alongside the wall in front of the portrait4 ,and again the young man fell into a reverie1 picturing in his mind a renewal of all the princely pomp of the old-time cardinals in that antique room4 ,to begin with1 as soon as nominated1 a cardinal gave public festivities1 which were sometimes very splendid4 ,during three days the reception-rooms remained wide open1 all could enter1 and from room to room ushers repeated the names of those who came--patricians1 people of the middle class1 poor folks1 all ,rome indeed1 whom the new cardinal received with sovereign kindliness1 as a king might receive his subjects4 ,then there was quite a princely retinue2 some cardinals carried five hundred people about with them1 had no fewer than sixteen distinct offices in their households1 lived1 in fact1 amidst a perfect court4 ,even when life subsequently became simplified1 a cardinal1 if he were a prince1 still had a right to a gala train of four coaches drawn by black horses4 ,four servants preceded him in liveries1 emblazoned with his arms1 and carried his hat1 cushion1 and parasols4 ,he was also attended by a secretary in a mantle of violet silk1 a train-bearer in a gown of violet woollen stuff1 and a gentleman in waiting1 wearing an ,elizabethan style of costume1 and bearing the berretta with gloved hands4 ,although the household had then become smaller1 it still comprised an auditore specially charged with the congregational work1 a secretary employed exclusively for correspondence1 a chief usher who introduced visitors1 a gentleman in attendance for the carrying of the berretta1 a train-bearer1 a chaplain1 a majordomo and a valet-de-chambre1 to say nothing of a flock of underlings1 lackeys1 cooks1 coachmen1 grooms1 quite a population1 which filled the vast mansions with bustle4 ,and with these attendants ,pierre mentally sought to fill the three spacious ante-rooms now so deserted2 the stream of lackeys in blue liveries broidered with emblazonry1 the world of abbs and prelates in silk mantles appeared before him1 again setting magnificent and passionate life under the lofty ceilings1 illumining all the semi-gloom with resuscitated splendour4 ,but nowadays--particularly since the ,italian occupation of ,rome--nearly all the great fortunes of the ,roman princes have been exhausted1 and the pomp of the great dignitaries of the ,church has disappeared4 ,the ruined patricians have kept aloof from badly remunerated ecclesiastical offices to which little renown attaches1 and have left them to the ambition of the petty bourgeoisie4 ,cardinal ,boccanera1 the last prince of ancient nobility invested with the purple1 received scarcely more than #cj1jjj lire99 a year to enable him to sustain his rank1 that is #bb1jjj lire19999 the salary of his post as ,camerlingo1 and various small sums derived from other functions4 ,and he would never have made both ends meet had not ,donna ,serafina helped him with the remnants of the former family fortune which he had long previously surrendered to his sisters and his brother4 ,donna ,serafina and ,benedetta lived apart1 in their own rooms1 having their own table1 servants1 and personal expenses4 ,the ,cardinal only had his nephew ,dario with him1 and he never gave a dinner or held a public reception4 ,his greatest source of expense was his carriage1 the heavy pair-horse coach1 which ceremonial usage compelled him to retain1 for a cardinal cannot go on foot through the streets of ,rome4 ,however1 his coachman1 an old family servant1 spared him the necessity of keeping a groom by insisting on taking entire charge of the carriage and the two black horses1 which1 like himself1 had grown old in the service of the ,boccaneras4 ,there were two footmen1 father and son1 the latter born in the house4 ,and the cook's wife assisted in the kitchen4 ,however1 yet greater reductions had been made in the ante-rooms1 where the staff1 once so brilliant and numerous1 was now simply composed of two petty priests1 ,don ,vigilio1 who was at once secretary1 auditore1 and majordomo1 and ,abb ,paparelli1 who acted as train-bearer1 chaplain1 and chief usher4 ,there1 where a crowd of salaried people of all ranks had once moved to and fro1 filling the vast halls with bustle and colour1 one now only beheld two little black cassocks gliding noiselessly along1 two unobtrusive shadows flitting about amidst the deep gloom of the lifeless rooms4 99 #a1bjj pounds4 9999 #hhj pounds4 ,and ,pierre now fully understood the haughty unconcern of the ,cardinal1 who suffered time to complete its work of destruction in that ancestral mansion1 to which he was powerless to restore the glorious life of former times6 ,built for that shining life1 for the sovereign display of a sixteenth-century prince1 it was now deserted and empty1 crumbling about the head of its last master1 who had no servants left him to fill it1 and would not have known how to pay for the materials which repairs would have necessitated4 ,and so1 since the modern world was hostile1 since religion was no longer sovereign1 since men had changed1 and one was drifting into the unknown1 amidst the hatred and indifference of new generations1 why not allow the old world to collapse in the stubborn1 motionless pride born of its ancient glory8 ,heroes alone died standing1 without relinquishing aught of their past1 preserving the same faith until their final gasp1 beholding1 with pain-fraught bravery and infinite sadness1 the slow last agony of their divinity4 ,and the ,cardinal's tall figure1 his pale1 proud face1 so full of sovereign despair and courage1 expressed that stubborn determination to perish beneath the ruins of the old social edifice rather than change a single one of its stones4 ,pierre was roused by a rustling of furtive steps1 a little mouse-like trot1 which made him raise his head4 ,a door in the wall had just opened1 and to his surprise there stood before him an abb of some forty years1 fat and short1 looking like an old maid in a black skirt1 a very old maid in fact1 so numerous were the wrinkles on his flabby face4 ,it was ,abb ,paparelli1 the train-bearer and usher1 and on seeing ,pierre he was about to question him1 when ,don ,vigilio explained matters4 8,ah6 very good1 very good1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment4 ,his ,eminence will condescend to receive you1 but you must wait1 you must wait40 ,then1 with his silent rolling walk1 he returned to the second ante-room1 where he usually stationed himself4 ,pierre did not like his face--the face of an old female devotee1 whitened by celibacy1 and ravaged by stern observance of the rites2 and so1 as ,don ,vigilio--his head weary and his hands burning with fever--had not resumed his work1 the young man ventured to question him4 ,oh6 ,abb ,paparelli1 he was a man of the liveliest faith1 who from simple humility remained in a modest post in his ,eminence's service4 ,on the other hand1 his ,eminence was pleased to reward him for his devotion by occasionally condescending to listen to his advice4 ,as ,don ,vigilio spoke1 a faint gleam of irony1 a kind of veiled anger appeared in his ardent eyes4 ,however1 he continued to examine ,pierre1 and gradually seemed reassured1 appreciating the evident frankness of this foreigner who could hardly belong to any clique4 ,and so he ended by departing somewhat from his continual sickly distrust1 and even engaged in a brief chat4 8,yes1 yes10 he said1 8there is a deal of work sometimes1 and rather hard work too4 ,his ,eminence belongs to several ,congregations1 the ,consistorial1 the ,holy ,office1 the ,index1 the ,rites4 ,and all the documents concerning the business which falls to him come into my hands4 ,i have to study each affair1 prepare a report on it1 clear the way1 so to say4 ,besides which all the correspondence is carried on through me4 ,fortunately his ,eminence is a holy man1 and intrigues neither for himself nor for others1 and this enables us to taste a little peace40 ,pierre took a keen interest in these particulars of the life led by a prince of the ,church4 ,he learnt that the ,cardinal rose at six o'clock1 summer and winter alike4 ,he said his mass in his chapel1 a little room which simply contained an altar of painted wood1 and which nobody but himself ever entered4 ,his private apartments were limited to three rooms--a bed-room1 dining-room1 and study--all very modest and small1 contrived indeed by partitioning off portions of one large hall4 ,and he led a very retired life1 exempt from all luxury1 like one who is frugal and poor4 ,at eight in the morning he drank a cup of cold milk for his breakfast4 ,then1 when there were sittings of the ,congregations to which he belonged1 he attended them2 otherwise he remained at home and gave audience4 ,dinner was served at one o'clock1 and afterwards came the siesta1 lasting until five in summer and until four at other seasons--a sacred moment when a servant would not have dared even to knock at the door4 ,on awaking1 if it were fine1 his ,eminence drove out towards the ancient ,appian ,way1 returning at sunset when the ,ave ,maria began to ring4 ,and finally1 after again giving audience between seven and nine1 he supped and retired into his room1 where he worked all alone or went to bed4 ,the cardinals wait upon the ,pope on fixed days1 two or three times each month1 for purposes connected with their functions4 ,for nearly a year1 however1 the ,camerlingo had not been received in private audience by his ,holiness1 and this was a sign of disgrace1 a proof of secret warfare1 of which the entire black world spoke in prudent whispers4 8,his ,eminence is sometimes a little rough10 continued ,don ,vigilio in a soft voice4 8,but you should see him smile when his niece the ,contessina1 of whom he is very fond1 comes down to kiss him4 ,if you have a good reception1 you know1 you will owe it to the ,contessina40 ,at this moment the secretary was interrupted4 ,a sound of voices came from the second ante-room1 and forthwith he rose to his feet1 and bent very low at sight of a stout man in a black cassock1 red sash1 and black hat1 with twisted cord of red and gold1 whom ,abb ,paparelli was ushering in with a great display of deferential genuflections4 ,pierre also had risen at a sign from ,don ,vigilio1 who found time to whisper to him1 8,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 ,prefect of the ,congregation of the ,index40 ,meantime ,abb ,paparelli was lavishing attentions on the prelate1 repeating with an expression of blissful satisfaction3 8,your most reverend ,eminence was expected4 ,i have orders to admit your most reverend ,eminence at once4 ,his ,eminence the ,grand ,penitentiary is already here40 ,sanguinetti1 loud of voice and sonorous of tread1 spoke out with sudden familiarity1 8,yes1 yes1 ,i know4 ,a number of importunate people detained me6 ,one can never do as one desires4 ,but ,i am here at last40 ,he was a man of sixty1 squat and fat1 with a round and highly coloured face distinguished by a huge nose1 thick lips1 and bright eyes which were always on the move4 ,but he more particularly struck one by his active1 almost turbulent1 youthful vivacity1 scarcely a white hair as yet showing among his brown and carefully tended locks1 which fell in curls about his temples4 ,born at ,viterbo1 he had studied at the seminary there before completing his education at the ,universita ,gregoriana in ,rome4 ,his ecclesiastical appointments showed how rapidly he had made his way1 how supple was his mind3 first of all secretary to the nunciature at ,lisbon2 then created titular ,bishop of ,thebes1 and entrusted with a delicate mission in ,brazil2 on his return appointed nuncio first at ,brussels and next at ,vienna2 and finally raised to the cardinalate1 to say nothing of the fact that he had lately secured the suburban episcopal see of ,frascati499 ,trained to business1 having dealt with every nation in ,europe1 he had nothing against him but his ambition1 of which he made too open a display1 and his spirit of intrigue1 which was ever restless4 ,it was said that he was now one of the irreconcilables who demanded that ,italy should surrender ,rome1 though formerly he had made advances to the ,quirinal4 ,in his wild passion to become the next ,pope he rushed from one opinion to the other1 giving himself no end of trouble to gain people from whom he afterwards parted4 ,he had twice already fallen out with ,leo ,,xiii1 but had deemed it politic to make his submission4 ,in point of fact1 given that he was an almost openly declared candidate to the papacy1 he was wearing himself out by his perpetual efforts1 dabbling in too many things1 and setting too many people agog4 99 ,cardinals ,york and ,howard were ,bishops of ,frascati4--,trans4 ,pierre1 however1 had only seen in him the ,prefect of the ,congregation of the ,index2 and the one idea which struck him was that this man would decide the fate of his book4 ,and so1 when the ,cardinal had disappeared and ,abb ,paparelli had returned to the second ante-room1 he could not refrain from asking ,don ,vigilio1 8,are their ,eminences ,cardinal ,sanguinetti and ,cardinal ,boccanera very intimate1 then80 ,an irrepressible smile contracted the secretary's lips1 while his eyes gleamed with an irony which he could no longer subdue3 8,very intimate--oh6 no1 no--they see one another when they can't do otherwise40 ,then he explained that considerable deference was shown to ,cardinal ,boccanera's high birth1 and that his colleagues often met at his residence1 when1 as happened to be the case that morning1 any grave affair presented itself1 requiring an interview apart from the usual official meetings4 ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 he added1 was the son of a petty medical man of ,viterbo4 8,no1 no10 he concluded1 8their ,eminences are not at all intimate4 ,it is difficult for men to agree when they have neither the same ideas nor the same character1 especially too when they are in each other's way40 ,don ,vigilio spoke these last words in a lower tone1 as if talking to himself and still retaining his sharp smile4 ,but ,pierre scarcely listened1 absorbed as he was in his own worries4 8,perhaps they have met to discuss some affair connected with the ,index80 said he4 ,don ,vigilio must have known the object of the meeting4 ,however1 he merely replied that1 if the ,index had been in question1 the meeting would have taken place at the residence of the ,prefect of that ,congregation4 ,thereupon ,pierre1 yielding to his impatience1 was obliged to put a straight question4 8,you know of my affair--the affair of my book10 he said4 8,well1 as his ,eminence is a member of the ,congregation1 and all the documents pass through your hands1 you might be able to give me some useful information4 ,i know nothing as yet and am so anxious to know60 ,at this ,don ,vigilio relapsed into scared disquietude4 ,he stammered1 saying that he had not seen any documents1 which was true4 8,nothing has yet reached us10 he added2 8,i assure you ,i know nothing40 ,then1 as the other persisted1 he signed to him to keep quiet1 and again turned to his writing1 glancing furtively towards the second ante-room as if he believed that ,abb ,paparelli was listening4 ,he had certainly said too much1 he thought1 and he made himself very small1 crouching over the table1 and melting1 fading away in his dim corner4 ,pierre again fell into a reverie1 a prey to all the mystery which enveloped him--the sleepy1 antique sadness of his surroundings4 ,long minutes went by2 it was nearly eleven when the sound of a door opening and a buzz of voices roused him4 ,then he bowed respectfully to ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 who went off accompanied by another cardinal1 a very thin and tall man1 with a grey1 bony1 ascetic face4 ,neither of them1 however1 seemed even to see the petty foreign priest who bent low as they went by4 ,they were chatting aloud in familiar fashion4 8,yes6 the wind is falling2 it is warmer than yesterday40 8,we shall certainly have the sirocco to-morrow40 ,then solemn silence again fell on the large1 dim room4 ,don ,vigilio was still writing1 but his pen made no noise as it travelled over the stiff yellow paper4 ,however1 the faint tinkle of a cracked bell was suddenly heard1 and ,abb ,paparelli1 after hastening into the throne-room for a moment1 returned to summon ,pierre1 whom he announced in a restrained voice3 8,monsieur l',abb ,pierre ,froment40 ,the spacious throne-room was like the other apartments1 a virtual ruin4 ,under the fine ceiling of carved and gilded wood-work1 the red wall-hangings of brocatelle1 with a large palm pattern1 were falling into tatters4 ,a few holes had been patched1 but long wear had streaked the dark purple of the silk--once of dazzling magnificence--with pale hues4 ,the curiosity of the room was its old throne1 an arm-chair upholstered in red silk1 on which the ,holy ,father had sat when visiting ,cardinal ,pio's grand-uncle4 ,this chair was surmounted by a canopy1 likewise of red silk1 under which hung the portrait of the reigning ,pope4 ,and1 according to custom1 the chair was turned towards the wall1 to show that none might sit on it4 ,the other furniture of the apartment was made up of sofas1 arm-chairs1 and chairs1 with a marvellous ,louis ,quatorze table of gilded wood1 having a top of mosaic-work representing the rape of ,europa4 ,but at first ,pierre only saw ,cardinal ,boccanera standing by the table which he used for writing4 ,in his simple black cassock1 with red edging and red buttons1 the ,cardinal seemed to him yet taller and prouder than in the portrait which showed him in ceremonial costume4 ,there was the same curly white hair1 the same long1 strongly marked face1 with large nose and thin lips1 and the same ardent eyes1 illumining the pale countenance from under bushy brows which had remained black4 ,but the portrait did not express the lofty tranquil faith which shone in this handsome face1 a complete certainty of what truth was1 and an absolute determination to abide by it for ever4 ,boccanera had not stirred1 but with black1 fixed glance remained watching his visitor's approach2 and the young priest1 acquainted with the usual ceremonial1 knelt and kissed the large ruby which the prelate wore on his hand4 ,however1 the ,cardinal immediately raised him4 8,you are welcome here1 my dear son4 ,my niece spoke to me about you with so much sympathy that ,i am happy to receive you40 ,with these words ,pio seated himself near the table1 as yet not telling ,pierre to take a chair1 but still examining him whilst speaking slowly and with studied politeness3 8,you arrived yesterday morning1 did you not1 and were very tired80 8,your ,eminence is too kind--yes1 ,i was worn out1 as much through emotion as fatigue4 ,this journey is one of such gravity for me40 ,the ,cardinal seemed indisposed to speak of serious matters so soon4 8,no doubt2 it is a long way from ,paris to ,rome10 he replied4 8,nowadays the journey may be accomplished with fair rapidity1 but formerly how interminable it was60 ,then speaking yet more slowly3 8,i went to ,paris once--oh6 a long time ago1 nearly fifty years ago--and then for barely a week4 ,a large and handsome city2 yes1 yes1 a great many people in the streets1 extremely well-bred people1 a nation which has accomplished great and admirable things4 ,even in these sad times one cannot forget that ,france was the eldest daughter of the ,church4 ,but since that one journey ,i have not left ,rome--0 ,then he made a gesture of quiet disdain1 expressive of all he left unsaid4 ,what was the use of journeying to a land of doubt and rebellion8 ,did not ,rome suffice--,rome1 which governed the world--the ,eternal ,city which1 when the times should be accomplished1 would become the capital of the world once more8 ,silently glancing at the ,cardinal's lofty stature1 the stature of one of the violent war-like princes of long ago1 now reduced to wearing that simple cassock1 ,pierre deemed him superb with his proud conviction that ,rome sufficed unto herself4 ,but that stubborn resolve to remain in ignorance1 that determination to take no account of other nations excepting to treat them as vassals1 disquieted him when he reflected on the motives that had brought him there4 ,and as silence had again fallen he thought it politic to approach the subject he had at heart by words of homage4 8,before taking any other steps10 said he1 8,i desired to express my profound respect for your ,eminence2 for in your ,eminence ,i place my only hope2 and ,i beg your ,eminence to be good enough to advise and guide me40 ,with a wave of the hand ,boccanera thereupon invited ,pierre to take a chair in front of him4 8,i certainly do not refuse you my counsel1 my dear son10 he replied4 8,i owe my counsel to every ,christian who desires to do well4 ,but it would be wrong for you to rely on my influence4 ,i have none4 ,i live entirely apart from others2 ,i cannot and will not ask for anything4 ,however1 this will not prevent us from chatting40 ,then1 approaching the question in all frankness1 without the slightest artifice1 like one of brave and absolute mind who fears no responsibility however great1 he continued3 8,you have written a book1 have you not8--#8,new ,rome1' ,i believe--and you have come to defend this book which has been denounced to the ,congregation of the ,index4 ,for my own part ,i have not yet read it4 ,you will understand that ,i cannot read everything4 ,i only see the works that are sent to me by the ,congregation which ,i have belonged to since last year2 and1 besides1 ,i often content myself with the reports which my secretary draws up for me4 ,however1 my niece ,benedetta has read your book1 and has told me that it is not lacking in interest4 ,it first astonished her somewhat1 and then greatly moved her4 ,so ,i promise you that ,i will go through it and study the incriminated passages with the greatest care40 ,pierre profited by the opportunity to begin pleading his cause4 ,and it occurred to him that it would be best to give his references at once4 8,your ,eminence will realise how stupefied ,i was when ,i learnt that proceedings were being taken against my book10 he said4 8,monsieur le ,vicomte ,philibert de la ,choue1 who is good enough to show me some friendship1 does not cease repeating that such a book is worth the best of armies to the ,holy ,see40 8,oh6 ,de la ,choue1 ,de la ,choue60 repeated the ,cardinal with a pout of good-natured disdain4 8,i know that ,de la ,choue considers himself a good ,catholic4 ,he is in a slight degree our relative1 as you know4 ,and when he comes to ,rome and stays here1 ,i willingly see him1 on condition however that no mention is made of certain subjects on which it would be impossible for us to agree4 ,to tell the truth1 the ,catholicism preached by ,de la ,choue--worthy1 clever man though he is--his ,catholicism1 ,i say1 with his corporations1 his working-class clubs1 his cleansed democracy and his vague socialism1 is after all merely so much literature60 ,this pronouncement struck ,pierre1 for he realised all the disdainful irony contained in it--an irony which touched himself4 ,and so he hastened to name his other reference1 whose authority he imagined to be above discussion3 8,his ,eminence ,cardinal ,bergerot has been kind enough to signify his full approval of my book40 ,at this ,boccanera's face suddenly changed4 ,it no longer wore an expression of derisive blame1 tinged with the pity that is prompted by a child's ill-considered action fated to certain failure4 ,a flash of anger now lighted up the ,cardinal's dark eyes1 and a pugnacious impulse hardened his entire countenance4 8,in ,france10 he slowly resumed1 8,cardinal ,bergerot no doubt has a reputation for great piety4 ,we know little of him in ,rome4 ,personally1 ,i have only seen him once1 when he came to receive his hat4 ,and ,i would not therefore allow myself to judge him if his writings and actions had not recently saddened my believing soul4 ,unhappily1 ,i am not the only one2 you will find nobody here1 of the ,sacred ,college1 who approves of his doings40 ,boccanera paused1 then in a firm voice concluded3 8,cardinal ,bergerot is a ,revolutionary60 ,this time ,pierre's surprise for a moment forced him to silence4 ,a ,revolutionary--good heavens6 a ,revolutionary--that gentle pastor of souls1 whose charity was inexhaustible1 whose one dream was that ,jesus might return to earth to ensure at last the reign of peace and justice6 ,so words did not have the same signification in all places2 into what religion had he now tumbled that the faith of the poor and the humble should be looked upon as a mere insurrectional1 condemnable passion8 ,as yet unable to understand things aright1 ,pierre nevertheless realised that discussion would be both discourteous and futile1 and his only remaining desire was to give an account of his book1 explain and vindicate it4 ,but at his first words the ,cardinal interposed4 8,no1 no1 my dear son4 ,it would take us too long and ,i wish to read the passages4 ,besides1 there is an absolute rule4 ,all books which meddle with the faith are condemnable and pernicious4 ,does your book show perfect respect for dogma80 8,i believe so1 and ,i assure your ,eminence that ,i have had no intention of writing a work of negation40 8,good3 ,i may be on your side if that is true4 ,only1 in the contrary case1 ,i have but one course to advise you1 which is to withdraw your work1 condemn it1 and destroy it without waiting until a decision of the ,index compels you to do so4 ,whosoever has given birth to scandal must stifle it and expiate it1 even if he have to cut into his own flesh4 ,the only duties of a priest are humility and obedience1 the complete annihilation of self before the sovereign will of the ,church4 ,and1 besides1 why write at all8 ,for there is already rebellion in expressing an opinion of one's own4 ,it is always the temptation of the devil which puts a pen in an author's hand4 ,why1 then1 incur the risk of being for ever damned by yielding to the pride of intelligence and domination8 ,your book again1 my dear son--your book is literature1 literature60 ,this expression again repeated was instinct with so much contempt that ,pierre realised all the wretchedness that would fall upon the poor pages of his apostolate on meeting the eyes of this prince who had become a saintly man4 ,with increasing fear and admiration he listened to him1 and beheld him growing greater and greater4 8,ah6 faith1 my dear son1 everything is in faith--perfect1 disinterested faith--which believes for the sole happiness of believing6 ,how restful it is to bow down before the mysteries without seeking to penetrate them1 full of the tranquil conviction that1 in accepting them1 one possesses both the certain and the final6 ,is not the highest intellectual satisfaction that which is derived from the victory of the divine over the mind1 which it disciplines1 and contents so completely that it knows desire no more8 ,and apart from that perfect equilibrium1 that explanation of the unknown by the divine1 no durable peace is possible for man4 ,if one desires that truth and justice should reign upon earth1 it is in ,god that one must place them4 ,he that does not believe is like a battlefield1 the scene of every disaster4 ,faith alone can tranquillise and deliver40 ,for an instant ,pierre remained silent before the great figure rising up in front of him4 ,at ,lourdes he had only seen suffering humanity rushing thither for health of the body and consolation of the soul2 but here was the intellectual believer1 the mind that needs certainty1 finding satisfaction1 tasting the supreme enjoyment of doubting no more4 ,he had never previously heard such a cry of joy at living in obedience without anxiety as to the morrow of death4 ,he knew that ,boccanera's youth had been somewhat stormy1 traversed by acute attacks of sensuality1 a flaring of the red blood of his ancestors2 and he marvelled at the calm majesty which faith had at last implanted in this descendant of so violent a race1 who had no passion remaining in him but that of pride4 8,and yet10 ,pierre at last ventured to say in a timid1 gentle voice1 8if faith remains essential and immutable1 forms change4 ,from hour to hour evolution goes on in all things--the world changes40 8,that is not true60 exclaimed the ,cardinal1 8the world does not change4 ,it continually tramps over the same ground1 loses itself1 strays into the most abominable courses1 and it continually has to be brought back into the right path4 ,that is the truth4 ,in order that the promises of ,christ may be fulfilled1 is it not necessary that the world should return to its starting point1 its original innocence8 ,is not the end of time fixed for the day when men shall be in possession of the full truth of the ,gospel8 ,yes1 truth is in the past1 and it is always to the past that one must cling if one would avoid the pitfalls which evil imaginations create4 ,all those fine novelties1 those mirages of that famous so-called progress1 are simply traps and snares of the eternal tempter1 causes of perdition and death4 ,why seek any further1 why constantly incur the risk of error1 when for eighteen hundred years the truth has been known8 ,truth6 why it is in ,apostolic and ,roman ,catholicism as created by a long succession of generations6 ,what madness to desire to change it when so many lofty minds1 so many pious souls have made of it the most admirable of monuments1 the one instrument of order in this world1 and of salvation in the next60 ,pierre1 whose heart had contracted1 refrained from further protest1 for he could no longer doubt that he had before him an implacable adversary of his most cherished ideas4 ,chilled by a covert fear1 as though he felt a faint breath1 as of a distant wind from a land of ruins1 pass over his face1 bringing with it the mortal cold of a sepulchre1 he bowed respectfully whilst the ,cardinal1 rising to his full height1 continued in his obstinate voice1 resonant with proud courage3 8,and if ,catholicism1 as its enemies pretend1 be really stricken unto death1 it must die standing and in all its glorious integrality4 ,you hear me1 ,monsieur l',abb--not one concession1 not one surrender1 not a single act of cowardice6 ,catholicism is such as it is1 and cannot be otherwise4 ,no modification of the divine certainty1 the entire truth1 is possible4 ,the removal of the smallest stone from the edifice could only prove a cause of instability4 ,is this not evident8 ,you cannot save old houses by attacking them with the pickaxe under pretence of decorating them4 ,you only enlarge the fissures4 ,even if it were true that ,rome were on the eve of falling into dust1 the only result of all the repairing and patching would be to hasten the catastrophe4 ,and instead of a noble death1 met unflinchingly1 we should then behold the basest of agonies1 the death throes of a coward who struggles and begs for mercy6 ,for my part ,i wait4 ,i am convinced that all that people say is but so much horrible falsehood1 that ,catholicism has never been firmer1 that it imbibes eternity from the one and only source of life4 ,but should the heavens indeed fall1 on that day ,i should be here1 amidst these old and crumbling walls1 under these old ceilings whose beams are being devoured by the worms1 and it is here1 erect1 among the ruins1 that ,i should meet my end1 repeating my credo for the last time40 ,his final words fell more slowly1 full of haughty sadness1 whilst with a sweeping gesture he waved his arms towards the old1 silent1 deserted palace around him1 whence life was withdrawing day by day4 ,had an involuntary presentiment come to him1 did the faint cold breath from the ruins also fan his own cheeks8 ,all the neglect into which the vast rooms had fallen was explained by his words2 and a superb1 despondent grandeur enveloped this prince and cardinal1 this uncompromising ,catholic who1 withdrawing into the dim half-light of the past1 braved with a soldier's heart the inevitable downfall of the olden world4 ,deeply impressed1 ,pierre was about to take his leave when1 to his surprise1 a little door opened in the hangings4 8,what is it8 ,can't ,i be left in peace for a moment80 exclaimed ,boccanera with sudden impatience4 ,nevertheless1 ,abb ,paparelli1 fat and sleek1 glided into the room without the faintest sign of emotion4 ,and he whispered a few words in the ear of the ,cardinal1 who1 on seeing him1 had become calm again4 8,what curate80 asked ,boccanera4 8,oh6 yes1 ,santobono1 the curate of ,frascati4 ,i know--tell him ,i cannot see him just now40 ,paparelli1 however1 again began whispering in his soft voice1 though not in so low a key as previously1 for some of his words could be overheard4 ,the affair was urgent1 the curate was compelled to return home1 and had only a word or two to say4 ,and then1 without awaiting consent1 the train-bearer ushered in the visitor1 a protg of his1 whom he had left just outside the little door4 ,and for his own part he withdrew with the tranquillity of a retainer who1 whatever the modesty of his office1 knows himself to be all powerful4 ,pierre1 who was momentarily forgotten1 looked at the visitor--a big fellow of a priest1 the son of a peasant evidently1 and still near to the soil4 ,he had an ungainly1 bony figure1 huge feet and knotted hands1 with a seamy tanned face lighted by extremely keen black eyes4 ,five and forty and still robust1 his chin and cheeks bristling1 and his cassock1 overlarge1 hanging loosely about his big projecting bones1 he suggested a bandit in disguise4 ,still there was nothing base about him2 the expression of his face was proud4 ,and in one hand he carried a small wicker basket carefully covered over with fig-leaves4 ,santobono at once bent his knees and kissed the ,cardinal's ring1 but with hasty unconcern1 as though only some ordinary piece of civility were in question4 ,then1 with that commingling of respect and familiarity which the little ones of the world often evince towards the great1 he said1 8,i beg your most reverend ,eminence's forgiveness for having insisted4 ,but there were people waiting1 and ,i should not have been received if my old friend ,paparelli had not brought me by way of that door4 ,oh6 ,i have a very great service to ask of your ,eminence1 a real service of the heart4 ,but first of all may ,i be allowed to offer your ,eminence a little present80 ,the ,cardinal listened with a grave expression4 ,he had been well acquainted with ,santobono in the years when he had spent the summer at ,frascati1 at a princely residence which the ,boccaneras had possessed there--a villa rebuilt in the seventeenth century1 surrounded by a wonderful park1 whose famous terrace overlooked the ,campagna1 stretching far and bare like the sea4 ,this villa1 however1 had since been sold1 and on some vineyards1 which had fallen to ,benedetta's share1 ,count ,prada1 prior to the divorce proceedings1 had begun to erect quite a district of little pleasure houses4 ,in former times1 when walking out1 the ,cardinal had condescended to enter and rest in the dwelling of ,santobono1 who officiated at an antique chapel dedicated to ,st4 ,mary of the ,fields1 without the town4 ,the priest had his home in a half-ruined building adjoining this chapel1 and the charm of the place was a walled garden which he cultivated himself with the passion of a true peasant4 8,as is my rule every year10 said he1 placing his basket on the table1 8,i wished that your ,eminence might taste my figs4 ,they are the first of the season4 ,i gathered them expressly this morning4 ,you used to be so fond of them1 your ,eminence1 when you condescended to gather them from the tree itself4 ,you were good enough to tell me that there wasn't another tree in the world that produced such fine figs40 ,the ,cardinal could not help smiling4 ,he was indeed very fond of figs1 and ,santobono spoke truly3 his fig-tree was renowned throughout the district4 8,thank you1 my dear ,abb10 said ,boccanera1 8you remember my little failings4 ,well1 and what can ,i do for you80 ,again he became grave1 for1 in former times1 there had been unpleasant discussions between him and the curate1 a lack of agreement which had angered him4 ,born at ,nemi1 in the core of a fierce district1 ,santobono belonged to a violent family1 and his eldest brother had died of a stab4 ,he himself had always professed ardently patriotic opinions4 ,it was said that he had all but taken up arms for ,garibaldi2 and1 on the day when the ,italians had entered ,rome1 force had been needed to prevent him from raising the flag of ,italian unity above his roof4 ,his passionate dream was to behold ,rome mistress of the world1 when the ,pope and the ,king should have embraced and made cause together4 ,thus the ,cardinal looked on him as a dangerous revolutionary1 a renegade who imperilled ,catholicism4 8,oh6 what your ,eminence can do for me1 what your ,eminence can do if only condescending and willing60 repeated ,santobono in an ardent voice1 clasping his big knotty hands4 ,and then1 breaking off1 he inquired1 8,did not his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti explain my affair to your most reverend ,eminence80 8,no1 the ,cardinal simply advised me of your visit1 saying that you had something to ask of me40 ,whilst speaking ,boccanera's face had clouded over1 and it was with increased sternness of manner that he again waited4 ,he was aware that the priest had become ,sanguinetti's 8client0 since the latter had been in the habit of spending weeks together at his suburban see of ,frascati4 ,walking in the shadow of every cardinal who is a candidate to the papacy1 there are familiars of low degree who stake the ambition of their life on the possibility of that cardinal's election4 ,if he becomes ,pope some day1 if they themselves help him to the throne1 they enter the great pontifical family in his train4 ,it was related that ,sanguinetti had once already extricated ,santobono from a nasty difficulty3 the priest having one day caught a marauding urchin in the act of climbing his wall1 had beaten the little fellow with such severity that he had ultimately died of it4 ,however1 to ,santobono's credit it must be added that his fanatical devotion to the ,cardinal was largely based upon the hope that he would prove the ,pope whom men awaited1 the ,pope who would make ,italy the sovereign nation of the world4 8,well1 this is my misfortune10 he said4 8,your ,eminence knows my brother ,agostino1 who was gardener at the villa for two years in your ,eminence's time4 ,he is certainly a very pleasant and gentle young fellow1 of whom nobody has ever complained4 ,and so it is hard to understand how such an accident can have happened to him1 but it seems that he has killed a man with a knife at ,genzano1 while walking in the street in the evening4 ,i am dreadfully distressed about it1 and would willingly give two fingers of my right hand to extricate him from prison4 ,however1 it occurred to me that your ,eminence would not refuse me a certificate stating that ,agostino was formerly in your ,eminence's service1 and that your ,eminence was always well pleased with his quiet disposition40 ,but the ,cardinal flatly protested3 8,i was not at all pleased with ,agostino4 ,he was wildly violent1 and ,i had to dismiss him precisely because he was always quarrelling with the other servants40 8,oh6 how grieved ,i am to hear your ,eminence say that6 ,so it is true1 then1 my poor little ,agostino's disposition has really changed6 ,still there is always a way out of a difficulty1 is there not8 ,you can still give me a certificate1 first arranging the wording of it4 ,a certificate from your ,eminence would have such a favourable effect upon the law officers40 8,no doubt10 replied ,boccanera2 8,i can understand that1 but ,i will give no certificate40 8,what6 does your most reverend ,eminence refuse my prayer80 8,absolutely6 ,i know that you are a priest of perfect morality1 that you discharge the duties of your ministry with strict punctuality1 and that you would be deserving of high commendation were it not for your political fancies4 ,only your fraternal affection is now leading you astray4 ,i cannot tell a lie to please you40 ,santobono gazed at him in real stupefaction1 unable to understand that a prince1 an all-powerful cardinal1 should be influenced by such petty scruples1 when the entire question was a mere knife thrust1 the most commonplace and frequent of incidents in the yet wild land of the old ,roman castles4 8,a lie6 a lie60 he muttered2 8but surely it isn't lying just to say what is good of a man1 leaving out all the rest1 especially when a man has good points as ,agostino certainly has4 ,in a certificate1 too1 everything depends on the words one uses40 ,he stubbornly clung to that idea2 he could not conceive that a person should refuse to soften the rigour of justice by an ingenious presentation of the facts4 ,however1 on acquiring a certainty that he would obtain nothing1 he made a gesture of despair1 his livid face assuming an expression of violent rancour1 whilst his black eyes flamed with restrained passion4 8,well1 well6 each looks on truth in his own way10 he said4 8,i shall go back to tell his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti4 ,and ,i beg your ,eminence not to be displeased with me for having disturbed your ,eminence to no purpose4 ,by the way1 perhaps the figs are not yet quite ripe2 but ,i will take the liberty to bring another basketful towards the end of the season1 when they will be quite nice and sweet4 ,a thousand thanks and a thousand felicities to your most reverend ,eminence40 ,santobono went off backwards1 his big bony figure bending double with repeated genuflections4 ,pierre1 whom the scene had greatly interested1 in him beheld a specimen of the petty clergy of ,rome and its environs1 of whom people had told him before his departure from ,paris4 ,this was not the scagnozzo1 the wretched famished priest whom some nasty affair brings from the provinces1 who seeks his daily bread on the pavements of ,rome2 one of the herd of begowned beggars searching for a livelihood among the crumbs of ,church life1 voraciously fighting for chance masses1 and mingling with the lowest orders in taverns of the worst repute4 ,nor was this the country priest of distant parts1 a man of crass ignorance and superstition1 a peasant among the peasants1 treated as an equal by his pious flock1 which is careful not to mistake him for the ,divinity1 and which1 whilst kneeling in all humility before the parish saint1 does not bend before the man who from that saint derives his livelihood4 ,at ,frascati the officiating minister of a little church may receive a stipend of some nine hundred lire a year199 and he has only bread and meat to buy if his garden yields him wine and fruit and vegetables4 ,this one1 ,santobono1 was not without education2 he knew a little theology and a little history1 especially the history of the past grandeur of ,rome1 which had inflamed his patriotic heart with the mad dream that universal domination would soon fall to the portion of renascent ,rome1 the capital of united ,italy4 ,but what an insuperable distance still remained between this petty ,roman clergy1 often very worthy and intelligent1 and the high clergy1 the high dignitaries of the ,vatican6 ,nobody that was not at least a prelate seemed to count4 99 ,about #cf pounds4 ,one is reminded of ,goldsmith's line3 8,and passing rich with forty pounds a year40--,trans4 8,a thousand thanks to your most reverend ,eminence1 and may success attend all your ,eminence's desires40 ,with these words ,santobono finally disappeared1 and the ,cardinal returned to ,pierre1 who also bowed preparatory to taking his leave4 8,to sum up the matter1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said ,boccanera1 8the affair of your book presents certain difficulties4 ,as ,i have told you1 ,i have no precise information1 ,i have seen no documents4 ,but knowing that my niece took an interest in you1 ,i said a few words on the subject to ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 the ,prefect of the ,index1 who was here just now4 ,and he knows little more than ,i do1 for nothing has yet left the ,secretary's hands4 ,still he told me that the denunciation emanated from personages of rank and influence1 and applied to numerous pages of your work1 in which it was said there were passages of the most deplorable character as regards both discipline and dogma40 ,greatly moved by the idea that he had hidden foes1 secret adversaries who pursued him in the dark1 the young priest responded3 8,oh6 denounced1 denounced6 ,if your ,eminence only knew how that word pains my heart6 ,and denounced1 too1 for offences which were certainly involuntary1 since my one ardent desire was the triumph of the ,church6 ,all ,i can do1 then1 is to fling myself at the feet of the ,holy ,father and entreat him to hear my defence40 ,boccanera suddenly became very grave again4 ,a stern look rested on his lofty brow as he drew his haughty figure to its full height4 8,his ,holiness10 said he1 8can do everything1 even receive you1 if such be his good pleasure1 and absolve you also4 ,but listen to me4 ,i again advise you to withdraw your book yourself1 to destroy it1 simply and courageously1 before embarking in a struggle in which you will reap the shame of being overwhelmed4 ,reflect on that40 ,pierre1 however1 had no sooner spoken of the ,pope than he had regretted it1 for he realised that an appeal to the sovereign authority was calculated to wound the ,cardinal's feelings4 ,moreover1 there was no further room for doubt4 ,boccanera would be against his book1 and the utmost that he could hope for was to gain his neutrality by bringing pressure to bear on him through those about him4 ,at the same time he had found the ,cardinal very plain spoken1 very frank1 far removed from all the secret intriguing in which the affair of his book was involved1 as he now began to realise2 and so it was with deep respect and genuine admiration for the prelate's strong and lofty character that he took leave of him4 8,i am infinitely obliged to your ,eminence10 he said1 8and ,i promise that ,i will carefully reflect upon all that your ,eminence has been kind enough to say to me40 ,on returning to the ante-room1 ,pierre there found five or six persons who had arrived during his audience1 and were now waiting4 ,there was a bishop1 a domestic prelate1 and two old ladies1 and as he drew near to ,don ,vigilio before retiring1 he was surprised to find him conversing with a tall1 fair young fellow1 a ,frenchman1 who1 also in astonishment1 exclaimed1 8,what6 are you here in ,rome1 ,monsieur l',abb80 ,for a moment ,pierre had hesitated4 8,ah6 ,i must ask your pardon1 ,monsieur ,narcisse ,habert10 he replied1 8,i did not at first recognise you6 ,it was the less excusable as ,i knew that you had been an attach at our embassy here ever since last year40 ,tall1 slim1 and elegant of appearance1 ,narcisse ,habert had a clear complexion1 with eyes of a bluish1 almost mauvish1 hue1 a fair frizzy beard1 and long curling fair hair cut short over the forehead in the ,florentine fashion4 ,of a wealthy family of militant ,catholics1 chiefly members of the bar or bench1 he had an uncle in the diplomatic profession1 and this had decided his own career4 ,moreover1 a place at ,rome was marked out for him1 for he there had powerful connections4 ,he was a nephew by marriage of ,cardinal ,sarno1 whose sister had married another of his uncles1 a ,paris notary2 and he was also cousin german of ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo1 a ,cameriere segreto1 and son of one of his aunts1 who had married an ,italian colonel4 ,and in some measure for these reasons he had been attached to the embassy to the ,holy ,see1 his superiors tolerating his somewhat fantastic ways1 his everlasting passion for art which sent him wandering hither and thither through ,rome4 ,he was moreover very amiable and extremely well-bred2 and it occasionally happened1 as was the case that morning1 that with his weary and somewhat mysterious air he came to speak to one or another of the cardinals on some real matter of business in the ambassador's name4 ,so as to converse with ,pierre at his ease1 he drew him into the deep embrasure of one of the windows4 8,ah6 my dear ,abb1 how pleased ,i am to see you60 said he4 8,you must remember what pleasant chats we had when we met at ,cardinal ,bergerot's6 ,i told you about some paintings which you were to see for your book1 some miniatures of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries4 ,and now1 you know1 ,i mean to take possession of you4 ,i'll show you ,rome as nobody else could show it to you4 ,i've seen and explored everything4 ,ah6 there are treasures1 such treasures6 ,but in truth there is only one supreme work2 one always comes back to one's particular passion4 ,the ,botticelli in the ,sixtine ,chapel--ah1 the ,botticelli60 ,his voice died away1 and he made a faint gesture as if overcome by admiration4 ,then ,pierre had to promise that he would place himself in his hands and accompany him to the ,sixtine ,chapel4 8,you know why ,i am here10 at last said the young priest4 8,proceedings have been taken against my book2 it has been denounced to the ,congregation of the ,index40 8,your book6 is it possible80 exclaimed ,narcisse3 8a book like that with pages recalling the delightful ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi60 ,and thereupon he obligingly placed himself at ,pierre's disposal4 8,but our ambassador will be very useful to you10 he said4 8,he is the best man in the world1 of charming affability1 and full of the old ,french spirit4 ,i will present you to him this afternoon or to-morrow morning at the latest2 and since you desire an immediate audience with the ,pope1 he will endeavour to obtain one for you4 ,his position naturally designates him as your intermediary4 ,still1 ,i must confess that things are not always easily managed4 ,although the ,holy ,father is very fond of him1 there are times when his ,excellency fails1 for the approaches are so extremely intricate40 ,pierre had not thought of employing the ambassador's good offices1 for he had navely imagined that an accused priest who came to defend himself would find every door open4 ,however1 he was delighted with ,narcisse's offer1 and thanked him as warmly as if the audience were already obtained4 8,besides10 the young man continued1 8if we encounter any difficulties ,i have relatives at the ,vatican1 as you know4 ,i don't mean my uncle the ,cardinal1 who would be of no use to us1 for he never stirs out of his office at the ,propaganda1 and will never apply for anything4 ,but my cousin1 ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo1 is very obliging1 and he lives in intimacy with the ,pope1 his duties requiring his constant attendance on him4 ,so1 if necessary1 ,i will take you to see him1 and he will no doubt find a means of procuring you an interview1 though his extreme prudence keeps him perpetually afraid of compromising himself4 ,however1 it's understood1 you may rely on me in every respect40 8,ah6 my dear sir10 exclaimed ,pierre1 relieved and happy1 8,i heartily accept your offer4 ,you don't know what balm your words have brought me2 for ever since my arrival everybody has been discouraging me1 and you are the first to restore my strength by looking at things in the true ,french way40 ,then1 lowering his voice1 he told the attach of his interview with ,cardinal ,boccanera1 of his conviction that the latter would not help him1 of the unfavourable information which had been given by ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 and of the rivalry which he had divined between the two prelates4 ,narcisse listened1 smiling1 and in his turn began to gossip confidentially4 ,the rivalry which ,pierre had mentioned1 the premature contest for the tiara which ,sanguinetti and ,boccanera were waging1 impelled to it by a furious desire to become the next ,pope1 had for a long time been revolutionising the black world4 ,there was incredible intricacy in the depths of the affair2 none could exactly tell who was pulling the strings1 conducting the vast intrigue4 ,as regards generalities it was simply known that ,boccanera represented absolutism--the ,church freed from all compromises with modern society1 and waiting in immobility for the ,deity to triumph over ,satan1 for ,rome to be restored to the ,holy ,father1 and for repentant ,italy to perform penance for its sacrilege2 whereas ,sanguinetti1 extremely politic and supple1 was reported to harbour bold and novel ideas3 permission to vote to be granted to all true ,catholics199 a majority to be gained by this means in the ,legislature2 then1 as a fatal corollary1 the downfall of the ,house of ,savoy1 and the proclamation of a kind of republican federation of all the former petty ,states of ,italy under the august protectorate of the ,pope4 ,on the whole1 the struggle was between these two antagonistic elements--the first bent on upholding the ,church by a rigorous maintenance of the old traditions1 and the other predicting the fall of the ,church if it did not follow the bent of the coming century4 ,but all was steeped in so much mystery that people ended by thinking that1 if the present ,pope should live a few years longer1 his successor would certainly be neither ,boccanera nor ,sanguinetti4 99 ,since the occupation of ,rome by the ,italian authorities1 the supporters of the ,church1 obedient to the prohibition of the ,vatican1 have abstained from taking part in the political elections1 this being their protest against the new order of things which they do not recognise4 ,various attempts have been made1 however1 to induce the ,pope to give them permission to vote1 many members of the ,roman aristocracy considering the present course impolitic and even harmful to the interests of the ,church4--,trans4 ,all at once ,pierre interrupted ,narcisse3 8,and ,monsignor ,nani1 do you know him8 ,i spoke with him yesterday evening4 ,and there he is coming in now60 ,nani was indeed just entering the ante-room with his usual smile on his amiable pink face4 ,his cassock of fine texture1 and his sash of violet silk shone with discreet soft luxury4 ,and he showed himself very amiable to ,abb ,paparelli1 who1 accompanying him in all humility1 begged him to be kind enough to wait until his ,eminence should be able to receive him4 8,oh6 ,monsignor ,nani10 muttered ,narcisse1 becoming serious1 8he is a man whom it is advisable to have for a friend40 ,then1 knowing ,nani's history1 he related it in an undertone4 ,born at ,venice1 of a noble but ruined family which had produced heroes1 ,nani1 after first studying under the ,jesuits1 had come to ,rome to perfect himself in philosophy and theology at the ,collegio ,romano1 which was then also under ,jesuit management4 ,ordained when three and twenty1 he had at once followed a nuncio to ,bavaria as private secretary2 and then had gone as auditore to the nunciatures of ,brussels and ,paris1 in which latter city he had lived for five years4 ,everything seemed to predestine him to diplomacy1 his brilliant beginnings and his keen and encyclopaedical intelligence2 but all at once he had been recalled to ,rome1 where he was soon afterwards appointed ,assessor to the ,holy ,office4 ,it was asserted at the time that this was done by the ,pope himself1 who1 being well acquainted with ,nani1 and desirous of having a person he could depend upon at the ,holy ,office1 had given instructions for his recall1 saying that he could render far more services at ,rome than abroad4 ,already a domestic prelate1 ,nani had also lately become a ,canon of ,st4 ,peter's and an apostolic prothonotary1 with the prospect of obtaining a cardinal's hat whenever the ,pope should find some other favourite who would please him better as assessor4 8,oh1 ,monsignor ,nani60 continued ,narcisse4 8,he's a superior man1 thoroughly well acquainted with modern ,europe1 and at the same time a very saintly priest1 a sincere believer1 absolutely devoted to the ,church1 with the substantial faith of an intelligent politician--a belief different1 it is true1 from the narrow gloomy theological faith which we know so well in ,france4 ,and this is one of the reasons why you will hardly understand things here at first4 ,the ,roman prelates leave the ,deity in the sanctuary and reign in ,his name1 convinced that ,catholicism is the human expression of the government of ,god1 the only perfect and eternal government1 beyond the pales of which nothing but falsehood and social danger can be found4 ,while we in our country lag behind1 furiously arguing whether there be a ,god or not1 they do not admit that ,god's existence can be doubted1 since they themselves are his delegated ministers2 and they entirely devote themselves to playing their parts as ministers whom none can dispossess1 exercising their power for the greatest good of humanity1 and devoting all their intelligence1 all their energy to maintaining themselves as the accepted masters of the nations4 ,as for ,monsignor ,nani1 after being mixed up in the politics of the whole world1 he has for ten years been discharging the most delicate functions in ,rome1 taking part in the most varied and most important affairs4 ,he sees all the foreigners who come to ,rome1 knows everything1 has a hand in everything4 ,add to this that he is extremely discreet and amiable1 with a modesty which seems perfect1 though none can tell whether1 with his light silent footstep1 he is not really marching towards the highest ambition1 the purple of sovereignty40 8,another candidate for the tiara10 thought ,pierre1 who had listened passionately2 for this man ,nani interested him1 caused him an instinctive disquietude1 as though behind his pink and smiling face he could divine an infinity of obscure things4 ,at the same time1 however1 the young priest but ill understood his friend1 for he again felt bewildered by all this strange ,roman world1 so different from what he had expected4 ,nani had perceived the two young men and came towards them with his hand cordially outstretched 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 ,i am happy to meet you again4 ,i won't ask you if you have slept well1 for people always sleep well at ,rome4 ,good-day1 ,monsieur ,habert2 your health has kept good ,i hope1 since ,i met you in front of ,bernini's ,santa ,teresa1 which you admire so much499 ,i see that you know one another4 ,that is very nice4 ,i must tell you1 ,monsieur l',abb1 that ,monsieur ,habert is a passionate lover of our city2 he will be able to show you all its finest sights40 99 ,the allusion is to a statue representing ,st4 ,theresa in ecstasy1 with the ,angel of ,death descending to transfix her with his dart4 ,it stands in a transept of ,sta4 ,maria della ,vittoria4--,trans4 ,then1 in his affectionate way1 he at once asked for information respecting ,pierre's interview with the ,cardinal4 ,he listened attentively to the young man's narrative1 nodding his head at certain passages1 and occasionally restraining his sharp smile4 ,the ,cardinal's severity and ,pierre's conviction that he would accord him no support did not at all astonish ,nani4 ,it seemed as if he had expected that result4 ,however1 on hearing that ,cardinal ,sanguinetti had been there that morning1 and had pronounced the affair of the book to be very serious1 he appeared to lose his self-control for a moment1 for he spoke out with sudden vivacity3 8,it can't be helped1 my dear child1 my intervention came too late4 ,directly ,i heard of the proceedings ,i went to his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti to tell him that the result would be an immense advertisement for your book4 ,was it sensible8 ,what was the use of it8 ,we know that you are inclined to be carried away by your ideas1 that you are an enthusiast1 and are prompt to do battle4 ,so what advantage should we gain by embarrassing ourselves with the revolt of a young priest who might wage war against us with a book of which some thousands of copies have been sold already8 ,for my part ,i desired that nothing should be done4 ,and ,i must say that the ,cardinal1 who is a man of sense1 was of the same mind4 ,he raised his arms to heaven1 went into a passion1 and exclaimed that he was never consulted1 that the blunder was already committed beyond recall1 and that it was impossible to prevent process from taking its course since the matter had already been brought before the ,congregation1 in consequence of denunciations from authoritative sources1 based on the gravest motives4 ,briefly1 as he said1 the blunder was committed1 and ,i had to think of something else40 ,all at once ,nani paused4 ,he had just noticed that ,pierre's ardent eyes were fixed upon his own1 striving to penetrate his meaning4 ,a faint flush then heightened the pinkiness of his complexion1 whilst in an easy way he continued1 unwilling to reveal how annoyed he was at having said too much3 8,yes1 ,i thought of helping you with all the little influence ,i possess1 in order to extricate you from the worries in which this affair will certainly land you40 ,an impulse of revolt was stirring ,pierre1 who vaguely felt that he was perhaps being made game of4 ,why should he not be free to declare his faith1 which was so pure1 so free from personal considerations1 so full of glowing ,christian charity8 8,never10 said he1 8will ,i withdraw2 never will ,i myself suppress my book1 as ,i am advised to do4 ,it would be an act of cowardice and falsehood1 for ,i regret nothing1 ,i disown nothing4 ,if ,i believe that my book brings a little truth to light ,i cannot destroy it without acting criminally both towards myself and towards others4 ,no1 never6 ,you hear me--never60 ,silence fell4 ,but almost immediately he resumed3 8,it is at the knees of the ,holy ,father that ,i desire to make that declaration4 ,he will understand me1 he will approve me40 ,nani no longer smiled2 henceforth his face remained as it were closed4 ,he seemed to be studying the sudden violence of the young priest with curiosity2 then sought to calm him with his own tranquil kindliness4 8,no doubt1 no doubt10 said he4 8,there is certainly great sweetness in obedience and humility4 ,still ,i can understand that1 before anything else1 you should desire to speak to his ,holiness4 ,and afterwards you will see--is that not so8--you will see--0 ,then he evinced a lively interest in the suggested application for an audience4 ,he expressed keen regret that ,pierre had not forwarded that application from ,paris1 before even coming to ,rome3 in that course would have rested the best chance of a favourable reply4 ,bother of any kind was not liked at the ,vatican1 and if the news of the young priest's presence in ,rome should only spread abroad1 and the motives of his journey be discussed1 all would be lost4 ,then1 on learning that ,narcisse had offered to present ,pierre to the ,french ambassador1 ,nani seemed full of anxiety1 and deprecated any such proceeding3 8,no1 no6 don't do that--it would be most imprudent4 ,in the first place you would run the risk of embarrassing the ambassador1 whose position is always delicate in affairs of this kind4 ,and then1 too1 if he failed--and my fear is that he might fail--yes1 if he failed it would be all over2 you would no longer have the slightest chance of obtaining an audience by any other means4 ,for the ,vatican would not like to hurt the ambassador's feelings by yielding to other influence after resisting his40 ,pierre anxiously glanced at ,narcisse1 who wagged his head1 embarrassed and hesitating4 8,the fact is10 the attach at last murmured1 8we lately solicited an audience for a high ,french personage and it was refused1 which was very unpleasant for us4 ,monsignor is right4 ,we must keep our ambassador in reserve1 and only utilise him when we have exhausted all other means40 ,then1 noticing ,pierre's disappointment1 he added obligingly3 8,our first visit therefore shall be for my cousin at the ,vatican40 ,nani1 his attention again roused1 looked at the young man in astonishment4 8,at the ,vatican8 ,you have a cousin there80 8,why1 yes--,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo40 8,gamba6 ,gamba6 ,yes1 yes1 excuse me1 ,i remember now4 ,ah6 so you thought of ,gamba to bring influence to bear on his ,holiness8 ,that's an idea1 no doubt2 one must see--one must see40 ,he repeated these words again and again as if to secure time to see into the matter himself1 to weigh the pros and cons of the suggestion4 ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo was a worthy man who played no part at the ,papal ,court1 whose nullity indeed had become a byword at the ,vatican4 ,his childish stories1 however1 amused the ,pope1 whom he greatly flattered1 and who was fond of leaning on his arm while walking in the gardens4 ,it was during these strolls that ,gamba easily secured all sorts of little favours4 ,however1 he was a remarkable poltroon1 and had such an intense fear of losing his influence that he never risked a request without having convinced himself by long meditation that no possible harm could come to him through it4 8,well1 do you know1 the idea is not a bad one10 ,nani at last declared4 8,yes1 yes1 ,gamba can secure the audience for you1 if he is willing4 ,i will see him myself and explain the matter40 ,at the same time ,nani did not cease advising extreme caution4 ,he even ventured to say that it was necessary to be on one's guard with the papal entourage1 for1 alas6 it was a fact his ,holiness was so good1 and had such a blind faith in the goodness of others1 that he had not always chosen his familiars with the critical care which he ought to have displayed4 ,thus one never knew to what sort of man one might be applying1 or in what trap one might be setting one's foot4 ,nani even allowed it to be understood that on no account ought any direct application to be made to his ,eminence the ,secretary of ,state1 for even his ,eminence was not a free agent1 but found himself encompassed by intrigues of such intricacy that his best intentions were paralysed4 ,and as ,nani went on discoursing in this fashion1 in a very gentle1 extremely unctuous manner1 the ,vatican appeared like some enchanted castle1 guarded by jealous and treacherous dragons--a castle where one must not take a step1 pass through a doorway1 risk a limb1 without having carefully assured oneself that one would not leave one's whole body there to be devoured4 ,pierre continued listening1 feeling colder and colder at heart1 and again sinking into uncertainty4 8,mon ,dieu60 he exclaimed1 8,i shall never know how to act4 ,you discourage me1 ,monsignor40 ,at this ,nani's cordial smile reappeared4 8,i1 my dear child8 ,i should be sorry to do so4 ,i only want to repeat to you that you must wait and do nothing4 ,avoid all feverishness especially4 ,there is no hurry1 ,i assure you1 for it was only yesterday that a consultore was chosen to report upon your book1 so you have a good full month before you4 ,avoid everybody1 live in such a way that people shall be virtually ignorant of your existence1 visit ,rome in peace and quietness--that is the best course you can adopt to forward your interests40 ,then1 taking one of the priest's hands between both his own1 so aristocratic1 soft1 and plump1 he added3 8,you will understand that ,i have my reasons for speaking to you like this4 ,i should have offered my own services2 ,i should have made it a point of honour to take you straight to his ,holiness1 had ,i thought it advisable4 ,but ,i do not wish to mix myself up in the matter at this stage2 ,i realise only too well that at the present moment we should simply make sad work of it4 ,later on--you hear me--later on1 in the event of nobody else succeeding1 ,i myself will obtain you an audience2 ,i formally promise it4 ,but meanwhile1 ,i entreat you1 refrain from using those words #8a new religion1' which1 unfortunately1 occur in your book1 and which ,i heard you repeat again only last night4 ,there can be no new religion1 my dear child2 there is but one eternal religion1 which is beyond all surrender and compromise--the ,catholic1 ,apostolic1 and ,roman religion4 ,and at the same time leave your ,paris friends to themselves4 ,don't rely too much on ,cardinal ,bergerot1 whose lofty piety is not sufficiently appreciated in ,rome4 ,i assure you that ,i am speaking to you as a friend40 ,then1 seeing how disabled ,pierre appeared to be1 half overcome already1 no longer knowing in what direction to begin his campaign1 he again strove to comfort him3 8,come1 come1 things will right themselves2 everything will end for the best1 both for the welfare of the ,church and your own4 ,and now you must excuse me1 ,i must leave you2 ,i shall not be able to see his ,eminence to-day1 for it is impossible for me to wait any longer40 ,abb ,paparelli1 whom ,pierre had noticed prowling around with his ears cocked1 now hastened forward and declared to ,monsignor ,nani that there were only two persons to be received before him4 ,but the prelate very graciously replied that he would come back again at another time1 for the affair which he wished to lay before his ,eminence was in no wise pressing4 ,then he withdrew1 courteously bowing to everybody4 ,narcisse ,habert's turn came almost immediately afterwards4 ,however1 before entering the throne-room he pressed ,pierre's hand1 repeating1 8,so it is understood4 ,i will go to see my cousin at the ,vatican to-morrow1 and directly ,i get a reply ,i will let you know4 ,we shall meet again soon ,i hope40 ,it was now past twelve o'clock1 and the only remaining visitor was one of the two old ladies who seemed to have fallen asleep4 ,at his little secretarial table ,don ,vigilio still sat covering huge sheets of yellow paper with fine handwriting1 from which he only lifted his eyes at intervals to glance about him distrustfully1 and make sure that nothing threatened him4 ,in the mournful silence which fell around1 ,pierre lingered for yet another moment in the deep embrasure of the window4 ,ah6 what anxiety consumed his poor1 tender1 enthusiastic heart6 ,on leaving ,paris things had seemed so simple1 so natural to him6 ,he was unjustly accused1 and he started off to defend himself1 arrived and flung himself at the feet of the ,holy ,father1 who listened to him indulgently4 ,did not the ,pope personify living religion1 intelligence to understand1 justice based upon truth8 ,and was he not1 before aught else1 the ,father1 the delegate of divine forgiveness and mercy1 with arms outstretched towards all the children of the ,church1 even the guilty ones8 ,was it not meet1 then1 that he should leave his door wide open so that the humblest of his sons might freely enter to relate their troubles1 confess their transgressions1 explain their conduct1 imbibe comfort from the source of eternal loving kindness8 ,and yet on the very first day of his1 ,pierre's1 arrival1 the doors closed upon him with a bang2 he felt himself sinking into a hostile sphere1 full of traps and pitfalls4 ,one and all cried out to him 8,beware60 as if he were incurring the greatest dangers in setting one foot before the other4 ,his desire to see the ,pope became an extraordinary pretension1 so difficult of achievement that it set the interests and passions and influences of the whole ,vatican agog4 ,and there was endless conflicting advice1 long-discussed manoeuvring1 all the strategy of generals leading an army to victory1 and fresh complications ever arising in the midst of a dim stealthy swarming of intrigues4 ,ah6 good ,lord6 how different all this was from the charitable reception that ,pierre had anticipated3 the pastor's house standing open beside the high road for the admission of all the sheep of the flock1 both those that were docile and those that had gone astray4 ,that which began to frighten ,pierre1 however1 was the evil1 the wickedness1 which he could divine vaguely stirring in the gloom3 ,cardinal ,bergerot suspected1 dubbed a ,revolutionary1 deemed so compromising that he1 ,pierre1 was advised not to mention his name again6 ,the young priest once more saw ,cardinal ,boccanera's pout of disdain while speaking of his colleague4 ,and then ,monsignor ,nani had warned him not to repeat those words 8a new religion10 as if it were not clear to everybody that they simply signified the return of ,catholicism to the primitive purity of ,christianity6 ,was that one of the crimes denounced to the ,congregation of the ,index8 ,he had begun to suspect who his accusers were1 and felt alarmed1 for he was now conscious of secret subterranean plotting1 a great stealthy effort to strike him down and suppress his work4 ,all that surrounded him became suspicious4 ,if he listened to advice and temporised1 it was solely to follow the same politic course as his adversaries1 to learn to know them before acting4 ,he would spend a few days in meditation1 in surveying and studying that black world of ,rome which to him had proved so unexpected4 ,but1 at the same time1 in the revolt of his apostle-like faith1 he swore1 even as he had said to ,nani1 that he would never yield1 never change either a page or a line of his book1 but maintain it in its integrity in the broad daylight as the unshakable testimony of his belief4 ,even were the book condemned by the ,index1 he would not tender submission1 withdraw aught of it4 ,and should it become necessary he would quit the ,church1 he would go even as far as schism1 continuing to preach the new religion and writing a new book1 ,real ,rome1 such as he now vaguely began to espy4 ,however1 ,don ,vigilio had ceased writing1 and gazed so fixedly at ,pierre that the latter at last stepped up to him politely in order to take leave4 ,and then the secretary1 yielding1 despite his fears1 to a desire to confide in him1 murmured1 8,he came simply on your account1 you know2 he wanted to ascertain the result of your interview with his ,eminence40 ,it was not necessary for ,don ,vigilio to mention ,nani by name2 ,pierre understood4 8,really1 do you think so80 he asked4 8,oh6 there is no doubt of it4 ,and if you take my advice you will do what he desires with a good grace1 for it is absolutely certain that you will do it later on40 ,these words brought ,pierre's disquietude and exasperation to a climax4 ,he went off with a gesture of defiance4 ,they would see if he would ever yield4 ,the three ante-rooms which he again crossed appeared to him blacker1 emptier1 more lifeless than ever4 ,in the second one ,abb ,paparelli saluted him with a little silent bow2 in the first the sleepy lackey did not even seem to see him4 ,a spider was weaving its web between the tassels of the great red hat under the baldacchino4 ,would not the better course have been to set the pick at work amongst all that rotting past1 now crumbling into dust1 so that the sunlight might stream in freely and restore to the purified soil the fruitfulness of youth8 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,iv4 ,,on the afternoon of that same day ,pierre1 having leisure before him1 at once thought of beginning his peregrinations through ,rome by a visit on which he had set his heart4 ,almost immediately after the publication of 8,new ,rome0 he had been deeply moved and interested by a letter addressed to him from the ,eternal ,city by old ,count ,orlando ,prada1 the hero of ,italian independence and reunion1 who1 although unacquainted with him1 had written spontaneously after a first hasty perusal of his book4 ,and the letter had been a flaming protest1 a cry of the patriotic faith still young in the heart of that aged man1 who accused him of having forgotten ,italy and claimed ,rome1 the new ,rome1 for the country which was at last free and united4 ,correspondence had ensued1 and the priest1 while clinging to his dream of ,neo-,catholicism saving the world1 had from afar grown attached to the man who wrote to him with such glowing love of country and freedom4 ,he had eventually informed him of his journey1 and promised to call upon him4 ,but the hospitality which he had accepted at the ,boccanera mansion now seemed to him somewhat of an impediment2 for after ,benedetta's kindly1 almost affectionate1 greeting1 he felt that he could not1 on the very first day and with out warning her1 sally forth to visit the father of the man from whom she had fled and from whom she now asked the ,church to part her for ever4 ,moreover1 old ,orlando was actually living with his son in a little palazzo which the latter had erected at the farther end of the ,via ,venti ,settembre4 ,before venturing on any step ,pierre resolved to confide in the ,contessina herself2 and this seemed the easier as ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue had told him that the young woman still retained a filial feeling1 mingled with admiration1 for the old hero4 ,and indeed1 at the very first words which he uttered after lunch1 ,benedetta promptly retorted3 8,but go1 ,monsieur l',abb1 go at once6 ,old ,orlando1 you know1 is one of our national glories--you must not be surprised to hear me call him by his ,christian name4 ,all ,italy does so1 from pure affection and gratitude4 ,for my part ,i grew up among people who hated him1 who likened him to ,satan4 ,it was only later that ,i learned to know him1 and then ,i loved him1 for he is certainly the most just and gentle man in the world40 ,she had begun to smile1 but timid tears were moistening her eyes at the recollection1 no doubt1 of the year of suffering she had spent in her husband's house1 where her only peaceful hours had been those passed with the old man4 ,and in a lower and somewhat tremulous voice she added3 8,as you are going to see him1 tell him from me that ,i still love him1 and1 whatever happens1 shall never forget his goodness40 ,so ,pierre set out1 and whilst he was driving in a cab towards the ,via ,venti ,settembre1 he recalled to mind the heroic story of old ,orlando's life which had been told him in ,paris4 ,it was like an epic poem1 full of faith1 bravery1 and the disinterestedness of another age4 ,born of a noble house of ,milan1 ,count ,orlando ,prada had learnt to hate the foreigner at such an early age that1 when scarcely fifteen1 he already formed part of a secret society1 one of the ramifications of the antique ,carbonarism4 ,this hatred of ,austrian domination had been transmitted from father to son through long years1 from the olden days of revolt against servitude1 when the conspirators met by stealth in abandoned huts1 deep in the recesses of the forests2 and it was rendered the keener by the eternal dream of ,italy delivered1 restored to herself1 transformed once more into a great sovereign nation1 the worthy daughter of those who had conquered and ruled the world4 ,ah6 that land of whilom glory1 that unhappy1 dismembered1 parcelled ,italy1 the prey of a crowd of petty tyrants1 constantly invaded and appropriated by neighbouring nations--how superb and ardent was that dream to free her from such long opprobrium6 ,to defeat the foreigner1 drive out the despots1 awaken the people from the base misery of slavery1 to proclaim ,italy free and ,italy united--such was the passion which then inflamed the young with inextinguishable ardour1 which made the youthful ,orlando's heart leap with enthusiasm4 ,he spent his early years consumed by holy indignation1 proudly and impatiently longing for an opportunity to give his blood for his country1 and to die for her if he could not deliver her4 ,quivering under the yoke1 wasting his time in sterile conspiracies1 he was living in retirement in the old family residence at ,milan1 when1 shortly after his marriage and his twenty-fifth birthday1 tidings came to him of the flight of ,pius ,,ix and the ,revolution of ,rome499 ,and at once he quitted everything1 wife and hearth1 and hastened to ,rome as if summoned thither by the call of destiny4 ,this was the first time that he set out scouring the roads for the attainment of independence2 and how frequently1 yet again and again1 was he to start upon fresh campaigns1 never wearying1 never disheartened6 ,and now it was that he became acquainted with ,mazzini1 and for a moment was inflamed with enthusiasm for that mystical unitarian ,republican4 ,he himself indulged in an ardent dream of a ,universal ,republic1 adopted the ,mazzinian device1 8,dio e popolo0 7,god and the people71 and followed the procession which wended its way with great pomp through insurrectionary ,rome4 ,the time was one of vast hopes1 one when people already felt a need of renovated religion1 and looked to the coming of a humanitarian ,christ who would redeem the world yet once again4 ,but before long a man1 a captain of the ancient days1 ,giuseppe ,garibaldi1 whose epic glory was dawning1 made ,orlando entirely his own1 transformed him into a soldier whose sole cause was freedom and union4 ,orlando loved ,garibaldi as though the latter were a demi-god1 fought beside him in defence of ,republican ,rome1 took part in the victory of ,rieti over the ,neapolitans1 and followed the stubborn patriot in his retreat when he sought to succour ,venice1 compelled as he was to relinquish the ,eternal ,city to the ,french army of ,general ,oudinot1 who came thither to reinstate ,pius ,,ix4 ,and what an extraordinary and madly heroic adventure was that of ,garibaldi and ,venice6 ,venice1 which ,manin1 another great patriot1 a martyr1 had again transformed into a republican city1 and which for long months had been resisting the ,austrians6 ,and ,garibaldi starts with a handful of men to deliver the city1 charters thirteen fishing barks1 loses eight in a naval engagement1 is compelled to return to the ,roman shores1 and there in all wretchedness is bereft of his wife1 ,anita1 whose eyes he closes before returning to ,america1 where1 once before1 he had awaited the hour of insurrection4 ,ah6 that land of ,italy1 which in those days rumbled from end to end with the internal fire of patriotism1 where men of faith and courage arose in every city1 where riots and insurrections burst forth on all sides like eruptions--it continued1 in spite of every check1 its invincible march to freedom6 99 ,it was on ,november #bd1 #ahdh1 that the ,pope fled to ,gaeta1 consequent upon the insurrection which had broken out nine days previously4--,trans4 ,orlando returned to his young wife at ,milan1 and for two years lived there1 almost in concealment1 devoured by impatience for the glorious morrow which was so long in coming4 ,amidst his fever a gleam of happiness softened his heart2 a son1 ,luigi1 was born to him1 but the birth killed the mother1 and joy was turned into mourning4 ,then1 unable to remain any longer at ,milan1 where he was spied upon1 tracked by the police1 suffering also too grievously from the foreign occupation1 ,orlando decided to realise the little fortune remaining to him1 and to withdraw to ,turin1 where an aunt of his wife took charge of the child4 ,count di ,cavour1 like a great statesman1 was then already seeking to bring about independence1 preparing ,piedmont for the decisive rle which it was destined to play4 ,it was the time when ,king ,victor ,emmanuel evinced flattering cordiality towards all the refugees who came to him from every part of ,italy1 even those whom he knew to be ,republicans1 compromised and flying the consequences of popular insurrection4 ,the rough1 shrewd ,house of ,savoy had long been dreaming of bringing about ,italian unity to the profit of the ,piedmontese monarchy1 and ,orlando well knew under what master he was taking service2 but in him the ,republican already went behind the patriot1 and indeed he had begun to question the possibility of a united ,republican ,italy1 placed under the protectorate of a liberal ,pope1 as ,mazzini had at one time dreamed4 ,was that not indeed a chimera beyond realisation which would devour generation after generation if one obstinately continued to pursue it8 ,for his part1 he did not wish to die without having slept in ,rome as one of the conquerors4 ,even if liberty was to be lost1 he desired to see his country united and erect1 returning once more to life in the full sunlight4 ,and so it was with feverish happiness that he enlisted at the outset of the war of #ahei2 and his heart palpitated with such force as almost to rend his breast1 when1 after ,magenta1 he entered ,milan with the ,french army--,milan which he had quitted eight years previously1 like an exile1 in despair4 ,the treaty of ,villafranca which followed ,solferino proved a bitter deception3 ,venetia was not secured1 ,venice remained enthralled4 ,nevertheless the ,milanese was conquered from the foe1 and then ,tuscany and the duchies of ,parma and ,modena voted for annexation4 ,so1 at all events1 the nucleus of the ,italian star was formed2 the country had begun to build itself up afresh around victorious ,piedmont4 ,then1 in the following year1 ,orlando plunged into epopia once more4 ,garibaldi had returned from his two sojourns in ,america1 with the halo of a legend round him--paladin-like feats in the pampas of ,uruguay1 an extraordinary passage from ,canton to ,lima--and he had returned to take part in the war of #ahei1 forestalling the ,french army1 overthrowing an ,austrian marshal1 and entering ,como1 ,bergamo1 and ,brescia4 ,and now1 all at once1 folks heard that he had landed at ,marsala with only a thousand men--the ,thousand of ,marsala1 the ever illustrious handful of braves6 ,orlando fought in the first rank1 and ,palermo after three days' resistance was carried4 ,becoming the dictator's favourite lieutenant1 he helped him to organise a government1 then crossed the straits with him1 and was beside him on the triumphal entry into ,naples1 whose king had fled4 ,there was mad audacity and valour at that time1 an explosion of the inevitable2 and all sorts of supernatural stories were current--,garibaldi invulnerable1 protected better by his red shirt than by the strongest armour1 ,garibaldi routing opposing armies like an archangel1 by merely brandishing his flaming sword6 ,the ,piedmontese on their side had defeated ,general ,lamoriciere at ,castelfidardo1 and were invading the ,states of the ,church4 ,and ,orlando was there when the dictator1 abdicating power1 signed the decree which annexed the ,two ,sicilies to the ,crown of ,italy2 even as subsequently he took part in that forlorn attempt on ,rome1 when the rageful cry was 8,rome or ,death60--an attempt which came to a tragic issue at ,aspromonte1 when the little army was dispersed by the ,italian troops1 and ,garibaldi1 wounded1 was taken prisoner1 and sent back to the solitude of his island of ,caprera1 where he became but a fisherman and a tiller of the rocky soil499 99 ,m4 ,zola's brief but glowing account of ,garibaldi's glorious achievements has stirred many memories in my mind4 ,my uncle1 ,frank ,vizetelly1 the war artist of the ,illustrated ,london ,news1 whose bones lie bleaching somewhere in the ,soudan1 was one of ,garibaldi's constant companions throughout the memorable campaign of the ,two ,sicilies1 and afterwards he went with him to ,caprera4 ,later1 in #ahgj1 my brother1 ,edward ,vizetelly1 acted as orderly-officer to the general when he offered the help of his sword to ,france4--,trans4 ,six years of waiting again went by1 and ,orlando still dwelt at ,turin1 even after ,florence had been chosen as the new capital4 ,the ,senate had acclaimed ,victor ,emmanuel1 ,king of ,italy2 and ,italy was indeed almost built1 it lacked only ,rome and ,venice4 ,but the great battles seemed all over1 the epic era was closed2 ,venice was to be won by defeat4 ,orlando took part in the unlucky battle of ,custozza1 where he received two wounds1 full of furious grief at the thought that ,austria should be triumphant4 ,but at that same moment the latter1 defeated at ,sadowa1 relinquished ,venetia1 and five months later ,orlando satisfied his desire to be in ,venice participating in the joy of triumph1 when ,victor ,emmanuel made his entry amidst the frantic acclamations of the people4 ,rome alone remained to be won1 and wild impatience urged all ,italy towards the city2 but friendly ,france had sworn to maintain the ,pope1 and this acted as a check4 ,then1 for the third time1 ,garibaldi dreamt of renewing the feats of the old-world legends1 and threw himself upon ,rome like a soldier of fortune illumined by patriotism and free from every tie4 ,and for the third time ,orlando shared in that fine heroic madness destined to be vanquished at ,mentana by the ,pontifical ,zouaves supported by a small ,french corps4 ,again wounded1 he came back to ,turin in almost a dying condition4 ,but1 though his spirit quivered1 he had to resign himself2 the situation seemed to have no outlet2 only an upheaval of the nations could give ,rome to ,italy4 ,all at once the thunderclap of ,sedan1 of the downfall of ,france1 resounded through the world2 and then the road to ,rome lay open1 and ,orlando1 having returned to service in the regular army1 was with the troops who took up position in the ,campagna to ensure the safety of the ,holy ,see1 as was said in the letter which ,victor ,emmanuel wrote to ,pius ,,ix4 ,there was1 however1 but the shadow of an engagement3 ,general ,kanzler's ,pontifical ,zouaves were compelled to fall back1 and ,orlando was one of the first to enter the city by the breach of the ,porta ,pia4 ,ah6 that twentieth of ,september--that day when he experienced the greatest happiness of his life--a day of delirium1 of complete triumph1 which realised the dream of so many years of terrible contest1 the dream for which he had sacrificed rest and fortune1 and given both body and mind6 ,then came more than ten happy years in conquered ,rome--in ,rome adored1 flattered1 treated with all tenderness1 like a woman in whom one has placed one's entire hope4 ,from her he awaited so much national vigour1 such a marvellous resurrection of strength and glory for the endowment of the young nation4 ,old ,republican1 old insurrectional soldier that he was1 he had been obliged to adhere to the monarchy1 and accept a senatorship4 ,but then did not ,garibaldi himself--,garibaldi his divinity--likewise call upon the ,king and sit in parliament8 ,mazzini alone1 rejecting all compromises1 was unwilling to rest content with a united and independent ,italy that was not ,republican4 ,moreover1 another consideration influenced ,orlando1 the future of his son ,luigi1 who had attained his eighteenth birthday shortly after the occupation of ,rome4 ,though he1 ,orlando1 could manage with the crumbs which remained of the fortune he had expended in his country's service1 he dreamt of a splendid destiny for the child of his heart4 ,realising that the heroic age was over1 he desired to make a great politician of him1 a great administrator1 a man who should be useful to the mighty nation of the morrow2 and it was on this account that he had not rejected royal favour1 the reward of long devotion1 desiring1 as he did1 to be in a position to help1 watch1 and guide ,luigi4 ,besides1 was he himself so old1 so used-up1 as to be unable to assist in organisation1 even as he had assisted in conquest8 ,struck by his son's quick intelligence in business matters1 perhaps also instinctively divining that the battle would now continue on financial and economic grounds1 he obtained him employment at the ,ministry of ,finances4 ,and again he himself lived on1 dreaming1 still enthusiastically believing in a splendid future1 overflowing with boundless hope1 seeing ,rome double her population1 grow and spread with a wild vegetation of new districts1 and once more1 in his loving enraptured eyes1 become the queen of the world4 ,but all at once came a thunderbolt4 ,one morning1 as he was going downstairs1 ,orlando was stricken with paralysis4 ,both his legs suddenly became lifeless1 as heavy as lead4 ,it was necessary to carry him up again1 and never since had he set foot on the street pavement4 ,at that time he had just completed his fifty-sixth year1 and for fourteen years since he had remained in his arm-chair1 as motionless as stone1 he who had so impetuously trod every battlefield of ,italy4 ,it was a pitiful business1 the collapse of a hero4 ,and worst of all1 from that room where he was for ever imprisoned1 the old soldier beheld the slow crumbling of all his hopes1 and fell into dismal melancholy1 full of unacknowledged fear for the future4 ,now that the intoxication of action no longer dimmed his eyes1 now that he spent his long and empty days in thought1 his vision became clear4 ,italy1 which he had desired to see so powerful1 so triumphant in her unity1 was acting madly1 rushing to ruin1 possibly to bankruptcy4 ,rome1 which to him had ever been the one necessary capital1 the city of unparalleled glory1 requisite for the sovereign people of to-morrow1 seemed unwilling to take upon herself the part of a great modern metropolis2 heavy as a corpse she weighed with all her centuries on the bosom of the young nation4 ,moreover1 his son ,luigi distressed him4 ,rebellious to all guidance1 the young man had become one of the devouring offsprings of conquest1 eager to despoil that ,italy1 that ,rome1 which his father seemed to have desired solely in order that he might pillage them and batten on them4 ,orlando had vainly opposed ,luigi's departure from the ministry1 his participation in the frantic speculations on land and house property to which the mad building of the new districts had given rise4 ,but at the same time he loved his son1 and was reduced to silence1 especially now when everything had succeeded with ,luigi1 even his most risky financial ventures1 such as the transformation of the ,villa ,montefiori into a perfect town--a colossal enterprise in which many of great wealth had been ruined1 but whence he himself had emerged with millions4 ,and it was in part for this reason that ,orlando1 sad and silent1 had obstinately restricted himself to one small room on the third floor of the little palazzo erected by ,luigi in the ,via ,venti ,settembre--a room where he lived cloistered with a single servant1 subsisting on his own scanty income1 and accepting nothing but that modest hospitality from his son4 ,as ,pierre reached that new ,via ,venti ,settembre99 which climbs the side and summit of the ,viminal hill1 he was struck by the heavy sumptuousness of the new 8palaces10 which betokened among the moderns the same taste for the huge that marked the ancient ,romans4 ,in the warm afternoon glow1 blent of purple and old gold1 the broad1 triumphant thoroughfare1 with its endless rows of white house-fronts1 bore witness to new ,rome's proud hope of futurity and sovereign power4 ,and ,pierre fairly gasped when he beheld the ,palazzo delle ,finanze1 or ,treasury1 a gigantic erection1 a cyclopean cube with a profusion of columns1 balconies1 pediments1 and sculptured work1 to which the building mania had given birth in a day of immoderate pride4 ,and on the other side of the street1 a little higher up1 before reaching the ,villa ,bonaparte1 stood ,count ,prada's little palazzo4 99 ,the name--,twentieth ,september ,street--was given to the thoroughfare to commemorate the date of the occupation of ,rome by ,victor ,emmanuel's army4--,trans4 ,after discharging his driver1 ,pierre for a moment remained somewhat embarrassed4 ,the door was open1 and he entered the vestibule2 but1 as at the mansion in the ,via ,giulia1 no door porter or servant was to be seen4 ,so he had to make up his mind to ascend the monumental stairs1 which with their marble balustrades seemed to be copied1 on a smaller scale1 from those of the ,palazzo ,boccanera4 ,and there was much the same cold bareness1 tempered1 however1 by a carpet and red door-hangings1 which contrasted vividly with the white stucco of the walls4 ,the reception-rooms1 sixteen feet high1 were on the first floor1 and as a door chanced to be ajar he caught a glimpse of two salons1 one following the other1 and both displaying quite modern richness1 with a profusion of silk and velvet hangings1 gilt furniture1 and lofty mirrors reflecting a pompous assemblage of stands and tables4 ,and still there was nobody1 not a soul1 in that seemingly forsaken abode1 which exhaled nought of woman's presence4 ,indeed ,pierre was on the point of going down again to ring1 when a footman at last presented himself4 8,count ,prada1 if you please40 ,the servant silently surveyed the little priest1 and seemed to understand4 8,the father or the son80 he asked4 8,the father1 ,count ,orlando ,prada40 8,oh6 that's on the third floor40 ,and he condescended to add3 8,the little door on the right-hand side of the landing4 ,knock loudly if you wish to be admitted40 ,pierre indeed had to knock twice1 and then a little withered old man of military appearance1 a former soldier who had remained in the ,count's service1 opened the door and apologised for the delay by saying that he had been attending to his master's legs4 ,immediately afterwards he announced the visitor1 and the latter1 after passing through a dim and narrow ante-room1 was lost in amazement on finding himself in a relatively small chamber1 extremely bare and bright1 with wall-paper of a light hue studded with tiny blue flowers4 ,behind a screen was an iron bedstead1 the soldier's pallet1 and there was no other furniture than the arm-chair in which the cripple spent his days1 with a table of black wood placed near him1 and covered with books and papers1 and two old straw-seated chairs which served for the accommodation of the infrequent visitors4 ,a few planks1 fixed to one of the walls1 did duty as book-shelves4 ,however1 the broad1 clear1 curtainless window overlooked the most admirable panorama of ,rome that could be desired4 ,then the room disappeared from before ,pierre's eyes1 and with a sudden shock of deep emotion he only beheld old ,orlando1 the old blanched lion1 still superb1 broad1 and tall4 ,a forest of white hair crowned his powerful head1 with its thick mouth1 fleshy broken nose1 and large1 sparkling1 black eyes4 ,a long white beard streamed down with the vigour of youth1 curling like that of an ancient god4 ,by that leonine muzzle one divined what great passions had growled within2 but all1 carnal and intellectual alike1 had erupted in patriotism1 in wild bravery1 and riotous love of independence4 ,and the old stricken hero1 his torso still erect1 was fixed there on his straw-seated arm-chair1 with lifeless legs buried beneath a black wrapper4 ,alone did his arms and hands live1 and his face beam with strength and intelligence4 ,orlando turned towards his servant1 and gently said to him3 8,you can go away1 ,batista4 ,come back in a couple of hours40 ,then1 looking ,pierre full in the face1 he exclaimed in a voice which was still sonorous despite his seventy years3 8,so it's you at last1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment1 and we shall be able to chat at our ease4 ,there1 take that chair1 and sit down in front of me40 ,he had noticed the glance of surprise which the young priest had cast upon the bareness of the room1 and he gaily added3 8,you will excuse me for receiving you in my cell4 ,yes1 ,i live here like a monk1 like an old invalided soldier1 henceforth withdrawn from active life4 ,my son long begged me to take one of the fine rooms downstairs4 ,but what would have been the use of it8 ,i have no needs1 and ,i scarcely care for feather beds1 for my old bones are accustomed to the hard ground4 ,and then too ,i have such a fine view up here1 all ,rome presenting herself to me1 now that ,i can no longer go to her40 ,with a wave of the hand towards the window he sought to hide the embarrassment1 the slight flush which came to him each time that he thus excused his son2 unwilling as he was to tell the true reason1 the scruple of probity which had made him obstinately cling to his bare pauper's lodging4 8,but it is very nice1 the view is superb60 declared ,pierre1 in order to please him4 8,i am for my own part very glad to see you1 very glad to be able to grasp your valiant hands1 which accomplished so many great things40 ,orlando made a fresh gesture1 as though to sweep the past away4 8,pooh6 pooh6 all that is dead and buried4 ,let us talk about you1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment1 you who are young and represent the present2 and especially about your book1 which represents the future6 ,ah6 if you only knew how angry your book1 your #8,new ,rome1' made me first of all40 ,he began to laugh1 and took the book from off the table near him2 then1 tapping on its cover with his big1 broad hand1 he continued3 8,no1 you cannot imagine with what starts of protest ,i read your book4 ,the ,pope1 and again the ,pope1 and always the ,pope6 ,new ,rome to be created by the ,pope and for the ,pope1 to triumph thanks to the ,pope1 to be given to the ,pope1 and to fuse its glory in the glory of the ,pope6 ,but what about us8 ,what about ,italy8 ,what about all the millions which we have spent in order to make ,rome a great capital8 ,ah6 only a ,frenchman1 and a ,frenchman of ,paris1 could have written such a book6 ,but let me tell you1 my dear sir1 if you are ignorant of it1 that ,rome has become the capital of the kingdom of ,italy1 that we here have ,king ,humbert1 and the ,italian people1 a whole nation which must be taken into account1 and which means to keep ,rome--glorious1 resuscitated ,rome--for itself60 ,this juvenile ardour made ,pierre laugh in turn4 8,yes1 yes10 said he1 8you wrote me that4 ,only what does it matter from my point of view8 ,italy is but one nation1 a part of humanity1 and ,i desire concord and fraternity among all the nations1 mankind reconciled1 believing1 and happy4 ,of what consequence1 then1 is any particular form of government1 monarchy or republic1 of what consequence is any question of a united and independent country1 if all mankind forms but one free people subsisting on truth and justice80 ,to only one word of this enthusiastic outburst did ,orlando pay attention4 ,in a lower tone1 and with a dreamy air1 he resumed3 8,ah6 a republic4 ,in my youth ,i ardently desired one4 ,i fought for one2 ,i conspired with ,mazzini1 a saintly man1 a believer1 who was shattered by collision with the absolute4 ,and then1 too1 one had to bow to practical necessities2 the most obstinate ended by submitting4 ,and nowadays would a republic save us8 ,in any case it would differ but little from our parliamentary monarchy4 ,just think of what goes on in ,france6 ,and so why risk a revolution which would place power in the hands of the extreme revolutionists1 the anarchists8 ,we fear all that1 and this explains our resignation4 ,i know very well that a few think they can detect salvation in a republican federation1 a reconstitution of all the former little states in so many republics1 over which ,rome would preside4 ,the ,vatican would gain largely by any such transformation2 still one cannot say that it endeavours to bring it about2 it simply regards the eventuality without disfavour4 ,but it is a dream1 a dream60 ,at this ,orlando's gaiety came back to him1 with even a little gentle irony3 8,you don't know1 ,i suppose1 what it was that took my fancy in your book--for1 in spite of all my protests1 ,i have read it twice4 ,well1 what pleased me was that ,mazzini himself might almost have written it at one time4 ,yes6 ,i found all my youth again in your pages1 all the wild hope of my twenty-fifth year1 the new religion of a humanitarian ,christ1 the pacification of the world effected by the ,gospel6 ,are you aware that1 long before your time1 ,mazzini desired the renovation of ,christianity8 ,he set dogma and discipline on one side and only retained morals4 ,and it was new ,rome1 the ,rome of the people1 which he would have given as see to the universal ,church1 in which all the churches of the past were to be fused--,rome1 the eternal and predestined city1 the mother and queen1 whose domination was to arise anew to ensure the definitive happiness of mankind6 ,is it not curious that all the present-day ,neo-,catholicism1 the vague1 spiritualistic awakening1 the evolution towards communion and ,christian charity1 with which some are making so much stir1 should be simply a return of the mystical and humanitarian ideas of #ahdh8 ,alas6 ,i saw all that1 ,i believed and burned1 and ,i know in what a fine mess those flights into the azure of mystery landed us6 ,so it cannot be helped1 ,i lack confidence40 ,then1 as ,pierre on his side was growing impassioned and sought to reply1 he stopped him3 8,no1 let me finish4 ,i only want to convince you how absolutely necessary it was that we should take ,rome and make her the capital of ,italy4 ,without ,rome new ,italy could not have existed2 ,rome represented the glory of ancient time2 in her dust lay the sovereign power which we wished to re-establish2 she brought strength1 beauty1 eternity to those who possessed her4 ,standing in the middle of our country1 she was its heart1 and must assuredly become its life as soon as she should be awakened from the long sleep of ruin4 ,ah6 how we desired her1 amidst victory and amidst defeat1 through years and years of frightful impatience6 ,for my part ,i loved her1 and longed for her1 far more than for any woman1 with my blood burning1 and in despair that ,i should be growing old4 ,and when we possessed her1 our folly was a desire to behold her huge1 magnificent1 and commanding all at once1 the equal of the other great capitals of ,europe--,berlin1 ,paris1 and ,london4 ,look at her6 she is still my only love1 my only consolation now that ,i am virtually dead1 with nothing alive in me but my eyes40 ,with the same gesture as before1 he directed ,pierre's attention to the window4 ,under the glowing sky ,rome stretched out in its immensity1 empurpled and gilded by the slanting sunrays4 ,across the horizon1 far1 far away1 the trees of the ,janiculum stretched a green girdle1 of a limpid emerald hue1 whilst the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 more to the left1 showed palely blue1 like a sapphire bedimmed by too bright a light4 ,then came the low town1 the old ruddy city1 baked as it were by centuries of burning summers1 soft to the eye and beautiful with the deep life of the past1 an unbounded chaos of roofs1 gables1 towers1 campanili1 and cupolas4 ,but1 in the foreground under the window1 there was the new city--that which had been building for the last five and twenty years--huge blocks of masonry piled up side by side1 still white with plaster1 neither the sun nor history having as yet robed them in purple4 ,and in particular the roofs of the colossal ,palazzo delle ,finanze had a disastrous effect1 spreading out like far1 bare steppes of cruel hideousness4 ,and it was upon the desolation and abomination of all the newly erected piles that the eyes of the old soldier of conquest at last rested4 ,silence ensued4 ,pierre felt the faint chill of hidden1 unacknowledged sadness pass by1 and courteously waited4 8,i must beg your pardon for having interrupted you just now10 resumed ,orlando2 8but it seems to me that we cannot talk about your book to any good purpose until you have seen and studied ,rome closely4 ,you only arrived yesterday1 did you not8 ,well1 stroll about the city1 look at things1 question people1 and ,i think that many of your ideas will change4 ,i shall particularly like to know your impression of the ,vatican since you have come here solely to see the ,pope and defend your book against the ,index4 ,why should we discuss things to-day1 if facts themselves are calculated to bring you to other views1 far more readily than the finest speeches which ,i might make8 ,it is understood1 you will come to see me again1 and we shall then know what we are talking about1 and1 maybe1 agree together40 8,why certainly1 you are too kind10 replied ,pierre4 8,i only came to-day to express my gratitude to you for having read my book so attentively1 and to pay homage to one of the glories of ,italy40 ,orlando was not listening1 but remained for a moment absorbed in thought1 with his eyes still resting upon ,rome4 ,and overcome1 despite himself1 by secret disquietude1 he resumed in a low voice as though making an involuntary confession3 8,we have gone too fast1 no doubt4 ,there were expenses of undeniable utility--the roads1 ports1 and railways4 ,and it was necessary to arm the country also2 ,i did not at first disapprove of the heavy military burden4 ,but since then how crushing has been the war budget--a war which has never come1 and the long wait for which has ruined us4 ,ah6 ,i have always been the friend of ,france4 ,i only reproach her with one thing1 that she has failed to understand the position in which we were placed1 the vital reasons which compelled us to ally ourselves with ,germany4 ,and then there are the thousand millions of lire99 swallowed up in ,rome6 ,that was the real madness2 pride and enthusiasm led us astray4 ,old and solitary as ,i've been for many years now1 given to deep reflection1 ,i was one of the first to divine the pitfall1 the frightful financial crisis1 the deficit which would bring about the collapse of the nation4 ,i shouted it from the housetops1 to my son1 to all who came near me2 but what was the use8 ,they didn't listen2 they were mad1 still buying and selling and building1 with no thought but for gambling booms and bubbles4 ,but you'll see1 you'll see4 ,and the worst is that we are not situated as you are2 we haven't a reserve of men and money in a dense peasant population1 whose thrifty savings are always at hand to fill up the gaps caused by big catastrophes4 ,there is no social rise among our people as yet2 fresh men don't spring up out of the lower classes to reinvigorate the national blood1 as they constantly do in your country4 ,and1 besides1 the people are poor2 they have no stockings to empty4 ,the misery is frightful1 ,i must admit it4 ,those who have any money prefer to spend it in the towns in a petty way rather than to risk it in agricultural or manufacturing enterprise4 ,factories are but slowly built1 and the land is almost everywhere tilled in the same primitive manner as it was two thousand years ago4 ,and then1 too1 take ,rome--,rome1 which didn't make ,italy1 but which ,italy made its capital to satisfy an ardent1 overpowering desire--,rome1 which is still but a splendid bit of scenery1 picturing the glory of the centuries1 and which1 apart from its historical splendour1 has only given us its degenerate papal population1 swollen with ignorance and pride6 ,ah6 ,i loved ,rome too well1 and ,i still love it too well to regret being now within its walls4 ,but1 good heavens6 what insanity its acquisition brought us1 what piles of money it has cost us1 and how heavily and triumphantly it weighs us down6 ,look6 look60 99 #dj1jjj1jjj pounds4 ,he waved his hand as he spoke towards the livid roofs of the ,palazzo delle ,finanze1 that vast and desolate steppe1 as though he could see the harvest of glory all stripped off and bankruptcy appear with its fearful1 threatening bareness4 ,restrained tears were dimming his eyes1 and he looked superbly pitiful with his expression of baffled hope and grievous disquietude1 with his huge white head1 the muzzle of an old blanched lion henceforth powerless and caged in that bare1 bright room1 whose poverty-stricken aspect was instinct with so much pride that it seemed1 as it were1 a protest against the monumental splendour of the whole surrounding district6 ,so those were the purposes to which the conquest had been put6 ,and to think that he was impotent1 henceforth unable to give his blood and his soul as he had done in the days gone by4 8,yes1 yes10 he exclaimed in a final outburst2 8one gave everything1 heart and brain1 one's whole life indeed1 so long as it was a question of making the country one and independent4 ,but1 now that the country is ours1 just try to stir up enthusiasm for the reorganisation of its finances6 ,there's no ideality in that6 ,and this explains why1 whilst the old ones are dying off1 not a new man comes to the front among the young ones--0 ,all at once he stopped1 looking somewhat embarrassed1 yet smiling at his feverishness4 8,excuse me10 he said1 8,i'm off again1 ,i'm incorrigible4 ,but it's understood1 we'll leave that subject alone1 and you'll come back here1 and we'll chat together when you've seen everything40 ,from that moment he showed himself extremely pleasant1 and it was apparent to ,pierre that he regretted having said so much1 by the seductive affability and growing affection which he now displayed4 ,he begged the young priest to prolong his sojourn1 to abstain from all hasty judgments on ,rome1 and to rest convinced that1 at bottom1 ,italy still loved ,france4 ,and he was also very desirous that ,france should love ,italy1 and displayed genuine anxiety at the thought that perhaps she loved her no more4 ,as at the ,boccanera mansion1 on the previous evening1 ,pierre realised that an attempt was being made to persuade him to admiration and affection4 ,like a susceptible woman with secret misgivings respecting the attractive power of her beauty1 ,italy was all anxiety with regard to the opinion of her visitors1 and strove to win and retain their love4 ,however1 ,orlando again became impassioned when he learnt that ,pierre was staying at the ,boccanera mansion1 and he made a gesture of extreme annoyance on hearing1 at that very moment1 a knock at the outer door4 8,come in60 he called2 but at the same time he detained ,pierre1 saying1 8,no1 no1 don't go yet2 ,i wish to know--0 ,but a lady came in--a woman of over forty1 short and extremely plump1 and still attractive with her small features and pretty smile swamped in fat4 ,she was a blonde1 with green1 limpid eyes2 and1 fairly well dressed in a sober1 nicely fitting mignonette gown1 she looked at once pleasant1 modest1 and shrewd4 8,ah6 it's you1 ,stefana10 said the old man1 letting her kiss him4 8,yes1 uncle1 ,i was passing by and came up to see how you were getting on40 ,the visitor was the ,signora ,sacco1 niece of ,prada and a ,neapolitan by birth1 her mother having quitted ,milan to marry a certain ,pagani1 a ,neapolitan banker1 who had afterwards failed4 ,subsequent to that disaster ,stefana had married ,sacco1 then merely a petty post-office clerk4 ,he1 later on1 wishing to revive his father-in-law's business1 had launched into all sorts of terrible1 complicated1 suspicious affairs1 which by unforeseen luck had ended in his election as a deputy4 ,since he had arrived in ,rome1 to conquer the city in his turn1 his wife had been compelled to assist his devouring ambition by dressing well and opening a salon2 and1 although she was still a little awkward1 she rendered him many real services1 being very economical and prudent1 a thorough good housewife1 with all the sterling1 substantial qualities of ,northern ,italy which she had inherited from her mother1 and which showed conspicuously beside the turbulence and carelessness of her husband1 in whom flared ,southern ,italy with its perpetual1 rageful appetite4 ,despite his contempt for ,sacco1 old ,orlando had retained some affection for his niece1 in whose veins flowed blood similar to his own4 ,he thanked her for her kind inquiries1 and then at once spoke of an announcement which he had read in the morning papers1 for he suspected that the deputy had sent his wife to ascertain his opinion4 8,well1 and that ministry80 he asked4 ,the ,signora had seated herself and made no haste to reply1 but glanced at the newspapers strewn over the table4 8,oh6 nothing is settled yet10 she at last responded2 8the newspapers spoke out too soon4 ,the ,prime ,minister sent for ,sacco1 and they had a talk together4 ,but ,sacco hesitates a good deal2 he fears that he has no aptitude for the ,department of ,agriculture4 ,ah6 if it were only the ,finances--,however1 in any case1 he would not have come to a decision without consulting you4 ,what do you think of it1 uncle80 ,he interrupted her with a violent wave of the hand3 8,no1 no1 ,i won't mix myself up in such matters60 ,to him the rapid success of that adventurer ,sacco1 that schemer and gambler who had always fished in troubled waters1 was an abomination1 the beginning of the end4 ,his son ,luigi certainly distressed him2 but it was even worse to think that--whilst ,luigi1 with his great intelligence and many remaining fine qualities1 was nothing at all--,sacco1 on the other hand1 ,sacco1 blunderhead and ever-famished battener that he was1 had not merely slipped into parliament1 but was now1 it seemed1 on the point of securing office6 ,a little1 swarthy1 dry man he was1 with big1 round eyes1 projecting cheekbones1 and prominent chin4 ,ever dancing and chattering1 he was gifted with a showy eloquence1 all the force of which lay in his voice--a voice which at will became admirably powerful or gentle6 ,and withal an insinuating man1 profiting by every opportunity1 wheedling and commanding by turn4 8,you hear1 ,stefana10 said ,orlando2 8tell your husband that the only advice ,i have to give him is to return to his clerkship at the post-office1 where perhaps he may be of use40 ,what particularly filled the old soldier with indignation and despair was that such a man1 a ,sacco1 should have fallen like a bandit on ,rome--on that ,rome whose conquest had cost so many noble efforts4 ,and in his turn ,sacco was conquering the city1 was carrying it off from those who had won it by such hard toil1 and was simply using it to satisfy his wild passion for power and its attendant enjoyments4 ,beneath his wheedling air there was the determination to devour everything4 ,after the victory1 while the spoil lay there1 still warm1 the wolves had come4 ,it was the ,north that had made ,italy1 whereas the ,south1 eager for the quarry1 simply rushed upon the country1 preyed upon it4 ,and beneath the anger of the old stricken hero of ,italian unity there was indeed all the growing antagonism of the ,north towards the ,south--the ,north industrious1 economical1 shrewd in politics1 enlightened1 full of all the great modern ideas1 and the ,south ignorant and idle1 bent on enjoying life immediately1 amidst childish disorder in action1 and an empty show of fine sonorous words4 ,stefana had begun to smile in a placid way while glancing at ,pierre1 who had approached the window4 8,oh1 you say that1 uncle10 she responded2 8but you love us well all the same1 and more than once you have given me myself some good advice1 for which ,i'm very thankful to you4 ,for instance1 there's that affair of ,attilio's--0 ,she was alluding to her son1 the lieutenant1 and his love affair with ,celia1 the little ,princess ,buongiovanni1 of which all the drawing-rooms1 white and black alike1 were talking4 8,attilio--that's another matter60 exclaimed ,orlando4 8,he and you are both of the same blood as myself1 and it's wonderful how ,i see myself again in that fine fellow4 ,yes1 he is just the same as ,i was at his age1 good-looking and brave and enthusiastic6 ,i'm paying myself compliments1 you see4 ,but1 really now1 ,attilio warms my heart1 for he is the future1 and brings me back some hope4 ,well1 and what about his affair80 8,oh6 it gives us a lot of worry1 uncle4 ,i spoke to you about it before1 but you shrugged your shoulders1 saying that in matters of that kind all that the parents had to do was to let the lovers settle their affairs between them4 ,still1 we don't want everybody to repeat that we are urging our son to get the little princess to elope with him1 so that he may afterwards marry her money and title40 ,at this ,orlando indulged in a frank outburst of gaiety3 8,that's a fine scruple6 ,was it your husband who instructed you to tell me of it8 ,i know1 however1 that he affects some delicacy in this matter4 ,for my own part1 ,i believe myself to be as honest as he is1 and ,i can only repeat that1 if ,i had a son like yours1 so straightforward and good1 and candidly loving1 ,i should let him marry whomsoever he pleased in his own way4 ,the ,buongiovannis--good heavens6 the ,buongiovannis--why1 despite all their rank and lineage and the money they still possess1 it will be a great honour for them to have a handsome young man with a noble heart as their son-in-law60 ,again did ,stefana assume an expression of placid satisfaction4 ,she had certainly only come there for approval4 8,very well1 uncle10 she replied1 8,i'll repeat that to my husband1 and he will pay great attention to it2 for if you are severe towards him he holds you in perfect veneration4 ,and as for that ministry--well1 perhaps nothing will be done1 ,sacco will decide according to circumstances40 ,she rose and took her leave1 kissing the old soldier very affectionately as on her arrival4 ,and she complimented him on his good looks1 declaring that she found him as handsome as ever1 and making him smile by speaking of a lady who was still madly in love with him4 ,then1 after acknowledging the young priest's silent salutation by a slight bow1 she went off1 once more wearing her modest and sensible air4 ,for a moment ,orlando1 with his eyes turned towards the door1 remained silent1 again sad1 reflecting no doubt on all the difficult1 equivocal present1 so different from the glorious past4 ,but all at once he turned to ,pierre1 who was still waiting4 8,and so1 my friend10 said he1 8you are staying at the ,palazzo ,boccanera8 ,ah6 what a grievous misfortune there has been on that side too60 ,however1 when the priest had told him of his conversation with ,benedetta1 and of her message that she still loved him and would never forget his goodness to her1 no matter whatever happened1 he appeared moved and his voice trembled3 8,yes1 she has a good heart1 she has no spite4 ,but what would you have8 ,she did not love ,luigi1 and he was possibly violent4 ,there is no mystery about the matter now1 and ,i can speak to you freely1 since to my great grief everybody knows what has happened40 ,then ,orlando abandoned himself to his recollections1 and related how keen had been his delight on the eve of the marriage at the thought that so lovely a creature would become his daughter1 and set some youth and charm around his invalid's arm-chair4 ,he had always worshipped beauty1 and would have had no other love than woman1 if his country had not seized upon the best part of him4 ,and ,benedetta on her side loved him1 revered him1 constantly coming up to spend long hours with him1 sharing his poor little room1 which at those times became resplendent with all the divine grace that she brought with her4 ,with her fresh breath near him1 the pure scent she diffused1 the caressing womanly tenderness with which she surrounded him1 he lived anew4 ,but1 immediately afterwards1 what a frightful drama and how his heart had bled at his inability to reconcile the husband and the wife6 ,he could not possibly say that his son was in the wrong in desiring to be the loved and accepted spouse4 ,at first indeed he had hoped to soften ,benedetta1 and throw her into ,luigi's arms4 ,but when she had confessed herself to him in tears1 owning her old love for ,dario1 and her horror of belonging to another1 he realised that she would never yield4 ,and a whole year had then gone by2 he had lived for a whole year imprisoned in his arm-chair1 with that poignant drama progressing beneath him in those luxurious rooms whence no sound even reached his ears4 ,how many times had he not listened1 striving to hear1 fearing atrocious quarrels1 in despair at his inability to prove still useful by creating happiness4 ,he knew nothing by his son1 who kept his own counsel2 he only learnt a few particulars from ,benedetta at intervals when emotion left her defenceless2 and that marriage in which he had for a moment espied the much-needed alliance between old and new ,rome1 that unconsummated marriage filled him with despair1 as if it were indeed the defeat of every hope1 the final collapse of the dream which had filled his life4 ,and he himself had ended by desiring the divorce1 so unbearable had become the suffering caused by such a situation4 8,ah6 my friend60 he said to ,pierre2 8never before did ,i so well understand the fatality of certain antagonism1 the possibility of working one's own misfortune and that of others1 even when one has the most loving heart and upright mind60 ,but at that moment the door again opened1 and this time1 without knocking1 ,count ,luigi ,prada came in4 ,and after rapidly bowing to the visitor1 who had risen1 he gently took hold of his father's hands and felt them1 as if fearing that they might be too warm or too cold4 8,i've just arrived from ,frascati1 where ,i had to sleep10 said he2 8for the interruption of all that building gives me a lot of worry4 ,and ,i'm told that you spent a bad night60 8,no1 ,i assure you40 8,oh6 ,i knew you wouldn't own it4 ,but why will you persist in living up here without any comfort8 ,all this isn't suited to your age4 ,i should be so pleased if you would accept a more comfortable room where you might sleep better40 8,no1 no--,i know that you love me well1 my dear ,luigi4 ,but let me do as my old head tells me4 ,that's the only way to make me happy40 ,pierre was much struck by the ardent affection which sparkled in the eyes of the two men as they gazed at one another1 face to face4 ,this seemed to him very touching and beautiful1 knowing as he did how many contrary ideas and actions1 how many moral divergencies separated them4 ,and he next took an interest in comparing them physically4 ,count ,luigi ,prada1 shorter1 more thick-set than his father1 had1 however1 much the same strong energetic head1 crowned with coarse black hair1 and the same frank but somewhat stern eyes set in a face of clear complexion1 barred by thick moustaches4 ,but his mouth differed--a sensual1 voracious mouth it was1 with wolfish teeth--a mouth of prey made for nights of rapine1 when the only question is to bite1 and tear1 and devour others4 ,and for this reason1 when some praised the frankness in his eyes1 another would retort3 8,yes1 but ,i don't like his mouth40 ,his feet were large1 his hands plump and over-broad1 but admirably cared for4 ,and ,pierre marvelled at finding him such as he had anticipated4 ,he knew enough of his story to picture in him a hero's son spoilt by conquest1 eagerly devouring the harvest garnered by his father's glorious sword4 ,and he particularly studied how the father's virtues had deflected and become transformed into vices in the son--the most noble qualities being perverted1 heroic and disinterested energy lapsing into a ferocious appetite for possession1 the man of battle leading to the man of booty1 since the great gusts of enthusiasm no longer swept by1 since men no longer fought1 since they remained there resting1 pillaging1 and devouring amidst the heaped-up spoils4 ,and the pity of it was that the old hero1 the paralytic1 motionless father beheld it all--beheld the degeneration of his son1 the speculator and company promoter gorged with millions6 ,however1 ,orlando introduced ,pierre4 8,this is ,monsieur l',abb ,pierre ,froment1 whom ,i spoke to you about10 he said1 8the author of the book which ,i gave you to read40 ,luigi ,prada showed himself very amiable1 at once talking of home with an intelligent passion like one who wished to make the city a great modern capital4 ,he had seen ,paris transformed by the ,second ,empire2 he had seen ,berlin enlarged and embellished after the ,german victories2 and1 according to him1 if ,rome did not follow the movement1 if it did not become the inhabitable capital of a great people1 it was threatened with prompt death3 either a crumbling museum or a renovated1 resuscitated city--those were the alternatives499 99 ,personally ,i should have thought the example of ,berlin a great deterrent4 ,the enlargement and embellishment of the ,prussian capital1 after the war of #ahgj1 was attended by far greater roguery and wholesale swindling than even the previous transformation of ,paris4 ,thousands of people too were ruined1 and instead of an increase of prosperity the result was the very reverse4--,trans4 ,greatly struck1 almost gained over already1 ,pierre listened to this clever man1 charmed with his firm1 clear mind4 ,he knew how skilfully ,prada had manuvred in the affair of the ,villa ,montefiori1 enriching himself when every one else was ruined1 having doubtless foreseen the fatal catastrophe even while the gambling passion was maddening the entire nation4 ,however1 the young priest could already detect marks of weariness1 precocious wrinkles and a fall of the lips1 on that determined1 energetic face1 as though its possessor were growing tired of the continual struggle that he had to carry on amidst surrounding downfalls1 the shock of which threatened to bring the most firmly established fortunes to the ground4 ,it was said that ,prada had recently had grave cause for anxiety2 and indeed there was no longer any solidity to be found2 everything might be swept away by the financial crisis which day by day was becoming more and more serious4 ,in the case of ,luigi1 sturdy son though he was of ,northern ,italy1 a sort of degeneration had set in1 a slow rot1 caused by the softening1 perversive influence of ,rome4 ,he had there rushed upon the satisfaction of every appetite1 and prolonged enjoyment was exhausting him4 ,this1 indeed1 was one of the causes of the deep silent sadness of ,orlando1 who was compelled to witness the swift deterioration of his conquering race1 whilst ,sacco1 the ,italian of the ,south--served as it were by the climate1 accustomed to the voluptuous atmosphere1 the life of those sun-baked cities compounded of the dust of antiquity--bloomed there like the natural vegetation of a soil saturated with the crimes of history1 and gradually grasped everything1 both wealth and power4 ,as ,orlando spoke of ,stefana's visit to his son1 ,sacco's name was mentioned4 ,then1 without another word1 the two men exchanged a smile4 ,a rumour was current that the ,minister of ,agriculture1 lately deceased1 would perhaps not be replaced immediately1 and that another minister would take charge of the department pending the next session of the ,chamber4 ,next the ,palazzo ,boccanera was mentioned1 and ,pierre1 his interest awakened1 became more attentive4 8,ah60 exclaimed ,count ,luigi1 turning to him1 8so you are staying in the ,via ,giulia8 ,all the ,rome of olden time sleeps there in the silence of forgetfulness40 ,with perfect ease he went on to speak of the ,cardinal and even of ,benedetta--8the ,countess10 as he called her4 ,but1 although he was careful to let no sign of anger escape him1 the young priest could divine that he was secretly quivering1 full of suffering and spite4 ,in him the enthusiastic energy of his father appeared in a baser1 degenerate form4 ,quitting the yet handsome ,princess ,flavia in his passion for ,benedetta1 her divinely beautiful niece1 he had resolved to make the latter his own at any cost1 determined to marry her1 to struggle with her and overcome her1 although he knew that she loved him not1 and that he would almost certainly wreck his entire life4 ,rather than relinquish her1 however1 he would have set ,rome on fire4 ,and thus his hopeless suffering was now great indeed3 this woman was but his wife in name1 and so torturing was the thought of her disdain1 that at times1 however calm his outward demeanour1 he was consumed by a jealous vindictive sensual madness that did not even recoil from the idea of crime4 8,monsieur l',abb is acquainted with the situation10 sadly murmured old ,orlando4 ,his son responded by a wave of the hand1 as though to say that everybody was acquainted with it4 8,ah6 father10 he added1 8but for you ,i should never have consented to take part in those proceedings for annulling the marriage6 ,the ,countess would have found herself compelled to return here1 and would not nowadays be deriding us with her lover1 that cousin of hers1 ,dario60 ,at this ,orlando also waved his hand1 as if in protest4 8,oh6 it's a fact1 father10 continued ,luigi4 8,why did she flee from here if it wasn't to go and live with her lover8 ,and indeed1 in my opinion1 it's scandalous that a ,cardinal's palace should shelter such goings-on60 ,this was the report which he spread abroad1 the accusation which he everywhere levelled against his wife1 of publicly carrying on a shameless liaison4 ,in reality1 however1 he did not believe a word of it1 being too well acquainted with ,benedetta's firm rectitude1 and her determination to belong to none but the man she loved1 and to him only in marriage4 ,however1 in ,prada's eyes such accusations were not only fair play but also very efficacious4 ,and now1 although he turned pale with covert exasperation1 and laughed a hard1 vindictive1 cruel laugh1 he went on to speak in a bantering tone of the proceedings for annulling the marriage1 and in particular of the plea put forward by ,benedetta's advocate ,morano4 ,and at last his language became so free that ,orlando1 with a glance towards the priest1 gently interposed3 8,luigi6 ,luigi60 8,yes1 you are right1 father1 ,i'll say no more10 thereupon added the young ,count4 8,but it's really abominable and ridiculous4 ,lisbeth1 you know1 is highly amused at it40 ,orlando again looked displeased1 for when visitors were present he did not like his son to refer to the person whom he had just named4 ,lisbeth ,kauffmann1 very blonde and pink and merry1 was barely thirty years of age1 and belonged to the ,roman foreign colony4 ,for two years past she had been a widow1 her husband having died at ,rome whither he had come to nurse a complaint of the lungs4 ,thenceforward free1 and sufficiently well off1 she had remained in the city by taste1 having a marked predilection for art1 and painting a little1 herself4 ,in the ,via ,principe ,amadeo1 in the new ,viminal district1 she had purchased a little palazzo1 and transformed a large apartment on its second floor into a studio hung with old stuffs1 and balmy in every season with the scent of flowers4 ,the place was well known to tolerant and intellectual society4 ,lisbeth was there found in perpetual jubilation1 clad in a long blouse1 somewhat of a gamine in her ways1 trenchant too and often bold of speech1 but nevertheless capital company1 and as yet compromised with nobody but ,prada4 ,their liaison had begun some four months after his wife had left him1 and now ,lisbeth was near the time of becoming a mother4 ,this she in no wise concealed1 but displayed such candid tranquillity and happiness that her numerous acquaintances continued to visit her as if there were nothing in question1 so facile and free indeed is the life of the great cosmopolitan continental cities4 ,under the circumstances which his wife's suit had created1 ,prada himself was not displeased at the turn which events had taken with regard to ,lisbeth1 but none the less his incurable wound still bled4 ,there could be no compensation for the bitterness of ,benedetta's disdain1 it was she for whom his heart burned1 and he dreamt of one day wreaking on her a tragic punishment4 ,pierre1 knowing nothing of ,lisbeth1 failed to understand the allusions of ,orlando and his son4 ,but realising that there was some embarrassment between them1 he sought to take countenance by picking from off the littered table a thick book which1 to his surprise1 he found to be a ,french educational work1 one of those manuals for the baccalaureat199 containing a digest of the knowledge which the official programmes require4 ,it was but a humble1 practical1 elementary work1 yet it necessarily dealt with all the mathematical1 physical1 chemical1 and natural sciences1 thus broadly outlining the intellectual conquests of the century1 the present phase of human knowledge4 99 ,the examination for the degree of bachelor1 which degree is the necessary passport to all the liberal professions in ,france4 ,m4 ,zola1 by the way1 failed to secure it1 being ploughed for 8insufficiency in literature06--,trans4 8,ah60 exclaimed ,orlando1 well pleased with the diversion1 8you are looking at the book of my old friend ,thophile ,morin4 ,he was one of the thousand of ,marsala1 you know1 and helped us to conquer ,sicily and ,naples4 ,a hero6 ,but for more than thirty years now he has been living in ,france again1 absorbed in the duties of his petty professorship1 which hasn't made him at all rich4 ,and so he lately published that book1 which sells very well in ,france it seems2 and it occurred to him that he might increase his modest profits on it by issuing translations1 an ,italian one among others4 ,he and ,i have remained brothers1 and thinking that my influence would prove decisive1 he wishes to utilise it4 ,but he is mistaken2 ,i fear1 alas6 that ,i shall be unable to get anybody to take up his book40 ,at this ,luigi ,prada1 who had again become very composed and amiable1 shrugged his shoulders slightly1 full as he was of the scepticism of his generation which desired to maintain things in their actual state so as to derive the greatest profit from them4 8,what would be the good of it80 he murmured2 8there are too many books already60 8,no1 no60 the old man passionately retorted1 8there can never be too many books6 ,we still and ever require fresh ones6 ,it's by literature1 not by the sword1 that mankind will overcome falsehood and injustice and attain to the final peace of fraternity among the nations--,oh6 you may smile2 ,i know that you call these ideas my fancies of #8#dh1 the fancies of a greybeard1 as people say in ,france4 ,but it is none the less true that ,italy is doomed1 if the problem be not attacked from down below1 if the people be not properly fashioned4 ,and there is only one way to make a nation1 to create men1 and that is to educate them1 to develop by educational means the immense lost force which now stagnates in ignorance and idleness4 ,yes1 yes1 ,italy is made1 but let us make an ,italian nation4 ,and give us more and more books1 and let us ever go more and more forward into science and into light1 if we wish to live and to be healthy1 good1 and strong60 ,with his torso erect1 with his powerful leonine muzzle flaming with the white brightness of his beard and hair1 old ,orlando looked superb4 ,and in that simple1 candid chamber1 so touching with its intentional poverty1 he raised his cry of hope with such intensity of feverish faith1 that before the young priest's eyes there arose another figure--that of ,cardinal ,boccanera1 erect and black save for his snow-white hair1 and likewise glowing with heroic beauty in his crumbling palace whose gilded ceilings threatened to fall about his head6 ,ah6 the magnificent stubborn men of the past1 the believers1 the old men who still show themselves more virile1 more ardent than the young6 ,those two represented the opposite poles of belief2 they had not an idea1 an affection in common1 and in that ancient city of ,rome1 where all was being blown away in dust1 they alone seemed to protest1 indestructible1 face to face like two parted brothers1 standing motionless on either horizon4 ,and to have seen them thus1 one after the other1 so great and grand1 so lonely1 so detached from ordinary life1 was to fill one's day with a dream of eternity4 ,luigi1 however1 had taken hold of the old man's hands to calm him by an affectionate filial clasp4 8,yes1 yes1 you are right1 father1 always right1 and ,i'm a fool to contradict you4 ,now1 pray don't move about like that1 for you are uncovering yourself1 and your legs will get cold again40 ,so saying1 he knelt down and very carefully arranged the wrapper2 and then remaining on the floor like a child1 albeit he was two and forty1 he raised his moist eyes1 full of mute1 entreating worship towards the old man who1 calmed and deeply moved1 caressed his hair with a trembling touch4 ,pierre had been there for nearly two hours1 when he at last took leave1 greatly struck and affected by all that he had seen and heard4 ,and again he had to promise that he would return and have a long chat with ,orlando4 ,once out of doors he walked along at random4 ,it was barely four o'clock1 and it was his idea to ramble in this wise1 without any predetermined programme1 through ,rome at that delightful hour when the sun sinks in the refreshed and far blue atmosphere4 ,almost immediately1 however1 he found himself in the ,via ,nazionale1 along which he had driven on arriving the previous day4 ,and he recognised the huge livid ,banca d',italia1 the green gardens climbing to the ,quirinal1 and the heaven-soaring pines of the ,villa ,aldobrandini4 ,then1 at the turn of the street1 as he stopped short in order that he might again contemplate the column of ,trajan which now rose up darkly from its low piazza1 already full of twilight1 he was surprised to see a victoria suddenly pull up1 and a young man courteously beckon to him4 8,monsieur l',abb ,froment6 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment60 ,it was young ,prince ,dario ,boccanera1 on his way to his daily drive along the ,corso4 ,he now virtually subsisted on the liberality of his uncle the ,cardinal1 and was almost always short of money4 ,but1 like all the ,romans1 he would1 if necessary1 have rather lived on bread and water than have forgone his carriage1 horse1 and coachman4 ,an equipage1 indeed1 is the one indispensable luxury of ,rome4 8,if you will come with me1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment10 said the young ,prince1 8,i will show you the most interesting part of our city40 ,he doubtless desired to please ,benedetta1 by behaving amiably towards her protg4 ,idle as he was1 too1 it seemed to him a pleasant occupation to initiate that young priest1 who was said to be so intelligent1 into what he deemed the inimitable side1 the true florescence of ,roman life4 ,pierre was compelled to accept1 although he would have preferred a solitary stroll4 ,yet he was interested in this young man1 the last born of an exhausted race1 who1 while seemingly incapable of either thought or action1 was none the less very seductive with his high-born pride and indolence4 ,far more a ,roman than a patriot1 ,dario had never had the faintest inclination to rally to the new order of things1 being well content to live apart and do nothing2 and passionate though he was1 he indulged in no follies1 being very practical and sensible at heart1 as are all his fellow-citizens1 despite their apparent impetuosity4 ,as soon as his carriage1 after crossing the ,piazza di ,venezia1 entered the ,corso1 he gave rein to his childish vanity1 his desire to shine1 his passion for gay1 happy life in the open under the lovely sky4 ,all this1 indeed1 was clearly expressed in the simple gesture which he made whilst exclaiming3 8,the ,corso60 ,as on the previous day1 ,pierre was filled with astonishment4 ,the long narrow street again stretched before him as far as the white dazzling ,piazza del ,popolo1 the only difference being that the right-hand houses were now steeped in sunshine1 whilst those on the left were black with shadow4 ,what6 was that the ,corso then1 that semi-obscure trench1 close pressed by high and heavy house-fronts1 that mean roadway where three vehicles could scarcely pass abreast1 and which serried shops lined with gaudy displays8 ,there was neither space1 nor far horizon1 nor refreshing greenery such as the fashionable drives of ,paris could boast6 ,nothing but jostling1 crowding1 and stifling on the little footways under the narrow strip of sky4 ,and although ,dario named the pompous and historical palaces1 ,bonaparte1 ,doria1 ,odescalchi1 ,sciarra1 and ,chigi2 although he pointed out the column of ,marcus ,aurelius on the ,piazza ,colonna1 the most lively square of the whole city with its everlasting throng of lounging1 gazing1 chattering people2 although1 all the way to the ,piazza del ,popolo1 he never ceased calling attention to churches1 houses1 and side-streets1 notably the ,via dei ,condotti1 at the far end of which the ,trinity de' ,monti1 all golden in the glory of the sinking sun1 appeared above that famous flight of steps1 the triumphal ,scala di ,spagna--,pierre still and ever retained the impression of disillusion which the narrow1 airless thoroughfare had conveyed to him3 the 8palaces0 looked to him like mournful hospitals or barracks1 the ,piazza ,colonna suffered terribly from a lack of trees1 and the ,trinity de' ,monti alone took his fancy by its distant radiance of fairyland4 ,but it was necessary to come back from the ,piazza del ,popolo to the ,piazza di ,venezia1 then return to the former square1 and come back yet again1 following the entire ,corso three and four times without wearying4 ,the delighted ,dario showed himself and looked about him1 exchanging salutations4 ,on either footway was a compact crowd of promenaders whose eyes roamed over the equipages and whose hands could have shaken those of the carriage folks4 ,so great at last became the number of vehicles that both lines were absolutely unbroken1 crowded to such a point that the coachmen could do no more than walk their horses4 ,perpetually going up and coming down the ,corso1 people scrutinised and jostled one another4 ,it was open-air promiscuity1 all ,rome gathered together in the smallest possible space1 the folks who knew one another and who met here as in a friendly drawing-room1 and the folks belonging to adverse parties who did not speak together but who elbowed each other1 and whose glances penetrated to each other's soul4 ,then a revelation came to ,pierre1 and he suddenly understood the ,corso1 the ancient custom1 the passion and glory of the city4 ,its pleasure lay precisely in the very narrowness of the street1 in that forced elbowing which facilitated not only desired meetings but the satisfaction of curiosity1 the display of vanity1 and the garnering of endless tittle-tattle4 ,all ,roman society met here each day1 displayed itself1 spied on itself1 offering itself in spectacle to its own eyes1 with such an indispensable need of thus beholding itself that the man of birth who missed the ,corso was like one out of his element1 destitute of newspapers1 living like a savage4 ,and withal the atmosphere was delightfully balmy1 and the narrow strip of sky between the heavy1 rusty mansions displayed an infinite azure purity4 ,dario never ceased smiling1 and slightly inclining his head while he repeated to ,pierre the names of princes and princesses1 dukes and duchesses--high-sounding names whose flourish had filled history1 whose sonorous syllables conjured up the shock of armour on the battlefield and the splendour of papal pomp with robes of purple1 tiaras of gold1 and sacred vestments sparkling with precious stones4 ,and as ,pierre listened and looked he was pained to see merely some corpulent ladies or undersized gentlemen1 bloated or shrunken beings1 whose ill-looks seemed to be increased by their modern attire4 ,however1 a few pretty women went by1 particularly some young1 silent girls with large1 clear eyes4 ,and just as ,dario had pointed out the ,palazzo ,buongiovanni1 a huge seventeenth-century faade1 with windows encompassed by foliaged ornamentation deplorably heavy in style1 he added gaily3 8,ah6 look--that's ,attilio there on the footway4 ,young ,lieutenant ,sacco--you know1 don't you80 ,pierre signed that he understood4 ,standing there in uniform1 ,attilio1 so young1 so energetic and brave of appearance1 with a frank countenance softly illumined by blue eyes like his mother's1 at once pleased the priest4 ,he seemed indeed the very personification of youth and love1 with all their enthusiastic1 disinterested hope in the future4 8,you'll see by and by1 when we pass the palace again10 said ,dario4 8,he'll still be there and ,i'll show you something40 ,then he began to talk gaily of the girls of ,rome1 the little princesses1 the little duchesses1 so discreetly educated at the convent of the ,sacred ,heart1 quitting it for the most part so ignorant and then completing their education beside their mothers1 never going out but to accompany the latter on the obligatory drive to the ,corso1 and living through endless days1 cloistered1 imprisoned in the depths of sombre mansions4 ,nevertheless what tempests raged in those mute souls to which none had ever penetrated6 what stealthy growth of will suddenly appeared from under passive obedience1 apparent unconsciousness of surroundings6 ,how many there were who stubbornly set their minds on carving out their lives for themselves1 on choosing the man who might please them1 and securing him despite the opposition of the entire world6 ,and the lover was chosen there from among the stream of young men promenading the ,corso1 the lover hooked with a glance during the daily drive1 those candid eyes speaking aloud and sufficing for confession and the gift of all1 whilst not a breath was wafted from the lips so chastely closed4 ,and afterwards there came love letters1 furtively exchanged in church1 and the winning-over of maids to facilitate stolen meetings1 at first so innocent4 ,in the end1 a marriage often resulted4 ,celia1 for her part1 had determined to win ,attilio on the very first day when their eyes had met4 ,and it was from a window of the ,palazzo ,buongiovanni that she had perceived him one afternoon of mortal weariness4 ,he had just raised his head1 and she had taken him for ever and given herself to him with those large1 pure eyes of hers as they rested on his own4 ,she was but an amorosa--nothing more2 he pleased her2 she had set her heart on him--him and none other4 ,she would have waited twenty years for him1 but she relied on winning him at once by quiet stubbornness of will4 ,people declared that the terrible fury of the ,prince1 her father1 had proved impotent against her respectful1 obstinate silence4 ,he1 man of mixed blood as he was1 son of an ,american woman1 and husband of an ,english woman1 laboured but to retain his own name and fortune intact amidst the downfall of others2 and it was rumoured that as the result of a quarrel which he had picked with his wife1 whom he accused of not sufficiently watching over their daughter1 the ,princess had revolted1 full not only of the pride of a foreigner who had brought a huge dowry in marriage1 but also of such plain1 frank egotism that she had declared she no longer found time enough to attend to herself1 let alone another4 ,had she not already done enough in bearing him five children8 ,she thought so2 and now she spent her time in worshipping herself1 letting ,celia do as she listed1 and taking no further interest in the household through which swept stormy gusts4 ,however1 the carriage was again about to pass the ,buongiovanni mansion1 and ,dario forewarned ,pierre4 8,you see10 said he1 8,attilio has come back4 ,and now look up at the third window on the first floor40 ,it was at once rapid and charming4 ,pierre saw the curtain slightly drawn aside and ,celia's gentle face appear4 ,closed1 candid lily1 she did not smile1 she did not move4 ,nothing could be read on those pure lips1 or in those clear but fathomless eyes of hers4 ,yet she was taking ,attilio to herself1 and giving herself to him without reserve4 ,and soon the curtain fell once more4 8,ah1 the little mask60 muttered ,dario4 8,can one ever tell what there is behind so much innocence80 ,as ,pierre turned round he perceived ,attilio1 whose head was still raised1 and whose face was also motionless and pale1 with closed mouth1 and widely opened eyes4 ,and the young priest was deeply touched1 for this was love1 absolute love in its sudden omnipotence1 true love1 eternal and juvenescent1 in which ambition and calculation played no part4 ,then ,dario ordered the coachman to drive up to the ,pincio2 for1 before or after the ,corso1 the round of the ,pincio is obligatory on fine1 clear afternoons4 ,first came the ,piazza del ,popolo1 the most airy and regular square of ,rome1 with its conjunction of thoroughfares1 its churches and fountains1 its central obelisk1 and its two clumps of trees facing one another at either end of the small white paving-stones1 betwixt the severe and sun-gilt buildings4 ,then1 turning to the right1 the carriage began to climb the inclined way to the ,pincio--a magnificent winding ascent1 decorated with bas-reliefs1 statues1 and fountains--a kind of apotheosis of marble1 a commemoration of ancient ,rome1 rising amidst greenery4 ,up above1 however1 ,pierre found the garden small1 little better than a large square1 with just the four necessary roadways to enable the carriages to drive round and round as long as they pleased4 ,an uninterrupted line of busts of the great men of ancient and modern ,italy fringed these roadways4 ,but what ,pierre most admired was the trees--trees of the most rare and varied kinds1 chosen and tended with infinite care1 and nearly always evergreens1 so that in winter and summer alike the spot was adorned with lovely foliage of every imaginable shade of verdure4 ,and beside these trees1 along the fine1 breezy roadways1 ,dario's victoria began to turn1 following the continuous1 unwearying stream of the other carriages4 ,pierre remarked one young woman of modest demeanour and attractive simplicity who sat alone in a dark-blue victoria1 drawn by a well-groomed1 elegantly harnessed horse4 ,she was very pretty1 short1 with chestnut hair1 a creamy complexion1 and large gentle eyes4 ,quietly robed in dead-leaf silk1 she wore a large hat1 which alone looked somewhat extravagant4 ,and seeing that ,dario was staring at her1 the priest inquired her name1 whereat the young ,prince smiled4 ,oh6 she was nobody1 ,la ,tonietta was the name that people gave her2 she was one of the few demi-mondaines that ,roman society talked of4 ,then1 with the freeness and frankness which his race displays in such matters1 ,dario added some particulars4 ,la ,tonietta's origin was obscure2 some said that she was the daughter of an innkeeper of ,tivoli1 and others that of a ,neapolitan banker4 ,at all events1 she was very intelligent1 had educated herself1 and knew thoroughly well how to receive and entertain people at the little palazzo in the ,via dei ,mille1 which had been given to her by old ,marquis ,manfredi now deceased4 ,she made no scandalous show1 had but one protector at a time1 and the princesses and duchesses who paid attention to her at the ,corso every afternoon1 considered her nice-looking4 ,one peculiarity had made her somewhat notorious4 ,there was some one whom she loved and from whom she never accepted aught but a bouquet of white roses2 and folks would smile indulgently when at times for weeks together she was seen driving round the ,pincio with those pure1 white bridal flowers on the carriage seat4 ,dario1 however1 suddenly paused in his explanations to address a ceremonious bow to a lady who1 accompanied by a gentleman1 drove by in a large landau4 ,then he simply said to the priest3 8,my mother40 ,pierre already knew of her4 ,viscount de la ,choue had told him her story1 how1 after ,prince ,onofrio ,boccanera's death1 she had married again1 although she was already fifty2 how at the ,corso1 just like some young girl1 she had hooked with her eyes a handsome man to her liking--one1 too1 who was fifteen years her junior4 ,and ,pierre also knew who that man was1 a certain ,jules ,laporte1 an ex-sergeant of the papal ,swiss ,guard1 an ex-traveller in relics1 compromised in an extraordinary 8false relic0 fraud2 and he was further aware that ,laporte's wife had made a fine-looking ,marquis ,montefiori of him1 the last of the fortunate adventurers of romance1 triumphing as in the legendary lands where shepherds are wedded to queens4 ,at the next turn1 as the large landau again went by1 ,pierre looked at the couple4 ,the ,marchioness was really wonderful1 blooming with all the classical ,roman beauty1 tall1 opulent1 and very dark1 with the head of a goddess and regular if somewhat massive features1 nothing as yet betraying her age except the down upon her upper lip4 ,and the ,marquis1 the ,romanised ,swiss of ,geneva1 really had a proud bearing1 with his solid soldierly figure and long wavy moustaches4 ,people said that he was in no wise a fool but1 on the contrary1 very gay and very supple1 just the man to please women4 ,his wife so gloried in him that she dragged him about and displayed him everywhere1 having begun life afresh with him as if she were still but twenty1 spending on him the little fortune which she had saved from the ,villa ,montefiori disaster1 and so completely forgetting her son that she only saw the latter now and again at the promenade and acknowledged his bow like that of some chance acquaintance4 8,let us go to see the sun set behind ,st4 ,peter's10 all at once said ,dario1 conscientiously playing his part as a showman of curiosities4 ,the victoria thereupon returned to the terrace1 where a military band was now playing with a terrific blare of brass instruments4 ,in order that their occupants might hear the music1 a large number of carriages had already drawn up1 and a growing crowd of loungers on foot had assembled there4 ,and from that beautiful terrace1 so broad and lofty1 one of the most wonderful views of ,rome was offered to the gaze4 ,beyond the ,tiber1 beyond the pale chaos of the new district of the castle meadows199 and between the greenery of ,monte ,mario and the ,janiculum arose ,st4 ,peter's4 ,then on the left came all the olden city1 an endless stretch of roofs1 a rolling sea of edifices as far as the eye could reach4 ,but one's glances always came back to ,st4 ,peter's1 towering into the azure with pure and sovereign grandeur4 ,and1 seen from the terrace1 the slow sunsets in the depths of the vast sky behind the colossus were sublime4 99 ,see ante note on castle meadows4 ,sometimes there are topplings of sanguineous clouds1 battles of giants hurling mountains at one another and succumbing beneath the monstrous ruins of flaming cities4 ,sometimes only red streaks or fissures appear on the surface of a sombre lake1 as if a net of light has been flung to fish the submerged orb from amidst the seaweed4 ,sometimes1 too1 there is a rosy mist1 a kind of delicate dust which falls1 streaked with pearls by a distant shower1 whose curtain is drawn across the mystery of the horizon4 ,and sometimes there is a triumph1 a cortge of gold and purple chariots of cloud rolling along a highway of fire1 galleys floating upon an azure sea1 fantastic and extravagant pomps slowly sinking into the less and less fathomable abyss of the twilight4 ,but that night the sublime spectacle presented itself to ,pierre with a calm1 blinding1 desperate grandeur4 ,at first1 just above the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 the sun1 descending in a spotless1 deeply limpid sky1 proved yet so resplendent that one's eyes could not face its brightness4 ,and in this resplendency the dome seemed to be incandescent1 you would have said a dome of liquid silver2 whilst the surrounding districts1 the house-roofs of the ,borgo1 were as though changed into a lake of live embers4 ,then1 as the sun was by degrees inclined1 it lost some of its blaze1 and one could look2 and soon afterwards sinking with majestic slowness it disappeared behind the dome1 which showed forth darkly blue1 while the orb1 now entirely hidden1 set an aureola around it1 a glory like a crown of flaming rays4 ,and then began the dream1 the dazzling symbol1 the singular illumination of the row of windows beneath the cupola which were transpierced by the light and looked like the ruddy mouths of furnaces1 in such wise that one might have imagined the dome to be poised upon a brazier1 isolated1 in the air1 as though raised and upheld by the violence of the fire4 ,it all lasted barely three minutes4 ,down below the jumbled roofs of the ,borgo became steeped in violet vapour1 sank into increasing gloom1 whilst from the ,janiculum to ,monte ,mario the horizon showed its firm black line4 ,and it was the sky then which became all purple and gold1 displaying the infinite placidity of a supernatural radiance above the earth which faded into nihility4 ,finally the last window reflections were extinguished1 the glow of the heavens departed1 and nothing remained but the vague1 fading roundness of the dome of ,st4 ,peter's amidst the all-invading night4 ,and1 by some subtle connection of ideas1 ,pierre at that moment once again saw rising before him the lofty1 sad1 declining figures of ,cardinal ,boccanera and old ,orlando4 ,on the evening of that day when he had learnt to know them1 one after the other1 both so great in the obstinacy of their hope1 they seemed to be there1 erect on the horizon above their annihilated city1 on the fringe of the heavens which death apparently was about to seize4 ,was everything then to crumble with them8 was everything to fade away and disappear in the falling night following upon accomplished ,time8 ,v4 ,,on the following day ,narcisse ,habert came in great worry to tell ,pierre that ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo complained of being unwell1 and asked for a delay of two or three days before receiving the young priest and considering the matter of his audience4 ,pierre was thus reduced to inaction1 for he dared not make any attempt elsewhere in view of seeing the ,pope4 ,he had been so frightened by ,nani and others that he feared he might jeopardise everything by inconsiderate endeavours4 ,and so he began to visit ,rome in order to occupy his leisure4 ,his first visit was for the ruins of the ,palatine4 ,going out alone one clear morning at eight o'clock1 he presented himself at the entrance in the ,via ,san ,teodoro1 an iron gateway flanked by the lodges of the keepers4 ,one of the latter at once offered his services1 and though ,pierre would have preferred to roam at will1 following the bent of his dream1 he somehow did not like to refuse the offer of this man1 who spoke ,french very distinctly1 and smiled in a very good-natured way4 ,he was a squatly built little man1 a former soldier1 some sixty years of age1 and his square-cut1 ruddy face was barred by thick white moustaches4 8,then will you please follow me1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said he4 8,i can see that you are ,french1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,i'm a ,piedmontese myself1 but ,i know the ,french well enough2 ,i was with them at ,solferino4 ,yes1 yes1 whatever people may say1 one can't forget old friendships4 ,here1 this way1 please1 to the right40 ,raising his eyes1 ,pierre had just perceived the line of cypresses edging the plateau of the ,palatine on the side of the ,tiber2 and in the delicate blue atmosphere the intense greenery of these trees showed like a black fringe4 ,they alone attracted the eye2 the slope1 of a dusty1 dirty grey1 stretched out bare and devastated1 dotted by a few bushes1 among which peeped fragments of ancient walls4 ,all was instinct with the ravaged1 leprous sadness of a spot handed over to excavation1 and where only men of learning could wax enthusiastic4 8,the palaces of ,tiberius1 ,caligula1 and the ,flavians are up above10 resumed the guide4 8,we must keep then for the end and go round40 ,nevertheless he took a few steps to the left1 and pausing before an excavation1 a sort of grotto in the hillside1 exclaimed3 8,this is the ,lupercal den where the wolf suckled ,romulus and ,remus4 ,just here at the entry used to stand the ,ruminal fig-tree which sheltered the twins40 ,pierre could not restrain a smile1 so convinced was the tone in which the old soldier gave these explanations1 proud as he was of all the ancient glory1 and wont to regard the wildest legends as indisputable facts4 ,however1 when the worthy man pointed out some vestiges of ,roma ,quadrata--remnants of walls which really seemed to date from the foundation of the city--,pierre began to feel interested1 and a first touch of emotion made his heart beat4 ,this emotion was certainly not due to any beauty of scene1 for he merely beheld a few courses of tufa blocks1 placed one upon the other and uncemented4 ,but a past which had been dead for seven and twenty centuries seemed to rise up before him1 and those crumbling1 blackened blocks1 the foundation of such a mighty eclipse of power and splendour1 acquired extraordinary majesty4 ,continuing their inspection1 they went on1 skirting the hillside4 ,the outbuildings of the palaces must have descended to this point2 fragments of porticoes1 fallen beams1 columns and friezes set up afresh1 edged the rugged path which wound through wild weeds1 suggesting a neglected cemetery2 and the guide repeated the words which he had used day by day for ten years past1 continuing to enunciate suppositions as facts1 and giving a name1 a destination1 a history1 to every one of the fragments4 8,the house of ,augustus10 he said at last1 pointing towards some masses of earth and rubbish4 ,thereupon ,pierre1 unable to distinguish anything1 ventured to inquire3 8,where do you mean80 8,oh60 said the man1 8it seems that the walls were still to be seen at the end of the last century4 ,but it was entered from the other side1 from the ,sacred ,way4 ,on this side there was a huge balcony which overlooked the ,circus ,maximus so that one could view the sports4 ,however1 as you can see1 the greater part of the palace is still buried under that big garden up above1 the garden of the ,villa ,mills4 ,when there's money for fresh excavations it will be found again1 together with the temple of ,apollo and the shrine of ,vesta which accompanied it40 ,turning to the left1 he next entered the ,stadium1 the arena erected for foot-racing1 which stretched beside the palace of ,augustus2 and the priest's interest was now once more awakened4 ,it was not that he found himself in presence of well-preserved and monumental remains1 for not a column had remained erect1 and only the right-hand walls were still standing4 ,but the entire plan of the building had been traced1 with the goals at either end1 the porticus round the course1 and the colossal imperial tribune which1 after being on the left1 annexed to the house of ,augustus1 had afterwards opened on the right1 fitting into the palace of ,septimius ,severus4 ,and while ,pierre looked on all the scattered remnants1 his guide went on chattering1 furnishing the most copious and precise information1 and declaring that the gentlemen who directed the excavations had mentally reconstructed the ,stadium in each and every particular1 and were even preparing a most exact plan of it1 showing all the columns in their proper order and the statues in their niches1 and even specifying the divers sorts of marble which had covered the walls4 8,oh6 the directors are quite at ease10 the old soldier eventually added with an air of infinite satisfaction4 8,there will be nothing for the ,germans to pounce on here4 ,they won't be allowed to set things topsy-turvy as they did at the ,forum1 where everybody's at sea since they came along with their wonderful science60 ,pierre--a ,frenchman--smiled1 and his interest increased when1 by broken steps and wooden bridges thrown over gaps1 he followed the guide into the great ruins of the palace of ,severus4 ,rising on the southern point of the ,palatine1 this palace had overlooked the ,appian ,way and the ,campagna as far as the eye could reach4 ,nowadays1 almost the only remains are the substructures1 the subterranean halls contrived under the arches of the terraces1 by which the plateau of the hill was enlarged2 and yet these dismantled substructures suffice to give some idea of the triumphant palace which they once upheld1 so huge and powerful have they remained in their indestructible massiveness4 ,near by arose the famous ,septizonium1 the tower with the seven tiers of arcades1 which only finally disappeared in the sixteenth century4 ,one of the palace terraces yet juts out upon cyclopean arches and from it the view is splendid4 ,but all the rest is a commingling of massive yet crumbling walls1 gaping depths whose ceilings have fallen1 endless corridors and vast halls of doubtful destination4 ,well cared for by the new administration1 swept and cleansed of weeds1 the ruins have lost their romantic wildness and assumed an aspect of bare and mournful grandeur4 ,however1 flashes of living sunlight often gild the ancient walls1 penetrate by their breaches into the black halls1 and animate with their dazzlement the mute melancholy of all this dead splendour now exhumed from the earth in which it slumbered for centuries4 ,over the old ruddy masonry1 stripped of its pompous marble covering1 is the purple mantle of the sunlight1 draping the whole with imperial glory once more4 ,for more than two hours already ,pierre had been walking on1 and yet he still had to visit all the earlier palaces on the north and east of the plateau4 8,we must go back10 said the guide1 8the gardens of the ,villa ,mills and the convent of ,san ,bonaventura stop the way4 ,we shall only be able to pass on this side when the excavations have made a clearance4 ,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb1 if you had walked over the ,palatine merely some fifty years ago6 ,i've seen some plans of that time4 ,there were only some vineyards and little gardens with hedges then1 a real campagna1 where not a soul was to be met4 ,and to think that all these palaces were sleeping underneath60 ,pierre followed him1 and after again passing the house of ,augustus1 they ascended the slope and reached the vast ,flavian palace199 still half buried by the neighbouring villa1 and composed of a great number of halls large and small1 on the nature of which scholars are still arguing4 ,the aula regia1 or throne-room1 the basilica1 or hall of justice1 the triclinium1 or dining-room1 and the peristylium seem certainties2 but for all the rest1 and especially the small chambers of the private part of the structure1 only more or less fanciful conjectures can be offered4 ,moreover1 not a wall is entire2 merely foundations peep out of the ground1 mutilated bases describing the plan of the edifice4 ,the only ruin preserved1 as if by miracle1 is the house on a lower level which some assert to have been that of ,livia199 a house which seems very small beside all the huge palaces1 and where are three halls comparatively intact1 with mural paintings of mythological scenes1 flowers1 and fruits1 still wonderfully fresh4 ,as for the palace of ,tiberius1 not one of its stones can be seen2 its remains lie buried beneath a lovely public garden2 whilst of the neighbouring palace of ,caligula1 overhanging the ,forum1 there are only some huge substructures1 akin to those of the house of ,severus--buttresses1 lofty arcades1 which upheld the palace1 vast basements1 so to say1 where the praetorians were posted and gorged themselves with continual junketings4 ,and thus this lofty plateau dominating the city merely offered some scarcely recognisable vestiges to the view1 stretches of grey1 bare soil turned up by the pick1 and dotted with fragments of old walls2 and it needed a real effort of scholarly imagination to conjure up the ancient imperial splendour which once had triumphed there4 99 ,begun by ,vespasian and finished by ,domitian4--,trans4 9999 ,others assert it to have been the house of ,germanicus1 father of ,caligula4--,trans4 ,nevertheless ,pierre's guide1 with quiet conviction1 persisted in his explanations1 pointing to empty space as though the edifices still rose before him4 8,here10 said he1 8we are in the ,area ,palatina4 ,yonder1 you see1 is the faade of ,domitian's palace1 and there you have that of ,caligula's palace1 while on turning round the temple of ,jupiter ,stator is in front of you4 ,the ,sacred ,way came up as far as here1 and passed under the ,porta ,mugonia1 one of the three gates of primitive ,rome40 ,he paused and pointed to the northwest portion of the height4 8,you will have noticed10 he resumed1 8that the ,caesars didn't build yonder4 ,and that was evidently because they had to respect some very ancient monuments dating from before the foundation of the city and greatly venerated by the people4 ,there stood the temple of ,victory built by ,evander and his ,arcadians1 the ,lupercal grotto which ,i showed you1 and the humble hut of ,romulus constructed of reeds and clay4 ,oh6 everything has been found again1 ,monsieur l',abb2 and1 in spite of all that the ,germans say there isn't the slightest doubt of it40 ,then1 quite abruptly1 like a man suddenly remembering the most interesting thing of all1 he exclaimed3 8,ah6 to wind up we'll just go to see the subterranean gallery where ,caligula was murdered40 ,thereupon they descended into a long crypto-porticus1 through the breaches of which the sun now casts bright rays4 ,some ornaments of stucco and fragments of mosaic-work are yet to be seen4 ,still the spot remains mournful and desolate1 well fitted for tragic horror4 ,the old soldier's voice had become graver as he related how ,caligula1 on returning from the ,palatine games1 had been minded to descend all alone into this gallery to witness certain sacred dances which some youths from ,asia were practising there4 ,and then it was that the gloom gave ,cassius ,chaereas1 the chief of the conspirators1 an opportunity to deal him the first thrust in the abdomen4 ,howling with pain1 the emperor sought to flee2 but the assassins1 his creatures1 his dearest friends1 rushed upon him1 threw him down1 and dealt him blow after blow1 whilst he1 mad with rage and fright1 filled the dim1 deaf gallery with the howling of a slaughtered beast4 ,when he had expired1 silence fell once more1 and the frightened murderers fled4 ,the classical visit to the ,palatine was now over1 and when ,pierre came up into the light again1 he wished to rid himself of his guide and remain alone in the pleasant1 dreamy garden on the summit of the height4 ,for three hours he had been tramping about with the guide's voice buzzing in his ears4 ,the worthy man was now talking of his friendship for ,france and relating the battle of ,magenta in great detail4 ,he smiled as he took the piece of silver which ,pierre offered him1 and then started on the battle of ,solferino4 ,indeed1 it seemed impossible to stop him1 when fortunately a lady came up to ask for some information4 ,and1 thereupon1 he went off with her4 8,good-evening1 ,monsieur l',abb10 he said2 8you can go down by way of ,caligula's palace40 ,delightful was ,pierre's relief when he was at last able to rest for a moment on one of the marble seats in the garden4 ,there were but few clumps of trees1 cypresses1 box-trees1 palms1 and some fine evergreen oaks2 but the latter1 sheltering the seat1 cast a dark shade of exquisite freshness around4 ,the charm of the spot was also largely due to its dreamy solitude1 to the low rustle which seemed to come from that ancient soil saturated with resounding history4 ,here formerly had been the pleasure grounds of the ,villa ,farnese which still exists though greatly damaged1 and the grace of the ,renascence seems to linger here1 its breath passing caressingly through the shiny foliage of the old evergreen oaks4 ,you are1 as it were1 enveloped by the soul of the past1 an ethereal conglomeration of visions1 and overhead is wafted the straying breath of innumerable generations buried beneath the sod4 ,after a time1 however1 ,pierre could no longer remain seated1 so powerful was the attraction of ,rome1 scattered all around that august summit4 ,so he rose and approached the balustrade of a terrace2 and beneath him appeared the ,forum1 and beyond it the ,capitoline hill4 ,to the eye the latter now only presented a commingling of grey buildings1 lacking both grandeur and beauty4 ,on the summit one saw the rear of the ,palace of the ,senator1 flat1 with little windows1 and surmounted by a high1 square campanile4 ,the large1 bare1 rusty-looking walls hid the church of ,santa ,maria in ,ara ,coeli and the spot where the temple of ,capitoline ,jove had formerly stood1 radiant in all its royalty4 ,on the left1 some ugly houses rose terrace-wise upon the slope of ,monte ,caprino1 where goats were pastured in the middle ages2 while the few fine trees in the grounds of the ,caffarelli palace1 the present ,german embassy1 set some greenery above the ancient ,tarpeian rock now scarcely to be found1 lost1 hidden as it is1 by buttress walls4 ,yet this was the ,mount of the ,capitol1 the most glorious of the seven hills1 with its citadel and its temple1 the temple to which universal dominion was promised1 the ,st4 ,peter's of pagan ,rome2 this indeed was the hill--steep on the side of the ,forum1 and a precipice on that of the ,campus ,martius--where the thunder of ,jupiter fell1 where in the dimmest of the far-off ages the ,asylum of ,romulus rose with its sacred oaks1 a spot of infinite savage mystery4 ,here1 later1 were preserved the public documents of ,roman grandeur inscribed on tablets of brass2 hither climbed the heroes of the triumphs2 and here the emperors became gods1 erect in statues of marble4 ,and nowadays the eye inquires wonderingly how so much history and so much glory can have had for their scene so small a space1 such a rugged1 jumbled pile of paltry buildings1 a mole-hill1 looking no bigger1 no loftier than a hamlet perched between two valleys4 ,then another surprise for ,pierre was the ,forum1 starting from the ,capitol and stretching out below the ,palatine3 a narrow square1 close pressed by the neighbouring hills1 a hollow where ,rome in growing had been compelled to rear edifice close to edifice till all stifled for lack of breathing space4 ,it was necessary to dig very deep--some fifty feet--to find the venerable republican soil1 and now all you see is a long1 clean1 livid trench1 cleared of ivy and bramble1 where the fragments of paving1 the bases of columns1 and the piles of foundations appear like bits of bone4 ,level with the ground the ,basilica ,julia1 entirely mapped out1 looks like an architect's ground plan4 ,on that side the arch of ,septimius ,severus alone rears itself aloft1 virtually intact1 whilst of the temple of ,vespasian only a few isolated columns remain still standing1 as if by miracle1 amidst the general downfall1 soaring with a proud elegance1 with sovereign audacity of equilibrium1 so slender and so gilded1 into the blue heavens4 ,the column of ,phocas is also erect2 and you see some portions of the ,rostra fitted together out of fragments discovered near by4 ,but if the eye seeks a sensation of extraordinary vastness1 it must travel beyond the three columns of the temple of ,castor and ,pollux1 beyond the vestiges of the house of the ,vestals1 beyond the temple of ,faustina1 in which the ,christian ,church of ,san ,lorenzo has so composedly installed itself1 and even beyond the round temple of ,romulus1 to light upon the ,basilica of ,constantine with its three colossal1 gaping archways4 ,from the ,palatine they look like porches built for a nation of giants1 so massive that a fallen fragment resembles some huge rock hurled by a whirlwind from a mountain summit4 ,and there1 in that illustrious1 narrow1 overflowing ,forum the history of the greatest of nations held for centuries1 from the legendary time of the ,sabine women1 reconciling their relatives and their ravishers1 to that of the proclamation of public liberty1 so slowly wrung from the patricians by the plebeians4 ,was not the ,forum at once the market1 the exchange1 the tribunal1 the open-air hall of public meeting8 ,the ,gracchi there defended the cause of the humble2 ,sylla there set up the lists of those whom he proscribed2 ,cicero there spoke1 and there1 against the rostra1 his bleeding head was hung4 ,then1 under the emperors1 the old renown was dimmed1 the centuries buried the monuments and temples with such piles of dust that all that the middle ages could do was to turn the spot into a cattle market6 ,respect has come back once more1 a respect which violates tombs1 which is full of feverish curiosity and science1 which is dissatisfied with mere hypotheses1 which loses itself amidst this historical soil where generations rise one above the other1 and hesitates between the fifteen or twenty restorations of the ,forum that have been planned on paper1 each of them as plausible as the other4 ,but to the mere passer-by1 who is not a professional scholar and has not recently re-perused the history of ,rome1 the details have no significance4 ,all he sees on this searched and scoured spot is a city's cemetery where old exhumed stones are whitening1 and whence rises the intense sadness that envelops dead nations4 ,pierre1 however1 noting here and there fragments of the ,sacred ,way1 now turning1 now running down1 and now ascending with their pavement of silex indented by the chariot-wheels1 thought of the triumphs1 of the ascent of the triumpher1 so sorely shaken as his chariot jolted over that rough pavement of glory4 ,but the horizon expanded towards the southeast1 and beyond the arches of ,titus and ,constantine he perceived the ,colosseum4 ,ah6 that colossus1 only one-half or so of which has been destroyed by time as with the stroke of a mighty scythe1 it rises in its enormity and majesty like a stone lace-work with hundreds of empty bays agape against the blue of heaven6 ,there is a world of halls1 stairs1 landings1 and passages1 a world where one loses oneself amidst death-like silence and solitude4 ,the furrowed tiers of seats1 eaten into by the atmosphere1 are like shapeless steps leading down into some old extinct crater1 some natural circus excavated by the force of the elements in indestructible rock4 ,the hot suns of eighteen hundred years have baked and scorched this ruin1 which has reverted to a state of nature1 bare and golden-brown like a mountain-side1 since it has been stripped of its vegetation1 the flora which once made it like a virgin forest4 ,and what an evocation when the mind sets flesh and blood and life again on all that dead osseous framework1 fills the circus with the #ij1jjj spectators which it could hold1 marshals the games and the combats of the arena1 gathers a whole civilisation together1 from the emperor and the dignitaries to the surging plebeian sea1 all aglow with the agitation and brilliancy of an impassioned people1 assembled under the ruddy reflection of the giant purple velum4 ,and then1 yet further1 on the horizon1 were other cyclopean ruins1 the baths of ,caracalla1 standing there like relics of a race of giants long since vanished from the world3 halls extravagantly and inexplicably spacious and lofty2 vestibules large enough for an entire population2 a frigidarium where five hundred people could swim together2 a tepidarium and a calidarium99 on the same proportions1 born of a wild craving for the huge2 and then the terrific massiveness of the structures1 the thickness of the piles of brick-work1 such as no feudal castle ever knew2 and1 in addition1 the general immensity which makes passing visitors look like lost ants2 such an extraordinary riot of the great and the mighty that one wonders for what men1 for what multitudes1 this monstrous edifice was reared4 ,to-day1 you would say a mass of rocks in the rough1 thrown from some height for building the abode of ,titans4 99 ,tepidarium1 warm bath2 calidarium1 vapour bath4--,trans4 ,and as ,pierre gazed1 he became more and more immersed in the limitless past which encompassed him4 ,on all sides history rose up like a surging sea4 ,those bluey plains on the north and west were ancient ,etruria2 those jagged crests on the east were the ,sabine ,mountains2 while southward1 the ,alban ,mountains and ,latium spread out in the streaming gold of the sunshine4 ,alba ,longa was there1 and so was ,monte ,cavo1 with its crown of old trees1 and the convent which has taken the place of the ancient temple of ,jupiter4 ,then beyond the ,forum1 beyond the ,capitol1 the greater part of ,rome stretched out1 whilst behind ,pierre1 on the margin of the ,tiber1 was the ,janiculum4 ,and a voice seemed to come from the whole city1 a voice which told him of ,rome's eternal life1 resplendent with past greatness4 ,he remembered just enough of what he had been taught at school to realise where he was2 he knew just what every one knows of ,rome with no pretension to scholarship1 and it was more particularly his artistic temperament which awoke within him and gathered warmth from the flame of memory4 ,the present had disappeared1 and the ocean of the past was still rising1 buoying him up1 carrying him away4 ,and then his mind involuntarily pictured a resurrection instinct with life4 ,the grey1 dismal ,palatine1 razed like some accursed city1 suddenly became animated1 peopled1 crowned with palaces and temples4 ,there had been the cradle of the ,eternal ,city1 founded by ,romulus on that summit overlooking the ,tiber4 ,there assuredly the seven kings of its two and a half centuries of monarchical rule had dwelt1 enclosed within high1 strong walls1 which had but three gateways4 ,then the five centuries of republican sway spread out1 the greatest1 the most glorious of all the centuries1 those which brought the ,italic peninsula and finally the known world under ,roman dominion4 ,during those victorious years of social and war-like struggle1 ,rome grew and peopled the seven hills1 and the ,palatine became but a venerable cradle with legendary temples1 and was even gradually invaded by private residences4 ,but at last ,caesar1 the incarnation of the power of his race1 after ,gaul and after ,pharsalia triumphed in the name of the whole ,roman people1 having completed the colossal task by which the five following centuries of imperialism were to profit1 with a pompous splendour and a rush of every appetite4 ,and then ,augustus could ascend to power2 glory had reached its climax2 millions of gold were waiting to be filched from the depths of the provinces2 and the imperial gala was to begin in the world's capital1 before the eyes of the dazzled and subjected nations4 ,augustus had been born on the ,palatine1 and after ,actium had given him the empire1 he set his pride in reigning from the summit of that sacred mount1 venerated by the people4 ,he bought up private houses and there built his palace with luxurious splendour3 an atrium upheld by four pilasters and eight columns2 a peristylium encompassed by fifty-six ,ionic columns2 private apartments all around1 and all in marble2 a profusion of marble1 brought at great cost from foreign lands1 and of the brightest hues1 resplendent like gems4 ,and he lodged himself with the gods1 building near his own abode a large temple of ,apollo and a shrine of ,vesta in order to ensure himself divine and eternal sovereignty4 ,and then the seed of the imperial palaces was sown2 they were to spring up1 grow and swarm1 and cover the entire mount4 ,ah6 the all-powerfulness of ,augustus1 his four and forty years of total1 absolute1 superhuman power1 such as no despot has known even in his dreams6 ,he had taken to himself every title1 united every magistracy in his person4 ,imperator and consul1 he commanded the armies and exercised executive power2 pro-consul1 he was supreme in the provinces2 perpetual censor and princeps1 he reigned over the senate2 tribune1 he was the master of the people4 ,and1 formerly called ,octavius1 he had caused himself to be declared ,augustus1 sacred1 god among men1 having his temples and his priests1 worshipped in his lifetime like a divinity deigning to visit the earth4 ,and finally he had resolved to be supreme pontiff1 annexing religious to civil power1 and thus by a stroke of genius attaining to the most complete dominion to which man can climb4 ,as the supreme pontiff could not reside in a private house1 he declared his abode to be ,state property4 ,as the supreme pontiff could not leave the vicinity of the temple of ,vesta1 he built a temple to that goddess near his own dwelling1 leaving the guardianship of the ancient altar below the ,palatine to the ,vestal virgins4 ,he spared no effort1 for he well realised that human omnipotence1 the mastery of mankind and the world1 lay in that reunion of sovereignty1 in being both king and priest1 emperor and pope4 ,all the sap of a mighty race1 all the victories achieved1 and all the favours of fortune yet to be garnered1 blossomed forth in ,augustus1 in a unique splendour which was never again to shed such brilliant radiance4 ,he was really the master of the world1 amidst the conquered and pacified nations1 encompassed by immortal glory in literature and in art4 ,in him would seem to have been satisfied the old intense ambition of his people1 the ambition which it had pursued through centuries of patient conquest1 to become the people-king4 ,the blood of ,rome1 the blood of ,augustus1 at last coruscated in the sunlight1 in the purple of empire4 ,and the blood of ,augustus1 of the divine1 triumphant1 absolute sovereign of bodies and souls1 of the man in whom seven centuries of national pride had culminated1 was to descend through the ages1 through an innumerable posterity with a heritage of boundless pride and ambition4 ,for it was fatal3 the blood of ,augustus was bound to spring into life once more and pulsate in the veins of all the successive masters of ,rome1 ever haunting them with the dream of ruling the whole world4 ,and later on1 after the decline and fall1 when power had once more become divided between the king and the priest1 the popes--their hearts burning with the red1 devouring blood of their great forerunner--had no other passion1 no other policy1 through the centuries1 than that of attaining to civil dominion1 to the totality of human power4 ,but ,augustus being dead1 his palace having been closed and consecrated1 ,pierre saw that of ,tiberius spring up from the soil4 ,it had stood where his feet now rested1 where the beautiful evergreen oaks sheltered him4 ,he pictured it with courts1 porticoes1 and halls1 both substantial and grand1 despite the gloomy bent of the emperor who betook himself far from ,rome to live amongst informers and debauchees1 with his heart and brain poisoned by power to the point of crime and most extraordinary insanity4 ,then the palace of ,caligula followed1 an enlargement of that of ,tiberius1 with arcades set up to increase its extent1 and a bridge thrown over the ,forum to the ,capitol1 in order that the prince might go thither at his ease to converse with ,jove1 whose son he claimed to be4 ,and sovereignty also rendered this one ferocious--a madman with omnipotence to do as he listed6 ,then1 after ,claudius1 ,nero1 not finding the ,palatine large enough1 seized upon the delightful gardens climbing the ,esquiline in order to set up his ,golden ,house1 a dream of sumptuous immensity which he could not complete and the ruins of which disappeared in the troubles following the death of this monster whom pride demented4 ,next1 in eighteen months1 ,galba1 ,otho1 and ,vitellius fell one upon the other1 in mire and in blood1 the purple converting them also into imbeciles and monsters1 gorged like unclean beasts at the trough of imperial enjoyment4 ,and afterwards came the ,flavians1 at first a respite1 with commonsense and human kindness3 ,vespasian2 next ,titus1 who built but little on the ,palatine2 but then ,domitian1 in whom the sombre madness of omnipotence burst forth anew amidst a rgime of fear and spying1 idiotic atrocities and crimes1 debauchery contrary to nature1 and building enterprises born of insane vanity instinct with a desire to outvie the temples of the gods4 ,the palace of ,domitian1 parted by a lane from that of ,tiberius1 arose colossal-like--a palace of fairyland4 ,there was the hall of audience1 with its throne of gold1 its sixteen columns of ,phrygian and ,numidian marble and its eight niches containing colossal statues2 there were the hall of justice1 the vast dining-room1 the peristylium1 the sleeping apartments1 where granite1 porphyry1 and alabaster overflowed1 carved and decorated by the most famous artists1 and lavished on all sides in order to dazzle the world4 ,and finally1 many years later1 a last palace was added to all the others--that of ,septimius ,severus3 again a building of pride1 with arches supporting lofty halls1 terraced storeys1 towers o'er-topping the roofs1 a perfect ,babylonian pile1 rising up at the extreme point of the mount in view of the ,appian ,way1 so that the emperor's compatriots--those from the province of ,africa1 where he was born--might1 on reaching the horizon1 marvel at his fortune and worship him in his glory4 ,and now ,pierre beheld all those palaces which he had conjured up around him1 resuscitated1 resplendent in the full sunlight4 ,they were as if linked together1 parted merely by the narrowest of passages4 ,in order that not an inch of that precious summit might be lost1 they had sprouted thickly like the monstrous florescence of strength1 power1 and unbridled pride which satisfied itself at the cost of millions1 bleeding the whole world for the enjoyment of one man4 ,and in truth there was but one palace altogether1 a palace enlarged as soon as one emperor died and was placed among the deities1 and another1 shunning the consecrated pile where possibly the shadow of death frightened him1 experienced an imperious need to build a house of his own and perpetuate in everlasting stone the memory of his reign4 ,all the emperors were seized with this building craze2 it was like a disease which the very throne seemed to carry from one occupant to another with growing intensity1 a consuming desire to excel all predecessors by thicker and higher walls1 by a more and more wonderful profusion of marbles1 columns1 and statues4 ,and among all these princes there was the idea of a glorious survival1 of leaving a testimony of their greatness to dazzled and stupefied generations1 of perpetuating themselves by marvels which would not perish but for ever weigh heavily upon the earth1 when their own light ashes should long since have been swept away by the winds4 ,and thus the ,palatine became but the venerable base of a monstrous edifice1 a thick vegetation of adjoining buildings1 each new pile being like a fresh eruption of feverish pride2 while the whole1 now showing the snowy brightness of white marble and now the glowing hues of coloured marble1 ended by crowning ,rome and the world with the most extraordinary and most insolent abode of sovereignty--whether palace1 temple1 basilica1 or cathedral--that omnipotence and dominion have ever reared under the heavens4 ,but death lurked beneath this excess of strength and glory4 ,seven hundred and thirty years of monarchy and republic had sufficed to make ,rome great2 and in five centuries of imperial sway the people-king was to be devoured down to its last muscles4 ,there was the immensity of the territory1 the more distant provinces gradually pillaged and exhausted2 there was the fisc consuming everything1 digging the pit of fatal bankruptcy2 and there was the degeneration of the people1 poisoned by the scenes of the circus and the arena1 fallen to the sloth and debauchery of their masters1 the ,caesars1 while mercenaries fought the foe and tilled the soil4 ,already at the time of ,constantine1 ,rome had a rival1 ,byzantium2 disruption followed with ,honorius2 and then some ten emperors sufficed for decomposition to be complete1 for the bones of the dying prey to be picked clean1 the end coming with ,romulus ,augustulus1 the sorry creature whose name is1 so to say1 a mockery of the whole glorious history1 a buffet for both the founder of ,rome and the founder of the empire4 ,the palaces1 the colossal assemblage of walls1 storeys1 terraces1 and gaping roofs1 still remained on the deserted ,palatine2 many ornaments and statues1 however1 had already been removed to ,byzantium4 ,and the empire1 having become ,christian1 had afterwards closed the temples and extinguished the fire of ,vesta1 whilst yet respecting the ancient ,palladium4 ,but in the fifth century the barbarians rush upon ,rome1 sack and burn it1 and carry the spoils spared by the flames away in their chariots4 ,as long as the city was dependent on ,byzantium a custodian of the imperial palaces remained there watching over the ,palatine4 ,then all fades and crumbles in the night of the middle ages4 ,it would really seem that the popes then slowly took the place of the ,caesars1 succeeding them both in their abandoned marble halls and their ever-subsisting passion for domination4 ,some of them assuredly dwelt in the palace of ,septimius ,severus2 a council of the ,church was held in the ,septizonium2 and1 later on1 ,gelasius ,,ii was elected in a neighbouring monastery on the sacred mount4 ,it was as if ,augustus were again rising from the tomb1 once more master of the world1 with a ,sacred ,college of ,cardinals resuscitating the ,roman ,senate4 ,in the twelfth century the ,septizonium belonged to some ,benedictine monks1 and was sold by them to the powerful ,frangipani family1 who fortified it as they had already fortified the ,colosseum and the arches of ,constantine and ,titus1 thus forming a vast fortress round about the venerable cradle of the city4 ,and the violent deeds of civil war and the ravages of invasion swept by like whirlwinds1 throwing down the walls1 razing the palaces and towers4 ,and afterwards successive generations invaded the ruins1 installed themselves in them by right of trover and conquest1 turned them into cellars1 store-places for forage1 and stables for mules4 ,kitchen gardens were formed1 vines were planted on the spots where fallen soil had covered the mosaics of the imperial halls4 ,all around nettles and brambles grew up1 and ivy preyed on the overturned porticoes1 till there came a day when the colossal assemblage of palaces and temples1 which marble was to have rendered eternal1 seemed to dive beneath the dust1 to disappear under the surging soil and vegetation which impassive ,nature threw over it4 ,and then1 in the hot sunlight1 among the wild flowerets1 only big1 buzzing flies remained1 whilst herds of goats strayed in freedom through the throne-room of ,domitian and the fallen sanctuary of ,apollo4 ,a great shudder passed through ,pierre4 ,to think of so much strength1 pride1 and grandeur1 and such rapid ruin--a world for ever swept away6 ,he wondered how entire palaces1 yet peopled by admirable statuary1 could thus have been gradually buried without any one thinking of protecting them4 ,it was no sudden catastrophe which had swallowed up those masterpieces1 subsequently to be disinterred with exclamations of admiring wonder2 they had been drowned1 as it were--caught progressively by the legs1 the waist1 and the neck1 till at last the head had sunk beneath the rising tide4 ,and how could one explain that generations had heedlessly witnessed such things without thought of putting forth a helping hand8 ,it would seem as if1 at a given moment1 a black curtain were suddenly drawn across the world1 as if mankind began afresh1 with a new and empty brain which needed moulding and furnishing4 ,rome had become depopulated2 men ceased to repair the ruins left by fire and sword2 the edifices which by their very immensity had become useless were utterly neglected1 allowed to crumble and fall4 ,and then1 too1 the new religion everywhere hunted down the old one1 stole its temples1 overturned its gods4 ,earthly deposits probably completed the disaster--there were1 it is said1 both earthquakes and inundations--and the soil was ever rising1 the alluvia of the young ,christian world buried the ancient pagan society4 ,and after the pillaging of the temples1 the theft of the bronze roofs and marble columns1 the climax came with the filching of the stones torn from the ,colosseum and the ,theatre of ,marcellus1 with the pounding of the statuary and sculpture-work1 thrown into kilns to procure the lime needed for the new monuments of ,catholic ,rome4 ,it was nearly one o'clock1 and ,pierre awoke as from a dream4 ,the sun-rays were streaming in a golden rain between the shiny leaves of the ever-green oaks above him1 and down below ,rome lay dozing1 overcome by the great heat4 ,then he made up his mind to leave the garden1 and went stumbling over the rough pavement of the ,clivus ,victoriae1 his mind still haunted by blinding visions4 ,to complete his day1 he had resolved to visit the old ,appian ,way during the afternoon1 and1 unwilling to return to the ,via ,giulia1 he lunched at a suburban tavern1 in a large1 dim room1 where1 alone with the buzzing flies1 he lingered for more than two hours1 awaiting the sinking of the sun4 ,ah6 that ,appian ,way1 that ancient queen of the high roads1 crossing the ,campagna in a long straight line with rows of proud tombs on either hand--to ,pierre it seemed like a triumphant prolongation of the ,palatine4 ,he there found the same passion for splendour and domination1 the same craving to eternise the memory of ,roman greatness in marble and daylight4 ,oblivion was vanquished2 the dead refused to rest1 and remained for ever erect among the living1 on either side of that road which was traversed by multitudes from the entire world4 ,the deified images of those who were now but dust still gazed on the passers-by with empty eyes2 the inscriptions still spoke1 proclaiming names and titles4 ,in former times the rows of sepulchres must have extended without interruption along all the straight1 level miles between the tomb of ,ccilia ,metella and that of ,casale ,rotondo1 forming an elongated cemetery where the powerful and wealthy competed as to who should leave the most colossal and lavishly decorated mausoleum3 such1 indeed1 was the craving for survival1 the passion for pompous immortality1 the desire to deify death by lodging it in temples2 whereof the present-day monumental splendour of the ,genoese ,campo ,santo and the ,roman ,campo ,verano is1 so to say1 a remote inheritance4 ,and what a vision it was to picture all the tremendous tombs on the right and left of the glorious pavement which the legions trod on their return from the conquest of the world6 ,that tomb of ,ccilia ,metella1 with its bond-stones so huge1 its walls so thick that the middle ages transformed it into the battlemented keep of a fortress6 ,and then all the tombs which follow1 the modern structures erected in order that the marble fragments discovered might be set in place1 the old blocks of brick and concrete1 despoiled of their sculptured-work and rising up like seared rocks1 yet still suggesting their original shapes as shrines1 cippi1 and sarcophagi4 ,there is a wondrous succession of high reliefs figuring the dead in groups of three and five2 statues in which the dead live deified1 erect2 seats contrived in niches in order that wayfarers may rest and bless the hospitality of the dead2 laudatory epitaphs celebrating the dead1 both the known and the unknown1 the children of ,sextius ,pompeius ,justus1 the departed ,marcus ,servilius ,quartus1 ,hilarius ,fuscus1 ,rabirius ,hermodorus2 without counting the sepulchres venturously ascribed to ,seneca and the ,horatii and ,curiatii4 ,and finally there is the most extraordinary and gigantic of all the tombs1 that known as ,casale ,rotondo1 which is so large that it has been possible to establish a farmhouse and an olive garden on its substructures1 which formerly upheld a double rotunda1 adorned with ,corinthian pilasters1 large candelabra1 and scenic masks499 99 ,some believe this tomb to have been that of ,messalla ,corvinus1 the historian and poet1 a friend of ,augustus and ,horace2 others ascribe it to his son1 ,aurelius ,messallinus ,cotta4--,trans4 ,pierre1 having driven in a cab as far as the tomb of ,ccilia ,metella1 continued his excursion on foot1 going slowly towards ,casale ,rotondo4 ,in many places the old pavement appears--large blocks of basaltic lava1 worn into deep ruts that jolt the best-hung vehicles4 ,among the ruined tombs on either hand run bands of grass1 the neglected grass of cemeteries1 scorched by the summer suns and sprinkled with big violet thistles and tall sulphur-wort4 ,parapets of dry stones1 breast high1 enclose the russet roadsides1 which resound with the crepitation of grasshoppers2 and1 beyond1 the ,campagna stretches1 vast and bare1 as far as the eye can see4 ,a parasol pine1 a eucalyptus1 some olive or fig trees1 white with dust1 alone rise up near the road at infrequent intervals4 ,on the left the ruddy arches of the ,acqua ,claudia show vigorously in the meadows1 and stretches of poorly cultivated land1 vineyards1 and little farms1 extend to the blue and lilac ,sabine and ,alban hills1 where ,frascati1 ,rocca di ,papa1 and ,albano set bright spots1 which grow and whiten as one gets nearer to them4 ,then1 on the right1 towards the sea1 the houseless1 treeless plain grows and spreads with vast1 broad ripples1 extraordinary ocean-like simplicity and grandeur1 a long1 straight line alone parting it from the sky4 ,at the height of summer all burns and flares on this limitless prairie1 then of a ruddy gold2 but in ,september a green tinge begins to suffuse the ocean of herbage1 which dies away in the pink and mauve and vivid blue of the fine sunsets4 ,as ,pierre1 quite alone and in a dreary mood1 slowly paced the endless1 flat highway1 that resurrection of the past which he had beheld on the ,palatine again confronted his mind's eye4 ,on either hand the tombs once more rose up intact1 with marble of dazzling whiteness4 ,had not the head of a colossal statue been found1 mingled with fragments of huge sphinxes1 at the foot of yonder vase-shaped mass of bricks8 ,he seemed to see the entire colossal statue standing again between the huge1 crouching beasts4 ,farther on a beautiful headless statue of a woman had been discovered in the cella of a sepulchre1 and he beheld it1 again whole1 with features expressive of grace and strength smiling upon life4 ,the inscriptions also became perfect2 he could read and understand them at a glance1 as if living among those dead ones of two thousand years ago4 ,and the road1 too1 became peopled3 the chariots thundered1 the armies tramped along1 the people of ,rome jostled him with the feverish agitation of great communities4 ,it was a return of the times of the ,flavians or the ,antonines1 the palmy years of the empire1 when the pomp of the ,appian ,way1 with its grand sepulchres1 carved and adorned like temples1 attained its apogee4 ,what a monumental ,street of ,death1 what an approach to ,rome1 that highway1 straight as an arrow1 where with the extraordinary pomp of their pride1 which had survived their dust1 the great dead greeted the traveller1 ushered him into the presence of the living6 ,he may well have wondered among what sovereign people1 what masters of the world1 he was about to find himself--a nation which had committed to its dead the duty of telling strangers that it allowed nothing whatever to perish--that its dead1 like its city1 remained eternal and glorious in monuments of extraordinary vastness6 ,to think of it--the foundations of a fortress1 and a tower sixty feet in diameter1 that one woman might be laid to rest6 ,and then1 far away1 at the end of the superb1 dazzling highway1 bordered with the marble of its funereal palaces1 ,pierre1 turning round1 distinctly beheld the ,palatine1 with the marble of its imperial palaces--the huge assemblage of palaces whose omnipotence had dominated the world6 ,but suddenly he started3 two carabiniers had just appeared among the ruins4 ,the spot was not safe2 the authorities watched over tourists even in broad daylight4 ,and later on came another meeting which caused him some emotion4 ,he perceived an ecclesiastic1 a tall old man1 in a black cassock1 edged and girt with red2 and was surprised to recognise ,cardinal ,boccanera1 who had quitted the roadway1 and was slowly strolling along the band of grass1 among the tall thistles and sulphur-wort4 ,with his head lowered and his feet brushing against the fragments of the tombs1 the ,cardinal did not even see ,pierre4 ,the young priest courteously turned aside1 surprised to find him so far from home and alone4 ,then1 on perceiving a heavy coach1 drawn by two black horses1 behind a building1 he understood matters4 ,a footman in black livery was waiting motionless beside the carriage1 and the coachman had not quitted his box4 ,and ,pierre remembered that the ,cardinals were not expected to walk in ,rome1 so that they were compelled to drive into the country when they desired to take exercise4 ,but what haughty sadness1 what solitary and1 so to say1 ostracised grandeur there was about that tall1 thoughtful old man1 thus forced to seek the desert1 and wander among the tombs1 in order to breathe a little of the evening air6 ,pierre had lingered there for long hours2 the twilight was coming on1 and once again he witnessed a lovely sunset4 ,on his left the ,campagna became blurred1 and assumed a slaty hue1 against which the yellowish arcades of the aqueduct showed very plainly1 while the ,alban hills1 far away1 faded into pink4 ,then1 on the right1 towards the sea1 the planet sank among a number of cloudlets1 figuring an archipelago of gold in an ocean of dying embers4 ,and excepting the sapphire sky1 studded with rubies1 above the endless line of the ,campagna1 which was likewise changed into a sparkling lake1 the dull green of the herbage turning to a liquid emerald tint1 there was nothing to be seen1 neither a hillock nor a flock--nothing1 indeed1 but ,cardinal ,boccanera's black figure1 erect among the tombs1 and looking1 as it were1 enlarged as it stood out against the last purple flush of the sunset4 ,early on the following morning ,pierre1 eager to see everything1 returned to the ,appian ,way in order to visit the catacomb of ,st4 ,calixtus1 the most extensive and remarkable of the old ,christian cemeteries1 and one1 too1 where several of the early popes were buried4 ,you ascend through a scorched garden1 past olives and cypresses1 reach a shanty of boards and plaster in which a little trade in 8articles of piety0 is carried on1 and there a modern and fairly easy flight of steps enables you to descend4 ,pierre fortunately found there some ,french ,trappists1 who guard these catacombs and show them to strangers4 ,one brother was on the point of going down with two ,french ladies1 the mother and daughter1 the former still comely and the other radiant with youth4 ,they stood there smiling1 though already slightly frightened1 while the monk lighted some long1 slim candles4 ,he was a man with a bossy brow1 the large1 massive jaw of an obstinate believer and pale eyes bespeaking an ingenuous soul4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb10 he said to ,pierre1 8you've come just in time4 ,if the ladies are willing1 you had better come with us2 for three ,brothers are already below with people1 and you would have a long time to wait4 ,this is the great season for visitors40 ,the ladies politely nodded1 and the ,trappist handed a candle to the priest4 ,in all probability neither mother nor daughter was devout1 for both glanced askance at their new companion's cassock1 and suddenly became serious4 ,then they all went down and found themselves in a narrow subterranean corridor4 8,take care1 mesdames10 repeated the ,trappist1 lighting the ground with his candle4 8,walk slowly1 for there are projections and slopes40 ,then1 in a shrill voice full of extraordinary conviction1 he began his explanations4 ,pierre had descended in silence1 his heart beating with emotion4 ,ah6 how many times1 indeed1 in his innocent seminary days1 had he not dreamt of those catacombs of the early ,christians1 those asylums of the primitive faith6 ,even recently1 while writing his book1 he had often thought of them as of the most ancient and venerable remains of that community of the lowly and simple1 for the return of which he called4 ,but his brain was full of pages written by poets and great prose writers4 ,he had beheld the catacombs through the magnifying glass of those imaginative authors1 and had believed them to be vast1 similar to subterranean cities1 with broad highways and spacious halls1 fit for the accommodation of vast crowds4 ,and now how poor and humble the reality6 8,well1 yes10 said the ,trappist in reply to the ladies' questions1 8the corridor is scarcely more than a yard in width2 two persons could not pass along side by side4 ,how they dug it8 ,oh6 it was simple enough4 ,a family or a burial association needed a place of sepulchre4 ,well1 a first gallery was excavated with pickaxes in soil of this description--granular tufa1 as it is called--a reddish substance1 as you can see1 both soft and yet resistant1 easy to work and at the same time waterproof4 ,in a word1 just the substance that was needed1 and one1 too1 that has preserved the remains of the buried in a wonderful way40 ,he paused and brought the flamelet of his candle near to the compartments excavated on either hand of the passage4 8,look10 he continued1 8these are the loculi4 ,well1 a subterranean gallery was dug1 and on both sides these compartments were hollowed out1 one above the other4 ,the bodies of the dead were laid in them1 for the most part simply wrapped in shrouds4 ,then the aperture was closed with tiles or marble slabs1 carefully cemented4 ,so1 as you can see1 everything explains itself4 ,if other families joined the first one1 or the burial association became more numerous1 fresh galleries were added to those already filled4 ,passages were excavated on either hand1 in every sense2 and1 indeed1 a second and lower storey1 at times even a third1 was dug out4 ,and here1 you see1 we are in a gallery which is certainly thirteen feet high4 ,now1 you may wonder how they raised the bodies to place them in the compartments of the top tier4 ,well1 they did not raise them to any such height2 in all their work they kept on going lower and lower1 removing more and more of the soil as the compartments became filled4 ,and in this wise1 in these catacombs of ,st4 ,calixtus1 in less than four centuries1 the ,christians excavated more than ten miles of galleries1 in which more than a million of their dead must have been laid to rest4 ,now1 there are dozens of catacombs2 the environs of ,rome are honeycombed with them4 ,think of that1 and perhaps you will be able to form some idea of the vast number of people who were buried in this manner40 ,pierre listened1 feeling greatly impressed4 ,he had once visited a coal pit in ,belgium1 and he here found the same narrow passages1 the same heavy1 stifling atmosphere1 the same nihility of darkness and silence4 ,the flamelets of the candles showed merely like stars in the deep gloom2 they shed no radiance around4 ,and he at last understood the character of this funereal1 termite-like labour--these chance burrowings continued according to requirements1 without art1 method1 or symmetry4 ,the rugged soil was ever ascending and descending1 the sides of the gallery snaked3 neither plumb-line nor square had been used4 ,all this1 indeed1 had simply been a work of charity and necessity1 wrought by simple1 willing grave-diggers1 illiterate craftsmen1 with the clumsy handiwork of the decline and fall4 ,proof thereof was furnished by the inscriptions and emblems on the marble slabs4 ,they reminded one of the childish drawings which street urchins scrawl upon blank walls4 8,you see10 the ,trappist continued1 8most frequently there is merely a name2 and sometimes there is no name1 but simply the words ,in ,pace4 ,at other times there is an emblem1 the dove of purity1 the palm of martyrdom1 or else the fish whose name in ,greek is composed of five letters which1 as initials1 signify3 #8,jesus ,christ1 ,son of ,god1 ,saviour4'0 ,he again brought his candle near to the marble slabs1 and the palm could be distinguished3 a central stroke1 whence started a few oblique lines2 and then came the dove or the fish1 roughly outlined1 a zigzag indicating a tail1 two bars representing the bird's feet1 while a round point simulated an eye4 ,and the letters of the short inscriptions were all askew1 of various sizes1 often quite misshapen1 as in the coarse handwriting of the ignorant and simple4 ,however1 they reached a crypt1 a sort of little hall1 where the graves of several popes had been found2 among others that of ,sixtus ,,ii1 a holy martyr1 in whose honour there was a superbly engraved metrical inscription set up by ,pope ,damasus4 ,then1 in another hall1 a family vault of much the same size1 decorated at a later stage1 with naive mural paintings1 the spot where ,st4 ,cecilia's body had been discovered was shown4 ,and the explanations continued4 ,the ,trappist dilated on the paintings1 drawing from them a confirmation of every dogma and belief1 baptism1 the ,eucharist1 the resurrection1 ,lazarus arising from the tomb1 ,jonas cast up by the whale1 ,daniel in the lions' den1 ,moses drawing water from the rock1 and ,christ--shown beardless1 as was the practice in the early ages--accomplishing ,his various miracles4 8,you see10 repeated the ,trappist1 8all those things are shown there2 and remember that none of the paintings was specially prepared3 they are absolutely authentic40 ,at a question from ,pierre1 whose astonishment was increasing1 he admitted that the catacombs had been mere cemeteries at the outset1 when no religious ceremonies had been celebrated in them4 ,it was only later1 in the fourth century1 when the martyrs were honoured1 that the crypts were utilised for worship4 ,and in the same way they only became places of refuge during the persecutions1 when the ,christians had to conceal the entrances to them4 ,previously they had remained freely and legally open4 ,this was indeed their true history3 cemeteries four centuries old becoming places of asylum1 ravaged at times during the persecutions2 afterwards held in veneration till the eighth century2 then despoiled of their holy relics1 and subsequently blocked up and forgotten1 so that they remained buried during more than seven hundred years1 people thinking of them so little that at the time of the first searches in the fifteenth century they were considered an extraordinary discovery--an intricate historical problem--one1 moreover1 which only our own age has solved4 8,please stoop1 mesdames10 resumed the ,trappist4 8,in this compartment here is a skeleton which has not been touched4 ,it has been lying here for sixteen or seventeen hundred years1 and will show you how the bodies were laid out4 ,savants say that it is the skeleton of a female1 probably a young girl4 ,it was still quite perfect last spring2 but the skull1 as you can see1 is now split open4 ,an ,american broke it with his walking stick to make sure that it was genuine40 ,the ladies leaned forward1 and the flickering light illumined their pale faces1 expressive of mingled fright and compassion4 ,especially noticeable was the pitiful1 pain-fraught look which appeared on the countenance of the daughter1 so full of life with her red lips and large black eyes4 ,then all relapsed into gloom1 and the little candles were borne aloft and went their way through the heavy darkness of the galleries4 ,the visit lasted another hour1 for the ,trappist did not spare a detail1 fond as he was of certain nooks and corners1 and as zealous as if he desired to work the redemption of his visitors4 ,while ,pierre followed the others1 a complete evolution took place within him4 ,as he looked about him1 and formed a more and more complete idea of his surroundings1 his first stupefaction at finding the reality so different from the embellished accounts of story-tellers and poets1 his disillusion at being plunged into such rudely excavated mole-burrows1 gave way to fraternal emotion4 ,it was not that he thought of the fifteen hundred martyrs whose sacred bones had rested there4 ,but how humble1 resigned1 yet full of hope had been those who had chosen such a place of sepulchre6 ,those low1 darksome galleries were but temporary sleeping-places for the ,christians4 ,if they did not burn the bodies of their dead1 as the ,pagans did1 it was because1 like the ,jews1 they believed in the resurrection of the body2 and it was that lovely idea of sleep1 of tranquil rest after a just life1 whilst awaiting the celestial reward1 which imparted such intense peacefulness1 such infinite charm1 to the black1 subterranean city4 ,everything there spoke of calm and silent night2 everything there slumbered in rapturous quiescence1 patient until the far-off awakening4 ,what could be more touching than those terra-cotta tiles1 those marble slabs1 which bore not even a name--nothing but the words ,in ,pace--at peace4 ,ah6 to be at peace--life's work at last accomplished2 to sleep in peace1 to hope in peace for the advent of heaven6 ,and the peacefulness seemed the more delightful as it was enjoyed in such deep humility4 ,doubtless the diggers worked chance-wise and clumsily2 the craftsmen no longer knew how to engrave a name or carve a palm or a dove4 ,art had vanished2 but all the feebleness and ignorance were instinct with the youth of a new humanity4 ,poor and lowly and meek ones swarmed there1 reposing beneath the soil1 whilst up above the sun continued its everlasting task4 ,you found there charity and fraternity and death2 husband and wife often lying together with their offspring at their feet2 the great mass of the unknown submerging the personage1 the bishop1 or the martyr2 the most touching equality--that springing from modesty--prevailing amidst all that dust1 with compartments ever similar and slabs destitute of ornament1 so that rows and rows of the sleepers mingled without distinctive sign4 ,the inscriptions seldom ventured on a word of praise1 and then how prudent1 how delicate it was3 the men were very worthy1 very pious3 the women very gentle1 very beautiful1 very chaste4 ,a perfume of infancy arose1 unlimited human affection spread3 this was death as understood by the primitive ,christians--death which hid itself to await the resurrection1 and dreamt no more of the empire of the world6 ,and all at once before ,pierre's eyes arose a vision of the sumptuous tombs of the ,appian ,way1 displaying the domineering pride of a whole civilisation in the sunlight--tombs of vast dimensions1 with a profusion of marbles1 grandiloquent inscriptions1 and masterpieces of sculptured-work4 ,ah6 what an extraordinary contrast between that pompous avenue of death1 conducting1 like a highway of triumph1 to the regal ,eternal ,city1 when compared with the subterranean necropolis of the ,christians1 that city of hidden death1 so gentle1 so beautiful1 and so chaste6 ,here only quiet slumber1 desired and accepted night1 resignation and patience were to be found4 ,millions of human beings had here laid themselves to rest in all humility1 had slept for centuries1 and would still be sleeping here1 lulled by the silence and the gloom1 if the living had not intruded on their desire to remain in oblivion so long as the trumpets of the ,judgment ,day did not awaken them4 ,death had then spoken of ,life3 nowhere had there been more intimate and touching life than in these buried cities of the unknown1 lowly dead4 ,and a mighty breath had formerly come from them--the breath of a new humanity destined to renew the world4 ,with the advent of meekness1 contempt for the flesh1 terror and hatred of nature1 relinquishment of terrestrial joys1 and a passion for death1 which delivers and opens the portals of ,paradise1 another world had begun4 ,and the blood of ,augustus1 so proud of purpling in the sunlight1 so fired by the passion for sovereign dominion1 seemed for a moment to disappear1 as if1 indeed1 the new world had sucked it up in the depths of its gloomy sepulchres4 ,however1 the ,trappist insisted on showing the ladies the steps of ,diocletian1 and began to tell them the legend4 8,yes10 said he1 8it was a miracle4 ,one day1 under that emperor1 some soldiers were pursuing several ,christians1 who took refuge in these catacombs2 and when the soldiers followed them inside the steps suddenly gave way1 and all the persecutors were hurled to the bottom4 ,the steps remain broken to this day4 ,come and see them2 they are close by40 ,but the ladies were quite overcome1 so affected by their prolonged sojourn in the gloom and by the tales of death which the ,trappist had poured into their ears that they insisted on going up again4 ,moreover1 the candles were coming to an end4 ,they were all dazzled when they found themselves once more in the sunlight1 outside the little hut where articles of piety and souvenirs were sold4 ,the girl bought a paper weight1 a piece of marble on which was engraved the fish symbolical of 8,jesus ,christ1 ,son of ,god1 ,saviour of ,mankind40 ,on the afternoon of that same day ,pierre decided to visit ,st4 ,peter's4 ,he had as yet only driven across the superb piazza with its obelisk and twin fountains1 encircled by ,bernini's colonnades1 those four rows of columns and pilasters which form a girdle of monumental majesty4 ,at the far end rises the basilica1 its faade making it look smaller and heavier than it really is1 but its sovereign dome nevertheless filling the heavens4 ,pebbled1 deserted inclines stretched out1 and steps followed steps1 worn and white1 under the burning sun2 but at last ,pierre reached the door and went in4 ,it was three o'clock4 ,broad sheets of light streamed in through the high square windows1 and some ceremony--the vesper service1 no doubt--was beginning in the ,capella ,clementina on the left4 ,pierre1 however1 heard nothing2 he was simply struck by the immensity of the edifice1 as with raised eyes he slowly walked along4 ,at the entrance came the giant basins for holy water with their boy-angels as chubby as ,cupids2 then the nave1 vaulted and decorated with sunken coffers2 then the four cyclopean buttress-piers upholding the dome1 and then again the transepts and apsis1 each as large as one of our churches4 ,and the proud pomp1 the dazzling1 crushing splendour of everything1 also astonished him3 he marvelled at the cupola1 looking like a planet1 resplendent with the gold and bright colours of its mosaic-work1 at the sumptuous baldacchino of bronze1 crowning the high altar raised above the very tomb of ,st4 ,peter1 and whence descend the double steps of the ,confession1 illumined by seven and eighty lamps1 which are always kept burning4 ,and finally he was lost in astonishment at the extraordinary profusion of marble1 both white and coloured4 ,oh6 those polychromatic marbles1 ,bernini's luxurious passion6 ,the splendid pavement reflecting the entire edifice1 the facings of the pilasters with their medallions of popes1 the tiara and the keys borne aloft by chubby angels1 the walls covered with emblems1 particularly the dove of ,innocent ,x1 the niches with their colossal statues uncouth in taste1 the loggie and their balconies1 the balustrade and double steps of the ,confession1 the rich altars and yet richer tombs--all1 nave1 aisles1 transepts1 and apsis1 were in marble1 resplendent with the wealth of marble2 not a nook small as the palm of one's hand appearing but it showed the insolent opulence of marble4 ,and the basilica triumphed1 beyond discussion1 recognised and admired by every one as the largest and most splendid church in the whole world--the personification of hugeness and magnificence combined4 ,pierre still wandered on1 gazing1 overcome1 as yet not distinguishing details4 ,he paused for a moment before the bronze statue of ,st4 ,peter1 seated in a stiff1 hierarchical attitude on a marble pedestal4 ,a few of the faithful were there kissing the large toe of the ,saint's right foot4 ,some of them carefully wiped it before applying their lips2 others1 with no thought of cleanliness1 kissed it1 pressed their foreheads to it1 and then kissed it again4 ,next1 ,pierre turned into the transept on the left1 where stand the confessionals4 ,priests are ever stationed there1 ready to confess penitents in every language4 ,others wait1 holding long staves1 with which they lightly tap the heads of kneeling sinners1 who thereby obtain thirty days' indulgence4 ,however1 there were few people present1 and inside the small wooden boxes the priests occupied their leisure time in reading and writing1 as if they were at home4 ,then ,pierre again found himself before the ,confession1 and gazed with interest at the eighty lamps1 scintillating like stars4 ,the high altar1 at which the ,pope alone can officiate1 seemed wrapped in the haughty melancholy of solitude under its gigantic1 flowery baldacchino1 the casting and gilding of which cost two and twenty thousand pounds4 ,but suddenly ,pierre remembered the ceremony in the ,capella ,clementina1 and felt astonished1 for he could hear nothing of it4 ,as he drew near a faint breath1 like the far-away piping of a flute1 was wafted to him4 ,then the volume of sound slowly increased1 but it was only on reaching the chapel that he recognised an organ peal4 ,the sunlight here filtered through red curtains drawn before the windows1 and thus the chapel glowed like a furnace whilst resounding with the grave music4 ,but in that huge pile all became so slight1 so weak1 that at sixty paces neither voice nor organ could be distinguished4 ,on entering the basilica ,pierre had fancied that it was quite empty and lifeless4 ,there were1 however1 some people there1 but so few and far between that their presence was not noticed4 ,a few tourists wandered about wearily1 guide-book in hand4 ,in the grand nave a painter with his easel was taking a view1 as in a public gallery4 ,then a ,french seminary went by1 conducted by a prelate who named and explained the tombs4 ,but in all that space these fifty or a hundred people looked merely like a few black ants who had lost themselves and were vainly seeking their way4 ,and ,pierre pictured himself in some gigantic gala hall or tremendous vestibule in an immeasurable palace of reception4 ,the broad sheets of sunlight streaming through the lofty square windows of plain white glass illumined the church with blending radiance4 ,there was not a single stool or chair3 nothing but the superb1 bare pavement1 such as you might find in a museum1 shining mirror-like under the dancing shower of sunrays4 ,nor was there a single corner for solitary reflection1 a nook of gloom and mystery1 where one might kneel and pray4 ,in lieu thereof the sumptuous1 sovereign dazzlement of broad daylight prevailed upon every side4 ,and1 on thus suddenly finding himself in this deserted opera-house1 all aglow with flaring gold and purple1 ,pierre could but remember the quivering gloom of the ,gothic cathedrals of ,france1 where dim crowds sob and supplicate amidst a forest of pillars4 ,in presence of all this ceremonial majesty--this huge1 empty pomp1 which was all ,body--he recalled with a pang the emaciate architecture and statuary of the middle ages1 which were all ,soul4 ,he vainly sought for some poor1 kneeling woman1 some creature swayed by faith or suffering1 yielding in a modest half-light to thoughts of the unknown1 and with closed lips holding communion with the invisible4 ,these he found not3 there was but the weary wandering of the tourists1 and the bustle of the prelates conducting the young priests to the obligatory stations2 while the vesper service continued in the left-hand chapel1 nought of it reaching the ears of the visitors save1 perhaps1 a confused vibration1 as of the peal of a bell penetrating from outside through the vaults above4 ,and ,pierre then understood that this was the splendid skeleton of a colossus whence life was departing4 ,to fill it1 to animate it with a soul1 all the gorgeous display of great religious ceremonies was needed2 the eighty thousand worshippers which it could hold1 the great pontifical pomps1 the festivals of ,christmas and ,easter1 the processions and cortges displaying all the luxury of the ,church amidst operatic scenery and appointments4 ,and he tried to conjure up a picture of the past magnificence--the basilica overflowing with an idolatrous multitude1 and the superhuman cortge passing along whilst every head was lowered2 the cross and the sword opening the march1 the cardinals going two by two1 like twin divinities1 in their rochets of lace and their mantles and robes of red moire1 which train-bearers held up behind them2 and at last1 with ,jove-like pomp1 the ,pope1 carried on a stage draped with red velvet1 seated in an arm-chair of red velvet and gold1 and dressed in white velvet1 with cope of gold1 stole of gold1 and tiara of gold4 ,the bearers of the ,sedia gestatoria99 shone bravely in red tunics broidered with gold4 ,above the one and only ,sovereign ,pontiff of the world the flabelli waved those huge fans of feathers which formerly were waved before the idols of pagan ,rome4 ,and around the seat of triumph what a dazzling1 glorious court there was6 ,the whole pontifical family1 the stream of assistant prelates1 the patriarchs1 the archbishops1 and the bishops1 with vestments and mitres of gold1 the ,camerieri segreti partecipanti in violet silk1 the ,camerieri partecipanti of the cape and the sword in black velvet ,renascence costumes1 with ruffs and golden chains1 the whole innumerable ecclesiastical and laical suite1 which not even a hundred pages of the 8,gerarchia0 can completely enumerate1 the prothonotaries1 the chaplains1 the prelates of every class and degree1 without mentioning the military household1 the gendarmes with their busbies1 the ,palatine ,guards in blue trousers and black tunics1 the ,swiss ,guards costumed in red1 yellow1 and black1 with breastplates of silver1 suggesting the men at arms of some drama of the ,romantic school1 and the ,noble ,guards1 superb in their high boots1 white pigskins1 red tunics1 gold lace1 epaulets1 and helmets6 ,however1 since ,rome had become the capital of ,italy the doors were no longer thrown wide open2 on the rare occasions when the ,pope yet came down to officiate1 to show himself as the supreme representative of the ,divinity on earth1 the basilica was filled with chosen ones4 ,to enter it you needed a card of invitation4 ,you no longer saw the people--a throng of fifty1 even eighty1 thousand ,christians--flocking to the ,church and swarming within it promiscuously2 there was but a select gathering1 a congregation of friends convened as for a private function4 ,even when1 by dint of effort1 thousands were collected together there1 they formed but a picked audience invited to the performance of a monster concert4 99 ,the chair and stage are known by that name4--,trans4 ,and as ,pierre strolled among the bright1 crude marbles in that cold if gorgeous museum1 the feeling grew upon him that he was in some pagan temple raised to the deity of ,light and ,pomp4 ,the larger temples of ancient ,rome were certainly similar piles1 upheld by the same precious columns1 with walls covered with the same polychromatic marbles and vaulted ceilings having the same gilded panels4 ,and his feeling was destined to become yet more acute after his visits to the other basilicas1 which could but reveal the truth to him4 ,first one found the ,christian ,church quietly1 audaciously quartering itself in a pagan church1 as1 for instance1 ,san ,lorenzo in ,miranda installed in the temple of ,antoninus and ,faustina1 and retaining the latter's rare porticus in cipollino marble and its handsome white marble entablature4 ,then there was the ,christian ,church springing from the ruins of the destroyed pagan edifice1 as1 for example1 ,san ,clemente1 beneath which centuries of contrary beliefs are stratified3 a very ancient edifice of the time of the kings or the republic1 then another of the days of the empire identified as a temple of ,mithras1 and next a basilica of the primitive faith4 ,then1 too1 there was the ,christian ,church1 typified by that of ,saint ,agnes-beyond-the-walls which had been built on exactly the same pattern as the ,roman secular basilica--that ,tribunal and ,exchange which accompanied every ,forum4 ,and1 in particular1 there was the ,christian ,church erected with material stolen from the demolished pagan temples4 ,to this testified the sixteen superb columns of that same ,saint ,agnes1 columns of various marbles filched from various gods2 the one and twenty columns of ,santa ,maria in ,trastevere1 columns of all sorts of orders torn from a temple of ,isis and ,serapis1 who even now are represented on their capitals2 also the six and thirty white marble ,ionic columns of ,santa ,maria ,maggiore derived from the temple of ,juno ,lucina2 and the two and twenty columns of ,santa ,maria in ,ara ,coeli1 these varying in substance1 size1 and workmanship1 and certain of them said to have been stolen from ,jove himself1 from the famous temple of ,jupiter ,capitolinus which rose upon the sacred summit4 ,in addition1 the temples of the opulent ,imperial period seemed to resuscitate in our times at ,san ,giovanni in ,laterano and ,san ,paolo-fuori-le-mura4 ,was not that ,basilica of ,san ,giovanni--8the ,mother and ,head of all the churches of the city and the earth0--like the abode of honour of some pagan divinity whose splendid kingdom was of this world8 ,it boasted five naves1 parted by four rows of columns2 it was a profusion of bas-reliefs1 friezes1 and entablatures1 and its twelve colossal statues of the ,apostles looked like subordinate deities lining the approach to the master of the gods6 ,and did not ,san ,paolo1 lately completed1 its new marbles shimmering like mirrors1 recall the abode of the ,olympian immortals1 typical temple as it was with its majestic colonnade1 its flat1 gilt-panelled ceiling1 its marble pavement incomparably beautiful both in substance and workmanship1 its violet columns with white bases and capitals1 and its white entablature with violet frieze3 everywhere1 indeed1 you found1 the mingling of those two colours so divinely carnal in their harmony4 ,and there1 as at ,st4 ,peter's1 not one patch of gloom1 not one nook of mystery where one might peer into the invisible1 could be found6 ,and1 withal1 ,st4 ,peter's remained the monster1 the colossus1 larger than the largest of all others1 an extravagant testimony of what the mad passion for the huge can achieve when human pride1 by dint of spending millions1 dreams of lodging the divinity in an over-vast1 over-opulent palace of stone1 where in truth that pride itself1 and not the divinity1 triumphs6 ,and to think that after long centuries that gala colossus had been the outcome of the fervour of primitive faith6 ,you found there a blossoming of that ancient sap1 peculiar to the soil of ,rome1 which in all ages has thrown up preposterous edifices1 of exaggerated hugeness and dazzling and ruinous luxury4 ,it would seem as if the absolute masters successively ruling the city brought that passion for cyclopean building with them1 derived it from the soil in which they grew1 for they transmitted it one to the other1 without a pause1 from civilisation to civilisation1 however diverse and contrary their minds4 ,it has all been1 so to say1 a continuous blossoming of human vanity1 a passionate desire to set one's name on an imperishable wall1 and1 after being master of the world1 to leave behind one an indestructible trace1 a tangible proof of one's passing glory1 an eternal edifice of bronze and marble fit to attest that glory until the end of time4 ,at the bottom the spirit of conquest1 the proud ambition to dominate the world1 subsists2 and when all has crumbled1 and a new society has sprung up from the ruins of its predecessor1 men have erred in imagining it to be cured of the sin of pride1 steeped in humility once more1 for it has had the old blood in its veins1 and has yielded to the same insolent madness as its ancestors1 a prey to all the violence of its heredity directly it has become great and strong4 ,among the illustrious popes there has not been one that did not seek to build1 did not revert to the traditions of the ,caesars1 eternising their reigns in stone and raising temples for resting-places1 so as to rank among the gods4 ,ever the same passion for terrestrial immortality has burst forth3 it has been a battle as to who should leave the highest1 most substantial1 most gorgeous monument2 and so acute has been the disease that those who1 for lack of means and opportunity1 have been unable to build1 and have been forced to content themselves with repairing1 have1 nevertheless1 desired to bequeath the memory of their modest achievements to subsequent generations by commemorative marble slabs engraved with pompous inscriptions6 ,these slabs are to be seen on every side3 not a wall has ever been strengthened but some pope has stamped it with his arms1 not a ruin has been restored1 not a palace repaired1 not a fountain cleaned1 but the reigning pope has signed the work with his ,roman and pagan title of 8,pontifex ,maximus40 ,it is a haunting passion1 a form of involuntary debauchery1 the fated florescence of that compost of ruins1 that dust of edifices whence new edifices are ever arising4 ,and given the perversion with which the old ,roman soil almost immediately tarnished the doctrines of ,jesus1 that resolute passion for domination and that desire for terrestrial glory which wrought the triumph of ,catholicism in scorn of the humble and pure1 the fraternal and simple ones of the primitive ,church1 one may well ask whether ,rome has ever been ,christian at all6 ,and whilst ,pierre was for the second time walking round the huge basilica1 admiring the tombs of the popes1 truth1 like a sudden illumination1 burst upon him and filled him with its glow4 ,ah6 those tombs6 ,yonder in the full sunlight1 in the rosy ,campagna1 on either side of the ,appian ,way--that triumphal approach to ,rome1 conducting the stranger to the august ,palatine with its crown of circling palaces--there arose the gigantic tombs of the powerful and wealthy1 tombs of unparalleled artistic splendour1 perpetuating in marble the pride and pomp of a strong race that had mastered the world4 ,then1 near at hand1 beneath the sod1 in the shrouding night of wretched mole-holes1 other tombs were hidden--the tombs of the lowly1 the poor1 and the suffering--tombs destitute of art or display1 but whose very humility proclaimed that a breath of affection and resignation had passed by1 that ,one had come preaching love and fraternity1 the relinquishment of the wealth of the earth for the everlasting joys of a future life1 and committing to the soil the good seed of ,his ,gospel1 sowing the new humanity which was to transform the olden world4 ,and1 behold1 from that seed1 buried in the soil for centuries1 behold1 from those humble1 unobtrusive tombs1 where martyrs slept their last and gentle sleep whilst waiting for the glorious call1 yet other tombs had sprung1 tombs as gigantic and as pompous as the ancient1 destroyed sepulchres of the idolaters1 tombs uprearing their marbles among a pagan-temple-like splendour1 proclaiming the same superhuman pride1 the same mad passion for universal sovereignty4 ,at the time of the ,renascence ,rome became pagan once more2 the old imperial blood frothed up and swept ,christianity away with the greatest onslaught ever directed against it4 ,ah6 those tombs of the popes at ,st4 ,peter's1 with their impudent1 insolent glorification of the departed1 their sumptuous1 carnal hugeness1 defying death and setting immortality upon this earth4 ,there are giant popes of bronze1 allegorical figures and angels of equivocal character wearing the beauty of lovely girls1 of passion-compelling women with the thighs and the breasts of pagan goddesses6 ,paul ,,iii is seated on a high pedestal1 ,justice and ,prudence are almost prostrate at his feet4 ,urban ,,viii is between ,prudence and ,religion1 ,innocent ,,xi between ,religion and ,justice1 ,innocent ,,xii between ,justice and ,charity1 ,gregory ,,xiii between ,religion and ,strength4 ,attended by ,prudence and ,justice1 ,alexander ,,vii appears kneeling1 with ,charity and ,truth before him1 and a skeleton rises up displaying an empty hour-glass4 ,clement ,,xiii1 also on his knees1 triumphs above a monumental sarcophagus1 against which leans ,religion bearing the ,cross2 while the ,genius of ,death1 his elbow resting on the right-hand corner1 has two huge1 superb lions1 emblems of omnipotence1 beneath him4 ,bronze bespeaks the eternity of the figures1 white marble describes opulent flesh1 and coloured marble winds around in rich draperies1 deifying the monuments under the bright1 golden glow of nave and aisles4 ,and ,pierre passed from one tomb to the other on his way through the magnificent1 deserted1 sunlit basilica4 ,yes1 these tombs1 so imperial in their ostentation1 were meet companions for those of the ,appian ,way4 ,assuredly it was ,rome1 the soil of ,rome1 that soil where pride and domination sprouted like the herbage of the fields that had transformed the humble ,christianity of primitive times1 the religion of fraternity1 justice1 and hope into what it now was3 victorious ,catholicism1 allied to the rich and powerful1 a huge implement of government1 prepared for the conquest of every nation4 ,the popes had awoke as ,caesars4 ,remote heredity had acted1 the blood of ,augustus had bubbled forth afresh1 flowing through their veins and firing their minds with immeasurable ambition4 ,as yet none but ,augustus had held the empire of the world1 had been both emperor and pontiff1 master of the body and the soul4 ,and thence had come the eternal dream of the popes in despair at only holding the spiritual power1 and obstinately refusing to yield in temporal matters1 clinging for ever to the ancient hope that their dream might at last be realised1 and the ,vatican become another ,palatine1 whence they might reign with absolute despotism over all the conquered nations4 ,,vi4 ,,pierre had been in ,rome for a fortnight1 and yet the affair of his book was no nearer solution4 ,he was still possessed by an ardent desire to see the ,pope1 but could in no wise tell how to satisfy it1 so frequent were the delays and so greatly had he been frightened by ,monsignor ,nani's predictions of the dire consequences which might attend any imprudent action4 ,and so1 foreseeing a prolonged sojourn1 he at last betook himself to the ,vicariate in order that his 8celebret0 might be stamped1 and afterwards said his mass each morning at the ,church of ,santa ,brigida1 where he received a kindly greeting from ,abb ,pisoni1 ,benedetta's former confessor4 ,one ,monday evening he resolved to repair early to ,donna ,serafina's customary reception in the hope of learning some news and expediting his affairs4 ,perhaps ,monsignor ,nani would look in2 perhaps he might be lucky enough to come across some cardinal or domestic prelate willing to help him4 ,it was in vain that he had tried to extract any positive information from ,don ,vigilio1 for1 after a short spell of affability and willingness1 ,cardinal ,pio's secretary had relapsed into distrust and fear1 and avoided ,pierre as if he were resolved not to meddle in a business which1 all considered1 was decidedly suspicious and dangerous4 ,moreover1 for a couple of days past a violent attack of fever had compelled him to keep his room4 ,thus the only person to whom ,pierre could turn for comfort was ,victorine ,bosquet1 the old ,beauceronne servant who had been promoted to the rank of housekeeper1 and who still retained a ,french heart after thirty years' residence in ,rome4 ,she often spoke to the young priest of ,auneau1 her native place1 as if she had left it only the previous day2 but on that particular ,monday even she had lost her wonted gay vivacity1 and when she heard that he meant to go down in the evening to see the ladies she wagged her head significantly4 8,ah6 you won't find them very cheerful10 said she4 8,my poor ,benedetta is greatly worried4 ,her divorce suit is not progressing at all well40 ,all ,rome1 indeed1 was again talking of this affair4 ,an extraordinary revival of tittle-tattle had set both white and black worlds agog4 ,and so there was no need for reticence on ,victorine's part1 especially in conversing with a compatriot4 ,it appeared1 then1 that1 in reply to ,advocate ,morano's memoir setting forth that the marriage had not been consummated1 there had come another memoir1 a terrible one1 emanating from ,monsignor ,palma1 a doctor in theology1 whom the ,congregation of the ,council had selected to defend the marriage4 ,as a first point1 ,monsignor ,palma flatly disputed the alleged non-consummation1 questioned the certificate put forward on ,benedetta's behalf1 and quoted instances recorded in scientific text-books which showed how deceptive appearances often were4 ,he strongly insisted1 moreover1 on the narrative which ,count ,prada supplied in another memoir1 a narrative well calculated to inspire doubt2 and1 further1 he so turned and twisted the evidence of ,benedetta's own maid as to make that evidence also serve against her4 ,finally he argued in a decisive way that1 even supposing the marriage had not been consummated1 this could only be ascribed to the resistance of the ,countess1 who had thus set at defiance one of the elementary laws of married life1 which was that a wife owed obedience to her husband4 ,next had come a fourth memoir1 drawn up by the reporter of the ,congregation1 who analysed and discussed the three others1 and subsequently the ,congregation itself had dealt with the matter1 opining in favour of the dissolution of the marriage by a majority of one vote--such a bare majority1 indeed1 that ,monsignor ,palma1 exercising his rights1 had hastened to demand further inquiry1 a course which brought the whole procdure again into question1 and rendered a fresh vote necessary4 8,ah6 the poor ,contessina60 exclaimed ,victorine1 8she'll surely die of grief1 for1 calm as she may seem1 there's an inward fire consuming her4 ,it seems that ,monsignor ,palma is the master of the situation1 and can make the affair drag on as long as he likes4 ,and then a deal of money had already been spent1 and one will have to spend a lot more4 ,abb ,pisoni1 whom you know1 was very badly inspired when he helped on that marriage2 and though ,i certainly don't want to soil the memory of my good mistress1 ,countess ,ernesta1 who was a real saint1 it's none the less true that she wrecked her daughter's life when she gave her to ,count ,prada40 ,the housekeeper paused4 ,then1 impelled by an instinctive sense of justice1 she resumed4 8,it's only natural that ,count ,prada should be annoyed1 for he's really being made a fool of4 ,and1 for my part1 as there is no end to all the fuss1 and this divorce is so hard to obtain1 ,i really don't see why the ,contessina shouldn't live with her ,dario without troubling any further4 ,haven't they loved one another ever since they were children8 ,aren't they both young and handsome1 and wouldn't they be happy together1 whatever the world might say8 ,happiness1 mon ,dieu6 one finds it so seldom that one can't afford to let it pass40 ,then1 seeing how greatly surprised ,pierre was at hearing such language1 she began to laugh with the quiet composure of one belonging to the humble classes of ,france1 whose only desire is a quiet and happy life1 irrespective of matrimonial ties4 ,next1 in more discreet language1 she proceeded to lament another worry which had fallen on the household1 another result of the divorce affair4 ,a rupture had come about between ,donna ,serafina and ,advocate ,morano1 who was very displeased with the ill success of his memoir to the congregation1 and accused ,father ,lorenza--the confessor of the ,boccanera ladies--of having urged them into a deplorable lawsuit1 whose only fruit could be a wretched scandal affecting everybody4 ,and so great had been ,morano's annoyance that he had not returned to the ,boccanera mansion1 but had severed a connection of thirty years' standing1 to the stupefaction of all the ,roman drawing-rooms1 which altogether disapproved of his conduct4 ,donna ,serafina was1 for her part1 the more grieved as she suspected the advocate of having purposely picked the quarrel in order to secure an excuse for leaving her2 his real motive1 in her estimation1 being a sudden1 disgraceful passion for a young and intriguing woman of the middle classes4 ,that ,monday evening1 when ,pierre entered the drawing-room1 hung with yellow brocatelle of a flowery ,louis ,,xiv pattern1 he at once realised that melancholy reigned in the dim light radiating from the lace-veiled lamps4 ,benedetta and ,celia1 seated on a sofa1 were chatting with ,dario1 whilst ,cardinal ,sarno1 ensconced in an arm-chair1 listened to the ceaseless chatter of the old relative who conducted the little ,princess to each ,monday gathering4 ,and the only other person present was ,donna ,serafina1 seated all alone in her wonted place on the right-hand side of the chimney-piece1 and consumed with secret rage at seeing the chair on the left-hand side unoccupied--that chair which ,morano had always taken during the thirty years that he had been faithful to her4 ,pierre noticed with what anxious and then despairing eyes she observed his entrance1 her glance ever straying towards the door1 as though she even yet hoped for the fickle one's return4 ,withal her bearing was erect and proud2 she seemed to be more tightly laced than ever2 and there was all the wonted haughtiness on her hard-featured face1 with its jet-black eyebrows and snowy hair4 ,pierre had no sooner paid his respects to her than he allowed his own worry to appear by inquiring whether they would not have the pleasure of seeing ,monsignor ,nani that evening4 ,thereupon ,donna ,serafina could not refrain from answering3 8,oh6 ,monsignor ,nani is forsaking us like the others4 ,people always take themselves off when they can be of service40 ,she harboured a spite against the prelate for having done so little to further the divorce in spite of his many promises4 ,beneath his outward show of extreme willingness and caressing affability he doubtless concealed some scheme of his own which he was tenaciously pursuing4 ,however1 ,donna ,serafina promptly regretted the confession which anger had wrung from her1 and resumed3 8,after all1 he will perhaps come4 ,he is so good-natured1 and so fond of us40 ,in spite of the vivacity of her temperament she really wished to act diplomatically1 so as to overcome the bad luck which had recently set in4 ,her brother the ,cardinal had told her how irritated he was by the attitude of the ,congregation of the ,council2 he had little doubt that the frigid reception accorded to his niece's suit had been due in part to the desire of some of his brother cardinals to be disagreeable to him4 ,personally1 he desired the divorce1 as it seemed to him the only means of ensuring the perpetuation of the family2 for ,dario obstinately refused to marry any other woman than his cousin4 ,and thus there was an accumulation of disasters2 the ,cardinal was wounded in his pride1 his sister shared his sufferings and on her own side was stricken in the heart1 whilst both lovers were plunged in despair at finding their hopes yet again deferred4 ,as ,pierre approached the sofa where the young folks were chatting he found that they were speaking of the catastrophe4 8,why should you be so despondent80 asked ,celia in an undertone4 8,after all1 there was a majority of a vote in favour of annulling the marriage4 ,your suit hasn't been rejected2 there is only a delay40 ,but ,benedetta shook her head4 8,no1 no6 ,if ,monsignor ,palma proves obstinate his ,holiness will never consent4 ,it's all over40 8,ah6 if one were only rich1 very rich60 murmured ,dario1 with such an air of conviction that no one smiled4 ,and1 turning to his cousin1 he added in a whisper3 8,i must really have a talk with you4 ,we cannot go on living like this40 ,in a breath she responded3 8,yes1 you are right4 ,come down to-morrow evening at five4 ,i will be here alone40 ,then dreariness set in2 the evening seemed to have no end4 ,pierre was greatly touched by the evident despair of ,benedetta1 who as a rule was so calm and sensible4 ,the deep eyes which illumined her pure1 delicate1 infantile face were now blurred as by restrained tears4 ,he had already formed a sincere affection for her1 pleased as he was with her equable if somewhat indolent disposition1 the semblance of discreet good sense with which she veiled her soul of fire4 ,that ,monday even she certainly tried to smile while listening to the pretty secrets confided to her by ,celia1 whose love affairs were prospering far more than her own4 ,there was only one brief interval of general conversation1 and that was brought about by the little ,princess's aunt1 who1 suddenly raising her voice1 began to speak of the infamous manner in which the ,italian newspapers referred to the ,holy ,father4 ,never1 indeed1 had there been so much bad feeling between the ,vatican and the ,quirinal4 ,cardinal ,sarno felt so strongly on the subject that he departed from his wonted silence to announce that on the occasion of the sacrilegious festivities of the ,twentieth of ,september1 celebrating the capture of ,rome1 the ,pope intended to cast a fresh letter of protest in the face of all the ,christian powers1 whose indifference proved their complicity in the odious spoliation of the ,church4 8,yes1 indeed6 what folly to try and marry the ,pope and the ,king10 bitterly exclaimed ,donna ,serafina1 alluding to her niece's deplorable marriage4 ,the old maid now seemed quite beside herself2 it was already so late that neither ,monsignor ,nani nor anybody else was expected4 ,however1 at the unhoped-for sound of footsteps her eyes again brightened and turned feverishly towards the door4 ,but it was only to encounter a final disappointment4 ,the visitor proved to be ,narcisse ,habert1 who stepped up to her1 apologising for making so late a call4 ,it was ,cardinal ,sarno1 his uncle by marriage1 who had introduced him into this exclusive salon1 where he had received a cordial reception on account of his religious views1 which were said to be most uncompromising4 ,if1 however1 despite the lateness of the hour1 he had ventured to call there that evening1 it was solely on account of ,pierre1 whom he at once drew on one side4 8,i felt sure ,i should find you here10 he said4 8,just now ,i managed to see my cousin1 ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo1 and ,i have some good news for you4 ,he will see us to-morrow at about eleven in his rooms at the ,vatican40 ,then1 lowering his voice3 8,i think he will endeavour to conduct you to the ,holy ,father4 ,briefly1 the audience seems to me assured40 ,pierre was greatly delighted by this promised certainty1 which came to him so suddenly in that dreary drawing-room1 where for a couple of hours he had been gradually sinking into despair6 ,so at last a solution was at hand6 ,meantime ,narcisse1 after shaking hands with ,dario and bowing to ,benedetta and ,celia1 approached his uncle the ,cardinal1 who1 having rid himself of the old relation1 made up his mind to talk4 ,but his conversation was confined to the state of his health1 and the weather1 and sundry insignificant anecdotes which he had lately heard4 ,not a word escaped him respecting the thousand complicated matters with which he dealt at the ,propaganda4 ,it was as though1 once outside his office1 he plunged into the commonplace and the unimportant by way of resting from the anxious task of governing the world4 ,and after he had spoken for a time every one got up1 and the visitors took leave4 8,don't forget10 ,narcisse repeated to ,pierre1 8you will find me at the ,sixtine ,chapel to-morrow at ten4 ,and ,i will show you the ,botticellis before we go to our appointment40 ,at half-past nine on the following morning ,pierre1 who had come on foot1 was already on the spacious ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's2 and before turning to the right1 towards the bronze gate near one corner of ,bernini's colonnade1 he raised his eyes and lingered1 gazing at the ,vatican4 ,nothing to his mind could be less monumental than the jumble of buildings which1 without semblance of architectural order or regularity of any kind1 had grown up in the shadow cast by the dome of the basilica4 ,roofs rose one above the other and broad1 flat walls stretched out chance-wise1 just as wings and storeys had been added4 ,the only symmetry observable above the colonnade was that of the three sides of the court of ,san ,damaso1 where the lofty glass-work which now encloses the old loggie sparkled in the sun between the ruddy columns and pilasters1 suggesting1 as it were1 three huge conservatories4 ,and this was the most beautiful palace in the world1 the largest of all palaces1 comprising no fewer than eleven thousand apartments and containing the most admirable masterpieces of human genius6 ,but ,pierre1 disillusioned as he was1 had eyes only for the lofty faade on the right1 overlooking the piazza1 for he knew that the second-floor windows there were those of the ,pope's private apartments4 ,and he contemplated those windows for a long time1 and remembered having been told that the fifth one on the right was that of the ,pope's bed-room1 and that a lamp could always be seen burning there far into the night4 ,what was there1 too1 behind that gate of bronze which he saw before him--that sacred portal by which all the kingdoms of the world communicated with the kingdom of heaven1 whose august vicar had secluded himself behind those lofty1 silent walls8 ,from where he stood ,pierre gazed on that gate with its metal panels studded with large square-headed nails1 and wondered what it defended1 what it concealed1 what it shut off from the view1 with its stern1 forbidding air1 recalling that of the gate of some ancient fortress4 ,what kind of world would he find behind it1 what treasures of human charity jealously preserved in yonder gloom1 what revivifying hope for the new nations hungering for fraternity and justice8 ,he took pleasure in fancying1 in picturing the one holy pastor of humanity1 ever watching in the depths of that closed palace1 and1 while the nations strayed into hatred1 preparing all for the final reign of ,jesus1 and at last proclaiming the advent of that reign by transforming our democracies into the one great ,christian community promised by the ,saviour4 ,assuredly the world's future was being prepared behind that bronze portal2 assuredly it was that future which would issue forth4 ,but all at once ,pierre was amazed to find himself face to face with ,monsignor ,nani1 who had just left the ,vatican on his way to the neighbouring ,palace of the ,inquisition1 where1 as ,assessor1 he had his residence4 8,ah6 ,monsignor10 said ,pierre1 8,i am very pleased4 ,my friend ,monsieur ,habert is going to present me to his cousin1 ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo1 and ,i think ,i shall obtain the audience ,i so greatly desire40 ,monsignor ,nani smiled with his usual amiable yet keen expression4 8,yes1 yes1 ,i know40 ,but1 correcting himself as it were1 he added3 8,i share your satisfaction1 my dear son4 ,only1 you must be prudent40 ,and then1 as if fearing that the young priest might have understood by his first words that he had just seen ,monsignor ,gamba1 the most easily terrified prelate of the whole prudent pontifical family1 he related that he had been running about since an early hour on behalf of two ,french ladies1 who likewise were dying of a desire to see the ,pope4 ,however1 he greatly feared that the help he was giving them would not prove successful4 8,i will confess to you1 ,monsignor10 replied ,pierre1 8that ,i myself was getting very discouraged4 ,yes1 it is high time ,i should find a little comfort1 for my sojourn here is hardly calculated to brace my soul40 ,he went on in this strain1 allowing it to be seen that the sights of ,rome were finally destroying his faith4 ,such days as those which he had spent on the ,palatine and along the ,appian ,way1 in the ,catacombs and at ,st4 ,peter's1 grievously disturbed him1 spoilt his dream of ,christianity rejuvenated and triumphant4 ,he emerged from them full of doubt and growing lassitude1 having already lost much of his usually rebellious enthusiasm4 ,still smiling1 ,monsignor ,nani listened and nodded approvingly4 ,yes1 no doubt that was the fatal result4 ,he seemed to have foreseen it1 and to be well satisfied thereat4 8,at all events1 my dear son10 said he1 8everything is going on well1 since you are now certain that you will see his ,holiness40 8,that is true1 ,monsignor2 ,i have placed my only hope in the very just and perspicacious ,leo ,,xiii4 ,he alone can judge me1 since he alone can recognise in my book his own ideas1 which ,i think ,i have very faithfully set forth4 ,ah6 if he be willing he will1 in ,jesus' name and by democracy and science1 save this old world of ours60 ,pierre's enthusiasm was returning again1 and ,nani1 smiling more and more affably with his piercing eyes and thin lips1 again expressed approval3 8,certainly2 quite so1 my dear son4 ,you will speak to him1 you will see40 ,then as they both raised their heads and looked towards the ,vatican1 ,nani carried his amiability so far as to undeceive ,pierre with respect to the ,pope's bed-room4 ,no1 the window where a light was seen every evening was simply that of a landing where the gas was kept burning almost all night4 ,the window of his ,holiness's bed-chamber was the second one farther on4 ,then both relapsed into silence1 equally grave as they continued to gaze at the faade4 8,well1 till we meet again1 my dear son10 said ,nani at last4 8,you will tell me of your interview1 ,i hope40 ,as soon as ,pierre was alone he went in by the bronze portal1 his heart beating violently1 as if he were entering some redoubtable sanctuary where the future happiness of mankind was elaborated4 ,a sentry was on duty there1 a ,swiss guard1 who walked slowly up and down in a grey-blue cloak1 below which one only caught a glimpse of his baggy red1 black1 and yellow breeches2 and it seemed as if this cloak of sober hue were purposely cast over a disguise in order to conceal its strangeness1 which had become irksome4 ,then1 on the right-hand1 came the covered stairway conducting to the ,court of ,san ,damaso2 but to reach the ,sixtine ,chapel it was necessary to follow a long gallery1 with columns on either hand1 and ascend the royal staircase1 the ,scala ,regia4 ,and in this realm of the gigantic1 where every dimension is exaggerated and replete with overpowering majesty1 ,pierre's breath came short as he ascended the broad steps4 ,he was much surprised on entering the ,sixtine ,chapel1 for it at first seemed to him small1 a sort of rectangular and lofty hall1 with a delicate screen of white marble separating the part where guests congregate on the occasion of great ceremonies from the choir where the cardinals sit on simple oaken benches1 while the inferior prelates remain standing behind them4 ,on a low platform to the right of the soberly adorned altar is the pontifical throne2 while in the wall on the left opens the narrow singing gallery with its balcony of marble4 ,and for everything suddenly to spread out and soar into the infinite one must raise one's head1 allow one's eyes to ascend from the huge fresco of the ,last ,judgment1 occupying the whole of the end wall1 to the paintings which cover the vaulted ceiling down to the cornice extending between the twelve windows of white glass1 six on either hand4 ,fortunately there were only three or four quiet tourists there2 and ,pierre at once perceived ,narcisse ,habert occupying one of the cardinals' seats above the steps where the train-bearers crouch4 ,motionless1 and with his head somewhat thrown back1 the young man seemed to be in ecstasy4 ,but it was not the work of ,michael ,angelo that he thus contemplated4 ,his eyes never strayed from one of the earlier frescoes below the cornice2 and on recognising the priest he contented himself with murmuring3 8,ah6 my friend1 just look at the ,botticelli40 ,then1 with dreamy eyes1 he relapsed into a state of rapture4 ,pierre1 for his part1 had received a great shock both in heart and in mind1 overpowered as he was by the superhuman genius of ,michael ,angelo4 ,the rest vanished2 there only remained1 up yonder1 as in a limitless heaven1 the extraordinary creations of the master's art4 ,that which at first surprised one was that the painter should have been the sole artisan of the mighty work4 ,no marble cutters1 no bronze workers1 no gilders1 no one of another calling had intervened4 ,the painter with his brush had sufficed for all--for the pilasters1 columns1 and cornices of marble1 for the statues and the ornaments of bronze1 for the fleurons and roses of gold1 for the whole of the wondrously rich decorative work which surrounded the frescoes4 ,and ,pierre imagined ,michael ,angelo on the day when the bare vault was handed over to him1 covered with plaster1 offering only a flat white surface1 hundreds of square yards to be adorned4 ,and he pictured him face to face with that huge white page1 refusing all help1 driving all inquisitive folks away1 jealously1 violently shutting himself up alone with his gigantic task1 spending four and a half years in fierce solitude1 and day by day adding to his colossal work of creation4 ,ah6 that mighty work1 a task to fill a whole lifetime1 a task which he must have begun with quiet confidence in his own will and power1 drawing1 as it were1 an entire world from his brain and flinging it there with the ceaseless flow of creative virility in the full heyday of its omnipotence4 ,and ,pierre was yet more overcome when he began to examine these presentments of humanity1 magnified as by the eyes of a visionary1 overflowing in mighty sympathetic pages of cyclopean symbolisation4 ,royal grace and nobility1 sovereign peacefulness and power--every beauty shone out like natural florescence4 ,and there was perfect science1 the most audacious foreshortening risked with the certainty of success--an everlasting triumph of technique over the difficulty which an arched surface presented4 ,and1 in particular1 there was wonderful simplicity of medium2 matter was reduced almost to nothingness2 a few colours were used broadly without any studied search for effect or brilliancy4 ,yet that sufficed1 the blood seethed freely1 the muscles projected1 the figures became animated and stood out of their frames with such energy and dash that it seemed as if a flame were flashing by aloft1 endowing all those beings with superhuman and immortal life4 ,life1 aye1 it was life1 which burst forth and triumphed--mighty1 swarming life1 miraculous life1 the creation of one sole hand possessed of the supreme gift--simplicity blended with power4 ,that a philosophical system1 a record of the whole of human destiny1 should have been found therein1 with the creation of the world1 of man1 and of woman1 the fall1 the chastisement1 then the redemption1 and finally ,god's judgment on the last day--this was a matter on which ,pierre was unable to dwell1 at this first visit1 in the wondering stupor into which the paintings threw him4 ,but he could not help noticing how the human body1 its beauty1 its power1 and its grace were exalted6 ,ah6 that regal ,jehovah1 at once terrible and paternal1 carried off amid the whirlwind of his creation1 his arms outstretched and giving birth to worlds6 ,and that superb and nobly outlined ,adam1 with extended hand1 whom ,jehovah1 though he touch him not1 animates with his finger--a wondrous and admirable gesture1 leaving a sacred space between the finger of the ,creator and that of the created--a tiny space1 in which1 nevertheless1 abides all the infinite of the invisible and the mysterious4 ,and then that powerful yet adorable ,eve1 that ,eve with the sturdy flanks fit for the bearing of humanity1 that ,eve with the proud1 tender grace of a woman bent on being loved even to perdition1 that ,eve embodying the whole of woman with her fecundity1 her seductiveness1 her empire6 ,moreover1 even the decorative figures of the pilasters at the corners of the frescoes celebrate the triumph of the flesh3 there are the twenty young men radiant in their nakedness1 with incomparable splendour of torso and of limb1 and such intensity of life that a craze for motion seems to carry them off1 bend them1 throw them over in superb attitudes4 ,and between the windows are the giants1 the prophets and the sibyls--man and woman deified1 with inordinate wealth of muscle and grandeur of intellectual expression4 ,there is ,jeremiah with his elbow resting on his knee and his chin on his hand1 plunged as he is in reflection--in the very depths of his visions and his dreams2 there is the ,sibylla ,erithraea1 so pure of profile1 so young despite the opulence of her form1 and with one finger resting on the open book of destiny2 there is ,isaiah with the thick lips of truth1 virile and haughty1 his head half turned and his hand raised with a gesture of command2 there is the ,sibylla ,cumaea1 terrifying with her science and her old age1 her wrinkled countenance1 her vulture's nose1 her square protruding chin2 there is ,jonah cast forth by the whale1 and wondrously foreshortened1 his torso twisted1 his arms bent1 his head thrown back1 and his mouth agape and shouting3 and there are the others1 all of the same full-blown1 majestic family1 reigning with the sovereignty of eternal health and intelligence1 and typifying the dream of a broader1 loftier1 and indestructible humanity4 ,moreover1 in the lunettes and the arches over the windows other figures of grace1 power1 and beauty appear and throng1 the ancestors of the ,christ1 thoughtful mothers with lovely nude infants1 men with wondering eyes peering into the future1 representatives of the punished weary race longing for the promised ,redeemer2 while in the pendentives of the four corners various biblical episodes1 the victories of ,israel over the ,spirit of ,evil1 spring into life4 ,and finally there is the gigantic fresco at the far end1 the ,last ,judgment with its swarming multitude1 so numerous that days and days are needed to see each figure aright1 a distracted crowd1 full of the hot breath of life1 from the dead rising in response to the furious trumpeting of the angels1 from the fearsome groups of the damned whom the demons fling into hell1 even to ,jesus the justiciar1 surrounded by the saints and apostles1 and to the radiant concourse of the blessed who ascend upheld by angels1 whilst higher and still higher other angels1 bearing the instruments of the ,passion1 triumph as in full glory4 ,and yet1 above this gigantic composition1 painted thirty years subsequently1 in the full ripeness of age1 the ceiling retains its ethereality1 its unquestionable superiority1 for on it the artist bestowed all his virgin power1 his whole youth1 the first great flare of his genius4 ,and ,pierre found but one word to express his feelings3 ,michael ,angelo was the monster dominating and crushing all others4 ,beneath his immense achievement you had only to glance at the works of ,perugino1 ,pinturicchio1 ,roselli1 ,signorelli1 and ,botticelli1 those earlier frescoes1 admirable in their way1 which below the cornice spread out around the chapel4 ,narcisse for his part had not raised his eyes to the overpowering splendour of the ceiling4 ,wrapt in ecstasy1 he did not allow his gaze to stray from one of the three frescoes of ,botticelli4 8,ah6 ,botticelli10 he at last murmured2 8in him you have the elegance and the grace of the mysterious2 a profound feeling of sadness even in the midst of voluptuousness1 a divination of the whole modern soul1 with the most troublous charm that ever attended artist's work40 ,pierre glanced at him in amazement1 and then ventured to inquire3 8,you come here to see the ,botticellis80 8,yes1 certainly10 the young man quietly replied2 8,i only come here for him1 and five hours every week ,i only look at his work4 ,there1 just study that fresco1 ,moses and the daughters of ,jethro4 ,isn't it the most penetrating work that human tenderness and melancholy have produced80 ,then1 with a faint1 devout quiver in his voice and the air of a priest initiating another into the delightful but perturbing atmosphere of a sanctuary1 he went on repeating the praises of ,botticelli's art2 his women with long1 sensual1 yet candid faces1 supple bearing1 and rounded forms showing from under light drapery2 his young men1 his angels of doubtful sex1 blending stateliness of muscle with infinite delicacy of outline2 next the mouths he painted1 fleshy1 fruit-like mouths1 at times suggesting irony1 at others pain1 and often so enigmatical with their sinuous curves that one knew not whether the words they left unuttered were words of purity or filth2 then1 too1 the eyes which he bestowed on his figures1 eyes of languor and passion1 of carnal or mystical rapture1 their joy at times so instinct with grief as they peer into the nihility of human things that no eyes in the world could be more impenetrable4 ,and finally there were ,botticelli's hands1 so carefully and delicately painted1 so full of life1 wantoning so to say in a free atmosphere1 now joining1 caressing1 and even1 as it were1 speaking1 the whole evincing such intense solicitude for gracefulness that at times there seems to be undue mannerism1 though every hand has its particular expression1 each varying expression of the enjoyment or pain which the sense of touch can bring4 ,and yet there was nothing effeminate or false about the painter's work3 on all sides a sort of virile pride was apparent1 an atmosphere of superb passionate motion1 absolute concern for truth1 direct study from life1 conscientiousness1 veritable realism1 corrected and elevated by a genial strangeness of feeling and character that imparted a never-to-be-forgotten charm even to ugliness itself4 ,pierre's stupefaction1 however1 increased as he listened to ,narcisse1 whose somewhat studied elegance1 whose curly hair cut in the ,florentine fashion1 and whose blue1 mauvish eyes paling with enthusiasm he now for the first time remarked4 8,botticelli10 he at last said1 8was no doubt a marvellous artist1 only it seems to me that here1 at any rate1 ,michael ,angelo--0 ,but ,narcisse interrupted him almost with violence4 8,no6 no6 ,don't talk of him6 ,he spoilt everything1 ruined everything6 ,a man who harnessed himself to his work like an ox1 who laboured at his task like a navvy1 at the rate of so many square yards a day6 ,and a man1 too1 with no sense of the mysterious and the unknown1 who saw everything so huge as to disgust one with beauty1 painting girls like the trunks of oak-trees1 women like giant butchers1 with heaps and heaps of stupid flesh1 and never a gleam of a divine or infernal soul6 ,he was a mason--a colossal mason1 if you like--but he was nothing more40 ,weary 8modern0 that ,narcisse was1 spoilt by the pursuit of the original and the rare1 he thus unconsciously gave rein to his fated hate of health and power4 ,that ,michael ,angelo who brought forth without an effort1 who had left behind him the most prodigious of all artistic creations1 was the enemy4 ,and his crime precisely was that he had created life1 produced life in such excess that all the petty creations of others1 even the most delightful among them1 vanished in presence of the overflowing torrent of human beings flung there all alive in the sunlight4 8,well1 for my part10 ,pierre courageously declared1 8,i'm not of your opinion4 ,i now realise that life is everything in art2 that real immortality belongs only to those who create4 ,the case of ,michael ,angelo seems to me decisive1 for he is the superhuman master1 the monster who overwhelms all others1 precisely because he brought forth that magnificent living flesh which offends your sense of delicacy4 ,those who are inclined to the curious1 those who have minds of a pretty turn1 whose intellects are ever seeking to penetrate things1 may try to improve on the equivocal and invisible1 and set all the charm of art in some elaborate stroke or symbolisation2 but1 none the less1 ,michael ,angelo remains the all-powerful1 the maker of men1 the master of clearness1 simplicity1 and health40 ,at this ,narcisse smiled with indulgent and courteous disdain4 ,and he anticipated further argument by remarking3 8,it's already eleven4 ,my cousin was to have sent a servant here as soon as he could receive us4 ,i am surprised to have seen nobody as yet4 ,shall we go up to see the stanze of ,raffaelle while we wait80 ,once in the rooms above1 he showed himself perfect1 both lucid in his remarks and just in his appreciations1 having recovered all his easy intelligence as soon as he was no longer upset by his hatred of colossal labour and cheerful decoration4 ,it was unfortunate that ,pierre should have first visited the ,sixtine ,chapel2 for it was necessary he should forget what he had just seen and accustom himself to what he now beheld in order to enjoy its pure beauty4 ,it was as if some potent wine had confused him1 and prevented any immediate relish of a lighter vintage of delicate fragrance4 ,admiration did not here fall upon one with lightning speed2 it was slowly1 irresistibly that one grew charmed4 ,and the contrast was like that of ,racine beside ,corneille1 ,lamartine beside ,hugo1 the eternal pair1 the masculine and feminine genius coupled through centuries of glory4 ,with ,raffaelle it is nobility1 grace1 exquisiteness1 and correctness of line1 and divineness of harmony that triumph4 ,you do not find in him merely the materialist symbolism so superbly thrown off by ,michael ,angelo2 he introduces psychological analysis of deep penetration into the painter's art4 ,man is shown more purified1 idealised2 one sees more of that which is within him4 ,and though one may be in presence of an artist of sentimental bent1 a feminine genius whose quiver of tenderness one can feel1 it is also certain that admirable firmness of workmanship confronts one1 that the whole is very strong and very great4 ,pierre gradually yielded to such sovereign masterliness1 such virile elegance1 such a vision of supreme beauty set in supreme perfection4 ,but if the 8,dispute on the ,sacrament0 and the so-called 8,school of ,athens10 both prior to the paintings of the ,sixtine ,chapel1 seemed to him to be ,raffaelle's masterpieces1 he felt that in the 8,burning of the ,borgo10 and particularly in the 8,expulsion of ,heliodorus from the ,temple10 and 8,pope ,st4 ,leo staying ,attila at the ,gates of ,rome10 the artist had lost the flower of his divine grace1 through the deep impression which the overwhelming grandeur of ,michael ,angelo had wrought upon him4 ,how crushing indeed had been the blow when the ,sixtine ,chapel was thrown open and the rivals entered6 ,the creations of the monster then appeared1 and the greatest of the humanisers lost some of his soul at sight of them1 thenceforward unable to rid himself of their influence4 ,from the stanze ,narcisse took ,pierre to the loggie1 those glazed galleries which are so high and so delicately decorated4 ,but here you only find work which pupils executed after designs left by ,raffaelle at his death4 ,the fall was sudden and complete1 and never had ,pierre better understood that genius is everything--that when it disappears the school collapses4 ,the man of genius sums up his period2 at a given hour he throws forth all the sap of the social soil1 which afterwards remains exhausted often for centuries4 ,so ,pierre became more particularly interested in the fine view that the loggie afford1 and all at once he noticed that the papal apartments were in front of him1 just across the ,court of ,san ,damaso4 ,this court1 with its porticus1 fountain1 and white pavement1 had an aspect of empty1 airy1 sunlit solemnity which surprised him4 ,there was none of the gloom or pent-up religious mystery that he had dreamt of with his mind full of the surroundings of the old northern cathedrals4 ,right and left of the steps conducting to the rooms of the ,pope and the ,cardinal ,secretary of ,state four or five carriages were ranged1 the coachmen stiffly erect and the horses motionless in the brilliant light2 and nothing else peopled that vast square desert of a court which1 with its bareness gilded by the coruscations of its glass-work and the ruddiness of its stones1 suggested a pagan temple dedicated to the sun4 ,but what more particularly struck ,pierre was the splendid panorama of ,rome1 for he had not hitherto imagined that the ,pope from his windows could thus behold the entire city spread out before him as if he merely had to stretch forth his hand to make it his own once more4 ,while ,pierre contemplated the scene a sound of voices caused him to turn2 and he perceived a servant in black livery who1 after repeating a message to ,narcisse1 was retiring with a deep bow4 ,looking much annoyed1 the attach approached the young priest4 8,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo10 said he1 8has sent word that he can't see us this morning4 ,some unexpected duties require his presence40 ,however1 ,narcisse's embarrassment showed that he did not believe in the excuse1 but rather suspected some one of having so terrified his cousin that the latter was afraid of compromising himself4 ,obliging and courageous as ,habert himself was1 this made him indignant4 ,still he smiled and resumed3 8,listen1 perhaps there's a means of forcing an entry4 ,if your time is your own we can lunch together and then return to visit the ,museum of ,antiquities4 ,i shall certainly end by coming across my cousin and we may1 perhaps1 be lucky enough to meet the ,pope should he go down to the gardens40 ,at the news that his audience was yet again postponed ,pierre had felt keenly disappointed4 ,however1 as the whole day was at his disposal1 he willingly accepted the attach's offer4 ,they lunched in front of ,st4 ,peter's1 in a little restaurant of the ,borgo1 most of whose customers were pilgrims1 and the fare1 as it happened1 was far from good4 ,then at about two o'clock they set off for the museum1 skirting the basilica by way of the ,piazza della ,sagrestia4 ,it was a bright1 deserted1 burning district2 and again1 but in a far greater degree1 did the young priest experience that sensation of bare1 tawny1 sun-baked majesty which had come upon him while gazing into the ,court of ,san ,damaso4 ,then1 as he passed the apse of ,st4 ,peter's1 the enormity of the colossus was brought home to him more strongly than ever3 it rose like a giant bouquet of architecture edged by empty expanses of pavement sprinkled with fine weeds4 ,and in all the silent immensity there were only two children playing in the shadow of a wall4 ,the old papal mint1 the ,zecca1 now an ,italian possession1 and guarded by soldiers of the royal army1 is on the left of the passage leading to the museums1 while on the right1 just in front1 is one of the entrances of honour to the ,vatican where the papal ,swiss ,guard keeps watch and ward2 and this is the entrance by which1 according to etiquette1 the pair-horse carriages convey the ,pope's visitors into the ,court of ,san ,damaso4 ,following the long lane which ascends between a wing of the palace and its garden wall1 ,narcisse and ,pierre at last reached the ,museum of ,antiquities4 ,ah6 what a museum it is1 with galleries innumerable1 a museum compounded of three museums1 the ,pio-,clementino1 ,chiaramonti1 and the ,braccio-,nuovo1 and containing a whole world found beneath the soil1 then exhumed1 and now glorified in full sunlight4 ,for more than two hours ,pierre went from one hall to another1 dazzled by the masterpieces1 bewildered by the accumulation of genius and beauty4 ,it was not only the celebrated examples of statuary1 the ,laocoon and the ,apollo of the cabinets of the ,belvedere1 the ,meleager1 or even the torso of ,hercules--that astonished him4 ,he was yet more impressed by the ensemble1 by the innumerable quantities of ,venuses1 ,bacchuses1 and deified emperors and empresses1 by the whole superb growth of beautiful or ,august flesh celebrating the immortality of life4 ,three days previously he had visited the ,museum of the ,capitol1 where he had admired the ,venus1 the ,dying ,gaul199 the marvellous ,centaurs of black marble1 and the extraordinary collection of busts1 but here his admiration became intensified into stupor by the inexhaustible wealth of the galleries4 ,and1 with more curiosity for life than for art1 perhaps1 he again lingered before the busts which so powerfully resuscitate the ,rome of history--the ,rome which1 whilst incapable of realising the ideal beauty of ,greece1 was certainly well able to create life4 ,the emperors1 the philosophers1 the learned men1 the poets are all there1 and live such as they really were1 studied and portrayed in all scrupulousness with their deformities1 their blemishes1 the slightest peculiarities of their features4 ,and from this extreme solicitude for truth springs a wonderful wealth of character and an incomparable vision of the past4 ,nothing1 indeed1 could be loftier3 the very men live once more1 and retrace the history of their city1 that history which has been so falsified that the teaching of it has caused generations of school-boys to hold antiquity in horror4 ,but on seeing the men1 how well one understands1 how fully one can sympathise6 ,and indeed the smallest bits of marble1 the maimed statues1 the bas-reliefs in fragments1 even the isolated limbs--whether the divine arm of a nymph or the sinewy1 shaggy thigh of a satyr--evoke the splendour of a civilisation full of light1 grandeur1 and strength4 99 ,best known in ,england1 through ,byron's lines1 as the ,dying ,gladiator1 though that appellation is certainly erroneous4--,trans4 ,at last ,narcisse brought ,pierre back into the ,gallery of the ,candelabra1 three hundred feet in length and full of fine examples of sculpture4 8,listen1 my dear ,abb10 said he4 8,it is scarcely more than four o'clock1 and we will sit down here for a while1 as ,i am told that the ,holy ,father sometimes passes this way to go down to the gardens4 ,it would be really lucky if you could see him1 perhaps even speak to him--who can tell8 ,at all events1 it will rest you1 for you must be tired out40 ,narcisse was known to all the attendants1 and his relationship to ,monsignor ,gamba gave him the run of almost the entire ,vatican1 where he was fond of spending his leisure time4 ,finding two chairs1 they sat down1 and the attach again began to talk of art4 ,how astonishing had been the destiny of ,rome1 what a singular1 borrowed royalty had been hers6 ,she seemed like a centre whither the whole world converged1 but where nothing grew from the soil itself1 which from the outset appeared to be stricken with sterility4 ,the arts required to be acclimatised there2 it was necessary to transplant the genius of neighbouring nations1 which1 once there1 however1 flourished magnificently4 ,under the emperors1 when ,rome was the queen of the earth1 the beauty of her monuments and sculpture came to her from ,greece4 ,later1 when ,christianity arose in ,rome1 it there remained impregnated with paganism2 it was on another soil that it produced ,gothic art1 the ,christian ,art par excellence4 ,later still1 at the ,renascence1 it was certainly at ,rome that the age of ,julius ,,ii and ,leo ,x shone forth2 but the artists of ,tuscany and ,umbria prepared the evolution1 brought it to ,rome that it might thence expand and soar4 ,for the second time1 indeed1 art came to ,rome from without1 and gave her the royalty of the world by blossoming so triumphantly within her walls4 ,then occurred the extraordinary awakening of antiquity1 ,apollo and ,venus resuscitated worshipped by the popes themselves1 who from the time of ,nicholas ,v dreamt of making papal ,rome the equal of the imperial city4 ,after the precursors1 so sincere1 tender1 and strong in their art--,fra ,angelico1 ,perugino1 ,botticelli1 and so many others--came the two sovereigns1 ,michael ,angelo and ,raffaelle1 the superhuman and the divine4 ,then the fall was sudden1 years elapsed before the advent of ,caravaggio with power of colour and modelling1 all that the science of painting could achieve when bereft of genius4 ,and afterwards the decline continued until ,bernini was reached--,bernini1 the real creator of the ,rome of the present popes1 the prodigal child who at twenty could already show a galaxy of colossal marble wenches1 the universal architect who with fearful activity finished the faade1 built the colonnade1 decorated the interior of ,st4 ,peter's1 and raised fountains1 churches1 and palaces innumerable4 ,and that was the end of all1 for since then ,rome has little by little withdrawn from life1 from the modern world1 as though she1 who always lived on what she derived from others1 were dying of her inability to take anything more from them in order to convert it to her own glory4 8,ah6 ,bernini1 that delightful ,bernini60 continued ,narcisse with his rapturous air4 8,he is both powerful and exquisite1 his verve always ready1 his ingenuity invariably awake1 his fecundity full of grace and magnificence4 ,as for their ,bramante with his masterpiece1 that cold1 correct ,cancelleria1 we'll dub him the ,michael ,angelo and ,raffaelle of architecture and say no more about it4 ,but ,bernini1 that exquisite ,bernini1 why1 there is more delicacy and refinement in his pretended bad taste than in all the hugeness and perfection of the others6 ,our own age ought to recognise itself in his art1 at once so varied and so deep1 so triumphant in its mannerisms1 so full of a perturbing solicitude for the artificial and so free from the baseness of reality4 ,just go to the ,villa ,borghese to see the group of ,apollo and ,daphne which ,bernini executed when he was eighteen199 and in particular see his statue of ,santa ,teresa in ecstasy at ,santa ,maria della ,vittoria6 ,ah6 that ,santa ,teresa6 ,it is like heaven opening1 with the quiver that only a purely divine enjoyment can set in woman's flesh1 the rapture of faith carried to the point of spasm1 the creature losing breath and dying of pleasure in the arms of the ,divinity6 ,i have spent hours and hours before that work without exhausting the infinite scope of its precious1 burning symbolisation40 99 ,there is also at the ,villa ,borghese ,bernini's ,anchises carried by ,aeneas1 which he sculptured when only sixteen4 ,no doubt his faults were many2 but it was his misfortune to belong to a decadent period4--,trans4 ,narcisse's voice died away1 and ,pierre1 no longer astonished at his covert1 unconscious hatred of health1 simplicity1 and strength1 scarcely listened to him4 ,the young priest himself was again becoming absorbed in the idea he had formed of pagan ,rome resuscitating in ,christian ,rome and turning it into ,catholic ,rome1 the new political1 sacerdotal1 domineering centre of earthly government4 ,apart from the primitive age of the ,catacombs1 had ,rome ever been ,christian8 ,the thoughts that had come to him on the ,palatine1 in the ,appian ,way1 and in ,st4 ,peter's were gathering confirmation4 ,genius that morning had brought him fresh proof4 ,no doubt the paganism which reappeared in the art of ,michael ,angelo and ,raffaelle was tempered1 transformed by the ,christian spirit4 ,but did it not still remain the basis8 ,had not the former master peered across ,olympus when snatching his great nudities from the terrible heavens of ,jehovah8 ,did not the ideal figures of ,raffaelle reveal the superb1 fascinating flesh of ,venus beneath the chaste veil of the ,virgin8 ,it seemed so to ,pierre1 and some embarrassment mingled with his despondency1 for all those beautiful forms glorifying the ardent passions of life1 were in opposition to his dream of rejuvenated ,christianity giving peace to the world and reviving the simplicity and purity of the early ages4 ,all at once he was surprised to hear ,narcisse1 by what transition he could not tell1 speaking to him of the daily life of ,leo ,,xiii4 8,yes1 my dear ,abb1 at eighty-four99 the ,holy ,father shows the activity of a young man and leads a life of determination and hard work such as neither you nor ,i would care for6 ,at six o'clock he is already up1 says his mass in his private chapel1 and drinks a little milk for breakfast4 ,then1 from eight o'clock till noon1 there is a ceaseless procession of cardinals and prelates1 all the affairs of the congregations passing under his eyes1 and none could be more numerous or intricate4 ,at noon the public and collective audiences usually begin4 ,at two he dines4 ,then comes the siesta which he has well earned1 or else a promenade in the gardens until six o'clock4 ,the private audiences then sometimes keep him for an hour or two4 ,he sups at nine and scarcely eats1 lives on nothing1 in fact1 and is always alone at his little table4 ,what do you think1 eh1 of the etiquette which compels him to such loneliness8 ,there you have a man who for eighteen years has never had a guest at his table1 who day by day sits all alone in his grandeur6 ,and as soon as ten o'clock strikes1 after saying the ,rosary with his familiars1 he shuts himself up in his room4 ,but1 although he may go to bed1 he sleeps very little2 he is frequently troubled by insomnia1 and gets up and sends for a secretary to dictate memoranda or letters to him4 ,when any interesting matter requires his attention he gives himself up to it heart and soul1 never letting it escape his thoughts4 ,and his life1 his health1 lies in all this4 ,his mind is always busy2 his will and strength must always be exerting themselves4 ,you may know that he long cultivated ,latin verse with affection2 and ,i believe that in his days of struggle he had a passion for journalism1 inspired the articles of the newspapers he subsidised1 and even dictated some of them when his most cherished ideas were in question40 99 ,the reader should remember that the period selected for this narrative is the year #ahid4 ,leo ,,xiii was born in #ahaj4--,trans4 ,silence fell4 ,at every moment ,narcisse craned his neck to see if the little papal cortge were not emerging from the ,gallery of the ,tapestries to pass them on its way to the gardens4 8,you are perhaps aware10 he resumed1 8that his ,holiness is brought down on a low chair which is small enough to pass through every doorway4 ,it's quite a journey1 more than a mile1 through the loggie1 the stanze of ,raffaelle1 the painting and sculpture galleries1 not to mention the numerous staircases1 before he reaches the gardens1 where a pair-horse carriage awaits him4 ,it's quite fine this evening1 so he will surely come4 ,we must have a little patience40 ,whilst ,narcisse was giving these particulars ,pierre again sank into a reverie and saw the whole extraordinary history pass before him4 ,first came the worldly1 ostentatious popes of the ,renascence1 those who resuscitated antiquity with so much passion and dreamt of draping the ,holy ,see with the purple of empire once more4 ,there was ,paul ,,ii1 the magnificent ,venetian who built the ,palazzo di ,venezia2 ,sixtus ,,iv1 to whom one owes the ,sixtine ,chapel2 and ,julius ,,ii and ,leo ,x1 who made ,rome a city of theatrical pomp1 prodigious festivities1 tournaments1 ballets1 hunts1 masquerades1 and banquets4 ,at that time the papacy had just rediscovered ,olympus amidst the dust of buried ruins1 and as though intoxicated by the torrent of life which arose from the ancient soil1 it founded the museums1 thus reviving the superb temples of the pagan age1 and restoring them to the cult of universal admiration4 ,never had the ,church been in such peril of death1 for if the ,christ was still honoured at ,st4 ,peter's1 ,jupiter and all the other gods and goddesses1 with their beauteous1 triumphant flesh1 were enthroned in the halls of the ,vatican4 ,then1 however1 another vision passed before ,pierre1 one of the modern popes prior to the ,italian occupation--notably ,pius ,,ix1 who1 whilst yet free1 often went into his good city of ,rome4 ,his huge red and gold coach was drawn by six horses1 surrounded by ,swiss ,guards and followed by ,noble ,guards2 but now and again he would alight in the ,corso1 and continue his promenade on foot1 and then the mounted men of the escort galloped forward to give warning and stop the traffic4 ,the carriages drew up1 the gentlemen had to alight and kneel on the pavement1 whilst the ladies simply rose and devoutly inclined their heads1 as the ,holy ,father1 attended by his ,court1 slowly wended his way to the ,piazza del ,popolo1 smiling and blessing at every step4 ,and now had come ,leo ,,xiii1 the voluntary prisoner1 shut up in the ,vatican for eighteen years1 and he1 behind the high1 silent walls1 in the unknown sphere where each of his days flowed by so quietly1 had acquired a more exalted majesty1 instinct with sacred and redoubtable mysteriousness4 ,ah6 that ,pope whom you no longer meet or see1 that ,pope hidden from the common of mankind like some terrible divinity whom the priests alone dare to approach6 ,it is in that sumptuous ,vatican which his forerunners of the ,renascence built and adorned for giant festivities that he has secluded himself2 it is there he lives1 far from the crowd1 in prison with the handsome men and the lovely women of ,michael ,angelo and ,raffaelle1 with the gods and goddesses of marble1 with the whole of resplendent ,olympus celebrating around him the religion of life and light4 ,with him the entire ,papacy is there steeped in paganism4 ,what a spectacle when the slender1 weak old man1 all soul1 so purely white1 passes along the galleries of the ,museum of ,antiquities on his way to the gardens4 ,right and left the statues behold him pass with all their bare flesh4 ,there is ,jupiter1 there is ,apollo1 there is ,venus the dominatrix1 there is ,pan1 the universal god in whose laugh the joys of earth ring out4 ,nereids bathe in transparent water4 ,bacchantes roll1 unveiled1 in the warm grass4 ,centaurs gallop by carrying lovely girls1 faint with rapture1 on their steaming haunches4 ,ariadne is surprised by ,bacchus1 ,ganymede fondles the eagle1 ,adonis fires youth and maiden with his flame4 ,and on and on passes the weak1 white old man1 swaying on his low chair1 amidst that splendid triumph1 that display and glorification of the flesh1 which shouts aloud the omnipotence of ,nature1 of everlasting matter6 ,since they have found it again1 exhumed it1 and honoured it1 that it is which once more reigns there imperishable2 and in vain have they set vine leaves on the statues1 even as they have swathed the huge figures of ,michael ,angelo2 sex still flares on all sides1 life overflows1 its germs course in torrents through the veins of the world4 ,near by1 in that ,vatican library of incomparable wealth1 where all human science lies slumbering1 there lurks a yet more terrible danger--the danger of an explosion which would sweep away everything1 ,vatican and ,st4 ,peter's also1 if one day the books in their turn were to awake and speak aloud as speak the beauty of ,venus and the manliness of ,apollo4 ,but the white1 diaphanous old man seems neither to see nor to hear1 and the huge heads of ,jupiter1 the trunks of ,hercules1 the equivocal statues of ,antinous continue to watch him as he passes on6 ,however1 ,narcisse had become impatient1 and1 going in search of an attendant1 he learnt from him that his ,holiness had already gone down4 ,to shorten the distance1 indeed1 the cortge often passes along a kind of open gallery leading towards the ,mint4 8,well1 let us go down as well10 said ,narcisse to ,pierre2 8,i will try to show you the gardens40 ,down below1 in the vestibule1 a door of which opened on to a broad path1 he spoke to another attendant1 a former pontifical soldier whom he personally knew4 ,the man at once let him pass with ,pierre1 but was unable to tell him whether ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo had accompanied his ,holiness that day4 8,no matter10 resumed ,narcisse when he and his companion were alone in the path2 8,i don't despair of meeting him--and these1 you see1 are the famous gardens of the ,vatican40 ,they are very extensive grounds1 and the ,pope can go quite two and a half miles by passing along the paths of the wood1 the vineyard1 and the kitchen garden4 ,occupying the plateau of the ,vatican hill1 which the medieval wall of ,leo ,,iv still girdles1 the gardens are separated from the neighbouring valleys as by a fortified rampart4 ,the wall formerly stretched to the castle of ,sant' ,angelo1 thereby forming what was known as the ,leonine ,city4 ,no inquisitive eyes can peer into the grounds excepting from the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 which casts its huge shadow over them during the hot summer weather4 ,they are1 too1 quite a little world1 which each pope has taken pleasure in embellishing4 ,there is a large parterre with lawns of geometrical patterns1 planted with handsome palms and adorned with lemon and orange trees in pots2 there is a less formal1 a shadier garden1 where1 amidst deep plantations of yoke-elms1 you find ,giovanni ,vesanzio's fountain1 the ,aquilone1 and ,pius ,,iv's old ,casino2 then1 too1 there are the woods with their superb evergreen oaks1 their thickets of plane-trees1 acacias1 and pines1 intersected by broad avenues1 which are delightfully pleasant for leisurely strolls2 and finally1 on turning to the left1 beyond other clumps of trees1 come the kitchen garden and the vineyard1 the last well tended4 ,whilst walking through the wood ,narcisse told ,pierre of the life led by the ,holy ,father in these gardens4 ,he strolls in them every second day when the weather allows4 ,formerly the popes left the ,vatican for the ,quirinal1 which is cooler and healthier1 as soon as ,may arrived2 and spent the dog days at ,castle ,gandolfo on the margins of the ,lake of ,albano4 ,but nowadays the only summer residence possessed by his ,holiness is a virtually intact tower of the old rampart of ,leo ,,iv4 ,he here spends the hottest days1 and has even erected a sort of pavilion beside it for the accommodation of his suite4 ,narcisse1 like one at home1 went in and secured permission for ,pierre to glance at the one room occupied by the ,pope1 a spacious round chamber with semispherical ceiling1 on which are painted the heavens with symbolical figures of the constellations2 one of the latter1 the lion1 having two stars for eyes--stars which a system of lighting causes to sparkle during the night4 ,the walls of the tower are so thick that after blocking up a window1 a kind of room1 for the accommodation of a couch1 has been contrived in the embrasure4 ,beside this couch the only furniture is a large work-table1 a dining-table with flaps1 and a large regal arm-chair1 a mass of gilding1 one of the gifts of the ,pope's episcopal jubilee4 ,and you dream of the days of solitude and perfect silence1 spent in that low donjon hall1 where the coolness of a tomb prevails whilst the heavy suns of ,august are scorching overpowered ,rome4 ,an astronomical observatory has been installed in another tower1 surmounted by a little white cupola1 which you espy amidst the greenery2 and under the trees there is also a ,swiss chalet1 where ,leo ,,xiii is fond of resting4 ,he sometimes goes on foot to the kitchen garden1 and takes much interest in the vineyard1 visiting it to see if the grapes are ripening and if the vintage will be a good one4 ,what most astonished ,pierre1 however1 was to learn that the ,holy ,father had been very fond of 8sport0 before age had weakened him4 ,he was indeed passionately addicted to bird snaring4 ,broad-meshed nets were hung on either side of a path on the fringe of a plantation1 and in the middle of the path were placed cages containing the decoys1 whose songs soon attracted all the birds of the neighbourhood--red-breasts1 white-throats1 black-caps1 nightingales1 fig-peckers of all sorts4 ,and when a numerous company of them was gathered together ,leo ,,xiii1 seated out of sight and watching1 would suddenly clap his hands and startle the birds1 which flew up and were caught by the wings in the meshes of the nets4 ,all that then remained to be done was to take them out of the nets and stifle them by a touch of the thumb4 ,roast fig-peckers are delicious499 99 ,perhaps so2 but what a delightful pastime for the ,vicar of the ,divinity6--,trans4 ,as ,pierre came back through the wood he had another surprise4 ,he suddenly lighted on a 8,grotto of ,lourdes10 a miniature imitation of the original1 built of rocks and blocks of cement4 ,and such was his emotion at the sight that he could not conceal it4 8,it's true1 then60 said he4 8,i was told of it1 but ,i thought that the ,holy ,father was of loftier mind--free from all such base superstitions60 8,oh60 replied ,narcisse1 8,i fancy that the grotto dates from ,pius ,,ix1 who evinced especial gratitude to our ,lady of ,lourdes4 ,at all events1 it must be a gift1 and ,leo ,,xiii simply keeps it in repair40 ,for a few moments ,pierre remained motionless and silent before that imitation grotto1 that childish plaything4 ,some zealously devout visitors had left their visiting cards in the cracks of the cement-work6 ,for his part1 he felt very sad1 and followed his companion with bowed head1 lamenting the wretched idiocy of the world4 ,then1 on emerging from the wood1 on again reaching the parterre1 he raised his eyes4 ,ah6 how exquisite in spite of everything was that decline of a lovely day1 and what a victorious charm ascended from the soil in that part of the gardens4 ,there1 in front of that bare1 noble1 burning parterre1 far more than under the languishing foliage of the wood or among the fruitful vines1 ,pierre realised the strength of ,nature4 ,above the grass growing meagrely over the compartments of geometrical pattern which the pathways traced there were barely a few low shrubs1 dwarf roses1 aloes1 rare tufts of withering flowers4 ,some green bushes still described the escutcheon of ,pius ,,ix in accordance with the strange taste of former times4 ,and amidst the warm silence one only heard the faint crystalline murmur of the water trickling from the basin of the central fountain4 ,but all ,rome1 its ardent heavens1 sovereign grace1 and conquering voluptuousness1 seemed with their own soul to animate this vast rectangular patch of decorative gardening1 this mosaic of verdure1 which in its semi-abandonment and scorched decay assumed an aspect of melancholy pride1 instinct with the ever returning quiver of a passion of fire that could not die4 ,some antique vases and statues1 whitely nude under the setting sun1 skirted the parterres4 ,and above the aroma of eucalyptus and of pine1 stronger even than that of the ripening oranges1 there rose the odour of the large1 bitter box-shrubs1 so laden with pungent life that it disturbed one as one passed as if indeed it were the very scent of the fecundity of that ancient soil saturated with the dust of generations4 8,it's very strange that we have not met his ,holiness10 exclaimed ,narcisse4 8,perhaps his carriage took the other path through the wood while we were in the tower40 ,then1 reverting to ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo1 the attach explained that the functions of ,copiere1 or papal cup-bearer1 which his cousin should have discharged as one of the four ,camerieri segreti partecipanti had become purely honorary since the dinners offered to diplomatists or in honour of newly consecrated bishops had been given by the ,cardinal ,secretary of ,state4 ,monsignor ,gamba1 whose cowardice and nullity were legendary1 seemed therefore to have no other rle than that of enlivening ,leo ,,xiii1 whose favour he had won by his incessant flattery and the anecdotes which he was ever relating about both the black and the white worlds4 ,indeed this fat1 amiable man1 who could even be obliging when his interests were not in question1 was a perfect newspaper1 brimful of tittle-tattle1 disdaining no item of gossip whatever1 even if it came from the kitchens4 ,and thus he was quietly marching towards the cardinalate1 certain of obtaining the hat without other exertion than that of bringing a budget of gossip to beguile the pleasant hours of the promenade4 ,and ,heaven knew that he was always able to garner an abundant harvest of news in that closed ,vatican swarming with prelates of every kind1 in that womanless pontifical family of old begowned bachelors1 all secretly exercised by vast ambitions1 covert and revolting rivalries1 and ferocious hatreds1 which1 it is said1 are still sometimes carried as far as the good old poison of ancient days4 ,all at once ,narcisse stopped4 8,ah60 he exclaimed1 8,i was certain of it4 ,there's the ,holy ,father6 ,but we are not in luck4 ,he won't even see us2 he is about to get into his carriage again40 ,as he spoke a carriage drew up at the verge of the wood1 and a little cortge emerging from a narrow path1 went towards it4 ,pierre felt as if he had received a great blow in the heart4 ,motionless beside his companion1 and half hidden by a lofty vase containing a lemon-tree1 it was only from a distance that he was able to see the white old man1 looking so frail and slender in the wavy folds of his white cassock1 and walking so very slowly with short1 gliding steps4 ,the young priest could scarcely distinguish the emaciated face of old diaphanous ivory1 emphasised by a large nose which jutted out above thin lips4 ,however1 the ,pontiff's black eyes were glittering with an inquisitive smile1 while his right ear was inclined towards ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo1 who was doubtless finishing some story at once rich and short1 flowery and dignified4 ,and on the left walked a ,noble ,guard2 and two other prelates followed4 ,it was but a familiar apparition2 ,leo ,,xiii was already climbing into the closed carriage4 ,and ,pierre1 in the midst of that large1 odoriferous1 burning garden1 again experienced the singular emotion which had come upon him in the ,gallery of the ,candelabra while he was picturing the ,pope on his way between the ,apollos and ,venuses radiant in their triumphant nudity4 ,there1 however1 it was only pagan art which had celebrated the eternity of life1 the superb1 almighty powers of ,nature4 ,but here he had beheld the ,pontiff steeped in ,nature itself1 in ,nature clad in the most lovely1 most voluptuous1 most passionate guise4 ,ah6 that ,pope1 that old man strolling with his ,divinity of grief1 humility1 and renunciation along the paths of those gardens of love1 in the languid evenings of the hot summer days1 beneath the caressing scents of pine and eucalyptus1 ripe oranges1 and tall1 acrid box-shrubs6 ,the whole atmosphere around him proclaimed the powers of the great god ,pan4 ,how pleasant was the thought of living there1 amidst that magnificence of heaven and of earth1 of loving the beauty of woman and of rejoicing in the fruitfulness of all6 ,and suddenly the decisive truth burst forth that from a land of such joy and light it was only possible for a temporal religion of conquest and political domination to rise2 not the mystical1 pain-fraught religion of the ,north--the religion of the soul6 ,however1 ,narcisse led the young priest away1 telling him other anecdotes as they went--anecdotes of the occasional bonhomie of ,leo ,,xiii1 who would stop to chat with the gardeners1 and question them about the health of the trees and the sale of the oranges4 ,and he also mentioned the ,pope's former passion for a pair of gazelles1 sent him from ,africa1 two graceful creatures which he had been fond of caressing1 and at whose death he had shed tears4 ,but ,pierre no longer listened4 ,when they found themselves on the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's1 he turned round and gazed at the ,vatican once more4 ,his eyes had fallen on the gate of bronze1 and he remembered having wondered that morning what there might be behind these metal panels ornamented with big nails4 ,and he did not yet dare to answer the question1 and decide if the new nations thirsting for fraternity and justice would really find there the religion necessary for the democracies of to-morrow2 for he had not been able to probe things1 and only carried a first impression away with him4 ,but how keen it was1 and how ill it boded for his dreams6 ,a gate of bronze6 ,yes1 a hard1 impregnable gate1 so completely shutting the ,vatican off from the rest of the world that nothing new had entered the palace for three hundred years4 ,behind that portal the old centuries1 as far as the sixteenth1 remained immutable4 ,time seemed to have stayed its course there for ever2 nothing more stirred2 the very costumes of the ,swiss ,guards1 the ,noble ,guards1 and the prelates themselves were unchanged2 and you found yourself in the world of three hundred years ago1 with its etiquette1 its costumes1 and its ideas4 ,that the popes in a spirit of haughty protest should for five and twenty years have voluntarily shut themselves up in their palace was already regrettable2 but this imprisonment of centuries within the past1 within the grooves of tradition1 was far more serious and dangerous4 ,it was all ,catholicism which was thus imprisoned1 whose dogmas and sacerdotal organisation were obstinately immobilised4 ,perhaps1 in spite of its apparent flexibility1 ,catholicism was really unable to yield in anything1 under peril of being swept away1 and therein lay both its weakness and its strength4 ,and then what a terrible world was there1 how great the pride and ambition1 how numerous the hatreds and rivalries6 ,and how strange the prison1 how singular the company assembled behind the bars--the ,crucified by the side of ,jupiter ,capitolinus1 all pagan antiquity fraternising with the ,apostles1 all the splendours of the ,renascence surrounding the pastor of the ,gospel who reigns in the name of the humble and the poor6 ,the sun was sinking1 the gentle1 luscious sweetness of the ,roman evenings was falling from the limpid heavens1 and after that splendid day spent with ,michael ,angelo1 ,raffaelle1 the ancients1 and the ,pope1 in the finest palace of the world1 the young priest lingered1 distracted1 on the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's4 8,well1 you must excuse me1 my dear ,abb10 concluded ,narcisse4 8,but ,i will now confess to you that ,i suspect my worthy cousin of a fear that he might compromise himself by meddling in your affair4 ,i shall certainly see him again1 but you will do well not to put too much reliance on him40 ,it was nearly six o'clock when ,pierre got back to the ,boccanera mansion4 ,as a rule1 he passed in all modesty down the lane1 and entered by the little side door1 a key of which had been given him4 ,but he had that morning received a letter from ,m4 de la ,choue1 and desired to communicate it to ,benedetta4 ,so he ascended the grand staircase1 and on reaching the anteroom was surprised to find nobody there4 ,as a rule1 whenever the man-servant went out ,victorine installed herself in his place and busied herself with some needlework4 ,her chair was there1 and ,pierre even noticed some linen which she had left on a little table when probably summoned elsewhere4 ,then1 as the door of the first reception-room was ajar1 he at last ventured in4 ,it was almost night there already1 the twilight was softly dying away1 and all at once the young priest stopped short1 fearing to take another step1 for1 from the room beyond1 the large yellow salon1 there came a murmur of feverish1 distracted words1 ardent entreaties1 fierce panting1 a rustling and a shuffling of footsteps4 ,and suddenly ,pierre no longer hesitated1 urged on despite himself by the conviction that the sounds he heard were those of a struggle1 and that some one was hard pressed4 ,and when he darted into the further room he was stupefied1 for ,dario was there1 no longer showing the degenerate elegance of the last scion of an exhausted race1 but maddened by the hot1 frantic blood of the ,boccaneras which had bubbled up within him4 ,he had clasped ,benedetta by the shoulders in a frenzy of passion and was scorching her face with his hot1 entreating words3 8,but since you say1 my darling1 that it is all over1 that your marriage will never be dissolved--oh6 why should we be wretched for ever6 ,love me as you do love me1 and let me love you--let me love you60 ,but the ,contessina1 with an indescribable expression of tenderness and suffering on her tearful face1 repulsed him with her outstretched arms1 she likewise evincing a fierce energy as she repeated3 8,no1 no2 ,i love you1 but it must not1 it must not be40 ,at that moment1 amidst the roar of his despair1 ,dario became conscious that some one was entering the room4 ,he turned and gazed at ,pierre with an expression of stupefied insanity1 scarce able even to recognise him4 ,then he carried his two hands to his face1 to his bloodshot eyes and his cheeks wet with scalding tears1 and fled1 heaving a terrible1 pain-fraught sigh in which baffled passion mingled with grief and repentance4 ,benedetta seated herself1 breathing hard1 her strength and courage wellnigh exhausted4 ,but as ,pierre1 too much embarrassed to speak1 turned towards the door1 she addressed him in a calmer voice3 8,no1 no1 ,monsieur l',abb1 do not go away--sit down1 ,i pray you2 ,i should like to speak to you for a moment40 ,he thereupon thought it his duty to account for his sudden entrance1 and explained that he had found the door of the first salon ajar1 and that ,victorine was not in the ante-room1 though he had seen her work lying on the table there4 8,yes10 exclaimed the ,contessina1 8,victorine ought to have been there2 ,i saw her there but a short time ago4 ,and when my poor ,dario lost his head ,i called her4 ,why did she not come80 ,then1 with sudden expansion1 leaning towards ,pierre1 she continued3 8,listen1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i will tell you what happened1 for ,i don't want you to form too bad an opinion of my poor ,dario4 ,it was all in some measure my fault4 ,last night he asked me for an appointment here in order that we might have a quiet chat1 and as ,i knew that my aunt would be absent at this time to-day ,i told him to come4 ,it was only natural--wasn't it8--that we should want to see one another and come to an agreement after the grievous news that my marriage will probably never be annulled4 ,we suffer too much1 and must form a decision4 ,and so when he came this evening we began to weep and embrace1 mingling our tears together4 ,i kissed him again and again1 telling him how ,i adored him1 how bitterly grieved ,i was at being the cause of his sufferings1 and how surely ,i should die of grief at seeing him so unhappy4 ,ah6 no doubt ,i did wrong2 ,i ought not to have caught him to my heart and embraced him as ,i did1 for it maddened him1 ,monsieur l',abb2 he lost his head1 and would have made me break my vow to the ,blessed ,virgin40 ,she spoke these words in all tranquillity and simplicity1 without sign of embarrassment1 like a young and beautiful woman who is at once sensible and practical4 ,then she resumed3 8,oh6 ,i know my poor ,dario well1 but it does not prevent me from loving him2 perhaps1 indeed1 it only makes me love him the more4 ,he looks delicate1 perhaps rather sickly1 but in truth he is a man of passion4 ,yes1 the old blood of my people bubbles up in him4 ,i know something of it myself1 for when ,i was a child ,i sometimes had fits of angry passion which left me exhausted on the floor1 and even now1 when the gusts arise within me1 ,i have to fight against myself and torture myself in order that ,i may not act madly4 ,but my poor ,dario does not know how to suffer4 ,he is like a child whose fancies must be gratified4 ,and yet at bottom he has a good deal of common sense2 he waits for me because he knows that the only real happiness lies with the woman who adores him40 ,as ,pierre listened he was able to form a more precise idea of the young prince1 of whose character he had hitherto had but a vague perception4 ,whilst dying of love for his cousin1 ,dario had ever been a man of pleasure4 ,though he was no doubt very amiable1 the basis of his temperament was none the less egotism4 ,and1 in particular1 he was unable to endure suffering2 he loathed suffering1 ugliness1 and poverty1 whether they affected himself or others4 ,both his flesh and his soul required gaiety1 brilliancy1 show1 life in the full sunlight4 ,and withal he was exhausted1 with no strength left him but for the idle life he led1 so incapable of thought and will that the idea of joining the new rgime had not even occurred to him4 ,yet he had all the unbounded pride of a ,roman2 sagacity--a keen1 practical perception of the real--was mingled with his indolence2 while his inveterate love of woman1 more frequently displayed in charm of manner1 burst forth at times in attacks of frantic sensuality4 8,after all he is a man10 concluded ,benedetta in a low voice1 8and ,i must not ask impossibilities of him40 ,then1 as ,pierre gazed at her1 his notions of ,italian jealousy quite upset1 she exclaimed1 aglow with passionate adoration3 8,no1 no4 ,situated as we are1 ,i am not jealous4 ,i know very well that he will always return to me1 and that he will be mine alone whenever ,i please1 whenever it may be possible40 ,silence followed2 shadows were filling the room1 the gilding of the large pier tables faded away1 and infinite melancholy fell from the lofty1 dim ceiling and the old hangings1 yellow like autumn leaves4 ,but soon1 by some chance play of the waning light1 a painting stood out above the sofa on which the ,contessina was seated4 ,it was the portrait of the beautiful young girl with the turban--,cassia ,boccanera the forerunner1 the amorosa and avengeress4 ,again was ,pierre struck by the portrait's resemblance to ,benedetta1 and1 thinking aloud1 he resumed3 8,passion always proves the stronger2 there invariably comes a moment when one succumbs--0 ,but ,benedetta violently interrupted him3 8,i6 ,i6 ,ah6 you do not know me2 ,i would rather die60 ,and with extraordinary exaltation1 all aglow with love1 as if her superstitious faith had fired her passion to ecstasy1 she continued3 8,i have vowed to the ,madonna that ,i will belong to none but the man ,i love1 and to him only when he is my husband4 ,and hitherto ,i have kept that vow1 at the cost of my happiness1 and ,i will keep it still1 even if it cost me my life6 ,yes1 we will die1 my poor ,dario and ,i1 if it be necessary2 but the holy ,virgin has my vow1 and the angels shall not weep in heaven60 ,she was all in those words1 her nature all simplicity1 intricate1 inexplicable though it might seem4 ,she was doubtless swayed by that idea of human nobility which ,christianity has set in renunciation and purity2 a protest1 as it were1 against eternal matter1 against the forces of ,nature1 the everlasting fruitfulness of life4 ,but there was more than this2 she reserved herself1 like a divine and priceless gift1 to be bestowed on the one being whom her heart had chosen1 he who would be her lord and master when ,god should have united them in marriage4 ,for her everything lay in the blessing of the priest1 in the religious solemnisation of matrimony4 ,and thus one understood her long resistance to ,prada1 whom she did not love1 and her despairing1 grievous resistance to ,dario1 whom she did love1 but who was not her husband4 ,and how torturing it was for that soul of fire to have to resist her love2 how continual was the combat waged by duty in the ,virgin's name against the wild1 passionate blood of her race6 ,ignorant1 indolent though she might be1 she was capable of great fidelity of heart1 and1 moreover1 she was not given to dreaming3 love might have its immaterial charms1 but she desired it complete4 ,as ,pierre looked at her in the dying twilight he seemed to see and understand her for the first time4 ,the duality of her nature appeared in her somewhat full1 fleshy lips1 in her big black eyes1 which suggested a dark1 tempestuous night illumined by flashes of lightning1 and in the calm1 sensible expression of the rest of her gentle1 infantile face4 ,and1 withal1 behind those eyes of flame1 beneath that pure1 candid skin1 one divined the internal tension of a superstitious1 proud1 and self-willed woman1 who was obstinately intent on reserving herself for her one love4 ,and ,pierre could well understand that she should be adored1 that she should fill the life of the man she chose with passion1 and that to his own eyes she should appear like the younger sister of that lovely1 tragic ,cassia who1 unwilling to survive the blow that had rendered self-bestowal impossible1 had flung herself into the ,tiber1 dragging her brother ,ercole and the corpse of her lover ,flavio with her4 ,however1 with a gesture of kindly affection ,benedetta caught hold of ,pierre's hands4 8,you have been here a fortnight1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8and ,i have come to like you very much1 for ,i feel you to be a friend4 ,if at first you do not understand us1 at least pray do not judge us too severely4 ,ignorant as ,i may be1 ,i always strive to act for the best1 ,i assure you40 ,pierre was greatly touched by her affectionate graciousness1 and thanked her whilst for a moment retaining her beautiful hands in his own1 for he also was becoming much attached to her4 ,a fresh dream was carrying him off1 that of educating her1 should he have the time1 or1 at all events1 of not returning home before winning her soul over to his own ideas of future charity and fraternity4 ,did not that adorable1 unoccupied1 indolent1 ignorant creature1 who only knew how to defend her love1 personify the ,italy of yesterday8 ,the ,italy of yesterday1 so lovely and so sleepy1 instinct with a dying grace1 charming one even in her drowsiness1 and retaining so much mystery in the fathomless depths of her black1 passionate eyes6 ,and what a rle would be that of awakening her1 instructing her1 winning her over to truth1 making her the rejuvenated ,italy of to-morrow such as he had dreamt of6 ,even in that disastrous marriage with ,count ,prada he tried to see merely a first attempt at revival which had failed1 the modern ,italy of the ,north being over-hasty1 too brutal in its eagerness to love and transform that gentle1 belated ,rome which was yet so superb and indolent4 ,but might he not take up the task8 ,had he not noticed that his book1 after the astonishment of the first perusal1 had remained a source of interest and reflection with ,benedetta amidst the emptiness of her days given over to grief8 ,what6 was it really possible that she might find some appeasement for her own wretchedness by interesting herself in the humble1 in the happiness of the poor8 ,emotion already thrilled her at the idea1 and he1 quivering at the thought of all the boundless love that was within her and that she might bestow1 vowed to himself that he would draw tears of pity from her eyes4 ,but the night had now almost completely fallen1 and ,benedetta rose to ask for a lamp4 ,then1 as ,pierre was about to take leave1 she detained him for another moment in the gloom4 ,he could no longer see her2 he only heard her grave voice3 8,you will not go away with too bad an opinion of us1 will you1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,we love one another1 ,dario and ,i1 and that is no sin when one behaves as one ought4 ,ah6 yes1 ,i love him1 and have loved him for years4 ,i was barely thirteen1 he was eighteen1 and we already loved one another wildly in those big gardens of the ,villa ,montefiori which are now all broken up4 ,ah6 what days we spent there1 whole afternoons among the trees1 hours in secret hiding-places1 where we kissed like little angels4 ,when the oranges ripened their perfume intoxicated us4 ,and the large box-plants1 ah1 ,dio6 how they enveloped us1 how their strong1 acrid scent made our hearts beat6 ,i can never smell then nowadays without feeling faint60 ,a man-servant brought in the lamp1 and ,pierre ascended to his room4 ,but when half-way up the little staircase he perceived ,victorine1 who started slightly1 as if she had posted herself there to watch his departure from the salon4 ,and now1 as she followed him up1 talking and seeking for information1 he suddenly realised what had happened4 8,why did you not go to your mistress instead of running off10 he asked1 8when she called you1 while you were sewing in the ante-room80 ,at first she tried to feign astonishment and reply that she had heard nothing4 ,but her good-natured1 frank face did not know how to lie1 and she ended by confessing1 with a gay1 courageous air4 8,well10 she said1 8it surely wasn't for me to interfere between lovers6 ,besides1 my poor little ,benedetta is simply torturing herself to death with those ideas of hers4 ,why shouldn't they be happy1 since they love one another8 ,life isn't so amusing as some may think4 ,and how bitterly one regrets not having seized hold of happiness when the time for it has gone60 ,once alone in his room1 ,pierre suddenly staggered1 quite overcome4 ,the great box-plants1 the great box-plants with their acrid1 perturbing perfume6 ,she1 ,benedetta1 like himself1 had quivered as she smelt them2 and he saw them once more in a vision of the pontifical gardens1 the voluptuous gardens of ,rome1 deserted1 glowing under the ,august sun4 ,and now his whole day crystallised1 assumed clear and full significance4 ,it spoke to him of the fruitful awakening1 of the eternal protest of ,nature and life1 ,venus and ,hercules1 whom one may bury for centuries beneath the soil1 but who1 nevertheless1 one day arise from it1 and though one may seek to wall them up within the domineering1 stubborn1 immutable ,vatican1 reign yet even there1 and rule the whole1 wide world with sovereign power6 ,,part ,,iii4 ,,vii4 ,on the following day as ,pierre1 after a long ramble1 once more found himself in front of the ,vatican1 whither a harassing attraction ever led him1 he again encountered ,monsignor ,nani4 ,it was a ,wednesday evening1 and the ,assessor of the ,holy ,office had just come from his weekly audience with the ,pope1 whom he had acquainted with the proceedings of the ,congregation at its meeting that morning4 8,what a fortunate chance1 my dear sir10 said he2 8,i was thinking of you4 ,would you like to see his ,holiness in public while you are waiting for a private audience80 ,nani had put on his pleasant expression of smiling civility1 beneath which one would barely detect the faint irony of a superior man who knew everything1 prepared everything1 and could do everything4 8,why1 yes1 ,monsignor10 ,pierre replied1 somewhat astonished by the abruptness of the offer4 8,anything of a nature to divert one's mind is welcome when one loses one's time in waiting40 8,no1 no1 you are not losing your time10 replied the prelate4 8,you are looking round you1 reflecting1 and enlightening yourself4 ,well1 this is the point4 ,you are doubtless aware that the great international pilgrimage of the ,peter's ,pence ,fund will arrive in ,rome on ,friday1 and be received on ,saturday by his ,holiness4 ,on ,sunday1 moreover1 the ,holy ,father will celebrate mass at the ,basilica4 ,well1 ,i have a few cards left1 and here are some very good places for both ceremonies40 ,so saying he produced an elegant little pocketbook bearing a gilt monogram and handed ,pierre two cards1 one green and the other pink4 8,if you only knew how people fight for them10 he resumed4 8,you remember that ,i told you of two ,french ladies who are consumed by a desire to see his ,holiness4 ,well1 ,i did not like to support their request for an audience in too pressing a way1 and they have had to content themselves with cards like these4 ,the fact is1 the ,holy ,father is somewhat fatigued at the present time4 ,i found him looking yellow and feverish just now4 ,but he has so much courage2 he nowadays only lives by force of soul40 ,then ,nani's smile came back with its almost imperceptible touch of derision as he resumed3 8,impatient ones ought to find a great example in him1 my dear son4 ,i heard that ,monsignor ,gamba del ,zoppo had been unable to help you4 ,but you must not be too much distressed on that account4 ,this long delay is assuredly a grace of ,providence in order that you may instruct yourself and come to understand certain things which you ,french priests do not1 unfortunately1 realise when you arrive in ,rome4 ,and perhaps it will prevent you from making certain mistakes4 ,come1 calm yourself1 and remember that the course of events is in the hands of ,god1 who1 in ,his sovereign wisdom1 fixes the hour for all things40 ,thereupon ,nani offered ,pierre his plump1 supple1 shapely hand1 a hand soft like a woman's but with the grasp of a vice4 ,and afterwards he climbed into his carriage1 which was waiting for him4 ,it so happened that the letter which ,pierre had received from ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue was a long cry of spite and despair in connection with the great international pilgrimage of the ,peter's ,pence ,fund4 ,the ,viscount wrote from his bed1 to which he was confined by a very severe attack of gout1 and his grief at being unable to come to ,rome was the greater as the ,president of the ,committee1 who would naturally present the pilgrims to the ,pope1 happened to be ,baron de ,fouras1 one of his most bitter adversaries of the old conservative1 ,catholic party4 ,m4 de la ,choue felt certain that the ,baron would profit by his opportunity to win the ,pope over to the theory of free corporations2 whereas he1 the ,viscount1 believed that the salvation of ,catholicism and the world could only be worked by a system in which the corporations should be closed and obligatory4 ,and so he urged ,pierre to exert himself with such cardinals as were favourable1 to secure an audience with the ,holy ,father whatever the obstacles1 and to remain in ,rome until he should have secured the ,pontiff's approbation1 which alone could decide the victory4 ,the letter further mentioned that the pilgrimage would be made up of a number of groups headed by bishops and other ecclesiastical dignitaries1 and would comprise three thousand people from ,france1 ,belgium1 ,spain1 ,austria1 and even ,germany4 ,two thousand of these would come from ,france alone4 ,an international committee had assembled in ,paris to organise everything and select the pilgrims1 which last had proved a delicate task1 as a representative gathering had been desired1 a commingling of members of the aristocracy1 sisterhood of middle-class ladies1 and associations of the working classes1 among whom all social differences would be forgotten in the union of a common faith4 ,and the ,viscount added that the pilgrimage would bring the ,pope a large sum of money1 and had settled the date of its arrival in the ,eternal ,city in such wise that it would figure as a solemn protest of the ,catholic world against the festivities of ,september #bj1 by which the ,quirinal had just celebrated the anniversary of the occupation of ,rome4 ,the reception of the pilgrimage being fixed for noon1 ,pierre in all simplicity thought that he would be sufficiently early if he reached ,st4 ,peter's at eleven4 ,the function was to take place in the ,hall of ,beatifications1 which is a large and handsome apartment over the portico1 and has been arranged as a chapel since #ahij4 ,one of its windows opens on to the central balcony1 whence the popes formerly blessed the people1 the city1 and the world4 ,to reach the apartment you pass through two other halls of audience1 the ,sala ,regia and ,sala ,ducale1 and when ,pierre wished to gain the place to which his green card entitled him he found both those rooms so extremely crowded that he could only elbow his way forward with the greatest difficulty4 ,for an hour already the three or four thousand people assembled there had been stifling1 full of growing emotion and feverishness4 ,at last the young priest managed to reach the threshold of the third hall1 but was so discouraged at sight of the extraordinary multitude of heads before him that he did not attempt to go any further4 ,the apartment1 which he could survey at a glance by rising on tip-toe1 appeared to him to be very rich of aspect1 with walls gilded and painted under a severe and lofty ceiling4 ,on a low platform1 where the altar usually stood1 facing the entry1 the pontifical throne had now been set3 a large arm-chair upholstered in red velvet with glittering golden back and arms2 whilst the hangings of the baldacchino1 also of red velvet1 fell behind and spread out on either side like a pair of huge purple wings4 ,however1 what more particularly interested ,pierre was the wildly passionate concourse of people whose hearts he could almost hear beating and whose eyes sought to beguile their feverish impatience by contemplating and adoring the empty throne4 ,as if it had been some golden monstrance which the ,divinity in person would soon deign to occupy1 that throne dazzled them1 disturbed them1 filled them all with devout rapture4 ,among the throng were workmen rigged out in their ,sunday best1 with clear childish eyes and rough ecstatic faces2 ladies of the upper classes wearing black1 as the regulations required1 and looking intensely pale from the sacred awe which mingled with their excessive desire2 and gentlemen in evening dress1 who appeared quite glorious1 inflated with the conviction that they were saving both the ,church and the nations4 ,one cluster of dress-coats assembled near the throne1 was particularly noticeable2 it comprised the members of the ,international ,committee1 headed by ,baron de ,fouras1 a very tall1 stout1 fair man of fifty1 who bestirred and exerted himself and issued orders like some commander on the morning of a decisive victory4 ,then1 amidst the general mass of grey1 neutral hue1 there gleamed the violet silk of some bishop's cassock1 for each pastor had desired to remain with his flock2 whilst members of various religious orders1 superiors in brown1 black1 and white habits1 rose up above all others with lofty bearded or shaven heads4 ,right and left drooped banners which associations and congregations had brought to present to the ,pope4 ,and the sea of pilgrims ever waved and surged with a growing clamour3 so much impatient love being exhaled by those perspiring faces1 burning eyes1 and hungry mouths that the atmosphere1 reeking with the odour of the throng1 seemed thickened and darkened4 ,all at once1 however1 ,pierre perceived ,monsignor ,nani standing near the throne and beckoning him to approach2 and although the young priest replied by a modest gesture1 implying that he preferred to remain where he was1 the prelate insisted and even sent an usher to make way for him4 ,directly the usher had led him forward1 ,nani inquired3 8,why did you not come to take your place8 ,your card entitled you to be here1 on the left of the throne40 8,the truth is10 answered the priest1 8,i did not like to disturb so many people4 ,besides1 this is an undue honour for me40 8,no1 no2 ,i gave you that place in order that you should occupy it4 ,i want you to be in the first rank1 so that you may see everything of the ceremony40 ,pierre could not do otherwise than thank him4 ,then1 on looking round1 he saw that several cardinals and many other prelates were likewise waiting on either side of the throne4 ,but it was in vain that he sought ,cardinal ,boccanera1 who only came to ,st4 ,peter's and the ,vatican on the days when his functions required his presence there4 ,however1 he recognised ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 who1 broad and sturdy and red of face1 was talking in a loud voice to ,baron de ,fouras4 ,and ,nani1 with his obliging air1 stepped up again to point out two other ,eminences who were high and mighty personages--the ,cardinal ,vicar1 a short1 fat man1 with a feverish countenance scorched by ambition1 and the ,cardinal ,secretary1 who was robust and bony1 fashioned as with a hatchet1 suggesting a romantic type of ,sicilian bandit1 who1 to other courses1 had preferred the discreet1 smiling diplomacy of the ,church4 ,a few steps further on1 and quite alone1 the ,grand ,penitentiary1 silent and seemingly suffering1 showed his grey1 lean1 ascetic profile4 ,noon had struck4 ,there was a false alert1 a burst of emotion1 which swept in like a wave from the other halls4 ,but it was merely the ushers opening a passage for the cortge4 ,then1 all at once1 acclamations arose in the first hall1 gathered volume1 and drew nearer4 ,this time it was the cortge itself4 ,first came a detachment of the ,swiss ,guard in undress1 headed by a sergeant2 then a party of chair-bearers in red2 and next the domestic prelates1 including the four ,camerieri segreti partecipanti4 ,and finally1 between two rows of ,noble ,guards1 in semi-gala uniforms1 walked the ,holy ,father1 alone1 smiling a pale smile1 and slowly blessing the pilgrims on either hand4 ,in his wake the clamour which had risen in the other apartments swept into the ,hall of ,beatifications with the violence of delirious love2 and1 under his slender1 white1 benedictive hand1 all those distracted creatures fell upon both knees1 nought remaining but the prostration of a devout multitude1 overwhelmed1 as it were1 by the apparition of its god4 ,quivering1 carried away1 ,pierre had knelt like the others4 ,ah6 that omnipotence1 that irresistible contagion of faith1 of the redoubtable current from the spheres beyond1 increased tenfold by a scenario and a pomp of sovereign grandeur6 ,profound silence fell when ,leo ,,xiii was seated on the throne surrounded by the cardinals and his court2 and then the ceremony proceeded according to rite and usage4 ,first a bishop spoke1 kneeling and laying the homage of the faithful of all ,christendom at his ,holiness's feet4 ,the ,president of the ,committee1 ,baron de ,fouras1 followed1 remaining erect whilst he read a long address in which he introduced the pilgrimage and explained its motive1 investing it with all the gravity of a political and religious protest4 ,this stout man had a shrill and piercing voice1 and his words jarred like the grating of a gimlet as he proclaimed the grief of the ,catholic world at the spoliation which the ,holy ,see had endured for a quarter of a century1 and the desire of all the nations there represented by the pilgrims to console the supreme and venerated ,head of the ,church by bringing him the offerings of rich and poor1 even to the mites of the humblest1 in order that the ,papacy might retain the pride of independence and be able to treat its enemies with contempt4 ,and he also spoke of ,france1 deplored her errors1 predicted her return to healthy traditions1 and gave it to be understood that she remained in spite of everything the most opulent and generous of the ,christian nations1 the donor whose gold and presents flowed into ,rome in a never ending stream4 ,at last ,leo ,,xiii arose to reply to the bishop and the baron4 ,his voice was full1 with a strong nasal twang1 and surprised one coming from a man so slight of build4 ,in a few sentences he expressed his gratitude1 saying how touched he was by the devotion of the nations to the ,holy ,see4 ,although the times might be bad1 the final triumph could not be delayed much longer4 ,there were evident signs that mankind was returning to faith1 and that iniquity would soon cease under the universal dominion of the ,christ4 ,as for ,france1 was she not the eldest daughter of the ,church1 and had she not given too many proofs of her affection for the ,holy ,see for the latter ever to cease loving her8 ,then1 raising his arm1 he bestowed on all the pilgrims present1 on the societies and enterprises they represented1 on their families and friends1 on ,france1 on all the nations of the ,catholic world1 his apostolic benediction1 in gratitude for the precious help which they sent him4 ,and whilst he was again seating himself applause burst forth1 frantic salvoes of applause lasting for ten minutes and mingling with vivats and inarticulate cries--a passionate1 tempestuous outburst1 which made the very building shake4 ,amidst this blast of frantic adoration ,pierre gazed at ,leo ,,xiii1 now again motionless on his throne4 ,with the papal cap on his head and the red cape edged with ermine about his shoulders1 he retained in his long white cassock the rigid1 sacerdotal attitude of an idol venerated by two hundred and fifty millions of ,christians4 ,against the purple background of the hangings of the baldacchino1 between the wing-like drapery on either side1 enclosing1 as it were1 a brasier of glory1 he assumed real majesty of aspect4 ,he was no longer the feeble old man with the slow1 jerky walk and the slender1 scraggy neck of a poor ailing bird4 ,the simious ugliness of his face1 the largeness of his nose1 the long slit of his mouth1 the hugeness of his ears1 the conflicting jumble of his withered features disappeared4 ,in that waxen countenance you only distinguished the admirable1 dark1 deep eyes1 beaming with eternal youth1 with extraordinary intelligence and penetration4 ,and then there was a resolute bracing of his entire person1 a consciousness of the eternity which he represented1 a regal nobility1 born of the very circumstance that he was now but a mere breath1 a soul set in so pellucid a body of ivory that it became visible as though it were already freed from the bonds of earth4 ,and ,pierre realised what such a man--the ,sovereign ,pontiff1 the king obeyed by two hundred and fifty millions of subjects--must be for the devout and dolent creatures who came to adore him from so far1 and who fell at his feet awestruck by the splendour of the powers incarnate in him4 ,behind him1 amidst the purple of the hangings1 what a gleam was suddenly afforded of the spheres beyond1 what an ,infinite of ideality and blinding glory6 ,so many centuries of history from the ,apostle ,peter downward1 so much strength and genius1 so many struggles and triumphs to be summed up in one being1 the ,elect1 the ,unique1 the ,superhuman6 ,and what a miracle1 incessantly renewed1 was that of ,heaven deigning to descend into human flesh1 of the ,deity fixing ,his abode in ,his chosen servant1 whom ,he consecrated above and beyond all others1 endowing him with all power and all science6 ,what sacred perturbation1 what emotion fraught with distracted love might one not feel at the thought of the ,deity being ever there in the depths of that man's eyes1 speaking with his voice and emanating from his hand each time that he raised it to bless6 ,could one imagine the exorbitant absoluteness of that sovereign who was infallible1 who disposed of the totality of authority in this world and of salvation in the next6 ,at all events1 how well one understood that souls consumed by a craving for faith should fly towards him1 that those who at last found the certainty they had so ardently sought should seek annihilation in him1 the consolation of self-bestowal and disappearance within the ,deity ,himself4 ,meantime1 the ceremony was drawing to an end2 ,baron de ,fouras was now presenting the members of the committee and a few other persons of importance4 ,there was a slow procession with trembling genuflections and much greedy kissing of the papal ring and slipper4 ,then the banners were offered1 and ,pierre felt a pang on seeing that the finest and richest of them was one of ,lourdes1 an offering no doubt from the ,fathers of the ,immaculate ,conception4 ,on one side of the white1 gold-bordered silk ,our ,lady of ,lourdes was painted1 while on the other appeared a portrait of ,leo ,,xiii4 ,pierre saw the ,pope smile at the presentment of himself1 and was greatly grieved thereat1 as though1 indeed1 his whole dream of an intellectual1 evangelical ,pope1 disentangled from all low superstition1 were crumbling away4 ,and just then his eyes met those of ,nani1 who from the outset had been watching him with the inquisitive air of a man who is making an experiment4 8,that banner is superb1 isn't it80 said ,nani1 drawing near4 8,how it must please his ,holiness to be so nicely painted in company with so pretty a virgin40 ,and as the young priest1 turning pale1 did not reply1 the prelate added1 with an air of devout enjoyment3 8,we are very fond of ,lourdes in ,rome2 that story of ,bernadette is so delightful40 ,however1 the scene which followed was so extraordinary that for a long time ,pierre remained overcome by it4 ,he had beheld never-to-be-forgotten idolatry at ,lourdes1 incidents of naive faith and frantic religious passion which yet made him quiver with alarm and grief4 ,but the crowds rushing on the grotto1 the sick dying of divine love before the ,virgin's statue1 the multitudes delirious with the contagion of the miraculous--nothing of all that gave an idea of the blast of madness which suddenly inflamed the pilgrims at the feet of the ,pope4 ,some bishops1 superiors of religious orders1 and other delegates of various kinds had stepped forward to deposit near the throne the offerings which they brought from the whole ,catholic world1 the universal 8collection0 of ,st4 ,peter's ,pence4 ,it was the voluntary tribute of the nations to their sovereign3 silver1 gold1 and bank notes in purses1 bags1 and cases4 ,ladies came and fell on their knees to offer silk and velvet alms-bags which they themselves had embroidered4 ,others had caused the note cases which they tendered to be adorned with the monogram of ,leo ,,xiii in diamonds4 ,and at one moment the enthusiasm became so intense that several women stripped themselves of their adornments1 flung their own purses on to the platform1 and emptied their pockets even to the very coppers they had about them4 ,one lady1 tall and slender1 very beautiful and very dark1 wrenched her watch from about her neck1 pulled off her rings1 and threw everything upon the carpet4 ,had it been possible1 they would have torn away their flesh to pluck out their love-burnt hearts and fling them likewise to the demi-god4 ,they would even have flung themselves1 have given themselves without reserve4 ,it was a rain of presents1 an explosion of the passion which impels one to strip oneself for the object of one's cult1 happy at having nothing of one's own that shall not belong to him4 ,and meantime the clamour grew1 vivats and shrill cries of adoration arose amidst pushing and jostling of increased violence1 one and all yielding to the irresistible desire to kiss the idol6 ,but a signal was given1 and ,leo ,,xiii made haste to quit the throne and take his place in the cortge in order to return to his apartments4 ,the ,swiss ,guards energetically thrust back the throng1 seeking to open a way through the three halls4 ,but at sight of his ,holiness's departure a lamentation of despair arose and spread1 as if heaven had suddenly closed again and shut out those who had not yet been able to approach4 ,what a frightful disappointment--to have beheld the living manifestation of the ,deity and to see it disappear before gaining salvation by just touching it6 ,so terrible became the scramble1 so extraordinary the confusion1 that the ,swiss ,guards were swept away4 ,and ladies were seen to dart after the ,pope1 to drag themselves on all fours over the marble slabs and kiss his footprints and lap up the dust of his steps6 ,the tall dark lady suddenly fell at the edge of the platform1 raised a loud shriek1 and fainted2 and two gentlemen of the committee had to hold her so that she might not do herself an injury in the convulsions of the hysterical fit which had come upon her4 ,another1 a plump blonde1 was wildly1 desperately kissing one of the golden arms of the throne-chair1 on which the old man's poor1 bony elbow had just rested4 ,and others1 on seeing her1 came to dispute possession1 seized both arms1 gilding and velvet1 and pressed their mouths to wood-work or upholstery1 their bodies meanwhile shaking with their sobs4 ,force had to be employed in order to drag them away4 ,when it was all over ,pierre went off1 emerging as it were from a painful dream1 sick at heart1 and with his mind revolting4 ,and again he encountered ,nani's glance1 which never left him4 8,it was a superb ceremony1 was it not80 said the prelate4 8,it consoles one for many iniquities40 8,yes1 no doubt2 but what idolatry60 the young priest murmured despite himself4 ,nani1 however1 merely smiled1 as if he had not heard the last word4 ,at that same moment the two ,french ladies whom he had provided with tickets came up to thank him1 and4 ,pierre was surprised to recognise the mother and daughter whom he had met at the ,catacombs4 ,charming1 bright1 and healthy as they were1 their enthusiasm was only for the spectacle3 they declared that they were well pleased at having seen it--that it was really astonishing1 unique4 ,as the crowd slowly withdrew ,pierre all at once felt a tap on his shoulder1 and1 on turning his head1 perceived ,narcisse ,habert1 who also was very enthusiastic4 8,i made signs to you1 my dear ,abb10 said he1 8but you didn't see me4 ,ah6 how superb was the expression of that dark woman who fell rigid beside the platform with her arms outstretched4 ,she reminded me of a masterpiece of one of the primitives1 ,cimabue1 ,giotto1 or ,fra ,angelico4 ,and the others1 those who devoured the chair arms with their kisses1 what suavity1 beauty1 and love6 ,i never miss these ceremonies3 there are always some fine scenes1 perfect pictures1 in which souls reveal themselves40 ,the long stream of pilgrims slowly descended the stairs1 and ,pierre1 followed by ,nani and ,narcisse1 who had begun to chat1 tried to bring the ideas which were tumultuously throbbing in his brain into something like order4 ,there was certainly grandeur and beauty in that ,pope who had shut himself up in his ,vatican1 and who1 the more he became a purely moral1 spiritual authority1 freed from all terrestrial cares1 had grown in the adoration and awe of mankind4 ,such a flight into the ideal deeply stirred ,pierre1 whose dream of rejuvenated ,christianity rested on the idea of the supreme ,head of the ,church exercising only a purified1 spiritual authority4 ,he had just seen what an increase of majesty and power was in that way gained by the ,supreme ,pontiff of the spheres beyond1 at whose feet the women fainted1 and behind whom they beheld a vision of the ,deity4 ,but at the same moment the pecuniary side of the question had risen before him and spoilt his joy4 ,if the enforced relinquishment of the temporal power had exalted the ,pope by freeing him from the worries of a petty sovereignty which was ever threatened1 the need of money still remained like a chain about his feet tying him to earth4 ,as he could not accept the proffered subvention of the ,italian ,government199 there was certainly in the ,peter's ,pence a means of placing the ,holy ,see above all material cares1 provided1 however1 that this ,peter's ,pence were really the ,catholic sou1 the mite of each believer1 levied on his daily income and sent direct to ,rome4 ,such a voluntary tribute paid by the flock to its pastor would1 moreover1 suffice for the wants of the ,church if each of the #bej1jjj1jjj of ,catholics gave his or her sou every week4 ,in this wise the ,pope1 indebted to each and all of his children1 would be indebted to none in particular4 ,a sou was so little and so easy to give1 and there was also something so touching about the idea4 ,but1 unhappily1 things were not worked in that way2 the great majority of ,catholics gave nothing whatever1 while the rich ones sent large sums from motives of political passion2 and a particular objection was that the gifts were centralised in the hands of certain bishops and religious orders1 so that these became ostensibly the benefactors of the papacy1 the indispensable cashiers from whom it drew the sinews of life4 ,the lowly and humble whose mites filled the collection boxes were1 so to say1 suppressed1 and the ,pope became dependent on the intermediaries1 and was compelled to act cautiously with them1 listen to their remonstrances1 and even at times obey their passions1 lest the stream of gifts should suddenly dry up4 ,and so1 although he was disburdened of the dead weight of the temporal power1 he was not free2 but remained the tributary of his clergy1 with interests and appetites around him which he must needs satisfy4 ,and ,pierre remembered the 8,grotto of ,lourdes0 in the ,vatican gardens1 and the banner which he had just seen1 and he knew that the ,lourdes fathers levied #bjj1jjj francs a year on their receipts to send them as a present to the ,holy ,father4 ,was not that the chief reason of their great power8 ,he quivered1 and suddenly became conscious that1 do what he might1 he would be defeated1 and his book would be condemned4 99 #aaj1jjj pounds per annum4 ,it has never been accepted1 and the accumulations lapse to the ,government every five years1 and cannot afterwards be recovered4--,trans4 ,at last1 as he was coming out on to the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's1 he heard ,narcisse asking ,monsignor ,nani3 8,indeed6 ,do you really think that to-day's gifts exceeded that figure80 8,yes1 more than three millions199 ,i'm convinced of it10 the prelate replied4 99 ,all the amounts given on this and the following pages are calculated in francs4 ,the reader will bear in mind that a million francs is equivalent to #dj1jjj pounds4--,trans4 ,for a moment the three men halted under the right-hand colonnade and gazed at the vast1 sunlit piazza where the pilgrims were spreading out like little black specks hurrying hither and thither--an ant-hill1 as it were1 in revolution4 ,three millions6 ,the words had rung in ,pierre's ears4 ,and1 raising his head1 he gazed at the ,vatican1 all golden in the sunlight against the expanse of blue sky1 as if he wished to penetrate its walls and follow the steps of ,leo ,,xiii returning to his apartments4 ,he pictured him laden with those millions1 with his weak1 slender arms pressed to his breast1 carrying the silver1 the gold1 the bank notes1 and even the jewels which the women had flung him4 ,and almost unconsciously the young priest spoke aloud3 8,what will he do with those millions8 ,where is he taking them80 ,narcisse and even ,nani could not help being amused by this strangely expressed curiosity4 ,it was the young attach who replied4 8,why1 his ,holiness is taking them to his room2 or1 at least1 is having them carried there before him4 ,didn't you see two persons of his suite picking up everything and filling their pockets8 ,and now his ,holiness has shut himself up quite alone2 and if you could see him you would find him counting and recounting his treasure with cheerful care1 ranging the rolls of gold in good order1 slipping the bank notes into envelopes in equal quantities1 and then putting everything away in hiding-places which are only known to himself40 ,while his companion was speaking ,pierre again raised his eyes to the windows of the ,pope's apartments1 as if to follow the scene4 ,moreover1 ,narcisse gave further explanations1 asserting that the money was put away in a certain article of furniture1 standing against the right-hand wall in the ,holy ,father's bedroom4 ,some people1 he added1 also spoke of a writing table or secrtaire with deep drawers2 and others declared that the money slumbered in some big padlocked trunks stored away in the depths of the alcove1 which was very roomy4 ,of course1 on the left side of the passage leading to the ,archives there was a large room occupied by a general cashier and a monumental safe2 but the funds kept there were simply those of the ,patrimony of ,st4 ,peter1 the administrative receipts of ,rome2 whereas the ,peter's ,pence money1 the voluntary donations of ,christendom1 remained in the hands of ,leo ,,xiii3 he alone knew the exact amount of that fund1 and lived alone with its millions1 which he disposed of like an absolute master1 rendering account to none4 ,and such was his prudence that he never left his room when the servants cleaned and set it in order4 ,at the utmost he would consent to remain on the threshold of the adjoining apartment in order to escape the dust4 ,and whenever he meant to absent himself for a few hours1 to go down into the gardens1 for instance1 he double-locked the doors and carried the keys away with him1 never confiding them to another4 ,at this point ,narcisse paused and1 turning to ,nani1 inquired3 8,is not that so1 ,monsignor8 ,these are things known to all ,rome40 ,the prelate1 ever smiling and wagging his head without expressing either approval or disapproval1 had begun to study on ,pierre's face the effect of these curious stories4 8,no doubt1 no doubt10 he responded2 8so many things are said6 ,i know nothing myself1 but you seem to be certain of it all1 ,monsieur ,habert40 8,oh60 resumed the other1 8,i don't accuse his ,holiness of sordid avarice1 such as is rumoured4 ,some fabulous stories are current1 stories of coffers full of gold in which the ,holy ,father is said to plunge his hands for hours at a time2 treasures which he has heaped up in corners for the sole pleasure of counting them over and over again4 ,nevertheless1 one may well admit that his ,holiness is somewhat fond of money for its own sake1 for the pleasure of handling it and setting it in order when he happens to be alone--and after all that is a very excusable mania in an old man who has no other pastime4 ,but ,i must add that he is yet fonder of money for the social power which it brings1 the decisive help which it will give to the ,holy ,see in the future1 if the latter desires to triumph40 ,these words evoked the lofty figure of a wise and prudent ,pope1 conscious of modern requirements1 inclined to utilise the powers of the century in order to conquer it1 and for this reason venturing on business and speculation4 ,as it happened1 the treasure bequeathed by ,pius ,,ix had nearly been lost in a financial disaster1 but ever since that time ,leo ,,xiii had sought to repair the breach and make the treasure whole again1 in order that he might leave it to his successor intact and even enlarged4 ,economical he certainly was1 but he saved for the needs of the ,church1 which1 as he knew1 increased day by day2 and money was absolutely necessary if ,atheism was to be met and fought in the sphere of the schools1 institutions1 and associations of all sorts4 ,without money1 indeed1 the ,church would become a vassal at the mercy of the civil powers1 the ,kingdom of ,italy and other ,catholic states2 and so1 although he liberally helped every enterprise which might contribute to the triumph of the ,faith1 ,leo ,,xiii had a contempt for all expenditure without an object1 and treated himself and others with stern closeness4 ,personally1 he had no needs4 ,at the outset of his pontificate he had set his small private patrimony apart from the rich patrimony of ,st4 ,peter1 refusing to take aught from the latter for the purpose of assisting his relatives4 ,never had pontiff displayed less nepotism3 his three nephews and his two nieces had remained poor--in fact1 in great pecuniary embarrassment4 ,still he listened neither to complaints nor accusations1 but remained inflexible1 proudly resolved to bequeath the sinews of life1 the invincible weapon money1 to the popes of future times1 and therefore vigorously defending the millions of the ,holy ,see against the desperate covetousness of one and all4 8,but1 after all1 what are the receipts and expenses of the ,holy ,see80 inquired ,pierre4 ,in all haste ,nani again made his amiable1 evasive gesture4 8,oh6 ,i am altogether ignorant in such matters10 he replied4 8,ask ,monsieur ,habert1 who is so well informed40 8,for my part10 responded the attach1 8,i simply know what is known to all the embassies here1 the matters which are the subject of common report4 ,with respect to the receipts there is1 first of all1 the treasure left by ,pius ,,ix1 some twenty millions1 invested in various ways and formerly yielding about a million a year in interest4 ,but1 as ,i said before1 a disaster happened1 and there must then have been a falling off in the income4 ,still1 nowadays it is reported that nearly all deficiencies have been made good4 ,well1 besides the regular income from the invested money1 a few hundred thousand francs are derived every year from chancellery dues1 patents of nobility1 and all sorts of little fees paid to the ,congregations4 ,however1 as the annual expenses exceed seven millions1 it has been necessary to find quite six millions every year2 and certainly it is the ,peter's ,pence ,fund that has supplied1 not the six millions1 perhaps1 but three or four of them1 and with these the ,holy ,see has speculated in the hope of doubling them and making both ends meet4 ,it would take me too long just now to relate the whole story of these speculations1 the first huge gains1 then the catastrophe which almost swept everything away1 and finally the stubborn perseverance which is gradually supplying all deficiencies4 ,however1 if you are anxious on the subject1 ,i will one day tell you all about it40 ,pierre had listened with deep interest4 8,six millions--even four60 he exclaimed1 8what does the ,peter's ,pence ,fund bring in1 then80 8,oh6 ,i can only repeat that nobody has ever known the exact figures4 ,in former times the ,catholic ,press published lists giving the amounts of different offerings1 and in this way one could frame an approximate estimate4 ,but the practice must have been considered unadvisable1 for no documents nowadays appear1 and it is absolutely impossible for people to form any real idea of what the ,pope receives4 ,he alone knows the correct amount1 keeps the money1 and disposes of it with absolute authority4 ,still ,i believe that in good years the offerings have amounted to between four and five millions4 ,originally ,france contributed one-half of the sum2 but nowadays it certainly gives much less4 ,then come ,belgium and ,austria1 ,england and ,germany4 ,as for ,spain and ,italy--oh6 ,italy--0 ,narcisse paused and smiled at ,monsignor ,nani1 who was wagging his head with the air of a man delighted at learning some extremely curious things of which he had previously had no idea4 8,oh1 you may proceed1 you may proceed1 my dear son10 said he4 8,well1 then1 ,italy scarcely distinguishes itself4 ,if the ,pope had to provide for his living out of the gifts of the ,italian ,catholics there would soon be a famine at the ,vatican4 ,far from helping him1 indeed1 the ,roman nobility has cost him dear2 for one of the chief causes of his pecuniary losses was his folly in lending money to the princes who speculated4 ,it is really only from ,france and ,england that rich people1 noblemen and so forth1 have sent royal gifts to the imprisoned and martyred ,pontiff4 ,among others there was an ,english nobleman who came to ,rome every year with a large offering1 the outcome of a vow which he had made in the hope that ,heaven would cure his unhappy idiot son4 ,and1 of course1 ,i don't refer to the extraordinary harvest garnered during the sacerdotal and the episcopal jubilees--the forty millions which then fell at his ,holiness's feet40 8,and the expenses80 asked ,pierre4 8,well1 as ,i told you1 they amount to about seven millions4 ,we may reckon two of them for the pensions paid to former officials of the pontifical government who were unwilling to take service under ,italy2 but ,i must add that this source of expense is diminishing every year as people die off and their pensions become extinguished4 ,then1 broadly speaking1 we may put down one million for the ,italian sees1 another for the ,secretariate and the ,nunciatures1 and another for the ,vatican4 ,in this last sum ,i include the expenses of the pontifical ,court1 the military establishment1 the museums1 and the repair of the palace and the ,basilica4 ,well1 we have reached five millions1 and the two others may be set down for the various subsidised enterprises1 the ,propaganda1 and particularly the schools1 which ,leo ,,xiii1 with great practical good sense1 subsidises very handsomely1 for he is well aware that the battle and the triumph be in that direction--among the children who will be men to-morrow1 and who will then defend their mother the ,church1 provided that they have been inspired with horror for the abominable doctrines of the age40 ,a spell of silence ensued1 and the three men slowly paced the majestic colonnade4 ,the swarming crowd had gradually disappeared1 leaving the piazza empty1 so that only the obelisk and the twin fountains now arose from the burning desert of symmetrical paving2 whilst on the entablature of the porticus across the square a noble line of motionless statues stood out in the bright sunlight4 ,and ,pierre1 with his eyes still raised to the ,pope's windows1 again fancied that he could see ,leo ,,xiii amidst all the streaming gold that had been spoken of1 his whole1 white1 pure figure1 his poor1 waxen1 transparent form steeped amidst those millions which he hid and counted and expended for the glory of ,god alone4 8,and so10 murmured the young priest1 8he has no anxiety1 he is not in any pecuniary embarrassment40 8,pecuniary embarrassment60 exclaimed ,monsignor ,nani1 his patience so sorely tried by the remark that he could no longer retain his diplomatic reserve4 8,oh6 my dear son6 ,why1 when ,cardinal ,mocenni1 the treasurer1 goes to his ,holiness every month1 his ,holiness always gives him the sum he asks for2 he would give it1 and be able to give it1 however large it might be6 ,his ,holiness has certainly had the wisdom to effect great economies2 the ,treasure of ,st4 ,peter is larger than ever4 ,pecuniary embarrassment1 indeed6 ,why1 if a misfortune should occur1 and the ,sovereign ,pontiff were to make a direct appeal to all his children1 the ,catholics of the entire world1 do you know that in that case a thousand millions would fall at his feet just like the gold and the jewels which you saw raining on the steps of his throne just now80 ,then suddenly calming himself and recovering his pleasant smile1 ,nani added3 8,at least1 that is what ,i sometimes hear said2 for1 personally1 ,i know nothing1 absolutely nothing2 and it is fortunate that ,monsieur ,habert should have been here to give you information4 ,ah6 ,monsieur ,habert1 ,monsieur ,habert6 ,why1 ,i fancied that you were always in the skies absorbed in your passion for art1 and far removed from all base mundane interests6 ,but you really understand these things like a banker or a notary4 ,nothing escapes you1 nothing4 ,it is wonderful40 ,narcisse must have felt the sting of the prelate's delicate sarcasm4 ,at bottom1 beneath this make-believe ,florentine all-angelicalness1 with long curly hair and mauve eyes which grew dim with rapture at sight of a ,botticelli1 there was a thoroughly practical1 business-like young man1 who took admirable care of his fortune and was even somewhat miserly4 ,however1 he contented himself with lowering his eyelids and assuming a languorous air4 8,oh60 said he1 8,i'm all reverie2 my soul is elsewhere40 8,at all events10 resumed ,nani1 turning towards ,pierre1 8,i am very glad that you were able to see such a beautiful spectacle4 ,a few more such opportunities and you will understand things far better than you would from all the explanations in the world4 ,don't miss the grand ceremony at ,st4 ,peter's to-morrow4 ,it will be magnificent1 and will give you food for useful reflection2 ,i'm sure of it4 ,and now allow me to leave you1 delighted at seeing you in such a fit frame of mind40 ,darting a last glance at ,pierre1 ,nani seemed to have observed with pleasure the weariness and uncertainty which were paling his face4 ,and when the prelate had gone off1 and ,narcisse also had taken leave with a gentle hand-shake1 the young priest felt the ire of protest rising within him4 ,what fit frame of mind did ,nani mean8 ,did that man hope to weary him and drive him to despair by throwing him into collision with obstacles1 so that he might afterwards overcome him with perfect ease8 ,for the second time ,pierre became suddenly and briefly conscious of the stealthy efforts which were being made to invest and crush him4 ,but1 believing as he did in his own strength of resistance1 pride filled him with disdain4 ,again he swore that he would never yield1 never withdraw his book1 no matter what might happen4 ,and then1 before crossing the piazza1 he once more raised his eyes to the windows of the ,vatican1 all his impressions crystallising in the thought of that much-needed money which like a last bond still attached the ,pope to earth4 ,its chief evil doubtless lay in the manner in which it was provided2 and if indeed the only question were to devise an improved method of collection1 his dream of a pope who should be all soul1 the bond of love1 the spiritual leader of the world1 would not be seriously affected4 ,at this thought1 ,pierre felt comforted and was unwilling to look on things otherwise than hopefully1 moved as he was by the extraordinary scene which he had just beheld1 that feeble old man shining forth like the symbol of human deliverance1 obeyed and venerated by the multitudes1 and alone among all men endowed with the moral omnipotence that might at last set the reign of charity and peace on earth4 ,for the ceremony on the following day1 it was fortunate that ,pierre held a private ticket which admitted him to a reserved gallery1 for the scramble at the entrances to the ,basilica proved terrible4 ,the mass1 which the ,pope was to celebrate in person1 was fixed for ten o'clock1 but people began to pour into ,st4 ,peter's four hours earlier1 as soon1 indeed1 as the gates had been thrown open4 ,the three thousand members of the ,international ,pilgrimage were increased tenfold by the arrival of all the tourists in ,italy1 who had hastened to ,rome eager to witness one of those great pontifical functions which nowadays are so rare4 ,moreover1 the devotees and partisans whom the ,holy ,see numbered in ,rome itself and in other great cities of the kingdom1 helped to swell the throng1 all alacrity at the prospect of a demonstration4 ,judging by the tickets distributed1 there would be a concourse of #dj1jjj people4 ,and1 indeed1 at nine o'clock1 when ,pierre crossed the piazza on his way to the ,canons' ,entrance in the ,via ,santa ,marta1 where the holders of pink tickets were admitted1 he saw the portico of the faade still thronged with people who were but slowly gaining admittance1 while several gentlemen in evening dress1 members of some ,catholic association1 bestirred themselves to maintain order with the help of a detachment of ,pontifical ,guards4 ,nevertheless1 violent quarrels broke out in the crowd1 and blows were exchanged amidst the involuntary scramble4 ,some people were almost stifled1 and two women were carried off half crushed to death4 ,a disagreeable surprise met ,pierre on his entry into the ,basilica4 ,the huge edifice was draped2 coverings of old red damask with bands of gold swathed the columns and pilasters1 seventy-five feet high2 even the aisles were hung with the same old and faded silk2 and the shrouding of those pompous marbles1 of all the superb dazzling ornamentation of the church bespoke a very singular taste1 a tawdry affectation of pomposity1 extremely wretched in its effect4 ,however1 he was yet more amazed on seeing that even the statue of ,st4 ,peter was clad1 costumed like a living pope in sumptuous pontifical vestments1 with a tiara on its metal head4 ,he had never imagined that people could garment statues either for their glory or for the pleasure of the eyes1 and the result seemed to him disastrous4 ,the ,pope was to say mass at the papal altar of the ,confession1 the high altar which stands under the dome4 ,on a platform at the entrance of the left-hand transept was the throne on which he would afterwards take his place4 ,then1 on either side of the nave1 tribunes had been erected for the choristers of the ,sixtine ,chapel1 the ,corps ,diplomatique1 the ,knights of ,malta1 the ,roman nobility1 and other guests of various kinds4 ,and1 finally1 in the centre1 before the altar1 there were three rows of benches covered with red rugs1 the first for the cardinals and the other two for the bishops and the prelates of the pontifical court4 ,all the rest of the congregation was to remain standing4 ,ah6 that huge concert-audience1 those thirty1 forty thousand believers from here1 there1 and everywhere1 inflamed with curiosity1 passion1 or faith1 bestirring themselves1 jostling one another1 rising on tip-toe to see the better6 ,the clamour of a human sea arose1 the crowd was as gay and familiar as if it had found itself in some heavenly theatre where it was allowable for one to chat aloud and recreate oneself with the spectacle of religious pomp6 ,at first ,pierre was thunderstruck1 he who only knew of nervous1 silent kneeling in the depths of dim cathedrals1 who was not accustomed to that religion of light1 whose brilliancy transformed a religious celebration into a morning festivity4 ,around him1 in the same tribune as himself1 were gentlemen in dress-coats and ladies gowned in black1 carrying glasses as in an opera-house4 ,there were ,german and ,english women1 and numerous ,americans1 all more or less charming1 displaying the grace of thoughtless1 chirruping birds4 ,in the tribune of the ,roman nobility on the left he recognised ,benedetta and ,donna ,serafina1 and there the simplicity of the regulation attire for ladies was relieved by large lace veils rivalling one another in richness and elegance4 ,then on the right was the tribune of the ,knights of ,malta1 where the ,grand ,master stood amidst a group of commanders3 while across the nave rose the diplomatic tribune where ,pierre perceived the ambassadors of all the ,catholic nations1 resplendent in gala uniforms covered with gold lace4 ,however1 the young priest's eyes were ever returning to the crowd1 the great surging throng in which the three thousand pilgrims were lost amidst the multitude of other spectators4 ,and yet as the ,basilica was so vast that it could easily contain eighty thousand people1 it did not seem to be more than half full4 ,people came and went along the aisles and took up favourable positions without impediment4 ,some could be seen gesticulating1 and calls rang out above the ceaseless rumble of voices4 ,from the lofty windows of plain white glass fell broad sheets of sunlight1 which set a gory glow upon the faded damask hangings1 and these cast a reflection as of fire upon all the tumultuous1 feverish1 impatient faces4 ,the multitude of candles1 and the seven-and-eighty lamps of the ,confession paled to such a degree that they seemed but glimmering night-lights in the blinding radiance2 and everything proclaimed the worldly gala of the imperial ,deity of ,roman pomp4 ,all at once there came a premature shock of delight1 a false alert4 ,cries burst forth and circulated through the crowd3 8,eccolo6 eccolo6 ,here he comes60 ,and then there was pushing and jostling1 eddying which made the human sea whirl and surge1 all craning their necks1 raising themselves to their full height1 darting forward in a frenzied desire to see the ,holy ,father and the cortge4 ,but only a detachment of ,noble ,guards marched by and took up position right and left of the altar4 ,a flattering murmur accompanied them1 their fine impassive bearing with its exaggerated military stiffness1 provoking the admiration of the throng4 ,an ,american woman declared that they were superb-looking fellows2 and a ,roman lady gave an ,english friend some particulars about the select corps to which they belonged4 ,formerly1 said she1 young men of the aristocracy had greatly sought the honour of forming part of it1 for the sake of wearing its rich uniform and caracoling in front of the ladies4 ,but recruiting was now such a difficult matter that one had to content oneself with good-looking young men of doubtful or ruined nobility1 whose only care was for the meagre 8pay0 which just enabled them to live4 ,when another quarter of an hour of chatting and scrutinising had elapsed1 the papal cortge at last made its appearance1 and no sooner was it seen than applause burst forth as in a theatre--furious applause it was which rose and rolled along under the vaulted ceilings1 suggesting the acclamations which ring out when some popular1 idolised actor makes his entry on the stage4 ,as in a theatre1 too1 everything had been very skilfully contrived so as to produce all possible effect amidst the magnificent scenery of the ,basilica4 ,the cortge was formed in the wings1 that is in the ,cappella della ,pieta1 the first chapel of the right aisle1 and in order to reach it1 the ,holy ,father1 coming from his apartments by the way of the ,chapel of the ,blessed ,sacrament1 had been stealthily carried behind the hangings of the aisle which served the purpose of a drop-scene4 ,awaiting him in all readiness in the ,cappella della ,pieta were the cardinals1 archbishops1 and bishops1 the whole pontifical prelacy1 hierarchically classified and grouped4 ,and then1 as at a signal from a ballet master1 the cortge made its entry1 reaching the nave and ascending it in triumph from the closed ,porta ,santa to the altar of the ,confession4 ,on either hand were the rows of spectators whose applause at the sight of so much magnificence grew louder and louder as their delirious enthusiasm increased4 ,it was the cortge of the olden solemnities1 the cross and sword1 the ,swiss ,guard in full uniform1 the valets in scarlet simars1 the ,knights of the ,cape and the ,sword in ,renascence costumes1 the ,canons in rochets of lace1 the superiors of the religious communities1 the apostolic prothonotaries1 the archbishops1 and bishops1 all the pontifical prelates in violet silk1 the cardinals1 each wearing the cappa magna and draped in purple1 walking solemnly two by two with long intervals between each pair4 ,finally1 around his ,holiness were grouped the officers of the military household1 the chamber prelates1 ,monsignor the ,majordomo1 ,monsignor the ,grand ,chamberlain1 and all the other high dignitaries of the ,vatican1 with the ,roman prince assistant of the throne1 the traditional1 symbolical defender of the ,church4 ,and on the sedia gestatoria1 screened by the flabelli with their lofty triumphal fans of feathers and carried on high by the bearers in red tunics broidered with silk1 sat the ,pope1 clad in the sacred vestments which he had assumed in the ,chapel of the ,blessed ,sacrament1 the amict1 the alb1 the stole1 and the white chasuble and white mitre enriched with gold1 two gifts of extraordinary sumptuousness that had come from ,france4 ,and1 as his ,holiness drew near1 all hands were raised and clapped yet more loudly amidst the waves of living sunlight which streamed from the lofty windows4 ,then a new and different impression of ,leo ,,xiii came to ,pierre4 ,the ,pope1 as he now beheld him1 was no longer the familiar1 tired1 inquisitive old man1 leaning on the arm of a talkative prelate as he strolled through the loveliest gardens in the world4 ,he no longer recalled the ,holy ,father1 in red cape and papal cap1 giving a paternal welcome to a pilgrimage which brought him a fortune4 ,he was here the ,sovereign ,pontiff1 the all-powerful ,master whom ,christendom adored4 ,his slim waxen form seemed to have stiffened within his white vestments1 heavy with golden broidery1 as in a reliquary of precious metal2 and he retained a rigid1 haughty1 hieratic attitude1 like that of some idol1 gilded1 withered for centuries past by the smoke of sacrifices4 ,amidst the mournful stiffness of his face only his eyes lived--eyes like black sparkling diamonds gazing afar1 beyond earth1 into the infinite4 ,he gave not a glance to the crowd1 he lowered his eyes neither to right nor to left1 but remained soaring in the heavens1 ignoring all that took place at his feet4 ,and as that seemingly embalmed idol1 deaf and blind1 in spite of the brilliancy of his eyes1 was carried through the frantic multitude which it appeared neither to hear nor to see1 it assumed fearsome majesty1 disquieting grandeur1 all the rigidity of dogma1 all the immobility of tradition exhumed with its fascioe which alone kept it erect4 ,still ,pierre fancied he could detect that the ,pope was ill and weary1 suffering from the attack of fever which ,nani had spoken of when glorifying the courage of that old man of eighty-four1 whom strength of soul alone now kept alive4 ,the service began4 ,alighting from the sedia gestatoria before the altar of the ,confession1 his ,holiness slowly celebrated a low mass1 assisted by four prelates and the pro-prefect of the ceremonies4 ,when the time came for washing his fingers1 ,monsignor the ,majordomo and ,monsignor the ,grand ,chamberlain1 accompanied by two cardinals1 poured the water on his august hands2 and shortly before the elevation of the host all the prelates of the pontifical court1 each holding a lighted taper1 came and knelt around the altar4 ,there was a solemn moment1 the forty thousand believers there assembled shuddered as if they could feel the terrible yet delicious blast of the invisible sweeping over them when during the elevation the silver clarions sounded the famous chorus of angels which invariably makes some women swoon4 ,almost immediately an aerial chant descended from the cupola1 from a lofty gallery where one hundred and twenty choristers were concealed1 and the enraptured multitude marvelled as though the angels had indeed responded to the clarion call4 ,the voices descended1 taking their flight under the vaulted ceilings with the airy sweetness of celestial harps2 then in suave harmony they died away1 reascended to the heavens as with a faint flapping of wings4 ,and1 after the mass1 his ,holiness1 still standing at the altar1 in person started the ,te ,deum1 which the singers of the ,sixtine ,chapel and the other choristers took up1 each party chanting a verse alternately4 ,but soon the whole congregation joined them1 forty thousand voices were raised1 and a hymn of joy and glory spread through the vast nave with incomparable splendour of effect4 ,and then the scene became one of extraordinary magnificence3 there was ,bernini's triumphal1 flowery1 gilded baldacchino1 surrounded by the whole pontifical court with the lighted tapers showing like starry constellations1 there was the ,sovereign ,pontiff in the centre1 radiant like a planet in his gold-broidered chasuble1 there were the benches crowded with cardinals in purple and archbishops and bishops in violet silk1 there were the tribunes glittering with official finery1 the gold lace of the diplomatists1 the variegated uniforms of foreign officers1 and then there was the throng flowing and eddying on all sides1 rolling billows after billows of heads from the most distant depths of the ,basilica4 ,and the hugeness of the temple increased one's amazement2 and even the glorious hymn which the multitude repeated became colossal1 ascended like a tempest blast amidst the great marble tombs1 the superhuman statues and gigantic pillars1 till it reached the vast vaulted heavens of stone1 and penetrated into the firmament of the cupola where the ,infinite seemed to open resplendent with the gold-work of the mosaics4 ,a long murmur of voices followed the ,te ,deum1 whilst ,leo ,,xiii1 after donning the tiara in lieu of the mitre1 and exchanging the chasuble for the pontifical cope1 went to occupy his throne on the platform at the entry of the left transept4 ,he thence dominated the whole assembly1 through which a quiver sped when after the prayers of the ritual1 he once more rose erect4 ,beneath the symbolic1 triple crown1 in the golden sheathing of his cope1 he seemed to have grown taller4 ,amidst sudden and profound silence1 which only feverish heart-beats interrupted1 he raised his arm with a very noble gesture and pronounced the papal benediction in a slow1 loud1 full voice1 which seemed1 as it were1 the very voice of the ,deity1 so greatly did its power astonish one1 coming from such waxen lips1 from such a bloodless1 lifeless frame4 ,and the effect was prodigious3 as soon as the cortge reformed to return whence it had come1 applause again burst forth1 a frenzy of enthusiasm which the clapping of hands could no longer content4 ,acclamations resounded and gradually gained upon the whole multitude4 ,they began among a group of ardent partisans stationed near the statue of ,st4 ,peter3 8,evviva il ,papa-,r6 evviva il ,papa-,r6 ,long live the ,pope-,king60 as the cortge went by the shout rushed along like leaping fire1 inflaming heart after heart1 and at last springing from every mouth in a thunderous protest against the theft of the states of the ,church4 ,all the faith1 all the love of those believers1 overexcited by the regal spectacle they had just beheld1 returned once more to the dream1 to the rageful desire that the ,pope should be both ,king and ,pontiff1 master of men's bodies as he was of their souls--in one word1 the absolute sovereign of the earth4 ,therein lay the only truth1 the only happiness1 the only salvation6 ,let all be given to him1 both mankind and the world6 8,evviva il ,papa-,r6 evviva il ,papa-,r6 ,long live the ,pope-,king60 ,ah6 that cry1 that cry of war which had caused so many errors and so much bloodshed1 that cry of self-abandonment and blindness which1 realised1 would have brought back the old ages of suffering1 it shocked ,pierre1 and impelled him in all haste to quit the tribune where he was in order that he might escape the contagion of idolatry4 ,and while the cortge still went its way and the deafening clamour of the crowd continued1 he for a moment followed the left aisle amidst the general scramble4 ,this1 however1 made him despair of reaching the street1 and anxious to escape the crush of the general departure1 it occurred to him to profit by a door which he saw open and which led him into a vestibule1 whence ascended the steps conducting to the dome4 ,a sacristan standing in the doorway1 both bewildered and delighted at the demonstration1 looked at him for a moment1 hesitating whether he should stop him or not4 ,however1 the sight of the young priest's cassock combined with his own emotion rendered the man tolerant4 ,pierre was allowed to pass1 and at once began to climb the staircase as rapidly as he could1 in order that he might flee farther and farther away1 ascend higher and yet higher into peace and silence4 ,and the silence suddenly became profound1 the walls stifled the cry of the multitude4 ,the staircase was easy and light1 with broad paved steps turning within a sort of tower4 ,when ,pierre came out upon the roofs of nave and aisles1 he was delighted to find himself in the bright sunlight and the pure keen air which blew there as in the open country4 ,and it was with astonishment that he gazed upon the huge expanse of lead1 zinc1 and stone-work1 a perfect aerial city living a life of its own under the blue sky4 ,he saw cupolas1 spires1 terraces1 even houses and gardens1 houses bright with flowers1 the residences of the workmen who live atop of the ,basilica1 which is ever and ever requiring repair4 ,a little population here bestirs itself1 labours1 loves1 eats1 and sleeps4 ,however1 ,pierre desired to approach the balustrade so as to get a near view of the colossal statues of the ,saviour and the ,apostles which surmount the faade on the side of the piazza4 ,these giants1 some nineteen feet in height1 are constantly being mended2 their arms1 legs1 and heads1 into which the atmosphere is ever eating1 nowadays only hold together by the help of cement1 bars1 and hooks4 ,and having examined them1 ,pierre was leaning forward to glance at the ,vatican's jumble of ruddy roofs1 when it seemed to him that the shout from which he had fled was rising from the piazza1 and thereupon1 in all haste1 he resumed his ascent within the pillar conducting to the dome4 ,there was first a staircase1 and then came some narrow1 oblique passages1 inclines intersected by a few steps1 between the inner and outer walls of the cupola4 ,yielding to curiosity1 ,pierre pushed a door open1 and suddenly found himself inside the ,basilica again1 at nearly #bjj feet from the ground4 ,a narrow gallery there ran round the dome just above the frieze1 on which1 in letters five feet high1 appeared the famous inscription3 ,tu es ,petrus et super hanc petram dificabo ecclesiam meam et tibi dabo claves regni clorum499 ,and then1 as ,pierre leant over to gaze into the fearful cavity beneath him and the wide openings of nave1 and aisles1 and transepts1 the cry1 the delirious cry of the multitude1 yet clamorously swarming below1 struck him full in the face4 ,he fled once more2 but1 higher up1 yet a second time he pushed another door open and found another gallery1 one perched above the windows1 just where the splendid mosaics begin1 and whence the crowd seemed to him lost in the depths of a dizzy abyss1 altar and baldacchino alike looking no larger than toys4 ,and yet the cry of idolatry and warfare arose again1 and smote him like the buffet of a tempest which gathers increase of strength the farther it rushes4 ,so to escape it he had to climb higher still1 even to the outer gallery which encircles the lantern1 hovering in the very heavens4 99 ,thou art ,peter 7,petrus7 and on that rock 7,petram7 will ,i build my church1 and to thee will ,i give the keys of the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,how delightful was the relief which that bath of air and sunlight at first brought him6 ,above him now there only remained the ball of gilt copper into which emperors and queens have ascended1 as is testified by the pompous inscriptions in the passages2 a hollow ball it is1 where the voice crashes like thunder1 where all the sounds of space reverberate4 ,as he emerged on the side of the apse1 his eyes at first plunged into the papal gardens1 whose clumps of trees seemed mere bushes almost level with the soil2 and he could retrace his recent stroll among them1 the broad parterre looking like a faded ,smyrna rug1 the large wood showing the deep glaucous greenery of a stagnant pool4 ,then there were the kitchen garden and the vineyard easily identified and tended with care4 ,the fountains1 the observatory1 the casino1 where the ,pope spent the hot days of summer1 showed merely like little white spots in those undulating grounds1 walled in like any other estate1 but with the fearsome rampart of the fourth ,leo1 which yet retained its fortress-like aspect4 ,however1 ,pierre took his way round the narrow gallery and abruptly found himself in front of ,rome1 a sudden and immense expanse1 with the distant sea on the west1 the uninterrupted mountain chains on the east and the south1 the ,roman ,campagna stretching to the horizon like a bare and greenish desert1 while the city1 the ,eternal ,city1 was spread out at his feet4 ,never before had space impressed him so majestically4 ,rome was there1 as a bird might see it1 within the glance1 as distinct as some geographical plan executed in relief4 ,to think of it1 such a past1 such a history1 so much grandeur1 and ,rome so dwarfed and contracted by distance6 ,houses as lilliputian and as pretty as toys2 and the whole a mere mouldy speck upon the earth's face6 ,what impassioned ,pierre was that he could at a glance understand the divisions of ,rome3 the antique city yonder with the ,capitol1 the ,forum1 and the ,palatine2 the papal city in that ,borgo which he overlooked1 with ,st4 ,peter's and the ,vatican gazing across the city of the middle ages--which was huddled together in the right angle described by the yellow ,tiber--towards the modern city1 the ,quirinal of the ,italian monarchy4 ,and particularly did he remark the chalky girdle with which the new districts encompassed the ancient1 central1 sun-tanned quarters1 thus symbolising an effort at rejuvenescence1 the old heart but slowly mended1 whereas the outlying limbs were renewed as if by miracle4 ,in that ardent noontide glow1 however1 ,pierre no longer beheld the pure ethereal ,rome which had met his eyes on the morning of his arrival in the delightfully soft radiance of the rising sun4 ,that smiling1 unobtrusive city1 half veiled by golden mist1 immersed as it were in some dream of childhood1 now appeared to him flooded with a crude light1 motionless1 hard of outline and silent like death4 ,the distance was as if devoured by too keen a flame1 steeped in a luminous dust in which it crumbled4 ,and against that blurred background the whole city showed with violent distinctness in great patches of light and shade1 their tracery harshly conspicuous4 ,one might have fancied oneself above some very ancient1 abandoned stone quarry1 which a few clumps of trees spotted with dark green4 ,of the ancient city one could see the sunburnt tower of the ,capitol1 the black cypresses of the ,palatine1 and the ruins of the palace of ,septimius ,severus1 suggesting the white osseous carcase of some fossil monster1 left there by a flood4 ,in front1 was enthroned the modern city with the long1 renovated buildings of the ,quirinal1 whose yellow walls stood forth with wondrous crudity amidst the vigorous crests of the garden trees4 ,and to right and left on the ,viminal1 beyond the palace1 the new districts appeared like a city of chalk and plaster mottled by innumerable windows as with a thousand touches of black ink4 ,then here and there were the ,pincio showing like a stagnant mere1 the ,villa ,medici uprearing its campanili1 the castle of ,sant' ,angelo brown like rust1 the spire of ,santa ,maria ,maggiore aglow like a burning taper1 the three churches of the ,aventine drowsy amidst verdure1 the ,palazzo ,farnese with its summer-baked tiles showing like old gold1 the domes of the ,ges1 of ,sant' ,andrea della ,valle1 of ,san ,giovanni dei ,fiorentini1 and yet other domes and other domes1 all in fusion1 incandescent in the brazier of the heavens4 ,and ,pierre again felt a heart-pang in presence of that harsh1 stern ,rome1 so different from the ,rome of his dream1 the ,rome of rejuvenescence and hope1 which he had fancied he had found on his first morning1 but which had now faded away to give place to the immutable city of pride and domination1 stubborn under the sun even unto death4 ,and there on high1 all alone with his thoughts1 ,pierre suddenly understood4 ,it was as if a dart of flaming light fell on him in that free1 unbounded expanse where he hovered4 ,had it come from the ceremony which he had just beheld1 from the frantic cry of servitude still ringing in his ears8 ,had it come from the spectacle of that city beneath him1 that city which suggested an embalmed queen still reigning amidst the dust of her tomb8 ,he knew not2 but doubtless both had acted as factors1 and at all events the light which fell upon his mind was complete3 he felt that ,catholicism could not exist without the temporal power1 that it must fatally disappear whenever it should no longer be king over this earth4 ,a first reason of this lay in heredity1 in the forces of history1 the long line of the heirs of the ,caesars1 the popes1 the great pontiffs1 in whose veins the blood of ,augustus1 demanding the empire of the world1 had never ceased to flow4 ,though they might reside in the ,vatican they had come from the imperial abodes on the ,palatine1 from the palace of ,septimius ,severus1 and throughout the centuries their policy had ever pursued the dream of ,roman mastery1 of all the nations vanquished1 submissive1 and obedient to ,rome4 ,if its sovereignty were not universal1 extending alike over bodies and over souls1 ,catholicism would lose its raison d'tre2 for the ,church cannot recognise any empire or kingdom otherwise than politically--the emperors and the kings being purely and simply so many temporary delegates placed in charge of the nations pending the time when they shall be called upon to relinquish their trust4 ,all the nations1 all humanity1 and the whole world belong to the ,church to whom they have been given by ,god4 ,and if real and effective possession is not hers to-day1 this is only because she yields to force1 compelled to face accomplished facts1 but with the formal reserve that she is in presence of guilty usurpation1 that her possessions are unjustly withheld from her1 and that she awaits the realisation of the promises of the ,christ1 who1 when the time shall be accomplished1 will for ever restore to her both the earth and mankind4 ,such is the real future city which time is to bring3 ,catholic ,rome1 sovereign of the world once more4 ,and ,rome the city forms a substantial part of the dream1 ,rome whose eternity has been predicted1 ,rome whose soil has imparted to ,catholicism the inextinguishable thirst of absolute power4 ,and thus the destiny of the papacy is linked to that of ,rome1 to such a point indeed that a pope elsewhere than at ,rome would no longer be a ,catholic pope4 ,the thought of all this frightened ,pierre2 a great shudder passed through him as he leant on the light iron balustrade1 gazing down into the abyss where the stern mournful city was even now crumbling away under the fierce sun4 ,there was1 however1 evidence of the facts which had dawned on him4 ,if ,pius ,,ix and ,leo ,,xiii had resolved to imprison themselves in the ,vatican1 it was because necessity bound them to ,rome4 ,a pope is not free to leave the city1 to be the head of the ,church elsewhere2 and in the same way a pope1 however well he may understand the modern world1 has not the right to relinquish the temporal power4 ,this is an inalienable inheritance which he must defend1 and it is moreover a question of life1 peremptory1 above discussion4 ,and thus ,leo ,,xiii has retained the title of ,master of the temporal dominions of the ,church1 and this he has done the more readily since as a cardinal--like all the members of the ,sacred ,college when elected--he swore that he would maintain those dominions intact4 ,italy may hold ,rome as her capital for another century or more1 but the coming popes will never cease to protest and claim their kingdom4 ,if ever an understanding should be arrived at1 it must be based on the gift of a strip of territory4 ,formerly1 when rumours of reconciliation were current1 was it not said that the papacy exacted1 as a formal condition1 the possession of at least the ,leonine ,city with the neutralisation of a road leading to the sea8 ,nothing is not enough1 one cannot start from nothing to attain to everything1 whereas that ,civitas ,leonina1 that bit of a city1 would already be a little royal ground1 and it would then only be necessary to conquer the rest1 first ,rome1 next ,italy1 then the neighbouring states1 and at last the whole world4 ,never has the ,church despaired1 even when1 beaten and despoiled1 she seemed to be at the last gasp4 ,never will she abdicate1 never will she renounce the promises of the ,christ1 for she believes in a boundless future and declares herself to be both indestructible and eternal4 ,grant her but a pebble on which to rest her head1 and she will hope to possess1 first the field in which that pebble lies1 and then the empire in which the field is situated4 ,if one pope cannot achieve the recovery of the inheritance1 another pope1 ten1 twenty other popes will continue the work4 ,the centuries do not count4 ,and this explains why an old man of eighty-four has undertaken colossal enterprises whose achievement requires several lives1 certain as he is that his successors will take his place1 and that the work will ever and ever be carried forward and completed4 ,as these thoughts coursed through his mind1 ,pierre1 overlooking that ancient city of glory and domination1 so stubbornly clinging to its purple1 realised that he was an imbecile with his dream of a purely spiritual pope4 ,the notion seemed to him so different from the reality1 so out of place1 that he experienced a sort of shame-fraught despair4 ,the new pope1 consonant to the teachings of the ,gospel1 such as a purely spiritual pope reigning over souls alone1 would be1 was virtually beyond the ken of a ,roman prelate4 ,at thought of that papal court congealed in ritual1 pride1 and authority1 ,pierre suddenly understood what horror and repugnance such a pastor would inspire4 ,how great must be the astonishment and contempt of the papal prelates for that singular notion of the northern mind1 a pope without dominions or subjects1 military household or royal honours1 a pope who would be1 as it were1 a spirit1 exercising purely moral authority1 dwelling in the depths of ,god's temple1 and governing the world solely with gestures of benediction and deeds of kindliness and love6 ,all that was but a misty ,gothic invention for this ,latin clergy1 these priests of light and magnificence1 who were certainly pious and even superstitious1 but who left the ,deity well sheltered within the tabernacle in order to govern in ,his name1 according to what they considered the interests of ,heaven4 ,thence it arose that they employed craft and artifice like mere politicians1 and lived by dint of expedients amidst the great battle of human appetites1 marching with the prudent1 stealthy steps of diplomatists towards the final terrestrial victory of the ,christ1 who1 in the person of the ,pope1 was one day to reign over all the nations4 ,and how stupefied must a ,french prelate have been--a prelate like ,monseigneur ,bergerot1 that apostle of renunciation and charity--when he lighted amidst that world of the ,vatican6 ,how difficult must it have been for him to understand and focus things1 and afterwards how great his grief at finding himself unable to come to any agreement with those men without country1 without fatherland1 those 8internationals10 who were ever poring over the maps of both hemispheres1 ever absorbed in schemes which were to bring them empire4 ,days and days were necessary1 one needed to live in ,rome1 and he1 ,pierre himself1 had only seen things clearly after a month's sojourn1 whilst labouring under the violent shock of the royal pomp of ,st4 ,peter's1 and standing face to face with the ancient city as it slumbered heavily in the sunlight and dreamt its dream of eternity4 ,but on lowering his eyes to the piazza in front of the ,basilica he perceived the multitude1 the #dj1jjj believers streaming over the pavement like insects4 ,and then he thought that he could hear the cry again rising3 8,evviva il ,papa-,r6 evviva il ,papa-,r6 ,long live the ,pope-,king60 ,whilst ascending those endless staircases a moment previously it had seemed to him as if the colossus of stone were quivering with the frantic shout raised beneath its ceilings4 ,and now that he had climbed even into cloudland that shout apparently was traversing space4 ,if the colossal pile beneath him still vibrated with it1 was it not as with a last rise of sap within its ancient walls1 a reinvigoration of that ,catholic blood which formerly had demanded that the pile should be a stupendous one1 the veritable king of temples1 and which now was striving to reanimate it with the powerful breath of life1 and this at the very hour when death was beginning to fall upon its over-vast1 deserted nave and aisles8 ,the crowd was still streaming forth1 filling the piazza1 and ,pierre's heart was wrung by frightful anguish1 for that throng with its shout had just swept his last hope away4 ,on the previous afternoon1 after the reception of the pilgrimage1 he had yet been able to deceive himself by overlooking the necessity for money which bound the ,pope to earth in order that he might see nought but the feeble old man1 all spirituality1 resplendent like the symbol of moral authority4 ,but his faith in such a pastor of the ,gospel1 free from all considerations of earthly wealth1 and king of none other than a heavenly kingdom1 had fled4 ,not only did the ,peter's ,pence impose hard servitude upon ,leo ,,xiii but he was also the prisoner of papal tradition--the eternal ,king of ,rome1 riveted to the soil of ,rome1 unable either to quit the city or to renounce the temporal power4 ,the fatal end would be collapse on the spot1 the dome of ,st4 ,peter's falling even as the temple of ,olympian ,jupiter had fallen1 ,catholicism strewing the grass with its ruins whilst elsewhere schism burst forth3 a new faith for the new nations4 ,of this ,pierre had a grandiose and tragical vision3 he beheld his dream destroyed1 his book swept away amidst that cry which spread around him as if flying to the four corners of the ,catholic world 8,evviva il ,papa-,r6 evviva il ,papa-,r6 ,long live the ,pope-,king60 ,but even in that hour of the papacy's passing triumph he already felt that the giant of gold and marble on which he stood was oscillating1 even as totter all old and rotten societies4 ,at last he took his way down again1 and a fresh shock of emotion came to him as he reached the roofs1 that sunlit expanse of lead and zinc1 large enough for the site of a town4 ,monsignor ,nani was there1 in company with the two ,french ladies1 the mother and the daughter1 both looking very happy and highly amused4 ,no doubt the prelate had good-naturedly offered to conduct them to the dome4 ,however1 as soon as he recognised the young priest he went towards him3 8,well1 my dear son10 he inquired1 8are you pleased8 ,have you been impressed1 edified80 ,as he spoke1 his searching eyes dived into ,pierre's soul1 as if to ascertain the present result of his experiments4 ,then1 satisfied with what he detected1 he began to laugh softly3 8,yes1 yes1 ,i see--come1 you are a sensible fellow after all4 ,i begin to think that the unfortunate affair which brought you here will have a happy ending40 ,,viii4 ,,when ,pierre remained in the morning at the ,boccanera mansion he often spent some hours in the little neglected garden which had formerly ended with a sort of colonnaded loggia1 whence two flights of steps descended to the ,tiber4 ,this garden was a delightful1 solitary nook1 perfumed by the ripe fruit of the centenarian orange-trees1 whose symmetrical lines were the only indication of the former pathways1 now hidden beneath rank weeds4 ,and ,pierre also found there the acrid scent of the large box-shrubs growing in the old central fountain basin1 which had been filled up with loose earth and rubbish4 ,on those luminous ,october mornings1 full of such tender and penetrating charm1 the spot was one where all the joy of living might well be savoured1 but ,pierre brought thither his northern dreaminess1 his concern for suffering1 his steadfast feeling of compassion1 which rendered yet sweeter the caress of the sunlight pervading that atmosphere of love4 ,he seated himself against the right-hand wall on a fragment of a fallen column over which a huge laurel cast a deep-black shadow1 fresh and aromatic4 ,in the antique greenish sarcophagus beside him1 on which fauns offered violence to nymphs1 the streamlet of water trickling from the mask incrusted in the wall1 set the unchanging music of its crystal note1 whilst he read the newspapers and the letters which he received1 all the communications of good ,abb ,rose1 who kept him informed of his mission among the wretched ones of gloomy ,paris1 now already steeped in fog and mud4 ,one morning however1 ,pierre unexpectedly found ,benedetta seated on the fallen column which he usually made his chair4 ,she raised a light cry of surprise on seeing him1 and for a moment remained embarrassed1 for she had with her his book 8,new ,rome10 which she had read once already1 but had then imperfectly understood4 ,and overcoming her embarrassment she now hastened to detain him1 making him sit down beside her1 and frankly owning that she had come to the garden in order to be alone and apply herself to an attentive study of the book1 in the same way as some ignorant school-girl4 ,then they began to chat like a pair of friends1 and the young priest spent a delightful hour4 ,although ,benedetta did not speak of herself1 he realised that it was her grief alone which brought her nearer to him1 as if indeed her own sufferings enlarged her heart and made her think of all who suffered in the world4 ,patrician as she was1 regarding social hierarchy as a divine law1 she had never previously thought of such things1 and some pages of ,pierre's book greatly astonished her4 ,what6 one ought to take interest in the lowly1 realise that they had the same souls and the same griefs as oneself1 and seek in brotherly or sisterly fashion to make them happy8 ,she certainly sought to acquire such an interest1 but with no great success1 for she secretly feared that it might lead her into sin1 as it could not be right to alter aught of the social system which had been established by ,god and consecrated by the ,church4 ,charitable she undoubtedly was1 wont to bestow small sums in alms1 but she did not give her heart1 she felt no true sympathy for the humble1 belonging as she did to such a different race1 which looked to a throne in heaven high above the seats of all the plebeian elect4 ,she and ,pierre1 however1 found themselves on other mornings side by side in the shade of the laurels near the trickling1 singing water2 and he1 lacking occupation1 weary of waiting for a solution which seemed to recede day by day1 fervently strove to animate this young and beautiful woman with some of his own fraternal feelings4 ,he was impassioned by the idea that he was catechising ,italy herself1 the queen of beauty1 who was still slumbering in ignorance1 but who would recover all her past glory if she were to awake to the new times with soul enlarged1 swelling with pity for men and things4 ,reading good ,abb ,rose's letters to ,benedetta1 he made her shudder at the frightful wail of wretchedness which ascends from all great cities4 ,with such deep tenderness in her eyes1 with the happiness of love reciprocated emanating from her whole being1 why should she not recognise1 even as he did1 that the law of love was the sole means of saving suffering humanity1 which1 through hatred1 incurred the danger of death8 ,and to please him she did try to believe in democracy1 in the fraternal remodelling of society1 but among other nations only--not at ,rome1 for an involuntary1 gentle laugh came to her lips whenever his words evoked the idea of the poor still remaining in the ,trastevere district fraternising with those who yet dwelt in the old princely palaces4 ,no1 no1 things had been as they were so long2 they could not1 must not1 be altered6 ,and so1 after all1 ,pierre's pupil made little progress3 she was1 in reality1 simply touched by the wealth of ardent love which the young priest had chastely transferred from one alone to the whole of human kind4 ,and between him and her1 as those sunlit ,october mornings went by1 a tie of exquisite sweetness was formed2 they came to love one another with deep1 pure1 fraternal affection1 amidst the great glowing passion which consumed them both4 ,then1 one day1 ,benedetta1 her elbow resting on the sarcophagus1 spoke of ,dario1 whose name she had hitherto refrained from mentioning4 ,ah6 poor amico1 how circumspect and repentant he had shown himself since that fit of brutal insanity6 ,at first1 to conceal his embarrassment1 he had gone to spend three days at ,naples1 and it was said that ,la ,tonietta1 the sentimental demi-mondaine1 had hastened to join him there1 wildly in love with him4 ,since his return to the mansion he had avoided all private meetings with his cousin1 and scarcely saw her except at the ,monday receptions1 when he wore a submissive air1 and with his eyes silently entreated forgiveness4 8,yesterday1 however10 continued ,benedetta1 8,i met him on the staircase and gave him my hand4 ,he understood that ,i was no longer angry with him and was very happy4 ,what else could ,i have done8 ,one must not be severe for ever4 ,besides1 ,i do not want things to go too far between him and that woman4 ,i want him to remember that ,i still love him1 and am still waiting for him4 ,oh6 he is mine1 mine alone4 ,but alas6 ,i cannot say the word3 our affairs are in such sorry plight40 ,she paused1 and two big tears welled into her eyes4 ,the divorce proceedings to which she alluded had now come to a standstill1 fresh obstacles ever arising to stay their course4 ,pierre was much moved by her tears1 for she seldom wept4 ,she herself sometimes confessed1 with her calm smile1 that she did not know how to weep4 ,but now her heart was melting1 and for a moment she remained overcome1 leaning on the mossy1 crumbling sarcophagus1 whilst the clear water falling from the gaping mouth of the tragic mask still sounded its flutelike note4 ,and a sudden thought of death came to the priest as he saw her1 so young and so radiant with beauty1 half fainting beside that marble resting-place where fauns were rushing upon nymphs in a frantic bacchanal which proclaimed the omnipotence of love--that omnipotence which the ancients were fond of symbolising on their tombs as a token of life's eternity4 ,and meantime a faint1 warm breeze passed through the sunlit1 silent garden1 wafting hither and thither the penetrating scent of box and orange4 8,one has so much strength when one loves10 ,pierre at last murmured4 8,yes1 yes1 you are right10 she replied1 already smiling again4 8,i am childish4 ,but it is the fault of your book4 ,it is only when ,i suffer that ,i properly understand it4 ,but all the same ,i am making progress1 am ,i not8 ,since you desire it1 let all the poor1 all those who suffer1 as ,i do1 be my brothers and sisters40 ,then for a while they resumed their chat4 ,on these occasions ,benedetta was usually the first to return to the house1 and ,pierre would linger alone under the laurels1 vaguely dreaming of sweet1 sad things4 ,often did he think how hard life proved for poor creatures whose only thirst was for happiness6 ,one ,monday evening1 at a quarter-past ten1 only the young folks remained in ,donna ,serafina's reception-room4 ,monsignor ,nani had merely put in an appearance that night1 and ,cardinal ,sarno had just gone off4 ,even ,donna ,serafina1 in her usual seat by the fireplace1 seemed to have withdrawn from the others1 absorbed as she was in contemplation of the chair which the absent ,morano still stubbornly left unoccupied4 ,chatting and laughing in front of the sofa on which sat ,benedetta and ,celia were ,dario1 ,pierre1 and ,narcisse ,habert1 the last of whom had begun to twit the young ,prince1 having met him1 so he asserted1 a few days previously1 in the company of a very pretty girl4 8,oh6 don't deny it1 my dear fellow10 continued ,narcisse1 8for she was really superb4 ,she was walking beside you1 and you turned into a lane together--the ,borgo ,angelico1 ,i think40 ,dario listened smiling1 quite at his ease and incapable of denying his passionate predilection for beauty4 8,no doubt1 no doubt2 it was ,i1 ,i don't deny it10 he responded4 8,only the inferences you draw are not correct40 ,and turning towards ,benedetta1 who1 without a thought of jealous anxiety1 wore as gay a look as himself1 as though delighted that he should have enjoyed that passing pleasure of the eyes1 he went on3 8,it was the girl1 you know1 whom ,i found in tears six weeks ago4 ,yes1 that bead-worker who was sobbing because the workshop was shut up1 and who rushed along1 all blushing1 to conduct me to her parents when ,i offered her a bit of silver4 ,pierina her name is1 as you1 perhaps1 remember40 8,oh6 yes1 ,pierina40 8,well1 since then ,i've met her in the street on four or five occasions4 ,and1 to tell the truth1 she is so very beautiful that ,i've stopped and spoken to her4 ,the other day1 for instance1 ,i walked with her as far as a manufacturer's4 ,but she hasn't yet found any work1 and she began to cry1 and so1 to console her a little1 ,i kissed her4 ,she was quite taken aback at it1 but she seemed very well pleased40 ,at this all the others began to laugh4 ,but suddenly ,celia desisted and said very gravely1 8,you know1 ,dario1 she loves you2 you must not be hard on her40 ,dario1 no doubt1 was of ,celia's opinion1 for he again looked at ,benedetta1 but with a gay toss of the head1 as if to say that1 although the girl might love him1 he did not love her4 ,a bead-worker indeed1 a girl of the lowest classes1 pooh6 ,she might be a ,venus1 but she could be nothing to him4 ,and he himself made merry over his romantic adventure1 which ,narcisse sought to arrange in a kind of antique sonnet3 ,a beautiful bead-worker falling madly in love with a young prince1 as fair as sunlight1 who1 touched by her misfortune1 hands her a silver crown2 then the beautiful bead-worker1 quite overcome at finding him as charitable as handsome1 dreaming of him incessantly1 and following him everywhere1 chained to his steps by a link of flame2 and finally the beautiful bead-worker1 who has refused the silver crown1 so entreating the handsome prince with her soft1 submissive eyes1 that he at last deigns to grant her the alms of his heart4 ,this pastime greatly amused ,benedetta2 but ,celia1 with her angelic face and the air of a little girl who ought to have been ignorant of everything1 remained very grave and repeated sadly1 8,dario1 ,dario1 she loves you2 you must not make her suffer40 ,then the ,contessina1 in her turn1 was moved to pity4 8,and those poor folks are not happy60 said she4 8,oh60 exclaimed the ,prince1 8it's misery beyond belief4 ,on the day she took me to the ,quartiere dei ,prati99 ,i was quite overcome2 it was awful1 astonishingly awful60 99 ,the district of the castle meadows--see ante note4--,trans4 8,but ,i remember that we promised to go to see the poor people10 resumed ,benedetta1 8and we have done wrong in delaying our visit so long4 ,for your studies1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 you greatly desired to accompany us and see the poor of ,rome--was that not so80 ,as she spoke she raised her eyes to ,pierre1 who for a moment had been silent4 ,he was much moved by her charitable thought1 for he realised1 by the faint quiver of her voice1 that she desired to appear a docile pupil1 progressing in affection for the lowly and the wretched4 ,moreover1 his passion for his apostolate had at once returned to him4 8,oh60 said he1 8,i shall not quit ,rome without having seen those who suffer1 those who lack work and bread4 ,therein lies the malady which affects every nation2 salvation can only be attained by the healing of misery4 ,when the roots of the tree cannot find sustenance the tree dies40 8,well10 resumed the ,contessina1 8we will fix an appointment at once2 you shall come with us to the ,quartiere dei ,prati--,dario will take us there40 ,at this the ,prince1 who had listened to the priest with an air of stupefaction1 unable to understand the simile of the tree and its roots1 began to protest distressfully1 8,no1 no1 cousin1 take ,monsieur l',abb for a stroll there if it amuses you4 ,but ,i've been1 and don't want to go back4 ,why1 when ,i got home the last time ,i was so upset that ,i almost took to my bed4 ,no1 no2 such abominations are too awful--it isn't possible40 ,at this moment a voice1 bitter with displeasure1 arose from the chimney corner4 ,donna ,serafina was emerging from her long silence4 8,dario is quite right6 ,send your alms1 my dear1 and ,i will gladly add mine4 ,there are other places where you might take ,monsieur l',abb1 and which it would be far more useful for him to see4 ,with that idea of yours you would send him away with a nice recollection of our city40 ,roman pride rang out amidst the old lady's bad temper4 ,why1 indeed1 show one's sores to foreigners1 whose visit is possibly prompted by hostile curiosity8 ,one always ought to look beautiful2 ,rome should not be shown otherwise than in the garb of glory4 ,narcisse1 however1 had taken possession of ,pierre4 8,it's true1 my dear ,abb10 said he2 8,i forgot to recommend that stroll to you4 ,you really must visit the new district built over the castle meadows4 ,it's typical1 and sums up all the others4 ,and you won't lose your time there1 ,i'll warrant you1 for nowhere can you learn more about the ,rome of the present day4 ,it's extraordinary1 extraordinary60 ,then1 addressing ,benedetta1 he added1 8,is it decided8 ,shall we say to-morrow morning8 ,you'll find the ,abb and me over there1 for ,i want to explain matters to him beforehand1 in order that he may understand them4 ,what do you say to ten o'clock80 ,before answering him the ,contessina turned towards her aunt and respectfully opposed her views4 8,but ,monsieur l',abb1 aunt1 has met enough beggars in our streets already1 so he may well see everything4 ,besides1 judging by his book1 he won't see worse things than he has seen in ,paris4 ,as he says in one passage1 hunger is the same all the world over40 ,then1 with her sensible air1 she gently laid siege to ,dario4 8,you know1 ,dario10 said she1 8you would please me very much by taking me there4 ,we can go in the carriage and join these gentlemen4 ,it will be a very pleasant outing for us4 ,it is such a long time since we went out together40 ,it was certainly that idea of going out with ,dario1 of having a pretext for a complete reconciliation with him1 that enchanted her2 he himself realised it1 and1 unable to escape1 he tried to treat the matter as a joke4 8,ah6 cousin10 he said1 8it will be your fault2 ,i shall have the nightmare for a week4 ,an excursion like that spoils all the enjoyment of life for days and days40 ,the mere thought made him quiver with revolt4 ,however1 laughter again rang out around him1 and1 in spite of ,donna ,serafina's mute disapproval1 the appointment was finally fixed for the following morning at ten o'clock4 ,celia as she went off expressed deep regret that she could not form one of the party2 but1 with the closed candour of a budding lily1 she really took interest in ,pierina alone4 ,as she reached the ante-room she whispered in her friend's ear3 8,take a good look at that beauty1 my dear1 so as to tell me whether she is so very beautiful--beautiful beyond compare40 ,when ,pierre met ,narcisse near the ,castle of ,sant' ,angelo on the morrow1 at nine o'clock1 he was surprised to find him again languid and enraptured1 plunged anew in artistic enthusiasm4 ,at first not a word was said of the excursion4 ,narcisse related that he had risen at sunrise in order that he might spend an hour before ,bernini's 8,santa ,teresa40 ,it seemed that when he did not see that statue for a week he suffered as acutely as if he were parted from some cherished mistress4 ,and his adoration varied with the time of day1 according to the light in which he beheld the figure3 in the morning1 when the pale glow of dawn steeped it in whiteness1 he worshipped it with quite a mystical transport of the soul1 whilst in the afternoon1 when the glow of the declining sun's oblique rays seemed to permeate the marble1 his passion became as fiery red as the blood of martyrs4 8,ah6 my friend10 said he with a weary air whilst his dreamy eyes faded to mauve1 8you have no idea how delightful and perturbing her awakening was this morning--how languorously she opened her eyes1 like a pure1 candid virgin1 emerging from the embrace of the ,divinity4 ,one could die of rapture at the sight60 ,then1 growing calm again when he had taken a few steps1 he resumed in the voice of a practical man who does not lose his balance in the affairs of life3 8,we'll walk slowly towards the castle-fields district--the buildings yonder2 and on our way ,i'll tell you what ,i know of the things we shall see there4 ,it was the maddest affair imaginable1 one of those delirious frenzies of speculation which have a splendour of their own1 just like the superb1 monstrous masterpiece of a man of genius whose mind is unhinged4 ,i was told of it all by some relatives of mine1 who took part in the gambling1 and1 in point of fact1 made a good deal of money by it40 ,thereupon1 with the clearness and precision of a financier1 employing technical terms with perfect ease1 he recounted the extraordinary adventure4 ,that all ,italy1 on the morrow of the occupation of ,rome1 should have been delirious with enthusiasm at the thought of at last possessing the ancient and glorious city1 the eternal capital to which the empire of the world had been promised1 was but natural4 ,it was1 so to say1 a legitimate explosion of the delight and the hopes of a young nation anxious to show its power4 ,the question was to make ,rome a modern capital worthy of a great kingdom1 and before aught else there were sanitary requirements to be dealt with3 the city needed to be cleansed of all the filth which disgraced it4 ,one cannot nowadays imagine in what abominable putrescence the city of the popes1 the ,roma sporca which artists regret1 was then steeped3 the vast majority of the houses lacked even the most primitive arrangements1 the public thoroughfares were used for all purposes1 noble ruins served as store-places for sewage1 the princely palaces were surrounded by filth1 and the streets were perfect manure beds which fostered frequent epidemics4 ,thus vast municipal works were absolutely necessary1 the question was one of health and life itself4 ,and in much the same way it was only right to think of building houses for the newcomers1 who would assuredly flock into the city4 ,there had been a precedent at ,berlin1 whose population1 after the establishment of the ,german empire1 had suddenly increased by some hundreds of thousands4 ,in the same way the population of ,rome would certainly be doubled1 tripled1 quadrupled1 for as the new centre of national life the city would necessarily attract all the vis viva of the provinces4 ,and at this thought pride stepped in3 the fallen government of the ,vatican must be shown what ,italy was capable of achieving1 what splendour she would bestow on the new and third ,rome1 which1 by the magnificence of its thoroughfares and the multitude of its people1 would far excel either the imperial or the papal city4 ,true1 during the early years some prudence was observed2 wisely enough1 houses were only built in proportion as they were required4 ,the population had doubled at one bound1 rising from two to four hundred thousand souls1 thanks to the arrival of the little world of employees and officials of the public services--all those who live on the ,state or hope to live on it1 without mentioning the idlers and enjoyers of life whom a ,court always carries in its train4 ,however1 this influx of newcomers was a first cause of intoxication1 for every one imagined that the increase would continue1 and1 in fact1 become more and more rapid4 ,and so the city of the day before no longer seemed large enough2 it was necessary to make immediate preparations for the morrow's need by enlarging ,rome on all sides4 ,folks talked1 too1 of the ,paris of the second empire1 which had been so extended and transformed into a city of light and health4 ,but unfortunately on the banks of the ,tiber there was neither any preconcerted general plan nor any clear-seeing man1 master of the situation1 supported by powerful financial organisations4 ,and the work1 begun by pride1 prompted by the ambition of surpassing the ,rome of the ,caesars and the ,popes1 the determination to make the eternal1 predestined city the queen and centre of the world once more1 was completed by speculation1 one of those extraordinary gambling frenzies1 those tempests which arise1 rage1 destroy1 and carry everything away without premonitory warning or possibility of arresting their course4 ,all at once it was rumoured that land bought at five francs the metre had been sold again for a hundred francs the metre2 and thereupon the fever arose--the fever of a nation which is passionately fond of gambling4 ,a flight of speculators descending from ,north ,italy swooped down upon ,rome1 the noblest and easiest of preys4 ,those needy1 famished mountaineers found spoils for every appetite in that voluptuous ,south where life is so benign1 and the very delights of the climate helped to corrupt and hasten moral gangrene4 ,at first1 too2 it was merely necessary to stoop2 money was to be found by the shovelful among the rubbish of the first districts which were opened up4 ,people who were clever enough to scent the course which the new thoroughfares would take and purchase buildings threatened with demolition increased their capital tenfold in a couple of years4 ,and after that the contagion spread1 infecting all classes--the princes1 burgesses1 petty proprietors1 even the shop-keepers1 bakers1 grocers1 and boot-makers2 the delirium rising to such a pitch that a mere baker subsequently failed for forty-five millions499 ,nothing1 indeed1 was left but rageful gambling1 in which the stakes were millions1 whilst the lands and the houses became mere fictions1 mere pretexts for stock-exchange operations4 ,and thus the old hereditary pride1 which had dreamt of transforming ,rome into the capital of the world1 was heated to madness by the high fever of speculation--folks buying1 and building1 and selling without limit1 without a pause1 even as one might throw shares upon the market as fast and as long as presses can be found to print them4 99 #a1hjj1jjj pounds4 ,see ante note4--,trans4 ,no other city in course of evolution has ever furnished such a spectacle4 ,nowadays1 when one strives to penetrate things one is confounded4 ,the population had increased to five hundred thousand1 and then seemingly remained stationary2 nevertheless1 new districts continued to sprout up more thickly than ever4 ,yet what folly it was not to wait for a further influx of inhabitants6 ,why continue piling up accommodation for thousands of families whose advent was uncertain8 ,the only excuse lay in having beforehand propounded the proposition that the third ,rome1 the triumphant capital of ,italy1 could not count less than a million souls1 and in regarding that proposition as indisputable fact4 ,the people had not come1 but they surely would come3 no patriot could doubt it without being guilty of treason4 ,and so houses were built and built without a pause1 for the half-million citizens who were coming4 ,there was no anxiety as to the date of their arrival2 it was sufficient that they should be expected4 ,inside ,rome the companies which had been formed in connection with the new thoroughfares passing through the old1 demolished1 pestiferous districts1 certainly sold or let their house property1 and thereby realised large profits4 ,but1 as the craze increased1 other companies were established for the purpose of erecting yet more and more districts outside ,rome--veritable little towns1 of which there was no need whatever4 ,beyond the ,porta ,san ,giovanni and the ,porta ,san ,lorenzo1 suburbs sprang up as by miracle4 ,a town was sketched out over the vast estate of the ,villa ,ludovisi1 from the ,porta ,pia to the ,porta ,salaria and even as far as ,sant' ,agnese4 ,and then came an attempt to make quite a little city1 with church1 school1 and market1 arise all at once on the fields of the ,castle of ,sant' ,angelo4 ,and it was no question of small dwellings for labourers1 modest flats for employees1 and others of limited means2 no1 it was a question of colossal mansions three and four storeys high1 displaying uniform and endless faades which made these new excentral quarters quite ,babylonian1 such districts1 indeed1 as only capitals endowed with intense life1 like ,paris and ,london1 could contrive to populate4 ,however1 such were the monstrous products of pride and gambling2 and what a page of history1 what a bitter lesson now that ,rome1 financially ruined1 is further disgraced by that hideous girdle of empty1 and1 for the most part1 uncompleted carcases1 whose ruins already strew the grassy streets6 ,the fatal collapse1 the disaster proved a frightful one4 ,narcisse explained its causes and recounted its phases so clearly that ,pierre fully understood4 ,naturally enough1 numerous financial companies had sprouted up3 the ,immobiliere1 the ,society d',edilizia e ,construzione1 the ,fondaria1 the ,tiberiana1 and the ,esquilino4 ,nearly all of them built1 erected huge houses1 entire streets of them1 for purposes of sale2 but they also gambled in land1 selling plots at large profit to petty speculators1 who also dreamt of making large profits amidst the continuous1 fictitious rise brought about by the growing fever of agiotage4 ,and the worst was that the petty speculators1 the middle-class people1 the inexperienced shop-keepers without capital1 were crazy enough to build in their turn by borrowing of the banks or applying to the companies which had sold them the land for sufficient cash to enable them to complete their structures4 ,as a general rule1 to avoid the loss of everything1 the companies were one day compelled to take back both land and buildings1 incomplete though the latter might be1 and from the congestion which resulted they were bound to perish4 ,if the expected million of people had arrived to occupy the dwellings prepared for them the gains would have been fabulous1 and in ten years ,rome might have become one of the most flourishing capitals of the world4 ,but the people did not come1 and the dwellings remained empty4 ,moreover1 the buildings erected by the companies were too large and costly for the average investor inclined to put his money into house property4 ,heredity had acted1 the builders had planned things on too huge a scale1 raising a series of magnificent piles whose purpose was to dwarf those of all other ages2 but1 as it happened1 they were fated to remain lifeless and deserted1 testifying with wondrous eloquence to the impotence of pride4 ,so there was no private capital that dared or could take the place of that of the companies4 ,elsewhere1 in ,paris for instance1 new districts have been erected and embellishments have been carried out with the capital of the country--the money saved by dint of thrift4 ,but in ,rome all was built on the credit system1 either by means of bills of exchange at ninety days1 or--and this was chiefly the case--by borrowing money abroad4 ,the huge sum sunk in these enterprises is estimated at a milliard1 four-fifths of which was ,french money4 ,the bankers did everything2 the ,french ones lent to the ,italian bankers at #c #a-b or #d per cent42 and the ,italian bankers accommodated the speculators1 the ,roman builders1 at #f1 #g1 and even #h per cent4 ,and thus the disaster was great indeed when ,france1 learning of ,italy's alliance with ,germany1 withdrew her #hjj1jjj1jjj francs in less than two years4 ,the ,italian banks were drained of their specie1 and the land and building companies1 being likewise compelled to reimburse their loans1 were compelled to apply to the banks of issue1 those privileged to issue notes4 ,at the same time they intimidated the ,government1 threatening to stop all work and throw #dj1jjj artisans and labourers starving on the pavement of ,rome if it did not compel the banks of issue to lend them the five or six millions of paper which they needed4 ,and this the ,government at last did1 appalled by the possibility of universal bankruptcy4 ,naturally1 however1 the five or six millions could not be paid back at maturity1 as the newly built houses found neither purchasers nor tenants2 and so the great fall began1 and continued with a rush1 heaping ruin upon ruin4 ,the petty speculators fell on the builders1 the builders on the land companies1 the land companies on the banks of issue1 and the latter on the public credit1 ruining the nation4 ,and that was how a mere municipal crisis became a frightful disaster3 a whole milliard sunk to no purpose1 ,rome disfigured1 littered with the ruins of the gaping and empty dwellings which had been prepared for the five or six hundred thousand inhabitants for whom the city yet waits in vain6 ,moreover1 in the breeze of glory which swept by1 the state itself took a colossal view of things4 ,it was a question of at once making ,italy triumphant and perfect1 of accomplishing in five and twenty years what other nations have required centuries to effect4 ,so there was feverish activity and a prodigious outlay on canals1 ports1 roads1 railway lines1 and improvements in all the great cities4 ,directly after the alliance with ,germany1 moreover1 the military and naval estimates began to devour millions to no purpose4 ,and the ever growing financial requirements were simply met by the issue of paper1 by a fresh loan each succeeding year4 ,in ,rome alone1 too1 the building of the ,ministry of ,war cost ten millions1 that of the ,ministry of ,finances fifteen1 whilst a hundred was spent on the yet unfinished quays1 and two hundred and fifty were sunk on works of defence around the city4 ,and all this was a flare of the old hereditary pride1 springing from that soil whose sap can only blossom in extravagant projects2 the determination to dazzle and conquer the world which comes as soon as one has climbed to the ,capitol1 even though one's feet rest amidst the accumulated dust of all the forms of human power which have there crumbled one above the other4 8,and1 my dear friend10 continued ,narcisse1 8if ,i could go into all the stories that are current1 that are whispered here and there1 you would be stupefied at the insanity which overcame the whole city amidst the terrible fever to which the gambling passion gave rise4 ,folks of small account1 and fools and ignorant people were not the only ones to be ruined2 nearly all the ,roman nobles lost their ancient fortunes1 their gold and their palaces and their galleries of masterpieces1 which they owed to the munificence of the popes4 ,the colossal wealth which it had taken centuries of nepotism to pile up in the hands of a few melted away like wax1 in less than ten years1 in the levelling fire of modern speculation40 ,then1 forgetting that he was speaking to a priest1 he went on to relate one of the whispered stories to which he had alluded3 8,there's our good friend ,dario1 ,prince ,boccanera1 the last of the name1 reduced to live on the crumbs which fall to him from his uncle the ,cardinal1 who has little beyond his stipend left him4 ,well1 ,dario would be a rich man had it not been for that extraordinary affair of the ,villa ,montefiori4 ,you have heard of it1 no doubt2 how ,prince ,onofrio1 ,dario's father1 speculated1 sold the villa grounds for ten millions1 then bought them back and built on them1 and how1 at last1 not only the ten millions were lost1 but also all that remained of the once colossal fortune of the ,boccaneras4 ,what you haven't been told1 however1 is the secret part which ,count ,prada--our ,contessina's husband--played in the affair4 ,he was the lover of ,princess ,boccanera1 the beautiful ,flavia ,montefiori1 who had brought the villa as dowry to the old ,prince4 ,she was a very fine woman1 much younger than her husband1 and it is positively said that it was through her that ,prada mastered the ,prince--for she held her old doting husband at arm's length whenever he hesitated to give a signature or go farther into the affair of which he scented the danger4 ,and in all this ,prada gained the millions which he now spends1 while as for the beautiful ,flavia1 you are aware1 no doubt1 that she saved a little fortune from the wreck and bought herself a second and much younger husband1 whom she turned into a ,marquis ,montefiori4 ,in the whole affair the only victim is our good friend ,dario1 who is absolutely ruined1 and wishes to marry his cousin1 who is as poor as himself4 ,it's true that she's determined to have him1 and that it's impossible for him not to reciprocate her love4 ,but for that he would have already married some ,american girl with a dowry of millions1 like so many of the ruined princes1 on the verge of starvation1 have done2 that is1 unless the ,cardinal and ,donna ,serafina had opposed such a match1 which would not have been surprising1 proud and stubborn as they are1 anxious to preserve the purity of their old ,roman blood4 ,however1 let us hope that ,dario and the exquisite ,benedetta will some day be happy together40 ,narcisse paused2 but1 after taking a few steps in silence1 he added in a lower tone3 8,i've a relative who picked up nearly three millions in that ,villa ,montefiori affair4 ,ah6 ,i regret that ,i wasn't here in those heroic days of speculation4 ,it must have been very amusing2 and what strokes there were for a man of self-possession to make60 ,however1 all at once1 as he raised his head1 he saw before him the ,quartiere dei ,prati--the new district of the castle fields2 and his face thereupon changed3 he again became an artist1 indignant with the modern abominations with which old ,rome had been disfigured4 ,his eyes paled1 and a curl of his lips expressed the bitter disdain of a dreamer whose passion for the vanished centuries was sorely hurt3 8,look1 look at it all60 he exclaimed4 8,to think of it1 in the city of ,augustus1 the city of ,leo ,x1 the city of eternal power and eternal beauty60 ,pierre himself was thunderstruck4 ,the meadows of the ,castle of ,sant' ,angelo1 dotted with a few poplar trees1 had here formerly stretched alongside the ,tiber as far as the first slopes of ,monte ,mario1 thus supplying1 to the satisfaction of artists1 a foreground or greenery to the ,borgo and the dome of ,st4 ,peter's4 ,but now1 amidst the white1 leprous1 overturned plain1 there stood a town of huge1 massive houses1 cubes of stone-work1 invariably the same1 with broad streets intersecting one another at right angles4 ,from end to end similar faades appeared1 suggesting series of convents1 barracks1 or hospitals4 ,extraordinary and painful was the impression produced by this town so suddenly immobilised whilst in course of erection4 ,it was as if on some accursed morning a wicked magician had with one touch of his wand stopped the works and emptied the noisy stone-yards1 leaving the buildings in mournful abandonment4 ,here on one side the soil had been banked up2 there deep pits dug for foundations had remained gaping1 overrun with weeds4 ,there were houses whose halls scarcely rose above the level of the soil2 others which had been raised to a second or third floor2 others1 again1 which had been carried as high as was intended1 and even roofed in1 suggesting skeletons or empty cages4 ,then there were houses finished excepting that their walls had not been plastered1 others which had been left without window frames1 shutters1 or doors2 others1 again1 which had their doors and shutters1 but were nailed up like coffins with not a soul inside them2 and yet others which were partly1 and in a few cases fully1 inhabited--animated by the most unexpected of populations4 ,and no words could describe the fearful mournfulness of that ,city of the ,sleeping ,beauty1 hushed into mortal slumber before it had even lived1 lying annihilated beneath the heavy sun pending an awakening which1 likely enough1 would never come4 ,following his companion1 ,pierre walked along the broad1 deserted streets1 where all was still as in a cemetery4 ,not a vehicle nor a pedestrian passed by4 ,some streets had no foot ways2 weeds were covering the unpaved roads1 turning them once more into fields2 and yet there were temporary gas lamps1 mere leaden pipes bound to poles1 which had been there for years4 ,to avoid payment of the door and window tax1 the house owners had generally closed all apertures with planks2 while some houses1 of which little had been built1 were surrounded by high palings for fear lest their cellars should become the dens of all the bandits of the district4 ,but the most painful sight of all was that of the young ruins1 the proud1 lofty structures1 which1 although unfinished1 were already cracking on all sides1 and required the support of an intricate arrangement of timbers to prevent them from falling in dust upon the ground4 ,a pang came to one's heart as though one was in a city which some scourge had depopulated--pestilence1 war1 or bombardment1 of which these gaping carcases seem to retain the mark4 ,then at the thought that this was abortment1 not death--that destruction would complete its work before the dreamt-of1 vainly awaited denizens would bring life to the still-born houses1 one's melancholy deepened to hopeless discouragement4 ,and at each corner1 moreover1 there was the frightful irony of the magnificent marble slabs which bore the names of the streets1 illustrious historical names1 ,gracchus1 ,scipio1 ,pliny1 ,pompey1 ,julius ,caesar1 blazing forth on those unfinished1 crumbling walls like a buffet dealt by the ,past to modern incompetency4 ,then ,pierre was once more struck by this truth--that whosoever possesses ,rome is consumed by the building frenzy1 the passion for marble1 the boastful desire to build and leave his monument of glory to future generations4 ,after the ,caesars and the ,popes had come the ,italian ,government1 which was no sooner master of the city than it wished to reconstruct it1 make it more splendid1 more huge than it had ever been before4 ,it was the fatal suggestion of the soil itself--the blood of ,augustus rushing to the brain of these last-comers and urging them to a mad desire to make the third ,rome the queen of the earth4 ,thence had come all the vast schemes such as the cyclopean quays and the mere ministries struggling to outvie the ,colosseum2 and thence had come all the new districts of gigantic houses which had sprouted like towns around the ancient city4 ,it was not only on the castle fields1 but at the ,porta ,san ,giovanni1 the ,porta ,san ,lorenzo1 the ,villa ,ludovisi1 and on the heights of the ,viminal and the ,esquiline that unfinished1 empty districts were already crumbling amidst the weeds of their deserted streets4 ,after two thousand years of prodigious fertility the soil really seemed to be exhausted4 ,even as in very old fruit gardens newly planted plum and cherry trees wither and die1 so the new walls1 no doubt1 found no life in that old dust of ,rome1 impoverished by the immemorial growth of so many temples1 circuses1 arches1 basilicas1 and churches4 ,and thus the modern houses1 which men had sought to render fruitful1 the useless1 over-huge houses1 swollen with hereditary ambition1 had been unable to attain maturity1 and remained there sterile like dry bushes on a plot of land exhausted by over-cultivation4 ,and the frightful sadness that one felt arose from the fact that so creative and great a past had culminated in such present-day impotency--,rome1 who had covered the world with indestructible monuments1 now so reduced that she could only generate ruins4 8,oh1 they'll be finished some day60 said ,pierre4 ,narcisse gazed at him in astonishment3 8,for whom80 ,that was the cruel question6 ,only by dint of patriotic enthusiasm on the morrow of the conquest had one been able to indulge in the hope of a mighty influx of population1 and now singular blindness was needed for the belief that such an influx would ever take place4 ,the past experiments seemed decisive2 moreover1 there was no reason why the population should double3 ,rome offered neither the attraction of pleasure nor that of gain to be amassed in commerce and industry for those she had not1 nor of intensity of social and intellectual life1 since of this she seemed no longer capable4 ,in any case1 years and years would be requisite4 ,and1 meantime1 how could one people those houses which were finished2 and for whom was one to finish those which had remained mere skeletons1 falling to pieces under sun and rain8 ,must they all remain there indefinitely1 some gaunt and open to every blast and others closed and silent like tombs1 in the wretched hideousness of their inutility and abandonment8 ,what a terrible proof of error they offered under the radiant sky6 ,the new masters of ,rome had made a bad start1 and even if they now knew what they ought to have done would they have the courage to undo what they had done8 ,since the milliard sunk there seemed to be definitely lost and wasted1 one actually hoped for the advent of a ,nero1 endowed with mighty1 sovereign will1 who would take torch and pick and burn and raze everything in the avenging name of reason and beauty4 8,ah60 resumed ,narcisse1 8here are the ,contessina and the ,prince40 ,benedetta had told the coachman to pull up in one of the open spaces intersecting the deserted streets1 and now along the broad1 quiet1 grassy road--well fitted for a lovers' stroll--she was approaching on ,dario's arm1 both of them delighted with their outing1 and no longer thinking of the sad things which they had come to see4 8,what a nice day it is60 the ,contessina gaily exclaimed as she reached ,pierre and ,narcisse4 8,how pleasant the sunshine is6 ,it's quite a treat to be able to walk about a little as if one were in the country60 ,dario was the first to cease smiling at the blue sky1 all the delight of his stroll with his cousin on his arm suddenly departing4 8,my dear10 said he1 8we must go to see those people1 since you are bent on it1 though it will certainly spoil our day4 ,but first ,i must take my bearings4 ,i'm not particularly clever1 you know1 in finding my way in places where ,i don't care to go4 ,besides1 this district is idiotic with all its dead streets and dead houses1 and never a face or a shop to serve as a reminder4 ,still ,i think the place is over yonder4 ,follow me2 at all events1 we shall see40 ,the four friends then wended their way towards the central part of the district1 the part facing the ,tiber1 where a small nucleus of a population had collected4 ,the landlords turned the few completed houses to the best advantage they could1 letting the rooms at very low rentals1 and waiting patiently enough for payment4 ,some needy employees1 some poverty-stricken families--had thus installed themselves there1 and in the long run contrived to pay a trifle for their accommodation4 ,in consequence1 however1 of the demolition of the ancient ,ghetto and the opening of the new streets by which air had been let into the ,trastevere district1 perfect hordes of tatterdemalions1 famished and homeless1 and almost without garments1 had swooped upon the unfinished houses1 filling them with wretchedness and vermin2 and it had been necessary to tolerate this lawless occupation lest all the frightful misery should remain displayed in the public thoroughfares4 ,and so it was to those frightful tenants that had fallen the huge four and five storeyed palaces1 entered by monumental doorways flanked by lofty statues and having carved balconies upheld by caryatides all along their fronts4 ,each family had made its choice1 often closing the frameless windows with boards and the gaping doorways with rags1 and occupying now an entire princely flat and now a few small rooms1 according to its taste4 ,horrid-looking linen hung drying from the carved balconies1 foul stains already degraded the white walls1 and from the magnificent porches1 intended for sumptuous equipages1 there poured a stream of filth which rotted in stagnant pools in the roads1 where there was neither pavement nor footpath4 ,on two occasions already ,dario had caused his companions to retrace their steps4 ,he was losing his way and becoming more and more gloomy4 8,i ought to have taken to the left10 said he1 8but how is one to know amidst such a set as that60 ,parties of verminous children were now to be seen rolling in the dust2 they were wondrously dirty1 almost naked1 with black skins and tangled locks as coarse as horsehair4 ,there were also women in sordid skirts and with their loose jackets unhooked4 ,many stood talking together in yelping voices1 whilst others1 seated on old chairs with their hands on their knees1 remained like that idle for hours4 ,not many men were met2 but a few lay on the scorched grass1 sleeping heavily in the sunlight4 ,however1 the stench was becoming unbearable--a stench of misery as when the human animal eschews all cleanliness to wallow in filth4 ,and matters were made worse by the smell from a small1 improvised market--the emanations of the rotting fruit1 cooked and sour vegetables1 and stale fried fish which a few poor women had set out on the ground amidst a throng of famished1 covetous children4 8,ah6 well1 my dear1 ,i really don't know where it is10 all at once exclaimed the ,prince1 addressing his cousin4 8,be reasonable2 we've surely seen enough2 let's go back to the carriage40 ,he was really suffering1 and1 as ,benedetta had said1 he did not know how to suffer4 ,it seemed to him monstrous that one should sadden one's life by such an excursion as this4 ,life ought to be buoyant and benign under the clear sky1 brightened by pleasant sights1 by dance and song4 ,and he1 with his naive egotism1 had a positive horror of ugliness1 poverty1 and suffering1 the sight of which caused him both mental and physical pain4 ,benedetta shuddered even as he did1 but in presence of ,pierre she desired to be brave4 ,glancing at him1 and seeing how deeply interested and compassionate he looked1 she desired to persevere in her effort to sympathise with the humble and the wretched4 8,no1 no1 ,dario1 we must stay4 ,these gentlemen wish to see everything--is it not so80 8,oh1 the ,rome of to-day is here10 exclaimed ,pierre2 8this tells one more about it than all the promenades among the ruins and the monuments40 8,you exaggerate1 my dear ,abb10 declared ,narcisse4 8,still1 ,i will admit that it is very interesting4 ,some of the old women are particularly expressive40 ,at this moment ,benedetta1 seeing a superbly beautiful girl in front of her1 could not restrain a cry of enraptured admiration3 8,o che bellezza60 ,and then ,dario1 having recognised the girl1 exclaimed with the same delight3 8,why1 it's ,la ,pierina2 she'll show us the way40 ,the girl had been following the party for a moment already without daring to approach4 ,her eyes1 glittering with the joy of a loving slave1 had at first darted towards the ,prince1 and then had hastily scrutinised the ,contessina--not1 however1 with any show of jealous anger1 but with an expression of affectionate submission and resigned happiness at seeing that she also was very beautiful4 ,and the girl fully answered to the ,prince's description of her--tall1 sturdy1 with the bust of a goddess1 a real antique1 a ,juno of twenty1 her chin somewhat prominent1 her mouth and nose perfect in contour1 her eyes large and full like a heifer's1 and her whole face quite dazzling--gilded1 so to say1 by a sunflash--beneath her casque of heavy jet-black hair4 8,so you will show us the way80 said ,benedetta1 familiar and smiling1 already consoled for all the surrounding ugliness by the thought that there should be such beautiful creatures in the world4 8,oh yes1 signora1 yes1 at once60 ,and thereupon ,pierina ran off before them1 her feet in shoes which at any rate had no holes1 whilst the old brown woollen dress which she wore appeared to have been recently washed and mended4 ,one seemed to divine in her a certain coquettish care1 a desire for cleanliness1 which none of the others displayed2 unless1 indeed1 it were simply that her great beauty lent radiance to her humble garments and made her appear a goddess4 8,che bellezza6 the bellezza60 the ,contessina repeated without wearying4 8,that girl1 ,dario mio1 is a real feast for the eyes60 8,i knew she would please you10 he quietly replied1 flattered at having discovered such a beauty1 and no longer talking of departure1 since he could at last rest his eyes on something pleasant4 ,behind them came ,pierre1 likewise full of admiration1 whilst ,narcisse spoke to him of the scrupulosity of his own tastes1 which were for the rare and the subtle4 8,she's beautiful1 no doubt10 said he2 8but at bottom nothing can be more gross than the ,roman style of beauty2 there's no soul1 none of the infinite in it4 ,these girls simply have blood under their skins without ever a glimpse of heaven40 ,meantime ,pierina had stopped1 and with a wave of the hand directed attention to her mother1 who sat on a broken box beside the lofty doorway of an unfinished mansion4 ,she also must have once been very beautiful1 but at forty she was already a wreck1 with dim eyes1 drawn mouth1 black teeth1 broadly wrinkled countenance1 and huge fallen bosom4 ,and she was also fearfully dirty1 her grey wavy hair dishevelled and her skirt and jacket soiled and slit1 revealing glimpses of grimy flesh4 ,on her knees she held a sleeping infant1 her last-born1 at whom she gazed like one overwhelmed and courageless1 like a beast of burden resigned to her fate4 8,bene1 bene10 said she1 raising her head1 8it's the gentleman who came to give me a crown because he saw you crying4 ,and he's come back to see us with some friends4 ,well1 well1 there are some good hearts in the world after all40 ,then she related their story1 but in a spiritless way1 without seeking to move her visitors4 ,she was called ,giacinta1 it appeared1 and had married a mason1 one ,tomaso ,gozzo1 by whom she had had seven children1 ,pierina1 then ,tito1 a big fellow of eighteen1 then four more girls1 each at an interval of two years1 and finally the infant1 a boy1 whom she now had on her lap4 ,they had long lived in the ,trastevere district1 in an old house which had lately been pulled down2 and their existence seemed to have then been shattered1 for since they had taken refuge in the ,quartiere dei ,prati the crisis in the building trade had reduced ,tomaso and ,tito to absolute idleness1 and the bead factory where ,pierina had earned as much as tenpence a day--just enough to prevent them from dying of hunger--had closed its doors4 ,at present not one of them had any work2 they lived purely by chance4 8,if you like to go up10 the woman added1 8you'll find ,tomaso there with his brother ,ambrogio1 whom we've taken to live with us4 ,they'll know better than ,i what to say to you4 ,tomaso is resting2 but what else can he do8 ,it's like ,tito--he's dozing over there40 ,so saying she pointed towards the dry grass amidst which lay a tall young fellow with a pronounced nose1 hard mouth1 and eyes as admirable as ,pierina's4 ,he had raised his head to glance suspiciously at the visitors1 a fierce frown gathering on his forehead when he remarked how rapturously his sister contemplated the ,prince4 ,then he let his head fall again1 but kept his eyes open1 watching the pair stealthily4 8,take the lady and gentlemen upstairs1 ,pierina1 since they would like to see the place10 said the mother4 ,other women had now drawn near1 shuffling along with bare feet in old shoes2 bands of children1 too1 were swarming around2 little girls but half clad1 amongst whom1 no doubt1 were ,giacinta's four4 ,however1 with their black eyes under their tangled mops they were all so much alike that only their mothers could identify them4 ,and the whole resembled a teeming camp of misery pitched on that spot of majestic disaster1 that street of palaces1 unfinished yet already in ruins4 ,with a soft1 loving smile1 ,benedetta turned to her cousin4 8,don't you come up10 she gently said2 8,i don't desire your death1 ,dario mio4 ,it was very good of you to come so far4 ,wait for me here in the pleasant sunshine3 ,monsieur l',abb and ,monsieur ,habert will go up with me40 ,dario began to laugh1 and willingly acquiesced4 ,then lighting a cigarette1 he walked slowly up and down1 well pleased with the mildness of the atmosphere4 ,la ,pierina had already darted into the spacious porch whose lofty1 vaulted ceiling was adorned with coffers displaying a rosaceous pattern4 ,however1 a veritable manure heap covered such marble slabs as had already been laid in the vestibule1 whilst the steps of the monumental stone staircase with sculptured balustrade were already cracked and so grimy that they seemed almost black4 ,on all sides appeared the greasy stains of hands2 the walls1 whilst awaiting the painter and gilder1 had been smeared with repulsive filth4 ,on reaching the spacious first-floor landing ,pierina paused1 and contented herself with calling through a gaping portal which lacked both door and framework3 8,father1 here's a lady and two gentlemen to see you40 ,then to the ,contessina she added3 8,it's the third room at the end40 ,and forthwith she herself rapidly descended the stairs1 hastening back to her passion4 ,benedetta and her companions passed through two large rooms1 bossy with plaster under foot and having frameless windows wide open upon space2 and at last they reached a third room1 where the whole ,gozzo family had installed itself with the remnants it used as furniture4 ,on the floor1 where the bare iron girders showed1 no boards having been laid down1 were five or six leprous-looking palliasses4 ,a long table1 which was still strong1 occupied the centre of the room1 and here and there were a few old1 damaged1 straw-seated chairs mended with bits of rope4 ,the great business had been to close two of the three windows with boards1 whilst the third one and the door were screened with some old mattress ticking studded with stains and holes4 ,tomaso's face expressed the surprise of a man who is unaccustomed to visits of charity4 ,seated at the table1 with his elbows resting on it and his chin supported by his hands1 he was taking repose1 as his wife ,giacinta had said4 ,he was a sturdy fellow of five and forty1 bearded and long-haired2 and1 in spite of all his misery and idleness1 his large face had remained as serene as that of a ,roman senator4 ,however1 the sight of the two foreigners--for such he at once judged ,pierre and ,narcisse to be1 made him rise to his feet with sudden distrust4 ,but he smiled on recognising ,benedetta1 and as she began to speak of ,dario1 and to explain the charitable purpose of their visit1 he interrupted her3 8,yes1 yes1 ,i know1 ,contessina4 ,oh6 ,i well know who you are1 for in my father's time ,i once walled up a window at the ,palazzo ,boccanera40 ,then he complaisantly allowed himself to be questioned1 telling ,pierre1 who was surprised1 that although they were certainly not happy they would have found life tolerable had they been able to work two days a week4 ,and one could divine that he was1 at heart1 fairly well content to go on short commons1 provided that he could live as he listed without fatigue4 ,his narrative and his manner suggested the familiar locksmith who1 on being summoned by a traveller to open his trunk1 the key of which was lost1 sent word that he could not possibly disturb himself during the hour of the siesta4 ,in short1 there was no rent to pay1 as there were plenty of empty mansions open to the poor1 and a few coppers would have sufficed for food1 easily contented and sober as one was4 8,but oh1 sir10 ,tomaso continued1 8things were ever so much better under the ,pope4 ,my father1 a mason like myself1 worked at the ,vatican all his life1 and even now1 when ,i myself get a job or two1 it's always there4 ,we were spoilt1 you see1 by those ten years of busy work1 when we never left our ladders and earned as much as we pleased4 ,of course1 we fed ourselves better1 and bought ourselves clothes1 and took such pleasure as we cared for2 so that it's all the harder nowadays to have to stint ourselves4 ,but if you'd only come to see us in the ,pope's time6 ,no taxes1 everything to be had for nothing1 so to say--why1 one merely had to let oneself live40 ,at this moment a growl arose from one of the palliasses lying in the shade of the boarded windows1 and the mason1 in his slow1 quiet way1 resumed3 8,it's my brother ,ambrogio1 who isn't of my opinion4 8,he was with the ,republicans in #8#di1 when he was fourteen4 ,but it doesn't matter2 we took him with us when we heard that he was dying of hunger and sickness in a cellar40 ,the visitors could not help quivering with pity4 ,ambrogio was the elder by some fifteen years2 and now1 though scarcely sixty1 he was already a ruin1 consumed by fever1 his legs so wasted that he spent his days on his palliasse without ever going out4 ,shorter and slighter1 but more turbulent than his brother1 he had been a carpenter by trade4 ,and1 despite his physical decay1 he retained an extraordinary head--the head of an apostle and martyr1 at once noble and tragic in its expression1 and encompassed by bristling snowy hair and beard4 8,the ,pope10 he growled2 8,i've never spoken badly of the ,pope4 ,yet it's his fault if tyranny continues4 ,he alone in #8#di could have given us the ,republic1 and then we shouldn't have been as we are now40 ,ambrogio had known ,mazzini1 whose vague religiosity remained in him--the dream of a ,republican pope at last establishing the reign of liberty and fraternity4 ,but later on his passion for ,garibaldi had disturbed these views1 and led him to regard the papacy as worthless1 incapable of achieving human freedom4 ,and so1 between the dream of his youth and the stern experience of his life1 he now hardly knew in which direction the truth lay4 ,moreover1 he had never acted save under the impulse of violent emotion1 but contented himself with fine words--vague1 indeterminate wishes4 8,brother ,ambrogio10 replied ,tomaso1 all tranquillity1 8the ,pope is the ,pope1 and wisdom lies in putting oneself on his side1 because he will always be the ,pope--that is to say1 the stronger4 ,for my part1 if we had to vote to-morrow ,i'd vote for him40 ,calmed by the shrewd prudence characteristic of his race1 the old carpenter made no haste to reply4 ,at last he said1 8,well1 as for me1 brother ,tomaso1 ,i should vote against him--always against him4 ,and you know very well that we should have the majority4 ,the ,pope-king indeed6 ,that's all over4 ,the very ,borgo would revolt4 ,still1 ,i won't say that we oughtn't to come to an understanding with him1 so that everybody's religion may be respected40 ,pierre listened1 deeply interested1 and at last ventured to ask3 8,are there many socialists among the ,roman working classes80 ,this time the answer came after a yet longer pause4 8,socialists8 ,yes1 there are some1 no doubt1 but much fewer than in other places4 ,all those things are novelties which impatient fellows go in for without understanding much about them4 ,we old men1 we were for liberty2 we don't believe in fire and massacre40 ,then1 fearing to say too much in presence of that lady and those gentlemen1 ,ambrogio began to moan on his pallet1 whilst the ,contessina1 somewhat upset by the smell of the place1 took her departure1 after telling the young priest that it would be best for them to leave their alms with the wife downstairs4 ,meantime ,tomaso resumed his seat at the table1 again letting his chin rest on his hands as he nodded to his visitors1 no more impressed by their departure than he had been by their arrival3 8,to the pleasure of seeing you again1 and am happy to have been able to oblige you40 ,on the threshold1 however1 ,narcisse's enthusiasm burst forth2 he turned to cast a final admiring glance at old ,ambrogio's head1 8a perfect masterpiece10 which he continued praising whilst he descended the stairs4 ,down below ,giacinta was still sitting on the broken box with her infant across her lap1 and a few steps away ,pierina stood in front of ,dario1 watching him with an enchanted air whilst he finished his cigarette4 ,tito1 lying low in the grass like an animal on the watch for prey1 did not for a moment cease to gaze at them4 8,ah1 signora60 resumed the woman1 in her resigned1 doleful voice1 8the place is hardly inhabitable1 as you must have seen4 ,the only good thing is that one gets plenty of room4 ,but there are draughts enough to kill me1 and ,i'm always so afraid of the children falling down some of the holes40 ,thereupon she related a story of a woman who had lost her life through mistaking a window for a door one evening and falling headlong into the street4 ,then1 too1 a little girl had broken both arms by tumbling from a staircase which had no banisters4 ,and you could die there without anybody knowing how bad you were and coming to help you4 ,only the previous day the corpse of an old man had been found lying on the plaster in a lonely room4 ,starvation must have killed him quite a week previously1 yet he would still have been stretched there if the odour of his remains had not attracted the attention of neighbours4 8,if one only had something to eat things wouldn't be so bad60 continued ,giacinta4 8,but it's dreadful when there's a baby to suckle and one gets no food1 for after a while one has no milk4 ,this little fellow wants his titty and gets angry with me because ,i can't give him any4 ,but it isn't my fault4 ,he has sucked me till the blood came1 and all ,i can do is to cry40 ,as she spoke tears welled into her poor dim eyes4 ,but all at once she flew into a tantrum with ,tito1 who was still wallowing in the grass like an animal instead of rising by way of civility towards those fine people1 who would surely leave her some alms4 8,eh6 ,tito1 you lazy fellow1 can't you get up when people come to see you80 she called4 ,after some pretence of not hearing1 the young fellow at last rose with an air of great ill-humour2 and ,pierre1 feeling interested in him1 tried to draw him out as he had done with the father and uncle upstairs4 ,but ,tito only returned curt answers1 as if both bored and suspicious4 ,since there was no work to be had1 said he1 the only thing was to sleep4 ,it was of no use to get angry2 that wouldn't alter matters4 ,so the best was to live as one could without increasing one's worry4 ,as for socialists--well1 yes1 perhaps there were a few1 but he didn't know any4 ,and his weary1 indifferent manner made it quite clear that1 if his father was for the ,pope and his uncle for the ,republic1 he himself was for nothing at all4 ,in this ,pierre divined the end of a nation1 or rather the slumber of a nation in which democracy has not yet awakened4 ,however1 as the priest continued1 asking ,tito his age1 what school he had attended1 and in what district he had been born1 the young man suddenly cut the questions short by pointing with one finger to his breast and saying gravely1 8,io son' ,romano di ,roma40 ,and1 indeed1 did not that answer everything8 8,i am a ,roman of ,rome40 ,pierre smiled sadly and spoke no further4 ,never had he more fully realised the pride of that race1 the long-descending inheritance of glory which was so heavy to bear4 ,the sovereign vanity of the ,caesars lived anew in that degenerate young fellow who was scarcely able to read and write4 ,starveling though he was1 he knew his city1 and could instinctively have recounted the grand pages of its history4 ,the names of the great emperors and great popes were familiar to him4 ,and why should men toil and moil when they had been the masters of the world8 ,why not live nobly and idly in the most beautiful of cities1 under the most beautiful of skies8 8,io son' ,romano di ,roma60 ,benedetta had slipped her alms into the mother's hand1 and ,pierre and ,narcisse were following her example when ,dario1 who had already done so1 thought of ,pierina4 ,he did not like to offer her money1 but a pretty1 fanciful idea occurred to him4 ,lightly touching his lips with his finger-tips1 he said1 with a faint laugh1 8,for beauty60 ,there was something really pretty and pleasing in the kiss thus wafted with a slightly mocking laugh by that familiar1 good-natured young ,prince who1 as in some love story of the olden time1 was touched by the beautiful bead-worker's mute adoration4 ,pierina flushed with pleasure1 and1 losing her head1 darted upon ,dario's hand and pressed her warm lips to it with unthinking impulsiveness1 in which there was as much divine gratitude as tender passion4 ,but ,tito's eyes flashed with anger at the sight1 and1 brutally seizing his sister by the skirt1 he threw her back1 growling between his teeth1 8,none of that1 you know1 or ,i'll kill you1 and him too60 ,it was high time for the visitors to depart1 for other women1 scenting the presence of money1 were now coming forward with outstretched hands1 or despatching tearful children in their stead4 ,the whole wretched1 abandoned district was in a flutter1 a distressful wail ascended from those lifeless streets with high resounding names4 ,but what was to be done8 ,one could not give to all4 ,so the only course lay in flight--amidst deep sadness as one realised how powerless was charity in presence of such appalling want4 ,when ,benedetta and ,dario had reached their carriage they hastened to take their seats and nestle side by side1 glad to escape from all such horrors4 ,still the ,contessina was well pleased with her bravery in the presence of ,pierre1 whose hand she pressed with the emotion of a pupil touched by the master's lesson1 after ,narcisse had told her that he meant to take the young priest to lunch at the little restaurant on the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's whence one obtained such an interesting view of the ,vatican4 8,try some of the light white wine of ,genzano10 said ,dario1 who had become quite gay again4 8,there's nothing better to drive away the blues40 ,however1 ,pierre's curiosity was insatiable1 and on the way he again questioned ,narcisse about the people of modern ,rome1 their life1 habits1 and manners4 ,there was little or no education1 he learnt2 no large manufactures and no export trade existed4 ,the men carried on the few trades that were current1 all consumption being virtually limited to the city itself4 ,among the women there were bead-workers and embroiderers2 and the manufacture of religious articles1 such as medals and chaplets1 and of certain popular jewellery had always occupied a fair number of hands4 ,but after marriage the women1 invariably burdened with numerous offspring1 attempted little beyond household work4 ,briefly1 the population took life as it came1 working just sufficiently to secure food1 contenting itself with vegetables1 pastes1 and scraggy mutton1 without thought of rebellion or ambition4 ,the only vices were gambling and a partiality for the red and white wines of the ,roman province--wines which excited to quarrel and murder1 and on the evenings of feast days1 when the taverns emptied1 strewed the streets with groaning men1 slashed and stabbed with knives4 ,the girls1 however1 but seldom went wrong2 one could count those who allowed themselves to be seduced2 and this arose from the great union prevailing in each family1 every member of which bowed submissively to the father's absolute authority4 ,moreover1 the brothers watched over their sisters even as ,tito did over ,pierina1 guarding them fiercely for the sake of the family honour4 ,and amidst all this there was no real religion1 but simply a childish idolatry1 all hearts going forth to ,madonna and the ,saints1 who alone were entreated and regarded as having being3 for it never occurred to anybody to think of ,god4 ,thus the stagnation of the lower orders could easily be understood4 ,behind them were the many centuries during which idleness had been encouraged1 vanity flattered1 and nerveless life willingly accepted4 ,when they were neither masons1 nor carpenters1 nor bakers1 they were servants serving the priests1 and more or less directly in the pay of the ,vatican4 ,thence sprang the two antagonistic parties1 on the one hand the more numerous party composed of the old ,carbonari1 ,mazzinians1 and ,garibaldians1 the lite of the ,trastevere2 and on the other the 8clients0 of the ,vatican1 all who lived on or by the ,church and regretted the ,pope-,king4 ,but1 after all1 the antagonism was confined to opinions2 there was no thought of making an effort or incurring a risk4 ,for that1 some sudden flare of passion1 strong enough to overcome the sturdy calmness of the race1 would have been needed4 ,but what would have been the use of it8 ,the wretchedness had lasted for so many centuries1 the sky was so blue1 the siesta preferable to aught else during the hot hours6 ,and only one thing seemed positive--that the majority was certainly in favour of ,rome remaining the capital of ,italy4 ,indeed1 rebellion had almost broken out in the ,leonine ,city when the cession of the latter to the ,holy ,see was rumoured4 ,as for the increase of want and poverty1 this was largely due to the circumstance that the ,roman workman had really gained nothing by the many works carried on in his city during fifteen years4 ,first of all1 over #dj1jjj provincials1 mostly from the ,north1 more spirited and resistant than himself1 and working at cheaper rates1 had invaded ,rome2 and when he1 the ,roman1 had secured his share of the labour1 he had lived in better style1 without thought of economy2 so that after the crisis1 when the #dj1jjj men from the provinces were sent home again1 he had found himself once more in a dead city where trade was always slack4 ,and thus he had relapsed into his antique indolence1 at heart well pleased at no longer being hustled by press of work1 and again accommodating himself as best he could to his old mistress1 ,want1 empty in pocket yet always a grand seigneur4 ,however1 ,pierre was struck by the great difference between the want and wretchedness of ,rome and ,paris4 ,in ,rome the destitution was certainly more complete1 the food more loathsome1 the dirt more repulsive4 ,yet at the same time the ,roman poor retained more ease of manner and more real gaiety4 ,the young priest thought of the fireless1 breadless poor of ,paris1 shivering in their hovels at winter time2 and suddenly he understood4 ,the destitution of ,rome did not know cold4 ,what a sweet and eternal consolation2 a sun for ever bright1 a sky for ever blue and benign out of charity to the wretched6 ,and what mattered the vileness of the dwelling if one could sleep under the sky1 fanned by the warm breeze6 ,what mattered even hunger if the family could await the windfall of chance in sunlit streets or on the scorched grass6 ,the climate induced sobriety2 there was no need of alcohol or red meat to enable one to face treacherous fogs4 ,blissful idleness smiled on the golden evenings1 poverty became like the enjoyment of liberty in that delightful atmosphere where the happiness of living seemed to be all sufficient4 ,narcisse told ,pierre that at ,naples1 in the narrow odoriferous streets of the port and ,santa ,lucia districts1 the people spent virtually their whole lives out-of-doors1 gay1 childish1 and ignorant1 seeking nothing beyond the few pence that were needed to buy food4 ,and it was certainly the climate which fostered the prolonged infancy of the nation1 which explained why such a democracy did not awaken to social ambition and consciousness of itself4 ,no doubt the poor of ,naples and ,rome suffered from want2 but they did not know the rancour which cruel winter implants in men's hearts1 the dark rancour which one feels on shivering with cold while rich people are warming themselves before blazing fires4 ,they did not know the infuriated reveries in snow-swept hovels1 when the guttering dip burns low1 the passionate need which then comes upon one to wreak justice1 to revolt1 as from a sense of duty1 in order that one may save wife and children from consumption1 in order that they also may have a warm nest where life shall be a possibility6 ,ah6 the want that shivers with the bitter cold--therein lies the excess of social injustice1 the most terrible of schools1 where the poor learn to realise their sufferings1 where they are roused to indignation1 and swear to make those sufferings cease1 even if in doing so they annihilate all olden society6 ,and in that same clemency of the southern heavens ,pierre also found an explanation of the life of ,st4 ,francis199 that divine mendicant of love who roamed the high roads extolling the charms of poverty4 ,doubtless he was an unconscious revolutionary1 protesting against the overflowing luxury of the ,roman court by his return to the love of the humble1 the simplicity of the primitive ,church4 ,but such a revival of innocence and sobriety would never have been possible in a northern land4 ,the enchantment of ,nature1 the frugality of a people whom the sunlight nourished1 the benignity of mendicancy on roads for ever warm1 were needed to effect it4 ,and yet how was it possible that a ,st4 ,francis1 glowing with brotherly love1 could have appeared in a land which nowadays so seldom practises charity1 which treats the lowly so harshly and contemptuously1 and cannot even bestow alms on its own ,pope8 ,is it because ancient pride ends by hardening all hearts1 or because the experience of very old races leads finally to egotism1 that one now beholds ,italy seemingly benumbed amidst dogmatic and pompous ,catholicism1 whilst the return to the ideals of the ,gospel1 the passionate interest in the poor and the suffering comes from the woeful plains of the ,north1 from the nations whose sunlight is so limited8 ,yes1 doubtless all that has much to do with the change1 and the success of ,st4 ,francis was in particular due to the circumstance that1 after so gaily espousing his lady1 ,poverty1 he was able to lead her1 bare-footed and scarcely clad1 during endless and delightful spring-tides1 among communities whom an ardent need of love and compassion then consumed4 99 ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi1 the founder of the famous order of mendicant friars4--,trans4 ,while conversing1 ,pierre and ,narcisse had reached the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's1 and they sat down at one of the little tables skirting the pavement outside the restaurant where they had lunched once before4 ,the linen was none too clean1 but the view was splendid4 ,the ,basilica rose up in front of them1 and the ,vatican on the right1 above the majestic curve of the colonnade4 ,just as the waiter was bringing the hors-d'uvre1 some finocchio99 and anchovies1 the young priest1 who had fixed his eyes on the ,vatican1 raised an exclamation to attract ,narcisse's attention3 8,look1 my friend1 at that window1 which ,i am told is the ,holy ,father's4 ,can't you distinguish a pale figure standing there1 quite motionless80 99 ,fennel-root1 eaten raw1 a favourite 8appetiser0 in ,rome during the spring and autumn4--,trans4 ,the young man began to laugh4 8,oh6 well10 said he1 8it must be the ,holy ,father in person4 ,you are so anxious to see him that your very anxiety conjures him into your presence40 8,but ,i assure you10 repeated ,pierre1 8that he is over there behind the window-pane4 ,there is a white figure looking this way40 ,narcisse1 who was very hungry1 began to eat whilst still indulging in banter4 ,all at once1 however1 he exclaimed3 8,well1 my dear ,abb1 as the ,pope is looking at us1 this is the moment to speak of him4 ,i promised to tell you how he sunk several millions of ,st4 ,peter's ,patrimony in the frightful financial crisis of which you have just seen the ruins2 and1 indeed1 your visit to the new district of the castle fields would not be complete without this story by way of appendix40 ,thereupon1 without losing a mouthful1 ,narcisse spoke at considerable length4 ,at the death of ,pius ,,ix the ,patrimony of ,st4 ,peter1 it seemed1 had exceeded twenty millions of francs4 ,cardinal ,antonelli1 who speculated1 and whose ventures were usually successful1 had for a long time left a part of this money with the ,rothschilds and a part in the hands of different nuncios1 who turned it to profit abroad4 ,after ,antonelli's death1 however1 his successor1 ,cardinal ,simeoni1 withdrew the money from the nuncios to invest it at ,rome2 and ,leo ,,xiii on his accession entrusted the administration of the ,patrimony to a commission of cardinals1 of which ,monsignor ,folchi was appointed secretary4 ,this prelate1 who for twelve years played such an important rle1 was the son of an employee of the ,dataria1 who1 thanks to skilful financial operations1 had left a fortune of a million francs4 ,monsignor ,folchi inherited his father's cleverness1 and revealed himself to be a financier of the first rank in such wise that the commission gradually relinquished its powers to him1 letting him act exactly as he pleased and contenting itself with approving the reports which he laid before it at each meeting4 ,the ,patrimony1 however1 yielded scarcely more than a million francs per annum1 and1 as the expenditure amounted to seven millions1 six had to be found4 ,accordingly1 from that other source of income1 the ,peter's ,pence1 the ,pope annually gave three million francs to ,monsignor ,folchi1 who1 by skilful speculations and investments1 was able to double them every year1 and thus provide for all disbursements without ever breaking into the capital of the ,patrimony4 ,in the earlier times he realised considerable profit by gambling in land in and about ,rome4 ,he took shares also in many new enterprises1 speculated in mills1 omnibuses1 and water-services1 without mentioning all the gambling in which he participated with the ,banca di ,roma1 a ,catholic institution4 ,wonderstruck by his skill1 the ,pope1 who1 on his own side1 had hitherto speculated through the medium of a confidential employee named ,sterbini1 dismissed the latter1 and entrusted ,monsignor ,folchi with the duty of turning his money to profit in the same way as he turned that of the ,holy ,see4 ,this was the climax of the prelate's favour1 the apogee of his power4 ,bad days were dawning1 things were tottering already1 and the great collapse was soon to come1 sudden and swift like lightning4 ,one of ,leo ,,xiii's practices was to lend large sums to the ,roman princes who1 seized with the gambling frenzy1 and mixed up in land and building speculations1 were at a loss for money4 ,to guarantee the ,pope's advances they deposited shares with him1 and thus1 when the downfall came1 he was left with heaps of worthless paper on his hands4 ,then another disastrous affair was an attempt to found a house of credit in ,paris in view of working off the shares which could not be disposed of in ,italy among the ,french aristocracy and religious people4 ,to egg these on it was said that the ,pope was interested in the venture2 and the worst was that he dropped three millions of francs in it499 ,the situation then became the more critical as he had gradually risked all the money he disposed of in the terrible agiotage going on in ,rome1 tempted thereto by the prospect of huge profits and perhaps indulging in the hope that he might win back by money the city which had been torn from him by force4 ,his own responsibility remained complete1 for ,monsignor ,folchi never made an important venture without consulting him2 and he must have been therefore the real artisan of the disaster1 mastered by his passion for gain1 his desire to endow the ,church with a huge capital1 that great source of power in modern times4 ,as always happens1 however1 the prelate was the only victim4 ,he had become imperious and difficult to deal with2 and was no longer liked by the cardinals of the commission1 who were merely called together to approve such transactions as he chose to entrust to them4 ,so1 when the crisis came1 a plot was laid2 the cardinals terrified the ,pope by telling him of all the evil rumours which were current1 and then forced ,monsignor ,folchi to render a full account of his speculations4 ,the situation proved to be very bad2 it was no longer possible to avoid heavy losses4 ,and so ,monsignor ,folchi was disgraced1 and since then has vainly solicited an audience of ,leo ,,xiii1 who has always refused to receive him1 as if determined to punish him for their common fault--that passion for lucre which blinded them both4 ,very pious and submissive1 however1 ,monsignor ,folchi has never complained1 but has kept his secrets and bowed to fate4 ,nobody can say exactly how many millions the ,patrimony of ,st4 ,peter lost when ,rome was changed into a gambling-hell1 but if some prelates only admit ten1 others go as far as thirty4 ,the probability is that the loss was about fifteen millions49999 99 ,the allusion is evidently to the famous ,union ,gnrale1 on which the ,pope bestowed his apostolic benediction1 and with which ,m4 ,zola deals at length in his novel ,money4 ,certainly a very brilliant idea was embodied in the ,union ,gnrale1 that of establishing a great international ,catholic bank which would destroy the ,jewish financial autocracy throughout ,europe1 and provide both the papacy and the ,legitimist cause in several countries with the sinews of war4 ,but in the battle which ensued the great ,jew financial houses proved the stronger1 and the disaster which overtook the ,catholic speculators was a terrible one4--,trans4 9999 ,that is #fjj1jjj pounds4 ,whilst ,narcisse was giving this account he and ,pierre had despatched their cutlets and tomatoes1 and the waiter was now serving them some fried chicken4 8,at the present time10 said ,narcisse by way of conclusion1 8the gap has been filled up2 ,i told you of the large sums yielded by the ,peter's ,pence ,fund1 the amount of which is only known by the ,pope1 who alone fixes its employment4 ,and1 by the way1 he isn't cured of speculating3 ,i know from a good source that he still gambles1 though with more prudence4 ,moreover1 his confidential assistant is still a prelate4 ,and1 when all is said1 my dear ,abb1 he's in the right3 a man must belong to his times--dash it all60 ,pierre had listened with growing surprise1 in which terror and sadness mingled4 ,doubtless such things were natural1 even legitimate2 yet he1 in his dream of a pastor of souls free from all terrestrial cares1 had never imagined that they existed4 ,what6 the ,pope--the spiritual father of the lowly and the suffering--had speculated in land and in stocks and shares6 ,he had gambled1 placed funds in the hands of ,jew bankers1 practised usury1 extracted hard interest from money--he1 the successor of the ,apostle1 the ,pontiff of ,christ1 the representative of ,jesus1 of the ,gospel1 that divine friend of the poor6 ,and1 besides1 what a painful contrast3 so many millions stored away in those rooms of the ,vatican1 and so many millions working and fructifying1 constantly being diverted from one speculation to another in order that they might yield the more gain2 and then down below1 near at hand1 so much want and misery in those abominable unfinished buildings of the new districts1 so many poor folks dying of hunger amidst filth1 mothers without milk for their babes1 men reduced to idleness by lack of work1 old ones at the last gasp like beasts of burden who are pole-axed when they are of no more use6 ,ah6 ,god of ,charity1 ,god of ,love1 was it possible6 ,the ,church doubtless had material wants2 she could not live without money2 prudence and policy had dictated the thought of gaining for her such a treasure as would enable her to fight her adversaries victoriously4 ,but how grievously this wounded one's feelings1 how it soiled the ,church1 how she descended from her divine throne to become nothing but a party1 a vast international association organised for the purpose of conquering and possessing the world6 ,and the more ,pierre thought of the extraordinary adventure the greater was his astonishment4 ,could a more unexpected1 startling drama be imagined8 ,that ,pope shutting himself up in his palace--a prison1 no doubt1 but one whose hundred windows overlooked immensity2 that ,pope who1 at all hours of the day and night1 in every season1 could from his window see his capital1 the city which had been stolen from him1 and the restitution of which he never ceased to demand2 that ,pope who1 day by day1 beheld the changes effected in the city--the opening of new streets1 the demolition of ancient districts1 the sale of land1 and the gradual erection of new buildings which ended by forming a white girdle around the old ruddy roofs2 that ,pope who1 in presence of this daily spectacle1 this building frenzy1 which he could follow from morn till eve1 was himself finally overcome by the gambling passion1 and1 secluded in his closed chamber1 began to speculate on the embellishments of his old capital1 seeking wealth in the spurt of work and trade brought about by that very ,italian ,government which he reproached with spoliation2 and finally that ,pope losing millions in a catastrophe which he ought to have desired1 but had been unable to foresee6 ,no1 never had dethroned monarch yielded to a stranger idea1 compromised himself in a more tragical venture1 the result of which fell upon him like divine punishment4 ,and it was no mere king who had done this1 but the delegate of ,god1 the man who1 in the eyes of idolatrous ,christendom1 was the living manifestation of the ,deity6 ,dessert had now been served--a goat's cheese and some fruit--and ,narcisse was just finishing some grapes when1 on raising his eyes1 he in turn exclaimed3 8,well1 you are quite right1 my dear ,abb1 ,i myself can see a pale figure at the window of the ,holy ,father's room40 ,pierre1 who scarcely took his eyes from the window1 answered slowly3 8,yes1 yes1 it went away1 but has just come back1 and stands there white and motionless40 8,well1 after all1 what would you have the ,pope do80 resumed ,narcisse with his languid air4 8,he's like everybody else2 he looks out of the window when he wants a little distraction1 and certainly there's plenty for him to look at40 ,the same idea had occurred to ,pierre1 and was filling him with emotion4 ,people talked of the ,vatican being closed1 and pictured a dark1 gloomy palace1 encompassed by high walls1 whereas this palace overlooked all ,rome1 and the ,pope from his window could see the world4 ,pierre himself had viewed the panorama from the summit of the ,janiculum1 the loggie of ,raffaelle1 and the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 and so he well knew what it was that ,leo ,,xiii was able to behold4 ,in the centre of the vast desert of the ,campagna1 bounded by the ,sabine and ,alban mountains1 the seven illustrious hills appeared to him with their trees and edifices4 ,his eyes ranged also over all the basilicas1 ,santa ,maria ,maggiore1 ,san ,giovanni in ,laterano1 the cradle of the papacy1 ,san ,paolo-fuori-le-,mura1 ,santa ,croce in ,gerusalemme1 ,sant' ,agnese1 and the others2 they beheld1 too1 the domes of the ,ges of ,sant' ,andrea della ,valle1 ,san ,carlo and ,san ,giovanni dei ,fiorentini1 and indeed all those four hundred churches of ,rome which make the city like a campo santo studded with crosses4 ,and ,leo ,,xiii could moreover see the famous monuments testifying to the pride of successive centuries--the ,castle of ,sant' ,angelo1 that imperial mausoleum which was transformed into a papal fortress1 the distant white line of the tombs of the ,appian ,way1 the scattered ruins of the baths of ,caracalla and the abode of ,septimius ,severus2 and then1 after the innumerable columns1 porticoes1 and triumphal arches1 there were the palaces and villas of the sumptuous cardinals of the ,renascence1 the ,palazzo ,farnese1 the ,palazzo ,borghese1 the ,villa ,medici1 and others1 amidst a swarming of faades and roofs4 ,but1 in particular1 just under his window1 on the left1 the ,pope was able to see the abominations of the unfinished district of the castle fields4 ,in the afternoon1 when he strolled through his gardens1 bastioned by the wall of the fourth ,leo like the plateau of a citadel1 his view stretched over the ravaged valley at the foot of ,monte ,mario1 where so many brick-works were established during the building frenzy4 ,the green slopes are still ripped up1 yellow trenches intersect them in all directions1 and the closed works and factories have become wretched ruins with lofty1 black1 and smokeless chimneys4 ,and at any other hour of the day ,leo ,,xiii could not approach his window without beholding the abandoned houses for which all those brick-fields had worked1 those houses which had died before they even lived1 and where there was now nought but the swarming misery of ,rome1 rotting there like some decomposition of olden society4 ,however1 ,pierre more particularly thought of ,leo ,,xiii1 forgetting the rest of the city to let his thoughts dwell on the ,palatine1 now bereft of its crown of palaces and rearing only its black cypresses towards the blue heavens4 ,doubtless in his mind he rebuilt the palaces of the ,caesars1 whilst before him rose great shadowy forms arrayed in purple1 visions of his real ancestors1 those emperors and ,supreme ,pontiffs who alone could tell him how one might reign over every nation and be the absolute master of the world4 ,then1 however1 his glances strayed to the ,quirinal1 and there he could contemplate the new and neighbouring royalty4 ,how strange the meeting of those two palaces1 the ,quirinal and the ,vatican1 which rise up and gaze at one another across the ,rome of the middle ages and the ,renascence1 whose roofs1 baked and gilded by the burning sun1 are jumbled in confusion alongside the ,tiber4 ,when the ,pope and the ,king go to their windows they can with a mere opera-glass see each other quite distinctly4 ,true1 they are but specks in the boundless immensity1 and what a gulf there is between them--how many centuries of history1 how many generations that battled and suffered1 how much departed greatness1 and how much new seed for the mysterious future6 ,still1 they can see one another1 and they are yet waging the eternal fight1 the fight as to which of them--the pontiff and shepherd of the soul or the monarch and master of the body--shall possess the people whose stream rolls beneath them1 and in the result remain the absolute sovereign4 ,and ,pierre wondered also what might be the thoughts and dreams of ,leo ,,xiii behind those window-panes where he still fancied he could distinguish his pale1 ghostly figure4 ,on surveying new ,rome1 the ravaged olden districts and the new ones laid waste by the blast of disaster1 the ,pope must certainly rejoice at the colossal failure of the ,italian ,government4 ,his city had been stolen from him2 the newcomers had virtually declared that they would show him how a great capital was created1 and their boast had ended in that catastrophe--a multitude of hideous and useless buildings which they did not even know how to finish6 ,he1 the ,pope1 could moreover only be delighted with the terrible worries into which the usurping rgime had fallen1 the political crisis1 and the financial crisis1 the whole growing national unrest amidst which that rgime seemed likely to sink some day2 and yet did not he himself possess a patriotic soul8 was he not a loving son of that ,italy whose genius and ancient ambition coursed in the blood of his veins8 ,ah6 no1 nothing against ,italy2 rather everything that would enable her to become once more the mistress of the world4 ,and so1 even amidst the joy of hope1 he must have been grieved to see her thus ruined1 threatened with bankruptcy1 displaying like a sore that overturned1 unfinished ,rome which was a confession of her impotency4 ,but1 on the other hand1 if the ,house of ,savoy were to be swept away1 would he not be there to take its place1 and at last resume possession of his capital1 which1 from his window1 for fifteen years past1 he had beheld in the grip of masons and demolishers8 ,and then he would again be the master and reign over the world1 enthroned in the predestined city to which prophecy has ensured eternity and universal dominion4 ,but the horizon spread out1 and ,pierre wondered what ,leo ,,xiii beheld beyond ,rome1 beyond the ,campagna and the ,sabine and ,alban mountains4 ,what had he seen for eighteen years past from that window whence he obtained his only view of the world8 ,what echoes of modern society1 its truths and certainties1 had reached his ears8 ,from the heights of the ,viminal1 where the railway terminus stands1 the prolonged whistling of engines must have occasionally been carried towards him1 suggesting our scientific civilisation1 the nations brought nearer together1 free humanity marching on towards the future4 ,did he himself ever dream of liberty when1 on turning to the right1 he pictured the sea over yonder1 past the tombs of the ,appian ,way8 ,had he ever desired to go off1 quit ,rome and her traditions1 and found the ,papacy of the new democracies elsewhere8 ,as he was said to possess so clear and penetrating a mind he ought to have understood and trembled at the far-away stir and noise that came from certain lands of battle1 from those ,united ,states of ,america1 for instance1 where revolutionary bishops were conquering1 winning over the people4 ,were they working for him or for themselves8 ,if he could not follow them1 if he remained stubborn within his ,vatican1 bound on every side by dogma and tradition1 might not rupture some day become unavoidable8 ,and1 indeed1 the fear of a blast of schism1 coming from afar1 must have filled him with growing anguish4 ,it was assuredly on that account that he had practised the diplomacy of conciliation1 seeking to unite in his hands all the scattered forces of the ,church1 overlooking the audacious proceedings of certain bishops as far as possible1 and himself striving to gain the support of the people by putting himself on its side against the fallen monarchies4 ,but would he ever go any farther8 ,shut up in that ,vatican1 behind that bronze portal1 was he not bound to the strict formulas of ,catholicism1 chained to them by the force of centuries8 ,there obstinacy was fated2 it was impossible for him to resign himself to that which was his real and surpassing power1 the purely spiritual power1 the moral authority which brought mankind to his feet1 made thousands of pilgrims kneel and women swoon4 ,departure from ,rome and the renunciation of the temporal power would not displace the centre of the ,catholic world1 but would transform him1 the head of the ,catholic ,church1 into the head of something else4 ,and how anxious must have been his thoughts if the evening breeze ever brought him a vague presentiment of that something else1 a fear of the new religion which was yet dimly1 confusedly dawning amidst the tramp of the nations on the march1 and the sound of which must have reached him at one and the same time from every point of the compass4 ,at this precise moment1 however1 ,pierre felt that the white and motionless shadow behind those windowpanes was held erect by pride1 by the ever present conviction of victory4 ,if man could not achieve it1 a miracle would intervene4 ,he1 the ,pope1 was absolutely convinced that he or some successor would recover possession of ,rome4 ,had not the ,church all eternity before it8 ,and1 moreover1 why should not the victor be himself8 ,could not ,god accomplish the impossible8 ,why1 if it so pleased ,god1 on the very morrow his city would be restored to him1 in spite of all the objections of human reason1 all the apparent logic of facts4 ,ah6 how he would welcome the return of that prodigal daughter whose equivocal adventures he had ever watched with tears bedewing his paternal eyes6 ,he would soon forget the excesses which he had beheld during eighteen years at all hours and in all seasons4 ,perhaps he dreamt of what he would do with those new districts with which the city had been soiled4 ,should they be razed1 or left as evidence of the insanity of the usurpers8 ,at all events1 ,rome would again become the august and lifeless city1 disdainful of such vain matters as material cleanliness and comfort1 and shining forth upon the world like a pure soul encompassed by the traditional glory of the centuries4 ,and his dream continued1 picturing the course which events would take on the very morrow1 no doubt4 ,anything1 even a republic was preferable to that ,house of ,savoy4 ,why not a federal republic1 reviving the old political divisions of ,italy1 restoring ,rome to the ,church1 and choosing him1 the ,pope1 as the natural protector of the country thus reorganised8 ,but his eyes travelled beyond ,rome and ,italy1 and his dream expanded1 embracing republican ,france1 ,spain which might become republican again1 ,austria which would some day be won1 and indeed all the ,catholic nations welded into the ,united ,states of ,europe1 and fraternising in peace under his high presidency as ,sovereign ,pontiff4 ,and then would follow the supreme triumph1 all the other churches at last vanishing1 and all the dissident communities coming to him as to the one and only pastor1 who would reign in the name of ,jesus over the universal democracy4 ,however1 whilst ,pierre was immersed in this dream which he attributed to ,leo ,,xiii1 he was all at once interrupted by ,narcisse1 who exclaimed3 8,oh6 my dear ,abb1 just look at those statues on the colonnade40 ,the young fellow had ordered a cup of coffee and was languidly smoking a cigar1 deep once more in the subtle aesthetics which were his only preoccupation4 8,they are rosy1 are they not80 he continued2 8rosy1 with a touch of mauve1 as if the blue blood of angels circulated in their stone veins4 ,it is the sun of ,rome which gives them that supra-terrestrial life2 for they live1 my friend2 ,i have seen them smile and hold out their arms to me during certain fine sunsets4 ,ah6 ,rome1 marvellous1 delicious ,rome6 ,one could live here as poor as ,job1 content with the very atmosphere1 and in everlasting delight at breathing it60 ,this time ,pierre could not help feeling surprised at ,narcisse's language1 for he remembered his incisive voice and clear1 precise1 financial acumen when speaking of money matters4 ,and1 at this recollection1 the young priest's mind reverted to the castle fields1 and intense sadness filled his heart as for the last time all the want and suffering rose before him4 ,again he beheld the horrible filth which was tainting so many human beings1 that shocking proof of the abominable social injustice which condemns the greater number to lead the joyless1 breadless lives of accursed beasts4 ,and as his glance returned yet once more to the window of the ,vatican1 and he fancied he could see a pale hand uplifted behind the glass panes1 he thought of that papal benediction which ,leo ,,xiii gave from that height1 over ,rome1 and over the plain and the hills1 to the faithful of all ,christendom4 ,and that papal benediction suddenly seemed to him a mockery1 destitute of all power1 since throughout such a multitude of centuries it had not once been able to stay a single one of the sufferings of mankind1 and could not even bring a little justice for those poor wretches who were agonising yonder beneath the very window4 ,,ix4 ,,that evening at dusk1 as ,benedetta had sent ,pierre word that she desired to see him1 he went down to her little salon1 and there found her chatting with ,celia4 8,i've seen your ,pierina1 you know10 exclaimed the latter1 just as the young priest came in4 8,and with ,dario1 too4 ,or rather1 she must have been watching for him2 he found her waiting in a path on the ,pincio and smiled at her4 ,i understood at once4 ,what a beauty she is60 ,benedetta smiled at her friend's enthusiasm2 but her lips twitched somewhat painfully1 for1 however sensible she might be1 this passion1 which she realised to be so naive and so strong1 was beginning to make her suffer4 ,she certainly made allowances for ,dario1 but the girl was too much in love with him1 and she feared the consequences4 ,even in turning the conversation she allowed the secret of her heart to escape her4 8,pray sit down1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she said1 8we are talking scandal1 you see4 ,my poor ,dario is accused of making love to every pretty woman in ,rome4 ,people say that it's he who gives ,la ,tonietta those white roses which she has been exhibiting at the ,corso every afternoon for a fortnight past40 8,that's certain1 my dear10 retorted ,celia impetuously4 8,at first people were in doubt1 and talked of little ,pontecorvo and ,lieutenant ,moretta4 ,but every one now knows that ,la ,tonietta's caprice is ,dario4 ,besides1 he joined her in her box at the ,costanzi the other evening40 ,pierre remembered that the young ,prince had pointed out ,la ,tonietta at the ,pincio one afternoon4 ,she was one of the few demi-mondaines that the higher-class society of ,rome took an interest in4 ,for a month or so the rich ,englishman to whom she owed her means had been absent1 travelling4 8,ah60 resumed ,benedetta1 whose budding jealousy was entirely confined to ,la ,pierina1 8so my poor ,dario is ruining himself in white roses6 ,well1 ,i shall have to twit him about it4 ,but one or another of these beauties will end by robbing me of him if our affairs are not soon settled4 ,fortunately1 ,i have had some better news4 ,yes1 my suit is to be taken in hand again1 and my aunt has gone out to-day on that very account40 ,then1 as ,victorine came in with a lamp1 and ,celia rose to depart1 ,benedetta turned towards ,pierre1 who also was rising from his chair3 8,please stay10 said she2 8,i wish to speak to you40 ,however1 ,celia still lingered1 interested by the mention of the divorce suit1 and eager to know if the cousins would soon be able to marry4 ,and at last throwing her arms round ,benedetta1 she kissed her passionately4 8,so you are hopeful1 my dear10 she exclaimed4 8,you think that the ,holy ,father will give you back your liberty8 ,oh6 ,i am so pleased2 it will be so nice for you to marry ,dario6 ,and ,i'm well pleased on my own account1 for my father and mother are beginning to yield4 ,only yesterday ,i said to them with that quiet little air of mine1 #8,i want ,attilio1 and you must give him me4' ,and then my father flew into a furious passion and upbraided me1 and shook his fist at me1 saying that if he'd made my head as hard as his own he would know how to break it4 ,my mother was there quite silent and vexed1 and all at once he turned to her and said3 #8,here1 give her that ,attilio she wants1 and then perhaps we shall have some peace6' ,oh yes6 ,i'm well pleased1 very well pleased indeed60 ,as she spoke her pure virginal face beamed with so much innocent1 celestial joy that ,pierre and ,benedetta could not help laughing4 ,and at last she went off attended by a maid who had waited for her in the first salon4 ,when they were alone ,benedetta made the priest sit down again3 8,i have been asked to give you some important advice1 my friend10 she said4 8,it seems that the news of your presence in ,rome is spreading1 and that bad reports of you are circulated4 ,your book is said to be a fierce appeal to schism1 and you are spoken of as a mere ambitious1 turbulent schismatic4 ,after publishing your book in ,paris you have come to ,rome1 it is said1 to raise a fearful scandal over it in order to make it sell4 ,now1 if you still desire to see his ,holiness1 so as to plead your cause before him1 you are advised to make people forget you1 to disappear altogether for a fortnight or three weeks40 ,pierre was stupefied4 ,why1 they would end by maddening him with all the obstacles they raised to exhaust his patience2 they would actually implant in him an idea of schism1 of an avenging1 liberating scandal6 ,he wished to protest and refuse the advice1 but all at once he made a gesture of weariness4 ,what would be the good of it1 especially with that young woman1 who was certainly sincere and affectionate4 8,who asked you to give me this advice80 he inquired4 ,she did not answer1 but smiled1 and with sudden intuition he resumed3 8,it was ,monsignor ,nani1 was it not80 ,thereupon1 still unwilling to give a direct reply1 she began to praise the prelate4 ,he had at last consented to guide her in her divorce affair2 and ,donna ,serafina had gone to the ,palace of the ,inquisition that very afternoon in order to acquaint him with the result of certain steps she had taken4 ,father ,lorenza1 the confessor of both the ,boccanera ladies1 was to be present at the interview1 for the idea of the divorce was in reality his own4 ,he had urged the two women to it in his eagerness to sever the bond which the patriotic priest ,pisoni had tied full of such fine illusions4 ,benedetta became quite animated as she explained the reasons of her hopefulness4 8,monsignor ,nani can do everything10 she said1 8and ,i am very happy that my affair should be in his hands4 ,you must be reasonable also1 my friend2 do as you are requested4 ,i'm sure you will some day be well pleased at having taken this advice40 ,pierre had bowed his head and remained thoughtful4 ,there was nothing unpleasant in the idea of remaining for a few more weeks in ,rome1 where day by day his curiosity found so much fresh food4 ,of course1 all these delays were calculated to discourage him and bend his will4 ,yet what did he fear1 since he was still determined to relinquish nothing of his book1 and to see the ,holy ,father for the sole purpose of proclaiming his new faith8 ,once more1 in silence1 he took that oath1 then yielded to ,benedetta's entreaties4 ,and as he apologised for being a source of embarrassment in the house she exclaimed3 8,no1 no1 ,i am delighted to have you here4 ,i fancy that your presence will bring us good fortune now that luck seems to be changing in our favour40 ,it was then agreed that he would no longer prowl around ,st4 ,peter's and the ,vatican1 where his constant presence must have attracted attention4 ,he even promised that he would virtually spend a week indoors1 desirous as he was of reperusing certain books1 certain pages of ,rome's history4 ,then he went on chatting for a moment1 lulled by the peacefulness which reigned around him1 since the lamp had illumined the salon with its sleepy radiance4 ,six o'clock had just struck1 and outside all was dark4 8,wasn't his ,eminence indisposed to-day80 the young man asked4 8,yes10 replied the ,contessina4 8,but we are not anxious3 it is only a little fatigue4 ,he sent ,don ,vigilio to tell me that he intended to shut himself up in his room and dictate some letters4 ,so there can be nothing much the matter1 you see40 ,silence fell again4 ,for a while not a sound came from the deserted street or the old empty mansion1 mute and dreamy like a tomb4 ,but all at once the soft somnolence1 instinct with all the sweetness of a dream of hope1 was disturbed by a tempestuous entry1 a whirl of skirts1 a gasp of terror4 ,it was ,victorine1 who had gone off after bringing the lamp1 but now returned1 scared and breathless3 8,contessina6 ,contessina60 ,benedetta had risen1 suddenly quite white and cold1 as at the advent of a blast of misfortune4 8,what1 what is it8 ,why do you run and tremble80 she asked4 8,dario1 ,monsieur ,dario--down below4 ,i went down to see if the lantern in the porch were alight1 as it is so often forgotten4 ,and in the dark1 in the porch1 ,i stumbled against ,monsieur ,dario4 ,he is on the ground2 he has a knife-thrust somewhere40 ,a cry leapt from the amorosa's heart3 8,dead60 8,no1 no1 wounded40 ,but ,benedetta did not hear2 in a louder and louder voice she cried3 8,dead6 dead60 8,no1 no1 ,i tell you1 he spoke to me4 ,and for ,heaven's sake1 be quiet4 ,he silenced me because he did not want any one to know2 he told me to come and fetch you--only you4 ,however1 as ,monsieur l',abb is here1 he had better help us4 ,we shall be none too many40 ,pierre listened1 also quite aghast4 ,and when ,victorine wished to take the lamp her trembling hand1 with which she had no doubt felt the prostrate body1 was seen to be quite bloody4 ,the sight filled ,benedetta with so much horror that she again began to moan wildly4 8,be quiet1 be quiet60 repeated ,victorine4 8,we ought not to make any noise in going down4 ,i shall take the lamp1 because we must at all events be able to see4 ,now1 quick1 quick60 ,across the porch1 just at the entrance of the vestibule1 ,dario lay prone upon the slabs1 as if1 after being stabbed in the street1 he had only had sufficient strength to take a few steps before falling4 ,and he had just fainted1 and lay there with his face very pale1 his lips compressed1 and his eyes closed4 ,benedetta1 recovering the energy of her race amidst her excessive grief1 no longer lamented or cried out1 but gazed at him with wild1 tearless1 dilated eyes1 as though unable to understand4 ,the horror of it all was the suddenness and mysteriousness of the catastrophe1 the why and wherefore of this murderous attempt amidst the silence of the old deserted palace1 black with the shades of night4 ,the wound had as yet bled but little1 for only the ,prince's clothes were stained4 8,quick1 quick60 repeated ,victorine in an undertone after lowering the lamp and moving it around4 8,the porter isn't there--he's always at the carpenter's next door--and you see that he hasn't yet lighted the lantern4 ,still he may come back at any moment4 ,so the ,abb and ,i will carry the ,prince into his room at once40 ,she alone retained her head1 like a woman of well-balanced mind and quiet activity4 ,the two others1 whose stupor continued1 listened to her and obeyed her with the docility of children4 8,contessina10 she continued1 8you must light us4 ,here1 take the lamp and lower it a little so that we may see the steps4 ,you1 ,abb1 take the feet2 ,i'll take hold of him under the armpits4 ,and don't be alarmed1 the poor dear fellow isn't heavy40 ,ah6 that ascent of the monumental staircase with its low steps and its landings as spacious as guardrooms4 ,they facilitated the cruel journey1 but how lugubrious looked the little cortge under the flickering glimmer of the lamp which ,benedetta held with arm outstretched1 stiffened by determination6 ,and still not a sound came from the old lifeless dwelling1 nothing but the silent crumbling of the walls1 the slow decay which was making the ceilings crack4 ,victorine continued to whisper words of advice whilst ,pierre1 afraid of slipping on the shiny slabs1 put forth an excess of strength which made his breath come short4 ,huge1 wild shadows danced over the big expanse of bare wall up to the very vaults decorated with sunken panels4 ,so endless seemed the ascent that at last a halt became necessary2 but the slow march was soon resumed4 ,fortunately ,dario's apartments--bed-chamber1 dressing-room1 and sitting-room--were on the first floor adjoining those of the ,cardinal in the wing facing the ,tiber2 so1 on reaching the landing1 they only had to walk softly along the corridor1 and at last1 to their great relief1 laid the wounded man upon his bed4 ,victorine vented her satisfaction in a light laugh4 8,that's done10 said she2 8put the lamp on that table1 ,contessina4 ,i'm sure nobody heard us4 ,it's lucky that ,donna ,serafina should have gone out1 and that his ,eminence should have shut himself up with ,don ,vigilio4 ,i wrapped my skirt round ,monsieur ,dario's shoulders1 you know1 so ,i don't think any blood fell on the stairs4 ,by and by1 too1 ,i'll go down with a sponge and wipe the slabs in the porch--0 ,she stopped short1 looked at ,dario1 and then quickly added3 8,he's breathing--now ,i'll leave you both to watch over him while ,i go for good ,doctor ,giordano1 who saw you come into the world1 ,contessina4 ,he's a man to be trusted40 ,alone with the unconscious sufferer in that dim chamber1 which seemed to quiver with the frightful horror that filled their hearts1 ,benedetta and ,pierre remained on either side of the bed1 as yet unable to exchange a word4 ,the young woman first opened her arms and wrung her hands whilst giving vent to a hollow moan1 as if to relieve and exhale her grief2 and then1 leaning forward1 she watched for some sign of life on that pale face whose eyes were closed4 ,dario was certainly breathing1 but his respiration was slow and very faint1 and some time went by before a touch of colour returned to his cheeks4 ,at last1 however1 he opened his eyes1 and then she at once took hold of his hand and pressed it1 instilling into the pressure all the anguish of her heart4 ,great was her happiness on feeling that he feebly returned the clasp4 8,tell me10 she said1 8you can see me and hear me1 can't you8 ,what has happened1 good ,god80 ,he did not at first answer1 being worried by the presence of ,pierre4 ,on recognising the young priest1 however1 he seemed content that he should be there1 and then glanced apprehensively round the room to see if there were anybody else4 ,and at last he murmured3 8,no one saw me1 no one knows80 8,no1 no2 be easy4 ,we carried you up with ,victorine without meeting a soul4 ,aunt has just gone out1 uncle is shut up in his rooms40 ,at this ,dario seemed relieved1 and he even smiled4 8,i don't want anybody to know1 it is so stupid10 he murmured4 8,but in ,god's name what has happened80 she again asked him4 8,ah6 ,i don't know1 ,i don't know10 was his response1 as he lowered his eyelids with a weary air as if to escape the question4 ,but he must have realised that it was best for him to confess some portion of the truth at once1 for he resumed3 8,a man was hidden in the shadow of the porch--he must have been waiting for me4 ,and so1 when ,i came in1 he dug his knife into my shoulder1 there40 ,forthwith she again leant over him1 quivering1 and gazing into the depths of his eyes3 8,but who was the man1 who was he80 she asked4 ,then1 as he1 in a yet more weary way1 began to stammer that he didn't know1 that the man had fled into the darkness before he could recognise him1 she raised a terrible cry3 8,it was ,prada6 it was ,prada1 confess it1 ,i know it already60 ,and1 quite delirious1 she went on3 8,i tell you that ,i know it6 ,ah6 ,i would not be his1 and he is determined that we shall never belong to one another4 ,rather than have that he will kill you on the day when ,i am free to be your wife6 ,oh6 ,i know him well2 ,i shall never1 never be happy4 ,yes1 ,i know it well1 it was ,prada1 ,prada60 ,but sudden energy upbuoyed the wounded man1 and he loyally protested3 8,no1 no1 it was not ,prada1 nor was it any one working for him4 ,that ,i swear to you4 ,i did not recognise the man1 but it wasn't ,prada--no1 no60 ,there was such a ring of truth in ,dario's words that ,benedetta must have been convinced by them4 ,but terror once more overpowered her1 for the hand she held was suddenly growing soft1 moist1 and powerless4 ,exhausted by his effort1 ,dario had fallen back1 again fainting1 his face quite white and his eyes closed4 ,and it seemed to her that he was dying4 ,distracted by her anguish1 she felt him with trembling1 groping hands3 8,look1 look1 ,monsieur l',abb60 she exclaimed4 8,but he is dying1 he is dying2 he is already quite cold4 ,ah6 ,god of heaven1 he is dying60 ,pierre1 terribly upset by her cries1 sought to reassure her1 saying3 8,he spoke too much2 he has lost consciousness1 as he did before4 ,but ,i assure you that ,i can feel his heart beating4 ,here1 put your hand here1 ,contessina4 ,for mercy's sake don't distress yourself like that2 the doctor will soon be here1 and everything will be all right40 ,but she did not listen to him1 and all at once he was lost in amazement1 for she flung herself upon the body of the man she adored1 caught it in a frantic embrace1 bathed it with tears and covered it with kisses whilst stammering words of fire3 8,ah6 if ,i were to lose you1 if ,i were to lose you6 ,and to think that ,i repulsed you1 that ,i would not accept happiness when it was yet possible6 ,yes1 that idea of mine1 that vow ,i made to the ,madonna6 ,yet how could she be offended by our happiness8 ,and then1 and then1 if she has deceived me1 if she takes you from me1 ah6 then ,i can have but one regret--that ,i did not damn myself with you--yes1 yes1 damnation rather than that we should never1 never be each other's60 ,was this the woman who had shown herself so calm1 so sensible1 so patient the better to ensure her happiness8 ,pierre was terrified1 and no longer recognised her4 ,he had hitherto seen her so reserved1 so modest1 with a childish charm that seemed to come from her very nature6 ,but under the threatening blow she feared1 the terrible blood of the ,boccaneras had awoke within her with a long heredity of violence1 pride1 frantic and exasperated longings4 ,she wished for her share of life1 her share of love6 ,and she moaned and she clamoured1 as if death1 in taking her lover from her1 were tearing away some of her own flesh4 8,calm yourself1 ,i entreat you1 madame10 repeated the priest4 8,he is alive1 his heart beats4 ,you are doing yourself great harm40 ,but she wished to die with her lover3 8,o my darling6 if you must go1 take me1 take me with you4 ,i will lay myself on your heart1 ,i will clasp you so tightly with my arms that they shall be joined to yours1 and then we must needs be buried together4 ,yes1 yes1 we shall be dead1 and we shall be wedded all the same--wedded in death6 ,i promised that ,i would belong to none but you1 and ,i will be yours in spite of everything1 even in the grave4 ,o my darling1 open your eyes1 open your mouth1 kiss me if you don't want me to die as soon as you are dead60 ,a blaze of wild passion1 full of blood and fire1 had passed through that mournful chamber with old1 sleepy walls4 ,but tears were now overcoming ,benedetta1 and big gasping sobs at last threw her1 blinded and strengthless1 on the edge of the bed4 ,and fortunately an end was put to the terrible scene by the arrival of the doctor whom ,victorine had fetched4 ,doctor ,giordano was a little old man of over sixty1 with white curly hair1 and fresh-looking1 clean-shaven countenance4 ,by long practice among ,churchmen he had acquired the paternal appearance and manner of an amiable prelate4 ,and he was said to be a very worthy man1 tending the poor for nothing1 and displaying ecclesiastical reserve and discretion in all delicate cases4 ,for thirty years past the whole ,boccanera family1 children1 women1 and even the most eminent ,cardinal himself1 had in all cases of sickness been placed in the hands of this prudent practitioner4 ,lighted by ,victorine and helped by ,pierre1 he undressed ,dario1 who was roused from his swoon by pain2 and after examining the wound he declared with a smile that it was not at all dangerous4 ,the young ,prince would at the utmost have to spend three weeks in bed1 and no complications were to be feared4 ,then1 like all the doctors of ,rome1 enamoured of the fine thrusts and cuts which day by day they have to dress among chance patients of the lower classes1 he complacently lingered over the wound1 doubtless regarding it as a clever piece of work1 for he ended by saying to the ,prince in an undertone3 8,that's what we call a warning4 ,the man didn't want to kill1 the blow was dealt downwards so that the knife might slip through the flesh without touching the bone4 ,ah6 a man really needs to be skilful to deal such a stab2 it was very neatly done40 8,yes1 yes10 murmured ,dario1 8he spared me2 had he chosen he could have pierced me through40 ,benedetta did not hear4 ,since the doctor had declared the case to be free from danger1 and had explained that the fainting fits were due to nervous shock1 she had fallen in a chair1 quite prostrated4 ,gradually1 however1 some gentle tears coursed from her eyes1 bringing relief after her frightful despair1 and then1 rising to her feet1 she came and kissed ,dario with mute and passionate delight4 8,i say1 my dear doctor10 resumed the ,prince1 8it's useless for people to know of this4 ,it's so ridiculous4 ,nobody has seen anything1 it seems1 excepting ,monsieur l',abb1 whom ,i ask to keep the matter secret4 ,and in particular ,i don't want anybody to alarm the ,cardinal or my aunt1 or indeed any of our friends40 ,doctor ,giordano indulged in one of his placid smiles4 8,bene1 bene10 said he1 8that's natural2 don't worry yourself4 ,we will say that you have had a fall on the stairs and have dislocated your shoulder4 ,and now that the wound is dressed you must try to sleep1 and don't get feverish4 ,i will come back to-morrow morning40 ,that evening of excitement was followed by some very tranquil days1 and a new life began for ,pierre1 who at first remained indoors1 reading and writing1 with no other recreation than that of spending his afternoons in ,dario's room1 where he was certain to find ,benedetta4 ,after a somewhat intense fever lasting for eight and forty hours1 cure took its usual course1 and the story of the dislocated shoulder was so generally believed1 that the ,cardinal insisted on ,donna ,serafina departing from her habits of strict economy1 to have a second lantern lighted on the landing in order that no such accident might occur again4 ,and then the monotonous peacefulness was only disturbed by a final incident1 a threat of trouble1 as it were1 with which ,pierre found himself mixed up one evening when he was lingering beside the convalescent patient4 ,benedetta had absented herself for a few minutes1 and as ,victorine1 who had brought up some broth1 was leaning towards the ,prince to take the empty cup from him1 she said in a low voice3 8,there's a girl1 ,monsieur1 ,la ,pierina1 who comes here every day1 crying and asking for news of you4 ,i can't get rid of her1 she's always prowling about the place1 so ,i thought it best to tell you of it40 ,unintentionally1 ,pierre heard her and understood everything4 ,dario1 who was looking at him1 at once guessed his thoughts1 and without answering ,victorine exclaimed3 8,yes1 ,abb1 it was that brute ,tito6 ,how idiotic1 eh80 ,at the same time1 although the young man protested that he had done nothing whatever for the girl's brother to give him such a 8warning10 he smiled in an embarrassed way1 as if vexed and even somewhat ashamed of being mixed up in an affair of the kind4 ,and he was evidently relieved when the priest promised that he would see the girl1 should she come back1 and make her understand that she ought to remain at home4 8,it was such a stupid affair60 the ,prince repeated1 with an exaggerated show of anger4 8,such things are not of our times40 ,but all at once he ceased speaking1 for ,benedetta entered the room4 ,she sat down again beside her dear patient1 and the sweet1 peaceful evening then took its course in the old sleepy chamber1 the old1 lifeless palace1 whence never a sound arose4 ,when ,pierre began to go out again he at first merely took a brief airing in the district4 ,the ,via ,giulia interested him1 for he knew how splendid it had been in the time of ,julius ,,ii1 who had dreamt of lining it with sumptuous palaces4 ,horse and foot races then took place there during the carnival1 the ,palazzo ,farnese being the starting-point1 and the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's the goal4 ,pierre had also lately read that a ,french ambassador1 ,d',estre1 ,marquis de ,coure1 had resided at the ,palazzo ,sacchetti1 and in #afch had given some magnificent entertainments in honour of the birth of the ,dauphin199 when on three successive days there had been racing from the ,ponte ,sisto to ,san ,giovanni dei ,fiorentini amidst an extraordinary display of sumptuosity3 the street being strewn with flowers1 and rich hangings adorning every window4 ,on the second evening there had been fireworks on the ,tiber1 with a machine representing the ship ,argo carrying ,jason and his companions to the recovery of the ,golden ,fleece2 and1 on another occasion1 the ,farnese fountain1 the ,mascherone1 had flowed with wine4 ,nowadays1 however1 all was changed4 ,the street1 bright with sunshine or steeped in shadow according to the hour1 was ever silent and deserted4 ,the heavy1 ancient palatial houses1 their old doors studded with plates and nails1 their windows barred with huge iron gratings1 always seemed to be asleep1 whole storeys showing nothing but closed shutters as if to keep out the daylight for evermore4 ,now and again1 when a door was open1 you espied deep vaults1 damp1 cold courts1 green with mildew1 and encompassed by colonnades like cloisters4 ,then1 in the outbuildings of the mansions1 the low structures which had collected more particularly on the side of the ,tiber1 various small silent shops had installed themselves4 ,there was a baker's1 a tailor's1 and a bookbinder's1 some fruiterers' shops with a few tomatoes and salad plants set out on boards1 and some wine-shops which claimed to sell the vintages of ,frascati and ,genzano1 but whose customers seemed to be dead4 ,midway along the street was a modern prison1 whose horrid yellow wall in no wise enlivened the scene1 whilst1 overhead1 a flight of telegraph wires stretched from the arcades of the ,farnese palace to the distant vista of trees beyond the river4 ,with its infrequent traffic the street1 even in the daytime1 was like some sepulchral corridor where the past was crumbling into dust1 and when night fell its desolation quite appalled ,pierre4 ,you did not meet a soul1 you did not see a light in any window1 and the glimmering gas lamps1 few and far between1 seemed powerless to pierce the gloom4 ,on either hand the doors were barred and bolted1 and not a sound1 not a breath came from within4 ,even when1 after a long interval1 you passed a lighted wine-shop1 behind whose panes of frosted glass a lamp gleamed dim and motionless1 not an exclamation1 not a suspicion of a laugh ever reached your ear4 ,there was nothing alive save the two sentries placed outside the prison1 one before the entrance and the other at the corner of the right-hand lane1 and they remained erect and still1 coagulated1 as it were1 in that dead street4 99 ,afterwards ,louis ,,xiv4--,trans4 ,pierre's interest1 however1 was not merely confined to the ,via ,giulia2 it extended to the whole district1 once so fine and fashionable1 but now fallen into sad decay1 far removed from modern life1 and exhaling a faint musty odour of monasticism4 ,towards ,san ,giovanni dei ,fiorentini1 where the new ,corso ,vittorio ,emanuele has ripped up every olden district1 the lofty five-storeyed houses with their dazzling sculptured fronts contrasted violently with the black sunken dwellings of the neighbouring lanes4 ,in the evening the globes of the electric lamps on the ,corso shone out with such dazzling whiteness that the gas lamps of the ,via ,giulia and other streets looked like smoky lanterns4 ,there were several old and famous thoroughfares1 the ,via ,banchi ,vecchi1 the ,via del ,pellegrino1 the ,via di ,monserrato1 and an infinity of cross-streets which intersected and connected the others1 all going towards the ,tiber1 and for the most part so narrow that vehicles scarcely had room to pass4 ,and each street had its church1 a multitude of churches all more or less alike1 highly decorated1 gilded1 and painted1 and open only at service time when they were full of sunlight and incense4 ,in the ,via ,giulia1 in addition to ,san ,giovanni dei ,fiorentini1 ,san ,biagio della ,pagnotta1 ,san ,eligio degli ,orefici1 and three or four others1 there was the so-called ,church of the ,dead1 ,santa ,maria dell' ,orazione2 and this church1 which is at the lower end behind the ,farnese palace1 was often visited by ,pierre1 who liked to dream there of the wild life of ,rome1 and of the pious brothers of the ,confraternita della ,morte1 who officiate there1 and whose mission is to search for and bury such poor outcasts as die in the ,campagna4 ,one evening he was present at the funeral of two unknown men1 whose bodies1 after remaining unburied for quite a fortnight1 had been discovered in a field near the ,appian ,way4 ,however1 ,pierre's favourite promenade soon became the new quay of the ,tiber beyond the ,palazzo ,boccanera4 ,he had merely to take the narrow lane skirting the mansion to reach a spot where he found much food for reflection4 ,although the quay was not yet finished1 the work seemed to be quite abandoned4 ,there were heaps of rubbish1 blocks of stone1 broken fences1 and dilapidated tool-sheds all around4 ,to such a height had it been necessary to carry the quay walls--designed to protect the city from floods1 for the river bed has been rising for centuries past--that the old terrace of the ,boccanera gardens1 with its double flight of steps to which pleasure boats had once been moored1 now lay in a hollow1 threatened with annihilation whenever the works should be finished4 ,but nothing had yet been levelled2 the soil1 brought thither for making up the bank1 lay as it had fallen from the carts1 and on all sides were pits and mounds interspersed with the abandoned building materials4 ,wretched urchins came to play there1 workmen without work slept in the sunshine1 and women after washing ragged linen spread it out to dry upon the stones4 ,nevertheless the spot proved a happy1 peaceful refuge for ,pierre1 one fruitful in inexhaustible reveries when for hours at a time he lingered gazing at the river1 the quays1 and the city1 stretching in front of him and on either hand4 ,at eight in the morning the sun already gilded the vast opening4 ,on turning to the left he perceived the roofs of the ,trastevere1 of a misty1 bluish grey against the dazzling sky4 ,then1 just beyond the apse of ,san ,giovanni1 on the right1 the river curved1 and on its other bank the poplars of the ,ospedale di ,santo ,spirito formed a green curtain1 while the castle of ,sant' ,angelo showed brightly in the distance4 ,but ,pierre's eyes dwelt more particularly on the bank just in front of him1 for there he found some lingering vestiges of old ,rome4 ,on that side indeed between the ,ponte ,sisto and the ,ponte ,sant' ,angelo1 the quays1 which were to imprison the river within high1 white1 fortress-like walls1 had not yet been raised1 and the bank with its remnants of the old papal city conjured up an extraordinary vision of the middle ages4 ,the houses1 descending to the river brink1 were cracked1 scorched1 rusted by innumerable burning summers1 like so many antique bronzes4 ,down below there were black vaults into which the water flowed1 piles upholding walls1 and fragments of ,roman stone-work plunging into the river bed2 then1 rising from the shore1 came steep1 broken stairways1 green with moisture1 tiers of terraces1 storeys with tiny windows pierced here and their in hap-hazard fashion1 houses perched atop of other houses1 and the whole jumbled together with a fantastic commingling of balconies and wooden galleries1 footbridges spanning courtyards1 clumps of trees growing apparently on the very roofs1 and attics rising from amidst pinky tiles4 ,the contents of a drain fell noisily into the river from a worn and soiled gorge of stone2 and wherever the houses stood back and the bank appeared1 it was covered with wild vegetation1 weeds1 shrubs1 and mantling ivy1 which trailed like a kingly robe of state4 ,and in the glory of the sun the wretchedness and dirt vanished1 the crooked1 jumbled houses seemed to be of gold1 draped with the purple of the red petticoats and the dazzling white of the shifts which hung drying from their windows2 while higher still1 above the district1 the ,janiculum rose into all the luminary's dazzlement1 uprearing the slender profile of ,sant' ,onofrio amidst cypresses and pines4 ,leaning on the parapet of the quay wall1 ,pierre sadly gazed at the ,tiber for hours at a time4 ,nothing could convey an idea of the weariness of those old waters1 the mournful slowness of their flow along that ,babylonian trench where they were confined within huge1 bare1 livid prison-like walls4 ,in the sunlight their yellowness was gilded1 and the faint quiver of the current brought ripples of green and blue2 but as soon as the shade spread over it the stream became opaque like mud1 so turbid in its venerable old age that it no longer even gave back a reflection of the houses lining it4 ,and how desolate was its abandonment1 what a stream of silence and solitude it was6 ,after the winter rains it might roll furiously and threateningly1 but during the long months of bright weather it traversed ,rome without a sound1 and ,pierre could remain there all day long without seeing either a skiff or a sail4 ,the two or three little steam-boats which arrived from the coast1 the few tartanes which brought wine from ,sicily1 never came higher than the ,aventine1 beyond which there was only a watery desert in which here and there1 at long intervals1 a motionless angler let his line dangle4 ,all that ,pierre ever saw in the way of shipping was a sort of ancient1 covered pinnace1 a rotting ,noah's ark1 moored on the right beside the old bank1 and he fancied that it might be used as a washhouse1 though on no occasion did he see any one in it4 ,and on a neck of mud there also lay a stranded boat with one side broken in1 a lamentable symbol of the impossibility and the relinquishment of navigation4 ,ah6 that decay of the river1 that decay of father ,tiber1 as dead as the famous ruins whose dust he is weary of laving6 ,and what an evocation6 all the centuries of history1 so many things1 so many men1 that those yellow waters have reflected till1 full of lassitude and disgust1 they have grown heavy1 silent and deserted1 longing only for annihilation4 ,one morning on the river bank ,pierre found ,la ,pierina standing behind an abandoned tool-shed4 ,with her neck extended1 she was looking fixedly at the window of ,dario's room1 at the corner of the quay and the lane4 ,doubtless she had been frightened by ,victorine's severe reception1 and had not dared to return to the mansion2 but some servant1 possibly1 had told her which was the young ,prince's window1 and so she now came to this spot1 where without wearying she waited for a glimpse of the man she loved1 for some sign of life and salvation1 the mere hope of which made her heart leap4 ,deeply touched by the way in which she hid herself1 all humility and quivering with adoration1 the priest approached her1 and instead of scolding her and driving her away as he had been asked to do1 spoke to her in a gentle1 cheerful manner1 asking her for news of her people as though nothing had happened1 and at last contriving to mention ,dario's name in order that she might understand that he would be up and about again within a fortnight4 ,on perceiving ,pierre1 ,la ,pierina had started with timidity and distrust as if anxious to flee2 but when she understood him1 tears of happiness gushed from her eyes1 and with a bright smile she kissed her hand to him1 calling3 8,grazie1 grazie1 thanks1 thanks60 ,and thereupon she darted away1 and he never saw her again4 ,on another morning at an early hour1 as ,pierre was going to say mass at ,santa ,brigida on the ,piazza ,farnese1 he was surprised to meet ,benedetta coming out of the church and carrying a small phial of oil4 ,she evinced no embarrassment1 but frankly told him that every two or three days she went thither to obtain from the beadle a few drops of the oil used for the lamp that burnt before an antique wooden statue of the ,madonna1 in which she had perfect confidence4 ,she even confessed that she had never had confidence in any other ,madonna1 having never obtained anything from any other1 though she had prayed to several of high repute1 ,madonnas of marble and even of silver4 ,and so her heart was full of ardent devotion for the holy image which refused her nothing4 ,and she declared in all simplicity1 as though the matter were quite natural and above discussion1 that the few drops of oil which she applied1 morning and evening1 to ,dario's wound1 were alone working his cure1 so speedy a cure as to be quite miraculous4 ,pierre1 fairly aghast1 distressed indeed to find such childish1 superstitious notions in one so full of sense and grace and passion1 did not even venture to smile4 ,in the evenings1 when he came back from his strolls and spent an hour or so in ,dario's room1 he would for a time divert the patient by relating what he had done and seen and thought of during the day4 ,and when he again ventured to stray beyond the district1 and became enamoured of the lovely gardens of ,rome1 which he visited as soon as they opened in the morning in order that he might be virtually alone1 he delighted the young prince and ,benedetta with his enthusiasm1 his rapturous passion for the splendid trees1 the plashing water1 and the spreading terraces whence the views were so sublime4 ,it was not the most extensive of these gardens which the more deeply impressed his heart4 ,in the grounds of the ,villa ,borghese1 the little ,roman ,bois de ,boulogne1 there were certainly some majestic clumps of greenery1 some regal avenues where carriages took a turn in the afternoon before the obligatory drive to the ,pincio2 but ,pierre was more touched by the reserved garden of the villa--that villa dazzling with marble and now containing one of the finest museums in the world4 ,there was a simple lawn of fine grass with a vast central basin surmounted by a figure of ,venus1 nude and white2 and antique fragments1 vases1 statues1 columns1 and sarcophagi were ranged symmetrically all around the deserted1 sunlit yet melancholy1 sward4 ,on returning on one occasion to the ,pincio ,pierre spent a delightful morning there1 penetrated by the charm of this little nook with its scanty evergreens1 and its admirable vista of all ,rome and ,st4 ,peter's rising up afar off in the soft limpid radiance4 ,at the ,villa ,albani and the ,villa ,pamphili he again came upon superb parasol pines1 tall1 stately1 and graceful1 and powerful elm-trees with twisted limbs and dusky foliage4 ,in the ,pamphili grounds1 the elm-trees steeped the paths in a delicious half-light1 the lake with its weeping willows and tufts of reeds had a dreamy aspect1 while down below the parterre displayed a fantastic floral mosaic bright with the various hues of flowers and foliage4 ,that which most particularly struck ,pierre1 however1 in this1 the noblest1 most spacious1 and most carefully tended garden of ,rome1 was the novel and unexpected view that he suddenly obtained of ,st4 ,peter's1 whilst skirting a low wall3 a view whose symbolism for ever clung to him4 ,rome had completely vanished1 and between the slopes of ,monte ,mario and another wooded height which hid the city1 there only appeared the colossal dome which seemed to be poised on an infinity of scattered blocks1 now white1 now red4 ,these were the houses of the ,borgo1 the jumbled piles of the ,vatican and the ,basilica which the huge dome surmounted and annihilated1 showing greyly blue in the light blue of the heavens1 whilst far away stretched a delicate1 boundless vista of the ,campagna1 likewise of a bluish tint4 ,it was1 however1 more particularly in the less sumptuous gardens1 those of a more homely grace1 that ,pierre realised that even things have souls4 ,ah6 that ,villa ,mattei on one side of the ,clius with its terraced grounds1 its sloping alleys edged with laurel1 aloe1 and spindle tree1 its box-plants forming arbours1 its oranges1 its roses1 and its fountains6 ,pierre spent some delicious hours there1 and only found a similar charm on visiting the ,aventine1 where three churches are embowered in verdure4 ,the little garden of ,santa ,sabina1 the birthplace of the ,dominican order1 is closed on all sides and affords no view3 it slumbers in quiescence1 warm and perfumed by its orange-trees1 amongst which that planted by ,st4 ,dominic stands huge and gnarled but still laden with ripe fruit4 ,at the adjoining ,priorato1 however1 the garden1 perched high above the ,tiber1 overlooks a vast expanse1 with the river and the buildings on either bank as far as the summit of the ,janiculum4 ,and in these gardens of ,rome ,pierre ever found the same clipped box-shrubs1 the same eucalypti with white trunks and pale leaves long like hair1 the same ilex-trees squat and dusky1 the same giant pines1 the same black cypresses1 the same marbles whitening amidst tufts of roses1 and the same fountains gurgling under mantling ivy4 ,never did he enjoy more gentle1 sorrow-tinged delight than at the ,villa of ,pope ,julius1 where all the life of a gay and sensual period is suggested by the semi-circular porticus opening on the gardens1 a porticus decorated with paintings1 golden trellis-work laden with flowers1 amidst which flutter flights of smiling ,cupids4 ,then1 on the evening when he returned from the ,farnesina1 he declared that he had brought all the dead soul of ancient ,rome away with him1 and it was not the paintings executed after ,raffaelle's designs that had touched him1 it was rather the pretty hall on the river side decorated in soft blue and pink and lilac1 with an art devoid of genius yet so charming and so ,roman2 and in particular it was the abandoned garden once stretching down to the ,tiber1 and now shut off from it by the new quay1 and presenting an aspect of woeful desolation1 ravaged1 bossy and weedy like a cemetery1 albeit the golden fruit of orange and citron tree still ripened there4 ,and for the last time a shock came to ,pierre's heart on the lovely evening when he visited the ,villa ,medici4 ,there he was on ,french soil499 ,and again what a marvellous garden he found with box-plants1 and pines1 and avenues full of magnificence and charm6 ,what a refuge for antique reverie was that wood of ilex-trees1 so old and so sombre1 where the sun in declining cast fiery gleams of red gold amidst the sheeny bronze of the foliage4 ,you ascend by endless steps1 and from the crowning belvedere on high you embrace all ,rome at a glance as though by opening your arms you could seize it in its entirety4 ,from the villa's dining-room1 decorated with portraits of all the artists who have successfully sojourned there1 and from the spacious peaceful library one beholds the same splendid1 broad1 all-conquering panorama1 a panorama of unlimited ambition1 whose infinite ought to set in the hearts of the young men dwelling there a determination to subjugate the world4 ,pierre1 who came thither opposed to the principle of the 8,prix de ,rome10 that traditional1 uniform education so dangerous for originality1 was for a moment charmed by the warm peacefulness1 the limpid solitude of the garden1 and the sublime horizon where the wings of genius seemed to flutter4 ,ah6 how delightful1 to be only twenty and to live for three years amidst such infinite sweetness1 encompassed by the finest works of man2 to say to oneself that one is as yet too young to produce1 and to reflect1 and seek1 and learn how to enjoy1 suffer1 and love6 ,but ,pierre afterwards reflected that this was not a fit task for youth1 and that to appreciate the divine enjoyment of such a retreat1 all art and blue sky1 ripe age was needed1 age with victories already gained and weariness following upon the accomplishment of work4 ,he chatted with some of the young pensioners1 and remarked that if those who were inclined to dreaminess and contemplation1 like those who could merely claim mediocrity1 accommodated themselves to this life cloistered in the art of the past1 on the other hand artists of active bent and personal temperament pined with impatience1 their eyes ever turned towards ,paris1 their souls eager to plunge into the furnace of battle and production4 99 ,here is the ,french ,academy1 where winners of the 8,prix de ,rome0 in painting1 sculpture1 architecture1 engraving1 and music are maintained by the ,french ,government for three years4 ,the creation dates from ,louis ,,xiv4--,trans4 ,all those gardens of which ,pierre spoke to ,dario and ,benedetta with so much rapture1 awoke within them the memory of the garden of the ,villa ,montefiori1 now a waste1 but once so green1 planted with the finest orange-trees of ,rome1 a grove of centenarian orange-trees where they had learnt to love one another4 ,and the memory of their early love brought thoughts of their present situation and their future prospects4 ,to these the conversation always reverted1 and evening after evening ,pierre witnessed their delight1 and heard them talk of coming happiness like lovers transported to the seventh heaven4 ,the suit for the dissolution of ,benedetta's marriage was now assuming a more and more favourable aspect4 ,guided by a powerful hand1 ,donna ,serafina was apparently acting very vigorously1 for almost every day she had some further good news to report4 ,she was indeed anxious to finish the affair both for the continuity and for the honour of the name1 for on the one hand ,dario refused to marry any one but his cousin1 and on the other this marriage would explain everything and put an end to an intolerable situation4 ,the scandalous rumours which circulated both in the white and the black world quite incensed her1 and a victory was the more necessary as ,leo ,,xiii1 already so aged1 might be snatched away at any moment1 and in the ,conclave which would follow she desired that her brother's name should shine forth with untarnished1 sovereign radiance4 ,never had the secret ambition of her life1 the hope that her race might give a third pope to the ,church1 filled her with so much passion4 ,it was as if she therein sought a consolation for the harsh abandonment of ,advocate ,morano4 ,invariably clad in sombre garb1 ever active and slim1 so tightly laced that from behind one might have taken her for a young girl1 she was so to say the black soul of that old palace2 and ,pierre1 who met her everywhere1 prowling and inspecting like a careful house-keeper1 and jealously watching over her brother the ,cardinal1 bowed to her in silence1 chilled to the heart by the stern look of her withered wrinkled face in which was set the large1 opiniative nose of her family4 ,however she barely returned his bows1 for she still disdained that paltry foreign priest1 and only tolerated him in order to please ,monsignor ,nani and ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue4 ,a witness every evening of the anxious delight and impatience of ,benedetta and ,dario1 ,pierre by degrees became almost as impassioned as themselves1 as desirous for an early solution4 ,benedetta's suit was about to come before the ,congregation of the ,council once more4 ,monsignor ,palma1 the defender of the marriage1 had demanded a supplementary inquiry after the favourable decision arrived at in the first instance by a bare majority of one vote--a majority which the ,pope would certainly not have thought sufficient had he been asked for his ratification4 ,so the question now was to gain votes among the ten cardinals who formed the ,congregation1 to persuade and convince them1 and if possible ensure an almost unanimous pronouncement4 ,the task was arduous1 for1 instead of facilitating matters1 ,benedetta's relationship to ,cardinal ,boccanera raised many difficulties1 owing to the intriguing spirit rife at the ,vatican1 the spite of rivals who1 by perpetuating the scandal1 hoped to destroy ,boccanera's chance of ever attaining to the papacy4 ,every afternoon1 however1 ,donna ,serafina devoted herself to the task of winning votes under the direction of her confessor1 ,father ,lorenza1 whom she saw daily at the ,collegio ,germanico1 now the last refuge of the ,jesuits in ,rome1 for they have ceased to be masters of the ,ges4 ,the chief hope of success lay in ,prada's formal declaration that he would not put in an appearance4 ,the whole affair wearied and irritated him2 the imputations levelled against him as a man1 seemed to him supremely odious and ridiculous2 and he no longer even took the trouble to reply to the assignations which were sent to him4 ,he acted indeed as if he had never been married1 though deep in his heart the wound dealt to his passion and his pride still lingered1 bleeding afresh whenever one or another of the scandalous rumours in circulation reached his ears4 ,however1 as their adversary desisted from all action1 one can understand that the hopes of ,benedetta and ,dario increased1 the more so as hardly an evening passed without ,donna ,serafina telling them that she believed she had gained the support of another cardinal4 ,but the man who terrified them all was ,monsignor ,palma1 whom the ,congregation had appointed to defend the sacred ties of matrimony4 ,his rights and privileges were almost unlimited1 he could appeal yet again1 and in any case would make the affair drag on as long as it pleased him4 ,his first report1 in reply to ,morano's memoir1 had been a terrible blow1 and it was now said that a second one which he was preparing would prove yet more pitiless1 establishing as a fundamental principle of the ,church that it could not annul a marriage whose nonconsummation was purely and simply due to the action of the wife in refusing obedience to her husband4 ,in presence of such energy and logic1 it was unlikely that the cardinals1 even if sympathetic1 would dare to advise the ,holy ,father to dissolve the marriage4 ,and so discouragement was once more overcoming ,benedetta when ,donna ,serafina1 on returning from a visit to ,monsignor ,nani1 calmed her somewhat by telling her that a mutual friend had undertaken to deal with ,monsignor ,palma4 ,however1 said she1 even if they succeeded1 it would doubtless cost them a large sum4 ,monsignor ,palma1 a theologist expert in all canonical affairs1 and a perfectly honest man in pecuniary matters1 had met with a great misfortune in his life4 ,he had a niece1 a poor and lovely girl1 for whom1 unhappily1 in his declining years he conceived an insensate passion1 with the result that to avoid a scandal he was compelled to marry her to a rascal who now preyed upon her and even beat her4 ,and the prelate was now passing through a fearful crisis1 weary of reducing himself to beggary1 and indeed no longer having the money necessary to extricate his nephew by marriage from a very nasty predicament1 the result of cheating at cards4 ,so the idea was to save the young man by a considerable pecuniary payment1 and then to procure him employment without asking aught of his uncle1 who1 as if offering complicity1 came in tears one evening1 when night had fallen1 to thank ,donna ,serafina for her exceeding goodness4 ,pierre was with ,dario that evening when ,benedetta entered the room1 laughing and joyfully clapping her bands4 8,it's done1 it's done60 she said1 8he has just left aunt1 and vowed eternal gratitude to her4 ,he will now be obliged to show himself amiable40 ,however ,dario distrustfully inquired3 8,but was he made to sign anything1 did he enter into a formal engagement80 8,oh6 no2 how could one do that8 ,it's such a delicate matter10 replied ,benedetta4 8,but people say that he is a very honest man40 ,nevertheless1 in spite of these words1 she herself became uneasy4 ,what if ,monsignor ,palma should remain incorruptible in spite of the great service which had been rendered him8 ,thenceforth this idea haunted them1 and their suspense began once more4 ,dario1 eager to divert his mind1 was imprudent enough to get up before he was perfectly cured1 and1 his wound reopening1 he was obliged to take to his bed again for a few days4 ,every evening1 as previously1 ,pierre strove to enliven him with an account of his strolls4 ,the young priest was now getting bolder1 rambling in turn through all the districts of ,rome1 and discovering the many 8classical0 curiosities catalogued in the guide-books4 ,one evening he spoke with a kind of affection of the principal squares of the city which he had first thought commonplace1 but which now seemed to him very varied1 each with original features of its own4 ,there was the noble ,piazza del ,popolo of such monumental symmetry and so full of sunlight2 there was the ,piazza di ,spagna1 the lively meeting-place of foreigners1 with its double flight of a hundred and thirty steps gilded by the sun2 there was the vast ,piazza ,colonna1 always swarming with people1 and the most ,italian of all the ,roman squares from the presence of the idle1 careless crowd which ever lounged round the column of ,marcus ,aurelius as if waiting for fortune to fall from heaven2 there was also the long and regular ,piazza ,navona1 deserted since the market was no longer held there1 and retaining a melancholy recollection of its former bustling life2 and there was the ,campo dei ,fiori1 which was invaded each morning by the tumultuous fruit and vegetable markets1 quite a plantation of huge umbrellas sheltering heaps of tomatoes1 pimentoes1 and grapes amidst a noisy stream of dealers and housewives4 ,pierre's great surprise1 however1 was the ,piazza del ,campidoglio--the 8,square of the ,capitol0--which to him suggested a summit1 an open spot overlooking the city and the world1 but which he found to be small and square1 and on three sides enclosed by palaces1 whilst on the fourth side the view was of little extent499 ,there are no passers-by there2 visitors usually come up by a flight of steps bordered by a few palm-trees1 only foreigners making use of the winding carriage-ascent4 ,the vehicles wait1 and the tourists loiter for a while with their eyes raised to the admirable equestrian statue of ,marcus ,aurelius1 in antique bronze1 which occupies the centre of the piazza4 ,towards four o'clock1 when the sun gilds the left-hand palace1 and the slender statues of its entablature show vividly against the blue sky1 you might think yourself in some warm cosy square of a little provincial town1 what with the women of the neighbourhood who sit knitting under the arcade1 and the bands of ragged urchins who disport themselves on all sides like school-boys in a playground4 99 ,the ,piazza del ,campidoglio is really a depression between the ,capitolium proper and the northern height called the ,arx4 ,it is supposed to have been the exact site of ,romulus's traditional ,asylum4--,trans4 ,then1 on another evening ,pierre told ,benedetta and ,dario of his admiration for the ,roman fountains1 for in no other city of the world does water flow so abundantly and magnificently in fountains of bronze and marble1 from the boat-shaped ,fontana della ,barcaccia on the ,piazza di ,spagna1 the ,triton on the ,piazza ,barberini1 and the ,tortoises which give their name to the ,piazza delle ,tartarughe1 to the three fountains of the ,piazza ,navona where ,bernini's vast central composition of rock and river-gods rises so triumphantly1 and to the colossal and pompous fountain of ,trevi1 where ,king ,neptune stands on high attended by lofty figures of ,health and ,fruitfulness4 ,and on yet another evening ,pierre came home quite pleased1 relating that he had at last discovered why it was that the old streets around the ,capitol and along the ,tiber seemed to him so strange3 it was because they had no footways1 and pedestrians1 instead of skirting the walls1 invariably took the middle of the road1 leisurely wending their way among the vehicles4 ,pierre was very fond of those old districts with their winding lanes1 their tiny squares so irregular in shape1 and their huge square mansions swamped by a multitudinous jumble of little houses4 ,he found a charm1 too1 in the district of the ,esquiline1 where1 besides innumerable flights of ascending steps1 each of grey pebbles edged with white stone1 there were sudden sinuous slopes1 tiers of terraces1 seminaries and convents1 lifeless1 with their windows ever closed1 and lofty1 blank walls above which a superb palm-tree would now and again soar into the spotless blue of the sky4 ,and on yet another evening1 having strolled into the ,campagna beside the ,tiber and above the ,ponte ,molle1 he came back full of enthusiasm for a form of classical art which hitherto he had scarcely appreciated4 ,along the river bank1 however1 he had found the very scenery that ,poussin so faithfully depicted3 the sluggish1 yellow stream fringed with reeds2 low riven cliffs1 whose chalky whiteness showed against the ruddy background of a far-stretching1 undulating plain1 bounded by blue hills2 a few spare trees with a ruined porticus opening on to space atop of the bank1 and a line of pale-hued sheep descending to drink1 whilst the shepherd1 with an elbow resting on the trunk of an ilex-tree1 stood looking on4 ,it was a special kind of beauty1 broad and ruddy1 made up of nothing1 sometimes simplified into a series of low1 horizontal lines1 but ever ennobled by the great memories it evoked3 the ,roman legions marching along the paved highways across the bare ,campagna2 the long slumber of the middle ages2 and then the awakening of antique nature in the midst of ,catholicism1 whereby1 for the second time1 ,rome became ruler of the world4 ,one day when ,pierre came back from seeing the great modern cemetery1 the ,campo ,verano1 he found ,celia1 as well as ,benedetta1 by the side of ,dario's bed4 8,what1 ,monsieur l',abb60 exclaimed the little ,princess when she learnt where he had been2 8it amuses you to visit the dead80 8,oh those ,frenchmen10 remarked ,dario1 to whom the mere idea of a cemetery was repulsive2 8those ,frenchmen seem to take a pleasure in making their lives wretched with their partiality for gloomy scenes40 8,but there is no escaping the reality of death10 gently replied ,pierre2 8the best course is to look it in the face40 ,this made the ,prince quite angry4 8,reality1 reality10 said he1 8when reality isn't pleasant ,i don't look at it2 ,i try never to think of it even40 ,in spite of this rejoinder1 ,pierre1 with his smiling1 placid air1 went on enumerating the things which had struck him3 first1 the admirable manner in which the cemetery was kept1 then the festive appearance which it derived from the bright autumn sun1 and the wonderful profusion in which marble was lavished in slabs1 statues1 and chapels4 ,the ancient atavism had surely been at work1 the sumptuous mausoleums of the ,appian ,way had here sprung up afresh1 making death a pretext for the display of pomp and pride4 ,in the upper part of the cemetery the ,roman nobility had a district of its own1 crowded with veritable temples1 colossal statues1 groups of several figures2 and if at times the taste shown in these monuments was deplorable1 it was none the less certain that millions had been expended on them4 ,one charming feature of the place1 said ,pierre1 was that the marbles1 standing among yews and cypresses were remarkably well preserved1 white and spotless2 for1 if the summer sun slowly gilded them1 there were none of those stains of moss and rain which impart an aspect of melancholy decay to the statues of northern climes4 ,touched by the discomfort of ,dario1 ,benedetta1 hitherto silent1 ended by interrupting ,pierre4 8,and was the hunt interesting80 she asked1 turning to ,celia4 ,the little ,princess had been taken by her mother to see a fox-hunt1 and had been speaking of it when the priest entered the room4 8,yes1 it was very interesting1 my dear10 she replied2 8the meet was at noon near the tomb of ,ccilia ,metella1 where a buffet had been arranged under a tent4 ,and there was such a number of people--the foreign colony1 the young men of the embassies1 and some officers1 not to mention ourselves--all the men in scarlet and a great many ladies in habits4 ,the #8throw-off' was at one o'clock1 and the gallop lasted more than two hours and a half1 so that the fox had a very long run4 ,i wasn't able to follow1 but all the same ,i saw some extraordinary things--a great wall which the whole hunt had to leap1 and then ditches and hedges--a mad race indeed in the rear of the hounds4 ,there were two accidents1 but nothing serious2 one gentleman1 who was unseated1 sprained his wrist badly1 and another broke his leg4099 99 ,the ,roman ,hunt1 which counts about one hundred subscribers1 has flourished since #ahdj4 ,there is a kennel of ,english hounds1 an ,english huntsman and whip1 and a stable of ,english hunters4--,trans4 ,dario had listened to ,celia with passionate interest1 for fox-hunting is one of the great pleasures of ,rome1 and the ,campagna1 flat and yet bristling with obstacles1 is certainly well adapted to the sport4 8,ah60 said the young ,prince in a despairing tone1 8how idiotic it is to be riveted to this room6 ,i shall end by dying of ennui60 ,benedetta contented herself with smiling2 neither reproach nor expression of sadness came from her at this candid display of egotism4 ,her own happiness at having him all to herself in the room where she nursed him was great indeed2 still her love1 at once full of youth and good sense1 included a maternal element1 and she well understood that he hardly amused himself1 deprived as he was of his customary pleasures and severed from his friends1 few of whom he was willing to receive1 for he feared that they might think the story of the dislocated shoulder suspicious4 ,of course there were no more ftes1 no more evenings at the theatre1 no more flirtations4 ,but above everything else ,dario missed the ,corso1 and suffered despairingly at no longer seeing or learning anything by watching the procession of ,roman society from four to five each afternoon4 ,accordingly1 as soon as an intimate called1 there were endless questions3 ,had the visitor seen so and so8 ,had such a one reappeared8 ,how had a certain friend's love affair ended8 ,was any new adventure setting the city agog8 ,and so forth2 all the petty frivolities1 nine days' wonders1 and puerile intrigues in which the young ,prince had hitherto expended his manly energy4 ,after a pause ,celia1 who was fond of coming to him with innocent gossip1 fixed her candid eyes on him--the fathomless eyes of an enigmatical virgin1 and resumed3 8,how long it takes to set a shoulder right60 ,had she1 child as she was1 with love her only business1 divined the truth8 ,dario in his embarrassment glanced at ,benedetta1 who still smiled4 ,however1 the little ,princess was already darting to another subject3 8,ah6 you know1 ,dario1 at the ,corso yesterday ,i saw a lady--0 ,then she stopped short1 surprised and embarrassed that these words should have escaped her4 ,however1 in all bravery she resumed like one who had been a friend since childhood1 sharing many a little love secret3 8,yes1 a very pretty person whom you know4 ,well1 she had a bouquet of white roses with her all the same40 ,at this ,benedetta indulged in a burst of frank merriment1 and ,dario1 still looking at her1 also laughed4 ,she had twitted him during the early days because no young woman ever sent to make inquiries about him4 ,for his part1 he was not displeased with the rupture1 for the continuance of the connection might have proved embarrassing2 and so1 although his vanity may have been slightly hurt1 the news that he was already replaced in ,la ,tonietta's affections was welcome rather than otherwise4 8,ah60 he contented himself with saying1 8the absent are always in the wrong40 8,the man one loves is never absent10 declared ,celia with her grave1 candid air4 ,however1 ,benedetta had stepped up to the bed to raise the young man's pillows3 8,never mind1 ,dario mio10 said she1 8all those things are over2 ,i mean to keep you1 and you will only have me to love40 ,he gave her a passionate glance and kissed her hair4 ,she spoke the truth3 he had never loved any one but her1 and she was not mistaken in her anticipation of keeping him always to herself alone1 as soon as they should be wedded4 ,to her great delight1 since she had been nursing him he had become quite childish again1 such as he had been when she had learnt to love him under the orange-trees of the ,villa ,montefiori4 ,he retained a sort of puerility1 doubtless the outcome of impoverished blood1 that return to childhood which one remarks amongst very ancient races2 and he toyed on his bed with pictures1 gazed for hours at photographs1 which made him laugh4 ,moreover1 his inability to endure suffering had yet increased2 he wished ,benedetta to be gay and sing1 and amused her with his petty egotism which led him to dream of a life of continual joy with her4 ,ah6 how pleasant it would be to live together and for ever in the sunlight1 to do nothing and care for nothing1 and even if the world should crumble somewhere to heed it not6 8,one thing which greatly pleases me10 suddenly said the young ,prince1 8is that ,monsieur l',abb has ended by falling in love with ,rome40 ,pierre admitted it with a good grace4 8,we told you so10 remarked ,benedetta4 8,a great deal of time is needed for one to understand and love ,rome4 ,if you had only stayed here for a fortnight you would have gone off with a deplorable idea of us1 but now that you have been here for two full months we are quite at ease1 for you will never think of us without affection40 ,she looked exceedingly charming as she spoke these words1 and ,pierre again bowed4 ,however1 he had already given thought to the phenomenon1 and fancied he could explain it4 ,when a stranger comes to ,rome he brings with him a ,rome of his own1 a ,rome such as he dreams of1 so ennobled by imagination that the real ,rome proves a terrible disenchantment4 ,and so it is necessary to wait for habituation1 for the mediocrity of the reality to soften1 and for the imagination to have time to kindle again1 and only behold things such as they are athwart the prodigious splendour of the past4 ,however1 ,celia had risen and was taking leave4 8,good-bye1 dear10 she said2 8,i hope the wedding will soon take place4 ,you know1 ,dario1 that ,i mean to be betrothed before the end of the month4 ,oh yes1 ,i intend to make my father give a grand entertainment4 ,and how nice it would be if the two weddings could take place at the same time60 ,two days later1 after a long ramble through the ,trastevere district1 followed by a visit to the ,palazzo ,farnese1 ,pierre felt that he could at last understand the terrible1 melancholy truth about ,rome4 ,he had several times already strolled through the ,trastevere1 attracted towards its wretched denizens by his compassion for all who suffered4 ,ah6 that quagmire of wretchedness and ignorance6 ,he knew of abominable nooks in the faubourgs of ,paris1 frightful 8rents0 and 8courts0 where people rotted in heaps1 but there was nothing in ,france to equal the listless1 filthy stagnation of the ,trastevere4 ,on the brightest days a dank gloom chilled the sinuous1 cellar-like lanes1 and the smell of rotting vegetables1 rank oil1 and human animality brought on fits of nausea4 ,jumbled together in a confusion which artists of romantic turn would admire1 the antique1 irregular houses had black1 gaping entrances diving below ground1 outdoor stairways conducting to upper floors1 and wooden balconies which only a miracle upheld4 ,there were crumbling fronts1 shored up with beams2 sordid lodgings whose filth and bareness could be seen through shattered windows2 and numerous petty shops1 all the open-air cook-stalls of a lazy race which never lighted a fire at home3 you saw frying-shops with heaps of polenta1 and fish swimming in stinking oil1 and dealers in cooked vegetables displaying huge turnips1 celery1 cauliflowers1 and spinach1 all cold and sticky4 ,the butcher's meat was black and clumsily cut up2 the necks of the animals bristled with bloody clots1 as though the heads had simply been torn away4 ,the baker's loaves1 piled on planks1 looked like little round paving stones2 at the beggarly greengrocers' merely a few pimentoes and fir-apples were shown under the strings of dry tomatoes which festooned the doorways2 and the only shops which were at all attractive were those of the pork butchers with their salted provisions and their cheese1 whose pungent smell slightly attenuated the pestilential reek of the gutters4 ,lottery offices1 displaying lists of winning numbers1 alternated with wine-shops1 of which latter there was a fresh one every thirty yards with large inscriptions setting forth that the best wines of ,genzano1 ,marino1 and ,frascati were to be found within4 ,and the whole district teemed with ragged1 grimy denizens1 children half naked and devoured by vermin1 bare-headed1 gesticulating and shouting women1 whose skirts were stiff with grease1 old men who remained motionless on benches amidst swarms of hungry flies2 idleness and agitation appearing on all sides1 whilst cobblers sat on the sidewalks quietly plying their trade1 and little donkeys pulled carts hither and thither1 and men drove turkeys along1 whip in hand1 and hands of beggars rushed upon the few anxious tourists who had timorously ventured into the district4 ,at the door of a little tailor's shop an old house-pail dangled full of earth1 in which a succulent plant was flowering4 ,and from every window and balcony1 as from the many cords which stretched across the street from house to house1 all the household washing hung like bunting1 nameless drooping rags1 the symbolical banners of abominable misery4 ,pierre's fraternal1 soul filled with pity at the sight4 ,ah6 yes1 it was necessary to demolish all those pestilential districts where the populace had wallowed for centuries as in a poisonous gaol6 ,he was for demolition and sanitary improvement1 even if old ,rome were killed and artists scandalised4 ,doubtless the ,trastevere was already greatly changed1 pierced with several new thoroughfares which let the sun stream in4 ,and amidst the abattis of rubbish and the spacious clearings1 where nothing new had yet been erected1 the remaining portions of the old district seemed even blacker and more loathsome4 ,some day1 no doubt1 it would all be rebuilt1 but how interesting was this phase of the city's evolution3 old ,rome expiring and new ,rome just dawning amidst countless difficulties6 ,to appreciate the change it was necessary to have known the filthy ,rome of the past1 swamped by sewage in every form4 ,the recently levelled ,ghetto had1 over a course of centuries1 so rotted the soil on which it stood that an awful pestilential odour yet arose from its bare site4 ,it was only fitting that it should long remain waste1 so that it might dry and become purified in the sun4 ,in all the districts on either side of the ,tiber where extensive improvements have been undertaken you find the same scenes4 ,you follow some narrow1 damp1 evil-smelling street with black house-fronts and overhanging roofs1 and suddenly come upon a clearing as in a forest of ancient leprous hovels4 ,there are squares1 broad footways2 lofty white carved buildings yet in the rough1 littered with rubbish and fenced off4 ,on every side you find as it were a huge building yard1 which the financial crisis perpetuates2 the city of to-morrow arrested in its growth1 stranded there in its monstrous1 precocious1 surprising infancy4 ,nevertheless1 therein lies good and healthful work1 such as was and is absolutely necessary if ,rome is to become a great modern city1 instead of being left to rot1 to dwindle into a mere ancient curiosity1 a museum show-piece4 ,that day1 as ,pierre went from the ,trastevere to the ,palazzo ,farnese1 where he was expected1 he chose a roundabout route1 following the ,via di ,pettinari and the ,via dei ,giubbonari1 the former so dark and narrow with a great hospital wall on one side and a row of wretched houses on the other1 and the latter animated by a constant stream of people and enlivened by the jewellers' windows1 full of big gold chains1 and the displays of the drapers' shops1 where stuffs hung in bright red1 blue1 green1 and yellow lengths4 ,and the popular district through which he had roamed and the trading district which he was now crossing reminded him of the castle fields with their mass of workpeople reduced to mendicity by lack of employment and forced to camp in the superb1 unfinished1 abandoned mansions4 ,ah6 the poor1 sad people1 who were yet so childish1 kept in the ignorance and credulity of a savage race by centuries of theocracy1 so habituated to mental night and bodily suffering that even to-day they remained apart from the social awakening1 simply desirous of enjoying their pride1 indolence1 and sunlight in peace6 ,they seemed both blind and deaf in their decadence1 and whilst ,rome was being overturned they continued to lead the stagnant life of former times1 realising nought but the worries of the improvements1 the demolition of the old favourite districts1 the consequent change in habits1 and the rise in the cost of food1 as if indeed they would rather have gone without light1 cleanliness1 and health1 since these could only be secured by a great financial and labour crisis4 ,and yet1 at bottom1 it was solely for the people1 the populace1 that ,rome was being cleansed and rebuilt with the idea of making it a great modern capital1 for democracy lies at the end of these present day transformations2 it is the people who will inherit the cities whence dirt and disease are being expelled1 and where the law of labour will end by prevailing and killing want4 ,and so1 though one may curse the dusting and repairing of the ruins and the stripping of all the wild flora from the ,colosseum1 though one may wax indignant at sight of the hideous fortress like ramparts which imprison the ,tiber1 and bewail the old romantic banks with their greenery and their antique dwellings dipping into the stream1 one must at the same time acknowledge that life springs from death1 and that to-morrow must perforce blossom in the dust of the past4 ,while thinking of all these things ,pierre had reached the deserted1 stern-looking ,piazza ,farnese1 and for a moment he looked up at the bare monumental faade of the heavy square ,palazzo1 its lofty entrance where hung the tricolour1 its rows of windows and its famous cornice sculptured with such marvellous art4 ,then he went in4 ,a friend of ,narcisse ,habert1 one of the attachs of the embassy to the ,king of ,italy1 was waiting for him1 having offered to show him over the huge pile1 the finest palace in ,rome1 which ,france had leased as a lodging for her ambassador499 ,ah6 that colossal1 sumptuous1 deadly dwelling1 with its vast court whose porticus is so dark and damp1 its giant staircase with low steps1 its endless corridors1 its immense galleries and halls4 ,all was sovereign pomp blended with death4 ,an icy1 penetrating chill fell from the walls4 ,with a discreet smile the attach owned that the embassy was frozen in winter and baked in summer4 ,the only part of the building which was at all lively and pleasant was the first storey1 overlooking the ,tiber1 which the ambassador himself occupied4 ,from the gallery there1 containing the famous frescoes of ,annibale ,caracci1 one can see the ,janiculum1 the ,corsini gardens1 and the ,acqua ,paola above ,san ,pietro in ,montorio4 ,then1 after a vast drawing-room comes the study1 peaceful and pleasant1 and enlivened by sunshine4 ,but the dining-room1 the bed-chambers1 and other apartments occupied by the personnel look out on to the mournful gloom of a side street4 ,all these vast rooms1 twenty and four-and-twenty feet high1 have admirable carved or painted ceilings1 bare walls1 a few of them decorated with frescoes1 and incongruous furniture1 superb pier tables mingling with modern bric--brac4 ,and things become abominable when you enter the gala reception-rooms overlooking the piazza1 for there you no longer find an article of furniture1 no longer a hanging1 nothing but disaster1 a series of magnificent deserted halls given over to rats and spiders4 ,the embassy occupies but one of them1 where it heaps up its dusty archives4 ,near by is a huge hall occupying the height of two floors1 and thus sixty feet in elevation4 ,reserved by the owner of the palace1 the ex-,king of ,naples1 it has become a mere lumber-room where maquettes1 unfinished statues1 and a very fine sarcophagus are stowed away amidst all kinds of remnants4 ,and this is but a part of the palace4 ,the ground floor is altogether uninhabited2 the ,french 8cole de ,rome0 occupies a corner of the second floor2 while the embassy huddles in chilly fashion in the most habitable corner of the first floor1 compelled to abandon everything else and lock the doors to spare itself the useless trouble of sweeping4 ,no doubt it is grand to live in the ,palazzo ,farnese1 built by ,pope ,paul ,,iii and for more than a century inhabited by cardinals2 but how cruel the discomfort and how frightful the melancholy of this huge ruin1 three-fourths of whose rooms are dead1 useless1 impossible1 cut off from life4 ,and the evenings1 oh6 the evenings1 when porch1 court1 stairs1 and corridors are invaded by dense gloom1 against which a few smoky gas lamps struggle in vain1 when a long1 long journey lies before one through the lugubrious desert of stone1 before one reaches the ambassador's warm and cheerful drawing-room6 99 ,the ,french have two embassies at ,rome3 one at the ,palazzo ,farnese1 to the ,italian ,court1 and the other at the ,palazzo ,rospigliosi1 to the ,vatican4--,trans4 ,pierre came away quite aghast4 ,and1 as he walked along1 the many other grand palaces which he had seen during his strolls rose before him1 one and all of them stripped of their splendour1 shorn of their princely establishments1 let out in uncomfortable flats6 ,what could be done with those grandiose galleries and halls now that no fortune could defray the cost of the pompous life for which they had been built1 or even feed the retinue needed to keep them up8 ,few indeed were the nobles who1 like ,prince ,aldobrandini1 with his numerous progeny1 still occupied their entire mansions4 ,almost all of them let the antique dwellings of their forefathers to companies or individual tenants1 reserving only a storey1 and at times a mere lodging in some dark corner1 for themselves4 ,the ,palazzo ,chigi was let3 the ground floor to bankers and the first floor to the ,austrian ambassador1 while the ,prince and his family divided the second floor with a cardinal4 ,the ,palazzo ,sciarra was let3 the first floor to the ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs and the second to a senator1 while the ,prince and his mother merely occupied the ground floor4 ,the ,palazzo ,barberini was let3 its ground floor1 first floor1 and second floor to various families1 whilst the ,prince found a refuge on the third floor in the rooms which had been occupied by his ancestors' lackeys4 ,the ,palazzo ,borghese was let3 the ground floor to a dealer in antiquities1 the first floor to a ,lodge of ,freemasons1 and the rest to various households1 whilst the ,prince only retained the use of a small suite of apartments4 ,and the ,palazzo ,odescalchi1 the ,palazzo ,colonna1 the ,palazzo ,doria were let3 their ,princes reduced to the position of needy landlords eager to derive as much profit as possible from their property in order to make both ends meet4 ,a blast of ruin was sweeping over the ,roman patriziato1 the greatest fortunes had crumbled in the financial crisis1 very few remained wealthy1 and what a wealth it was1 stagnant and dead1 which neither commerce nor industry could renew4 ,the numerous princes who had tried speculation were stripped of their fortunes4 ,the others1 terrified1 called upon to pay enormous taxes1 amounting to nearly one-third of their incomes1 could henceforth only wait and behold their last stagnant millions dwindle away till they were exhausted or distributed according to the succession laws4 ,such wealth as remained to these nobles must perish1 for1 like everything else1 wealth perishes when it lacks a soil in which it may fructify4 ,in all this there was solely a question of time3 eventual ruin was a foregone and irremediable conclusion1 of absolute1 historical certainty4 ,those who resigned themselves to the course of letting their deserted mansions still struggled for life1 seeking to accommodate themselves to present-day exigencies2 whilst death already dwelt among the others1 those stubborn1 proud ones who immured themselves in the tombs of their race1 like that appalling ,palazzo ,boccanera1 which was falling into dust amidst such chilly gloom and silence1 the latter only broken at long intervals when the ,cardinal's old coach rumbled over the grassy court4 ,the point which most struck ,pierre1 however1 was that his visits to the ,trastevere and the ,palazzo ,farnese shed light one on the other1 and led him to a conclusion which had never previously seemed so manifest4 ,as yet no 8people10 and soon no aristocracy4 ,he had found the people so wretched1 ignorant1 and resigned in its long infancy induced by historic and climatic causes that many years of instruction and culture were necessary for it to become a strong1 healthy1 and laborious democracy1 conscious of both its rights and its duties4 ,as for the aristocracy1 it was dwindling to death in its crumbling palaces1 no longer aught than a finished1 degenerate race1 with such an admixture also of ,american1 ,austrian1 ,polish1 and ,spanish blood that pure ,roman blood became a rare exception2 and1 moreover1 it had ceased to belong either to sword or gown1 unwilling to serve constitutional ,italy and forsaking the ,sacred ,college1 where only parvenus now donned the purple4 ,and between the lowly and the aristocracy there was as yet no firmly seated middle class1 with the vigour of fresh sap and sufficient knowledge1 and good sense to act as the transitional educator of the nation4 ,the middle class was made up in part of the old servants and clients of the princes1 the farmers who rented their lands1 the stewards1 notaries1 and solicitors who managed their fortunes2 in part1 too1 of all the employees1 the functionaries of every rank and class1 the deputies and senators1 whom the new ,government had brought from the provinces2 and1 in particular1 of the voracious hawks who had swooped down upon ,rome1 the ,pradas1 the men of prey from all parts of the kingdom1 who with beak and talon devoured both people and aristocracy4 ,for whom1 then1 had one laboured8 ,for whom had those gigantic works of new ,rome been undertaken8 ,a shudder of fear sped by1 a crack as of doom was heard1 arousing pitiful disquietude in every fraternal heart4 ,yes1 a threat of doom and annihilation3 as yet no people1 soon no aristocracy1 and only a ravenous middle class1 quarrying1 vulture-like1 among the ruins4 ,on the evening of that day1 when all was dark1 ,pierre went to spend an hour on the river quay beyond the ,boccanera mansion4 ,he was very fond of meditating on that deserted spot in spite of the warnings of ,victorine1 who asserted that it was not safe4 ,and1 indeed1 on such inky nights as that one1 no cutthroat place ever presented a more tragic aspect4 ,not a soul1 not a passer-by2 a dense gloom1 a void in front and on either hand4 ,at a corner of the mansion1 now steeped in darkness1 there was a gas lamp which stood in a hollow since the river margin had been banked up1 and this lamp cast an uncertain glimmer upon the quay1 level with the latter's bossy soil4 ,thus long vague shadows stretched from the various materials1 piles of bricks and piles of stone1 which were strewn around4 ,on the right a few lights shone upon the bridge near ,san ,giovanni and in the windows of the hospital of the ,santo ,spirito4 ,on the left1 amidst the dim recession of the river1 the distant districts were blotted out4 ,then yonder1 across the stream1 was the ,trastevere1 the houses on the bank looking like vague1 pale phantoms1 with infrequent window-panes showing a blurred yellow glimmer1 whilst on high only a dark band shadowed the ,janiculum1 near whose summit the lamps of some promenade scintillated like a triangle of stars4 ,but it was the ,tiber which impassioned ,pierre2 such was its melancholy majesty during those nocturnal hours4 ,leaning over the parapet1 he watched it gliding between the new walls1 which looked like those of some black and monstrous prison built for a giant4 ,so long as lights gleamed in the windows of the houses opposite he saw the sluggish water flow by1 showing slow1 moire-like ripples there where the quivering reflections endowed it with a mysterious life4 ,and he often mused on the river's famous past and evoked the legends which assert that fabulous wealth lies buried in its muddy bed4 ,at each fresh invasion of the barbarians1 and particularly when ,rome was sacked1 the treasures of palaces and temples are said to have been cast into the water to prevent them from falling into the hands of the conquerors4 ,might not those golden bars trembling yonder in the glaucous stream be the branches of the famous candelabrum which ,titus brought from ,jerusalem8 ,might not those pale patches whose shape remained uncertain amidst the frequent eddies indicate the white marble of statues and columns8 ,and those deep moires glittering with little flamelets1 were they not promiscuous heaps of precious metal1 cups1 vases1 ornaments enriched with gems8 ,what a dream was that of the swarming riches espied athwart the old river's bosom1 of the hidden life of the treasures which were said to have slumbered there for centuries2 and what a hope for the nation's pride and enrichment centred in the miraculous finds which might be made in the ,tiber if one could some day dry it up and search its bed1 as had already been suggested6 ,therein1 perchance1 lay ,rome's new fortune4 ,however1 on that black night1 whilst ,pierre leant over the parapet1 it was stern reality alone which occupied his mind4 ,he was still pursuing the train of thought suggested by his visits to the ,trastevere and the ,farnese palace1 and in presence of that lifeless water was coming to the conclusion that the selection of ,rome for transformation into a modern capital was the great misfortune to which the sufferings of young ,italy were due4 ,he knew right well that the selection had been inevitable3 ,rome being the queen of glory1 the antique ruler of the world to whom eternity had been promised1 and without whom the national unity had always seemed an impossibility4 ,and so the problem was a terrible one1 since without ,rome ,italy could not exist1 and with ,rome it seemed difficult for it to exist4 ,ah6 that dead river1 how it symbolised disaster6 ,not a boat upon its surface1 not a quiver of the commercial and industrial activity of those waters which bear life to the very hearts of great modern cities6 ,there had been fine schemes1 no doubt--,rome a seaport1 gigantic works1 canalisation to enable vessels of heavy tonnage to come up to the ,aventine2 but these were mere delusions2 the authorities would scarcely be able to clear the river mouth1 which deposits were continually choking4 ,and there was that other cause of mortal languishment1 the ,campagna--the desert of death which the dead river crossed and which girdled ,rome with sterility4 ,there was talk of draining and planting it2 much futile discussion on the question whether it had been fertile in the days of the old ,romans2 and even a few experiments were made2 but1 all the same1 ,rome remained in the midst of a vast cemetery like a city of other times1 for ever separated from the modern world by that lande or moor where the dust of centuries had accumulated4 ,the geographical considerations which once gave the city the empire of the world no longer exist4 ,the centre of civilisation has been displaced4 ,the basin of the ,mediterranean has been divided among powerful nations4 ,in ,italy all roads now lead to ,milan1 the city of industry and commerce1 and ,rome is but a town of passage4 ,and so the most valiant efforts have failed to rouse it from its invincible slumber4 ,the capital which the newcomers sought to improvise with such extreme haste has remained unfinished1 and has almost ruined the nation4 ,the ,government1 legislators1 and functionaries only camp there1 fleeing directly the warm weather sets in so as to escape the pernicious climate4 ,the hotels and shops even put up their shutters1 and the streets and promenades become deserts1 the city having failed to acquire any life of its own1 and relapsing into death as soon as the artificial life instilled into it is withdrawn4 ,so all remains in suspense in this purely decorative capital1 where only a fresh growth of men and money can finish and people the huge useless piles of the new districts4 ,if it be true that to-morrow always blooms in the dust of the past1 one ought to force oneself to hope2 but ,pierre asked himself if the soil were not exhausted1 and since mere buildings could no longer grow on it1 if it were not for ever drained of the sap which makes a race healthy1 a nation powerful4 ,as the night advanced the lights in the houses of the ,trastevere went out one by one3 yet ,pierre for a long time lingered on the quay1 leaning over the blackened river and yielding to hopelessness4 ,there was now no distance to the gloom2 all had become dense2 no longer did any reflections set a moire-like1 golden quiver in the water1 or reveal beneath its mystery-concealing current a fantastic1 dancing vision of fabulous wealth4 ,gone was the legend1 gone the seven-branched golden candelabrum1 gone the golden vases1 gone the golden jewellery1 the whole dream of antique treasure that had vanished into night1 even like the antique glory of ,rome4 ,not a glimmer1 nothing but slumber1 disturbed solely by the heavy fall of sewage from the drain on the right-hand1 which could not be seen4 ,the very water had disappeared1 and ,pierre no longer espied its leaden flow through the darkness1 no longer had any perception of the sluggish senility1 the long-dating weariness1 the intense sadness of that ancient and glorious ,tiber1 whose waters now rolled nought but death4 ,only the vast1 opulent sky1 the eternal1 pompous sky displayed the dazzling life of its milliards of planets above that river of darkness1 bearing away the ruins of wellnigh three thousand years4 ,before returning to his own chamber that evening ,pierre entered ,dario's room1 and found ,victorine there preparing things for the night4 ,and as soon as she heard where he had been she raised her voice in protest3 8,what6 you have again been to the quay at this time of night1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,you want to get a good knife thrust yourself1 it seems4 ,well1 for my part1 ,i certainly wouldn't take the air at such a late hour in this dangerous city40 ,then1 with her wonted familiarity1 she turned and spoke to the ,prince1 who was lying back in an arm-chair and smiling3 8,that girl1 ,la ,pierina10 she said1 8hasn't been back here1 but all the same ,i've lately seen her prowling about among the building materials40 ,dario raised his hand to silence her1 and1 addressing ,pierre1 exclaimed3 8,but you spoke to her1 didn't you8 ,it's becoming idiotic6 ,just fancy that brute ,tito coming back to dig his knife into my other shoulder--0 ,all at once he paused1 for he had just perceived ,benedetta standing there and listening to him2 she had slipped into the room a moment previously in order to wish him good-night4 ,at sight of her his embarrassment was great indeed2 he wished to speak1 explain his words1 and swear that he was wholly innocent in the affair4 ,but she1 with a smiling face1 contented herself with saying1 8,i knew all about it1 ,dario mio4 ,i am not so foolish as not to have thought it all over and understood the truth4 ,if ,i ceased questioning you it was because ,i knew1 and loved you all the same40 ,the young woman looked very happy as she spoke1 and for this she had good cause1 for that very evening she had learnt that ,monsignor ,palma had shown himself grateful for the service rendered to his nephew by laying a fresh and favourable memoir on the marriage affair before the ,congregation of the ,council4 ,he had been unwilling to recall his previous opinions so far as to range himself completely on the ,contessina's side1 but the certificates of two doctors whom she had recently seen had enabled him to conclude that her own declarations were accurate4 ,and gliding over the question of wifely obedience1 on which he had previously laid stress1 he had skilfully set forth the reasons which made a dissolution of the marriage desirable4 ,no hope of reconciliation could be entertained1 so it was certain that both parties were constantly exposed to temptation and sin4 ,he discreetly alluded to the fact that the husband had already succumbed to this danger1 and praised the wife's lofty morality and piety1 all the virtues which she displayed1 and which guaranteed her veracity4 ,then1 without formulating any conclusion of his own1 he left the decision to the wisdom of the ,congregation4 ,and as he virtually repeated ,advocate ,morano's arguments1 and ,prada stubbornly refused to enter an appearance1 it now seemed certain that the ,congregation would by a great majority pronounce itself in favour of dissolution1 a result which would enable the ,holy ,father to act benevolently4 8,ah6 ,dario mio60 said ,benedetta1 8we are at the end of our worries4 ,but what a lot of money1 what a lot of money it all costs6 ,aunt says that they will scarcely leave us water to drink40 ,so speaking she laughed with the happy heedlessness of an impassioned amorosa4 ,it was not that the jurisdiction of the ,congregations was in itself ruinous2 indeed1 in principle1 it was gratuitous4 ,still there were a multitude of petty expenses1 payments to subaltern employees1 payments for medical consultations and certificates1 copies of documents1 and the memoirs and addresses of counsel4 ,and although the votes of the cardinals were certainly not bought direct1 some of them ended by costing considerable sums1 for it often became necessary to win over dependants1 to induce quite a little world to bring influence to bear upon their ,eminences2 without mentioning that large pecuniary gifts1 when made with tact1 have a decisive effect in clearing away the greatest difficulties in that sphere of the ,vatican4 ,and1 briefly1 ,monsignor ,palma's nephew by marriage had cost the ,boccaneras a large sum4 8,but it doesn't matter1 does it1 ,dario mio80 continued ,benedetta4 8,since you are now cured1 they must make haste to give us permission to marry4 ,that's all we ask of them4 ,and if they want more1 well1 ,i'll give them my pearls1 which will be all ,i shall have left me40 ,he also laughed1 for money had never held any place in his life4 ,he had never had it at his pleasure1 and simply hoped that he would always live with his uncle the cardinal1 who would certainly not leave him and his young wife in the streets4 ,ruined as the family was1 one or two hundred thousand francs represented nothing to his mind1 and he had heard that certain dissolutions of marriage had cost as much as half a million4 ,so1 by way of response1 he could only find a jest3 8,give them my ring as well10 said he2 8give them everything1 my dear1 and we shall still be happy in this old palace even if we have to sell the furniture60 ,his words filled her with enthusiasm2 she took his head between both hands and kissed him madly on the eyes in an extraordinary transport of passion4 ,then1 suddenly turning to ,pierre1 she said3 8,oh6 excuse me1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,i was forgetting that ,i have a commission for you4 ,yes1 ,monsignor ,nani1 who brought us that good news1 bade me tell you that you are making people forget you too much1 and that you ought to set to work to defend your book40 ,the priest listened in astonishment2 then replied3 8,but it was he who advised me to disappear40 8,no doubt--only it seems that the time has now come for you to see people and plead your cause4 ,and ,monsignor ,nani has been able to learn that the reporter appointed to examine your book is ,monsignor ,fornaro1 who lives on the ,piazza ,navona40 ,pierre's stupefaction was increasing1 for a reporter's name is never divulged1 but kept quite secret1 in order to ensure a free exercise of judgment4 ,was a new phase of his sojourn in ,rome about to begin then8 ,his mind was all wonderment4 ,however1 he simply answered3 8,very good1 ,i will set to work and see everybody40 ,,part ,,iv4 ,x4 ,,in his anxiety