of thick twilight, no lighter than many a night. It wasbetween five and six o'clock, just the time when our streets are themost crowded, when, sitting at my window, from which I kept a watchupon the Grande Rue, not knowing what might happen--I saw that somefresh incident had taken place. Very dimly through the darkness Iperceived a crowd, which increased every moment, in front of theCathedral. After watching it for a few minutes, I got my hat and wentout. The people whom I saw--so many that they covered the whole middleof the _Place_, reaching almost to the pavement on the other side--hadtheir heads all turned towards the Cathedral. 'What are you gazing at,my friend?' I said to one by whom I stood. He looked up at me with aface which looked ghastly in the gloom. 'Look, M. le Maire!' he said;'cannot you see it on the great door?'
'I see nothing,' said I; but as I uttered these words I did indeed seesomething which was very startling. Looking towards the great door ofthe Cathedral, as they all were doing, it suddenly seemed to me that Isaw an illuminated placard attached to it, headed with the word'_Sommation_' in gigantic letters. '_Tiens!_' I cried; but when Ilooked again there was nothing. 'What is this? it is some witchcraft!' Isaid, in spite of myself. 'Do you see anything, Jean Pierre?'
'M. le Maire,' he said, 'one moment one sees something--the next, onesees nothing. Look! it comes again.' I have always considered myself aman of courage, but when I saw this extraordinary appearance the panicwhich had seized upon me the former night returned, though in anotherform. Fly I could not, but I will not deny that my knees smote together.I stood for some minutes without being able to articulate a word--which,indeed, seemed the case with most of those before me. Never have I seena more quiet crowd. They were all gazing, as if it was life or deaththat was set before them--while I, too, gazed with a shiver going overme. It was as I have seen an illumination of lamps in a stormy night;one moment the whole seems black as the wind sweeps over it, the nextit springs into life again; and thus you go on, by turns losing anddiscovering the device formed by the lights. Thus from moment to momentthere appeared before us, in letters that seemed to blaze and flicker,something that looked like a great official placard.'_Sommation!_'--this was how it was headed. I read a few words at atime, as it came and went; and who can describe the chill that ranthrough my veins as I made it out? It was a summons to the people ofSemur by name--myself at the head as Maire (and I heard afterwards thatevery man who saw it saw his own name, though the whole _facade_ of theCathedral would not have held a full list of all the people ofSemur)--to yield their places, which they had not filled aright, tothose who knew the meaning of life, being dead. NOUS AUTRES MORTS--thesewere the words which blazed out oftenest of all, so that every one sawthem. And 'Go!' this terrible placard said--'Go! leave this place to uswho know the true signification of life.' These words I remember, butnot the rest; and even at this moment it struck me that there was noexplanation, nothing but this _vraie signification de la vie._ I feltlike one in a dream: the light coming and going before me; one word,then another, appearing--sometimes a phrase like that I have quoted,blazing out, then dropping into darkness. For the moment I was struckdumb; but then it came back to my mind that I had an example to give,and that for me, eminently a man of my century, to yield credence to amiracle was something not to be thought of. Also I knew the necessity ofdoing something to break the impression of awe and terror on the mind ofthe people. 'This is a trick,' I cried loudly, that all might hear. 'Letsome one go and fetch M. de Clairon from the Musee. He will tell us howit has been done.' This, boldly uttered, broke the spell. A number ofpale faces gathered round me. 'Here is M. le Maire--he will clear itup,' they cried, making room for me that I might approach nearer. 'M.le Maire is a man of courage--he has judgment. Listen to M. le Maire.'It was a relief to everybody that I had spoken. And soon I found myselfby the side of M. le Cure, who was standing among the rest, sayingnothing, and with the air of one as much bewildered as any of us. Hegave me one quick look from under his eyebrows to see who it was thatapproached him, as was his way, and made room for me, but said nothing.I was in too much emotion myself to keep silence--indeed, I was in thatcondition of wonder, alarm, and nervous excitement, that I had to speakor die; and there seemed an escape from something too terrible for fleshand blood to contemplate in the idea that there was trickery here. 'M.le Cure,' I said, 'this is a strange ornament that you have placed onthe front of your church. You are standing here to enjoy the effect. Nowthat you have seen how successful it has been, will not you tell me inconfidence how it is done?'
