by Edmond About
CHAPTER V.
DREAMS OF LOVE, AND OTHER DREAMS.
Leon learned to his cost, that a good conscience and a good bed are notenough to insure a good sleep. He was bedded like a sybarite, innocentas an Arcadian shepherd, and, moreover, tired as a soldier after aforced march; nevertheless a dull sleeplessness weighed upon him untilmorning. In vain he tossed into every possible position, as if to shiftthe burden from one shoulder on to the other. He did not close his eyesuntil he had seen the first glimmering of dawn silver the chinks of hisshutters.
He lulled himself to sleep thinking of Clementine; an obliging dreamsoon showed him the image of her he loved. He saw her in bridal costume,in the chapel of the imperial chateau. She was leaning on the arm of theelder M. Renault, who had put spurs on in honor of the ceremony. Leonfollowed, having given his arm to Mlle. Sambucco; the ancient maiden wasdecorated with the insignia of the Legion of Honor. On approaching thealtar, the bridegroom noticed that his father's legs were as thin asbroomsticks, and, when he was about expressing his astonishment, M.Renault turned around and said to him: "They are thin because they aredesiccated; but they are not deformed." While he was giving thisexplanation, his face altered, his features changed, he shot out a blackmoustache, and grew terribly like the Colonel. The ceremony began. Thechoir was filled with tardigrades and rotifers as large as men anddressed like choristers: they intoned, in solemn measure, a hymn of theGerman composer, Meiser, which began thus:
The vital principle Is a gratuitous hypothesis!
The poetry and the music appeared admirable to Leon; he was trying toimpress them on his memory when the officiating priest advanced towardhim with two gold rings on a silver salver. This priest was a colonel ofcuirassiers in full uniform. Leon asked himself when and where he hadmet him. It was on the previous evening before Clementine's door. Thecuirassier murmured these words: "The race of colonels has vastlydegenerated since 1813." He heaved a profound sigh, and the nave of thechapel, which was a ship-of-the-line, was driven over the water at aspeed of forty knots. Leon tranquilly took the little gold ring andprepared to place it on Clementine's finger, but he perceived that thehand of his betrothed was dried up; the nails alone had retained theirnatural freshness. He was frightened and fled across the church, whichhe found filled with colonels of every age and variety. The crowd wasso dense that the most unheard-of efforts failed to penetrate it. Heescapes at last, but hears behind him the hurried steps of a man whotries to catch him. He doubles his speed, he throws himself onall-fours, he gallops, he neighs, the trees on the way seem to flybehind him, he no longer touches the earth. But the enemy comes upfaster than the wind; Leon hears the sound of his steps, his spursjingle; he catches up with Leon, seizes him by the mane, flings himselfwith a bound upon his back, and goads him with the spur. Leon rears; therider bends over toward his ear and says, stroking him with his whip: "Iam not heavy to carry:--thirty pounds of colonel." The unhappy lover ofMlle. Clementine makes a violent effort and springs sideways; theColonel falls and draws his sword. Leon loses no time; he puts himselfon guard and fights, but almost instantly feels the Colonel's swordenter his heart to the hilt. The chill of the blade spreads further andfurther, and ends by freezing Leon from head to foot. The Colonel drawsnearer and says, smiling: "The main-spring is broken; the little animalis dead." He puts the body in the walnut box, which is too short and toonarrow. Cramped on every side, Leon struggles, strains and wakes himselfup, worn out with fatigue and half smothered between the bed and thewall.
He quickly jumped into his slippers and eagerly raised the windows andpushed open the shutters. "He made light, and saw that it was good," asis elsewhere written. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Brrroum! He shook offthe recollections of his dream as a wet dog shakes off drops of water.The famous London chronometer told him that it was nine o'clock. A cupof chocolate, served by Gothon, helped not a little to untangle hisideas. On proceeding with his toilet, in a very bright, cheerful andconvenient dressing-room, he reconciled himself to the realities oflife. "Everything considered," he said to himself, combing out hisyellow beard, "nothing but happiness has come to me. Here I am in mynative country, with my family and in a pretty house which is our own.My father and mother are both well, and, for myself, I revel in the mostluxuriant health. Our fortune is moderate, but so are our tastes, and weshall never feel the want of anything. Our friends received me yesterdaywith open arms; and as for enemies we have none. The prettiest girl inFontainebleau is willing to become my wife; I can marry her in less thanthree weeks if I see fit to hurry things a little. Clementine did notmeet me as if I were of no interest to her; far from it. Her lovely eyessmiled upon me last night with the most tender regard. It is true thatshe wept at the end, that's too certain. That is my only vexation, myonly anxiety, the sole cause of that foolish dream I had last night. Shedid weep, but why? Because I was beast enough to regale her with alecture, and that, too, about a mummy. All right! I'll have the mummyburied; I'll hold back my dissertations, and nothing else in the worldwill come to disturb our happiness."
He went down stairs, humming an air from the _Nozze_. M. and Mme.Renault, who were not accustomed to going to bed after midnight, werestill asleep. On going into the laboratory, he saw that the triple boxof the Colonel was closed. Gothon had placed a little wooden cross and asprig of consecrated box on the cover. "We may as well begin masses forhis soul," he murmured between his teeth, with a smile that might havebeen a little sceptical. At the same time he noticed that Clementine, inher agitation, had forgotten the presents he had brought her. He made abundle of them, looked at his watch, and concluded that there would beno indiscretion in straining a point to go to Mlle. Sambucco's.
The much-to-be-respected aunt was an early riser, as they generally arein the rural districts, and had, in fact, already gone out to church,and Clementine was gardening near the house. She ran to her loverwithout thinking of throwing down the little rake she held in her hand,and with the sweetest smile in the world, held up her pretty rosy cheekswhich were a little moist and flushed by the pleasant warmth of pleasureand exercise.
