by Eugène Sue
CHAPTER XLV. THE VISIT.
The keepers, yielding to Mdlle. de Cardoville's prayers, and, above all,to her promises of good behavior, had only left on the canvas jacket aportion of the time. Towards morning, they had allowed her to rise anddress herself, without interfering.
Adrienne was seated on the edge of her bed. The alteration in herfeatures, her dreadful paleness, the lurid fire of fever shining inher eyes, the convulsive trembling which ever and anon shook herframe, showed already the fatal effects of this terrible night upon asusceptible and high-strung organization. At sight of Dr. Baleinier,who, with a sign, made Gervaise and her mate leave the room, Adrienneremained petrified.
She felt a kind of giddiness at the thought of the audacity of the man,who dared to present himself to her! But when the physician repeated,in the softest tone of affectionate interest: "Well, my poor child! howhave we spent the night?" she pressed her hands to her burning forehead,as if in doubt whether she was awake or sleeping. Then, staring at thedoctor, she half opened her lips; but they trembled so much that it wasimpossible for her to utter a word. Anger, indignation, contempt, and,above all, the bitter and acutely painful feeling of a generous heart,whose confidence has been basely betrayed, so overpowered Adrienne thatshe was unable to break the silence.
"Come, come! I see how it is," said the doctor, shaking his headsorrowfully; "you are very much displeased with me--is it not so? Well!I expected it, my dear child."
These words, pronounced with the most hypocritical effrontery, madeAdrienne start up. Her pale cheek flushed, her large eyes sparkled, shelifted proudly her beautiful head, whilst her upper lip curled slightlywith a smile of disdainful bitterness; then, passing in angry silencebefore M. Baleinier, who retained his seat, she directed her swift andfirm steps towards the door. This door, in which was a little wicket,was fastened on the outside. Adrienne turned towards the doctor, andsaid to him, with an imperious gesture; "Open that door for me!"
"Come, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne," said the physician, "be calm. Let ustalk like good friends--for you know I am your friend." And he inhaledslowly a pinch of snuff.
"It appears, sir," said Adrienne, in a voice trembling with indignation,"I am not to leave this place to-day?"
"Alas! no. In such a state of excitement--if you knew how inflamed yourface is, and your eyes so feverish, your pulse must be at least eightyto the minute--I conjure you, my dear child, not to aggravate yoursymptoms by this fatal agitation."
After looking fixedly at the doctor, Adrienne returned with a slow step,and again took her seat on the edge of the bed. "That is right," resumedM. Baleinier: "only be reasonable; and, as I said before, let us talktogether like good friends."
"You say well, sir," replied Adrienne, in a collected and perfectly calmvoice; "let us talk like friends. You wish to make me pass for mad--isit not so?"
"I wish, my dear child, that one day you may feel towards me as muchgratitude as you now do aversion. The latter I had fully foreseen--but,however painful may be the performance of certain duties, we must resignourselves to it."
M. Baleinier sighed, as he said this, with such a natural air ofconviction, that for a moment Adrienne could not repress a movement ofsurprise; then, while her lip curled with a bitter laugh, she answered:"Oh, it's very clear, you have done all this for my good?"
"Really, my dear young lady--have I ever had any other design than to beuseful to you?"
"I do not know, sir, if your impudence be not still more odious thanyour cowardly treachery!"
"Treachery!" said M. Baleinier, shrugging his shoulders with a grievedair; "treachery, indeed! Only reflect, my poor child--do you think, ifI were not acting with good faith, conscientiously, in your interest,I should return this morning to meet your indignation, for which I wasfully prepared? I am the head physician of this asylum, which belongsto me--but I have two of my pupils here, doctors, like myself--and mighthave left them to take care of you but, no--I could not consent to it--Iknew your character, your nature, your previous history, and (leavingout of the question the interest I feel for you) I can treat your casebetter than any one."
Adrienne had heard M. Baleinier without interrupting him; she now lookedat him fixedly, and said: "Pray, sir, how much do they pay you to makeme pass for mad?"
"Madame!" cried M. Baleinier, who felt stung in spite of, himself.
"You know I am rich," continued Adrienne, with overwhelming disdain;"I will double the sum that they give you. Come, sir--in the name offriendship, as you call it, let me have the pleasure of outbiddingthem."
"Your keepers," said M. Baleinier, recovering all his coolness, "haveinformed me, in their report of the night's proceedings, that you madesimilar propositions to them."
"Pardon me, sir; I offered them what might be acceptable to poor women,without education, whom misfortune has forced to undertake a painfulemployment--but to you, sir a man of the world, a man of science, a manof great abilities--that is quite different--the pay must be a greatdeal higher. There is treachery at all prices; so do not found yourrefusal on the smallness of my offer to those wretched women. Tellme--how much do you want?"
