Works of Honore De Balzac

by Honoré de Balzac

  Felicite (looking for the letter in the book)

  Now, where is that letter of madame’s? Can she have forgotten it?

  The Duke

  Aren’t you looking for a letter?

  Felicite

  Yes, your grace.

  The Duke

  Isn’t this it?

  Felicite

  The very one, your grace.

  The Duke It is astonishing that you should leave the very hour your mistress must need your services; she is getting up.

  Felicite Her grace the duchess has Therese; and besides I am going out by her orders.

  The Duke

  Very good. I did not wish to interfere with you.

  SCENE THIRD.

  The preceding, and Blondet, alias the Chevalier de Saint-Charles. (Joseph and Saint-Charles walk together from the centre door, and eye each other attentively.)

  Joseph (aside)

  The look of that man is very distasteful to me. (To the duke) The

  Chevalier de Saint-Charles.

  (The duke signs to Saint-Charles to approach, and examines his appearance.)

  Saint-Charles (giving him a letter, aside)

  Does he know my antecedents, or will he simply recognize me as

  Saint-Charles?

  The Duke

  My dear sir —

  Saint-Charles

  I am to be merely Saint-Charles.

  The Duke You are recommended to me as a man whose ability, if it had fair scope, would be called genius.

  Saint-Charles If his grace the duke will give me an opportunity, I will prove myself worthy of that flattering opinion.

  The Duke

  You shall have one at once.

  Saint-Charles

  What are your commands?

  The Duke You see that maid. She is going to leave the house. I do not wish to hinder her doing so; yet she must not cross the threshold, until she receives a fresh order. (Calls her) Felicite!

  Felicite

  What is it, your grace?

  (The Duke gives her the letter. Exit Felicite.)

  Saint-Charles (to Joseph) I recognize you, I know all about you: See that this maid remains in the house with the letter, and I will not recognize you, and will know nothing of you, and will let you stay here so long as you behave yourself.

  Joseph (aside) This fellow on one side, and Jacques Collin on the other! Well; I must try to serve them both honestly.

  (Exit Joseph in pursuit of Felicite.)

  SCENE FOURTH.

  The Duke and Saint-Charles.

  Saint-Charles Your grace’s commands are obeyed. Do you wish to know the contents of the letter?

  The Duke Why, my dear sir, the power you seem to exercise is something terrible and wonderful.

  Saint-Charles

  You gave me absolute authority in the matter, and I used it well.

  The Duke

  And what if you had abused it?

  Saint-Charles

  That would have been impossible, for such a course would ruin me.

  The Duke How is it that men endowed with such faculties are found employing them in so lowly a sphere?

  Saint-Charles Everything is against our rising above it; we protect our protectors, we learn too many honorable secrets, and are kept in ignorance of too many shameful ones to be liked by people, and render such important services to others that they can only shake off the obligation by speaking ill of us. People think that things are only words with us; refinement is thus mere silliness, honor a sham, and acts of treachery mere diplomacy. We are the confidants of many who yet leave us much to guess at. Our programme consists in thinking and acting, finding out the past from the present, ordering and arranging the future in the pettiest details, as I am about to — and, in short, in doing a hundred things that might strike dismay to a man of no mean ability. When once our end is gained, words become things once more, and people begin to suspect that possibly we are infamous scoundrels.

  The Duke There may be some justice in all this, but I do not suppose you expect to change the opinion of the world, or even mine?

  Saint-Charles I should be a great fool if I did. I don’t care about changing another man’s opinion; what I do want to change is my own position.

  The Duke

  According to you that would be very easy, wouldn’t it?

  Saint-Charles Why not, your grace? Let some one set me to play the spy over cabinets, instead of raking up the secrets of private families. Instead of dogging the footsteps of shady characters, let them put me in charge of the craftiest diplomats. Instead of pandering to the vilest passions, let me serve the government. I should be delighted to play a modest part in a great movement. And what a devoted servant your grace would have in me!

