第28章

"I should be much surprised," she said, "If my husband had not already spoken to you of Jeanne.She is a sweet child, and we both lover her very much.Tell me the plain truth; what do you think of her statuette?"I replied that the work was full of good taste and spirit, but that it showed some want of study and practice on the author's part;otherwise I had been extremely touched to think that those young fingers should have thus embroidered an old man's rough sketch of fancy, and given form so brilliantly to the dreams of a dotard like myself.

"The reason I ask your opinion," replied Madame de Gabry, seriously, "is that Jeanne is a poor orphan.Do you think she could earn her living by modelling statuettes like this one?""As for that, no!" I replied; "and I think there is no reason to regret the fact.You say the girl is affectionate and sensitive;I can well believe you; I could believe it from her face alone.There are excitements in artist-life which impel generous hearts to act out of all rule and measure.This young creature is made to love;keep her for the domestic hearth.There only is real happiness.""But she has no dowry!" replied Madame de Gabry.

Then, extending her hand to me, she continued:

"You are our friend; I can tell you everything.The father of this child was a banker, and one of our friends.He went into a colossal speculation, and it ruined him.He survived only a few months after his failure, in which, as Paul must have told you, three-fourths of my uncle's fortune were lost, and more than half of our own.

"We had made his acquaintance at Manaco, during the winter we passed there at my uncle's house.He had an adventurous disposition, but such an engaging manner! He deceived himself before ever he deceived others.After all, it is in the ability to deceive oneself that the greatest talent is shown, is it not? Well, we were captured--my husband, my uncle, and I; and we risked much more than a reasonable amount in a very hazardous undertaking.But, bah! as Paul says, since we have no children we need not worry about it.Besides, we have the satisfaction of knowing that the friend in whom we trusted was an honest man....You must know his name, it was so often in the papers an on public placards--Noel Alexandre.His wife was a very sweet person.I knew her only when she was already past her prime, with traces of having once been very pretty, and a taste for fashionable style and display which seemed quite becoming to her.

She was naturally fond of social excitement; but she showed a great deal of courage and dignity after the death of her husband.She died a year after him, leaving Jeanne alone in the world.""Clementine!" I cried out.

And on thus learning what I had never imagined--the mere idea of which would have set all the forces of my soul in revolt--upon hearing that Clementine was no longer in this world, something like a great silence came upon me; and the feeling which flooded my whole being was not a keen, strong pain, but a quiet and solemn sorrow.Yet Iwas conscious of some incomprehensible sense of alleviation, and my thought rose suddenly to heights before unknown.

"From wheresoever thou art at this moment, Clementine," I said to myself, "look down upon this old heart now indeed cooled by age, yet whose blood once boiled for thy sake, and say whether it is not reanimated by the mere thought of being able to love all that remains of thee on earth.Everything passes away since thou thyself hast passed away; but Life is immortal; it is that Life we must love in its forms eternally renewed.All the rest is child's play; and Imyself, with all my books, am only like a child playing with marbles.

The purpose of life--it is thou, Clementine, who has revealed it to me!"...

Madame de Gabry aroused me from my thoughts by murmuring, "The child is poor.""The daughter of Clementine is poor!" I exclaimed aloud; "how fortunate that is so! I would not whish that any one by myself should proved for her and dower her! No! the daughter of Clementine must not have her dowry from any one but me."And, approaching Madame de Gabry as she rose from her chair, I took her right hand; I kissed that hand, and placed it on my arm, and said:

"You will conduct me to the grave of the widow of Noel Alexandre."And I heard Madame de Gabry asking me:

"Why are you crying?"