Strange True Stories of Louisiana
Page 17
XIII.
THE COUNTESS MADELAINE.
Early the next day I saw, through the partly open door, my fatherfinishing his toilet.
He had already fastened over his black satin breeches his garters securedwith large buckles of chased silver. Similar buckles were on his shoes.His silver-buttoned vest of white pique reached low down, and his blacksatin coat faced with white silk had large lappets cut square. Such dressseemed to me very warm for summer; but the fashion and etiquette allowedonly silk and velvet for visits of ceremony, and though you smothered youhad to obey those tyrants. At the moment when I saw him out of the cornerof my eye he was sticking a cluster diamond pin into his shirt-frill andanother diamond into his lace cravat. It was the first time I ever sawpapa so fine, so dressed! Presently we heard him call us to arrange hisqueue, and although it was impossible for us to work up a club and pigeonwings like those I saw on the two young Du Clozels and on M. NevilleDeclouet, we arranged a very fine queue wrapped with a black ribbon, andafter smiling at himself in the glass and declaring that he thought thewhole dress was in very good taste he kissed us, took his three-corneredhat and his gold-headed cane and went out. With what impatience we awaitedhis return!
About two hours afterward we saw papa coming back accompanied by agentleman of a certain age, handsome, noble, elegant in his severe suit ofblack velvet. He had the finest black eyes in the world, and his facebeamed with wit and amiability. You have guessed it was the Baron duClozel. The baron bowed to us profoundly. He certainly knew who we were,but etiquette required him to wait until my father had presented us; butimmediately then he asked papa's permission to kiss us, and you maysuppose your grandfather did not refuse.
M. du Clozel had been sent by the baroness to oppose our sojourn at theinn, and to bring us back with him.
"Run, put on your hoods," said papa; "we will wait for you here."
Mr. and Mrs. Morphy were greatly disappointed to see us go, and the formerdeclared that if these nobles kept on taking away their custom they wouldhave to shut up shop. Papa, to appease him, paid him double what he asked.And the baron gave his arm to Suzanne, as the elder, while I followed, onpapa's. Madame du Clozel and her daughter met us at the street gate. Thebaroness, though not young, was still pretty, and so elegant, so majestic!A few days later I could add, so good, so lovable!
Celeste du Clozel was eighteen. Her hair was black as ebony, and her eyesa beautiful blue. The young men of the village called her _Celeste la biennommee_ [Celeste the well named]; and for all her beauty, fortune, andhigh position she was good and simple and always ready to oblige. She wasengaged, we learned afterward, to the Chevalier de Blanc, the same who in1803 was made post-commandant of Attakapas.[17] Olivier and Charles duClozel turned everything to our entertainment, and it was soon decidedthat we should all go that same evening to the theater.
Hardly was the sun down when we shut ourselves into our rooms to begin thework of dressing. Celeste put herself at our service, assuring us that sheknew perfectly how to dress hair. The baroness asked us to let her lend usornaments, ribbons--whatever we might need. We could see that she supposedtwo young girls who had never seen the great world, who came from a regionwhere nearly all articles of luxury were wanting, could hardly have achoice wardrobe. We thanked them, assuring Celeste that we had alwayscultivated the habit of dressing each other's hair.
We put on our camayeu petticoats and our black velvet waists, addinggloves; and in our hair, sparkling with gold powder, we put, each of us, abunch of the roses given us by Alix. We found ourselves charming, andhoped to create a sensation. But if the baroness was satisfied she showedno astonishment. Her hair, like her daughter's, was powdered, and bothwore gloves.
Suzanne on the arm of Olivier, I on Charles's, Celeste beside her fiance,the grandparents in front, we entered the theater of St. Martinville, andin a moment more were the observed of all observers. The play was avaudeville, of which I remember only the name, but rarely have I seenamateurs act so well: all the prominent parts were rendered by young men.But if the French people are polite, amiable, and hospitable, we know thatthey are also very inquisitive. Suzanne was more annoyed than I can tell;yet we knew that our toilets were in excellent taste, even in that placefull of ladies covered with costly jewels. When I asked Celeste how themerchants of St. Martinville could procure these costly goods, sheexplained that near by there was a place named the _Butte a la Rose_ thatgreatly shortened the way to market.[18] They were bringing almosteverything from London, owing to the Revolution. Between the acts manypersons came to greet Madame du Clozel. Oh, how I longed to see the friendof Alix! But I would not ask anything; I resolved to find her by the aidof my heart alone.
Presently, as by a magnetic power, my attention was drawn to a tall andbeautiful young lady dressed in white satin, with no ornaments except aset of gold and sapphires, and for headdress a _resille_ the goldentassels of which touched her neck. Ah! how quickly I recognized thosebrown eyes faintly proud, that kind smile, that queenly bearing, thatgraceful step! I turned to Charles du Clozel, who sat beside me, and said:
"That is the Countess de la Houssaye, isn't it?"
"Do you know her?"
"I see her for the first time; but--I guessed it."
Several times I saw her looking at me, and once she smiled. During thelast two acts she came and shook hands with us, and, caressing our hairwith her gloved hand, said her husband had seen papa's letter; that it wasfrom a dear friend, and that she came to ask Madame du Clozel to let hertake us away with her. Against this the baroness cried out, and then theCountess Madelaine said to us:
"Well, you will come spend the day with me day after to-morrow, will you?I shall invite only young people. May I come for you?"
Ah, that day! how I remember it!... Madame de la Houssaye was fully fiveor six years older than Madame Carpentier, for she was the mother of fourboys, the eldest of whom was fully twelve.[19] Her house was, like Madamedu Clozel's, a single rez-de-chaussee surmounted by a mansard.... Fromthe drawing-room she conducted us to a room in the rear of the house atthe end of the veranda [galerie], where ... a low window let into a gardencrossed and re-crossed with alleys of orange and jasmine. Several loftymagnolias filled the air with the fragrance of their great whiteflowers....