to bring things to a finish1 ,pierre wished to begin his campaign on the very next day4 ,but on whom should he first call if he were to steer clear of blunders in that intricate and conceited ecclesiastical world8 ,the question greatly perplexed him2 however1 on opening his door that morning he luckily perceived ,don ,vigilio in the passage1 and with a sudden inspiration asked him to step inside4 ,he realised that this thin little man with the saffron face1 who always trembled with fever and displayed such exaggerated1 timorous discretion1 was in reality well informed1 mixed up in everything4 ,at one period it had seemed to ,pierre that the secretary purposely avoided him1 doubtless for fear of compromising himself2 but recently ,don ,vigilio had proved less unsociable1 as though he were not far from sharing the impatience which must be consuming the young ,frenchman amidst his long enforced inactivity4 ,and so1 on this occasion1 he did not seek to avoid the chat on which ,pierre was bent4 8,i must apologise10 said the latter1 8for asking you in here when things are in such disorder4 ,but ,i have just received some more linen and some winter clothing from ,paris4 ,i came1 you know1 with just a little valise1 meaning to stay for a fortnight1 and yet ,i've now been here for nearly three months1 and am no more advanced than ,i was on the morning of my arrival40 ,don ,vigilio nodded4 8,yes1 yes1 ,i know10 said he4 ,thereupon ,pierre explained to him that ,monsignor ,nani had informed him1 through the ,contessina1 that he now ought to act and see everybody for the defence of his book4 ,but he was much embarrassed1 as he did not know in what order to make his visits so that they might benefit him4 ,for instance1 ought he to call in the first place on ,monsignor ,fornaro1 the consultore selected to report on his book1 and whose name had been given him8 8,ah60 exclaimed ,don ,vigilio1 quivering2 8has ,monsignor ,nani gone as far as that--given you the reporter's name8 ,that's even more than ,i expected40 ,then1 forgetting his prudence1 yielding to his secret interest in the affair1 he resumed3 8,no1 no2 don't begin with ,monsignor ,fornaro4 ,your first visit should be a very humble one to the ,prefect of the ,congregation of the ,index--his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti2 for he would never forgive you for having offered your first homage to another should he some day hear of it40 ,and1 after a pause1 ,don ,vigilio added1 in a low voice1 amidst a faint1 feverish shiver3 8,and he would hear of it2 everything becomes known40 ,again he hesitated1 and then1 as if yielding to sudden1 sympathetic courage1 he took hold of the young ,frenchman's hands4 8,i swear to you1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment10 he said1 8that ,i should be very happy to help you1 for you are a man of simple soul1 and ,i really begin to feel worried for you4 ,but you must not ask me for impossibilities4 ,ah6 if you only knew--if ,i could only tell you of all the perils which surround us6 ,however1 ,i think ,i can repeat to you that you must in no wise rely on my patron1 his ,eminence ,cardinal ,boccanera4 ,he has expressed absolute disapproval of your book in my presence on several occasions4 ,only he is a saint1 a most worthy1 honourable man2 and1 though he won't defend you1 he won't attack you--he will remain neutral out of regard for his niece1 whom he loves so dearly1 and who protects you4 ,so1 when you see him1 don't plead your cause2 it would be of no avail1 and might even irritate him40 ,pierre was not particularly distressed by this news1 for at his first interview with the ,cardinal1 and on the few subsequent occasions when he had respectfully visited him1 he had fully understood that his ,eminence would never be other than an adversary4 8,well10 said he1 8,i will wait on him to thank him for his neutrality40 ,but at this all ,don ,vigilio's terrors returned4 8,no1 no1 don't do that2 he would perhaps realise that ,i have spoken to you1 and then what a disaster--my position would be compromised4 ,i've said nothing1 nothing6 ,see the cardinals to begin with1 see all the cardinals4 ,let it be understood between us that ,i've said nothing more40 ,and1 on that occasion at any rate1 ,don ,vigilio would speak no further1 but left the room shuddering and darting fiery1 suspicious glances on either side of the corridor4 ,pierre at once went out to call on ,cardinal ,sanguinetti4 ,it was ten o'clock1 and there was a chance that he might find him at home4 ,this cardinal resided on the first floor of a little palazzo in a dark1 narrow street near ,san ,luigi dei ,francesi499 ,there was here none of the giant ruin full of princely and melancholy grandeur amidst which ,cardinal ,boccanera so stubbornly remained4 ,the old regulation gala suite of rooms had been cut down just like the number of servants4 ,there was no throne-room1 no red hat hanging under a baldacchino1 no arm-chair turned to the wall pending a visit from the ,pope4 ,a couple of apartments served as ante-rooms1 and then came a salon where the ,cardinal received2 and there was no luxury1 indeed scarcely any comfort2 the furniture was of mahogany1 dating from the empire period1 and the hangings and carpets were dusty and faded by long use4 ,moreover1 ,pierre had to wait a long time for admittance1 and when a servant1 leisurely putting on his jacket1 at last set the door ajar1 it was only to say that his ,eminence had been away at ,frascati since the previous day4 99 ,this is the ,french church of ,rome1 and is under the protection of the ,french ,government4--,trans4 ,pierre then remembered that ,cardinal ,sanguinetti was one of the suburban bishops4 ,at his see of ,frascati he had a villa where he occasionally spent a few days whenever a desire for rest or some political motive impelled him to do so4 8,and will his ,eminence soon return80 ,pierre inquired4 8,ah6 we don't know4 ,his ,eminence is poorly1 and expressly desired us to send nobody to worry him40 ,when ,pierre reached the street again he felt quite bewildered by this disappointment4 ,at first he wondered whether he had not better call on ,monsignor ,fornaro without more ado1 but he recollected ,don ,vigilio's advice to see the cardinals first of all1 and1 an inspiration coming to him1 he resolved that his next visit should be for ,cardinal ,sarno1 whose acquaintance he had eventually made at ,donna ,serafina's ,mondays4 ,in spite of ,cardinal ,sarno's voluntary self-effacement1 people looked upon him as one of the most powerful and redoubtable members of the ,sacred ,college1 albeit his nephew ,narcisse ,habert declared that he knew no man who showed more obtuseness in matters which did not pertain to his habitual occupations4 ,at all events1 ,pierre thought that the ,cardinal1 although not a member of the ,congregation of the ,index1 might well give him some good advice1 and possibly bring his great influence to bear on his colleagues4 ,the young man straightway betook himself to the ,palace of the ,propaganda1 where he knew he would find the ,cardinal4 ,this palace1 which is seen from the ,piazza di ,spagna1 is a bare1 massive corner pile between two streets4 ,and ,pierre1 hampered by his faulty ,italian1 quite lost himself in it1 climbing to floors whence he had to descend again1 and finding himself in a perfect labyrinth of stairs1 passages1 and halls4 ,at last he luckily came across the ,cardinal's secretary1 an amiable young priest1 whom he had already seen at the ,boccanera mansion4 8,why1 yes10 said the secretary1 8,i think that his ,eminence will receive you4 ,you did well to come at this hour1 for he is always here of a morning4 ,kindly follow me1 if you please40 ,then came a fresh journey4 ,cardinal ,sarno1 long a ,secretary of the ,propaganda1 now presided over the commission which controlled the organisation of worship in those countries of ,europe1 ,africa1 ,america1 and ,oceanica where ,catholicism had lately gained a footing2 and he thus had a private room of his own with special officers and assistants1 reigning there with the ultra-methodical habits of a functionary who had grown old in his arm-chair1 closely surrounded by nests of drawers1 and knowing nothing of the world save the usual sights of the street below his window4 ,the secretary left ,pierre on a bench at the end of a dark passage1 which was lighted by gas even in full daylight4 ,and quite a quarter of an hour went by before he returned with his eager1 affable air4 8,his ,eminence is conferring with some missionaries who are about to leave ,rome10 he said2 8but it will soon be over1 and he told me to take you to his room1 where you can wait for him40 ,as soon as ,pierre was alone in the ,cardinal's sanctum he examined it with curiosity4 ,fairly spacious1 but in no wise luxurious1 it had green paper on its walls1 and its furniture was of black wood and green damask4 ,from two windows overlooking a narrow side street a mournful light reached the dark wall-paper and faded carpets4 ,there were a couple of pier tables and a plain black writing-table1 which stood near one window1 its worn mole-skin covering littered with all sorts of papers4 ,pierre drew near to it for a moment1 and glanced at the arm-chair with damaged1 sunken seat1 the screen which sheltered it from draughts1 and the old inkstand splotched with ink4 ,and then1 in the lifeless and oppressive atmosphere1 the disquieting silence1 which only the low rumbles from the street disturbed1 he began to grow impatient4 ,however1 whilst he was softly walking up and down he suddenly espied a map affixed to one wall1 and the sight of it filled him with such absorbing thoughts that he soon forgot everything else4 ,it was a coloured map of the world1 the different tints indicating whether the territories belonged to victorious ,catholicism or whether ,catholicism was still warring there against unbelief2 these last countries being classified as vicariates or prefectures1 according to the general principles of organisation4 ,and the whole was a graphic presentment of the long efforts of ,catholicism in striving for the universal dominion which it has sought so unremittingly since its earliest hour4 ,god has given the world to ,his ,church1 but it is needful that she should secure possession of it since error so stubbornly abides4 ,from this has sprung the eternal battle1 the fight which is carried on1 even in our days1 to win nations over from other religions1 as it was in the days when the ,apostles quitted ,judaea to spread abroad the tidings of the ,gospel4 ,during the middle ages the great task was to organise conquered ,europe1 and this was too absorbing an enterprise to allow of any attempt at reconciliation with the dissident churches of the ,east4 ,then the ,reformation burst forth1 schism was added to schism1 and the ,protestant half of ,europe had to be reconquered as well as all the orthodox ,east4 ,war-like ardour1 however1 awoke at the discovery of the ,new ,world4 ,rome was ambitious of securing that other side of the earth1 and missions were organised for the subjection of races of which nobody had known anything the day before1 but which ,god had1 nevertheless1 given to ,his ,church1 like all the others4 ,and by degrees the two great divisions of ,christianity were formed1 on one hand the ,catholic nations1 those where the faith simply had to be kept up1 and which the ,secretariate of ,state installed at the ,vatican guided with sovereign authority1 and on the other the schismatical or pagan nations which were to be brought back to the fold or converted1 and over which the ,congregation of the ,propaganda sought to reign4 ,then this ,congregation had been obliged to divide itself into two branches in order to facilitate its work--the ,oriental branch1 which dealt with the dissident sects of the ,east1 and the ,latin branch1 whose authority extended over all the other lands of mission3 the two forming a vast organisation--a huge1 strong1 closely meshed net cast over the whole world in order that not a single soul might escape4 ,it was in presence of that map that ,pierre for the first time became clearly conscious of the mechanism which for centuries had been working to bring about the absorption of humanity4 ,the ,propaganda1 richly dowered by the popes1 and disposing of a considerable revenue1 appeared to him like a separate force1 a papacy within the papacy1 and he well understood that the ,prefect of the ,congregation should be called the 8,red ,pope10 for how limitless were the powers of that man of conquest and domination1 whose hands stretched from one to the other end of the earth4 ,allowing that the ,cardinal ,secretary held ,europe1 that diminutive portion of the globe1 did not he1 the ,prefect1 hold all the rest--the infinity of space1 the distant countries as yet almost unknown8 ,besides1 statistics showed that ,rome's uncontested dominion was limited to #bjj millions of ,apostolic and ,roman ,catholics2 whereas the schismatics of the ,east and the ,reformation1 if added together1 already exceeded that number1 and how small became the minority of the true believers when1 besides the schismatics1 one brought into line the #ajjj millions of infidels who yet remained to be converted4 ,the figures struck ,pierre with a force which made him shudder4 ,what6 there were #e million ,jews1 nearly #bjj million ,mahommedans1 more than #gjj million ,brahmanists and ,buddhists1 without counting another #ajj million pagans of divers creeds1 the whole making #ajjj millions1 and against these the ,christians could marshal barely more than #djj millions1 who were divided among themselves1 ever in conflict1 one half with ,rome and the other half against her899 ,was it possible that in #ahjj years ,christianity had not proved victorious over even one-third of mankind1 and that ,rome1 the eternal and all-powerful1 only counted a sixth part of the nations among her subjects8 ,only one soul saved out of every six--how fearful was the disproportion6 ,however1 the map spoke with brutal eloquence3 the red-tinted empire of ,rome was but a speck when compared with the yellow-hued empire of the other gods--the endless countries which the ,propaganda still had to conquer4 ,and the question arose3 ,how many centuries must elapse before the promises of the ,christ were realised1 before the whole world were gained to ,christianity1 before religious society spread over secular society1 and there remained but one kingdom and one belief8 ,and in presence of this question1 in presence of the prodigious labour yet to be accomplished1 how great was one's astonishment when one thought of ,rome's tranquil serenity1 her patient stubbornness1 which has never known doubt or weariness1 her bishops and ministers toiling without cessation in the conviction that she alone will some day be the mistress of the world6 99 ,some readers may question certain of the figures given by ,m4 ,zola1 but it must be remembered that all such calculations 7even those of the best 8authorities07 are largely guesswork4 ,i myself think that there are more than #e million ,jews1 and more than #bjj millions of ,mahommedans1 but ,i regard the alleged number of ,brahmanists and ,buddhists as exaggerated4 ,on the other hand1 some statistical tables specify #hj millions of ,confucianists1 of whom ,m4 ,zola makes no separate mention4 ,however1 as regards the number of ,christians in the world1 the figures given above are1 within a few millions1 probably accurate4--,trans4 ,narcisse had told ,pierre how carefully the embassies at ,rome watched the doings of the ,propaganda1 for the missions were often the instruments of one or another nation1 and exercised decisive influence in far-away lands4 ,and so there was a continual struggle1 in which the ,congregation did all it could to favour the missionaries of ,italy and her allies4 ,it had always been jealous of its ,french rival1 8,l'uvre de la ,propagation de la ,foi10 installed at ,lyons1 which is as wealthy in money as itself1 and richer in men of energy and courage4 ,however1 not content with levelling tribute on this ,french association1 the ,propaganda thwarted it1 sacrificed it on every occasion when it had reason to think it might achieve a victory4 ,not once or twice1 but over and over again had the ,french missionaries1 the ,french orders1 been driven from the scenes of their labours to make way for ,italians or ,germans4 ,and ,pierre1 standing in that mournful1 dusty room1 which the sunlight never brightened1 pictured the secret hot-bed of political intrigue masked by the civilising ardour of faith4 ,again he shuddered as one shudders when monstrous1 terrifying things are brought home to one4 ,and might not the most sensible be overcome8 ,might not the bravest be dismayed by the thought of that universal engine of conquest and domination1 which worked with the stubbornness of eternity1 not merely content with the gain of souls1 but ever seeking to ensure its future sovereignty over the whole of corporeal humanity1 and--pending the time when it might rule the nations itself--disposing of them1 handing them over to the charge of this or that temporary master1 in accordance with its good pleasure4 ,and then1 too1 what a prodigious dream6 ,rome smiling and tranquilly awaiting the day when she will have united ,christians1 ,mahommedans1 ,brahmanists1 and ,buddhists into one sole nation1 of whom she will be both the spiritual and the temporal queen6 ,however1 a sound of coughing made ,pierre turn1 and he started on perceiving ,cardinal ,sarno1 whom he had not heard enter4 ,standing in front of that map1 he felt like one caught in the act of prying into a secret1 and a deep flush overspread his face4 ,the ,cardinal1 however1 after looking at him fixedly with his dim eyes1 went to his writing-table1 and let himself drop into the arm-chair without saying a word4 ,with a gesture he dispensed ,pierre of the duty of kissing his ring4 8,i desired to offer my homage to your ,eminence10 said the young man4 8,is your ,eminence unwell80 8,no1 no1 it's nothing but a dreadful cold which ,i can't get rid of4 ,and then1 too1 ,i have so many things to attend to just now40 ,pierre looked at the ,cardinal as he appeared in the livid light from the window1 puny1 lopsided1 with the left shoulder higher than the right1 and not a sign of life on his worn and ashen countenance4 ,the young priest was reminded of one of his uncles1 who1 after thirty years spent in the offices of a ,french public department1 displayed the same lifeless glance1 parchment-like skin1 and weary hebetation4 ,was it possible that this withered old man1 so lost in his black cassock with red edging1 was really one of the masters of the world1 with the map of ,christendom so deeply stamped on his mind1 albeit he had never left ,rome1 that the ,prefect of the ,propaganda did not take a decision without asking his opinion8 8,sit down1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said the ,cardinal4 8,so you have come to see me--you have something to ask of me60 ,and1 whilst disposing himself to listen1 he stretched out his thin bony hands to finger the documents heaped up before him1 glancing at each of them like some general1 some strategist1 profoundly versed in the science of his profession1 who1 although his army is far away1 nevertheless directs it to victory from his private room1 never for a moment allowing it to escape his mind4 ,pierre was somewhat embarrassed by such a plain enunciation of the interested object of his visit2 still1 he decided to go to the point4 8,yes1 indeed10 he answered1 8it is a liberty ,i have taken to come and appeal to your ,eminence's wisdom for advice4 ,your ,eminence is aware that ,i am in ,rome for the purpose of defending a book of mine1 and ,i should be grateful if your ,eminence would help and guide me40 ,then he gave a brief account of the present position of the affair1 and began to plead his cause2 but as he continued speaking he noticed that the ,cardinal gave him very little attention1 as though indeed he were thinking of something else1 and failed to understand4 8,ah6 yes10 the great man at last muttered1 8you have written a book4 ,there was some question of it at ,donna ,serafina's one evening4 ,but a priest ought not to write2 it is a mistake for him to do so4 ,what is the good of it8 ,and the ,congregation of the ,index must certainly be in the right if it is prosecuting your book4 ,at all events1 what can ,i do8 ,i don't belong to the ,congregation1 and ,i know nothing1 nothing about the matter40 ,pierre1 pained at finding him so listless and indifferent1 went on trying to enlighten and move him4 ,but he realised that this man's mind1 so far-reaching and penetrating in the field in which it had worked for forty years1 closed up as soon as one sought to divert it from its specialty4 ,it was neither an inquisitive nor a supple mind4 ,all trace of life faded from the ,cardinal's eyes1 and his entire countenance assumed an expression of mournful imbecility4 8,i know nothing1 nothing10 he repeated1 8and ,i never recommend anybody40 ,however1 at last he made an effort3 8,but ,nani is mixed up in this10 said he4 8,what does ,nani advise you to do80 8,monsignor ,nani has been kind enough to reveal to me that the reporter is ,monsignor ,fornaro1 and advises me to see him40 ,at this ,cardinal ,sarno seemed surprised and somewhat roused4 ,a little light returned to his eyes4 8,ah6 really10 he rejoined1 8ah6 really--,well1 if ,nani has done that he must have some idea4 ,go and see ,monsignor ,fornaro40 ,then1 after rising and dismissing his visitor1 who was compelled to thank him1 bowing deeply1 he resumed his seat1 and a moment later the only sound in the lifeless room was that of his bony fingers turning over the documents before him4 ,pierre1 in all docility1 followed the advice given him1 and immediately betook himself to the ,piazza ,navona1 where1 however1 he learnt from one of ,monsignor ,fornaro's servants that the prelate had just gone out1 and that to find him at home it was necessary to call in the morning at ten o'clock4 ,accordingly it was only on the following day that ,pierre was able to obtain an interview4 ,he had previously made inquiries and knew what was necessary concerning ,monsignor ,fornaro4 ,born at ,naples1 he had there begun his studies under the ,barnabites1 had finished them at the ,seminario ,romano1 and had subsequently1 for many years1 been a professor at the ,university ,gregoriana4 ,nowadays ,consultor to several ,congregations and a ,canon of ,santa ,maria ,maggiore1 he placed his immediate ambition in a ,canonry at ,st4 ,peter's1 and harboured the dream of some day becoming ,secretary of the ,consistorial ,congregation1 a post conducting to the cardinalate4 ,a theologian of remarkable ability1 ,monsignor ,fornaro incurred no other reproach than that of occasionally sacrificing to literature by contributing articles1 which he carefully abstained from signing1 to certain religious reviews4 ,he was also said to be very worldly4 ,pierre was received as soon as he had sent in his card1 and perhaps he would have fancied that his visit was expected had not an appearance of sincere surprise1 blended with a little anxiety1 marked his reception4 8,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment10 repeated the prelate1 looking at the card which he still held4 8,kindly step in--,i was about to forbid my door1 for ,i have some urgent work to attend to4 ,but no matter1 sit down40 ,pierre1 however1 remained standing1 quite charmed by the blooming appearance of this tall1 strong1 handsome man who1 although five and forty years of age1 was quite fresh and rosy1 with moist lips1 caressing eyes1 and scarcely a grey hair among his curly locks4 ,nobody more fascinating and decorative could be found among the whole ,roman prelacy4 ,careful of his person undoubtedly1 and aiming at a simple elegance1 he looked really superb in his black cassock with violet collar4 ,and around him the spacious room where he received his visitors1 gaily lighted as it was by two large windows facing the ,piazza ,navona1 and furnished with a taste nowadays seldom met with among the ,roman clergy1 diffused a pleasant odour and formed a setting instinct with kindly cheerfulness4 8,pray sit down1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment10 he resumed1 8and tell me to what ,i am indebted for the honour of your visit40 ,he had already recovered his self-possession and assumed a naf1 purely obliging air2 and ,pierre1 though the question was only natural1 and he ought to have foreseen it1 suddenly felt greatly embarrassed1 more embarrassed indeed than in ,cardinal ,sarno's presence4 ,should he go to the point at once1 confess the delicate motive of his visit8 ,a moment's reflection showed him that this would be the best and worthier course4 8,dear me1 ,monseigneur10 he replied1 8,i know very well that the step ,i have taken in calling on you is not usually taken1 but it has been advised me1 and it has seemed to me that among honest folks there can never be any harm in seeking in all good faith to elucidate the truth40 8,what is it1 what is it1 then80 asked the prelate with an expression of perfect candour1 and still continuing to smile4 8,well1 simply this4 ,i have learnt that the ,congregation of the ,index has handed you my book #8,new ,rome1' and appointed you to examine it2 and ,i have ventured to present myself before you in case you should have any explanations to ask of me40 ,but ,monsignor ,fornaro seemed unwilling to hear any more4 ,he had carried both hands to his head and drawn back1 albeit still courteous4 8,no1 no10 said he1 8don't tell me that1 don't continue1 you would grieve me dreadfully4 ,let us say1 if you like1 that you have been deceived1 for nothing ought to be known1 in fact nothing is known1 either by others or myself4 ,i pray you1 do not let us talk of such matters40 ,pierre1 however1 had fortunately remarked what a decisive effect was produced when he had occasion to mention the name of the ,assessor of the ,holy ,office4 ,so it occurred to him to reply3 8,i most certainly do not desire to give you the slightest cause for embarrassment1 ,monseigneur1 and ,i repeat to you that ,i would never have ventured to importune you if ,monsignor ,nani himself had not acquainted me with your name and address40 ,this time the effect was immediate1 though ,monsignor ,fornaro1 with that easy grace which he introduced into all things1 made some ceremony about surrendering4 ,he began by a demurrer1 speaking archly with subtle shades of expression4 8,what6 is ,monsignor ,nani the tattler6 ,but ,i shall scold him1 ,i shall get angry with him6 ,and what does he know8 ,he doesn't belong to the ,congregation2 he may have been led into error4 ,you must tell him that he has made a mistake1 and that ,i have nothing at all to do with your affair4 ,that will teach him not to reveal needful secrets which everybody respects60 ,then1 in a pleasant way1 with winning glance and flowery lips1 he went on3 8,come1 since ,monsignor ,nani desires it1 ,i am willing to chat with you for a moment1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment1 but on condition that you shall know nothing of my report or of what may have been said or done at the ,congregation40 ,pierre in his turn smiled1 admiring how easy things became when forms were respected and appearances saved4 ,and once again he began to explain his case1 the profound astonishment into which the prosecution of his book had thrown him1 and his ignorance of the objections which were taken to it1 and for which he had vainly sought a cause4 8,really1 really10 repeated the prelate1 quite amazed at so much innocence4 8,the ,congregation is a tribunal1 and can only act when a case is brought before it4 ,proceedings have been taken against your book simply because it has been denounced40 8,yes1 ,i know1 denounced40 8,of course4 ,complaint was laid by three ,french bishops1 whose names you will allow me to keep secret1 and it consequently became necessary for the ,congregation to examine the incriminated work40 ,pierre looked at him quite scared4 ,denounced by three bishops8 ,why8 ,with what object8 ,then he thought of his protector4 8,but ,cardinal ,bergerot10 said he1 8wrote me a letter of approval1 which ,i placed at the beginning of my work as a preface4 ,ought not a guarantee like that to have been sufficient for the ,french episcopacy80 ,monsignor ,fornaro wagged his head in a knowing way before making up his mind to reply3 8,ah6 yes1 no doubt1 his ,eminence's letter1 a very beautiful letter4 ,i think1 however1 that it would have been much better if he had not written it1 both for himself and for you especially40 ,then as the priest1 whose surprise was increasing1 opened his mouth to urge him to explain himself1 he went on3 8,no1 no1 ,i know nothing1 ,i say nothing4 ,his ,eminence ,cardinal ,bergerot is a saintly man whom everybody venerates1 and if it were possible for him to sin it would only be through pure goodness of heart40 ,silence fell4 ,pierre could divine that an abyss was opening1 and dared not insist4 ,however1 he at last resumed with some violence3 8,but1 after all1 why should my book be prosecuted1 and the books of others be left untouched8 ,i have no intention of acting as a denouncer myself1 but how many books there are to which ,rome closes her eyes1 and which are far more dangerous than mine can be60 ,this time ,monsignor ,fornaro seemed glad to be able to support ,pierre's views4 8,you are right10 said he1 8we cannot deal with every bad book1 and it greatly distresses us4 ,but you must remember what an incalculable number of works we should be compelled to read4 ,and so we have to content ourselves with condemning the worst en bloc40 ,then he complacently entered into explanations4 ,in principle1 no printer ought to send any work to press without having previously submitted the manuscript to the approval of the bishop of the diocese4 ,nowadays1 however1 with the enormous output of the printing trade1 one could understand how terribly embarrassed the bishops would be if the printers were suddenly to conform to the ,church's regulation4 ,there was neither the time nor the money1 nor were there the men necessary for such colossal labour4 ,and so the ,congregation of the ,index condemned en masse1 without examination1 all works of certain categories3 first1 books which were dangerous for morals1 all erotic writings1 and all novels2 next the various bibles in the vulgar tongue1 for the perusal of ,holy ,writ without discretion was not allowable2 then the books on magic and sorcery1 and all works on science1 history1 or philosophy that were in any way contrary to dogma1 as well as the writings of heresiarchs or mere ecclesiastics discussing religion1 which should never be discussed4 ,all these were wise laws made by different popes1 and were set forth in the preface to the catalogue of forbidden books which the ,congregation published1 and without them this catalogue1 to have been complete1 would in itself have formed a large library4 ,on turning it over one found that the works singled out for interdiction were chiefly those of priests1 the task being so vast and difficult that ,rome's concern extended but little beyond the observance of good order within the ,church4 ,and ,pierre and his book came within the limit4 8,you will understand10 continued ,monsignor ,fornaro1 8that we have no desire to advertise a heap of unwholesome writings by honouring them with special condemnation4 ,their name is legion in every country1 and we should have neither enough paper nor enough ink to deal with them all4 ,so we content ourselves with condemning one from time to time1 when it bears a famous name and makes too much noise1 or contains disquieting attacks on the faith4 ,this suffices to remind the world that we exist and defend ourselves without abandoning aught of our rights or duties40 8,but my book1 my book10 exclaimed ,pierre1 8why these proceedings against my book80 8,i am explaining that to you as far as it is allowable for me to do1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment4 ,you are a priest1 your book is a success1 you have published a cheap edition of it which sells very readily2 and ,i don't speak of its literary merit1 which is remarkable1 for it contains a breath of real poetry which transported me1 and on which ,i must really compliment you4 ,however1 under the circumstances which ,i have enumerated1 how could we close our eyes to such a work as yours1 in which the conclusion arrived at is the annihilation of our holy religion and the destruction of ,rome80 ,pierre remained open-mouthed1 suffocating with surprise4 8,the destruction of ,rome60 he at last exclaimed2 8but ,i desire to see ,rome rejuvenated1 eternal1 again the queen of the world40 ,and1 once more mastered by his glowing enthusiasm1 he defended himself and confessed his faith3 ,catholicism reverting to the principles and practices of the primitive ,church1 drawing the blood of regeneration from the fraternal ,christianity of ,jesus2 the ,pope1 freed from all terrestrial royalty1 governing the whole of humanity with charity and love1 and saving the world from the frightful social cataclysm that threatens it by leading it to the real ,kingdom of ,god3 the ,christian communion of all nations united in one nation only4 8,and can the ,holy ,father disavow me80 he continued4 8,are not these his secret ideas1 which people are beginning to divine1 and does not my only offence lie in having expressed them perhaps too soon and too freely8 ,and if ,i were allowed to see him should ,i not at once obtain from him an order to stop these proceedings80 ,monsignor ,fornaro no longer spoke1 but wagged his head without appearing offended by the priest's juvenile ardour4 ,on the contrary1 he smiled with increasing amiability1 as though highly amused by so much innocence and imagination4 ,at last he gaily responded1 8,oh6 speak on1 speak on2 it isn't ,i who will stop you4 ,i'm forbidden to say anything4 ,but the temporal power1 the temporal power40 8,well1 what of the temporal power80 asked ,pierre4 ,the prelate had again become silent1 raising his amiable face to heaven and waving his white hands with a pretty gesture4 ,and when he once more opened his mouth it was to say3 8,then there's your new religion--for the expression occurs twice3 the new religion1 the new religion--ah1 ,dio60 ,again he became restless1 going off into an ecstasy of wonderment1 at sight of which ,pierre impatiently exclaimed3 8,i do not know what your report will be1 ,monseigneur1 but ,i declare to you that ,i have had no desire to attack dogma4 ,and1 candidly now1 my whole book shows that ,i only sought to write a work of pity and salvation4 ,it is only justice that some account should be taken of one's intentions40 ,monsignor ,fornaro had become very calm and paternal again4 8,oh6 intentions6 intentions60 he said as he rose to dismiss his visitor4 8,you may be sure1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment1 that ,i feel much honoured by your visit4 ,naturally ,i cannot tell you what my report will be2 as it is1 we have talked too much about it1 and1 in fact1 ,i ought to have refused to listen to your defence4 ,at the same time1 you will always find me ready to be of service to you in anything that does not go against my duty4 ,but ,i greatly fear that your book will be condemned40 ,and then1 as ,pierre again started1 he added3 8,well1 yes4 ,it is facts that are judged1 you know1 not intentions4 ,so all defence is useless2 the book is there1 and we take it such as it is4 ,however much you may try to explain it1 you cannot alter it4 ,and this is why the ,congregation never calls the accused parties before it1 and never accepts from them aught but retraction pure and simple4 ,and1 indeed1 the wisest course would be for you to withdraw your book and make your submission4 ,no8 ,you won't8 ,ah6 how young you are1 my friend60 ,he laughed yet more loudly at the gesture of revolt1 of indomitable pride which had just escaped his young friend1 as he called him4 ,then1 on reaching the door1 he again threw off some of his reserve1 and said in a low voice1 8,come1 my dear ,abb1 there is something ,i will do for you4 ,i will give you some good advice4 ,at bottom1 ,i myself am nothing4 ,i deliver my report1 and it is printed1 and the members of the ,congregation read it1 but are quite free to pay no attention to it4 ,however1 the ,secretary of the ,congregation1 ,father ,dangelis1 can accomplish everything1 even impossibilities4 ,go to see him2 you will find him at the ,dominican convent behind the ,piazza di ,spagna4 ,don't name me4 ,and for the present good-bye1 my dear fellow1 good-bye40 ,pierre once more found himself on the ,piazza ,navona1 quite dazed1 no longer knowing what to believe or hope4 ,a cowardly idea was coming over him2 why should he continue this struggle1 in which his adversaries remained unknown and indiscernible8 ,why carry obstinacy any further1 why linger any longer in that impassionating but deceptive ,rome8 ,he would flee that very evening1 return to ,paris1 disappear there1 and forget his bitter disillusion in the practice of humble charity4 ,he was traversing one of those hours of weakness when the long-dreamt-of task suddenly seems to be an impossibility4 ,however1 amidst his great confusion he was nevertheless walking on1 going towards his destination4 ,and when he found himself in the ,corso1 then in the ,via dei ,condotti1 and finally in the ,piazza di ,spagna1 he resolved that he would at any rate see ,father ,dangelis4 ,the ,dominican convent is there1 just below the ,trinity de' ,monti4 ,ah6 those ,dominicans6 ,pierre had never thought of them without a feeling of respect with which mingled a little fear4 ,what vigorous pillars of the principle of authority and theocracy they had for centuries proved themselves to be6 ,to them the ,church had been indebted for its greatest measure of authority2 they were the glorious soldiers of its triumph4 ,whilst ,st4 ,francis won the souls of the humble over to ,rome1 ,st4 ,dominic1 on ,rome's behalf1 subjected all the superior souls--those of the intelligent and powerful4 ,and this he did with passion1 amidst a blaze of faith and determination1 making use of all possible means1 preachings1 writings1 and police and judicial pressure4 ,though he did not found the ,inquisition1 its principles were his1 and it was with fire and sword that his fraternal1 loving heart waged war on schism4 ,living like his monks1 in poverty1 chastity1 and obedience--the great virtues of those times of pride and licentiousness--he went from city to city1 exhorting the impious1 striving to bring them back to the ,church and arraigning them before the ecclesiastical courts when his preachings did not suffice4 ,he also laid siege to science1 sought to make it his own1 dreamt of defending ,god with the weapons of reason and human knowledge like a true forerunner of the angelic ,st4 ,thomas1 that light of the middle ages1 who joined the ,dominican order and set everything in his 8,summa ,theologiae10 psychology1 logic1 policy1 and morals4 ,and thus it was that the ,dominicans filled the world1 upholding the doctrines of ,rome in the most famous pulpits of every nation1 and contending almost everywhere against the free sprit of the ,universities1 like the vigilant guardians of dogma that they were1 the unwearying artisans of the fortunes of the popes1 the most powerful amongst all the artistic1 scientific1 and literary workers who raised the huge edifice of ,catholicism such as it exists to-day4 ,however1 ,pierre1 who could feel that this edifice was even now tottering1 though it had been built1 people fancied1 so substantially as to last through all eternity1 asked himself what could be the present use of the ,dominicans1 those toilers of another age1 whose police system and whose tribunals had perished beneath universal execration1 whose voices were no longer listened to1 whose books were but seldom read1 and whose rle as savants and civilisers had come to an end in presence of latter-day science1 the truths of which were rending dogma on all sides4 ,certainly the ,dominicans still form an influential and prosperous order2 but how far one is from the times when their general reigned in ,rome1 ,master of the ,holy ,palace1 with convents and schools1 and subjects throughout ,europe6 ,of all their vast inheritance1 so far as the ,roman curia is concerned1 only a few posts now remain to them1 and among others the ,secretaryship of the ,congregation of the ,index1 a former dependency of the ,holy ,office where they once despotically ruled4 ,pierre was immediately ushered into the presence of ,father ,dangelis4 ,the convent parlour was vast1 bare1 and white1 flooded with bright sunshine4 ,the only furniture was a table and some stools2 and a large brass crucifix hung from the wall4 ,near the table stood the ,father1 a very thin man of about fifty1 severely draped in his ample white habit and black mantle4 ,from his long ascetic face1 with thin lips1 thin nose1 and pointed1 obstinate chin1 his grey eyes shone out with a fixity that embarrassed one4 ,and1 moreover1 he showed himself very plain and simple of speech1 and frigidly polite in manner4 8,monsieur l',abb ,froment--the author of #8,new ,rome1' ,i suppose80 ,then seating himself on one stool and pointing to another1 he added3 8,pray acquaint me with the object of your visit1 ,monsieur l',abb40 ,thereupon ,pierre had to begin his explanation1 his defence1 all over again2 and the task soon became the more painful as his words fell from his lips amidst death-like silence and frigidity4 ,father ,dangelis did not stir2 with his hands crossed upon his knees he kept his sharp1 penetrating eyes fixed upon those of the priest4 ,and when the latter had at last ceased speaking1 he slowly said3 8,i did not like to interrupt you1 ,monsieur l',abb1 but it was not for me to hear all this4 ,process against your book has begun1 and no power in the world can stay or impede its course4 ,i do not therefore realise what it is that you apparently expect of me40 ,in a quivering voice ,pierre was bold enough to answer3 8,i look for some kindness and justice40 ,a pale smile1 instinct with proud humility1 arose to the ,dominican's lips4 8,be without fear10 he replied1 8,god has ever deigned to enlighten me in the discharge of my modest duties4 ,personally1 be it said1 ,i have no justice to render2 ,i am but an employee whose duty is to classify matters and draw up documents concerning them4 ,their ,eminences1 the members of the ,congregation1 will alone pronounce judgment on your book4 ,and assuredly they will do so with the help of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,you will only have to bow to their sentence when it shall have been ratified by his ,holiness40 ,then he broke off the interview by rising1 and ,pierre was obliged to do the same4 ,the ,dominican's words were virtually identical with those that had fallen from ,monsignor ,fornaro1 but they were spoken with cutting frankness1 a sort of tranquil bravery4 ,on all sides ,pierre came into collision with the same anonymous force1 the same powerful engine whose component parts sought to ignore one another4 ,for a long time yet1 no doubt1 he would be sent from one to the other1 without ever finding the volitional element which reasoned and acted4 ,and the only thing that he could do was to bow to it all4 ,however1 before going off1 it occurred to him once more to mention the name of ,monsignor ,nani1 the powerful effect of which he had begun to realise4 8,i ask your pardon10 he said1 8for having disturbed you to no purpose1 but ,i simply deferred to the kind advice of ,monsignor ,nani1 who has condescended to show me some interest40 ,the effect of these words was unexpected4 ,again did ,father ,dangelis's thin face brighten into a smile1 but with a twist of the lips1 sharp with ironical contempt4 ,he had become yet paler1 and his keen intelligent eyes were flaming4 8,ah6 it was ,monsignor ,nani who sent you60 he said4 8,well1 if you think you need a protector1 it is useless for you to apply to any other than himself4 ,he is all-powerful4 ,go to see him2 go to see him60 ,and that was the only encouragement ,pierre derived from his visit3 the advice to go back to the man who had sent him4 ,at this he felt that he was losing ground1 and he resolved to return home in order to reflect on things and try to understand them before taking any further steps4 ,the idea of questioning ,don ,vigilio at once occurred to him1 and that same evening after supper he luckily met the secretary in the corridor1 just as1 candle in hand1 he was on his way to bed4 8,i have so many things that ,i should like to say to you10 ,pierre said to him4 8,can you kindly come to my rooms for a moment80 ,but the other promptly silenced him with a gesture1 and then whispered3 8,didn't you see ,abb ,paparelli on the first floor8 ,he was following us1 ,i'm sure40 ,pierre often saw the train-bearer roaming about the house1 and greatly disliked his stealthy1 prying ways4 ,however1 he had hitherto attached no importance to him1 and was therefore much surprised by ,don ,vigilio's question4 ,the other1 without awaiting his reply1 had returned to the end of the corridor1 where for a long while he remained listening4 ,then he came back on tip-toe1 blew out his candle1 and darted into ,pierre's sitting-room4 8,there--that's done10 he murmured directly the door was shut4 8,but if it is all the same to you1 we won't stop in this sitting-room4 ,let us go into your bed-room4 ,two walls are better than one40 ,when the lamp had been placed on the table and they found themselves seated face to face in that bare1 faded bed-chamber1 ,pierre noticed that the secretary was suffering from a more violent attack of fever than usual4 ,his thin puny figure was shivering from head to foot1 and his ardent eyes had never before blazed so blackly in his ravaged1 yellow face4 8,are you poorly80 asked ,pierre4 8,i don't want to tire you40 8,poorly1 yes1 ,i am on fire--but ,i want to talk4 ,i can't bear it any longer4 ,one always has to relieve oneself some day or other40 ,was it his complaint that he desired to relieve2 or was he anxious to break his long silence in order that it might not stifle him8 ,this at first remained uncertain4 ,he immediately asked for an account of the steps that ,pierre had lately taken1 and became yet more restless when he heard how the other had been received by ,cardinal ,sarno1 ,monsignor ,fornaro1 and ,father ,dangelis4 8,yes1 that's quite it10 he repeated1 8nothing astonishes me nowadays1 and yet ,i feel indignant on your account4 ,yes1 it doesn't concern me1 but all the same it makes me ill1 for it reminds me of all my own troubles4 ,you must not rely on ,cardinal ,sarno1 remember1 for he is always elsewhere1 with his mind far away1 and has never helped anybody4 ,but that ,fornaro1 that ,fornaro60 8,he seemed to me very amiable1 even kindly disposed10 replied ,pierre2 8and ,i really think that after our interview1 he will considerably soften his report40 8,he6 ,why1 the gentler he was with you the more grievously he will saddle you6 ,he will devour you1 fatten himself with such easy prey4 ,ah6 you don't know him1 dilizioso that he is1 ever on the watch to rear his own fortune on the troubles of poor devils whose defeat is bound to please the powerful4 ,i prefer the other one1 ,father ,dangelis1 a terrible man1 no doubt1 but frank and brave and of superior mind4 ,i must admit1 however1 that he would burn you like a handful of straw if he were the master4 ,and ah6 if ,i could tell you everything1 if ,i could show you the frightful under-side of this world of ours1 the monstrous1 ravenous ambition1 the abominable network of intrigues1 venality1 cowardice1 treachery1 and even crime60 ,on seeing ,don ,vigilio so excited1 in such a blaze of spite1 ,pierre thought of extracting from him some of the many items of information which he had hitherto sought in vain4 8,well1 tell me merely what is the position of my affair10 he responded4 8,when ,i questioned you on my arrival here you said that nothing had yet reached ,cardinal ,boccanera4 ,but all information must now have been collected1 and you must know of it4 ,and1 by the way1 ,monsignor ,fornaro told me that three ,french bishops had asked that my book should be prosecuted4 ,three bishops1 is it possible80 ,don ,vigilio shrugged his shoulders4 8,ah60 said he1 8yours is an innocent soul6 ,i'm surprised that there were only three6 ,yes1 several documents relating to your affair are in our hands2 and1 moreover1 things have turned out much as ,i suspected4 ,the three bishops are first the ,bishop of ,tarbes1 who evidently carries out the vengeance of the ,fathers of ,lourdes2 and then the ,bishops of ,poitiers and ,evreux1 who are both known as uncompromising ,ultramontanists and passionate adversaries of ,cardinal ,bergerot4 ,the ,cardinal1 you know1 is regarded with disfavour at the ,vatican1 where his ,gallican ideas and broad liberal mind provoke perfect anger4 ,and don't seek for anything else4 ,the whole affair lies in that3 an execution which the powerful ,fathers of ,lourdes demand of his ,holiness1 and a desire to reach and strike ,cardinal ,bergerot through your book1 by means of the letter of approval which he imprudently wrote to you and which you published by way of preface4 ,for a long time past the condemnations of the ,index have largely been secret knock-down blows levelled at ,churchmen4 ,denunciation reigns supreme1 and the law applied is that of good pleasure4 ,i could tell you some almost incredible things1 how perfectly innocent books have been selected among a hundred for the sole object of killing an idea or a man2 for the blow is almost always levelled at some one behind the author1 some one higher than he is4 ,and there is such a hot-bed of intrigue1 such a source of abuses in this institution of the ,index1 that it is tottering1 and even among those who surround the ,pope it is felt that it must soon be freshly regulated if it is not to fall into complete discredit4 ,i well understand that the ,church should endeavour to retain universal power1 and govern by every fit weapon1 but the weapons must be such as one can use without their injustice leading to revolt1 or their antique childishness provoking merriment60 ,pierre listened with dolorous astonishment in his heart4 ,since he had been at ,rome and had seen the ,fathers of the ,grotto saluted and feared there1 holding an authoritative position1 thanks to the large alms which they contributed to the ,peter's ,pence1 he had felt that they were behind the proceedings instituted against him1 and realised that he would have to pay for a certain page of his book in which he had called attention to an iniquitous displacement of fortune at ,lourdes1 a frightful spectacle which made one doubt the very existence of the ,divinity1 a continual cause of battle and conflict which would disappear in the truly ,christian society of to-morrow4 ,and he could also now understand that his delight at the loss of the temporal power must have caused a scandal1 and especially that the unfortunate expression 8a new religion0 had alone been sufficient to arm delatores against him4 ,but that which amazed and grieved him was to learn that ,cardinal ,bergerot's letter was looked upon as a crime1 and that his 7,pierre's7 book was denounced and condemned in order that adversaries who dared not attack the venerable pastor face to face might1 deal him a cowardly blow from behind4 ,the thought of afflicting that saintly man1 of serving as the implement to strike him in his ardent charity1 cruelly grieved ,pierre4 ,and how bitter and disheartening it was to find the most hideous questions of pride and money1 ambition and appetite1 running riot with the most ferocious egotism1 beneath the quarrels of those leaders of the ,church who ought only to have contended together in love for the poor6 ,and then ,pierre's mind revolted against that supremely odious and idiotic ,index4 ,he now understood how it worked1 from the arrival of the denunciations to the public posting of the titles of the condemned works4 ,he had just seen the ,secretary of the ,congregation1 ,father ,dangelis1 to whom the denunciations came1 and who then investigated the affair1 collecting all documents and information concerning it with the passion of a cultivated authoritarian monk1 who dreamt of ruling minds and consciences as in the heroic days of the ,inquisition4 ,then1 too1 ,pierre had visited one of the consultive prelates1 ,monsignor ,fornaro1 who was so ambitious and affable1 and so subtle a theologian that he would have discovered attacks against the faith in a treatise on algebra1 had his interests required it4 ,next there were the infrequent meetings of the cardinals1 who at long intervals voted for the interdiction of some hostile book1 deeply regretting that they could not suppress them all2 and finally came the ,pope1 approving and signing the decrees1 which was a mere formality1 for were not all books guilty8 ,but what an extraordinary wretched ,bastille of the past was that aged ,index1 that senile institution now sunk into second childhood4 ,one realised that it must have been a formidable power when books were rare and the ,church had tribunals of blood and fire to enforce her edicts4 ,but books had so greatly multiplied1 the written1 printed thoughts of mankind had swollen into such a deep broad river1 that they had swept all opposition away1 and now the ,index was swamped and reduced to powerlessness1 compelled more and more to limit its field of action1 to confine itself to the examination of the writings of ecclesiastics1 and even in this respect it was becoming corrupt1 fouled by the worst passions and changed into an instrument of intrigue1 hatred1 and vengeance4 ,ah6 that confession of decay1 of paralysis which grew more and more complete amidst the scornful indifference of the nations4 ,to think that ,catholicism1 the once glorious agent of civilisation1 had come to such a pass that it cast books into hell-fire by the heap2 and what books they were1 almost the entire literature1 history1 philosophy1 and science of the past and the present6 ,few works1 indeed1 are published nowadays that would not fall under the ban of the ,church4 ,if she seems to close her eyes1 it is in order to avoid the impossible task of hunting out and destroying everything4 ,yet she stubbornly insists on retaining a semblance of sovereign authority over human intelligence1 just as some very aged queen1 dispossessed of her states and henceforth without judges or executioners1 might continue to deliver vain sentences to which only an infinitesimal minority would pay heed4 ,but imagine the ,church momentarily victorious1 miraculously mastering the modern world1 and ask yourself what she1 with her tribunals to condemn and her gendarmes to enforce1 would do with human thought4 ,imagine a strict application of the ,index regulations3 no printer able to put anything whatever to press without the approval of his bishop1 and even then every book laid before the ,congregation1 the past expunged1 the present throttled1 subjected to an intellectual ,reign of ,terror6 ,would not the closing of every library perforce ensue1 would not the long heritage of written thought be cast into prison1 would not the future be barred1 would not all progress1 all conquest of knowledge1 be totally arrested8 ,rome herself is nowadays a terrible example of such a disastrous experiment--,rome with her congealed soil1 her dead sap1 killed by centuries of papal government1 ,rome which has become so barren that not a man1 not a work has sprung from her midst even after five and twenty years of awakening and liberty6 ,and who would accept such a state of things1 not among people of revolutionary mind1 but among those of religious mind that might possess any culture and breadth of view8 ,plainly enough it was all mere childishness and absurdity4 ,deep silence reigned1 and ,pierre1 quite upset by his reflections1 made a gesture of despair whilst glancing at ,don ,vigilio1 who sat speechless in front of him4 ,for a moment longer1 amidst the death-like quiescence of that old sleeping mansion1 both continued silent1 seated face to face in the closed chamber which the lamp illumined with a peaceful glow4 ,but at last ,don ,vigilio leant forward1 his eyes sparkling1 and with a feverish shiver murmured3 8,it is they1 you know1 always they1 at the bottom of everything40 ,pierre1 who did not understand1 felt astonished1 indeed somewhat anxious at such a strange remark coming without any apparent transition4 8,who are they80 he asked4 8,the ,jesuits60 ,in this reply the little1 withered1 yellow priest had set all the concentrated rage of his exploding passion4 ,ah6 so much the worse if he had perpetrated a fresh act of folly4 ,the cat was out of the bag at last6 ,nevertheless1 he cast a final suspicious glance around the walls4 ,and then he relieved his mind at length1 with a flow of words which gushed forth the more irresistibly since he had so long held them in check4 8,ah6 the ,jesuits1 the ,jesuits6 ,you fancy that you know them1 but you haven't even an idea of their abominable actions and incalculable power4 ,they it is whom one always comes upon1 everywhere1 in every circumstance4 ,remember that whenever you fail to understand anything1 if you wish to understand it4 ,whenever grief or trouble comes upon you1 whenever you suffer1 whenever you weep1 say to yourself at once3 #8,it is they2 they are there6' ,why1 for all ,i know1 there may be one of them under that bed1 inside that cupboard4 ,ah6 the ,jesuits1 the ,jesuits6 ,they have devoured me1 they are devouring me still1 they will leave nothing of me at last1 neither flesh nor bone40 ,then1 in a halting voice1 he related the story of his life1 beginning with his youth1 which had opened so hopefully4 ,he belonged to the petty provincial nobility1 and had been dowered with a fairly large income1 besides a keen1 supple intelligence1 which looked smilingly towards the future4 ,nowadays1 he would assuredly have been a prelate1 on the road to high dignities1 but he had been foolish enough to speak ill of the ,jesuits and to thwart them in two or three circumstances4 ,and from that moment1 if he were to be believed1 they had caused every imaginable misfortune to rain upon him3 his father and mother had died1 his banker had robbed him and fled1 good positions had escaped him at the very moment when he was about to occupy them1 the most awful misadventures had pursued him amidst the duties of his ministry to such a point indeed1 that he had narrowly escaped interdiction4 ,it was only since ,cardinal ,boccanera1 compassionating his bad luck1 had taken him into his house and attached him to his person1 that he had enjoyed a little repose4 8,here ,i have a refuge1 an asylum10 he continued4 8,they execrate his ,eminence1 who has never been on their side1 but they haven't yet dared to attack him or his servants4 ,oh6 ,i have no illusions1 they will end by catching me again1 all the same4 ,perhaps they will even hear of our conversation this evening1 and make me pay dearly for it2 for ,i do wrong to speak1 ,i speak in spite of myself4 ,they have stolen all my happiness1 and brought all possible misfortune on me1 everything that was possible1 everything--you hear me60 ,increasing discomfort was taking possession of ,pierre1 who1 seeking to relieve himself by a jest1 exclaimed3 8,come1 come1 at any rate it wasn't the ,jesuits who gave you the fever40 8,yes1 yes1 it was60 ,don ,vigilio violently declared4 8,i caught it on the bank of the ,tiber one evening1 when ,i went to weep there in my grief at having been driven from the little church where ,i officiated40 ,pierre1 hitherto1 had never believed in the terrible legend of the ,jesuits4 ,he belonged to a generation which laughed at the idea of wehr-wolves1 and considered the bourgeois fear of the famous black men1 who hid themselves in walls and terrorised families1 to be a trifle ridiculous4 ,to him all such things seemed to be nursery tales1 exaggerated by religious and political passion4 ,and so it was with amazement that he examined ,don ,vigilio1 suddenly fearing that he might have to deal with a maniac4 ,nevertheless he could not help recalling the extraordinary story of the ,jesuits4 ,if ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi and ,st4 ,dominic are the very soul and spirit of the middle ages1 its masters and teachers1 the former a living expression of all the ardent1 charitable faith of the humble1 and the other defending dogma and fixing doctrines for the intelligent and the powerful1 on the other hand ,ignatius de ,loyola appeared on the threshold of modern times to save the tottering heritage by accommodating religion to the new developments of society1 thereby ensuring it the empire of the world which was about to appear4 ,at the advent of the modern era it seemed as if the ,deity were to be vanquished in the uncompromising struggle with sin1 for it was certain that the old determination to suppress ,nature1 to kill the man within man1 with his appetites1 passions1 heart1 and blood1 could only result in a disastrous defeat1 in which1 indeed1 the ,church found herself on the very eve of sinking2 and it was the ,jesuits who came to extricate her from this peril and reinvigorate her by deciding that it was she who now ought to go to the world1 since the world seemed unwilling to go any longer to her4 ,all lay in that2 you find the ,jesuits declaring that one can enter into arrangements with heaven2 they bend and adjust themselves to the customs1 prejudices1 and even vices of the times2 they smile1 all condescension1 cast rigourism aside1 and practice the diplomacy of amiability1 ever ready to turn the most awful abominations 8to the greater glory of ,god40 ,that is their motto1 their battle-cry1 and thence springs the moral principle which many regard as their crime3 that all means are good to attain one's end1 especially when that end is the furtherance of the ,deity's interests as represented by those of the ,church4 ,and what overwhelming success attends the efforts of the ,jesuits6 they swarm and before long cover the earth1 on all sides becoming uncontested masters4 ,they shrive kings1 they acquire immense wealth1 they display such victorious power of invasion that1 however humbly they may set foot in any country1 they soon wholly possess it3 souls1 bodies1 power1 and fortune alike falling to them4 ,and they are particularly zealous in founding schools1 they show themselves to be incomparable moulders of the human brain1 well understanding that power always belongs to the morrow1 to the generations which are growing up and whose master one must be if one desire to reign eternally4 ,so great is their power1 based on the necessity of compromise with sin1 that1 on the morrow of the ,council of ,trent1 they transform the very spirit of ,catholicism1 penetrate it1 identify it with themselves and become the indispensable soldiers of the papacy which lives by them and for them4 ,and from that moment ,rome is theirs1 ,rome where their general so long commands1 whence so long go forth the directions for the obscure tactics which are blindly followed by their innumerable army1 whose skilful organisation covers the globe as with an iron network hidden by the velvet of hands expert in dealing gently with poor suffering humanity4 ,but1 after all1 the most prodigious feature is the stupefying vitality of the ,jesuits who are incessantly tracked1 condemned1 executed1 and yet still and ever erect4 ,as soon as their power asserts itself1 their unpopularity begins and gradually becomes universal4 ,hoots of execration arise around them1 abominable accusations1 scandalous law cases in which they appear as corruptors and felons4 ,pascal devotes them to public contempt1 parliaments condemn their books to be burnt1 universities denounce their system of morals and their teaching as poisonous4 ,they foment such disturbances1 such struggles in every kingdom1 that organised persecution sets in1 and they are soon driven from everywhere4 ,during more than a century they become wanderers1 expelled1 then recalled1 passing and repassing frontiers1 leaving a country amidst cries of hatred to return to it as soon as quiet has been restored4 ,finally1 for supreme disaster1 they are suppressed by one pope1 but another re-establishes them1 and since then they have been virtually tolerated everywhere4 ,and in the diplomatic self-effacement1 the shade in which they have the prudence to sequester themselves1 they are none the less triumphant1 quietly confident of their victory like soldiers who have once and for ever subdued the earth4 ,pierre was aware that1 judging by mere appearances1 the ,jesuits were nowadays dispossessed of all influence in ,rome4 ,they no longer officiated at the ,ges1 they no longer directed the ,collegio ,romano1 where they formerly fashioned so many souls2 and with no abode of their own1 reduced to accept foreign hospitality1 they had modestly sought a refuge at the ,collegio ,germanico1 where there is a little chapel4 ,there they taught and there they still confessed1 but without the slightest bustle or display4 ,was one to believe1 however1 that this effacement was but masterly cunning1 a feigned disappearance in order that they might really remain secret1 all-powerful masters1 the hidden hand which directs and guides everything8 ,people certainly said that the proclamation of papal ,infallibility had been their work1 a weapon with which they had armed themselves whilst feigning to bestow it on the papacy1 in readiness for the coming decisive task which their genius foresaw in the approaching social upheavals4 ,and thus there might perhaps be some truth in what ,don ,vigilio1 with a shiver of mystery1 related about their occult sovereignty1 a seizin1 as it were1 of the government of the ,church1 a royalty ignored but nevertheless complete4 ,as this idea occurred to ,pierre1 a dim connection between certain of his experiences arose in his mind and he all at once inquired3 8,is ,monsignor ,nani a ,jesuit1 then80 ,these words seemed to revive all ,don ,vigilio's anxious passion4 ,he waved his trembling hand1 and replied3 8,he8 ,oh1 he's too clever1 too skilful by far to have taken the robe4 ,but he comes from that ,collegio ,romano where his generation grew up1 and he there imbibed that ,jesuit genius which adapted itself so well to his own4 ,whilst fully realising the danger of wearing an unpopular and embarrassing livery1 and wishing to be free1 he is none the less a ,jesuit in his flesh1 in his bones1 in his very soul4 ,he is evidently convinced that the ,church can only triumph by utilising the passions of mankind1 and withal he is very fond of the ,church1 very pious at bottom1 a very good priest1 serving ,god without weakness in gratitude for the absolute power which ,god gives to ,his ministers4 ,and besides1 he is so charming1 incapable of any brutal action1 full of the good breeding of his noble ,venetian ancestors1 and deeply versed in knowledge of the world1 thanks to his experiences at the nunciatures of ,paris1 ,vienna1 and other places1 without mentioning that he knows everything that goes on by reason of the delicate functions which he has discharged for ten years past as ,assessor of the ,holy ,office4 ,yes1 he is powerful1 all-powerful1 and in him you do not have the furtive ,jesuit whose robe glides past amidst suspicion1 but the head1 the brain1 the leader whom no uniform designates40 ,this reply made ,pierre grave1 for he was quite willing to admit that an opportunist code of morals1 like that of the ,jesuits1 was inoculable and now predominated throughout the ,church4 ,indeed1 the ,jesuits might disappear1 but their doctrine would survive them1 since it was the one weapon of combat1 the one system of strategy which might again place the nations under the dominion of ,rome4 ,and in reality the struggle which continued lay precisely in the attempts to accommodate religion to the century1 and the century to religion4 ,such being the case1 ,pierre realised that such men as ,monsignor ,nani might acquire vast and even decisive importance4 8,ah6 if you knew1 if you knew10 continued ,don ,vigilio1 8he's everywhere1 he has his hand in everything4 ,for instance1 nothing has ever happened here1 among the ,boccaneras1 but ,i've found him at the bottom of it1 tangling or untangling the threads according to necessities with which he alone is acquainted40 ,then1 in the unquenchable fever for confiding things which was now consuming him1 the secretary related how ,monsignor ,nani had most certainly brought on ,benedetta's divorce case4 ,the ,jesuits1 in spite of their conciliatory spirit1 have always taken up a hostile position with regard to ,italy1 either because they do not despair of reconquering ,rome1 or because they wait to treat in due season with the ultimate and real victor1 whether ,king or ,pope4 ,and so ,nani1 who had long been one of ,donna ,serafina's intimates1 had helped to precipitate the rupture with ,prada as soon as ,benedetta's mother was dead4 ,again1 it was he who1 to prevent any interference on the part of the patriotic ,abb ,pisoni1 the young woman's confessor and the artisan of her marriage1 had urged her to take the same spiritual director as her aunt1 ,father ,lorenza1 a handsome ,jesuit with clear and kindly eyes1 whose confessional in the chapel of the ,collegio ,germanico was incessantly besieged by penitents4 ,and it seemed certain that this manuvre had brought about everything2 what one cleric working for ,italy had done1 was to be undone by another working against ,italy4 ,why was it1 however1 that ,nani1 after bringing about the rupture1 had momentarily ceased to show all interest in the affair to the point even of jeopardising the suit for the dissolution of the marriage8 ,and why was he now again busying himself with it1 setting ,donna ,serafina in action1 prompting her to buy ,monsignor ,palma's support1 and bringing his own influence to bear on the cardinals of the ,congregation8 ,there was mystery in all this1 as there was in everything he did1 for his schemes were always complicated and distant in their effects4 ,however1 one might suppose that he now wished to hasten the marriage of ,benedetta and ,dario1 in order to stop all the abominable rumours which were circulating in the white world2 unless1 indeed1 this divorce secured by pecuniary payments and the pressure of notorious influences were an intentional scandal at first spun out and now hastened1 in order to harm ,cardinal ,boccanera1 whom the ,jesuits might desire to brush aside in certain eventualities which were possibly near at hand4 8,to tell the truth1 ,i rather incline to the latter view10 said ,don ,vigilio1 8the more so indeed as ,i learnt this evening that the ,pope is not well4 ,with an old man of eighty-four the end may come at any moment1 and so the ,pope can never catch cold but what the ,sacred ,college and the prelacies are all agog1 stirred by sudden ambitious rivalries4 ,now1 the ,jesuits have always opposed ,cardinal ,boccanera's candidature4 ,they ought to be on his side1 on account of his rank1 and his uncompromising attitude towards ,italy1 but the idea of giving themselves such a master disquiets them1 for they consider him unseasonably rough and stern1 too violent in his faith1 which unbending as it is would prove dangerous in these diplomatic times through which the ,church is passing4 ,and so ,i should in no wise be astonished if there were an attempt to discredit him and render his candidature impossible1 by employing the most underhand and shameful means40 ,a little quiver of fear was coming over ,pierre4 ,the contagion of the unknown1 of the black intrigues plotted in the dark1 was spreading amidst the silence of the night in the depths of that palace1 near that ,tiber1 in that ,rome so full of legendary tragedies4 ,but all at once the young man's mind reverted to himself1 to his own affair4 8,but what is my part in all this80 he asked3 8why does ,monsignor ,nani seem to take an interest in me8 ,why is he mixed up in the proceedings against my book80 8,oh6 one never knows1 one never knows exactly60 replied ,don ,vigilio1 waving his arms4 8,one thing ,i can say1 that he only knew of the affair when the denunciations of the three bishops were already in the hands of ,father ,dangelis2 and ,i have also learnt that he then tried to stop the proceedings1 which he no doubt thought both useless and impolitic4 ,but when a matter is once before the ,congregation it is almost impossible for it to be withdrawn1 and ,monsignor ,nani must also have come into collision with ,father ,dangelis who1 like a faithful ,dominican1 is the passionate adversary of the ,jesuits4 ,it was then that he caused the ,contessina to write to ,monsieur de la ,choue1 requesting him to tell you to hasten here in order to defend yourself1 and to arrange for your acceptance of hospitality in this mansion1 during your stay40 ,this revelation brought ,pierre's emotion to a climax4 8,you are sure of that80 he asked4 8,oh6 quite sure4 ,i heard ,nani speak of you one ,monday1 and some time ago ,i told you that he seemed to know all about you1 as if he had made most minute inquiries4 ,my belief is that he had already read your book1 and was extremely preoccupied about it40 8,do you think that he shares my ideas1 then8 ,is he sincere1 is he defending himself while striving to defend me80 8,oh6 no1 no1 not at all4 ,your ideas1 why he certainly hates them1 and your book and yourself as well4 ,you have no idea what contempt for the weak1 what hatred of the poor1 and love of authority and domination he conceals under his caressing amiability4 ,lourdes he might abandon to you1 though it embodies a marvellous weapon of government2 but he will never forgive you for being on the side of the little ones of the world1 and for pronouncing against the temporal power4 ,if you only heard with what gentle ferocity he derides ,monsieur de la ,choue1 whom he calls the weeping willow of ,neo-,catholicism60 ,pierre carried his hands to his temples and pressed his head despairingly4 8,then why1 why1 tell me ,i beg of you1 why has he brought me here and kept me here in this house at his disposal8 ,why has he promenaded me up and down ,rome for three long months1 throwing me against obstacles and wearying me1 when it was so easy for him to let the ,index condemn my book if it embarrassed him8 ,it's true1 of course1 that things would not have gone quietly1 for ,i was disposed to refuse submission and openly confess my new faith1 even against the decisions of ,rome40 ,don ,vigilio's black eyes flared in his yellow face3 8,perhaps it was that which he wished to prevent4 ,he knows you to be very intelligent and enthusiastic1 and ,i have often heard him say that intelligence and enthusiasm should not be fought openly40 ,pierre1 however1 had risen to his feet1 and instead of listening1 was striding up and down the room as though carried away by the whirlwind of his thoughts4 8,come1 come10 he said at last1 8it is necessary that ,i should know and understand things if ,i am to continue the struggle4 ,you must be kind enough to give me some detailed particulars about each of the persons mixed up in my affair4 ,jesuits1 ,jesuits everywhere8 ,mon ,dieu1 it may be so1 you are perhaps right6 ,but all the same you must point out the different shades to me4 ,now1 for instance1 what of that ,fornaro80 8,monsignor ,fornaro1 oh6 he's whatever you like4 ,still he also was brought up at the ,collegio ,romano1 so you may be certain that he is a ,jesuit1 a ,jesuit by education1 position1 and ambition4 ,he is longing to become a cardinal1 and if he some day becomes one1 he'll long to be the next pope4 ,besides1 you know1 every one here is a candidate to the papacy as soon as he enters the seminary40 8,and ,cardinal ,sanguinetti80 8,a ,jesuit1 a ,jesuit6 ,to speak plainly1 he was one1 then ceased to be one1 and is now undoubtedly one again4 ,sanguinetti has flirted with every influence4 ,it was long thought that he was in favour of conciliation between the ,holy ,see and ,italy2 but things drifted into a bad way1 and he violently took part against the usurpers4 ,in the same style he has frequently fallen out with ,leo ,,xiii and then made his peace4 ,to-day at the ,vatican1 he keeps on a footing of diplomatic reserve4 ,briefly he only has one object1 the tiara1 and even shows it too plainly1 which is a mistake1 for it uses up a candidate4 ,still1 just at present the struggle seems to be between him and ,cardinal ,boccanera4 ,and that's why he has gone over to the ,jesuits again1 utilising their hatred of his rival1 and anticipating that they will be forced to support him in order to defeat the other4 ,but ,i doubt it1 they are too shrewd1 they will hesitate to patronise a candidate who is already so compromised4 ,he1 blunder-head1 passionate and proud as he is1 doubts nothing1 and since you say that he is now at ,frascati1 ,i'm certain that he made all haste to shut himself up there with some grand strategical object in view1 as soon as he heard of the ,pope's illness40 8,well1 and the ,pope himself1 ,leo ,,xiii80 asked ,pierre4 ,this time ,don ,vigilio slightly hesitated1 his eyes blinking4 ,then he said3 8,leo ,,xiii8 ,he is a ,jesuit1 a ,jesuit6 ,oh6 ,i know it is said that he sides with the ,dominicans1 and this is in a measure true1 for he fancies that he is animated with their spirit and he has brought ,st4 ,thomas into favour again1 and has restored all the ecclesiastical teaching of doctrine4 ,but there is also the ,jesuit1 remember1 who is one involuntarily and without knowing it1 and of this category the present ,pope will prove the most famous example4 ,study his acts1 investigate his policy1 and you will find that everything in it emanates from the ,jesuit spirit4 ,the fact is that he has unwittingly become impregnated with that spirit1 and that all the influence1 directly or indirectly brought to bear on him comes from a ,jesuit centre4 ,ah6 why don't you believe me8 ,i repeat that the ,jesuits have conquered and absorbed everything1 that all ,rome belongs to them from the most insignificant cleric to his ,holiness in person40 ,then he continued1 replying to each fresh name that ,pierre gave with the same obstinate1 maniacal cry3 8,jesuit1 ,jesuit60 ,it seemed as if a ,churchman could be nothing else1 as if each answer were a confirmation of the proposition that the clergy must compound with the modern world if it desired to preserve its ,deity4 ,the heroic age of ,catholicism was accomplished1 henceforth it could only live by dint of diplomacy and ruses1 concessions and arrangements4 8,and that ,paparelli1 he's a ,jesuit too1 a ,jesuit60 ,don ,vigilio went on1 instinctively lowering his voice4 8,yes1 the humble but terrible ,jesuit1 the ,jesuit in his most abominable rle as a spy and a perverter6 ,i could swear that he has merely been placed here in order to keep watch on his ,eminence6 ,and you should see with what supple talent and craft he has performed his task1 to such a point indeed that it is now he alone who wills and orders things4 ,he opens the door to whomsoever he pleases1 uses his master like something belonging to him1 weighs on each of his resolutions1 and holds him in his power by dint of his stealthy unremitting efforts4 ,yes6 it's the lion conquered by the insect2 the infinitesimally small disposing of the infinitely great2 the train-bearer--whose proper part is to sit at his cardinal's feet like a faithful hound--in reality reigning over him1 and impelling him in whatsoever direction he chooses4 ,ah6 the ,jesuit6 the ,jesuit6 ,mistrust him when you see him gliding by in his shabby old cassock1 with the flabby wrinkled face of a devout old maid4 ,and make sure that he isn't behind the doors1 or in the cupboards1 or under the beds4 ,ah6 ,i tell you that they'll devour you as they've devoured me2 and they'll give you the fever too1 perhaps even the plague if you are not careful60 ,pierre suddenly halted in front of his companion4 ,he was losing all assurance1 both fear and rage were penetrating him4 ,and1 after all1 why not8 ,these extraordinary stories must be true4 8,but in that case give me some advice10 he exclaimed1 8,i asked you to come in here this evening precisely because ,i no longer know what to do1 and need to be set in the right path--0 ,then he broke off and again paced to and fro1 as if urged into motion by his exploding passion4 8,or rather no1 tell me nothing60 he abruptly resumed4 8,it's all over2 ,i prefer to go away4 ,the thought occurred to me before1 but it was in a moment of cowardice and with the idea of disappearing and of returning to live in peace in my little nook3 whereas now1 if ,i go off1 it will be as an avenger1 a judge1 to cry aloud to all the world from ,paris1 to proclaim what ,i have seen in ,rome1 what men have done there with the ,christianity of ,jesus1 the ,vatican falling into dust1 the corpse-like odour which comes from it1 the idiotic illusions of those who hope that they will one day see a renascence of the modern soul arise from a sepulchre where the remnants of dead centuries rot and slumber4 ,oh6 ,i will not yield1 ,i will not make my submission1 ,i will defend my book by a fresh one4 ,and that book1 ,i promise you1 will make some noise in the world1 for it will sound the last agony of a dying religion1 which one must make all haste to bury lest its remains should poison the nations60 ,all this was beyond ,don ,vigilio's mind4 ,the ,italian priest1 with narrow belief and ignorant terror of the new ideas1 awoke within him4 ,he clasped his hands1 affrighted4 8,be quiet1 be quiet6 ,you are blaspheming6 ,and1 besides1 you cannot go off like that without again trying to see his ,holiness4 ,he alone is sovereign4 ,and ,i know that ,i shall surprise you2 but ,father ,dangelis has given you in jest the only good advice that can be given3 ,go back to see ,monsignor ,nani1 for he alone will open the door of the ,vatican for you40 ,again did ,pierre give a start of anger3 8,what6 ,it was with ,monsignor ,nani that ,i began1 from him that ,i set out2 and ,i am to go back to him8 ,what game is that8 ,can ,i consent to be a shuttlecock sent flying hither and thither by every battledore8 ,people are having a game with me60 ,then1 harassed and distracted1 the young man fell on his chair in front of ,don ,vigilio1 who with his face drawn by his prolonged vigil1 and his hands still and ever faintly trembling1 remained for some time silent4 ,at last he explained that he had another idea4 ,he was slightly acquainted with the ,pope's confessor1 a ,franciscan father1 a man of great simplicity1 to whom he might recommend ,pierre4 ,this ,franciscan1 despite his self-effacement1 would perhaps prove of service to him4 ,at all events he might be tried4 ,then1 once more1 silence fell1 and ,pierre1 whose dreamy eyes were turned towards the wall1 ended by distinguishing the old picture which had touched him so deeply on the day of his arrival4 ,in the pale glow of the lamp it gradually showed forth and lived1 like an incarnation of his own case1 his own futile despair before the sternly closed portal of truth and justice4 ,ah6 that outcast woman1 that stubborn victim of love1 weeping amidst her streaming hair1 her visage hidden whilst with pain and grief she sank upon the steps of that palace whose door was so pitilessly shut--how she resembled him6 ,draped with a mere strip of linen1 she was shivering1 and amidst the overpowering distress of her abandonment she did not reveal her secret1 misfortune1 or transgression1 whichever it might be4 ,but he1 behind her close-pressed hands1 endowed her with a face akin to his own3 she became his sister1 as were all the poor creatures without roof or certainty who weep because they are naked and alone1 and wear out their strength in seeking to force the wicked thresholds of men4 ,he could never gaze at her without pitying her1 and it stirred him so much that evening to find her ever so unknown1 nameless and visageless1 yet steeped in the most bitter tears1 that he suddenly began to question his companion4 8,tell me10 said he1 8do you know who painted that old picture8 ,it stirs me to the soul like a masterpiece40 ,stupefied by this unexpected question1 the secretary raised his head and looked1 feeling yet more astonished when he had examined the blackened1 forsaken panel in its sorry frame4 8,where did it come from80 resumed ,pierre2 8why has it been stowed away in this room80 8,oh60 replied ,don ,vigilio1 with a gesture of indifference1 8it's nothing4 ,there are heaps of valueless old paintings everywhere4 ,that one1 no doubt1 has always been here4 ,but ,i don't know2 ,i never noticed it before40 ,whilst speaking he had at last risen to his feet1 and this simple action had brought on such a fit of shivering that he could scarcely take leave1 so violently did his teeth chatter with fever4 8,no1 no1 don't show me out10 he stammered1 8keep the lamp here4 ,and to conclude3 the best course is for you to leave yourself in the hands of ,monsignor ,nani1 for he1 at all events1 is a superior man4 ,i told you on your arrival that1 whether you would or not1 you would end by doing as he desired4 ,and so what's the use of struggling8 ,and mind1 not a word of our conversation to-night2 it would mean my death40 ,then he noiselessly opened the doors1 glanced distrustfully into the darkness of the passage1 and at last ventured out and disappeared1 regaining his own room with such soft steps that not the faintest footfall was heard amidst the tomb-like slumber of the old mansion4 ,on the morrow1 ,pierre1 again mastered by a desire to fight on to the very end1 got ,don ,vigilio to recommend him to the ,pope's confessor1 the ,franciscan friar with whom the secretary was slightly acquainted4 ,however1 this friar proved to be an extremely timid if worthy man1 selected precisely on account of his great modesty1 simplicity1 and absolute lack of influence in order that he might not abuse his position with respect to the ,holy ,father4 ,and doubtless there was an affectation of humility on the latter's part in taking for confessor a member of the humblest of the regular orders1 a friend of the poor1 a holy beggar of the roads4 ,at the same time the friar certainly enjoyed a reputation for oratory2 and hidden by a veil the ,pope at times listened to his sermons2 for although as infallible ,sovereign ,pontiff ,leo ,,xiii could not receive lessons from any priest1 it was admitted that as a man he might reap profit by listening to good discourse4 ,nevertheless apart from his natural eloquence1 the worthy friar was really a mere washer of souls1 a confessor who listens and absolves without even remembering the impurities which he removes in the waters of penitence4 ,and ,pierre1 finding him really so poor and such a cipher1 did not insist on an intervention which he realised would be futile4 ,all that day the young priest was haunted by the figure of that ingenuous lover of poverty1 that delicious ,st4 ,francis1 as ,narcisse ,habert was wont to say4 ,pierre had often wondered how such an apostle1 so gentle towards both animate and inanimate creation1 and so full of ardent charity for the wretched1 could have arisen in a country of egotism and enjoyment like ,italy1 where the love of beauty alone has remained queen4 ,doubtless the times have changed2 yet what a strong sap of love must have been needed in the old days1 during the great sufferings of the middle ages1 for such a consoler of the humble to spring from the popular soil and preach the gift of self to others1 the renunciation of wealth1 the horror of brutal force1 the equality and obedience which would ensure the peace of the world4 ,st4 ,francis trod the roads clad as one of the poorest1 a rope girdling his grey gown and his bare feet shod with sandals1 and he carried with him neither purse nor staff4 ,and he and his brethren spoke aloud and freely1 with sovereign florescence of poetry and boldness of truth1 attacking the rich and the powerful1 and daring even to denounce the priests of evil life1 the debauched1 simoniacal1 and perjured bishops4 ,a long cry of relief greeted the ,franciscans1 the people followed them in crowds--they were the friends1 the liberators of all the humble ones who suffered4 ,and thus1 like revolutionaries1 they at first so alarmed ,rome1 that the popes hesitated to authorise their ,order4 ,when they at last gave way it was assuredly with the hope of using this new force for their own profit1 by conquering the whole vague mass of the lowly whose covert threats have ever growled through the ages1 even in the most despotic times4 ,and thenceforward in the sons of ,st4 ,francis the ,church possessed an ever victorious army--a wandering army which spread over the roads1 in the villages and through the towns1 penetrating to the firesides of artisan and peasant1 and gaining possession of all simple hearts4 ,how great the democratic power of such an ,order which had sprung from the very entrails of the people6 ,and thence its rapid prosperity1 its teeming growth in a few years1 friaries arising upon all sides1 and the third ,order99 so invading the secular population as to impregnate and absorb it4 ,and that there was here a genuine growth of the soil1 a vigorous vegetation of the plebeian stock was shown by an entire national art arising from it--the precursors of the ,renascence in painting and even ,dante himself1 the soul of ,italia's genius4 99 ,the ,franciscans1 like the ,dominicans and others1 admit1 in addition to the two ,orders of friars and nuns1 a third ,order comprising devout persons of either sex who have neither the vocation nor the opportunity for cloistered life1 but live in the world1 privately observing the chief principles of the fraternity with which they are connected4 ,in central and southern ,europe members of these third ,orders are still numerous4--,trans4 ,for some days now1 in the ,rome of the present time1 ,pierre had been coming into contact with those great ,orders of the past4 ,the ,franciscans and the ,dominicans were there face to face in their vast convents of prosperous aspect4 ,but it seemed as if the humility of the ,franciscans had in the long run deprived them of influence4 ,perhaps1 too1 their rle as friends and liberators of the people was ended since the people now undertook to liberate itself4 ,and so the only real remaining battle was between the ,dominicans and the ,jesuits1 both of whom still claimed to mould the world according to their particular views4 ,warfare between them was incessant1 and ,rome--the supreme power at the ,vatican--was ever the prize for which they contended4 ,but1 although the ,dominicans had ,st4 ,thomas on their side1 they must have felt that their old dogmatic science was crumbling1 compelled as they were each day to surrender a little ground to the ,jesuits whose principles accorded better with the spirit of the century4 ,and1 in addition to these1 there were the white-robed ,carthusians1 those very holy1 pure1 and silent meditators who fled from the world into quiet cells and cloisters1 those despairing and consoled ones whose numbers may decrease but whose ,order will live for ever1 even as grief and desire for solitude will live4 ,and then there were the ,benedictines whose admirable rules have sanctified labour1 passionate toilers in literature and science1 once powerful instruments of civilisation1 enlarging universal knowledge by their immense historical and critical works4 ,these ,pierre loved1 and with them would have sought a refuge two centuries earlier1 yet he was astonished to find them building on the ,aventine a huge dwelling1 for which ,leo ,,xiii has already given millions1 as if the science of to-day and to-morrow were yet a field where they might garner harvests4 ,but cui bono1 when the workmen have changed1 and dogmas are there to bar the road--dogmas which totter1 no doubt1 but which believers may not fling aside in order to pass onward8 ,and finally came the swarm of less important ,orders1 hundreds in number2 there were the ,carmelites1 the ,trappists1 the ,minims1 the ,barnabites1 the ,lazzarists1 the ,eudists1 the ,mission ,fathers1 the ,servites1 the ,brothers of the ,christian ,doctrine2 there were the ,bernadines1 the ,augustinians1 the ,theatines1 the ,observants1 the ,passionists1 the ,clestines1 and the ,capuchins1 without counting the corresponding ,orders of women or the ,poor ,clares1 or the innumerable nuns like those of the ,visitation and the ,calvary4 ,each community had its modest or sumptuous dwelling1 certain districts of ,rome were entirely composed of convents1 and behind the silent lifeless faades all those people buzzed1 intrigued1 and waged the everlasting warfare of rival interests and passions4 ,the social evolution which produced them had long since ceased1 still they obstinately sought to prolong their life1 growing weaker and more useless day by day1 destined to a slow agony until the time shall come when the new development of society will leave them neither foothold nor breathing space4 ,and it was not only with the regulars that ,pierre came in contact during his peregrinations through ,rome2 indeed1 he more particularly had to deal with the secular clergy1 and learnt to know them well4 ,a hierarchical system which was still vigorously enforced maintained them in various ranks and classes4 ,up above1 around the ,pope1 reigned the pontifical family1 the high and noble cardinals and prelates whose conceit was great in spite of their apparent familiarity4 ,below them the parish clergy formed a very worthy middle class of wise and moderate minds2 and here patriot priests were not rare4 ,moreover1 the ,italian occupation of a quarter of a century1 by installing in the city a world of functionaries who saw everything that went on1 had1 curiously enough1 greatly purified the private life of the ,roman priesthood1 in which under the popes women1 beyond all question1 played a supreme part4 ,and finally one came to the plebeian clergy whom ,pierre studied with curiosity1 a collection of wretched1 grimy1 half-naked priests who like famished animals prowled around in search of masses1 and drifted into disreputable taverns in the company of beggars and thieves4 ,however1 he was more interested by the floating population of foreign priests from all parts of ,christendom--the adventurers1 the ambitious ones1 the believers1 the madmen whom ,rome attracted just as a lamp at night time attracts the insects of the gloom4 ,among these were men of every nationality1 position1 and age1 all lashed on by their appetites and scrambling from morn till eve around the ,vatican1 in order to snap at the prey which they hoped to secure4 ,he found them everywhere1 and told himself with some shame that he was one of them1 that the unit of his own personality served to increase the incredible number of cassocks that one encountered in the streets4 ,ah6 that ebb and flow1 that ceaseless tide of black gowns and frocks of every hue6 ,with their processions of students ever walking abroad1 the seminaries of the different nations would alone have sufficed to drape and decorate the streets1 for there were the ,french and the ,english all in black1 the ,south ,americans in black with blue sashes1 the ,north ,americans in black with red sashes1 the ,poles in black with green sashes1 the ,greeks in blue1 the ,germans in red1 the ,scots in violet1 the ,romans in black or violet or purple1 the ,bohemians with chocolate sashes1 the ,irish with red lappets1 the ,spaniards with blue cords1 to say nothing of all the others with broidery and bindings and buttons in a hundred different styles4 ,and in addition there were the confraternities1 the penitents1 white1 black1 blue1 and grey1 with sleeveless frocks and capes of different hue1 grey1 blue1 black1 or white4 ,and thus even nowadays ,papal ,rome at times seemed to resuscitate1 and one could realise how tenaciously and vivaciously she struggled on in order that she might not disappear in the cosmopolitan ,rome of the new era4 ,however1 ,pierre1 whilst running about from one prelate to another1 frequenting priests and crossing churches1 could not accustom himself to the worship1 the ,roman piety which astonished him when it did not wound him4 ,one rainy ,sunday morning1 on entering ,santa ,maria ,maggiore1 he fancied himself in some waiting-room1 a very splendid one1 no doubt1 but where ,god seemed to have no habitation4 ,there was not a bench1 not a chair in the nave1 across which people passed1 as they might pass through a railway station1 wetting and soiling the precious mosaic pavement with their muddy shoes2 and tired women and children sat round the bases of the columns1 even as in railway stations one sees people sitting and waiting for their trains during the great crushes of the holiday season4 ,and for this tramping throng of folks of small degree1 who had looked in en passant1 a priest was saying a low mass in a side chapel1 before which a narrow file of standing people had gathered1 extending across the nave1 and recalling the crowds which wait in front of theatres for the opening of the doors4 ,at the elevation of the host one and all inclined themselves devoutly1 but almost immediately afterwards the gathering dispersed4 ,and indeed why linger8 ,the mass was said4 ,pierre everywhere found the same form of attendance1 peculiar to the countries of the sun2 the worshippers were in a hurry and only favoured the ,deity with short familiar visits1 unless it were a question of some gala scene at ,san ,paolo or ,san ,giovanni in ,laterano or some other of the old basilicas4 ,it was only at the ,ges1 on another ,sunday morning1 that the young priest came upon a high-mass congregation1 which reminded him of the devout throngs of the ,north4 ,here there were benches and women seated1 a worldly warmth and cosiness under the luxurious1 gilded1 carved1 and painted roof1 whose tawny splendour is very fine now that time has toned down the eccentricities of the decoration4 ,but how many of the churches were empty1 among them some of the most ancient and venerable1 ,san ,clemente1 ,sant' ,agnese1 ,santa ,croce in ,gerusalemme1 where during the offices one saw but a few believers of the neighbourhood4 ,four hundred churches were a good many for even ,rome to people2 and1 indeed1 some were merely attended on fixed ceremonial occasions1 and a good many merely opened their doors once every year--on the feast day1 that is1 of their patron saint4 ,some also subsisted on the lucky possession of a fetish1 an idol compassionate to human sufferings4 ,santa ,maria in ,ara ,coeli possessed the miraculous little ,jesus1 the 8,bambino10 who healed sick children1 and ,sant' ,agostino had the 8,madonna del ,parto10 who grants a happy delivery to mothers4 ,then others were renowned for the holy water of their fonts1 the oil of their lamps1 the power of some wooden saint or marble virgin4 ,others again seemed forsaken1 given up to tourists and the perquisites of beadles1 like mere museums peopled with dead gods3 ,finally others disturbed one's faith by the suggestiveness of their aspects1 as1 for instance1 that ,santa ,maria ,rotonda1 which is located in the ,pantheon1 a circular hall recalling a circus1 where the ,virgin remains the evident tenant of the ,olympian deities4 ,pierre took no little interest in the churches of the poor districts1 but did not find there the keen faith and the throngs he had hoped for4 ,one afternoon1 at ,santa ,maria in ,trastevere1 he heard the choir in full song1 but the church was quite empty1 and the chant had a most lugubrious sound in such a desert4 ,then1 another day1 on entering ,san ,crisogono1 he found it draped1 probably in readiness for some festival on the morrow4 ,the columns were cased with red damask1 and between them were hangings and curtains alternately yellow and blue1 white and red2 and the young man fled from such a fearful decoration as gaudy as that of a fair booth4 ,ah6 how far he was from the cathedrals where in childhood he had believed and prayed6 ,on all sides he found the same type of church1 the antique basilica accommodated to the taste of eighteenth-century ,rome4 ,though the style of ,san ,luigi dei ,francesi is better1 more soberly elegant1 the only thing that touched him even there was the thought of the heroic or saintly ,frenchmen1 who sleep in foreign soil beneath the flags4 ,and as he sought for something ,gothic1 he ended by going to see ,santa ,maria sopra ,minerva199 which1 he was told1 was the only example of the ,gothic style in ,rome4 ,here his stupefaction attained a climax at sight of the clustering columns cased in stucco imitating marble1 the ogives which dared not soar1 the rounded vaults condemned to the heavy majesty of the dome style4 ,no1 no1 thought he1 the faith whose cooling cinders lingered there was no longer that whose brazier had invaded and set all ,christendom aglow6 ,however1 ,monsignor ,fornaro whom he chanced to meet as he was leaving the church1 inveighed against the ,gothic style as rank heresy4 ,the first ,christian church1 said the prelate1 had been the basilica1 which had sprung from the temple1 and it was blasphemy to assert that the ,gothic cathedral was the real ,christian house of prayer1 for ,gothic embodied the hateful ,anglo-,saxon spirit1 the rebellious genius of ,luther4 ,at this a passionate reply rose to ,pierre's lips1 but he said nothing for fear that he might say too much4 ,however1 he asked himself whether in all this there was not a decisive proof that ,catholicism was the very vegetation of ,rome1 ,paganism modified by ,christianity4 ,elsewhere ,christianity has grown up in quite a different spirit1 to such a point that it has risen in rebellion and schismatically turned against the mother-city4 ,and the breach has ever gone on widening1 the dissemblance has become more and more marked2 and amidst the evolution of new societies1 yet a fresh schism appears inevitable and proximate in spite of all the despairing efforts to maintain union4 99 ,so called because it occupies the site of a temple to ,minerva4--,trans4 ,while ,pierre thus visited the ,roman churches1 he also continued his efforts to gain support in the matter of his book1 his irritation tending to such stubbornness1 that if in the first instance he failed to obtain an interview1 he went back again and again to secure one1 steadfastly keeping his promise to call in turn upon each cardinal of the ,congregation of the ,index4 ,and as a cardinal may belong to several ,congregations1 it resulted that he gradually found himself roaming through those former ministries of the old pontifical government which1 if less numerous than formerly1 are still very intricate institutions1 each with its cardinal-prefect1 its cardinal-members1 its consultative prelates1 and its numerous employees4 ,pierre repeatedly had to return to the ,cancelleria1 where the ,congregation of the ,index meets1 and lost himself in its world of staircases1 corridors1 and halls4 ,from the moment he passed under the porticus he was overcome by the icy shiver which fell from the old walls1 and was quite unable to appreciate the bare1 frigid beauty of the palace1 ,bramante's masterpiece though it be1 so purely typical of the ,roman ,renascence4 ,he also knew the ,propaganda where he had seen ,cardinal ,sarno2 and1 sent as he was hither and thither1 in his efforts to gain over influential prelates1 chance made him acquainted with the other ,congregations1 that of the ,bishops and ,regulars1 that of the ,rites and that of the ,council4 ,he even obtained a glimpse of the ,consistorial1 the ,dataria199 and the sacred ,penitentiary4 ,all these formed part of the administrative mechanism of the ,church under its several aspects--the government of the ,catholic world1 the enlargement of the ,church's conquests1 the administration of its affairs in conquered countries1 the decision of all questions touching faith1 morals1 and individuals1 the investigation and punishment of offences1 the grant of dispensations and the sale of favours4 ,one can scarcely imagine what a fearful number of affairs are each morning submitted to the ,vatican1 questions of the greatest gravity1 delicacy1 and intricacy1 the solution of which gives rise to endless study and research4 ,it is necessary to reply to the innumerable visitors who flock to ,rome from all parts1 and to the letters1 the petitions1 and the batches of documents which are submitted and require to be distributed among the various offices4 ,and ,pierre was struck by the deep and discreet silence in which all this colossal labour was accomplished2 not a sound reaching the streets from the tribunals1 parliaments1 and factories for the manufacture of saints and nobles1 whose mechanism was so well greased1 that in spite of the rust of centuries and the deep and irremediable wear and tear1 the whole continued working without clank or creak to denote its presence behind the walls4 ,and did not that silence embody the whole policy of the ,church1 which is to remain mute and await developments8 ,nevertheless what a prodigious mechanism it was1 antiquated no doubt1 but still so powerful6 ,and amidst those ,congregations how keenly ,pierre felt himself to be in the grip of the most absolute power ever devised for the domination of mankind4 ,however much he might notice signs of decay and coming ruin he was none the less seized1 crushed1 and carried off by that huge engine made up of vanity and venality1 corruption and ambition1 meanness and greatness4 ,and how far1 too1 he now was from the ,rome that he had dreamt of1 and what anger at times filled him amidst his weariness1 as he persevered in his resolve to defend himself6 99 ,it is from the ,dataria that bulls1 rescripts1 letters of appointment to benefices1 and dispensations of marriage1 are issued1 after the affixture of the date and formula ,datum ,romae1 8,given at ,rome40--,trans4 ,all at once certain things which he had never understood were explained to him4 ,one day1 when he returned to the ,propaganda1 ,cardinal ,sarno spoke to him of ,freemasonry with such icy rage that he was abruptly enlightened4 ,freemasonry had hitherto made him smile2 he had believed in it no more than he had believed in the ,jesuits4 ,indeed1 he had looked upon the ridiculous stories which were current--the stories of mysterious1 shadowy men who governed the world with secret incalculable power--as mere childish legends4 ,in particular he had been amazed by the blind hatred which maddened certain people as soon as ,freemasonry was mentioned4 ,however1 a very distinguished and intelligent prelate had declared to him1 with an air of profound conviction1 that at least on one occasion every year each masonic ,lodge was presided over by the ,devil in person1 incarnate in a visible shape6 ,and now1 by ,cardinal ,sarno's remarks1 he understood the rivalry1 the furious struggle of the ,roman ,catholic ,church against that other ,church1 the ,church of over the way499 ,although the former counted on her own triumph1 she none the less felt that the other1 the ,church of ,freemasonry1 was a competitor1 a very ancient enemy1 who indeed claimed to be more ancient than herself1 and whose victory always remained a possibility4 ,and the friction between them was largely due to the circumstance that they both aimed at universal sovereignty1 and had a similar international organisation1 a similar net thrown over the nations1 and in a like way mysteries1 dogmas1 and rites4 ,it was deity against deity1 faith against faith1 conquest against conquest3 and so1 like competing tradesmen in the same street1 they were a source of mutual embarrassment1 and one of them was bound to kill the other4 ,but if ,roman ,catholicism seemed to ,pierre to be worn out and threatened with ruin1 he remained quite as sceptical with regard to the power of ,freemasonry4 ,he had made inquiries as to the reality of that power in ,rome1 where both ,grand ,master and ,pope were enthroned1 one in front of the other4 ,he was certainly told that the last ,roman princes had thought themselves compelled to become ,freemasons in order to render their own difficult position somewhat easier and facilitate the future of their sons4 ,but was this true8 had they not simply yielded to the force of the present social evolution8 ,and would not ,freemasonry eventually be submerged by its own triumph--that of the ideas of justice1 reason1 and truth1 which it had defended through the dark and violent ages of history8 ,it is a thing which constantly happens2 the victory of an idea kills the sect which has propagated it1 and renders the apparatus with which the members of the sect surrounded themselves1 in order to fire imaginations1 both useless and somewhat ridiculous4 ,carbonarism did not survive the conquest of the political liberties which it demanded2 and on the day when the ,catholic ,church crumbles1 having accomplished its work of civilisation1 the other ,church1 the ,freemasons' ,church of across the road1 will in a like way disappear1 its task of liberation ended4 ,nowadays the famous power of the ,lodges1 hampered by traditions1 weakened by a ceremonial which provokes laughter1 and reduced to a simple bond of brotherly agreement and mutual assistance1 would be but a sorry weapon of conquest for humanity1 were it not that the vigorous breath of science impels the nations onwards and helps to destroy the old religions4 99 ,some readers may think the above passages an exaggeration1 but such is not the case4 ,the hatred with which the ,catholic priesthood1 especially in ,italy1 ,spain1 and ,france1 regards ,freemasonry is remarkable4 ,at the moment of writing these lines ,i have before me several ,french clerical newspapers1 which contain the most abusive articles levelled against ,president ,faure solely because he is a ,freemason4 ,one of these prints1 a leading journal of ,lyons1 tells the ,french ,president that he cannot serve both ,god and the ,devil2 and that if he cannot give up ,freemasonry he would do well to cease desecrating the abode of the ,deity by his attendance at divine service4--,trans4 ,however1 all ,pierre's journeyings and applications brought him no certainty2 and1 while stubbornly clinging to ,rome1 intent on fighting to the very end1 like a soldier who will not believe in the possibility of defeat1 he remained as anxious as ever4 ,he had seen all the cardinals whose influence could be of use to him4 ,he had seen the ,cardinal ,vicar1 entrusted with the diocese of ,rome1 who1 like the man of letters he was1 had spoken to him of ,horace1 and1 like a somewhat blundering politician1 had questioned him about ,france1 the ,republic1 the ,army1 and the ,navy ,estimates1 without dealing in the slightest degree with the incriminated book4 ,he had also seen the ,grand ,penitentiary1 that tall old man1 with fleshless1 ascetic face1 of whom he had previously caught a glimpse at the ,boccanera mansion1 and from whom he now only drew a long and severe sermon on the wickedness of young priests1 whom the century had perverted and who wrote most abominable books4 ,finally1 at the ,vatican1 he had seen the ,cardinal ,secretary1 in some wise his ,holiness's ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs1 the great power of the ,holy ,see1 whom he had hitherto been prevented from approaching by terrifying warnings as to the possible result of an unfavourable reception4 ,however1 whilst apologising for calling at such a late stage1 he had found himself in presence of a most amiable man1 whose somewhat rough appearance was softened by diplomatic affability1 and who1 after making him sit down1 questioned him with an air of interest1 listened to him1 and even spoke some words of comfort4 ,nevertheless1 on again reaching the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's1 ,pierre well understood that his affair had not made the slightest progress1 and that if he ever managed to force the ,pope's door1 it would not be by way of the ,secretariate of ,state4 ,and that evening he returned home quite exhausted by so many visits1 in such distraction at feeling that little by little he had been wholly caught in that huge mechanism with its hundred wheels1 that he asked himself in terror what he should do on the morrow now that there remained nothing for him to do--unless1 indeed1 it were to go mad4 ,however1 meeting ,don ,vigilio in a passage of the house1 he again wished to ask him for some good advice4 ,but the secretary1 who had a gleam of terror in his eyes1 silenced him1 he knew not why1 with an anxious gesture4 ,and then in a whisper1 in ,pierre's ear1 he said3 8,have you seen ,monsignor ,nani8 ,no6 ,well1 go to see him1 go to see him4 ,i repeat that you have nothing else to do60 ,pierre yielded4 ,and indeed why should he have resisted8 ,apart from the motives of ardent charity which had brought him to ,rome to defend his book1 was he not there for a self-educating1 experimental purpose8 ,it was necessary that he should carry his attempts to the very end4 ,on the morrow1 when he reached the colonnade of ,st4 ,peter's1 the hour was so early that he had to wait there awhile4 ,he had never better realised the enormity of those four curving rows of columns1 forming a forest of gigantic stone trunks among which nobody ever promenades4 ,in fact1 the spot is a grandiose and dreary desert1 and one asks oneself the why and wherefore of such a majestic porticus4 ,doubtless1 however1 it was for its sole majesty1 for the mere pomp of decoration1 that this colonnade was reared2 and therein1 again1 one finds the whole ,roman spirit4 ,however1 ,pierre at last turned into the ,via di ,sant' ,offizio1 and passing the sacristy of ,st4 ,peter's1 found himself before the ,palace of the ,holy ,office in a solitary silent district1 which the footfall of pedestrians or the rumble of wheels but seldom disturbs4 ,the sun alone lives there1 in sheets of light which spread slowly over the small1 white paving4 ,you divine the vicinity of the ,basilica1 for there is a smell as of incense1 a cloisteral quiescence as of the slumber of centuries4 ,and at one corner the ,palace of the ,holy ,office rises up with heavy1 disquieting bareness1 only a single row of windows piercing its lofty1 yellow front4 ,the wall which skirts a side street looks yet more suspicious with its row of even smaller casements1 mere peep-holes with glaucous panes4 ,in the bright sunlight this huge cube of mud-coloured masonry ever seems asleep1 mysterious1 and closed like a prison1 with scarcely an aperture for communication with the outer world4 ,pierre shivered1 but then smiled as at an act of childishness1 for he reflected that the ,holy ,roman and ,universal ,inquisition1 nowadays the ,sacred ,congregation of the ,holy ,office1 was no longer the institution it had been1 the purveyor of heretics for the stake1 the occult tribunal beyond appeal which had right of life and death over all mankind4 ,true1 it still laboured in secrecy1 meeting every ,wednesday1 and judging and condemning without a sound issuing from within its walls4 ,but on the other hand if it still continued to strike at the crime of heresy1 if it smote men as well as their works1 it no longer possessed either weapons or dungeons1 steel or fire to do its bidding1 but was reduced to a mere rle of protest1 unable to inflict aught but disciplinary penalties even upon the ecclesiastics of its own ,church4 ,when ,pierre on entering was ushered into the reception-room of ,monsignor ,nani who1 as assessor1 lived in the palace1 he experienced an agreeable surprise4 ,the apartment faced the south1 and was spacious and flooded with sunshine4 ,and stiff as was the furniture1 dark as were the hangings1 an exquisite sweetness pervaded the room1 as though a woman had lived in it and accomplished the prodigy of imparting some of her own grace to all those stern-looking things4 ,there were no flowers1 yet there was a pleasant smell4 ,a charm expanded and conquered every heart from the very threshold4 ,monsignor ,nani at once came forward1 with a smile on his rosy face1 his blue eyes keenly glittering1 and his fine light hair powdered by age4 ,with hands outstretched1 he exclaimed3 8,ah6 how kind of you to have come to see me1 my dear son6 ,come1 sit down1 let us have a friendly chat40 ,then with an extraordinary display of affection1 he began to question ,pierre3 8,how are you getting on8 ,tell me all about it1 exactly what you have done40 ,touched in spite of ,don ,vigilio's revelations1 won over by the sympathy which he fancied he could detect1 ,pierre thereupon confessed himself1 relating his visits to ,cardinal ,sarno1 ,monsignor ,fornaro and ,father ,dangelis1 his applications to all the influential cardinals1 those of the ,index1 the ,grand ,penitentiary1 the ,cardinal ,vicar1 and the ,cardinal ,secretary2 and dwelling on his endless journeys from door to door through all the ,congregations and all the clergy1 that huge1 active1 silent bee-hive amidst which he had wearied his feet1 exhausted his limbs1 and bewildered his poor brain4 ,and at each successive ,station of this ,calvary of entreaty1 ,monsignor ,nani1 who seemed to listen with an air of rapture1 exclaimed3 8,but that's very good1 that's capital6 ,oh6 your affair is progressing4 ,yes1 yes1 it's progressing marvellously well40 ,he was exultant1 though he allowed no unseemly irony to appear1 while his pleasant1 penetrating eyes fathomed the young priest1 to ascertain if he had been brought to the requisite degree of obedience4 ,had he been sufficiently wearied1 disillusioned and instructed in the reality of things1 for one to finish with him8 ,had three months' sojourn in ,rome sufficed to turn the somewhat mad enthusiast of the first days into an unimpassioned or at least resigned being8 ,however1 all at once ,monsignor ,nani remarked3 8,but1 my dear son1 you tell me nothing of his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti40 8,the fact is1 ,monseigneur1 that his ,eminence is at ,frascati1 so ,i have been unable to see him40 ,thereupon the prelate1 as if once more postponing the dnouement with the secret enjoyment of an artistic diplomate1 began to protest1 raising his little plump hands with the anxious air of a man who considers everything lost3 8,oh6 but you must see his ,eminence2 it is absolutely necessary6 ,think of it6 ,the ,prefect of the ,index6 ,we can only act after your visit to him1 for as you have not seen him it is as if you had seen nobody4 ,go1 go to ,frascati1 my dear son40 ,and thereupon ,pierre could only bow and reply3 8,i will go1 ,monseigneur40 ,,xi4 ,,although ,pierre knew that he would be unable to see ,cardinal ,sanguinetti before eleven o'clock1 he nevertheless availed himself of an early train1 so that it was barely nine when he alighted at the little station of ,frascati4 ,he had already visited the place during his enforced idleness1 when he had made the classical excursion to the ,roman castles which extend from ,frascati to ,rocco di ,papa1 and from ,rocco di ,papa to ,monte ,cavo1 and he was now delighted with the prospect of strolling for a couple of hours along those first slopes of the ,alban hills1 where1 amidst rushes1 olives1 and vines1 ,frascati1 like a promontory1 overlooks the immense ruddy sea of the ,campagna even as far as ,rome1 which1 six full leagues away1 wears the whitish aspect of a marble isle4 ,ah6 that charming ,frascati1 on its greeny knoll at the foot of the wooded ,tusculan heights1 with its famous terrace whence one enjoys the finest view in the world1 its old patrician villas with proud and elegant ,renascence faades and magnificent parks1 which1 planted with cypress1 pine1 and ilex1 are for ever green6 ,there was a sweetness1 a delight1 a fascination about the spot1 of which ,pierre would have never wearied4 ,and for more than an hour he had wandered blissfully along roads edged with ancient1 knotty olive-trees1 along dingle ways shaded by the spreading foliage of neighbouring estates1 and along perfumed paths1 at each turn of which the ,campagna was seen stretching far away1 when all at once he was accosted by a person whom he was both surprised and annoyed to meet4 ,he had strolled down to some low ground near the railway station1 some old vineyards where a number of new houses had been built of recent years1 and suddenly saw a stylish pair-horse victoria1 coming from the direction of ,rome1 draw up close by1 whilst its occupant called to him3 8,what6 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 are you taking a walk here1 at this early hour80 ,thereupon ,pierre recognised ,count ,luigi ,prada1 who alighted1 shook hands with him and began to walk beside him1 whilst the empty carriage went on in advance4 ,and forthwith the ,count explained his tastes3 8,i seldom take the train10 he said1 8,i drive over4 ,it gives my horses an outing4 ,i have interests over here as you may know1 a big building enterprise which is unfortunately not progressing very well4 ,and so1 although the season is advanced1 ,i'm obliged to come rather more frequently than ,i care to do40 ,as ,prada suggested1 ,pierre was acquainted with the story4 ,the ,boccaneras had been obliged to sell a sumptuous villa which a cardinal of their family had built at ,frascati in accordance with the plans of ,giacomo della ,porta1 during the latter part of the sixteenth century3 a regal summer-residence it had been1 finely wooded1 with groves and basins and cascades1 and in particular a famous terrace projecting like a cape above the ,roman ,campagna whose expanse stretches from the ,sabine mountains to the ,mediterranean sands4 ,through the division of the property1 ,benedetta had inherited from her mother some very extensive vineyards below ,frascati1 and these she had brought as dowry to ,prada at the very moment when the building mania was extending from ,rome into the provinces4 ,and thereupon ,prada had conceived the idea of erecting on the spot a number of middle-class villas like those which litter the suburbs of ,paris4 ,few purchasers1 however1 had come forward1 the financial crash had supervened1 and he was now with difficulty liquidating this unlucky business1 having indemnified his wife at the time of their separation4 8,and then10 he continued1 addressing ,pierre1 8one can come and go as one likes with a carriage1 whereas1 on taking the train1 one is at the mercy of the time table4 ,this morning1 for instance1 ,i have appointments with contractors1 experts1 and lawyers1 and ,i have no notion how long they will keep me4 ,it's a wonderful country1 isn't it8 ,and we are quite right to be proud of it in ,rome4 ,although ,i may have some worries just now1 ,i can never set foot here without my heart beating with delight40 ,a circumstance which he did not mention1 was that his amica1 ,lisbeth ,kauffmann1 had spent the summer in one of the newly erected villas1 where she had installed her studio and had been visited by all the foreign colony1 which tolerated her irregular position on account of her gay spirits and artistic talent4 ,indeed1 people had even ended by accepting the outcome of her connection with ,prada1 and a fortnight previously she had returned to ,rome1 and there given birth to a son--an event which had again revived all the scandalous tittle-tattle respecting ,benedetta's divorce suit4 ,and ,prada's attachment to ,frascati doubtless sprang from the recollection of the happy hours he had spent there1 and the joyful pride with which the birth of the boy inspired him4 ,pierre1 for his part1 felt ill at ease in the young ,count's presence1 for he had an instinctive hatred of money-mongers and men of prey4 ,nevertheless1 he desired to respond to his amiability1 and so inquired after his father1 old ,orlando1 the hero of the ,liberation4 8,oh60 replied ,prada1 8excepting for his legs he's in wonderfully good health4 ,he'll live a hundred years4 ,poor father6 ,i should so much have liked to install him in one of these little houses1 last summer4 ,but ,i could not get him to consent2 he's determined not to leave ,rome2 he's afraid1 perhaps1 that it might be taken away from him during his absence40 ,then the young ,count burst into a laugh1 quite merry at the thought of jeering at the heroic but no longer fashionable age of independence4 ,and afterwards he said1 8,my father was speaking of you again only yesterday1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,he is astonished that he has not seen you lately40 ,this distressed ,pierre1 for he had begun to regard ,orlando with respectful affection4 ,since his first visit1 he had twice called on the old hero1 but the latter had refused to broach the subject of ,rome so long as his young friend should not have seen1 felt1 and understood everything4 ,there would be time for a talk later on1 said he1 when they were both in a position to formulate their conclusions4 8,pray tell ,count ,orlando10 responded ,pierre1 8that ,i have not forgotten him1 and that1 if ,i have deferred a fresh visit1 it is because ,i desire to satisfy him4 ,however1 ,i certainly will not leave ,rome without going to tell him how deeply his kind greeting has touched me40 ,whilst talking1 the two men slowly followed the ascending road past the newly erected villas1 several of which were not yet finished4 ,and when ,prada learned that the priest had come to call on ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 he again laughed1 with the laugh of a good-natured wolf1 showing his white fangs4 8,true10 he exclaimed1 8the ,cardinal has been here since the ,pope has been laid up4 ,ah6 you'll find him in a pretty fever40 8,why80 8,why1 because there's bad news about the ,holy ,father this morning4 ,when ,i left ,rome it was rumoured that he had spent a fearful night40 ,so speaking1 ,prada halted at a bend of the road1 not far from an antique chapel1 a little church of solitary1 mournful grace of aspect1 on the verge of an olive grove4 ,beside it stood a ruinous building1 the old parsonage1 no doubt1 whence there suddenly emerged a tall1 knotty priest with coarse and earthy face1 who1 after roughly locking the door1 went off in the direction of the town4 8,ah60 resumed the ,count in a tone of raillery1 8that fellow's heart also must be beating violently2 he's surely gone to your ,cardinal in search of news40 ,pierre had looked at the priest4 8,i know him10 he replied2 8,i saw him1 ,i remember1 on the day after my arrival at ,cardinal ,boccanera's4 ,he brought the ,cardinal a basket of figs and asked him for a certificate in favour of his young brother1 who had been sent to prison for some deed of violence--a knife thrust if ,i recollect rightly4 ,however1 the ,cardinal absolutely refused him the certificate40 8,it's the same man10 said ,prada1 8you may depend on it4 ,he was often at the ,villa ,boccanera formerly2 for his young brother was gardener there4 ,but he's now the client1 the creature of ,cardinal ,sanguinetti4 ,santobono his name is1 and he's a curious character1 such as you wouldn't find in ,france1 ,i fancy4 ,he lives all alone in that falling hovel1 and officiates at that old chapel of ,st4 ,mary in the ,fields1 where people don't go to hear mass three times in a year4 ,yes1 it's a perfect sinecure1 which with its stipend of a thousand francs enables him to live there like a peasant philosopher1 cultivating the somewhat extensive garden whose big walls you see yonder40 ,the close to which he called attention stretched down the slope behind the parsonage1 without an aperture1 like some savage place of refuge into which not even the eye could penetrate4 ,and all that could be seen above the left-hand wall was a superb1 gigantic fig-tree1 whose big leaves showed blackly against the clear sky4 ,prada had moved on again1 and continued to speak of ,santobono1 who evidently interested him4 ,fancy1 a patriot priest1 a ,garibaldian6 ,born at ,nemi1 in that yet savage nook among the ,alban hills1 he belonged to the people and was still near to the soil4 ,however1 he had studied1 and knew sufficient history to realise the past greatness of ,rome1 and dream of the re-establishment of ,roman dominion as represented by young ,italy4 ,and he had come to believe1 with passionate fervour1 that only a great pope could realise his dream by seizing upon power1 and then conquering all the other nations4 ,and what could be easier1 since the ,pope commanded millions of ,catholics8 ,did not half ,europe belong to him8 ,france1 ,spain1 and ,austria would give way as soon as they should see him powerful1 dictating laws to the world4 ,germany and ,great ,britain1 indeed all the ,protestant countries1 would also inevitably be conquered1 for the papacy was the only dike that could be opposed to error1 which must some day fatally succumb in its efforts against such a barrier4 ,politically1 however1 ,santobono had declared himself for ,germany1 for he considered that ,france needed to be crushed before she would throw herself into the arms of the ,holy ,father4 ,and thus contradictions and fancies clashed in his foggy brain1 whose burning ideas swiftly turned to violence under the influence of primitive1 racial fierceness4 ,briefly1 the priest was a barbarian upholder of the ,gospel1 a friend of the humble and woeful1 a sectarian of that school which is capable alike of great virtues and great crimes4 8,yes10 concluded ,prada1 8he is now devoted to ,cardinal ,sanguinetti because he believes that the latter will prove the great pope of to-morrow1 who is to make ,rome the one capital of the nations4 ,at the same time he doubtless harbours a lower personal ambition1 that of attaining to a canonry or of gaining assistance in the little worries of life1 as when he wished to extricate his brother from trouble4 ,here1 you know1 people stake their luck on a cardinal just as they nurse a #8trey' in the lottery1 and if their cardinal proves the winning number and becomes pope they gain a fortune4 ,and that's why you now see ,santobono striding along yonder1 all anxiety to know if ,leo ,,xiii will die and ,sanguinetti don the tiara40 8,do you think the ,pope so very ill1 then80 asked ,pierre1 both anxious and interested4 ,the ,count smiled and raised both arms3 8,ah60 said he1 8can one ever tell8 ,they all get ill when their interest lies that way4 ,however1 ,i believe that the ,pope is this time really indisposed2 a complaint of the bowels1 it is said2 and at his age1 you know1 the slightest indisposition may prove fatal40 ,the two men took a few steps in silence1 then the priest again asked a question3 8,would ,cardinal ,sanguinetti have a great chance if the ,holy ,see were vacant80 8,a great chance6 ,ah6 that's another of those things which one never knows4 ,the truth is people class ,sanguinetti among the acceptable candidates1 and if personal desire sufficed he would certainly be the next pope1 for ambition consumes him to the marrow1 and he displays extraordinary passion and determination in his efforts to succeed4 ,but therein lies his very weakness2 he is using himself up1 and he knows it4 ,and so he must be resolved to every step during the last days of battle4 ,you may be quite sure that if he has shut himself up here at this critical time1 it is in order that he may the better direct his operations from a distance1 whilst at the same time feigning a retreat1 a disinterestedness which is bound to have a good effect40 ,then ,prada began to expatiate on ,sanguinetti with no little complacency1 for he liked the man's spirit of intrigue1 his keen1 conquering appetite1 his excessive1 and even somewhat blundering activity4 ,he had become acquainted with him on his return from the nunciature at ,vienna1 when he had already resolved to win the tiara4 ,that ambition explained everything1 his quarrels and reconciliations with the reigning pope1 his affection for ,germany1 followed by a sudden evolution in the direction of ,france1 his varying attitude with regard to ,italy1 at first a desire for agreement1 and then absolute rejection of all compromises1 a refusal to grant any concession1 so long as ,rome should not be evacuated4 ,this1 indeed1 seemed to be ,sanguinetti's definite position2 he made a show of disliking the wavering sway of ,leo ,,xiii1 and of retaining a fervent admiration for ,pius ,,ix1 the great1 heroic pope of the days of resistance1 whose goodness of heart had proved no impediment to unshakable firmness4 ,and all this was equivalent to a promise that he1 ,sanguinetti1 would again make kindliness exempt from weakness1 the rule of the ,church1 and would steer clear of the dangerous compounding of politics4 ,at bottom1 however1 politics were his only dream1 and he had even formulated a complete programme of intentional vagueness1 which his clients and creatures spread abroad with an air of rapturous mystery4 ,however1 since a previous indisposition of the ,pope's1 during the spring1 he had been living in mortal disquietude1 for it had then been rumoured that the ,jesuits would resign themselves to support ,cardinal ,pio ,boccanera1 although the latter scarcely favoured them4 ,he was rough and stern1 no doubt1 and his extreme bigotry might be a source of danger in this tolerant age2 but1 on the other hand1 was he not a patrician1 and would not his election imply that the papacy would never cease to claim the temporal power8 ,from that moment ,boccanera had been the one man whom ,sanguinetti feared1 for he beheld himself despoiled of his prize1 and spent his time in devising plans to rid himself of such a powerful rival1 repeating abominable stories of ,cardinal ,pio's alleged complaisance with regard to ,benedetta and ,dario1 and incessantly representing him as ,antichrist1 the man of sin1 whose reign would consummate the ruin of the papacy4 ,finally1 to regain the support of the ,jesuits1 ,sanguinetti's last idea was to repeat through his familiars that for his part he would not merely maintain the principle of the temporal power intact1 but would even undertake to regain that power4 ,and he had a full plan on the subject1 which folks confided to one another in whispers1 a plan which1 in spite of its apparent concessions1 would lead to the overwhelming victory of the ,church4 ,it was to raise the prohibition which prevented ,catholics from voting or becoming candidates at the ,italian elections2 to send a hundred1 then two hundred1 and then three hundred deputies to the ,chamber1 and in that wise to overthrow the ,house of ,savoy1 and establish a ,federation of the ,italian provinces1 whereof the ,holy ,father1 once more placed in possession of ,rome1 would become the august and sovereign ,president4 ,as ,prada finished he again laughed1 showing his white teeth--teeth which would never readily relinquish the prey they held4 8,so you see10 he added1 8we need to defend ourselves1 since it's a question of turning us out4 ,fortunately1 there are some little obstacles in the way of that4 ,nevertheless1 such dreams naturally have great influence on excited minds1 such as that of ,santobono1 for instance4 ,he's a man whom one word from ,sanguinetti would lead far indeed4 ,ah6 he has good legs4 ,look at him up yonder1 he has already reached the ,cardinal's little palace--that white villa with the sculptured balconies40 ,pierre raised his eyes and perceived the episcopal residence1 which was one of the first houses of ,frascati4 ,of modern construction and ,renascence style1 it overlooked the immensity of the ,roman ,campagna4 ,it was now eleven o'clock1 and as the young priest1 before going up to pay his own visit1 bade the ,count good-bye1 the latter for a moment kept hold of his hand4 8,do you know10 said he1 8it would be very kind of you to lunch with me--will you8 ,come and join me at that restaurant yonder with the pink front as soon as you are at liberty4 ,i shall have settled my own business in an hour's time1 and ,i shall be delighted to have your company at table40 ,pierre began by declining1 but he could offer no possible excuse1 and at last surrendered1 won over1 despite himself1 by ,prada's real charm of manner4 ,when they had parted1 the young priest only had to climb a street in order to reach the ,cardinal's door4 ,with his natural expansiveness and craving for popularity1 ,sanguinetti was easy of access1 and at ,frascati in particular his doors were flung open even to the most humble cassocks4 ,so ,pierre was at once ushered in1 a circumstance which somewhat surprised him1 for he remembered the bad humour of the servant whom he had seen on calling at the ,cardinal's residence in ,rome1 when he had been advised to forego the journey1 as his ,eminence did not like to be disturbed when he was ill4 ,however1 nothing spoke of illness in that pleasant villa1 flooded with sunshine4 ,true1 the waiting-room1 where he was momentarily left alone1 displayed neither luxury nor comfort2 but it was brightened by the finest light in the world1 and overlooked that extraordinary ,campagna1 so flat1 so bare1 and so unique in its beauty1 for in front of it one ever dreams and sees the past arise4 ,and so1 whilst waiting1 ,pierre stationed himself at an open window1 conducting on to a balcony1 and his eyes roamed over the endless sea of herbage to the far-away whiteness of ,rome1 above which rose the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 at that distance a mere sparkling speck1 barely as large as the nail of one's little finger4 ,however1 the young man had scarcely taken up this position when he was surprised to hear some people talking1 their words reaching him with great distinctness4 ,and on leaning forward he realised that his ,eminence in person was standing on another balcony close by1 and conversing with a priest1 only a portion of whose cassock could be seen4 ,still1 this sufficed for ,pierre to recognise ,santobono4 ,his first impulse1 dictated by natural discretion1 was to withdraw from the window1 but the words he next heard riveted him to the spot4 8,we shall know in a moment10 his ,eminence was saying in his full voice4 8,i sent ,eufemio to ,rome1 for he is the only person in whom ,i've any confidence4 ,and see1 there is the train bringing him back40 ,a train1 still as small as a plaything1 could in fact be seen approaching over the vast plain1 and doubtless it was to watch for its arrival that ,sanguinetti had stationed himself on the balcony4 ,and there he lingered1 with his eyes fixed on distant ,rome4 ,then ,santobono1 in a passionate voice1 spoke some words which ,pierre imperfectly understood1 but the ,cardinal with clear articulation rejoined1 8,yes1 yes1 my dear fellow1 a catastrophe would be a great misfortune4 ,ah6 may his ,holiness long be preserved to us40 ,then he paused1 and as he was no hypocrite1 gave full expression to the thoughts which were in his mind3 8,at least1 ,i hope that he will be preserved just now1 for the times are bad1 and ,i am in frightful anguish4 ,the partisans of ,antichrist have lately gained much ground40 ,a cry escaped ,santobono3 8,oh6 your ,eminence will act and triumph40 8,i1 my dear fellow8 ,what would you have me do8 ,i am simply at the disposal of my friends1 those who are willing to believe in me1 with the sole object of ensuring the victory of the ,holy ,see4 ,it is they who ought to act1 it is they--each according to the measure of his means--who ought to bar the road to the wicked in order that the righteous may succeed4 ,ah6 if ,antichrist should reign--0 ,the recurrence of this word ,antichrist greatly disturbed ,pierre2 but he suddenly remembered what the ,count had told him3 ,antichrist was ,cardinal ,boccanera4 8,think of that1 my dear fellow10 continued ,sanguinetti4 8,picture ,antichrist at the ,vatican1 consummating the ruin of religion by his implacable pride1 his iron will1 his gloomy passion for nihility2 for there can be no doubt of it1 he is the ,beast of ,death announced by the prophecies1 the ,beast who will expose one and all to the danger of being swallowed up with him in his furious rush into abysmal darkness4 ,i know him2 he only dreams of obstinacy and destruction1 he will seize the pillars of the temple and shake them in order that he may sink beneath the ruins1 he and the whole ,catholic world6 ,in less than six months he will be driven from ,rome1 at strife with all the nations1 execrated by ,italy1 and roaming the world like the phantom of the last pope60 ,it was with a low growl1 suggestive of a stifled oath1 that ,santobono responded to this frightful prediction4 ,but the train had now reached the station1 and among the few passengers who had alighted1 ,pierre could distinguish a little ,abb1 who was walking so fast that his cassock flapped against his hips4 ,it was ,abb ,eufemio1 the ,cardinal's secretary1 and when he had perceived his ,eminence on the balcony he lost all self-respect1 and broke into a run1 in order that he might the sooner ascend the sloping street4 8,ah6 here's ,eufemio10 exclaimed the ,cardinal1 quivering with anxiety4 8,we shall know now1 we shall know now40 ,the secretary had plunged into the doorway below1 and he climbed the stairs with such rapidity that almost immediately afterwards ,pierre saw him rush breathlessly across the waiting-room1 and vanish into the ,cardinal's sanctum4 ,sanguinetti had quitted the balcony to meet his messenger1 but soon afterwards he returned to it asking questions1 venting exclamations1 raising1 in fact1 quite a tumult over the news which he had received4 8,and so it's really true1 the night was a bad one4 ,his ,holiness scarcely slept6 ,colic1 you were told8 ,but nothing could be worse at his age2 it might carry him off in a couple of hours4 ,and the doctors1 what do they say80 ,the answer did not reach ,pierre1 but he understood its purport as the ,cardinal in his naturally loud voice resumed3 8,oh6 the doctors never know4 ,besides1 when they refuse to speak death is never far off4 ,dio6 what a misfortune if the catastrophe cannot be deferred for a few days60 ,then he became silent1 and ,pierre realised that his eyes were once more travelling towards ,rome1 gazing with ambitious anguish at the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 that little1 sparkling speck above the vast1 ruddy plain4 ,what a commotion1 what agitation if the ,pope were dead6 ,and he wished that it had merely been necessary for him to stretch forth his arm in order to take and hold the ,eternal ,city1 the ,holy ,city1 which1 yonder on the horizon1 occupied no more space than a heap of gravel cast there by a child's spade4 ,and he was already dreaming of the coming ,conclave1 when the canopy of each other cardinal would fall1 and his own1 motionless and sovereign1 would crown him with purple4 8,but you are right1 my friend60 he suddenly exclaimed1 addressing ,santobono1 8one must act1 the salvation of the ,church is at stake4 ,and1 besides1 it is impossible that ,heaven should not be with us1 since our sole desire is its triumph4 ,if necessary1 at the supreme moment1 ,heaven will know how to crush ,antichrist40 ,then1 for the first time1 ,pierre distinctly heard the voice of ,santobono1 who1 gruffly1 with a sort of savage decision1 responded3 8,oh6 if ,heaven is tardy it shall be helped40 ,that was all2 the young man heard nothing further save a confused murmur of voices4 ,the speakers quitted the balcony1 and his spell of waiting began afresh in the sunlit salon so peaceful and delightful in its brightness4 ,but all at once the door of his ,eminence's private room was thrown wide open and a servant ushered him in2 and he was surprised to find the ,cardinal alone1 for he had not witnessed the departure of the two priests1 who had gone off by another door4 ,the ,cardinal1 with his highly coloured face1 big nose1 thick lips1 square-set1 vigorous figure1 which still looked young despite his sixty years1 was standing near a window in the bright golden light4 ,he had put on the paternal smile with which he greeted even the humblest from motives of good policy1 and as soon as ,pierre had knelt and kissed his ring1 he motioned him to a chair4 8,sit down1 dear son1 sit down4 ,you have come of course about that unfortunate affair of your book4 ,i am very pleased indeed to be able to speak with you about it40 ,he himself then took a chair in front of that window overlooking ,rome whence he seemed unable to drag himself4 ,and the young priest1 whilst apologising for coming to disturb his rest1 perceived that he scarcely listened1 for his eyes again sought the prey which he so ardently coveted4 ,yet the semblance of good-natured attention was perfect1 and ,pierre marvelled at the force of will which this man must possess to appear so calm1 so interested in the affairs of others1 when such a tempest was raging in him4 8,your ,eminence will1 ,i hope1 kindly forgive me10 continued the young priest4 8,but you have done right to come1 since ,i am kept here by my failing health10 said the ,cardinal4 8,besides1 ,i am somewhat better1 and it is only natural that you should wish to give me some explanations and defend your work and enlighten my judgment4 ,in fact1 ,i was astonished at not yet having seen you1 for ,i know that your faith in your cause is great and that you spare no steps to convert your judges4 ,so speak1 my dear son1 ,i am listening and shall be pleased indeed if ,i can absolve you40 ,pierre was caught by these kind words1 and a hope returned to him1 that of winning the support of the all-powerful ,prefect of the ,index4 ,he already regarded this ex-nuncio--who at ,brussels and ,vienna had acquired the worldly art of sending people away satisfied with indefinite promises though he meant to grant them nothing--as a man of rare intelligence and exquisite cordiality4 ,and so once more he regained the fervour of his apostolate to express his views respecting the future ,rome1 the ,rome he dreamt of1 which was destined yet again to become the mistress of the world if she would return to the ,christianity of ,jesus1 to an ardent love for the weak and the humble4 ,sanguinetti smiled1 wagged his head1 and raised exclamations of rapture3 8,very good1 very good indeed1 perfect6 ,oh6 ,i agree with you1 dear son4 ,one cannot put things better4 ,it is quite evident2 all good minds must agree with you40 ,and then1 said he1 the poetic side deeply touched him4 ,like ,leo ,,xiii--and doubtless in a spirit of rivalry--he courted the reputation of being a very distinguished ,latinist1 and professed a special and boundless affection for ,virgil4 8,i know1 ,i know10 he exclaimed1 8,i remember your page on the return of spring1 which consoles the poor whom winter has frozen4 ,oh6 ,i read it three times over6 ,and are you aware that your writing is full of ,latin turns of style4 ,i noticed more than fifty expressions which could be found in the #8,bucolics4' ,your book is a charm1 a perfect charm60 ,as he was no fool1 and realised that the little priest before him was a man of high intelligence1 he ended by interesting himself1 not in ,pierre personally1 but in the profit which he might possibly derive from him4 ,amidst his feverish intrigues1 he unceasingly sought to utilise all the qualities possessed by those whom ,god sent to him that might in any way be conducive to his own triumph4 ,so1 for a moment1 he turned away from ,rome and looked his companion in the face1 listening to him and asking himself in what way he might employ him--either at once in the crisis through which he was passing1 or later on when he should be pope4 ,but the young priest again made the mistake of attacking the temporal power1 and of employing that unfortunate expression1 8a new religion40 ,thereupon the ,cardinal stopped him with a gesture1 still smiling1 still retaining all his amiability1 although the resolution which he had long since formed became from that moment definitive4 8,you are certainly in the right on many points1 my dear son10 he said1 8and ,i often share your views--share them completely4 ,but come1 you are doubtless not aware that ,i am the protector of ,lourdes here at ,rome4 ,and so1 after the page which you have written about the ,grotto1 how can ,i possibly pronounce in your favour and against the ,fathers80 ,pierre was utterly overcome by this announcement1 for he was indeed unaware of the ,cardinal's position with respect to ,lourdes1 nobody having taken the precaution to warn him4 ,however1 each of the ,catholic enterprises distributed throughout the world has a protector at ,rome1 a cardinal who is designated by the ,pope to represent it and1 if need be1 to defend it4 8,those good ,fathers60 ,sanguinetti continued in a gentle voice1 8you have caused them great grief1 and really our hands are tied1 we cannot add to their sorrow4 ,if you only knew what a number of masses they send us6 ,i know more than one of our poor priests who would die of hunger if it were not for them40 ,pierre could only bow beneath the blow4 ,once more he found himself in presence of the pecuniary question1 the necessity in which the ,holy ,see is placed to secure the revenue it requires one year with another4 ,and thus the ,pope was ever in servitude1 for if the loss of ,rome had freed him of the cares of state1 his enforced gratitude for the alms he received still riveted him to earth4 ,so great1 indeed1 were the requirements1 that money was the ruler1 the sovereign power1 before which all bowed at the ,court of ,rome4 ,and now ,sanguinetti rose to dismiss his visitor4 8,you must not despair1 dear son10 he said effusively4 8,i have only my own vote1 you know1 and ,i promise you that ,i will take into account the excellent explanations which you have just given me4 ,and who can tell8 ,if ,god be with you1 ,he will save you even in spite of all60 ,this speech formed part of the ,cardinal's usual tactics2 for one of his principles was never to drive people to extremes by sending them away hopeless4 ,what good1 indeed1 would it do to tell this one that the condemnation of his book was a foregone conclusion1 and that his only prudent course would be to disavow it8 ,only a savage like ,boccanera breathed anger upon fiery souls and plunged them into rebellion4 8,you must hope1 hope60 repeated ,sanguinetti with a smile1 as if implying a multitude of fortunate things which he could not plainly express4 ,thereupon ,pierre1 who was deeply touched1 felt born anew4 ,he even forgot the conversation he had surprised1 the ,cardinal's keen ambition and covert rage with his redoubtable rival4 ,besides1 might not intelligence take the place of heart among the powerful8 ,if this man should some day become pope1 and had understood him1 might he not prove the pope who was awaited1 the pope who would accept the task of reorganising the ,church of the ,united ,states of ,europe1 and making it the spiritual sovereign of the world8 ,so he thanked him with emotion1 bowed1 and left him to his dream1 standing before that widely open window whence ,rome appeared to him1 glittering like a jewel1 even indeed as the tiara of gold and gems1 in the splendour of the autumn sun4 ,it was nearly one o'clock when ,pierre and ,count ,prada were at last able to sit down to djeuner in the little restaurant where they had agreed to meet4 ,they had both been delayed by their affairs4 ,however1 the ,count1 having settled some worrying matters to his own advantage1 was very lively1 whilst the priest on his side was again hopeful1 and yielded to the delightful charm of that last fine day4 ,and so the meal proved a very pleasant one in the large1 bright room1 which1 as usual at that season of the year1 was quite deserted4 ,pink and blue predominated in the decoration1 but ,cupids fluttered on the ceiling1 and landscapes1 vaguely recalling the ,roman castles1 adorned the walls4 ,the things they ate were fresh1 and they drank the wine of ,frascati1 to which the soil imparts a kind of burnt flavour as if the old volcanoes of the region had left some little of their fire behind4 ,for a long while the conversation ranged over those wild and graceful ,alban hills1 which1 fortunately for the pleasure of the eye1 overlook the flat ,roman ,campagna4 ,pierre1 who had made the customary carriage excursion from ,frascati to ,nemi1 still felt its charm and spoke of it in glowing language4 ,first came the lovely road from ,frascati to ,albano1 ascending and descending hillsides planted with reeds1 vines1 and olive-trees1 amongst which one obtained frequent glimpses of the ,campagna's wavy immensity4 ,on the right-hand the village of ,rocca di ,papa arose in amphitheatrical fashion1 showing whitely on a knoll below ,monte ,cavo1 which was crowned by lofty and ancient trees4 ,and from this point of the road1 on looking back towards ,frascati1 one saw high up1 on the verge of a pine wood the ruins of ,tusculum1 large ruddy ruins1 baked by centuries of sunshine1 and whence the boundless panorama must have been superb4 ,next one passed through ,marino1 with its sloping streets1 its large cathedral1 and its black decaying palace belonging to the ,colonnas4 ,then1 beyond a wood of ilex-trees1 the lake of ,albano was skirted with scenery which has no parallel in the world4 ,in front1 beyond the clear mirror of motionless water1 were the ruins of ,alba ,longa2 on the left rose ,monte ,cavo with ,rocca di ,papa and ,palazzuolo2 whilst on the right ,castel ,gandolfo overlooked the lake as from the summit of a cliff4 ,down below in the extinct crater1 as in the depths of a gigantic cup of verdure1 the lake slept heavy and lifeless3 a sheet of molten metal1 which the sun on one side streaked with gold1 whilst the other was black with shade4 ,and the road then ascended all the way to ,castel ,gandolfo1 which was perched on its rock1 like a white bird betwixt the lake and the sea4 ,ever refreshed by breezes1 even in the most burning hours of summer1 the little place was once famous for its papal villa1 where ,pius ,,ix loved to spend hours of indolence1 and whither ,leo ,,xiii has never come4 ,and next the road dipped down1 and the ilex-trees appeared again1 ilex-trees famous for their size1 a double row of monsters with twisted limbs1 two and three hundred years old4 ,then one at last reached ,albano1 a small town less modernised and less cleansed than ,frascati1 a patch of the old land which has retained some of its ancient wildness2 and afterwards there was ,ariccia with the ,palazzo ,chigi1 and hills covered with forests and viaducts spanning ravines which overflowed with foliage2 and there was yet ,genzano1 and yet ,nemi1 growing still wilder and more remote1 lost in the midst of rocks and trees4 ,ah6 how ineffaceable was the recollection which ,pierre had retained of ,nemi1 ,nemi on the shore of its lake1 ,nemi so delicious and fascinating from afar1 conjuring up all the ancient legends of fairy towns springing from amidst the greenery of mysterious waters1 but so repulsively filthy when one at last reaches it1 crumbling on all sides but yet dominated by the ,orsini tower1 as by the evil genius of the middle ages1 which there seems to perpetuate the ferocious habits1 the violent passions1 the knife thrusts of the past6 ,thence came that ,santobono whose brother had killed1 and who himself1 with his eyes of crime glittering like live embers1 seemed to be consumed by a murderous flame4 ,and the lake1 that lake round like an extinguished moon fallen into the depths of a former crater1 a deeper and less open cup than that of the lake of ,albano1 a cup rimmed with trees of wondrous vigour and density6 ,pines1 elms1 and willows descend to the very margin1 with a green mass of tangled branches which weigh each other down4 ,this formidable fecundity springs from the vapour which constantly arises from the water under the parching action of the sun1 whose rays accumulate in this hollow till it becomes like a furnace4 ,there is a warm1 heavy dampness1 the paths of the adjacent gardens grow green with moss1 and in the morning dense mists often fill the large cup with white vapour1 as with the steaming milk of some sorceress of malevolent craft4 ,and ,pierre well remembered how uncomfortable he had felt before that lake where ancient atrocities1 a mysterious religion with abominable rites1 seemed to slumber amidst the superb scenery4 ,he had seen it at the approach of evening1 looking1 in the shade of its forest girdle1 like a plate of dull metal1 black and silver1 motionless by reason of its weight4 ,and that water1 clear and yet so deep1 that water deserted1 without a bark upon its surface1 that water august1 lifeless1 and sepulchral1 had left him a feeling of inexpressible sadness1 of mortal melancholy1 the hopelessness of great solitary passion1 earth and water alike swollen by the mute spasms of germs1 troublous in their fecundity4 ,ah6 those black and plunging banks1 and that black mournful lake prone at the bottom699 99 ,some literary interest attaches to ,m4 ,zola's account of ,nemi1 whose praises have been sung by a hundred poets4 ,it will be observed that he makes no mention of ,egeria4 ,the religion distinguished by abominable practices to which he alludes1 may perhaps be the worship of the ,egyptian ,diana1 who had a famous temple near ,nemi1 which was excavated by ,lord ,savile some ten years ago1 when all the smaller objects discovered were presented to the town of ,nottingham4 ,at this temple1 according to some classical writers1 the chief priest was required to murder his predecessor1 and there were other abominable usages4--,trans4 ,count ,prada began to laugh when ,pierre told him of these impressions4 8,yes1 yes10 said he1 8it's true1 ,nemi isn't always gay4 ,in dull weather ,i have seen the lake looking like lead1 and even the full sunshine scarcely animates it4 ,for my part1 ,i know ,i should die of ennui if ,i had to live face to face with that bare water4 ,but it is admired by poets and romantic women1 those who adore great tragedies of passion40 ,then1 as he and ,pierre rose from the table to go and take coffee on the terrace of the restaurant1 the conversation changed3 8,do you mean to attend ,prince ,buongiovanni's reception this evening80 the ,count inquired4 8,it will be a curious sight1 especially for a foreigner1 and ,i advise you not to miss it40 8,yes1 ,i have an invitation10 ,pierre replied4 8,a friend of mine1 ,monsieur ,narcisse ,habert1 an attach at our embassy1 procured it for me1 and ,i am going with him40 ,that evening1 indeed1 there was to be a fte at the ,palazzo ,buongiovanni on the ,corso1 one of the few galas that take place in ,rome each winter4 ,people said that this one would surpass all others in magnificence1 for it was to be given in honour of the betrothal of little ,princess ,celia4 ,the ,prince1 her father1 after boxing her ears1 it was rumoured1 and narrowly escaping an attack of apoplexy as the result of a frightful fit of anger1 had1 all at once1 yielded to her quiet1 gentle stubbornness1 and consented to her marriage with ,lieutenant ,attilio1 the son of ,minister ,sacco4 ,and all the drawing-rooms of ,rome1 those of the white world quite as much as those of the black1 were thoroughly upset by the tidings4 ,count ,prada made merry over the affair4 8,ah6 you'll see a fine sight60 he exclaimed4 8,personally1 ,i'm delighted with it all for the sake of my good cousin ,attilio1 who is really a very nice and worthy fellow4 ,and nothing in the world would keep me from going to see my dear uncle ,sacco make his entry into the ancient salons of the ,buongiovanni4 ,it will be something extraordinary and superb4 ,he has at last become ,minister of ,agriculture1 you know4 ,my father1 who always takes things so seriously1 told me this morning that the affair so worried him he hadn't closed his eyes all night40 ,the ,count paused1 but almost immediately added3 8,i say1 it is half-past two and you won't have a train before five o'clock4 ,do you know what you ought to do8 ,why1 drive back to ,rome with me in my carriage40 8,no1 no10 rejoined ,pierre1 8,i'm deeply obliged to you but ,i'm to dine with my friend ,narcisse this evening1 and ,i mustn't be late40 8,but you won't be late--on the contrary6 ,we shall start at three and reach ,rome before five o'clock4 ,there can't be a more pleasant promenade when the light falls2 and1 come1 ,i promise you a splendid sunset40 ,he was so pressing that the young priest had to accept1 quite subjugated by so much amiability and good humour4 ,they spent another half-hour very pleasantly in chatting about ,rome1 ,italy1 and ,france4 ,then1 for a moment1 they went up into ,frascati where the ,count wished to say a few words to a contractor1 and just as three o'clock was striking they started off1 seated side by side on the soft cushions and gently rocked by the motion of the victoria as the two horses broke into a light trot4 ,as ,prada had predicted1 that return to ,rome across the bare ,campagna under the vast limpid heavens at the close of such a mild autumn day proved most delightful4 ,first of all1 however1 the victoria had to descend the slopes of ,frascati between vineyards and olive-trees4 ,the paved road snaked1 and was but little frequented2 they merely saw a few peasants in old felt hats1 a white mule1 and a cart drawn by a donkey1 for it is only upon ,sundays that the osterie or wine-shops are filled and that artisans in easy circumstances come to eat a dish of kid at the surrounding bastides4 ,however1 at one turn of the road they passed a monumental fountain4 ,then a flock of sheep momentarily barred the way before defiling past4 ,and beyond the gentle undulations of the ruddy ,campagna ,rome appeared amidst the violet vapours of evening1 sinking by degrees as the carriage itself descended to a lower and lower level4 ,there came a moment when the city was a mere thin grey streak1 speckled whitely here and there by a few sunlit house-fronts4 ,and then it seemed to plunge below the ground--to be submerged by the swell of the far-spreading fields4 ,the victoria was now rolling over the plain1 leaving the ,alban hills behind1 whilst before it and on either hand came the expanse of meadows and stubbles4 ,and then it was that the ,count1 after leaning forward1 exclaimed3 8,just look ahead1 yonder1 there's our man of this morning1 ,santobono in person--what a strapping fellow he is1 and how fast he walks6 ,my horses can scarcely overtake him40 ,pierre in his turn leant forward and likewise perceived the priest of ,st4 ,mary in the ,fields1 looking tall and knotty1 fashioned as it were with a bill-hook4 ,robed in a long black cassock1 he showed like a vigorous splotch of ink amidst the bright sunshine streaming around him2 and he was walking on at such a fast1 stern1 regular pace that he suggested ,destiny on the march4 ,something1 which could not be well distinguished1 was hanging from his right arm4 ,when the carriage had at last overtaken him ,prada told the coachman to slacken speed1 and then entered into conversation4 8,good-day1 ,abb2 you are well1 ,i hope80 he asked4 8,very well1 ,signor ,conte1 ,i thank you40 8,and where are you going so bravely80 8,signor ,conte1 ,i am going to ,rome40 8,what6 to ,rome1 at this late hour80 8,oh6 ,i shall be there nearly as soon as yourself4 ,the distance doesn't frighten me1 and money's quickly earned by walking40 ,scarcely turning his head to reply1 stepping out beside the wheels1 ,santobono did not miss a stride4 ,and ,prada1 diverted by the meeting1 whispered to ,pierre3 8,wait a bit1 he'll amuse us40 ,then he added aloud3 8,since you are going to ,rome1 ,abb1 you had better get in here2 there's room for you40 ,santobono required no pressing1 but at once accepted the offer4 8,willingly2 a thousand thanks10 he said4 8,it's still better to save one's shoe leather40 ,then he got in and installed himself on the bracket-seat1 declining with abrupt humility the place which ,pierre politely offered him beside the ,count4 ,the young priest and the latter now saw that the object he was carrying was a little basket of fresh figs1 nicely arranged and covered with leaves4 ,the horses set off again at a faster trot1 and the carriage rolled on and on over the superb1 flat plain4 8,so you are going to ,rome80 the ,count resumed in order to make ,santobono talk4 8,yes10 the other replied1 8,i am taking his ,eminence ,cardinal ,boccanera these few figs1 the last of the season3 a little present which ,i had promised him40 ,he had placed the basket on his knees and was holding it between his big knotty hands as if it were something rare and fragile4 8,ah6 some of the famous figs of your garden10 said ,prada4 8,it's quite true1 they are like honey4 ,but why don't you rid yourself of them4 ,you surely don't mean to keep them on your knees all the way to ,rome4 ,give them to me1 ,i'll put them in the hood40 ,however1 ,santobono became quite agitated1 and vigorously declined the offer4 8,no1 no1 a thousand thanks6 ,they don't embarrass me in the least2 they are very well here2 and in this way ,i shall be sure that no accident will befall them40 ,his passion for the fruit he grew quite amused ,prada1 who nudged ,pierre1 and then inquired3 8,is the ,cardinal fond of your figs80 8,oh6 his ,eminence condescends to adore them4 ,in former years1 when he spent the summer at the villa1 he would never touch the figs from other trees4 ,and so1 you see1 knowing his tastes1 it costs me very little to gratify him40 ,whilst making this reply ,santobono had shot such a keen glance in the direction of ,pierre that the ,count felt it necessary to introduce them to one another4 ,this he did saying3 8,as it happens1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment is stopping at the ,palazzo ,boccanera2 he has been there for three months or so40 8,yes1 ,i'm aware of it10 ,santobono quietly replied2 8,i found ,monsieur l',abb with his ,eminence one day when ,i took some figs to the ,palazzo4 ,those were less ripe1 but these are perfect40 ,so speaking he gave the little basket a complacent glance1 and seemed to press it yet more closely between his huge and hairy fingers4 ,then came a spell of silence1 whilst on either hand the ,campagna spread out as far as the eye could reach4 ,all houses had long since disappeared2 there was not a wall1 not a tree1 nothing but the undulating expanse whose sparse1 short herbage was1 with the approach of winter1 beginning to turn green once more4 ,a tower1 a half-fallen ruin which came into sight on the left1 rising in solitude into the limpid sky above the flat1 boundless line of the horizon1 suddenly assumed extraordinary importance4 ,then1 on the right1 the distant silhouettes of cattle and horses were seen in a large enclosure with wooden rails4 ,urged on by the goad1 oxen1 still yoked1 were slowly coming back from ploughing2 whilst a farmer1 cantering beside the ploughed land on a little sorrel nag1 gave a final look round for the night4 ,now and again the road became peopled4 ,a biroccino1 an extremely light vehicle with two huge wheels and a small seat perched upon the springs1 whisked by like a gust of wind4 ,from time to time also the victoria passed a carrotino1 one of the low carts in which peasants1 sheltered by a kind of bright-hued tent1 bring the wine1 vegetables1 and fruit of the castle-lands to ,rome4 ,the shrill tinkling of horses' bells was heard afar off as the animals followed the well-known road of their own accord1 their peasant drivers usually being sound asleep4 ,women with bare1 black hair1 scarlet neckerchiefs1 and skirts caught up1 were seen going home in groups of three and four4 ,and then the road again emptied1 and the solitude became more and more complete1 without a wayfarer or an animal appearing for miles and miles1 whilst yonder1 at the far end of the lifeless sea1 so grandiose and mournful in its monotony1 the sun continued to descend from the infinite vault of heaven4 8,and the ,pope1 ,abb1 is he dead80 ,prada suddenly inquired4 ,santobono did not even start4 8,i trust10 he replied in all simplicity1 8that his ,holiness still has many long years to live for the triumph of the ,church40 8,so you had good news this morning when you called on your bishop1 ,cardinal ,sanguinetti80 ,this time the priest was unable to restrain a slight start4 ,had he been seen1 then8 ,in his haste he had failed to notice the two men following the road behind him4 ,however1 he at once regained self-possession1 and replied3 8,oh6 one can never tell exactly whether news is good or bad4 ,it seems that his ,holiness passed a somewhat painful night1 but ,i devoutly hope that the next will be a better one40 ,then he seemed to meditate for a moment1 and added3 8,moreover1 if ,god should have deemed it time to call his ,holiness to ,himself1 ,he would not leave ,his flock without a shepherd4 ,he would have already chosen and designated the ,sovereign ,pontiff of to-morrow40 ,this superb answer increased ,prada's gaiety4 8,you are really extraordinary1 ,abb10 he said4 8,so you think that popes are solely created by the grace of the ,divinity6 ,the pope of to-morrow is chosen up in heaven1 eh1 and simply waits8 ,well1 ,i fancied that men had something to do with the matter4 ,but perhaps you already know which cardinal it is that the divine favour has thus elected in advance80 ,then1 like the unbeliever he was1 he went on with his facile jests1 which left the priest unruffled4 ,in fact1 the latter also ended by laughing when the ,count1 after alluding to the gambling passion which at each fresh ,conclave sets wellnigh the whole population of ,rome betting for or against this or that candidate1 told him that he might easily make his fortune if he were in the divine secret4 ,next the talk turned on the three white cassocks of different sizes which are always kept in readiness in a cupboard at the ,vatican4 ,which of them would be required on this occasion8--the short one1 the long one1 or the one of medium size8 ,each time that the reigning pope falls somewhat seriously ill there is in this wise an extraordinary outburst of emotion1 a keen awakening of all ambitions and intrigues1 to such a point that not merely in the black world1 but throughout the city1 people have no other subject of curiosity1 conversation1 and occupation than that of discussing the relative claims of the cardinals and predicting which of them will be elected4 8,come1 come10 ,prada resumed1 8since you know the truth1 ,i'm determined that you shall tell me4 ,will it be ,cardinal ,moretta80 ,santobono1 in spite of his evident desire to remain dignified and disinterested1 like a good1 pious priest1 was gradually growing impassioned1 yielding to the hidden fire which consumed him4 ,and this interrogatory finished him off2 he could no longer restrain himself1 but replied3 8,moretta6 ,what an idea6 ,why1 he is sold to all ,europe60 8,well1 will it be ,cardinal ,bartolini80 8,oh6 you can't think that4 ,bartolini has used himself up in striving for everything and getting nothing40 8,will it be ,cardinal ,dozio1 then80 8,dozio1 ,dozio6 ,why1 if ,dozio were to win one might altogether despair of our ,holy ,church1 for no man can have a baser mind than he60 ,prada raised his hands1 as if he had exhausted the serious candidates4 ,in order to increase the priest's exasperation he maliciously refrained from naming ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 who was certainly ,santobono's nominee4 ,all at once1 however1 he pretended to make a good guess1 and gaily exclaimed3 8,ah6 ,i have it2 ,i know your man--,cardinal ,boccanera60 ,the blow struck ,santobono full in the heart1 wounding him both in his rancour and his patriotic faith4 ,his terrible mouth was already opening1 and he was about to shout 8,no6 no60 with all his strength1 but he managed to restrain the cry1 compelled as he was to silence by the present on his knees--that little basket of figs which he pressed so convulsively with both hands2 and the effort which he was obliged to make left him quivering to such a point that he had to wait some time before he could reply in a calm voice3 8,his most reverend ,eminence ,cardinal ,boccanera is a saintly man1 well worthy of the throne1 and my only fear is that1 with his hatred of new ,italy1 he might bring us warfare40 ,prada1 however1 desired to enlarge the wound4 8,at all events10 said he1 8you accept him and love him too much not to rejoice over his chances of success4 ,and ,i really think that we have arrived at the truth1 for everybody is convinced that the ,conclave's choice cannot fall elsewhere4 ,come1 come2 ,boccanera is a very tall man1 so it's the long white cassock which will be required40 8,the long cassock1 the long cassock10 growled ,santobono1 despite himself2 8that's all very well1 but--0 ,then he stopped short1 and1 again overcoming his passion1 left his sentence unfinished4 ,pierre1 listening in silence1 marvelled at the man's self-restraint1 for he remembered the conversation which he had overheard at ,cardinal ,sanguinetti's4 ,those figs were evidently a mere pretext for gaining admission to the ,boccanera mansion1 where some friend--,abb ,paparelli1 no doubt--could alone supply certain positive information which was needed4 ,but how great was the command which the hot-blooded priest exercised over himself amidst the riotous impulses of his soul6 ,on either side of the road the ,campagna still and ever spread its expanse of verdure1 and ,prada1 who had become grave and dreamy1 gazed before him without seeing anything4 ,at last1 however1 he gave expression to his thoughts4 8,you know1 ,abb1 what will be said if the ,pope should die this time4 ,that sudden illness1 those colics1 those refusals to make any information public1 mean nothing good--,yes1 yes1 poison1 just as for the others60 ,pierre gave a start of stupefaction4 ,the ,pope poisoned6 8,what6 ,poison8 ,again80 he exclaimed as he gazed at his companions with dilated eyes4 ,poison at the end of the nineteenth century1 as in the days of the ,borgias1 as on the stage in a romanticist melodrama6 ,to him the idea appeared both monstrous and ridiculous4 ,santobono1 whose features had become motionless and impenetrable1 made no reply4 ,but ,prada nodded1 and the conversation was henceforth confined to him and the young priest4 8,why1 yes1 poison10 he replied4 8,the fear of it has remained very great in ,rome4 ,whenever a death seems inexplicable1 either by reason of its suddenness or the tragic circumstances which attend it1 the unanimous thought is poison4 ,and remark this3 in no city1 ,i believe1 are sudden deaths so frequent4 ,the causes ,i don't exactly know1 but some doctors put everything down to the fevers4 ,among the people1 however1 the one thought is poison1 poison with all its legends1 poison which kills like lightning and leaves no trace1 the famous recipe bequeathed from age to age1 through the emperors and the popes1 down to these present times of middle-class democracy40 ,as he spoke he ended by smiling1 for he was inclined to be somewhat sceptical on the point1 despite the covert terror with which he was inspired by racial and educational causes4 ,however1 he quoted instances4 ,the ,roman matrons had rid themselves of their husbands and lovers by employing the venom of red toads4 ,locusta1 in a more practical spirit1 sought poison in plants1 one of which1 probably aconite1 she was wont to boil4 ,then1 long afterwards1 came the age of the ,borgias1 and subsequently1 at ,naples1 ,la ,toffana sold a famous water1 doubtless some preparation of arsenic1 in phials decorated with a representation of ,st4 ,nicholas of ,bari4 ,there were also extraordinary stories of pins1 a prick from which killed one like lightning1 of cups of wine poisoned by the infusion of rose petals1 of woodcocks cut in half with prepared knives1 which poisoned but one-half of the bird1 so that he who partook of that half was killed4 8,i myself1 in my younger days10 continued ,prada1 8had a friend whose bride fell dead in church during the marriage service through simply inhaling a bouquet of flowers4 ,and so isn't it possible that the famous recipe may really have been handed down1 and have remained known to a few adepts80 8,but chemistry has made too much progress10 ,pierre replied4 8,if mysterious poisons were believed in by the ancients and remained undetected in their time it was because there were no means of analysis4 ,but the drug of the ,borgias would now lead the simpleton who might employ it straight to the ,assizes4 ,such stories are mere nonsense1 and at the present day people scarcely tolerate them in newspaper serials and shockers40 8,perhaps so10 resumed the ,count with his uneasy smile4 8,you are right1 no doubt--only go and tell that to your host1 for instance1 ,cardinal ,boccanera1 who last summer held in his arms an old and deeply-loved friend1 ,monsignor ,gallo1 who died after a seizure of a couple of hours40 8,but apoplexy may kill one in two hours1 and aneurism only takes two minutes40 8,true1 but ask the ,cardinal what he thought of his friend's prolonged shudders1 the leaden hue which overcame his face1 the sinking of his eyes1 and the expression of terror which made him quite unrecognisable4 ,the ,cardinal is convinced that ,monsignor ,gallo was poisoned1 because he was his dearest confidant1 the counsellor to whom he always listened1 and whose wise advice was a guarantee of success40 ,pierre's bewilderment was increasing1 and1 irritated by the impassibility of ,santobono1 he addressed him direct4 8,it's idiotic1 it's awful6 ,does your reverence also believe in these frightful stories80 ,but the priest of ,frascati gave no sign4 ,his thick1 passionate lips remained closed while his black glowing eyes never ceased to gaze at ,prada4 ,the latter1 moreover1 was quoting other instances4 ,there was the case of ,monsignor ,nazzarelli1 who had been found in bed1 shrunken and calcined like carbon4 ,and there was that of ,monsignor ,brando1 struck down in his sacerdotal vestments at ,st4 ,peter's itself1 in the very sacristy1 during vespers6 8,ah6 ,mon ,dieu60 sighed ,pierre1 8you will tell me so much that ,i myself shall end by trembling1 and sha'n't dare to eat anything but boiled eggs as long as ,i stay in this terrible ,rome of yours40 ,for a moment this whimsical reply enlivened both the ,count and ,pierre4 ,but it was quite true that their conversation showed ,rome under a terrible aspect1 for it conjured up the ,eternal ,city of ,crime1 the city of poison and the knife1 where for more than two thousand years1 ever since the raising of the first bit of wall1 the lust of power1 the frantic hunger for possession and enjoyment1 had armed men's hands1 ensanguined the pavements1 and cast victims into the river and the ground4 ,assassinations and poisonings under the emperors1 poisonings and assassinations under the popes1 ever did the same torrent of abominations strew that tragic soil with death amidst the sovereign glory of the sun4 8,all the same10 said the ,count1 8those who take precautions are perhaps not ill advised4 ,it is said that more than one cardinal shudders and mistrusts people4 ,one whom ,i know will never eat anything that has not been bought and prepared by his own cook4 ,and as for the ,pope1 if he is anxious--0 ,pierre again raised a cry of stupefaction4 8,what1 the ,pope himself6 ,the ,pope afraid of being poisoned60 8,well1 my dear ,abb1 people commonly assert it4 ,there are certainly days when he considers himself more menaced than anybody else4 ,and are you not aware of the old ,roman view that a pope ought never to live till too great an age1 and that when he is so obstinate as not to die at the right time he ought to be assisted8 ,as soon as a pope begins to fall into second childhood1 and by reason of his senility becomes a source of embarrassment1 and possibly even danger1 to the ,church1 his right place is heaven4 ,moreover1 matters are managed in a discreet manner2 a slight cold becomes a decent pretext to prevent him from tarrying any longer on the throne of ,st4 ,peter40 ,prada then gave some curious details4 ,one prelate1 it was said1 wishing to dispel his ,holiness's fears1 had devised an elaborate precautionary system which1 among other things1 was to comprise a little padlocked vehicle1 in which the food destined for the frugal pontifical table was to be securely placed before leaving the kitchen1 so that it might not be tampered with on its way to the ,pope's apartments4 ,however1 this project had not yet been carried into effect4 8,after all10 the ,count concluded with a laugh1 8every pope has to die some day1 especially when his death is needful for the welfare of the ,church4 ,isn't that so1 ,abb80 ,santobono1 whom he addressed1 had a moment previously lowered his eyes as if to contemplate the little basket of figs which he held on his lap with as much care as if it had been the ,blessed ,sacrament4 ,on being questioned in such a direct1 sharp fashion he could not do otherwise than look up4 ,however1 he did not depart from his prolonged silence1 but limited his answer to a slow nod4 8,and it is ,god alone1 and not poison1 who causes one to die4 ,is that not so1 ,abb80 repeated ,prada4 8,it is said that those were the last words of poor ,monsignor ,gallo before he expired in the arms of his friend ,cardinal ,boccanera40 ,for the second time ,santobono nodded without speaking4 ,and then silence fell1 all three sinking into a dreamy mood4 ,meantime1 without a pause1 the carriage rolled on across the immensity of the ,campagna4 ,the road1 straight as an arrow1 seemed to extend into the infinite4 ,as the sun descended towards the horizon the play of light and shade became more marked on the broad undulations of the ground which stretched away1 alternately of a pinky green and a violet grey1 till they reached the distant fringe of the sky4 ,at the roadside on either hand there were still and ever tall withered thistles and giant fennel with yellow umbels4 ,then1 after a time1 came a team of four oxen1 that had been kept ploughing until late1 and stood forth black and huge in the pale atmosphere and mournful solitude4 ,farther on some flocks of sheep1 whence the breeze wafted a tallowy odour1 set patches of brown amidst the herbage1 which once more was becoming verdant2 whilst at intervals a dog was heard to bark1 his voice the only distinct sound amidst the low quivering of that silent desert where the sovereign peacefulness of death seemed to reign4 ,but all at once a light melody arose and some larks flew up1 one of them soaring into the limpid golden heavens4 ,and ahead1 at the far extremity of the pure sky1 ,rome1 with her towers and domes1 grew larger and larger1 like a city of white marble springing from a mirage amidst the greenery of some enchanted garden4 8,matteo60 ,prada called to his coachman1 8pull up at the ,osteria ,romana40 ,and to his companions he added3 8,pray excuse me1 but ,i want to see if ,i can get some new-laid eggs for my father4 ,he is so fond of them40 ,a few minutes afterwards the carriage stopped4 ,at the very edge of the road stood a primitive sort of inn1 bearing the proud and sonorous name of 8,antica ,osteria ,romana40 ,it had now become a mere house of call for carters and chance sportsmen1 who ventured to drink a flagon of white wine whilst eating an omelet and a slice of ham4 ,occasionally1 on ,sundays1 some of the humble classes would walk over from ,rome and make merry there2 but the week days often went by without a soul entering the place1 such was its isolation amidst the bare ,campagna4 ,the ,count was already springing from the carriage4 8,i shall only be a minute10 said he as he turned away4 ,the osteria was a long1 low pile with a ground floor and one upper storey1 the last being reached by an outdoor stairway built of large blocks of stone which had been scorched by the hot suns4 ,the entire place1 indeed1 was corroded1 tinged with the hue of old gold4 ,on the ground floor one found a common room1 a cart-house1 and a stable with adjoining sheds4 ,at one side1 near a cluster of parasol pines--the only trees that could grow in that ungrateful soil--there was an arbour of reeds where five or six rough wooden tables were set out4 ,and1 as a background to this sorry1 mournful nook of life1 there arose a fragment of an ancient aqueduct whose arches1 half fallen and opening on to space1 alone interrupted the flat line of the horizon4 ,all at once1 however1 the ,count retraced his steps1 and1 addressing ,santobono1 exclaimed3 8,i say1 ,abb1 you'll surely accept a glass of white wine4 ,i know that you are a bit of a vine grower1 and they have a little white wine here which you ought to make acquaintance with40 ,santobono again required no pressing1 but quietly alighted4 8,oh6 ,i know it10 said he2 8it's a wine from ,marino2 it's grown in a lighter soil than ours at ,frascati40 ,then1 as he would not relax his hold on his basket of figs1 but even now carried it along with him1 the ,count lost patience4 8,come1 you don't want that basket10 said he2 8leave it in the carriage40 ,the priest gave no reply1 but walked ahead1 whilst ,pierre also made up his mind to descend from the carriage in order to see what a suburban osteria was like4 ,prada was known at this place1 and an old woman1 tall1 withered1 but looking quite queenly in her wretched garments1 had at once presented herself4 ,on the last occasion when the ,count had called she had managed to find half a dozen eggs4 ,this time she said she would go to see1 but could promise nothing1 for the hens laid here and there all over the place1 and she could never tell what eggs there might be4 8,all right60 ,prada answered1 8go and look2 and meantime we will have a caraffa of white wine40 ,the three men entered the common room1 which was already quite dark4 ,although the hot weather was now over1 one heard the buzzing of innumerable flies immediately one reached the threshold1 and a pungent odour of acidulous wine and rancid oil caught one at the throat4 ,as soon as their eyes became accustomed to the dimness they were able to distinguish the spacious1 blackened1 malodorous chamber1 whose only furniture consisted of some roughly made tables and benches4 ,it seemed to be quite empty1 so complete was the silence1 apart from the buzz of the flies4 ,however1 two men were seated there1 two wayfarers who remained mute and motionless before their untouched1 brimming glasses4 ,moreover1 on a low chair near the door1 in the little light which penetrated from without1 a thin1 sallow girl1 the daughter of the house1 sat idle1 trembling with fever1 her hands close pressed between her knees4 ,realising that ,pierre felt uncomfortable there1 the ,count proposed that they should drink their wine outside4 8,we shall be better out of doors10 said he1 8it's so very in mild this evening40 ,accordingly1 whilst the mother looked for the eggs1 and the father mended a wheel in an adjacent shed1 the daughter was obliged to get up shivering to carry the flagon of wine and the three glasses to the arbour1 where she placed them on one of the tables4 ,and1 having pocketed the price of the wine--threepence--in silence1 she went back to her seat with a sullen look1 as if annoyed at having been compelled to make such a long journey4 ,meanwhile the three men had sat down1 and ,prada gaily filled each of the glasses1 although ,pierre declared that he was quite unable to drink wine between his meals4 8,pooh1 pooh10 said the ,count1 8you can always clink glasses with us4 ,and now1 ,abb1 isn't this little wine droll8 ,come1 here's to the ,pope's better health1 since he's unwell60 ,santobono at one gulp emptied his glass and clacked his tongue4 ,with gentle1 paternal care he had deposited his basket on the ground beside him3 and1 taking off his hat1 he drew a long breath4 ,the evening was really delightful4 ,a superb sky of a soft golden hue stretched over that endless sea of the ,campagna which was soon to fall asleep with sovereign quiescence4 ,and the light breeze which went by amidst the deep silence brought with it an exquisite odour of wild herbs and flowers4 8,how pleasant it is60 muttered ,pierre1 affected by the surrounding charm4 8,and what a desert for eternal rest1 forgetfulness of all the world60 ,prada1 who had emptied the flagon by filling ,santobono's glass a second time1 made no reply2 he was silently amusing himself with an occurrence which at first he was the only one to observe4 ,however1 with a merry expression of complicity1 he gave the young priest a wink1 and then they both watched the dramatic incidents of the affair4 ,some scraggy fowls were wandering round them searching the yellow turf for grasshoppers2 and one of these birds1 a little shiny black hen with an impudent manner1 had caught sight of the basket of figs and was boldly approaching it4 ,when she got near1 however1 she took fright1 and retreated somewhat1 with neck stiffened and head turned1 so as to cast suspicious glances at the basket with her round sparkling eye4 ,but at last covetousness gained the victory1 for she could see one of the figs between the leaves1 and so she slowly advanced1 lifting her feet very high at each step2 and1 all at once1 stretching out her neck1 she gave the fig a formidable peck1 which ripped it open and made the juice exude4 ,prada1 who felt as happy as a child1 was then able to give vent to the laughter which he had scarcely been able to restrain3 8,look out1 ,abb10 he called1 8mind your figs60 ,at that very moment ,santobono was finishing his second glass of wine with his head thrown back and his eyes blissfully raised to heaven4 ,he gave a start1 looked round1 and on seeing the hen at once understood the position4 ,and then came a terrible outburst of anger1 with sweeping gestures and terrible invectives4 ,but the hen1 who was again pecking1 would not be denied2 she dug her beak into the fig and carried it off1 flapping her wings1 so quick and so comical that ,prada1 and ,pierre as well1 laughed till tears came into their eyes1 their merriment increasing at sight of the impotent fury of ,santobono1 who1 for a moment1 pursued the thief1 threatening her with his fist4 8,ah60 said the ,count1 8that's what comes of not leaving the basket in the carriage4 ,if ,i hadn't warned you the hen would have eaten all the figs40 ,the priest did not reply1 but1 growling out vague imprecations1 placed the basket on the table1 where he raised the leaves and artistically rearranged the fruit so as to fill up the void4 ,then1 the harm having been repaired as far as was possible1 he at last calmed down4 ,it was now time for them to resume their journey1 for the sun was sinking towards the horizon1 and night would soon fall4 ,thus the ,count ended by getting impatient4 8,well1 and those eggs80 he called4 ,then1 as the woman did not return1 he went to seek her4 ,he entered the stable1 and afterwards the cart-house1 but she was neither here nor there4 ,next he went towards the rear of the osteria in order to look in the sheds4 ,but all at once an unexpected spectacle made him stop short4 ,the little black hen was lying on the ground1 dead1 killed as by lightning4 ,she showed no sign of hurt2 there was nothing but a little streamlet of violet blood still trickling from her beak4 ,prada was at first merely astonished4 ,he stooped and touched the hen4 ,she was still warm and soft like a rag4 ,doubtless some apoplectic stroke had killed her4 ,but immediately afterwards he became fearfully pale2 the truth appeared to him1 and turned him as cold as ice4 ,in a moment he conjured up everything3 ,leo ,,xiii attacked by illness1 ,santobono hurrying to ,cardinal ,sanguinetti for tidings1 and then starting for ,rome to present a basket of figs to ,cardinal ,boccanera4 ,and ,prada also remembered the conversation in the carriage3 the possibility of the ,pope's demise1 the candidates for the tiara1 the legendary stories of poison which still fostered terror in and around the ,vatican2 and he once more saw the priest1 with his little basket on his knees1 lavishing paternal attention on it1 and he saw the little black hen pecking at the fruit and fleeing with a fig on her beak4 ,and now that little black hen lay there1 suddenly struck down1 dead6 ,his conviction was immediate and absolute4 ,but he did not have time to decide what course he should take1 for a voice behind him exclaimed3 8,why1 it's the little hen2 what's the matter with her80 ,the voice was that of ,pierre1 who1 letting ,santobono climb into the carriage alone1 had in his turn come round to the rear of the house in order to obtain a better view of the ruined aqueduct among the parasol pines4 ,prada1 who shuddered as if he himself were the culprit1 answered him with a lie1 a lie which he did not premeditate1 but to which he was impelled by a sort of instinct4 8,but she's dead10 he said4444 8,just fancy1 there was a fight4 ,at the moment when ,i got here that other hen1 which you see yonder1 sprang upon this one to get the fig1 which she was still holding1 and with a thrust of the beak split her head open4444 ,the blood's flowing1 as you can see yourself40 ,why did he say these things8 ,he himself was astonished at them whilst he went on inventing them4 ,was it then that he wished to remain master of the situation1 keep the abominable secret entirely to himself1 in order that he might afterwards act in accordance with his own desires8 ,certainly his feelings partook of shame and embarrassment in presence of that foreigner1 whilst his personal inclination for violence set some admiration amidst the revolt of his conscience1 and a covert desire arose within him to examine the matter from the standpoint of his interests before he came to a decision4 ,but1 on the other hand1 he claimed to be a man of integrity1 and would assuredly not allow people to be poisoned4 ,pierre1 who was compassionately inclined towards all creation1 looked at the hen with the emotion which he always felt at the sudden severance of life4 ,however1 he at once accepted ,prada's story4 8,ah6 those fowls60 said he4 8,they treat one another with an idiotic ferocity which even men can scarcely equal4 ,i kept fowls at home at one time1 and one of the hens no sooner hurt her leg than all the others1 on seeing the blood oozing1 would flock round and peck at the limb till they stripped it to the bone40 ,prada1 however1 did not listen1 but at once went off2 and it so happened that the woman was1 on her side1 looking for him in order to hand him four eggs which1 after a deal of searching1 she had discovered in odd corners about the house4 ,the ,count made haste to pay for them1 and called to ,pierre1 who was lingering behind3 8,we must look sharp6 ,we sha'n't reach ,rome now until it is quite dark40 ,they found ,santobono quietly waiting in the carriage1 where he had again installed himself on the bracket with his spine resting against the box-seat and his long legs drawn back under him1 and he again had the little basket of figs on his knees1 and clasped it with his big knotty hands as though it were something fragile and rare which the slightest jolting might damage4 ,his cassock showed like a huge blot1 and in his coarse ashen face1 that of a peasant yet near to the wild soil and but slightly polished by a few years of theological studies1 his eyes alone seemed to live1 glowing with the dark flame of a devouring passion4 ,on seeing him seated there in such composure ,prada could not restrain a slight shudder4 ,then1 as soon as the victoria was again rolling along the road1 he exclaimed3 8,well1 ,abb1 that glass of wine will guarantee us against the malaria4 ,the ,pope would soon be cured if he could imitate our example40 ,santobono's only reply was a growl4 ,he was in no mood for conversation1 but wrapped himself in perfect silence1 as in the night which was slowly falling4 ,and ,prada in his turn ceased to speak1 and1 with his eyes still fixed upon the other1 reflected on the course that he should follow4 ,the road turned1 and then the carriage rolled on and on over another interminable straight highway with white paving1 whose brilliancy made the road look like a ribbon of snow stretching across the ,campagna1 where delicate shadows were slowly falling4 ,gloom gathered in the hollows of the broad undulations whence a tide of violet hue seemed to spread over the short herbage until all mingled and the expanse became an indistinct swell of neutral hue from one to the other horizon4 ,and the solitude was now yet more complete2 a last indolent cart had gone by and a last tinkling of horses' bells had subsided in the distance4 ,there was no longer a passer-by1 no longer a beast of the fields to be seen1 colour and sound died away1 all forms of life sank into slumber1 into the serene stillness of nihility4 ,some fragments of an aqueduct were still to be seen at intervals on the right hand1 where they looked like portions of gigantic millepeds severed by the scythe of time2 next1 on the left1 came another tower1 whose dark and ruined pile barred the sky as with a huge black stake2 and then the remains of another aqueduct spanned the road1 assuming yet greater dimensions against the sunset glow4 ,ah6 that unique hour1 the hour of twilight in the ,campagna1 when all is blotted out and simplified1 the hour of bare immensity1 of the infinite in its simplest expression6 ,there is nothing1 nothing all around you1 but the flat line of the horizon with the one splotch of an isolated tower1 and yet that nothing is instinct with sovereign majesty4 ,however1 on the left1 towards the sea1 the sun was setting1 descending in the limpid sky like a globe of fire of blinding redness4 ,it slowly plunged beneath the horizon1 and the only sign of cloud was some fiery vapour1 as if indeed the distant sea had seethed at contact with that royal and flaming visit4 ,and directly the sun had disappeared the heavens above it purpled and became a lake of blood1 whilst the ,campagna turned to grey4 ,at the far end of the fading plain there remained only that purple lake whose brasier slowly died out behind the black arches of the aqueduct1 while in the opposite direction the scattered arches remained bright and rosy against a pewter-like sky4 ,then the fiery vapour was dissipated1 and the sunset ended by fading away4 ,one by one the stars came out in the pacified vault1 now of an ashen blue1 while the lights of ,rome1 still far away on the verge of the horizon1 scintillated like the lamps of light-houses4 ,and ,prada1 amidst the dreamy silence of his companions and the infinite melancholy of the evening and the inexpressible distress which even he experienced1 continued to ask himself what course he should adopt4 ,again and again he mentally repeated that he could not allow people to be poisoned4 ,the figs were certainly intended for ,cardinal ,boccanera1 and on the whole it mattered little to him whether there were a cardinal the more or the fewer in the world4 ,moreover1 it had always seemed to him best to let ,destiny follow its course2 and1 infidel that he was1 he saw no harm in one priest devouring another4 ,again1 it might be dangerous for him to intervene in that abominable affair1 to mix himself up in the base1 fathomless intrigues of the black world4 ,but on the other hand the ,cardinal was not the only person who lived in the ,boccanera mansion1 and might not the figs go to others1 might they not be eaten by people to whom no harm was intended8 ,this idea of a treacherous chance haunted him1 and in spite of every effort the figures of ,benedetta and ,dario rose up before him1 returned and imposed themselves on him though he again and again sought to banish them from his mind4 ,what if ,benedetta1 what if ,dario should partake of that fruit8 ,for ,benedetta he felt no fear1 for he knew that she and her aunt ate their meals by themselves1 and that their cuisine and the ,cardinal's had nothing in common4 ,but ,dario sat at his uncle's table every day1 and for a moment ,prada1 pictured the young ,prince suddenly seized with a spasm1 then falling1 like poor ,monsignor ,gallo1 into the ,cardinal's arms with livid face and receding eyes1 and dying within two hours4 ,but no1 no6 ,that would be frightful1 he could not suffer such an abomination4 ,and thereupon he made up his mind4 ,he would wait till the night had completely gathered round and would then simply take the basket from ,santobono's lap and fling it into some dark hollow without saying a word4 ,the priest would understand him4 ,the other one1 the young ,frenchman1 would perhaps not even notice the incident4 ,besides1 that mattered little1 for he would not even attempt to explain his action4 ,and he felt quite calm again when the idea occurred to him to throw the basket away while the carriage passed through the ,porta ,furba1 a couple of miles or so before reaching ,rome4 ,that would suit him exactly2 in the darkness of the gateway nothing whatever would be seen4 8,we stopped too long at that osteria10 he suddenly exclaimed aloud1 turning towards ,pierre4 8,we sha'n't reach ,rome much before six o'clock4 ,still you will have time to dress and join your friend40 ,and then without awaiting the young man's reply he said to ,santobono3 8,your figs will arrive very late1 ,abb40 8,oh60 answered the priest1 8his ,eminence receives until eight o'clock4 ,and1 besides1 the figs are not for this evening4 ,people don't eat figs in the evening4 ,they will be for to-morrow morning40 ,and thereupon he again relapsed into silence4 8,for to-morrow morning--yes1 yes1 no doubt10 repeated ,prada4 8,and the ,cardinal will be able to thoroughly regale himself if nobody helps him to eat the fruit40 ,thereupon ,pierre1 without pausing to reflect1 exclaimed3 8,he will no doubt eat it by himself1 for his nephew1 ,prince ,dario1 must have started to-day for ,naples on a little convalescence trip to rid himself of the effects of the accident which laid him up during the last month40 ,then1 having got so far1 the young priest remembered to whom he was speaking1 and abruptly stopped short4 ,the ,count noticed his embarrassment4 8,oh6 speak on1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment10 said he1 8you don't offend me4 ,it's an old affair now4 ,so that young man has left1 you say80 8,yes1 unless he has postponed his departure4 ,however1 ,i don't expect to find him at the palazzo when ,i get there40 ,for a moment the only sound was that of the continuous rumble of the wheels4 ,prada again felt worried1 a prey to the discomfort of uncertainty4 ,why should he mix himself up in the affair if ,dario were really absent8 ,all the ideas which came to him tired his brain1 and he ended by thinking aloud3 8,if he has gone away it must be for propriety's sake1 so as to avoid attending the ,buongiovanni reception1 for the ,congregation of the ,council met this morning to give its decision in the suit which the ,countess has brought against me4 ,yes1 ,i shall know by and by whether our marriage is to be dissolved40 ,it was in a somewhat hoarse voice that he spoke these words1 and one could realise that the old wound was again bleeding within him4 ,although ,lisbeth had borne him a son1 the charge levelled against him in his wife's petition for divorce still filled him with blind fury each time that he thought of it4 ,and all at once he shuddered violently1 as if an icy blast had darted through his frame4 ,then1 turning the conversation1 he added3 8,it's not at all warm this evening4 ,this is the dangerous hour of the ,roman climate1 the twilight hour when it's easy to catch a terrible fever if one isn't prudent4 ,here1 pull the rug over your legs1 wrap it round you as carefully as you can40 ,then1 as they drew near the ,porta ,furba1 silence again fell1 more profound1 like the slumber which was invincibly spreading over the ,campagna1 now steeped in night4 ,and at last1 in the bright starlight1 appeared the gate1 an arch of the ,acqua ,felice1 under which the road passed4 ,from a distance1 this fragment seemed to bar the way with its mass of ancient half-fallen walls4 ,but afterwards the gigantic arch where all was black opened like a gaping porch4 ,and the carriage passed under it in darkness whilst the wheels rumbled with increased sonority4 ,when the victoria emerged on the other side1 ,santobono still had the little basket of figs upon his knees and ,prada looked at it1 quite overcome1 asking himself what sudden paralysis of the hands had prevented him from seizing it and throwing it into the darkness4 ,such had still been his intention but a few seconds before they passed under the arch4 ,he had even given the basket a final glance in order that he might the better realise what movements he should make4 ,what had taken place within him then8 ,at present he was yielding to increasing irresolution1 henceforth incapable of decisive action1 feeling a need of delay in order that he might1 before everything else1 fully satisfy himself as to what was likely to happen4 ,and as ,dario had doubtless gone away and the figs would certainly not be eaten until the following morning1 what reason was there for him to hurry8 ,he would know that evening if the ,congregation of the ,council had annulled his marriage1 he would know how far the so-called 8,justice of ,god0 was venal and mendacious6 ,certainly he would suffer nobody to be poisoned1 not even ,cardinal ,boccanera1 though the latter's life was of little account to him personally4 ,but had not that little basket1 ever since leaving ,frascati1 been like ,destiny on the march8 ,and was it not enjoyment1 the enjoyment of omnipotence1 to be able to say to himself that he was the master who could stay that basket's course1 or allow it to go onward and accomplish its deadly purpose8 ,moreover1 he yielded to the dimmest of mental struggles1 ceasing to reason1 unable to raise his hand1 and yet convinced that he would drop a warning note into the letter-box at the palazzo before he went to bed1 though at the same time he felt happy in the thought that if his interest directed otherwise he would not do so4 ,and the remainder of the journey was accomplished in silent weariness1 amidst the shiver of evening which seemed to have chilled all three men4 ,in vain did the ,count endeavour to escape from the battle of his thoughts1 by reverting to the ,buongiovanni reception1 and giving particulars of the splendours which would be witnessed at it3 his words fell sparsely in an embarrassed and absent-minded way4 ,then he sought to inspirit ,pierre by speaking to him of ,cardinal ,sanguinetti's amiable manner and fair words1 but although the young priest was returning home well pleased with his journey1 in the idea that with a little help he might yet triumph1 he scarcely answered the ,count1 so wrapt he was in his reverie4 ,and ,santobono1 on his side1 neither spoke nor moved4 ,black like the night itself1 he seemed to have vanished4 ,however1 the lights of ,rome were increasing in number1 and houses again appeared on either hand1 at first at long intervals1 and then in close succession4 ,they were suburban houses1 and there were yet more fields of reeds1 quickset hedges1 olive-trees overtopping long walls1 and big gateways with vase-surmounted pillars2 but at last came the city with its rows of small grey houses1 its petty shops and its dingy taverns1 whence at times came shouts and rumours of battle4 ,prada insisted on setting his companions down in the ,via ,giulia1 at fifty paces from the palazzo4 8,it doesn't inconvenience me at all10 said he to ,pierre4 8,besides1 with the little time you have before you1 it would never do for you to go on foot40 ,the ,via ,giulia was already steeped in slumber1 and wore a melancholy aspect of abandonment in the dreary light of the gas lamps standing on either hand4 ,and as soon as ,santobono had alighted from the carriage1 he took himself off without waiting for ,pierre1 who1 moreover1 always went in by the little door in the side lane4 8,good-bye1 ,abb10 exclaimed ,prada4 8,good-bye1 ,count1 a thousand thanks10 was ,santobono's response4 ,then the two others stood watching him as he went towards the ,boccanera mansion1 whose old1 monumental entrance1 full of gloom1 was still wide open4 ,for a moment they saw his tall1 rugged figure erect against that gloom4 ,then in he plunged1 he and his little basket1 bearing ,destiny4 ,,xii4 ,,it was ten o'clock when ,pierre and ,narcisse1 after dining at the ,caffe di ,roma1 where they had long lingered chatting1 at last walked down the ,corso towards the ,palazzo ,buongiovanni4 ,they had the greatest difficulty to reach its entrance1 for carriages were coming up in serried files1 and the inquisitive crowd of on-lookers1 who pressed even into the roadway1 in spite of the injunctions of the police1 was growing so compact that even the horses could no longer approach4 ,the ten lofty windows on the first floor of the long monumental faade shone with an intense white radiance1 the radiance of electric lamps1 which illumined the street like sunshine1 spreading over the equipages aground in that human sea1 whose billows of eager1 excited faces rolled to and fro amidst an extraordinary tumult4 ,and in all this there was not merely the usual curiosity to see uniforms go by and ladies in rich attire alight from their carriages1 for ,pierre soon gathered from what he heard that the crowd had come to witness the arrival of the ,king and ,queen1 who had promised to appear at the ball given by ,prince ,buongiovanni1 in celebration of the betrothal of his daughter ,celia to ,lieutenant ,attilio ,sacco1 the son of one of his ,majesty's ministers4 ,moreover1 people were enraptured with this marriage1 the happy ending of a love story which had impassioned the whole city3 to begin with1 love at first sight1 with the suddenness of a lightning-flash1 and then stubborn fidelity triumphing over all obstacles1 amidst romantic circumstances whose story sped from lip to lip1 moistening every eye and stirring every heart4 ,it was this story that ,narcisse had related at dessert to ,pierre1 who already knew some portion of it4 ,people asserted that if the ,prince had ended by yielding after a final terrible scene1 it was only from fear of seeing ,celia elope from the palace with her lover4 ,she did not threaten to do so1 but1 amidst her virginal calmness1 there was so much contempt for everything foreign to her love1 that her father felt her to be capable of acting with the greatest folly in all ingenuousness4 ,only indifference was manifested by the ,prince's wife1 a phlegmatic and still beautiful ,englishwoman1 who considered that she had done quite enough for the household by bringing her husband a dowry of five millions1 and bearing him five children4 ,the ,prince1 anxious and weak despite his violence1 in which one found a trace of the old ,roman blood1 already spoilt by mixture with that of a foreign race1 was nowadays ever influenced in his actions by the fear that his house and fortune--which hitherto had remained intact amidst the accumulated ruins of the patriziato--might suddenly collapse4 ,and in finally yielding to ,celia1 he must have been guided by the idea of rallying to the new rgime through his daughter1 so as to have one foot firmly set at the ,quirinal1 without withdrawing the other from the ,vatican4 ,it was galling1 no doubt2 his pride must have bled at the idea of allying his name with that of such low folks as the ,saccos4 ,but then ,sacco was a minister1 and had sped so quickly from success to success that it seemed likely he would rise yet higher1 and1 after the portfolio of ,agriculture1 secure that of ,finances1 which he had long coveted4 ,and an alliance with ,sacco meant the certain favour of the ,king1 an assured retreat in that direction should the papacy some day collapse4 ,then1 too1 the ,prince had made inquiries respecting the son1 and was somewhat disarmed by the good looks1 bravery1 and rectitude of young ,attilio1 who represented the future1 and possibly the glorious ,italy of to-morrow4 ,he was a soldier1 and could be helped forward to the highest rank4 ,and people spitefully added that the last reason which had influenced the ,prince1 who was very avaricious1 and greatly worried by the thought that his fortune must be divided among his five children199 was that an opportunity presented itself for him to bestow a ridiculously small dowry on ,celia4 ,however1 having consented to the marriage1 he resolved to give a splendid fte1 such as was now seldom witnessed in ,rome1 throwing his doors open to all the rival sections of society1 inviting the sovereigns1 and setting the palazzo ablaze as in the grand days of old4 ,in doing this he would necessarily have to expend some of the money to which he clung1 but a boastful spirit incited him to show the world that he at any rate had not been vanquished by the financial crisis1 and that the ,buongiovannis had nothing to hide and nothing to blush for4 ,to tell the truth1 some people asserted that this bravado had not originated with himself1 but had been instilled into him without his knowledge by the quiet and innocent ,celia1 who wished to exhibit her happiness to all applauding ,rome4 99 ,the ,italian succession law is similar to the ,french4 ,children cannot be disinherited4 ,all property is divided among them1 and thus the piling up of large hereditary fortunes is prevented4--,trans4 8,dear me60 said ,narcisse1 whom the throng prevented from advancing4 8,we shall never get in4 ,why1 they seem to have invited the whole city40 ,and then1 as ,pierre seemed surprised to see a prelate drive up in his carriage1 the attach added3 8,oh6 you will elbow more than one of them upstairs4 ,the cardinals won't like to come on account of the presence of the ,king and ,queen1 but the prelates are sure to be here4 ,this1 you know1 is a neutral drawing-room where the black and the white worlds can fraternise4 ,and then too1 there are so few ftes that people rush on them40 ,he went on to explain that there were two grand balls at ,court every winter1 but that it was only under exceptional circumstances that the patriziato gave similar galas4 ,two or three of the black salons were opened once in a way towards the close of the ,carnival1 but little dances among intimates replaced the pompous entertainments of former times4 ,some princesses moreover merely had their day4 ,and as for the few white salons that existed1 these likewise retained the same character of intimacy1 more or less mixed1 for no lady had yet become the undisputed queen of the new society4 8,well1 here we are at last10 resumed ,narcisse as they eventually climbed the stairs4 8,let us keep together10 ,pierre somewhat anxiously replied4 8,my only acquaintance is with the fiance1 and ,i want you to introduce me40 ,however1 a considerable effort was needed even to climb the monumental staircase1 so great was the crush of arriving guests4 ,never1 in the old days of wax candles and oil lamps1 had this staircase offered such a blaze of light4 ,electric lamps1 burning in clusters in superb bronze candelabra on the landings1 steeped everything in a white radiance4 ,the cold stucco of the walls was hidden by a series of lofty tapestries depicting the story of ,cupid and ,psyche1 marvels which had remained in the family since the days of the ,renascence4 ,and a thick carpet covered the worn marble steps1 whilst clumps of evergreens and tall spreading palms decorated every corner4 ,an affluence of new blood warmed the antique mansion that evening2 there was a resurrection of life1 so to say1 as the women surged up the staircase1 smiling and perfumed1 bare-shouldered1 and sparkling with diamonds4 ,at the entrance of the first reception-room ,pierre at once perceived ,prince and ,princess ,buongiovanni1 standing side by side and receiving their guests4 ,the ,prince1 a tall1 slim man with fair complexion and hair turning grey1 had the pale northern eyes of his ,american mother in an energetic face such as became a former captain of the popes4 ,the ,princess1 with small1 delicate1 and rounded features1 looked barely thirty1 though she had really passed her fortieth year4 ,and still pretty1 displaying a smiling serenity which nothing could disconcert1 she purely and simply basked in self-adoration4 ,her gown was of pink satin1 and a marvellous parure of large rubies set flamelets about her dainty neck and in her fine1 fair hair4 ,of her five children1 her son1 the eldest1 was travelling1 and three of the girls1 mere children1 were still at school1 so that only ,celia was present1 ,celia in a modest gown of white muslin1 fair like her mother1 quite bewitching with her large innocent eyes and her candid lips1 and retaining to the very end of her love story the semblance of a closed lily of impenetrable1 virginal mysteriousness4 ,the ,saccos had but just arrived1 and ,attilio1 in his simple lieutenant's uniform1 had remained near his betrothed1 so navely and openly delighted with his great happiness that his handsome face1 with its caressing mouth and brave eyes1 was quite resplendent with youth and strength4 ,standing there1 near one another1 in the triumph of their passion they appeared like life's very joy and health1 like the personification of hope in the morrow's promises2 and the entering guests who saw them could not refrain from smiling and feeling moved1 momentarily forgetting their loquacious and malicious curiosity to give their hearts to those chosen ones of love who looked so handsome and so enraptured4 ,narcisse stepped forward in order to present ,pierre1 but ,celia anticipated him4 ,going to meet the young priest she led him to her father and mother1 saying3 8,monsieur l',abb ,pierre ,froment1 a friend of my dear ,benedetta40 ,ceremonious salutations followed4 ,then the young girl1 whose graciousness greatly touched ,pierre1 said to him3 8,benedetta is coming with her aunt and ,dario4 ,she must be very happy this evening6 ,and you will also see how beautiful she will be40 ,pierre and ,narcisse next began to congratulate her1 but they could not remain there1 the throng was ever jostling them2 and the ,prince and ,princess1 quite lost in the crush1 had barely time to answer the many salutations with amiable1 continuous nods4 ,and ,celia1 after conducting the two friends to ,attilio1 was obliged to return to her parents so as to take her place beside them as the little queen of the fte4 ,narcisse was already slightly acquainted with ,attilio1 and so fresh congratulations ensued4 ,then the two friends manuvred to find a spot where they might momentarily tarry and contemplate the spectacle which this first salon presented4 ,it was a vast hall1 hung with green velvet broidered with golden flowers1 and contained a very remarkable collection of weapons and armour1 breast-plates1 battle-axes1 and swords1 almost all of which had belonged to the ,buongiovannis of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries4 ,and amidst those stern implements of war there was a lovely sedan-chair of the last century1 gilded and decorated with delicate paintings4 ,it was in this chair that the ,prince's great-grandmother1 the celebrated ,bettina1 whose beauty was historical1 had usually been carried to mass4 ,on the walls1 moreover1 there were numerous historical paintings3 battles1 peace congresses1 and royal receptions in which the ,buongiovannis had taken part1 without counting the many family portraits1 tall and proud figures of sea-captains1 commanders in the field1 great dignitaries of the ,church1 prelates and cardinals1 amongst whom1 in the place of honour1 appeared the family pope1 the white-robed ,buongiovanni whose accession to the pontifical throne had enriched a long line of descendants4 ,and it was among those armours1 near that coquettish sedan1 and below those antique portraits1 that the ,saccos1 husband and wife1 had in their turn just halted1 at a few steps from the master and mistress of the house1 in order to secure their share of congratulations and bows4 8,look over there60 ,narcisse whispered to ,pierre1 8those are the ,saccos in front of us1 that dark little fellow and the lady in mauve silk40 ,pierre promptly recognised the bright face and pleasant smile of ,stefana1 whom he had already met at old ,orlando's4 ,but he was more interested in her husband1 a dark dry man1 with big eyes1 sallow complexion1 prominent chin1 and vulturine nose4 ,like some gay ,neapolitan 8,pulcinello10 he was dancing1 shouting1 and displaying such infectious good humour that it spread to all around him4 ,he possessed a wonderful gift of speech1 with a voice that was unrivalled as an instrument of fascination and conquest2 and on seeing how easily he ingratiated himself with the people in that drawing-room1 one could understand his lightning-like successes in the political world4 ,he had manoeuvered with rare skill in the matter of his son's marriage1 affecting such exaggerated delicacy of feeling as to set himself against the lovers1 and declare that he would never consent to their union1 as he had no desire to be accused of stealing a dowry and a title4 ,as a matter of fact1 he had only yielded after the ,buongiovannis had given their consent1 and even then he had desired to take the opinion of old ,orlando1 whose lofty integrity was proverbial4 ,however1 he knew right well that he would secure the old hero's approval in this particular affair1 for ,orlando made no secret of his opinion that the ,buongiovannis ought to be glad to admit his grand-nephew into their family1 as that handsome young fellow1 with brave and healthy heart1 would help to regenerate their impoverished blood4 ,and throughout the whole affair1 ,sacco had shrewdly availed himself of ,orlando's famous name1 for ever talking of the relationship between them1 and displaying filial veneration for this glorious founder of the country1 as if indeed he had no suspicion that the latter despised and execrated him and mourned his accession to power in the conviction that he would lead ,italy to shame and ruin4 8,ah60 resumed ,narcisse addressing ,pierre1 8he's one of those supple1 practical men who care nothing for a smack in the face4 ,it seems that unscrupulous individuals like himself become necessary when states get into trouble and have to pass through political1 financial1 and moral crises4 ,it is said that ,sacco with his imperturbable assurance and ingenious and resourceful mind has quite won the ,king's favour4 ,just look at him6 ,why1 with that crowd of courtiers round him1 one might think him the master of this palace60 ,and indeed the guests1 after passing the ,prince and ,princess with a bow1 at once congregated around ,sacco1 for he represented power1 emoluments1 pensions1 and crosses2 and if folks still smiled at seeing his dark1 turbulent1 and scraggy figure amidst that framework of family portraits which proclaimed the mighty ancestry of the ,buongiovannis1 they none the less worshipped him as the personification of the new power1 the democratic force which was confusedly rising even from the old ,roman soil where the patriziato lay in ruins4 8,what a crowd60 muttered ,pierre4 8,who are all these people80 8,oh60 replied ,narcisse1 8it is a regular mixture4 ,these people belong neither to the black nor the white world2 they form a grey world as it were4 ,the evolution was certain2 a man like ,cardinal ,boccanera may retain an uncompromising attitude1 but a whole city1 a nation can't4 ,the ,pope alone will always say no and remain immutable4 ,but everything around him progresses and undergoes transformation1 so that in spite of all resistance1 ,rome will become ,italian in a few years' time4 ,even now1 whenever a prince has two sons only one of them remains on the side of the ,vatican1 the other goes over to the ,quirinal4 ,people must live1 you see2 and the great families threatened with annihilation have not sufficient heroism to carry obstinacy to the point of suicide4 ,and ,i have already told you that we are here on neutral ground1 for ,prince ,buongiovanni was one of the first to realise the necessity of conciliation4 ,he feels that his fortune is perishing1 he does not care to risk it either in industry or in speculation1 and already sees it portioned out among his five children1 by whose descendants it will be yet further divided2 and this is why he prudently makes advances to the ,king without1 however1 breaking with the ,pope4 ,in this salon1 therefore1 you see a perfect picture of the debcle1 the confusion which reigns in the ,prince's ideas and opinions40 ,narcisse paused1 and then began to name some of the persons who were coming in4 8,there's a general10 said he1 8who has become very popular since his last campaign in ,africa4 ,there will be a great many military men here this evening1 for all ,attilio's superiors have been invited1 so as to give the young man an entourage of glory4 ,ah6 and there's the ,german ambassador4 ,i fancy that nearly all the ,corps ,diplomatique will come on account of their ,majesties' presence4 ,but1 by way of contrast1 just look at that stout fellow yonder4 ,he's a very influential deputy1 a parvenu of the new middle class4 ,thirty years ago he was merely one of ,prince ,albertini's farmers1 one of those mercanti di campagna who go about the environs of ,rome in stout boots and a soft felt hat4 ,and now look at that prelate coming in--0 8,oh6 ,i know him10 ,pierre interrupted4 8,he's ,monsignor ,fornaro40 8,exactly1 ,monsignor ,fornaro1 a personage of some importance4 ,you told me1 ,i remember1 that he is the reporter of the ,congregation in that affair of your book4 ,a most delightful man6 ,did you see how he bowed to the ,princess8 ,and what a noble and graceful bearing he has in his little mantle of violet silk60 ,then ,narcisse went on enumerating the princes and princesses1 the dukes and duchesses1 the politicians and functionaries1 the diplomatists and ministers1 and the officers and well-to-do middle-class people1 who of themselves made up a most wonderful medley of guests1 to say nothing of the representatives of the various foreign colonies1 ,english people1 ,americans1 ,germans1 ,spaniards1 and ,russians1 in a word1 all ancient ,europe1 and both ,americas4 ,and afterwards the young man reverted to the ,saccos1 to the little ,signora ,sacco in particular1 in order to tell ,pierre of the heroic efforts which she had made to open a salon for the purpose of assisting her husband's ambition4 ,gentle and modest as she seemed1 she was also very shrewd1 endowed with genuine qualities1 ,piedmontese patience and strength of resistance1 orderly habits and thriftiness4 ,and thus it was she who re-established the equilibrium in household affairs which her husband by his exuberance so often disturbed4 ,he was indeed greatly indebted to her1 though nobody suspected it4 ,at the same time1 however1 she had so far failed in her attempts to establish a white salon which should take the lead in influencing opinion4 ,only the people of her own set visited her1 not a single prince ever came1 and her ,monday dances were the same as in a score of other middle-class homes1 having no brilliancy and no importance4 ,in fact1 the real white salon1 which should guide men and things and sway all ,rome was still in dreamland4 8,just notice her keen smile as she examines everything here10 resumed ,narcisse4 8,she's teaching herself and forming plans1 ,i'm sure of it4 ,now that she is about to be connected with a princely family she probably hopes to receive some of the best society40 ,large as was the room1 the crowd in it had by this time grown so dense that the two friends were pressed back to a wall1 and felt almost stifled4 ,the attach therefore decided to lead the priest elsewhere1 and as they walked along he gave him some particulars concerning the palace1 which was one of the most sumptuous in ,rome1 and renowned for the magnificence of its reception-rooms4 ,dancing took place in the picture gallery1 a superb apartment more than sixty feet long1 with eight windows overlooking the ,corso2 while the buffet was installed in the ,hall of the ,antiques1 a marble hall1 which among other precious things contained a statue of ,venus1 rivalling the one at the ,capitol4 ,then there was a suite of marvellous salons1 still resplendent with ancient luxury1 hung with the rarest stuffs1 and retaining some unique specimens of old-time furniture1 on which covetous antiquaries kept their eyes fixed1 whilst waiting and hoping for the inevitable future ruin4 ,and one of these apartments1 the little ,saloon of the ,mirrors1 was particularly famous4 ,of circular shape and ,louis ,,xv style1 it was surrounded by mirrors in rococo frames1 extremely rich1 and most exquisitely carved4 8,you will see all that by and by10 continued ,narcisse4 8,at present we had better go in here if we want to breathe a little4 ,it is here that the arm-chairs from the adjacent gallery have been brought for the accommodation of the ladies who desire to sit down and be seen and admired40 ,the apartment they entered was a spacious one1 draped with the most superb ,genoese velvet1 that antique jardinire velvet with pale satin ground1 and flowers once of dazzling brightness1 whose greens and blues and reds had now become exquisitely soft1 with the subdued1 faded tones of old floral love-tokens4 ,on the pier tables and in the cabinets all around were some of the most precious curios in the palace1 ivory caskets1 gilt and painted wood carvings1 pieces of antique plate--briefly1 a collection of marvels4 ,and several ladies1 fleeing the crush1 had already taken refuge on the numerous seats1 clustering in little groups1 and laughing and chatting with the few gentlemen who had discovered this retreat of grace and galanterie4 ,in the bright glow of the lamps nothing could be more delightful than the sight of all those bare1 sheeny shoulders1 and those supple necks1 above whose napes were coiled tresses of fair or raven hair4 ,bare arms emerged like living flowers of flesh from amidst the mingling lace and silk of soft-hued bodices4 ,the fans played slowly1 as if to heighten the fires of the precious stones1 and at each beat wafted around an odore di femina blended with a predominating perfume of violets4 8,hallo60 exclaimed ,narcisse1 8there's our good friend ,monsignor ,nani bowing to the ,austrian ambassadress40 ,as soon as ,nani perceived the young priest and his companion he came towards them1 and the trio then withdrew into the embrasure of a window in order that they might chat for a moment at their ease4 ,the prelate was smiling like one enchanted with the beauty of the fte1 but at the same time he retained all the serenity of innocence1 as if he had not even noticed the exhibition of bare shoulders by which he was surrounded4 8,ah1 my dear son60 he said to ,pierre1 8,i am very pleased to see you6 ,well1 and what do you think of our ,rome when she makes up her mind to give ftes80 8,why1 it is superb1 ,monseigneur40 ,then1 in an emotional manner1 ,nani spoke of ,celia's lofty piety2 and1 in order to give the ,vatican the credit of this sumptuous gala1 affected to regard the ,prince and ,princess as staunch adherents of the ,church1 as if he were altogether unaware that the ,king and ,queen were presently coming4 ,and afterwards he abruptly exclaimed3 8,i have been thinking of you all day1 my dear son4 ,yes1 ,i heard that you had gone to see his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti4 ,well1 and how did he receive you80 8,oh6 in a most paternal manner10 ,pierre replied4 8,at first he made me understand the embarrassment in which he was placed by his position as protector of ,lourdes2 but just as ,i was going off he showed himself charming1 and promised me his help with a delicacy which deeply touched me40 8,did he indeed1 my dear son8 ,but it doesn't surprise me1 his ,eminence is so good-hearted60 8,and ,i must add1 ,monseigneur1 that ,i came back with a light and hopeful heart4 ,it now seems to me as if my suit were half gained40 8,naturally1 ,i understand it10 replied ,nani1 who was still smiling with that keen1 intelligent smile of his1 sharpened by a touch of almost imperceptible irony4 ,and after a short pause he added in a very simple way3 8,the misfortune is that on the day before yesterday your book was condemned by the ,congregation of the ,index1 which was convoked by its ,secretary expressly for that purpose4 ,and the judgment will be laid before his ,holiness1 for him to sign it1 on the day after to-morrow40 ,pierre looked at the prelate in bewilderment4 ,had the old mansion fallen on his head he would not have felt more overcome4 ,what6 was it all over8 ,his journey to ,rome1 the experiment he had come to attempt there1 had resulted in that defeat1 of which he was thus suddenly apprised amidst that betrothal fte4 ,and he had not even been able to defend himself1 he had sacrificed his time without finding any one to whom he might speak1 before whom he might plead his cause6 ,anger was rising within him1 and he could not prevent himself from muttering bitterly3 8,ah6 how ,i have been duped6 ,and that ,cardinal who said to me only this morning3 #8,if ,god be with you he will save you in spite of everything4' ,yes1 yes1 ,i now understand him2 he was juggling with words1 he only desired a disaster in order that submission might lead me to ,heaven6 ,submit1 indeed1 ah6 ,i cannot1 ,i cannot yet6 ,my heart is too full of indignation and grief40 ,nani examined and studied him with curiosity4 8,but my dear son10 he said1 8nothing is final so long as the ,holy ,father has not signed the judgment4 ,you have all to-morrow and even the morning of the day after before you4 ,a miracle is always possible40 ,then1 lowering his voice and drawing ,pierre on one side whilst ,narcisse in an aesthetical spirit examined the ladies1 he added3 8,listen1 ,i have a communication to make to you in great secrecy4 ,come and join me in the little ,saloon of the ,mirrors by and by1 during the ,cotillon4 ,we shall be able to talk there at our ease40 ,pierre nodded1 and thereupon the prelate discreetly withdrew and disappeared in the crowd4 ,however1 the young man's ears were buzzing2 he could no longer hope2 what indeed could he accomplish in one day since he had lost three months without even being able to secure an audience with the ,pope8 ,and his bewilderment increased as he suddenly heard ,narcisse speaking to him of art4 8,it's astonishing how the feminine figure has deteriorated in these dreadful democratic days4 ,it's all fat and horribly common4 ,not one of those women yonder shows the ,florentine contour1 with small bosom and slender1 elegant neck4 ,ah6 that one yonder isn't so bad perhaps1 the fair one with her hair coiled up1 whom ,monsignor ,fornaro has just approached40 ,for a few minutes indeed ,monsignor ,fornaro had been fluttering from beauty to beauty1 with an amiable air of conquest4 ,he looked superb that evening with his lofty decorative figure1 blooming cheeks1 and victorious affability4 ,no unpleasant scandal was associated with his name2 he was simply regarded as a prelate of gallant ways who took pleasure in the society of ladies4 ,and he paused and chatted1 and leant over their bare shoulders with laughing eyes and humid lips as if experiencing a sort of devout rapture4 ,however1 on perceiving ,narcisse whom he occasionally met1 he at once came forward and the attach had to bow to him4 8,you have been in good health ,i hope1 ,monseigneur1 since ,i had the honour of seeing you at the embassy40 8,oh6 yes1 ,i am very well1 very well indeed4 ,what a delightful fte1 is it not80 ,pierre also had bowed4 ,this was the man whose report had brought about the condemnation of his book2 and it was with resentment that he recalled his caressing air and charming greeting1 instinct with such lying promise4 ,however1 the prelate1 who was very shrewd1 must have guessed that the young priest was already acquainted with the decision of the ,congregation1 and have thought it more dignified to abstain from open recognition2 for on his side he merely nodded and smiled at him4 8,what a number of people60 he went on1 8and how many charming persons there are6 ,it will soon be impossible for one to move in this room40 ,all the seats in fact were now occupied by ladies1 and what with the strong perfume of violets and the exhalations of warm necks and shoulders the atmosphere was becoming most oppressive4 ,the fans flapped more briskly1 and clear laughter rang out amidst a growing hubbub of conversation in which the same words constantly recurred4 ,some news1 doubtless1 had just arrived1 some rumour was being whispered from group to group1 throwing them all into feverish excitement4 ,as it happened1 ,monsignor ,fornaro1 who was always well informed1 desired to be the proclaimer of this news1 which nobody as yet had ventured to announce aloud4 8,do you know what is exciting them all80 he inquired4 8,is it the ,holy ,father's illness80 asked ,pierre in his anxiety4 8,is he worse this evening80 ,the prelate looked at him in astonishment1 and then somewhat impatiently replied3 8,oh1 no1 no4 ,his ,holiness is much better1 thank ,heaven4 ,a person belonging to the ,vatican was telling me just now that he was able to get up this afternoon and receive his intimates as usual40 8,all the same1 people have been alarmed10 interrupted ,narcisse4 8,i must confess that we did not feel easy at the embassy1 for a ,conclave at the present time would be a great worry for ,france4 ,she would exercise no influence at it4 ,it is a great mistake on the part of our ,republican ,government to treat the ,holy ,see as of no importance6 ,however1 can one ever tell whether the ,pope is ill or not8 ,i know for a certainty that he was nearly carried off last winter when nobody breathed a word about any illness1 whereas on the last occasion when the newspapers killed him and talked about a dreadful attack of bronchitis1 ,i myself saw him quite strong and in the best of spirits6 ,his reported illnesses are mere matters of policy1 ,i fancy4099 99 ,there is much truth in this2 but the reader must not imagine that the ,pope is never ill4 ,at his great age1 indispositions are only natural4--,trans4 ,with a hasty gesture1 however1 ,monsignor ,fornaro brushed this importunate subject aside4 8,no1 no10 said he1 8people are tranquillised and no longer talk of it4 ,what excites all those ladies is that the ,congregation of the ,council to-day voted the dissolution of the ,prada marriage by a great majority40 ,again did ,pierre feel moved4 ,however1 not having had time to see any members of the ,boccanera family on his return from ,frascati he feared that the news might be false and said so4 ,thereupon the prelate gave his word of honour that things were as he stated4 8,the news is certain10 he declared4 8,i had it from a member of the ,congregation40 ,and then1 all at once1 he apologised and hurried off3 8,excuse me but ,i see a lady whom ,i had not yet caught sight of1 and desire to pay my respects to her40 ,he at once hastened to the lady in question1 and1 being unable to sit down1 inclined his lofty figure as if to envelop her with his gallant courtesy2 whilst she1 young1 fresh1 and bare-shouldered1 laughed with a pearly laugh as his cape of violet silk lightly brushed her sheeny skin4 8,you know that person1 don't you80 ,narcisse inquired of ,pierre4 8,no6 ,really8 ,why1 that is ,count ,prada's inamorata1 the charming ,lisbeth ,kauffmann1 by whom he has just had a son4 ,it's her first appearance in society since that event4 ,she's a ,german1 you know1 and lost her husband here4 ,she paints a little2 in fact1 rather nicely4 ,a great deal is forgiven to the ladies of the foreign colony1 and this one is particularly popular on account of the very affable manner in which she receives people at her little palazzo in the ,via ,principe ,amedeo4 ,as you may imagine1 the news of the dissolution of that marriage must amuse her60 ,she looked really exquisite1 that ,lisbeth1 very fair1 rosy1 and gay1 with satiny skin1 soft blue eyes1 and lips wreathed in an amiable smile1 which was renowned for its grace4 ,and that evening1 in her gown of white silk spangled with gold1 she showed herself so delighted with life1 so securely happy in the thought that she was free1 that she loved and was loved in return1 that the whispered tidings1 the malicious remarks exchanged behind the fans of those around her1 seemed to turn to her personal triumph4 ,for a moment all eyes had sought her1 and people talked of the outcome of her connection with ,prada1 the man whose manhood the ,church solemnly denied by its decision of that very day6 ,and there came stifled laughter and whispered jests1 whilst she1 radiant in her insolent serenity1 accepted with a rapturous air the gallantry of ,monsignor ,fornaro1 who congratulated her on a painting of the ,virgin with the lily1 which she had lately sent to a fine-art show4 ,ah6 that matrimonial nullity suit1 which for a year had supplied ,rome with scandal1 what a final hubbub it occasioned as the tidings of its termination burst forth amidst that ball6 ,the black and white worlds had long chosen it as a battlefield for the exchange of incredible slander1 endless gossip1 the most nonsensical tittle-tattle4 ,and now it was over2 the ,vatican with imperturbable impudence had pronounced the marriage null and void on the ground that the husband was no man1 and all ,rome would laugh over the affair1 with that free scepticism which it displayed as soon as the pecuniary affairs of the ,church came into question4 ,the incidents of the struggle were already common property3 ,prada's feelings revolting to such a point that he had withdrawn from the contest1 the ,boccaneras moving heaven and earth in their feverish anxiety1 the money which they had distributed among the creatures of the various cardinals in order to gain their influence1 and the large sum which they had indirectly paid for the second and favourable report of ,monsignor ,palma4 ,people said that1 altogether1 more than a hundred thousand francs had been expended1 but this was not thought over-much1 as a well-known ,french countess had been obliged to disburse nearly ten times that amount to secure the dissolution of her marriage4 ,but then the ,holy ,father's need was so great6 ,and1 moreover1 nobody was angered by this venality2 it merely gave rise to malicious witticisms2 and the fans continued waving in the increasing heat1 and the ladies quivered with contentment as the whispered pleasantries took wing and fluttered over their bare shoulders4 8,oh6 how pleased the ,contessina must be60 ,pierre resumed4 8,i did not understand what her little friend1 ,princess ,celia1 meant by saying when we came in that she would be so happy and beautiful this evening4 ,it is doubtless on that account that she is coming here1 after cloistering herself all the time the affair lasted1 as if she were in mourning40 ,however1 ,lisbeth's eyes had chanced to meet those of ,narcisse1 and as she smiled at him he was1 in his turn1 obliged to pay his respects to her1 for1 like everybody else of the foreign colony1 he knew her through having visited her studio4 ,he was again returning to ,pierre when a fresh outburst of emotion stirred the diamond aigrettes and the flowers adorning the ladies' hair4 ,people turned to see what was the matter1 and again did the hubbub increase4 8,ah6 it's ,count ,prada in person60 murmured ,narcisse1 with an admiring glance4 8,he has a fine bearing1 whatever folks may say4 ,dress him up in velvet and gold1 and what a splendid1 unscrupulous1 fifteenth-century adventurer he would make60 ,prada entered the room1 looking quite gay1 in fact1 almost triumphant4 ,and above his large1 white shirtfront1 edged by the black of his coat1 he really had a commanding1 predacious expression1 with his frank1 stern eyes1 and his energetic features barred by a large black moustache4 ,never had a more rapturous smile of sensuality revealed the wolfish teeth of his voracious mouth4 ,with rapid glances he took stock of the women1 dived into their very souls4 ,then1 on seeing ,lisbeth1 who looked so pink1 and fair1 and girlish1 his expression softened1 and he frankly went up to her1 without troubling in the slightest degree about the ardent1 inquisitive eyes which were turned upon him4 ,as soon as ,monsignor ,fornaro had made room1 he stooped and conversed with the young woman in a low tone4 ,and she no doubt confirmed the news which was circulating1 for as he again drew himself erect1 he laughed a somewhat forced laugh1 and made an involuntary gesture4 ,however1 he then caught sight of ,pierre1 and joined him in the embrasure of the window2 and when he had also shaken hands with ,narcisse1 he said to the young priest with all his wonted bravura3 8,you recollect what ,i told you as we were coming back from ,frascati8 ,well1 it's done1 it seems1 they've annulled my marriage4 ,it's such an impudent1 such an imbecile decision1 that ,i still doubted it a moment ago60 8,oh6 the news is certain10 ,pierre made bold to reply4 8,it has just been confirmed to us by ,monsignor ,fornaro1 who had it from a member of the ,congregation4 ,and it is said that the majority was very large40 ,prada again shook with laughter4 8,no1 no10 said he1 8such a farce is beyond belief6 ,it's the finest smack given to justice and common-sense that ,i know of4 ,ah6 if the marriage can also be annulled by the civil courts1 and if my friend whom you see yonder be only willing1 we shall amuse ourselves in ,rome6 ,yes1 indeed1 ,i'd marry her at ,santa ,maria ,maggiore with all possible pomp4 ,and there's a dear little being in the world who would take part in the fte in his nurse's arms60 ,he laughed too loud as he spoke1 alluded in too brutal a fashion to his child1 that living proof of his manhood4 ,was it suffering that made his lips curve upwards and reveal his white teeth8 ,it could be divined that he was quivering1 fighting against an awakening of covert1 tumultuous passion1 which he would not acknowledge even to himself4 8,and you1 my dear ,abb80 he hastily resumed4 8,do you know the other report8 ,do you know that the ,countess is coming here80 ,it was thus1 by force of habit1 that he designated ,benedetta1 forgetting that she was no longer his wife4 8,yes1 ,i have just been told so10 ,pierre replied2 and then he hesitated for a moment before adding1 with a desire to prevent any disagreeable surprise3 8,and we shall no doubt see ,prince ,dario also1 for he has not started for ,naples as ,i told you4 ,something prevented his departure at the last moment1 ,i believe4 ,at least so ,i gathered from a servant40 ,prada no longer laughed4 ,his face suddenly became grave1 and he contented himself with murmuring3 8,ah6 so the cousin is to be of the party4 ,well1 we shall see them1 we shall see them both60 ,then1 whilst the two friends went on chatting1 he became silent1 as if serious considerations impelled him to reflect4 ,and suddenly making a gesture of apology he withdrew yet farther into the embrasure in which he stood1 pulled a note-book out of his pocket1 and tore from it a leaf on which1 without modifying his handwriting otherwise than by slightly enlarging it1 he pencilled these four lines3 8,a legend avers that the fig tree of ,judas now grows at ,frascati1 and that its fruit is deadly for him who may desire to become ,pope4 ,eat not the poisoned figs1 nor give them either to your servants or your fowls40 ,then he folded the paper1 fastened it with a postage stamp1 and wrote on it the address3 8,to his most ,reverend and most ,illustrious ,eminence1 ,cardinal ,boccanera40 ,and when he had placed everything in his pocket again1 he drew a long breath and once more called back his laugh4 ,a kind of invincible discomfort1 a far-away terror had momentarily frozen him4 ,without being guided by any clear train of reasoning1 he had felt the need of protecting himself against any cowardly temptation1 any possible abomination4 ,he could not have told what course of ideas had induced him to write those four lines without a moment's delay1 on the very spot where he stood1 under penalty of contributing to a great catastrophe4 ,but one thought was firmly fixed in his brain1 that on leaving the ball he would go to the ,via ,giulia and throw that note into the letter-box at the ,palazzo ,boccanera4 ,and that decided1 he was once more easy in mind4 8,why1 what is the matter with you1 my dear ,abb80 he inquired on again joining in the conversation of the two friends4 8,you are quite gloomy40 ,and on ,pierre telling him of the bad news which he had received1 the condemnation of his book1 and the single day which remained to him for action if he did not wish his journey to ,rome to result in defeat1 he began to protest as if he himself needed agitation and diversion in order to continue hopeful and bear the ills of life4 8,never mind1 never mind1 don't worry yourself10 said he1 8one loses all one's strength by worrying4 ,a day is a great deal1 one can do ever so many things in a day4 ,an hour1 a minute suffices for ,destiny to intervene and turn defeat into victory60 ,he grew feverish as he spoke1 and all at once added1 8,come1 let's go to the ball-room4 ,it seems that the scene there is something prodigious40 ,then he exchanged a last loving glance with ,lisbeth whilst ,pierre and ,narcisse followed him1 the three of them extricating themselves from their corner with the greatest difficulty1 and then wending their way towards the adjoining gallery through a sea of serried skirts1 a billowy expanse of necks and shoulders whence ascended the passion which makes life1 the odour alike of love and of death4 ,with its eight windows overlooking the ,corso1 their panes uncurtained and throwing a blaze of light upon the houses across the road1 the picture gallery1 sixty-five feet in length and more than thirty in breadth1 spread out with incomparable splendour4 ,the illumination was dazzling4 ,clusters of electric lamps had changed seven pairs of huge marble candelabra into gigantic torchres1 akin to constellations2 and all along the cornice up above1 other lamps set in bright-hued floral glasses formed a marvellous garland of flaming flowers3 tulips1 paeonies1 and roses4 ,the antique red velvet worked with gold1 which draped the walls1 glowed like a furnace fire4 ,about the doors and windows there were hangings of old lace broidered with flowers in coloured silk whose hues had the very intensity of life4 ,but the sight of sights beneath the sumptuous panelled ceiling adorned with golden roses1 the unique spectacle of a richness not to be equalled1 was the collection of masterpieces such as no museum could excel4 ,there were works of ,raffaelle and ,titian1 ,rembrandt and ,rubens1 ,velasquez and ,ribera1 famous works which in this unexpected illumination suddenly showed forth1 triumphant with youth regained1 as if awakened to the immortal life of genius4 ,and1 as their ,majesties would not arrive before midnight1 the ball had just been opened1 and flights of soft-hued gowns were whirling in a waltz past all the pompous throng1 the glittering jewels and decorations1 the gold-broidered uniforms and the pearl-broidered robes1 whilst silk and satin and velvet spread and overflowed upon every side4 8,it is prodigious1 really60 declared ,prada with his excited air2 8let us go this way and place ourselves in a window recess again4 ,there is no better spot for getting a good view without being too much jostled40 ,they lost ,narcisse somehow or other1 and on reaching the desired recess found themselves but two1 ,pierre and the ,count4 ,the orchestra1 installed on a little platform at the far end of the gallery1 had just finished the waltz1 and the dancers1 with an air of giddy rapture1 were slowly walking through the crowd when a fresh arrival caused every head to turn4 ,donna ,serafina1 arrayed in a robe of purple silk as if she had worn the colours of her brother the ,cardinal1 was making a royal entry on the arm of ,consistorial-,advocate ,morano4 ,and never before had she laced herself so tightly1 never had her waist looked so slim and girlish2 and never had her stern1 wrinkled face1 which her white hair scarcely softened1 expressed such stubborn and victorious domination4 ,a discreet murmur of approval ran round1 a murmur of public relief as it were1 for all ,roman society had condemned the unworthy conduct of ,morano in severing a connection of thirty years to which the drawing-rooms had grown as accustomed as if it had been a legal marriage4 ,the rupture had lasted for two months1 to the great scandal of ,rome where the cult of long and faithful affections still abides4 ,and so the reconciliation touched every heart and was regarded as one of the happiest consequences of the victory which the ,boccaneras had that day gained in the affair of ,benedetta's marriage4 ,morano repentant and ,donna ,serafina reappearing on his arm1 nothing could have been more satisfactory2 love had conquered1 decorum was preserved and good order re-established4 ,but there was a deeper sensation as soon as ,benedetta and ,dario were seen to enter1 side by side1 behind the others4 ,this tranquil indifference for the ordinary forms of propriety1 on the very day when the marriage with ,prada had been annulled1 this victory of love1 confessed and celebrated before one and all1 seemed so charming in its audacity1 so full of the bravery of youth and hope1 that the pair were at once forgiven amidst a murmur of universal admiration4 ,and as in the case of ,celia and ,attilio1 all hearts flew to them1 to their radiant beauty1 to the wondrous happiness that made their faces so resplendent4 ,dario1 still pale after his long convalescence1 somewhat slight and delicate of build1 with the fine clear eyes of a big child1 and the dark curly beard of a young god1 bore himself with a light pride1 in which all the old princely blood of the ,boccaneras could be traced4 ,and ,benedetta1 she so white under her casque of jetty hair1 she so calm and so sensible1 wore her lovely smile1 that smile so seldom seen on her face but which was irresistibly fascinating1 transfiguring her1 imparting the charm of a flower to her somewhat full mouth1 and filling the infinite of her dark and fathomless eyes with a radiance as of heaven4 ,and in this gay return of youth and happiness1 an exquisite instinct had prompted her to put on a white gown1 a plain girlish gown which symbolised her maidenhood1 which told that she had remained through all a pure untarnished lily for the husband of her choice4 ,and nothing of her form was to be seen1 not a glimpse of bosom or shoulder4 ,it was as if the impenetrable1 redoubtable mystery of love1 the sovereign beauty of woman slumbered there1 all powerful1 but veiled with white4 ,again1 not a jewel appeared on her fingers or in her ears4 ,there was simply a necklace falling about her corsage1 but a necklace fit for royalty1 the famous pearl necklace of the ,boccaneras1 which she had inherited from her mother1 and which was known to all ,rome--pearls of fabulous size cast negligently about her neck1 and sufficing1 simply as she was gowned1 to make her queen of all4 8,oh60 murmured ,pierre in ecstasy1 8how happy and how beautiful she is60 ,but he at once regretted that he had expressed his thoughts aloud1 for beside him he heard a low plaint1 an involuntary growl which reminded him of the ,count's presence4 ,however1 ,prada promptly stifled this cry of returning anguish1 and found strength enough to affect a brutish gaiety3 8,the devil60 said he1 8they have plenty of impudence4 ,i hope we shall see them married and bedded at once60 ,then regretting this coarse jest which had been prompted by the revolt of passion1 he sought to appear indifferent3 8,she looks very nice this evening10 he said2 8she has the finest shoulders in the world1 you know1 and its a real success for her to hide them and yet appear more beautiful than ever40 ,he went on speaking1 contriving to assume an easy tone1 and giving various little particulars about the ,countess as he still obstinately called the young woman4 ,however1 he had drawn rather further into the recess1 for fear1 no doubt1 that people might remark his pallor1 and the painful twitch which contracted his mouth4 ,he was in no state to fight1 to show himself gay and insolent in presence of the joy which the lovers so openly and navely expressed4 ,and he was glad of the respite which the arrival of the ,king and ,queen at this moment offered him4 8,ah6 here are their ,majesties60 he exclaimed1 turning towards the window4 8,look at the scramble in the street60 ,although the windows were closed1 a tumult could be heard rising from the footways4 ,and ,pierre on looking down saw1 by the light of the electric lamps1 a sea of human heads pour over the road and encompass the carriages4 ,he had several times already seen the ,king during the latter's daily drives to the grounds of the ,villa ,borghese1 whither he came like any private gentleman--unguarded1 unescorted1 with merely an aide-de-camp accompanying him in his victoria4 ,at other times he drove a light phaeton with only a footman in black livery to attend him4 ,and on one occasion ,pierre had seen him with the ,queen1 the pair of them seated side by side like worthy middle-class folks driving abroad for pleasure4 ,and1 as the royal couple went by1 the busy people in the streets and the promenaders in the public gardens contented themselves with wafting them an affectionate wave of the hand1 the most expansive simply approaching to smile at them1 and no one importuning them with acclamations4 ,pierre1 who harboured the traditional idea of kings closely guarded and passing processionally with all the accompaniment of military pomp1 was therefore greatly surprised and touched by the amiable bonhomie of this royal pair1 who went wherever they listed in full security amidst the smiling affection of their people4 ,everybody1 moreover1 had told him of the ,king's kindliness and simplicity1 his desire for peace1 and his passion for sport1 solitude1 and the open air1 which1 amidst the worries of power1 must often have made him dream of a life of freedom far from the imperious duties of royalty for which he seemed unfitted499 ,but the ,queen was yet more tenderly loved4 ,so naturally and serenely virtuous that she alone remained ignorant of the scandals of ,rome1 she was also a woman of great culture and great refinement1 conversant with every field of literature1 and very happy in being so intelligent1 so superior to those around her--a pre-eminence which she realised and which she was fond of showing1 but in the most natural and most graceful of ways4 99 ,king ,humbert inherited these tastes from his father ,victor ,emanuel1 who was likewise a great sportsman and had a perfect horror of court life1 pageantry1 and the exigencies of politics4--,trans4 ,like ,pierre1 ,prada had remained with his face to the window1 and suddenly pointing to the crowd he said3 8,now that they have seen the ,queen they will go to bed well pleased4 ,and there isn't a single police agent there1 ,i'm sure4 ,ah6 to be loved1 to be loved60 ,plainly enough his distress of spirit was coming back1 and so1 turning towards the gallery again1 he tried to play the jester4 8,attention1 my dear ,abb1 we mustn't miss their ,majesties' entry4 ,that will be the finest part of the fte60 ,a few minutes went by1 and then1 in the very midst of a polka1 the orchestra suddenly ceased playing4 ,but a moment afterwards1 with all the blare of its brass instruments1 it struck up the ,royal ,march4 ,the dancers fled in confusion1 the centre of the gallery was cleared1 and the ,king and ,queen entered1 escorted by the ,prince and ,princess ,buongiovanni1 who had received them at the foot of the staircase4 ,the ,king was in ordinary evening dress1 while the ,queen wore a robe of straw-coloured satin1 covered with superb white lace2 and under the diadem of brilliants which encircled her beautiful fair hair1 she looked still young1 with a fresh and rounded face1 whose expression was all amiability1 gentleness1 and wit4 ,the music was still sounding with the enthusiastic violence of welcome4 ,behind her father and mother1 ,celia appeared amidst the press of people who were following to see the sight2 and then came ,attilio1 the ,saccos1 and various relatives and official personages4 ,and1 pending the termination of the ,royal ,march1 only salutations1 glances1 and smiles were exchanged amidst the sonorous music and dazzling light2 whilst all the guests crowded around on tip-toe1 with outstretched necks and glittering eyes--a rising tide of heads and shoulders1 flashing with the fires of precious stones4 ,at last the march ended and the presentations began4 ,their ,majesties were already acquainted with ,celia1 and congratulated her with quite affectionate kindliness4 ,however1 ,sacco1 both as minister and father1 was particularly desirous of presenting his son ,attilio4 ,he bent his supple spine1 and summoned to his lips the fine words which were appropriate1 in such wise that he contrived to make the young man bow to the ,king in the capacity of a lieutenant in his ,majesty's army1 whilst his homage as a handsome young man1 so passionately loved by his betrothed was reserved for ,queen ,margherita4 ,again did their ,majesties show themselves very gracious1 even towards the ,signora ,sacco who1 ever modest and prudent1 had remained in the background4 ,and then occurred an incident that was destined to give rise to endless gossip4 ,catching sight of ,benedetta1 whom ,count ,prada had presented to her after his marriage1 the ,queen1 who greatly admired her beauty and charm of manner1 addressed her a smile in such wise that the young woman was compelled to approach4 ,a conversation of some minutes' duration ensued1 and the ,contessina was favoured with some extremely amiable expressions which were perfectly audible to all around4 ,most certainly the ,queen was ignorant of the event of the day1 the dissolution of ,benedetta's marriage with ,prada1 and her coming union with ,dario so publicly announced at this gala1 which now seemed to have been given to celebrate a double betrothal4 ,nevertheless that conversation caused a deep impression2 the guests talked of nothing but the compliments which ,benedetta had received from the most virtuous and intelligent of queens1 and her triumph was increased by it all1 she became yet more beautiful and more victorious amidst the happiness she felt at being at last able to bestow herself on the spouse of her choice1 that happiness which made her look so radiant4 ,but1 on the other hand1 the torture which ,prada experienced now became intense4 ,whilst the sovereigns continued conversing1 the ,queen with the ladies who came to pay her their respects1 the ,king with the officers1 diplomatists1 and other important personages who approached him1 ,prada saw none but ,benedetta--,benedetta congratulated1 caressed1 exalted by affection and glory4 ,dario was near her1 flushing with pleasure1 radiant like herself4 ,it was for them that this ball had been given1 for them that the lamps shone out1 for them that the music played1 for them that the most beautiful women of ,rome had bared their bosoms and adorned them with precious stones4 ,it was for them that their ,majesties had entered to the strains of the ,royal ,march1 for them that the fte was becoming like an apotheosis1 for them that a fondly loved queen was smiling1 appearing at that betrothal gala like the good fairy of the nursery tales1 whose coming betokens life-long happiness4 ,and for ,prada1 this wondrously brilliant hour when good fortune and joyfulness attained their apogee1 was one of defeat4 ,it was fraught with the victory of that woman who had refused to be his wife in aught but name1 and of that man who now was about to take her from him3 such a public1 ostentatious1 insulting victory that it struck him like a buffet in the face4 ,and not merely did his pride and passion bleed for that3 he felt that the triumph of the ,saccos dealt a blow to his fortune4 ,was it true1 then1 that the rough conquerors of the ,north were bound to deteriorate in the delightful climate of ,rome1 was that the reason why he already experienced such a sensation of weariness and exhaustion8 ,that very morning at ,frascati in connection with that disastrous building enterprise he had realised that his millions were menaced1 albeit he refused to admit that things were going badly with him1 as some people rumoured4 ,and now1 that evening1 amidst that fte he beheld the ,south victorious1 ,sacco winning the day like one who feeds at his ease on the warm prey so gluttonously pounced upon under the flaming sun4 ,and the thought of ,sacco being a minister1 an intimate of the ,king1 allying himself by marriage to one of the noblest families of the ,roman aristocracy1 and already laying hands on the people and the national funds with the prospect of some day becoming the master of ,rome and ,italy--that thought again was a blow for the vanity of this man of prey1 for the ever voracious appetite of this enjoyer1 who felt as if he were being pushed away from table before the feast was over6 ,all crumbled and escaped him1 ,sacco stole his millions1 and ,benedetta tortured his flesh1 stirring up that awful wound of unsatisfied passion which never would be healed4 ,again did ,pierre hear that dull plaint1 that involuntary despairing growl1 which had upset him once before4 ,and he looked at the ,count1 and asked him3 8,are you suffering80 ,but on seeing how livid was the face of ,prada1 who only retained his calmness by a superhuman effort1 he regretted his indiscreet question1 which1 moreover1 remained unanswered4 ,and then to put the other more at ease1 the young priest went on speaking1 venting the thoughts which the sight before him inspired3 8,your father was right10 said he1 8we ,frenchmen whose education is so full of the ,catholic spirit1 even in these days of universal doubt1 we never think of ,rome otherwise than as the old ,rome of the popes4 ,we scarcely know1 we can scarcely understand the great changes which1 year by year1 have brought about the ,italian ,rome of the present day4 ,why1 when ,i arrived here1 the ,king and his government and the young nation working to make a great capital for itself1 seemed to me of no account whatever6 ,yes1 ,i dismissed all that1 thought nothing of it1 in my dream of resuscitating a ,christian and evangelical ,rome1 which should assure the happiness of the world40 ,he laughed as he spoke1 pitying his own artlessness1 and then pointed towards the gallery where ,prince ,buongiovanni was bowing to the ,king whilst the ,princess listened to the gallant remarks of ,sacco3 a scene full of symbolism1 the old papal aristocracy struck down1 the parvenus accepted1 the black and white worlds so mixed together that one and all were little else than subjects1 on the eve of forming but one united nation4 ,that conciliation between the ,quirinal and the ,vatican which in principle was regarded as impossible1 was it not in practice fatal1 in face of the evolution which went on day by day8 ,people must go on living1 loving1 and creating life throughout the ages4 ,and the marriage of ,attilio and ,celia would be the symbol of the needful union3 youth and love triumphing over ancient hatred1 all quarrels forgotten as a handsome lad goes by1 wins a lovely girl1 and carries her off in his arms in order that the world may last4 8,look at them60 resumed ,pierre1 8how handsome and young and gay both the fiancs are1 all confidence in the future4 ,ah6 ,i well understand that your ,king should have come here to please his minister and win one of the old ,roman families over to his throne2 it is good1 brave1 and fatherly policy4 ,but ,i like to think that he has also realised the touching significance of that marriage--old ,rome1 in the person of that candid1 loving child giving herself to young ,italy1 that upright1 enthusiastic young man who wears his uniform so jauntily4 ,and may their nuptials be definitive and fruitful2 from them and from all the others may there arise the great nation which1 now that ,i begin to know you1 ,i trust you will soon become60 ,amidst the tottering of his former dream of an evangelical and universal ,rome1 ,pierre expressed these good wishes for the ,eternal ,city's future fortune with such keen and deep emotion that ,prada could not help replying3 8,i thank you2 that wish of yours is in the heart of every good ,italian40 ,but his voice quavered1 for even whilst he was looking at ,celia and ,attilio1 who stood smiling and talking together1 he saw ,benedetta and ,dario approach them1 wearing the same joyful expression of perfect happiness4 ,and when the two couples were united1 so radiant and so triumphant1 so full of superb and happy life1 he no longer had strength to stay there1 see them1 and suffer4 8,i am frightfully thirsty10 he hoarsely exclaimed4 8,let's go to the buffet to drink something40 ,and1 thereupon1 in order to avoid notice1 he so manuvred as to glide behind the throng1 skirting the windows in the direction of the entrance to the ,hall of the ,antiques1 which was beyond the gallery4 ,whilst ,pierre was following him they were parted by an eddy of the crowd1 and the young priest found himself carried towards the two loving couples who still stood chatting together4 ,and ,celia1 on recognising him1 beckoned to him in a friendly way4 ,with her passionate cult for beauty1 she was enraptured with the appearance of ,benedetta1 before whom she joined her little lily hands as before the image of the ,madonna4 8,oh6 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8to please me now1 do tell her how beautiful she is1 more beautiful than anything on earth1 more beautiful than even the sun1 and the moon and stars4 ,if you only knew1 my dear1 it makes me quiver to see you so beautiful as that1 as beautiful as happiness1 as beautiful as love itself60 ,benedetta began to laugh1 while the two young men made merry4 8,but you are as beautiful as ,i am1 darling10 said the ,contessina4 8,and if we are beautiful it is because we are happy40 8,yes1 yes1 happy10 ,celia gently responded4 8,do you remember the evening when you told me that one didn't succeed in marrying the ,pope and the ,king8 ,but ,attilio and ,i are marrying them1 and yet we are very happy40 8,but we don't marry them1 ,dario and ,i6 ,on the contrary60 said ,benedetta gaily4 8,no matter2 as you answered me that same evening1 it is sufficient that we should love one another1 love saves the world40 ,when ,pierre at last succeeded in reaching the door of the ,hall of the ,antiques1 where the buffet was installed1 he found ,prada there1 motionless1 gazing despite himself on the galling spectacle which he desired to flee4 ,a power stronger than his will had kept him there1 forcing him to turn round and look1 and look again4 ,and thus1 with a bleeding heart1 he still lingered and witnessed the resumption of the dancing1 the first figure of a quadrille which the orchestra began to play with a lively flourish of its brass instruments4 ,benedetta and ,dario1 ,celia and ,attilio were vis--vis4 ,and so charming and delightful was the sight which the two couples presented dancing in the white blaze1 all youth and joy1 that the ,king and ,queen drew near to them and became interested4 ,and soon bravos of admiration rang out1 while from every heart spread a feeling of infinite tenderness4 8,i'm dying of thirst1 let's go60 repeated ,prada1 at last managing to wrench himself away from the torturing sight4 ,he called for some iced lemonade and drank the glassful at one draught1 gulping it down with the greedy eagerness of a man stricken with fever1 who will never more be able to quench the burning fire within him4 ,the ,hall of the ,antiques was a spacious room with mosaic pavement1 and decorations of stucco2 and a famous collection of vases1 bas-reliefs1 and statues1 was disposed along its walls4 ,the marbles predominated1 but there were a few bronzes1 and among them a dying gladiator of extreme beauty4 ,the marvel however was the famous statue of ,venus1 a companion to that of the ,capitol1 but with a more elegant and supple figure and with the left arm falling loosely in a gesture of voluptuous surrender4 ,that evening a powerful electric reflector threw a dazzling light upon the statue1 which1 in its divine and pure nudity1 seemed to be endowed with superhuman1 immortal life4 ,against the end-wall was the buffet1 a long table covered with an embroidered cloth and laden with fruit1 pastry1 and cold meats4 ,sheaves of flowers rose up amidst bottles of champagne1 hot punch1 and iced sorbetto1 and here and there were marshalled armies of glasses1 tea-cups1 and broth-bowls1 a perfect wealth of sparkling crystal1 porcelain1 and silver4 ,and a happy innovation had been to fill half of the hall with rows of little tables1 at which the guests1 in lieu of being obliged to refresh themselves standing1 were able to sit down and order what they desired as in a caf4 ,at one of these little tables1 ,pierre perceived ,narcisse seated near a young woman1 whom ,prada1 on approaching1 recognised to be ,lisbeth4 8,you find me1 you see1 in delightful company10 gallantly exclaimed the attach4 8,as we lost one another1 ,i could think of nothing better than of offering madame my arm to bring her here40 8,it was1 in fact1 a good idea10 said ,lisbeth with her pretty laugh1 8for ,i was feeling very thirsty40 ,they had ordered some iced coffee1 which they were slowly sipping out of little silver-gilt spoons4 8,i have a terrible thirst1 too10 declared the ,count1 8and ,i can't quench it4 ,you will allow us to join you1 will you not1 my dear sir8 ,some of that coffee will perhaps calm me40 ,and then to ,lisbeth he added1 8,ah6 my dear1 allow me to introduce to you ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 a young ,french priest of great distinction40 ,then for a long time they all four remained seated at that table1 chatting and making merry over certain of the guests who went by4 ,prada1 however1 in spite of his usual gallantry towards ,lisbeth1 frequently became absent-minded2 at times he quite forgot her1 being again mastered by his anguish1 and1 in spite of all his efforts1 his eyes ever turned towards the neighbouring gallery whence the sound of music and dancing reached him4 8,why1 what are you thinking of1 caro mio80 ,lisbeth asked in her pretty way1 on seeing him at one moment so pale and lost4 8,are you indisposed80 ,he did not reply1 however1 but suddenly exclaimed1 8,ah6 look there1 that's the real pair1 there's real love and happiness for you60 ,with a jerk of the hand he designated ,dario's mother1 the ,marchioness ,montefiori and her second husband1 ,jules ,laporte--that ex-sergeant of the papal ,swiss ,guard1 her junior by fifteen years1 whom she had one day hooked at the ,corso with her eyes of fire1 which yet had remained superb1 and whom she had afterwards triumphantly transformed into a ,marquis ,montefiori in order to have him entirely to herself4 ,such was her passion that she never relaxed her hold on him whether at ball or reception1 but1 despite all usages1 kept him beside her1 and even made him escort her to the buffet1 so much did she delight in being able to exhibit him and say that this handsome man was her own exclusive property4 ,and standing there side by side1 the pair of them began to drink champagne and eat sandwiches1 she yet a marvel of massive beauty although she was over fifty1 and he with long wavy moustaches1 and proud bearing1 like a fortunate adventurer whose jovial impudence pleased the ladies4 8,you know that she had to extricate him from a nasty affair10 resumed the ,count in a lower tone4 8,yes1 he travelled in relics2 he picked up a living by supplying relics on commission to convents in ,france and ,switzerland2 and he had launched quite a business in false relics with the help of some ,jews here who concocted little ancient reliquaries out of mutton bones1 with everything sealed and signed by the most genuine authorities4 ,the affair was hushed up1 as three prelates were also compromised in it6 ,ah6 the happy man6 ,do you see how she devours him with her eyes8 ,and he1 doesn't he look quite a grand seigneur by the mere way in which he holds that plate for her whilst she eats the breast of a fowl out of it60 ,then1 in a rough way and with biting irony1 he went on to speak of the amours of ,rome4 ,the ,roman women1 said he1 were ignorant1 obstinate1 and jealous4 ,when a woman had managed to win a man1 she kept him for ever1 he became her property1 and she disposed of him as she pleased4 ,by way of proof1 he cited many interminable liaisons1 such as that of ,donna ,serafina and ,morano which1 in time became virtual marriages2 and he sneered at such a lack of fancy1 such an excess of fidelity whose only ending1 when it did end1 was some very disagreeable unpleasantness4 ,at this1 ,lisbeth interrupted him4 8,but what is the matter with you this evening1 my dear80 she asked with a laugh4 8,what you speak of is on the contrary very nice and pretty6 ,when a man and a woman love one another they ought to do so for ever60 ,she looked delightful as she spoke1 with her fine wavy blonde hair and delicate fair complexion2 and ,narcisse with a languorous expression in his half-closed eyes compared her to a ,botticelli which he had seen at ,florence4 ,however1 the night was now far advanced1 and ,pierre had once more sunk into gloomy thoughtfulness when he heard a passing lady remark that they had already begun to dance the ,cotillon in the gallery2 and thereupon he suddenly remembered that ,monsignor ,nani had given him an appointment in the little ,saloon of the ,mirrors4 8,are you leaving80 hastily inquired ,prada on seeing him rise and bow to ,lisbeth4 8,no1 no1 not yet10 ,pierre answered4 8,oh6 all right4 ,don't go away without me4 ,i want to walk a little1 and ,i'll see you home4 ,it's agreed1 eh8 ,you will find me here40 ,the young priest had to cross two rooms1 one hung with yellow and the other with blue1 before he at last reached the mirrored salon4 ,this was really an exquisite example of the rococo style1 a rotunda as it were of pale mirrors framed with superb gilded carvings4 ,even the ceiling was covered with mirrors disposed slantwise so that on every side things multiplied1 mingled1 and appeared under all possible aspects4 ,discreetly enough no electric lights had been placed in the room1 the only illumination being that of some pink tapers burning in a pair of candelabra4 ,the hangings and upholstery were of soft blue silk1 and the impression on entering was very sweet and charming1 as if one had found oneself in the abode of some fairy queen of the rills1 a palace of limpid water1 illumined to its farthest depths by clusters of stars4 ,pierre at once perceived ,monsignor ,nani1 who was sitting on a low couch1 and1 as the prelate had hoped1 he was quite alone1 for the ,cotillon had attracted almost everybody to the picture gallery4 ,and the silence in the little salon was nearly perfect1 for at that distance the blare of the orchestra subsided into a faint1 flute-like murmur4 ,the young priest at once apologised to the prelate for having kept him waiting4 8,no1 no1 my dear son10 said ,nani1 with his inexhaustible amiability4 8,i was very comfortable in this retreat--when the press of the crowd became over-threatening ,i took refuge here40 ,he did not speak of the ,king and ,queen1 but he allowed it to be understood that he had politely avoided their company4 ,if he had come to the fte it was on account of his sincere affection for ,celia and also with a very delicate diplomatic object1 for the ,church wished to avoid any appearance of having entirely broken with the ,buongiovanni family1 that ancient house which was so famous in the annals of the papacy4 ,doubtless the ,vatican was unable to subscribe to this marriage which seemed to unite old ,rome with the young ,kingdom of ,italy1 but on the other hand it did not desire people to think that it abandoned old and faithful supporters and took no interest in what befell them4 8,but come1 my dear son10 the prelate resumed1 8it is you who are now in question4 ,i told you that although the ,congregation of the ,index had pronounced itself for the condemnation of your book1 the sentence would only be submitted to the ,holy ,father and signed by him on the day after to-morrow4 ,so you still have a whole day before you40 ,at this ,pierre could not refrain from a dolorous and vivacious interruption4 8,alas6 ,monseigneur1 what can ,i do80 said he2 8,i have thought it all over1 and ,i see no means1 no opportunity of defending myself4 ,how could ,i even see his ,holiness now that he is so ill80 8,oh6 ill1 ill60 muttered ,nani with his shrewd expression4 8,his ,holiness is ever so much better1 for this very day1 like every other ,wednesday1 ,i had the honour to be received by him4 ,when his ,holiness is a little tired and people say that he is very ill1 he often lets them do so1 for it gives him a rest and enables him to judge certain ambitions and manifestations of impatience around him40 ,pierre1 however1 was too upset to listen attentively4 8,no1 it's all over10 he continued1 8,i'm in despair4 ,you spoke to me of the possibility of a miracle1 but ,i am no great believer in miracles4 ,since ,i am defeated here at ,rome1 ,i shall go away1 ,i shall return to ,paris1 and continue the struggle there4 ,oh6 ,i cannot resign myself1 my hope in salvation by the practice of love cannot die1 and ,i shall answer my denouncers in a new book1 in which ,i shall tell in what new soil the new religion will grow up60 ,silence fell4 ,nani looked at him with his clear eyes in which intelligence shone distinct and sharp like steel4 ,and amidst the deep calm1 the warm heavy atmosphere of the little salon1 whose mirrors were starred with countless reflections of candles1 a more sonorous burst of music was suddenly wafted from the gallery1 a rhythmical waltz melody1 which slowly expanded1 then died away4 8,my dear son10 said ,nani1 8anger is always harmful4 ,you remember that on your arrival here ,i promised that if your own efforts to obtain an interview with the ,holy ,father should prove unavailing1 ,i would myself endeavour to secure an audience for you40 ,then1 seeing how agitated the young priest was getting1 he went on3 8,listen to me and don't excite yourself4 ,his ,holiness1 unfortunately1 is not always prudently advised4 ,around him are persons whose devotion1 however great1 is at times deficient in intelligence4 ,i told you that1 and warned you against inconsiderate applications4 ,and this is why1 already three weeks ago1 ,i myself handed your book to his ,holiness in the hope that he would deign to glance at it4 ,i rightly suspected that it had not been allowed to reach him4 ,and this is what ,i am instructed to tell you3 his ,holiness1 who has had the great kindness to read your book1 expressly desires to see you40 ,a cry of joy and gratitude died away in ,pierre's throat3 8,ah6 ,monseigneur4 ,ah6 ,monseigneur60 ,but ,nani quickly silenced him and glanced around with an expression of keen anxiety as if he feared that some one might hear them4 8,hush6 ,hush60 said he1 8it is a secret4 ,his ,holiness wishes to see you privately1 without taking anybody else into his confidence4 ,listen attentively4 ,it is now two o'clock in the morning4 ,well1 this very day1 at nine in the evening precisely1 you must present yourself at the ,vatican and at every door ask for ,signor ,squadra4 ,you will invariably be allowed to pass4 ,signor ,squadra will be waiting for you upstairs1 and will introduce you4 ,and not a word1 mind2 not a soul must have the faintest suspicion of these things40 ,pierre's happiness and gratitude at last flowed forth4 ,he had caught hold of the prelate's soft1 plump hands1 and stammered1 8,ah6 ,monseigneur1 how can ,i express my gratitude to you8 ,if you only knew how full my soul was of night and rebellion since ,i realised that ,i had been a mere plaything in the hands of those powerful cardinals4 ,but you have saved me1 and again ,i feel sure that ,i shall win the victory1 for ,i shall at last be able to fling myself at the feet of his ,holiness the father of all truth and all justice4 ,he can but absolve me1 ,i who love him1 ,i who admire him1 ,i who have never battled for aught but his own policy and most cherished ideas4 ,no1 no1 it is impossible2 he will not sign that judgment2 he will not condemn my book60 ,releasing his hands1 ,nani sought to calm him with a fatherly gesture1 whilst retaining a faint smile of contempt for such a useless expenditure of enthusiasm4 ,at last he succeeded1 and begged him to retire4 ,the orchestra was again playing more loudly in the distance4 ,and when the young priest at last withdrew1 thanking him once more1 he said very simply1 8,remember1 my dear son1 that only obedience is great40 ,pierre1 whose one desire now was to take himself off1 found ,prada almost immediately afterwards in the first reception-room4 ,their ,majesties had just left the ball in grand ceremony1 escorted to the threshold by the ,buongiovannis and the ,saccos4 ,and before departing the ,queen had maternally kissed ,celia1 whilst the ,king shook hands with ,attilio--honours instinct with a charming good nature which made the members of both families quite radiant4 ,however1 a good many of the guests were following the example of the sovereigns and disappearing in small batches4 ,and the ,count1 who seemed strangely nervous1 and showed more sternness and bitterness than ever1 was1 on his side1 also eager to be gone4 8,ah6 it's you at last4 ,i was waiting for you10 he said to ,pierre4 8,well1 let's get off at once1 eh8 ,your compatriot ,monsieur ,narcisse ,habert asked me to tell you not to look for him4 ,the fact is1 he has gone to see my friend ,lisbeth to her carriage4 ,i myself want a breath of fresh air1 a stroll1 and so ,i'll go with you as far as the ,via ,giulia40 ,then1 as they took their things from the cloak-room1 he could not help sneering and saying in his brutal way3 8,i saw your good friends go off1 all four together4 ,it's lucky that you prefer to go home on foot1 for there was no room for you in the carriage4 ,what superb impudence it was on the part of that ,donna ,serafina to drag herself here1 at her age1 with that ,morano of hers1 so as to triumph over the return of the fickle one6 ,and the two others1 the two young ones--ah6 ,i confess that ,i can hardly speak calmly of them1 for in parading here together as they did this evening1 they have shown an impudence and a cruelty such as is rarely seen60 ,prada's hands trembled1 and he murmured3 8,a good journey1 a good journey to the young man1 since he is going to ,naples4 ,yes1 ,i heard ,celia say that he was starting for ,naples this evening at six o'clock4 ,well1 my wishes go with him2 a good journey60 ,the two men found the change delightful when they at last emerged from the stifling heat of the reception-rooms into the lovely1 cool1 and limpid night4 ,it was a night illumined by a superb full moon1 one of those matchless ,roman nights when the city slumbers in ,elysian radiance1 steeped in a dream of the ,infinite1 under the vast vault of heaven4 ,and they took the most agreeable route1 going down the ,corso proper and then turning into the ,corso ,vittorio ,emanuele4 ,prada had grown somewhat calmer1 but remained full of irony4 ,to divert his mind1 no doubt1 he talked on in the most voluble manner1 reverting to the women of ,rome and to that fte which he had at first found splendid1 but at which he now began to rail4 8,oh6 of course they have very fine gowns10 said he1 speaking of the women2 8but gowns which don't fit them1 gowns which are sent them from ,paris1 and which1 of course1 they can't try on4 ,it's just the same with their jewels2 they still have diamonds and pearls1 in particular1 which are very fine1 but they are so wretchedly1 so heavily mounted that they look frightful4 ,and if you only knew how ignorant and frivolous these women are1 despite all their conceit6 ,everything is on the surface with them1 even religion3 there's nothing beneath4 ,i looked at them eating at the buffet4 ,oh6 they at least have fine appetites4 ,this evening some decorum was observed1 there wasn't too much gorging4 ,but at one of the ,court balls you would see a general pillage1 the buffets besieged1 and everything swallowed up amidst a scramble of amazing voracity60 ,to all this talk ,pierre only returned monosyllabic responses4 ,he was wrapped in overflowing delight at the thought of that audience with the ,pope1 which1 unable as he was to confide in any one1 he strove to arrange and picture in his own mind1 even in its pettiest details4 ,and meantime the footsteps of the two men rang out on the dry pavement of the clear1 broad1 deserted thoroughfare1 whose black shadows were sharply outlined by the moonlight4 ,all at once ,prada himself became silent4 ,his loquacious bravura was exhausted1 the frightful struggle going on in his mind wholly possessed and paralysed him4 ,twice already he had dipped his hand into his coat pocket and felt the pencilled note whose four lines he mentally repeated3 8,a legend avers that the fig-tree of ,judas now grows at ,frascati1 and that its fruit is deadly for him who may desire to become pope4 ,eat not the poisoned figs1 nor give them either to your servants or your fowls40 ,the note was there2 he could feel it2 and if he had desired to accompany ,pierre1 it was in order that he might drop it into the letter-box at the ,palazzo ,boccanera4 ,and he continued to step out briskly1 so that within another ten minutes that note would surely be in the box1 for no power in the world could prevent it1 since such was his express determination4 ,never would he commit such a crime as to allow people to be poisoned4 ,but he was suffering such abominable torture4 ,that ,benedetta and that ,dario had raised such a tempest of jealous hatred within him6 ,for them he forgot ,lisbeth whom he loved1 and even that flesh of his flesh1 the child of whom he was so proud4 ,all sex as he was1 eager to conquer and subdue1 he had never cared for facile loves4 ,his passion was to overcome4 ,and now there was a woman in the world who defied him1 a woman forsooth whom he had bought1 whom he had married1 who had been handed over to him1 but who would never1 never be his4 ,ah6 in the old days1 to subdue her1 he would if needful have fired ,rome like a ,nero2 but now he asked himself what he could possibly do to prevent her from belonging to another4 ,that galling thought made the blood gush from his gaping wound4 ,how that woman and her lover must deride him6 ,and to think that they had sought to turn him to ridicule by a baseless charge1 an arrant lie which still and ever made him smart1 all proof of its falsity to the contrary4 ,he1 on his side1 had accused them in the past without much belief in what he said1 but now the charges he had imputed to them must come true1 for they were free1 freed at all events of the religious bond1 and that no doubt was their only care4 ,and then visions of their happiness passed before his eyes1 infuriating him4 ,ah6 no1 ah6 no1 it was impossible1 he would rather destroy the world6 ,then1 as he and ,pierre turned out of the ,corso ,vittorio ,emanuele to thread the old narrow tortuous streets leading to the ,via ,giulia1 he pictured himself dropping the note into the letter-box at the palazzo4 ,and next he conjured up what would follow4 ,the note would lie in the letter-box till morning4 ,at an early hour ,don ,vigilio1 the secretary1 who by the ,cardinal's express orders kept the key of the box1 would come down1 find the note1 and hand it to his ,eminence1 who never allowed another to open any communication addressed to him4 ,and then the figs would be thrown away1 there would be no further possibility of crime1 the black world would in all prudence keep silent4 ,but if the note should not be in the letter-box1 what would happen then8 ,and admitting that supposition he pictured the figs placed on the table at the one o'clock meal1 in their pretty little leaf-covered basket4 ,dario would be there as usual1 alone with his uncle1 since he was not to leave for ,naples till the evening4 ,and would both the uncle and the nephew eat the figs1 or would only one of them partake of the fruit1 and which of them would that be8 ,at this point ,prada's clearness of vision failed him2 again he conjured up ,destiny on the march1 that ,destiny which he had met on the road from ,frascati1 going on towards its unknown goal1 athwart all obstacles without possibility of stoppage4 ,aye1 the little basket of figs went ever on and on to accomplish its fateful purpose1 which no hand in the world had power enough to prevent4 ,and at last1 on either hand of ,pierre and ,prada1 the ,via ,giulia stretched away in a long line white with moonlight1 and the priest emerged as if from a dream at sight of the ,palazzo ,boccanera rising blackly under the silver sky4 ,three o'clock struck at a neighbouring church4 ,and he felt himself quivering slightly as once again he heard near him the dolorous moan of a lion wounded unto death1 that low involuntary growl which the ,count1 amidst the frightful struggle of his feelings1 had for the third time allowed to escape him4 ,but immediately afterwards he burst into a sneering laugh1 and pressing the priest's hands1 exclaimed3 8,no1 no1 ,i am not going farther4 ,if ,i were seen here at this hour1 people would think that ,i had fallen in love with my wife again40 ,and thereupon he lighted a cigar1 and retraced his steps in the clear night1 without once looking round4 ,,xiii4 ,,when ,pierre awoke he was much surprised to hear eleven o'clock striking4 ,fatigued as he was by that ball where he had lingered so long1 he had slept like a child in delightful peacefulness1 and as soon as he opened his eyes the radiant sunshine filled him with hope4 ,his first thought was that he would see the ,pope that evening at nine o'clock4 ,ten more hours to wait6 ,what would he be able to do with himself during that lovely day1 whose radiant sky seemed to him of such happy augury8 ,he rose and opened the windows to admit the warm air which1 as he had noticed on the day of his arrival1 had a savour of fruit and flowers1 a blending1 as it were1 of the perfume of rose and orange4 ,could this possibly be ,december8 ,what a delightful land1 that the spring should seem to flower on the very threshold of winter6 ,then1 having dressed1 he was leaning out of the window to glance across the golden ,tiber at the evergreen slopes of the ,janiculum1 when he espied ,benedetta seated in the abandoned garden of the mansion4 ,and thereupon1 unable to keep still1 full of a desire for life1 gaiety1 and beauty1 he went down to join her4 ,with radiant visage and outstretched hands1 she at once vented the cry he had expected3 8,ah6 my dear ,abb1 how happy ,i am60 ,they had often spent their mornings in that quiet1 forsaken nook2 but what sad mornings those had been1 hopeless as they both were6 ,to-day1 however1 the weed-grown paths1 the box-plants growing in the old basin1 the orange-trees which alone marked the outline of the beds--all seemed full of charm1 instinct with a sweet and dreamy cosiness in which it was very pleasant to lull one's joy4 ,and it was so warm1 too1 beside the big laurel-bush1 in the corner where the streamlet of water ever fell with flute-like music from the gaping1 tragic mask4 8,ah60 repeated ,benedetta1 8how happy ,i am6 ,i was stifling upstairs1 and my heart felt such a need of space1 and air1 and sunlight1 that ,i came down here60 ,she was seated on the fallen column beside the old marble sarcophagus1 and desired the priest to place himself beside her4 ,never had he seen her looking so beautiful1 with her black hair encompassing her pure face1 which in the sunshine appeared pinky and delicate as a flower4 ,her large1 fathomless eyes showed in the light like braziers rolling gold1 and her childish mouth1 all candour and good sense1 laughed the laugh of one who was at last free to love as her heart listed1 without offending either ,god or man4 ,and1 dreaming aloud1 she built up plans for the future4 8,it's all simple enough10 said she2 8,i have already obtained a separation1 and shall easily get that changed into civil divorce now that the ,church has annulled my marriage4 ,and ,i shall marry ,dario next spring1 perhaps sooner1 if the formalities can be hastened4 ,he is going to ,naples this evening about the sale of some property which we still possess there1 but which must now be sold1 for all this business has cost us a lot of money4 ,still1 that doesn't matter since we now belong to one another4 ,and when he comes back in a few days1 what a happy time we shall have6 ,i could not sleep when ,i got back from that splendid ball last night1 for my head was so full of plans--oh6 splendid plans1 as you shall see1 for ,i mean to keep you in ,rome until our marriage40 ,like herself1 ,pierre began to laugh1 so gained upon by this explosion of youth and happiness that he had to make a great effort to refrain from speaking of his own delight1 his hopefulness at the thought of his coming interview with the ,pope4 ,of that1 however1 he had sworn to speak to nobody4 ,every now and again1 amidst the quivering silence of the sunlit garden1 the cry of a bird persistently rang out2 and ,benedetta1 raising her head and looking at a cage hanging beside one of the first-floor windows1 jestingly exclaimed3 8,yes1 yes1 ,tata1 make a good noise1 show that you are pleased1 my dear4 ,everybody in the house must be pleased now40 ,then1 turning towards ,pierre1 she added gaily3 8,you know ,tata1 don't you8 ,what6 ,no8 ,why1 ,tata is my uncle's parrot4 ,i gave her to him last spring2 he's very fond of her1 and lets her help herself out of his plate4 ,and he himself attends to her1 puts her out and takes her in1 and keeps her in his dining-room1 for fear lest she should take cold1 as that is the only room of his which is at all warm40 ,pierre in his turn looked up and saw the bird1 one of those pretty little parrots with soft1 silky1 dull-green plumage4 ,it was hanging by the beak from a bar of its cage1 swinging itself and flapping its wings1 all mirth in the bright sunshine4 8,does the bird talk80 he asked4 8,no1 she only screams10 replied ,benedetta1 laughing4 8,still my uncle pretends that he understands her40 ,and then the young woman abruptly darted to another subject1 as if this mention of her uncle the ,cardinal had made her think of the uncle by marriage whom she had in ,paris4 8,i suppose you have heard from ,viscount de la ,choue10 said she4 8,i had a letter from him yesterday1 in which he said how grieved he was that you were unable to see the ,holy ,father1 as he had counted on you for the triumph of his ideas40 ,pierre indeed frequently heard from the ,viscount1 who was greatly distressed by the importance which his adversary1 ,baron de ,fouras1 had acquired since his success with the ,international ,pilgrimage of the ,peter's ,pence4 ,the old1 uncompromising ,catholic party would awaken1 said the ,viscount1 and all the conquests of ,neo-,catholicism would be threatened1 if one could not obtain the ,holy ,father's formal adhesion to the proposed system of free guilds1 in order to overcome the demand for closed guilds which was brought forward by the ,conservatives4 ,and the ,viscount overwhelmed ,pierre with injunctions1 and sent him all sorts of complicated plans in his eagerness to see him received at the ,vatican4 8,yes1 yes10 muttered the young priest in reply to ,benedetta4 8,i had a letter on ,sunday1 and found another waiting for me on my return from ,frascati yesterday4 ,ah6 it would make me very happy to be able to send the ,viscount some good news40 ,then again ,pierre's joy overflowed at the thought that he would that evening see the ,pope1 and1 on opening his loving heart to the ,pontiff1 receive the supreme encouragement which would strengthen him in his mission to work social salvation in the name of the lowly and the poor4 ,and he could not restrain himself any longer1 but let his secret escape him3 8,it's settled1 you know10 said he4 8,my audience is for this evening40 ,benedetta did not understand at first4 8,what audience80 she asked4 8,oh6 ,monsignor ,nani was good enough to tell me at the ball this morning1 that the ,holy ,father has read my book and desires to see me4 ,i shall be received this evening at nine o'clock40 ,at this the ,contessina flushed with pleasure1 participating in the delight of the young priest to whom she had grown much attached4 ,and this success of his1 coming in the midst of her own felicity1 acquired extraordinary importance in her eyes as if it were an augury of complete success for one and all4 ,superstitious as she was1 she raised a cry of rapture and excitement3 8,ah6 ,dio1 that will bring us good luck4 ,how happy ,i am1 my friend1 to see happiness coming to you at the same time as to me6 ,you cannot think how pleased ,i am6 ,and all will go well now1 it's certain1 for a house where there is any one whom the ,pope welcomes is blessed1 the thunder of ,heaven falls on it no more60 ,she laughed yet more loudly as she spoke1 and clapped her hands with such exuberant gaiety that ,pierre became anxious4 8,hush6 hush60 said he1 8it's a secret4 ,pray don't mention it to any one1 either your aunt or even his ,eminence4 ,monsignor ,nani would be much annoyed40 ,she thereupon promised to say nothing1 and in a kindly voice spoke of ,nani as a benefactor1 for was she not indebted to him for the dissolution of her marriage8 ,then1 with a fresh explosion of gaiety1 she went on3 8,but come1 my friend1 is not happiness the only good thing8 ,you don't ask me to weep over the suffering poor to-day6 ,ah6 the happiness of life1 that's everything4 ,people don't suffer or feel cold or hungry when they are happy40 ,he looked at her in stupefaction at the idea of that strange solution of the terrible question of human misery4 ,and suddenly he realised that1 with that daughter of the sun who had inherited so many centuries of sovereign aristocracy1 all his endeavours at conversion were vain4 ,he had wished to bring her to a ,christian love for the lowly and the wretched1 win her over to the new1 enlightened1 and compassionate ,italy that he had dreamt of2 but if she had been moved by the sufferings of the multitude at the time when she herself had suffered1 when grievous wounds had made her own heart bleed1 she was no sooner healed than she proclaimed the doctrine of universal felicity like a true daughter of a clime of burning summers1 and winters as mild as spring4 8,but everybody is not happy60 said he4 8,yes1 yes1 they are60 she exclaimed4 8,you don't know the poor6 ,give a girl of the ,trastevere the lad she loves1 and she becomes as radiant as a queen1 and finds her dry bread quite sweet4 ,the mothers who save a child from sickness1 the men who conquer in a battle1 or who win at the lottery1 one and all in fact are like that1 people only ask for good fortune and pleasure4 ,and despite all your striving to be just and to arrive at a more even distribution of fortune1 the only satisfied ones will be those whose hearts sing--often without their knowing the cause--on a fine sunny day like this40 ,pierre made a gesture of surrender1 not wishing to sadden her by again pleading the cause of all the poor ones who at that very moment were somewhere agonising with physical or mental pain4 ,but1 all at once1 through the luminous mild atmosphere a shadow seemed to fall1 tingeing joy with sadness1 the sunshine with despair4 ,and the sight of the old sarcophagus1 with its bacchanal of satyrs and nymphs1 brought back the memory that death lurks even amidst the bliss of passion1 the unsatiated kisses of love4 ,for a moment the clear song of the water sounded in ,pierre's ears like a long-drawn sob1 and all seemed to crumble in the terrible shadow which had fallen from the invisible4 ,benedetta1 however1 caught hold of his hands and roused him once more to the delight of being there beside her4 8,your pupil is rebellious1 is she not1 my friend80 said she4 8,but what would you have8 ,there are ideas which can't enter into our heads4 ,no1 you will never get those things into the head of a ,roman girl4 ,so be content with loving us as we are1 beautiful with all our strength1 as beautiful as we can be40 ,she herself1 in her resplendent happiness1 looked at that moment so beautiful that he trembled as in presence of a divinity whose all-powerfulness swayed the world4 8,yes1 yes10 he stammered1 8beauty1 beauty1 still and ever sovereign4 ,ah6 why can it not suffice to satisfy the eternal longings of poor suffering men80 8,never mind60 she gaily responded4 8,do not distress yourself2 it is pleasant to live4 ,and now let us go upstairs1 my aunt must be waiting40 ,the midday meal was served at one o'clock1 and on the few occasions when ,pierre did not eat at one or another restaurant a cover was laid for him at the ladies' table in the little dining-room of the second floor1 overlooking the courtyard4 ,at the same hour1 in the sunlit dining-room of the first floor1 whose windows faced the ,tiber1 the ,cardinal likewise sat down to table1 happy in the society of his nephew ,dario1 for his secretary1 ,don ,vigilio1 who also was usually present1 never opened his mouth unless to reply to some question4 ,and the two services were