"Your keepers, in their report of the night, have also spoken ofthreats," resumed M. Baleinier, with the same coolness; "have you anyof those likewise to address me? Believe me, my poor child, you willdo well to exhaust at once your attempts at corruption, and your vainthreats of vengeance. We shall then come to the true state of the case."
"So you deem my threats vain!" cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, at lengthgiving way to the full tide of her indignation, till then restrained."Do you think, sir, that when I leave this place--for this outrage musthave an end--that I will not proclaim aloud your infamous treachery? Doyou think chat I will not denounce to the contempt and horror of all,your base conspiracy with Madame de Saint-Dizier? Oh! do you think thatI will conceal the frightful treatment I have received! But, mad asI may be, I know that there are laws in this country, by which Iwill demand a full reparation for myself, and shame, disgrace, andpunishment, for you, and for those who have employed you! Henceforth,between you and me will be hate and war to the death; and all mystrength, all my intelligence--"
"Permit me to interrupt you, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne," said the doctor,still perfectly calm and affectionate: "nothing can be more unfavorableto your cure, than to cherish idle hopes: they will only tend to keepup a state of deplorable excitement: it is best to put the facts fairlybefore you, that you may understand clearly your position.
"1. It is impossible for you to leave this house. 2. You can have nocommunication with any one beyond its walls. 3. No one enters here thatI cannot perfectly depend upon. 4. I am completely indifferent to yourthreats of vengeance because law and reason are both in my favor."
"What! have you the right to shut me up here?"
"We should never have come to that determination, without a number ofreasons of the most serious kind."
"Oh! there are reasons for it, it seems."
"Unfortunately, too many."
"You will perhaps inform me of them?"
"Alas! they are only too conclusive; and if you should ever apply tothe protection of the laws, as you threatened me just now, we should beobliged to state them. The fantastical eccentricity of your manner ofliving, your whimsical mode of dressing up your maids, your extravagantexpenditure, the story of the Indian prince, to whom you offered a royalhospitality, your unprecedented resolution of going to live by yourself,like a young bachelor, the adventure of the man found concealed in yourbed-chamber; finally, the report of your yesterday's conversation, whichwas faithfully taken down in shorthand, by a person employed for thatpurpose."
"Yesterday?" cried Adrienne, with as much indignation as surprise.
"Oh, yes! to be prepared for every event, in case you shouldmisinterpret the interest we take in you, we had all your answersreported by a man who was concealed behind a curtain in the next room;and really, one day, in a calmer state of mind, when you come to readover quietly the particulars
of what took place, you will no longer beastonished at the resolution we have been forced to adopt."
"Go on, sir," said Adrienne, with contempt.
"The facts I have cited being thus confirmed and acknowledged, you willunderstand, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne, that your friends are perfectlyfree from responsibility. It was their duty to endeavor to cure thisderangement of mind, which at present only shows itself in idle whims,but which, were it to increase, might seriously compromise the happinessof your future life. Now, in my opinion, we may hope to see a radicalcure, by means of a treatment at once physical and moral; but the firstcondition of this attempt was to remove you from the scenes which sodangerously excited your imagination; whilst a calm retreat, the reposeof a simple and solitary life combined with my anxious, I may say,paternal care, will gradually bring about a complete recovery--"
"So, sir," said Adrienne, with a bitter laugh, "the love of a nobleindependence, generosity, the worship of the beautiful, detestation ofwhat is base and odious, such are the maladies of which you wish to cureme; I fear that my case is desperate, for my aunt has long ago tried toeffect that benevolent purpose."
"Well, we may perhaps not succeed; but at least we will attempt it. Yousee, then, there is a mass of serious facts, quite enough to justify thedetermination come to by the family-council, which puts me completely atmy ease with regard to your menaces. It is to that I wish to return; aman of my age and condition never acts lightly--in such circumstances,and you can readily understand what I was saying to you just now. In aword, do not hope to leave this place before your complete recovery,and rest assured, that I am and shall ever be safe from your resentment.This being once admitted, let us talk of your actual state with all theinterest that you naturally inspire."
"I think, sir, that, considering I am mad, you speak to me veryreasonably."
