The Casque's Lark; or, Victoria, the Mother of the Camps

by Eugène Sue

  CHAPTER VII.

  THE VISION OF VICTORIA.

  When the room was cleared of the presence of Tetrik the Mother of theCamps said to her servant, just as the latter was about to leave closeupon the heels of Tetrik:

  "Mora, my breast is afire. Bring me a cup of water with some honey, tocool me and slake my thirst."

  The servant hurriedly nodded her head and vanished with Tetrik, wholingered for a moment at the threshold.

  "Oh, my brother!" murmured Victoria despondently when we were againalone. "My long struggle with that man has exhausted me--the sight ofevil lames my energies--I feel broken--"

  "Want of sleep, excitement, the horror that the sight of Tetrik inspiredyou with--all this has rendered you feverish. Take a little rest,sister; I shall instantly transcribe your conversation with the man.This very evening justice will be done."

  "You are right; I think that if I could sleep a while I should feelrelieved. Go, brother, but do not leave the house."

  "Would you like Sampso to keep you company?"

  "No, I prefer to be alone."

  Mora re-entered. She carried a cup filled with the beverage that hermistress had ordered. The latter took the cup and drained its contentswith avidity. Leaving my foster-sister to the care of her servant, Iwent back to my room in order to reproduce the words of Tetrikaccurately. I was just about finishing the task, which took me nearlytwo hours, when Mora dashed in pale and frightened.

  "Schanvoch!" she cried panting for breath. "Come! Come quick! Drop yourwriting! Hasten to my mistress!"

  "What is the matter! What has happened?"

  "My mistress. Oh! Woe! Woe! Come quick!"

  "Victoria! Does any danger threaten her?" I cried, hurrying to theapartment of my foster-sister, while Mora followed me, saying:

  "She sent me out of the room--she wanted to be alone. A minute ago Iwent in--and, woe is me! I saw my poor mistress--"

  "Finish speaking--you saw Victoria--"

  "I saw her lying on her bed--her eyes open--but they were fixed--sheseemed dead--"

  I shall never forget the frightful sight that struck my eyes as Istepped into Victoria's chamber. As Mora said, she lay stretched uponher bed motionless, livid, like a corpse. Her fixed, yet sparkling eyes,seemed to have sunk into their orbits; her features, painfullycontracted, were of the cold whiteness of marble. A sinister thoughtflashed through my mind like lightning--Victoria was dying of poison!

  "Mora!" I cried throwing myself upon my knees beside the couch of theMother of the Camps. "Send immediately for the druid physician, and runand tell Sampso to come here!"

  The servant rushed out. I took one of Victoria's hands. It was limp andicy.

  "Sister! It is I!" I cried--"Schanvoch!"

  "Brother," she murmured.

  As I heard her muffled, feeble voice, methought the answer proceededfrom the bottom of a tomb. A moment later, her eyes, that until thenwere fixed, turned slowly towards me. The divine intelligence thatformerly illumined the beautiful, august and sweet look of myfoster-sister seemed extinguished. Nevertheless, by degrees, sherecovered consciousness, and said:

  "Is it you--brother? I am dying--"

  Tossing her head painfully from one side to the other as if seekingsomething, she made an effort to raise her arm; it dropped immediatelybeside her; she then proceeded to say:

  "See yonder large trunk--open it--you will find in it--a bronzecasket--bring it to me--"

  I did as I was bid, and deposited a rather heavy bronze casket near heron the couch. At that moment Sampso, whom Mora notified of Victoria'scondition, came in.

  "Sampso," said Victoria, "take this casket--take it away with you--keepit carefully locked--open it in three days--the key is tied to the lid."

  And addressing me:

  "Did you transcribe Tetrik's conversation with me?"

  "I was just finishing it when Mora ran in to me."

  "Sampso, take that casket away to your room immediately, and bring methe parchment on which Schanvoch has just been writing. Go, we have nota minute to spare!"

  Sampso obeyed and left the room distracted. I remained alone withVictoria.