  The Duke I am really sorry to employ such talents as yours in so petty an affair, my friend, but it will give me an opportunity of testing, and then we’ll see.

  Saint-Charles (aside)

  Ah — We shall see? That means, all has already been seen.

  The Duke

  I wish to see my son married —

  Saint-Charles

  To Mademoiselle Inez de Christoval, Princesse d’Arjos — a good match!

  Her father made the mistake of entering Joseph Bonaparte’s service,

  and was banished by King Ferdinand. He probably took part in the

  Mexican revolution.

  The Duke Madame de Christoval and her daughter have made the acquaintance of a certain adventurer, named —

  Saint-Charles

  Raoul de Frescas.

  The Duke

  Is there nothing I can tell you that you do not know?

  Saint-Charles

  If your grace desires it, I will know nothing.

  The Duke On the contrary, I should like you to speak out, so that I may know what secrets you will permit us to keep.

  Saint-Charles Let us make one stipulation; whenever my frankness displeases your grace, call me chevalier, and I will sink once more into my humble role of paid detective.

  The Duke

  Go on, my friend. (Aside) These people are very amusing.

  Saint-Charles M. de Frescas will not be an adventurer so long as he lives in the style of a man who has an income of a hundred thousand francs.

  The Duke

  Whoever he is you must pierce through the mystery which surrounds him.

  Saint-Charles Your grace requires a very difficult thing. We are obliged to use circumspection in dealing with foreigners. They are our masters; they have turned Paris upside down.

  The Duke

  That’s the trouble!

  Saint-Charles

  Does your grace belong to the opposition?

  The Duke I should like to have brought back the king without his following — that is my position.

  Saint-Charles The departure of the king resulted from the disorganization of the magnificent Asiatic police created by Bonaparte. An effort is being made nowadays to form a police of respectable people, a procedure which disbands the old police. Hemmed in by the military police of the invasion, we dare not arrest any one, for fear we might lay hands on some prince on his way to keep an assignation, or some margrave who had dined too well. But for your grace a man will attempt the impossible. Has this young man any vices? Does he play?

  The Duke

  Yes, in a social way.

  Saint-Charles

  Does he cheat?

  The Duke

  Chevalier!

  Saint-Charles

  This young man must be very rich.

  The Duke

  Inquire for yourself.

  Saint-Charles I ask pardon of your grace; but people without passions cannot know much. Would you have the goodness to tell me whether this young man is sincerely attached to Mademoiselle de Christoval?

  The Duke

  What! That princess! That heiress! You alarm me, my friend.

  Saint-Charles Has not your grace told me that he is a young man? Now, pretended love is
more perfect than genuine love; that is the reason why so many women are deceived! Undoubtedly he has thrown over many mistresses, and heart-free, tongue-free, you know —

  The Duke Take care! Your mission is peculiar, and you had best not meddle with the women; an indiscretion on your part may forfeit my good will, for all that relates to Monsieur Frescas must go no further than you and myself. I demand absolute secrecy, both from those you employ, and those who employ you. In fact, you will be a ruined man, if Madame de Montsorel has any suspicion of your designs.

  Saint-Charles Is Madame de Montsorel then interested in this young man? I must keep an eye on her, for this girl is her chambermaid.

  The Duke Chevalier de Saint-Charles, to order you to do this would be unworthy of me, and to ask for such an order is quite unworthy of you.

  Saint-Charles Your grace and I perfectly understand each other. But what is to be the main object of my investigations?

  The Duke You must find out whether Raoul de Frescas is the real name of this young man; find out where he was born, ransack his whole life, and consider all you learn about him a secret of state.

  Saint-Charles

  You must wait until to-morrow for this information, my lord.

  The Duke

  That is a short time.

  Saint-Charles

  But it involves a good deal of money.

  The Duke Do not suppose that I wish to hear of evil things; it is the method of you people to pander to depraved passions. Instead of showing them up, you prefer to invent rather than to reveal occurrences. I should be delighted to learn that this young man has a family —

  (The marquis enters, sees his father engaged, and turns to go out; the duke asks him to remain.)