"Mad! no, thank heaven, my poor child, you are not mad yet--and I hopethat, by my care, you will never be so. It is to prevent your becomingmad, that one must take it in time; and believe me, it is full time. Youlook at me with such an air of surprise--now tell me, what interest canI have in talking to you thus? Is it the hatred of your aunt that I wishto favor? To what end, I would ask? What can she do for me or againstme? I think of her at this moment neither more nor less than I thoughtyesterday. Is it a new language that I hold to yourself? Did I not speakto you yesterday many times, of the dangerous excitement of mind inwhich you were, and of your singular whims and fancies? It is true,I made use of stratagem to bring you hither. No doubt, I did so. Ihastened to avail myself of the opportunity, which you yourself offered,my poor, dear child; for you would never have come hither with your owngood will. One day or the other, we must have found some pretext to getyou here: and I said to myself; 'Her interest before all! Do your duty,let whatever will betide!'--"
Whilst M. Baleinier was speaking, Adrienne's countenance, which hadhitherto expressed alternately indignation and disdain, assumed anindefinable look of anguish and horror. On hearing this man talk in sucha natural manner, and with such an appearance of sincerity, justice andreason, she felt herself more alarmed than ever. An atrocious deception,clothed in such forms, frightened her a hundred times more than theavowed hatred of Madame de Saint-Dizier. This audacious hypocrisy seemedto her so monstrous, that she believed it almost impossible.
Adrienne had so little the art of hiding her emotions, that thedoctor, a skillful and profound physiognomist, instantly perceived theimpression he had produced. "Come," said he to himself, "that is a greatstep. Fright has succeeded to disdain and anger. Doubt will come next.I shall not leave this place, till she has said to me: 'Return soon, mygood M. Baleinier!'" With a voice of sorrowful emotion, which seemed tocome from the very depths of his heart, the doctor thus continued: "Isee, you are still suspicious of me. All I can say to you is falsehood,fraud, hypocrisy, hate--is it not so?--Hate you? why, in heaven's name,should I hate you? What have you done to me? or rather--you will perhapsattach more value to this reason from a man of my sort," added M.Baleinier, bitterly, "or rather, what interest have I to hate you?--You,that have only been reduced to the state in which you are by an overabundance of the most generous instincts--you, that are suffering, asit were, from an excess of good qualities--you can bring yourself coollyand deliberately to accuse an honest man, who has never given you anybut marks of affection, of the basest, the blackest, the most abominablecrime, of which a human being could be guilty. Yes, I call it a crime;because the audacious deception of which you accuse me would not deserveany other name. Really, my poor child, it is hard--very hard--and I nowsee, that an independent spirit may sometimes exhibit as much injusticeand intolerance as the most narrow mind. It does not incense me--no--itonly pains me: yes, I assure you--it pains me cruelly." And the doctordrew his hand across his moist eyes.
It is impossible to give the accent, the look, the gesture of M.Baleinier, as he thus expressed himself. The most able and practicedlawyer, or the greatest actor in the world, could not have played thisscene with more effect than the doctor--or rather, no one could haveplayed it so well--M. Baleinier, carried away by the influence of thesituations, was himself half convinced of what he said.
In few words, he felt all the horror of his own perfidy but he felt alsothat Adrienne could not believe it; for there are combinations ofsuch nefarious character, that pure and upright minds are unable tocomprehend them as possible. If a lofty spirit looks down into the abyssof evil, beyond a certain depth it is seized with giddiness, and nolonger able to distinguish one object from the other.
And then the most perverse of men have a day, an hour, a moment, inwhich the good instincts, planted in the heart of every creature, appearin spite of themselves. Adrienne was too interesting, was in too cruel aposition, for the doctor mot to feel some pity for her in his heart; thetone of sympathy, which for some time past he had been obliged to assumetowards her, and the sweet confidence of the young girl in return, hadbecome for this man habitual and necessary ratifications. But sympathyand habit were now to yield to implacable necessity.
Thus the Marquis d'Aigrigny had idolized his mother; dying, she calledhim to her--and he turned away from the last prayer of a parent in theagony of death. After such an example, how could M. Baleinier hesitateto sacrifice Adrienne? The members of the Order, of which he formed apart, were bound to him--but he was perhaps still more strongly bound tothem, for a long partnership in evil creates terrible and indissolubleties.
The moment M. Baleinier finished his fervid address to Mdlle. deCardoville, the slide of the wicket in the door was softly pushed back,and a pair of eyes peered attentively into the chamber, unperceived bythe doctor.
Adrienne could not withdraw her gaze from the physician's, which seemedto fascinate her. Mute, overpowered, seized with a vague terror, unableto penetrate the dark depths of this man's soul, moved in spite ofherself by the accent of sorrow, half feigned and half real--the younglady had a momentary feeling of doubt. For the first time, it came intoher mind, that M. Baleinier might perhaps be committing a frightfulerror--committing it in good faith.