quite distinct1 each having its own kitchen and servants1 the only thing at all common to them both being a large room downstairs which served as a pantry and store-place4 ,although the second-floor dining-room was so gloomy1 saddened by the greeny half-light of the courtyard1 the meal shared that day by the two ladies and the young priest proved a very gay one4 ,even ,donna ,serafina1 usually so rigid1 seemed to relax under the influence of great internal felicity4 ,she was no doubt still enjoying her triumph of the previous evening1 and it was she who first spoke of the ball and sung its praises1 though the presence of the ,king and ,queen had much embarrassed her1 said she4 ,according to her account1 she had only avoided presentation by skilful strategy2 however she hoped that her well-known affection for ,celia1 whose god-mother she was1 would explain her presence in that neutral mansion where ,vatican and ,quirinal had met4 ,at the same time she must have retained certain scruples1 for she declared that directly after dinner she was going to the ,vatican to see the ,cardinal ,secretary1 to whom she desired to speak about an enterprise of which she was lady-patroness4 ,this visit would compensate for her attendance at the ,buongiovanni entertainment4 ,and on the other hand never had ,donna ,serafina seemed so zealous and hopeful of her brother's speedy accession to the throne of ,st4 ,peter3 therein lay a supreme triumph1 an elevation of her race1 which her pride deemed both needful and inevitable2 and indeed during ,leo ,,xiii's last indisposition she had actually concerned herself about the trousseau which would be needed and which would require to be marked with the new ,pontiff's arms4 ,on her side1 ,benedetta was all gaiety during the repast1 laughing at everything1 and speaking of ,celia and ,attilio with the passionate affection of a woman whose own happiness delights in that of her friends4 ,then1 just as the dessert had been served1 she turned to the servant with an air of surprise3 8,well1 and the figs1 ,giacomo80 she asked4 ,giacomo1 slow and sleepy of notion1 looked at her without understanding4 ,however1 ,victorine was crossing the room1 and ,benedetta's next question was for her3 8,why are the figs not served1 ,victorine80 she inquired4 8,what figs1 ,contessina80 8,why the figs ,i saw in the pantry as ,i passed through it this morning on my way to the garden4 ,they were in a little basket and looked superb4 ,i was even astonished to see that there were still some fresh figs left at this season4 ,i'm very fond of them1 and felt quite pleased at the thought that ,i should eat some at dinner40 ,victorine began to laugh3 8,ah6 yes1 ,contessina1 ,i understand10 she replied4 8,they were some figs which that priest of ,frascati1 whom you know very well1 brought yesterday evening as a present for his ,eminence4 ,i was there1 and ,i heard him repeat three or four times that they were a present1 and were to be put on his ,eminence's table without a leaf being touched4 ,and so one did as he said40 8,well1 that's nice10 retorted ,benedetta with comical indignation4 8,what gourmands my uncle and ,dario are to regale themselves without us6 ,they might have given us a share60 ,donna ,serafina thereupon intervened1 and asked ,victorine3 8,you are speaking1 are you not1 of that priest who used to come to the villa at ,frascati80 8,yes1 yes1 ,abb ,santobono his name is1 he officiates at the little church of ,st4 ,mary in the ,fields4 ,he always asks for ,abb ,paparelli when he calls2 ,i think they were at the seminary together4 ,and it was ,abb ,paparelli who brought him to the pantry with his basket last night4 ,to tell the truth1 the basket was forgotten there in spite of all the injunctions1 so that nobody would have eaten the figs to-day if ,abb ,paparelli hadn't run down just now and carried them upstairs as piously as if they were the ,blessed ,sacrament4 ,it's true though that his ,eminence is so fond of them40 8,my brother won't do them much honour to-day10 remarked the ,princess4 8,he is slightly indisposed4 ,he passed a bad night40 ,the repeated mention of ,abb ,paparelli had made the old lady somewhat thoughtful4 ,she had regarded the train-bearer with displeasure ever since she had noticed the extraordinary influence he was gaining over the ,cardinal1 despite all his apparent humility and self-effacement4 ,he was but a servant and apparently a very insignificant one1 yet he governed1 and she could feel that he combated her own influence1 often undoing things which she had done to further her brother's interests4 ,twice already1 moreover1 she had suspected him of having urged the ,cardinal to courses which she looked upon as absolute blunders4 ,but perhaps she was wrong2 she did the train-bearer the justice to admit that he had great merits and displayed exemplary piety4 ,however1 ,benedetta went on laughing and jesting1 and as ,victorine had now withdrawn1 she called the man-servant3 8,listen1 ,giacomo1 ,i have a commission for you40 ,then she broke off to say to her aunt and ,pierre3 8,pray let us assert our rights4 ,i can see them at table almost underneath us4 ,uncle is taking the leaves off the basket and serving himself with a smile2 then he passes the basket to ,dario1 who passes it on to ,don ,vigilio4 ,and all three of them eat and enjoy the figs4 ,you can see them1 can't you80 ,she herself could see them well4 ,and it was her desire to be near ,dario1 the constant flight of her thoughts to him that now made her picture him at table with the others4 ,her heart was down below1 and there was nothing there that she could not see1 and hear1 and smell1 with such keenness of the senses did her love endow her4 8,giacomo10 she resumed1 8you are to go down and tell his ,eminence that we are longing to taste his figs1 and that it will be very kind of him if he will send us such as he can spare40 ,again1 however1 did ,donna ,serafina intervene1 recalling her wonted severity of voice3 8,giacomo1 you will please stay here40 ,and to her niece she added3 8,that's enough childishness6 ,i dislike such silly freaks40 8,oh6 aunt10 ,benedetta murmured4 8,but ,i'm so happy1 it's so long since ,i laughed so good-heartedly40 ,pierre had hitherto remained listening1 enlivened by the sight of her gaiety4 ,but now1 as a little chill fell1 he raised his voice to say that on the previous day he himself had been astonished to see the famous fig-tree of ,frascati still bearing fruit so late in the year4 ,this was doubtless due1 however1 to the tree's position and the protection of a high wall4 8,ah6 so you saw the tree80 said ,benedetta4 8,yes1 and ,i even travelled with those figs which you would so much like to taste40 8,why1 how was that80 ,the young man already regretted the reply which had escaped him4 ,however1 having gone so far1 he preferred to say everything4 8,i met somebody at ,frascati who had come there in a carriage and who insisted on driving me back to ,rome10 said he4 8,on the way we picked up ,abb ,santobono1 who was bravely making the journey on foot with his basket in his hand4 ,and afterwards we stopped at an osteria--0 ,then he went on to describe the drive and relate his impressions whilst crossing the ,campagna amidst the falling twilight4 ,but ,benedetta gazed at him fixedly1 aware as she was of ,prada's frequent visits to the land and houses which he owned at ,frascati2 and suddenly she murmured3 8,somebody1 somebody1 it was the ,count1 was it not80 8,yes1 madame1 the ,count10 ,pierre answered4 8,i saw him again last night2 he was overcome1 and really deserves to be pitied40 ,the two women took no offence at this charitable remark which fell from the young priest with such deep and natural emotion1 full as he was of overflowing love and compassion for one and all4 ,donna ,serafina remained motionless as if she had not even heard him1 and ,benedetta made a gesture which seemed to imply that she had neither pity nor hatred to express for a man who had become a perfect stranger to her4 ,however1 she no longer laughed1 but1 thinking of the little basket which had travelled in ,prada's carriage1 she said3 8,ah6 ,i don't care for those figs at all now1 ,i am even glad that ,i haven't eaten any of them40 ,immediately after the coffee ,donna ,serafina withdrew1 saying that she was at once going to the ,vatican2 and the others1 being left to themselves1 lingered at table1 again full of gaiety1 and chatting like friends4 ,the priest1 with his feverish impatience1 once more referred to the audience which he was to have that evening4 ,it was now barely two o'clock1 and he had seven more hours to wait4 ,how should he employ that endless afternoon8 ,thereupon ,benedetta good-naturedly made him a proposal4 8,i'll tell you what10 said she1 8as we are all in such good spirits we mustn't leave one another4 ,dario has his victoria1 you know4 ,he must have finished lunch by now1 and ,i'll ask him to take us for a long drive along the ,tiber40 ,this fine project so delighted her that she began to clap her hands2 but just then ,don ,vigilio appeared with a scared look on his face4 8,isn't the ,princess here80 he inquired4 8,no1 my aunt has gone out4 ,what is the matter80 8,his ,eminence sent me4 ,the ,prince has just felt unwell on rising from table4 ,oh6 it's nothing--nothing serious1 no doubt40 ,benedetta raised a cry of surprise rather than anxiety3 8,what1 ,dario6 ,well1 we'll all go down4 ,come with me1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,he mustn't get ill if he is to take us for a drive60 ,then1 meeting ,victorine on the stairs1 she bade her follow4 8,dario isn't well10 she said4 8,you may be wanted40 ,they all four entered the spacious1 antiquated1 and simply furnished bed-room where the young ,prince had lately been laid up for a whole month4 ,it was reached by way of a small salon1 and from an adjoining dressing-room a passage conducted to the ,cardinal's apartments1 the relatively small dining-room1 bed-room1 and study1 which had been devised by subdividing one of the huge galleries of former days4 ,in addition1 the passage gave access to his ,eminence's private chapel1 a bare1 uncarpeted1 chairless room1 where there was nothing beyond the painted1 wooden altar1 and the hard1 cold tiles on which to kneel and pray4 ,on entering1 ,benedetta hastened to the bed where ,dario was lying1 still fully dressed4 ,near him1 in fatherly fashion1 stood ,cardinal ,boccanera1 who1 amidst his dawning anxiety1 retained his proud and lofty bearing--the calmness of a soul beyond reproach4 8,why1 what is the matter1 ,dario mio80 asked the young woman4 ,he smiled1 eager to reassure her4 ,one only noticed that he was very pale1 with a look as of intoxication on his face4 8,oh6 it's nothing1 mere giddiness10 he replied4 8,it's just as if ,i had drunk too much4 ,all at once things swam before my eyes1 and ,i thought ,i was going to fall4 ,and then ,i only had time to come and fling myself on the bed40 ,then he drew a long breath1 as though talking exhausted him1 and the ,cardinal in his turn gave some details4 8,we had just finished our meal10 said he1 8,i was giving ,don ,vigilio some orders for this afternoon1 and was about to rise when ,i saw ,dario get up and reel4 ,he wouldn't sit down again1 but came in here1 staggering like a somnambulist1 and fumbling at the doors to open them4 ,we followed him without understanding4 ,and ,i confess that ,i don't yet comprehend it40 ,so saying1 the ,cardinal punctuated his surprise by waving his arm towards the rooms1 through which a gust of misfortune seemed to have suddenly swept4 ,all the doors had remained wide open3 the dressing-room could be seen1 and then the passage1 at the end of which appeared the dining-room1 in a disorderly state1 like an apartment suddenly vacated2 the table still laid1 the napkins flung here and there1 and the chairs pushed back4 ,as yet1 however1 there was no alarm4 ,benedetta made the remark which is usually made in such cases3 8,i hope you haven't eaten anything which has disagreed with you40 ,the ,cardinal1 smiling1 again waved his hand as if to attest the frugality of his table4 8,oh60 said he1 8there were only some eggs1 some lamb cutlets1 and a dish of sorrel--they couldn't have overloaded his stomach4 ,i myself only drink water2 he takes just a sip of white wine4 ,no1 no1 the food has nothing to do with it40 8,besides1 in that case his ,eminence and ,i would also have felt indisposed10 ,don ,vigilio made bold to remark4 ,dario1 after momentarily closing his eyes1 opened them again1 and once more drew a long breath1 whilst endeavouring to laugh4 8,oh1 it will be nothing20 he said4 8,i feel more at ease already4 ,i must get up and stir myself40 8,in that case10 said ,benedetta1 8this is what ,i had thought of4 ,you will take ,monsieur l',abb ,froment and me for a long drive in the ,campagna40 8,willingly4 ,it's a nice idea4 ,victorine1 help me40 ,whilst speaking he had raised himself by means of one arm2 but1 before the servant could approach1 a slight convulsion seized him1 and he fell back again as if overcome by a fainting fit4 ,it was the ,cardinal1 still standing by the bedside1 who caught him in his arms1 whilst the ,contessina this time lost her head3 8,dio1 ,dio6 ,it has come on him again4 ,quick1 quick1 a doctor60 8,shall ,i run for one80 asked ,pierre1 whom the scene was also beginning to upset4 8,no1 no1 not you2 stay with me4 ,victorine will go at once4 ,she knows the address4 ,doctor ,giordano1 ,victorine40 ,the servant hurried away1 and a heavy silence fell on the room where the anxiety became more pronounced every moment4 ,benedetta1 now quite pale1 had again approached the bed1 whilst the ,cardinal looked down at ,dario1 whom he still held in his arms4 ,and a terrible suspicion1 vague1 indeterminate as yet1 had just awoke in the old man's mind3 ,dario's face seemed to him to be ashen1 to wear that mask of terrified anguish which he had already remarked on the countenance of his dearest friend1 ,monsignor ,gallo1 when he had held him in his arms1 in like manner1 two hours before his death4 ,there was also the same swoon and the same sensation of clasping a cold form whose heart ceases to beat4 ,and above everything else there was in ,boccanera's mind the same growing thought of poison1 poison coming one knew not whence or how1 but mysteriously striking down those around him with the suddenness of lightning4 ,and for a long time he remained with his head bent over the face of his nephew1 that last scion of his race1 seeking1 studying1 and recognising the signs of the mysterious1 implacable disorder which once already had rent his heart atwain4 ,but ,benedetta addressed him in a low1 entreating voice3 8,you will tire yourself1 uncle4 ,let me take him a little1 ,i beg you4 ,have no fear1 ,i'll hold him very gently1 he will feel that it is ,i1 and perhaps that will rouse him40 ,at last the ,cardinal raised his head and looked at her1 and allowed her to take his place after kissing her with distracted passion1 his eyes the while full of tears--a sudden burst of emotion in which his great love for the young woman melted the stern frigidity which he usually affected4 8,ah6 my poor child1 my poor child60 he stammered1 trembling from head to foot like an oak-tree about to fall4 ,immediately afterwards1 however1 he mastered himself1 and whilst ,pierre and ,don ,vigilio1 mute and motionless1 regretted that they could be of no help1 he walked slowly to and fro4 ,soon1 moreover1 that bed-chamber became too small for all the thoughts revolving in his mind1 and he strayed first into the dressing-room and then down the passage as far as the dining-room4 ,and again and again he went to and fro1 grave and impassible1 his head low1 ever lost in the same gloomy reverie4 ,what were the multitudinous thoughts stirring in the brain of that believer1 that haughty ,prince who had given himself to ,god and could do naught to stay inevitable ,destiny8 ,from time to time he returned to the bedside1 observed the progress of the disorder1 and then started off again at the same slow regular pace1 disappearing and reappearing1 carried along as it were by the monotonous alternations of forces which man cannot control4 ,possibly he was mistaken1 possibly this was some mere indisposition at which the doctor would smile4 ,one must hope and wait4 ,and again he went off and again he came back2 and amidst the heavy silence nothing more clearly bespoke the torture of anxious fear than the rhythmical footsteps of that tall old man who was thus awaiting ,destiny4 ,the door opened1 and ,victorine came in breathless4 8,i found the doctor1 here he is10 she gasped4 ,with his little pink face and white curls1 his discreet paternal bearing which gave him the air of an amiable prelate1 ,doctor ,giordano came in smiling2 but on seeing that room and all the anxious people waiting in it1 he turned very grave1 at once assuming the expression of profound respect for all ecclesiastical secrets which he had acquired by long practice among the clergy4 ,and when he had glanced at the sufferer he let but a low murmur escape him3 8,what1 again6 ,is it beginning again60 ,he was probably alluding to the knife thrust for which he had recently tended ,dario4 ,who could be thus relentlessly pursuing that poor and inoffensive young prince8 ,however no one heard the doctor unless it were ,benedetta1 and she was so full of feverish impatience1 so eager to be tranquillised1 that she did not listen but burst into fresh entreaties3 8,oh6 doctor1 pray look at him1 examine him1 tell us that it is nothing4 ,it can't be anything serious1 since he was so well and gay but a little while ago4 ,it's nothing serious1 is it80 8,you are right no doubt1 ,contessina1 it can be nothing dangerous4 ,we will see40 ,however1 on turning round1 ,doctor ,giordano perceived the ,cardinal1 who with regular1 thoughtful footsteps had come back from the dining-room to place himself at the foot of the bed4 ,and while bowing1 the doctor doubtless detected a gleam of mortal anxiety in the dark eyes fixed upon his own1 for he added nothing but began to examine ,dario like a man who realises that time is precious4 ,and as his examination progressed the affable optimism which usually appeared upon his countenance gave place to ashen gravity1 a covert terror which made his lips slightly tremble4 ,it was he who had attended ,monsignor ,gallo when the latter had been carried off so mysteriously2 it was he who for imperative reasons had then delivered a certificate stating the cause of death to be infectious fever2 and doubtless he now found the same terrible symptoms as in that case1 a leaden hue overspreading the sufferer's features1 a stupor as of excessive intoxication2 and1 old ,roman practitioner that he was1 accustomed to sudden deaths1 he realised that the malaria which kills was passing1 that malaria which science does not yet fully understand1 which may come from the putrescent exhalations of the ,tiber unless it be but a name for the ancient poison of the legends4 ,as the doctor raised his head his glance again encountered the black eyes of the ,cardinal1 which never left him4 8,signor ,giordano10 said his ,eminence1 8you are not over-anxious1 ,i hope8 ,it is only some case of indigestion1 is it not80 ,the doctor again bowed4 ,by the slight quiver of the ,cardinal's voice he understood how acute was the anxiety of that powerful man1 who once more was stricken in his dearest affections4 8,your ,eminence must be right10 he said1 8there's a bad digestion certainly4 ,such accidents sometimes become dangerous when fever supervenes4 ,i need not tell your ,eminence how thoroughly you may rely on my prudence and zeal40 ,then he broke off and added in a clear professional voice3 8,we must lose no time2 the ,prince must be undressed4 ,i should prefer to remain alone with him for a moment40 ,whilst speaking in this way1 however1 ,doctor ,giordano detained ,victorine1 who would be able to help him1 said he2 should he need any further assistance he would take ,giacomo4 ,his evident desire was to get rid of the members of the family in order that he might have more freedom of action4 ,and the ,cardinal1 who understood him1 gently led ,benedetta into the dining-room1 whither ,pierre and ,don ,vigilio followed4 ,when the doors had been closed1 the most mournful and oppressive silence reigned in that dining-room1 which the bright sun of winter filled with such delightful warmth and radiance4 ,the table was still laid1 its cloth strewn here and there with bread-crumbs2 and a coffee cup had remained half full4 ,in the centre stood the basket of figs1 whose covering of leaves had been removed4 ,however1 only two or three of the figs were missing4 ,and in front of the window was ,tata1 the female parrot1 who had flown out of her cage and perched herself on her stand1 where she remained1 dazzled and enraptured1 amidst the dancing dust of a broad yellow sunray4 ,in her astonishment however1 at seeing so many people enter1 she had ceased to scream and smooth her feathers1 and had turned her head the better to examine the newcomers with her round and scrutinising eye4 ,the minutes went by slowly amidst all the feverish anxiety as to what might be occurring in the neighbouring room4 ,don ,vigilio had taken a corner seat in silence1 whilst ,benedetta and ,pierre1 who had remained standing1 preserved similar muteness1 and immobility4 ,but the ,cardinal had reverted to that instinctive1 lulling tramp by which he apparently hoped to quiet his impatience and arrive the sooner at the explanation for which he was groping through a tumultuous maze of ideas4 ,and whilst his rhythmical footsteps resounded with mechanical regularity1 dark fury was taking possession of his mind1 exasperation at being unable to understand the why and wherefore of that sickness4 ,as he passed the table he had twice glanced at the things lying on it in confusion1 as if seeking some explanation from them4 ,perhaps the harm had been done by that unfinished coffee1 or by that bread whose crumbs lay here and there1 or by those cutlets1 a bone of which remained8 ,then as for the third time he passed by1 again glancing1 his eyes fell upon the basket of figs1 and at once he stopped1 as if beneath the shock of a revelation4 ,an idea seized upon him and mastered him1 without any plan1 however1 occurring to him by which he might change his sudden suspicion into certainty4 ,for a moment he remained puzzled with his eyes fixed upon the basket4 ,then he took a fig and examined it1 but1 noticing nothing strange1 was about to put it back when ,tata1 the parrot1 who was very fond of figs1 raised a strident cry4 ,and this was like a ray of light2 the means of changing suspicion into certainty was found4 ,slowly1 with grave air and gloomy visage1 the ,cardinal carried the fig to the parrot and gave it to her without hesitation or regret4 ,she was a very pretty bird1 the only being of the lower order of creation to which he had ever really been attached4 ,stretching out her supple1 delicate form1 whose silken feathers of dull green here and there assumed a pinky tinge in the sunlight1 she took hold of the fig with her claws1 then ripped it open with her beak4 ,but when she had raked it she ate but little1 and let all the rest fall upon the floor4 ,still grave and impassible1 the ,cardinal looked at her and waited4 ,quite three minutes went by1 and then feeling reassured1 he began to scratch the bird's poll1 whilst she1 taking pleasure in the caress1 turned her neck and fixed her bright ruby eye upon her master4 ,but all at once she sank back without even a flap of the wings1 and fell like a bullet4 ,she was dead1 killed as by a thunderbolt4 ,boccanera made but a gesture1 raising both hands to heaven as if in horror at what he now knew4 ,great ,god6 such a terrible crime1 and such a fearful mistake1 such an abominable trick of ,destiny6 ,no cry of grief came from him1 but the gloom upon his face grew black and fierce4 ,yet there was a cry1 a piercing cry from ,benedetta1 who like ,pierre and ,don ,vigilio had watched the ,cardinal with an astonishment which had changed into terror3 8,poison6 poison6 ,ah6 ,dario1 my heart1 my soul60 ,but the ,cardinal violently caught his niece by the wrist1 whilst darting a suspicious glance at the two petty priests1 the secretary and the foreigner1 who were present3 8,be quiet1 be quiet60 said he4 ,she shook herself free1 rebelling1 frantic with rage and hatred3 8,why should ,i be quiet60 she cried4 8,it is ,prada's work1 ,i shall denounce him1 he shall die as well6 ,i tell you it is ,prada1 ,i know it1 for yesterday ,abb ,froment came back with him from ,frascati in his carriage with that priest ,santobono and that basket of figs6 ,yes1 yes1 ,i have witnesses1 it is ,prada1 ,prada60 8,no1 no1 you are mad1 be quiet60 said the ,cardinal1 who had again taken hold of the young woman's hands and sought to master her with all his sovereign authority4 ,he1 who knew the influence which ,cardinal ,sanguinetti exercised over ,santobono's excitable mind1 had just understood the whole affair2 no direct complicity but covert propulsion1 the animal excited and then let loose upon the troublesome rival at the moment when the pontifical throne seemed likely to be vacant4 ,the probability1 the certainty of all this flashed upon ,boccanera who1 though some points remained obscure1 did not seek to penetrate them4 ,it was not necessary indeed that he should know every particular3 the thing was as he said1 since it was bound to be so4 8,no1 no1 it was not ,prada10 he exclaimed1 addressing ,benedetta4 8,that man can bear me no personal grudge1 and ,i alone was aimed at1 it was to me that those figs were given4 ,come1 think it out6 ,only an unforeseen indisposition prevented me from eating the greater part of the fruit1 for it is known that ,i am very fond of figs1 and while my poor ,dario was tasting them1 ,i jested and told him to leave the finer ones for me to-morrow4 ,yes1 the abominable blow was meant for me1 and it is on him that it has fallen by the most atrocious of chances1 the most monstrous of the follies of fate4 ,ah6 ,lord ,god1 ,lord ,god1 have you then forsaken us60 ,tears came into the old man's eyes1 whilst she still quivered and seemed unconvinced3 8,but you have no enemies1 uncle10 she said4 8,why should that ,santobono try to take your life80 ,for a moment he found no fitting reply4 ,with supreme grandeur he had already resolved to keep the truth secret4 ,then a recollection came to him1 and he resigned himself to the telling of a lie3 8,santobono's mind has always been somewhat unhinged10 said he1 8and ,i know that he has hated me ever since ,i refused to help him to get a brother of his1 one of our former gardeners1 out of prison4 ,deadly spite often has no more serious cause4 ,he must have thought that he had reason to be revenged on me40 ,thereupon ,benedetta1 exhausted1 unable to argue any further1 sank upon a chair with a despairing gesture3 8,ah6 ,god1 ,god6 ,i no longer know--and what matters it now that my ,dario is in such danger8 ,there's only one thing to be done1 he must be saved4 ,how long they are over what they are doing in that room--why does not ,victorine come for us60 ,the silence again fell1 full of terror4 ,without speaking the ,cardinal took the basket of figs from the table and carried it to a cupboard in which he locked it4 ,then he put the key in his pocket4 ,no doubt1 when night had fallen1 he himself would throw the proofs of the crime into the ,tiber4 ,however1 on coming back from the cupboard he noticed the two priests1 who naturally had watched him2 and with mingled grandeur and simplicity he said to them3 8,gentlemen1 ,i need not ask you to be discreet4 ,there are scandals which we must spare the ,church1 which is not1 cannot be guilty4 ,to deliver one of ourselves1 even when he is a criminal1 to the civil tribunals1 often means a blow for the whole ,church1 for men of evil mind may lay hold of the affair and seek to impute the responsibility of the crime even to the ,church itself4 ,we therefore have but to commit the murderer to the hands of ,god1 who will know more surely how to punish him4 ,ah6 for my part1 whether ,i be struck in my own person or whether the blow be directed against my family1 my dearest affections1 ,i declare in the name of the ,christ who died upon the cross1 that ,i feel neither anger1 nor desire for vengeance1 that ,i efface the murderer's name from my memory and bury his abominable act in the eternal silence of the grave40 ,tall as he was1 he seemed of yet loftier stature whilst with hand upraised he took that oath to leave his enemies to the justice of ,god alone2 for he did not refer merely to ,santobono1 but to ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 whose evil influence he had divined4 ,and amidst all the heroism of his pride1 he was rent by tragic dolour at thought of the dark battle which was waged around the tiara1 all the evil hatred and voracious appetite which stirred in the depths of the gloom4 ,then1 as ,pierre and ,don ,vigilio bowed to him as a sign that they would preserve silence1 he almost choked with invincible emotion1 a sob of loving grief which he strove to keep down rising to his throat1 whilst he stammered3 8,ah6 my poor child1 my poor child1 the only scion of our race1 the only love and hope of my heart6 ,ah6 to die1 to die like this60 ,but ,benedetta1 again all violence1 sprang up3 8,die6 ,who1 ,dario8 ,i won't have it6 ,we'll nurse him1 we'll go back to him4 ,we will take him in our arms and save him4 ,come1 uncle1 come at once6 ,i won't1 ,i won't1 ,i won't have him die60 ,she was going towards the door1 and nothing would have prevented her from re-entering the bed-room1 when1 as it happened1 ,victorine appeared with a wild look on her face1 for1 despite her wonted serenity1 all her courage was now exhausted4 8,the doctor begs madame and his ,eminence to come at once1 at once10 said she4 ,stupefied by all these things1 ,pierre did not follow the others1 but lingered for a moment in the sunlit dining-room with ,don ,vigilio4 ,what6 poison8 ,poison as in the time of the ,borgias1 elegantly hidden away1 served up with luscious fruit by a crafty traitor1 whom one dared not even denounce6 ,and he recalled the conversation on his way back from ,frascati1 and his ,parisian scepticism with respect to those legendary drugs1 which to his mind had no place save in the fifth acts of melodramas4 ,yet those abominable stories were true1 those tales of poisoned knives and flowers1 of prelates and even dilatory popes being suppressed by a drop or a grain of something administered to them in their morning chocolate4 ,that passionate tragical ,santobono was really a poisoner1 ,pierre could no longer doubt it1 for a lurid light now illumined the whole of the previous day3 there were the words of ambition and menace which had been spoken by ,cardinal ,sanguinetti1 the eagerness to act in presence of the probable death of the reigning pope1 the suggestion of a crime for the sake of the ,church's salvation1 then that priest with his little basket of figs encountered on the road1 then that basket carried for hours so carefully1 so devoutly1 on the priest's knees1 that basket which now haunted ,pierre like a nightmare1 and whose colour1 and odour1 and shape he would ever recall with a shudder4 ,aye1 poison1 poison1 there was truth in it2 it existed and still circulated in the depths of the black world1 amidst all the ravenous1 rival longings for conquest and sovereignty4 ,and all at once the figure of ,prada likewise arose in ,pierre's mind4 ,a little while previously1 when ,benedetta had so violently accused the ,count1 he1 ,pierre1 had stepped forward to defend him and cry aloud what he knew1 whence the poison had come1 and what hand had offered it4 ,but a sudden thought had made him shiver3 though ,prada had not devised the crime1 he had allowed it to be perpetrated4 ,another memory darted keen like steel through the young priest's mind--that of the little black hen lying lifeless beside the shed1 amidst the dismal surroundings of the osteria1 with a tiny streamlet of violet blood trickling from her beak4 ,and here again1 ,tata1 the parrot1 lay still soft and warm at the foot of her stand1 with her beak stained by oozing blood4 ,why had ,prada told that lie about a battle between two fowls8 ,all the dim intricacy of passion and contention bewildered ,pierre1 he could not thread his way through it2 nor was he better able to follow the frightful combat which must have been waged in that man's mind during the night of the ball4 ,at the same time he could not again picture him by his side during their nocturnal walk towards the ,boccanera mansion without shuddering1 dimly divining what a frightful decision had been taken before that mansion's door4 ,moreover1 whatever the obscurities1 whether ,prada had expected that the ,cardinal alone would be killed1 or had hoped that some chance stroke of fate might avenge him on others1 the terrible fact remained--he had known1 he had been able to stay ,destiny on the march1 but had allowed it to go onward and blindly accomplish its work of death4 ,turning his head ,pierre perceived ,don ,vigilio still seated on the corner chair whence he had not stirred1 and looking so pale and haggard that perhaps he also had swallowed some of the poison4 8,do you feel unwell80 the young priest asked4 ,at first the secretary could not reply1 for terror had gripped him at the throat4 ,then in a low voice he said3 8,no1 no1 ,i didn't eat any4 ,ah1 ,heaven1 when ,i think that ,i so much wanted to taste them1 and that merely deference kept me back on seeing that his ,eminence did not take any60 ,don ,vigilio's whole body shivered at the thought that his humility alone had saved him2 and on his face and his hands there remained the icy chill of death which had fallen so near and grazed him as it passed4 ,then twice he heaved a sigh1 and with a gesture of affright sought to brush the horrid thing away while murmuring3 8,ah6 ,paparelli1 ,paparelli60 ,pierre1 deeply stirred1 and knowing what he thought of the train-bearer1 tried to extract some information from him3 8,what do you mean80 he asked4 8,do you accuse him too8 ,do you think they urged him on1 and that it was they at bottom80 ,the word ,jesuits was not even spoken1 but a big black shadow passed athwart the gay sunlight of the dining-room1 and for a moment seemed to fill it with darkness4 8,they6 ah yes60 exclaimed ,don ,vigilio1 8they are everywhere2 it is always they6 ,as soon as one weeps1 as soon as one dies1 they are mixed up in it4 ,and this is intended for me too2 ,i am quite surprised that ,i haven't been carried off40 ,then again he raised a dull moan of fear1 hatred1 and anger3 8,ah6 ,paparelli1 ,paparelli60 ,and he refused to reply any further1 but darted scared glances at the walls as if from one or another of them he expected to see the train-bearer emerge1 with his wrinkled flabby face like that of an old maid1 his furtive mouse-like trot1 and his mysterious1 invading hands which had gone expressly to bring the forgotten figs from the pantry and deposit them on the table4 ,at last the two priests decided to return to the bedroom1 where perhaps they might be required2 and ,pierre on entering was overcome by the heart-rending scene which the chamber now presented4 ,doctor ,giordano1 suspecting poison1 had for half an hour been trying the usual remedies1 an emetic and then magnesia4 ,just then1 too1 he had made ,victorine whip some whites of eggs in water4 ,but the disorder was progressing with such lightning-like rapidity that all succour was becoming futile4 ,undressed and lying on his back1 his bust propped up by pillows and his arms lying outstretched over the sheets1 ,dario looked quite frightful in the sort of painful intoxication which characterised that redoubtable and mysterious disorder to which already ,monsignor ,gallo and others had succumbed4 ,the young man seemed to be stricken with a sort of dizzy stupor1 his eyes receded farther and farther into the depth of their dark sockets1 whilst his whole face became withered1 aged as it were1 and covered with an earthy pallor4 ,a moment previously he had closed his eyes1 and the only sign that he still lived was the heaving of his chest induced by painful respiration4 ,and leaning over his poor dying face stood ,benedetta1 sharing his sufferings1 and mastered by such impotent grief that she also was unrecognisable1 so white1 so distracted by anguish1 that it seemed as if death were gradually taking her at the same time as it was taking him4 ,in the recess by the window whither ,cardinal ,boccanera had led ,doctor ,giordano1 a few words were exchanged in low tones4 8,he is lost1 is he not80 ,the doctor made the despairing gesture of one who is vanquished3 8,alas6 yes4 ,i must warn your ,eminence that in an hour all will be over40 ,a short interval of silence followed4 8,and the same malady as ,gallo1 is it not80 asked the ,cardinal2 and as the doctor trembling and averting his eyes did not answer he added3 8,at all events of an infectious fever60 ,giordano well understood what the ,cardinal thus asked of him3 silence1 the crime for ever hidden away for the sake of the good renown of his mother1 the ,church4 ,and there could be no loftier1 no more tragical grandeur than that of this old man of seventy1 still so erect and sovereign1 who would neither suffer a slur to be cast upon his spiritual family1 nor consent to his human family being dragged into the inevitable mire of a sensational murder trial4 ,no1 no1 there must be none of that1 there must be silence1 the eternal silence in which all becomes forgotten4 ,at last the doctor bowed with his gentle air of discretion4 8,evidently1 of an infectious fever as your ,eminence so well says10 he replied4 ,two big tears then again appeared in ,boccanera's eyes4 ,now that he had screened the ,deity from attack in the person of the ,church1 his heart as a man again bled4 ,he begged the doctor to make a supreme effort1 to attempt the impossible2 but1 pointing to the dying man with trembling hands1 ,giordano shook his head4 ,for his own father1 his own mother he could have done nothing4 ,death was there4 ,so why weary1 why torture a dying man1 whose sufferings he would only have increased8 ,and then1 as the ,cardinal1 finding the end so near at hand1 thought of his sister ,serafina1 and lamented that she would not be able to kiss her nephew for the last time if she lingered at the ,vatican1 the doctor offered to fetch her in his carriage which was waiting below4 ,it would not take him more than twenty minutes1 said he1 and he would be back in time for the end1 should he then be needed4 ,left to himself in the window recess the ,cardinal remained there motionless for another moment4 ,with eyes blurred by tears1 he gazed towards heaven4 ,and his quivering arms were suddenly raised in a gesture of ardent entreaty4 ,o ,god1 since the science of man was so limited and vain1 since that doctor had gone off happy to escape the embarrassment of his impotence1 ,o ,god1 why not a miracle which should proclaim the splendour of ,thy ,almighty ,power6 ,a miracle1 a miracle6 that was what the ,cardinal asked from the depths of his believing soul1 with the insistence1 the imperious entreaty of a ,prince of the ,earth1 who deemed that he had rendered considerable services to ,heaven by dedicating his whole life to the ,church4 ,and he asked for that miracle in order that his race might be perpetuated1 in order that its last male scion might not thus miserably perish1 but be able to marry that fondly loved cousin1 who now stood there all woe and tears4 ,a miracle1 a miracle for the sake of those two dear children6 ,a miracle which would endow the family with fresh life3 a miracle which would eternise the glorious name of ,boccanera by enabling an innumerable posterity of valiant ones and faithful ones to spring from that young couple6 ,when the ,cardinal returned to the centre of the room he seemed transfigured4 ,faith had dried his eyes1 his soul had become strong and submissive1 exempt from all human weakness4 ,he had placed himself in the hands of ,god1 and had resolved that he himself would administer extreme unction to ,dario4 ,with a gesture he summoned ,don ,vigilio and led him into the little room which served as a chapel1 and the key of which he always carried4 ,a cupboard had been contrived behind the altar of painted wood1 and the ,cardinal went to it to take both stole and surplice4 ,the coffer containing the ,holy ,oils was likewise there1 a very ancient silver coffer bearing the ,boccanera arms4 ,and on ,don ,vigilio following the ,cardinal back into the bed-room they in turn pronounced the ,latin words3 8,pax huic domui40 8,et omnibus habitantibus in ea4099 99 8,peace unto this house and unto all who dwell in it40--,trans4 ,death was coming so fast and threatening1 that all the usual preparations were perforce dispensed with4 ,neither the two lighted tapers1 nor the little table covered with white cloth had been provided4 ,and1 in the same way1 ,don ,vigilio the assistant1 having failed to bring the ,holy ,water basin and sprinkler1 the ,cardinal1 as officiating priest1 could merely make the gesture of blessing the room and the dying man1 whilst pronouncing the words of the ritual3 8,asperges me1 ,domine1 hyssopo1 et mundabor2 lavabis me1 et super nivem dealbabor4899 99 8,sprinkle me1 ,lord1 with hyssop1 and purify me2 wash me1 and make me whiter than snow40--,trans4 ,benedetta on seeing the ,cardinal appear carrying the ,holy ,oils1 had with a long quiver fallen on her knees at the foot of the bed1 whilst1 somewhat farther away1 ,pierre and ,victorine likewise knelt1 overcome by the dolorous grandeur of the scene4 ,and the dilated eyes of the ,contessina1 whose face was pale as snow1 never quitted her ,dario1 whom she no longer recognised1 so earthy was his face1 its skin tanned and wrinkled like that of an old man4 ,and it was not for their marriage which he so much desired that their uncle1 the all-powerful ,prince of the ,church1 was bringing the ,sacrament1 but for the supreme rupture1 the end of all pride1 ,death which finishes off the haughtiest races1 and sweeps them away1 even as the wind sweeps the dust of the roads4 ,it was needful that there should be no delay1 so the ,cardinal promptly repeated the ,credo in an undertone1 8,credo in unum ,deum--0 8,amen10 responded ,don ,vigilio1 who1 after the prayers of the ritual1 stammered the ,litanies in order that ,heaven might take pity on the wretched man who was about to appear before ,god1 if ,god by a prodigy did not spare him4 ,then1 without taking time to wash his fingers1 the ,cardinal opened the case containing the ,holy ,oils1 and limiting himself to one anointment1 as is permissible in pressing cases1 he deposited a single drop of the oil on ,dario's parched mouth which was already withered by death4 ,and in doing so he repeated the words of the formula1 his heart all aglow with faith as he asked that the divine mercy might efface each and every sin that the young man had committed by either of his five senses1 those five portals by which everlasting temptation assails the soul4 ,and the ,cardinal's fervour was also instinct with the hope that if ,god had smitten the poor sufferer for his offences1 perhaps ,he would make ,his indulgence entire and even restore him to life as soon as ,he should have forgiven his sins4 ,life1 ,o ,lord1 life in order that the ancient line of the ,boccaneras might yet multiply and continue to serve ,thee in battle and at the altar until the end of time6 ,for a moment the ,cardinal remained with quivering hands1 gazing at the mute face1 the closed eyes of the dying man1 and waiting for the miracle4 ,but no sign appeared1 not the faintest glimmer brightened that haggard countenance1 nor did a sigh of relief come from the withered lips as ,don ,vigilio wiped them with a little cotton wool4 ,and the last prayer was said1 and whilst the frightful silence fell once more the ,cardinal1 followed by his assistant1 returned to the chapel4 ,there they both knelt1 the ,cardinal plunging into ardent prayer upon the bare tiles4 ,with his eyes raised to the brass crucifix upon the altar he saw nothing1 heard nothing1 but gave himself wholly to his entreaties1 supplicating ,god to take him in place of his nephew1 if a sacrifice were necessary1 and yet clinging to the hope that so long as ,dario retained a breath of life and he himself thus remained on his knees addressing the ,deity1 he might succeed in pacifying the wrath of ,heaven4 ,he was both so humble and so great4 ,would not accord surely be established between ,god and a ,boccanera8 ,the old palace might have fallen to the ground1 he himself would not even have felt the toppling of its beams4 ,in the bed-room1 however1 nothing had yet stirred beneath the weight of tragic majesty which the ceremony had left there4 ,it was only now that ,dario raised his eyelids1 and when on looking at his hands he saw them so aged and wasted the depths of his eyes kindled with an expression of immense regretfulness that life should be departing4 ,doubtless it was at this moment of lucidity amidst the kind of intoxication with which the poison overwhelmed him1 that he for the first time realised his perilous condition4 ,ah6 to die1 amidst such pain1 such physical degradation1 what a revolting horror for that frivolous and egotistical man1 that lover of beauty1 joy1 and light1 who knew not how to suffer6 ,in him ferocious fate chastised racial degeneracy with too heavy a hand4 ,he became horrified with himself1 seized with childish despair and terror1 which lent him strength enough to sit up and gaze wildly about the room1 in order to see if every one had not abandoned him4 ,and when his eyes lighted on ,benedetta still kneeling at the foot of the bed1 a supreme impulse carried him towards her1 he stretched forth both arms as passionately as his strength allowed and stammered her name3 8,o ,benedetta1 ,benedetta60 ,she1 motionless in the stupor of her anxiety1 had not taken her eyes from his face4 ,the horrible disorder which was carrying off her lover1 seemed also to possess and annihilate her more and more1 even as he himself grew weaker and weaker4 ,her features were assuming an immaterial whiteness2 and through the void of her clear eyeballs one began to espy her soul4 ,however1 when she perceived him thus resuscitating and calling her with arms outstretched1 she in her turn arose and standing beside the bed made answer3 8,i am coming1 my ,dario1 here ,i am40 ,and then ,pierre and ,victorine1 still on their knees1 beheld a sublime deed of such extraordinary grandeur that they remained rooted to the floor1 spell-bound as in the presence of some supra-terrestrial spectacle in which human beings may not intervene4 ,benedetta herself spoke and acted like one freed from all social and conventional ties1 already beyond life1 only seeing and addressing beings and things from a great distance1 from the depths of the unknown in which she was about to disappear4 8,ah6 my ,dario1 so an attempt has been made to part us6 ,it was in order that ,i might never belong to you--that we might never be happy1 that your death was resolved upon1 and it was known that with your life my own must cease6 ,and it is that man who is killing you6 ,yes1 he is your murderer1 even if the actual blow has been dealt by another4 ,he is the first cause--he who stole me from you when ,i was about to become yours1 he who ravaged our lives1 and who breathed around us the hateful poison which is killing us4 ,ah6 how ,i hate him1 how ,i hate him2 how ,i should like to crush him with my hate before ,i die with you60 ,she did not raise her voice1 but spoke those terrible words in a deep murmur1 simply and passionately4 ,prada was not even named1 and she scarcely turned towards ,pierre--who knelt1 paralysed1 behind her--to add with a commanding air3 8,you will see his father1 ,i charge you to tell him that ,i cursed his son6 ,that kind-hearted hero loved me well--,i love him even now1 and the words you will carry to him from me will rend his heart4 ,but ,i desire that he should know--he must know1 for the sake of truth and justice40 ,distracted by terror1 sobbing amidst a last convulsion1 ,dario again stretched forth his arms1 feeling that she was no longer looking at him1 that her clear eyes were no longer fixed upon his own3 8,benedetta1 ,benedetta60 8,i am coming1 ,i am coming1 my ,dario--,i am here60 she responded1 drawing yet nearer to the bedside and almost touching him4 8,ah60 she went on1 8that vow which ,i made to the ,madonna to belong to none1 not even you1 until ,god should allow it by the blessing of one of his priests6 ,ah6 ,i set a noble1 a divine pride in remaining immaculate for him who should be the one master of my soul and body4 ,and that chastity which ,i was so proud of1 ,i defended it against the other as one defends oneself against a wolf1 and ,i defended it against you with tears for fear of sacrilege4 ,and if you only knew what terrible struggles ,i was forced to wage with myself1 for ,i loved you and longed to be yours1 like a woman who accepts the whole of love1 the love that makes wife and mother6 ,ah6 my vow to the ,madonna--with what difficulty did ,i keep it when the old blood of our race arose in me like a tempest2 and now what a disaster60 ,she drew yet nearer1 and her low voice became more ardent3 8,you remember that evening when you came back with a knife-thrust in your shoulder4 ,i thought you dead1 and cried aloud with rage at the idea of losing you like that4 ,i insulted the ,madonna and regretted that ,i had not damned myself with you that we might die together1 so tightly clasped that we must needs be buried together also4 ,and to think that such a terrible warning was of no avail6 ,i was blind and foolish2 and now you are again stricken1 again being taken from my love4 ,ah6 my wretched pride1 my idiotic dream60 ,that which now rang out in her stifled voice was the anger of the practical woman that she had ever been1 all superstition notwithstanding4 ,could the ,madonna1 who was so maternal1 desire the woe of lovers8 ,no1 assuredly not4 ,nor did the angels make the mere absence of a priest a cause for weeping over the transports of true and mutual love4 ,was not such love holy in itself1 and did not the angels rather smile upon it and burst into gladsome song6 ,and ah6 how one cheated oneself by not loving to heart's content under the sun1 when the blood of life coursed through one's veins6 8,benedetta6 ,benedetta60 repeated the dying man1 full of child-like terror at thus going off all alone into the depths of the black and everlasting night4 8,here ,i am1 my ,dario1 ,i am coming60 ,then1 as she fancied that the servant1 albeit motionless1 had stirred1 as if to rise and interfere1 she added3 8,leave me1 leave me1 ,victorine1 nothing in the world can henceforth prevent it4 ,a moment ago1 when ,i was on my knees1 something roused me and urged me on4 ,i know whither ,i am going4 ,and besides1 did ,i not swear on the night of the knife thrust8 ,did ,i not promise to belong to him alone1 even in the earth if it were necessary8 ,i must embrace him1 and he will carry me away6 ,we shall be dead1 and we shall be wedded in spite of all1 and for ever and for ever60 ,she stepped back to the dying man1 and touched him3 8,here ,i am1 my ,dario1 here ,i am60 ,then came the apogee4 ,amidst growing exaltation1 buoyed up by a blaze of love1 careless of glances1 candid like a lily1 she divested herself of her garments and stood forth so white1 that neither marble statue1 nor dove1 nor snow itself was ever whiter4 8,here ,i am1 my ,dario1 here ,i am60 ,recoiling almost to the ground as at sight of an apparition1 the glorious flash of a holy vision1 ,pierre and ,victorine gazed at her with dazzled eyes4 ,the servant had not stirred to prevent this extraordinary action1 seized as she was with that shrinking reverential terror which comes upon one in presence of the wild1 mad deeds of faith and passion4 ,and the priest1 whose limbs were paralysed1 felt that something so sublime was passing that he could only quiver in distraction4 ,and no thought of impurity came to him on beholding that lily1 snowy whiteness4 ,all candour and all nobility as she was1 that virgin shocked him no more than some sculptured masterpiece of genius4 8,here ,i am1 my ,dario1 here ,i am40 ,she had lain herself down beside the spouse whom she had chosen1 she had clasped the dying man whose arms only had enough strength left to fold themselves around her4 ,death was stealing him from her1 but she would go with him2 and again she murmured3 8,my ,dario1 here ,i am40 ,and at that moment1 against the wall at the head of the bed1 ,pierre perceived the escutcheon of the ,boccaneras1 embroidered in gold and coloured silks on a groundwork of violet velvet4 ,there was the winged dragon belching flames1 there was the fierce and glowing motto 8,bocca nera1 ,alma rossa0 7black mouth1 red soul71 the mouth darkened by a roar1 the soul flaming like a brazier of faith and love4 ,and behold6 all that old race of passion and violence with its tragic legends had reappeared1 its blood bubbling up afresh to urge that last and adorable daughter of the line to those terrifying and prodigious nuptials in death4 ,and to ,pierre that escutcheon recalled another memory1 that of the portrait of ,cassia ,boccanera the amorosa and avengeress who had flung herself into the ,tiber with her brother ,ercole and the corpse of her lover ,flavio4 ,was there not here even with ,benedetta the same despairing clasp seeking to vanquish death1 the same savagery in hurling oneself into the abyss with the corpse of the one's only love8 ,benedetta and ,cassia were as sisters1 ,cassia1 who lived anew in the old painting in the salon overhead1 ,benedetta who was here dying of her lover's death1 as though she were but the other's spirit4 ,both had the same delicate childish features1 the same mouth of passion1 the same large dreamy eyes set in the same round1 practical1 and stubborn head4 8,my ,dario1 here ,i am60 ,for a second1 which seemed an eternity1 they clasped one another1 she neither repelled nor terrified by the disorder which made him so unrecognisable1 but displaying a delirious passion1 a holy frenzy as if to pass beyond life1 to penetrate with him into the black ,unknown4 ,and beneath the shock of the felicity at last offered to him he expired1 with his arms yet convulsively wound around her as though indeed to carry her off4 ,then1 whether from grief or from bliss amidst that embrace of death1 there came such a rush of blood to her heart that the organ burst3 she died on her lover's neck1 both tightly and for ever clasped in one another's arms4 ,there was a faint sigh4 ,victorine understood and drew near1 while ,pierre1 also erect1 remained quivering with the tearful admiration of one who has beheld the sublime4 8,look1 look60 whispered the servant1 8she no longer moves1 she no longer breathes4 ,ah6 my poor child1 my poor child1 she is dead60 ,then the priest murmured3 8,oh6 ,god1 how beautiful they are40 ,it was true1 never had loftier and more resplendent beauty appeared on the faces of the dead4 ,dario's countenance1 so lately aged and earthen1 had assumed the pallor and nobility of marble1 its features lengthened and simplified as by a transport of ineffable joy4 ,benedetta remained very grave1 her lips curved by ardent determination1 whilst her whole face was expressive of dolorous yet infinite beatitude in a setting of infinite whiteness4 ,their hair mingled1 and their eyes1 which had remained open1 continued gazing as into one another's souls with eternal1 caressing sweetness4 ,they were for ever linked1 soaring into immortality amidst the enchantment of their union1 vanquishers of death1 radiant with the rapturous beauty of love1 the conqueror1 the immortal4 ,but ,victorine's sobs at last burst forth1 mingled with such lamentations that great confusion followed4 ,pierre1 now quite beside himself1 in some measure failed to understand how it was that the room suddenly became invaded by terrified people4 ,the ,cardinal and ,don ,vigilio1 however1 must have hastened in from the chapel2 and at the same moment1 no doubt1 ,doctor ,giordano must have returned with ,donna ,serafina1 for both were now there1 she stupefied by the blows which had thus fallen on the house in her absence1 whilst he1 the doctor1 displayed the perturbation and astonishment which comes upon the oldest practitioners when facts seem to give the lie to their experience4 ,however1 he sought an explanation of ,benedetta's death1 and hesitatingly ascribed it to aneurism1 or possibly embolism4 ,thereupon ,victorine1 like a servant whose grief makes her the equal of her employers1 boldly interrupted him3 8,ah6 ,sir10 said she1 8they loved each other too fondly2 did not that suffice for them to die together80 ,meantime ,donna ,serafina1 after kissing the poor children on the brow1 desired to close their eyes2 but she could not succeed in doing so1 for the lids lifted directly she removed her finger and once more the eyes began to smile at one another1 to exchange in all fixity their loving and eternal glance4 ,and then as she spoke of parting the bodies1 ,victorine again protested3 8,oh6 madame1 oh6 madame10 she said1 8you would have to break their arms4 ,cannot you see that their fingers are almost dug into one another's shoulders8 ,no1 they can never be parted60 ,thereupon ,cardinal ,boccanera intervened4 ,god had not granted the miracle2 and he1 ,his minister1 was livid1 tearless1 and full of icy despair4 ,but he waved his arm with a sovereign gesture of absolution and sanctification1 as if1 ,prince of the ,church that he was1 disposing of the will of ,heaven1 he consented that the lovers should appear in that embrace before the supreme tribunal4 ,in presence of such wondrous love1 indeed1 profoundly stirred by the sufferings of their lives and the beauty of their death1 he showed a broad and lofty contempt for mundane proprieties4 8,leave them1 leave me1 my sister10 said he1 8do not disturb their slumber4 ,let their eyes remain open since they desire to gaze on one another till the end of time without ever wearying4 ,and let them sleep in one another's arms since in their lives they did not sin1 and only locked themselves in that embrace in order that they might be laid together in the ground40 ,and then1 again becoming a ,roman ,prince whose proud blood was yet hot with old-time deeds of battle and passion1 he added3 8,two ,boccaneras may well sleep like that2 all ,rome will admire them and weep for them4 ,leave them1 leave them together1 my sister4 ,god knows them and awaits them60 ,all knelt1 and the ,cardinal himself repeated the prayers for the dead4 ,night was coming1 increasing gloom stole into the chamber1 where two burning tapers soon shone out like stars4 ,and then1 without knowing how1 ,pierre again found himself in the little deserted garden on the bank of the ,tiber4 ,suffocating with fatigue and grief1 he must have come thither for fresh air4 ,darkness shrouded the charming nook where the streamlet of water falling from the tragic mask into the ancient sarcophagus ever sang its shrill and flute-like song2 and the laurel-bush which shaded it1 and the bitter box-plants and the orange-trees skirting the paths now formed but vague masses under the blue-black sky4 ,ah6 how gay and sweet had that melancholy garden been in the morning1 and what a desolate echo it retained of ,benedetta's winsome laughter1 all that fine delight in coming happiness which now lay prone upstairs1 steeped in the nothingness of things and beings6 ,so dolorous was the pang which came to ,pierre's heart that he burst into sobs1 seated on the same broken column where she had sat1 and encompassed by the same atmosphere that she had breathed1 in which still lingered the perfume of her presence4 ,but all at once a distant clock struck six1 and the young priest started on remembering that he was to be received by the ,pope that very evening at nine4 ,yet three more hours6 ,he had not thought of that interview during the terrifying catastrophe1 and it seemed to him now as if months and months had gone by1 as if the appointment were some very old one which a man is only able to keep after years of absence1 when he has grown aged and had his heart and brain modified by innumerable experiences4 ,however1 he made an effort and rose to his feet4 ,in three hours' time he would go to the ,vatican and at last he would see the ,pope4 ,,part ,v4 ,,xiv4 ,,that evening1 when ,pierre emerged from the ,borgo in front of the ,vatican1 a sonorous stroke rang out from the clock amidst the deep silence of the dark and sleepy district4 ,it was only half-past eight1 and being in advance the young priest resolved to wait some twenty minutes in order to reach the doors of the papal apartments precisely at nine1 the hour fixed for his audience4 ,this respite brought him some relief amidst the infinite emotion and grief which gripped his heart4 ,that tragic afternoon which he had spent in the chamber of death1 where ,dario and ,benedetta now slept the eternal sleep in one another's arms1 had left him very weary4 ,he was haunted by a wild1 dolorous vision of the two lovers1 and involuntary sighs came from his lips whilst tears continually moistened his eyes4 ,he had been altogether unable to eat that evening4 ,ah6 how he would have liked to hide himself and weep at his ease6 ,his heart melted at each fresh thought4 ,the pitiful death of the lovers intensified the grievous feeling with which his book was instinct1 and impelled him to yet greater compassion1 a perfect anguish of charity for all who suffered in the world4 ,and he was so distracted by the thought of the many physical and moral sores of ,paris and of ,rome1 where he had beheld so much unjust and abominable suffering1 that at each step he took he feared lest he should burst into sobs with arms upstretched towards the blackness of heaven4 ,in the hope of somewhat calming himself he began to walk slowly across the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's1 now all darkness and solitude4 ,on arriving he had fancied that he was losing himself in a murky sea1 but by degrees his eyes grew accustomed to the dimness4 ,the vast expanse was only lighted by the four candelabra at the corners of the obelisk and by infrequent lamps skirting the buildings which run on either hand towards the ,basilica4 ,under the colonnade1 too1 other lamps threw yellow gleams across the forest of pillars1 showing up their stone trunks in fantastic fashion2 while on the piazza only the pale1 ghostly obelisk was at all distinctly visible4 ,pierre could scarcely perceive the dim1 silent faade of ,st4 ,peter's2 whilst of the dome he merely divined a gigantic1 bluey roundness faintly shadowed against the sky4 ,in the obscurity he at first heard the plashing of the fountains without being at all able to see them1 but on approaching he at last distinguished the slender phantoms of the ever rising jets which fell again in spray4 ,and above the vast square stretched the vast and moonless sky of a deep velvety blue1 where the stars were large and radiant like carbuncles2 ,charles's ,wain1 with golden wheels and golden shaft tilted back as it were1 over the roof of the ,vatican1 and ,orion1 bedizened with the three bright stars of his belt1 showing magnificently above ,rome1 in the direction of the ,via ,giulia4 ,at last ,pierre raised his eyes to the ,vatican1 but facing the piazza there was here merely a confused jumble of walls1 amidst which only two gleams of light appeared on the floor of the papal apartments4 ,the ,court of ,san ,damaso was1 however1 lighted1 for the conservatory-like glass-work of two of its sides sparkled as with the reflection of gas lamps which could not be seen4 ,for a time there was not a sound or sign of movement1 but at last two persons crossed the expanse of the piazza1 and then came a third who in his turn disappeared1 nothing remaining but a rhythmical far-away echo of steps4 ,the spot was indeed a perfect desert1 there were neither promenaders nor passers-by1 nor was there even the shadow of a prowler in the pillared forest of the colonnade1 which was as empty as the wild primeval forests of the world's infancy4 ,and what a solemn desert it was1 full of the silence of haughty desolation4 ,never had so vast and black a presentment of slumber1 so instinct with the sovereign nobility of death1 appeared to ,pierre4 ,at ten minutes to nine he at last made up his mind and went towards the bronze portal4 ,only one of the folding doors was now open at the end of the right-hand porticus1 where the increasing density of the gloom steeped everything in night4 ,pierre remembered the instructions which ,monsignor ,nani had given him2 at each door that he reached he was to ask for ,signor ,squadra without adding a word1 and thereupon each door would open and he would have nothing to do but to let himself be guided on4 ,no one but the prelate now knew that he was there1 since ,benedetta1 the only being to whom he had confided the secret1 was dead4 ,when he had crossed the threshold of the bronze doors and found himself in presence of the motionless1 sleeping ,swiss ,guard1 who was on duty there1 he simply spoke the words agreed upon3 8,signor ,squadra40 ,and as the ,guard did not stir1 did not seek to bar his way1 he passed on1 turning into the vestibule of the ,scala ,pia1 the stone stairway which ascends to the ,court of ,san ,damaso4 ,and not a soul was to be seen3 there was but the faint sound of his own light footsteps and the sleepy glow of the gas jets whose light was softly whitened by globes of frosted glass4 ,up above1 on reaching the courtyard he found it a solitude1 whose slumber seemed sepulchral amidst the mournful gleams of the gas lamps which cast a pallid reflection on the lofty glass-work of the faades4 ,and feeling somewhat nervous1 affected by the quiver which pervaded all that void and silence1 ,pierre hastened on1 turning to the right1 towards the low flight of steps which leads to the staircase of the ,pope's private apartments4 ,here stood a superb gendarme in full uniform4 8,signor ,squadra10 said ,pierre1 and without a word the gendarme pointed to the stairs4 ,the young man went up4 ,it was a broad stairway1 with low steps1 balustrade of white marble1 and walls covered with yellowish stucco4 ,the gas1 burning in globes of round glass1 seemed to have been already turned down in a spirit of prudent economy4 ,and in the glimmering light nothing could have been more mournfully solemn than that cold and pallid staircase4 ,on each landing there was a ,swiss ,guard1 halbard in hand1 and in the heavy slumber spreading through the palace one only heard the regular monotonous footsteps of these men1 ever marching up and down1 in order no doubt that they might not succumb to the benumbing influence of their surroundings4 ,amidst the invading dimness and the quivering silence the ascent of the stairs seemed interminable to ,pierre1 who by the time he reached the second-floor landing imagined that he had been climbing for ages4 ,there1 outside the glass door of the ,sala ,clementina1 only the right-hand half of which was open1 a last ,swiss ,guard stood watching4 8,signor ,squadra10 ,pierre said again1 and the ,guard drew back to let him pass4 ,the ,sala ,clementina1 spacious enough by daylight1 seemed immense at that nocturnal hour1 in the twilight glimmer of its lamps4 ,all the opulent decorative-work1 sculpture1 painting1 and gilding became blended1 the walls assuming a tawny vagueness amidst which appeared bright patches like the sparkle of precious stones4 ,there was not an article of furniture1 nothing but the endless pavement stretching away into the semi-darkness4 ,at last1 however1 near a door at the far end ,pierre espied some men dozing on a bench4 ,they were three ,swiss ,guards4 8,signor ,squadra10 he said to them4 ,one of the ,guards thereupon slowly rose and left the hall1 and ,pierre understood that he was to wait4 ,he did not dare to move1 disturbed as he was by the sound of his own footsteps on the paved floor1 so he contented himself with gazing around and picturing the crowds which at times peopled that vast apartment1 the first of the many papal ante-chambers4 ,but before long the ,guard returned1 and behind him1 on the threshold of the adjoining room1 appeared a man of forty or thereabouts1 who was clad in black from head to foot and suggested a cross between a butler and a beadle4 ,he had a good-looking1 clean-shaven face1 with somewhat pronounced nose and large1 clear1 fixed eyes4 8,signor ,squadra10 said ,pierre for the last time4 ,the man bowed as if to say that he was ,signor ,squadra1 and then1 with a fresh reverence1 he invited the priest to follow him4 ,thereupon at a leisurely step1 one behind the other1 they began to thread the interminable suite of waiting-rooms4 ,pierre1 who was acquainted with the ceremonial1 of which he had often spoken with ,narcisse1 recognised the different apartments as he passed through them1 recalling their names and purpose1 and peopling them in imagination with the various officials of the papal retinue who have the right to occupy them4 ,these according to their rank cannot go beyond certain doors1 so that the persons who are to have audience of the ,pope are passed on from the servants to the ,noble ,guards1 from the ,noble ,guards to the honorary ,camerieri1 and from the latter to the ,camerieri segreti1 until they at last reach the presence of the ,holy ,father4 ,at eight o'clock1 however1 the ante-rooms empty and become both deserted and dim1 only a few lamps being left alight upon the pier tables standing here and there against the walls4 ,and first ,pierre came to the ante-room of the bussolanti1 mere ushers clad in red velvet broidered with the papal arms1 who conduct visitors to the door of the ante-room of honour4 ,at that late hour only one of them was left there1 seated on a bench in such a dark corner that his purple tunic looked quite black4 ,then the ,hall of the ,gendarmes was crossed1 where according to the regulations the secretaries of cardinals and other high personages await their masters' return2 and this was now completely empty1 void both of the handsome blue uniforms with white shoulder belts and the cassocks of fine black cloth which mingled in it during the brilliant reception hours4 ,empty also was the following room1 a smaller one reserved to the ,palatine ,guards1 who are recruited among the ,roman middle class and wear black tunics with gold epaulets and shakoes surmounted by red plumes4 ,then ,pierre and his guide turned into another series of apartments1 and again was the first one empty4 ,this was the ,hall of the ,arras1 a superb waiting-room with lofty painted ceiling and admirable ,gobelins tapestry designed by ,audran and representing the miracles of ,jesus4 ,and empty also was the ante-chamber of the ,noble ,guards which followed1 with its wooden stools1 its pier table on the right-hand surmounted by a large crucifix standing between two lamps1 and its large door opening at the far end into another but smaller room1 a sort of alcove indeed1 where there is an altar at which the ,holy ,father says mass by himself whilst those privileged to be present remain kneeling on the marble slabs of the outer apartment which is resplendent with the dazzling uniforms of the ,guards4 ,and empty likewise was the ensuing ante-room of honour1 otherwise the grand throne-room1 where the ,pope receives two or three hundred people at a time in public audience4 ,the throne1 an arm-chair of elaborate pattern1 gilded1 and upholstered with red velvet1 stands under a velvet canopy of the same hue1 in front of the windows4 ,beside it is the cushion on which the ,pope rests his foot in order that it may be kissed4 ,then facing one another1 right and left of the room1 there are two pier tables1 on one of which is a clock and on the other a crucifix between lofty candelabra with feet of gilded wood4 ,the wall hangings1 of red silk damask with a ,louis ,,xiv palm pattern1 are topped by a pompous frieze1 framing a ceiling decorated with allegorical figures and attributes1 and it is only just in front of the throne that a ,smyrna carpet covers the magnificent marble pavement4 ,on the days of private audience1 when the ,pope remains in the little throne-room or at times in his bed-chamber1 the grand throne-room becomes simply the ante-room of honour1 where high dignitaries of the ,church1 ambassadors1 and great civilian personages1 wait their turns4 ,two ,camerieri1 one in violet coat1 the other of the ,cape and the ,sword1 here do duty1 receiving from the bussolanti the persons who are to be honoured with audiences and conducting them to the door of the next room1 the secret or private ante-chamber1 where they hand them over to the ,camerieri segreti4 ,signor ,squadra who1 walking on with slow and silent steps1 had not yet once turned round1 paused for a moment on reaching the door of the anticamera segreta so as to give ,pierre time to breathe and recover himself somewhat before crossing the threshold of the sanctuary4 ,the ,camerieri segreti alone had the right to occupy that last ante-chamber1 and none but the cardinals might wait there till the ,pope should condescend to receive them4 ,and so when ,signor ,squadra made up his mind to admit ,pierre1 the latter could not restrain a slight nervous shiver as if he were passing into some redoubtable mysterious sphere beyond the limits of the lower world4 ,in the daytime a ,noble ,guard stood on sentry duty before the door1 but the latter was now free of access1 and the room within proved as empty as all the others4 ,it was rather narrow1 almost like a passage1 with two windows overlooking the new district of the castle fields and a third one facing the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's4 ,near the last was a door conducting to the little throne-room1 and between this door and the window stood a small table at which a secretary1 now absent1 usually sat4 ,and here again1 as in all the other rooms1 one found a gilded pier table surmounted by a crucifix flanked by a pair of lamps4 ,in a corner too there was a large clock1 loudly ticking in its ebony case incrusted with brass-work4 ,still there was nothing to awaken curiosity under the panelled and gilded ceiling unless it were the wall-hangings of red damask1 on which yellow scutcheons displaying the ,keys and the ,tiara alternated with armorial lions1 each with a paw resting on a globe4 ,signor ,squadra1 however1 now noticed that ,pierre still carried his hat in his hand1 whereas according to etiquette he should have left it in the hall of the bussolanti1 only cardinals being privileged to carry their hats with them into the ,pope's presence4 ,accordingly he discreetly took the young priest's from him1 and deposited it on the pier table to indicate that it must at least remain there4 ,then1 without a word1 by a simple bow he gave ,pierre to understand that he was about to announce him to his ,holiness1 and that he must be good enough to wait for a few minutes in that room4 ,on being left to himself ,pierre drew a long breath4 ,he was stifling2 his heart was beating as though it would burst4 ,nevertheless his mind remained clear1 and in spite of the semi-obscurity he had been able to form some idea of the famous and magnificent apartments of the ,pope1 a suite of splendid salons with tapestried or silken walls1 gilded or painted friezes1 and frescoed ceilings4 ,by way of furniture1 however1 there were only pier table1 stools199 and thrones4 ,and the lamps and the clocks1 and the crucifixes1 even the thrones1 were all presents brought from the four quarters of the world in the great fervent days of jubilee4 ,there was no sign of comfort1 everything was pompous1 stiff1 cold1 and inconvenient4 ,all olden ,italy was there1 with its perpetual display and lack of intimate1 cosy life4 ,it had been necessary to lay a few carpets over the superb marble slabs which froze one's feet2 and some calorifres had even lately been installed1 but it was not thought prudent to light them lest the variations of temperature should give the ,pope a cold4 ,however1 that which more particularly struck ,pierre now that he stood there waiting was the extraordinary silence which prevailed all around1 silence so deep that it seemed as if all the dark quiescence of that huge1 somniferous ,vatican were concentrated in that one suite of lifeless1 sumptuous rooms1 which the motionless flamelets of the lamps as dimly illumined4 99 ,m4 ,zola seems to have fallen into error here4 ,many of the seats1 which are of peculiar antique design1 do1 in the lower part1 resemble stools1 but they have backs1 whereas a stool proper has none4 ,briefly1 these seats1 which are entirely of wood1 are not unlike certain old-fashioned hall chairs4--,trans4 ,all at once the ebony clock struck nine and the young man felt astonished4 ,what6 had only ten minutes elapsed since he had crossed the threshold of the bronze doors below8 ,he felt as if he had been walking on for days and days4 ,then1 desiring to overcome the nervous feeling which oppressed him--for he ever feared lest his enforced calmness should collapse amidst a flood of tears--he began to walk up and down1 passing in front of the clock1 glancing at the crucifix on the pier table1 and the globe of the lamp on which had remained the mark of a servant's greasy fingers4 ,and the light was so faint and yellow that he felt inclined to turn the lamp up1 but did not dare4 ,then he found himself with his brow resting against one of the panes of the window facing the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's1 and for a moment he was thunderstruck1 for between the imperfectly closed shutters he could see all ,rome1 as he had seen it one day from the loggie of ,raffaelle1 and as he had pictured ,leo ,,xiii contemplating it from the window of his bed-room4 ,however1 it was now ,rome by night1 ,rome spreading out into the depths of the gloom1 as limitless as the starry sky4 ,and in that sea of black waves one could only with certainty identify the larger thoroughfares which the white brightness of electric lights turned1 as it were1 into ,milky ,ways4 ,all the rest showed but a swarming of little yellow sparks1 the crumbs1 as it were1 of a half-extinguished heaven swept down upon the earth4 ,occasional constellations of bright stars1 tracing mysterious figures1 vainly endeavoured to show forth distinctly1 but they were submerged1 blotted out by the general chaos which suggested the dust of some old planet that had crumbled there1 losing its splendour and reduced to mere phosphorescent sand4 ,and how immense was the blackness thus sprinkled with light1 how huge the mass of obscurity and mystery into which the ,eternal ,city with its seven and twenty centuries1 its ruins1 its monuments1 its people1 its history seemed to have been merged4 ,you could no longer tell where it began or where it ended1 whether it spread to the farthest recesses of the gloom1 or whether it were so reduced that the sun on rising would illumine but a little pile of ashes4 ,however1 in spite of all ,pierre's efforts1 his nervous anguish increased each moment1 even in presence of that ocean of darkness which displayed such sovereign quiescence4 ,he drew away from the window and quivered from head to foot on hearing a faint footfall and thinking it was that of ,signor ,squadra approaching to fetch him4 ,the sound came from an adjacent apartment1 the little throne-room1 whose door1 he now perceived1 had remained ajar4 ,and at last1 as he heard nothing further1 he yielded to his feverish impatience and peeped into this room which he found to be fairly spacious1 again hung with red damask1 and containing a gilded arm-chair1 covered with red velvet under a canopy of the same material4 ,and again there was the inevitable pier table1 with a tall ivory crucifix1 a clock1 a pair of lamps1 a pair of candelabra1 a pair of large vases on pedestals1 and two smaller ones of ,sevres manufacture decorated with the ,holy ,father's portrait4 ,at the same time1 however1 the room displayed rather more comfort1 for a ,smyrna carpet covered the whole of the marble floor1 while a few arm-chairs stood against the walls1 and an imitation chimney-piece1 draped with damask1 served as counterpart to the pier table4 ,as a rule the ,pope1 whose bed-chamber communicated with this little throne-room1 received in the latter such persons as he desired to honour4 ,and ,pierre's shiver became more pronounced at the idea that in all likelihood he would merely have the throne-room to cross and that ,leo ,,xiii was yonder behind its farther door4 ,why was he kept waiting1 he wondered8 ,he had been told of mysterious audiences granted at a similar hour to personages who had been received in similar silent fashion1 great personages whose names were only mentioned in the lowest whispers4 ,with regard to himself no doubt1 it was because he was considered compromising that there was a desire to receive him in this manner unknown to the personages of the ,court1 and so as to speak with him at ease4 ,then1 all at once1 he understood the cause of the noise he had recently heard1 for beside the lamp on the pier table of the little throne-room he saw a kind of butler's tray containing some soiled plates1 knives1 forks1 and spoons1 with a bottle and a glass1 which had evidently just been removed from a supper table4 ,and he realised that ,signor ,squadra1 having seen these things in the ,pope's room1 had brought them there1 and had then gone in again1 perhaps to tidy up4 ,he knew also of the ,pope's frugality1 how he took his meals all alone at a little round table1 everything being brought to him in that tray1 a plate of meat1 a plate of vegetables1 a little ,bordeaux claret as prescribed by his doctor1 and a large allowance of beef broth of which he was very fond4 ,in the same way as others might offer a cup of tea1 he was wont to offer cups of broth to the old cardinals his friends and favourites1 quite an invigorating little treat which these old bachelors much enjoyed4 ,and1 ,o ye orgies of ,alexander ,,vi1 ye banquets and galas of ,julius ,,ii and ,leo ,x1 only eight lire a day--six shillings and fourpence--were allowed to defray the cost of ,leo ,,xiii's table6 ,however1 just as that recollection occurred to ,pierre1 he again heard a slight noise1 this time in his ,holiness's bed-chamber1 and thereupon1 terrified by his indiscretion1 he hastened to withdraw from the entrance of the throne-room which1 lifeless and quiescent though it was1 seemed in his agitation to flare as with sudden fire4 ,then1 quivering too violently to be able to remain still1 he began to walk up and down the ante-chamber4 ,he remembered that ,narcisse had spoken to him of that ,signor ,squadra1 his ,holiness's cherished valet1 whose importance and influence were so great4 ,he alone1 on reception days1 was able to prevail on the ,pope to don a clean cassock if the one he was wearing happened to be soiled by snuff4 ,and though his ,holiness stubbornly shut himself up alone in his bed-room every night from a spirit of independence1 which some called the anxiety of a miser determined to sleep alone with his treasure1 ,signor ,squadra at all events occupied an adjoining chamber1 and was ever on the watch1 ready to respond to the faintest call4 ,again1 it was he who respectfully intervened whenever his ,holiness sat up too late or worked too long4 ,but on this point it was difficult to induce the ,pope to listen to reason4 ,during his hours of insomnia he would often rise and send ,squadra to fetch a secretary in order that he might detail some memoranda or sketch out an encyclical letter4 ,when the drafting of one of the latter impassioned him he would have spent days and nights over it1 just as formerly1 when claiming proficiency in ,latin verse1 he had often let the dawn surprise him whilst he was polishing a line4 ,but1 indeed1 he slept very little1 his brain ever being at work1 ever scheming out the realisation of some former ideas4 ,his memory alone seemed to have slightly weakened during recent times4 ,pierre1 as he slowly paced to and fro1 gradually became absorbed in his thoughts of that lofty and sovereign personality4 ,from the petty details of the ,pope's daily existence1 he passed to his intellectual life1 to the rle which he was certainly bent on playing as a great pontiff4 ,and ,pierre asked himself which of his two hundred and fifty-seven predecessors1 the long line of saints and criminals1 men of mediocrity and men of genius1 he most desired to resemble4 ,was it one of the first humble popes1 those who followed on during the first three centuries1 mere heads of burial guilds1 fraternal pastors of the ,christian community8 ,was it ,pope ,damasus1 the first great builder1 the man of letters who took delight in intellectual matters1 the ardent believer who is said to have opened the ,catacombs to the piety of the faithful8 ,was it ,leo ,,iii1 who by crowning ,charlemagne boldly consummated the rupture with the schismatic ,east and conveyed the ,empire to the ,west by the all-powerful will of ,god and ,his ,church1 which thenceforth disposed of the crowns of monarchs8 ,was it the terrible ,gregory ,,vii1 the purifier of the temple1 the sovereign of kings2 was it ,innocent ,,iii or ,boniface ,,viii1 those masters of souls1 nations1 and thrones1 who1 armed with the fierce weapon of excommunication1 reigned with such despotism over the terrified middle ages that ,catholicism was never nearer the attainment of its dream of universal dominion8 ,was it ,urban ,,ii or ,gregory ,,ix or another of those popes in whom flared the red ,crusading passion which urged the nations on to the conquest of the unknown and the divine8 ,was it ,alexander ,,iii1 who defended the ,holy ,see against the ,empire1 and at last conquered and set his foot on the neck of ,frederick ,barbarossa8 ,was it1 long after the sorrows of ,avignon1 ,julius ,,ii1 who wore the cuirass and once more strengthened the political power of the papacy8 ,was it ,leo ,x1 the pompous1 glorious patron of the ,renascence1 of a whole great century of art1 whose mind1 however1 was possessed of so little penetration and foresight that he looked on ,luther as a mere rebellious monk8 ,was it ,pius ,v1 who personified dark and avenging reaction1 the fire of the stakes that punished the heretic world8 ,was it some other of the popes who reigned after the ,council of ,trent with faith absolute1 belief re-established in its full integrity1 the ,church saved by pride and the stubborn upholding of every dogma8 ,or was it a pope of the decline1 such as ,benedict ,,xiv1 the man of vast intelligence1 the learned theologian who1 as his hands were tied1 and he could not dispose of the kingdoms of the world1 spent a worthy life in regulating the affairs of heaven8 ,in this wise1 in ,pierre's mind there spread out the whole history of the popes1 the most prodigious of all histories1 showing fortune in every guise1 the lowest1 the most wretched1 as well as the loftiest and most dazzling2 whilst an obstinate determination to live enabled the papacy to survive everything--conflagrations1 massacres1 and the downfall of many nations1 for always did it remain militant and erect in the persons of its popes1 that most extraordinary of all lines of absolute1 conquering1 and domineering sovereigns1 every one of them--even the puny and humble--masters of the world1 every one of them glorious with the imperishable glory of heaven when they were thus evoked in that ancient ,vatican1 where their spirits assuredly awoke at night and prowled about the endless galleries and spreading halls in that tomb-like silence whose quiver came no doubt from the light touch of their gliding steps over the marble slabs4 ,however1 ,pierre was now thinking that he indeed knew which of the great popes ,leo ,,xiii most desired to resemble4 ,it was first ,gregory the ,great1 the conqueror and organiser of the early days of ,catholic power4 ,he had come of ancient ,roman stock1 and in his heart there was a little of the blood of the emperors4 ,he administered ,rome after it had been saved from the ,goths1 cultivated the ecclesiastical domains1 and divided earthly wealth into thirds1 one for the poor1 one for the clergy1 and one for the ,church4 ,then too he was the first to establish the ,propaganda1 sending his priests forth to civilise and pacify the nations1 and carrying his conquests so far as to win ,great ,britain over to the divine law of ,christ4 ,and the second pope whom ,leo ,,xiii took as model was one who had arisen after a long lapse of centuries1 ,sixtus ,v1 the pope financier and politician1 the vine-dresser's son1 who1 when he had donned the tiara1 revealed one of the most extensive and supple minds of a period fertile in great diplomatists4 ,he heaped up treasure and displayed stern avarice1 in order that he might ever have in his coffers all the money needful for war or for peace4 ,he spent years and years in negotiations with kings1 never despairing of his own triumph2 and never did he display open hostility for his times1 but took them as they were and then sought to modify them in accordance with the interests of the ,holy ,see1 showing himself conciliatory in all things and with every one1 already dreaming of an ,european balance of power which he hoped to control4 ,and withal a very saintly pope1 a fervent mystic1 yet a pope of the most absolute and domineering mind blended with a politician ready for whatever courses might most conduce to the rule of ,god's ,church on earth4 ,and1 after all1 ,pierre amidst his rising enthusiasm1 which despite his efforts at calmness was sweeping away all prudence and doubt1 ,pierre asked himself why he need question the past4 ,was not ,leo ,,xiii the pope whom he had depicted in his book1 the great pontiff1 who was desired and expected8 ,no doubt the portrait which he had sketched was not accurate in every detail1 but surely its main lines must be correct if mankind were to retain a hope of salvation4 ,whole pages of that book of his arose before him1 and he again beheld the ,leo ,,xiii that he had portrayed1 the wise and conciliatory politician1 labouring for the unity of the ,church and so anxious to make it strong and invincible against the day of the inevitable great struggle4 ,he again beheld him freed from the cares of the temporal power1 elevated1 radiant with moral splendour1 the only authority left erect above the nations2 he beheld him realising what mortal danger would be incurred if the solution of the social question were left to the enemies of ,christianity1 and therefore resolving to intervene in contemporary quarrels for the defence of the poor and the lowly1 even as ,jesus had intervened once before4 ,and he again beheld him putting himself on the side of the democracies1 accepting the ,republic in ,france1 leaving the dethroned kings in exile1 and verifying the prediction which promised the empire of the world to ,rome once more when the papacy should have unified belief and have placed itself at the head of the people4 ,the times indeed were near accomplishment1 ,caesar was struck down1 the ,pope alone remained1 and would not the people1 the great silent multitude1 for whom the two powers had so long contended1 give itself to its ,father now that it knew him to be both just and charitable1 with heart aglow and hand outstretched to welcome all the penniless toilers and beggars of the roads6 ,given the catastrophe which threatened our rotten modern societies1 the frightful misery which ravaged every city1 there was surely no other solution possible3 ,leo ,,xiii1 the predestined1 necessary redeemer1 the pastor sent to save the flock from coming disaster by re-establishing the true ,christian community1 the forgotten golden age of primitive ,christianity4 ,the reign of justice would at last begin1 all men would be reconciled1 there would be but one nation living in peace and obeying the equalising law of work1 under the high patronage of the ,pope1 sole bond of charity and love on earth6 ,and at this thought ,pierre was upbuoyed by fiery enthusiasm4 ,at last he was about to see the ,holy ,father1 empty his heart and open his soul to him6 ,he had so long and so passionately looked for the advent of that moment6 ,to secure it he had fought with all his courage through ever recurring obstacles1 and the length and difficulty of the struggle and the success now at last achieved1 increased his feverishness1 his desire for final victory4 ,yes1 yes1 he would conquer1 he would confound his enemies4 ,as he had said to ,monsignor ,fornaro1 could the ,pope disavow him8 ,had he not expressed the ,holy ,father's secret ideas8 ,perhaps he might have done so somewhat prematurely1 but was not that a fault to be forgiven8 ,and then too1 he remembered his declaration to ,monsignor ,nani1 that he himself would never withdraw and suppress his book1 for he neither regretted nor disowned anything that was in it4 ,at this very moment he again questioned himself1 and felt that all his valour and determination to defend his book1 all his desire to work the triumph of his belief1 remained intact4 ,yet his mental perturbation was becoming great1 he had to seek for ideas1 wondering how he should enter the ,pope's presence1 what he should say1 what precise terms he should employ4 ,something heavy and mysterious which he could hardly account for seemed to weigh him down4 ,at bottom he was weary1 already exhausted1 only held up by his dream1 his compassion for human misery4 ,however1 he would enter in all haste1 he would fall upon his knees and speak as he best could1 letting his heart flow forth4 ,and assuredly the ,holy ,father would smile on him1 and dismiss him with a promise that he would not sign the condemnation of a work in which he had found the expression of his own most cherished thoughts4 ,then1 again1 such an acute sensation as of fainting came over ,pierre that he went up to the window to press his burning brow against the cold glass4 ,his ears were buzzing1 his legs staggering1 whilst his brain throbbed violently4 ,and he was striving to forget his thoughts by gazing upon the black immensity of ,rome1 longing to be steeped in night himself1 total1 healing night1 the night in which one sleeps on for ever1 knowing neither pain nor wretchedness1 when all at once he became conscious that somebody was standing behind him2 and thereupon1 with a start1 he turned round4 ,and there1 indeed1 stood ,signor ,squadra in his black livery4 ,again he made one of his customary bows to invite the visitor to follow him1 and again he walked on in front1 crossing the little throne-room1 and slowly opening the farther door4 ,then he drew aside1 allowed ,pierre to enter1 and noiselessly closed the door behind him4 ,pierre was in his ,holiness's bed-room4 ,he had feared one of those overwhelming attacks of emotion which madden or paralyse one4 ,he had been told of women reaching the ,pope's presence in a fainting condition1 staggering as if intoxicated1 while others came with a rush1 as though upheld and borne along by invisible pinions4 ,and suddenly the anguish of his own spell of waiting1 his intense feverishness1 ceased in a sort of astonishment1 a reaction which rendered him very calm and so restored his clearness of vision1 that he could see everything4 ,as he entered he distinctly realised the decisive importance of such an audience1 he1 a mere petty priest in presence of the ,supreme ,pontiff1 the ,head of the ,church4 ,all his religious and moral life would depend on it2 and possibly it was this sudden thought that thus chilled him on the threshold of the redoubtable sanctuary1 which he had approached with such quivering steps1 and which he would not have thought to enter otherwise than with distracted heart and loss of senses1 unable to do more than stammer the simple prayers of childhood4 ,later on1 when he sought to classify his recollections he remembered that his eyes had first lighted on ,leo ,,xiii1 not1 however1 to the exclusion of his surroundings1 but in conjunction with them1 that spacious room hung with yellow damask whose alcove1 adorned with fluted marble columns1 was so deep that the bed was quite hidden away in it1 as well as other articles of furniture1 a couch1 a wardrobe1 and some trunks1 those famous trunks in which the treasure of the ,peter's ,pence was said to be securely locked4 ,a sort of ,louis ,,xiv writing-desk with ornaments of engraved brass stood face to face with a large gilded and painted ,louis ,,xv pier table on which a lamp was burning beside a lofty crucifix4 ,the room was virtually bare1 only three arm-chairs and four or five other chairs1 upholstered in light silk1 being disposed here and there over the well-worn carpet4 ,and on one of the arm-chairs sat ,leo ,,xiii1 near a small table on which another lamp with a shade had been placed4 ,three newspapers1 moreover1 lay there1 two of them ,french and one ,italian1 and the last was half unfolded as if the ,pope had momentarily turned from it to stir a glass of syrup1 standing beside him1 with a long silver-gilt spoon4 ,in the same way as ,pierre saw the ,pope's room1 he saw his costume1 his cassock of white cloth with white buttons1 his white skull-cap1 his white cape and his white sash fringed with gold and broidered at either end with golden keys4 ,his stockings were white1 his slippers were of red velvet1 and these again were broidered with golden keys4 ,what surprised the young priest1 however1 was his ,holiness's face and figure1 which now seemed so shrunken that he scarcely recognised them4 ,this was his fourth meeting with the ,pope4 ,he had seen him walking in the ,vatican gardens1 enthroned in the ,hall of ,beatifications1 and pontifying at ,st4 ,peter's1 and now he beheld him on that arm-chair1 in privacy1 and looking so slight and fragile that he could not restrain a feeling of affectionate anxiety4 ,leo's neck was particularly remarkable1 slender beyond belief1 suggesting the neck of some little1 aged1 white bird4 ,and his face1 of the pallor of alabaster1 was characteristically transparent1 to such a degree1 indeed1 that one could see the lamplight through his large commanding nose1 as if the blood had entirely withdrawn from that organ4 ,a mouth of great length1 with white bloodless lips1 streaked the lower part of the papal countenance1 and the eyes alone had remained young and handsome4 ,superb eyes they were1 brilliant like black diamonds1 endowed with sufficient penetration and strength to lay souls open and force them to confess the truth aloud4 ,some scanty white curls emerged from under the white skull-cap1 thus whitely crowning the thin white face1 whose ugliness was softened by all this whiteness1 this spiritual whiteness in which ,leo ,,xiii's flesh seemed as it were but pure lily-white florescence4 ,at the first glance1 however1 ,pierre noticed that if ,signor ,squadra had kept him waiting1 it had not been in order to compel the ,holy ,father to don a clean cassock1 for the one he was wearing was badly soiled by snuff4 ,a number of brown stains had trickled down the front of the garment beside the buttons1 and just like any good bourgeois1 his ,holiness had a handkerchief on his knees to wipe himself4 ,apart from all this he seemed in good health1 having recovered from his recent indisposition as easily as he usually recovered from such passing illnesses1 sober1 prudent old man that he was1 quite free from organic disease1 and simply declining by reason of progressive natural exhaustion4 ,immediately on entering ,pierre had felt that the ,pope's sparkling eyes1 those two black diamonds1 were fixed upon him4 ,the silence was profound1 and the lamps burned with motionless1 pallid flames4 ,he had to approach1 and after making the three genuflections prescribed by etiquette1 he stooped over one of the ,pope's feet resting on a cushion in order to kiss the red velvet slipper4 ,and on the ,pope's side there was not a word1 not a gesture1 not a movement4 ,when the young man drew himself up again he found the two black diamonds1 those two eyes which were all brightness and intelligence1 still riveted on him4 ,but at last ,leo ,,xiii1 who had been unwilling to spare the young priest the humble duty of kissing his foot and who now left him standing1 began to speak1 whilst still examining him1 probing1 as it were1 his very soul4 8,my son10 he said1 8you greatly desired to see me1 and ,i consented to afford you that satisfaction40 ,he spoke in ,french1 somewhat uncertain ,french1 pronounced after the ,italian fashion1 and so slowly did he articulate each sentence that one could have written it down like so much dictation4 ,and his voice1 as ,pierre had previously noticed1 was strong and nasal1 one of those full voices which people are surprised to hear coming from debile and apparently bloodless and breathless frames4 ,in response to the ,holy ,father's remark ,pierre contented himself with bowing1 knowing that respect required him to wait for a direct answer before speaking4 ,however1 this question promptly came4 8,you live in ,paris80 asked ,leo ,,xiii4 8,yes1 ,holy ,father40 8,are you attached to one of the great parishes of the city80 8,no1 ,holy ,father4 ,i simply officiate at the little church of ,neuilly40 8,ah1 yes1 ,neuilly1 that is in the direction of the ,bois de ,boulogne1 is it not8 ,and how old are you1 my son80 8,thirty-four1 ,holy ,father40 ,a short interval followed4 ,leo ,,xiii had at last lowered his eyes4 ,with frail1 ivory hand he took up the glass beside him1 again stirred the syrup with the long spoon1 and then drank a little of it4 ,and all this he did gently and slowly1 with a prudent1 judicious air1 as was his wont no doubt in everything4 8,i have read your book1 my son10 he resumed4 8,yes1 the greater part of it4 ,as a rule only fragments are submitted to me4 ,but a person who is interested in you handed me the volume1 begging me to glance through it4 ,and that is how ,i was able to look into it40 ,as he spoke he made a slight gesture in which ,pierre fancied he could detect a protest against the isolation in which he was kept by those surrounding him1 who1 as ,monsignor ,nani had said1 maintained a strict watch in order that nothing they objected to might reach him4 ,and thereupon the young priest ventured to say3 8,i thank your ,holiness for having done me so much honour4 ,no greater or more desired happiness could have befallen me40 ,he was indeed so happy6 ,on seeing the ,pope so calm1 so free from all signs of anger1 and on hearing him speak in that way of his book1 like one well acquainted with it1 he imagined that his cause was won4 8,you are in relations with ,monsieur le ,vicomte ,philibert de la ,choue1 are you not1 my son80 continued ,leo ,,xiii4 8,i was struck by the resemblance between some of your ideas and those of that devoted servant of the ,church1 who has in other ways given us previous testimony of his good feelings40 8,yes1 indeed1 ,holy ,father1 ,monsieur de la ,choue is kind enough to show me some affection4 ,we have often talked together1 so it is not surprising that ,i should have given expression to some of his most cherished ideas40 8,no doubt1 no doubt4 ,for instance1 there is that question of the working-class guilds with which he largely occupies himself--with which1 in fact1 he occupies himself rather too much4 ,at the time of his last journey to ,rome he spoke to me of it in the most pressing manner4 ,and in the same way1 quite recently1 another of your compatriots1 one of the best and worthiest of men1 ,monsieur le ,baron de ,fouras1 who brought us that superb pilgrimage of the ,st4 ,peter's ,pence ,fund1 never ceased his efforts until ,i consented to receive him1 when he spoke to me on the same subject during nearly an hour4 ,only it must be said that they do not agree in the matter1 for one begs me to do things which the other will not have me do on any account40 ,pierre realised that the conversation was straying away from his book1 but he remembered having promised the ,viscount that if he should see the ,pope he would make an attempt to obtain from him a decisive expression of opinion on the famous question as to whether the working-class guilds or corporations should be free or obligatory1 open or closed4 ,and the unhappy ,viscount1 kept in ,paris by the gout1 had written the young priest letter after letter on the subject1 whilst his rival the ,baron1 availing himself of the opportunity offered by the international pilgrimage1 endeavoured to wring from the ,pope an approval of his own views1 with which he would have returned in triumph to ,france4 ,pierre conscientiously desired to keep his promise1 and so he answered3 8,your ,holiness knows better than any of us in which direction true wisdom lies4 ,monsieur de ,fouras is of opinion that salvation1 the solution of the labour question1 lies simply in the re-establishment of the old free corporations1 whilst ,monsieur de la ,choue desires the corporations to be obligatory1 protected by the state and governed by new regulations4 ,this last conception is certainly more in agreement with the social ideas now prevalent in ,france4 ,should your ,holiness condescend to express a favourable opinion in that sense1 the young ,french ,catholic party would certainly know how to turn it to good result1 by producing quite a movement of the working classes in favour of the ,church40 ,in his quiet way ,leo ,,xiii responded3 8,but ,i cannot4 ,frenchmen always ask things of me which ,i cannot1 will not do4 ,what ,i will allow you to say on my behalf to ,monsieur de la ,choue is1 that though ,i cannot content him ,i have not contented ,monsieur de ,fouras4 ,he obtained from me nothing beyond the expression of my sincere good-will for the ,french working classes1 who are so dear to me and who can do so much for the restoration of the faith4 ,you must surely understand1 however1 that among you ,frenchmen there are questions of detail1 of mere organisation1 so to say1 into which ,i cannot possibly enter without imparting to them an importance which they do not have1 and at the same time greatly discontenting some people should ,i please others40 ,as the ,pope pronounced these last words he smiled a pale smile1 in which the shrewd1 conciliatory politician1 who was determined not to allow his infallibility to be compromised in useless and risky ventures1 was fully revealed4 ,and then he drank a little more syrup and wiped his mouth with his handkerchief1 like a sovereign whose ,court day is over and who takes his ease1 having chosen this hour of solitude and silence to chat as long as he may be so inclined4 ,pierre1 however1 sought to bring him back to the subject of his book4 8,monsieur de la ,choue10 said he1 8has shown me so much kindness and is so anxious to know the fate reserved to my book--as if1 indeed1 it were his own--that ,i should have been very happy to convey to him an expression of your ,holiness's approval40 ,however1 the ,pope continued wiping his mouth and did not reply4 8,i became acquainted with the ,viscount10 continued ,pierre1 8at the residence of his ,eminence ,cardinal ,bergerot1 another great heart whose ardent charity ought to suffice to restore the faith in ,france40 ,this time the effect was immediate4 8,ah6 yes1 ,monsieur le ,cardinal ,bergerot60 said ,leo ,,xiii4 8,i read that letter of his which is printed at the beginning of your book4 ,he was very badly inspired in writing it to you2 and you1 my son1 acted very culpably on the day you published it4 ,i cannot yet believe that ,monsieur le ,cardinal ,bergerot had read some of your pages when he sent you an expression of his complete and full approval4 ,i prefer to charge him with ignorance and thoughtlessness4 ,how could he approve of your attacks on dogma1 your revolutionary theories which tend to the complete destruction of our holy religion8 ,if it be a fact that he had read your book1 the only excuse he can invoke is sudden and inexplicable aberration4 ,it is true that a very bad spirit prevails among a small portion of the ,french clergy4 ,what are called ,gallican ideas are ever sprouting up like noxious weeds2 there is a malcontent ,liberalism rebellious to our authority which continually hungers for free examination and sentimental adventures40 ,the ,pope grew animated as he spoke4 ,italian words mingled with his hesitating ,french1 and every now and again his full nasal voice resounded with the sonority of a brass instrument4 8,monsieur le ,cardinal ,bergerot10 he continued1 8must be given to understand that we shall crush him on the day when we see in him nothing but a rebellious son4 ,he owes the example of obedience2 we shall acquaint him with our displeasure1 and we hope that he will submit4 ,humility and charity are great virtues doubtless1 and we have always taken pleasure in recognising them in him4 ,but they must not be the refuge of a rebellious heart1 for they are as nothing unless accompanied by obedience--obedience1 obedience1 the finest adornment of the great saints60 ,pierre listened thunderstruck1 overcome4 ,he forgot himself to think of the apostle of kindliness and tolerance upon whose head he had drawn this all-powerful anger4 ,so ,don ,vigilio had spoken the truth3 over and above his--,pierre's--head the denunciations of the ,bishops of ,evreux and ,poitiers were about to fall on the man who opposed their ,ultramontane policy1 that worthy and gentle ,cardinal ,bergerot1 whose heart was open to all the woes of the lowly and the poor4 ,this filled the young priest with despair2 he could accept the denunciation of the ,bishop of ,tarbes acting on behalf of the ,fathers of the ,grotto1 for that only fell on himself1 as a reprisal for what he had written about ,lourdes2 but the underhand warfare of the others exasperated him1 filled him with dolorous indignation4 ,and from that puny old man before him with the slender1 scraggy neck of an aged bird1 he had suddenly seen such a wrathful1 formidable ,master arise that he trembled4 ,how could he have allowed himself to be deceived by appearances on entering8 ,how could he have imagined that he was simply in presence of a poor old man1 worn out by age1 desirous of peace1 and ready for every concession8 ,a blast had swept through that sleepy chamber1 and all his doubts and his anguish awoke once more4 ,ah6 that ,pope1 how thoroughly he answered to all the accounts that he1 ,pierre1 had heard but had refused to believe2 so many people had told him in ,rome that he would find ,leo ,,xiii a man of intellect rather than of sentiment1 a man of the most unbounded pride1 who from his very youth had nourished the supreme ambition1 to such a point indeed that he had promised eventual triumph to his relatives in order that they might make the necessary sacrifices for him1 while since he had occupied the pontifical throne his one will and determination had been to reign1 to reign in spite of all1 to be the sole absolute and omnipotent master of the world6 ,and now here was reality arising with irresistible force and confirming everything4 ,and yet ,pierre struggled1 stubbornly clutching at his dream once more4 8,oh6 ,holy ,father10 said he1 8,i should be grieved indeed if his ,eminence should have a moment's worry on account of my unfortunate book4 ,if ,i be guilty ,i can answer for my error1 but his ,eminence only obeyed the dictates of his heart and can only have transgressed by excess of love for the disinherited of the world60 ,leo ,,xiii made no reply4 ,he had again raised his superb eyes1 those eyes of ardent life1 set1 as it were1 in the motionless countenance of an alabaster idol2 and once more he was fixedly gazing at the young priest4 ,and ,pierre1 amidst his returning feverishness1 seemed to behold him growing in power and splendour1 whilst behind him arose a vision of the ages1 a vision of that long line of popes whom the young priest had previously evoked1 the saintly and the proud ones1 the warriors and the ascetics1 the theologians and the diplomatists1 those who had worn armour1 those who had conquered by the ,cross1 those who had disposed of empires as of mere provinces which ,god had committed to their charge4 ,and in particular ,pierre beheld the great ,gregory1 the conqueror and founder1 and ,sixtus ,v1 the negotiator and politician1 who had first foreseen the eventual victory of the papacy over all the vanquished monarchies4 ,ah6 what a throng of magnificent princes1 of sovereign masters with powerful brains and arms1 there was behind that pale1 motionless1 old man6 ,what an accumulation of inexhaustible determination1 stubborn genius1 and boundless domination6 ,the whole history of human ambition1 the whole effort of the ages to subject the nations to the pride of one man1 the greatest force that has ever conquered1 exploited1 and fashioned mankind in the name of its happiness6 ,and even now1 when territorial sovereignty had come to an end1 how great was the spiritual sovereignty of that pale and slender old man1 in whose presence women fainted1 as if overcome by the divine splendour radiating from his person4 ,not only did all the resounding glories1 the masterful triumphs of history spread out behind him1 but heaven opened1 the very spheres beyond life shone out in their dazzling mystery4 ,he--the ,pope--stood at the portals of heaven1 holding the keys and opening those portals to human souls2 all the ancient symbolism was revived1 freed at last from the stains of royalty here below4 8,oh6 ,i beg you1 ,holy ,father10 resumed ,pierre1 8if an example be needed strike none other than myself4 ,i have come1 and am here2 decide my fate1 but do not aggravate my punishment by filling me with remorse at having brought condemnation on the innocent40 ,leo ,,xiii still refrained from replying1 though he continued to look at the young priest with burning eyes4 ,and he1 ,pierre1 no longer beheld ,leo ,,xiii1 the last of a long line of popes1 the ,vicar of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,successor of the ,prince of the ,apostles1 the ,supreme ,pontiff of the ,universal ,church1 ,patriarch of the ,east1 ,primate of ,italy1 ,archbishop and ,metropolitan of the ,roman ,province1 ,sovereign of the ,temporal ,domains of the ,holy ,church2 he saw the ,leo ,,xiii that he had dreamt of1 the awaited saviour who would dispel the frightful cataclysm in which rotten society was sinking4 ,he beheld him with his supple1 lofty intelligence and fraternal1 conciliatory tactics1 avoiding friction and labouring to bring about unity whilst with his heart overflowing with love he went straight to the hearts of the multitude1 again giving the best of his blood in sign of the new alliance4 ,he raised him aloft as the sole remaining moral authority1 the sole possible bond of charity and peace--as the ,father1 in fact1 who alone could stamp out injustice among his children1 destroy misery1 and re-establish the liberating ,law of ,work by bringing the nations back to the faith of the primitive ,church1 the gentleness and the wisdom of the true ,christian community4 ,and in the deep silence of that room the great figure which he thus set up assumed invincible all-powerfulness1 extraordinary majesty4 8,oh1 ,i beseech you1 ,holy ,father1 listen to me10 he said4 8,do not even strike me1 strike no one1 neither a being nor a thing1 anything that can suffer under the sun4 ,show kindness and indulgence to all1 show all the kindness and indulgence which the sight of the world's sufferings must have set in you60 ,and then1 seeing that ,leo ,,xiii still remained silent and still left him standing there1 he sank down upon his knees1 as if felled by the growing emotion which rendered his heart so heavy4 ,and within him there was a sort of debcle2 all his doubts1 all his anguish and sadness burst forth in an irresistible stream4 ,there was the memory of the frightful day that he had just spent1 the tragic death of ,dario and ,benedetta1 which weighed on him like lead2 there were all the sufferings that he had experienced since his arrival in ,rome1 the destruction of his illusions1 the wounds dealt to his delicacy1 the buffets with which men and things had responded to his young enthusiasm2 and1 lying yet more deeply within his heart1 there was the sum total of human wretchedness1 the thought of famished ones howling for food1 of mothers whose breasts were drained and who sobbed whilst kissing their hungry babes1 of fathers without work1 who clenched their fists and revolted--indeed1 the whole of that hateful misery which is as old as mankind itself1 which has preyed upon mankind since its earliest hour1 and which he now had everywhere found increasing in horror and havoc1 without a gleam of hope that it would ever be healed4 ,and withal1 yet more immense and more incurable1 he felt within him a nameless sorrow to which he could assign no precise cause or name--an universal1 an illimitable sorrow with which he melted despairingly1 and which was perhaps the very sorrow of life4 8,o ,holy ,father60 he exclaimed1 8,i myself have no existence and my book has no existence4 ,i desired1 passionately desired to see your ,holiness that ,i might explain and defend myself4 ,but ,i no longer know1 ,i can no longer recall a single one of the things that ,i wished to say1 ,i can only weep1 weep the tears which are stifling me4 ,yes1 ,i am but a poor man1 and the only need ,i feel is to speak to you of the poor4 ,oh6 the poor ones1 oh6 the lowly ones1 whom for two years past ,i have seen in our faubourgs of ,paris1 so wretched and so full of pain2 the poor little children that ,i have picked out of the snow1 the poor little angels who had eaten nothing for two days2 the women too1 consumed by consumption1 without bread or fire1 shivering in filthy hovels2 and the men thrown on the street by slackness of trade1 weary of begging for work as one begs for alms1 sinking back into night1 drunken with rage and harbouring the sole avenging thought of setting the whole city afire6 ,and that night too1 that terrible night1 when in a room of horror ,i beheld a mother who had just killed herself with her five little ones1 she lying on a palliasse suckling her last-born1 and two little girls1 two pretty little blondes1 sleeping the last sleep beside her1 while the two boys had succumbed farther away1 one of them crouching against a wall1 and the other lying upon the floor1 distorted as though by a last effort to avoid death6444 ,o ,holy ,father6 ,i am but an ambassador1 the messenger of those who suffer and who sob1 the humble delegate of the humble ones who die of want beneath the hateful harshness1 the frightful injustice of our present-day social system6 ,and ,i bring your ,holiness their tears1 and ,i lay their tortures at your ,holiness's feet1 ,i raise their cry of woe1 like a cry from the abyss1 that cry which demands justice unless indeed the very heavens are to fall6 ,oh6 show your loving kindness1 ,holy ,father1 show compassion60 ,the young man had stretched out his arms and implored ,leo ,,xiii with a gesture as of supreme appeal to the divine compassion4 ,then he continued3 8,and here1 ,holy ,father1 in this splendid and eternal ,rome1 is not the want and misery as frightful6 ,during the weeks that ,i have roamed hither and thither among the dust of famous ruins1 ,i have never ceased to come in contact with evils which demand cure4 ,ah6 to think of all that is crumbling1 all that is expiring1 the agony of so much glory1 the fearful sadness of a world which is dying of exhaustion and hunger6 ,yonder1 under your ,holiness's windows1 have ,i not seen a district of horrors1 a district of unfinished palaces stricken like rickety children who cannot attain to full growth1 palaces which are already in ruins and have become places of refuge for all the woeful misery of ,rome8 ,and here1 as in ,paris1 what a suffering multitude1 what a shameless exhibition too of the social sore1 the devouring cancer openly tolerated and displayed in utter heedlessness6 ,there are whole families leading idle and hungry lives in the splendid sunlight2 fathers waiting for work to fall to them from heaven2 sons listlessly spending their days asleep on the dry grass2 mothers and daughters1 withered before their time1 shuffling about in loquacious idleness4 ,o ,holy ,father1 already to-morrow at dawn may your ,holiness open that window yonder and with your benediction awaken that great childish people1 which still slumbers in ignorance and poverty6 ,may your ,holiness give it the soul it lacks1 a soul with the consciousness of human dignity1 of the necessary law of work1 of free and fraternal life regulated by justice only6 ,yes1 may your ,holiness make a people out of that heap of wretches1 whose excuse lies in all their bodily suffering and mental night1 who live like the beasts that go by and die1 never knowing nor understanding1 yet ever lashed onward with the whip60 ,pierre's sobs were gradually choking him1 and it was only the impulse of his passion which still enabled him to speak4 8,and1 ,holy ,father10 he continued1 8is it not to you that ,i ought to address myself in the name of all these wretched ones8 ,are you not the ,father1 and is it not before the ,father that the messenger of the poor and the lowly should kneel as ,i am kneeling now8 ,and is it not to the ,father that he should bring the huge burden of their sorrows and ask for pity and help and justice8 ,yes1 particularly for justice6 ,and since you are the ,father throw the doors wide open so that all may enter1 even the humblest of your children1 the faithful1 the chance passers1 even the rebellious ones and those who have gone astray but who will perhaps enter and whom you will save from the errors of abandonment6 ,be as the house of refuge on the dangerous road1 the loving greeter of the wayfarer1 the lamp of hospitality which ever burns1 and is seen afar off and saves one in the storm6 ,and since1 ,o ,father1 you are power be salvation also6 ,you can do all2 you have centuries of domination behind you2 you have nowadays risen to a moral authority which has rendered you the arbiter of the world2 you are there before me like the very majesty of the sun which illumines and fructifies6 ,oh6 be the star of kindness and charity1 be the redeemer2 take in hand once more the purpose of ,jesus1 which has been perverted by being left in the hands of the rich and the powerful who have ended by transforming the work of the ,gospel into the most hateful of all monuments of pride and tyranny6 ,and since the work has been spoilt1 take it in hand1 begin it afresh1 place yourself on the side of the little ones1 the lowly ones1 the poor ones1 and bring them back to the peace1 the fraternity1 and the justice of the original ,christian communion4 ,and say1 ,o ,father1 that ,i have understood you1 that ,i have sincerely expressed in this respect your most cherished ideas1 the sole living desire of your reign6 ,the rest1 oh6 the rest1 my book1 myself1 what matter they6 ,i do not defend myself1 ,i only seek your glory and the happiness of mankind4 ,say that from the depths of this ,vatican you have heard the rending of our corrupt modern societies6 ,say that you have quivered with loving pity1 say that you desire to prevent the awful impending catastrophe by recalling the ,gospel to the hearts of your children who are stricken with madness1 and by bringing them back to the age of simplicity and purity when the first ,christians lived together in innocent brotherhood6 ,yes1 it is for that reason1 is it not1 that you have placed yourself1 ,father1 on the side of the poor1 and for that reason ,i am here and entreat you for pity and kindness and justice with my whole soul60 ,then the young man gave way beneath his emotion1 and fell all of a heap upon the floor amidst a rush of sobs--loud1 endless sobs1 which flowed forth in billows1 coming as it were not only from himself but from all the wretched1 from the whole world in whose veins sorrow coursed mingled with the very blood of life4 ,he was there as the ambassador of suffering1 as he had said4 ,and indeed1 at the foot of that mute and motionless pope1 he was like the personification of the whole of human woe4 ,leo ,,xiii1 who was extremely fond of talking and could only listen to others with an effort1 had twice raised one of his pallid hands to interrupt the young priest4 ,then1 gradually overcome by astonishment1 touched by emotion himself1 he had allowed him to continue1 to go on to the end of his outburst4 ,a little blood even had suffused the snowy whiteness of the ,pontiff's face whilst his eyes shone out yet more brilliantly4 ,and as soon as he saw the young man speechless at his feet1 shaken by those sobs which seemed to be wrenching away his heart1 he became anxious and leant forward3 8,calm yourself1 my son1 raise yourself10 he said4 ,but the sobs still continued1 still flowed forth1 all reason and respect being swept away amidst that distracted plaint of a wounded soul1 that moan of suffering1 dying flesh4 8,raise yourself1 my son1 it is not proper10 repeated ,leo ,,xiii4 8,there1 take that chair40 ,and with a gesture of authority he at last invited the young man to sit down4 ,pierre rose with pain1 and at once seated himself in order that he might not fall4 ,he brushed his hair back from his forehead1 and wiped his scalding tears away with his hands1 unable to understand what had just happened1 but striving to regain his self-possession4 8,you appeal to the ,holy ,father10 said ,leo ,,xiii4 8,ah6 rest assured that his heart is full of pity and affection for those who are unfortunate4 ,but that is not the point1 it is our holy religion which is in question4 ,i have read your book1 a bad book1 ,i tell you so at once1 the most dangerous and culpable of books1 precisely on account of its qualities1 the pages in which ,i myself felt interested4 ,yes1 ,i was often fascinated1 ,i should not have continued my perusal had ,i not felt carried away1 transported by the ardent breath of your faith and enthusiasm4 ,the subject #8,new ,rome' is such a beautiful one and impassions me so much6 and certainly there is a book to be written under that title1 but in a very different spirit to yours4 ,you think that you have understood me1 my son1 that you have so penetrated yourself with my writings and actions that you simply express my most cherished ideas4 ,but no1 no1 you have not understood me1 and that is why ,i desired to see you1 explain things to you1 and convince you40 ,it was now ,pierre who sat listening1 mute and motionless4 ,yet he had only come thither to defend himself2 for three months past he had been feverishly desiring this interview1 preparing his arguments and feeling confident of victory2 and now although he heard his book spoken of as dangerous and culpable he did not protest1 did not reply with any one of those good reasons which he had deemed so irresistible4 ,but the fact was that intense weariness had come upon him1 the appeal that he had made1 the tears that he had shed had left him utterly exhausted4 ,by and by1 however1 he would be brave and would say what he had resolved to say4 8,people do not understand me1 do not understand me60 resumed ,leo ,,xiii with an air of impatient irritation4 8,it is incredible what trouble ,i have to make myself understood1 in ,france especially6 ,take the temporal power for instance2 how can you have fancied that the ,holy ,see would ever enter into any compromise on that question8 ,such language is unworthy of a priest1 it is the chimerical dream of one who is ignorant of the conditions in which the papacy has hitherto lived and in which it must still live if it does not desire to disappear4 ,cannot you see the sophistry of your argument that the ,church becomes the loftier the more it frees itself from the cares of terrestrial sovereignty8 ,a purely spiritual royalty1 a sway of charity and love1 indeed1 'tis a fine imaginative idea6 ,but who will ensure us respect8 ,who will grant us the alms of a stone on which to rest our head if we are ever driven forth and forced to roam the highways8 ,who will guarantee our independence when we are at the mercy of every state8444 ,no1 no6 this soil of ,rome is ours1 we have inherited it from the long line of our ancestors1 and it is the indestructible1 eternal soil on which the ,church is built1 so that any relinquishment would mean the downfall of the ,holy ,catholic ,apostolic and ,roman ,church4 ,and1 moreover1 we could not relinquish it2 we are bound by our oath to ,god and man40 ,he paused for a moment to allow ,pierre to answer him4 ,but the latter to his stupefaction could say nothing1 for he perceived that this pope spoke as he was bound to speak4 ,all the heavy mysterious things which had weighed the young priest down whilst he was waiting in the ante-room1 now became more and more clearly defined4 ,they were1 indeed1 the things which he had seen and learnt since his arrival in ,rome1 the disillusions1 the rebuffs which he had experienced1 all the many points of difference between existing reality and imagination1 whereby his dream of a return to primitive ,christianity was already half shattered4 ,and in particular he remembered the hour which he had spent on the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 when1 in presence of the old city of glory so stubbornly clinging to its purple1 he had realised that he was an imbecile with his idea of a purely spiritual pope4 ,he had that day fled from the furious shouts of the pilgrims acclaiming the ,pope-,king4 ,he had only accepted the necessity for money1 that last form of servitude still binding the ,pope to earth4 ,but all had crumbled afterwards1 when he had beheld the real ,rome1 the ancient city of pride and domination where the papacy can never be complete without the temporal power4 ,too many bonds1 dogma1 tradition1 environment1 the very soil itself rendered the ,church for ever immutable4 ,it was only in appearances that she could make concessions1 and a time would even arrive when her concessions would cease1 in presence of the impossibility of going any further without committing suicide4 ,if his1 ,pierre's1 dream of a ,new ,rome were ever to be realised1 it would only be faraway from ancient ,rome4 ,only in some distant region could the new ,christianity arise1 for ,catholicism was bound to die on the spot when the last of the popes1 riveted to that land of ruins1 should disappear beneath the falling dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 which would fall as surely as the temple of ,jupiter had fallen6 ,and1 as for that pope of the present day1 though he might have no kingdom1 though age might have made him weak and fragile1 though his bloodless pallor might be that of some ancient idol of wax1 he none the less flared with the red passion for universal sovereignty1 he was none the less the stubborn scion of his ancestry1 the ,pontifex ,maximus1 the ,caesar ,imperator in whose veins flowed the blood of ,augustus1 master of the world4 8,you must be fully aware10 resumed ,leo ,,xiii1 8of the ardent desire for unity which has always possessed us4 ,we were very happy on the day when we unified the rite1 by imposing the ,roman rite throughout the whole ,catholic world4 ,this is one of our most cherished victories1 for it can do much to uphold our authority4 ,and ,i hope that our efforts in the ,east will end by bringing our dear brethren of the dissident communions back to us1 in the same way as ,i do not despair of convincing the ,anglican sects1 without speaking of the other so-called ,protestant sects who will be compelled to return to the bosom of the only ,church1 the ,catholic1 ,apostolic1 and ,roman ,church1 when the times predicted by the ,christ shall be accomplished4 ,but a thing which you did not say in your book is that the ,church can relinquish nothing whatever of dogma4 ,on the contrary1 you seem to fancy that an agreement might be effected1 concessions made on either side1 and that1 my son1 is a culpable thought1 such language as a priest cannot use without being guilty of a crime4 ,no1 the truth is absolute1 not a stone of the edifice shall be changed4 ,oh6 in matters of form1 we will do whatever may be asked4 ,we are ready to adopt the most conciliatory courses if it be only a question of turning certain difficulties and weighing expressions in order to facilitate agreement4444 ,again1 there is the part we have taken in contemporary socialism1 and here too it is necessary that we should be understood4 ,those whom you have so well called the disinherited of the world1 are certainly the object of our solicitude4 ,if socialism be simply a desire for justice1 and a constant determination to come to the help of the weak and the suffering1 who can claim to give more thought to the matter and work with more energy than ourselves8 ,has not the ,church always been the mother of the afflicted1 the helper and benefactress of the poor8 ,we are for all reasonable progress1 we admit all new social forms which will promote peace and fraternity4444 ,only we can but condemn that socialism which begins by driving away ,god as a means of ensuring the happiness of mankind4 ,therein lies simple savagery1 an abominable relapse into the primitive state in which there can only be catastrophe1 conflagration1 and massacre4 ,and that again is a point on which you have not laid sufficient stress1 for you have not shown in your book that there can be no progress outside the pale of the ,church1 that she is really the only initiatory and guiding power to whom one may surrender oneself without fear4 ,indeed1 and in this again you have sinned1 it seemed to me as if you set ,god on one side1 as if for you religion lay solely in a certain bent of the soul1 a florescence of love and charity1 which sufficed one to work one's salvation4 ,but that is execrable heresy4 ,god is ever present1 master of souls and bodies2 and religion remains the bond1 the law1 the very governing power of mankind1 apart from which there can only be barbarism in this world and damnation in the next4 ,and1 once again1 forms are of no importance2 it is sufficient that dogma should remain4 ,thus our adhesion to the ,french ,republic proves that we in no wise mean to link the fate of religion to that of any form of government1 however august and ancient the latter may be4 ,dynasties may have done their time1 but ,god is eternal4 ,kings may perish1 but ,god lives6 ,and1 moreover1 there is nothing anti-,christian in the republican form of government2 indeed1 on the contrary1 it would seem like an awakening of that ,christian commonwealth to which you have referred in some really charming pages4 ,the worst is that liberty at once becomes license1 and that our desire for conciliation is often very badly requited4444 ,but ah6 what a wicked book you have written1 my son1--with the best intentions1 ,i am willing to believe1--and how your silence shows that you are beginning to recognise the disastrous consequences of your error40 ,pierre still remained silent1 overcome1 feeling as if his arguments would fall against some deaf1 blind1 and impenetrable rock1 which it was useless to assail since nothing could enter it4 ,and only one thing now preoccupied him2 he wondered how it was that a man of such intelligence and such ambition had not formed a more distinct and exact idea of the modern world4 ,he could divine that the ,pope possessed much information and carried the map of ,christendom with many of the needs1 deeds1 and hopes of the nations1 in his mind amidst his complicated diplomatic enterprises2 but at the same time what gaps there were in his knowledge6 ,the truth1 no doubt1 was that his personal acquaintance with the world was confined to his brief nunciature at ,brussels499 99 ,that too1 was in #ahdc-dd1 and the world is now utterly unlike what it was then6--,trans4 ,during his occupation of the see of ,perugia1 which had followed1 he had only mingled with the dawning life of young ,italy4 ,and for eighteen years now he had been shut up in the ,vatican1 isolated from the rest of mankind and communicating with the nations solely through his entourage1 which was often most unintelligent1 most mendacious1 and most treacherous4 ,moreover1 he was an ,italian priest1 a superstitious and despotic ,high ,pontiff1 bound by tradition1 subjected to the influences of race environment1 pecuniary considerations1 and political necessities1 not to speak of his great pride1 the conviction that he ought to be implicitly obeyed in all things as the one sole legitimate power upon earth4 ,therein lay fatal causes of mental deformity1 of errors and gaps in his extraordinary brain1 though the latter certainly possessed many admirable qualities1 quickness of comprehension and patient stubbornness of will and strength to draw conclusions and act4 ,of all his powers1 however1 that of intuition was certainly the most wonderful1 for was it not this alone which1 owing to his voluntary imprisonment1 enabled him to divine the vast evolution of humanity at the present day8 ,he was thus keenly conscious of the dangers surrounding him1 of the rising tide of democracy and the boundless ocean of science which threatened to submerge the little islet where the dome of ,st4 ,peter's yet triumphed4 ,and the object of all his policy1 of all his labour1 was to conquer so that he might reign4 ,if he desired the unity of the ,church it was in order that the latter might become strong and inexpugnable in the contest which he foresaw4 ,if he preached conciliation1 granting concessions in matters of form1 tolerating audacious actions on the part of ,american bishops1 it was because he deeply and secretly feared the dislocation of the ,church1 some sudden schism which might hasten disaster4 ,and this fear explained his returning affection for the people1 the concern which he displayed respecting socialism1 and the ,christian solution which he offered to the woes of earthly life4 ,as ,caesar was stricken low1 was not the long contest for possession of the people over1 and would not the people1 the great silent multitude1 speak out1 and give itself to him1 the ,pope8 ,he had begun experiments with ,france1 forsaking the lost cause of the monarchy and recognising the ,republic which he hoped might prove strong and victorious1 for in spite of everything ,france remained the eldest daughter of the ,church1 the only ,catholic nation which yet possessed sufficient strength to restore the temporal power at some propitious moment4 ,and briefly ,leo's desire was to reign4 ,to reign by the support of ,france since it seemed impossible to do so by the support of ,germany6 ,to reign by the support of the people1 since the people was now becoming the master1 the bestower of thrones6 ,to reign by means even of an ,italian ,republic1 if only that ,republic could wrest ,rome from the ,house of ,savoy and restore her to him1 a federal ,republic which would make him ,president of the ,united ,states of ,italy pending the time when he should be ,president of the ,united ,states of ,europe6 ,to reign in spite of everybody and everything1 such was his ambition1 to reign over the world1 even as ,augustus had reigned1 ,augustus whose devouring blood alone upheld this expiring old man1 yet so stubbornly clinging to power6 8,and another crime of yours1 my son10 resumed ,leo ,,xiii1 8is that you have dared to ask for a new religion4 ,that is impious1 blasphemous1 sacrilegious4 ,there is but one religion in the world1 our ,holy ,catholic ,apostolic and ,roman ,religion1 apart from which there can be but darkness and damnation4 ,i quite understand that what you mean to imply is a return to early ,christianity4 ,but the error of so-called ,protestantism1 so culpable and so deplorable in its consequences1 never had any other pretext4 ,as soon as one departs from the strict observance of dogma and absolute respect for tradition one sinks into the most frightful precipices4444 ,ah6 schism1 schism1 my son1 is a crime beyond forgiveness1 an assassination of the true ,god1 a device of the loathsome ,beast of ,temptation which ,hell sends into the world to work the ruin of the faithful6 ,if your book contained nothing beyond those words #8a new religion1' it would be necessary to destroy and burn it like so much poison fatal in its effects upon the human soul40 ,he continued at length on this subject1 while ,pierre recalled what ,don ,vigilio had told him of those all-powerful ,jesuits who at the ,vatican as elsewhere remained in the background1 secretly but none the less decisively governing the ,church4 ,was it true then that this pope1 whose opportunist tendencies were so freely displayed1 was one of them1 a mere docile instrument in their hands1 though he fancied himself penetrated with the doctrines of ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas8 ,in any case1 like them he compounded with the century1 made approaches to the world1 and was willing to flatter it in order that he might possess it4 ,never before had ,pierre so cruelly realised that the ,church was now so reduced that she could only live by dint of concessions and diplomacy4 ,and he could at last distinctly picture that ,roman clergy which at first is so difficult of comprehension to a ,french priest1 that ,government of the ,church1 represented by the pope1 the cardinals1 and the prelates1 whom the ,deity has appointed to govern and administer ,his mundane possessions--mankind and the earth4 ,they begin by setting that very ,deity on one side1 in the depths of the tabernacle1 and impose whatever dogmas they please as so many essential truths4 ,that the ,deity exists is evident1 since they govern in ,his name which is sufficient for everything4 ,and being by virtue of their charge the masters1 if they consent to sign covenants1 ,concordats1 it is only as matters of form2 they do not observe them1 and never yield to anything but force1 always reserving the principle of their absolute sovereignty which must some day finally triumph4 ,pending that day's arrival1 they act as diplomatists1 slowly carrying on their work of conquest as the ,deity's functionaries2 and religion is but the public homage which they pay to the ,deity1 and which they organise with all the pomp and magnificence that is likely to influence the multitude4 ,their only object is to enrapture and conquer mankind in order that the latter may submit to the rule of the ,deity1 that is the rule of themselves1 since they are the ,deity's visible representatives1 expressly delegated to govern the world4 ,in a word1 they straightway descend from ,roman law1 they are still but the offspring of the old pagan soul of ,rome1 and if they have lasted until now and if they rely on lasting for ever1 until the awaited hour when the empire of the world shall be restored to them1 it is because they are the direct heirs of the purple-robed ,caesars1 the uninterrupted and living progeny of the blood of ,augustus4 ,and thereupon ,pierre felt ashamed of his tears4 ,ah6 those poor nerves of his1 that outburst of sentiment and enthusiasm to which he had given way6 ,his very modesty was appalled1 for he felt as if he had exhibited his soul in utter nakedness4 ,and so uselessly too1 in that room where nothing similar had ever been said before1 and in presence of that ,pontiff-,king who could not understand him4 ,his plan of the popes reigning by means of the poor and lowly now horrified him4 ,his idea of the papacy going to the people1 at last rid of its former masters1 seemed to him a suggestion worthy of a wolf1 for if the papacy should go to the people it would only be to prey upon it as the others had done4 ,and really he1 ,pierre1 must have been mad when he had imagined that a ,roman prelate1 a cardinal1 a pope1 was capable of admitting a return to the ,christian commonwealth1 a fresh florescence of primitive ,christianity to pacify the aged nations whom hatred consumed4 ,such a conception indeed was beyond the comprehension of men who for centuries had regarded themselves as masters of the world1 so heedless and disdainful of the lowly and the suffering1 that they had at last become altogether incapable of either love or charity499 99 ,the reader should bear in mind that these remarks apply to the ,italian cardinals and prelates1 whose vanity and egotism are remarkable4--,trans4 ,leo ,,xiii1 however1 was still holding forth in his full1 unwearying voice4 ,and the young priest heard him saying3 8,why did you write that page on ,lourdes which shows such a thoroughly bad spirit8 ,lourdes1 my son1 has rendered great services to religion4 ,to the persons who have come and told me of the touching miracles which are witnessed at the ,grotto almost daily1 ,i have often expressed my desire to see those miracles confirmed1 proved by the most rigorous scientific tests4 ,and1 indeed1 according to what ,i have read1 ,i do not think that the most evilly disposed minds can entertain any further doubt on the matter1 for the miracles are proved scientifically in the most irrefutable manner4 ,science1 my son1 must be ,god's servant4 ,it can do nothing against ,him1 it is only by ,his grace that it arrives at the truth4 ,all the solutions which people nowadays pretend to discover and which seemingly destroy dogma will some day be recognised as false1 for ,god's truth will remain victorious when the times shall be accomplished4 ,that is a very simple certainty1 known even to little children1 and it would suffice for the peace and salvation of mankind1 if mankind would content itself with it4 ,and be convinced1 my son1 that faith and reason are not incompatible4 ,have we not got ,st4 ,thomas who foresaw everything1 explained everything1 regulated everything8 ,your faith has been shaken by the onslaught of the spirit of examination1 you have known trouble and anguish which ,heaven has been pleased to spare our priests in this land of ancient belief1 this city of ,rome which the blood of so many martyrs has sanctified4 ,however1 we have no fear of the spirit of examination1 study ,st4 ,thomas1 read him thoroughly and your faith will return1 definitive and triumphant1 firmer than ever40 ,these remarks caused ,pierre as much dismay as if fragments of the celestial vault were raining on his head4 ,o ,god of truth1 miracles--the miracles of ,lourdes6--proved scientifically1 faith in the dogmas compatible with reason1 and the writings of ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas sufficient to instil certainty into the minds of this present generation6 ,how could one answer that1 and indeed why answer it at all8 8,yes1 yours is a most culpable and dangerous book10 concluded ,leo ,,xiii2 8its very title #8,new ,rome' is mendacious and poisonous1 and the work is the more to be condemned as it offers every fascination of style1 every perversion of generous fancy4 ,briefly it is such a book that a priest1 if he conceived it in an hour of error1 can have no other duty than that of burning it in public with the very hand which traced the pages of error and scandal40 ,all at once ,pierre rose up erect4 ,he was about to exclaim3 8#8,tis true1 ,i had lost my faith1 but ,i thought ,i had found it again in the compassion which the woes of the world set in my heart4 ,you were my last hope1 the awaited saviour4 ,but1 behold1 that again is a dream1 you cannot take the work of ,jesus in hand once more and pacify mankind so as to avert the frightful fratricidal war which is preparing4 ,you cannot leave your throne and come along the roads with the poor and the humble to carry out the supreme work of fraternity4 ,well1 it is all over with you1 your ,vatican and your ,st4 ,peter's4 ,all is falling before the onslaught of the rising multitude and growing science4 ,you no longer exist1 there are only ruins and remnants left here40 ,however1 he did not speak those words4 ,he simply bowed and said3 8,holy ,father1 ,i make my submission and reprobate my book40 ,and as he thus replied his voice trembled with disgust1 and his open hands made a gesture of surrender as though he were yielding up his soul4 ,the words he had chosen were precisely those of the required formula3 ,auctor laudabiliter se subjecit et opus reprobavit4 8,the author has laudably made his submission and reprobated his work40 ,no error could have been confessed1 no hope could have accomplished self-destruction with loftier despair1 more sovereign grandeur4 ,but what frightful irony3 that book which he had sworn never to withdraw1 and for whose triumph he had fought so passionately1 and which he himself now denied and suppressed1 not because he deemed it guilty1 but because he had just realised that it was as futile1 as chimerical as a lover's desire1 a poet's dream4 ,ah6 yes1 since he had been mistaken1 since he had merely dreamed1 since he had found there neither the ,deity nor the priest that he had desired for the happiness of mankind1 why should he obstinately cling to the illusion of an awakening which was impossible6 #8,twere better to fling his book on the ground like a dead leaf1 better to deny it1 better to cut it away like a dead limb that could serve no purpose whatever6 ,somewhat surprised by such a prompt victory ,leo ,,xiii raised a slight exclamation of content4 8,that is well said1 my son1 that is well said6 ,you have spoken the only words that can become a priest40 ,and in his evident satisfaction1 he who left nothing to chance1 who carefully prepared each of his audiences1 deciding beforehand what words he would say1 what gestures even he would make1 unbent somewhat and displayed real bonhomie4 ,unable to understand1 mistaking the real motives of this rebellious priest's submission1 he tasted positive delight in having so easily reduced him to silence1 the more so as report had stated the young man to be a terrible revolutionary4 ,and thus his ,holiness felt quite proud of such a conversion4 8,moreover1 my son10 he said1 8,i did not expect less of one of your distinguished mind4 ,there can be no loftier enjoyment than that of owning one's error1 doing penance1 and submitting40 ,he had again taken the glass off the little table beside him and was stirring the last spoonful of syrup before drinking it4 ,and ,pierre was amazed at again finding him as he had found him at the outset1 shrunken1 bereft of sovereign majesty1 and simply suggestive of some aged bourgeois drinking his glass of sugared water before getting into bed4 ,it was as if after growing and radiating1 like a planet ascending to the zenith1 he had again sunk to the level of the soil in all human mediocrity4 ,again did ,pierre find him puny and fragile1 with the slender neck of a little sick bird1 and all those marks of senile ugliness which rendered him so exacting with regard to his portraits1 whether they were oil paintings or photographs1 gold medals1 or marble busts1 for of one and the other he would say that the artist must not portray 8,papa ,pecci0 but ,leo ,,xiii1 the great ,pope1 of whom he desired to leave such a lofty image to posterity4 ,and ,pierre1 after momentarily ceasing to see them1 was again embarrassed by the handkerchief which lay on the ,pope's lap1 and the dirty cassock soiled by snuff4 ,his only feelings now were affectionate pity for such white old age1 deep admiration for the stubborn power of life which had found a refuge in those dark black eyes1 and respectful deference1 such as became a worker1 for that large brain which harboured such vast projects and overflowed with such innumerable ideas and actions4 ,the audience was over1 and the young man bowed low3 8,i thank your ,holiness for having deigned to give me such a fatherly reception10 he said4 ,however1 ,leo ,,xiii detained him for a moment longer1 speaking to him of ,france and expressing his sincere desire to see her prosperous1 calm1 and strong for the greater advantage of the ,church4 ,and ,pierre1 during that last moment1 had a singular vision1 a strange haunting fancy4 ,as he gazed at the ,holy ,father's ivory brow and thought of his great age and of his liability to be carried off by the slightest chill1 he involuntarily recalled the scene instinct with a fierce grandeur which is witnessed each time a pope dies4 ,he recalled ,pius ,,ix1 ,giovanni ,mastai1 two hours after death1 his face covered by a white linen cloth1 while the pontifical family surrounded him in dismay2 and then ,cardinal ,pecci1 the ,camerlingo1 approaching the bed1 drawing aside the veil and dealing three taps with his silver hammer on the forehead of the deceased1 repeating at each tap the call1 8,giovanni6 ,giovanni6 ,giovanni60 ,and as the corpse made no response1 turning1 after an interval of a few seconds1 and saying3 8,the ,pope is dead60 ,and at the same time1 yonder in the ,via ,giulia ,pierre pictured ,cardinal ,boccanera1 the present ,camerlingo1 awaiting his turn with his silver hammer1 and he imagined ,leo ,,xiii1 otherwise ,gioachino ,pecci1 dead1 like his predecessor1 his face covered by a white linen cloth and his corpse surrounded by his prelates in that very room4 ,and he saw the ,camerlingo approach1 draw the veil aside and tap the ivory forehead1 each time repeating the call3 8,gioachino6 ,gioachino6 ,gioachino60 ,then1 as the corpse did not answer1 he waited for a few seconds and turned and said 8,the ,pope is dead60 ,did ,leo ,,xiii remember how he had thrice tapped the forehead of ,pius ,,ix1 and did he ever feel on the brow an icy dread of the silver hammer with which he had armed his own ,camerlingo1 the man whom he knew to be his implacable adversary1 ,cardinal ,boccanera8 8,go in peace1 my son10 at last said his ,holiness by way of parting benediction4 8,your transgression will be forgiven you since you have confessed and testify your horror for it40 ,with distressful spirit1 accepting humiliation as well-deserved chastisement for his chimerical fancies1 ,pierre retired1 stepping backwards according to the customary ceremonial4 ,he made three deep bows and crossed the threshold without turning1 followed by the black eyes of ,leo ,,xiii1 which never left him4 ,still he saw the ,pope stretch his arm towards the table to take up the newspaper which he had been reading prior to the audience1 for ,leo retained a great fancy for newspapers1 and was very inquisitive as to news1 though in the isolation in which he lived he frequently made mistakes respecting the relative importance of articles4 ,and once more the chamber sank into deep quietude1 whilst the two lamps continued to diffuse a soft and steady light4 ,in the centre of the anticamera segreta ,signor ,squadra stood waiting black and motionless4 ,and on noticing that ,pierre in his flurry forgot to take his hat from the pier table1 he himself discreetly fetched it and handed it to the young priest with a silent bow4 ,then without any appearance of haste1 he walked ahead to conduct the visitor back to the ,sala ,clementina4 ,the endless promenade through the interminable ante-rooms began once more1 and there was still not a soul1 not a sound1 not a breath4 ,in each empty room stood the one solitary lamp1 burning low amidst a yet deeper silence than before4 ,the wilderness seemed also to have grown larger as the night advanced1 casting its gloom over the few articles of furniture scattered under the lofty gilded ceilings1 the thrones1 the stools1 the pier tables1 the crucifixes1 and the candelabra which recurred in each succeeding room4 ,and at last the ,sala ,clementina which the ,swiss ,guards had just quitted was reached again1 and ,signor ,squadra1 who hitherto had not turned his head1 thereupon drew aside without word or gesture1 and1 saluting ,pierre with a last bow1 allowed him to pass on4 ,then he himself disappeared4 ,and ,pierre descended the two flights of the monumental staircase where the gas jets in their globes of ground glass glimmered like night lights amidst a wondrously heavy silence now that the footsteps of the sentries no longer resounded on the landings4 ,and he crossed the ,court of ,st4 ,damasus1 empty and lifeless in the pale light of the lamps above the steps1 and descended the ,scala ,pia1 that other great stairway as dim1 deserted1 and void of life as all the rest1 and at last passed beyond the bronze door which a porter slowly shut behind him4 ,and with what a rumble1 what a fierce roar did the hard metal close upon all that was within2 all the accumulated darkness and silence2 the dead1 motionless centuries perpetuated by tradition2 the indestructible idols1 the dogmas1 bound round for preservation like mummies2 every chain which may weigh on one or hamper one1 the whole apparatus of bondage and sovereign domination1 with whose formidable clang all the dark1 deserted halls re-echoed4 ,once more the young man found himself alone on the gloomy expanse of the ,piazza of ,st4 ,peter's4 ,not a single belated pedestrian was to be seen4 ,there was only the lofty1 livid1 ghost-like obelisk1 emerging between its four candelabra1 from the mosaic pavement of red and serpentine porphyry4 ,the faade of the ,basilica also showed vaguely1 pale as a vision1 whilst from it on either side like a pair of giant arms stretched the quadruple colonnade1 a thicket of stone1 steeped in obscurity4 ,the dome was but a huge roundness scarcely discernible against the moonless sky2 and only the jets of the fountains1 which could at last be detected rising like slim phantoms ever on the move1 lent a voice to the silence1 the endless murmur of a plaint of sorrow coming one knew not whence4 ,ah6 how great was the melancholy grandeur of that slumber1 that famous square1 the ,vatican and ,st4 ,peter's1 thus seen by night when wrapped in silence and darkness6 ,but suddenly the clock struck ten with so slow and loud a chime that never1 so it seemed1 had more solemn and decisive an hour rung out amidst blacker and more unfathomable gloom4 ,all ,pierre's poor weary frame quivered at the sound as he stood motionless in the centre of the expanse4 ,what6 had he spent barely three-quarters of an hour1 chatting up yonder with that white old man who had just wrenched all his soul away from him6 ,yes1 it was the final wrench2 his last belief had been torn from his bleeding heart and brain4 ,the supreme experiment had been made1 a world had collapsed within him4 ,and all at once he thought of ,monsignor ,nani1 and reflected that he alone had been right4 ,he1 ,pierre1 had been told that in any case he would end by doing what ,monsignor ,nani might desire1 and he was now stupefied to find that he had done so4 ,but sudden despair seized upon him1 such atrocious distress of spirit that1 from the depths of the abyss of darkness where he stood1 he raised his quivering arms into space and spoke aloud3 8,no1 no1 ,thou art not here1 ,o ,god of life and love1 ,o ,god of ,salvation6 ,but come1 appear since ,thy children are perishing because they know neither who ,thou art1 nor where to find ,thee amidst the ,infinite of the worlds60 ,above the vast square spread the vast sky of dark-blue velvet1 the silent disturbing ,infinite1 where the constellations palpitated4 ,over the roofs of the ,vatican1 ,charles's ,wain seemed yet more tilted1 its golden wheels straying from the right path1 its golden shaft upreared in the air2 whilst yonder1 over ,rome towards the ,via ,giulia1 ,orion was about to disappear and already showed but one of the three golden stars which bedecked his belt4 ,,xv4 ,,it was nearly daybreak when ,pierre fell asleep1 exhausted by emotion and hot with fever4 ,and at nine o'clock1 when he had risen and breakfasted1 he at once wished to go down into ,cardinal ,boccanera's rooms where the bodies of ,dario and ,benedetta had been laid in state in order that the members of the family1 its friends and clients1 might bring them their tears and prayers4 ,whilst he breakfasted1 ,victorine who1 showing an active bravery amidst her despair1 had not been to bed at all1 told him of what had taken place in the house during the night and early morning4 ,donna ,serafina1 prude that she was1 had again made an attempt to have the bodies separated2 but this had proved an impossibility1 as rigor mortis had set in1 and to part the lovers it would have been necessary to break their limbs4 ,moreover1 the ,cardinal1 who had interposed once before1 almost quarrelled with his sister on the subject1 unwilling as he was that any one should disturb the lovers' last slumber1 their union of eternity4 ,beneath his priestly garb there coursed the blood of his race1 a pride in the passions of former times2 and he remarked that if the family counted two popes among its forerunners1 it had also been rendered illustrious by great captains and ardent lovers4 ,never would he allow any one to touch those two children1 whose dolorous lives had been so pure and whom the grave alone had united4 ,he was the master in his house1 and they should be sewn together in the same shroud1 and nailed together in the same coffin4 ,then too the religious service should take place at the neighbouring church of ,san ,carlo1 of which he was ,cardinal-priest and where again he was the master4 ,and if needful he would address himself to the ,pope4 ,and such being his sovereign will1 so authoritatively expressed1 everybody in the house had to bow submissively4 ,donna ,serafina at once occupied herself with the laying-out4 ,according to the ,roman custom the servants were present1 and ,victorine as the oldest and most appreciated of them1 assisted the relatives4 ,all that could be done in the first instance was to envelop both corpses in ,benedetta's unbound hair1 thick and odorous hair1 which spread out into a royal mantle2 and they were then laid together in one shroud of white silk1 fastened about their necks in such wise that they formed but one being in death4 ,and again the ,cardinal imperatively ordered that they should be brought into his apartments and placed on a state bed in the centre of the throne-room1 so that a supreme homage might be rendered to them as to the last scions of the name1 the two tragic lovers with whom the once resounding glory of the ,boccaneras was about to return to earth4 ,the story which had been arranged was already circulating through ,rome2 folks related how ,dario had been carried off in a few hours by infectious fever1 and how ,benedetta1 maddened by grief1 had expired whilst clasping him in her arms to bid him a last farewell2 and there was talk too of the royal honours which the bodies were to receive1 the superb funeral nuptials which were to be accorded them as they lay clasped on their bed of eternal rest4 ,all ,rome1 quite overcome by this tragic story of love and death1 would talk of nothing else for several weeks4 ,pierre would have started for ,france that same night1 eager as he was to quit the city of disaster where he had lost the last shreds of his faith1 but he desired to attend the obsequies1 and therefore postponed his departure until the following evening4 ,and thus he would spend one more day in that old crumbling palace1 near the corpse of that unhappy young woman to whom he had been so much attached and for whom he would try to find some prayers in the depths of his empty and lacerated heart4 ,when he reached the threshold of the ,cardinal's reception-rooms1 he suddenly remembered his first visit to them4 ,they still presented the same aspect of ancient princely pomp falling into decay and dust4 ,the doors of the three large ante-rooms were wide open1 and the rooms themselves were at that early hour still empty4 ,in the first one1 the servants' anteroom1 there was nobody but ,giacomo who stood motionless in his black livery in front of the old red hat hanging under the baldacchino where spiders spun their webs between the crumbling tassels4 ,in the second room1 which the secretary formerly had occupied1 ,abb ,paparelli1 the train-bearer1 was softly walking up and down whilst waiting for visitors2 and with his conquering humility1 his all-powerful obsequiousness1 he had never before so closely resembled an old maid1 whitened and wrinkled by excess of devout observances4 ,finally1 in the third ante-room1 the anticamera nobile1 where the red cap lay on a credence facing the large imperious portrait of the ,cardinal in ceremonial costume1 there was ,don ,vigilio who had left his little work-table to station himself at the door of the throne-room and there bow to those who crossed the threshold4 ,and on that gloomy winter morning the rooms appeared more mournful and dilapidated than ever1 the hangings frayed and ragged1 the few articles of furniture covered with dust1 the old wood-work crumbling beneath the continuous onslaught of worms1 and the ceilings alone retaining their pompous show of gilding and painting4 ,however1 ,pierre1 to whom ,abb ,paparelli addressed a profound bow1 in which one divined the irony of a sort of dismissal given to one who was vanquished1 felt more impressed by the mournful grandeur which those three dilapidated rooms presented that day1 conducting as they did to the old throne-room1 now a chamber of death1 where the two last children of the house slept their last sleep4 ,what a superb and sorrowful gala of death6 ,every door wide open and all the emptiness of those over-spacious rooms1 void of the throngs of ancient days and leading to the supreme affliction--the end of a race6 ,the ,cardinal had shut himself up in his little work-room where he received the relatives and intimates who desired to present their condolences to him1 whilst ,donna ,serafina had chosen an adjoining apartment to await her lady friends who would come in procession until evening4 ,and ,pierre1 informed of the ceremonial by ,victorine1 had in the first place to enter the throne-room1 greeted as he passed by a deep bow from ,don ,vigilio who1 pale and silent1 did not seem to recognise him4 ,a surprise awaited the young priest4 ,he had expected such a lying-in-state as is seen in ,france and elsewhere1 all windows closed so as to steep the room in night1 and hundreds of candles burning round a catafalco1 whilst from ceiling to floor the walls were hung with black drapery4 ,he had been told that the bodies would lie in the throne-room because the antique chapel on the ground floor of the palazzo had been shut up for half a century and was in no condition to be used1 whilst the ,cardinal's little private chapel was altogether too small for any such ceremony4 ,and thus it had been necessary to improvise an altar in the throne-room1 an altar at which masses had been said ever since dawn4 ,masses and other religious services were moreover to be celebrated all day long in the private chapel2 and two additional altars had even been set up1 one in a small room adjoining the anticamera nobile and the other in a sort of alcove communicating with the second anteroom3 and in this wise priests1 ,franciscans1 and members of other ,orders bound by the vow of poverty1 would simultaneously and without intermission celebrate the divine sacrifice on those four altars4 ,the ,cardinal1 indeed1 had desired that the ,divine ,blood should flow without pause under his roof for the redemption of those two dear souls which had flown away together4 ,and thus in that mourning mansion1 through those funeral halls the bells scarcely stopped tinkling for the elevation of the host1 whilst the quivering murmur of ,latin words ever continued1 and consecrated wafers were continually broken and chalices drained1 in such wise that the ,divine ,presence could not for a moment quit the heavy atmosphere all redolent of death4 ,on the other hand1 however1 ,pierre1 to his great astonishment1 found the throne-room much as it had been on the day of his first visit4 ,the curtains of the four large windows had not even been drawn1 and the grey1 cold1 subdued light of the gloomy winter morning freely entered4 ,under the ceiling of carved and gilded wood-work there were the customary red wall-hangings of brocatelle1 worn away by long usage2 and there was the old throne with the arm-chair turned to the wall1 uselessly waiting for a visit from the ,pope which would never more come4 ,the principal changes in the aspect of the room were that its seats and tables had been removed1 and that1 in addition to the improvised altar arranged beside the throne1 it now contained the state bed on which lay the bodies of ,benedetta and ,dario1 amidst a profusion of flowers4 ,the bed stood in the centre of the room on a low platform1 and at its head were two lighted candles1 one on either side4 ,there was nothing else1 nothing but that wealth of flowers1 such a harvest of white roses that one wondered in what fairy garden they had been culled1 sheaves of them on the bed1 sheaves of them toppling from the bed1 sheaves of them covering the step of the platform1 and falling from that step on to the magnificent marble paving of the room4 ,pierre drew near to the bed1 his heart faint with emotion4 ,those tapers whose little yellow flamelets scarcely showed in the pale daylight1 that continuous low murmur of the mass being said at the altar1 that penetrating perfume of roses which rendered the atmosphere so heavy1 filled the antiquated1 dusty room with a spirit of infinite woe1 a lamentation of boundless mourning4 ,and there was not a gesture1 not a word spoken1 save by the priest officiating at the altar1 nothing but an occasional faint sound of stifled sobbing among the few persons present4 ,servants of the house constantly relieved one another1 four always standing erect and motionless at the head of the bed1 like faithful1 familiar guards4 ,from time to time ,consistorial-,advocate ,morano who1 since early morning had been attending to everything1 crossed the room with a silent step and the air of a man in a hurry4 ,and at the edge of the platform all who entered1 knelt1 prayed1 and wept4 ,pierre perceived three ladies there1 their faces hidden by their handkerchiefs2 and there was also an old priest who trembled with grief and hung his head in such wise that his face could not be distinguished4 ,however1 the young man was most moved by the sight of a poorly clad girl1 whom he took for a servant1 and whom sorrow had utterly prostrated on the marble slabs4 ,then in his turn he knelt down1 and with the professional murmur of the lips sought to repeat the ,latin prayers which1 as a priest1 he had so often said at the bedside of the departed4 ,but his growing emotion confused his memory1 and he became wrapt in contemplation of the lovers whom his eyes were unable to quit4 ,under the wealth of flowers which covered them the clasped bodies could scarcely be distinguished1 but the two heads emerged from the silken shroud1 and lying there on the same cushion1 with their hair mingling1 they were still beautiful1 beautiful as with satisfied passion4 ,benedetta had kept her divinely gay1 loving1 and faithful face for eternity1 transported with rapture at having rendered up her last breath in a kiss of love2 whilst ,dario retained a more dolorous expression amidst his final joy4 ,and their eyes were still wide open1 gazing at one another with a persistent and caressing sweetness which nothing would ever more disturb4 ,oh6 ,god1 was it true that yonder lay that ,benedetta whom he1 ,pierre1 had loved with such pure1 brotherly affection8 ,he was stirred to the very depths of his soul by the recollection of the delightful hours which he had spent with her4 ,she had been so beautiful1 so sensible1 yet so full of passion6 ,and he had indulged in so beautiful a dream1 that of animating with his own liberating fraternal feelings that admirable creature with soul of fire and indolent air1 in whom he had pictured all ancient ,rome1 and whom he would have liked to awaken and win over to the ,italy of to-morrow4 ,he had dreamt of enlarging her brain and heart by filling her with love for the lowly and the poor1 with all present-day compassion for things and beings4 ,how he would now have smiled at such a dream had not his tears been flowing6 ,yet how charming she had shown herself in striving to content him despite the invincible obstacles of race1 education1 and environment4 ,she had been a docile pupil1 but was incapable of any real progress4 ,one day she had certainly seemed to draw nearer to him1 as though her own sufferings had opened her soul to every charity2 but the illusion of happiness had come back1 and then she had lost all understanding of the woes of others1 and had gone off in the egotism of her own hope and joy4 ,did that mean then that this ,roman race must finish in that fashion1 beautiful as it still often is1 and fondly adored but so closed to all love for others1 to those laws of charity and justice which1 by regulating labour1 can henceforth alone save this world of ours8 ,then there came another great sorrow to ,pierre which left him stammering1 unable to speak any precise prayer4 ,he thought of the overwhelming reassertion of ,nature's powers which had attended the death of those two poor children4 ,was it not awful8 ,to have taken that vow to the ,virgin1 to have endured torment throughout life1 and to end by plunging into death1 on the loved one's neck1 distracted by vain regret and eager for self-bestowal6 ,the brutal fact of impending separation had sufficed for ,benedetta to realise how she had duped herself1 and to revert to the universal instinct of love4 ,and therein1 again once more1 was the ,church vanquished2 therein again appeared the great god ,pan1 mating the sexes and scattering life around6 ,if in the days of the ,renascence the ,church did not fall beneath the assault of the ,venuses and ,hercules then exhumed from the old soil of ,rome1 the struggle at all events continued as bitterly as ever2 and at each and every hour new nations1 overflowing with sap1 hungering for life1 and warring against a religion which was nothing more than an appetite for death1 threatened to sweep away that old ,holy ,apostolic ,roman and ,catholic edifice whose walls were already tottering on all sides4 ,and at that moment ,pierre felt that the death of that adorable ,benedetta was for him the supreme disaster4 ,he was still looking at her and tears were scorching his eyes4 ,she was carrying off his chimera4 ,this time 'twas really the end4 ,rome the ,catholic and the ,princely was dead1 lying there like marble on that funeral bed4 ,she had been unable to go to the humble1 the suffering ones of the world1 and had just expired amidst the impotent cry of her egotistical passion when it was too late either to love or to create4 ,never more would children be born of her1 the old ,roman house was henceforth empty1 sterile1 beyond possibility of awakening4 ,pierre whose soul mourned such a splendid dream1 was so grieved at seeing her thus motionless and frigid1 that he felt himself fainting4 ,he feared lest he might fall upon the step beside the bed1 and so struggled to his feet and drew aside4 ,then1 as he sought refuge in a window recess in order that he might try to recover self-possession1 he was astonished to perceive ,victorine seated there on a bench which the hangings half concealed4 ,she had come thither by ,donna ,serafina's orders1 and sat watching her two dear children as she called them1 whilst keeping an eye upon all who came in and went out4 ,and1 on seeing the young priest so pale and nearly swooning1 she at once made room for him to sit down beside her4 8,ah60 he murmured after drawing a long breath1 8may they at least have the joy of being together elsewhere1 of living a new life in another world40 ,victorine1 however1 shrugged her shoulders1 and in an equally low voice responded1 8,oh6 live again1 ,monsieur l',abb1 why8 ,when one's dead the best is to remain so and to sleep4 ,those poor children had enough torments on earth1 one mustn't wish that they should begin again elsewhere40 ,this naive yet deep remark on the part of an ignorant unbelieving woman sent a shudder through ,pierre's very bones4 ,to think that his own teeth had chattered with fear at night time at the sudden thought of annihilation4 ,he deemed her heroic at remaining so undisturbed by any ideas of eternity and the infinite4 ,and she1 as she felt he was quivering1 went on3 8,what can you suppose there should be after death8 ,we've deserved a right to sleep1 and nothing to my thinking can be more desirable and consoling40 8,but those two did not live10 murmured ,pierre1 8so why not allow oneself the joy of believing that they now live elsewhere1 recompensed for all their torments80 ,victorine1 however1 again shook her head2 8,no1 no10 she replied4 8,ah6 ,i was quite right in saying that my poor ,benedetta did wrong in torturing herself with all those superstitious ideas of hers when she was really so fond of her lover4 ,yes1 happiness is rarely found1 and how one regrets having missed it when it's too late to turn back6 ,that's the whole story of those poor little ones4 ,it's too late for them1 they are dead40 ,then in her turn she broke down and began to sob4 8,poor little ones6 poor little ones6 ,look how white they are1 and think what they will be when only the bones of their heads lie side by side on the cushion1 and only the bones of their arms still clasp one another4 ,ah6 may they sleep1 may they sleep2 at least they know nothing and feel nothing now40 ,a long interval of silence followed4 ,pierre1 amidst the quiver of his own doubts1 the anxious desire which in common with most men he felt for a new life beyond the grave1 gazed at this woman who did not find priests to her fancy1 and who retained all her ,beauceronne frankness of speech1 with the tranquil1 contented air of one who has ever done her duty in her humble station as a servant1 lost though she had been for five and twenty years in a land of wolves1 whose language she had not even been able to learn4 ,ah6 yes1 tortured as the young man was by his doubts1 he would have liked to be as she was1 a well-balanced1 healthy1 ignorant creature who was quite content with what the world offered1 and who1 when she had accomplished her daily task1 went fully satisfied to bed1 careless as to whether she might never wake again6 ,however1 as ,pierre's eyes once more sought the state bed1 he suddenly recognised the old priest1 who was kneeling on the step of the platform1 and whose features he had hitherto been unable to distinguish4 8,isn't that ,abb ,pisoni1 the priest of ,santa ,brigida1 where ,i sometimes said mass80 he inquired4 8,the poor old man1 how he weeps60 ,in her quiet yet desolate voice ,victorine replied1 8,he has good reason to weep4 ,he did a fine thing when he took it into his head to marry my poor ,benedetta to ,count ,prada4 ,all those abominations would never have happened if the poor child had been given her ,dario at once4 ,but in this idiotic city they are all mad with their politics2 and that old priest1 who is none the less a very worthy man1 thought he had accomplished a real miracle and saved the world by marrying the ,pope and the ,king as he said with a soft laugh1 poor old savant that he is1 who for his part has never been in love with anything but old stones--you know1 all that antiquated rubbish of theirs of a hundred thousand years ago4 ,and now1 you see1 he can't keep from weeping4 ,the other one too came not twenty minutes ago1 ,father ,lorenza1 the ,jesuit who became the ,contessina's confessor after ,abb ,pisoni1 and who undid what the other had done4 ,yes1 a handsome man he is1 but a fine bungler all the same1 a perfect killjoy with all the crafty hindrances which he brought into that divorce affair4 ,i wish you had been here to see what a big sign of the cross he made after he had knelt down4 ,he didn't cry1 he didn't3 he seemed to be saying that as things had ended so badly it was evident that ,god had withdrawn from all share in the business4 ,so much the worse for the dead60 ,victorine spoke gently and without a pause1 as it relieved her1 to empty her heart after the terrible hours of bustle and suffocation which she had spent since the previous day4 8,and that one yonder10 she resumed in a lower voice1 8don't you recognise her80 ,she glanced towards the poorly clad girl whom ,pierre had taken for a servant1 and whom intensity of grief had prostrated beside the bed4 ,with a gesture of awful suffering this girl had just thrown back her head1 a head of extraordinary beauty1 enveloped by superb black hair4 8,la ,pierina60 said ,pierre4 8,ah6 poor girl40 ,victorine made a gesture of compassion and tolerance4 8,what would you have80 said she1 8,i let her come up4 ,i don't know how she heard of the trouble1 but it's true that she is always prowling round the house4 ,she sent and asked me to come down to her1 and you should have heard her sob and entreat me to let her see her ,prince once more6 ,well1 she does no harm to anybody there on the floor1 looking at them both with her beautiful loving eyes full of tears4 ,she's been there for half an hour already1 and ,i had made up my mind to turn her out if she didn't behave properly4 ,but since she's so quiet and doesn't even move1 she may well stop and fill her heart with the sight of them for her whole life long40 ,it was really sublime to see that ignorant1 passionate1 beautiful ,pierina thus overwhelmed below the nuptial couch on which the lovers slept for all eternity4 ,she had sunk down on her heels1 her arms hanging heavily beside her1 and her hands open4 ,and with raised face1 motionless as in an ecstasy of suffering1 she did not take her eyes from that adorable and tragic pair4 ,never had human face displayed such beauty1 such a dazzling splendour of suffering and love2 never had there been such a portrayal of ancient ,grief1 not however cold like marble but quivering with life4 ,what was she thinking of1 what were her sufferings1 as she thus fixedly gazed at her ,prince now and for ever locked in her rival's arms8 ,was it some jealousy which could have no end that chilled the blood of her veins8 ,or was it mere suffering at having lost him1 at realising that she was looking at him for the last time1 without thought of hatred for that other woman who vainly sought to warm him with her arms as icy cold as his own8 ,there was still a soft gleam in the poor girl's blurred eyes1 and her lips were still lips of love though curved in bitterness by grief4 ,she found the lovers so pure and beautiful as they lay there amidst that profusion of flowers6 ,and beautiful herself1 beautiful like a queen1 ignorant of her own charms1 she remained there breathless1 a humble servant1 a loving slave as it were1 whose heart had been wrenched away and carried off by her dying master4 ,people were now constantly entering the room1 slowly approaching with mournful faces1 then kneeling and praying for a few minutes1 and afterwards retiring with the same mute1 desolate mien4 ,a pang came to ,pierre's heart when he saw ,dario's mother1 the ever beautiful ,flavia1 enter1 accompanied by her husband1 the handsome ,jules ,laporte1 that ex-sergeant of the ,swiss ,guard whom she had turned into a ,marquis ,montefiori4 ,warned of the tragedy directly it had happened1 she had already come to the mansion on the previous evening2 but now she returned in grand ceremony and full mourning1 looking superb in her black garments which were well suited to her massive1 ,juno-like style of beauty4 ,when she had approached the bed with a queenly step1 she remained for a moment standing with two tears at the edges of her eyelids1 tears which did not fall4 ,then1 at the moment of kneeling1 she made sure that ,jules was beside her1 and glanced at him as if to order him to kneel as well4 ,they both sank down beside the platform and remained in prayer for the proper interval1 she very dignified in her grief and he even surpassing her1 with the perfect sorrow-stricken bearing of a man who knew how to conduct himself in every circumstance of life1 even the gravest4 ,and afterwards they rose together1 and slowly betook themselves to the entrance of the private apartments where the ,cardinal and ,donna ,serafina were receiving their relatives and friends4 ,five ladies then came in one after the other1 while two ,capuchins and the ,spanish ambassador to the ,holy ,see went off4 ,and ,victorine1 who for a few minutes had remained silent1 suddenly resumed4 8,ah6 there's the little ,princess1 she's much afflicted too1 and1 no wonder1 she was so fond of our ,benedetta40 ,pierre himself had just noticed ,celia coming in4 ,she also had attired herself in full mourning for this abominable visit of farewell4 ,behind her was a maid1 who carried on either arm a huge sheaf of white roses4 8,the dear girl60 murmured ,victorine1 8she wanted her wedding with her ,attilio to take place on the same day as that of the poor lovers who lie there4 ,and they1 alas6 have forestalled her1 their wedding's over2 there they sleep in their bridal bed40 ,celia had at once crossed herself and knelt down beside the bed1 but it was evident that she was not praying4 ,she was indeed looking at the lovers with desolate stupefaction at finding them so white and cold with a beauty as of marble4 ,what6 had a few hours sufficed1 had life departed1 would those lips never more exchange a kiss6 ,she could again see them at the ball of that other night1 so resplendent and triumphant with their living love4 ,and a feeling of furious protest rose from her young heart1 so open to life1 so eager for joy and sunlight1 so angry with the hateful idiocy of death4 ,and her anger and affright and grief1 as she thus found herself face to face with the annihilation which chills every passion1 could be read on her ingenuous1 candid1 lily-like face4 ,she herself stood on the threshold of a life of passion of which she yet knew nothing1 and behold6 on that very threshold she encountered the corpses of those dearly loved ones1 the loss of whom racked her soul with grief4 ,she gently closed her eyes and tried to pray1 whilst big tears fell from under her lowered eyelids4 ,some time went by amidst the quivering silence1 which only the murmur of the mass near by disturbed4 ,at last she rose and took the sheaves of flowers from her maid2 and standing on the platform she hesitated for a moment1 then placed the roses to the right and left of the cushion on which the lovers' heads were resting1 as if she wished to crown them with those blossoms1 perfume their young brows with that sweet and powerful aroma4 ,then1 though her hands remained empty she did not retire1 but remained there leaning over the dead ones1 trembling and seeking what she might yet say to them1 what she might leave them of herself for ever more4 ,an inspiration came to her1 and she stooped forward1 and with her whole1 deep1 loving soul set a long1 long kiss on the brow of either spouse4 8,ah6 the dear girl60 said ,victorine1 whose tears were again flowing4 8,you saw that she kissed them1 and nobody had yet thought of that1 not even the poor young ,prince's mother4 ,ah6 the dear little heart1 she surely thought of her ,attilio40 ,however1 as ,celia turned to descend from the platform she perceived ,la ,pierina1 whose figure was still thrown back in an attitude of mute and dolorous adoration4 ,and she recognised the girl and melted with pity on seeing such a fit of sobbing come over her that her whole body1 her goddess-like hips and bosom1 shook as with frightful anguish4 ,that agony of love quite upset the little ,princess1 and she could be heard murmuring in a tone of infinite compassion1 8,calm yourself1 my dear1 calm yourself4 ,be reasonable1 my dear1 ,i beg you40 ,then as ,la ,pierina1 thunderstruck at thus being pitied and succoured1 began to sob yet more loudly so as to create quite a stir in the room1 ,celia raised her and held her up with both arms1 for fear lest she should fall again4 ,and she led her away in a sisterly clasp1 like a sister of affection and despair1 lavishing the most gentle1 consoling words upon her as they went4 8,follow them1 go and see what becomes of them10 ,victorine said to ,pierre4 8,i do not want to stir from here1 it quiets me to watch over my two poor children40 ,a ,capuchin was just beginning a fresh mass at the improvised altar1 and the low ,latin psalmody went on again1 while in the adjoining ante-chamber1 where another mass was being celebrated1 a bell was heard tinkling for the elevation of the host4 ,the perfume of the flowers was becoming more violent and oppressive amidst the motionless and mournful atmosphere of the spacious throne-room4 ,the four servants standing at the head of the bed1 as for a gala reception1 did not stir1 and the procession of visitors ever continued1 men and women entering in silence1 suffocating there for a moment1 and then withdrawing1 carrying away with them the never-to-be-forgotten vision of the two tragic lovers sleeping their eternal sleep4 ,pierre joined ,celia and ,la ,pierina in the anticamera nobile1 where stood ,don ,vigilio4 ,the few seats belonging to the throne-room had there been placed in a corner1 and the little ,princess had just compelled the work-girl to sit down in an arm-chair1 in order that she might recover self-possession4 ,celia was in ecstasy before her1 enraptured at finding her so beautiful1 more beautiful than any other1 as she said4 ,then she spoke of the two dead ones1 who also had seemed to her very beautiful1 endowed with an extraordinary beauty1 at once superb and sweet2 and despite all her tears1 she still remained in a transport of admiration4 ,on speaking with ,la ,pierina1 ,pierre learnt that her brother ,tito was at the hospital in great danger from the effects of a terrible knife thrust dealt him in the side2 and since the beginning of the winter1 said the girl1 the misery in the district of the castle fields had become frightful4 ,it was a source of great suffering to every one1 and those whom death carried off had reason to rejoice4 ,celia1 however1 with a gesture of invincible hopefulness1 brushed all idea of suffering1 even of death1 aside4 8,no1 no1 we must live10 she said4 8,and beauty is sufficient for life4 ,come1 my dear1 do not remain here1 do not weep any more2 live for the delight of being beautiful40 ,then she led ,la ,pierina away1 and ,pierre remained seated in one of the arm-chairs1 overcome by such sorrow and weariness that he would have liked to remain there for ever4 ,don ,vigilio was still bowing to each fresh visitor that arrived4 ,a severe attack of fever had come on him during the night1 and he was shivering from it1 with his face very yellow1 and his eyes ablaze and haggard4 ,he constantly glanced at ,pierre1 as if anxious to speak to him1 but his dread lest he should be seen by ,abb ,paparelli1 who stood in the next ante-room1 the door of which was wide open1 doubtless restrained him1 for he did not cease to watch the train-bearer4 ,at last the latter was compelled to absent himself for a moment1 and the secretary thereupon approached the young ,frenchman4 8,you saw his ,holiness last night10 he said2 and as ,pierre gazed at him in stupefaction he added3 8,oh6 everything gets known1 ,i told you so before4 ,well1 and you purely and simply withdrew your book1 did you not80 ,the young priest's increasing stupor was sufficient answer1 and without leaving him time to reply1 ,don ,vigilio went on3 8,i suspected it1 but ,i wished to make certain4 ,ah6 that's just the way they work6 ,do you believe me now1 have you realised that they stifle those whom they don't poison80 ,he was no doubt referring to the ,jesuits4 ,however1 after glancing into the adjoining room to make sure that ,abb ,paparelli had not returned thither1 he resumed3 8,and what has ,monsignor ,nani just told you80 8,but ,i have not yet seen ,monsignor ,nani10 was ,pierre's reply4 8,oh6 ,i thought you had4 ,he passed through before you arrived4 ,if you did not see him in the throne-room he must have gone to pay his respects to ,donna ,serafina and his ,eminence4 ,however1 he will certainly pass this way again2 you will see him by and by40 ,then with the bitterness of one who was weak1 ever terror-smitten and vanquished1 ,don ,vigilio added3 8,i told you that you would end by doing what ,monsignor ,nani desired40 ,with these words1 fancying that he heard the light footfall of ,abb ,paparelli1 he hastily returned to his place and bowed to two old ladies who just then walked in4 ,and ,pierre1 still seated1 overcome1 his eyes wearily closing1 at last saw the figure of ,nani arise before him in all its reality so typical of sovereign intelligence and address4 ,he remembered what ,don ,vigilio1 on the famous night of his revelations1 had told him of this man who was far too shrewd to have labelled himself1 so to say1 with an unpopular robe1 and who1 withal1 was a charming prelate with thorough knowledge of the world1 acquired by long experience at different nunciatures and at the ,holy ,office1 mixed up in everything1 informed with regard to everything1 one of the heads1 one of the chief minds in fact of that modern black army1 which by dint of ,opportunism hopes to bring this century back to the ,church4 ,and all at once1 full enlightenment fell on ,pierre1 he realised by what supple1 clever strategy that man had led him to the act which he desired of him1 the pure and simple withdrawal of his book1 accomplished with every appearance of free will4 ,first there had been great annoyance on ,nani's part on learning that the book was being prosecuted1 for he feared lest its excitable author might be prompted to some dangerous revolt2 then plans had at once been formed1 information had been collected concerning this young priest who seemed so capable of schism1 he had been urged to come to ,rome1 invited to stay in an ancient mansion whose very walls would chill and enlighten him4 ,and afterwards had come the ever recurring obstacles1 the system of prolonging his sojourn in ,rome by preventing him from seeing the ,pope1 but promising him the much-desired interview when the proper time should come1 that is after he had been sent hither and thither and brought into collision with one and all4 ,and finally1 when every one and everything had shaken1 wearied1 and disgusted him1 and he was restored once more to his old doubts1 there had come the audience for which he had undergone all this preparation1 that visit to the ,pope which was destined to shatter whatever remained to him of his dream4 ,pierre could picture ,nani smiling at him and speaking to him1 declaring that the repeated delays were a favour of ,providence1 which would enable him to visit ,rome1 study and understand things1 reflect1 and avoid blunders4 ,how delicate and how profound had been the prelate's diplomacy in thus crushing his feelings beneath his reason1 appealing to his intelligence to suppress his work without any scandalous struggle as soon as his knowledge of the real ,rome should have shown him how supremely ridiculous it was to dream of a new one6 ,at that moment ,pierre perceived ,nani in person just coming from the throne-room1 and did not feel the irritation and rancour which he had anticipated4 ,on the contrary he was glad when the prelate1 in his turn seeing him1 drew near and held out his hand4 ,nani1 however1 did not wear his wonted smile1 but looked very grave1 quite grief-stricken4 8,ah6 my dear son10 he said1 8what a frightful catastrophe6 ,i have just left his ,eminence1 he is in tears4 ,it is horrible1 horrible60 ,he seated himself on one of the chairs1 inviting the young priest1 who had risen1 to do the same2 and for a moment he remained silent1 weary with emotion no doubt1 and needing a brief rest to free himself of the weight of thoughts which visibly darkened his usually bright face4 ,then1 with a gesture1 he strove to dismiss that gloom1 and recover his amiable cordiality4 8,well1 my dear son10 he began1 8you saw his ,holiness80 8,yes1 ,monseigneur1 yesterday evening2 and ,i thank you for your great kindness in satisfying my desire40 ,nani looked at him fixedly1 and his invincible smile again returned to his lips4 8,you thank me4444 ,i can well see that you behaved sensibly and laid your full submission at his ,holiness's feet4 ,i was certain of it1 ,i did not expect less of your fine intelligence4 ,but1 all the same1 you render me very happy1 for ,i am delighted to find that ,i was not mistaken concerning you40 ,and then1 setting aside his reserve1 the prelate went on3 8,i never discussed things with you4 ,what would have been the good of it1 since facts were there to convince you8 ,and now that you have withdrawn your book a discussion would be still more futile4 ,however1 just reflect that if it were possible for you to bring the ,church back to her early period1 to that ,christian community which you have sketched so delightfully1 she could only again follow the same evolutions as those in which ,god the first time guided her2 so that1 at the end of a similar number of centuries1 she would find herself exactly in the position which she occupies to-day4 ,no1 what ,god has done has been well done1 the ,church such as she is must govern the world1 such as it is2 it is for her alone to know how she will end by firmly establishing her reign here below4 ,and this is why your attack upon the temporal power was an unpardonable fault1 a crime even1 for by dispossessing the papacy of her domains you hand her over to the mercy of the nations4 ,your new religion is but the final downfall of all religion1 moral anarchy1 the liberty of schism1 in a word1 the destruction of the divine edifice1 that ancient ,catholicism which has shown such prodigious wisdom and solidity1 which has sufficed for the salvation of mankind till now1 and will alone be able to save it to-morrow and always40 ,pierre felt that ,nani was sincere1 pious even1 and really unshakable in his faith1 loving the ,church like a grateful son1 and convinced that she was the only social organisation which could render mankind happy4 ,and if he were bent on governing the world1 it was doubtless for the pleasure of governing1 but also in the conviction that no one could do so better than himself4 8,oh6 certainly10 said he1 8methods are open to discussion4 ,i desire them to be as affable and humane as possible1 as conciliatory as can be with this present century1 which seems to be escaping us1 precisely because there is a misunderstanding between us4 ,but we shall bring it back1 ,i am sure of it4 ,and that is why1 my dear son1 ,i am so pleased to see you return to the fold1 thinking as we think1 and ready to battle on our side1 is that not so80 ,in ,nani's words the young priest once more found the arguments of ,leo ,,xiii4 ,desiring to avoid a direct reply1 for although he now felt no anger the wrenching away of his dream had left him a smarting wound1 he bowed1 and replied slowly in order to conceal the bitter tremble of his voice3 8,i repeat1 ,monseigneur1 that ,i deeply thank you for having amputated my vain illusions with the skill of an accomplished surgeon4 ,a little later1 when ,i shall have ceased to suffer1 ,i shall think of you with eternal gratitude40 ,monsignor ,nani still looked at him with a smile4 ,he fully understood that this young priest would remain on one side1 that as an element of strength he was lost to the ,church4 ,what would he do now8 ,something foolish no doubt4 ,however1 the prelate had to content himself with having helped him to repair his first folly2 he could not foresee the future4 ,and he gracefully waved his hand as if to say that sufficient unto the day was the evil thereof4 8,will you allow me to conclude1 my dear son80 he at last exclaimed4 8,be sensible1 your happiness as a priest and a man lies in humility4 ,you will be terribly unhappy if you use the great intelligence which ,god has given you against ,him40 ,then with another gesture he dismissed this affair1 which was all over1 and with which he need busy himself no more4 ,and thereupon the other affair came back to make him gloomy1 that other affair which also was drawing to a close1 but so tragically1 with those two poor children slumbering in the adjoining room4 8,ah60 he resumed1 8that poor ,princess and that poor ,cardinal quite upset my heart6 ,never did catastrophe fall so cruelly on a house4 ,no1 no1 it is indeed too much1 misfortune goes too far--it revolts one's soul60 ,just as he finished a sound of voices came from the second ante-room1 and ,pierre was thunderstruck to see ,cardinal ,sanguinetti go by1 escorted with the greatest obsequiousness by ,abb ,paparelli4 8,if your most ,reverend ,eminence will have the extreme kindness to follow me10 the train-bearer was saying1 8,i will conduct your most ,reverend ,eminence myself40 8,yes10 replied ,sanguinetti1 8,i arrived yesterday evening from ,frascati1 and when ,i heard the sad news1 ,i at once desired to express my sorrow and offer consolation40 8,your ,eminence will perhaps condescend to remain for a moment near the bodies4 ,i will afterwards escort your ,eminence to the private apartments40 8,yes1 by all means4 ,i desire every one to know how greatly ,i participate in the sorrow which has fallen on this illustrious house40 ,then ,sanguinetti entered the throne-room1 leaving ,pierre quite aghast at his quiet audacity4 ,the young priest certainly did not accuse him of direct complicity with ,santobono1 he did not even dare to measure how far his moral complicity might go4 ,but on seeing him pass by like that1 his brow so lofty1 his speech so clear1 he had suddenly felt convinced that he knew the truth4 ,how or through whom1 he could not have told2 but doubtless crimes become known in those shady spheres by those whose interest it is to know of them4 ,and ,pierre remained quite chilled by the haughty fashion in which that man presented himself1 perhaps to stifle suspicion and certainly to accomplish an act of good policy by giving his rival a public mark of esteem and affection4 8,the ,cardinal6 ,here60 ,pierre murmured despite himself4 ,nani1 who followed the young man's thoughts in his childish eyes1 in which all could be read1 pretended to mistake the sense of his exclamation4 8,yes10 said he1 8,i learnt that the ,cardinal returned to ,rome yesterday evening4 ,he did not wish to remain away any longer2 the ,holy ,father being so much better that he might perhaps have need of him40 ,although these words were spoken with an air of perfect innocence1 ,pierre was not for a moment deceived by them4 ,and having in his turn glanced at the prelate1 he was convinced that the latter also knew the truth4 ,then1 all at once1 the whole affair appeared to him in its intricacy1 in the ferocity which fate had imparted to it4 ,nani1 an old intimate of the ,palazzo ,boccanera1 was not heartless1 he had surely loved ,benedetta with affection1 charmed by so much grace and beauty4 ,one could thus explain the victorious manner in which he had at last caused her marriage to be annulled4 ,but if ,don ,vigilio were to be believed1 that divorce1 obtained by pecuniary outlay1 and under pressure of the most notorious influences1 was simply a scandal which he1 ,nani1 had in the first instance spun out1 and then precipitated towards a resounding finish with the sole object of discrediting the ,cardinal and destroying his chances of the tiara on the eve of the ,conclave which everybody thought imminent4 ,it seemed certain1 too1 that the ,cardinal1 uncompromising as he was1 could not be the candidate of ,nani1 who was so desirous of universal agreement1 and so the latter's long labour in that house1 whilst conducing to the happiness of the ,contessina1 had been designed to frustrate ,donna ,serafina and ,cardinal ,pio in their burning ambition1 that third triumphant elevation to the papacy which they sought to secure for their ancient family4 ,however1 if ,nani had always desired to baulk this ambition1 and had even at one moment placed his hopes in ,sanguinetti and fought for him1 he had never imagined that ,boccanera's foes would go to the point of crime1 to such an abomination as poison which missed its mark and killed the innocent4 ,no1 no1 as he himself said1 that was too much1 and made one's soul rebel4 ,he employed more gentle weapons2 such brutality filled him with indignation2 and his face1 so pinky and carefully tended1 still wore the grave expression of his revolt in presence of the tearful ,cardinal and those poor lovers stricken in his stead4 ,believing that ,sanguinetti was still the prelate's secret candidate1 ,pierre was worried to know how far their moral complicity in this baleful affair might go4 ,so he resumed the conversation by saying3 8,it is asserted that his ,holiness is on bad terms with his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti4 ,of course the reigning pope cannot look on the future pope with a very kindly eye40 ,at this1 ,nani for a moment became quite gay in all frankness4 8,oh10 said he1 8the ,cardinal has quarrelled and made things up with the ,vatican three or four times already4 ,and1 in any event1 the ,holy ,father has no motive for posthumous jealousy2 he knows very well that he can give his ,eminence a good greeting40 ,then1 regretting that he had thus expressed a certainty1 he added3 8,i am joking1 his ,eminence is altogether worthy of the high fortune which perhaps awaits him40 ,pierre knew what to think however2 ,sanguinetti was certainly ,nani's candidate no longer4 ,it was doubtless considered that he had used himself up too much by his impatient ambition1 and was too dangerous by reason of the equivocal alliances which in his feverishness he had concluded with every party1 even that of patriotic young ,italy4 ,and thus the situation became clearer4 ,cardinals ,sanguinetti and ,boccanera devoured and suppressed one another2 the first1 ever intriguing1 accepting every compromise1 dreaming of winning ,rome back by electoral methods2 and the other1 erect and motionless in his stern maintenance of the past1 excommunicating the century1 and awaiting from ,god alone the miracle which would save the ,church4 ,and1 indeed1 why not leave the two theories1 thus placed face to face1 to destroy one another1 including all the extreme1 disquieting views which they respectively embodied8 ,if ,boccanera had escaped the poison1 he had none the less become an impossible candidate1 killed by all the stories which had set ,rome buzzing2 while if ,sanguinetti could say that he was rid of a rival1 he had at the same time dealt a mortal blow to his own candidature1 by displaying such passion for power1 and such unscrupulousness with regard to the methods he employed1 as to be a danger for every one4 ,monsignor ,nani was visibly delighted with this result2 neither candidate was left1 it was like the legendary story of the two wolves who fought and devoured one another so completely that nothing of either of them was found left1 not even their tails6 ,and in the depths of the prelate's pale eyes1 in the whole of his discreet person1 there remained nothing but redoubtable mystery3 the mystery of the yet unknown1 but definitively selected candidate who would be patronised by the all-powerful army of which he was one of the most skilful leaders4 ,a man like him always had a solution ready4 ,who1 then1 who would be the next pope8 ,however1 he now rose and cordially took leave of the young priest4 8,i doubt if ,i shall see you again1 my dear son10 he said2 8,i wish you a good journey40 ,still he did not go off1 but continued to look at ,pierre with his penetrating eyes1 and finally made him sit down again and did the same himself4 8,i feel sure10 he said1 8that you will go to pay your respects to ,cardinal ,bergerot as soon as you have returned to ,france4 ,kindly tell him that ,i respectfully desired to be reminded to him4 ,i knew him a little at the time when he came here for his hat4 ,he is one of the great luminaries of the ,french clergy4 ,ah6 a man of such intelligence would only work for a good understanding in our holy ,church4 ,unfortunately ,i fear that race and environment have instilled prejudices into him1 for he does not always help us40 ,pierre1 who was surprised to hear ,nani speak of the ,cardinal for the first time at this moment of farewell1 listened with curiosity4 ,then in all frankness he replied3 8,yes1 his ,eminence has very decided ideas about our old ,church of ,france4 ,for instance1 he professes perfect horror of the ,jesuits40 ,with a light exclamation ,nani stopped the young man4 ,and he wore the most sincerely1 frankly astonished air that could be imagined4 8,what6 horror of the ,jesuits6 ,in what way can the ,jesuits disquiet him8 ,the ,jesuits1 there are none1 that's all over6 ,have you seen any in ,rome8 ,have they troubled you in any way1 those poor ,jesuits who haven't even a stone of their own left here on which to lay their heads8 ,no1 no1 that bogey mustn't be brought up again1 it's childish40 ,pierre in his turn looked at him1 marvelling at his perfect ease1 his quiet courage in dealing with this burning subject4 ,he did not avert his eyes1 but displayed an open face like a book of truth4 8,ah60 he continued1 8if by ,jesuits you mean the sensible priests who1 instead of entering into sterile and dangerous struggles with modern society1 seek by human methods to bring it back to the ,church1 why1 then of course we are all of us more or less ,jesuits1 for it would be madness not to take into account the times in which one lives4 ,and besides1 ,i won't haggle over words2 they are of no consequence6 ,jesuits1 well1 yes1 if you like1 ,jesuits60 ,he was again smiling with that shrewd smile of his in which there was so much raillery and so much intelligence4 8,well1 when you see ,cardinal ,bergerot tell him that it is unreasonable to track the ,jesuits and treat them as enemies of the nation4 ,the contrary is the truth4 ,the ,jesuits are for ,france1 because they are for wealth1 strength1 and courage4 ,france is the only great ,catholic country which has yet remained erect and sovereign1 the only one on which the papacy can some day lean4 ,thus the ,holy ,father1 after momentarily dreaming of obtaining support from victorious ,germany1 has allied himself with ,france1 the vanquished1 because he has understood that apart from ,france there can be no salvation for the ,church4 ,and in this he has only followed the policy of the ,jesuits1 those frightful ,jesuits1 whom your ,parisians execrate4 ,and tell ,cardinal ,bergerot also that it would be grand of him to work for pacification by making people understand how wrong it is for your ,republic to help the ,holy ,father so little in his conciliatory efforts4 ,it pretends to regard him as an element in the world's affairs that may be neglected2 and that is dangerous1 for although he may seem to have no political means of action he remains an immense moral force1 and can at any moment raise consciences in rebellion and provoke a religious agitation of the most far-reaching consequences4 ,it is still he who disposes of the nations1 since he disposes of their souls1 and the ,republic acts most inconsiderately1 from the standpoint of its own interests1 in showing that it no longer even suspects it4 ,and tell the ,cardinal too1 that it is really pitiful to see in what a wretched way your ,republic selects its bishops1 as though it intentionally desired to weaken its episcopacy4 ,leaving out a few fortunate exceptions1 your bishops are men of small brains1 and as a result your cardinals1 likewise mere mediocrities1 have no influence1 play no part here in ,rome4 ,ah6 what a sorry figure you ,frenchmen will cut at the next ,conclave6 ,and so why do you show such blind and foolish hatred of those ,jesuits1 who1 politically1 are your friends8 ,why don't you employ their intelligent zeal1 which is ready to serve you1 so that you may assure yourselves the help of the next1 the coming pope8 ,it is necessary for you that he should be on your side1 that he should continue the work of ,leo ,,xiii1 which is so badly judged and so much opposed1 but which cares little for the petty results of to-day1 since its purpose lies in the future1 in the union of all the nations under their holy mother the ,church4 ,tell ,cardinal ,bergerot1 tell him plainly that he ought to be with us1 that he ought to work for his country by working for us4 ,the coming pope1 why the whole question lies in that1 and woe to ,france if in him she does not find a continuator of ,leo ,,xiii60 ,nani had again risen1 and this time he was going off4 ,never before had he unbosomed himself at such length4 ,but most assuredly he had only said what he desired to say1 for a purpose that he alone knew of1 and in a firm1 gentle1 and deliberate voice by which one could tell that each word had been weighed and determined beforehand4 8,farewell1 my dear son10 he said1 8and once again think over all you have seen and heard in ,rome4 ,be as sensible as you can1 and do not spoil your life40 ,pierre bowed1 and pressed the small1 plump1 supple hand which the prelate offered him4 8,monseigneur10 he replied1 8,i again thank you for all your kindness2 you may be sure that ,i shall forget nothing of my journey40 ,then he watched ,nani as he went off1 with a light and conquering step as if marching to all the victories of the future4 ,no1 no1 he1 ,pierre1 would forget nothing of his journey6 ,he well knew that union of all the nations under their holy mother the ,church1 that temporal bondage in which the law of ,christ would become the dictatorship of ,augustus1 master of the world6 ,and as for those ,jesuits1 he had no doubt that they did love ,france1 the eldest daughter of the ,church1 and the only daughter that could yet help her mother to reconquer universal sovereignty1 but they loved her even as the black swarms of locusts love the harvests which they swoop upon and devour4 ,infinite sadness had returned to the young man's heart as he dimly realised that in that sorely-stricken mansion1 in all that mourning and downfall1 it was they1 they again1 who must have been the artisans of grief and disaster4 ,as this thought came to him he turned round and perceived ,don ,vigilio leaning against the credence in front of the large portrait of the ,cardinal4 ,holding his hands to his face as if he desired to annihilate himself1 the secretary was shivering in every limb as much with fear as with fever4 ,at a moment when no fresh visitors were arriving he had succumbed to an attack of terrified despair4 8,mon ,dieu6 ,what is the matter with you80 asked ,pierre stepping forward1 8are you ill1 can ,i help you80 ,but ,don ,vigilio1 suffocating and still hiding his face1 could only gasp between his close-pressed hands 8,ah6 ,paparelli1 ,paparelli60 8,what is it8 ,what has he done to you80 asked the other astonished4 ,then the secretary disclosed his face1 and again yielded to his quivering desire to confide in some one4 8,eh8 what he has done to me8 ,can't you feel anything1 can't you see anything then8 ,didn't you notice the manner in which he took possession of ,cardinal ,sanguinetti so as to conduct him to his ,eminence8 ,to impose that suspected1 hateful rival on his ,eminence at such a moment as this1 what insolent audacity6 ,and a few minutes previously did you notice with what wicked cunning he bowed out an old lady1 a very old family friend1 who only desired to kiss his ,eminence's hand and show a little real affection which would have made his ,eminence so happy6 ,ah6 ,i tell you that he's the master here1 he opens or closes the door as he pleases1 and holds us all between his fingers like a pinch of dust which one throws to the wind60 ,pierre became anxious1 seeing how yellow and feverish ,don ,vigilio was3 8,come1 come1 my dear fellow10 he said1 8you are exaggerating60 8,exaggerating8 ,do you know what happened last night1 what ,i myself unwillingly witnessed8 ,no1 you don't know it2 well1 ,i will tell you40 ,thereupon he related that ,donna ,serafina1 on returning home on the previous day to face the terrible catastrophe awaiting her1 had already been overcome by the bad news which she had learnt when calling on the ,cardinal ,secretary and various prelates of her acquaintance4 ,she had then acquired a certainty that her brother's position was becoming extremely bad1 for he had made so many fresh enemies among his colleagues of the ,sacred ,college1 that his election to the pontifical throne1 which a year previously had seemed probable1 now appeared an impossibility4 ,thus1 all at once1 the dream of her life collapsed1 the ambition which she had so long nourished lay in dust at her feet4 ,on despairingly seeking the why and wherefore of this change1 she had been told of all sorts of blunders committed by the ,cardinal1 acts of rough sternness1 unseasonable manifestations of opinion1 inconsiderate words or actions which had sufficed to wound people1 in fact such provoking demeanour that one might have thought it adopted with the express intention of spoiling everything4 ,and the worst was that in each of the blunders she had recognised errors of judgment which she herself had blamed1 but which her brother had obstinately insisted on perpetrating under the unacknowledged influence of ,abb ,paparelli1 that humble and insignificant train-bearer1 in whom she detected a baneful and powerful adviser who destroyed her own vigilant and devoted influence4 ,and so1 in spite of the mourning in which the house was plunged1 she did not wish to delay the punishment of the traitor1 particularly as his old friendship with that terrible ,santobono1 and the story of that basket of figs which had passed from the hands of the one to those of the other1 chilled her blood with a suspicion which she even recoiled from elucidating4 ,however1 at the first words she spoke1 directly she made a formal request that the traitor should be immediately turned out of the house1 she was confronted by invincible resistance on her brother's part4 ,he would not listen to her1 but flew into one of those hurricane-like passions which swept everything away1 reproaching her for laying blame on so modest1 pious1 and saintly a man1 and accusing her of playing into the hands of his enemies1 who1 after killing ,monsignor ,gallo1 were seeking to poison his sole remaining affection for that poor1 insignificant priest4 ,he treated all the stories he was told as abominable inventions1 and swore that he would keep the train-bearer in his service if only to show his disdain for calumny4 ,and she was thereupon obliged to hold her peace4 ,however1 ,don ,vigilio's shuddering fit had again come back2 he carried his hands to his face stammering3 8,ah6 ,paparelli1 ,paparelli60 ,and muttered invectives followed3 the train-bearer was an artful hypocrite who feigned modesty and humility1 a vile spy appointed to pry into everything1 listen to everything1 and pervert everything that went on in the palace2 he was a loathsome1 destructive insect1 feeding on the most noble prey1 devouring the lion's mane1 a ,jesuit--the ,jesuit who is at once lackey and tyrant1 in all his base horror as he accomplishes the work of vermin4 8,calm yourself1 calm yourself10 repeated ,pierre1 who whilst allowing for foolish exaggeration on the secretary's part could not help shivering at thought of all the threatening things which he himself could divine astir in the gloom4 ,however1 since ,don ,vigilio had so narrowly escaped eating those horrible figs1 his fright was such that nothing could calm it4 ,even when he was alone at night1 in bed1 with his door locked and bolted1 sudden terror fell on him and made him hide his head under the sheet and vent stifled cries as if he thought that men were coming through the wall to strangle him4 ,in a faint1 breathless voice1 as if just emerging from a struggle1 he now resumed3 8,i told you what would happen on the evening when we had a talk together in your room4 ,although all the doors were securely shut1 ,i did wrong to speak of them to you1 ,i did wrong to ease my heart by telling you all that they were capable of4 ,i was sure they would learn it1 and you see they did learn it1 since they tried to kill me4444 ,why it's even wrong of me to tell you this1 for it will reach their ears and they won't miss me the next time4 ,ah6 it's all over1 ,i'm as good as dead2 this house which ,i thought so safe will be my tomb40 ,pierre began to feel deep compassion for this ailing man1 whose feverish brain was haunted by nightmares1 and whose life was being finally wrecked by the anguish of persecution mania4 8,but you must run away in that case60 he said4 8,don't stop here2 come to ,france40 ,don ,vigilio looked at him1 momentarily calmed by surprise4 8,run away1 why8 ,go to ,france8 ,why1 they are there6 ,no matter where ,i might go1 they would be there4 ,they are everywhere1 ,i should always be surrounded by them6 ,no1 no1 ,i prefer to stay here and would rather die at once if his ,eminence can no longer defend me40 ,with an expression of ardent entreaty in which a last gleam of hope tried to assert itself1 he raised his eyes to the large painting in which the ,cardinal stood forth resplendent in his cassock of red moire2 but his attack came back again and overwhelmed him with increased intensity of fever4 8,leave me1 ,i beg you1 leave me10 he gasped4 8,don't make me talk any more4 ,ah6 ,paparelli1 ,paparelli6 ,if he should come back and see us and hear me speak4444 ,oh6 ,i'll never say anything again4 ,i'll tie up my tongue1 ,i'll cut it off4 ,leave me1 you are killing me1 ,i tell you1 he'll be coming back and that will mean my death4 ,go away1 oh6 for mercy's sake1 go away60 ,thereupon ,don ,vigilio turned towards the wall as if to flatten his face against it1 and immure his lips in tomb-like silence2 and ,pierre resolved to leave him to himself1 fearing lest he should provoke a yet more serious attack if he went on endeavouring to succour him4 ,on returning to the throne-room the young priest again found himself amidst all the frightful mourning4 ,mass was following mass2 without cessation murmured prayers entreated the divine mercy to receive the two dear departed souls with loving kindness4 ,and amidst the dying perfume of the fading roses1 in front of the pale stars of the lighted candles1 ,pierre thought of that supreme downfall of the ,boccaneras4 ,dario was the last of the name1 and one could well understand that the ,cardinal1 whose only sin was family pride1 should have loved that one remaining scion by whom alone the old stock might yet blossom afresh4 ,and indeed1 if he and ,donna ,serafina had desired the divorce1 and then the marriage of the cousins1 it had been less with the view of putting an end to scandal than with the hope of seeing a new line of ,boccaneras spring up4 ,but the lovers were dead1 and the last remains of a long series of dazzling princes of sword and of gown lay there on that bed1 soon to rot in the grave4 ,it was all over2 that old maid and that aged ,cardinal could leave no posterity4 ,they remained face to face like two withered oaks1 sole remnants of a vanished forest1 and their fall would soon leave the plain quite clear4 ,and how terrible the grief of surviving in impotence1 what anguish to have to tell oneself that one is the end of everything1 that with oneself all life1 all hope for the morrow will depart6 ,amidst the murmur of the prayers1 the dying perfume of the roses1 the pale gleams of the two candies1 ,pierre realised what a downfall was that bereavement1 how heavy was the gravestone which fell for ever on an extinct house1 a vanished world4 ,he well understood that as one of the familiars of the mansion he must pay his respects to ,donna ,serafina and the ,cardinal1 and he at once sought admission to the neighbouring room where the ,princess was receiving her friends4 ,he found her robed in black1 very slim and very erect in her arm-chair1 whence she rose with slow dignity to respond to the bow of each person that entered4 ,she listened to the condolences but answered never a word1 overcoming her physical pain by rigidity of bearing4 ,pierre1 who had learnt to know her1 could divine1 however1 by the hollowness of her cheeks1 the emptiness of her eyes1 and the bitter twinge of her mouth1 how frightful was the collapse within her4 ,not only was her race ended1 but her brother would never be pope1 never secure the elevation which she had so long fancied she was winning for him by dint of devotion1 dint of feminine renunciation1 giving brain and heart1 care and money1 foregoing even wifehood and motherhood1 spoiling her whole life1 in order to realise that dream4 ,and amidst all the ruin of hope1 it was perhaps the nonfulfilment of that ambition which most made her heart bleed4 ,she rose for the young priest1 her guest1 as she rose for the other persons who presented themselves2 but she contrived to introduce shades of meaning into the manner in which she quitted her chair1 and ,pierre fully realised that he had remained in her eyes a mere petty ,french priest1 an insignificant domestic of the ,divinity who had not known how to acquire even the title of prelate4 ,when she had again seated herself after acknowledging his compliment with a slight inclination of the head1 he remained for a moment standing1 out of politeness4 ,not a word1 not a sound disturbed the mournful quiescence of the room1 for although there were four or five lady visitors seated there they remained motionless and silent as with grief4 ,pierre was most struck1 however1 by the sight of ,cardinal ,sarno1 who was lying back in an arm-chair with his eyes closed4 ,the poor puny lopsided old man had lingered there forgetfully after expressing his condolences1 and1 overcome by the heavy silence and close atmosphere1 had just fallen asleep4 ,and everybody respected his slumber4 ,was he dreaming as he dozed of that map of ,christendom which he carried behind his low obtuse-looking brow8 ,was he continuing in dreamland his terrible work of conquest1 that task of subjecting and governing the earth which he directed from his dark room at the ,propaganda8 ,the ladies glanced at him affectionately and deferentially2 he was gently scolded at times for over-working himself1 the sleepiness which nowadays frequently overtook him in all sorts of places being attributed to excess of genius and zeal4 ,and of this all-powerful ,eminence ,pierre was destined to carry off only this last impression3 an exhausted old man1 resting amidst the emotion of a mourning-gathering1 sleeping there like a candid child1 without any one knowing whether this were due to the approach of senile imbecility1 or to the fatigues of a night spent in organising the reign of ,god over some distant continent4 ,two ladies went off and three more arrived4 ,donna ,serafina rose1 bowed1 and then reseated herself1 reverting to her rigid attitude1 her bust erect1 her face stern and full of despair4 ,cardinal ,sarno was still asleep4 ,then ,pierre felt as if he would stifle1 a kind of vertigo came on him1 and his heart beat violently4 ,so he bowed and withdrew3 and on passing through the dining-room on his way to the little study where ,cardinal ,boccanera received his visitors1 he found himself in the presence of ,paparelli who was jealously guarding the door4 ,when the train-bearer had sniffed at the young man1 he seemed to realise that he could not refuse him admittance4 ,moreover1 as this intruder was going away the very next day1 defeated and covered with shame1 there was nothing to be feared from him4 8,you wish to see his ,eminence80 said ,paparelli4 8,good1 good4 ,by and by1 wait40 ,and opining that ,pierre was too near the door1 he pushed him back to the other end of the room1 for fear no doubt lest he should overhear anything4 8,his ,eminence is still engaged with his ,eminence ,cardinal ,sanguinetti4 ,wait1 wait there60 ,sanguinetti indeed had made a point of kneeling for a long time in front of the bodies in the throne-room1 and had then spun out his visit to ,donna ,serafina in order to mark how largely he shared the family sorrow4 ,and for more than ten minutes now he had been closeted with ,cardinal ,boccanera1 nothing but an occasional murmur of their voices being heard through the closed door4 ,pierre1 however1 on finding ,paparelli there1 was again haunted by all that ,don ,vigilio had told him4 ,he looked at the train-bearer1 so fat and short1 puffed out with bad fat in his dirty cassock1 his face flabby and wrinkled1 and his whole person at forty years of age suggestive of that of a very old maid3 and he felt astonished4 ,how was it that ,cardinal ,boccanera1 that superb prince who carried his head so high1 and who was so supremely proud of his name1 had allowed himself to be captured and swayed by such a frightful creature reeking of baseness and abomination8 ,was it not the man's very physical degradation and profound humility that had struck him1 disturbed him1 and finally fascinated him1 as wondrous gifts conducing to salvation1 which he himself lacked8 ,paparelli's person and disposition were like blows dealt to his own handsome presence and his own pride4 ,he1 who could not be so deformed1 he who could not vanquish his passion for glory1 must1 by an effort of faith1 have grown jealous of that man who was so extremely ugly and so extremely insignificant1 he must have come to admire him as a superior force of penitence and human abasement which threw the portals of heaven wide open4 ,who can ever tell what ascendency is exercised by the monster over the hero2 by the horrid-looking saint covered with vermin over the powerful of this world in their terror at having to endure everlasting flames in payment of their terrestrial joys8 ,and 'twas indeed the lion devoured by the insect1 vast strength and splendour destroyed by the invisible4 ,ah6 to have that fine soul which was so certain of paradise1 which for its welfare was enclosed in such a disgusting body1 to possess the happy humility of that wide intelligence1 that remarkable theologian1 who scourged himself with rods each morning on rising1 and was content to be the lowest of servants4 ,standing there a heap of livid fat1 ,paparelli on his side watched ,pierre with his little grey eyes blinking amidst the myriad wrinkles of his face4 ,and the young priest began to feel uneasy1 wondering what their ,eminences could be saying to one another1 shut up together like that for so long a time4 ,and what an interview it must be if ,boccanera suspected ,sanguinetti of counting ,santobono among his clients4 ,what serene audacity it was on ,sanguinetti's part to have dared to present himself in that house1 and what strength of soul there must be on ,boccanera's part1 what empire over himself1 to prevent all scandal by remaining silent and accepting the visit as a simple mark of esteem and affection6 ,what could they be saying to one another1 however8 ,how interesting it would have been to have seen them face to face1 and have heard them exchange the diplomatic phrases suited to such an interview1 whilst their souls were raging with furious hatred6 ,all at once the door opened and ,cardinal ,sanguinetti appeared with calm face1 no ruddier than usual1 indeed a trifle paler1 and retaining the fitting measure of sorrow which he had thought it right to assume4 ,his restless eyes alone revealed his delight at being rid of a difficult task4 ,and he was going off1 all hope1 in the conviction that he was the only eligible candidate to the papacy that remained4 ,abb ,paparelli had darted forward3 8,if your ,eminence will kindly follow me--,i will escort your ,eminence to the door40 ,then1 turning towards ,pierre1 he added3 8,you may go in now40 ,pierre watched them walk away1 the one so humble behind the other1 who was so triumphant4 ,then he entered the little work-room1 furnished simply with a table and three chairs1 and in the centre of it he at once perceived ,cardinal ,boccanera still standing in the lofty1 noble attitude which he had assumed to take leave of ,sanguinetti1 his hated rival to the pontifical throne4 ,and1 visibly1 ,boccanera also believed himself the only possible pope1 the one whom the coming ,conclave would elect4 ,however1 when the door had been closed1 and the ,cardinal beheld that young priest1 his guest1 who had witnessed the death of those two dear children lying in the adjoining room1 he was again mastered by emotion1 an unexpected attack of weakness in which all his energy collapsed4 ,his human feelings were taking their revenge now that his rival was no longer there to see him4 ,he staggered like an old tree smitten with the axe1 and sank upon a chair1 stifling with sobs4 ,and as ,pierre1 according to usage1 was about to stoop and kiss his ring1 he raised him and at once made him sit down1 stammering in a halting voice3 8,no1 no1 my dear son6 ,seat yourself there1 wait--,excuse me1 leave me to myself for a moment1 my heart is bursting40 ,he sobbed with his hands to his face1 unable to master himself1 unable to drive back his grief with those yet vigorous fingers which were pressed to his cheeks and temples4 ,tears came into ,pierre's eyes1 for he also lived through all that woe afresh1 and was much upset by the weeping of that tall old man1 that saint and prince1 usually so haughty1 so fully master of himself1 but now only a poor1 suffering1 agonising man1 as weak and as lost as a child4 ,however1 although the young priest was likewise stifling with grief1 he desired to present his condolences1 and sought for kindly words by which he might soothe the other's despair4 8,i beg your ,eminence to believe in my profound grief10 he said4 8,i have been overwhelmed with kindness here1 and desired at once to tell your ,eminence how much that irreparable loss--0 ,but with a brave gesture the ,cardinal silenced him4 8,no1 no1 say nothing1 for mercy's sake say nothing60 ,and silence reigned while he continued weeping1 shaken by the struggle he was waging1 his efforts to regain sufficient strength to overcome himself4 ,at last he mastered his quiver and slowly uncovered his face1 which had again become calm1 like that of a believer strong in his faith1 and submissive to the will of ,god4 ,in refusing a miracle1 in dealing so hard a blow to that house1 ,god had doubtless had ,his reasons1 and he1 the ,cardinal1 one of ,god's ministers1 one of the high dignitaries of ,his terrestrial court1 was in duty bound to bow to it4 ,the silence lasted for another moment1 and then1 in a voice which he managed to render natural and cordial1 ,boccanera said3 8,you are leaving us1 you are going back to ,france to-morrow1 are you not1 my dear son80 8,yes1 ,i shall have the honour to take leave of your ,eminence to-morrow1 again thanking your ,eminence for your inexhaustible kindness40 8,and you have learnt that the ,congregation of the ,index has condemned your book1 as was inevitable80 8,yes1 ,i obtained the signal favour of being received by his ,holiness1 and in his presence made my submission and reprobated my book40 ,the ,cardinal's moist eyes again began to sparkle4 8,ah6 you did that1 ah6 you did well1 my dear son10 he said4 8,it was only your strict duty as a priest1 but there are so many nowadays who do not even do their duty6 ,as a member of the ,congregation ,i kept the promise ,i gave you to read your book1 particularly the incriminated pages4 ,and if ,i afterwards remained neutral1 to such a point even as to miss the sitting in which judgment was pronounced1 it was only to please my poor1 dear niece1 who was so fond of you1 and who pleaded your cause to me40 ,tears were coming into his eyes again1 and he paused1 feeling that he would once more be overcome if he evoked the memory of that adored and lamented ,benedetta4 ,and so it was with a pugnacious bitterness that he resumed3 8,but what an execrable book it was1 my dear son1 allow me to tell you so4 ,you told me that you had shown respect for dogma1 and ,i still wonder what aberration can have come over you that you should have been so blind to all consciousness of your offences4 ,respect for dogma--good ,lord6 when the entire work is the negation of our holy religion6 ,did you not realise that by asking for a new religion you absolutely condemned the old one1 the only true one1 the only good one1 the only one that can be eternal8 ,and that sufficed to make your book the most deadly of poisons1 one of those infamous books which in former times were burnt by the hangman1 and which one is nowadays compelled to leave in circulation after interdicting them and thereby designating them to evil curiosity1 which explains the contagious rottenness of the century4 ,ah6 ,i well recognised there some of the ideas of our distinguished and poetical relative1 that dear ,viscount ,philibert de la ,choue4 ,a man of letters1 yes6 a man of letters6 ,literature1 mere literature6 ,i beg ,god to forgive him1 for he most surely does not know what he is doing1 or whither he is going with his elegiac ,christianity for talkative working men and young persons of either sex1 to whom scientific notions have given vagueness of soul4 ,and ,i only feel angry with his ,eminence ,cardinal ,bergerot1 for he at any rate knows what he does1 and does as he pleases4 ,no1 say nothing1 do not defend him4 ,he personifies ,revolution in the ,church1 and is against ,god40 ,although ,pierre had resolved that he would not reply or argue1 he had allowed a gesture of protest to escape him on hearing this furious attack upon the man whom he most respected in the whole world4 ,however1 he yielded to ,cardinal ,boccanera's injunction and again bowed4 8,i cannot sufficiently express my horror10 the ,cardinal roughly continued2 8yes1 my horror for all that hollow dream of a new religion6 ,that appeal to the most hideous passions which stir up the poor against the rich1 by promising them ,i know not what division of wealth1 what community of possession which is nowadays impossible6 ,that base flattery shown to the lower orders to whom equality and justice are promised but never given1 for these can come from ,god alone1 it is only ,he who can finally make them reign on the day appointed by ,his almighty power6 ,and there is even that interested charity which people abuse of to rail against ,heaven itself and accuse it of iniquity and indifference1 that lackadaisical weakening charity and compassion1 unworthy of strong firm hearts1 for it is as if human suffering were not necessary for salvation1 as if we did not become more pure1 greater and nearer to the supreme happiness1 the more and more we suffer60 ,he was growing excited1 full of anguish1 and superb4 ,it was his bereavement1 his heart wound1 which thus exasperated him1 the great blow which had felled him for a moment1 but against which he again rose erect1 defying grief1 and stubborn in his stoic belief in an omnipotent ,god1 who was the master of mankind1 and reserved felicity to those whom ,he selected4 ,again1 however1 he made an effort to calm himself1 and resumed in a more gentle voice3 8,at all events the fold is always open1 my dear son1 and here you are back in it since you have repented4 ,you cannot imagine how happy it makes me40 ,in his turn ,pierre strove to show himself conciliatory in order that he might not further ulcerate that violent1 grief-stricken soul3 8,your ,eminence10 said he1 8may be sure that ,i shall endeavour to remember every one of the kind words which your ,eminence has spoken to me1 in the same way as ,i shall remember the fatherly greeting of his ,holiness ,leo ,,xiii40 ,this sentence seemed to throw ,boccanera into agitation again4 ,at first only murmured1 restrained words came from him1 as if he were struggling against a desire to question the young priest4 8,ah yes6 you saw his ,holiness1 you spoke to him1 and he told you ,i suppose1 as he tells all the foreigners who go to pay their respects to him1 that he desires conciliation and peace4 ,for my part ,i now only see him when it is absolutely necessary2 for more than a year ,i have not been received in private audience40 ,this proof of disfavour1 of the covert struggle which as in the days of ,pius ,,ix kept the ,holy ,father and the ,camerlingo at variance1 filled the latter with bitterness4 ,he was unable to restrain himself and spoke out1 reflecting no doubt that he had a familiar before him1 one whose discretion was certain1 and who moreover was leaving ,rome on the morrow4 8,one may go a long way10 said he1 8with those fine words1 peace and conciliation1 which are so often void of real wisdom and courage4 ,the terrible truth is that ,leo ,,xiii's eighteen years of concessions have shaken everything in the ,church1 and should he long continue to reign ,catholicism would topple over and crumble into dust like a building whose pillars have been undermined40 ,interested by this remark1 ,pierre in his desire for knowledge began to raise objections4 8,but hasn't his ,holiness shown himself very prudent80 he asked2 8has he not placed dogma on one side in an impregnable fortress8 ,if he seems to have made concessions on many points1 have they not always been concessions in mere matters of form80 8,matters of form2 ah1 yes60 the ,cardinal resumed with increasing passion4 8,he told you1 no doubt1 as he tells others1 that whilst in substance he will make no surrender1 he will readily yield in matters of form6 ,it's a deplorable axiom1 an equivocal form of diplomacy even when it isn't so much low hypocrisy6 ,my soul revolts at the thought of that ,opportunism1 that ,jesuitism which makes artifice its weapon1 and only serves to cast doubt among true believers1 the confusion of a sauve-qui-peut1 which by and by must lead to inevitable defeat4 ,it is cowardice1 the worst form of cowardice1 abandonment of one's weapons in order that one may retreat the more speedily1 shame of oneself1 assumption of a mask in the hope of deceiving the enemy1 penetrating into his camp1 and overcoming him by treachery6 ,no1 no1 form is everything in a traditional and immutable religion1 which for eighteen hundred years has been1 is now1 and till the end of time will be the very law of ,god60 ,the ,cardinal's feelings so stirred him that he was unable to remain seated1 and began to walk about the little room4 ,and it was the whole reign1 the whole policy of ,leo ,,xiii which he discussed and condemned4 8,unity too10 he continued1 8that famous unity of the ,christian ,church which his ,holiness talks of bringing about1 and his desire for which people turn to his great glory1 why1 it is only the blind ambition of a conqueror enlarging his empire without asking himself if the new nations that he subjects may not disorganise1 adulterate1 and impregnate his old and hitherto faithful people with every error4 ,what if all the schismatical nations on returning to the ,catholic ,church should so transform it as to kill it and make it a new ,church8 ,there is only one wise course1 which is to be what one is1 and that firmly4 ,again1 isn't there both shame and danger in that pretended alliance with the democracy which in itself gives the lie to the ancient spirit of the papacy8 ,the right of kings is divine1 and to abandon the monarchical principle is to set oneself against ,god1 to compound with revolution1 and harbour a monstrous scheme of utilising the madness of men the better to establish one's power over them4 ,all republics are forms of anarchy1 and there can be no more criminal act1 one which must for ever shake the principle of authority1 order1 and religion itself1 than that of recognising a republic as legitimate for the sole purpose of indulging a dream of impossible conciliation4 ,and observe how this bears on the question of the temporal power4 ,he continues to claim it1 he makes a point of no surrender on that question of the restoration of ,rome2 but in reality1 has he not made the loss irreparable1 has he not definitively renounced ,rome1 by admitting that nations have the right to drive away their kings and live like wild beasts in the depths of the forest80 ,all at once the ,cardinal stopped short and raised his arms to ,heaven in a burst of holy anger4 8,ah6 that man1 ah6 that man who by his vanity and craving for success will have proved the ruin of the ,church1 that man who has never ceased corrupting everything1 dissolving everything1 crumbling everything in order to reign over the world which he fancies he will reconquer by those means1 why1 ,almighty ,god1 why hast ,thou not already called him to ,thee80 ,so sincere was the accent in which that appeal to ,death was raised1 to such a point was hatred magnified by a real desire to save the ,deity imperilled here below1 that a great shudder swept through ,pierre also4 ,he now understood that ,cardinal ,boccanera who religiously and passionately hated ,leo ,,xiii2 he saw him in the depths of his black palace1 waiting and watching for the ,pope's death1 that death which as ,camerlingo he must officially certify4 ,how feverishly he must wait1 how impatiently he must desire the advent of the hour1 when with his little silver hammer he would deal the three symbolic taps on the skull of ,leo ,,xiii1 while the latter lay cold and rigid on his bed surrounded by his pontifical ,court4 ,ah6 to strike that wall of the brain1 to make sure that nothing more would answer from within1 that nothing beyond night and silence was left there4 ,and the three calls would ring out3 8,gioachino6 ,gioachino6 ,gioachino60 ,and1 the corpse making no answer1 the ,camerlingo after waiting for a few seconds would turn and say3 8,the ,pope is dead60 8,conciliation1 however1 is the weapon of the times10 remarked ,pierre1 wishing to bring the ,cardinal back to the present1 8and it is in order to make sure of conquering that the ,holy ,father yields in matters of form40 8,he will not conquer1 he will be conquered10 cried ,boccanera4 8,never has the ,church been victorious save in stubbornly clinging to its integrality1 the immutable eternity of its divine essence4 ,and it would for a certainty fall on the day when it should allow a single stone of its edifice to be touched4 ,remember the terrible period through which it passed at the time of the ,council of ,trent4 ,the ,reformation had just deeply shaken it1 laxity of discipline and morals was everywhere increasing1 there was a rising tide of novelties1 ideas suggested by the spirit of evil1 unhealthy projects born of the pride of man1 running riot in full license4 ,and at the ,council itself many members were disturbed1 poisoned1 ready to vote for the wildest changes1 a fresh schism added to all the others4 ,well1 if ,catholicism was saved at that critical period1 under the threat of such great danger1 it was because the majority1 enlightened by ,god1 maintained the old edifice intact1 it was because with divinely inspired obstinacy it kept itself within the narrow limits of dogma1 it was because it made no concession1 none1 whether in substance or in form6 ,nowadays the situation is certainly not worse than it was at the time of the ,council of ,trent4 ,let us suppose it to be much the same1 and tell me if it is not nobler1 braver1 and safer for the ,church to show the courage which she showed before and declare aloud what she is1 what she has been1 and what she will be4 ,there is no salvation for her otherwise than in her complete1 indisputable sovereignty2 and since she has always conquered by non-surrender1 all attempts to conciliate her with the century are tantamount to killing her60 ,the ,cardinal had again begun to walk to and fro with thoughtful step4 8,no1 no10 said he1 8no compounding1 no surrender1 no weakness6 ,rather the wall of steel which bars the road1 the block of granite which marks the limit of a world6 ,as ,i told you1 my dear son1 on the day of your arrival1 to try to accommodate ,catholicism to the new times is to hasten its end1 if really it be threatened1 as atheists pretend4 ,and in that way it would die basely and shamefully instead of dying erect1 proud1 and dignified in its old glorious royalty6 ,ah6 to die standing1 denying nought of the past1 braving the future and confessing one's whole faith60 ,that old man of seventy seemed to grow yet loftier as he spoke1 free from all dread of final annihilation1 and making the gesture of a hero who defies futurity4 ,faith had given him serenity of peace2 he believed1 he knew1 he had neither doubt nor fear of the morrow of death4 ,still his voice was tinged with haughty sadness as he resumed1 8,god can do all1 even destroy ,his own work should it seem evil in ,his eyes4 ,but though all should crumble to-morrow1 though the ,holy ,church should disappear among the ruins1 though the most venerated sanctuaries should be crushed by the falling stars1 it would still be necessary for us to bow and adore ,god1 who after creating the world might thus annihilate it for ,his own glory4 ,and ,i wait1 submissive to ,his will1 for nothing happens unless ,he wills it4 ,if really the temples be shaken1 if ,catholicism be fated to fall to-morrow into dust1 ,i shall be here to act as the minister of death1 even as ,i have been the minister of life6 ,it is certain1 ,i confess it1 that there are hours when terrible signs appear to me4 ,perhaps1 indeed1 the end of time is nigh1 and we shall witness that fall of the old world with which others threaten us4 ,the worthiest1 the loftiest are struck down as if ,heaven erred1 and in them punished the crimes of the world4 ,have ,i not myself felt the blast from the abyss into which all must sink1 since my house1 for transgressions that ,i am ignorant of1 has been stricken with that frightful bereavement which precipitates it into the gulf which casts it back into night everlasting60 ,he again evoked those two dear dead ones who were always present in his mind4 ,sobs were once more rising in his throat1 his hands trembled1 his lofty figure quivered with the last revolt of grief4 ,yes1 if ,god had stricken him so severely by suppressing his race1 if the greatest and most faithful were thus punished1 it must be that the world was definitively condemned4 ,did not the end of his house mean the approaching end of all8 ,and in his sovereign pride as priest and as prince1 he found a cry of supreme resignation1 once more raising his hands on high3 8,almighty ,god1 ,thy will be done6 ,may all die1 all fall1 all return to the night of chaos6 ,i shall remain standing in this ruined palace1 waiting to be buried beneath its fragments4 ,and if ,thy will should summon me to bury ,thy holy religion1 be without fear1 ,i shall do nothing unworthy to prolong its life for a few days6 ,i will maintain it erect1 like myself1 as proud1 as uncompromising as in the days of all its power4 ,i will yield nothing1 whether in discipline1 or in rite1 or in dogma4 ,and when the day shall come ,i will bury it with myself1 carrying it whole into the grave rather than yielding aught of it1 encompassing it with my cold arms to restore it to ,thee1 even as ,thou didst commit it to the keeping of ,thy ,church4 ,o mighty ,god and sovereign ,master1 dispose of me1 make me if such be ,thy good pleasure the pontiff of destruction1 the pontiff of the death of the world40 ,pierre1 who was thunderstruck1 quivered with fear and admiration at the extraordinary vision this evoked3 the last of the popes interring ,catholicism4 ,he understood that ,boccanera must at times have made that dream2 he could see him in the ,vatican1 in ,st4 ,peter's which the thunderbolts had riven asunder1 he could see him erect and alone in the spacious halls whence his terrified1 cowardly pontifical ,court had fled4 ,clad in his white cassock1 thus wearing white mourning for the ,church1 he once more descended to the sanctuary1 there to wait for heaven to fall on the evening of ,time's accomplishment and annihilate the earth4 ,thrice he raised the large crucifix1 overthrown by the supreme convulsions of the soil4 ,then1 when the final crack rent the steps apart1 he caught it in his arms and was annihilated with it beneath the falling vaults4 ,and nothing could be more instinct with fierce and kingly grandeur4 ,voiceless1 but without weakness1 his lofty stature invincible and erect in spite of all1 ,cardinal ,boccanera made a gesture dismissing ,pierre1 who yielding to his passion for truth and beauty found that he alone was great and right1 and respectfully kissed his hand4 ,it was in the throne-room1 with closed doors1 at nightfall1 after the visits had ceased1 that the two bodies were laid in their coffin4 ,the religious services had come to an end1 and in the close silent atmosphere there only lingered the dying perfume of the roses and the warm odour of the candles4 ,as the latter's pale stars scarcely lighted the spacious room1 some lamps had been brought1 and servants held them in their hands like torches4 ,according to custom1 all the servants of the house were present to bid a last farewell to the departed4 ,there was a little delay4 ,morano1 who had been giving himself no end of trouble ever since morning1 was forced to run off again as the triple coffin did not arrive4 ,at last it came1 some servants brought it up1 and then they were able to begin4 ,the ,cardinal and ,donna ,serafina stood side by side near the bed4 ,pierre also was present1 as well as ,don ,vigilio4 ,it was ,victorine who sewed the lovers up in the white silk shroud1 which seemed like a bridal robe1 the gay pure robe of their union4 ,then two servants came forward and helped ,pierre and ,don ,vigilio to lay the bodies in the first coffin1 of pine wood lined with pink satin4 ,it was scarcely broader than an ordinary coffin1 so young and slim were the lovers and so tightly were they clasped in their last embrace4 ,when they were stretched inside they there continued their eternal slumber1 their heads half hidden by their odorous1 mingling hair4 ,and when this first coffin had been placed in the second one1 a leaden shell1 and the second had been enclosed in the third1 of stout oak1 and when the three lids had been soldered and screwed down1 the lovers' faces could still be seen through the circular opening1 covered with thick glass1 which in accordance with the ,roman custom had been left in each of the coffins4 ,and then1 for ever parted from the living1 alone together1 they still gazed at one another with their eyes obstinately open1 having all eternity before them wherein to exhaust their infinite love4 ,,xvi4 ,,on the following day1 on his return from the funeral ,pierre lunched alone in his room1 having decided to take leave of the ,cardinal and ,donna ,serafina during the afternoon4 ,he was quitting ,rome that evening by the train which started at seventeen minutes past ten4 ,there was nothing to detain him any longer2 there was only one visit which he desired to make1 a visit to old ,orlando1 with whom he had promised to have a long chat prior to his departure4 ,and so a little before two o'clock he sent for a cab which took him to the ,via ,venti ,settembre4 ,a fine rain had fallen all night1 its moisture steeping the city in grey vapour2 and though this rain had now ceased the sky remained very dark1 and the huge new mansions of the ,via ,venti ,settembre were quite livid1 interminably mournful with their balconies ever of the same pattern and their regular and endless rows of windows4 ,the ,ministry of ,finances1 that colossal pile of masonry and sculpture1 looked in particular like a dead town1 a huge bloodless body whence all life had withdrawn4 ,on the other hand1 although all was so gloomy the rain had made the atmosphere milder1 in fact it was almost warm1 damply and feverishly warm4 ,in the hall of ,prada's little palazzo ,pierre was surprised to find four or five gentlemen taking off their overcoats2 however he learnt from a servant that ,count ,luigi had a meeting that day with some contractors4 ,as he1 ,pierre1 wished to see the ,count's father he had only to ascend to the third floor1 added the servant4 ,he must knock at the little door on the right-hand side of the landing there4 ,on the very first landing1 however1 the priest found himself face to face with the young ,count who was there receiving the contractors1 and who on recognising him became frightfully pale4 ,they had not met since the tragedy at the ,boccanera mansion1 and ,pierre well realised how greatly his glance disturbed that man1 what a troublesome recollection of moral complicity it evoked1 and what mortal dread lest he should have guessed the truth4 8,have you come to see me1 have you something to tell me80 the ,count inquired4 8,no1 ,i am leaving ,rome1 ,i have come to wish your father good-bye40 ,prada's pallor increased at this1 and his whole face quivered3 8,ah6 it is to see my father4 ,he is not very well1 be gentle with him10 he replied1 and as he spoke1 his look of anguish clearly proclaimed what he feared from ,pierre1 some imprudent word1 perhaps even a final mission1 the malediction of that man and woman whom he had killed4 ,and surely if his father knew1 he would die as well4 8,ah6 how annoying it is10 he resumed1 8,i can't go up with you6 ,there are gentlemen waiting for me4 ,yes1 how annoyed ,i am4 ,as soon as possible1 however1 ,i will join you1 yes1 as soon as possible40 ,he knew not how to stop the young priest1 whom he must evidently allow to remain with his father1 whilst he himself stayed down below1 kept there by his pecuniary worries4 ,but how distressful were the eyes with which he watched ,pierre climb the stairs1 how he seemed to supplicate him with his whole quivering form4 ,his father1 good ,lord1 the only true love1 the one great1 pure1 faithful passion of his life6 8,don't make him talk too much1 brighten him1 won't you80 were his parting words4 ,up above it was not ,batista1 the devoted ex-soldier1 who opened the door1 but a very young fellow to whom ,pierre did not at first pay any attention4 ,the little room was bare and light as on previous occasions1 and from the broad curtainless window there was the superb view of ,rome1 ,rome crushed that day beneath a leaden sky and steeped in shade of infinite mournfulness4 ,old ,orlando1 however1 had in no wise changed1 but still displayed the superb head of an old blanched lion1 a powerful muzzle and youthful eyes1 which yet sparkled with the passions which had growled in a soul of fire4 ,pierre found the stricken hero in the same arm-chair as previously1 near the same table littered with newspapers1 and with his legs buried in the same black wrapper1 as if he were there immobilised in a sheath of stone1 to such a point that after months and years one was sure to perceive him quite unchanged1 with living bust1 and face glowing with strength and intelligence4 ,that grey day1 however1 he seemed gloomy1 low in spirits4 8,ah6 so here you are1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment10 he exclaimed1 8,i have been thinking of you these three days past1 living the awful days which you must have lived in that tragic ,palazzo ,boccanera4 ,ah1 ,god6 ,what a frightful bereavement6 ,my heart is quite overwhelmed1 these newspapers have again just upset me with the fresh details they give60 ,he pointed as he spoke to the papers scattered over the table4 ,then with a gesture he strove to brush aside the gloomy story1 and banish that vision of ,benedetta dead1 which had been haunting him4 8,well1 and yourself80 he inquired4 8,i am leaving this evening10 replied ,pierre1 8but ,i did not wish to quit ,rome without pressing your brave hands40 8,you are leaving8 ,but your book80 8,my book--,i have been received by the ,holy ,father1 ,i have made my submission and reprobated my book40 ,orlando looked fixedly at the priest4 ,there was a short interval of silence1 during which their eyes told one another all that they had to tell respecting the affair4 ,neither felt the necessity of any longer explanation4 ,the old man merely spoke these concluding words3 8,you have done well1 your book was a chimera40 8,yes1 a chimera1 a piece of childishness1 and ,i have condemned it myself in the name of truth and reason40 ,a smile appeared on the dolorous lips of the impotent hero4 8,then you have seen things1 you understand and know them now80 8,yes1 ,i know them2 and that is why ,i did not wish to go off without having that frank conversation with you which we agreed upon40 ,orlando was delighted1 but all at once he seemed to remember the young fellow who had opened the door to ,pierre1 and who had afterwards modestly resumed his seat on a chair near the window4 ,this young fellow was a youth of twenty1 still beardless1 of a blonde handsomeness such as occasionally flowers at ,naples1 with long curly hair1 a lily-like complexion1 a rosy mouth1 and soft eyes full of a dreamy languor4 ,the old man presented him in fatherly fashion1 ,angiolo ,mascara his name was1 and he was the grandson of an old comrade in arms1 the epic ,mascara of the ,thousand1 who had died like a hero1 his body pierced by a hundred wounds4 8,i sent for him to scold him10 continued ,orlando with a smile4 8,do you know that this fine fellow with his girlish airs goes in for the new ideas8 ,he is an ,anarchist1 one of the three or four dozen ,anarchists that we have in ,italy4 ,he's a good little lad at bottom1 he has only his mother left him1 and supports her1 thanks to the little berth which he holds1 but which he'll lose one of these fine days if he is not careful4 ,come1 come1 my child1 you must promise me to be reasonable40 ,thereupon ,angiolo1 whose clean but well-worn garments bespoke decent poverty1 made answer in a grave and musical voice3 8,i am reasonable1 it is the others1 all the others who are not4 ,when all men are reasonable and desire truth and justice1 the world will be happy40 8,ah6 if you fancy that he'll give way60 cried ,orlando4 8,but1 my poor child1 just ask ,monsieur l',abb if one ever knows where truth and justice are4 ,well1 well1 one must leave you the time to live1 and see1 and understand things40 ,then1 paying no more attention to the young man1 he returned to ,pierre1 while ,angiolo1 remaining very quiet in his corner1 kept his eyes ardently fixed on them1 and with open1 quivering ears lost not a word they said4 8,i told you1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment10 resumed ,orlando1 8that your ideas would change1 and that acquaintance with ,rome would bring you to accurate views far more readily than any fine speeches ,i could make to you4 ,so ,i never doubted but what you would of your own free will withdraw your book as soon as men and things should have enlightened you respecting the ,vatican at the present day4 ,but let us leave the ,vatican on one side1 there is nothing to be done but to let it continue falling slowly and inevitably into ruin4 ,what interests me is our ,italian ,rome1 which you treated as an element to be neglected1 but which you have now seen and studied1 so that we can both speak of it with the necessary knowledge60 ,he thereupon at once granted a great many things1 acknowledged that blunders had been committed1 that the finances were in a deplorable state1 and that there were serious difficulties of all kinds4 ,they1 the ,italians1 had sinned by excess of legitimate pride1 they had proceeded too hastily with their attempt to improvise a great nation1 to change ancient ,rome into a great modern capital as by the mere touch of a wand4 ,and thence had come that mania for erecting new districts1 that mad speculation in land and shares1 which had brought the country within a hair's breadth of bankruptcy4 ,at this ,pierre gently interrupted him to tell him of the view which he himself had arrived at after his peregrinations and studies through ,rome4 8,that fever of the first hour1 that financial debcle10 said he1 8is after all nothing4 ,all pecuniary sores can be healed4 ,but the grave point is that your ,italy still remains to be created4 ,there is no aristocracy left1 and as yet there is no people1 nothing but a devouring middle class1 dating from yesterday1 which preys on the rich harvest of the future before it is ripe40 ,silence fell4 ,orlando sadly wagged his old leonine head4 ,the cutting harshness of ,pierre's formula struck him in the heart4 8,yes1 yes10 he said at last1 8that is so1 you have seen things plainly2 and why say no when facts are there1 patent to everybody8 ,i myself had already spoken to you of that middle class which hungers so ravenously for place and office1 distinctions and plumes1 and which at the same time is so avaricious1 so suspicious with regard to its money which it invests in banks1 never risking it in agriculture or manufactures or commerce1 having indeed the one desire to enjoy life without doing anything1 and so unintelligent that it cannot see it is killing its country by its loathing for labour1 its contempt for the poor1 its one ambition to live in a petty way with the barren glory of belonging to some official administration4 ,and1 as you say1 the aristocracy is dying1 discrowned1 ruined1 sunk into the degeneracy which overtakes races towards their close1 most of its members reduced to beggary1 the others1 the few who have clung to their money1 crushed by heavy imposts1 possessing nought but dead fortunes which constant sharing diminishes and which must soon disappear with the princes themselves4 ,and then there is the people1 which has suffered so much and suffers still1 but is so used to suffering that it can seemingly conceive no idea of emerging from it1 blind and deaf as it is1 almost regretting its ancient bondage1 and so ignorant1 so abominably ignorant1 which is the one cause of its hopeless1 morrowless misery1 for it has not even the consolation of understanding that if we have conquered and are trying to resuscitate ,rome and ,italy in their ancient glory1 it is for itself1 the people1 alone4 ,yes1 yes1 no aristocracy left1 no people as yet1 and a middle class which really alarms one4 ,how can one therefore help yielding at times to the terrors of the pessimists1 who pretend that our misfortunes are as yet nothing1 that we are going forward to yet more awful catastrophes1 as though1 indeed1 what we now behold were but the first symptoms of our race's end1 the premonitory signs of final annihilation60 ,as he spoke he raised his long quivering arms towards the window1 towards the light1 and ,pierre1 deeply moved1 remembered how ,cardinal ,boccanera on the previous day had made a similar gesture of supplicant distress when appealing to the divine power4 ,and both men1 ,cardinal and patriot1 so hostile in their beliefs1 were instinct with the same fierce and despairing grandeur4 8,as ,i told you1 however1 on the first day10 continued ,orlando1 8we only sought to accomplish logical and inevitable things4 ,as for ,rome1 with her past history of splendour and domination which weighs so heavily upon us1 we could not do otherwise than take her for capital1 for she alone was the bond1 the living symbol of our unity at the same time as the promise of eternity1 the renewal offered to our great dream of resurrection and glory40 ,he went on1 recognising the disastrous conditions under which ,rome laboured as a capital4 ,she was a purely decorative city with exhausted soil1 she had remained apart from modern life1 she was unhealthy1 she offered no possibility of commerce or industry1 she was invincibly preyed upon by death1 standing as she did amidst that sterile desert of the ,campagna4 ,then he compared her with the other cities which are jealous of her2 first ,florence1 which1 however1 has become so indifferent and so sceptical1 impregnated with a happy heedlessness which seems inexplicable when one remembers the frantic passions1 and the torrents of blood rolling through her history2 next ,naples1 which yet remains content with her bright sun1 and whose childish people enjoy their ignorance and wretchedness so indolently that one knows not whether one ought to pity them2 next ,venice1 which has resigned herself to remaining a marvel of ancient art1 which one ought to put under glass so as to preserve her intact1 slumbering amid the sovereign pomp of her annals2 next ,genoa1 which is absorbed in trade1 still active and bustling1 one of the last queens of that ,mediterranean1 that insignificant lake which was once the opulent central sea1 whose waters carried the wealth of the world2 and then particularly ,turin and ,milan1 those industrial and commercial centres1 which are so full of life and so modernised that tourists disdain them as not being 8,italian0 cities1 both of them having saved themselves from ruin by entering into that ,western evolution which is preparing the next century4 ,ah6 that old land of ,italy1 ought one to leave it all as a dusty museum for the pleasure of artistic souls1 leave it to crumble away1 even as its little towns of ,magna ,graecia1 ,umbria1 and ,tuscany are already crumbling1 like exquisite bibelots which one dares not repair for fear that one might spoil their character4 ,at all events1 there must either be death1 death soon and inevitable1 or else the pick of the demolisher1 the tottering walls thrown to the ground1 and cities of labour1 science1 and health created on all sides2 in one word1 a new ,italy really rising from the ashes of the old one1 and adapted to the new civilisation into which humanity is entering4 8,however1 why despair80 ,orlando continued energetically4 8,rome may weigh heavily on our shoulders1 but she is none the less the summit we coveted4 ,we are here1 and we shall stay here awaiting events4 ,even if the population does not increase it at least remains stationary at a figure of some #djj1jjj souls1 and the movement of increase may set in again when the causes which stopped it shall have ceased4 ,our blunder was to think that ,rome would become a ,paris or ,berlin2 but1 so far1 all sorts of social1 historical1 even ethnical considerations seem opposed to it2 yet who can tell what may be the surprises of to-morrow8 ,are we forbidden to hope1 to put faith in the blood which courses in our veins1 the blood of the old conquerors of the world8 ,i1 who no longer stir from this room1 impotent as ,i am1 even ,i at times feel my madness come back1 believe in the invincibility and immortality of ,rome1 and wait for the two millions of people who must come to populate those dolorous new districts which you have seen so empty and already falling into ruins6 ,and certainly they will come6 ,why not8 ,you will see1 you will see1 everything will be populated1 and even more houses will have to be built4 ,moreover1 can you call a nation poor1 when it possesses ,lombardy8 ,is there not also inexhaustible wealth in our southern provinces8 ,let peace settle down1 let the ,south and the ,north mingle together1 and a new generation of workers grow up4 ,since we have the soil1 such a fertile soil1 the great harvest which is awaited will surely some day sprout and ripen under the burning sun60 ,enthusiasm was upbuoying him1 all the furia of youth inflamed his eyes4 ,pierre smiled1 won over2 and as soon as he was able to speak1 he said3 8,the problem must be tackled down below1 among the people4 ,you must make men60 8,exactly60 cried ,orlando4 8,i don't cease repeating it1 one must make ,italy4 ,it is as if a wind from the ,east had blown the seed of humanity1 the seed which makes vigorous and powerful nations1 elsewhere4 ,our people is not like yours in ,france1 a reservoir of men and money from which one can draw as plentifully as one pleases4 ,it is such another inexhaustible reservoir that ,i wish to see created among us4 ,and one must begin at the bottom4 ,there must be schools everywhere1 ignorance must be stamped out1 brutishness and idleness must be fought with books1 intellectual and moral instruction must give us the industrious people which we need if we are not to disappear from among the great nations4 ,and once again for whom1 if not for the democracy of to-morrow1 have we worked in taking possession of ,rome8 ,and how easily one can understand that all should collapse here1 and nothing grow up vigorously since such a democracy is absolutely absent4 ,yes1 yes1 the solution of the problem does not lie elsewhere2 we must make a people1 make an ,italian democracy40 ,pierre had grown calm again1 feeling somewhat anxious yet not daring to say that it is by no means easy to modify a nation1 that ,italy is such as soil1 history1 and race have made her1 and that to seek to transform her so radically and all at once might be a dangerous enterprise4 ,do not nations like beings have an active youth1 a resplendent prime1 and a more or less prolonged old age ending in death8 ,a modern democratic ,rome1 good heavens6 ,the modern ,romes are named ,paris1 ,london1 ,chicago4 ,so he contented himself with saying3 8,but pending this great renovation of the people1 don't you think that you ought to be prudent8 ,your finances are in such a bad condition1 you are passing through such great social and economic difficulties1 that you run the risk of the worst catastrophes before you secure either men or money4 ,ah6 how prudent would that minister be who should say in your ,chamber3 #8,our pride has made a mistake1 it was wrong of us to try to make ourselves a great nation in one day2 more time1 labour1 and patience are needed2 and we consent to remain for the present a young nation1 which will quietly reflect and labour at self-formation1 without1 for a long time yet1 seeking to play a dominant part4 ,so we intend to disarm1 to strike out the war and naval estimates1 all the estimates intended for display abroad1 in order to devote ourselves to our internal prosperity1 and to build up by education1 physically and morally1 the great nation which we swear we will be fifty years hence6' ,yes1 yes1 strike out all needless expenditure1 your salvation lies in that60 ,but ,orlando1 while listening1 had become gloomy again1 and with a vague1 weary gesture he replied in an undertone3 8,no1 no1 the minister who should use such language would be hooted4 ,it would be too hard a confession1 such as one cannot ask a nation to make4 ,every heart would bound1 leap forth at the idea4 ,and1 besides1 would not the danger perhaps be even greater if all that has been done were allowed to crumble8 ,how many wrecked hopes1 how much discarded1 useless material there would be6 ,no1 we can now only save ourselves by patience and courage--and forward1 ever forward6 ,we are a very young nation1 and in fifty years we desired to effect the unity which others have required two hundred years to arrive at4 ,well1 we must pay for our haste1 we must wait for the harvest to ripen1 and fill our barns40 ,then1 with another and more sweeping wave of the arm1 he stubbornly strengthened himself in his hopes4 8,you know10 said he1 8that ,i was always against the alliance with ,germany4 ,as ,i predicted1 it has ruined us4 ,we were not big enough to march side by side with such a wealthy and powerful person1 and it is in view of a war1 always near at hand and inevitable1 that we now suffer so cruelly from having to support the budgets of a great nation4 ,ah6 that war which has never come1 it is that which has exhausted the best part of our blood and sap and money without the slightest profit4 ,to-day we have nothing before us but the necessity of breaking with our ally1 who speculated on our pride1 who has never helped us in any way1 who has never given us anything but bad advice1 and treated us otherwise than with suspicion4 ,but it was all inevitable1 and that's what people won't admit in ,france4 ,i can speak freely of it all1 for ,i am a declared friend of ,france1 and people even feel some spite against me on that account4 ,however1 explain to your compatriots1 that on the morrow of our conquest of ,rome1 in our frantic desire to resume our ancient rank1 it was absolutely necessary that we should play our part in ,europe and show that we were a power with whom the others must henceforth count4 ,and hesitation was not allowable1 all our interests impelled us toward ,germany1 the evidence was so binding as to impose itself4 ,the stern law of the struggle for life weighs as heavily on nations as on individuals1 and this it is which explains and justifies the rupture between the two sisters1 ,france and ,italy1 the forgetting of so many ties1 race1 commercial intercourse1 and1 if you like1 services also4 ,the two sisters1 ah6 they now pursue each other with so much hatred that all common sense even seems at an end4 ,my poor old heart bleeds when ,i read the articles which your newspapers and ours exchange like poisoned darts4 ,when will this fratricidal massacre cease1 which of the two will first realise the necessity of peace1 the necessity of the alliance of the ,latin races1 if they are to remain alive amidst those torrents of other races which more and more invade the world80 ,then gaily1 with the bonhomie of a hero disarmed by old age1 and seeking a refuge in his dreams1 ,orlando added3 8,come1 you must promise to help me as soon as you are in ,paris4 ,however small your field of action may be1 promise me you will do all you can to promote peace between ,france and ,italy2 there can be no more holy task4 ,relate all you have seen here1 all you have heard1 oh6 as frankly as possible4 ,if we have faults1 you certainly have faults as well4 ,and1 come1 family quarrels can't last for ever60 8,no doubt10 ,pierre answered in some embarrassment4 8,unfortunately they are the most tenacious4 ,in families1 when blood becomes exasperated with blood1 hate goes as far as poison and the knife4 ,and pardon becomes impossible40 ,he dared not fully express his thoughts4 ,since he had been in ,rome1 listening1 and considering things1 the quarrel between ,italy and ,france had resumed itself in his mind in a fine tragic story4 ,once upon a time there were two princesses1 daughters of a powerful queen1 the mistress of the world4 ,the elder one1 who had inherited her mother's kingdom1 was secretly grieved to see her sister1 who had established herself in a neighbouring land1 gradually increase in wealth1 strength1 and brilliancy1 whilst she herself declined as if weakened by age1 dismembered1 so exhausted1 and so sore1 that she already felt defeated on the day when she attempted a supreme effort to regain universal power4 ,and so how bitter were her feelings1 how hurt she always felt on seeing her sister recover from the most frightful shocks1 resume her dazzling gala1 and continue to reign over the world by dint of strength and grace and wit4 ,never would she forgive it1 however well that envied and detested sister might act towards her4 ,therein lay an incurable wound1 the life of one poisoned by that of the other1 the hatred of old blood for young blood1 which could only be quieted by death4 ,and even if peace1 as was possible1 should soon be restored between them in presence of the younger sister's evident triumph1 the other would always harbour deep within her heart an endless grief at being the elder yet the vassal4 8,however1 you may rely on me10 ,pierre affectionately resumed4 8,this quarrel between the two countries is certainly a great source of grief and a great peril4 ,and assuredly ,i will only say what ,i think to be the truth about you4 ,at the same time ,i fear that you hardly like the truth1 for temperament and custom have hardly prepared you for it4 ,the poets of every nation who at various times have written on ,rome have intoxicated you with so much praise that you are scarcely fitted to hear the real truth about your ,rome of to-day4 ,no matter how superb a share of praise one may accord you1 one must all the same look at the reality of things1 and this reality is just what you won't admit1 lovers of the beautiful as you ever are1 susceptible too like women1 whom the slightest hint of a wrinkle sends into despair40 ,orlando began to laugh4 8,well1 certainly1 one must always beautify things a little10 said he4 8,why speak of ugly faces at all8 ,we in our theatres only care for pretty music1 pretty dancing1 pretty pieces which please one4 ,as for the rest1 whatever is disagreeable let us hide it1 for mercy's sake60 8,on the other hand10 the priest continued1 8,i will cheerfully confess the great error of my book4 ,the ,italian ,rome which ,i neglected and sacrificed to papal ,rome not only exists but is already so powerful and triumphant that it is surely the other one which is bound to disappear in course of time4 ,however much the ,pope may strive to remain immutable within his ,vatican1 a steady evolution goes on around him1 and the black world1 by mingling with the white1 has already become a grey world4 ,i never realised that more acutely than at the fte given by ,prince ,buongiovanni for the betrothal of his daughter to your grand-nephew4 ,i came away quite enchanted1 won over to the cause of your resurrection40 ,the old man's eyes sparkled4 8,ah6 you were present80 said he1 8and you witnessed a never-to-be-forgotten scene1 did you not1 and you no longer doubt our vitality1 our growth into a great people when the difficulties of to-day are overcome8 ,what does a quarter of a century1 what does even a century matter6 ,italy will again rise to her old glory1 as soon as the great people of to-morrow shall have sprung from the soil4 ,and if ,i detest that man ,sacco it is because to my mind he is the incarnation of all the enjoyers and intriguers whose appetite for the spoils of our conquest has retarded everything4 ,but ,i live again in my dear grand-nephew ,attilio1 who represents the future1 the generation of brave and worthy men who will purify and educate the country4 ,ah6 may some of the great ones of to-morrow spring from him and that adorable little ,princess ,celia1 whom my niece ,stefana1 a sensible woman at bottom1 brought to see me the other day4 ,if you had seen that child fling her arms about me1 call me endearing names1 and tell me that ,i should be godfather to her first son1 so that he might bear my name and once again save ,italy6 ,yes1 yes1 may peace be concluded around that coming cradle2 may the union of those dear children be the indissoluble marriage of ,rome and the whole nation1 and may all be repaired1 and all blossom anew in their love60 ,tears came to his eyes1 and ,pierre1 touched by his inextinguishable patriotism1 sought to please him4 8,i myself10 said he1 8expressed to your son much the same wish on the evening of the betrothal fte1 when ,i told him ,i trusted that their nuptials might be definitive and fruitful1 and that from them and all the others there might arise the great nation which1 now that ,i begin to know you1 ,i hope you will soon become60 8,you said that60 exclaimed ,orlando4 8,well1 ,i forgive your book1 for you have understood at last2 and new ,rome1 there she is1 the ,rome which is ours1 which we wish to make worthy of her glorious past1 and for the third time the queen of the world40 ,with one of those broad gestures into which he put all his remaining life1 he pointed to the curtainless window where ,rome spread out in solemn majesty from one horizon to the other4 ,but1 suddenly he turned his head and in a fit of paternal indignation began to apostrophise young ,angiolo ,mascara4 8,you young rascal60 said he1 8it's our ,rome which you dream of destroying with your bombs1 which you talk of razing like a rotten1 tottering house1 so as to rid the world of it for ever60 ,angiolo had hitherto remained silent1 passionately listening to the others4 ,his pretty1 girlish1 beardless face reflected the slightest emotion in sudden flashes2 and his big blue eyes also had glowed on hearing what had been said of the people1 the new people which it was necessary to create4 8,yes60 he slowly replied in his pure and musical voice1 8we mean to raze it and not leave a stone of it1 but raze it in order to build it up again40 ,orlando interrupted him with a soft1 bantering laugh3 8,oh6 you would build it up again2 that's fortunate60 he said4 8,i would build it up again10 the young man replied1 in the trembling voice of an inspired prophet4 8,i would build it up again oh1 so vast1 so beautiful1 and so noble6 ,will not the universal democracy of to-morrow1 humanity when it is at last freed1 need an unique city1 which shall be the ark of alliance1 the very centre of the world8 ,and is not ,rome designated1 ,rome which the prophecies have marked as eternal and immortal1 where the destinies of the nations are to be accomplished8 ,but in order that it may become the final definitive sanctuary1 the capital of the destroyed kingdoms1 where the wise men of all countries shall meet once every year1 one must first of all purify it by fire1 leave nothing of its old stains remaining4 ,then1 when the sun shall have absorbed all the pestilence of the old soil1 we will rebuild the city ten times more beautiful and ten times larger than it has ever been4 ,and what a city of truth and justice it will at last be1 the ,rome that has been announced and awaited for three thousand years1 all in gold and all in marble1 filling the ,campagna from the sea to the ,sabine and the ,alban mountains1 and so prosperous and so sensible that its twenty millions of inhabitants after regulating the law of labour will live with the unique joy of being4 ,yes1 yes1 ,rome the ,mother1 ,rome the ,queen1 alone on the face of the earth and for all eternity60 ,pierre listened to him1 aghast4 ,what6 did the blood of ,augustus go to such a point as this8 ,the popes had not become masters of ,rome without feeling impelled to rebuild it in their passion to rule over the world2 young ,italy1 likewise yielding to the hereditary madness of universal domination1 had in its turn sought to make the city larger than any other1 erecting whole districts for people who had never come1 and now even the ,anarchists were possessed by the same stubborn dream of the race1 a dream beyond all measure this time1 a fourth and monstrous ,rome1 whose suburbs would invade continents in order that liberated humanity1 united in one family1 might find sufficient lodging6 ,this was the climax4 ,never could more extravagant proof be given of the blood of pride and sovereignty which had scorched the veins of that race ever since ,augustus had bequeathed it the inheritance of his absolute empire1 with the furious instinct that the world legally belonged to it1 and that its mission was to conquer it again4 ,this idea had intoxicated all the children of that historic soil1 impelling all of them to make their city ,the ,city1 the one which had reigned and which would reign again in splendour when the days predicted by the oracles should arrive4 ,and ,pierre remembered the four fatidical letters1 the ,s4,p4,q4,r4 of old and glorious ,rome1 which like an order of final triumph given to ,destiny he had everywhere found in present-day ,rome1 on all the walls1 on all the insignia1 even on the municipal dust-carts6 ,and he understood the prodigious vanity of these people1 haunted by the glory of their ancestors1 spellbound by the past of their city1 declaring that she contains everything1 that they themselves cannot know her thoroughly1 that she is the sphinx who will some day explain the riddle of the universe1 that she is so great and noble that all within her acquires increase of greatness and nobility1 in such wise that they demand for her the idolatrous respect of the entire world1 so vivacious in their minds is the illusive legend which clings to her1 so incapable are they of realising that what was once great may be so no longer4 8,but ,i know your fourth ,rome10 resumed ,orlando1 again enlivened4 8,it's the ,rome of the people1 the capital of the ,universal ,republic1 which ,mazzini dreamt of4 ,only he left the pope in it4 ,do you know1 my lad1 that if we old ,republicans rallied to the monarchy1 it was because we feared that in the event of revolution the country might fall into the hands of dangerous madmen such as those who have upset your brain8 ,yes1 that was why we resigned ourselves to our monarchy1 which is not much different from a parliamentary republic4 ,and now1 goodbye and be sensible1 remember that your poor mother would die of it if any misfortune should befall you4 ,come1 let me embrace you all the same40 ,on receiving the hero's affectionate kiss ,angiolo coloured like a girl4 ,then he went off with his gentle1 dreamy air1 never adding a word but politely inclining his head to the priest4 ,silence continued till ,orlando's eyes encountered the newspapers scattered on the table1 when he once more spoke of the terrible bereavement of the ,boccaneras4 ,he had loved ,benedetta like a dear daughter during the sad days when she had dwelt near him2 and finding the newspaper accounts of her death somewhat singular1 worried in fact by the obscure points which he could divine in the tragedy1 he was asking ,pierre for particulars1 when his son ,luigi suddenly entered the room1 breathless from having climbed the stairs so quickly and with his face full of anxious fear4 ,he had just dismissed his contractors with impatient roughness1 giving no thought to his serious financial position1 the jeopardy in which his fortune was now placed1 so anxious was he to be up above beside his father4 ,and when he was there his first uneasy glance was for the old man1 to make sure whether the priest by some imprudent word had not dealt him his death blow4 ,he shuddered on noticing how ,orlando quivered1 moved to tears by the terrible affair of which he was speaking2 and for a moment he thought he had arrived too late1 that the harm was done4 8,good heavens1 father60 he exclaimed1 8what is the matter with you1 why are you crying80 ,and as he spoke he knelt at the old man's feet1 taking hold of his hands and giving him such a passionate1 loving glance that he seemed to be offering all the blood of his heart to spare him the slightest grief4 8,it is about the death of that poor woman10 ,orlando sadly answered4 8,i was telling ,monsieur ,froment how it grieved me1 and ,i added that ,i could not yet understand it all4 ,the papers talk of a sudden death which is always so extraordinary40 ,the young ,count rose again looking very pale4 ,the priest had not yet spoken4 ,but what a frightful moment was this6 ,what if he should reply1 what if he should speak out8 8,you were present1 were you not80 continued the old man addressing ,pierre4 8,you saw everything4 ,tell me then how the thing happened40 ,luigi ,prada looked at ,pierre4 ,their eyes met fixedly1 plunging into one another's souls4 ,all began afresh in their minds1 ,destiny on the march1 ,santobono encountered with his little basket1 the drive across the melancholy ,campagna1 the conversation about poison while the little basket was gently rocked on the priest's knees2 then1 in particular1 the sleepy osteria1 and the little black hen1 so suddenly killed1 lying on the ground with a tiny streamlet of violet blood trickling from her beak4 ,and next there was that splendid ball at the ,buongiovanni mansion1 with all its odore di femina and its triumph of love3 and finally1 before the ,palazzo ,boccanera1 so black under the silvery moon1 there was the man who lighted a cigar and went off without once turning his head1 allowing dim ,destiny to accomplish its work of death4 ,both of them1 ,pierre and ,prada1 knew that story and lived it over again1 having no need to recall it aloud in order to make certain that they had fully penetrated one another's soul4 ,pierre did not immediately answer the old man4 8,oh60 he murmured at last1 8there were frightful things1 yes1 frightful things40 8,no doubt--that is what ,i suspected10 resumed ,orlando4 8,you can tell us all4 ,in presence of death my son has freely forgiven40 ,the young ,count's gaze again sought that of ,pierre with such weight1 such ardent entreaty that the priest felt deeply stirred4 ,he had just remembered that man's anguish during the ball1 the atrocious torture of jealousy which he had undergone before allowing ,destiny to avenge him4 ,and he pictured also what must have been his feelings after the terrible outcome of it all3 at first stupefaction at ,destiny's harshness1 at this full vengeance which he had never desired so ferocious2 then icy calmness like that of the cool gambler who awaits events1 reading the newspapers1 and feeling no other remorse than that of the general whose victory has cost him too many men4 ,he must have immediately realised that the ,cardinal would stifle the affair for the sake of the ,church's honour2 and only retained one weight on his heart1 regret possibly for that woman whom he had never won1 with perhaps a last horrible jealousy which he did not confess to himself but from which he would always suffer1 jealousy at knowing that she lay in another's arms in the grave1 for all eternity4 ,but behold1 after that victorious effort to remain calm1 after that cold and remorseless waiting1 ,punishment arose1 the fear that ,destiny1 travelling on with its poisoned figs1 might have not yet ceased its march1 and might by a rebound strike down his own father4 ,yet another thunderbolt1 yet another victim1 the most unexpected1 the being he most adored6 ,at that thought all his strength of resistance had in one moment collapsed1 and he was there1 in terror of ,destiny1 more at a loss1 more trembling than a child4 8,the newspapers1 however10 slowly said ,pierre as if he were seeking his words1 8the newspapers must have told you that the ,prince succumbed first1 and that the ,contessina died of grief whilst embracing him for the last time4444 ,as for the cause of death1 mon ,dieu1 you know that doctors themselves in sudden cases scarcely dare to pronounce an exact opinion--0 ,he stopped short1 for within him he had suddenly heard the voice of ,benedetta giving him just before she died that terrible order3 8,you1 who will see his father1 ,i charge you to tell him that ,i cursed his son4 ,i wish that he should know1 it is necessary that he should know1 for the sake of truth and justice40 ,and was he1 oh6 ,lord1 about to obey that order1 was it one of those divine commands which must be executed even if the result be a torrent of blood and tears8 ,for a few seconds ,pierre suffered from a heart-rending combat within him1 hesitating between the act of truth and justice which the dead woman had called for and his own personal desire for forgiveness1 and the horror he would feel should he kill that poor old man by fulfilling his implacable mission which could benefit nobody4 ,and certainly the other one1 the son1 must have understood what a supreme struggle was going on in the priest's mind1 a struggle which would decide his own father's fate1 for his glance became yet more suppliant than ever4 8,one first thought that it was merely indigestion10 continued ,pierre1 8but the ,prince became so much worse1 that one was alarmed1 and the doctor was sent for--0 ,ah6 ,prada's eyes1 they had become so despairing1 so full of the most touching and weightiest things1 that the priest could read in them all the decisive reasons which were about to stay his tongue4 ,no1 no1 he would not strike an innocent old man1 he had promised nothing1 and to obey the last expression of the dead woman's hatred would have seemed to him like charging her memory with a crime4 ,the young ,count1 too1 during those few minutes of anguish1 had suffered a whole life of such abominable torture1 that after all some little justice was done4 8,and then10 ,pierre concluded1 8when the doctor arrived he at once recognised that it was a case of infectious fever4 ,there can be no doubt of it4 ,this morning ,i attended the funeral1 it was very splendid and very touching40 ,orlando did not insist1 but contented himself with saying that he also had felt much emotion all the morning on thinking of that funeral4 ,then1 as he turned to set the papers on the table in order with his trembling hands1 his son1 icy cold with perspiration1 staggering and clinging to the back of a chair in order that he might not fall1 again gave ,pierre a long glance1 but a very soft one1 full of distracted gratitude4 8,i am leaving this evening10 resumed ,pierre1 who felt exhausted and wished to break off the conversation1 8and ,i must now bid you farewell4 ,have you any commission to give me for ,paris80 8,no1 none10 replied ,orlando2 and then1 with sudden recollection1 he added1 8,yes1 ,i have1 though6 ,you remember that book written by my old comrade in arms1 ,thophile ,morin1 one of ,garibaldi's ,thousand1 that manual for the bachelor's degree which he desired to see translated and adopted here4 ,well1 ,i am pleased to say that ,i have a promise that it shall be used in our schools1 but on condition that he makes some alterations in it4 ,luigi1 give me the book1 it is there on that shelf40 ,then1 when his son had handed him the volume1 he showed ,pierre some notes which he had pencilled on the margins1 and explained to him the modifications which were desired in the general scheme of the work4 8,will you be kind enough10 he continued1 8to take this copy to ,morin himself8 ,his address is written inside the cover4 ,if you can do so you will spare me the trouble of writing him a very long letter2 in ten minutes you can explain matters to him more clearly and completely than ,i could do in ten pages4444 ,and you must embrace ,morin for me1 and tell him that ,i still love him1 oh6 with all my heart of the bygone days1 when ,i could still use my legs and we two fought like devils side by side under a hail of bullets40 ,a short silence followed1 that pause1 that embarrassment tinged with emotion which precedes the moment of farewell4 8,come1 good-bye10 said ,orlando1 8embrace me for him and for yourself1 embrace me affectionately like that lad did just now4 ,i am so old and so near my end1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment1 that you will allow me to call you my child and to kiss you like a grandfather1 wishing you all courage and peace1 and that faith in life which alone helps one to live40 ,pierre was so touched that tears rose to his eyes1 and when with all his soul he kissed the stricken hero on either cheek1 he felt that he likewise was weeping4 ,with a hand yet as vigorous as a vice1 ,orlando detained him for a moment beside his arm-chair1 whilst with his other hand waving in a supreme gesture1 he for the last time showed him ,rome1 so immense and mournful under the ashen sky4 ,and his voice came low1 quivering and suppliant4 8,for mercy's sake swear to me that you will love her all the same1 in spite of all1 for she is the cradle1 the mother6 ,love her for all that she no longer is1 love her for all that she desires to be6 ,do not say that her end has come1 love her1 love her so that she may live again1 that she may live for ever60 ,pierre again embraced him1 unable to find any other response1 upset as he was by all the passion displayed by that old warrior1 who spoke of his city as a man of thirty might speak of the woman he adores4 ,and he found him so handsome and so lofty with his old blanched1 leonine mane and his stubborn belief in approaching resurrection1 that once more the other old ,roman1 ,cardinal ,boccanera1 arose before him1 equally stubborn in his faith and relinquishing nought of his dream1 even though he might be crushed on the spot by the fall of the heavens4 ,these twain ever stood face to face1 at either end of their city1 alone rearing their lofty figures above the horizon1 whilst awaiting the future4 ,then1 when ,pierre had bowed to ,count ,luigi1 and found himself outside again in the ,via ,venti ,settembre he was all eagerness to get back to the ,boccanera mansion so as to pack up his things and depart4 ,his farewell visits were made1 and he now only had to take leave of ,donna ,serafina and the ,cardinal1 and to thank them for all their kind hospitality4 ,for him alone did their doors open1 for they had shut themselves up on returning from the funeral1 resolved to see nobody4 ,at twilight1 therefore1 ,pierre had no one but ,victorine to keep him company in the vast1 black mansion1 for when he expressed a desire to take supper with ,don ,vigilio she told him that the latter had also shut himself in his room4 ,desirous as he was of at least shaking hands with the secretary for the last time1 ,pierre went to knock at the door1 which was so near his own1 but could obtain no reply1 and divined that the poor fellow1 overcome by a fresh attack of fever and suspicion1 desired not to see him again1 in terror at the idea that he might compromise himself yet more than he had done already4 ,thereupon1 it was settled that as the train only started at seventeen minutes past ten ,victorine should serve ,pierre his supper on the little table in his sitting-room at eight o'clock4 ,she brought him a lamp and spoke of putting his linen in order1 but he absolutely declined her help1 and she had to leave him to pack up quietly by himself4 ,he had purchased a little box1 since his valise could not possibly hold all the linen and winter clothing which had been sent to him from ,paris as his stay in ,rome became more and more protracted4 ,however1 the packing was soon accomplished2 the wardrobe was emptied1 the drawers were visited1 the box and valise filled and securely locked by seven o'clock4 ,an hour remained to him before supper and he sat there resting1 when his eyes whilst travelling round the walls to make sure that he had forgotten nothing1 encountered that old painting by some unknown master1 which had so often filled him with emotion4 ,the lamplight now shone full upon it2 and this time again as he gazed at it he felt a blow in the heart1 a blow which was all the deeper1 as now1 at his parting hour1 he found a symbol of his defeat at ,rome in that dolent1 tragic1 half-naked woman1 draped in a shred of linen1 and weeping between her clasped hands whilst seated on the threshold of the palace whence she had been driven4 ,did not that rejected one1 that stubborn victim of love1 who sobbed so bitterly1 and of whom one knew nothing1 neither what her face was like1 nor whence she had come1 nor what her fault had been--did she not personify all man's useless efforts to force the doors of truth1 and all the frightful abandonment into which he falls as soon as he collides with the wall which shuts the unknown off from him8 ,for a long while did ,pierre look at her1 again worried at being obliged to depart without having seen her face behind her streaming golden hair1 that face of dolorous beauty which he pictured radiant with youth and delicious in its mystery4 ,and as he gazed he was just fancying that he could see it1 that it was becoming his at last1 when there was a knock at the door and ,narcisse ,habert entered4 ,pierre was surprised to see the young attach1 for three days previously he had started for ,florence1 impelled thither by one of the sudden whims of his artistic fancy4 ,however1 he at once apologised for his unceremonious intrusion4 8,ah6 there is your luggage60 he said2 8,i heard that you were going away this evening1 and ,i was unwilling to let you leave ,rome without coming to shake hands with you4 ,but what frightful things have happened since we met6 ,i only returned this afternoon1 so that ,i could not attend the funeral4 ,however1 you may well imagine how thunderstruck ,i was by the news of those frightful deaths40 ,then1 suspecting some unacknowledged tragedy1 like a man well acquainted with the legendary dark side of ,rome1 he put some questions to ,pierre but did not insist on them1 being at bottom far too prudent to burden himself uselessly with redoubtable secrets4 ,and after ,pierre had given him such particulars as he thought fit1 the conversation changed and they spoke at length of ,italy1 ,rome1 ,naples1 and ,florence4 8,ah6 ,florence1 ,florence60 ,narcisse repeated languorously4 ,he had lighted a cigarette and his words fell more slowly1 as he glanced round the room4 8,you were very well lodged here10 he said1 8it is very quiet4 ,i had never come up to this floor before40 ,his eyes continued wandering over the walls until they were at last arrested by the old painting which the lamp illumined1 and thereupon he remained for a moment blinking as if surprised4 ,and all at once he rose and approached the picture4 8,dear me1 dear me10 said he1 8but that's very good1 that's very fine40 8,isn't it80 rejoined ,pierre4 8,i know nothing about painting but ,i was stirred by that picture on the very day of my arrival1 and over and over again it has kept me here with my heart beating and full of indescribable feelings40 ,narcisse no longer spoke but examined the painting with the care of a connoisseur1 an expert1 whose keen glance decides the question of authenticity1 and appraises commercial value4 ,and the most extraordinary delight appeared upon the young man's fair1 rapturous face1 whilst his fingers began to quiver4 8,but it's a ,botticelli1 it's a ,botticelli6 ,there can be no doubt about it10 he exclaimed4 8,just look at the hands1 and look at the folds of the drapery6 ,and the colour of the hair1 and the technique1 the flow of the whole composition4 ,a ,botticelli1 ah6 mon ,dieu1 a ,botticelli40 ,he became quite faint1 overflowing with increasing admiration as he penetrated more and more deeply into the subject1 at once so simple and so poignant4 ,was it not acutely modern8 ,the artist had foreseen our pain-fraught century1 our anxiety in presence of the invisible1 our distress at being unable to cross the portal of mystery which was for ever closed4 ,and what an eternal symbol of the world's wretchedness was that woman1 whose face one could not see1 and who sobbed so distractedly without it being possible for one to wipe away her tears4 ,yes1 a ,botticelli1 unknown1 uncatalogued1 what a discovery6 ,then he