by Eugène Sue
CHAPTER XLIV. THE MINISTER'S CABINET.
The carriage had stopped before some steps covered with snow, which ledto a vestibule lighted by a lamp. The better to ascend the steps, whichwere somewhat slippery, Adrienne leaned upon the doctor's arm.
"Dear me! how you tremble," said he.
"Yes," replied she, shuddering, "I feel deadly cold. In my haste, Icame out without a shawl. But how gloomy this house appears," she added,pointing to the entrance.
"It is what you call the minister's private house, the sanctumsanctorum, whither our statesman retires far from the sound of theprofane," said Dr. Baleinier, with a smile. "Pray come in!" and hepushed open the door of a large hall, completely empty.
"They are right in saying," resumed Dr. Baleinier, who covered hissecret agitation with an appearance of gayety, "that a minister's houseis like nobody else's. Not a footman--not a page, I should say--to befound in the antechamber. Luckily," added he, opening the door of a roomwhich communicated with the vestibule,
"'In this seraglio reared, I know the secret ways.'"
Mdlle. de Cardoville was now introduced into an apartment hung withgreen embossed paper, and very simply furnished with mahogany chairs,covered with yellow velvet; the floor was carefully polished, anda globe lamp, which gave at most a third of its proper light, wassuspended (at a much greater height than usual) from the ceiling.Finding the appearance of this habitation singularly plain for thedwelling of a minister, Adrienne, though she had no suspicion, could notsuppress a movement of surprise and paused a moment on the threshold ofthe door. M. Baleinier, by whose arm she held, guessed the cause of herastonishment, and said to her with a smile:
"This place appears to you very paltry for 'his excellency,' does itnot? If you knew what a thing constitutional economy is!--Moreover,you will see a 'my lord,' who has almost as little pretension as hisfurniture. But please to wait for me an instant. I will go and informthe minister you are here, and return immediately."
Gently disengaging himself from the grasp of Adrienne, who hadinvoluntarily pressed close to him, the physician opened a small sidedoor, by which he instantly disappeared. Adrienne de Cardoville was leftalone.
Though she could not have explained the cause of her impression, therewas something awe-inspiring to the young lady in this large, cold,naked, curtainless room; and as, by degrees, she noticed certainpeculiarities in the furniture, which she had not at first perceived,she was seized with an indefinable feeling of uneasiness.
Approaching the cheerless hearth, she perceived with surprise that aniron grating completely enclosed the opening of the chimney, and thatthe tongs and shovel were fastened with iron chains. Already astonishedby this singularity, she was about mechanically to draw towards heran armchair placed against the wall, when she found that it remainedmotionless. She then discovered that the back of this piece offurniture, as well as that of all the other chairs, was fastened to thewainscoting by iron clamps. Unable to repress a smile, she exclaimed:"Have they so little confidence in the statesman in whose house I am,that they are obliged to fasten the furniture to the walls?"
Adrienne had recourse to this somewhat forced pleasantry as a kind ofeffort to resist the painful feeling of apprehension that was graduallycreeping over her; for the most profound and mournful silence reigned inthis habitation, where nothing indicated the life, the movement and theactivity, which usually surround a great centre of business. Only,from time to time, the young lady heard the violent gusts of wind fromwithout.
More than a quarter of an hour had elapsed, and M. Baleinier did notreturn. In her impatient anxiety, Adrienne wished to call some one toinquire about the doctor and the minister. She raised her eyes to lookfor a bell-rope by the side of the chimney-glass; she found none, butshe perceived, that what she had hitherto taken for a glass, thanks tothe half obscurity of the room, was in reality a large sheet ofshining tin. Drawing nearer to it, she accidentally touched a bronzedcandlestick; and this, as well as a clock, was fixed to the marble ofthe chimney-piece.