"Aren't you put out with me?" said she. "I was very ridiculous lastnight. My aunt has scolded me in the bargain. And I forgot to take thepretty things you brought me from among the savages! But it was notfrom lack of appreciation. I am so happy to see that you have alwaysthought of me as I have thought of you! I could have sent for themto-day, but I am pleasantly anticipated. My heart told me that you wouldcome yourself."
"Your heart knew me, dear Clementine."
"It would be very unfortunate if it did not know its owner."
"How good you are, and how much I love you!"
"Oh! I, too, dear Leon, I love you dearly."
She stood the rake against a tree, and hung upon the arm of her intendedhusband with that supple and languishing grace, the secret of which thecreoles possess.
"Come this way," said she, "so that I can show you all the improvementswe have made in the garden."
Leon admired everything she wanted him to. The fact is that he had eyesfor nothing but her. The grotto of Polyphemus and the cave of Caecuswould have appeared to him pleasanter than the gardens of Armida, ifClementine's little red jacket had been promenading in them.
He asked her if she did not feel some regret in leaving so charming aretreat, and one which she had embellished with so much care.
"Why?" asked she, without thinking to blush. "We will not go far off,and, besides, won't we come here every day?"
The coming marriage was a thing so well settled, that it had not evenbeen spoken of on the previous evening. Nothing remained to be done butto publish the bans and fix the date. Clementine, simple and honestheart, expressed herself without any false modesty concerning an eventso entirely expected, so natural and so agreeable. She had expressed hertastes to Mme. Renault in the arrangement of the new apartments, andchosen the hangings herself; and she no longer made any ceremony intalking with her intended of the happy life in common which was aboutbeginning
for them, of the people they would invite to the marriageceremony, of the wedding calls to be made afterwards, of the day whichshould be appropriated for receptions and of the time they would devoteto each other's society and to work. She inquired in regard to theoccupation which Leon intended to make for himself, and the hours which,of preference, he would give to study. This excellent little woman wouldhave been ashamed to bear the name of a sloth, and unhappy in passingher days with an idler. She promised Leon in advance, to respect hiswork as a sacred thing. On her part she thoroughly intended to make hertime also of use, and not to live with folded arms. At the start shewould take charge of the housekeeping, under the direction of MadameRenault, who was beginning to find it a little burdensome. And thenwould she not soon have children to care for, bring up and educate? Thiswas a noble and useful pleasure which she did not intend to share withany one. Nevertheless she would send her sons to college, in order tofit them for living in the world, and to teach them early thoseprinciples of justice and equality which are the foundation of everygood manly character. Leon let her talk on, only interrupting her toagree with her: for these two young people who had been educated andbrought up with the same ideas, saw everything with the same eyes.Education had created this pleasant harmony rather than Love.
"Do you know," said Clementine, "that I felt an awful palpitation of theheart when I entered the room where you were yesterday?"
"If you think that my heart beat less violently than yours--"
"Oh! but it was a different thing with me: I was afraid."
"What of?"
"I was afraid that I should not find you the same as I had seen you inmy thoughts. Remember that it had been three years since we bid eachother good bye. I remembered distinctly what you were when you wentaway, and, with imagination helping memory a little, I had reconstructedmy Leon entire. But if you had no longer resembled him! What would havebecome of me in the presence of a new Leon, when I had formed thepleasant habit of loving the other?"
"You make me tremble. But your first greeting reassured me in advance."
"Tut, sir! Don't speak of that first greeting, or you will make me blusha second time. Let us speak rather of that poor colonel who made me shedso many tears. How is he getting along this morning?"
"I forgot to inquire after his health, but if you want me to--"
"It's useless. You can announce to him a visit from me to-day. It isabsolutely necessary that I should see him this noon."
"You would be very sensible to give up this fancy. Why expose yourselfagain to such painful emotions?"
"The fancy is stronger than I am. Seriously, dear Leon, the old fellowattracts me."
"Why 'old fellow?' He has the appearance of a man who died when fromtwenty-five to thirty years of age."
"Are you very sure that he is dead? I said 'old fellow' because of adream I had last night."
"Ha! You too?"
"Yes. You remember how agitated I was on leaving you, and, moreover, Ihad been scolded by my aunt. And, too, I had been thinking of terriblesights--my poor mother lying on her death-bed. In fact, my spirits werequite broken down."
"Poor dear little heart!"
"Nevertheless, as I did not want to think about anything any more, Iwent to bed quickly, and shut my eyes with all my might, so tightly,indeed, that I put myself to sleep. It was not long before I saw thecolonel. He was lying as I saw him in his triple coffin, but he had longwhite hair and a most benign and venerable appearance. He begged us toput him in consecrated ground, and we carried him, you and I, to theFontainebleau cemetery. On reaching my mother's tomb we saw that thestone was displaced. My mother, in a white robe, was moved so as to makea place beside her, and she seemed waiting for the colonel. But everytime we attempted to lay him down, the coffin left our hands and restedsuspended in the air, as if it had no weight. I could distinguish thepoor old man's features, for his triple coffin had become as transparentas the alabaster lamp burning near the ceiling of my chamber. He wassad, and his broken ear bled freely. All at once he escaped from ourhands, the coffin vanished, and I saw nothing but him, pale as a statue,and tall as the tallest oaks of the _bas-Breau_. His golden epaulettesspread out and became wings, and he raised himself to heaven, holdingover us both hands as if in blessing. I woke up all in tears, but I havenot told my dream to my aunt, for she would have scolded me again."
"No one ought to be scolded but me, Clementine dear. It is my fault thatyour gentle slumbers are troubled by visions of the other world. But allthis will be stopped soon: to-day I am going to seek a definitereceptacle for the Colonel."