  SCENE FIFTH.

  The preceding and the Marquis de Montsorel.

  The Duke (continuing) If Monsieur de Frescas is a gentleman, and the Princesse d’Arjos decidedly prefers him to my son, the marquis must withdraw his suit.

  The Marquis

  But, father, I am in love with Inez.

  The Duke (to Saint-Charles)

  You may go, sir.

  Saint-Charles (aside) He takes no interest in the proposed marriage of his son. He is incapable of feeling jealous of his wife. There is something very serious in these circumstances; I am either a ruined man or my fortune is made. (Exit.)

  SCENE SIXTH.

  The Duke and the Marquis.

  The Duke To marry a woman who does not love you is a mistake which I shall never allow you to commit, Albert.

  The Marquis But there is nothing that indicates that Inez will reject me; and, in any case once she is my wife, it will be my object to win her love, and I believe, without vanity, that I shall succeed.

  The Duke Allow me to tell you, my son, that your barrack-room ideas are quite out of place here.

  The Marquis On any other subject your words would be law to me; but every era has a different art of love — I beg of you to hasten my marriage. Inez has all the pliability of an only daughter, and the readiness with which she accepts the advances of a mere adventurer ought to rouse your anxiety. Really, the coldness with which you receive me this morning amazes me. Putting aside my love for Inez, could I do better? I shall be, like you, a Spanish grandee, and, more than that, a prince. Would that annoy you, father?

  The Duke (aside) The blood of his mother shows itself all the time! Oh! Louise has known well my tender spot! (Aloud) Recollect, sir, that there is no rank higher than the glorious title, Duc de Montsorel.

  The Marquis

  How have I offended you?

  The Duke Enough! You forget that I arranged this marriage after my residence in Spain. You are moreover aware that Inez cannot be married without her father’s consent. Mexico has recently declared its independence, and the occurrence of this revolution explains the delay of his answer.

  The Marquis But, my dear father, your plans are in danger of being defeated. You surely did not see what happened yesterday at the Spanish ambassador’s? My mother took particular notice there of this Raoul de Frescas, and Inez was immensely pleased with him. Do you know that I have long felt, and now at last admit to myself, that my mother hates me? And that I myself feel, what I would only say to you father, whom I love, that I have little love for her?

  The Duke (aside) I am reaping all that I have sown; hate as well as love is instinctively divined. (To the marquis) My son, you should not judge, for you can never understand your mother. She has seen my blind affection for you, and she wishes to correct it by severity. Do not let me hear any more such remarks from you, and let us drop the subject! You are on duty at the palace to-day; repair thither at once: I will obtain leave for you this evening, when you can go to the ball and rejoin the Princesse d’Arjos.

  The Marquis Before leaving, I should like to see my mother, and beg for her kind offices in my favor, with Inez, who calls upon her this morning.

  The Duke Ask whether she is to be seen, for I am waiting for her myself. (Exit the marquis.) Everything overwhelms me at the same time; yesterday the ambassador inquired of me the place of my son’s death; last night, my son’s mother thought she had found him again; this morning the son of Juana Mendes harrows my feelings! The princess recognizes him instinctively. No law can be broken without a nemesis; nature is as pitiless as the world of men. Shall I be strong enough, even with the backing of the king, to overcome this complication of circumstances?

  SCENE SEVENTH.

  The Duke, the Duchess and the Marquis.

  The Duchess Excuses? Nonsense! Albert, I am only too happy to see you here; it is a pleasant surprise; you are come to kiss your mother before going to the palace — that is all. Ah! if ever a mother found it in her heart to doubt her son, this eager affection, which I have not been accustomed to, would dispel all such fear, and I thank you for it, Albert. At last we understand each other.

  The Marquis I am glad to hear you say that, mother; if I have seemed lacking in my duty to you, it is not that I forget, but that I feared to annoy you.