Besides, the anguish of the past night, the dangers of her position,her feverish agitation, all concurred to fill her mind with trouble andindecision. She looked at the physician with ever increasing surprise,and making a violent effort not to yield to a weakness, of which shepartly foresaw the dreadful consequences, she exclaimed: "No, no, sir;I will not, I cannot believe it. You have too much skill, too muchexperience, to commit such an error."
"An error!" said M. Baleinier, in a grave and sorrowful tone. "Let mespeak to you in the name of that skill and experience, which you arepleased to ascribe to me. Hear me but for a moment, my dear child; andthen I will appeal to yourself."
"To me!" replied the young girl, in a kind of stupor; "you wish topersuade me, that--" Then, interrupting herself, she added, with aconvulsive laugh: "This only is wanting to your triumph--to bring me toconfess that I am mad--that my proper place is here--that I owe you--"
"Gratitude.
Yes, you do owe it me, even as I told you at thecommencement of this conversation. Listen to me then; my words may becruel, but there are wounds which can only be cured with steel and fire.I conjure you, my dear child--reflect--throw back one impartial glanceat your past life--weigh your own thoughts--and you will be afraid ofyourself. Remember those moments of strange excitement, during which,as you have told me, you seemed to soar above the earth--and, above all,while it is yet time--while you preserve enough clearness of mind tocompare and judge--compare, I entreat, your manner of living with thatof other ladies of your age? Is there a single one who acts as youact? who thinks as you think? unless, indeed, you imagine yourself sosuperior to other women, that, in virtue of that supremacy, you canjustify a life and habits that have no parallel in the world."
"I have never had such stupid pride, you know it well," said Adrienne,looking at the doctor with growing terror.
"Then, my dear child, to what are we to attribute your strange andinexplicable mode of life? Can you even persuade yourself that it isfounded on reason? Oh, my child! take care?--As yet, you only indulgein charming originalities of conduct, poetical eccentricities, sweetand vague reveries--but the tendency is fatal, the downward courseirresistible. Take care, take care!--the healthful, graceful, spiritualportion of your intelligence has yet the upper hand, and imprints itsstamp upon all your extravagances; but you do not know, believe me, withwhat frightful force the insane portion of the mind, at a given moment,develops itself and strangles up the rest. Then we have no longergraceful eccentricities, like yours, but ridiculous, sordid, hideousdelusions."
"Oh! you frighten me," said the unfortunate girl, as she passed hertrembling hands across her burning brow.
"Then," continued M. Baleinier, in an agitated voice, "then the lastrays of intelligence are extinguished; then madness--for we mustpronounce the dreaded word--gets the upper hand, and displays itself infurious and savage transports."
"Like the woman upstairs," murmured Adrienne, as, with fixed and eagerlook, she raised her finger towards the ceiling.
"Sometimes," continued the doctor, alarmed himself at the terribleconsequences of his own words, but yielding to the inexorable fatalityof his situation, "sometimes madness takes a stupid and brutal form; theunfortunate creature, who is attacked by it, preserves nothing humanbut the shape--has only the instincts of the lower animals--eats withvoracity, and moves ever backwards and forwards in the cell, in whichsuch a being is obliged to be confined. That is all its life--all."
"Like the woman yonder." cried Adrienne, with a still wilder look, asshe slowly raised her arm towards the window that was visible on theother side of the building.
"Why--yes," said M. Baleinier. "Like you, unhappy child, those womenwere young, fair, and sensible, but like you, alas! they had in them thefatal germ of insanity, which, not having been destroyed in time, grew,and grew, larger and ever larger, until it overspread and destroyedtheir reason."
"Oh, mercy!" cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, whose head was getting confusedwith terror; "mercy! do not tell me such things!--I am afraid. Takeme from this place--oh! take me from this place!" she added, with aheartrending accent; "for, if I remain here, I shall end by going mad!No," added she, struggling with the terrible agony which assailed her,"no, do not hope it! I shall not become mad. I have all my reason. Iam not blind enough to believe what you tell me. Doubtless, I livedifferently from others; think differently from others; am shocked bythings that do not offend others; but what does all this prove? Onlythat I am different from others. Have I a bad heart? Am I envious orselfish? My ideas are singular, I knew--yes, I confess it--but then,M. Baleinier, is not their tendency good, generous, noble!--Oh!" criedAdrienne's supplicating voice, while her tears flowed abundantly, "Ihave never in my life done one malicious action; my worst errors havearisen from excess of generosity. Is it madness to wish to see everybodyabout one too happy? And again, if you are mad, you must feel ityourself--and I do not feel it--and yet--I scarcely know--you tell mesuch terrible things of those two women! You ought to know these thingsbetter than I. But then," added Mdlle, de Cardoville, with an accentof the deepest despair, "something ought to have been done. Why, if youfelt an interest for me, did you wait so long? Why did you not take pityon me sooner? But the most frightful fact is, that I do not know whetherI ought to believe you--for all this may be a snare--but no, no!you weep--it is true, then!--you weep!" She looked anxiously at M.Baleinier, who, notwithstanding his cynical philosophy, could notrestrain his tears at the sight of these nameless tortures.