paused to inquire of ,pierre3 8,did you know it was a ,botticelli80 8,oh no6 ,i spoke to ,don ,vigilio about it one day1 but he seemed to think it of no account4 ,and ,victorine1 when ,i spoke to her1 replied that all those old things only served to harbour dust40 ,narcisse protested1 quite stupefied3 8,what6 they have a ,botticelli here and don't know it6 ,ah6 how well ,i recognise in that the ,roman princes who1 unless their masterpieces have been labelled1 are for the most part utterly at sea among them6 ,no doubt this one has suffered a little1 but a simple cleaning would make a marvel1 a famous picture of it1 for which a museum would at least give--0 ,he abruptly stopped1 completing his sentence with a wave of the hand and not mentioning the figure which was on his lips4 ,and then1 as ,victorine came in followed by ,giacomo to lay the little table for ,pierre's supper1 he turned his back upon the ,botticelli and said no more about it4 ,the young priest's attention was aroused1 however1 and he could well divine what was passing in the other's mind4 ,under that make-believe ,florentine1 all angelicalness1 there was an experienced business man1 who well knew how to look after his pecuniary interests and was even reported to be somewhat avaricious4 ,pierre1 who was aware of it1 could not help smiling therefore when he saw him take his stand before another picture--a frightful ,virgin1 badly copied from some eighteenth-century canvas--and exclaim3 8,dear me6 that's not at all bad6 ,i've a friend1 ,i remember1 who asked me to buy him some old paintings4 ,i say1 ,victorine1 now that ,donna ,serafina and the ,cardinal are left alone do you think they would like to rid themselves of a few valueless pictures80 ,the servant raised her arms as if to say that if it depended on her1 everything might be carried away4 ,then she replied3 8,not to a dealer1 sir1 on account of the nasty rumours which would at once spread about1 but ,i'm sure they would be happy to please a friend4 ,the house costs a lot to keep up1 and money would be welcome40 ,pierre then vainly endeavoured to persuade ,narcisse to stay and sup with him1 but the young man gave his word of honour that he was expected elsewhere and was even late4 ,and thereupon he ran off1 after pressing the priest's hands and affectionately wishing him a good journey4 ,eight o'clock was striking1 and ,pierre seated himself at the little table1 ,victorine remaining to serve him after dismissing ,giacomo1 who had brought the supper things upstairs in a basket4 8,the people here make me wild10 said the worthy woman after the other had gone1 8they are so slow4 ,and besides1 it's a pleasure for me to serve you your last meal1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,i've had a little ,french dinner cooked for you1 a sole au gratin and a roast fowl40 ,pierre was touched by this attention1 and pleased to have the company of a compatriot whilst he partook of his final meal amidst the deep silence of the old1 black1 deserted mansion4 ,the buxom figure of ,victorine was still instinct with mourning1 with grief for the loss of her dear ,contessina1 but her daily toil was already setting her erect again1 restoring her quick activity2 and she spoke almost cheerfully whilst passing plates and dishes to ,pierre4 8,and to think ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8that you'll be in ,paris on the morning of the day after to-morrow6 ,as for me1 you know1 it seems as if ,i only left ,auneau yesterday4 ,ah6 what fine soil there is there2 rich soil yellow like gold1 not like their poor stuff here which smells of sulphur6 ,and the pretty fresh willows beside our stream1 too1 and the little wood so full of moss6 ,they've no moss here1 their trees look like tin under that stupid sun of theirs which burns up the grass4 ,mon ,dieu6 in the early times ,i would have given ,i don't know what for a good fall of rain to soak me and wash away all the dust4 ,ah6 ,i shall never get used to their awful ,rome4 ,what a country and what people60 ,pierre was quite enlivened by her stubborn fidelity to her own nook1 which after five and twenty years of absence still left her horrified with that city of crude light and black vegetation1 true daughter as she was of a smiling and temperate clime which of a morning was steeped in rosy mist4 8,but now that your young mistress is dead10 said he1 8what keeps you here8 ,why don't you take the train with me80 ,she looked at him in surprise3 8,go off with you1 go back to ,auneau6 ,oh6 it's impossible1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,it would be too ungrateful to begin with1 for ,donna ,serafina is accustomed to me1 and it would be bad on my part to forsake her and his ,eminence now that they are in trouble4 ,and besides1 what could ,i do elsewhere8 ,no1 my little hole is here now40 8,so you will never see ,auneau again80 8,no1 never1 that's certain40 8,and you don't mind being buried here1 in their ground which smells of sulphur80 ,she burst into a frank laugh4 8,oh60 she said1 8,i don't mind where ,i am when ,i'm dead4 ,one sleeps well everywhere4 ,and it's funny that you should be so anxious as to what there may be when one's dead4 ,there's nothing1 ,i'm sure4 ,that's what tranquillises me1 to feel that it will be all over and that ,i shall have a rest4 ,the good ,god owes us that after we've worked so hard4 ,you know that ,i'm not devout1 oh6 dear no4 ,still that doesn't prevent me from behaving properly1 and1 true as ,i stand here1 ,i've never had a lover4 ,it seems foolish to say such a thing at my age1 still ,i say it because it's the sober truth40 ,she continued laughing like the worthy woman she was1 having no belief in priests and yet without a sin upon her conscience4 ,and ,pierre once more marvelled at the simple courage and great practical common sense of this laborious and devoted creature1 who for him personified the whole unbelieving lowly class of ,france1 those who no longer believe and will believe never more4 ,ah6 to be as she was1 to do one's work and lie down for the eternal sleep without any revolt of pride1 satisfied with the one joy of having accomplished one's share of toil6 ,when ,pierre had finished his supper ,victorine summoned ,giacomo to clear the things away4 ,and as it was only half-past eight she advised the priest to spend another quiet hour in his room4 ,why go and catch a chill by waiting at the station8 ,she could send for a cab at half-past nine1 and as soon as it arrived she would send word to him and have his luggage carried down4 ,he might be easy as to that1 and need trouble himself about nothing4 ,when she had gone off ,pierre soon sank into a deep reverie4 ,it seemed to him1 indeed1 as if he had already quitted ,rome1 as if the city were far away and he could look back on it1 and his experiences within it4 ,his book1 8,new ,rome10 arose in his mind2 and he remembered his first morning on the ,janiculum1 his view of ,rome from the terrace of ,san ,pietro in ,montorio1 a ,rome such as he had dreamt of1 so young and ethereal under the pure sky4 ,it was then that he had asked himself the decisive question3 ,could ,catholicism be renewed8 ,could it revert to the spirit of primitive ,christianity1 become the religion of the democracy1 the faith which the distracted modern world1 in danger of death1 awaits in order that it may be pacified and live8 ,his heart had then beaten with hope and enthusiasm4 ,after his disaster at ,lourdes from which he had scarcely recovered1 he had come to attempt another and supreme experiment by asking ,rome what her reply to his question would be4 ,and now the experiment had failed1 he knew what answer ,rome had returned him through her ruins1 her monuments1 her very soil1 her people1 her prelates1 her cardinals1 her pope6 ,no1 ,catholicism could not be renewed3 no1 it could not revert to the spirit of primitive ,christianity2 no1 it could not become the religion of the democracy1 the new faith which might save the old toppling societies in danger of death4 ,though it seemed to be of democratic origin1 it was henceforth riveted to that ,roman soil1 it remained kingly in spite of everything1 forced to cling to the principle of temporal power under penalty of suicide1 bound by tradition1 enchained by dogma1 its evolutions mere simulations whilst in reality it was reduced to such immobility that1 behind the bronze doors of the ,vatican1 the papacy was the prisoner1 the ghost of eighteen centuries of atavism1 indulging the ceaseless dream of universal dominion4 ,there1 where with priestly faith exalted by love of the suffering and the poor1 he had come to seek life and a resurrection of the ,christian communion1 he had found death1 the dust of a destroyed world in which nothing more could germinate1 an exhausted soil whence now there could never grow aught but that despotic papacy1 the master of bodies as it was of souls4 ,to his distracted cry asking for a new religion1 ,rome had been content to reply by condemning his book as a work tainted with heresy1 and he himself had withdrawn it amidst the bitter grief of his disillusions4 ,he had seen1 he had understood1 and all had collapsed4 ,and it was himself1 his soul and his brain1 which lay among the ruins4 ,pierre was stifling4 ,he rose1 threw the window overlooking the ,tiber wide open1 and leant out4 ,the rain had begun to fall again at the approach of evening1 but now it had once more ceased4 ,the atmosphere was very mild1 moist1 even oppressive4 ,the moon must have arisen in the ashen grey sky1 for her presence could be divined behind the clouds which she illumined with a vague1 yellow1 mournful light4 ,and under that slumberous glimmer the vast horizon showed blackly and phantom-like3 the ,janiculum in front with the close-packed houses of the ,trastevere2 the river flowing away yonder on the left towards the dim height of the ,palatine2 whilst on the right the dome of ,st4 ,peter's showed forth1 round and domineering in the pale atmosphere4 ,pierre could not see the ,quirinal but divined it to be behind him1 and could picture its long faade shutting off part of the sky4 ,and what a collapsing ,rome1 half-devoured by the gloom1 was this1 so different from the ,rome all youth and dreamland which he had beheld and passionately loved on the day of his arrival6 ,he remembered the three symbolic summits which had then summed up for him the whole long history of ,rome1 the ancient1 the papal1 and the ,italian city4 ,but if the ,palatine had remained the same discrowned mount on which there only rose the phantom of the ancestor1 ,augustus1 emperor and pontiff1 master of the world1 he now pictured ,st4 ,peter's and the ,quirinal as strangely altered4 ,to that royal palace which he had so neglected1 and which had seemed to him like a flat1 low barrack1 to that new ,government which had brought him the impression of some attempt at sacrilegious modernity1 he now accorded the large1 increasing space that they occupied in the panorama1 the whole of which they would apparently soon fill2 whilst1 on the contrary1 ,st4 ,peter's1 that dome which he had found so triumphal1 all azure1 reigning over the city like a gigantic and unshakable monarch1 at present seemed to him full of cracks and already shrinking1 as if it were one of those huge old piles1 which1 through the secret1 unsuspected decay of their timbers1 at times fall to the ground in one mass4 ,a murmur1 a growling plaint rose from the swollen ,tiber1 and ,pierre shivered at the icy abysmal breath which swept past his face4 ,and his thoughts of the three summits and their symbolic triangle aroused within him the memory of the sufferings of the great silent multitude of poor and lowly for whom pope and king had so long disputed4 ,it all dated from long ago1 from the day when1 in dividing the inheritance of ,augustus1 the emperor had been obliged to content himself with men's bodies1 leaving their souls to the pope1 whose one idea had henceforth been to gain the temporal power of which ,god1 in his person1 was despoiled4 ,all the middle ages had been disturbed and ensanguined by the quarrel1 till at last the silent multitude weary of vexations and misery spoke out2 threw off the papal yoke at the ,reformation1 and later on began to overthrow its kings4 ,and then1 as ,pierre had written in his book1 a new fortune had been offered to the pope1 that of reverting to the ancient dream1 by dissociating himself from the fallen thrones and placing himself on the side of the wretched in the hope that this time he would conquer the people1 win it entirely for himself4 ,was it not prodigious to see that man1 ,leo ,,xiii1 despoiled of his kingdom and allowing himself to be called a socialist1 assembling under his banner the great flock of the disinherited1 and marching against the kings at the head of that fourth estate to whom the coming century will belong8 ,the eternal struggle for possession of the people continued as bitterly as ever even in ,rome itself1 where pope and king1 who could see each other from their windows1 contended together like falcon and hawk for the little birds of the woods4 ,and in this for ,pierre lay the reason why ,catholicism was fatally condemned2 for it was of monarchical essence to such a point that the ,apostolic and ,roman papacy could not renounce the temporal power under penalty of becoming something else and disappearing4 ,in vain did it feign a return to the people1 in vain did it seek to appear all soul2 there was no room in the midst of the world's democracies for any such total and universal sovereignty as that which it claimed to hold from ,god4 ,pierre ever beheld the ,imperator sprouting up afresh in the ,pontifex ,maximus1 and it was this in particular which had killed his dream1 destroyed his book1 heaped up all those ruins before which he remained distracted without either strength or courage4 ,the sight of that ashen ,rome1 whose edifices faded away into the night1 at last brought him such a heart-pang that he came back into the room and fell on a chair near his luggage4 ,never before had he experienced such distress of spirit1 it seemed like the death of his soul4 ,after his disaster at ,lourdes he had not come to ,rome in search of the candid and complete faith of a little child1 but the superior faith of an intellectual being1 rising above rites and symbols1 and seeking to ensure the greatest possible happiness of mankind based on its need of certainty4 ,and if this collapsed1 if ,catholicism could not be rejuvenated and become the religion and moral law of the new generations1 if the ,pope at ,rome and with ,rome could not be the ,father1 the arch of alliance1 the spiritual leader whom all hearkened to and obeyed1 why then1 in ,pierre's eyes1 the last hope was wrecked1 the supreme rending which must plunge present-day society into the abyss was near at hand4 ,that scaffolding of ,catholic socialism which had seemed to him so happily devised for the consolidation of the old ,church1 now appeared to him lying on the ground2 and he judged it severely as a mere passing expedient which might perhaps for some years prop up the ruined edifice1 but which was simply based on an intentional misunderstanding1 on a skilful lie1 on politics and diplomacy4 ,no1 no1 that the people should once again1 as so many times before1 be duped and gained over1 caressed in order that it might be enthralled--this was repugnant to one's reason1 and the whole system appeared degenerate1 dangerous1 temporary1 calculated to end in the worst catastrophes4 ,so this then was the finish1 nothing remained erect and stable1 the old world was about to disappear amidst the frightful sanguinary crisis whose approach was announced by such indisputable signs4 ,and he1 before that chaos near at hand1 had no soul left him1 having once more lost his faith in that decisive experiment which1 he had felt beforehand1 would either strengthen him or strike him down for ever4 ,the thunderbolt had fallen1 and now1 ,o ,god1 what should he do8 ,to shake off his anguish he began to walk across the room4 ,aye1 what should he do now that he was all doubt again1 all dolorous negation1 and that his cassock weighed more heavily than it had ever weighed upon his shoulders8 ,he remembered having told ,monsignor ,nani that he would never submit1 would never be able to resign himself and kill his hope in salvation by love1 but would rather reply by a fresh book1 in which he would say in what new soil the new religion would spring up4 ,yes1 a flaming book against ,rome1 in which he would set down all he had seen1 a book which would depict the real ,rome1 the ,rome which knows neither charity nor love1 and is dying in the pride of its purple6 ,he had spoken of returning to ,paris1 leaving the ,church and going to the point of schism4 ,well1 his luggage now lay there packed1 he was going off and he would write that book1 he would be the great schismatic who was awaited6 ,did not everything foretell approaching schism amidst that great movement of men's minds1 weary of old mummified dogmas and yet hungering for the divine8 ,even ,leo ,,xiii must be conscious of it1 for his whole policy1 his whole effort towards ,christian unity1 his assumed affection for the democracy had no other object than that of grouping the whole family around the papacy1 and consolidating it so as to render the ,pope invincible in the approaching struggle4 ,but the times had come1 ,catholicism would soon find that it could grant no more political concessions without perishing1 that at ,rome it was reduced to the immobility of an ancient hieratic idol1 and that only in the lands of propaganda1 where it was fighting against other religions1 could further evolution take place4 ,it was1 indeed1 for this reason that ,rome was condemned1 the more so as the abolition of the temporal power1 by accustoming men's minds to the idea of a purely spiritual papacy1 seemed likely to conduce to the rise of some anti-pope1 far away1 whilst the successor of ,st4 ,peter was compelled to cling stubbornly to his ,apostolic and ,roman fiction4 ,a bishop1 a priest would arise--where1 who could tell8 ,perhaps yonder in that free ,america1 where there are priests whom the struggle for life has turned into convinced socialists1 into ardent democrats1 who are ready to go forward with the coming century4 ,and whilst ,rome remains unable to relinquish aught of her past1 aught of her mysteries and dogmas1 that priest will relinquish all of those things which fall from one in dust4 ,ah6 to be that priest1 to be that great reformer1 that saviour of modern society1 what a vast dream1 what a part1 akin to that of a ,messiah summoned by the nations in distress4 ,for a moment ,pierre was transported as by a breeze of hope and triumph4 ,if that great change did not come in ,france1 in ,paris1 it would come elsewhere1 yonder across the ocean1 or farther yet1 wherever there might be a sufficiently fruitful soil for the new seed to spring from it in overflowing harvests4 ,a new religion6 a new religion6 even as he had cried on returning from ,lourdes1 a religion which in particular should not be an appetite for death1 a religion which should at last realise here below that ,kingdom of ,god referred to in the ,gospel1 and which should equitably divide terrestrial wealth1 and with the law of labour ensure the rule of truth and justice4 ,in the fever of this fresh dream ,pierre already saw the pages of his new book flaring before him when his eyes fell on an object lying upon a chair1 which at first surprised him4 ,this also was a book1 that work of ,thophile ,morin's which ,orlando had commissioned him to hand to its author1 and he felt annoyed with himself at having left it there1 for he might have forgotten it altogether4 ,before putting it into his valise he retained it for a moment in his hand turning its pages over1 his ideas changing as by a sudden mental revolution4 ,the work was1 however1 a very modest one1 one of those manuals for the bachelor's degree containing little beyond the first elements of the sciences2 still all the sciences were represented in it1 and it gave a fair summary of the present state of human knowledge4 ,and it was indeed ,science which thus burst upon ,pierre's reverie with the energy of sovereign power4 ,not only was ,catholicism swept away from his mind1 but all his religious conceptions1 every hypothesis of the divine tottered and fell4 ,only that little school book1 nothing but the universal desire for knowledge1 that education which ever extends and penetrates the whole people1 and behold the mysteries became absurdities1 the dogmas crumbled1 and nothing of ancient faith was left4 ,a nation nourished upon ,science1 no longer believing in mysteries and dogmas1 in a compensatory system of reward and punishment1 is a nation whose faith is for ever dead3 and without faith ,catholicism cannot be4 ,therein is the blade of the knife1 the knife which falls and severs4 ,if one century1 if two centuries be needed1 ,science will take them4 ,she alone is eternal4 ,it is pure navet to say that reason is not contrary to faith4 ,the truth is1 that now already in order to save mere fragments of the sacred writings1 it has been necessary to accommodate them to the new certainties1 by taking refuge in the assertion that they are simply symbolical6 ,and what an extraordinary attitude is that of the ,catholic ,church1 expressly forbidding all those who may discover a truth contrary to the sacred writings to pronounce upon it in definitive fashion1 and ordering them to await events in the conviction that this truth will some day be proved an error6 ,only the ,pope1 says the ,church1 is infallible2 ,science is fallible1 her constant groping is exploited against her1 and divines remain on the watch striving to make it appear that her discoveries of to-day are in contradiction with her discoveries of yesterday4 ,what do her sacrilegious assertions1 what do her certainties rending dogma asunder1 matter to a ,catholic since it is certain that at the end of time1 she1 ,science1 will again join ,faith1 and become the latter's very humble slave6 ,voluntary blindness and impudent denial of things as evident as the sunlight1 can no further go4 ,but all the same the insignificant little book1 the manual of truth travels on continuing its work1 destroying error and building up the new world1 even as the infinitesimal agents of life built up our present continents4 ,in the sudden great enlightenment which had come on him ,pierre at last felt himself upon firm ground4 ,has ,science ever retreated8 ,it is ,catholicism which has always retreated before her1 and will always be forced to retreat4 ,never does ,science stop1 step by step she wrests truth from error1 and to say that she is bankrupt because she cannot explain the world in one word and at one effort1 is pure and simple nonsense4 ,if she leaves1 and no doubt will always leave a smaller and smaller domain to mystery1 and if supposition may always strive to explain that mystery1 it is none the less certain that she ruins1 and with each successive hour will add to the ruin of the ancient hypotheses1 those which crumble away before the acquired truths4 ,and ,catholicism is in the position of those ancient hypotheses1 and will be in it yet more thoroughly to-morrow4 ,like all religions it is1 at the bottom1 but an explanation of the world1 a superior social and political code1 intended to bring about the greatest possible sum of peace and happiness on earth4 ,this code which embraces the universality of things thenceforth becomes human1 and mortal like everything that is human4 ,one cannot put it on one side and say that it exists on one side by itself1 whilst ,science does the same on the other4 ,science is total and has already shown ,catholicism that such is the case1 and will show it again and again by compelling it to repair the breaches incessantly effected in its ramparts till the day of victory shall come with the final assault of resplendent truth4 ,frankly1 it makes one laugh to hear people assign a rle to ,science1 forbid her to enter such and such a domain1 predict to her that she shall go no further1 and declare that at this end of the century she is already so weary that she abdicates6 ,oh6 you little men of shallow or distorted brains1 you politicians planning expedients1 you dogmatics at bay1 you authoritarians so obstinately clinging to the ancient dreams1 ,science will pass on1 and sweep you all away like withered leaves6 ,pierre continued glancing through the humble little book1 listening to all it told him of sovereign ,science4 ,she cannot become bankrupt1 for she does not promise the absolute1 she is simply the progressive conquest of truth4 ,never has she pretended that she could give the whole truth at one effort1 that sort of edifice being precisely the work of metaphysics1 of revelation1 of faith4 ,the rle of ,science1 on the contrary1 is only to destroy error as she gradually advances and increases enlightenment4 ,and thus1 far from becoming bankrupt1 in her march which nothing stops1 she remains the only possible truth for well-balanced and healthy minds4 ,as for those whom she does not satisfy1 who crave for immediate and universal knowledge1 they have the resource of seeking refuge in no matter what religious hypothesis1 provided1 if they wish to appear in the right1 that they build their fancy upon acquired certainties4 ,everything which is raised on proven error falls4 ,however1 although religious feeling persists among mankind1 although the need of religion may be eternal1 it by no means follows that ,catholicism is eternal1 for it is1 after all1 but one form of religion1 which other forms preceded and which others will follow4 ,religions may disappear1 but religious feeling will create new ones even with the help of ,science4 ,pierre thought of that alleged repulse of ,science by the present-day awakening of mysticism1 the causes of which he had indicated in his book3 the discredit into which the idea of liberty has fallen among the people1 duped in the last social reorganisation1 and the uneasiness of the lite1 in despair at the void in which their liberated minds and enlarged intelligences have left them4 ,it is the anguish of the ,unknown springing up again2 but it is also only a natural and momentary reaction after so much labour1 on finding that ,science does not yet calm our thirst for justice1 our desire for security1 or our ancient idea of an eternal after-life of enjoyment4 ,in order1 however1 that ,catholicism might be born anew1 as some seem to think it will be1 the social soil would have to change1 and it cannot change2 it no longer possesses the sap needful for the renewal of a decaying formula which schools and laboratories destroy more and more each day4 ,the ground is other than it once was1 a different oak must spring from it4 ,may ,science therefore have her religion1 for such a religion will soon be the only one possible for the coming democracies1 for the nations1 whose knowledge ever increases whilst their ,catholic faith is already nought but dust4 ,and all at once1 by way of conclusion1 ,pierre bethought himself of the idiocy of the ,congregation of the ,index4 ,it had condemned his book1 and would surely condemn the other one that he had thought of1 should he ever write it4 ,a fine piece of work truly6 ,to fall tooth and nail on the poor books of an enthusiastic dreamer1 in which chimera contended with chimera6 ,yet the ,congregation was so foolish as not to interdict that little book which he held in his hands1 that humble book which alone was to be feared1 which was the ever triumphant enemy that would surely overthrow the ,church4 ,modest it was in its cheap 8get up0 as a school manual1 but that did not matter3 danger began with the very alphabet1 increased as knowledge was acquired1 and burst forth with those resumes of the physical1 chemical1 and natural sciences which bring the very ,creation1 as described by ,holy ,writ1 into question4 ,however1 the ,index dared not attempt to suppress those humble volumes1 those terrible soldiers of truth1 those destroyers of faith4 ,what was the use1 then1 of all the money which ,leo ,,xiii drew from his hidden treasure of the ,peter's ,pence to subvention ,catholic schools1 with the thought of forming the believing generations which the papacy needed to enable it to conquer8 ,what was the use of that precious money if it was only to serve for the purchase of similar insignificant yet formidable volumes1 which could never be sufficiently 8cooked0 and expurgated1 but would always contain too much ,science1 that growing ,science which one day would blow up both ,vatican and ,st4 ,peter's8 ,ah6 that idiotic and impotent ,index1 what wretchedness and what derision6 ,then1 when ,pierre had placed ,thophile ,morin's book in his valise1 he once more returned to the window1 and while leaning out1 beheld an extraordinary vision4 ,under the cloudy1 coppery sky1 in the mild and mournful night1 patches of wavy mist had risen1 hiding many of the house-roofs with trailing shreds which looked like shrouds4 ,entire edifices had disappeared1 and he imagined that the times were at last accomplished1 and that truth had at last destroyed ,st4 ,peter's dome4 ,in a hundred or a thousand years1 it would be like that1 fallen1 obliterated from the black sky4 ,one day1 already1 he had felt it tottering and cracking beneath him1 and had foreseen that this temple of ,catholicism would fall even as ,jove's temple had fallen on the ,capitol4 ,and it was over now1 the dome had strewn the ground with fragments1 and all that remained standing1 in addition to a portion of the apse1 where five columns of the central nave1 still upholding a shred of entablature1 and four cyclopean buttress-piers on which the dome had rested--piers which still arose1 isolated and superb1 looking indestructible among all the surrounding downfall4 ,but a denser mist flowed past1 another thousand years no doubt went by1 and then nothing whatever remained4 ,the apse1 the last pillars1 the giant piers themselves were felled6 ,the wind had swept away their dust1 and it would have been necessary to search the soil beneath the brambles and the nettles to find a few fragments of broken statues1 marbles with mutilated inscriptions1 on the sense of which learned men were unable to agree4 ,and1 as formerly1 on the ,capitol1 among the buried remnants of ,jupiter's temple1 goats strayed and climbed through the solitude1 browsing upon the bushes1 amidst the deep silence of the oppressive summer sunlight1 which only the buzzing flies disturbed4 ,then1 only then1 did ,pierre feel the supreme collapse within him4 ,it was really all over1 ,science was victorious1 nothing of the old world remained4 ,what use would it be then to become the great schismatic1 the reformer who was awaited8 ,would it not simply mean the building up of a new dream8 ,only the eternal struggle of ,science against the ,unknown1 the searching1 pursuing inquiry which incessantly moderated man's thirst for the divine1 now seemed to him of import1 leaving him waiting to know if she would ever triumph so completely as to suffice mankind1 by satisfying all its wants4 ,and in the disaster which had overcome his apostolic enthusiasm1 in presence of all those ruins1 having lost his faith1 and even his hope of utilising old ,catholicism for social and moral salvation1 there only remained reason that held him up4 ,she had at one moment given way4 ,if he had dreamt that book1 and had just passed through that terrible crisis1 it was because sentiment had once again overcome reason within him4 ,it was his mother1 so to say1 who had wept in his heart1 who had filled him with an irresistible desire to relieve the wretched and prevent the massacres which seemed near at hand2 and his passion for charity had thus swept aside the scruples of his intelligence4 ,but it was his father's voice that he now heard1 lofty and bitter reason which1 though it had fled1 at present came back in all sovereignty4 ,as he had done already after ,lourdes1 he protested against the glorification of the absurd and the downfall of common sense4 ,reason alone enabled him to walk erect and firm among the remnants of the old beliefs1 even amidst the obscurities and failures of ,science4 ,ah6 ,reason1 it was through her alone that he suffered1 through her alone that he could content himself1 and he swore that he would now always seek to satisfy her1 even if in doing so he should lose his happiness4 ,at that moment it would have been vain for him to ask what he ought to do4 ,everything remained in suspense1 the world stretched before him still littered with the ruins of the past1 of which1 to-morrow1 it would perhaps be rid4 ,yonder1 in that dolorous faubourg of ,paris1 he would find good ,abb ,rose1 who but a few days previously had written begging him to return and tend1 love1 and save his poor1 since ,rome1 so dazzling from afar1 was dead to charity4 ,and around the good and peaceful old priest he would find the ever growing flock of wretched ones2 the little fledglings who had fallen from their nests1 and whom he found pale with hunger and shivering with cold2 the households of abominable misery in which the father drank and the mother became a prostitute1 while the sons and the daughters sank into vice and crime2 the dwellings1 too1 through which famine swept1 where all was filth and shameful promiscuity1 where there was neither furniture nor linen1 nothing but purely animal life4 ,and then there would also come the cold blasts of winter1 the disasters of slack times1 the hurricanes of consumption carrying off the weak1 whilst the strong clenched their fists and dreamt of vengeance4 ,one evening1 too1 perhaps1 he might again enter some room of horror and find that another mother had killed herself and her five little ones1 her last-born in her arms clinging to her drained breast1 and the others scattered over the bare tiles1 at last contented1 feeling hunger no more1 now that they were dead6 ,but no1 no1 such awful things were no longer possible3 such black misery conducting to suicide in the heart of that great city of ,paris1 which is brimful of wealth1 intoxicated with enjoyment1 and flings millions out of window for mere pleasure6 ,the very foundations of the social edifice were rotten2 all would soon collapse amidst mire and blood4 ,never before had ,pierre so acutely realised the derisive futility of ,charity4 ,and all at once he became conscious that the long-awaited word1 the word which was at last springing from the great silent multitude1 the crushed and gagged people was ,justice6 ,aye1 ,justice not ,charity6 ,charity had only served to perpetuate misery1 ,justice perhaps would cure it4 ,it was for ,justice that the wretched hungered2 an act of ,justice alone could sweep away the olden world so that the new one might be reared4 ,after all1 the great silent multitude would belong neither to ,vatican nor to ,quirinal1 neither to pope nor to king4 ,if it had covertly growled through the ages in its long1 sometimes mysterious1 and sometimes open contest2 if it had struggled betwixt pontiff and emperor who each had wished to retain it for himself alone1 it had only done so in order that it might free itself1 proclaim its resolve to belong to none on the day when it should cry ,justice6 ,would to-morrow then at last prove that day of ,justice and ,truth8 ,for his part1 ,pierre amidst his anguish--having on one hand that need of the divine which tortures man1 and on the other sovereignty of reason which enables man to remain erect--was only sure of one thing1 that he would keep his vows1 continue a priest1 watching over the belief of others though he could not himself believe1 and would thus chastely and honestly follow his profession1 amidst haughty sadness at having been unable to renounce his intelligence in the same way as he had renounced his flesh and his dream of saving the nations4 ,and again1 as after ,lourdes1 he would wait4 ,so deeply was he plunged in reflection at that window1 face to face with the mist which seemed to be destroying the dark edifices of ,rome1 that he did not hear himself called4 ,at last1 however1 he felt a tap on the shoulder3 8,monsieur l',abb60 ,and then as he turned he saw ,victorine1 who said to him3 8,it is half-past nine2 the cab is there4 ,giacomo has already taken your luggage down4 ,you must come away1 ,monsieur l',abb40 ,then seeing him blink1 still dazed as it were1 she smiled and added3 8,you were bidding ,rome goodbye4 ,what a frightful sky there is40 8,yes1 frightful10 was his reply4 ,then they descended the stairs4 ,he had handed her a hundred-franc note to be shared between herself and the other servants4 ,and she apologised for going down before him with the lamp1 explaining that the old palace was so dark that evening one could scarcely see4 ,ah6 that departure1 that last descent through the black and empty mansion1 it quite upset ,pierre's heart4 ,he gave his room that glance of farewell which always saddened him1 even when he was leaving a spot where he had suffered4 ,then1 on passing ,don ,vigilio's chamber1 whence there only came a quivering silence1 he pictured the secretary with his head buried in his pillows1 holding his breath for fear lest he should speak and attract vengeance4 ,but it was in particular on the second and first floor landings1 on passing the closed doors of ,donna ,serafina and the ,cardinal1 that ,pierre quivered with apprehension at hearing nothing but the silence of the grave4 ,and as he followed ,victorine1 who1 lamp in hand1 was still descending1 he thought of the brother and sister who were left alone in the ruined palace1 last relics of a world which had half passed away4 ,all hope of life had departed with ,benedetta and ,dario1 no resurrection could come from that old maid and that priest who was bound to chastity4 ,ah6 those interminable and lugubrious passages1 that frigid and gigantic staircase which seemed to descend into nihility1 those huge halls with cracking walls where all was wretchedness and abandonment6 ,and that inner court1 looking like a cemetery with its weeds and its damp porticus1 where remnants of ,apollos and ,venuses were rotting6 ,and the little deserted garden1 fragrant with ripe oranges1 whither nobody now would ever stray1 where none would ever meet that adorable ,contessina under the laurels near the sarcophagus6 ,all was now annihilated in abominable mourning1 in a death-like silence1 amidst which the two last ,boccaneras must wait1 in savage grandeur1 till their palace should fall about their heads4 ,pierre could only just detect a faint sound1 the gnawing of a mouse perhaps1 unless it were caused by ,abb ,paparelli attacking the walls of some out-of-the-way rooms1 preying on the old edifice down below1 so as to hasten its fall4 ,the cab stood at the door1 already laden with the luggage1 the box beside the driver1 the valise on the seat2 and the priest at once got in4 8,oh6 ,you have plenty of time10 said ,victorine1 who had remained on the foot-pavement4 8,nothing has been forgotten4 ,i'm glad to see you go off comfortably40 ,and indeed at that last moment ,pierre was comforted by the presence of that worthy woman1 his compatriot1 who had greeted him on his arrival and now attended his departure4 8,i won't say #8till we meet again1' ,monsieur l',abb10 she exclaimed1 8for ,i don't fancy that you'll soon be back in this horrid city4 ,good-bye1 ,monsieur l',abb40 8,good-bye1 ,victorine1 and thank you with all my heart40 ,the cab was already going off at a fast trot1 turning into the narrow sinuous street which leads to the ,corso ,vittoria ,emanuele4 ,it was not raining and so the hood had not been raised1 but although the damp atmosphere was comparatively mild1 ,pierre at once felt a chill4 ,however1 he was unwilling to stop the driver1 a silent fellow whose only desire seemingly was to get rid of his fare as soon as possible4 ,when the cab came out into the ,corso ,vittoria ,emanuele1 the young man was astonished to find it already quite deserted1 the houses shut1 the footways bare1 and the electric lamps burning all alone in melancholy solitude4 ,in truth1 however1 the temperature was far from warm and the fog seemed to be increasing1 hiding the house-fronts more and more4 ,when ,pierre passed the ,cancelleria1 that stern colossal pile seemed to him to be receding1 fading away2 and farther on1 upon the right1 at the end of the ,via di ,ara ,coeli1 starred by a few smoky gas lamps1 the ,capitol had quite vanished in the gloom4 ,then the thoroughfare narrowed1 and the cab went on between the dark heavy masses of the ,ges and the ,altieri palace2 and there in that contracted passage1 where even on fine sunny days one found all the dampness of old times1 the quivering priest yielded to a fresh train of thought4 ,it was an idea which had sometimes made him feel anxious1 the idea that mankind1 starting from over yonder in ,asia1 had always marched onward with the sun4 ,an east wind had always carried the human seed for future harvest towards the west4 ,and for a long while now the cradle of humanity had been stricken with destruction and death1 as if indeed the nations could only advance by stages1 leaving exhausted soil1 ruined cities1 and degenerate populations behind1 as they marched from orient to occident1 towards their unknown goal4 ,nineveh and ,babylon on the banks of the ,euphrates1 ,thebes and ,memphis on the banks of the ,nile1 had been reduced to dust1 sinking from old age and weariness into a deadly numbness beyond possibility of awakening4 ,then decrepitude had spread to the shores of the great ,mediterranean lake1 burying both ,tyre and ,sidon with dust1 and afterwards striking ,carthage with senility whilst it yet seemed in full splendour4 ,in this wise as mankind marched on1 carried by the hidden forces of civilisation from east to west1 it marked each day's journey with ruins2 and how frightful was the sterility nowadays displayed by the cradle of ,history1 that ,asia and that ,egypt1 which had once more lapsed into childhood1 immobilised in ignorance and degeneracy amidst the ruins of ancient cities that once had been queens of the world6 ,it was thus ,pierre reflected as the cab rolled on4 ,still he was not unconscious of his surroundings4 ,as he passed the ,palazzo di ,venezia it seemed to him to be crumbling beneath some assault of the invisible1 for the mist had already swept away its battlements1 and the lofty1 bare1 fearsome walls looked as if they were staggering from the onslaught of the growing darkness4 ,and after passing the deep gap of the ,corso1 which was also deserted amidst the pallid radiance of its electric lights1 the ,palazzo ,torlonia appeared on the right-hand1 with one wing ripped open by the picks of demolishers1 whilst on the left1 farther up1 the ,palazzo ,colonna showed its long1 mournful faade and closed windows1 as if1 now that it was deserted by its masters and void of its ancient pomp1 it awaited the demolishers in its turn4 ,then1 as the cab at a slower pace began to climb the ascent of the ,via ,nazionale1 ,pierre's reverie continued4 ,was not ,rome also stricken1 had not the hour come for her to disappear amidst that destruction which the nations on the march invariably left behind them8 ,greece1 ,athens1 and ,sparta slumbered beneath their glorious memories1 and were of no account in the world of to-day4 ,moreover1 the growing paralysis had already invaded the lower portion of the ,italic peninsula2 and after ,naples certainly came the turn of ,rome4 ,she was on the very margin of the death spot which ever extends over the old continent1 that margin where agony begins1 where the impoverished soil will no longer nourish and support cities1 where men themselves seem stricken with old age as soon as they are born4 ,for two centuries ,rome had been declining1 withdrawing little by little from modern life1 having neither manufactures nor trade1 and being incapable even of science1 literature1 or art4 ,and in ,pierre's thoughts it was no longer ,st4 ,peter's only that fell1 but all ,rome--basilicas1 palaces1 and entire districts--which collapsed amidst a supreme rending1 and covered the seven hills with a chaos of ruins4 ,like ,nineveh and ,babylon1 and like ,thebes and ,memphis1 ,rome became but a plain1 bossy with remnants1 amidst which one vainly sought to identify the sites of ancient edifices1 whilst its sole denizens were coiling serpents and bands of rats4 ,the cab turned1 and on the right1 in a huge gap of darkness ,pierre recognised ,trajan's column1 but it was no longer gilded by the sun as when he had first seen it2 it now rose up blackly like the dead trunk of a giant tree whose branches have fallen from old age4 ,and farther on1 when he raised his eyes while crossing the little triangular piazza1 and perceived a real tree against the leaden sky1 that parasol pine of the ,villa ,aldobrandini which rises there like a symbol of ,rome's grace and pride1 it seemed to him but a smear1 a little cloud of soot ascending from the downfall of the whole city4 ,with the anxious1 fraternal turn of his feelings1 fear was coming over him as he reached the end of his tragic dream4 ,when the numbness which spreads across the aged world should have passed ,rome1 when ,lombardy should have yielded to it1 and ,genoa1 ,turin1 and ,milan should have fallen asleep as ,venice has fallen already1 then would come the turn of ,france4 ,the ,alps would be crossed1 ,marseilles1 like ,tyre and ,sidon1 would see its port choked up by sand1 ,lyons would sink into desolation and slumber1 and at last ,paris1 invaded by the invincible torpor1 and transformed into a sterile waste of stones bristling with nettles1 would join ,rome and ,nineveh and ,babylon in death1 whilst the nations continued their march from orient to occident following the sun4 ,a great cry sped through the gloom1 the death cry of the ,latin races6 ,history1 which seemed to have been born in the basin of the ,mediterranean1 was being transported elsewhere1 and the ocean had now become the centre of the world4 ,how many hours of the human day had gone by8 ,had mankind1 starting from its cradle over yonder at daybreak1 strewing its road with ruins from stage to stage1 now accomplished one-half of its day and reached the dazzling hour of noon8 ,if so1 then the other half of the day allotted to it was beginning1 the new world was following the old one1 the new world of those ,american cities where democracy was forming and the religion of to-morrow was sprouting1 those sovereign queens of the coming century1 with yonder1 across another ocean1 on the other side of the globe1 that motionless ,far ,east1 mysterious ,china and ,japan1 and all the threatening swarm of the yellow races4 ,however1 while the cab climbed higher and higher up the ,via ,nazionale1 ,pierre felt his nightmare dissipating4 ,there was here a lighter atmosphere1 and he came back into a renewal of hope and courage4 ,yet the ,banca d',italia1 with its brand-new ugliness1 its chalky hugeness1 looked to him like a phantom in a shroud2 whilst above a dim expanse of gardens the ,quirinal formed but a black streak barring the heavens4 ,however1 the street ever ascended and broadened1 and on the summit of the ,viminal1 on the ,piazza delle ,terme1 when he passed the ruins of ,diocletian's baths1 he could breathe as his lungs listed4 ,no1 no1 the human day could not finish1 it was eternal1 and the stages of civilisation would follow and follow without end6 ,what mattered that eastern wind which carried the nations towards the west1 as if borne on by the power of the sun6 ,if necessary1 they would return across the other side of the globe1 they would again and again make the circuit of the earth1 until the day should come when they could establish themselves in peace1 truth1 and justice4 ,after the next civilisation on the shores of the ,atlantic1 which would become the world's centre1 skirted by queenly cities1 there would spring up yet another civilisation1 having the ,pacific for its centre1 with seaport capitals that could not be yet foreseen1 whose germs yet slumbered on unknown shores4 ,and in like way there would be still other civilisations and still others6 ,and at that last moment1 the inspiriting thought came to ,pierre that the great movement of the nations was the instinct1 the need which impelled them to return to unity4 ,originating in one sole family1 afterwards parted and dispersed in tribes1 thrown into collision by fratricidal hatred1 their tendency was none the less to become one sole family again4 ,the provinces united in nations1 the nations would unite in races1 and the races would end by uniting in one immortal mankind--mankind at last without frontiers1 or possibility of wars1 mankind living by just labour amidst an universal commonwealth4 ,was not this indeed the evolution1 the object of the labour progressing everywhere1 the finish reserved to ,history8 ,might ,italy then become a strong and healthy nation1 might concord be established between her and ,france1 and might that fraternity of the ,latin races become the beginning of universal fraternity6 ,ah6 that one fatherland1 the whole earth pacified and happy1 in how many centuries would that come--and what a dream6 ,then1 on reaching the station the scramble prevented ,pierre from thinking any further4 ,he had to take his ticket and register his luggage1 and afterwards he at once climbed into the train4 ,at dawn on the next day but one1 he would be back in ,paris4 ,,end 9999999999 ,,paris ,,from ,,the ,,three ,,cities ,by mile ,zola ,translated ,by ,ernest ,a4 ,vizetelly ,,book ,i4 ,,translator',s ,,preface ,,with the present work ,m4 ,zola completes the 8,trilogy of the ,three ,cities10 which he began with 8,lourdes0 and continued with 8,rome02 and thus the adventures and experiences of ,abb ,pierre ,froment1 the doubting ,catholic priest who failed to find faith at the miraculous grotto by the ,cave1 and hope amidst the crumbling theocracy of the ,vatican1 are here brought to what1 from ,m4 ,zola's point of view1 is their logical conclusion4 ,from the first pages of 8,lourdes10 many readers will have divined that ,abb ,froment was bound to finish as he does1 for1 frankly1 no other finish was possible from a writer of ,m4 ,zola's opinions4 ,taking the ,trilogy as a whole1 one will find that it is essentially symbolical4 ,abb ,froment is ,man1 and his struggles are the struggles between ,religion1 as personified by the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 on the one hand1 and ,reason and ,life on the other4 ,in the ,abb's case the victory ultimately rests with the latter2 and we may take it as being ,m4 ,zola's opinion that the same will eventually be the case with the great bulk of mankind4 ,english writers are often accused of treating subjects from an insular point of view1 and certainly there may be good ground for such a charge4 ,but they are not the only writers guilty of the practice4 ,the purview of ,french authors is often quite as limited3 they regard ,french opinion as the only good opinion1 and judge the rest of the world by their own standard4 ,in the present case1 if we leave the world and mankind generally on one side1 and apply ,m4 ,zola's facts and theories to ,france alone1 it will be found1 ,i think1 that he has made out a remarkably good case for himself4 ,for it is certain that ,catholicism1 ,i may say ,christianity1 is fast crumbling in ,france4 ,there may be revivals in certain limited circles1 efforts of the greatest energy to prop up the tottering edifice by a 8rallying0 of believers to the democratic cause1 and by a kindling of the most bitter anti-,semitic warfare2 but all these revivals and efforts1 although they are extremely well-advertised and create no little stir1 produce very little impression on the bulk of the population4 ,so far as ,france is concerned1 the policy of ,leo ,,xiii4 seems to have come too late4 ,the ,french masses regard ,catholicism or ,christianity1 whichever one pleases1 as a religion of death1--a religion which1 taking its stand on the text 8,there shall always be poor among you10 condemns them to toil and moil in poverty and distress their whole life long1 with no other consolation than the promise of happiness in heaven4 ,and1 on the other hand1 they see the ministers of the ,deity1 8whose kingdom is not of this world10 supporting the wealthy and powerful1 and striving to secure wealth and power for themselves4 ,charity exists1 of course1 but the masses declare that it is no remedy2 they do not ask for doles1 they ask for ,justice4 ,it is largely by reason of all this that ,socialism and ,anarchism have made such great strides in ,france of recent years4 ,robespierre1 as will be remembered1 once tried to suppress ,christianity altogether1 and for a time certainly there was a virtually general cessation of religious observances in ,france4 ,but no such ,reign of ,terror prevails there to-day4 ,men are perfectly free to believe if they are inclined to do so2 and yet never were there fewer religious marriages1 fewer baptisms or smaller congregations in the ,french churches4 ,i refer not merely to ,paris and other large cities1 but to the smaller towns1 and even the little hamlets of many parts4 ,old village priests1 men practising what they teach and possessed of the most loving1 benevolent hearts1 have told me with tears in their eyes of the growing infidelity of their parishioners4 ,i have been studying this matter for some years1 and write without prejudice1 merely setting down what ,i believe to be the truth4 ,of course we are all aware that the most stupendous efforts are being made by the ,catholic clergy and zealous believers to bring about a revival of the faith1 and certainly in some circles there has been a measure of success4 ,but the reconversion of a nation is the most formidable of tasks2 and1 in my own opinion1 as in ,m4 ,zola's1 ,france as a whole is lost to the ,christian religion4 ,on this proposition1 combined with a second one1 namely1 that even as ,france as a nation will be the first to discard ,christianity1 so she will be the first to promulgate a new faith based on reason1 science and the teachings of life1 is founded the whole argument of ,m4 ,zola's ,trilogy4 ,having thus dealt with the ,trilogy's religious aspects1 ,i would now speak of 8,paris10 its concluding volume4 ,this is very different from 8,lourdes0 and 8,rome40 ,whilst recounting the struggles and fate of ,abb ,froment and his brother ,guillaume1 and entering largely into the problem of ,capital and ,labour1 which problem has done so much to turn the masses away from ,christianity1 it contains many an interesting and valuable picture of the ,parisian world at the close of the nineteenth century4 ,it is no guide-book to ,paris2 but it paints the city's social life1 its rich and poor1 its scandals and crimes1 its work and its pleasures4 ,among the households to which the reader is introduced are those of a banker1 an aged ,countess of the old noblesse1 a cosmopolitan ,princess1 of a kind that ,paris knows only too well1 a scientist1 a manufacturer1 a working mechanician1 a priest1 an ,anarchist1 a petty clerk and an actress of a class that so often dishonours the ,french stage4 ,science and art and learning and religion1 all have their representatives4 ,then1 too1 the political world is well to the front4 ,there are honest and unscrupulous ,ministers of ,state1 upright and venal deputies1 enthusiastic and cautious candidates for power1 together with social theoreticians of various schools4 ,and the blas1 weak-minded man of fashion is here1 as well as the young 8symbolist0 of perverted1 degraded mind4 ,the women are of all types1 from the most loathsome to the most lovable4 ,then1 too1 the journalists are portrayed in such life-like fashion that ,i might give each of them his real name4 ,and journalism1 ,parisian journalism1 is flagellated1 shown as it really is1--if just a few well-conducted organs be excepted1--that is1 venal and impudent1 mendacious and even petty4 ,the actual scenes depicted are quite as kaleidoscopic as are the characters in their variety4 ,we enter the banker's gilded saloon and the hovel of the pauper1 the busy factory1 the priest's retired home and the laboratory of the scientist4 ,we wait in the lobbies of the ,chamber of ,deputies1 and afterwards witness 8a great debate02 we penetrate into the private sanctum of a ,minister of the ,interior2 we attend a fashionable wedding at the ,madeleine and a first performance at the ,comdie ,franaise2 we dine at the ,cafe ,anglais and listen to a notorious vocalist in a low music hall at ,montmartre2 we pursue an ,anarchist through the ,bois de ,boulogne2 we slip into the ,assize ,court and see that ,anarchist tried there2 we afterwards gaze upon his execution by the guillotine2 we are also on the boulevards when the lamps are lighted for a long night of revelry1 and we stroll along the quiet streets in the small hours of the morning1 when crime and homeless want are prowling round4 ,and ever the scene changes2 the whole world of ,paris passes before one4 ,yet the book1 to my thinking1 is far less descriptive than analytical4 ,the souls of the principal characters are probed to their lowest depths4 ,many of the scenes1 too1 are intensely dramatic1 admirably adapted for the stage2 as1 for instance1 ,baroness ,duvillard's interview with her daughter in the chapter which ,i have called 8,the ,rivals40 ,and side by side with baseness there is heroism1 while beauty of the flesh finds its counterpart in beauty of the mind4 ,m4 ,zola has often been reproached for showing us the vileness of human nature2 and no doubt such vileness may be found in 8,paris10 but there are contrasting pictures4 ,if some of ,m4 ,zola's characters horrify the reader1 there are others that the latter can but admire4 ,life is compounded of good and evil1 and unfortunately it is usually the evil that makes the most noise and attracts the most attention4 ,moreover1 in ,m4 ,zola's case1 it has always been his purpose to expose the evils from which society suffers in the hope of directing attention to them and thereby hastening a remedy1 and thus1 in the course of his works1 he could not do otherwise than drag the whole frightful mass of human villany and degradation into the full light of day4 ,but if there are1 again1 black pages in 8,paris10 others1 bright and comforting1 will be found near them4 ,and the book ends in no pessimist strain4 ,whatever may be thought of the writer's views on religion1 most readers will1 ,i imagine1 agree with his opinion that1 despite much social injustice1 much crime1 vice1 cupidity and baseness1 we are ever marching on to better things4 ,in the making of the coming1 though still far-away1 era of truth and justice1 ,paris1 he thinks1 will play the leading part1 for whatever the stains upon her1 they are but surface-deep2 her heart remains good and sound2 she has genius and courage and energy and wit and fancy4 ,she can be generous1 too1 when she chooses1 and more than once her ideas have irradiated the world4 ,thus ,m4 ,zola hopes much from her1 and who will gainsay him8 ,not ,i1 who can apply to her the words which ,byron addressed to the home of my own and ,m4 ,zola's forefathers3-- 8,i loved her from my boyhood2 she to me ,was as a fairy city of the heart40 ,thus ,i can but hope that ,paris1 where ,i learnt the little ,i know1 where ,i struggled and found love and happiness1 whose every woe and disaster and triumph ,i have shared for over thirty years1 may1 however dark the clouds that still pass over her1 some day fully justify ,m4 ,zola's confidence1 and bring to pass his splendid dream of perfect truth and perfect justice4 ,e4 ,a4 ,v4 ,,merton1 ,,surrey1 ,,england1 ,feb4 #e1 #ahih4 ,i4 ,,the ,,priest ,,and ,,the ,,poor ,,that morning1 one towards the end of ,january1 ,abb ,pierre ,froment1 who had a mass to say at the ,sacred ,heart at ,montmartre1 was on the height1 in front of the basilica1 already at eight o'clock4 ,and before going in he gazed for a moment upon the immensity of ,paris spread out below him4 ,after two months of bitter cold1 ice and snow1 the city was steeped in a mournful1 quivering thaw4 ,from the far-spreading1 leaden-hued heavens a thick mist fell like a mourning shroud4 ,all the eastern portion of the city1 the abodes of misery and toil1 seemed submerged beneath ruddy steam1 amid which the panting of workshops and factories could be divined2 while westwards1 towards the districts of wealth and enjoyment1 the fog broke and lightened1 becoming but a fine and motionless veil of vapour4 ,the curved line of the horizon could scarcely be divined1 the expanse of houses1 which nothing bounded1 appeared like a chaos of stone1 studded with stagnant pools1 which filled the hollows with pale steam2 whilst against them the summits of the edifices1 the housetops of the loftier streets1 showed black like soot4 ,it was a ,paris of mystery1 shrouded by clouds1 buried as it were beneath the ashes of some disaster1 already half-sunken in the suffering and the shame of that which its immensity concealed4 ,thin and sombre in his flimsy cassock1 ,pierre was looking on when ,abb ,rose1 who seemed to have sheltered himself behind a pillar of the porch on purpose to watch for him1 came forward3 8,ah6 it's you at last1 my dear child10 said he1 8,i have something to ask you40 ,he seemed embarrassed and anxious1 and glanced round distrustfully to make sure that nobody was near4 ,then1 as if the solitude thereabouts did not suffice to reassure him1 he led ,pierre some distance away1 through the icy1 biting wind1 which he himself did not seem to feel4 8,this is the matter10 he resumed1 8,i have been told that a poor fellow1 a former house-painter1 an old man of seventy1 who naturally can work no more1 is dying of hunger in a hovel in the ,rue des ,saules4 ,so1 my dear child1 ,i thought of you4 ,i thought you would consent to take him these three francs from me1 so that he may at least have some bread to eat for a few days40 8,but why don't you take him your alms yourself80 ,at this ,abb ,rose again grew anxious1 and cast vague1 frightened glances about him4 8,oh1 no1 oh1 no60 he said1 8,i can no longer do that after all the worries that have befallen me4 ,you know that ,i am watched1 and should get another scolding if ,i were caught giving alms like this1 scarcely knowing to whom ,i give them4 ,it is true that ,i had to sell something to get these three francs4 ,but1 my dear child1 render me this service1 ,i pray you40 ,pierre1 with heart oppressed1 stood contemplating the old priest1 whose locks were quite white1 whose full lips spoke of infinite kindliness1 and whose eyes shone clear and childlike in his round and smiling face4 ,and he bitterly recalled the story of that lover of the poor1 the semi-disgrace into which he had fallen through the sublime candour of his charitable goodness4 ,his little ground-floor of the ,rue de ,charonne1 which he had turned into a refuge where he offered shelter to all the wretchedness of the streets1 had ended by giving cause for scandal4 ,his navet and innocence had been abused2 and abominable things had gone on under his roof without his knowledge4 ,vice had turned the asylum into a meeting-place2 and at last1 one night1 the police had descended upon it to arrest a young girl accused of infanticide4 ,greatly concerned by this scandal1 the diocesan authorities had forced ,abb ,rose to close his shelter1 and had removed him from the church of ,ste4 ,marguerite to that of ,st4 ,pierre of ,montmartre1 where he now again acted as curate4 ,truth to tell1 it was not a disgrace but a removal to another spot4 ,however1 he had been scolded and was watched1 as he said2 and he was much ashamed of it1 and very unhappy at being only able to give alms by stealth1 much like some harebrained prodigal who blushes for his faults4 ,pierre took the three francs4 8,i promise to execute your commission1 my friend1 oh6 with all my heart10 he said4 8,you will go after your mass1 won't you8 ,his name is ,laveuve1 he lives in the ,rue des ,saules in a house with a courtyard1 just before reaching the ,rue ,marcadet4 ,you are sure to find it4 ,and if you want to be very kind you will tell me of your visit this evening at five o'clock1 at the ,madeleine1 where ,i am going to hear ,monseigneur ,martha's address4 ,he has been so good to me6 ,won't you also come to hear him80 ,pierre made an evasive gesture4 ,monseigneur ,martha1 ,bishop of ,persepolis and all powerful at the archiepiscopal palace1 since1 like the genial propagandist he was1 he had been devoting himself to increasing the subscriptions for the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart1 had indeed supported ,abb ,rose2 in fact1 it was by his influence that the abb had been kept in ,paris1 and placed once more at ,st4 ,pierre de ,montmartre4 8,i don't know if ,i shall be able to hear the address10 said ,pierre1 8but in any case ,i will go there to meet you40 ,the north wind was blowing1 and the gloomy cold penetrated both of them on that deserted summit amidst the fog which changed the vast city into a misty ocean4 ,however1 some footsteps were heard1 and ,abb ,rose1 again mistrustful1 saw a man go by1 a tall and sturdy man1 who wore clogs and was bareheaded1 showing his thick and closely-cut white hair4 8,is not that your brother80 asked the old priest4 ,pierre had not stirred4 8,yes1 it is my brother ,guillaume10 he quietly responded4 8,i have found him again since ,i have been coming occasionally to the ,sacred ,heart4 ,he owns a house close by1 where he has been living for more than twenty years1 ,i think4 ,when we meet we shake hands1 but ,i have never even been to his house4 ,oh6 all is quite dead between us1 we have nothing more in common1 we are parted by worlds40 ,abb ,rose's tender smile again appeared1 and he waved his hand as if to say that one must never despair of love4 ,guillaume ,froment1 a savant of lofty intelligence1 a chemist who lived apart from others1 like one who rebelled against the social system1 was now a parishioner of the abb's1 and when the latter passed the house where ,guillaume lived with his three sons--a house all alive with work--he must often have dreamt of leading him back to ,god4 8,but1 my dear child10 he resumed1 8,i am keeping you here in this dark cold1 and you are not warm4 ,go and say your mass4 ,till this evening1 at the ,madeleine40 ,then1 in entreating fashion1 after again making sure that none could hear them1 he added1 still with the air of a child at fault3 8,and not a word to anybody about my little commission--it would again be said that ,i don't know how to conduct myself40 ,pierre watched the old priest as he went off towards the ,rue ,cartot1 where he lived on a damp ground-floor1 enlivened by a strip of garden4 ,the veil of disaster1 which was submerging ,paris1 now seemed to grow thicker under the gusts of the icy north wind4 ,and at last ,pierre entered the basilica1 his heart upset1 overflowing with the bitterness stirred up by the recollection of ,abb ,rose's story--that bankruptcy of charity1 the frightful irony of a holy man punished for bestowing alms1 and hiding himself that he might still continue to bestow them4 ,nothing could calm the smart of the wound reopened in ,pierre's heart--neither the warm peacefulness into which he entered1 nor the silent solemnity of the broad1 deep fabric1 whose new stonework was quite bare1 without a single painting or any kind of decoration2 the nave being still half-barred by the scaffoldings which blocked up the unfinished dome4 ,at that early hour the masses of entreaty had already been said at several altars1 under the grey light falling from the high and narrow windows1 and the tapers of entreaty were burning in the depths of the apse4 ,so ,pierre made haste to go to the sacristy1 there to assume his vestments in order that he might say his mass in the chapel of ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul4 ,but the floodgates of memory had been opened1 and he had no thought but for his distress whilst1 in mechanical fashion1 he performed the rites and made the customary gestures4 ,since his return from ,rome three years previously1 he had been living in the very worst anguish that can fall on man4 ,at the outset1 in order to recover his lost faith1 he had essayed a first experiment3 he had gone to ,lourdes1 there to seek the innocent belief of the child who kneels and prays1 the primitive faith of young nations bending beneath the terror born of ignorance2 but he had rebelled yet more than ever in presence of what he had witnessed at ,lourdes3 that glorification of the absurd1 that collapse of common sense2 and was convinced that salvation1 the peace of men and nations nowadays1 could not lie in that puerile relinquishment of reason4 ,and afterwards1 again yielding to the need of loving whilst yet allowing reason1 so hard to satisfy1 her share in his intellect1 he had staked his final peace on a second experiment1 and had gone to ,rome to see if ,catholicism could there be renewed1 could revert to the spirit of primitive ,christianity and become the religion of the democracy1 the faith which the modern world1 upheaving and in danger of death1 was awaiting in order to calm down and live4 ,and he had found there naught but ruins1 the rotted trunk of a tree that could never put forth another springtide2 and he had heard there naught but the supreme rending of the old social edifice1 near to its fall4 ,then it was1 that1 relapsing into boundless doubt1 total negation1 he had been recalled to ,paris by ,abb ,rose1 in the name of their poor1 and had returned thither that he might forget and immolate himself and believe in them--the poor--since they and their frightful sufferings alone remained certain4 ,and then it was too1 that for three years he came into contact with that collapse1 that very bankruptcy of goodness itself3 charity a derision1 charity useless and flouted4 ,those three years had been lived by ,pierre amidst ever-growing torments1 in which his whole being had ended by sinking4 ,his faith was forever dead2 dead1 too1 even his hope of utilising the faith of the multitudes for the general salvation4 ,he denied everything1 he anticipated nothing but the final1 inevitable catastrophe3 revolt1 massacre and conflagration1 which would sweep away a guilty and condemned world4 ,unbelieving priest that he was1 yet watching over the faith of others1 honestly1 chastely discharging his duties1 full of haughty sadness at the thought that he had been unable to renounce his mind as he had renounced his flesh and his dream of being a saviour of the nations1 he withal remained erect1 full of fierce yet solitary grandeur4 ,and this despairing1 denying priest1 who had dived to the bottom of nothingness1 retained such a lofty and grave demeanour1 perfumed by such pure kindness1 that in his parish of ,neuilly he had acquired the reputation of being a young saint1 one beloved by ,providence1 whose prayers wrought miracles4 ,he was but a personification of the rules of the ,church2 of the priest he retained only the gestures2 he was like an empty sepulchre in which not even the ashes of hope remained2 yet grief-stricken weeping women worshipped him and kissed his cassock2 and it was a tortured mother whose infant was in danger of death1 who had implored him to come and ask that infant's cure of ,jesus1 certain as she felt that ,jesus would grant her the boon in that sanctuary of ,montmartre where blazed the prodigy of ,his heart1 all burning with love4 ,clad in his vestments1 ,pierre had reached the chapel of ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul4 ,he there ascended the altar-step and began the mass2 and when he turned round with hands spread out to bless the worshippers he showed his hollow cheeks1 his gentle mouth contracted by bitterness1 his loving eyes darkened by suffering4 ,he was no longer the young priest whose countenance had glowed with tender fever on the road to ,lourdes1 whose face had been illumined by apostolic fervour when he started for ,rome4 ,the two hereditary influences which were ever at strife within him--that of his father to whom he owed his impregnable1 towering brow1 that of his mother who had given him his love-thirsting lips1 were still waging war1 the whole human battle of sentiment and reason1 in that now ravaged face of his1 whither in moments of forgetfulness ascended all the chaos of internal suffering4 ,the lips still confessed that unquenched thirst for love1 self-bestowal and life1 which he well thought he could nevermore content1 whilst the solid brow1 the citadel which made him suffer1 obstinately refused to capitulate1 whatever might be the assaults of error4 ,but he stiffened himself1 hid the horror of the void in which he struggled1 and showed himself superb1 making each gesture1 repeating each word in sovereign fashion4 ,and gazing at him through her tears1 the mother who was there among the few kneeling women1 the mother who awaited a supreme intercession from him1 who thought him in communion with ,jesus for the salvation of her child1 beheld him radiant with angelic beauty like some messenger of the divine grace4 ,when1 after the offertory1 ,pierre uncovered the chalice he felt contempt for himself4 ,the shock had been too great1 and he thought of those things in spite of all4 ,what puerility there had been in his two experiments at ,lourdes and ,rome1 the navet of a poor distracted being1 consumed by desire to love and believe4 ,to have imagined that present-day science would in his person accommodate itself to the faith of the year ,one ,thousand1 and in particular to have foolishly believed that he1 petty priest that he was1 would be able to indoctrinate the ,pope and prevail on him to become a saint and change the face of the world6 ,it all filled him with shame2 how people must have laughed at him6 ,then1 too1 his idea of a schism made him blush4 ,he again beheld himself at ,rome1 dreaming of writing a book by which he would violently sever himself from ,catholicism to preach the new religion of the democracies1 the purified1 human and living ,gospel4 ,but what ridiculous folly6 ,a schism8 ,he had known in ,paris an abb of great heart and mind who had attempted to bring about that famous1 predicted1 awaited schism4 ,ah6 the poor man1 the sad1 the ludicrous labour in the midst of universal incredulity1 the icy indifference of some1 the mockery and the reviling of others6 ,if ,luther were to come to ,france in our days he would end1 forgotten and dying of hunger1 on a ,batignolles fifth-floor4 ,a schism cannot succeed among a people that no longer believes1 that has ceased to take all interest in the ,church1 and sets its hope elsewhere4 ,and it was all ,catholicism1 in fact all ,christianity1 that would be swept away1 for1 apart from certain moral maxims1 the ,gospel no longer supplied a possible code for society4 ,and this conviction increased ,pierre's torment on the days when his cassock weighed more heavily on his shoulders1 when he ended by feeling contempt for himself at thus celebrating the divine mystery of the mass1 which for him had become but the formula of a dead religion4 ,having half filled the chalice with wine from the vase1 ,pierre washed his hands and again perceived the mother with her face of ardent entreaty4 ,then he thought it was for her that1 with the charitable leanings of a vow-bound man1 he had remained a priest1 a priest without belief1 feeding the belief of others with the bread of illusion4 ,but this heroic conduct1 the haughty spirit of duty in which he imprisoned himself1 was not practised by him without growing anguish4 ,did not elementary probity require that he should cast aside the cassock and return into the midst of men8 ,at certain times the falsity of his position filled him with disgust for his useless heroism2 and he asked himself if it were not cowardly and dangerous to leave the masses in superstition4 ,certainly the theory of a just and vigilant ,providence1 of a future paradise where all these sufferings of the world would receive compensation1 had long seemed necessary to the wretchedness of mankind2 but what a trap lay in it1 what a pretext for the tyrannical grinding down of nations2 and how far more virile it would be to undeceive the nations1 however brutally1 and give them courage to live the real life1 even if it were in tears4 ,if they were already turning aside from ,christianity was not this because they needed a more human ideal1 a religion of health and joy which should not be a religion of death8 ,on the day when the idea of charity should crumble1 ,christianity would crumble also1 for it was built upon the idea of divine charity correcting the injustice of fate1 and offering future rewards to those who might suffer in this life4 ,and it was crumbling2 for the poor no longer believed in it1 but grew angry at the thought of that deceptive paradise1 with the promise of which their patience had been beguiled so long1 and demanded that their share of happiness should not always be put off until the morrow of death4 ,a cry for justice arose from every lip1 for justice upon this earth1 justice for those who hunger and thirst1 whom alms are weary of relieving after eighteen hundred years of ,gospel teaching1 and who still and ever lack bread to eat4 ,when ,pierre1 with his elbows on the altar1 had emptied the chalice after breaking the sacred wafer1 he felt himself sinking into yet greater distress4 ,and so a third experiment was beginning for him1 the supreme battle of justice against charity1 in which his heart and his mind would struggle together in that great ,paris1 so full of terrible1 unknown things4 ,the need for the divine still battled within him against domineering intelligence4 ,how among the masses would one ever be able to content the thirst for the mysterious8 ,leaving the lite on one side1 would science suffice to pacify desire1 lull suffering1 and satisfy the dream8 ,and what would become of himself in the bankruptcy of that same charity1 which for three years had alone kept him erect by occupying his every hour1 and giving him the illusion of self-devotion1 of being useful to others8 ,it seemed1 all at once1 as if the ground sank beneath him1 and he heard nothing save the cry of the masses1 silent so long1 but now demanding justice1 growling and threatening to take their share1 which was withheld from them by force and ruse4 ,nothing more1 it seemed1 could delay the inevitable catastrophe1 the fratricidal class warfare that would sweep away the olden world1 which was condemned to disappear beneath the mountain of its crimes4 ,every hour with frightful sadness he expected the collapse1 ,paris steeped in blood1 ,paris in flames4 ,and his horror of all violence froze him2 he knew not where to seek the new belief which might dissipate the peril4 ,fully conscious1 though he was1 that the social and religious problems are but one1 and are alone in question in the dreadful daily labour of ,paris1 he was too deeply troubled himself1 too far removed from ordinary things by his position as a priest1 and too sorely rent by doubt and powerlessness to tell as yet where might be truth1 and health1 and life4 ,ah6 to be healthy and to live1 to content at last both heart and reason in the peace1 the certain1 simply honest labour1 which man has come to accomplish upon this earth6 ,the mass was finished1 and ,pierre descended from the altar1 when the weeping mother1 near whom he passed1 caught hold of a corner of the chasuble with her trembling hands1 and kissed it with wild fervour1 as one may kiss some relic of a saint from whom one expects salvation4 ,she thanked him for the miracle which he must have accomplished1 certain as she felt that she would find her child cured4 ,and he was deeply stirred by that love1 that ardent faith of hers1 in spite of the sudden and yet keener distress which he felt at being in no wise the sovereign minister that she thought him1 the minister able to obtain a respite from ,death4 ,but he dismissed her consoled and strengthened1 and it was with an ardent prayer that he entreated the unknown but conscious ,power to succour the poor creature4 ,then1 when he had divested himself in the sacristy1 and found himself again out of doors before the basilica1 lashed by the keen wintry wind1 a mortal shiver came upon him1 and froze him1 while through the mist he looked to see if a whirlwind of anger and justice had not swept ,paris away3 that catastrophe which must some day destroy it1 leaving under the leaden heavens only the pestilential quagmire of its ruins4 ,pierre wished to fulfil ,abb ,rose's commission immediately4 ,he followed the ,rue des ,norvins1 on the crest of ,montmartre2 and1 reaching the ,rue des ,saules1 descended by its steep slope1 between mossy walls1 to the other side of ,paris4 ,the three francs which he was holding in his cassock's pocket1 filled him at once with gentle emotion and covert anger against the futility of charity4 ,but as he gradually descended by the sharp declivities and interminable storeys of steps1 the mournful nooks of misery which he espied took possession of him1 and infinite pity wrung his heart4 ,a whole new district was here being built alongside the broad thoroughfares opened since the great works of the ,sacred ,heart had begun4 ,lofty middle-class houses were already rising among ripped-up gardens and plots of vacant land1 still edged with palings4 ,and these houses with their substantial frontages1 all new and white1 lent a yet more sombre and leprous aspect to such of the old shaky buildings as remained1 the low pot-houses with blood-coloured walls1 the cits of workmen's dwellings1 those abodes of suffering with black1 soiled buildings in which human cattle were piled4 ,under the low-hanging sky that day1 the pavement1 dented by heavily-laden carts1 was covered with mud2 the thaw soaked the walls with an icy dampness1 whilst all the filth and destitution brought terrible sadness to the heart4 ,after going as far as the ,rue ,marcadet1 ,pierre retraced his steps2 and in the ,rue des ,saules1 certain that he was not mistaken1 he entered the courtyard of a kind of barracks or hospital1 encompassed by three irregular buildings4 ,this court was a quagmire1 where filth must have accumulated during the two months of terrible frost2 and now all was melting1 and an abominable stench arose4 ,the buildings were half falling1 the gaping vestibules looked like cellar holes1 strips of paper streaked the cracked and filthy window-panes1 and vile rags hung about like flags of death4 ,inside a shanty which served as the door-keeper's abode ,pierre only saw an infirm man rolled up in a tattered strip of what had once been a horse-cloth4 8,you have an old workman named ,laveuve here10 said the priest4 8,which staircase is it1 which floor80 ,the man did not answer1 but opened his anxious eyes1 like a scared idiot4 ,the door-keeper1 no doubt1 was in the neighbourhood4 ,for a moment the priest waited2 then seeing a little girl on the other side of the courtyard1 he risked himself1 crossed the quagmire on tip-toe1 and asked3 8,do you know an old workman named ,laveuve in the house1 my child80 ,the little girl1 who only had a ragged gown of pink cotton stuff about her meagre figure1 stood there shivering1 her hands covered with chilblains4 ,she raised her delicate face1 which looked pretty though nipped by the cold3 8,laveuve10 said she1 8no1 don't know1 don't know40 ,and with the unconscious gesture of a beggar child she put out one of her poor1 numbed and disfigured hands4 ,then1 when the priest had given her a little bit of silver1 she began to prance through the mud like a joyful goat1 singing the while in a shrill voice3 8,don't know1 don't know40 ,pierre decided to follow her4 ,she vanished into one of the gaping vestibules1 and1 in her rear1 he climbed a dark and fetid staircase1 whose steps were half-broken and so slippery1 on account of the vegetable parings strewn over them1 that he had to avail himself of the greasy rope by which the inmates hoisted themselves upwards4 ,but every door was closed2 he vainly knocked at several of them1 and only elicited1 at the last1 a stifled growl1 as though some despairing animal were confined within4 ,returning to the yard1 he hesitated1 then made his way to another staircase1 where he was deafened by piercing cries1 as of a child who is being butchered4 ,he climbed on hearing this noise and at last found himself in front of an open room where an infant1 who had been left alone1 tied in his little chair1 in order that he might not fall1 was howling and howling without drawing breath4 ,then ,pierre went down again1 upset1 frozen by the sight of so much destitution and abandonment4 ,but a woman was coming in1 carrying three potatoes in her apron1 and on being questioned by him she gazed distrustfully at his cassock4 8,laveuve1 ,laveuve8 ,i can't say10 she replied4 8,if the door-keeper were there1 she might be able to tell you4 ,there are five staircases1 you see1 and we don't all know each other4 ,besides1 there are so many changes4 ,still try over there2 at the far end40 ,the staircase at the back of the yard was yet more abominable than the others1 its steps warped1 its walls slimy1 as if soaked with the sweat of anguish4 ,at each successive floor the drain-sinks exhaled a pestilential stench1 whilst from every lodging came moans1 or a noise of quarrelling1 or some frightful sign of misery4 ,a door swung open1 and a man appeared dragging a woman by the hair whilst three youngsters sobbed aloud4 ,on the next floor1 ,pierre caught a glimpse of a room where a young girl in her teens1 racked by coughing1 was hastily carrying an infant to and fro to quiet it1 in despair that all the milk of her breast should be exhausted4 ,then1 in an adjoining lodging1 came the poignant spectacle of three beings1 half clad in shreds1 apparently sexless and ageless1 who1 amidst the dire bareness of their room1 were gluttonously eating from the same earthen pan some pottage which even dogs would have refused4 ,they barely raised their heads to growl1 and did not answer ,pierre's questions4 ,he was about to go down again1 when right atop of the stairs1 at the entry of a passage1 it occurred to him to make a last try by knocking at the door4 ,it was opened by a woman whose uncombed hair was already getting grey1 though she could not be more than forty2 while her pale lips1 and dim eyes set in a yellow countenance1 expressed utter lassitude1 the shrinking1 the constant dread of one whom wretchedness has pitilessly assailed4 ,the sight of ,pierre's cassock disturbed her1 and she stammered anxiously3 8,come in1 come in1 ,monsieur l',abb40 ,however1 a man whom ,pierre had not at first seen--a workman also of some forty years1 tall1 thin and bald1 with scanty moustache and beard of a washed-out reddish hue--made an angry gesture--a threat as it were--to turn the priest out of doors4 ,but he calmed himself1 sat down near a rickety table and pretended to turn his back4 ,and as there was also a child present--a fair-haired girl1 eleven or twelve years old1 with a long and gentle face and that intelligent and somewhat aged expression which great misery imparts to children--he called her to him1 and held her between his knees1 doubtless to keep her away from the man in the cassock4 ,pierre--whose heart was oppressed by his reception1 and who realised the utter destitution of this family by the sight of the bare1 fireless room1 and the distressed mournfulness of its three inmates--decided all the same to repeat his question3 8,madame1 do you know an old workman named ,laveuve in the house80 ,the woman--who now trembled at having admitted him1 since it seemed to displease her man--timidly tried to arrange matters4 8,laveuve1 ,laveuve8 no1 ,i don't4 ,but ,salvat1 you hear8 ,do you know a ,laveuve here80 ,salvat merely shrugged his shoulders2 but the little girl could not keep her tongue still3 8,i say1 mamma ,thodore1 it's p'raps the ,philosopher40 8,a former house-painter10 continued ,pierre1 8an old man who is ill and past work40 ,madame ,thodore was at once enlightened4 8,in that case it's him1 it's him4 ,we call him the ,philosopher1 a nickname folks have given him in the neighbourhood4 ,but there's nothing to prevent his real name from being ,laveuve40 ,with one of his fists raised towards the ceiling1 ,salvat seemed to be protesting against the abomination of a world and a ,providence that allowed old toilers to die of hunger just like broken-down beasts4 ,however1 he did not speak1 but relapsed into the savage1 heavy silence1 the bitter meditation in which he had been plunged when the priest arrived4 ,he was a journeyman engineer1 and gazed obstinately at the table where lay his little leather tool-bag1 bulging with something it contained--something1 perhaps1 which he had to take back to a work-shop4 ,he might have been thinking of a long1 enforced spell of idleness1 of a vain search for any kind of work during the two previous months of that terrible winter4 ,or perhaps it was the coming bloody reprisals of the starvelings that occupied the fiery reverie which set his large1 strange1 vague blue eyes aglow4 ,all at once he noticed that his daughter had taken up the tool-bag and was trying to open it to see what it might contain4 ,at this he quivered and at last spoke1 his voice kindly1 yet bitter with sudden emotion1 which made him turn pale4 8,cline1 you must leave that alone4 ,i forbade you to touch my tools10 said he2 then taking the bag1 he deposited it with great precaution against the wall behind him4 8,and so1 madame10 asked ,pierre1 8this man ,laveuve lives on this floor80 ,madame ,thodore directed a timid1 questioning glance at ,salvat4 ,she was not in favour of hustling priests when they took the trouble to call1 for at times there was a little money to be got from them4 ,and when she realised that ,salvat1 who had once more relapsed into his black reverie1 left her free to act as she pleased1 she at once tendered her services4 8,if ,monsieur l',abb is agreeable1 ,i will conduct him4 ,it's just at the end of the passage4 ,but one must know the way1 for there are still some steps to climb40 ,cline1 finding a pastime in this visit1 escaped from her father's knees and likewise accompanied the priest4 ,and ,salvat remained alone in that den of poverty and suffering1 injustice and anger1 without a fire1 without bread1 haunted by his burning dream1 his eyes again fixed upon his bag1 as if there1 among his tools1 he possessed the wherewithal to heal the ailing world4 ,it indeed proved necessary to climb a few more steps2 and then1 following ,madame ,thodore and ,cline1 ,pierre found himself in a kind of narrow garret under the roof1 a loft a few yards square1 where one could not stand erect4 ,there was no window1 only a skylight1 and as the snow still covered it one had to leave the door wide open in order that one might see4 ,and the thaw was entering the place1 the melting snow was falling drop by drop1 and coming over the tiled floor4 ,after long weeks of intense cold1 dark dampness rained quivering over all4 ,and there1 lacking even a chair1 even a plank1 ,laveuve lay in a corner on a little pile of filthy rags spread upon the bare tiles2 he looked like some animal dying on a dung-heap4 8,there60 said ,cline in her sing-song voice1 8there he is1 that's the ,philosopher60 ,madame ,thodore had bent down to ascertain if he still lived4 8,yes1 he breathes2 he's sleeping ,i think4 ,oh6 if he only had something to eat every day1 he would be well enough4 ,but what would you have8 ,he has nobody left him1 and when one gets to seventy the best is to throw oneself into the river4 ,in the house-painting line it often happens that a man has to give up working on ladders and scaffoldings at fifty4 ,he at first found some work to do on the ground level4 ,then he was lucky enough to get a job as night watchman4 ,but that's over1 he's been turned away from everywhere1 and1 for two months now1 he's been lying in this nook waiting to die4 ,the landlord hasn't dared to fling him into the street as yet1 though not for want of any inclination that way4 ,we others sometimes bring him a little wine and a crust1 of course2 but when one has nothing oneself1 how can one give to others80 ,pierre1 terrified1 gazed at that frightful remnant of humanity1 that remnant into which fifty years of toil1 misery and social injustice had turned a man4 ,and he ended by distinguishing ,laveuve's white1 worn1 sunken1 deformed head4 ,here1 on a human face1 appeared all the ruin following upon hopeless labour4 ,laveuve's unkempt beard straggled over his features1 suggesting an old horse that is no longer cropped2 his toothless jaws were quite askew1 his eyes were vitreous1 and his nose seemed to plunge into his mouth4 ,but above all else one noticed his resemblance to some beast of burden1 deformed by hard toil1 lamed1 worn to death1 and now only good for the knackers4 8,ah6 the poor fellow10 muttered the shuddering priest4 8,and he is left to die of hunger1 all alone1 without any succour8 ,and not a hospital1 not an asylum has given him shelter80 8,well10 resumed ,madame ,thodore in her sad yet resigned voice1 8the hospitals are built for the sick1 and he isn't sick1 he's simply finishing off1 with his strength at an end4 ,besides he isn't always easy to deal with4 ,people came again only lately to put him in an asylum1 but he won't be shut up4 ,and he speaks coarsely to those who question him1 not to mention that he has the reputation of liking drink and talking badly about the gentle-folks4 ,but1 thank ,heaven1 he will now soon be delivered40 ,pierre had leant forward on seeing ,laveuve's eyes open1 and he spoke to him tenderly1 telling him that he had come from a friend with a little money to enable him to buy what he might most pressingly require4 ,at first1 on seeing ,pierre's cassock1 the old man had growled some coarse words2 but1 despite his extreme feebleness1 he still retained the pert chaffing spirit of the ,parisian artisan3 8,well1 then1 ,i'll willingly drink a drop10 he said distinctly1 8and have a bit of bread with it1 if there's the needful2 for ,i've lost taste of both for a couple of days past40 ,cline offered her services1 and ,madame ,thodore sent her to fetch a loaf and a quart of wine with ,abb ,rose's money4 ,and in the interval she told ,pierre how ,laveuve was at one moment to have entered the ,asylum of the ,invalids of ,labour1 a charitable enterprise whose lady patronesses were presided over by ,baroness ,duvillard4 ,however1 the usual regulation inquiries had doubtless led to such an unfavourable report that matters had gone no further4 8,baroness ,duvillard6 but ,i know her1 and will go to see her to-day60 exclaimed ,pierre1 whose heart was bleeding4 8,it is impossible for a man to be left in such circumstances any longer40 ,then1 as ,cline came back with the loaf and the wine1 the three of them tried to make ,laveuve more comfortable1 raised him on his heap of rags1 gave him to eat and to drink1 and then left the remainder of the wine and the loaf--a large four-pound loaf--near him1 recommending him to wait awhile before he finished the bread1 as otherwise he might stifle4 8,monsieur l',abb ought to give me his address in case ,i should have any news to send him10 said ,madame ,thodore when she again found herself at her door4 ,pierre had no card with him1 and so all three went into the room4 ,but ,salvat was no longer alone there4 ,he stood talking in a low voice very quickly1 and almost mouth to mouth1 with a young fellow of twenty4 ,the latter1 who was slim and dark1 with a sprouting beard and hair cut in brush fashion1 had bright eyes1 a straight nose and thin lips set in a pale and slightly freckled face1 betokening great intelligence4 ,with stern and stubborn brow1 he stood shivering in his well-worn jacket4 8,monsieur l',abb wants to leave me his address for the ,philosopher's affair10 gently explained ,madame ,thodore1 annoyed to find another there with ,salvat4 ,the two men had glanced at the priest and then looked at one another1 each with terrible mien4 ,and they suddenly ceased speaking in the bitter cold which fell from the ceiling4 ,then1 again with infinite precaution1 ,salvat went to take his tool-bag from alongside the wall4 8,so you are going down1 you are again going to look for work80 asked ,madame ,thodore4 ,he did not answer1 but merely made an angry gesture1 as if to say that he would no longer have anything to do with work since work for so long a time had not cared to have anything to do with him4 8,all the same10 resumed the woman1 8try to bring something back with you1 for you know there's nothing4 ,at what time will you be back80 ,with another gesture he seemed to answer that he would come back when he could1 perhaps never4 ,and tears rising1 despite all his efforts1 to his vague1 blue1 glowing eyes he caught hold of his daughter ,cline1 kissed her violently1 distractedly1 and then went off1 with his bag under his arm1 followed by his young companion4 8,cline10 resumed ,madame ,thodore1 8give ,monsieur l',abb your pencil1 and1 see1 monsieur1 seat yourself here1 it will be better for writing40 ,then1 when ,pierre had installed himself at the table1 on the chair previously occupied by ,salvat1 she went on talking1 seeking to excuse her man for his scanty politeness3 8,he hasn't a bad heart1 but he's had so many worries in life that he has become a bit cracked4 ,it's like that young man whom you just saw here1 ,monsieur ,victor ,mathis4 ,there's another for you1 who isn't happy1 a young man who was well brought up1 who has a lot of learning1 and whose mother1 a widow1 has only just got the wherewithal to buy bread4 ,so one can understand it1 can't one8 ,it all upsets their heads1 and they talk of blowing up everybody4 ,for my part those are not my notions1 but ,i forgive them1 oh6 willingly enough40 ,perturbed1 yet interested by all the mystery and vague horror which he could divine around him1 ,pierre made no haste to write his address1 but lingered listening1 as if inviting confidence4 8,if you only knew1 ,monsieur l',abb1 that poor ,salvat was a forsaken child1 without father or mother1 and had to scour the roads and try every trade at first to get a living4 ,then afterwards he became a mechanician1 and a very good workman1 ,i assure you1 very skilful and very painstaking4 ,but he already had those ideas of his1 and quarrelled with people1 and tried to bring his mates over to his views2 and so he was unable to stay anywhere4 ,at last1 when he was thirty1 he was stupid enough to go to ,america with an inventor1 who traded on him to such a point that after six years of it he came back ill and penniless4 ,i must tell you that he had married my younger sister ,lonie1 and that she died before he went to ,america1 leaving him little ,cline1 who was then only a year old4 ,i was then living with my husband1 ,thodore ,labitte1 a mason2 and it's not to brag that ,i say it1 but however much ,i wore out my eyes with needlework he used to beat me till he left me half-dead on the floor4 ,but he ended by deserting me and going off with a young woman of twenty1 which1 after all1 caused me more pleasure than grief4 ,and naturally when ,salvat came back he sought me out and found me alone with his little ,cline1 whom he had left in my charge when he went away1 and who called me mamma4 ,and we've all three been living together since then--0 ,she became somewhat embarrassed1 and then1 as if to show that she did not altogether lack some respectable family connections1 she went on to say3 8,for my part ,i've had no luck2 but ,i've another sister1 ,hortense1 who's married to a clerk1 ,monsieur ,chrtiennot1 and lives in a pretty lodging on the ,boulevard ,rochechouart4 ,there were three of us born of my father's second marriage1--,hortense1 who's the youngest1 ,lonie1 who's dead1 and myself1 ,pauline1 the eldest4 ,and of my father's first marriage ,i've still a brother ,eugne ,toussaint1 who is ten years older than me and is an engineer like ,salvat1 and has been working ever since the war in the same establishment1 the ,grandidier factory1 only a hundred steps away in the ,rue ,marcadet4 ,the misfortune is that he had a stroke lately4 ,as for me1 my eyes are done for2 ,i ruined them by working ten hours a day at fine needlework4 ,and now ,i can no longer even try to mend anything without my eyes filling with water till ,i can't see at all4 ,i've tried to find charwoman's work1 but ,i can't get any2 bad luck always follows us4 ,and so we are in need of everything2 we've nothing but black misery1 two or three days sometimes going by without a bite1 so that it's like the chance life of a dog that feeds on what it can find4 ,and with these last two months of bitter cold to freeze us1 it's sometimes made us think that one morning we should never wake up again4 ,but what would you have8 ,i've never been happy1 ,i was beaten to begin with1 and now ,i'm done for1 left in a corner1 living on1 ,i really don't know why40 ,her voice had begun to tremble1 her red eyes moistened1 and ,pierre could realise that she thus wept through life1 a good enough woman but one who had no will1 and was already blotted out1 so to say1 from existence4 8,oh6 ,i don't complain of ,salvat10 she went on4 8,he's a good fellow2 he only dreams of everybody's happiness1 and he doesn't drink1 and he works when he can4 ,only it's certain that he'd work more if he didn't busy himself with politics4 ,one can't discuss things with comrades1 and go to public meetings and be at the workshop at the same time4 ,in that he's at fault1 that's evident4 ,but all the same he has good reason to complain1 for one can't imagine such misfortunes as have pursued him4 ,everything has fallen on him1 everything has beaten him down4 ,why1 a saint even would have gone mad1 so that one can understand that a poor beggar who has never had any luck should get quite wild4 ,for the last two months he has only met one good heart1 a learned gentleman who lives up yonder on the height1 ,monsieur ,guillaume ,froment1 who has given him a little work1 just something to enable us to have some soup now and then40 ,much surprised by this mention of his brother1 ,pierre wished to ask certain questions2 but a singular feeling of uneasiness1 in which fear and discretion mingled1 checked his tongue4 ,he looked at ,cline1 who stood before him1 listening in silence with her grave1 delicate air2 and ,madame ,thodore1 seeing him smile at the child1 indulged in a final remark3 8,it's just the idea of that child10 said she1 8that throws ,salvat out of his wits4 ,he adores her1 and he'd kill everybody if he could1 when he sees her go supperless to bed4 ,she's such a good girl1 she was learning so nicely at the ,communal ,school6 ,but now she hasn't even a shift to go there in40 ,pierre1 who had at last written his address1 slipped a five-franc piece into the little girl's hand1 and1 desirous as he was of curtailing any thanks1 he hastily said3 8,you will know now where to find me if you need me for ,laveuve4 ,but ,i'm going to busy myself about him this very afternoon1 and ,i really hope that he will be fetched away this evening40 ,madame ,thodore did not listen1 but poured forth all possible blessings2 whilst ,cline1 thunderstruck at seeing five francs in her hand1 murmured3 8,oh6 that poor papa1 who has gone to hunt for money6 ,shall ,i run after him to tell him that we've got enough for to-day80 ,then the priest1 who was already in the passage1 heard the woman answer3 8,oh6 he's far away if he's still walking4 ,he'll p'raps come back right enough40 ,however1 as ,pierre1 with buzzing head and grief-stricken heart1 hastily escaped out of that frightful house of suffering1 he perceived to his astonishment ,salvat and ,victor ,mathis standing erect in a corner of the filthy courtyard1 where the stench was so pestilential4 ,they had come downstairs1 there to continue their interrupted colloquy4 ,and again1 they were talking in very low tones1 and very quickly1 mouth to mouth1 absorbed in the violent thoughts which made their eyes flare4 ,but they heard the priest's footsteps1 recognised him1 and suddenly becoming cold and calm1 exchanged an energetic hand-shake without uttering another word4 ,victor went up towards ,montmartre1 whilst ,salvat hesitated like a man who is consulting destiny4 ,then1 as if trusting himself to stern chance1 drawing up his thin figure1 the figure of a weary1 hungry toiler1 he turned into the ,rue ,marcadet1 and walked towards ,paris1 his tool-bag still under his arm4 ,for an instant ,pierre felt a desire to run and call to him that his little girl wished him to go back again4 ,but the same feeling of uneasiness as before came over the priest--a commingling of discretion and fear1 a covert conviction that nothing could stay destiny4 ,and he himself was no longer calm1 no longer experienced the icy1 despairing distress of the early morning4 ,on finding himself again in the street1 amidst the quivering fog1 he felt the fever1 the glow of charity which the sight of such frightful wretchedness had ignited1 once more within him4 ,no1 no6 such suffering was too much2 he wished to struggle still1 to save ,laveuve and restore a little joy to all those poor folk4 ,the new experiment presented itself with that city of ,paris which he had seen shrouded as with ashes1 so mysterious and so perturbing beneath the threat of inevitable justice4 ,and he dreamed of a huge sun bringing health and fruitfulness1 which would make of the huge city the fertile field where would sprout the better world of to-morrow4 ,,ii4 ,,wealth ,,and ,,worldliness ,,that same morning1 as was the case nearly every day1 some intimates were expected to djeuner at the ,duvillards'1 a few friends who more or less invited themselves4 ,and on that chilly day1 all thaw and fog1 the regal mansion in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy near the ,boulevard de la ,madeleine bloomed with the rarest flowers1 for flowers were the greatest passion of the ,baroness1 who transformed the lofty1 sumptuous rooms1 littered with marvels1 into warm and odoriferous conservatories1 whither the gloomy1 livid light of ,paris penetrated caressingly with infinite softness4 ,the great reception rooms were on the ground-floor looking on to the spacious courtyard1 and preceded by a little winter garden1 which served as a vestibule where two footmen in liveries of dark green and gold were invariably on duty4 ,a famous gallery of paintings1 valued at millions of francs1 occupied the whole of the northern side of the house4 ,and the grand staircase1 of a sumptuousness which also was famous1 conducted to the apartments usually occupied by the family1 a large red drawing-room1 a small blue and silver drawing-room1 a study whose walls were hung with old stamped leather1 and a dining-room in pale green with ,english furniture1 not to mention the various bedchambers and dressing-rooms4 ,built in the time of ,louis ,,xiv4 the mansion retained an aspect of noble grandeur1 subordinated to the epicurean tastes of the triumphant bourgeoisie1 which for a century now had reigned by virtue of the omnipotence of money4 ,noon had not yet struck1 and ,baron ,duvillard1 contrary to custom1 found himself the first in the little blue and silver salon4 ,he was a man of sixty1 tall and sturdy1 with a large nose1 full cheeks1 broad1 fleshy lips1 and wolfish teeth1 which had remained very fine4 ,he had1 however1 become bald at an early age1 and dyed the little hair that was left him4 ,moreover1 since his beard had turned white1 he had kept his face clean-shaven4 ,his grey eyes bespoke his audacity1 and in his laugh there was a ring of conquest1 while the whole of his face expressed the fact that this conquest was his own1 that he wielded the sovereignty of an unscrupulous master1 who used and abused the power stolen and retained by his caste4 ,he took a few steps1 and then halted in front of a basket of wonderful orchids near the window4 ,on the mantel-piece and table tufts of violets sent forth their perfume1 and in the warm1 deep silence which seemed to fall from the hangings1 the ,baron sat down and stretched himself in one of the large armchairs1 upholstered in blue satin striped with silver4 ,he had taken a newspaper from his pocket1 and began to re-peruse an article it contained1 whilst all around him the entire mansion proclaimed his immense fortune1 his sovereign power1 the whole history of the century which had made him the master4 ,his grandfather1 ,jerome ,duvillard1 son of a petty advocate of ,poitou1 had come to ,paris as a notary's clerk in #aghh1 when he was eighteen2 and very keen1 intelligent and hungry as he was1 he had gained the family's first three millions--at first in trafficking with the emigrs' estates when they were confiscated and sold as national property1 and later1 in contracting for supplies to the imperial army4 ,his father1 ,gregoire ,duvillard1 born in #ahje1 and the real great man of the family--he who had first reigned in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 after ,king ,louis ,philippe had granted him the title of ,baron--remained one of the recognized heroes of modern finance by reason of the scandalous profits which he had made in every famous thieving speculation of the ,july ,monarchy and the ,second ,empire1 such as mines1 railroads1 and the ,suez ,canal4 ,and he1 the present ,baron1 ,henri by name1 and born in #ahcf1 had only seriously gone into business on ,baron ,gregoire's death soon after the ,franco-,german ,war4 ,however1 he had done so with such a rageful appetite1 that in a quarter of a century he had again doubled the family fortune4 ,he rotted and devoured1 corrupted1 swallowed everything that he touched2 and he was also the tempter personified--the man who bought all consciences that were for sale--having fully understood the new times and its tendencies in presence of the democracy1 which in its turn had become hungry and impatient4 ,inferior though he was both to his father and his grandfather1 being a man of enjoyment1 caring less for the work of conquest than the division of the spoil1 he nevertheless remained a terrible fellow1 a sleek triumpher1 whose operations were all certainties1 who amassed millions at each stroke1 and treated with governments on a footing of equality1 able as he was to place1 if not ,france1 at least a ministry in his pocket4 ,in one century and three generations1 royalty had become embodied in him3 a royalty already threatened1 already shaken by the tempest close ahead4 ,and at times his figure grew and expanded till it became1 as it were1 an incarnation of the whole bourgeoisie--that bourgeoisie which at the division of the spoils in #aghi appropriated everything1 and has since fattened on everything at the expense of the masses1 and refuses to restore anything whatever4 ,the article which the ,baron was re-perusing in a halfpenny newspaper interested him4 8,la ,voix du ,peuple0 was a noisy sheet which1 under the pretence of defending outraged justice and morality1 set a fresh scandal circulating every morning in the hope of thereby increasing its sales4 ,and that morning1 in big type on its front page1 this sub-title was displayed3 8,the ,affair of the ,african ,railways4 ,five ,millions spent in ,bribes3 ,two ,ministers ,bought1 ,thirty ,deputies and ,senators ,compromised40 ,then in an article of odious violence the paper's editor1 the famous ,sagnier1 announced that he possessed and intended to publish the list of the thirty-two members of ,parliament1 whose support ,baron ,duvillard had purchased at the time when the ,chambers had voted the bill for the ,african ,railway ,lines4 ,quite a romantic story was mingled with all this1 the adventures of a certain ,hunter1 whom the ,baron had employed as his go-between and who had now fled4 ,the ,baron1 however1 re-perused each sentence and weighed each word of the article very calmly2 and although he was alone he shrugged his shoulders and spoke aloud with the tranquil assurance of a man whose responsibility is covered and who is1 moreover1 too powerful to be molested4 8,the idiot10 he said1 8he knows even less than he pretends40 ,just then1 however1 a first guest arrived1 a man of barely four and thirty1 elegantly dressed1 dark and good looking1 with a delicately shaped nose1 and curly hair and beard4 ,as a rule1 too1 he had laughing eyes1 and something giddy1 flighty1 bird-like in his demeanour2 but that morning he seemed nervous1 anxious even1 and smiled in a scared way4 8,ah6 it's you1 ,duthil10 said the ,baron1 rising4 8,have you read this80 ,and he showed the new comer the 8,voix du ,peuple10 which he was folding up to replace it in his pocket4 8,why yes1 ,i've read it4 ,it's amazing4 ,how can ,sagnier have got hold of the list of names8 ,has there been some traitor80 ,the ,baron looked at his companion quietly1 amused by his secret anguish4 ,duthil1 the son of a notary of ,angoulme1 almost poor and very honest1 had been sent to ,paris as deputy for that town whilst yet very young1 thanks to the high reputation of his father2 and he there led a life of pleasure and idleness1 even as he had formerly done when a student4 ,however1 his pleasant bachelor's quarters in the ,rue de ,suresnes1 and his success as a handsome man in the whirl of women among whom he lived1 cost him no little money2 and gaily enough1 devoid as he was of any moral sense1 he had already glided into all sorts of compromising and lowering actions1 like a light-headed1 superior man1 a charming1 thoughtless fellow1 who attached no importance whatever to such trifles4 8,bah60 said the ,baron at last4 8,has ,sagnier even got a list8 ,i doubt it1 for there was none2 ,hunter wasn't so foolish as to draw one up4 ,and then1 too1 it was merely an ordinary affair2 nothing more was done than is always done in such matters of business40 ,duthil1 who for the first time in his life had felt anxious1 listened like one that needs to be reassured4 8,quite so1 eh80 he exclaimed4 8,that's what ,i thought4 ,there isn't a cat to be whipped in the whole affair40 ,he tried to laugh as usual1 and no longer exactly knew how it was that he had received some ten thousand francs in connection with the matter1 whether it were in the shape of a vague loan1 or else under some pretext of publicity1 puffery1 or advertising1 for ,hunter had acted with extreme adroitness so as to give no offence to the susceptibilities of even the least virginal consciences4 8,no1 there's not a cat to be whipped10 repeated ,duvillard1 who decidedly seemed amused by the face which ,duthil was pulling4 8,and besides1 my dear fellow1 it's well known that cats always fall on their feet4 ,but have you seen ,silviane80 8,i just left her4 ,i found her in a great rage with you4 ,she learnt this morning that her affair of the ,comdie is off40 ,a rush of anger suddenly reddened the ,baron's face4 ,he1 who could scoff so calmly at the threat of the ,african ,railways scandal1 lost his balance and felt his blood boiling directly there was any question of ,silviane1 the last1 imperious passion of his sixtieth year4 8,what6 off80 said he4 8,but at the ,ministry of ,fine ,arts they gave me almost a positive promise only the day before yesterday40 ,he referred to a stubborn caprice of ,silviane d',aulnay1 who1 although she had hitherto only reaped a success of beauty on the stage1 obstinately sought to enter the ,comdie ,franaise and make her dbut there in the part of 8,pauline0 in ,corneille's 8,polyeucte10 which part she had been studying desperately for several months past4 ,her idea seemed an insane one1 and all ,paris laughed at it2 but the young woman1 with superb assurance1 kept herself well to the front1 and imperiously demanded the rle1 feeling sure that she would conquer4 8,it was the minister who wouldn't have it10 explained ,duthil4 ,the ,baron was choking4 8,the minister1 the minister6 ,ah6 well1 ,i will soon have that minister sent to the rightabout40 ,however1 he had to cease speaking1 for at that moment ,baroness ,duvillard came into the little drawing-room4 ,at forty-six years of age she was still very beautiful4 ,very fair and tall1 having hitherto put on but little superfluous fat1 and retaining perfect arms and shoulders1 with speckless silky skin1 it was only her face that was spoiling1 colouring slightly with reddish blotches4 ,and these blemishes were her torment1 her hourly thought and worry4 ,her ,jewish origin was revealed by her somewhat long and strangely charming face1 with blue and softly voluptuous eyes4 ,as indolent as an ,oriental slave1 disliking to have to move1 walk1 or even speak1 she seemed intended for a harem life1 especially as she was for ever tending her person4 ,that day she was all in white1 gowned in a white silk toilette of delicious and lustrous simplicity4 ,duthil complimented her1 and kissed her hand with an enraptured air4 8,ah6 madame1 you set a little springtide in my heart4 ,paris is so black and muddy this morning40 ,however1 a second guest entered the room1 a tall and handsome man of five or six and thirty2 and the ,baron1 still disturbed by his passion1 profited by this opportunity to make his escape4 ,he carried ,duthil away into his study1 saying1 8,come here an instant1 my dear fellow4 ,i have a few more words to say to you about the affair in question4 ,monsieur de ,quinsac will keep my wife company for a moment40 ,the ,baroness1 as soon as she was alone with the new comer1 who1 like ,duthil1 had most respectfully kissed her hand1 gave him a long1 silent look1 while her soft eyes filled with tears4 ,deep silence1 tinged with some slight embarrassment1 had fallen1 but she ended by saying in a very low voice3 8,how happy ,i am1 ,grard1 to find myself alone with you for a moment4 ,for a month past ,i have not had that happiness40 ,the circumstances in which ,henri ,duvillard had married the younger daughter of ,justus ,steinberger1 the great ,jew banker1 formed quite a story which was often recalled4 ,the ,steinbergers--after the fashion of the ,rothschilds--were originally four brothers--,justus1 residing in ,paris1 and the three others at ,berlin1 ,vienna1 and ,london1 a circumstance which gave their secret association most formidable power in the financial markets of ,europe4 ,justus1 however1 was the least wealthy of the four1 and in ,baron ,gregoire ,duvillard he had a redoubtable adversary against whom he was compelled to struggle each time that any large prey was in question4 ,and it was after a terrible encounter between the pair1 after the eager sharing of the spoils1 that the crafty idea had come to ,justus of giving his younger daughter ,eve in marriage1 by way of douceur1 to the ,baron's son1 ,henri4 ,so far the latter had only been known as an amiable fellow1 fond of horses and club life2 and no doubt ,justus's idea was that1 at the death of the redoubtable ,baron1 who was already condemned by his physicians1 he would be able to lay his hands on the rival banking-house1 particularly if he only had in front of him a son-in-law whom it was easy to conquer4 ,as it happened1 ,henri had been mastered by a violent passion for ,eve's blond beauty1 which was then dazzling4 ,he wished to marry her1 and his father1 who knew him1 consented1 in reality greatly amused to think that ,justus was making an execrably bad stroke of business4 ,the enterprise became indeed disastrous for ,justus when ,henri succeeded his father and the man of prey appeared from beneath the man of pleasure and carved himself his own huge share in exploiting the unbridled appetites of the middle-class democracy1 which had at last secured possession of power4 ,not only did ,eve fail to devour ,henri1 who in his turn had become ,baron ,duvillard1 the all-powerful banker1 more and more master of the market2 but it was the ,baron who devoured ,eve1 and this in less than four years' time4 ,after she had borne him a daughter and a son in turn1 he suddenly drew away from her1 neglected her1 as if she were a mere toy that he no longer cared for4 ,she was at first both surprised and distressed by the change1 especially on learning that he was resuming his bachelor's habits1 and had set his fickle if ardent affections elsewhere4 ,then1 however1 without any kind of recrimination1 any display of anger1 or even any particular effort to regain her ascendency over him1 she1 on her side1 imitated his example4 ,she could not live without love1 and assuredly she had only been born to be beautiful1 to fascinate and reap adoration4 ,to the lover whom she chose when she was five and twenty she remained faithful for more than fifteen years1 as faithful as she might have been to a husband2 and when he died her grief was intense1 it was like real widowhood4 ,six months later1 however1 having met ,count ,grard de ,quinsac she had again been unable to resist her imperative need of adoration1 and an intrigue had followed4 8,have you been ill1 my dear ,grard80 she inquired1 noticing the young man's embarrassment4 8,are you hiding some worry from me80 ,she was ten years older than he was2 and she clung desperately to this last passion of hers1 revolting at the thought of growing old1 and resolved upon every effort to keep the young man beside her4 8,no1 ,i am hiding nothing1 ,i assure you10 replied the ,count4 8,but my mother has had much need of me recently40 ,she continued looking at him1 however1 with anxious passion1 finding him so tall and aristocratic of mien1 with his regular features and dark hair and moustaches which were always most carefully tended4 ,he belonged to one of the oldest families of ,france1 and resided on a ground-floor in the ,rue ,st4 ,dominique with his widowed mother1 who had been ruined by her adventurously inclined husband1 and had at most an income of some fifteen thousand francs99 to live upon4 ,grard for his part had never done anything2 contenting himself with his one year of obligatory military service1 he had renounced the profession of arms in the same way as he had renounced that of diplomacy1 the only one that offered him an opening of any dignity4 ,he spent his days in that busy idleness common to all young men who lead 8,paris life40 ,and his mother1 haughtily severe though she was1 seemed to excuse this1 as if in her opinion a man of his birth was bound by way of protest to keep apart from official life under a ,republic4 ,however1 she no doubt had more intimate1 more disturbing reasons for indulgence4 ,she had nearly lost him when he was only seven1 through an attack of brain fever4 ,at eighteen he had complained of his heart1 and the doctors had recommended that he should be treated gently in all respects4 ,she knew1 therefore1 what a lie lurked behind his proud demeanour1 within his lofty figure1 that haughty faade of his race4 ,he was but dust1 ever threatened with illness and collapse4 ,in the depths of his seeming virility there was merely girlish abandon2 and he was simply a weak1 good-natured fellow1 liable to every stumble4 ,it was on the occasion of a visit which he had paid with his mother to the ,asylum of the ,invalids of ,labour that he had first seen ,eve1 whom he continued to meet2 his mother1 closing her eyes to this culpable connection in a sphere of society which she treated with contempt1 in the same way as she had closed them to so many other acts of folly which she had forgiven because she regarded them as the mere lapses of an ailing child4 ,moreover1 ,eve had made a conquest of ,madame de ,quinsac1 who was very pious1 by an action which had recently amazed society4 ,it had been suddenly learnt that she had allowed ,monseigneur ,martha to convert her to the ,roman ,catholic faith4 ,this thing1 which she had refused to do when solicited by her lawful husband1 she had now done in the hope of ensuring herself a lover's eternal affection4 ,and all ,paris was still stirred by the magnificence exhibited at the ,madeleine1 on the occasion of the baptism of this ,jewess of five and forty1 whose beauty and whose tears had upset every heart4 99 ,about #cjjj dollars4 ,grard1 on his side1 was still flattered by the deep and touching tenderness shown to him2 but weariness was coming1 and he had already sought to break off the connection by avoiding any further assignations4 ,he well understood ,eve's glances and her tears1 and though he was moved at sight of them he tried to excuse himself4 8,i assure you10 said he1 8my mother has kept me so busy that ,i could not get away40 ,but she1 without a word1 still turned her tearful glance on him1 and weak1 like herself1 in despair that he should have been left alone with her in this fashion1 he yielded1 unable to continue refusing4 8,well1 then10 said he1 8this afternoon at four o'clock if you are free40 ,he had lowered his voice in speaking1 but a slight rustle made him turn his head and start like one in fault4 ,it was the ,baroness's daughter ,camille entering the room4 ,she had heard nothing2 but by the smile which the others had exchanged1 by the very quiver of the air1 she understood everything2 an assignation for that very day and at the very spot which she suspected4 ,some slight embarrassment followed1 an exchange of anxious and evil glances4 ,camille1 at three and twenty1 was a very dark young woman1 short of stature and somewhat deformed1 with her left shoulder higher than the right4 ,there seemed to be nothing of her father or mother in her4 ,her case was one of those unforeseen accidents in family heredity which make people wonder whence they can arise4 ,her only pride lay in her beautiful black eyes and superb black hair1 which1 short as she was1 would1 said she1 have sufficed to clothe her4 ,but her nose was long1 her face deviated to the left1 and her chin was pointed4 ,her thin1 witty1 and malicious lips bespoke all the rancour and perverse anger stored in the heart of this uncomely creature1 whom the thought of her uncomeliness enraged4 ,however1 the one whom she most hated in the whole world was her own mother1 that amorosa who was so little fitted to be a mother1 who had never loved her1 never paid attention to her1 but had abandoned her to the care of servants from her very infancy4 ,in this wise real hatred had grown up between the two women1 mute and frigid on the one side1 and active and passionate on the other4 ,the daughter hated her mother because she found her beautiful1 because she had not been created in the same image3 beautiful with the beauty with which her mother crushed her4 ,day by day she suffered at being sought by none1 at realising that the adoration of one and all still went to her mother4 ,as she was amusing in her maliciousness1 people listened to her and laughed2 however1 the glances of all the men--even and indeed especially the younger ones--soon reverted to her triumphant mother1 who seemingly defied old age4 ,in part for this reason ,camille1 with ferocious determination1 had decided that she would dispossess her mother of her last lover ,grard1 and marry him herself1 conscious that such a loss would doubtless kill the ,baroness4 ,thanks to her promised dowry of five millions of francs1 the young woman did not lack suitors2 but1 little flattered by their advances1 she was accustomed to say1 with her malicious laugh3 8,oh6 of course2 why for five millions they would take a wife from a mad-house40 ,however1 she1 herself1 had really begun to love ,grard1 who1 good-natured as he was1 evinced much kindness towards this suffering young woman whom nature had treated so harshly4 ,it worried him to see her forsaken by everyone1 and little by little he yielded to the grateful tenderness which she displayed towards him1 happy1 handsome man that he was1 at being regarded as a demi-god and having such a slave4 ,indeed1 in his attempt to quit the mother there was certainly a thought of allowing the daughter to marry him1 which would be an agreeable ending to it all1 though he did not as yet acknowledge this1 ashamed as he felt and embarrassed by his illustrious name and all the complications and tears which he foresaw4 ,the silence continued4 ,camille with her piercing glance1 as sharp as any knife1 had told her mother that she knew the truth2 and then with another and pain-fraught glance she had complained to ,grard4 ,he1 in order to re-establish equilibrium1 could only think of a compliment3 8,good morning1 ,camille4 ,ah6 that havana-brown gown of yours looks nice6 ,it's astonishing how well rather sombre colours suit you40 ,camille glanced at her mother's white robe1 and then at her own dark gown1 which scarcely allowed her neck and wrists to be seen4 8,yes10 she replied laughing1 8,i only look passable when ,i don't dress as a young girl40 ,eve1 ill at ease1 worried by the growth of a rivalry in which she did not as yet wish to believe1 changed the conversation4 8,isn't your brother there80 she asked4 8,why yes1 we came down together40 ,hyacinthe1 who came in at that moment1 shook hands with ,grard in a weary way4 ,he was twenty1 and had inherited his mother's pale blond hair1 and her long face full of ,oriental languor2 while from his father he had derived his grey eyes and thick lips1 expressive of unscrupulous appetites4 ,a wretched scholar1 regarding every profession with the same contempt1 he had decided to do nothing4 ,spoilt by his father1 he took some little interest in poetry and music1 and lived in an extraordinary circle of artists1 low women1 madmen and bandits2 boasting himself of all sorts of crimes and vices1 professing the very worst philosophical and social ideas1 invariably going to extremes1 becoming in turn a ,collectivist1 an ,individualist1 an ,anarchist1 a ,pessimist1 a ,symbolist1 and what not besides2 without1 however1 ceasing to be a ,catholic1 as this conjunction of ,catholicity with something else seemed to him the supreme bon ton4 ,in reality he was simply empty and rather a fool4 ,in four generations the vigorous hungry blood of the ,duvillards1 after producing three magnificent beasts of prey1 had1 as if exhausted by the contentment of every passion1 ended in this sorry emasculated creature1 who was incapable alike of great knavery or great debauchery4 ,camille1 who was too intelligent not to realise her brother's nothingness1 was fond of teasing him2 and looking at him as he stood there1 tightly buttoned in his long frock coat with pleated skirt--a resurrection of the romantic period1 which he carried to exaggeration1 she resumed3 8,mamma has been asking for you1 ,hyacinthe4 ,come and show her your gown4 ,you are the one who would look nice dressed as a young girl40 ,however1 he eluded her without replying4 ,he was covertly afraid of her1 though they lived together in great intimacy1 frankly exchanging confidences respecting their perverse views of life4 ,and he directed a glance of disdain at the wonderful basket of orchids which seemed to him past the fashion1 far too common nowadays4 ,for his part he had left the lilies of life behind him1 and reached the ranunculus1 the flower of blood4 ,the two last guests who were expected now arrived almost together4 ,the first was the investigating magistrate ,amadieu1 a little man of five and forty1 who was an intimate of the household and had been brought into notoriety by a recent anarchist affair4 ,between a pair of fair1 bushy whiskers he displayed a flat1 regular judicial face1 to which he tried to impart an expression of keenness by wearing a single eyeglass behind which his glance sparkled4 ,very worldly1 moreover1 he belonged to the new judicial school1 being a distinguished psychologist and having written a book in reply to the abuses of criminalist physiology4 ,and he was also a man of great1 tenacious ambition1 fond of notoriety and ever on the lookout for those resounding legal affairs which bring glory4 ,behind him1 at last appeared ,general de ,bozonnet1 ,grard's uncle on the maternal side1 a tall1 lean old man with a nose like an eagle's beak4 ,chronic rheumatism had recently compelled him to retire from the service4 ,raised to a colonelcy after the ,franco-,german ,war in reward for his gallant conduct at ,st4 ,privat1 he had1 in spite of his extremely monarchical connections1 kept his sworn faith to ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,and he was excused in his own sphere of society for this species of military ,bonapartism1 on account of the bitterness with which he accused the ,republic of having ruined the army4 ,worthy fellow that he was1 extremely fond of his sister1 ,madame de ,quinsac1 it seemed as though he acted in accordance with some secret desire of hers in accepting the invitations of ,baroness ,duvillard by way of rendering ,grard's constant presence in her house more natural and excusable4 ,however1 the ,baron and ,duthil now returned from the study1 laughing loudly in an exaggerated way1 doubtless to make the others believe that they were quite easy in mind4 ,and one and all passed into the large dining-room where a big wood fire was burning1 its gay flames shining like a ray of springtide amid the fine mahogany furniture of ,english make laden with silver and crystal4 ,the room1 of a soft mossy green1 had an unassuming charm in the pale light1 and the table which in the centre displayed the richness of its covers and the immaculate whiteness of its linen adorned with ,venetian point1 seemed to have flowered miraculously with a wealth of large tea roses1 most admirable blooms for the season1 and of delicious perfume4 ,the ,baroness seated the ,general on her right1 and ,amadieu on her left4 ,the ,baron on his right placed ,duthil1 and on his left ,grard4 ,then the young people installed themselves at either end1 ,camille between ,grard and the ,general1 and ,hyacinthe between ,duthil and ,amadieu4 ,and forthwith1 from the moment of starting on the scrambled eggs and truffles1 conversation began1 the usual conversation of ,parisian djeuners1 when every event1 great or little1 of the morning or the day before is passed in review3 the truths and the falsehoods current in every social sphere1 the financial scandal1 and the political adventure of the hour1 the novel that has just appeared1 the play that has just been produced1 the stories which should only be retailed in whispers1 but which are repeated aloud4 ,and beneath all the light wit which circulates1 beneath all the laughter1 which often has a false ring1 each retains his or her particular worry1 or distress of mind1 at times so acute that it becomes perfect agony4 ,with his quiet and wonted impudence1 the ,baron1 bravely enough1 was the first to speak of the article in the 8,voix du ,peuple40 8,i say1 have you read ,sagnier's article this morning8 ,it's a good one2 he has verve you know1 but what a dangerous lunatic he is60 ,this set everybody at ease1 for the article would certainly have weighed upon the djeuner had no one mentioned it4 8,it's the #8,panama' dodge over again60 cried ,duthil4 8,but no1 no1 we've had quite enough of it60 8,why10 resumed the ,baron1 8the affair of the ,african ,railway ,lines is as clear as spring water6 ,all those whom ,sagnier threatens may sleep in peace4 ,the truth is that it's a scheme to upset ,barroux's ministry4 ,leave to interpellate will certainly be asked for this afternoon4 ,you'll see what a fine uproar there'll be in the ,chamber40 8,that libellous1 scandal-seeking press10 said ,amadieu gravely1 8is a dissolving agent which will bring ,france to ruin4 ,we ought to have laws against it40 ,the ,general made an angry gesture3 8,laws1 what's the use of them1 since nobody has the courage to enforce them40 ,silence fell4 ,with a light1 discreet step the house-steward presented some grilled mullet4 ,so noiseless was the service amid the cheerful perfumed warmth that not even the faintest clatter of crockery was heard4 ,without anyone knowing how it had come about1 however1 the conversation had suddenly changed2 and somebody inquired3 8,so the revival of the piece is postponed80 8,yes10 said ,grard1 8,i heard this morning that #8,polyeucte' wouldn't get its turn till ,april at the earliest40 ,at this ,camille1 who had hitherto remained silent1 watching the young ,count and seeking to win him back1 turned her glittering eyes upon her father and mother4 ,it was a question of that revival in which ,silviane was so stubbornly determined to make her dbut4 ,however1 the ,baron and the ,baroness evinced perfect serenity1 having long been acquainted with all that concerned each other4 ,moreover ,eve was too much occupied with her own passion to think of anything else2 and the ,baron too busy with the fresh application which he intended to make in tempestuous fashion at the ,ministry of ,fine ,arts1 so as to wrest ,silviane's engagement from those in office4 ,he contented himself with saying3 8,how would you have them revive pieces at the ,comdie6 ,they have no actresses left there40 8,oh1 by the way10 the ,baroness on her side simply remarked1 8yesterday1 in that play at the ,vaudeville1 ,delphine ,vignot wore such an exquisite gown4 ,she's the only one too who knows how to arrange her hair40 ,thereupon ,duthil1 in somewhat veiled language1 began to relate a story about ,delphine and a well-known senator4 ,and then came another scandal1 the sudden and almost suspicious death of a lady friend of the ,duvillards'2 whereupon the ,general1 without any transition1 broke in to relieve his bitter feelings by denouncing the idiotic manner in which the army was nowadays organised4 ,meantime the old ,bordeaux glittered like ruby blood in the delicate crystal glasses4 ,a truffled fillet of venison had just cast its somewhat sharp scent amidst the dying perfume of the roses1 when some asparagus made its appearance1 a primeur which once had been so rare but which no longer caused any astonishment4 8,nowadays we get it all through the winter10 said the ,baron with a gesture of disenchantment4 8,and so10 asked ,grard at the same moment1 8the ,princess de ,harn's matine is for this afternoon80 ,camille quickly intervened4 8,yes1 this afternoon4 ,shall you go80 8,no1 ,i don't think so1 ,i shan't be able10 replied the young man in embarrassment4 8,ah6 that little ,princess1 she's really deranged you know10 exclaimed ,duthil4 8,you are aware that she calls herself a widow8 ,but the truth1 it seems1 is that her husband1 a real ,prince1 connected with a royal house and very handsome1 is travelling about the world in the company of a singer4 ,she with her vicious urchin-like face preferred to come and reign in ,paris1 in that mansion of the ,avenue ,hoche1 which is certainly the most extraordinary ,noah's ark imaginable1 with its swarming of cosmopolitan society indulging in every extravagance60 8,be quiet1 you malicious fellow10 the ,baroness gently interrupted4 8,we1 here1 are very fond of ,rosemonde1 who is a charming woman40 8,oh6 certainly10 ,camille again resumed4 8,she invited us2 and we are going to her place by-and-by1 are we not1 mamma80 ,to avoid replying1 the ,baroness pretended that she did not hear1 whilst ,duthil1 who seemed to be well-informed concerning the ,princess1 continued to make merry over her intended matine1 at which she meant to produce some ,spanish dancing girls1 whose performance was so very indecorous that all ,paris1 forewarned of the circumstance1 would certainly swarm to her house4 ,and he added3 8,you've heard that she has given up painting4 ,yes1 she busies herself with chemistry4 ,her salon is full of ,anarchists now--and1 by the way1 it seemed to me that she had cast her eyes on you1 my dear ,hyacinthe40 ,hyacinthe had hitherto held his tongue1 as if he took no interest in anything4 8,oh6 she bores me to death10 he now condescended to reply4 8,if ,i'm going to her matine it's simply in the hope of meeting my friend young ,lord ,george ,eldrett1 who wrote to me from ,london to give me an appointment at the ,princess's4 ,and ,i admit that hers is the only salon where ,i find somebody to talk to40 8,and so10 asked ,amadieu in an ironical way1 8you have now gone over to ,anarchism80 ,with his air of lofty elegance ,hyacinthe imperturbably confessed his creed3 8,but it seems to me1 monsieur1 that in these times of universal baseness and ignominy1 no man of any distinction can be other than an ,anarchist40 ,a laugh ran round the table4 ,hyacinthe was very much spoilt1 and considered very entertaining4 ,his father in particular was immensely amused by the notion that he of all men should have an ,anarchist for a son4 ,however1 the ,general1 in his rancorous moments1 talked anarchically enough of blowing up a society which was so stupid as to let itself be led by half a dozen disreputable characters4 ,and1 indeed1 the investigating magistrate1 who was gradually making a specialty of ,anarchist affairs1 proved the only one who opposed the young man1 defending threatened civilisation and giving terrifying particulars concerning what he called the army of devastation and massacre4 ,the others1 while partaking of some delicious duck's-liver pat1 which the house-steward handed around1 continued smiling4 ,there was so much misery1 said they2 one must take everything into account3 things would surely end by righting themselves4 ,and the ,baron himself declared1 in a conciliatory manner3 8,it's certain that one might do something1 though nobody knows exactly what4 ,as for all sensible and moderate claims1 oh6 ,i agree to them in advance4 ,for instance1 the lot of the working classes may be ameliorated1 charitable enterprises may be undertaken1 such1 for instance1 as our ,asylum for the ,invalids of ,labour1 which we have reason to be proud of4 ,but we must not be asked for impossibilities40 ,with the dessert came a sudden spell of silence2 it was as if1 amidst the restless fluttering of the conversation1 and the dizziness born of the copious meal1 each one's worry or distress was again wringing the heart and setting an expression of perturbation on the countenance4 ,the nervous unconscientiousness of ,duthil1 threatened with denunciation1 was seen to revive2 so1 too1 the anxious anger of the ,baron1 who was meditating how he might possibly manage to content ,silviane4 ,that woman was this sturdy1 powerful man's taint1 the secret sore which would perhaps end by eating him away and destroying him4 ,but it was the frightful drama in which the ,baroness1 ,camille and ,grard were concerned that flitted by most visibly across the faces of all three of them3 that hateful rivalry of mother and daughter1 contending for the man they loved4 ,and1 meantime1 the silver-gilt blades of the dessert-knives were delicately peeling choice fruit4 ,and there were bunches of golden grapes looking beautifully fresh1 and a procession of sweetmeats1 little cakes1 an infinity of dainties1 over which the most satiated appetites lingered complacently4 ,then1 just as the finger-glasses were being served1 a footman came and bent over the ,baroness1 who answered in an undertone1 8,well1 show him into the salon1 ,i will join him there40 ,and aloud to the others she added3 8,it's ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 who has called and asks most particularly to see me4 ,he won't be in our way2 ,i think that almost all of you know him4 ,oh6 he's a genuine saint1 and ,i have much sympathy for him40 ,for a few minutes longer they loitered round the table1 and then at last quitted the dining-room1 which was full of the odours of viands1 wines1 fruits and roses2 quite warm1 too1 with the heat thrown out by the big logs of firewood1 which were falling into embers amidst the somewhat jumbled brightness of all the crystal and silver1 and the pale1 delicate light which fell upon the disorderly table4 ,pierre had remained standing in the centre of the little blue and silver salon4 ,seeing a tray on which the coffee and the liqueurs were in readiness1 he regretted that he had insisted upon being received4 ,and his embarrassment increased when the company came in rather noisily1 with bright eyes and rosy cheeks4 ,however1 his charitable fervour had revived so ardently within him that he overcame this embarrassment1 and all that remained to him of it was a slight feeling of discomfort at bringing the whole frightful morning which he had just spent amid such scenes of wretchedness1 so much darkness and cold1 so much filth and hunger1 into this bright1 warm1 perfumed affluence1 where the useless and the superfluous overflowed around those folks who seemed so gay at having made a delightful meal4 ,however1 the ,baroness at once came forward with ,grard1 for it was through the latter1 whose mother he knew1 that the priest had been presented to the ,duvillards at the time of the famous conversion4 ,and as he apologised for having called at such an inconvenient hour1 the ,baroness responded3 8,but you are always welcome1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,you will allow me just to attend to my guests1 won't you8 ,i will be with you in an instant40 ,she thereupon returned to the table on which the tray had been placed1 in order to serve the coffee and the liqueurs1 with her daughter's assistance4 ,grard1 however1 remained with ,pierre2 and1 it so chanced1 began to speak to him of the ,asylum for the ,invalids of ,labour1 where they had met one another at the recent laying of the foundation-stone of a new pavilion which was being erected1 thanks to a handsome donation of #ajj1jjj francs made by ,baron ,duvillard4 ,so far1 the enterprise only comprised four pavilions out of the fourteen which it was proposed to erect on the vast site given by the ,city of ,paris on the peninsula of ,gennevilliers992 and so the subscription fund remained open1 and1 indeed1 no little noise was made over this charitable enterprise1 which was regarded as a complete and peremptory reply to the accusations of those evilly disposed persons who charged the satiated bourgeoisie with doing nothing for the workers4 ,but the truth was that a magnificent chapel1 erected in the centre of the site1 had absorbed two-thirds of the funds hitherto collected4 ,numerous lady patronesses1 chosen from all the 8worlds0 of ,paris--the ,baroness ,duvillard1 the ,countess de ,quinsac1 the ,princess ,rosemonde de ,harn1 and a score of others--were entrusted with the task of keeping the enterprise alive by dint of collections and fancy bazaars4 ,but success had been chiefly obtained1 thanks to the happy idea of ridding the ladies of all the weighty cares of organisation1 by choosing as managing director a certain ,fonsgue1 who1 besides being a deputy and editor of the 8,globe0 newspaper1 was a prodigious promoter of all sorts of enterprises4 ,and the 8,globe0 never paused in its propaganda1 but answered the attacks of the revolutionaries by extolling the inexhaustible charity of the governing classes in such wise that1 at the last elections1 the enterprise had served as a victorious electoral weapon4 99 ,this so-called peninsula lies to the northwest of ,paris1 and is formed by the windings of the ,seine4--,trans4 ,however1 ,camille was walking about with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand3 8,will you take some coffee1 ,monsieur l',abb80 she inquired4 8,no1 thank you1 mademoiselle40 8,a glass of ,chartreuse then80 8,no1 thank you40 ,then everybody being served1 the ,baroness came back and said amiably3 8,come1 ,monsieur l',abb1 what do you desire of me80 ,pierre began to speak almost in an undertone1 his throat contracting and his heart beating with emotion4 8,i have come1 madame1 to appeal to your great kindness of heart4 ,this morning1 in a frightful house1 in the ,rue des ,saules1 behind ,montmartre1 ,i beheld a sight which utterly upset me4 ,you can have no idea what an abode of misery and suffering it was2 its inmates without fire or bread1 the men reduced to idleness because there is no work1 the mothers having no more milk for their babes1 the children barely clad1 coughing and shivering4 ,and among all these horrors ,i saw the worst1 the most abominable of all1 an old workman1 laid on his back by age1 dying of hunger1 huddled on a heap of rags1 in a nook which a dog would not even accept as kennel40 ,he tried to recount things as discreetly as possible1 frightened by the very words he spoke1 the horrors he had to relate in that sphere of superlative luxury and enjoyment1 before those happy ones who possessed all the gifts of this world2 for--to use a slang expression--he fully realised that he sang out of tune1 and in most uncourteous fashion4 ,what a strange idea of his to have called at the hour when one has just finished djeuner1 when the aroma of hot coffee flatters happy digestion4 ,nevertheless he went on1 and even ended by raising his voice1 yielding to the feeling of revolt which gradually stirred him1 going to the end of his terrible narrative1 naming ,laveuve1 insisting on the unjust abandonment in which the old man was left1 and asking for succour in the name of human compassion4 ,and the whole company approached to listen to him2 he could see the ,baron and the ,general1 and ,duthil and ,amadieu1 in front of him1 sipping their coffee1 in silence1 without a gesture4 8,well1 madame10 he concluded1 8it seemed to me that one could not leave that old man an hour longer in such a frightful position1 and that this very evening you would have the extreme goodness to have him admitted into the ,asylum of the ,invalids of ,labour1 which is1 ,i think1 the proper and only place for him40 ,tears had moistened ,eve's beautiful eyes4 ,she was in consternation at so sad a story coming to her to spoil her afternoon when she was looking forward to her assignation with ,grard4 ,weak and indolent as she was1 lacking all initiative1 too much occupied moreover with her own person1 she had only accepted the presidency of the ,committee on the condition that all administrative worries were to fall on ,fonsgue4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb10 she murmured1 8you rend my heart4 ,but ,i can do nothing1 nothing at all1 ,i assure you4 ,moreover1 ,i believe that we have already inquired into the affair of that man ,laveuve4 ,with us1 you know1 there must be the most serious guarantees with regard to every admission4 ,a reporter is chosen who has to give us full information4 ,wasn't it you1 ,monsieur ,duthil1 who was charged with this man ,laveuve's affair80 ,the deputy was finishing a glass of ,chartreuse4 8,yes1 it was ,i4 ,that fine fellow played you a comedy1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,he isn't at all ill1 and if you left him any money you may be sure he went down to drink it as soon as you were gone4 ,for he is always drunk2 and1 besides that1 he has the most hateful disposition imaginable1 crying out from morning till evening against the bourgeois1 and saying that if he had any strength left in his arms he would undertake to blow up the whole show4 ,and1 moreover1 he won't go into the asylum2 he says that it's a real prison where one's guarded by ,beguins who force one to hear mass1 a dirty convent where the gates are shut at nine in the evening6 ,and there are so many of them like that1 who rather than be succoured prefer their liberty1 with cold and hunger and death4 ,well then1 let the ,laveuves die in the street1 since they refuse to be with us1 and be warm and eat in our asylums60 ,the ,general and ,amadieu nodded their heads approvingly4 ,but ,duvillard showed himself more generous4 8,no1 no1 indeed6 ,a man's a man after all1 and should be succoured in spite of himself40 ,eve1 however1 in despair at the idea that she would be robbed of her afternoon1 struggled and sought for reasons4 8,i assure you that my hands are altogether tied4 ,monsieur l',abb does not doubt my heart or my zeal4 ,but how call ,i possibly assemble the ,committee without a few days' delay8 ,and ,i have particular reasons for coming to no decision1 especially in an affair which has already been inquired into and pronounced upon1 without the ,committee's sanction40 ,then1 all at once she found a solution3 8,what ,i advise you to do1 ,monsieur l',abb1 is to go at once to see ,monsieur ,fonsgue1 our managing director4 ,he alone can act in an urgent case1 for he knows that the ladies have unlimited confidence in him and approve everything he does40 8,you will find ,fonsgue at the ,chamber10 added ,duthil smiling1 8only the sitting will be a warm one1 and ,i doubt whether you will be able to have a comfortable chat with him40 ,pierre1 whose heart had contracted yet more painfully1 insisted on the subject no further2 but at once made up his mind to see ,fonsgue1 and in any event obtain from him a promise that the wretched ,laveuve should be admitted to the ,asylum that very evening4 ,then he lingered in the saloon for a few minutes listening to ,grard1 who obligingly pointed out to him how he might best convince the deputy1 which was by alleging how bad an effect such a story could have1 should it be brought to light by the revolutionary newspapers4 ,however1 the guests were beginning to take their leave4 ,the ,general1 as he went off1 came to ask his nephew if he should see him that afternoon at his mother's1 ,madame de ,quinsac1 whose 8day0 it was3 a question which the young man answered with an evasive gesture when he noticed that both ,eve and ,camille were looking at him4 ,then came the turn of ,amadieu1 who hurried off saying that a serious affair required his presence at the ,palace of ,justice4 ,and ,duthil soon followed him in order to repair to the ,chamber4 8,i'll see you between four and five at ,silviane's1 eh80 said the ,baron as he conducted him to the door4 8,come and tell me what occurs at the ,chamber in consequence of that odious article of ,sagnier's4 ,i must at all events know4 ,for my part ,i shall go to the ,ministry of ,fine ,arts1 to settle that affair of the ,comdie2 and besides ,i've some calls to make1 some contractors to see1 and a big launching and advertisement affair to settle40 8,it's understood then1 between four and five1 at ,silviane's10 said the deputy1 who went off again mastered by his vague uneasiness1 his anxiety as to what turn that nasty affair of the ,african ,railway ,lines might take4 ,and all of them had forgotten ,laveuve1 the miserable wretch who lay at death's door2 and all of them were hastening away to their business or their passions1 caught in the toils1 sinking under the grindstone and whisked away by that rush of all ,paris1 whose fever bore them along1 throwing one against another in an ardent scramble1 in which the sole question was who should pass over the others and crush them4 8,and so1 mamma10 said ,camille1 who continued to scrutinise her mother and ,grard1 8you are going to take us to the ,princess's matine80 8,by-and-by1 yes4 ,only ,i shan't be able to stay there with you4 ,i received a telegram from ,salmon about my corsage this morning1 and ,i must absolutely go to try it on at four o'clock40 ,by the slight trembling of her mother's voice1 the girl felt certain that she was telling a falsehood4 8,oh60 said she1 8,i thought you were only going to try it on to-morrow8 ,in that case ,i suppose we are to go and call for you at ,salmon's with the carriage on leaving the matine80 8,oh6 no my dear6 ,one never knows when one will be free2 and besides1 if ,i have a moment1 ,i shall call at the modiste's40 ,camille's secret rage brought almost a murderous glare to her dark eyes4 ,the truth was evident4 ,but however passionately she might desire to set some obstacle across her mother's path1 she could not1 dared not1 carry matters any further4 ,in vain had she attempted to implore ,grard with her eyes4 ,he was standing to take his leave1 and turned away his eyes4 ,pierre1 who had become acquainted with many things since he had frequented the house1 noticed how all three of them quivered1 and divined thereby the mute and terrible drama4 ,at this moment1 however1 ,hyacinthe1 stretched in an armchair1 and munching an ether capsule1 the only liqueur in which he indulged1 raised his voice3 8,for my part1 you know1 ,i'm going to the ,exposition du ,lis4 ,all ,paris is swarming there4 ,there's one painting in particular1 #8,the ,rape of a ,soul1' which it's absolutely necessary for one to have seen40 8,well1 but ,i don't refuse to drive you there10 resumed the ,baroness4 8,before going to the ,princess's we can look in at that exhibition40 8,that's it1 that's it10 hastily exclaimed ,camille1 who1 though she harshly derided the symbolist painters as a rule1 now doubtless desired to delay her mother4 ,then1 forcing herself to smile1 she asked3 8,won't you risk a look-in at the ,exposition du ,lis with us1 ,monsieur ,grard80 8,well1 no10 replied the ,count1 8,i want to walk4 ,i shall go with ,monsieur l',abb ,froment to the ,chamber40 ,thereupon he took leave of mother and daughter1 kissing the hand of each in turn4 ,it had just occurred to him that to while away his time he also might call for a moment at ,silviane's1 where1 like the others1 he had his entres4 ,on reaching the cold and solemn courtyard he said to the priest1 8,ah6 it does one good to breathe a little cool air4 ,they keep their rooms too hot1 and all those flowers1 too1 give one the headache40 ,pierre for his part was going off with his brain in a whirl1 his hands feverish1 his senses oppressed by all the luxury which he left behind him1 like the dream of some glowing1 perfumed paradise where only the elect had their abode4 ,at the same time his reviving thirst for charity had become keener than ever1 and without listening to the ,count1 who was speaking very affectionately of his mother1 he reflected as to how he might obtain ,laveuve's admission to the ,asylum from ,fonsgue4 ,however1 when the door of the mansion had closed behind them and they had taken a few steps along the street1 it occurred to ,pierre that a moment previously a sudden vision had met his gaze4 ,had he not seen a workman carrying a tool-bag1 standing and waiting on the foot pavement across the road1 gazing at that monumental door1 closed upon so much fabulous wealth--a workman in whom he fancied he had recognised ,salvat1 that hungry fellow who had gone off that morning in search of work8 ,at this thought ,pierre hastily turned round4 ,such wretchedness in face of so much affluence and enjoyment made him feel anxious4 ,but the workman1 disturbed in his contemplation1 and possibly fearing that he had been recognised1 was going off with dragging step4 ,and now1 getting only a back view of him1 ,pierre hesitated1 and ended by thinking that he must have been mistaken4 ,,iii4 ,,ranters ,,and ,,rulers ,,when ,abb ,froment was about to enter the ,palais-,bourbon he remembered that he had no card1 and he was making up his mind that he would simply ask for ,fonsgue1 though he was not known to him1 when1 on reaching the vestibule1 he perceived ,mge1 the ,collectivist deputy1 with whom he had become acquainted in his days of militant charity in the poverty-stricken ,charonne district4 8,what1 you here8 ,you surely have not come to evangelise us80 said ,mge4 8,no1 ,i've come to see ,monsieur ,fonsgue on an urgent matter1 about a poor fellow who cannot wait40 8,fonsgue8 ,i don't know if he has arrived4 ,wait a moment40 ,and stopping a short1 dark young fellow with a ferreting1 mouse-like air1 ,mge said to him3 8,massot1 here's ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 who wants to speak to your governor at once40 8,the governor8 ,but he isn't here4 ,i left him at the office of the paper1 where he'll be detained for another quarter of an hour4 ,however1 if ,monsieur l',abb likes to wait he will surely see him here40 ,thereupon ,mge ushered ,pierre into the large waiting-hall1 the ,salle des ,pas ,perdus1 which in other moments looked so vast and cold with its bronze ,minerva and ,laocoon1 and its bare walls on which the pale mournful winter light fell from the glass doors communicating with the garden4 ,just then1 however1 it was crowded1 and warmed1 as it were1 by the feverish agitation of the many groups of men that had gathered here and there1 and the constant coming and going of those who hastened through the throng4 ,most of these were deputies1 but there were also numerous journalists and inquisitive visitors4 ,and a growing uproar prevailed3 colloquies now in undertones1 now in loud voices1 exclamations and bursts of laughter1 amidst a deal of passionate gesticulation1 ,mge's return into the tumult seemed to fan it4 ,he was tall1 apostolically thin1 and somewhat neglectful of his person1 looking already old and worn for his age1 which was but five and forty1 though his eyes still glowed with youth behind the glasses which never left his beak-like nose4 ,and he had a warm but grating voice1 and had always been known to cough1 living on solely because he was bitterly intent on doing so in order to realise the dream of social re-organisation which haunted him4 ,the son of an impoverished medical man of a northern town1 he had come to ,paris when very young1 living there during the ,empire on petty newspaper and other unknown work1 and first making a reputation as an orator at the public meetings of the time4 ,then1 after the war1 having become the chief of the ,collectivist party1 thanks to his ardent faith and the extraordinary activity of his fighting nature1 he had at last managed to enter the ,chamber1 where1 brimful of information1 he fought for his ideas with fierce determination and obstinacy1 like a doctrinaire who has decided in his own mind what the world ought to be1 and who regulates in advance1 and bit by bit1 the whole dogma of ,collectivism4 ,however1 since he had taken pay as a deputy1 the outside ,socialists had looked upon him as a mere rhetorician1 an aspiring dictator who only tried to cast society in a new mould for the purpose of subordinating it to his personal views and ruling it4 8,you know what is going on80 he said to ,pierre4 8,this is another nice affair1 is it not8 ,but what would you have8 ,we are in mud to our very ears40 ,he had formerly conceived genuine sympathy for the priest1 whom he had found so gentle with all who suffered1 and so desirous of social regeneration4 ,and the priest himself had ended by taking an interest in this authoritarian dreamer1 who was resolved to make men happy in spite even of themselves4 ,he knew that he was poor1 and led a retired life with his wife and four children1 to whom he was devoted4 8,you can well understand that ,i am no ally of ,sagnier's10 ,mge resumed4 8,but as he chose to speak out this morning and threaten to publish the names of all those who have taken bribes1 we can't allow ourselves to pass as accomplices any further4 ,it has long been said that there was some nasty jobbery in that suspicious affair of the ,african railways4 ,and the worst is that two members of the present ,cabinet are in question1 for three years ago1 when the ,chambers dealt with ,duvillard's emission1 ,barroux was at the ,home ,department1 and ,monferrand at that of ,public ,works4 ,now that they have come back again1 ,monferrand at the ,home ,department1 and ,barroux at that of ,finance1 with the ,presidency of the ,council1 it isn't possible1 is it1 for us to do otherwise than compel them to enlighten us1 in their own interest even1 about their former goings-on8 ,no1 no1 they can no longer keep silence1 and ,i've announced that ,i intend to interpellate them this very day40 ,it was the announcement of ,mge's interpellation1 following the terrible article of the 8,voix du ,peuple10 which thus set the lobbies in an uproar4 ,and ,pierre remained rather scared at this big political affair falling into the midst of his scheme to save a wretched pauper from hunger and death4 ,thus he listened without fully understanding the explanations which the ,socialist deputy was passionately giving him1 while all around them the uproar increased1 and bursts of laughter rang out1 testifying to the astonishment which the others felt at seeing ,mge in conversation with a priest4 8,how stupid they are60 said ,mge disdainfully4 8,do they think then that ,i eat a cassock for djeuner every morning8 ,but ,i beg your pardon1 my dear ,monsieur ,froment4 ,come1 take a place on that seat and wait for ,fonsgue40 ,then he himself plunged into all the turmoil1 and ,pierre realised that his best course was to sit down and wait quietly4 ,his surroundings began to influence and interest him1 and he gradually forgot ,laveuve for the passion of the ,parliamentary crisis amidst which he found himself cast4 ,the frightful ,panama adventure was scarcely over2 he had followed the progress of that tragedy with the anguish of a man who every night expects to hear the tocsin sound the last hour of olden1 agonising society4 ,and now a little ,panama was beginning1 a fresh cracking of the social edifice1 an affair such as had been frequent in all parliaments in connection with big financial questions1 but one which acquired mortal gravity from the circumstances in which it came to the front4 ,that story of the ,african ,railway ,lines1 that little patch of mud1 stirred up and exhaling a perturbing odour1 and suddenly fomenting all that emotion1 fear1 and anger in the ,chamber1 was after all but an opportunity for political strife1 a field on which the voracious appetites of the various 8groups0 would take exercise and sharpen2 and1 at bottom1 the sole question was that of overthrowing the ministry and replacing it by another4 ,only1 behind all that lust of power1 that continuous onslaught of ambition1 what a distressful prey was stirring--the whole people with all its poverty and its sufferings6 ,pierre noticed that ,massot1 8little ,massot10 as he was generally called1 had just seated himself on the bench beside him4 ,with his lively eye and ready ear listening to everything and noting it1 gliding everywhere with his ferret-like air1 ,massot was not there in the capacity of a gallery man1 but had simply scented a stormy debate1 and come to see if he could not pick up material for some occasional 8copy40 ,and this priest lost in the midst of the throng doubtless interested him4 8,have a little patience1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said he1 with the amiable gaiety of a young gentleman who makes fun of everything4 8,the governor will certainly come1 for he knows well enough that they are going to heat the oven here4 ,you are not one of his constituents from ,la ,corrze1 are you80 8,no1 no6 ,i belong to ,paris2 ,i've come on account of a poor fellow whom ,i wish to get admitted into the ,asylum of the ,invalids of ,labour40 8,oh6 all right4 ,well1 ,i'm a child of ,paris1 too40 ,then ,massot laughed4 ,and indeed he was a child of ,paris1 son of a chemist of the ,st4 ,denis district1 and an ex-dunce of the ,lyce ,charlemagne1 where he had not even finished his studies4 ,he had failed entirely1 and at eighteen years of age had found himself cast into journalism with barely sufficient knowledge of orthography for that calling4 ,and for twelve years now1 as he often said1 he had been a rolling stone wandering through all spheres of society1 confessing some and guessing at others4 ,he had seen everything1 and become disgusted with everything1 no longer believing in the existence of great men1 or of truth1 but living peacefully enough on universal malice and folly4 ,he naturally had no literary ambition1 in fact he professed a deliberate contempt for literature4 ,withal1 he was not a fool1 but wrote in accordance with no matter what views in no matter what newspaper1 having neither conviction nor belief1 but quietly claiming the right to say whatever he pleased to the public on condition that he either amused or impassioned it4 8,and so10 said he1 8you know ,mge1 ,monsieur l',abb8 ,what a study in character1 eh8 ,a big child1 a dreamer of dreams in the skin of a terrible sectarian6 ,oh6 ,i have had a deal of intercourse with him1 ,i know him thoroughly4 ,you are no doubt aware that he lives on with the everlasting conviction that he will attain to power in six months' time1 and that between evening and morning he will have established that famous ,collectivist community which is to succeed capitalist society1 just as day follows night4 ,and1 by the way1 as regards his interpellation to-day1 he is convinced that in overthrowing the ,barroux ministry he'll be hastening his own turn4 ,his system is to use up his adversaries4 ,how many times haven't ,i heard him making his calculations3 there's such a one to be used up1 then such a one1 and then such a one1 so that he himself may at last reign4 ,and it's always to come off in six months at the latest4 ,the misfortune is1 however1 that others are always springing up1 and so his turn never comes at all40 ,little ,massot openly made merry over it4 ,then1 slightly lowering his voice1 he asked3 8,and ,sagnier1 do you know him8 ,no8 ,do you see that red-haired man with the bull's neck--the one who looks like a butcher8 ,that one yonder who is talking in a little group of frayed frock-coats40 ,pierre at last perceived the man in question4 ,he had broad red ears1 a hanging under-lip1 a large nose1 and big1 projecting dull eyes4 8,i know that one thoroughly1 as well10 continued ,massot2 8,i was on the #8,voix du ,peuple' under him before ,i went on the #8,globe4' ,the one thing that nobody is exactly aware of is whence ,sagnier first came4 ,he long dragged out his life in the lower depths of journalism1 doing nothing at all brilliant1 but wild with ambition and appetite4 ,perhaps you remember the first hubbub he made1 that rather dirty affair of a new ,louis ,,xvii4 which he tried to launch1 and which made him the extraordinary ,royalist that he still is4 ,then it occurred to him to espouse the cause of the masses1 and he made a display of vengeful ,catholic socialism1 attacking the ,republic and all the abominations of the times in the name of justice and morality1 under the pretext of curing them4 ,he began with a series of sketches of financiers1 a mass of dirty1 uncontrolled1 unproved tittle-tattle1 which ought to have led him to the dock1 but which met1 as you know1 with such wonderful success when gathered together in a volume4 ,and he goes on in the same style in the #8,voix du ,peuple1' which he himself made a success at the time of the ,panama affair by dint of denunciation and scandal1 and which to-day is like a sewer-pipe pouring forth all the filth of the times4 ,and whenever the stream slackens1 why1 he invents things just to satisfy his craving for that hubbub on which both his pride and his pocket subsist40 ,little ,massot spoke without bitterness2 indeed1 he had even begun to laugh again4 ,beneath his thoughtless ferocity he really felt some respect for ,sagnier4 8,oh6 he's a bandit10 he continued1 8but a clever fellow all the same4 ,you can't imagine how full of vanity he is4 ,lately it occurred to him to get himself acclaimed by the populace1 for he pretends to be a kind of ,king of the ,markets1 you know4 ,perhaps he has ended by taking his fine judge-like airs in earnest1 and really believes that he is saving the people and helping the cause of virtue4 ,what astonishes me is his fertility in the arts of denunciation and scandalmongering4 ,never a morning comes but he discovers some fresh horror1 and delivers fresh culprits over to the hatred of the masses4 ,no6 the stream of mud never ceases2 there is an incessant1 unexpected spurt of infamy1 an increase of monstrous fancies each time that the disgusted public shows any sign of weariness4 ,and1 do you know1 there's genius in that1 ,monsieur l',abb2 for he is well aware that his circulation goes up as soon as he threatens to speak out and publish a list of traitors and bribe-takers4 ,his sales are certain now for some days to come40 ,listening to ,massot's gay1 bantering voice1 ,pierre began to understand certain things1 the exact meaning of which had hitherto escaped him4 ,he ended by questioning the young journalist1 surprised as he was that so many deputies should be in the lobbies when the sitting was in progress4 ,oh6 the sitting indeed4 ,the gravest matters1 some bill of national interest1 might be under discussion1 yet every member fled from it at the sudden threat of an interpellation which might overturn the ministry4 ,and the passion stirring there was the restrained anger1 the growing anxiety of the present ministry's clients1 who feared that they might have to give place to others2 and it was also the sudden hope1 the eager hunger of all who were waiting--the clients of the various possible ministries of the morrow4 ,massot pointed to ,barroux1 the head of the ,cabinet1 who1 though he was out of his element in the ,department of ,finances1 had taken it simply because his generally recognised integrity was calculated to reassure public opinion after the ,panama crisis4 ,barroux was chatting in a corner with the ,minister of ,public ,instruction1 ,senator ,taboureau1 an old university man with a shrinking1 mournful air1 who was extremely honest1 but totally ignorant of ,paris1 coming as he did from some far-away provincial faculty4 ,barroux for his part was of decorative aspect1 tall1 and with a handsome1 clean-shaven face1 which would have looked quite noble had not his nose been rather too small4 ,although he was sixty1 he still had a profusion of curly snow-white hair completing the somewhat theatrical majesty of his appearance1 which he was wont to turn to account when in the tribune4 ,coming of an old ,parisian family1 well-to-do1 an advocate by profession1 then a ,republican journalist under the ,empire1 he had reached office with ,gambetta1 showing himself at once honest and romantic1 loud of speech1 and somewhat stupid1 but at the same time very brave and very upright1 and still clinging with ardent faith to the principles of the great ,revolution4 ,however1 his ,jacobinism was getting out of fashion1 he was becoming an 8ancestor10 as it were1 one of the last props of the middle-class ,republic1 and the new comers1 the young politicians with long teeth1 were beginning to smile at him4 ,moreover1 beneath the ostentation of his demeanour1 and the pomp of his eloquence1 there was a man of hesitating1 sentimental nature1 a good fellow who shed tears when re-perusing the verses of ,lamartine4 ,however1 ,monferrand1 the minister for the ,home ,department1 passed by and drew ,barroux aside to whisper a few words in his ear4 ,he1 ,monferrand1 was fifty1 short and fat1 with a smiling1 fatherly air2 nevertheless a look of keen intelligence appeared at times on his round and somewhat common face fringed by a beard which was still dark4 ,in him one divined a man of government1 with hands which were fitted for difficult tasks1 and which never released a prey4 ,formerly mayor of the town of ,tulle1 he came from ,la ,corrze1 where he owned a large estate4 ,he was certainly a force in motion1 one whose constant rise was anxiously watched by keen observers4 ,he spoke in a simple quiet way1 but with extraordinary power of conviction4 ,having apparently no ambition1 affecting indeed the greatest disinterestedness1 he nevertheless harboured the most ferocious appetites4 ,sagnier had written that he was a thief and a murderer1 having strangled two of his aunts in order to inherit their property4 ,but even if he were a murderer1 he was certainly not a vulgar one4 ,then1 too1 came another personage of the drama which was about to be performed--deputy ,vignon1 whose arrival agitated the various groups4 ,the two ministers looked at him1 whilst he1 at once surrounded by his friends1 smiled at them from a distance4 ,he was not yet thirty-six4 ,slim1 and of average height1 very fair1 with a fine blond beard of which he took great care1 a ,parisian by birth1 having rapidly made his way in the government service1 at one time ,prefect at ,bordeaux1 he now represented youth and the future in the ,chamber4 ,he had realised that new men were needed in the direction of affairs in order to accomplish the more urgent1 indispensable reforms2 and very ambitious and intelligent as he was1 knowing many things1 he already had a programme1 the application of which he was quite capable of attempting1 in part at any rate4 ,however1 he evinced no haste1 but was full of prudence and shrewdness1 convinced that his day would dawn1 strong in the fact that he was as yet compromised in nothing1 but had all space before him4 ,at bottom he was merely a first-class administrator1 clear and precise in speech1 and his programme only differed from ,barroux's by the rejuvenation of its formulas1 although the advent of a ,vignon ministry in place of a ,barroux ministry appeared an event of importance4 ,and it was of ,vignon that ,sagnier had written that he aimed at the ,presidency of the ,republic1 even should he have to march through blood to reach the ,elyse ,palace4 8,mon ,dieu60 ,massot was explaining1 8it's quite possible that ,sagnier isn't lying this time1 and that he has really found a list of names in some pocket-book of ,hunter's that has fallen into his hands4 ,i myself have long known that ,hunter was ,duvillard's vote-recruiter in the affair of the ,african ,railways4 ,but to understand matters one must first realise what his mode of proceeding was1 the skill and the kind of amiable delicacy which he showed1 which were far from the brutal corruption and dirty trafficking that people imagine4 ,one must be such a man as ,sagnier to picture a parliament as an open market1 where every conscience is for sale and is impudently knocked down to the highest bidder4 ,oh6 things happened in a very different way indeed2 and they are explainable1 and at times even excusable4 ,thus the article is levelled in particular against ,barroux and ,monferrand1 who are designated in the clearest possible manner although they are not named4 ,you are no doubt aware that at the time of the vote ,barroux was at the ,home ,department and ,monferrand at that of ,public ,works1 and so now they are accused of having betrayed their trusts1 the blackest of all social crimes4 ,i don't know into what political combinations ,barroux may have entered1 but ,i am ready to swear that he put nothing in his pocket1 for he is the most honest of men4 ,as for ,monferrand1 that's another matter2 he's a man to carve himself his share1 only ,i should be much surprised if he had put himself in a bad position4 ,he's incapable of a blunder1 particularly of a stupid blunder1 like that of taking money and leaving a receipt for it lying about40 ,massot paused1 and with a jerk of his head called ,pierre's attention to ,duthil1 who1 feverish1 but nevertheless smiling1 stood in a group which had just collected around the two ministers4 8,there6 do you see that young man yonder1 that dark handsome fellow whose beard looks so triumphant80 8,i know him10 said ,pierre4 8,oh6 you know ,duthil4 ,well1 he's one who most certainly took money4 ,but he's a mere bird4 ,he came to us from ,angoulme to lead the pleasantest of lives here1 and he has no more conscience1 no more scruples1 than the pretty finches of his native part1 who are ever love-making4 ,ah6 for ,duthil1 ,hunter's money was like manna due to him1 and he never even paused to think that he was dirtying his fingers4 ,you may be quite sure he feels astonished that people should attach the slightest importance to the matter40 ,then ,massot designated another deputy in the same group1 a man of fifty or thereabouts1 of slovenly aspect and lachrymose mien1 lanky1 too1 like a maypole1 and somewhat bent by the weight of his head1 which was long and suggestive of a horse's4 ,his scanty1 straight1 yellowish hair1 his drooping moustaches1 in fact the whole of his distracted countenance1 expressed everlasting distress4 8,and ,chaigneux1 do you know him80 continued ,massot1 referring to the deputy in question4 8,no8 ,well1 look at him and ask yourself if it isn't quite as natural that he1 too1 should have taken money4 ,he came from ,arras4 ,he was a solicitor there4 ,when his division elected him he let politics intoxicate him1 and sold his practice to make his fortune in ,paris1 where he installed himself with his wife and his three daughters4 ,and you can picture his bewilderment amidst those four women1 terrible women ever busy with finery1 receiving and paying visits1 and running after marriageable men who flee away4 ,it's ill-luck with a vengeance1 the daily defeat of a poor devil of mediocre attainments1 who imagined that his position as a deputy would facilitate money-making1 and who is drowning himself in it all4 ,and so how can ,chaigneux have done otherwise than take money1 he who is always hard up for a five-hundred-franc note6 ,i admit that originally he wasn't a dishonest man4 ,but he's become one1 that's all40 ,massot was now fairly launched1 and went on with his portraits1 the series which he had1 at one moment1 dreamt of writing under the title of 8,deputies for ,sale40 ,there were the simpletons who fell into the furnace1 the men whom ambition goaded to exasperation1 the low minds that yielded to the temptation of an open drawer1 the company-promoters who grew intoxicated and lost ground by dint of dealing with big figures4 ,at the same time1 however1 ,massot admitted that these men were relatively few in number1 and that black sheep were to be found in every parliament of the world4 ,then ,sagnier's name cropped up again1 and ,massot remarked that only ,sagnier could regard the ,french ,chambers as mere dens of thieves4 ,pierre1 meantime1 felt most interested in the tempest which the threat of a ministerial crisis was stirring up before him4 ,not only the men like ,duthil and ,chaigneux1 pale at feeling the ground tremble beneath them1 and wondering whether they would not sleep at the ,mazas prison that night1 were gathered round ,barroux and ,monferrand2 all the latters' clients were there1 all who enjoyed influence or office through them1 and who would collapse and disappear should they happen to fall4 ,and it was something to see the anxious glances and the pale dread amidst all the whispered chatter1 the bits of information and tittle-tattle which were carried hither and thither4 ,then1 in a neighbouring group formed round ,vignon1 who looked very calm and smiled1 were the other clients1 those who awaited the moment to climb to the assault of power1 in order that they1 in their turn1 might at last possess influence or office4 ,eyes glittered with covetousness1 hopeful delight could be read in them1 pleasant surprise at the sudden opportunity now offered4 ,vignon avoided replying to the over-direct questions of his friends1 and simply announced that he did not intend to intervene4 ,evidently enough his plan was to let ,mge interpellate and overthrow the ministry1 for he did not fear him1 and in his own estimation would afterwards simply have to stoop to pick up the fallen portfolios4 8,ah6 ,monferrand now10 little ,massot was saying1 8there's a rascal who trims his sails6 ,i knew him as an anti-clerical1 a devourer of priests1 ,monsieur l',abb1 if you will allow me so to express myself2 however1 ,i don't say this to be agreeable to you1 but ,i think ,i may tell you for certain that he has become reconciled to religion4 ,at least1 ,i have been told that ,monseigneur ,martha1 who is a great converter1 now seldom leaves him4 ,this is calculated to please one in these new times1 when science has become bankrupt1 and religion blooms afresh with delicious mysticism on all sides1 whether in art1 literature1 or society itself40 ,massot was jesting1 according to his wont2 but he spoke so amiably that the priest could not do otherwise than bow4 ,however1 a great stir had set in before them2 it was announced that ,mge was about to ascend the tribune1 and thereupon all the deputies hastened into the assembly hall1 leaving only the inquisitive visitors and a few journalists in the ,salle des ,pas ,perdus4 8,it's astonishing that ,fonsgue hasn't yet arrived10 resumed ,massot2 8he's interested in what's going on4 ,however1 he's so cunning1 that when he doesn't behave as others do1 one may be sure that he has his reasons for it4 ,do you know him80 ,and as ,pierre gave a negative answer1 ,massot went on3 8,oh6 he's a man of brains and real power--,i speak with all freedom1 you know1 for ,i don't possess the bump of veneration2 and1 as for my editors1 well1 they're the very puppets that ,i know the best and pick to pieces with the most enjoyment4 ,fonsgue1 also1 is clearly designated in ,sagnier's article4 ,moreover1 he's one of ,duvillard's usual clients4 ,there can be no doubt that he took money1 for he takes money in everything4 ,only he always protects himself1 and takes it for reasons which may be acknowledged--as payment or commission on account of advertising1 and so forth4 ,and if ,i left him just now1 looking1 as it seemed to me1 rather disturbed1 and if he delays his arrival here to establish1 as it were1 a moral alibi1 the truth must be that he has committed the first imprudent action in his life40 ,then ,massot rattled on1 telling all there was to tell about ,fonsgue4 ,he1 too1 came from the department of ,la ,corrze1 and had quarrelled for life with ,monferrand after some unknown underhand affairs4 ,formerly an advocate at ,tulle1 his ambition had been to conquer ,paris2 and he had really conquered it1 thanks to his big morning newspaper1 8,le ,globe10 of which he was both founder and director4 ,he now resided in a luxurious mansion in the ,avenue du ,bois de ,boulogne1 and no enterprise was launched but he carved himself a princely share in it4 ,he had a genius for 8business10 and employed his newspaper as a weapon to enable him to reign over the market4 ,but how very carefully he had behaved1 what long and skilful patience he had shown1 before attaining to the reputation of a really serious man1 who guided authoritatively the most virtuous and respected of the organs of the press6 ,though in reality he believed neither in ,god nor in ,devil1 he had made this newspaper the supporter of order1 property1 and family ties2 and though he had become a ,conservative ,republican1 since it was to his interest to be such1 he had remained outwardly religious1 affecting a ,spiritualism which reassured the bourgeoisie4 ,and amidst all his accepted power1 to which others bowed1 he nevertheless had one hand deep in every available money-bag4 8,ah6 ,monsieur l',abb10 said ,massot1 8see to what journalism may lead a man4 ,there you have ,sagnier and ,fonsgue3 just compare them a bit4 ,in reality they are birds of the same feather3 each has a quill and uses it4 ,but how different the systems and the results4 ,sagnier's print is really a sewer which rolls him along and carries him to the cesspool2 while the other's paper is certainly an example of the best journalism one can have1 most carefully written1 with a real literary flavour1 a treat for readers of delicate minds1 and an honour to the man who directs it4 ,but at the bottom1 good heavens6 in both cases the farce is precisely the same60 ,massot burst out laughing1 well pleased with this final thrust4 ,then all at once3 8,ah6 here's ,fonsgue at last60 said he4 ,quite at his ease1 and still laughing1 he forthwith introduced the priest4 8,this is ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 my dear patron1 who has been waiting more than twenty minutes for you--,i'm just going to see what is happening inside4 ,you know that ,mge is interpellating the government40 ,the new comer started slightly3 8,an interpellation60 said he4 8,all right1 all right1 ,i'll go to it40 ,pierre was looking at him4 ,he was about fifty years of age1 short of stature1 thin and active1 still looking young without a grey hair in his black beard4 ,he had sparkling eyes1 too1 but his mouth1 said to be a terrible one1 was hidden by his moustaches4 ,and withal he looked a pleasant companion1 full of wit to the tip of his little pointed nose1 the nose of a sporting dog that is ever scenting game4 8,what can ,i do for you1 ,monsieur l',abb80 he inquired4 ,then ,pierre briefly presented his request1 recounting his visit to ,laveuve that morning1 giving every heart-rending particular1 and asking for the poor wretch's immediate admittance to the ,asylum4 8,laveuve60 said the other1 8but hasn't his affair been examined8 ,why1 ,duthil drew up a report on it1 and things appeared to us of such a nature that we could not vote for the man's admittance40 ,but the priest insisted3 8,i assure you1 monsieur1 that your heart would have burst with compassion had you been with me this morning4 ,it is revolting that an old man should be left in such frightful abandonment even for another hour4 ,he must sleep at the ,asylum to-night40 ,fonsgue began to protest4 8,to-night6 ,but it's impossible1 altogether impossible6 ,there are all sorts of indispensable formalities to be observed4 ,and besides ,i alone cannot take such responsibility4 ,i haven't the power4 ,i am only the manager2 all that ,i do is to execute the orders of the committee of lady patronesses40 8,but it was precisely ,baroness ,duvillard who sent me to you1 monsieur1 telling me that you alone had the necessary authority to grant immediate admittance in an exceptional case40 8,oh6 it was the ,baroness who sent you8 ,ah6 that is just like her1 incapable of coming to any decision herself1 and far too desirous of her own quietude to accept any responsibility4 ,why is it that she wants me to have the worries8 ,no1 no1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i certainly won't go against all our regulations2 ,i won't give an order which would perhaps embroil me with all those ladies4 ,you don't know them1 but they become positively terrible directly they attend our meetings40 ,he was growing lively1 defending himself with a jocular air1 whilst in secret he was fully determined to do nothing4 ,however1 just then ,duthil abruptly reappeared1 darting along bareheaded1 hastening from lobby to lobby to recruit absent members1 particularly those who were interested in the grave debate at that moment beginning4 8,what1 ,fonsgue60 he cried1 8are you still here8 ,go1 go to your seat at once1 it's serious60 ,and thereupon he disappeared4 ,his colleague evinced no haste1 however4 ,it was as if the suspicious affair which was impassioning the ,chamber had no concern for him4 ,and he still smiled1 although a slight feverish quiver made him blink4 8,excuse me1 ,monsieur l',abb10 he said at last4 8,you see that my friends have need of me4 ,i repeat to you that ,i can do absolutely nothing for your protg40 ,but ,pierre would not accept this reply as a final one4 8,no1 no1 monsieur10 he rejoined1 8go to your affairs1 ,i will wait for you here4 ,don't come to a decision without full reflection4 ,you are wanted1 and ,i feel that your mind is not sufficiently at liberty for you to listen to me properly4 ,by-and-by1 when you come back and give me your full attention1 ,i am sure that you will grant me what ,i ask40 ,and1 although ,fonsgue1 as he went off1 repeated that he could not alter his decision1 the priest stubbornly resolved to make him do so1 and sat down on the bench again1 prepared1 if needful1 to stay there till the evening4 ,the ,salle des ,pas ,perdus was now almost quite empty1 and looked yet more frigid and mournful with its ,laocoon and its ,minerva1 its bare commonplace walls like those of a railway-station waiting-room1 between which all the scramble of the century passed1 though apparently without even warming the lofty ceiling4 ,never had paler and more callous light entered by the large glazed doors1 behind which one espied the little slumberous garden with its meagre1 wintry lawns4 ,and not an echo of the tempest of the sitting near at hand reached the spot2 from the whole heavy pile there fell but death-like silence1 and a covert quiver of distress that had come from far away1 perhaps from the entire country4 ,it was that which now haunted ,pierre's reverie4 ,the whole ancient1 envenomed sore spread out before his mind's eye1 with its poison and virulence4 ,parliamentary rottenness had slowly increased till it had begun to attack society itself4 ,above all the low intrigues and the rush of personal ambition there certainly remained the loftier struggle of the contending principles1 with history on the march1 clearing the past away and seeking to bring more truth1 justice1 and happiness in the future4 ,but in practice1 if one only considered the horrid daily cuisine of the sphere1 what an unbridling of egotistical appetite one beheld1 what an absorbing passion to strangle one's neighbour and triumph oneself alone6 ,among the various groups one found but an incessant battle for power and the satisfactions that it gives4 8,left10 8,right10 8,catholics10 8,republicans10 8,socialists10 the names given to the parties of twenty different shades1 were simply labels classifying forms of the one burning thirst to rule and dominate4 ,all questions could be reduced to a single one1 that of knowing whether this man1 that man1 or that other man should hold ,france in his grasp1 to enjoy it1 and distribute its favours among his creatures4 ,and the worst was that the outcome of the great parliamentary battles1 the days and the weeks lost in setting this man in the place of that man1 and that other man in the place of this man1 was simply stagnation1 for not one of the three men was better than his fellows1 and there were but vague points of difference between them2 in such wise that the new master bungled the very same work as the previous one had bungled1 forgetful1 perforce1 of programmes and promises as soon as ever he began to reign4 ,however1 ,pierre's thoughts invincibly reverted to ,laveuve1 whom he had momentarily forgotten1 but who now seized hold of him again with a quiver as of anger and death4 ,ah6 what could it matter to that poor old wretch1 dying of hunger on his bed of rags1 whether ,mge should overthrow ,barroux's ministry1 and whether a ,vignon ministry should ascend to power or not6 ,at that rate1 a century1 two centuries1 would be needed before there would be bread in the garrets where groan the lamed sons of labour1 the old1 broken-down beasts of burden4 ,and behind ,laveuve there appeared the whole army of misery1 the whole multitude of the disinherited and the poor1 who agonised and asked for justice whilst the ,chamber1 sitting in all pomp1 grew furiously impassioned over the question as to whom the nation should belong to1 as to who should devour it4 ,mire was flowing on in a broad stream1 the hideous1 bleeding1 devouring sore displayed itself in all impudence1 like some cancer which preys upon an organ and spreads to the heart4 ,and what disgust1 what nausea must such a spectacle inspire2 and what a longing for the vengeful knife that would bring health and joy6 ,pierre could not have told for how long he had been plunged in this reverie1 when uproar again filled the hall4 ,people were coming back1 gesticulating and gathering in groups4 ,and suddenly he heard little ,massot exclaim near him3 8,well1 if it isn't down it's not much better off4 ,i wouldn't give four sous for its chance of surviving40 ,he referred to the ministry1 and began to recount the sitting to a fellow journalist who had just arrived4 ,mge had spoken very eloquently1 with extraordinary fury of indignation against the rotten bourgeoisie1 which rotted everything it touched2 but1 as usual1 he had gone much too far1 alarming the ,chamber by his very violence4 ,and so1 when ,barroux had ascended the tribune to ask for a month's adjournment of the interpellation1 he had merely had occasion to wax indignant1 in all sincerity be it said1 full of lofty anger that such infamous campaigns should be carried on by a certain portion of the press4 ,were the shameful ,panama scandals about to be renewed8 ,were the national representatives going to let themselves be intimidated by fresh threats of denunciation8 ,it was the ,republic itself which its adversaries were seeking to submerge beneath a flood of abominations4 ,no1 no1 the hour had come for one to collect one's thoughts1 and work in quietude without allowing those who hungered for scandal to disturb the public peace4 ,and the ,chamber1 impressed by these words1 fearing1 too1 lest the electorate should at last grow utterly weary of the continuous overflow of filth1 had adjourned the interpellation to that day month4 ,however1 although ,vignon had not personally intervened in the debate1 the whole of his group had voted against the ministry1 with the result that the latter had merely secured a majority of two votes--a mockery4 8,but in that case they will resign10 said somebody to ,massot4 8,yes1 so it's rumoured4 ,but ,barroux is very tenacious4 ,at all events if they show any obstinacy they will be down before a week is over1 particularly as ,sagnier1 who is quite furious1 declares that he will publish the list of names to-morrow40 ,just then1 indeed1 ,barroux and ,monferrand were seen to pass1 hastening along with thoughtful1 busy mien1 and followed by their anxious clients4 ,it was said that the whole ,cabinet was about to assemble to consider the position and come to a decision4 ,and then ,vignon1 in his turn1 reappeared amidst a stream of friends4 ,he1 for his part1 was radiant1 with a joy which he sought to conceal1 calming his friends in his desire not to cry victory too soon4 ,however1 the eyes of the band glittered1 like those of a pack of hounds when the moment draws near for the offal of the quarry to be distributed4 ,and even ,mge also looked triumphant4 ,he had all but overthrown the ministry4 ,that made another one that was worn out1 and by-and-by he would wear out ,vignon's1 and at last govern in his turn4 8,the devil60 muttered little ,massot1 8,chaigneux and ,duthil look like whipped dogs4 ,and see1 there's nobody who is worth the governor4 ,just look at him1 how superb he is1 that ,fonsgue6 ,but good-by1 ,i must now be off60 ,then he shook hands with his brother journalist unwilling as he was to remain any longer1 although the sitting still continued1 some bill of public importance again being debated before the rows of empty seats4 ,chaigneux1 with his desolate mien1 had gone to lean against the pedestal of the high figure of ,minerva2 and never before had he been more bowed down by his needy distress1 the everlasting anguish of his ill-luck4 ,on the other hand1 ,duthil1 in spite of everything1 was perorating in the centre of a group with an affectation of scoffing unconcern2 nevertheless nervous twitches made his nose pucker and distorted his mouth1 while the whole of his handsome face was becoming moist with fear4 ,and even as ,massot had said1 there really was only ,fonsgue who showed composure and bravery1 ever the same with his restless little figure1 and his eyes beaming with wit1 though at times they were just faintly clouded by a shadow of uneasiness4 ,pierre had risen to renew his request2 but ,fonsgue forestalled him1 vivaciously exclaiming3 8,no1 no1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i repeat that ,i cannot take on myself such an infraction of our rules4 ,there was an inquiry1 and a decision was arrived at4 ,how would you have me over-rule it80 8,monsieur10 said the priest1 in a tone of deep grief1 8it is a question of an old man who is hungry and cold1 and in danger of death if he be not succoured40 ,with a despairing gesture1 the director of 8,le ,globe0 seemed to take the very walls as witnesses of his powerlessness4 ,no doubt he feared some nasty affair for his newspaper1 in which he had abused the ,invalids of ,labour enterprise as an electoral weapon4 ,perhaps1 too1 the secret terror into which the sitting of the ,chamber had just thrown him was hardening his heart4 8,i can do nothing10 he repeated4 8,but naturally ,i don't ask better than to have my hands forced by the ladies of the ,committee4 ,you already have the support of the ,baroness ,duvillard1 secure that of some others40 ,pierre1 who was determined to fight on to the very end1 saw in this suggestion a supreme chance4 8,i know the ,countess de ,quinsac10 he said1 8,i can go to see her at once40 8,quite so6 an excellent idea1 the ,countess de ,quinsac6 ,take a cab and go to see the ,princess de ,harn as well4 ,she bestirs herself a great deal1 and is becoming very influential4 ,secure the approval of these ladies1 go back to the ,baroness's at seven1 get a letter from her to cover me1 and then call on me at the office of my paper4 ,that done1 your man shall sleep at the ,asylum at nine o'clock60 ,he evinced in speaking a kind of joyous good nature1 as though he no longer doubted of success now that he ran no risk of compromising himself4 ,and great hope again came back to the priest3 8,ah6 thank you1 monsieur10 he said2 8it is a work of salvation that you will accomplish40 8,but you surely know that ,i ask nothing better4 ,ah6 if we could only cure misery1 prevent hunger and thirst by a mere word4 ,however1 make haste1 you have not a minute to lose40 ,they shook hands1 and ,pierre at once tried to get out of the throng4 ,this1 however1 was no easy task1 for the various groups had grown larger as all the anger and anguish1 roused by the recent debate1 ebbed back there amid a confused tumult4 ,it was as when a stone1 cast into a pool1 stirs the ooze below1 and causes hidden1 rotting things to rise once more to the surface4 ,and ,pierre had to bring his elbows into play and force a passage athwart the throng1 betwixt the shivering cowardice of some1 the insolent audacity of others1 and the smirchings which sullied the greater number1 given the contagion which inevitably prevailed4 ,however1 he carried away a fresh hope1 and it seemed to him that if he should save a life1 make but one man happy that day1 it would be like a first instalment of redemption1 a sign that a little forgiveness would be extended to the many follies and errors of that egotistical and all-devouring political world4 ,on reaching the vestibule a final incident detained him for a moment longer4 ,some commotion prevailed there following upon a quarrel between a man and an usher1 the latter of whom had prevented the former from entering on finding that the admission ticket which he tendered was an old one1 with its original date scratched out4 ,the man1 very rough at the outset1 had then refrained from insisting1 as if indeed sudden timidity had come upon him4 ,and in this ill-dressed fellow ,pierre was astonished to recognise ,salvat1 the journeyman engineer1 whom he had seen going off in search of work that same morning4 ,this time it was certainly he1 tall1 thin and ravaged1 with dreamy yet flaming eyes1 which set his pale starveling's face aglow4 ,he no longer carried his tool-bag2 his ragged jacket was buttoned up and distended on the left side by something that he carried in a pocket1 doubtless some hunk of bread4 ,and on being repulsed by the ushers1 he walked away1 taking the ,concorde bridge1 slowly1 as if chancewise1 like a man who knows not whither he is going4 ,,iv4 ,,social ,,sidelights ,,in her old faded drawing-room--a ,louis ,seize salon with grey woodwork--the ,countess de ,quinsac sat near the chimney-piece in her accustomed place4 ,she was singularly like her son1 with a long and noble face1 her chin somewhat stern1 but her eyes still beautiful beneath her fine snowy hair1 which was arranged in the antiquated style of her youth4 ,and whatever her haughty coldness1 she knew how to be amiable1 with perfect1 kindly graciousness4 ,slightly waving her hand after a long silence1 she resumed1 addressing herself to the ,marquis de ,morigny1 who sat on the other side of the chimney1 where for long years he had always taken the same armchair4 8,ah6 you are right1 my friend1 ,providence has left us here forgotten1 in a most abominable epoch40 8,yes1 we passed by the side of happiness and missed it10 the ,marquis slowly replied1 8and it was your fault1 and doubtless mine as well40 ,smiling sadly1 she stopped him with another wave of her hand4 ,and the silence fell once more2 not a sound from the streets reached that gloomy ground floor at the rear of the courtyard of an old mansion in the ,rue ,st4 ,dominique1 almost at the corner of the ,rue de ,bourgogne4 ,the ,marquis was an old man of seventy-five1 nine years older than the ,countess4 ,short and thin though he was1 he none the less had a distinguished air1 with his clean-shaven face1 furrowed by deep1 aristocratic wrinkles4 ,he belonged to one of the most ancient families of ,france1 and remained one of the last hopeless ,legitimists1 of very pure and lofty views1 zealously keeping his faith to the dead monarchy amidst the downfall of everything4 ,his fortune1 still estimated at several millions of francs1 remained1 as it were1 in a state of stagnation1 through his refusal to invest it in any of the enterprises of the century4 ,it was known that in all discretion he had loved the ,countess1 even when ,m4 de ,quinsac was alive1 and had1 moreover1 offered marriage after the latter's death1 at the time when the widow had sought a refuge on that damp ground floor with merely an income of some #ae1jjj francs1 saved with great difficulty from the wreck of the family fortune4 ,but she1 who adored her son ,grard1 then in his tenth year1 and of delicate health1 had sacrificed everything to the boy from a kind of maternal chasteness and a superstitious fear that she might lose him should she set another affection and another duty in her life4 ,and the ,marquis1 while bowing to her decision1 had continued to worship her with his whole soul1 ever paying his court as on the first evening when he had seen her1 still gallant and faithful after a quarter of a century had passed4 ,there had never been anything between them1 not even the exchange of a kiss4 ,seeing how sad she looked1 he feared that he might have displeased her1 and so he asked3 8,i should have liked to render you happy1 but ,i didn't know how1 and the fault can certainly only rest with me4 ,is ,grard giving you any cause for anxiety80 ,she shook her head1 and then replied3 8,as long as things remain as they are we cannot complain of them1 my friend1 since we accepted them40 ,she referred to her son's culpable connection with ,baroness ,duvillard4 ,she had ever shown much weakness with regard to that son whom she had had so much trouble to rear1 for she alone knew what exhaustion1 what racial collapse was hidden behind his proud bearing4 ,she tolerated his idleness1 the apathetic disgust which1 man of pleasure that he was1 had turned him from the profession of diplomacy as from that of arms4 ,how many times had she not repaired his acts of folly and paid his petty debts1 keeping silent concerning them1 and refusing all pecuniary help from the ,marquis1 who no longer dared offer his millions1 so stubbornly intent she was on living upon the remnants of her own fortune4 ,and thus she had ended by closing her eyes to her son's scandalous love intrigue1 divining in some measure how things had happened1 through self-abandonment and lack of conscience--the man weak1 unable to resume possession of himself1 and the woman holding and retaining him4 ,the ,marquis1 however1 strangely enough1 had only forgiven the intrigue on the day when ,eve had allowed herself to be converted4 8,you know1 my friend1 how good-natured ,grard is10 the ,countess resumed4 8,in that lie both his strength and weakness4 ,how would you have me scold him when he weeps over it all with me8 ,he will tire of that woman40 ,m4 de ,morigny wagged his head4 8,she is still very beautiful10 said he4 8,and then there's the daughter4 ,it would be graver still if he were to marry her--0 8,but the daughter's infirm80 8,yes1 and you know what would be said3 ,a ,quinsac marrying a monster for the sake of her millions40 ,this was their mutual terror4 ,they knew everything that went on at the ,duvillards1 the affectionate friendship of the uncomely ,camille and the handsome ,grard1 the seeming idyll beneath which lurked the most awful of dramas4 ,and they protested with all their indignation4 8,oh6 that1 no1 no1 never60 the ,countess declared4 8,my son in that family1 no1 ,i will never consent to it40 ,just at that moment ,general de ,bozonnet entered4 ,he was much attached to his sister and came to keep her company on the days when she received1 for the old circle had gradually dwindled down till now only a few faithful ones ventured into that grey gloomy salon1 where one might have fancied oneself at thousands of leagues from present-day ,paris4 ,and forthwith1 in order to enliven the room1 he related that he had been to djeuner at the ,duvillards1 and named the guests1 ,grard among them4 ,he knew that he pleased his sister by going to the banker's house whence he brought her news1 a house1 too1 which he cleansed in some degree by conferring on it the great honour of his presence4 ,and he himself in no wise felt bored there1 for he had long been gained over to the century and showed himself of a very accommodating disposition in everything that did not pertain to military art4 8,that poor little ,camille worships ,grard10 said he2 8she was devouring him with her eyes at table40 ,but ,m4 de ,morigny gravely intervened3 8,there lies the danger1 a marriage would be absolutely monstrous from every point of view40 ,the ,general seemed astonished3 8,why1 pray8 ,she isn't beautiful1 but it's not only the beauties who marry6 ,and there are her millions4 ,however1 our dear child would only have to put them to a good use4 ,true1 there is also the mother2 but1 mon ,dieu6 such things are so common nowadays in ,paris society40 ,this revolted the ,marquis1 who made a gesture of utter disgust4 ,what was the use of discussion when all collapsed8 ,how could one answer a ,bozonnet1 the last surviving representative of such an illustrious family1 when he reached such a point as to excuse the infamous morals that prevailed under the ,republic2 after denying his king1 too1 and serving the ,empire1 faithfully and passionately attaching himself to the fortunes and memory of ,caesar8 ,however1 the ,countess also became indignant3 8,oh6 what are you saying1 brother8 ,i will never authorize such a scandal1 ,i swore so only just now40 8,don't swear1 sister10 exclaimed the ,general2 8for my part ,i should like to see our ,grard happy4 ,that's all4 ,and one must admit that he's not good for much4 ,i can understand that he didn't go into the ,army1 for that profession is done for4 ,but ,i do not so well understand why he did not enter the diplomatic profession1 or accept some other occupation4 ,it is very fine1 no doubt1 to run down the present times and declare that a man of our sphere cannot possibly do any clean work in them4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 it is only idle fellows who still say that4 ,and ,grard has but one excuse1 his lack of aptitude1 will and strength40 ,tears had risen to the mother's eyes4 ,she even trembled1 well knowing how deceitful were appearances3 a mere chill might carry her son off1 however tall and strong he might look4 ,and was he not indeed a symbol of that old-time aristocracy1 still so lofty and proud in appearance1 though at bottom it is but dust8 8,well10 continued the ,general1 8he's thirty-six now2 he's constantly hanging on your hands1 and he must make an end of it all40 ,however1 the ,countess silenced him and turned to the ,marquis3 8,let us put our confidence in ,god1 my friend10 said she4 8,he cannot but come to my help1 for ,i have never willingly offended ,him40 8,never60 replied the ,marquis1 who in that one word set an expression of all his grief1 all his affection and worship for that woman whom he had adored for so many years4 ,but another faithful friend came in and the conversation changed4 ,m4 de ,larombire1 ,vice-,president of the ,appeal ,court1 was an old man of seventy-five1 thin1 bald and clean shaven but for a pair of little white whiskers4 ,and his grey eyes1 compressed mouth and square and obstinate chin lent an expression of great austerity to his long face4 ,the grief of his life was that1 being afflicted with a somewhat childish lisp1 he had never been able to make his full merits known when a public prosecutor1 for he esteemed himself to be a great orator4 ,and this secret worry rendered him morose4 ,in him appeared an incarnation of that old royalist ,france which sulked and only served the ,republic against its heart1 that old stern magistracy which closed itself to all evolution1 to all new views of things and beings4 ,of petty 8gown0 nobility1 originally a ,legitimist but now supporting ,orleanism1 he believed himself to be the one man of wisdom and logic in that salon1 where he was very proud to meet the ,marquis4 ,they talked of the last events2 but with them political conversation was soon exhausted1 amounting as it did to a mere bitter condemnation of men and occurrences1 for all three were of one mind as to the abominations of the ,republican rgime4 ,they themselves1 however1 were only ruins1 the remnants of the old parties now all but utterly powerless4 ,the ,marquis for his part soared on high1 yielding in nothing1 ever faithful to the dead past2 he was one of the last representatives of that lofty obstinate noblesse which dies when it finds itself without an effort to escape its fate4 ,the judge1 who at least had a pretender living1 relied on a miracle1 and demonstrated the necessity for one if ,france were not to sink into the depths of misfortune and completely disappear4 ,and as for the ,general1 all that he regretted of the two ,empires was their great wars2 he left the faint hope of a ,bonapartist restoration on one side to declare that by not contenting itself with the ,imperial military system1 and by substituting thereto obligatory service1 the nation in arms1 the ,republic had killed both warfare and the country4 ,when the ,countess's one man-servant came to ask her if she would consent to receive ,abb ,froment she seemed somewhat surprised4 8,what can he want of me8 ,show him in10 she said4 ,she was very pious1 and having met ,pierre in connection with various charitable enterprises1 she had been touched by his zeal as well as by the saintly reputation which he owed to his ,neuilly parishioners4 ,he1 absorbed by his fever1 felt intimidated directly he crossed the threshold4 ,he could at first distinguish nothing1 but fancied he was entering some place of mourning1 a shadowy spot where human forms seemed to melt away1 and voices were never raised above a whisper4 ,then1 on perceiving the persons present1 he felt yet more out of his element1 for they seemed so sad1 so far removed from the world whence he had just come1 and whither he was about to return4 ,and when the ,countess had made him sit down beside her in front of the chimney-piece1 it was in a low voice that he told her the lamentable story of ,laveuve1 and asked her support to secure the man's admittance to the ,asylum for the ,invalids of ,labour4 8,ah6 yes10 said she1 8that enterprise which my son wished me to belong to4 ,but1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i have never once attended the ,committee meetings4 ,so how could ,i intervene1 having assuredly no influence whatever80 ,again had the figures of ,eve and ,grard arisen before her1 for it was at this asylum that the pair had first met4 ,and influenced by her sorrowful maternal love she was already weakening1 although it was regretfully that she had lent her name to one of those noisy charitable enterprises1 which people abused to further their selfish interests in a manner she condemned4 8,but1 madame10 ,pierre insisted1 8it is a question of a poor starving old man4 ,i implore you to be compassionate40 ,although the priest had spoken in a low voice the ,general drew near4 8,it's for your old revolutionary that you are running about1 is it not10 said he4 8,didn't you succeed with the manager1 then8 ,the fact is that it's difficult to feel any pity for fellows who1 if they were the masters1 would1 as they themselves say1 sweep us all away40 ,m4 de ,larombire jerked his chin approvingly4 ,for some time past he had been haunted by the ,anarchist peril4 ,but ,pierre1 distressed and quivering1 again began to plead his cause4 ,he spoke of all the frightful misery1 the homes where there was no food1 the women and children shivering with cold1 and the fathers scouring muddy1 wintry ,paris in search of a bit of bread4 ,all that he asked for was a line on a visiting card1 a kindly word from the ,countess1 which he would at once carry to ,baroness ,duvillard to prevail on her to set the regulations aside4 ,and his words fell one by one1 tremulous with stifled tears1 in that mournful salon1 like sounds from afar1 dying away in a dead world where there was no echo left4 ,madame de ,quinsac turned towards ,m4 de ,morigny1 but he seemed to take no interest in it all4 ,he was gazing fixedly at the fire1 with the haughty air of a stranger who was indifferent to the things and beings in whose midst an error of time compelled him to live4 ,but feeling that the glance of the woman he worshipped was fixed upon him he raised his head2 and then their eyes met for a moment with an expression of infinite gentleness1 the mournful gentleness of their heroic love4 8,mon ,dieu60 said she1 8,i know your merits1 ,monsieur l',abb1 and ,i won't refuse my help to one of your good works40 ,then she went off for a moment1 and returned with a card on which she had written that she supported with all her heart ,monsieur l',abb ,froment in the steps he was taking4 ,and he thanked her and went off delighted1 as if he carried yet a fresh hope of salvation from that drawing-room where1 as he retired1 gloom and silence once more seemed to fall on that old lady and her last faithful friends gathered around the fire1 last relics of a world that was soon to disappear4 ,once outside1 ,pierre joyfully climbed into his cab again1 after giving the ,princess de ,harn's address in the ,avenue ,kleber4 ,if he could also obtain her approval he would no longer doubt of success4 ,however1 there was such a crush on the ,concorde bridge1 that the driver had to walk his horse4 ,and1 on the foot-pavement1 ,pierre again saw ,duthil1 who1 with a cigar between his lips1 was smiling at the crowd1 with his amiable bird-like heedlessness1 happy as he felt at finding the pavement dry and the sky blue on leaving that worrying sitting of the ,chamber4 ,seeing how gay and triumphant he looked1 a sudden inspiration came to the priest1 who said to himself that he ought to win over this young man1 whose report had had such a disastrous effect4 ,as it happened1 the cab having been compelled to stop altogether1 the deputy had just recognized him and was smiling at him4 8,where are you going1 ,monsieur ,duthil80 ,pierre asked4 8,close by1 in the ,champs ,elyses40 8,i'm going that way1 and1 as ,i should much like to speak to you for a moment1 it would be very kind of you to take a seat beside me4 ,i will set you down wherever you like40 8,willingly1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,it won't inconvenience you if ,i finish my cigar80 8,oh6 not at all40 ,the cab found its way out of the crush1 crossed the ,place de la ,concorde and began to ascend the ,champs ,elyses4 ,and ,pierre1 reflecting that he had very few minutes before him1 at once attacked ,duthil1 quite ready for any effort to convince him4 ,he remembered what a sortie the young deputy had made against ,laveuve at the ,baron's2 and thus he was astonished to hear him interrupt and say quite pleasantly1 enlivened as he seemed by the bright sun which was again beginning to shine3 8,ah1 yes6 your old drunkard6 ,so you didn't settle his business with ,fonsgue8 ,and what is it you want8 ,to have him admitted to-day8 ,well1 you know ,i don't oppose it80 8,but there's your report40 8,my report1 oh1 my report6 ,but questions change according to the way one looks at them4 ,and if you are so anxious about your ,laveuve ,i won't refuse to help you40 ,pierre looked at him in astonishment1 at bottom extremely well pleased4 ,and there was no further necessity even for him to speak4 8,you didn't take the matter in hand properly10 continued ,duthil1 leaning forward with a confidential air4 8,it's the ,baron who's the master at home1 for reasons which you may divine1 which you may very likely know4 ,the ,baroness does all that he asks without even discussing the point2 and this morning1--instead of starting on a lot of useless visits1 you only had to gain his support1 particularly as he seemed to be very well disposed4 ,and she would then have given way immediately40 ,duthil began to laugh4 8,and so10 he continued1 8do you know what ,i'll do8 ,well1 ,i'll gain the ,baron over to your cause4 ,yes1 ,i am this moment going to a house where he is1 where one is certain to find him every day at this time40 ,then he laughed more loudly4 8,and perhaps you are not ignorant of it1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,when he is there you may be certain he never gives a refusal4 ,i promise you ,i'll make him swear that he will compel his wife to grant your man admission this very evening4 ,only it will1 perhaps1 be rather late40 ,then all at once1 as if struck by a fresh idea1 ,duthil went on3 8,but why shouldn't you come with me8 ,you secure a line from the ,baron1 and thereupon1 without losing a minute1 you go in search of the ,baroness4 ,ah6 yes1 the house embarrasses you a little1 ,i understand it4 ,would you like to see only the ,baron there8 ,you can wait for him in a little salon downstairs2 ,i will bring him to you40 ,this proposal made ,duthil altogether merry1 but ,pierre1 quite scared1 hesitated at the idea of thus going to ,silviane d',aulnay's4 ,it was hardly a place for him4 ,however1 to achieve his purpose1 he would have descended into the very dwelling of the fiend1 and had already done so sometimes with ,abb ,rose1 when there was hope of assuaging wretchedness4 ,so he turned to ,duthil and consented to accompany him4 ,silviane d',aulnay's little mansion1 a very luxurious one1 displaying1 too1 so to say1 the luxury of a temple1 refined but suggestive of gallantry1 stood in the ,avenue d',antin1 near the ,champs ,elyses4 ,the inmate of this sanctuary1 where the orfrays of old dalmaticas glittered in the mauve reflections from the windows of stained-glass1 had just completed her twenty-fifth year4 ,short and slim she was1 of an adorable1 dark beauty1 and all ,paris was acquainted with her delicious1 virginal countenance of a gentle oval1 her delicate nose1 her little mouth1 her candid cheeks and artless chin1 above all which she wore her black hair in thick1 heavy bands1 which hid her low brow4 ,her notoriety was due precisely to her pretty air of astonishment1 the infinite purity of her blue eyes1 the whole expression of chaste innocence which she assumed when it so pleased her1 an expression which contrasted powerfully with her true nature1 shameless creature that she really was1 of the most monstrous1 confessed1 and openly-displayed perversity2 such as1 in fact1 often spring up from the rotting soil of great cities4 ,extraordinary things were related about ,silviane's tastes and fancies4 ,some said that she was a door-keeper's1 others a doctor's1 daughter4 ,in any case she had managed to acquire instruction and manners1 for when occasion required she lacked neither wit1 nor style1 nor deportment4 ,she had been rolling through the theatres for ten years or so1 applauded for her beauty's sake1 and she had even ended by obtaining some pretty little successes in such parts as those of very pure young girls or loving and persecuted young women4 ,since there had been a question1 though1 of her entering the ,comdie ,franaise to play the rle of ,pauline in 8,polyeucte10 some people had waxed indignant and others had roared with laughter1 so ridiculous did the idea appear1 so outrageous for the majesty of classic tragedy4 ,she1 however1 quiet and stubborn1 wished this thing to be1 was resolved that it should be1 certain as she was that she would secure it1 insolent like a creature to whom men had never yet been able to refuse anything4 ,that day1 at three o'clock1 ,grard de ,quinsac1 not knowing how to kill the time pending the appointment he had given ,eve in the ,rue ,matignon1 had thought of calling at ,silviane's1 which was in the neighbourhood4 ,she was an old caprice of his1 and even nowadays he would sometimes linger at the little mansion if its pretty mistress felt bored4 ,but he had this time found her in a fury2 and1 reclining in one of the deep armchairs of the salon where 8old gold0 formed the predominant colour1 he was listening to her complaints4 ,she1 standing in a white gown1 white indeed from head to foot like ,eve herself at the djeuner1 was speaking passionately1 and fast convincing the young man1 who1 won over by so much youth and beauty1 unconsciously compared her to his other flame1 weary already of his coming assignation1 and so mastered by supineness1 both moral and physical1 that he would have preferred to remain all day in the depths of that armchair4 8,you hear me1 ,grard60 she at last exclaimed1 8,i'll have nothing whatever to do with him1 unless he brings me my nomination40 ,just then ,baron ,duvillard came in1 and forthwith she changed to ice and received him like some sorely offended young queen who awaits an explanation2 whilst he1 who foresaw the storm and brought moreover disastrous tidings1 forced a smile1 though very ill at ease4 ,she was the stain1 the blemish attaching to that man who was yet so sturdy and so powerful amidst the general decline of his race4 ,and she was also the beginning of justice and punishment1 taking all his piled-up gold from him by the handful1 and by her cruelty avenging those who shivered and who starved4 ,and it was pitiful to see that feared and flattered man1 beneath whom states and governments trembled1 here turn pale with anxiety1 bend low in all humility1 and relapse into the senile1 lisping infancy of acute passion4 8,ah6 my dear friend10 said he1 8if you only knew how ,i have been rushing about4 ,i had a lot of worrying business1 some contractors to see1 a big advertisement affair to settle1 and ,i feared that ,i should never be able to come and kiss your hand40 ,he kissed it1 but she let her arm fall1 coldly1 indifferently1 contenting herself with looking at him1 waiting for what he might have to say to her1 and embarrassing him to such a point that he began to perspire and stammer1 unable to express himself4 8,of course10 he began1 8,i also thought of you1 and went to the ,fine ,arts ,office1 where ,i had received a positive promise4 ,oh6 they are still very much in your favour at the ,fine ,arts ,office6 ,only1 just fancy1 it's that idiot of a minister1 that ,taboureau199 an old professor from the provinces who knows nothing about our ,paris1 that has expressly opposed your nomination1 saying that as long as he is in office you shall not appear at the ,comdie40 99 ,taboureau is previously described as ,minister of ,public ,instruction4 ,it should be pointed out1 however1 that although under the present ,republic the ,ministries of ,public ,instruction and ,fine ,arts have occasionally been distinct departments1 at other times they have been united1 one minister1 as in ,taboureau's case1 having charge of both4--,trans4 ,erect and rigid1 she spoke but two words3 8,and then80 8,and then--well1 my dear1 what would you have me do8 ,one can't after all overthrow a ministry to enable you to play the part of ,pauline40 8,why not80 ,he pretended to laugh1 but his blood rushed to his face1 and the whole of his sturdy figure quivered with anguish4 8,come1 my little ,silviane10 said he1 8don't be obstinate4 ,you can be so nice when you choose4 ,give up the idea of that dbut4 ,you1 yourself1 would risk a great deal in it1 for what would be your worries if you were to fail8 ,you would weep all the tears in your body4 ,and besides1 you can ask me for so many other things which ,i should be so happy to give you4 ,come now1 at once1 make a wish and ,i will gratify it immediately40 ,in a frolicsome way he sought to take her hand again4 ,but she drew back with an air of much dignity4 8,no1 you hear me1 my dear fellow1 ,i will have nothing whatever to do with you--nothing1 so long as ,i don't play ,pauline40 ,he understood her fully1 and he knew her well enough to realise how rigorously she would treat him4 ,only a kind of grunt came from his contracted throat1 though he still tried to treat the matter in a jesting way4 8,isn't she bad-tempered to-day60 he resumed at last1 turning towards ,grard4 8,what have you done to her that ,i find her in such a state80 ,but the young man1 who kept very quiet for fear lest he himself might be bespattered in the course of the dispute1 continued to stretch himself out in a languid way and gave no answer4 ,but ,silviane's anger burst forth4 8,what has he done to me8 ,he has pitied me for being at the mercy of such a man as you--so egotistical1 so insensible to the insults heaped upon me4 ,ought you not to be the first to bound with indignation8 ,ought you not to have exacted my admittance to the ,comdie as a reparation for the insult8 ,for1 after all1 it is a defeat for you2 if ,i'm considered unworthy1 you are struck at the same time as ,i am4 ,and so ,i'm a drab1 eh8 ,say at once that ,i'm a creature to be driven away from all respectable houses40 ,she went on in this style1 coming at last to vile words1 the abominable words which1 in moments of anger1 always ended by returning to her innocent-looking lips4 ,the ,baron1 who well knew that a syllable from him would only increase the foulness of the overflow1 vainly turned an imploring glance on the ,count to solicit his intervention4 ,grard1 with his keen desire for peace and quietness1 often brought about a reconciliation1 but this time he did not stir1 feeling too lazy and sleepy to interfere4 ,and ,silviane all at once came to a finish1 repeating her trenchant1 severing words3 8,well1 manage as you can1 secure my dbut1 or ,i'll have nothing more to do with you1 nothing60 8,all right6 all right60 ,duvillard at last murmured1 sneering1 but in despair1 8we'll arrange it all40 ,however1 at that moment a servant came in to say that ,m4 ,duthil was downstairs and wished to speak to the ,baron in the smoking-room4 ,duvillard was astonished at this1 for ,duthil usually came up as though the house were his own4 ,then he reflected that the deputy had doubtless brought him some serious news from the ,chamber which he wished to impart to him confidentially at once4 ,so he followed the servant1 leaving ,grard and ,silviane together4 ,in the smoking-room1 an apartment communicating with the hall by a wide bay1 the curtain of which was drawn up1 ,pierre stood with his companion1 waiting and glancing curiously around him4 ,what particularly struck him was the almost religious solemnness of the entrance1 the heavy hangings1 the mystic gleams of the stained-glass1 the old furniture steeped in chapel-like gloom amidst scattered perfumes of myrrh and incense4 ,duthil1 who was still very gay1 tapped a low divan with his cane and said3 8,she has a nicely-furnished house1 eh8 ,oh6 she knows how to look after her interests40 ,then the ,baron came in1 still quite upset and anxious4 ,and without even perceiving the priest1 desirous as he was of tidings1 he began3 8,well1 what did they do8 ,is there some very bad news1 then80 8,mge interpellated and applied for a declaration of urgency so as to overthrow ,barroux4 ,you can imagine what his speech was40 8,yes1 yes1 against the bourgeois1 against me1 against you4 ,it's always the same thing--,and then80 8,then--well1 urgency wasn't voted1 but1 in spite of a very fine defence1 ,barroux only secured a majority of two votes40 8,two votes1 the devil6 ,then he's down1 and we shall have a ,vignon ministry next week40 8,that's what everybody said in the lobbies40 ,the ,baron frowned1 as if he were estimating what good or evil might result to the world from such a change4 ,then1 with a gesture of displeasure1 he said3 8,a ,vignon ministry6 ,the devil6 that would hardly be any better4 ,those young democrats pretend to be virtuous1 and a ,vignon ministry wouldn't admit ,silviane to the ,comdie40 ,this1 at first1 was his only thought in presence of the crisis which made the political world tremble4 ,and so the deputy could not refrain from referring to his own anxiety4 8,well1 and we others1 what is our position in it all80 ,this brought ,duvillard back to the situation4 ,with a fresh gesture1 this time a superbly proud one1 he expressed his full and impudent confidence4 8,we others1 why we remain as we are2 we've never been in peril1 ,i imagine4 ,oh6 ,i am quite at ease4 ,sagnier can publish his famous list if it amuses him to do so4 ,if we haven't long since bought ,sagnier and his list1 it's because ,barroux is a thoroughly honest man1 and for my part ,i don't care to throw money out of the window--,i repeat to you that we fear nothing40 ,then1 as he at last recognised ,abb ,froment1 who had remained in the shade1 ,duthil explained what service the priest desired of him4 ,and ,duvillard1 in his state of emotion1 his heart still rent by ,silviane's sternness1 must have felt a covert hope that a good action might bring him luck2 so he at once consented to intervene in favour of ,laveuve's admission4 ,taking a card and a pencil from his pocket-book he drew near to the window4 8,oh6 whatever you desire1 ,monsieur l',abb10 he said1 8,i shall be very happy to participate in this good work4 ,here1 this is what ,i have written3 #8,my dear1 please do what ,m4 l',abb ,froment solicits in favour of this unfortunate man1 since our friend ,fonsgue only awaits a word from you to take proper steps4'0 ,at this moment through the open bay ,pierre caught sight of ,grard1 whom ,silviane1 calm once more1 and inquisitive no doubt to know why ,duthil had called1 was escorting into the hall4 ,and the sight of the young woman filled him with astonishment1 so simple and gentle did she seem to him1 full of the immaculate candour of a virgin4 ,never had he dreamt of a lily of more unobtrusive yet delicious bloom in the whole garden of innocence4 8,now10 continued ,duvillard1 8if you wish to hand this card to my wife at once1 you must go to the ,princess de ,harn's1 where there is a matine--0 8,i was going there1 ,monsieur le ,baron40 8,very good4 ,you will certainly find my wife there2 she is to take the children there40 ,then he paused1 for he too had just seen ,grard2 and he called him3 8,i say1 ,grard1 my wife said that she was going to that matine1 didn't she8 ,you feel sure--don't you8--that ,monsieur l',abb will find her there80 ,although the young man was then going to the ,rue ,matignon1 there to wait for ,eve1 it was in the most natural manner possible that he replied3 8,if ,monsieur l',abb makes haste1 ,i think he will find her there1 for she was certainly going there before trying on a corsage at ,salmon's40 ,then he kissed ,silviane's hand1 and went off with the air of a handsome1 indolent man1 who knows no malice1 and is even weary of pleasure4 ,pierre1 feeling rather embarrassed1 was obliged to let ,duvillard introduce him to the mistress of the house4 ,he bowed in silence1 whilst she1 likewise silent1 returned his bow with modest reserve1 the tact appropriate to the occasion1 such as no ingnue1 even at the ,comdie1 was then capable of4 ,and while the ,baron accompanied the priest to the door1 she returned to the salon with ,duthil1 who was scarcely screened by the door-curtain before he passed his arm round her waist4 ,when ,pierre1 who at last felt confident of success1 found himself1 still in his cab1 in front of the ,princess de ,harn's mansion in the ,avenue ,kleber1 he suddenly relapsed into great embarrassment4 ,the avenue was crowded with carriages brought thither by the musical matine1 and such a throng of arriving guests pressed round the entrance1 decorated with a kind of tent with scallopings of red velvet1 that he deemed the house unapproachable4 ,how could he manage to get in8 ,and how in his cassock could he reach the ,princess1 and ask for a minute's conversation with ,baroness ,duvillard8 ,amidst all his feverishness he had not thought of these difficulties4 ,however1 he was approaching the door on foot1 asking himself how he might glide unperceived through the throng1 when the sound of a merry voice made him turn3 8,what1 ,monsieur l',abb6 ,is it possible6 ,so now ,i find you here60 ,it was little ,massot who spoke4 ,he went everywhere1 witnessed ten sights a day1--a parliamentary sitting1 a funeral1 a wedding1 any festive or mourning scene1--when he wanted a good subject for an article4 8,what6 ,monsieur l',abb10 he resumed1 8and so you have come to our amiable ,princess's to see the ,mauritanians dance60 ,he was jesting1 for the so-called ,mauritanians were simply six ,spanish dancing-girls1 who by the sensuality of their performance were then making all ,paris rush to the ,folies-,bergre4 ,for drawing-room entertainments these girls reserved yet more indecorous dances--dances of such a character indeed that they would certainly not have been allowed in a theatre4 ,and the beau monde rushed to see them at the houses of the bolder lady-entertainers1 the eccentric and foreign ones like the ,princess1 who in order to draw society recoiled from no 8attraction40 ,but when ,pierre had explained to little ,massot that he was still running about on the same business1 the journalist obligingly offered to pilot him4 ,he knew the house1 obtained admittance by a back door1 and brought ,pierre along a passage into a corner of the hall1 near the very entrance of the grand drawing-room4 ,lofty green plants decorated this hall1 and in the spot selected ,pierre was virtually hidden4 8,don't stir1 my dear ,abb10 said ,massot1 8,i will try to ferret out the ,princess for you4 ,and you shall know if ,baroness ,duvillard has already arrived40 ,what surprised ,pierre was that every window-shutter of the mansion was closed1 every chink stopped up so that daylight might not enter1 and that every room flared with electric lamps1 an illumination of supernatural intensity4 ,the heat was already very great1 the atmosphere heavy with a violent perfume of flowers and odore di femina4 ,and to ,pierre1 who felt both blinded and stifled1 it seemed as if he were entering one of those luxurious1 unearthly ,dens of the ,flesh such as the pleasure-world of ,paris conjures from dreamland4 ,by rising on tiptoes1 as the drawing-room entrance was wide open1 he could distinguish the backs of the women who were already seated1 rows of necks crowned with fair or dark hair4 ,the ,mauritanians were doubtless executing their first dance4 ,he did not see them1 but he could divine the lascivious passion of the dance from the quiver of all those women's necks1 which swayed as beneath a great gust of wind4 ,then laughter arose and a tempest of bravos1 quite a tumult of enjoyment4 8,i can't put my hand on the ,princess2 you must wait a little10 ,massot returned to say4 8,i met ,janzen and he promised to bring her to me4 ,don't you know ,janzen80 ,then1 in part because his profession willed it1 and in part for pleasure's sake1 he began to gossip4 ,the ,princess was a good friend of his4 ,he had described her first soiree during the previous year1 when she had made her dbut at that mansion on her arrival in ,paris4 ,he knew the real truth about her so far as it could be known4 ,rich8 yes1 perhaps she was1 for she spent enormous sums4 ,married she must have been1 and to a real prince1 too2 no doubt she was still married to him1 in spite of her story of widowhood4 ,indeed1 it seemed certain that her husband1 who was as handsome as an archangel1 was travelling about with a vocalist4 ,as for having a bee in her bonnet that was beyond discussion1 as clear as noonday4 ,whilst showing much intelligence1 she constantly and suddenly shifted4 ,incapable of any prolonged effort1 she went from one thing that had awakened her curiosity to another1 never attaching herself anywhere4 ,after ardently busying herself with painting1 she had lately become impassioned for chemistry1 and was now letting poetry master her4 8,and so you don't know ,janzen10 continued ,massot4 8,it was he who threw her into chemistry1 into the study of explosives especially1 for1 as you may imagine1 the only interest in chemistry for her is its connection with ,anarchism4 ,she1 ,i think1 is really an ,austrian1 though one must always doubt anything she herself says4 ,as for ,janzen1 he calls himself a ,russian1 but he's probably ,german4 ,oh6 he's the most unobtrusive1 enigmatical man in the world1 without a home1 perhaps without a name--a terrible fellow with an unknown past4 ,i myself hold proofs which make me think that he took part in that frightful crime at ,barcelona4 ,at all events1 for nearly a year now ,i've been meeting him in ,paris1 where the police no doubt are watching him4 ,and nothing can rid me of the idea that he merely consented to become our lunatic ,princess's lover in order to throw the detectives off the scent4 ,he affects to live in the midst of ftes1 and he has introduced to the house some extraordinary people1 ,anarchists of all nationalities and all colours--for instance1 one ,raphanel1 that fat1 jovial little man yonder1 a ,frenchman he is1 and his companions would do well to mistrust him4 ,then there's a ,bergaz1 a ,spaniard1 ,i think1 an obscure jobber at the ,bourse1 whose sensual1 blobber-lipped mouth is so disquieting4 ,and there are others and others1 adventurers and bandits from the four corners of the earth6444 ,ah6 the foreign colonies of our ,parisian pleasure-world6 ,there are a few spotless fine names1 a few real great fortunes among them1 but as for the rest1 ah6 what a herd60 ,rosemonde's own drawing-room was summed up in those words3 resounding titles1 real millionaires1 then1 down below1 the most extravagant medley of international imposture and turpitude4 ,and ,pierre thought of that internationalism1 that cosmopolitanism1 that flight of foreigners which1 ever denser and denser1 swooped down upon ,paris4 ,most certainly it came thither to enjoy it1 as to a city of adventure and delight1 and it helped to rot it a little more4 ,was it then a necessary thing1 that decomposition of the great cities which have governed the world1 that affluxion of every passion1 every desire1 every gratification1 that accumulation of reeking soil from all parts of the world1 there where1 in beauty and intelligence1 blooms the flower of civilisation8 ,however1 ,janzen appeared1 a tall1 thin fellow of about thirty1 very fair with grey1 pale1 harsh eyes1 and a pointed beard and flowing curly hair which elongated his livid1 cloudy face4 ,he spoke indifferent ,french in a low voice and without a gesture4 ,and he declared that the ,princess could not be found2 he had looked for her everywhere4 ,possibly1 if somebody had displeased her1 she had shut herself up in her room and gone to bed1 leaving her guests to amuse themselves in all freedom in whatever way they might choose4 8,why1 but here she is60 suddenly said ,massot4 ,rosemonde was indeed there1 in the vestibule1 watching the door as if she expected somebody4 ,short1 slight1 and strange rather than pretty1 with her delicate face1 her sea-green eyes1 her small quivering nose1 her rather large and over-ruddy mouth1 which was parted so that one could see her superb teeth1 she that day wore a sky-blue gown spangled with silver2 and she had silver bracelets on her arms and a silver circlet in her pale brown hair1 which rained down in curls and frizzy1 straggling locks as though waving in a perpetual breeze4 8,oh6 whatever you desire1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she said to ,pierre as soon as she knew his business4 8,if they don't take your old man in at our asylum1 send him to me1 ,i'll take him1 ,i will2 ,i will sleep him somewhere here40 ,still1 she remained disturbed1 and continually glanced towards the door4 ,and on the priest asking if ,baroness ,duvillard had yet arrived1 8,why no60 she cried1 8and ,i am much surprised at it4 ,she is to bring her son and daughter4 ,yesterday1 ,hyacinthe positively promised me that he would come40 ,there lay her new caprice4 ,if her passion for chemistry was giving way to a budding taste for decadent1 symbolical verse1 it was because one evening1 whilst discussing ,occultism with ,hyacinthe1 she had discovered an extraordinary beauty in him3 the astral beauty of ,nero's wandering soul6 ,at least1 said she1 the signs of it were certain4 ,and all at once she quitted ,pierre3 8,ah1 at last60 she cried1 feeling relieved and happy4 ,then she darted forward3 ,hyacinthe was coming in with his sister ,camille4 ,on the very threshold1 however1 he had just met the friend on whose account he was there1 young ,lord ,george ,eldrett1 a pale and languid stripling with the hair of a girl2 and he scarcely condescended to notice the tender greeting of ,rosemonde1 for he professed to regard woman as an impure and degrading creature4 ,distressed by such coldness1 she followed the two young men1 returning in their rear into the reeking1 blinding furnace of the drawing-room4 ,massot1 however1 had been obliging enough to stop ,camille and bring her to ,pierre1 who at the first words they exchanged relapsed into despair4 8,what1 mademoiselle1 has not madame your mother accompanied you here80 ,the girl1 clad according to her wont in a dark gown1 this time of peacock-blue1 was nervous1 with wicked eyes and sibilant voice4 ,and as she ragefully drew up her little figure1 her deformity1 her left shoulder higher than the right one1 became more apparent than ever4 8,no10 she rejoined1 8she was unable4 ,she had something to try on at her dressmaker's4 ,we stopped too long at the ,exposition du ,lis1 and she requested us to set her down at ,salmon's door on our way here40 ,it was ,camille herself who had skilfully prolonged the visit to the art show1 still hoping to prevent her mother from meeting ,grard4 ,and her rage arose from the ease with which her mother had got rid of her1 thanks to that falsehood of having something to try on4 8,but10 ingenuously said ,pierre1 8if ,i went at once to this person ,salmon1 ,i might perhaps be able to send up my card40 ,camille gave a shrill laugh1 so funny did the idea appear to her4 ,then she retorted3 8,oh6 who knows if you would still find her there8 ,she had another pressing appointment1 and is no doubt already keeping it60 8,well1 then1 ,i will wait for her here4 ,she will surely come to fetch you1 will she not80 8,fetch us8 ,oh no6 since ,i tell you that she has other important affairs to attend to4 ,the carriage will take us home alone1 my brother and ,i40 ,increasing bitterness was infecting the girl's pain-fraught irony4 ,did he not understand her then1 that priest who asked such naive questions which were like dagger-thrusts in her heart8 ,yet he must know1 since everybody knew the truth4 8,ah6 how worried ,i am10 ,pierre resumed1 so grieved indeed that tears almost came to his eyes4 8,it's still on account of that poor man about whom ,i have been busying myself since this morning4 ,i have a line from your father1 and ,monsieur ,grard told me--0 ,but at this point he paused in confusion1 and amidst all his thoughtlessness of the world1 absorbed as he was in the one passion of charity1 he suddenly divined the truth4 8,yes10 he added mechanically1 8,i just now saw your father again with ,monsieur de ,quinsac40 8,i know1 ,i know10 replied ,camille1 with the suffering yet scoffing air of a girl who is ignorant of nothing4 8,well1 ,monsieur l',abb1 if you have a line from papa for mamma1 you must wait till mamma has finished her business4 ,you might come to the house about six o'clock1 but ,i doubt if you'll find her there1 as she may well be detained40 ,while ,camille thus spoke1 her murderous eyes glistened1 and each word she uttered1 simple as it seemed1 became instinct with ferocity1 as if it were a knife1 which she would have liked to plunge into her mother's breast4 ,in all certainty she had never before hated her mother to such a point as this in her envy of her beauty and her happiness in being loved4 ,and the irony which poured from the girl's virgin lips1 before that simple priest1 was like a flood of mire with which she sought to submerge her rival4 ,just then1 however1 ,rosemonde came back again1 feverish and flurried as usual4 ,and she led ,camille away3 8,ah1 my dear1 make haste4 ,they are extraordinary1 delightful1 intoxicating60 ,janzen and little ,massot also followed the ,princess4 ,all the men hastened from the adjoining rooms1 scrambled and plunged into the salon at the news that the ,mauritanians had again begun to dance4 ,that time it must have been the frantic1 lascivious gallop that ,paris whispered about1 for ,pierre saw the rows of necks and heads1 now fair1 now dark1 wave and quiver as beneath a violent wind4 ,with every window-shutter closed1 the conflagration of the electric lamps turned the place into a perfect brazier1 reeking with human effluvia4 ,and there came a spell of rapture1 fresh laughter and bravos1 all the delight of an overflowing orgy4 ,when ,pierre again found himself on the footwalk1 he remained for a moment bewildered1 blinking1 astonished to be in broad daylight once more4 ,half-past four would soon strike1 but he had nearly two hours to wait before calling at the house in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy4 ,what should he do8 ,he paid his driver2 preferring to descend the ,champs ,elyses on foot1 since he had some time to lose4 ,a walk1 moreover1 might calm the fever which was burning his hands1 in the passion of charity which ever since the morning had been mastering him more and more1 in proportion as he encountered fresh and fresh obstacles4 ,he now had but one pressing desire1 to complete his good work1 since success henceforth seemed certain4 ,and he tried to restrain his steps and walk leisurely down the magnificent avenue1 which had now been dried by the bright sun1 and was enlivened by a concourse of people1 while overhead the sky was again blue1 lightly blue1 as in springtime4 ,nearly two hours to lose while1 yonder1 the wretched ,laveuve lay with life ebbing from him on his bed of rags1 in his icy den4 ,sudden feelings of revolt1 of well-nigh irresistible impatience ascended from ,pierre's heart1 making him quiver with desire to run off and at once find ,baroness ,duvillard so as to obtain from her the all-saving order4 ,he felt sure that she was somewhere near1 in one of those quiet neighbouring streets1 and great was his perturbation1 his grief-fraught anger at having to wait in this wise to save a human life until she should have attended to those affairs of hers1 of which her daughter spoke with such murderous glances6 ,he seemed to hear a formidable cracking1 the family life of the bourgeoisie was collapsing3 the father was at a hussy's house1 the mother with a lover1 the son and daughter knew everything2 the former gliding to idiotic perversity1 the latter enraged and dreaming of stealing her mother's lover to make a husband of him4 ,and meantime the splendid equipages descended the triumphal avenue1 and the crowd with its luxury flowed along the sidewalks1 one and all joyous and superb1 seemingly with no idea that somewhere at the far end there was a gaping abyss wherein everyone of them would fall and be annihilated6 ,when ,pierre got as far as the ,summer ,circus he was much surprised at again seeing ,salvat1 the journeyman engineer1 on one of the avenue seats4 ,he must have sunk down there1 overcome by weariness and hunger1 after many a vain search4 ,however1 his jacket was still distended by something he carried in or under it1 some bit of bread1 no doubt1 which he meant to take home with him4 ,and leaning back1 with his arms hanging listlessly1 he was watching with dreamy eyes the play of some very little children1 who1 with the help of their wooden spades1 were laboriously raising mounds of sand1 and then destroying them by dint of kicks4 ,as he looked at them his red eyelids moistened1 and a very gentle smile appeared on his poor discoloured lips4 ,this time ,pierre1 penetrated by disquietude1 wished to approach and question him4 ,but ,salvat distrustfully rose and went off towards the ,circus1 where a concert was drawing to a close2 and he prowled around the entrance of that festive edifice in which two thousand happy people were heaped up together listening to music4 ,v4 ,,from ,,religion ,,to ,,anarchy ,,as ,pierre was reaching the ,place de la ,concorde he suddenly remembered the appointment which ,abb ,rose had given him for five o'clock at the ,madeleine1 and which he was forgetting in the feverishness born of his repeated steps to save ,laveuve4 ,and at thought of it he hastened on1 well pleased at having this appointment to occupy and keep him patient4 ,when he entered the church he was surprised to find it so dark4 ,there were only a few candles burning1 huge shadows were flooding the nave1 and amidst the semi-obscurity a very loud1 clear voice spoke on with a ceaseless streaming of words4 ,all that one could at first distinguish of the numerous congregation was a pale1 vague mass of heads1 motionless with extreme attention4 ,in the pulpit stood ,monseigneur ,martha1 finishing his third address on the ,new ,spirit4 ,the two former ones had re-echoed far and wide1 and so what is called 8all ,paris0 was there--women of society1 politicians1 and writers1 who were captivated by the speaker's artistic oratory1 his warm1 skilful language1 and his broad1 easy gestures1 worthy of a great actor4 ,pierre did not wish to disturb the solemn attention1 the quivering silence above which the prelate's voice alone rang out4 ,accordingly he resolved to wait before seeking ,abb ,rose1 and remained standing near a pillar4 ,a parting gleam of daylight fell obliquely on ,monseigneur ,martha1 who looked tall and sturdy in his white surplice1 and scarcely showed a grey hair1 although he was more than fifty4 ,he had handsome features3 black1 keen eyes1 a commanding nose1 a mouth and chin of the greatest firmness of contour4 ,what more particularly struck one1 however1 what gained the heart of every listener1 was the expression of extreme amiability and anxious sympathy which ever softened the imperious haughtiness of the prelate's face4 ,pierre had formerly known him as ,cur1 or parish priest1 of ,ste4 ,clotilde4 ,he was doubtless of ,italian origin1 but he had been born in ,paris1 and had quitted the seminary of ,st4 ,sulpice with the best possible record4 ,very intelligent and very ambitious1 he had evinced an activity which even made his superiors anxious4 ,then1 on being appointed ,bishop of ,persepolis1 he had disappeared1 gone to ,rome1 where he had spent five years engaged in work of which very little was known4 ,however1 since his return he had been astonishing ,paris by his brilliant propaganda1 busying himself with the most varied affairs1 and becoming much appreciated and very powerful at the archiepiscopal residence4 ,he devoted himself in particular1 and with wonderful results1 to the task of increasing the subscriptions for the completion of the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart4 ,he recoiled from nothing1 neither from journeys1 nor lectures1 nor collections1 nor applications to ,government1 nor even endeavours among ,israelites and ,freemasons4 ,and at last1 again enlarging his sphere of action1 he had undertaken to reconcile ,science with ,catholicism1 and to bring all ,christian ,france to the ,republic1 on all sides expounding the policy of ,pope ,leo ,,xiii41 in order that the ,church might finally triumph4 ,however1 in spite of the advances of this influential and amiable man1 ,pierre scarcely liked him4 ,he only felt grateful to him for one thing1 the appointment of good ,abb ,rose as curate at ,st4 ,pierre de ,montmartre1 which appointment he had secured for him no doubt in order to prevent such a scandal as the punishment of an old priest for showing himself too charitable4 ,on thus finding and hearing the prelate speak in that renowned pulpit of the ,madeleine1 still and ever pursuing his work of conquest1 ,pierre remembered how he had seen him at the ,duvillards' during the previous spring1 when1 with his usual maestria1 he had achieved his greatest triumph--the conversion of ,eve to ,catholicism4 ,that church1 too1 had witnessed her baptism1 a wonderfully pompous ceremony1 a perfect gala offered to the public which figures in all the great events of ,parisian life4 ,grard had knelt down1 moved to tears1 whilst the ,baron triumphed like a good-natured husband who was happy to find religion establishing perfect harmony in his household4 ,it was related among the spectators that ,eve's family1 and particularly old ,justus ,steinberger1 her father1 was not in reality much displeased by the affair4 ,the old man sneeringly remarked1 indeed1 that he knew his daughter well enough to wish her to belong to his worst enemy4 ,in the banking business there is a class of security which one is pleased to see discounted by one's rivals4 ,with the stubborn hope of triumph peculiar to his race1 ,justus1 consoling himself for the failure of his first scheme1 doubtless considered that ,eve would prove a powerful dissolving agent in the ,christian family which she had entered1 and thus help to make all wealth and power fall into the hands of the ,jews4 ,however1 ,pierre's vision faded4 ,monseigneur ,martha's voice was rising with increase of volume1 celebrating1 amidst the quivering of the congregation1 the benefits that would accrue from the ,new ,spirit1 which was at last about to pacify ,france and restore her to her due rank and power4 ,were there not certain signs of this resurrection on every hand8 ,the ,new ,spirit was the revival of the ,ideal1 the protest of the soul against degrading materialism1 the triumph of spirituality over filthy literature2 and it was also ,science accepted1 but set in its proper place1 reconciled with ,faith1 since it no longer pretended to encroach on the latter's sacred domain2 and it was further the ,democracy welcomed in fatherly fashion1 the ,republic legitimated1 recognised in her turn as ,eldest ,daughter of the ,church4 ,a breath of poetry passed by4 ,the ,church opened her heart to all her children1 there would henceforth be but concord and delight if the masses1 obedient to the ,new ,spirit1 would give themselves to the ,master of love as they had given themselves to their kings1 recognising that the ,divinity was the one unique power1 absolute sovereign of both body and soul4 ,pierre was now listening attentively1 wondering where it was that he had previously heard almost identical words4 ,and suddenly he remembered2 and could fancy that he was again at ,rome1 listening to the last words of ,monsignor ,nani1 the ,assessor of the ,holy ,office4 ,here1 again1 he found the dream of a democratic ,pope1 ceasing to support the compromised monarchies1 and seeking to subdue the masses4 ,since ,caesar was down1 or nearly so1 might not the ,pope realise the ancient ambition of his forerunners and become both emperor and pontiff1 the sovereign1 universal divinity on earth8 ,this1 too1 was the dream in which ,pierre himself1 with apostolic navet1 had indulged when writing his book1 8,new ,rome03 a dream from which the sight of the real ,rome had so roughly roused him4 ,at bottom it was merely a policy of hypocritical falsehood1 the priestly policy which relies on time1 and is ever tenacious1 carrying on the work of conquest with extraordinary suppleness1 resolved to profit by everything4 ,and what an evolution it was1 the ,church of ,rome making advances to ,science1 to the ,democracy1 to the ,republican rgimes1 convinced that it would be able to devour them if only it were allowed the time6 ,ah6 yes1 the ,new ,spirit was simply the ,old ,spirit of ,domination1 incessantly reviving and hungering to conquer and possess the world4 ,pierre thought that he recognised among the congregation certain deputies whom he had seen at the ,chamber4 ,wasn't that tall gentleman with the fair beard1 who listened so devoutly1 one of ,monferrand's creatures8 ,it was said that ,monferrand1 once a devourer of priests1 was now smilingly coquetting with the clergy4 ,quite an underhand evolution was beginning in the sacristies1 orders from ,rome flitted hither and thither2 it was a question of accepting the new form of government1 and absorbing it by dint of invasion4 ,france was still the ,eldest ,daughter of the ,church1 the only great nation which had sufficient health and strength to place the ,pope in possession of his temporal power once more4 ,so ,france must be won2 it was well worth one's while to espouse her1 even if she were ,republican4 ,in the eager struggle of ambition the bishop made use of the minister1 who thought it to his interest to lean upon the bishop4 ,but which of the two would end by devouring the other8 ,and to what a rle had religion sunk3 an electoral weapon1 an element in a parliamentary majority1 a decisive1 secret reason for obtaining or retaining a ministerial portfolio6 ,of divine charity1 the basis of religion1 there was no thought1 and ,pierre's heart filled with bitterness as he remembered the recent death of ,cardinal ,bergerot1 the last of the great saints and pure minds of the ,french episcopacy1 among which there now seemed to be merely a set of intriguers and fools4 ,however1 the address was drawing to a close4 ,in a glowing peroration1 which evoked the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart dominating ,paris with the saving symbol of the ,cross from the sacred ,mount of the ,martyrs199 ,monseigneur ,martha showed that great city of ,paris ,christian once more and master of the world1 thanks to the moral omnipotence conferred upon it by the divine breath of the ,new ,spirit4 ,unable to applaud1 the congregation gave utterance to a murmur of approving rapture1 delighted as it was with this miraculous finish which reassured both pocket and conscience4 ,then ,monseigneur ,martha quitted the pulpit with a noble step1 whilst a loud noise of chairs broke upon the dark peacefulness of the church1 where the few lighted candles glittered like the first stars in the evening sky4 ,a long stream of men1 vague1 whispering shadows1 glided away4 ,the women alone remained1 praying on their knees4 99 ,montmartre4 ,pierre1 still in the same spot1 was rising on tip-toes1 looking for ,abb ,rose1 when a hand touched him4 ,it was that of the old priest1 who had seen him from a distance4 8,i was yonder near the pulpit10 said he1 8and ,i saw you plainly1 my dear child4 ,only ,i preferred to wait so as to disturb nobody4 ,what a beautiful address dear ,monseigneur delivered60 ,he seemed1 indeed1 much moved4 ,but there was deep sadness about his kindly mouth and clear childlike eyes1 whose smile as a rule illumined his good1 round white face4 8,i was afraid you might go off without seeing me10 he resumed1 8for ,i have something to tell you4 ,you know that poor old man to whom ,i sent you this morning and in whom ,i asked you to interest yourself8 ,well1 on getting home ,i found a lady there1 who sometimes brings me a little money for my poor4 ,then ,i thought to myself that the three francs ,i gave you were really too small a sum1 and as the thought worried me like a kind of remorse1 ,i couldn't resist the impulse1 but went this afternoon to the ,rue des ,saules myself40 ,he lowered his voice from a feeling of respect1 in order not to disturb the deep1 sepulchral silence of the church4 ,covert shame1 moreover1 impeded his utterance1 shame at having again relapsed into the sin of blind1 imprudent charity1 as his superiors reproachfully said4 ,and1 quivering1 he concluded in a very low voice indeed3 8,and so1 my child1 picture my grief4 ,i had five francs more to give the poor old man1 and ,i found him dead40 ,pierre suddenly shuddered4 ,but he was unwilling to understand3 8,what1 dead60 he cried4 8,that old man dead6 ,laveuve dead80 8,yes1 ,i found him dead--ah6 amidst what frightful wretchedness1 like an old animal that has laid itself down for the finish on a heap of rags in the depths of a hole4 ,no neighbours had assisted him in his last moments2 he had simply turned himself towards the wall4 ,and ah6 how bare and cold and deserted it was6 ,and what a pang for a poor creature to go off like that without a word1 a caress4 ,ah6 my heart bounded within me and it is still bleeding60 ,pierre in his utter amazement at first made but a gesture of revolt against imbecile social cruelty4 ,had the bread left near the unfortunate wretch1 and devoured too eagerly1 perhaps1 after long days of abstinence1 been the cause of his death8 ,or was not this rather the fatal dnouement of an ended life1 worn away by labour and privation8 ,however1 what did the cause signify8 ,death had come and delivered the poor man4 8,it isn't he that ,i pity10 ,pierre muttered at last2 8it is we--we who witness all that1 we who are guilty of these abominations40 ,but good ,abb ,rose was already becoming resigned1 and would only think of forgiveness and hope4 8,no1 no1 my child1 rebellion is evil4 ,if we are all guilty we can only implore ,providence to forget our faults4 ,i had given you an appointment here hoping for good news2 and it's ,i who come to tell you of that frightful thing4 ,let us be penitent and pray40 ,then he knelt upon the flagstones near the pillar1 in the rear of the praying women1 who looked black and vague in the gloom4 ,and he inclined his white head1 and for a long time remained in a posture of humility4 ,but ,pierre was unable to pray1 so powerfully did revolt stir him4 ,he did not even bend his knees1 but remained erect and quivering4 ,his heart seemed to have been crushed2 not a tear came to his ardent eyes4 ,so ,laveuve had died yonder1 stretched on his litter of rags1 his hands clenched in his obstinate desire to cling to his life of torture1 whilst he1 ,pierre1 again glowing with the flame of charity1 consumed by apostolic zeal1 was scouring ,paris to find him for the evening a clean bed on which he might be saved4 ,ah6 the atrocious irony of it all6 ,he must have been at the ,duvillards' in the warm salon1 all blue and silver1 whilst the old man was expiring2 and it was for a wretched corpse that he had then hastened to the ,chamber of ,deputies1 to the ,countess de ,quinsac's1 to that creature ,silviane's1 and to that creature ,rosemonde's4 ,and it was for that corpse1 freed from life1 escaped from misery as from prison1 that he had worried people1 broken in upon their egotism1 disturbed the peace of some1 threatened the pleasures of others6 ,what was the use of hastening from the parliamentary den to the cold salon where the dust of the past was congealing2 of going from the sphere of middle-class debauchery to that of cosmopolitan extravagance1 since one always arrived too late1 and saved people when they were already dead8 ,how ridiculous to have allowed himself to be fired once more by that blaze of charity1 that final conflagration1 only the ashes of which he now felt within him8 ,this time he thought he was dead himself2 he was naught but an empty sepulchre4 ,and all the frightful void and chaos which he had felt that morning at the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart after his mass became yet deeper1 henceforth unfathomable4 ,if charity were illusory and useless the ,gospel crumbled1 the end of the ,book was nigh4 ,after centuries of stubborn efforts1 ,redemption through ,christianity failed1 and another means of salvation was needed by the world in presence of the exasperated thirst for justice which came from the duped and wretched nations4 ,they would have no more of that deceptive paradise1 the promise of which had so long served to prop up social iniquity2 they demanded that the question of happiness should be decided upon this earth4 ,but how8 ,by means of what new religion1 what combination between the sentiment of the ,divine and the necessity for honouring life in its sovereignty and its fruitfulness8 ,therein lay the grievous1 torturing problem1 into the midst of which ,pierre was sinking2 he1 a priest1 severed by vows of chastity and superstition from the rest of mankind4 ,he had ceased to believe in the efficacy of alms2 it was not sufficient that one should be charitable1 henceforth one must be just4 ,given justice1 indeed1 horrid misery would disappear1 and no such thing as charity would be needed4 ,most certainly there was no lack of compassionate hearts in that grievous city of ,paris2 charitable foundations sprouted forth there like green leaves at the first warmth of springtide4 ,there were some for every age1 every peril1 every misfortune4 ,through the concern shown for mothers1 children were succoured even before they were born2 then came the infant and orphan asylums lavishly provided for all sorts of classes2 and1 afterwards1 man was followed through his life1 help was tendered on all sides1 particularly as he grew old1 by a multiplicity of asylums1 almshouses1 and refuges4 ,and there were all the hands stretched out to the forsaken ones1 the disinherited ones1 even the criminals1 all sorts of associations to protect the weak1 societies for the prevention of crime1 homes that offered hospitality to those who repented4 ,whether as regards the propagation of good deeds1 the support of the young1 the saving of life1 the bestowal of pecuniary help1 or the promotion of guilds1 pages and pages would have been needed merely to particularise the extraordinary vegetation of charity that sprouted between the paving-stones of ,paris with so fine a vigour1 in which goodness of soul was mingled with social vanity4 ,still that could not matter1 since charity redeemed and purified all4 ,but how terrible the proposition that this charity was a useless mockery6 ,what6 after so many centuries of ,christian charity not a sore had healed4 ,misery had only grown and spread1 irritated even to rage4 ,incessantly aggravated1 the evil was reaching the point when it would be impossible to tolerate it for another day1 since social injustice was neither arrested nor even diminished thereby4 ,and besides1 if only one single old man died of cold and hunger1 did not the social edifice1 raised on the theory of charity1 collapse8 ,but one victim1 and society was condemned1 thought ,pierre4 ,he now felt such bitterness of heart that he could remain no longer in that church where the shadows ever slowly fell1 blurring the sanctuaries and the large pale images of ,christ nailed upon the ,cross4 ,all was about to sink into darkness1 and he could hear nothing beyond an expiring murmur of prayers1 a plaint from the women who were praying on their knees1 in the depths of the shrouding gloom4 ,at the same time he hardly liked to go off without saying a word to ,abb ,rose1 who in his entreaties born of simple faith left the happiness and peace of mankind to the good pleasure of the ,invisible4 ,however1 fearing that he might disturb him1 ,pierre was making up his mind to retire1 when the old priest of his own accord raised his head4 8,ah1 my child10 said he1 8how difficult it is to be good in a reasonable manner4 ,monseigneur ,martha has scolded me again1 and but for the forgiveness of ,god ,i should fear for my salvation40 ,for a moment ,pierre paused under the porticus of the ,madeleine1 on the summit of the great flight of steps which1 rising above the railings1 dominates the ,place4 ,before him was the ,rue ,royale dipping down to the expanse of the ,place de la ,concorde1 where rose the obelisk and the pair of plashing fountains4 ,and1 farther yet1 the paling colonnade of the ,chamber of ,deputies bounded the horizon4 ,it was a vista of sovereign grandeur under that pale sky over which twilight was slowly stealing1 and which seemed to broaden the thoroughfares1 throw back the edifices1 and lend them the quivering1 soaring aspect of the palaces of dreamland4 ,no other capital in the world could boast a scene of such aerial pomp1 such grandiose magnificence1 at that hour of vagueness1 when falling night imparts to cities a dreamy semblance1 the infinite of human immensity4 ,motionless and hesitating in presence of the opening expanse1 ,pierre distressfully pondered as to whither he should go now that all which he had so passionately sought to achieve since the morning had suddenly crumbled away4 ,was he still bound for the ,duvillard mansion in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy8 ,he no longer knew4 ,then the exasperating remembrance1 with its cruel irony1 returned to him4 ,since ,laveuve was dead1 of what use was it for him to kill time and perambulate the pavements pending the arrival of six o'clock8 ,the idea that he had a home1 and that the most simple course would be to return to it1 did not even occur to him4 ,he felt as if there were something of importance left for him to do1 though he could not possibly tell what it might be4 ,it seemed to him to be everywhere and yet very far away1 to be so vague and so difficult of accomplishment that he would certainly never be in time or have sufficient power to do it4 ,however1 with heavy feet and tumultuous brain he descended the steps and1 yielding to some obstinate impulse1 began to walk through the flower-market1 a late winter market where the first azaleas were opening with a little shiver4 ,some women were purchasing ,nice roses and violets2 and ,pierre looked at them as if he were interested in all that soft1 delicate1 perfumed luxury4 ,but suddenly he felt a horror of it and went off1 starting along the ,boulevards4 ,he walked straight before him without knowing why or whither4 ,the falling darkness surprised him as if it were an unexpected phenomenon4 ,raising his eyes to the sky he felt astonished at seeing its azure gently pale between the slender black streaks of the chimney funnels4 ,and the huge golden letters by which names or trades were advertised on every balcony also seemed to him singular in the last gleams of the daylight4 ,never before had he paid attention to the motley tints seen on the house-fronts1 the painted mirrors1 the blinds1 the coats of arms1 the posters of violent hues1 the magnificent shops1 like drawing-rooms and boudoirs open to the full light4 ,and then1 both in the roadway and along the foot-pavements1 between the blue1 red or yellow columns and kiosks1 what mighty traffic there was1 what an extraordinary crowd6 ,the vehicles rolled along in a thundering stream3 on all sides billows of cabs were parted by the ponderous tacking of huge omnibuses1 which suggested lofty1 bright-hued battle-ships4 ,and on either hand1 and farther and farther1 and even among the wheels1 the flood of passengers rushed on incessantly1 with the conquering haste of ants in a state of revolution4 ,whence came all those people1 and whither were all those vehicles going8 ,how stupefying and torturing it all was4 ,pierre was still walking straight ahead1 mechanically1 carried on by his gloomy reverie4 ,night was coming1 the first gas-burners were being lighted2 it was the dusk of ,paris1 the hour when real darkness has not yet come1 when the electric lights flame in the dying day4 ,lamps shone forth on all sides1 the shop-fronts were being illumined4 ,soon1 moreover1 right along the ,boulevards the vehicles would carry their vivid starry lights1 like a milky way on the march betwixt the foot-pavements all glowing with lanterns and cordons and girandoles1 a dazzling profusion of radiance akin to sunlight4 ,and the shouts of the drivers and the jostling of the foot passengers re-echoed the parting haste of the ,paris which is all business or passion1 which is absorbed in the merciless struggle for love and for money4 ,the hard day was over1 and now the ,paris of ,pleasure was lighting up for its night of fte4 ,the cafs1 the wine shops1 the restaurants1 flared and displayed their bright metal bars1 and their little white tables behind their clear and lofty windows1 whilst near their doors1 by way of temptation1 were oysters and choice fruits4 ,and the ,paris which was thus awaking with the first flashes of the gas was already full of the gaiety of enjoyment1 already yielding to an unbridled appetite for whatsoever may be purchased4 ,however1 ,pierre had a narrow escape from being knocked down4 ,a flock of newspaper hawkers came out of a side street1 and darted through the crowd shouting the titles of the evening journals4 ,a fresh edition of the 8,voix du ,peuple0 gave rise1 in particular1 to a deafening clamour1 which rose above all the rumbling of wheels4 ,at regular intervals hoarse voices raised and repeated the cry3 8,ask for the #8,voix du ,peuple'--the new scandal of the ,african ,railway ,lines1 the repulse of the ministry1 the thirty-two bribe-takers of the ,chamber and the ,senate60 ,and these announcements1 set in huge type1 could be read on the copies of the paper1 which the hawkers flourished like banners4 ,accustomed as it was to such filth1 saturated with infamy1 the crowd continued on its way without paying much attention4 ,still a few men paused and bought the paper1 while painted women1 who had come down to the ,boulevards in search of a dinner1 trailed their skirts and waited for some chance lover1 glancing interrogatively at the outside customers of the cafs4 ,and meantime the dishonouring shout of the newspaper hawkers1 that cry in which there was both smirch and buffet1 seemed like the last knell of the day1 ringing the nation's funeral at the outset of the night of pleasure which was beginning4 ,then ,pierre once more remembered his morning and that frightful house in the ,rue des ,saules1 where so much want and suffering were heaped up4 ,he again saw the yard filthy like a quagmire1 the evil-smelling staircases1 the sordid1 bare1 icy rooms1 the families fighting for messes which even stray dogs would not have eaten2 the mothers1 with exhausted breasts1 carrying screaming children to and fro2 the old men who fell in corners like brute beasts1 and died of hunger amidst filth4 ,and then came his other hours with the magnificence or the quietude or the gaiety of the salons through which he had passed1 the whole insolent display of financial ,paris1 and political ,paris1 and society ,paris4 ,and at last he came to the dusk1 and to that ,paris-,sodom and ,paris-,gomorrah before him1 which was lighting itself up for the night1 for the abominations of that accomplice night which1 like fine dust1 was little by little submerging the expanse of roofs4 ,and the hateful monstrosity of it all howled aloud under the pale sky where the first pure1 twinkling stars were gleaming4 ,a great shudder came upon ,pierre as he thought of all that mass of iniquity and suffering1 of all that went on below amid want and crime1 and all that went on above amid wealth and vice4 ,the bourgeoisie1 wielding power1 would relinquish naught of the sovereignty which it had conquered1 wholly stolen1 while the people1 the eternal dupe1 silent so long1 clenched its fists and growled1 claiming its legitimate share4 ,and it was that frightful injustice which filled the growing gloom with anger4 ,from what dark-breasted cloud would the thunderbolt fall8 ,for years he had been waiting for that thunderbolt which low rumbles announced on all points of the horizon4 ,and if he had written a book full of candour and hope1 if he had gone in all innocence to ,rome1 it was to avert that thunderbolt and its frightful consequences4 ,but all hope of the kind was dead within him2 he felt that the thunderbolt was inevitable1 that nothing henceforth could stay the catastrophe4 ,and never before had he felt it to be so near1 amidst the happy impudence of some1 and the exasperated distress of others4 ,and it was gathering1 and it would surely fall over that ,paris1 all lust and bravado1 which1 when evening came1 thus stirred up its furnace4 ,tired out and distracted1 ,pierre raised his eyes as he reached the ,place de l',opera4 ,where was he then8 ,the heart of the great city seemed to beat on this spot1 in that vast expanse where met so many thoroughfares1 as if from every point the blood of distant districts flowed thither along triumphal avenues4 ,right away to the horizon stretched the great gaps of the ,avenue de l',opera1 the ,rue du ,quatre-,septembre1 and the ,rue de la ,paix1 still showing clearly in a final glimpse of daylight1 but already starred with swarming sparks4 ,the torrent of the ,boulevard traffic poured across the ,place1 where clashed1 too1 all that from the neighbouring streets1 with a constant turning and eddying which made the spot the most dangerous of whirlpools4 ,in vain did the police seek to impose some little prudence1 the stream of pedestrians still overflowed1 wheels became entangled and horses reared amidst all the uproar of the human tide1 which was as loud1 as incessant1 as the tempest voice of an ocean4 ,then there was the detached mass of the opera-house1 slowly steeped in gloom1 and rising huge and mysterious like a symbol1 its lyre-bearing figure of ,apollo1 right aloft1 showing a last reflection of daylight amidst the livid sky4 ,and all the windows of the house-fronts began to shine1 gaiety sprang from those thousands of lamps which coruscated one by one1 a universal longing for ease and free gratification of each desire spread with the increasing darkness2 whilst1 at long intervals1 the large globes of the electric lights shone as brightly as the moons of the city's cloudless nights4 ,but why was he1 ,pierre1 there1 he asked himself1 irritated and wondering4 ,since ,laveuve was dead he had but to go home1 bury himself in his nook1 and close up door and windows1 like one who was henceforth useless1 who had neither belief nor hope1 and awaited naught save annihilation4 ,it was a long journey from the ,place de l',opera to his little house at ,neuilly4 ,still1 however great his weariness1 he would not take a cab1 but retraced his steps1 turning towards the ,madeleine again1 and plunging into the scramble of the pavements1 amidst the deafening uproar from the roadway1 with a bitter desire to aggravate his wound and saturate himself with revolt and anger4 ,was it not yonder at the corner of that street1 at the end of that ,boulevard1 that he would find the expected abyss into which that rotten world1 whose old society he could hear rending at each step1 must soon assuredly topple8 ,however1 when ,pierre wished to cross the ,rue ,scribe a block in the traffic made him halt4 ,in front of a luxurious caf two tall1 shabbily-clad and very dirty fellows were alternately offering the 8,voix du ,peuple0 with its account of the scandals and the bribe-takers of the ,chamber and the ,senate1 in voices so suggestive of cracked brass that passers-by clustered around them4 ,and here1 in a hesitating1 wandering man1 who after listening drew near to the large caf and peered through its windows1 ,pierre was once again amazed to recognise ,salvat4 ,this time the meeting struck him forcibly1 filled him with suspicion to such a point that he also stopped and resolved to watch the journeyman engineer4 ,he did not expect that one of such wretched aspect1 with what seemed to be a hunk of bread distending his old ragged jacket1 would enter and seat himself at one of the caf's little tables amidst the warm gaiety of the lamps4 ,however1 he waited for a moment1 and then saw him wander away with slow and broken steps as if the caf1 which was nearly empty1 did not suit him4 ,what could he have been seeking1 whither had he been going1 since the morning1 ever on a wild1 solitary chase through the ,paris of wealth and enjoyment while hunger dogged his steps8 ,it was only with difficulty that he now dragged himself along1 his will and energy seemed to be exhausted4 ,as if quite overcome1 he drew near to a kiosk1 and for a moment leant against it4 ,then1 however1 he drew himself up again1 and walked on further1 still as it were in search of something4 ,and now came an incident which brought ,pierre's emotion to a climax4 ,a tall sturdy man on turning out of the ,rue ,caumartin caught sight of ,salvat1 and approached him4 ,and just as the new comer without false pride was shaking the workman's hand1 ,pierre recognised him as his brother ,guillaume4 ,yes1 it was indeed he1 with his thick bushy hair already white like snow1 though he was but seven and forty4 ,however1 his heavy moustaches had remained quite dark without one silver thread1 thus lending an expression of vigorous life to his full face with its lofty towering brow4 ,it was from his father that he had inherited that brow of impregnable logic and reason1 similar to that which ,pierre himself possessed4 ,but the lower part of the elder brother's countenance was fuller than that of his junior2 his nose was larger1 his chin was square1 and his mouth broad and firm of contour4 ,a pale scar1 the mark of an old wound1 streaked his left temple4 ,and his physiognomy1 though it might at first seem very grave1 rough1 and unexpansive1 beamed with masculine kindliness whenever a smile revealed his teeth1 which had remained extremely white4 ,while looking at his brother1 ,pierre remembered what ,madame ,thodore had told him that morning4 ,guillaume1 touched by ,salvat's dire want1 had arranged to give him a few days' employment4 ,and this explained the air of interest with which he now seemed to be questioning him1 while the engineer1 whom the meeting disturbed1 stamped about as if eager to resume his mournful ramble4 ,for a moment ,guillaume appeared to notice the other's perturbation1 by the embarrassed answers which he obtained from him4 ,still1 they at last parted as if each were going his way4 ,then1 however1 almost immediately1 ,guillaume turned round again and watched the other1 as with harassed stubborn mien he went off through the crowd4 ,and the thoughts which had come to ,guillaume must have been very serious and very pressing1 for he all at once began to retrace his steps and follow the workman from a distance1 as if to ascertain for certain what direction he would take4 ,pierre had watched the scene with growing disquietude4 ,his nervous apprehension of some great unknown calamity1 the suspicions born of his frequent and inexplicable meetings with ,salvat1 his surprise at now seeing his brother mingled with the affair1 all helped to fill him with a pressing desire to know1 witness1 and perhaps prevent4 ,so he did not hesitate1 but began to follow the others in a prudent way4 ,fresh perturbation came upon him when first ,salvat and then ,guillaume suddenly turned into the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy4 ,what destiny was thus bringing him back to that street whither a little time previously he had wished to return in feverish haste1 and whence only the death of ,laveuve had kept him8 ,and his consternation increased yet further when1 after losing sight of ,salvat for a moment1 he saw him standing in front of the ,duvillard mansion1 on the same spot where he had fancied he recognised him that morning4 ,as it happened the carriage entrance of the mansion was wide open4 ,some repairs had been made to the paving of the porch1 and although the workmen had now gone off1 the doorway remained gaping1 full of the falling night4 ,the narrow street1 running from the glittering ,boulevard1 was steeped in bluish gloom1 starred at long intervals by a few gas-lamps4 ,some women went by1 compelling ,salvat to step off the foot-pavement4 ,but he returned to it again1 lighted the stump of a cigar1 some remnant which he had found under a table outside a caf1 and then resumed his watch1 patient and motionless1 in front of the mansion4 ,disturbed by his dim conjectures1 ,pierre gradually grew frightened1 and asked himself if he ought not to approach that man4 ,the chief thing that detained him was the presence of his brother1 whom he had seen disappear into a neighbouring doorway1 whence he also was observing the engineer1 ready to intervene4 ,and so ,pierre contented himself with not losing sight of ,salvat1 who was still waiting and watching1 merely taking his eyes from the mansion in order to glance towards the ,boulevard as though he expected someone or something which would come from that direction4 ,and at last1 indeed1 the ,duvillards' landau appeared1 with coachman and footman in livery of green and gold--a closed landau to which a pair of tall horses of superb build were harnessed in stylish fashion4 ,contrary to custom1 however1 the carriage1 which at that hour usually brought the father and mother home1 was only occupied that evening by the son and daughter1 ,hyacinthe and ,camille4 ,returning from the ,princess de ,harn's matine1 they were chatting freely1 with that calm immodesty by which they sought to astonish one another4 ,hyacinthe1 influenced by his perverted ideas1 was attacking women1 whilst ,camille openly counselled him to respond to the ,princess's advances4 ,however1 she was visibly irritated and feverish that evening1 and1 suddenly changing the subject1 she began to speak of their mother and ,grard de ,quinsac4 8,but what can it matter to you80 quietly retorted ,hyacinthe2 and1 seeing that she almost bounded from the seat at this remark1 he continued3 8,are you still in love with him1 then8 ,do you still want to marry him80 8,yes1 ,i do1 and ,i will60 she cried with all the jealous rage of an uncomely girl1 who suffered so acutely at seeing herself spurned whilst her yet beautiful mother stole from her the man she wanted4 8,you will1 you will60 resumed ,hyacinthe1 well pleased to have an opportunity of teasing his sister1 whom he somewhat feared4 8,but you won't unless he is willing--,and he doesn't care for you40 8,he does60 retorted ,camille in a fury4 8,he's kind and pleasant with me1 and that's enough40 ,her brother felt afraid as he noticed the blackness of her glance1 and the clenching of her weak little hands1 whose fingers bent like claws4 ,and after a pause he asked3 8,and papa1 what does he say about it80 8,oh1 papa6 ,all that he cares about is the other one40 ,then ,hyacinthe began to laugh4 ,but the landau1 with its tall horses trotting on sonorously1 had turned into the street and was approaching the house1 when a slim fair-haired girl of sixteen or seventeen1 a modiste's errand girl with a large bandbox on her arm1 hastily crossed the road in order to enter the arched doorway before the carriage4 ,she was bringing a bonnet for the ,baroness1 and had come all along the ,boulevard musing1 with her soft blue eyes1 her pinky nose1 and her mouth which ever laughed in the most adorable little face that one could see4 ,and it was at this same moment that ,salvat1 after another glance at the landau1 sprang forward and entered the doorway4 ,an instant afterwards he reappeared1 flung his lighted cigar stump into the gutter2 and without undue haste went off1 slinking into the depths of the vague gloom of the street4 ,and then what happened8 ,pierre1 later on1 remembered that a dray of the ,western ,railway ,company in coming up stopped and delayed the landau for a moment1 whilst the young errand girl entered the doorway4 ,and with a heart-pang beyond description he saw his brother ,guillaume in his turn spring forward and rush into the mansion as though impelled to do so by some revelation1 some sudden certainty4 ,he1 ,pierre1 though he understood nothing clearly1 could divine the approach of some frightful horror4 ,but when he would have run1 when he would have shouted1 he found himself as if nailed to the pavement1 and felt his throat clutched as by a hand of lead4 ,then suddenly came a thunderous roar1 a formidable explosion1 as if the earth was opening1 and the lightning-struck mansion was being annihilated4 ,every window-pane of the neighbouring houses was shivered1 the glass raining down with the loud clatter of hail4 ,for a moment a hellish flame fired the street1 and the dust and the smoke were such that the few passers-by were blinded and howled with affright1 aghast at toppling1 as they thought1 into that fiery furnace4 ,and that dazzling flare brought ,pierre enlightenment4 ,he once more saw the bomb distending the tool-bag1 which lack of work had emptied and rendered useless4 ,he once more saw it under the ragged jacket1 a protuberance caused1 he had fancied1 by some hunk of bread1 picked up in a corner and treasured that it might be carried home to wife and child4 ,after wandering and threatening all happy ,paris1 it was there that it had flared1 there that it had burst with a thunder-clap1 there on the threshold of the sovereign bourgeoisie to whom all wealth belonged4 ,he1 however1 at that moment thought only of his brother ,guillaume1 and flung himself into that porch where a volcanic crater seemed to have opened4 ,and at first he distinguished nothing1 the acrid smoke streamed over all4 ,then he perceived the walls split1 the upper floor rent open1 the paving broken up1 strewn with fragments4 ,outside1 the landau which had been on the point of entering1 had escaped all injury2 neither of the horses had been touched1 nor was there even a scratch on any panel of the vehicle4 ,but the young girl1 the pretty1 slim1 fair-haired errand girl1 lay there on her back1 her stomach ripped open1 whilst her delicate face remained intact1 her eyes clear1 her smile full of astonishment1 so swiftly and lightning-like had come the catastrophe4 ,and near her1 from the fallen bandbox1 whose lid had merely come unfastened1 had rolled the bonnet1 a very fragile pink bonnet1 which still looked charming in its flowery freshness4 ,by a prodigy ,guillaume was alive and already on his legs again4 ,his left hand alone streamed with blood1 a projectile seemed to have broken his wrist4 ,his moustaches moreover had been burnt1 and the explosion by throwing him to the ground had so shaken and bruised him that he shivered from head to feet as with intense cold4 ,nevertheless1 he recognised his brother without even feeling astonished to see him there1 as indeed often happens after great disasters1 when the unexplained becomes providential4 ,that brother1 of whom he had so long lost sight1 was there1 naturally enough1 because it was necessary that he should be there4 ,and ,guillaume1 amidst the wild quivers by which he was shaken1 at once cried to him 8,take me away6 take me away6 ,to your house at ,neuilly1 oh6 take me away60 ,then1 for sole explanation1 and referring to ,salvat1 he stammered3 8,i suspected that he had stolen a cartridge from me2 only one1 most fortunately1 for otherwise the whole district would have been blown to pieces4 ,ah6 the wretched fellow6 ,i wasn't in time to set my foot upon the match40 ,with perfect lucidity of mind1 such as danger sometimes imparts1 ,pierre1 neither speaking nor losing a moment1 remembered that the mansion had a back entrance fronting the ,rue ,vignon4 ,he had just realised in what serious peril his brother would be if he were found mixed up in that affair4 ,and with all speed1 when he had led him into the gloom of the ,rue ,vignon1 he tied his handkerchief round his wrist1 which he bade him press to his chest1 under his coat1 as that would conceal it4 ,but ,guillaume1 still shivering and haunted by the horror he had witnessed1 repeated3 8,take me away--to your place at ,neuilly--not to my home40 8,of course1 of course1 be easy4 ,come1 wait here a second1 ,i will stop a cab40 ,in his eagerness to procure a conveyance1 ,pierre had brought his brother down to the ,boulevard again4 ,but the terrible thunderclap of the explosion had upset the whole neighbourhood1 horses were still rearing1 and people were running demented1 hither and thither4 ,and numerous policemen had hastened up1 and a rushing crowd was already blocking the lower part of the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 which was now as black as a pit1 every light in it having been extinguished2 whilst on the ,boulevard a hawker of the 8,voix du ,peuple0 still stubbornly vociferated3 8,the new scandal of the ,african ,railway ,lines6 ,the thirty-two bribe-takers of the ,chamber and the ,senate6 ,the approaching fall of the ministry60 ,pierre was at last managing to stop a cab when he heard a person who ran by say to another1 8,the ministry8 ,ah1 well6 that bomb will mend it right enough60 ,then the brothers seated themselves in the cab1 which carried them away4 ,and now1 over the whole of rumbling ,paris black night had gathered1 an unforgiving night1 in which the stars foundered amidst the mist of crime and anger that had risen from the house-roofs4 ,the great cry of justice swept by amidst the same terrifying flapping of wings which ,sodom and ,gomorrah once heard bearing down upon them from all the black clouds of the horizon4 ,,book ,,ii4 ,i4 ,,revolutionists ,,in that out-of-the-way street at ,neuilly1 along which nobody passed after dusk1 ,pierre's little house was now steeped in deep slumber under the black sky2 each of its shutters closed1 and not a ray of light stealing forth from within4 ,and one could divine1 too1 the profound quietude of the little garden in the rear1 a garden empty and lifeless1 benumbed by the winter cold4 ,pierre had several times feared that his brother would faint away in the cab in which they were journeying4 ,leaning back1 and often sinking down1 ,guillaume spoke not a word4 ,and terrible was the silence between them--a silence fraught with all the questions and answers which they felt it would be useless and painful to exchange at such a time4 ,however1 the priest was anxious about the wound1 and wondered to what surgeon he might apply1 desirous as he was of admitting only a sure1 staunch man into the secret1 for he had noticed with how keen a desire to disappear his brother had sought to hide himself4 ,until they reached the ,arc de ,triomphe the silence remained unbroken4 ,it was only there that ,guillaume seemed to emerge from the prostration of his reverie4 8,mind1 ,pierre10 said he1 8no doctor4 ,we will attend to this together40 ,pierre was on the point of protesting1 but he realised that it would be useless to discuss the subject at such a moment1 and so he merely waved his hand to signify that he should act in spite of the prohibition were it necessary4 ,in point of fact1 his anxiety had increased1 and1 when the cab at last drew up before the house1 it was with real relief that he saw his brother alight without evincing any marked feebleness4 ,he himself quickly paid the driver1 well-pleased1 too1 at finding that nobody1 not even a neighbour1 was about4 ,and having opened the door with his latch key1 he helped the injured man to ascend the steps4 ,a little night lamp glimmered faintly in the vestibule4 ,on hearing the door open1 ,pierre's servant1 ,sophie1 had at once emerged from the kitchen4 ,a short1 thin1 dark woman of sixty1 she had formed part of the household for more than thirty years1 having served the mother before serving the son4 ,she knew ,guillaume1 having seen him when he was a young man1 and doubtless she now recognised him1 although well-nigh ten years had gone by since he had last crossed that threshold4 ,instead of evincing any surprise1 she seemed to consider his extraordinary return quite natural1 and remained as silent and discreet as usual4 ,she led1 indeed1 the life of a recluse1 never speaking unless her work absolutely required it4 ,and thus she now contented herself with saying3 8,monsieur l',abb1 ,monsieur ,bertheroy is in the study1 and has been waiting there for a quarter of an hour40 ,at this ,guillaume intervened1 as if the news revived him3 8,does ,bertheroy still come here1 then8 ,i'll see him willingly4 ,his is one of the best1 the broadest1 minds of these days4 ,he has still remained my master40 ,a former friend of their father1--the illustrious chemist1 ,michel ,froment1--,bertheroy had now1 in his turn1 become one of the loftiest glories of ,france1 one to whom chemistry owed much of the extraordinary progress that has made it the mother-science1 by which the very face of the earth is being changed4 ,a member of the ,institute1 laden with offices and honours1 he had retained much affection for ,pierre1 and occasionally visited him in this wise before dinner1 by way of relaxation1 he would say4 8,you showed him into the study8 ,all right1 then1 we will go there10 said the ,abb to the servant4 8,light a lamp and take it into my room1 and get my bed ready so that my brother may go to bed at once40 ,while ,sophie1 without a word or sign of surprise1 was obeying these instructions1 the brothers went into their father's former laboratory1 of which the priest had now made a spacious study4 ,and it was with a cry of joyous astonishment that the savant greeted them on seeing them enter the room side by side1 the one supporting the other4 8,what1 together60 he exclaimed4 8,ah6 my dear children1 you could not have caused me greater pleasure6 ,i who have so often deplored your painful misunderstanding40 ,bertheroy was a tall and lean septuagenarian1 with angular features4 ,his yellow skin clung like parchment to the projecting bones of his cheeks and jaw4 ,moreover1 there was nothing imposing about him2 he looked like some old shop-keeping herbalist4 ,at the same time he had a fine1 broad1 smooth brow1 and his eyes still glittered brightly beneath his tangled hair4 8,what1 have you injured yourself1 ,guillaume80 he continued1 as soon as he saw the bandaged hand4 ,pierre remained silent1 so as to let his brother tell the story as he chose4 ,guillaume had realised that he must confess the truth1 but in simple fashion1 without detailing the circumstances4 8,yes1 in an explosion10 he answered1 8and ,i really think that ,i have my wrist broken40 ,at this1 ,bertheroy1 whose glance was fixed upon him1 noticed that his moustaches were burnt1 and that there was an expression of bewildered stupor1 such as follows a catastrophe1 in his eyes4 ,forthwith the savant became grave and circumspect2 and1 without seeking to compel confidence by any questions1 he simply said3 8,indeed6 an explosion6 ,will you let me see the injury8 ,you know that before letting chemistry ensnare me ,i studied medicine1 and am still somewhat of a surgeon40 ,on hearing these words ,pierre could not restrain a heart-cry3 8,yes1 yes1 master6 ,look at the injury--,i was very anxious1 and to find you here is unhoped-for good fortune60 ,the savant glanced at him1 and divined that the hidden circumstances of the accident must be serious4 ,and then1 as ,guillaume1 smiling1 though paling with weakness1 consented to the suggestion1 ,bertheroy retorted that before anything else he must be put to bed4 ,the servant just then returned to say the bed was ready1 and so they all went into the adjoining room1 where the injured man was soon undressed and helped between the sheets4 8,light me1 ,pierre10 said ,bertheroy1 8take the lamp2 and let ,sophie give me a basin full of water and some cloths40 ,then1 having gently washed the wound1 he resumed3 8,the devil6 ,the wrist isn't broken1 but it's a nasty injury4 ,i am afraid there must be a lesion of the bone4 ,some nails passed through the flesh1 did they not80 ,receiving no reply1 he relapsed into silence4 ,but his surprise was increasing1 and he closely examined the hand1 which the flame of the explosion had scorched1 and even sniffed the shirt cuff as if seeking to understand the affair better4 ,he evidently recognised the effects of one of those new explosives which he himself had studied1 almost created4 ,in the present case1 however1 he must have been puzzled1 for there were characteristic signs and traces the significance of which escaped him4 8,and so10 he at last made up his mind to ask1 carried away by professional curiosity1 8and so it was a laboratory explosion which put you in this nice condition8 ,what devilish powder were you concocting then80 ,guillaume1 ever since he had seen ,bertheroy thus studying his injury1 had1 in spite of his sufferings1 given marked signs of annoyance and agitation4 ,and as if the real secret which he wished to keep lay precisely in the question now put to him1 in that powder1 the first experiment with which had thus injured him1 he replied with an air of restrained ardour1 and a straight frank glance3 8,pray do not question me1 master4 ,i cannot answer you4 ,you have1 ,i know1 sufficient nobility of nature to nurse me and care for me without exacting a confession40 8,oh6 certainly1 my friend10 exclaimed ,bertheroy2 8keep your secret4 ,your discovery belongs to you if you have made one2 and ,i know that you are capable of putting it to the most generous use4 ,besides1 you must be aware that ,i have too great a passion for truth to judge the actions of others1 whatever their nature1 without knowing every circumstance and motive40 ,so saying1 he waved his hand as if to indicate how broadly tolerant and free from error and superstition was that lofty sovereign mind of his1 which in spite of all the orders that bedizened him1 in spite of all the academical titles that he bore as an official savant1 made him a man of the boldest and most independent views1 one whose only passion was truth1 as he himself said4 ,he lacked the necessary appliances to do more than dress the wound1 after making sure that no fragment of any projectile had remained in the flesh4 ,then he at last went off1 promising to return at an early hour on the morrow2 and1 as the priest escorted him to the street door1 he spoke some