He had placed two hundred thousand francs in his hands to settle his most pressing debts. In his marriage-contract he had acknowledged having received with his wife a dower of the same amount; and finally, he had bound himself to pay to his father-in-law and his wife an annual income of ten thousand francs. This had absorbed more than half of all he possessed."M. Magloire no longer thought of protesting. Sitting stiffly on his chair, his eyes wide open, like a man who asks himself whether he is asleep or awake, he murmured,--"That is incomprehensible! That is unheard of!"Jacques was becoming gradually excited. He went on,--"This is, at least, what the countess told me in her first hours of enthusiasm. But she told it to me calmly, coldly, like a thing that was perfectly natural. 'Certainly,' she said, 'Count Claudieuse has never had to regret the bargain he made. If he has been generous, Ihave been faithful. My father owes his life to him; but I have given him years of happiness to which he was not entitled. If he has received no love, he has had all the appearance of it, and an appearance far more pleasant than the reality.'
"When I could not conceal my astonishment, she added, laughing heartily,--" 'Only I brought to the bargain a mental reservation. I reserved to myself the right to claim my share of earthly happiness whenever it should come within my reach. That share is yours, Jacques; and do not fancy that I am troubled by remorse. As long as my husband thinks he is happy, I am within the terms of the contract.'
"That was the way she spoke at that time, Magloire; and a man of more experience would have been frightened. But I was a child; I loved her with all my heart. I admired her genius; I was overcome by her sophisms.
"A letter from Count Claudieuse aroused us from our dreams.
"The countess had committed the only and the last imprudence of her whole life: she had remained three weeks longer in Paris than was agreed upon; and her impatient husband threatened to come for her.
" 'I must go back to Valpinson,' she said; 'for there is nothing Iwould not do to keep up the reputation I have managed to make for myself. My life, your life, my daughter's life--I would give them all, without hesitation, to protect my reputation.""This happened--ah! the dates have remained fixed in my mind as if engraven on bronze--on the 12th October.
" 'I cannot remain longer than a month,' she said to me, 'without seeing you. A month from to-day, that is to say, on 12th November, at three o'clock precisely, you must be in the forest of Rochepommier, at the Red Men's Cross-roads. I will be there.'
"And she left Paris. I was in such a state of depression, that Iscarcely felt the pain of parting. The thought of being loved by such a woman filled me with extreme pride, and, no doubt, saved me from many an excess. Ambition was rising within me whenever I thought of her. I wanted to work, to distinguish myself, to become eminent in some way.
" 'I want her to be proud of me,' I said to myself, ashamed at being nothing at my age but the son of a rich father."Ten times, at least, M. Magloire had risen from his chair, and moved his lips, as if about to make some objection. But he had pledged himself, in his own mind, not to interrupt Jacques, and he did his best to keep his pledge.
"In the meantime," Jacques went on, "the day fixed by the countess was drawing near. I went down to Boiscoran; and on the appointed day, at the precise hour, I was in the forest at the Red Men's Cross-roads. Iwas somewhat behind time, and I was extremely sorry for it: but I did not know the forest very well, and the place chosen by the countess for the rendezvous is in the very thickest part of the old wood. The weather was unusually severe for the season. The night before, a heavy snow had fallen: the paths were all white; and a sharp wind blew the flakes from the heavily-loaded branches. From afar off, Idistinguished the countess, as she was walking, up and down in a kind of feverish excitement, confining herself to a narrow space, where the ground was dry, and where she was sheltered from the wind by enormous masses of stone. She wore a dress of dark-red silk, very long, a cloak trimmed with fur, and a velvet hat to match her dress. In three minutes I was by her side. But she did not draw her hand from her muff to offer it to me; and, without giving me time to apologize for the delay, she said in a dry tone,--" 'When did you reach Boiscoran?'
" 'Last night.'
" 'How childish you are!' she exclaimed, stamping her foot. 'Last night! And on what pretext?'
" 'I need no pretext to visit my uncle.'
" 'And was he not surprised to see you drop from the clouds at this time of the year?'
" 'Why, yes, a little,' I answered foolishly, incapable as I was of concealing the truth.
"Her dissatisfaction increased visibly.
" 'And how did you get here?' she commenced again. 'Did you know this cross-road?'
" 'No, I inquired about it.'
" 'From whom?'
" 'From one of my uncle's servants; but his information was so imperfect, that I lost my way.'
"She looked at me with such a bitter, ironical smile, that I stopped.
" 'And all that, you think, is very ******,' she broke in. 'Do you really imagine people will think it very natural that you should thus fall like a bombshell upon Boiscoran, and immediately set out for the Red Men's Cross-roads in the forest? Who knows but you have been followed? Who knows but behind one of these trees there may be eyes even now watching us?'
"And as she looked around with all the signs of genuine fear, Ianswered,--
" 'And what do you fear? Am I not here?'