I am conscious that there was a sneer in my voice, but I was too muchexcited to think of politeness. He gave me another of his rapid, keenlooks.
'M. le Maire,' he said, 'you are injurious to a man who is as littlefond of tricks as yourself.'
His tone, his glance, gave me a certain sense of shame, but I could notstop myself. 'One knows,' I said, 'that there are many things which anecclesiastic may do without harm, which are not permitted to an ordinarylayman--one who is an honest man, and no more.'
M. le Cure made no reply. He gave me another of his quick glances, withan impatient turn of his head. Why should I have suspected him? for noharm was known of him. He was the Cure, that was all; and perhaps we menof the world have our prejudices too. Afterwards, however, as we waitedfor M. de Clairon--for the crisis was too exciting for personalresentment--M. le Cure himself let drop something which made it apparentthat it was the ladies of the hospital upon whom his suspicions fell.'It is never well to offend women, M. le Maire,' he said. 'Women do notdiscriminate the lawful from the unlawful: so long as they produce aneffect, it does not matter to them.' This gave me a strange impression,for it seemed to me that M. le Cure was abandoning his own side.However, all other sentiments were, as may be imagined, but as shadowscompared with the overwhelming power that held all our eyes and ourthoughts to the wonder before us. Every moment seemed an hour till M. deClairon appeared. He was pushed forward through the crowd as by magic,all making room for him; and many of us thought that when science thuscame forward capable of finding out everything, the miracle woulddisappear. But instead of this it seemed to glow brighter than ever.That great word '_Sommation_' blazed out, so that we saw his figurewaver against the light as if giving way before the flames thatscorched him. He was so near that his outline was marked out darkagainst the glare they gave. It was as though his close approachrekindled every light. Then, with a flicker and trembling, word by wordand letter by letter went slowly out before our eyes.
M. de Clairon came down very pale, but with a sort of smile on his face.'No, M. le Maire,' he said, 'I cannot see how it is done. It is clever.I will examine the door further, and try the panels. Yes, I have leftsome one to watch that nothing is touched in the meantime, with thepermission of M. le Cure--'
'You have my full permission,' M. le Cure said; and M. de Claironlaughed, though he was still very pale. 'You saw my name there,' hesaid. 'I am amused--I who am not one of your worthy citizens, M. leMaire. What can Messieurs les Morts of Semur want with a poor man ofscience like me? But you shall have my report before the evening isout.'
With this I had to be content. The darkness which succeeded to thatstrange light seemed more terrible than ever. We all stumbled as weturned to go away, dazzled by it, and stricken dumb, though some keptsaying that it was a trick, and some murmured exclamations with voicesfull of terror. The sound of the crowd breaking up was like a regimentmarching--all the world had been there. I was thankful, however, thatneither my mother nor my wife had seen anything; and though they wereanxious to know why I was so serious, I succeeded fortunately in keepingthe secret from them.
M. de Clairon did not appear till late, and then he confessed to me hecould make nothing of it. 'If it is a trick (as of course it must be),it has been most cleverly done,' he said; and admitted that he wasbaffled altogether. For my part, I was not surprised. Had it been theSisters of the hospital, as M. le Cure thought, would they have let theopportunity pass of preaching a sermon to us, and recommending theirdoctrines? Not so; here there were
no doctrines, nothing but thatpregnant phrase, _la vraie signification de la vie_. This made a moredeep impression upon me than anything else. The Holy Mother herself(whom I wish to speak of with profound respect), and the saints, and theforgiveness of sins, would have all been there had it been the Sisters,or even M. le Cure. This, though I had myself suggested an imposture,made it very unlikely to my quiet thoughts. But if not an imposture,what could it be supposed to be?
EXPULSION OF THE INHABITANTS.
I will not attempt to give any detailed account of the state of the townduring this evening. For myself I was utterly worn out, and went to restas soon as M. de Clairon left me, having satisfied, as
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