comforting words3 if the bone had not been deeply injured all would be well4 ,on returning to the bedside1 ,pierre found his brother still sitting up and seeking fresh energy in his desire to write home and tranquillise his loved ones4 ,so the priest1 after providing pen and paper1 again had to take up the lamp and light him4 ,guillaume fortunately retained full use of his right hand1 and was thus able to pen a few lines to say that he would not be home that night4 ,he addressed the note to ,madame ,leroi1 the mother of his deceased mistress1 who1 since the latter's death1 had remained with him and had reared his three sons4 ,pierre was aware also that the household at ,montmartre included a young woman of five or six and twenty1 the daughter of an old friend1 to whom ,guillaume had given shelter on her father's death1 and whom he was soon to marry1 in spite of the great difference in their ages4 ,for the priest1 however1 all these were vague1 disturbing things1 condemnable features of disorderly life1 and he had invariably pretended to be ignorant of them4 8,so you wish this note to be taken to ,montmartre at once80 he said to his brother4 8,yes1 at once4 ,it is scarcely more than seven o'clock now1 and it will be there by eight4 ,and you will choose a reliable man1 won't you80 8,the best course will be for ,sophie to take a cab4 ,we need have no fear with her4 ,she won't chatter4 ,wait a moment1 and ,i will settle everything40 ,sophie1 on being summoned1 at once understood what was wanted of her1 and promised to say1 in reply to any questions1 that ,m4 ,guillaume had come to spend the night at his brother's1 for reasons which she did not know4 ,and without indulging in any reflections herself1 she left the house1 saying simply3 8,monsieur l',abb's dinner is ready2 he will only have to take the broth and the stew off the stove40 ,however1 when ,pierre this time returned to the bedside to sit down there1 he found that ,guillaume had fallen back with his head resting on both pillows4 ,and he looked very weary and pale1 and showed signs of fever4 ,the lamp1 standing on a corner of a side table1 cast a soft light around1 and so deep was the quietude that the big clock in the adjoining dining-room could be heard ticking4 ,for a moment the silence continued around the two brothers1 who1 after so many years of separation1 were at last re-united and alone together4 ,then the injured man brought his right hand to the edge of the sheet1 and the priest grasped it1 pressed it tenderly in his own4 ,and the clasp was a long one1 those two brotherly hands remaining locked1 one in the other4 8,my poor little ,pierre10 ,guillaume faintly murmured1 8you must forgive me for falling on you in this fashion4 ,i've invaded the house and taken your bed1 and ,i'm preventing you from dining40 8,don't talk1 don't tire yourself any more10 interrupted ,pierre4 8,is not this the right place for you when you are in trouble80 ,a warmer pressure came from ,guillaume's feverish hand1 and tears gathered in his eyes4 8,thanks1 my little ,pierre4 ,i've found you again1 and you are as gentle and loving as you always were4 ,ah6 you cannot know how delightful it seems to me40 ,then the priest's eyes also were dimmed by tears4 ,amidst the deep quietude1 the great sense of comfort which had followed their violent emotion1 the brothers found an infinite charm in being together once more in the home of their childhood499 ,it was there that both their father and mother had died--the father tragically1 struck down by an explosion in his laboratory2 the mother piously1 like a very saint4 ,it was there1 too1 in that same bed1 that ,guillaume had nursed ,pierre1 when1 after their mother's death1 the latter had nearly died2 and it was there now that ,pierre in his turn was nursing ,guillaume4 ,all helped to bow them down and fill them with emotion3 the strange circumstances of their meeting1 the frightful catastrophe which had caused them such a shock1 the mysteriousness of the things which remained unexplained between them4 ,and now that after so long a separation they were tragically brought together again1 they both felt their memory awaking4 ,the old house spoke to them of their childhood1 of their parents dead and gone1 of the far-away days when they had loved and suffered there4 ,beneath the window lay the garden1 now icy cold1 which once1 under the sunbeams1 had re-echoed with their play4 ,on the left was the laboratory1 the spacious room where their father had taught them to read4 ,on the right1 in the dining-room1 they could picture their mother cutting bread and butter for them1 and looking so gentle with her big1 despairing eyes--those of a believer mated to an infidel4 ,and the feeling that they were now alone in that home1 and the pale1 sleepy gleam of the lamp1 and the deep silence of the garden and the house1 and the very past itself1 all filled them with the softest of emotion blended with the keenest bitterness4 99 ,see ,m4 ,zola's 8,lourdes10 ,day ,i41 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,they would have liked to talk and unbosom themselves4 ,but what could they say to one another8 ,although their hands remained so tightly clasped1 did not the most impassable of chasms separate them8 ,in any case1 they thought so4 ,guillaume was convinced that ,pierre was a saint1 a priest of the most robust faith1 without a doubt1 without aught in common with himself1 whether in the sphere of ideas or in that of practical life4 ,a hatchet-stroke had parted them1 and each lived in a different world4 ,and in the same way ,pierre pictured ,guillaume as one who had lost caste1 whose conduct was most suspicious1 who had never even married the mother of his three children1 but was on the point of marrying that girl who was far too young for him1 and who had come nobody knew whence4 ,in him1 moreover1 were blended the passionate ideas of a savant and a revolutionist1 ideas in which one found negation of everything1 acceptance and possibly provocation of the worst forms of violence1 with a glimpse of the vague monster of ,anarchism underlying all4 ,and so1 on what basis could there be any understanding between them1 since each retained his prejudices against the other1 and saw him on the opposite side of the chasm1 without possibility of any plank being thrown across it to enable them to unite8 ,thus1 all alone in that room1 their poor hearts bled with distracted brotherly love4 ,pierre knew that1 on a previous occasion1 ,guillaume had narrowly escaped being compromised in an ,anarchist affair4 ,he asked him no questions1 but he could not help reflecting that he would not have hidden himself in this fashion had he not feared arrest for complicity4 ,complicity with ,salvat8 ,was he really an accomplice8 ,pierre shuddered1 for the only materials on which he could found a contrary opinion were1 on one hand1 the words that had escaped his brother after the crime1 the cry he had raised accusing ,salvat of having stolen a cartridge from him2 and1 on the other hand1 his heroic rush into the doorway of the ,duvillard mansion in order to extinguish the match4 ,a great deal still remained obscure2 but if a cartridge of that frightful explosive had been stolen from ,guillaume the fact must be that he manufactured such cartridges and had others at home4 ,of course1 even if he were not an accomplice1 the injury to his wrist had made it needful for him to disappear4 ,given his bleeding hand1 and the previous suspicions levelled against him1 he would never have convinced anybody of his innocence4 ,and yet1 even allowing for these surmises1 the affair remained wrapt in darkness3 a crime on ,guillaume's part seemed a possibility1 and to ,pierre it was all dreadful to think of4 ,guillaume1 by the trembling of his brother's moist1 yielding hand1 must in some degree have realised the prostration of his poor mind1 already shattered by doubt and finished off by this calamity4 ,indeed1 the sepulchre was empty now1 the very ashes had been swept out of it4 8,my poor little ,pierre10 the elder brother slowly said4 8,forgive me if ,i do not tell you anything4 ,i cannot do so4 ,and besides1 what would be the use of it8 ,we should certainly not understand one another4444 ,so let us keep from saying anything1 and let us simply enjoy the delight of being together and loving one another in spite of all40 ,pierre raised his eyes1 and for a long time their glances lingered1 one fixed on the other4 8,ah60 stammered the priest1 8how frightful it all is60 ,guillaume1 however1 had well understood the mute inquiry of ,pierre's eyes4 ,his own did not waver but replied boldly1 beaming with purity and loftiness3 8,i can tell you nothing4 ,yet1 all the same1 let us love each other1 my little ,pierre40 ,and then ,pierre for a moment felt that his brother was above all base anxiety1 above the guilty fear of the man who trembles for himself4 ,in lieu thereof he seemed to be carried away by the passion of some great design1 the noble thought of concealing some sovereign idea1 some secret which it was imperative for him to save4 ,but1 alas6 this was only the fleeting vision of a vague hope2 for all vanished1 and again came the doubt1 the suspicion1 of a mind dealing with one that it knew nothing of4 ,and all at once a souvenir1 a frightful spectacle1 arose before ,pierre's eyes and distracted him3 8,did you see1 brother10 he stammered1 8did you see that fair-haired girl lying under the archway1 ripped open1 with a smile of astonishment on her face80 ,guillaume in his turn quivered1 and in a low and dolorous voice replied3 8,yes1 ,i saw her6 ,ah1 poor little thing6 ,ah6 the atrocious necessities1 the atrocious errors1 of justice60 ,then1 amidst the frightful shudder that seemed to sweep by1 ,pierre1 with his horror of all violence1 succumbed1 and let his face sink upon the counterpane at the edge of the bed4 ,and he sobbed distractedly3 a sudden attack of weakness1 overflowing in tears1 cast him there exhausted1 with no more strength than a child4 ,it was as if all his sufferings since the morning1 the deep grief with which universal injustice and woe inspired him1 were bursting forth in that flood of tears which nothing now could stay4 ,and ,guillaume1 who1 to calm his little brother1 had set his hand upon his head1 in the same way as he had often caressingly stroked his hair in childhood's days1 likewise felt upset and remained silent1 unable to find a word of consolation1 resigned1 as he was1 to the eruption which in life is always possible1 the cataclysm by which the slow evolution of nature is always liable to be precipitated4 ,but how hard a fate for the wretched ones whom the lava sweeps away in millions6 ,and then his tears also began to flow amidst the profound silence4 8,pierre10 he gently exclaimed at last1 8you must have some dinner4 ,go1 go and have some4 ,and screen the lamp2 leave me by myself1 and let me close my eyes4 ,it will do me good40 ,pierre had to content him4 ,still1 he left the dining-room door open2 and1 weak for want of food1 though he had not hitherto noticed it1 he ate standing1 with his ears on the alert1 listening lest his brother should complain or call him4 ,and the silence seemed to have become yet more complete1 the little house sank1 as it were1 into annihilation1 instinct with all the melancholy charm of the past4 ,at about half-past eight1 when ,sophie returned from her errand to ,montmartre1 ,guillaume heard her step1 light though it was4 ,and he at once became restless and wanted to know what news she brought4 ,it was ,pierre1 however1 who enlightened him4 8,don't be anxious4 ,sophie was received by an old lady who1 after reading your note1 merely answered1 #8,very well4' ,she did not even ask ,sophie a question1 but remained quite composed without sign of curiosity40 ,guillaume1 realising that this fine serenity perplexed his brother1 thereupon replied with similar calmness3 8,oh6 it was only necessary that grandmother should be warned4 ,she knows well enough that if ,i don't return home it is because ,i can't40 ,however1 from that moment it was impossible for the injured man to rest4 ,although the lamp was hidden away in a corner1 he constantly opened his eyes1 glanced round him1 and seemed to listen1 as if for sounds from the direction of ,paris4 ,and it at last became necessary for the priest to summon the servant and ask her if she had noticed anything strange on her way to or from ,montmartre4 ,she seemed surprised by the question1 and answered that she had noticed nothing4 ,besides1 the cab had followed the outer boulevards1 which were almost deserted4 ,a slight fog had again begun to fall1 and the streets were steeped in icy dampness4 ,by the time it was nine o'clock ,pierre realised that his brother would never be able to sleep if he were thus left without news4 ,amidst his growing feverishness the injured man experienced keen anxiety1 a haunting desire to know if ,salvat were arrested and had spoken out4 ,he did not confess this2 indeed he sought to convey the impression that he had no personal disquietude1 which was doubtless true4 ,but his great secret was stifling him2 he shuddered at the thought that his lofty scheme1 all his labour and all his hope1 should be at the mercy of that unhappy man whom want had filled with delusions and who had sought to set justice upon earth by the aid of a bomb4 ,and in vain did the priest try to make ,guillaume understand that nothing certain could yet be known4 ,he perceived that his impatience increased every minute1 and at last resolved to make some effort to satisfy him4 ,but where could he go1 of whom could he inquire8 ,guillaume1 while talking and trying to guess with whom ,salvat might have sought refuge1 had mentioned ,janzen1 the ,princess de ,harn's mysterious lover2 and for a moment he had even thought of sending to this man for information4 ,but he reflected that if ,janzen had heard of the explosion he was not at all the individual to wait for the police at home4 ,meantime ,pierre repeated3 8,i will willingly go to buy the evening papers for you--but there will certainly be nothing in them4 ,although ,i know almost everyone in ,neuilly ,i can think of nobody who is likely to have any information1 unless perhaps it were ,bache--0 8,you know ,bache1 the municipal councillor80 interrupted ,guillaume4 8,yes1 we have both had to busy ourselves with charitable work in the neighbourhood40 8,well1 ,bache is an old friend of mine1 and ,i know no safer man4 ,pray go to him and bring him back with you40 ,a quarter of an hour later ,pierre returned with ,bache1 who resided in a neighbouring street4 ,and it was not only ,bache whom he brought with him1 for1 much to his surprise1 he had found ,janzen at ,bache's house4 ,as ,guillaume had suspected1 ,janzen1 while dining at the ,princess de ,harn's1 had heard of the crime1 and had consequently refrained from returning to his little lodging in the ,rue des ,martyrs1 where the police might well have set a trap for him4 ,his connections were known1 and he was aware that he was watched and was liable at any moment to arrest or expulsion as a foreign ,anarchist4 ,and so he had thought it prudent to solicit a few days' hospitality of ,bache1 a very upright and obliging man1 to whom he entrusted himself without fear4 ,he would never have remained with ,rosemonde1 that adorable lunatic who for a month past had been exhibiting him as her lover1 and whose useless and dangerous extravagance of conduct he fully realised4 ,guillaume was so delighted on seeing ,bache and ,janzen that he wished to sit up in bed again4 ,but ,pierre bade him remain quiet1 rest his head on the pillows1 and speak as little as possible4 ,then1 while ,janzen stood near1 erect and silent1 ,bache took a chair and sat down by the bedside with many expressions of friendly interest4 ,he was a stout man of sixty1 with a broad1 full face1 a large white beard and long white hair4 ,his little1 gentle eyes had a dim1 dreamy expression1 while a pleasant1 hopeful smile played round his thick lips4 ,his father1 a fervent ,st4 ,simonian1 had brought him up in the doctrines of that belief4 ,while retaining due respect for it1 however1 his personal inclinations towards orderliness and religion had led him to espouse the ideas of ,fourier1 in such wise that one found in him a succession and an abridgment1 so to say1 of two doctrines4 ,moreover1 when he was about thirty1 he had busied himself with spiritualism4 ,possessed of a comfortable little fortune1 his only adventure in life had been his connection with the ,paris ,commune of #ahga4 ,how or why he had become a member of it he could now scarcely tell4 ,condemned to death by default1 although he had sat among the ,moderates1 he had resided in ,belgium until the amnesty2 and since then ,neuilly had elected him as its representative on the ,paris ,municipal ,council1 less by way of glorifying in him a victim of reaction than as a reward for his worthiness1 for he was really esteemed by the whole district4 ,guillaume1 with his desire for tidings1 was obliged to confide in his two visitors1 tell them of the explosion and ,salvat's flight1 and how he himself had been wounded while seeking to extinguish the match4 ,janzen1 with curly beard and hair1 and a thin1 fair face such as painters often attribute to the ,christ1 listened coldly1 as was his wont1 and at last said slowly in a gentle voice3 8,ah6 so it was ,salvat6 ,i thought it might be little ,mathis--,i'm surprised that it should be ,salvat--for he hadn't made up his mind40 ,then1 as ,guillaume anxiously inquired if he thought that ,salvat would speak out1 he began to protest3 8,oh6 no2 oh6 no40 ,however1 he corrected himself with a gleam of disdain in his clear1 harsh eyes3 8,after all1 there's no telling4 ,salvat is a man of sentiment40 ,then ,bache1 who was quite upset by the news of the explosion1 tried to think how his friend ,guillaume1 to whom he was much attached1 might be extricated from any charge of complicity should he be denounced4 ,and ,guillaume1 at sight of ,janzen's contemptuous coldness1 must have suffered keenly1 for the other evidently believed him to be trembling1 tortured by the one desire to save his own skin4 ,but what could he say1 how could he reveal the deep concern which rendered him so feverish without betraying the secret which he had hidden even from his brother8 ,however1 at this moment ,sophie came to tell her master that ,m4 ,thophile ,morin had called with another gentleman4 ,much astonished by this visit at so late an hour1 ,pierre hastened into the next room to receive the new comers4 ,he had become acquainted with ,morin since his return from ,rome1 and had helped him to introduce a translation of an excellent scientific manual1 prepared according to the official programmes1 into the ,italian schools499 ,a ,franc-,comtois by birth1 a compatriot of ,proudhon1 with whose poor family he had been intimate at ,besancon1 ,morin1 himself the son of a journeyman clockmaker1 had grown up with ,proudhonian ideas1 full of affection for the poor and an instinctive hatred of property and wealth4 ,later on1 having come to ,paris as a school teacher1 impassioned by study1 he had given his whole mind to ,auguste ,comte4 ,beneath the fervent ,positivist1 however1 one might yet find the old ,proudhonian1 the pauper who rebelled and detested want4 ,moreover1 it was scientific ,positivism that he clung to2 in his hatred of all mysticism he would have naught to do with the fantastic religious leanings of ,comte in his last years4 ,and in ,morin's brave1 consistent1 somewhat mournful life1 there had been but one page of romance3 the sudden feverish impulse which had carried him off to fight in ,sicily by ,garibaldi's side4 ,afterwards he had again become a petty professor in ,paris1 obscurely earning a dismal livelihood4 99 ,see ,m4 ,zola's 8,rome10 ,chapters ,,iv4 and ,,xvi4 ,when ,pierre returned to the bedroom he said to his brother in a tone of emotion3 8,morin has brought me ,barths1 who fancies himself in danger and asks my hospitality40 ,at this ,guillaume forgot himself and became excited3 8,nicholas ,barths1 a hero with a soul worthy of antiquity4 ,oh6 ,i know him2 ,i admire and love him4 ,you must set your door open wide for him40 ,bache and ,janzen1 however1 had glanced at one another smiling4 ,and the latter1 with his cold ironical air1 slowly remarked3 8,why does ,monsieur ,barths hide himself8 ,a great many people think he is dead2 he is simply a ghost who no longer frightens anybody40 ,four and seventy years of age as he now was1 ,barths had spent nearly half a century in prison4 ,he was the eternal prisoner1 the hero of liberty whom each successive ,government had carried from citadel to fortress4 ,since his youth he had been marching on amidst his dream of fraternity1 fighting for an ideal ,republic based on truth and justice1 and each and every endeavour had led him to a dungeon2 he had invariably finished his humanitarian reverie under bolts and bars4 ,carbonaro1 ,republican1 evangelical sectarian1 he had conspired at all times and in all places1 incessantly struggling against the ,power of the day1 whatever it might be4 ,and when the ,republic at last had come1 that ,republic which had cost him so many years of gaol1 it had1 in its own turn1 imprisoned him1 adding fresh years of gloom to those which already had lacked sunlight4 ,and thus he remained the martyr of freedom3 freedom which he still desired in spite of everything2 freedom1 which1 strive as he might1 never came1 never existed4 8,but you are mistaken10 replied ,guillaume1 wounded by ,janzen's raillery4 8,there is again a thought of getting rid of ,barths1 whose uncompromising rectitude disturbs our politicians2 and he does well to take his precautions60 ,nicholas ,barths came in1 a tall1 slim1 withered old man1 with a nose like an eagle's beak1 and eyes that still burned in their deep sockets1 under white and bushy brows4 ,his mouth1 toothless but still refined1 was lost to sight between his moustaches and snowy beard2 and his hair1 crowning him whitely like an aureola1 fell in curls over his shoulders4 ,behind him with all modesty came ,thophile ,morin1 with grey whiskers1 grey1 brush-like hair1 spectacles1 and yellow1 weary mien--that of an old professor exhausted by years of teaching4 ,neither of them seemed astonished or awaited an explanation on finding that man in bed with an injured wrist4 ,and there were no introductions3 those who were acquainted merely smiled at one another4 ,barths1 for his part1 stooped and kissed ,guillaume on both cheeks4 8,ah60 said the latter1 almost gaily1 8it gives me courage to see you40 ,however1 the new comers had brought a little information4 ,the boulevards were in an agitated state1 the news of the crime had spread from caf to caf1 and everybody was anxious to see the late edition which one paper had published giving a very incorrect account of the affair1 full of the most extraordinary details4 ,briefly1 nothing positive was as yet known4 ,on seeing ,guillaume turn pale ,pierre compelled him to lie down again1 and even talked of taking the visitors into the next room4 ,but the injured man gently replied3 8,no1 no1 ,i promise you that ,i won't stir again1 that ,i won't open my mouth4 ,but stay there and chat together4 ,i assure you that it will do me good to have you near me and hear you40 ,then1 under the sleepy gleams of the lamp1 the others began to talk in undertones4 ,old ,barths1 who considered that bomb to be both idiotic and abominable1 spoke of it with the stupefaction of one who1 after fighting like a hero through all the legendary struggles for liberty1 found himself belated1 out of his element1 in a new era1 which he could not understand4 ,did not the conquest of freedom suffice for everything8 he added4 ,was there any other problem beyond that of founding the real ,republic8 ,then1 referring to ,mge and his speech in the ,chamber that afternoon1 he bitterly arraigned ,collectivism1 which he declared to be one of the democratic forms of tyranny4 ,thophile ,morin1 for his part1 also spoke against the ,collectivist enrolling of the social forces1 but he professed yet greater hatred of the odious violence of the ,anarchists2 for it was only by evolution that he expected progress1 and he felt somewhat indifferent as to what political means might bring about the scientific society of to-morrow4 ,and in like way ,bache did not seem particularly fond of the ,anarchists1 though he was touched by the idyllic dream1 the humanitarian hope1 whose germs lay beneath their passion for destruction4 ,and1 like ,barths1 he also flew into a passion with ,mge1 who since entering the ,chamber had become1 said he1 a mere rhetorician and theorist1 dreaming of dictatorship4 ,meantime ,janzen1 still erect1 his face frigid and his lips curling ironically1 listened to all three of them1 and vented a few trenchant words to express his own ,anarchist faith2 the uselessness of drawing distinctions1 and the necessity of destroying everything in order that everything might be rebuilt on fresh lines4 ,pierre1 who had remained near the bed1 also listened with passionate attention4 ,amidst the downfall of his own beliefs1 the utter void which he felt within him1 here were these four men1 who represented the cardinal points of this century's ideas1 debating the very same terrible problem which brought him so much suffering1 that of the new belief which the democracy of the coming century awaits4 ,and1 ah6 since the days of the immediate ancestors1 since the days of ,voltaire and ,diderot and ,rousseau how incessantly had billows of ideas followed and jostled one another1 the older ones giving birth to new ones1 and all breaking and bounding in a tempest in which it was becoming so difficult to distinguish anything clearly6 ,whence came the wind1 and whither was the ship of salvation going1 for what port ought one to embark8 ,pierre had already thought that the balance-sheet of the century ought to be drawn up1 and that1 after accepting the legacies of ,rousseau and the other precursors1 he ought to study the ideas of ,st4 ,simon1 ,fourier and even ,cabet2 of ,auguste ,comte1 ,proudhon and ,karl ,marx as well1 in order1 at any rate1 to form some idea of the distance that had been travelled1 and of the cross-ways which one had now reached4 ,and was not this an opportunity1 since chance had gathered those men together in his house1 living exponents of the conflicting doctrines which he wished to examine8 ,on turning round1 however1 he perceived that ,guillaume was now very pale and had closed his eyes4 ,had even he1 with his faith in science1 felt the doubt which is born of contradictory theories1 and the despair which comes when one sees the fight for truth resulting in growth of error8 8,are you in pain80 the priest anxiously inquired4 8,yes1 a little4 ,but ,i will try to sleep40 ,at this they all went off with silent handshakes4 ,nicholas ,barths alone remained in the house and slept in a room on the first floor which ,sophie had got ready for him4 ,pierre1 unwilling to quit his brother1 dozed off upon a sofa4 ,and the little house relapsed into its deep quietude1 the silence of solitude and winter1 through which passed the melancholy quiver of the souvenirs of childhood4 ,in the morning1 as soon as it was seven o'clock1 ,pierre had to go for the newspapers4 ,guillaume had passed a bad night and intense fever had set in4 ,nevertheless1 his brother was obliged to read him the articles on the explosion4 ,there was an amazing medley of truths and inventions1 of precise information lost amidst the most unexpected extravagance4 ,sagnier's paper1 the 8,voix du ,peuple10 distinguished itself by its sub-titles in huge print and a whole page of particulars jumbled together chance-wise4 ,it had at once decided to postpone the famous list of the thirty-two deputies and senators compromised in the ,african ,railways affair2 and there was no end to the details it gave of the aspect of the entrance to the ,duvillard mansion after the explosion the pavement broken up1 the upper floor rent open1 the huge doors torn away from their hinges4 ,then came the story of the ,baron's son and daughter preserved as by a miracle1 the landau escaping the slightest injury1 while the banker and his wife1 it was alleged1 owed their preservation to the circumstance that they had lingered at the ,madeleine after ,monseigneur ,martha's remarkable address there4 ,an entire column was given to the one victim1 the poor1 pretty1 fair-haired errand girl1 whose identity did not seem to be clearly established1 although a flock of reporters had rushed first to the modiste employing her1 in the ,avenue de l',opera1 and next to the upper part of the ,faubourg ,st4 ,denis1 where it was thought her grandmother resided4 ,then1 in a gravely worded article in 8,le ,globe10 evidently inspired by ,fonsgue1 an appeal was made to the ,chamber's patriotism to avoid giving cause for any ministerial crisis in the painful circumstances through which the country was passing4 ,thus the ministry might last1 and live in comparative quietude1 for a few weeks longer4 ,guillaume1 however1 was struck by one point only3 the culprit was not known2 ,salvat1 it appeared certain1 was neither arrested nor even suspected4 ,it seemed1 indeed1 as if the police were starting on a false scent--that of a well-dressed gentleman wearing gloves1 whom a neighbour swore he had seen entering the mansion at the moment of the explosion4 ,thus ,guillaume became a little calmer4 ,but his brother read to him from another paper some particulars concerning the engine of destruction that had been employed4 ,it was a preserved-meat can1 and the fragments of it showed that it had been comparatively small4 ,and ,guillaume relapsed into anxiety on learning that people were much astonished at the violent ravages of such a sorry appliance1 and that the presence of some new explosive of incalculable power was already suspected4 ,at eight o'clock ,bertheroy put in an appearance4 ,although he was sixty-eight1 he showed as much briskness and sprightliness as any young sawbones calling in a friendly way to perform a little operation4 ,he had brought an instrument case1 some linen bands and some lint4 ,however1 he became angry on finding the injured man nervous1 flushed and hot with fever4 8,ah6 ,i see that you haven't been reasonable1 my dear child10 said he4 8,you must have talked too much1 and have bestirred and excited yourself40 ,then1 having carefully probed the wound1 he added1 while dressing it3 8,the bone is injured1 you know1 and ,i won't answer for anything unless you behave better4 ,any complications would make amputation necessary40 ,pierre shuddered1 but ,guillaume shrugged his shoulders1 as if to say that he might just as well be amputated since all was crumbling around him4 ,bertheroy1 who had sat down1 lingering there for another moment1 scrutinised both brothers with his keen eyes4 ,he now knew of the explosion1 and must have thought it over4 8,my dear child10 he resumed in his brusque way1 8,i certainly don't think that you committed that abominable act of folly in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy4 ,but ,i fancy that you were in the neighbourhood--no1 no1 don't answer me1 don't defend yourself4 ,i know nothing and desire to know nothing1 not even the formula of that devilish powder of which your shirt cuff bore traces1 and which has wrought such terrible havoc40 ,and then as the brothers remained surprised1 turning cold with anxiety1 in spite of his assurances1 he added with a sweeping gesture3 8,ah6 my friends1 ,i regard such an action as even more useless than criminal6 ,i only feel contempt for the vain agitation of politics1 whether they be revolutionary or conservative4 ,does not science suffice8 ,why hasten the times when one single step of science brings humanity nearer to the goal of truth and justice than do a hundred years of politics and social revolt8 ,why1 it is science alone which sweeps away dogmas1 casts down gods1 and creates light and happiness4 ,and ,i1 ,member of the ,institute as ,i am1 decorated and possessed of means1 ,i am the only true ,revolutionist40 ,then he began to laugh and ,guillaume realised all the good-natured irony of his laugh4 ,while admiring him as a great savant1 he had hitherto suffered at seeing him lead such a bourgeois life1 accepting whatever appointments and honours were offered him1 a ,republican under the ,republic1 but quite ready to serve science under no matter what master4 ,but now1 from beneath this opportunist1 this hieratical savant1 this toiler who accepted wealth and glory from all hands1 there appeared a quiet yet terrible evolutionist1 who certainly expected that his own work would help to ravage and renew the world6 ,however1 ,bertheroy rose and took his leave3 8,i'll come back2 behave sensibly1 and love one another as well as you can40 ,when the brothers again found themselves alone1 ,pierre seated at ,guillaume's bedside1 their hands once more sought each other and met in a burning clasp instinct with all their anguish4 ,how much threatening mystery and distress there was both around and within them6 ,the grey wintry daylight came into the room1 and they could see the black trees in the garden1 while the house remained full of quivering silence1 save that overhead a faint sound of footsteps was audible4 ,they were the steps of ,nicholas ,barths1 the heroic lover of freedom1 who1 rising at daybreak1 had1 like a caged lion1 resumed his wonted promenade1 the incessant coming and going of one who had ever been a prisoner4 ,and as the brothers ceased listening to him their eyes fell on a newspaper which had remained open on the bed1 a newspaper soiled by a sketch in outline which pretended to portray the poor dead errand girl1 lying1 ripped open1 beside the bandbox and the bonnet it had contained4 ,it was so frightful1 so atrociously hideous a scene1 that two big tears again fell upon ,pierre's cheeks1 whilst ,guillaume's blurred1 despairing eyes gazed wistfully far away1 seeking for the ,future4 ,,ii4 ,a ,,home ,,of ,,industry ,,the little house in which ,guillaume had dwelt for so many years1 a home of quietude and hard work1 stood in the pale light of winter up yonder at ,montmartre1 peacefully awaiting his return4 ,he reflected1 however1 after djeuner that it might not be prudent for him to go back thither for some three weeks1 and so he thought of sending ,pierre to explain the position of affairs4 8,listen1 brother10 he said4 8,you must render me this service4 ,go and tell them the truth--that ,i am here1 slightly injured1 and do not wish them to come to see me1 for fear lest somebody should follow them and discover my retreat4 ,after the note ,i wrote them last evening they would end by getting anxious if ,i did not send them some news40 ,then1 yielding to the one worry which1 since the previous night1 had disturbed his clear1 frank glance1 he added3 8,just feel in the right-hand pocket of my waistcoat2 you will find a little key there4 ,good6 that's it4 ,now you must give it to ,madame ,leroi1 my mother-in-law1 and tell her that if any misfortune should happen to me1 she is to do what is understood between us4 ,that will suffice1 she will understand you40 ,at the first moment ,pierre had hesitated2 but he saw how even the slight effort of speaking exhausted his brother1 so he silenced him1 saying3 8,don't talk1 but put your mind at ease4 ,i will go and reassure your people1 since you wish that this commission should be undertaken by me40 ,truth to tell1 the errand was so distasteful to ,pierre that he had at first thought of sending ,sophie in his place4 ,all his old prejudices were reviving2 it was as if he were going to some ogre's den4 ,how many times had he not heard his mother say 8that creature60 in referring to the woman with whom her elder son cohabited4 ,never had she been willing to kiss ,guillaume's boys2 the whole connection had shocked her1 and she was particularly indignant that ,madame ,leroi1 the woman's mother1 should have joined the household for the purpose of bringing up the little ones4 ,pierre retained so strong a recollection of all this that even nowadays1 when he went to the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart and passed the little house on his way1 he glanced at it distrustfully1 and kept as far from it as he could1 as if it were some abode of vice and error4 ,undoubtedly1 for ten years now1 the boys' mother had been dead1 but did not another scandal-inspiring creature dwell there1 that young orphan girl to whom his brother had given shelter1 and whom he was going to marry1 although a difference of twenty years lay between them8 ,to ,pierre all this was contrary to propriety1 abnormal and revolting1 and he pictured a home given over to social rebellion1 where lack of principle led to every kind of disorder4 ,however1 he was leaving the room to start upon his journey1 when ,guillaume called him back4 8,tell ,madame ,leroi10 said he1 8that if ,i should die you will let her know of it1 so that she may immediately do what is necessary40 8,yes1 yes10 answered ,pierre4 8,but calm yourself1 and don't move about4 ,i'll say everything4 ,and in my absence ,sophie will stop here with you in case you should need her40 ,having given full instructions to the servant1 ,pierre set out to take a tramcar1 intending to alight from it on the ,boulevard de ,rochechouart1 and then climb the height on foot4 ,and on the road1 lulled by the gliding motion of the heavy vehicle1 he began to think of his brother's past life and connections1 with which he was but vaguely1 imperfectly1 acquainted4 ,it was only at a later date that details of everything came to his knowledge4 ,in #ahej a young professor named ,leroi1 who had come from ,paris to the college of ,montauban with the most ardent republican ideas1 had there married ,agathe ,dagnan1 the youngest of the five girls of an old ,protestant family from the ,cvennes4 ,young ,madame ,leroi was enceinte when her husband1 threatened with arrest for contributing some violent articles to a local newspaper1 immediately after the 8,coup d'tat10 found himself obliged to seek refuge at ,geneva4 ,it was there that the young couple's daughter1 ,marguerite1 a very delicate child1 was born in #aheb4 ,for seven years1 that is until the ,amnesty of #ahei1 the household struggled with poverty1 the husband giving but a few ill-paid lessons1 and the wife absorbed in the constant care which the child required4 ,then1 after their return to ,paris1 their ill-luck became even greater4 ,for a long time the ex-professor vainly sought regular employment2 it was denied him on account of his opinions1 and he had to run about giving lessons in private houses4 ,when he was at last on the point of being received back into the ,university a supreme blow1 an attack of paralysis1 fell upon him4 ,he lost the use of both legs4 ,and then came utter misery1 every kind of sordid drudgery1 the writing of articles for dictionaries1 the copying of manuscripts1 and even the addressing of newspaper wrappers1 on the fruits of which the household barely contrived to live1 in a little lodging in the ,rue ,monsieur-le-,prince4 ,it was there that ,marguerite grew up4 ,leroi1 embittered by injustice and suffering1 predicted the advent of a ,republic which would avenge the follies of the ,empire1 and a reign of science which would sweep away the deceptive and cruel divinity of religious dogmas4 ,on the other hand1 ,agathe's religious faith had collapsed at ,geneva1 at sight of the narrow and imbecile practices of ,calvinism1 and all that she retained of it was the old ,protestant leaven of rebellion4 ,she had become at once the head and the arm of the house2 she went for her husband's work1 took it back when completed1 and even did much of it herself1 whilst1 at the same time1 performing her house duties1 and rearing and educating her daughter4 ,the latter1 who attended no school1 was indebted for all she learnt to her father and mother1 on whose part there was never any question of religious instruction4 ,through contact with her husband1 ,madame ,leroi had lost all belief1 and her ,protestant heredity inclining her to free inquiry and examination1 she had arranged for herself a kind of peaceful atheism1 based on paramount principles of human duty and justice1 which she applied courageously1 irrespective of all social conventionalities4 ,the long iniquity of her husband's fate1 the undeserved misfortunes which struck her through him and her daughter1 ended by endowing her with wonderful fortitude and devotion1 which made her1 whether as a judge1 a manager1 or a consoler1 a woman of incomparable energy and nobleness of character4 ,it was in the ,rue ,monsieur-le-,prince that ,guillaume became acquainted with the ,leroi family1 after the war of #ahgj4 ,on the same floor as their little lodging he occupied a large room1 where he devoted himself passionately to his studies4 ,at the outset there was only an occasional bow1 for ,guillaume's neighbours were very proud and very grave1 leading their life of poverty in fierce silence and retirement4 ,then intercourse began with the rendering of little services1 such as when the young man procured the ex-professor a commission to write a few articles for a new encyclopaedia4 ,but all at once came the catastrophe3 ,leroi died in his armchair one evening while his daughter was wheeling him from his table to his bed4 ,the two distracted women had not even the money to bury him4 ,the whole secret of their bitter want flowed forth with their tears1 and they were obliged to accept the help of ,guillaume1 who1 from that moment1 became the necessary confidant and friend4 ,and the thing which was bound to happen did happen1 in the most simple and loving manner1 permitted by the mother herself1 who1 full of contempt for a social system which allowed those of good hearts to die of hunger1 refused to admit the necessity of any social tie4 ,thus there was no question of a regular marriage4 ,one day ,guillaume1 who was twenty-three years old1 found himself mated to ,marguerite1 who was twenty2 both of them handsome1 healthy1 and strong1 adoring one another1 loving work1 and full of hope in the future4 ,from that moment a new life began4 ,since his father's death1 ,guillaume1 who had broken off all intercourse with his mother1 had been receiving an allowance of two hundred francs a month4 ,this just represented daily bread2 however1 he was already doubling the amount by his work as a chemist1--his analyses and researches1 which tended to the employment of certain chemical products in industry4 ,so he and ,marguerite installed themselves on the very summit of ,montmartre1 in a little house1 at a rental of eight hundred francs a year1 the great convenience of the place being a strip of garden1 where one might1 later on1 erect a wooden workshop4 ,in all tranquillity ,madame ,leroi took up her abode with the young people1 helping them1 and sparing them the necessity of keeping a second servant4 ,and at successive intervals of two years1 her three grandchildren were born1 three sturdy boys3 first ,thomas1 then ,franois1 and then ,antoine4 ,and in the same way as she had devoted herself to her husband and daughter1 and then to ,guillaume1 so did she now devote herself to the three children4 ,she became 8,mre-,grand0--an emphatic and affectionate way of expressing the term 8grandmother0--for all who lived in the house1 the older as well as the younger ones4 ,she there personified sense1 and wisdom1 and courage2 it was she who was ever on the watch1 who directed everything1 who was consulted about everything1 and whose opinion was always followed4 ,indeed1 she reigned there like an all-powerful queen-mother4 ,for fifteen years this life went on1 a life of hard work and peaceful affection1 while the strictest economy was observed in contenting every need of the modest little household4 ,then ,guillaume lost his mother1 took his share of the family inheritance1 and was able to satisfy his old desire1 which was to buy the house he lived in1 and build a spacious workshop in the garden4 ,he was even able to build it of bricks1 and add an upper story to it4 ,but the work was scarcely finished1 and life seemed to be on the point of expanding and smiling on them all1 when misfortune returned1 and typhoid fever1 with brutal force1 carried off ,marguerite1 after a week's illness4 ,she was then five and thirty1 and her eldest boy1 ,thomas1 was fourteen4 ,thus ,guillaume1 distracted by his loss1 found himself a widower at thirty-eight4 ,the thought of introducing any unknown woman into that retired home1 where all hearts beat in tender unison1 was so unbearable to him that he determined to take no other mate4 ,his work absorbed him1 and he would know how to quiet both his heart and his flesh4 ,mre-,grand1 fortunately1 was still there1 erect and courageous2 the household retained its queen1 and in her the children found a manageress and teacher1 schooled in adversity and heroism4 ,two years passed2 and then came an addition to the family4 ,a young woman1 ,marie ,couturier1 the daughter of one of ,guillaume's friends1 suddenly entered it4 ,couturier had been an inventor1 a madman with some measure of genius1 and had spent a fairly large fortune in attempting all sorts of fantastic schemes4 ,his wife1 a very pious woman1 had died of grief at it all2 and although on the rare occasions when he saw his daughter1 he showed great fondness for her and loaded her with presents1 he had first placed her in a boarding college1 and afterwards left her in the charge of a poor female relative4 ,remembering her only on his death-bed1 he had begged ,guillaume to give her an asylum1 and find her a husband4 ,the poor relation1 who dealt in ladies' and babies' linen1 had just become a bankrupt4 ,so1 at nineteen1 the girl1 ,marie1 found herself a penniless outcast1 possessed of nothing save a good education1 health and courage4 ,guillaume would never allow her to run about giving lessons4 ,he took her1 in quite a natural way1 to help ,mre-,grand1 who was no longer so active as formerly4 ,and the latter approved the arrangement1 well pleased at the advent of youth and gaiety1 which would somewhat brighten the household1 whose life had been one of much gravity ever since ,marguerite's death4 ,marie would simply be an elder sister2 she was too old for the boys1 who were still at college1 to be disturbed by her presence4 ,and she would work in that house where everybody worked4 ,she would help the little community pending the time when she might meet and love some worthy fellow who would marry her4 ,five more years elapsed without ,marie consenting to quit that happy home4 ,the sterling education she had received was lodged in a vigorous brain1 which contented itself with the acquirement of knowledge4 ,yet she had remained very pure and healthy1 even very naive1 maidenly by reason of her natural rectitude4 ,and she was also very much a woman1 beautifying and amusing herself with a mere nothing1 and ever showing gaiety and contentment4 ,moreover1 she was in no wise of a dreamy nature1 but very practical1 always intent on some work or other1 and only asking of life such things as life could give1 without anxiety as to what might lie beyond it4 ,she lovingly remembered her pious mother1 who had prepared her for her first ,communion in tears1 imagining that she was opening heaven's portals to her4 ,but since she had been an orphan she had of her own accord ceased all practice of religion1 her good sense revolting and scorning the need of any moral police regulations to make her do her duty4 ,indeed1 she considered such regulations dangerous and destructive of true health4 ,thus1 like ,mre-,grand1 she had come to a sort of quiet and almost unconscious atheism1 not after the fashion of one who reasons1 but simply like the brave1 healthy girl she was1 one who had long endured poverty without suffering from it1 and believed in nothing save the necessity of effort4 ,she had been kept erect1 indeed1 by her conviction that happiness was to be found in the normal joys of life1 lived courageously4 ,and her happy equilibrium of mind had ever guided and saved her1 in such wise that she willingly listened to her natural instinct1 saying1 with her pleasant laugh1 that this was1 after all1 her best adviser4 ,she rejected two offers of marriage1 and on the second occasion1 as ,guillaume pressed her to accept1 she grew astonished1 and inquired if he had had enough of her in the house4 ,she found herself very comfortable1 and she rendered service there4 ,so why should she leave and run the risk of being less happy elsewhere1 particularly as she was not in love with anybody8 ,then1 by degrees1 the idea of a marriage between ,marie and ,guillaume presented itself2 and indeed what could have been more reasonable and advantageous for all8 ,if ,guillaume had not mated again it was for his sons' sake1 because he feared that by introducing a stranger to the house he might impair its quietude and gaiety4 ,but now there was a woman among them who already showed herself maternal towards the boys1 and whose bright youth had ended by disturbing his own heart4 ,he was still in his prime1 and had always held that it was not good for man to live alone1 although1 personally1 thanks to his ardour for work1 he had hitherto escaped excessive suffering in his bereavement4 ,however1 there was the great difference of ages to be considered2 and he would have bravely remained in the background and have sought a younger husband for ,marie1 if his three big sons and ,mre-,grand herself had not conspired to effect his happiness by doing all they could to bring about a marriage which would strengthen every home tie and impart1 as it were1 a fresh springtide to the house4 ,as for ,marie1 touched and grateful to ,guillaume for the manner in which he had treated her for five years past1 she immediately consented with an impulse of sincere affection1 in which1 she fancied1 she could detect love4 ,and at all events1 could she act in a more sensible1 reasonable way1 base her life on more certain prospects of happiness8 ,so the marriage had been resolved upon2 and about a month previously it had been decided that it should take place during the ensuing spring1 towards the end of ,april4 ,when ,pierre1 after alighting from the tramcar1 began to climb the interminable flights of steps leading to the ,rue ,st4 ,eleuthre1 a feeling of uneasiness again came over him at the thought that he was about to enter that suspicious ogre's den where everything would certainly wound and irritate him4 ,given the letter which ,sophie had carried thither on the previous night1 announcing that the master would not return1 how anxious and upset must all its inmates be6 ,however1 as ,pierre ascended the final flight and nervously raised his head1 the little house appeared to him right atop of the hill1 looking very serene and quiet under the bright wintry sun1 which had peered forth as if to bestow upon the modest dwelling an affectionate caress4 ,there was a door in the old garden wall alongside the ,rue ,st4 ,eleuthre1 almost in front of the broad thoroughfare conducting to the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart2 but to reach the house itself one had to skirt the wall and climb to the ,place du ,tertre1 where one found the faade and the entrance4 ,some children were playing on the ,place1 which1 planted as it was with a few scrubby trees1 and edged with humble shops1--a fruiterer's1 a grocer's and a baker's1--looked like some square in a small provincial town4 ,in a corner1 on the left1 ,guillaume's dwelling1 which had been whitewashed during the previous spring1 showed its bright frontage and five lifeless windows1 for all its life was on the other1 the garden1 side1 which overlooked ,paris and the far horizon4 ,pierre mustered his courage and1 pulling a brass knob which glittered like gold1 rang the bell4 ,there came a gay1 distant jingle2 but for a moment nobody appeared1 and he was about to ring again1 when the door was thrown wide open1 revealing a passage which ran right through the house1 beyond which appeared the ocean of ,paris1 the endless sea of house roofs bathed in sunlight4 ,and against this spacious1 airy background1 stood a young woman of twenty-six1 clad in a simple gown of black woolen stuff1 half covered by a large blue apron4 ,she had her sleeves rolled up above her elbows1 and her arms and hands were still moist with water which she had but imperfectly wiped away4 ,a moment's surprise and embarrassment ensued4 ,the young woman1 who had hastened to the door with laughing mien1 became grave and covertly hostile at sight of the visitor's cassock4 ,the priest thereupon realised that he must give his name3 8,i am ,abb ,pierre ,froment40 ,at this the young woman's smile of welcome came back to her4 8,oh6 ,i beg your pardon1 monsieur--,i ought to have recognised you1 for ,i saw you wish ,guillaume good day one morning as you passed40 ,she said ,guillaume2 she1 therefore1 must be ,marie4 ,and ,pierre looked at her in astonishment1 finding her very different from what he had imagined4 ,she was only of average height1 but she was vigorously1 admirably built1 broad of hip and broad of shoulder1 with the small firm bosom of an amazon4 ,by her erect and easy step1 instinct with all the adorable grace of woman in her prime1 one could divine that she was strong1 muscular and healthy4 ,a brunette1 but very white of skin1 she had a heavy helm of superb black hair1 which she fastened in a negligent way1 without any show of coquetry4 ,and under her dark locks1 her pure1 intelligent brow1 her delicate nose and gay eyes appeared full of intense life2 whilst the somewhat heavier character of her lower features1 her fleshy lips and full chin1 bespoke her quiet kindliness4 ,she had surely come on earth as a promise of every form of tenderness1 every form of devotion4 ,in a word1 she was a true mate for man4 ,however1 with her heavy1 straying hair and superb arms1 so ingenuous in their nudity1 she only gave ,pierre an impression of superfluous health and extreme self-assurance4 ,she displeased him and even made him feel somewhat anxious1 as if she were a creature different from all others4 8,it is my brother ,guillaume who has sent me10 he said4 ,at this her face again changed2 she became grave and hastened to admit him to the passage4 ,and when the door was closed she answered3 8,you have brought us news of him1 then6 ,i must apologise for receiving you in this fashion4 ,the servants have just finished some washing1 and ,i was making sure if the work had been well done4 ,pray excuse me1 and come in here for a moment2 it is perhaps best that ,i should be the first to know the news40 ,so saying1 she led him past the kitchen to a little room which served as scullery and wash-house4 ,a tub full of soapy water stood there1 and some dripping linen hung over some wooden bars4 8,and so1 ,guillaume80 she asked4 ,pierre then told the truth in simple fashion3 that his brother's wrist had been injured2 that he himself had witnessed the accident1 and that his brother had then sought an asylum with him at ,neuilly1 where he wished to remain and get cured of his injury in peace and quietness1 without even receiving a visit from his sons4 ,while speaking in this fashion1 the priest watched the effect of his words on ,marie's face3 first fright and pity1 and then an effort to calm herself and judge things reasonably4 8,his letter quite froze me last night10 she ended by replying4 8,i felt sure that some misfortune had happened4 ,but one must be brave and hide one's fear from others4 ,his wrist injured1 you say2 it is not a serious injury1 is it80 8,no2 but it is necessary that every precaution should be taken with it40 ,she looked him well in the face with her big frank eyes1 which dived into his own as if to reach the very depths of his being1 though at the same time she plainly sought to restrain the score of questions which rose to her lips4 8,and that is all3 he was injured in an accident10 she resumed2 8he didn't ask you to tell us anything further about it80 8,no1 he simply desires that you will not be anxious40 ,thereupon she insisted no further1 but showed herself obedient and respectful of the decision which ,guillaume had arrived at4 ,it sufficed that he should have sent a messenger to reassure the household--she did not seek to learn any more4 ,and even as she had returned to her work in spite of the secret anxiety in which the letter of the previous evening had left her1 so now1 with her air of quiet strength1 she recovered an appearance of serenity1 a quiet smile and clear brave glance4 8,guillaume only gave me one other commission10 resumed ,pierre1 8that of handing a little key to ,madame ,leroi40 8,very good10 ,marie answered1 8,mre-,grand is here2 and1 besides1 the children must see you4 ,i will take you to them40 ,once more quite tranquil1 she examined ,pierre without managing to conceal her curiosity1 which seemed of rather a kindly nature blended with an element of vague pity4 ,her fresh white arms had remained bare4 ,in all candour she slowly drew down her sleeves2 then took off the large blue apron1 and showed herself with her rounded figure1 at once robust and elegant1 in her modest black gown4 ,he meanwhile looked at her1 and most certainly he did not find her to his liking4 ,on seeing her so natural1 healthy1 and courageous1 quite a feeling of revolt arose within him1 though he knew not why4 8,will you please follow me1 ,monsieur l',abb80 she said4 8,we must cross the garden40 ,on the ground-floor of the house1 across the passage1 and facing the kitchen and the scullery1 there were two other rooms1 a library overlooking the ,place du ,tertre1 and a dining-room whose windows opened into the garden4 ,the four rooms on the first floor served as bedchambers for the father and the sons4 ,as for the garden1 originally but a small one1 it had now been reduced to a kind of gravelled yard by the erection of the large workshop at one end of it4 ,of the former greenery1 however1 there still remained two huge plum-trees with old knotted trunks1 as well as a big clump of lilac-bushes1 which every spring were covered with bloom4 ,and in front of the latter ,marie had arranged a broad flower-bed1 in which she amused herself with growing a few roses1 some wallflowers and some mignonette4 ,with a wave of her hand as she went past1 she called ,pierre's attention to the black plum-trees and the lilacs and roses1 which showed but a few greenish spots1 for winter still held the little nook in sleep4 8,tell ,guillaume10 she said1 8that he must make haste to get well and be back for the first shoots40 ,then1 as ,pierre glanced at her1 she all at once flushed purple4 ,much to her distress1 sudden and involuntary blushes would in this wise occasionally come upon her1 even at the most innocent remarks4 ,she found it ridiculous to feel such childish emotion when she had so brave a heart4 ,but her pure maidenly blood had retained exquisite delicacy1 such natural and instinctive modesty that she yielded to it perforce4 ,and doubtless she had merely blushed because she feared that the priest might think she had referred to her marriage in speaking of the spring4 8,please go in1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,the children are there1 all three40 ,and forthwith she ushered him into the workshop4 ,it was a very spacious place1 over sixteen feet high1 with a brick flooring and bare walls painted an iron grey4 ,a sheet of light1 a stream of sunshine1 spread to every corner through a huge window facing the south1 where lay the immensity of ,paris4 ,the ,venetian shutters often had to be lowered in the summer to attenuate the great heat4 ,from morn till night the whole family lived here1 closely and affectionately united in work4 ,each was installed as fancy listed1 having a particular chosen place4 ,one half of the building was occupied by the father's chemical laboratory1 with its stove1 experiment tables1 shelves for apparatus1 glass cases and cupboards for phials and jars4 ,near all this ,thomas1 the eldest son1 had installed a little forge1 an anvil1 a vice bench1 in fact everything necessary to a working mechanician1 such as he had become since taking his bachelor's degree1 from his desire to remain with his father and help him with certain researches and inventions4 ,then1 at the other end1 the younger brothers1 ,franois and ,antoine1 got on very well together on either side of a broad table which stood amidst a medley of portfolios1 nests of drawers and revolving book-stands4 ,franois1 laden with academical laurels1 first on the pass list for the cole ,normale1 had entered that college where young men are trained for university professorships1 and was there preparing for his ,licentiate degree1 while ,antoine1 who on reaching the third class at the ,lyce ,condorcet had taken a dislike to classical studies1 now devoted himself to his calling as a wood-engraver4 ,and1 in the full light under the window1 ,mre-,grand and ,marie likewise had their particular table1 where needlework1 embroidery1 all sorts of chiffons and delicate things lay about near the somewhat rough jumble of retorts1 tools and big books4 ,marie1 however1 on the very threshold called out in her calm voice1 to which she strove to impart a gay and cheering accent3 8,children6 children6 here is ,monsieur l',abb with news of father60 ,children1 indeed6 ,yet what motherliness she already set in the word as she applied it to those big fellows whose elder sister she had long considered herself to be6 ,at three and twenty ,thomas was quite a colossus1 already bearded and extremely like his father4 ,but although he had a lofty brow and energetic features1 he was somewhat slow both in mind and body4 ,and he was also taciturn1 almost unsociable1 absorbed in filial devotion1 delighted with the manual toil which made him a mere workman at his master's orders4 ,franois1 two years younger than ,thomas1 and nearly as tall1 showed a more refined face1 though he had the same large brow and firm mouth1 a perfect blending of health and strength1 in which the man of intellect1 the scientific ,normalian1 could only be detected by the brighter and more subtle sparkle of the eyes4 ,the youngest of the brothers1 ,antoine1 who for his eighteen years was almost as strong as his elders1 and promised to become as tall1 differed from them by his lighter hair and soft1 blue1 dreamy eyes1 which he had inherited from his mother4 ,it had been difficult1 however1 to distinguish one from the other when all three were schoolboys at the ,lyce ,condorcet2 and even nowadays people made mistakes unless they saw them side by side1 so as to detect the points of difference which were becoming more marked as age progressed4 ,on ,pierre's arrival the brothers were so absorbed in their work that they did not even hear the door open4 ,and again1 as in the case of ,marie1 the priest was surprised by the discipline and firmness of mind1 which amidst the keenest anxiety gave the young fellows strength to take up their daily task4 ,thomas1 who stood at his vice-bench in a blouse1 was carefully filing a little piece of copper with rough but skilful hands4 ,franois1 leaning forward1 was writing in a bold1 firm fashion1 whilst on the other side of the table1 ,antoine1 with a slender graver between his fingers1 finished a block for an illustrated newspaper4 ,however1 ,marie's clear voice made them raise their heads3 8,children1 father has sent you some news60 ,then all three with the same impulse hurriedly quitted their work and came forward4 ,one could divine that directly there was any question of their father they were drawn together1 blended one with the other1 so that but one and the same heart beat in their three broad chests4 ,however1 a door at the far end of the workroom opened at that moment1 and ,mre-,grand1 coming from the upper floor where she and ,marie had their bedrooms1 made her appearance4 ,she had just absented herself to fetch a skein of wool2 and she gazed fixedly at the priest1 unable to understand the reason of his presence4 ,marie had to explain matters4 8,mre-,grand10 said she1 8this is ,monsieur l',abb ,froment1 ,guillaume's brother2 he has come from him40 ,pierre on his side was examining the old lady1 astonished to find her so erect and full of life at seventy4 ,her former beauty had left a stately charm on her rather long face2 youthful fire still lingered in her brown eyes2 and very firm was the contour of her pale lips1 which in parting showed that she had retained all her teeth4 ,a few white hairs alone silvered her black tresses1 which were arranged in old-time fashion4 ,her cheeks had but slightly withered1 and her deep1 symmetrical wrinkles gave her countenance an expression of much nobility1 a sovereign air as of a queen-mother1 which1 tall and slight of stature as she was1 and invariably gowned in black woollen stuff1 she always retained1 no matter how humble her occupation4 8,so ,guillaume sent you1 monsieur10 she said2 8he is injured1 is he not80 ,surprised by this proof of intuition1 ,pierre repeated his story4 8,yes1 his wrist is injured--but oh6 it's not a case of immediate gravity40 ,on the part of the three sons1 he had divined a sudden quiver1 an impulse of their whole beings to rush to the help and defence of their father4 ,and for their sakes he sought words of comfort3 8,he is with me at ,neuilly4 ,and with due care it is certain that no serious complications will arise4 ,he sent me to tell you to be in no wise uneasy about him40 ,mre-,grand for her part evinced no fears1 but preserved great calmness1 as if the priest's tidings contained nothing beyond what she had known already4 ,if anything1 she seemed rather relieved1 freed from anxiety which she had confided to none4 8,if he is with you1 monsieur10 she answered1 8he is evidently as comfortable as he can be1 and sheltered from all risks4 ,we were surprised1 however1 by his letter last night1 as it did not explain why he was detained1 and we should have ended by feeling frightened4 ,but now everything is satisfactory40 ,mre-,grand and the three sons1 following ,marie's example1 asked no explanations4 ,on a table near at hand ,pierre noticed several morning newspapers lying open and displaying column after column of particulars about the crime4 ,the sons had certainly read these papers1 and had feared lest their father should be compromised in that frightful affair4 ,how far did their knowledge of the latter go8 ,they must be ignorant of the part played by ,salvat4 ,it was surely impossible for them to piece together all the unforeseen circumstances which had brought about their father's meeting with the workman1 and then the crime4 ,mre-,grand1 no doubt1 was in certain respects better informed than the others4 ,but they1 the sons and ,marie1 neither knew nor sought to know anything4 ,and thus what a wealth of respect and affection there was in their unshakable confidence in the father1 in the tranquillity they displayed directly he sent them word that they were not to be anxious about him6 8,madame10 ,pierre resumed1 8,guillaume told me to give you this little key1 and to remind you to do what he charged you to do1 if any misfortune should befall him40 ,she started1 but so slightly that it was scarcely perceptible2 and taking the key she answered as if some ordinary wish on the part of a sick person were alone in question4 8,very well4 ,tell him that his wishes shall be carried out40 ,then she added1 8,but pray take a seat1 monsieur40 ,pierre1 indeed1 had remained standing4 ,however1 he now felt it necessary to accept a chair1 desirous as he was of hiding the embarrassment which he still felt in this house1 although he was en famille there4 ,marie1 who could not live without occupation for her fingers1 had just returned to some embroidery1 some of the fine needlework which she stubbornly executed for a large establishment dealing in baby-linen and bridal trousseaux2 for she wished at any rate to earn her own pocket-money1 she often said with a laugh4 ,mre-,grand1 too1 from habit1 which she followed even when visitors were present1 had once more started on her perpetual stocking-mending2 while ,franois and ,antoine had again seated themselves at their table2 and ,thomas alone remained on his legs1 leaning against his bench4 ,all the charm of industrious intimacy pervaded the spacious1 sun-lit room4 8,but we'll all go to see father to-morrow10 ,thomas suddenly exclaimed4 ,before ,pierre could answer ,marie raised her head4 8,no1 no10 said she1 8he does not wish any of us to go to him2 for if we should be watched and followed we should betray the secret of his retreat4 ,isn't that so1 ,monsieur l',abb80 8,it would indeed be prudent of you to deprive yourselves of the pleasure of embracing him until he himself can come back here4 ,it will be a matter of some two or three weeks10 answered ,pierre4 ,mre-,grand at once expressed approval of this4 8,no doubt10 said she4 8,nothing could be more sensible40 ,so the three sons did not insist1 but bravely accepted the secret anxiety in which they must for a time live1 renouncing the visit which would have caused them so much delight1 because their father bade them do so and because his safety depended perhaps on their obedience4 ,however1 ,thomas resumed3 8,then1 ,monsieur l',abb1 will you please tell him that as work will be interrupted here1 ,i shall return to the factory during his absence4 ,i shall be more at ease there for the researches on which we are engaged40 8,and please tell him from me10 put in ,franois1 8that he mustn't worry about my examination4 ,things are going very well4 ,i feel almost certain of success40 ,pierre promised that he would forget nothing4 ,however1 ,marie raised her head1 smiling and glancing at ,antoine1 who had remained silent with a faraway look in his eyes4 8,and you1 little one10 said she1 8don't you send him any message80 ,emerging from a dream1 the young fellow also began to smile4 8,yes1 yes1 a message that you love him dearly1 and that he's to make haste back for you to make him happy40 ,at this they all became merry1 even ,marie1 who in lieu of embarrassment showed a tranquil gaiety born of confidence in the future4 ,between her and the young men there was naught but happy affection4 ,and a grave smile appeared even on the pale lips of ,mre-,grand1 who likewise approved of the happiness which life seemed to be promising4 ,pierre wished to stay a few minutes longer4 ,they all began to chat1 and his astonishment increased4 ,he had gone from surprise to surprise in this house where he had expected to find that equivocal1 disorderly life1 that rebellion against social laws1 which destroy morality4 ,but instead of this he had found loving serenity1 and such strong discipline that life there partook of the gravity1 almost the austerity1 of convent life1 tempered by youth and gaiety4 ,the vast room was redolent of industry and quietude1 warm with bright sunshine4 ,however1 what most particularly struck him was the ,spartan training1 the bravery of mind and heart among those sons who allowed nothing to be seen of their personal feelings1 and did not presume to judge their father1 but remained content with his message1 ready to await events1 stoical and silent1 while carrying on their daily tasks4 ,nothing could be more simple1 more dignified1 more lofty4 ,and there was also the smiling heroism of ,mre-,grand and ,marie1 those two women who slept over that laboratory where terrible preparations were manipulated1 and where an explosion was always possible4 ,however1 such courage1 orderliness and dignity merely surprised ,pierre1 without touching him4 ,he had no cause for complaint1 he had received a polite greeting if not an affectionate one2 but then he was as yet only a stranger there1 a priest4 ,in spite of everything1 however1 he remained hostile1 feeling that he was in a sphere where none of his own torments could be shared or even divined4 ,how did these folks manage to be so calm and happy amidst their religious unbelief1 their sole faith in science1 and in presence of that terrifying ,paris which spread before them the boundless sea1 the growling abomination of its injustice and its want8 ,as this thought came to him he turned his head and gazed at the city through the huge window1 whence it stretched away1 ever present1 ever living its giant life4 ,and at that hour1 under the oblique sun-rays of the winter afternoon1 all ,paris was speckled with luminous dust1 as if some invisible sower1 hidden amidst the glory of the planet1 were fast scattering seed which fell upon every side in a stream of gold4 ,the whole field was covered with it2 for the endless chaos of house roofs and edifices seemed to be land in tilth1 furrowed by some gigantic plough4 ,and ,pierre in his uneasiness1 stirred1 despite everything1 by an invincible need of hope1 asked himself if this was not a good sowing1 the furrows of ,paris strewn with light by the divine sun for the great future harvest1 that harvest of truth and justice of whose advent he had despaired4 ,at last he rose and took his leave1 promising to return at once1 if there should be any bad news4 ,it was ,marie who showed him to the front door4 ,and there another of those childish blushes which worried her so much suddenly rose to her face1 just as she1 in her turn1 also wished to send her loving message to the injured man4 ,however1 with her gay1 candid eyes fixed on those of the priest1 she bravely spoke the words3 8,au revoir1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,tell ,guillaume that ,i love him and await him40 ,,iii4 ,,penury ,,and ,,toil ,,three days went by1 and every morning ,guillaume1 confined to his bed and consumed by fever and impatience1 experienced fresh anxiety directly the newspapers arrived4 ,pierre had tried to keep them from him1 but ,guillaume then worried himself the more1 and so the priest had to read him column by column all the extraordinary articles that were published respecting the crime4 ,never before had so many rumours inundated the press4 ,even the 8,globe10 usually so grave and circumspect1 yielded to the general furore1 and printed whatever statements reached it4 ,but the more unscrupulous papers were the ones to read4 ,the 8,voix du ,peuple0 in particular made use of the public feverishness to increase its sales4 ,each morning it employed some fresh device1 and printed some frightful story of a nature to drive people mad with terror4 ,it related that not a day passed without ,baron ,duvillard receiving threatening letters of the coarsest description1 announcing that his wife1 his son and his daughter would all be killed1 that he himself would be butchered in turn1 and that do what he might his house would none the less be blown up4 ,and as a measure of precaution the house was guarded day and night alike by a perfect army of plain-clothes officers4 ,then another article contained an amazing piece of invention4 ,some anarchists1 after carrying barrels of powder into a sewer near the ,madeleine1 were said to have undermined the whole district1 planning a perfect volcano there1 into which one half of ,paris would sink4 ,and at another time it was alleged that the police were on the track of a terrible plot which embraced all ,europe1 from the depths of ,russia to the shores of ,spain4 ,the signal for putting it into execution was to be given in ,france1 and there would be a three days' massacre1 with grape shot sweeping everyone off the ,boulevards1 and the ,seine running red1 swollen by a torrent of blood4 ,thanks to these able and intelligent devices of the ,press1 terror now reigned in the city2 frightened foreigners fled from the hotels en masse2 and ,paris had become a mere mad-house1 where the most idiotic delusions at once found credit4 ,it was not all this1 however1 that worried ,guillaume4 ,he was only anxious about ,salvat and the various new 8scents0 which the newspaper reporters attempted to follow up4 ,the engineer was not yet arrested1 and1 so far indeed1 there had been no statement in print to indicate that the police were on his track4 ,at last1 however1 ,pierre one morning read a paragraph which made the injured man turn pale4 8,dear me6 ,it seems that a tool has been found among the rubbish at the entrance of the ,duvillard mansion4 ,it is a bradawl1 and its handle bears the name of ,grandidier1 which is that of a man who keeps some well-known metal works4 ,he is to appear before the investigating magistrate to-day40 ,guillaume made a gesture of despair4 8,ah60 said he1 8they are on the right track at last4 ,that tool must certainly have been dropped by ,salvat4 ,he worked at ,grandidier's before he came to me for a few days4 ,and from ,grandidier they will learn all that they need to know in order to follow the scent40 ,pierre then remembered that he had heard the ,grandidier factory mentioned at ,montmartre4 ,guillaume's eldest son1 ,thomas1 had served his apprenticeship there1 and even worked there occasionally nowadays4 8,you told me10 resumed ,guillaume1 8that during my absence ,thomas intended to go back to the factory4 ,it's in connection with a new motor which he's planning1 and has almost hit upon4 ,if there should be a perquisition there1 he may be questioned1 and may refuse to answer1 in order to guard his secret4 ,so he ought to be warned of this1 warned at once60 ,without trying to extract any more precise statement from his brother1 ,pierre obligingly offered his services4 8,if you like10 said he1 8,i will go to see ,thomas this afternoon4 ,perhaps ,i may come across ,monsieur ,grandidier himself and learn how far the affair has gone1 and what was said at the investigating magistrate's40 ,with a moist glance and an affectionate grasp of the hand1 ,guillaume at once thanked ,pierre3 8,yes1 yes1 brother1 go there1 it will be good and brave of you40 8,besides10 continued the priest1 8,i really wanted to go to ,montmartre to-day4 ,i haven't told you so1 but something has been worrying me4 ,if ,salvat has fled1 he must have left the woman and the child all alone up yonder4 ,on the morning of the day when the explosion took place ,i saw the poor creatures in such a state of destitution1 such misery1 that ,i can't think of them without a heart-pang4 ,women and children so often die of hunger when the man is no longer there40 ,at this1 ,guillaume1 who had kept ,pierre's hand in his own1 pressed it more tightly1 and in a trembling voice exclaimed3 8,yes1 yes1 and that will be good and brave too4 ,go there1 brother1 go there40 ,that house of the ,rue des ,saules1 that horrible home of want and agony1 had lingered in ,pierre's memory4 ,to him it was like an embodiment of the whole filthy cloaca1 in which the poor of ,paris suffer unto death4 ,and on returning thither that afternoon1 he found the same slimy mud around it2 its yard littered with the same filth1 its dark1 damp stairways redolent of the same stench of neglect and poverty1 as before4 ,in winter time1 while the fine central districts of ,paris are dried and cleansed1 the far-away districts of the poor remain gloomy and miry1 beneath the everlasting tramp of the wretched ones who dwell in them4 ,remembering the staircase which conducted to ,salvat's lodging1 ,pierre began to climb it amidst a loud screaming of little children1 who suddenly became quiet1 letting the house sink into death-like silence once more4 ,then the thought of ,laveuve1 who had perished up there like a stray dog1 came back to ,pierre4 ,and he shuddered when1 on the top landing1 he knocked at ,salvat's door1 and profound silence alone answered him4 ,not a breath was to be heard4 ,however1 he knocked again1 and as nothing stirred he began to think that nobody could be there4 ,perhaps ,salvat had returned to fetch the woman and the child1 and perhaps they had followed him to some humble nook abroad4 ,still this would have astonished him2 for the poor seldom quit their homes1 but die where they have suffered4 ,so he gave another gentle knock4 ,and at last a faint sound1 the light tread of little feet1 was heard amidst the silence4 ,then a weak1 childish voice ventured to inquire3 8,who is there80 8,monsieur l',abb40 ,the silence fell again1 nothing more stirred4 ,there was evidently hesitation on the other side4 8,monsieur l',abb who came the other day10 said ,pierre again4 ,this evidently put an end to all uncertainty1 for the door was set ajar and little ,cline admitted the priest4 8,i beg your pardon1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she1 8but ,mamma ,thodore has gone out1 and she told me not to open the door to anyone40 ,pierre had1 for a moment1 imagined that ,salvat himself was hiding there4 ,but with a glance he took in the whole of the small bare room1 where man1 woman and child dwelt together4 ,at the same time1 ,madame ,thodore doubtless feared a visit from the police4 ,had she seen ,salvat since the crime8 ,did she know where he was hiding8 ,had he come back there to embrace and tranquillise them both8 8,and your papa1 my dear10 said ,pierre to ,cline1 8isn't he here either80 8,oh6 no1 monsieur1 he has gone away40 8,what1 gone away80 8,yes1 he hasn't been home to sleep1 and we don't know where he is40 8,perhaps he's working40 8,oh1 no6 he'd send us some money if he was40 8,then he's gone on a journey1 perhaps80 8,i don't know40 8,he wrote to ,mamma ,thodore1 no doubt80 8,i don't know40 ,pierre asked no further questions4 ,in fact1 he felt somewhat ashamed of his attempt to extract information from this child of eleven1 whom he thus found alone4 ,it was quite possible that she knew nothing1 that ,salvat1 in a spirit of prudence1 had even refrained from sending any tidings of himself4 ,indeed1 there was an expression of truthfulness on the child's fair1 gentle and intelligent face1 which was grave with the gravity that extreme misery imparts to the young4 8,i am sorry that ,mamma ,thodore isn't here10 said ,pierre1 8,i wanted to speak to her40 8,but perhaps you would like to wait for her1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,she has gone to my ,uncle ,toussaint's in the ,rue ,marcadet2 and she can't stop much longer1 for she's been away more than an hour40 ,thereupon ,cline cleared one of the chairs on which lay a handful of scraps of wood1 picked up on some waste ground4 ,the bare and fireless room was assuredly also a breadless one4 ,pierre could divine the absence of the bread-winner1 the disappearance of the man who represents will and strength in the home1 and on whom one still relies even when weeks have gone by without work4 ,he goes out and scours the city1 and often ends by bringing back the indispensable crust which keeps death at bay4 ,but with his disappearance comes complete abandonment1 the wife and child in danger1 destitute of all prop and help4 ,pierre1 who had sat down and was looking at that poor1 little1 blue-eyed girl1 to whose lips a smile returned in spite of everything1 could not keep from questioning her on another point4 8,so you don't go to school1 my child80 said he4 ,she faintly blushed and answered3 8,i've no shoes to go in40 ,he glanced at her feet1 and saw that she was wearing a pair of ragged old list-slippers1 from which her little toes protruded1 red with cold4 8,besides10 she continued1 8,mamma ,thodore says that one doesn't go to school when one's got nothing to eat4 ,mamma ,thodore wanted to work but she couldn't1 because her eyes got burning hot and full of water4 ,and so we don't know what to do1 for we've had nothing left since yesterday1 and if ,uncle ,toussaint can't lend us twenty sous it'll be all over40 ,she was still smiling in her unconscious way1 but two big tears had gathered in her eyes4 ,and the sight of the child shut up in that bare room1 apart from all the happy ones of earth1 so upset the priest that he again felt his anger with want and misery awakening4 ,then1 another ten minutes having elapsed1 he became impatient1 for he had to go to the ,grandidier works before returning home4 8,i don't know why ,mamma ,thodore doesn't come back10 repeated ,cline4 8,perhaps she's chatting40 ,then1 an idea occurring to her she continued3 8,i'll take you to my ,uncle ,toussaint's1 ,monsieur l',abb1 if you like4 ,it's close by1 just round the corner40 8,but you have no shoes1 my child40 8,oh6 that don't matter1 ,i walk all the same40 ,thereupon he rose from the chair and said simply3 8,well1 yes1 that will be better1 take me there4 ,and ,i'll buy you some shoes40 ,cline turned quite pink1 and then made haste to follow him after carefully locking the door of the room like a good little housewife1 though1 truth to tell1 there was nothing worth stealing in the place4 ,in the meantime it had occurred to ,madame ,thodore that before calling on her brother ,toussaint to try to borrow a franc from him1 she might first essay her luck with her younger sister1 ,hortense1 who had married little ,chrtiennot1 the clerk1 and occupied a flat of four rooms on the ,boulevard de ,rochechouart4 ,this was quite an affair1 however1 and the poor woman only made the venture because ,cline had been fasting since the previous day4 ,eugne ,toussaint1 the mechanician1 a man of fifty1 was her stepbrother1 by the first marriage contracted by her father4 ,a young dressmaker whom the latter had subsequently wedded1 had borne him three daughters1 ,pauline1 ,lonie and ,hortense4 ,and on his death1 his son ,eugne1 who already had a wife and child of his own1 had found himself for a short time with his stepmother and sisters on his hands4 ,the stepmother1 fortunately1 was an active and intelligent woman1 and knew how to get out of difficulties4 ,she returned to her former workroom where her daughter ,pauline was already apprenticed1 and she next placed ,lonie there2 so that ,hortense1 the youngest girl1 who was a spoilt child1 prettier and more delicate than her sisters1 was alone left at school4 ,and1 later on1--after ,pauline had married ,labitte the stonemason1 and ,lonie1 ,salvat the journeyman-engineer1--,hortense1 while serving as assistant at a confectioner's in the ,rue des ,martyrs1 there became acquainted with ,chrtiennot1 a clerk1 who married her4 ,lonie had died young1 only a few weeks after her mother2 ,pauline1 forsaken by her husband1 lived with her brother-in-law ,salvat1 and ,hortense alone wore a light silk gown on ,sundays1 resided in a new house1 and ranked as a bourgeoise1 at the price1 however1 of interminable worries and great privation4 ,madame ,thodore knew that her sister was generally short of money towards the month's end1 and therefore felt rather ill at ease in thus venturing to apply for a loan4 ,chrtiennot1 moreover1 embittered by his own mediocrity1 had of late years accused his wife of being the cause of their spoilt life1 and had ceased all intercourse with her relatives4 ,toussaint1 no doubt1 was a decent workman2 but that ,madame ,thodore who lived in misery with her brother-in-law1 and that ,salvat who wandered from workshop to workshop like an incorrigible ranter whom no employer would keep2 those two1 with their want and dirt and rebellion1 had ended by incensing the vain little clerk1 who was not only a great stickler for the proprieties1 but was soured by all the difficulties he encountered in his own life4 ,and thus he had forbidden ,hortense to receive her sister4 ,all the same1 as ,madame ,thodore climbed the carpeted staircase of the house on the ,boulevard ,rochechouart1 she experienced a certain feeling of pride at the thought that she had a relation living in such luxury4 ,the ,chrtiennot's rooms were on the third floor1 and overlooked the courtyard4 ,their femme-de-mnage--a woman who goes out by the day or hour charring1 cleaning and cooking--came back every afternoon about four o'clock to see to the dinner1 and that day she was already there4 ,she admitted the visitor1 though she could not conceal her anxious surprise at her boldness in calling in such slatternly garb4 ,however1 on the very threshold of the little salon1 ,madame ,thodore stopped short in wonderment herself1 for her sister ,hortense was sobbing and crouching on one of the armchairs1 upholstered in blue repp1 of which she was so proud4 8,what is the matter8 ,what has happened to you80 asked ,madame ,thodore4 ,her sister1 though scarcely two and thirty1 was no longer 8the beautiful ,hortense0 of former days4 ,she retained a doll-like appearance1 with a tall slim figure1 pretty eyes and fine1 fair hair4 ,but she who had once taken so much care of herself1 had now come down to dressing-gowns of doubtful cleanliness4 ,her eyelids1 too1 were reddening1 and blotches were appearing on her skin4 ,she had begun to fade after giving birth to two daughters1 one of whom was now nine and the other seven years of age4 ,very proud and egotistical1 she herself had begun to regret her marriage1 for she had formerly considered herself a real beauty1 worthy of the palaces and equipages of some ,prince ,charming4 ,and at this moment she was plunged in such despair1 that her sister's sudden appearance on the scene did not even astonish her3 8,ah6 it's you10 she gasped4 8,ah6 if you only knew what a blow's fallen on me in the middle of all our worries60 ,madame ,thodore at once thought of the children1 ,lucienne and ,marcelle4 8,are your daughters ill80 she asked4 8,no1 no1 our neighbour has taken them for a walk on the ,boulevard4 ,but the fact is1 my dear1 ,i'm enceinte1 and when ,i told ,chrtiennot of it after djeuner1 he flew into a most fearful passion1 saying the most dreadful1 the most cruel things60 ,then she again sobbed4 ,gentle and indolent by nature1 desirous of peace and quietness before anything else1 she was incapable of deceiving her husband1 as he well knew4 ,but the trouble was that an addition to the family would upset the whole economy of the household4 8,mon ,dieu60 said ,madame ,thodore at last1 8you brought up the others1 and you'll bring up this one too40 ,at this an explosion of anger dried the other's eyes2 and she rose1 exclaiming3 8,you are good1 you are6 ,one can see that our purse isn't yours4 ,how are we to bring up another child when we can scarcely make both ends meet as it is80 ,and thereupon1 forgetting the bourgeois pride which usually prompted her to silence or falsehood1 she freely explained their embarrassment1 the horrid pecuniary worries which made their life a perpetual misery4 ,their rent amounted to #gjj francs199 so that out of the #cjjj francs9999 which the husband earned at his office1 barely a couple of hundred were left them every month4 ,and how were they to manage with that little sum1 provide food and clothes1 keep up their rank and so forth8 ,there was the indispensable black coat for monsieur1 the new dress which madame must have at regular intervals1 under penalty of losing caste1 the new boots which the children required almost every month1 in fact1 all sorts of things that could not possibly be dispensed with4 ,one might strike a dish or two out of the daily menu1 and even go without wine2 but evenings came when it was absolutely necessary to take a cab4 ,and1 apart from all this1 one had to reckon with the wastefulness of the children1 the disorder in which the discouraged wife left the house1 and the despair of the husband1 who was convinced that he would never extricate himself from his difficulties1 even should his salary some day be raised to as high a figure as #djjj francs4 ,briefly1 one here found the unbearable penury of the petty clerk1 with consequences as disastrous as the black want of the artisan3 the mock faade and lying luxury2 all the disorder and suffering which lie behind intellectual pride at not earning one's living at a bench or on a scaffolding4 99 #adj4 9999 #fjj4 8,well1 well10 repeated ,madame ,thodore1 8you can't kill the child40 8,no1 of course not2 but it's the end of everything10 answered ,hortense1 sinking into the armchair again4 8,what will become of us1 mon ,dieu6 ,what will become of us60 ,then she collapsed in her unbuttoned dressing gown1 tears once more gushing from her red and swollen eyes4 ,much vexed that circumstances should be so unpropitious1 ,madame ,thodore nevertheless ventured to ask for the loan of twenty sous2 and this brought her sister's despair and confusion to a climax4 8,i really haven't a centime in the house10 said she1 8just now ,i borrowed ten sous for the children from the servant4 ,i had to get ten francs from the ,mont de ,pit on a little ring the other day4 ,and it's always the same at the end of the month4 ,however1 ,chrtiennot will be paid to-day1 and he's coming back early with the money for dinner4 ,so if ,i can ,i will send you something to-morrow40 ,at this same moment the servant hastened in with a distracted air1 being well aware that monsieur was in no wise partial to madame's relatives4 8,oh madame1 madame60 said she2 8here's monsieur coming up the stairs40 8,quick then1 quick1 go away60 cried ,hortense1 8,i should only have another scene if he met you here4 ,to-morrow1 if ,i can1 ,i promise you40 ,to avoid ,chrtiennot who was coming in1 ,madame ,thodore had to hide herself in the kitchen4 ,as he passed1 she just caught sight of him1 well dressed as usual in a tight-fitting frock-coat4 ,short and lean1 with a thin face and long and carefully tended beard1 he had the bearing of one who is both vain and quarrelsome4 ,fourteen years of office life had withered him1 and now the long evening hours which he spent at a neighbouring caf were finishing him off4 ,when ,madame ,thodore had quitted the house she turned with dragging steps towards the ,rue ,marcadet where the ,toussaints resided4 ,here1 again1 she had no great expectations1 for she well knew what ill-luck and worry had fallen upon her brother's home4 ,during the previous autumn ,toussaint1 though he was but fifty1 had experienced an attack of paralysis which had laid him up for nearly five months4 ,prior to this mishap he had borne himself bravely1 working steadily1 abstaining from drink1 and bringing up his three children in true fatherly fashion4 ,one of them1 a girl1 was now married to a carpenter1 with whom she had gone to ,le ,havre1 while of the others1 both boys--one a soldier1 had been killed in ,tonquin1 and the other ,charles1 after serving his time in the army1 had become a working mechanician4 ,still1 ,toussaint's long illness had exhausted the little money which he had in the ,savings ,bank1 and now that he had been set on his legs again1 he had to begin life once more without a copper before him4 ,madame ,thodore found her sister-in-law alone in the cleanly kept room which she and her husband occupied4 ,madame ,toussaint was a portly woman1 whose corpulence increased in spite of everything1 whether it were worry or fasting4 ,she had a round puffy face with bright little eyes2 and was a very worthy woman1 whose only faults were an inclination for gossiping and a fondness for good cheer4 ,before ,madame ,thodore even opened her mouth she understood the object of her visit4 8,you've come on us at a bad moment1 my dear10 she said1 8we're stumped4 ,toussaint wasn't able to go back to the works till the day before yesterday1 and he'll have to ask for an advance this evening40 ,as she spoke1 she looked at the other with no great sympathy1 hurt as she felt by her slovenly appearance4 8,and ,salvat10 she added1 8is he still doing nothing80 ,madame ,thodore doubtless foresaw the question1 for she quietly lied3 8,he isn't in ,paris1 a friend has taken him off for some work over ,belgium way1 and ,i'm waiting for him to send us something40 ,madame ,toussaint still remained distrustful1 however3 8,ah60 she said1 8it's just as well that he shouldn't be in ,paris2 for with all these bomb affairs we couldn't help thinking of him1 and saying that he was quite mad enough to mix himself up in them40 ,the other did not even blink4 ,if she knew anything she kept it to herself4 8,but you1 my dear1 can't you find any work80 continued ,madame ,toussaint4 8,well1 what would you have me do with my poor eyes8 ,it's no longer possible for me to sew40 8,that's true4 ,a seamstress gets done for4 ,when ,toussaint was laid up here ,i myself wanted to go back to my old calling as a needlewoman4 ,but there6 ,i spoilt everything and did no good4 ,charring's about the only thing that one can always do4 ,why don't you get some jobs of that kind80 8,i'm trying1 but ,i can't find any40 ,little by little ,madame ,toussaint was softening at sight of the other's miserable appearance4 ,she made her sit down1 and told her that she would give her something if ,toussaint should come home with money4 ,then1 yielding to her partiality for gossiping1 since there was somebody to listen to her1 she started telling stories4 ,the one affair1 however1 on which she invariably harped was the sorry business of her son ,charles and the servant girl at a wine shop over the way4 ,before going into the army ,charles had been a most hard-working and affectionate son1 invariably bringing his pay home to his mother4 ,and certainly he still worked and showed himself good-natured2 but military service1 while sharpening his wits1 had taken away some of his liking for ordinary manual toil4 ,it wasn't that he regretted army life1 for he spoke of his barracks as a prison4 ,only his tools had seemed to him rather heavy when1 on quitting the service1 he had been obliged to take them in hand once more4 8,and so1 my dear10 continued ,madame ,toussaint1 8it's all very well for ,charles to be kind-hearted1 he can do no more for us4 ,i knew that he wasn't in a hurry to get married1 as it costs money to keep a wife4 ,and he was always very prudent1 too1 with girls4 ,but what would you have8 ,there was that moment of folly with that ,eugnie over the road1 a regular baggage who's already gone off with another man1 and left her baby behind4 ,charles has put it out to nurse1 and pays for it every month4 ,and a lot of expense it is too1 perfect ruination4 ,yes1 indeed1 every possible misfortune has fallen on us40 ,in this wise ,madame ,toussaint rattled on for a full half hour4 ,then seeing that waiting and anxiety had made her sister-in-law turn quite pale1 she suddenly stopped short4 8,you're losing patience1 eh80 she exclaimed4 8,the fact is1 that ,toussaint won't be back for some time4 ,shall we go to the works together8 ,i'll easily find out if he's likely to bring any money home40 ,they then decided to go down1 but at the bottom of the stairs they lingered for another quarter of an hour chatting with a neighbour who had lately lost a child4 ,and just as they were at last leaving the house they heard a call3 8,mamma6 mamma60 ,it came from little ,cline1 whose face was beaming with delight4 ,she was wearing a pair of new shoes and devouring a cake4 8,mamma10 she resumed1 8,monsieur l',abb who came the other day wants to see you4 ,just look6 he bought me all this60 ,on seeing the shoes and the cake1 ,madame ,thodore understood matters4 ,and when ,pierre1 who was behind the child1 accosted her she began to tremble and stammer thanks4 ,madame ,toussaint on her side had quickly drawn near1 not indeed to ask for anything herself1 but because she was well pleased at such a ,god-send for her sister-in-law1 whose circumstances were worse than her own4 ,and when she saw the priest slip ten francs into ,madame ,thodore's hand she explained to him that she herself would willingly have lent something had she been able4 ,then she promptly started on the stories of ,toussaint's attack and her son ,charles's ill-luck4 ,but ,cline broke in3 8,i say1 mamma1 the factory where papa used to work is here in this street1 isn't it8 ,monsieur l',abb has some business there4099 99 ,although the children of the ,french peasantry almost invariably address their parents as 8father0 and 8mother10 those of the working classes of ,paris1 and some other large cities1 usually employ the terms 8papa0 and 8mamma40--,trans4 8,the ,grandidier factory10 resumed ,madame ,toussaint2 8well1 we were just going there1 and we can show ,monsieur l',abb the way40 ,it was only a hundred steps off4 ,escorted by the two women and the child1 ,pierre slackened his steps and tried to extract some information about ,salvat from ,madame ,thodore4 ,but she at once became very prudent4 ,she had not seen him again1 she declared2 he must have gone with a mate to ,belgium1 where there was a prospect of some work4 ,from what she said1 it appeared to the priest that ,salvat had not dared to return to the ,rue des ,saules since his crime1 in which all had collapsed1 both his past life of toil and hope1 and his recent existence with its duties towards the woman and the child4 8,there's the factory1 ,monsieur l',abb10 suddenly said ,madame ,toussaint1 8my sister-in-law won't have to wait now1 since you've been kind enough to help her4 ,thank you for her and for us40 ,madame ,thodore and ,cline likewise poured forth their thanks1 standing beside ,madame ,toussaint in the everlasting mud of that populous district1 amidst the jostling of the passers-by4 ,and lingering there as if to see ,pierre enter1 they again chatted together and repeated that1 after all1 some priests were very kind4 ,the ,grandidier works covered an extensive plot of ground4 ,facing the street there was only a brick building with narrow windows and a great archway1 through which one espied a long courtyard4 ,but1 in the rear1 came a suite of habitations1 workshops1 and sheds1 above whose never ending roofs arose the two lofty chimneys of the generators4 ,from the very threshold one detected the rumbling and quivering of machinery1 all the noise and bustle of work4 ,black water flowed by at one's feet1 and up above white vapour spurted from a slender pipe with a regular strident puff1 as if it were the very breath of that huge1 toiling hive4 ,bicycles were now the principal output of the works4 ,when ,grandidier had taken them on leaving the ,dijon ,arts and ,trades ,school1 they were declining under bad management1 slowly building some little motive engines by the aid of antiquated machinery4 ,foreseeing the future1 however1 he had induced his elder brother1 one of the managers of the ,bon ,marche1 to finance him1 on the promise that he would supply that great emporium with excellent bicycles at #aej francs apiece4 ,and now quite a big venture was in progress1 for the ,bon ,march was already bringing out the new popular machine 8,la ,lisette10 the 8,bicycle for the ,multitude10 as the advertisements asserted4 ,nevertheless1 ,grandidier was still in all the throes of a great struggle1 for his new machinery had cast a heavy burden of debt on him4 ,at the same time each month brought its effort1 the perfecting or simplifying of some part of the manufacture1 which meant a saving in the future4 ,he was ever on the watch2 and even now was thinking of reverting to the construction of little motors1 for he thought he could divine in the near future the triumph of the motor-car4 ,on asking if ,m4 ,thomas ,froment were there1 ,pierre was led by an old workman to a little shed1 where he found the young fellow in the linen jacket of a mechanician1 his hands black with filings4 ,he was adjusting some piece of mechanism1 and nobody would have suspected him to be a former pupil of the ,lyce ,condorcet1 one of the three clever ,froments who had there rendered the name famous4 ,but his only desire had been to act as his father's faithful servant1 the arm that forges1 the embodiment of the manual toil by which conceptions are realised4 ,and1 a giant of three and twenty1 ever attentive and courageous1 he was likewise a man of patient1 silent and sober nature4 ,on catching sight of ,pierre he quivered with anxiety and sprang forward4 8,father is no worse80 he asked4 8,no1 no4 ,but he read in the papers that story of a bradawl found in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 and it made him anxious1 because the police may make a perquisition here40 ,thomas1 his own anxiety allayed1 began to smile4 8,tell him he may sleep quietly10 he responded4 8,to begin with1 ,i've unfortunately not yet hit on our little motor such as ,i want it to be4 ,in fact1 ,i haven't yet put it together4 ,i'm keeping the pieces at our house1 and nobody here knows exactly what ,i come to do at the factory4 ,so the police may search1 it will find nothing4 ,our secret runs no risk40 ,pierre promised to repeat these words to ,guillaume1 so as to dissipate his fears4 ,however1 when he tried to sound ,thomas1 and ascertain the position of affairs1 what the factory people thought of the discovery of the bradawl1 and whether there was as yet any suspicion of ,salvat1 he once more found the young man taciturn1 and elicited merely a 8yes0 or a 8no0 in answer to his inquiries4 ,the police had not been there as yet8 ,no4 ,but the men must surely have mentioned ,salvat8 ,yes1 of course1 on account of his ,anarchist opinions4 ,but what had ,grandidier1 the master1 said1 on returning from the investigating magistrate's8 ,as for that ,thomas knew nothing4 ,he had not seen ,grandidier that day4 8,but here he comes60 the young man added4 8,ah6 poor fellow1 his wife1 ,i fancy1 had another attack this morning40 ,he alluded to a frightful story which ,guillaume had already recounted to ,pierre4 ,grandidier1 falling in love with a very beautiful girl1 had married her2 but for five years now she had been insane3 the result of puerperal fever and the death of an infant son4 ,her husband1 with his ardent affection for her1 had been unwilling to place her in an asylum1 and had accordingly kept her with him in a little pavilion1 whose windows1 overlooking the courtyard of the factory1 always remained closed4 ,she was never seen2 and never did he speak of her to anybody4 ,it was said that she was usually like a child1 very gentle and very sad1 and still beautiful1 with regal golden hair4 ,at times1 however1 attacks of frantic madness came upon her1 and he then had to struggle with her1 and often hold her for hours in his arms to prevent her from splitting her head against the walls4 ,fearful shrieks would ring out for a time1 and then deathlike silence would fall once more4 ,grandidier came into the shed where ,thomas was working4 ,a handsome man of forty1 with an energetic face1 he had a dark and heavy moustache1 brush-like hair and clear eyes4 ,he was very partial to ,thomas1 and during the young fellow's apprenticeship there1 had treated him like a son4 ,and he now let him return thither whenever it pleased him1 and placed his appliances at his disposal4 ,he knew that he was trying to devise a new motor1 a question in which he himself was extremely interested2 still he evinced the greatest discretion1 never questioning ,thomas1 but awaiting the result of his endeavours4 8,this is my uncle1 ,abb ,froment1 who looked in to wish me good day10 said the young man1 introducing ,pierre4 ,an exchange of polite remarks ensued4 ,then ,grandidier sought to cast off the sadness which made people think him stern and harsh1 and in a bantering tone exclaimed3 8,i didn't tell you1 ,thomas1 of my business with the investigating magistrate4 ,if ,i hadn't enjoyed a good reputation we should have had all the spies of the ,prefecture here4 ,the magistrate wanted me to explain the presence of that bradawl in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 and ,i at once realised that1 in his opinion1 the culprit must have worked here4 ,for my part ,i immediately thought of ,salvat4 ,but ,i don't denounce people4 ,the magistrate has my hiring-book1 and as for ,salvat ,i simply answered that he worked here for nearly three months last autumn1 and then disappeared4 ,they can look for him themselves6 ,ah6 that magistrate6 you can picture him a little fellow with fair hair and cat-like eyes1 very careful of his appearance1 a society man evidently1 but quite frisky at being mixed up in this affair40 8,isn't he ,monsieur ,amadieu80 asked ,pierre4 8,yes1 that's his name4 ,ah6 he's certainly delighted with the present which those ,anarchists have made him1 with that crime of theirs40 ,the priest listened in deep anxiety4 ,as his brother had feared1 the true scent1 the first conducting wire1 had now been found4 ,and he looked at ,thomas to see if he also were disturbed4 ,but the young man was either ignorant of the ties which linked ,salvat to his father1 or else he possessed great power of self-control1 for he merely smiled at ,grandidier's sketch of the magistrate4 ,then1 as ,grandidier went to look at the piece of mechanism which ,thomas was finishing1 and they began to speak about it1 ,pierre drew near to an open doorway which communicated with a long workshop where engine lathes were rumbling1 and the beams of press-drills falling quickly and rhythmically4 ,leather gearing spun along with a continuous gliding1 and there was ceaseless bustle and activity amidst the odoriferous dampness of all the steam4 ,scores of perspiring workmen1 grimy with dust and filings1 were still toiling4 ,still this was the final effort of the day4 ,and as three men approached a water-tap near ,pierre to wash their hands1 he listened to their talk1 and became particularly interested in it when he heard one of them1 a tall1 ginger-haired fellow1 call another ,toussaint1 and the third ,charles4 ,toussaint1 a big1 square-shouldered man with knotty arms1 only showed his fifty years on his round1 scorched face1 which besides being roughened and wrinkled by labour1 bristled with grey hairs1 which nowadays he was content to shave off once a week4 ,it was only his right arm that was affected by paralysis1 and moved rather sluggishly4 ,as for ,charles1 a living portrait of his father1 he was now in all the strength of his six and twentieth year1 with splendid muscles distending his white skin1 and a full face barred by a heavy black moustache4 ,the three men1 like their employer1 were speaking of the explosion at the ,duvillard mansion1 of the bradawl found there1 and of ,salvat1 whom they all now suspected4 8,why1 only a brigand would do such a thing60 said ,toussaint4 8,that ,anarchism disgusts me4 ,i'll have none of it4 ,but all the same it's for the bourgeois to settle matters4 ,if the others want to blow them up1 it's their concern4 ,it's they who brought it about40 ,this indifference was undoubtedly the outcome of a life of want and social injustice2 it was the indifference of an old toiler1 who1 weary of struggling and hoping for improvements1 was now quite ready to tolerate the crumbling of a social system1 which threatened him with hunger in his impotent old age4 8,well1 you know10 rejoined ,charles1 8,i've heard the ,anarchists talking1 and they really say some very true and sensible things4 ,and just take yourself1 father2 you've been working for thirty years1 and isn't it abominable that you should have had to pass through all that you did pass through recently1 liable to go off like some old horse that's slaughtered at the first sign of illness8 ,and1 of course1 it makes me think of myself1 and ,i can't help feeling that it won't be at all amusing to end like that4 ,and may the thunder of ,god kill me if ,i'm wrong1 but one feels half inclined to join in their great flare-up if it's really to make everybody happy60 ,he certainly lacked the flame of enthusiasm1 and if he had come to these views it was solely from impatience to lead a less toilsome life1 for obligatory military service had given him ideas of equality among all men--a desire to struggle1 raise himself and obtain his legitimate share of life's enjoyments4 ,it was1 in fact1 the inevitable step which carries each generation a little more forward4 ,there was the father1 who1 deceived in his hope of a fraternal republic1 had grown sceptical and contemptuous2 and there was the son advancing towards a new faith1 and gradually yielding to ideas of violence1 since political liberty had failed to keep its promises4 ,nevertheless1 as the big1 ginger-haired fellow grew angry1 and shouted that if ,salvat were guilty1 he ought to be caught and guillotined at once1 without waiting for judges1 ,toussaint ended by endorsing his opinion4 8,yes1 yes1 he may have married one of my sisters1 but ,i renounce him4444 ,and yet1 you know1 it would astonish me to find him guilty1 for he isn't wicked at heart4 ,i'm sure he wouldn't kill a fly40 8,but what would you have80 put in ,charles4 8,when a man's driven to extremities he goes mad40 ,they had now washed themselves2 but ,toussaint1 on perceiving his employer1 lingered there in order to ask him for an advance4 ,as it happened1 ,grandidier1 after cordially shaking hands with ,pierre1 approached the old workman of his own accord1 for he held him in esteem4 ,and1 after listening to him1 he gave him a line for the cashier on a card4 ,as a rule1 he was altogether against the practice of advancing money1 and his men disliked him1 and said he was over rigid1 though in point of fact he had a good heart4 ,but he had his position as an employer to defend1 and to him concessions meant ruin4 ,with such keen competition on all sides1 with the capitalist system entailing a terrible and incessant struggle1 how could one grant the demands of the workers1 even when they were legitimate8 ,sudden compassion came upon ,pierre when1 after quitting ,thomas1 he saw ,grandidier1 who had finished his round1 crossing the courtyard in the direction of the closed pavilion1 where all the grief of his heart-tragedy awaited him4 ,here was that man waging the battle of life1 defending his fortune with the risk that his business might melt away amidst the furious warfare between capital and labour2 and at the same time1 in lieu of evening repose1 finding naught but anguish it his hearth3 a mad wife1 an adored wife1 who had sunk back into infancy1 and was for ever dead to love6 ,how incurable was his secret despair6 ,even on the days when he triumphed in his workshops1 disaster awaited him at home4 ,and could any more unhappy man1 any man more deserving of pity1 be found even among the poor who died of hunger1 among those gloomy workers1 those vanquished sons of labour who hated and who envied him8 ,when ,pierre found himself in the street again he was astonished to see ,madame ,toussaint and ,madame ,thodore still there with little ,cline4 ,with their feet in the mud1 like bits of wreckage against which beat the ceaseless flow of wayfarers1 they had lingered there1 still and ever chatting1 loquacious and doleful1 lulling their wretchedness to rest beneath a deluge of tittle-tattle4 ,and when ,toussaint1 followed by his son1 came out1 delighted with the advance he had secured1 he also found them on the same spot4 ,then he told ,madame ,thodore the story of the bradawl1 and the idea which had occurred to him and all his mates that ,salvat might well be the culprit4 ,she1 however1 though turning very pale1 began to protest1 concealing both what she knew and what she really thought4 8,i tell you ,i haven't seen him for several days10 said she4 8,he must certainly be in ,belgium4 ,and as for a bomb1 that's humbug4 ,you say yourself that he's very gentle and wouldn't harm a fly60 ,a little later as ,pierre journeyed back to ,neuilly in a tramcar he fell into a deep reverie4 ,all the stir and bustle of that working-class district1 the buzzing of the factory1 the overflowing activity of that hive of labour1 seemed to have lingered within him4 ,and for the first time1 amidst his worries1 he realised the necessity of work4 ,yes1 it was fatal1 but it also gave health and strength4 ,in effort which sustains and saves1 he at last found a solid basis on which all might be reared4 ,was this1 then1 the first gleam of a new faith8 ,but ah6 what mockery6 ,work an uncertainty1 work hopeless1 work always ending in injustice6 ,and then want ever on the watch for the toiler1 strangling him as soon as slack times came round1 and casting him into the streets like a dead dog immediately old age set in4 ,on reaching ,neuilly1 ,pierre found ,bertheroy at ,guillaume's bedside4 ,the old savant had just dressed the injured wrist1 and was not yet certain that no complications would arise4 8,the fact is10 he said to ,guillaume1 8you don't keep quiet4 ,i always find you in a state of feverish emotion which is the worst possible thing for you4 ,you must calm yourself1 my dear fellow1 and not allow anything to worry you40 ,a few minutes later1 though1 just as he was going away1 he said with his pleasant smile3 8,do you know that a newspaper writer came to interview me about that explosion8 ,those reporters imagine that scientific men know everything6 ,i told the one who called on me that it would be very kind of him to enlighten me as to what powder was employed4 ,and1 by the way1 ,i am giving a lesson on explosives at my laboratory to-morrow4 ,there will be just a few persons present4 ,you might come as well1 ,pierre1 so as to give an account of it to ,guillaume2 it would interest him40 ,at a glance from his brother1 ,pierre accepted the invitation4 ,then1 ,bertheroy having gone1 he recounted all he had learnt during the afternoon1 how ,salvat was suspected1 and how the investigating magistrate had been put on the right scent4 ,and at this news1 intense fever again came over ,guillaume1 who1 with his head buried in the pillow1 and his eyes closed1 stammered as if in a kind of nightmare3 8,ah6 then1 this is the end6 ,salvat arrested1 ,salvat interrogated6 ,ah6 that so much toil and so much hope should crumble60 ,,iv4 ,,culture ,,and ,,hope ,,on the morrow1 punctually at one o'clock1 ,pierre reached the ,rue d',ulm1 where ,bertheroy resided in a fairly large house1 which the ,state had placed at his disposal1 in order that he might install in it a laboratory for study and research4 ,thus the whole first floor had been transformed into one spacious apartment1 where1 from time to time1 the illustrious chemist was fond of receiving a limited number of pupils and admirers1 before whom he made experiments1 and explained his new discoveries and theories4 ,for these occasions a few chairs were set out before the long and massive table1 which was covered with jars and appliances4 ,in the rear one saw the furnace1 while all around were glass cases1 full of vials and specimens4 ,the persons present were1 for the most part1 fellow savants1 with a few young men1 and even a lady or two1 and1 of course1 an occasional journalist4 ,the whole made up a kind of family gathering1 the visitors chatting with the master in all freedom4 ,directly ,bertheroy perceived ,pierre he came forward1 pressed his hand and seated him on a chair beside ,guillaume's son ,franois1 who had been one of the first arrivals4 ,the young man was completing his third year at the cole ,normale1 close by1 so he only had a few steps to take to call upon his master ,bertheroy1 whom he regarded as one of the firmest minds of the age4 ,pierre was delighted to meet his nephew1 for he had been greatly impressed in his favour on the occasion of his visit to ,montmartre4 ,franois1 on his side1 greeted his uncle with all the cordial expansiveness of youth4 ,he was1 moreover1 well pleased to obtain some news of his father4 ,however1 ,bertheroy began4 ,he spoke in a familiar and sober fashion1 but frequently employed some very happy expressions4 ,at first he gave an account of his own extensive labours and investigations with regard to explosive substances1 and related with a laugh that he sometimes manipulated powders which would have blown up the entire district4 ,but1 said he1 in order to reassure his listeners1 he was always extremely prudent4 ,at last he turned to the subject of that explosion in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 which1 for some days1 had filled ,paris with dismay4 ,the remnants of the bomb had been carefully examined by experts1 and one fragment had been brought to him1 in order that he might give his opinion on it4 ,the bomb appeared to have been prepared in a very rudimentary fashion2 it had been charged with small pieces of iron1 and fired by means of a match1 such as a child might have devised4 ,the extraordinary part of the affair was the formidable power of the central cartridge1 which1 although it must have been a small one1 had wrought as much havoc as any thunderbolt4 ,and the question was this3 ,what incalculable power of destruction might one not arrive at if the charge were increased ten1 twenty or a hundredfold4 ,embarrassment began1 and divergencies of opinion clouded the issue directly one tried to specify what explosive had been employed4 ,of the three experts who had been consulted1 one pronounced himself in favour of dynamite pure and simple2 but the two others1 although they did not agree together1 believed in some combination of explosive matters4 ,he1 ,bertheroy1 had modestly declined to adjudicate1 for the fragment submitted to him bore traces of so slight a character1 that analysis became impossible4 ,thus he was unwilling to make any positive pronouncement4 ,but his opinion was that one found oneself in presence of some unknown powder1 some new explosive1 whose power exceeded anything that had hitherto been dreamt of4 ,he could picture some unknown savant1 or some ignorant but lucky inventor1 discovering the formula of this explosive under mysterious conditions4 ,and this brought him to the point he wished to reach1 the question of all the explosives which are so far unknown1 and of the coming discoveries which he could foresee4 ,in the course of his investigations he himself had found cause to suspect the existence of several such explosives1 though he had lacked time and opportunity to prosecute his studies in that direction4 ,however1 he indicated the field which should be explored1 and the best way of proceeding4 ,in his opinion it was there that lay the future4 ,and in a broad and eloquent peroration1 he declared that explosives had hitherto been degraded by being employed in idiotic schemes of vengeance and destruction2 whereas it was in them possibly that lay the liberating force which science was seeking1 the lever which would change the face of the world1 when they should have been so domesticated and subdued as to be only the obedient servants of man4 ,throughout this familiar discourse ,pierre could feel that ,franois was growing impassioned1 quivering at thought of the vast horizon which the master opened up4 ,he himself had become extremely interested1 for he could not do otherwise than notice certain allusions1 and connect what he heard with what he had guessed of ,guillaume's anxiety regarding that secret which he feared to see at the mercy of an investigating magistrate4 ,and so as he1 ,pierre1 before going off with ,franois1 approached ,bertheroy to wish him good day1 he pointedly remarked3 8,guillaume will be very sorry that he was unable to hear you unfold those admirable ideas40 ,the old savant smiled4 8,pooh60 said he2 8just give him a summary of what ,i said4 ,he will understand4 ,he knows more about the matter than ,i do40 ,in presence of the illustrious chemist1 ,franois preserved the silent gravity of a respectful pupil1 but when he and ,pierre had taken a few steps down the street in silence1 he remarked3 8,what a pity it is that a man of such broad intelligence1 free from all superstition1 and anxious for the sole triumph of truth1 should have allowed himself to be classified1 ticketed1 bound round with titles and academical functions6 ,how greatly our affection for him would increase if he took less ,state pay1 and freed himself from all the grand cordons which tie his hands40 8,what would you have60 rejoined ,pierre1 in a conciliatory spirit4 8,a man must live6 ,at the same time ,i believe that he does not regard himself as tied by anything40 ,then1 as they had reached the entrance of the cole ,normale1 the priest stopped1 thinking that his companion was going back to the college4 ,but ,franois1 raising his eyes and glancing at the old place1 remarked3 8,no1 no1 to-day's ,thursday1 and ,i'm at liberty6 ,oh6 we have a deal of liberty1 perhaps too much4 ,but for my own part ,i'm well pleased at it1 for it often enables me to go to ,montmartre and work at my old little table4 ,it's only there that ,i feel any real strength and clearness of mind40 ,his preliminary examinations had entitled him to admission at either the cole ,polytechnique or the cole ,normale199 and he had chosen the latter1 entering its scientific section with ,no4 #a against his name4 ,his father had wished him to make sure of an avocation1 that of professor1 even if circumstances should allow him to remain independent and follow his own bent on leaving the college4 ,franois1 who was very precocious1 was now preparing for his last examination there1 and the only rest he took was in walking to and from ,montmartre1 or in strolling through the ,luxembourg gardens4 99 ,the purposes of the cole ,normale have been referred to on p4 #aig4 ,at the cole ,polytechnique young men receive much of the preliminary training which they require to become either artillery officers1 or military1 naval or civil engineers4--,trans4 ,from force of habit he now turned towards the latter1 accompanied by ,pierre and chatting with him4 ,one found the mildness of springtime there that ,february afternoon2 for pale sunshine streamed between the trees1 which were still leafless4 ,it was indeed one of those first fine days which draw little green gems from the branches of the lilac bushes4 ,the cole ,normale was still the subject of conversation and ,pierre remarked3 8,i must own that ,i hardly like the spirit that prevails there4 ,excellent work is done1 no doubt1 and the only way to form professors is to teach men the trade by cramming them with the necessary knowledge4 ,but the worst is that although all the students are trained for the teaching profession1 many of them don't remain in it1 but go out into the world1 take to journalism1 or make it their business to control the arts1 literature and society4 ,and those who do this are for the most part unbearable4 ,after swearing by ,voltaire they have gone back to spirituality and mysticism1 the last drawing-room craze4 ,now that a firm faith in science is regarded as brutish and inelegant1 they fancy that they rid themselves of their caste by feigning amiable doubt1 and ignorance1 and innocence4 ,what they most fear is that they may carry a scent of the schools about with them1 so they put on extremely ,parisian airs1 venture on somersaults and slang1 and assume all the grace of dancing bears in their eager desire to please4 ,from that desire spring the sarcastic shafts which they aim at science1 they who pretend that they know everything1 but who go back to the belief of the humble1 the naive idealism of ,biblical legends1 just because they think the latter to be more distinguished40 ,franois began to laugh3 8,the portrait is perhaps a little overdrawn10 said he1 8still there's truth in it1 a great deal of truth40 8,i have known several of them10 continued ,pierre1 who was growing animated4 8,and among them all ,i have noticed that a fear of being duped leads them to reaction against the entire effort1 the whole work of the century4 ,disgust with liberty1 distrust of science1 denial of the future1 that is what they now profess4 ,and they have such a horror of the commonplace that they would rather believe in nothing or the incredible4 ,it may of course be commonplace to say that two and two make four1 yet it's true enough2 and it is far less foolish for a man to say and repeat it than to believe1 for instance1 in the miracles of ,lourdes40 ,franois glanced at the priest in astonishment4 ,the other noticed it and strove to restrain himself4 ,nevertheless1 grief and anger carried him away whenever he spoke of the educated young people of the time1 such as1 in his despair1 he imagined them to be4 ,in the same way as he had pitied the toilers dying of hunger in the districts of misery and want1 so here he overflowed with contempt for the young minds that lacked bravery in the presence of knowledge1 and harked back to the consolation of deceptive spirituality1 the promise of an eternity of happiness in death1 which last was longed for and exalted as the very sum of life4 ,was not the cowardly thought of refusing to live for the sake of living so as to discharge one's simple duty in being and making one's effort1 equivalent to absolute assassination of life8 ,however1 the ,ego was always the mainspring2 each one sought personal happiness4 ,and ,pierre was grieved to think that those young people1 instead of discarding the past and marching on to the truths of the future1 were relapsing into shadowy metaphysics through sheer weariness and idleness1 due in part perhaps to the excessive exertion of the century1 which had been overladen with human toil4 ,however1 ,franois had begun to smile again4 8,but you are mistaken10 said he2 8we are not all like that at the cole ,normale4 ,you only seem to know the ,normalians of the ,section of ,letters1 and your opinions would surely change if you knew those of the ,section of ,sciences4 ,it is quite true that the reaction against ,positivism is making itself felt among our literary fellow-students1 and that they1 like others1 are haunted by the idea of that famous bankruptcy of science4 ,this is perhaps due to their masters1 the neo-spiritualists and dogmatical rhetoricians into whose hands they have fallen4 ,and it is still more due to fashion1 the whim of the times which1 as you have very well put it1 regards scientific truth as bad taste1 something graceless and altogether too brutal for light and distinguished minds4 ,consequently1 a young fellow of any shrewdness who desires to please is perforce won over to the new spirit40 8,the new spirit60 interrupted ,pierre1 unable to restrain himself4 8,oh6 that is no mere innocent1 passing fashion1 it is a tactical device and a terrible one1 an offensive return of the powers of darkness against those of light1 of servitude against free thought1 truth and justice40 ,then1 as the young man again looked at him with growing astonishment1 he relapsed into silence4 ,the figure of ,monseigneur ,martha had risen before his eyes1 and he fancied he could again hear the prelate at the ,madeleine1 striving to win ,paris over to the policy of ,rome1 to that spurious neo-,catholicism which1 with the object of destroying democracy and science1 accepted such portions of them as it could adapt to its own views4 ,this was indeed the supreme struggle4 ,thence came all the poison poured forth to the young4 ,pierre knew what efforts were being made in religious circles to help on this revival of mysticism1 in the mad hope of hastening the rout of science4 ,monseigneur ,martha1 who was all-powerful at the ,catholic ,university1 said to his intimates1 however1 that three generations of devout and docile pupils would be needed before the ,church would again be absolute sovereign of ,france4 8,well1 as for the cole ,normale10 continued ,franois1 8,i assure you that you are mistaken4 ,there are a few narrow bigots there1 no doubt4 ,but even in the ,section of ,letters the majority of the students are sceptics at bottom--sceptics of discreet and good-natured average views4 ,of course they are professors before everything else1 though they are a trifle ashamed of it2 and1 as professors1 they judge things with no little pedantic irony1 devoured by a spirit of criticism1 and quite incapable of creating anything themselves4 ,i should certainly be astonished to see the man of genius whom we await come out of their ranks4 ,to my thinking1 indeed1 it would be preferable that some barbarian genius1 neither well read nor endowed with critical faculty1 or power of weighing and shading things1 should come and open the next century with a hatchet stroke1 sending up a fine flare of truth and reality4444 ,but1 as for my comrades of the ,scientific ,section1 ,i assure you that neo-,catholicism and ,mysticism and ,occultism1 and every other branch of the fashionable phantasmagoria trouble them very little indeed4 ,they are not making a religion of science1 they remain open to doubt on many points2 but they are mostly men of very clear and firm minds1 whose passion is the acquirement of certainty1 and who are ever absorbed in the investigations which continue throughout the whole vast field of human knowledge4 ,they haven't flinched1 they have remained ,positivists1 or ,evolutionists1 or ,determinists1 and have set their faith in observation and experiment to help on the final conquest of the world40 ,franois himself was growing excited1 as he thus confessed his faith while strolling along the quiet sunlit garden paths4 8,the young indeed60 he resumed4 8,do people know them8 ,it makes us laugh when we see all sorts of apostles fighting for us1 trying to attract us1 and saying that we are white or black or grey1 according to the hue which they require for the triumph of their particular ideas6 ,the young1 the real ones1 why1 they're in the schools1 the laboratories and the libraries4 ,it's they who work and who'll bring to-morrow to the world4 ,it's not the young fellows of dinner and supper clubs1 manifestoes and all sorts of extravagances4 ,the latter make a great deal of noise1 no doubt2 in fact1 they alone are heard4 ,but if you knew of the ceaseless efforts and passionate striving of the others1 those who remain silent1 absorbed in their tasks4 ,and ,i know many of them3 they are with their century1 they have rejected none of its hopes1 but are marching on to the coming century1 resolved to pursue the work of their forerunners1 ever going towards more light and more equity4 ,and just speak to them of the bankruptcy of science4 ,they'll shrug their shoulders at the mere idea1 for they know well enough that science has never before inflamed so many hearts or achieved greater conquests6 ,it is only if the schools1 laboratories and libraries were closed1 and the social soil radically changed1 that one would have cause to fear a fresh growth of error such as weak hearts and narrow minds hold so dear60 ,at this point ,franois's fine flow of eloquence was interrupted4 ,a tall young fellow stopped to shake hands with him2 and ,pierre was surprised to recognise ,baron ,duvillard's son ,hyacinthe1 who bowed to him in very correct style4 8,what6 you here in our old quarter10 exclaimed ,franois4 8,my dear fellow1 ,i'm going to ,jonas's1 over yonder1 behind the ,observatory4 ,don't you know ,jonas8 ,ah6 my dear fellow1 he's a delightful sculptor1 who has succeeded in doing away with matter almost entirely4 ,he has carved a figure of ,woman1 no bigger than the finger1 and entirely soul1 free from all baseness of form1 and yet complete4 ,all ,woman1 indeed1 in her essential symbolism6 ,ah6 it's grand1 it's overpowering4 ,a perfect scheme of aesthetics1 a real religion60 ,franois smiled as he looked at ,hyacinthe1 buttoned up in his long pleated frock-coat1 with his made-up face1 and carefully cropped hair and beard4 8,and yourself80 said he1 8,i thought you were working1 and were going to publish a little poem1 shortly80 8,oh6 the task of creating is so distasteful to me1 my dear fellow6 ,a single line often takes me weeks4444 ,still1 yes1 ,i have a little poem on hand1 #8,the ,end of ,woman4' ,and you see1 ,i'm not so exclusive as some people pretend1 since ,i admire ,jonas1 who still believes in ,woman4 ,his excuse is sculpture1 which1 after all1 is at best such a gross materialistic art4 ,but in poetry1 good heavens1 how we've been overwhelmed with ,woman1 always ,woman6 ,it's surely time to drive her out of the temple1 and cleanse it a little4 ,ah6 if we were all pure and lofty enough to do without ,woman1 and renounce all those horrid sexual questions1 so that the last of the species might die childless1 eh8 ,the world would then at least finish in a clean and proper manner60 ,thereupon1 ,hyacinthe walked off with his languid air1 well pleased with the effect which he had produced on the others4 8,so you know him80 said ,pierre to ,franois4 8,he was my school-fellow at ,condorcet1 we were in the same classes together4 ,such a funny fellow he was6 ,a perfect dunce6 ,and he was always making a parade of ,father ,duvillard's millions1 while pretending to disdain them1 and act the revolutionist1 for ever saying that he'd use his cigarette to fire the cartridge which was to blow up the world6 ,he was ,schopenhauer1 and ,nietzsche1 and ,tolstoi1 and ,ibsen1 rolled into one6 ,and you can see what he has become with it all3 a humbug with a diseased mind60 8,it's a terrible symptom10 muttered ,pierre1 8when through ennui or lassitude1 or the contagion of destructive fury1 the sons of the happy and privileged ones start doing the work of the demolishers40 ,franois had resumed his walk1 going down towards the ornamental water1 where some children were sailing their boats4 8,that fellow is simply grotesque10 he replied2 8but how would you have sane people give any heed to that mysticism1 that awakening of spirituality which is alleged by the same doctrinaires who started the bankruptcy of science cry1 when after so brief an evolution it produces such insanity1 both in art and literature8 ,a few years of influence have sufficed2 and now ,satanism1 ,occultism and other absurdities are flourishing2 not to mention that1 according to some accounts1 the ,cities of the ,plains are reconciled with new ,rome4 ,isn't the tree judged by its fruits8 ,and isn't it evident that1 instead of a renascence1 a far-spreading social movement bringing back the past1 we are simply witnessing a transitory reaction1 which many things explain8 ,the old world would rather not die1 and is struggling in a final convulsion1 reviving for a last hour before it is swept away by the overflowing river of human knowledge1 whose waters ever increase4 ,and yonder1 in the future1 is the new world1 which the real young ones will bring into existence1 those who work1 those who are not known1 who are not heard4 ,and yet1 just listen6 ,perhaps you will hear them1 for we are among them1 in their #8quarter4' ,this deep silence is that of the labour of all the young fellows who are leaning over their work-tables1 and day by day carrying forward the conquest of truth40 ,so saying ,franois waved his hand towards all the day-schools and colleges and high schools beyond the ,luxembourg garden1 towards the ,faculties of ,law and ,medicine1 the ,institute and its five ,academies1 the innumerable libraries and museums which made up the broad domain of intellectual labour4 ,and ,pierre1 moved by it all1 shaken in his theories of negation1 thought that he could indeed hear a low but far-spreading murmur of the work of thousands of active minds1 rising from laboratories1 studies and class1 reading and lecture rooms4 ,it was not like the jerky1 breathless trepidation1 the loud clamour of factories where manual labour toils and chafes4 ,but here1 too1 there were sighs of weariness1 efforts as killing1 exertion as fruitful in its results4 ,was it indeed true that the cultured young were still and ever in their silent forge1 renouncing no hope1 relinquishing no conquest1 but in full freedom of mind forging the truth and justice of to-morrow with the invincible hammers of observation and experiment8 ,franois1 however1 had raised his eyes to the palace clock to ascertain the time4 8,i'm going to ,montmartre10 he said2 8will you come part of the way with me80 ,pierre assented1 particularly as the young man added that on his way he meant to call for his brother ,antoine at the ,museum of the ,louvre4 ,that bright afternoon the ,louvre picture galleries were steeped in warm and dignified quietude1 which one particularly noticed on coming from the tumult and scramble of the streets4 ,the majority of the few people one found there were copyists working in deep silence1 which only the wandering footsteps of an occasional tourist disturbed4 ,pierre and ,franois found ,antoine at the end of the gallery assigned to the ,primitive masters4 ,with scrupulous1 almost devout care he was making a drawing of a figure by ,mantegna4 ,the ,primitives did not impassion him by reason of any particular mysticism and ideality1 such as fashion pretends to find in them1 but on the contrary1 and justifiably enough1 by reason of the sincerity of their ingenuous realism1 their respect and modesty in presence of nature1 and the minute fidelity with which they sought to transcribe it4 ,he spent days of hard work in copying and studying them1 in order to learn strictness and probity of drawing from them--all that lofty distinction of style which they owe to their candour as honest artists4 ,pierre was struck by the pure glow which a sitting of good hard work had set in ,antoine's light blue eyes4 ,it imparted warmth and even feverishness to his fair face1 which was usually all dreaminess and gentleness4 ,his lofty forehead now truly looked like a citadel armed for the conquest of truth and beauty4 ,he was only eighteen1 and his story was simply this3 as he had grown disgusted with classical studies and been mastered by a passion for drawing1 his father had let him leave the ,lyce ,condorcet when he was in the third class there4 ,some little time had then elapsed while he felt his way and the deep originality within him was being evolved4 ,he had tried etching on copper1 but had soon come to wood engraving1 and had attached himself to it in spite of the discredit into which it had fallen1 lowered as it had been to the level of a mere trade4 ,was there not here an entire art to restore and enlarge8 ,for his own part he dreamt of engraving his own drawings1 of being at once the brain which conceives and the hand which executes1 in such wise as to obtain new effects of great intensity both as regards perception and touch4 ,to comply with the wishes of his father1 who desired each of his sons to have a trade1 he earned his bread like other engravers by working for the illustrated newspapers4 ,but1 in addition to this current work1 he had already engraved several blocks instinct with wonderful power and life4 ,they were simply copies of real things1 scenes of everyday existence1 but they were accentuated1 elevated so to say1 by the essential line1 with a maestria which on the part of so young a lad fairly astonished one4 8,do you want to engrave that80 ,franois asked him1 as he placed his copy of ,mantegna's figure in his portfolio4 8,oh6 no1 that's merely a dip into innocence1 a good lesson to teach one to be modest and sincere4 ,life is very different nowadays40 ,then1 while walking along the streets--for ,pierre1 who felt growing sympathy for the two young fellows1 went with them in the direction of ,montmartre1 forgetful of all else1--,antoine1 who was beside him1 spoke expansively of his artistic dreams4 8,colour is certainly a power1 a sovereign source of charm1 and one may1 indeed1 say that without colour nothing can be completely represented4 ,yet1 singularly enough1 it isn't indispensable to me4 ,it seems to me that ,i can picture life as intensely and definitely with mere black and white1 and ,i even fancy that ,i shall be able to do so in a more essential manner1 without any of the dupery which lies in colour4 ,but what a task it is6 ,i should like to depict the ,paris of to-day in a few scenes1 a few typical figures1 which would serve as testimony for all time4 ,and ,i should like to do it with great fidelity and candour1 for an artist only lives by reason of his candour1 his humility and steadfast belief in ,nature1 which is ever beautiful4 ,i've already done a few figures1 ,i will show them to you4 ,but ah6 if ,i only dared to tackle my blocks with the graver1 at the outset1 without drawing my subject beforehand4 ,for that generally takes away one's fire4 ,however1 what ,i do with the pencil is a mere sketch2 for with the graver ,i may come upon a find1 some unexpected strength or delicacy of effect4 ,and so ,i'm draughtsman and engraver all in one1 in such a way that my blocks can only be turned out by myself4 ,if the drawings on them were engraved by another1 they would be quite lifeless4444 ,yes1 life can spring from the fingers just as well as from the brain1 when one really possesses creative power40 ,they walked on1 and when they found themselves just below ,montmartre1 and ,pierre spoke of taking a tramcar to return to ,neuilly1 ,antoine1 quite feverish with artistic passion1 asked him if he knew ,jahan1 the sculptor1 who was working for the ,sacred ,heart4 ,and on receiving a negative reply1 he added3 8,well1 come and see him for a moment4 ,he has a great future before him4 ,you'll see an angel of his which has been declined40 ,then1 as ,franois began to praise the angel in question1 ,pierre agreed to accompany them4 ,on the summit of the height1 among all the sheds which the building of the basilica necessitated1 ,jahan had been able to set up a glazed workshop large enough for the huge angel ordered of him4 ,his three visitors found him there in a blouse1 watching a couple of assistants1 who were rough-hewing the block of stone whence the angel was to emerge4 ,jahan was a sturdy man of thirty-six1 with dark hair and beard1 a large1 ruddy mouth and fine bright eyes4 ,born in ,paris1 he had studied at the ,fine ,art ,school1 but his impetuous temperament had constantly landed him in trouble there4 8,ah6 yes10 said he1 8you've come to see my angel1 the one which the ,archbishop wouldn't take4 ,well1 there it is40 ,the clay model of the figure1 some three feet high1 and already drying1 looked superb in its soaring posture1 with its large1 outspread wings expanding as if with passionate desire for the infinite4 ,the body1 barely draped1 was that of a slim yet robust youth1 whose face beamed with the rapture of his heavenly flight4 8,they found him too human10 said ,jahan4 8,and after all they were right4 ,there's nothing so difficult to conceive as an angel4 ,one even hesitates as to the sex2 and when faith is lacking one has to take the first model one finds and copy it and spoil it4 ,for my part1 while ,i was modelling that one1 ,i tried to imagine a beautiful youth suddenly endowed with wings1 and carried by the intoxication of his flight into all the joy of the sunshine4 ,but it upset them1 they wanted something more religious1 they said2 and so then ,i concocted that wretched thing over there4 ,after all1 one has to earn one's living1 you know40 ,so saying1 he waved his hand towards another model1 the one for which his assistants were preparing the stone4 ,and this model represented an angel of the correct type1 with symmetrical wings like those of a goose1 a figure of neither sex1 and commonplace features1 expressing the silly ecstasy that tradition requires4 8,what would you have80 continued ,jahan4 8,religious art has sunk to the most disgusting triteness4 ,people no longer believe2 churches are built like barracks1 and decorated with saints and virgins fit to make one weep4 ,the fact is that genius is only the fruit of the social soil2 and a great artist can only send up a blaze of the faith of the time he lives in4 ,for my part1 ,i'm the grandson of a ,beauceron peasant4 ,my father came to ,paris to set himself up in business as a marble worker for tombstones and so forth1 just at the top of the ,rue de la ,roquette4 ,it was there ,i grew up4 ,i began as a workman1 and all my childhood was spent among the masses1 in the streets1 without ever a thought coming to me of setting foot in a church4 ,so few ,parisians think of doing so nowadays4 ,and so what's to become of art since there's no belief in the ,divinity or even in beauty8 ,we're forced to go forward to the new faith1 which is the faith in life and work and fruitfulness1 in all that labours and produces40 ,then suddenly breaking off he exclaimed3 8,by the way1 ,i've been doing some more work to my figure of ,fecundity1 and ,i'm fairly well pleased with it4 ,just come with me and ,i'll show it you40 ,thereupon he insisted on taking them to his private studio1 which was near by1 just below ,guillaume's little house4 ,it was entered by way of the ,rue du ,calvaire1 a street which is simply a succession of ladder-like flights of steps4 ,the door opened on to one of the little landings1 and one found oneself in a spacious1 well-lighted apartment littered with models and casts1 fragments and figures1 quite an overflow of sturdy1 powerful talent4 ,on a stool was the unfinished model of ,fecundity swathed in wet cloths4 ,these ,jahan removed1 and then she stood forth with her rounded figure1 her broad hips and her wifely1 maternal bosom1 full of the milk which nourishes and redeems4 8,well1 what do you think of her80 asked ,jahan4 8,built as she is1 ,i fancy that her children ought to be less puny than the pale1 languid1 aesthetic fellows of nowadays60 ,while ,antoine and ,franois were admiring the figure1 ,pierre1 for his part1 took most interest in a young girl who had opened the door to them1 and who had now wearily reseated herself at a little table to continue a book she was reading4 ,this was ,jahan's sister1 ,lise4 ,a score of years younger than himself1 she was but sixteen1 and had been living alone with him since their father's death4 ,very slight and delicate looking1 she had a most gentle face1 with fine light hair which suggested pale gold-dust4 ,she was almost a cripple1 with legs so weak that she only walked with difficulty1 and her mind also was belated1 still full of childish navet4 ,at first this had much saddened her brother1 but with time he had grown accustomed to her innocence and languor4 ,busy as he always was1 ever in a transport1 overflowing with new plans1 he somewhat neglected her by force of circumstances1 letting her live beside him much as she listed4 ,pierre had noticed1 however1 the sisterly impulsiveness with which she had greeted ,antoine4 ,and the latter1 after congratulating ,jahan on his statue1 came and sat down beside her1 questioned her and wished to see the book which she was reading4 ,during the last six months the most pure and affectionate intercourse had sprung up between them4 ,he1 from his father's garden1 up yonder on the ,place du ,tertre1 could see her through the huge window of that studio where she led so innocent a life4 ,and noticing that she was always alone1 as if forsaken1 he had begun to take an interest in her4 ,then had come acquaintance2 and1 delighted to find her so simple and so charming1 he had conceived the design of rousing her to intelligence and life1 by loving her1 by becoming at once the mind and the heart whose power fructifies4 ,weak plant that she was1 in need of delicate care1 sunshine and affection1 he became for her all that her brother had1 through circumstances1 failed to be4 ,he had already taught her to read1 a task in which every mistress had previously failed4 ,but him she listened to and understood4 ,and by slow degrees a glow of happiness came to the beautiful clear eyes set in her irregular face4 ,it was love's miracle1 the creation of woman beneath the breath of a young lover who gave himself entirely4 ,no doubt she still remained very delicate1 with such poor health that one ever feared that she might expire in a faint sigh2 and her legs1 moreover1 were still too weak to admit of her walking any distance4 ,but all the same1 she was no longer the little wilding1 the little ailing flower of the previous spring4 ,jahan1 who marvelled at the incipient miracle1 drew near to the young people4 8,ah60 said he1 8your pupil does you honour4 ,she reads quite fluently1 you know1 and understands the fine books you send her4 ,you read to me of an evening now1 don't you1 ,lise80 ,she raised her candid eyes1 and gazed at ,antoine with a smile of infinite gratitude4 8,oh6 whatever he'll teach me10 she said1 8,i'll learn it1 and do it40 ,the others laughed gently4 ,then1 as the visitors were going off1 ,franois paused before a model which had cracked while drying4 8,oh6 that's a spoilt thing10 said the sculptor4 8,i wanted to model a figure of ,charity4 ,it was ordered of me by a philanthropic institution4 ,but try as ,i might1 ,i could only devise something so commonplace that ,i let the clay spoil4 ,still1 ,i must think it over and endeavour to take the matter in hand again40 ,when they were outside1 it occurred to ,pierre to go as far as the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart in the hope of finding ,abb ,rose there4 ,so the three of them went round by way of the ,rue ,gabrielle and climbed the steps of the ,rue ,chape4 ,and just as they were reaching the summit where the basilica reared its forest of scaffoldings beneath the clear sky1 they encountered ,thomas1 who1 on leaving the factory1 had gone to give an order to a founder in the ,rue ,lamarck4 ,he1 who as a rule was so silent and discreet1 now happened to be in an expansive mood1 which made him look quite radiant4 8,ah6 ,i'm so pleased10 he said1 addressing ,pierre2 8,i fancy that ,i've found what ,i want for our little motor4 ,tell father that things are going on all right1 and that he must make haste to get well40 ,at these words his brothers1 ,franois and ,antoine1 drew close to him with a common impulse4 ,and they stood there all three1 a valiant little group1 their hearts uniting and beating with one and the same delight at the idea that their father would be gladdened1 that the good news they were sending him would help him towards recovery4 ,as for ,pierre1 who1 now that he knew them1 was beginning to love them and judge them at their worth1 he marvelled at the sight of these three young giants1 each so strikingly like the other1 and drawn together so closely and so promptly1 directly their filial affection took fire4 8,tell him that we are waiting for him1 and will come to him at the first sign if we are wanted40 ,then each in turn shook the priest's hand vigorously4 ,and while he remained watching them as they went off towards the little house1 whose garden he perceived over the wall of the ,rue ,saint ,eleuthre1 he fancied he could there detect a delicate silhouette1 a white1 sunlit face under a help of dark hair4 ,it was doubtless the face of ,marie1 examining the buds on her lilac bushes4 ,at that evening hour1 however1 the diffuse light was so golden that the vision seemed to fade in it as in a halo4 ,and ,pierre1 feeling dazzled1 turned his head1 and on the other side saw naught but the overwhelming1 chalky mass of the basilica1 whose hugeness shut out all view of the horizon4 ,for a moment he remained motionless on that spot1 so agitated by conflicting thoughts and feelings that he could read neither heart nor mind clearly4 ,then1 as he turned towards the city1 all ,paris spread itself out at his feet1 a limpid1 lightsome ,paris1 beneath the pink glow of that spring-like evening4 ,the endless billows of house-roofs showed forth with wonderful distinctness1 and one could have counted the chimney stacks and the little black streaks of the windows by the million4 ,the edifices rising into the calm atmosphere seemed like the anchored vessels of some fleet arrested in its course1 with lofty masting which glittered at the sun's farewell4 ,and never before had ,pierre so distinctly observed the divisions of that human ocean4 ,eastward and northward was the city of manual toil1 with the rumbling and the smoke of its factories4 ,southward1 beyond the river1 was the city of study1 of intellectual labour1 so calm1 so perfectly serene4 ,and on all sides the passion of trade ascended from the central districts1 where the crowds rolled and scrambled amidst an everlasting uproar of wheels2 while westward1 the city of the happy and powerful ones1 those who fought for sovereignty and wealth1 spread out its piles of palaces amidst the slowly reddening flare of the declining planet4 ,and then1 from the depths of his negation1 the chaos into which his loss of faith had plunged him1 ,pierre felt a delicious freshness pass like the vague advent of a new faith4 ,so vague it was that he could not have expressed even his hope of it in words4 ,but already among the rough factory workers1 manual toil had appeared to him necessary and redemptive1 in spite of all the misery and abominable injustice to which it led4 ,and now the young men of intellect of whom he had despaired1 that generation of the morrow which he had thought spoilt1 relapsing into ancient error and rottenness1 had appeared to him full of virile promise1 resolved to prosecute the work of those who had gone before1 and effect1 by the aid of ,science only1 the conquest of absolute truth and absolute justice4 ,v4 ,,problems ,a ,,full month had already gone by since ,guillaume had taken refuge at his brother's little house at ,neuilly4 ,his wrist was now nearly healed4 ,he had long ceased to keep his bed1 and often strolled through the garden4 ,in spite of his impatience to go back to ,montmartre1 join his loved ones and resume his work there1 he was each morning prompted to defer his return by the news he found in the newspapers4 ,the situation was ever the same4 ,salvat1 whom the police now suspected1 had been perceived one evening near the central markets1 and then again lost sight of4 ,every day1 however1 his arrest was said to be imminent4 ,and in that case what would happen8 ,would he speak out1 and would fresh perquisitions be made8 ,for a whole week the press had been busy with the bradawl found under the entrance of the ,duvillard mansion4 ,nearly every reporter in ,paris had called at the ,grandidier factory and interviewed both workmen and master4 ,some had even started on personal investigations1 in the hope of capturing the culprit themselves4 ,there was no end of jesting about the incompetence of the police1 and the hunt for ,salvat was followed all the more passionately by the general public1 as the papers overflowed with the most ridiculous concoctions1 predicting further explosions1 and declaring even that all ,paris would some morning be blown into the air4 ,the 8,voix du ,peuple0 set a fresh shudder circulating every day by its announcements of threatening letters1 incendiary placards and mysterious1 far-reaching plots4 ,and never before had so base and foolish a spirit of contagion wafted insanity through a civilised city4 ,guillaume1 for his part1 no sooner awoke of a morning than he was all impatience to see the newspapers1 quivering at the idea that he would at last read of ,salvat's arrest4 ,in his state of nervous expectancy1 the wild campaign which the press had started1 the idiotic and the ferocious things which he found in one or another journal1 almost drove him crazy4 ,a number of 8suspects0 had already been arrested in a kind of chance razzia1 which had swept up the usual ,anarchist herd1 together with sundry honest workmen and bandits1 illumines and lazy devils1 in fact1 a most singular1 motley crew1 which investigating magistrate ,amadieu was endeavouring to turn into a gigantic association of evil-doers4 ,one morning1 moreover1 ,guillaume found his own name mentioned in connection with a perquisition at the residence of a revolutionary journalist1 who was a friend of his4 ,at this his heart bounded with revolt1 but he was forced to the conclusion that it would be prudent for him to remain patient a little longer1 in his peaceful retreat at ,neuilly1 since the police might at any moment break into his home at ,montmartre1 to arrest him should it find him there4 ,amidst all this anxiety the brothers led a most solitary and gentle life4 ,pierre himself now spent most of his time at home4 ,the first days of ,march had come1 and precocious springtide imparted delightful charm and warmth to the little garden4 ,guillaume1 however1 since quitting his bed1 had more particularly installed himself in his father's old laboratory1 now transformed into a spacious study4 ,all the books and papers left by the illustrious chemist were still there1 and among the latter ,guillaume found a number of unfinished essays1 the perusal of which greatly excited his interest1 and often absorbed him from morning till night4 ,it was this which largely enabled him to bear his voluntary seclusion patiently4 ,seated on the other side of the big table1 ,pierre also mostly occupied himself with reading2 but at times his eyes would quit his book and wander away into gloomy reverie1 into all the chaos into which he still and ever sank4 ,for long hours the brothers would in this wise remain side by side1 without speaking a word4 ,yet they knew they were together2 and occasionally1 when their eyes met1 they would exchange a smile4 ,the strong affection of former days was again springing up within them2 their childhood1 their home1 their parents1 all seemed to live once more in the quiet atmosphere they breathed4 ,however1 the bay window overlooked the garden in the direction of ,paris1 and often1 when they emerged from their reading or their reverie1 it was with a sudden feeling of anxiety1 and in order to lend ear to the distant rumbling1 the increased clamour of the great city4 ,on other occasions they paused as if in astonishment at hearing a continuous footfall overhead4 ,it was that of ,nicholas ,barths1 who still lingered in the room above4 ,he seldom came downstairs1 and scarcely ever ventured into the garden1 for fear1 said he1 that he might be perceived and recognised from a distant house whose windows were concealed by a clump of trees4 ,one might laugh at the old conspirator's haunting thought of the police4 ,nevertheless1 the caged-lion restlessness1 the ceaseless promenade of that perpetual prisoner who had spent two thirds of his life in the dungeons of ,france in his desire to secure the liberty of others1 imparted to the silence of the little house a touching melancholy1 the very rhythm as it were of all the great good things which one hoped for1 but which would never perhaps come4 ,very few visits drew the brothers from their solitude4 ,bertheroy came less frequently now that ,guillaume's wrist was healing4 ,the most assiduous caller was certainly ,thophile ,morin1 whose discreet ring was heard every other day at the same hour4 ,though he did not share the ideas of ,barths he worshipped him as a martyr2 and would always go upstairs to spend an hour with him4 ,however1 they must have exchanged few words1 for not a sound came from the room4 ,whenever ,morin sat down for a moment in the laboratory with the brothers1 ,pierre was struck by his seeming weariness1 his ashen grey hair and beard and dismal countenance1 all the life of which appeared to have been effaced by long years spent in the teaching profession4 ,indeed1 it was only when the priest mentioned ,italy that he saw his companion's resigned eyes blaze up like live coals4 ,one day when he spoke of the great patriot ,orlando ,prada1 ,morin's companion of victory in ,garibaldi's days1 he was amazed by the sudden flare of enthusiasm which lighted up the other's lifeless features4 ,however1 these were but transient flashes3 the old professor soon reappeared1 and all that one found in ,morin was the friend of ,proudhon and the subsequent disciple of ,auguste ,comte4 ,of his ,proudhonian principles he had retained all a pauper's hatred of wealth1 and a desire for a more equitable partition of fortune4 ,but the new times dismayed him1 and neither principle nor temperament allowed him to follow ,revolutionism to its utmost limits4 ,comte had imparted unshakable convictions to him in the sphere of intellectual questions1 and he contented himself with the clear and decisive logic of ,positivism1 rejecting all metaphysical hypotheses as useless1 persuaded as he was that the whole human question1 whether social or religious1 would be solved by science alone4 ,this faith1 firm as it had remained1 was1 however1 coupled with secret bitterness1 for nothing seemed to advance in a sensible manner towards its goal4 ,comte himself had ended in the most cloudy mysticism2 great savants recoiled from truth in terror2 and now barbarians were threatening the world with fresh night2 all of which made ,morin almost a reactionist in politics1 already resigned to the advent of a dictator1 who would set things somewhat in order1 so that humanity might be able to complete its education4 ,other visitors who occasionally called to see ,guillaume were ,bache and ,janzen1 who invariably came together and at night-time4 ,every now and then they would linger chatting with ,guillaume in the spacious study until two o'clock in the morning4 ,bache1 who was fat and had a fatherly air1 with his little eyes gently beaming amidst all the snowy whiteness of his hair and beard1 would talk on slowly1 unctuously and interminably1 as soon as he had begun to explain his views4 ,he would address merely a polite bow to ,saint-,simon1 the initiator1 the first to lay down the law that work was a necessity for one and all according to their capacities2 but on coming to ,fourier his voice softened and he confessed his whole religion4 ,to his thinking1 ,fourier had been the real messiah of modern times1 the saviour of genius1 who had sown the good seed of the future world1 by regulating society such as it would certainly be organised to-morrow4 ,the law of harmony had been promulgated2 human passions1 liberated and utilised in healthy fashion1 would become the requisite machinery2 and work1 rendered pleasant and attractive1 would prove the very function of life4 ,nothing could discourage ,bache2 if merely one parish began by transforming itself into a phalansterium1 the whole department would soon follow1 then the adjacent departments1 and finally all ,france4 ,moreover1 ,bache even favoured the schemes of ,cabet1 whose ,icaria1 said he1 had in no wise been such a foolish idea4 ,further1 he recalled a motion he had made1 when member of the ,commune in #ahga1 to apply ,fourier's ideas to the ,french ,republic2 and he was apparently convinced that the troops of ,versailles had delayed the triumph of ,communism for half a century4 ,whenever people nowadays talked of table-turning he pretended to laugh1 but at bottom he had remained an impenitent 8spiritist40 ,since he had been a municipal councillor he had been travelling from one socialist sect to another1 according as their ideas offered points of resemblance to his old faith4 ,and he was fairly consumed by his need of faith1 his perplexity as to the ,divine1 which he was now occasionally inclined to find in the legs of some piece of furniture1 after denying its presence in the churches4 ,janzen1 for his part1 was as taciturn as his friend ,bache was garrulous4 ,such remarks as he made were brief1 but they were as galling as lashes1 as cutting as sabre-strokes4 ,at the same time his ideas and theories remained somewhat obscure1 partly by reason of this brevity of his1 and partly on account of the difficulty he experienced in expressing himself in ,french4 ,he was from over yonder1 from some far-away land--,russia1 ,poland1 ,austria or ,germany1 nobody exactly knew2 and it mattered little1 for he certainly acknowledged no country1 but wandered far and wide with his dream of blood-shedding fraternity4 ,whenever1 with his wonted frigidity1 he gave utterance to one of those terrible remarks of his which1 like a scythe in a meadow1 cut away all before him1 little less than the necessity of thus mowing down nations1 in order to sow the earth afresh with a young and better community1 became apparent4 ,at each proposition unfolded by ,bache1 such as labour rendered agreeable by police regulations1 phalansteria organised like barracks1 religion transformed into pantheist or spiritist deism1 he gently shrugged his shoulders4 ,what could be the use of such childishness1 such hypocritical repairing1 when the house was falling and the only honest course was to throw it to the ground1 and build up the substantial edifice of to-morrow with entirely new materials8 ,on the subject of propaganda by deeds1 bomb-throwing and so forth1 he remained silent1 though his gestures were expressive of infinite hope4 ,he evidently approved that course4 ,the legend which made him one of the perpetrators of the crime of ,barcelona set a gleam of horrible glory in his mysterious past4 ,one day when ,bache1 while speaking to him of his friend ,bergaz1 the shadowy ,bourse jobber who had already been compromised in some piece of thieving1 plainly declared that the aforesaid ,bergaz was a bandit1 ,janzen contented himself with smiling1 and replying quietly that theft was merely forced restitution4 ,briefly1 in this man of culture and refinement1 in whose own mysterious life one might perhaps have found various crimes but not a single act of base improbity1 one could divine an implacable1 obstinate theoretician1 who was resolved to set the world ablaze for the triumph of his ideas4 ,on certain evenings when a visit from ,thophile ,morin coincided with one from ,bache and ,janzen1 and they and ,guillaume lingered chatting until far into the night1 ,pierre would listen to them in despair from the shadowy corner where he remained motionless1 never once joining in the discussions4 ,distracted1 by his own unbelief and thirst for truth1 he had at the outset taken a passionate interest in these debates1 desirous as he was of drawing up a balance-sheet of the century's ideas1 so as to form some notion of the distance that had been travelled1 and the profits that had accrued4 ,but he recoiled from all this in fresh despair1 on hearing the others argue1 each from his own standpoint and without possibility of concession and agreement4 ,after the repulses he had encountered at ,lourdes and ,rome1 he well realised that in this fresh experiment which he was making with ,paris1 the whole brain of the century was in question1 the new truths1 the expected gospel which was to change the face of the world4 ,and1 burning with inconsiderate zeal1 he went from one belief to another1 which other he soon rejected in order to adopt a third4 ,if he had first felt himself to be a ,positivist with ,morin1 an ,evolutionist and ,determinist with ,guillaume1 he had afterwards been touched by the fraternal dream of a new golden age which he had found in ,bache's humanitarian ,communism4 ,and indeed even ,janzen had momentarily shaken him by his fierce confidence in the theory of liberative ,individualism4 ,but afterwards he had found himself out of his depth2 and each and every theory had seemed to him but part of the chaotic contradictions and incoherences of humanity on its march4 ,it was all a continuous piling up of dross1 amidst which he lost himself4 ,although ,fourier had sprung from ,saint-,simon he denied him in part2 and if ,saint-,simon's doctrine ended in a kind of mystical sensuality1 the other's conducted to an unacceptable regimenting of society4 ,proudhon1 for his part1 demolished without rebuilding anything4 ,comte1 who created method and declared science to be the one and only sovereign1 had not even suspected the advent of the social crisis which now threatened to sweep all away1 and had finished personally as a mere worshipper of love1 overpowered by woman4 ,nevertheless1 these two1 ,comte and ,proudhon1 entered the lists and fought against the others1 ,fourier and ,saint-,simon2 the combat between them or their disciples becoming so bitter and so blind that the truths common to them all were obscured and disfigured beyond recognition4 ,thence came the extraordinary muddle of the present hour2 ,bache with ,saint-,simon and ,fourier1 and ,morin with ,proudhon and ,comte1 utterly failing to understand ,mge1 the ,collectivist deputy1 whom they held up to execration1 him and his ,state ,collectivism1 in the same way1 moreover1 as they thundered against all the other present-time ,socialist sects1 without realising that these also1 whatever their nature1 had more or less sprung from the same masters as themselves4 ,and all this seemingly indicated that ,janzen was right when he declared that the house was past repair1 fast crumbling amidst rottenness and insanity1 and that it ought to be levelled to the ground4 ,one night1 after the three visitors had gone1 ,pierre1 who had remained with ,guillaume1 saw him grow very gloomy as he slowly walked to and fro4 ,he1 in his turn1 had doubtless felt that all was crumbling4 ,and though his brother alone was there to hear him1 he went on speaking4 ,he expressed all his horror of the ,collectivist ,state as imagined by ,mge1 a ,dictator-,state re-establishing ancient servitude on yet closer lines4 ,the error of all the ,socialist sects was their arbitrary organisation of ,labour1 which enslaved the individual for the profit of the community4 ,and1 forced to conciliate the two great currents1 the rights of society and the rights of the individual1 ,guillaume had ended by placing his whole faith in free ,communism1 an anarchical state in which he dreamt of seeing the individual freed1 moving and developing without restraint1 for the benefit both of himself and of all others4 ,was not this1 said he1 the one truly scientific theory1 unities creating worlds1 atoms producing life by force of attraction1 free and ardent love8 ,all oppressive minorities would disappear2 and the faculties and energies of one and all would by free play arrive at harmony amidst the equilibrium--which changed according to needs--of the active forces of advancing humanity4 ,in this wise he pictured a nation1 saved from ,state tutelage1 without a master1 almost without laws1 a happy nation1 each citizen of which1 completely developed by the exercise of liberty1 would1 of his free will1 come to an understanding with his neighbours with regard to the thousand necessities of life4 ,and thence would spring society1 free association1 hundreds of associations which would regulate social life2 though at the same time they would remain variable1 in fact often opposed and hostile to one another4 ,for progress is but the fruit of conflict and struggle2 the world has only been created by the battle of opposing forces4 ,and that was all2 there would be no more oppressors1 no more rich1 no more poor2 the domain of the earth with its natural treasures and its implements of labour would be restored to the people1 its legitimate owners1 who would know how to enjoy it with justice and logic1 when nothing abnormal would impede their expansion4 ,and then only would the law of love make its action felt2 then would human solidarity1 which1 among mankind1 is the living form of universal attraction1 acquire all its power1 bringing men closer and closer together1 and uniting them in one sole family4 ,a splendid dream it was--the noble and pure dream of absolute freedom--free man in free society4 ,and thither a savant's superior mind was fated to come after passing on the road the many ,socialist sects which one and all bore the stigma of tyranny4 ,and1 assuredly1 as thus indulged1 the ,anarchist idea is the loftiest1 the proudest1 of all ideas4 ,and how delightful to yield to the hope of harmony in life--life which restored to the full exercise of its natural powers would of itself create happiness6 ,when ,guillaume ceased speaking1 he seemed to be emerging from a dream2 and he glanced at ,pierre with some dismay1 for he feared that he might have said too much and have hurt his feelings4 ,pierre--moved though he was1 for a moment in fact almost won over--had just seen the terrible practical objection1 which destroyed all hope1 arise before his mind's eye4 ,why had not harmony asserted itself in the first days of the world's existence1 at the time when societies were formed8 ,how was it that tyranny had triumphed1 delivering nations over to oppressors8 ,and supposing that the apparently insolvable problem of destroying everything1 and beginning everything afresh1 should ever be solved1 who could promise that mankind1 obedient to the same laws1 would not again follow the same paths as formerly8 ,after all1 mankind1 nowadays1 is simply what life has made it2 and nothing proves that life would again make it other than it is4 ,to begin afresh1 ah1 yes6 but to attain another result6 ,but could that other result really come from man8 ,was it not rather man himself who should be changed8 ,to start afresh from where one was1 to continue the evolution that had begun1 undoubtedly meant slow travel and dismal waiting4 ,but how great would be the danger and even the delay1 if one went back without knowing by what road across the whole chaos of ruins one might regain all the lost time6 8,let us go to bed10 at last said ,guillaume1 smiling4 8,it's silly of me to weary you with all these things which don't concern you40 ,pierre1 in his excitement1 was about to reveal his own heart and mind1 and the whole torturing battle within him4 ,but a feeling of shame again restrained him4 ,his brother only knew him as a believing priest1 faithful to his faith4 ,and so1 without answering1 he betook himself to his room4 ,on the following evening1 about ten o'clock1 while ,guillaume and ,pierre sat reading in the study1 the old servant entered to announce ,m4 ,janzen and a friend4 ,the friend was ,salvat4 8,he wished to see you10 ,janzen explained to ,guillaume4 8,i met him1 and when he heard of your injury and anxiety he implored me to bring him here4 ,and ,i've done so1 though it was perhaps hardly prudent of me40 ,guillaume had risen1 full of surprise and emotion at such a visit2 ,pierre1 however1 though equally upset by ,salvat's appearance2 did not stir from his chair1 but kept his eyes upon the workman4 8,monsieur ,froment10 ,salvat ended by saying1 standing there in a timid1 embarrassed way1 8,i was very sorry indeed when ,i heard of the worry ,i'd put you in2 for ,i shall never forget that you were very kind to me when everybody else turned me away40 ,as he spoke he balanced himself alternately on either leg1 and transferred his old felt hat from hand to hand4 8,and so ,i wanted to come and tell you myself that if ,i took a cartridge of your powder one evening when you had your back turned1 it's the only thing that ,i feel any remorse about in the whole business1 since it may compromise you4 ,and ,i also want to take my oath before you that you've nothing to fear from me1 that ,i'll let my head be cut off twenty times if need be1 rather than utter your name4 ,that's all that ,i had in my heart40 ,he relapsed into silence and embarrassment1 but his soft1 dreamy eyes1 the eyes of a faithful dog1 remained fixed upon ,guillaume with an expression of respectful worship4 ,and ,pierre was still gazing at him athwart the hateful vision which his arrival had conjured up1 that of the poor1 dead1 errand girl1 the fair pretty child lying ripped open under the entrance of the ,duvillard mansion6 ,was it possible that he was there1 he1 that madman1 that murderer1 and that his eyes were actually moist6 ,guillaume1 touched by ,salvat's words1 had drawn near and pressed his hand4 8,i am well aware1 ,salvat10 said he1 8that you are not wicked at heart4 ,but what a foolish and abominable thing you did60 ,salvat showed no sign of anger1 but gently smiled4 8,oh6 if it had to be done again1 ,monsieur ,froment1 ,i'd do it4 ,it's my idea1 you know4 ,and1 apart from you1 all is well2 ,i am content40 ,he would not sit down1 but for another moment continued talking with ,guillaume1 while ,janzen1 as if he washed his hands of the business1 deeming this visit both useless and dangerous1 sat down and turned over the leaves of a picture book4 ,and ,guillaume made ,salvat tell him what he had done on the day of the crime2 how like a stray dog he had wandered in distraction through ,paris1 carrying his bomb with him1 originally in his tool-bag and then under his jacket2 how he had gone a first time to the ,duvillard mansion and found its carriage entrance closed2 then how he had betaken himself first to the ,chamber of ,deputies which the ushers had prevented him from entering1 and afterwards to the ,circus1 where the thought of making a great sacrifice of bourgeois had occurred to him too late4 ,and finally1 how he had at last come back to the ,duvillard mansion1 as if drawn thither by the very power of destiny4 ,his tool-bag was lying in the depths of the ,seine1 he said2 he had thrown it into the water with sudden hatred of work1 since it had even failed to give him bread4 ,and he next told the story of his flight2 the explosion shaking the whole district behind him1 while1 with delight and astonishment1 he found himself some distance off1 in quiet streets where nothing was as yet known4 ,and for a month past he had been living in chance fashion1 how or where he could hardly tell1 but he had often slept in the open1 and gone for a day without food4 ,one evening little ,victor ,mathis had given him five francs4 ,and other comrades had helped him1 taken him in for a night and sent him off at the first sign of peril4 ,a far-spreading1 tacit complicity had hitherto saved him from the police4 ,as for going abroad1 well1 he had1 at one moment1 thought of doing so2 but a description of his person must have been circulated1 the gendarmes must be waiting for him at the frontiers1 and so would not flight1 instead of retarding1 rather hasten his arrest8 ,paris1 however1 was an ocean2 it was there that he incurred the least risk of capture4 ,moreover1 he no longer had sufficient energy to flee4 ,a fatalist as he was after his own fashion1 he could not find strength to quit the pavements of ,paris1 but there awaited arrest1 like a social waif carried chancewise through the multitude as in a dream4 8,and your daughter1 little ,cline80 ,guillaume inquired4 8,have you ventured to go back to see her80 ,salvat waved his hand in a vague way4 8,no1 but what would you have8 ,she's with ,mamma ,thodore4 ,women always find some help4 ,and then ,i'm done for1 ,i can do nothing for anybody4 ,it's as if ,i were already dead40 ,however1 in spite of these words1 tears were rising to his eyes4 8,ah6 the poor little thing60 he added1 8,i kissed her with all my heart before ,i went away4 ,if she and the woman hadn't been starving so long the idea of that business would perhaps never have come to me40 ,then1 in all simplicity1 he declared that he was ready to die4 ,if he had ended by depositing his bomb at the entrance of ,duvillard's house1 it was because he knew the banker well1 and was aware that he was the wealthiest of those bourgeois whose fathers at the time of the ,revolution had duped the people1 by taking all power and wealth for themselves1--the power and wealth which the sons were nowadays so obstinately bent in retaining that they would not even bestow the veriest crumbs on others4 ,as for the ,revolution1 he understood it in his own fashion1 like an illiterate fellow who had learnt the little he knew from newspapers and speeches at public meetings4 ,and he struck his chest with his fist as he spoke of his honesty1 and was particularly desirous that none should doubt his courage because he had fled4 8,i've never robbed anybody10 said he1 8and if ,i don't go and hand myself up to the police1 it's because they may surely take the trouble to find and arrest me4 ,i'm very well aware that my affair's clear enough as they've found that bradawl and know me4 ,all the same1 it would be silly of me to help them in their work4 ,still1 they'd better make haste1 for ,i've almost had enough of being tracked like a wild beast and no longer knowing how ,i live40 ,janzen1 yielding to curiosity1 had ceased turning over the leaves of the picture book and was looking at ,salvat4 ,there was a smile of disdain in the ,anarchist leader's cold eyes2 and in his usual broken ,french he remarked3 8,a man fights and defends himself1 kills others and tries to avoid being killed himself4 ,that's warfare40 ,these words fell from his lips amidst deep silence4 ,salvat1 however1 did not seem to have heard them1 but stammered forth his faith in a long sentence laden with fulsome expressions1 such as the sacrifice of his life in order that want might cease1 and the example of a great action1 in the certainty that it would inspire other heroes to continue the struggle4 ,and with this certainly sincere faith and illuminism of his there was blended a martyr's pride1 delight at being one of the radiant1 worshipped saints of the dawning ,revolutionary ,church4 ,as he had come so he went off4 ,when ,janzen had led him away1 it seemed as if the night which had brought him had carried him back into its impenetrable depths4 ,and then only did ,pierre rise from his chair4 ,he was stifling1 and threw the large window of the room wide open4 ,it was a very mild but moonless night1 whose silence was only disturbed by the subsiding clamour of ,paris1 which stretched away1 invisible1 on the horizon4 ,guillaume1 according to his habit1 had begun to walk up and down4 ,and at last he spoke1 again forgetting that his brother was a priest4 8,ah6 the poor fellow6 ,how well one can understand that deed of violence and hope6 ,his whole past life of fruitless labour and ever-growing want explains it4 ,then1 too1 there has been all the contagion of ideas2 the frequentation of public meetings where men intoxicate themselves with words1 and of secret meetings among comrades where faith acquires firmness and the mind soars wildly4 ,ah6 ,i think ,i know that man well indeed6 ,he's a good workman1 sober and courageous4 ,injustice has always exasperated him4 ,and little by little the desire for universal happiness has cast him out of the realities of life which he has ended by holding in horror4 ,so how can he do otherwise than live in a dream--a dream of redemption1 which1 from circumstances1 has turned to fire and murder as its fitting instruments4 ,as ,i looked at him standing there1 ,i fancied ,i could picture one of the first ,christian slaves of ancient ,rome4 ,all the iniquity of olden pagan society1 agonising beneath the rottenness born of debauchery and covetousness1 was weighing on his shoulders1 bearing him down4 ,he had come from the dark ,catacombs where he had whispered words of deliverance and redemption with his wretched brethren4 ,and a thirst for martyrdom consumed him1 he spat in the face of ,caesar1 he insulted the gods1 he fired the pagan temples1 in order that the reign of ,jesus might come and abolish servitude4 ,and he was ready to die1 to be torn to pieces by the wild beasts60 ,pierre did not immediately reply4 ,he had already been struck1 however1 by the fact that there were undoubted points of resemblance between the secret propaganda and militant faith of the ,anarchists1 and certain practices of the first ,christians4 ,both sects abandon themselves to a new faith in the hope that the humble may thereby at last reap justice4 ,paganism disappears through weariness of the flesh and the need of a more lofty and pure faith4 ,that dream of a ,christian paradise opening up a future life with a system of compensations for the ills endured on earth1 was the outcome of young hope dawning at its historic hour4 ,but to-day1 when eighteen centuries have exhausted that hope1 when the long experiment is over and the toiler finds himself duped and still and ever a slave1 he once more dreams of getting happiness upon this earth1 particularly as each day ,science tends more and more to show him that the happiness of the spheres beyond is a lie4 ,and in all this there is but the eternal struggle of the poor and the rich1 the eternal question of bringing more justice and less suffering to the world4 8,but surely10 ,pierre at last replied1 8you can't be on the side of those bandits1 those murderers whose savage violence horrifies me4 ,i let you talk on yesterday1 when you dreamt of a great and happy people1 of ideal anarchy in which each would be free amidst the freedom of all4 ,but what abomination1 what disgust both for mind and heart1 when one passes from theory to propaganda and practice6 ,if yours is the brain that thinks1 whose is the hateful hand that acts1 that kills children1 throws down doors and empties drawers8 ,do you accept that responsibility8 ,with your education1 your culture1 the whole social heredity behind you1 does not your entire being revolt at the idea of stealing and murdering80 ,guillaume halted before his brother1 quivering4 8,steal and murder6 no6 no6 ,i will not4 ,but one must say everything and fully understand the history of the evil hour through which we are passing4 ,it is madness sweeping by2 and1 to tell the truth1 everything necessary to provoke it has been done4 ,at the very dawn of the ,anarchist theory1 at the very first innocent actions of its partisans1 there was such stern repression1 the police so grossly ill-treating the poor devils that fell into its hands1 that little by little came anger and rage leading to the most horrible reprisals4 ,it is the ,terror initiated by the bourgeois that has produced ,anarchist savagery4 ,and would you know whence ,salvat and his crime have come8 ,why1 from all our centuries of impudence and iniquity1 from all that the nations have suffered1 from all the sores which are now devouring us1 the impatience for enjoyment1 the contempt of the strong for the weak1 the whole monstrous spectacle which is presented by our rotting society60 ,guillaume was again slowly walking to and fro2 and as if he were reflecting aloud he continued3 8,ah6 to reach the point ,i have attained1 through how much thought1 through how many battles1 have ,i not passed6 ,i was merely a ,positivist1 a savant devoted to observation and experiment1 accepting nothing apart from proven facts4 ,scientifically and socially1 ,i admitted that simple evolution had slowly brought humanity into being4 ,but both in the history of the globe and that of human society1 ,i found it necessary to make allowance for the volcano1 the sudden cataclysm1 the sudden eruption1 by which each geological phase1 each historical period1 has been marked4 ,in this wise one ends by ascertaining that no forward step has ever been taken1 no progress ever accomplished in the world's history1 without the help of horrible catastrophes4 ,each advance has meant the sacrifice of millions and millions of human lives4 ,this of course revolts us1 given our narrow ideas of justice1 and we regard nature as a most barbarous mother2 but1 if we cannot excuse the volcano1 we ought to deal with it when it bursts forth1 like savants forewarned of its possibility4444 ,and then1 ah1 then6 well1 perhaps ,i'm a dreamer like others1 but ,i have my own notions40 ,with a sweeping gesture he confessed what a social dreamer there was within him beside the methodical and scrupulous savant4 ,his constant endeavour was to bring all back to science1 and he was deeply grieved at finding in nature no scientific sign of equality or even justice1 such as he craved for in the social sphere4 ,his despair indeed came from this inability to reconcile scientific logic with apostolic love1 the dream of universal happiness and brotherhood and the end of all iniquity4 ,pierre1 however1 who had remained near the open window1 gazing into the night towards ,paris1 whence ascended the last sounds of the evening of passionate pleasure1 felt the whole flood of his own doubt and despair stifling him4 ,it was all too much3 that brother of his who had fallen upon him with his scientific and apostolic beliefs1 those men who came to discuss contemporary thought from every standpoint1 and finally that ,salvat who had brought thither the exasperation of his mad deed4 ,and ,pierre1 who had hitherto listened to them all without a word1 without a gesture1 who had hidden his secrets from his brother1 seeking refuge in his supposed priestly views1 suddenly felt such bitterness stirring his heart that he could lie no longer4 8,ah6 brother1 if you have your dream1 ,i have my sore which has eaten into me and left me void6 ,your ,anarchy1 your dream of just happiness1 for which ,salvat works with bombs1 why1 it is the final burst of insanity which will sweep everything away6 ,how is it that you can't realise it8 ,the century is ending in ruins4 ,i've been listening to you all for a month past4 ,fourier destroyed ,saint-,simon1 ,proudhon and ,comte demolished ,fourier1 each in turn piling up incoherences and contradictions1 leaving mere chaos behind them1 which nobody dares to sort out4 ,and since then1 ,socialist sects have been swarming and multiplying1 the more sensible of them leading simply to dictatorship1 while the others indulge in most dangerous reveries4 ,and after such a tempest of ideas there could indeed come nothing but your ,anarchy1 which undertakes to bring the old world to a finish by reducing it to dust4444 ,ah6 ,i expected it1 ,i was waiting for it--that final catastrophe1 that fratricidal madness1 the inevitable class warfare in which our civilisation was destined to collapse6 ,everything announced it3 the want and misery below1 the egotism up above1 all the cracking of the old human habitation1 borne down by too great a weight of crime and grief4 ,when ,i went to ,lourdes it was to see if the divinity of simple minds would work the awaited miracle1 and restore the belief of the early ages to the people1 which rebelled through excess of suffering4 ,and when ,i went to ,rome it was in the naive hope of there finding the new religion required by our democracies1 the only one that could pacify the world by bringing back the fraternity of the golden age4 ,but how foolish of me all that was6 ,both here and there1 ,i simply lighted on nothingness4 ,there where ,i so ardently dreamt of finding the salvation of others1 ,i only sank myself1 going down apeak like a ship not a timber of which is ever found again4 ,one tie still linked me to my fellow-men1 that of charity1 the dressing1 relieving1 and perhaps1 in the long run1 healing1 of wounds and sores2 but that last cable has now been severed4 ,charity1 to my mind1 appears futile and derisive by the side of justice1 to whom all supremacy belongs1 and whose advent has become a necessity and can be stayed by none4 ,and so it is all over1 ,i am mere ashes1 an empty grave as it were4 ,i no longer believe in anything1 anything1 anything whatever60 ,pierre had risen to his full height1 with arms outstretched as if to let all the nothingness within his heart and mind fall from them4 ,and ,guillaume1 distracted by the sight of such a fierce denier1 such a despairing ,nihilist as was now revealed to him1 drew near1 quivering3 8,what are you saying1 brother6 ,i thought you so firm1 so calm in your belief6 ,a priest to be admired1 a saint worshipped by the whole of this parish6 ,i was unwilling even to discuss your faith1 and now it is you who deny all1 and believe in nothing whatever60 ,pierre again slowly stretched out his arms4 8,there is nothing1 ,i tried to learn all1 and only found the atrocious grief born of the nothingness that overwhelms me40 8,ah6 how you must suffer1 ,pierre1 my little brother6 ,can religion1 then1 be even more withering than science1 since it has ravaged you like that1 while ,i have yet remained an old madman1 still full of fancies80 ,guillaume caught hold of ,pierre's hands and pressed them1 full of terrified compassion in presence of all the grandeur and horror embodied in that unbelieving priest who watched over the belief of others1 and chastely1 honestly discharged his duty amidst the haughty sadness born of his falsehood4 ,and how heavily must that falsehood have weighed upon his conscience for him to confess himself in that fashion1 amidst an utter collapse of his whole being6 ,a month previously1 in the unexpansiveness of his proud solitude1 he would never have taken such a course4 ,to speak out it was necessary that he should have been stirred by many things1 his reconciliation with his brother1 the conversations he had heard of an evening1 the terrible drama in which he was mingled1 as well as his reflections on labour struggling against want1 and the vague hope with which the sight of intellectual youth had inspired him4 ,and1 indeed1 amid the very excess of his negation was there not already the faint dawn of a new faith8 ,this ,guillaume must have understood1 on seeing how he quivered with unsatisfied tenderness as he emerged from the fierce silence which he had preserved so long4 ,he made him sit down near the window1 and placed himself beside him without releasing his hands4 8,but ,i won't have you suffer1 my little brother60 he said2 8,i won't leave you1 ,i'll nurse you4 ,for ,i know you much better than you know yourself4 ,you would never have suffered were it not for the battle between your heart and your mind1 and you will cease to suffer on the day when they make peace1 and you love what you understand40 ,and in a lower voice1 with infinite affection1 he went on3 8,you see1 it's our poor mother and our poor father continuing their painful struggle in you4 ,you were too young at the time1 you couldn't know what went on4 ,but ,i knew them both very wretched3 he1 wretched through her1 who treated him as if he were one of the damned2 and she1 suffering through him1 tortured by his irreligion4 ,when he died1 struck down by an explosion in this very room1 she took it to be the punishment of ,god4 ,yet1 what an honest man he was1 with a good1 great heart1 what a worker1 seeking for truth alone1 and desirous of the love and happiness of all6 ,since we have spent our evenings here1 ,i have felt him coming back1 reviving as it were both around and within us2 and she1 too1 poor1 saintly woman1 is ever here1 enveloping us with love1 weeping1 and yet stubbornly refusing to understand4 ,it is they1 perhaps1 who have kept me here so long1 and who at this very moment are present to place your hands in mine40 ,and1 indeed1 it seemed to ,pierre as if he could feel the breath of vigilant affection which ,guillaume evoked passing over them both4 ,there was again a revival of all the past1 all their youth1 and nothing could have been more delightful4 8,you hear me1 brother10 ,guillaume resumed4 8,you must reconcile them1 for it is only in you that they can be reconciled4 ,you have his firm1 lofty brow1 and her mouth and eyes of unrealisable tenderness4 ,so1 try to bring them to agreement1 by some day contenting1 as your reason shall allow1 the everlasting thirst for love1 and self-bestowal1 and life1 which for lack of satisfaction is killing you4 ,your frightful wretchedness has no other cause4 ,come back to life1 love1 bestow yourself1 be a man60 ,pierre raised a dolorous cry3 8,no1 no1 the death born of doubt has swept through me1 withering and shattering everything1 and nothing more can live in that cold dust60 8,but1 come10 resumed ,guillaume1 8you cannot have reached such absolute negation4 ,no man reaches it4 ,even in the most disabused of minds there remains a nook of fancy and hope4 ,to deny charity1 devotion1 the prodigies which love may work1 ah6 for my part ,i do not go so far as that4 ,and now that you have shown me your sore1 why should ,i not tell you my dream1 the wild hope which keeps me alive6 ,it is strange2 but1 are savants to be the last childish dreamers1 and is faith only to spring up nowadays in chemical laboratories80 ,intense emotion was stirring ,guillaume2 there was battle waging in both his brain and his heart4 ,and at last1 yielding to the deep compassion which filled him1 vanquished by his ardent affection for his unhappy brother1 he spoke out4 ,but he had drawn yet closer to ,pierre1 even passed one arm around him2 and it was thus embracing him that he1 in his turn1 made his confession1 lowering his voice as if he feared that someone might overhear his secret4 8,why should you not know it80 he said4 8,my own sons are ignorant of it4 ,but you are a man and my brother1 and since there is nothing of the priest left in you1 it is to the brother ,i will confide it4 ,this will make me love you the more1 and perhaps it may do you good40 ,then he told him of his invention1 a new explosive1 a powder of such extraordinary force that its effects were incalculable4 ,and he had found employment for this powder in an engine of warfare1 a special cannon1 hurling bombs which would assure the most overwhelming victory to the army using them4 ,the enemy's forces would be destroyed in a few hours1 and besieged cities would fall into dust at the slightest bombardment4 ,he had long searched and doubted1 calculated1 recalculated and experimented2 but everything was now ready3 the precise formula of the powder1 the drawings for the cannon and the bombs1 a whole packet of precious papers stored in a safe spot4 ,and after months of anxious reflection he had resolved to give his invention to ,france1 so as to ensure her a certainty of victory in her coming1 inevitable war with ,germany6 ,at the same time1 he was not a man of narrow patriotism2 on the contrary he had a very broad1 international conception of the future liberative civilisation4 ,only he believed in the initiatory mission of ,france1 and particularly in that of ,paris1 which1 even as it is to-day1 was destined to be the world's brain to-morrow1 whence all science and justice would proceed4 ,the great idea of liberty and equality had already soared from it at the prodigious blast of the ,revolution2 and from its genius and valour the final emancipation of man would also take its flight4 ,thus it was necessary that ,paris should be victorious in the struggle in order that the world might be saved4 ,pierre understood his brother1 thanks to the lecture on explosives which he had heard at ,bertheroy's4 ,and the grandeur of this scheme1 this dream1 particularly struck him when he thought of the extraordinary future which would open for ,paris amidst the effulgent blaze of the bombs4 ,moreover1 he was struck by all the nobility of soul which had lain behind his brother's anxiety for a month past4 ,if ,guillaume had trembled it was simply with fear that his invention might be divulged in consequence of ,salvat's crime4 ,the slightest indiscretion might compromise everything2 and that little stolen cartridge1 whose effects had so astonished savants1 might reveal his secret4 ,he felt it necessary to act in mystery1 choosing his own time1 awaiting the proper hour1 until when the secret would slumber in its hiding-place1 confided to the sole care of ,mre-,grand1 who had her orders and knew what she was to do should he1 in any sudden accident1 disappear4 8,and1 now10 said ,guillaume in conclusion1 8you know my hopes and my anguish1 and you can help me and even take my place if ,i am unable to reach the end of my task4 ,ah6 to reach the end6 ,since ,i have been shut up here1 reflecting1 consumed by anxiety and impatience1 there have been hours when ,i have ceased to see my way clearly6 ,there is that ,salvat1 that wretched fellow for whose crime we are all of us responsible1 and who is now being hunted down like a wild beast6 ,there is also that insensate and insatiable bourgeoisie1 which will let itself be crushed by the fall of the shaky old house1 rather than allow the least repair to it6 ,and there is further that avaricious1 that abominable ,parisian press1 so harsh towards the weak and little1 so fond of insulting those who have none to defend them1 so eager to coin money out of public misfortune1 and ready to spread insanity on all sides1 simply to increase its sales6 ,where1 therefore1 shall one find truth and justice1 the hand endowed with logic and health that ought to be armed with the thunderbolt8 ,would ,paris the conqueror1 ,paris the master of the nations1 prove the justiciar1 the saviour that men await6 ,ah6 the anguish of believing oneself to be the master of the world's destinies1 and to have to choose and decide40 ,he had risen again quivering1 full of anger and fear that human wretchedness and baseness might prevent the realisation of his dream4 ,and amidst the heavy silence which fell in the room1 the little house suddenly resounded with a regular1 continuous footfall4 8,ah1 yes6 to save men and love them1 and wish them all to be equal and free10 murmured ,pierre1 bitterly4 8,but just listen6 ,barths's footsteps are answering you1 as if from the everlasting dungeon into which his love of liberty has thrown him60 ,however1 ,guillaume had already regained possession of himself1 and coming back in a transport of his faith1 he once more took ,pierre in his loving1 saving arms1 like an elder brother who gives himself without restraint4 8,no1 no1 ,i'm wrong1 ,i'm blaspheming10 he exclaimed2 8,i wish you to be with me1 full of hope and full of certainty4 ,you must work1 you must love1 you must revive to life4 ,life alone can give you back peace and health40 ,tears returned to the eyes of ,pierre1 who was penetrated to the heart by this ardent affection4 8,ah6 how ,i should like to believe you10 he faltered1 8and try to cure myself4 ,true1 ,i have already felt1 as it were1 a vague revival within me4 ,and yet to live again1 no1 ,i cannot2 the priest that ,i am is dead--a lifeless1 an empty tomb40 ,he was shaken by so frightful a sob1 that ,guillaume could not restrain his own tears4 ,and clasped in one another's arms the brothers wept on1 their hearts full of the softest emotion in that home of their youth1 whither the dear shadows of their parents ever returned1 hovering around until they should be reconciled and restored to the peace of the earth4 ,and all the darkness and mildness of the garden streamed in through the open window1 while yonder1 on the horizon1 ,paris had fallen asleep in the mysterious gloom1 beneath a very peaceful sky which was studded with stars4 ,,book ,,iii4 ,i4 ,,the ,,rivals ,,on the ,wednesday preceding the mid-,lent ,thursday1 a great charity bazaar was held at the ,duvillard mansion1 for the benefit of the ,asylum of the ,invalids of ,labour4 ,the ground-floor reception rooms1 three spacious ,louis ,seize salons1 whose windows overlooked the bare and solemn courtyard1 were given up to the swarm of purchasers1 five thousand admission cards having been distributed among all sections of ,parisian society4 ,and the opening of the bombarded mansion in this wise to thousands of visitors was regarded as quite an event1 a real manifestation1 although some people whispered that the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy and the adjacent streets were guarded by quite an army of police agents4 ,the idea of the bazaar had come from ,duvillard himself1 and at his bidding his wife had resigned herself to all this worry for the benefit of the enterprise over which she presided with such distinguished nonchalance4 ,on the previous day the 8,globe0 newspaper1 inspired by its director ,fonsgue1 who was also the general manager of the asylum1 had published a very fine article1 announcing the bazaar1 and pointing out how noble1 and touching1 and generous was the initiative of the ,baroness1 who still gave her time1 her money1 and even her home to charity1 in spite of the abominable crime which had almost reduced that home to ashes4 ,was not this the magnanimous answer of the spheres above to the hateful passions of the spheres below8 ,and was it not also a peremptory answer to those who accused the capitalists of doing nothing for the wage-earners1 the disabled and broken-down sons of toil8 ,the drawing-room doors were to be opened at two o'clock1 and would only close at seven1 so that there would be five full hours for the sales4 ,and at noon1 when nothing was as yet ready downstairs1 when workmen and women were still decorating the stalls1 and sorting the goods amidst a final scramble1 there was1 as usual1 a little friendly djeuner1 to which a few guests had been invited1 in the private rooms on the first floor4 ,however1 a scarcely expected incident had given a finishing touch to the general excitement of the house3 that very morning ,sagnier had resumed his campaign of denunciation in the matter of the ,african ,railway ,lines4 ,in a virulent article in the 8,voix du ,peuple10 he had inquired if it were the intention of the authorities to beguile the public much longer with the story of that bomb and that ,anarchist whom the police did not arrest4 ,and this time1 while undertaking to publish the names of the thirty-two corrupt senators and deputies in a very early issue1 he had boldly named ,minister ,barroux as one who had pocketed a sum of #bjj1jjj francs4 ,mge would therefore certainly revive his interpellation1 which might become dangerous1 now that ,paris had been thrown into such a distracted state by terror of the ,anarchists4 ,at the same time it was said that ,vignon and his party had resolved to turn circumstances to account1 with the object of overthrowing the ministry4 ,thus a redoubtable crisis was inevitably at hand4 ,fortunately1 the ,chamber did not meet that ,wednesday2 in fact1 it had adjourned until the ,friday1 with the view of making mid-,lent a holiday4 ,and so forty-eight hours were left one to prepare for the onslaught4 ,eve1 that morning1 seemed more gentle and languid than ever1 rather pale too1 with an expression of sorrowful anxiety in the depths of her beautiful eyes4 ,she set it all down to the very great fatigue which the preparations for the bazaar had entailed on her4 ,but the truth was that ,grard de ,quinsac1 after shunning any further assignation1 had for five days past avoided her in an embarrassed way4 ,still she was convinced that she would see him that morning1 and so she had again ventured to wear the white silk gown which made her look so much younger than she really was4 ,at the same time1 beautiful as she had remained1 with her delicate skin1 superb figure and noble and charming countenance1 her six and forty years were asserting themselves in her blotchy complexion and the little creases which were appearing about her lips1 eyelids and temples4 ,camille1 for her part1 though her position as daughter of the house made it certain that she would attract much custom as a saleswoman1 had obstinately persisted in wearing one of her usual dresses1 a dark 8carmelite0 gown1 an old woman's frock1 as she herself called it with a cutting laugh4 ,however1 her long and wicked-looking face beamed with some secret delight2 such an expression of wit and intelligence wreathing her thin lips and shining in her big eyes that one lost sight of her deformity and thought her almost pretty4 ,eve experienced a first deception in the little blue and silver sitting-room1 where1 accompanied by her daughter1 she awaited the arrival of her guests4 ,general de ,bozonnet1 whom ,grard was to have brought with him1 came in alone1 explaining that ,madame de ,quinsac had felt rather poorly that morning1 and that ,grard1 like a good and dutiful son1 had wished to remain with her4 ,still he would come to the bazaar directly after djeuner4 ,while the ,baroness listened to the ,general1 striving to hide her disappointment and her fear that she would now be unable to obtain any explanation from ,grard that day1 ,camille looked at her with eager1 devouring eyes4 ,and a certain covert instinct of the misfortune threatening her must at that moment have come to ,eve1 for in her turn she glanced at her daughter and turned pale as if with anxiety4 ,then ,princess ,rosemonde de ,harn swept in like a whirlwind4 ,she also was to be one of the saleswomen at the stall chosen by the ,baroness1 who liked her for her very turbulence1 the sudden gaiety which she generally brought with her4 ,gowned in fire-hued satin 7red shot with yellow71 looking very eccentric with her curly hair and thin boyish figure1 she laughed and talked of an accident by which her carriage had almost been cut in halves4 ,then1 as ,baron ,duvillard and ,hyacinthe came in from their rooms1 late as usual1 she took possession of the young man and scolded him1 for on the previous evening she had vainly waited for him till ten o'clock in the expectation that he would keep his promise to escort her to a tavern at ,montmartre1 where some horrible things were said to occur4 ,hyacinthe1 looking very bored1 quietly replied that he had been detained at a seance given by some adepts in the ,new ,magic1 in the course of which the soul of ,st4 ,theresa had descended from heaven to recite a love sonnet4 ,however1 ,fonsgue was now coming in with his wife1 a tall1 thin1 silent and generally insignificant woman1 whom he seldom took about with him4 ,on this occasion he had been obliged to bring her1 as she was one of the lady-patronesses of the asylum1 and he himself was coming to lunch with the ,duvillards in his capacity as general manager4 ,to the superficial observer he looked quite as gay as usual2 but he blinked nervously1 and his first glance was a questioning one in the direction of ,duvillard1 as if he wished to know how the latter bore the fresh thrust directed at him by ,sagnier4 ,and when he saw the banker looking perfectly composed1 as superb1 as rubicund as usual1 and chatting in a bantering way with ,rosemonde1 he also put on an easy air1 like a gamester who had never lost but had always known how to compel good luck1 even in hours of treachery4 ,and by way of showing his unconstraint of mind he at once addressed the ,baroness on managerial matters3 8,have you now succeeded in seeing ,m4 l',abb ,froment for the affair of that old man ,laveuve1 whom he so warmly recommended to us8 ,all the formalities have been gone through1 you know1 and he can be brought to us at once1 as we have had a bed vacant for three days past40 8,yes1 ,i know10 replied ,eve2 8but ,i can't imagine what has become of ,abb ,froment1 for he hasn't given us a sign of life for a month past4 ,however1 ,i made up my mind to write to him yesterday1 and beg him to come to the bazaar to-day4 ,in this manner ,i shall be able to acquaint him with the good news myself40 8,it was to leave you the pleasure of doing so10 said ,fonsgue1 8that ,i refrained from sending him any official communication4 ,he's a charming priest1 is he not80 8,oh6 charming1 we are very fond of him40 ,however1 ,duvillard now intervened to say that they need not wait for ,duthil1 as he had received a telegram from him stating that he was detained by sudden business4 ,at this ,fonsgue's anxiety returned1 and he once more questioned the ,baron with his eyes4 ,duvillard smiled1 however1 and reassured him in an undertone3 8,it's nothing serious4 ,merely a commission for me1 about which he'll only be able to bring me an answer by-and-by40 ,then1 taking ,fonsgue on one side1 he added3 8,by the way1 don't forget to insert the paragraph ,i told you of40 8,what paragraph8 ,oh6 yes1 the one about that soiree at which ,silviane recited a piece of verse4 ,well1 ,i wanted to speak to you about it4 ,it worries me a little1 on account of the excessive praise it contains40 ,duvillard1 but a moment before so full of serenity1 with his lofty1 conquering1 disdainful mien1 now suddenly became pale and agitated4 8,but ,i absolutely want it to be inserted1 my dear fellow6 ,you would place me in the greatest embarrassment if it were not to appear1 for ,i promised ,silviane that it should40 ,as he spoke his lips trembled1 and a scared look came into his eyes1 plainly revealing his dismay4 8,all right1 all right10 said ,fonsgue1 secretly amused1 and well pleased at this complicity4 8,as it's so serious the paragraph shall go in1 ,i promise you40 ,the whole company was now present1 since neither ,grard nor ,duthil was to be expected4 ,so they went into the dining-room amidst a final noise of hammering in the sale-rooms below4 ,the meal proved somewhat of a scramble1 and was on three occasions disturbed by female attendants1 who came to explain difficulties and ask for orders4 ,doors were constantly slamming1 and the very walls seemed to shake with the unusual bustle which filled the house4 ,and feverish as they all were in the dining-room1 they talked in desultory1 haphazard fashion on all sorts of subjects1 passing from a ball given at the ,ministry of the ,interior on the previous night1 to the popular mid-,lent festival which would take place on the morrow1 and ever reverting to the bazaar1 the prices that had been given for the goods which would be on sale1 the prices at which they might be sold1 and the probable figure of the full receipts1 all this being interspersed with strange anecdotes1 witticisms and bursts of laughter4 ,on the ,general mentioning magistrate ,amadieu1 ,eve declared that she no longer dared to invite him to djeuner1 knowing how busy he was at the ,palace of ,justice4 ,still1 she certainly hoped that he would come to the bazaar and contribute something4 ,then ,fonsgue amused himself with teasing ,princess ,rosemonde about her fire-hued gown1 in which1 said he1 she must already feel roasted by the flames of hell2 a suggestion which secretly delighted her1 as ,satanism had now become her momentary passion4 ,meantime1 ,duvillard lavished the most gallant politeness on that silent creature1 ,madame ,fonsgue1 while ,hyacinthe1 in order to astonish even the ,princess1 explained in a few words how the ,new ,magic could transform a chaste young man into a real angel4 ,and ,camille1 who seemed very happy and very excited1 from time to time darted a hot glance at her mother1 whose anxiety and sadness increased as she found the other more and more aggressive1 and apparently resolved upon open and merciless warfare4 ,at last1 just as the dessert was coming to an end1 the ,baroness heard her daughter exclaim in a piercing1 defiant voice3 8,oh6 don't talk to me of the old ladies who still seem to be playing with dolls1 and paint themselves1 and dress as if they were about to be confirmed6 ,all such ogresses ought to retire from the scene6 ,i hold them in horror60 ,at this1 ,eve nervously rose from her seat1 and exclaimed apologetically3 8,you must forgive me for hurrying you like this4 ,but ,i'm afraid that we shan't have time to drink our coffee in peace40 ,the coffee was served in the little blue and silver sitting-room1 where bloomed some lovely yellow roses1 testifying to the ,baroness's keen passion for flowers1 which made the house an abode of perpetual spring4 ,duvillard and ,fonsgue1 however1 carrying their cups of steaming coffee with them1 at once went into the former's private room to smoke a cigar there and chat in freedom4 ,as the door remained wide open1 one could hear their gruff voices more or less distinctly4 ,meantime1 ,general de ,bozonnet1 delighted to find in ,madame ,fonsgue a serious1 submissive person1 who listened without interrupting1 began to tell her a very long story of an officer's wife who had followed her husband through every battle of the war of #ahgj4 ,then ,hyacinthe1 who took no coffee--contemptuously declaring it to be a beverage only fit for door-keepers--managed to rid himself of ,rosemonde1 who was sipping some kummel1 in order to come and whisper to his sister3 8,i say1 it was very stupid of you to taunt mamma in the way you did just now4 ,i don't care a rap about it myself4 ,but it ends by being noticed1 and1 ,i warn you candidly1 it shows ill breeding40 ,camille gazed at him fixedly with her black eyes4 8,pray don't you meddle with my affairs10 said she4 ,at this he felt frightened1 scented a storm1 and decided to take ,rosemonde into the adjoining red drawing-room in order to show her a picture which his father had just purchased4 ,and the ,general1 on being called by him1 likewise conducted ,madame ,fonsgue thither4 ,the mother and daughter then suddenly found themselves alone and face to face4 ,eve was leaning on a pier-table1 as if overcome2 and indeed1 the least sorrow bore her down1 so weak at heart she was1 ever ready to weep in her naive and perfect egotism4 ,why was it that her daughter thus hated her1 and did her utmost to disturb that last happy spell of love in which her heart lingered8 ,she looked at ,camille1 grieved rather than irritated2 and the unfortunate idea came to her of making a remark about her dress at the very moment when the girl was on the point of following the others into the larger drawing-room4 8,it's quite wrong of you1 my dear10 said she1 8to persist in dressing like an old woman4 ,it doesn't improve you a bit40 ,as ,eve spoke1 her soft eyes1 those of a courted and worshipped handsome woman1 clearly expressed the compassion she felt for that ugly1 deformed girl1 whom she had never been able to regard as a daughter4 ,was it possible that she1 with her sovereign beauty1 that beauty which she herself had ever adored and nursed1 making it her one care1 her one religion--was it possible that she had given birth to such a graceless creature1 with a dark1 goatish profile1 one shoulder higher than the other1 and a pair of endless arms such as hunchbacks often have8 ,all her grief and all her shame at having had such a child became apparent in the quivering of her voice4 ,camille1 however1 had stopped short1 as if struck in the face with a whip4 ,then she came back to her mother and the horrible explanation began with these simple words spoken in an undertone3 8,you consider that ,i dress badly8 ,well1 you ought to have paid some attention to me1 have seen that my gowns suited your taste1 and have taught me your secret of looking beautiful60 ,eve1 with her dislike of all painful feeling1 all quarrelling and bitter words1 was already regretting her attack4 ,so she sought to make a retreat1 particularly as time was flying and they would soon be expected downstairs3 8,come1 be quiet1 and don't show your bad temper when all those people can hear us4 ,i have loved you--0 ,but with a quiet yet terrible laugh ,camille interrupted her4 8,you've loved me6 ,oh6 my poor mamma1 what a comical thing to say6 ,have you ever loved anybody8 ,you want others to love you1 but that's another matter4 ,as for your child1 any child1 do you even know how it ought to be loved8 ,you have always neglected me1 thrust me on one side1 deeming me so ugly1 so unworthy of you6 ,and besides1 you have not had days and nights enough to love yourself6 ,oh6 don't deny it1 my poor mamma2 but even now you're looking at me as if ,i were some loathsome monster that's in your way40 ,from that moment the abominable scene was bound to continue to the end4 ,with their teeth set1 their faces close together1 the two women went on speaking in feverish whispers4 8,be quiet1 ,camille1 ,i tell you6 ,i will not allow such language60 8,but ,i won't be quiet when you do all you can to wound me4 ,if it's wrong of me to dress like an old woman1 perhaps another is rather ridiculous in dressing like a girl1 like a bride40 8,like a bride8 ,i don't understand you40 8,oh6 yes1 you do4 ,however1 ,i would have you know that everybody doesn't find me so ugly as you try to make them believe40 8,if you look amiss1 it is because you don't dress properly2 that is all ,i said40 8,i dress as ,i please1 and no doubt ,i do so well enough1 since ,i'm loved as ,i am40 8,what1 really6 ,does someone love you8 ,well1 let him inform us of it and marry you40 8,yes--certainly1 certainly6 ,it will be a good riddance1 won't it8 ,and you'll have the pleasure of seeing me as a bride60 ,their voices were rising in spite of their efforts to restrain them4 ,however1 ,camille paused and drew breath before hissing out the words3 8,grard is coming here to ask for my hand in a day or two40 ,eve1 livid1 with wildly staring eyes1 did not seem to understand4 8,grard8 why do you tell me that80 8,why1 because it's ,grard who loves me and who is going to marry me6 ,you drive me to extremities2 you're for ever repeating that ,i'm ugly2 you treat me like a monster whom nobody will ever care for4 ,so ,i'm forced to defend myself and tell you the truth in order to prove to you that everybody is not of your opinion40 ,silence fell2 the frightful thing which had risen between them seemed to have arrested the quarrel4 ,but there was neither mother nor daughter left there4 ,they were simply two suffering1 defiant rivals4 ,eve in her turn drew a long breath and glanced anxiously towards the adjoining room to ascertain if anyone were coming in or listening to them4 ,and then in a tone of resolution she made answer3 8,you cannot marry ,grard40 8,pray1 why not80 8,because ,i won't have it2 because it's impossible40 8,that isn't a reason2 give me a reason40 8,the reason is that the marriage is impossible that is all40 8,no1 no1 ,i'll tell you the reason since you force me to it4 ,the reason is that ,grard is your lover6 ,but what does that matter1 since ,i know it and am willing to take him all the same80 ,and to this retort ,camille's flaming eyes added the words3 8,and it is particularly on that account that ,i want him40 ,all the long torture born of her infirmities1 all her rage at having always seen her mother beautiful1 courted and adored1 was now stirring her and seeking vengeance in cruel triumph4 ,at last then she was snatching from her rival the lover of whom she had so long been jealous6 8,you wretched girl60 stammered ,eve1 wounded in the heart and almost sinking to the floor4 8,you don't know what you say or what you make me suffer40 ,however1 she again had to pause1 draw herself erect and smile2 for ,rosemonde hastened in from the adjoining room with the news that she was wanted downstairs4 ,the doors were about to be opened1 and it was necessary she should be at her stall4 ,yes1 ,eve answered1 she would be down in another moment4 ,still1 even as she spoke she leant more heavily on the pier-table behind her in order that she might not fall4 ,hyacinthe had drawn near to his sister3 8,you know10 said he1 8it's simply idiotic to quarrel like that4 ,you would do much better to come downstairs40 ,but ,camille harshly dismissed him3 8,just you go off1 and take the others with you4 ,it's quite as well that they shouldn't be about our ears40 ,hyacinthe glanced at his mother1 like one who knew the truth and considered the whole affair ridiculous4 ,and then1 vexed at seeing her so deficient in energy in dealing with that little pest1 his sister1 he shrugged his shoulders1 and leaving them to their folly1 conducted the others away4 ,one could hear ,rosemonde laughing as she went off below1 while the ,general began to tell ,madame ,fonsgue another story as they descended the stairs together4 ,however1 at the moment when the mother and daughter at last fancied themselves alone once more1 other voices reached their ears1 those of ,duvillard and ,fonsgue1 who were still near at hand4 ,the ,baron from his room might well overhear the dispute4 ,eve felt that she ought to have gone off4 ,but she had lacked the strength to do so2 it had been a sheer impossibility for her after those words which had smote her like a buffet amidst her distress at the thought of losing her lover4 8,grard cannot marry you10 she said2 8he does not love you40 8,he does40 8,you fancy it because he has good-naturedly shown some kindness to you1 on seeing others pay you such little attention4 ,but he does not love you40 8,he does4 ,he loves me first because ,i'm not such a fool as many others are1 and particularly because ,i'm young40 ,this was a fresh wound for the ,baroness2 one inflicted with mocking cruelty in which rang out all the daughter's triumphant delight at seeing her mother's beauty at last ripening and waning4 8,ah6 my poor mamma1 you no longer know what it is to be young4 ,if ,i'm not beautiful1 at all events ,i'm young2 my eyes are clear and my lips are fresh4 ,and my hair's so long too1 and ,i've so much of it that it would suffice to gown me if ,i chose4 ,you see1 one's never ugly when one's young4 ,whereas1 my poor mamma1 everything is ended when one gets old4 ,it's all very well for a woman to have been beautiful1 and to strive to keep so1 but in reality there's only ruin left1 and shame and disgust40 ,she spoke these words in such a sharp1 ferocious voice that each of them entered her mother's heart like a knife4 ,tears rose to the eyes of the wretched woman1 again stricken in her bleeding wound4 ,ah6 it was true1 she remained without weapons against youth4 ,and all her anguish came from the consciousness that she was growing old1 from the feeling that love was departing from her now1 that like a fruit she had ripened and fallen from the tree4 8,but ,grard's mother will never let him marry you10 she said4 8,he will prevail on her2 that's his concern4 ,i've a dowry of two millions1 and two millions can settle many things40 8,do you now want to libel him1 and say that he's marrying you for your money80 8,no1 indeed6 ,grard's a very nice and honest fellow4 ,he loves me and he's marrying me for myself4 ,but1 after all1 he isn't rich2 he still has no assured position1 although he's thirty-six2 and there may well be some advantage in a wife who brings you wealth as well as happiness4 ,for1 you hear1 mamma1 it's happiness ,i'm bringing him1 real happiness1 love that's shared and is certain of the future40 ,once again their faces drew close together4 ,the hateful scene1 interrupted by sounds around them1 postponed1 and then resumed1 was dragging on1 becoming a perfect drama full of murderous violence1 although they never shouted1 but still spoke on in low and gasping voices4 ,neither gave way to the other1 though at every moment they were liable to some surprise2 for not only were all the doors open1 so that the servants might come in1 but the ,baron's voice still rang out gaily1 close at hand4 8,he loves you1 he loves you0--continued ,eve4 8,that's what you say4 ,but he never told you so40 8,he has told me so twenty times2 he repeats it every time that we are alone together60 8,yes1 just as one says it to a little girl by way of amusing her4 ,but he has never told you that he meant to marry you40 8,he told it me the last time he came4 ,and it's settled4 ,i'm simply waiting for him to get his mother's consent and make his formal offer40 8,you lie1 you lie1 you wretched girl6 ,you simply want to make me suffer1 and you lie1 you lie60 ,eve's grief at last burst forth in that cry of protest4 ,she no longer knew that she was a mother1 and was speaking to her daughter4 ,the woman1 the amorosa1 alone remained in her1 outraged and exasperated by a rival4 ,and with a sob she confessed the truth3 8,it is ,i he loves6 ,only the last time ,i spoke to him1 he swore to me--you hear me8--he swore upon his honour that he did not love you1 and that he would never marry you60 ,a faint1 sharp laugh came from ,camille4 ,then1 with an air of derisive compassion1 she replied3 8,ah6 my poor mamma1 you really make me sorry for you6 ,what a child you are6 ,yes1 really1 you are the child1 not ,i4 ,what6 you who ought to have so much experience1 you still allow yourself to be duped by a man's protests6 ,that one really has no malice2 and1 indeed1 that's why he swears whatever you want him to swear1 just to please and quiet you1 for at heart he's a bit of a coward40 8,you lie1 you lie60 8,but just think matters over4 ,if he no longer comes here1 if he didn't come to djeuner this morning1 it is simply because he's had enough of you4 ,he has left you for good2 just have the courage to realise it4 ,of course he's still polite and amiable1 because he's a well-bred man1 and doesn't know how to break off4 ,the fact is that he takes pity on you40 8,you lie1 you lie60 8,well1 question him then4 ,have a frank explanation with him4 ,ask him his intentions in a friendly way4 ,and then show some good nature yourself1 and realise that if you care for him you ought to give him me at once in his own interest4 ,give him back his liberty1 and you will soon see that ,i'm the one he loves40 8,you lie1 you lie6 ,you wretched child1 you only want to torture and kill me60 ,then1 in her fury and distress1 ,eve remembered that she was the mother1 and that it was for her to chastise that unworthy daughter4 ,there was no stick near her1 but from a basket of the yellow roses1 whose powerful scent intoxicated both of them1 she plucked a handful of blooms1 with long and spiny stalks1 and smote ,camille across the face4 ,a drop of blood appeared on the girl's left temple1 near her eyelid4 ,but she sprang forward1 flushed and maddened by this correction1 with her hand raised and ready to strike back4 8,take care1 mother6 ,i swear ,i'd beat you like a gipsy6 ,and now just put this into your head3 ,i mean to marry ,grard1 and ,i will2 and ,i'll take him from you1 even if ,i have to raise a scandal1 should you refuse to give him to me with good grace40 ,eve1 after her one act of angry vigour1 had sunk into an armchair1 overcome1 distracted4 ,and all the horror of quarrels1 which sprang from her egotistical desire to be happy1 caressed1 flattered and adored1 was returning to her4 ,but ,camille1 still threatening1 still unsatiated1 showed her heart as it really was1 her stern1 black1 unforgiving heart1 intoxicated with cruelty4 ,there came a moment of supreme silence1 while ,duvillard's gay voice again rang out in the adjoining room4 ,the mother was gently weeping1 when ,hyacinthe1 coming upstairs at a run1 swept into the little salon4 ,he looked at the two women1 and made a gesture of indulgent contempt4 8,ah6 you're no doubt satisfied now6 ,but what did ,i tell you8 ,it would have been much better for you to have come downstairs at once6 ,everybody is asking for you4 ,it's all idiotic4 ,i've come to fetch you40 ,eve and ,camille would not yet have followed him1 perhaps1 if ,duvillard and ,fonsgue had not at that moment come out of the former's room4 ,having finished their cigars they also spoke of going downstairs4 ,and ,eve had to rise and smile and show dry eyes1 while ,camille1 standing before a looking-glass1 arranged her hair1 and stanched the little drop of blood that had gathered on her temple4 ,there was already quite a number of people below1 in the three huge saloons adorned with tapestry and plants4 ,the stalls had been draped with red silk1 which set a gay1 bright glow around the goods4 ,and no ordinary bazaar could have put forth such a show1 for there was something of everything among the articles of a thousand different kinds1 from sketches by recognised masters1 and the autographs of famous writers1 down to socks and slippers and combs4 ,the haphazard way in which things were laid out was in itself an attraction2 and1 in addition1 there was a buffet1 where the whitest of beautiful hands poured out champagne1 and two lotteries1 one for an organ and another for a pony-drawn village cart1 the tickets for which were sold by a bevy of charming girls1 who had scattered through the throng4 ,as ,duvillard had expected1 however1 the great success of the bazaar lay in the delightful little shiver which the beautiful ladies experienced as they passed through the entrance where the bomb had exploded4 ,the rougher repairing work was finished1 the walls and ceilings had been doctored1 in part re-constructed4 ,however1 the painters had not yet come1 and here and there the whiter stone and plaster work showed like fresh scars left by all the terrible gashes4 ,it was with mingled anxiety and rapture that pretty heads emerged from the carriages which1 arriving in a continuous stream1 made the flagstones of the court re-echo4 ,and in the three saloons1 beside the stalls1 there was no end to the lively chatter3 8,ah6 my dear1 did you see all those marks8 ,how frightful1 how frightful6 ,the whole house was almost blown up4 ,and to think it might begin again while we are here6 ,one really needs some courage to come1 but then1 that asylum is such a deserving institution1 and money is badly wanted to build a new wing4 ,and besides1 those monsters will see that we are not frightened1 whatever they do40 ,when the ,baroness at last came down to her stall with ,camille she found the saleswomen feverishly at work already under the direction of ,princess ,rosemonde1 who on occasions of this kind evinced the greatest cunning and rapacity1 robbing the customers in the most impudent fashion4 8,ah6 here you are10 she exclaimed4 8,beware of a number of higglers who have come to secure bargains4 ,i know them6 ,they watch for their opportunities1 turn everything topsy-turvy and wait for us to lose our heads and forget prices1 so as to pay even less than they would in a real shop4 ,but ,i'll get good prices from them1 you shall see60 ,at this1 ,eve1 who for her own part was a most incapable saleswoman1 had to laugh with the others4 ,and in a gentle voice she made a pretence of addressing certain recommendations to ,camille1 who listened with a smiling and most submissive air4 ,in point of fact the wretched mother was sinking with emotion1 particularly at the thought that she would have to remain there till seven o'clock1 and suffer in secret before all those people1 without possibility of relief4 ,and thus it was almost like a respite when she suddenly perceived ,abb ,froment sitting and waiting for her on a settee1 covered with red velvet1 near her stall4 ,her legs were failing her1 so she took a place beside him4 8,you received my letter then1 ,monsieur l',abb4 ,i am glad that you have come1 for ,i have some good news to give you1 and wished to leave you the pleasure of imparting it to your protg1 that man ,laveuve1 whom you so warmly recommended to me4 ,every formality has now been fulfilled1 and you can bring him to the asylum to-morrow40 ,pierre gazed at her in stupefaction4 8,laveuve8 ,why1 he is dead60 ,in her turn she became astonished4 8,what1 dead6 ,but you never informed me of it6 ,if ,i told you of all the trouble that has been taken1 of all that had to be undone and done again1 and the discussions and the papers and the writing6 ,are you quite sure that he is dead80 8,oh6 yes1 he is dead4 ,he has been dead a month40 8,dead a month6 ,well1 we could not know2 you yourself gave us no sign of life4 ,ah6 mon ,dieu6 what a worry that he should be dead4 ,we shall now be obliged to undo everything again60 8,he is dead1 madame4 ,it is true that ,i ought to have informed you of it4 ,but that doesn't alter the fact--he is dead40 ,dead6 that word which kept on returning1 the thought too1 that for a month past she had been busying herself for a corpse1 quite froze her1 brought her to the very depths of despair1 like an omen of the cold death into which she herself must soon descend1 in the shroud of her last passion4 ,and1 meantime1 ,pierre1 despite himself1 smiled bitterly at the atrocious irony of it all4 ,ah6 that lame and halting ,charity1 which proffers help when men are dead6 ,the priest still lingered on the settee when the ,baroness rose4 ,she had seen magistrate ,amadieu hurriedly enter like one who just wished to show himself1 purchase some trifle1 and then return to the ,palace of ,justice4 ,however1 he was also perceived by little ,massot1 the 8,globe0 reporter1 who was prowling round the stalls1 and who at once bore down upon him1 eager for information4 ,and he hemmed him in and forthwith interviewed him respecting the affair of that mechanician ,salvat1 who was accused of having deposited the bomb at the entrance of the house4 ,was this simply an invention of the police1 as some newspapers pretended8 ,or was it really correct8 ,and if so1 would ,salvat soon be arrested8 ,in self-defence ,amadieu answered correctly enough that the affair did not as yet concern him1 and would only come within his attributions1 if ,salvat should be arrested and the investigation placed in his hands4 ,at the same time1 however1 the magistrate's pompous and affectedly shrewd manner suggested that he already knew everything to the smallest details1 and that1 had he chosen1 he could have promised some great events for the morrow4 ,a circle of ladies had gathered round him as he spoke1 quite a number of pretty women feverish with curiosity1 who jostled one another in their eagerness to hear that brigand tale which sent a little shiver coursing under their skins4 ,however1 ,amadieu managed to slip off after paying ,rosemonde twenty francs for a cigarette case1 which was perhaps worth thirty sous4 ,massot1 on recognising ,pierre1 came up to shake hands with him4 8,don't you agree with me1 ,monsieur l',abb1 that ,salvat must be a long way off by now if he's got good legs8 ,ah6 the police will always make me laugh60 ,however1 ,rosemonde brought ,hyacinthe up to the journalist4 8,monsieur ,massot10 said she1 8you who go everywhere1 ,i want you to be judge4 ,that ,chamber of ,horrors at ,montmartre1 that tavern where ,legras sings the #8,flowers of the ,streets'--0 8,oh6 a delightful spot1 madame10 interrupted ,massot1 8,i wouldn't take even a gendarme there40 8,no1 don't jest1 ,monsieur ,massot1 ,i'm talking seriously4 ,isn't it quite allowable for a respectable woman to go there when she's accompanied by a gentleman80 ,and1 without allowing the journalist time to answer her1 she turned towards ,hyacinthe3 8,there6 you see that ,monsieur ,massot doesn't say no6 ,you've got to take me there this evening1 it's sworn1 it's sworn40 ,then she darted away to sell a packet of pins to an old lady1 while the young man contented himself with remarking1 in the voice of one who has no illusions left3 8,she's quite idiotic with her ,chamber of ,horrors60 ,massot philosophically shrugged his shoulders4 ,it was only natural that a woman should want to amuse herself4 ,and when ,hyacinthe had gone off1 passing with perverse contempt beside the lovely girls who were selling lottery tickets1 the journalist ventured to murmur3 8,all the same1 it would do that youngster good if a woman were to take him in hand40 ,then1 again addressing ,pierre1 he resumed3 8,why1 here comes ,duthil6 ,what did ,sagnier mean this morning by saying that ,duthil would sleep at ,mazas to-night80 ,in a great hurry apparently1 and all smiles1 ,duthil was cutting his way through the crowd in order to join ,duvillard and ,fonsgue1 who still stood talking near the ,baroness's stall4 ,and he waved his hand to them in a victorious way1 to imply that he had succeeded in the delicate mission entrusted to him4 ,this was nothing less than a bold manuvre to hasten ,silviane's admission to the ,comdie ,franaise4 ,the idea had occurred to her of making the ,baron give a dinner at the ,cafe ,anglais in order that she might meet at it an influential critic1 who1 according to her statements1 would compel the authorities to throw the doors wide open for her as soon as he should know her4 ,however1 it did not seem easy to secure the critic's presence1 as he was noted for his sternness and grumbling disposition4 ,and1 indeed1 after a first repulse1 ,duthil had for three days past been obliged to exert all his powers of diplomacy1 and bring even the remotest influence into play4 ,but he was radiant now1 for he had conquered4 8,it's for this evening1 my dear ,baron1 at half-past seven10 he exclaimed4 8,ah6 dash it all1 ,i've had more trouble than ,i should have had to secure a concession vote60 ,then he laughed with the pretty impudence of a man of pleasure1 whom political conscientiousness did not trouble4 ,and1 indeed1 his allusion to the fresh denunciations of the 8,voix du ,peuple0 hugely amused him4 8,don't jest10 muttered ,fonsgue1 who for his part wished to amuse himself by frightening the young deputy4 8,things are going very badly60 ,duthil turned pale1 and a vision of the police and ,mazas rose before his eyes4 ,in this wise sheer funk came over him from time to time4 ,however1 with his lack of all moral sense1 he soon felt reassured and began to laugh4 8,bah60 he retorted gaily1 winking towards ,duvillard1 8the governor's there to pilot the barque60 ,the ,baron1 who was extremely pleased1 had pressed his hands1 thanked him1 and called him an obliging fellow4 ,and now turning towards ,fonsgue1 he exclaimed3 8,i say1 you must make one of us this evening4 ,oh6 it's necessary4 ,i want something imposing round ,silviane4 ,duthil will represent the ,chamber1 you journalism1 and ,i finance--0 ,but he suddenly paused on seeing ,grard1 who1 with a somewhat grave expression1 was leisurely picking his way through the sea of skirts4 8,grard1 my friend10 said the ,baron1 after beckoning to him1 8,i want you to do me a service40 ,and forthwith he told him what was in question2 how the influential critic had been prevailed upon to attend a dinner which would decide ,silviane's future2 and how it was the duty of all her friends to rally round her4 8,but ,i can't10 the young man answered in embarrassment4 8,i have to dine at home with my mother1 who was rather poorly this morning40 8,oh6 a sensible woman like your mother will readily understand that there are matters of exceptional importance4 ,go home and excuse yourself4 ,tell her some story1 tell her that a friend's happiness is in question40 ,and as ,grard began to weaken1 ,duvillard added3 8,the fact is1 that ,i really want you1 my dear fellow2 ,i must have a society man4 ,society1 you know1 is a great force in theatrical matters2 and if ,silviane has society with her1 her triumph is certain40 ,grard promised1 and then chatted for a moment with his uncle1 ,general de ,bozonnet1 who was quite enlivened by that throng of women1 among whom he had been carried hither and thither like an old rudderless ship4 ,after acknowledging the amiability with which ,madame ,fonsgue had listened to his stories1 by purchasing an autograph of ,monseigneur ,martha from her for a hundred francs1 he had quite lost himself amid the bevy of girls who had passed him on1 one to another4 ,and now1 on his return from them1 he had his hands full of lottery tickets3 8,ah6 my fine fellow10 said he1 8,i don't advise you to venture among all those young persons4 ,you would have to part with your last copper4 ,but1 just look6 there's ,mademoiselle ,camille beckoning to you60 ,camille1 indeed1 from the moment she had perceived ,grard1 had been smiling at him and awaiting his approach4 ,and when their glances met he was obliged to go to her1 although1 at the same moment1 he felt that ,eve's despairing and entreating eyes were fixed upon him4 ,the girl1 who fully realised that her mother was watching her1 at once made a marked display of amiability1 profiting by the license which charitable fervour authorised1 to slip a variety of little articles into the young man's pockets1 and then place others in his hands1 which she pressed within her own1 showing the while all the sparkle of youth1 indulging in fresh1 merry laughter1 which fairly tortured her rival4 ,so extreme was ,eve's suffering1 that she wished to intervene and part them4 ,but it so chanced that ,pierre barred her way1 for he wished to submit an idea to her before leaving the bazaar4 8,madame10 said he1 8since that man ,laveuve is dead1 and you have taken so much trouble with regard to the bed which you now have vacant1 will you be so good as to keep it vacant until ,i have seen our venerable friend1 ,abb ,rose8 ,i am to see him this evening1 and he knows so many cases of want1 and would be so glad to relieve one of them1 and bring you some poor protg of his40 8,yes1 certainly10 stammered the ,baroness1 8,i shall be very happy1--,i will wait a little1 as you desire1--of course1 of course1 ,monsieur l',abb40 ,she was trembling all over2 she no longer knew what she was saying2 and1 unable to conquer her passion1 she turned aside from the priest1 unaware even that he was still there1 when ,grard1 yielding to the dolorous entreaty of her eyes1 at last managed to escape from ,camille and join her4 8,what a stranger you are becoming1 my friend60 she said aloud1 with a forced smile4 8,one never sees you now40 8,why1 ,i have been poorly10 he replied1 in his amiable way4 8,yes1 ,i assure you ,i have been ailing a little40 ,he1 ailing6 ,she looked at him with maternal anxiety1 quite upset4 ,and1 indeed1 however proud and lofty his figure1 his handsome regular face did seem to her paler than usual4 ,it was as if the nobility of the faade had1 in some degree1 ceased to hide the irreparable dilapidation within4 ,and given his real good nature1 it must be true that he suffered--suffered by reason of his useless1 wasted life1 by reason of all the money he cost his impoverished mother1 and of the needs that were at last driving him to marry that wealthy deformed girl1 whom at first he had simply pitied4 ,and so weak did he seem to ,eve1 so like a piece of wreckage tossed hither and thither by a tempest1 that1 at the risk of being overheard by the throng1 she let her heart flow forth in a low but ardent1 entreating murmur3 8,if you suffer1 ah6 what sufferings are mine6--,grard1 we must see one another1 ,i will have it so40 8,no1 ,i beg you1 let us wait10 he stammered in embarrassment4 8,it must be1 ,grard2 ,camille has told me your plans4 ,you cannot refuse to see me4 ,i insist on it40 ,he made yet another attempt to escape the cruel explanation4 8,but it's impossible at the usual place10 he answered1 quivering4 8,the address is known40 8,then to-morrow1 at four o'clock1 at that little restaurant in the ,bois where we have met before40 ,he had to promise1 and they parted4 ,camille had just turned her head and was looking at them4 ,moreover1 quite a number of women had besieged the stall2 and the ,baroness began to attend to them with the air of a ripe and nonchalant goddess1 while ,grard rejoined ,duvillard1 ,fonsgue and ,duthil1 who were quite excited at the prospect of their dinner that evening4 ,pierre had heard a part of the conversation between ,grard and the ,baroness4 ,he knew what skeletons the house concealed1 what physiological and moral torture and wretchedness lay beneath all the dazzling wealth and power4 ,there was here an envenomed1 bleeding sore1 ever spreading1 a cancer eating into father1 mother1 daughter and son1 who one and all had thrown social bonds aside4 ,however1 the priest made his way out of the salons1 half stifling amidst the throng of lady-purchasers who were making quite a triumph of the bazaar4 ,and yonder1 in the depths of the gloom1 he could picture ,salvat still running and running on2 while the corpse of ,laveuve seemed to him like a buffet of atrocious irony dealt to noisy and delusive charity4 ,,ii4 ,,spirit ,,and ,,flesh ,how delightful was the quietude of the little ground-floor overlooking a strip of garden in the ,rue ,cortot1 where good ,abb ,rose resided6 ,hereabouts there was not even a rumble of wheels1 or an echo of the panting breath of ,paris1 which one heard on the other side of the height of ,montmartre4 ,the deep silence and sleepy peacefulness were suggestive of some distant provincial town4 ,seven o'clock had struck1 the dusk had gathered slowly1 and ,pierre was in the humble dining-room1 waiting for the femme-de-mnage to place the soup upon the table4 ,abb ,rose1 anxious at having seen so little of him for a month past1 had written1 asking him to come to dinner1 in order that they might have a quiet chat concerning their affairs4 ,from time to time ,pierre still gave his friend money for charitable purposes2 in fact1 ever since the days of the asylum in the ,rue de ,charonne1 they had had accounts together1 which they periodically liquidated4 ,so that evening after dinner they were to talk of it all1 and see if they could not do even more than they had hitherto done4 ,the good old priest was quite radiant at the thought of the peaceful evening which he was about to spend in attending to the affairs of his beloved poor2 for therein lay his only amusement1 the sole pleasure to which he persistently and passionately returned1 in spite of all the worries that his inconsiderate charity had already so often brought him4 ,glad to be able to procure his friend this pleasure1 ,pierre1 on his side1 grew calmer1 and found relief and momentary repose in sharing the other's simple repast and yielding to all the kindliness around him1 far from his usual worries4 ,he remembered the vacant bed at the ,asylum1 which ,baroness ,duvillard had promised to keep in reserve until he should have asked ,abb ,rose if he knew of any case of destitution particularly worthy of interest2 and so before sitting down to table he spoke of the matter4 8,destitution worthy of interest60 replied ,abb ,rose1 8ah6 my dear child1 every case is worthy of interest4 ,and when it's a question of old toilers without work the only trouble is that of selection1 the anguish of choosing one and leaving so many others in distress40 ,nevertheless1 painful though his scruples were1 he strove to think and come to some decision4 8,i know the case which will suit you10 he said at last4 8,it's certainly one of the greatest suffering and wretchedness2 and1 so humble a one1 too--an old carpenter of seventy-five1 who has been living on public charity during the eight or ten years that he has been unable to find work4 ,i don't know his name1 everybody calls him #8the big ,old'un4' ,there are times when he does not come to my ,saturday distributions for weeks together4 ,we shall have to look for him at once4 ,i think that he sleeps at the ,night ,refuge in the ,rue d',orsel when lack of room there doesn't force him to spend the night crouching behind some palings4 ,shall we go down the ,rue d',orsel this evening80 ,abb ,rose's eyes beamed brightly as he spoke1 for this proposal of his signified a great debauch1 the tasting of forbidden fruit4 ,he had been reproached so often and so roughly with his visits to those who had fallen to the deepest want and misery1 that in spite of his overflowing1 apostolic compassion1 he now scarcely dared to go near them4 ,however1 he continued3 8,is it agreed1 my child8 ,only this once8 ,besides1 it is our only means of finding the big ,old'un4 ,you won't have to stop with me later than eleven4 ,and ,i should so like to show you all that6 ,you will see what terrible sufferings there are6 ,and perhaps we may be fortunate enough to relieve some poor creature or other40 ,pierre smiled at the juvenile ardour displayed by this old man with snowy hair4 8,it's agreed1 my dear ,abb10 he responded1 8,i shall be very pleased to spend my whole evening with you1 for ,i feel it will do me good to follow you once more on one of those rambles which used to fill our hearts with grief and joy40 ,at this moment the servant brought in the soup2 however1 just as the two priests were taking their seats a discreet ring was heard1 and when ,abb ,rose learnt that the visitor was a neighbour1 ,madame ,mathis1 who had come for an answer1 he gave orders that she should be shown in4 8,this poor woman10 he explained to ,pierre1 8needed an advance of ten francs to get a mattress out of pawn2 and ,i didn't have the money by me at the time4 ,but ,i've since procured it4 ,she lives in the house1 you know1 in silent poverty1 on so small an income that it hardly keeps her in bread40 8,but hasn't she a big son of twenty80 asked ,pierre1 suddenly remembering the young man he had seen at ,salvat's4 8,yes1 yes4 ,her parents1 ,i believe1 were rich people in the provinces4 ,i've been told that she married a music master1 who gave her lessons1 at ,nantes2 and who ran away with her and brought her to ,paris1 where he died4 ,it was quite a doleful love-story4 ,by selling the furniture and realising every little thing she possessed1 she scraped together an income of about two thousand francs a year1 with which she was able to send her son to college and live decently herself4 ,but a fresh blow fell on her3 she lost the greater part of her little fortune1 which was invested in doubtful securities4 ,so now her income amounts at the utmost to eight hundred francs2 two hundred of which she has to expend in rent4 ,for all her other wants she has to be content with fifty francs a month4 ,about eighteen months ago her son left her so as not to be a burden on her1 and he is trying to earn his living somewhere1 but without success1 ,i believe40 ,madame ,mathis1 a short1 dark woman1 with a sad1 gentle1 retiring face1 came in4 ,invariably clad in the same black gown1 she showed all the anxious timidity of a poor creature whom the storms of life perpetually assailed4 ,when ,abb ,rose had handed her the ten francs discreetly wrapped in paper1 she blushed and thanked him1 promising to pay him back as soon as she received her month's money1 for she was not a beggar and did not wish to encroach on the share of those who starved4 8,and your son1 ,victor1 has he found any employment80 asked the old priest4 ,she hesitated1 ignorant as she was of what her son might be doing1 for now she did not see him for weeks together4 ,and finally1 she contented herself with answering3 8,he has a good heart1 he is very fond of me4 ,it is a great misfortune that we should have been ruined before he could enter the cole ,normale4 ,it was impossible for him to prepare for the examination4 ,but at the ,lyce he was such a diligent and intelligent pupil60 8,you lost your husband when your son was ten years old1 did you not80 said ,abb ,rose4 ,at this she blushed again1 thinking that her husband's story was known to the two priests4 8,yes1 my poor husband never had any luck10 she said4 8,his difficulties embittered and excited his mind1 and he died in prison4 ,he was sent there through a disturbance at a public meeting1 when he had the misfortune to wound a police officer4 ,he had also fought at the time of the ,commune4 ,and yet he was a very gentle man and extremely fond of me40 ,tears had risen to her eyes2 and ,abb ,rose1 much touched1 dismissed her3 8,well1 let us hope that your son will give you satisfaction1 and be able to repay you for all you have done for him40 ,with a gesture of infinite sorrow1 ,madame ,mathis discreetly withdrew4 ,she was quite ignorant of her son's doings1 but fate had pursued her so relentlessly that she ever trembled4 8,i don't think that the poor woman has much to expect from her son10 said ,pierre1 when she had gone4 8,i only saw him once1 but the gleam in his eyes was as harsh and trenchant as that of a knife40 8,do you think so80 the old priest exclaimed1 with his kindly navet4 8,well1 he seemed to me very polite1 perhaps a trifle eager to enjoy life2 but then1 all the young folks are impatient nowadays4 ,come1 let us sit down to table1 for the soup will be cold40 ,almost at the same hour1 on the other side of ,paris1 night had in like fashion slowly fallen in the drawing-room of the ,countess de ,quinsac1 on the dismal1 silent ground-floor of an old mansion in the ,rue ,st4 ,dominique4 ,the ,countess was there1 alone with her faithful friend1 the ,marquis de ,morigny1 she on one side1 and he on the other side of the chimney-piece1 where the last embers of the wood fire were dying out4 ,the servant had not yet brought the lamp1 and the ,countess refrained from ringing1 finding some relief from her anxiety in the falling darkness1 which hid from view all the unconfessed thoughts that she was afraid of showing on her weary face4 ,and it was only now1 before that dim hearth1 and in that black room1 where never a sound of wheels disturbed the silence of the slumberous past1 that she dared to speak4 8,yes1 my friend10 she said1 8,i am not satisfied with ,grard's health4 ,you will see him yourself1 for he promised to come home early and dine with me4 ,oh6 ,i'm well aware that he looks big and strong2 but to know him properly one must have nursed and watched him as ,i have done6 ,what trouble ,i had to rear him6 ,in reality he is at the mercy of any petty ailment4 ,his slightest complaint becomes serious illness4 ,and the life he leads does not conduce to good health40 ,she paused and sighed1 hesitating to carry her confession further4 8,he leads the life he can10 slowly responded the ,marquis de ,morigny1 of whose delicate profile1 and lofty yet loving bearing1 little could be seen in the gloom4 8,as he was unable to endure military life1 and as even the fatigues of diplomacy frighten you1 what would you have him do8 ,he can only live apart pending the final collapse1 while this abominable ,republic is dragging ,france to the grave40 8,no doubt1 my friend4 ,and yet it is just that idle life which frightens me4 ,he is losing in it all that was good and healthy in him4 ,i don't refer merely to the liaisons which we have had to tolerate4 ,the last one1 which ,i found so much difficulty in countenancing at the outset1 so contrary did it seem to all my ideas and beliefs1 has since seemed to me to exercise almost a good influence4 ,only he is now entering his thirty-sixth year1 and can he continue living in this fashion without object or duties8 ,if he is ailing it is perhaps precisely because he does nothing1 holds no position1 and serves no purpose40 ,her voice again quavered4 8,and then1 my friend1 since you force me to tell you everything1 ,i must own that ,i am not in good health myself4 ,i have had several fainting fits of late1 and have consulted a doctor4 ,the truth is1 that ,i may go off at any moment40 ,with a quiver1 ,morigny leant forward in the still deepening gloom1 and wished to take hold of her hands4 8,you6 what1 am ,i to lose you1 my last affection60 he faltered1 8,i who have seen the old world ,i belong to crumble away1 ,i who only live in the hope that you at all events will still be here to close my eyes60 ,but she begged him not to increase her grief3 8,no1 no1 don't take my hands1 don't kiss them6 ,remain there in the shade1 where ,i can scarcely see you4444 ,we have loved one another so long without aught to cause shame or regret2 and that will prove our strength--our divine strength--till we reach the grave4444 ,and if you were to touch me1 if ,i were to feel you too near me ,i could not finish1 for ,i have not done so yet40 ,as soon as he had relapsed into silence and immobility1 she continued3 8,if ,i were to die to-morrow1 ,grard would not even find here the little fortune which he still fancies is in my hands4 ,the dear child has often cost me large sums of money without apparently being conscious of it4 ,i ought to have been more severe1 more prudent4 ,but what would you have8 ,ruin is at hand4 ,i have always been too weak a mother4 ,and do you now understand in what anguish ,i live8 ,i ever have the thought that if ,i die ,grard will not even possess enough to live on1 for he is incapable of effecting the miracle which ,i renew each day1 in order to keep the house up on a decent footing4444 ,ah6 ,i know him1 so supine1 so sickly1 in spite of his proud bearing1 unable to do anything1 even conduct himself4 ,and so what will become of him2 will he not fall into the most dire distress80 ,then her tears flowed freely1 her heart opened and bled1 for she foresaw what must happen after her death3 the collapse of her race and of a whole world in the person of that big child4 ,and the ,marquis1 still motionless but distracted1 feeling that he had no title to offer his own fortune1 suddenly understood her1 foresaw in what disgrace this fresh disaster would culminate4 8,ah6 my poor friend60 he said at last in a voice trembling with revolt and grief4 8,so you have agreed to that marriage--yes1 that abominable marriage with that woman's daughter6 ,yet you swore it should never be6 ,you would rather witness the collapse of everything1 you said4 ,and now you are consenting1 ,i can feel it60 ,she still wept on in that black1 silent drawing-room before the chimney-piece where the fire had died out4 ,did not ,grard's marriage to ,camille mean a happy ending for herself1 a certainty of leaving her son wealthy1 loved1 and seated at the banquet of life8 ,however1 a last feeling of rebellion arose within her4 8,no1 no10 she exclaimed1 8,i don't consent1 ,i swear to you that ,i don't consent as yet4 ,i am fighting with my whole strength1 waging an incessant battle1 the torture of which you cannot imagine40 ,then1 in all sincerity1 she foresaw the likelihood of defeat4 8,if ,i should some day give way1 my friend1 at all events believe that ,i feel1 as fully as you do1 how abominable such a marriage must be4 ,it will be the end of our race and our honour60 ,this cry profoundly stirred the ,marquis1 and he was unable to add a word4 ,haughty and uncompromising ,catholic and ,royalist that he was1 he1 on his side also1 expected nothing but the supreme collapse4 ,yet how heartrending was the thought that this noble woman1 so dearly and so purely loved1 would prove one of the most mournful victims of the catastrophe6 ,and in the shrouding gloom he found courage to kneel before her1 take her hand1 and kiss it4 ,just as the servant was at last bringing a lighted lamp ,grard made his appearance4 ,the past-century charm of the old ,louis ,,xvi4 drawing-room1 with its pale woodwork1 again became apparent in the soft light4 ,in order that his mother might not be over-saddened by his failure to dine with her that evening the young man had put on an air of brisk gaiety2 and when he had explained that some friends were waiting for him1 she at once released him from his promise1 happy as she felt at seeing him so merry4 8,go1 go1 my dear boy10 said she1 8but mind you do not tire yourself too much4444 ,i am going to keep ,morigny2 and the ,general and ,larombire are coming at nine o'clock4 ,so be easy1 ,i shall have someone with me to keep me from fretting and feeling lonely40 ,in this wise ,grard after sitting down for a moment and chatting with the ,marquis was able to slip away1 dress1 and betake himself to the ,cafe ,anglais4 ,when he reached it women in fur cloaks were already climbing the stairs1 fashionable and merry parties were filling the private rooms1 the electric lights shone brilliantly1 and the walls were already vibrating with the stir of pleasure and debauchery4 ,in the room which ,baron ,duvillard had engaged the young man found an extraordinary display1 the most superb flowers1 and a profusion of plate and crystal as for a royal gala4 ,the pomp with which the six covers were laid called forth a smile2 while the bill of fare and the wine list promised marvels1 all the rarest and most expensive things that could be selected4 8,it's stylish1 isn't it80 exclaimed ,silviane1 who was already there with ,duvillard1 ,fonsgue and ,duthil4 8,i just wanted to make your influential critic open his eyes a little6 ,when one treats a journalist to such a dinner as this1 he has got to be amiable1 hasn't he80 ,in her desire to conquer1 it had occurred to the young woman to array herself in the most amazing fashion4 ,her gown of yellow satin1 covered with old ,alenon lace1 was cut low at the neck2 and she had put on all her diamonds1 a necklace1 a diadem1 shoulder-knots1 bracelets and rings4 ,with her candid1 girlish face1 she looked like some ,virgin in a missal1 a ,queen-,virgin1 laden with the offerings of all ,christendom4 8,well1 well1 you look so pretty10 said ,grard1 who sometimes jested with her1 8that ,i think it will do all the same40 8,ah60 she replied with equanimity4 8,you consider me a bourgeoise1 ,i see4 ,your opinion is that a simple little dinner and a modest gown would have shown better taste4 ,but ah6 my dear fellow1 you don't know the way to get round men60 ,duvillard signified his approval1 for he was delighted to be able to show her in all her glory1 adorned like an idol4 ,fonsgue1 for his part1 talked of diamonds1 saying that they were now doubtful investments1 as the day when they would become articles of current manufacture was fast approaching1 thanks to the electrical furnace and other inventions4 ,meantime ,duthil1 with an air of ecstasy and the dainty gestures of a lady's maid1 hovered around the young woman1 either smoothing a rebellious bow or arranging some fold of her lace4 8,but ,i say10 resumed ,silviane1 8your critic seems to be an ill-bred man1 for he's keeping us waiting40 ,indeed1 the critic arrived a quarter of an hour late1 and while apologising1 he expressed his regret that he should be obliged to leave at half-past nine1 for he was absolutely compelled to put in an appearance at a little theatre in the ,rue ,pigalle4 ,he was a big fellow of fifty with broad shoulders and a full1 bearded face4 ,his most disagreeable characteristic was the narrow dogmatic pedantry which he had acquired at the cole ,normale1 and had never since been able to shake off4 ,all his herculean efforts to be sceptical and frivolous1 and the twenty years he had spent in ,paris mingling with every section of society1 had failed to rid him of it4 ,magister he was1 and magister he remained1 even in his most strenuous flights of imagination and audacity4 ,from the moment of his arrival he tried to show himself enraptured with ,silviane4 ,naturally enough1 he already knew her by sight1 and had even criticised her on one occasion in five or six contemptuous lines4 ,however1 the sight of her there1 in full beauty1 clad like a queen1 and presented by four influential protectors1 filled him with emotion2 and he was struck with the idea that nothing would be more ,parisian and less pedantic than to assert she had some talent and give her his support4 ,they had seated themselves at table1 and the repast proved a magnificent one1 the service ever prompt and assiduous1 an attendant being allotted to each diner4 ,while the flowers scattered their perfumes through the room1 and the plate and crystal glittered on the snowy cloth1 an abundance of delicious and unexpected dishes were handed round--a sturgeon from ,russia1 prohibited game1 truffles as big as eggs1 and hothouse vegetables and fruit as full of flavour as if they had been naturally matured4 ,it was money flung out of window1 simply for the pleasure of wasting more than other people1 and eating what they could not procure4 ,the influential critic1 though he displayed the ease of a man accustomed to every sort of festivity1 really felt astonished at it all1 and became servile1 promising his support1 and pledging himself far more than he really wished to4 ,moreover1 he showed himself very gay1 found some witty remarks to repeat1 and even some rather ribald jests4 ,but when the champagne appeared after the roast and the grand burgundies1 his over-excitement brought him back perforce to his real nature4 ,the conversation had now turned on ,corneille's 8,polyeucte0 and the part of 8,pauline10 in which ,silviane wished to make her dbut at the ,comdie ,franaise4 ,this extraordinary caprice1 which had quite revolted the influential critic a week previously1 now seemed to him simply a bold enterprise in which the young woman might even prove victorious if she consented to listen to his advice4 ,and1 once started1 he delivered quite a lecture on the past1 asserting that no actress had ever yet understood it properly1 for at the outset ,pauline was simply a well-meaning little creature of the middle classes1 and the beauty of her conversion at the finish arose from the working of a miracle1 a stroke of heavenly grace which endowed her with something divine4 ,this was not the opinion of ,silviane1 who from the first lines regarded ,pauline as the ideal heroine of some symbolical legend4 ,however1 as the critic talked on and on1 she had to feign approval2 and he was delighted at finding her so beautiful and docile beneath his ferule4 ,at last1 as ten o'clock was striking1 he rose and tore out of the hot and reeking room in order to do his work4 8,ah6 my dears10 cried ,silviane1 8he's a nice bore is that critic of yours6 ,what a fool he is with his idea of ,pauline being a little bourgeoise6 ,i would have given him a fine dressing if it weren't for the fact that ,i have some need of him4 ,ah6 no1 it's too idiotic6 ,pour me out a glass of champagne4 ,i want something to set me right after all that60 ,the fte then took quite an intimate turn between the four men who remained and that bare-armed1 bare-breasted girl1 covered with diamonds2 while from the neighbouring passages and rooms came bursts of laughter and sounds of kissing1 all the stir and mirth of the debauchery now filling the house4 ,and beneath the windows torrents of vehicles and pedestrians streamed along the ,boulevards where reigned the wild fever of pleasure and harlotry4 8,no1 don't open it1 or ,i shall catch cold60 resumed ,silviane1 addressing ,fonsgue as he stepped towards the window4 8,are you so very warm1 then8 ,i'm just comfortable4444 ,but1 ,duvillard1 my good fellow1 please order some more champagne4 ,it's wonderful what a thirst your critic has given me60 ,amidst the blinding glare of the lamps and the perfume of the flowers and wines1 one almost stifled in the room4 ,and ,silviane was seized with an irresistible desire for a spree1 a desire to tipple and amuse herself in some vulgar fashion1 as in her bygone days4 ,a few glasses of champagne brought her to full pitch1 and she showed the boldest and giddiest gaiety4 ,the others1 who had never before seen her so lively1 began on their own side to feel amused4 ,as ,fonsgue was obliged to go to his office she embraced him 8like a daughter10 as she expressed it4 ,however1 on remaining alone with the others she indulged in great freedom of speech1 which became more and more marked as her intoxication increased4 ,and to the class of men with whom she consorted her great attraction1 as she was well aware1 lay in the circumstance that with her virginal countenance and her air of ideal purity was coupled the most monstrous perversity ever displayed by any shameless woman4 ,despite her innocent blue eyes and lily-like candour1 she would give rein1 particularly when she was drunk1 to the most diabolical of fancies4 ,duvillard let her drink on1 but she guessed his thoughts1 like she guessed those of the others1 and simply smiled while concocting impossible stories and descanting fantastically in the language of the gutter4 ,and seeing her there in her dazzling gown fit for a queenly virgin1 and hearing her pour forth the vilest words1 they thought her most wonderfully droll4 ,however1 when she had drunk as much champagne as she cared for and was half crazy1 a novel idea suddenly occurred to her4 8,i say1 my children10 she exclaimed1 8we are surely not going to stop here4 ,it's so precious slow6 ,you shall take me to the ,chamber of ,horrors--eh8 just to finish the evening4 ,i want to hear ,legras sing #8,la ,chemise1' that song which all ,paris is running to hear him sing40 ,but ,duvillard indignantly rebelled3 8,oh6 no10 said he2 8most certainly not4 ,it's a vile song and ,i'll never take you to such an abominable place40 ,but she did not appear to hear him4 ,she had already staggered to her feet and was arranging her hair before a looking-glass4 8,i used to live at ,montmartre10 she said1 8and it'll amuse me to go back there4 ,and1 besides1 ,i want to know if this ,legras is a ,legras that ,i knew1 oh6 ever so long ago6 ,come1 up you get1 and let us be off60 8,but1 my dear girl10 pleaded ,duvillard1 8we can't take you into that den dressed as you are6 ,just fancy your entering that place in a low-necked gown and covered with diamonds6 ,why everyone would jeer at us6 ,come1 ,grard1 just tell her to be a little reasonable40 ,grard1 equally offended by the idea of such a freak1 was quite willing to intervene4 ,but she closed his mouth with her gloved hand and repeated with the gay obstinacy of intoxication3 8,pooh1 it will be all the more amusing if they do jeer at us6 ,come1 let us be off1 let us be off1 quick60 ,thereupon ,duthil1 who had been listening with a smile and the air of a man of pleasure whom nothing astonishes or displeases1 gallantly took her part4 8,but1 my dear ,baron1 everybody goes to the ,chamber of ,horrors10 said he4 8,why1 ,i myself have taken the noblest ladies there1 and precisely to hear that song of ,legras1 which is no worse than anything else40 8,ah6 you hear what ,duthil says60 cried ,silviane4 8,he's a deputy1 he is1 and he wouldn't go there if he thought it would compromise his honorability60 ,then1 as ,duvillard still struggled on in despair at the idea of exhibiting himself with her in such a scandalous place1 she became all the merrier3 8,well1 my dear fellow1 please yourself4 ,i don't need you4 ,you and ,grard can go home if you like4 ,but ,i'm going to ,montmartre with ,duthil4 ,you'll take charge of me1 won't you1 ,duthil1 eh80 ,still1 the ,baron was in no wise disposed to let the evening finish in that fashion4 ,the mere idea of it gave him a shock1 and he had to resign himself to the girl's stubborn caprice4 ,the only consolation he could think of was to secure ,grard's presence1 for the young man1 with some lingering sense of decorum1 still obstinately refused to make one of the party4 ,so the ,baron took his hands and detained him1 repeating in urgent tones that he begged him to come as an essential mark of friendship4 ,and at last the wife's lover and daughter's suitor had to give way to the man who was the former's husband and the latter's father4 ,silviane was immensely amused by it all1 and1 indiscreetly thee-ing and thou-ing ,grard1 suggested that he at least owed the ,baron some little compliance with his wishes4 ,duvillard pretended not to hear her4 ,he was listening to ,duthil1 who told him that there was a sort of box in a corner of the ,chamber of ,horrors1 in which one could in some measure conceal oneself4 ,and then1 as ,silviane's carriage--a large closed landau1 whose coachman1 a sturdy1 handsome fellow1 sat waiting impassively on his box--was down below1 they started off4 ,the ,chamber of ,horrors was installed in premises on the ,boulevard de ,rochechouart1 formerly occupied by a caf whose proprietor had become bankrupt499 ,it was a suffocating place1 narrow1 irregular1 with all sorts of twists1 turns1 and secluded nooks1 and a low and smoky ceiling4 ,and nothing could have been more rudimentary than its decorations4 ,the walls had simply been placarded with posters of violent hues1 some of the crudest character1 showing the barest of female figures4 ,behind a piano at one end there was a little platform reached by a curtained doorway4 ,for the rest1 one simply found a number of bare wooden forms set alongside the veriest pot-house tables1 on which the glasses containing various beverages left round and sticky marks4 ,there was no luxury1 no artistic feature1 no cleanliness even4 ,globeless gas burners flared freely1 heating a dense mist compounded of tobacco smoke and human breath4 ,perspiring1 apoplectical faces could be perceived through this veil1 and an acrid odour increased the intoxication of the assembly1 which excited itself with louder and louder shouts at each fresh song4 ,it had been sufficient for an enterprising fellow to set up these boards1 bring out ,legras1 accompanied by two or three girls1 make him sing his frantic and abominable songs1 and in two or three evenings overwhelming success had come1 all ,paris being enticed and flocking to the place1 which for ten years or so had failed to pay as a mere caf1 where by way of amusement petty cits had been simply allowed their daily games at dominoes4 99 ,those who know ,paris will identify the site selected by ,m4 ,zola as that where #8,colonel' ,lisbonne of the ,commune installed his den the #8,bagne' some years ago4 ,nevertheless1 such places as the #8,chamber of ,horrors' now abound in the neighbourhood of ,montmartre1 and it must be admitted that whilst they are frequented by certain classes of ,frenchmen they owe much of their success in a pecuniary sense to the patronage of foreigners4 ,among the latter1 ,englishmen are particularly conspicuous4--,trans4 ,and the change had been caused by the passion for filth1 the irresistible attraction exercised by all that brought opprobrium and disgust4 ,the ,paris of enjoyment1 the bourgeoisie which held all wealth and power1 which would relinquish naught of either1 though it was surfeited and gradually wearying of both1 simply hastened to the place in order that obscenity and insult might be flung in its face4 ,hypnotised1 as it were1 while staggering to its fall1 it felt a need of being spat upon4 ,and what a frightful symptom there lay in it all3 those condemned ones rushing upon dirt of their own accord1 voluntarily hastening their own decomposition by that unquenchable thirst for the vile1 which attracted men1 reputed to be grave and upright1 and lovely women of the most perfect grace and luxury1 to all the beastliness of that low den6 ,at one of the tables nearest the stage sat little ,princess ,rosemonde de ,harn1 with wild eyes and quivering nostrils1 delighted as she felt at now being able to satisfy her curiosity regarding the depths of ,paris life4 ,young ,hyacinthe had resigned himself to the task of bringing her1 and1 correctly buttoned up in his long frock-coat1 he was indulgent enough to refrain from any marked expression of boredom4 ,at a neighbouring table they had found a shadowy ,spaniard of their acquaintance1 a so-called ,bourse jobber1 ,bergaz1 who had been introduced to the ,princess by ,janzen1 and usually attended her entertainments4 ,they virtually knew nothing about him1 not even if he really earned at the ,bourse all the money which he sometimes spent so lavishly1 and which enabled him to dress with affected elegance4 ,his slim1 lofty figure was not without a certain air of distinction1 but his red lips spoke of strong passions and his bright eyes were those of a beast of prey4 ,that evening he had two young fellows with him1 one ,rossi1 a short1 swarthy ,italian1 who had come to ,paris as a painter's model1 and had soon glided into the lazy life of certain disreputable callings1 and the other1 ,sanfaute1 a born ,parisian blackguard1 a pale1 beardless1 vicious and impudent stripling of ,la ,chapelle1 whose long curly hair fell down upon either side of his bony cheeks4 8,oh6 pray now60 feverishly said ,rosemonde to ,bergaz2 8as you seem to know all these horrid people1 just show me some of the celebrities4 ,aren't there some thieves and murderers among them80 ,he laughed shrilly1 and in a bantering way replied3 8,but you know these people well enough1 madame4 ,that pretty1 pink1 delicate-looking woman over yonder is an ,american lady1 the wife of a consul1 whom1 ,i believe1 you receive at your house4 ,that other on the right1 that tall brunette who shows such queenly dignity1 is a ,countess1 whose carriage passes yours every day in the ,bois4 ,and the thin one yonder1 whose eyes glitter like those of a she-wolf1 is the particular friend of a high official1 who is well known for his reputation of austerity40 ,but she stopped him1 in vexation3 8,i know1 ,i know4 ,but the others1 those of the lower classes1 those whom one comes to see40 ,then she went on asking questions1 and seeking for terrifying and mysterious countenances4 ,at last1 two men seated in a corner ended by attracting her attention2 one of them a very young fellow with a pale1 pinched face1 and the other an ageless individual who1 besides being buttoned up to his neck in an old coat1 had pulled his cap so low over his eyes1 that one saw little of his face beyond the beard which fringed it4 ,before these two stood a couple of mugs of beer1 which they drank slowly and in silence4 8,you are making a great mistake1 my dear10 said ,hyacinthe with a frank laugh1 8if you are looking for brigands in disguise4 ,that poor fellow with the pale face1 who surely doesn't have food to eat every day1 was my schoolfellow at ,condorcet60 ,bergaz expressed his amazement4 8,what6 you knew ,mathis at ,condorcet6 ,after all1 though1 you're right1 he received a college education4 ,ah6 and so you knew him4 ,a very remarkable young man he is1 though want is throttling him4 ,but1 ,i say1 the other one1 his companion1 you don't know him80 ,hyacinthe1 after looking at the man with the cap-hidden face1 was already shaking his head1 when ,bergaz suddenly gave him a nudge as a signal to keep quiet1 and by way of explanation he muttered3 8,hush6 ,here's ,raphanel4 ,i've been distrusting him for some time past4 ,whenever he appears anywhere1 the police is not far off40 ,raphanel was another of the vague1 mysterious ,anarchists whom ,janzen had presented to the ,princess by way of satisfying her momentary passion for revolutionism4 ,this one1 though he was a fat1 gay1 little man1 with a doll-like face and childish nose1 which almost disappeared between his puffy cheeks1 had the reputation of being a thorough desperado2 and at public meetings he certainly shouted for fire and murder with all his lungs4 ,still1 although he had already been compromised in various affairs1 he had invariably managed to save his own bacon1 whilst his companions were kept under lock and key2 and this they were now beginning to think somewhat singular4 ,he at once shook hands with the ,princess in a jovial way1 took a seat near her without being invited1 and forthwith denounced the dirty bourgeoisie which came to wallow in places of ill fame4 ,rosemonde was delighted1 and encouraged him1 but others near by began to get angry1 and ,bergaz examined him with his piercing eyes1 like a man of energy who acts1 and lets others talk4 ,now and then1 too1 he exchanged quick glances of intelligence with his silent lieutenants1 ,sanfaute and ,rossi1 who plainly belonged to him1 both body and soul4 ,they were the ones who found their profit in ,anarchy1 practising it to its logical conclusions1 whether in crime or in vice4 ,meantime1 pending the arrival of ,legras with his 8,flowers of the ,pavement10 two female vocalists had followed one another on the stage1 the first fat and the second thin1 one chirruping some silly love songs with an under-current of dirt1 and the other shouting the coarsest of refrains1 in a most violent1 fighting voice4 ,she had just finished amidst a storm of bravos1 when the assembly1 stirred to merriment and eager for a laugh1 suddenly exploded once more4 ,silviane was entering the little box at one end of the hall4 ,when she appeared erect in the full light1 with bare arms and shoulders1 looking like a planet in her gown of yellow satin and her blazing diamonds1 there arose a formidable uproar1 shouts1 jeers1 hisses1 laughing and growling1 mingled with ferocious applause4 ,and the scandal increased1 and the vilest expressions flew about as soon as ,duvillard1 ,grard and ,duthil also showed themselves1 looking very serious and dignified with their white ties and spreading shirt fronts4 8,we told you so60 muttered ,duvillard1 who was much annoyed with the affair1 while ,grard tried to conceal himself in a dim corner4 ,she1 however1 smiling and enchanted1 faced the public1 accepting the storm with the candid bearing of a foolish virgin1 much as one inhales the vivifying air of the open when it bears down upon one in a squall4 ,and1 indeed1 she herself had sprung from the sphere before her1 its atmosphere was her native air4 8,well1 what of it80 she said replying to the ,baron who wanted her to sit down4 8,they are merry4 ,it's very nice4 ,oh6 ,i'm really amusing myself60 8,why1 yes1 it's very nice10 declared ,duthil1 who in like fashion set himself at his ease4 8,silviane is right1 people naturally like a laugh now and then60 ,amidst the uproar1 which did not cease1 little ,princess ,rosemonde rose enthusiastically to get a better view4 8,why1 it's your father who's with that woman ,silviane10 she said to ,hyacinthe4 8,just look at them6 ,well1 he certainly has plenty of bounce to show himself here with her60 ,hyacinthe1 however1 refused to look4 ,it didn't interest him1 his father was an idiot1 only a child would lose his head over a girl in that fashion4 ,and with his contempt for woman the young man became positively insulting4 8,you try my nerves1 my dear fellow10 said ,rosemonde as she sat down4 8,you are the child with your silly ideas about us4 ,and as for your father1 he does quite right to love that girl4 ,i find her very pretty indeed1 quite adorable60 ,then all at once the uproar ceased1 those who had risen resumed their seats1 and the only sound was that of the feverish throb which coursed through the assembly4 ,legras had just appeared on the platform4 ,he was a pale sturdy fellow with a round and carefully shaven face1 stern eyes1 and the powerful jaws of a man who compels the adoration of women by terrorising them4 ,he was not deficient in talent1 he sang true1 and his ringing voice was one of extraordinary penetration and pathetic power4 ,and his rpertoire1 his 8,flowers of the ,pavement10 completed the explanation of his success2 for all the foulness and suffering of the lower spheres1 the whole abominable sore of the social hell created by the rich1 shrieked aloud in these songs in words of filth and fire and blood4 ,a prelude was played on the piano1 and ,legras standing there in his velvet jacket sang 8,la ,chemise10 the horrible song which brought all ,paris to hear him4 ,all the lust and vice that crowd the streets of the great city appeared with their filth and their poison2 and amid the picture of ,woman stripped1 degraded1 ill-treated1 dragged through the mire and cast into a cesspool1 there rang out the crime of the bourgeoisie4 ,but the scorching insult of it all was less in the words themselves than in the manner in which ,legras cast them in the faces of the rich1 the happy1 the beautiful ladies who came to listen to him4 ,under the low ceiling1 amidst the smoke from the pipes1 in the blinding glare of the gas1 he sent his lines flying through the assembly like expectorations1 projected by a whirlwind of furious contempt4 ,and when he had finished there came delirium2 the beautiful ladies did not even think of wiping away the many affronts they had received1 but applauded frantically4 ,the whole assembly stamped and shouted1 and wallowed1 distracted1 in its ignominy4 8,bravo6 bravo60 the little ,princess repeated in her shrill voice4 8,it's astonishing1 astonishing1 prodigious60 ,and ,silviane1 whose intoxication seemed to have increased since she had been there1 in the depths of that fiery furnace1 made herself particularly conspicuous by the manner in which she clapped her hands and shouted3 8,it's he1 it's my ,legras6 ,i really must kiss him1 he's pleased me so much60 ,duvillard1 now fairly exasperated1 wished to take her off by force4 ,but she clung to the hand-rest of the box1 and shouted yet more loudly1 though without any show of temper4 ,it became necessary to parley with her4 ,yes1 she was willing to go off and let them drive her home2 but1 first of all1 she must embrace ,legras1 who was an old friend of hers4 8,go and wait for me in the carriage60 she said1 8,i will be with you in a moment40 ,just as the assembly was at last becoming calmer1 ,rosemonde perceived that the box was emptying2 and her own curiosity being satisfied1 she thought of prevailing on ,hyacinthe to see her home4 ,he1 who had listened to ,legras in a languid way without even applauding1 was now talking of ,norway with ,bergaz1 who pretended that he had travelled in the ,north4 ,oh6 the fiords6 oh6 the ice-bound lakes6 oh6 the pure lily-white1 chaste coldness of the eternal winter6 ,it was only amid such surroundings1 said ,hyacinthe1 that he could understand woman and love1 like a kiss of the very snow itself4 8,shall we go off there to-morrow80 exclaimed the ,princess with her vivacious effrontery4 8,i'll shut up my house and slip the key under the door40 ,then she added that she was jesting1 of course4 ,but ,bergaz knew her to be quite capable of such a freak2 and at the idea that she might shut up her little mansion and perhaps leave it unprotected he exchanged a quick glance with ,sanfaute and ,rossi1 who still smiled in silence4 ,ah6 what an opportunity for a fine stroke6 ,what an opportunity to get back some of the wealth of the community appropriated by the blackguard bourgeoisie6 ,meantime ,raphanel1 after applauding ,legras1 was looking all round the place with his little grey1 sharp eyes4 ,and at last young ,mathis and his companion1 the ill-clad individual1 of whose face only a scrap of beard could be seen1 attracted his attention4 ,they had neither laughed nor applauded2 they seemed to be simply a couple of tired fellows who were resting1 and in whose opinion one is best hidden in the midst of a crowd4 ,all at once1 though1 ,raphanel turned towards ,bergaz3 8,that's surely little ,mathis over yonder4 ,but who's that with him80 ,bergaz made an evasive gesture2 he did not know4 ,still1 he no longer took his eyes from ,raphanel4 ,and he saw the other feign indifference at what followed1 and finish his beer and take his leave1 with the jesting remark that he had an appointment with a lady at a neighbouring omnibus office4 ,no sooner had he gone than ,bergaz rose1 sprang over some of the forms and jostled people in order to reach little ,mathis1 into whose ear he whispered a few words4 ,and the young man at once left his table1 taking his companion and pushing him outside through an occasional exit4 ,it was all so rapidly accomplished that none of the general public paid attention to the flight4 8,what is it80 said the ,princess to ,bergaz1 when he had quietly resumed his seat between ,rossi and ,sanfaute4 8,oh6 nothing1 ,i merely wished to shake hands with ,mathis as he was going off40 ,thereupon ,rosemonde announced that she meant to do the same4 ,nevertheless1 she lingered a moment longer and again spoke of ,norway on perceiving that nothing could impassion ,hyacinthe except the idea of the eternal snow1 the intense1 purifying cold of the polar regions4 ,in his poem on the 8,end of ,woman10 a composition of some thirty lines1 which he hoped he should never finish1 he thought of introducing a forest of frozen pines by way of final scene4 ,now the ,princess had risen and was gaily reverting to her jest1 declaring that she meant to take him home to drink a cup of tea and arrange their trip to the ,pole1 when an involuntary exclamation fell from ,bergaz1 who1 while listening1 had kept his eyes on the doorway4 8,mondsir6 ,i was sure of it60 ,there had appeared at the entrance a short1 sinewy1 broad-backed little man1 about whose round face1 bumpy forehead1 and snub nose there was considerable military roughness4 ,one might have thought him a non-commissioned officer in civilian attire4 ,he gazed over the whole room1 and seemed at once dismayed and disappointed4 ,bergaz1 however1 wishing to account for his exclamation1 resumed in an easy way3 8,ah6 ,i said there was a smell of the police about the place6 ,you see that fellow--he's a detective1 a very clever one1 named ,mondsir1 who had some trouble when he was in the army4 ,just look at him1 sniffing like a dog that has lost scent6 ,well1 well1 my brave fellow1 if you've been told of any game you may look and look for it1 the bird's flown already60 ,once outside1 when ,rosemonde had prevailed on ,hyacinthe to see her home1 they hastened to get into the brougham1 which was waiting for them1 for near at hand they perceived ,silviane's landau1 with the majestic coachman motionless on his box1 while ,duvillard1 ,grard1 and ,duthil still stood waiting on the curbstone4 ,they had been there for nearly twenty minutes already1 in the semi-darkness of that outer boulevard1 where all the vices of the poor districts of ,paris were on the prowl4 ,they had been jostled by drunkards2 and shadowy women brushed against them as they went by whispering beneath the oaths and blows of bullies4 ,and there were couples seeking the darkness under the trees1 and lingering on the benches there2 while all around were low taverns and dirty lodging-houses and places of ill-fame4 ,all the human degradation which till break of day swarms in the black mud of this part of ,paris1 enveloped the three men1 giving them the horrors1 and yet neither the ,baron nor ,grard nor ,duthil was willing to go off4 ,each hoped that he would tire out the others1 and take ,silviane home when she should at last appear4 ,but after a time the ,baron grew impatient1 and said to the coachman3 8,jules1 go and see why madame doesn't come40 8,but the horses1 ,monsieur le ,baron80 8,oh6 they will be all right1 we are here40 ,a fine drizzle had begun to fall2 and the wait went on again as if it would never finish4 ,but an unexpected meeting gave them momentary occupation4 ,a shadowy form1 something which seemed to be a thin1 black-skirted woman1 brushed against them4 ,and all of a sudden they were surprised to find it was a priest4 8,what1 is it you1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment80 exclaimed ,grard4 8,at this time of night8 ,and in this part of ,paris80 ,thereupon ,pierre1 without venturing either to express his own astonishment at finding them there themselves1 or to ask them what they were doing1 explained that he had been belated through accompanying ,abb ,rose on a visit to a night refuge4 ,ah6 to think of all the frightful want which at last drifted to those pestilential dormitories where the stench had almost made him faint6 ,to think of all the weariness and despair which there sank into the slumber of utter prostration1 like that of beasts falling to the ground to sleep off the abominations of life6 ,no name could be given to the promiscuity2 poverty and suffering were there in heaps1 children and men1 young and old1 beggars in sordid rags1 beside the shameful poor in threadbare frock-coats1 all the waifs and strays of the daily shipwrecks of ,paris life1 all the laziness and vice1 and ill-luck and injustice which the torrent rolls on1 and throws off like scum4 ,some slept on1 quite annihilated1 with the faces of corpses4 ,others1 lying on their backs with mouths agape1 snored loudly as if still venting the plaint of their sorry life4 ,and others tossed restlessly1 still struggling in their slumber against fatigue and cold and hunger1 which pursued them like nightmares of monstrous shape4 ,and from all those human beings1 stretched there like wounded after a battle1 from all that ambulance of life reeking with a stench of rottenness and death1 there ascended a nausea born of revolt1 the vengeance-prompting thought of all the happy chambers where1 at that same hour1 the wealthy loved or rested in fine linen and costly lace499 99 ,even the oldest ,paris night refuges1 which are the outcome of private philanthropy--,l'uvre de l',hospitalit de ,nuit-- have only been in existence some fourteen or fifteen years4 ,before that time1 and from the period of the great ,revolution forward1 there was absolutely no place1 either refuge1 asylum1 or workhouse1 in the whole of that great city of wealth and pleasure1 where the houseless poor could crave a night's shelter4 ,the various royalist1 imperialist and republican governments and municipalities of modern ,france have often been described as #8paternal1' but no governments and municipalities in the whole civilised world have done less for the very poor4 ,the official ,poor ,relief ,board--,l',assistance ,publique--has for fifty years been a by-word1 a mockery and a sham1 in spite of its large revenue4 ,and this neglect of the very poor has been an important factor in every ,french revolution4 ,each of these--even that of #ahgj--;had its purely economic side1 though many superficial historians are content to ascribe economic causes to the one ,revolution of #aghi1 and to pass them by in all other instances4--,trans4 ,in vain had ,pierre and ,abb ,rose passed all the poor wretches in review while seeking the big ,old'un1 the former carpenter1 so as to rescue him from the cesspool of misery1 and send him to the ,asylum on the very morrow4 ,he had presented himself at the refuge that evening1 but there was no room left1 for1 horrible to say1 even the shelter of that hell could only be granted to early comers4 ,and so he must now be leaning against a wall1 or lying behind some palings4 ,this had greatly distressed poor ,abb ,rose and ,pierre1 but it was impossible for them to search every dark1 suspicious corner2 and so the former had returned to the ,rue ,cortot1 while the latter was seeking a cab to convey him back to ,neuilly4 ,the fine drizzling rain was still falling and becoming almost icy1 when ,silviane's coachman1 ,jules1 at last reappeared and interrupted the priest1 who was telling the ,baron and the others how his visit to the refuge still made him shudder4 8,well1 ,jules--and madame80 asked ,duvillard1 quite anxious at seeing the coachman return alone4 ,impassive and respectful1 with no other sign of irony than a slight involuntary twist of the lips1 ,jules answered3 8,madame sends word that she is not going home2 and she places her carriage at the gentlemen's disposal if they will allow me to drive them home40 ,this was the last straw1 and the ,baron flew into a passion4 ,to have allowed her to drag him to that vile den1 to have waited there hopefully so long1 and to be treated in this fashion for the sake of a ,legras6 ,no1 no1 he1 the ,baron1 had had enough of it1 and she should pay dearly for her abominable conduct6 ,then he stopped a passing cab and pushed ,grard inside it saying1 8,you can set me down at my door40 8,but she's left us the carriage60 shouted ,duthil1 who was already consoled1 and inwardly laughed at the termination of it all4 8,come here1 there's plenty of room for three4 ,no8 you prefer the cab8 ,well1 just as you like1 you know40 ,for his part he gaily climbed into the landau and drove off lounging on the cushions1 while the ,baron1 in the jolting old cab1 vented his rage without a word of interruption from ,grard1 whose face was hidden by the darkness4 ,to think of it6 that she1 whom he had overwhelmed with gifts1 who had already cost him two millions of francs1 should in this fashion insult him1 the master who could dispose both of fortunes and of men6 ,well1 she had chosen to do it1 and he was delivered6 ,then ,duvillard drew a long breath like a man released from the galleys4 ,for a moment ,pierre watched the two vehicles go off2 and then took his own way under the trees1 so as to shelter himself from the rain until a vacant cab should pass4 ,full of distress and battling thoughts he had begun to feel icy cold4 ,the whole monstrous night of ,paris1 all the debauchery and woe that sobbed around him made him shiver4 ,phantom-like women who1 when young1 had led lives of infamy in wealth1 and who now1 old and faded1 led lives of infamy in poverty1 were still and ever wandering past him in search of bread1 when suddenly a shadowy form grazed him1 and a voice murmured in his ear3 8,warn your brother1 the police are on ,salvat's track1 he may be arrested at any moment40 ,the shadowy figure was already going its way1 and as a gas ray fell upon it1 ,pierre thought that he recognised the pale1 pinched face of ,victor ,mathis4 ,and at the same time1 yonder in ,abb ,rose's peaceful dining-room1 he fancied he could again see the gentle face of ,madame ,mathis1 so sad and so resigned1 living on solely by the force of the last trembling hope which she had unhappily set in her son4 ,,iii4 ,,plot ,,and ,,counterplot ,,already at eight o'clock on that holiday-making mid-,lent ,thursday1 when all the offices of the ,home ,department were empty1 ,monferrand1 the ,minister1 sat alone in his private room4 ,a single usher guarded his door1 and in the first ante-chamber there were only a couple of messengers4 ,the ,minister had experienced1 on awaking1 the most unpleasant of emotions4 ,the 8,voix du ,peuple10 which on the previous day had revived the ,african ,railway scandal1 by accusing ,barroux of having pocketed #bj1jjj francs1 had that morning published its long-promised list of the bribe-taking senators and deputies4 ,and at the head of this list ,monferrand had found his own name set down against a sum of #hj1jjj francs1 while ,fonsgue was credited with #ej1jjj4 ,then a fifth of the latter amount was said to have been ,duthil's share1 and ,chaigneux had contented himself with the beggarly sum of #c1jjj francs--the lowest price paid for any one vote1 the cost of each of the others ranging from #e to #bj1jjj4 ,it must be said that there was no anger in ,monferrand's emotion4 ,only he had never thought that ,sagnier would carry his passion for uproar and scandal so far as to publish this list--a page which was said to have been torn from a memorandum book belonging to ,duvillard's agent1 ,hunter1 and which was covered with incomprehensible hieroglyphics that ought to have been discussed and explained1 if1 indeed1 the real truth was to be arrived at4 ,personally1 ,monferrand felt quite at ease1 for he had written nothing1 signed nothing1 and knew that one could always extricate oneself from a mess by showing some audacity1 and never confessing4 ,nevertheless1 what a commotion it would all cause in the parliamentary duck-pond4 ,he at once realised the inevitable consequences1 the ministry overthrown and swept away by this fresh whirlwind of denunciation and tittle-tattle4 ,mge would renew his interpellation on the morrow1 and ,vignon and his friends would at once lay siege to the posts they coveted4 ,and he1 ,monferrand1 could picture himself driven out of that ministerial sanctum where1 for eight months past1 he had been taking his ease1 not with any foolish vainglory1 but with the pleasure of feeling that he was in his proper place as a born ruler1 who believed he could tame and lead the multitude4 ,having thrown the newspapers aside with a disdainful gesture1 he rose and stretched himself1 growling the while like a plagued lion4 ,and then he began to walk up and down the spacious room1 which showed all the faded official luxury of mahogany furniture and green damask hangings4 ,stepping to and fro1 with his hands behind his back1 he no longer wore his usual fatherly1 good-natured air4 ,he appeared as he really was1 a born wrestler1 short1 but broad shouldered1 with sensual mouth1 fleshy nose and stern eyes1 that all proclaimed him to be unscrupulous1 of iron will and fit for the greatest tasks4 ,still1 in this case1 in what direction lay his best course8 ,must he let himself be dragged down with ,barroux8 ,perhaps his personal position was not absolutely compromised8 ,and yet how could he part company from the others1 swim ashore1 and save himself while they were being drowned8 ,it was a grave problem1 and with his frantic desire to retain power1 he made desperate endeavours to devise some suitable manuvre4 ,but he could think of nothing1 and began to swear at the virtuous fits of that silly ,republic1 which1 in his opinion1 rendered all government impossible4 ,to think of such foolish fiddle-faddle stopping a man of his acumen and strength6 ,how on earth can one govern men if one is denied the use of money1 that sovereign means of sway8 ,and he laughed bitterly2 for the idea of an idyllic country where all great enterprises would be carried out in an absolutely honest manner seemed to him the height of absurdity4 ,at last1 however1 unable as he was to come to a determination1 it occurred to him to confer with ,baron ,duvillard1 whom he had long known1 and whom he regretted not having seen sooner so as to urge him to purchase ,sagnier's silence4 ,at first he thought of sending the ,baron a brief note by a messenger2 but he disliked committing anything to paper1 for the veriest scrap of writing may prove dangerous2 so he preferred to employ the telephone which had been installed for his private use near his writing-table4 8,it is ,baron ,duvillard who is speaking to me8444 ,quite so4 ,it's ,i1 the ,minister1 ,monsieur ,monferrand4 ,i shall be much obliged if you will come to see me at once4444 ,quite so1 quite so1 ,i will wait for you40 ,then again he walked to and fro and meditated4 ,that fellow ,duvillard was as clever a man as himself1 and might be able to give him an idea4 ,and he was still laboriously trying to devise some scheme1 when the usher entered saying that ,monsieur ,gascogne1 the ,chief of the ,detective ,police1 particularly wished to speak to him4 ,monferrand's first thought was that the ,prefecture of ,police desired to know his views respecting the steps which ought to be taken to ensure public order that day2 for two mid-,lent processions--one of the ,washerwomen and the other of the ,students--were to march through ,paris1 whose streets would certainly be crowded4 8,show ,monsieur ,gascogne in10 he said4 ,a tall1 slim1 dark man1 looking like an artisan in his ,sunday best1 then stepped into the ministerial sanctum4 ,fully acquainted with the under-currents of ,paris life1 this ,chief of the ,detective ,force had a cold dispassionate nature and a clear and methodical mind4 ,professionalism slightly spoilt him1 however3 he would have possessed more intelligence if he had not credited himself with so much4 ,he began by apologising for his superior the ,prefect1 who would certainly have called in person had he not been suffering from indisposition4 ,however1 it was perhaps best that he1 ,gascogne1 should acquaint ,monsieur le ,ministre with the grave affair which brought him1 for he knew every detail of it4 ,then he revealed what the grave affair was4 8,i believe1 ,monsieur le ,ministre1 that we at last hold the perpetrator of the crime in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy40 ,at this1 ,monferrand1 who had been listening impatiently1 became quite impassioned4 ,the fruitless searches of the police1 the attacks and the jeers of the newspapers1 were a source of daily worry to him4 8,ah6--,well1 so much the better for you ,monsieur ,gascogne10 he replied with brutal frankness4 8,you would have ended by losing your post4 ,the man is arrested80 8,not yet1 ,monsieur le ,ministre2 but he cannot escape1 and it is merely an affair of a few hours40 ,then the ,chief of the ,detective ,force told the whole story3 how ,detective ,mondsir1 on being warned by a secret agent that the ,anarchist ,salvat was in a tavern at ,montmartre1 had reached it just as the bird had flown2 then how chance had again set him in presence of ,salvat at a hundred paces or so from the tavern1 the rascal having foolishly loitered there to watch the establishment2 and afterwards how ,salvat had been stealthily shadowed in the hope that they might catch him in his hiding-place with his accomplices4 ,and1 in this wise1 he had been tracked to the ,porte-,maillot1 where1 realising1 no doubt1 that he was pursued1 he had suddenly bolted into the ,bois de ,boulogne4 ,it was there that he had been hiding since two o'clock in the morning in the drizzle which had not ceased to fall4 ,they had waited for daylight in order to organise a battue and hunt him down like some animal1 whose weariness must necessarily ensure capture4 ,and so1 from one moment to another1 he would be caught4 8,i know the great interest you take in the arrest1 ,monsieur le ,ministre10 added ,gascogne1 8and it occurred to me to ask your orders4 ,detective ,mondsir is over there1 directing the hunt4 ,he regrets that he did not apprehend the man on the ,boulevard de ,rochechouart2 but1 all the same1 the idea of following him was a capital one1 and one can only reproach ,mondsir with having forgotten the ,bois de ,boulogne in his calculations40 ,salvat arrested6 ,that fellow ,salvat whose name had filled the newspapers for three weeks past4 ,this was a most fortunate stroke which would be talked of far and wide6 ,in the depths of ,monferrand's fixed eyes one could divine a world of thoughts and a sudden determination to turn this incident which chance had brought him to his own personal advantage4 ,in his own mind a link was already forming between this arrest and that ,african ,railways interpellation which was likely to overthrow the ministry on the morrow4 ,the first outlines of a scheme already rose before him4 ,was it not his good star that had sent him what he had been seeking--a means of fishing himself out of the troubled waters of the approaching crisis8 8,but tell me1 ,monsieur ,gascogne10 said he1 8are you quite sure that this man ,salvat committed the crime80 8,oh6 perfectly sure1 ,monsieur le ,ministre4 ,he'll confess everything in the cab before he reaches the ,prefecture40 ,monferrand again walked to and fro with a pensive air1 and ideas came to him as he spoke on in a slow1 meditative fashion4 8,my orders6 well1 my orders1 they are1 first1 that you must act with the very greatest prudence4 ,yes1 don't gather a mob of promenaders together4 ,try to arrange things so that the arrest may pass unperceived--and if you secure a confession keep it to yourself1 don't communicate it to the newspapers4 ,yes1 ,i particularly recommend that point to you1 don't take the newspapers into your confidence at all--and finally1 come and tell me everything1 and observe secrecy1 absolute secrecy1 with everybody else40 ,gascogne bowed and would have withdrawn1 but ,monferrand detained him to say that not a day passed without his friend ,monsieur ,lehmann1 the ,public ,prosecutor1 receiving letters from ,anarchists who threatened to blow him up with his family2 in such wise that1 although he was by no means a coward1 he wished his house to be guarded by plain-clothes officers4 ,a similar watch was already kept upon the house where investigating magistrate ,amadieu resided4 ,and if the latter's life was precious1 that of ,public ,prosecutor ,lehmann was equally so1 for he was one of those political magistrates1 one of those shrewd talented ,israelites1 who make their way in very honest fashion by invariably taking the part of the ,government in office4 ,then ,gascogne in his turn remarked3 8,there is also the ,barths affair1 ,monsieur le ,ministre--we are still waiting4 ,are we to arrest ,barths at that little house at ,neuilly80 ,one of those chances which sometimes come to the help of detectives and make people think the latter to be men of genius had revealed to him the circumstance that ,barths had found a refuge with ,abb ,pierre ,froment4 ,ever since the ,anarchist terror had thrown ,paris into dismay a warrant had been out against the old man1 not for any precise offence1 but simply because he was a suspicious character and might1 therefore1 have had some intercourse with the ,revolutionists4 ,however1 it had been repugnant to ,gascogne to arrest him at the house of a priest whom the whole district venerated as a saint2 and the ,minister1 whom he had consulted on the point1 had warmly approved of his reserve1 since a member of the clergy was in question1 and had undertaken to settle the affair himself4 8,no1 ,monsieur ,gascogne10 he now replied1 8don't move in the matter4 ,you know what my feelings are1 that we ought to have the priests with us and not against us--,i have had a letter written to ,abb ,froment in order that he may call here this morning1 as ,i shall have no other visitors4 ,i will speak to him myself1 and you may take it that the affair no longer concerns you40 ,then he was about to dismiss him when the usher came back saying that the ,president of the ,council was in the ante-room499 99 ,the title of ,president of the ,council is given to the ,french prime minister4--,trans4 8,barroux6--,ah6 dash it1 then1 ,monsieur ,gascogne1 you had better go out this way4 ,it is as well that nobody should meet you1 as ,i wish you to keep silent respecting ,salvat's arrest4 ,it's fully understood1 is it not8 ,i alone am to know everything2 and you will communicate with me here direct1 by the telephone1 if any serious incident should arise40 ,the ,chief of the ,detective ,police had scarcely gone off1 by way of an adjoining salon1 when the usher reopened the door communicating with the ante-room3 8,monsieur le ,president du ,conseil40 ,with a nicely adjusted show of deference and cordiality1 ,monferrand stepped forward1 his hands outstretched3 8,ah6 my dear ,president1 why did you put yourself out to come here8 ,i would have called on you if ,i had known that you wished to see me40 ,but with an impatient gesture ,barroux brushed aside all question of etiquette4 8,no1 no6 ,i was taking my usual stroll in the ,champs ,elyses1 and the worries of the situation impressed me so keenly that ,i preferred to come here at once4 ,you yourself must realise that we can't put up with what is taking place4 ,and pending to-morrow morning's council1 when we shall have to arrange a plan of defence1 ,i felt that there was good reason for us to talk things over40 ,he took an armchair1 and ,monferrand on his side rolled another forward so as to seat himself with his back to the light4 ,whilst ,barroux1 the elder of the pair by ten years1 blanched and solemn1 with a handsome face1 snowy whiskers1 clean-shaven chin and upper-lip1 retained all the dignity of power1 the bearing of a ,conventionnel of romantic views1 who sought to magnify the simple loyalty of a rather foolish but good-hearted bourgeois nature into something great2 the other1 beneath his heavy common countenance and feigned frankness and simplicity1 concealed unknown depths1 the unfathomable soul of a shrewd enjoyer and despot who was alike pitiless and unscrupulous in attaining his ends4 ,for a moment ,barroux drew breath1 for in reality he was greatly moved1 his blood rising to his head1 and his heart beating with indignation and anger at the thought of all the vulgar insults which the 8,voix du ,peuple0 had poured upon him again that morning4 8,come1 my dear colleague10 said he1 8one must stop that scandalous campaign4 ,moreover1 you can realise what awaits us at the ,chamber to-morrow4 ,now that the famous list has been published we shall have every malcontent up in arms4 ,vignon is bestirring himself already--0 8,ah6 you have news of ,vignon80 exclaimed ,monferrand1 becoming very attentive4 8,well1 as ,i passed his door just now1 ,i saw a string of cabs waiting there4 ,all his creatures have been on the move since yesterday1 and at least twenty persons have told me that the band is already dividing the spoils4 ,for1 as you must know1 the fierce and ingenuous ,mge is again going to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for others4 ,briefly1 we are dead1 and the others claim that they are going to bury us in mud before they fight over our leavings40 ,with his arm outstretched ,barroux made a theatrical gesture1 and his voice resounded as if he were in the tribune4 ,nevertheless1 his emotion was real1 tears even were coming to his eyes4 8,to think that ,i who have given my whole life to the ,republic1 ,i who founded it1 who saved it1 should be covered with insults in this fashion1 and obliged to defend myself against abominable charges6 ,to say that ,i abused my trust6 ,that ,i sold myself and took #bjj1jjj francs from that man ,hunter1 simply to slip them into my pocket6 ,well1 certainly there was a question of #bjj1jjj francs between us4 ,but how and under what circumstances8 ,they were doubtless the same as in your case1 with regard to the #hj1jjj francs that he is said to have handed you--0 ,but ,monferrand interrupted his colleague in a clear trenchant voice3 8,he never handed me a centime40 ,the other looked at him in astonishment1 but could only see his big1 rough head1 whose features were steeped in shadow3 8,ah6 ,but ,i thought you had business relations with him1 and knew him particularly well40 8,no1 ,i simply knew ,hunter as everyone knew him4 ,i was not even aware that he was ,baron ,duvillard's agent in the ,african ,railways matter2 and there was never any question of that affair between us40 ,this was so improbable1 so contrary to everything ,barroux knew of the business1 that for a moment he felt quite scared4 ,then he waved his hand as if to say that others might as well look after their own affairs1 and reverted to himself4 8,oh6 as for me10 he said1 8,hunter called on me more than ten times1 and made me quite sick with his talk of the ,african ,railways4 ,it was at the time when the ,chamber was asked to authorise the issue of lottery stock499 ,and1 by the way1 my dear fellow1 ,i was then here at the ,home ,department1 while you had just taken that of ,public ,works4 ,i can remember sitting at that very writing-table1 while ,hunter was in the same armchair that ,i now occupy4 ,that day he wanted to consult me about the employment of the large sum which ,duvillard's house proposed to spend in advertising2 and on seeing what big amounts were set down against the ,royalist journals1 ,i became quite angry1 for ,i realised with perfect accuracy that this money would simply be used to wage war against the ,republic4 ,and so1 yielding to ,hunter's entreaties1 ,i also drew up a list allotting #bjj1jjj francs among the friendly ,republican newspapers1 which were paid through me1 ,i admit it4 ,and that's the whole story409999 99 ,this kind of stock is common enough in ,france4 ,a part of it is extinguished annually at a public 8drawing10 when all such shares or bonds that are drawn become entitled to redemption at 8par10 a percentage of them also securing prizes of various amounts4 ,city of ,paris ,bonds issued on this system are very popular among ,french people with small savings2 but1 on the other hand1 many ventures1 whose lottery stock has been authorised by the ,legislature1 have come to grief and ruined investors4--,trans4 9999 ,all who are acquainted with recent ,french history will be aware that ,barroux' narrative is simply a passage from the life of the late ,m4 ,floquet1 slightly modified to suit the requirements of ,m4 ,zola's story4--,trans4 ,then he sprang to his feet and struck his chest1 whilst his voice again rose3 8,well1 ,i've had more than enough of all that calumny and falsehood6 ,and ,i shall simply tell the ,chamber my story to-morrow4 ,it will be my only defence4 ,an honest man does not fear the truth60 ,but ,monferrand1 in his turn1 had sprung up with a cry which was a complete confession of his principles3 8,it's ridiculous1 one never confesses2 you surely won't do such a thing60 8,i shall10 retorted ,barroux with superb obstinacy4 8,and we shall see if the ,chamber won't absolve me by acclamation40 8,no1 you will fall beneath an explosion of hisses1 and drag all of us down with you40 8,what does it matter8 ,we shall fall with dignity1 like honest men60 ,monferrand made a gesture of furious anger1 and then suddenly became calm4 ,amidst all the anxious confusion in which he had been struggling since daybreak1 a gleam now dawned upon him4 ,the vague ideas suggested by ,salvat's approaching arrest took shape1 and expanded into an audacious scheme4 ,why should he prevent the fall of that big ninny ,barroux8 ,the only thing of importance was that he1 ,monferrand1 should not fall with him1 or at any rate that he should rise again4 ,so he protested no further1 but merely mumbled a few words1 in which his rebellious feeling seemingly died out4 ,and at last1 putting on his good-natured air once more1 he said3 8,well1 after all you are perhaps right4 ,one must be brave4 ,besides1 you are our head1 my dear ,president1 and we will follow you40 ,they had now again sat down face to face1 and their conversation continued till they came to a cordial agreement respecting the course which the ,government should adopt in view of the inevitable interpellation on the morrow4 ,meantime1 ,baron ,duvillard was on his way to the ministry4 ,he had scarcely slept that night4 ,when on the return from ,montmartre ,grard had set him down at his door in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 he had at once gone to bed1 like a man who is determined to compel sleep1 so that he may forget his worries and recover self-control4 ,but slumber would not come2 for hours and hours he vainly sought it4 ,the manner in which he had been insulted by that creature ,silviane was so monstrous6 ,to think that she1 whom he had enriched1 whose every desire he had contented1 should have cast such mud at him1 the master1 who flattered himself that he held ,paris and the ,republic in his hands1 since he bought up and controlled consciences just as others might make corners in wool or leather for the purposes of ,bourse speculation4 ,and the dim consciousness that ,silviane was the avenging sore1 the cancer preying on him who preyed on others1 completed his exasperation4 ,in vain did he try to drive away his haunting thoughts1 remember his business affairs1 his appointments for the morrow1 his millions which were working in every quarter of the world1 the financial omnipotence which placed the fate of nations in his grasp4 ,ever1 and in spite of all1 ,silviane rose up before him1 splashing him with mud4 ,in despair he tried to fix his mind on a great enterprise which he had been planning for months past1 a ,trans-,saharan railway1 a colossal venture which would set millions of money at work1 and revolutionise the trade of the world4 ,and yet ,silviane appeared once more1 and smacked him on both cheeks with her dainty little hand1 which she had dipped in the gutter4 ,it was only towards daybreak that he at last dozed off1 while vowing in a fury that he would never see her again1 that he would spurn her1 and order her away1 even should she come and drag herself at his feet4 ,however1 when he awoke at seven1 still tired and aching1 his first thought was for her1 and he almost yielded to a fit of weakness4 ,the idea came to him to ascertain if she had returned home1 and if so make his peace4 ,but he jumped out of bed1 and after his ablutions he recovered all his bravery4 ,she was a wretch1 and he this time thought himself for ever cured of his passion4 ,to tell the truth1 he forgot it as soon as he opened the morning newspapers4 ,the publication of the list of bribe-takers in the 8,voix du ,peuple0 quite upset him1 for he had hitherto thought it unlikely that ,sagnier held any such list4 ,however1 he judged the document at a glance1 at once separating the few truths it contained from a mass of foolishness and falsehood4 ,and this time also he did not consider himself personally in danger4 ,there was only one thing that he really feared3 the arrest of his intermediary1 ,hunter1 whose trial might have drawn him into the affair4 ,as matters stood1 and as he did not cease to repeat with a calm and smiling air1 he had merely done what every banking-house does when it issues stock1 that is1 pay the press for advertisements and puffery1 employ brokers1 and reward services discreetly rendered to the enterprise4 ,it was all a business matter1 and for him that expression summed up everything4 ,moreover1 he played the game of life bravely1 and spoke with indignant contempt of a banker who1 distracted and driven to extremities by blackmailing1 had imagined that he would bring a recent scandal to an end by killing himself3 a pitiful tragedy1 from all the mire and blood of which the scandal had sprouted afresh with the most luxuriant and indestructible vegetation4 ,no1 no6 suicide was not the course to follow3 a man ought to remain erect1 and struggle on to his very last copper1 and the very end of his energy4 ,at about nine o'clock a ringing brought ,duvillard to the telephone installed in his private room4 ,and then his folly took possession of him once more3 it must be ,silviane who wished to speak to him4 ,she often amused herself by thus disturbing him amidst his greatest cares4 ,no doubt she had just returned home1 realising that she had carried things too far on the previous evening and desiring to be forgiven4 ,however1 when he found that the call was from ,monferrand1 who wished him to go to the ministry1 he shivered slightly1 like a man saved from the abyss beside which he is travelling4 ,and forthwith he called for his hat and stick1 desirous as he was of walking and reflecting in the open air4 ,and again he became absorbed in the intricacies of the scandalous business which was about to stir all ,paris and the legislature4 ,kill himself6 ah1 no1 that would be foolish and cowardly4 ,a gust of terror might be sweeping past2 nevertheless1 for his part he felt quite firm1 superior to events1 and resolved to defend himself without relinquishing aught of his power4 ,as soon as he entered the ante-rooms of the ministry he realised that the gust of terror was becoming a tempest4 ,the publication of the terrible list in the 8,voix du ,peuple0 had chilled the guilty ones to the heart2 and1 pale and distracted1 feeling the ground give way beneath them1 they had come to take counsel of ,monferrand1 who1 they hoped1 might save them4 ,the first whom ,duvillard perceived was ,duthil1 looking extremely feverish1 biting his moustaches1 and constantly making grimaces in his efforts to force a smile4 ,the banker scolded him for coming1 saying that it was a great mistake to have done so1 particularly with such a scared face4 ,the deputy1 however1 his spirits already cheered by these rough words1 began to defend himself1 declaring that he had not even read ,sagnier's article1 and had simply come to recommend a lady friend to the ,minister4 ,thereupon the ,baron undertook this business for him and sent him away with the wish that he might spend a merry mid-,lent4 ,however1 the one who most roused ,duvillard's pity was ,chaigneux1 whose figure swayed about as if bent by the weight of his long equine head1 and who looked so shabby and untidy that one might have taken him for an old pauper4 ,on recognising the banker he darted forward1 and bowed to him with obsequious eagerness4 8,ah6 ,monsieur le ,baron10 said he1 8how wicked some men must be6 ,they are killing me1 ,i shall die of it all2 and what will become of my wife1 what will become of my three daughters1 who have none but me to help them80 ,the whole of his woeful story lay in that lament4 ,a victim of politics1 he had been foolish enough to quit ,arras and his business there as a solicitor1 in order to seek triumph in ,paris with his wife and daughters1 whose menial he had then become--a menial dismayed by the constant rebuffs and failures which his mediocrity brought upon him4 ,an honest deputy6 ah1 good heavens6 yes1 he would have liked to be one2 but was he not perpetually 8hard-up10 ever in search of a hundred-franc note1 and thus1 perforce1 a deputy for sale8 ,and withal he led such a pitiable life1 so badgered by the women folk about him1 that to satisfy their demands he would have picked up money no matter where or how4 8,just fancy1 ,monsieur le ,baron1 ,i have at last found a husband for my eldest girl4 ,it is the first bit of luck that ,i have ever had2 there will only be three women left on my hands if it comes off4 ,but you can imagine what a disastrous impression such an article as that of this morning must create in the young man's family4 ,so ,i have come to see the ,minister to beg him to give my future son-in-law a prefectoral secretaryship4 ,i have already promised him the post1 and if ,i can secure it things may yet be arranged40 ,he looked so terribly shabby and spoke in such a doleful voice that it occurred to ,duvillard to do one of those good actions on which he ventured at times when they were likely to prove remunerative investments4 ,it is1 indeed1 an excellent plan to give a crust of bread to some poor devil whom one can turn1 if necessary1 into a valet or an accomplice4 ,so the banker dismissed ,chaigneux1 undertaking to do his business for him in the same way as he had undertaken to do ,duthil's4 ,and he added that he would be pleased to see him on the morrow1 and have a chat with him1 as he might be able to help him in the matter of his daughter's marriage4 ,at this ,chaigneux1 scenting a loan1 collapsed into the most lavish thanks4 8,ah6 ,monsieur le ,baron1 my life will not be long enough to enable me to repay such a debt of gratitude40 ,as ,duvillard turned round he was surprised to see ,abb ,froment waiting in a corner of the ante-room4 ,surely that one could not belong to the batch of suspects1 although by the manner in which he was pretending to read a newspaper it seemed as if he were trying to hide some keen anxiety4 ,at last the ,baron stepped forward1 shook hands1 and spoke to him cordially4 ,and ,pierre thereupon related that he had received a letter requesting him to call on the ,minister that day4 ,why1 he could not tell2 in fact1 he was greatly surprised1 he said1 putting on a smile in order to conceal his disquietude4 ,he had been waiting a long time already1 and hoped that he would not be forgotten on that bench4 ,just then the usher appeared1 and hastened up to the banker4 8,the ,minister10 said he1 8was at that moment engaged with the ,president of the ,council2 but he had orders to admit the ,baron as soon as the ,president withdrew40 ,almost immediately afterwards ,barroux came out1 and as ,duvillard was about to enter he recognised and detained him4 ,and he spoke of the denunciations very bitterly1 like one indignant with all the slander4 ,would not he1 ,duvillard1 should occasion require it1 testify that he1 ,barroux1 had never taken a centime for himself8 ,then1 forgetting that he was speaking to a banker1 and that he was ,minister of ,finances1 he proceeded to express all his disgust of money4 ,ah6 what poisonous1 murky1 and defiling waters were those in which money-making went on6 ,however1 he repeated that he would chastise his insulters1 and that a statement of the truth would suffice for the purpose4 ,duvillard listened and looked at him4 ,and all at once the thought of ,silviane came back1 and took possession of the ,baron1 without any attempt on his part to drive it away4 ,he reflected that if ,barroux had chosen to give him a helping hand when he had asked for it1 ,silviane would now have been at the ,comdie ,franaise1 in which case the deplorable affair of the previous night would not have occurred2 for he was beginning to regard himself as guilty in the matter2 if he had only contented ,silviane's whim she would never have dismissed him in so vile a fashion4 8,you know1 ,i owe you a grudge10 he said1 interrupting ,barroux4 ,the other looked at him in astonishment4 8,and why1 pray80 he asked4 8,why1 because you never helped me in the matter of that friend of mine who wishes to make her dbut in #8,polyeucte4'0 ,barroux smiled1 and with amiable condescension replied3 8,ah6 yes1 ,silviane d',aulnay6 ,but1 my dear sir1 it was ,taboureau who put spokes in the wheel4 ,the ,fine ,arts are his department1 and the question was entirely one for him4 ,and ,i could do nothing2 for that very worthy and honest gentleman1 who came to us from a provincial faculty1 was full of scruples4 ,for my own part ,i'm an old ,parisian1 ,i can understand anything1 and ,i should have been delighted to please you40 ,at this fresh resistance offered to his passion ,duvillard once more became excited1 eager to obtain that which was denied him4 8,taboureau1 ,taboureau60 said he1 8he's a nice deadweight for you to load yourself with6 ,honest6 isn't everybody honest8 ,come1 my dear ,minister1 there's still time1 get ,silviane admitted1 it will bring you good luck for to-morrow40 ,this time ,barroux burst into a frank laugh3 8,no1 no1 ,i can't cast ,taboureau adrift at this moment--people would make too much sport of it--a ministry wrecked or saved by a ,silviane question60 ,then he offered his hand before going off4 ,the ,baron pressed it1 and for a moment retained it in his own1 whilst saying very gravely and with a somewhat pale face3 8,you do wrong to laugh1 my dear ,minister4 ,governments have fallen or set themselves erect again through smaller matters than that4 ,and should you fall to-morrow ,i trust that you will never have occasion to regret it40 ,wounded to the heart by the other's jesting air1 exasperated by the idea that there was something he could not achieve1 ,duvillard watched ,barroux as he withdrew4 ,most certainly the ,baron did not desire a reconciliation with ,silviane1 but he vowed that he would overturn everything if necessary in order to send her a signed engagement for the ,comdie1 and this simply by way of vengeance1 as a slap1 so to say1--yes1 a slap which would make her tingle6 ,that moment spent with ,barroux had been a decisive one4 ,however1 whilst still following ,barroux with his eyes1 ,duvillard was surprised to see ,fonsgue arrive and manuvre in such a way as to escape the ,prime ,minister's notice4 ,he succeeded in doing so1 and then entered the ante-room with an appearance of dismay about the whole of his little figure1 which was1 as a rule1 so sprightly4 ,it was the gust of terror1 still blowing1 that had brought him thither4 8,didn't you see your friend ,barroux80 the ,baron asked him1 somewhat puzzled4 8,barroux8 ,no60 ,this quiet lie was equivalent to a confession of everything4 ,fonsgue was so intimate with ,barroux that he thee'd and thou'd him1 and for ten years had been supporting him in his newspaper1 having precisely the same views1 the same political religion4 ,but with a smash-up threatening1 he doubtless realised1 thanks to his wonderfully keen scent1 that he must change his friendships if he did not wish to remain under the ruins himself4 ,if he had1 for long years1 shown so much prudence and diplomatic virtue in order to firmly establish the most dignified and respected of ,parisian newspapers1 it was not for the purpose of letting that newspaper be compromised by some foolish blunder on the part of an honest man4 8,i thought you were on bad terms with ,monferrand10 resumed ,duvillard4 8,what have you come here for80 8,oh6 my dear ,baron1 the director of a leading newspaper is never on bad terms with anybody4 ,he's at the country's service40 ,in spite of his emotion1 ,duvillard could not help smiling4 8,you are right10 he responded4 8,besides1 ,monferrand is really an able man1 whom one can support without fear40 ,at this ,fonsgue began to wonder whether his anguish of mind was visible4 ,he1 who usually played the game of life so well1 with his own hand under thorough control1 had been terrified by the article in the 8,voix du ,peuple40 ,for the first time in his career he had perpetrated a blunder1 and felt that he was at the mercy of some denunciation1 for with unpardonable imprudence he had written a very brief but compromising note4 ,he was not anxious concerning the #ej1jjj francs which ,barroux had handed him out of the #bjj1jjj destined for the ,republican press4 ,but he trembled lest another affair should be discovered1 that of a sum of money which he had received as a present4 ,it was only on feeling the ,baron's keen glance upon him that he was able to recover some self-possession4 ,how silly it was to lose the knack of lying and to confess things simply by one's demeanour6 ,but the usher drew near and repeated that the ,minister was now waiting for the ,baron2 and ,fonsgue went to sit down beside ,abb ,froment1 whom he also was astonished to find there4 ,pierre repeated that he had received a letter1 but had no notion what the ,minister might wish to say to him4 ,and the quiver of his hands again revealed how feverishly impatient he was to know what it might be4 ,however1 he could only wait1 since ,monferrand was still busy discussing such grave affairs4 ,on seeing ,duvillard enter1 the ,minister had stepped forward1 offering his hand4 ,however much the blast of terror might shake others1 he had retained his calmness and good-natured smile4 8,what an affair1 eh1 my dear ,baron60 he exclaimed4 8,it's idiotic60 plainly declared the other1 with a shrug of his shoulders4 ,then he sat down in the armchair vacated by ,barroux1 while the ,minister installed himself in front of him4 ,these two were made to understand one another1 and they indulged in the same despairing gestures and furious complaints1 declaring that government1 like business1 would no longer be possible if men were required to show such virtue as they did not possess4 ,at all times1 and under every rgime1 when a decision of the ,chambers had been required in connection with some great enterprise1 had not the natural and legitimate tactics been for one to do what might be needful to secure that decision8 ,it was absolutely necessary that one should obtain influential and sympathetic support1 in a word1 make sure of votes4 ,well1 everything had to be paid for1 men like other things1 some with fine words1 others with favours or money1 presents made in a more or less disguised manner4 ,and even admitting that1 in the present cases1 one had gone rather far in the purchasing1 that some of the bartering had been conducted in an imprudent way1 was it wise to make such an uproar over it8 ,would not a strong government have begun by stifling the scandal1 from motives of patriotism1 a mere sense of cleanliness even8 8,why1 of course6 ,you are right1 a thousand times right60 exclaimed ,monferrand4 8,ah6 if ,i were the master you would see what a fine first-class funeral ,i would give it all60 ,then1 as ,duvillard looked at him fixedly1 struck by these last words1 he added with his expressive smile3 8,unfortunately ,i'm not the master1 and it was to talk to you of the situation that ,i ventured to disturb you4 ,barroux1 who was here just now1 seemed to me in a regrettable frame of mind40 8,yes1 ,i saw him1 he has such singular ideas at times--0 ,then1 breaking off1 the ,baron added3 8,do you know that ,fonsgue is in the ante-room8 ,as he wishes to make his peace with you1 why not send for him8 ,he won't be in the way1 in fact1 he's a man of good counsel1 and the support of his newspaper often suffices to give one the victory40 8,what1 is ,fonsgue there60 cried ,monferrand4 8,why1 ,i don't ask better than to shake hands with him4 ,there were some old affairs between us that don't concern anybody6 ,but1 good heavens6 if you only knew what little spite ,i harbour60 ,when the usher had admitted ,fonsgue the reconciliation took place in the simplest fashion4 ,they had been great friends at college in their native ,corrze1 but had not spoken together for ten years past in consequence of some abominable affair the particulars of which were not exactly known4 ,however1 it becomes necessary to clear away all corpses when one wishes to have the arena free for a fresh battle4 8,it's very good of you to come back the first10 said ,monferrand4 8,so it's all over1 you no longer bear me any grudge80 8,no1 indeed60 replied ,fonsgue4 8,why should people devour one another when it would be to their interest to come to an understanding80 ,then1 without further explanations1 they passed to the great affair1 and the conference began4 ,and when ,monferrand had announced ,barroux' determination to confess and explain his conduct1 the others loudly protested4 ,that meant certain downfall1 they would prevent him1 he surely would not be guilty of such folly4 ,forthwith they discussed every imaginable plan by which the ,ministry might be saved1 for that must certainly be ,monferrand's sole desire4 ,he himself with all eagerness pretended to seek some means of extricating his colleagues and himself from the mess in which they were4 ,however1 a faint smile1 still played around his lips1 and at last as if vanquished he sought no further4 8,there's no help for it10 said he1 8the ministry's down40 ,the others exchanged glances1 full of anxiety at the thought of another ,cabinet dealing with the ,african ,railways affair4 ,a ,vignon ,cabinet would doubtless plume itself on behaving honestly4 8,well1 then1 what shall we do80 ,but just then the telephone rang1 and ,monferrand rose to respond to the summons3 8,allow me40 ,he listened for a moment and then spoke into the tube1 nothing that he said giving the others any inkling of the information which had reached him4 ,this had come from the ,chief of the ,detective ,police1 and was to the effect that ,salvat's whereabouts in the ,bois de ,boulogne had been discovered1 and that he would be hunted down with all speed4 8,very good6 ,and don't forget my orders10 replied ,monferrand4 ,now that ,salvat's arrest was certain1 the ,minister determined to follow the plan which had gradually taken shape in his mind2 and returning to the middle of the room he slowly walked to and fro1 while saying with his wonted familiarity3 8,but what would you have1 my friends8 ,it would be necessary for me to be the master4 ,ah6 if ,i were the master6 ,a ,commission of ,inquiry1 yes6 that's the proper form for a first-class funeral to take in a big affair like this1 so full of nasty things4 ,for my part1 ,i should confess nothing1 and ,i should have a ,commission appointed4 ,and then you would see the storm subside40 ,duvillard and ,fonsgue began to laugh4 ,the latter1 however1 thanks to his intimate knowledge of ,monferrand1 almost guessed the truth4 8,just listen60 said he2 8even if the ministry falls it doesn't necessarily follow that you must be on the ground with it4 ,besides1 a ministry can be mended when there are good pieces of it left40 ,somewhat anxious at finding his thoughts guessed1 ,monferrand protested3 8,no1 no1 my dear fellow1 ,i don't play that game4 ,we are jointly responsible1 we've got to keep together1 dash it all60 8,keep together6 ,pooh6 ,not when simpletons purposely drown themselves6 ,and1 besides1 if we others have need of you1 we have a right to save you in spite of yourself6 ,isn't that so1 my dear ,baron80 ,then1 as ,monferrand sat down1 no longer protesting but waiting1 ,duvillard1 who was again thinking of his passion1 full of anger at the recollection of ,barroux' refusal1 rose in his turn1 and exclaimed3 8,why1 certainly6 ,if the ministry's condemned let it fall6 ,what good can you get out of a ministry which includes such a man as ,taboureau6 ,there you have an old1 worn-out professor without any prestige1 who comes to ,paris from ,grenoble1 and has never set foot in a theatre in his life6 ,yet the control of the theatres is handed over to him1 and naturally he's ever doing the most stupid things60 ,monferrand1 who was well informed on the ,silviane question1 remained grave1 and for a moment amused himself by trying to excite the ,baron4 8,taboureau10 said he1 8is a somewhat dull and old-fashioned ,university man1 but at the department of ,public ,instruction he's in his proper element40 8,oh6 don't talk like that1 my dear fellow6 ,you are more intelligent than that1 you are not going to defend ,taboureau as ,barroux did4 ,it's quite true that ,i should very much like to see ,silviane at the ,comdie4 ,she's a very good girl at heart1 and she has an amazing lot of talent4 ,would you stand in her way if you were in ,taboureau's place80 8,i8 ,good heavens1 no6 ,a pretty girl on the stage1 why1 it would please everybody1 ,i'm sure4 ,only it would be necessary to have a man of the same views as were at the department of ,instruction and ,fine ,arts40 ,his sly smile had returned to his face4 ,the securing of that girl's dbut was certainly not a high price to pay for all the influence of ,duvillard's millions4 ,monferrand therefore turned towards ,fonsgue as if to consult him4 ,the other1 who fully understood the importance of the affair1 was meditating in all seriousness3 8,a senator is the proper man for ,public ,instruction10 said he4 8,but ,i can think of none1 none at all1 such as would be wanted4 ,a man of broad mind1 a real ,parisian1 and yet one whose presence at the head of the ,university wouldn't cause too much astonishment--there's perhaps ,dauvergne--0 8,dauvergne6 ,who's he80 exclaimed ,monferrand in surprise4 8,ah6 yes1 ,dauvergne the senator for ,dijon--but he's altogether ignorant of ,university matters1 he hasn't the slightest qualification40 8,well1 as for that10 resumed ,fonsgue1 8,i'm trying to think4 ,dauvergne is certainly a good-looking fellow1 tall and fair and decorative4 ,besides1 he's immensely rich1 has a most charming young wife--which does no harm1 on the contrary--and he gives real ftes at his place on the ,boulevard ,st4 ,germain40 ,it was only with hesitation that ,fonsgue himself had ventured to suggest ,dauvergne4 ,but by degrees his selection appeared to him a real 8find40 8,wait a bit6 ,i recollect now that in his young days ,dauvergne wrote a comedy1 a one act comedy in verse1 and had it performed at ,dijon4 ,and ,dijon's a literary town1 you know1 so that piece of his sets a little perfume of #8,belles-,lettres' around him4 ,and then1 too1 he left ,dijon twenty years ago1 and is a most determined ,parisian1 frequenting every sphere of society4 ,dauvergne will do whatever one desires4 ,he's the man for us1 ,i tell you40 ,duvillard thereupon declared that he knew him1 and considered him a very decent fellow4 ,besides1 he or another1 it mattered nothing6 8,dauvergne1 ,dauvergne10 repeated ,monferrand4 8,mon ,dieu1 yes6 ,after all1 why not8 ,he'll perhaps make a very good minister4 ,let us say ,dauvergne40 ,then suddenly bursting into a hearty laugh3 8,and so we are reconstructing the ,cabinet in order that that charming young woman may join the ,comdie6 ,the ,silviane cabinet--well1 and what about the other departments80 ,he jested1 well knowing that gaiety often hastens difficult solutions4 ,and1 indeed1 they merrily continued settling what should be done if the ministry were defeated on the morrow4 ,although they had not plainly said so the plan was to let ,barroux sink1 even help him to do so1 and then fish ,monferrand out of the troubled waters4 ,the latter engaged himself with the two others1 because he had need of them1 the ,baron on account of his financial sovereignty1 and the director of 8,le ,globe0 on account of the press campaign which he could carry on in his favour4 ,and in the same way the others1 quite apart from the ,silviane business1 had need of ,monferrand1 the strong-handed man of government1 who undertook to bury the ,african ,railways scandal by bringing about a ,commission of ,inquiry1 all the strings of which would be pulled by himself4 ,there was soon a perfect understanding between the three men1 for nothing draws people more closely together than common interest1 fear and need4 ,accordingly1 when ,duvillard spoke of ,duthil's business1 the young lady whom he wished to recommend1 the ,minister declared that it was settled4 ,a very nice fellow was ,duthil1 they needed a good many like him4 ,and it was also agreed that ,chaigneux' future son-in-law should have his secretaryship4 ,poor ,chaigneux6 ,he was so devoted1 always ready to undertake any commission1 and his four women folk led him such a hard life6 8,well1 then1 it's understood40 ,and ,monferrand1 ,duvillard and ,fonsgue vigorously shook hands4 ,however1 when the first accompanied the others to the door1 he noticed a prelate1 in a cassock of fine material1 edged with violet1 speaking to a priest in the ante-room4 ,thereupon he1 the ,minister1 hastened forward1 looking much distressed4 8,ah6 you were waiting1 ,monseigneur ,martha6 ,come in1 come in quick60 ,but with perfect urbanity the ,bishop refused4 8,no1 no1 ,monsieur l',abb ,froment was here before me4 ,pray receive him first40 ,monferrand had to give way2 he admitted the priest1 and speedily dealt with him4 ,he who usually employed the most diplomatic reserve when he was in presence of a member of the clergy plumply unfolded the ,barths business4 ,pierre had experienced the keenest anguish during the two hours that he had been waiting there1 for he could only explain the letter he had received by a surmise that the police had discovered his brother's presence in his house4 ,and so when he heard the ,minister simply speak of ,barths1 and declare that the government would rather see him go into exile than be obliged to imprison him once more1 he remained for a moment quite disconcerted4 ,as the police had been able to discover the old conspirator in the little house at ,neuilly1 how was it that they seemed altogether ignorant of ,guillaume's presence there8 ,it was1 however1 the usual gap in the genius of great detectives4 8,pray what do you desire of me1 ,monsieur le ,ministre80 said ,pierre at last2 8,i don't quite understand40 8,why1 ,monsieur l',abb1 ,i leave all this to your sense of prudence4 ,if that man were still at your house in forty-eight hours from now1 we should be obliged to arrest him there1 which would be a source of grief to us1 for we are aware that your residence is the abode of every virtue4 ,so advise him to leave ,france4 ,if he does that we shall not trouble him40 ,then ,monferrand hastily brought ,pierre back to the ante-room2 and1 smiling and bending low1 he said3 8,monseigneur1 ,i am entirely at your disposal4 ,come in1 come in1 ,i beg you40 ,the prelate1 who was gaily chatting with ,duvillard and ,fonsgue1 shook hands with them1 and then with ,pierre4 ,in his desire to win all hearts1 he that morning displayed the most perfect graciousness4 ,his bright1 black eyes were all smiles1 the whole of his handsome face wore a caressing expression1 and he entered the ministerial sanctum leisurely and gracefully1 with an easy air of conquest4 ,and now only ,monferrand and ,monseigneur ,martha were left1 talking on and on in the deserted building4 ,some people had thought that the prelate wished to become a deputy4 ,but he played a far more useful and lofty part in governing behind the scenes1 in acting as the directing mind of the ,vatican's policy in ,france4 ,was not ,france still the ,eldest ,daughter of the ,church1 the only great nation which might some day restore omnipotence to the ,papacy8 ,for that reason he had accepted the ,republic1 preached the duty of 8rallying0 to it1 and inspired the new ,catholic group in the ,chamber4 ,and ,monferrand1 on his side1 struck by the progress of the ,new ,spirit1 that reaction of mysticism which flattered itself that it would bury science1 showed the prelate much amiability1 like a strong-handed man who1 to ensure his own victory1 utilised every force that was offered him4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,man ,,hunt ,,on the afternoon of that same day such a keen desire for space and the open air came upon ,guillaume1 that ,pierre consented to accompany him on a long walk in the ,bois de ,boulogne4 ,the priest1 upon returning from his interview with ,monferrand1 had informed his brother that the government once more wished to get rid of ,nicholas ,barths4 ,however1 they were so perplexed as to how they should impart these tidings to the old man1 that they resolved to postpone the matter until the evening4 ,during their walk they might devise some means of breaking the news in a gentle way4 ,as for the walk1 this seemed to offer no danger2 to all appearance ,guillaume was in no wise threatened1 so why should he continue hiding8 ,thus the brothers sallied forth and entered the ,bois by the ,sablons gate1 which was the nearest to them4 ,the last days of ,march had now come1 and the trees were beginning to show some greenery1 so soft and light1 however1 that one might have thought it was pale moss or delicate lace hanging between the stems and boughs4 ,although the sky remained of an ashen grey1 the rain1 after falling throughout the night and morning1 had ceased2 and exquisite freshness pervaded that wood now awakening to life once more1 with its foliage dripping in the mild and peaceful atmosphere4 ,the mid-,lent rejoicings had apparently attracted the populace to the centre of ,paris1 for in the avenues one found only the fashionable folks of select days1 the people of society who come thither when the multitude stops away4 ,there were carriages and gentlemen on horseback2 beautiful aristocratic ladies who had alighted from their broughams or landaus2 and wet-nurses with streaming ribbons1 who carried infants wearing the most costly lace4 ,of the middle-classes1 however1 one found only a few matrons living in the neighbourhood1 who sat here and there on the benches busy with embroidery or watching their children play4 ,pierre and ,guillaume followed the ,alle de ,longchamp as far as the road going from ,madrid to the lakes4 ,then they took their way under the trees1 alongside the little ,longchamp rivulet4 ,they wished to reach the lakes1 pass round them1 and return home by way of the ,maillot gate4 ,but so charming and peaceful was the deserted plantation through which they passed1 that they yielded to a desire to sit down and taste the delight of resting amidst all the budding springtide around them4 ,a fallen tree served them as a bench1 and it was possible for them to fancy themselves far away from ,paris1 in the depths of some real forest4 ,it was1 too1 of a real forest that ,guillaume began to think on thus emerging from his long1 voluntary imprisonment4 ,ah6 for the space2 and for the health-bringing air which courses between that forest's branches1 that forest of the world which by right should be man's inalienable domain6 ,however1 the name of ,barths1 the perpetual prisoner1 came back to ,guillaume's lips1 and he sighed mournfully4 ,the thought that there should be even a single man whose liberty was thus ever assailed1 sufficed to poison the pure atmosphere he breathed4 8,what will you say to ,barths80 he asked his brother4 8,the poor fellow must necessarily be warned4 ,exile is at any rate preferable to imprisonment40 ,pierre sadly waved his hand4 8,yes1 of course1 ,i must warn him4 ,but what a painful task it is60 ,guillaume made no rejoinder1 for at that very moment1 in that remote1 deserted nook1 where they could fancy themselves at the world's end1 a most extraordinary spectacle was presented to their view4 ,something or rather someone leapt out of a thicket and bounded past them4 ,it was assuredly a man1 but one who was so unrecognisable1 so miry1 so woeful and so frightful1 that he might have been taken for an animal1 a boar that hounds had tracked and forced from his retreat4 ,on seeing the rivulet1 he hesitated for a moment1 and then followed its course4 ,but1 all at once1 as a sound of footsteps and panting breath drew nearer1 he sprang into the water1 which reached his thighs1 bounded on to the further bank1 and vanished from sight behind a clump of pines4 ,a moment afterwards some keepers and policemen rushed by1 skirting the rivulet1 and in their turn disappearing4 ,it was a man hunt that had gone past1 a fierce1 secret hunt with no display of scarlet or blast of horns athwart the soft1 sprouting foliage4 8,some rascal or other10 muttered ,pierre4 8,ah6 the wretched fellow60 ,guillaume made a gesture of discouragement4 8,gendarmes and prison60 said he4 8,they still constitute society's only schooling system60 ,meantime the man was still running on1 farther and farther away4 ,when1 on the previous night1 ,salvat had suddenly escaped from the detectives by bounding into the ,bois de ,boulogne1 it had occurred to him to slip round to the ,dauphine gate and there descend into the deep ditch99 of the city ramparts4 ,he remembered days of enforced idleness which he had spent there1 in nooks where1 for his own part1 he had never met a living soul4 ,nowhere1 indeed1 could one find more secret places of retreat1 hedged round by thicker bushes1 or concealed from view by loftier herbage4 ,some corners of the ditch1 at certain angles of the massive bastions1 are favourite dens or nests for thieves and lovers4 ,salvat1 as he made his way through the thickest of the brambles1 nettles and ivy1 was lucky enough to find a cavity full of dry leaves1 in which he buried himself to the chin4 ,the rain had already drenched him1 and after slipping down the muddy slope1 he had frequently been obliged to grope his way upon all fours4 ,so those dry leaves proved a boon such as he had not dared to hope for4 ,they dried him somewhat1 serving as a blanket in which he coiled himself after his wild race through the dank darkness4 ,the rain still fell1 but he now only felt it on his head1 and1 weary as he was1 he gradually sank into deep slumber beneath the continuous drizzle4 ,when he opened his eyes again1 the dawn was breaking1 and it was probably about six o'clock4 ,during his sleep the rain had ended by soaking the leaves1 so that he was now immersed in a kind of chilly bath4 ,still he remained in it1 feeling that he was there sheltered from the police1 who must now surely be searching for him4 ,none of those bloodhounds would guess his presence in that hole1 for his body was quite buried1 and briers almost completely hid his head4 ,so he did not stir1 but watched the rise of the dawn4 99 ,this ditch or dry moat is about #cj feet deep and #ej feet wide4 ,the counterscarp by which one may descend into it has an angle of #de degrees4--,trans4 ,when at eight o'clock some policemen and keepers came by1 searching the ditch1 they did not perceive him4 ,as he had anticipated1 the hunt had begun at the first glimmer of light4 ,for a time his heart beat violently2 however1 nobody else passed1 nothing whatever stirred the grass4 ,the only sounds that reached him were faint ones from the ,bois de ,boulogne1 the ring of a bicyclist's bell1 the thud of a horse's hoofs1 the rumble of carriage wheels4 ,and time went by1 nine o'clock came1 and then ten o'clock4 ,since the rain had ceased falling1 ,salvat had not suffered so much from the cold1 for he was wearing a thick overcoat which little ,mathis had given him4 ,but1 on the other hand1 hunger was coming back2 there was a burning sensation in his stomach1 and leaden hoops seemed to be pressing against his ribs4 ,he had eaten nothing for two days2 he had been starving already on the previous evening1 when he had accepted a glass of beer at that tavern at ,montmartre4 ,nevertheless1 his plan was to remain in the ditch until nightfall1 and then slip away in the direction of the village of ,boulogne1 where he knew of a means of egress from the wood4 ,he was not caught yet1 he repeated1 he might still manage to escape4 ,then he tried to get to sleep again1 but failed1 so painful had his sufferings become4 ,by the time it was eleven1 everything swam before his eyes4 ,he once nearly fainted1 and thought that he was going to die4 ,then rage gradually mastered him1 and1 all at once1 he sprang out of his leafy hiding-place1 desperately hungering for food1 unable to remain there any longer1 and determined to find something to eat1 even should it cost him his liberty and life4 ,it was then noon4 ,on leaving the ditch he found the spreading lawns of the chteau of ,la ,muette before him4 ,he crossed them at a run1 like a madman1 instinctively going towards ,boulogne1 with the one idea that his only means of escape lay in that direction4 ,it seemed miraculous that nobody paid attention to his helter-skelter flight4 ,however1 when he had reached the cover of some trees he became conscious of his imprudence1 and almost regretted the sudden madness which had borne him along1 eager for escape4 ,trembling nervously1 he bent low among some furze bushes1 and waited for a few minutes to ascertain if the police were behind him4 ,then with watchful eye and ready ear1 wonderful instinct and scent of danger1 he slowly went his way again4 ,he hoped to pass between the upper lake and the ,auteuil race-course2 but there were few trees in that part1 and they formed a broad avenue4 ,he therefore had to exert all his skill in order to avoid observation1 availing himself of the slenderest stems1 the smallest bushes1 as screens1 and only venturing onward after a lengthy inspection of his surroundings4 ,before long the sight of a guard in the distance revived his fears and detained him1 stretched on the ground behind some brambles1 for a full quarter of an hour4 ,then the approach first of a cab1 whose driver had lost his way1 and afterwards of a strolling pedestrian1 in turn sufficed to stop him4 ,he breathed once more1 however1 when1 after passing the ,mortemart hillock1 he was able to enter the thickets lying between the two roads which lead to ,boulogne and ,st4 ,cloud4 ,the coppices thereabouts were dense1 and he merely had to follow them1 screened from view1 in order to reach the outlet he knew of1 which was now near at hand4 ,so he was surely saved4 ,but all at once1 at a distance of some five and thirty yards1 he saw a keeper1 erect and motionless1 barring his way4 ,he turned slightly to the left and there perceived another keeper1 who also seemed to be awaiting him4 ,and there were more and more of them2 at every fifty paces or so stood a fresh one1 the whole forming a cordon1 the meshes as it were of a huge net4 ,the worst was that he must have been perceived1 for a light cry1 like the clear call of an owl1 rang out1 and was repeated farther and farther off4 ,the hunters were at last on the right scent1 prudence had become superfluous1 and it was only by flight that the quarry might now hope to escape4 ,salvat understood this so well that he suddenly began to run1 leaping over all obstacles and darting between the trees1 careless whether he were seen or heard4 ,a few bounds carried him across the ,avenue de ,st4 ,cloud into the plantations stretching to the ,alle de la ,reine ,marguerite4 ,there the undergrowth was very dense2 in the whole ,bois there are no more closely set thickets4 ,in summer they become one vast entanglement of verdure1 amidst which1 had it been the leafy season1 ,salvat might well have managed to secrete himself4 ,for a moment he did find himself alone1 and thereupon he halted to listen4 ,he could neither see nor hear the keepers now4 ,had they lost his track1 then8 ,profound quietude reigned under the fresh young foliage4 ,but the light1 owlish cry arose once more1 branches cracked1 and he resumed his wild flight1 hurrying straight before him4 ,unluckily he found the ,alle de la ,reine ,marguerite guarded by policemen1 so that he could not cross over1 but had to skirt it without quitting the thickets4 ,and now his back was turned towards ,boulogne2 he was retracing his steps towards ,paris4 ,however1 a last idea came to his bewildered mind3 it was to run on in this wise as far as the shady spots around ,madrid1 and then1 by stealing from copse to copse1 attempt to reach the ,seine4 ,to proceed thither across the bare expanse of the race-course and training ground was not for a moment to be thought of4 ,so ,salvat still ran on and on4 ,but on reaching the ,alle de ,longchamp he found it guarded like the other roads1 and therefore had to relinquish his plan of escaping by way of ,madrid and the river-bank4 ,while he was perforce making a bend alongside the ,pr ,catelan1 he became aware that the keepers1 led by detectives1 were drawing yet nearer to him1 confining his movements to a smaller and smaller area4 ,and his race soon acquired all the frenzy of despair4 ,haggard and breathless he leapt mounds1 rushed past multitudinous obstacles4 ,he forced a passage through brambles1 broke down palings1 thrice caught his feet in wire work which he had not seen1 and fell among nettles1 yet picked himself up went on again1 spurred by the stinging of his hands and face4 ,it was then ,guillaume and ,pierre saw him pass1 unrecognisable and frightful1 taking to the muddy water of the rivulet like a stag which seeks to set a last obstacle between itself and the hounds4 ,there came to him a wild idea of getting to the lake1 and swimming1 unperceived1 to the island in the centre of it4 ,that1 he madly thought1 would be a safe retreat1 where he might burrow and hide himself without possibility of discovery4 ,and so he still ran on4 ,but once again the sight of some guards made him retrace his steps1 and he was compelled to go back and back in the direction of ,paris1 chased1 forced towards the very fortifications whence he had started that morning4 ,it was now nearly three in the afternoon4 ,for more than two hours and a half he had been running4 ,at last he saw a soft1 sandy ride for horsemen before him4 ,he crossed it1 splashing through the mire left by the rain1 and reached a little pathway1 a delightful lovers' lane1 as shady in summer as any arbour4 ,for some time he was able to follow it1 concealed from observation1 and with his hopes reviving4 ,but it led him to one of those broad1 straight avenues where carriages and bicycles1 the whole afternoon pageant of society1 swept past under the mild and cloudy sky4 ,so he returned to the thickets1 fell once more upon the keepers1 lost all notion of the direction he took1 and even all power of thought1 becoming a mere thing carried along and thrown hither and thither by the chances of the pursuit which pressed more and more closely upon him4 ,star-like crossways followed one upon other1 and at last he came to a broad lawn1 where the full light dazzled him4 ,and there he suddenly felt the hot1 panting breath of his pursuers close in the rear4 ,eager1 hungry breath it was1 like that of hounds seeking to devour him4 ,shouts rang out1 one hand almost caught hold of him1 there was a rush of heavy feet1 a scramble to seize him4 ,but with a supreme effort he leapt upon a bank1 crawled to its summit1 rose again1 and once more found himself alone1 still running on amid the fresh and quiet greenery4 ,nevertheless1 this was the end4 ,he almost fell flat upon the ground4 ,his aching feet could no longer carry him2 blood was oozing from his ears1 and froth had come to his mouth4 ,his heart beat with such violence that it seemed likely to break his ribs4 ,water and perspiration streamed from him1 he was miry and haggard and tortured by hunger1 conquered1 in fact1 more by hunger than by fatigue4 ,and through the mist which seemed to have gathered before his wild eyes1 he suddenly saw an open doorway1 the doorway of a coach-house in the rear of a kind of chalet1 sequestered among trees4 ,excepting a big white cat1 which took to flight1 there was not a living creature in the place4 ,salvat plunged into it and rolled over on a heap of straw1 among some empty casks4 ,he was scarcely hidden there when he heard the chase sweep by1 the detectives and the keepers losing scent1 passing the chalet and rushing in the direction of the ,paris ramparts4 ,the noise of their heavy boots died away1 and deep silence fell1 while the hunted man1 who had carried both hands to his heart to stay its beating1 sank into the most complete prostration1 with big tears trickling from his closed eyes4 ,whilst all this was going on1 ,pierre and ,guillaume1 after a brief rest1 had resumed their walk1 reaching the lake and proceeding towards the crossway of the ,cascades1 in order to return to ,neuilly by the road beyond the water4 ,however1 a shower fell1 compelling them to take shelter under the big leafless branches of a chestnut-tree4 ,then1 as the rain came down more heavily and they could perceive a kind of chalet1 a little caf-restaurant amid a clump of trees1 they hastened thither for better protection4 ,in a side road1 which they passed on their way1 they saw a cab standing1 its driver waiting there in philosophical fashion under the falling shower4 ,pierre1 moreover1 noticed a young man stepping out briskly in front of them1 a young man resembling ,grard de ,quinsac1 who1 whilst walking in the ,bois1 had no doubt been overtaken by the rain1 and like themselves was seeking shelter in the chalet4 ,however1 on entering the latter's public room1 the priest saw no sign of the gentleman1 and concluded that he must have been mistaken4 ,this public room1 which had a kind of glazed verandah overlooking the ,bois1 contained a few chairs and tables1 the latter with marble tops4 ,on the first floor there were four or five private rooms reached by a narrow passage4 ,though the doors were open the place had as yet scarcely emerged from its winter's rest4 ,there was nobody about1 and on all sides one found the dampness common to establishments which1 from lack of custom1 are compelled to close from ,november until ,march4 ,in the rear were some stables1 a coach-house1 and various mossy1 picturesque outbuildings1 which painters and gardeners would now soon embellish for the gay pleasure parties which the fine weather would bring4 8,i really think that they haven't opened for the season yet10 said ,guillaume as he entered the silent house4 8,at all events they will let us stay here till the rain stops10 answered ,pierre1 seating himself at one of the little tables4 ,however1 a waiter suddenly made his appearance seemingly in a great hurry4 ,he had come down from the first floor1 and eagerly rummaged a cupboard for a few dry biscuits1 which he laid upon a plate4 ,at last he condescended to serve the brothers two glasses of ,chartreuse4 ,in one of the private rooms upstairs ,baroness ,duvillard1 who had driven to the chalet in a cab1 had been awaiting her lover ,grard for nearly half an hour4 ,it was there that1 during the charity bazaar1 they had given each other an appointment4 ,for them the chalet had precious memories3 two years previously1 on discovering that secluded nest1 which was so deserted in the early1 hesitating days of chilly spring1 they had met there under circumstances which they could not forget4 ,and the ,baroness1 in choosing the house for the supreme assignation of their dying passion1 had certainly not been influenced merely by a fear that she might be spied upon elsewhere4 ,she had1 indeed1 thought of the first kisses that had been showered on her there1 and would fain have revived them even if they should now prove the last that ,grard would bestow on her4 ,but she would also have liked to see some sunlight playing over the youthful foliage4 ,the ashen sky and threatening rain saddened her4 ,and when she entered the private room she did not recognise it1 so cold and dim it seemed with its faded furniture4 ,winter had tarried there1 with all the dampness and mouldy smell peculiar to rooms which have long remained closed4 ,then1 too1 some of the wall paper which had come away from the plaster hung down in shreds1 dead flies were scattered over the parquetry flooring2 and in order to open the shutters the waiter had to engage in a perfect fight with their fastenings4 ,however1 when he had lighted a little gas-stove1 which at once flamed up and diffused some warmth1 the room became more cosy4 ,eve had seated herself on a chair1 without raising the thick veil which hid her face4 ,gowned1 gloved1 and bonneted in black1 as if she were already in mourning for her last passion1 she showed naught of her own person save her superb fair hair1 which glittered like a helm of tawny gold4 ,she had ordered tea for two1 and when the waiter brought it with a little plateful of dry biscuits1 left1 no doubt1 from the previous season1 he found her in the same place1 still veiled and motionless1 absorbed1 it seemed1 in a gloomy reverie4 ,if she had reached the caf half an hour before the appointed time it was because she desired some leisure and opportunity to overcome her despair and compose herself4 ,she resolved that of all things she would not weep1 that she would remain dignified and speak calmly1 like one who1 whatever rights she might possess1 preferred to appeal to reason only4 ,and she was well pleased with the courage that she found within her4 ,whilst thinking of what she should say to dissuade ,grard from a marriage which to her mind would prove both a calamity and a blunder1 she fancied herself very calm1 indeed almost resigned to whatsoever might happen4 ,but all at once she started and began to tremble4 ,grard was entering the room4 8,what6 are you here the first1 my dear80 he exclaimed4 8,i thought that ,i myself was ten minutes before the time6 ,and you've ordered some tea and are waiting for me60 ,he forced a smile as he spoke1 striving to display the same delight at seeing her as he had shown in the early golden days of their passion4 ,but at heart he was much embarrassed1 and he shuddered at the thought of the awful scene which he could foresee4 ,she had at last risen and raised her veil4 ,and looking at him she stammered3 8,yes1 ,i found myself at liberty earlier than ,i expected4444 ,i feared some impediment might arise444 and so ,i came40 ,then1 seeing how handsome and how affectionate he still looked1 she could not restrain her passion4 ,all her skilful arguments1 all her fine resolutions1 were swept away4 ,her flesh irresistibly impelled her towards him2 she loved him1 she would keep him1 she would never surrender him to another4 ,and she wildly flung her arms around his neck4 8,oh6 ,grard1 ,grard6 ,i suffer too cruelly2 ,i cannot1 ,i cannot bear it6 ,tell me at once that you will not marry her1 that you will never marry her60 ,her voice died away in a sob1 tears started from her eyes4 ,ah6 those tears which she had sworn she would never shed6 ,they gushed forth without cessation1 they streamed from her lovely eyes like a flood of the bitterest grief4 8,my daughter1 ,o ,god6 ,what6 you would marry my daughter6 ,she1 here1 on your neck where ,i am now6 ,no1 no1 such torture is past endurance1 it must not be1 ,i will not have it60 ,he shivered as he heard that cry of frantic jealousy raised by a mother who now was but a woman1 maddened by the thought of her rival's youth1 those five and twenty summers which she herself had left far behind4 ,for his part1 on his way to the assignation1 he had come to what he thought the most sensible decision1 resolving to break off the intercourse after the fashion of a well-bred man1 with all sorts of fine consolatory speeches4 ,but sternness was not in his nature4 ,he was weak and soft-hearted1 and had never been able to withstand a woman's tears4 ,nevertheless1 he endeavoured to calm her1 and in order to rid himself of her embrace1 he made her sit down upon the sofa4 ,and there1 beside her1 he replied3 8,come1 be reasonable1 my dear4 ,we came here to have a friendly chat1 did we not8 ,i assure you that you are greatly exaggerating matters40 ,but she was determined to obtain a more positive answer from him4 8,no1 no60 she retorted1 8,i am suffering too dreadfully1 ,i must know the truth at once4 ,swear to me that you will never1 never marry her60 ,he again endeavoured to avoid replying as she wished him to do4 8,come1 come10 he said1 8you will do yourself harm by giving way to such grief as this2 you know that ,i love you dearly40 8,then swear to me that you will never1 never marry her40 8,but ,i tell you that ,i love you1 that you are the only one ,i love40 ,then she again threw her arms around him1 and kissed him passionately upon the eyes4 8,is it true80 she asked in a transport4 8,you love me1 you love no one else8 ,oh6 tell me so again1 and kiss me1 and promise me that you will never belong to her40 ,weak as he was he could not resist her ardent caresses and pressing entreaties4 ,there came a moment of supreme cowardice and passion2 her arms were around him and he forgot all but her1 again and again repeating that he loved none other1 and would never1 never marry her daughter4 ,at last he even sank so low as to pretend that he simply regarded that poor1 infirm creature with pity4 ,his words of compassionate disdain for her rival were like nectar to ,eve1 for they filled her with the blissful idea that it was she herself who would ever remain beautiful in his eyes and whom he would ever love4444 ,at last silence fell between them1 like an inevitable reaction after such a tempest of despair and passion4 ,it disturbed ,grard4 8,won't you drink some tea80 he asked4 8,it is almost cold already40 ,she was not listening1 however4 ,to her the reaction had come in a different form2 and as though the inevitable explanation were only now commencing1 she began to speak in a sad and weary voice4 8,my dear ,grard1 you really cannot marry my daughter4 ,in the first place it would be so wrong1 and then there is the question of your name1 your position4 ,forgive my frankness1 but the fact is that everybody would say that you had sold yourself--such a marriage would be a scandal for both your family and mine40 ,as she spoke she took hold of his hands1 like a mother seeking to prevent her big son from committing some terrible blunder4 ,and he listened to her1 with bowed head and averted eyes4 ,she now evinced no anger1 no jealous rage2 all such feelings seemed to have departed with the rapture of her passion4 8,just think of what people would say10 she continued4 8,i don't deceive myself1 ,i am fully aware that there is an abyss between your circle of society and ours4 ,it is all very well for us to be rich1 but money simply enlarges the gap4 ,and it was all very fine for me to be converted1 my daughter is none the less #8the daughter of the ,jewess1' as folks so often say4 ,ah6 my ,grard1 ,i am so proud of you1 that it would rend my heart to see you lowered1 degraded almost1 by a marriage for money with a girl who is deformed1 who is unworthy of you and whom you could never love40 ,he raised his eyes and looked at her entreatingly1 anxious as he was to be spared such painful talk4 8,but haven't ,i sworn to you1 that you are the only one ,i love80 he said4 8,haven't ,i sworn that ,i would never marry her6 ,it's all over4 ,don't let us torture ourselves any longer40 ,their glances met and lingered on one another1 instinct with all the misery which they dared not express in words4 ,eve's face had suddenly aged2 her eyelids were red and swollen1 and blotches marbled her quivering cheeks1 down which her tears again began to trickle4 8,my poor1 poor ,grard10 said she1 8how heavily ,i weigh on you4 ,oh6 do not deny it6 ,i feel that ,i am an intolerable burden on your shoulders1 an impediment in your life1 and that ,i shall bring irreparable disaster on you by my obstinacy in wishing you to be mine alone40 ,he tried to speak1 but she silenced him4 8,no1 no1 all is over between us4 ,i am growing ugly1 all is ended4 ,and besides1 ,i shut off the future from you4 ,i can be of no help to you1 whereas you bestow all on me4 ,and yet the time has come for you to assure yourself a position4 ,at your age you can't continue living without any certainty of the morrow1 without a home and hearth of your own2 and it would be cowardly and cruel of me to set myself up as an obstacle1 and prevent you from ending your life happily1 as ,i should do if ,i clung to you and dragged you down with me40 ,gazing at him through her tears she continued speaking in this fashion4 ,like his mother she was well aware that he was weak and even sickly2 and she therefore dreamt of arranging a quiet life for him1 a life of tranquil happiness free from all fear of want4 ,she loved him so fondly2 and possessed so much genuine kindness of heart that perhaps it might be possible for her to rise even to renunciation and sacrifice4 ,moreover1 the very egotism born of her beauty suggested that it might be well for her to think of retirement and not allow the autumn of her life to be spoilt by torturing dramas4 ,all this she said to him1 treating him like a child whose happiness she wished to ensure even at the price of her own2 and he1 his eyes again lowered1 listened without further protest1 pleased indeed to let her arrange a happy life for him4 ,examining the situation from every aspect1 she at last began to recapitulate the points in favour of that abominable marriage1 the thought of which had so intensely distressed her4 8,it is certain10 she said1 8that ,camille would bring you all that ,i should like you to have4 ,with her1 ,i need hardly say it1 would come plenty1 affluence4 ,and as for the rest1 well1 ,i do not wish to excuse myself or you1 but ,i could name twenty households in which there have been worse things4 ,besides1 ,i was wrong when ,i said that money opened a gap between people4 ,on the contrary1 it draws them nearer together1 it secures forgiveness for every fault2 so nobody would dare to blame you1 there would only be jealous ones around you1 dazzled by your good fortune40 ,grard rose1 apparently rebelling once more4 8,surely10 said he1 8you don't insist on my marrying your daughter80 8,ah6 no indeed6 ,but ,i am sensible1 and ,i tell you what ,i ought to tell you4 ,you must think it all over40 8,i have done so already4 ,it is you that ,i have loved1 and that ,i love still4 ,what you say is impossible40 ,she smiled divinely1 rose1 and again embraced him4 8,how good and kind you are1 my ,grard4 ,ah6 if you only knew how ,i love you1 how ,i shall always love you1 whatever happens40 ,then she again began to weep1 and even he shed tears4 ,their good faith was absolute2 tender of heart as they were1 they sought to delay the painful wrenching and tried to hope for further happiness4 ,but they were conscious that the marriage was virtually an accomplished fact4 ,only tears and words were left them1 while life and destiny were marching on4 ,and if their emotion was so acute it was probably because they felt that this was the last time they would meet as lovers4 ,still they strove to retain the illusion that they were not exchanging their last farewell1 that their lips would some day meet again in a kiss of rapture4 ,eve removed her arms from the young man's neck1 and they both gazed round the room1 at the sofa1 the table1 the four chairs1 and the little hissing gas-stove4 ,the moist1 hot atmosphere was becoming quite oppressive4 8,and so10 said ,grard1 8you won't drink a cup of tea80 8,no1 it's so horrid here10 she answered1 while arranging her hair in front of the looking-glass4 ,at that parting moment the mournfulness of this place1 where she had hoped to find such delightful memories1 filled her with distress1 which was turning to positive anguish1 when she suddenly heard an uproar of gruff voices and heavy feet4 ,people were hastening along the passage and knocking at the doors4 ,and1 on darting to the window1 she perceived a number of policemen surrounding the chalet4 ,at this the wildest ideas assailed her4 ,had her daughter employed somebody to follow her8 ,did her husband wish to divorce her so as to marry ,silviane8 ,the scandal would be awful1 and all her plans must crumble6 ,she waited in dismay1 white like a ghost2 while ,grard1 also paling and quivering1 begged her to be calm4 ,at last1 when loud blows were dealt upon the door and a ,commissary of ,police enjoined them to open it1 they were obliged to do so4 ,ah6 what a moment1 and what dismay and shame6 ,meantime1 for more than an hour1 ,pierre and ,guillaume had been waiting for the rain to cease4 ,seated in a corner of the glazed verandah they talked in undertones of ,barths' painful affair1 and ultimately decided to ask ,thophile ,morin to dine with them on the following evening1 and inform his old friend that he must again go into exile4 8,that is the best course10 repeated ,guillaume4 8,morin is very fond of him and will know how to break the news4 ,i have no doubt too that he will go with him as far as the frontier40 ,pierre sadly looked at the falling rain4 8,ah6 what a choice10 said he1 8to be ever driven to a foreign land under penalty of being thrust into prison4 ,poor fellow6 how awful it is to have never known a moment of happiness and gaiety in one's life1 to have devoted one's whole existence to the idea of liberty1 and to see it scoffed at and expire with oneself60 ,then the priest paused1 for he saw several policemen and keepers approach the caf and prowl round it4 ,having lost scent of the man they were hunting1 they had retraced their steps with the conviction no doubt that he had sought refuge in the chalet4 ,and in order that he might not again escape them1 they now took every precaution1 exerted all their skill in surrounding the place before venturing on a minute search4 ,covert fear came upon ,pierre and ,guillaume when they noticed these proceedings4 ,it seemed to them that it must all be connected with the chase which they had caught a glimpse of some time previously4 ,still1 as they happened to be in the chalet they might be called upon to give their names and addresses4 ,at this thought they glanced at one another1 and almost made up their minds to go off under the rain4 ,but they realised that anything like flight might only compromise them the more4 ,so they waited2 and all at once there came a diversion1 for two fresh customers entered the establishment4 ,a victoria with its hood and apron raised had just drawn up outside the door4 ,the first to alight from it was a young1 well-dressed man with a bored expression of face4 ,he was followed by a young woman who was laughing merrily1 as if much amused by the persistence of the downpour4 ,by way of jesting1 indeed1 she expressed her regret that she had not come to the ,bois on her bicycle1 whereupon her companion retorted that to drive about in a deluge appeared to him the height of idiocy4 8,but we were bound to go somewhere1 my dear fellow10 she gaily answered4 8,why didn't you take me to see the maskers80 8,the maskers1 indeed6 ,no1 no1 my dear4 ,i prefer the ,bois1 and even the bottom of the lake1 to them40 ,then1 as the couple entered the chalet1 ,pierre saw that the young woman who made merry over the rain was little ,princess ,rosemonde1 while her companion1 who regarded the mid-,lent festivities as horrible1 and bicycling as an utterly unaesthetic amusement1 was handsome ,hyacinthe ,duvillard4 ,on the previous evening1 while they were taking a cup of tea together on their return from the ,chamber of ,horrors1 the young man had responded to the ,princess's blandishments by declaring that the only form of attachment he believed in was a mystic union of intellects and souls4 ,and as such a union could only be fittingly arrived at amidst the cold1 chaste snow1 they had decided that they would start for ,christiania on the following ,monday4 ,their chief regret was that by the time they reached the fiords the worst part of the northern winter would be over4 ,they sat down in the caf and ordered some kummel1 but there was none1 said the waiter1 so they had to content themselves with common anisette4 ,then ,hyacinthe1 who had been a schoolfellow of ,guillaume's sons1 recognised both him and ,pierre2 and leaning towards ,rosemonde told her in a whisper who the elder brother was4 ,thereupon1 with sudden enthusiasm1 she sprang to her feet3 8,guillaume ,froment1 indeed6 the great chemist60 ,and stepping forward with arm outstretched1 she continued3 8,ah6 monsieur1 you must excuse me1 but ,i really must shake hands with you4 ,i have so much admiration for you6 ,you have done such wonderful work in connection with explosives60 ,then1 noticing the chemist's astonishment1 she again burst into a laugh3 8,i am the ,princess de ,harn1 your brother ,abb ,froment knows me1 and ,i ought to have asked him to introduce me4 ,however1 we have mutual friends1 you and ,i2 for instance1 ,monsieur ,janzen1 a very distinguished man1 as you are aware4 ,he was to have taken me to see you1 for ,i am a modest disciple of yours4 ,yes1 ,i have given some attention to chemistry1 oh6 from pure zeal for truth and in the hope of helping good causes1 not otherwise4 ,so you will let me call on you--won't you8--directly ,i come back from ,christiania1 where ,i am going with my young friend here1 just to acquire some experience of unknown emotions40 ,in this way she rattled on1 never allowing the others an opportunity to say a word4 ,and she mingled one thing with another2 her cosmopolitan tastes1 which had thrown her into ,anarchism and the society of shady adventurers2 her new passion for mysticism and symbolism2 her belief that the ideal must triumph over base materialism2 her taste for aesthetic verse2 and her dream of some unimagined rapture when ,hyacinthe should kiss her with his frigid lips in a realm of eternal snow4 ,all at once1 however1 she stopped short and again began to laugh4 8,dear me60 she exclaimed4 8,what are those policemen looking for here8 ,have they come to arrest us8 ,how amusing it would be60 ,police ,commissary ,dupot and detective ,mondsir had just made up their minds to search the caf1 as their men had hitherto failed to find ,salvat in any of the outbuildings4 ,they were convinced that he was here4 ,dupot1 a thin1 bald1 short-sighted1 spectacled little man1 wore his usual expression of boredom and weariness2 but in reality he was very wide awake and extremely courageous4 ,he himself carried no weapons2 but1 as he anticipated a most violent resistance1 such as might be expected from a trapped wolf1 he advised ,mondsir to have his revolver ready4 ,from considerations of hierarchical respect1 however1 the detective1 who with his snub nose and massive figure had much the appearance of a bull-dog1 was obliged to let his superior enter first4 ,from behind his spectacles the ,commissary of ,police quickly scrutinized the four customers whom he found in the caf3 the lady1 the priest1 and the two other men4 ,and passing them in a disdainful way1 he at once made for the stairs1 intending to inspect the upper floor4 ,thereupon the waiter1 frightened by the sudden intrusion of the police1 lost his head and stammered3 8,but there's a lady and gentleman upstairs in one of the private rooms40 ,dupot quietly pushed him aside4 8,a lady and gentleman1 that's not what we are looking for4444 ,come1 make haste1 open all the doors1 you mustn't leave a cupboard closed40 ,then climbing to the upper floor1 he and ,mondsir explored in turn every apartment and corner till they at last reached the room where ,eve and ,grard were together4 ,here the waiter was unable to admit them1 as the door was bolted inside4 8,open the door60 he called through the keyhole1 8it isn't you that they want60 ,at last the bolt was drawn back1 and ,dupot1 without even venturing to smile1 allowed the trembling lady and gentleman to go downstairs1 while ,mondsir1 entering the room1 looked under every article of furniture1 and even peeped into a little cupboard in order that no neglect might be imputed to him4 ,meantime1 in the public room which they had to cross after descending the stairs1 ,eve and ,grard experienced fresh emotion2 for people whom they knew were there1 brought together by an extraordinary freak of chance4 ,although ,eve's face was hidden by a thick veil1 her eyes met her son's glance and she felt sure that he recognised her4 ,what a fatality6 ,he had so long a tongue and told his sister everything6 ,then1 as the ,count1 in despair at such a scandal1 hurried off with the ,baroness to conduct her through the pouring rain to her cab1 they both distinctly heard little ,princess ,rosemonde exclaim3 8,why1 that was ,count de ,quinsac6 ,who was the lady1 do you know80 ,and as ,hyacinthe1 greatly put out1 returned no answer1 she insisted1 saying3 8,come1 you must surely know her4 ,who was she1 eh80 8,oh6 nobody4 ,some woman or other10 he ended by replying4 ,pierre1 who had understood the truth1 turned his eyes away to hide his embarrassment4 ,but all at once the scene changed4 ,at the very moment when ,commissary ,dupot and detective ,mondsir came downstairs again1 after vainly exploring the upper floor1 a loud shout was raised outside1 followed by a noise of running and scrambling4 ,then ,gascogne1 the ,chief of the ,detective ,force1 who had remained in the rear of the chalet1 continuing the search through the outbuildings1 made his appearance1 pushing before him a bundle of rags and mud1 which two policemen held on either side4 ,and this bundle was the man1 the hunted man1 who had just been discovered in the coach-house1 inside a staved cask1 covered with hay4 ,ah6 what a whoop of victory there was after that run of two hours' duration1 that frantic chase which had left them all breathless and footsore6 ,it had been the most exciting1 the most savage of all sports--a man hunt6 ,they had caught the man at last1 and they pushed him1 they dragged him1 they belaboured him with blows4 ,and he1 the man1 what a sorry prey he looked6 ,a wreck1 wan and dirty from having spent the night in a hole full of leaves1 still soaked to his waist from having rushed through a stream1 drenched too by the rain1 bespattered with mire1 his coat and trousers in tatters1 his cap a mere shred1 his legs and hands bleeding from his terrible rush through thickets bristling with brambles and nettles4 ,there no longer seemed anything human about his face2 his hair stuck to his moist temples1 his bloodshot eyes protruded from their sockets2 fright1 rage1 and suffering were all blended on his wasted1 contracted face4 ,still it was he1 the man1 the quarry1 and they gave him another push1 and he sank on one of the tables of the little caf1 still held and shaken1 however1 by the rough hands of the policemen4 ,then ,guillaume shuddered as if thunderstruck1 and caught hold of ,pierre's hand4 ,at this the priest1 who was looking on1 suddenly understood the truth and also quivered4 ,salvat6 the man was ,salvat6 ,it was ,salvat whom they had seen rushing through the wood like a wild boar forced by the hounds4 ,and it was ,salvat who was there1 now conquered and simply a filthy bundle4 ,then once more there came to ,pierre1 amidst his anguish1 a vision of the errand girl lying yonder at the entrance of the ,duvillard mansion1 the pretty fair-haired girl whom the bomb had ripped and killed6 ,dupot and ,mondsir made haste to participate in ,gascogne's triumph4 ,to tell the truth1 however1 the man had offered no resistance2 it was like a lamb that he had let the police lay hold of him4 ,and since he had been in the caf1 still roughly handled1 he had simply cast a weary and mournful glance around him4 ,at last he spoke1 and the first words uttered by his hoarse1 gasping voice were these3 8,i am hungry40 ,he was sinking with hunger and weariness4 ,this was the third day that he had eaten nothing4 8,give him some bread10 said ,commissary ,dupot to the waiter4 8,he can eat it while a cab is being fetched40 ,a policeman went off to find a vehicle4 ,the rain had suddenly ceased falling1 the clear ring of a bicyclist's bell was heard in the distance1 some carriages drove by1 and under the pale sunrays life again came back to the ,bois4 ,meantime1 ,salvat had fallen gluttonously upon the hunk of bread which had been given him1 and whilst he was devouring it with rapturous animal satisfaction1 he perceived the four customers seated around4 ,he seemed irritated by the sight of ,hyacinthe and ,rosemonde1 whose faces expressed the mingled anxiety and delight they felt at thus witnessing the arrest of some bandit or other4 ,but all at once his mournful1 bloodshot eyes wavered1 for to his intense surprise he had recognised ,pierre and ,guillaume4 ,when he again looked at the latter it was with the submissive affection of a grateful dog1 and as if he were once more promising that he would divulge nothing1 whatever might happen4 ,at last he again spoke1 as if addressing himself like a man of courage1 both to ,guillaume1 from whom he had averted his eyes1 and to others also1 his comrades who were not there3 8,it was silly of me to run10 said he4 8,i don't know why ,i did so4 ,it's best that it should be all ended4 ,i'm ready40 ,v4 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,politics ,,on reading the newspapers on the following morning ,pierre and ,guillaume were greatly surprised at not finding in them the sensational accounts of ,salvat's arrest which they had expected4 ,all they could discover was a brief paragraph in a column of general news1 setting forth that some policemen on duty in the ,bois de ,boulogne had there arrested an ,anarchist1 who was believed to have played a part in certain recent occurrences4 ,on the other hand1 the papers gave a deal of space to the questions raised by ,sagnier's fresh denunciations4 ,there were innumerable articles on the ,african ,railways scandal1 and the great debate which might be expected at the ,chamber of ,deputies1 should ,mge1 the ,socialist member1 really renew his interpellation1 as he had announced his intention of doing4 ,as ,guillaume's wrist was now fast healing1 and nothing seemed to threaten him1 he had already1 on the previous evening1 decided that he would return to ,montmartre4 ,the police had passed him by without apparently suspecting any responsibility on his part2 and he was convinced that ,salvat would keep silent4 ,pierre1 however1 begged him to wait a little longer1 at any rate until the prisoner should have been interrogated by the investigating magistrate1 by which time they would be able to judge the situation more clearly4 ,pierre1 moreover1 during his long stay at the ,home ,department on the previous morning1 had caught a glimpse of certain things and overheard certain words which made him suspect some dim connection between ,salvat's crime and the parliamentary crisis2 and he therefore desired a settlement of the latter before ,guillaume returned to his wonted life4 8,just listen10 he said to his brother4 8,i am going to ,morin's to ask him to come and dine here this evening1 for it is absolutely necessary that ,barths should be warned of the fresh blow which is falling on him4 ,and then ,i think ,i shall go to the ,chamber1 as ,i want to know what takes place there4 ,after that1 since you desire it1 ,i will let you go back to your own home40 ,it was not more than half-past one when ,pierre reached the ,palais-,bourbon4 ,it had occurred to him that ,fonsgue would be able to secure him admittance to the meeting-hall1 but in the vestibule he met ,general de ,bozonnet1 who happened to possess a couple of tickets4 ,a friend of his1 who was to have accompanied him1 had1 at the last moment1 been unable to come4 ,so widespread was the curiosity concerning the debate now near at hand1 and so general were the predictions that it would prove a most exciting one1 that the demand for tickets had been extremely keen during the last twenty-four hours4 ,in fact ,pierre would never have been able to obtain admittance if the ,general had not good-naturedly offered to take him in4 ,as a matter of fact the old warrior was well pleased to have somebody to chat with4 ,he explained that he had simply come there to kill time1 just as he might have killed it at a concert or a charity bazaar4 ,however1 like the ex-,legitimist and ,bonapartist that he was1 he had really come for the pleasure of feasting his eyes on the shameful spectacle of parliamentary ignominy4 ,when the ,general and ,pierre had climbed the stairs1 they were able to secure two front seats in one of the public galleries4 ,little ,massot1 who was already there1 and who knew them both1 placed one of them on his right and the other on his left4 8,i couldn't find a decent seat left in the press gallery10 said he1 8but ,i managed to get this place1 from which ,i shall be able to see things properly4 ,it will certainly be a big sitting4 ,just look at the number of people there are on every side60 ,the narrow and badly arranged galleries were packed to overflowing4 ,there were men of every age and a great many women too in the confused1 serried mass of spectators1 amidst which one only distinguished a multiplicity of pale white faces4 ,the real scene1 however1 was down below in the meeting-hall1 which was as yet empty1 and with its rows of seats disposed in semi-circular fashion looked like the auditorium of a theatre4 ,under the cold light which fell from the glazed roofing appeared the solemn1 shiny tribune1 whence members address the ,chamber1 whilst behind it1 on a higher level1 and running right along the rear wall1 was what is called the ,bureau1 with its various tables and seats1 including the presidential armchair4 ,the ,bureau1 like the tribune1 was still unoccupied4 ,the only persons one saw there were a couple of attendants who were laying out new pens and filling inkstands4 8,the women10 said ,massot with a laugh1 after another glance at the galleries1 8come here just as they might come to a menagerie1 that is1 in the secret hope of seeing wild beasts devour one another4 ,but1 by the way1 did you read the article in the #8,voix du ,peuple' this morning8 ,what a wonderful fellow that ,sagnier is4 ,when nobody else can find any filth left1 he manages to discover some4 ,he apparently thinks it necessary to add something new every day1 in order to send his sales up4 ,and of course it all disturbs the public1 and it's thanks to him that so many people have come here in the hope of witnessing some horrid scene40 ,then he laughed again1 as he asked ,pierre if he had read an unsigned article in the 8,globe10 which in very dignified but perfidious language had called upon ,barroux to give the full and frank explanations which the country had a right to demand in that matter of the ,african ,railways4 ,this paper had hitherto vigorously supported the ,president of the ,council1 but in the article in question the coldness which precedes a rupture was very apparent4 ,pierre replied that the article had much surprised him1 for he had imagined that ,fonsgue and ,barroux were linked together by identity of views and long-standing personal friendship4 ,massot was still laughing4 8,quite so10 said he4 8,and you may be sure that the governor's heart bled when he wrote that article4 ,it has been much noticed1 and it will do the government a deal of harm4 ,but the governor1 you see1 knows better than anybody else what line he ought to follow to save both his own position and the paper's40 ,then he related what extraordinary confusion and emotion reigned among the deputies in the lobbies through which he had strolled before coming upstairs to secure a seat4 ,after an adjournment of a couple of days the ,chamber found itself confronted by this terrible scandal1 which was like one of those conflagrations which1 at the moment when they are supposed to be dying out1 suddenly flare up again and devour everything4 ,the various figures given in ,sagnier's list1 the two hundred thousand francs paid to ,barroux1 the eighty thousand handed to ,monferrand1 the fifty thousand allotted to ,fonsgue1 the ten thousand pocketed by ,duthil1 and the three thousand secured by ,chaigneux1 with all the other amounts distributed among ,so-and-so and ,so-and-so1 formed the general subject of conversation4 ,and at the same time some most extraordinary stories were current2 there was no end of tittle-tattle in which fact and falsehood were so inextricably mingled that everybody was at sea as to the real truth4 ,whilst many deputies turned pale and trembled as beneath a blast of terror1 others passed by purple with excitement1 bursting with delight1 laughing with exultation at the thought of coming victory4 ,for1 in point of fact1 beneath all the assumed indignation1 all the calls for parliamentary cleanliness and morality1 there simply lay a question of persons--the question of ascertaining whether the government would be overthrown1 and in that event of whom the new administration would consist4 ,barroux no doubt appeared to be in a bad way2 but with things in such a muddle one was bound to allow a margin for the unexpected4 ,from what was generally said it seemed certain that ,mge would be extremely violent4 ,barroux would answer him1 and the ,minister's friends declared that he was determined to speak out in the most decisive manner4 ,as for ,monferrand he would probably address the ,chamber after his colleague1 but ,vignon's intentions were somewhat doubtful1 as1 in spite of his delight1 he made a pretence of remaining in the background4 ,he had been seen going from one to another of his partisans1 advising them to keep calm1 in order that they might retain the cold1 keen coup d'il which in warfare generally decides the victory4 ,briefly1 such was the plotting and intriguing that never had any witch's cauldron brimful of drugs and nameless abominations been set to boil on a more hellish fire than that of this parliamentary cook-shop4 8,heaven only knows what they will end by serving us10 said little ,massot by way of conclusion4 ,general de ,bozonnet for his part anticipated nothing but disaster4 ,if ,france had only possessed an army1 said he1 one might have swept away that handful of bribe-taking parliamentarians who preyed upon the country and rotted it4 ,but there was no army left1 there was merely an armed nation1 a very different thing4 ,and thereupon1 like a man of a past age whom the present times distracted1 he started on what had been his favourite subject of complaint ever since he had been retired from the service4 8,here's an idea for an article if you want one10 he said to ,massot4 8,although ,france may have a million soldiers she hasn't got an army4 ,i'll give you some notes of mine1 and you will be able to tell people the truth40 ,warfare1 he continued1 ought to be purely and simply a caste occupation1 with commanders designated by divine right1 leading mercenaries or volunteers into action4 ,by democratising warfare people had simply killed it2 a circumstance which he deeply regretted1 like a born soldier who regarded fighting as the only really noble occupation that life offered4 ,for1 as soon as it became every man's duty to fight1 none was willing to do so2 and thus compulsory military service--what was called 8the nation in arms0--would1 at a more or less distant date1 certainly bring about the end of warfare4 ,if ,france had not engaged in a ,european war since #ahgj this was precisely due to the fact that everybody in ,france was ready to fight4 ,but rulers hesitated to throw a whole nation against another nation1 for the loss both in life and treasure would be tremendous4 ,and so the thought that all ,europe was transformed into a vast camp filled the ,general with anger and disgust4 ,he sighed for the old times when men fought for the pleasure of the thing1 just as they hunted2 whereas nowadays people were convinced that they would exterminate one another at the very first engagement4 8,but surely it wouldn't be an evil if war should disappear10 ,pierre gently remarked4 ,this somewhat angered the ,general4 8,well1 you'll have pretty nations if people no longer fight10 he answered1 and then trying to show a practical spirit1 he added3 8,never has the art of war cost more money than since war itself has become an impossibility4 ,the present-day defensive peace is purely and simply ruining every country in ,europe4 ,one may be spared defeat1 but utter bankruptcy is certainly at the end of it all4 ,and in any case the profession of arms is done for4 ,all faith in it is dying out1 and it will soon be forsaken1 just as men have begun to forsake the priesthood40 ,thereupon he made a gesture of mingled grief and anger1 almost cursing that parliament1 that ,republican legislature before him1 as if he considered it responsible for the future extinction of warfare4 ,but little ,massot was wagging his head dubiously1 for he regarded the subject as rather too serious a one for him to write upon4 ,and1 all at once1 in order to turn the conversation into another channel1 he exclaimed3 8,ah6 there's ,monseigneur ,martha in the diplomatic gallery beside the ,spanish ,ambassador4 ,it's denied1 you know1 that he intends to come forward as a candidate in ,morbihan4 ,he's far too shrewd to wish to be a deputy4 ,he already pulls the strings which set most of the ,catholic deputies who have #8rallied' to the ,republican ,government in motion40 ,pierre himself had just noticed ,monseigneur ,martha's smiling face4 ,and1 somehow or other1 however modest might be the prelate's demeanour1 it seemed to him that he really played an important part in what was going on4 ,he could hardly take his eyes from him4 ,it was as if he expected that he would suddenly order men hither and thither1 and direct the whole march of events4 8,ah60 said ,massot again4 8,here comes ,mge4 ,it won't be long now before the sitting begins40 ,the hall1 down below1 was gradually filling4 ,deputies entered and descended the narrow passages between the benches4 ,most of them remained standing and chatting in a more or less excited way2 but some seated themselves and raised their grey1 weary faces to the glazed roof4 ,it was a cloudy afternoon1 and rain was doubtless threatening1 for the light became quite livid4 ,if the hall was pompous it was also dismal with its heavy columns1 its cold allegorical statues1 and its stretches of bare marble and woodwork4 ,the only brightness was that of the red velvet of the benches and the gallery hand-rests4 ,every deputy of any consequence who entered was named by ,massot to his companions4 ,mge1 on being stopped by another member of the little ,socialist group1 began to fume and gesticulate4 ,then ,vignon1 detaching himself from a group of friends and putting on an air of smiling composure1 descended the steps towards his seat4 ,the occupants of the galleries1 however1 gave most attention to the accused members1 those whose names figured in ,sagnier's list4 ,and these were interesting studies4 ,some showed themselves quite sprightly1 as if they were entirely at their ease2 but others had assumed a most grave and indignant demeanour4 ,chaigneux staggered and hesitated as if beneath the weight of some frightful act of injustice2 whereas ,duthil looked perfectly serene save for an occasional twitch of his lips4 ,the most admired1 however1 was ,fonsgue1 who showed so candid a face1 so open a glance1 that his colleagues as well as the spectators might well have declared him innocent4 ,nobody indeed could have looked more like an honest man4 8,ah6 there's none like the governor10 muttered ,massot with enthusiasm4 8,but be attentive1 for here come the ministers4 ,one mustn't miss ,barroux' meeting with ,fonsgue1 after this morning's article40 ,chance willed it that as ,barroux came along with his head erect1 his face pale1 and his whole demeanour aggressive1 he was obliged to pass ,fonsgue in order to reach the ministerial bench4 ,in doing so he did not speak to him1 but he gazed at him fixedly like one who is conscious of defection1 of a cowardly stab in the back on the part of a traitor4 ,fonsgue seemed quite at ease1 and went on shaking hands with one and another of his colleagues as if he were altogether unconscious of ,barroux' glance4 ,nor did he even appear to see ,monferrand1 who walked by in the rear of the ,prime ,minister1 wearing a placid good-natured air1 as if he knew nothing of what was impending1 but was simply coming to some ordinary humdrum sitting4 ,however1 when he reached his seat1 he raised his eyes and smiled at ,monseigneur ,martha1 who gently nodded to him4 ,then well pleased to think that things were going as he wished them to go1 he began to rub his hands1 as he often did by way of expressing his satisfaction4 8,who is that grey-haired1 mournful-looking gentleman on the ministerial bench80 ,pierre inquired of ,massot4 8,why1 that's ,taboureau1 the ,minister of ,public ,instruction1 the excellent gentleman who is said to have no prestige4 ,one's always hearing of him1 and one never recognises him2 he looks like an old1 badly worn coin4 ,just like ,barroux he can't feel very well pleased with the governor this afternoon1 for to-day's #8,globe' contained an article pointing out his thorough incapacity in everything concerning the fine arts4 ,it was an article in measured language1 but all the more effective for that very reason4 ,it would surprise me if ,taboureau should recover from it40 ,just then a low roll of drums announced the arrival of the ,president and other officials of the ,chamber4 ,a door opened1 and a little procession passed by amidst an uproar of exclamations and hasty footsteps4 ,then1 standing at his table1 the ,president rang his bell and declared the sitting open4 ,but few members remained silent1 however1 whilst one of the secretaries1 a dark1 lanky young man with a harsh voice1 read the minutes of the previous sitting4 ,when they had been adopted1 various letters of apology for non-attendance were read1 and a short1 unimportant bill was passed without discussion4 ,and then came the big affair1 ,mge's interpellation1 and at once the whole ,chamber was in a flutter1 while the most passionate curiosity reigned in the galleries above4 ,on the ,government consenting to the interpellation1 the ,chamber decided that the debate should take place at once4 ,and thereupon complete silence fell1 save that now and again a brief quiver sped by1 in which one could detect the various feelings1 passions and appetites swaying the assembly4 ,mge began to speak with assumed moderation1 carefully setting forth the various points at issue4 ,tall and thin1 gnarled and twisted like a vine-stock1 he rested his hands on the tribune as if to support his bent figure1 and his speech was often interrupted by the little dry cough which came from the tuberculosis that was burning him4 ,but his eyes sparkled with passion behind his glasses1 and little by little his voice rose in piercing accents and he drew his lank figure erect and began to gesticulate vehemently4 ,he reminded the ,chamber that some two months previously1 at the time of the first denunciations published by the 8,voix du ,peuple10 he had asked leave to interpellate the ,government respecting that deplorable affair of the ,african ,railways2 and he remarked1 truly enough1 that if the ,chamber had not yielded to certain considerations which he did not wish to discuss1 and had not adjourned his proposed inquiries1 full light would long since have been thrown on the whole affair1 in such wise that there would have been no revival1 no increase of the scandal1 and no possible pretext for that abominable campaign of denunciation which tortured and disgusted the country4 ,however1 it had at last been understood that silence could be maintained no longer4 ,it was necessary that the two ministers who were so loudly accused of having abused their trusts1 should prove their innocence1 throw full light upon all they had done2 apart from which the ,chamber itself could not possibly remain beneath the charge of wholesale venality4 ,then he recounted the whole history of the affair1 beginning with the grant of a concession for the ,african ,lines to ,baron ,duvillard2 and next passing to the proposals for the issue of lottery stock1 which proposals1 it was now said1 had only been sanctioned by the ,chamber after the most shameful bargaining and buying of votes4 ,at this point ,mge became extremely violent4 ,speaking of that mysterious individual ,hunter1 ,baron ,duvillard's recruiter and go-between1 he declared that the police had allowed him to flee from ,france1 much preferring to spend its time in shadowing ,socialist deputies4 ,then1 hammering the tribune with his fist1 he summoned ,barroux to give a categorical denial to the charges brought against him1 and to make it absolutely clear that he had never received a single copper of the two hundred thousand francs specified in ,hunter's list4 ,forthwith certain members shouted to ,mge that he ought to read the whole list2 but when he wished to do so others vociferated that it was abominable1 that such a mendacious and slanderous document ought not to be accorded a place in the proceedings of the ,french legislature4 ,mge went on still in frantic fashion1 figuratively casting ,sagnier into the gutter1 and protesting that there was nothing in common between himself and such a base insulter4 ,but at the same time he demanded that justice and punishment should be meted out equally to one and all1 and that if indeed there were any bribe-takers among his colleagues1 they should be sent that very night to the prison of ,mazas4 ,meantime the ,president1 erect at his table1 rang and rang his bell without managing to quell the uproar4 ,he was like a pilot who finds the tempest too strong for him4 ,among all the men with purple faces and barking mouths who were gathered in front of him1 the ushers alone maintained imperturbable gravity4 ,at intervals between the bursts of shouting1 ,mge's voice could still be heard4 ,by some sudden transition he had come to the question of a ,collectivist organisation of society such as he dreamt of1 and he contrasted it with the criminal capitalist society of the present day1 which alone1 said he1 could produce such scandals4 ,and yielding more and more to his apostolic fervour1 declaring that there could be no salvation apart from ,collectivism1 he shouted that the day of triumph would soon dawn4 ,he awaited it with a smile of confidence4 ,in his opinion1 indeed1 he merely had to overthrow that ministry and perhaps another one1 and then he himself would at last take the reins of power in hand1 like a reformer who would know how to pacify the nation4 ,as outside ,socialists often declared1 it was evident that the blood of a dictator flowed in that sectarian's veins4 ,his feverish1 stubborn rhetoric ended by exhausting his interrupters1 who were compelled to listen to him4 ,when he at last decided to leave the tribune1 loud applause arose from a few benches on the left4 8,do you know10 said ,massot to the ,general1 8,i met ,mge taking a walk with his three little children in the ,jardin des ,plantes the other day4 ,he looked after them as carefully as an old nurse4 ,i believe he's a very worthy fellow at heart1 and lives in a very modest way40 ,but a quiver had now sped through the assembly4 ,barroux had quitted his seat to ascend the tribune4 ,he there drew himself erect1 throwing his head back after his usual fashion4 ,there was a haughty1 majestic1 slightly sorrowful expression on his handsome face1 which would have been perfect had his nose only been a little larger4 ,he began to express his sorrow and indignation in fine flowery language1 which he punctuated with theatrical gestures4 ,his eloquence was that of a tribune of the romantic school1 and as one listened to him one could divine that in spite of all his pomposity he was really a worthy1 tender-hearted and somewhat foolish man4 ,that afternoon he was stirred by genuine emotion2 his heart bled at the thought of his disastrous destiny1 he felt that a whole world was crumbling with himself4 ,ah6 what a cry of despair he stifled1 the cry of the man who is buffeted and thrown aside by the course of events on the very day when he thinks that his civic devotion entitles him to triumph6 ,to have given himself and all he possessed to the cause of the ,republic1 even in the dark days of the ,second ,empire2 to have fought and struggled and suffered persecution for that ,republic's sake2 to have established that ,republic amidst the battle of parties1 after all the horrors of national and civil war2 and then1 when the ,republic at last triumphed and became a living fact1 secure from all attacks and intrigues1 to suddenly feel like a survival of some other age1 to hear new comers speak a new language1 preach a new ideal1 and behold the collapse of all he had loved1 all he had reverenced1 all that had given him strength to fight and conquer6 ,the mighty artisans of the early hours were no more2 it had been meet that ,gambetta should die4 ,how bitter it all was for the last lingering old ones to find themselves among the men of the new1 intelligent and shrewd generation1 who gently smiled at them1 deeming their romanticism quite out of fashion6 ,all crumbled since the ideal of liberty collapsed1 since liberty was no longer the one desideratum1 the very basis of the ,republic whose existence had been so dearly purchased after so long an effort6 ,erect and dignified ,barroux made his confession4 ,the ,republic to him was like the sacred ark of life2 the very worst deeds became saintly if they were employed to save her from peril4 ,and in all simplicity he1 told his story1 how he had found the great bulk of ,baron ,duvillard's money going to the opposition newspapers as pretended payment for puffery and advertising1 whilst on the other hand the ,republican organs received but beggarly1 trumpery amounts4 ,he had been ,minister of the ,interior at the time1 and had therefore had charge of the press2 so what would have been said of him if he had not endeavoured to reestablish some equilibrium in this distribution of funds in order that the adversaries of the institutions of the country might not acquire a great increase of strength by appropriating all the sinews of war8 ,hands had been stretched out towards him on all sides1 a score of newspapers1 the most faithful1 the most meritorious1 had claimed their legitimate share4 ,and he had ensured them that share by distributing among them the two hundred thousand francs set down in the list against his name4 ,not a centime of the money had gone into his own pocket1 he would allow nobody to impugn his personal honesty1 on that point his word must suffice4 ,at that moment ,barroux was really grand4 ,all his emphatic pomposity disappeared2 he showed himself1 as he really was--an honest man1 quivering1 his heart bared1 his conscience bleeding1 in his bitter distress at having been among those who had laboured and at now being denied reward4 ,for1 truth to tell1 his words fell amidst icy silence4 ,in his childish simplicity he had anticipated an outburst of enthusiasm2 a ,republican ,chamber could but acclaim him for having saved the ,republic2 and now the frigidity of one and all quite froze him4 ,he suddenly felt that he was all alone1 done for1 touched by the hand of death4 ,nevertheless1 he continued speaking amidst that terrible silence with the courage of one who is committing suicide1 and who1 from his love of noble and eloquent attitudes1 is determined to die standing4 ,he ended with a final impressive gesture4 ,however1 as he came down from the tribune1 the general coldness seemed to increase1 not a single member applauded4 ,with supreme clumsiness he had alluded to the secret scheming of ,rome and the clergy1 whose one object1 in his opinion1 was to recover the predominant position they had lost and restore monarchy in ,france at a more or less distant date4 8,how silly of him6 ,ought a man ever to confess80 muttered ,massot4 8,he's done for1 and the ministry too60 ,then1 amidst the general frigidity1 ,monferrand boldly ascended the tribune stairs4 ,the prevailing uneasiness was compounded of all the secret fear which sincerity always causes1 of all the distress of the bribe-taking deputies who felt that they were rolling into an abyss1 and also of the embarrassment which the others felt at thought of the more or less justifiable compromises of politics4 ,something like relief1 therefore1 came when ,monferrand started with the most emphatic denials1 protesting in the name of his outraged honour1 and dealing blow after blow on the tribune with one hand1 while with the other he smote his chest4 ,short and thick-set1 with his face thrust forward1 hiding his shrewdness beneath an expression of indignant frankness1 he was for a moment really superb4 ,he denied everything4 ,he was not only ignorant of what was meant by that sum of eighty thousand francs set down against his name1 but he defied the whole world to prove that he had even touched a single copper of that money4 ,he boiled over with indignation to such a point that he did not simply deny bribe-taking on his own part1 he denied it on behalf of the whole assembly1 of all present and past ,french legislatures1 as if1 indeed1 bribe-taking on the part of a representative of the people was altogether too monstrous an idea1 a crime that surpassed possibility to such an extent that the mere notion of it was absurd4 ,and thereupon applause rang out2 the ,chamber1 delivered from its fears1 thrilled by his words1 acclaimed him4 ,from the little ,socialist group1 however1 some jeers arose1 and voices summoned ,monferrand to explain himself on the subject of the ,african ,railways1 reminding him that he had been at the head of the ,public ,works ,department at the time of the vote1 and requiring of him that he should state what he now meant to do1 as ,minister of the ,interior1 in order to reassure the country4 ,he juggled with this question1 declaring that if there were any guilty parties they would be punished1 for he did not require anybody to remind him of his duty4 ,and then1 all at once1 with incomparable maestria1 he had recourse to the diversion which he had been preparing since the previous day4 ,his duty1 said he1 was a thing which he never forgot2 he discharged it like a faithful soldier of the nation hour by hour1 and with as much vigilance as prudence4 ,he had been accused of employing the police on he knew not what base spying work in such wise as to allow the man ,hunter to escape4 ,well1 as for that much-slandered police force1 he would tell the ,chamber on what work he had really employed it the day before1 and how zealously it had laboured for the cause of law and order4 ,in the ,bois de ,boulogne1 on the previous afternoon1 it had arrested that terrible scoundrel1 the perpetrator of the crime in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 that ,anarchist mechanician ,salvat1 who for six weeks past had so cunningly contrived to elude capture4 ,the scoundrel had made a full confession during the evening1 and the law would now take its course with all despatch4 ,public morality was at last avenged1 ,paris might now emerge in safety from its long spell of terror1 ,anarchism would be struck down1 annihilated4 ,and that was what he1 ,monferrand1 had done as a ,minister for the honour and safety of his country1 whilst villains were vainly seeking to dishonour him by inscribing his name on a list of infamy1 the outcome of the very basest political intrigues4 ,the ,chamber listened agape and quivering4 ,this story of ,salvat's arrest1 which none of the morning papers had reported2 the present which ,monferrand seemed to be making them of that terrible ,anarchist whom many had already begun to regard as a myth2 the whole mise-en-scne of the ,minister's speech transported the deputies as if they were suddenly witnessing the finish of a long-interrupted drama4 ,stirred and flattered1 they prolonged their applause1 while ,monferrand went on celebrating his act of energy1 how he had saved society1 how crime should be punished1 and how he himself would ever prove that he had a strong arm and could answer for public order4 ,he even won favour with the ,conservatives and ,clericals on the ,right by separating himself from ,barroux1 addressing a few words of sympathy to those ,catholics who had 8rallied0 to the ,republic1 and appealing for concord among men of different beliefs in order that they might fight the common enemy1 that fierce1 wild socialism which talked of overthrowing everything6 ,by the time ,monferrand came down from the tribune1 the trick was played1 he had virtually saved himself4 ,both the ,right and ,left of the ,chamber99 applauded1 drowning the protests of the few ,socialists whose vociferations only added to the triumphal tumult4 ,members eagerly stretched out their hands to the ,minister1 who for a moment remained standing there and smiling4 ,but there was some anxiety in that smile of his2 his success was beginning to frighten him4 ,had he spoken too well1 and saved the entire ,cabinet instead of merely saving himself8 ,that would mean the ruin of his plan4 ,the ,chamber ought not to vote under the effect of that speech which had thrilled it so powerfully4 ,thus ,monferrand1 though he still continued to smile1 spent a few anxious moments in waiting to see if anybody would rise to answer him4 99 ,ever since the days of the ,bourbon ,restoration it has been the practice in the ,french ,chambers for the more conservative members to seat themselves on the ,president's right1 and for the ,radical ones to place themselves on his left4 ,the central seats of the semicircle in which the members' seats are arranged in tiers are usually occupied by men of moderate views4 ,generally speaking1 such terms as ,right ,centre and ,left ,centre are applied to groups of ,moderates inclining in the first place to ,conservatism and in the latter to ,radicalism4 ,all this is of course known to readers acquainted with ,french institutions1 but ,i give the explanation because others1 after perusing ,french news in some daily paper1 have often asked me what was meant by 8a deputy of the ,right10 and so forth4--,trans4 ,his success had been as great among the occupants of the galleries as among the deputies themselves4 ,several ladies had been seen applauding1 and ,monseigneur ,martha had given unmistakable signs of the liveliest satisfaction4 8,ah1 ,general60 said ,massot to ,bozonnet in a sneering way4 8,those are our fighting men of the present time4 ,and he's a bold and strong one1 is ,monferrand4 ,of course it is all what people style #8saving one's bacon1' but none the less it's very clever work40 ,just then1 however1 ,monferrand to his great satisfaction had seen ,vignon rise from his seat in response to the urging of his friends4 ,and thereupon all anxiety vanished from the ,minister's smile1 which became one of malicious placidity4 ,the very atmosphere of the ,chamber seemed to change with ,vignon in the tribune4 ,he was slim1 with a fair and carefully tended beard1 blue eyes and all the suppleness of youth4 ,he spoke1 moreover1 like a practical man1 in simple1 straightforward language1 which made the emptiness of the other's declamatory style painfully conspicuous4 ,his term of official service as a prefect in the provinces had endowed him with keen insight2 and it was in an easy way that he propounded and unravelled the most intricate questions4 ,active and courageous1 confident in his own star1 too young and too shrewd to have compromised himself in anything so far1 he was steadily marching towards the future4 ,he had already drawn up a rather more advanced political programme than that of ,barroux and ,monferrand1 so that when opportunity offered there might be good reasons for him to take their place4 ,moreover1 he was quite capable of carrying out his programme by attempting some of the long-promised reforms for which the country was waiting4 ,he had guessed that honesty1 when it had prudence and shrewdness as its allies1 must some day secure an innings4 ,in a clear voice1 and in a very quiet1 deliberate way1 he now said what it was right to say on the subject under discussion1 the things that common sense dictated and that the ,chamber itself secretly desired should be said4 ,he was certainly the first to rejoice over an arrest which would reassure the country2 but he failed to understand what connection there could be between that arrest and the sad business that had been brought before the ,chamber4 ,the two affairs were quite distinct and different1 and he begged his colleagues not to vote in the state of excitement in which he saw them4 ,full light must be thrown on the ,african ,railways question1 and this1 one could not expect from the two incriminated ministers4 ,however1 he was opposed to any suggestion of a committee of inquiry4 ,in his opinion the guilty parties1 if such there were1 ought to be brought immediately before a court of law4 ,and1 like ,barroux1 he wound up with a discreet allusion to the growing influence of the clergy1 declaring that he was against all unworthy compromises1 and was equally opposed to any state dictatorship and any revival of the ancient theocratic spirit4 ,although there was but little applause when ,vignon returned to his seat1 it was evident that the ,chamber was again master of its emotions4 ,and the situation seemed so clear1 and the overthrow of the ministry so certain1 that ,mge1 who had meant to reply to the others1 wisely abstained from doing so4 ,meantime people noticed the placid demeanour of ,monferrand1 who had listened to ,vignon with the utmost complacency1 as if he were rendering homage to an adversary's talent2 whereas ,barroux1 ever since the cold silence which had greeted his speech1 had remained motionless in his seat1 bowed down and pale as a corpse4 8,well1 it's all over10 resumed ,massot1 amidst the hubbub which arose as the deputies prepared to vote2 8the ministry's done for4 ,little ,vignon will go a long way1 you know4 ,people say that he dreams of the ,elyse4 ,at all events everything points to him as our next prime minister40 ,then1 as the journalist rose1 intending to go off1 the ,general detained him3 8,wait a moment1 ,monsieur ,massot10 said he4 8,how disgusting all that parliamentary cooking is6 ,you ought to point it out in an article1 and show people how the country is gradually being weakened and rotted to the marrow by all such useless and degrading discussions4 ,why1 a great battle resulting in the loss of #ej1jjj men would exhaust us less than ten years of this abominable parliamentary system4 ,you must call on me some morning4 ,i will show you a scheme of military reform1 in which ,i point out the necessity of returning to the limited professional armies which we used to have1 for this present-day national army1 as folks call it1 which is a semi-civilian affair and at best a mere herd of men1 is like a dead weight on us1 and is bound to pull us down60 ,pierre1 for his part1 had not spoken a word since the beginning of the debate4 ,he had listened to everything1 at first influenced by the thought of his brother's interests1 and afterwards mastered by the feverishness which gradually took possession of everybody present4 ,he had become convinced that there was nothing more for ,guillaume to fear2 but how curiously did one event fit into another1 and how loudly had ,salvat's arrest re-echoed in the ,chamber6 ,looking down into the seething hall below him1 he had detected all the clash of rival passions and interests4 ,after watching the great struggle between ,barroux1 ,monferrand and ,vignon1 he had gazed upon the childish delight of that terrible ,socialist ,mge1 who was so pleased at having been able to stir up the depths of those troubled waters1 in which he always unwittingly angled for the benefit of others4 ,then1 too1 ,pierre had become interested in ,fonsgue1 who1 knowing what had been arranged between ,monferrand1 ,duvillard and himself1 evinced perfect calmness and strove to reassure ,duthil and ,chaigneux1 who1 on their side1 were quite dismayed by the ministry's impending fall4 ,yet1 ,pierre's eyes always came back to ,monseigneur ,martha4 ,he had watched his serene smiling face throughout the sitting1 striving to detect his impressions of the various incidents that had occurred1 as if in his opinion that dramatic parliamentary comedy had only been played as a step towards the more or less distant triumph for which the prelate laboured4 ,and now1 while awaiting the result of the vote1 as ,pierre turned towards ,massot and the ,general1 he found that they were talking of nothing but recruiting and tactics and the necessity of a bath of blood for the whole of ,europe4 ,ah6 poor mankind1 ever fighting and ever devouring one another in parliaments as well as on battle-fields1 when1 thought ,pierre1 would it decide to disarm once and for all1 and live at peace according to the laws of justice and reason6 ,then he again looked down into the hall1 where the greatest confusion was prevailing among the deputies with regard to the coming vote4 ,there was quite a rainfall of suggested 8resolutions10 from a very violent one proposed by ,mge1 to another1 which was merely severe1 emanating from ,vignon4 ,the ministry1 however1 would only accept the 8,order of the day pure and simple10 a mere decision1 that is1 to pass to the next business1 as if ,mge's interpellation had been unworthy of attention4 ,and presently the ,government was defeated1 ,vignon's resolution being adopted by a majority of twenty-five4 ,some portion of the ,left had evidently joined hands with the ,right and the ,socialist group4 ,a prolonged hubbub followed this result4 8,well1 so we are to have a ,vignon ,cabinet10 said ,massot1 as he went off with ,pierre and the ,general4 8,all the same1 though1 ,monferrand has saved himself1 and if ,i were in ,vignon's place ,i should distrust him40 ,that evening there was a very touching farewell scene at the little house at ,neuilly4 ,when ,pierre returned thither from the ,chamber1 saddened but reassured with regard to the future1 ,guillaume at once made up his mind to go home on the morrow4 ,and as ,nicholas ,barths was compelled to leave1 the little dwelling seemed on the point of relapsing into dreary quietude once more4 ,thophile ,morin1 whom ,pierre had informed of the painful alternative in which ,barths was placed1 duly came to dinner2 but he did not have time to speak to the old man before they all sat down to table at seven o'clock4 ,as usual ,barths had spent his day in marching1 like a caged lion1 up and down the room in which he had accepted shelter after the fashion of a big fearless child1 who never worried with regard either to his present circumstances or the troubles which the future might have in store for him4 ,his life had ever been one of unlimited hope1 which reality had ever shattered4 ,although all that he had loved1 all that he had hoped to secure by fifty years of imprisonment or exile1--liberty1 equality and a real brotherly republic1--had hitherto failed to come1 such as he had dreamt of them1 he nevertheless retained the candid faith of his youth1 and was ever confident in the near future4 ,he would smile indulgently when new comers1 men of violent ideas1 derided him and called him a poor old fellow4 ,for his part1 he could make neither head nor tail of the many new sects4 ,he simply felt indignant with their lack of human feeling1 and stubbornly adhered to his own idea of basing the world's regeneration on the simple proposition that men were naturally good and ought to be free and brotherly4 ,that evening at dinner1 feeling that he was with friends who cared for him1 ,barths proved extremely gay1 and showed all his ingenuousness in talking of his ideal1 which would soon be realised1 said he1 in spite of everything4 ,he could tell a story well whenever he cared to chat1 and on that occasion he related some delightful anecdotes about the prisons through which he had passed4 ,he knew all the dungeons1 ,ste4 ,pelagie and ,mont ,st4 ,michel1 ,belle-,ile-en-,mer and ,clairvaux1 to say nothing of temporary gaols and the evil-smelling hulks on board which political prisoners are often confined4 ,and he still laughed at certain recollections1 and related how in the direst circumstances he had always been able to seek refuge in his conscience4 ,the others listened to him quite charmed by his conversation1 but full of anguish at the thought that this perpetual prisoner or exile must again rise and take his staff to sally forth1 driven from his native land once more4 ,pierre did not speak out until they were partaking of dessert4 ,then he related how the ,minister had written to him1 and how in a brief interview he had stated that ,barths must cross the frontier within forty-eight hours if he did not wish to be arrested4 ,thereupon the old man gravely rose1 with his white fleece1 his eagle beak and his bright eyes still sparkling with the fire of youth4 ,and he wished to go off at once4 8,what60 said he1 8you have known all this since yesterday1 and have still kept me here at the risk of my compromising you even more than ,i had done already6 ,you must forgive me1 ,i did not think of the worry ,i might cause you1 ,i thought that everything would be satisfactorily arranged4 ,i must thank you both--yourself and ,guillaume--for the few days of quietude that you have procured to an old vagabond and madman like myself40 ,then1 as they tried to prevail on him to remain until the following morning1 he would not listen to them4 ,there would be a train for ,brussels about midnight1 and he had ample time to take it4 ,he refused to let ,morin accompany him4 ,no1 no1 said he1 ,morin was not a rich man1 and moreover he had work to attend to4 ,why should he take him away from his duties1 when it was so easy1 so simple1 for him to go off alone8 ,he was going back into exile as into misery and grief which he had long known1 like some ,wandering ,jew of ,liberty1 ever driven onward through the world4 ,when he took leave of the others at ten o'clock1 in the little sleepy street just outside the house1 tears suddenly dimmed his eyes4 8,ah6 ,i'm no longer a young man10 he said2 8it's all over this time4 ,i shall never come back again4 ,my bones will rest in some corner over yonder40 ,and yet1 after he had affectionately embraced ,pierre and ,guillaume1 he drew himself up like one who remained unconquered1 and he raised a supreme cry of hope4 8,but after all1 who knows8 ,triumph may perhaps come to-morrow4 ,the future belongs to those who prepare it and wait for it60 ,then he walked away1 and long after he had disappeared his firm1 sonorous footsteps could be heard re-echoing in the quiet night4 ,,book ,,iv4 ,i4 ,,pierre ,,and ,,marie ,,on the mild ,march morning when ,pierre left his little house at ,neuilly to accompany ,guillaume to ,montmartre1 he was oppressed by the thought that on returning home he would once more find himself alone with nothing to prevent him from relapsing into negation and despair4 ,the idea of this had kept him from sleeping1 and he still found it difficult to hide his distress and force a smile4 ,the sky was so clear and the atmosphere so mild that the brothers had resolved to go to ,montmartre on foot by way of the outer boulevards4 ,nine o'clock was striking when they set out4 ,guillaume for his part was very gay at the thought of the surprise he would give his family4 ,it was as if he were suddenly coming back from a long journey4 ,he had not warned them of his intentions2 he had merely written to them now and again to tell them that he was recovering1 and they certainly had no idea that his return was so near at hand4 ,when ,guillaume and ,pierre had climbed the sunlit slopes of ,montmartre1 and crossed the quiet countrified ,place du ,tertre1 the former1 by means of a latch-key1 quietly opened the door of his house1 which seemed to be asleep1 so profound was the stillness both around and within it4 ,pierre found it the same as on the occasion of his previous and only visit4 ,first came the narrow passage which ran through the ground-floor1 affording a view of all ,paris at the further end4 ,next there was the garden1 reduced to a couple of plum-trees and a clump of lilac-bushes1 the leaves of which had now sprouted4 ,and this time the priest perceived three bicycles leaning against the trees4 ,beyond them stood the large work-shop1 so gay1 and yet so peaceful1 with its huge window overlooking a sea of roofs4 ,guillaume had reached the work-shop without meeting anybody4 ,with an expression of much amusement he raised a finger to his lips4 8,attention1 ,pierre10 he whispered2 8you'll just see60 ,then having noiselessly opened the door1 they remained for a moment on the threshold4 ,the three sons alone were there4 ,near his forge stood ,thomas working a boring machine1 with which he was making some holes in a small brass plate4 ,then ,franois and ,antoine were seated on either side of their large table1 the former reading1 and the latter finishing a block4 ,the bright sunshine streamed in1 playing over all the seeming disorder of the room1 where so many callings and so many implements found place4 ,a large bunch of wallflowers bloomed on the women's work-table near the window2 and absorbed as the young men were in their respective tasks the only sound was the slight hissing of the boring machine each time that the eldest of them drilled another hole4 ,however1 although ,guillaume did not stir1 there suddenly came a quiver1 an awakening4 ,his sons seemed to guess his presence1 for they raised their heads1 each at the same moment4 ,from each1 too1 came the same cry1 and a common impulse brought them first to their feet and then to his arms4 8,father60 ,guillaume embraced them1 feeling very happy4 ,and that was all2 there was no long spell of emotion1 no useless talk4 ,it was as if he had merely gone out the day before and1 delayed by business1 had now come back4 ,still1 he looked at them with his kindly smile1 and they likewise smiled with their eyes fixed on his4 ,those glances proclaimed everything1 the closest affection and complete self-bestowal for ever4 8,come in1 ,pierre10 called ,guillaume2 8shake hands with these young men40 ,the priest had remained near the door1 overcome by a singular feeling of discomfort4 ,when his nephews had vigorously shaken hands with him1 he sat down near the window apart from them1 as if he felt out of his element there4 8,well1 youngsters10 said ,guillaume1 8where's ,mre-,grand1 and where's ,marie80 ,their grandmother was upstairs in her room1 they said2 and ,marie had taken it into her head to go marketing4 ,this1 by the way1 was one of her delights4 ,she asserted that she was the only one who knew how to buy new-laid eggs and butter of a nutty odour4 ,moreover1 she sometimes brought some dainty or some flowers home1 in her delight at proving herself to be so good a housewife4 8,and so things are going on well80 resumed ,guillaume4 8,you are all satisfied1 your work is progressing1 eh80 ,he addressed brief questions to each of them1 like one who1 on his return home1 at once reverts to his usual habits4 ,thomas1 with his rough face beaming1 explained in a couple of sentences that he was now sure of perfecting his little motor2 ,franois1 who was still preparing for his examination1 jestingly declared that he yet had to lodge a heap of learning in his brain2 and then ,antoine produced the block which he was finishing1 and which depicted his little friend ,lise1 ,jahan's sister1 reading in her garden amidst the sunshine4 ,it was like a florescence of that dear belated creature whose mind had been awakened by his affection4 ,however1 the three brothers speedily went back to their places1 reverting to their work with a natural impulse1 for discipline had made them regard work as life itself4 ,then ,guillaume1 who had glanced at what each was doing1 exclaimed3 8,ah6 youngsters1 ,i schemed and prepared a lot of things myself while ,i was laid up4 ,i even made a good many notes4 ,we walked here from ,neuilly1 but my papers and the clothes which ,mre-,grand sent me will come in a cab by-and-by4444 ,ah6 how pleased ,i am to find everything in order here1 and to be able to take up my task with you again6 ,ah6 ,i shall polish off some work now1 and no mistake60 ,he had already gone to his own corner1 the space reserved for him between the window and the forge4 ,he there had a chemical furnace1 several glass cases and shelves crowded with appliances1 and a long table1 one end of which he used for writing purposes4 ,and he once more took possession of that little world4 ,after glancing around with delight at seeing everything in its place1 he began to handle one object and another1 eager to be at work like his sons4 ,all at once1 however1 ,mre-,grand appeared1 calm1 grave and erect in her black gown1 at the top of the little staircase which conducted to the bedrooms4 8,so it's you1 ,guillaume80 said she4 8,will you come up for a moment80 ,he immediately did so1 understanding that she wished to speak to him alone and tranquillise him4 ,it was a question of the great secret between them1 that one thing of which his sons knew nothing1 and which1 after ,salvat's crime1 had brought him much anguish1 through his fear that it might be divulged4 ,when he reached ,mre-,grand's room she at once took him to the hiding-place near her bed1 and showed him the cartridges of the new explosive1 and the plans of the terrible engine of warfare which he had invented4 ,he found them all as he had left them4 ,before anyone could have reached them1 she would have blown up the whole place at the risk of perishing herself in the explosion4 ,with her wonted air of quiet heroism1 she handed ,guillaume the key which he had sent her by ,pierre4 8,you were not anxious1 ,i hope80 she said4 ,he pressed her hands with a commingling of affection and respect4 8,my only anxiety10 he replied1 8was that the police might come here and treat you roughly4444 ,you are the guardian of our secret1 and it would be for you to finish my work should ,i disappear40 ,while ,guillaume and ,madame ,leroi were thus engaged upstairs1 ,pierre1 still seated near the window below1 felt his discomfort increasing4 ,the inmates of the house certainly regarded him with no other feeling than one of affectionate sympathy2 and so how came it that he considered them hostile8 ,the truth was that he asked himself what would become of him among those workers1 who were upheld by a faith of their own1 whereas he believed in nothing1 and did not work4 ,the sight of those young men1 so gaily and zealously toiling1 ended by quite irritating him2 and the arrival of ,marie brought his distress to a climax4 ,joyous and full of life1 she came in without seeing him1 a basket on her arm4 ,and she seemed to bring all the sunlight of the spring morning with her1 so bright was the sparkle of her youth4 ,the whole of her pink face1 her delicate nose1 her broad intelligent brow1 her thick1 kindly lips1 beamed beneath the heavy coils of her black hair4 ,and her brown eyes ever laughed with the joyousness which comes from health and strength4 8,ah60 she exclaimed1 8,i have brought such a lot of things1 youngsters4 ,just come and see them2 ,i wouldn't unpack the basket in the kitchen40 ,it became absolutely necessary for the brothers to draw round the basket which she had laid upon the table4 8,first there's the butter60 said she2 8just smell if it hasn't a nice scent of nuts6 ,it's churned especially for me1 you know4 ,then here are the eggs4 ,they were laid only yesterday1 ,i'll answer for it4 ,and1 in fact1 that one there is this morning's4 ,and look at the cutlets6 ,they're wonderful1 aren't they8 ,the butcher cuts them carefully when he sees me4 ,and then here's a cream cheese1 real cream1 you know1 it will be delicious6 ,ah6 and here's the surprise1 something dainty1 some radishes1 some pretty little pink radishes4 ,just fancy6 radishes in ,march1 what a luxury60 ,she triumphed like the good little housewife she was1 one who had followed a whole course of cookery and home duties at the ,lyce ,fnelon4 ,the brothers1 as merry as she herself1 were obliged to compliment her4 ,all at once1 however1 she caught sight of ,pierre4 8,what6 you are there1 ,monsieur l',abb80 she exclaimed2 8,i beg your pardon1 but ,i didn't see you4 ,how is ,guillaume8 ,have you brought us some news of him80 8,but father's come home10 said ,thomas2 8he's upstairs with ,mre-,grand40 ,quite thunderstruck1 she hastily placed her purchases in the basket4 8,guillaume's come back1 ,guillaume's come back60 said she1 8and you don't tell me of it1 you let me unpack everything6 ,well1 it's nice of me1 ,i must say1 to go on praising my butter and eggs when ,guillaume's come back40 ,guillaume1 as it happened1 was just coming down with ,madame ,leroi4 ,marie gaily hastened to him and offered him her cheeks1 on which he planted two resounding kisses4 ,then she1 resting her hands on his shoulders1 gave him a long look1 while saying in a somewhat tremulous voice3 8,i am pleased1 very pleased to see you1 ,guillaume4 ,i may confess it now1 ,i thought ,i had lost you1 ,i was very anxious and very unhappy40 ,although she was still smiling1 tears had gathered in her eyes1 and he1 likewise moved1 again kissed her1 murmuring3 8,dear ,marie6 ,how happy it makes me to find you as beautiful and as affectionate as ever40 ,pierre1 who was looking at them1 deemed them cold4 ,he had doubtless expected more tears1 and a more passionate embrace on the part of an affianced pair1 whom so grievous an accident had separated almost on the eve of their wedding4 ,moreover1 his feelings were hurt by the disproportion of their respective ages4 ,no doubt his brother still seemed to him very sturdy and young1 and his feeling of repulsion must have come from that young woman whom1 most decidedly1 he did not like4 ,ever since her arrival he had experienced increasing discomfort1 a keener and keener desire to go off and never return4 ,so acute became his suffering at feeling like a stranger in his brother's home1 that he at last rose and sought to take his leave1 under the pretext that he had some urgent matters to attend to in town4 8,what6 you won't stay to djeuner with us60 exclaimed ,guillaume in perfect stupefaction4 8,why1 it was agreed6 ,you surely won't distress me like that6 ,this house is your own1 remember60 ,then1 as with genuine affection they all protested and pressed him to stay1 he was obliged to do so4 ,however1 he soon relapsed into silence and embarrassment1 seated on the same chair as before1 and listening moodily to those people who1 although they were his relatives1 seemed to be far removed from him4 ,as it was barely eleven o'clock they resumed work1 but every now and again there was some merry talk4 ,on one of the servants coming for the provisions1 ,marie told the girl to call her as soon as it should be time to boil the eggs1 for she prided herself on boiling them to a nicety1 in such wise as to leave the whites like creamy milk4 ,this gave an opportunity for a few jests from ,franois1 who occasionally teased her about all the fine things she had learnt at the ,lyce ,fnelon1 where her father had placed her when she was twelve years old4 ,however1 she was not afraid of him1 but gave him tit for tat by chaffing him about all the hours which he lost at the cole ,normale over a mass of pedagogic trash4 8,ah6 you big children60 she exclaimed1 while still working at her embroidery4 8,you are all very intelligent1 and you all claim to have broad minds1 and yet--confess it now--it worries you a little that a girl like me should have studied at college in the same way as yourselves4 ,it's a sexual quarrel1 a question of rivalry and competition1 isn't it80 ,they protested the contrary1 declaring that they were in favour of girls receiving as complete an education as possible4 ,she was well aware of this2 however1 she liked to tease them in return for the manner in which they themselves plagued her4 8,but do you know10 said she1 8you are a great deal behind the times8 ,i am well aware of the reproaches which are levelled at girls' colleges by so-called right-minded people4 ,to begin1 there is no religious element whatever in the education one receives there1 and this alarms many families which consider religious education to be absolutely necessary for girls1 if only as a moral weapon of defence4 ,then1 too1 the education at our ,lyces is being democratised--girls of all positions come to them4 ,thanks to the scholarships which are so liberally offered1 the daughter of the lady who rents a first floor flat often finds the daughter of her door-keeper among her school-fellows1 and some think this objectionable4 ,it is said also that the pupils free themselves too much from home influence1 and that too much opportunity is left for personal initiative4 ,as a matter of fact the extensiveness of the many courses of study1 all the learning that is required of pupils at the examinations1 certainly does tend to their emancipation1 to the coming of the future woman and future society1 which you young men are all longing for1 are you not80 8,of course we are60 exclaimed ,franois2 8we all agree on that point40 ,she waved her hand in a pretty way1 and then quietly continued3 8,i'm jesting4 ,my views are simple enough1 as you well know1 and ,i don't ask for nearly as much as you do4 ,as for woman's claims and rights1 well1 the question is clear enough2 woman is man's equal so far as nature allows it4 ,and the only point is to agree and love one another4 ,at the same time ,i'm well pleased to know what ,i do--oh6 not from any spirit of pedantry but simply because ,i think it has all done me good1 and given me some moral as well as physical health40 ,it delighted her to recall the days she had spent at the ,lyce ,fnelon1 which of the five ,state colleges for girls opened in ,paris was the only one counting a large number of pupils4 ,most of these were the daughters of officials or professors1 who purposed entering the teaching profession4 ,in this case1 they had to win their last diploma at the cole ,normale of ,sevres1 after leaving the ,lyce4 ,marie1 for her part1 though her studies had been brilliant1 had felt no taste whatever for the calling of teacher4 ,moreover1 when ,guillaume had taken charge of her after her father's death1 he had refused to let her run about giving lessons4 ,to provide herself with a little money1 for she would accept none as a gift1 she worked at embroidery1 an art in which she was most accomplished4 ,while she was talking to the young men ,guillaume had listened to her without interfering4 ,if he had fallen in love with her it was largely on account of her frankness and uprightness1 the even balance of her nature1 which gave her so forcible a charm4 ,she knew all2 but if she lacked the poetry of the shrinking1 lamb-like girl who has been brought up in ignorance1 she had gained absolute rectitude of heart and mind1 exempt from all hypocrisy1 all secret perversity such as is stimulated by what may seem mysterious in life4 ,and whatever she might know1 she had retained such child-like purity that in spite of her six-and-twenty summers all the blood in her veins would occasionally rush to her cheeks in fiery blushes1 which drove her to despair4 8,my dear ,marie10 ,guillaume now exclaimed1 8you know very well that the youngsters were simply joking4 ,you are in the right1 of course4444 ,and your boiled eggs cannot be matched in the whole world40 ,he said this in so soft and affectionate a tone that the young woman flushed purple4 ,then1 becoming conscious of it1 she coloured yet more deeply1 and as the three young men glanced at her maliciously she grew angry with herself4 8,isn't it ridiculous1 ,monsieur l',abb10 she said1 turning towards ,pierre1 8for an old maid like myself to blush in that fashion8 ,people might think that ,i had committed a crime4 ,it's simply to make me blush1 you know1 that those children tease me4 ,i do all ,i can to prevent it1 but it's stronger than my will40 ,at this ,mre-,grand raised her eyes from the shirt she was mending1 and remarked3 8,oh6 it's natural enough1 my dear4 ,it is your heart rising to your cheeks in order that we may see it40 ,the djeuner hour was now at hand2 and they decided to lay the table in the work-shop1 as was occasionally done when they had a guest4 ,the simple1 cordial meal proved very enjoyable in the bright sunlight4 ,marie's boiled eggs1 which she herself brought from the kitchen covered with a napkin1 were found delicious4 ,due honour was also done to the butter and the radishes4 ,the only dessert that followed the cutlets was the cream cheese1 but it was a cheese such as nobody else had ever partaken of4 ,and1 meantime1 while they ate and chatted all ,paris lay below them1 stretching away to the horizon with its mighty rumbling4 ,pierre had made an effort to become cheerful1 but he soon relapsed into silence4 ,guillaume1 however1 was very talkative4 ,having noticed the three bicycles in the garden1 he inquired of ,marie how far she had gone that morning4 ,she answered that ,franois and ,antoine had accompanied her in the direction of ,orgemont4 ,the worry of their excursions was that each time they returned to ,montmartre they had to push their machines up the height4 ,from the general point of view1 however1 the young woman was delighted with bicycling1 which had many virtues1 said she4 ,then1 seeing ,pierre glance at her in amazement1 she promised that she would some day explain her opinions on the subject to him4 ,after this bicycling became the one topic of conversation until the end of the meal4 ,thomas gave an account of the latest improvements introduced into ,grandidier's machines2 and the others talked of the excursions they had made or meant to make1 with all the exuberant delight of school children eager for the open air4 ,in the midst of the chatter1 ,mre-,grand1 who presided at table with the serene dignity of a queen-mother1 leant towards ,guillaume1 who sat next to her1 and spoke to him in an undertone4 ,pierre understood that she was referring to his marriage1 which was to have taken place in ,april1 but must now necessarily be deferred4 ,this sensible marriage1 which seemed likely to ensure the happiness of the entire household1 was largely the work of ,mre-,grand and the three young men1 for ,guillaume would never have yielded to his heart if she whom he proposed to make his wife had not already been a well-loved member of the family4 ,at the present time the last week in ,june seemed1 for all sorts of reasons1 to be a favourable date for the wedding4 ,marie1 who heard the suggestion1 turned gaily towards ,mre-,grand4 8,the end of ,june will suit very well1 will it not1 my dear80 said the latter4 ,pierre expected to see a deep flush rise to the young woman's cheeks1 but she remained very calm4 ,she felt deep affection1 blended with the most tender gratitude1 for ,guillaume1 and was convinced that in marrying him she would be acting wisely and well both for herself and the others4 8,certainly1 the end of ,june10 she repeated1 8that will suit very well indeed40 ,then the sons1 who likewise had heard the proposal1 nodded their heads by way of assenting also4 ,when they rose from table ,pierre was absolutely determined to go off4 ,the cordial and simple meal1 the sight of that family1 which had been rendered so happy by ,guillaume's return1 and of that young woman who smiled so placidly at life1 had brought him keen suffering1 though why he could not tell4 ,however1 it all irritated him beyond endurance2 and he therefore again pretended that he had a number of things to see to in ,paris4 ,he shook hands in turn with the young men1 ,mre-,grand and ,marie2 both of the women evincing great friendliness but also some surprise at his haste to leave the house4 ,guillaume1 who seemed saddened and anxious1 sought to detain him1 and failing in this endeavour followed him into the little garden1 where he stopped him in order to have an explanation4 8,come10 said he1 8what is the matter with you1 ,pierre8 ,why are you running off like this80 8,oh6 there's nothing the matter ,i assure you2 but ,i have to attend to a few urgent affairs40 8,oh1 ,pierre1 pray put all pretence aside4 ,nobody here has displeased you or hurt your feelings1 ,i hope4 ,they also will soon love you as ,i do40 8,i have no doubt of it1 and ,i complain of nobody excepting perhaps myself40 ,guillaume's sorrow was increasing4 8,ah6 brother1 little brother10 he resumed1 8you distress me1 for ,i can detect that you are hiding something from me4 ,remember that new ties have linked us together and that we love one another as in the old days when you were in your cradle and ,i used to come to play with you4 ,i know you well1 remember4 ,i know all your tortures1 since you have confessed them to me2 and ,i won't have you suffer1 ,i want to cure you1 ,i do60 ,pierre's heart was full1 and as he heard those words he could not restrain his tears4 8,oh6 you must leave me to my sufferings10 he responded4 8,they are incurable4 ,you can do nothing for me1 ,i am beyond the pale of nature1 ,i am a monster40 8,what do you say6 ,can you not return within nature's pale even if you have gone beyond it8 ,one thing that ,i will not allow is that you should go and shut yourself up in that solitary little house of yours1 where you madden yourself by brooding over the fall of your faith4 ,come and spend your time with us1 so that we may again give you some taste for life40 ,ah6 the empty little house which awaited him6 ,pierre shivered at the thought of it1 at the idea that he would now find himself all alone there1 bereft of the brother with whom he had lately spent so many happy days4 ,into what solitude and torment must he not now relapse after that companionship to which he had become accustomed8 ,however1 the very thought of the latter increased his grief1 and confession suddenly gushed from his lips3 8,to spend my time here1 live with you1 oh6 no1 that is an impossibility4 ,why do you compel me to speak out1 and tell you things that ,i am ashamed of and do not even understand4 ,ever since this morning you must have seen that ,i have been suffering here4 ,no doubt it is because you and your people work1 whereas ,i do nothing1 because you love one another and believe in your efforts1 whereas ,i no longer know how to love or believe4 ,i feel out of my element4 ,i'm embarrassed here1 and ,i embarrass you4 ,in fact you all irritate me1 and ,i might end by hating you4 ,there remains nothing healthy in me1 all natural feelings have been spoilt and destroyed1 and only envy and hatred could sprout up from such ruins4 ,so let me go back to my accursed hole1 where death will some day come for me4 ,farewell1 brother60 ,but ,guillaume1 full of affection and compassion1 caught hold of his arms and detained him4 8,you shall not go1 ,i will not allow you to go1 without a positive promise that you will come back4 ,i don't wish to lose you again1 especially now that ,i know all you are worth and how dreadfully you suffer4 ,i will save you1 if need be1 in spite of yourself4 ,i will cure you of your torturing doubts1 oh6 without catechising you1 without imposing any particular faith on you1 but simply by allowing life to do its work1 for life alone can give you back health and hope4 ,so ,i beg you1 brother1 in the name of our affection1 come back here1 come as often as you can to spend a day with us4 ,you will then see that when folks have allotted themselves a task and work together in unison1 they escape excessive unhappiness4 ,a task of any kind--yes1 that is what is wanted1 together with some great passion and frank acceptance of life1 so that it may be lived as it should be and loved40 8,but what would be the use of my living here80 ,pierre muttered bitterly4 8,i've no task left me1 and ,i no longer know how to love40 8,well1 ,i will give you a task1 and as for love1 that will soon be awakened by the breath of life4 ,come1 brother1 consent1 consent60 ,then1 seeing that ,pierre still remained gloomy and sorrowful1 and persisted in his determination to go away and bury himself1 ,guillaume added1 8,ah6 ,i don't say that the things of this world are such as one might wish them to be4 ,i don't say that only joy and truth and justice exist4 ,for instance1 the affair of that unhappy fellow ,salvat fills me with anger and revolt4 ,guilty he is1 of course1 and yet how many excuses he had1 and how ,i shall pity him if the crimes of all of us are laid at his door1 if the various political gangs bandy him from one to another1 and use him as a weapon in their sordid fight for power4 ,the thought of it all so exasperates me that at times ,i am as unreasonable as yourself4 ,but now1 brother1 just to please me1 promise that you will come and spend the day after to-morrow with us40 ,then1 as ,pierre still kept silent1 ,guillaume went on3 8,i will have it so4 ,it would grieve me too much to think that you were suffering from martyrdom in your solitary nook4 ,i want to cure and save you40 ,tears again rose to ,pierre's eyes1 and in a tone of infinite distress he answered3 8,don't compel me to promise4444 ,all ,i can say is that ,i will try to conquer myself40 ,the week he then spent in his little1 dark1 empty home proved a terrible one4 ,shutting himself up he brooded over his despair at having lost the companionship of that elder brother whom he once more loved with his whole soul4 ,he had never before been so keenly conscious of his solitude2 and he was a score of times on the point of hastening to ,montmartre1 for he vaguely felt that affection1 truth and life were there4 ,but on each occasion he was held back by a return of the discomfort which he had already experienced1 discomfort compounded of shame and fear4 ,priest that he was1 cut off from love and the avocations of other men1 he would surely find nothing but hurt and suffering among creatures who were all nature1 freedom and health4 ,while he pondered thus1 however1 there rose before him the shades of his father and mother1 those sad spirits that seemed to wander through the deserted rooms lamenting and entreating him to reconcile them in himself1 as soon as he should find peace4 ,what was he to do1--deny their prayer1 and remain weeping with them1 or go yonder in search of the cure which might at last lull them to sleep and bring them happiness in death by the force of his own happiness in life8 ,at last a morning came when it seemed to him that his father enjoined him with a smile to betake himself yonder1 while his mother consented with a glance of her big soft eyes1 in which her sorrow at having made so bad a priest of him yielded to her desire to restore him to the life of our common humanity4 ,pierre did not argue with himself that day3 he took a cab and gave ,guillaume's address to the driver for fear lest he should be overcome on the way and wish to turn back4 ,and when he again found himself1 as in a dream1 in the large work-shop1 where ,guillaume and the young men welcomed him in a delicately affectionate way1 he witnessed an unexpected scene which both impressed and relieved him4 ,marie1 who had scarcely nodded to him as he entered1 sat there with a pale and frowning face4 ,and ,mre-,grand1 who was also grave1 said1 after glancing at her3 8,you must excuse her1 ,monsieur l',abb2 but she isn't reasonable4 ,she is in a temper with all five of us40 ,guillaume began to laugh4 8,ah6 she's so stubborn60 he exclaimed4 8,you can have no idea1 ,pierre1 of what goes on in that little head of hers when anybody says or does anything contrary to her ideas of justice4 ,such absolute and lofty ideas they are1 that they can descend to no compromise4 ,for instance1 we were talking of that recent affair of a father who was found guilty on his son's evidence2 and she maintained that the son had only done what was right in giving evidence against his father1 and that one ought invariably to tell the truth1 no matter what might happen4 ,what a terrible public prosecutor she would make1 eh80 ,thereupon ,marie1 exasperated by ,pierre's smile1 which seemingly indicated that he also thought her in the wrong1 flew into quite a passion3 8,you are cruel1 ,guillaume60 she cried2 8,i won't be laughed at like this40 8,but you are losing your senses1 my dear10 exclaimed ,franois1 while ,thomas and ,antoine again grew merry4 8,we were only urging a question of humanity1 father and ,i1 for we respect and love justice as much as you do40 8,there's no question of humanity1 but simply one of justice4 ,what is just and right is just and right1 and you cannot alter it40 ,then1 as ,guillaume made a further attempt to state his views and win her over to them1 she rose trembling1 in such a passion that she could scarcely stammer3 8,no1 no1 you are all too cruel1 you only want to grieve me4 ,i prefer to go up into my own room40 ,at this ,mre-,grand vainly sought to restrain her4 8,my child1 my child60 said she1 8reflect a moment2 this is very wrong1 you will deeply regret it40 8,no1 no2 you are not just1 and ,i suffer too much40 ,then she wildly rushed upstairs to her room overhead4 ,consternation followed4 ,scenes of a similar character had occasionally occurred before1 but there had never been so serious a one4 ,guillaume immediately admitted that he had done wrong in laughing at her1 for she could not bear irony4 ,then he told ,pierre that in her childhood and youth she had been subject to terrible attacks of passion whenever she witnessed or heard of any act of injustice4 ,as she herself explained1 these attacks would come upon her with irresistible force1 transporting her to such a point that she would sometimes fall upon the floor and rave4 ,even nowadays she proved quarrelsome and obstinate whenever certain subjects were touched upon4 ,and she afterwards blushed for it all1 fully conscious that others must think her unbearable4 ,indeed1 a quarter of an hour later1 she came downstairs again of her own accord1 and bravely acknowledged her fault4 8,wasn't it ridiculous of me80 she said4 8,to think ,i accuse others of being unkind when ,i behave like that6 ,monsieur l',abb must have a very bad opinion of me40 ,then1 after kissing ,mre-,grand1 she added3 8,you'll forgive me1 won't you8 ,oh6 ,franois may laugh now1 and so may ,thomas and ,antoine4 ,they are quite right1 our differences are merely laughing matters40 8,my poor ,marie10 replied ,guillaume1 in a tone of deep affection4 8,you see what it is to surrender oneself to the absolute4 ,if you are so healthy and reasonable it's because you regard almost everything from the relative point of view1 and only ask life for such gifts as it can bestow4 ,but when your absolute ideas of justice come upon you1 you lose both equilibrium and reason4 ,at the same time1 ,i must say that we are all liable to err in much the same manner40 ,marie1 who was still very flushed1 thereupon answered in a jesting way3 8,well1 it at least proves that ,i'm not perfect40 8,oh1 certainly6 ,and so much the better10 said ,guillaume1 8for it makes me love you the more40 ,this was a sentiment which ,pierre himself would willingly have re-echoed4 ,the scene had deeply stirred him4 ,had not his own frightful torments originated with his desire for the absolute both in things and beings8 ,he had sought faith in its entirety1 and despair had thrown him into complete negation4 ,again1 was there not some evil desire for the absolute and some affectation of pride and voluntary blindness in the haughty bearing which he had retained amidst the downfall of his belief1 the saintly reputation which he had accepted when he possessed no faith at all8 ,on hearing his brother praise ,marie1 because she only asked life for such things as it could give1 it had seemed to him that this was advice for himself4 ,it was as if a refreshing breath of nature had passed before his face4 ,at the same time his feelings in this respect were still vague1 and the only well-defined pleasure that he experienced came from the young woman's fit of anger1 that error of hers which brought her nearer to him1 by lowering her in some degree from her pedestal of serene perfection4 ,it was1 perhaps1 that seeming perfection which had made him suffer2 however1 he was as yet unable to analyse his feelings4 ,that day1 for the first time1 he chatted with her for a little while1 and when he went off he thought her very good-hearted and very human4 ,two days later he again came to spend the afternoon in the large sunlit work-shop overlooking ,paris4 ,ever since he had become conscious of the idle life he was leading1 he had felt very bored when he was alone1 and only found relief among that gay1 hardworking family4 ,his brother scolded him for not having come to djeuner1 and he promised to do so on the morrow4 ,by the time a week had elapsed1 none of the discomfort and covert hostility which had prevailed between him and ,marie remained3 they met and chatted on a footing of good fellowship4 ,although he was a priest1 she was in no wise embarrassed by his presence4 ,with her quiet atheism1 indeed1 she had never imagined that a priest could be different from other men4 ,thus her sisterly cordiality both astonished and delighted ,pierre4 ,it was as if he wore the same garments and held the same ideas as his big nephews1 as if there were nothing whatever to distinguish him from other men4 ,he was still more surprised1 however1 by ,marie's silence on all religious questions4 ,she seemed to live on quietly and happily1 without a thought of what might be beyond life1 that terrifying realm of mystery1 which to him had brought such agony of mind4 ,now that he came every two or three days to ,montmartre she noticed that he was suffering4 ,what could be the matter with him1 she wondered4 ,when she questioned him in a friendly manner and only elicited evasive replies1 she guessed that he was ashamed of his sufferings1 and that they were aggravated1 rendered well-nigh incurable1 by the very secrecy in which he buried them4 ,thereupon womanly compassion awoke within her1 and she felt increasing affection for that tall1 pale fellow with feverish eyes1 who was consumed by grievous torments which he would confess to none4 ,no doubt she questioned ,guillaume respecting her brother's sadness1 and he must have confided some of the truth to her in order that she might help him to extricate ,pierre from his sufferings1 and give him back some taste for life4 ,the poor fellow always seemed so happy when she treated him like a friend1 a brother6 ,at last1 one evening1 on seeing his eyes full of tears as he gazed upon the dismal twilight falling over ,paris1 she herself pressed him to confide his trouble to her4 ,and thereupon he suddenly spoke out1 confessing all his torture and the horrible void which the loss of faith had left within him4 ,ah6 to be unable to believe1 to be unable to love1 to be nothing but ashes1 to know of nothing certain by which he might replace the faith that had fled from him6 ,she listened in stupefaction4 ,why1 he must be mad6 ,and she plainly told him so1 such was her astonishment and revolt at hearing such a desperate cry of wretchedness4 ,to despair1 indeed1 and believe in nothing and love nothing1 simply because a religious hypothesis had crumbled6 ,and this1 too1 when the whole1 vast world was spread before one1 life with the duty of living it1 creatures and things to be loved and succoured1 without counting the universal labour1 the task which one and all came to accomplish6 ,assuredly he must be mad1 mad with the gloomiest madness2 still she vowed she would cure him4 ,from that time forward she felt the most compassionate affection for this extraordinary young man1 who had first embarrassed and afterwards astonished her4 ,she showed herself very gentle and gay with him2 she looked after him with the greatest skill and delicacy of heart and mind4 ,there had been certain similar features in their childhood2 each had been reared in the strictest religious views by a pious mother4 ,but afterwards how different had been their fates6 ,whilst he was struggling with his doubts1 bound by his priestly vows1 she had grown up at the ,lyce ,fnelon1 where her father had placed her as soon as her mother died2 and there1 far removed from all practice of religion1 she had gradually reached total forgetfulness of her early religious views4 ,it was a constant source of surprise for him to find that she had thus escaped all distress of mind at the thought of what might come after death1 whereas that same thought had so deeply tortured him4 ,when they chatted together and he expressed his astonishment at it1 she frankly laughed1 saying that she had never felt any fear of hell1 for she was certain that no hell existed4 ,and she added that she lived in all quietude1 without hope of going to any heaven1 her one thought being to comply in a reasonable way with the requirements and necessities of earthly life4 ,it was1 perhaps1 in some measure a matter of temperament with her2 but it was also a matter of education4 ,yet1 whatever that education had been1 whatever knowledge she had acquired1 she had remained very womanly and very loving4 ,there was nothing stern or masculine about her4 8,ah1 my friend10 she said one day to ,pierre1 8if you only knew how easy it is for me to remain happy so long as ,i see those ,i love free from any excessive suffering4 ,for my own part ,i can always adapt myself to life4 ,i work and content myself no matter what may happen4 ,sorrow has only come to me from others1 for ,i can't help wishing that everybody should be fairly happy1 and there are some who won't4444 ,i was for a long time very poor1 but ,i remained gay4 ,i wish for nothing1 except for things that can't be purchased4 ,still1 want is the great abomination which distresses me4 ,i can understand that you should have felt everything crumbling when charity appeared to you so insufficient a remedy as to be contemptible4 ,yet it does bring relief2 and1 moreover1 it is so sweet to be able to give4 ,some day1 too1 by dint of reason and toil1 by the good and efficient working of life itself1 the reign of justice will surely come4 ,but now it's ,i that am preaching6 ,oh6 ,i have little taste for it6 ,it would be ridiculous for me to try to heal you with big phrases4 ,all the same1 ,i should like to cure you of your gloomy sufferings4 ,to do so1 all that ,i ask of you is to spend as much time as you can with us4 ,you know that this is ,guillaume's greatest desire4 ,we will all love you so well1 you will see us all so affectionately united1 and so gay over our common work1 that you will come back to truth by joining us in the school of our good mother nature4 ,you must live and work1 and love and hope40 ,pierre smiled as he listened4 ,he now came to ,montmartre nearly every day4 ,she was so nice and affectionate when she preached to him in that way with a pretty assumption of wisdom4 ,as she had said too1 life was so delightful in that big workroom2 it was so pleasant to be all together1 and to labour in common at the same work of health and truth4 ,ashamed as ,pierre was of doing nothing1 anxious as he was to occupy his mind and fingers1 he had first taken an interest in ,antoine's engraving1 asking why he should not try something of the kind himself4 ,however1 he felt that he lacked the necessary gift for art4 ,then1 too1 he recoiled from ,franois' purely intellectual labour1 for he himself had scarcely emerged from the harrowing study of conflicting texts4 ,thus he was more inclined for manual toil like that of ,thomas4 ,in mechanics he found precision and clearness such as might help to quench his thirst for certainty4 ,so he placed himself at the young man's orders1 pulled his bellows and held pieces of mechanism for him4 ,he also sometimes served as assistant to ,guillaume1 tying a large blue apron over his cassock in order to help in the experiments4 ,from that time he formed part of the work-shop1 which simply counted a worker the more4 ,one afternoon early in ,april1 when they were all busily engaged there1 ,marie1 who sat embroidering at the table in front of ,mre-,grand1 raised her eyes to the window and suddenly burst into a cry of admiration3 8,oh6 look at ,paris under that rain of sunlight60 ,pierre drew near2 the play of light was much the same as that which he had witnessed at his first visit4 ,the sun1 sinking behind some slight purple clouds1 was throwing down a hail of rays and sparks which on all sides rebounded and leapt over the endless stretch of roofs4 ,it might have been thought that some great sower1 hidden amidst the glory of the planet1 was scattering handfuls of golden grain from one horizon to the other4 ,pierre1 at sight of it1 put his fancy into words3 8,it is the sun sowing ,paris with grain for a future harvest10 said he4 8,see how the expanse looks like ploughed land2 the brownish houses are like soil turned up1 and the streets are deep and straight like furrows40 8,yes1 yes1 that's true10 exclaimed ,marie gaily4 8,the sun is sowing ,paris with grain4 ,see how it casts the seed of light and health right away to the distant suburbs6 ,and yet1 how singular6 ,the rich districts on the west seem steeped in a ruddy mist1 whilst the good seed falls in golden dust over the left bank and the populous districts eastward4 ,it is there1 is it not1 that the crop will spring up80 ,they had all drawn near1 and were smiling at the symbol4 ,as ,marie had said1 it seemed indeed that while the sun slowly sank behind the lacework of clouds1 the sower of eternal life scattered his flaming seed with a rhythmical swing of the arm1 ever selecting the districts of toil and effort4 ,one dazzling handful of grain fell over yonder on the district of the schools2 and then yet another rained down to fertilise the district of the factories and work-shops4 8,ah6 well10 said ,guillaume gaily4 8,may the crop soon sprout from the good ground of our great ,paris1 which has been turned up by so many revolutions1 and enriched by the blood of so many workers6 ,it is the only ground in the world where ,ideas can germinate and bloom4 ,yes1 yes1 ,pierre is quite right1 it is the sun sowing ,paris with the seed of the future world1 which can sprout only up here60 ,then ,thomas1 ,franois and ,antoine1 who stood behind their father in a row1 nodded as if to say that this was also their own conviction2 whilst ,mre-,grand gazed afar with dreamy eyes as though she could already behold the splendid future4 8,ah6 but it is only a dream2 centuries must elapse4 ,we shall never see it60 murmured ,pierre with a quiver4 8,but others will60 cried ,marie4 8,and does not that suffice80 ,those lofty words stirred ,pierre to the depths of his being4 ,and all at once there came to him the memory of another ,marie99--the adorable ,marie of his youth1 that ,marie de ,guersaint who had been cured at ,lourdes1 and the loss of whom had left such a void in his heart4 ,was that new ,marie who stood there smiling at him1 so tranquil and so charming in her strength1 destined to heal that old-time wound8 ,he felt that he was beginning to live again since she had become his friend4 99 ,the heroine of ,m4 ,zola's 8,lourdes40 ,meantime1 there before them1 the glorious sun1 with the sweep of its rays1 was scattering living golden dust over ,paris1 still and ever sowing the great future harvest of justice and of truth4 ,,ii4 ,,towards ,,life ,,one evening1 at the close of a good day's work1 ,pierre1 who was helping ,thomas1 suddenly caught his foot in the skirt of his cassock and narrowly escaped falling4 ,at this1 ,marie1 after raising a faint cry of anxiety1 exclaimed3 8,why don't you take it off80 ,there was no malice in her inquiry4 ,she simply looked upon the priestly robe as something too heavy and cumbersome1 particularly when one had certain work to perform4 ,nevertheless1 her words deeply impressed ,pierre1 and he could not forget them4 ,when he was at home in the evening and repeated them to himself they gradually threw him into feverish agitation4 ,why1 indeed1 had he not divested himself of that cassock1 which weighed so heavily and painfully on his shoulders8 ,then a frightful struggle began within him1 and he spent a terrible1 sleepless night1 again a prey to all his former torments4 ,at first sight it seemed a very simple matter that he should cast his priestly gown aside1 for had he not ceased to discharge any priestly office8 ,he had not said mass for some time past1 and this surely meant renunciation of the priesthood4 ,nevertheless1 so long as he retained his gown it was possible that he might some day say mass again1 whereas if he cast it aside he would1 as it were1 strip himself1 quit the priesthood entirely1 without possibility of return4 ,it was a terrible step to take1 one that would prove irrevocable2 and thus he paced his room for hours1 in great anguish of mind4 ,he had formerly indulged in a superb dream4 ,whilst believing nothing himself he had resolved to watch1 in all loyalty1 over the belief of others4 ,he would not so lower himself as to forswear his vows1 he would be no base renegade1 but however great the torments of the void he felt within him he would remain the minister of man's illusions respecting the ,divinity4 ,and it was by reason of his conduct in this respect that he had ended by being venerated as a saint--he who denied everything1 who had become a mere empty sepulchre4 ,for a long time his falsehood had never disturbed him1 but it now brought him acute suffering4 ,it seemed to him that he would be acting in the vilest manner if he delayed placing his life in accord with his opinions4 ,the thought of it all quite rent his heart4 ,the question was a very clear one4 ,by what right did he remain the minister of a religion in which he no longer believed8 ,did not elementary honesty require that he should quit a ,church in which he denied the presence of the ,divinity8 ,he regarded the dogmas of that ,church as puerile errors1 and yet he persisted in teaching them as if they were eternal truths4 ,base work it was1 that alarmed his conscience4 ,he vainly sought the feverish glow of charity and martyrdom which had led him to offer himself as a sacrifice1 willing to suffer all the torture of doubt and to find his own life lost and ravaged1 provided that he might yet afford the relief of hope to the lowly4 ,truth and nature1 no doubt1 had already regained too much ascendancy over him for those feelings to return4 ,the thought of such a lying apostolate now wounded him2 he no longer had the hypocritical courage to call the ,divinity down upon the believers kneeling before him1 when he was convinced that the ,divinity would not descend4 ,thus all the past was swept away2 there remained nothing of the sublime pastoral part he would once have liked to play1 that supreme gift of himself which lay in stubborn adherence to the rules of the ,church1 and such devotion to faith as to endure in silence the torture of having lost it4 ,what must ,marie think of his prolonged falsehood1 he wondered1 and thereupon he seemed to hear her words again3 8,why not take your cassock off80 ,his conscience bled as if those words were a stab4 ,what contempt must she not feel for him1 she who was so upright1 so high-minded8 ,every scattered blame1 every covert criticism directed against his conduct1 seemed to find embodiment in her4 ,it now sufficed that she should condemn him1 and he at once felt guilty4 ,at the same time she had never voiced her disapproval to him1 in all probability because she did not think she had any right to intervene in a struggle of conscience4 ,the superb calmness and healthiness which she displayed still astonished him4 ,he himself was ever haunted and tortured by thoughts of the unknown1 of what the morrow of death might have in store for one2 but although he had studied and watched her for days together1 he had never seen her give a sign of doubt or distress4 ,this exemption from such sufferings as his own was due1 said she1 to the fact that she gave all her gaiety1 all her energy1 all her sense of duty1 to the task of living1 in such wise that life itself proved a sufficiency1 and no time was left for mere fancies to terrify and stultify her4 ,well1 then1 since she with her air of quiet strength had asked him why he did not take off his cassock1 he would take it off--yes1 he would divest himself of that robe which seemed to burn and weigh him down4 ,he fancied himself calmed by this decision1 and towards morning threw himself upon his bed2 but all at once a stifling sensation1 a renewal of his abominable anguish1 brought him to his feet again4 ,no1 no1 he could not divest himself of that gown which clung so tightly to his flesh4 ,his skin would come away with his cloth1 his whole being would be lacerated6 ,is not the mark of priesthood an indelible one1 does it not brand the priest for ever1 and differentiate him from the flock8 ,even should he tear off his gown with his skin1 he would remain a priest1 an object of scandal and shame1 awkward and impotent1 shut off from the life of other men4 ,and so why tear it off1 since he would still and ever remain in prison1 and a fruitful life of work in the broad sunlight was no longer within his reach8 ,he1 indeed1 fancied himself irremediably stricken with impotence4 ,thus he was unable to come to any decision1 and when he returned to ,montmartre two days later he had again relapsed into a state of torment4 ,feverishness1 moreover1 had come upon the happy home4 ,guillaume was becoming more and more annoyed about ,salvat's affair1 not a day elapsing without the newspapers fanning his irritation4 ,he had at first been deeply touched by the dignified and reticent bearing of ,salvat1 who had declared that he had no accomplices whatever4 ,of course the inquiry into the crime was what is called a secret one2 but magistrate ,amadieu1 to whom it had been entrusted1 conducted it in a very noisy way4 ,the newspapers1 which he in some degree took into his confidence1 were full of articles and paragraphs about him and his interviews with the prisoner4 ,thanks to ,salvat's quiet admissions1 ,amadieu had been able to retrace the history of the crime hour by hour1 his only remaining doubts having reference to the nature of the powder which had been employed1 and the making of the bomb itself4 ,it might after all be true that ,salvat had loaded the bomb at a friend's1 as he indeed asserted was the case2 but he must be lying when he added that the only explosive used was dynamite1 derived from some stolen cartridges1 for all the experts now declared that dynamite would never have produced such effects as those which had been witnessed4 ,this1 then1 was the mysterious point which protracted the investigations4 ,and day by day the newspapers profited by it to circulate the wildest stories under sensational headings1 which were specially devised for the purpose of sending up their sales4 ,it was all the nonsense contained in these stories that fanned ,guillaume's irritation4 ,in spite of his contempt for ,sagnier he could not keep from buying the 8,voix du ,peuple40 ,quivering with indignation1 growing more and more exasperated1 he was somehow attracted by the mire which he found in that scurrilous journal4 ,moreover1 the other newspapers1 including even the 8,globe10 which was usually so dignified1 published all sorts of statements for which no proof could be supplied1 and drew from them remarks and conclusions which1 though couched in milder language than ,sagnier's1 were none the less abominably unjust4 ,it seemed indeed as if the whole press had set itself the task of covering ,salvat with mud1 so as to be able to vilify ,anarchism generally4 ,according to the journalists the prisoner's life had simply been one long abomination4 ,he had already earned his living by thievery in his childhood at the time when he had roamed the streets1 an unhappy1 forsaken vagrant2 and later on he had proved a bad soldier and a bad worker4 ,he had been punished for insubordination whilst he was in the army1 and he had been dismissed from a dozen work-shops because he incessantly disturbed them by his ,anarchical propaganda4 ,later still1 he had fled his country and led a suspicious life of adventure in ,america1 where1 it was alleged1 he must have committed all sorts of unknown crimes4 ,moreover there was his horrible immorality1 his connection with his sister-in-law1 that ,madame ,thodore who had taken charge of his forsaken child in his absence1 and with whom he had cohabited since his return to ,france4 ,in this wise ,salvat's failings and transgressions were pitilessly denounced and magnified without any mention of the causes which had induced them1 or of the excuses which lay in the unhappy man's degrading environment4 ,and so ,guillaume's feelings of humanity and justice revolted1 for he knew the real ,salvat1--a man of tender heart and dreamy mind1 so liable to be impassioned by fancies1--a man cast into life when a child without weapon of defence1 ever trodden down or thrust aside1 then gradually exasperated by the perpetual onslaughts of want1 and at last dreaming of reviving the golden age by destroying the old1 corrupt world4 ,unfortunately for ,salvat1 everything had gone against him since he had been shut up in strict confinement1 at the mercy of the ambitious and worldly ,amadieu4 ,guillaume had learnt from his son1 ,thomas1 that the prisoner could count on no support whatever among his former mates at the ,grandidier works4 ,these works were becoming prosperous once more1 thanks to their steady output of bicycles2 and it was said that ,grandidier was only waiting for ,thomas to perfect his little motor1 in order to start the manufacture of motor-cars on a large scale4 ,however1 the success which he was now for the first time achieving1 and which scarcely repaid him for all his years of toil and battle1 had in certain respects rendered him prudent and even severe4 ,he did not wish any suspicion to be cast upon his business through the unpleasant affair of his former workman ,salvat1 and so he had dismissed such of his workmen as held ,anarchist views4 ,if he had kept the two ,toussaints1 one of whom was the prisoner's brother-in-law1 while the other was suspected of sympathy with him1 this was because they had belonged to the works for a score of years1 and he did not like to cast them adrift4 ,moreover1 ,toussaint1 the father1 had declared that if he were called as a witness for the defence1 he should simply give such particulars of ,salvat's career as related to the prisoner's marriage with his sister4 ,one evening when ,thomas came home from the works1 to which he returned every now and then in order to try his little motor1 he related that he had that day seen ,madame ,grandidier1 the poor young woman who had become insane through an attack of puerperal fever following upon the death of a child4 ,although most frightful attacks of madness occasionally came over her1 and although life beside her was extremely painful1 even during the intervals when she remained downcast and gentle as a child1 her husband had never been willing to send her to an asylum4 ,he kept her with him in a pavilion near the works1 and as a rule the shutters of the windows overlooking the yard remained closed4 ,thus ,thomas had been greatly surprised to see one of these windows open1 and the young woman appear at it amidst the bright sunshine of that early spring4 ,true1 she only remained there for a moment1 vision-like1 fair and pretty1 with smiling face2 for a servant who suddenly drew near closed the window1 and the pavilion then again sank into lifeless silence4 ,at the same time it was reported among the men employed at the works that the poor creature had not experienced an attack for well-nigh a month past1 and that this was the reason why the 8governor0 looked so strong and pleased1 and worked so vigorously to help on the increasing prosperity of his business4 8,he isn't a bad fellow10 added ,thomas1 8but with the terrible competition that he has to encounter1 he is bent on keeping his men under control4 ,nowadays1 says he1 when so many capitalists and wage earners seem bent on exterminating one another1 the latter--if they don't want to starve--ought to be well pleased when capital falls into the hands of an active1 fair-minded man4444 ,if he shows no pity for ,salvat1 it is because he really believes in the necessity of an example40 ,that same day ,thomas1 after leaving the works and while threading his way through the toilsome hive-like ,marcadet district1 had overtaken ,madame ,thodore and little ,cline1 who were wandering on in great distress4 ,it appeared that they had just called upon ,toussaint1 who had been unable to lend them even such a trifle as ten sous4 ,since ,salvat's arrest1 the woman and the child had been forsaken and suspected by one and all4 ,driven forth from their wretched lodging1 they were without food and wandered hither and thither dependent on chance alms4 ,never had greater want and misery fallen on defenceless creatures4 8,i told them to come up here1 father10 said ,thomas1 8for ,i thought that one might pay their landlord a month's rent1 so that they might go home again4444 ,ah6 there's somebody coming now--it's they1 no doubt40 ,guillaume had felt angry with himself whilst listening to his son1 for he had not thought of the poor creatures4 ,it was the old story3 the man disappears1 and the woman and the child find themselves in the streets1 starving4 ,whenever ,justice strikes a man her blow travels beyond him1 fells innocent beings and kills them4 ,madame ,thodore came in1 humble and timid1 scared like a luckless creature whom life never wearies of persecuting4 ,she was becoming almost blind1 and little ,cline had to lead her4 ,the girl's fair1 thin face wore its wonted expression of shrewd intelligence1 and even now1 however woeful her rags1 it was occasionally brightened by a childish smile4 ,pierre and ,marie1 who were both there1 felt extremely touched4 ,near them was ,madame ,mathis1 young ,victor's mother1 who had come to help ,mre-,grand with the mending of some house-linen4 ,she went out by the day in this fashion among a few families1 and was thus enabled to give her son an occasional franc or two4 ,guillaume alone questioned ,madame ,thodore4 8,ah6 monsieur10 she stammered1 8who could ever have thought ,salvat capable of such a thing1 he who's so good and so humane8 ,still it's true1 since he himself has admitted it to the magistrate4444 ,for my part ,i told everybody that he was in ,belgium4 ,i wasn't quite sure of it1 still ,i'm glad that he didn't come back to see us2 for if he had been arrested at our place ,i should have lost my senses4444 ,well1 now that they have him1 they'll sentence him to death1 that's certain40 ,at this ,cline1 who had been looking around her with an air of interest1 piteously exclaimed3 8,oh6 no1 oh6 no1 mamma1 they won't hurt him60 ,big tears appeared in the child's eyes as she raised this cry4 ,guillaume kissed her1 and then went on questioning ,madame ,thodore4 8,well1 monsieur10 she answered1 8the child's not old or big enough to work as yet1 and my eyes are done for1 people won't even take me as a charwoman4 ,and so it's simple enough1 we starve4444 ,oh6 of course ,i'm not without relations2 ,i have a sister who married very well4 ,her husband is a clerk1 ,monsieur ,chrtiennot1 perhaps you know him4 ,unfortunately he's rather proud1 and as ,i don't want any scenes between him and my sister1 ,i no longer go to see her4 ,besides1 she's in despair just now1 for she's expecting another baby1 which is a terrible blow for a small household1 when one already has two girls4444 ,that's why the only person ,i can apply to is my brother ,toussaint4 ,his wife isn't a bad sort by any means1 but she's no longer the same since she's been living in fear of her husband having another attack4 ,the first one carried off all her savings1 and what would become of her if ,toussaint should remain on her hands1 paralysed8 ,besides1 she's threatened with another burden1 for1 as you may know1 her son ,charles got keeping company with a servant at a wine shop1 who of course ran away after she had a baby1 which she left him to see to4 ,so one can understand that the ,toussaints themselves are hard put4 ,i don't complain of them4 ,they've already lent me a little money1 and of course they can't go on lending for ever40 ,she continued talking in this spiritless1 resigned way1 complaining only on account of ,cline2 for1 said she1 it was enough to make one's heart break to see such an intelligent child obliged to tramp the streets after getting on so well at the ,communal ,school4 ,she could feel too that everybody now kept aloof from them on account of ,salvat4 ,the ,toussaints didn't want to be compromised in any such business4 ,there was only ,charles1 who had said that he could well understand a man losing his head and trying to blow up the bourgeois1 because they really treated the workers in a blackguard way4 8,for my part1 monsieur10 added ,madame ,thodore1 8,i say nothing1 for ,i'm only a woman4 ,all the same1 though1 if you'd like to know what ,i think1 well1 ,i think that it would have been better if ,salvat hadn't done what he did1 for we two1 the girl and ,i1 are the real ones to suffer from it4 ,ah6 ,i can't get the idea into my head1 that the little one should be the daughter of a man condemned to death40 ,once more ,cline interrupted her1 flinging her arms around her neck3 8,oh6 mamma1 oh6 mamma1 don't say that1 ,i beg you6 ,it can't be true1 it grieves me too much60 ,at this ,pierre and ,marie exchanged compassionate glances1 while ,mre-,grand rose from her chair1 in order to go upstairs and search her wardrobes for some articles of clothing which might be of use to the two poor creatures4 ,guillaume1 who1 for his part1 had been moved to tears1 and felt full of revolt against the social system which rendered such distress possible1 slipped some alms into the child's little hand1 and promised ,madame ,thodore that he would see her landlord so as to get her back her room4 8,ah6 ,monsieur ,froment60 replied the unfortunate woman4 8,salvat was quite right when he said you were a real good man6 ,and as you employed him here for a few days you know too that he isn't a wicked one4444 ,now that he's been put in prison everybody calls him a brigand1 and it breaks my heart to hear them40 ,then1 turning towards ,madame ,mathis1 who had continued sewing in discreet silence1 like a respectable woman whom none of these things could concern1 she went on3 8,i know you1 madame1 but ,i'm better acquainted with your son1 ,monsieur ,victor1 who has often come to chat at our place4 ,oh6 you needn't be afraid1 ,i shan't say it1 ,i shall never compromise anybody2 but if ,monsieur ,victor were free to speak1 he'd be the man to explain ,salvat's ideas properly40 ,madame ,mathis looked at her in stupefaction4 ,ignorant as she was of her son's real life and views1 she experienced a vague dread at the idea of any connection between him and ,salvat's family4 ,moreover1 she refused to believe it possible4 8,oh6 you must be mistaken10 she said4 8,victor told me that he now seldom came to ,montmartre1 as he was always going about in search of work40 ,by the anxious quiver of the widow's voice1 ,madame ,thodore understood that she ought not to have mixed her up in her troubles2 and so in all humility she at once beat a retreat3 8,i beg your pardon1 madame1 ,i didn't think ,i should hurt your feelings4 ,perhaps1 too1 ,i'm mistaken1 as you say40 ,madame ,mathis had again turned to her sewing as to the solitude in which she lived1 that nook of decent misery where she dwelt without companionship and almost unknown1 with scarcely sufficient bread to eat4 ,ah6 that dear son of hers1 whom she loved so well2 however much he might neglect her1 she had placed her only remaining hope in him3 he was her last dream1 and would some day lavish all kinds of happiness upon her6 ,at that moment ,mre-,grand came downstairs again1 laden with a bundle of linen and woollen clothing1 and ,madame ,thodore and little ,cline withdrew while pouring forth their thanks4 ,for a long time after they had gone ,guillaume1 unable to resume work1 continued walking to and fro in silence1 with a frown upon his face4 ,when ,pierre1 still hesitating and still tortured by conflicting feelings1 returned to ,montmartre on the following day he witnessed with much surprise a visit of a very different kind4 ,there was a sudden gust of wind1 a whirl of skirts and a ring of laughter as little ,princess ,rosemonde swept in1 followed by young ,hyacinthe ,duvillard1 who1 on his side1 retained a very frigid bearing4 8,it's ,i1 my dear master10 exclaimed the ,princess4 8,i promised you a visit1 you remember1 for ,i am such a great admirer of your genius4 ,and our young friend here has been kind enough to bring me4 ,we have only just returned from ,norway1 and my very first visit is for you40 ,she turned as she spoke1 and bowed in an easy and gracious way to ,pierre and ,marie1 ,franois and ,antoine1 who were also there4 ,then she resumed3 8,oh6 my dear master1 you have no idea how beautifully virginal ,norway is6 ,we all ought to go and drink at that new source of the ,ideal1 and we should return purified1 rejuvenated and capable of great renunciations60 ,as a matter of fact she had been well-nigh bored to death there4 ,to make one's honeymoon journey to the land of the ice and snow1 instead of to ,italy1 the hot land of the sun1 was doubtless a very refined idea1 which showed that no base materialism formed part of one's affections4 ,it was the soul alone that travelled1 and naturally it was fit that only kisses of the soul should be exchanged on the journey4 ,unfortunately1 however1 ,hyacinthe had carried his symbolism so far as to exasperate ,rosemonde1 and on one occasion they had come to blows over it1 and then to tears when this lover's quarrel had ended as many such quarrels do4 ,briefly1 they had no longer deemed themselves pure enough for the companionship of the swans and the lakes of dreamland1 and had therefore taken the first steamer that was sailing for ,france4 ,as it was altogether unnecessary to confess to everybody what a failure their journey had proved1 the ,princess abruptly brought her rapturous references to ,norway to an end1 and then explained3 8,by the way1 do you know what ,i found awaiting me on my return8 ,why1 ,i found my house pillaged1 oh6 completely pillaged6 ,and in such a filthy condition1 too6 ,we at once recognised the mark of the beast1 and thought of ,bergaz's young friends40 ,already on the previous day ,guillaume had read in the newspapers that a band of young ,anarchists had entered the ,princess's little house by breaking a basement window4 ,she had left it quite deserted1 unprotected even by a caretaker2 and the robbers had not merely removed everything from the premises--including even the larger articles of furniture1 but had lived there for a couple of days1 bringing provisions in from outside1 drinking all the wine in the cellars1 and leaving every room in a most filthy and disgusting condition4 ,on discovering all this1 ,rosemonde had immediately remembered the evening she had spent at the ,chamber of ,horrors in the company of ,bergaz and his acolytes1 ,rossi and ,sanfaute1 who had heard her speak of her intended trip to ,norway4 ,the two young men had therefore been arrested1 but ,bergaz had so far escaped4 ,the ,princess was not greatly astonished by it all1 for she had already been warned of the presence of dangerous characters among the mixed cosmopolitan set with which she associated4 ,janzen had told her in confidence of a number of villanous affairs which were attributed to ,bergaz and his band4 ,and now the ,anarchist leader openly declared that ,bergaz had sold himself to the police like ,raphanel2 and that the burglary at the ,princess's residence had been planned by the police officials1 who thereby hoped to cover the ,anarchist cause with mire4 ,if proof was wanted of this1 added ,janzen1 it could be found in the fact that the police had allowed ,bergaz to escape4 8,i fancied that the newspapers might have exaggerated matters10 said ,guillaume1 when the ,princess had finished her story4 8,they are inventing such abominable things just now1 in order to blacken the case of that poor devil ,salvat40 8,oh6 they've exaggerated nothing60 ,rosemonde gaily rejoined4 8,as a matter of fact they have omitted a number of particulars which were too filthy for publication4444 ,for my part1 ,i've merely had to go to an hotel4 ,i'm very comfortable there2 ,i was beginning to feel bored in that house of mine4444 ,all the same1 however1 ,anarchism is hardly a clean business1 and ,i no longer like to say that ,i have any connection with it40 ,she again laughed1 and then passed to another subject1 asking ,guillaume to tell her of his most recent researches1 in order1 no doubt1 that she might show she knew enough chemistry to understand him4 ,he had been rendered thoughtful1 however1 by the story of ,bergaz and the burglary1 and would only answer her in a general way4 ,meantime1 ,hyacinthe was renewing his acquaintance with his school-fellows1 ,franois and ,antoine4 ,he had accompanied the ,princess to ,montmartre against his own inclinations2 but since she had taken to whipping him he had become afraid of her4 ,the chemist's little home filled him with disdain1 particularly as the chemist was a man of questionable reputation4 ,moreover1 he thought it a duty to insist on his own superiority in the presence of those old school-fellows of his1 whom he found toiling away in the common rut1 like other people4 8,ah6 yes10 said he to ,franois1 who was taking notes from a book spread open before him1 8you are at the cole ,normale1 ,i believe1 and are preparing for your licentiate4 ,well1 for my part1 you know1 the idea of being tied to anything horrifies me4 ,i become quite stupid when there's any question of examination or competition4 ,the only possible road for one to follow is that of the ,infinite4 ,and between ourselves what dupery there is in science1 how it narrows our horizon6 ,it's just as well to remain a child with eyes gazing into the invisible4 ,a child knows more than all your learned men40 ,franois1 who occasionally indulged in irony1 pretended to share his opinion4 8,no doubt1 no doubt10 said he1 8but one must have a natural disposition to remain a child4 ,for my part1 unhappily1 ,i'm consumed by a desire to learn and know4 ,it's deplorable1 as ,i'm well aware1 but ,i pass my days racking my brain over books4444 ,i shall never know very much1 that's certain2 and perhaps that's the reason why ,i'm ever striving to learn a little more4 ,you must at all events grant that work1 like idleness1 is a means of passing life1 though of course it is a less elegant and aesthetic one40 8,less aesthetic1 precisely10 rejoined ,hyacinthe4 8,beauty lies solely in the unexpressed1 and life is simply degraded when one introduces anything material into it40 ,simpleton though he was in spite of the enormity of his pretensions1 he doubtless detected that ,franois had been speaking ironically4 ,so he turned to ,antoine1 who had remained seated in front of a block he was engraving4 ,it was the one which represented ,lise reading in her garden1 for he was ever taking it in hand again and touching it up in his desire to emphasise his indication of the girl's awakening to intelligence and life4 8,so you engrave1 ,i see10 said ,hyacinthe4 8,well1 since ,i renounced versification--a little poem ,i had begun on the ,end of ,woman--because words seemed to me so gross and cumbersome1 mere paving-stones as it were1 fit for labourers1 ,i myself have had some idea of trying drawing1 and perhaps engraving too4 ,but what drawing can portray the mystery which lies beyond life1 the only sphere that has any real existence and importance for us8 ,with what pencil and on what kind of plate could one depict it8 ,we should need something impalpable1 something unheard of1 which would merely suggest the essence of things and beings40 8,but it's only by material means10 ,antoine somewhat roughly replied1 8that art can render the essence of things and beings1 that is1 their full significance as we understand it4 ,to transcribe life is my great passion2 and briefly life is the only mystery that there is in things and beings4 ,when it seems to me that an engraving of mine lives1 ,i'm well pleased1 for ,i feel that ,i have created40 ,hyacinthe pouted by way of expressing his contempt of all fruitfulness4 ,any fool might beget offspring4 ,it was the sexless idea1 existing by itself1 that was rare and exquisite4 ,he tried to explain this1 but became confused1 and fell back on the conviction which he had brought back from ,norway1 that literature and art were done for in ,france1 killed by baseness and excess of production4 8,it's evident60 said ,franois gaily by way of conclusion4 8,to do nothing already shows that one has some talent60 ,meantime1 ,pierre and ,marie listened and gazed around them1 somewhat embarrassed by this strange visit which had set the usually grave and peaceful workroom topsy-turvy4 ,the little ,princess1 though1 evinced much amiability1 and on drawing near to ,marie admired the wonderful delicacy of some embroidery she was finishing4 ,before leaving1 moreover1 ,rosemonde insisted upon ,guillaume inscribing his autograph in an album which ,hyacinthe had to fetch from her carriage4 ,the young man obeyed her with evident boredom4 ,it could be seen that they were already weary of one another4 ,pending a fresh caprice1 however1 it amused ,rosemonde to terrorize her sorry victim4 ,when she at length led him away1 after declaring to ,guillaume that she should always regard that visit as a memorable incident in her life1 she made the whole household smile by saying3 8,oh6 so your sons knew ,hyacinthe at college4 ,he's a good-natured little fellow1 isn't he8 and he would really be quite nice if he would only behave like other people40 ,that same day ,janzen and ,bache came to spend the evening with ,guillaume4 ,once a week they now met at ,montmartre1 as they had formerly done at ,neuilly4 ,pierre1 on these occasions1 went home very late1 for as soon as ,mre-,grand1 ,marie1 and ,guillaume's sons had retired for the night1 there were endless chats in the workroom1 whence ,paris could be seen spangled with thousands of gas lights4 ,another visitor at these times was ,thophile ,morin1 but he did not arrive before ten o'clock1 as he was detained by the work of correcting his pupils' exercises or some other wearisome labour pertaining to his profession4 ,as soon as ,guillaume had told the others of the ,princess's visit that afternoon1 ,janzen hastily exclaimed3 8,but she's mad1 you know4 ,when ,i first met her ,i thought for a moment that ,i might perhaps utilise her for the cause4 ,she seemed so thoroughly convinced and bold6 ,but ,i soon found that she was the craziest of women1 and simply hungered for new emotions60 ,janzen was at last emerging from his wonted frigidity and mysteriousness4 ,his cheeks were quite flushed4 ,in all probability he had suffered from his rupture with the woman whom he had once called #8the ,queen of the ,anarchists1' and whose fortune and extensive circle of acquaintance had seemed to him such powerful weapons of propaganda4 8,you know10 said he1 when he had calmed down1 8it was the police who had her house pillaged and turned into a pigstye4 ,yes1 in view of ,salvat's trial1 which is now near at hand1 the idea was to damn ,anarchism beyond possibility of even the faintest sympathy on the part of the bourgeois40 8,yes1 she told me so10 replied ,guillaume1 who had become attentive4 8,but ,i scarcely credit the story4 ,if ,bergaz had merely acted under such influence as you suggest1 he would have been arrested with the others1 just as ,raphanel was taken with those whom he betrayed4 ,besides1 ,i know something of ,bergaz2 he's a freebooter40 ,guillaume made a sorrowful gesture1 and then in a saddened voice continued3 8,oh1 ,i can understand all claims and all legitimate reprisals4 ,but theft1 cynical theft for the purpose of profit and enjoyment1 is beyond me6 ,it lowers my hope of a better and more equitable form of society4 ,yes1 that burglary at the ,princess's house has greatly distressed me40 ,an enigmatical smile1 sharp like a knife1 again played over ,janzen's lips4 8,oh6 it's a matter of heredity with you60 said he4 8,the centuries of education and belief that lie behind you compel you to protest4 ,all the same1 however1 when people won't make restoration1 things must be taken from them4 ,what worries me is that ,bergaz should have sold himself just now4 ,the public prosecutor will use that farcical burglary as a crushing argument when he asks the jury for ,salvat's head40 ,such was ,janzen's hatred of the police that he stubbornly clung to his version of the affair4 ,perhaps1 too1 he had quarrelled with ,bergaz1 with whom he had at one time freely associated4 ,guillaume1 who understood that all discussion would be useless1 contented himself with replying3 8,ah6 yes1 ,salvat6 ,everything is against that unhappy fellow1 he is certain to be condemned4 ,but you can't know1 my friends1 what a passion that affair of his puts me into4 ,all my ideas of truth and justice revolt at the thought of it4 ,he's a madman certainly2 but there are so many excuses to be urged for him4 ,at bottom he is simply a martyr who has followed the wrong track4 ,and yet he has become the scapegoat1 laden with the crimes of the whole nation1 condemned to pay for one and all60 ,bache and ,morin nodded without replying4 ,they both professed horror of ,anarchism2 while ,morin1 forgetting that the word if not the thing dated from his first master ,proudhon1 clung to his ,comtist doctrines1 in the conviction that science alone would ensure the happiness and pacification of the nations4 ,bache1 for his part1 old mystical humanitarian that he was1 claimed that the only solution would come from ,fourier1 who by decreeing an alliance of talent1 labour and capital1 had mapped out the future in a decisive manner4 ,nevertheless1 both ,bache and ,morin were so discontented with the slow-paced bourgeoise ,republic of the present day1 and so hurt by the thought that everything was going from bad to worse through the flouting of their own particular ideas1 that they were quite willing to wax indignant at the manner in which the conflicting parties of the time were striving to make use of ,salvat in order to retain or acquire power4 8,when one thinks10 said ,bache1 8that this ministerial crisis of theirs has now been lasting for nearly three weeks6 ,every appetite is openly displayed1 it's a most disgusting sight6 ,did you see in the papers this morning that the ,president has again been obliged to summon ,vignon to the ,elyse80 8,oh6 the papers10 muttered ,morin in his weary way1 8,i no longer read them6 ,what's the use of doing so8 ,they are so badly written1 and they all lie60 ,as ,bache had said1 the ministerial crisis was still dragging on4 ,the ,president of the ,republic1 taking as his guide the debate in the ,chamber of ,deputies1 by which the ,barroux administration had been overthrown1 had very properly sent for ,vignon1 the victor on that occasion1 and entrusted him with the formation of a new ministry4 ,it had seemed that this would be an easy task1 susceptible of accomplishment in two or three days at the utmost1 for the names of the friends whom the young leader of the ,radical party would bring to power with him had been freely mentioned for months past4 ,but all sorts of difficulties had suddenly arisen4 ,for ten days or so ,vignon had struggled on amidst inextricable obstacles4 ,then1 disheartened and disgusted1 fearing1 too1 that he might use himself up and shut off the future if he persisted in his endeavours1 he had been obliged to tell the ,president that he renounced the task4 ,forthwith the ,president had summoned other deputies1 and questioned them until he had found one brave enough to make an attempt on his own account2 whereupon incidents similar to those which had marked ,vignon's endeavours had once more occurred4 ,at the outset a list was drawn up with every prospect of being ratified within a few hours1 but all at once hesitation arose1 some pulled one way1 some another2 every effort was slowly paralysed till absolute failure resulted4 ,it seemed as though the mysterious manuvres which had hampered ,vignon had begun again2 it was as if some band of invisible plotters was1 for some unknown purpose1 doing its utmost to wreck every combination4 ,a thousand hindrances arose with increasing force from every side--jealousy1 dislike1 and even betrayal were secretly prompted by expert agents1 who employed every form of pressure1 whether threats or promises1 besides fanning and casting rival passions and interests into collision4 ,thus the ,president1 greatly embarrassed by this posture of affairs1 had again found it necessary to summon ,vignon1 who1 after reflection and negotiation1 now had an almost complete list in his pocket1 and seemed likely to perfect a new administration within the next forty-eight hours4 8,still it isn't settled10 resumed ,bache4 8,well-informed people assert that ,vignon will fail again as he did the first time4 ,for my part ,i can't get rid of the idea that ,duvillard's gang is pulling the strings1 though for whose benefit is a mystery4 ,you may be quite sure1 however1 that its chief purpose is to stifle the ,african ,railways affair4 ,if ,monferrand were not so badly compromised ,i should almost suspect some trick on his part4 ,have you noticed that the #8,globe1' after throwing ,barroux overboard in all haste1 now refers to ,monferrand every day with the most respectful sympathy8 ,that's a grave sign2 for it isn't ,fonsgue's habit to show any solicitude for the vanquished4 ,but what can one expect from that wretched ,chamber6 ,the only point certain is that something dirty is being plotted there40 8,and that big dunderhead ,mge who works for every party except his own60 exclaimed ,morin2 8what a dupe he is with that idea that he need merely overthrow first one cabinet and then another1 in order to become the leader of one himself60 ,the mention of ,mge brought them all to agreement1 for they unanimously hated him4 ,bache1 although his views coincided on many points with those of the apostle of ,state ,collectivism1 judged each of his speeches1 each of his actions1 with pitiless severity4 ,janzen1 for his part1 treated the ,collectivist leader as a mere reactionary bourgeois1 who ought to be swept away one of the first4 ,this hatred of ,mge was indeed the common passion of ,guillaume's friends4 ,they could occasionally show some justice for men who in no wise shared their ideas2 but in their estimation it was an unpardonable crime for anybody to hold much the same views as themselves1 without being absolutely in agreement with them on every possible point4 ,their discussion continued1 their various theories mingling or clashing till they passed from politics to the press1 and grew excited over the denunciations which poured each morning from ,sagnier's newspaper1 like filth from the mouth of a sewer4 ,thereupon ,guillaume1 who had become absorbed in reverie while pacing to and fro according to his habit1 suddenly exclaimed3 8,ah6 what dirty work it is that ,sagnier does6 ,before long there won't be a single person1 a single thing left on which he hasn't vomited6 ,you think he's on your side1 and suddenly he splashes you with mire6444 ,by the way1 he related yesterday that skeleton keys and stolen purses were found on ,salvat when he was arrested in the ,bois de ,boulogne6 ,it's always ,salvat6 ,he's the inexhaustible subject for articles4 ,the mere mention of him suffices to send up a paper's sales6 ,the bribe-takers of the ,african ,railways shout #8,salvat6' to create a diversion4 ,and the battles which wreck ministers are waged round his name4 ,one and all set upon him and make use of him and beat him down60 ,with that cry of revolt and compassion1 the friends separated for the night4 ,pierre1 who sat near the open window1 overlooking the sparkling immensity of ,paris1 had listened to the others without speaking a word4 ,he had once more been mastered by his doubts1 the terrible struggle of his heart and mind2 and no solution1 no appeasement had come to him from all the contradictory views he had heard--the views of men who only united in predicting the disappearance of the old world1 and could make no joint brotherly effort to rear the future world of truth and justice4 ,in that vast city of ,paris stretching below him1 spangled with stars1 glittering like the sky of a summer's night1 ,pierre also found a great enigma4 ,it was like chaos1 like a dim expanse of ashes dotted with sparks whence the coming aurora would arise4 ,what future was being forged there1 he wondered1 what decisive word of salvation and happiness would come with the dawn1 and wing its flight to every point of the horizon8 ,when ,pierre1 in his turn1 was about to retire1 ,guillaume laid his hands upon his shoulders1 and with much emotion gave him a long look4 8,ah6 my poor fellow10 said he1 8you've been suffering too for some days past1 ,i have noticed it4 ,but you are the master of your sufferings1 for the struggle you have to overcome is simply in yourself1 and you can subdue it2 whereas one cannot subdue the world1 when it is the world1 its cruelty and injustice that make one suffer6 ,good night1 be brave1 act as your reason tells you1 even if it makes you weep1 and you will find peace surely enough40 ,later on1 when ,pierre again found himself alone in his little house at ,neuilly1 where none now visited him save the shades of his father and mother1 he was long kept awake by a supreme internal combat4 ,he had never before felt so disgusted with the falsehood of his life1 that cassock which he had persisted in wearing1 though he was a priest in name only4 ,perhaps it was all that he had beheld and heard at his brother's1 the want and wretchedness of some1 the wild1 futile agitation of others1 the need of improvement among mankind which remained paramount amidst every contradiction and form of weakness1 that had made him more deeply conscious of the necessity of living in loyal and normal fashion in the broad daylight4 ,he could no longer think of his former dream of leading the solitary life of a saintly priest when he was nothing of the kind1 without a shiver of shame at having lied so long4 ,and now it was quite decided1 he would lie no longer1 not even from feelings of compassion in order that others might retain their religious illusions4 ,and yet how painful it was to have to divest himself of that gown which seemed to cling to his skin1 and how heartrending the thought that if he did remove it he would be skinless1 lacerated1 infirm1 unable1 do what he might1 to become like other men6 ,it was this recurring thought which again tortured him throughout that terrible night4 ,would life yet allow him to enter its fold8 ,had he not been branded with a mark which for ever condemned him to dwell apart8 ,he thought he could feel his priestly vows burning his very flesh like red-hot iron4 ,what use would it be for him to dress as men dress1 if in reality he was never to be a man8 ,he had hitherto lived in such a quivering state1 in a sphere of renunciation and dreams6 ,to know manhood never1 to be too late for it1 that thought filled him with terror4 ,and when at last he made up his mind to fling aside his cassock1 he did so from a simple sense of rectitude1 for all his anguish remained4 ,when he returned to ,montmartre on the following day1 he wore a jacket and trousers of a dark colour4 ,neither an exclamation nor a glance that might have embarrassed him came from ,mre-,grand or the three young men4 ,was not the change a natural one8 ,they greeted him therefore in the quiet way that was usual with them2 perhaps1 with some increase of affection1 as if to set him the more at his ease4 ,guillaume1 however1 ventured to smile good-naturedly4 ,in that change he detected his own work4 ,cur was coming1 as he had hoped it would come1 by him and in his own home1 amid the full sunlight1 the life which ever streamed in through yonder window4 ,marie1 who on her side raised her eyes and looked at ,pierre1 knew nothing of the sufferings which he had endured through her simple and logical inquiry3 8,why not take your cassock off80 ,she merely felt that by removing it he would be more at ease for his work4 8,oh1 ,pierre1 just come and look60 she suddenly exclaimed4 8,i have been amusing myself with watching all the smoke which the wind is laying yonder over ,paris4 ,one might take it to be a huge fleet of ships shining in the sunlight4 ,yes1 yes1 golden ships1 thousands of golden ships1 setting forth from the ocean of ,paris to enlighten and pacify the world60 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,dawn ,,of ,,love ,a ,,couple of days afterwards1 when ,pierre was already growing accustomed to his new attire1 and no longer gave it a thought1 it so happened that on reaching ,montmartre he encountered ,abb ,rose outside the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart4 ,the old priest1 who at first was quite thunderstruck and scarcely able to recognise him1 ended by taking hold of his hands and giving him a long look4 ,then with his eyes full of tears he exclaimed3 8,oh6 my son1 so you have fallen into the awful state ,i feared6 ,i never mentioned it1 but ,i felt that ,god had withdrawn from you4 ,ah6 nothing could wound my heart so cruelly as this40 ,then1 still trembling1 he began to lead ,pierre away as if to hide such a scandal from the few people who passed by2 and at last1 his strength failing him1 he sank upon a heap of bricks lying on the grass of one of the adjoining work-yards4 ,the sincere grief which his old and affectionate friend displayed upset ,pierre far more than any angry reproaches or curses would have done4 ,tears had come to his own eyes1 so acute was the suffering he experienced at this meeting1 which he ought1 however1 to have foreseen4 ,there was yet another wrenching1 and one which made the best of their blood flow1 in that rupture between ,pierre and the saintly man whose charitable dreams and hopes of salvation he had so long shared4 ,there had been so many divine illusions1 so many struggles for the relief of the masses1 so much renunciation and forgiveness practised in common between them in their desire to hasten the harvest of the future6 ,and now they were parting2 he1 ,pierre1 still young in years1 was returning to life1 leaving his aged companion to his vain waiting and his dreams4 ,in his turn1 taking hold of ,abb ,rose's hands1 he gave expression to his sorrow4 8,ah1 my friend1 my father10 said he1 8it is you alone that ,i regret losing1 now that ,i am leaving my frightful torments behind4 ,i thought that ,i was cured of them1 but it has been sufficient for me to meet you1 and my heart is rent again4444 ,don't weep for me1 ,i pray you1 don't reproach me for what ,i have done4 ,it was necessary that ,i should do it4 ,if ,i had consulted you1 you would yourself have told me that it was better to renounce the priesthood than to remain a priest without faith or honour40 8,yes1 yes10 ,abb ,rose gently responded1 8you no longer had any faith left4 ,i suspected it4 ,and your rigidity and saintliness of life1 in which ,i detected such great despair1 made me anxious for you4 ,how many hours did ,i not spend at times in striving to calm you6 ,and you must listen to me again1 you must still let me save you4 ,i am not a sufficiently learned theologian to lead you back by discussing texts and dogmas2 but in the name of ,charity1 my child1 yes1 in the name of ,charity alone1 reflect and take up your task of consolation and hope once more40 ,pierre had sat down beside ,abb ,rose1 in that deserted nook1 at the very foot of the basilica4 8,charity6 charity60 he replied in passionate accents2 8why1 it is its nothingness and bankruptcy that have killed the priest there was in me4 ,how can you believe that benevolence is sufficient1 when you have spent your whole life in practising it without any other result than that of seeing want perpetuated and even increased1 and without any possibility of naming the day when such abomination shall cease8444 ,you think of the reward after death1 do you not8 ,the justice that is to reign in heaven8 ,but that is not justice1 it is dupery--dupery that has brought the world nothing but suffering for centuries past40 ,then he reminded the old priest of their life in the ,charonne district1 when they had gone about together succouring children in the streets and parents in their hovels2 the whole of those admirable efforts which1 so far as ,abb ,rose was concerned1 had simply ended in blame from his superiors1 and removal from proximity to his poor1 under penalty of more severe punishment should he persist in compromising religion by the practice of blind benevolence without reason or object4 ,and now1 was he not1 so to say1 submerged beneath the ever-rising tide of want1 aware that he would never1 never be able to give enough even should he dispose of millions1 and that he could only prolong the agony of the poor1 who1 even should they eat today1 would starve again on the morrow8 ,thus he was powerless4 ,the wound which he tried to dress and heal1 immediately reopened and spread1 in such wise that all society would at last be stricken and carried off by it4 ,quivering as he listened1 and slowly shaking his white head1 the old priest ended by replying3 8what does that matter1 my child8 what does that matter8 ,one must give1 always give1 give in spite of everything6 ,there is no other joy on earth4444 ,if dogmas worry you1 content yourself with the ,gospel1 and even of that retain merely the promise of salvation through charity40 ,but at this ,pierre's feelings revolted4 ,he forgot that he was speaking to one of simple mind1 who was all love and nothing else1 and could therefore not follow him4 8,the trial has been made10 he answered1 8human salvation cannot be effected by charity1 nothing but justice can accomplish it4 ,that is the gathering cry which is going up from every nation4 ,for nearly two thousand years now the ,gospel has proved a failure4 ,there has been no redemption2 the sufferings of mankind are every whit as great and unjust as they were when ,jesus came4 ,and thus the ,gospel is now but an abolished code1 from which society can only draw things that are troublous and hurtful4 ,men must free themselves from it40 ,this was his final conviction4 ,how strange the idea1 thought he1 of choosing as the world's social legislator one who lived1 as ,jesus lived1 amidst a social system absolutely different from that of nowadays4 ,the age was different1 the very world was different4 ,and if it were merely a question of retaining only such of the moral teaching of ,jesus as seemed human and eternal1 was there not again a danger in applying immutable principles to the society of every age8 ,no society could live under the strict law of the ,gospel4 ,was not all order1 all labour1 all life destroyed by the teaching of ,jesus8 ,did ,he not deny woman1 the earth1 eternal nature and the eternal fruitfulness of things and beings8 ,moreover1 ,catholicism had reared upon ,his primitive teaching such a frightful edifice of terror and oppression4 ,the theory of original sin1 that terrible heredity reviving with each creature born into the world1 made no allowance as ,science does for the corrective influences of education1 circumstances and environment4 ,there could be no more pessimist conception of man than this one which devotes him to the ,devil from the instant of his birth1 and pictures him as struggling against himself until the instant of his death4 ,an impossible and absurd struggle1 for it is a question of changing man in his entirety1 killing the flesh1 killing reason1 destroying some guilty energy in each and every passion1 and of pursuing the ,devil to the very depths of the waters1 mountains and forests1 there to annihilate him with the very sap of the world4 ,if this theory is accepted the world is but sin1 a mere ,hell of temptation and suffering1 through which one must pass in order to merit ,heaven4 ,ah6 what an admirable instrument for absolute despotism is that religion of death1 which the principle of charity alone has enabled men to tolerate1 but which the need of justice will perforce sweep away4 ,the poor man1 who is the wretched dupe of it all1 no longer believes in ,paradise1 but requires that each and all should be rewarded according to their deserts upon this earth2 and thus eternal life becomes the good goddess1 and desire and labour the very laws of the world1 while the fruitfulness of woman is again honoured1 and the idiotic nightmare of ,hell is replaced by glorious ,nature whose travail knows no end4 ,leaning upon modern ,science1 clear ,latin reason sweeps away the ancient ,semitic conception of the ,gospel4 8,for eighteen hundred years10 concluded ,pierre1 8,christianity has been hampering the march of mankind towards truth and justice4 ,and mankind will only resume its evolution on the day when it abolishes ,christianity1 and places the ,gospel among the works of the wise1 without taking it any longer as its absolute and final law40 ,but ,abb ,rose raised his trembling hands3 8,be quiet1 be quiet1 my child60 he cried2 8you are blaspheming6 ,i knew that doubt distracted you2 but ,i thought you so patient1 so able to bear suffering1 that ,i relied on your spirit of renunciation and resignation4 ,what can have happened to make you leave the ,church in this abrupt and violent fashion8 ,i no longer recognise you4 ,sudden passion has sprung up in you1 an invincible force seems to carry you away4 ,what is it8 ,who has changed you1 tell me80 ,pierre listened in astonishment4 8,no10 said he1 8,i assure you1 ,i am such as you have known me1 and in all this there is but an inevitable result and finish4 ,who could have influenced me1 since nobody has entered my life8 ,what new feeling could transform me1 since ,i find none in me8 ,i am the same as before1 the same assuredly40 ,still there was a touch of hesitation in his voice4 ,was it really true that there had been no change within him8 ,he again questioned himself1 and there came no clear answer2 decidedly1 he would find nothing4 ,it was all but a delightful awakening1 an overpowering desire for life1 a longing to open his arms widely enough to embrace everyone and everything indeed1 a breeze of joy seemed to raise him from the ground and carry him along4 ,although ,abb ,rose was too innocent of heart to understand things clearly1 he again shook his head and thought of the snares which the ,devil is ever setting for men4 ,he was quite overwhelmed by ,pierre's defection4 ,continuing his efforts to win him back1 he made the mistake of advising him to consult ,monseigneur ,martha1 for he hoped that a prelate of such high authority would find the words necessary to restore him to his faith4 ,pierre1 however1 boldly replied that if he was leaving the ,church it was partly because it comprised such a man as ,martha1 such an artisan of deception and despotism1 one who turned religion into corrupt diplomacy1 and dreamt of winning men back to ,god by dint of ruses4 ,thereupon ,abb ,rose1 rising to his feet1 could find no other argument in his despair than that of pointing to the basilica which stood beside them1 square1 huge and massive1 and still waiting for its dome4 8,that is ,god's abode1 my child10 said he1 8the edifice of expiation and triumph1 of penitence and forgiveness4 ,you have said mass in it1 and now you are leaving it sacrilegiously and forswearing yourself60 ,but ,pierre also had risen2 and buoyed up by a sudden rush of health and strength he answered3 8,no1 no6 ,i am leaving it willingly1 as one leaves a dark vault1 to return into the open air and the broad sunlight4 ,god does not dwell there2 the only purpose of that huge edifice is to defy reason1 truth and justice2 it has been erected on the highest spot that could be found1 like a citadel of error that dominates1 insults and threatens ,paris60 ,then seeing that the old priest's eyes were again filling with tears1 and feeling on his own side so pained by their rupture that he began to sob1 ,pierre wished to go away4 8,farewell6 farewell60 he stammered4 ,but ,abb ,rose caught him in his arms and kissed him1 as if he were a rebellious son who yet had remained the dearest4 8,no1 not farewell1 not farewell1 my child10 he answered2 8say rather till we meet again4 ,promise me that we shall see each other again1 at least among those who starve and weep4 ,it is all very well for you to think that charity has become bankrupt1 but shall we not always love one another in loving our poor80 ,then they parted4 ,on becoming the companion of his three big nephews1 ,pierre had in a few lessons learnt from them how to ride a bicycle1 in order that he might occasionally accompany them on their morning excursions4 ,he went twice with them and ,marie along the somewhat roughly paved roads in the direction of the ,lake of ,enghien4 ,then one morning when the young woman had promised to take him and ,antoine as far as the forest of ,saint-,germain1 it was found at the last moment that ,antoine could not come4 ,marie was already dressed in a chemisette of fawn-coloured silk1 and a little jacket and 8rationals0 of black serge1 and it was such a warm1 bright ,april day that she was not inclined to renounce her trip4 8,well1 so much the worse60 she gaily said to ,pierre1 8,i shall take you with me1 there will only be the pair of us4 ,i really want you to see how delightful it is to bowl over a good road between the beautiful trees40 ,however1 as ,pierre was not yet a very expert rider1 they decided that they would take the train as far as ,maisons-,laffitte1 whence they would proceed on their bicycles to the forest1 cross it in the direction of ,saint-,germain1 and afterwards return to ,paris by train4 8,you will be here for djeuner1 won't you80 asked ,guillaume1 whom this freak amused1 and who looked with a smile at his brother4 ,the latter1 like ,marie1 was in black3 jacket1 breeches and stockings all of the same hue4 8,oh1 certainly60 replied ,marie4 8,it's now barely eight o'clock1 so we have plenty of time4 ,still you need not wait for us1 you know1 we shall always find our way back40 ,it was a delightful morning4 ,when they started1 ,pierre could fancy himself with a friend of his own sex1 so that this trip together through the warm sunlight seemed quite natural4 ,doubtless their costumes1 which were so much alike1 conduced to the gay brotherly feeling he experienced4 ,but beyond all this there was the healthfulness of the open air1 the delight which exercise brings1 the pleasure of roaming in all freedom through the midst of nature4 ,on taking the train they found themselves alone in a compartment1 and ,marie once more began to talk of her college days4 8,ah6 you've no idea10 said she1 8what fine games at baseball we used to have at ,fnelon6 ,we used to tie up our skirts with string so as to run the better1 for we were not allowed to wear rationals like ,i'm wearing now4 ,and there were shrieks1 and rushes1 and pushes1 till our hair waved about and we were quite red with exercise and excitement4 ,still that didn't prevent us from working in the class-rooms4 ,on the contrary6 ,directly we were at study we fought again1 each striving to learn the most and reach the top of the class60 ,she laughed gaily as she thus recalled her school life1 and ,pierre glanced at her with candid admiration1 so pink and healthy did she look under her little hat of black felt1 which a long silver pin kept in position4 ,her fine dark hair was caught up behind1 showing her neck1 which looked as fresh and delicate as a child's4 ,and never before had she seemed to him so supple and so strong4 8,ah10 she continued in a jesting way1 8there is nothing like rationals1 you know6 ,to think that some women are foolish and obstinate enough to wear skirts when they go out cycling60 ,then1 as he declared--just by way of speaking the truth1 and without the faintest idea of gallantry--that she looked very nice indeed in her costume1 she responded3 8,oh6 ,i don't count4 ,i'm not a beauty4 ,i simply enjoy good health4444 ,but can you understand it8 ,to think that women have an unique opportunity of putting themselves at their ease1 and releasing their limbs from prison1 and yet they won't do so6 ,if they think that they look the prettier in short skirts like schoolgirls they are vastly mistaken6 ,and as for any question of modesty1 well1 it seems to me that it is infinitely less objectionable for women to wear rationals than to bare their bosoms at balls and theatres and dinners as society ladies do40 ,then1 with a gesture of girlish impulsiveness1 she added3 8,besides1 does one think of such things when one's rolling along8 444 ,yes1 rationals are the only things1 skirts are rank heresy60 ,in her turn1 she was now looking at him1 and was struck by the extraordinary change which had come over him since the day when he had first appeared to her1 so sombre in his long cassock1 with his face emaciated1 livid1 almost distorted by anguish4 ,it was like a resurrection1 for now his countenance was bright1 his lofty brow had all the serenity of hope1 while his eyes and lips once more showed some of the confident tenderness which sprang from his everlasting thirst for love1 self-bestowal and life4 ,all mark of the priesthood had already left him1 save that where he had been tonsured his hair still remained rather short4 8,why are you looking at me80 he asked4 8,i was noticing how much good has been done you by work and the open air10 she frankly answered2 8,i much prefer you as you are4 ,you used to look so poorly4 ,i thought you really ill40 8,so ,i was10 said he4 ,the train1 however1 was now stopping at ,maisons-,laffitte4 ,they alighted from it1 and at once took the road to the forest4 ,this road rises gently till it reaches the ,maisons gate1 and on market days it is often crowded with carts4 8,i shall go first1 eh80 said ,marie gaily1 8for vehicles still alarm you40 ,thereupon she started ahead1 but every now and again she turned with a smile to see if he were following her4 ,and every time they overtook and passed a cart she spoke to him of the merits of their machines1 which both came from the ,grandidier works4 ,they were 8,lisettes10 examples of those popular bicycles which ,thomas had helped to perfect1 and which the ,bon ,march now sold in large numbers for #bej francs apiece4 ,perhaps they were rather heavy in appearance1 but on the other hand their strength was beyond question4 ,they were just the machines for a long journey1 so ,marie declared4 8,ah6 here's the forest10 she at last exclaimed4 8,we have now reached the end of the rise2 and you will see what splendid avenues there are4 ,one can bowl along them as on a velvet carpet40 ,pierre had already joined her1 and they rode on side by side along the broad straight avenue fringed with magnificent trees4 8,i am all right now10 said ,pierre2 8your pupil will end by doing you honour1 ,i hope40 8,oh6 ,i've no doubt of it4 ,you already have a very good seat1 and before long you'll leave me behind1 for a woman is never a man's equal in a matter like this4 ,at the same time1 however1 what a capital education cycling is for women60 ,in what way80 8,oh6 ,i've certain ideas of my own on the subject2 and if ever ,i have a daughter ,i shall put her on a bicycle as soon as she's ten years old1 just to teach her how to conduct herself in life40 8,education by experience1 eh80 8,yes1 why not8 ,look at the big girls who are brought up hanging to their mothers' apron strings4 ,their parents frighten them with everything1 they are allowed no initiative1 no exercise of judgment or decision1 so that at times they hardly know how to cross a street1 to such a degree does the traffic alarm them4 ,well1 ,i say that a girl ought to be set on a bicycle in her childhood1 and allowed to follow the roads4 ,she will then learn to open her eyes1 to look out for stones and avoid them1 and to turn in the right direction at every bend or crossway4 ,if a vehicle comes up at a gallop or any other danger presents itself1 she'll have to make up her mind on the instant1 and steer her course firmly and properly if she does not wish to lose a limb4 ,briefly1 doesn't all this supply proper apprenticeship for one's will1 and teach one how to conduct and defend oneself80 ,pierre had begun to laugh4 8,you will all be too healthy10 he remarked4 8,oh1 one must be healthy if one wants to be happy4 ,but what ,i wish to convey is that those who learn to avoid stones and to turn properly along the highways will know how to overcome difficulties1 and take the best decisions in after life4 ,the whole of education lies in knowledge and energy40 8,so women are to be emancipated by cycling80 8,well1 why not8 ,it may seem a droll idea2 but see what progress has been made already4 ,by wearing rationals women free their limbs from prison2 then the facilities which cycling affords people for going out together tend to greater intercourse and equality between the sexes2 the wife and the children can follow the husband everywhere1 and friends like ourselves are at liberty to roam hither and thither without astonishing anybody4 ,in this lies the greatest advantage of all3 one takes a bath of air and sunshine1 one goes back to nature1 to the earth1 our common mother1 from whom one derives fresh strength and gaiety of heart6 ,just look how delightful this forest is4 ,and how healthful the breeze that inflates our lungs6 ,yes1 it all purifies1 calms and encourages one40 ,the forest1 which was quite deserted on week days1 stretched out in quietude on either hand1 with sunlight filtering between its deep bands of trees4 ,at that hour the rays only illumined one side of the avenue1 there gilding the lofty drapery of verdure2 on the other1 the shady side1 the greenery seemed almost black4 ,it was truly delightful to skim1 swallow-like1 over that royal avenue in the fresh atmosphere1 amidst the waving of grass and foliage1 whose powerful scent swept against one's face4 ,pierre and ,marie scarcely touched the soil3 it was as if wings had come to them1 and were carrying them on with a regular flight1 through alternate patches of shade and sunshine1 and all the scattered vitality of the far-reaching1 quivering forest1 with its mosses1 its sources1 its animal and its insect life4 ,marie would not stop when they reached the crossway of the ,croix de ,noailles1 a spot where people congregate on ,sundays1 for she was acquainted with secluded nooks which were far more charming resting-places4 ,when they reached the slope going down towards ,poissy1 she roused ,pierre1 and they let their machines rush on4 ,then came all the joyous intoxication of speed1 the rapturous feeling of darting along breathlessly while the grey road flees beneath one1 and the trees on either hand turn like the opening folds of a fan4 ,the breeze blows tempestuously1 and one fancies that one is journeying yonder towards the horizon1 the infinite1 which ever and ever recedes4 ,it is like boundless hope1 delivery from every shackle1 absolute freedom of motion through space4 ,and nothing can inspirit one more gloriously--one's heart leaps as if one were in the very heavens4 8,we are not going to ,poissy1 you know60 ,marie suddenly cried2 8we have to turn to the left40 ,they took the road from ,acheres to the ,loges1 which ascends and contracts1 thus bringing one closer together in the shade4 ,gradually slowing down1 they began to exert themselves in order to make their way up the incline4 ,this road was not so good as the others1 it had been gullied by the recent heavy rains1 and sand and gravel lay about4 ,but then is there not even a pleasure in effort8 8,you will get used to it10 said ,marie to ,pierre2 8it's amusing to overcome obstacles4 ,for my part ,i don't like roads which are invariably smooth4 ,a little ascent which does not try one's limbs too much rouses and inspirits one4 ,and it is so agreeable to find oneself strong1 and able to go on and on in spite of rain1 or wind1 or hills40 ,her bright humour and courage quite charmed ,pierre4 8,and so10 said he1 8we are off for a journey round ,france80 8,no1 no1 we've arrived4 ,you won't dislike a little rest1 eh8 ,and now1 tell me1 wasn't it worth our while to come on here and rest in such a nice fresh1 quiet spot40 ,she nimbly sprang off her machine and1 bidding him follow her1 turned into a path1 along which she went some fifty paces4 ,they placed their bicycles against some trees1 and then found themselves in a little clearing1 the most exquisite1 leafy nest that one could dream of4 ,the forest here assumed an aspect of secluded sovereign beauty4 ,the springtide had endowed it with youth1 the foliage was light and virginal1 like delicate green lace flecked with gold by the sun-rays4 ,and from the herbage and the surrounding thickets arose a breath of life1 laden with all the powerful aroma of the earth4 8,it's not too warm as yet1 fortunately10 exclaimed ,marie1 as she seated herself at the foot of a young oak-tree1 against which she leant4 8,in ,july ladies get rather red by the time they reach this spot1 and all the powder comes off their faces4 ,however1 one can't always be beautiful40 8,well1 ,i'm not cold by any means10 replied ,pierre1 as he sat at her feet wiping his forehead4 ,she laughed1 and answered that she had never before seen him with such a colour4 ,then they began to talk like children1 like two young friends1 finding a source of gaiety in the most puerile things4 ,she was somewhat anxious about his health1 however1 and would not allow him to remain in the cool shade1 as he felt so very warm4 ,in order to tranquillise her1 he had to change his place and seat himself with his back to the sun4 ,then a little later he saved her from a large black spider1 which had caught itself in the wavy hair on the nape of her neck4 ,at this all her womanly nature reappeared1 and she shrieked with terror4 8,how stupid it was to be afraid of a spider60 she exclaimed a moment afterwards2 yet1 in spite of her efforts to master herself1 she remained pale and trembling4 ,silence at last fell between them1 and they looked at one another with a smile4 ,in the midst of that delicate greenery they felt drawn together by frank affection--the affection of brother and sister1 so it seemed to them4 ,it made ,marie very happy to think that she had taken an interest in ,pierre1 and that his return to health was largely her own work4 ,however1 their eyes never fell1 their hands never met1 even as they sat there toying with the grass1 for they were as pure1 as unconscious of all evil1 as were the lofty oaks around them4 ,at last ,marie noticed that time was flying4 8,you know that they expect us back to lunch10 she exclaimed4 8,we ought to be off40 ,thereupon they rose1 wheeled their bicycles back to the highway1 and starting off again at a good pace passed the ,loges and reached ,saint-,germain by the fine avenue which conducts to the chteau4 ,it charmed them to take their course again side by side1 like birds of equal flight4 ,their little bells jingled1 their chains rustled lightly1 and a fresh breeze swept past them as they resumed their talk1 quite at ease1 and so linked together by friendship that they seemed far removed from all the rest of the world4 ,they took the train from ,saint-,germain to ,paris1 and on the journey ,pierre suddenly noticed that ,marie's cheeks were purpling4 ,there were two ladies with them in the compartment4 8,ah60 said he1 8so you feel warm in your turn now80 ,but she protested the contrary1 her face glowing more and more brightly as she spoke1 as if some sudden feeling of shame quite upset her4 8,no1 ,i'm not warm10 said she2 8just feel my hands4444 ,but how ridiculous it is to blush like this without any reason for it60 ,he understood her4 ,this was one of those involuntary blushing fits which so distressed her1 and which1 as ,mre-,grand had remarked1 brought her heart to her very cheeks4 ,there was no cause for it1 as she herself said4 ,after slumbering in all innocence in the solitude of the forest her heart had begun to beat1 despite herself4 ,meantime1 over yonder at ,montmartre1 ,guillaume had spent his morning in preparing some of that mysterious powder1 the cartridges of which he concealed upstairs in ,mre-,grand's bedroom4 ,great danger attended this manufacture4 ,the slightest forgetfulness while he was manipulating the ingredients1 any delay1 too1 in turning off a tap1 might lead to a terrible explosion1 which would annihilate the building and all who might be in it4 ,for this reason he preferred to work when he was alone1 so that on the one hand there might be no danger for others1 and on the other less likelihood of his own attention being diverted from his task4 ,that morning1 as it happened1 his three sons were working in the room1 and ,mre-,grand sat sewing near the furnace4 ,truth to tell1 she did not count1 for she scarcely ever left her place1 feeling quite at ease there1 however great might be the peril4 ,indeed1 she had become so well acquainted with the various phases of ,guillaume's delicate operations1 and their terrible possibilities1 that she would occasionally give him a helping hand4 ,that morning1 as she sat there mending some house linen1--her eyesight still being so keen that in spite of her seventy years she wore no spectacles1--she now and again glanced at ,guillaume as if to make sure that he forgot nothing4 ,then feeling satisfied1 she would once more bend over her work4 ,she remained very strong and active4 ,her hair was only just turning white1 and she had kept all her teeth1 while her face still looked refined1 though it was slowly withering with age and had acquired an expression of some severity4 ,as a rule she was a woman of few words2 her life was one of activity and good management4 ,when she opened her lips it was usually to give advice1 to counsel reason1 energy and courage4 ,for some time past she had been growing more taciturn than ever1 as if all her attention were claimed by the household matters which were in her sole charge2 still1 her fine eyes would rest thoughtfully on those about her1 on the three young men1 and on ,guillaume1 ,marie and ,pierre1 who all obeyed her as if she were their acknowledged queen4 ,if she looked at them in that pensive way1 was it that she foresaw certain changes1 and noticed certain incidents of which the others remained unconscious8 ,perhaps so4 ,at all events she became even graver1 and more attentive than in the past4 ,it was as if she were waiting for some hour to strike when all her wisdom and authority would be required4 8,be careful1 ,guillaume10 she at last remarked1 as she once more looked up from her sewing4 8,you seem absent-minded this morning4 ,is anything worrying you80 ,he glanced at her with a smile4 8,no1 nothing1 ,i assure you10 he replied4 8,but ,i was thinking of our dear ,marie1 who was so glad to go off to the forest in this bright sunshine40 ,antoine1 who heard the remark1 raised his head1 while his brothers remained absorbed in their work4 8,what a pity it is that ,i had this block to finish10 said he2 8,i would willingly have gone with her40 8,oh1 no matter10 his father quietly rejoined4 8,pierre is with her1 and he is very cautious40 ,for another moment ,mre-,grand continued scrutinising ,guillaume2 then she once more reverted to her sewing4 ,if she exercised such sway over the home and all its inmates1 it was by reason of her long devotion1 her intelligence1 and the kindliness with which she ruled4 ,uninfluenced by any religious faith1 and disregarding all social conventionalities1 her guiding principle in everything was the theory of human justice which she had arrived at after suffering so grievously from the injustice that had killed her husband4 ,she put her views into practice with wonderful courage1 knowing nothing of any prejudices1 but accomplishing her duty1 such as she understood it1 to the very end4 ,and in the same way as she had first devoted herself to her husband1 and next to her daughter ,marguerite1 so at present she devoted herself to ,guillaume and his sons4 ,pierre1 whom she had first studied with some anxiety1 had now1 too1 become a member of her family1 a dweller in the little realm of happiness which she ruled4 ,she had doubtless found him worthy of admission into it1 though she did not reveal the reason why4 ,after days and days of silence she had simply said1 one evening1 to ,guillaume1 that he had done well in bringing his brother to live among them4 ,time flew by as she sat sewing and thinking4 ,towards noon ,guillaume1 who was still at work1 suddenly remarked to her3 8,as ,marie and ,pierre haven't come back1 we had better let the lunch wait a little while4 ,besides1 ,i should like to finish what ,i'm about40 ,another quarter of an hour then elapsed4 ,finally1 the three young men rose from their work1 and went to wash their hands at a tap in the garden4 8,marie is very late10 now remarked ,mre-,grand4 8,we must hope that nothing has happened to her40 8,oh6 she rides so well10 replied ,guillaume4 8,i'm more anxious on account of ,pierre40 ,at this the old lady again fixed her eyes on him1 and said3 8,but ,marie will have guided ,pierre2 they already ride very well together40 8,no doubt2 still ,i should be better pleased if they were back home40 ,then all at once1 fancying that he heard the ring of a bicycle bell1 he called out3 8,there they are60 ,and forgetting everything else in his satisfaction1 he quitted his furnace and hastened into the garden in order to meet them4 ,mre-,grand1 left to herself1 quietly continued sewing1 without a thought that the manufacture of ,guillaume's powder was drawing to an end in an apparatus near her4 ,a couple of minutes later1 however1 when ,guillaume came back1 saying that he had made a mistake1 his eyes suddenly rested on his furnace1 and he turned quite livid4 ,brief as had been his absence the exact moment when it was necessary to turn off a tap in order that no danger might attend the preparation of his powder had already gone by2 and now1 unless someone should dare to approach that terrible tap1 and boldly turn it1 a fearful explosion might take place4 ,doubtless it was too late already1 and whoever might have the bravery to attempt the feat would be blown to pieces4 ,guillaume himself had often run a similar risk of death with perfect composure4 ,but on this occasion he remained as if rooted to the floor1 unable to take a step1 paralysed by the dread of annihilation4 ,he shuddered and stammered in momentary expectation of a catastrophe which would hurl the work-shop to the heavens4 8,mre-,grand1 ,mre-,grand10 he stammered4 8,the apparatus1 the tap444 it is all over1 all over60 ,the old woman had raised her head without as yet understanding him4 8,eh1 what80 said she2 8what is the matter with you80 ,then1 on seeing how distorted were his features1 how he recoiled as if mad with terror1 she glanced at the furnace and realised the danger4 8,well1 but it's simple enough10 said she2 8it's only necessary to turn off the tap1 eh80 ,thereupon1 without any semblance of haste1 in the most easy and natural manner possible1 she deposited her needlework on a little table1 rose from her chair1 and turned off the tap with a light but firm hand4 8,there6 it's done10 said she4 8,but why didn't you do it yourself1 my friend80 ,he had watched her in bewilderment1 chilled to the bones1 as if touched by the hand of death4 ,and when some colour at last returned to his cheeks1 and he found himself still alive in front of the apparatus whence no harm could now come1 he heaved a deep sigh and again shuddered4 8,why did ,i not turn it off80 he repeated4 8,it was because ,i felt afraid40 ,at that very moment ,marie and ,pierre came into the work-shop all chatter and laughter1 delighted with their excursion1 and bringing with them the bright joyousness of the sunlight4 ,the three brothers1 ,thomas1 ,francis and ,antoine1 were jesting with them1 and trying to make them confess that ,pierre had at least fought a battle with a cow on the high road1 and ridden into a cornfield4 ,all at once1 however1 they became quite anxious1 for they noticed that their father looked terribly upset4 8,my lads10 said he1 8,i've just been a coward4 ,ah6 it's a curious feeling1 ,i had never experienced it before40 ,thereupon he recounted his fears of an accident1 and how quietly ,mre-,grand had saved them all from certain death4 ,she waved her hand1 however1 as if to say that there was nothing particularly heroic in turning off a tap4 ,the young men's eyes nevertheless filled with tears1 and one after the other they went to kiss her with a fervour instinct with all the gratitude and worship they felt for her4 ,she had been devoting herself to them ever since their infancy1 she had now just given them a new lease of life4 ,marie also threw herself into her arms1 kissing her with gratitude and emotion4 ,mre-,grand herself was the only one who did not shed tears4 ,she strove to calm them1 begging them to exaggerate nothing and to remain sensible4 8,well1 you must at all events let me kiss you as the others have done10 ,guillaume said to her1 as he recovered his self-possession4 8,i at least owe you that4 ,and ,pierre1 too1 shall kiss you1 for you are now as good for him as you have always been for us40 ,at table1 when it was at last possible for them to lunch1 he reverted to that attack of fear which had left him both surprised and ashamed4 ,he who for years had never once thought of death had for some time past found ideas of caution in his mind4 ,on two occasions recently he had shuddered at the possibility of a catastrophe4 ,how was it that a longing for life had come to him in his decline8 ,why was it that he now wished to live8 ,at last with a touch of tender affection in his gaiety1 he remarked3 8,do you know1 ,marie1 ,i think it is my thoughts of you that make me a coward4 ,if ,i've lost my bravery it's because ,i risk something precious when any danger arises4 ,happiness has been entrusted to my charge4 ,just now when ,i fancied that we were all going to die1 ,i thought ,i could see you1 and my fear of losing you froze and paralysed me40 ,marie indulged in a pretty laugh4 ,allusions to her coming marriage were seldom made2 however1 she invariably greeted them with an air of happy affection4 8,another six weeks60 she simply said4 ,thereupon ,mre-,grand1 who had been looking at them1 turned her eyes towards ,pierre4 ,he1 however1 like the others was listening with a smile4 8,that's true10 said the old lady1 8you are to be married in six weeks' time4 ,so ,i did right to prevent the house from being blown up40 ,at this the young men made merry2 and the repast came to an end in very joyous fashion4 ,during the afternoon1 however1 ,pierre's heart gradually grew heavy4 ,marie's words constantly returned to him3 8,another six weeks60 ,yes1 it was indeed true1 she would then be married4 ,but it seemed to him that he had never previously known it1 never for a moment thought of it4 ,and later on1 in the evening1 when he was alone in his room at ,neuilly1 his heart-pain became intolerable4 ,those words tortured him4 ,why was it that they had not caused him any suffering when they were spoken1 why had he greeted them with a smile8 ,and why had such cruel anguish slowly followed8 ,all at once an idea sprang up in his mind1 and became an overwhelming certainty4 ,he loved ,marie1 he loved her as a lover1 with a love so intense that he might die from it4 ,with this sudden consciousness of his passion everything became clear and plain4 ,he had been going perforce towards that love ever since he had first met ,marie4 ,the emotion into which the young woman had originally thrown him had seemed to him a feeling of repulsion1 but afterwards he had been slowly conquered1 all his torments and struggles ending in this love for her4 ,it was indeed through her that he had at last found quietude4 ,and the delightful morning which he had spent with her that day1 appeared to him like a betrothal morning1 in the depths of the happy forest4 ,nature had resumed her sway over him1 delivered him from his sufferings1 made him strong and healthy once more1 and given him to the woman he adored4 ,the quiver he had experienced1 the happiness he had felt1 his communion with the trees1 the heavens1 and every living creature--all those things which he had been unable to explain1 now acquired a clear meaning which transported him4 ,in ,marie alone lay his cure1 his hope1 his conviction that he would be born anew and at last find happiness4 ,in her company he had already forgotten all those distressing problems which had formerly haunted him and bowed him down4 ,for a week past he had not once thought of death1 which had so long been the companion of his every hour4 ,all the conflict of faith and doubt1 the distress roused by the idea of nihility1 the anger he had felt at the unjust sufferings of mankind1 had been swept away by her fresh cool hands4 ,she was so healthy herself1 so glad to live1 that she had imparted a taste for life even to him4 ,yes1 it was simply that3 she was making him a man1 a worker1 a lover once more4 ,then he suddenly remembered ,abb ,rose and his painful conversation with that saintly man4 ,the old priest1 whose heart was so ingenuous1 and who knew nothing of love and passion1 was nevertheless the only one who had understood the truth4 ,he had told ,pierre that he was changed1 that there was another man in him4 ,and he1 ,pierre1 had foolishly and stubbornly declared that he was the same as he had always been2 whereas ,marie had already transformed him1 bringing all nature back to his breast--all nature1 with its sunlit countrysides1 its fructifying breezes1 and its vast heavens1 whose glow ripens its crops4 ,that indeed was why he had felt so exasperated with ,catholicism1 that religion of death2 that was why he had shouted that the ,gospel was useless1 and that the world awaited another law--a law of terrestrial happiness1 human justice and living love and fruitfulness6 ,ah1 but ,guillaume8 ,then a vision of his brother rose before ,pierre1 that brother who loved him so fondly1 and who had carried him to his home of toil1 quietude and affection1 in order to cure him of his sufferings4 ,if he knew ,marie it was simply because ,guillaume had chosen that he should know her4 ,and again ,marie's words recurred to him3 8,another six weeks60 ,yes1 in six weeks his brother would marry the young woman4 ,this thought was like a stab in ,pierre's heart4 ,still1 he did not for one moment hesitate3 if he must die of his love1 he would die of it1 but none should ever know it1 he would conquer himself1 he would flee to the ends of the earth should he ever feel the faintest cowardice4 ,rather than bring a moment's pain to that brother who had striven to resuscitate him1 who was the artisan of the passion now consuming him1 who had given him his whole heart and all he had--he would condemn himself to perpetual torture4 ,and indeed1 torture was coming back2 for in losing ,marie he could but sink into the distress born of the consciousness of his nothingness4 ,as he lay in bed1 unable to sleep1 he already experienced a return of his abominable torments--the negation of everything1 the feeling that everything was useless1 that the world had no significance1 and that life was only worthy of being cursed and denied4 ,and then the shudder born of the thought of death returned to him4 ,ah6 to die1 to die without even having lived6 ,the struggle was a frightful one4 ,until daybreak he sobbed in martyrdom4 ,why had he taken off his cassock8 ,he had done so at a word from ,marie2 and now another word from her gave him the despairing idea of donning it once more4 ,one could not escape from so fast a prison4 ,that black gown still clung to his skin4 ,he fancied that he had divested himself of it1 and yet it was still weighing on his shoulders1 and his wisest course would be to bury himself in it for ever4 ,by donning it again he would at least wear mourning for his manhood4 ,all at once1 however1 a fresh thought upset him4 ,why should he struggle in that fashion8 ,marie did not love him4 ,there had been nothing between them to indicate that she cared for him otherwise than as a charming1 tender-hearted sister4 ,it was ,guillaume that she loved1 no doubt4 ,then he pressed his face to his pillow to stifle his sobs1 and once more swore that he would conquer himself and turn a smiling face upon their happiness4 ,,iv4 ,,trial ,,and ,,sentence ,,having returned to ,montmartre on the morrow ,pierre suffered so grievously that he did not show himself there on the two following days4 ,he preferred to remain at home where there was nobody to notice his feverishness4 ,on the third morning1 however1 whilst he was still in bed1 strengthless and full of despair1 he was both surprised and embarrassed by a visit from ,guillaume4 8,i must needs come to you10 said the latter1 8since you forsake us4 ,i've come to fetch you to attend ,salvat's trial1 which takes place to-day4 ,i had no end of trouble to secure two places4 ,come1 get up1 we'll have djeuner in town1 so as to reach the court early40 ,then1 while ,pierre was hastily dressing1 ,guillaume1 who on his side seemed thoughtful and worried that morning1 began to question him3 8,have you anything to reproach us with80 he asked4 8,no1 nothing4 ,what an idea60 was ,pierre's reply4 8,then why have you been staying away8 ,we had got into the habit of seeing you every day1 but all at once you disappear40 ,pierre vainly sought a falsehood1 and all his composure fled4 8,i had some work to do here10 said he1 8and then1 too1 my gloomy ideas cane back to me1 and ,i didn't want to go and sadden you all40 ,at this ,guillaume hastily waved his hand4 8,if you fancy that your absence enlivens us you're mistaken10 he replied4 8,marie1 who is usually so well and happy1 had such a bad headache on the day before yesterday that she was obliged to keep her room4 ,and she was ill at ease and nervous and silent again yesterday4 ,we spent a very unpleasant day40 ,as he spoke ,guillaume looked ,pierre well in the face1 his frank loyal eyes clearly revealing the suspicions which had come to him1 but which he would not express in words4 ,pierre1 quite dismayed by the news of ,marie's indisposition1 and frightened by the idea of betraying his secret1 thereupon managed to tell a lie4 8,yes1 she wasn't very well on the day when we went cycling10 he quietly responded4 8,but ,i assure you that ,i have had a lot to do here4 ,when you came in just now ,i was about to get up and go to your house as usual40 ,guillaume kept his eyes on him for a moment longer4 ,then1 either believing him or deciding to postpone his search for the truth to some future time1 he began speaking affectionately on other subjects4 ,with his keen brotherly love1 however1 there was blended such a quiver of impending distress1 of unconfessed sorrow1 which possibly he did not yet realise1 that ,pierre in his turn began to question him4 8,and you10 said he1 8are you ill8 ,you seem to me to have lost your usual serenity40 8,i8 ,oh6 ,i'm not ill4 ,only ,i can't very well retain my composure2 ,salvat's affair distresses me exceedingly1 as you must know4 ,they will all end by driving me mad with the monstrous injustice they show towards that unhappy fellow40 ,thenceforward ,guillaume went on talking of ,salvat in a stubborn passionate way1 as if he wished to find an explanation of all his pain and unrest in that affair4 ,while he and ,pierre were partaking of djeuner at a little restaurant on the ,boulevard du ,palais he related how deeply touched he was by the silence which ,salvat had preserved with regard both to the nature of the explosive employed in the bomb and the few days' work which he had once done at his house4 ,it was1 thanks to this silence1 that he1 ,guillaume1 had not been worried or even summoned as a witness4 ,then1 in his emotion1 he reverted to his invention1 that formidable engine which would ensure omnipotence to ,france1 as the great initiatory and liberative power of the world4 ,the results of the researches which had occupied him for ten years past were now out of danger and in all readiness1 so that if occasion required they might at once be delivered to the ,french government4 ,and1 apart from certain scruples which came to him at the thought of the unworthiness of ,french financial and political society2 he was simply delaying any further steps in the matter until his marriage with ,marie1 in order that he might associate her with the gift of universal peace which he imagined he was about to bestow upon the world4 ,it was through ,bertheroy and with great difficulty that ,guillaume had managed to secure two seats in court for ,salvat's trial4 ,when he and ,pierre presented themselves for admission at eleven o'clock1 they fancied that they would never be able to enter4 ,the large gates of the ,palace of ,justice were kept closed1 several passages were fenced off1 and terror seemed to reign in the deserted building1 as if indeed the judges feared some sudden invasion of bomb-laden ,anarchists4 ,each door and barrier1 too1 was guarded by soldiers1 with whom the brothers had to parley4 ,when they at last entered the ,assize ,court they found it already crowded with people1 who were apparently quite willing to suffocate there for an hour before the arrival of the judges1 and to remain motionless for some seven or eight hours afterwards1 since it was reported that the authorities wished to get the case over in a single sitting4 ,in the small space allotted to the standing public there was a serried mass of sightseers who had come up from the streets1 a few companions and friends of ,salvat having managed to slip in among them4 ,in the other compartment1 where witnesses are generally huddled together on oak benches1 were those spectators who had been allowed admittance by favour1 and these were so numerous and so closely packed that here and there they almost sat upon one another's knees4 ,then1 in the well of the court and behind the bench1 were rows of chairs set out as for some theatrical performance1 and occupied by privileged members of society1 politicians1 leading journalists1 and ladies4 ,and meantime a number of gowned advocates sought refuge wherever chance offered1 crowding into every vacant spot1 every available corner4 ,pierre had never before visited the ,assize ,court1 and its appearance surprised him4 ,he had expected much pomp and majesty1 whereas this temple of human justice seemed to him small and dismal and of doubtful cleanliness4 ,the bench was so low that he could scarcely see the armchairs of the presiding judge and his two assessors4 ,then he was struck by the profusion of old oak panels1 balustrades and benches1 which helped to darken the apartment1 whose wall hangings were of olive green1 while a further display of oak panelling appeared on the ceiling above4 ,from the seven narrow and high-set windows with scanty little white curtains there fell a pale light which sharply divided the court4 ,on one hand one saw the dock and the defending counsel's seat steeped in frigid light1 while1 on the other1 was the little1 isolated jury box in the shade4 ,this contrast seemed symbolical of justice1 impersonal and uncertain1 face to face with the accused1 whom the light stripped bare1 probed as it were to his very soul4 ,then1 through a kind of grey mist above the bench1 in the depths of the stern and gloomy scene1 one could vaguely distinguish the heavy painting of 8,christ ,crucified40 ,a white bust of the ,republic alone showed forth clearly against the dark wall above the dock where ,salvat would presently appear4 ,the only remaining seats that ,guillaume and ,pierre could find were on the last bench of the witnesses' compartment1 against the partition which separated the latter from the space allotted to the standing public4 ,just as ,guillaume was seating himself1 he saw among the latter little ,victor ,mathis1 who stood there with his elbows leaning on the partition1 while his chin rested on his crossed hands4 ,the young man's eyes were glowing in his pale face with thin1 compressed lips4 ,although they recognised one another1 ,victor did not move1 and ,guillaume on his side understood that it was not safe to exchange greetings in such a place4 ,from that moment1 however1 he remained conscious that ,victor was there1 just above him1 never stirring1 but waiting silently1 fiercely and with flaming eyes1 for what was going to happen4 ,pierre1 meantime1 had recognised that most amiable deputy ,duthil1 and little ,princess ,rosemonde1 seated just in front of him4 ,amidst the hubbub of the throng which chatted and laughed to while away the time1 their voices were the gayest to be heard1 and plainly showed how delighted they were to find themselves at a spectacle to which so many desired admittance4 ,duthil was explaining all the arrangements to ,rosemonde1 telling her to whom or to what purpose each bench and wooden box was allotted3 there was the jury-box1 the prisoner's dock1 the seats assigned to counsel for the defence1 the public prosecutor1 and the clerk of the court1 without forgetting the table on which material evidence was deposited and the bar to which witnesses were summoned4 ,there was nobody as yet in any of these places2 one merely saw an attendant giving a last look round1 and advocates passing rapidly4 ,one might indeed have thought oneself in a theatre1 the stage of which remained deserted1 while the spectators crowded the auditorium waiting for the play to begin4 ,to fill up the interval the little ,princess ended by looking about her for persons of her acquaintance among the close-pressed crowd of sight-seers whose eager faces were already reddening4 8,oh6 isn't that ,monsieur ,fonsgue over there behind the bench1 near that stout lady in yellow80 she exclaimed4 8,our friend ,general de ,bozonnet is on the other side1 ,i see4 ,but isn't ,baron ,duvillard here80 8,oh6 no10 replied ,duthil2 8he could hardly come2 it would look as if he were here to ask for vengeance40 ,then1 in his turn questioning ,rosemonde1 the deputy went on3 8,do you happen to have quarrelled with your handsome friend ,hyacinthe8 ,is that the reason why you've given me the pleasure of acting as your escort to-day80 ,with a slight shrug of her shoulders1 the ,princess replied that poets were beginning to bore her4 ,a fresh caprice1 indeed1 was drawing her into politics4 ,for a week past she had found amusement in the surroundings of the ministerial crisis1 into which the young deputy for ,angoulme had initiated her4 8,they are all a little bit crazy at the ,duvillards'1 my dear fellow10 said she4 8,it's decided1 you know1 that ,grard is to marry ,camille4 ,the ,baroness has resigned herself to it1 and ,i've heard from a most reliable quarter that ,madame de ,quinsac1 the young man's mother1 has given her consent40 ,at this ,duthil became quite merry4 ,he also seemed to be well informed on the subject4 8,yes1 yes1 ,i know10 said he4 8,the wedding is to take place shortly1 at the ,madeleine4 ,it will be a magnificent affair1 no doubt4 ,and after all1 what would you have8 ,there couldn't be a better finish to the affair4 ,the ,baroness is really kindness personified1 and ,i said all along that she would sacrifice herself in order to ensure the happiness of her daughter and ,grard4 ,in point of fact that marriage will settle everything1 put everything in proper order again40 8,and what does the ,baron say80 asked ,rosemonde4 8,the ,baron8 ,why1 he's delighted10 replied ,duthil in a bantering way4 8,you read no doubt this morning that ,dauvergne is given the department of ,public ,instruction in the new ,ministry4 ,this means that ,silviane's engagement at the ,comdie is a certainty4 ,dauvergne was chosen simply on that account40 ,at this moment the conversation was interrupted by little ,massot1 who1 after a dispute with one of the ushers some distance away1 had perceived a vacant place by the side of the ,princess4 ,he thereupon made her a questioning sign1 and she beckoned to him to approach4 8,ah60 said he1 as he installed himself beside her1 8,i have not got here without trouble4 ,one's crushed to death on the press bench1 and ,i've an article to write4 ,you are the kindest of women1 ,princess1 to make a little room for your faithful admirer1 myself40 ,then1 after shaking hands with ,duthil1 he continued without any transition3 8,and so there's a new ministry at last1 ,monsieur le ,dput4 ,you have all taken your time about it1 but it's really a very fine ministry1 which everybody regards with surprise and admiration40 ,the decrees appointing the new ministers had appeared in the 8,journal ,officiel0 that very morning4 ,after a long deadlock1 after ,vignon had for the second time seen his plans fail through ever-recurring obstacles1 ,monferrand1 as a last resource1 had suddenly been summoned to the ,elyse1 and in four-and-twenty hours he had found the colleagues he wanted and secured the acceptance of his list1 in such wise that he now triumphantly re-ascended to power after falling from it with ,barroux in such wretched fashion4 ,he had also chosen a new post for himself1 relinquishing the department of the ,interior for that of ,finances1 with the ,presidency of the ,council1 which had long been his secret ambition4 ,his stealthy labour1 the masterly fashion in which he had saved himself while others sank1 now appeared in its full beauty4 ,first had come ,salvat's arrest1 and the use he had made of it1 then the wonderful subterranean campaign which he had carried on against ,vignon1 the thousand obstacles which he had twice set across his path1 and finally the sudden dnouement with that list he held in readiness1 that formation of a ministry in a single day as soon as his services were solicited4 8,it is fine work1 ,i must compliment you on it10 added little ,massot by way of a jest4 8,but ,i've had nothing to do with it10 ,duthil modestly replied4 8,nothing to do with it6 ,oh6 yes you have1 my dear sir1 everybody says so40 ,the deputy felt flattered and smiled1 while the other rattled on with his insinuations1 which were put in such a humorous way that nothing he said could be resented4 ,he talked of ,monferrand's followers who had so powerfully helped him on to victory4 ,how heartily had ,fonsgue finished off his old friend ,barroux in the 8,globe06 ,every morning for a month past the paper had published an article belabouring ,barroux1 annihilating ,vignon1 and preparing the public for the return of a saviour of society who was not named4 ,then1 too1 ,duvillard's millions had waged a secret warfare1 all the ,baron's numerous creatures had fought like an army for the good cause4 ,duthil himself had played the pipe and beaten the drum1 while ,chaigneux resigned himself to the baser duties which others would not undertake4 ,and so the triumphant ,monferrand would certainly begin by stifling that scandalous and embarrassing affair of the ,african ,railways1 and appointing a ,committee of ,inquiry to bury it4 ,by this time ,duthil had assumed an important air4 8,well1 my dear fellow10 said he1 8at serious moments when society is in peril1 certain strong-handed men1 real men of government1 become absolutely necessary4 ,monferrand had no need of our friendship1 his presence in office was imperiously required by the situation4 ,his hand is the only one that can save us60 8,i know10 replied ,massot scoffingly4 8,i've even been told that if everything was settled straight off so that the decrees might be published this morning1 it was in order to instil confidence into the judges and jurymen here1 in such wise that knowing ,monferrand's fist to be behind them they would have the courage to pronounce sentence of death this evening40 8,well1 public safety requires a sentence of death1 and those who have to ensure that safety must not be left ignorant of the fact that the government is with them1 and will know how to protect them1 if need be40 ,at this moment a merry laugh from the ,princess broke in upon the conversation4 8,oh6 just look over there60 said she2 8isn't that ,silviane who has just sat down beside ,monsieur ,fonsgue80 8,the ,silviane ministry60 muttered ,massot in a jesting way4 8,well1 there will be no boredom at ,dauvergne's if he ingratiates himself with actresses40 ,guillaume and ,pierre heard this chatter1 however little they cared to listen to it4 ,such a deluge of society tittle-tattle and political indiscretion brought the former a keen heart-pang4 ,so ,salvat was sentenced to death even before he had appeared in court4 ,he was to pay for the transgressions of one and all1 his crime was simply a favourable opportunity for the triumph of a band of ambitious people bent on power and enjoyment6 ,ah6 what terrible social rottenness there was in it all2 money corrupting one and another1 families sinking to filth1 politics turned into a mere treacherous struggle between individuals1 and power becoming the prey of the crafty and the impudent6 ,must not everything surely crumble8 ,was not this solemn assize of human justice a derisive parody1 since all that one found there was an assembly of happy and privileged people defending the shaky edifice which sheltered them1 and making use of all the forces they yet retained1 to crush a fly--that unhappy devil of uncertain sanity who had been led to that court by his violent and cloudy dream of another1 superior and avenging justice8 ,such were ,guillaume's thoughts1 when all at once everybody around him started4 ,noon was now striking1 and the jurymen trooped into court in straggling fashion and took their seats in their box4 ,among them one saw fat fellows clad in their ,sunday best and with the faces of simpletons1 and thin fellows who had bright eyes and sly expressions4 ,some of them were bearded and some were bald4 ,however1 they all remained rather indistinct1 as their side of the court was steeped in shade4 ,after them came the judges1 headed by ,m4 de ,larombire1 one of the ,vice-,presidents of the ,appeal ,court1 who in assuming the perilous honour of conducting the trial had sought to increase the majesty of his long1 slender1 white face1 which looked the more austere as both his assessors1 one dark and the other fair1 had highly coloured countenances4 ,the public prosecutor's seat was already occupied by one of the most skilful of the advocates-general1 ,m4 ,lehmann1 a broad-shouldered ,alsatian ,israelite1 with cunning eyes1 whose presence showed that the case was deemed exceptionally important4 ,at last1 amidst the heavy tread of gendarmes1 ,salvat was brought in1 at once rousing such ardent curiosity that all the spectators rose to look at him4 ,he still wore the cap and loose overcoat procured for him by ,victor ,mathis1 and everybody was surprised to see his emaciated1 sorrowful1 gentle face1 crowned by scanty reddish hair1 which was turning grey4 ,his soft1 glowing1 dreamy blue eyes glanced around1 and he smiled at someone whom he recognised1 probably ,victor1 but perhaps ,guillaume4 ,after that he remained quite motionless4 ,the presiding judge waited for silence to fall1 and then came the formalities which attend the opening of a court of law1 followed by the perusal of the lengthy indictment1 which a subordinate official read in a shrill voice4 ,the scene had now changed1 and the spectators listened wearily and somewhat impatiently1 as1 for weeks past1 the newspapers had related all that the indictment set forth4 ,at present not a corner of the court remained unoccupied1 there was scarcely space enough for the witnesses to stand in front of the bench4 ,the closely packed throng was one of divers hues1 the light gowns of ladies alternating with the black gowns of advocates1 while the red robes of the judges disappeared from view1 the bench being so low that the presiding judge's long face scarcely rose above the sea of heads4 ,many of those present became interested in the jurors1 and strove to scrutinise their shadowy countenances4 ,others1 who did not take their eyes off the prisoner1 marvelled at his apparent weariness and indifference1 which were so great that he scarcely answered the whispered questions of his counsel1 a young advocate with a wide-awake look1 who was nervously awaiting the opportunity to achieve fame4 ,most curiosity1 however1 centred in the table set apart for the material evidence4 ,here were to be seen all sorts of fragments1 some of the woodwork torn away from the carriage-door of the ,duvillard mansion1 some plaster that had fallen from the ceiling1 a paving-stone which the violence of the explosion had split in halves1 and other blackened remnants4 ,the more moving sights1 however1 were the milliner's bonnet-box1 which had remained uninjured1 and a glass jar in which something white and vague was preserved in spirits of wine4 ,this was one of the poor errand girl's little hands1 which had been severed at the wrist4 ,the authorities had been unable to place her poor ripped body on the table1 and so they had brought that hand6 ,at last ,salvat rose1 and the presiding judge began to interrogate him4 ,the contrast in the aspect of the court then acquired tragic force3 in the shrouding shade upon one hand were the jurors1 their minds already made up beneath the pressure of public terror1 while in the full1 vivid light on the other side was the prisoner1 alone and woeful1 charged with all the crimes of his race4 ,four gendarmes watched over him4 ,he was addressed by ,m4 de ,larombire in a tone of contempt and disgust4 ,the judge was not deficient in rectitude2 he was indeed one of the last representatives of the old1 scrupulous1 upright ,french magistracy2 but he understood nothing of the new times1 and he treated prisoners with the severity of a ,biblical ,jehovah4 ,moreover1 the infirmity which was the worry of his life1 the childish lisp which1 in his opinion1 had alone prevented him from shining as a public prosecutor1 made him ferociously ill-tempered1 incapable of any intelligent indulgence4 ,there were smiles1 which he divined1 as soon as he raised his sharp1 shrill little voice1 to ask his first questions4 ,that droll voice of his took away whatever majesty might have remained attached to these proceedings1 in which a man's life was being fought for in a hall full of inquisitive1 stifling and perspiring folks1 who fanned themselves and jested4 ,salvat answered the judge's earlier questions with his wonted weariness and politeness4 ,while the judge did everything to vilify him1 harshly reproaching him with his wretched childhood and youth1 magnifying every stain and every transgression in his career1 referring to the promiscuity of his life between ,madame ,thodore and little ,cline as something bestial1 he1 the prisoner1 quietly said yes or no1 like a man who has nothing to hide and accepts the full responsibility of his actions4 ,he had already made a complete confession of his crime1 and he calmly repeated it without changing a word4 ,he explained that if he had deposited his bomb at the entrance of the ,duvillard mansion it was to give his deed its true significance1 that of summoning the wealthy1 the money-mongers who had so scandalously enriched themselves by dint of theft and falsehood1 to restore that part of the common wealth which they had appropriated1 to the poor1 the working classes1 their children and their wives1 who perished of starvation4 ,it was only at this moment that he grew excited2 all the misery that he had endured or witnessed rose to his clouded1 semi-educated brain1 in which claims and theories and exasperated ideas of absolute justice and universal happiness had gathered confusedly4 ,and from that moment he appeared such as he really was1 a sentimentalist1 a dreamer transported by suffering1 proud and stubborn1 and bent on changing the world in accordance with his sectarian logic4 8,but you fled60 cried the judge in a voice such as would have befitted a grasshopper4 8,you must not say that you gave your life to your cause and were ready for martyrdom60 ,salvat's most poignant regret was that he had yielded in the ,bois de ,boulogne to the dismay and rage which come upon a tracked and hunted man and impel him to do all he can to escape capture4 ,and on being thus taunted by the judge he became quite angry4 8,i don't fear death1 you'll see that10 he replied4 8,if all had the same courage as ,i have1 your rotten society would be swept away to-morrow1 and happiness would at last dawn40 ,then the interrogatory dealt at great length with the composition and manufacture of the bomb4 ,the judge1 rightly enough1 pointed out that this was the only obscure point of the affair4 8,and so10 he remarked1 8you persist in saying that dynamite was the explosive you employed8 ,well1 you will presently hear the experts1 who1 it is true1 differ on certain points1 but are all of opinion that you employed some other explosive1 though they cannot say precisely what it was4 ,why not speak out on the point1 as you glory in saying everything80 ,salvat1 however1 had suddenly calmed down1 giving only cautious monosyllabic replies4 8,well1 seek for whatever you like if you don't believe me10 he now answered4 8,i made my bomb by myself1 and under circumstances which ,i've already related a score of times4 ,you surely don't expect me to reveal names and compromise comrades80 ,from this declaration he would not depart4 ,it was only towards the end of the interrogatory that irresistible emotion overcame him on the judge again referring to the unhappy victim of his crime1 the little errand girl1 so pretty and fair and gentle1 whom ferocious destiny had brought to the spot to meet such an awful death4 8,it was one of your own class whom you struck10 said ,m4 de ,larombire2 8your victim was a work girl1 a poor child who1 with the few pence she earned1 helped to support her aged grandmother40 ,salvat's voice became very husky as he answered3 8,that's really the only thing ,i regret4444 ,my bomb certainly wasn't meant for her2 and may all the workers1 all the starvelings1 remember that she gave her blood as ,i'm going to give mine60 ,in this wise the interrogatory ended amidst profound agitation4 ,pierre had felt ,guillaume shuddering beside him1 whilst the prisoner quietly and obstinately refused to say a word respecting the explosive that had been employed1 preferring as he did to assume full responsibility for the deed which was about to cost him his life4 ,moreover1 ,guillaume1 on turning round1 in compliance with an irresistible impulse1 had perceived ,victor ,mathis still motionless behind him3 his elbows ever leaning on the rail of the partition1 and his chin still resting on his hands1 whilst he listened with silent1 concentrated passion4 ,his face had become yet paler than before1 and his eyes glowed as with an avenging fire1 whose flames would never more be extinguished4 ,the interrogatory of the prisoner was followed by a brief commotion in court4 8,that ,salvat looks quite nice1 he has such soft eyes10 declared the ,princess1 whom the proceedings greatly amused4 8,oh6 don't speak ill of him1 my dear deputy4 ,you know that ,i have ,anarchist ideas myself40 8,i speak no ill of him10 gaily replied ,duthil4 8,nor has our friend ,amadieu any right to speak ill of him4 ,for you know that this affair has set ,amadieu on a pinnacle4 ,he was never before talked about to such an extent as he is now2 and he delights in being talked about1 you know6 ,he has become quite a social celebrity1 the most illustrious of our investigating magistrates1 and will soon be able to do or become whatever he pleases40 ,then ,massot1 with his sarcastic impudence1 summed up the situation4 8,when ,anarchism flourishes1 everything flourishes1 eh8 ,that bomb has helped on the affairs of a good many fine fellows that ,i know4 ,do you think that my governor ,fonsgue1 who's so attentive to ,silviane yonder1 complains of it8 ,and doesn't ,sagnier1 who's spreading himself out behind the presiding judge1 and whose proper place would be between the four gendarmes--doesn't he owe a debt to ,salvat for all the abominable advertisements he has been able to give his paper by using the wretched fellow's back as a big drum8 ,and ,i need not mention the politicians or the financiers or all those who fish in troubled waters40 8,but ,i say10 interrupted ,duthil1 8it seems to me that you yourself made good use of the affair4 ,your interview with the little girl ,cline brought you in a pot of money40 ,massot1 as it happened1 had been struck with the idea of ferreting out ,madame ,thodore and the child1 and of relating his visit to them in the 8,globe10 with an abundance of curious and touching particulars4 ,the article had met with prodigious success1 ,cline's pretty answers respecting her imprisoned father having such an effect on ladies with sensitive hearts that they had driven to ,montmartre in their carriages in order to see the two poor creatures4 ,thus alms had come to them from all sides2 and strangely enough the very people who demanded the father's head were the most eager to sympathise with the child4 8,well1 ,i don't complain of my little profits10 said the journalist in answer to ,duthil4 8,we all earn what we can1 you know40 ,at this moment ,rosemonde1 while glancing round her1 recognised ,guillaume and ,pierre1 but she was so amazed to see the latter in ordinary civilian garb that she did not dare to speak to him4 ,leaning forward she acquainted ,duthil and ,massot with her surprise1 and they both turned round to look4 ,from motives of discretion1 however1 they pretended that they did not recognise the ,froments4 ,the heat in court was now becoming quite unbearable1 and one lady had already fainted4 ,at last the presiding judge again raised his lisping voice1 and managed to restore silence4 ,salvat1 who had remained standing1 now held a few sheets of paper1 and with some difficulty he made the judge understand that he desired to complete his interrogatory by reading a declaration1 which he had drawn up in prison1 and in which he explained his reasons for his crime4 ,for a moment ,m4 de ,larombire hesitated1 all surprise and indignation at such a request2 but he was aware that he could not legally impose silence on the prisoner1 and so he signified his consent with a gesture of mingled irritation and disdain4 ,thereupon ,salvat began his perusal much after the fashion of a schoolboy1 hemming and hawing here and there1 occasionally becoming confused1 and then bringing out certain words with wonderful emphasis1 which evidently pleased him4 ,this declaration of his was the usual cry of suffering and revolt already raised by so many disinherited ones4 ,it referred to all the frightful want of the lower spheres2 the toiler unable to find a livelihood in his toil2 a whole class1 the most numerous and worthy of the classes1 dying of starvation2 whilst1 on the other hand1 were the privileged ones1 gorged with wealth1 and wallowing in satiety1 yet refusing to part with even the crumbs from their tables1 determined as they were to restore nothing whatever of the wealth which they had stolen4 ,and so it became necessary to take everything away from them1 to rouse them from their egotism by terrible warnings1 and to proclaim to them even with the crash of bombs that the day of justice had come4 ,the unhappy man spoke that word 8justice0 in a ringing voice which seemed to fill the whole court4 ,but the emotion of those who heard him reached its highest pitch when1 after declaring that he laid down his life for the cause1 and expected nothing but a verdict of death from the jury1 he added1 as if prophetically1 that his blood would assuredly give birth to other martyrs4 ,they might send him to the scaffold1 said he1 but he knew that his example would bear fruit4 ,after him would come another avenger1 and yet another1 and others still1 until the old and rotten social system should have crumbled away so as to make room for the society of justice and happiness of which he was one of the apostles4 ,the presiding judge1 in his impatience and agitation1 twice endeavoured to interrupt ,salvat4 ,but the other read on and on with the imperturbable conscientiousness of one who fears that he may not give proper utterance to his most important words4 ,he must have been thinking of that perusal ever since he had been in prison4 ,it was the decisive act of his suicide1 the act by which he proclaimed that he gave his life for the glory of dying in the cause of mankind4 ,and when he had finished he sat down between the gendarmes with glowing eyes and flushed cheeks1 as if he inwardly experienced some deep joy4 ,to destroy the effect which the declaration had produced--a commingling of fear and compassion--the judge at once wished to proceed with the hearing of the witnesses4 ,of these there was an interminable procession2 though little interest attached to their evidence1 for none of them had any revelations to make4 ,most attention perhaps was paid to the measured statements of ,grandidier1 who had been obliged to dismiss ,salvat from his employ on account of the ,anarchist propaganda he had carried on4 ,then the prisoner's brother-in-law1 ,toussaint1 the mechanician1 also seemed a very worthy fellow if one might judge him by the manner in which he strove to put things favourably for ,salvat1 without in any way departing from the truth4 ,after ,toussaint's evidence considerable time was taken up by the discussions between the experts1 who disagreed in public as much as they had disagreed in their reports4 ,although they were all of opinion that dynamite could not have been the explosive employed in the bomb1 they indulged in the most extraordinary and contradictory suppositions as to this explosive's real nature4 ,eventually a written opinion given by the illustrious savant ,bertheroy was read2 and this1 after clearly setting forth the known facts1 concluded that one found oneself in presence of a new explosive of prodigious power1 the formula of which he himself was unable to specify4 ,then detective ,mondsir and commissary ,dupot came in turn to relate the various phases of the man hunt in the ,bois de ,boulogne4 ,in ,mondsir centred all the gaiety of the proceedings1 thanks to the guardroom sallies with which