In certain dispositions of mind, the most insignificant circumstancesoften assume terrific proportions. This immovable candlestick, thisfurniture fastened to the wainscot, this glass replaced by a tin sheet,this profound silence, and the prolonged absence of M. Baleinier, hadsuch an effect upon Adrienne, that she was struck with a vague terror.Yet such was her implicit confidence in the doctor, that she reproachedherself with her own fears, persuading herself that the causes of themwere after all of no real importance, and that it was unreasonable tofeel uneasy at such trifles.
Still, though she thus strove to regain courage, her anxiety induced herto do what otherwise she would never have attempted. She approached thelittle door by which the doctor had disappeared, and applied her ear toit. She held her breath, and listened, but heard nothing.
Suddenly, a dull, heavy sound, like that of a falling body, was audiblejust above her head; she thought she could even distinguish a stifledmoaning. Raising her eyes, hastily, she saw some particles of theplaster fall from the ceiling, loosened, no doubt, by the shaking of thefloor above.
No longer able to resist the feeling of terror, Adrienne ran to the doorby which she had entered with the doctor, in order to call some one. Toher great surprise, she found it was fastened on the outside. Yet, sinceher arrival, she had heard no sound of a key turning in the lock.
More and more alarmed, the young girl flew to the little door by whichthe physician had disappeared, and at which she had just been listening.This door also was fastened on the outside.
Still, wishing to struggle with the terror which was gaining invinciblyupon her, Adrienne called to her aid all the firmness of her character,and tried to argue away her fears.
"I must have been deceived." she said; "it was only a fall that I heard.The moaning had no existence, except in my imagination. There are athousand reasons for believing that it was not a person who fell down.But, then, these locked doors? They, perhaps, do not know that I amhere; they may have thought that there was nobody in this room."
As she uttered these words, Adrienne looked round with anxiety; thenshe added, in a firm voice: "No weakness! it is useless to try to blindmyself to my real situation. On the contrary, I must look it well in theface. It is evident that I am not here at a minister's house; no end ofreasons prove it beyond a doubt; M. Baleinier has therefore deceived me.But for what end? Why has he brought me hither? Where am I?"
The last two questions appeared to Adrienne both equally insoluble. Itonly remained clear, that she was the victim of M. Baleinier's perfidy.But this certainly seemed so horrible to the young girl's truthfuland generous soul, that she still tried to combat the idea by therecollection of the confiding friendship which she had always shown thisman. She said to herself with bitterness: "See how weakness and fearmay lead one to unjust and odious suspicions! Yes; for until thelast extremity, it is not justifiable to believe in so infernal adeception--and then only upon the clearest evidence. I will call someone: it is the only way of completely satisfying these doubts." Then,remembering that there was no bell, she added: "No matter; I will knock,and some one will doubtless answer." With her little, delicate hand,Adrienne struck the door several times.
The dull, heavy sound which came from the door showed that it was verythick. No answer was returned to the young girl. She ran to the otherdoor. There was the same appeal on her part, the same profound silencewithout--only interrupted from time to time by the howling of the wind.
"I am not more timid than other people," said Adrienne, shuddering;"I do not know if it is the excessive cold, but I tremble in spite ofmyself. I endeavor to guard against all weakness; yet I think that anyone in my position would find all this very strange and frightful."
At this instant, loud cries, or rather savage and dreadful howls, burstfuriously from the room just above, and soon after a sort of stampingof feet, like the noise of a violent struggle, shook the ceiling of theapartment. Struck with consternation, Adrienne uttered a loud cry ofterror became
deadly pale, stood for a moment motionless with affright,and then rushed to one of the windows, and abruptly threw it open.
A violent gust of wind, mixed with melted snow, beat against Adrienne'sface, swept roughly into the room, and soon extinguished the flickeringand smoky light of the lamp. Thus, plunged in profound darkness, withher hands clinging to the bars that were placed across the window,Mdlle. de Cardoville yielded at length to the full influence of herfears, so long restrained, and was about to call aloud for help, when anunexpected apparition rendered her for some minutes absolutely mute withterror.