  "Brother," she said to me, "every minute is precious. Listen to what Ihave to say to you without interrupting me. I feel that I am dying; Ithink I know the hand that smote me, without her being herself aware ofwhat she was doing. This crime caps a long series of dark and feloniousdeeds. My death is at this moment a grave danger to Gaul. We must avertthe danger. You are known in the army--my confidence in you isknown--call the officers and soldiers together--inform them of Tetrik'sschemes. The conversation that you transcribed will be signed by me, inorder to verify your words. My life is ebbing fast. Oh! If I but had thetime to gather here around my death-bed the officers of the army whothis very evening will surround my funeral pyre. Upon that pyre I wishyou to lay the arms of my father, my husband and Victorin, also thecradle of my little grandson!"

  "Schanvoch!" cried Sampso precipitately entering the room, "Theparchments that you left upon the table--have disappeared. But I sawthem lying on your desk when Mora came in to call me. They must havebeen taken away since."

  "The parchments were taken away! Oh! What a misfortune to Gaul!"murmured Victoria. "What mysterious hand is it that can thus penetratemy house? Woe, woe is Gaul! Hesus! Omnipotent god! You call me to theunknown worlds, where, perhaps, we may hover over this world that weleave for yonder ones. Hesus! Am I to leave this earth without theassurance of the welfare of the country I love so much? The futureterrifies me! Oh, Omnipotent! Allow your spirit to enlighten me at thissupreme moment! Hesus, have you heard me?" added Victoria in a loudervoice, half rising on her couch; and with inspired eyes she proceeded:"What do I see? Is this the future that unveils itself before my eyes?Who is that woman--so pale, lying prostrate? Her robe isblood-bespattered. Also her chaplet of oaken leaves has drops of blood;the sword, that her virile hand once held, lies broken at her side. Oneof those savage Franks, his head ornamented with a crown, holds thenoble woman under his knees; he looks with mild and timid mien at a mansplendidly arrayed as a pontiff. Hesus! The bleeding woman--is Gaul! Thebarbarian who kneels down upon her--is a Frankish king! The pontiff--isthe Bishop of Rome! Blood flows! a stream of blood! it carries in itscourse, to the light of the flames of conflagrations, a mass of ruins,thousands of corpses! Oh! the woman--Gaul, I see her again wan, worn,clad in rags, the iron collar of servitude on her neck; she dragsherself on her knees; bending under a heavy burden! The Frankish kingand the Roman bishop quicken the march of enslaved Gaul with theirwhips! Another torrent of blood; still the glamour of conflagration. Oh,Hesus! Enough! Enough ruins and massacre! Heaven be praised!" criedVictoria, whose face seemed for a moment to beam with divine splendor."The noble woman has risen to her feet! Behold her--more beautiful,prouder than ever before! Her head is wreathed in a crown of freshoak-leaves! In one hand she holds a sheaf of grain, grapes and flowers;in the other a red flag,[4] surmounted by the Gallic cock. Superbly shetramples under foot the fragments of her collar of slavery, the crown ofthe Frankish kings and that of the Roman pontiffs! Yes, that woman, freeat last, stately, glorious and fruitful--she is Gaul! Hesus! Hesus! Bekind to her! Enable her to break the yoke of Kings and Pontiffs! Leadher to freedom, glorious and fruitful without being compelled to reachthe goal by wading from century to century through those seas of tears,those seas of blood that affright me!"

  These last words wholly exhausted Victoria's strength. Still she madeone more effort in her divine exaltation. She raised her eyes to heaven,crossed her arms over her breast, heaved a long sigh, and fell back uponher couch.

  The Mother of the Camps, Victoria the Great, was dead!

  While she spoke I made superhuman efforts to control my despair. When,however, I saw her expire, I became dizzy, my knees sank under me, mystrength, my thoughts fled. I lost consciousness, but I still recollectthe sound of many voices and a great tumult in the contiguous apartmentwhence I heard distinctly the words:

  "Tetrik, t
he Chief of Gaul, is in his death agony--he is dying ofpoison--"