he enlivened his narrative4 ,and in like way the greatest grief1 a perfect shudder of revolt and compassion1 was roused by the errand girl's grandmother1 a poor1 bent1 withered old woman1 whom the prosecution had cruelly constrained to attend the court1 and who wept and looked quite dismayed1 unable as she was to understand what was wanted of her4 ,when she had withdrawn1 the only remaining witnesses were those for the defence1 a procession of foremen and comrades1 who all declared that they had known ,salvat as a very worthy fellow1 an intelligent and zealous workman1 who did not drink1 but was extremely fond of his daughter1 and incapable of an act of dishonesty or cruelty4 ,it was already four o'clock when the evidence of the witnesses came to an end4 ,the atmosphere in court was now quite stifling1 feverish fatigue flushed every face1 and a kind of ruddy dust obscured the waning light which fell from the windows4 ,women were fanning themselves and men were mopping their foreheads4 ,however1 the passion roused by the scene still brought a glow of cruel delight to every eye4 ,and no one stirred4 8,ah60 sighed ,rosemonde all at once1 8to think that ,i hoped to drink a cup of tea at a friend's at five o'clock4 ,i shall die of thirst and starvation here40 8,we shall certainly be kept till seven10 replied ,massot4 8,i can't offer to go and fetch you a roll1 for ,i shouldn't be readmitted40 ,then ,duthil1 who had not ceased shrugging his shoulders while ,salvat read his declaration1 exclaimed3 8,what childish things he said1 didn't he8 ,and to think that the fool is going to die for all that6 ,rich and poor1 indeed6 ,why1 there will always be rich and poor4 ,and it's equally certain that when a man is poor his one great desire is to become rich4 ,if that fellow is in the dock to-day it's simply because he failed to make money40 ,while the others were thus conversing1 ,pierre for his part was feeling extremely anxious about his brother1 who sat beside him in silence1 pale and utterly upset4 ,pierre sought his hand and covertly pressed it4 ,then in a low voice he inquired3 8,do you feel ill8 ,shall we go away80 ,guillaume answered him by discreetly and affectionately returning his handshake4 ,he was all right1 he would remain till the end1 however much he might be stirred by exasperation4 ,it was now ,monsieur ,lehmann1 the public prosecutor1 who rose to address the court4 ,he had a large1 stern mouth1 and was squarely built1 with a stubborn ,jewish face4 ,nevertheless he was known to be a man of dexterous1 supple nature1 one who had a foot in every political camp1 and invariably contrived to be on good terms with the powers that were4 ,this explained his rapid rise in life1 and the constant favour he enjoyed4 ,in the very first words he spoke he alluded to the new ministry gazetted that morning1 referring pointedly to the strong-handed man who had undertaken the task of reassuring peaceable citizens and making evil-doers tremble4 ,then he fell upon the wretched ,salvat with extraordinary vehemence1 recounting the whole of his life1 and exhibiting him as a bandit expressly born for the perpetration of crime1 a monster who was bound to end by committing some abominable and cowardly outrage4 ,next he flagellated ,anarchism and its partisans4 ,the ,anarchists were a mere herd of vagabonds and thieves1 said he4 ,that had been shown by the recent robbery at the ,princess de ,harn's house4 ,the ignoble gang that had been arrested for that affair had given the apostles of the ,anarchist doctrine as their references6 ,and that was what the application of ,anarchist theories resulted in--burglary and filth1 pending a favourable hour for wholesale pillage and murder6 ,for nearly a couple of hours the public prosecutor continued in this fashion1 throwing truth and logic to the winds1 and exclusively striving to alarm his hearers4 ,he made all possible use of the terror which had reigned in ,paris1 and figuratively brandished the corpse of the poor little victim1 the pretty errand girl1 as if it were a blood-red flag1 before pointing to the pale hand1 preserved in spirits of wine1 with a gesture of compassionate horror which sent a shudder through his audience4 ,and he ended1 as he had begun1 by inspiriting the jurors1 and telling them that they might fearlessly do their duty now that those at the head of the ,state were firmly resolved to give no heed to threats4 ,then the young advocate entrusted with the defence in his turn spoke4 ,and he really said what there was to say with great clearness and precision4 ,he was of a different school from that of the public prosecutor3 his eloquence was very simple and smooth1 his only passion seemed to be zeal for truth4 ,moreover1 it was sufficient for him to show ,salvat's career in its proper light1 to depict him pursued by social fatalities since his childhood1 and to explain the final action of his career by all that he had suffered and all that had sprung up in his dreamy brain4 ,was not his crime the crime of one and all8 ,who was there that did not feel1 if only in a small degree1 responsible for that bomb which a penniless1 starving workman had deposited on the threshold of a wealthy man's abode--a wealthy man whose name bespoke the injustice of the social system3 so much enjoyment on the one hand and so much privation on the other6 ,if one of us happened to lose his head1 and felt impelled to hasten the advent of happiness by violence in such troublous times1 when so many burning problems claimed solution1 ought he to be deprived of his life in the name of justice1 when none could swear that they had not in some measure contributed to his madness8 ,following up this question1 ,salvat's counsel dwelt at length on the period that witnessed the crime1 a period of so many scandals and collapses1 when the old world was giving birth to a new one amidst the most terrible struggles and pangs4 ,and he concluded by begging the jury to show themselves humane1 to resist all passion and terror1 and to pacify the rival classes by a wise verdict1 instead of prolonging social warfare by giving the starvelings yet another martyr to avenge4 ,it was past six o'clock when ,m4 de ,larombire began to sum up in a partial and flowery fashion1 in which one detected how grieved and angry he was at having such a shrill little voice4 ,then the judges and the jurors withdrew1 and the prisoner was led away1 leaving the spectators waiting amidst an uproar of feverish impatience4 ,some more ladies had fainted1 and it had even been necessary to carry out a gentleman who had been overcome by the cruel heat4 ,however1 the others stubbornly remained there1 not one of them quitting his place4 8,ah6 it won't take long now10 said ,massot4 8,the jurors brought their verdict all ready in their pockets4 ,i was looking at them while that little advocate was telling them such sensible things4 ,they all looked as if they were comfortably asleep in the gloom40 ,then ,duthil turned to the ,princess and asked her1 8,are you still hungry80 8,oh6 ,i'm starving10 she replied4 8,i shall never be able to wait till ,i get home4 ,you will have to take me to eat a biscuit somewhere4444 ,all the same1 however1 it's very exciting to see a man's life staked on a yes or a no40 ,meantime ,pierre1 finding ,guillaume still more feverish and grieved1 had once again taken hold of his hand4 ,neither of them spoke1 so great was the distress that they experienced for many reasons which they themselves could not have precisely defined4 ,it seemed to them1 however1 that all human misery--inclusive of their own1 the affections1 the hopes1 the griefs which brought them suffering--was sobbing and quivering in that buzzing hall4 ,twilight had gradually fallen there1 but as the end was now so near it had doubtless been thought unnecessary to light the chandeliers4 ,and thus large vague shadows1 dimming and shrouding the serried throng1 now hovered about in the last gleams of the day4 ,the ladies in light gowns yonder1 behind the bench1 looked like pale phantoms with all-devouring eyes1 whilst the numerous groups of black-robed advocates formed large sombre patches which gradually spread everywhere4 ,the greyish painting of the ,christ had already vanished1 and on the walls one only saw the glaring white bust of the ,republic1 which resembled some frigid death's head starting forth from the darkness4 8,ah60 ,massot once more exclaimed1 8,i knew that it wouldn't take long60 ,indeed1 the jurors were returning after less than a quarter of an hour's absence4 ,then the judges likewise came back and took their seats4 ,increased emotion stirred the throng1 a great gust seemed to sweep through the court1 a gust of anxiety1 which made every head sway4 ,some people had risen to their feet1 and others gave vent to involuntary exclamations4 ,the foreman of the jury1 a gentleman with a broad red face1 had to wait a moment before speaking4 ,at last in a sharp but somewhat sputtering voice he declared3 8,on my honour and my conscience1 before ,god and before man1 the verdict of the jury is3 on the question of ,murder1 yes1 by a majority of votes4099 99 ,english readers may be reminded that in ,france the verdict of a majority of the jury suffices for conviction or acquittal4 ,if the jury is evenly divided the prisoner is acquitted4--,trans4 ,the night had almost completely fallen when ,salvat was once more brought in4 ,in front of the jurors1 who faded away in the gloom1 he stood forth1 erect1 with a last ray from the windows lighting up his face4 ,the judges themselves almost disappeared from view1 their red robes seemed to have turned black4 ,and how phantom-like looked the prisoner's emaciated face as he stood there listening1 with dreamy eyes1 while the clerk of the court read the verdict to him4 ,when silence fell and no mention was made of extenuating circumstances1 he understood everything4 ,his face1 which had retained a childish expression1 suddenly brightened4 8,that means death4 ,thank you1 gentlemen10 he said4 ,then he turned towards the public1 and amidst the growing darkness searched for the friendly faces which he knew were there2 and this time ,guillaume became fully conscious that he had recognised him1 and was again expressing affectionate and grateful thanks for the crust he had received from him on a day of want4 ,he must have also bidden farewell to ,victor ,mathis1 for as ,guillaume glanced at the young man1 who had not moved1 he saw that his eyes were staring wildly1 and that a terrible expression rested on his lips4 ,as for the rest of the proceedings1 the last questions addressed to the jury and the counsel1 the deliberations of the judges and the delivery of sentence--these were all lost amidst the buzzing and surging of the crowd4 ,a little compassion was unconsciously manifested2 and some stupor was mingled with the satisfaction that greeted the sentence of death4 ,no sooner had ,salvat been condemned1 however1 than he drew himself up to his full height1 and as the guards led him away he shouted in a stentorian voice3 8,long live ,anarchy60 ,nobody seemed angered by the cry4 ,the crowd went off quietly1 as if weariness had lulled all its passions4 ,the proceedings had really lasted too long and fatigued one too much4 ,it was quite pleasant to inhale the fresh air on emerging from such a nightmare4 ,in the large waiting hall1 ,pierre and ,guillaume passed ,duthil and the ,princess1 whom ,general de ,bozonnet had stopped while chatting with ,fonsgue4 ,all four of them were talking in very loud voices1 complaining of the heat and their hunger1 and agreeing that the affair had not been a particularly interesting one4 ,yet1 all was well that ended well4 ,as ,fonsgue remarked1 the condemnation of ,salvat to death was a political and social necessity4 ,when ,pierre and ,guillaume reached the ,pont ,neuf1 the latter for a moment rested his elbows on the parapet of the bridge4 ,his brother1 standing beside him1 also gazed at the grey waters of the ,seine1 which here and there were fired by the reflections of the gas lamps4 ,a fresh breeze ascended from the river2 it was the delightful hour when night steals gently over resting ,paris4 ,then1 as the brothers stood there breathing that atmosphere which usually brings relief and comfort1 ,pierre on his side again became conscious of his heart-wound1 and remembered his promise to return to ,montmartre1 a promise that he must keep in spite of the torture there awaiting him2 whilst ,guillaume on the other hand experienced a revival of the suspicion and disquietude that had come to him on seeing ,marie so feverish1 changed as it were by some new feeling1 of which she herself was ignorant4 ,were further sufferings1 struggles1 and obstacles to happiness yet in store for those brothers who loved one another so dearly8 ,at all events their hearts bled once more with all the sorrow into which they had been cast by the scene they had just witnessed3 that assize of justice at which a wretched man had been condemned to pay with his head for the crimes of one and all4 ,then1 as they turned along the quay1 ,guillaume recognised young ,victor going off alone in the gloom1 just in front of them4 ,the chemist stopped him and spoke to him of his mother4 ,but the young man did not hear2 his thin lips parted1 and in a voice as trenchant as a knife-thrust he exclaimed3 8,ah6 so it's blood they want4 ,well1 they may cut off his head1 but he will be avenged60 ,v4 ,,sacrifice ,,the days which followed ,salvat's trial seemed gloomy ones up yonder in ,guillaume's workroom1 which was usually so bright and gay4 ,sadness and silence filled the place4 ,the three young men were no longer there4 ,thomas betook himself to the ,grandidier works early every morning in order to perfect his little motor2 ,franois was so busy preparing for his examination that he scarcely left the cole ,normale2 while ,antoine was doing some work at ,jahan's1 where he delighted to linger and watch his little friend ,lise awakening to life4 ,thus ,guillaume's sole companion was ,mre-,grand1 who sat near the window busy with her needlework2 for ,marie was ever going about the house1 and only stayed in the workroom for any length of time when ,pierre happened to be there4 ,guillaume's gloom was generally attributed to the feelings of anger and revolt into which the condemnation of ,salvat had thrown him4 ,he had flown into a passion on his return from the ,palace of ,justice1 declaring that the execution of the unhappy man would simply be social murder1 deliberate provocation of class warfare4 ,and the others had bowed on hearing that pain-fraught violent cry1 without attempting to discuss the point4 ,guillaume's sons respectfully left him to the thoughts which kept him silent for hours1 with his face pale and a dreamy expression in his eyes4 ,his chemical furnace remained unlighted1 and his only occupation from morn till night was to examine the plans and documents connected with his invention1 that new explosive and that terrible engine of war1 which he had so long dreamt of presenting to ,france in order that she might impose the reign of truth and justice upon all the nations4 ,however1 during the long hours which he spent before the papers scattered over his table1 often without seeing them1 for his eyes wandered far away1 a multitude of vague thoughts came to him--doubts respecting the wisdom of his project1 and fears lest his desire to pacify the nations should simply throw them into an endless war of extermination4 ,although he really believed that great city of ,paris to be the world's brain1 entrusted with the task of preparing the future1 he could not disguise from himself that with all its folly and shame and injustice it still presented a shocking spectacle4 ,was it really ripe enough for the work of human salvation which he thought of entrusting to it8 ,then1 on trying to re-peruse his notes and verify his formulas1 he only recovered his former energetic determination on thinking of his marriage1 whereupon the idea came to him that it was now too late for him to upset his life by changing such long-settled plans4 ,his marriage6 ,was it not the thought of this which haunted ,guillaume and disturbed him far more powerfully than his scientific work or his humanitarian passion8 ,beneath all the worries that he acknowledged1 there was another which he did not confess even to himself1 and which filled him with anguish4 ,he repeated day by day that he would reveal his invention to the ,minister of ,war as soon as he should be married to ,marie1 whom he wished to associate with his glory4 ,married to ,marie6 ,each time he thought of it1 burning fever and secret disquietude came over him4 ,if he now remained so silent and had lost his quiet cheerfulness1 it was because he had felt new life1 as it were1 emanating from her4 ,she was certainly no longer the same woman as formerly2 she was becoming more and more changed and distant4 ,he had watched her and ,pierre when the latter happened to be there1 which was now but seldom4 ,he1 too1 appeared embarrassed1 and different from what he had been4 ,on the days when he came1 however1 ,marie seemed transformed2 it was as if new life animated the house4 ,certainly the intercourse between her and ,pierre was quite innocent1 sisterly on the one hand1 brotherly on the other4 ,they simply seemed to be a pair of good friends4 ,and yet a radiance1 a vibration1 emanated from them1 something more subtle even than a sun-ray or a perfume4 ,after the lapse of a few days ,guillaume found himself unable to doubt the truth any longer4 ,and his heart bled1 he was utterly upset by it4 ,he had not found them in fault in any way1 but he was convinced that these two children1 as he so paternally called them1 really adored one another4 ,one lovely morning when he happened to be alone with ,mre-,grand1 face to face with sunlit ,paris1 he fell into a yet more dolorous reverie than usual4 ,he seemed to be gazing fixedly at the old lady1 as1 seated in her usual place1 she continued sewing with an air of queenly serenity4 ,perhaps1 however1 he did not see her4 ,for her part she occasionally raised her eyes and glanced at him1 as if expecting a confession which did not come4 ,at last1 finding such silence unbearable1 she made up her mind to address him3 8,what has been the matter with you1 ,guillaume1 for some time past8 ,why don't you tell me what you have to tell me80 ,he descended from the clouds1 as it were1 and answered in astonishment3 8,what ,i have to tell you80 8,yes1 ,i know it as well as you do1 and ,i thought you would speak to me of it1 since it pleases you to do nothing here without consulting me40 ,at this he turned very pale and shuddered4 ,so he had not been mistaken in the matter1 even ,mre-,grand knew all about it4 ,to talk of it1 however1 was to give shape to his suspicions1 to transform what1 hitherto1 might merely have been a fancy on his part into something real and definite4 8,it was inevitable1 my dear son10 said ,mre-,grand4 8,i foresaw it from the outset4 ,and if ,i did not warn you of it1 it was because ,i believed in some deep design on your part4 ,since ,i have seen you suffering1 however1 ,i have realised that ,i was mistaken40 ,then1 as he still looked at her quivering and distracted1 she continued3 8,yes1 ,i fancied that you might have wished it1 that in bringing your brother here you wished to know if ,marie loved you otherwise than as a father4 ,there was good reason for testing her--for instance1 the great difference between your ages1 for your life is drawing to a close1 whilst hers is only beginning4 ,and ,i need not mention the question of your work1 the mission which ,i have always dreamt of for you40 ,thereupon1 with his hands raised in prayerful fashion1 ,guillaume drew near to the old lady and exclaimed3 8,oh6 speak out clearly1 tell me what you think4 ,i don't understand1 my poor heart is so lacerated2 and yet ,i should so much like to know everything1 so as to be able to act and take a decision4 ,to think that you whom ,i love1 you whom ,i venerate as much as if you were my real mother1 you whose profound good sense ,i know so well that ,i have always followed your advice--to think that you should have foreseen this frightful thing and have allowed it to happen at the risk of its killing me6444 ,why have you done so1 tell me1 why80 ,mre-,grand was not fond of talking4 ,absolute mistress of the house as she was1 managing everything1 accountable to nobody for her actions1 she never gave expression to all that she thought or all that she desired4 ,indeed1 there was no occasion for it1 as ,guillaume1 like the children1 relied upon her completely1 with full confidence in her wisdom4 ,and her somewhat enigmatical ways even helped to raise her in their estimation4 8,what is the use of words1 when things themselves speak80 she now gently answered1 while still plying her needle4 8,it is quite true that ,i approved of the plan of a marriage between you and ,marie1 for ,i saw that it was necessary that she should be married if she was to stay here4 ,and then1 too1 there were many other reasons which ,i needn't speak of4 ,however1 ,pierre's arrival here has changed everything1 and placed things in their natural order4 ,is not that preferable80 ,he still lacked the courage to understand her4 8,preferable6 ,when ,i'm in agony8 ,when my life is wrecked80 ,thereupon she rose and came to him1 tall and rigid in her thin black gown1 and with an expression of austerity and energy on her pale face4 8,my son10 she said1 8you know that ,i love you1 and that ,i wish you to be very noble and lofty4 ,only the other morning1 you had an attack of fright1 the house narrowly escaped being blown up4 ,then1 for some days now you have been sitting over those documents and plans in an absent-minded1 distracted state1 like a man who feels weak1 and doubts1 and no longer knows his way4 ,believe me1 you are following a dangerous path2 it is better that ,pierre should marry ,marie1 both for their sakes and for your own40 8,for my sake8 ,no1 no6 ,what will become of me60 8,you will calm yourself and reflect1 my son4 ,you have such serious duties before you4 ,you are on the eve of making your invention known4 ,it seems to me that something has bedimmed your sight1 and that you will perhaps act wrongly in this respect1 through failing to take due account of the problem before you4 ,perhaps there is something better to be done4444 ,at all events1 suffer if it be necessary1 but remain faithful to your ideal40 ,then1 quitting him with a maternal smile1 she sought to soften her somewhat stern words by adding3 8,you have compelled me to speak unnecessarily1 for ,i am quite at ease2 with your superior mind1 whatever be in question1 you can but do the one right thing that none other would do40 ,on finding himself alone ,guillaume fell into feverish uncertainty4 ,what was the meaning of ,mre-,grand's enigmatical words8 ,he knew that she was on the side of whatever might be good1 natural1 and necessary4 ,but she seemed to be urging him to some lofty heroism2 and indeed what she had said threw a ray of light upon the unrest which had come to him in connection with his old plan of going to confide his secret to some ,minister of ,war or other1 whatever one might happen to be in office at the time4 ,growing hesitation and repugnance stirred him as he fancied he could again hear her saying that perhaps there might be some better course1 that would require search and reflection4 ,but all at once a vision of ,marie rose before him1 and his heart was rent by the thought that he was asked to renounce her4 ,to lose her1 to give her to another6 ,no1 no1 that was beyond his strength4 ,he would never have the frightful courage that was needed to pass by the last promised raptures of love with disdain6 ,for a couple of days ,guillaume struggled on4 ,he seemed to be again living the six years which the young woman had already spent beside him in that happy little house4 ,she had been at first like an adopted daughter there2 and later on1 when the idea of their marriage had sprung up1 he had viewed it with quiet delight in the hope that it would ensure the happiness of all around him4 ,if he had previously abstained from marrying again it was from the fear of placing a strange mother over his children2 and if he yielded to the charm of loving yet once more1 and no longer leading a solitary life1 it was because he had found at his very hearth one of such sensible views1 who1 in the flower of youth1 was willing to become his wife despite the difference in their ages4 ,then months had gone by1 and serious occurrences had compelled them to postpone the wedding1 though without undue suffering on his part4 ,indeed1 the certainty that she was waiting for him had sufficed him1 for his life of hard work had rendered him patient4 ,now1 however1 all at once1 at the threat of losing her1 his hitherto tranquil heart ached and bled4 ,he would never have thought the tie so close a one4 ,but he was now almost fifty1 and it was as if love and woman were being wrenched away from him1 the last woman that he could love and desire1 one too who was the more desirable1 as she was the incarnation of youth from which he must ever be severed1 should he indeed lose her4 ,passionate desire1 mingled with rage1 flared up within him at the thought that someone should have come to take her from him4 ,one night1 alone in his room1 he suffered perfect martyrdom4 ,in order that he might not rouse the house he buried his face in his pillow so as to stifle his sobs4 ,after all1 it was a simple matter2 ,marie had given him her promise1 and he would compel her to keep it4 ,she would be his1 and his alone1 and none would be able to steal her from him4 ,then1 however1 there rose before him a vision of his brother1 the long-forgotten one1 whom1 from feelings of affection1 he had compelled to join his family4 ,but his sufferings were now so acute that he would have driven that brother away had he been before him4 ,he was enraged1 maddened1 by the thought of him4 ,his brother--his little brother6 ,so all their love was over2 hatred and violence were about to poison their lives4 ,for hours ,guillaume continued complaining deliriously1 and seeking how he might so rid himself of ,pierre that what had happened should be blotted out4 ,now and again1 when he recovered self-control1 he marvelled at the tempest within him2 for was he not a savant guided by lofty reason1 a toiler to whom long experience had brought serenity8 ,but the truth was that this tempest had not sprung up in his mind1 it was raging in the child-like soul that he had retained1 the nook of affection and dreaminess which remained within him side by side with his principles of pitiless logic and his belief in proven phenomena only4 ,his very genius came from the duality of his nature3 behind the chemist was a social dreamer1 hungering for justice and capable of the greatest love4 ,and now passion was transporting him1 and he was weeping for the loss of ,marie as he would have wept over the downfall of that dream of his1 the destruction of war by war1 that scheme for the salvation of mankind at which he had been working for ten years past4 ,at last1 amidst his weariness1 a sudden resolution calmed him4 ,he began to feel ashamed of despairing in this wise when he had no certain grounds to go upon4 ,he must know everything1 he would question the young woman2 she was loyal enough to answer him frankly4 ,was not this a solution worthy of them both8 ,an explanation in all sincerity1 after which they would be able to take a decision4 ,then he fell asleep2 and1 tired though he felt when he rose in the morning1 he was calmer4 ,it was as if some secret work had gone on in his heart during his few hours of repose after that terrible storm4 ,as it happened ,marie was very gay that morning4 ,on the previous day she had gone with ,pierre and ,antoine on a cycling excursion over frightful roads in the direction of ,montmorency1 whence they had returned in a state of mingled anger and delight4 ,when ,guillaume stopped her in the little garden1 he found her humming a song while returning bare-armed from the scullery1 where some washing was going on4 8,do you want to speak to me80 she asked4 8,yes1 my dear child1 it's necessary for us to talk of some serious matters40 ,she at once understood that their marriage was in question1 and became grave4 ,she had formerly consented to that marriage because she regarded it as the only sensible course she could take1 and this with full knowledge of the duties which she would assume4 ,no doubt her husband would be some twenty years older than herself1 but this circumstance was one of somewhat frequent occurrence1 and as a rule such marriages turned out well1 rather than otherwise4 ,moreover1 she was in love with nobody1 and was free to consent4 ,and she had consented with an impulse of gratitude and affection which seemed so sweet that she thought it the sweetness of love itself4 ,everybody around her1 too1 appeared so pleased at the prospect of this marriage1 which would draw the family yet more closely together4 ,and1 on her side1 she had been as it were intoxicated by the idea of making others happy4 8,what is the matter80 she now asked ,guillaume in a somewhat anxious voice4 8,no bad news1 ,i hope80 8,no1 no10 he answered4 8,i've simply something to say to you40 ,then he led her under the plum-trees to the only green nook left in the garden4 ,an old worm-eaten bench still stood there against the lilac-bushes4 ,and in front of them ,paris spread out its sea of roofs1 looking light and fresh in the morning sunlight4 ,they both sat down4 ,but at the moment of speaking and questioning ,marie1 ,guillaume experienced sudden embarrassment1 while his heart beat violently at seeing her beside him1 so young and adorable with her bare arms4 8,our wedding-day is drawing near10 he ended by saying4 ,and then as she turned somewhat pale1 perhaps unconsciously1 he himself suddenly felt cold4 ,had not her lips twitched as if with pain8 ,had not a shadow passed over her fresh1 clear eyes8 8,oh6 we still have some time before us10 she replied4 ,then1 slowly and very affectionately1 he resumed3 8,no doubt2 still it is necessary to attend to the formalities4 ,and it is as well1 perhaps1 that ,i should speak of those worries to-day1 so that ,i may not have to bother you about them again40 ,then he gently went on telling her all that would have to be done1 keeping his eyes on her whilst he spoke1 watching for such signs of emotion as the thought of her promise's early fulfilment might bring to her face4 ,she sat there in silence1 with her hands on her lap1 and her features quite still1 thus giving no certain sign of any regret or trouble4 ,still she seemed rather dejected1 compliant1 as it were1 but in no wise joyous4 8,you say nothing1 my dear ,marie10 ,guillaume at last exclaimed4 8,does anything of all this displease you80 8,displease me8 ,oh1 no60 8,you must speak out frankly1 if it does1 you know4 ,we will wait a little longer if you have any personal reasons for wishing to postpone the date again40 8,but ,i've no reasons1 my friend4 ,what reasons could ,i have8 ,i leave you quite free to settle everything as you yourself may desire40 ,silence fell4 ,while answering1 she had looked him frankly in the face2 but a little quiver stirred her lips1 and gloom1 for which she could not account1 seemed to rise and darken her face1 usually as bright and gay as spring water4 ,in former times would she not have laughed and sung at the mere announcement of that coming wedding8 ,then ,guillaume1 with an effort which made his voice tremble1 dared to speak out3 8,you must forgive me for asking you a question1 my dear ,marie4 ,there is still time for you to cancel your promise4 ,are you quite certain that you love me80 ,at this she looked at him in genuine stupefaction1 utterly failing to understand what he could be aiming at4 ,and--as she seemed to be deferring her reply1 he added3 8,consult your heart4 ,is it really your old friend or is it another that you love80 8,i8 ,i1 ,guillaume8 ,why do you say that to me8 ,what can ,i have done to give you occasion to say such a thing60 ,all her frank nature revolted as she spoke1 and her beautiful eyes1 glowing with sincerity1 gazed fixedly on his4 8,i love ,pierre6 ,i do1 ,i8444 ,well1 yes1 ,i love him1 as ,i love you all2 ,i love him because he has become one of us1 because he shares our life and our joys6 ,i'm happy when he's here1 certainly2 and ,i should like him to be always here4 ,i'm always pleased to see him and hear him and go out with him4 ,i was very much grieved recently when he seemed to be relapsing into his gloomy ideas4 ,but all that is natural1 is it not8 ,and ,i think that ,i have only done what you desired ,i should do1 and ,i cannot understand how my affection for ,pierre can in any way exercise an influence respecting our marriage40 ,these words1 in her estimation1 ought to have convinced ,guillaume that she was not in love with his brother2 but in lieu thereof they brought him painful enlightenment by the very ardour with which she denied the love imputed to her4 8,but you unfortunate girl60 he cried4 8,you are betraying yourself without knowing it4444 ,it is quite certain you do not love me1 you love my brother60 ,he had caught hold of her wrists and was pressing them with despairing affection as if to compel her to read her heart4 ,and she continued struggling4 ,a most loving and tragic contest went on between them1 he seeking to convince her by the evidence of facts1 and she resisting him1 stubbornly refusing to open her eyes4 ,in vain did he recount what had happened since the first day1 explaining the feelings which had followed one upon another in her heart and mind3 first covert hostility1 next curiosity regarding that extraordinary young priest1 and then sympathy and affection when she had found him so wretched and had gradually cured him of his sufferings4 ,they were both young and mother ,nature had done the rest4 ,however1 at each fresh proof and certainty which he put before her1 ,marie only experienced growing emotion1 trembling at last from head to foot1 but still unwilling to question herself4 8,no1 no10 said she1 8,i do not love him4 ,if ,i loved him ,i should know it and would acknowledge it to you2 for you are well aware that ,i cannot tell an untruth40 ,guillaume1 however1 had the cruelty to insist on the point1 like some heroic surgeon cutting into his own flesh even more than into that of others1 in order that the truth might appear and everyone be saved4 8,marie10 said he1 8it is not ,i whom you love4 ,all that you feel for me is respect and gratitude and daughterly affection4 ,remember what your feelings were at the time when our marriage was decided upon4 ,you were then in love with nobody1 and you accepted the offer like a sensible girl1 feeling certain that ,i should render you happy1 and that the union was a right and satisfactory one4444 ,but since then my brother has come here2 love has sprung up in your heart in quite a natural way2 and it is ,pierre1 ,pierre alone1 whom you love as a lover and a husband should be loved40 ,exhausted though she was1 utterly distracted1 too1 by the light which1 despite herself1 was dawning within her1 ,marie still stubbornly and desperately protested4 8,but why do you struggle like this against the truth1 my child80 said ,guillaume2 8,i do not reproach you4 ,it was ,i who chose that this should happen1 like the old madman ,i am4 ,what was bound to come has come1 and doubtless it is for the best4 ,i only wanted to learn the truth from you in order that ,i might take a decision and act uprightly40 ,these words vanquished her1 and her tears gushed forth4 ,it seemed as though something had been rent asunder within her2 and she felt quite overcome1 as if by the weight of a new truth of which she had hitherto been ignorant4 8,ah6 it was cruel of you10 she said1 8to do me such violence so as to make me read my heart4 ,i swear to you again that ,i did not know ,i loved ,pierre in the way you say4 ,but you have opened my heart1 and roused what was quietly slumbering in it4444 ,and it is true1 ,i do love ,pierre1 ,i love him now as you have said4 ,and so here we are1 all three of us supremely wretched through your doing60 ,she sobbed1 and with a sudden feeling of modesty freed her wrists from his grasp4 ,he noticed1 however1 that no blush rose to her face4 ,truth to tell1 her virginal loyalty was not in question2 she had no cause to reproach herself with any betrayal2 it was he alone1 perforce1 who had awakened her to love4 ,for a moment they looked at one another through their tears3 she so strong and healthy1 her bosom heaving at each heart-beat1 and her white arms--arms that could both charm and sustain--bare almost to her shoulders2 and he still vigorous1 with his thick fleece of white hair and his black moustaches1 which gave his countenance such an expression of energetic youth4 ,but it was all over1 the irreparable had swept by1 and utterly changed their lives4 8,marie10 he nobly said1 8you do not love me1 ,i give you back your promise40 ,but with equal nobility she refused to take it back4 8,never will ,i do so10 she replied4 8,i gave it to you frankly1 freely and joyfully1 and my affection and admiration for you have never changed40 ,nevertheless1 with more firmness in his hitherto broken voice1 ,guillaume retorted3 8,you love ,pierre1 and it is ,pierre whom you ought to marry40 8,no10 she again insisted1 8,i belong to you4 ,a tie which years have tightened cannot be undone in an hour4 ,once again1 if ,i love ,pierre ,i swear to you that ,i was ignorant of it this morning4 ,and let us leave the matter as it is2 do not torture me any more1 it would be too cruel of you40 ,then1 quivering like a woman who suddenly perceives that she is bare1 in a stranger's presence1 she hastily pulled down her sleeves1 and even drew them over her hands as if to leave naught of her person visible4 ,and afterwards she rose and walked away without adding a single word4 ,guillaume remained alone on the bench in that leafy corner1 in front of ,paris1 to which the light morning sunshine lent the aspect of some quivering1 soaring city of dreamland4 ,a great weight oppressed him1 and it seemed to him as if he would never be able to rise from the seat4 ,that which brought him most suffering was ,marie's assurance that she had till that morning been ignorant of the fact that she was in love with ,pierre4 ,she had been ignorant of it1 and it was he1 ,guillaume1 who had brought it to her knowledge1 compelled her to confess it6 ,he had now firmly planted it in her heart1 and perhaps increased it by revealing it to her4 ,ah6 how cruel the thought--to be the artisan of one's own torment6 ,of one thing he was now quite certain3 there would be no more love in his life4 ,at the idea of this1 his poor1 loving heart sank and bled4 ,and yet amidst the disaster1 amidst his grief at realising that he was an old man1 and that renunciation was imperative1 he experienced a bitter joy at having brought the truth to light4 ,this was very harsh consolation1 fit only for one of heroic soul1 yet he found lofty satisfaction in it1 and from that moment the thought of sacrifice imposed itself upon him with extraordinary force4 ,he must marry his children2 there lay the path of duty1 the only wise and just course1 the only certain means of ensuring the happiness of the household4 ,and when his revolting heart yet leapt and shrieked with anguish1 he carried his vigorous hands to his chest in order to still it4 ,on the morrow came the supreme explanation between ,guillaume and ,pierre1 not in the little garden1 however1 but in the spacious workroom4 ,and here again one beheld the vast panorama of ,paris1 a nation as it were at work1 a huge vat in which the wine of the future was fermenting4 ,guillaume had arranged things so that he might be alone with his brother2 and no sooner had the latter entered than he attacked him1 going straight to the point without any of the precautions which he had previously taken with ,marie4 8,haven't you something to say to me1 ,pierre80 he inquired4 8,why won't you confide in me80 ,the other immediately understood him1 and began to tremble1 unable to find a word1 but confessing everything by the distracted1 entreating expression of his face4 8,you love ,marie10 continued ,guillaume1 8why did you not loyally come and tell me of your love80 ,at this ,pierre recovered self-possession and defended himself vehemently3 8,i love ,marie1 it's true1 and ,i felt that ,i could not conceal it1 that you yourself would notice it at last4 ,but there was no occasion for me to tell you of it1 for ,i was sure of myself1 and would have fled rather than have allowed a single word to cross my lips4 ,i suffered in silence and alone1 and you cannot know how great my torture was6 ,it is even cruel on your part to speak to me of it2 for now ,i am absolutely compelled to leave you4444 ,i have already1 on several occasions1 thought of doing so4 ,if ,i have come back here1 it was doubtless through weakness1 but also on account of my affection for you all4 ,and what mattered my presence here8 ,marie ran no risk4 ,she does not love me40 8,she does love you60 ,guillaume answered4 8,i questioned her yesterday1 and she had to confess that she loved you40 ,at this ,pierre1 utterly distracted1 caught ,guillaume by the shoulders and gazed into his eyes4 8,oh6 brother1 brother6 what is this you say8 ,why say a thing which would mean terrible misfortune for us all8 ,even if it were true1 my grief would far exceed my joy1 for ,i will not have you suffer4 ,marie belongs to you4 ,to me she is as sacred as a sister4 ,and if there be only my madness to part you1 it will pass by1 ,i shall know how to conquer it40 8,marie loves you10 repeated ,guillaume in his gentle1 obstinate way4 8,i don't reproach you with anything4 ,i well know that you have struggled1 and have never betrayed yourself to her either by word or glance4 ,yesterday she herself was still ignorant that she loved you1 and ,i had to open her eyes4444 ,what would you have8 ,i simply state a fact3 she loves you40 ,this time ,pierre1 still quivering1 made a gesture of mingled rapture and terror1 as if some divine and long-desired blessing were falling upon him from heaven and crushing him beneath its weight4 8,well1 then10 he said1 after a brief pause1 8it is all over4444 ,let us kiss one another for the last time1 and then ,i'll go40 8,go8 ,why8 ,you must stay with us4 ,nothing could be more simple3 you love ,marie and she loves you4 ,i give her to you40 ,a loud cry came from ,pierre1 who wildly raised his hands again with a gesture of fright and rapture4 8,you give me ,marie80 he replied4 8,you1 who adore her1 who have been waiting for her for months8 ,no1 no1 it would overcome me1 it would terrify me1 as if you gave me your very heart after tearing it from your breast4 ,no1 no6 ,i will not accept your sacrifice60 8,but as it is only gratitude and affection that ,marie feels for me10 said ,guillaume1 8as it is you whom she really loves1 am ,i to take a mean advantage of the engagements which she entered into unconsciously1 and force her to a marriage when ,i know that she would never be wholly mine8 ,besides1 ,i have made a mistake1 it isn't ,i who give her to you1 she has already given herself1 and ,i do not consider that ,i have any right to prevent her from doing so40 8,no1 no6 ,i will never accept1 ,i will never bring such grief upon you444 ,kiss me1 brother1 and let me go40 ,thereupon ,guillaume caught hold of ,pierre and compelled him to sit down by his side on an old sofa near the window4 ,and he began to scold him almost angrily while still retaining a smile1 in which suffering and kindliness were blended4 8,come10 said he1 8we are surely not going to fight over it4 ,you won't force me to tie you up so as to keep you here8 ,i know what ,i'm about4 ,i thought it all over before ,i spoke to you4 ,no doubt1 ,i can't tell you that it gladdens me4 ,i thought at first that ,i was going to die2 ,i should have liked to hide myself in the very depths of the earth4 ,and then1 well1 it was necessary to be reasonable1 and ,i understood that things had arranged themselves for the best1 in their natural order40 ,pierre1 unable to resist any further1 had begun to weep with both hands raised to his face4 8,don't grieve1 brother1 either for yourself or for me10 said ,guillaume4 8,do you remember the happy days we lately spent together at ,neuilly after we had found one another again8 ,all our old affection revived within us1 and we remained for hours1 hand in hand1 recalling the past and loving one another4 ,and what a terrible confession you made to me one night1 the confession of your loss of faith1 your torture1 the void in which you were rolling6 ,when ,i heard of it my one great wish was to cure you4 ,i advised you to work1 love1 and believe in life1 convinced as ,i was that life alone could restore you to peace and health4444 ,and for that reason ,i afterwards brought you here4 ,you fought against it1 and it was ,i who forced you to come4 ,i was so happy when ,i found that you again took an interest in life1 and had once more become a man and a worker6 ,i would have given some of my blood if necessary to complete your cure4444 ,well1 it's done now1 ,i have given you all ,i had1 since ,marie herself has become necessary to you1 and she alone can save you40 ,then as ,pierre again attempted to protest1 he resumed3 8,don't deny it4 ,it is so true indeed1 that if she does not complete the work ,i have begun1 all my efforts will have been vain1 you will fall back into your misery and negation1 into all the torments of a spoilt life4 ,she is necessary to you1 ,i say4 ,and do you think that ,i no longer know how to love you8 ,would you have me refuse you the very breath of life that will truly make you a man1 after all my fervent wishes for your return to life8 ,i have enough affection for you both to consent to your loving one another4444 ,besides1 ,i repeat it1 nature knows what she does4 ,instinct is a sure guide1 it always tends to what is useful and trite4 ,i should have been a sorry husband1 and it is best that ,i should keep to my work as an old savant2 whereas you are young and represent the future1 all fruitful and happy life40 ,pierre shuddered as he heard this1 for his old fears returned to him4 ,had not the priesthood for ever cut him off from life1 had not his long years of chaste celibacy robbed him of his manhood8 8,fruitful and happy life60 he muttered1 8ah6 if you only knew how distressed ,i feel at the idea that ,i do not perhaps deserve the gift you so lovingly offer me6 ,you are worth more than ,i am2 you would have given her a larger heart1 a firmer brain1 and perhaps1 too1 you are really a younger man than myself4444 ,there is still time1 brother1 keep her1 if with you she is likely to be happier and more truly and completely loved4 ,for my part ,i am full of doubts4 ,her happiness is the only thing of consequence4 ,let her belong to the one who will love her best60 ,indescribable emotion had now come over both men4 ,as ,guillaume heard his brother's broken words1 the cry of a love that trembled at the thought of possible weakness1 he did for a moment waver4 ,with a dreadful heart-pang he stammered despairingly3 8,ah6 ,marie1 whom ,i love so much6 ,marie1 whom ,i would have rendered so happy60 ,at this ,pierre could not restrain himself2 he rose and cried3 8,ah6 you see that you love her still and cannot renounce her4444 ,so let me go6 let me go60 ,but ,guillaume had already caught him around the body1 clasping him with an intensity of brotherly love which was increased by the renunciation he was resolved upon3 8,stay60 said he4 8,it wasn't ,i that spoke1 it was the other man that was in me1 he who is about to die1 who is already dead6 ,by the memory of our mother and our father ,i swear to you that the sacrifice is consummated1 and that if you two refuse to accept happiness from me you will but make me suffer40 ,for a moment the weeping men remained in one another's arms4 ,they had often embraced before1 but never had their hearts met and mingled as they did now4 ,it was a delightful moment1 which seemed an eternity4 ,all the grief and misery of the world had disappeared from before them2 there remained naught save their glowing love1 whence sprang an eternity of love even as light comes from the sun4 ,and that moment was compensation for all their past and future tears1 whilst yonder1 on the horizon before them1 ,paris still spread and rumbled1 ever preparing the unknown future4 ,just then ,marie herself came in4 ,and the rest proved very simple4 ,guillaume freed himself from his brother's clasp1 led him forward and compelled him and ,marie to take each other by the hand4 ,at first she made yet another gesture of refusal in her stubborn resolve that she would not take her promise back4 ,but what could she say face to face with those two tearful men1 whom she had found in one another's arms1 mingling together in such close brotherliness8 ,did not those tears and that embrace sweep away all ordinary reasons1 all such arguments as she held in reserve8 ,even the embarrassment of the situation disappeared1 it seemed as if she had already had a long explanation with ,pierre1 and that he and she were of one mind to accept that gift of love which ,guillaume offered them with so much heroism4 ,a gust of the sublime passed through the room1 and nothing could have appeared more natural to them than this extraordinary scene4 ,nevertheless1 ,marie remained silent1 she dared not give her answer1 but looked at them both with her big soft eyes1 which1 like their own1 were full of tears4 ,and it was ,guillaume who1 with sudden inspiration1 ran to the little staircase conducting to the rooms overhead1 and called3 8,mre-,grand6 ,mre-,grand6 ,come down at once1 you are wanted40 ,then1 as soon as she was there1 looking slim and pale in her black gown1 and showing the wise air of a queen-mother whom all obeyed1 he said3 8,tell these two children that they can do nothing better than marry one another4 ,tell them that we have talked it over1 you and ,i1 and that it is your desire1 your will that they should do so40 ,she quietly nodded her assent1 and then said3 8,that is true1 it will be by far the most sensible course40 ,thereupon ,marie flung herself into her arms1 consenting1 yielding to the superior forces1 the powers of life1 that had thus changed the course of her existence4 ,guillaume immediately desired that the date of the wedding should be fixed1 and accommodation provided for the young couple in the rooms overhead4 ,and as ,pierre glanced at him with some remaining anxiety and spoke of travelling1 for he feared that his wound was not yet healed1 and that their presence might bring him suffering1 ,guillaume responded3 8,no1 no1 ,i mean to keep you4 ,if ,i'm marrying you1 it is to have you both here4 ,don't worry about me4 ,i have so much work to do1 ,i shall work40 ,in the evening when ,thomas and ,franois came home and learnt the news1 they did not seem particularly surprised by it4 ,they had doubtless felt that things would end like this4 ,and they bowed to the dnouement1 not venturing to say a word1 since it was their father himself who announced the decision which had been taken1 with his usual air of composure4 ,as for ,antoine1 who on his own side quivered with love for ,lise1 he gazed with doubting1 anxious eyes at his father1 who had thus had the courage to pluck out his heart4 ,could he really survive such a sacrifice1 must it not kill him8 ,then ,antoine kissed his father passionately1 and the elder brothers in their turn embraced him with all their hearts4 ,guillaume smiled and his eyes became moist4 ,after his victory over his horrible torments nothing could have been sweeter to him than the embraces of his three big sons4 ,there was1 however1 further emotion in store for him that evening4 ,just as the daylight was departing1 and he was sitting at his large table near the window1 again checking and classifying the documents and plans connected with his invention1 he was surprised to see his old master and friend ,bertheroy enter the workroom4 ,the illustrious chemist called on him in this fashion at long intervals1 and ,guillaume felt the honour thus conferred on him by this old man to whom eminence and fame had brought so many titles1 offices and decorations4 ,moreover1 ,bertheroy1 with his position as an official savant and member of the ,institute1 showed some courage in thus venturing to call on one whom so-called respectable folks regarded with contumely4 ,and on this occasion1 ,guillaume at once understood that it was some feeling of curiosity that had brought him4 ,and so he was greatly embarrassed1 for he hardly dared to remove the papers and plans which were lying on the table4 8,oh1 don't be frightened10 gaily exclaimed ,bertheroy1 who1 despite his careless and abrupt ways1 was really very shrewd4 8,i haven't come to pry into your secrets4444 ,leave your papers there1 ,i promise you that ,i won't read anything40 ,then1 in all frankness1 he turned the conversation on the subject of explosives1 which he was still studying1 he said1 with passionate interest4 ,he had made some new discoveries which he did not conceal4 ,incidentally1 too1 he spoke of the opinion he had given in ,salvat's affair4 ,his dream was to discover some explosive of great power1 which one might attempt to domesticate and reduce to complete obedience4 ,and with a smile he pointedly concluded3 8,i don't know where that madman found the formula of his powder4 ,but if you should ever discover it1 remember that the future perhaps lies in the employment of explosives as motive power40 ,then1 all at once1 he added3 8,by the way1 that fellow ,salvat will be executed on the day after to-morrow4 ,a friend of mine at the ,ministry of ,justice has just told me so40 ,guillaume had hitherto listened to him with an air of mingled distrust and amusement4 ,but this announcement of ,salvat's execution stirred him to anger and revolt1 though for some days past he had known it to be inevitable1 in spite of the sympathy which the condemned man was now rousing in many quarters4 8,it will be a murder60 he cried vehemently4 ,bertheroy waved his hand3 8,what would you have80 he answered3 8there's a social system and it defends itself when it is attacked4 ,besides1 those ,anarchists are really too foolish in imagining that they will transform the world with their squibs and crackers6 ,in my opinion1 you know1 science is the only revolutionist4 ,science will not only bring us truth but justice also1 if indeed justice ever be possible on this earth4 ,and that is why ,i lead so calm a life and am so tolerant40 ,once again ,bertheroy appeared to ,guillaume as a revolutionist1 one who was convinced that he helped on the ruin of the ancient abominable society of today1 with its dogmas and laws1 even whilst he was working in the depths of his laboratory4 ,he was1 however1 too desirous of repose1 and had too great a contempt for futilities to mingle with the events of the day1 and he preferred to live in quietude1 liberally paid and rewarded1 and at peace with the government whatever it might be1 whilst at the same time foreseeing and preparing for the formidable parturition of the future4 ,he waved his hand towards ,paris1 over which a sun of victory was setting1 and then again spoke3 8,do you hear the rumble8 ,it is we who are the stokers1 we who are ever flinging fresh fuel under the boiler4 ,science does not pause in her work for a single hour1 and she is the artisan of ,paris1 which--let us hope it--will be the artisan of the future4 ,all the rest is of no account40 ,but ,guillaume was no longer listening to him4 ,he was thinking of ,salvat and the terrible engine of war he had invented1 that engine which before long would shatter cities4 ,and a new idea was dawning and growing in his mind4 ,he had just freed himself of his last tie1 he had created all the happiness he could create around him4 ,ah6 to recover his courage1 to be master of himself once more1 and1 at any rate1 derive from the sacrifice of his heart the lofty delight of being free1 of being able to lay down even his life1 should he some day deem it necessary6 ,,book ,v4 ,i4 ,,the ,,guillotine ,,for some reason of his own ,guillaume was bent upon witnessing the execution of ,salvat4 ,pierre tried to dissuade him from doing so2 and finding his efforts vain1 became somewhat anxious4 ,he accordingly resolved to spend the night at ,montmartre1 accompany his brother and watch over him4 ,in former times1 when engaged with ,abb ,rose in charitable work in the ,charonne district1 he had learnt that the guillotine could be seen from the house where ,mge1 the ,socialist deputy1 resided at the corner of the ,rue ,merlin4 ,he therefore offered himself as a guide4 ,as the execution was to take place as soon as it should legally be daybreak1 that is1 about half-past four o'clock1 the brothers did not go to bed but sat up in the workroom1 feeling somewhat drowsy1 and exchanging few words4 ,then as soon as two o'clock struck1 they started off4 ,the night was beautifully serene and clear4 ,the full moon1 shining like a silver lamp in the cloudless1 far-stretching heavens1 threw a calm1 dreamy light over the vague immensity of ,paris1 which was like some spell-bound city of sleep1 so overcome by fatigue that not a murmur arose from it4 ,it was as if beneath the soft radiance which spread over its roofs1 its panting labour and its cries of suffering were lulled to repose until the dawn4 ,yet1 in a far1 out of the way district1 dark work was even now progressing1 a knife was being raised on high in order that a man might be killed4 ,pierre and ,guillaume paused in the ,rue ,st4 ,eleuthre1 and gazed at the vaporous1 tremulous city spread out below then4 ,and as they turned they perceived the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart1 still domeless but already looking huge indeed in the moonbeams1 whose clear white light accentuated its outlines and brought them into sharp relief against a mass of shadows4 ,under the pale nocturnal sky1 the edifice showed like a colossal monster1 symbolical of provocation and sovereign dominion4 ,never before had ,guillaume found it so huge1 never had it appeared to him to dominate ,paris1 even in the latter's hours of slumber1 with such stubborn and overwhelming might4 ,this wounded him so keenly in the state of mind in which he found himself1 that he could not help exclaiming3 8,ah6 they chose a good site for it1 and how stupid it was to let them do so6 ,i know of nothing more nonsensical2 ,paris crowned and dominated by that temple of idolatry6 ,how impudent it is1 what a buffet for the cause of reason after so many centuries of science1 labour1 and battle6 ,and to think of it being reared over ,paris1 the one city in the world which ought never to have been soiled in this fashion6 ,one can understand it at ,lourdes and ,rome2 but not in ,paris1 in the very field of intelligence which has been so deeply ploughed1 and whence the future is sprouting4 ,it is a declaration of war1 an insolent proclamation that they hope to conquer ,paris also60 ,guillaume usually evinced all the tolerance of a savant1 for whom religions are simply social phenomena4 ,he even willingly admitted the grandeur or grace of certain ,catholic legends4 ,but ,marie ,alacoque's famous vision1 which has given rise to the cult of the ,sacred ,heart1 filled him with irritation and something like physical disgust4 ,he suffered at the mere idea of ,christ's open1 bleeding breast1 and the gigantic heart which the saint asserted she had seen beating in the depths of the wound--the huge heart in which ,jesus placed the woman's little heart to restore it to her inflated and glowing with love4 ,what base and loathsome materialism there was in all this6 ,what a display of viscera1 muscles and blood suggestive of a butcher's shop6 ,and ,guillaume was particularly disgusted with the engraving which depicted this horror1 and which he found everywhere1 crudely coloured with red and yellow and blue1 like some badly executed anatomical plate4 ,pierre on his side was also looking at the basilica as1 white with moonlight1 it rose out of the darkness like a gigantic fortress raised to crush and conquer the city slumbering beneath it4 ,it had already brought him suffering during the last days when he had said mass in it and was struggling with his torments4 8,they call it the national votive offering10 he now exclaimed4 8,but the nation's longing is for health and strength and restoration to its old position by work4 ,that is a thing the ,church does not understand4 ,it argues that if ,france was stricken with defeat1 it was because she deserved punishment4 ,she was guilty1 and so to-day she ought to repent4 ,repent of what8 ,of the ,revolution1 of a century of free examination and science1 of the emancipation of her mind1 of her initiatory and liberative labour in all parts of the world8 ,that indeed is her real transgression2 and it is as a punishment for all our labour1 search for truth1 increase of knowledge and march towards justice that they have reared that huge pile which ,paris will see from all her streets1 and will never be able to see without feeling derided and insulted in her labour and glory40 ,with a wave of his hand he pointed to the city1 slumbering in the moonlight as beneath a sheet of silver1 and then set off again with his brother1 down the slopes1 towards the black and deserted streets4 ,they did not meet a living soul until they reached the outer boulevard4 ,here1 however1 no matter what the hour may be1 life continues with scarcely a pause4 ,no sooner are the wine shops1 music and dancing halls closed1 than vice and want1 cast into the street1 there resume their nocturnal existence4 ,thus the brothers came upon all the homeless ones3 low prostitutes seeking a pallet1 vagabonds stretched on the benches under the trees1 rogues who prowled hither and thither on the lookout for a good stroke4 ,encouraged by their accomplice--night1 all the mire and woe of ,paris had returned to the surface4 ,the empty roadway now belonged to the breadless1 homeless starvelings1 those for whom there was no place in the sunlight1 the vague1 swarming1 despairing herd which is only espied at night-time4 ,ah6 what spectres of destitution1 what apparitions of grief and fright there were6 ,what a sob of agony passed by in ,paris that morning1 when as soon as the dawn should rise1 a man--a pauper1 a sufferer like the others--was to be guillotined6 ,as ,guillaume and ,pierre were about to descend the ,rue des ,martyrs1 the former perceived an old man lying on a bench with his bare feet protruding from his gaping1 filthy shoes4 ,guillaume pointed to him in silence4 ,then1 a few steps farther on1 ,pierre in his turn pointed to a ragged girl1 crouching1 asleep with open mouth1 in the corner of a doorway4 ,there was no need for the brothers to express in words all the compassion and anger which stirred their hearts4 ,at long intervals policemen1 walking slowly two by two1 shook the poor wretches and compelled them to rise and walk on and on4 ,occasionally1 if they found them suspicious or refractory1 they marched them off to the police-station4 ,and then rancour and the contagion of imprisonment often transformed a mere vagabond into a thief or a murderer4 ,in the ,rue des ,martyrs and the ,rue du ,faubourg-,montmartre1 the brothers found night-birds of another kind1 women who slunk past them1 close to the house-fronts1 and men and hussies who belaboured one another with blows4 ,then1 upon the grand boulevards1 on the thresholds of lofty black houses1 only one row of whose windows flared in the night1 pale-faced individuals1 who had just come down from their clubs1 stood lighting cigars before going home4 ,a lady with a ball wrap over her evening gown went by accompanied by a servant4 ,a few cabs1 moreover1 still jogged up and down the roadway1 while others1 which had been waiting for hours1 stood on their ranks in rows1 with drivers and horses alike asleep4 ,and as one boulevard after another was reached1 the ,boulevard ,poissonniere1 the ,boulevard ,bonne ,nouvelle1 the ,boulevard ,st4 ,denis1 and so forth1 as far as the ,place de la ,republique1 there came fresh want and misery1 more forsaken and hungry ones1 more and more of the human 8waste0 that is cast into the streets and the darkness4 ,and on the other hand1 an army of street-sweepers was now appearing to remove all the filth of the past four and twenty hours1 in order that ,paris1 spruce already at sunrise1 might not blush for having thrown up such a mass of dirt and loathsomeness in the course of a single day4 ,it was1 however1 more particularly after following the ,boulevard ,voltaire1 and drawing near to the districts of ,la ,roquette and ,charonne1 that the brothers felt they were returning to a sphere of labour where there was often lack of food1 and where life was but so much pain4 ,pierre found himself at home here4 ,in former days1 accompanied by good ,abb ,rose1 visiting despairing ones1 distributing alms1 picking up children who had sunk to the gutter1 he had a hundred times perambulated every one of those long1 densely populated streets4 ,and thus a frightful vision arose before his mind's eye2 he recalled all the tragedies he had witnessed1 all the shrieks he had heard1 all the tears and bloodshed he had seen1 all the fathers1 mothers and children huddled together and dying of want1 dirt and abandonment3 that social hell in which he had ended by losing his last hopes1 fleeing from it with a sob in the conviction that charity was a mere amusement for the rich1 and absolutely futile as a remedy4 ,it was this conviction which now returned to him as he again cast eyes upon that want and grief stricken district which seemed fated to everlasting destitution4 ,that poor old man whom ,abb ,rose had revived one night in yonder hovel1 had he not since died of starvation8 ,that little girl whom he had one morning brought in his arms to the refuge after her parents' death1 was it not she whom he had just met1 grown but fallen to the streets1 and shrieking beneath the fist of a bully8 ,ah6 how great was the number of the wretched6 ,their name was legion6 ,there were those whom one could not save1 those who were hourly born to a life of woe and want1 even as one may be born infirm1 and those1 too1 who from every side sank in the sea of human injustice1 that ocean which has ever been the same for centuries past1 and which though one may strive to drain it1 still and for ever spreads4 ,how heavy was the silence1 how dense the darkness in those working-class streets where sleep seems to be the comrade of death6 ,yet hunger prowls1 and misfortune sobs2 vague spectral forms slink by1 and then are lost to view in the depths of the night4 ,as ,pierre and ,guillaume went along they became mixed with dark groups of people1 a whole flock of inquisitive folk1 a promiscuous1 passionate tramp1 tramp towards the guillotine4 ,it came from all ,paris1 urged on by brutish fever1 a hankering for death and blood4 ,in spite1 however1 of the dull noise which came from this dim crowd1 the mean streets that were passed remained quite dark1 not a light appeared at any of their windows2 nor could one hear the breathing of the weary toilers stretched on their wretched pallets from which they would not rise before the morning twilight4 ,on seeing the jostling crowd which was already assembled on the ,place ,voltaire1 ,pierre understood that it would be impossible for him and his brother to ascend the ,rue de la ,roquette4 ,barriers1 moreover1 must certainly have been thrown across that street4 ,in order therefore to reach the corner of the ,rue ,merlin1 it occurred to him to take the ,rue de la ,folie ,regnault1 which winds round in the rear of the prison1 farther on4 ,here indeed they found solitude and darkness again4 ,the huge1 massive prison with its great bare walls on which a moonray fell1 looked like some pile of cold stones1 dead for centuries past4 ,at the end of the street they once more fell in with the crowd1 a dim restless mass of beings1 whose pale faces alone could be distinguished4 ,the brothers had great difficulty in reaching the house in which ,mge resided at the corner of the ,rue ,merlin4 ,all the shutters of the fourth-floor flat occupied by the ,socialist deputy were closed1 though every other window was wide open and crowded with surging sightseers4 ,moreover1 the wine shop down below and the first-floor room connected with it flared with gas1 and were already crowded with noisy customers1 waiting for the performance to begin4 8,i hardly like to go and knock at ,mge's door10 said ,pierre4 8,no1 no1 you must not do so60 replied ,guillaume4 8,let us go into the wine shop4 ,we may perhaps be able to see something from the balcony40 ,the first-floor room was provided with a very large balcony1 which women and gentlemen were already filling4 ,the brothers nevertheless managed to reach it1 and for a few minutes remained there1 peering into the darkness before them4 ,the sloping street grew broader between the two prisons1 the 8great0 and the 8little0 ,roquette1 in such wise as to form a sort of square1 which was shaded by four clumps of plane-trees1 rising from the footways4 ,the low buildings and scrubby trees1 all poor and ugly of aspect1 seemed almost to lie on a level with the ground1 under a vast sky in which stars were appearing1 as the moon gradually declined4 ,and the square was quite empty save that on one spot yonder there seemed to be some little stir4 ,two rows of guards prevented the crowd from advancing1 and even threw it back into the neighbouring streets4 ,on the one hand1 the only lofty houses were far away1 at the point where the ,rue ,st4 ,maur intersects the ,rue de la ,roquette2 while1 on the other1 they stood at the corners of the ,rue ,merlin and the ,rue de la ,folie ,regnault1 so that it was almost impossible to distinguish anything of the execution even from the best placed windows4 ,as for the inquisitive folk on the pavement they only saw the backs of the guards4 ,still this did not prevent a crush4 ,the human tide flowed on from all sides with increasing clamour4 ,guided by the remarks of some women who1 leaning forward on the balcony1 had been watching the square for a long time already1 the brothers were at last able to perceive something4 ,it was now half-past three1 and the guillotine was nearly ready4 ,the little stir which one vaguely espied yonder under the trees1 was that of the headsman's assistants fixing the knife in position4 ,a lantern slowly came and went1 and five or six shadows danced over the ground4 ,but nothing else could be distinguished1 the square was like a large black pit1 around which ever broke the waves of the noisy crowd which one could not see4 ,and beyond the square one could only identify the flaring wine shops1 which showed forth like lighthouses in the night4 ,all the surrounding district of poverty and toil was still asleep1 not a gleam as yet came from workrooms or yards1 not a puff of smoke from the lofty factory chimneys4 8,we shall see nothing10 ,guillaume remarked4 ,but ,pierre silenced him1 for he has just discovered that an elegantly attired gentleman leaning over the balcony near him was none other than the amiable deputy ,duthil4 ,he had at first fancied that a woman muffled in wraps who stood close beside the deputy was the little ,princess de ,harn1 whom he had very likely brought to see the execution since he had taken her to see the trial4 ,on closer inspection1 however1 he had found that this woman was ,silviane1 the perverse creature with the virginal face4 ,truth to tell1 she made no concealment of her presence1 but talked on in an extremely loud voice1 as if intoxicated2 and the brothers soon learnt how it was that she happened to be there4 ,duvillard1 ,duthil1 and other friends had been supping with her at one o'clock in the morning1 when on learning that ,salvat was about to be guillotined1 the fancy of seeing the execution had suddenly come upon her4 ,duvillard1 after vainly entreating her to do nothing of the kind1 had gone off in a fury1 for he felt that it would be most unseemly on his part to attend the execution of a man who had endeavoured to blow up his house4 ,and thereupon ,silviane had turned to ,duthil1 whom her caprice greatly worried1 for he held all such loathsome spectacles in horror1 and had already refused to act as escort to the ,princess4 ,however1 he was so infatuated with ,silviane's beauty1 and she made him so many promises1 that he had at last consented to take her4 8,he can't understand people caring for amusement10 she said1 speaking of the ,baron4 8,and yet this is really a thing to see4444 ,but no matter1 you'll find him at my feet again to-morrow40 ,duthil smiled and responded3 8,i suppose that peace has been signed and ratified now that you have secured your engagement at the ,comdie40 8,peace8 ,no60 she protested4 8,no1 no4 ,there will be no peace between us until ,i have made my dbut4 ,after that1 we'll see40 ,they both laughed2 and then ,duthil1 by way of paying his court1 told her how good-naturedly ,dauvergne1 the new ,minister of ,public ,instruction and ,fine ,arts1 had adjusted the difficulties which had hitherto kept the doors of the ,comdie closed upon her4 ,a really charming man was ,dauvergne1 the embodiment of graciousness1 the very flower of the ,monferrand ministry4 ,his was the velvet hand in that administration whose leader had a hand of iron4 8,he told me1 my beauty10 said ,duthil1 8that a pretty girl was in place everywhere40 ,and then as ,silviane1 as if flattered1 pressed closely beside him1 the deputy added3 8,so that wonderful revival of #8,polyeucte1' in which you are going to have such a triumph1 is to take place on the day after to-morrow4 ,we shall all go to applaud you1 remember40 8,yes1 on the evening of the day after to-morrow10 said ,silviane1 8the very same day when the wedding of the ,baron's daughter will take place4 ,there'll be plenty of emotion that day60 8,ah6 yes1 of course60 retorted ,duthil1 8there'll be the wedding of our friend ,grard with ,mademoiselle ,camille to begin with4 ,we shall have a crush at the ,madeleine in the morning and another at the ,comdie in the evening4 ,you are quite right1 too2 there will be several hearts throbbing in the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy40 ,thereupon they again became merry1 and jested about the ,duvillard family--father1 mother1 lover and daughter--with the greatest possible ferocity and crudity of language4 ,then1 all at once ,silviane exclaimed3 8,do you know1 ,i'm feeling awfully bored here1 my little ,duthil4 ,i can't distinguish anything1 and ,i should like to be quite near so as to see it all plainly4 ,you must take me over yonder1 close to that machine of theirs40 ,this request threw ,duthil into consternation1 particularly as at that same moment ,silviane perceived ,massot outside the wine shop1 and began calling and beckoning to him imperiously4 ,a brief conversation then ensued between the young woman and the journalist3 8,i say1 ,massot60 she called1 8hasn't a deputy the right to pass the guards and take a lady wherever he likes80 8,not at all60 exclaimed ,duthil4 8,massot knows very well that a deputy ought to be the very first to bow to the laws40 ,this exclamation warned ,massot that ,duthil did not wish to leave the balcony4 8,you ought to have secured a card of invitation1 madame10 said he1 in reply to ,silviane4 8,they would then have found you room at one of the windows of ,la ,petite ,roquette4 ,women are not allowed elsewhere4444 ,but you mustn't complain1 you have a very good place up there40 8,but ,i can see nothing at all1 my dear ,massot40 8,well1 you will in any case see more than ,princess de ,harn will4 ,just now ,i came upon her carriage in the ,rue du ,chemin ,vert4 ,the police would not allow it to come any nearer40 ,this news made ,silviane merry again1 whilst ,duthil shuddered at the idea of the danger he incurred1 for ,rosemonde would assuredly treat him to a terrible scene should she see him with another woman4 ,then1 an idea occurring to him1 he ordered a bottle of champagne and some little cakes for his 8beautiful friend10 as he called ,silviane4 ,she had been complaining of thirst1 and was delighted with the opportunity of perfecting her intoxication4 ,when a waiter had managed to place a little table near her1 on the balcony itself1 she found things very pleasant1 and indeed considered it quite brave to tipple and sup afresh1 while waiting for that man to be guillotined close by4 ,it was impossible for ,pierre and ,guillaume to remain up there any longer4 ,all that they heard1 all that they beheld filled them with disgust4 ,the boredom of waiting had turned all the inquisitive folks of the balcony and the adjoining room into customers4 ,the waiter could hardly manage to serve the many glasses of beer1 bottles of expensive wine1 biscuits1 and plates of cold meat which were ordered of him4 ,and yet the spectators here were all bourgeois1 rich gentlemen1 people of society6 ,on the other hand1 time has to be killed somehow when it hangs heavily on one's hands2 and thus there were bursts of laughter and paltry and horrible jests1 quite a feverish uproar arising amidst the clouds of smoke from the men's cigars4 ,when ,pierre and ,guillaume passed through the wine shop on the ground-floor they there found a similar crush and similar tumult1 aggravated by the disorderly behaviour of the big fellows in blouses who were drinking draught wine at the pewter bar which shone like silver4 ,there were people1 too1 at all the little tables1 besides an incessant coming and going of folks who entered the place for a 8wet10 by way of calming their impatience4 ,and what folks they were6 ,all the scum1 all the vagabonds who had been dragging themselves about since daybreak on the lookout for whatever chance might offer them1 provided it were not work6 ,on the pavement outside1 ,pierre and ,guillaume felt yet a greater heart-pang4 ,in the throng which the guards kept back1 one simply found so much mire stirred up from the very depths of ,paris life3 prostitutes and criminals1 the murderers of to-morrow1 who came to see how a man ought to die4 ,loathsome1 bareheaded harlots mingled with bands of prowlers or ran through the crowd1 howling obscene refrains4 ,bandits stood in groups chatting and quarrelling about the more or less glorious manner in which certain famous guillotines had died4 ,among these was one with respect to whom they all agreed1 and of whom they spoke as of a great captain1 a hero whose marvellous courage was deserving of immortality4 ,then1 as one passed along1 one caught snatches of horrible phrases1 particulars about the instrument of death1 ignoble boasts1 and filthy jests reeking with blood4 ,and over and above all else there was bestial fever1 a lust for death which made this multitude delirious1 an eagerness to see life flow forth fresh and ruddy beneath the knife1 so that as it coursed over the soil they might dip their feet in it4 ,as this execution was not an ordinary one1 however1 there were yet spectators of another kind2 silent men with glowing eyes who came and went all alone1 and who were plainly thrilled by their faith1 intoxicated with the contagious madness which incites one to vengeance or martyrdom4 ,guillaume was just thinking of ,victor ,mathis1 when he fancied that he saw him standing in the front row of sightseers whom the guards held in check4 ,it was indeed he1 with his thin1 beardless1 pale1 drawn face4 ,short as he was1 he had to raise himself on tiptoes in order to see anything4 ,near him was a big1 red-haired girl who gesticulated2 but for his part he never stirred or spoke4 ,he was waiting motionless1 gazing yonder with the round1 ardent1 fixed eyes of a night-bird1 seeking to penetrate the darkness4 ,at last a guard pushed him back in a somewhat brutal way2 but he soon returned to his previous position1 ever patient though full of hatred against the executioners1 wishing indeed to see all he could in order to increase his hate4 ,then ,massot approached the brothers4 ,this time1 on seeing ,pierre without his cassock1 he did not even make a sign of astonishment1 but gaily remarked3 8,so you felt curious to see this affair1 ,monsieur ,froment80 8,yes1 ,i came with my brother10 ,pierre replied4 8,but ,i very much fear that we shan't see much40 8,you certainly won't if you stay here10 rejoined ,massot4 ,and thereupon in his usual good-natured way--glad1 moreover1 to show what power a well-known journalist could wield--he inquired3 8,would you like me to pass you through8 ,the inspector here happens to be a friend of mine40 ,then1 without waiting for an answer1 he stopped the inspector and hastily whispered to him that he had brought a couple of colleagues1 who wanted to report the proceedings4 ,at first the inspector hesitated1 and seemed inclined to refuse ,massot's request2 but after a moment1 influenced by the covert fear which the police always has of the press1 he made a weary gesture of consent4 8,come1 quick1 then10 said ,massot1 turning to the brothers1 and taking them along with him4 ,a moment later1 to the intense surprise of ,pierre and ,guillaume1 the guards opened their ranks to let them pass4 ,they then found themselves in the large open space which was kept clear4 ,and on thus emerging from the tumultuous throng they were quite impressed by the death-like silence and solitude which reigned under the little plane-trees4 ,the night was now paling4 ,a faint gleam of dawn was already falling from the sky4 ,after leading his companions slantwise across the square1 ,massot stopped them near the prison and resumed3 8,i'm going inside2 ,i want to see the prisoner roused and got ready4 ,in the meantime1 walk about here2 nobody will say anything to you4 ,besides1 ,i'll come back to you in a moment40 ,a hundred people or so1 journalists and other privileged spectators1 were scattered about the dark square4 ,movable wooden barriers--such as are set up at the doors of theatres when there is a press of people waiting for admission--had been placed on either side of the pavement running from the prison gate to the guillotine2 and some sightseers were already leaning over these barriers1 in order to secure a close view of the condemned man as he passed by4 ,others were walking slowly to and fro1 and conversing in undertones4 ,the brothers1 for their part1 approached the guillotine4 ,it stood there under the branches of the trees1 amidst the delicate greenery of the fresh leaves of spring4 ,a neighbouring gas-lamp1 whose light was turning yellow in the rising dawn1 cast vague gleams upon it4 ,the work of fixing it in position--work performed as quietly as could be1 so that the only sound was the occasional thud of a mallet--had just been finished2 and the headsman's 8valets0 or assistants1 in frock-coats and tall silk hats1 were waiting and strolling about in a patient way4 ,but the instrument itself1 how base and shameful it looked1 squatting on the ground like some filthy beast1 disgusted with the work it had to accomplish6 ,what6 those few beams lying on the ground1 and those others barely nine feet high which rose from it1 keeping the knife in position1 constituted the machine which avenged ,society1 the instrument which gave a warning to evil-doers6 ,where was the big scaffold painted a bright red and reached by a stairway of ten steps1 the scaffold which raised high bloody arms over the eager multitude1 so that everybody might behold the punishment of the law in all its horror6 ,the beast had now been felled to the ground1 where it simply looked ignoble1 crafty and cowardly4 ,if on the one hand there was no majesty in the manner in which human justice condemned a man to death at its assizes3 on the other1 there was merely horrid butchery with the help of the most barbarous and repulsive of mechanical contrivances1 on the terrible day when that man was executed4 ,as ,pierre and ,guillaume gazed at the guillotine1 a feeling of nausea came over them4 ,daylight was now slowly breaking1 and the surroundings were appearing to view3 first the square itself with its two low1 grey prisons1 facing one another2 then the distant houses1 the taverns1 the marble workers' establishments1 and the shops selling flowers and wreaths1 which are numerous hereabouts1 as the cemetery of ,pre-,lachaise is so near4 ,before long one could plainly distinguish the black lines of the spectators standing around in a circle1 the heads leaning forward from windows and balconies1 and the people who had climbed to the very house roofs4 ,the prison of ,la ,petite ,roquette over the way had been turned into a kind of tribune for guests2 and mounted ,gardes de ,paris went slowly to and fro across the intervening expanse4 ,then1 as the sky brightened1 labour awoke throughout the district beyond the crowd1 a district of broad1 endless streets lined with factories1 work-shops and work-yards4 ,engines began to snort1 machinery and appliances were got ready to start once more on their usual tasks1 and smoke already curled away from the forest of lofty brick chimneys which1 on all sides1 sprang out of the gloom4 ,it then seemed to ,guillaume that the guillotine was really in its right place in that district of want and toil4 ,it stood in its own realm1 like a terminus and a threat4 ,did not ignorance1 poverty and woe lead to it8 ,and each time that it was set up amidst those toilsome streets1 was it not charged to overawe the disinherited ones1 the starvelings1 who1 exasperated by everlasting injustice1 were always ready for revolt8 ,it was not seen in the districts where wealth and enjoyment reigned4 ,it would there have seemed purposeless1 degrading and truly monstrous4 ,and it was a tragical and terrible coincidence that the bomb-thrower1 driven mad by want1 should be guillotined there1 in the very centre of want's dominion4 ,but daylight had come at last1 for it was nearly half-past four4 ,the distant noisy crowd could feel that the expected moment was drawing nigh4 ,a shudder suddenly sped through the atmosphere4 8,he's coming10 exclaimed little ,massot1 as he came back to ,pierre and ,guillaume4 8,ah6 that ,salvat is a brave fellow after all40 ,then he related how the prisoner had been awakened2 how the governor of the prison1 magistrate ,amadieu1 the chaplain1 and a few other persons had entered the cell where ,salvat lay fast asleep2 and then how the condemned man had understood the truth immediately upon opening his eyes4 ,he had risen1 looking pale but quite composed4 ,and he had dressed himself without assistance1 and had declined the nip of brandy and the cigarette proffered by the good-hearted chaplain1 in the same way as with a gentle but stubborn gesture he had brushed the crucifix aside4 ,then had come the 8toilette0 for death4 ,with all rapidity and without a word being exchanged1 ,salvat's hands had been tied behind his back1 his legs had been loosely secured with a cord1 and the neckband of his shirt had been cut away4 ,he had smiled when the others exhorted him to be brave4 ,he only feared some nervous weakness1 and had but one desire1 to die like a hero1 to remain the martyr of the ardent faith in truth and justice for which he was about to perish4 8,they are now drawing up the death certificate in the register10 continued ,massot in his chattering way4 8,come along1 come along to the barriers if you wish a good view4444 ,i turned paler1 you know1 and trembled far more than he did4 ,i don't care a rap for anything as a rule2 but1 all the same1 an execution isn't a pleasant business4444 ,you can't imagine how many attempts were made to save ,salvat's life4 ,even some of the papers asked that he might be reprieved4 ,but nothing succeeded1 the execution was regarded as inevitable1 it seems1 even by those who consider it a blunder4 ,still1 they had such a touching opportunity to reprieve him1 when his daughter1 little ,cline1 wrote that fine letter to the ,president of the ,republic1 which ,i was the first to publish in the #8,globe4' ,ah6 that letter1 it cost me a lot of running about60 ,pierre1 who was already quite upset by this long wait for the horrible scene1 felt moved to tears by ,massot's reference to ,cline4 ,he could again see the child standing beside ,madame ,thodore in that bare1 cold room whither her father would never more return4 ,it was thence that he had set out on a day of desperation with his stomach empty and his brain on fire1 and it was here that he would end1 between yonder beams1 beneath yonder knife4 ,massot1 however1 was still giving particulars4 ,the doctors1 said he1 were furious because they feared that the body would not be delivered to them immediately after the execution4 ,to this ,guillaume did not listen4 ,he stood there with his elbows resting on the wooden barrier and his eyes fixed on the prison gate1 which still remained shut4 ,his hands were quivering1 and there was an expression of anguish on his face as if it were he himself who was about to be executed4 ,the headsman had again just left the prison4 ,he was a little1 insignificant-looking man1 and seemed annoyed1 anxious to have done with it all4 ,then1 among a group of frock-coated gentlemen1 some of the spectators pointed out ,gascogne1 the ,chief of the ,detective ,police1 who wore a cold1 official air1 and ,amadieu1 the investigating magistrate1 who smiled and looked very spruce1 early though the hour was4 ,he had come partly because it was his duty1 and partly because he wished to show himself now that the curtain was about to fall on a wonderful tragedy of which he considered himself the author4 ,guillaume glanced at him1 and then as a growing uproar rose from the distant crowd1 he looked up for an instant1 and again beheld the two grey prisons1 the plane-trees with their fresh young leaves1 and the houses swarming with people beneath the pale blue sky1 in which the triumphant sun was about to appear4 8,look out1 here he comes60 ,who had spoken8 ,a slight noise1 that of the opening gate1 made every heart throb4 ,necks were outstretched1 eyes gazed fixedly1 there was laboured breathing on all sides4 ,salvat stood on the threshold of the prison4 ,the chaplain1 stepping backwards1 had come out in advance of him1 in order to conceal the guillotine from his sight1 but he had stopped short1 for he wished to see that instrument of death1 make acquaintance with it1 as it were1 before he walked towards it4 ,and as he stood there1 his long1 aged sunken face1 on which life's hardships had left their mark1 seemed transformed by the wondrous brilliancy of his flaring1 dreamy eyes4 ,enthusiasm bore him up--he was going to his death in all the splendour of his dream4 ,when the executioner's assistants drew near to support him he once more refused their help1 and again set himself in motion1 advancing with short steps1 but as quickly and as straightly as the rope hampering his legs permitted4 ,all at once ,guillaume felt that ,salvat's eyes were fixed upon him4 ,drawing nearer and nearer the condemned man had perceived and recognised his friend2 and as he passed by1 at a distance of no more than six or seven feet1 he smiled faintly and darted such a deep penetrating glance at ,guillaume1 that ever afterwards the latter felt its smart4 ,but what last thought1 what supreme legacy had ,salvat left him to meditate upon1 perhaps to put into execution8 ,it was all so poignant that ,pierre feared some involuntary call on his brother's part2 and so he laid his hand upon his arm to quiet him4 8,long live ,anarchy60 ,it was ,salvat who had raised this cry4 ,but in the deep silence his husky1 altered voice seemed to break4 ,the few who were near at hand had turned very pale2 the distant crowd seemed bereft of life4 ,the horse of one of the ,gardes de ,paris was alone heard snorting in the centre of the space which had been kept clear4 ,then came a loathsome scramble1 a scene of nameless brutality and ignominy4 ,the headsman's helps rushed upon ,salvat as he came up slowly with brow erect4 ,two of them seized him by the head1 but finding little hair there1 could only lower it by tugging at his neck4 ,next two others grasped him by the legs and flung him violently upon a plank which tilted over and rolled forward4 ,then1 by dint of pushing and tugging1 the head was got into the 8lunette10 the upper part of which fell in such wise that the neck was fixed as in a ship's port-hole--and all this was accomplished amidst such confusion and with such savagery that one might have thought that head some cumbrous thing which it was necessary to get rid of with the greatest speed4 ,but the knife fell with a dull1 heavy1 forcible thud1 and two long jets of blood spurted from the severed arteries1 while the dead man's feet moved convulsively4 ,nothing else could be seen4 ,the executioner rubbed his hands in a mechanical way1 and an assistant took the severed blood-streaming head from the little basket into which it had fallen and placed it in the large basket into which the body had already been turned4 ,ah6 that dull1 that heavy thud of the knife6 ,it seemed to ,guillaume that he had heard it echoing far away all over that district of want and toil1 even in the squalid rooms where thousands of workmen were at that moment rising to perform their day's hard task6 ,and there the echo of that thud acquired formidable significance2 it spoke of man's exasperation with injustice1 of zeal for martyrdom1 and of the dolorous hope that the blood then spilt might hasten the victory of the disinherited4 ,pierre1 for his part1 at the sight of that loathsome butchery1 the abject cutthroat work of that killing machine1 had suddenly felt his chilling shudder become more violent2 for before him arose a vision of another corpse1 that of the fair1 pretty child ripped open by a bomb and stretched yonder1 at the entrance of the ,duvillard mansion4 ,blood streamed from her delicate flesh1 just as it had streamed from that decapitated neck4 ,it was blood paying for blood2 it was like payment for mankind's debt of wretchedness1 for which payment is everlastingly being made1 without man ever being able to free himself from suffering4 ,above the square and the crowd all was still silent in the clear sky4 ,how long had the abomination lasted8 ,an eternity1 perhaps1 compressed into two or three minutes4 ,and now came an awakening3 the spectators emerged from their nightmare with quivering hands1 livid faces1 and eyes expressive of compassion1 disgust and fear4 8,that makes another one4 ,i've now seen four executions10 said ,massot1 who felt ill at ease4 8,after all1 ,i prefer to report weddings4 ,let us go off1 ,i have all ,i want for my article40 ,guillaume and ,pierre followed him mechanically across the square1 and again reached the corner of the ,rue ,merlin4 ,and here they saw little ,victor ,mathis1 with flaming eyes and white face1 still standing in silence on the spot where they had left him4 ,he could have seen nothing distinctly2 but the thud of the knife was still echoing in his brain4 ,a policeman at last gave him a push1 and told him to move on4 ,at this he looked the policeman in the face1 stirred by sudden rage and ready to strangle him4 ,then1 however1 he quietly walked away1 ascending the ,rue de la ,roquette1 atop of which the lofty foliage of ,pre-,lachaise could be seen1 beneath the rising sun4 ,the brothers meantime fell upon a scene of explanations1 which they heard without wishing to do so4 ,now that the sight was over1 the ,princess de ,harn arrived1 and she was the more furious as at the door of the wine shop she could see her new friend ,duthil accompanying a woman4 8,i say60 she exclaimed1 8you are nice1 you are1 to have left me in the lurch like this6 ,it was impossible for my carriage to get near1 so ,i've had to come on foot through all those horrid people who have been jostling and insulting me40 ,thereupon ,duthil1 with all promptitude1 introduced ,silviane to her1 adding1 in an aside1 that he had taken a friend's place as the actress's escort4 ,and then ,rosemonde1 who greatly wished to know ,silviane1 calmed down as if by enchantment1 and put on her most engaging ways4 8,it would have delighted me1 madame10 said she1 8to have seen this sight in the company of an artiste of your merit1 one whom ,i admire so much1 though ,i have never before had an opportunity of telling her so40 8,well1 dear me1 madame10 replied ,silviane1 8you haven't lost much by arriving late4 ,we were on that balcony there1 and all that ,i could see were a few men pushing another one about4444 ,it really isn't worth the trouble of coming40 8,well1 now that we have become acquainted1 madame10 said the ,princess1 8,i really hope that you will allow me to be your friend40 8,certainly1 madame1 my friend2 and ,i shall be flattered and delighted to be yours40 ,standing there1 hand in hand1 they smiled at one another4 ,silviane was very drunk1 but her virginal expression had returned to her face2 whilst ,rosemonde seemed feverish with vicious curiosity4 ,duthil1 whom the scene amused1 now had but one thought1 that of seeing ,silviane home2 so calling to ,massot1 who was approaching1 he asked him where he should find a cab-rank4 ,rosemonde1 however1 at once offered her carriage1 which was waiting in an adjacent street4 ,she would set the actress down at her door1 said she1 and the deputy at his2 and such was her persistence in the matter that ,duthil1 greatly vexed1 was obliged to accept her offer4 8,well1 then1 till to-morrow at the ,madeleine10 said ,massot1 again quite sprightly1 as he shook hands with the ,princess4 8,yes1 till to-morrow1 at the ,madeleine and the ,comdie40 8,ah6 yes1 of course60 he repeated1 taking ,silviane's hand1 which he kissed4 8,the ,madeleine in the morning and the ,comdie in the evening444 4 ,we shall all be there to applaud you40 8,yes1 ,i expect you to do so10 said ,silviane4 8,till to-morrow1 then60 8,till to-morrow60 ,the crowd was now wearily dispersing1 to all appearance disappointed and ill at ease4 ,a few enthusiasts alone lingered in order to witness the departure of the van in which ,salvat's corpse would soon be removed2 while bands of prowlers and harlots1 looking very wan in the daylight1 whistled or called to one another with some last filthy expression before returning to their dens4 ,the headsman's assistants were hastily taking down the guillotine1 and the square would soon be quite clear4 ,pierre for his part wished to lead his brother away4 ,since the fall of the knife1 ,guillaume had remained as if stunned1 without once opening his lips4 ,in vain had ,pierre tried to rouse him by pointing to the shutters of ,mge's flat1 which still remained closed1 whereas every other window of the lofty house was wide open4 ,although the ,socialist deputy hated the ,anarchists1 those shutters were doubtless closed as a protest against capital punishment4 ,whilst the multitude had been rushing to that frightful spectacle1 ,mge1 still in bed1 with his face turned to the wall1 had probably been dreaming of how he would some day compel mankind to be happy beneath the rigid laws of ,collectivism4 ,affectionate father as he was1 the recent death of one of his children had quite upset his private life4 ,his cough1 too1 had become a very bad one2 but he ardently wished to live1 for as soon as that new ,monferrand ministry should have fallen beneath the interpellation which he already contemplated1 his own turn would surely come3 he would take the reins of power in hand1 abolish the guillotine and decree justice and perfect felicity4 8,do you see1 ,guillaume80 ,pierre gently repeated4 8,mge hasn't opened his windows4 ,he's a good fellow1 after all2 although our friends ,bache and ,morin dislike him40 ,then1 as his brother still refrained from answering1 ,pierre added1 8,come1 let us go1 we must get back home40 ,they both turned into the ,rue de la ,folie ,regnault1 and reached the outer ,boulevards by way of the ,rue du ,chemin ,vert4 ,all the toilers of the district were now at work4 ,in the long streets edged with low buildings1 work-shops and factories1 one heard engines snorting and machinery rumbling1 while up above1 the smoke from the lofty chimneys was assuming a rosy hue in the sunrise4 ,afterwards1 when the brothers reached the ,boulevard de ,menilmontant and the ,boulevard de ,belleville1 which they followed in turn at a leisurely pace1 they witnessed the great rush of the working classes into central ,paris4 ,the stream poured forth from every side2 from all the wretched streets of the faubourgs there was an endless exodus of toilers1 who1 having risen at dawn1 were now hurrying1 in the sharp morning air1 to their daily labour4 ,some wore short jackets and others blouses2 some were in velveteen trousers1 others in linen overalls4 ,their thick shoes made their tramp a heavy one2 their hanging hands were often deformed by work4 ,and they seemed half asleep1 not a smile was to be seen on any of those wan1 weary faces turned yonder towards the everlasting task--the task which was begun afresh each day1 and which--'twas their only chance--they hoped to be able to take up for ever and ever4 ,there was no end to that drove of toilers1 that army of various callings1 that human flesh fated to manual labour1 upon which ,paris preys in order that she may live in luxury and enjoyment4 ,then the procession continued across the ,boulevard de la ,villette1 the ,boulevard de la ,chapelle1 and the ,boulevard de ,rochechouart1 where one reached the height of ,montmartre4 ,more and more workmen were ever coming down from their bare cold rooms and plunging into the huge city1 whence1 tired out1 they would that evening merely bring back the bread of rancour4 ,and now1 too1 came a stream of work-girls1 some of them in bright skirts1 some glancing at the passers-by2 girls whose wages were so paltry1 so insufficient1 that now and again pretty ones among them never more turned their faces homewards1 whilst the ugly ones wasted away1 condemned to mere bread and water4 ,a little later1 moreover1 came the employs1 the clerks1 the counter-jumpers1 the whole world of frock-coated penury--8gentlemen0 who devoured a roll as they hastened onward1 worried the while by the dread of being unable to pay their rent1 or by the problem of providing food for wife and children until the end of the month should come499 ,and now the sun was fast ascending on the horizon1 the whole army of ants was out and about1 and the toilsome day had begun with its ceaseless display of courage1 energy and suffering4 99 ,in ,paris nearly all clerks and shop-assistants receive monthly salaries1 while most workmen are paid once a fortnight4--,trans4 ,never before had it been so plainly manifest to ,pierre that work was a necessity1 that it healed and saved4 ,on the occasion of his visit to the ,grandidier works1 and later still1 when he himself had felt the need of occupation1 there had come to him the thought that work was really the world's law4 ,and after that hateful night1 after that spilling of blood1 after the slaughter of that toiler maddened by his dreams1 there was consolation and hope in seeing the sun rise once more1 and everlasting labour take up its wonted task4 ,however hard it might prove1 however unjustly it might be lotted out1 was it not work which would some day bring both justice and happiness to the world8 ,all at once1 as the brothers were climbing the steep hillside towards ,guillaume's house1 they perceived before and above them the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart rising majestically and triumphantly to the sky4 ,this was no sublunar apparition1 no dreamy vision of ,domination standing face to face with nocturnal ,paris4 ,the sun now clothed the edifice with splendour1 it looked golden and proud and victorious1 flaring with immortal glory4 ,then ,guillaume1 still silent1 still feeling ,salvat's last glance upon him1 seemed to come to some sudden and final decision4 ,he looked at the basilica with glowing eyes1 and pronounced sentence upon it4 ,,ii4 ,,in ,,vanity ,,fair ,,the wedding was to take place at noon1 and for half an hour already guests had been pouring into the magnificently decorated church1 which was leafy with evergreens and balmy with the scent of flowers4 ,the high altar in the rear glowed with countless candles1 and through the great doorway1 which was wide open1 one could see the peristyle decked with shrubs1 the steps covered with a broad carpet1 and the inquisitive crowd assembled on the square and even along the ,rue ,royale1 under the bright sun4 ,after finding three more chairs for some ladies who had arrived rather late1 ,duthil remarked to ,massot1 who was jotting down names in his note-book3 8,well1 if any more come1 they will have to remain standing40 8,who were those three80 the journalist inquired4 8,the ,duchess de ,boisemont and her two daughters40 8,indeed6 ,all the titled people of ,france1 as well as all the financiers and politicians1 are here6 ,it's something more even than a swell ,parisian wedding40 ,as a matter of fact all the spheres of 8society0 were gathered together there1 and some at first seemed rather embarrassed at finding themselves beside others4 ,whilst ,duvillard's name attracted all the princes of finance and politicians in power1 ,madame de ,quinsac and her son were supported by the highest of the ,french aristocracy4 ,the mere names of the witnesses sufficed to indicate what an extraordinary medley there was4 ,on ,grard's side these witnesses were his uncle1 ,general de ,bozonnet1 and the ,marquis de ,morigny2 whilst on ,camille's they were the great banker ,louvard1 and ,monferrand1 the ,president of the ,council and ,minister of ,finances4 ,the quiet bravado which the latter displayed in thus supporting the bride after being compromised in her father's financial intrigues imparted a piquant touch of impudence to his triumph4 ,and public curiosity was further stimulated by the circumstance that the nuptial blessing was to be given by ,monseigneur ,martha1 ,bishop of ,persepolis1 the ,pope's political agent in ,france1 and the apostle of the endeavours to win the ,republic over to the ,church by pretending to 8rally0 to it4 8,but1 ,i was mistaken10 now resumed ,massot with a sneer4 8,i said a really ,parisian wedding1 did ,i not8 ,but in point of fact this wedding is a symbol4 ,it's the apotheosis of the bourgeoisie1 my dear fellow--the old nobility sacrificing one of its sons on the altar of the golden calf in order that the ,divinity and the gendarmes1 being the masters of ,france once more1 may rid us of those scoundrelly ,socialists60 ,then1 again correcting himself1 he added3 8,but ,i was forgetting4 ,there are no more ,socialists4 ,their head was cut off the other morning40 ,duthil found this very funny4 ,then in a confidential way he remarked3 8,you know that the marriage wasn't settled without a good deal of difficulty4444 ,have you read ,sagnier's ignoble article this morning80 8,yes1 yes2 but ,i knew it all before1 everybody knew it40 ,then in an undertone1 understanding one another's slightest allusion1 they went on chatting4 ,it was only amidst a flood of tears and after a despairing struggle that ,baroness ,duvillard had consented to let her lover marry her daughter4 ,and in doing so she had yielded to the sole desire of seeing ,grard rich and happy4 ,she still regarded ,camille with all the hatred of a defeated rival4 ,then1 an equally painful contest had taken place at ,madame de ,quinsac's4 ,the ,countess had only overcome her revolt and consented to the marriage in order to save her son from the dangers which had threatened him since childhood2 and the ,marquis de ,morigny had been so affected by her maternal abnegation1 that in spite of all his anger he had resignedly agreed to be a witness1 thus making a supreme sacrifice1 that of his conscience1 to the woman whom he had ever loved4 ,and it was this frightful story that ,sagnier--using transparent nicknames--had related in the 8,voix du ,peuple0 that morning4 ,he had even contrived to make it more horrid than it really was2 for1 as usual1 he was badly informed1 and he was naturally inclined to falsehood and invention1 as by sending an ever thicker and more poisonous torrent from his sewer1 he might1 day by day1 increase his paper's sales4 ,since ,monferrand's victory had compelled him to leave the ,african ,railways scandal on one side1 he had fallen back on scandals in private life1 stripping whole families bare and pelting them with mud4 ,all at once ,duthil and ,massot were approached by ,chaigneux1 who1 with his shabby frock coat badly buttoned1 wore both a melancholy and busy air4 8,well1 ,monsieur ,massot10 said he1 8what about your article on ,silviane8 ,is it settled8 ,will it go in80 ,as ,chaigneux was always for sale1 always ready to serve as a valet1 it had occurred to ,duvillard to make use of him to ensure ,silviane's success at the ,comdie4 ,he had handed this sorry deputy over to the young woman1 who entrusted him with all manner of dirty work1 and sent him scouring ,paris in search of applauders and advertisements4 ,his eldest daughter was not yet married1 and never had his four women folk weighed more heavily on his hands4 ,his life had become a perfect hell2 they had ended by beating him1 if he did not bring a thousand-franc note home on the first day of every month4 8,my article60 ,massot replied2 8no1 it surely won't go in1 my dear deputy4 ,fonsgue says that it's written in too laudatory a style for the #8,globe4' ,he asked me if ,i were having a joke with the paper40 ,chaigneux became livid4 ,the article in question was one written in advance1 from the society point of view1 on the success which ,silviane would achieve in 8,polyeucte10 that evening1 at the ,comdie4 ,the journalist1 in the hope of pleasing her1 had even shown her his 8copy02 and she1 quite delighted1 now relied upon finding the article in print in the most sober and solemn organ of the ,parisian press4 8,good heavens6 what will become of us80 murmured the wretched ,chaigneux4 8,it's absolutely necessary that the article should go in40 8,well1 ,i'm quite agreeable4 ,but speak to the governor yourself4 ,he's standing yonder between ,vignon and ,dauvergne1 the ,minister of ,public ,instruction40 8,yes1 ,i certainly will speak to him--but not here4 ,by-and-by in the sacristy1 during the procession4 ,and ,i must also try to speak to ,dauvergne1 for our ,silviane particularly wants him to be in the ministerial box this evening4 ,monferrand will be there2 he promised ,duvillard so40 ,massot began to laugh1 repeating the expression which had circulated through ,paris directly after the actress's engagement3 8,the ,silviane ministry4444 ,well1 ,dauvergne certainly owes that much to his godmother60 said he4 ,just then the little ,princess de ,harn1 coming up like a gust of wind1 broke in upon the three men4 8,i've no seat1 you know60 she cried4 ,duthil fancied that it was a question of finding her a well-placed chair in the church4 8,you mustn't count on me10 he answered4 8,i've just had no end of trouble in stowing the ,duchess de ,boisemont away with her two daughters40 8,oh1 but ,i'm talking of this evening's performance4 ,come1 my dear ,duthil1 you really must find me a little corner in somebody's box4 ,i shall die1 ,i know ,i shall1 if ,i can't applaud our delicious1 our incomparable friend60 ,ever since setting ,silviane down at her door on the previous day1 ,rosemonde had been overflowing with admiration for her4 8,oh6 you won't find a single remaining seat1 madame10 declared ,chaigneux1 putting on an air of importance4 8,we have distributed everything4 ,i have just been offered three hundred francs for a stall40 8,that's true1 there has been a fight even for the bracket seats1 however badly they might be placed10 ,duthil resumed4 8,i am very sorry1 but you must not count on me4444 ,duvillard is the only person who might take you in his box4 ,he told me that he would reserve me a seat there4 ,and so far1 ,i think1 there are only three of us1 including his son4444 ,ask ,hyacinthe by-and-by to procure you an invitation40 ,rosemonde1 whom ,hyacinthe had so greatly bored that she had given him his dismissal1 felt the irony of ,duthil's suggestion4 ,nevertheless1 she exclaimed with an air of delight3 8,ah1 yes6 ,hyacinthe can't refuse me that4 ,thanks for your information1 my dear ,duthil4 ,you are very nice1 you are2 for you settle things gaily even when they are rather sad4444 ,and don't forget1 mind1 that you have promised to teach me politics4 ,ah6 politics1 my dear fellow1 ,i feel that nothing will ever impassion me as politics do60 ,then she left them1 hustled several people1 and in spite of the crush ended by installing herself in the front row4 8,ah6 what a crank she is60 muttered ,massot with an air of amusement4 ,then1 as ,chaigneux darted towards magistrate ,amadieu to ask him in the most obsequious way if he had received his ticket1 the journalist said to ,duthil in a whisper3 8,by the way1 my dear friend1 is it true that ,duvillard is going to launch his famous scheme for a ,trans-,saharan railway8 ,it would be a gigantic enterprise1 a question of hundreds and hundreds of millions this time4444 ,at the #8,globe' office yesterday evening1 ,fonsgue shrugged his shoulders and said it was madness1 and would never come off60 ,duthil winked1 and in a jesting way replied3 8,it's as good as done1 my dear boy4 ,fonsgue will be kissing the governor's feet before another forty-eight hours are over40 ,then he gaily gave the other to understand that golden manna would presently be raining down on the press and all faithful friends and willing helpers4 ,birds shake their feathers when the storm is over1 and he1 ,duthil1 was as spruce and lively1 as joyous at the prospect of the presents he now expected1 as if there had never been any ,african ,railways scandal to upset him and make him turn pale with fright4 8,the deuce60 muttered ,massot1 who had become serious4 8,so this affair here is more than a triumph3 it's the promise of yet another harvest4 ,well1 ,i'm no longer surprised at the crush of people40 ,at this moment the organs suddenly burst into a glorious hymn of greeting4 ,the marriage procession was entering the church4 ,a loud clamour had gone up from the crowd1 which spread over the roadway of the ,rue ,royale and impeded the traffic there1 while the cortge pompously ascended the steps in the bright sunshine4 ,and it was now entering the edifice and advancing beneath the lofty1 re-echoing vaults towards the high altar which flared with candles1 whilst on either hand crowded the congregation1 the men on the right and the women on the left4 ,they had all risen and stood there smiling1 with necks outstretched and eyes glowing with curiosity4 ,first1 in the rear of the magnificent beadle1 came ,camille1 leaning on the arm of her father1 ,baron ,duvillard1 who wore a proud expression befitting a day of victory4 ,veiled with superb point d',alenon falling from her diadem of orange blossom1 gowned in pleated silk muslin over an underskirt of white satin1 the bride looked so extremely happy1 so radiant at having conquered1 that she seemed almost pretty4 ,moreover1 she held herself so upright that one could scarcely detect that her left shoulder was higher than her right4 ,next came ,grard1 giving his arm to his mother1 the ,countess de ,quinsac1--he looking very handsome and courtly1 as was proper1 and she displaying impassive dignity in her gown of peacock-blue silk embroidered with gold and steel beads4 ,but it was particularly ,eve whom people wished to see1 and every neck was craned forward when she appeared on the arm of ,general ,bozonnet1 the bridegroom's first witness and nearest male relative4 ,she was gowned in 8old rose0 taffetas trimmed with ,valenciennes of priceless value1 and never had she looked younger1 more deliciously fair4 ,yet her eyes betrayed her emotion1 though she strove to smile2 and her languid grace bespoke her widowhood1 her compassionate surrender of the man she loved4 ,monferrand1 the ,marquis de ,morigny1 and banker ,louvard1 the three other witnesses1 followed the ,baroness and ,general ,bozonnet1 each giving his arm to some lady of the family4 ,a considerable sensation was caused by the appearance of ,monferrand1 who seemed on first-rate terms with himself1 and jested familiarly with the lady he accompanied1 a little brunette with a giddy air4 ,another who was noticed in the solemn1 interminable procession was the bride's eccentric brother ,hyacinthe1 whose dress coat was of a cut never previously seen1 with its tails broadly and symmetrically pleated4 ,when the affianced pair had taken their places before the prayer-stools awaiting them1 and the members of both families and the witnesses had installed themselves in the rear in large armchairs1 all gilding and red velvet1 the ceremony was performed with extraordinary pomp4 ,the cur of the ,madeleine officiated in person2 and vocalists from the ,grand ,opera reinforced the choir1 which chanted the high mass to the accompaniment of the organs1 whence came a continuous hymn of glory4 ,all possible luxury and magnificence were displayed1 as if to turn this wedding into some public festivity1 a great victory1 an event marking the apogee of a class4 ,even the impudent bravado attaching to the loathsome private drama which lay behind it all1 and which was known to everybody1 added a touch of abominable grandeur to the ceremony4 ,but the truculent spirit of superiority and domination which characterised the proceedings became most manifest when ,monseigneur ,martha appeared in surplice and stole to pronounce the blessing4 ,tall of stature1 fresh of face1 and faintly smiling1 he had his wonted air of amiable sovereignty1 and it was with august unction that he pronounced the sacramental words1 like some pontiff well pleased at reconciling the two great empires whose heirs he united4 ,his address to the newly married couple was awaited with curiosity4 ,it proved really marvellous1 he himself triumphed in it4 ,was it not in that same church that he had baptised the bride's mother1 that blond ,eve1 who was still so beautiful1 that ,jewess whom he himself had converted to the ,catholic faith amidst the tears of emotion shed by all ,paris society8 ,was it not there also that he had delivered his three famous addresses on the ,new ,spirit1 whence dated1 to his thinking1 the rout of science1 the awakening of ,christian spirituality1 and that policy of rallying to the ,republic which was to lead to its conquest8 ,so it was assuredly allowable for him to indulge in some delicate allusions1 by way of congratulating himself on his work1 now that he was marrying a poor scion of the old aristocracy to the five millions of that bourgeoise heiress1 in whose person triumphed the class which had won the victory in #aghi1 and was now master of the land4 ,the fourth estate1 the duped1 robbed people1 alone had no place in those festivities4 ,but by uniting the affianced pair before him in the bonds of wedlock1 ,monseigneur ,martha sealed the new alliance1 gave effect to the ,pope's own policy1 that stealthy effort of ,jesuitical ,opportunism which would take democracy1 power and wealth to wife1 in order to subdue and control them4 ,when the prelate reached his peroration he turned towards ,monferrand1 who sat there smiling2 and it was he1 the ,minister1 whom he seemed to be addressing while he expressed the hope that the newly married pair would ever lead a truly ,christian life of humility and obedience in all fear of ,god1 of whose iron hand he spoke as if it were that of some gendarme charged with maintaining the peace of the world4 ,everybody was aware that there was some diplomatic understanding between the ,bishop and the ,minister1 some secret pact or other whereby both satisfied their passion for authority1 their craving to insinuate themselves into everything and reign supreme2 and thus when the spectators saw ,monferrand smiling in his somewhat sly1 jovial way1 they also exchanged smiles4 8,ah60 muttered ,massot1 who had remained near ,duthil1 8how amused old ,justus ,steinberger would be1 if he were here to see his granddaughter marrying the last of the ,quinsacs60 8,but these marriages are quite the thing1 quite the fashion1 my dear fellow10 the deputy replied4 8,the ,jews and the ,christians1 the bourgeois and the nobles1 do quite right to come to an understanding1 so as to found a new aristocracy4 ,an aristocracy is needed1 you know1 for otherwise we should be swept away by the masses40 ,none the less ,massot continued sneering at the idea of what a grimace ,justus ,steinberger would have made if he had heard ,monseigneur ,martha4 ,it was rumoured in ,paris that although the old ,jew banker had ceased all intercourse with his daughter ,eve since her conversion1 he took a keen interest in everything she was reported to do or say1 as if he were more than ever convinced that she would prove an avenging and dissolving agent among those ,christians1 whose destruction was asserted to be the dream of his race4 ,if he had failed in his hope of overcoming ,duvillard by giving her to him as a wife1 he doubtless now consoled himself with thinking of the extraordinary fortune to which his blood had attained1 by mingling with that of the harsh1 old-time masters of his race1 to whose corruption it gave a finishing touch4 ,therein perhaps lay that final ,jewish conquest of the world of which people sometimes talked4 ,a last triumphal strain from the organ brought the ceremony to an end2 whereupon the two families and the witnesses passed into the sacristy1 where the acts were signed4 ,and forthwith the great congratulatory procession commenced4 ,the bride and bridegroom at last stood side by side in the lofty but rather dim room1 panelled with oak4 ,how radiant with delight was ,camille at the thought that it was all over1 that she had triumphed and married that handsome man of high lineage1 after wresting him with so much difficulty from one and all1 her mother especially6 ,she seemed to have grown taller4 ,deformed1 swarthy1 and ugly though she was1 she drew herself up exultingly1 whilst scores and scores of women1 friends or acquaintances1 scrambled and rushed upon her1 pressing her hands or kissing her1 and addressing her in words of ecstasy4 ,grard1 who rose both head and shoulders above his bride1 and looked all the nobler and stronger beside one of such puny figure1 shook hands and smiled like some ,prince ,charming1 who good-naturedly allowed himself to be loved4 ,meanwhile1 the relatives of the newly wedded pair1 though they were drawn up in one line1 formed two distinct groups past which the crowd pushed and surged with arms outstretched4 ,duvillard received the congratulations offered him as if he were some king well pleased with his people2 whilst ,eve1 with a supreme effort1 put on an enchanting mien1 and answered one and all with scarcely a sign of the sobs which she was forcing back4 ,then1 on the other side of the bridal pair1 ,madame de ,quinsac stood between ,general de ,bozonnet and the ,marquis de ,morigny4 ,very dignified1 in fact almost haughty1 she acknowledged most of the salutations addressed to her with a mere nod1 giving her little withered hand only to those people with whom she was well acquainted4 ,a sea of strange countenances encompassed her1 and now and again when some particularly murky wave rolled by1 a wave of men whose faces bespoke all the crimes of money-mongering1 she and the ,marquis exchanged glances of deep sadness4 ,this tide continued sweeping by for nearly half an hour2 and such was the number of those who wanted to shake hands with the bridal pair and their relatives1 that the latter soon felt their arms ache4 ,meantime1 some folks lingered in the sacristy2 little groups collected1 and gay chatter rang out4 ,monferrand was immediately surrounded4 ,massot pointed out to ,duthil how eagerly ,public ,prosecutor ,lehmann rushed upon the ,minister to pay him court4 ,they were immediately joined by investigating magistrate ,amadieu4 ,and even ,m4 de ,larombire1 the judge1 approached ,monferrand1 although he hated the ,republic1 and was an intimate friend of the ,quinsacs4 ,but then obedience and obsequiousness were necessary on the part of the magistracy1 for it was dependent on those in power1 who alone could give advancement1 and appoint even as they dismissed4 ,as for ,lehmann1 it was alleged that he had rendered assistance to ,monferrand by spiriting away certain documents connected with the ,african ,railways affair1 whilst with regard to the smiling and extremely ,parisian ,amadieu1 was it not to him that the government was indebted for ,salvat's head8 8,you know10 muttered ,massot1 8they've all come to be thanked for guillotining that man yesterday4 ,monferrand owes that wretched fellow a fine taper2 for in the first place his bomb prolonged the life of the ,barroux ministry1 and later on it made ,monferrand prime minister1 as a strong-handed man was particularly needed to strangle ,anarchism4 ,what a contest1 eh8 ,monferrand on one side and ,salvat on the other4 ,it was all bound to end in a head being cut off2 one was wanted4444 ,ah6 just listen1 they are talking of it40 ,this was true4 ,as the three functionaries of the law drew near to pay their respects to the all-powerful ,minister1 they were questioned by lady friends whose curiosity had been roused by what they had read in the newspapers4 ,thereupon ,amadieu1 whom duty had taken to the execution1 and who was proud of his own importance1 and determined to destroy what he called 8the legend of ,salvat's heroic death10 declared that the scoundrel had shown no true courage at all4 ,his pride alone had kept him on his feet4 ,fright had so shaken and choked him that he had virtually been dead before the fall of the knife4 8,ah6 that's true60 cried ,duthil4 8,i was there myself40 ,massot1 however1 pulled him by the arm1 quite indignant at such an assertion1 although as a rule he cared a rap for nothing4 8,you couldn't see anything1 my dear fellow10 said he2 8,salvat died very bravely4 ,it's really stupid to continue throwing mud at that poor devil even when he's dead40 ,however1 the idea that ,salvat had died like a coward was too pleasing a one to be rejected4 ,it was1 so to say1 a last sacrifice deposited at ,monferrand's feet with the object of propitiating him4 ,he still smiled in his peaceful way1 like a good-natured man who is stern only when necessity requires it4 ,and he showed great amiability towards the three judicial functionaries1 and thanked them for the bravery with which they had accomplished their painful duty to the very end4 ,on the previous day1 after the execution1 he had obtained a formidable majority in the ,chamber on a somewhat delicate matter of policy4 ,order reigned1 said he1 and all was for the very best in ,france4 ,then1 on seeing ,vignon--who like a cool gamester had made a point of attending the wedding in order to show people that he was superior to fortune--the ,minister detained him1 and made much of him1 partly as a matter of tactics1 for in spite of everything he could not help fearing that the future might belong to that young fellow1 who showed himself so intelligent and cautious4 ,when a mutual friend informed them that ,barroux' health was now so bad that the doctors had given him up as lost1 they both began to express their compassion4 ,poor ,barroux6 ,he had never recovered from that vote of the ,chamber which had overthrown him4 ,he had been sinking from day to day1 stricken to the heart by his country's ingratitude1 dying of that abominable charge of money-mongering and thieving2 he who was so upright and so loyal1 who had devoted his whole life to the ,republic6 ,but then1 as ,monferrand repeated1 one should never confess4 ,the public can't understand such a thing4 ,at this moment ,duvillard1 in some degree relinquishing his paternal duties1 came to join the others1 and the ,minister then had to share the honours of triumph with him4 ,for was not this banker the master8 ,was he not money personified--money1 which is the only stable1 everlasting force1 far above all ephemeral tenure of power1 such as attaches to those ministerial portfolios which pass so rapidly from hand to hand8 ,monferrand reigned1 but he would pass away1 and a like fate would some day fall on ,vignon1 who had already had a warning that one could not govern unless the millions of the financial world were on one's side4 ,so was not the only real triumpher himself1 the ,baron--he who laid out five millions of francs on buying a scion of the aristocracy for his daughter1 he who was the personification of the sovereign bourgeoisie1 who controlled public fortune1 and was determined to part with nothing1 even were he attacked with bombs8 ,all these festivities really centred in himself1 he alone sat down to the banquet1 leaving merely the crumbs from his table to the lowly1 those wretched toilers who had been so cleverly duped at the time of the ,revolution4 ,that ,african ,railways affair was already but so much ancient history1 buried1 spirited away by a parliamentary commission4 ,all who had been compromised in it1 the ,duthils1 the ,chaigneux1 the ,fonsgues and others1 could now laugh merrily4 ,they had been delivered from their nightmare by ,monferrand's strong fist1 and raised by ,duvillard's triumph4 ,even ,sagnier's ignoble article and miry revelations in the 8,voix du ,peuple0 were of no real account1 and could be treated with a shrug of the shoulders1 for the public had been so saturated with denunciation and slander that it was now utterly weary of all noisy scandal4 ,the only thing which aroused interest was the rumour that ,duvillard's big affair of the ,trans-,saharan ,railway was soon to be launched1 that millions of money would be handled1 and that some of them would rain down upon faithful friends4 ,whilst ,duvillard was conversing in a friendly way with ,monferrand and ,dauvergne1 the ,minister of ,public ,instruction1 who had joined them1 ,massot encountered ,fonsgue1 his editor1 and said to him in an undertone3 8,duthil has just assured me that the ,trans-,saharan business is ready1 and that they mean to chance it with the ,chamber4 ,they declare that they are certain of success40 ,fonsgue1 however1 was sceptical on the point4 8,it's impossible10 said he2 8they won't dare to begin again so soon40 ,although he spoke in this fashion1 the news had made him grave4 ,he had lately had such a terrible fright through his imprudence in the ,african ,railways affair1 that he had vowed he would take every precaution in future4 ,still1 this did not mean that he would refuse to participate in matters of business4 ,the best course was to wait and study them1 and then secure a share in all that seemed profitable4 ,in the present instance he felt somewhat worried4 ,however1 whilst he stood there watching the group around ,duvillard and the two ministers1 he suddenly perceived ,chaigneux1 who1 flitting hither and thither1 was still beating up applauders for that evening's performance4 ,he sang ,silviane's praises in every key1 predicted a most tremendous success1 and did his very best to stimulate curiosity4 ,at last he approached ,dauvergne1 and with his long figure bent double exclaimed3 8,my dear ,minister1 ,i have a particular request to make to you on the part of a very charming person1 whose victory will not be complete this evening if you do not condescend to favour her with your vote40 ,dauvergne1 a tall1 fair1 good-looking man1 whose blue eyes smiled behind his glasses1 listened to ,chaigneux with an affable air4 ,he was proving a great success at the ,ministry of ,public ,instruction1 although he knew nothing of ,university matters4 ,however1 like a real ,parisian of ,dijon1 as people called him1 he was possessed of some tact and skill1 gave entertainments at which his young and charming wife outshone all others1 and passed as being quite an enlightened friend of writers and artists4 ,silviane's engagement at the ,comdie1 which so far was his most notable achievement1 and which would have shaken the position of any other minister1 had by a curious chance rendered him popular4 ,it was regarded as something original and amusing4 ,on understanding that ,chaigneux simply wished to make sure of his presence at the ,comdie that evening1 he became yet more affable4 8,why1 certainly1 ,i shall be there1 my dear deputy10 he replied4 8,when one has such a charming god-daughter one mustn't forsake her in a moment of danger40 ,at this ,monferrand1 who had been lending ear1 turned round4 8,and tell her10 said he1 8that ,i shall be there1 too4 ,she may therefore rely on having two more friends in the house40 ,thereupon ,duvillard1 quite enraptured1 his eyes glistening with emotion and gratitude1 bowed to the two ministers as if they had granted him some never-to-be-forgotten favour4 ,when ,chaigneux1 on his side also1 had returned thanks with a low bow1 he happened to perceive ,fonsgue1 and forthwith he darted towards him and led him aside4 8,ah6 my dear colleague10 he declared1 8it is absolutely necessary that this matter should be settled4 ,i regard it as of supreme importance40 8,what are you speaking of80 inquired ,fonsgue1 much surprised4 8,why1 of ,massot's article1 which you won't insert40 ,thereupon1 the director of the 8,globe0 plumply declared that he could not insert the article4 ,he talked of his paper's dignity and gravity2 and declared that the lavishing of such fulsome praise upon a hussy--yes1 a mere hussy1 in a journal whose exemplary morality and austerity had cost him so much labour1 would seem monstrous and degrading4 ,personally1 he did not care a fig about it if ,silviane chose to make an exhibition of herself1 well1 he would be there to see2 but the 8,globe0 was sacred4 ,disconcerted and almost tearful1 ,chaigneux nevertheless renewed his attempt4 8,come1 my dear colleague10 said he1 8pray make a little effort for my sake4 ,if the article isn't inserted1 ,duvillard will think that it is my fault4 ,and you know that ,i really need his help4 ,my eldest daughter's marriage has again been postponed1 and ,i hardly know where to turn40 ,then perceiving that his own misfortunes in no wise touched ,fonsgue1 he added3 8,and do it for your own sake1 my dear colleague1 your own sake4 ,for when all is said ,duvillard knows what is in the article1 and it is precisely because it is so favourable a one that he wishes to see it in the #8,globe4' ,think it over2 if the article isn't published1 he will certainly turn his back on you40 ,for a moment ,fonsgue remained silent4 ,was he thinking of the colossal ,trans-,saharan enterprise8 ,was he reflecting that it would be hard to quarrel at such a moment and miss his own share in the coming distribution of millions among faithful friends8 ,perhaps so2 however1 the idea that it would be more prudent to await developments gained the day with him4 8,no1 no10 he said1 8,i can't1 it's a matter of conscience40 ,in the mean time congratulations were still being tendered to the newly wedded couple4 ,it seemed as if all ,paris were passing through the sacristy2 there were ever the same smiles and the same hand shakes4 ,grard1 ,camille and their relatives1 however weary they might feel1 were forced to retain an air of delight while they stood there against the wall1 pent up by the crowd4 ,the heat was now becoming unbearable1 and a cloud of dust arose as when some big flock goes by4 ,all at once little ,princess de ,harn1 who had hitherto lingered nobody knew where1 sprang out of the throng1 flung her arms around ,camille1 kissed even ,eve1 and then kept ,grard's hand in her own while paying him extraordinary compliments4 ,then1 on perceiving ,hyacinthe1 she took possession of him and carried him off into a corner4 8,i say10 she exclaimed1 8,i have a favour to ask you40 ,the young man was wonderfully silent that day4 ,his sister's wedding seemed to him a contemptible ceremony1 the most vulgar that one could imagine4 ,so here1 thought he1 was another pair accepting the horrid sexual law by which the absurdity of the world was perpetuated6 ,for his part1 he had decided that he would witness the proceedings in rigid silence1 with a haughty air of disapproval4 ,when ,rosemonde spoke to him1 he looked at her rather nervously1 for he was glad that she had forsaken him for ,duthil1 and feared some fresh caprice on her part4 ,at last1 opening his mouth for the first time that day1 he replied3 8,oh1 as a friend1 you know1 ,i will grant you whatever favour you like40 ,forthwith the ,princess explained that she would surely die if she did not witness the dbut of her dear friend ,silviane1 of whom she had become such a passionate admirer4 ,so she begged the young man to prevail on his father to give her a seat in his box1 as she knew that one was left there4 ,hyacinthe smiled4 8,oh1 willingly1 my dear10 said he2 8,i'll warn papa1 there will be a seat for you40 ,then1 as the procession of guests at last drew to an end and the vestry began to empty1 the bridal pair and their relatives were able to go off through the chattering throng1 which still lingered about to bow to them and scrutinise them once more4 ,grard and ,camille were to leave for an estate which ,duvillard possessed in ,normandy1 directly after lunch4 ,this repast1 served at the princely mansion of the ,rue ,godot-de-,mauroy1 provided an opportunity for fresh display4 ,the dining-room on the first floor had been transformed into a buffet1 where reigned the greatest abundance and the most wonderful sumptuousness4 ,quite a reception too was held in the drawing-rooms1 the large red salon1 the little blue and silver salon and all the others1 whose doors stood wide open4 ,although it had been arranged that only family friends should be invited1 there were quite three hundred people present4 ,the ministers had excused themselves1 alleging that the weighty cares of public business required their presence elsewhere4 ,but the magistrates1 the deputies and the leading journalists who had attended the wedding were again assembled together4 ,and in that throng of hungry folks1 longing for some of the spoils of ,duvillard's new venture1 the people who felt most out of their element were ,madame de ,quinsac's few guests1 whom ,general de ,bozonnet and the ,marquis de ,morigny had seated on a sofa in the large red salon1 which they did not quit4 ,eve1 who for her part felt quite overcome1 both her moral and physical strength being exhausted1 had seated herself in the little blue and silver drawing-room1 which1 with her passion for flowers1 she had transformed into an arbour of roses4 ,she would have fallen had she remained standing1 the very floor had seemed to sink beneath her feet4 ,nevertheless1 whenever a guest approached her she managed to force a smile1 and appear beautiful and charming4 ,unlooked-for help at last came to her in the person of ,monseigneur ,martha1 who had graciously honoured the lunch with his presence4 ,he took an armchair near her1 and began to talk to her in his amiable1 caressing way4 ,he was doubtless well aware of the frightful anguish which wrung the poor woman's heart1 for he showed himself quite fatherly1 eager to comfort her4 ,she1 however1 talked on like some inconsolable widow bent on renouncing the world for ,god1 who alone could bring her peace4 ,then1 as the conversation turned on the ,asylum for the ,invalids of ,labour1 she declared that she was resolved to take her presidency very seriously1 and1 in fact1 would exclusively devote herself to it1 in the future4 8,and as we are speaking of this1 ,monseigneur10 said she1 8,i would even ask you to give me some advice4444 ,i shall need somebody to help me1 and ,i thought of securing the services of a priest whom ,i much admire1 ,monsieur l',abb ,pierre ,froment40 ,at this the ,bishop became grave and embarrassed2 but ,princess ,rosemonde1 who was passing by with ,duthil1 had overheard the ,baroness1 and drawing near with her wonted impetuosity1 she exclaimed3 8,abb ,pierre ,froment6 ,oh6 ,i forgot to tell you1 my dear1 that ,i met him going about in jacket and trousers6 ,and ,i've been told too that he cycles in the ,bois with some creature or other4 ,isn't it true1 ,duthil1 that we met him80 ,the deputy bowed and smiled1 whilst ,eve clasped her hands in amazement4 8,is it possible6 ,a priest who was all charitable fervour1 who had the faith and passion of an apostle60 ,thereupon ,monseigneur intervened3 8,yes1 yes1 great sorrows occasionally fall upon the ,church4 ,i heard of the madness of the unhappy man you speak of4 ,i even thought it my duty to write to him1 but he left my letter unanswered4 ,i should so much have liked to stifle such a scandal6 ,but there are abominable forces which we cannot always overcome2 and so a day or two ago the archbishop was obliged to put him under interdict4444 ,you must choose somebody else1 madame40 ,it was quite a disaster4 ,eve gazed at ,rosemonde and ,duthil1 without daring to ask them for particulars1 but wondering what creature could have been so audacious as to turn a priest from the path of duty4 ,she must assuredly be some shameless demented woman6 ,and it seemed to ,eve as if this crime gave a finishing touch to her own misfortune4 ,with a wave of the arm1 which took in all the luxury around her1 the roses steeping her in perfume1 and the crush of guests around the buffet1 she murmured3 8,ah6 decidedly there's nothing but corruption left2 one can no longer rely on anybody60 ,whilst this was going on1 ,camille happened to be alone in her own room getting ready to leave the house with ,grard4 ,and all at once her brother ,hyacinthe joined her there4 8,ah6 it's you1 youngster60 she exclaimed4 8,well1 make haste if you want to kiss me1 for ,i'm off now1 thank goodness60 ,he kissed her as she suggested1 and then in a doctoral way replied3 8,i thought you had more self-command4 ,the delight you have been showing all this morning quite disgusts me40 ,a quiet glance of contempt was her only answer4 ,however1 he continued3 8,you know very well that she'll take your ,grard from you again1 directly you come back to ,paris40 ,at this ,camille's cheeks turned white and her eyes flared4 ,she stepped towards her brother with clenched fists3 8,she6 you say that she will take him from me60 ,the 8she0 they referred to was their own mother4 8,listen1 my boy6 ,i'll kill her first60 continued ,camille4 8,ah1 no6 she needn't hope for that4 ,i shall know how to keep the man that belongs to me4444 ,and as for you1 keep your spite to yourself1 for ,i know you1 remember2 you are a mere child and a fool60 ,he recoiled as if a viper were rearing its sharp1 slender black head before him2 and having always feared her1 he thought it best to beat a retreat4 ,while the last guests were rushing upon the buffet and finishing the pillage there1 the bridal pair took their leave1 before driving off to the railway station4 ,general de ,bozonnet had joined a group in order to vent his usual complaints about compulsory military service1 and the ,marquis de ,morigny was obliged to fetch him at the moment when the ,countess de ,quinsac was kissing her son and daughter-in-law4 ,the old lady trembled with so much emotion that the ,marquis respectfully ventured to sustain her4 ,meantime1 ,hyacinthe had started in search of his father1 and at last found him near a window with the tottering ,chaigneux1 whom he was violently upbraiding1 for ,fonsgue's conscientious scruples had put him in a fury4 ,indeed1 if ,massot's article should not be inserted in the 8,globe10 ,silviane might lay all the blame upon him1 the ,baron1 and wreak further punishment upon him4 ,however1 upon being summoned by his son he had to don his triumphal air once more1 kiss his daughter on the forehead1 shake hands with his son-in-law1 jest and wish them both a pleasant journey4 ,then ,eve1 near whom ,monseigneur ,martha had remained1 smiling1 in her turn had to say farewell4 ,in this she evinced touching bravery2 her determination to remain beautiful and charming until the very end lent her sufficient strength to show herself both gay and motherly4 ,she took hold of the slightly quivering hand which ,grard proffered with some embarrassment1 and ventured to retain it for a moment in her own1 in a good-hearted1 affectionate way1 instinct with all the heroism of renunciation4 8,good by1 ,grard10 she said1 8keep in good health1 be happy40 ,then turning to ,camille she kissed her on both cheeks1 while ,monseigneur ,martha sat looking at them with an air of indulgent sympathy4 ,they wished each other 8,au revoir10 but their voices trembled1 and their eyes in meeting gleamed like swords2 in the same way as beneath the kisses they had exchanged they had felt each other's teeth4 ,ah6 how it enraged ,camille to see her mother still so beautiful and fascinating in spite of age and grief6 ,and for ,eve how great the torture of beholding her daughter's youth1 that youth which had overcome her1 and was for ever wresting love from within her reach6 ,no forgiveness was possible between them2 they would still hate one another even in the family tomb1 where some day they would sleep side by side4 ,all the same1 that evening ,baroness ,duvillard excused herself from attending the performance of 8,polyeucte0 at the ,comdie ,franaise4 ,she felt very tired and wished to go to bed early1 said she4 ,as a matter of fact she wept on her pillow all night long4 ,thus the ,baron's stage-box on the first balcony tier contained only himself1 ,hyacinthe1 ,duthil1 and little ,princess de ,harn4 ,at nine o'clock there was a full house1 one of the brilliant chattering houses peculiar to great dramatic solemnities4 ,all the society people who had marched through the sacristy of the ,madeleine that morning were now assembled at the theatre1 again feverish with curiosity1 and on the lookout for the unexpected4 ,one recognised the same faces and the same smiles2 the women acknowledged one another's presence with little signs of intelligence1 the men understood each other at a word1 a gesture4 ,one and all had kept the appointment1 the ladies with bared shoulders1 the gentlemen with flowers in their button-holes4 ,fonsgue occupied the 8,globe's0 box1 with two friendly families4 ,little ,massot had his customary seat in the stalls4 ,amadieu1 who was a faithful patron of the ,comdie1 was also to be seen there1 as well as ,general de ,bozonnet and ,public ,prosecutor ,lehmann4 ,the man who was most looked at1 however1 on account of his scandalous article that morning1 was ,sagnier1 the terrible ,sagnier1 looking bloated and apoplectical4 ,then there was ,chaigneux1 who had kept merely a modest bracket-seat for himself1 and who scoured the passages1 and climbed to every tier1 for the last time preaching enthusiasm4 ,finally1 the two ministers ,monferrand and ,dauvergne appeared in the box facing ,duvillard's2 whereupon many knowing smiles were exchanged1 for everybody was aware that these personages had come to help on the success of the dbutante4 ,on the latter point there had still been unfavourable rumours only the previous day4 ,sagnier had declared that the dbut of such a notorious harlot as ,silviane at the ,comdie ,franaise1 in such a part too as that of 8,pauline10 which was one of so much moral loftiness1 could only be regarded as an impudent insult to public decency4 ,the whole press1 moreover1 had long been up in arms against the young woman's extraordinary caprice4 ,but then the affair had been talked of for six months past1 so that ,paris had grown used to the idea of seeing ,silviane at the ,comdie4 ,and now it flocked thither with the one idea of being entertained4 ,before the curtain rose one could tell by the very atmosphere of the house that the audience was a jovial1 good-humoured one1 bent on enjoying itself1 and ready to applaud should it find itself at all pleased4 ,the performance really proved extraordinary4 ,when ,silviane1 chastely robed1 made her appearance in the first act1 the house was quite astonished by her virginal face1 her innocent-looking mouth1 and her eyes beaming with immaculate candour4 ,then1 although the manner in which she had understood her part at first amazed people1 it ended by charming them4 ,from the moment of confiding in 8,stratonice10 from the moment of relating her dream1 she turned 8,pauline0 into a soaring mystical creature1 some saint1 as it were1 such as one sees in stained-glass windows1 carried along by a ,wagnerian ,brunhilda riding the clouds4 ,it was a thoroughly ridiculous conception of the part1 contrary to reason and truth alike4 ,still1 it only seemed to interest people the more1 partly on account of mysticism being the fashion1 and partly on account of the contrast between ,silviane's assumed candour and real depravity4 ,her success increased from act to act1 and some slight hissing which was attributed to ,sagnier only helped to make the victory more complete4 ,monferrand and ,dauvergne1 as the newspapers afterwards related1 gave the signal for applause2 and the whole house joined in it1 partly from amusement and partly perhaps in a spirit of irony4 ,during the interval between the fourth and fifth acts there was quite a procession of visitors to ,duvillard's box1 where the greatest excitement prevailed4 ,duthil1 however1 after absenting himself for a moment1 came back to say3 8,you remember our influential critic1 the one whom ,i brought to dinner at the ,cafe ,anglais8 ,well1 he's repeating to everybody that #8,pauline' is merely a little bourgeoise1 and is not transformed by the heavenly grace until the very finish of the piece4 ,to turn her into a holy virgin from the outset simply kills the part1 says he40 8,pooh60 repeated ,duvillard1 8let him argue if he likes1 it will be all the more advertisement4444 ,the important point is to get ,massot's article inserted in the #8,globe' to-morrow morning40 ,on this point1 unfortunately1 the news was by no means good4 ,chaigneux1 who had gone in search of ,fonsgue1 declared that the latter still hesitated in the matter in spite of ,silviane's success1 which he declared to be ridiculous4 ,thereupon1 the ,baron became quite angry4 8,go and tell ,fonsgue10 he exclaimed1 8that ,i insist on it1 and that ,i shall remember what he does40 ,meantime ,princess ,rosemonde was becoming quite delirious with enthusiasm4 8,my dear ,hyacinthe10 she pleaded1 8please take me to ,silviane's dressing-room2 ,i can't wait1 ,i really must go and kiss her40 8,but we'll all go60 cried ,duvillard1 who heard her entreaty4 ,the passages were crowded1 and there were people even on the stage4 ,moreover1 when the party reached the door of ,silviane's dressing-room1 they found it shut4 ,when the ,baron knocked at it1 a dresser replied that madame begged the gentlemen to wait a moment4 8,oh6 a woman may surely go in10 replied ,rosemonde1 hastily slipping through the doorway4 8,and you may come1 ,hyacinthe10 she added2 8there can be no objection to you40 ,silviane was very hot1 and a dresser was wiping her perspiring shoulders when ,rosemonde darted forward and kissed her4 ,then they chatted together amidst the heat and glare from the gas and the intoxicating perfumes of all the flowers which were heaped up in the little room4 ,finally1 ,hyacinthe heard them promise to see one another after the performance1 ,silviane even inviting ,rosemonde to drink a cup of tea with her at her house4 ,at this the young man smiled complacently1 and said to the actress3 8,your carriage is waiting for you at the corner of the ,rue ,montpensier1 is it not8 ,well1 ,i'll take the ,princess to it4 ,that will be the simpler plan1 you can both go off together60 8,oh6 how good of you10 cried ,rosemonde2 8it's agreed40 ,just then the door was opened1 and the men1 being admitted1 began to pour forth their congratulations4 ,however1 they had to regain their seats in all haste so as to witness the fifth act4 ,this proved quite a triumph1 the whole house bursting into applause when ,silviane spoke the famous line1 8,i see1 ,i know1 ,i believe1 ,i am undeceived10 with the rapturous enthusiasm of a holy martyr ascending to heaven4 ,nothing could have been more soul-like1 it was said4 ,and so when the performers were called before the curtain1 ,paris bestowed an ovation on that virgin of the stage1 who1 as ,sagnier put it1 knew so well how to act depravity at home4 ,accompanied by ,duthil1 ,duvillard at once went behind the scenes in order to fetch ,silviane1 while ,hyacinthe escorted ,rosemonde to the brougham waiting at the corner of the ,rue ,montpensier4 ,having helped her into it1 the young man stood by1 waiting4 ,and he seemed to grow quite merry when his father came up with ,silviane1 and was stopped by her1 just as1 in his turn1 he wished to get into the carriage4 8,there's no room for you1 my dear fellow10 said she4 8,i've a friend with me40 ,rosemonde's little smiling face then peered forth from the depths of the brougham4 ,and the ,baron remained there open-mouthed while the vehicle swiftly carried the two women away6 8,well1 what would you have1 my dear fellow80 said ,hyacinthe1 by way of explanation to ,duthil1 who also seemed somewhat amazed by what had happened4 8,rosemonde was worrying my life out1 and so ,i got rid of her by packing her off with ,silviane40 ,duvillard was still standing on the pavement and still looking dazed when ,chaigneux1 who was going home quite tired out1 recognised him1 and came up to say that ,fonsgue had thought the matter over1 and that ,massot's article would be duly inserted4 ,in the passages1 too1 there had been a deal of talk about the famous ,trans-,saharan project4 ,then ,hyacinthe led his father away1 trying to comfort him like a sensible friend1 who regarded woman as a base and impure creature4 8,let's go home to bed10 said he4 8,as that article is to appear1 you can take it to her to-morrow4 ,she will see you1 sure enough40 ,thereupon they lighted cigars1 and now and again exchanging a few words1 took their way up the ,avenue de l',opera1 which at that hour was deserted and dismal4 ,meantime1 above the slumbering houses of ,paris the breeze wafted a prolonged sigh1 the plaint1 as it were1 of an expiring world4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,goal ,,of ,,labour ,,ever since the execution of ,salvat1 ,guillaume had become extremely taciturn4 ,he seemed worried and absent-minded4 ,he would work for hours at the manufacture of that dangerous powder of which he alone knew the formula1 and the preparation of which was such a delicate matter that he would allow none to assist him4 ,then1 at other times he would go off1 and return tired out by some long solitary ramble4 ,he remained very gentle at home1 and strove to smile there4 ,but whenever anybody spoke to him he started as if suddenly called back from dreamland4 ,pierre imagined his brother had relied too much upon his powers of renunciation1 and found the loss of ,marie unbearable4 ,was it not some thought of her that haunted him now that the date fixed for the marriage drew nearer and nearer8 ,one evening1 therefore1 ,pierre ventured to speak out1 again offering to leave the house and disappear4 ,but at the first words he uttered ,guillaume stopped him1 and affectionately replied3 8,marie8 ,oh6 ,i love her1 ,i love her too well to regret what ,i have done4 ,no1 no6 you only bring me happiness1 ,i derive all my strength and courage from you now that ,i know you are both happy4 444 ,and ,i assure you that you are mistaken1 there is nothing at all the matter with me2 my work absorbs me1 perhaps1 but that is all40 ,that same evening he managed to cast his gloom aside1 and displayed delightful gaiety4 ,during dinner he inquired if the upholsterer would soon call to arrange the two little rooms which ,marie was to occupy with her husband over the workroom4 ,the young woman1 who since her marriage with ,pierre had been decided had remained waiting with smiling patience1 thereupon told ,guillaume what it was she desired--first some hangings of red cotton stuff1 then some polished pine furniture which would enable her to imagine she was in the country1 and finally a carpet on the floor1 because a carpet seemed to her the height of luxury4 ,she laughed as she spoke1 and ,guillaume laughed with her in a gay and fatherly way4 ,his good spirits brought much relief to ,pierre1 who concluded that he must have been mistaken in his surmises4 ,on the very morrow1 however1 ,guillaume relapsed into a dreamy state4 ,and so disquietude again came upon ,pierre1 particularly when he noticed that ,mre-,grand also seemed to be unusually grave and silent4 ,not daring to address her1 he tried to extract some information from his nephews1 but neither ,thomas nor ,franois nor ,antoine knew anything4 ,each of them quietly devoted his time to his work1 respecting and worshipping his father1 but never questioning him about his plans or enterprises4 ,whatever he might choose to do could only be right and good2 and they1 his sons1 were ready to do the same and help him at the very first call1 without pausing to inquire into his purpose4 ,it was plain1 however1 that he kept them apart from anything at all perilous1 that he retained all responsibility for himself1 and that ,mre-,grand alone was his confidante1 the one whom he consulted and to whom he perhaps listened4 ,pierre therefore renounced his hope of learning anything from the sons1 and directed his attention to the old lady1 whose rigid gravity worried him the more as she and ,guillaume frequently had private chats in the room she occupied upstairs4 ,they shut themselves up there all alone1 and remained together for hours without the faintest sound coming from the seemingly lifeless chamber4 ,one day1 however1 ,pierre caught sight of ,guillaume as he came out of it1 carrying a little valise which appeared to be very heavy4 ,and ,pierre thereupon remembered both his brother's powder1 one pound weight of which would have sufficed to destroy a cathedral1 and the destructive engine which he had purposed bestowing upon ,france in order that she might be victorious over all other nations1 and become the one great initiatory and liberative power4 ,pierre remembered too that the only person besides himself who knew his brother's secret was ,mre-,grand1 who1 at the time when ,guillaume was fearing some perquisition on the part of the police1 had long slept upon the cartridges of the terrible explosive4 ,but now why was ,guillaume removing all the powder which he had been preparing for some time past8 ,as this question occurred to ,pierre1 a sudden suspicion1 a vague dread1 came upon him1 and gave him strength to ask his brother3 8,have you reason to fear anything1 since you won't keep things here8 ,if they embarrass you1 they can all be deposited at my house1 nobody will make a search there40 ,guillaume1 whom these words astonished1 gazed at ,pierre fixedly1 and then replied3 8,yes1 ,i have learnt that the arrests and perquisitions have begun afresh since that poor devil was guillotined2 for they are in terror at the thought that some despairing fellow may avenge him4 ,moreover1 it is hardly prudent to keep destructive agents of such great power here4 ,i prefer to deposit them in a safe place4 ,but not at ,neuilly--oh6 no indeed6 they are not a present for you1 brother40 ,guillaume spoke with outward calmness2 and if he had started with surprise at the first moment1 it had been scarcely perceptible4 8,so everything is ready80 ,pierre resumed4 8,you will soon be handing your engine of destruction over to the ,minister of ,war1 ,i presume80 ,a gleam of hesitation appeared in the depths of ,guillaume's eyes1 and he was for a moment about to tell a falsehood4 ,however1 he ended by replying 8,no1 ,i have renounced that intention4 ,i have another idea40 ,he spoke these last words with so much energy and decision that ,pierre did not dare to question him further1 to ask him1 for instance1 what that other idea might be4 ,from that moment1 however1 he quivered with anxious expectancy4 ,from hour to hour ,mre-,grand's lofty silence and ,guillaume's rapt1 energetic face seemed to tell him that some huge and terrifying scheme had come into being1 and was growing and threatening the whole of ,paris4 ,one afternoon1 just as ,thomas was about to repair to the ,grandidier works1 some one came to ,guillaume's with the news that old ,toussaint1 the workman1 had been stricken with a fresh attack of paralysis4 ,thomas thereupon decided that he would call upon the poor fellow on his way1 for he held him in esteem and wished to ascertain if he could render him any help4 ,pierre expressed a desire to accompany his nephew1 and they started off together about four o'clock4 ,on entering the one room which the ,toussaints occupied1 the room where they ate and slept1 the visitors found the mechanician seated on a low chair near the table4 ,he looked half dead1 as if struck by lightning4 ,it was a case of hemiplegia1 which had paralysed the whole of his right side1 his right leg and right arm1 and had also spread to his face in such wise that he could no longer speak4 ,the only sound he could raise was an incomprehensible guttural grunt4 ,his mouth was drawn to the right1 and his once round1 good-natured-looking face1 with tanned skin and bright eyes1 had been twisted into a frightful mask of anguish4 ,at fifty years of age1 the unhappy man was utterly done for4 ,his unkempt beard was as white as that of an octogenarian1 and his knotty limbs1 preyed upon by toil1 were henceforth dead4 ,only his eyes remained alive1 and they travelled around the room1 going from one to another4 ,by his side1 eager to do what she could for him1 was his wife1 who remained stout even when she had little to eat1 and still showed herself active and clear-headed1 however great her misfortunes4 8,it's a friendly visit1 ,toussaint10 said she4 8,it's ,monsieur ,thomas who has come to see you with ,monsieur l',abb40 ,then quietly correcting herself she added3 8,with ,monsieur ,pierre1 his uncle4 ,you see that you are not yet forsaken40 ,toussaint wished to speak1 but his fruitless efforts only brought two big tears to his eyes4 ,then he gazed at his visitors with an expression of indescribable woe1 his jaws trembling convulsively4 8,don't put yourself out10 repeated his wife4 8,the doctor told you that it would do you no good40 ,at the moment of entering the room1 ,pierre had already noticed two persons who had risen from their chairs and drawn somewhat on one side4 ,and now to his great surprise he recognised that they were ,madame ,thodore and ,cline1 who were both decently clad1 and looked as if they led a life of comfort4 ,on hearing of ,toussaint's misfortune they had come to see him1 like good-hearted creatures1 who1 on their own side1 had experienced the most cruel suffering4 ,pierre1 on noticing that they now seemed to be beyond dire want1 remembered what he had heard of the wonderful sympathy lavished on the child after her father's execution1 the many presents and donations offered her1 and the generous proposals that had been made to adopt her4 ,these last had ended in her being adopted by a former friend of ,salvat1 who had sent her to school again1 pending the time when she might be apprenticed to some trade1 while1 on the other hand1 ,madame ,thodore had been placed as a nurse in a convalescent home4 ,in such wise both had been saved4 ,when ,pierre drew near to little ,cline in order to kiss her1 ,madame ,thodore told her to thank ,monsieur l',abb--for so she still respectfully called him--for all that he had previously done for her4 8,it was you who brought us happiness1 ,monsieur l',abb10 said she4 8,and that's a thing one can never forget4 ,i'm always telling ,cline to remember you in her prayers40 8,and so1 my child1 you are now going to school again10 said ,pierre4 8,oh yes1 ,monsieur l',abb1 and ,i'm well pleased at it4 ,besides1 we no longer lack anything40 ,then1 however1 sudden emotion came over the girl1 and she stammered with a sob3 8,ah6 if poor papa could only see us60 ,madame ,thodore1 meanwhile1 had begun to take leave of ,madame ,toussaint4 8,well1 good by1 we must go10 said she4 8,what has happened to you is very sad1 and we wanted to tell you how much it grieved us4 ,the worry is that when misfortune falls on one1 courage isn't enough to set things right44 44 ,cline1 come and kiss your uncle4444 ,my poor brother1 ,i hope you'll get back the use of your legs as soon as possible40 ,they kissed the paralysed man on the cheeks1 and then went off4 ,toussaint had looked at them with his keen and still intelligent eyes1 as if he longed to participate in the life and activity into which they were returning4 ,and a jealous thought came to his wife1 who usually was so placid and good-natured4 8,ah6 my poor old man60 said she1 after propping him up with a pillow1 8those two are luckier than we are4 ,everything succeeds with them since that madman1 ,salvat1 had his head cut off4 ,they're provided for4 ,they've plenty of bread on the shelf40 ,then1 turning towards ,pierre and ,thomas1 she continued3 8,we others are done for1 you know1 we're down in the mud1 with no hope of getting out of it4 ,but what would you have8 ,my poor husband hasn't been guillotined1 he's done nothing but work his whole life long2 and now1 you see1 that's the end of him1 he's like some old animal1 no longer good for anything40 ,having made her visitors sit down she next answered their compassionate questions4 ,the doctor had called twice already1 and had promised to restore the unhappy man's power of speech1 and perhaps enable him to crawl round the room with the help of a stick4 ,but as for ever being able to resume real work that must not be expected4 ,and so what was the use of living on8 ,toussaint's eyes plainly declared that he would much rather die at once4 ,when a workman can no longer work and no longer provide for his wife he is ripe for the grave4 8,savings indeed60 ,madame ,toussaint resumed4 8,there are folks who ask if we have any savings4444 ,well1 we had nearly a thousand francs in the ,savings ,bank when ,toussaint had his first attack4 ,and some people don't know what a lot of prudence one needs to put by such a sum2 for1 after all1 we're not savages1 we have to allow ourselves a little enjoyment now and then1 a good dish and a good bottle of wine4444 ,well1 what with five months of enforced idleness1 and the medicines1 and the underdone meat that was ordered1 we got to the end of our thousand francs2 and now that it's all begun again we're not likely to taste any more bottled wine or roast mutton40 ,fond of good cheer as she had always been1 this cry1 far more than the tears she was forcing back1 revealed how much the future terrified her4 ,she was there erect and brave in spite of everything2 but what a downfall if she were no longer able to keep her room tidy1 stew a piece of veal on ,sundays1 and gossip with the neighbours while awaiting her husband's return from work6 ,why1 they might just as well be thrown into the gutter and carried off in the scavenger's cart4 ,however1 ,thomas intervened3 8,isn't there an ,asylum for the ,invalids of ,labour1 and couldn't your husband get admitted to it80 he asked4 8,it seems to me that is just the place for him40 8,oh dear1 no10 the woman answered4 8,people spoke to me of that place before1 and ,i got particulars of it4 ,they don't take sick people there4 ,when you call they tell you that there are hospitals for those who are ill40 ,with a wave of his hand ,pierre confirmed her statement3 it was useless to apply in that direction4 ,he could again see himself scouring ,paris1 hurrying from the ,lady ,president1 ,baroness ,duvillard1 to ,fonsgue1 the ,general ,manager1 and only securing a bed for ,laveuve when the unhappy man was dead4 ,however1 at that moment an infant was heard wailing1 and to the amazement of both visitors ,madame ,toussaint entered the little closet where her son ,charles had so long slept1 and came out of it carrying a child1 who looked scarcely twenty months old4 8,well1 yes10 she explained1 8this is ,charles's boy4 ,he was sleeping there in his father's old bed1 and now you hear him1 he's woke up4444 ,you see1 only last ,wednesday1 the day before ,toussaint had his stroke1 ,i went to fetch the little one at the nurse's at ,st4 ,denis1 because she had threatened to cast him adrift since ,charles had got into bad habits1 and no longer paid her4 ,i said to myself at the time that work was looking up1 and that my husband and ,i would always be able to provide for a little mouth like that4444 ,but just afterwards everything collapsed6 ,at the same time1 as the child's here now ,i can't go and leave him in the street40 ,while speaking in this fashion she walked to and fro1 rocking the baby in her arms4 ,and naturally enough she reverted to ,charles's folly with the girl1 who had run away1 leaving that infant behind her4 ,things might not have been so very bad if ,charles had still worked as steadily as he had done before he went soldiering4 ,in those days he had never lost an hour1 and had always brought all his pay home6 ,but he had come back from the army with much less taste for work4 ,he argued1 and had ideas of his own4 ,he certainly hadn't yet come to bomb-throwing like that madman ,salvat1 but he spent half his time with ,socialists and ,anarchists1 who put his brain in a muddle4 ,it was a real pity to see such a strong1 good-hearted young fellow turning out badly like that4 ,but it was said in the neighbourhood that many another was inclined the same way2 that the best and most intelligent of the younger men felt tired of want and unremunerative labour1 and would end by knocking everything to pieces rather than go on toiling with no certainty of food in their old age4 8,ah6 yes10 continued ,madame ,toussaint1 8the sons are not like the fathers were4 ,these fine fellows won't be as patient as my poor husband has been1 letting hard work wear him away till he's become the sorry thing you see there4444 ,do you know what ,charles said the other evening when he found his father on that chair1 crippled like that1 and unable to speak8 ,why1 he shouted to him that he'd been a stupid jackass all his life1 working himself to death for those bourgeois1 who now wouldn't bring him so much as a glass of water4 ,then1 as he none the less has a good heart1 he began to cry his eyes out40 ,the baby was no longer wailing1 still the good woman continued walking to and fro1 rocking it in her arms and pressing it to her affectionate heart4 ,her son ,charles could do no more for them1 she said2 perhaps he might be able to give them a five-franc piece now and again1 but even that wasn't certain4 ,it was of no use for her to go back to her old calling as a seamstress1 she had lost all practice of it4 ,and it would even be difficult for her to earn anything as charwoman1 for she had that infant on her hands as well as her infirm husband--a big child1 whom she would have to wash and feed4 ,and so what would become of the three of them8 ,she couldn't tell2 but it made her shudder1 however brave and motherly she tried to be4 ,for their part1 ,pierre and ,thomas quivered with compassion1 particularly when they saw big tears coursing down the cheeks of the wretched1 stricken ,toussaint1 as he sat quite motionless in that little and still cleanly home of toil and want4 ,the poor man had listened to his wife1 and he looked at her and at the infant now sleeping in her arms4 ,voiceless1 unable to cry his woe aloud1 he experienced the most awful anguish4 ,what dupery his long life of labour had been6 how frightfully unjust it was that all his efforts should end in such sufferings6 how exasperating it was to feel himself powerless1 and to see those whom he loved and who were as innocent as himself suffer and die by reason of his own suffering and death6 ,ah6 poor old man1 cripple that he was1 ending like some beast of burden that has foundered by the roadside--that goal of labour6 ,and it was all so revolting and so monstrous that he tried to put it into words1 and his desperate grief ended in a frightful1 raucous grunt4 8,be quiet1 don't do yourself harm60 concluded ,madame ,toussaint4 8,things are like that1 and there's no mending them40 ,then she went to put the child to bed again1 and on her return1 just as ,thomas and ,pierre were about to speak to her of ,toussaint's employer1 ,m4 ,grandidier1 a fresh visitor arrived4 ,thereupon the others decided to wait4 ,the new comer was ,madame ,chrtiennot1 ,toussaint's other sister1 eighteen years younger than himself4 ,her husband1 the little clerk1 had compelled her to break off almost all intercourse with her relatives1 as he felt ashamed of them2 nevertheless1 having heard of her brother's misfortune1 she had very properly come to condole with him4 ,she wore a gown of cheap flimsy silk1 and a hat trimmed with red poppies1 which she had freshened up three times already2 but in spite of this display her appearance bespoke penury1 and she did her best to hide her feet on account of the shabbiness of her boots4 ,moreover1 she was no longer the beautiful ,hortense4 ,since a recent miscarriage1 all trace of her good looks had disappeared4 ,the lamentable appearance of her brother and the bareness of that home of suffering chilled her directly she crossed the threshold4 ,and as soon as she had kissed ,toussaint1 and said how sorry she was to find him in such a condition1 she began to lament her own fate1 and recount her troubles1 for fear lest she should be asked for any help4 8,ah6 my dear10 she said to her sister-in-law1 8you are certainly much to be pitied6 ,but if you only knew6 ,we all have our troubles4 ,thus in my case1 obliged as ,i am to dress fairly well on account of my husband's position1 ,i have more trouble than you can imagine in making both ends meet4 ,one can't go far on a salary of three thousand francs a year1 when one has to pay seven hundred francs' rent out of it4 ,you will perhaps say that we might lodge ourselves in a more modest way2 but we can't1 my dear1 ,i must have a salon on account of the visits ,i receive4 ,so just count6444 ,then there are my two girls4 ,i've had to send them to school2 ,lucienne has begun to learn the piano and ,marcelle has some taste for drawing4444 ,by the way1 ,i would have brought them with me1 but ,i feared it would upset them too much4 ,you will excuse me1 won't you80 ,then she spoke of all the worries which she had had with her husband on account of ,salvat's ignominious death4 ,chrtiennot1 vain1 quarrelsome little fellow that he was1 felt exasperated at now having a guillotine in his wife's family4 ,and he had lately begun to treat the unfortunate woman most harshly1 charging her with having brought about all their troubles1 and even rendering her responsible for his own mediocrity1 embittered as he was more and more each day by a confined life of office work4 ,on some evenings they had downright quarrels2 she stood up for herself1 and related that when she was at the confectionery shop in the ,rue des ,martyrs she could have married a doctor had she only chosen1 for the doctor found her quite pretty enough4 ,now1 however1 she was becoming plainer and plainer1 and her husband felt that he was condemned to everlasting penury2 so that their life was becoming more and more dismal and quarrelsome1 and as unbearable--despite the pride of being 8gentleman0 and 8lady0--as was the destitution of the working classes4 8,all the same1 my dear10 at last said ,madame ,toussaint1 weary of her sister-in-law's endless narrative of worries1 8you have had one piece of luck4 ,you won't have the trouble of bringing up a third child1 now40 8,that's true10 replied ,hortense1 with a sigh of relief4 8,how we should have managed1 ,i don't know4444 ,still1 ,i was very ill1 and ,i'm far from being in good health now4 ,the doctor says that ,i don't eat enough1 and that ,i ought to have good food40 ,then she rose for the purpose of giving her brother another kiss and taking her departure2 for she feared a scene on her husband's part should he happen to come home and find her absent4 ,once on her feet1 however1 she lingered there a moment longer1 saying that she also had just seen her sister1 ,madame ,thodore1 and little ,cline1 both of them comfortably clad and looking happy4 ,and with a touch of jealousy she added3 8,well1 my husband contents himself with slaving away at his office every day4 ,he'll never do anything to get his head cut off2 and it's quite certain that nobody will think of leaving an income to ,marcelle and ,lucienne4444 ,well1 good by1 my dear1 you must be brave1 one must always hope that things will turn out for the best40 ,when she had gone off1 ,pierre and ,thomas inquired if ,m4 ,grandidier had heard of ,toussaint's misfortune and agreed to do anything for him4 ,madame ,toussaint answered that he had so far made only a vague promise2 and on learning this they resolved to speak to him as warmly as they could on behalf of the old mechanician1 who had spent as many as five and twenty years at the works4 ,the misfortune was that a scheme for establishing a friendly society1 and even a pension fund1 which had been launched before the crisis from which the works were now recovering1 had collapsed through a number of obstacles and complications4 ,had things turned out otherwise1 ,thomas might have had a pittance assured him1 even though he was unable to work4 ,but under the circumstances the only hope for the poor stricken fellow lay in his employer's compassion1 if not his sense of justice4 ,as the baby again began to cry1 ,madame ,toussaint went to fetch it1 and she was once more carrying it to and fro1 when ,thomas pressed her husband's sound hand between both his own4 8,we will come back10 said the young man2 8we won't forsake you1 ,toussaint4 ,you know very well that people like you1 for you've always been a good and steady workman4 ,so rely on us1 we will do all we can40 ,then they left him tearful and overpowered1 in that dismal room1 while1 up and down beside him1 his wife rocked the squealing infant--that other luckless creature1 who was now so heavy on the old folks' hands1 and like them was fated to die of want and unjust toil4 ,toil1 manual toil1 panting at every effort1 this was what ,pierre and ,thomas once more found at the works4 ,from the slender pipes above the roofs spurted rhythmical puffs of steam1 which seemed like the very breath of all that labour4 ,and in the work-shops one found a continuous rumbling1 a whole army of men in motion1 forging1 filing1 and piercing1 amidst the spinning of leather gearing and the trembling of machinery4 ,the day was ending with a final feverish effort to complete some task or other before the bell should ring for departure4 ,on inquiring for the master ,thomas learnt that he had not been seen since djeuner1 which was such an unusual occurrence that the young man at once feared some terrible scene in the silent pavilion1 whose shutters were ever closed upon ,grandidier's unhappy wife--that mad but beautiful creature1 whom he loved so passionately that he had never been willing to part from her4 ,the pavilion could be seen from the little glazed work-shop which ,thomas usually occupied1 and as he and ,pierre stood waiting there1 it looked very peaceful and pleasant amidst the big lilac-bushes planted round about it4 ,surely1 they thought1 it ought to have been brightened by the gay gown of a young woman and the laughter of playful children4 ,but all at once a loud1 piercing shriek reached their ears1 followed by howls and moans1 like those of an animal that is being beaten or possibly slaughtered4 ,ah6 those howls ringing out amidst all the stir of the toiling works1 punctuated it seemed by the rhythmical puffing of the steam1 accompanied too by the dull rumbling of the machinery6 ,the receipts of the business had been doubling and doubling since the last stock-taking2 there was increase of prosperity every month1 the bad times were over1 far behind4 ,grandidier was realising a large fortune with his famous bicycle for the million1 the 8,lisette02 and the approaching vogue of motor-cars also promised huge gains1 should he again start making little motor-engines1 as he meant to do1 as soon as ,thomas's long-projected motor should be perfected4 ,but what was wealth when in that dismal pavilion1 whose shutters were ever closed1 those frightful shrieks continued1 proclaiming some terrible drama1 which all the stir and bustle of the prosperous works were unable to stifle8 ,pierre and ,thomas looked at one another1 pale and quivering4 ,and all at once1 as the cries ceased and the pavilion sank into death-like silence once more1 the latter said in an undertone3 8,she is usually very gentle1 she will sometimes spend whole days sitting on a carpet like a little child4 ,he is fond of her when she is like that2 he lays her down and picks her up1 caresses her and makes her laugh as if she were a baby4 ,ah6 how dreadfully sad it is6 ,when an attack comes upon her she gets frantic1 tries to bite herself1 and kill herself by throwing herself against the walls4 ,and then he has to struggle with her1 for no one else is allowed to touch her4 ,he tries to restrain her1 and holds her in his arms to calm her4444 ,but how terrible it was just now6 ,did you hear8 ,i do not think she has ever had such a frightful attack before40 ,for a quarter of an hour longer profound silence prevailed4 ,then ,grandidier came out of the pavilion1 bareheaded and still ghastly pale4 ,passing the little glazed work-shop on his way1 he perceived ,thomas and ,pierre there1 and at once came in4 ,but he was obliged to lean against a bench like a man who is dazed1 haunted by a nightmare4 ,his good-natured1 energetic face retained an expression of acute anguish2 and his left ear was scratched and bleeding4 ,however1 he at once wished to talk1 overcome his feelings1 and return to his life of activity4 8,i am very pleased to see you1 my dear ,thomas10 said he1 8,i have been thinking over what you told me about our little motor4 ,we must go into the matter again40 ,seeing how distracted he was1 it occurred to the young man that some sudden diversion1 such as the story of another's misfortunes1 might perhaps draw him from his haunting thoughts4 8,of course ,i am at your disposal10 he replied2 8but before talking of that matter ,i should like to tell you that we have just seen ,toussaint1 that poor old fellow who has been stricken with paralysis4 ,his awful fate has quite distressed us4 ,he is in the greatest destitution1 forsaken as it were by the roadside1 after all his years of labour40 ,thomas dwelt upon the quarter of a century which the old workman had spent at the factory1 and suggested that it would be only just to take some account of his long efforts1 the years of his life which he had devoted to the establishment4 ,and he asked that he might be assisted in the name both of equity and compassion4 8,ah6 monsieur10 ,pierre in his turn ventured to say4 8,i should like to take you for an instant into that bare room1 and show you that poor1 aged1 worn-out1 stricken man1 who no longer has even the power of speech left him to tell people his sufferings4 ,there can be no greater wretchedness than to die in this fashion1 despairing of all kindliness and justice40 ,grandidier had listened to them in silence4 ,but big tears had irresistibly filled his eyes1 and when he spoke it was in a very low and tremulous voice3 8,the greatest wretchedness1 who can tell what it is8 ,who can speak of it if he has not known the wretchedness of others8 ,yes1 yes1 it's sad undoubtedly that poor ,toussaint should be reduced to that state at his age1 not knowing even if he will have food to eat on the morrow4 ,but ,i know sorrows that are just as crushing1 abominations which poison one's life in a still greater degree4444 ,ah6 yes1 food indeed6 ,to think that happiness will reign in the world when everybody has food to eat6 ,what an idiotic hope60 ,the whole grievous tragedy of his life was in the shudder which had come over him4 ,to be the employer1 the master1 the man who is making money1 who disposes of capital and is envied by his workmen1 to own an establishment to which prosperity has returned1 whose machinery coins gold1 apparently leaving one no other trouble than that of pocketing one's profits2 and yet at the same time to be the most wretched of men1 to know no day exempt from anguish1 to find each evening at one's hearth no other reward or prop than the most atrocious torture of the heart6 ,everything1 even success1 has to be paid for4 ,and thus that triumpher1 that money-maker1 whose pile was growing larger at each successive inventory1 was sobbing with bitter grief4 ,however1 he showed himself kindly disposed towards ,toussaint1 and promised to assist him4 ,as for a pension that was an idea which he could not entertain1 as it was the negation of the wage-system such as it existed4 ,he energetically defended his rights as an employer1 repeating that the strain of competition would compel him to avail himself of them so long as the present system should endure4 ,his part in it was to do good business in an honest way4 ,however1 he regretted that his men had never carried out the scheme of establishing a relief fund1 and he said that he would do his best to induce them to take it in hand again4 ,some colour had now come back to his checks2 for on returning to the interests of his life of battle he felt his energy restored4 ,he again reverted to the question of the little motor1 and spoke of it for some time with ,thomas1 while ,pierre waited1 feeling quite upset4 ,ah6 he thought1 how universal was the thirst for happiness6 ,then1 in spite of the many technical terms that were used he caught a little of what the others were saying4 ,small steam motors had been made at the works in former times2 but they had not proved successes4 ,in point of fact a new propelling force was needed4 ,electricity1 though everyone foresaw its future triumph1 was so far out of the question on account of the weight of the apparatus which its employment necessitated4 ,so only petroleum remained1 and the inconvenience attaching to its use was so great that victory and fortune would certainly rest with the manufacturer who should be able to replace it by some other hitherto unknown agent4 ,in the discovery and adaptation of the latter lay the whole problem4 8,yes1 ,i am eager about it now10 at last exclaimed ,grandidier in an animated way4 8,i allowed you to prosecute your experiments without troubling you with any inquisitive questions4 ,but a solution is becoming imperative40 ,thomas smiled3 8,well1 you must remain patient just a little longer10 said he2 8,i believe that ,i am on the right road40 ,then ,grandidier shook hands with him and ,pierre1 and went off to make his usual round through his busy1 bustling works1 whilst near at hand1 awaiting his return1 stood the closed pavilion1 where every evening he was fated to relapse into endless1 incurable anguish4 ,the daylight was already waning when ,pierre and ,thomas1 after re-ascending the height of ,montmartre1 walked towards the large work-shop which ,jahan1 the sculptor1 had set up among the many sheds whose erection had been necessitated by the building of the ,sacred ,heart4 ,there was here a stretch of ground littered with materials1 an extraordinary chaos of building stone1 beams and machinery2 and pending the time when an army of navvies would come to set the whole place in order1 one could see gaping trenches1 rough flights of descending steps and fences1 imperfectly closing doorways which conducted to the substructures of the basilica4 ,halting in front of ,jahan's work-shop1 ,thomas pointed to one of these doorways by which one could reach the foundation works4 8,have you never had an idea of visiting the foundations80 he inquired of ,pierre4 8,there's quite a city down there on which millions of money have been spent4 ,they could only find firm soil at the very base of the height1 and they had to excavate more than eighty shafts1 fill them with concrete1 and then rear their church on all those subterranean columns4444 ,yes1 that is so4 ,of course the columns cannot be seen1 but it is they who hold that insulting edifice aloft1 right over ,paris60 ,having drawn near to the fence1 ,pierre was looking at an open doorway beyond it1 a sort of dark landing whence steps descended as if into the bowels of the earth4 ,and he thought of those invisible columns of concrete1 and of all the stubborn energy and desire for domination which had set and kept the edifice erect4 ,thomas was at last obliged to call him4 8,let us make haste10 said he1 8the twilight will soon be here4 ,we shan't be able to see much40 ,they had arranged to meet ,antoine at ,jahan's1 as the sculptor wished to show them a new model he had prepared4 ,when they entered the work-shop they found the two assistants still working at the colossal angel which had been ordered for the basilica4 ,standing on a scaffolding they were rough-hewing its symmetrical wings1 whilst ,jahan1 seated on a low chair1 with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows1 and his hands soiled with clay1 was contemplating a figure some three feet high on which he had just been working4 8,ah6 it's you10 he exclaimed4 8,antoine has been waiting more than half an hour for you4 ,he's gone outside with ,lise to see the sun set over ,paris1 ,i think4 ,but they will soon be back40 ,then he relapsed into silence1 with his eyes fixed on his work4 ,this was a bare1 erect1 lofty female figure1 of such august majesty1 so simple were its lines1 that it suggested something gigantic4 ,the figure's abundant1 outspread hair suggested rays around its face1 which beamed with sovereign beauty like the sun4 ,and its only gesture was one of offer and of greeting2 its arms were thrown slightly forward1 and its hands were open for the grasp of all mankind4 ,still lingering in his dream ,jahan began to speak slowly3 8,you remember that ,i wanted a pendant for my figure of ,fecundity4 ,i had modelled a ,charity1 but it pleased me so little and seemed so commonplace that ,i let the clay dry and spoil4444 ,and then the idea of a figure of ,justice came to me4 ,but not a gowned figure with the sword and the scales6 ,that wasn't the ,justice that inspired me4 ,what haunted my mind was the other ,justice1 the one that the lowly and the sufferers await1 the one who alone can some day set a little order and happiness among us4 ,and ,i pictured her like that1 quite bare1 quite simple1 and very lofty4 ,she is the sun as it were1 a sun all beauty1 harmony and strength2 for justice is only to be found in the sun which shines in the heavens for one and all1 and bestows on poor and rich alike its magnificence and light and warmth1 which are the source of all life4 ,and so my figure1 you see1 has her hands outstretched as if she were offering herself to all mankind1 greeting it and granting it the gift of eternal life in eternal beauty4 ,ah6 to be beautiful and strong and just1 one's whole dream lies in that40 ,jahan relighted his pipe and burst into a merry laugh4 8,well1 ,i think the good woman carries herself upright4444 ,what do you fellows say80 ,his visitors highly praised his work4 ,pierre for his part was much affected at finding in this artistic conception the very idea that he had so long been revolving in his mind--the idea of an era of ,justice rising from the ruins of the world1 which ,charity after centuries of trial had failed to save4 ,then the sculptor gaily explained that he had prepared his model there instead of at home1 in order to console himself a little for his big dummy of an angel1 the prescribed triteness of which disgusted him4 ,some fresh objections had been raised with respect to the folds of the robe1 which gave some prominence to the thighs1 and in the end he had been compelled to modify all of the drapery4 8,oh6 it's just as they like60 he cried2 8it's no work of mine1 you know2 it's simply an order which ,i'm executing just as a mason builds a wall4 ,there's no religious art left1 it has been killed by stupidity and disbelief4 ,ah6 if social or human art could only revive1 how glorious to be one of the first to bear the tidings60 ,then he paused4 ,where could the youngsters1 ,antoine and ,lise1 have got to1 he wondered4 ,he threw the door wide open1 and1 a little distance away1 among the materials littering the waste ground1 one could see ,antoine's tall figure and ,lise's short slender form standing out against the immensity of ,paris1 which was all golden amidst the sun's farewell4 ,the young man's strong arm supported ,lise1 who with this help walked beside him without feeling any fatigue4 ,slender and graceful1 like a girl blossoming into womanhood1 she raised her eyes to his with a smile of infinite gratitude1 which proclaimed that she belonged to him for evermore4 8,ah6 they are coming back10 said ,jahan4 8,the miracle is now complete1 you know4 ,i'm delighted at it4 ,i did not know what to do with her2 ,i had even renounced all attempts to teach her to read2 ,i left her for days together in a corner1 infirm and tongue-tied like a lack-wit4444 ,but your brother came and took her in hand somehow or other4 ,she listened to him and understood him1 and began to read and write with him1 and grow intelligent and gay4 ,then1 as her limbs still gained no suppleness1 and she remained infirm1 ailing and puny1 he began by carrying her here1 and then helped her to walk in such wise that she can now do so by herself4 ,in a few weeks' time she has positively grown and become quite charming4 ,yes1 ,i assure you1 it is second birth1 real creation4 ,just look at them60 ,antoine and ,lise were still slowly approaching4 ,the evening breeze which rose from the great city1 where all was yet heat and sunshine1 brought them a bath of life4 ,if the young man had chosen that spot1 with its splendid horizon1 open to the full air which wafted all the germs of life1 it was doubtless because he felt that nowhere else could he instil more vitality1 more soul1 more strength into her4 ,and love had been created by love4 ,he had found her asleep1 benumbed1 without power of motion or intellect1 and he had awakened her1 kindled life in her1 loved her1 that he might be loved by her in return4 ,she was his work1 she was part of himself4 8,so you no longer feel tired1 little one80 said ,jahan4 ,she smiled divinely4 8,oh6 no1 it's so pleasant1 so beautiful1 to walk straight on like this4444 ,all ,i desire is to go on for ever and ever with ,antoine40 ,the others laughed1 and ,jahan exclaimed in his good-natured way3 8,let us hope that he won't take you so far4 ,you've reached your destination now1 and ,i shan't be the one to prevent you from being happy40 ,antoine was already standing before the figure of ,justice1 to which the falling twilight seemed to impart a quiver of life4 8,oh6 how divinely simple1 how divinely beautiful60 said he4 ,for his own part he had lately finished a new wood engraving1 which depicted ,lise holding a book in her hand1 an engraving instinct with truth and emotion1 showing her awakened to intelligence and love4 ,and this time he had achieved his desire1 making no preliminary drawing1 but tackling the block with his graver1 straight away1 in presence of his model4 ,and infinite hopefulness had come upon him1 he was dreaming of great original works in which the whole period that he belonged to would live anew and for ever4 ,thomas now wished to return home4 ,so they shook hands with ,jahan1 who1 as his day's work was over1 put on his coat to take his sister back to the ,rue du ,calvaire4 8,till to-morrow1 ,lise10 said ,antoine1 inclining his head to kiss her4 ,she raised herself on tip-toes1 and offered him her eyes1 which he had opened to life4 8,till to-morrow1 ,antoine10 said she4 ,outside1 the twilight was falling4 ,pierre was the first to cross the threshold1 and as he did so1 he saw so extraordinary a sight that for an instant he felt stupefied4 ,but it was certain enough3 he could plainly distinguish his brother ,guillaume emerging from the gaping doorway which conducted to the foundations of the basilica4 ,and he saw him hastily climb over the palings1 and then pretend to be there by pure chance1 as though he had come up from the ,rue ,lamarck4 ,when he accosted his two sons1 as if he were delighted to meet them1 and began to say that he had just come from ,paris1 ,pierre asked himself if he had been dreaming4 ,however1 an anxious glance which his brother cast at him convinced him that he had been right4 ,and then he not only felt ill at ease in presence of that man whom he had never previously known to lie1 but it seemed to him that he was at last on the track of all he had feared1 the formidable mystery that he had for some time past felt brewing around him in the little peaceful house4 ,when ,guillaume1 his sons and his brother reached home and entered the large workroom overlooking ,paris1 it was so dark that they fancied nobody was there4 8,what6 nobody in80 said ,guillaume4 ,but in a somewhat low1 quiet voice ,franois answered out of the gloom3 8,why1 yes1 ,i'm here40 ,he had remained at his table1 where he had worked the whole afternoon1 and as he could no longer read1 he now sat in a dreamy mood with his head resting on his hands1 his eyes wandering over ,paris1 where night was gradually falling4 ,as his examination was now near at hand1 he was living in a state of severe mental strain4 8,what1 you are still working there60 said his father4 8,why didn't you ask for a lamp80 8,no1 ,i wasn't working1 ,i was looking at ,paris10 ,franois slowly answered4 8,it's singular how the night falls over it by degrees4 ,the last district that remained visible was the ,montague ,ste4 ,genevieve1 the plateau of the ,pantheon1 where all our knowledge and science have grown up4 ,a sun-ray still gilds the schools and libraries and laboratories1 when the low-lying districts of trade are already steeped in darkness4 ,i won't say that the planet has a particular partiality for us at the cole ,normale1 but it's certain that its beams still linger on our roofs1 when they are to be seen nowhere else40 ,he began to laugh at his jest4 ,still one could see how ardent was his faith in mental effort1 how entirely he gave himself to mental labour1 which1 in his opinion1 could alone bring truth1 establish justice and create happiness4 ,then came a short spell of silence4 ,paris sank more and more deeply into the night1 growing black and mysterious1 till all at once sparks of light began to appear4 8,the lamps are being lighted10 resumed ,franois2 8work is being resumed on all sides40 ,then ,guillaume1 who likewise had been dreaming1 immersed in his fixed idea1 exclaimed3 8,work1 yes1 no doubt6 ,but for work to give a full harvest it must be fertilised by will4 ,there is something which is superior to work40 ,thomas and ,antoine had drawn near4 ,and ,franois1 as much for them as for himself1 inquired3 8,what is that1 father80 8,action40 ,for a moment the three young men remained silent1 impressed by the solemnity of the hour1 quivering too beneath the great waves of darkness which rose from the vague ocean of the city4 ,then a young voice remarked1 though whose it was one could not tell3 8,action is but work40 ,and ,pierre1 who lacked the respectful quietude1 the silent faith1 of his nephews1 now felt his nervousness increasing4 ,that huge and terrifying mystery of which he was dimly conscious rose before him1 while a great quiver sped by in the darkness1 over that black city where the lamps were now being lighted for a whole passionate night of work4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,crisis ,a ,,great ceremony was to take place that day at the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart4 ,ten thousand pilgrims were to be present there1 at a solemn consecration of the ,holy ,sacrament2 and pending the arrival of four o'clock1 the hour fixed for the service1 ,montmartre would be invaded by people4 ,its slopes would be black with swarming devotees1 the shops where religious emblems and pictures were sold would be besieged1 the cafs and taverns would be crowded to overflowing4 ,it would all be like some huge fair1 and meantime the big bell of the basilica1 8,la ,savoyarde10 would be ringing peal on peal over the holiday-making multitude4 ,when ,pierre entered the workroom in the morning he perceived ,guillaume and ,mre-,grand alone there2 and a remark which he heard the former make caused him to stop short and listen from behind a tall-revolving bookstand4 ,mre-,grand sat sewing in her usual place near the big window1 while ,guillaume stood before her1 speaking in a low voice4 8,mother10 said he1 8everything is ready1 it is for to-day40 ,she let her work fall1 and raised her eyes1 looking very pale4 8,ah60 she said1 8so you have made up your mind40 8,yes1 irrevocably4 ,at four o'clock ,i shall be yonder1 and it will all be over40 8#8,tis well--you are the master40 ,silence fell1 terrible silence4 ,guillaume's voice seemed to come from far away1 from somewhere beyond the world4 ,it was evident that his resolution was unshakable1 that his tragic dream1 his fixed idea of martyrdom1 wholly absorbed him4 ,mre-,grand looked at him with her pale eyes1 like an heroic woman who had grown old in relieving the sufferings of others1 and had ever shown all the abnegation and devotion of an intrepid heart1 which nothing but the idea of duty could influence4 ,she knew ,guillaume's terrible scheme1 and had helped him to regulate the pettiest details of it2 but if on the one hand1 after all the iniquity she had seen and endured1 she admitted that fierce and exemplary punishment might seem necessary1 and that even the idea of purifying the world by the fire of a volcano might be entertained1 on the other hand1 she believed too strongly in the necessity of living one's life bravely to the very end1 to be able1 under any circumstances1 to regard death as either good or profitable4 8,my son10 she gently resumed1 8,i witnessed the growth of your scheme1 and it neither surprised nor angered me4 ,i accepted it as one accepts lightning1 the very fire of the skies1 something of sovereign purity and power4 ,and ,i have helped you through it all1 and have taken upon myself to act as the mouthpiece of your conscience4444 ,but let me tell you once more1 one ought never to desert the cause of life40 8,it is useless to speak1 mother10 ,guillaume replied3 8,i have resolved to give my life and cannot take it back4444 ,are you now unwilling to carry out my desires1 remain here1 and act as we have decided1 when all is over80 ,she did not answer this inquiry1 but in her turn1 speaking slowly and gravely1 put a question to him3 8,so it is useless for me to speak to you of the children1 myself and the house80 said she4 8,you have thought it all over1 you are quite determined80 ,and as he simply answered 8,yes10 she added3 8#8,tis well1 you are the master4444 ,i will be the one who is to remain behind and act4 ,and you may be without fear1 your bequest is in good hands4 ,all that we have decided together shall be done40 ,once more they became silent4 ,then she again inquired3 8,at four o'clock1 you say1 at the moment of that consecration80 8,yes1 at four o'clock40 ,she was still looking at him with her pale eyes1 and there seemed to be something superhuman in her simplicity and grandeur as she sat there in her thin black gown4 ,her glance1 in which the greatest bravery and the deepest sadness mingled1 filled ,guillaume with acute emotion4 ,his hands began to tremble1 and he asked3 8,will you let me kiss you1 mother80 8,oh6 right willingly1 my son10 she responded4 8,your path of duty may not be mine1 but you see ,i respect your views and love you40 ,they kissed one another1 and when ,pierre1 whom the scene had chilled to his heart1 presented himself as if he were just arriving1 ,mre-,grand had quietly taken up her needlework once more1 while ,guillaume was going to and fro1 setting one of his laboratory shelves in order with all his wonted activity4 ,at noon when lunch was ready1 they found it necessary to wait for ,thomas1 who had not yet come home4 ,his brothers ,franois and ,antoine complained in a jesting way1 saying that they were dying of hunger1 while for her part ,marie1 who had made a crme1 and was very proud of it1 declared that they would eat it all1 and that those who came late would have to go without tasting it4 ,when ,thomas eventually put in an appearance he was greeted with jeers4 8,but it wasn't my fault10 said he2 8,i stupidly came up the hill by way of the ,rue de la ,barre1 and you can have no notion what a crowd ,i fell upon4 ,quite ten thousand pilgrims must have camped there last night4 ,i am told that as many as possible were huddled together in the ,st4 ,joseph ,refuge4 ,the others no doubt had to sleep in the open air4 ,and now they are busy eating1 here1 there and everywhere1 all over the patches of waste ground and even on the pavements4 ,one can scarcely set one foot before the other without risk of treading on somebody40 ,the meal proved a very gay one1 though ,pierre found the gaiety forced and excessive4 ,yet the young people could surely know nothing of the frightful1 invisible thing which to ,pierre ever seemed to be hovering around in the bright sunlight of that splendid ,june day4 ,was it that the dim presentiment which comes to loving hearts when mourning threatens them1 swept by during the short intervals of silence that followed the joyous outbursts8 ,although ,guillaume looked somewhat pale1 and spoke with unusual caressing softness1 he retained his customary bright smile4 ,but1 on the other hand1 never had ,mre-,grand been more silent or more grave4 ,marie's crme proved a great success1 and the others congratulated her on it so fulsomely that they made her blush4 ,then1 all at once1 heavy silence fell once more1 a deathly chill seemed to sweep by1 making every face turn pale--even while they were still cleaning their plates with their little spoons4 8,ah6 that bell10 exclaimed ,franois2 8it is really intolerable4 ,i can feel my head splitting40 ,he referred to 8,la ,savoyarde10 the big bell of the basilica1 which had now begun to toll1 sending forth deep sonorous volumes of sound1 which ever and ever winged their flight over the immensity of ,paris4 ,in the workroom they were all listening to the clang4 8,will it keep on like that till four o'clock80 asked ,marie4 8,oh6 at four o'clock10 replied ,thomas1 8at the moment of the consecration you will hear something much louder than that4 ,the great peals of joy1 the song of triumph will then ring out40 ,guillaume was still smiling4 8,yes1 yes10 said he1 8those who don't want to be deafened for life had better keep their windows closed4 ,the worst is1 that ,paris has to hear it whether it will or no1 and even as far away as the ,pantheon1 so ,i'm told40 ,meantime ,mre-,grand remained silent and impassive4 ,antoine for his part expressed his disgust with the horrible religious pictures for which the pilgrims fought--pictures which in some respects suggested those on the lids of sweetmeat boxes1 although they depicted the ,christ with ,his breast ripped open and displaying ,his bleeding heart4 ,there could be no more repulsive materialism1 no grosser or baser art1 said ,antoine4 ,then they rose from table1 talking at the top of their voices so as to make themselves heard above the incessant din which came from the big bell4 ,immediately afterwards they all set to work again4 ,mre-,grand took her everlasting needlework in hand once more1 while ,marie1 sitting near her1 continued some embroidery4 ,the young men also attended to their respective tasks1 and now and again raised their heads and exchanged a few words4 ,guillaume1 for his part1 likewise seemed very busy2 ,pierre alone coming and going in a state of anguish1 beholding them all as in a nightmare1 and attributing some terrible meaning to the most innocent remarks4 ,during djeuner1 in order to explain the frightful discomfort into which he was thrown by the gaiety of the meal1 he had been obliged to say that he felt poorly4 ,and now he was looking and listening and waiting with ever-growing anxiety4 ,shortly before three o'clock1 ,guillaume glanced at his watch and then quietly took up his hat4 8,well10 said he1 8,i'm going out40 ,his sons1 ,mre-,grand and ,marie raised their heads4 8,i'm going out10 he repeated1 8au revoir40 ,still he did not go off4 ,pierre could divine that he was struggling1 stiffening himself against the frightful tempest which was raging within him1 striving to prevent either shudder or pallor from betraying his awful secret4 ,ah6 he must have suffered keenly2 he dared not give his sons a last kiss1 for fear lest he might rouse some suspicion in their minds1 which would impel them to oppose him and prevent his death6 ,at last with supreme heroism he managed to overcome himself4 8,au revoir1 boys40 8,au revoir1 father4 ,will you be home early80 8,yes1 yes4444 ,don't worry about me1 do plenty of work40 ,mre-,grand1 still majestically silent1 kept her eyes fixed upon him4 ,her he had ventured to kiss1 and their glances met and mingled1 instinct with all that he had decided and that she had promised3 their common dream of truth and justice4 8,i say1 ,guillaume10 exclaimed ,marie gaily1 8will you undertake a commission for me if you are going down by way of the ,rue des ,martyrs80 8,why1 certainly10 he replied4 8,well1 then1 please look in at my dressmaker's1 and tell her that ,i shan't go to try my gown on till to-morrow morning40 ,it was a question of her wedding dress1 a gown of light grey silk1 the stylishness of which she considered very amusing4 ,whenever she spoke of it1 both she and the others began to laugh4 8,it's understood1 my dear10 said ,guillaume1 likewise making merry over it4 8,we know it's ,cinderella's court robe1 eh8 ,the fairy brocade and lace that are to make you very beautiful and for ever happy40 ,however1 the laughter ceased1 and in the sudden silence which fell1 it again seemed as if death were passing by with a great flapping of wings and an icy gust which chilled the hearts of everyone remaining there4 8,it's understood2 so now ,i'm really off10 resumed ,guillaume4 8,au revoir1 children40 ,then he sallied forth1 without even turning round1 and for a moment they could hear the firm tread of his feet over the garden gravel4 ,pierre having invented a pretext was able to follow him a couple of minutes afterwards4 ,as a matter of fact there was no need for him to dog ,guillaume's heels1 for he knew where his brother was going4 ,he was thoroughly convinced that he would find him at that doorway1 conducting to the foundations of the basilica1 whence he had seen him emerge two days before4 ,and so he wasted no time in looking for him among the crowd of pilgrims going to the church4 ,his only thought was to hurry on and reach ,jahan's workshop4 ,and in accordance with his expectation1 just as he arrived there1 he perceived ,guillaume slipping between the broken palings4 ,the crush and the confusion prevailing among the concourse of believers favored ,pierre as it had his brother1 in such wise that he was able to follow the latter and enter the doorway without being noticed4 ,once there he had to pause and draw breath for a moment1 so greatly did the beating of his heart oppress him4 ,a precipitous flight of steps1 where all was steeped in darkness1 descended from the narrow entry4 ,it was with infinite precaution that ,pierre ventured into the gloom1 which ever grew denser and denser4 ,he lowered his feet gently so as to make no noise1 and feeling the walls with his hands1 turned round and round as he went lower and lower into a kind of well4 ,however1 the descent was not a very long one4 ,as soon as he found beaten ground beneath his feet he paused1 no longer daring to stir for fear of betraying his presence4 ,the darkness was like ink1 and there was not a sound1 a breath2 the silence was complete4 ,how should he find his way8 he wondered4 ,which direction ought he to take8 ,he was still hesitating when some twenty paces away he suddenly saw a bright spark1 the gleam of a lucifer4 ,guillaume was lighting a candle4 ,pierre recognised his broad shoulders1 and from that moment he simply had to follow the flickering light along a walled and vaulted subterranean gallery4 ,it seemed to be interminable and to run in a northerly direction1 towards the nave of the basilica4 ,all at once the little light at last stopped1 while ,pierre1 anxious to see what would happen1 continued to advance1 treading as softly as he could and remaining in the gloom4 ,he found that ,guillaume had stood his candle upon the ground in the middle of a kind of low rotunda under the crypt1 and that he had knelt down and moved aside a long flagstone which seemed to cover a cavity4 ,they were here among the foundations of the basilica2 and one of the columns or piles of concrete poured into shafts in order to support the building could be seen4 ,the gap1 which the stone slab removed by ,guillaume had covered1 was by the very side of the pillar2 it was either some natural surface flaw1 or a deep fissure caused by some subsidence or settling of the soil4 ,the heads of other pillars could be descried around1 and these the cleft seemed to be reaching1 for little slits branched out in all directions4 ,then1 on seeing his brother leaning forward1 like one who is for the last time examining a mine he has laid before applying a match to the fuse1 ,pierre suddenly understood the whole terrifying business4 ,considerable quantities of the new explosive had been brought to that spot4 ,guillaume had made the journey a score of times at carefully selected hours1 and all his powder had been poured into the gap beside the pillar1 spreading to the slightest rifts below1 saturating the soil at a great depth1 and in this wise forming a natural mine of incalculable force4 ,and now the powder was flush with the flagstone which ,guillaume has just moved aside4 ,it was only necessary to throw a match there1 and everything would be blown into the air6 ,for a moment an acute chill of horror rooted ,pierre to the spot4 ,he could neither have taken a step nor raised a cry4 ,he pictured the swarming throng above him1 the ten thousand pilgrims crowding the lofty naves of the basilica to witness the solemn consecration of the ,host4 ,peal upon peal flew from 8,la ,savoyarde10 incense smoked1 and ten thousand voices raised a hymn of magnificence and praise4 ,and all at once came thunder and earthquake1 and a volcano opening and belching forth fire and smoke1 and swallowing up the whole church and its multitude of worshippers4 ,breaking the concrete piles and rending the unsound soil1 the explosion1 which was certain to be one of extraordinary violence1 would doubtless split the edifice atwain1 and hurl one-half down the slopes descending towards ,paris1 whilst the other on the side of the apse would crumble and collapse upon the spot where it stood4 ,and how fearful would be the avalanche2 a broken forest of scaffoldings1 a hail of stonework1 rushing and bounding through the dust and smoke on to the roofs below2 whilst the violence of the shock would threaten the whole of ,montmartre1 which1 it seemed likely1 must stagger and sink in one huge mass of ruins6 ,however1 ,guillaume had again risen4 ,the candle standing on the ground1 its flame shooting up1 erect and slender1 threw his huge shadow all over the subterranean vault4 ,amidst the dense blackness the light looked like some dismal stationary star4 ,guillaume drew near to it in order to see what time it was by his watch4 ,it proved to be five minutes past three4 ,so he had nearly another hour to wait4 ,he was in no hurry1 he wished to carry out his design punctually1 at the precise moment he had selected2 and he therefore sat down on a block of stone1 and remained there without moving1 quiet and patient4 ,the candle now cast its light upon his pale face1 upon his towering brow crowned with white hair1 upon the whole of his energetic countenance1 which still looked handsome and young1 thanks to his bright eyes and dark moustaches4 ,and not a muscle of his face stirred2 he simply gazed into the void4 ,what thoughts could be passing through his mind at that supreme moment8 ,who could tell8 ,there was not a quiver2 heavy night1 the deep eternal silence of the earth reigned all around4 ,then ,pierre1 having quieted his palpitating heart1 drew near4 ,at the sound of his footsteps ,guillaume rose menacingly1 but he immediately recognised his brother1 and did not seem astonished to see him4 8,ah6 it's you10 he said1 8you followed me4444 ,i felt that you possessed my secret4 ,and it grieves me that you should have abused your knowledge to join me here4 ,you might have spared me this last sorrow40 ,pierre clasped his trembling hands1 and at once tried to entreat him4 8,brother1 brother10 he began4 8,no1 don't speak yet10 said ,guillaume1 8if you absolutely wish it ,i will listen to you by-and-by4 ,we have nearly an hour before us1 so we can chat4 ,but ,i want you to understand the futility of all you may think needful to tell me4 ,my resolution is unshakable2 ,i was a long time coming to it1 and in carrying it out ,i shall simply be acting in accordance with my reason and my conscience40 ,then he quietly related that having decided upon a great deed he had long hesitated as to which edifice he should destroy4 ,the opera-house had momentarily tempted him1 but he had reflected that there would be no great significance in the whirlwind of anger and justice destroying a little set of enjoyers4 ,in fact1 such a deed might savour of jealousy and covetousness4 ,next he had thought of the ,bourse1 where he might strike a blow at money1 the great agent of corruption1 and the capitalist society in whose clutches the wage-earners groaned4 ,only1 here again the blow would fall upon a restricted circle4 ,then an idea of destroying the ,palace of ,justice1 particularly the assize court1 had occurred to him4 ,it was a very tempting thought--to wreak justice upon human justice1 to sweep away the witnesses1 the culprit1 the public prosecutor who charges the latter1 the counsel who defends him1 the judges who sentence him1 and the lounging public which comes to the spot as to the unfolding of some sensational serial4 ,and then too what fierce irony there would be in the summary superior justice of the volcano swallowing up everything indiscriminately without pausing to enter into details4 ,however1 the plan over which he had most lingered was that of blowing up the ,arc de ,triomphe4 ,this he regarded as an odious monument which perpetuated warfare1 hatred among nations1 and the false1 dearly purchased1 sanguineous glory of conquerors4 ,that colossus raised to the memory of so much frightful slaughter which had uselessly put an end to so many human lives1 ought1 he considered1 to be slaughtered in its turn4 ,could he so have arranged things that the earth should swallow it up1 he might have achieved the glory of causing no other death than his own1 of dying alone1 struck down1 crushed to pieces beneath that giant of stone4 ,what a tomb1 and what a memory might he thus have left to the world6 8,but there was no means of approaching it10 he continued1 8no basement1 no cellar1 so ,i had to give up the idea4444 ,and then1 although ,i'm perfectly willing to die alone1 ,i thought what a loftier and more terrible lesson there would be in the unjust death of an innocent multitude1 of thousands of unknown people1 of all those that might happen to be passing4 ,in the same way as human society by dint of injustice1 want and harsh regulations causes so many innocent victims1 so must punishment fall as the lightning falls1 indiscriminately killing and destroying whatever it may encounter in its course4 ,when a man sets his foot on an ant-hill1 he gives no heed to all the lives which he stamps out40 ,pierre1 whom this theory rendered quite indignant1 raised a cry of protest3 8,oh6 brother1 brother1 is it you who are saying such things80 ,yet1 ,guillaume did not pause3 8,if ,i have ended by choosing this basilica of the ,sacred ,heart10 he continued1 8it is because ,i found it near at hand and easy to destroy4 ,but it is also because it haunts and exasperates me1 because ,i have long since condemned it4444 ,as ,i have often said to you1 one cannot imagine anything more preposterous than ,paris1 our great ,paris1 crowned and dominated by this temple raised to the glorification of the absurd4 ,is it not outrageous that common sense should receive such a smack after so many centuries of science1 that ,rome should claim the right of triumphing in this insolent fashion1 on our loftiest height in the full sunlight8 ,the priests want ,paris to repent and do penitence for its liberative work of truth and justice4 ,but its only right course is to sweep away all that hampers and insults it in its march towards deliverance4 ,and so may the temple fall with its deity of falsehood and servitude6 ,and may its ruins crush its worshippers1 so that like one of the old geological revolutions of the world1 the catastrophe may resound through the very entrails of mankind1 and renew and change it60 8,brother1 brother60 again cried ,pierre1 quite beside himself1 8is it you who are talking8 ,what6 you1 a great scientist1 a man of great heart1 you have come to this6 ,what madness is stirring you that you should think and say such abominable things8 ,on the evening when we confessed our secrets one to the other1 you told me of your proud and lofty dream of ideal ,anarchy4 ,there would be free harmony in life1 which left to its natural forces would of itself create happiness4 ,but you still rebelled against the idea of theft and murder4 ,you would not accept them as right or necessary2 you merely explained and excused them4 ,what has happened then that you1 all brain and thought1 should now have become the hateful hand that acts80 8,salvat has been guillotined10 said ,guillaume simply1 8and ,i read his will and testament in his last glance4 ,i am merely an executor4444 ,and what has happened1 you ask8 ,why1 all that has made me suffer for four months past1 the whole social evil which surrounds us1 and which must be brought to an end40 ,silence fell4 ,the brothers looked at one another in the darkness4 ,and ,pierre now understood things4 ,he saw that ,guillaume was changed1 that the terrible gust of revolutionary contagion sweeping over ,paris had transformed him4 ,it had all come from the duality of his nature1 the presence of contradictory elements within him4 ,on one side one found a scientist whose whole creed lay in observation and experiment1 who1 in dealing with nature1 evinced the most cautious logic2 while on the other side was a social dreamer1 haunted by ideas of fraternity1 equality and justice1 and eager for universal happiness4 ,thence had first come the theoretical anarchist that he had been1 one in whom science and chimeras were mingled1 who dreamt of human society returning to the harmonious law of the spheres1 each man free1 in a free association1 regulated by love alone4 ,neither ,thophile ,morin with the doctrines of ,proudhon and ,comte1 nor ,bache with those of ,st4 ,simon and ,fourier1 had been able to satisfy his desire for the absolute4 ,all those systems had seemed to him imperfect and chaotic1 destructive of one another1 and tending to the same wretchedness of life4 ,janzen alone had occasionally satisfied him with some of his curt phrases which shot over the horizon1 like arrows conquering the whole earth for the human family4 ,and then in ,guillaume's big heart1 which the idea of want1 the unjust sufferings of the lowly and the poor exasperated1 ,salvat's tragic adventure had suddenly found place1 fomenting supreme rebellion4 ,for long weeks he had lived on with trembling hands1 with growing anguish clutching at his throat4 ,first had come that bomb and the explosion which still made him quiver1 then the vile cupidity of the newspapers howling for the poor wretch's head1 then the search for him and the hunt through the ,bois de ,boulogne1 till he fell into the hands of the police1 covered with mud and dying of starvation4 ,and afterwards there had been the assize court1 the judges1 the gendarmes1 the witnesses1 the whole of ,france arrayed against one man and bent on making him pay for the universal crime4 ,and finally1 there had come the guillotine1 the monstrous1 the filthy beast consummating irreparable injustice in human justice's name4 ,one sole idea now remained to ,guillaume1 that idea of justice which maddened him1 leaving naught in his mind save the thought of the just1 avenging flare by which he would repair the evil and ensure that which was right for all time forward4 ,salvat had looked at him1 and contagion had done its work2 he glowed with a desire for death1 a desire to give his own blood and set the blood of others flowing1 in order that mankind1 amidst its fright and horror1 should decree the return of the golden age4 ,pierre understood the stubborn blindness of such insanity2 and he felt utterly upset by the fear that he should be unable to overcome it4 8,you are mad1 brother60 he exclaimed1 8they have driven you mad6 ,it is a gust of violence passing2 they were treated in a wrong way and too relentlessly at the outset1 and now that they are avenging one another1 it may be that blood will never cease to flow4444 ,but1 listen1 brother1 throw off that nightmare4 ,you can't be a ,salvat who murders or a ,bergaz who steals6 ,remember the pillage of the ,princess's house and remember the fair-haired1 pretty child whom we saw lying yonder1 ripped open4444 ,you do not1 you cannot belong to that set1 brother--0 ,with a wave of his hand1 ,guillaume brushed these vain reasons aside4 ,of what consequence were a few lives1 his own included8 ,no change had ever taken place in the world without millions and millions of existences being stamped out4 8,but you had a great scheme in hand10 cried ,pierre1 hoping to save him by reviving his sense of duty4 8,it isn't allowable for you to go off like this40 ,then he fervently strove to awaken his brother's scientific pride4 ,he spoke to him of his secret1 of that great engine of warfare1 which could destroy armies and reduce cities to dust1 and which he had intended to offer to ,france1 so that on emerging victorious from the approaching war1 she might afterwards become the deliverer of the world4 ,and it was this grand scheme that he had abandoned1 preferring to employ his explosive in killing innocent people and overthrowing a church1 which would be built afresh1 whatever the cost1 and become a sanctuary of martyrs6 ,guillaume smiled4 8,i have not relinquished my scheme10 said he1 8,i have simply modified it4 ,did ,i not tell you of my doubts1 my anxious perplexity8 ,ah6 to believe that one holds the destiny of the world in one's grasp1 and to tremble and hesitate and wonder if the intelligence and wisdom1 that are needful for things to take the one wise course1 will be forthcoming6 ,at sight of all the stains upon our great ,paris1 all the errors and transgressions which we lately witnessed1 ,i shuddered4 ,i asked myself if ,paris were sufficiently calm and pure for one to entrust her with omnipotence4 ,how terrible would be the disaster if such an invention as mine should fall into the hands of a demented nation1 possibly a dictator1 some man of conquest1 who would simply employ it to terrorize other nations and reduce them to slavery4444 ,ah6 no1 ,i do not wish to perpetuate warfare1 ,i wish to kill it40 ,then in a clear firm voice he explained his new plan1 in which ,pierre was surprised to find some of the ideas which ,general de ,bozonnet had one day laid before him in a very different spirit4 ,warfare was on the road to extinction1 threatened by its very excesses4 ,in the old days of mercenaries1 and afterwards with conscripts1 the percentage of soldiers designated by chance1 war had been a profession and a passion4 ,but nowadays1 when everybody is called upon to fight1 none care to do so4 ,by the logical force of things1 the system of the whole nation in arms means the coming end of armies4 ,how much longer will the nations remain on a footing of deadly peace1 bowed down by ever increasing 8estimates10 spending millions and millions on holding one another in respect8 ,ah6 how great the deliverance1 what a cry of relief would go up on the day when some formidable engine1 capable of destroying armies and sweeping cities away1 should render war an impossibility and constrain every people to disarm6 ,warfare would be dead1 killed in her own turn1 she who has killed so many4 ,this was ,guillaume's dream1 and he grew quite enthusiastic1 so strong was his conviction that he would presently bring it to pass4 8,everything is settled10 said he2 8if ,i am about to die and disappear1 it is in order that my idea may triumph4444 ,you have lately seen me spend whole afternoons alone with ,mre-,grand4 ,well1 we were completing the classification of the documents and making our final arrangements4 ,she has my orders1 and will execute them even at the risk of her life1 for none has a braver1 loftier soul4444 ,as soon as ,i am dead1 buried beneath these stones1 as soon as she has heard the explosion shake ,paris and proclaim the advent of the new era1 she will forward a set of all the documents ,i have confided to her--the formula of my explosive1 the drawings of the bomb and gun--to each of the great powers of the world4 ,in this wise ,i shall bestow on all the nations the terrible gift of destruction and omnipotence which1 at first1 ,i wished to bestow on ,france alone2 and ,i do this in order that the nations1 being one and all armed with the thunderbolt1 may at once disarm1 for fear of being annihilated1 when seeking to annihilate others40 ,pierre listened to him1 gaping1 amazed at this extraordinary idea1 in which childishness was blended with genius4 8,well10 said he1 8if you give your secret to all the nations1 why should you blow up this church1 and die yourself80 8,why6 ,in order that ,i may be believed60 cried ,guillaume with extraordinary force of utterance4 ,then he added1 8,the edifice must lie on the ground1 and ,i must be under it4 ,if the experiment is not made1 if universal horror does not attest and proclaim the amazing destructive power of my explosive1 people will consider me a mere schemer1 a visionary6444 ,a lot of dead1 a lot of blood1 that is what is needed in order that blood may for ever cease to flow60 ,then1 with a broad sweep of his arm1 he again declared that his action was necessary4 8,besides10 he said1 8,salvat left me the legacy of carrying out this deed of justice4 ,if ,i have given it greater scope and significance1 utilising it as a means of hastening the end of war1 this is because ,i happen to be a man of intellect4 ,it would have been better possibly if my mind had been a simple one1 and if ,i had merely acted like some volcano which changes the soil1 leaving life the task of renewing humanity40 ,much of the candle had now burnt away1 and ,guillaume at last rose from the block of stone4 ,he had again consulted his watch1 and found that he had ten minutes left him4 ,the little current of air created by his gestures made the light flicker1 while all around him the darkness seemed to grow denser4 ,and near at hand ever lay the threatening open mine which a spark might at any moment fire4 8,it is nearly time10 said ,guillaume4 8,come1 brother1 kiss me and go away4 ,you know how much ,i love you1 what ardent affection for you has been awakened in my old heart4 ,so love me in like fashion1 and find love enough to let me die as ,i want to die1 in carrying out my duty4 ,kiss me1 kiss me1 and go away without turning your head40 ,his deep affection for ,pierre made his voice tremble1 but he struggled on1 forced back his tears1 and ended by conquering himself4 ,it was as if he were no longer of the world1 no longer one of mankind4 8,no1 brother1 you have not convinced me10 said ,pierre1 who on his side did not seek to hide his tears1 8and it is precisely because ,i love you as you love me1 with my whole being1 my whole soul1 that ,i cannot go away4 ,it is impossible6 ,you cannot be the madman1 the murderer you would try to be40 8,why not8 ,am ,i not free4 ,i have rid my life of all responsibilities1 all ties4444 ,i have brought up my sons1 they have no further need of me4 ,but one heart-link remained--,marie1 and ,i have given her to you40 ,at this a disturbing argument occurred to ,pierre1 and he passionately availed himself of it4 8,so you want to die because you have given me ,marie10 said he4 8,you still love her1 confess it60 8,no60 cried ,guillaume1 8,i no longer love her1 ,i swear it4 ,i gave her to you4 ,i love her no more40 8,so you fancied2 but you can see now that you still love her1 for here you are1 quite upset2 whereas none of the terrifying things of which we spoke just now could even move you4444 ,yes1 if you wish to die it is because you have lost ,marie60 ,guillaume quivered1 shaken by what his brother said1 and in low1 broken words he tried to question himself4 8,no1 no1 that any love pain should have urged me to this terrible deed would be unworthy--unworthy of my great design4 ,no1 no1 ,i decided on it in the free exercise of my reason1 and ,i am accomplishing it from no personal motive1 but in the name of justice and for the benefit of humanity1 in order that war and want may cease40 ,then1 in sudden anguish1 he went on3 8,ah6 it is cruel of you1 brother1 cruel of you to poison my delight at dying4 ,i have created all the happiness ,i could1 ,i was going off well pleased at leaving you all happy1 and now you poison my death4 ,no1 no6 question it how ,i may1 my heart does not ache2 if ,i love ,marie1 it is simply in the same way as ,i love you40 ,nevertheless1 he remained perturbed1 as if fearing lest he might be lying to himself2 and by degrees gloomy anger came over him3 8,listen1 that is enough1 ,pierre10 he exclaimed1 8time is flying4444 ,for the last time1 go away6 ,i order you to do so2 ,i will have it60 8,i will not obey you1 ,guillaume4444 ,i will stay1 and as all my reasoning cannot save you from your insanity1 fire your mine1 and ,i will die with you40 8,you8 ,die8 ,but you have no right to do so1 you are not free60 8,free1 or not1 ,i swear that ,i will die with you4 ,and if it merely be a question of flinging this candle into that hole1 tell me so1 and ,i will take it and fling it there myself40 ,he made a gesture at which his brother thought that he was about to carry out his threat4 ,so he caught him by the arm1 crying3 8,why should you die8 ,it would be absurd4 ,that others should die may be necessary1 but you1 no6 ,of what use could be this additional monstrosity8 ,you are endeavouring to soften me1 you are torturing my heart60 ,then all at once1 imagining that ,pierre's offer had concealed another design1 ,guillaume thundered in a fury3 8,you don't want to take the candle in order to throw it there4 ,what you want to do is to blow it out6 ,and you think ,i shan't be able then--ah6 you bad brother60 ,in his turn ,pierre exclaimed3 8,oh6 certainly1 ,i'll use every means to prevent you from accomplishing such a frightful and foolish deed60 8,you'll prevent me60 8,yes1 ,i'll cling to you1 ,i'll fasten my arms to your shoulders1 ,i'll hold your hands if necessary40 8,ah6 you'll prevent me1 you bad brother6 ,you think you'll prevent me60 ,choking and trembling with rage1 ,guillaume had already caught hold of ,pierre1 pressing his ribs with his powerful muscular arms4 ,they were closely linked together1 their eyes fixed upon one another1 and their breath mingling in that kind of subterranean dungeon1 where their big dancing shadows looked like ghosts4 ,they seemed to be vanishing into the night1 the candle now showed merely like a little yellow tear in the midst of the darkness2 and at that moment1 in those far depths1 a quiver sped through the silence of the earth which weighed so heavily upon them4 ,distant but sonorous peals rang out1 as if death itself were somewhere ringing its invisible bell4 8,you hear10 stammered ,guillaume1 8it's their bell up there4 ,the time has come4 ,i have vowed to act1 and you want to prevent me60 8,yes1 ,i'll prevent you as long as ,i'm here alive40 8,as long as you are alive1 you'll prevent me60 ,guillaume could hear 8,la ,savoyarde0 pealing joyfully up yonder2 he could see the triumphant basilica1 overflowing with its ten thousand pilgrims1 and blazing with the splendour of the ,host amidst the smoke of incense2 and blind frenzy came over him at finding himself unable to act1 at finding an obstacle suddenly barring the road to his fixed idea4 8,as long as you are alive1 as long as you are alive60 he repeated1 beside himself4 8,well1 then1 die1 you wretched brother60 ,a fratricidal gleam had darted from his blurred eyes4 ,he hastily stooped1 picked up a large brick forgotten there1 and raised it with both hands as if it were a club4 8,ah6 ,i'm willing10 cried ,pierre4 8,kill me1 then2 kill your own brother before you kill the others60 ,the brick was already descending1 but ,guillaume's arms must have deviated1 for the weapon only grazed one of ,pierre's shoulders4 ,nevertheless1 he sank upon his knees in the gloom4 ,when ,guillaume saw him there he fancied he had dealt him a mortal blow4 ,what was it that had happened between them1 what had he done8 ,for a moment he remained standing1 haggard1 his mouth open1 his eyes dilating with terror4 ,he looked at his hands1 fancying that blood was streaming from them4 ,then he pressed them to his brow1 which seemed to be bursting with pain1 as if his fixed idea had been torn from him1 leaving his skull open4 ,and he himself suddenly sank upon the ground with a great sob4 8,oh6 brother1 little brother1 what have ,i done80 he called4 8,i am a monster60 ,but ,pierre had passionately caught him in his arms again4 8,it is nothing1 nothing1 brother1 ,i assure you10 he replied4 8,ah6 you are weeping now4 ,how pleased ,i am6 ,you are saved1 ,i can feel it1 since you are weeping4 ,and what a good thing it is that you flew into such a passion1 for your anger with me has dispelled your evil dream of violence40 8,i am horrified with myself10 gasped ,guillaume1 8to think that ,i wanted to kill you6 ,yes1 ,i'm a brute beast that would kill his brother6 ,and the others1 too1 all the others up yonder4444 ,oh6 ,i'm cold1 ,i feel so cold40 ,his teeth were chattering1 and he shivered4 ,it was as if he had awakened1 half stupefied1 from some evil dream4 ,and in the new light which his fratricidal deed cast upon things1 the scheme which had haunted him and goaded him to madness appeared like some act of criminal folly1 projected by another4 8,to kill you60 he repeated almost in a whisper4 8,i shall never forgive myself4 ,my life is ended1 ,i shall never find courage enough to live40 ,but ,pierre clasped him yet more tightly4 8,what do you say80 he answered4 8,will there not rather be a fresh and stronger tie of affection between us8 ,ah6 yes1 brother1 let me save you as you saved me1 and we shall be yet more closely united6 ,don't you remember that evening at ,neuilly1 when you consoled me and held me to your heart as ,i am holding you to mine8 ,i had confessed my torments to you1 and you told me that ,i must live and love6444 ,and you did far more afterwards3 you plucked your own love from your breast and gave it to me4 ,you wished to ensure my happiness at the price of your own6 ,and how delightful it is that1 in my turn1 ,i now have an opportunity to console you1 save you1 and bring you back to life60 8,no1 no1 the bloodstain is there and it is ineffaceable4 ,i can hope no more60 8,yes1 yes1 you can4 ,hope in life as you bade me do6 ,hope in love and hope in labour60 ,still weeping and clasping one another1 the brothers continued speaking in low voices4 ,the expiring candle suddenly went out unknown to them1 and in the inky night and deep silence their tears of redeeming affection flowed freely4 ,on the one hand1 there was joy at being able to repay a debt of brotherliness1 and on the other1 acute emotion at having been led by a fanatical love of justice and mankind to the very verge of crime4 ,and there were yet other things in the depths of those tears which cleansed and purified them2 there were protests against suffering in every form1 and ardent wishes that the world might some day be relieved of all its dreadful woe4 ,at last1 after pushing the flagstone over the cavity near the pillar1 ,pierre groped his way out of the vault1 leading ,guillaume like a child4 ,meantime ,mre-,grand1 still seated near the window of the workroom1 had impassively continued sewing4 ,now and again1 pending the arrival of four o'clock1 she had looked up at the timepiece hanging on the wall on her left hand1 or else had glanced out of the window towards the unfinished pile of the basilica1 which a gigantic framework of scaffoldings encompassed4 ,slowly and steadily plying her needle1 the old lady remained very pale and silent1 but full of heroic serenity4 ,on the other hand1 ,marie1 who sat near her1 embroidering1 shifted her position a score of times1 broke her thread1 and grew impatient1 feeling strangely nervous1 a prey to unaccountable anxiety1 which oppressed her heart4 ,for their part1 the three young men could not keep in place at all2 it was as if some contagious fever disturbed them4 ,each had gone to his work3 ,thomas was filing something at his bench2 ,franois and ,antoine were on either side of their table1 the first trying to solve a mathematical problem1 and the other copying a bunch of poppies in a vase before him4 ,it was in vain1 however1 that they strove to be attentive4 ,they quivered at the slightest sound1 raised their heads1 and darted questioning glances at one another4 ,what could be the matter8 ,what could possess them8 ,what did they fear8 ,now and again one or the other would rise1 stretch himself1 and then1 resume his place4 ,however1 they did not speak2 it was as if they dared not say anything1 and thus the heavy silence grew more and more terrible4 ,when it was a few minutes to four o'clock ,mre-,grand felt weary1 or else desired to collect her thoughts4 ,after another glance at the timepiece1 she let her needlework fall on her lap and turned towards the basilica4 ,it seemed to her that she had only enough strength left to wait2 and she remained with her eyes fixed on the huge walls and the forest of scaffolding which rose over yonder with such triumphant pride under the blue sky4 ,then all at once1 however brave and firm she might be1 she could not restrain a start1 for 8,la ,savoyarde0 had raised a joyful clang4 ,the consecration of the ,host was now at hand1 the ten thousand pilgrims filled the church1 four o'clock was about to strike4 ,and thereupon an irresistible impulse forced the old lady to her feet2 she drew herself up1 quivering1 her hands clasped1 her eyes ever turned yonder1 waiting in mute dread4 8,what is the matter80 cried ,thomas1 who noticed her4 8,why are you trembling1 ,mre-,grand80 ,franois and ,antoine raised their heads1 and in turn sprang forward4 8,are you ill8 ,why are you turning so pale1 you who are so courageous80 ,but she did not answer4 ,ah6 might the force of the explosion rend the earth asunder1 reach the house and sweep it into the flaming crater of the volcano6 ,might she and the three young men1 might they all die with the father1 this was her one ardent wish in order that grief might be spared them4 ,and she remained waiting and waiting1 quivering despite herself1 but with her brave1 clear eyes ever gazing yonder4 8,mre-,grand1 ,mre-,grand60 cried ,marie in dismay2 8you frighten us by refusing to answer us1 by looking over there as if some misfortune were coming up at a gallop60 ,then1 prompted by the same anguish1 the same cry suddenly came from ,thomas1 ,franois and ,antoine3 8,father is in peril--father is going to die60 ,what did they know8 ,nothing precise1 certainly4 ,thomas no doubt had been astonished to see what a large quantity of the explosive his father had recently prepared1 and both ,franois and ,antoine were aware of the ideas of revolt which he harboured in his mind4 ,but1 full of filial deference1 they never sought to know anything beyond what he might choose to confide to them4 ,they never questioned him2 they bowed to whatever he might do4 ,and yet now a foreboding came to them1 a conviction that their father was going to die1 that some most frightful catastrophe was impending4 ,it must have been that which had already sent such a quiver through the atmosphere ever since the morning1 making them shiver with fever1 feel ill at ease1 and unable to work4 8,father is going to die1 father is going to die60 ,the three big fellows had drawn close together1 distracted by one and the same anguish1 and furiously longing to know what the danger was1 in order that they might rush upon it and die with their father if they could not save him4 ,and amidst ,mre-,grand's stubborn silence death once more flitted through the room3 there came a cold gust such as they had already felt brushing past them during djeuner4 ,at last four o'clock began to strike1 and ,mre-,grand raised her white hands with a gesture of supreme entreaty4 ,it was then that she at last spoke3 8,father is going to die4 ,nothing but the duty of living can save him40 ,at this the three young men again wished to rush yonder1 whither they knew not2 but they felt that they must throw down all obstacles and conquer4 ,their powerlessness rent their hearts1 they were both so frantic and so woeful that their grandmother strove to calm them4 8,father's own wish was to die10 said she1 8and he is resolved to die alone40 ,they shuddered as they heard her1 and then1 on their side1 strove to be heroic4 ,but the minutes crept by1 and it seemed as if the cold gust had slowly passed away4 ,sometimes1 at the twilight hour1 a night-bird will come in by the window like some messenger of misfortune1 flit round the darkened room1 and then fly off again1 carrying its sadness with it4 ,and it was much like that2 the gust passed1 the basilica remained standing1 the earth did not open to swallow it4 ,little by little the atrocious anguish which wrung their hearts gave place to hope4 ,and when at last ,guillaume appeared1 followed by ,pierre1 a great cry of resurrection came from one and all3 8,father60 ,their kisses1 their tears1 deprived him of his little remaining strength4 ,he was obliged to sit down4 ,he had glanced round him as if he were returning to life perforce4 ,mre-,grand1 who understood what bitter feelings must have followed the subjugation of his will1 approached him smiling1 and took hold of both his hands as if to tell him that she was well pleased at seeing him again1 and at finding that he accepted his task and was unwilling to desert the cause of life4 ,for his part he suffered dreadfully1 the shock had been so great4 ,the others spared him any narrative of their feelings2 and he1 himself1 related nothing4 ,with a gesture1 a loving word1 he simply indicated that it was ,pierre who had saved him4 ,thereupon1 in a corner of the room1 ,marie flung her arms round the young man's neck4 8,ah6 my good ,pierre1 ,i have never yet kissed you10 said she2 8,i want it to be for something serious the first time4444 ,i love you1 my good ,pierre1 ,i love you with all my heart40 ,later that same evening1 after night had fallen1 ,guillaume and ,pierre remained for a moment alone in the big workroom4 ,the young men had gone out1 and ,mre-,grand and ,marie were upstairs sorting some house linen1 while ,madame ,mathis1 who had brought some work back1 sat patiently in a dim corner waiting for another bundle of things which might require mending4 ,the brothers1 steeped in the soft melancholy of the twilight hour1 and chatting in low tones1 had quite forgotten her4 ,but all at once the arrival of a visitor upset them4 ,it was ,janzen with the fair1 ,christ-like face4 ,he called very seldom nowadays2 and one never knew from what gloomy spot he had come or into what darkness he would return when he took his departure4 ,he disappeared1 indeed1 for months together1 and was then suddenly to be seen like some momentary passer-by whose past and present life were alike unknown4 8,i am leaving to-night10 he said in a voice sharp like a knife4 8,are you going back to your home in ,russia80 asked ,guillaume4 ,a faint1 disdainful smile appeared on the ,anarchist's lips4 8,home60 said he1 8,i am at home everywhere4 ,to begin with1 ,i am not a ,russian1 and then ,i recognise no other country than the world40 ,with a sweeping gesture he gave them to understand what manner of man he was1 one who had no fatherland of his own1 but carried his gory dream of fraternity hither and thither regardless of frontiers4 ,from some words he spoke the brothers fancied he was returning to ,spain1 where some fellow-,anarchists awaited him4 ,there was a deal of work to be done there1 it appeared4 ,he had quietly seated himself1 chatting on in his cold way1 when all at once he serenely added3 8,by the by1 a bomb had just been thrown into the ,cafe de l',univers on the ,boulevard4 ,three bourgeois were killed40 ,pierre and ,guillaume shuddered1 and asked for particulars4 ,thereupon ,janzen related that he had happened to be there1 had heard the explosion1 and seen the windows of the caf shivered to atoms4 ,three customers were lying on the floor blown to pieces4 ,two of them were gentlemen1 who had entered the place by chance and whose names were not known1 while the third was a regular customer1 a petty cit of the neighbourhood1 who came every day to play a game at dominoes4 ,and the whole place was wrecked2 the marble tables were broken1 the chandeliers twisted out of shape1 the mirrors studded with projectiles4 ,and how great the terror and the indignation1 and how frantic the rush of the crowd6 ,the perpetrator of the deed had been arrested immediately--in fact1 just as he was turning the corner of the ,rue ,caumartin4 8,i thought ,i would come and tell you of it10 concluded ,janzen2 8it is well you should know it40 ,then as ,pierre1 shuddering and already suspecting the truth1 asked him if he knew who the man was that had been arrested1 he slowly replied3 8,the worry is that you happen to know him--it was little ,victor ,mathis40 ,pierre tried to silence ,janzen too late4 ,he had suddenly remembered that ,victor's mother had been sitting in a dark corner behind them a short time previously4 ,was she still there8 ,then he again pictured ,victor1 slight and almost beardless1 with a straight1 stubborn brow1 grey eyes glittering with intelligence1 a pointed nose and thin lips expressive of stern will and unforgiving hatred4 ,he was no simple and lowly one from the ranks of the disinherited4 ,he was an educated scion of the bourgeoisie1 and but for circumstances would have entered the cole ,normale4 ,there was no excuse for his abominable deed1 there was no political passion1 no humanitarian insanity1 in it4 ,he was the destroyer pure and simple1 the theoretician of destruction1 the cold energetic man of intellect who gave his cultivated mind to arguing the cause of murder1 in his desire to make murder an instrument of the social evolution4 ,true1 he was also a poet1 a visionary1 but the most frightful of all visionaries3 a monster whose nature could only be explained by mad pride1 and who craved for the most awful immortality1 dreaming that the coming dawn would rise from the arms of the guillotine4 ,only one thing could surpass him3 the scythe of death which blindly mows the world4 ,for a few seconds1 amidst the growing darkness1 cold horror reigned in the workroom4 8,ah60 muttered ,guillaume1 8he had the daring to do it1 he had40 ,pierre1 however1 lovingly pressed his arm4 ,and he felt that he was as distracted1 as upset1 as himself4 ,perhaps this last abomination had been needed to ravage and cure him4 ,janzen no doubt had been an accomplice in the deed4 ,he was relating that ,victor's purpose had been to avenge ,salvat1 when all at once a great sigh of pain was heard in the darkness1 followed by a heavy thud upon the floor4 ,it was ,madame ,mathis falling like a bundle1 overwhelmed by the news which chance had brought her4 ,at that moment it so happened that ,mre-,grand came down with a lamp1 which lighted up the room1 and thereupon they hurried to the help of the wretched woman1 who lay there as pale as a corpse in her flimsy black gown4 ,and this again brought ,pierre an indescribable heart-pang4 ,ah6 the poor1 sad1 suffering creature6 ,he remembered her at ,abb ,rose's1 so discreet1 so shamefaced1 in her poverty1 scarce able to live upon the slender resources which persistent misfortunes had left her4 ,hers had indeed been a cruel lot3 first1 a home with wealthy parents in the provinces1 a love story and elopement with the man of her choice2 next1 ill-luck steadily pursuing her1 all sorts of home troubles1 and at last her husband's death4 ,then1 in the retirement of her widowhood1 after losing the best part of the little income which had enabled her to bring up her son1 naught but this son had been left to her4 ,he had been her ,victor1 her sole affection1 the only one in whom she had faith4 ,she had ever striven to believe that he was very busy1 absorbed in work1 and on the eve of attaining to some superb position worthy of his merits4 ,and now1 all at once1 she had learnt that this fondly loved son was simply the most odious of assassins1 that he had flung a bomb into a caf1 and had there killed three men4 ,when ,madame ,mathis had recovered her senses1 thanks to the careful tending of ,mre-,grand1 she sobbed on without cessation1 raising such a continuous doleful wail1 that ,pierre's hand again sought ,guillaume's1 and grasped it1 whilst their hearts1 distracted but healed1 mingled lovingly one with the other4 ,v4 ,,life',s ,,work ,,and ,,promise ,,fifteen months later1 one fine golden day in ,september1 ,bache and ,thophile ,morin were taking djeuner at ,guillaume's1 in the big workroom overlooking the immensity of ,paris4 ,near the table was a cradle with its little curtains drawn4 ,behind them slept ,jean1 a fine boy four months old1 the son of ,pierre and ,marie4 ,the latter1 simply in order to protect the child's social rights1 had been married civilly at the town-hall of ,montmartre4 ,then1 by way of pleasing ,guillaume1 who wished to keep them with him1 and thus enlarge the family circle1 they had continued living in the little lodging over the work-shop1 leaving the sleepy house at ,neuilly in the charge of ,sophie1 ,pierre's old servant4 ,and life had been flowing on happily for the fourteen months or so that they had now belonged to one another4 ,there was simply peace1 affection and work around the young couple4 ,franois1 who had left the cole ,normale provided with every degree1 every diploma1 was now about to start for a college in the west of ,france1 so as to serve his term of probation as a professor1 intending to resign his post afterwards and devote himself1 if he pleased1 to science pure and simple4 ,then ,antoine had lately achieved great success with a series of engravings he had executed--some views and scenes of ,paris life2 and it was settled that he was to marry ,lise ,jahan in the ensuing spring1 when she would have completed her seventeenth year4 ,of the three sons1 however1 ,thomas was the most triumphant1 for he had at last devised and constructed his little motor1 thanks to a happy idea of his father's4 ,one morning1 after the downfall of all his huge chimerical schemes1 ,guillaume1 remembering the terrible explosive which he had discovered and hitherto failed to utilise1 had suddenly thought of employing it as a motive force1 in the place of petroleum1 in the motor which his eldest son had so long been trying to construct for the ,grandidier works4 ,so he had set to work with ,thomas1 devising a new mechanism1 encountering endless difficulties1 and labouring for a whole year before reaching success4 ,but now the father and son had accomplished their task2 the marvel was created1 and stood there riveted to an oak stand1 and ready to work as soon as its final toilet should have been performed4 ,amidst all the changes which had occurred1 ,mre-,grand1 in spite of her great age1 continued exercising her active1 silent sway over the household1 which was now again so gay and peaceful4 ,though she seldom seemed to leave her chair in front of her work-table1 she was really here1 there and everywhere4 ,since the birth of ,jean1 she had talked of rearing the child in the same way as she had formerly reared ,thomas1 ,franois and ,antoine4 ,she was indeed full of the bravery of devotion1 and seemed to think that she was not at all likely to die so long as she might have others to guide1 love and save4 ,marie marvelled at it all4 ,she herself1 though she was always gay and in good health1 felt tired at times now that she was suckling her infant4 ,little ,jean indeed had two vigilant mothers near his cradle2 whilst his father1 ,pierre1 who had become ,thomas's assistant1 pulled the bellows1 roughened out pieces of metal1 and generally completed his apprenticeship as a working mechanician4 ,on the particular day when ,bache and ,thophile ,morin came to ,montmartre1 the djeuner proved even gayer than usual1 thanks perhaps to their presence4 ,the meal was over1 the table had been cleared1 and the coffee was being served1 when a little boy1 the son of a doorkeeper in the ,rue ,cortot1 came to ask for ,monsieur ,pierre ,froment4 ,when they inquired his business1 he answered in a hesitating way that ,monsieur l',abb ,rose was very ill1 indeed dying1 and that he had sent him to fetch ,monsieur ,pierre ,froment at once4 ,pierre followed the lad1 feeling much affected2 and on reaching the ,rue ,cortot he there found ,abb ,rose in a little damp ground-floor room overlooking a strip of garden4 ,the old priest was in bed1 dying as the boy had said1 but he still retained the use of his faculties1 and could speak in his wonted slow and gentle voice4 ,a ,sister of ,charity was watching beside him1 and she seemed so surprised and anxious at the arrival of a visitor whom she did not know1 that ,pierre understood she was there to guard the dying man and prevent him from having intercourse with others4 ,the old priest must have employed some stratagem in order to send the doorkeeper's boy to fetch him4 ,however1 when ,abb ,rose in his grave and kindly way begged the ,sister to leave them alone for a moment1 she dared not refuse this supreme request1 but immediately left the room4 8,ah6 my dear child10 said the old man1 8how much ,i wanted to speak to you6 ,sit down there1 close to the bed1 so that you may be able to hear me1 for this is the end2 ,i shall no longer be here to-night4 ,and ,i have such a great service to ask of you40 ,quite upset at finding his friend so wasted1 with his face white like a sheet1 and scarce a sign of life save the sparkle of his innocent1 loving eyes1 ,pierre responded3 8,but ,i would have come sooner if ,i had known you were in need of me6 ,why did you not send for me before8 ,are people being kept away from you80 ,a faint smile of shame and confession appeared on the old priest's embarrassed face4 8,well1 my dear child10 said he1 8you must know that ,i have again done some foolish things4 ,yes1 ,i gave money to some people who1 it seems1 were not deserving of it4 ,in fact1 there was quite a scandal2 they scolded me at the ,archbishop's palace1 and accused me of compromising the interests of religion4 ,and when they heard that ,i was ill1 they put that good ,sister beside me1 because they said that ,i should die on the floor1 and give the very sheets off my bed if ,i were not prevented40 ,he paused to draw breath1 and then continued3 8,so you understand1 that good ,sister--oh6 she is a very saintly woman--is here to nurse me and prevent me from still doing foolish things4 ,to overcome her vigilance ,i had to use a little deceit1 for which ,god1 ,i trust1 will forgive me4 ,as it happens1 it's precisely my poor who are in question2 it was to speak to you about them that ,i so particularly wished to see you40 ,tears had come to ,pierre's eyes4 8,tell me what you want me to do10 he answered2 8,i am yours1 both heart and soul40 8,yes1 yes1 ,i know it1 my dear child4 ,it was for that reason that ,i thought of you--you alone4 ,in spite of all that has happened1 you are the only one in whom ,i have any confidence1 who can understand me1 and give me a promise which will enable me to die in peace40 ,this was the only allusion he would venture to make to the cruel rupture which had occurred after the young man had thrown off his cassock and rebelled against the ,church4 ,he had since heard of ,pierre's marriage1 and was aware that he had for ever severed all religious ties4 ,but at that supreme moment nothing of this seemed of any account to the old priest4 ,his knowledge of ,pierre's loving heart sufficed him1 for all that he now desired was simply the help of that heart which he had seen glowing with such passionate charity4 8,well10 he resumed1 again finding sufficient strength to smile1 8it is a very simple matter4 ,i want to make you my heir4 ,oh6 it isn't a fine legacy ,i am leaving you2 it is the legacy of my poor1 for ,i have nothing else to bestow on you2 ,i shall leave nothing behind me but my poor40 ,of these unhappy creatures1 three in particular quite upset his heart4 ,he recoiled from the prospect of leaving them without chance of succour1 without even the crumbs which he had hitherto distributed among them1 and which had enabled them to live4 ,one was the big ,old'un1 the aged carpenter whom he and ,pierre had vainly sought one night with the object of sending him to the ,asylum for the ,invalids of ,labour4 ,he had been sent there a little later1 but he had fled three days afterwards1 unwilling as he was to submit to the regulations4 ,wild and violent1 he had the most detestable disposition4 ,nevertheless1 he could not be left to starve4 ,he came to ,abb ,rose's every ,saturday1 it seemed1 and received a franc1 which sufficed him for the whole week4 ,then1 too1 there was a bedridden old woman in a hovel in the ,rue du ,mont-,cenis4 ,the baker1 who every morning took her the bread she needed1 must be paid4 ,and in particular there was a poor young woman residing on the ,place du ,tertre1 one who was unmarried but a mother4 ,she was dying of consumption1 unable to work1 and tortured by the idea that when she should have gone1 her daughter must sink to the pavement like herself4 ,and in this instance the legacy was twofold3 there was the mother to relieve until her death1 which was near at hand1 and then the daughter to provide for until she could be placed in some good household4 8,you must forgive me1 my dear child1 for leaving you all these worries10 added ,abb ,rose4 8,i tried to get the good ,sister1 who is nursing me1 to take an interest in these poor people1 but when ,i spoke to her of the big ,old'un1 she was so alarmed that she made the sign of the cross4 ,and it's the same with my worthy friend ,abb ,tavernier4 ,i know nobody of more upright mind4 ,still ,i shouldn't be at ease with him1 he has ideas of his own4444 ,and so1 my dear child1 there is only you whom ,i can rely upon1 and you must accept my legacy if you wish me to depart in peace40 ,pierre was weeping4 8,ah6 certainly1 with my whole soul10 he answered4 8,i shall regard your desires as sacred40 8,good6 ,i knew you would accept4444 ,so it is agreed3 a franc for the big ,old'un every ,saturday1 the bread for the bedridden woman1 some help for the poor young mother1 and then a home for her little girl4 ,ah6 if you only knew what a weight it is off my heart6 ,the end may come now1 it will be welcome to me40 ,his kind white face had brightened as if with supreme joy4 ,holding ,pierre's hand within his own he detained him beside the bed1 exchanging a farewell full of serene affection4 ,and his voice weakening1 he expressed his whole mind in faint1 impressive accents3 8,yes1 ,i shall be pleased to go off4 ,i could do no more1 ,i could do no more6 ,though ,i gave and gave1 ,i felt that it was ever necessary to give more and more4 ,and how sad to find charity powerless1 to give without hope of ever being able to stamp out want and suffering6 ,i rebelled against that idea of yours1 as you will remember4 ,i told you that we should always love one another in our poor1 and that was true1 since you are here1 so good and affectionate to me and those whom ,i am leaving behind4 ,but1 all the same1 ,i can do no more1 ,i can do no more2 and ,i would rather go off1 since the woes of others rise higher and higher around me1 and ,i have ended by doing the most foolish things1 scandalising the faithful and making my superiors indignant with me1 without even saving one single poor person from the ever-growing torrent of want4 ,farewell1 my dear child4 ,my poor old heart goes off aching1 my old hands are weary and conquered40 ,pierre embraced him with his whole soul1 and then departed4 ,his eyes were full of tears and indescribable emotion wrung his heart4 ,never had he heard a more woeful cry than that confession of the impotence of charity1 on the part of that old candid child1 whose heart was all simplicity and sublime benevolence4 ,ah6 what a disaster1 that human kindness should be futile1 that the world should always display so much distress and suffering in spite of all the compassionate tears that had been shed1 in spite of all the alms that had fallen from millions and millions of hands for centuries and centuries6 ,no wonder that it should bring desire for death1 no wonder that a ,christian should feel pleased at escaping from the abominations of this earth6 ,when ,pierre again reached the workroom he found that the table had long since been cleared1 and that ,bache and ,morin were chatting with ,guillaume1 whilst the latter's sons had returned to their customary occupations4 ,marie1 also1 had resumed her usual place at the work-table in front of ,mre-,grand2 but from time to time she rose and went to look at ,jean1 so as to make sure that he was sleeping peacefully1 with his little clenched fists pressed to his heart4 ,and when ,pierre1 who kept his emotion to himself1 had likewise leant over the cradle beside the young woman1 whose hair he discreetly kissed1 he went to put on an apron in order that he might assist ,thomas1 who was now1 for the last time1 regulating his motor4 ,then1 as ,pierre stood there awaiting an opportunity to help1 the room vanished from before his eyes2 he ceased to see or hear the persons who were there4 ,the scent of ,marie's hair alone lingered on his lips amidst the acute emotion into which he had been thrown by his visit to ,abb ,rose4 ,a recollection had come to him1 that of the bitterly cold morning when the old priest had stopped him outside the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart1 and had timidly asked him to take some alms to that old man ,laveuve1 who soon afterwards had died of want1 like a dog by the wayside4 ,how sad a morning it had been2 what battle and torture had ,pierre not felt within him1 and what a resurrection had come afterwards6 ,he had that day said one of his last masses1 and he recalled with a shudder his abominable anguish1 his despairing doubts at the thought of nothingness4 ,two experiments which he had previously made had failed most miserably4 ,first had come one at ,lourdes1 where the glorification of the absurd had simply filled him with pity for any such attempt to revert to the primitive faith of young nations1 who bend beneath the terror born of ignorance2 and1 secondly1 there had been an experiment at ,rome1 which he had found incapable of any renewal1 and which he had seen staggering to its death amidst its ruins1 a mere great shadow1 which would soon be of no account1 fast sinking1 as it was1 to the dust of dead religions4 ,and1 in his own mind1 ,charity itself had become bankrupt2 he no longer believed that alms could cure the sufferings of mankind1 he awaited naught but a frightful catastrophe1 fire and massacre1 which would sweep away the guilty1 condemned world4 ,his cassock1 too1 stifled him1 a lie alone kept it on his shoulders1 the idea1 unbelieving priest though he was1 that he could honestly and chastely watch over the belief of others4 ,the problem of a new religion1 a new hope1 such as was needful to ensure the peace of the coming democracies tortured him1 but between the certainties of science and the need of the ,divine1 which seemed to consume humanity1 he could find no solution4 ,if ,christianity crumbled with the principle of ,charity1 there could remain nothing else but ,justice1 that cry which came from every breast1 that battle of ,justice against ,charity in which his heart must contend in that great city of ,paris4 ,it was there that began his third and decisive experiment1 the experiment which was to make truth as plain to him as the sun itself1 and give him back health and strength and delight in life4 ,at this point of his reverie ,pierre was roused by ,thomas1 who asked him to fetch a tool4 ,as he did so he heard ,bache remarking3 8,the ministry resigned this morning4 ,vignon has had enough of it1 he wants to reserve his remaining strength40 8,well1 he has lasted more than a twelvemonth10 replied ,morin4 8,that's already an achievement40 ,after the crime of ,victor ,mathis1 who had been tried and executed within three weeks1 ,monferrand had suddenly fallen from power4 ,what was the use of having a strong-handed man at the head of the ,government if bombs still continued to terrify the country8 ,moreover1 he had displeased the ,chamber by his voracious appetite1 which had prevented him from allowing others more than an infinitesimal share of all the good things4 ,and this time he had been succeeded by ,vignon1 although the latter's programme of reforms had long made people tremble4 ,he1 ,vignon1 was honest certainly1 but of all these reforms he had only been able to carry out a few insignificant ones1 for he had found himself hampered by a thousand obstacles4 ,and thus he had resigned himself to ruling the country as others had done2 and people had discovered that after all there were but faint shades of difference between him and ,monferrand4 8,you know that ,monferrand is being spoken of again80 said ,guillaume4 8,yes1 and he has some chance of success4 ,his creatures are bestirring themselves tremendously10 replied ,bache1 adding1 in a bitter1 jesting way1 that ,mge1 the ,collectivist leader1 played the part of a dupe in overthrowing ministry after ministry4 ,he simply gratified the ambition of each coterie in turn1 without any possible chance of attaining to power himself4 ,thereupon ,guillaume pronounced judgment4 8,oh6 well1 let them devour one another10 said he4 8,eager as they all are to reign and dispose of power and wealth1 they only fight over questions of persons4 ,and nothing they do can prevent the evolution from continuing4 ,ideas expand1 and events occur1 and1 over and above everything else1 mankind is marching on40 ,pierre was greatly struck by these words1 and he again recalled the past4 ,his dolorous ,parisian experiment had begun1 and he was once more roaming through the city4 ,paris seemed to him to be a huge vat1 in which a world fermented1 something of the best and something of the worst1 a frightful mixture such as sorceresses might have used2 precious powders mingled with filth1 from all of which was to come the philter of love and eternal youth4 ,and in that vat ,pierre first marked the scum of the political world3 ,monferrand who strangled ,barroux1 who purchased the support of hungry ones such as ,fonsgue1 ,duthil and ,chaigneux1 who made use of those who attained to mediocrity1 such as ,taboureau and ,dauvergne2 and who employed even the sectarian passions of ,mge and the intelligent ambition of ,vignon as his weapons4 ,next came money the poisoner1 with that affair of the ,african ,railways1 which had rotted the ,parliament and turned ,duvillard1 the triumphant bourgeois1 into a public perverter1 the very cancer as it were of the financial world4 ,then as a just consequence of all this there was ,duvillard's own home infected by himself1 that frightful drama of ,eve contending with her daughter ,camille for the possession of ,grard1 then ,camille stealing him from her mother1 and ,hyacinthe1 the son1 passing his crazy mistress ,rosemonde on to that notorious harlot ,silviane1 with whom his father publicly exhibited himself4 ,then there was the old expiring aristocracy1 with the pale1 sad faces of ,madame de ,quinsac and the ,marquis de ,morigny2 the old military spirit whose funeral was conducted by ,general de ,bozonnet2 the magistracy which slavishly served the powers of the day1 ,amadieu thrusting himself into notoriety by means of sensational cases1 ,lehmann1 the public prosecutor1 preparing his speeches in the private room of the ,minister whose policy he defended2 and1 finally1 the mendacious and cupid ,press which lived upon scandal1 the everlasting flood of denunciation and filth which poured from ,sagnier1 and the gay impudence shown by the unscrupulous and conscienceless ,massot1 who attacked all and defended all1 by profession and to order6 ,and in the same way as insects1 on discovering one of their own kind dying1 will often finish it off and fatten upon it1 so the whole swarm of appetites1 interests and passions had fallen upon a wretched madman1 that unhappy ,salvat1 whose idiotic crime had brought them all scrambling together1 gluttonously eager to derive some benefit from that starveling's emaciated carcass4 ,and all boiled in the huge vat of ,paris2 the desires1 the deeds of violence1 the strivings of one and another man's will1 the whole nameless medley of the bitterest ferments1 whence1 in all purity1 the wine of the future would at last flow4 ,then ,pierre became conscious of the prodigious work which went on in the depths of the vat1 beneath all the impurity and waste4 ,as his brother had just said1 what mattered the stains1 the egotism and greed of politicians1 if humanity were still on the march1 ever slowly and stubbornly stepping forward6 ,what mattered1 too1 that corrupt and emasculate bourgeoisie1 nowadays as moribund as the aristocracy1 whose place it took1 if behind it there ever came the inexhaustible reserve of men who surged up from the masses of the country-sides and the towns6 ,what mattered the debauchery1 the perversion arising from excess of wealth and power1 the luxuriousness and dissoluteness of life1 since it seemed a proven fact that the capitals that had been queens of the world had never reigned without extreme civilisation1 a cult of beauty and of pleasure6 ,and what mattered even the venality1 the transgressions and the folly of the press1 if at the same time it remained an admirable instrument for the diffusion of knowledge1 the open conscience1 so to say1 of the nation1 a river which1 though there might be horrors on its surface1 none the less flowed on1 carrying all nations to the brotherly ocean of the future centuries6 ,the human lees ended by sinking to the bottom of the vat1 and it was not possible to expect that what was right would triumph visibly every day2 for it was often necessary that years should elapse before the realisation of some hope could emerge from the fermentation4 ,eternal matter is ever being cast afresh into the crucible and ever coming from it improved4 ,and if in the depths of pestilential workshops and factories the slavery of ancient times subsists in the wage-earning system1 if such men as ,toussaint still die of want on their pallets like broken-down beasts of burden1 it is nevertheless a fact that once already1 on a memorable day of tempest1 ,liberty sprang forth from the vat to wing her flight throughout the world4 ,and why in her turn should not ,justice spring from it1 proceeding from those troubled elements1 freeing herself from all dross1 flowing forth with dazzling limpidity and regenerating the nations8 ,however1 the voices of ,bache and ,morin1 rising in the course of their chat with ,guillaume1 once more drew ,pierre from his reverie4 ,they were now speaking of ,janzen1 who after being compromised in a fresh outrage at ,barcelona had fled from ,spain4 ,bache fancied that he had recognised him in the street only the previous day4 ,to think that a man with so clear a mind and such keen energy should waste his natural gifts in such a hateful cause6 8,when ,i remember10 said ,morin slowly1 8that ,barths lives in exile in a shabby little room at ,brussels1 ever quivering with the hope that the reign of liberty is at hand--he who has never had a drop of blood on his hands and who has spent two-thirds of his life in prison in order that the nations may be freed60 ,bache gently shrugged his shoulders3 8,liberty1 liberty1 of course10 said he2 8only it is worth nothing if it is not organised40 ,thereupon their everlasting discussion began afresh1 with ,saint-,simon and ,fourier on one side and ,proudhon and ,auguste ,comte on the other4 ,bache gave a long account of the last commemoration which had taken place in honour of ,fourier's memory1 how faithful disciples had brought wreaths and made speeches1 forming quite a meeting of apostles1 who all stubbornly clung to their faith1 as confident in the future as if they were the messengers of some new gospel4 ,afterwards ,morin emptied his pockets1 which were always full of ,positivist tracts and pamphlets1 manifestos1 answers and so forth1 in which ,comte's doctrines were extolled as furnishing the only possible basis for the new1 awaited religion4 ,pierre1 who listened1 thereupon remembered the disputes in his little house at ,neuilly when he himself1 searching for certainty1 had endeavoured to draw up the century's balance-sheet4 ,he had lost his depth1 in the end1 amidst the contradictions and incoherency of the various precursors4 ,although ,fourier had sprung from ,saint-,simon1 he denied him in part1 and if ,saint-,simon's doctrine ended in a kind of mystical sensuality1 the other's conducted to an inacceptable regimenting of society4 ,proudhon1 for his part1 demolished without rebuilding anything4 ,comte1 who created method and declared science to be the one and only sovereign1 had not even suspected the advent of the social crisis which now threatened to sweep all away1 and had finished personally as a mere worshipper of love1 overpowered by woman4 ,nevertheless1 these two1 ,comte and ,proudhon1 entered the lists and fought against the others1 ,fourier and ,saint-,simon2 the combat between them or their disciples becoming so bitter and so blind that the truths common to them all at first seemed obscured and disfigured beyond recognition4 ,now1 however1 that evolution had slowly transformed ,pierre1 those common truths seemed to him as irrefutable1 as clear as the sunlight itself4 ,amidst the chaos of conflicting assertions which was to be found in the gospels of those social messiahs1 there were certain similar phrases and principles which recurred again and again1 the defence of the poor1 the idea of a new and just division of the riches of the world in accordance with individual labour and merit1 and particularly the search for a new law of labour which would enable this fresh distribution to be made equitably4 ,since all the precursory men of genius agreed so closely upon those points1 must they not be the very foundations of to-morrow's new religion1 the necessary faith which this century must bequeath to the coming century1 in order that the latter may make of it a human religion of peace1 solidarity and love8 ,then1 all at once1 there came a leap in ,pierre's thoughts4 ,he fancied himself at the ,madeleine once more1 listening to the address on the ,new ,spirit delivered by ,monseigneur ,martha1 who had predicted that ,paris1 now reconverted to ,christianity1 would1 thanks to the ,sacred ,heart1 become the ruler of the world4 ,but no1 but no6 ,if ,paris reigned1 it was because it was able to exercise its intelligence freely4 ,to set the cross and the mystic and repulsive symbolism of a bleeding heart above it was simply so much falsehood4 ,although they might rear edifices of pride and domination as if to crush ,paris with their very weight1 although they might try to stop science in the name of a dead ideal and in the hope of setting their clutches upon the coming century1 these attempts would be of no avail4 ,science will end by sweeping away all remnants of their ancient sovereignty1 their basilica will crumble beneath the breeze of ,truth without any necessity of raising a finger against it4 ,the trial has been made1 the ,gospel as a social code has fallen to pieces1 and human wisdom can only retain account of its moral maxims4 ,ancient ,catholicism is on all sides crumbling into dust1 ,catholic ,rome is a mere field of ruins from which the nations turn aside1 anxious as they are for a religion that shall not be a religion of death4 ,in olden times the overburdened slave1 glowing with a new hope and seeking to escape from his gaol1 dreamt of a heaven where in return for his earthly misery he would be rewarded with eternal enjoyment4 ,but now that science has destroyed that false idea of a heaven1 and shown what dupery lies in reliance on the morrow of death1 the slave1 the workman1 weary of dying for happiness' sake1 demands that justice and happiness shall find place upon this earth4 ,therein lies the new hope--,justice1 after eighteen hundred years of impotent ,charity4 ,ah6 in a thousand years from now1 when ,catholicism will be naught but a very ancient superstition of the past1 how amazed men will be to think that their ancestors were able to endure that religion of torture and nihility6 ,how astonished they will feel on finding that ,god was regarded as an executioner1 that manhood was threatened1 maimed and chastised1 that nature was accounted an enemy1 that life was looked upon as something accursed1 and that death alone was pronounced sweet and liberating6 ,for well-nigh two thousand years the onward march of mankind has been hampered by the odious idea of tearing all that is human away from man3 his desires1 his passions1 his free intelligence1 his will and right of action1 his whole strength4 ,and how glorious will be the awakening when such virginity as is now honoured by the ,church is held in derision1 when fruitfulness is again recognised as a virtue1 amidst the hosanna of all the freed forces of nature--man's desires which will be honoured1 his passions which will be utilised1 his labour which will be exalted1 whilst life is loved and ever and ever creates love afresh6 ,a new religion6 a new religion6 ,pierre remembered the cry which had escaped him at ,lourdes1 and which he had repeated at ,rome in presence of the collapse of old ,catholicism4 ,but he no longer displayed the same feverish eagerness as then--a puerile1 sickly desire that a new ,divinity should at once reveal himself1 an ideal come into being1 complete in all respects1 with dogmas and form of worship4 ,the ,divine certainly seemed to be as necessary to man as were bread and water2 he had ever fallen back upon it1 hungering for the mysterious1 seemingly having no other means of consolation than that of annihilating himself in the unknown4 ,but who can say that science will not some day quench the thirst for what lies beyond us8 ,if the domain of science embraces the acquired truths1 it also embraces1 and will ever do so1 the truths that remain to be acquired4 ,and in front of it will there not ever remain a margin for the thirst of knowledge1 for the hypotheses which are but so much ideality8 ,besides1 is not the yearning for the divine simply a desire to behold the ,divinity8 ,and if science should more and more content the yearning to know all and be able to do all1 will not that yearning be quieted and end by mingling with the love of acquired truth8 ,a religion grafted on science is the indicated1 certain1 inevitable finish of man's long march towards knowledge4 ,he will come to it at last as to a natural haven1 as to peace in the midst of certainty1 after passing every form of ignorance and terror on his road4 ,and is there not already some indication of such a religion8 ,has not the idea of the duality of ,god and the ,universe been brushed aside1 and is not the principle of unity1 monisme1 becoming more and more evident--unity leading to solidarity1 and the sole law of life proceeding by evolution from the first point of the ether that condensed to create the world8 ,but if precursors1 scientists and philosophers--,darwin1 ,fourier and all the others--have sown the seed of to-morrow's religion by casting the good word to the passing breeze1 how many centuries will doubtless be required to raise the crop6 ,people always forget that before ,catholicism grew up and reigned in the sunlight1 it spent four centuries in germinating and sprouting from the soil4 ,well1 then1 grant some centuries to this religion of science of whose sprouting there are signs upon all sides1 and by-and-by the admirable ideas of some ,fourier will be seen expanding and forming a new gospel1 with desire serving as the lever to raise the world1 work accepted by one and all1 honoured and regulated as the very mechanism of natural and social life1 and the passions of man excited1 contented and utilised for human happiness6 ,the universal cry of ,justice1 which rises louder and louder1 in a growing clamour from the once silent multitude1 the people that have so long been duped and preyed upon1 is but a cry for this happiness towards which human beings are tending1 the happiness that embodies the complete satisfaction of man's needs1 and the principle of life loved for its own sake1 in the midst of peace and the expansion of every force and every joy4 ,the time will come when this ,kingdom of ,god will be set upon the earth2 so why not close that other deceptive paradise1 even if the weak-minded must momentarily suffer from the destruction of their illusions2 for it is necessary to operate even with cruelty on the blind if they are to be extricated from their misery1 from their long and frightful night of ignorance6 ,all at once a feeling of deep joy came over ,pierre4 ,a child's faint cry1 the wakening cry of his son ,jean had drawn him from his reverie4 ,and he had suddenly remembered that he himself was now saved1 freed from falsehood and fright1 restored to good and healthy nature4 ,how he quivered as he recalled that he had once fancied himself lost1 blotted out of life1 and that a prodigy of love had extricated him from his nothingness1 still strong and sound1 since that dear child of his was there1 sturdy and smiling4 ,life had brought forth life2 and truth had burst forth1 as dazzling as the sun4 ,he had made his third experiment with ,paris1 and this had been conclusive2 it had been no wretched miscarriage with increase of darkness and grief1 like his other experiments at ,lourdes and ,rome4 ,in the first place1 the law of labour had been revealed to him1 and he had imposed upon himself a task1 as humble a one as it was1 that manual calling which he was learning so late in life1 but which was1 nevertheless1 a form of labour1 and one in which he would never fail1 one too that would lend him the serenity which comes from the accomplishment of duty1 for life itself was but labour3 it was only by effort that the world existed4 ,and then1 moreover1 he had loved2 and salvation had come to him from woman and from his child4 ,ah6 what a long and circuitous journey he had made to reach this finish at once so natural and so simple6 ,how he had suffered1 how much error and anger he had known before doing what all men ought to do6 ,that eager1 glowing love which had contended against his reason1 which had bled at sight of the arrant absurdities of the miraculous grotto of ,lourdes1 which had bled again too in presence of the haughty decline of the ,vatican1 had at last found contentment now that he was husband and father1 now that he had confidence in work and believed in the just laws of life4 ,and thence had come the indisputable truth1 the one solution--happiness in certainty4 ,whilst ,pierre was thus plunged in thought1 ,bache and ,morin had already gone off with their customary handshakes and promises to come and chat again some evening4 ,and as ,jean was now crying more loudly1 ,marie took him in her arms and unhooked her dress-body to give him her breast4 8,oh6 the darling1 it's his time1 you know1 and he doesn't forget it60 she said4 8,just look1 ,pierre1 ,i believe he has got bigger since yesterday40 ,she laughed2 and ,pierre1 likewise laughing1 drew near to kiss the child4 ,and afterwards he kissed his wife1 mastered as he was by emotion at the sight of that pink1 gluttonous little creature imbibing life from that lovely breast so full of milk4 8,why6 he'll eat you10 he gaily said to ,marie4 8,how he's pulling60 8,oh6 he does bite me a little10 she replied2 8but ,i like that the better1 it shows that he profits by it40 ,then ,mre-,grand1 she who as a rule was so serious and silent1 began to talk with a smile lighting up her face3 8,i weighed him this morning10 said she1 8he weighs nearly a quarter of a pound more than he did the last time4 ,and if you had only seen how good he was1 the darling6 ,he will be a very intelligent and well-behaved little gentleman1 such as ,i like4 ,when he's five years old1 ,i shall teach him his alphabet1 and when he's fifteen1 if he likes1 ,i'll tell him how to be a man4444 ,don't you agree with me1 ,thomas8 ,and you1 ,antoine1 and you1 too1 ,franois80 ,raising their heads1 the three sons gaily nodded their approval1 grateful as they felt for the lessons in heroism which she had given them1 and apparently finding no reason why she might not live another twenty years in order to give similar lessons to ,jean4 ,pierre still remained in front of ,marie1 basking in all the rapture of love1 when he felt ,guillaume lay his hands upon his shoulders from behind4 ,and on turning round he saw that his brother was also radiant1 like one who felt well pleased at seeing them so happy4 8,ah6 brother10 said ,guillaume softly1 8do you remember my telling you that you suffered solely from the battle between your mind and your heart1 and that you would find quietude again when you loved what you could understand8 ,it was necessary that our father and mother1 whose painful quarrel had continued beyond the grave1 should be reconciled in you4 ,and now it's done1 they sleep in peace within you1 since you yourself are pacified40 ,these words filled ,pierre with emotion4 ,joy beamed upon his face1 which was now so open and energetic4 ,he still had the towering brow1 that impregnable fortress of reason1 which he had derived from his father1 and he still had the gentle chin and affectionate eyes and mouth which his mother had given him1 but all was now blended together1 instinct with happy harmony and serene strength4 ,those two experiments of his which had miscarried1 were like crises of his maternal heredity1 the tearful tenderness which had come to him from his mother1 and which for lack of satisfaction had made him desperate2 and his third experiment had only ended in happiness because he had contented his ardent thirst for love in accordance with sovereign reason1 that paternal heredity which pleaded so loudly within him4 ,reason remained the queen4 ,and if his sufferings had thus always come from the warfare which his reason had waged against his heart1 it was because he was man personified1 ever struggling between his intelligence and his passions4 ,and how peaceful all seemed1 now that he had reconciled and satisfied them both1 now that he felt healthy1 perfect and strong1 like some lofty oak1 which grows in all freedom1 and whose branches spread far away over the forest4 8,you have done good work in that respect10 ,guillaume affectionately continued1 8for yourself and for all of us1 and even for our dear parents whose shades1 pacified and reconciled1 now abide so peacefully in the little home of our childhood4 ,i often think of our dear house at ,neuilly1 which old ,sophie is taking care of for us2 and although1 out of egotism1 a desire to set happiness around me1 ,i wished to keep you here1 your ,jean must some day go and live there1 so as to bring it fresh youth40 ,pierre had taken hold of his brother's hands1 and looking into his eyes he asked3 8,and you--are you happy80 8,yes1 very happy1 happier than ,i have ever been2 happy at loving you as ,i do1 and happy at being loved by you as no one else will ever love me40 ,their hearts mingled in ardent brotherly affection1 the most perfect and heroic affection that can blend men together4 ,and they embraced one another whilst1 with her babe on her breast1 ,marie1 so gay1 healthful and loyal1 looked at them and smiled1 with big tears gathering in her eyes4 ,thomas1 however1 having finished his motor's last toilet1 had just set it in motion4 ,it was a prodigy of lightness and strength1 of no weight whatever in comparison with the power it displayed4 ,and it worked with perfect smoothness1 without noise or smell4 ,the whole family was gathered round it in delight1 when there came a timely visit1 one from the learned and friendly ,bertheroy1 whom indeed ,guillaume had asked to call1 in order that he might see the motor working4 ,the great chemist at once expressed his admiration2 and when he had examined the mechanism and understood how the explosive was employed as motive power--an idea which he had long recommended1--he tendered enthusiastic congratulations to ,guillaume and ,thomas4 8,you have created a little marvel10 said he1 8one which may have far-reaching effects both socially and humanly4 ,yes1 yes1 pending the invention of the electrical motor which we have not yet arrived at1 here is an ideal one1 a system of mechanical traction for all sorts of vehicles4 ,even aerial navigation may now become a possibility1 and the problem of force at home is finally solved4 ,and what a grand step6 ,what sudden progress6 ,distance again diminished1 all roads thrown open1 and men able to fraternise6 ,this is a great boon1 a splendid gift1 my good friends1 that you are bestowing on the world40 ,then he began to jest about the new explosive1 whose prodigious power he had divined1 and which he now found put to such a beneficent purpose4 8,and to think1 ,guillaume10 he said1 8that ,i fancied you acted with so much mysteriousness and hid the formula of your powder from me because you had an idea of blowing up ,paris60 ,at this ,guillaume became grave and somewhat pale4 ,and he confessed the truth4 8,well1 ,i did for a moment think of it40 ,however1 ,bertheroy went on laughing1 as if he regarded this answer as mere repartee1 though truth to tell he had felt a slight chill sweep through his hair4 8,well1 my friend10 he said1 8you have done far better in offering the world this marvel1 which by the way must have been both a difficult and dangerous matter4 ,so here is a powder which was intended to exterminate people1 and which in lieu thereof will now increase their comfort and welfare4 ,in the long run things always end well1 as ,i'm quite tired of saying40 ,on beholding such lofty and tolerant good nature1 ,guillaume felt moved4 ,bertheroy's words were true4 ,what had been intended for purposes of destruction served the cause of progress2 the subjugated1 domesticated volcano became labour1 peace and civilisation4 ,guillaume had even relinquished all idea of his engine of battle and victory2 he had found sufficient satisfaction in this last invention of his1 which would relieve men of some measure of weariness1 and help to reduce their labour to just so much effort as there must always be4 ,in this he detected some little advance towards ,justice2 at all events it was all that he himself could contribute to the cause4 ,and when on turning towards the window he caught sight of the basilica of the ,sacred ,heart1 he could not explain what insanity had at one moment come over him1 and set him dreaming of idiotic and useless destruction4 ,some miasmal gust must have swept by1 something born of want that scattered germs of anger and vengeance4 ,but how blind it was to think that destruction and murder could ever bear good fruit1 ever sow the soil with plenty and happiness6 ,violence cannot last1 and all it does is to rouse man's feeling of solidarity even among those on whose behalf one kills4 ,the people1 the great multitude1 rebel against the isolated individual who seeks to wreak justice4 ,no one man can take upon himself the part of the volcano2 this is the whole terrestrial crust1 the whole multitude which internal fire impels to rise and throw up either an ,alpine chain or a better and freer society4 ,and whatever heroism there may be in their madness1 however great and contagious may be their thirst for martyrdom1 murderers are never anything but murderers1 whose deeds simply sow the seeds of horror4 ,and if on the one hand ,victor ,mathis had avenged ,salvat1 he had also slain him1 so universal had been the cry of reprobation roused by the second crime1 which was yet more monstrous and more useless than the first4 ,guillaume1 laughing in his turn1 replied to ,bertheroy in words which showed how completely he was cured3 8,you are right10 he said1 8all ends well since all contributes to truth and justice4 ,unfortunately1 thousands of years are sometimes needed for any progress to be accomplished4444 ,however1 for my part1 ,i am simply going to put my new explosive on the market1 so that those who secure the necessary authorisation may manufacture it and grow rich4 ,henceforth it belongs to one and all4444 ,and ,i've renounced all idea of revolutionising the world40 ,but ,bertheroy protested4 ,this great official scientist1 this member of the ,institute laden with offices and honours1 pointed to the little motor1 and replied with all the vigour of his seventy years3 8,but that is revolution1 the true1 the only revolution4 ,it is with things like that and not with stupid bombs that one revolutionises the world6 ,it is not by destroying1 but by creating1 that you have just done the work of a revolutionist4 ,and how many times already have ,i not told you that science alone is the world's revolutionary force1 the only force which1 far above all paltry political incidents1 the vain agitation of despots1 priests1 sectarians and ambitious people of all kinds1 works for the benefit of those who will come after us1 and prepares the triumph of truth1 justice and peace4444 ,ah1 my dear child1 if you wish to overturn the world by striving to set a little more happiness in it1 you have only to remain in your laboratory here1 for human happiness can spring only from the furnace of the scientist40 ,he spoke perhaps in a somewhat jesting way1 but one could feel that he was convinced of it all1 that he held everything excepting science in utter contempt4 ,he had not even shown any surprise when ,pierre had cast his cassock aside2 and on finding him there with his wife and child he had not scrupled to show him as much affection as in the past4 ,meantime1 however1 the motor was travelling hither and thither1 making no more noise than a bluebottle buzzing in the sunshine4 ,the whole happy family was gathered about it1 still laughing with delight at such a victorious achievement4 ,and all at once little ,jean1 ,monsieur ,jean1 having finished sucking1 turned round1 displaying his milk-smeared lips1 and perceived the machine1 the pretty plaything which walked about by itself4 ,at sight of it1 his eyes sparkled1 dimples appeared on his plump cheeks1 and1 stretching out his quivering chubby hands1 he raised a crow of delight4 ,marie1 who was quietly fastening her dress1 smiled at his glee and brought him nearer1 in order that he might have a better view of the toy4 8,ah6 my darling1 it's pretty1 isn't it8 ,it moves and it turns1 and it's strong2 it's quite alive1 you see40 ,the others1 standing around1 were much amused by the amazed1 enraptured expression of the child1 who would have liked to touch the machine1 perhaps in the hope of understanding it4 8,yes10 resumed ,bertheroy1 8it's alive and it's powerful like the sun1 like that great sun shining yonder over ,paris1 and ripening men and things4 ,and ,paris too is a motor1 a boiler in which the future is boiling1 while we scientists keep the eternal flame burning underneath4 ,guillaume1 my good fellow1 you are one of the stokers1 one of the artisans of the future1 with that little marvel of yours1 which will still further extend the influence of our great ,paris over the whole world40 ,these words impressed ,pierre1 and he again thought of a gigantic vat stretching yonder from one horizon to the other1 a vat in which the coming century would emerge from an extraordinary mixture of the excellent and the vile4 ,but now1 over and above all passions1 ambitions1 stains and waste1 he was conscious of the colossal expenditure of labour which marked the life of ,paris1 of the heroic manual efforts in work-shops and factories1 and the splendid striving of the young men of intellect whom he knew to be hard at work1 studying in silence1 relinquishing none of the conquests of their elders1 but glowing with desire to enlarge their domain4 ,and in all this ,paris was exalted1 together with the future that was being prepared within it1 and which would wing its flight over the world bright like the dawn of day4 ,if ,rome1 now so near its death1 had ruled the ancient world1 it was ,paris that reigned with sovereign sway over the modern era1 and had for the time become the great centre of the nations as they were carried on from civilisation to civilisation1 in a sunward course from east to west4 ,paris was the world's brain4 ,its past so full of grandeur had prepared it for the part of initiator1 civiliser and liberator4 ,only yesterday it had cast the cry of ,liberty among the nations1 and to-morrow it would bring them the religion of ,science1 the new faith awaited by the democracies4 ,and ,paris was also gaiety1 kindness and gentleness1 passion for knowledge and generosity without limit4 ,among the workmen of its faubourgs and the peasants of its country-sides there were endless reserves of men on whom the future might freely draw4 ,and the century ended with ,paris1 and the new century would begin and spread with it4 ,all the clamour of its prodigious labour1 all the light that came from it as from a beacon overlooking the earth1 all the thunder and tempest and triumphant brightness that sprang from its entrails1 were pregnant with that final splendour1 of which human happiness would be compounded4 ,marie raised a light cry of admiration as she pointed towards the city4 8,look6 just look60 she exclaimed2 8,paris is all golden1 covered with a harvest of gold60 ,they all re-echoed her admiration1 for the effect was really one of extraordinary magnificence4 ,the declining sun was once more veiling the immensity of ,paris with golden dust4 ,but this was no longer the city of the sower1 a chaos of roofs and edifices suggesting brown land turned up by some huge plough1 whilst the sun-rays streamed over it like golden seed1 falling upon every side4 ,nor was it the city whose divisions had one day seemed so plain to ,pierre3 eastward1 the districts of toil1 misty with the grey smoke of factories2 southward1 the districts of study1 serene and quiet2 westward1 the districts of wealth1 bright and open2 and in the centre the districts of trade1 with dark and busy streets4 ,it now seemed as if one and the same crop had sprung up on every side1 imparting harmony to everything1 and making the entire expanse one sole1 boundless field1 rich with the same fruitfulness4 ,there was corn1 corn everywhere1 an infinity of corn1 whose golden wave rolled from one end of the horizon to the other4 ,yes1 the declining sun steeped all ,paris in equal splendour1 and it was truly the crop1 the harvest1 after the sowing6 8,look6 just look10 repeated ,marie1 8there is not a nook without its sheaf2 the humblest roofs are fruitful1 and every blade is full-eared wherever one may look4 ,it is as if there were now but one and the same soil1 reconciled and fraternal4 ,ah6 ,jean1 my little ,jean1 look6 see how beautiful it is60 ,pierre1 who was quivering1 had drawn close beside her4 ,and ,mre-,grand and ,bertheroy smiled upon that promise of a future which they would not see1 whilst beside ,guillaume1 whom the sight filled with emotion1 were his three big sons1 the three young giants1 looking quite grave1 they who ever laboured and were ever hopeful4 ,then ,marie1 with a fine gesture of enthusiasm1 stretched out her arms and raised her child aloft1 as if offering it in gift to the huge city4 8,see1 ,jean6 see1 little one10 she cried1 8it's you who'll reap it all1 who'll store the whole crop in the barn60 ,and ,paris flared--,paris1 which the divine sun had sown with light1 and where in glory waved the great future harvest of ,truth and of ,justice4 ,,the ,,end