Another wing of the building, opposite to that in which she was, stoodat no great distance. Through the midst of the black darkness, whichfilled the space between, one large, lighted window was distinctlyvisible. Through the curtainless panes, Adrienne perceived a whitefigure, gaunt and ghastly, dragging after it a sort of shroud, andpassing and repassing continually before the window, with an abrupt andrestless motion. Her eyes fixed upon this window, shining through thedarkness, Adrienne remained as if fascinated by that fatal vision: and,as the spectacle filled up the measure of her fears, she called for helpwith all her might, without quitting the bars of the window to whichshe clung. After a few seconds, whilst she was thus crying out, two tallwomen entered the room in silence, unperceived by Mdlle. de Cardoville,who was still clinging to the window.
These women, of about forty to fifty years of age, robust and masculine,were negligently and shabbily dressed, like chambermaids of the lowersort; over their clothes they wore large aprons of blue cotton, cutsloping from their necks, and reaching down to their feet. One of them,who held a lamp in her hand, had a broad, red, shining face, a largepimpled nose, small green eyes, and tow hair, which straggled rough andshaggy from beneath her dirty white cap. The other, sallow, withered,and bony, wore a mourning-cap over a parchment visage, pitted withthe small-pox, and rendered still more repulsive by the thick blackeyebrows, and some long gray hairs that overshadowed the upper lip. Thiswoman carried, half unfolded in her hand, a garment of strange form,made of thick gray stuff.
They both entered silently by the little door, at the moment whenAdrienne, in the excess of her terror, was grasping the bars of thewindow, and crying out: "Help! help!"
Pointing out the young lady to each other, one of them went to place thelamp on the chimney-piece, whilst the other (she who wore the mourningcap) approached the window, and laid her great bony hand upon Mdlle. deCardoville's shoulder.
Turning round, Adrienne uttered a new cry of terror at the sight of thisgrim figure. Then, the first moment of stupor over, she began to feelless afraid; hideous as was this woman, it was at least some one tospeak to; she exclaimed, therefore, in an agitated voice: "Where is M.Baleinier?"
The two women looked at each other, exchanged a leer of mutualintelligence, but did not answer.
"I ask you, madame," resumed Adrienne, "where is M. Baleinier, whobrought me hither? I wish to see him instantly."
"He is gone," said the big woman.
"Gone!" cried Adrienne; "gone without me!--Gracious heaven! what canbe the meaning of all this?" Then, after a moment's reflection, sheresumed, "Please to fetch me a coach."
The two women looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. "Ientreat you, madame," continued Adrienne, with forced calmness in hervoice, "to fetch me a coach since M. Baleinier is gone without me. Iwish to leave this place."
"Come, come, madame," said the tall woman, who was called "Tomboy,"without appearing to listen to what Adrienne asked, "it is time for youto go to bed."
"To go to bed!" cried Mdlle. Cardoville, in alarm. "This is reallyenough to drive one mad." Then, addressing the two women, she added:"What is this house? where am I? answer!"
"You are in a house," said Tomboy, in a rough voice, "where you must notmake a row from the window, as you did just now."
"And where you must not put out the lamp as you have done," added theother woman, who was called Gervaise, "or else we shall have a crow topick with you."
Adrienne, unable to utter a word, and trembling with fear, looked in akind of stupor from one to the other of these horrible women; her reasonstrove in vain to comprehend what was passing around her. Suddenly shethought she had guessed it, and exclaimed: "I see there is a mistakehere. I do not understand how, but there is a mistake. You take me forsome one else. Do you know who I am? My name is Adrienne de CardovilleYou see, therefore, that I am at liberty to leave this house; no one inthe world has the right to detain me. I command you, then, to fetch mea coach immediately. If there are none in this quarter, let me have someone to accompany me home to the Rue de Babylone, Saint-Dizier House. Iwill reward such a person liberally, and you also."