  The Duchess (seeing the duke) What! Your grace here also! — you really seem to share your son’s cordiality, — my rising this morning is actually a fete.

  The Duke

  And you will find it so every day.

  The Duchess (to the duke) Ah! I understand — (To the marquis) Good-bye! The king is strict about the punctuality of his red-coated guards, and I should be sorry to cause you to be reprimanded.

  The Duke

  Why do you send him off? Inez will soon be here.

  The Duchess

  I do not think so, I have just written to her.

  SCENE EIGHTH.

  The same persons and Joseph.

  Joseph (announcing a visitor)

  Their graces the Duchesse de Christoval and the Princess d’Arjos.

  The Duchess (aside)

  How excessively awkward!

  The Duke (to his son)

  Do not go; leave all to me. They are trifling with us.

  SCENE NINTH.

  The same persons, the Duchesse de Christoval and the Princesse d’Arjos.

  The Duchesse de Montsorel Ah! madame, it is extremely kind of you thus to anticipate my visit to you.

  The Duchesse de Christoval

  I come in this way that there may be no formality between us.

  The Duchesse de Montsorel (to Inez)

  Have you read my letter?

  Inez

  One of your maids has just handed it to me.

  The Duchesse de Montsorel (aside)

  It is evident that Raoul is also coming.

  The Duke (to the Duchesse de Christoval, whom he leads to a seat) I hope we see in this informal visit the beginning of a family intimacy?

  The Duchesse de Christoval Pray do not exaggerate the importance of a civility, which I look upon as a pleasure.

  The Marquis

  You are seriously afraid, madame, I perceive, of encouraging my hopes?

  Did I not suffer sufficiently yesterda
y? The princess did not notice

  me, even by a look.

  Inez I didn’t expect the pleasure of meeting you again so soon, sir. I thought you were on duty; I am glad to have an opportunity of explaining that I never saw you till the moment I left the ball-room, and this lady (pointing to the Duchesse de Montsorel) must be the excuse of my inattention.

  The Marquis You have two excuses, mademoiselle, and I thank you for mentioning only one — my mother.

  The Duke His reproaches spring only from his modesty, mademoiselle. Albert is under the impression that Monsieur de Frescas can give him ground for anxiety! At his age passion is a fairy that makes trifles appear vast. But neither yourself nor your mother, mademoiselle, can attach any serious importance to the claims of a young man, whose title is problematical and who is so studiously silent about his family.

  The Duchesse de Montsorel (to the Duchesse de Christoval)

  And are you also ignorant of the place where he was born?

  The Duchesse de Christoval

  I am not intimate enough with him to ask for such information.

  The Duke There are three of us here who would be well pleased to have it. You alone, ladies, would be discreet, for discretion is a virtue the possession of which profits only those who require it in others.

  The Duchesse de Montsorel

  As for me, I do not believe that curiosity is always blameless.

  The Marquis

  Is mine then ill-timed? And may I not inquire of madame whether the

  Frescas of Aragon are extinct or not?

  The Duchesse de Christoval (to the duke) Both of us have known at Madrid the old commander, who was last of his line.

  The Duke

  He died, of course, without issue.

  Inez

  But there exists a branch of the family at Naples.

  The Marquis

  Surely you are aware, mademoiselle, that your cousins, the house of

  Medina-Coeli, have succeeded to it?

  The Duchesse de Christoval

  You are right; there are no De Frescas in existence.

  The Duchesse de Montsorel Well! Well! If this young man has neither title nor family, he can be no dangerous rival to Albert. I do not know why you should be interested in him.

  The Duke

  But there are a great many ladies interested in him.

  Inez

  I begin to see your meaning —

  The Marquis

  Indeed!

  Inez Yes, this young man is not, perhaps, all he wishes to appear; but he is intelligent, well educated, his sentiments are noble, he shows us the most chivalric respect, he speaks ill of no one; evidently, he is acting the gentleman, and exaggerates his role.