"You weep over me," she continued; "so it is true! But (good heaven!)must there not be something done? I will do all that you wish--all--sothat I may not be like those women. But if it should be too late? no, itis not too late--say it is not too late, my good M. Baleinier! Oh, nowI ask your pardon for what I said when you came in--but then I did notknow, you see--I did not know!"
To these few broken words, interrupted by sobs, and rushing forth in asort of feverish excitement, succeeded a silence of some minutes, duringwhich the deeply affected physician dried his tears. His resolutionhad almost failed him. Adrienne hid her face in her hands. Suddenly sheagain lifted her head; her countenance was calmer than before, thoughagitated by a nervous trembling.
"M. Baleinier," she resumed, with touching dignity, "I hardly know whatI said to you just now. Terror, I think, made me wander; I have againcollected myself. Hear me! I know that I am in your power; I know thatnothing can deliver me from it. Are you an implacable enemy? or are youa friend? I am not able to determine. Do you really apprehend, asyou assure me, that what is now eccentricity will hereafter becomemadness--or are you rather the accomplice in some infernal machination?You alone can answer. In spite of my boasted courage, I confess myselfconquered. Whatever is required of me--you understand, whatever it maybe, I will subscribe to, I give you my word and you know that I hold itsacred--you have therefore no longer any interest to keep me here. If,on the contrary, you really think my reason in danger--and I own thatyou have awakened in my mind vague, but frightful doubts--tell it me,and I will believe you. I am alone, at your mercy, without friends,without counsel. I trust myself blindly to you. I know not whether Iaddress myself to a deliverer or a destroyer--but I say to you--here ismy happiness--here is my life--take it--I have no strength to dispute itwith you!"
These touching words, full of mournful resignation and almost hopelessreliance, gave the finishing stroke to the indecision of M. Baleinier.Already deeply moved by this scene, and without reflecting on theconsequences of what he was about to do, he determined at all eventsto dissipate the terrible and unjust fears with which he had inspiredAdrienne. Sentiments of remorse and pity, which now animated thephysician, were visible in his countenance.
Alas! they were too visible. The moment he approached to take the handof Mdlle. de Cardoville, a low but sharp voice exclaimed from behind thewicket: "M. Baleinier!"
"Rodin!" muttered the startled doctor to himself; "he's been spying onme!"
"Who calls you?" asked the lady of the physician.
"A person that I promised to meet here this morning." replied he, withthe utmost depression, "to go with him to St. Mary's Convent, which isclose at hand."
"And what answer have you to give me?" said Adrienne with mortalanguish.
After a moment's solemn silence, during which he turned his face towardsthe wicket, the doctor replied, in a voice of deep emotion: "I am--whatI have always been--a friend incapable of deceiving you."
Adrienne became deadly pale. Then, extending her hand to M. Baleinier,she said to him in a voice that she endeavored to render calm: "Thankyou--I will have courage--but will it be very long?"
"Perhaps a month. Solitude, reflection, a proper regimen, my attentivecare, may do much. You will be allowed everything that is compatiblewith your situation. Every attention will be paid you. If this roomdispleases you, I will see you have another."
"No--this or another--it is of little consequence," answered Adrienne,with an air of t
he deepest dejection.
"Come, come! be of good courage. There is no reason to despair."
"Perhaps you flatter me," said Adrienne with the shadow of a smile."Return soon," she added, "my dear M. Baleinier! my only hope rests inyou now."
Her head fell upon her bosom, her hands upon her knees and she remainedsitting on the edge of the bed, pale, motionless, overwhelmed with woe.
"Mad!" she said when M. Baleinier had disappeared. "Perhaps mad!"
We have enlarged upon this episode much less romantic than it mayappear. Many times have motives of interest or vengeance or perfidiousmachination led to the abuse of the imprudent facility with whichinmates are received in certain private lunatic asylums from the handsof their families or friends.
We shall subsequently explain our views, as to the establishment of asystem of inspection, by the crown or the civil magistrates, forthe periodical survey of these institutions, and others of no lessimportance, at present placed beyond the reach of all superintendence.These latter are the nunneries of which we will presently have anexample.