"Well, have you finished?" said Tomboy. "What is the use of telling usall this rubbish?"
"Take care," resumed Adrienne, who wished to try every means; "if youdetain me here by force, it will be very serious. You do not know towhat you expose yourselves."
"Will you come to bed; yes or no?" said Gervaise, in a tone of harshimpatience.
"Listen to me, madame," resumed Adrienne, precipitately, "let me outthis place, and I will give each of you two thousand francs. It is notenough? I will give you ten--twenty--whatever you ask. I am rich--onlylet me out for heaven's sake, let me out!--I cannot remain here--Iam afraid." As she said this, the tone of the poor girl's voice washeartrending.
"Twenty thousand francs!--that's the usual figure, ain't it, Tomboy?"
"Let be, Gervaise! they all sing the same song."
"Well, then? since reasons, prayers, and menaces are all in vain," saidAdrienne gathering energy from her desperate position, "I declare toyou that I will go out and that instantly. We will see if you are boldenough to employ force against me."
So saying, Adrienne advanced resolutely towards the door. But, at thismoment, the wild hoarse cries, which had preceded the noise of thestruggle that had so frightened her, again resounded; only, this timethey were not accompanied by the movement of feet.
"Oh! what screams!" said Adrienne, stopping short, and in her terrordrawing nigh to the two women. "Do you not hear those cries? What, then,is this house, in which one hears such things? And over there, too,"added she almost beside herself, as she pointed to the other wing wherethe lighted windows shone through the darkness, and the white figurecontinued to pass and repass before it; "over there! do you see? What isit?"
"Oh! that 'un," said Tomboy; "one of the folks who, like you, have notbehaved well."
"What do you say?" cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, clasping her hands interror. "Heavens! what is this house? What do they do to them?"
"What will be done to you, if you are naughty, and refuse to come tobed," answered Gervaise.
"They put this on them," said Tomboy, showing the garment that she hadheld under her arm, "they clap 'em into the strait-waistcoast."
"Oh!" cried Adrienne, hiding her face in her hands with horror. Aterrible discovery had flashed suddenly upon her. She understood it all.
Capping the violent emotions of the day, the effect of this last blowwas dreadful. The young girl felt her strength give way. Her hands fellpowerless, her face became fearfully pale, all her limbs trembled, andsinking upon her knees, and casting a terrified glance at the straitwaistcoat she was just able to falter in a feeble voice, "Oh, no:--notthat--for pity's sake, madame. I will do--whatever you wish." And, herstrength quite failing, she would have fallen upon the ground if thetwo women had not run towards her, and received her fainting into theirarms.
"A fainting fit," said Tomboy; "that's not dangerous. Let us carry herto bed. We can undress her, and this will be all nothing."
"Carry her, then," said Gervaise. "I will take the lamp."
The tall and robust Tomboy took up Mdlle. de Cardoville as if shehad been a sleeping child, carried her in her arms, and followed hercompanion into the chamber through which M. Baleinier had made his exit.
This chamber, though perfectly clean, was cold and bare. A greenishpaper covered
the walls, and a low, little iron bedstead, the head ofwhich formed a kind of shelf, stood in one corner; a stove, fixed in thechimney-place, was surrounded by an iron grating, which forbade a nearapproach; a table fastened to the wall, a chair placed before thistable, and also clamped to the floor, a mahogany chest of drawers, anda rush bottomed armchair completed the scanty furniture. The curtainlesswindow was furnished on the inside with an iron grating, which served toprotect the panes from being broken.
It was into this gloomy retreat, which formed so painful a contrast withthe charming little summer-house in the Rue de Babylone, that Adriennewas carried by Tomboy, who, with the assistance of Gervaise, placed theinanimate form on the bed. The lamp was deposited on the shelf at thehead of the couch. Whilst one of the nurses held her up, the otherunfastened and took off the cloth dress of the young girl, whose headdrooped languidly on her bosom. Though in a swoon, large tears trickledslowly from her closed eyes, whose long black lashes threw their shadowson the transparent whiteness of her cheeks. Over her neck and breast ofivory flowed the golden waves of her magnificent hair, which had comedown at the time of her fall. When, as they unlaced her satin corset,less soft, less fresh, less white than the virgin form beneath, whichlay like a statue of alabaster in its covering of lace and lawn, one ofthe horrible hags felt the arms and shoulders of the young girl withher large, red, horny, and chapped hands. Though she did not completelyrecover the use of her senses, she started involuntarily from the rudeand brutal touch.
"Hasn't she little feet?" said the nurse, who, kneeling down, wasemployed in drawing off Adrienne's stockings. "I could hold them bothin the hollow of my hand." In fact, a small, rosy foot, smooth as achild's, here and there veined with azure, was soon exposed to view, aswas also a leg with pink knee and ankle, of as pure and exquisite a formas that of Diana Huntress.
"And what hair!" said Tomboy; "so long and soft!--She might almost walkupon it. 'Twould be a pity to cut it off, to put ice upon her skull!" Asshe spoke, she gathered up Adrienne's magnificent hair, and twisted itas well as she could behind her head. Alas! it was no longer the fair,light hand of Georgette, Florine, or Hebe that arranged the beauteouslocks of their mistress with so much love and pride!
And as she again felt the rude touch of the nurse's hand, the younggirl was once more seized with the same nervous trembling, only morefrequently and strongly than before. And soon, whether by a sort ofinstinctive repulsion, magnetically excited during her swoon, or fromthe effect of the cold night air, Adrienne again started and slowly cameto herself.
It is impossible to describe her alarm, horror, and chaste indignation,as, thrusting aside with both her hands the numerous curls that coveredher face, bathed in tears, she saw herself half-naked between thesefilthy hags. At first, she uttered a cry of shame and terror; then toescape from the looks of the women, by a movement, rapid as thought, shedrew down the lamp placed on the shelf at the head of her bed, so thatit was extinguished and broken to pieces on the floor. After which, inthe midst of the darkness, the unfortunate girl, covering herself withthe bed-clothes, burst into passionate sobs.
The nurses attributed Adrienne's cry and violent actions to a fit offurious madness. "Oh! you begin again to break the lamps--that's yourpartickler fancy, is it?" cried Tomboy, angrily, as she felt her wayin the dark. "Well! I gave you fair warning. You shall have the straitwaistcoat on this very night, like the mad gal upstairs."
"That's it," said the other; "hold her fast, Tommy, while I go and fetcha light. Between us, we'll soon master her."
"Make haste, for, in spite of her soft look, she must be a regular fury.We shall have to sit up all night with her, I suppose."
Sad and painful contrast! That morning, Adrienne had risen free,smiling, happy, in the midst of all the wonders of luxury and art, andsurrounded by the delicate attentions of the three charming girls whomshe had chosen to serve her. In her generous and fantastic mood, shehad prepared a magnificent and fairy-like surprise for the young Indianprince, her relation; she had also taken a noble resolution with regardto the two orphans brought home by Dagobert; in her interview with Mme.de Saint-Dizier, she had shown herself by turns proud and sensitive,melancholy and gay, ironical and serious, loyal and courageous; finally,she had come to this accursed house to plead in favor of an honest andlaborious artisan.
And now, in the evening delivered over by an atrocious piece oftreachery to the ignoble hands of two coarse-minded muses in amadhouse--Mdlle. de Cardoville felt her delicate limbs imprisoned inthat abominable garment, which is called a strait-waistcoat.
Mdlle. de Cardoville passed a horrible night in company with the twohags. The next morning, at nine o'clock, what was the young lady'sstupor to see Dr. Baleinier enter the room, still smiling with an air atonce benevolent and paternal.
"Well, my dear child?" said he, in a bland, affectionate voice; "howhave we spent the night?"